Alright, I'm sticking to my guns. This is the last chapter of "weekly" uploads. From now on, we're gonna switch to bi-weekly. School is making writing Act II way harder, so I hope y'all understand.
summary: Toothless gains opposable thumbs, and Hiccup is more concerned about it than he is.
this is another chapter that I've rewritten at least three times. Hicless is so near and dear to me, I had to do it justice.
Anyways.
Hiccup's heart couldn't seem to calm down throughout the entire ride back to the camp. He'd like to think it was because of Dorothea, who had agreed to tag along, but in reality it was the amulet that held the same power that he had in a death grip in his own hands.
Toothless was going to be human. That thought had been raking through his mind like a sharpened sword to fat for the better part of three hours now, and it still sounded like nonsense to him. And yet the proof he needed to know it was true had been following them since they left her domain.
Dora's dragon form was a slightly-skewed mimicry of a Monstrous Nightmare. At least, that was the closest thing Hiccup could describe it to – her neck was a bit too short, her forearms and wings were separated, her horns and spinal fins didn't have the wavy quality, and she didn't have any of the patterns that Monstrous Nightmares tended to boast.
But she was undeniably draconic, and Hiccup didn't know if the feeling twisting in his gut was anticipation or terror.
Maybe it was a bit selfish to have made up his mind that Toothless would be the one to get the Royal Amulet, but then again Dora had been very adamant that it be kept in a royal family. He wasn't going to take any chances by giving it to Fishlegs or, god forbid, the twins.
Look, Hiccup couldn't deny that he hadn't fantasized about it – the idea of having an intelligent, two-sided conversation with Toothless was something that was entertaining, but it wasn't something he thought they needed. Dragons were smart, even without the ability to speak, and he and Toothless worked seamlessly together even with that language barrier. Hiccup didn't think they really craved a deeper relationship than that – both of them had nearly sacrificed their lives for one another more than a few times to prove that fact.
But now that it was a possibility, well…Hiccup felt like he needed some mead. In a good way, mind you, which was a lot more than he could say over the last few days, but he needed one nonetheless.
After stripping the hazmat suit back at the Fenton's, the car ride back was rather uneventful. Hiccup's head was spinning too much for him to carry conversation, so eventually Phantom left to, presumably, join Dorothea who was certainly invisible somewhere in the sky. It was blossoming with lavenders, promising sunlight relatively soon, and though Hiccup knew he should be hungry, he didn't feel as such.
Stormfly was patched up a lot better by the time they made their way back to the campsite, and it seemed like his dragon riders had stuck around the campfire. And the Problem-Solving Tree, which had a few more missing limbs than it did when he left.
Astrid hugged him rather fiercely when he stepped out of the treeline. Toothless wasn't far behind, pressing his side up against him and giving a reptilian purr. The amulet was suddenly a lot heavier in his hand.
"I take it you guys didn't get into too much trouble while I was gone?" He managed a smile. Astrid rolled her eyes as they began walking back to the rest of the gang.
"You underestimate my babysitting skills?" she nearly teased, seemingly in a bit of a better mood now that Stormfly was properly taken care of. Hiccup wanted to laugh in relief, but his gaze trailed to the sky, scanning for any sign of the two ghosts above.
"We, uh, have a visitor." He sobered up when he noticed that Astrid had also turned her head upwards. She raised an eyebrow.
"Princess Dorothea," He replied with a slight shake of his head, "She's here to help us."
"This is the ghost you went to see?" Astrid asked, and Hiccup nodded in response. Her face suddenly fell back into that skeptical expression he'd left her with, and he couldn't quite blame her.
"I hope that means you found a way to help the dragons." She said.
Hiccup lifted the amulet in his hand to present it to her, Astrid's eyes widened in interest as the sun caught the golden trimming.
Silence lingered because he didn't know how to begin to explain, and she eventually spoke. "Well…I'm sure it would be a pretty bribe?" Her head lifted up to him, but the beginnings of a smile that she had quickly snuffed out at whatever she saw on his face. "Are you okay?"
Before he could answer, Toothless let out a warning growl, and Hiccup turned just in time to see Phantom and Dora – in her humanoid form – landing next to Sam, Tucker, and Jazz. A sigh that may have been relieved left Hiccup as the ghosts began drifting over to the dragons.
Phantom was holding the other four amulets, and Hiccup was acutely aware when Dora turned back to him to find the Royal Amulet in his hands. He clutched it close to his chest as her gaze softened in relief. She never met his eyes and instead turned to study the rest of the dragons.
"Incredible…" She observed, and her gaze quickly softened as she spotted Stormfly. She glided over to the nadder with little fear, and Astrid protested rather loudly, but the princess didn't even spare a glance to her.
Hiccup managed to place a hand onto the shieldmaiden's shoulder, and when she turned to face him – countenance twisted sharply in protective anger – he whispered.
"She's not going to hurt her."
He braced himself for a justified punch from her, but Astrid held back with a disbelieving shake of her head. Her eyes didn't stay on him for very long – they kept flashing back to Stormfly like she was afraid to leave the Nadder unsupervised. Much like Hiccup's own, her hand nervously gripped her betrothal pendant. "How can you be so sure?"
Hiccup swallowed and found himself watching Dora as she cocked her head to the side. "Just trust me?"
"You aren't the one I have issues trusting." She hissed, and before Hiccup could protest she called, "Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" It was directed at Dora, but Phantom was the one who looked like a deer that had just realized it was being stalked.
The rest of the gang had also gotten to their feet rather restlessly, though their silence wasn't that surprising considering they didn't know Dora's capabilities. The last time they'd angered a ghost had not gone very well, so it was better to observe. Stormfly could very much handle herself.
"Ah, Astrid?" Hiccup's voice rose nervously as the shieldmaiden began stomping across the field. He and Toothless shared a glance before hustling after her, "Astrid I really don't think –"
He ran into her back with a surprised gasp, when he came around to face Astrid he found her staring at Dora with a perplexed expression. He turned as Stormfly squawked just in time to see the princess laugh and nod enthusiastically. A very similar sound left the ghost immediately afterwards, and it was then that Astrid's eyebrows shot to her hairline.
"...You're talking to her?"
Dora glanced at them out of the corner of her eyes before the rest of her body followed. "Yes," She spoke, "and you are interrupting our conversation." Her warning was evident, and Astrid bit the inside of her cheek.
Phantom chuckled nervously. "I didn't get to mention that…we have a plan?" He shrugged, presenting the other amulets that were wrapped around his forearms, "Dora here is explaining it to your dragons."
Astrid blinked at the ghost boy before she turned back to Stormfly and Dora, who had resumed their apparent conversation. At least the nadder seemed to be pretty enthusiastic. Her body was bobbing excitedly, and Hiccup couldn't help but notice the way the other dragons seemed to be inching towards them as well.
"And what is this plan?" Fishlegs asked, trailed by a still unusually quiet Snotlout.
"Camouflage, I guess?" Phantom shrugged, "we're gonna give your dragons these amulets and it'll let them take the form of…slightly smaller pets."
"Barf and Belch are not a pet," Ruffnut sniffed, brushing a braid over her shoulder, "they are our partner in crime!"
"That's what you got out of this?" Hiccup groaned, even if he figured the twins would be…well. The twins, about the situation.
"Slightly smaller pets." Fishlegs repeated the earlier statement with the same skepticism Hiccup had felt hours before, "what's that supposed to mean?"
"I guess we won't know till we find out now, will we?" Phantom turned to Fishlegs, holding out one of the amulets to him. The viking reared back in slight fear as it swung in his direction, but tentatively reached out to steady it.
It was a rose-colored stone attached to a silver chain. It didn't resemble an eye, like the one in Hiccup's hand or around Dora's neck, but they had very similar designs otherwise. Fishlegs tilted his head to the side as he studied it, brushing something that was probably dust off the surface.
Phantom waited until Fishlegs caught his gaze again before letting go of the amulet, and the large viking caught the chain gingerly, holding it out from him like it was a poisonous snake.
"What's she saying?" Astrid's question drew Hiccup's attention once again, and the dragon whisperer turned back to her to find something like wonder on her face.
Dora turned with a small, fanged smile, "Ah. Mostly comments on the area. She claims the humidity is bad for her scales." Stormfly squawked again, and the princess tilted her head to the side, "She also says that the fish here taste strange."
Astrid scoffed in some strange mixture of astonishment and disbelief. "She's…not hurting?" Her voice nearly wavered as she glanced between the princess and Stormfly.
A sympathetic look donned Dora's face. "She says she'd do it again if it came to it."
Hiccup almost jumped in alarm as tears suddenly perked at the edges of Astrid's eyes, but she was quick to sniff them away. "Of course she would. Spoiled lizard." She shook her head fondly and then padded hesitantly towards her dragon, who squawked lovingly as she neared.
Hiccup watched as Astrid swallowed thickly and planted a kiss on her dragon's snout. He then turned to Dora, who was still floating quite a few feet above the two.
"Oh, come on!" Snotlout threw his hands in the air, "you can't really believe this, can you?"
"Snotlout…" Hiccup warned, feeling a migraine creeping at the edges of his mind, "please."
"No! You please!" his cousin countered, "Look, I can believe the whole ghosts-in-the-future thing. But speaking to dragons? Turning them into different things? Now you're pulling wool over our eyes. And once again, I'm the only one that sees it!"
Swallowing, Hiccup found himself glancing between Phantom and Dora. Thankfully, the latter seemed to be more amused than perturbed. Her crimson gaze flitted between Snotlout and Hookfang for a moment before she began creeping towards them.
Snotlout gulped as she neared, stumbling back a few steps until she came to a stop. "S-see? They know I'm onto them!" He pointed at Dora.
She seemed rather disinterested by his hand, and instead her head tilted towards the side. "The back strap on your saddle has been making it hard for Hookfang to breathe during flight. It's why his firepower hasn't been at its usual level. He's been trying to tell you for the better part of a week now."
The color drained from Snotlout's face at an almost comical rate. His head swiveled between the monstrous nightmare and Dora rapidly, and with an eventual squeak, he whispered "H-how did you –" He seemed to finally settle on staring at Hookfang, who had a very smug look about him.
The nightmare inched forwards and craned his neck to the side. Snotlout's hands tugged at one of the straps, and soon the blood was rushing back to his cheeks. "Snitch…" he grumbled to his dragon, who promptly knocked him off his feet.
Snotlout squawked as he scrambled back up, and Dora didn't move until he turned back to her.
"I don't much enjoy being called a liar, Sir Snotlout." the princess spoke in a dangerous monotone, and for a split second Hiccup was sure he saw a forked tongue. "My amulets are very valuable to me. They need explanation so that your dragons may use them properly. I would like to do that. Of course, unless you'd prefer Hookfang to be a bigger target for the enemies you may face?"
Snotlout didn't answer verbally, looking reminiscent of a child after a good scolding – puffed out cheeks with a flushed face. He instead averted his gaze and shuffled closer to Hookfang as Phantom inched forwards, holding out another amulet to him. The gem was a pale yellow; the chain silver like the other. Snotlout turned to the ghost boy with a pinch in his lips before rather aggressively snatching it from his hands. He didn't say another word.
Dora spun as Phantom neared Astrid, who lifted her head as he held out the last amulet. The twins had apparently received the one with a sky blue pendant while Hiccup hadn't been paying attention, leaving only a deep purple for her to choose from.
Astrid glanced to Stormfly as she took the pendant with what seemed like only a little hesitation, and at the reminder Hiccup, too, looked down at the one in his hand. Toothless sniffed at it curiously, ear plates perking up as he crooned.
Hiccup managed a smile, scratching his dragon's chin. "You'll figure out pretty soon." He answered.
He didn't know how explaining such complex matters to dragons would work, but apparently it didn't take as long as he thought it would. Phantom had trailed back to his friends, so that left Hiccup to explain the more important parts of the amulets' powers to his dragon riders. He was sure he butchered it at best, but he felt the 'keeping the dragons calm' message was the most important, anyhow. They knew how to do that.
Apparently the amulets could grow and shrink depending on the wearer, so getting them over their dragons heads was a lot easier than he'd suspected it to be.
Despite the fact that Toothless had scampered back to him after Dora had determined her explanation fit, Hiccup didn't move to slip it around his head. Not yet. Somehow his nerves still weren't ready for this despite the three hour warning he'd been given.
His palms had begun to build up sweat along the gold chain with how tightly he'd been gripping at it, and it wasn't until Meatlug disappeared with a rather unceremonious flash to reveal a fluffy rodent in the grass did Hiccup's legs finally decide to move.
At least Fishlegs' squeal was one of delight. He could imagine his friend had bent to pick up Meatlug, now that he was able to do so. Hiccup didn't look. Instead he began walking towards the Problem-Solving Tree. Toothless crooned curiously as he followed him, side-glancing the rest of the group as their likenesses soon disappeared behind the treeline.
Hiccup didn't stop until the noise in his head was louder than the noise around them. He paused, and the crunch of pine leaves beneath his feet stopped. Toothless padded up to him and cocked his head to the side, sitting down gingerly and waiting for his rider to face him.
Hiccup's hands were shaking. When had they started shaking? The dragon whisperer brought the amulet up to his eyeline and let out a wavering sigh. "Sorry, Bud." He shook his head.
A silence lingered before Hiccup turned to Toothless. "I'm no Dorothea, but…I don't know, I hope you'll understand this." He sank to the forest floor, crossing his legs over each other. His night fury lowered himself as well, staying at relatively the same height. His eyes read understanding, but Hiccup wasn't sure if that was because he could understand him or if he was feeling sympathy for him.
A huff of indignant laughter left him as he finally presented the Royal Amulet to his dragon, holding it by the chain and letting the jewel spin to face Toothless. The night fury's pupils dilated as he gave it an interested sniff.
"It's different from the others. They ran out of…normal ones." Hiccup murmured, almost feeling not-in-his-body, "It's gonna have a slightly different effect, Bud."
Another croon left Toothless, it was quiet, maybe patient. Hopefully understanding.
Hiccup swallowed, "You're gonna be like me, okay?" He said and held up his hand, turning it in a very similar way that Dora had when she'd demonstrated her powers.
Toothless nuzzled into his palm and breathed out a billow of hot air. Hiccup's hand nodded with his dragon's head, and his heart fluttered. He managed his own nod that started out as barely a tilt of the head before evolving into a vigorous one. The action made something like adrenaline shoot through him, and Hiccup was suddenly on his knees.
"Okay," he breathed, folding his lips in on one another because they suddenly felt very dry. "Okay, then let's…give this a go."
A purr left Toothless as the amulet slipped around his neck, and Hiccup felt like he had to take a few steps back. His dragon stared down and twisted to try and get a view of the amulet, and when he was satisfied he stuck his head up and wriggled his tail proudly. A self-indulgent rumble left him, causing a snort to escape Hiccup, which was accompanied by a fond shake of his head.
"Don't go getting an ego now, you." He quipped, and Toothless' eyes fell rather comically at the comment.
He then began circling the small clearing, poking at the ground and scooting around pine needles until there was an even-looking surface below him. The night fury paused, blinked, and then turned with a nervous look to Hiccup.
Not that the dragon whisperer felt much better, but he waved him on with a slightly awkward movement of his hands.
Toothless promptly busted his ass once the transformation washed over him.
"Oh, gods, Bud –" This was not how Hiccup had imagined this going, but he should have expected it in retrospect. At least the pine needles broke his fall.
Toothless, to his credit, handled it pretty well. Hiccup had started bustling over to him, but the dragon held up a hand to ask Hiccup to wait. The dragon whisperer paused, a strange sense of belated worry in his chest, and watched as the night fury's brow scrunched. His gaze went to his new body in interest.
Hiccup had the overwhelming urge to kneel down next to him and like, help him somehow. Though it was more of some instinct that he couldn't act on considering there was nothing he could really do. Toothless was good with new environments, he just needed a few minutes to figure it out.
Still, it didn't ease the itch in Hiccup's chest.
At least he had clothes – that relieved one of Hiccup's worries. Ghost magic really seemed to know how to keep up its game: rearranging what was once Toothless' scales into a...suspiciously futuristic-looking outfit of the same hue.
His dragon had opted to ignore what Hiccup was sure was a not-so-subtle freak out, and was still inspecting his body – not surprising, admittedly. Hiccup was sure he'd be just as interested if he woke up as a dragon. Toothless wiggled his fingers and legs with an interested twinkle in his eye.
He had darker skin, similar to Tucker's. It was a rarity in the archipelago, but not entirely unheard of. That being said, Hiccup had to admit he hadn't been expecting it. It suited him – the darker pallet. Add the freckles that dotted his face, which reminded Hiccup of the smaller scales that surrounded his eyes as a dragon, and it all just...screamed Toothless. Even beyond the eyes. That acidity, while pale in comparison to Phantom's glowing ones, was something not even human skin could diminish.
Hiccup sat down opposite of his dragon, a warm, giddy feeling in his stomach was quickly replacing the anxiety. He could feel himself shaking his head.
This was Toothless. In front of him. In human skin. Using ghost magic. A thousand years in the future.
A day-younger Hiccup would have burst out laughing if someone told him that.
"Are you okay?" He asked, voice quiet. He didn't want to startle his dragon, as stupid as that thought seemed to him. But Hiccup knew what sensory overload was like, he had a habit of getting worked up pretty easily.
Though Toothless always had been pretty level-headed. Even now, he seemed more interested than freaked out, which Hiccup was immensely grateful for. His dragon didn't make eye contact at his question – he was fixated on his tunic – and he didn't speak either, but Hiccup wasn't disappointed because he nodded instead.
It was such a natural, human reaction that he let out a disbelieving huff of air, mouth dropping open on its own volition.
Toothless' hair was a wild mess that matched his scale color. It bobbed like it had its own soul when he nodded. It wasn't quite the tiny, tightly-wound ringlets that Tucker had peeking from under his hat. They were looser, more wild, skewing wildly from one angle to another in what could almost be considered 'wind-swept'. Hiccup had a feeling that was partially because it danced around his shoulders as opposed to cut off at the skull.
And his face, while the structure had definitely shifted to look more human, had the same general shape that Hiccup had been so familiar with – wider near the hairline and narrowing towards the chin.
"Oh, Odin. This is…wow."
Toothless nodded again, though slightly exaggerated. His eyebrows raised to his hairline, and the 'I know' radiating from the action was practically audible in Hiccup's ears.
The dragon whisperer continued to watch his (former) dragon for a while as he continued to inspect his body. He bit his tongue. He desperately wanted to say...something, but he wasn't sure what, so instead his mind seemed to be throwing any thoughts at him in hopes that something would stick.
It didn't take long before Toothless was satisfied, and his gaze turned towards Hiccup as he dropped his hands to either side of his waist.
"You know my name, right?" Hiccup asked, attention caught as Toothless' hands started swiping against the pine needles in a display of pent up energy. He immediately knew how dumb the question was when an 'are you kidding?' glare was sent his way.
Hiccup held up his hands defensively. His heart leapt in his chest and simultaneously ached in glee and...sadness, strangely. Was this situation overwhelming him?
Who was he kidding, he had no right to be overwhelmed. He wasn't the one wearing the amulet.
"Okay, sorry, sorry, stupid question." He responded, a laugh bubbling. He shifted his weight over to his good foot from where he was still crouching, "Do you need help up?"
Toothless paused for a second, hands stalling, and his eyes darted to his right as he contemplated. He eventually shook his head in a...not very confident no.
Tough talk for a guy who just busted his ass, but okay.
Hiccup shook his head, shrugged, and stood up. He chuckled dismissively, "Suit yourself."
And he did, to Hiccup's surprise. Toothless actually got to his feet just fine. Though, he swayed dangerously as his center of balance shifted almost immediately, and Hiccup lunged towards the other boy in a protective surge.
His forearms burned as his dragon's hands latched to them. Not in an embarrassed way –his brain was on overdrive, every little sensation felt like it was magnified. Hiccup tried to lean backwards so that Toothless didn't have to do so much of the work to keep himself upright.
They paused. Toothless had his thoughts focused on his feet– or at least he must have because his head was tilted downwards. They were splayed out awkwardly, almost like a newborn deer. Hiccup's brain completely stopped working as they wavered.
He was overtly aware of his heart hammering in his chest, the rest of his body was...oddly numb, or at the least so used to the feeling of shock at this point that he no longer recognized it. He was hyper aware of Toothless' breathing and the feel of his dragon's fingers digging into his forearms.
A stray strand of black hair was tickling Hiccup's nose, but he didn't much care in that moment. The way his dragon's elbows fell into the palms of his hands was what Hiccup's head had decided was the most important. His grip, and the smell that was so distinctly Toothless that the fact it was coming from a body small enough for Hiccup to support – a body needed to be supported – was mind-numbing.
Okay, well, maybe his dragon didn't need to be supported, but the hug that Hiccup immediately pulled him into wasn't to ensure his balance anyway.
Any anxiety that settled in his brain was immediately snuffed out as Toothless latched his arms around him. The initial contact was so sudden and sure that they rocked for a few moments, scattering a few of the pine needles below. The hug felt achingly familiar. Well, as similar as a human hug could feel to a dragon hug, anyways. But again, Hiccup wasn't exactly up for comparisons at the moment.
Hiccup found his forehead pressed against the crook of his dragon's neck, and Toothless managed to mimic the action on his opposite shoulder. His movements were slightly delayed – the concept of a hug was familiar in his mind, but finding how this new body fell into the action was obviously a different scenario. Hiccup could feel his dragon's heart beat against his head, and his arms tightened around the other boy as he breathed in his scent.
Toothless' grip tightened in response as well, and he let out a hum that was similar to the purr he gave in dragon form. Hiccup felt it in his chest as it resonated, and tears pricked at the back of his eyes. He was glad there was pressure against them, because they might have slipped out otherwise.
"Gods, this is so surreal." He laughed into Toothless' neck after a few moments of silence. His dragon nodded again, and Hiccup pulled out of the hug, hands resting on the former night fury's shoulders.
"I love you, Bud. You know that? I just want you to know that. You're my best friend." It came out of his mouth like they'd been sitting there for years. For all Hiccup knew in that moment, they had. At least, in his subconscious. They'd said it in actions hundreds of times before, so it wasn't like it was something left unsaid, but some part of Hiccup just had to say it so that he could assure himself that Toothless could fully comprehend it.
Toothless had begun nodding enthusiastically as soon as the 'I love you, Bud' left Hiccup's mouth, and a smile broke across his face with an expression that read 'I know, I love you too'.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Hiccup queried, head tilting to the right in amusement. Confusion overshadowed Toothless' face, and he mimicked the head tilt as he raised his right hand. A 'so-so' motion was accompanied with a shrug.
Hiccup snorted, even if it wasn't exactly a funny answer. "Afraid you'll get tongue tied?" He teased.
Toothless' unamused look was no less funny on a human face than it was on a dragon one. He pursed his lips before turning back around, gaze finding the ground once again. With his arms raised to his sides, he took a few steps, teetering like he'd had a few mugs of mead and managing to slip on a few thicker patches of needles, but he stayed upright. Hiccup trailed his dragon perhaps a bit too closely, hands wavering in front of him to prepare to break his fall.
Experience would certainly make up for Toothless' clumsiness, Hiccup was sure of that, at least. He had to guess that his uncertainty was more because of the lack of a tail as opposed to the new system of walking. Toothless was very prone to mimicking humans back home.
They spent a few minutes doing, well…just that. Walking in a small circle around the clearing. There was one point where Toothless tripped over a hidden root, but he seemed to be a fast learner.
Hiccup managed to drag his gaze off his dragon to look in the direction of the other members of the gang. He could barely hear them through the trees. A gust of wind picked up some sounds that suggested conversation, but it never lasted long enough to discern anything.
Toothless had noticed Hiccup's musings, pausing as he, too, glanced back the way they'd come from.
Swallowing, Hiccup turned to his dragon. "Well, should we join the party?" He nodded his head in the direction.
Toothless raised his eyebrows and shrugged nonchalantly, and Hiccup held an arm out as his dragon approached him. He latched onto it without question, turning to the path in front of them with a determined look.
"I'll take that as a yes." Hiccup nodded, perhaps staring at Toothless' side profile for a bit too long. His dragon turned with a very small but reassuring smile.
Hiccup's shoulders lost their tension at that. He was safe. That thought sent his heart soaring. Toothless was safe, and by his side, and for a moment the fact that they were under trees that they were much, much older than didn't matter.
Stormfly had been poking around on the grass for the better part of ten minutes, quite literally chirping in excitement. Astrid wouldn't say she felt the same, per se, but there was an odd sense of wonder as she watched what used to be her dragon hop around her. And relief. At least she was up and walking now. And they wouldn't have to use as many bandages with her wings being as small as they were.
The ghost amulet had given Stormfly the form of a brightly colored bird – with the same yellow underbelly with blue-and-crimson feathers that accented the rest of her body. Phantom had called her a parrot, and that word did ring a bell in her mind. A trader or two may have had one as a pet when she was younger.
Astrid crouched next to her dragon, finding the fact that she was now taller than her to be rather jarring. Her instincts were, perhaps, a bit too quiet to have her back facing the new ghost, but Dorothea didn't seem…malicious. But then again with a first impression like the behemoth, and with the games Phantom had been playing, Astrid supposed any ghost that didn't immediately attack wouldn't seem malicious. Still. Anyone who could put Snotlout in his place (alive or not) could gain Astrid's respect.
So the shield maiden laid on her stomach, resting her head on her hands as Stormfly picked at the grass with her beak. She reached a hand out to her, and the bird nestled into her hand without hesitation, letting out another trill chirp. Astrid giggled, "are you having fun, Girl?"
Stormfly bobbed in agreement, and if Astrid blurred her vision she almost couldn't tell that she wasn't normal. She stalled her hand briefly as her dragon hopped to the part of her arm that rested on the ground and climbed up onto it.
It felt surreal lifting Stormfly up, but then again she'd witnessed the other members of the gang do the same thing with their dragons.
Meatlug was what Phantom had dubbed a Guinea Pig; Hookfang was a somewhat longer rodent called a Ferret. Barf and Belch were the easiest to recognize, taking the form of a two-headed python. It made Astrid wonder why the other dragons weren't smaller reptiles, but she wasn't going to try and understand ghost magic.
The reminder that that was what they were using was still unsettling, and the shield maiden felt a frown pull at her lips as she sat up. Stormfly, still clung to her arm, seemed to notice this and chirped again, fluttering until she was near her shoulder so that she could rub her head against her rider's.
Astrid hummed fondly, bringing her free hand up to stroke her dragon's feathery head. "I'm alright, Stormfly." She smiled, "I'm glad you're going to be okay."
Her gaze trailed to the rest of the group as Stormfly squawked again.
Looking to the forest didn't reveal Hiccup or Toothless, and Astrid began to wonder just what was keeping them.
She got to her feet as Stormfly settled onto her shoulder, preening some strands of her hair that had fallen from her braid. She turned to Phantom, who was currently trying to coax the twins out of yet another bicker. It ended rather unceremoniously when Tuffnut snatched the Barf and Belch-colored-snake from Ruffnut's hands, holding them above his sister's head in a triumphant manner.
"Hah! I've got Mini Barch and Belch!" He announced, and then immediately headbutted Ruffnut when she attempted to jump up to snatch the snake back. Phantom audibly cringed, his toxic eyes were very wide when he looked at Astrid.
"She'll be fine," Astrid ignored Ruffnut's pained groan with a shake of her head.
The ghost boy rubbed his chest anxiously, staring at Ruffnut like he wanted to help her up. Tuffnut, of course, was hardly concerned and had started cooing at the two-headed python that had curled around his wrist.
"If you say so…" Phantom swallowed.
Ruffnut rolled back to her feet as Astrid turned somewhat skittishly to Dorothea, who was fiddling with an amulet of her own. "So…when do we give these back to you?" the shieldmaiden asked.
The princess turned expectantly to her with a regency that reminded Astrid that she was talking to royalty. With a sudden gulp, she paused, wondering if she should bow, but an unbothered smile that was much more gentle than Phantom's graced Dorothea's lips, so the shieldmaiden tried to relax.
Astrid resisted the urge to rear away as she neared. At least she was warm, and not reminiscent of Devastating Winter the way Phantom was. She reached a glowing green hand out to stroke Stormfly on her head. The nadder trilled delightedly, and it gave Astrid enough courage to stay put.
"Ah. Not to worry. You keep them as long as you need. I'm certain Daniel will return them once you lot find your way back." She sounded certain, but her hand clutched posessively on the amulet around her neck.
Astrid's gaze fell to it with a nod, and for the first time she really got to study it. Not that she needed to, because apparently Hiccup had an identical one in his hands. "Can I ask what ability that one possesses?"
Dorothea's brows shot up in slight surprise. "Ah," She chuckled, "and here Daniel told me not to overwhelm you." She floated until she touched back to the ground, she was suddenly a lot less intimidating when Astrid was taller than her.
"Talking to your dragons isn't a talent I possess normally. It's one of the abilities granted to me through this. I'm sure Samantha could tell you all about it." Her head nodded towards the younger girl, who was in the midst of what seemed like a pretty deep conversation with Tucker and Jazz.
It seemed to be a joke, but Astrid wasn't too confident to laugh at it. Especially when Phantom groaned like it brought up bad memories. Her brow furrowing felt like a much more appropriate response.
"The amulet you gave Hiccup. It's a matching one, is it not?"
Dorothea hesitated and then nodded.
"Why?" Astrid asked. Not that she wouldn't put it past Hiccup to jump at the first chance to really speak with Toothless, but that wasn't exactly what the mission was for.
The princess opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by a very loud expletive from Snotlout, who had his gaze plastered to the treeline.
"Oh, glad to see it worked." Phantom said with raised eyebrows, and Astrid followed both their gazes to find Hiccup reappearing from the woods.
Except he was next to someone their age. One with black clothing and an amulet around his neck, stumbling like he'd never learned how to walk.
And the most absurd part about it – the part that Astrid's mind, perhaps, a day or so ago would have told her was impossible – was that he looked familiar.
"Holy, sweet Thor." She croaked, as Stormfly squawked excitedly and seemed to forget that she couldn't fly.
Hiccup looked up in alarm from where he'd been intently studying the ground before him as the nadder toppled, reaching out with a worried exclamation to catch her as she plummeted.
"Stormfly!" Astrid called, rushing over to them and taking her from Hiccup's grasp. The nadder's injured wing was pressed tightly into her side once again, and Astrid sighed wearily, "You can't do that, girl!"
She reached her hand up to stroke her head, but another hand met hers, reminding her of the guy-who-could-NOT-be-Toothless next to Hiccup.
Stormfly did not shy away from his hand, and instead pressed into it with a series of squawks that sounded enthusiastic. The guy next to Hiccup tilted his head to the side with a smile that could have either been puzzled or bashful.
Astrid finally turned to Hiccup, who had what could only be described as adoration in his gaze, and that was all the confirmation that she needed.
"Hiccup," She choked, grip tightening on Stormfly, and then found she didn't know what else to say.
"Hey," he almost-breathed, and he had a perpetual grin on his face, and she was sure it would have been infectious if she had been able to keep her eyes off Toothless for more than a second at a time.
"What –" She stopped after the first word, not knowing what to say.
"They ran out of animal amulets…" Hiccup explained, leaning slightly into Toothless as the other boy's hand retreated from Stormfly, nearly losing his balance in the process. "I wanted to give him some space to, ah, acclimate?"
Toothless turned at Hiccup's voice, curious eyes finding him and then bouncing to Astrid. His eyes brightened instantly, and she almost felt flattered as he gave her a timid smile.
Astrid blinked, unsure if she could even muster the energy to smile back, but then she'd noticed Phantom and Dora by their sides. The rest of the gang wasn't far behind.
"Is that who I think it is?" Fishlegs asked, sounding reminiscent of a deflating balloon as he held Meatlug to his chest.
Hiccup's dragon suddenly seemed to grow self-conscious at that moment: his shoulders hunched and he took a small step back to shuffle behind Hiccup's shoulder. The dragon whisperer snorted at this. "Oh, now you're gonna be bashful?"
Toothless had dawned a face in the last few seconds that blatantly read 'they're all staring at me, get them to stop', and the fact that Astrid could even discern that was mind boggling, but she turned to the others anyways. Stormfly squeaked in surprise at the sudden movement, and Astrid placed a hand on her dragon to steady her.
"Alright, give them some space, you lot." She warned, and thankfully everyone took a couple steps back.
Dorothea did quite the opposite, but Astrid wasn't about to tell her what to do. The dragons seemed to like her well enough.
"How are you feeling?" her echoing voice sounded almost motherly as she hovered over Toothless, who was watching her with a neutral expression. He shrugged.
"No headache, I presume? Any muscle spasms?"
Again, he shook his head, and the fact that he understood her –
Dorothea hummed in relief, nonplussed. "Ah, very well." She nodded her head.
"He doesn't seem to speak all that much," Hiccup admitted, and the look Toothless sent him was enough for the dragon whisperer to roll his eyes, "Suck it up."
"The amulet will have its limitations. Speaking is not, inherently, something that humans need to communicate. It may not manifest at all." Dorothea didn't sound concerned, and that alone made Hiccup's own shoulders slump in relief. Or maybe disappointment.
His head turned back to Toothless, who was watching the exchange with a quirked eyebrow. "And his ability to understand Norse…?"
The smile the princess gave was almost sly. "Well, I could tell you, but you can very much ask him yourself now."
"Wait – why does Hiccup get the fancy amulet, huh?" Ruffnut barged in between them, turning an accusing finger towards their leader, "what makes you so special, Hiccup Haddock?"
Phantom finally spoke up, pushing Ruffnut back a few steps with a sigh. "Hiccup here gets the amulet because he is, apparently, a prince." the last word left his mouth like it had a bad connotation there.
Astrid couldn't help but snort, and waited for Hiccup's typical response to that title, which came with an over dramatic sigh. "Oh, Odin, please don't call me that. I'm the chief's son. That's it." He shook his head.
"The Royal Amulet is to stay in the possession of those with royal blood." Dora answered the question in a tone that left no room for argument. "As far as I'm concerned, Prince Haddock and his dragon are the only ones allowed to use it."
"Hey!" Snotlout piped up then, and this time Astrid groaned as he began his typical response to this very typical topic, "I'm Hiccup's cousin, y'know! I've got some royal blood in me, why not let Hookfang have it?!"
He puffed out his chest with all the audacity of an heir. Hiccup joined Astrid in groaning.
"Didn't you just say you'd rather die than use ghost magic, Snotlout?" he pinched the bridge of his nose, and Toothless looked like he wanted to laugh.
Snotlout scoffed nervously, crossing his arms over his chest "...people can change their minds, Hiccup." He eyed Dorothea nervously, who was watching the exchange with little interest.
No one really believed him, and so they turned their attention back to Dorothea. She looked to the moon, apparently having chosen to ignore Snotlout. "Ah. I should be heading off." She announced, turning to Phantom, who was probably explaining the situation to the non-Norse-speaking company.
The ghost boy turned with a rather melancholy face. "Ah, sure. Do you need an escort?"
"I'm assuming you've given me permission to pass through?" Dora cocked her head to the side, and when Phantom's gaze darted to the side in a perplexed manner, she giggled and shook her head like the response was expected.
"You needn't worry. You'll learn soon enough." She spoke, and the ghost boy's cheeks flushed green with a guilty smile.
"It was nice seeing you, Dora." he said, holding out a gloved hand. The princess nodded as well, placing hers on top of his.
The two ghosts shook hands (not forearms, which was weird), and Hiccup promptly bowed to Dora.
"Thank you," He said, and she acknowledged it with a head nod.
She seemed to study him for a split second – something that Astrid felt a little weird about in a way that she couldn't quite place. It was over before she could. "It's been my pleasure, Prince Haddock." Dorothea spoke, and with that she vanished into thin air.
Phantom seemed to trail her for a bit – how he knew where she was, Astrid hadn't the slightest clue – but it was Sam's movements that drew her attention.
Astrid still didn't know much about the girl. She had a thing for black and purple and seemed to be rather dreary, but right then her eyes could have been stars. She circled Toothless and Hiccup like a vulture, speaking seemingly to herself before coming to a stop in front of them. She pointed at Toothless and finished whatever she said with a smile. The night fury only gave an awkward look to her, to which she sighed and turned to Phantom expectedly.
The ghost boy must have lost Dorothea, because he turned and with a monotone said, "she says Toothless would make an elite goth."
Is that what she called herself?
Hiccup chuckled nervously, glancing over his dragon's clothes. "Ah, well. Black scales, black clothes, I suppose."
Toothless seemed to realize his outfit then, he began picking at his sleeves in interest. Astrid almost laughed at the sight. Instead, she gave her spinning mind a break to look to Phantom (which, admittedly, still wasn't much better).
"Now that extra seat will fit all of your dragons," the ghost smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Mission accomplished! Let's get you guys out of here."
And like the pull of a trigger, Astrid's mood switched again. "And you'll be taking us where, exactly?"
Phantom did not dismiss this, floating a few inches away from her before he answered. "Sam's offered you guys her place. It's pretty private."
Skepticism took root in her mind once more. Private did not mean safe. That wording was undoubtedly on purpose.
"What's the catch?" She asked.
Phantom pressed his lips together, "Ah…it's not exactly a catch, more than it is a fact. It's in the city." He admitted, and then quickly continued, "but, you guys would each get a bed and a roof over your head!"
They'd each get a bed?
"How big is this house?" Astrid felt her eyes narrow as her gaze fell to Sam, who had her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the interaction.
"It's…not small. She's in a ritzy part of town." Phantom made that sound like a bad thing as he rubbed the back of his neck. He cupped his other hand over his mouth, "she comes from old money," he stage-whispered, and apparently Sam didn't need to understand what he said in order to punch him.
He shrieked, jumping in the air slightly before rubbing at his arm. Sam sent him a glower that he returned rather playfully before turning back to the vikings. An indignant "It's true!" fell from his lips, making him sound like a child, which once again did not settle Astrid's nerves.
"I'm not sure we could afford to stay at a place like that." Hiccup ran his hands through his hair anxiously as he glanced at Toothless, who was now grasping the royal amulet in his hands, tilting to study it in the spotted moonlight flitting through the leaves.
Astrid swallowed at the reminder of how little silver they had left, but amazingly, suspiciously, Phantom shook his head earnestly. "No cost. Consider it a favor between friends."
'Friends' was a strong word. But then again, so was 'enemy', and he wasn't exactly that, either. Merely a liar, and she could sniff out most liars.
Turning to Stormfly, who was now preening herself, Astrid sighed.
Once again, they didn't have a choice.
She turned to find Hiccup looking at her, and tentatively she shrugged.
The dragon whisperer took a moment to take in the rest of the dragon rider's opinions, and to Astrid's surprise even Snotlout didn't seem opposed. Hiccup turned to Phantom with a small nod. "Then, between friends, I guess we'll take you up on that."
Packing up took very little time. It was arguable to say they'd never unpacked in the first place. They'd merely put out the fire and began trudging in the direction Phantom's companions had come from.
They took care to keep sticks out of Toothless' newly-bipedal way, though that did not do much to draw the attention from him.
"This is freaky, right?" She eventually blurted, keeping in mind her volume. She caught Toothless' somewhat aghast face. "No offense."
He scrunched his nose like he wanted to mimic her, and it was such a damn human response that it actually drew a snort out of her. Hiccup huffed in a similar manner, kicking a stone off the path. "You've gotta admit, Bud. It's a little freaky."
"It's a lot freaky." Fishlegs said before letting out a surprised squeak as Meatlug began scaling his tunic. "Meatlug, that tickles!"
The gronkle let out some squeaks of her own as she used her rider's collarbone to pull herself up onto his shoulder. She turned and nestled into his neck, nose twitching like a rabbit's.
Fishlegs seemed to pipe up suddenly, "Oh! That ghost lady was right! We can ask questions now – Hiccup, the book of dragons could be so much more accurate than it already is! And the Dragon Eye –"
"Maybe let's give Toothless a few hours before we start bombarding him?" Hiccup interrupted his friend rather nervously at the mention of the artifact, glancing at the future group pointedly.
Pursing his lips, Fishlegs took the hint.
Y'all have heard of the Dragon Whisperer, now get ready for the Dragon Babysitter. Think of it as an internship before Toothless gets promoted to Alpha.
As for Toothless' role from here on out, it's really not changing much. He's already so expressive that I don't feel he needs to talk in this. He's just a comforting presence at Hiccup's side. Just a lil' guy! he smile at you!
If you wanna see what he looks like, feel free to check out my tumblr! It's the same user as here!
Also. Sam is canonically a top-1-percenter. Fucking criminally underrated. I'm taking full advantage of that from here on out.
"You know how, like, some people say A-okay? Yes? B-suicidal." user "ceneparis" on tiktok
until next time, my lovelies :)
~Local Dragon Haunt