Chapter 1
Happy 11th anniversary of How to Train Your Dragon!
Hiccup had always known - well, hoped, really - that he could be a proper Viking. All he had to do was kill a dragon, like everybody else.
So, when he was finally lucky enough to shoot a Night Fury out of the sky, of course he would go out into the Berk forest to find it. After all, who wouldn't?
But, of course, he had to go and get himself completely and hopelessly lost.
After Odin-knows-how-many hours of wandering around in the woods, he was no closer to finding the downed - and hopefully dead - dragon that had crashed somewhere in Raven Point. With a defeated sigh, he marked an 'X' on the hand-drawn map in his open notebook, alongside a plethora of other 'X' marks, then scribbled all over his map and snapped the book shut in frustration. He tucked the book away into his vest and groaned, "Oh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me! I manage to lose an entire dragon?!"
He decided to take out his frustration on a tree branch in his way, slapping it with all of his might. Unfortunately for him, it slapped him back, causing him to cringe.
When he looked up at the offending tree, he noticed something that drained his temper immediately. The tree had been split in two; the top two-thirds were intact and resting against the ground, while the bottom part was split into a jagged mess. It looked as if the tree had been struck by lightning, except for three important details: the tree wasn't burnt, there hadn't been any storms recently, and there was a deep furrow in the earth that stretched from the foot of the tree to the top of the next slope. The track of plowed dirt clearly wasn't natural, and had been dug recently.
Hiccup went sliding down the track of exposed soil and followed it up to the crest of the hill. It got steeper at the top, prompting him to get down on all fours to climb the rest of the way. His hand reached the top, and he pulled himself upwards...
...to find himself staring at a massive black shape in the middle of a clearing.
Instantly, he hit the ground by reflex, terrified that the dragon had noticed him. He didn't hear any reaction though, so he cautiously peeked over the top of the hill. The Night Fury wasn't moving, as if it were unconscious...or dead.
Hiccup slid his fur vest aside so that he could grab the knife strapped to the belt, the only weapon he ever carried with him. (It was also the only weapon he could carry, but he liked to ignore that technicality.) Gripping the knife with such force, Hiccup ducked and ran as fast as he could for the nearest boulder. Pressing his back to it, he cautiously slid around its circumference and risked another peek.
The dragon hadn't moved.
Overcome with a surge of courage, Hiccup boldly stepped up to the dragon, taking the time to examine it. It was pitch-black all over, with four stubby talons, two mobile ear-like appendages on the back of its head, and a finned tail. Its wings were broad and quite majestic, even while pinned to its body with the bola he had shot at it.
To put it plainly, it looked like a giant black axolotl with wings.
"I did it," Hiccup murmured in awe, which quickly gave way to elation. "Oh, yes, this...this fixes everything! Yes, I have brought down this mighty beast...!" He lifted his foot and planted it firmly on its side...
...prompting a reaction from the very much alive Night Fury.
Hiccup's elation evaporated as quickly as it had arrived, and terror surged back through his system as he threw himself against the boulder. The Night Fury shifted its leg, kicking feebly at his touch. Its body rose and fell with its breaths, strong and steady now that it was fully conscious.
Breathing hard, Hiccup held his knife out in front of him, prepared to defend himself if it suddenly attacked. He gave the Night Fury the once-over, trying to determine where to strike in order to kill it. He suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched, and he soon found himself looking into the dragon's vivid green eyes.
They both held each other's gaze for a few seconds; Hiccup was fascinated, and the dragon seemed curious. Hiccup quickly looked away and readied his knife. "I'm gonna kill you, dragon," he muttered. "Then I'm...I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father."
There was no response from the Night Fury.
"I'm a Viking," Hiccup said simply, then glared at the dragon. "I'm a Viking!" he repeated, raising his voice. Then, knife clutched in both of his hands, he held it high above his head, prepared to end the dragon's life with one stab.
But something made him stop.
He once again looked into the Night Fury's eyes; they were wide, as if the dragon was afraid. They widened up a little more as the dragon waited in anticipation for what he would do.
Cringing, Hiccup squinted his eyes shut and once again raised his knife high. He heard the dragon's moan, and the gentle thud as its head slumped to the ground. It had given up, and was waiting for him to claim its life.
As for Hiccup, he was trying desperately to summon the courage to bring the blade down.
But each time, his body refused to move. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Not with the image of the Night Fury's innocent, frightened eyes branded into his memory.
Finally, he gave up, just as the dragon had. His arms went slack, his hands loosening their grip, and his head dropped so that his eyes stared shamefully at the dirt underfoot. His false bravado was no more, shame taking its place.
He was no Viking.
"I did this..." he murmured, voice heavy with guilt. He turned to leave, but barely took two steps before he stopped and glanced back at the helpless dragon. It was just lying there, waiting for its life to end.
The pathetic sight made Hiccup suck in a breath in preparation for what he was going to do next.
His body moved on its own: lunging at the Night Fury, dropping to his knees, picking up the ropes and cutting them furiously. He felt the dragon tense as it realized what was going on. There were only three more ropes to cut... Now two... Now only one...
The Night Fury pounced. Hiccup was seized by one of his front legs and slammed against the boulder behind him. Gasping for breath, terror blazing through his veins, he dared to stare wide-eyed into the dragon's face. No longer were its eyes wide and scared. Now they were narrowed and focused, and carrying with them an undercurrent of ferocity.
The eyes of a true predator.
They gazed at each other once more, this time with their positions switched – with the Night Fury standing over Hiccup, preparing to finish him off. After what felt like an eternity, the dragon raised its head and snarled, and Hiccup braced himself for the pain and the darkness. It lunged, and...!
It unleashed an ear-splitting screech that rendered him half-deaf. Then the Night Fury tore off into the woods, free once more. Hiccup opened his eyes and saw its silhouette through the thickening mist as it suddenly careened into a tree. A second later, it was gone.
Hiccup numbly picked up his knife and pocketed it. Somehow, he found the strength to get back to his feet and started for the village. However, five steps later, the adrenaline's effects faded entirely, and he pitched forward.
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
A dragon will always...always...go for the kill.
That was what Gobber had said after the first dragon training session in the arena, of which Hiccup unwillingly took part in thanks to his father, the might chief Stoick the Vast.
He was back in the woods now, staring town at the shredded remains of the ropes that had once held the Night Fury.
"So, why didn't you?" he wondered.
Hiccup frowned to himself as he weighed the bola in his hands. He squinted through the trees, remembering the black dragon vanishing through them after it had abandoned him.
That was what had him so vexed - the fact that he was still alive. He'd been at the Night Fury's mercy, like how he'd had it, and it had chosen to flee rather than finish him off. Gobber had delivered that last warning to him with one hundred percent certainty, and yet here Hiccup was, kneeling amongst evidence that pointed directly to the contrary.
He needed to find that Night Fury again. Otherwise, he'd never get an answer to this mystery.
Hiccup headed in the same direction he recalled seeing the Night Fury flying in. It wasn't long before he came to a tall, rocky wall that rose from the earth to block his progress. Or, at least, that was what it seemed - Hiccup soon spotted a small crevasse in the wall that created a downward-sloping path further into the woods. He slipped between the rocks, his hand sliding along one wall to steady himself. Along the narrow path he crept, until...
...he emerged in a paradise.
He stood on the edge of a huge crater-like structure that sunk about sixty feet beneath the forest floor. On one side of the cove was a gigantic tree whose roots grew over the edge and dangled toward the bottom, where an enormous lake flooded half of the cove floor. The water was crystal clear, enough so that Hiccup could see the lake's bed even from this height. The rest of the ground space was taken up by mossy boulders and a carpet of grass, completing the tranquil image. Sunlight broke through the clouds above to illuminate this secret haven with an idyllic glow.
Okay, Hiccup had to admit that the view was incredible. But it wasn't what he was looking for.
"This was stupid," he sighed to himself.
A second later, there was a shrieking roar and a huge black shadow that came shooting down into the cove below. Hiccup instinctively fell back, watching as the shadow passed by, heading into the gorge with skilled elegance. Once it had touched down, Hiccup crawled further down the edge of the cove, his curiosity stronger than his instincts.
The Night Fury had what looked like about a half a boar in its mouth. It set its prize down in the grass, then lifted its head and let out another roar.
This time, it got an answer.
About a half a dozen more Night Furies emerged from the trees and joined their companion, digging in to the carcass he'd brought.
An inspiration struck Hiccup, and his hand dove into his fur vest to retrieve his charcoal and notebook. He flipped it open to an empty page and, taking repeated one-second glances at the Night Furies, sketched out a rough outline of their figure.
"This is amazing," he breathed, setting his book down.
One of the Night Furies, a sheep-sized dragonet, broke away from the group to chase after a butterfly, not unlike Hiccup used to do as a young child. The little fella (or was it a girl?) was just about to pin the pretty insect on a rock before his mother called out for him. Her baby immediately heeded her crooning roar, bounding over and rubbing up against her muzzle, purring like a kitten.
Mesmerized, Hiccup allowed himself to smile wistfully at the dragons. He was so fascinated that he let his grip on the charcoal loosen. Too late, he fumbled for it, only to see the stick fall with a clatter onto the rocks below.
He stiffened and dared not move a muscle, his eyes already moving toward the Night Furies. With a jolt of fear, Hiccup saw all of their vivid green eyes staring right back at him. The dragons stood statue-like, as though waiting to see what he would do. The nearest one, the one he'd shot down not too long ago, had its wings spread out in what looked like a defensive stance for his pack mates.
Was that a hint of recognition Hiccup saw deep in those orbs?
With a tiny jolt, the Night Fury tilted its head ever so slightly. It seemed to share his curiosity.
And then the tension was broken when the little dragonet pounced on the lead Fury's tail. It turned its head to give the baby Fury a warning growl, and Hiccup seized the opportunity to hightail it out of there. As he made a beeline for the village, a single thought crept through Hiccup's mind.
Are dragons really just pests to be killed? ...Or are they something more?
Against his better judgment, Hiccup returned to the cove regularly to find the Night Furies. Maybe he wasn't the first Viking to kill one, but he was the first to ever see one, and live to tell about.
Not that he'd want to. No one would ever believe him, anyway. Not his dad, not Gobber, and especially not Astrid.
The second time around, he reasoned that he'd have a better chance at getting home unscathed if he brought the dragons a peace offering. He wasn't sure what they liked, so he assembled a collection of leftover food from the previous night's dinner in the Great Hall and hoped that would suffice.
He offered it to the lead Fury, who refused to take it until the teenaged boy threw his knife into the lake. Not that the tiny weapon would do him much good, anyway.
Once he was reassured that it was safe to eat, the lead Fury stood up and, finally, closed the distance between him and Hiccup. He brought with him flashbacks of the last time he'd been within touching distance, but Hiccup managed to hold himself steady. In anticipation for his meal, the Night Fury opened his jaws, revealing the entire inside of his mouth. To Hiccup's immense confusion, there wasn't a single bit of white against the pink gums.
"Toothless? I could have sworn you had..."
Before he could finish, a whole set of fangs popped right out of their hiding place below the gums, and the Night Fury lunged, snatching a bit of chicken out of the basket Hiccup had brought it, and the other food, in. He polished off the snack with only a few strong bites, rearing his neck up to swallow it more easily. Once finished, he glanced down at the startled boy, licking his chops to show his satisfaction.
"...Teeth," Hiccup breathed, almost inaudibly.
The other Night Furies padded forward, prompting Hiccup to drop the basket and step back to give them room to eat. They downed the chicken, some mutton, and a couple of turnips, leaving the fish and carrots completely untouched. The littlest Night Fury dug around in the dirt a little and found a few tiny bugs to munch on, but not after playing with them for a minute.
The lead Fury sniffed around inside the basket to see if there was anything left that he or his companions wanted. Deciding that he'd had enough, he sat back on his hind legs to observe Hiccup. The rest of the group, sans the dragonet, followed suit.
For a long moment, nobody moved. It was plain to tell that the Night Furies were expecting something to happen. The question was, what?
Several awkward seconds ticked by before the lead Fury's eyes glanced briefly at the basket of food, then back up at Hiccup's face, his eyes asking, Aren't you going to eat something?
His own hunger realized, Hiccup slowly reached for a carrot, never once taking his eyes off the dragons as he moved. His fingers closed around the vegetable, and he brought it up to his mouth for an awkward bite.
The lead Fury cocked his head a little, a pleasing croon escaping his throat.
One minute of exaggerated chewing later, Hiccup swallowed, earning himself a look of approval from the lead Fury.
Something nudged his leg, and he looked down to find the dragonet sniffing his boots. The baby Fury looked up at the boy with its iridescent green eyes. It was the most adorable thing Hiccup had ever seen.
Moving slowly, Hiccup crouched down and offered it the carrot. The dragonet took an eager bite and chewed for a half a second before its face contorted in disgust and it spat out the vegetable.
Okay, note to self - Night Furies don't like carrots. Or fish, apparently.
Hiccup froze with fear when an angry growl reached his ears. The dragonet's mother was glaring at him, her teeth bared in a snarl. He dropped what was left of the carrot and scurried away. The last thing he needed was for the mother Fury to think he'd tried to hurt her precious baby.
The dragonet shook itself, as if trying to shake away the taste of the wretched carrot, then gazed up at its mother as if to say, I'm okay, mommy.
The mother relaxed, but still kept her gaze on Hiccup.
Trying to maintain as much positivity as he could, Hiccup offered the dragons a friendly smile. Much to his amazement, the corners of the lead Fury's mouth stretched awkwardly as it tried to replicate his smile. The Night Fury's teeth had retracted, so the smile was all gums.
His confidence slowly climbing, Hiccup moved closer, extending his hand, eyes fixed on the dragon's ebony muzzle...
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
The Night Fury's calm and friendly demeanor quickly evaporated at his approach, replaced by the same hostility the mother had displayed just minutes ago. Wanting nothing more to do with this visitor, the dragon gave his wings a mighty flap that carried him out of the cove. The other Furies quickly followed, except for the littlest one.
Hiccup wasn't sure what it was about himself that had the dragonet so interested, but he guessed that the little fella (who could still be a girl) had never seen anything like him before. That was a feeling he could reason with.
The dragonet padded closer, and Hiccup reached out his hand to pat it on the head. He was forced back however, when the dragonet's mother returned and gave him another warning growl. She grabbed her baby by the scruff of its neck and lifted it onto her back. They were gone in an instant.
Hiccup's eyes followed the Night Furies' movement, but they had disappeared into the fading light. He sighed.
Their trust was not going to be so easily earned as he'd thought.
Just to clear things up, in the game, Toothless is seen with both tailfins intact (and Hiccup has both of his legs), so, in this universe, he didn't lose his tailfin in the crash; he can still fly by himself. And there are more Night Furies in the game, hence the pack.
Maybe this isn't one of my best ideas, but I hope you guys like it.