Hiccup wakes in the pre-dawn of the morning where the sky begins to lighten but the sun has yet to rise above the horizon. Though he would have loved to sleep a bit longer, he has a job to do and it can't wait. Having finished with the construction of the flight equipment, the young Viking now needs to smuggle it all to the cove without anyone noticing. He also needs to bring Toothless breakfast. Early morning is the best time to do both.
Hiccup puts on his boots in a hurry, takes the steps two at a time, and rushes out the door. Gobber will be coming over for breakfast again and he needs to be back by then. The forge is his first destination – there he quickly gathers up the saddle, harness, and foot pedal. Next, he stops by the food stores to grab a basket of fish, which he slings over his back.
With the extra weight on his back and in his arms, the trek to the cove is slow-going. Due to the early hour, the grass seems extra dewy and slick as well. Every step has to be taken with caution – though he is eager to get to the cove, he isn't going to risk falling and getting hurt. Toothless will not be pleased if he shows up injured.
Like always, Toothless is waiting for him to arrive. Knowing the dragon is probably hungry, Hiccup immediately takes the basket of fish off his back and tips it over, spilling its contents across the ground. Toothless dives in without hesitation and starts eagerly slurping up fish. With Toothless occupied with his breakfast, Hiccup stashes the recently finished flight equipment with the tailfin that is already in the cove. Underneath some rocks is a crevice just big enough to store everything and keep it sheltered from the elements.
As he is tucking everything into place, Toothless lets out a shriek behind him. He sounds angry… or maybe fearful? Spinning around, Hiccup's eyes lock onto his best friend. The Night Fury has reared up onto his hind legs. His claws and teeth are out. The pupils of his eyes narrow to slits, though his eyes themselves are extremely wide. His gaze is locked onto the pile of fish in front of him.
Taking a few hurried steps forward, Hiccup's eyes scan for the cause of his best friend's reaction. A little voice in the back of his mind whispers that he should probably be scared of whatever Toothless is scared of. A littler voice whispers maybe he should be afraid of Toothless. With his claws, teeth, fire-breathing ability, and brute strength there is no doubt that Toothless can do some damage. But Hiccup knows he won't. Even in his terrified state, Hiccup is certain his best friend would never hurt him. Toothless has been nothing but gentle and protective of him since they've met.
Coming closer to the pile of fish, Hiccup sees a whole eel sitting in the center. He rushes forward and grabs it before flinging it as far away from them as he could.
"Hey bud, it's okay! It's gone now. You're alright," Hiccup urges, his hands raising in a placating manner.
Toothless drops back down onto all fours and, with his eyes still locked onto the eel, lets out one final growl.
"So you don't like eels, huh bud?"
Toothless shakes his head intensely, his ear flaps flopping back and forth.
Hiccup reaches out and gives Toothless' scales a scratch just the way he likes it. "To tell you the truth, I'm not a big fan of eel either. Too slimy for my taste."
After giving Toothless a hug and a few more scratches, Hiccup grabs the eel and leaves Toothless to eat the rest of his fish – but not without promising to come back later to test the new flight equipment. Hiccup tosses the eel as soon as he is out of the cove and runs back home, hoping to make it before Gobber shows up for breakfast.
It is just his luck that by the time he arrives at the back door of his home, he can already hear Gobber inside, singing a song way too loudly for the early hour. Hiccup pauses for a few moments on the back steps. The running has left him winded and he needs to try and get his breathing back under control. Once his breathing is normal enough that Gobber won't suspect he's been running, Hiccup goes inside.
He enters through the back door, closing it loudly behind him. The noise startles Gobber into dropping a wooden bowl.
"Hiccup?" Gobber asks, picking the bowl up off the floor. "I thought you were still sleepin'. What were you doin' out so early?"
Hiccup shrugs. "I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep, so I thought I'd go for a walk. Get some fresh air and all that jazz."
"Well I hope you worked up an appetite with all that walkin' because breakfast is ready."
Gobber spoons the porridge into two bowls, passing one to Hiccup and keeping the other for himself. They take a seat at the table together and begin eating. It is relatively silent for a while. The only sounds are the clatter of spoons against bowls, morning birdsong, and the distant sound of Vikings beginning their day.
"You know," Gobber speaks up eventually, breaking the comfortable silence. "Your mother used to do that a lot."
Hiccup pauses, spoon halfway to his mouth. "What?" He whispers it, afraid that if he said it any louder Gobber will realize what he is saying and take it all back. But the blacksmith kept going.
"She'd wake up early and take walks before anyone else was out and about. She liked the peace and quiet, called it her time to herself when no one else was watchin'. I always told her no reasonable Viking would get up so early."
Gobber pauses for a moment, his eyes roving over Hiccup. He takes everything in – from his slight stature to his hair color to his quirky personality. "You're a lot like your mother, Hiccup," he continues. "I see her in you, and I know Stoick does too."
Hiccup grips the sides of his bowl, trying to ignore the wetness stinging at his eyes. "Thank you Gobber," he says. "You telling me about her… it means a lot." More than you probably know, he thinks.
Silence settles over them again, but it feels different, better. Hiccup knows he is probably crazy, but even the porridge seems to taste better after that.
Green gas surrounds Hiccup like the thick fog that rolls off the sea and covers the docks on a cool autumn morning. Anxiety swells in his chest. Normally, he would take a deep breath to calm down, but Gobber warned against breathing in too much of the Zippleback gas. So instead, he tightens his grip on the bucket he is holding. It provides only a modicum of comfort – if the Zippleback shows its heads, the water probably won't do him any good anyway.
Guilt wars with the anxiety he is feeling. His best friend is a Night Fury and he's gotten along well with the Terrible Terror and the Deadly Nadder. But for some reason the Hideous Zippleback feels different to him. Maybe it is the size, or the two heads, or the noxious green gas – whatever it is, it leaves him feeling uneasy.
The other teens are somewhere in the arena with him. Gobber had originally paired them off. Hiccup had been with Fishlegs at the start of the training exercise, but the larger boy had gotten spooked and taken off on his own. Hiccup has yet to see anyone else.
A yelp sounds from somewhere within the cloud of green gas. Hiccup jumps at the sound, water sloshing over the edge of the bucket. It sounds like Astrid, which isn't a good sign for the rest of them. If the Zippleback can get the drop on Astrid, how do the rest of them possibly stand a chance?
A scraping noise sounds from Hiccup's left – the sound of razor-sharp dragon claws dragging across the stone arena floor. He swallows roughly and turns slowly in that direction. This is the moment of truth. Either he will befriend the two-headed creature, or he will become its dinner.
The dragon emerges from the cloud of gas slowly, heads bobbing up and down and tilting left and right. It peers at him through two pairs of slightly squinted eyes, but the gaze doesn't feel malicious. It seems almost… curious? Hiccup can work with curious. Curious means it hasn't already decided to make a meal out of him. He has a chance to convince the creature he is friend and not food.
Slowly, without breaking eye contact with the Zippleback, Hiccup crouches down and sets the bucket of water at his feet. "H-hey there." The Zippleback takes another step closer. "You're a bit bigger than my friend Toothless, but that's okay. I don't mind. In fact, we can be friends too, if you want," Hiccup says as he slowly extends his hand out in front of him.
The dragon's eyes widen as it sees the offered hand. Usually, the only hands raised to them are done with a weapon held tight and the intent to harm. But this is different. Both heads come close enough to sniff this strange Viking child, and the scent it catches it surprising.
Hiccup can tell the moment the Zippleback smells Toothless' scent on him. The dragons' eyes widen and brighten out of a mixture of surprise and excitement – this strange un-Viking-like Viking is a friend! The dragon bounds closer. One head nuzzles at Hiccup's chest; the other goes to his hand, hoping to get his scales scratched. Hiccup makes sure to oblige them both, giving both heads affection so one won't be jealous over the other.
"You guys are friendlier than I thought you would be," Hiccup admits.
One of the heads then reaches up, grabs the back of his shirt, and pulls it up over his head. The other head lets out a sound that is most definitely a laugh.
"Ha ha, very funny." Hiccup rolls his eyes as he fixes his shirt. "You guys are pretty mischievous, huh? I'm sure you'd get along great with the Terrible Terror."
After encouraging them to take a drink from the bucket of water and giving them each another pat, he lets out a heavy sigh. "The gas is getting pretty thin guys. I hate to do this to you, but do you think you could get back in your cage?" Hiccup gestures in the direction he believes the enclosure to be. "I don't want Gobber to come down here and hurt you because he thinks you are going to hurt me."
The Zippleback seems to understand, and though Hiccup can tell they don't like his request, they listen. He has earned their trust.
Dragon and Viking separate, and Hiccup is left alone in the dissipating gas.
"There you are!" Gobber shouts, hands thrown in the air. "Everyone else cleared out already. When you didn't come out, I began to fear the worst. You're not injured, are ya?"
"Nope, I am one-hundred percent intact." Hiccup raises his arms and gave a turn to show his lack of wounds. "I saw him, but I guess I wasn't meaty enough for his taste."
"You're just lucky he didn't need any toothpicks," Gobber says, only slightly joking. "Now let's get outta here."
Hiccup wants to head straight to the cove after training, but if he doesn't go to the Great Hall for lunch with Astrid, there is every chance she'll hunt him down and make him regret it. So instead, he trudges to the hall, hoping he can eat quickly and head out without seeming rude. However, when the Great Hall comes into view, the steps out front are vacant – Astrid isn't waiting outside like she had been yesterday. Hiccup tugs at the sleeve of his tunic and peers around. He doesn't spot her signature shoulder guards and thick blonde braid anywhere in the vicinity. Has she already given up on him? Is he just supposed to leave? Or maybe she's already gone inside and started eating, expecting Hiccup to go inside and join her?
This is exactly why Hiccup doesn't like interacting with other Vikings. They are so unpredictable. How in Midgard is he supposed to know what to do? He doesn't really want to go inside if Astrid isn't there and face the stares of everyone alone. But leaving if she is already inside will no doubt incite her wrath. There is no way to win.
Hiccup begins to bounce on the balls of his feet and pushes his shoulders back. He can do this. Just one peek inside to see if Astrid is there and if she isn't, he'll leave. Simple as that. As Hiccup places his foot on the first step, a voice rings out behind him.
"You look like you're heading into battle, not to get lunch."
Hiccup spins around and Astrid is there, hands on her hips, a small smirk on her lips.
"Sorry I'm late. I had a few chores to get done and Mom wouldn't let me leave until then."
Hiccup sighs and his shoulders drop back down, his bravado fading away. "It's okay. I wasn't sure if you were inside already."
Astrid's eyes roam over his form before her eyes meet his. The sharpness of her gaze makes Hiccup feel like he's told her a secret, but he doesn't know what the secret is.
"Tell you what – I'll always be waiting out here on the steps for you unless it's raining or snowing. Deal?"
"Deal," Hiccup says, relieved. Now the uncertainty is gone and he can know what to expect from here on out.
They head inside and lunch goes smoothly. Hiccup eats quickly, eager to go see Toothless. Astrid takes her time, and seems to spend just as much time eating as she does peering at the Viking boy across from her, like he is some kind of puzzle she just can't seem to fit together.
"So," she says eventually, breaking the silence, "Zippleback training was pretty intense today."
"Yeah," Hiccup agrees. "Gobber just loves to throw us headfirst into danger. You'd think he give a little more guidance before releasing the dragons from their cages."
"You were in there with it longer than anybody else," she points out. "I'd say you're pretty lucky that gas hid you well and you didn't run into it."
Hiccup chuckles nervously. "Heh, well I've never been lucky before. I guess if there's a time for it to kick in, it's a good thing it's during dragon training."
The conversation drops off after that. Hiccup goes back to inhaling his meal and Astrid continues to stare intently at him in between taking bites of her own food. When Hiccup clears his plate, Astrid still has half of her meal left, but she waves him off and he eagerly makes his escape. Toothless is waiting for him, and they have a tailfin to test.
Back at the cove, Hiccup takes his time hooking up all of the flight equipment. Toothless shuffles his feet, feeling impatient, but humors his human. After all, the boy is getting pretty into the story he is telling.
"You should have seen it Toothless!" Hiccup says as he adjusts the buckles on the saddle. "The second they smelled your scent on me, they got all playful. They were practically begging me to scratch their scales. Which I did, of course. Now, the only two arena dragons I haven't met yet are the Gronckle and the Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup continues while adjusting the pully system that connects the foot pedal to the tailfin. "Hopefully, you'll keep being my unintentional good-luck charm and we'll all get along just fine."
After double checking all of the buckles and straps, Hiccup steps back and admires his handiwork. If everything goes well, Hiccup will finally be fulfilling his promise of restoring the Night Fury's flight.
"Are you ready bud?"
Toothless snorts as if to say duh, what kind of question is that?
Hiccup laughs and climbs up onto the saddle. Toothless is practically vibrating with excitement, but he patiently waits for Hiccup to hook his flight harness to the saddle.
"Let's try to take it slow at first. No fancy tricks or sharp turns or anything. And try to stay low to the ground in case something goes wrong." Hiccup reaches forward and places his hand on the top of Toothless head. "Let's fly."
Toothless takes off immediately. Hiccup's fingers tighten almost painfully around the leather of the saddle as he clicks the foot pedal into the correct position, allowing them to get enough air under the tail fin for take-off. Once in the air, Hiccup adjusts again. They falter for a moment before he moves the fin into the next position, and they level off.
Now steady in the air, Hiccup loosens his grip on the saddle and rolls his shoulders to release some of the nervous tension. Toothless turns his head back to assess how his rider is faring.
"I'm alright bud," Hiccup assures.
And he is. It is completely unthinkable. Hiccup, a Viking of Berk, riding perfectly safe on the back of a Night Fury as it glides effortlessly through the clouds. He lets out a slightly crazy-sounding laugh.
"You know bud, I don't think I have to worry about accidently letting our secret out. If I did, no one would believe me anyway. In fact, they would probably think I'd gone crazy, tie me to a mast, and ship me off."
Toothless lets out an angry growl at the idea.
"Oh hush, you big grumpy lizard. I'm only joking…I think."
As they approach an upcoming sea stack, Hiccup leans forward. "Let's try curving around that bud. I want to see how the tail reacts to corners."
Toothless tilts slightly, allowing his body to glide in that direction. As they turn around the tower of rock, Hiccup clicks the tailfin into the next position – it is a perfectly smooth transition. Leaning his body with Toothless' as they bank around the corner, the two of them move together synchronously. Exiting the curve, both Viking and dragon continue to move together as one – Toothless begins to ascend exactly as Hiccup adjusts the tail fin to climb to a higher altitude.
For Toothless, it is as easy as flying by himself, but now he doesn't have to be alone. For Hiccup, he feels like he's finally found his footing, like all his life he's simply been stumbling along with unsure steps and now he is running freely.
They are up in the clouds now, secluded in the hazy fog. A wet chuckle escapes Hiccup's lips and a tear rolls down his cheek. Toothless notices his rider's distress and lets out a sad, questioning croon.
"I'm alright bud. This is just… absolutely amazing." Hiccup reaches out his hand and lets it cut through the mist. "I'm touching the clouds. Do you know how many times I looked up at the clouds when I was little and imagined what it would be like to touch them? Let me tell you – it was a lot. So much that my dad was always telling me to get my head out of the clouds. And seeing Berk from this high up? I have spent my whole life on this island. I've explored its forests, wandered along its shores, but seeing it from here is like seeing it all for the first time. And it's beautiful."
Hiccup leans forwards and places his hand on top of Toothless' head. "You have given me so much, bud. You are the best friend I could ever ask for. I'm glad I could help you fly again, and I'm glad we get to do it together."
Toothless croons happily as Hiccup pets the scales on top of his head. The Night Fury is basking in the feeling of being airborne again, and coupled with the feeling of the young Viking on his back, he becomes grateful that Hiccup shot him out of the sky. Without that single painful moment, he wouldn't know this joy.
The two continue to glide lazily through the clouds for a moment longer before Hiccup lets out a contented sigh. "Alright bud, as much as I would love to stay up here, we need to try landing." Scanning the island below them, Hiccup notices a lush, green field a little bit ahead of their current location. Long grasses rustle and create rippling waves in the breeze. "There," Hiccup points. "If it ends up being a crash landing, that grass looks like it might help cushion the blow. Bring us down bud."
Following his suggestion, Toothless begins his descent towards the field. The Night Fury changes the angle of his wings so they lose altitude, and Hiccup adjusts the prosthetic tailfin to create the drag necessary to help bring them down. It is smooth sailing until they get right above the field. As they are coming in for the landing, Hiccup clicks the prosthetic into the wrong position. The leather cord keeping him connected to the saddle snaps during their rough landing, causing him to be launched from the saddle. Soaring over Toothless' head and into the lush grass, Hiccup rolls a few times before coming to a stop.
The young Viking rises to his feet and stretches his arms high above his head. Nothing gives a painful twinge, so he assumes he is alright. "Not quite as smooth of a landing as I would have liked, but hey! At least I was right about the grass. Not a single scrape on me."
Surveying the field around him, Hiccup doesn't immediately see his best friend, which is odd. The grass is tall, but not that tall – it shouldn't be concealing a Night Fury. He continues to look around, his brow furrowed in confusion, until he sees a dragon tail rise up over the top of the grass. Walking in that direction, he is surprised to see Toothless rolling around in the grass, pupils blown wide, and tongue hanging out with a big dopey grin on his reptilian face.
Hiccup laughs at the unusual behavior. "What's gotten into you?" Toothless is unharmed from the fall, which is reassuring, and he appears to be having a good time. But his behavior is very odd. The Viking takes a closer look at Toothless, paying specific attention to the way Toothless sniffs at the grass before rubbing it against his scales.
While this new grass is interesting – and Hiccup definitely plans to study it more later – his main focus now is figuring out how to get Toothless out of the field. He grabs a handful of the grass and approaches the Night Fury carefully. Getting wacked by Toothless' tail as he rolls in the grass is not on Hiccup's to-do list.
Once next to Toothless, Hiccup shoves the handful of grass right in front of his nose. The Night Fury stills and practically goes cross-eyed to focus his gaze on it.
"That's it buddy. Why don't you follow me now, huh?" Using the grass as a lure, he begins to slowly back up, drawing Toothless into following him. It is a slow-going process, but eventually they emerge from the grass. Breathing in the fresh air, they wait around awhile for Toothless to gain a clear head. Eventually, his pupils regain their usual size and his behavior returns to normal.
Before taking to the skies again, Hiccup returns to the grassy field and grabs a few more handfuls of the grass. Without his usual fur vest, he doesn't have any pockets to store them, nor had he bothered to bring his satchel. The riding harness doesn't have anywhere for him to tuck things away for safe keeping, and he doesn't dare tuck any of the grass into Toothless' saddle incase the grass rubs against his scales and causes more changes to his behavior. He can't imagine having that happen during their flight would have good consequences.
Seeing no other option, Hiccup takes off his boots, tucking the grass into the cuffs of his trousers before putting his boots back on. The grass irritates his ankles and he has to resist the urge to itch them. Upon turning around to head back to Toothless, Hiccup spots several Terrible Terrors rolling around in the tall grass just like his best friend had. Smiling at their adorable behavior, Hiccup notes that the grass affects dragons other than Night Furies and tucks that information away in the back of his mind for later.
Returning to Toothless, Hiccup climbs back into the saddle and they are off. The flight goes smoothly, though they don't spend time sightseeing in the clouds. Instead, they head straight back to the cove. The landing is much less chaotic this time around, which Hiccup is grateful for since the leather cord on his harness had snapped earlier. He'll have to whip up a new one – and he'll be sure to braid multiple strands together to provide extra strength.
After tucking the riding equipment away and giving Toothless a tremendous amount of pets, he says goodbye to his best friend for the day and heads back to the village. After the events of the day, he is practically skipping with joy. He's finally done it! He's restored Toothless' flight. He's flown with his best friend. He's literally gotten to touch the clouds. And he'll get to do it all over again tomorrow. For the first time in his life, Hiccup feels like he must be the luckiest Viking alive.