The Dragon Games (HTTYD AU)

Eleven - Cave Exploration

Astrid frowned as she picked up a stick. "Do you think you can train more dragons?"

Hiccup blinked, pausing his progress on making a torch. "What do you mean?"

"As in, can you train more than just the night fury?"

"His name is Toothless." 

Astrid sighed. "Look, do you think you could stop the dragon attacks?"

Hiccup paused. "I hope so. Toothless isn't the only dragon I've befriended. Maybe... maybe we can train all the dragons on Berk? To not attack us at least." 

"That might just work."

They smiled at each other for a moment too long. Toothless glanced between the two and cooed, asking for attention. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup petted him.

A scratching sound echoed along the cave. Toothless growled, letting out an odd purple beam. His ears perked up and he inspected the darkness. With a plasma blast, he illuminated the cave, but Hiccup didn't see anything.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked, adjusting his grip on the torch. "What was that?"

"Whatever it is, it's inside the caves." Astrid held her torch down to Toothless, who lit it. Without hesitation, she strode into the darkness.

Following her lead, Hiccup got Toothless to light his torch and started walking. The grey stone walls glowed orange, the flames shivering on the torches. 

"I haven't heard the sound again," Hiccup stated, glancing at Astrid.

"Neither have I."

Toothless sniffed at the still cave air. Growling, he led the pair across the caverns and crossing caves. 

An awkward silence stretched across the pair. Occassionally, Astrid would stop by the wall or path, using the torch to inspect the area.  Hiccup used this time to drop the bucket and relax his arm, but wouldn't ask the others to carry it.

"This cave is huge," Astrid observed, turning to Hiccup. "It could make up the entire mountain, and we've only been walking for a short while."

Hiccup nodded. "Exactly. Makes it an ideal nesting site. Hard to navigate, easy to defend. Well, the nesting caverns are anyway. Say, bud," Hiccup patted Toothless, "have you even been in the entire thing?"

Toothless raised his wings and dropped them. 

Hiccup's face was blank. "I have no idea what that means."

Toothless grumbled, smoke coming out of his nostrils. 

"A no then?"

Shaking out his scales, Toothless gently whacked Hiccup with his tail.

"That is becoming a unfortunately common occurance," Hiccup muttered. Astrid laughed, continuing to walk. 

Eventually, they reached the nesting caverns. Several other adult dragons watched them pass, including a green zippleback and blue deadly nadder. Hiccup chuckled nervously.

"They won't think we're a threat, right?" Astrid asked, avoiding eye contact with the dragons.

Hiccup tried to keep his voice level. "We're with Toothless and I've brought fish before, so I think so. As long as we don't approach the babies or eggs too quickly, we should be alright."

Hiccup gave Astrid his torch and held the bucket with both hands. Squawking, the deadly nadder approached, spines raised. Astrid's breath hitched. 

"Easy girl," Hiccup soothed, holding the bucket forwards. The dragon sniffed at it, deeming it safe. One of the zippleback's heads took the bucket and placed it by the wall of the cavern.