Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 16 - Amity Island

A/N: I know it's been a few days since I posted, but as Frank Sinatra says—that's life! :))

Disclaimer: ಥ_ಥ

HICCUP'S POV

The journey to Amity Island—its name due to the unspoken rule of peace that all visitors agreed to upon arrival—seemed shorter than I expected it to be. It was only midday by the time the large land mass came into sight. The reality of the situation hit me hard, and I held onto the saddle with a vice grip. We were high in the sky, too far up for anyone to see us, but I could still make out the shapes of dozens of ships below. That meant a lot of humans. This was a terrible idea.

I glanced at my mom, but her face was lit up with excitement as she looked down at the island. She didn't understand. She lived with humans most of her life. They didn't seem so scary to her. I, on the other hand, was used to being around dragons. Dragons were safe, predictable. Humans...not so much. This was a terrible idea!

*I won't go down there unless you tell me to, Hiccup.* Toothless murmured comfortingly. I leaned down to hug him. He purred heavily, and the vibrations of it calmed me slightly.

*I have to face my fears...not run from them.* I replied softly, trying to convince myself more than him.

*I just wish I could be there to face them with you.* He muttered. I was trying not to think too much about that part. Toothless had been by my side since I could remember. I didn't know how to...live...without him there. Not just as my protector, but also as my friend. His presence had always been a guarantee. I suppose this would be a test for both of us. If we couldn't function separately, then how could we accomplish anything together?

"Hiccup, you ready?" My mom called over to me.

I nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah. Let's go," I answered a bit too quickly. She eyed me speculatively for a moment, then waved for me to follow her. Cloudjumper fell into a dive, and Toothless followed directly behind him. We dropped out of the sky a good distance from the island, as fast as possible to avoid anyone seeing us, then zipped over the ocean towards land. We approached from the uninhabited side, landing in the forest. I let out a relieved breath at reaching our destination unnoticed as Toothless came to a slow halt in the cover of the trees.

Toothless stood still for a few seconds, his ears up and alert as he listened for the sound of any humans. My mom and I were both silent as we waited for the go ahead. When his tense posture relaxed, ours did, too. I climbed out of the saddle, but stayed next to him, afraid to let go. My mom slid down Cloud's wing, slinging her satchel over her shoulder. She walked over to me and placed a light hand against my cheek.

"You are ready for this, Hiccup," she said reassuringly. "The dragons have to stay here, so say goodbye for now," she instructed gently, taking away her hand and stepping back towards Cloud.

It felt like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest as I turned to face Toothless. Leaving him behind felt wrong. He crooned sadly, nuzzling against my stomach. I ran a hand over his head, working on controlling my breathing. *I won't be gone long.* I promised. *Will you be okay?* I wondered, lifting his head to look in his eyes.

*I'm a Night-wing. Of course I'll be okay.* He replied confidently. *The humans will have no clue I'm here. I'm just a shadow.* He claimed.

I laughed at his smug expression. *Right. I shouldn't have bothered asking.* I snorted in amusement, already feeling better. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom press her forehead to Cloudjumper's in farewell, then she reluctantly pulled away and shuffled my direction. Cloud watched her go with sorrowful eyes. I lunged towards Toothless, wrapping my arms around him in a final hug. *Don't die while I'm gone.* I ordered.