Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 21 - Confidant

As Toothless landed in front of us and Cami scrambled to her feet, I turned to the little dragon in distress. *He's a friend. You're safe.* I assured her, relieved when she seemed to calm down a bit. I didn't want her dying of a heart attack before we reached the nest.

"Hiccup!" Camicazi hissed in panic, staring at Toothless as he extended forward to sniff her. His actions were merely curious, but I quickly stepped in front of him, pushing his nose away. He lowered his head obediently and sat back on his haunches, letting her have some space.

"She's not comfortable around dragons, bud. Go slow," I advised gently. His ear twitched in acknowledgement. Camicazi's gaze was flitting between us in shock. I was slightly concerned at the lack of color in her cheeks.

"Hiccup," she choked out. "What...is going...on?" She demanded in a raspy voice, still struggling to bring in proper amounts of air.

I fiddled with the edge of my tunic, rocking back and forth on my heels. "Um...this is Toothless. He's a Night Fury," I smiled nervously, using the human term for his species to avoid further confusion.

"He's a dragon!" She blurted out, gesturing towards him as if I wasn't aware of the fact.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Well, yes...Night Furies are a type of dragon—"

"Hiccup!" She interrupted, grabbing her head with both hands in exasperation. I pressed my lips together, feeling extremely awkward. "Why is there a Night Fury here?! Why is it named Toothless?! And why are you so calm about this?!" She rambled, starting to pace subconsciously. At least she wasn't running away.

"Well, technically, he's supposed to be on the other side of the island with my mom," I mumbled, casting an irritable glance towards my dragon. He rolled his eyes with an expression that screamed 'Whatever, human, I do what I want.' I held back a sigh. "As to your other questions, he's named Toothless because of his retractable teeth, and I'm calm because he's my best friend and I have no reason to fear him," I explained. Might as well be honest now. The truth is out.

"Best friend?" Cami's face scrunched up, then just as quickly smoothed out with a sudden realization. "So this is it, then? The big secret you've been hiding!" She exclaimed, appearing almost triumphant.

"You can see why I was reluctant to tell a stranger," I remarked dryly, crossing my arms.

She laughed without humor, waving me off. "Oh no, pal. We're hardly strangers anymore. Not after this!" She argued, pointing at Toothless. She cocked her head to the side in thought. "In fact, I'd call myself your confidant," she added smugly.

I scowled. "That's a big word for a viking," I drawled, if only to get under her skin. It had the opposite effect, though. She grinned, then shrugged with playful nonchalance.

"The Bog-Burglar Tribe is more well-read than most," she replied. The relaxed air soon turned tense again as she glanced over Toothless once more. He'd been waiting in patient silence so far, trusting me to take the lead. That didn't make his powerful presence any less frightening to her, though. "Hiccup, who are you?" She asked quietly, running a hand through her wild blonde hair. "First the Terrible Terror, now this?" She pointed out. "What are you, some kind of keeper of dragons?" She mused, shaking her head at the idea.

I grimaced. "No...but I do live on an island with them," I admitted.

Camicazi raised both eyebrows. "What, like, with them?" She reiterated.

"Like...raised in a nest of dragons," I elaborated shyly, inching closer to Toothless. He read my discomfort easily and hopped up, padding over to nuzzle my cheek. Cami took a step back as soon as he moved, reaching for a sword that wasn't there. Toothless purred, the vibrations of it relaxing my muscles and sending a wave of tranquility through me.