Wow, I never realized how much of an ego boost a single follow is, but 12? Thank you!
GoDoFbIrD: Don't worry, I plan to see this story through! It annoys me as well when people go 'On Hiatus' or discontinue.
And since I forgot this in the last chapter, disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. I wish I did, but I don't.
The next few weeks fell into a routine. He would eat his breakfast quickly, and then disappear into the forest. Nobody really minded the fact that he wasn't around most of the day. In fact, many of them felt a lot safer without 'Hiccup the Useless' around. And Hiccup didn't mind it either. He never liked being in the village, preferring to spend time by himself crafting new projects or drawing whatever caught his attention.
He would bring the dragon, which he had named Toothless, half a basket of fish whenever he visited, often having to do some fishing himself to sate Toothless' hunger. Hiccup would have sworn that the dragon couldn't be satisfied. Toothless always seemed hungry. Not to mention that the dragon was picky as well. Once Hiccup had accidentally brought a basket that had an eel in it. Toothless had gone berserk, backing up wildly and hissing menacingly at the pile of fish. Hiccup barely managed to calm him down, throwing the eel a safe distance away and making a mental note about this strange aversion.
The few days that Toothless was not in the cove when Hiccup got there, for whatever reason, he would wait. He often sketched Toothless, studying how the dragon flew. It appeared that the tail fins were vital in steering and stabilizing the dragon. Without them Toothless would tumble out of control. The base fins mainly functioned as stabilizers and speed control. They made sure that Toothless didn't tilt when he didn't want to and also helped him slow down. Hiccup also noticed that Toothless' bolts didn't seem as powerful when he wasn't flying. Hiccup decided to investigate that matter at a later time.
Hiccup would often stay in the cove until just before twilight, and then he would head back to the village while Toothless either disappeared to Odin knows where, or slept in the cove. Everything went smoothly until his father returned from his hunt. They had failed, which didn't surprise anybody. The strange mist surrounding the nest was the problem. It was impossible to navigate in the mist, the monotonous color of the rocks confusing the helmsman. They would either find themselves back out at Helheim's Gate, or lost in the mist, never to be found again. Anybody else would have given up, or even left in search of a safer place. But then again, these are Vikings. They aren't the smartest people, and they're quite stubborn as well. Especially his father, which was why he was almost constantly searching for the nest. Hiccup didn't mind it too much, although sometimes he did miss his father.
But when his father came home, he had to be much more careful. He was certain his dad would care a lot more than the other villagers about his strange new schedule. Hiccup still managed to visit Toothless everyday, although it was harder to sneak away from his father. He also started spending less time at the forge, but somehow managed to pop in daily to make detailed sketches of Toothless. He wasn't too worried about anyone going in and seeing the drawings. Gobber knew that was his personal area and wouldn't dare enter it or let anyone else in.
However, as the days became weeks, and weeks turned into months, Hiccup learned more and more about Toothless, growing closer to him in the process. He learned about how interested Toothless was in reflected light, and also found out about a sweet spot under his neck. Then, about 3 months after Hiccup found Toothless, Toothless had bent down a little in front of Hiccup. Hiccup didn't understand what Toothless wanted, until the dragon gestured towards its back with his head. Hiccup was ecstatic. He was actually going to ride a dragon! Hiccup often looked at the sky forlornly, wishing he could just fly away, touch the clouds, and leave Berk and find a better place. He would never forget that first flight. It was nothing like he had though it would be. After he had climbed onto Toothless' back, they took off.
Toothless went slow, Hiccup not used to the feeling of a dragon beneath him. They did a gentle flight around the island, and when Hiccup saw his village he couldn't help but smile. It was incredible. The gentle rays of the slowly fading sun were casting long shadows, covering parts of the village in darkness. He could faintly see some villagers walking about, completely unaware of the beast flying high above them. His eyes found his house, sitting above all the other homes like a sentinel. Hiccup's eyes traced down through the plaza to the forge. He could faintly make out wisps of smoke coming from there, rising a little before quickly dispersing into the air. It was all so amazing. He had relaxed during the flight back to the cove, simply enjoying the gentle brush of the wind against his face, watching as the sun slowly made its way down towards the horizon, turning the sky and the clouds a vibrant pink color. Toothless slowly rose up, getting close enough to the clouds that Hiccup was able to touch them. Tentatively, he reached out a hand, laughing as his hand passed through it. After he pulled his hand back, he noticed it was slightly wet from the vapor. Hiccup chuckled at this, wiping his hands on his shirt. When they landed, the sun was throwing its last rays of sunlight into the cove before disappearing below the horizon and casting the island of Berk into darkness. Hiccup knew he had to get back soon, or else the village would come looking for him.
"Bye Toothless, I have to go back now. Thanks for the ride, bud." Hiccup said. Toothless grumbled a little, before licking his face. Hiccup laughed, managing to say, "Stop that!" Toothless moved away a little, his face in that comforting toothless smile. Hiccup returned the smile, before patting Toothless' nose "Don't worry you big reptile, I'll be back tomorrow." Toothless gave a purr, nudging Hiccups shoulder a little in a protective gesture. Hiccup rolled his eyes, his grin widening, "Wow, I never knew you were so protective, Toothless." Hiccup chuckled, gently scratching behind Toothless' ear. Toothless growled in pleasure, leaning into the scratch slightly. Hiccup stopped, and when Toothless looked over at him Hiccup said, "I'll be fine, don't worry." Toothless snorted in disbelief, and Hiccup gently swatted Toothless' nose, muttering something about a 'faithless dragon'. Toothless cooed, and nudged Hiccup again, this time urging him to hurry home. Hiccup threw one last glance back at the dragon, smiling as he did so, before turning and running through the forest.
I feel like I butchered the first flight scene. Tell me what you think of the story so far, as any and all reviews are appreciated. I might increase the update times to Sunday and Thursday, because it does get a lot more intense in the next chapter.
But, until next time, enjoy!