Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was okay. Everything was okay. He'd made the right decision leaving Berk. After all, Toothless would be killed if he stayed.

Hiccup tried to convince himself that he ran away for a good reason, he couldn't allow Toothless to die because of him, he couldn't kill a dragon either, he couldn't, he simply couldn't—not after discovering that they weren't bloodthirsty creatures that killed anything alive, they... had feelings, they had shown that they could understand things, even the most complicated for an animal; they were animals, not demons. Demons caused harm, Toothless had never hurt him since he approached without any bad intentions—they were intelligent.

So why do they attack?

Hiccup shook his head at that question, concentrating on the sky he'd grown to love since his first flight with Toothless. It had brought him so much calm and so many emotions he never thought he'd feel. That adrenaline rush and fear of falling inches above the water was intoxicating. Many would call him crazy; maybe he was, but it was better than useless.

Toothless's signature chirping caught his attention, and he looked at him. The dragon's nubs were raised, a clear sign that he was listening loud and clear to every nervous sigh he let out without realizing it. He seemed curious and concerned about what was bothering him, so Hiccup shook his head and looked away.

"It's nothing." he mumbled, frowning. He was just with Toothless, wasn't he? Even though he was a dragon, he was clearly intelligent enough to understand that something was wrong with him. It didn't hurt to finally let someone know, even if they couldn't talk.

In the end, Toothless was his friend, wasn't he?

He threw himself onto Toothless's back and growled, covering his face with his hands. "Did I do the right thing?" he asked. "I left everything I knew behind just because I couldn't kill anyone of you." he complained. Toothless's crooning didn't help much; what was he doing complaining to someone who couldn't speak to him?

He straightened in the saddle and fixed his gaze on the vast sea, which seemed endless, along with the sky and Hiccup's doubts. He was abandoning everything he knew, leaving behind the people he loved; his father, Gobber, even the boys his own age—though they'd treated him well only since he'd excelled in training, they hadn't liked him for who he was, and Astrid had practically started to hate him.

If he returned they would kill him and Toothless, they would brand him a traitor for being friends with a dragon and for having freed the dragons from the Kill Ring before leaving in the night, there would be no trial for him even if he was the Chief's son, a traitor was a traitor.

The flight continued for several hours, they even saw how the sun was already beginning to set again, so Hiccup decided that it was best for Toothless to rest and recharge his energy on any island that was nearby, so as soon as he saw an island surrounded by trees he gave the signal to descend. Toothless's feet touched the grass, Hiccup was about to get off Toothless's back, but the dragon stopped him and growled at him in a warning. 

Unknown. Don't down. Loved be safe.

Toothless walked around the island, making sure there was nothing dangerous for Hiccup, he sniffed the air and there was no scent of any dragon; he went so far as to climb almost every tree to make sure there was no one hiding.

"It's okay, Toothless." Hiccup stroked the dragon's head to relax him. Toothless snorted and reluctantly let Hiccup get off. "Come on, help me make a fire."

Hiccup knew how to make a campfire, years of exploring the forest of Berk had helped him become agile at climbing so he could hide from his cousin and his friends, how to make a campfire and other survival instincts—were not well developed, but it was still useful to know the basics.

Deep into the night, the campfire was ready. Toothless's tail wrapped around Hiccup's feet as he relaxed. The flight hadn't exhausted him; the mere thought of getting Hiccup away from that place gave him more resistance. They didn't respect him. More than once, he slept in the cove next to him. He remembered how he spent the first night with only a blanket when the night was cold. Hiccup had his body leaning on Toothless's; the sleep from not having slept at all the night before was taking its toll on him, and his eyes felt heavy. Toothless noticed and opened his wing.

"It's not necessary." he said with a nervous smile.

It was necessary. He didn't bring a blanket, he didn't have any warm clothes, and the fire wouldn't last forever.

Toothless tilted his head in annoyance and growled. Hiccup needed to recharge his batteries. He was very skinny and would barely be able to stand if he didn't sleep properly. His paw knocked him to the ground and he quickly covered him with his wing. It was safer that way and would keep him warm. After a few minutes, Toothless heard Hiccup's soft sigh and knew he was already asleep. Without further ado, he began to fall asleep as well.

[...]

"Do you see what I see?" a man's voice and the smell of a dragon woke Toothless from his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked up.

In front of him was a robust man with a black beard and hair, his light blue eyes staring at him, next to him was a... Toothless' pupils narrowed when he saw the black dragon next to the man, her orange eyes staring at him, clearly aware of the dragon in front of her.

A Night Fury.

Toothless tried to pull Hiccup's sleeping body closer to him without attracting attention, but a clear 'mmh' from Hiccup caught the man's attention. He tried to get closer to Toothless, but the dragon growled at him with its head held high, a clear threat to stay away, but the Night Fury raised her paw and stamped his head on the ground, now growling at him and making it clear that he had to stay still.

The man walked past him and Toothless felt fear grow within him. He wasn’t going to see him, he was going to see Hiccup. The Night Fury lightly dug her claws into Toothless’s head, warning him not to make any sudden movements, and so he did, standing still and letting the man pull Hiccup from his paws. Toothless’s anger and fear grew as he watched the man pick Hiccup up in his arms—acting gently, he inspected Hiccup’s face as he moved his hair and knew he was in a deep sleep.

"He's not hurt." the man told the dragon, then looked at him and could see Toothless's eyes staring at him, following every move he made on Hiccup. The man looked at his dragon and nodded, and that was enough for the Night Fury to release Toothless. She complied and removed her paw from Toothless's head.

In the blink of an eye, Toothless launched himself at the Night Fury, fully prepared to attack her. She acted quickly and rammed him, making him fall to the ground. She put her paw on him again and growled at him. She looked him straight in the eyes and, as if by magic, Toothless calmed down—he was facing an alpha.

The man watched the scene with great attention. In his arms was still the boy—possibly no more than twelve years old, fast asleep and unaware of what was happening around him. Several questions ran through his head: What was a child doing on a deserted island? Where did he come from? How did he manage to find a Night Fury? It didn't matter; he would make sure to let him know and put him to rest—clearly, he hadn't slept in who knows how long.

He looked at the clearly younger Night Fury and noticed he had a prosthetic fin. The flight would be more taxing.

"You'll have to carry him." he told his dragon, who didn't seem happy about having to do it. "He only has one fin, he depends on the boy," he informed her, and the dragon understood why. She looked at the fin and a look of compassion crossed her eyes.

[...]

The man and his dragon were already in the air, Hiccup was in the man's arms, being held tightly to prevent him from falling into the sea, and Toothless was held by the dragon's claws; he let out grunts of discomfort and humiliation.

"You'll be resting in a good bed soon, boy." he said to Hiccup with a small smile, patting his arm and indicating that she should fly faster.

They were near their island.

Chapter Text

Hiccup felt like he was going to throw up from every emotion he felt.

He'd woken up in a comfortable bed in a house he didn't recognize, in a well-furnished room—much of it was made of different woods—with Toothless by his side, and what a delightful surprise to see that he didn't have his chair or flipper! So any escape plan Hiccup had was completely ruined. The windows in the room were locked, and while they were easy to unlock, he wasn't going to risk being seen with Toothless—he'd heard noises outside the windows, noises of people and dragons, and Hiccup swore he was going crazy.

He looked around the room carefully, searching every piece of furniture for Toothless's things that made him fly. Even his dagger, the first one he made at a young age and without help, had been taken while he was sleeping and hidden somewhere. There was nothing, not even a clue as to where he had been taken.

The only viable option to know where they were, to look for their things and escape if necessary was to leave the room, and so they did. Upon leaving, Hiccup realized he was on the second floor. The hallway leading to the stairs was furnished with a few things, there were plants hanging on the wall and paintings of different landscapes, landscapes he had never seen. There were two other rooms, but they were locked, and Hiccup wasn't going to risk making a noise. He went down the stairs and found himself in a large living room. There were three chairs with wingbacks, each with elaborate designs and made with great care, a fireplace with evidence of having been lit the night before, a bear rug, and just like in the room where he woke up, the windows were locked. There was also a table between the chairs and the fireplace, as well as other furniture.

Hiccup walked to the center of the room, examining it. Toothless was also looking at everything, but with a certain curiosity. Hiccup's eyes fell on a tapestry over the fireplace. The design on it was of two Night Fury, one with light blue eyes, almost white, and the other with dark brown, almost black eyes.

They walked to another room in the house and arrived at what appeared to be the dining room, with a large table surrounded by three simple chairs. In the center of the table was a vase of orange and pink flowers. They went to another room that appeared to be the kitchen. There was a table in the middle, another against the wall, and next to it was a cabinet for storing some things. The windows were also locked.

They reached the last unlocked room, entered and to Hiccup's surprise it was a double room; the bed was a double, surrounded by some furniture, the same type of stone that was in the room where he woke up was there in a corner, there were some small wooden figures handmade in the shape of Night Fury and on the wall there was a space to leave weapons.

"Well," Hiccup said, clasping his hands together nervously. "Apparently, they're Night Fury fanatics here." Toothless growled at the comment.

Without any result from their search they went to what seemed to be the door to the outside, the sounds of dragons became louder as they approached and with that Hiccup's anxiety grew; maybe the couple lived on an island full of dragons, or maybe another tribe was fighting with dragons, but whatever it was, Toothless was by his side, and, even if he was someone small, he would try to protect him from whatever it was. He opened the door and saw a pink—almost red—Monstrous Nightmare pass in front of them, above it was a boy who was laughing freely.

"Let's go!" He shouted back. "I didn't know you had such slow dragons- WOAH!" A greenish Deadly Nadder with red spots passed almost over them. "Bodil, don't get ahead of yourself!" He shouted and chased after the girl on top of the Nadder.

They were followed by a purple Hiddeus Zippleback and a pink-brown Gronckle, both dragons ridden by laughing teenagers.

Hiccup stood still at the sight before him. Were those kids... riding dragons? Either he was sleeping, or he was dead, or he was hallucinating, but he definitely didn't see kids—possibly his age—living peacefully with dragons. He took a few more steps and the sight of a large town left him speechless. The town, from where he could see it, was even bigger than Berk. The buildings were large and well-structured, made of stone so they wouldn't burn from the dragons' fire. There were several dragons flying, walking, or even resting in different places. There were shops full of businesses, selling things Hiccup had never seen before. People wore clothes he recognized since they were viking, but there were also others he couldn't. Hiccup looked at the house behind him and noticed it was also large; built of stone, the roof made of a wood that seemed to be quite sturdy, the windows closed, it stood on a wooden terrace that faced outside, the railings were made of the same material.

He looked at Toothless, who looked almost as shocked as he was, and they exchanged glances. "We're dead." He commented. This, everything in front of him—people being able to coexist with dragons, without even a hint of bitterness or bloodshed—was as good as dead.

"No. You're not dead, young man." A woman's voice startled him. He looked to his right and saw a pale woman with bobbed hair and black eyes sitting on a wooden bench. At her feet was a Night Fury with fuchsia eyes; his scales, unlike Toothless's, were brown.

Hiccup was stunned to see another Night Fury alive other than Toothless; he truly believed that they were extinct and that Toothless was the last one, but apparently that wasn't the case, he remembered Grimmel, his father—he wasn't his father anymore, he deserted and committed betrayal—Stoick had told him about the man and his achievement in finishing off those dragons one by one, but he always questioned why he never contacted him to take down Toothless, though he's glad he never did—Toothless was special to him, his best and first friend, and he would always wonder what would have happened if he had never taken him down.

And he will never forgive himself for having taken away his freedom.

The woman got up from her seat and walked slowly towards him, letting him get over his surprise. Her dragon got up and walked beside her. She stared at Hiccup. He was too small and skinny, too easy to pick up—her husband's words—and carry. He didn't look much older than twelve, but Toothless didn't look like a normal teenage Night Fury either; he was just as small and skinny compared to others. He probably grew up in a confined space with very little food. She stopped in front of him and smiled, finding his surprised face cute when he saw her and the Night Fury.

"What's your name?" She asked curiously.

"Other... Night Fury..." Hiccup's eyes never left the unknown Night Fury, completely shocked by his presence; maybe there are more. He realized he'd been asked something and nervously coughed. "Hiccup."

The woman raised an eyebrow at the strange name; it was quite curious. "Just Hiccup?" She asked again.

He couldn't use his last name, he wasn't a Haddock anymore, he wasn't an heir, he was gone, he fled Berk, and all because of a dragon—his best friend, he amended himself, remembering how Toothless showed more compassion for him than his own people, how he treated him as an equal despite knowing each other relatively little.

He sighed, and with all the pain in his soul, even though he still loved Stoick, he answered, "Yes. Just Hiccup." The woman smiled and nodded. "And this is Toothless." The dragon growled menacingly.

"Nice to meet you, Hiccup, Toothless." Hiccup smiled nervously. "My name is Isa the Fury, Chieftess of Fury." She introduced herself, her hand moving toward her dragon, who purred at the touch. "And he's Umbra."

Umbra edged closer to Toothlees, who backed away and growled, sniffing at him, curious at how thin he looked. He'd noticed last night how Toothless always seemed to be on alert, especially when his mate was present, seeming more concerned with the boy than himself, which was honorable, but he didn't understand why he'd be so hostile toward an alpha.

"Toothless, be nice." Hiccup spoke, calmer now, and smiled as he saw Toothless grimace at his words. "He's not like this all the time, I swear." Isa laughed.

"He's a young dragon, so it's understandable that he might act irritable." Toothless sighed, offended by both of their words. Umbra was the one invading his space! "And where did you come from? My husband told me you were on an uninhabited island when he found you."

"Did your husband find us?" Hiccup asked, curious and surprised. "Well, I'm from the Barbaric Archipelago."

Isa raised an eyebrow and looked at Toothless and Hiccup several times. "The Barbaric Archipelago? That's quite far away and a very cold place for a Night Fury." She said, somewhat understanding why Toothless was so small for his age, but it didn't explain Hiccup's skinny build; he should be someone strong, the areas in that place were quite frozen, Hiccup would die of cold.

"Yeah—really?" Hiccup asked, surprised. "I mean, where I'm from, we don't have any information about the Night Fury. I've only just learned a few things about Toothless."

Isa made a face that she tried to avoid, not wanting to seem too rude in front of the boy—whose name she didn't even know—but didn't they know anything about the Night Fury? Isa understood that the cold kept them from going to the Barbaric Archipelago, but nothing? Not even the usual? And it was a boy—who knows how old—who was discovering those dragons?

Stupid nest. Smart loved. Smarter than them.

Ignorant. Ignorant nest.

Toothless tilted his head at Umbra's opinion of Hiccup's village—at least someone shared his opinion.

"Well, how about I show you the island? I think you'll like it."

"Really?" he asked excitedly, then remembered Toothless's fin and his enthusiasm disappeared. "Oh, well, I guess it won't be possible since Toothless can't fly on his own."

It was his fault, Toothless would still be flying free if he hadn't wanted to prove himself to be something he wasn't.

Isa smiled, not with compassion, but with that smile anyone get when someone's planning something. "That won't be a problem, because our first stop will be the forge."

Chapter Text

Fury was huge! Like, it was almost five times larger than Berk, with enough space to accommodate many people and different dragons, it was rich in trade, crops, land, and money—from what Isa briefly explained, Fury has existed for centuries, with different Chiefs and heirs with their Night Fury, something fascinating about its history was that each Chief and consort rode a Night Fury, and their children grew up with one or formed a bond with one. Isa promised to take him to Fury's Great Hall sometime soon, which she said was large; Hiccup figured it was probably bigger than the one on Berk. They walked through the area Hiccup assumed was the shopping district, as there were different stalls with a wide variety of items—were you looking for a toy for your child or a family member? There was a stall for that; were you looking for exotic fruit? A lady at a stall might sell it; some clothing? The finest sewing.

People noticed Isa's presence; she couldn't go unnoticed even if she wanted to. She was known and loved by the entire village. Who better Chieftess than her? She was a brutal warrior, imposing before dragons who were too funny by disobeying the alpha, kind to both young and old, wise in decisions, and with a very important role in Fury. They greeted her respectfully, always giving her a smile and she returned it—they also greeted Hiccup politely, and he greeted them back as if he were an heir, which sparked Isa's curiosity.

Well, he was an heir, he just gave up that role by choosing the life of Toothless over Berk.

"He's very small."

"His Night Fury looks malnourished."

"Poor one. Last night I saw Runar arrive with them."

People's conversations about him made Hiccup nervous—why were they talking about him? Why were they curious about him?

Isa put her arm on Hiccup's shoulder, surrounding him and holding him close, which surprised him and left him frozen—it was very close.

"They're not speaking ill of you." Isa's calm voice echoed in his head; weren't they? It seemed so. They didn't seem to like his presence. "They're just curious. It's very rare for a young person, of any age, to be accompanied by a Night Fury." Oh, well, that didn't calm him down either. He wasn't one for drawing attention, and he didn't like it either. "And they're probably worried about how skinny you and Toothless look."

He looked over his shoulder at the people they were leaving behind, all of them looking at him either with pity or with a kind smile—they felt sorry for him, why?

They finally arrived at the forge, and Hiccup marveled at the place. It was larger than the forge on Berk, with more room to move around and implement tools; there were several tool cabinets on the tables, a large furnace, larger than the one on Berk, and various creations scattered in different corners. Isa entered as if it were her home and Hiccup, somewhat unsure, followed her. Toothless stayed behind for a few seconds sniffing the air; there was a strange smell there, but he ignored it at Hiccup's call. Hiccup saw the place from the inside, it looked like paradise for any blacksmith.

As they approached Hiccup noticed there were three people inside the forge; one was a considerably tall man, with black hair and eyes, his hair was a mess as well as his beard and mustache; as if it were his shadow there was a dragon behind him, it resembled a Night Fury but this one was a dark gray, with purple eyes and more protuberances on her head, on her tail there were more fins. The other was a girl with short black hair and eyes, it was somewhat messy in the back but in the front it was somewhat tidy - it covered her forehead and part of her left eye, but it was still moderately visible, at her feet was a Night Fury sleeping peacefully. Finally there was a large man, almost the same as Stoick a few centimeters shorter, he had a beard and black hair, somewhat long, enough to be tied in a small ponytail, his eyes were blue but soft and warm; next to him was a Night Fury bigger than Toothless and the other Night Fury, it was noticeable that she was an experienced adult of the war.

Toothless stood still at the sight of the older Night Fury, felt his body tense at the sight of the alpha again—she hadn't hurt him any more since their first encounter, in fact, she seemed to be more careful with him, attentive, but Toothless wouldn't allow himself to let his guard down around her, not when Hiccup was with him. He knows what alphas are like, how dominant they are, how much fear they instill, how many people they could put at their mercy. Toothless doesn't want Hiccup to feel fear, doesn't want that alpha to hurt him, to impose him at her mercy, to harm him.

She taught him what alphas were like.

His nubs moved back, almost sticking to his head, his teeth came out and he got close to Hiccup, sticking to him walking close to his hip, the closer they got the more nervous he got.

He didn't care about the consequences of facing an alpha, he didn't care how hurt he would end up—if she dared to attack or show dominance over Hiccup, she would have to face him, because Toothless wouldn't let anyone harm Hiccup.

Hiccup's hand stroked Toothless's head, causing him to shiver at the touch. They didn't need to speak the same language; just a glance at the other was enough to tell what was wrong, and Hiccup knew how nervous Toothless was—they'd known each other for almost a month, but they both felt like they'd known each other forever.

Hiccup could trust Toothless with his life. Toothless could trust Hiccup with his life.

"Isa!" The tall man's voice was gruff and deep, enough to make anyone shiver, but the love in the woman's name was unmistakable. His eyes flickered from Isa to Hiccup, curiosity and happiness shining in his eyes. "I see you're awake."

Hiccup tried to make himself small, not wanting to attract anyone's attention. Toothless's tail wrapped protectively around his leg. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He said, clearly nervous.

The man approached Hiccup and examined him for a few seconds—he still remembered his tired face. It broke his heart because no child should have that expression. "I am Runar the Night, Chief of Fury, and husband to the magnificent woman at your side."

This was the famous Runar, huh, Hiccup imagined him differently.

"I'm Hiccup." He introduced himself, unsure. If this was Runar, it meant he was the one who took him. "Just Hiccup. Nothing else." He clarified. "And this is Toothless."

Toothless looked more nervous seeing that the alpha was next to the man, she didn't seem hostile like that night, but an alpha was an alpha, and they were dangerous if you weren't careful.

"Funny name." He hum. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

The room fell silent on the part of the three adults, who fell silent at that response. Fifteen. He didn't look fifteen! No, no, Hiccup must be playing a joke on them. He didn't look fifteen at all.

"Like me!" Suddenly the girl spoke, and without thinking, she went to Hiccup and stood in front of him with a big smile. "I'm Cerys, nice to meet you." She extended her hand.

Hiccup stood there, not knowing what to do. He wasn't famous in his tribe—not before training—and the kids his age practically hated him, always teasing or making fun of him, and the adults, not even Stoick, would do anything about it because "that's how people his age act." Not even the two girls his own age tolerated him; Ruffnut teased and made fun of him, and Astrid... Gods, even though Hiccup liked her, he had to admit she hated him—he'd have to get rid of that little crush soon; there would be no point in having it because he'd never see them again—she was the most hostile toward him, the one who could barely stand his presence, and even though she never participated in the jokes, she never stood up for him, not even because he was the heir. So yeah, he should say goodbye to that love for her; he should, maybe, forget about Berk and his people.

So, that someone was curious to meet him was new, very new, and almost strange to him, because he didn't have any interesting qualities—he rode a dragon, but apparently almost everyone in this tribe did, so it was of no use—

He shook the girl's hand unsurely, and the girl's smile grew bigger.

"It's a pleasure, Cerys." He said, with a small smile. "I've never heard your name anywhere." He commented. "You're the first Cerys I've met."

The girl was flattered by that, quite a bit, because it was the first time anyone had said that to her and boy, did she like being unique in many things.

"Same here, Hiccup isn't a common name." She said.

They stared at each other, still holding each other's hands. They didn't feel the need to let go, nor did they feel uncomfortable under each other's touch, despite their hands being rough from working in the blacksmith's. They felt warm and comfortable in each other's presence—and they had only known each other for a second!

"I chose her name." Suddenly, the other man's voice startled them both, causing them to loosen their grip. "This little blacksmith really liked cherries as a baby, so the name suited her."

"Snorri!" Cerys yelled in annoyance.

Isa approached her husband and whispered, "Overprotective father."

The sleeping Night Fury woke up not feeling Cerys's presence by her side, she looked towards where she was and was very surprised to see a young Night Fury, possibly her age. She got up and went towards him, sniffed Toothless who backed up until he was against the wall—trying to get away, his hind legs climbed up the wall, the dragon found that attitude funny so she purred, then she got into a play position, inciting him, but Toothless, growing up in a hostile place, didn't know what she wanted, a fight? He didn't understand why she looked excited and amused.

Toothless looked around, Hiccup seemed to be happy to interact with those people, he had that small sincere smile that he tried to hide—good for him, then he looked at the dragons, there was a species that looked like one of his own but was definitely different, there was also Umbra and that alpha, she stared at him and hummed.

Play.

Finally Toothless understood what she wanted, slowly lowered his hind legs from the wall and got into the same position as the Night Fury, paws and chest pressed to the ground, nubs raised and tail wagging happily.

"Nymeria, play outside!" Cerys shouted to the dragon. "Everything here is dangerous or fragile, we don't want any accidents." She told Hiccup.

Runar approached Hiccup again and placed his hand on his shoulder, making him look up nervously. Runar was tall, that much was clear to Hiccup—it almost made him envious—

"Where are you from?" He asked, curious.

Hiccup remained silent for a long moment. Should he be honest and reveal where he came from? He didn't know what intentions these people might have toward Berk. They rode dragons here, and on Berk, they killed them. That would make them enemies, and even though he took the heat for his people, he didn't want them to suffer any more than they already did.

He sighed, unsure of how to answer. "I'm not from anywhere." Everyone looked at him in confusion. "I chose to leave my tribe because..." If he wanted them to trust him, even if he didn't stay here, he had to be honest. At least partly. "They slew dragons."

"They kill them?" The man's voice, Snorri, echoed in his head and made him feel guilty for some reason. He didn't kill any dragons, but he wanted to, he tried, and he failed.

Hiccup nodded. "I knocked Toothless down in an attack, and I caused him to lose his fin." Now he felt horrible. If he had thought differently from the start, if he hadn't wanted to be like them, maybe Toothless would still be flying on his own.

And he would have been trapped there.

A small laugh from Snorri caught his attention. He looked at him in confusion. They all did, and suddenly the man walked deeper into the forge. Cerys seemed to understand what he was getting at and followed. Hiccup looked at Isa and Runar in confusion—and guilt. They looked just as confused as he was, but they didn't seem bothered. Snorri and Cerys arrived, and to Hiccup's surprise, they were holding Toothless's fin and saddle.

"I was wondering what this was for." Cerys commented, handing the chair to Hiccup.

Well, at least now Hiccup knew where those two things had been. Snorri seemed interested in the fin, looking at it closely, trying to figure out how it worked.

Hiccup called Toothless to put both things on him, interrupting the playtime of both dragons—Nymeria, seeing that Toothless couldn't fly, played on the ground so as not to be unfair, several dragons and people looked at them curious and amused, young souls playing like puppies, it was something cute to see from time to time. Toothless stopped playing and went with Hiccup, behind him followed Nymeria who stayed next to Cerys.

"Look what they had here." She showed him the chair and fin, Toothless became excited and let her put both things on him—they already felt like a part of him, a reminder of who could make him fly again.

Hiccup climbed onto Toothless and opened the flap. Toothless roared happily. They could fly again! He looked at the three Night Fury, who looked happy for him, but also curious about the artifact.

"That's a very curious invention." Snorri walked over to Hiccup, slowly looked at the fin in amazement and touched it, Toothless suddenly pulled it away and growled at Snorri. "Wow, okay. Message received, big guy." He quickly walked away with his arms raised.

"I guess that helps him fly." Isa said, coming up beside Umbra. "Well, it saves us the walking." She commented happily, climbing onto Umbra.

Hiccup looked at her in surprise, then looked at Runar, who had also climbed onto his dragon. "Wait, what...?"

Runar approached with a smile. "Now that Toothless can fly, we can give you a good tour of Fury." He replied. "Believe me when I say you have to fly to see this whole place. Everything." Umbra rose into the sky and waited for the other two. "Come on, Warden knows every corner of this place."

Warden, a curious name for a Night Fury. She purred and encouraged Toothless to fly, soaring into the sky—well, Toothless needed to move his wings, and Hiccup was honestly a little excited to see more of the place, so they took flight and followed Umbra and Warden.

Snorri and Cerys watched as the three Night Fury and their riders left, at their sides were their dragons—Nymeria sat at Cerys's feet and Snorri's dragon butted her rider's head with her tail just to annoy him.

"Ahg, Stormqueen!"

Chapter Text

Runar's words were true, Fury was very large and a dragon was needed to visit at least most of the island. It was simply fascinating to see how a tribe was full of different customs from many parts, from different dragons, it was a place full of life; the crops were prosperous, the people were kind and respectful, but they were curious about Hiccup and Toothless, some murmured but a look from Runar or Isa was enough to silence them, the livestock was large, the climate was perfect, being mostly a pleasant warm and not at all stifling, not like the archipelago, there were new materials that Hiccup had never seen, the dragons respected the alpha, there were even more Night Fury! Toothless looked totally happy about that; some seemed like young specimens had invited him to play, but Toothless rejected them, refusing to leave Hiccup's side.

The simple fact that there were more Night Fury on the island convinced Hiccup to stay; not for himself, but for Toothless so he could live with his own kind after they were thought to be extinct.

It wasn’t that Hiccup wouldn’t consider staying, he appreciated everyone’s hospitality, hell even the dragons, animals that were guided by their instincts, seemed to respect him more than Berk, but Hiccup didn’t want to call the place home. He wasn’t born there, he’d never heard of the island, of a possibility of there being more Night Fury, he had no connection to the place any more than Toothless did—he appreciated Isa and Runar’s tour, they seemed happy enough to oblige, but it wasn’t like they’d given him an invitation to stay forever.

The first stop was a large—and he wasn't exaggerating—library. Stone walls, stones that looked strong and difficult to move, created the walls; there was wood for the roof, support, and decoration both outside and inside; torches lit the entrance and the inside; people and their dragons came and went, groups of friends, families, there were many people inside. The entrance was a staircase with railings; the door, open until dark, had various dragon designs engraved on it. The structure had two floors; the first floor was not only filled with shelves that reached almost to the ceiling, but also with tables—Hiccup had to internally praise the beautiful designs of the tables—at the end of the place there was a large rock that almost filled the entire floor in that place, where dragons would come, sleeping or resting—few were those who were with their riders while they read.

Isa explained that the first floor was always almost full of people and dragons, she explained several areas, including where you could find interesting books with a lot of information about different things, the back was exclusively created so that the dragons had their space without risk of burning something important.

To Toothless's surprise, who had stayed by Hiccup's side along the way, Warden invited him and Umbra to rest with the rest of the dragons. She knew Toothless had a rough night and morning, all in order to be alert for any sound that might be heard near where Hiccup slept.

(Or when he would growl loudly, making himself known, when he smelled Runar and Isa nearby, holding a certain grudge against them for the way they took his saddle and fin away from him that night.

Isa touched with her fingertips a weak spot on his neck that not even Toothless was aware existed or was there, but the Night Fury, almost stubborn like his rider, fought to not fall unconscious, which was costly.)

Sorry. Sleep. Cub.

Toothless tilted his head, looking at her while grimacing. Suddenly, Umbra pushed him from behind, urging him to walk—he didn't want to leave Hiccup, he had to make sure the place was safe for him and decide if it was a suitable place for him to live. But the insistence of both dragons, plus Hiccup's look of happiness—for him, not for himself—made him walk over to the other dragons.

Half of you be fine. Safe.

Half of me?

Toothless tilted his head, confused by the pair's words. Did they mean Hiccup? Why would they call him like that?

Half of you connected. Rider. Dragon. Part of you.

Umbra explained, purring as he continued to push Toothless.

Isa half of me. Connected. Family.

Runar half of me. Part of me. Alpha of his pack.

Half of me? It was a new term for Toothless, never heard of it before. It wasn't like he'd heard it in the nest either; the two-legs would kill them when they tried to outlive him, but after a quick explanation from Hiccup—half of me—he dimly understood that they were also trying to outlive her attacks. He looked back and saw Isa and Runar leading Hiccup to the second floor. He looked excited, chatting with them, asking questions, just being himself. He decided to relax, listen to them, and lay down on the rock, realizing how tired he was.

Warden and Umbra each lay down on either side of Toothless, surrounding him. Warden watched as he slowly succumbed to sleep, which deepened as he felt the warmth of all the dragons around him. She purred contentedly.

The second floor was almost the same as the ground floor, except there were fewer tables and it was more like a large hallway lined with shelves. There were also people there, some talking, others with their dragons. Runar excitedly explained how familiar he was with every corner of the place, whispering to him about the best places to be alone.

"This place is pretty big for, well, a library." Hiccup commented with a somewhat nervous smile. He'd never been in a library before; the closest thing he'd ever been was the Dragon Manual and the few books Merchant Johann brought to sell. He wasn't as bookish as Fishlegs—he would have liked to see his reaction.

The comment piqued Runar's curiosity, raising an eyebrow as he looked at him. "Where you come from, are they small?"

"No, we don't have libraries." He responded quickly, so matter-of-factly that it baffled the couple. "We're—they're more focused on fighting and training."

Runar frowned. "Tsk. Well, I lived through a war and always—"

"—always spent your time here," a boy with dirty-blond hair and somewhat dark skin finished speaking. In his hands was a book with quite a few pages, and next to him was a Gronckle—the same Gronckle he saw when he left that house. "You've said it a thousand times, you're bored now."

"Ulf, have respect for your Chief." Isa's voice made the warning clear without saying anything out loud.

The boy, who had previously seemed bored, grew nervous and apologized, somewhat embarrassed. His attention suddenly shifted to Hiccup, who, feeling the boy's eyes on him, became nervous, looking elsewhere, anywhere, but at him.

Suddenly the boy—Ulf, he reminded himself—approached Hiccup and inspected him. Hiccup tried to back away somewhat nervously, not knowing if he had done something, a gesture perhaps, that had upset him, but any doubt disappeared when he felt both hands on his shoulders.

"So you're the special guest, huh?" His voice was cheerful, almost excited. Hiccup noticed that Ulf was taller than him by a few inches, his hair was short and a bit messy, and he looked a bit muscular—not as much as an adult, but it was noticeable from time to time. "I'm Ulf, nice to meet you." He introduced himself with a big smile. "And she is Grumwar."

The Gronckle approached, her tail wagging like a happy and docile dog, Hiccup looked at her and remembered the Gronckle from Berk.

He shook his head, suddenly feeling guilty. "I'm Hiccup," he introduced himself with a small smile. "My dragon is downstairs sleeping. His name is Toothless."

They couldn't continue talking as the tour had to continue, so they said goodbye with a smile and Ulf—to his surprise—seemed to look forward to seeing him again.

They walked into a somewhat small room filled with books, scrolls, and other items. In the center was a table with a chair. A large book sat in the middle. The cover had a dragon design Hiccup wasn't familiar with. There was a large map taped to the wall, filled with islands with their names and other items. It was the perfect place for a Chief to think, be alone, or hide information.

"This room was made exclusively for the Chief and his family, no one else has access to it." Runar began to speak. "And anyone outside of this will be punished lightly—depending on many factors." He said with a smile as he looked at Hiccup, who shrugged at that; he looked kind as he explained, which, in his opinion, was scary.

Isa noticed Hiccup's change in attitude and growled at her husband, slapping him on the arm. Runar groaned and stroked the bruised area. Isa nodded at Hiccup who didn't look comfortable.

"But it never happens so everything's fine." He tried to soften his words but it didn't work. He coughed, trying to change the subject. "This book." He pointed to the book on the table. "It has Fury's history; how he came to be, the Chiefs, their families, everything."

He opened the book and pages upon pages filled with texts from the beginning of the tribe were shown, there were small drawings, possibly made by the first Chiefs, then the focus of the book changed until it began to show drawings of various people until it reached Runar and Isa, in silence, and while they continued talking, he began to read the information there was about them.

Runar the Night, Warden's rider, Chief of Fury since the age of nineteen, son of Bersi the Night, rider of Silent, and Groa the Fury, rider of Shadow.

Jarl's younger brother, disinherited after his affair and infidelity with a vendor were discovered.

Spouse: Isa the Fury.

Children: None.

Heir: None.

 

Isa the Fury, Umbra Rider.

In charge of training the younger members and Fury's safety, as well as overseeing major events.

Warrior honorably retired after a serious knee injury.

Spouse: Runar the Night.

Children: None.

He read every word about them carefully. There wasn't much information, but knowing something would help him with anything. He was struck by the fact that they didn't have children. He looked up and tried to think about how old they were. They didn't look that young, but they weren't old either. Why didn't they have children? Fury didn't seem like a place that was always in danger.

"How old are you?"

Isa and Runar looked at him in silence and then looked at each other at the sudden question.

"Well, thirty-five." Runar replied, not understanding if there was a problem with that, then noticed the open book and understood a little. "Oh, I see you read that we don't have children."

Hiccup slammed the book shut, realizing he'd been caught, his face turning red in embarrassment at the thought of asking something he shouldn't have, but they both seemed calm, as if they were used to that question. "Uh, well, I didn't, I didn't mean to sound like it was any of my business. You have your, uh, your lives, your decisions."

A small laugh made him fall silent, he looked up and saw Runar smiling—it wasn't happy or mocking, it was more like a tranquilizing one, but Isa turned around with her back to him, trying to look like she was looking for a book.

"Relax, we've been asked that for years, it's... a habit, yes." He walked up to Hiccup, stopping in front of him, and despite his height and appearance, he didn't seem intimidating. He placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder and smiled reassuringly and—affectionately? "It's not a long story, but in short—" His eyes went to Isa who was almost motionless. "I'm barren. I can't have children."

"Oh, wow." Hiccup muttered, somewhat embarrassed to bring it up. "Sorry about, erm, my—"

"It's okay. You're a curious boy." Isa finally spoke, but she sounded somewhat distant and hurt, as if the subject were even deeper and more painful for the couple.

He lowered his head in sadness. "I'm sorry too, it's not my place to ask." Runar squeezed his shoulder.

"It's okay. Just... don't bring up the subject again."

Fury's harbor was filled with ships, whether merchants, fishing boats, or warships. People walked freely on the wooden floors, and there were even small stalls selling their catches. Some boats had arrived after a long fishing trip—some in good spirits, others not. It was still a quiet place, with fewer dragons present due to the somewhat reduced space, but there were still some that used them to raise or lower boxes.

"Fishing is essential to Fury's supply," Isa said. "Many dragons, especially sea dragons, feed on these. There are exceptions, of course, but their diet is mostly fish."

Hiccup looked at the place somewhat amazed by the amount of warships and fishing boats there were, he quickly saw how Toothless licked his lips when he saw a full fishing net, but Warden growled something at him that Hiccup couldn't understand.

They continued walking through the place until they reached the posts, there they explained to Hiccup that the port also served to receive other people from other tribes with which they were allied, tribes that Hiccup had never heard of.

BOOM! An explosion was heard from one of the stalls they had just passed, they turned around quickly and saw a destroyed and smoke-filled stall, the owner of that stall was unharmed since he was not there at the time of the explosion, but it would definitely cost him to repair it.

"What was that!?"

Laughter began to emerge from the smoke, many people began to groan as they recognized it, Isa and Runar frowned. A purple Zippleback emerged from the smoke, above it were two boys laughing out loud, very similar, both with long brown hair in braids and brown eyes. Hiccup, for a moment, was reminded of the twins and the destruction of their pranks—he quickly shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory of Berk.

"Sigrid and Sigurd, you're in trouble, come down here right now!" Runar ordered in a loud, almost shouting voice, causing both boys to freeze as they noticed the Chiefs' presence—but suddenly the shock disappeared and was replaced by curiosity as they saw Hiccup and Toothless.

They quickly got off their dragon and, to Runar and Isa's surprise, surrounded Hiccup with a big smile that both of them and everyone in the village recognized—curiosity.

"Well, well, sister, what do we have here?" The boy—Sigurd—said as he looked at Hiccup, as if he were studying some new being.

"It seems to be someone new on the island." The girl—Sigrid—replied, her hand caressing her chin. "What's your name, strange boy?"

Hiccup looked at them, confused by their bold personalities, as if they didn't even know the word "space." "I'm Hiccup, and he's—" Toothless was also being surrounded by the Zippeblack. "Toothless."

"Huh. A curious name for your Night Fury." Sigurd commented. "He's Sparkle and Sparks."

The dragon sniffed curiously at Toothless, who only growled, trying to look intimidating enough for the dragon.

"And that's how you judge my choice of name?" He muttered to himself.

Isa coughed, reminding the kids that their act hadn't gone unnoticed by the Chiefs. Both of them, frightened, turned their heads to look at them, smiling nervously. They quickly said goodbye to Hiccup and ran off. Huh. A curious first meeting.

The Training Camp—or mostly known as The Arena of War, according to Isa—was a less populated place, but that was because the sun was already beginning to set. The place, unlike the Kill Ring, wasn't filled with dragon cages or the smell of dead dragons or dragon blood, but it was filled with dummies that occasionally stood up. Inside were two teenagers training, both with weapons in hand—one was a red-haired girl with blue eyes, her body somewhat toned for her age; the other was a dark-haired boy with black hair and eyes, also somewhat toned but less so than the girl. On one side of the arena were two dragons, a greenish Deadly Nadder with red spots and a pink almost red Monstrous Nightmare.

Hiccup had seen those dragons before, remembering that they were the ones he saw as soon as he left the house, so he assumed that those were their riders.

The place was mostly used by students or graduates, sometimes the odd kid would sneak in out of curiosity, but many were free to enter if they wanted.

"Not the head! Not the head!" The boy yelled in panic as he was knocked down by the girl. "Bodil, you promised me you wouldn't be rude!"

"Oh come on, Hans, this is my way of getting revenge." The girl said with a wicked smile as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Last week, Bloodstormer ate Luckbust's chicken, and it's your dragon, so you pay!"

Bodil twisted Hans's arm from behind while putting all his weight on his knee, the boy squealed in pain and shouted his dragon's name, but it was fast asleep.

Runar, Isa and Hiccup watched the scene in silence, listening as the boy was almost on the verge of tears from the pain.

Isa smiled as she watched them train, amused by their interaction, as if she were already used to their attitude and found it more rewarding to watch. She walked to a spot in the arena and took something in her hands. She came back and handed a stick to Hiccup. He, bewildered, looked at her, not knowing what she wanted to do.

She got into a fighting stance, as if the two of them were about to engage in swordfights. "One thing worth mentioning about Fury is our hand-to-hand combat training." She said, waving the stick as if warming up. "We won't always have our dragons by our side, and not every child has a dragon to protect them—so we rely on training from a young age."

And, as if something were wrong, the two teenagers training stopped to watch them, almost excited. Hiccup looked at Isa nervously, then at Runar as if asking for an explanation, but Runar placed his hand on Hiccup's hair with a smile.

"She wants to see your combat prowess." He explained with a big smile. "Well, to see if you need help training."

"Oh." He simply said that, feeling sweat dripping down his forehead. "The thing is, well... I can hold a weapon for a long time because I used to work as a blacksmith in my village, but I don't know how to swing a wea—"

And before he could finish, he saw out of the corner of his eye the stick coming towards his face at high speed. Without time to think further, he put his stick in front of him horizontally, managing to block the attack.

It was a quick block, the stick almost slipping from her hand but luckily Isa didn't insist on really fighting and moved the stick away with a small smile, without any disappointment on her face because she didn't know how to fight for his age.

"So you worked as a blacksmith?" She asked interestedly, approaching with a big smile. "Well, I should have guessed as much when I saw Toothless's fin." She looked at Runar. "Maybe we can talk Snorri into taking him on as another apprentice. Cerys might finally have a partner, too."

Isa spoke cheerfully, almost ignoring the fact that if it weren't for Hiccup's quick reaction, they would have likely had to see a healer. Speaking of which—Hiccup was almost pale from the sudden attack; if luck weren't on his side, who knows how his face would have turned out.

A hot air suddenly hit his back. He turned over his shoulder and noticed the Nadder and Nightmare standing behind him, curious, with their riders next to each dragon. Bodil, who seemed more curious, extended her hand with a look of confidence.

"I see you're the new guy from last night, aren't you?" She asked with a grin. Hiccup, out of politeness, shook her hand and nodded. "I'm Bodil, nice to meet you. She's Luckbust." The Nadder, who seemed curious, walked up to Hiccup and sniffed him, only to then rub her face against his chest—clearly not hearing Toothless's jealous growls in the background.

Hans, on the other hand, looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow and a grimace. "So, it's you everyone's asking about?" he said, his voice thick with annoyance. Still, he extended his hand, and Hiccup shook it. "Hans. Don't waste my name." The Nightmare at his side poked his head out, and Hans sighed. "He's Bloodstormer."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hiccup H—" He bit his tongue before he could say his last name, which made both of them raise an eyebrow. Hans came closer and narrowed his eyes, curious. "And this is Toothless." He quickly changed the subject. The dragon, seeing their suspicions, stepped in front of Hiccup, making Hans back up. Even so, it was Bodil who pulled him by the hair to bring him back to where he was.

"It's good to finally meet you, Hiccup." Bodil smiled at him in a gratifying way. "It's about time we saw some new faces around here—I'm getting bored of seeing this one's face every day." She pointed at Hans, who looked offended by her words.

"Hey!" Hans complained.

Hiccup laughed at the interaction between the two, finding it interesting.

Chapter Text

The moon set in the sky after completing the tour, but there was still one place left to see that had caught Hiccup's attention ever since he saw it: The Great Hall. He'd already been shown a large part of the island, and he'd been impressed by how things were handled in Fury, by how close the people were with the dragons, by how they treated each other, even those who weren't born in Fury. There were different jobs and roles that many could fulfill, maybe he could discover his own if he stayed—no, he would definitely stay, he couldn't take Toothless away from his kind.

They landed near the Great Hall, people had already started to file in, a few glancing at Hiccup and Toothless, but they moved on when they noticed how protective Toothless was—even though he was being so kind, he still made sure that the place and the people wouldn’t hurt Hiccup, because woe betide anyone who looks at him with other intentions. Suddenly Runar put his arm around Hiccup, starting to guide him inside, Isa started walking on the other side of Hiccup, behind them their dragons followed suit and walked around Toothless; the people around them let them pass, looking at them with interest.

They entered the Great Hall, and it already seemed crowded, but not overcrowded. Hiccup didn't even consider the large number of people on the island. People were sitting at tables chatting happily, laughing, drinking, or eating without controlling the volume of their voices. The dragons were just as noisy with their roars and loud footsteps that crushed the wooden floor. It was a pleasant atmosphere, though, and not many seemed to be following them with their eyes as they passed by.

Hiccup's eyes scanned the place amazed by how big it was, there was a second floor split in half, also full of people and dragons, columns that had torches that lit the place next to a giant lamp in the middle that hung from the ceiling; paintings of what appeared to be the ancient Fury leaders and in the center of the Great Hall there were two thrones, in the middle of both there was a symbol carved in wood in the shape of a Night Fury hanging on the wall, seeming to be the symbol of the tribe. They walked until they reached the thrones, climbing three wooden steps that separated them from the ground, Isa attached Hiccup to her side holding him by the shoulders.

Warden, Umbra, and Toothless stood beside their riders, the youngest of the three wrapped his tail around Hiccup's feet and looked closely at every person and dragon in the room, his gaze fixed on dark purple scales that he recognized, raising his head and purring. Suddenly, Warden roared, and silence fell over the room, all eyes turned toward them.

"Fury Village." Runar began, his voice loud and clear filling every corner of the Great Hall. "Last night, while flying through the nearby islands, I encountered a rider and his dragon." His hand placed on Hiccup's shoulder, giving him a gentle nudge to take a step forward. Hiccup could feel all the eyes on him, making him nervous. "Hiccup and Toothless, youths of the Barbaric Archipelago, both leaving their dragon-slaying home." Gasps of surprise echoed around the hall.

Okay, great, now they might just see him as just another murderer.

Isa stepped forward, her grip on Hiccup tightening as if she were ready to defend him. "Don't think ill of him." She said, her voice as loud as Runar's, if not louder. "Hiccup hasn't killed a dragon, and, because of his friendship with Toothless, he would never be capable of that." She clarified, her eyes fixed on Hiccup and she smiled at him in a motherly manner.

That seemed to calm people down, their expressions, which had previously been bewildered, changed to ones of joy and satisfaction.

Runar sighed heavily, his hand trembling, and he looked at Hiccup, smiling. "Now, Hiccup, I want to ask you a question." His full attention shifted to him. "With everything you've seen, of what Fury is like, its people, and so much more, would you like to be part of Fury, one of us?"

Hiccup felt the air leave his lungs. He knew they were going to ask him that; he had anticipated it throughout the ride, but he really didn't expect it to be in front of the entire tribe. All eyes were on him, both people and dragons, and even Toothless seemed surprised by the question. He felt his tongue tingle, his body tremble. Ever since he left Berk that day, he had been clear that he wanted to find a place where he and Toothless could make a home, without anyone bothering them and living peacefully. He really didn't expect to find one so soon. He wanted to say yes. People treated him with respect, many of them were riders, they lived peacefully with the dragons, and there were more Night Fury—he couldn't take Toothless away from his kind. His only answer had to be—

"Why me?" He questioned, confused. "I told you where I came from, what my—that tribe did, even what I did to Toothless; he can't fly without my help because of me." He started listing the reasons, because why would they want him? Not even his own tribe wanted him, nor his father; he wasn't very famous with his own people until he started his charade in training; he was called Hiccup the Useless for a reason, wasn't he? He always caused destruction even if he didn't mean for it. "Why would you want me here?"

He didn't look around, he didn't want to pity them or make them feel bad, he hated causing that.

Runar looked at him for a few seconds, not with pity, but with understanding. "Hiccup." He called, and the boy stared. "Kid, you may not be a Furian by birth, you may have other origins you're ashamed of, but you made a brave and strong choice that not many make." He looked at Toothless, the dragon walking up to his rider and touching his hand with his snout. "You decided to save Toothless's life by running away. Many here aren't Furians either; they come from even farther away, and they too have their stories and origins." His hand moved to his hair, stroking it carefully.

"Many of them were much the same as you; unwanted, exiled, or seeking a better life for themselves or their families." Isa's eyes moved out into the crowd, settled on Snorri, and they smiled at each other. The man nodded and placed his hand on the shoulder of the young girl beside him. Cerys's gaze remained fixed on Hiccup, never leaving. "The important thing, Hiccup, is to see the future—you recognize your origins, what you've done, but your actions now speak for who you are." She smiled warmly at him. "You're smart and kind-hearted—you say you hurt Toothless, but you forget that it was you who built his fin."

And, as if it were a signal, Toothless showed his tail to the people, with pride because it was Hiccup who made him fly again. Several were amazed, the dragons that had lost parts of their bodies looked at both of them with hope.

"So, Hiccup, I'll ask you one more time." Runar turned his attention back to Hiccup. "Do you want to be part of Fury?" He asked, this time with more confidence.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for Hiccup's answer. The boy was silent for a few seconds, his mind a mess—he wanted to say yes, but felt like something was stopping him. Suddenly Toothless nudged his hand with his muzzle, looked at his rider, and purred, and Hiccup finally knew what to say.

"I accept."

Runar smiled proudly and Isa sighed in relief, Warden and Umbra quickly ran up to Toothless, also surrounding him.

Runar looked at his people, all of them eagerly awaiting the answer, but many of them must have already guessed from the big smile on his face. "You heard, from this moment on Hiccup becomes one of us, part of the island, part of the tribe. Hiccup becomes a Furian!" The crowd erupted in applause and euphoric shouts, the dragons roared joyfully in unison with Warden and Umbra.

Hiccup saw how people seemed genuinely happy about his decision to stay, even after hearing that he was the reason Toothless couldn't fly on his own or where he came from and what his tribe did. It felt strange; he really hadn't expected that reaction—maybe offense at bringing someone who had almost killed one of their own, or disbelief at seeing him; he didn't look his age, he was small and thin, it was a miracle he had survived several winters.

Suddenly, Runar's hands gently guided him into the crowd. Toothless followed, also being pushed along by Warden. The throng of people and dragons gave him space to advance cautiously. He glanced nervously at everyone, but they were all looking at him expectantly, with broad smiles. Dragons peeked out from among the crowd, purring like cats. Footsteps echoed in the Great Hall, quick as if the person was in a hurry, catching Hiccup and Toothless's attention. The dragon sniffed the air and, despite the unfamiliar scents, managed to distinguish a few.

Cerys appeared from the crowd, with a big smile she ran towards Hiccup, catching him in a big hug, behind her came Nightdancer, who circled Toothless and rubbed against him.

"It's a good thing you agreed." Cerys said, breaking the hug with a big smile. "Nightdancer wouldn't want to be without a new friend." She made a lame excuse, but Hiccup believed her when he saw how happy the dragon was with Toothless.

Isa and Runar watched the two young people interact and smiled with delight. "Well, what are you waiting for? It's time to celebrate!" Shouted Runar, grabbing a jug of mead and raising it.

Well, at least they seemed happy with his presence.

The party ended late into the night, and people went home to rest after the celebration. Many were carried by friends, family, or even their own dragons.

And that's exactly what the Chiefs were experiencing.

Runar carried Snorri's drunken body over his shoulder; the man had spent almost the entire night drinking in competitions. Behind him came Stormqueen. The dragon seemed bored and used to her rider's behavior—it wasn't new to her; she'd been with him for years and had seen him do a lot of things. She really thought that, having to raise Cerys, he would change, and although he did, some things remain to this day. In front of the Chief walked Isa, accompanied by Cerys and Hiccup. The two young people were talking despite their weariness.

"Wait, do you think you brought your notebook with all your creations?" Cerys asked curiously.

"Well, I have to check." Hiccup said, leaning on Isa as his body slowly succumbed to exhaustion. "If someone didn't check my bag with my things." He glanced at the woman.

She laughed, stroking Hiccup's hair. "Umbra wasn't going to rest easy if he didn't check, though Toothless didn't exactly make it easy for him."

He complained. "At least tell me you left everything tidy."

Isa looked away and Hiccup knew he would have to organize everything the next morning—which would be in just a few hours.

Like shadows, Toothless and Nightdancer darted past their riders, a clear game of tag between the two dragons. They didn't seem tired compared to Stormqueen; well, they were camouflaged in the night, which suggested that a Night Fury could stay awake all night without showing any signs of fatigue. Warden, who was close to her rider, growled at them, a clear reprimand to the younger ones; Umbra said nothing.

They arrived at the forge and Runar, tired and sleepy, threw Snorri to the ground. The man complained, but his friend couldn't care less.

"Rest as much as you can, Cerys. You'll need it for work tomorrow." Isa said goodbye to the girl.

"Oh, I don't think we'll be open tomorrow." She said quickly.

"Do you need..." Hiccup was about to ask, to offer his help, but he fell silent as he watched Stormqueen grab Snorri by the foot, dragging him inside the forge. "Oh."

Cerys laughed. "I'm fine, thanks, Hicc." She smiled at him.

"Hicc?"

"A nickname." She gave him a light punch on the arm without gauging her strength or even considering whether Hiccup could withstand it. The boy rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, trying to hide his reaction to the pain. "Rest well." She said goodbye and went into the forge. Nightdancer hummed as if she were saying goodbye too.

Hiccup watched as Cerys's figure disappeared into the forge. Feeling strange, he stroked Toothless's head. Had she really given him a nickname? After knowing each other for such a short time? It was odd, at least to him, that it wasn't one that hurt him—it was common, derived from his own name, with no malice behind it, and it was so... Hiccup really didn't know what to feel, and he didn't want to find out now, not with sleep threatening to overwhelm him.

The man approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder, just as he had done in the Great Hall. "Come on, boy, it's getting late." He said, and began to lead him back to the house.

"Oh, ah, where will I sleep?" He asked, curious and somewhat nervous.

He looked at him, confused, but Hiccup could barely see his face in the darkness. "Obviously in our house, where else?"

"Wait, really?" He asked, surprised. "I thought..."

"If you're not comfortable, we can sort it out tomorrow," Isa said, sitting down beside him. "For now, you'll stay with us."

Hiccup said nothing more and nodded, letting himself be guided by both of them as they were followed by the Night Furies.

Hiccup stared at the ceiling, unblinking, his head riddled with doubts about his decision. Was he really going to stay? Even though they seemed to accept him, something still bothered him. Perhaps it was the fear that they would realize why he wasn't well-liked in his old tribe; all it took was for him to break something—or destroy some structure—for them to understand why they called him Hiccup the Useless. He tossed and turned in bed, trying to calm his mind, but deep down, he was truly afraid.

Everyone seemed to have a certain fondness for him after only a few hours of knowing him, and everything was so strange.

He was used to people looking at him with disdain, whispering behind his back, and keeping younger children away from him. He was odd, different, and no parent wanted their son to be like him, to become a fishbone; maybe that was why he could never connect with kids his own age before training—maybe he could have connected with Fishlegs, become friends, but his parents definitely didn't want that, so they encouraged him to befriend Snotlout.

His cousin was definitely the embodiment of what it meant to be a Viking—proud, loud, and brutish.

A true heir.

Spitelout called him that once, too loud for him to hear and quiet enough for his father not to.

Well, now Snotlout could be the heir his father had always wanted, the one he had always longed for. He wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, with his destruction, his inventions, or people's complaints about him.

Hiccup felt a weight on the bed next to him, yelled his head and saw Toothless settle himself on the bed freely, as if he hadn't climbed in without permission.

"Toothless, you have your own bed now." He said, pointing to the black stone Runar had brought him earlier so Toothless could sleep comfortably and warmly. "You're going to break it." He said, watching Toothless knead the pillow to get comfortable.

The dragon ignored his complaints, settled into bed, and shamelessly placed his tail and wing over Hiccup, as if trying to warm him up. Toothless wasn't afraid of breaking the bed; it had endured him the night before and most of the morning, it wouldn't break if he spent another night with Hiccup.

He didn't understand why he was complaining. Before they ran away, they had spent only a few nights sleeping together, Toothless covering him with his wings while his tail wrapped around him, making sure he stayed close—he treasured those memories. Not because Hiccup shivered slightly from the cold that seeped in, but because it was a sign of trust.

"Toothless, I'm fine." He said, pushing the dragon away. "I'm not cold and I'm not uncomfortable." Toothless snorted, ignoring the dragon's every word. "Toothless, don't pretend to be asleep now!"

"So, what do you think of the boy?"

Runar looked at his wife, who was already lying down. "He's a good boy." He said, a smile forming on his lips. "Curious, but good."

Isa smiled too, but her expression changed to one of concern. "He's very small and thin." She commented. "Toothless too—I saw him next to Nightdancer, and compared to her, he's small; you can even see his ribs."

The man frowned as he lay down next to his wife. "I noticed he didn't seem very happy being with Warden." The dragon responded to her name, only to then fall back asleep, her tail wrapped around Umbra's. "He seemed on high alert, ready to attack."

"I noticed it too. He barely left Hiccup's side, as if he were trying to protect him from everything, even though nothing seemed to want to hurt him." She said. "And he seemed genuinely surprised when he saw others like him."

It wasn't unusual for a Night Fury to act this way with its rider; Cerys and Nightdancer were prime examples, having known each other since birth. What was unusual was how he always seemed to be on high alert, barely relaxing and always vigilant for any noise, for anyone who approached Hiccup. They were animals and had their instincts, but there were clear signs that Toothless's life hadn't been easy—he always seemed to fight for everything, always on the defensive and constantly on guard.

And Hiccup was almost the same. Isa found it strange to see how surprised he seemed by the nickname the young blacksmith had given him, as if he'd never been called that before or as if he'd been expecting the punchline to some bad joke.

Isa sighed. "I hope that, being here, they can both improve." It was genuine concern. "Hiccup is intelligent; he created Toothless's fin himself, and many other inventions."

"And Toothless is brave." Runar added. "The first time he saw Warden, he acted defensively and protectively toward Hiccup."

"Didn't he notice she was an alpha?"

"It seems so, but he didn't care." He laughed. "That attitude lasted until he got here."

They both laughed—it was nice to recognize how close they were.

Chapter Text

Hiccup's hands caressed the black scales of Toothless, the dragon, who was sleeping comfortably on top of his rider in the early morning. He purred at the soft, delicate touch. Hiccup looked at his friend, his best friend, fondly, then looked at the ceiling and let out a breath.

Things had changed in such a short time.

A few days ago he flew for hours, getting as far away from Berk as he could; he left behind his position as heir, the honor of killing a dragon for the first time, he left his father, Gobber, his people; he left behind everything he knew—and at no point did he regret it.

Hiccup wasn't sorry, not when it meant Toothless was no longer in danger.

He might be a traitor now, but he didn't care. He was now in a tribe that, at least, understood his affection and appreciation for Toothless. They didn't judge him, they didn't condemn him, they didn't look at him as if he ruined everything. They understood him and treated him like one of their own, as if he had always belonged there.

The discordant croaking of the Terrible Terrors echoed outside his window, signaling that the sun had risen. Hiccup settled himself in bed as best he could and turned his head away from the Night Fury. The dragon, newly awakened, looked around in confusion until his attention fell on Hiccup.

"Don't look at me like that." He said when he saw him frowning. "It's already daytime, I don't think they'd like us loitering all morning."

Toothless grunted and yawned, stretching like a cat on the floor. He watched as Hiccup prepared to start the day, walked to the window, and opened it, revealing the sky that was just beginning to lighten. Really? It was still early, and he already wanted to work? Toothless grunted and lay back down, this time on the floor, putting his front paws up to his face in protest. Hiccup saw him and sighed.

"Come on, bud, I don't want them to think badly of us." He said, approaching the dragon. "They accepted us yesterday, and I really don't want them to think badly of us—you're finally with your own kind!" He pointed out, receiving a tail swipe from Toothless. "Oh, now you're acting like a baby, baby dragon."

Sleep. Half of me annoying.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, and the bedroom door opened. Hiccup saw Warden enter first, followed by Runar, who wore a wide, somewhat nervous grin—they all looked just woken up, except for Warden, who seemed excited. The Night Fury walked straight to Toothless and, seeing him still on the floor, tapped his face lightly with her paw. When it had no effect, she hit him harder until he was fed up. Toothless got up and roared angrily in her face, but Warden, unlike any other dragon in the nest, remained unfazed. Instead, she growled a warning—don't do that again, loud and clear.

Hiccup sighed at Toothless's attitude—well, now he'd better never bother him in the mornings. He turned to Runar, who, unlike him, seemed happy. "He's not like this all the time." He tried to excuse him, but the man just laughed.

"No problem—he's young and has attitude." He said, watching as both dragons now crooned, as if communicating through their voices. "Warden's excited." He remarked, watching his dragon wag her tail like an excited dog.

That caught his attention. "Why?"

Suddenly Warden came out the door, Toothless showed intentions of following her, but he didn't seem sure, his eyes fixed on Hiccup and looked different, almost like a plea to follow her.

"They're going hunting." Runar replied.

"Hunting? But didn't they eat fish?" Well, now this was new information.

Runar laughed. "Yes, they do, but their diet also consists of wild animals." He replied. "Their coloring not only makes them invisible at night, but also makes it harder for their prey to spot them—they hunt mostly at night, but sometimes they make exceptions, like teaching the younger ones how to do it."

Hiccup looked at Toothless; the dragon seemed genuinely excited to go, and who was he to deny him? He didn't want to deal with a grumpy Toothless all day, so he nodded with a smile, and immediately Toothless followed Warden.

"He acts like a baby." Hiccup remarked. "Sometimes."

"He once was." He emphasize, placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Hiccup smiled. "Sure, I don't think some food will hurt. As long as it's not poisoned."

The smell on the table was pleasant, the plates served full of different foods made her mouth water, Isa, who was already completely standing, waited patiently at the table for them both to arrive—she seemed lost in her head, as if she were remembering something, but she soon forgot what she was thinking when she saw them arrive together, her gaze lit up and a smile appeared on her face.

"You look wide awake, Hiccup." She remarked, watching him sit down—she could tell he didn't seem entirely comfortable there, as if it were something strange. "Did you sleep well? Is the bed comfortable?" She asked, trying to start a conversation.

Hiccup, somewhat surprised by the table set and laden with food, surrounded by warmth, nodded. His hands didn't know what to take first, or even if he could. He was used to having breakfast in the Great Hall, eating alone, and even going days without food to avoid the stares of those around him or Snotlout's taunts—it wasn't as if food did him much beyond the bare necessities; he was very thin, with no muscle. It was better that others ate than to waste food on him, especially when it was needed during raids. Gobber always tried to keep him company most of the time, but of course, there were more important things to do, or sometimes he simply ate very late.

Runar had to see his confusion and internal struggle, because he brought him a freshly baked bread; he looked at him confused, but the man smiled at him, not seeming in a hurry for him to take it, he waited patiently.

"You must be hungry, right?" He asked. "Last night I hardly saw you eat anything, not even when we offered you some." He remarked.

Ah. Apparently, nothing escaped their notice. "I'm not very hungry, but thank you." He took the bread simply out of politeness—it looked good, food should never be wasted, a small lesson from Berk.

Runar and Isa frowned, not out of anger, but out of concern. They hadn't seen him eat since he arrived, barely a taste of the celebratory food last night—mostly because Cerys kept dragging him around to socialize, especially with people his own age; the girl was genuinely excited about a new Night Fury rider, and one her own age at that. They exchanged worried glances, but they didn't want to force him to eat; they wanted him to trust them, to act normally.

Despite their worries, they continued eating breakfast.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, and the footsteps of three dragons echoed as they reached them. Hiccup turned and saw Toothless proudly carrying a recently killed deer, its neck nestled between the dragon's teeth. Toothless wore a wide, smug grin, his tail swishing from side to side. Warden and Umbra gazed with satisfaction at the prey the dragon had caught.

Toothless stood beside Hiccup and dropped the animal, a rubbery smile spread across his snout as he stared at his friend. Hiccup, on the other hand, looked at the animal in surprise—it wasn't the first time he'd seen a corpse, much less an animal's, but it was new to him to see that it was Toothless who had hunted it, and even more so that he had brought it towards him.

"Well, I see you learned quickly." He remarked, looking between the deer and Toothless with a nervous smile. Toothless nudged the carcass with his snout, bringing it closer to him. "Oh, no, no." He said, understanding what he wanted him to do. "I'm fine, my stomach's already full."

Toothless moved the deer again.

"No, I'm fine now, thank you."

Again.

"No—"

Toothless cooed, his pupils dilated like a puppy's.

"Don't look at me like that, you know it won't work."

"We can save some of what Toothless hunted and eat it tomorrow." Runar suggested, smiling at the dragon, who, though frowning, purred in agreement. Well, if Hiccup didn't want to eat what he hunted for both of them, they could enjoy it later or tomorrow (perhaps giving some to Warden and Umbra and their other half, maybe). "You can eat the rest, Toothless."

The younger dragon snorted, exhaling a puff of smoke in his rider's face, before leading his prey to the corner where Warden and Umbra had gone to eat their kill—small prey like rabbits or hares, nothing significant. They didn't want to steal Toothless's moment of glory after his first hunt, which hadn't even gone too badly; the pair of dragons were almost surprised. Of course, he needed to improve, but Warden would take care of teaching him everything he needed to know.

They continued eating breakfast calmly. Hiccup unconsciously began to eat the bread Runar had given him, unaware that both adults were watching him eat it slowly, small smiles appearing on their lips. They looked at each other, and Isa shook her head with a smile—well, it would be difficult to connect with him, but that didn't mean she would discourage them.

Hiccup's eyes occasionally flickered toward Toothless's silhouette; watching him devour that deer was... strange. He didn't know dragons well, he admitted, because Berk had never bothered to research them—their diets, their mating cycles, their true behaviors. It had always been a matter of shooting to kill, no matter what. He'd really thought Toothless only ate fish, but apparently not.

He sighed, not letting that discourage him; now he lived in another place, with other people, other customs, he could learn more from his best friend and strengthen their bond.

"So, a new boy?" Her friend's voice was what kept Cerys distracted while she tried to fix a sword.

The mere mention of a new boy in the village with his dragon was on everyone's lips, especially when he decided to join the tribe. Some doubted whether it was a good idea, not because of his past as a dragon slayer (not many were innocent on the subject; many had done the same or worse to a dragon, but they were always ashamed or unwilling to discuss it), but because he was a child. A child who had run away from his tribe without looking back, without considering that, perhaps, they were already searching for him.

It was not unusual for children to arrive in the village alone; the village orphanages were often nearly full, but it was unusual for them to arrive accompanied by dragons.

She puts down the boiling sword and focuses on her friend. "Yes. His name is Hiccup and he rides a Night Fury—he named him Toothless and he's adorable."

"The dragon or the boy?"

"Oddny!"

Oddny laughed as she saw a slight blush forming on Cerys's cheeks.

It was natural for them to joke around with each other; they had been friends since they were very young, knew each other like the back of their hand, and their friendship was also reflected in their dragons. Moondancer slept peacefully in a corner of the forge, beside her Oddny's dragon, a Razorwhip named Jewelhunter, watching them interact as usual.

"Okay, okay, I don't want my little cherry to get any redder." She sneered, covering her face as Cerys grabbed a tool, threatening to throw it at her. "And is he in the orphanage or...?"

"No, the Chiefs took him under their wing."

Okay, that was a surprise to Oddny. It was well known that, at least, there wouldn't be an heir from the Chiefs for quite some time unless Runar finally listened to his older brother and put his nephew in as heir, so that his blood would continue to rule Fury.

And that was another question on the island: Would Hiccup be the heir? Not just any boy entered the Chiefs' house and life, not so easily. Many believed it was a possibility since Hiccup rode a Night Fury at a young age, something few could do unless rider and dragon had known each other their whole lives. Others, on the other hand, believed that blood and reason would prevail. And a small, tiny group waited for the past Chieftess to decide.

"I mean, it was nighttime when he arrived, so the Chiefs decided he'd sleep in their empty room, but he went back to their house last night." Cerys remarked, refocusing on the sword. She swung the weapon without gauging her strength, causing it to bend more than it should have, and grunted in frustration at her mistake. "I don't know what they're up to, even though I've known them my whole life."

Oddny thought for a few minutes, while Cerys left the sword in the fire to soften it. "What if they think of, you know, adopting him?" She suggested, because it wasn't such a crazy idea to her.

"Maybe." Cerys replied. "But it's highly unlikely. You know the Chief respects the Old Chieftess's opinion far too much; she doesn't like the idea of strangers interfering in the family."

"She's too conservative in that respect." Oddny coordinated. "I mean, she hasn't even wanted to meet her only grandson, and she refuses to speak to her firstborn. Even Shadow rejected her son."

The Old Chieftess's attitude toward her family's customs was well known throughout Fury. She respected them greatly, even though she was only part of that family by virtue of marrying the former Chief. But no one questioned her because she was the village elder—perhaps not as old as some others, but she was wise and people consulted her on many matters. Furthermore, she was respected for her wit in battle.

Cerys shook her head, feeling bad for the Old Chieftess's only grandson, but the woman refused to acknowledge him after her son's betrayal with that woman; but they couldn't do anything, they had to respect her decision however bad it seemed to them.

"But let's drop the subject, it's so depressing and repetitive." Oddny got up from her seat and walked over to her friend, perched on a nearby table, and looked at her with big coffees eyes. "Have you been on any dates?"

Cerys laughed, looking at her friend with a big smile. "Oh, come on Oddny, you know Snorri would kill anyone who tried to ask me out on a date."

"You can't always live under his rule." She complained. "You have to rebel sometime."

Cerys snorted. "Easy for you to say when your father isn't exactly the Chief's best friend." She pulled the sword from the fire and placed it on the anvil. "Therefore, he has eyes everywhere." She began hammering it, restoring its proper shape.

Her friend laughed, rolling her eyes—it was well known how protective Snorri was of Cerys, ever since he was a baby; some even whispered that he'd kept her in the forge since, well, infancy. No one knew the name of Cerys's mother, whether she was an old friend of her father's, or from some other tribe he'd met on a journey when he was younger, but everyone concluded that his protectiveness stemmed from the fact that she resembled her mother.

He didn't forbid her from having friends; in fact, Cerys was known for her approachability. But he was cautious about dating, especially now that he was at an age where young people acted foolishly for love.

The Chiefs would occasionally make fun of it, but Snorri ignored them because he had his reasons for being that way.

"But aren't you interested in someone?" Oddny asked, clearly curious.

Cerys thought about it for a while, and no one came to mind, so she shook her head.

The chestnut laughed, becoming more interested in teasing her. "Oh, come on." She persisted. "How about... the baker's grandson, Bersi?"

A charming blond boy, known for his sweet smile and skillful hands in the kitchen, only a year older than them. Cerys shook her head, didn't even consider it.

The girl laughed. "Oh, so difficult? Good. How's Audun?"

She denied it again, because not in a million years would she even consider being interested in that boy. He was almost unpleasant to be around, so competitive, and he thought he was something special for riding a water dragon instead of a regular one.

"Yes, very well, I wouldn't go for him either." She agree with her. "Ubbe?"

"Handsome, but no."

They both laughed.

Yes, they agreed on that, he was almost the most handsome boy of his generation, and his Nadder was also a symbol of beauty.

"Okay, no boys? Not even Ulf? If that's the case, I'll kill you, girl."

Cerys laughed, throwing up her hands. "Wow, relax. No, not even Ulf. He's all yours." Her friend relaxed, returning to her usual expression.

"Okay." She said. "Eydis? She's almost the best at flying, after Bodil and you, of course." Cerys shook her head. "Sif? Her knowledge of plants is phenomenal." She shook her head again. "Geira? She's a bit annoying, but she has her charm." No again. "Svala? Oh, she has a beautiful voice, Cerys. We should see her perform sometime." No.

Suddenly, Nightdancer awoke and roared to the sky. She ran to the forge entrance, her tail wagging with absurd joy. Both women stared at her, puzzled, but Cerys guessed what was happening, so she approached to see if it was what she thought. Toothless landed in front of the forge, and Hiccup got out. The two Night Furies happily came over and began to play enthusiastically outside.

Hiccup tried to get their attention, but Toothless was excited to see Nightdancer again—even though he'd seen her the night before—and smiled at the sight of him with another of his species, and his own age. Well, they could get down to business a little later.

"Hi." Cerys appeared behind Hiccup, startling him and causing him to yelp. She laughed and apologized. "What brings you here, Hicc? Did you miss me?" She asked with a smile.

He denied it. "No, I'm just here to make an adjustment to Toothless's tail."

The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow, smiling almost affectionately from ear to ear, something that came so naturally to her considering how little time she had known Hiccup, which surprised Oddny quite a bit, because Cerys, however charismatic and beloved she was, was not so accessible so soon; in fact, it took her a few years to open up to her.

"Oh, and what makes you think you have the right to work in my forge?" She asked, with a clearly playful tone.

Cerys could see how Hiccup's face went from confident to doubtful, clearly not catching the joking tone in her voice—he wasn't used to hearing it, or if he was, it was only to make fun of him, something that did not go unnoticed by Cerys, who quickly changed her tone to a nervous one, trying to explain that she wasn't making fun of him, that it was quite the opposite, that she didn't want to make him feel bad or unwelcome.

Oddny watched as they interacted, noticing how nervous Cerys looked, trying to explain her tone, and Hiccup, unsure whether to believe her or dismiss it as just another one of the jokes and teasing he and the other teenagers used to do. She was surprised.

She decided to rescue her friend. She walked up behind her, placed her hands on her shoulder, and gently pulled her towards her, not with enough force to make her fall.

"Hey, hi, hi." She greeted him with a big smile, but her eyes scanned him from head to toe; very thin, somewhat small for his age, with a scar on his chin, but he didn't exude any threat. "I'm Oddny, this girl's best friend." She extended her hand, and Hiccup shook it with a small smile.

"Oh, uh, I'm Hiccup, nice to meet you." He smiled warmly, shaking his hand. "And that's Toothless playing over there."

Oddny glanced sideways as Toothless and Nightdancer played on the ground. The dragon was aware of Toothless's inability to fly on his own, so she preferred to play on the ground.

"A Night Fury, at your age that's impressive." She remarked, squeezing her friend's shoulder, a small reminder that she was impressive too. Footsteps approached them; Oddny didn't have to guess whose they were. "She's Jewelhunter."

The Razorwhip looked at Hiccup, examining him as well as its rider. It approached him, sniffing him for a long time while the boy stared at it in a mixture of awe and wonder—it was a species he didn't recognize, not even recorded in the Berk books, so he stood still, watching what she was doing. Suddenly, Toothless appeared from behind, peeking out from the side with a scowl and sharp pupils, growling at her as his tail began to coil around Hiccup's feet. Jewelhunter glared at him and growled back, retreating until she was right next to her rider.

Oddny stroked her dragon's horn, trying to soothe her. "From your face, I can see you don't know what she is." She remarked, watching Hiccup try to calm Toothless. "She's a Razorwhip, a Sharp Class dragon. They aren't very friendly when males are around." She explained.

"Wow." He said, looking at the dragon. "No, I've never heard of that dragon."

Oddny laughed. "It's funny how she's not trying to attack you, but she's trying to attack your dragon."

"Perhaps it's Warden's smell." Cerys guessed.

Hiccup looked at them, confused, not understanding the dragon's reaction. Oddny saw him and sighed. "Female Razorwhips hate males, especially of their own kind, because they eat their young."

"I see." He said, looking at the dragon.

Suddenly, a Monstrous Nightmare landed near the forge. Hiccup recognized its color and knew it was Bloodstormer. Hans dismounted the dragon and ran toward the two girls. Cerys watched him approach in silence, her face blank. Once he was close, she punched him in the chest, making him stumble back as his hands clutched his chest.

"Ugh! Cerys, what the hell!" He complained, leaning against the wall.

She didn't flinch or show any guilt. "I've told you so many times I don't like it when they run towards me like that." She reprimanded him, crossing her arms. "What do you want?"

It took Hans a few seconds to catch his breath and bear the pain; finally, he looked at them. "The twins want to have a race, to prove that other dragons can be faster than a Night Fury." He explained, sounding unconvinced but interested in watching and demonstrating.

The two riders of a Night Fury looked at him with a raised eyebrow and were totally surprised by the proposal and the idea—it was ridiculous to think about it, although if there could be dragons faster than a Night Fury, they definitely weren't a Zippleback, a Nightmare, a Nadder or a Gronckle; they were the most common dragons, and they couldn't beat a Night Fury.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Participate. Duh."

"Oh, can I too?" Oddny asked, and Cerys looked at her treacherously.

"Oddny!" She reprimanded her. "Do you really want to participate in his nonsense?"

The girl simply shrugged with a smile, and Cerys already knew that she had completely lost her mind just to have fun. "Maybe we'll get lucky today."

Reluctantly—and due to pressure more than anything—she agreed.

Cerys looked at Hiccup, who had a somewhat uncomfortable expression, as if he felt like he was in the way at that moment, in that place. He felt bad; he was new and didn't know anyone other than her and the Chiefs, so she smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder.

"What do you say, Hiccup?" She asked, amused by the tenderness of his surprised face. "Do you want to participate and shut up their silly theories?"

"Uh..." He paused for a few seconds, debating whether to accept or simply leave. It was almost the first time he'd ever been invited to a... game? Maybe... in his life, and it felt strange. "Sure?"

Hans clapped his hands with a defiant smile. "Good! Let's go. The rest are already waiting for us on the cliff." He turned around and walked towards his dragon.

"Wait, the rest? Who else?"

Oddny, who had already climbed onto Jewelhunter's back, replied. "Well, it varies sometimes, but mainly it's us, the Grunnbjor, Bodil, and Ulf." The last name came out like a dreamy sigh.

Yes, he wasn't going to delve any deeper into the subject.