Early that morning, Ludic was abruptly awakened by Gobber, who informed him of the returning boats and the destroyed longships from the expedition. "Well, I trust you found the nest at least?" Gobber inquired with a hint of expectation in his voice.
"Not even close," Ludic replied as he disembarked from the boat, feeling the weight of disappointment settle on his shoulders now that everyone was back. His mind wandered as the villagers gathered around, talking about the events.
"Ah, excellent," Gobber said with a hint of sarcasm. Stoick approached, looking concerned. "I hope you had a little more success than me."
"Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes," Gobber quipped, earning chuckles from the villagers.
"Congratulations, Stoick! Everyone is so relieved," a viking woman chimed in enthusiastically.
"Out with the old and in with the new, right?!" another added, followed by affirmations that no one would miss the old nuisance.
"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!" Ark announced, bringing a sense of festivity to the air.
"He's gone?" Stoick asked, his worry palpable.
"Yeah... most afternoons. But who can blame him? I mean, the life of a celebrity's very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans," Gobber explained casually.
"Hiccup?" Stoick asked, slightly incredulous.
"Who would've thought, eh? He has this way with the beasts," Gobber said, as Ludic used the distraction to sprint towards the cove. His years of training came in handy as he stumbled into the cove to find only Frostbite there. Ludic approached the dragon nervously.
"Take me to Hiccup and Toothless, handsome," Ludic requested as he climbed into the saddle, holding on tight as Frostbite gracefully took to the air. Ludic couldn't help but laugh as they swooped through the air with enormous wings flapping, As they soared through the sky, Ludic marveled at the breathtaking sensation of flight. The rush of wind against his face, the steady rhythm of Frostbite's powerful wings, and the awe-inspiring view of the world below them filled him with a sense of freedom he had never experienced before. Ludic felt a deep connection with the dragon beneath him, their movements synchronized in a dance through the air. heading towards where Toothless and Hiccup were practicing.
"Keep your distance," Ludic whispered to Frostbite, receiving a low rumble in response. "Okay there, bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow. Here we go. Here we go... position three, no, four. Alright, it's go time. It's go time. Come on, buddy, come on, buddy!" Hiccup called out as he dove down and adjusted Toothless' tail position.
"Yes, it worked!" Hiccup exclaimed triumphantly, glancing back and catching sight of Ludic and Frostbite. "Hey!" Hiccup shouted, but his excitement caused Toothless to veer towards one of the sea stacks.
"Sorry!" Hiccup apologized to Toothless, narrowly avoiding collision before they grazed another sea stack. Ludic and Frostbite followed them, chuckling at the scene unfolding ahead.
"That was my fault," Hiccup admitted to Toothless, who gently nudged him with his ear.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. Position four, uh, three. Yeah! Go baby! Yes! Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my..." hiccup said as they climbed upwards in the sky but soon Hiccup's words were cut short as a sudden gust of wind snatched his cheat sheet from his hand.
"CHEAT SHEET! STOP!!" Hiccup screamed, desperately trying to catch the diagram. In the chaos, the safety cord unhooked, causing Hiccup to fall from the saddle. Ludic's heart raced as he watched them start to plummet.
"HICCUP!" Ludic screamed in horror.
"NOOOOOO!!! Oh, gosh! Oh, gods! Oh, no! Alright! You got to angle yourself! Okay, no, no, no... come back down towards me! Come back down-- YOW!" Hiccup yelled, attempting to regain control. Finally reattaching, the cheat sheet smacked into his face. Hiccup tossed it aside, relying on his memory to smoothly navigate through the rocks, deftly changing Toothless' tail positions.
"YEEAHHH!" hiccup shouted with a mix of relief and exhilaration, clutching onto Frostbite as they followed closely behind.
"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN PLEASE!" Ludic yelled out, his voice echoing in the wind.
"Ah, come on!" Hiccup exclaimed with a hint of frustration, as Toothless shot a blast of fire and flew through it,
As they all landed on a sea stack, Ludic immediately jumped off Frostbite and rushed over to Hiccup, checking him over anxiously. "You're not hurt, are you?" Ludic asked with concern etched on his face.
"No, I'm okay, just about covered in smoke," Hiccup replied with a wry smile, wiping soot off his face. Ludic chuckled softly. "Yeah, I can see that," he remarked, glancing down at Hiccup.
In that moment, Ludic caught a glimpse of Hiccup's big green eyes looking up at him. He blushed and instinctively pulled away, feeling a rush of emotions he wasn't quite ready to confront. Clearing his throat, Ludic suggested, "Let's make a fire." Hiccup nodded in agreement.
They gathered twigs and dry leaves, building a small fire on the sea stack. Frostbite, ever helpful, ventured off to catch fish in the nearby waters. Ludic skilfully skewered the fish on sticks and roasted them over the flames, sharing the cooked fish with Toothless and Frostbite.
Toothless regurgitated a fish head for Hiccup, who politely declined. "Uh... no thanks. I'm good," Hiccup said with a slight grimace, which prompted Ludic to laugh softly. "Your father's back," Ludic mentioned casually, observing Hiccup's reaction closely.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Hiccup replied optimistically, his attention diverted as a flock of Terrible Terrors swooped in, attempting to steal their fish. Toothless growled protectively and tried to chase them away. One of the Terrors engaged Toothless in a brief skirmish over a fish but ended up losing. In a fit of frustration, the Terror tried to attack Toothless, only to receive a blast of dragon fire directly in its mouth, causing it to inflate comically.
"Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" Hiccup teased the downed Terror, then tossed it a fish. The Terror swallowed it whole, much to Ludic's amazement. "There you go. Everything we know about you guys is wrong..." Hiccup mused aloud, looking thoughtful.
Ludic glanced up at the sky, taking in the vastness above them with a sigh. Nearby, the Terror curled up next to Hiccup, emitting soft purring sounds akin to a contented kitten. Ludic couldn't help but smile at the unexpected scene, feeling a sense of peace settle over him despite the chaos of the day.
"Maybe we've been looking at things the wrong way all along," Ludic murmured, more to himself than to Hiccup, contemplating the newfound understanding between dragons and humans that was unfolding before his eyes.
YOU ARE READING
When Snow Meets Lightning (Httyd x Male!oc)
FanficIn the harsh village of Berk, dragons were once the most feared enemies of the Vikings. Hiccup, an outcast, formed a secret bond with Toothless, a Night Fury that should have been his killer. Alongside him was Ludic, a brooding, raven-haired teen wi...
