14 - Confrontation
Time seemed to hang still. Camicazi stared, unable to come to terms with what her eyes saw. Black scales. Two wings limply folded up at its sides. Two wide, vertical pupils, shrouded in acid green orbs, seemed to stare into her soul. A dragon!
A gods-damned dragon!
Her mind raced. Dragon raids were a novelty this far South and her only involvement was in hiding livestock or handling fire buckets. Fighting this thing would be suicide as her little, lightweight shortsword and dagger would hardly penetrate the scales. It was anyone's guess how fast that thing could move. She needed to escape. If she could make it out of the cove and into the dense forest, the dragon surely wouldn't be able to weave around and under trees and branches as quickly as the nimble Burglar.
Then again, Murdering Hiccup sounded like a fine idea, too. Well, maybe not something quite so drastic. He had always been a troublemaker with his inventions and troll hunting, but he also had a kind and gentle heart. They had always been good friends. To think he would betray her like this… she would find him and extract some answers by whatever means necessary.
After escaping the demon standing here, that is.
In an attempt to throw the beast off-kilter and buy some time to run, she clanged her blades together and gave a fierce battle cry. The dragon's response to her shout, though, fixed her feet where she stood in disbelief. What she saw stunned her and left her completely immobile and speechless with her jaw hanging to the ground. The beast did not rear back in alarm, nor did it charge forward or run away.
It rolled onto its back, writhing on the ground, legs kicking spasmodically as it gasped in shallow pants.
An instant later, Hiccup was crouched over the dragon, pounding on its chest with a fist, shifting his gaze between the beast and the terrified Burglar. After a few loud thumps, it started to hack and breathe normally again, relaxing onto its side, looking up at the girl. She took another step back, willing her seemingly lead-laden feet to stop resisting her attempts to flee, and held her blades close.
There were rumors of dragons with riders spotted around Berk, but this... This was simply beyond belief! Little Hiccup had a pet dragon. A pet...
Hiccup looked up at her with a grin on his face and said, "Easy there, Cami. You scared him."
Camicazi shrieked, "I SCARED HIM?!"
Once again, the Burglar could only stare dumbly at the sight before her as Hiccup rolled around on the ground, laughing hysterically. The dragon seemed to be in a similar fit, making some strange gurgling sound that Camicazi didn't want to acknowledge as a chortle. Her mind screamed, "That's a dragon! Run while you can!", but her feet were non-compliant.
After a moment, the laughing fit passed and both the boy and the dragon rolled over to their feet. Camicazi instinctively raised her blades and took a step back. She cast a furtive glance back towards the entrance to the cove and the forest beyond. By now, she had managed to drag her feet a bit closer and felt a little less helpless.
She slowly shook her head in disbelief while shuffling backward, pulling her feet against the anchor of shock and terror and curiosity holding her there, just mouthing over and over again, "No... way..."
Hiccup draped an arm over the dragon's snout, idly scratching its maw, and said, "That's exactly what Astrid said when she saw him for the first time. You did say you wanted to meet Toothless when the opportunity arose, after all... so..."
The boy gestured dramatically between girl and dragon.
"Camicazi, Toothless. Toothless, Camicazi."
Camicazi took another step back, casting a glance at the entrance to the cove, unable to make heads or tails - draconic or otherwise - of the situation. Hiccup... dragon... dragon not going on a rampage... Viking standing near dragon and not dying.
The safety of the forest was only ten sprinting paces away by now. If she turned quick enough to take them by surprise...
"Aww, c'mon Cami," Hiccup pleaded. "We were just playing. Don't be scared. Please don't run away like Astrid did."
The girl suddenly stopped, squaring against the two. "I'm not scared and don't even think of comparing me to that barbarian!"
The look on the boy's face of one trying to hide a satisfied smirk told her that his plea was really a bait and she just ate it up.
Hiccup pushed himself off the dragon's head and raised his hands in apology. "Alright, alright. Sorry. I did tell you, though, that Toothless is not too well-received by strangers.
The dragon's pupils rounded and it lowered its posture, tail slowly wagging, making it look like a giant, demonic puppy dog with wings... and big teeth, and sharp claws, and could probably belch out a lake of fire or something.
Camicazi relaxed her stance imperceptibly, but still kept her blades ready. Too scared to run, she screeched, "That's a... a..."
"A dragon!" Hiccup declared with obtusely fake and overplayed drama. He put his fingers in the dragon's mouth, lightly grabbing its lower jaw. Camicazi's breath caught in her throat when those nasty teeth proceeded to not tear his flesh to ribbons, but instead, suddenly disappeared as the dragon clamped down and nibbled on his hand with apparently toothless gums. Already, this runt of a Viking has outperformed Alvin the Treacherous, who once demonstrated his ability to make a Terrible Terror sit to receive a fish. The dragon would always try to bite off his fingers in the process, though. All the tribal chieftains at the meeting were not too impressed.
"A Night Fury to be specific," Hiccup continued with a taunting lilt in his voice. "And such a scawy wittle dwagon, too! So vewy scawy!"
Camicazi took a step back, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. It seemed to be the only appropriate retort.
"Aww, c'mon, Cami." Hiccup pleaded, pulling his hands free and turning to face her with a stooped posture. "You know me. You're my friend. I would never do anything to hurt you – and that spring-loaded knife sheath doesn't count. I never imagined it would misfire like that!"
Suddenly, it all clicked into place. How Hiccup managed to tame a dragon and train it to be so obedient was beyond comprehension, but the implication was clear as day. This was a threat. A show of power. Big Bertha had been talking to some of the chiefs about the Hooligan dragons and how to deal with this situation, but hadn't committed to anything, yet. Cacmicazi realized now that she had allowed herself to get so distracted by having fun with her childhood friend that she forgot he could actually be a serious threat. Now, he was making a statement and Camicazi is to be his frightened messenger.
"So, it's true, then," Camicazi whispered. "You Hooligans can control dragons."
Maybe, she reasoned with herself, they can be bought off with some shiny jewels or... certain arrangements? Males are easily distracted, after all, but... If mother tries to marry me off to keep the peace, I will castrate him with a dull, rusty knife, tie him to a chair, lure his most hated enemy to give me a child - in front of him - then deliver said child in front of him and, if it's a boy, shove that thing down his throat!
Hiccup laughed loudly, earning a scowl from his Burglar friend, who would swear she saw the dragon roll its eyes. "No, not control. It's impossible for someone to control a dragon. We actually tried that, before, as a test to see if... well, I'll explain all that later. Anyway, you can't control them, but you can be their friend."
Camicazi took another step backward.
"Please don't run," Hiccup begged. "I mean, if you want to run on back, I won't stop you. You could even take a casual stroll and stop to smell the flowers and Toothless and I still wouldn't make a single move to stop you. I promise you that! I'll just be forced to fly off and Dad will have to insist you're crazy and beat a hasty retreat and nobody will have gained anything. At least let me tell you how I met Toothless."
"Toothless? What kind of name is- Whatever, just state your demands!"
The boy raised an eyebrow. Camicazi scowled. Did that boy really think she was so ignorant he could play dumb?
"I'm no simpleton, Hiccup! You're showing me your dragon, alone in the forest, so I can hear your ultimatum and run back screaming to Ma. I am not so easily scared!"
The boy smiled and took a seat on the dragon's snout, idly toeing the grass in his bare feet - well, foot. Camicazi hated herself for feeling calmed from such a gesture.
"There are no demands," Hiccup said. Camicazi's mind railed against her instinctual assessment of his facial features as somber and sincere. "No ultimatum. It's just me. Little Hiccup. I haven't really changed that much since you last saw me, but the whole world has. It feels like everyone has united against us because we befriend dragons instead of murder them. Our own allies seek to lash out against us out of fear of the unknown and nobody wants to listen to us - to me! I know it's difficult and scary and hard to swallow, but I want to show you the truth that nobody else is willing to hear. Just give me a chance! Please?"
Camicazi chewed on her lip. "It's just so hard to believe you could tame a dragon and turn it into your pet."
The dragon snarled and shoved Hiccup's rear off its face. Camicazi jumped. Hiccup immediately spun around to face his dragon, grabbing its upper maw and staring into its eyes.
He muttered, under his breath, "I don't care. Then let her say that all she wants! Please? For me? Fine, if you agree to be nice."
Then, looking back to Camicazi, he said, "I could sooner tame you than Toothless and he's not a pet. We're equals. He's a member of our tribe, just like Dad or Ack or myself. Here, let me start at the beginning. Ya know, I was actually trying to kill Toothless the day we met."
Hiccup took a couple casual steps into the cove, toward their lean-to, using a single finger to push the dragon back. He then grabbed a fish from the pile, ignoring the girl who was still holding a blade in each hand. The blades had relaxed to point at the ground, at least.
Grasping the fish, he said, "I first saw Toothless in the woods on Berk. Naturally, I went to slay him because that's what Vikings do." The Viking rolled his eyes and dryly droned, "We kill things, right?"
Hiccup dramatically held out his hand that grasped the sizable cod by the tail as he turned to face the dragon in a mock battle stance. "Unfortunately, a fish was the deadliest thing I had on me at that time. Nevertheless, I wielded it like a weapon and thrust it at the dragon!"
He demonstrated this, swinging the cod in a dramatic upward slash, but the dragon grabbed the fish out of Hiccup's hand mid-swing with his toothless mouth, then his teeth shot out and he quickly ate it, smacking his lips in satisfaction.
Continuing, Hiccup said, "He then regurgitated half the fish and made me eat it, which is disgusting, so we won't go there. And that's pretty much how I met Toothless. It turns out dragons don't like it when you swing axes at them, but they really like fish. Who knew?"
Camicazi could only stare dumbly. Dragon, but not viciously murdering Vikings and burning down homes. Tamed, but an equal. Powerful, but not used to threaten or conquer. She wanted to deny it, but there wasn't room to doubt what she saw in Hiccup's eyes as he pleaded with her. There was an earnest sincerity, a certain innocence that a person simply cannot fake.
She said, "I have a feeling that's not really what happened."
Hiccup shrugged. "Consider it a metaphor. When I first looked into his eyes, I saw… well, a lot of things. Pain and fear and loss and resignation. I saw myself. Ever since that day, we have been redefining each other for the better. Dragon's aren't dumb animals, Camicazi; they're people! I know it's hard to accept, but it's the truth.
The Burglar chewed her lip and focused on the dragon, staring into its eyes. No, not an it… he… Toothless. She had spent her life training to read a person at a glance as it is a very necessary skill as both a Burglar and an heiress. It was almost disturbing how well her experience translated to this situation.
Those draconic eyes stared back at her with a regal dignity and prideful composure of one who knew he was powerful and in control. There was this undeniable, calm, deep confidence to such a degree that to show off or try to impress others would be beneath him. Those eyes instantly softened into humble contentment and adoration when Hiccup reached a hand up to scratch the dragon behind his… ear fins… or whatever those little flaps were. She decided that maybe, at the very least, this dragon had a certain intelligence that set it above any animal.
She also came to the inescapable conclusion that sanity had taken leave with no promise to return with the next words that escape her lips as she sheathed her blades.
"Can I... ummm, pet him? You promise he's safe... he won't hurt me?"
Hiccup held up a hand in oath. "No matter what, Toothless will not hurt you or make any aggressive move against you. On this, I swear my life."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what!"
Behind him, the Night Fury sat down on his haunches and drew his lips up and back in a creepy - if not cute - imitation of a toothless smile. Apparently, her sanity was still vacant.
"Good." The Burglar took a step forward with a grin on her face - and then brought up a knee hard into Hiccup's groin. The boy doubled over in pain and curled up on the ground, groaning.
"Why would you do that?
Camicazi looked down at him and said, "That... was for scaring me."
Hiccup gasped, "I don't think I deserved that one."
As promised, the dragon didn't make any aggressive moves. The way his eyes flicked between his master and the girl made it clear he was displeased with what she did to Hiccup, though. The dragon's posture shifted into a more aggressive stance, but a stern look from his master settled him back down. Hiccup was fine, anyway. Definitely in pain, but the blow was softened by the leather pants he was wearing that fit so tight and seemed to cling to the cheeks of his-
Camicazi shook herself back to the present. She took another step forward, now within arm's reach of the dragon's head.
"You sure he won't bite or maul me."
"Not between the legs, at least." Hiccup wheezed from below.
Camicazi nervously reached her hand forward and the dragon pressed his nose into her palm. She gasped and jumped back, drawing a ragged chuckle out of Hiccup. The dragon just cocked his head to the side and waited. She took a cautious step forward again and extended her hand towards his snout once more, touching her fingertips to the scaly skin... then started laughing childishly.
Yep, I am definitely insane!
"He's... purring?"
She could swear that if she closed her eyes, aside from seeing just how insane she was for such instant trust in the scaly beast, she could feel... things that were not hers. Emotions. Relief. Joy. Some ire that must have been for how she treated his master.
No, not master. Rider. Equal. Friend. Companion.
Her eyes suddenly open as something wet and warm clamped over both hands that were feeling the dragon's snout. Camicazi squealed in panic and tried to jump away, but the dragon held both hands tight in his toothless maw. The harder she pulled, the harder he clamped down.
"You made a promise!" she shrieked.
Hiccup groaned from below and wheezed out, "It's such a magical moment! I think I shall remember every detail of this forever. Perhaps I'll draw a picture to commemorate this event."
He slowly worked his way up to rest on his knees and reached a hand up to his dragon, which released Camicazi's hands to grab the boy's in his gums, lifting him up to stand. Camicazi instantly staggered away and drew her blades, but made no move to attack or run away. She felt betrayed, scared, angry.
He made a promise!
"You made a promise!"
As he scratched the dragon's muzzle, still hunched over in pain, Hiccup said, "I guess that goes to show I cannot really control dragons. Please understand, he was just making a statement. He's extremely protective of me and you have no idea how much that hurt!"
Camicazi opted for just standing there, motionless, staring at them, chewing on what just happened. That dragon demonstrated a certain intelligence and control that went beyond animalistic. He lured her in with a placating appearance, got her to lower her guard by being adorable - something she would never have associated with a dragon - then turned the tables and bared his teeth.
Gums... whatever.
"By the way," Hiccup went on, "Technically, the scales I gave you are really from Toothless, not me. He sheds some every now and then, so I collect them and try to find uses for them. C'mon, let's sit by the fire and I'll tell you everything. Ask me any question you want or I'll just talk about metallurgy all day. Yes, that is a threat!"
Hiccup collected the scales Camicazi had dropped and handed them to her. Toothless lay down on his belly near the fire and his rider joined him to lean against the scaly side. The Burglar sat down on the far side of the fire from the males, but occupied her attention by nervously fidgeting with the scales in her hands.
The boy seemed so relaxed leaning up against such a deadly creature. Camicazi couldn't help but ask, "How can you be so relaxed around that dragon? I mean, at any time, he could-"
"Burn me with fire?" Hiccup finished her sentence, dryly. "Tear me to ribbons, bite off my head, crush every bone in my body? Is that what you're concerned about?"
Camicazi slowly nodded.
"Remember what I said earlier with the sword? I don't care if someone has the ability to cause harm. It's the intent that actually matters. I felt calm when you had the sword pressed against my neck because I trust you that much. We've played together whenever we could since the day we could walk and I know you would never hurt me."
The dragon grunted.
"Above the waist, at least," the boy corrected with a grin.
He then went on to tell about his adventures with Toothless. He talked about building the saddle and tail fin, fighting a giant dragon-controlling dragon, called the Red Death, that was the cause of all raids, the dragons' love of wild mint grass, their hatred for eels, and how dragon manure made a wonderful composting material. He made sure to tell her that he cannot promise that any Bog Burglars would become a dragon rider, but did express his interest in helping Camicazi find a dragon who would want to bond with her.
At one point, Toothless walked over to the pond to drink some water. The two Vikings were startled by a loud splash, followed by the dragon wading out, shaking himself dry with a fish in his mouth and a proud look on his face.
Hiccup chuckled and said, "Yeah, Toothless has his own way of catching fish, but I think I'll stick with your spears."
Camicazi took particular interest in his talk about the saddle he had mentioned earlier, which wasn't on the dragon's back at this time. "So, you ride him?"
"Well, he's not a horse. But yes, I ride him. He needs me to operate his tail fin. Otherwise, he can't control his flight. Speaking of which..."
The dragon curled his tail around, placing it over Hiccup's lap, allowing the boy to pull on a small iron rod with a hook at the end that protruded out of the front of the tailfin attachment. A click could be heard from the fin, which collapsed in on itself. Hiccup then freed an end of a narrow leather lace that was fastened at the rear of the tail fin and attached it to the trailing spar, securing the fin in the folded position.
"I recently modified his tailfin so it can stay locked extended like that," he casually explained. "It's enough for Toothless to fly around without me, but nowhere near as good as when I'm on his back and operating it. He likes to have the fin folded up when he's on land, though, so it's not so bulky and in the way.
Another piece of the puzzle fell into place for Camicazi. That would explain how this dragon could be a so-called equal, but still can be counted on to behave for his rider. Some slave owners have been known to cut off a slave's lower leg - just like Hiccup's leg - and would allow the slave to use the peg leg only when they're doing work in a confined area. Otherwise, the owner keeps the prosthetic so the slave cannot simply run away. They could even secure just the peg leg to a chain to keep the slave contained out in the open. Without the leg, the slave can be safely freed from any constraints as he cannot go far or fast.
Camicazi proudly declared, "Oh, I see. To make sure your dragons don't abandon you, you cripple them by cutting off some fin so they require you on their backs to fly far enough to escape. Clever. I'm actually impressed."
Hiccup turned red and Toothless gagged. "What?! Nooo no no no noooo, you have it all wrong! We don't do that! Don't think for a moment that I tore off his tail fin – well, uhhh. Alright, listen. I was trying to dodge around telling other people about this. It's kinda personal. He got shot down in a raid because back then, dragons killed Vikings and Vikings killed dragons. That was the way life went on Berk. But I found him, we became friends, and, because of Toothless, we now have peace between Berk and the dragons.
The dragon bunted his muzzle against his rider's shoulder. Hiccup stole a glance and smiled.
"And I may have played a part in all that, too."
Hiccup continued to talk about Toothless, the dragons on Berk, why dragon raids ended a couple years ago, possible relationships between Vikings and Dragons, and benefits and liabilities of being a dragon's companion.
At one point, he took off his prosthetic leg and tossed it over to Camicazi, pointing out some interesting design challenges, like the spikes on the bottom for traction on hard surfaces, the spring to absorb shocks, and the shape of the foot to fit into the stirrup that controls the tail fin.
The Burglar had the brilliant idea of jumping up and running off with the leg, waving it tauntingly in the air. Hiccup stood up on his one good leg and gave a dramatic sigh as Toothless dove under from behind, scooping him up on the scaly muzzle so he'd drop down on the dragon's back.
The girl's jaw dropped at the sight of two evil smirks and Hiccup shouted over to her, "Prepare to get completely drenched in slobber. It smells and tastes like fish."
Then, two heads drooped in disappointment when she tossed the prosthetic leg to Hiccup and crossed her arms with a cross look on her face.
As Hiccup talked about the staged "dragon attack" when Dagur went to Berk to sign the peace treaty, he and his dragon played out the scene. Hiccup was laid on his back, right arm raised defensively with an imaginary shield over braced against his forearm. Toothless was standing above him with his paw pressing down on Hiccup's imaginary shield.
"And Dad was pulling on Toothless' tail because that is totally the best way to defend yourself against a dragon." Hiccup rolled his eyes at that last part. "And I was like 'Go, Dagur! Save yourself! You owe it to your people!'"
As the dragon and Viking disentangled, laughing, Hiccup stood up and casually said, "And, somehow, that worked. Let's just say that Toothless' acting abilities have improved greatly ever since- MMMMMPHHHH!"
A large, wet tongue indicated the dragon's interest in hearing about his acting skills that day - again.
Hiccup wiped the saliva off his face and offered a hand.
"C'mon, Cami, we should get back to the village."
The girl accepted the outstretched hand and asked, hopefully, "Oh! Can we ride Toothless to town?"
Hiccup chuckled, but shook his head. "Nah, you know how much you panicked when you saw Toothless for the first time. And this is you we're talking about. Imagine if your entire tribe saw him. He'll just join Hookfang on a nearby island and meet up with us tomorrow. Now, maybe," he shot her a mischievous grin, "If you can find some way to get your tribe warmed up to the idea of petting dragons instead of chopping them up..."
Camicazi grinned at the thought.
Hiccup went on. "I've noticed children seem to be a lot more at ease around dragons than adults. We can introduce Toothless to them first... but you know your tribe better than me. I'll follow your lead, Cami."
Toothless walked up to his rider and curled his tail around so Hiccup could release the strap that held the fin down. The dragon then flicked his tail and it locked into place to the satisfaction of both dragon and inventor. Toothless gave a lick to his rider's face and bunted his nose against Camicazi's chest to receive a hug around his maw before taking off.
They walked back to the village in thoughtful silence. The sun had set and the sky was starting to darken when they finally got there.
Camicazi looked over at Hiccup. "Thanks for showing me your dragon. It gives me a lot to think about."
Hiccup smiled. "Sure thing." Then, he said with dry sarcasm, "And thank you for not kicking me in the nuts a second time."
The Burglar laughed as she shoved an elbow into the boy's shoulder. "You deserved it!"
"Aww, I dunno about that. Considering my other idea that Toothless rejected, which was to swoop down on his back and pluck you up in his paws, I'd say that was a fairly gentle introduction."
"Yeah, that would have earned you a much more severe response from me."
Hiccup chuckled. "His acting skills really are getting better, though. That was a pretty convincing display when you first saw him and he acted as if you scared him to death, wasn't- OOF!"
Hiccup grunted as a fist lightly impacted his kidney.
"Let's get some bread and mead. I wanna tell Ma how awesome dragons are and how I'm gonna be the first Bog Burglar dragon-riding thief!"
Hiccup dragged a hand across his face and said in sarcastic dismay, "Oh, great."
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Hiccup and Camicazi returned to the cove the next day in the early afternoon. Camicazi had agreed to keep quiet about Toothless for the moment, but one thing they wanted to accomplish at the cove was to figure out how to introduce the dragon to other Bog-Burglars, perhaps even the chiefess, Big Bertha.
However, time was running out. Stoick and the other Hooligans would be sailing back home tomorrow at noon, so Hiccup had to make his move before then, if at all. Of course, he did have Toothless to take him back home without the ship, but Stoick was very adamant that Toothless would not go near the village or be near any other Burglars without his approval beforehand. Camicazi suggested to Hiccup that he could just stay regardless, but the boy insisted that he would not go against his father's orders, which included sailing off with the old man and keeping the dragon undetected if introductions did not go well.
Apparently, Hiccup actually did have a certain sort of loyalty to obey his father and chief. Camicazi thought it was an interesting dance on thin ice between an awkward father who was stuck in the past and a son who could fly and spew out fire - in a manner of speaking. Camicazi could see that Toothless wasn't "just a pet", but the dragon was very loyal to his rider.
Still, even if Hiccup couldn't come up with some plan his father would approve, Camicazi was eager to learn all she could about dragons. It would be an advantage to be the one-and-only Bog-Burglar with such expertise about these powerful creatures. Hiccup was happy to just have some sort of eager audience to teach and Camicazi planned on taking full advantage of that.
While they were collecting firewood, Toothless glided in using his new and improved tail fin. Camicazi tensed for a moment on seeing the Night Fury, but visibly relaxed after watching the dragon and his rider chase each other around the cove, which, of course, devolved into Toothless tackling Hiccup and licking him mercilessly.
Hiccup explained that his dragon did not enjoy flying with only partial control, having a fixed fin, so after they finished gathering wood, he saddled his dragon and left Camicazi to build the fire while the two went hunting together.
By the time the flames were well-established, the duo glided in with a buck hanging limp in the dragon's front claws. It didn't take long at all for the two Vikings and dragon to field dress and skin the animal. Camicazi couldn't get over how Toothless would simply lay there, holding the carcass steady or rolling it over for them. He was not hungrily devouring it, just licking the blood that dribbled out of the cuts while they field dressed and skinned it, which Hiccup insisted only "enhanced" the flavor.
After slicing off some steaks for themselves, the Night Fury took the rest of the carcass a little distance away from the Vikings to enjoy it for himself. Hiccup folded the deer pelt a few times and used a stone to weigh it down in the stream, keeping it submerged in water to preserve it until it could be properly processed. As he returned to the campfire where Camicazi was sitting, Toothless walked over to the Vikings and nudged his rider, prompting some scratches on his snout.
"Well, of course, it's yours. You did all the work," Hiccup casually said, causing Camicazi to raise an eyebrow at this strange, one-sided conversation. "Ummm, oh, good point."
Turning to his friend, Hiccup asked, "Cami, would you mind sharing this cove with a Monstrous Nightmare? He's Snotlout's dragon. I can assure you he's friendly, though not as sociable as Toothless."
Camicazi agreed, but then just stared in fascination as she saw Toothless, eyes closed in concentration, raise a ridge of flaps crowning his head, vibrating and twitching them. She had always assumed they were earlobes, but the pulsating and almost hypnotic motion was a bit creepy.
"What's he doing, there?"
"Oh," Hiccup responded as if surprised by the question. "Toothless is talking to Hookfang – that's the name of the Monstrous Nightmare. He's telling Hookfang that there's some venison available for him if he wants to join us. There's no way Toothless could finish all that by himself and he just wants to share it."
Camicazi looked around suspiciously, expecting to see the dragon come in from the forest at any moment. "Where is he? Has he been on this island since your ship arrived?"
"Nah. He and Toothless are camped out on Craggy Bluff."
The girl stared in disbelief. "That's leagues away! How can Hookfang hear Toothless over such a distance?"
"Oh, ya, that's something I forgot to mention about dragons. They can talk to each other, but not with words. Instead of talking, they project thoughts to each other. While their range is normally no farther than shouting distance, Toothless can use his sensor lobes on his head to greatly increase his range. It's unique to Night Furys, as far as I know, with the exception of the Red Death. I think that must have also used the unspoken words, but in some other way to control the dragons."
"Unspoken... words... project thought. You mean dragons are telepathic?"
Hiccup scratched his head in confusion. "... What?"
"Telepathic. You mean you've never heard of it and you claim your dragon is telepathic?"
Hiccup slowly shook his head. "...Yes…?"
"I've heard about it mainly through gossip from the mainland," Camicazi explained. "Supposedly, there are shamans or mystics of some sort who can read your mind and plant ideas to manipulate how you behave. Hmmm... if Toothless is telepathic, can he read my mind?"
Camicazi suddenly cast a suspicious look at Toothless, who was back at the deer carcass. The dragon snorted at her and just rolled his eyes.
Hiccup chuckled. "No, Toothless can't do that. Imagine your mind is a pond and your thoughts are the fish. Toothless can only view it from above. The water is too murky and the fish too deep to see. Sometimes, a fish may come near the surface and you can tell something is there, but not in great detail. If you project your thoughts, it's like the fish jumping out of the water where you can see them in detail. You don't even realize it, but you do that every time you speak."
Camicazi was nonplussed. "So, you're saying he knows Norse?"
"No. In fact, all dragons think the very concept of speaking words is silly. If our speech was all they had to go by, then your tone of voice would be all they'd get. I mean, sure, they have incredible memories and can recall the sound of every word they have ever heard, but consider what it would be like to be a dragon. Imagine how amazing it would be if you could convey your raw sensations and impressions!"
Camicazi scratched her head in thought, clearly not catching the bug of excitement from her friend. "I guess it could be advantageous. I could talk with my mouth full… or pass a message to a friend without others knowing... if the others are not telepathic as well."
Hiccup deflated. "Yes, but why even bother with words in the first place? If thoughts are tea leaves, then words are just the tea cloth. Just imagine, Cami! The beauty of a sunset, the feeling of grass turning to mush between your fingers, the thrill you felt when you caught your first fish; words are a pathetic comparison to actually experiencing it."
Camicazi blinked in confusion. "So, you're saying they speak a different language. Oh! We'll call it dragonese!"
The rider pulled at his hair. "There is no language! Alright, let's try this. Toothless once let me experience his memory of one time when he hunted down a grizzly bear in the woods. The thrill of the chase, the way his pulse hammered in his abdomen, the sensation of his claws digging into the dirt with each bound, the primal satisfaction of tackling the animal and twisting around to avoid its claws and teeth, the... the..."
Camicazi allowed her eyes to drift towards the dragon, trying to imagine him fighting a bear. It sent shivers down her spine.
Hiccup suddenly started pacing, arms flailing in an oh-so-Hiccup manner. "The feeling of dominance... the... satisfaction of taking down the bear and tearing through its flesh... it's so... so... Gods! Cami, I just can't even describe it! I'll admit it made me feel very squeamish afterward, but while Toothless shared it with me... I was there. I was Toothless! For a moment, I, little Hiccup, was a big, powerful, fire-breathing dragon! It was so... so..."
Camicazi just sat there, staring at him thoughtfully. "Uh... huh... you're starting to scare me. I'll go get a priest to perform some sort of exorcism or something." Then, looking over at the dragon and raising her voice, she said, "Tooooothleeeessss. I command you by the power of the divines to release your hold on Hiccup's mind. Withdraw yourself from his mortal body. Return his spirit to its rightful place. I immmploooore yooooouuu."
Hiccup gave her a scowl. "Cami, please! I'm not crazy! Point is, speech is a strange, silly... novelty to a dragon and little more. Sure, they grunt and growl and croon and snort to add emphasis to their projections, but the very notion of verbal speech is nonsense to them and they pay no heed. However, hearing a dragon's projections is just so... amazing!"
"Ya know, we have this elderly medicine lady who can help you with your insanity."
Hiccup flopped his back to the ground. "I give up! Toothless, eat me now! Just do it!"
There was a stretch of silence. Then, Camicazi slowly said, "So, you're saying you just happen to be a telepath? How convenient."
Hiccup instantly sat up. "Not just me. Everyone! I never even knew it was possible half a year ago. Fishlegs is starting to hear dragons, too. It's not a talent you're born with. It's a skill you learn. My theory is that anyone can learn to hear dragons if they work on it. I've been doing meditations every day for the past several months and it has awakened an ability we all have, but never use. Ya know, like wiggling your ears."
"Wait!" Camicazi raised an eyebrow. "You can wiggle your- Oh, gods, stop! That's so unnatural!"
A soft bark came out of Toothless, who was staring pointedly at the opening in the rock wall that spilled out to the sea. The maroon form of a Monstrous Nightmare could be seen gliding into the cove. He had a dead rabbit dangling from his mouth and did a funny waddling sort of walk, nodded to Hiccup, who was waving at him, then walked over to Toothless.
With all this serious telepathic stuff Hiccup was throwing at her, Camicazi was completely unprepared for what she saw next. The Monstrous Nightmare rose up over Toothless and its torso started convulsing as it made a gagging noise.
Hiccup groaned. "Ugh. Look away, Cami! Save yourself!"
She did not comply, but just stared in awe and disgust. Almost everything about Toothless had been adorable so far. Now, though, it was quite disturbing to see the serene joy displayed as he looked up and opened wide. The Nightmare was... it was actually...
"That Nightmare is... is..."
"Yep," Hiccup said as he looked intently at the campfire. "Hookfang was kind enough to bring some food for Toothless as a way of thanking him for the invite. Probably some fish he snapped up on the way."
"Gross!"
"Yeah."
"I want one now!"
"Fish? I'm sure if you ask real polite, Hookfang would- OW!"
Camicazi gave him a playful swing to the shoulder. "No, a dragon, silly!"
Hiccup grinned over at her. "Get your own."
She returned the grin. "Challenge accepted."
Hiccup suddenly grabbed one of the larger fish from their pile and the hand ax and started walking toward the dragons.
"Hey, guys, could I trade a fish for one of the rabbit's front paws?"
Hookfang looked over at Hiccup and curled his lips up in a very scary looking attempt at a smile through a chunk of venison lodged in his bloody jaws and nodded.
Camicazi joined Hiccup as he walked over to the dragons with a fish in her hand and said, "Trade two for two?"
As Hiccup approached the dragons, Camicazi remained a few paces back, wary that even a tamed animal can still snap at you if you mess with its food. Hiccup grabbed her fish and tossed one at each dragon. They snapped the fish out of the air, gulping it down while the rider laid the rabbit down on a nearby log to lop off its front paws.
The Monstrous Nightmare extended its neck, reaching its snout towards Hiccup, who reached his hand forward to make contact.
"Well," he said to the Nightmare, "A rabbit's foot brings good luck. Sure, there's no meat, but it's definitely worth a fish… ohh, the entire hide? Thanks, pal!"
Camicazi took another brave step forward to get a closer look at Hiccup, who grabbed his knife and quickly skinned the rabbit. It felt awkward to just watch, but there was nothing else to do, so she tried some idle small-talk. "You were really doing that telepathy thing with the dragon?"
"With Hookfang, ya."
"You look like an expert skinner, there."
Hiccup grinned back at her. "I get a lot of practice. Toothless lets me skin most animals he kills before eating. I don't feel it's right to ask that of any other dragon, but Hookfang offered. It's an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' sorta system. The dragons see the rabbit fur as an annoyance for the amount of meat. This way, they don't have to eat around the fluff and we get a hide, so we both win from this."
Looking at the Monstrous Nightmare, he asked, "Hey, Hookfang, would you like to introduce yourself to my friend?"
The dragon looked at Camicazi and flicked his head to the side and Hiccup waved her in. "C'mon, Cami. He's a nice dragon. I promise he won't bite."
The Burglar took two more steps to close the gap and nervously reached a hand forward. Hookfang reached his snout forward and pressed it into her palm. The girl inhaled sharply and held her hand to the snout. Again, she felt that strange, formless connection, like peering into the dragon's mind. There was nothing tangible, just sensations. She could feel enough to tell the dragon knew what she had done to his rider the previous night and was not pleased by it.
Hiccup gave her a concerned look.
"You good, Cami?"
Camicazi waved him off with her free hand. It was a lot of fun, really. Snotlout was so easily manipulated, like so many boys. Last night, she approached the ugly sack of meat when he was alone with suggestive clothing and flirtatious gestures. She lured and led him on, tugging at his heartstrings, only to leave him empty and doubled over in pain. The look on his face as he was gasping on the ground in pain and shock at her treatment of his groin was exquisite. The way his eyes widened when she took his own sword out of its scabbard and impaled the ground next to his neck was just so delightful.
Never again will Snotlout Jorgenson ever try to make an advance on me.
Hiccup nervously chuckled at the sudden tension between Camicazi and Hookfang. Camicazi saw nothing wrong with it. Snotlout was always mean to Hiccup. He and Thuggory had always played a game to see how many times they could shove Hiccup's face into the mud before an adult would notice. They were just unthinking brutes not even worth the meat they ate.
As Camicazi pulled away from Hookfang, she said, "He deserved it."
The dragon huffed and snapped his teeth, causing her to jump back with an undignified shriek. Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"Drama drama drama. C'mon, Cami, let's go feed ourselves."
They left the dragons to their own devices and put the venison steaks on the coals. The sound of crunching bones as the dragons ate was a bit disturbing, but Hiccup assured her she'd get used to it quickly enough. The meat sizzled loudly and Hiccup didn't wait long before flipping them, to Camicazi's approval. Some people like to burn all the flavor out of a steak, but Hiccup had better taste than that.
When he took them off the coals, they were perfect - seared on the outside, red on the inside. He impaled them with a knife to lift them off the bed of coals and they both flicked off any ash that clung to the steaks before setting them down on a wooden plate they had hacked out with the ax and dug in.
"So," Camicazi said between bites. "I've been thinking about how to introduce Toothless to my tribe. I have a foolproof plan that cannot fail."
Hiccup cast her a sly grin. "I'm scared, already!"
A/N:
So, I did some research on a bit of grammar and now my brain hurts. You lie down today, but lay down yesterday. You lay yourself down today, but laid yourself down yesterday. Grammar is weird!