Broken

Chapter 6: A day of nails

Hiccup liked being a blacksmith's apprentice. He liked working with metal and fire and seeing the slow transformation of raw metal or broken scraps into useful tools. He enjoyed putting his ideas into the forge and drawing out something new and interesting. It gave him a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It occasionally even earned him some praise. It was often tedious and undeniably dangerous, sometimes painful and exhausting. But it was also rewarding and satisfying in ways he found difficult to describe.

Except on a day like this.

He'd not been in Gobber's smithy for several days. His teacher hadn't said anything so he knew there hadn't been anything happening that required his assistance. Not that there hadn't been some serious work going on. Gobber'd been in his shop for nearly a week, working on some of the metal salvaged from the training arena. Now that such a large enclosed structure was no longer needed to contain captive dragons, much of the chain and rod that had been used to construct it was being removed and reused. Hiccup had seen several lengths of thick rod taken from the training ground lying just outside the smithy. As the days passed, the rods slowly disappeared. No doubt they were being remade into more useful objects.

Standing next to Berk's master blacksmith, he eyed the pile of long, thin rods Gobber had made from those heavy shafts. Reduced from the thickness of Hiccup's wrist to the bare diameter of his smallest finger, the reclaimed metal had been worked with cunning skill and speed. But the next task would require more than one set of hands, and since Gobber didn't truly posses a full set anyway, Hiccup's help was needed. He sighed with impatience at the job they faced.

"Come on now, Hiccup. Ingifast used up every one he had for the 'Night Fury.' If he's going to build more ships, he's going to need-"

"I know, I know," the skinny young man interrupted. He scratched at the few hairs that had lately sprouted from his chin and shook his head. "I just wish you'd said something before this morning." He glanced out the large door to the rising sun. The leading edge had set the clouds afire with colors as bright as a Nadder's flame. "I was planning on taking Toothless out on an extended flight today. You know, to..." He gestured lamely in the direction of his house. "- to get away."

It was Gobber's turn to sigh. The patchwork man knew exactly what his apprentice meant and understood, better than the younger man realized. "Ah, don't fret. You know what I always say." He paused then very gently thumped Hiccup's shoulder. "Don't ye?"

Irked at being reminded of the 'learning verses' Gobber used to constantly drill into him, he glanced up at his teacher's wide face. "Yeah," he said with a twisted grin. "'Hiccup, where'd my hammer get off to?'" He put as much growling burr in his voice as he could to imitate the older man's rumbling tones, but still failed to sound anything like him.

Pleased the younger man was at least trying to make a joke of it, he smiled slightly. "Right enough," he agreed. He put his comparatively huge hand on Hiccup's shoulder. The smile faded and he put on a serious expression, though it was much softened by his affection for the lad. "What else?"

Seeing he wasn't going to get out of the work set for him that day, Hiccup gave his teacher what he wanted. "A blacksmith's work eases many minds, not just those who swing the hammer but those that don't."

Gobber gave him a larger smile. "There you go." He tilted his head and squinted at Hiccup a moment. With one finger, he lifted Hiccup's chin. "Hmm. It's getting thicker, you know. I count at least two more hairs than there were last time."

Both irritated at the teasing and secretly pleased, Hiccup twisted his head away and grumbled, "I thought we had a full day's work to do." He grabbed up several long, thin rods, laid the ends of each in the ruddy depths of the forge and swung his lean frame up over the bellows. With a hissing gust, the fire leapt hungrily at its newest meal.

It didn't take long to get the ends heated to a nice red glow. As he tried to judge when to pull some out and start work, Hiccup asked casually, "So what sizes does Ingifast need?"

"Every size we can give him," was the answer. The burly smith watched his apprentice work with a relaxed expression but a sharp eye. It always paid to keep a close watch when Hiccup was near the forge. While the young man did his best to stick to the routines Gobber had insisted on, one never knew when something very hot might move in an unexpected way and catch something flammable on fire. Like one's mustache. "We'll start with the smallest and work our way up."

"Alright." Hiccup glanced at Gobber to see if he was ready. He was.

When the master smith had first taught Hiccup to make nails, he'd called it a dance. He hadn't understood at the time, but he did now. To make the routine as efficient and productive as possible, Gobber had taught him the steps of the 'Nail Dance' over and over until he wanted to throw either himself or the smith off a tall cliff. Still, the lesson had stuck and the two could make nails with impressive speed.

First Hiccup would take nine of the thin rods and place the ends in the forge to heat. Once they were up to temperature, he would take three of them at once and lay the ends in special tapered grooves cut into the top of Gobber's anvil. The burly smith would raise his largest hammer and strike a fearsome blow, forcing the ends of the rods into sharp points. It would usually take several strikes with Hiccup rotating the rods to get the proper point on them.

Once the ends were sharp enough, Hiccup would lay the rods across the cutting wedge, a large piece of hardened iron with a good cutting edge facing straight up. A single strike from Gobber would drop all three nails at once, cutting them off from the rods. Any that didn't fall off would usually only need a good tap against the anvil to finish the job.

Next they would be placed into a 'heading mold' a block of hardened iron with three holes where the nails would be set, points inside. The wide ends would stick up above the mold a small amount. One more hard blow would flatten those ends into the mushroom shaped heads of the nails. Hiccup would turn the mold upside down over the 'nail barrel', already full of water and ready to catch their day's work. A single strike of the mold against the rim of the barrel would drop three new nails into the water to cool. Then those three rods they'd just cut would go back into the fire and the next three would come out to be struck.

To help keep the rhythm of their movements Gobber had invented a song to go with the 'dance', to keep time with the hammer blows. He'd made Hiccup learn it as well and insisted it be sung as the nails were made. He swore it was traditional and made Hiccup sing it aloud until he'd learned to keep the rhythm in his head. It was a simple tune, one that described each step of the process of making nails.

'Thunder strikes the glowing bone'

'Iron tooth that seeks a home'

'Gripping hand holds Odin's strength'

'Steaming breath from finger's length'

It hadn't taken very long for Hiccup to tire of the song, even when he was able to keep the rhythm silently in his head. Eventually, as he did with so many other things, he made improvements until the song suited him.

'Glowing eyes that know the night'

'Shrieking roar that gives them fright'

'Wide black sail will catch the wind'

'I'll ride off with my best friend'

It pleased him immensely to secretly sing about the dragon that had changed his life while he helped make nails. He wondered if Gobber still sang his original song in his head as he swung his hammer.

As often happened during their work, the morning passed quickly. The only real measures of time for them were the rate they consumed rods and the level of nails in the cooling barrel. They had both been sweating heavily and were getting hungry by the time Gobber noticed they had a visitor. The blonde Viking swung his hammer yet again to head the three nails they were working on and watched his apprentice place three new rods into the forge's red belly.

"Mind yourself, lad. We've a guest." This was Gobber's way of letting Hiccup know that something nearby might cause a distraction and thereby an accident.

Hiccup wiped a soot covered arm over his soot covered forehead and looked around before he grabbed up the next three rods to be worked. He saw Jaspin sitting on the neatly piled firewood by the large door. He waved a tired greeting to the boy and moved to give the bellow several good pulls.

"Hoy Jaspin!" the large man hollered. "What brings ye round?"

Berk's youngest dragon rider stood but didn't come closer than the threshold of the door. Everyone in the village had learned at some point in their life, usually through the means of outrageous threats of bodily harm, not to enter the work area of the smithy when hot metal was being handled. He held up the remains of a stirrup. "I've got a job for Hiccup!"

At the sound of his name, the young man turned his attention from the heating metal to the lad holding up a shredded leather strap. Realizing he'd just interrupted 'the dance', he quickly turned his eyes back to his work. He was relieved, however, when a gentle thump on his shoulder from the warm mass of Gobber's big hammer told him he could relax.

"It's noon, lad. As good a time as any for a break." Gobber grabbed the rods Hiccup had just placed in the fire and withdrew them, as well as the other six that were still being heated. He stumped over to a nearby stool, grabbed a mug holding water and began slaking his tremendous thirst.

Seeing that their work had now been halted, Jaspin entered the smithy and held up his stirrup. "She bit it clean off this time, but at least now I know why."

Hiccup followed his teacher's example and sat on an upended empty barrel that often served as a temporary prop, work area or seat according to what was needed at the moment. The young man lowered himself with a groan and a wince. His leg was obviously hurting him and Jaspin suddenly clutched the stirrup to his chest, not wanting to burden him with his demands.

Reaching down, the apprentice blacksmith pulled on two latches he'd made himself. They held his false leg on securely yet would instantly release when moved in a certain way. Two sharp clicks preceded the thump of his prosthetic hitting the floor and leaning against the barrel. The release prompted a deep, satisfied sigh from its owner. He rubbed his leg stump gently and smiled at his young friend. "So what'd you find out? Does she like the taste of the leather?"

Reassured by Hiccup's demeanor, Jaspin held out the stirrup again. "I don't think so. I think it's rubbing her scales the wrong way." He pointed to the underside of the strap that had been pressing against the Nadder's side. "I noticed the scales were slightly dull where it had been pushing on her. She doesn't like me touching that spot, either."

Hiccup ran his fingers over the roughened surface of the strap. As far as he knew, this was the only case of irritation from any saddle or tack that was used for riding a dragon. He wondered if dragons could occasionally have sensitive skin, the way people did.

"Well, if it's bothering her, how about I sew some lamb skin or fleece on the inside of the strap so it won't rub so harshly? After I replace the strap, of course." He looked up at Jaspin. "Is the other side causing her problems?"

The boy nodded. "I think so. When I took the saddle off just now, I saw a nick in the other stirrup. It's not deep enough to be a problem, but I think it's starting to bother her, too."

Hiccup looked around. "Where is the saddle now?"

"By the door."

"Hiccup! Lunch!"

His green eyes widened and his hand came up just in time to catch a large potato that had been tossed to him. He quickly dropped the tuber into his lap and just managed to snag the big hunk of hard cheese that had followed it. "Thanks!" He set the cheese in his lap next to the potato and handed the strap back to Jaspin. "I can get started on this tomorrow."

Jaspin smiled widely. "Great! Thank you!" His pressing need having been addressed, his natural curiosity immediately took over. He looked around at the materials and tools that lay scattered around the anvil and forge. "What are you making? Are you making swords?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Nope. Nails."

"How come?"

"Ingifast needs them to build more ships."

The boy's gaze moved swiftly over the whole smithy. "Where's Toothless?"

Hiccup stifled a sigh and took a bite of his cheese. Around the morsel he mumbled, "Last I saw him he was heading for the shore. Probably for a bath."

Jaspin looked at him in surprise. "He likes taking baths, too? I thought only Nadders did that."

"He gets dusty and dirty like any of us." A shrug was followed by another bite of cheese. "I guess he doesn't like it."

"Wow." The boy turned to Gobber. "Does George take baths?"

The master smith paused in tearing a hunk of bread off a loaf he'd picked up. "Eh, not that I ever noticed." He threw the bread to Hiccup who deftly caught it.

"Where is George, anyway?"

A slightly pained look passed quickly over Gobber's face. "Umm, probably off doing whatever it is the beasties do. I guess." He cast a meaningful look at Hiccup.

The young man looked thoughtful for a moment, then hissed softly. He looked at the small blister he'd gotten on one of his hands.

Jaspin noticed and pointed to the raised, reddened skin. "You got burned?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said with a touch of disgust. "Happens a lot when I forget to wear my hide gloves."

"Where are they?"

Keeping his eyes on his 'wounded' finger and trying to hide his smile, he replied, "On the anvil in my shop, where they can't do me any good."

Jaspin took a step backwards. "I can get them for you."

Looking up, Hiccup did his best to sound grateful. "Would you? That would be helpful."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a minute!" Placing the stirrup on the saddle he'd left by the door, he took off in the direction of Hiccup's house.

The two men ate in silence for a few minutes. With crumbs liberally dusting his chin, Gobber looked aside at his apprentice. A few more crumbs flew from his lips when he spoke. "Didn't I see you wearing your gloves earlier this morning?"

Hiccup affected surprise. "Was I?" He reached under his leather apron and tugged loose the gloves he'd tucked there a few hours ago. "Oops, guess I forgot."

A wide grin split Gobber's broad face. "Sly, Hiccup. Very sly."

The young man's smile faded somewhat. "I suppose." He put the gloves back under his apron. "I feel kind of bad, lying to him like that. He doesn't deserve that." He remembered such pranks played on him when he was much younger.

"Ach, don't you worry. A barrel of mead says he forgets why he went to your shop and he winds up spending the rest of the day hunting for trolls or flittering about on that pretty little Nadder of his."

Hiccup paused in the act of taking the first bite of his potato. Had Gobber just called Jaspin's Nadder 'pretty?' To the best of his knowledge that was the first time he'd ever heard the man describe a dragon, any dragon, in such terms. He started munching his potato, deep in thought.

As predicted, Jaspin did not return. The two smiths finished their lunch and went back to work. While the rods were reheating, Gobber waved his hand at the much reduced pile of raw material. "What do ye think? Reckon we can get that finished by sun down?"

Hiccup finished strapping his artificial leg to his stump and looked up. "I suppose so. But do me a favor, will you?"

"What's that?"

"If I pass out from exhaustion, would you at least pull me out of the fire before I crisp up too badly?"

Gobber's roar of laughter filled the smithy and echoed off nearby houses. "Of course I will, lad! Stoick'd have my other leg if I didn't! And besides, I can't stand the smell of burning hair. It's horrid." He waved his hand over his nose to emphasize his statement.

The work progressed slower after their break. Hiccup was getting tired but did his best to keep up the pace. Gobber said nothing, seeing the lad's strength gradually waning. He also noted the limp that was becoming more pronounced with each step his apprentice took.

Before another hour had passed they had second visitor. Toothless came skimming up to the smithy, his scales showing nearly blue in the bright afternoon sun. The Night Fury had learned to cover long distances quickly by running with his wings spread and flapping them only hard enough to just get off the ground. It wasn't the same as flying, but it served him well. He came to a stop and settled himself just outside the door, giving his wings a sharp flick before folding them against his back. Without any concern for Gobber's potential displeasure, he walked into the building and stretched out along one wall, out of the way of the ongoing work.

The dragon wasn't wearing any of the gear he needed for flight. Although it didn't seem to bother him to wear it for long periods, it put extra wear on the equipment. Besides, he and Hiccup had gotten quite good at getting him rigged for flight and could get it on him in only a few minutes.

Gobber noticed the dragon that had entered the smithy. Looking again at his apprentice, he saw the fatigue that was slowing the lad down. He took advantage of the moment to give Hiccup a rest and gain something he needed. He tapped the narrow shoulder with his hammer again.

"Say, Hiccup, let's take a breather. Your beastie is here and he's reminded me of something I've wanted to ask you."

Hiccup blinked in surprise. He looked around and saw Toothless for the first time. "Oh, hi there big guy." He looked at the smith to make sure they were really stopping again, and then put down the rods he was holding. Trying not to let the pain in his leg betray him, he made his way to his dragon's side and laid an affectionate hand on his neck. "How're you doing there, buddy? You hungry or anything?"

With a quiet huff and a shake of his head, the Night Fury declined. He then leaned his head forward to sniff at his aching leg. He sniffed deeper, then looked up at his scrawny friend. A soft crooning voiced his concern.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, it's alright Toothless, I promise. I think I might have the clasps a little tight is all. It's sore but it's not a problem. OK?" He placed both hands under the dragon's chin and looked him full in the eyes. Whispering softly, he added, "I need to get used to working like this. It's been a long time since I put in a full day on this leg."

Toothless blinked slowly at him, seeming to think it over. He gave a quiet, muttering growl and pressed his nose gently into Hiccup's stomach. He shifted his forequarters to one side, carefully took the hem of his friend's tunic between his teeth and pulled it back toward him. Hiccup took the hint.

"Ok, ok, you're right. I could use a rest." He eased himself down until he was sitting between Toothless' forelegs, the Night Fury's broad chest and neck providing a support for his back. The dragon shifted his left foreleg until he'd slid it under Hiccup's left leg and lifted it slightly to take the pressure off of it. Hiccup's head leaned back and his left hand came up to caress the dark scales of the heavily muscled arm that held him up. He sighed happily, truly grateful to be so near his friend and to get a little rest as well.

"So what did you want to ask me?"

Gobber had a look on his face that said the man was both pleased and amused by what he saw. Then he chuckled and pulled up the stool again.

"Well, uh, it's about how you got him," and he pointed to the dragon who was pretending to be a chair, "to help you at your forge. I can't figure out how to get George to do the same thing he does." He studied Toothless a moment before adding, "To be honest I'm not even sure I can get him to breathe fire when I need him to, never mind doing it without wiping out my whole smithy by accident."

Hiccup thought back to the day he'd spent trying to get his idea across to the Fury. "Well, mostly it was a matter of getting him to understand each stage of what I needed him to do." He concentrated, recalling his first step. "I started by taking a piece of scrap metal and a lit candle out to a spot far away from any homes and showing them to him. He was paying attention, so it wasn't very hard. I held up the scrap and said, 'Metal.' Then I held up the lit candle and said, 'Fire.' I did that a few times, then I held the piece of scrap over the flame of the candle."

Gobber's eyebrows rose as he saw the direction his apprentice was going.

"I held the metal in the flame for a minute, then put the candle down. I showed him the sooty spot where I'd just heated it and said, 'Hot.' I even touched it with my finger and yelled like it had burned me." He grinned. "Actually, it did burn me a little. He sniffed it and looked at me funny. Then I touched his nose and said, 'Fire.' I touched the scrap and said, 'Metal.' After I did that a few times-"

"He understood ye?" Gobber interrupted, sounding excited.

"Um, not completely. You see, he did exactly what I asked him to do. Just not the way I had hoped." Hiccup looked up at the dragon's chin and grinned. "He inhaled deeply and blew a big blue bolt of fire directly at the scrap. I never did find it again." He rubbed Toothless' throat, getting a purring growl in response. "I had to try a few more times until he realized I needed heat, not destruction."

The master smith nodded enthusiastically. "Maybe that'd work for George. I'll have to try that."

Gobber then launched into a series of tales about his misadventures with the Boneknapper. Hiccup thought they were greatly amusing, especially the one about George gnawing on and then swallowing one of his hammers. The noise he made to imitate the sound of a large dragon regurgitating one of his tools had him clutching his sides in mirth.

Hiccup would later recall those long moments with great happiness; sitting comfortably with his best friend who was helping him feel better and talking to his mentor who told him funny stories. It became one of his most cherished memories.

Eventually they got back to their work, pledging to each other to finish the remaining rods that lay on the ground. Hiccup was sure they had enough daylight left to manage, but he wasn't so certain he had enough strength to make it. He silently promised himself he would push until he did drop from exhaustion. He also promised himself to make sure if he felt himself fading out he would step back from the forge. Gobber had several less than amusing tales about blacksmiths who had made that costly mistake.

At some point after their break, Toothless left the smithy as silently as he'd arrived. Hiccup had glanced over at the spot where his friend had been dozing and he was no longer there. He shrugged to himself, unconcerned.

It was with a tremendous sense of pride that Hiccup picked up the last two rods from the ground and put their ends in the fire. He was as tired as he could ever remember being, but he wasn't truly exhausted. He knew he would sleep well that night. After some supper, he thought.

The day had become a blur of hammer strokes and repetitive motion, hot iron and steam. He hoped Ingifast had enough nails to last him for several ships.

It wasn't until he'd been standing with three rods over the cutting wedge for nearly a minute that he realized Gobber had interrupted his own 'Nail Dance.' He looked up at his teacher, puzzled. The smith was staring out the large door and into the early evening light. Turning to see what had caught his attention, Hiccup was as surprised as the blonde Viking.

Slowly strolling between the houses of the village were Toothless and George, side by side. They were heading straight for the smithy and Hiccup would have sworn to anyone who might have asked that the dragons had a look of determination on their scaled faces.

Hiccup's confusion grew as George came right up to the door of the blacksmith's shop and hunkered down to enter. He knew that Gobber forbade the Boneknapper from coming into the smithy, mostly from a sense of self preservation. But neither man could find the wherewithal to protest.

George was a big dragon. As it was, his considerable bulk just barely fit within the building. In fact, one hind leg and his entire tail were still lying outside, beyond the threshold. Toothless slipped into the room with him and moved to one side, his gaze firmly locked on the larger beast. The Boneknapper looked around at the inside of his rider's workshop, seeming to take in the sights he'd been denied up to this point.

When his gaze crossed that of Gobber's he rumbled happily and leaned forward to press his skull-encased snout against the man's expansive middle. For his part, Berk's master smith could only lay his hand on the dragon's bony nose and mutter, "What in Midgard do ye think you're doing?"

The dragon gurgled and growled, then looked aside at Toothless. The Night Fury met the Boneknapper's eyes calmly. With a twitch of his great head, the larger dragon then turned his eyes toward the forge. His jaws opened and they heard a soft hiss that gradually built in intensity. Gobber's eyes bulged yet he didn't move. To Hiccup's complete astonishment the older man just stood there and quietly said, "Not like this."

Utter destruction didn't befall Berk's blacksmith that evening, though the results of George's issuance of dragon fire did result in a ringing shout that a third of the village heard.

"He did it! Hiccup, did ye see that? He did it!"

Gobber's soot stained face was beaming at the white hot rods that lay within the forge. Burning coals had been blown from the fire pit and Hiccup was desperately trying to stomp them out before a fire did result from the dragon's efforts. Much of the charcoal that remained in the forge had been reduced to ash, as well. But George had, in fact, done what Gobber had wanted. Mostly.

What Hiccup couldn't understand was why.

It took some time for things to settle down after George's performance. Gobber made much of his dragon's new 'blacksmithing skills.' He heaped praise, liberally interspersed with hunks of dried fish and mutton, upon his winged friend. Hiccup could only watch and wonder what had happened to the Boneknapper to allow him to copy Toothless' success in heating metal.

When the name 'Toothless' crossed Hiccup's mind, he felt a small chill up his back. He slowly turned to his dragon. Yellowish green eyes stared directly at him. The chill grew colder under the intensity of that scrutiny.

Something had happened. Between Toothless and George, something had happened. Somehow the Night Fury's knowledge about how to heat metal with his fire was transferred to the Boneknapper. But how? How could dragons communicate with each other, let alone pass complicated information between them?

There was a small itch in the back of Hiccup's mind, one that he'd been trying to understand and deal with for months. It seemed to flare up mostly when Toothless was around. Now it was a maddening presence that was trying to drive him crazy.

"I guess now I need to build a forge like yours, eh?" Gobber strolled up to Hiccup and heartily swatted him on the back. His enthusiasm nearly knocked his apprentice over, but he quickly put his hand on the lad's shoulder to steady him. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "Look, it's getting late and I think we can let the rest of this go." He waved his hand up toward the mead hall. "Get some food in your belly and get some rest. I'll take care of getting these to Ingifast." He leaned on the cooling barrel after rapping it with his scarred knuckles.

"Sure, thanks," was the distracted reply. Still unable to understand what had happened, Hiccup limped his way to the door. He saw Bitequick's saddle sitting there and groaned quietly. He didn't want to think about having more work to do tomorrow.

"Hiccup!"

He looked over his shoulder at Gobber.

"Good job today." The burly Viking nodded to him. "You held up like a true blacksmith."

Tired, sore and hungry, Hiccup still managed a smile for his teacher. "Thanks. Good luck with George." He patted the Boneknapper's flank, which was still protruding from the smithy's large doorway. He leaned down to collect the saddle and the severed stirrup and began making his way home. As much as he wanted something to eat, he needed to put the saddle up at his house and dunk his head in the rain barrel. He could feel the grit in his eyes and nose.

The walk was laborious. His left leg was terribly sore and the saddle, while not heavy, was awkward to carry and didn't make the trip any easier. Toothless was walking beside him, but he didn't look at the Night Fury. Something about his dragon was making him uncomfortable and he was in no shape to figure it out.

He should have figured on his best friend pushing the matter. They'd barely gotten any distance from the shop when he felt the dragon's nose gently nudge his elbow. He looked over reflexively at Toothless and was relieved to see nothing more unusual than his reptilian counterpart trying to wedge his head under the saddle, an obvious hint that he could carry it for him.

Grateful for the assistance, Hiccup laid the leather object across his dragon's shoulders, settling it as best he could. It was made to fit the narrower frame of a Deadly Nadder and looked ridiculous laying on Toothless' back. Still holding the severed stirrup, he started walking once more.

Thoughts of Jaspin's saddle woes reminded him of his first attempt to saddle a Night Fury. He smiled to himself, thinking of the absurdity of what he'd intended to do. He'd been so caught up in designing and building his own saddle that he'd never given a thought to what a wild dragon might think of a Viking trying to climb on its back.

He remembered arriving at the cove where Toothless was still trapped, unable to fly until Hiccup figured out a way to repair his tail fin. He'd held up the saddle, grinning and feeling so very proud of his work. But then he'd been given a lesson in considering the other half of the equation of Viking plus Dragon. Toothless had simply made a game of running away from his efforts to place the saddle on his back.

The chase had lasted almost twenty minutes, and it was obvious from the Fury's attitude, he was enjoying every moment of it. When the dragon had finally tired of playing with his lean human friend, he'd allowed Hiccup to place the saddle where he needed it.

Once again enjoying a feeling of accomplishment, he'd put the saddle across the warm scaled back. Toothless had shifted around a little, trying to figure out what he was up to. The dragon had grunted strangely when he'd hooked the straps across his chest and tightened them. When he stepped back to survey his work, he noticed the dragon closely examining the leather contraption he'd wrapped around his chest, back and forelegs. Thinking about it now, Toothless hadn't seemed very happy about it and gave him a look that suggested his tolerance of Hiccup's strange devices was about to hit its limit.

"Don't worry, buddy. It'll work like a charm." His words didn't get any reaction, so he decided it was time to put the saddle to the real test.

As he approached Toothless, the dragon had looked somewhat relieved. Looking back on it, he'd probably thought Hiccup was going to remove the new contraption. Instead, he'd grabbed the saddle's grips and tried to jump up onto the beast's back.

Without ever being certain how he'd gotten there, Hiccup had next found himself on his back, staring dazedly at the sky while the Night Fury growled and snarled. He managed to roll over and look at Toothless but didn't understand what he was seeing. It was as if the dragon was having some kind of fit, clawing at himself and rolling over and over in the dirt. His wings were waving around wildly and his tail was thrashing back and forth. It took a few moments for Hiccup to realize that Toothless was trying desperately to get the saddle off any way he could. He panicked, realizing the dragon would certainly destroy all his hard work if he kept at it.

"Toothless, wait! Stop! I'll take it off! Don't ruin it!"

Still the Fury had writhed on the ground, trying to remove the device that fit so snugly that he couldn't get a single claw under a strap to remove it. Hiccup crawled as close to the beast as he dared and shouted as loudly as he could, "Stop! I'll take it off!"

Suddenly Toothless was silent, motionless and staring at him in anger. Gathering what courage he could, he stood up and approached the Fury slowly. "I'll take it off," he said again in as calm a voice as he could manage. "Maybe I can find some other way to help you fly," he muttered, more to himself than to the dragon.

Toothless' ear flaps had perked at that and he'd taken a step back from Hiccup. He stared at the young man intently, a look Hiccup might have described as 'longing' on his face. He barked a soft growl, looked up and jumped. With a few hard strokes of his wings, he'd raised himself well over Hiccup's head before he folded his wings and landed with a jarring thud. He stepped closer to the young Viking and barked his soft growl again.

Then he did something that surprised Hiccup. He lowered his body to the ground and made a beckoning motion with his head. Without any thought at the change in the dragon's attitude, Hiccup had tried again to seat himself on Toothless' back. This time the dragon allowed it and once his rider had settled himself with the rope to control the tail fin in his hand, they'd started the first of many trial flights.

Hiccup's step faltered. His memory of getting Toothless to allow him to ride on his back looked different now. The dragon's final reaction looked...deliberate. Thoughtful.

Intelligent.

Hiccup had known almost from the start that the Night Fury he'd befriended was smart for a dragon, even clever. But clever animals weren't unheard of.

Toothless, however, wasn't just smart. He wasn't just clever.

Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, the hair on the back of his neck and arms standing up.

It couldn't be, could it? It went against everything anyone knew about dragons, including Hiccup himself. It seemed impossible. But the evidence was right there, in his memory. He'd been unable to sort it out and understand what it meant until now, but if he was right...

Feeling a little dizzy and a little sick, Hiccup once again turned slowly toward his dragon.

Toothless was staring straight at him.

"Oh, gods."

(c)Wirewolf 2011

"How to train your dragon" and all attendant characters are copyright

Dreamworks Animation and used without permission

A/N

Gobber's 'you' and 'ye' are placed where I figure he might say 'you' more clearly and 'ye' when he's speaking in more of a rush.

I watched some Youtube videos on making nails and while the general procedure is as I described, I decided Hiccup and Gobber would have a faster, better way. And besides, this is fantasy after all.