*pic mine*

Hiccup's POV
The afternoon's sun beams down on us through the trees, and I find myself soaking it up with a Toothless on the top level of the rocky ledge thingy. We've been getting to know the dragons, and trying to formulate a plan to get Toothless in the air again (and like us right now, it's not going anywhere).

Wildfire, Redviper and Sparky have joined us (I have no idea how they found us), and we have dubbed this spot SpringRock (Wildfire's idea).

I'm sitting at the top level, but on the edge with my feet dangling over. Toothless lays behind me, head in my lap as I rub it absentmindedly. We're both looking at the sky. A smile curls at my lips as I remember what it's like to be up there.

"It's calling you, huh bud," I speak softly. The only response I get is a deep rumble. I chuckle at that and glance down.

Wildfire and the other Nadder, Kish, are comparing themselves to each other. The Zippleback (Whistle and Fizzle) is (are? Calm down, I'm kidding!) playing with Sparky, while RedViper is eating rocks with his fellow Gronkle. The Terrible Terrors are annoying each other...or everyone else.

"It's nice to see dragons so relaxed now, bud," I exclaim. "No longer under the rule of the Red Death, they're free. We're free. We did it." I ramble.
Toothless purrs in response, uttering a small "We did, we really did." after he flings his tail—ridding a Terrible Terror from biting it. The terror caws at him from its newfound position against a tree, before flying off.

I causally rest back against Toothless, moving my hands behind my head as I stare up at the white clouds moving slowly across the sky, and I remember just what it's like to be amongst them. I smile. There is no better feeling than flying. Being up there is being home.

"All we have to do is get up in the sky again." I sigh. "If I can figure out how..." I glance at my missing leg.
Toothless purrs and nudges me with that gummy smile of him, I laugh.
"We'll do it, Hiccup, we'll find a way." He croons.
I glance at his tail, noting it's gonna take a whole lot of reconstruction, and a whole lot of thinking to fit it for my leg. But for that, I'm going to need a forge. Which means... Sneaking into an island.

"Hey, Hiccup!" is screamed right and to my ear, and I jump out if my racing thoughts with a wince.
I turn to look at Kish hovering in front of us.
"Teach us some more two-legged words! And some tricks! It's SO fun!" She adds. I glance at Toothless, who smirks at me like 'it's all up to you.'

I laugh sarcastically. "Thanks for the support, Toothless."
He gives me a sassy look, standing up to take a drink from the water, pointedly ignoring me.

"Oh, this is going to be a disaster," I mutter. "Sure Dragonese comes naturally to me now, and I know I was learning it for a while, but...all of a sudden I can understand every growl or head tilt of it?" I ramble to myself, complaining.
I don't know. Maybe the crash Toothless and I took did something? 

"Knowing Dragonese might have something to do with this 'Raven' thing that they keep mentioning but WON'T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT!" I talk loudly, raising my voice at the end as I look at Toothless, who innocently looks away from me.
"You're going to have to tell me one day, Toothless," I growl. He promptly ignores me, and I roll my eyes.

"Alright." I sigh, shaking my head with a small smile, turning back to Kish. "We'll start with...Fish. You know, swim in the ocean...you eat them." I begin.
"How is that going to help them?" Toothless asks me. I ignore him. Kish squarks and lands, revealing a few terrors on her back.
"You mean Fish?" she questions, saying it in her language, I nod.
What do two-legged call nests?"
"N-Nests?" I question.
"Yeah. The weird nests that burn easily." Sharpshot adds from the water next to us.
"Well, we call them huts, houses, or homes," I answer, translating the words in Norse.

"Oh. Weird." Sneaky grumbles from my shoulder. I jump, then facepalm.
"Stop doing that!" I hiss. "In fact, stop is stop in my language." They look at me in confusion for the extra Norse words.
"This language barrier is so frustrating," I complain, throwing my hands up. Toothless walks back up to me.
"Now you know how I felt when you couldn't understand me." Toothless croons smugly, and I swat him playfully.
"Yeah, so I couldn't understand what you were saying," I admit. "But your facial expressions and body language were easy enough to understand!"

"Body language, huh?" Toothless chortles.
"Most of the time you resembled a cat or a bat. But you growling in my face was a good indication of anger." I joke.
"Yeah. But I don't think you quite understood what I meant when we played that line game." Toothless warbles.

"Aww, were you sad I stepped on your precious drawing?" I coo teasingly. Toothless looks away grumpily.
"Yes. Very much so." He grumbles. I laugh.

"Anyway, let's continue with the lessons." I croon. "Because if some Vikings find their way to this island and are after you guys, it would be a good idea to understand them so you can escape." I turn my attention back to the dragons, who chortle or grumble their agreements...

<><><><><>
A few hours later
Time: sunset

Toothless and I walk side by side down a small path, after promising the other dragons we'd be back the next day.
"Hiccup?" Toothless asks. I look at him. "What's next for us? Where do we go from here?"
I sigh. "I have no idea bud," I admit, using the stick to help me down a steep bit. "I just want to get us up in the air again, then maybe we could decide from there." Immediately after, I misjudge a step and find myself falling towards the ground with a yelp. Toothless stops me with his head.
"Take it easy, Hiccup!" He coos as I straighten up with a sigh. "Don't wanna break the other leg, do we?" He teases.
"Yeah," I scoff. "then I'd be twice as useless. Odin knows the world doesn't need that."
"Now hang on there!" Toothless growls. I blink in surprise, turning to look at him. "You're not useless and you know it! So stop putting yourself down!"

"I can't even walk on my own anymore!" I protest, "You can't fly without me, and that's MY fault. Aaugh! Everything I touch breaks!" I let out my emotions, waving my arms around in exasperation. I sigh and look down.

"No. Everything you have done has been for the better!" He growls.
"I crippled you, Toothless." I hiss. "Downed you. How is that 'for the better'?!"
"Think about what would have happened if you didn't. Go on, TELL ME!" He snarls.
"You would be free," I growl. "You wouldn't be stuck with a pathetic fishbone."

"Free? You mean still trapped under the snare of the Red Death. The one that ate my mother! The one that made me a murderer! The one that made me kill innocents!

"EVERY dragon I met under her control always blamed the Vikings, how they killed us, trapped us, downed us, well guess what?! You were all just defending yourselves! You attacked us because we raided you, took your needs of survival away, killed innocents! Kids, men and women. Gone. Babies...before their lives were even started.

"I don't... I don't even remember how many people I killed because I wasn't even in control of my own body! I would have served that thing until my last breath. You shooting me down SAVED me. I know you find that hard to believe. But it is true. And what did we go on to do? Defeat the queen. Just one boy and one dragon. We not only saved every dragon inside this archipelago, but we also saved the Vikings. This is the first step towards peace. And I know you want that!

Of course I want that! Of course I want peace! I want Vikings to know that dragons don't have to be the enemy. I want dragons to know they don't have to fight Vikings. Of course, places like Berk will probably never change, but other places will. If we try hard enough, I know we can show them the truth. I'm snapped out of his thoughts when he continues.

"But...I could barely even save you! You're not the only one feeling guilty, Hiccup. If I had been able to save all of you, wouldn't life be easier? I know it's not my fault, that I did the best I could, but I'm always gonna feel guilty about it. I'm always gonna feel I could have done more."
I glance at him, it's not his fault. He shouldn't blame himself for my leg. Why does he blame himself?

"Do you understand that we ended a war? All because you shot me down, and had the courage to set me free. The courage to give me a chance at survival! The courage to explore the unknown! Now, does that sound like a Useless to you?"

My eyes are wide when he finishes, and I stay silent as I let his words (more like growls and coos etc.) roll around in my head. The pause must be at least twenty seconds before I finally speak up.
"I was a coward, Toothless. I was weak. I was the first Viking in three hundred years that wouldn't kill a dragon!"
He goes to respond, but I keep going.
"But...I didn't kill you because you looked as frightened as I was..." I admit quietly and turn to look him in the eye for the first time in five minutes. "I looked at you, and I saw myself."

"When I pinned you, I was going to kill you. But I was conflicted for the first time in my life! My mind was clear of the fog. You'd let me go. I looked into your eyes. I saw how scared you were. I saw how I would have looked to you. Trapped. You let me go, so I returned the favour. And where are we now?"
I look around. "I don't even know!" I respond, being completely serious, and he cracks a toothless grin.

"All that matters is that we're away from Berk," he croons, "away from the past."
"Couldn't agree more," I admit.
"Good. Because I never want to see that place again!" Toothless growls. "Or I'll rip them to shreds for what they did to you, and it will be my decision."
"Trust me, we're not going back if I can help it."
"Good."

"Hey, Toothless?"
"Yes?"
"Which way back to the cave?"
"Uh...? Good question."

Twenty-five minutes later...

"No, you don't understand!" I laugh as we walk (or hobble) into the cave. "I told you it was the tree with the split trunk we had to pass!"
"Yeah, but you also told me that it was the fallen log we had to pass." Toothless grumbles back, playfully pushing in front of me to enter first.
"...It..must of been a different log," I reply sheepishly, shrugging. "Besides, we got here soon enough, right?" I add. I watch him freeze mid-step. "Bud?" I add, having not getting a response.

He crouches low, growling suddenly. I tense.
"Toothless?" I hiss warily.
"Stay behind me." He growls. I watch his tail, sliding back and forth against the ground. His ear plates are pulled back, and he spreads his wings. He's blocking the view of whatever he doesn't like.
"Oh, now what do we have here?" A voice pipes up from within the cave, and I jump. Toothless snarls.
Oh no. There's a human here!

Dread sets in, and I gulp. We sent the other dragons back before us...
"Hmm, I've never seen a dragon like you before. I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to the—"
Toothless cuts the male voice off with a loud roar, and then a warning plasma blast.
"Alright, that's it, bud. I gotta know what's going on." I hiss, and with a surprisingly swift movement, I jump onto his back, where the saddle would be. Toothless growls under me, and as the smoke caused by the plasma blast clears, I look up at the intruder, and my eyes widen.

—- ——— — ——-
Dun dun dun!

So... Mostly filler, sorry! I'll make it up to you by getting the next chapter out as soon as I can.
Basically this one was about Hiccup opening up, same with Toothless. They're both feeling guilty for happened to the other. Hopefully, they can get into the air soon.

Did I get ya off guard at the end, though?

My sister: *watches an ad on tv to encourage smokers to quit*
My sister: I want to quit smoking but I haven't even started.
My sister: it just never occurred to me until now. I guess I better take it up sooner or later so I can quit.
Me: *facepalms*

See ya next (and way better) update (won't be too far away).