As the trio of Viking teens venture further into the woods, Hiccup begins to wonder if this isn't all a big mistake. Fishlegs and Astrid had trusted him when it came to the Nadder, but this? This is asking for something a whole lot more than trust. And so many things could go wrong. There is every chance Fishlegs might just run away screaming. Astrid is a wildcard – there's no telling how she might react. She'd promised to leave her axe behind, but that won't stop her from fighting if she feels it's necessary.
Hiccup takes a deep breath. It isn't much longer now before they reach their destination. The time for changing his mind has passed. He's really doing this – he is introducing Fishlegs and Astrid to his best friend, a Night Fury. He had already told Toothless he was going to be bringing them, but Hiccup was still a bit worried for how he was going to react to being around other people. Hiccup knows that Toothless won't harm them, but he's really hoping the Night Fury is willing to be friendly. After all, Astrid and Fishlegs are the only human friends he has. It would be nice if the three of them could all get along.
With the upper lip of the cove in sight, Hiccup turns to face Astrid and Fishlegs. "Okay, so the reason I brought you here today is because I haven't been completely honest with you so far."
They both frown, but Hiccup continues before they can speak. "I haven't lied to you or anything, but I may have left out a few details? I didn't decide to start studying dragons on a whim. It was because I met and befriended one very specific dragon that I decided to give it a shot."
"You befriended a dragon?" Fishlegs asks excitedly.
"Yeah," Hiccup admits, a little sheepish in the face of Fishlegs' enthusiasm, "and I thought you guys might like to meet him."
"Well, I'd say I was surprised, but after what I saw yesterday, I'm not sure anything can surprise me anymore," Astrid says, one corner of her mouth turned up slightly.
Hiccup chuckles nervously, and thinks we'll see about that.
He leads them down the hidden path he takes to get into the cove. It's a tight squeeze for Fishlegs in a few places, with the large rocks being a bit close together, but they all manage to reach the bottom. Astrid and Fishlegs immediately start scanning the area for his mysterious dragon friend. The sunlight gleams off the surface of the little lake, sparkling as the water ripples from the few fish below. Birdsong carries down to them from the trees high above, though not many venture down to this lower level. Toothless is not immediately visible, but Fishlegs manages to spot one of his prints in the dirt.
Hesitantly, he approaches it to take a closer look. "I'd say he's a medium sized dragon. Doesn't look like he has large, extended claws the way a Monstrous Nightmare or Hideous Zippleback does." He turns to Hiccup. "Is he bipedal?"
"I'll let you see for yourself," Hiccup says. He takes a few steps towards a large boulder he knows Toothless is likely hiding behind. "Hey bud, my friends are here to meet you. Think you can come out and say hi?"
In true dramatic, Night Fury fashion, Toothless launches himself out from his hiding place, tackling Hiccup into the dirt and giving him a sloppy lick.
Hiccup laughs. "I missed you too, bud." He gives Toothless a scratch behind the ear. "Do you mind letting me up now?"
Toothless tilts his head to the side, like he's debating the request, before he gives a little huff and backs up enough for Hiccup to find his footing.
When Hiccup is standing once again, he turns to face the others and sees that, at some point during Toothless' enthusiastic greeting, Fishlegs fainted and collapsed to the dirt. He winces sympathetically. "That's going to hurt when he wakes up," he mutters.
Astrid, who is definitely more pale than she was a moment ago, swallows roughly and says, "In his defense, it did look like you were about to get eaten by a dragon."
"Sorry about that," Hiccup says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Toothless is just a bit enthusiastic in his affection some times."
"Toothless?" Astrid asks, her voice a bit higher than normal with disbelief, "You named him Toothless? But he's a…"
"A Night Fury?" Hiccup supplies. "Yeah, I know. Who would have guessed that the offspring of lightning and death itself would come with retractable teeth?"
At his words, Toothless gives a big gummy smile before snapping his teeth into place. It's a testament to Astrid's bravery that she doesn't flinch.
"Hiccup, how on earth did you even manage to meet him? According to Gobber, no one has ever seen a Night Fury and lived to tell about it."
At her question, Hiccup slings his arm over Toothless' neck and begins to rub his scales self-consciously. "I-uh, I kind of… shot him down?"
Astrid doesn't even need to voice her question; her actions say it all. She looks him from head to toe, clearly wondering how he managed such a thing.
"I invented and built a bola launcher – and it worked. Not only did I shoot down a dragon, but I shot down the dragon, the dragon no one had ever seen. I thought once I did, I'd feel great. I thought it would make me feel like the Viking everyone wanted me to be. But it didn't."
Astrid frowned thoughtfully. "Anyone else would have felt like that, so why didn't you?"
"When I shot him down, I could hear how much pain he was in, and it didn't make me feel strong. It made me feel guilty, and sick with myself. So, I tracked down where he landed and I let him go," he says with a shrug, looking down at his feet and still running his nimble fingers over Toothless' scales.
If it was anyone else, Astrid would be shocked. But this is Hiccup, who is so good and thoughtful, who cares. No matter how much sarcasm he attempts to hide behind, he can't help but to care.
It's at this moment Fishlegs begins to rouse. He lets out a low groan and sits up, supporting himself on one wobbly arm and using the other to rub at the back of his head. When he opens his eyes, he draws in a sharp inhale. Astrid, prepared for this response, slaps her hand over his mouth before he can scream.
"Calm down, Fishlegs," she rolls her eyes. "Do you really think Hiccup would befriend the Night Fury he shot down and then bring us here to be eaten?"
Fishlegs shakes his head.
"That's what I thought. Now, I'm going to move my hand and you're not going to scream, okay?"
Fishlegs nods and Astrid removes her hand. True to his word, Fishlegs releases his breath in a quick and silent exhale.
"Wh-what's his name?" Fishlegs asks.
"Toothless," Hiccup supplies. And at Fishlegs' confused frown, he continues. "I'll teach you what I've learned about dragon biology from him later, including his retractable teeth."
At the words retractable teeth, Fishlegs' face lights up and he nods excitedly.
"You know Hiccup," Astrid interjects. "I'm surprised he stuck around after you shot him down. Actually, I'm kind of surprised he didn't attack you. Even if dragons can be kind and gentle when unprovoked, anyone would react negatively to being shot out of the sky."
"I can't say for sure why he didn't attack me, but I think we both felt a connection, something deeper than the war and violence we've been conditioned for. Like… we saw a bit of ourselves in each other and saw that we aren't so different after all. As for him not leaving, well… he didn't really have a choice there." Hiccup's voice drops towards the end.
Toothless, sensing the sadness permeating Hiccup's voice, brings his tail around him to try and offer comfort. Astrid's extremely observant nature causes her to see his missing tailfin immediately.
"Oh Hiccup, I'm so sorry." She wants to reach out and comfort him, but the urge is still so unfamiliar and there's a dragon in the way, so she grips her upper arms instead. "What are you going to do? I mean, everyone knows a downed dragon is a dead dragon."
This is common knowledge. In a dragon raid, if a Viking can't immediately go for the kill, they go for the wings and tails. If the dragon can't get away, it can be taken down eventually.
"Well," Hiccup gives a smile that looks slightly crazed, "I've actually come up with a solution for that. But I'll show you that in a bit. Why don't you come over and say hi to Toothless first?"
"Are… are you sure?" Astrid says, sounding hesitant.
Hiccup nods enthusiastically in response.
Glancing down at Fishlegs, he gives her a nervous smile. "I'll let you go first. I'm, uh… I'm still a bit lightheaded from earlier, you know?"
Shaking her head, Astrid turns back to face Hiccup and Toothless. She has the strong urge to square her shoulders as she approaches, an action she often uses to bolster her own confidence – but then she remembers their interaction with the Nadder. Hiccup said body language was important, and she doesn't want to come off as aggressive. With considerable effort, Astrid forces her shoulders to remain relaxed and for her hands to hang loose at her sides.
Taking a few steps closer, Toothless narrows his eyes a bit. The action isn't aggressive – his pupils are still wide. It's more like he's studying her, watching how gingerly she steps and how loosely she holds her hands. Once Astrid is within arm's length, she tentatively extends her hand. Toothless lengthens his neck so he can get closer – not close enough for Astrid to touch, but close enough for him to sniff. He inhales deeply, still inches away from her hand, and tilts his head. Astrid isn't sure what her scent tells him, but he decides it's satisfactory. Leaning in, he presses his nose to her hand momentarily, giving it a bit of a nuzzle, before pulling back slightly.
Glancing over at Hiccup, she can see that he is smiling at the interaction. She reaches out again, but pauses, not sure if she has permission to continue. Hiccup can see the hesitation on her face, and nods to reassure her. Slowly, she reaches out to pet Toothless, letting her hands skim over his scales. She's surprised at how smooth they are. For some reason, she was imagining they would be rough to the touch. A little breathless laugh escapes her, kind of awestruck that this is really happening – she is petting a Night Fury.
Seeing that Astrid has survived the interaction without getting her hand devoured, Fishlegs musters the courage to approach as well. He offers his hand in the same manner Astrid had. Again, Toothless sniffs before letting out a huff, granting him permission.
"Be right back," Hiccup says. Astrid and Fishlegs look a bit panicked, but Hiccup is walking away before they can protest. Thankfully, it's just a moment before he's returning with a large bundle of leather in his arms. Kneeling beside Toothless' damaged tailfin, he unfurls the bundle and begins fiddling with some buckles and straps.
Fishlegs' face lights up in amazement. "Hiccup, did you craft him a new tailfin? That's incredible!" He steps closer to get a better look. "The accuracy you were able to achieve with the measuring is remarkable. The size is perfect. May I?"
At Hiccup's nod, Fishlegs reaches out. He collapses and expands the tailfin, then manipulates it to see how it bends. A frown settles on his face. "The flexibility and movement are good, but… have you flight tested it yet? Even with those factors, it won't have the movement supplied by muscle and tendon the way the natural tailfin does. Without that, I don't think it would get him more than a few feet off the ground."
"Yeah, about that…" Hiccup raises his hand to scratch sheepishly at the back of his neck. "I didn't just build him a tailfin. I kind of also built a…saddle?"
Fishlegs' jaw drops and Astrid's eyebrows rise.
"You did what?" Astrid asks lowly.
Hiccup looks down at the tailfin instead of at them while he speaks. "Well, it's like Fishlegs said. Without the control and coordination that the other tailfin has, there was no way Toothless was getting off the ground. The only way to give the tailfin movement was to provide the movement myself. So, I designed a saddle and a pedal system that allows me to move the artificial tailfin while riding on his back." Glancing back up at them, Hiccup can see the shock hasn't left either of their faces.
"Look," Hiccup sighs, "I know what you're probably thinking right now-"
"Do you?" Astrid interrupts. "Because I sure don't. There are too many things to think. Maybe let's start with how completely insane and unsafe flying on the back of a Night Fury is? What if you had fallen off and plummeted to your death? Or we can rewind to the fact that he even trusts you enough to let you ride on his back? Because I'm still struggling with that part. Or better yet, the fact that you risked your own life flying with him to help save him, which just might be the most selfless and brave thing I have ever heard of."
"I… are you mad?" Hiccup asks, rubbing his thumb anxiously along the bottom of his vest. "Because I can't really tell."
Astrid sighs and brushes her bangs out of her face. They fall right back into place. "I don't know. I don't think so? Like I said, I don't know a single other Viking who could do what you've done, and it really is impressive. But the fact that you were doing this on your own? If something had happened to you, we wouldn't have known until you didn't show up for training. It's just – we are friends now Hiccup, and the fact that you could have died without me knowing doesn't sit well with me."
"I understand, and I am sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, but it's kind of a scary secret to have. I needed to be sure that you wouldn't run back to the village that second you saw Toothless without giving me the chance to show you how amazing he is. Because even though you guys are my friends, Toothless was my friend first, and I had to make sure I was protecting him."
"We understand." Fishlegs says, brushing his hands over Toothless scales. "I'm sorry you had to carry the weight of this secret alone, and I'm glad you felt we were trustworthy enough to share it with us. Plus, I'm petting a Nigh Fury right now, which is pretty much the coolest, most badass thing to ever happen to me."
A laugh catches Astrid off-guard, but she tries to cover it with a cough. "Fishlegs is right. Thank you for trusting us." She runs her hand over Toothless' snout and he nuzzles into it affectionately.
A bird flies overhead, whistling as it ascends higher to clear the tops of the trees above the cove. Toothless watches it keenly before turning to look at Hiccup, a glimmer in his eye.
Hiccup stands and brushes the dirt off his pants. "Okay bud, I get it. Let me grab the saddle."
As he attaches it, tightening the numerous belts, Fishlegs watches with rapt attention, asking questions about the construction. Astrid is also focused, but her lips are pursed and her brow is furrowed. Even the line of her shoulders is tense. When Hiccup climbs up on the saddle, it only gets worse. She crosses her arms, gripping at her biceps tightly. Her thumb rubs back and forth, the same way it does on the leather of her axe handle when she is thinking hard about something.
"Come with me," Hiccup blurts out. As soon as the words cross his lips, his eyes widen. The words tumbled out as he'd thought them, leaving him caught off guard by his own speech.
Astrid's eyes widen as well, and she takes half a step back. She gives Hiccup a moment, waiting to see if he takes the offer back. He doesn't.
"What?" She asks like she hadn't heard him correctly, but they both know she did.
"Come with me," Hiccup repeats firmly. "I know you are worried about me flying around with him. Let me show you what it's like up there."
Glancing at Fishlegs doesn't help her decision making at all. He looks completely shocked and mildly terrified that Hiccup offered. She looks back at Hiccup and he is unwavering. He looks more confident than she has ever seen him, like he belongs in that saddle atop a Night Fury maybe more than he belongs anywhere else.
"Do you trust me?" Hiccup asks, extending his hand to her.
Astrid thinks back to what Fishlegs said earlier. Hiccup is trusting them with a hugely scary secret, a secret that is something she never could have guessed in a million years because it is so un-vikinglike, but so Hiccup in hindsight. If he could be brave enough to share that with them and to ride a Night Fury, she could meet him halfway.
She grabs his hand.
Hiccup beams before scooting up in the saddle so Astrid has more room to settle in behind him.
Hiccup looks to Fishlegs. "You can go next, if you'd like."
Fishlegs' complexion pales and he laughs uncomfortably. "I think I'm good admiring the wonders of flight with both feet on the ground, thank you."
"Suit yourself," Hiccup shrugs. "But if you change your mind let me know. It's amazing up there."
Gingerly, Astrid wraps her arms around Hiccup's waist.
"Hold on," he says. Though she can't see it, she can practically hear the sly grin she's sure is on his face.
Giving Toothless the slightest nudge, the Night Fury lunges and takes to the skies. Forced back by the sudden force, Astrid scrabbles to tighten her hold. With her eyes squeezed shut, she presses her face into Hiccup's back, right between his shoulders. Her heart hammers away beneath her ribs. The force of the wind blowing her bangs clear from her face, the muscled form of the dragon beneath her that shifts with every beat of his wings – these sensations are new to her, and frightening in their unfamiliarity. She feels slightly breathless, but she forces herself to inhale deeply to keep the lightheadedness at bay. The last thing she needs is to pass out and fall off the dragon.
Hiccup is basically her opposite at the moment. As she is practically squeezing him to death, she can feel just how relaxed he is, finding no trace of tension in any of his muscles. As she reminds herself to breathe, Hiccup laughs and whoops for joy. Every beat of Toothless' wings carries them higher and Astrid realizes that Hiccup has left all of his worries and insecurities on the ground.
"Wanna take a look around?" Hiccup asks as she feels Toothless level off. Hesitantly, she pulls her face from his back and peaks out one eye. Now she's breathless for an entirely different reason.
It's beautiful. There's nothing but blue all around her – the sky not only above but too all sides, and the ocean far below. She looks down to the water. Waves which she knows must be strong enough to rock the sturdiest of their ships look like splashes from up here. A flock of birds cuts across her vision as they fly below, and Astrid can't help but laugh at the marvelous absurdity of it.
"So, what do you think?" Hiccup asks. He looks over his shoulder to gauge her reaction. He's smiling just as wide as she is, cheeks pink from the wind.
"It's amazing. He's amazing." She reaches down to pat Toothless' side as she says it.
Toothless croons happily at the praise before gently swooping down to glide between some sea stacks. At the first hint of movement, Hiccup was already moving his foot, clicking the tailfin into a new position. Astrid might not know as much about it as Fishlegs, but she knows enough to understand the synchronicity between them is practically unreal. If she wasn't seeing it first hand, she wouldn't believe such a harmony could exist between Viking and dragon.
With Astrid's arms wrapped securely around his waist, Hiccup marvels at just how well the day has gone. Toothless is no longer a secret he has to keep from everyone he knows. The days of lying to Fishlegs and Astrid, hoping they wouldn't find out – hoping they wouldn't hate him if they did – are over. The relief is like soaking in a cool spring on a hot day.
"I owe you an apology," Astrid says, pulling him from his reverie.
"Hmm?" It takes him a moment to process what she's said. "An apology for what?" She had already apologized for what happened with the Nadder, which he still blamed himself for more than her.
"The dragon raid – I said some things I shouldn't have."
Hiccup thinks of his mother before shaking his head, pushing the thought from his mind before it has a chance to sink its claws in and wound him further.
"You don't have to apologize for that," Hiccup insists. "You were just frustrated and you had every right to be. I was lying to you, even if it was for a good reason." Hiccup brushes his fingers over Toothless' scales as he says it.
Astrid shifts, bringing her chin to rest on the top of Hiccup's shoulder. "Will you tell me about it? About what really happened at the raid?"
"There was a dragon outside my house, a Nadder. That part was true. But I didn't run because I was scared. I ran because they killed her right in front of me. I've seen hundreds of dragons die, but watching her bleed out knowing what I know now?" Hiccup shakes his head. "I couldn't stay."
"So what happens next?" She asks.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean – there will be more raids, there always are. More dragons will die. Your father is going to return home eventually. Toothless can't live in the cove, hidden away for the rest of his life. I'm happy you found him Hiccup, I am. But this safe haven you've created in the cove with him can't coexist with the reality that is the rest of Berk. A reality where this is all treason, by the way."
She's right. He knows she's right, but that doesn't mean it is an easy truth to swallow.
"I'm not sure what's next," he admits, hoping it doesn't sound like he's admitting defeat. "But I know what I want."
Astrid tilts her head to the side to let him know she's listening.
"I want people to see dragons the way I do. I know that's asking a lot, but you and Fishlegs came around. Is it so foolish to think other people will too?"
"Well, it's not going to be easy," Astrid says, heaving out a sigh, like she's already exhausted just thinking about what's ahead of them. "You're up against four hundred years of stubborn Viking tradition. But if anyone can do it Hiccup, it's you."
As he guides Toothless to head back to the cove, he just hopes her faith in him isn't misplaced, for all their sakes.