Chapter 10: Happy Snoggletog

Now Winter came where nights were so cold you'll get frostbite on your spleen and so Berk's annual winter holiday wasn't far behind.

The sea churns in front of Berk at night, the waves white-capped, and yet not so much as Berk itself, covered in a fine blanket of pure snow. Snow banks are shoved up against halls, and roofs creak under the weight of white mounds, ice running up and down the paths in pale blue sheets.

We call it. . . Snoggletog. Why we chose such a stupid name remains a mystery. But with the Dragon War over. . .

In his bedroom, Hiccup sleeps curled tightly under his blanket. The room is dark, but becomes infinitesimally lighter when the window swings open, allowing the glow of the moon and stars to spill inside.

Such shine is blotted out by the head of a Night Fury, vibrant green eyes peering into the room.

And you have the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death for a friend. . .

Outside of the Haddock house, Toothless is hanging from Hiccup's bedroom window with his paws wrapped around the sill. His wings and hindlegs dangle in the air, and he scrambles with his back legs for purchase, but remains dangling.

Promises a Snoggletog to be remembered for the rest of life.

The dragon chuffs once. Inside, Hiccup's forehead crinkles and he rolls over. Toothless huffs, cooing now. Hiccup's left eye opens, taking in the Night Fury head in the window before he closes it again and hoists the blanket over his face.

Toothless growls. Hiccup doesn't move under the blanket. The Night Fury starts battling the side of the house anew, trying to dig his hind paws into the wall to climb higher.

Hiccup shoots up in a discombobulated manner, throwing the blanket off of him and hissing. "Claws, claws!"

Toothless makes a noncommittal sound, still hanging from the window, but stops scraping his paws against the shingles. He chuffs again. Hiccup sighs, rubbing his eyes with one hand while his other hand gropes outward, landing on the helmet on his bedpost and grabbing it. "Okay, okay. I'm comin'."

Hiccup creeps slowly down the stairs, yawning into the dark. The hearth glows with hot embers, the fire long burnt out, and Hiccup pauses. He walks over to the corner, his limp not so pronounced, and gathers a few chopped logs. Yawning again, Hiccup kneels down and sets the logs atop the embers, taking a fire poker and stoking the heat to a tiny flame.

Stoick's thundering snores echo under his bedroom door and out into the main room, and Hiccup lingers a moment in front of the growing fire before he takes a black cloak from a hook on the wall, stepping out into the frigid dark. It is not yet dawn, the morning hours away.

Toothless appears on the roof, crawling over the top and peering down at Hiccup with a gummy grin.

Hiccup looks up at him, rubbing his eyes again and whispering. "Well, good morning, Mr. Bossy!"

Toothless chuckles at Hiccup, an echoing warble, and Hiccup imitates him, chattering right back, his breath exiting in a white cloud. "You can't be on the roof, bud. And do you always have to wake me up so early to go flyING–" Hiccup's left foot suddenly slips on a patch of ice, sliding forward from under him, and Hiccup careens down.

Toothless' head catches him in the chest and Hiccup grabs hold, grunting. When Toothless stands, he briefly lifts Hiccup off the ground, settling him back away from the patch of ice.

Hiccup glares down at the ground, kicking the snow. Hiccup steps back and Toothless coos in concern. "Oh, thanks buddy, I'm okay. Yeah, we– we can go flying now."

Toothless grumbles happily, burping into Hiccup's face. It takes a second for the white cloud to hit Hiccup, but when it does he recoils, covering his nose and swatting at the air. "Eww, eww, what?! Eww! Argh! Toothless."

Hiccup and the Night Fury come spiraling up through a sea of clouds, the great peak of a jagged mountain behind them. The midnight-dark early morning spans all around them, and Hiccup's dark cloak fights to tear away.

Hiccup leans to either side in a frost-bitten leather saddle, tethered in by hooks. Hiccup smiles in excitement. "Come on! Let's see what you've got today!" he says to Toothless.

Hiccup and Toothless enact a sharp turn and dive, falling steeply down the side of the snowy cliff-face. "WHOOO–HOOO!"

Toothless' wings shoot out, and he roars as they pull up over the pale sea, littered with sea stacks. "Yeah!"

Hiccup looks down at Toothless as the dragon flaps his black wings. "Okay, you ready?"

Toothless warbles as Hiccup unhooks his legs from the pedals. The tailfin snaps closed, limp.

Hiccup leaps up to standing on Toothless' back, and the Fury's eyes go slitted in anxiousness. Hiccup holds out an arm for balance. "Easy. . ."

Two sea stacks loom ahead, fast approaching with the Night Fury's speed. The two are bridged by a thin landing of grassy stone, dusted with snow.

Hiccup bends his knees as they come upon it, and Toothless throws him as Hiccup leaps, hurling him over the stone bridge while Toothless continues under it.

Hiccup grins, a bit of fear taking his eyes– but then he starts to fall and lands on his belly on Toothless' back, grunting and shoving his feet back into the pedal. They connect with a click, and the tailfin shoots back out to its taunt state, mirroring the one of flesh. The duo fly strong over the sea, Berk sleeping in the background. "Yes! Finally!"

Gojira then appears in the surf of the ocean, the winter cold appearing to not be bothering him one bit. He growls a warm greeting to the Dragon-Rider duo. "Good morning, Goji!" Hiccup calls to the swimming Saurian and Toothless mimics him. Gojira roars back before he propels himself upward in the air like a whale breaching and splashes back down.

Hiccup and Toothless laugh in amusement as they steer up away from the splash.

Back in Berk, the sun has risen, and a great, wooden painted tree stands erected in the middle of the village, being decorated by surrounding Vikings. Viking Children cry out in happiness and joy. "Snoggletog!"

"It's Snoggletog time!"

"Snoggletog!"

Stoick stands in amongst all the commotion, handing out orders. Astrid clings to a green plank about halfway up the tree, Tuffnut attached to a darker bit of lumber a few feet away. Between them they hoist a shield, and Fishlegs stands on the ground, holding out his thumb and turning it upwards and sideways, contemplating. "Hmm, hmm. Interesting. A little to the left."

Astrid tosses her bangs out of her eyes, working with Tuffnut to edge the shield leftward. "Here?"

Fishlegs frowns. "Hmm. A little to the right?"

Astrid rolls her eyes, holding tight to the tree with three limbs and using the other to push the shield in Tuffnut's direction.

Fishlegs hums again and shakes his head. "Hmm. A little to the—"

Astrid glares down at the Ingerman and snaps, "Fishlegs!"

Fishlegs recoils. "Sorry, sorry! There's good!" he relented.

Astrid nods, drawing some nails out of her pocket while Tuffnut produces a hammer. Astrid narrows her eyes. "Let's switch."

Tuffnut scowls. "Aw, why can't I be the one with the hammer?" Astrid just looks at him.

Hiccup comes tearing into the street, sidestepping Vikings carrying barrels of mead and darting around Sven herding his prized sheep.

"Oh! Hey!" Vikings cry out as Hiccup moves through them. "Oi, watch where you're goin'."

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup waves his hand dismissively and apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, hi, excuse me."

Astrid drives her hammer into a nail poised between Tuffnut's fingers, but Hiccup's apologies in the background float up to her ears, and she pauses, looking down at the street. The Chief spots his son, calling out to him in surprise. "Hiccup! What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be–"

Hiccup waves his hand, not pausing his run or slowing down. "Hi, good morning, on my way right now!"

Stoick places his hands on his hips. "Son, you can't be late for—"

Hiccup interrupts him with a rush of words that sound a lot like, "Sorrydadcan'ttalkgottago!"

Astrid frowns, watching Hiccup run around more Vikings and race off in the direction of the forge. She swings the hammer again, leaning to watch Hiccup go—and the hammer lands on Tuffnut's wrist. "OW!"

Tuffnut slips, letting go of both the nail and his grip around the plank, falling from about mid-way up the tree all the way to the ground, landing on his back with a solid 'oomph'. Ruffnut comes racing around the base of the green-wood tree, gaping at her brother and then up at Astrid. "Woah, what did you do? Do it again!" she said with an eager grin.

Tuffnut moans in pain. "Uerghhhhh..."

Astrid blinks, looking down as if she's just noticed that Tuffnut fell. "Sorry, Tuffnut."

Tuffnut weakly hold up a thumb. "Ehhhh..."

Hiccup comes running into the forge, past Gobber who leans over an anvil with a thick hammer screwed into his hand-stump. The man narrows his eyes at his apprentice as he grabs for the apron hung on a back hook.

Hiccup grimaces. "Sorry, sorry, I overslept. It won't happen again."

Gobber rolls his eyes. "And yet I heard that one tha last time."

"Yeah, I–" Hiccup cuts off with a yawn, wiping harshly at his eyes with his left shoulder as he knots the ties of his apron behind him.

Gobber frowns, turning away from the anvil. "You sure you've been over-sleepin, laddie? You don't look like you're getting much of it, let alone too much."

Hiccup rose an eyebrow before thinking of an reply. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah. I was just up late, you know...drawing, reading..."

Gobber lifts an eyebrow, unamused. "Oh, were ya?" he asks. "Reading—I'm always tellin' ya, Hiccup, the only book you need is the Book o' Dragons. Put the others down and get some actual sleep. You're no use to me if you shut yer eyes at the sharpening wheel and put a chink in another sword."

Hiccup waves him off. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Gobber turns around, dropping a tall stack of yellowed parchment on the table in front of Hiccup.

Hiccup blinks. "Yikes. Big agenda. Hello, Snoggletog Shopping week!"

And the stall rings with the clanging of metal. Hiccup rushes back and forth, carrying the shafts of axes, wearing thick mitts as he holds tongs that grasp a cup of molten steel, pouring the molds for swords axe heads and using a different tool to pull hot steel to shape the spikes on a mace. He tugs leather, winding it tightly around the pommel of a sword, and delicately sets a ruby gemstone in the cross guard, peering through a glass that magnifies the sight and moving so slowly that it seems to take hours.

Hiccup meticulously winds bits of chain together to make a tunic of mail, and carries a box full of fresh arrows across the forge, stopping to watch as a group of Vikings walk by with ruined weapons, dropping them through a back window into Gobber's barrow for repairs. Hiccup sighs, continuing with his arrows.

Eventually, Hiccup looks out the window as he works the grinding wheel, sharpening an axe. While taking a bent sword from a Viking, he leans out the window, bracing on the counter of the stall to glance up at the position of the sky. When, sometime later, he is returned to the now-much-longer hauberk.

Gobber finally sighs, setting down his own work dramatically and asking across the forge, "You got somewhere to be, laddie?"

Hiccup's leg stops bouncing and he looks up, surprised. "What? No, no. Nowhere, nowhere to...be..." He thinks of Toothless and Gojira waiting for him with Stormfly, Sharpshot and the other dragons in the Cove.

Gobber smirks. "Got some lady friend waitin' on ya?"

Hiccup deadpans, "No." he replied stiffly.

Gobber chuckles back in amusement. "Ah, I'm just teasin'. Go take yer break–"

Hiccup races past him, tossing his apron on a nearby table as he tears out the door. "ThanksGobberbyeGobber!"

Gobber rolls his eyes, turning back to the bow he was re-stringing. "Yeah, yeah. Go take a nap!"

Two Hours later. . .

Hiccup sits back on Toothless, soaring across the sky. "Woooo-Hoooo!"

On Dragon Island, a single female Nadder stands up from her rest and takes flight. Her spot of leisure was located in one of the topmost caves of the volcano, and when she steps out into the air and beats her wings, her flight carries her over the heads of almost every other dragon on the isle. And with her flight their pupils turn to needles, and they follow her, a great flocking mass leaving the shores of Dragon Island.

Hiccup and Toothless spin through the sky. The surrounding world is all ocean, no sea stacks or land in sight now that the sun has risen and the duo might be seen. Hiccup grins down at Toothless as they pass through a cloud, the dragon growling happily up at him. "What do you say, bud? Wanna go again?"

Hiccup looks ahead–"Woah!"–into the mass of dragons from the nest, barreling right for the pair. It is a stampede of dragons, and they growl at the shock of a new arrival from the opposing direction, fighting to pull up to avoid collision. Hiccup ducks his head, flush with Toothless' back. "Woahhhhhhh!"

The two break into a mostly clear spot, and Hiccup leans forward, staring at the horde under them. A Nadder cuts by, just narrowly missing Hiccup– but its wing does not miss his helmet, striking the metal with a solid cling.

Hiccup reaches up to his head. "Oh, no! My helmet!" he exclaimed, turning around.

The helmet spirals down amidst tens of flying dragons, headed for the sea. Toothless' head turns sharply, his eyes following the helmet down. He roars and dives, surprising Hiccup. "Woaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

They flip in the air, a black streak cutting through the vibrant color of all the dragons. "Toothless! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

The helmet falls just out of reach, Toothless diving still. Hiccup grips his saddle, pulling up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait...Toothless!"

Toothless glances back, making a low noise of surprise. "Stop."

Toothless' wings shoot out, stopping the pair just above the sea. The helmet is already gone. "We'll get it later, Bud." He looks up to the flock of dragons flying overhead. "Right now, we need to get back and find out what's goin' on."

Toothless shakes his head, listening, but he keeps his eyes on the ocean. Hiccup tugs up, and Toothless glances at him, roaring in agreement and finally pulling to fly back. Toothless puts on speed, and the Nest looms ahead, a dark mountain scraping the sky. The mist is all vanished, the horrible fog of Helheim's gate gone from the sea. Hiccup leads Toothless with some difficulty through the sea stacks, as Changewings and Terrible Terrors keep leaping from hidden crags and caves to join the departing flock.

The pebbled shore appears and Toothless sets down, Hiccup immediately leaping off of his back. The island is deserted, only a few dragons still remaining, and even those unfurl their wings and take to the sky. Hiccup runs forward, his hand outstretched for the nearest dragons. "Hey, wait! Where is everyone going?"

The dragons squawk at him, lifting off the shore and flying over his head, out over the sea. Hiccup drops his hand. "Guys?"

Toothless walks up and down a spot on the shore, a familiar Nadder flapping just above him. In the sky behind her waits an also familiar red Monstrous Nightmare, but he takes off, tired of waiting. Hiccup furrows his brows as Stormfly hovers over Toothless, growling encouragingly. Toothless stands up on his hind legs, paws batting as if to reach her. . . but that is all.

Toothless makes growling sounds back, and the Nadder turns away, flapping off. Toothless lands, watching her fly towards the mass of all the others.

Hiccup steps forward slowly, watching the Night Fury contemplatively.

Back in the forge, Hiccup sits hunched over his notebook, sketching with a piece of charcoal.

Gobber flits around, hanging up tools and carrying finished swords to a pile, closing down for the day, but he pauses to glance in Hiccup's direction. "Hiccup..."

Hiccup doesn't really take notice. "Hmm?"

Gobber frowns. "Whaddya doin'?"

This time Hiccup blinks into reality, lifting his head to his mentor with wide eyes. "Uh, drawing."

"I can see that, lad." Gobber remarked before humming "Mhm. You wouldn't happen to be sketching a new invention, would ya?"

Hiccup stammers a response. "Uh, I don't know...why you–"

"Because if you were, I could perhaps not tell yer father, and if it has nothing to do with taking down dragons like the last one." Gobber said.

Hiccup gathers his wits, straightening up and returning with much more composure–an almost believable amount. "I'm not sketching a new invention." he replied. "Besides, I won't be building anything like that again."

Gobber's comically-high raised eyebrow does not fall. "I'm not, Gobber." Hiccup says defensively.

Gobber holds up his hands–wood and true–in defeat. "Alright, lad. Whatever you say."

Hiccup leans back over his drawing, clutching it protectively closer. Gobber turns to the window. "Astrid! What can I do for ya?"

Hiccup's head shoots up, whipping over to where Gobber stands at the stall window, speaking to Astrid Hofferson. He jumps out of his chair, slamming his notebook shut and pushing it into his vest pocket.

Astrid waves at the blacksmith. "Hey, Gobber. I know you're probably pretty busy, but I just wanted to drop this off." she holds up an axe. "It needs sharpened."

Gobber raised an eyebrow. "Your axe again?" he asked, but even he saw that it didn't look like hers.

Astrid shook her head. "It's my aunt's." she clarified before trying to look past Gobber. "Uh. . . Is Hiccup in?"

Gobber's grin threatens to split his face, and he turns around, making very suggestive eyes at his apprentice. Hiccup had been standing frozen, but upon seeing Gobber's face, clears his throat and rushes forward. "I'm here. Hi, Astrid," he greeted as casual as he could.

Astrid blinks in surprise before smiling slightly. "Oh, hi, Hiccup. Uh, my dad thought since you did a good job with my axe that maybe you could fix up my aunt's."

Hiccup stares, but Gobber claps him on the shoulder, accidentally shoving the boy into the stall stomach first. "Well, of course he can! Please, come in, come in Astrid!" the blacksmith says cheerfully.

Astrid smiles, rounding the stall and making for the entrance. Hiccup glares up at the smith, hissing. "Gobber!" Both for the shove and for being put in the spotlight.

Gobber beams down at him. "What? You wouldn't want me to turn down a customer, would you? That's bad for business, ya know." he said in a 'scolding' tone.

Astrid strides into the forge, and Gobber awkwardly raises his voice to shouting. "So I'll be off now to pick up those nails, Hiccup! I trust you as man of the forge while I am gone."

Hiccup rolls his eyes. "Right, yeah." He glares at his mentor out of Astrid's sight. "Bye, Gobber."

Gobber walks out the door, spinning around as soon as he is past Astrid and shooting Hiccup a thumbs up.

Hiccup glares until he's gone, and then sighs. "Alright, let's see it."

Astrid steps forward, smiling politely, if a bit awkwardly, and hands the axe to Hiccup. Hiccup takes it with two hands this time, and thus is much better able to not completely drop it. He nods. "Ah! Much less mutilated than the last Hofferson axe I held." he remarks. "Good to see."

As Hiccup moves to the grinding wheel, Astrid rolls her eyes and snorts. "Hah. I was...upset that day."

With his back to her, Hiccup swallows as he sits down before the wheel. "Yeah. I bet."

He starts working the grinding wheel with his left foot, and Astrid muses. "Yeah. I might have even killed a Nightmare in that raid a few days ago–"

Hiccup mutters, "Wasn't a raid."

Astrid hears but continues, "–but I got distracted. Following you, after you ran off."

Hiccup leans close to take in a spot on the axe, sparks flying "I didn't run off. I took a different route to the Hall." he replied.

Astrid tilts her head. "Did you?" she asked. "You didn't show up for hours."

Hiccup eases back, nonchalantly commenting, "What, were you waiting for me?"

Astrid blinks, then stammers, dropping her crossed arms. "I. . . uh– what? No." He smirks a little, knowing that she wouldn't respond to Snotlout like that.

She watches Hiccup's back as he works the axe on the wheel. "So, where were you?"

He almost replies with what he had planned to say that day. "Outhou. . . out." Hiccup's eyes widen, and he switches. "Out. You know, defending the sheep pens, watching over the yaks. All that."

Astrid nods slowly. "Oh."

Hiccup looks skyward, silently berating himself. He looks back to the axe and inspects his handiwork. Hiccup nods in satisfaction, and he stands up with the sharpened axe and gives it to Astrid.

She hefts the axe. "Thanks for this." she said in a grateful tone. "My mom said to please put it on my father's tab."

"Will do." Hiccup watches her go, only deflating after Astrid disappears.

It is dark in the cove, during some undeterminable time between night and dawn. Toothless lies still on a burnt patch of grass, but then opens his eyes, licking his jaws and swinging his tail out from under him. The Night Fury stands, shaking out his wings and frills, blinking to clear his eyes, and then starts walking toward a conveniently placed boulder that a certain Gronckle might have dropped.

Gojira opened his jaws in a yawn and stretches his dorsal spines out before walking over to where Toothless was walking.

Toothless scrambles atop the boulder, stretching up to reach an overhang from which he might escape the cove, "Toothless. C'mere bud."

Toothless roars in shock, slipping off the wall and throwing out his wings to land soft on the grass. Gojira turned his head in surprise.

Hiccup's voice came from across the cove, where the boy kneels in the grass beside a burnt out torch, hunched over something. Toothless roars again, racing over on all fours, stopping just short of Hiccup and bumping the boy with his head. "Yeah, yeah, I woke up early. Check this out."

Gojira tilts his head as Toothless looks down. Laid out before Hiccup is a closed tailfin, different from the patchwork one. The leather is not quite black, but nearer to it than the first of leather, and certainly nearer than the patchwork fin.

Stoick places his hands on his knees, peering closer. If Hiccup had grabbed the supplies left by the Hofferson lass once the festival begun...it still seemed impossible that he might have completed an entirely new fin before Stoick believed him to be in bed.

Toothless leans down and sniffs it.

"Whaddya think of that? Yeah." Hiccup stands, bringing the fin with him and circles around to Toothless' tail. Toothless warbles, following Hiccup as he goes, leaving the boy to try chasing the limb. Hiccup laughs. "Would you just settle down? Toothless! Come on, Bud, let me get this on you."

Hiccup sets down, grabbing Toothless' tail and climbing atop it, dragging the fake fin to line up with the real one. Toothless looks back at him, warbling. Hiccup works the straps. "Yeah. . . You are. . . going to love this."

Hiccup clicks a piece of metal in place, revealing a complex mechanism under his hands composed of rings, nails, and spoked wheels, one of which seems to cling to the true flesh fin. "Okay."

He pats Toothless' tail, signaling that he is good to go. Toothless pulls it free, holding it up behind him for inspection– and then growls, which turns to a snarl as he begins to whip his tail around, decidedly unenthused by the new fin attached to his tail.

Toothless roars, spinning around with his tail hoisted awkwardly in the air, ripping the limb about as if he can fling off the new fin.

"No, no, no, Toothless, stop, please wait–!" Hiccup ducks to avoid Toothless' frenzied thrashing, holding out his hands to placate the dragon. "Toothless, please!"

Toothless whips his tail anew, a fresh growl between his fangs– and the new tailfin pops out. Toothless' growl cuts off, his pupils dilating. He holds up the fin. Made of dark leather, it is perhaps just a shade off from the true one, and the wheels clink as they work with the true fin to push out the false one, making the two act as though they take order from the same brain. "Ah. There you go. See?"

Gojira looked on in shock. Hiccup had created a tailfin that would operate without him. He created a replacement for the one Toothless had lost.

Toothless holds the tail out in front of him, shocked. The dragon flexes his true fin in and out, watching as the false one pulls in and unfurls to match it, no intervention of Hiccup required. "Got it?"

Toothless could not follow the others wherever they went, Gojira realized and Hiccup could not leave Berk. . . So he removed himself. He invented new flight for the Night Fury.

Toothless' pupils shrink and elongate, slits. He slowly turns his head around to stare at Hiccup, who smiles anxiously. The Night Fury gazes at him, and Hiccup's smile slips, the boy reaching out his hands, "Toothless. . . " And the Fury recoils, turning sharply, his right wing flinging over Hiccup as he does and forcing him to duck. "Woah!" Toothless leaps into the air.

Hiccup drops his hands, blinking in surprise, and then turns to see Toothless. The dragon roars, soaring high into the world, away from the cove, from Hiccup. Hiccup stands utterly still, watching the shadow of Toothless disappear into the night-black sky. His shoulders fall, and he breathes out.

Gojira calls out after the Night Fury before looking down at Hiccup.

For three days, Hiccup waited. Waited for Toothless first in the cove before waiting for his draconian friend to rattle the roof every morning. But on the third morning, Stoick asked for his helmet.

"I do not know right where it is." Hiccup declared, now in a rowboat at sea where he estimated the helmet fell into.

He tilts his head at Gojira's face as the Saurian swims beside him. "Chances I could forge a lookalike?" Then he shakes his head, rowing harder. "No, no."

Seawater splashes over the boat again, Hiccup's rowing is remarkably slower. He blows out a stream of air, pushing hard against the strength of the sea. It is hours later, and Hiccup leans over the wall of the small skiff, scanning the sea. Gojira looks around as well, not knowing what they are looking for but doing it anyway.

They both glances up–and sees in the distance the outline of a jagged sea stack, dark against the pale winter sky. Helheim's Gate.

Hiccup frowns, pausing in his rowing—and then thrusts his oars straight into the sea, turning.

Some time later, the hull of the rowboat rides up on the pebbled shore of Dragon Island, shoving gray rocks aside. The isle is barren of the buzzing ambiance of dragons, of roars or wings of fire. Hiccup leaps out onto the shore, rolling his arms to shake the stress of rowing. He takes in the emptiness and his shoulders slowly fall. Hiccup holds his arms to himself, swallowing for the sight of the desolate island.

Suddenly, Hiccup shakes his head. "So stupid." Gojira frowns down at him

He spins around, immediately dropping to shove his little boat back into the sea, berating himself under his breath as he does. "–time it took to come out here–" A thunderous roar rattles the wind in the distance. Hiccup and Gojira both whirl around.

Hiccup holds his breath, his eyes leaping all around, traversing every inch of the rocky land. The wind steels by in a soft whistle, a gentle whine. But Hiccup is not dissuaded by the silence. He yanks his boat back onto the shore, turning to venture out across the rocks. Hiccup only has eyes for the world above, scanning every crag and high corner of the volcano.

Gojira sniffs the air before shaking his head in the direction of the mountain.

Hiccup makes good time, walking near the great, gaping whole where the Dragon Queen came tearing through the mountain. Hiccup cups a hand around his mouth. "Hello?"

A second roar fills the air, so terrifyingly great and near that Hiccup ducks into a ball, throwing his arms over his head.

He peeks out into the world, the echoes of that roar still living in the walls of that fresh made tunnel. The tunnel forged by the Queen.

Hiccup's arms fall, his eyes widening, and he takes off unthinkingly towards the tunnel.

When the pebbled shore turns to black, fallen boulders, Hiccup is undeterred, climbing up and across them like a small child. Hiccup grunts, hoisting himself over rocks until the tunnel is plain in sight, endlessly deep and dark. "Hello? Hello?"

But only silence greets him.

Hiccup frowns, soldiering on into the dark—when a low snarl rises up. He freezes.

A low rumble emits from somewhere in the dark.

Hiccup bites his lip, pausing outside the entrance to the tunnel. He looks back, his little rowboat rocking gently, one end in the sea. Then, Hiccup takes a breath and steps into the tunnel. He walks in the darkness, blinking, and his eyes slowly adjust— "WOAH!"

A low shriek splits the air, a long maw splitting to reveal teeth that catch in the faint outside light as a dragon screams. Hiccup scrambles back, falling onto his backside, which is enough to save him from most of the blast. The concussive, solid air still strikes him where he falls, catching the boy in the shoulder, and Hiccup is flung backwards, flying low, but not low enough to miss the opposite wall.

Gojira shouts in surprise.

Hiccup cries out as his back strikes the opposite side of the tunnel, but he falls only two feet before he hits the rocky ground anew.

Across from Hiccup, shrouded in the dim, is a blue Thunderdrum. The dragon is outfitted with a tunnel-like throat and a row of thin, razor-sharp teeth tallying near a hundred.

Hiccup glances up slowly from the ground, bracing himself on one arm. The Thunderdrum snarls lowly, watching him with yellow eyes and black, slitted pupils. A large boulder pins the dragon to the earth by his right wing, though it in no way inhibits the Thunderdrum's scream. "Oh. I see."

Hiccup groans softly, unsteadily rising from the ground. The Thunderdrum growls, splitting its jaws again, Hiccup's hands fly out, palms up, placating. "Hey, hey, hey. Shh."

The dragon snarls, jaws meeting slightly, closing a little. "Are you stuck?" Hiccup takes a hesitant step forward. The dragon eyes him warily. "That's why you're here, huh? You couldn't follow the others. Just like..."

Hiccup trails off, taking another hesitant step. The Thunderdrum opens its mouth, "Shh." Hiccup says softly. He does not cease walking. The dragon watches his open hands, his slow approach, and gradually hides his fangs anew.

"I bet you and me can do something about that boulder. What do you say, huh?" Hiccup is almost there now, and the Thunderdrum blinks at him, edging backward but not roaring. Hiccup smiles gently. "I know, I look pretty small, but I think we can work this out, don't you?"

And finally, Hiccup's hand hovers just above the Thunderdrum's snout. Those jaws part again, that row of so many teeth flashing into view. Hiccup only stands, holding the dragon's eyes. A low snarl rolls off the dragon's tongue, but Hiccup stands unmoved.

The growl dies. The two stand in silence. Hiccup's hand hovers, but does not shake. A blue nose presses into Hiccup's palm.

Hiccup grins. "There we go. Hey, big fella." Hiccup runs his hand along the dragon's scales as he inches over to the injured wing, stooping down to inspect the rock. "Let's take a look at this, shall we?"

The Thunderdrum whines as Hiccup takes in the boulder, completely pinning one end of the wing to the ground. Hiccup frowns, tilting his head, his eyes darting back and forth absent-mindedly as he ponders.

Hiccup suddenly stands, racing past the Thunderdrum and out of the tunnel.

The beast roars.

"One second!" Hiccup calls back.

The Thunderdrum dips its snout mournfully back into the black dust and dirt, growling sadly. The sound echoes through the emptiness of the tunnel, now barren of any helpful little humans. Gojira growls to the dragon reassuringly before he glances out the tunnel.

Suddenly, sounds of struggle and harsh breathing float near, and the Thunderdrum turns its yellow eyes to the entrance.

Hiccup's back appears, the boy dragging a thick and jagged log across the earth, maneuvering it over the rocks.

The Thunderdrum snarls in surprise, and Hiccup stoops low to move the piece of knotted, twisting wood. He drags it before the Thunderdrum and the boulder, the dragon blinking quizzically. Hiccup blows out a breath, hands on his hips. "There."

He positions the log against the boulder and then rounds it, placing his hands against the back of the rock.

"Okay, this might hurt. . . but trust me." And Hiccup shoves his full weight against it, using the back wall as leverage. The boulder does not shift, not at all but the Thunderdrum still roars in surprise as Hiccup pushes, thrashing a little. The beast yanks his wing, forcing the boulder to roll a tad, nearly crushing one end of the log, the other end shooting up into the air. The dragon screams a snarl of shock, "Wait, wait, wait! That's perfect!"

The dragon pauses as Hiccup races around to the front. The opposite end of the log, reaching for the sky, is perhaps eye-level with the Thunderdrum.

Hiccup gestures to the wood. "Here, you see? Simple physics. You ready?"

The Thunderdrum watches him, puzzled, as does Gojira while Hiccup leans forward, wraps his hands around the upward end of the log, and tugs down. Hiccup grunts, yanking, but the wood is not so eager to move for him. The Thunderdrum, however, tilts his head. Seeming to perhaps understand, the dragon leans forward, lifting his jaw and placing it on the log.

Hiccup yelps in surprise, pulling his hands free as the Thunderdrum shoves down, propelling the opposite end of the log upward. The boulder lifts—the Thunderdrum roaring at the release—immediately falling from the log once it is hoisted into the air, and Hiccup shouts, "Now! Now!"

The Thunderdrum snarls, shoving backward as the rock crashes back into the ground, but his wing is free. The Thunderdrum inspects the wing, lifting and unfurling it with no trouble.

His pupils shrink.

Hiccup laughs shakily, the entrance to the tunnel shining behind him. "Alright! How's–AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Thunderdrum runs forward, barreling into Hiccup. Hiccup is caught by the dragon's face, his hand clinging desperately to the dragon's nose horn to avoid falling underfoot and being trampled. "Woah! Woah! Hey!"

The Thunderdrum meets the open air and jumps, beating his wings and sailing over the rocks, taking to the open sky.

Hiccup sees the sea beneath him and clutches the snout of the Thunderdrum tighter. "Oh, gods!"

Gojira stares after them, blinking owlishly before he tilts his head. I wonder if this means that Hiccup is replacing Toothless with a Thunderdrum. . . Wait, a minute! That Thunderdrum is carrying Hiccup! He roars after them before he runs into the sea.

Hours later, the Thunderdrum glides low to the sea and amidst a veil of fog. Hiccup–now on the dragon's back–squints in the low visibility.

A sea stack juts up out of nowhere. "WOAH!" He jerks, successfully steering himself and the Thunderdrum out of the way. "Come on, boy, where are you taking me?!"

The Thunderdrum doesn't answer, continuing to flap happily around sea stacks and through fog. A dragon head appears in the gloom–one made of wood, the figurehead of a ship, right in their path. "AAH!" Hiccup yanks up, and the Thunderdrum surges upward.

Their path resumes above the clouds. Beneath the duo, the clouds end, revealing beneath is a great bay-esque island of brown-red rock, surrounded by littered boulders and a few short sea stacks, and absolutely swarming with dragons. Most remarkable, perhaps, is the water within the crescent-shaped island, for where the sea pools inside, the water takes on a lighter, almost greener shade. All around the shore, the water appears pinkish, fading to orange and then yellow, and then finally into the tealish beauty of the pool.

Gojira rose his head above the water and saw the island. He and Hiccup tilt their heads. Clearly, this place was where all the dragons had swarmed off to, but why?

The Thunderdrum dives, flying low above the water as he approaches the isle. He sets down on the rocky land, and Hiccup immediately slides down off his back, walking forward to take in the place. Gojira now came ashore and stands beside him.

Oh, the dragons are here—with new additions. Nadders, Gronckles, Zipplebacks, they all lounge or walk about, their eyes on the miniature versions of themselves—offspring. A clutch of infant Gronckles crawl all over their resting mother.

Hiccup and Gojira stand above on a rock, a slow smile of awe tugging up on his face. A Nadder walks over to a nest-like structure of rock, in which sit several squirming babies all squawking for their mothers attention.

Hiccup gasps. "You guys come here to have babies!"

The Nadder heaves in her throat, regurgitating fish, and leans down, allowing her offspring to pick the food from within her mouth. "Woah."

He glances down. On the ground beneath him is a Gronckle, their Gronckle friend, using her snout to roll several blue rocks along the earth towards a deep pool.

Hiccup hums, intrigued. "Hmm." He jumps down, sliding down the steep slope, while Gojira simply steps down, but is forced to sharply pull up as a duo of a baby Gronckle and Nadder go running through the path. He yelps but grins.

The Gronckle shoves the blue rocks into the pool where they begin streaming as they sink to the bottom. Hiccup's face appears blurred in the world above, looking in. At the bottom of the pool, the eggs split with fire-red cracks until they burst in a sea of bubbles, freeing tiny, baby Gronckles. The first baby swims quickly to the surface, paddling all four of its new, stubby legs.

Hiccup leans back as the first paws breach the surface, the wet baby climbing out. "Aww."

Two more come spilling out, all three babies crawling quickly to their mother. "Wow!"

Hiccup turns to the side, spotting one blue egg left out. It begins shaking with red-hot cracks and steaming. "Hey, look over here!"

As Hiccup approaches, he fails to notice the mother growling in shock in the background, lifting up with her wings and scrambling in the air to get away. Gojira turned and saw other dragons ducking their heads down. He tilts his head. What was that about? Hiccup leans down to grab the egg. "You missed one!"

The egg explodes.

"WOAH!" Hiccup is thrown back in a cloud of smoke along with shattered pieces of the egg. He lands flat on his back, his clothes covered in black soot. He lifts his head comically, utterly shocked. Gojira blinks. Once then twice. The baby shoots up into the air, trailed by smoke and bounces on the ground. Yellow and red, the baby stands up, stretching out with a yawn. Hiccup stares at it, sitting up.

Hiccup is silent as the baby dragons walk by him. Gojira lifts his head and sees stray eggs exploding in other nests that weren't put in water pools in time. "Man. Maybe it's a good thing you guys leave." Hiccup notes out loud. "There's been enough damage to the Nest already."

Gojira thinks for a moment and rather thinks that it is good that there is no dragon eggs on the Viking Island. Who knows what could have happened.

"Ah, Snotlout! Have you seen Hiccup by chance?" Stoick walks up in a jovial, bustling Great Hall to where the kids sit at a table, enjoying butter-glazed roasted boar–though those plates are set aside in favor of the many, many accumulated cakes.

Snotlout chokes on his food in his haste to answer his uncle, frosting smeared on his face. "No, sir." he said nervously.

Stoick frowns, looking over the heads of Vikings. Astrid bites her lip, and then sets down the cookie she was reaching for, lifting a hand. "I saw him, sir!"

Stoick looks at her in surprise. The chief is not the only one. The other teens, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout look to her in surprise and asked in unison, "You did?"

Astrid discreetly kicks the person next to her, who just happens to be Tuffnut, beneath the table.

Tuffnut makes a complaint, "Hey–" before Astrid levels him with a look of death. "—yyyyy I love this boar!" He picks up some meat from his plate.

Astrid turns to Stoick. "He had lunch in the Hall a few hours ago." That was not true. But she wasn't going to tell the Chief that.

Stoick's surprise eases. "Oh. And you haven't seen 'im since?" he asked.

Astrid blinks. "Uh...he actually mentioned something to me! About...sketching."

The other teens behold Astrid, dumbfounded. "Sketching?" Snotlout and the Twins repeat with Stoick.

Astrid nods her head at them. "Birds. He went into the woods to draw birds."

Stoick sighs. "To draw birds?" he repeats in annoyance. Why was his son choosing to draw over winter festivities?

Snotlout snorts, snickering quietly to himself. Stoick glances at his nephew, does not chastise him. Astrid jumps back in. "But he'll probably be back before the celebration." she assured.

Stoick nods, clapping his hands together. "Ah, well, thank you, lass! Happy Snoggletog."

The Teens reply in unison. "Happy Snoggletog, Chief."

Once the man is gone, the other four teens whirl on Astrid, who looks determinedly away from them and breaks her cookie into chunks, bringing one to her mouth. "Uh. . . what was that?" Ruffnut asked.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "What was what?"

Ruffnut narrows her eyes. "Since when do you notice what Hiccup is doing?

Astrid frowns. The way she'd said Hiccup's name, as if the entire idea was laughable or insulting to Astrid. "I don't." she replied indifferently.

Snotlout laughs. "Of course she doesn't! Come on, Ruffnut." he declared. "The only people who need to pay attention to Hiccup are the Vikings by the nearest potential fire hazard. That's what my dad always says."

The other kids break into laughter, which soon turns into a debate over who the last slice of a great rum-flavored cake belongs to. Astrid breaks off another piece of her cookie, frowning.

The sky is orange behind Hiccup as he wanders the island, walking past dragons with their offspring as he calls out. "Toothless? Toothless!"

Gojira walks before him, both tracking Hiccup's progress as he walks as well as calling out to their missing Night Fury friend. He turns back to Hiccup and notices his shoulders falling and a wave of sadness taking over his expression.

"Ah, Toothless, where are you?" he whispered sadly.

Gojira frowns at Hiccup's expression and roars out to call Toothless again. Where was the scaly devil? That isle was clearly where all the other dragons had gone, and both he and Hiccup had been walking it for a while.

Hiccup trudges up an incline, and after ascending spots a group of dragons lying on the rocks. The Monstrous Nightmare, Zippleback, and Nadder all open their eyes at the newcomer, and then their heads shoot up straight into the air, alert once they see Hiccup.

Hiccup gasps. "Stormfly! Sharpshot! Guys!" He jumps down, running up first to the red Monstrous Nightmare. His arms wrap around the dragon's snout and jaws, and he grins up at the beast's yellow eyes. The Nightmare gently presses its head against his chest, nudging him. Hiccup's eyes catch on something ahead and he lets go, running up to the blue Nadder next. Hiccup holds out his arms.

"Oh! You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys!" he says to Stormfly. He gently takes the Nadder's head in his hands, and smoke pours out of her nostrils as she huffs happily, grunting and nudging him.

Hiccup looks down, grinning. "And you have. . . babies ?!" Three baby Nadders squawk on the ground. Hiccup leans down to them. "Aww, look at you guys! All happy, together."

Hiccup holds out his hand for the babies' inspection, and the middle most one, a purple hatchling, snakes under his hand and bounces. Hiccup laughs, scratching her jaw with a smile. A blue baby shoves aside its purple sibling for Hiccup's attention, the first little Nadder screeching at them in return.

"Who knew you were leaving to celebrate your own sort of. . . holiday." To placate the bickering babies, Hiccup places a hand on each of them, petting.

Contemplative, he stands up, hands on his hips. "I should get back to my holiday. Yay." he says sarcastically.

Gojira and the other dragons look to him. The Saurian saw that Hiccup did not want to return to Berk, the notion soured Hiccup's mood.

The babies rush him, falling over his feet and trying to scramble up his legs for his attention. The Zippleback creeps up behind him, bumping into his back with its heads. Some of the Nightmare babies rush over to join the fun.

Hiccup sighs. "How great would it be to stay here with you guys? This is so much better than Snoggletog." Hiccup shrugs down at them before looking to their parents. "If only, right?"

Hiccup approaches Gojira, digging back up a smile and scratching the Saurian's head when he lowered down to look at him.

"So, Whaddya say there, big guy? Think you could give me a ride back to the Nest?" He asked. The Saurian nuzzles happily into Hiccup's hands, reaching his tail forward, and Hiccup easily climbs up and into place on Gojira's neck.

Gojira walks over to the ledge overlooking the sea. Hiccup looks back to Stormfly and the others. "I'll see you all back at the Nest when you're good and ready, okay, gang?" he called down.

Stormfly looks up, squawking, and takes flight. With her leap several other Nadders, Zipplebacks, and Gronckles, flapping up into the sky.

Hiccup's eyes go wide and he waves his free hand back and forth, the other clutching a spine. "Oh, no, no, no, no!" He grimaces a little and Gojira grumbles to him confusion. "I, uh. . . I think we just started the return migration."

On the ground, the baby dragons squawk up at their parents, flapping their tiny wings. The Stormfly turns in the air, roaring down at her offspring. The babies begin charging forward, towards where the rock gives away for a drop to the sea.

Hiccup nervously shrugs. "Well, if you insist!"

The babies run, reaching the edge—and jump! A little Nadder first, and then a few Nightmares leap into the air, falling down a distance but flapping their wings like mad, gradually lifting.

Hiccup watches anxiously. "Come on."

The little Nadder beats her wings—but the wind is strong, and catches each of the babies, throwing them back at the island. The small dragons fly backward, landing on the ground and tumbling head over tail, squeaking.

Hiccup shakes his head. "Ah, boy, this is never gonna work."

No, Gojira acknowledges, but better that the wind pulled 'em back up, rather than down.

Hiccup sits on the Gojira's neck, contemplative—and then decisive. "Oh, hold on!" He taps the Nightmare's neck, spurring him to move. "I've got just the idea."

The two jump into the sea and begin to swim out of sight.

Seawater laps on the shore of Dragon Island, an empty land beneath the cover of night. Gojira walks onto shore, he turns around and stares. The skies above are similarly empty, the moonlight shining on puffy clouds—Fluttering movement. Long vines of moonlight shimmer in the sky, shifting endlessly.

And suddenly, from between two clouds, the wooden figurehead of a dragon emerges, bound all over with ropes stretching up into the sky.

The movement in the sky is revealed to be a grand mass of dragons, wings all flapping in the dark, carrying the broken ship through the clouds.

Hiccup sits on the one called Stormfly's back, glancing down to keep an eye on the operation below.

The horde of dragons descend, bringing the ship low over Dragon Island where it smacks into the rocky shore, tossing pebbles high as it surges forward with the momentum of the flight. The entire back end is missing, torn asunder by either elements or old dragon battles. It rocks to a stop, and the dragons all release their ropes.

The ship is silent and unmoving. Gojira grew concerned. Did they fall out? And then the baby dragons pop out their heads or leap onto the snowy rock, little Zipplebacks and Nadders, Changewings and Gronckles.

Gojira huffs a laugh of relief and amusement. The babies hop down from the ship, flapping down to the shore where they hop about, waiting for their parents, who land quickly after them. Stormfly sets down, Hiccup jumping off her back, grinning.

The elder dragons gather up their offspring, baby Zipplebacks riding on their parents backs and Nadders chasing after their mothers, all of them darting about in search of new spots to settle. Gronckles regurgitate a new meal of fish and drool circles of lava, which their babies happily squirm within, stretching out in the warmth.

Dragons rush by Hiccup, shoving their heads under his arms or nuzzling his hair with their jaws, careful of the fangs. Hiccup laughs, holding his arms over his head for protection against tongues and ruined hair. He shivers, flinging dragon saliva off of himself, but beaming.

Dragons roar to him as they pass by, and the blue Thunderdrum comes waddling up, happily nosing into his side. "Hey, there. Thanks for the lift." Hiccup said with a smile.

The Thunderdrum only bumps him once more before walking off, and Hiccup smiles as it goes. Off to the left, a dragon squawks, and Hiccup turns to see two Nadders sniffing around his little rowboat, bobbing.

Hiccup's smile falls. "Right."

Hiccup approaches the boat, patting the Nadders on the neck as he goes, clambering over the side and into his skiff. He takes his time gathering the oars, watching babies trip over one another as they run along the shore, squeaking at him.

"Sorry, guys. I have to go." He says to them.

The babies roar mournfully, leaping back as the tide encroaches on them. Hiccup frowns, leaning up over the hull of the ship to extend his hand, which the babies rush forward to bat at with their heads. "I wish I could stay, too."

Hiccup withdraws his hand suddenly and shoves off from the shore with his oars. More babies rush to the shore to howl, some of the parents shuffling up behind them and roaring sadly. Hiccup keeps his eyes firmly on the sea behind him, rowing hard.

Gojira walks into the sea after him before he dives into the water and then his head appears below Hiccup and his boat and then the he carries both on his head. Hiccup yelped in surprise before grinning. "Thanks, Goji." he said earnestly. "Think you can get us to Berk fast enough."

Gojira replies with a roar. Challenge accepted.

The Great Hall is awash with golden light. The space is bedecked in glowing lanterns, strung from the walls and around columns, hanging from iron chains. Shields on the walls are decorated with mistletoe, and tables are laid out, positively covered in festive courses. There are baskets overflowing with pastries, platters of roasted chicken and boar, spiced venison and fish, and of course, lots and lots of ale. The typical tables and chairs have been cleared out, making room for the boisterous mingling Vikings and the children running rampant. The hearths have been stoked to present high fires, keeping the Hall safe and warm from the outside winter.

Hiccup stands leant against a column in the very back of the Hall, sipping slowly on a cup of mead. Gobber's approach is heralded by the tinkling of bells, as his missing hand has been replaced with a pole wrapped in tinkling silver bells, and his helmet boasts deer horns wrapped with mistletoe. He shuffles up to Hiccup, raising an amused eyebrow at the boy's drink. "That had better be cider, laddie."

Hiccup tries to smirk, but it is half-hearted. It was not cider. It was mead. Alcohol. But even that is not really lifting Hiccup's mood. Gobber shrugs. "Heads up, yer father's lookin' for ya."

Hiccup's eyes widen, and he quickly sets the cup on a nearby table, shoving it away from himself until it rattles into place with several other abandoned tankards.

Hiccup was in a darkened corner, and it was rather obvious that no one was paying the boy any mind.

And not a moment too soon, either, as Stoick the Vast comes striding up. "Ah, Hiccup! Where on earth have you been?"

Hiccup adopts a look of confusion. "I've been here hours, dad."

Stoick raises an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Well, what're ya doin' over here in the corner? Come n' join the party!"

Hiccup's fake smile drops. "Oh, no, yeah...it's a really great party...but I think I'm gonna head home, actually." he stated.

Stoick frowns. "What?"

Hiccup fakes a yawn. "Yeah, I'm just tired. Snoggletog Rush in the forge catchin' up to me." And that was true. The boy actually was tired, even if it had been days since the Fury roused him.

A Viking calls out from a short distance. "Chief!"

Stoick looks over, heading for the caller. He nods to Hiccup. Ah, well, I'll see you at home then!" And he is already gone before Hiccup can answer.

"Yep...see ya." he frowns.

Hiccup takes one more look around the Hall. The space is positively bustling, Vikings singing Snoggletog songs at the top of their lungs, some dancing, their drinks sloshing around as they jump. Children snicker under tables with a snatched plate of sweets, and Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs laugh rambunctiously at a far away table. Snotlout has definitely had more than a little bit of mead. The Great Hall is warm and bright, but Hiccup's little corner is a very cold place.

He pushes off from the column, heading for the doors.

"Hey, Hiccup!"

Hiccup pauses, turning towards the voice, and Astrid comes towards him, scowling. "You owe me one. Big time." she declared.

Hiccup tries to understand her but he doesn't. "Oh hey— hey. How's that?" he asked.

Astrid opened her mouth, "I—" She pauses. Hiccup looks at her, waiting. That cold presence still sticks to him, separating him from the celebrating Vikings. Hiccup's shoulders are not hunched, but there is a certain weight about him, pulling the boy nearer to the ground. He tries to smile politely for Astrid, but it does not last long, dragging his expression back to one neutral, or perhaps just sad.

Astrid stares before shaking her head. "Uh. . . Never mind. It's nothing."

Hiccup eyes her. "Really?" Astrid nods and mumbles, "Uh huh."

Hiccup crossed his arms. "You don't sound like it's 'nothing'".

The two kids stand there. Hiccup eyes the door and Astrid bites her lip, unsure what to say. Eventually, Astrid looks up. "Uh. . . Happy Snoggletog, Hiccup."

Hiccup blinks, surprised, and then smiles very small, but at least a little true. "Happy Snoggletog." he replied.

And he turns to go. Astrid watches the boy leave, Hiccup maneuvering his way through the crowd of loud Vikings, and eventually disappearing. She frowns a little.

Hiccup pushes out into the winter cold, shutting the door of the Great Hall behind him and thus closing off the spill of golden light. The Berk ahead is white and empty, spotted with snow. Hiccup rubs his arms against the cold, descending the many, many stone stairs. He steps into the street, sighing and turning for home.

A distant warble echoes on the wind.

Hiccup pauses, forehead creasing, and looks around, but there is nothing but the empty streets and the muffled sounds of Snoggletog cheer behind him.

Hiccup frowns, taking a step back towards his house. And is snatched up into the air.

"WOAHHHHHHH!" he shouts in surprise. Black forelimbs wrap around Hiccup's chest, and Toothless peers down with a gummy smile, an odd shape sticking out of his mouth.

Hiccup's head shoots up. "TOOTHLESS?!"

The dragon warbles, flapping his wings and carrying them high over Berk. Hiccup's face breaks into a brilliant smile. "Toothless!"

Toothless flies fast over the village, turning into a dive and landing softly on a high cliff swathed in snow, far from the Great Hall. He lets go of Hiccup, who scrambles out from under him, snow flying as the boy stands quick as a flash, still grinning like mad.

Toothless coos, his hind legs kicking up and down in excitement. Hiccup rushes forward suddenly, wrapping his arms around the dragon's neck.

Toothless pauses, confused but warbling warmly. Hiccup closes his eyes, clutching the Fury tighter—but then suddenly pulls away, trying and failing to pull up a scowl as he waves his finger in Toothless' face. "Bad dragon! Very bad dragon! You scared me to death."

Toothless coos nonsensically, following Hiccup's waving finger with his eyes, something hooked hanging out of his jaws. "Don't ever stay away that long again. . ." Hiccup rants before he squints, looking down as Toothless rises up and trying to peer into the dragon's jaws. ". . . and what is in your mouth. . . ?"

Toothless opens his mouth, dropping said object onto Hiccup's head in a shower of dragon slobber.

Toothless' tongue slides along the back of it as he pulls away, dripping more slobber which Hiccup is absolutely covered in, his hair dark, wet and dripping. Toothless licks his chops, smiling his gummy smile, satisfied.

Hiccup laughs as he cringes, reaching up to feel what's on his head and wiping the dragon spit from it. "Ha-ha, yeah, you–you found my helmet." Hiccup reaches up a hand to wipe his eyes—and then freezes, realization dawning. "Wha–hey! You found my helmet!"

He reaches out and Toothless goes to him, pushing his head under Hiccup's hand and growling contentedly. "That's where you've been?!"

Toothless shoves his head into Hiccup's chest, and Hiccup smiles, holding the dragon's head. "Buddy, thank you. You are amazing."

And he lets go, moving forward to wrap his arms around the dragon's neck again in a much slower, much more deliberate hug. Toothless warbles.

The next morning, while Berk is shrouded in darkness, Toothless and Gojira creep from the edge of the forest, dragging Hiccup's saddle in the former's mouth. The straps and buckles dangle, clinking when they meet. He sniffs curiously at a Viking, sleeping under his cloak against a tree, but continued on undeterred.

The Night Fury bounces up to the Haddock house, leaping up to Hiccup's window and nosing it open.

He warbles. Hiccup's eyes open and he shoots up to sitting, rubbing at them. "I'm comin', Toothless!"

Hiccup snatches his vest off his bedside table and quickly pulls it on, rushing downstairs. He goes tearing as quietly as he can towards the door—but then pauses, looking towards the hearth. Sat beside the mantle is a wooden chair draped with a blanket of fur, upon which sits Hiccup's helmet.

Hiccup creeps over, glancing in the direction of Stoick's bedroom, but the Chieftain's snores roll out powerful and undeterred.

Hiccup's helmet is spilling with bright red candies...and more. Hiccup gasps, reaching out for a little wooden dragon. The beast is a Gronckle, clearly carved by Stoick's own hand. A gaming piece, and not the only one. Hiccup pokes around, finding a Nadder, a Scauldron, and even a Viking Chief.

He remembers these. When Hiccup was a wee thing, so the Vikings saying goes, Stoick used to enjoy sitting down to engage the small boy in Maces and Talons. Hiccup liked to think that he was a quick-witted player, but his actions tended to favor whichever piece he had decided was his favorite that morning, and thus he often lost to his father, save when Stoick swung the chances in his favor. On a few occasions, he'd even beaten Stoick.

It was a wise game for Chieftains and future such, Stoick had said. He and Hiccup. . . had not played in years. But Hiccup grins, taking all the pieces and inspecting them, holding them up to the firelight and turning them in his hands.

Without the game pieces to hold them up, a pair of drawing charcoals go rolling around in the helmet.

Hiccup smiles. "Huh." He glances towards Stoick's bedroom. "Thanks, dad."

Hiccup carefully re-arranges the gifts in his helmet—but not before popping one of the candy pieces into his mouth, humming contentedly.

He tosses a few more logs on the fire, and then, still grinning, snatches his cloak off a hook and darts out the door.

He whispers up at the roof. "Alright, bud. Come on down. I was just—" Then Hiccup pauses. Toothless has already left the roof, and sits in the snow, his old tailfin and Hiccup's saddle lying before him.

Hiccup frowns in confusion, reaching down to gather the contraption in his arms. "Toothless, what'd you pull this out for? You don't need this anymore." He places it against the wall. "Come on, let's get goin'."

Hiccup approaches, reaching out to climb onto Toothless—but Toothless walks away, evading Hiccup and warbling. Hiccup pauses, shaking his head in bemusement. Hiccup approaches again—but Toothless walks off.

"Would you quit—fooling around?" Hiccup asked, confused now. "You have your new tail now."

Toothless leans forward, using his gummy jaws to take hold of the saddle in Hiccup's arms. Hiccup holds on—but Toothless pulls, tugging it out of Hiccup's grasp and onto the snow. Toothless sits on his haunches in front of the old saddle and patchwork tail. "Toothless?"

Toothless glances down at the old fin, and then lifts his tail, staring back at the new one. He unfurls his true fin, watching as the false one mimics the action perfectly. Then, he looks back at Hiccup, lifting his tail higher—and whips it into the ground.

Hiccup startles, his voice rising above a whisper in panic. Toothless strikes his tail against the ground again, and again. "Toothless! Stop! What're you doing —"

Toothless whips his tail and finally the new fin breaks free, soaring off into the distance. He warbles happily.

Hiccup's jaw drops, opening his arms to Toothless in utter bewilderment. Toothless growls, reaching over to seize the saddle with his teeth, dragging it in front of himself. He draws his paws in, looking down and warbling mournfully as he glances at Hiccup.

Hiccup slowly drops his hands, his eyes widening.

Toothless bats at the saddle, still looking at Hiccup with wide eyes. Gojira sits in the snow nearby with a smile.

The tiniest of smiles tugs up the right corner of Hiccup's mouth. He now understood. Toothless was choosing the old tailfin. So he could fly while needing Hiccup to do it.

I'm tying myself to you, he was trying to say. I know you will take me wherever I want to go. And I will always be there to take you where you want to go.

Gojira rises and nods his head. Wherever we go, let's go together.

The Night Fury-Rider duo slowly soar out from over a cloud in the dark morning.

Winter on Berk lasts most of the year, it hangs on with both cold hands and doesn't let go. The way to stay warm is to keep those you love, close to your heart.

Hiccup sits in place upon his back, cloak and riding vest on, and Toothless is outfitted again with the old tailfin and Hiccup's saddle. Hiccup leans forward, unhooking both cords keeping him tethered to Toothless. Hiccup grins down at him. "Okay, Bud, you ready?"

Toothless growls the affirmative.

Hiccup pulls his feet free of the pedal and jumps to stand up on Toothless' back.

Hiccup suddenly leaps , sailing up and ahead of Toothless, flipping over and falling. "Yee-haw!" And both he and Toothless dives.

The duo fall together, racing downward. Hiccup looks up, the wind buffeting his hair and cloak, grinning at Toothless. Toothless looks up too, smiling his gummy smile.

Turns out, that was the best Snoggletog ever. That winter I set out to give one of my best friends a pretty great gift.

The dragon reaches out with a paw, batting Hiccup in the shoulder until he spins slowly in the air. Hiccup smiles as he spins, finally closing his eyes and letting the wind wash over him. Toothless does the same.

They sail down as the first cliffs appear around them, the sea nearing.

Then, Hiccup reaches out and Toothless spins beside him so that the saddle faces Hiccup, both of them coming together in the air. Hiccup grabs hold of the saddle, pulling himself in. He sticks his in the pedals, the tailfin whooshing out. Hiccup tugs up. "Whoo-Hoo!"

Toothless pulls out his dive, the duo speeding down the side of a mountain and shaking the snow from the surrounding trees.

He gave me a better one.

It would be a crime if I didn't include this little arc now wouldn't it?

Toothless choosing the old tailfin never fails to hit me in the heart. No matter what the timeline is, Toothless is the most loyal to Hiccup when he needs a friend.

Gojira is also stepping up as well. Following after Hiccup, first in looking for his helmet and then going to where the dragons hatch their eggs and stays with him the rest of the day and feel a little angry at Toothless for his absence, but if Hiccup forgives him, then so shall he.

Astrid seems to be approaching him differently than the rest and even covered for him when he was DEFINITELY not sketching birds in the woods. Though that does sound like a hobby Hiccup would have, right?

Next up, things will start to build up before Hiccup begins his journey to Gojira's homeland.