Night Fury!

For: toothlessgirl2001 

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You are both 15

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Hiccup's P.O.V.

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"Alvin!" I yelled. "Give me back my dragon! Where's Toothless?" I was shoved towards the last cave, where two dark figures hung unrecognizable.

"In my dungeon, boy. Where he'll stay unless you train my dragons."

"And if I don't?" I challenged.

"Then he's no use to me. None of them are." Alvin started laughing like the maniac he is. I was shoved closer to the cage and hit the bars.

"Toothless!" I gasped. My best friend opened his eyes and fought against his restraints. "Toothless!"

"You know, the other night fury won't be worth anything, either, Hiccup."

"Other night fury?" I repeated, looking to the other figure in the cage. The other night fury wasn't even tied up. It couldn't move. It opened its eyes to look at me before closing them shut.

"Eh, she's gonna die soon, anyways," Alvin shrugged like it was nothing. "Good thing we've got your Dragon."

"I'm going to get you out," I promised the other night fury. "Just hold on. Take care of her, Toothless. We'll save her. We have to."

Toothless nodded, stopping his resistance against the restraints.

"She's not going anywhere, neither is your dragon, boy. Y'all will be here forever." Alvin and his men laughed. I was led away, barely getting once last glimpse of Toothless and the other night fury.

******

It has been days since I was captured. I was hungry, thirsty, and bored. But now was my chance to escape.

"Guard! Guard," I cried out, standing on one foot will looking as evenly balanced as I could manage. I held onto the metal cage bars for support. I saw the guard walking closer. "I'll do it! I'll tell Alvin whatever he wants, just let me outta here!" I let go as the guard unlocked the cage, not noticing my lack of a foot.

As he opened the door, I lifted my arms. When he looked up at me, I swung, hitting him hard in the jaw. He fell back and I put my prosthetic back on in a nick of time to see him stand back up.

"Oh no," I sulked. So close.

Suddenly, Mildew used his cane to pull the guard into his cage, where the guard passed out. I was shocked that he helped me. Mildew hated me.

"Thanks," I murmured, running free.

"Wait! Take me with you!" he cried. I scoffed but went back.

"Why should I?"

"You need me!" I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. It was his fault Toothless and I were here. "I know my way around the island. I can take you to your dragon."

I silently debated my options. "Don't make me regret this," I warned, unlocking his door.

We rushed across a pit of wild dragons and trained a wild Nadder, just to make it to where Toothless and the other night fury was kept and find that it was empty. Alvin released his three wild and very deadly dragons, leaving Mildew and I a narrow escape path. Eventually we caught up with my dad and the others.

"Hiccup!" my dad called. "Hurry, son!"

"We still need to find Toothless. And that other night fury."

"Other night fury?" Astrid asked.

I nodded. "Yes, another night fury. Female. And almost dead. We need to hurry. Toothless took the other night fury and escaped. I don't know where he is. I have to find him."

"Or bring him to you," Astrid hinted.

I nodded, then turned and let out my night fury roar. A few seconds later, we heard Toothless call back.

"There!" I hopped back on the Nadder, not waiting to take flight. We quickly found Toothless and the other night fury, who laid on top of Toothless.

Once the Nadder landed, I ran to Toothless. I was greeted by getting knocked over and covered in night fury saliva, but Toothless and the other night fury were safe.

"Son, we need to get out of here."

I agreed, and we flew to Berk, barely managing to escape from Alvin's last attempt to keep me captive. Sadly, Mildew wasn't so lucky.

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A few hours after we arrived on Berk, the female night fury was fed, given fresh water, and was sleeping. Toothless watched the night fury with care yet uncertainty.

"Son, meeting at the Great Hall," dad informed.

At the meeting, dad explained the situation to the village. Toothless and I were welcomed home, but the other night fury wasn't.

"Alvin has already threatened to declare war if we don't send the dragon back. A dragon is not worth the disruption of peace," a viking reasoned.

"Yeah!" many more cheered. This was not looking good.

"Son? Do you have anything to say?" Dad offered. I nodded, standing before the entire village. I gulped, nervous, but spoke.

"I disagree," I announced. "We are the protectors of peace, yes. But how is sending dragons to their deaths peace? It's murder! That temporarily aside, this may be the only other night fury alive. We have the chance to save a species before it's too late. With this other night fury, we can learn so much more about dragons. An endless new possibilities have just greeted us by that one night fury. We need to protect this injured, helpless dragon as one of our own. The dragons protect us, why don't we protect them? How can we be peace bringers if we send innocent dragons off to die? To be slaughtered? Sure, Alvin can declare his war. But why would he? Alvin is no fool. Declaring war on us is a death sentence signed. We have dragons! Alvin and his Outcasts stand no chance! All we will do by returning the night fury is killing a helpless dragon and letting Alvin know he can boss us around simply by threatening war. We can't let either happen. That is why we should keep the night fury- why we will protect the night fury."

The Great Hall was silent for a few seconds, before it was suddenly full of cheers and support.

Dad patted my shoulder, smiling proudly at me. I smiled back.

"Everyone in favor of keeping the night fury and showing Alvin he can't order us around, say I."

Everyone shouted, "I!"

Dad smiled at me. "There you have it, son. Go take care of your night fury. It's your responsibility, son."

I nodded, "Thanks, Dad," before running out.

**********

The night fury quickly made itself at home in my room. For the first few weeks, she mostly lounged around on the stone slab. Then Toothless and I started encouraging her to walk about. She didn't walk for very long. She must've been locked up for a long time, because at first she could barely stand. Her legs shook so bad.

Then she quickly learned to run and bounce. She quickly became comfortable walking freely throughout the house. I'd leave the front door open, but she'd only shyly looked outside. She'd tip toe to the door and dashed upstairs at every little noise. She hadn't been outside in so long.

It was a good month before she crept onto the porch.

"Good job, girl," I said softly. I gave her fish in return, which she gladly swallowed whole. She wasn't as thin as she was when she first arrived, but she was also much healthier. She smiled and nuzzled me. "Come on, (Y/ N)," I cooed, encouraging her to wander further out. Toothless led the way, but she refused to wonder out of sight of the house.

Dad returned on Thornado, making (Y/ N) race back to the safety of the house. She probably ran back to my room.

Dad chuckled. "Well, she's getting bolder."

"At least she likes the house," Gobber reasoned, jumping off of Thornado.

"True," I agreed. "Let's go calm her down, bud. Bye."

"Alright, son, we're just stopping by for some lunch, then we'll be on our way."

"Okay. I just finished lunch. It should still be warm."

"Thanks, son," dad said, as I ran past them.

With Toothless hot on my heals, I ran to my room. (Y/ N) the night fury was sitting on Toothless's bed. Toothless never seemed to mind, unlike with other dragons. Especially since (Y/ N) shared it with him.

(Y/ N) perked up at the sound of Toothless and I entering the room. She purred quietly as Toothless laid down next to her. There was some space, but not as big as a gap as they started out at.

"You're alright, girl," I assured, petting her head. She closed her eyes in content. When I pulled my hand away, she rested her head next to Toothless's, smiling. "I'm glad you feel safe here."

Toothless looked up at me, then made a gurgling as if to ask, "Why wouldn't she?"

(Y/ N) kept silent, although the slight opening of her eyes told me that she heard. I chuckled quietly to myself before working at my desk for a while.

At least an hour had passed when there was a sudden strange noise. I turned around, checking on Toothless and (Y/ N) since the noise came from their bed.

I blinked, stunned, when I saw a girl sitting in (Y/ N)'s place. I hastily stood up, knocking my chair over. I ignored it and asked the girl, "Who are you?"

The girl stared at me with the same (E/C) eyes that night fury (Y/ N) did. She looked around, as if confused, before staring at herself. She held her arms in front of her, twisting them left then right then left again. She opened and closed her hands into fists. She seemed as surprised as I.

"(Y/ N)?" I asked. She looked up at me. I slowly walked forward. "Is that really you?"

As if unsure of herself, she slowly nodded.

She was not wearing clothes, so I quickly dressed her in some of mine. They were baggy on her thin frame but looked adorable on her.

"There," I smiled, after helping her with the last of the clothing. I led her to the bed, and we sat down.

"Hmm. Uh," she hummed, as if trying out her voice. Instinctively, she covered her own mouth in shock.

She stopped trying to speak, so I encouraged her to continue. "Go on. Try."

"I. Die."

"Die?" I asked, both confused and uneasy.

She shook her head in frustration. She couldn't pronounce what she was trying to say. "Ry. Lie. Ry." She tested out similar sounds, but ended up curling her fists in frustration.

"Try," I guessed.

She perked up and nodded.

I pronounced it slowly, exaggerating the shape of my lips and teeth as I spoke.

She slowly imitated me, closer than ever before. She looked up at me with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"There you go! Good job. The t sound can be difficult for those not used to speaking. Don't worry about not getting it perfect. You're a quick leaner. Why not try a simpler word? Like, uh, mom." I pronounced the word slowly, once again showing her how to form her mouth.

After a few tries, she mastered the word.

We went on like that for a few words, before she flat out stopped talking.

"Good job for your first day," I congratulated. "Now mind if I ask a few questions?"

She just started at me. She swung her legs up and down, bouncing them as they hit the floor.

Yes, I was free to ask questions.

"Did you know you could change into a human?"

She shrugged.

"Kinda?" I asked, with a sigh.

"- aint mem-ry," she tried.

"You have a faint memory of changing?"

She nodded with her small smile. It was strange how both her human and dragon had so many similarities yet so many differences.

I nodded, glad she was cooperating. "Next question, do you know how to shift?"

She answered that by sitting on the floor before squeezing her eyes shut. They sudden strange noise came as she transformed into a night fury, then took a minute of rest before changing back.

"Fascinating," I breathed as she returned to her seat beside me. She leaned back, exhausted. "Is it tiring?"

She nodded once but in one large fluent motion. She was certain of her answer.

"Do you understand me well?"

She shrugged. She was still learning.

I smiled, "I told you you were a fast learner. I noticed Toothless translating for you at first."

Her eyes dropped but were forced back open.

I smiled, noticing how cute she was. Like a child fighting sleep. I was that child, once upon a time. I covered her with the blanket at the foot of my bed. "Get some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow."

She nodded, lazily, before letting her eyes close. Toothless walked over, sad about losing his friend.

I chuckled softly, "Let her sleep, bud. She needs it."

He huffed but went back to his bed and laid down. I pulled up the chair from my desk and sat on it. I thought about (Y/ N) and her powers for some time before sleep caught up with me as well, and my eyes shut themselves.

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When I woke up, the bed was empty. Panicked, I checked Toothless to find him snuggled next to night fury (Y/ N). I sighed in relief. She only changed and moved places. She probably felt safer there anyways.

Even in her human form, (Y/ N) stayed inside. She mostly observed me, but we did practice on her talking a few times a day.

I told my dad about her, which he was amazed, but asked him not to say anything until she was ready and more comfortable in public. He agreed but said she should only go out in her night fury form, since that was the form everyone knew her as.

"Thanks, dad. Have fun," I wished.

"Yes. Fun. Well, bye, son. (Y/ N). I'll see you both tonight when I get home."

The rest of the day, I cleaned the house and tried to learn more about (Y/ N) and her powers.

The process continued for about a week before she started talking more and more.

Early in the morning, we went flying, with her in her night fury form. We'd return home and have a late breakfast. Afternoons were spent by having small conversations as we did whatever. Sometimes we drew. Sometimes we read the book of dragons. Other times I focused on a new invention or tail for Toothless, which (Y/ N) would either look over my shoulder or do her own thing. (Y/ N) also always made time to play with Toothless. She mostly played with him in her night fury form.

In the evenings, I'd teach her to read and write or any skill. She loved learning and always paid attention. She didn't seem to be a fan of talking, but would ask questions or make comments if she desired. I encouraged her to talk as much as possible. Around dinner time, we'd make a meal and wait awhile for my dad to come home. If he was having a late day, we'd eat without him and leave his food on the table. If he came home on time, we ate with him. (Y/ N) loved to tell him what our day consisted of, despite it being similar to every other day we shared. Dad loved to listen. Once (Y/ N) was done, she always insisted on dad telling her about his day. Apparently, dad also loved to share. (Y/ N) always listened intently, as if to remember every single word. She was so cute.

Late evenings, (Y/ N) would change forms and we'd go for a peaceful stroll around the village, or a flight around Berk (which sometimes consists of races or best trick competitions). Sometimes she convinced my dad to join us.

"Please, Dad, please!" she begged. I don't know why she called my dad dad, but she did.

"Alright, (Y/ N), I'll come. But it must be quick. I have an early day tomorrow."

"Yay! Thank you, Dad!"

He laughed and put his boots back on. We waited at the door for (Y/ N) to shift.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She reached out to open the door, but I stopped her.

"You have to change, (Y/ N)."

"Why? I don't want to."

"You have to."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because the village can't know you're a shape shifter. Not yet, at least. They will soon, but we want you to be more comfortable in your dragon form around the village."

"I don't understand."

"You will someday," dad cut in. "For now, please just shift and be the beautiful dragon you can be."

(Y/ N) beamed at the compliment and quickly shifted.

"We'll have to tell the village soon, son," dad said, during our walk. (Y/ N) was skipping around and playing with Toothless. She was much more friendly today. She had been like that all day, though.

I agreed. "How about at the end of the week? That'll give me time to explain everything to her. And how things will be slightly different. She'll be the spotlight of the village, again."

"Alright. I'll spread word of the meeting tomorrow. She might have to shift in front of the village, so warn her of that."

"Oh, another thing, dad. She can't shift if she's too nervous or scared. Or if she does it's to her night fury form."

He nodded. We quickly finished the conversation and continued our peaceful walk.

*******************

The meeting started out long and boring. (Y/ N)'s secret was to be a surprise last issue thing. It was easier for her to shift from her human form to her night fury form, so she impatiently waited in her human form besides a restless Toothless and myself. It was difficult to keep them both seated throughout the meeting, but I managed.

Finally, Dad called the attention of the entire village, most of whom had zoned out long ago. He made a quick speech, describing (Y/ N)'s abilities and asked everyone to welcome her into the Hooligan tribe.

But not everyone believed and demanded to witness her powers immediately.

Dad made eye contact with me and we nodded. I stood, leading an eager Toothless and an anxious human (Y/ N) to the stage.

"For those of you who don't know, this is (Y/ N), the shape shifter." She waved hi, but made no further attempt to communicate.

"Let us see her shift!" someone demanded.

I motioned her forward, but she was hesitant. I tried to calm her by resting my hand in hers and spoke to the village.

"She's quite nervous. It'll be more difficult for her to change, but she promised to try her best."

I stepped back, nodding to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching onto her loose shirt as if to help her shift, to no avail.

After a long minute, people started throwing rude comments and made her even more nervous. There was no way she would be able to shift.

I stepped forward and whispered in her ear. "You can do this," I insisted. "You're a night fury! But better yet, you're you. Take a deep breath and try again. I'm right here. Just think of me, your best friend."

I took a step back, signaling her to start taking my advice. She followed my advice and slowly took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes to concentrate, and soon the changing process began to take its course.

"Night Fury!" villagers gasped before she opened her eyes.

She did it.

And she was happy, here on Berk. With her best friends. With myself and Toothless beside her, I knew she could do anything she set her mind to. All she needed were her best friends.

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