Dragon Whisperer (HTTYD)

12 - Like Rider, Like Dragon

Back when there was snow flying on Berk, on the festive holiday of Snoggletog, little Gustav had used various bits of charred wood to cobble together a costume that looked sorta like a Night Fury. It was quite a sight to behold and even rivaled the green empty ale barrel Gronckle with the mace for a tail. When Toothless saw it, he oozed all over the boy, completely flattered by such imitation. Ever since then, when the dragon is in a goofy mood, he would sometimes walk on his hind legs for a few steps, just like Gustav, the Night Fury.

Even after having seen it for the hundredth time, even while saddled on said dragon's back, Hiccup would always completely lose himself in a fit of laughter.

Toothless chortled at his own antics and leaned forward to dive off the edge of the cliff, spreading his wings to soar over the harbor for a moment before rising up into the clouds. Hiccup had grown quite fond of this maneuver as there was no whiplash that he normally gets when Toothless springs up from the ground. Others call it lazy, but they haven't ridden a Night Fury which, pund for pund, kicks like a yak and jumps like a cat.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, painting the sky and illuminating the underside of the clouds in hues of red and pink. He knew the way to Bog Burglar island very well, including every island, jutting rock, or other landmarks on the way for navigation. Even without that, he knew direction from the constellations.

Stoick had already taken off the previous day in the tribe's main trade ship. With good sailing winds to be expected, he should be about fifty leagues away and they'd reach the Bog Burglar island around dawn. At a casual cruising speed with a partial tailwind, Hiccup figured he should catch-up halfway through the night.

The plan was simple. Land on the boat to meet up with Father, Snotlout, Spitelout, and some others on a regular visit to their friendly neighboring tribe. Naturally, Hookfang followed his rider along. Once they arrived on the island, the dragons would either hide on the ship or go fly off and spend the time on an uninhabited island before docking while the Hooligans would do regular business with the Burglars.

Ever since Hiccup and the Bog Burglar heiress, Camicazi, were old enough to join these voyages, they had always just run off into the wilderness to get into Loki-knows-what kind of trouble. Hiccup planned on making sure that happens again, this time, which would give him an opportunity to introduce her to Toothless... in a way that doesn't send her running and screaming... or scare her into stabbing him... and gets her to like his dragon...

As Gobber said to Hiccup before taking off, "No pressure at all, laddie!"

From there, well... maybe that will be the end of the dragon introductions or maybe Camicazi can help convince the rest of her tribe to accept some training on how to interact with dragons. Hiccup was certainly nipping at the bud to teach anyone who would listen.

To take his mind off the weight of their mission, he decided to train himself in hearing and projecting thoughts. By now, he could hold a conversation with any dragon he touches. Of course, he wasn't perfect at it and his brain would still cramp up at how to make sense of the feeling of brown, the tone of a warm bed of coals, and even stranger things his mind would process as gracefully as Gobber could run in a foot race.

Toothless insists that his rider's projections are getting much clearer and easier to understand, though. Hiccup has spent the past several days simply sharing stories with his dragon with these projected thoughts to strengthen himself. It causes headaches at times, but both parties absolutely enjoy seeing the other's perspective during certain interactions in the past. Hiccup would come up with some sort of prompt or event and they would take turns sharing it from their own perspective. It was during such exercises, for example, that he learned the real reason Toothless had coughed up a fish and made him eat it when they met in the cove for the first time. Suffice to say one of them was thoroughly humored.