First Friends

Chapter 1

I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, and I'm sure all of you know my bud, Toothless. But did you know that Toothless wasn't my first pet? That's right! I had a jaguar before him, and he's sleeping over in that nest of furs in the corner there. His name, ironically, is Tiger, and this is his story.

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I kept paddling, the icy water biting me, and stealing my breath at the cold. I knew I had to make land, or I'd freeze to death. I glanced over my shoulder at the shipwreck, now sinking in the thrashing waves, taking my mother and siblings to into the briny deep. I growled to encourage myself, and pushed on. I saw a strange structure jutting out of the cliffs and swam toward it, thinking I could hold on to it and climb up to shelter. I was only three months old, so I was still easily mistaken for a kitten, but I was also not quite properly fattened up or prepared for this kind of journey so by the time I reached the thing I'd seen, I was too tired to do much more than cling to it. As the night wore on I heard several heavy boots stomp around above my head, and in desperation, I gave several strangled cries. Finally there was a lull in the storm and the head of a strange-looking creature appeared in my field of view. The creature smiled at me and reached out a leg toward me. I was too tired to fight, and my strength was waning. Suddenly my limbs went limp and I blacked out, expecting to wake up in the same grassy field that my family was in. Instead the strange creature, who I later learned was named Hiccup, picked me out of the ocean before I could drown, and hugged me to his body. He ran up the wharf (the thing I'd clung on to), and burst through the door into his family's cave-like dwelling. I opened my eyes blearily as an enormous figure rose from his seat.

"Daddy! Daddy! Lookit what I found! Kin I keep him?!" Hiccup shrieked excitedly, bouncing around as though he were standing on hot coals.

"Hmm...He seems a little small and weak, son," rumbled the giant. "But if he survives the night, then you can keep him." Hiccup jumped up and yipped with delight as though he were one of my siblings. He ran up the ramp to his sleeping nook and grabbed a warm, dry rag and began to vigorously rub my fur, trying to dry me off. Feeling started to come back to my paws. I opened my eyes, rolled onto my stomach before looking down, and seeing the maddening drop beside me I quickly backpedalled wildly, trying to keep from falling.

"Aww! Daddy, look! He's waking up!" cried my savior. He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, beckoning me over. I was so grateful I happily obliged, curling up in the nest he had made for me. He stroked my fur, and I jumped, digging my claws in from fear as the ground shook and trembled as the giant came bounding up the stairs. "I think I'm going to call you Tiger because you're a cat and a boy, so Tiger's a good name for you." I purred and nuzzled into the brown thing around his neck, savoring the warmth it provided. I knew I'd made a lifelong friend, so I promised myself to protect him, no matter what.