Part Two

"I have no son."

Hiccup watched, heartbroken as his father turned away from him and the massive weapon was rolled into view. Toothless flicked his tail and caught an updraft, twisting from the momentary hover in which he had stopped.

A large boulder flew just under him and the dragon rumbled in surprise. He shook his shoulders again for his human counterpart was rather dazed; the artificial tail still hung open preventing better aerial maneuvers.

Hiccup shook out of his reprieve and clicked the tail into the next position as another boulder came toward them. They flipped in the air before shooting for higher ground.

A third and fourth projectile – the latter flaming – were launched from the ground and Toothless retaliated with a plasma blast. The trees smoldered, the bark too damp to be easily set alight.

A few Vikings took to the trees aiming thick arrows to their prey's wings. Most fell short and bounced off of the dragon's tough hide, but one lodged itself in an edge point of Toothless' left wing, another in Hiccup's right calf. The two let out howls of pain as the barbed bolts sunk into tender flesh.

Hiccup turned again to his father, praying to Thor that this was all some terrible dream, but Stoick was loading another flaming boulder, giving little heed to the sky. "Dad…"

Toothless veered from another arrow and tore away from the fight. There was nothing there for which to risk his life. The powerful beats of his wings easily carried him beyond the reach of the Vikings in the cove and a few small parties scattered throughout the forest could do little but glower as he flew ahead, the only evidence of his passing, the whooshing of his flight.

"Are we going to let them get away?" Gobber asked, carefully broaching the subject. He was no entirely for hunting down Hiccup but Stoick was his chief and friend. The man had to have a plan.

The chief turned to his flock, all awaiting an answer. He scowled and waved a meaty hand behind him. "A trained dragon and a hiccup…they'll die in a week."

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Toothless soared through the sky for hours on end until the ocean passed below them and the islands were no longer shapes Hiccup recognized. Every now and then, the dragon would warble as the bolt in his injured wing was tugged by a stubborn wind, but otherwise, the two travelled in silence. Toothless did not understand fully what the skinny not-a-viking thought. He was a breed of solitary dragon, used to being alone and used to enjoying it. He tolerated the other dragons if necessary, but always looked out for his own hide.

Still…his skinny not-a-viking was different. Not just from the ones like him but from a dragon as well. Even though Hiccup seemed to be rather like Toothless in that he was one of a kind in a herd of those who were the same, the not-a-viking liked to be around the Vikings. Even now, after they through fire into the sky and pierced his precious wings…his not-a-viking felt sad, broken…alone. These he felt rolling from the not-a-viking on his back as though they were waves of the ocean and though the dragon could comprehend the difference between happy and sad…the why remained elusive. But the why, Toothless decided as he began to wheel down to a large island that did not smell of anything but plants, was not important. His not-a-viking…was sad.

As Toothless touched down, Hiccup slid absentmindedly from the saddle, collapsing to the ground. He hissed as the weight on his injured leg irritated the arrow still jabbed in his calf. Toothless crooned and turned to his rider. Easily slipping around the boy, he carefully wrapped his teeth around the arrow's shaft and pulled. Hiccup let out a terrifying scream and the barbed bolt was yanked free and blood gushed from the opened wound. Toothless closed his ears to the sounds of pain and calmly liked his rider's wounds. Slowly, the bleeding stopped and a thick coat of saliva covered Hiccup's leg.

The boy breathed heavily, sweat beading his reddened face. "Thanks…" The word was barely a whisper, but the dragon coughed his gratitude before turning to his own injury. It was not something he never dealt with, and though he greatly disliked the pointy sticks, Toothless was used to the pain they provided and only crooned slightly as he jerked his own bolt from his wing. In silence, he coated his wound in the sticky saliva.

For a few moments, silence was all that passed between them. Hiccup sat where he fell, staring between the dragon and the world around them. The island was not big enough for any tribe to really make a living off of…but he supposed he had no tribe. This space was enough for just him and his dragon. His eyes locked on Toothless again, and the boy sighed. Just him….and his dragon. No one else would take them in. No one else would care for a boy who claimed that dragons were not monsters. No. It had to be…just him and his dragon.

Again, Hiccup turned his eyes to the island but he did not really even see the land before him, instead looking at the last image of Berk he would allow his mind to conjure. The great ships, twisting dock steps, wooden shacks they dared call houses and..home. Hiccup pushed them all away with one last hefty sigh

The boy that turned to face Toothless was not that Hiccup, not that Viking...not..one of them. What he was, this Hiccup was not sure but he smiled his signature crooked smile and shrugged. "So...what's for breakfast?"