The 'Dragon Master'

Howl In The Night

"Do you know how to train one of those?" Hiccup asks me. "It'll be a first for me," I admit. "But I don't see why not." I know how to tame a Woolly Howl already, thanks to Valka's help. First I need to get it out of that pit.

I click my tongue a few times, catching its attention. Once it's looking at me it comes cautiously closer. I slowly move my hand down to its level and the little dragon sniffs it curiously. After a while it licks my hand and I smile beneath my mask.

I shift slightly so I can pick it up, which it allows me to do. Woolly Howls all look like they're covered in thick fur, but the only time they're furry is when they're hatchlings. In time their fur sheds and reveals scales not unlike their fur.

But since this is only a hatchling it's the fluffiest dragon I've ever encountered. I pull it from it's hole and hold it close to my chest for a moment, running my hand through its soft fur, before placing it down and resting two fingers on its tiny muzzle. It makes a purring noise and nuzzles into me affectionately.

"It was easier to tame than I expected." I mutter. "Well that's good," Hiccup smiles at the hatchling. "It's not," I reply. "I'm glad you found it instead of a predator. It's very trusting of others, it would've ran straight for it."

Hiccup nodded in realisation. "Well at least it's safe now."

He reached his hand out to pet the Woolly Howl, but it growled at him and spat out a plume of smoke. I suppose it hasn't got its fire yet, it must've only hatched a day or two ago. "I tried to help it when I found it, but it just kept doing that. I thought that since it's trained enough it would let me go near it. I guess not."

"Sometimes dragons just don't get along with someone, even if there isn't a real reason why," I explain. "Humans do it as well, so we'd be hypocrites to judge."

"Huh, I never thought of that," Hiccup mused. I lift the Woolly Howl up slightly. "She's a girl," I reveal. "She seems to be in pretty good condition, too. Have you seen any other dragons near her?"

"Whenever I saw her she was on her own," Hiccup shakes his head. "She must be pretty independent." I only nod at his analysis and pull some dragon nip from my pocket for the little dragon. She's immediately captivated by it, trying to grab it in her jaws.

"I think I'll take care of you," I say to the little dragon. She just nibbles at the dragon nip blades I offered her, purring contentedly as I stroke her.

"Didn't you say this was your first time training a Woolly Howl?" Hiccup asks. "It's not my first time around one, but this is the first time I tamed one," I reply, nodding. "That's incredible, you already know exactly what to do," He says in disbelief.

"All you have to do is understand the dragon and how it interacts with others," I explain. "It would've been the same with Toothless."

"Was it the same with Harmony?" He asks, catching me off guard. I pause, then realise how he'd know her name. I sigh. "Death Songs... they're simple to figure out, though you have to examine the specific one you're trying to tame quite closely. Only those who are observant and patient enough can tame a Death Song."

Hiccup nods, taking it all in. "My friends and I trained a Death Song before," he says. "We tried singing to him to train him. It didn't exactly work out too good." He chuckles at the last part.

"Well you were on the right track," I say. "Death Songs enjoy being sung to, but the way to tame them is much more specific."

I notice him wait for me to continue, but I don't elaborate. "It's more rewarding to figure it out for yourself," I let out a concealed smirk. I have to admit, I'm enjoying being around Hiccup again. It's nice to have a little human contact from time to time, even though I have Valka as an ally and a friend.

She's great and has helped me a lot, but she's at least twenty - maybe even thirty - years older than me. It's good to be around a human that's my age, though Valka is a little like a mother figure to me now.

Hiccup only nods at me and looks to the hatchling in my arms. "What are you going to call her?" He asks. I think for a moment, stroking her soft fur and wishing it would never shed. "Valkyrie," I answer, confident in my choice.

"Valkyrie as in the female warriors?" He asks. I nod. "It suits her," he says. "She's definitely a little fighter."

We sit there for a moment in comfortable silence. Toothless moves his wings around us in a sort of hugging gesture. I use one hand to squeeze the closest wing tightly and he makes a sort of purring sound.

Hiccup tries copying me, but Toothless growls at him, though there's amusement in his eyes. "Why do dragons hate me?" Hiccup grumbled, causing Toothless and I to laugh.

"Hiccup?" A familiar voice calls out, shutting me up instantly. Automatically I use my body to shield Valkyrie, who's fallen asleep in my arms, a blade of dragon nip hanging out of her mouth. Toothless seems to notice that I'm preparing to hide us both because he shields me from view as well. I pet him, silently thanking him.

"In here, Astrid!" Hiccup calls out. I manage to look around Toothless's wings in time to see the blonde girl flying in on her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly. The moment they land Astrid dismounts. She starts walking over to Hiccup before she pauses and looks in my direction. "What's Toothless doing?" She asks.

"Artemis, Astrid isn't going to hurt you or anything," Hiccup says. "Artemis?" Astrid sounds confused. I forgot she won't know me.

"Toothless, move out the way," Hiccup scolds lightly. The Night Fury looks to me and I nod, showing him it's alright. Toothless licks my face once before obeying and I see Astrid looking surprised, especially when she sees Valkyrie in my arms.