Hiccup leaned down on Toothless, winged east. He looked back a moment, at the growing black specks on the waves afar. His lips pursed; he aimed at the prepared location, prepared for the blast. But his mind wasn't in it. Toothless let out the blue plasma with a vibration that shook Hiccup's body to its core. He shivered, watched the fire curl viscously into the clefts of the rock, burrowing into the shadows. The mountain groaned as the rocks fell. Toothless screeched in excitement, whipped his head from side to side, attempted to cartwheel again, but Hiccup kept his heel flat on the stirrup. He didn't feel like doing tricks right now. Toothless hummed a prodding moan.

"I'm sorry, buddy."

Toothless swept quieter above the volcano, hovered gently. A soft breeze, noticeable now in the suspension, brushed Hiccup's cheek. He looked up into the wind, saw the ships afar amassing, the mute glow of lightning behind them, the strange lights playing under them, the underwater lights... foreign creatures?

Suddenly a sharper flash of lightning sparked the air near one of the ships. And what was that? A flying shape in the sky near the lightning, a splash of water from below. He could barely see it, off on the horizon, so far away. He squinted. It couldn't be a water dragon... They were so rare around Berk, not at the size where he could see its splash from here. But it could be... or if not, then what?

He urged Toothless forward a bit, felt the heave of the dragon's shoulders under him. If he could just get a bit closer, see what that was. The sky was darkening suddenly, and windy. A gale cut through Hiccup's hair sharply. He grimaced. The air shifted directions, pushed them forward from behind, howled as rolls of cloud boiled above them. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He turned around and looked back. Dragon Island looked a little small right now and pretty soon he'd be over the ships and Dad said he shouldn't, so... "Toothless, we'd better--"

Lightning. Crash. Toothless veered down, felt the energy dangerously close. Hiccup screeched. A swoop of wings flashed by. He turned, slapped the sharp hair away from his eyes. Toothless growled suddenly towards the flying shape that came at them. The shape opened its wings and screamed. He finally saw it: purple, white, narrow snout, screaming teeth, blue and purple light running up and down his spiked wings -- the Skrill.

The shape in the lightning now made sense.

The Skrill swooped down, skimmed past Toothless with a wild passion, screeching something hot and demonic, shards of light ripping through his black wings. Hiccup gasped, the mental buzz of the lightning too close and too sharp. Toothless' body hardened under him and he screamed, rolled wildly to avoid the sharp wings lit with light. Thunder crashed around them, the atmosphere shrieking in its wake. The storm was rising. Toothless fought the air, a sucking swirl catching him suddenly. Wind whirled. Hiccup sensed something wrong, the air swirling, sucking them downward. Hiccup pulled up on Toothless, found water splashing on his face suddenly. Rain? It choked him suddenly, and he opened his eyes, gulped seawater, and saw the blurry black of the ocean. Toothless wailed, pushed his wings out and upward, splashing out of the waves with a gasping beat. Hiccup grabbed Toothless' neck, fought the hot stinging in his lungs, tried to focus.

That scream came back. Hiccup looked around, only heard it. Toothless stiffened again, his shoulders firm. "Toothless, what's wrong?" He put a hand on him. Toothless raised his wings, heaved them down and shot forward across the waves. "Toothless!" Hiccup shrieked, the power reeling him.

Toothless hissed, stopped suddenly mid-air before the Skrill, just above the water. Lightning suddenly crackled on the Skrill's wings. The dragons eyed each other. Toothless jabbed forward, flapped his mighty wings before the Skrill, roared at him with a boom that was muted only by the storm's thunder that cracked above them. The Skrill flashed a spiked wing and came at Toothless. Hiccup yelled, saw the fire in that dragon's small round eyes, tried to get Toothless away. But Toothless wasn't listening, wanted to stay and fight the lightning dragon. "Toothless!" Hiccup screamed.

And then the earth rocked-- a sound, a terrific rolling boom. Hiccup's head shot back and forth. Where was it? What was it? The water vibrated under him, the sky shook. Hiccup pulled his hands off Toothless' harness, covered his ears, opened his mouth and tried to stop, stop the unearthly roar. It was-- killing him. He buried his head into Toothless.

And then it stopped. Hiccup gasped.

A deep groan vibrated from below. The Skrill let out a wail, flapped away suddenly. The sky darkened. Toothless' head perked, glanced downward suddenly. A great wide shape rose up, out of the sea, nudged the top of the water. Its shape continued to rise out of the water, its back continued to ridge long, long across the waves. The glowing seaweed tendrils flowing from his head, the teeth jutting from his bottom lip, jagged and thin, the small fins, running down his back, the line of glowing lights, across its side. Hiccup inhaled suddenly, realized the great beast was even larger than the one he'd fought two years ago. It wasn't even in the Dragon Book, this great tidal beast, this Great Dragon.

The Dragon blinked the three lids of his glowing green eyes, raised his pupils to look up at dragon and boy. Hiccup felt a wash of nerves consume him, blinked at the light from those eyes. Toothless screeched, but it was not fear. It was, it was... joy.

Toothless swept down to him. "Toothless--" The great creature throated something low and deep, let the light out of his mouth, looked at Toothless. The eyes glowed brighter suddenly, stronger, a mix of yellow in them now. Toothless flapped, hovered near the waves, near the dragon's great head, bobbed his little head up and down, squealing with delight. The Great Dragon hummed gently at Toothless, nudged his great snout up lightly, gently blinked his eyes.

Hiccup tried to understand. "Toothless?"

Toothless flew yet lower, his long wings nearly touching the Great Dragon's head. Hiccup glanced into the huge eyes, eyes several persons tall, looked away before he was blinded. How could they have not seen such a creature before? Why did Toothless want to communicate? He held on tighter to the strap around Toothless' neck, waited for his friend to make the next decision.

Toothless was still looking at the dragon, mouthing phrases, then he jerked his head back to Hiccup, a loving lilt in his eye and a warm hum in his throat. The Great Dragon followed Toothless' gaze, set his huge eyes on Hiccup. Somehow it felt like he was being showed off, maybe, or presented. Hiccup cringed, turned his head down, could feel the great beast blink when the yellow light basking his body faded a moment. He touched the side of Toothless' head. "Toothless, I-- uh."

The dragons hummed and throated at each other, the Great Dragon's groan large and heavy. Hiccup squinted and looked up. Toothless jerked his head in the direction of Berk and he lilted a sound, flapping up, into the storm. The rain misted greater on Hiccup's face. Toothless looked back at the Great Dragon, hummed lightly and flapped up, sloping into the clouds and dark and rain. Hiccup looked back, watched the glow of that dragon's eyes disappear into the sea, the roiling water swirling to the suction of his descent. He looked forward, wiped the pelting sheets of water from his eyes.

"Toothless, what was that all about?"

Toothless leaned his head back, hummed.

"You know, sometimes I wish you could talk."

Toothless smirked, gave Hiccup a jolt upward with his shoulders. Hiccup caught his balance. "Okay, buddy, I take that back."

Toothless hummed contentedly.

But he really wished Toothless could tell him.