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Chapter 14: Kings of Sky and Earth

(Toothless)

The dawning, midsummer sun was still burning the morning fog away, when Hiccup tried to jostle Toothless out of his slumber.

"C'mon. Time to eat!" The little human said eagerly under his breath.

Toothless grunted. He was still sleepy, and not hungry enough to fight through the drowsiness. Hiccup, however, had turned out to be quite the early riser, whereas Toothless had always enjoyed his naps to be long and frequent.

The boy insisted with a slightly louder whisper: "Let's catch us some fish!"

Toothless opened one eyelid, looked around tiredly, then closed it again, and went back to sleep. The other dragons were still snoring contentedly on the beach, or among the trees behind them. That was where Hiccup had chosen to set up camp, since the couple of small caves at the feet of the volcano were too hard to reach, and too rough to comfortably sleep in. They would only stay there when it rained, but mostly for the boy's sake, as dragons were indifferent to being wet. Most of the days, they would spend their time here, where the forest met the long sandy beach, and that's where they were all sleeping this morning.

There were three Terrible Terrors curled upon the sand, near the exhausted bonfire, their bellies and backs going up and down rhythmically with their breathing. One was Sharpshot, the first of the dragons who had approached them since their arrival on that island, not two weeks prior. The other two, Hiccup had named Bolt and Twitch. They were all male.

Bolt was orange and yellow, slightly bigger and faster than the other two, but definitely more reserved, especially with Toothless, who appreciated this behavior over Sharpshot's audacious familiarity.

The other Terror, Twitch, was the smallest of the three, and yellow all over. He appeared to be the slowest too, both physically and, somehow, even mentally; the little dragon would often enjoy chasing his own tail, or flying jaggedly in purposeless circles, and he seemed unable to muster enough flame. He also seemed to fear Toothless the most, but he did adore Hiccup's gentle character. This explained why Twitch liked to take short catnaps by the human's feet, while the boy sketched on his journal, but only on the admittedly rare occasions when Toothless was not already coiled protectively around him, or whenever Sharpshot did not butt in instead, demanding all the attention.

Then, there was Khnut, a large yellow-green, two-headed, two-tailed Zippleback, whose gender neither Hiccup nor Toothless had yet figured out. It was oddly complicated with those dragons, since their scent was no good indicator. In fact, Toothless suspected those kinds of dragons had the ability to change their gender with time. He was not certain of this, however, nor did he have the interest to enquire, or to investigate the matter from up close, and Hiccup seemed to lack the nerve to do it himself.

The boy ended up naming the dragon simply Khnut, because he (or she) would always sleep with its two long necks tangled together. Zipplebacks were odd and fickle creatures, which made Toothless feel a bit uneasy around them, though this one appeared likeable enough. Khnut had even brought them fish once, a cod for each head.

Finally, somewhere behind the nearby treeline, hidden amongst the bushes, lay a female Monstrous Nightmare, her scales a red deep as blood. She was very young, not yet of mothering age, and quite timid for a dragon of that kind. She would usually keep her distance, and eye them curiously from the forest. She was so cautious, in fact, that Hiccup hadn't noticed her presence for almost a week. When she had finally decided to approach them, Hiccup had welcomed her joyfully, almost too much for the wary dragon, who had not fully opened up to them yet. Hiccup had called her Dreyri, but he often referred to her as 'the Shymare'. Toothless had found the name funny. The human language was so full of possibilities.

There were probably a couple more dragons on the farthest side of the island, beyond the dormant volcano, but they weren't planning to approach their camp, either intimidated by Toothless' presence, or the human's, or confused by their strange coexistence.

Still, no matter their location on the island, all the dragons were sleeping placidly. All except for Toothless now, who could no longer ignore his rider thrusting him back and forth with all of his strength, which was barely enough to make him shift a single claw.

"Come ooon," Hiccup hissed a little louder, trying not to wake the others. "I'm hungry!" He complained.

Oh… we can't have that, can we?

Toothless yawned and stretched his limbs and wings in all directions.

Hiccup was likely not as hungry as he had claimed. It was probably a fib to get him up, but Toothless never regretted obliging his rider when it came to flying. He just enjoyed playing difficult with the boy, though he could never fathom why.

Toothless had never considered himself a playful dragon in the past. Night Furies were supposed to be stern, noble beings; yet here he was, often behaving like a cheeky hatchling, and somehow failing to feel the appropriate shame, at least in Hiccup's presence. He was still a fearsome king to every other creature, even if a little broken.

Hiccup offered him a smile, then buckled the saddle and prosthetic fin on him, and they were up into a clear morning sky, just the two of them and the rising sun, leaving their new companions to enjoy the last of their dreams before waking.

Once his wings had warmed up, their acrobatic dance began. Hiccup had so much experience with the prosthetic contraption by now that Toothless was sure he could fly again just as well as any Night Fury. The boy could predict his every movement, and adjust the tail-fin at the right moment.

They flew high up, and higher still, until the air became thin and cold, and the horizon expanded to include new distances. Driven by a ravenous curiosity, Hiccup asked, as he did every day, to go even further up. He wanted to determine how far he could see beyond his usual horizon. Perhaps the boy wished to touch the edge of the sky itself, but Toothless knew better, and Hiccup had begun to figure it out as well; human lungs could not breathe after a certain height. Even dragons had a deadly limit, at about twice that altitude, an altitude which Toothless had tried to experience as a youth, when he was both free and whole, making him, for a few blissful moments, behold the roundness of the earth. Sadly, he would never be able to show Hiccup that spectacle.

Toothless granted his rider's demands for just a little longer. It was summer, and the air as warm as it would ever get at those altitudes. So, they rose further, as if to beat the dawning sun to its daily summit.

For those few precious wing-beats, there was nothing above their heads; no birds, no clouds, no moon, no sun, and the stars had faded with the early twilight. It seemed like the whole universe resided below just the two of them, and they were both its kings.

When the moisture they had carried from the sea began to freeze upon their bodies, whitening his scales and Hiccup's auburn hair, Toothless protested with concern. Breathless and shivering, Hiccup gave up, patting him on the neck. Promptly, Toothless folded his wings.

They dropped like a rock. As they gained speed, Toothless let the gradually warming air scrape the frost off his wings. They kept falling for long, exciting moments towards the sea, until Hiccup gave the signal, and Toothless smoothed out his flight.

The boy was breathing heavily through a huge, manic grin, his hair as if glued backwards with sap; it made Toothless snort when he glanced back at him, but Hiccup was too thrilled to notice.

"I think I saw as far as Thargran this time!" The boy exclaimed, once they were at sea level. "Imagine how far one could see from even higher up!"

Toothless did not try to respond, knowing Hiccup could not hear his objections. He just looked back with an expectant smile.

"Oh, right! Food! After you, bud." Hiccup said courteously, making a broad, welcoming gesture towards the calm, morning waves.

Toothless peered through the surface of the sea. When he finally spotted a large school of salmon, he reduced his altitude, grazing the water with one claw, and scooped up some fish between his jaws. He did not fully dive, however. Trying that once had been enough according to his soaked, coughing rider. He had since been compelled to devise a drier fishing method, albeit less efficient.

"If you could not swallow mine, that would be great," Hiccup said casually.

Toothless grunted, gulping down all the mouthful for himself. Whatever could be wrong with freshly regurgitated fish? Sharing food like that was supposed to be a sign of friendship. Not for humans, apparently.

Toothless caught another salmon, which he then offered to his rider by bending his head backwards mid-flight. Hiccup grabbed it, and rolled the still wriggling fish in a large piece of cloth, which he then tied to his back, making a knot across his chest.

Toothless looked back to see they were no longer alone. The other dragons had woken up, and they had decided to join them. The three Terrors, Khnut, and even the timid Shymare, were all flying beside them, making lively noises and air-flips as they caught their share of food. Twitch was having some difficulty, and Hiccup demanded they wait for him, before they started to chase each other playfully in the air.

This time, it was Hiccup who finally chose to turn the game into an actual, if a bit unfair, competition.

"ROAAAWOOO!" The boy shouted.

Toothless turned to stare at his rider, bewildered. There was no mistaking it; even though quite un-dragonlike, the sound the boy had tried to produce was a call for being followed, which could also imply a challenge or a call for help, depending on the situation. He had not expected Hiccup to boldly call for a race with a draconic verse. Toothless felt an odd mixture of pride and amusement at the thought of the human hatchling pretending to be a dragon.

"What are you looking at? I can speak dragon too, you know. Rawrrr!" Hiccup roared mockingly. A large, spirited smile, stretched his slightly flushed cheeks. "It's you who can't speak human, bud."

Toothless frowned and barked, narrowing his eyes with fake scorn. "No, you stupid hatchling. It is YOU who can't hear me speak."

The other dragons were still trying to figure out if they had understood correctly, when Toothless echoed his rider's call with thrice the vigor, using both his inner and outer voice. Soon enough, each of their flying companions gave a response to the challenge.

Dreyri and Twitch produced noncommittal growls, emitting a feeling of respectful refusal. Khnut, Bolt and Sharpshot, however, roared fervently, and the race back to their island began. Toothless, as a Night Fury, had the obvious advantage, but he did not flaunt his full speed right away.

They were having a delightful flight, when Sharpshot, being the slowest of those who had joined the race, decided to fly along Toothless' tail, and settle behind Hiccup's back as a passenger. Nobody seemed to complain, except for Bolt, who barked disapprovingly beside them.

"Hey there, little cheater," said Hiccup, without a hint of reproach. He even reached back to scratch the small Terror. "Aren't you the smart one."

Sharpshot squawked proudly, sheltered from the wind by the human's back. He ignored Toothless' low growls.

While Toothless was glad to see that Hiccup was given the appropriate amount of attention, he was still irritated for being completely disregarded by the impudent, bird-sized dragon. Wasn't he a mighty Night Fury? Perhaps Sharpshot was confused as to who was the superior species, since Hiccup carried a good deal of Toothless' scent. Terrible Terrors, though much smarter than any bird, were not particularly bright dragons, so it was a possibility.

But, no, there was no way Sharpshot could still be confused after so much time together. He knew Toothless was too civilized to attack him, either physically or with his more powerful mind, and he was taking advantage of the situation.

As an act of retaliation, Toothless went for an abrupt barrel-roll. Hiccup and the little dragon were both caught unawares, but only the little dragon was thrown off the saddle. Sharpshot tried to catch up again, but Toothless had no intention of slowing down.

He was probably being petty, but Toothless refused to care. Hiccup was his, and, although his rider had never given the slightest impression of forgetting about him, Toothless' possessiveness burned as hot as his own blue fire. The time had come to show off his true speed. Hiccup did not seem to mind. The boy had long joined in with Toothless's addiction to reckless flying, and they both darted ahead faster than the wind.

Despite his rivalry with the little beast, Toothless did not truly dislike Sharpshot, or any of the others for that matter. He had never felt any inherent animosity with the common, less ancient species. In the past, before being enslaved by the queen, he had even enjoyed their attentions, and their occasional reverence. Night Furies were, after all, some of the rarest dragons in the world.

Their most unique trait, however, was their incredible speed, which was the reason why none of the contenders of today's race was surprised when Hiccup and Toothless landed first by their camp, raising a cloud of sand, along with the human's cheer of "Nice flying, bud!"

This had become their playful routine for the previous couple of mornings, and they happily reenacted it every day, all throughout the current moon-cycle, which humans named July.


It was the beginning of the month called August, when Hiccup decided to visit the island of Thargran for the first time. He had been hesitant to go to the new village after what had happened in Balheim, although he was nowhere near as preoccupied as Toothless.

Still, the boy had claimed that, to begin building his shelter, he was going to require a few more crucial tools and supplies. He had promised to be extra careful.

Toothless ended up waiting again, curled around a pine-tree, deep into the forests of Thargran. He was restless, and since he did not wish to move from his spot, anxious for Hiccup's return, he tried to distract himself by studying his rider's bow-weapon, which Hiccup had left behind.

Hiccup had already shown Toothless how it worked while practicing. He had used first large, then thinner and thinner tree-trunks as targets; some of the arrows had broken because of it, but he still had plenty more in his stolen quiver. That was the reason why he had brought the bow and quiver along today. Hiccup was planning to sell some of the extra arrows, so he wouldn't have to spend all of his precious silver scales. After what had happened in Balheim, finding steady work was not an option, lest Spitelout and his goons decided to pay them another unpleasant visit. It was still summer, and the sea still too easy to sail, Hiccup had explained.

'I think the less time I spend in crowded areas, the better for all of us,' Hiccup had said. Toothless had never agreed more with anyone in his life.

The boy was becoming increasingly cautious, much to Toothless's relief. It was because of this new caution that Hiccup had spent a long while trying to convince their other dragon-friends not to follow them to Thargran that morning. Approaching a human-infested island with a colorful flock of dragons was many things, but conspicuous was not one of them.

Toothless did not mind being alone from the others. Their cheerful company would not have been enough of a distraction from his worry.

The sun had barely dawned, when Toothless began to feel the dreadful absence of his rider's scent. The boy's smell had always been reassuring. It was a bit like that of fresh wildlife, though it wasn't the same mouthwatering aroma of food; it was a pungently sweet smell, like that of strong, spicy flowers and pine-sap, grass, and a bit of dirt and salty sweat, a typically human trait. He also carried the increasing musk of a male, though he still looked too much like a hatchling in Toothless' eyes.

Is Hiccup of mating age? He sometimes wondered, for he knew next to nothing about human growth.

Toothless' wings relaxed of their own accord, when he finally sniffed his rider approaching. Moments later, he heard soft steps, and then the boy's tired, but calm breathing.

"Here I am, all safe and sound. Been worried about me?" Hiccup asked merrily, though his voice hid a hint of concern.

Toothless huffed, feigning nonchalance. "Don't mock me you little hatchling; I'll bite your bony rump," he barked back, though mostly to himself, since Hiccup could not hear him. He probably deserved to be mocked, considering how many times he had overreacted. He did feel embarrassed about it, but never truly repentant.

"I think I've bought most of what I'll need," Hiccup said, laying down a bundle of grey cloth. It made a clunking noise, before he untied it to reveal the contents. "I'll probably need more stuff, but I'll try to make do. I'll still need money to buy more flour before midwinter. Maybe some dried meat, if I can afford it, or I might try to cure it myself. Thank Thor I had the arrows. Trading half of those allowed me to keep five silver coins and two coppers. Let's just hope it's enough for the whole winter."

"So…" Hiccup went on, "we have one small hammer," he lifted it for Toothless to see, "a saw," he did the same with the large serrated object, which Toothless did not like, "a bunch of nails, aaand… some good rope." He pointed to the only purchase that did not fit inside the bundle. "Most else I should have already."

"By the way," he continued, producing a thick yellow lump from his pockets, "I also bought some beeswax for your saddle and fin, so the leather doesn't go bad." He let Toothless smell it, before putting it back.

"Did I forget anything?"

Toothless replied with deadpan look.

"I don't know. Maybe you had some dragon-suggestions," Hiccup shrugged emphatically, then tied everything to the saddle with meticulous care.

Toothless caught a sudden rustling noise. He turned to look, alerting the boy as he did so.

"What is it, bud?"

Toothless hissed lowly to hush the boy. Then, he saw it, and Hiccup saw it too a moment later. It had not noticed them yet. They were lucky.

"It's a deer!" Hiccup whispered, suppressing the awe from his voice. The creature had large intricate antlers sprouting from its head. "I've never seen one so big; not alive at least. It's beautiful."

Toothless did not disagree, yet deer were also very, very tasty. He beckoned Hiccup with his snout towards the new bow. It was time for the boy to try the weapon on something other than rabbits and trees.

"What...? Oh, no. No no, I can't kill it!" He hissed. "I mean, look at it!"

Toothless licked his lips and widened his eyes expectantly. "Deer is yummy!"

"But I can't. I can't kill a whole stag! What if it looks at me? What if I just hit it in the leg, and it escapes, only to die in agony somewh-"

Toothless cut him off with a puff of smoke, rolling his eyes with mounting exasperation.

"I want to eat some deer. So, if you don't kill it, I will," he said, though his use of words were both useless and unnecessary; Hiccup had already understood.

The young Viking took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, before picking up his bow and pulling out one arrow. "Fine," he whispered as he positioned himself, making very little noise. The expression on his face changed. If Hiccup was hesitating, he did not show it, though Toothless could almost hear the boy's heavy heartbeat.

"If I miss this shot, we let it go," Hiccup said under his breath.

The tone caught Toothless by surprise. It was uncommonly absolute. If he were to disobey, hir rider was not going to be happy. Toothless considered it, then dismissed the command anyway. He was a Night Fury, and before him was a deer, and deer was food. Hiccup had to learn this.

The situation left him puzzled nonetheless. Was this human's aversion to killing that intense? Toothless was not sure if he had any right to complain, as it was this very aversion that had saved his life. But killing was necessary. Killing was living. He did not regret pushing Hiccup to do it. Hiccup had to be able to kill, if only for self defense, especially for the times when Toothless could not be by the boy's side, which were apparently inevitable.

Much to Toothless' relief, in the span of one breath, with a single, fluid movement, Hiccup nocked the arrow, aimed, and shot. The deer turned to the sound.

The bowstring was still ringing mutely, when the squeal reached their ears. Then, a thump. Hiccup gasped, as if he had somehow pierced his own foot. Instead, the arrow had sunk deep in the stag's skull through its eye-socket. The animal had died instantly.

It had been such an impossibly precise shot, that even Toothless stood frozen in disbelief for a moment, before even contemplating to celebrate. His rider had always had good aim during practice, even by Night Fury standards, and he had improved with every week, but this had obviously been a fluke.

"You did it!" Toothless trilled cheerfully.

Hiccup ignored him. He looked more disappointed than proud, as should have been the case after such an unbelievable shot. He hesitantly approached his kill, then kneeled beside it. Toothless followed; the strong smell of wild game made his mouth water.

"At least he didn't suffer, right?" Hiccup's tone was almost a plea. His hands brushed the deer's short, bristly fur. He looked back at Toothless.

Hiccup's face had taken an unsettling, pale, almost greenish hue. Toothless crooned with worry, nudging his rider's cheek with his snout, sniffing him.

"I'm fine, bud," Hiccup sighed. "It feels weird. Good, and bad at the same time." He sighed a second time. "I hit it on the first try. A headshot too. Gobber would be really proud. Maybe even my dad." He paused, then forced a smile. "I guess I should thank Odin."

Not knowing who Odin was, Toothless simply stared back.

"I don't think I could stomach the chase of a dying, bleeding deer across the island, knowing my arrow is stuck in its throat." Hiccup stared at his hands. "I thought I left Berk so I wouldn't have to do this kind of thing. I guess I never thought this through."

He emitted a forlorn chuckle, which turned into laughter, before ebbing into another despondent sigh. Was he about to throw up?

"Man... I was so unprepared when I decided to leave. What was I thinking?" He asked, expecting no answer. "It seems so long ago now."

Hiccup looked back at Toothless. Some color had returned to the boy's face.

"I didn't mean… I don't regret leaving, bud. I'm glad we did." He reached out to pat the space between Toothless' nostrils, then shut his eyes.

Wincing abundantly, Hiccup tried to recover the arrow, but it was stuck in the deer's skull, and it broke. He threw the broken end of it, then made a cut across the animal's neck so it would bleed out on their way home. Even so, the animal was truly heavy, and, coupled with the bunch of new objects Hiccup had purchased in Thargran, it made their flight back unusually hard for Toothless. His wings ached when they finally landed in their camp.

The other dragons welcomed them jauntily, and all but Dreyri approached Hiccup's kill with watering mouths. Toothless tensed, emitted a warning signal, and they quickly backed off, showing different degrees of disappointment.

'This catch is Hiccup's.'

Hiccup, however, had different plans. "Consider this payment for everything you've caught for me so far. It's all yours." He said.

Toothless disagreed, and made every gesture he could think of for refusal. Hiccup insisted, however, and the two ended up bickering, until the sun was high in the sky. All the while, the other dragons observed their heated exchange, waiting for an appropriate distraction, hoping to snatch the deer away for themselves. Toothless allowed them no such chance.

In the end, Hiccup settled for a piece of the hind leg. Toothless had the rest of the meat and innards, which he was told to share with the other dragons.

They all feasted on the rare animal, though Toothless could not avoid frowning with disapproval as his rider ruined his share of meat by cooking it.

The sun began to cast short shadows upon the sand, when Hiccup was done eating. While Toothless and the dragons rested, Hiccup spent the afternoon consulting his notes, laying down his tools orderly upon a rock, and searching for a good flat patch of ground for his shelter, somewhere close to the border between the forest and the beach, a place that was both hidden, but from which he could still watch the sea for upcoming ships.

The boy was surprisingly methodical in his work, and Toothless studied him with a bored kind of fascination. He had nothing else to do, whereas Hiccup appeared to be so very committed. He could almost see the boy's thoughts and schemes churning in that human brain of his.

Before long, Toothless decided to mess with the industrious hatchling. The reason why this felt like such an irresistible opportunity eluded him, yet, he got up, grabbed Hiccup's hatchet, and hid it behind a tree.

Hiccup didn't notice, so Toothless went for the saw, and did the same. Again, his mischief went unnoticed. Hiccup was too focused.

Toothless picked the hammer then, and held it between his gums. He waited for Hiccup to look at him. The boy finally did.

"What…" Hiccup began, then looked at his tools. Three were missing. His face went from surprised, to emotionless, to frowning. "Where are my tools?" He asked, his tone halfway between grave and curious.

Toothless grinned widely, just like he had learnt from the boy, displaying the hammer between his gums.

"Give it back," Hiccup said cautiously, reaching out with one hand. "Where are the other tools?" He asked, though it didn't sound like a question at all. He took a step forward. "Come on, bud. I'm working." He took another step.

Toothless backed away, then leisurely trotted along the beach, looking back at the boy.

"No…" Hiccup warned. "Give it back."

Toothless hopped further away.

"Hey! Come back here!" Hiccup half shouted, half pleaded, before chasing after him. Toothless ran even faster.

The boy tried to keep up, his bare feet spraying sand behind him. The sand showered Twitch, who had begun chasing Hiccup in turn, squawking merrily, not wishing to be left out of the commotion. Some of the others merely dozed by the crashing waves, unconcerned. Sharpshot had probably found entertainment elsewhere, or he would have joined immediately.

The three of them ran until they reached the other end of the shore. Hiccup was panting, Toothless was smiling, and Twitch looked confused. The little dragon used his long tongue to wipe sand off his large eyeballs.

"Come on, end of the line." Hiccup said through a playful smirk. "Give it back now- Oh no…!"

Toothless was not done. He slowly spread his wings, and jumped above the human and the little Terror, landing behind them.

"Oh, come on! Jumping isn't fair!"

Toothless showed he didn't much care for rules by turning around, lifting his tail, and swinging his raised, exposed rump towards the boy, flaunting his bottom in a patently disrespectful manner which was probably universal.

"Don't you wiggle your butt at me!" Hiccup yelled, raising a condemning finger. When Toothless did not stop, Hiccup pursed his mouth to form a determined scowl, and crouched lower, ready to sprint. "Fine! Now you've done it!" He grunted, and the chase resumed all the way back to their camp.

Toothless was still faster, but Twitch decided he did not enjoy being sprayed with sand, so he simply flew on his way back.

Toothless felt satisfied with his mischief, so, once they reached the small clearing that Hiccup had found appropriately flat for building his shelter, only a few trees inland, he allowed Hiccup to tackle him to the ground. He fell on his back, with Hiccup laying triumphantly atop his belly.

"Gotcha!" The boy shouted, his voice covering a sudden crackling noise below them. "Did you hear that?"

A second, louder splintering of wood exploded right beneath them, and both he and his rider found themselves falling into a pit, letting out two very short, startled yelps.

It was not deep enough to be called a pit. It was more like a shallow hole. They were both unhurt, as Toothless could barely fit inside, and Hiccup's head was still above ground level.

Toothless could still feel something else underneath him, so, after he made sure Hiccup was safe again by the edge, he got up and turned around, shaking off the chips of broken wood that used to comprise a trap-door, which had been concealed with layers of earth and sand.

"What's this?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless peered into the shallow hole. There, in the middle, lay a large, wooden crate, with a nailed lid which had now caved in. The crate had handles made of thick rope on each side.

"No way! Buried treasure?" Hiccup said excitedly. "Help me take it out of there!"

The crate appeared to be heavy, and it didn't seem easy to pull out. They could not simply drag it out, as there was no slope. Short of breaking it apart, Toothless was not sure how to do it. His paws could not very well grab those tiny handles.

Hiccup, however, seemed untroubled by the challenge. He tied part of his new rope to one of the handles of the crate, then tied another to the opposite handle. One end of the first rope he gave to Toothless to bite on. The other rope he looped around the trunk of a tree, located on the other side of the hole from Toothless, before he gave him one end of that second rope too. Hiccup held the two ropes together as well, standing between him and the hole.

"Alright, now pull."

Toothless bit down hard, and they both pulled. The crate rose vertically.

"Now move that way," Hiccup said as they pivoted around the tree, until the crate had solid ground below it. Then, they let go.

"Great. Now… where did you put my hatchet?" Hiccup raised his eyebrows expectantly, both hands placed sternly at his hips.

Toothless pouted, flaring his nostrils, but retrieved both the hidden hatchet and the saw, leaving them drenched with saliva before his rider's feet.

"Thanks," Hiccup said with narrow eyes. Sighing, he picked up the hatchet, wiped it on his tunic, and approached the crate.

"This is the Berserker's crest," he said, pointing to a dragon-shaped drawing. The design was vaguely reminiscent of the rare lightning-dragon. Surprise and perplexity wrinkled the boy's forehead. "What's it doing this far south? Why would they even leave treasure here?" Hiccup wondered, before prying the crate open with his hatchet.

The answer to his question was simple. It was not treasure at all, not to a normal Viking at least. Yet, to Hiccup, it might as well have been the greatest treasure in the world.

The crate contained emergency supplies, which, according to Hiccup's reasoning, had been hidden there in case some stranded Berserker sailor was in need.

Toothless listened as Hiccup sorted all the contents with ever-increasing joy: thick canvas, either for replacing sails or making a tent, more rope, two short seaxes (sadly eaten by rust), and one small axe, which had also seen better days. Then, another heavy pelt, blankets, a pot, wooden bowls and spoons, and a knife. And, finally, some woolen cloth and linen thread, needles and fishing hooks, bandages and even gut-line for stitching wounds.

"Look at all this stuff! I can use this for… and this one... I can sell this and…" Hiccup trailed off, overwhelmed by all the possibilities. "This changes everything!" He cheered, and Toothless smiled with him. It was rare to see his rider so ecstatic whilst on the ground.

"Thor almighty!" Hiccup finally exclaimed. "Maybe the gods don't hate me after all!"