So... second chapter... this is the part where I usually have a foreword or Author's note... but, yeah... just read the story mes amis and leave a review on what you think.

"Rule number one, you can't care!"

Toothless was lying on the grass watching Hookfang attentively. The Monstrous Nightmare had been amazed, to say the least, at what Stormfly had done. They'd gone out here, to the great forests in the South of Berk, where they were in relative privacy. Still roars echoed out across the island and the odd Dragon flew overhead.

Hookfang had found a nice clearing, complete with a stream flowing out from between two bleached boulders and a rotten tree with white brittle bark that he used as a diorama of Stormfly in his wise teachings.

"You have to remember, love is an art. But so is War! And I'm sure you know who your opponent is." Hookfang strutted across the clearing, chest puffed out, head held high and spines trussed up. "Don't listen to those fools who say it depends on what's inside, their 'beautiful personality', well they're wrong!"

Toothless flinched as Hookfang clutched a fallen log in his claws, splintering it. "No matter how nice she is, she will judge you on what you look like! You have to look like you don't care, that you're sexy without effort, you got 'ta got the CONFIDENCE! Chest out, wings spread slightly, chin high! Come on, walk over to her."

Hookfang gestured to the rotten tree. Toothless got up, slightly uncomfortable, and tried to mimick the way the Nightmare had strutted about just now. Chest out. Check. Wings spread slightly. Check. Chin high. Check.

As he swaggered across the clearing to the rotten tree Hookfang commanded, "Swish that tail side to side, show her that she has to make you want her! You won't fall for her like a dying tree! She has to work for you!"

"I'm not sure that's the best way to-"

"Quiet! Now imagine that this dying tree here is her, now I want you to walk the rest of the way, nice and slow."

Toothless tried, he really did, but he just wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was holding his breath too long to puff his chest, maybe it was the disturbing image of a rotten tree as Stormfly. He sighed, sitting back down on the tall grass and flattening it, "I just can't! This just isn't me!"

Hookfang wrapped his wing-arms around his head. He gritted his fangs and growled, "What's not working? It always works for me!"

"I always thought your stories sounded a little weird, considering how your advice always ends with me trying to ra-"

"Maybe you're too short. It's hard to give off confident vibes when you're shorter than her."

Another shape flew overhead, the umpteenth in the past hour. But this shape didn't keep on flying, instead it began to descend in tight, controlled spirals. Toothless glanced up at the Dragon, the light of the sun behind it, it was a Gronckle, one that they both knew well.

"Hey, boys! I was wondering where you lot were," Meatlug called out as she alighted heavily on the ground.

As she waddled over, Toothless called back, "Meatlug! Why're you here?"

"Ah, just wanted to tell you two that they're breaking out the tuna back at the two-legs big house, not the small tuna either." She eyed the two of them suspiciously. "But why're you two out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Oh Hookfang was just-"

Hookfang stepped in, pushing Toothless aside. "I was just educating our hopelessly naïve friend here about the finer arts of love."

Toothless poked out his head from behind. "He was helping me with girl problems."

Hookfang shot out a puff of smoke at a nonchalant Meatlug, annoying her. She raised an eyebrow. "So you were taking relationship advice from Hookfang?"

"Yes," Hookfang answered before Toothless could.

"Well, 'hun, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry."

She tapped Hookfang's skull with her clubbed tail and made him recoil and back away as she walked over to Toothless. Meatlug lay down next to the stream and tapped her tail against the grass next to her. "Come on over here, 'hun, take a seat and we'll get you some real help."

Hookfang repeated her words in a warbly tone but she ignored him. Toothless lay down next to her and Meatlug began, "So, it's Stormfly isn't it?"

"No!"

"Yes, he's hopelessly in love with her."

"You're not helping!"

"I guessed it long ago," Meatlug said. "Don't eyeball me like that, boy. It's obvious really, the way your ears just perk up whenever she opens her mouth."

He flattened his ears and grumbled, "My ears do not perk up."

"And how your eyes just pop open and how you look at her when you think no one's looking. Shush, no interrupting, now tell me, what's on your mind."

Hookfang hissed teasingly, "Stormfly fed him fish!"

Toothless wanted to protest but Meatlug hit his tail with her clubbed one. "Is this true?"

"…it was just one fish."

"So what kind of feeding was this? Did she just push it to you or did was her mouth right inside your's."

"Hah! Second one for sure, you should've seen them, it was almost like they were trying to eat each other, their tongues were in each other's mouth and they were like lying on top of each other. It was hot at first then it got gross then it was hot again."

"He's lying, she just kinda made me open my mouth then slid the fish in."

Meatlug nodded thoughtfully. "So she made the first move?"

"Uh, I guess so?"

"Because of my advice! She saw you doing what I told you and she couldn't help herself!"

She sighed, "Fang, I'm sorry but most of the time your advice ends up with you rapi-, nevermind. Listen up close, 'hun."

Toothless leaned in as Meatlug said, "The best thing you can do now is be yourself, the Toothless we all love. This Toothless is the one she knows best, you don't want to make her get to know someone completely new, just work from where you are with what you started with, m'kay?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but what do I do around her? How do I act? What do I talk about or don't?"

"Just let it happen, dear, if you be yourself, the free, fun-loving and curious little honey, and stop over thinking things then it will all work, trust me."

When they got back just about every Dragon was gathered along the arched rooftops, jostling for space, many more circled overhead, hundreds of colours and breeds, spines and fins and claws poking out everywhere. There were ships anchored down at the docks and seven huge carts laden with giant tuna being wheeled through the street to the Great Hall where the larders were. The two-legs pushing the carts were slightly annoyed by the huge numbers of dragons divebombing their cargo. They would have to give up maybe two carts of tuna before they managed to get back into the larder.

Toothless joined the rainbow cloud of Dragons gliding over the arched rooftops and huts. Hookfang whispered, grinning, "Remember what I said, brother, confidence! Devil may care! Proud, aloof, and please try to look taller."

He pulled to the side and wheeled away, probably going to find Snotlout or steal some tuna for himself. Meatlug sighed and shook her head sadly. She reminded, "Be yourself, 'hun, and it'll work out."

And with that she disappeared into the cloud of Dragons. Toothless exhaled as he followed the tide of soaring Dragons, circling slowly. Natural. Be yourself, she likes you, so be you.

He searched the rooftops, she'd probably be perched on her Rider's home. He remembered where most of the houses were by heart, Astrid's one was up on the ridge, West of Hiccup's.

There! She was perched on the roof of Astrid's house, surrounded by a cohort of other Dragons all watching the tuna carts hungrily. Stormfly couldn't see him, there was an empty spot next to her, miraculously, it seemed to call to him, beckoning him to land next to her.

Toothless veered off towards Astrid's house, psyching himself up. He could already feel the smile sliding across his face as he whistled closer through the air. This is going to work, I can feel it, today it's all just going to click together. He could feel his heart rising, a feeling in his chest that was almost painful but felt so good.

Then a Dragon alighted next to her, making Toothless' heart sink. It was a Deadly Nadder like Stormfly, larger, with a huge tuna in its jaws. Then it turned to Stormfly and promptly fed her the fish.

Toothless didn't know what to feel as he watched. Stormfly swallowed the tuna whole and then pushed her head against the underside of the Nadder's chin, squeezing herself against him and burrowing into his embrace.

He missed a wing beat as he began to comprehend what he was looking at, trying to place what he should be feeling. Then the emotions came in a painful torrent, tearing at his heart strings. He tucked his wings in and dived.

Toothless' wings spread before he struck the ground, forcing him upwards. He glided a metre above the ground, two-legs ducking and screaming as his wings sliced the air over their cowering heads. He wanted to kill them all, he wanted to spit his fire upon them and watch them scream and burn.

His body crashed through the doors to Hiccup's house. As they swung shut behind him they blotted out the noises of screeching, of roaring, of Dragons. It was pitch black in there, Hiccup wasn't home, but frankly Toothless couldn't care less.

Hookfang was right. He pushed his head against the floor planks, whimpering to himself. I should've done something sooner, I should've… I should've…

But I didn't.

He raised his head and curled up tightly on the ground, trying to shut out the word as he buried his eyes in his black scales. There was only one reason why he didn't do it earlier, why he was here now, why he wasn't next to her. That answer, that one word, kept on hissing in his ears.

Coward.

Well, no one said this had to be roses and butterflies all the way. How interesting can a story really be without some... complications? Leave a review about what you thought and until the next chapter, au revoir.