Found again (HTTYD FF)

★26★

They landed in a cove in the middle of the forest, which they saw as they flew past, originally heading for the beach. Its walls were several meters high and the only possible way in seemed to be by air - which Hiccup intended to explore further. Across most of the cove was a lake large enough for fish to swim in, which Toothless immediately took advantage of, catching and devouring several.

Hiccup decided to wait for the sun to rise. He knew that no one would be awake in the village now. Humans were mostly asleep at night and he still needed to think about what exactly he was going to do. He couldn't just barge in, he wouldn't even think of doing something like that. It would be suicidal. He only needed to get the attention of one or two Vikings, preferably one of the ones he'd already talked to. He didn't know what the others might do if they saw him. They were humans, after all, and they were unpredictable.

They sat together by the lake until dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves. Hiccup was all sore as he sat in one position on the hard ground, so as soon as he got up from his spot he made sure to stretch properly.

"Where are you going?" Toothless asked.

"Just to explore a bit." He didn't want to go to the village yet. He still wasn't sure how the Vikings would take it. He wanted to be reunited with his family, but he was beginning to prepare himself for the possibility that he would have to disappear, that they would eventually reject him.

Toothless grunted to indicate that he had heard and curled up in a ball right where he was sitting. He yawned and closed his eyes. Hiccup hadn't gone a few steps before he heard the first loud breaths of a sleeping dragon. He rolled his eyes and concentrated on exploring the cove. He needed to stop worrying about all the little things, and the best way to do that was to occupy himself with something else.

He walked around the cove, examining its walls for a possible exit by land. If there was one, it meant they wouldn't be completely safe here. Finally, to his disappointment, he found a way in and out. There was a narrow path up behind one of the stones. Any able climber could have made it up here with ease. He had to tell Toothless that they had to be more careful if they stayed here in the cove.

He turned, intending to go to his brother, when he heard an approaching rattle through the trees, coming from just where the basin could be climbed. He paused and listened. If it was a dragon, it was unusually loud, so it was probably injured or in a great hurry. If it was a human, Hiccup would have to get out of sight quickly.

He stood for a moment, not moving. The unknown creature was approaching quickly. Too fast for any human. So it had to be a dragon; a fast dragon. Hiccup didn't get a chance to react when the head of a sky blue Nadder peeked out at him from the edge of the cove. He relaxed - there was no danger.

"Wow, I never thought I'd ever see someone like you! Who are you? Why are you here? A Night fury! A dream come true! I can't believe it! What's your name? I'm Stormfly. How did you get here? Can I touch you?"

Hiccup was taken aback by her unexpected volley of seemingly unrelated questions. He just stood there, staring at her like he was scalded. Toothless, on the other hand, jumped to his feet in fright and nearly fired one of his plasma blasts at her, but stopped himself in time.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Relax, I'm not going to hurt you! Just don't shoot me!" Stormfly laughed. She tilted her head in a curious gesture and hopped closer. "Where did you come from? I've never seen you before. And I've never even heard of you!"

"I'm Toothless and this is Hiccup," Toothless introduced them before Hiccup could open his mouth. "We're here for personal reasons."

"And what is that, if you don't mind me asking?"