Right.
Here's chapter two.
You might have to bear with me for a little while I figure out what the best style of formatting for my story is... as is probably obvious by the fact that I ended up changing chapter one twice.
Chapter Two: The Power of Flight
Hiccup's mind was racing as fast as the clouds around him.
Soaring through the hazy afternoon sky, the young boy felt a sense of tremendous elation that he had not ever had the joy of experiencing before.
Nothing else mattered right now.
The great coastline was stretched out below him, rugged cliffs picked out sharply by the glorious rays of an afternoon summer sun.
Despite being high enough to touch the clouds, Hiccup was not cold.
Far from it, the exhilaration he felt at this incredible experience had pushed all negative thoughts, feelings and emotions from his mind.
And for the first time ever, he just might have been feeling free.
Truly free.
Toothless could sense this.
He could tell that his rider loved the feeling of flight far more than the dragon himself had expected.
Roaring his own feelings to the great blue expanse, Toothless realised that he had never truly appreciated that which he had previously taken for granted for so long.
Until this moment, the Night Fury could not have helped feeling some resentment towards the Viking boy who had crippled him.
But now, back in the air, soaring free, not had he once again attained peace of mind, but he had someone to share this wonderful feeling with; he had a friend.
Hiccup and Toothless were now linked by more than just words and actions.
A new and truly unique bond had formed between man and beast.
It took at least another hour for the pair to tire of flying, by which time the afternoon was really getting on.
Landing back in the forest clearing, both human and dragon collapsed, feeling utterly exhausted, yet seemingly content.
Hiccup promptly fell out of the saddle while trying to dismount...but only half way, and Toothless snorted with laughter.
Hanging upside-down from the dragon's harness, his foot caught in the stirrups, Hiccup himself began to chortle, as the whole situation became simply ridiculous.
Eventually extracting himself from the saddle, Hiccup just lay on the grass, panting with exhaustion, as the black dragon curled his tail protectively around his beloved rider.
"Thanks so much bud," he grinned at the dragon.
Toothless looked down at the boy curiously, his striking green eyes wide and curious as if to say "But what for?" And Hiccup answered his unasked question.
"Everything." Slumping down beside the lagoon, Toothless purred contentedly while Hiccup leaned against his side, casually scratching behind the black beast's ears.
The dragon, however, still had some energy left.
Stealthily sneaking his tail around the boy's waist, Toothless waited until he thought Hiccup was completely at ease.
And then before the young Viking knew it, he was soaring through the air once again... only this time without any control at all.
"Wha-!" Splash!
Now he was floating out in the middle of the lagoon, shivering with the sudden cold.
"Suffering Scallops!" he bubbled.
Looking back towards where the dragon was lying, Hiccup could see Toothless rolling around in the sand in fits of mirth.
"Oh yeah, very funny!" Hiccup yelled as he swam back to the shore, half annoyed-half amused.
"I take it you like the water just as much?" And he splashed the dragon with all his might.
Toothless' amusement was sharply interrupted as he was hit by a shower of unusually cold water.
As his yelp of shock turned into a growl of irritation, the Night Fury leapt into the water, a look of playful revenge barely hidden on his scaly features.
And so, another ten minutes of the afternoon was wasted with pointless yet fun mucking around.
Glancing up at the sky, Hiccup noticed by the long shadows how low the sun was getting.
Climbing out of the water, soaked from head to toe, Hiccup sighed contentedly.
It had been a very tiring day, but was sadly now almost finished.
"I'd better be off, bud.
Stoick expects me home for dinner... and I'd better not disappoint him now, eh?" He finished on a sad note, and Toothless gave a deeply unsettled warble; he had clearly received Hiccup's hidden message with these last few words, and did not want the little Viking to return to his other life.
Toothless had long since realised that any time spent by Hiccup with the black dragon was time well spent indeed.
At least the poor boy was not having all manner of slander, insults and ridicule hurled at him.
Turning to go, Hiccup looked back at the dragon, who was now gazing mournfully at the young Viking.
The great forest clearing was alive with the sound of evening crickets, and the twittering of those more nocturnal creatures, despite the fact that the sun was still relatively high in the sky.
Toothless gave a quiet whine, eyes wide and pitiful.
Hiccup smiled back, before resigning himself to another evening of emotional suffering.
"There can really be no fathoming of the depths to which these Vikings have sunk", thought Toothless as he watched the boy go.
"To have done this to one of their own kind..." "Why could those stupid humans not see what they were doing?
How could they fail to understand that this boy was simply...different?
And why did they not see the true qualities which he possessed, those which made him who he was?
No-one, human or dragon, could last forever under such a storm of torment.
Someday, soon I think, all of the emotional pain and suffering that he had endured would be hurled back at his people tenfold."
And when it was, Toothless would be there for the boy, to rescue the Hiccup from not only those who had abused him so, but also from himself.
Again, please feel free to rate and review.
I've had a good friend proof all of the chapters as I finish them, but no-one's perfect, and every extra pair of eyes helps.
Also, please let me know if the formatting style is not suitable, too difficult to follow, etc., and I will try to find a compromise.
This current layout is how I had originally intended it to be, but please let me know if you don't think it works.
Next chapter in a week!
Lumpyness.