Secret of a Dragon (An HTTYD Story)

Chapter Eleven: See You Tomorrow

This and the previous chapter are both named after soundtracks. Like? Don't? Well, listen to the soundtracks and you'll understand. THEY ARE ALL SO GOOD!!!!!! See You Tomorrow is on the side, it's one of my favorites!!

This is only Hiccup's POV, the next chapter will be all Crystal!

Enjoy!

The first thing Hiccup does is create a saddle for Toothless, grinning to himself the whole time. She is his secret, and now he is on his way to helping her. When he is halfway finished, there was a quiet scratching at the window, and Hiccup opens it to let in the Terrible Terror from the cove. It and Toothless seem to be friends, so Hiccup doesn't mind its presence. It provides not-so-helpful criticism (for all Hiccup can hear is hisses and growls) and several unnecessary chirps when Hiccup makes a mistake. While this is mostly annoying, it is sometimes helpful, although Hiccup is still wondering why he let it in the first place when he puts it back out.

At first, Toothless is adamant about having a saddle. She leads Hiccup along in a game of chase until he is absolutely exhausted. Then, she finally lets him fasten it on, and they go for their first ride. Hiccup ties a rope to the prosthetic tail in an attempt to be able to control it from the saddle, but that plan fails. He pulls the rope too hard, and Toothless veers off to the side while Hiccup falls into the lake.

That night, he creates a riding outfit that will connect to the saddle.

Next, Hiccup ties the rope around his foot and tries to control it that way, but this fails miserably. The two crash-land in a field of tall grass, and Hiccup is thrown forward. He turns around and pushes the tall-as-him plants away, only to discover Toothless rolling around in it, oblivious to everything around her. Hiccup picks part of the grass in wonder.

The next day in dragon training, he watches as Tuffnut performs a ridiculous jump attack at the Gronckle. She knocks him away easily. Her eyes land on Hiccup as he pulls out the clump of grass, and she charges. Hiccup thrusts the grass ahead of him, turning away in the process, terrified that the dragon may not be interested. But she stops instantly and her pupils dilate as she stares lovingly at the grass. Hiccup rubs it on her nose and then drags it to the side. The Gronckle follows his movement obediently, and then she is subdued.

And while no one else does, Hiccup notices that Crystal freezes as soon as her eyes land on the plant, and she seems to be in an argument with herself as she simply stands there.

As Hiccup leaves the arena that day, the other teens, except for Astrid, Crystal, and Autumn, rush up and surround him, bombarding him with praise. "I've never seen a Gronckle do that!" Snotlout says in admiration. Hiccup grimaces.

"Uh -- I left my axe back in the ring -- uh -- you guys go on ahead -- I'll catch up with ya," he says casually, darting back the way they came. Astrid shoots him a venomous glare when he almost bumps into her. While the other teens have stopped walking to watch him go, he hears one set of footsteps continue along the bridge. He knows by the regular step, and then the quiet one, that it is Crystal.

The next day in the cove, Hiccup takes a break from flying with Toothless. He begins to rub her, and her eyes instantly shoot open, and then close in pleasure. She stands up, and Hiccup follows, grinning. As she leans toward him in sheer happiness, he reaches forward and scratches right under her jawbone. Her eyes fly open and she almost faints, falling back toward the ground. Hiccup only knows she is conscious by her half-grin. He stares at his hands in awe.

Again, he decides to use this to his advantage in dragon training. The Deadly Nadder deflects Astrid's axe and then charges Hiccup, who drops his weapon in fear. She stops, curious. Astrid suddenly lets out a war cry and runs toward the dragon, axe raised and a murderous expression on her face. Hiccup hastily reaches out and scratches the Nadder on her neck, rapidly moving his hand down. As soon as he touches her jaw, she collapses. Astrid looks like she has been slapped.