This is where I belong ||httyd fanfic||

32. Time files so fast

A black shape zoomed with incredible speed across the surface of the ocean, the waters parting in the wake of its wings and ever-building acceleration. Drops flew apart into the air like the sparks from a sharpened sword or axe blade against the grindstone. It was a dragon, jet black with sharp green eyes, with ropes, cables and straps around its body connected to its saddle.

Atop it was a human lying against its back on his stomach, clad in black leather armor made of night fury scales with belts and wrappings around his waist, stomach, and legs including a holster. On his arms were leather gauntlets with numerous straps and fingerless gloves, and cylindrical spools on the bottom. A leather boot was on one foot, while his other was a wooden mount with a metal attachment locked onto the modified stirrup on the left side of the dragon. His face was covered by a black mask that covered every part of his face but his eyes.

He was holding tightly onto the steering bar attached to the saddle, steering the dragon like a captain would a ship, using his leg to make adjustments to the dragon's red tailfin at a moment's notice exactly as the dragon shifted in another direction. They barrel rolled underneath a row of Thunderdrum dragons swimming nearby, leaping out of the water like fish in a frenzy. As the Thunderdrums reached the highest point of the jump, the black dragon side twirled through, barely even grazing their bellies and dodging their spread out wings entirely. They continued to navigate through the school after pulling out of their rolls, moving forward and back, left and right around them, gliding up along their arched spines.

Not a single movement was wasted, each one melded with the last and the next in a fluid dance of aerial grace. The rider soon readjusted himself into a sitting position as his dragon flew up high into the sky; they fell back down with a massive smile and a roar of joy from the dragon, dropping through the air and feeling the rush of the wind against their backs. The dragon pulled back up effortlessly in a quick ascension back up into the clouds.

The rider wordlessly adjusted a lever along the stirrup with his prosthetic leg while pulling up another lever on the side, locking the tailfin behind in place. He unclipped himself from the saddle, and pressed his hands down on it before leaping up and placing his feet atop. Crouching down, he soon straightened himself and stood completely upright, placing one foot forward and bringing out his arms slightly to maintain his balance. The black dragon looked back at him with a slightly annoyed look but the rider only returned it with a wink; they continued to soar through the clouds, surfing along their shapes and grinding against the moving air currents like rails, gaining slight altitude though the dragon could only glide.

With the escape of those currents, they performed all kinds of tricks, such as spinning like a pinwheel while the rider grasped the bar on the saddle, or hopping up while the dragon spun in place before landing down on its realigned body. Such techniques were performed with the skill and expertise of a master snowboarder, using wind in the place of curved snowy mountains.

The rider finally ended with a leap of the saddle and down into the clouds, the black dragon diving down right after him. They spun together in unison with one another, looking at each other with bright, excited eyes. Miles before the ocean's surface approached, the rider focused towards it, and pulled the handle from his back , grabbing the handle which formed a black leather that suddenly appeared. The leather spread out in the form of makeshift wings that caught the air and pulled him back upwards. The dragon followed suit by opening his wings up and leveling back up with his rider; together they glided through the sky with the clouds surrounding them at every turn. The rider pressed a button on his suit that engaged a dorsal fin on the back of his armor, allowing him to further control his flight pattern.

The rider looked back at his dragon, who offered him a curious, playful look and zoomed forward until he was right behind him; the two soon dove for the sea below, parting before they could ram into a breaching wild Scauldron who dove back into the water after a wide leap like a whale.

They approached a large rock sticking out of the water, and at the first sight of it, the rider pressed his fingers against a pad on the palm of his gloves, activating the mechanism inside his coils. The two shot out strong metal cables that hooked onto the stone feet above his current altitude; pressing the coils again caused them reversed the rotation and caused them to retract, but the stuck hooks only engaged the retraction from the opposite end. The rider was instead pulled up towards the hooks, shot forwards by the pull of the cables.

Once at a high enough position, he gave a sharp yank and pulled the hook right out of the rock, bringing out tiny bits of rock as well, pulling the cables back in completely and leaving him to fall squarely into the saddle of the dragon, who had sped into the exact position. He reattached himself into the saddle and pulled the levers back again, shifting the fin and pulling up on the bar, adjusting the dragon's body to rotate on his side and swing up along the surface of the rock, mere inches from it, spiraling upward and landing on its top in perfect condition.

The top of the rock was covered in soft grass with bits of rock sticking out; there were tall pine trees standing right behind them that gave the strong fresh scent of healthy growth. The rider fell from the saddle and tucking his leather wings back into his armor before kneeling down upon the ground. He then triggered a small crank on the side of his prosthetic leg, working the metal cuff and the coil inside that switched the riding hook with another metal foot with cleats attached to the bottom.

He rose back to his feet while his dragon licked his paw and cleaned himself, taking off his helmet and revealing his matured face. He had long, thick auburn hair that extended down to his neck with little two braids and radiant forest green eyes, and a hardened jawline and cheek bones that showed evident signs of adulthood. He shook his head to clear any more stray strands of hair from his face.

This was none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and his dragon, the legendary Night Fury Toothless, the pair that brought peace between man and dragons.

Hiccup took one look at the vast scenery before him: a foggy landscape across the ocean of grassy hills and autumn trees with maple leaves in all hues of red, orange, and yellow, with two large mountains in the distance. He inhaled with a deep breath that filled his strengthened chest.

No longer the scrawny, lightweight, puny excuse for a Viking he used to be, he was still smaller than most, but he still stood taller than some, his voice deepened, and now he was in much better shape. Hiccup was very glad that he lacked the overbearing quantities of bulk, mostly fat, that most other Vikings had. Like Toothless, his body was now lithe and strongly defined with pure muscle tone, biceps and abdominals among other muscles standing out upon an athletic-shaped figure.

His stronger body was a perk, but Hiccup was more than happy, he also maintained his powerful intelligence, which had only grown more so with everything that had happened. Vikings could barely even keep up with him in conversation anymore, especially anyone on Berk, that was for sure. He let out a sigh, releasing the breath he had stored earlier and deflating his chest, calming him and relieving some of the pressure he had inside.

"Ah, where does the time go?"