Chapter Text
Jack sat in an old spindly tree, its branches bent under his weight. A few leaves still clinging to it rustled in the wind, as it danced around him. He sighed as some kids raced past, laughing as they pushed and tugged, trying to get home before their families worried. The wind ruffled his hair as he squeezed his eyes shut, clenched his fists as he wondered. Why. Hitting his head back against the tree's old trunk, he glared up at the moon. He grit his teeth, desperate for the man in the moon to just acknowledge him. A hundred years ago he at least judged Jack, now it seems he doesn't even remember him enough for that. He yelled at that damn man in the moon as his eyes watered. He yelled until a living man's throat would hurt, until his body shook, and his anger was replaced by despair. Sleep slipped into his brain so quick he didn't realise he had closed his eyes, as he laid against that old tree. In the quiet of the night he could almost hear it whisper to the wind and the grass. Though it was too quiet for him to make out.
The moon shone a bit brighter, and distantly Jack questioned if it was fair a dead man could still get tired. Surely death was enough rest a body needed. Squinting, he tried to remember the last time he was tired. He watched as the moon got closer. It hadn't done that in a long time. Jack slouched, and his eyes slipped shut, and for the first time in a long time, the moon's gaze felt warm on his cold skin.
It was warm. That was the first thing Jack noticed, the second was that it was very bright, and the third was that he fell asleep. Which was.. Weird. He hadn't fallen asleep in.. Well, a while. Searching blindly for his staff, he panicked. Jack sat up with a start, he searched frantically, only to see it had fallen just a few meters away. He jumped off the branch. Landing without a sound. Just as he crouched to grab his staff, he heard a low growl.
Looking up, his eyes met two big green ones, that belonged to a— Jack squinted at the creature— Lizard? Could lizards growl? It stepped towards him, and Jack stumbled back. Then started glowing, and Jack was pretty sure lizards couldn't do that. He held out his staff as defence.
"You know, I think we can talk this through!" It narrowed its eyes and tilted its head to the side "please don't set me on fire! I'm not very fireproof!" The, dragon? Nodded to the staff then the ground "What? No, I'm not putting my staff down"
It looked ready to growl again when he heard another voice yelling at them. "Toothless! Gods— You can't just run off like that bud! What if—" The man stopped and looked at jack— or at least in his general direction. His stance changed and he looked more guarded.
"Hi?" Jack said, giving them his least threatening smile.