After many months, a new chapter! Thought I'd forgotten bout this story, huh? Lol No I haven't. Just...a lot has happened. I'll explain at end of chapter. Please enjoy!

Discovery

I dropped to the ground, blood rushing to my ears, and never broke eye contact with Toothless. My rage was snuffed out with a single roar. A command. One I had to obey. One that forced me down into submission. And yet...I was not trembling. I noticed it then, that frightening yet enchanting blue aura. A memory clawed the back of my mind, but was interrupted by Toothless' voice.

"I'm only gonna say this ONCE: never hurt Hiccup. I won't hesitate to knock you down if you even lay a scratch on him. Understand, Midnight?" Toothless bellowed.

No words fell from my mouth. I could only stare wide eyed at him as a voice echoed in my head, chanting Toothless' order over and over again. My stomach twisted when I realized: that wasn't my voice. Fear trickled down my spine. It sounded...ancient.

A new voice joined the other, and this one I knew immediately, the harsh yet kind voice of my mother whispering. She spoke of a story, one that I always wanted to hear as a hatchling, where a white dragon the size of two mountains reigned over all dragons with their frightening yet enchanting... NO!

I screamed at my body to move. With a heavy shove, I pushed myself onto my paws and rushed towards Toothless. He stepped back as I gazed hard at him. I looked him up and down before walking around him, and he craned his neck to follow my movements. I was so blinded by my thoughts that I never noticed that he was posing for me.

"That's impossible!" I said after I circled him a few times, I look up at him and added, "Mother said only frost giants can be kings."

Toothless blinked.

"What?" Toothless said when a large dragon jumped near us, shoving his massive head in front of Toothless. His eyes narrowed into slits.

"You! Shut your trap and bow to your king!" The dragon snarled, smoke flaring from his nostrils.

I dropped to the ground once more, burying my face into the dirt.

SMACK!

Sneaking a peek through my paws, I saw Toothless hitting the other dragon with his tail. He yelled the name Hookfang several times. Toothless then looked down at me, head cocked to the side.

"Heh, sorry bout Hookfang. He can be a bit much... You can get up now, Midnight."

"O-oh! Sorry!"

I scrambled to my paws. A sense of dread washed over me then. I quickly looked around and saw all eyes were on us. My throat grew tight. Something touched my leg causing me to flinch. I looked at the source. Toothless shot me a gummy smile that made my heart flutter.

"Midnight, what did you mean by 'frost giant'?" Toothless asked.

Blinking, I tilted my head. Did he not know? How could he not know? Everyone knows about them? I searched his face for a crack in the mask. Those big sweet eyes of his were filled with nothing but curiosity and confusion. Courage bubbled to the surface thanks to those eyes.

I blurted out, "Has no one told you?"

Toothless' face scrunched up in a scowl. He and I both looked out across the crowd of dragons. They shifted in their spots while exchanging strange nervous looks. My gaze fell upon Hookfang who shot me a death glare. I crouched low beneath my wings. Between the gap I saw Hiccup step closer to Toothless who was now still as a rock.

A sparkle caught my eye. I scooted closer to it as I heard Toothless stomp over to the crowd. His voice brushed against my back.

"Alright, who's gonna tell me what a frost giant is? Cause apparently that's a thing. And y'all seem like you know something with those looks of yours. Well?" Toothless said, tail thumping behind him. I threw a look behind me.

A strange dragon with two heads stepped forward.

Toothless huffed.

"So Barf & Belch, you're gonna tell me then?"

The oddly-named duo spoke, their voices so strange and similar I had no idea who was speaking., and it didn't help when they weaved and twisted their necks together.

"Ssssure, but not now Toothlesss."

"Why not?!"

"Perhapsss you sssshould explain your tail fin."
"Yesss exactly."

"Why?"

They pointed their split tail at me. I looked away when Toothless turned back, my gaze firmly set on the strange tail 's pawsteps approached, but so did something else, a squeaking noise, as Toothless sat and curled his tail around his feet.

Dropping to one knee, Hiccup smiled at me while pointing, "This probably looks bad, huh?"

I nodded. Hiccup picked up the fin, extending it fully as his thumb tracing over a joint. I squinted. My eyes grew wide when I saw several morejoints in the wrong places, and a strange growth connecting them all. But, more importantly, the fin wasn't made of skin!

Grinning, Hiccup said, "See, it's not a real fin. Toothless wasn't in any pain."

I side eyed Hiccup. He pursed his lips before nodding and waving his head a bit.

"He's good now. He has other tail fins too. Look that way," Hiccup said as he pointed towards the forge. The mismatched man waved then threw his arm out towards the back. An array of tail fins in all different colors and shapes lined the walls. I studied every fin, still unsure, but Toothless hopped back to his feet. All the false pieces were gone, but he grinned as he wiggled the half-fin that remained.

Hiccup shifted the broken tail under his arm as he rose to his feet...or well foot.

"I'm gonna fix this up for ya bud. Maybe you two should take a walk, and give the gal a rundown bout your tail."

Toothless nodded.

Hiccup stretched a hand out to me, fingers hovering above my head. I stare up at him. He smiled at me. As he started to pull his hand back, I quickly brushed my nose against his palm before dipping behind Toothless. They shared a look and a smile nearly tore Hiccup's face apart as he waved us off before heading towards the forge.

Toothless gently nudged me towards another path and shot the crowd a look. It quickly dissipated.

As he lead me, he said, "you made Hiccup's entire year. I want you to know that, Midnight."

His words sounded so genuine. So sweet. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears I was so sure he must have heard it.

"Well, I am glad to hear thaaaAAAHHHIIIEEE!"

My squeal froze Toothless in place as he watched me helplessly rush towards a gaggle of round bumpy hatchlings. They blinked at me cutely.

"Oh my stars! You are all the cutest, sweetest, most adorable little babies I've ever seen! OOOOH! Look at your teeny wings~ Oh and those ears! So round, round teefs, oooo you are all adorable!"

They smiled and huddled around me.

"Oh, you've met Meatlug's kids." Toothless said as he walked over to see me nuzzling one of the babies. He chuckled.

"Yeah, Gronckle babies are pretty cute huh."

"Oh they're darling! ...Gronckle? Huh, that's actually a really cute name! Fitting for so many cuties, oh aren't you, yes you are yes you are~ What do you guys like to do?"

Meatlug's kids exchange sly looks before rushing as one to tackle Toothless to the ground. I burst out laughing as they hopped and jumped all over Toothless and he sighed dramatically and pushed them away to sit properly.

"Back to your mother, the lot of ya. Git!"

They all whined as they huddled together. Toothless bumped foreheads then with each one reminding them bedtime. They relented and gave him another head bump before flying off.

I sighed, watching him watch them. He shook his head, laughing to himself, then turned on his heel to saunter past me.

"You're wonderful with them." I said.

"Ah well, they're good kids. Helps that Meatlug's their mom; wish they wouldn't tackle me like that."
"They like you, that's why."

"If being liked means I get tackled, almost wish they hated me."

Someone hating Toothless? Impossible. I snorted.

"What's so funny?"

"You wishing someone didn't like you. That's silly."

"Well it's not silly, it's happened."

"Oh?"

"Yup, CJ didn't like me when we first met. We're cool now."

"CJ?"

"Cloudjumper."

"What do you need, Toothless?"

I bit back a scream as an even larger dragon than Hookfang descended upon us. Beady yellow eyes stared into mine. He sat on his haunches, his wings blocking out the last sunlight. My wings curled around me. His size. I have never seen a dragon so big except...

"Cloudjumper, what're doing?" Toothless asked.

Cloudjumper turned his head around!

My jaw dropped as my wings slumped. Toothless laughing broke through the insanity. He trotted over to me. A gummy grin.

"Sorry bout him, Middy! Cloudjumper, this is Midnight. Midnight?"

Toothless cocked his head at me. I stared wide eyed. He came closer whispering something in my ear. My voice gone. Toothless waved his tail fin in my face.

"She's afraid, like before Toothless." Cloudjumper said.

Jumping a foot away, Toothless looked behind him. Cloudjumper was eye level. Eye level with Toothless. I, on the other hand, was face to face with his giant maw.

Teeth. So many teeth; all were shrouded by Toothless' wing. A gentle touch on my shoulder began to turn me away. Instinct had me look back, but all I saw was wing.

"We'll talk later, CJ."

"We shall. And Sapphire, you're safe here."

I whipped my head around. Cloudjumper gave me a single look before he flew off. I looked back to Toothless. He shared my astonishment.

"Let's keeping going."

I nodded.

Toothless lead me towards the cliff side. Far from prying eyes. A small grassy patch welcomed us. We sat side by side then staring out to the ocean. The waves sparkled in the moonlight. Towards the horizon where the sea and sky touched, they reflected one another. An endless array of stars twinkling above and below.

"Wow. The stars are so beautiful here." I said breathlessly.

"Best place to stargaze!" Toothless said, he then pointed a paw up at a group of stars.

"That star at the top if you look diagonally it makes a plough."

My puzzled look made him pause.

He cutely scrunched up his face. His face lit up. He wiggled in his spot before rushing towards a tree. He snapped a branch off. He then started to draw. Toothless drew a line sticking out of a square? I furrowed my brows. I leaned in closer studying the drawing. I gasped as it hit me.

"It looks like a nest!"

"Heh kinda, but it can move!" Toothless said. He then drew another line with two sticking out of the bottom, a pointy one, and a line at the end. He beamed down at me. I titled my head at it.

"What...is it?

Toothless shrugged.

"Humans here call it Wain. I dunno why. Hic says it's a big bear. They call it constellations."

My brow furrowed again. I exchanged a look between the drawing and the stars. Humans are so fascinating yet strange, calling these constellations. I scanned the sky, and above Toothless' head it dawns on me.

"Star drawings!"

"What?"

I nodded.

"That's what it reminds me of. Like...look!" I said, pointing above his head. I grabbed the stick from him and began to draw it out. Toothless squinted when I finished.

"That's a hairy square."

I spat out the stick. I glowered at him which only made him snicker.

"It's a frost giant, thank you!" I said with a harrumph.

His smile vanished. He stared hard at my drawing. He then lifted his gaze. My heart skipped a beat from his gaze.

"You said frost giants earlier. Midnight, what did you mean by that?"

Blinking, I pawed at the ground before I spoke, "That's what my mother called the dragon king in her stories."

Suddenly he leaned in, his face shining with curiosity.

"Just your mom called them that?"

"Oh no! Mother was telling our kind's history. Passing it down and all."

"Wait! Our kind has history?!"

"Well...yes? Frost Giants are the species our dragon king is. They protect us. Once they ruled alongside man before man turned on us and... Toothless?" I stopped as he stared at me.

He was as still as a statue. I barely heard him breathe if not for the sharp gasp he took. I reached for him, but he recoiled. The flash of pain in his eyes struck me to my very core. I reached for him again. He looked at me. His gaze hardened.

"They said we never got on with humans. We were enemies. I thought that for so long until... Hiccup was so different from them. We were at war and and...this can't be true."

A scowl darkened his features as his ears laid back.

"Toothless?"

"Their reaction though earlier. That means they knew this too."

"And you didn't, did you Toothless?"

Chills ran down my spine as he spoke a single word.

"No."

I dropped to the ground, blood rushing to my ears, and never broke eye contact with Toothless. My rage was snuffed out with a single roar. A command. One I had to obey. One that forced me down into submission. And yet...I was not trembling. I noticed it then, that frightening yet enchanting blue aura. A memory clawed the back of my mind, but was interrupted by Toothless' voice.

"I'm only gonna say this ONCE: never hurt Hiccup. I won't hesitate to knock you down if you even lay a scratch on him. Understand, Midnight?" Toothless bellowed.

No words fell from my mouth. I could only stare wide eyed at him as a voice echoed in my head, chanting Toothless' order over and over again. My stomach twisted when I realized: that wasn't my voice. Fear trickled down my spine. It sounded...ancient.

A new voice joined the other, and this one I knew immediately, the harsh yet kind voice of my mother whispering. She spoke of a story, one that I always wanted to hear as a hatchling, where a white dragon the size of two mountains reigned over all dragons with their frightening yet enchanting... NO!

I screamed at my body to move. With a heavy shove, I pushed myself onto my paws and rushed towards Toothless. He stepped back as I gazed hard at him. I looked him up and down before walking around him, and he craned his neck to follow my movements. I was so blinded by my thoughts that I never noticed that he was posing for me.

"That's impossible!" I said after I circled him a few times, I look up at him and added, "Mother said only frost giants can be kings."

Toothless blinked.

"What?" Toothless said when a large dragon jumped near us, shoving his massive head in front of Toothless. His eyes narrowed into slits.

"You! Shut your trap and bow to your king!" The dragon snarled, smoke flaring from his nostrils.

I dropped to the ground once more, burying my face into the dirt.

SMACK!

Sneaking a peek through my paws, I saw Toothless hitting the other dragon with his tail. He yelled the name Hookfang several times. Toothless then looked down at me, head cocked to the side.

"Heh, sorry bout Hookfang. He can be a bit much... You can get up now, Midnight."

"O-oh! Sorry!"

I scrambled to my paws. A sense of dread washed over me then. I quickly looked around and saw all eyes were on us. My throat grew tight. Something touched my leg causing me to flinch. I looked at the source. Toothless shot me a gummy smile that made my heart flutter.

"Midnight, what did you mean by 'frost giant'?" Toothless asked.

Blinking, I tilted my head. Did he not know? How could he not know? Everyone knows about them? I searched his face for a crack in the mask. Those big sweet eyes of his were filled with nothing but curiosity and confusion. Courage bubbled to the surface thanks to those eyes.

I blurted out, "Has no one told you?"

Toothless' face scrunched up in a scowl. He and I both looked out across the crowd of dragons. They shifted in their spots while exchanging strange nervous looks. My gaze fell upon Hookfang who shot me a death glare. I crouched low beneath my wings. Between the gap I saw Hiccup step closer to Toothless who was now still as a rock.

A sparkle caught my eye. I scooted closer to it as I heard Toothless stomp over to the crowd. His voice brushed against my back.

"Alright, who's gonna tell me what a frost giant is? Cause apparently that's a thing. And y'all seem like you know something with those looks of yours. Well?" Toothless said, tail thumping behind him. I threw a look behind me.

A strange dragon with two heads stepped forward.

Toothless huffed.

"So Barf & Belch, you're gonna tell me then?"

The oddly-named duo spoke, their voices so strange and similar I had no idea who was speaking., and it didn't help when they weaved and twisted their necks together.

"Ssssure, but not now Toothlesss."

"Why not?!"

"Perhapsss you sssshould explain your tail fin."
"Yesss exactly."

"Why?"

They pointed their split tail at me. I looked away when Toothless turned back, my gaze firmly set on the strange tail 's pawsteps approached, but so did something else, a squeaking noise, as Toothless sat and curled his tail around his feet.

Dropping to one knee, Hiccup smiled at me while pointing, "This probably looks bad, huh?"

I nodded. Hiccup picked up the fin, extending it fully as his thumb tracing over a joint. I squinted. My eyes grew wide when I saw several morejoints in the wrong places, and a strange growth connecting them all. But, more importantly, the fin wasn't made of skin!

Grinning, Hiccup said, "See, it's not a real fin. Toothless wasn't in any pain."

I side eyed Hiccup. He pursed his lips before nodding and waving his head a bit.

"He's good now. He has other tail fins too. Look that way," Hiccup said as he pointed towards the forge. The mismatched man waved then threw his arm out towards the back. An array of tail fins in all different colors and shapes lined the walls. I studied every fin, still unsure, but Toothless hopped back to his feet. All the false pieces were gone, but he grinned as he wiggled the half-fin that remained.

Hiccup shifted the broken tail under his arm as he rose to his feet...or well foot.

"I'm gonna fix this up for ya bud. Maybe you two should take a walk, and give the gal a rundown bout your tail."

Toothless nodded.

Hiccup stretched a hand out to me, fingers hovering above my head. I stare up at him. He smiled at me. As he started to pull his hand back, I quickly brushed my nose against his palm before dipping behind Toothless. They shared a look and a smile nearly tore Hiccup's face apart as he waved us off before heading towards the forge.

Toothless gently nudged me towards another path and shot the crowd a look. It quickly dissipated.

As he lead me, he said, "you made Hiccup's entire year. I want you to know that, Midnight."

His words sounded so genuine. So sweet. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears I was so sure he must have heard it.

"Well, I am glad to hear thaaaAAAHHHIIIEEE!"

My squeal froze Toothless in place as he watched me helplessly rush towards a gaggle of round bumpy hatchlings. They blinked at me cutely.

"Oh my stars! You are all the cutest, sweetest, most adorable little babies I've ever seen! OOOOH! Look at your teeny wings~ Oh and those ears! So round, round teefs, oooo you are all adorable!"

They smiled and huddled around me.

"Oh, you've met Meatlug's kids." Toothless said as he walked over to see me nuzzling one of the babies. He chuckled.

"Yeah, Gronckle babies are pretty cute huh."

"Oh they're darling! ...Gronckle? Huh, that's actually a really cute name! Fitting for so many cuties, oh aren't you, yes you are yes you are~ What do you guys like to do?"

Meatlug's kids exchange sly looks before rushing as one to tackle Toothless to the ground. I burst out laughing as they hopped and jumped all over Toothless and he sighed dramatically and pushed them away to sit properly.

"Back to your mother, the lot of ya. Git!"

They all whined as they huddled together. Toothless bumped foreheads then with each one reminding them bedtime. They relented and gave him another head bump before flying off.

I sighed, watching him watch them. He shook his head, laughing to himself, then turned on his heel to saunter past me.

"You're wonderful with them." I said.

"Ah well, they're good kids. Helps that Meatlug's their mom; wish they wouldn't tackle me like that."
"They like you, that's why."

"If being liked means I get tackled, almost wish they hated me."

Someone hating Toothless? Impossible. I snorted.

"What's so funny?"

"You wishing someone didn't like you. That's silly."

"Well it's not silly, it's happened."

"Oh?"

"Yup, CJ didn't like me when we first met. We're cool now."

"CJ?"

"Cloudjumper."

"What do you need, Toothless?"

I bit back a scream as an even larger dragon than Hookfang descended upon us. Beady yellow eyes stared into mine. He sat on his haunches, his wings blocking out the last sunlight. My wings curled around me. His size. I have never seen a dragon so big except...

"Cloudjumper, what're doing?" Toothless asked.

Cloudjumper turned his head around!

My jaw dropped as my wings slumped. Toothless laughing broke through the insanity. He trotted over to me. A gummy grin.

"Sorry bout him, Middy! Cloudjumper, this is Midnight. Midnight?"

Toothless cocked his head at me. I stared wide eyed. He came closer whispering something in my ear. My voice gone. Toothless waved his tail fin in my face.

"She's afraid, like before Toothless." Cloudjumper said.

Jumping a foot away, Toothless looked behind him. Cloudjumper was eye level. Eye level with Toothless. I, on the other hand, was face to face with his giant maw.

Teeth. So many teeth; all were shrouded by Toothless' wing. A gentle touch on my shoulder began to turn me away. Instinct had me look back, but all I saw was wing.

"We'll talk later, CJ."

"We shall. And Sapphire, you're safe here."

I whipped my head around. Cloudjumper gave me a single look before he flew off. I looked back to Toothless. He shared my astonishment.

"Let's keeping going."

I nodded.

Toothless lead me towards the cliff side. Far from prying eyes. A small grassy patch welcomed us. We sat side by side then staring out to the ocean. The waves sparkled in the moonlight. Towards the horizon where the sea and sky touched, they reflected one another. An endless array of stars twinkling above and below.

"Wow. The stars are so beautiful here." I said breathlessly.

"Best place to stargaze!" Toothless said, he then pointed a paw up at a group of stars.

"That star at the top if you look diagonally it makes a plough."

My puzzled look made him pause.

He cutely scrunched up his face. His face lit up. He wiggled in his spot before rushing towards a tree. He snapped a branch off. He then started to draw. Toothless drew a line sticking out of a square? I furrowed my brows. I leaned in closer studying the drawing. I gasped as it hit me.

"It looks like a nest!"

"Heh kinda, but it can move!" Toothless said. He then drew another line with two sticking out of the bottom, a pointy one, and a line at the end. He beamed down at me. I titled my head at it.

"What...is it?

Toothless shrugged.

"Humans here call it Wain. I dunno why. Hic says it's a big bear. They call it constellations."

My brow furrowed again. I exchanged a look between the drawing and the stars. Humans are so fascinating yet strange, calling these constellations. I scanned the sky, and above Toothless' head it dawns on me.

"Star drawings!"

"What?"

I nodded.

"That's what it reminds me of. Like...look!" I said, pointing above his head. I grabbed the stick from him and began to draw it out. Toothless squinted when I finished.

"That's a hairy square."

I spat out the stick. I glowered at him which only made him snicker.

"It's a frost giant, thank you!" I said with a harrumph.

His smile vanished. He stared hard at my drawing. He then lifted his gaze. My heart skipped a beat from his gaze.

"You said frost giants earlier. Midnight, what did you mean by that?"

Blinking, I pawed at the ground before I spoke, "That's what my mother called the dragon king in her stories."

Suddenly he leaned in, his face shining with curiosity.

"Just your mom called them that?"

"Oh no! Mother was telling our kind's history. Passing it down and all."

"Wait! Our kind has history?!"

"Well...yes? Frost Giants are the species our dragon king is. They protect us. Once they ruled alongside man before man turned on us and... Toothless?" I stopped as he stared at me.

He was as still as a statue. I barely heard him breathe if not for the sharp gasp he took. I reached for him, but he recoiled. The flash of pain in his eyes struck me to my very core. I reached for him again. He looked at me. His gaze hardened.

"They said we never got on with humans. We were enemies. I thought that for so long until... Hiccup was so different from them. We were at war and and...this can't be true."

A scowl darkened his features as his ears laid back.

"Toothless?"

"Their reaction though earlier. That means they knew this too."

"And you didn't, did you Toothless?"

Chills ran down my spine as he spoke a single word.

"No."

So this chapter has been done since last November. A lot has happened from holidays happening around that time. I was also part of some projects in Discord servers. Earlier this year I did some job hunting and got hired! Been working for a few months as a full time associate which was quite a huge change. I do enjoy work though. The biggest change though however was...my father passed away two months ago. I had found him too... No one was expecting it. His death caused a huge blow to everyone. So we're in process of preparing to move and figuring out how to go from there. You can imagine I haven't felt up to doing much. I am trying to get myself back into the thick of it. Dad didn't raise a quitter!

Going to attempt to write chapter in batches so don't burn myself out while feeling like I'm getting work done. It's going to be a long story lol.

So thank you all who have given this story a chance, read, liked, faved, and commented.