The Friendship

Chapter Seven | The Dragon Master's Apprentice

Okay, I know most of you guys have probably seen this before, but now you can watch it again!

~HICCUP~

I spent the morning in the village, trading what runes I had in my pocket for supplies. Nails, wood, fabric, and rope were just a few of things I traded for to build the small sailboat my lies forced me to start building. Stashing the supplies by the shed near the harbour, I headed towards the academy- I mean the arena- where the new recruits were facing a Deadly Nadder. Ruff and Tuff were hiding in the blind spot of the Nadder.

Ruffnut was disgusted. "Do you ever bathe?" she asked, taking in the putrid stench wafting from her brother.

"If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot," he retorted.

"How about I give you one!" Ruff growled, shoving Tuffnut. The dragon, which the twins were momentarily oblivious to, emitted a short screech, firing luminous flames at the fleeing pair.

"Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much," Gobber said casually from behind the bars surrounding the arena.

Little Hiccup started to question his teacher about Night Furies. "Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" he asked pausing in his tracks.

Gobber was irritated. "No one one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!"

"I know, I know, but hypothetically..."

"Hiccup!" Astrid motioned for for Little Hiccup to hide behind one of the many wooden walls scattered around the arena, creating a maze. Snotlout somersaulted from behind one wall to the other, Astrid in tow. Little Hiccup was not so successful. He ran from the Deadly Nadder, which was right on his heels.

The training session ended, with an emotionally hurt Little Hiccup and a furious Astrid."Is this some kind of a joke to you?" she had shouted, pointing her axe at him, who was still on the floor from when his accuser fell on him. "Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on." He watched the recruits exit, leaving him in the dust.

~~~

I hiked back to the top of the slope, the cave Toothless was currently residing in could be seen at the bottom, and called him, cupping my hands around my mouth.

Toothless poked his sleek head out of the cave entrance and glided up towards me, landing with a small thud. "Hey there, bud," I greeted, patting his flat head.

"Meet anyone new?" he asked sarcastically. I chuckled as I tossed my dragon an Icelandic cod, which he skillfully caught mid-air, swallowing it whole. He flashed me a gummy grin, and I returned it with a toothy one.

"It seems no one recognizes me. Do I really look that different?" I asked curiously, checking my reflection in a clear puddle.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the other young viking ladies were a bit jealous of Astrid," he said casually, coming over to look at his own refection.

Toothless' comment surprised me. "Well, thanks!"

"Speaking of which," Toothless continued, "do we have any other young adult vikings besides the gang?"

To be honest, I didn't know. "Jeez, bud, I'm not sure." I smirked slightly; I had never thought about it before.

Now we had to get down to business. Toothless and I needed to find Little Hiccup. He swiveled his head around, ears perked up to catch the slightest noise. "This way," he stated, heading west. I hopped on his saddle as he continued to walk, switching my walking foot to my riding foot and clicking it into place. My Night Fury stalked through the the forest, ears perking at the rustle of branches or a mouse scuttling back into it's hole.

Sure enough, my 15-year-old self was wandering through the woods with a fish in his right hand and a shield in his left. Toothless slunk behind him, pausing every now and then to keep a safe distance away. Little Hiccup stopped abruptly, spinning in the direction he came in and walking with purpose. "This was such a stupid idea," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "What were you thinking! going back to that- that cove to find the Night Fury that almost killed you? I'm losing my mind! I- I'm going to pretend that none of it ever happened, that I never found that Night Fury, that it fell into the sea and drowned. It's for the best. I'll prove myself some other way. I'll be the best in dragon training and kill that dragon. Oh, Hiccup, stop kidding yourself! it's never going to happen. You'll be a loser the rest of your life and end up marrying Bethilda the Bearded! You're a lost cau- "

Something snapped, bringing Little Hiccup's attention to the fact that he was not alone. "Sorry," Toothless whispered in his dragon-tongue.

"Who's there?" Little Hiccup shouted into the forest, his eyes searching for a shadow behind the trees. Toothless and I were hidden deep in the brush, concealed from his view. "I know you're there. Show yourself!"

Before I realized what I was going to do, I dismounted my dragon, and slowly walked out from the shadows, making enough noise so my presence would be known. "You're making a mistake," I said.

Little Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw me. "Tufflout? What- what are you doing here?" he asked, obviously not expecting it to be me. Who he thought it would be, I didn't know. "Why were you following me?"

"You're making a mistake," I repeated, our similar eyes locking gaze.

He was confused by this statement. "Making a mistake about what?"

"That dragon. That Night Fury." My voice was calm and steady.

He broke eye contact with me. "I- I, uh- I'm not sure what you're talking about. I- I- I was just, uh- going for a- a stroll in the woods. Just, uh-" he panicked. I really was a horrible liar.

"I saw you before, searching for him. You're making a mistake. You all are. You're wrong about dragons."

"That- that dragon, tried to kill me!" he protested, shaking his head.

"You can't kill a dragon, you won't kill a dragon. You saw his fear," I said. Little Hiccup looked up, curious as to how I knew this. Well, we were the same person.

A rustling came from behind me, and somehow my younger self became even more shocked than he already was. A whisper escaped his lips. "Night Fury." I didn't look at Toothless until he was right beside me, scratching his smooth scales under his chin.

"Dragons are kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together," I said slowly. "Just let me show you."

He stared at me for a moment. I was the mysterious stranger, after all. I was also very trustworthy. And I was very persuasive. "Okay," he said. "Show me."

"If you press his elbow like this, it activates his WOLVERINE CLAWS!" Gets me every time!

I love this chapter, I'm so happy about this one! Point out any and all grammar errors, I want my story to be the best version it can be. I'll update as soon as I can, but I have a math test on Tuesday! Eek! It's exponents! Double "Eek!"! Love you lots! Remember to comment, vote, and share!