A/N: This is like my fourth update today! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 9: Test Drive

(Hiccup POV)

The next morning, Toothless glides through the air, as I try not to hyperventilate. My hands shake and my breathing is hitched. Toothless's demeanor however is radiating confidence. Well at least one of us knows what we're doing.

I pat the side of Toothless's neck softly, "Okay, let's take this nice and slow." I say. Toothless growls and I look down at the cheat sheet, "Position, three no four." I open the tail and Toothless soars forward, wind carrying him with ease. I bite my lip and look back at the tail fin then look at the rope. Everything is holding, Hiccup. Breathe. I know you know how.

The wind is biting and frigid, and the early winter that's hit us isn't helping it in the slightest. I take in a deep breath of the cold air releasing it slowly.

Toothless smashes into a sea stack and I jerk back into focus, my thoughts flying away from me. Toothless pulls away from the sea stack and I open the tail,"Sorry!" I call. We turn and run into another sea stack that has kindly, placed itself before us."That was my fault." I say. Toothless smacks me in the face with his ear and I bite my lip, "Yeah, yeah I'm on it." I say with a soft roll of my eyes.

"Alright, position three." I mumble to myself. I push on the stirrup and the tail opens Toothless flying straight up.

A smile finds its way onto my lips and I release a breath. Flying is both terrifying and exhilarating or a terrible mixture of both. "Ah! This is amazing! The wind in my- cheat sheet STOP!" The cheat sheet, flies out of it's holder and soars up above me. Toothless stops as I yelped and I'm flung on of the saddle I reach up and blindly grab the paper before gravity remembers its purpose and Toothless and I start to fall.

Cats!

My chest leaps into my throat, terror pulsing through me. If we reach the ground, the impact with ground will kill us. Trying to swallow the pulsing terror building up, I turn my attention to Toothless. "Toothless you gotta kind of angle yourself!"I yell. Toothless, instead, starts to spin. His tail whacks me in the face and I'm flung backwards. I shove the cheat sheet in my mouth and with determination racing through me, I reach down to grab the handle on the saddle.

I miss the first time but my fingers grasp it the second. I pull myself onto the saddle and shove my feet into place, I click back the tailfin and then I tug up with all my strength. Toothless wings snap open and wind whistles past us, Toothless roaring in pain or fear. Probably a mixture of the two with a side of 'Do SOMETHING!' towards me. I rip the cheat sheet from my mouth looking down at it, the wind is ripping at it and blowing the right edge towards the right, it's useless.

I look up at the sea stacks and then down at the ice before looking up again.

Relax, breathe, release.

I throw the paper to the side and grab the handles with both hands my fingers curling around the saddle. Toothless enters the valley of sea stacks and as he flaps his wings, I can feel the rhythm. I don't just feel like his rider, I feel apart of him. I click the tailfin and Toothless picks up speed, I push down again just knowing what the right one is, like Toothless himself is whispering it in my ear. We entered the sea stacks as rider and dragon, we leave them as one.

I throw my arms up in victory as we break free from the rocks. I throw both my arms up, "YEAH!" I cry. Toothless picking up on the excitement fires a plasma blast in front of us. My hands fall slowly,"Come on!" I groan. Toothless flies through the ring of fire happily and the flames bite at my skin sending waves of pain through me. I duck, shoving my head into Toothless's neck.

When I feel the heat pass I lift my head and Toothless lifts his head to look at me, "I am not fireproof!" I say trying my best to remain calm but still raise my hand out and point behind us for emphasis.

Toothless gives me a guilty look and I sigh pulling my hands in towards my chest. Toothless flies forward for a little before he lands on a small island. There's dozens of rocks covering everything and there isn't a beach just rocks and more rocks with a few stray sticks and branches hanging around.

I jump off of him and reach up and feel my face. I pull my hand back and it's covered in ash. No burns, just dirty. I got lucky.

After gathering fish for dinner, with Toothless's help I group several of the twins together into a large pile of fish again. I turn around and look back at Toothless who is happily laying down next to the large pile of fish. I steal a fish from him looking down at the wood again. Even as hesitate as I am to look at anything that resembles heat except the sun, I haven't eaten anything all day. I look back at Toothless, "Hey bud, can yo-" Toothless fires a blast the sticks flame up instantly, cutting off my sentence.

I blink.

"Thanks." I say.

I shove the fish onto a stick and, sitting as far away as I can from the fire as possible, I lift the salmon over the fire. Toothless shifts forward so his side is resting against my back. I look back at him in surprise before relaxing and lifting the fish over the fire.

A hacking noise catches my attention and I look at Toothless before he drops half of a dead fish onto the ground looking at me. I stare at the head for a second before I lift up the fish I'm cooking, "Um, no thanks, I'm good." I assure my insides squirming at the thought of the original regurgitated fish.

Squawking noises feel the air and I look up to see a small pack of Terrible Terrors.

Toothless growls and pulls his fish in closer. I tense and look over at Toothless silently asking what we're supposed to do. Toothless just growls at the dragons but other than that doesn't seem to keen on moving.

The group of three land and a Terror races over grabbing the regurgitated fish head. The Terror drags it off and a second Terror grabs the fish, the two starting to battle over it for a second.

I pull my gaze away from them as one of Toothless's fish stands up and walks away. Toothless rips the fish away from the third Terror and eats it, laughing at the small dragon. I back away from Toothless slightly incase he decides that's not enough and leaps forward attacking the dragon.

The third Terror spits out a tooth and his body puffs up and he prepares to spit fire at Toothless. My dragon fires a tiny blast at the dragon and it lands in the dragon's mouth. The dragon puffs up its body enlarging with air. It releases the air and walks away swaying. "Not so fireproof on the inside are you?" I ask softly with a small laugh.

I grab a smaller fish from Toothless and toss it to the dragon. "Here you go." I say. The Terror grabs it and eats it, I lean back against Toothless and the Night Fury watches me from the corner of his eye as the smaller Terror walks up to me.

He sits next to my leg and curls up sighing contentedly. My hand raises up in surprise and I stare at the small dragon, "Everything we know about you guys, is wrong." I breathe.

000o000

When I reach the village later that day my brain is restless. I turn and slip into the empty forge and walk into the back room collapsing into the chair. I lay my hands down on the desk and rest my head in them, idly rolling a pencil up and down the desk. Over my drawings of Toothless, inventions and other stuff.

Push up. Grab.

Push up. Grab from falling off the edge.

Up and-hey get back here! I stop the pencil from rolling off the desk and lift my head slightly when a creaking noise catches my attention.

My dad's head pokes through the door and I gasp leaping to my feet. What si he doing here? Gobber isn't here. I shove the papers of Toothless to a corner of the desk and curl my fingers. "Dad! You're back!" I say and he starts to squeeze into the small room. "Uh, Gobber's not here, he's at the Great Hall." I say. Dad nods and finally shoves his large frame into the room.

"I know, I was looking for you." He says and stares at me. I look up at him in shock.

"You-you were?" I ask. I can only remember a few times he was actually looking for me. Chief duties are always at the top of his list, instead of me. I rest solidly between an annoying sheep he has to deal with and something he never gets to.

He nods, "You've been keeping secrets." He says.

My brain flashes back to the forge a few days ago. Maybe Elsa did see Toothless. She must've told. What if they've already found out about Toothless and have killed him?

"I-I have?" I stutter.

"Just how long do you think you could hide it from me?" He asks. I look at the man and my hands grip the side of the desk to keep myself upright as my legs start to give out.

"I-I, I don't know what you're talking ab-"

"Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it. So, let's talk about that dragon." He says. My weight falls onto my hands and words start falling out of my mouth.

"Dad, I am so sorry! I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how I could-" I stop and look up at him when he laughs.

I give an awkward laugh with him. He-I-what?

His head snaps down and he gives me a large smile, "Are you kidding! I've been hoping for this!" He booms and I cringe at his loud voice.

"Uh, you we're?"

"And just wait till you spill a Nadders guts for the first time or mount your first Gronckle head on a spear? Oh what a feeling!" I let out a breath of relief through my nose and I look up at him, not Toothless.

He playfully punches me on the arm and I topple backwards. My hands grab the edge of the desk to keep me upright and scramble to my feet. Dad continues to rant,"Oh you really had me going there son, all those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen!" He says.

Ouch.

Ouch.

Ouch.

"It was rough, I almost gave up on you but all this time you we're holding out on me!" He yells. Holding out on you? No. You are very mistaken. He finally snaps his gaze to me, "With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about." He says

Is he serious!?

He scoots closer on the chair and looks at me a happy smile on his face. I eye him awkwardly, and fold my arms across my chest. He looks back seeming to remember something, "Oh, I brought you something." He says. I stare at him curiously. Really? This is werid. First he's looking for me. Now this..?

He pulls out a helmet and hands it to me. I take it from his hands and my fingers brush against his palms. "Thanks," I breathe and I hold the helmet in my hands.

"Your mother would have wanted you to have it." He says still staring at me fingers, "It's half of her breastplate." He adds.

I rip my hand away and put the helmet on the desk, "Oh," I voice before laughing awkwardly.

"Wear the helmet proudly, you deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal." I stop drumming my fingers over my arm slight horror racing through me. My lips tighten into a tight line. Held up my end of the deal. My stomach sinks.

I look up at him and stretch out my arms a fake yawn eliminating from my lips, "I should probably head to bed." I say.

He stands, "Yeah, um, good talk." He says awkwardly.

I nod, "See you back at the house, thanks for the-the breast-hat." I say. He nods and squeezes out of the backroom. There's several crashes and I assume he ran into the things hanging from the ceiling. I hardly pay attention.

Worst Viking Berk has ever seen.

A/N: :) Please Review!