Hiccup sighs in frustration as he marks another X on the map in his journal. He's been searching for a while now and there is absolutely no sign of the Night Fury. Doubt is beginning to set in. Will he ever find it? He has to. It had gone down near Raven's Point, that much he is sure of. But who's to say that the bola hadn't been destroyed when the creature hit the ground and that it has already flown off?
He marches up the next incline and lets his mouth fall open in surprise. The trees have been destroyed – trunks broken and branches mangled. There is a deep rut in the ground, the kind that would be left by something that fell from the sky. Hiccup hops down into the little trench and follows it hesitantly, unsure about what he'll find once he reaches the end.
It leads him up a little slope and disappears down the back side of the hill. Climbing up the slope, Hiccup peers over the top before ducking back down hurriedly. His eyes go impossibly wide and his heart starts hammering away behind his ribs. At the bottom of the hill is the Night Fury. It lies on its side, the bola still wrapped tightly around its body. For a moment, Hiccup believes the creature to be dead and he feels panic claw at his throat at the thought of being a killer. But then he can see its black scaled chest rise and fall with each breath it takes and he feels himself calm a little.
Hiccup climbs down the back side of the hill, careful not to trip over any exposed roots, and makes his way over to the creature. Stopping less than twenty paces from it, he takes a long look. Was the dragon knocked unconscious when it hit the ground? Or was it awake for the agonizing pain it must have felt slamming into the earth? He hopes for the former. His eyes are drawn to the bola and the painful way the ropes stretch tightly around the dragon's body. Hiccup bites his lip as a hesitant thought creeps into his mind. He can cut the ropes; he has his knife with him. But that would mean getting close to the Night Fury, close enough to touch it, close enough for it to turn and eat him before he can even blink.
The thought makes Hiccup want to turn and run back the way he came. But he can't let himself do that; he won't let himself do that, because he is the one who launched the bola and helping the dragon is his responsibility now. Stealing a small amount of courage, he pulls his knife from his belt with shaking hands. Some small part of him expects the dragon to suddenly wake up and try to attack him, but its only movement is from its even breaths. Hiccup approaches the Night Fury one step at a time until he is directly at its side. Now for the ropes. Should he go slowly to try to avoid waking the creature? Or quickly to get it over with as soon as possible? He settles on doing it quickly, like pulling out a thorn.
Hiccup brings his knife to the ropes and begins to saw through them. The first one snaps, but the others stay where they are. He reaches for another and saws through it as well. When that one gives way, the ropes finally begin to go slack. The one wrapped around the wing, however, remains taut as a bowstring with an arrow notched and ready to ready to fly. With his knife, Hiccup make one clean cut through it and the ropes all fall to the ground. Seeing the bola he'd launched no longer wrapped around the dragon's form feels like a huge weight is lifted off his chest.
The feeling is short lived though. The beast begins to wake, almost like it can sense in its unconscious state that it has been freed. It stretches its legs, testing their newfound freedom and raises its wing to the sky. Hiccup, not expecting the movement, startles and stumbles back in surprise. Unfortunately, he doesn't see the tree root peaking out of the ground behind him. When it catches his foot, his mind is in too much of a haze of dragonpanicfalling to remember that he hurt his arm just hours before during the dragon raid.
Hiccup throws his arm out behind him in an attempt to catch himself, but his weight puts too much pressure on his wrist and a cry of pain escapes his lips. The dragon grows more alert at the sound, ears raised and questioning. It looks over at Hiccup and their eyes met, green meeting green. Hiccup's eyes are wide with fear, but the dragon's are wide with something akin to curiosity. Never in Hiccup's life did he expect to look at a dragon and think 'innocent', but that is the only word that comes to mind when seeing the Night Fury's expression.
"Dragons always go for the kill." That's what everyone says, but this one doesn't look like it is going to eat him. It doesn't look bloodthirsty or vicious like the Monstrous Nightmare had hours before. In fact, the Night Fury looks rather playful. Hiccup slowly draws his injured arm to his chest, still wary of the creature before him. Just because it doesn't look like it's going to eat him doesn't mean that it isn't going to.
The dragon focuses on the movement and follows it with his eyes. Hiccup swallows nervously and one of the dragon's ears twitches as it picks up the sound. The creature rolls a little so it can stand and steps toward Hiccup slowly. Instead of reaching for his knife like a normal Viking teen would have, he scrambles backwards in the dirt until his back meets stone and there is nowhere left to go. Corner, he regrets, not for the first time, ever building that stupid bola launcher. As the dragon continues its approach, Hiccup closes his eyes tightly. If it is going to eat him, he isn't going to watch.
When the warmth of its breath ghosts over his face, he has to bite back a scream. When he feels its saliva on his face, he actually does scream. The dragon jerks back at the sudden noise. Cautiously, Hiccup opens his eyes. The Night Fury sits in front of him, eyes still wide. Unlike earlier when its ears were perked with curiosity, they are now turned down. It almost looks… worried. Hiccup brings his uninjured arm to his face and wipes away the sticky saliva with his sleeve. It doesn't come off completely, but he can no longer feel it sliding and dripping over his skin.
Hiccup smiles weakly at the dragon, hoping it doesn't look too much like a grimace. "You-you didn't hurt me," he says. "It's just my arm."
He rolls up the sleeve of his tunic to expose his wrist. It is swollen and bruised; he definitely should have taken the time to wrap it before he left the house. He lifts the injured appendage and hesitantly shows it to the Night Fury. Cocking its head to the side, it once again steps closer. This time, Hiccup doesn't try to escape its advance. It sniffs the bruised flesh and opens its mouth to lick it. The pressure from its tongue is a little painful on his bruises, but he can tell the dragon is just trying to help so he lets it be.
Once the dragon finishes licking his injured wrist, it pulls back slightly and lets out a low croon. The sound is sad, concerned even. Though the Night Fury's careful licks and sad sound have done nothing to lessen the aching of his wrist, Hiccup feels a smile stretch across his face despite the pain. The dragon truly seems to be trying to comfort him. He laughs a little, both amused and bewildered by the strange nature of the situation he currently finds himself in. Vikings see dragons' mouths as weapons, waiting to spew fire and gnash with razor sharp teeth. He wonders what they would say if they could see this dragon using his mouth to attempt to care for an injured Viking boy.
Hiccup smiles brightly at the Night Fury. "Thank you."
The dragon stares at his mouth with a puzzled expression before pulling his own lips back. The Night Fury is… smiling. It looks rather strange, but nevertheless adorable. Hiccup is trying to figure out just what makes a dragon showing off his slimy pink gums 'adorable' when a sudden thought catches him off guard. The Night Fury is showing off his gums, not teeth. The Night Fury is toothless.
"Toothless, huh?" Hiccup ponders. It is very strange. He wonders if all Night Furies are toothless or just this one. Regardless of the answer, it is quite an identifying characteristic.
"Do you mind if I call you that? Toothless?"
The dragon croons happily, like he has been waiting for just that.
Hiccup smiles. "Good, I would have hated to keep referring to you as 'dragon'. My name is Hiccup," Hiccup says, gesturing to himself.
No longer afraid of the sleek black creature in front of him, Hiccup rises to his feet. Keeping his injured right arm to his chest, he extends the left one fully towards Toothless. Will he let the Viking teen touch him? His question is answered when Toothless eagerly brings his snout to Hiccup's palm. The dragon lets his eyes slide shut at the contact, pleased with this development. The Viking hatchling is no longer afraid of him.
Hiccup feels the dragon's scales, incredibly smooth like stone, yet undeniably soft at the same time. Bringing his hand from the snout to the top of his head, he gives a good scratch. Toothless makes a noise that can't be described as anything but a purr.
Hiccup's happiness at befriending a dragon is overshadowed with worry. He continues to scratch Toothless' scales, but the smile that was on his face just moments before is now replaced with a frown.
"It's not safe for you to be here. If anyone from the village were to find you, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you."
Toothless remains unaware of the inner turmoil Hiccup is facing, lost in the pleasure of having his scales scratched. However, the teen's hands cease their movements when his mind is assaulted with the horrible possibilities of how Toothless could meet his end at a Viking's cruel hand. He remembers how he felt hours ago when he saw the Night Fury fall from the sky and thought he'd caused pain to a vicious unnamed beast. The guilt was terrible. Now, thinking about the death of this kind creature that he's even cared to name… it is unthinkable. There is only one solution.
"You have to leave Toothless," he says, peering into the Night Fury's bright green eyes. "You need to fly away until you're far from Berk and safe from the people that live here."
Toothless whines unhappily at the sadness in Hiccup's voice. He pushes his head to the boy's chest and nuzzles him. Hiccup dejectedly pushes him away.
"I know you want to stay, and I want that too… I really do. It would be nice to have a friend. But I just couldn't live with myself if someone found you and hurt you!" Tears rise to his eyes. "Just… just fly away." He gestures to the clear sky, to the birds soaring overhead, hoping Toothless will follow their example.
Toothless gazes up at them momentarily before bringing his eyes back to Hiccup's. The dragon shakes his head.
"No?" Hiccup asks.
Toothless nods.
"Ugh! This is ridiculous! Why do you have to argue with me? Do you even realize what they could do to you?"
Again, Toothless nods.
Hiccup huffs in frustration. "Fine, if you won't leave to protect yourself, can you do it for me? Please?"
Toothless doesn't move for a moment, like he is considering what to do next. The young Viking is waiting for the creature to nod or shake his head or maybe just take off into the sky. What he isn't expecting, however, is for Toothless to bring his tail out in front of him and hold it out to Hiccup. On the right side of the dragon's tail is a tail fin, the same sleek black as the rest of him. The left side, however, is a much different story. Where it should hold a tail fin to mirror the other, there is nothing but a bleeding cut. The fin has been torn off.
Hiccup wants to reach out and touch, but refrains, worried that he'd hurt his new friend even more. "Did this happen during the fall?"
Toothless nods. Hiccup wants to yell at the top of his lungs in frustration. He can't believe what he's done. He not only shot this beautiful creature out of the sky, but he has rendered him incapable of flying as well and put him in danger of all the Vikings on the island.
Instead of letting his frustration fill him, he replaces it with rising determination. He will fix this. He'll right all of the wrongs he has made in the last few hours. Toothless will fly again, of that he is sure.
"Alright," Hiccup says, a plan already forming in his head. "Toothless, I'm going to fix you up, but first we need to find someplace to hide you."
Toothless' ears perk up, happy that his new Viking hatchling no longer wants to send him away. He nuzzles Hiccup's chest in delight.
Hiccup laughs and gives him a good scratch. "Okay, okay, I know you're happy bud, but we need to focus. We need to find some place for you to stay so no one will find you. And I think I know just the place."
When Hiccup was just seven years old, he ran away from home for the first time. Stoick was out on chief business, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. In fact, Stoick was usually out chiefing, and Hiccup had gotten used to it a lot over the years. When he was very little, his father would send him to the healer for her to watch him, but he stopped bothering with that when Hiccup got a bit older. Instead, he'd leave his son by himself and hope he wouldn't get into trouble.
So, at seven years of age, Hiccup wandered a lot. Some days he'd go visit Gothi and help her sort herbs. On other days, he'd attempt to get the other children to include him in their games. Most days, however, he went up to Silent Sven's sheep pens. No one really like having Hiccup around – he was clumsy and tended to cause accidents or break things unintentionally. Silent Sven had the same opinion as everyone else but realized that Hiccup couldn't do much harm just playing with the sheep, and if he was playing with them, he was leaving everyone else alone. He'd given strict silent instructions for the boy not to let any of the sheep out of the pen and then left him alone with the woolly animals.
On this particular day though, Hiccup hadn't been alone. Snotlout had followed him up to the sheep pens, waiting until Silent Sven left to come out. Hiccup was playing with the single black sheep when he heard Snotlout approach. The boy sauntered up to the fence, footfalls loud as always, and sneered at Hiccup.
"Hello Snotlout," Hiccup said, trying to be polite and not give the older boy a reason to punch him. His bruise from last week had only just faded.
Snotlout ignored his greeting. "Well, just look at you, up here playing with the sheep all by yourself. How boring."
Hiccup shrugged, giving the sheep a scratch behind the ear. "I like playing with them."
"Of course you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiccup asked, genuinely confused as to what his cousin was getting at.
"Well, you're not a real Viking or anything, so of course you don't get to hang out with the rest of us. That means you get stuck playing with a bunch of stupid sheep."
"They're not stupid," Hiccup protested, "and of course I'm a real Viking."
Snotlout scoffed. "Uh, no you're not."
"Snotlout, my dad is the chief, what else would I be?"
"The runt, too useless to do anything but play with stupid farm animals."
"Am not!" Hiccup protested, raising his voice enough to startle the sheep in front of him.
"Are too!" Snotlout yelled back. Then, he lifted the latch on the gate and whistled loudly.
Hiccup tried to call the sheep back into the pen, but they wouldn't listen to him. They fled, every last one of them, and with them went his chances of ever getting to play with them again. Snotlout laughed as tears welled in Hiccup's eyes.
Snotlout sauntered off before Silent Sven came back, and when he did, Hiccup was scolded silently and then brought before his father who scolded him some more.
"Son, what I'm I supposed to do with you? I can't even let you watch the sheep without getting into trouble!" Stoick rubbed his temples. He always did this after one of Hiccup's mess-ups, like his son was just one big headache.
Hiccup wanted to defend himself, to tell his father that he hadn't done anything this time, that it was Snotlout who had let the sheep out, but he didn't. He kept his gaze trained on the floor with tears still leaking out of the corners of his eyes because, no matter what he said, his father wouldn't believe he hadn't caused the trouble. When Stoick left the house to help search for the missing sheep, Hiccup left too, but he ran into the forest.
Stoick didn't like for children to wander the woods, especially by themselves, because it was dangerous. There were all kinds of wild animals lurking about; there might even be wild dragons. He really didn't like Hiccup wandering the woods because everything that was dangerous for the other children seemed to carry increased risks for his son. But when Hiccup ran into the woods that day, he didn't remember a single one of his father's warnings to stay away from the forest. He could only remember all of his father's disappointed sighs and reprimands.
Hiccup cried as conflict raged in his seven-year-old mind. On one hand, he didn't want to be lonely. He wanted to play with the other Viking children and make friends. But that never worked. No matter how many times he tried, they rejected him, if for no other reason than because he was so small. On the other hand, Hiccup wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He was done spending all his time surround by people who disliked him and saw him as nothing more than a burden. With these thoughts swirling round and round in the young boy's head, he continued to run. He ran until he could no longer hear the sounds of the village behind him and then kept running.
Eventually, his running led him to a cove. Rock walls rose high on all sides, with large tree roots trailing down across their surfaces. At the bottom was a small lake, several shade trees, and plenty of luscious green grass. The whole scene was quiet, secluded, and peaceful. He walked around it several times trying to figure out how he could climb down before finally finding an entrance. There were some rocks that he had to climb over and others he had to go behind, but eventually he made it to the bottom. Hiccup smiled wide because this right here was the solution to his problem. He could be around everyone at the village and try to make friends, but when that became too much, he had a place he could run to, a place he could be himself.
Hiccup had stayed in the cove for several hours that day before returning home to find that no one had noticed his absence. He returned to the cove many more times over the years, seeing it as a safe haven. Now, it will serve the same purpose for his injured friend. The young Viking beckons Toothless to follow him until they reach the cove. Coincidently, it isn't too far from where the Night Fury crashed into the earth. Hiccup shows Toothless how to enter the cove, though it's a tight squeeze for him in some places, and then brings him over to the little lake so he can clean the wound on his tail. Of course, this leads to a playful splashing match which ends with Hiccup being completely drench and Toothless laughing at him. It is a strange laugh, coming from deep in his throat and almost seeming to echo as it exits his mouth, but Hiccup loves it. He has made his new friend laugh with joy, instead of having someone laugh at him. It is a wonderful feeling.
Hiccup wades out of the lake and shakes his head to dispel some of the water. Then, he turns to the Night Fury who is watching him intently.
"Toothless, I need to go back to the village get you some medicine for your tail."
Hiccup was initially worried that making a non-human friend would make communication difficult, but so far is seems that Toothless has understood everything he is saying, and he isn't happy to hear that Hiccup is leaving. He quickly bounds out of the water as well and nuzzles against the boy's chest.
Hiccup sighs and gives him a hug. "I'm coming right back bud, I promise. I just need to get the medicine for your tail. It'll heal it quicker and make sure you don't get sick. Please, Toothless? I promise I will only be gone a bit. Besides, why would I abandon the only friend I've ever really had?"
Toothless seems satisfied with enough what he's saying and gives him a big slobbery lick before letting him go on his way. Hiccup protests the action, declaring it is absolutely disgusting, but nothing can argue with the pure joy on his face as he leaves the cove.
Toothless watches his boy go, sure that he will come back. The Night Fury knows it's crazy, befriending and playing with a Viking, but he really can't see the fault in it. His boy, Hiccup, isn't like any of the others. He had freed him instead of killing him. And he is so much smaller than any of the other Vikings he has seen. He is definitely a hatchling, and a small one at that. But it seems his hatchling isn't getting taken care of back at his home. Hiccup is injured, and Toothless doesn't like that. His boy is only small and fragile and obviously needs someone to take care of him. Toothless will do that; he will take care of Hiccup better than anyone else could. That is a promise.