Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 25 - A Year In The Life Pt 1

When I looked back to where Hiccup had just been a couple minutes earlier, both he and Toothless were nowhere to be seen. I sighed tiredly, heading into the tunnel. They were probably already in the cavern.

As expected, I found the two of them in the main room. Hiccup was kneeling next to his wooden chest, placing his weapons inside carefully. Toothless was licking the boy's face, cleaning off the dried blood while simultaneously healing the injury. The fact that he was still calm proved that the wound wasn't nearly as bad as it looked—probably barely more than a deep scratch.

When Hiccup pulled out the last weapon to put away—the bloody dagger he'd buried in that one hunter's thigh—he simply stared down at it, biting his lip pensively. Toothless, content that he'd done his job, leaned back and cocked his head in curiosity as he followed Hiccup's gaze.

I set my staff down on the table, then shuffled over to them. As tired as I was, this was a conversation I'd been dying to have all night. Hiccup didn't react as I sat down beside him, crossing my legs to get comfortable. I waited, trying to decide what exactly I wanted to ask, but Hiccup spoke up first, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

"I hate them...the humans," he began, and I pursed my lips together, willing to listen to anything he had to say. A small part of my brain noted with surprise that he was speaking aloud. It was nice to hear his physical voice again. "I've always hated them, you know?" He shrugged, his eyebrows furrowing as he twirled the dagger slowly between his fingers. "They kill dragons...so many dragons..." I resisted the urge to comfort him, not wanting him to shut down. Even Toothless remained perfectly still, though I could tell he was confused about the entire situation.

"I could've killed that hunter, Mom," Hiccup continued, his tone almost pleading as he finally glanced up at me. "I could've ended him right there, and he would never be able to hurt another dragon!" His gaze grew distant as he recalled the event. "I was so close...but when he looked at me, I didn't see a hunter, or a trapper, or the face of evil...I just saw someone who was afraid..." He trailed off, looking back to the dagger. "And I thought...how could I become the very thing I hate—a killer—and not wake up tomorrow hating myself, too?" Hiccup shook his head defeatedly. Toothless instinctively leaned in to nuzzle his cheek, providing some sort of reassurance.

"I don't want to hate anyone anymore," he confessed after a few moments of silence. My eyes widened at the statement, but I quickly schooled my expression before he noticed. "I want to save them," he declared. "All of them—dragons, humans...all of them." My heart fluttered with pride. How had I raised a kid so selfless? So compassionate? I'd always known he was special, but he still managed to exceed all expectations.

I gently placed a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you. Always," I promised.

He sent me a small smile in return and seemed to perk up a little, straightening his shoulders. "Yeah. Thanks, Mom," he murmured.

MONTH 2

TOOTHLESS' POV

*Now, bud!* Hiccup shouted, and I instantly responded to the command, releasing a powerful plasma blast directed towards the ship. It hit what the humans call the "mast," causing the wood to splinter under the force and break in half. An irritating creaking rang through the air as I pulled up out of the blast zone, and the mast tilted over, pulling a bunch of ropes and cloth—sails, I think—with it. The humans on the ship shouted and scurried for safety, too busy avoiding getting crushed to try and stop Valka as she and Cloudjumper released the Spike-tails onboard.

I circled above, eyeing the humans just in case one dared to grab a weapon and attempt anything stupid. My rider was laughing with delight, already sure of the mission's success. He'd been itching to see what I could do to a hunter ship for a while now. The destruction was obviously even better than he'd anticipated. I was happy to contribute any way I could to his joy.