So, Chapter tres is out, and before anything else I want to clarify the time period. This is set some time before the events of How to Train Your Dragon 2 and just before the Gift of the Night Fury, which I will cover in one of the future chapters hopefully. Go right on ahead my friend, and read this latest chapter of mine.

Of course Toothless tried to avoid both Hingejaw and Stormfly, and of course he couldn't. They kept on appearing everywhere he looked, cuddling on rooftops, cuddling on the bluff, on the cliff, the courtyard even.

Toothless really couldn't place what she saw in Hingejaw. He must be at least ten years older than either of them, his claws were worn from too many battles and though he tried to hide it, Toothless had glimpsed the hundreds of scars that crisscrossed his belly. And the way he acted when Stormfly had her back turned, he reminded Toothless faintly of Hookfang but less of a harmless fool and more of brazen and thuggish, snarling at other Dragons who got too close and even attacking one who happened to glance at Stormfly as she left.

Astrid, probably one of two level-headed two-legs, was of no help at all, in fact she was ecstatic and encouraged Stormfly. Hiccup wasn't much use either, it seemed he was much more concentrated on avoiding his father, the big two-legs with the facial mane, and bringing Toothless flying. Not that he didn't enjoy their flights, it was just that they didn't really help his situation with Stormfly.

"What's wrong, buddy?"

Hiccup, still looking very awkward and gangly, was sitting on the edge of his bed in the dimly lit room, adjusting his metal foot. A hopelessly inept contraption, it didn't even give him any claws or barbs, but it allowed him to walk.

"You feeling down lately?"

"I'm glad you noticed," Toothless said, looking away. Of course the human didn't hear anything more than a rather sarcastic sounding growl.

"Hey, Toothless, I got a perfect idea. Do you know what will cheer you right up?"

Toothless warbled aloud, "That's right, buddy, flying!"

"That's right, buddy, flying!"

Ugh. It was just about the fifteenth time that week and third time that day. His father must be looking for him again. Flying was amazingly fun and all but he just wasn't in the mood.

Hiccup got up and staggered over, before lunging and grabbing Toothless' neck, trying to wrestle him to the ground. He laughed, "Come on, vile Dragon! Face me so you can watch me vanquish you!"

Toothless sighed sadly, looking out the window, the afternoon light out there stinging his retinas. There they were again, cuddling literally metres from the house. He suspected Hingejaw did this on purpose.

Hiccup eventually got tired of wrestling with Toothless' immobile neck and began to scratch him behind his ears. "You tired today buddy? Want to call it a day?"

He sighed back, "I'm not really tired, it's just that, just look out the window!"

"What's the matter, buddy?"

"I told you, just look at them out there, cuddling and smooching and, ew, that looked really wrong."

"What are you looking at? Do you want to go outside? Let's go outside."

Sigh. "Typical two-legs."

Hiccup got onto Toothless' back and craned his neck around to look out the window. "What're you looking at out there? Oh, that's Stormfly isn't it, and… who is that? Hackjaw? Jackdaw? Hingejaw! They look happy, don't they?"

Toothless warbled, "Oh, soooo happy. Just look at the way he licks her like a bone, disgusting."

"Oh, it's because of her isn't it?"

"Yes! Finally, you understand!"

"Is that what's wrong? You want to be outside with them?"

"Aaand you don't understand. Great."

Hiccup laughed, "That's why, isn't it? Come on, buddy, we'll go outside for awhile."

Toothless sighed sadly, shaking his head. "Hopeless."

Hiccup eventually gave up and left the house on his own, probably going to find some other two-legs to avoid his father with. Toothless sighed and looked morosely at the door, clicking his claws against the wooden floor with each passing second.

A pang in his stomach. He groaned in discomfort and rolled over, rolling up slightly. Dragons can, in theory, survive for months without food. They can but 'can' doesn't always mean 'want to' or 'like to'. He contemplated going out to find a fish or two before slinking back in, but Stormfly and Hingejaw were still out there.

At that moment the door was cracked open. Toothless sat up, ears perking up, before a crimson and black mottled head poked in. "Hey, brother! Wha' 'cha doing holed up here?"

Toothless cocked his head. "This is like, my second home you know? Why are you here?"

"Oh, you know." Hookfang slid his body through the seemingly tiny doorway, quite a feat, and jumped up to the rafters where he coiled around them. "Stormfly's preoccupied, Meatlug's off looking for her own 'hunky lovecake' after seeing our friend so happy with Hingejaw, and I might have dumped Snotlout in the sea a few miles out."

Toothless' jaw dropped. "What? You aren't afraid something'll eat him?"

"Nah, nothing's that stupid. Anyways, why aren't you outside? I was looking for you, man."

Toothless crossed his front legs on the ground and laid his chin on them. "You know, just unwinding here."

Hookfang hung his long neck down and glanced out the window. "Oooo, they're right outside. Harsh. You still breaking your back over her?"

He didn't answer, simply swatted his tail from side to side, the metal fittings and the sail clinking against the wood.

Hookfang said, "Come on! Life's too precious to waste it stuck in this place! So what if she's not falling for someone else?"

"But look at that someone else!" Toothless glanced back out the window and his eyes met those of Hingejaw, looking back. As he ducked back down hurriedly, he hissed, "Look at him! He looks so… I don't even think I've seen him here before! I think he's a wild Dragon!"

"Well maybe Storm likes the wild side. But that's beside the point!" Hookfang stated firmly. "I know if I left you here you'd never go out there for a few months at least."

"I was actually planning one or two years."

"I won't watch my tightest brother die in a two-leg hut because of one Dragon! You can't live like this! Go out there, find a nice girl, make it work! You're famous, dammit, only Nightfury-"

Toothless sighed at the reminder.

"-and the one of two who united the two-legs with us. That counts for something! Trust me! If you asked them they'd chant your name through the streets!"

He shook his head, "Very funny."

Hookfang's turn to sigh. "Whenever I pick up a new girl, you know what the first thing they say is? Let me tell you," he cleared his throat and put on an amusing falsetto. "Oh! You're that one Dragon, the one who's always with the Nightfury! You're Toothless' friend!"

Toothless looked up slightly. "For real?"

"For real, bro, the chicas love you! If you asked them to they'd carry you on their backs everywhere, flying, walking, whatever!"

Toothless scoffed, "I'm sure."

Hookfang sighed in exasperation now. "You know what?" his tail coiled down and propped open the doors. "I know this Sand Wraith chick, her Rider's some grubby two-legs but she's really sweet. Walk out those doors and I'll bring you right to her and I GURANTEE, you'll be having someone to keep you company by the end of it."

Toothless stood up, unsure. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, man," he replied. "Call it a favour, I know you'd do me a solid anytime."

"Now uh, some notes before you talk to her."

Toothless clung to the side of a tall pine with his claws, Hookfang curled around the one besides. The Sand Wraith was on the ground below them, digging out a shallow trench between a clump of trees. The Nightmare seemed to tick off a mental list as he said, "Her name's Deevale, exotic right? She likes digging, mutton, and she dislikes swimming, wildflowers, and sing-a-longs."

Toothless kneaded the wood under his claws nervously. "Why don't you just come introduce us to each other?"

"Well, uh, about that."

Toothless glanced at Hookfang as he explained sheepishly, "She might get a bit clingy, just a tad bit," he added quickly. "Nothing to worry about."

"And you know this because…?"

"You know that one scar I said I got from a Sand Wraith? Yeeeaaah…"

Toothless raised an eyebrow. "So you're giving me second-hand goods?"

"Call it slightly used. Now go get 'er, man!"

Toothless kicked off the tree, gliding softly down in controlled manoevers, silently alighting behind her, his wings kicking up clouds of fallen leaves. He exhaled, calming his nerves, before putting a smile and strutting forward. "Deevale, is it? My names Toothle-"

He ducked down as a clump of dug up dirt flew through the space where his face had been. The Sand Wraith turned around and gave a gasp, "Oh! It's you! I'm so sorry but I tend to dig a lot and I didn't know you were there and-"

He chuckled nervously, "It's fine, totally fine."

Sand Wraiths looked disturbingly like Night Furies, their orange and brown striped bodies were gerally the same shape but their wings were shorter and short, stubby backward facing spiked scales ran along her wings and tail, a crown of short spikes behind her head.

Deevale sat back and smiled, Hookfang was right, she is cute, and stammered, "I-It's you! I mean I don't know you but I know you! You're Toothless!"

He smiled. "Last I checked, yeah."

"Oh this is so awesome." She gave her head and neck a shake and a shower of dirt flew off. When she looked back and smiled she looked disturbingly like a reflection of him, albeit spikier and smaller. She said animatedly, "There's this amazing spot down by the stone hill, you know the place? It is a gh-reat stalking spot, deer everywhere! Come on, I'll show you!"

Well, that was easy. She immediately went to his side and goaded him deeper into the forest. As she did she continued to say animatedly, "You know, when everyone sees us they'll be so jealous of me, I'm with a Night Fury? Can you imagine? You smell nice, is that coal? Smells almost like-"

Deevale stopped in her tracks, her eyes popping out her skull as she stared at Toothless. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

She began sniff him, running her snout along his sides, tickling him. "Woah, what are you doing? Nope, nope don't go down there-"

She immediately pushed her face up against Toothless', hissing, "You smell like him! The Nightmare! Where is he? He's here isn't he? Is he watching?"

This Dragon seemed a bit more than 'clingy'. She roared into the forest, "Fang-Fang! Where are you? Mommy's coming for you!"

That sounded so wrong on so many levels. Toothless began to back up surreptitiously, before she whirled around and affixed him there with an accusing stare. "You! You have his scent! Where is he? Tell me! Where's my Fang-Fang!"

She spread her wings and burst towards him as he turned and began to lope away, back towards the village, hearing the sounds of crashing bushes, snapping branches and Deevale screeching, "Where is my Fang-Fang!?"

"Well I warned you she was a bit clingy."

Toothless threw himself onto the floor of Hiccup's hut, his tongue hanging out and panting hard. He managed to say, "You… you…"

"I thought she'd have forgotten about me, it was one night nearly a year ago." Hookfang glanced out the window hurriedly, the clearly visible orange-brown blur of a Sand-Wraith soaring over the village screeching, "Where are you! Let me love you!"

Hookfang hurriedly covered up the window with a wing. "Whew, at least now I know that she isn't up on the market."

Toothless propped himself up on the bed. "That… I… next time, try not to hook me up with someone crazy."

Hookfang jerked one eyebrow up. " 'Next time' huh? Is my favourite Night Fury still up for the challenge?"

Toothless panted hard thrice, before nodding slightly.

"That's the way, man! I know this Grapple Grounder, likes it rough, she likes to go down by the cave stables to-"

A screech from outside, "Hookfang! Let me love you!"

Toothless panted, "Why not… we just stay here for the moment?"

Hookfang glanced out the window and shut it in an instant. "Agreed."

They waited in silence for a few moments, before Hookfang asked, "Is she still uh, calling me Fang-… Fang?"

Toothless nodded.

"We'll be here for a while."

Chapter 4 done! Any suggestions about directions my story can take or how to improve it are always welcome, please lay 'yo criticism upon this soul. Until the next chapter, my friends!