I liked doing this chapter. :3 It was fun!

Nothing really to report this time around. I just hope you enjoy this.

Next will probably be their first flight, or something. 8D

How to Train Your Dragon

The Extents of Loyalty

chapter 3

Trust

The forest surrounding the village of Berk was usually calm and quiet, a perfect place for a walk to clear your mind. Small animals chattered in the trees, and scurried across the ground. The canopies of the trees blocked out most of the sun, keeping it cool in the dead heat of summer. It was a maze of trees and random lakes, places where you could be trapped if not careful.

The Night Fury hated it.

The smells, the silence, the traps. He hated it all. How did those humans stand it? He was used to soaring, the wind whooshing all silence from his ears, freedom to go wherever. On the ground, he was stuck. Well, at least for now. After that human shot him from the sky, he was injured. He couldn't fly. It was the worst feeling in the world.

And, as if to add insult to his injury, he had become trapped in this...this crater beside of a huge lake. Unable to fly, unable to escape.

Right now, the midnight blue dragon was attempting yet again to escape. Huffing and puffing, he ran toward the edges of his prison and leaped, catching air for mere seconds before plummeting to the ground. Growling, his pride and underbelly smarting, he tried yet again, and again, until, with a huff of air, he gave up, collapsing to the ground.

How was he ever going to get out of there?

From high above him, a human was watching, his eyes admiring the scales of the dragon. He was doodling away, drawing a rather nice sketch of said dragon, watching it's attempts to escape. He felt a twitch of guilt; after all, it was his fault. If he need to fit in hadn't taken over. If he hadn't of shot the Night Fury that night... The proud beast would still be free and uninjured.

Hiccup sighed, shutting his notebook. He knew unless he righted this wrong, he would forever feel the talons of guilt scrap at his heart and mind.

Not only that, but Hiccup had something he needed to know. He had been thinking hard about it, confused and bewildered. For when he had found the Night Fury deep within the forest, he released it. And for a moment, he thought he was going to die.

But the dragon had simply roared at him, a kind of warning, a kind of frustrated cry, and bounded off, ending up at the bottom of this valley.

Gathering all of the courage he could muster, the human began his descent into the valley. It was easy for him. His tiny stature made it simple to squeeze through the rocks lining the walls. He reached the bottom and peered out at the dragon, whose back was turned, staring at the water. Hiccup took a deep breath, his heart hammering, and stepped slowly from his hiding spot. The dragon didn't move, still staring down into the lake. Hiccup neared closer, his footsteps quiet and slow. He wanted to know more about this dragon, know more about the entire species. He didn't feel frightened...or, at least, not too frightened. He was much too curious to be frightened.

He got closer and closer, watching the dragon, who still stood motionless by the water. Then, suddenly, the Night Fury moved, his claw shooting into the water, apparently hunting for a fish. The sudden movement made Hiccup leap into the air, and he stumbled backwards, falling on his behind. The Night Fury hissed in frustration, his claw coming out clean from the lake. He whipped around, ears straight in the air, his eyes narrowing cautiously when he saw the human behind him.

They studied each other for a moment, each wondering what the other was thinking. Then, the dragon snorted, a breath of smoke shooting from his nostril, and he turned, stalking away glumly, and lying down several yards away.

Hiccup didn't realize he was holding his breath until the Night Fury stalked away, and he gasped, his heart thudding faster. He stood up slowly, eyes on the dragon who was turned away away, head hanging between his paws. Hiccup felt the guilt prick him again, and he frowned, looking toward the lake as he dusted himself off. Then, an idea came to him. With a smile, he turned and ran out of the valley, skirting the rocks quickly and heading back to his village.

Foolish human.

It was his fault he had been there in the first place. The dragon was still bitter, his pride and tail injured. The human had struck him, midair, and the hard landing injured him, taken away a vital part of him. But, the dragon thought, He did spare my life. The dragon didn't like it, but it was true. Completely helpless, the dragon was ready for death. But, the strange little human, didn't kill him. Instead, he used the knife to release him, and, in return, the Night Fury spared his life.

A frustrated look came to the dragon's eye. So why is he back? The dark dragon glanced over his shoulder, finding the human rushing up the hill. Good. The dragon snorted, lashing his broken tail against the ground and lying his head back down, sulking. His brought his tail closer to his face, eying the space where the tail-fin should be. The sinking feeling in his stomach made him sigh, and he closed his eyes.

What was he going to do?

Around an hour later, Hiccup returned, a rather large fish clutched in his hands. He looked down into the valley, seeing the dragon lying with his eyes closed, breathing evenly. The Viking squeezed through the rocks, reaching the bottom of the valley, clutching the fish and watching the resting dragon. It seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and Hiccup really didn't like the idea of waking a beast.

Instead, he sat down on a rock, facing the opposite direction of the dragon, sighing. He placed the fish on the ground next to him, his mind wandering away. He picked up a twig, resting his head on his knuckles, and started doodling in the dirt. At first, it was nothing but random lines and circles. Then, his mind locked on the Night Fury resting behind him. The drawing began to take shape. Hiccup was drawing the handsome dragon, unaware that the Night Fury was awake, stalking toward him quietly.

He smelled the fish, and his eyes opened immediately, his mouth watering.

The dragon lifted his head and looked across the valley, eyes focusing on the shape of the hunched over human drawing in the sand...and they came to rest on the delicious looking fish lying on the ground next to him. The Night Fury licked his lips, standing and approaching the human and fish slowly. His eyes narrowed into slits as the smell got richer the closer he got. Just as he started to reach out and take the fish with a swift bite, the movements the human was making in the dirt caught his attention. Pupils widening to their normal form, the dark dragon stood straighter, looking over the humans shoulder as he drew. Intrigued, the dragon walked to the humans shoulder and watched, head tilting.

Hiccup felt the nervous thud of his heart against his ribcage when he heard the dragon approach his side. However, he didn't stop drawing, continuing to create the dragon in the sand. He filled in the eyes, and added detail to the ears. Voila! The Night Fury.

Beside him, the dragon chattered strangely, almost approvingly, casting a glance at the human standing next to him. Suddenly curious and inspired, the dragon walked away, and the clearing was filled with the sound of a snapping tree trunk. Hiccup whipped around suddenly at the noise, watching the dragon approach, carrying a rather large tree trunk. Twittering happily, the dragon placed the tip of the trunk against the ground, and began to drag it across the ground, just as Hiccup was doing a moment before.

The human watched, intrigued, and the Night Fury continued his masterpiece, dragging it to and fro, twirling in circles and making zigzags. He purred, almost dancing as he drew, his actions precise, at least to him. With a final twitter of happiness, the dragon tossed the tree trunk away, nodding in approval of his masterpiece. But, what he found pride in, the human saw as a simple bunch of lines, circles, and zigzags. He smiled slightly, stepping forward.

Deep in his throat, the dragon growled, eyes narrowing.

No.

Hiccup stepped back, startled. When his foot moved from the ground, the dragon suddenly continued purring. Hiccup, confused, tried to step forward again, with the same reaction. The dragon snarled. No. Hiccup, smiling, removed his foot, and tried one more time. No. With a little laugh, the human began to move around the artwork of the dragon, listening to the reptile purr and chatter happily. His maneuver turned into a kind of dance, and Hiccup laughed allowed, leaping over the final line gracefully. The dragon purred, and Hiccup turned around, a wide smile on his face.

The expression made the dragon's curiosity twitch. What a strange thing, and yet it filled him with amusement and joy. The dragon lifted his lips, spreading the corners of his mouth up, trying his best to recreate the smile on the younger humans face. The crooked smile of the dragon filled Hiccup with amusement. Feeling proud of himself, the dragon chattered quietly, the smile lingering a bit longer.

Then, suddenly, his glowing eyes flashed to the fish lying on the ground, narrowing instantly as he licked him lips, the smile falling away. The human, noticing his sudden change, followed his gaze and grinned when he noticed the fish. Of course. He crouched and picked it up, holding it in front of him as the dragon growled, eying it hungrily. Hiccup, suddenly nervous about the hungry gaze, offered it to the dragon, who stepped back cautiously, his mind and instinct fighting.

"Come on," the human cooed, holding the fish as far away from his body as possible. "It's yours. I won't hurt you." The dragon inched closer, his body braced to fight or flight if he had to get away quick. The closer he got, the more nervous Hiccup become, but he didn't move. The Night Fury was reached toward the fish, opening his mouth slowly. Hiccup noticed strangely, that the creature had no teeth, and his eyebrow lifted in confused.

"Funny, you're...toothless," he said, as the dragon reached further. "I could've sworn you--" The dragon growled once, teeth popping from his gums with a clack, and he stole the fish quickly, nearly taking Hiccup's arm with him. The human yelped, jerking his arm back in shock, and the dragon inhaled the fish, licking his muzzle greedily. "...had teeth."

Once the fish was gone, the cautious look returned to the dragon's eye. But he didn't move away. He was staring at the human curiously, in awe. What was so strange about this creature that kept him so entranced? The human felt the sudden weight of the moment, and he knew, it was now or never.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Hiccup lifted his hand. The dragon didn't move, simply watched the movement with wide pupils. Still calm. Hiccup lifted the hand further, slowly reaching toward the dragon's snout. The Night Fury then had a change, his pupils narrowing and a snarl escaping from his throat.

No. I don't trust you, human.

Hiccup dropped his hand immediately, and the dragon seemed to calm slowly. The Night Fury was studying the human now, his eyes searching. If there was fear in the boy's heart, the dragon couldn't sense it. This perplexed him. Most anything with flesh and bone was fearful of him. After all, he was the Night Fury. He found the human curiously unusually. He sniffed around him slightly, blinking slowly.

Strange little human, so close to a dragon...and not flinching away. The dragon's eyes searched the humans, seeing what he could find.

Hiccup wanted to show the dragon his trust, wanted the dragon to know he wouldn't hurt him. After all of this, how could he? Hiccup hesitated, taking a deep breath as the dragon looked over him, sniffing around him. Strangely, he wasn't afraid. Actually, he felt calm, safe, near the dragon. His own eyes turned to the dragons, watching as they narrowed slightly. That was it. Eye contact. No proud creature liked to be looked in the eye. Wanting the dragon to trust him, Hiccup took a deep breath, his eyes shutting, and he turned his head away. Slowly, so slowly, he lifted his hand again, the palm facing the dragon, so close he could feel his breath.

I trust you.

Meanwhile, the dragon was bewildered. The human turned away, his eyes shut, and the dragon felt not a single wave of fear. The dragon could reach out and take his hand off, without another thought. The dragon's mind raced as he stared at the open palm. The ultimate proof of trust, risking everything to show it.

The dragon neared closer, pausing, hesitating. By doing this, he was giving the human his trust, and, perhaps his own freedom. By doing this, he was breaking every sacred rule known to dragon and human alike. But the human in front of him was different. The Night Fury felt it. He wasn't bloodthirsty or evil. And, standing there, the dragon felt no fear. He felt...calm.

Forgetting all he knew before of humans, the rules, and the past stretched out behind his own kind and Hiccups, the Night Fury shut his eyes, placing his warm snout firmly against the humans palm, feeling the cool skin against his scales.

I trust you, hatchling.

In that moment, as both human and dragon opened their eyes, a bond was formed, a bond that would only end when both creature took their last breath.

end of chapter