note: this was rewritten as of 9/12/18 (September 12th, 2018)

The air was crisp and cold, the smell of smoke and dragon tainting the air a fair bit to the point it left a foul taste on the tongue. Sounds of clattering and roaring came from the arena. A small, scrawny Viking lad stood pressed up against the rough stone walls of the circular pit. There was a robust brown dragon with wings far too small for its body buzzing around, snapping at anyone who came near. The Berkians referred to it as a Gronckle. Each time the beast flew near the boy, he dove behind a board leaning against the wall next to him, preferring to simply watch the other teens fight the bulky dragon. This was mostly because he didn't have any reason to fight the dragon. The lad hadn't ever really had purpose in this pointless war they were fighting. Of course, he wanted to--to make his father and village proud, and all that. Alas, he was a coward.

He watched in partial awe as a maiden with thick blonde hair leapt over a short blockade, one of the objects set up for the class to use to their advantages against the beast, and began hitting her shield and ax together, aiming to create a sound to disorient the dragon. She then hit the beast right between its eyes with her axe, careful to use the blunt portion of the weapon rather than the razor sharp blade, since Gobber specifically told them not to actually kill the dragons. An odd request, since they were literally there to learn to do just that. Though, with some thought, the logic could be seen; they would rather be able to reuse the captive lizards for later practice than snatch more and more from the wild. It would save trouble.

The boy, who's name was Hiccup, skittered away from his previous spot to slide to a messy halt behind one of the taller blockades. This object was much taller than the one the blonde, Astrid, had hopped over and served as a better shield to use. He peeked slowly around to see the large Gronckle was unconscious from Astrid's efforts. After waiting a moment to see if the dragon was faking them out, he emerged. The other students of the odd class did so as well. The reason they hadn't been partaking in the fight wasn't because they were cowards like Hiccup, but rather because they'd either lost their shield or been tagged as 'out' by other means. Soon enough they were standing in a reluctant and loose group toward the center of the arena. Hiccup hesitantly joined toward the back.

An old, probably middle-aged man hobbled down into the place. His peg leg made clacks against the stone flooring as he stopped to stand in front of the teenagers. He acted as their teacher in this course, and had been observing from safely outside the ring as the Gronckle had been set loose on them. He looked mildly disappointed as he brushed something from his raggedly long and braided mustache before speaking.

"Well, you lot certainly don't have anything to go home tellin' your parents about," he drawled. "'cept you, Astrid. Well done, lass. Y'see, she here's a prime example of what you all should be doin'! It's disappointin' to see only one of ye pulling their own weight. Can't believe we're leavin' the future in your hands." He cleared his throat before scratching his chin with the hook replacing one of his hands. "Though I'm sure in the future ye all will learn. Don't worry." He couldn't just berate them, he knew. He was one of the few Vikings that also tried to encourage.

Their mentor continued on, but Hiccup blocked him out. His mind kept drifting to the dragon in the cove. To elaborate, a few weeks beforehand there had been a raid. It had gone along not too far out of the ordinary, with flames and fighting all over. The only difference was Hiccup had snuck from the duties Gobber had left for him at the forge and taken a bola shooter to try and capture the Night Fury. No one had known what it looked like, only that it was one of the most deadly dragons to plague the village of Berk. Hiccup supposed if he was able to shoot it down and kill it he'd finally move on from his label as 'useless.'

He'd succeeded, too, which surprised him. The beast had gone down in the forest and nobody believed him when he tried to announce it. The next day he'd seen to going out there himself to deal with the beast. His idea had been to bring the heart to his father; they couldn't deny him then. He'd finally be a real Viking. Only, that's not exactly how it went. Hiccup was too weak to kill the thing. Just... the way it had looked up at him, confined by thick ropes, hopelessness in its eyes...

He couldn't do it. He set it free, and in some miracle return of a favor it hadn't killed him as soon as the ropes were cut.

Hiccup had assumed that would be the end of it until moments later it went down again. Curiously, the boy had gone to investigate and found he'd injured the Night Fury to the point it'd lost a tail fin. Pitying the dragon, he came back with a fish. Long story short he'd earned the dragon's trust. Affectionately named Toothless, they'd grown a wary trust toward each other.

Hiccup was more worried that the beast had found a way out of the cove. This was the first lesson, and usually Hiccup would be with Toothless at this time. Could the dragon be on its way here, about to wreak havoc on the village all because he'd put his duty as a Viking aside for his emotions? Or had he scurrying off into the shadows, never to be seen, forgetting the small friendship he'd formed with the lad?

Although it very well could've been Hiccup's paranoia speaking, the thing that truly scared him was how it was still possible. Toothless was still a wild animal, and wild animals didn't dwell on friendships. It was all survival to them when it came down to it. He hoped that wasn't the case with Toothless; not anymore, at least.

Hiccup snapped back to the present as Gobber finished up his lecture, or whatever it could be called. "You're all free to go. Come back here early tomorrow mornin' though. We need to get a head start." Hiccup sighed. As everyone else began slowly making their way out, he pushed past Tuffnut, a gangly boy with long blond hair, and Ruffnut, Tuffnut's female twin. Unlike Tuffnut, Ruff's hair was in three misshapen plaits.

"Watch it!" There was a brief moment where Hiccup gave them a brief apology as he hurried off. For a brief moment they all watched him, though it wasn't long before they continued with their conversations. A large, burly teenager named Fishlegs walked on his own. A black haired male, named Snotlout, was walking with the twins but soon branched toward Astrid. There was a one-sided attraction between the blonde maiden and he, though even then the flirting he constantly threw at her didn't have real emotion behind it.

While the group dispersed to do their own thing, Hiccup hurried down the rugged path hacking its way through the forest. He was nearing Raven Point, and soon past that was the cove his only friend on the island was residing. Soon he reached his planned destination, sliding through the crack leading into the pit. He saw the Night Fury hanging in a bat-like manner from a tree branch. "Toothless," the teen called in a singsong voice, "you awake, bud?"

At the boy's voice, Toothless unwrapped his large wings from around himself and dropped from the branch. He looked cautiously around before relaxing, stare focused on Hiccup. He could never get over how vibrantly green the dragon's eyes were.

Moving to sit near the lake, he beckoned the beast over as he pulled a worn sketchbook and charcoal pencil from his fur vest. The Night Fury offered him a smile, a strange expression as he bared his gums. Hiccup huffed, a smile of his own resting on his features for a minute before he moved to begin sketching.

"I've been thinking... you can't fly. The reason is obvious. I-I had an idea not too long ago, what if I made you a tail? Do you think you'd like that?" He knew the dragon couldn't respond. Still, Toothless crooned as if he understood. "The concept I had requires me to be on your back, though. To help control the tail. I wouldn't completely control you, though. I need to gather materials since I'll be making both a saddle and a prosthetic."

He worked on a possible design--keeping the anatomy of the dragon in consideration, and the measurements. He had to guess on most of it but they were well educated assumptions so he wasn't too worried. After a while he finished a basic, messy sketch of what he hoped to make without his village noticing. Berk hadn't paid him much mind ever before, so if he just kept his head down, being discovered shouldn't be a problem.

He stood up, patting the Night Fury's head as he walked by. "I'll be back sometime tomorrow," he said. The dragon softly roared at him. "Quiet! I'll bring some fish too, just keep it down. Gods."

The way back was calm. Birds chirped in the trees, fluttering out as Hiccup passed. His boots crunched against the dirt. He relished alone time, since it left him the freedom to get lost in his own ideas. Toothless tolerated it, which was something he wasn't used to at all. The tranquility continued as he easily moved forward, though the silence was soon shattered as he was roughly taken down. He turned when the figure backed off slightly, only to be met with the gleaming blade of an ax. Looking past the weapon, he stared up at the cold eyes that were bearing into his own. Astrid. Despite the mood of the situation, his face still reddened at their proximity. He really was hopeless.

The female studied him for a minute, eyes narrowing before she spoke. "What are you doing out here?" she asked suspiciously. Though she was considered a bully to him since she never stopped Snotlout from picking on Hiccup, she hadn't ever really taken part in the activities herself. She still wasn't that nice to him, though.

Hiccup swallowed thickly. He racked his brain for a decent excuse. He soon replied quickly, spitting out what first came to mind without thinking. "Uh... I was training! Yeah, training. Getting extra practice for the dragon killing classes."

"Training for killing dragons?" She backed off, letting him stand up. She didn't bother offering a hand to help him up. "I don't see any dragons. Didn't look like you were doing much, either." Of course she'd call out his bullshit. When didn't she?

"Looks to me like you were just training to get eaten by one, if you were even 'training.' Probably won't have to worry about that, though. Dragons tend to like meat on the bones of their meals." She looked him up and down. "No offense," she hollowly added after a moment.

"None taken," he snarked back, sighing. She watched him expectantly, as if he'd just give up the real reason he was out here alone. Of course he wouldn't--he couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep Toothless safe. "I swear I was just out here, doing nothing. Being normal, y'know? Haha." He was a horrible liar. He could work on that.

"I'll find out what you're being so secretive about," she simply replied before turning away. "See you, Hiccup." Her farewell was softer than her earlier words, and to Hiccup's surprise she actually knew his name. Usually she just pretended he didn't exist. It might've been because this was the first time they'd ever really had a conversation with just the two of them alone, with no friends to pressure the social boundary.

Hiccup watched her saunter off, making sure she was really gone and not lurking nearby before he hurried, sprinting to his house. Upon reaching the village, he slipped soundlessly into the hut he shared with his father, the Chief, and went up the stairs. It was growing late, and he supposed he needed to sleep since it would be a long day tomorrow. Flopping onto the wooden bed, he fell into a dreamless slumber.

Several hours later, he woke up at the crack of dawn. He laid still in bed as he struggled to wake himself up, blinking slowly before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat up and stretched, wondering what it was he had to do. Ah, the dragon killing classes. He supposed he could skip those; Gobber being gone teaching the other teens would give him the perfect opportunity to work on a saddle and prosthetic for Toothless, granted he made sure to avoid getting caught by any stray villagers.

He hurried out, making sure he had his notebook with him. It had the sketch and plans, after all, he didn't want to forget it and have to come back. Upon getting to the forge he grabbed the materials he needed; leather, metal, and cloth were the main materials. He fired up the forge to heat up the steel as he began trying to get the hang of sewing the tough, durable leather together in a saddle. Once finished with that object, he waited and attached the buckles he formed from the steel and fastened it to the strips hanging from the saddle.

Setting the saddle to the side, he began on the tail. He'd never made either of these before, for obvious reasons, so he was hopeful they worked properly. There was really only one way to find out. He began honing metal rods, soon sliding cloth over them. He tested it, pulling and pushing it closed. It appeared to work like how Toothless' real fin worked, and was close to the same size, so he was hopeful.

Soon enough he heard the window to the forge get roughly knocked on. Of course it wasn't out of the ordinary for it to be closed since the forge wasn't open for business at the moment, but whoever was outside had probably heard the dulled clanging and gotten curious. "Aye, who's in there?" At least it's Gobber, Hiccup thought with a hint of relief as he scrambled to hide the saddle and fake tail in his room toward the back of the forge. Gobber never really went back there, nobody did, so it would be a decent place to hide it. "Hiccup, tha' you?"

Dashing back to swing the window open, he nudged soot off of his cheek and offered the older man a grin. "A-ah, yeah, it's me." Gobber's brows furrowed.

"The hell are you doin' here? We had a lesson this mornin' and you missed it." Hiccup winced. He didn't know how to respond; he was never prepared with a decent cover story when it came to on-the-spot situations such as this. The teenager shrugged, swallowing thickly as Gobber scrutinized him.

"Well, uh, y'know. I was just thinking I could clean the forge a bit and got lost of time, I guess." He hoped his reply would suffice. The older man's gaze passed Hiccup to scan the smithy. He hmphed.

"If anythin', ye made a bigger mess, lad." He stepped inside through the door beside the window and looked around. Hiccup inched toward the back room, where there was an exit that only he used when he was sneaking around--it would be too uncomfortable for Gobber to fit through, which is why it wasn't used much in general. By the time Gobber turned back around, Hiccup had quietly dashed and grabbed the saddle and tail and made haste in getting out of there.

The old man sighed, about to yell after him before deciding it wasn't worth it. He bore a tired smile as he turned to tidy up on his own. He'd most likely get on Hiccup later, that was for sure.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was making his way to the cove again. It was only early afternoon, but the boy had no other plans. His mind kept straying to this one bad thought; about how no one would miss him if he left Berk with Toothless. He'd thought more often about it when thinking of Toothless flying.

He thought about it some more, attempting to find any reason to stay. His earlier thought about no one missing him proved to be, in his opinion, true, so he made a plan. If he wanted a clear way off of the island, though, he needed to learn how to fly. Hiccup realized he had stopped walking while he was deep in thought. He walked down the hill, seeing a certain dragon hop down from a rock and bound over to him. "Hey, Bud!"

Toothless sniffed at the saddle and prosthetic, watching with curiosity as the teen walked around and started hooking them up to the Night Fury's body. It felt weird, having something strapped to his back. It felt even weirder having a fake tail placed where his real one should be. He didn't bother fighting it, though he was tense. Soon enough Hiccup stood up straight to examine his work. He seemed satisfied with the way his inventions fit onto Toothless.

Hiccup moved to hesitantly climb on the dragon's back, but as he was halfway through with the action the Night Fury rocketed into the air. It was after a minute of hearing Hiccup shrieking bloody murder and grasping onto the dragon with all of the might his body would allow before Toothless snapped out of it, mostly because he needed the boy's help in keeping the prosthetic open enough to fly with.

The two were already falling down, and soon enough plummeted into the lake with a splash. Hicup emerged from the shallow water, sputtering and coughing but bearing a grin on his face. "AHA! Bud, we did it!" Although the teen was gleeful, the dragon didn't share the enthusiasm. Toothless swiped his tail to knock Hiccup's feet from under him, sending the boy back into the water.

Of course practicing took time, but Hiccup managed to keep it on the down-low and soon enough the two were experienced enough with each other they could fly. Obviously they only had the basics down, meaning they could fly without crashing, but much more than that was sketchy. Hiccup had slowly been packing certain essentials, making sure it would look like he'd taken nothing worth suspicion.

He tossed what he'd gathered into a relatively large basket, flipping the lid shut. He'd managed to gather extra cloth, a pot, paper and charcoal, and other miscellaneous items that he knew would most likely be useful in his endeavors. He looked to the open window before scanning his now mostly empty room. He slung the basket heavily over his back and exited the house through the window.

The only light that helped him see where he was going were the milky streams of moonlight that peeked their way between the trees. Leaves crunched under his boots as he hurried along, not wanting to waste any time. He knew that it would be a while even after the village had woken up before they'd realize he was gone--usually he was somewhere else by the time Stoick checked his room anyway, so that wouldn't raise immediate alarm.

He knew his room at the forge was barren of any invention sketches, since he'd taken those earlier and packed them as well. Gobber would probably take that as a bad sign, if the old man actually bothered checking there for him first.

He moved his thoughts elsewhere as he continued on to the cove. He knew Toothless was probably oblivious to the teen's plans, but he knew the dragon wouldn't protest. Hopefully he'd be willing to tolerate the boy's presence, as he was planning to rely on the dragon for some aspects like combat or hunting, as well as help with his loneliness in the vast world.

He emerged into the cove, seeing Toothless move toward him. The Night Fury sniffed hesitantly at the basket on the boy's back. "Ready, bud?" This elicited a croon from the beast. Hiccup moved to tie the basket reluctantly onto the dragon, hoping that it wouldn't be too heavy. Well, he supposed, if it was light enough for him, it was light enough for a much stronger dragon.

Soon enough the duo took off. As Toothless' wings billowed and they rose in the air, he looked over the trees. He could just see Gothi's hut from this height and distance. He was sure that he'd be the talk of the town for a few days, but that would probably be it. He had enough sense and not so bad of a self esteem to think they'd celebrate of all things--he doubted they'd do something as cruel as that.

Meanwhile, Astrid was making her way to the cove. She'd been trying to figure out where Hiccup was disappearing to these past days, and she's deducted the cove was the spot. She'd never been there personally, but the last time she was close she'd heard Hiccup talking to something. She'd never gotten to see who he was talking to.

As she emerged into the open space, expecting to see Hiccup, she was disappointed to find the place empty of both boy and stranger. She huffed, but decided to investigate and poke around. After some time she stumbled upon something odd.

Black scales littered an area around the lake, as well as burns and claw marks marring the dirt and pebbles that made the ground. It looked like there had been some sort of scuffle with a dragon. Hiccup couldn't have been involved, could he? These scales...

He must've been telling the truth when he'd said he shot down a Night Fury. Oh, gods.

Astrid knew Stoick would want--need--to hear about this. She dashed out of the cove, heading back to the village as fast as she could. When she came back to Berk, she scoped the area to see Gobber and Stoick standing together near the forge. She made her way to them swiftly.

As she approached, they didn't seem to notice her. They were talking, and Stoick seemed worried, as did Gobber. The blonde man abruptly stopped talking as he noticed Astrid, the Chieftain soon following suit as he caught on and turned to face the young girl. Putting on a content face, he nodded in greeting.

"Astrid," he began, "good to see you. What can I help you with?" She looked breathless, which was odd. She also bore an openly concerned expression. Gobber watched silently, as did Stoick, both wondering what had her like this.

She scratched the back of her neck. "H-have you seen Hiccup today?" she simply asked. Stoick and Gobber shared a look.

In fact, this was what they'd been discussing before they put the conversation on pause when Astrid came over. Stoick had come to see if Hiccup was at the forge, but Gobber hadn't seen him at all that day. It wasn't like him to not drop by the old man, who was basically the boy's uncle at this point, and the smithy.

"Ah, no," the chief replied, keeping his contentedness, though it became noticeably more strained. "Why, girl?"

"Well... I went to the cove today. Because--because, uh, I'd noticed he'd been going off by himself in that area, and I wanted to make sure he wasn't--wasn't... y'know, doing anything bad? And he wasn't there but I saw scales, and claw marks, and burns, which leads me to believe there was a dragon in that cove. I think it might've been a Night Fury, but I obviously can't be sure." While she'd been explaining, Stoick dropped his falsely alright façade.

"So he wasn't lyin'," Gobber muttered from behind Stoick. "I thought he was jus' tryin' to get validation." Stoick shushed the man curtly, eyes still on Astrid.

"What are you saying?" he pushed. Astrid looked down.

"I think Hiccup got taken, or hurt, or something, by that dragon that was in the cove." None of them wanted to believe it.

Hiccup was gone.

word count: 4105+