Chapter Text
Jackson found himself wandering a heavily wooded island for at least an hour, taking note of any significant landmarks that might keep him from being lost as he explored. He found sand and ocean on three separate occasions, informing him fairly quickly that there wasn't anything interesting on the island at all. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing- given the people he was forced to deal with before. He knew, however, that deep down he would find himself desperate for positive interaction. Jackson craved connection with someone kind who could guide him through this mess, but if the hunters were his only choice he had no quarrels with solitude. For the time being, at least.
But if they're not here, Jackson thought, then what's stopping this island from being full of more dragons?
He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing either. Jackson found himself staring at the little animal sleeping in his arms, fondness etching itself into his expression in a way he believed was slowly becoming permanent. Sure, he had been bitten once since he met them, but he felt as though he really deserved it in that moment. After that they defended him fiercely against a creature thirty times their size. But despite his own experience with these dragons, Jackson couldn't bring himself to fully discount the things the hunters had said. At least they could remember what dragons were.
That was another thing Jackson had done during his exploration of the new land. He tried to think out all of the logical explanations for his situation. He questioned how he woke up on the first shore, how he lost his memory, why he felt the sun told him his name, how he got away from the hunters, and how he ended up on an entirely new island. He didn't come up with a single answer for any of his questions, but it felt good to lay them all out in his mind.
The peaceful snoring of the creature on Jackson's shoulder pulled him away from his useless wondering. The sound of it shifted his expression of deep thought back into an admiring smile. Jackson had also come to realize that the two little dragons had no plan of waking up any time soon. The snoring that vibrated against Jackson's chest in the form of low grumbling began to harmonize with his own stomach.
Giggles escaped the boy as flower petals fell from the trees around him, soft grass at his feet and a serene creek to his left. A place of true beauty and life. The perfect spot to lay the critters down with the wild flowers till they were ready to wake for the day. The moment they were on the ground and away from his body they sought each other out, eyes still closed as claws found scales and two small bodies curled into one adorable mass. Jackson could stare at them forever.
"Why did you guys stay with me?" he whispered, gently petting the red dragon down its spine with a single finger. The boy turned towards the stream, watching as a flock of small black and white birds drank from a pond. A short waterfall provided the scene with with white noise that was sure to aid in the creature's peaceful slumber. "And how did we get here?"
The dragons, of course, didn't respond to his questions. Jackson could only laugh at himself, shaking his head and gripping his staff a little harder. "I wish I had any amount of guidance here," he smiled to the sky, closing his eyes to bask in the warmth of the sun for just a moment. The thrumming beneath his fingertips grew for a moment before fading back down to normal. That feeling had never fully gone away, but Jackson knew he would never want it to. He couldn't explain it, but it made him feel more alive than ever.
With a breath out in the form of a soft sigh, Jackson opened his eyes, pushing himself to his feet with his staff and walking to the creek bed. The water was lined with rocks that towered to his knees, moss covered stones visible beneath the clear knee-deep water. He pushed some stones around with his staff, listening to the clatter as he searched for some of a decent size. Jackson wasn't about to let anyone starve to death.
Jackson would never admit to another person how long it took him to break a rock into a spear-like shape. Unless it would make for a funny story- then he would cough the information up like cinnamon. He would never, however, tell someone how long it took him to find a stick he thought was worthy of becoming a spear. No, that was entirely ridiculous. Finding a thin vine to tie the spearhead to the stick with? That took, embarrassingly, even longer.
"I'm going to starve to death," Jackson stated matter-of-factly as he missed a fish for the thirtieth time. "We all are. It's-" the boy shoved the spear down again- "hopeless!" He found himself panting as he stared into the forest before him, having thoroughly exhausted himself from the day's effort in survival. Jack had no idea how he was going to make it through this. If he was going to make it through this. Sure, he could make it past today. Hell, he was almost positive he would make it past tomorrow as well. Memory issues and hunting ability- the lack thereof- aside. But every single day after that for the rest of his life would be an uphill battle in a rockslide. During a hurricane.
Movement in the distance caught his eye as he squinted to focus between the branches. Something dropped from the sky with a soft thud, filling him with an uneasy sense of déjà vu. It pained him to hope it wasn't a dragon or person- not with the little critters sleeping just paces away. Not with them trusting him enough to remain in deep slumber.
One of the trees in the distance shook before settling with an odd tilt as though it were carrying a heavy weight. Jackson pulled his brand new spear out of the water, taking slow steps to the side in an attempt to look around the rest of the forest blocking his view. Between the overcast sky, heavily wooded scenery, and Jackson's own exhaustion, it was a struggle to see anything at all.
Luckily the offending movement was easily noticeable once Jackson was standing in the right place, staring ahead at bright white wings that shuffled with the body of a dragon. A blue eye peaked out between them, growing harsh when the slitted pupil landed on the boy across the water. They both froze, unsure of each other in that moment. Jackson hoped that, maybe, it wouldn't kill him now that it knows Jackson had been trying to save it. Even though it fought him before.
Teeth flashed visibly beneath the wings, quickly followed by a low growl.
Jackson's spear nearly jerked out of his grasp, barely being caught by his other hand and pulled closer to his body so he can hold it tighter. His eyes darted downwards at the sight of shimmering scales flopping wildly on his weapon. A laugh echoed out of him for a brief moment before being caught by one of his hands, focus shooting back towards the dragon in hopes his outburst hadn't scared it off. The creature was no longer growling but, rather, was watching Jackson with a new found intrigue. The fish moved again, forcing Jackson to hold the spear with both hands once more. His stomach rumbled angrily at the prospect of food now in reach, sitting right before his eyes. All of his hours of effort finally rewarding him.
"It better not take another thirty tries," Jackson grumbled to himself, pulling the fish off of his spear. The item was tossed aside instantly in favor of getting a firm hold on the fish that fought his hands with the last of its life. Once it stopped moving, Jackson reared back and launched it forward. It bounced a few times, stopping just four feet beyond the water. "Eat up!" he called out before picking up his spear again. Jackson walked to where he was fishing before, staring hard at the water and tracking more life beneath it.
His eyebrows furrowed in focus, "be nonchalant, Jackson. You can do this." His silent encouragements to himself did not go unrewarded as he heard the sound of soft bones crunching and animalistic purring. Jackson tried to catch another glance at the animal, keeping his head lowered in hopes it wouldn't react to his movement. They made eye contact once more, just as frozen as they had been before. He looked up fully to take it all in.
The animal was beautiful. It stood and breathed heavily, head lowered and legs bent in preparation to dart away. Jackson had been closer to it before, but the way he saw it now was much more intimate than that. He could admire its larger white scales around its ear frills, long claws on each paw, and the muscles that tensed across its body. He may be five meters from the creature, but he could still take in its gorgeous eyes. They looked like a frozen over pond glaring daggers through his soul. Jackson found his mouth agape in admiration- in adoration. Frost spread like veins over its face, unmoving as the dragon growled out lowly. It stepped back with a paw covered in that same strange ice, flashing teeth at the boy before it. Jackson smiled wildly despite it all. Despite the way it threatened him and snarled- mouth a reminder of how easily it could take Jackson's life. Because, seeing it here in the beautiful woods of flowering trees and serene stream, would easily be worth the missed meal and adrenaline rush.
And then it was gone, turning tail and sprinting off faster than Jackson could blink. "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Just be nonchalant about it."
It did take another thirty tries. But the next fish came after just twenty. And the one after than in only eight. Jackson wouldn't brag (because he was entirely alone in the wilderness), but he would say he's a fast learner.
It took everything in his being to not check on the white dragon again before moving back to the Terrible Terrors with their meals. Said "everything" was not enough as he found himself sparing a simple glance through the trees. His short search turned up empty of scales, as did his longer search as he couldn't bring himself to move away until he knew with certainty the animal was not there. Jackson wondered if it took off after the meal- a thought that brought an inexplicable amount of disappointment to him. The boy had hoped that, maybe, it would warm up to him as the smaller dragons had.
Jackson carried the fish back to the sleeping dragons, who had not seemed to have moved an inch in all of that time. He looked up towards the sky, closing his eyes and breathing out as he brought himself down in front of the Terrible Terrors. He sighed out in laughter as they rose to their feet instantly, searching frantically for the source of the fishy odor.
The little red dragon fluttered its wings once locking its eyes onto the smelly food, mouth opening and tongue flopping out with glee. It was flying in front of Jackson's face in the next moment, gurgling out as if begging. The little green dragon seemed to be vibrating in the grass once it saw what Jackson had.
"I've got lunch!" They chirped enthusiastically, eyes locked on target as Jackson pulled two fish up to them. The dragons snatched the food out of his hands immediately, shredding them to pieces and feasting. "Well," he hummed out in surprise at how fast their meals had disappeared. "I will not be eating like that. Mind helping me get a fire going?" He got no response, of course, as the dragons began to lick their paws.
Jackson scoffed out an, "okay," before getting to his feet and beginning his search for twigs and sticks and kindling.
Jackson counted himself lucky with how quickly he was able to set up a campfire compared to the amount of time he spent on everything else today. And he was more than grateful when the little green dragon ended up lighting it as well. But the silence behind the crackling flames left too much space for difficult thoughts to take up. To the point where Jackson found himself only able to stomach the belly meat of the fish in his palms, when he should have been hungry enough to lick each thin bone clean. Instead, he tossed the meaty head and tail ends to the small dragons who definitely hadn't been begging for the food the entire time.
Will it be like this forever?
Jackson shook his head forcefully to push it out of his mind. His staff, which had been abandoned a foot away in favor of food, was in his hands soon after, used as an aid to get the boy to his feet. The boy found himself wandering to the pond, taking in the waterfall and doing his best to appreciate its beauty. To, somehow, feel grateful to be here. Despite not knowing where "here" was, or what place he must have abandoned to be by the water now.
He knelt down, unable to convince himself he was lucky by any means, and dropped the staff at his feet to cup water in his palms. Jackson was vaguely aware of the little dragons that joined him as he drank, listening as they grumbled contently while lapping up their drink. Water splashed against his face suddenly, surprising him with just enough force to make him fall over. The boy hollered a laugh as his shoulder hit the shore of small pebbles, quickly pushing himself back up to see who had been the one to assault him.
Jackson couldn't even hope to make a correct guess, as the two little dragons were already wrestling each other in the pond. Chirps and gurgles and squawks and giggles were made barely audible over the water crashing before them. Jackson held his staff tightly again, slowly dipping his free hand in the water before launching an attack of his own. He used almost his entire forearm to send a wave out to the animals, who squealed loudly at the offense.
Before anyone knew it, Jackson was running through the woods with laughter bouncing off of bark and leaves. Birds chirped in harmony with the noise of chittering dragons darting between branches and past logs in their chase. Jackson's face began to hurt from his wide smile and that cold wind that whipped past him, but he found himself exactly where he wanted to be. The boy was sure to glance back occasionally- just to know how close he was to danger at any given moment. The little red dragon was inches away, talons extended in an effort to latch onto Jackson and prevent further escape.
In a moment of quick thinking, Jackson stuck his staff outwards towards a thin tree, catching it with the hook and using his momentum to spin on a dime. As the whole world tilted and turned, he watched the red dragon stop midair, followed by the crash of the underprepared green dragon. They went tumbling as though they were a single form until dropping into the grass and separating. Jackson's laughter paused for only a moment as they got back on their paws, shaking themselves off and out of their daze before scanning for him in the woods. The little green dragon spotted him almost immediately, resuming the chase with just as much fervor as before. Jackson screeched out something inhuman as he was forced to turn on his heels and sprint once more.
He dodged through trees as though he were the dragon, looking back a few times and watching as the distance between himself and the animals seemed to grow. The wind left a tingling sensation over his skin and face, amplified by his own racing heart, as he ran faster than he's sure he ever has. This was what he could bring himself to feel grateful for. Jackson felt like the luckiest boy in the world to be here, running through the woods, with these amazing creatures.
Jackson turned around mid-step to flaunt, smiling wide with open arms to the distant dragons. Little red was perched in a tree, still searching for a brief moment before launching forward in Jackson's direction. The little green dragon, however, was still on target, flittered between leaves like a songbird but with the ferocity of a falcon.
"You'll never catch-" Jackson, ever graceful, tripped himself over his staff during his display of arrogance. He stumbled for a few paces in an attempt to save his fall, but was down on the ground before he knew it, water hitting his back and, eventually, submerging his head.
He shot himself up but was immediately below the surface again as the little green dragon crashed into his chest.
Jackson laughed as he sat up, grabbing the dragon with his free hand and tossing it into the air, "not fair!" He rushed to his feet, backing away from the water and spinning around to face the floating dragon with a pointed staff. "Don't kick me while I'm down!" The red dragon slammed into him next, playfully nibbling at his right shoulder and forcing a surprised, "ack!" out of Jackson. He reached behind him, barely able to get a grip on a wing. Little red let go of Jackson's shoulder in favor of attacking his hand now.
Jackson laughed again as he pulled his arm back, bringing the little dragon with it unintentionally. "Alright, alright!" he conceded, "you guys win!" Triumphant, the dragon released its grip entirely and dropped to the ground where the little green one landed. Jackson shook the water from his hair as his fondness grew for the two little critters. He thumbed at his wet hoodie with a smile, hand making its way up to his chest to feel his own rapid heartbeat.
That was terrifying, he finally admitted to himself. That singular moment where his eyes were closed and head was under left him with bile in his mouth. Jackson may not be able to remember much (or anything at all), but part of him has to believe that was the single scariest moment of his life. Even being hunted through the woods by people who clearly wanted him dead- or barely being able to save a dragon while it tried to kill him didn't shake him so much. He knew he was breathing, and that his heart was beating, but he found himself needing to confirm it. He needed to take a moment to register that air was in his lungs and heart was in his chest, because it wouldn't surprise him if he had died. Which felt all too dramatic, and yet entirely reasonable in his mind.
"I should name you guys," he said suddenly to distract himself. Little green rolled around in the rocky shore, gurgling and growling in bliss. Jackson smiled, "you like the rocks, buddy?" It didn't acknowledge him, but the answer was obvious. "What do you think of Pebble?" The little red dragon rubbed against Jackson's ankles and purred, earning an immediate scratch under the chin from the boy. "And what do we call you?"
Green gas spread over the pond sending Pebble jumping into Jackson's arms. The little red dragon grabbed Jackson's pants and began tugging at him, as if trying to pull him away from the water. Before he could process any of it, a growl followed by a spark drew his attention towards green movement in the trees. The gas lit aflame instantly, sending Jackson tumbling backwards into the grass.
A two-headed monster crawled out from the darkness right of the pond; rumbling out of both of their mouths created an echoing effect that shook the boy down to his core. Jackson scrambled to his feet, gathering the dragons into his hands and taking off before his brain could even begin to understand what he was seeing. Wind gushed behind him as wings flapped on the back of the massive dragon.
Jackson ran through the water, slipping on mossy rocks but not allowing it to slow him down. He adjusted his grip on his staff as the little red dragon clambered onto his shoulder. Warmth spread across Jackson's neck as the animal reared back, firing out a stream of heat towards the creature on their tail. Jackson couldn't bring himself to focus on anything besides his own running after that, pushing onward as hard as he physically could. If he truly thought he was running as fast as possible before, he would know himself wrong by now. But he would do anything to keep the dragons safe.
So when everything behind the trio went silent, Jackson immediately pulled off to sit behind a tree. His mouth felt dry as his heart raced in his throat as if he ran a marathon on a summer day- which he might have. The red dragon tried to peek around the tree, but Jackson pulled it back. If the two-headed dragon was still there, and they were still in grave danger, he did not want anyone to try anything bravely stupid. Or stupidly brave.
Jackson turned to look around the tree instead, but was immediately distracted by green smoke pooling at his feet. He knew what it meant now and did not want a reminder about what followed. The boy began to get to his feet but, before he could even stand, a purple blast flew past his head and hit the ground beside him. He whipped around in a flinch, instinctively following its trail, to see the green dragon rear back with a rageful screech.
Jackson was up in a flash, rushing towards the origin of the blast and beaming at the familiar sight before him. The savior, however, was not happy to see the human despite what Jackson would have called their "bonding moment" earlier. The white dragon followed Jackson with its eyes alone as he moved towards its tail, growling at him in a way that came off as only slightly less aggressive than the growl towards the green dragon.
At least you aren't trying to kill me, Jackson thought to himself as he followed the white dragon's gaze and he was actually sure it wasn't going to kill him. At least, not in this moment.
The green monster wasn't given the opportunity to attack again. Shot after shot was fired in its direction without sign of slowing or offer of mercy. Jackson couldn't tell if the shiver down his spine was from the sheer show of force or his wet clothes as wind whipped around them.
Of course, Pebble and the little red dragon jumped down to the white dragon's side, firing shots of their own in the same direction. That show of force was clearly the scarier one.
Growls rolled out of the white dragon with each heavy breath it released after the firing stopped. It took the smaller dragons a few seconds longer to give up the fight, allowing the smoke to clear and reveal an empty forest without an unknown scale in sight. Jackson immediately snapped his head towards the sky, finding the figure of a two-headed dragon growing smaller as it flew into the distance.
The boy cheered, throwing his arms into the air and barely catching himself as the little dragons flung themselves against his chest. It didn't phase him as their happy chitters harmonized with his own disbelieving laughter.
The white dragon turned towards Jackson and stepped away from him, still growling and flaunting harshly slitted pupils paired with sharp and bright teeth. The Terrible Terrors made no effort to defend their boy from the larger dragon this time, filling Jackson with hope that maybe they viewed the white animal as a protector. He hoped more that they were right.
The white dragon stopped growling, teeth still showing as it moved slowly towards the newly made clearing in the woods. Jackson knew in his heart what was coming next, and decided to direct his attention to the little animals who were actually happy to be with him.
His laughter echoed as he turned to the little red dragon on his shoulder, "I was about to name you Cinder, you little fire-breather!" When Jackson looked back up, the white dragon was gone. He called out a "thank you!" into the nothingness, somehow sure the animal had heard him. Part of him was worried that it only felt indebted to him after he saved its life. Maybe, now that they had each saved the other once, there was a chance he would never see the beautiful creature again.
In an effort to distract himself, he held the little green dragon out in his palms, staring at its face and smiling something soft and genuine. "You're a little killer too, Pebble." The dragon gurgled and licked its own eyeball. Jackson huffed a laugh and pulled the animal back towards his chest, hugging it tightly and enjoying the fact that they all made it out in one piece.
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"Snotlout really surprised us today, didn't he?" Astrid asked with a smile that she has never worn for Snotlout before. Something a mix of fond, proud, and reminiscing. In fact, Hiccup knew that Astrid would kill him if Snotlout had seen it and known it was for him. As strange as it was, both vikings knew Snotlout deserved that pride this time around. He had truly managed to earn it.
Hiccup finally finished unbuckling all of the small pieces of Toothless' prosthetic, pulling up the tail fan and moving it towards a table across the room, "I mean, we always knew he had it in him." He folded it neatly and set it next to rows of iterations of the same item, each a bearing a different color and purpose. "I know we thought it was really buried in there, but it was there." That red tail fan front and center amongst the others reminded Hiccup of one of the countless projects he had been working on. Some sort of way to build on the design. That prosthetic was, by far, the best one he had developed, but that didn't mean there wasn't room for improvements. If it had, Hiccup's hand wouldn't have found the notebook on that same table, full of various tail fan designs and notes. His left hand miraculously found a pencil, tapping the instrument lightly against the book as he looked at the pages. Hiccup very quickly grew distracted by other things in the papers, like the saddle design, his own flight suit, his sword-
"Don't get lost in there yet," Astrid spoke in a slightly serious tone, drawing Hiccup back in. "You and I both know it's not quite over." With the sheer amount of dragon root arrows one farm had supplied the hunters, it was reasonable to think they would be looking to set up another. Or, worse, they might already have others out there. And with Snotlout's discovery that dragon root can be grown from the poison, it wouldn't be hard to get one going. But there was an equally decent chance the hunters would have enough poison to hold them over well into the snowy seasons- maybe even until summer rolled back around. "There could be more," she added once she could tell he worked it all out in his own mind.
"We don't know that," Hiccup whispered as he dropped the book back on the table, the pencil clattering after it.
"Exactly." Astrid's expression was pointed and proud, which could easily be her resting face it seemed. Hiccup missed the fond smile. He missed the reminiscing on a job well done and the prospect of an earned good nights rest. Which everyone had earned. And with the amount of times the Riders had drilled it into Hiccup that he had a tendency to overwork them and their dragons, he was really set on a few rest days to follow.
Hiccup nodded, "tomorrow I'll take Heather on a scouting-"
"No!" Hiccup snapped his eyes back to hers, bewildered by the outburst. Astrid pulled her hand back as if embarrassed, "I mean-" She seemed as though she was working up some excuse in her mind before dropping the tenseness in favor of telling the truth, "please take the twins."
Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle, "have they been getting on your nerves?"
Astrid rolled her eyes, "they built a hut there." The two vikings shared a moment of soft laughter that faded into nothing with the night. Crickets chirped over their silence until they couldn't be silent anymore. "They just… don't tend to rest like we do. After these important missions." Hiccup could only hum in acknowledgement, unable to disagree because she was right. But, by Thor, did he just want a few days off. Which he never wanted, so he felt it was important to take it.
"Fine," Hiccup smiled, reminiscing on past experiences with the twins in times like this. Just a few weeks ago, everyone had tried to sleep like rocks after dealing with a certain baby Deathsong. Somehow, the viking ended up with a boar running wild in his hut. It was on fire. "I'll take the twins on the scouting mission tomorrow. Now that we know to search for sunlit areas, it shouldn't take long to clear a couple of islands out north."
That fond smile from before made its way back onto Astrid's face sending warmth through Hiccup's chest. Even now, being known as the infamous dragon trainer and the son of the chief, Hiccup rarely felt as though he made people proud. So moments like this, where it seems clear he made the right decision to make people happy, he took it straight to heart and felt better than he ever has. Astrid herself felt the truest representation of the people of Berk, so when its her, it feels like the entire village is lifting him up.
"How does a two day break sound?" Hiccup asked, his smile matching hers.
"Great." There was a silent understanding between the two of them, simple nods and movement. Astrid returned to her hut and Hiccup shut his doors.
He wasn't sure when the notebook had found its way back into his hands again, or when he began to put pencil to paper. Hiccup scribbled down a note that could easily be found on every page.
Fireproof??? Possible???
Managing the difference between a prosthetic light enough to make sharp turns and robust enough to withstand flame-tipped arrows and blasts from dragons was shaping up to be an impossible task. Hiccup wished there was some simple solution that he could find, but he had been searching for ages.
Searching for ages wasn't something he was a stranger to, though, as it seemed to be a good descriptor for every single task on his to-do list. Between his fight with Viggo, unfinished Dragonfly, and last known Night Fury, there likely wasn't a moment where Hiccup wasn't searching.
The last point almost seemed to amplify the tension headache Hiccup regularly fought as he shut the book of designs and opted to actually get some rest. The dragon at his side crooned as if he could read the viking's mind. Hiccup's began to absentmindedly trace the scales on Toothless' face beneath his hand. He could draw that scale pattern from memory and find it to be a perfect match with the creature before him. He could sketch out every detail of his best friend after not seeing him for weeks and the page could come alive to be the dragon he loved. Hiccup had long since memorized every single part of Toothless' being as if it were the only thing that mattered.
Hiccup scoffed a small laugh as his hand trailed down to the dragon's lower jaw, scratching an itch that seemed to make the animal purr into the touch. Toothless grumbled out when Hiccup stopped, but made no effort to force him to continue as they moved up the steps to Hiccup's loft. The boy tucked himself into bed, watching as Toothless warmed the slab he called a bed of his own, spinning to get as comfortable as possible before laying down and groaning out contently.
Hiccup's hands found his face as he let out a muffled groan, tugging lightly at his own hair. He could barely see now- the room only just illuminated by the light of the almost-full moon flittering behind the curtain of his window. It was enough to see Toothless finally settle in on himself and release another heavy sigh into slumber. Toothless would always have him, Hiccup knew. The ever-looming thought of whether or not that would be enough left Hiccup awake. Those few days where everyone believed Hookfang had moved on after finding a mate made Hiccup's heart ache.
Not just the question of if Toothless would do the same if given the opportunity, but also for the fact he might never get the chance. He can't be the last one. If tomorrow they found another Night Fury and Toothless decided to leave, Hiccup would feel entirely broken and entirely proud.
It's not fair, he thought as he rolled over into a more comfortable position. There was no best case scenario for them. No simple solution. Either Toothless stays by Hiccup's side for the rest of their lives and never finds another one of his kind, or Hiccup chances never seeing him again so that he may live with dragons like him.
That can't be all there is. Hiccup couldn't allow himself to be so pessimistic. Maybe he could train another Night Fury. Maybe Toothless could convince one to stay. Maybe there was a simple solution Hiccup couldn't yet fathom.
It was too much. Too much thinking and too much planning on something that couldn't possibly be scripted. Whatever happens, will happen.
The boy pulled his blanket up and nestled himself in for the night. They'd have the rest of their lives to figure it out. Hopefully.
The first day of their scouting mission came up empty and was, surprisingly, boring. Not that the twins were entirely behaved. They were still flying off, starting fires, and getting distracted chasing yaks and boar. There was no stopping Ruff and Tuff from being Ruff and Tuff. However, they were being reasonable. They would come back when Hiccup called them, listened to him when he said it was time to go, and even put together the fire for the night. Hiccup took it as them being truly tired for what could be the first time in their lives.
The second day, however, took more of a toll on Hiccup mentally as the twins seemed fully recovered. The second day that was supposed to be when they went home. Instead, they ended up wasting an unreasonable amount of time on a single island chasing a "hunter" which turned out to be a yak. Hiccup couldn't wait for day three to be over and done with.
"Why, dear brother, I think I may have spotted a fire on the island," Ruffnut said with some fancy accent. Smoke rose to the air from the forest below before dissipating into the cloudy sky. It had been more than visible for the past few minutes, which is why they had been flying directly towards it, so it was no shock that Hiccup scoffed at the acknowledgement.
Tuffnut hummed, "indeed, dear sister, I believe you would be right. Shall we maim the hunter who of which must have started and sparked said flame?"
"What?" The sentence was entirely lost on Hiccup as his eyebrows furrowed in his attempt to understand it. "It's probably a lone dragon-" the twins took off in an instant towards the origin of the smoke- "oh my Thor." Hiccup shook his head and sighed, leaning slightly so that Toothless would begin to fly a wide circle to the right of the island. While Tuffnut and Ruffnut harassed some poor, clueless dragon, Hiccup could scout for actual hunters.
Hiccup could fly after them to end any potential misfires, but he was also painfully aware that there were many worse ways they could choose to spend their time if they grew bored. And, who knows, maybe there really is a small hunting party down there. The size of the fire indicated that, if there was anyone, it wasn't some large scale operation. The twins could easily handle it themselves. The alternative is them being down there right now chasing some Monstrous Nightmare or flock of Terrible Terrors through the woods like maniacs. Frankly, it was one of the least chaotic things they would have done. Not that Hiccup wouldn't feel bad for whoever was going to have to deal with them in either instance, just that he was grateful it wasn't him who has to deal with them.
The dragon rider felt the rumbling beneath him as the unmistakable sound of the Night Fury pierced through the sky. They turned in unison, Hiccup glaring down in search of anything amiss. As the rest of this scouting mission had been, this island was boring. Almost entirely wooded save for a few sporadic ponds and rivers. It would not have been an ideal location for growing dragon root, and seemed to be fairly lacking in the dragon department entirely. Not that any island was ever truly empty of the creatures, just that nothing struck Hiccup as valuable for dragon hunters.
In the few minutes it took for the viking to fully wrap around the island, the smoke had grown tenfold. Hiccup couldn't fight the groan that escaped him at the sight, only amplified when the figure of a familiar Hideous Zippleback come into view. Hiccup could only hope they hadn't caused too much damage to whatever poor soul they decided to hunt this time around.
The twins flew up to Hiccup and his Night Fury roughly, already mid-shouting about something unintelligible the moment they got into ear shot.
"You're no fun, Hiccup!"
"No fun at all!"
"What are you guys- no, nevermind," Hiccup closed his eyes to calm down. They opened their mouths as if they were going to argue over something, but a raised hand from their leader was enough to stop them before they started. "This island is clear and it was the last one on our route. Let's-"
"Race you to the Edge!" Hiccup wasn't given the opportunity to react a they flew straight past him. Toothless turned them around to watch as the dragon and its riders grew smaller in the wrong direction. All he could do was stare ahead blankly in hopes that, at some point, they turn around.
"I don't think I've understood a single thing that has happened in the past ten minutes," he said to himself. Toothless gurgled beneath him, forcing a smile back onto the dragon rider's face. They watched as the Hideous Zippleback took a wide turn towards where the Edge actually was. Hiccup could feel Toothless tensing up in preparation to launch, warmth spreading up his body from the dragon's internal fire. He placed a hand on Toothless' head to feel the satisfying vibrations growling outwards. "I wouldn't be a good leader if we totally dusted them, bud." The dragon relaxed in a way that Hiccup knew to be out of disappointment. "But that doesn't mean we have to let them win. Just keep them in your sights-"
Before he knew it, they were off.
It had long since grown dark by the time Hiccup and the twins reached the clubhouse. Toothless was clearly the most exhausted amongst the crew, huffing out as his feet hit the ground. The moment Hiccup was off the Night Fury's back, he took off to curl up in a dark corner for a nap. Toothless had been forced to fly laps around the Hideous Zippleback and practically herd them the whole way back. Ruffnut and Tuffnut kept getting caught up in arguments that would make them drift off course mindlessly over the trip, and it was on Toothless and Hiccup to correct them.
Astrid and Fishlegs seemed to lighten when they made eye contact with Hiccup, though Astrid instantly grew angry. She rose from her chair and crossed her arms, glaring daggers into the dragon rider. Hiccup wondered why they were even awake this late at night.
"You're back! Thank Thor!" Fishlegs cheered, rushing to greet Hiccup at his side. Concern flooded the viking at the implication. He had left the team alone for two days after a major fight- of course something had happened! What kind of leader was he? He should have never-
Ruffnut clasped a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder, "it'll take a lot more than a single hunter to take us out!"
Hiccup ignored it, "where are Heather and Snotlout?" Had they been kidnapped? Had the Edge been attacked? Had one of their allies been in trouble and sent word to Hiccup's empty hut?
"Where do you think?" Astrid scolded unhelpfully. She rolled her eyes when he couldn't come up with a response, "they went out looking for you."
Hiccup felt as though he was growing crazy. Was it not her who wanted him to go? And take the twins? He said it would take two days- but wasn't it a given that taking the twins would make it take longer? No, no, this was on Hiccup. He should've been sure to communicate better. He shouldn't have left something hanging silently in the air in hopes Astrid would have grabbed it. It was unfair of him to be shocked or even offended in this moment.
Hiccup's internal conflict must have been evident on his face as Astrid's hardened stare softened almost instantly. She sighed out and relaxed her shoulders, "they left in the morning. We were worried you got baited out by hunters and captured or something." Hiccup never took Astrid's anger too personally- and it almost always ended up short lived like this. It's the viking way, after all. To love your family and want to protect them so badly, but to be so naturally stern and unfeeling the only way you can show it is through your frustration when you're afraid. Astrid was a prime example of it. Each time someone got knocked down, she took it personally. And each time she would practically torture the victim into getting stronger so it couldn't happen again.
Hiccup nodded, "we'll fly out at first light after them. I should know where they'll be on the route at that time. I'm really sorry, Astrid."
"Did you find anything?" Fishlegs asked suddenly, apparently trying to lighten the mood.
Before Hiccup got the chance to respond, the twins cut in excitedly. No doubt raring to go on about their adventures of setting a small grove on fire thinking they saw a dragon root plant. Honestly, it was a miracle they were only a day behind schedule.
"Oh boy, my friend, you should have seen the way we chased down a hunter!" Tuffnut started as Ruffnut nodded enthusiastically. "He didn't even try to fight back! The moment he saw us, he took off running!"
Ruffnut laughed wildly, "yeah! Like a little baby!"
"More like a yak," Hiccup muttered.
Tuffnut nodded while pointing at Hiccup, "there was the yak too, yes. We're talking about on that last island. It was so cool- okay- so, imagine this, right?" Tuffnut crouched down in preparation to do a theatrical retelling of a story Hiccup was a complete stranger to. Nothing had happened on the last island. At least, they hadn't told him so.
Tuffnut cleared his throat before starting, "we saw smoke spilling out of the trees and tracked it down to a campfire that was entirely unattended. Quite irresponsible, if you ask me, to leave a fire going without anyone around. Don't worry about that, though, we blew it up to be safe. Anyway- bones were scattered around the fire, clearly of the dragon variety."
"Whoa, hold on-"
"Don't interrupt. It's just getting good," Ruffnut scolded, watching Tuffnut intensely as if she wasn't there for this supposed interaction.
"Anyway," Tuff started again, "we tracked down the hunter slowly through the woods, stalking between trees until we came out to a pond. And there he was, pathetic entirely. Even more than Hiccup- it was truly a feat to look so small and-"
"Okay-"
"Let him finish!" she corrected again, slapping him lightly across the chest. Her smile was back in an instant as her brother began up again.
"He stood at the edge of the water and watched two little Terrible Terrors. He was clearly about to snatch them up so Barf sent this flood of gas over the water. It crept to his feet and I lit the gas aflame and boom!" Tuffnut threw himself back dramatically mimicking an explosion.
Fishlegs yelped in surprise before beaming at the Thorston, "what happened next?" Astrid rolled her eyes with a smile, shooting Hiccup a glace as if trying to exchange some silent words. Hiccup looked utterly lost, forcing Astrid's smile down. He had no idea what Tuff was talking about.
"Well, my friend, that monster took off running. We chased him down of course."
Ruffnut groaned loudly and threw her hands in the air, "and we almost had him too! But then Hiccup just had to interrupt us."
"What in the name of Thor are you talking about?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "You didn't tell me anything about a hunter!"
"Well obviously you knew about him since you shot at us," she argued flippantly.
Hiccup let out a disbelieving laugh as he responded, "I didn't shoot at you!"
"We aren't stupid," Tuffnut started with an eye roll, "we know what a Night Fury blast looks like." The air stood still for a moment. It was obvious that, at this point, no one besides the twins were even breathing anymore. "If you're saying it wasn't you then- hmm." They shared a look as they tried to put the pieces together. Astrid, Fishlegs, and Hiccup could only wait in silence as they struggled through their memories.
Ruffnut nodded, "I was wondering why he shot at us so many times."
"And how he shot as us from the forest but was up in the sky when we left," Tuffnut agreed.
Hiccup let out a shaky breath, beaming a smile before moving to place a hand on Tuffnut's shoulder. Tuffnut looked just as confused at his hand as he did about the whole situation.
"Are you saying-" Hiccup tried to start. It came out in barely a whisper, and part of him was grateful Tuff didn't allow him to finish it.
The blond's eyes lit up as he began to practically vibrate, "there's another Night Fury."
"Oh," Ruffnut smiled. "That makes so much more sense."
"Okay." Hiccup took a deep breath and looked between his friends. They all seemed just as excited as he was, which meant he was the one who was required to remain calm. Which was entirely unfair. If anyone should get to scream and whoop and jump around right now, it should be him. Someone else should have to ask clarifying questions and take it all incredibly seriously in the most boring of ways. He should get to feel full of hope and enjoy the buzz of the maybe. "You're sure it was a Night Fury?"
The twins looked at each other before Tuffnut spoke again, "we thought it was you so we didn't even try looking for it. But it was very clearly a purple plasma blast."
"Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked. Nothing more was needed- his friend knew exactly what he was asking. Even though they both knew Hiccup already knew the answer.
Fishlegs' smile only grew wider, "as far as I'm aware, Night Furies are the only dragon with that very distinct plasma blast. Hiccup… I think they're right."
Hiccup felt his cheeks hurt and face grow hot as his grin turned into a wild smile. Astrid laughed which sent Hiccup into his own fit of laughter. Relief. Excitement! Astrid was hugging him in an instant, the rest followed suit almost immediately after.
"Toothless!" Hiccup called out. The most important member for this conversation was fast asleep in the corner, to the point of not even responding to his name. Hiccup was about to call out again when Fishlegs grabbed his arm and tugged.
"It's really late. Don't you think we should wait until tomorrow- it'll be better to have Snotlout and Heather with us." He was right, Hiccup knew, but by Thor he did not want to wait. He, quite honestly, didn't care whether the rest of the dragon riders joined him or not. He wanted to be out there, now, and find this dragon. But Toothless was exhausted. And once the dragon knew what was happening, there would be no stopping him from searching. So it was sadly incredibly important to let the Night Fury rest. One final sleep believing he was alone. One last rest before the connection of a lifetime.
Hiccup nodded, "first light."