𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter seven; hiccup
❝ forbidden friendship! ❞
DON'T ask Hiccup how he felt about what Astrid had said to him because he doesn't know what to tell you. He was a chaotic mix of feelings. Right now, he was shifting between━wow, she actually talked to me and gods, what she said really hurt my feelings. But he did go over them; again and again━figure out which side you're on━as if there were sides. (Were there? Was it dragon against Viking? Killed or be killed?). Hiccup has recently been questioning all of that since the most dangerous dragon of all decided to leave him and Yrsa alive. A dragon where the only words spoke on its page in the Dragon Manual was: hide and pray it does not find you.
So, the answer was: Hiccup didn't know how he felt, because he didn't really know what it all meant. For his entire life, he had been told dragons were blood-thirsty beasts that wouldn't waste a second before burning him alive. He had been scared of them, and his father always promised a world without war. Hiccup had been so sure he had wanted to kill them. But what if everything they knew was wrong? What if Bork the Bold got it all wrong? And if he did, what then? What did that mean?
He wondered whether this trip was sure to answer those questions. With a salmon in his hand and a shield in his other, he made his way back through the woods of Raven Point towards the cove he had found. Sure, Hiccup had always been different; simoultaneously being shadowed in his family, and yet also standing out like a sore thumb. But he never thought he'd be this different to let one dragon chance his entire mindset about all of them.
He trudged through the dense forest, so lost in his thoughts he almost didn't see her.
But in the green of the forest, Yrsa Olofsdotter was easily sighted.
He could see her dark hair from miles away if he wanted to.
He had made it back to where they had originally found the dragon and saw her crouched by the claws and scuff marks. Sudden fear hit him━what if she was back to kill it? What was Hiccup supposed to do? He couldn't let that happen. But some part of him knew otherwise. She was without her axe, which was strange. Usually it was always strapped behind her back or in her hand, but this afternoon, it wasn't.
Hiccup found the courage to say something, "Yrsa?"
She jumped and looked up. Seeing him, she froze. Her gaze flickered to the fish and shield he held and arched a brow. Here it comes ... he thought to himself. The entire village is going to know my secret and I'll be banished. They'll probably celebrate.
But he forced himself to swallow those thoughts down and ask, "What━what are you doing here?"
Yrsa frowned back at him, immediately putting up a defence. She perked her nose up snobbily. "What are you doing here?"
"I━uh━I━" Hiccup winced at how he flustered up, finding it hard to come up with an explanation on his toes. Especially with the way she watched him, like her eyes could sear right into his head and pick out what he was thinking. It was really intimidating. "Nothing ... just ... out for an afternoon stroll ... basking in the sunlight."
She didn't believe him. "With a shield and a fish?"
Hiccup chuckled nervously, holding up the fish. "Heh━can get hungry, you know? That's me! Hungry!"
He winced again.
Yrsa pursed her lips. For a second, the snobbish look on her face disappeared. She couldn't meet his eyes. Hiccup's own widened, surprised to see━was that a blush on Yrsa Olofdotter's cheeks? "I came searching for the Night Fury," she mumbled, suddenly very unsure of herself. "Not to kill it ... just ... I don't know. I guess I want answers."
Still a little taken aback by her change in composure, Hiccup stammered, "F━For what?"
"For why it didn't kill us..." she sounded ashamed, and still wouldn't meet his gaze. Hiccup didn't know what to do, or what to say. He was so used to Yrsa being this untouchable, horrifying figure that might lock his jaw if he ever spoke a word to her. He never even liked being around her: she was mean and cold.
But right now? She wasn't mean or cold. She was a little like himself━confused in her own thoughts, wondering what was real and what wasn't. Alone. Different. An outsider.
So, he took a deep breath and announced, "I'm looking for the Night Fury, too. But━I know where it is."
Yrsa's soft expression fell away, hardening to a scowl in her question. "What? You do? Where?"
He gave her a cautious smile, "Follow me..."
𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
HE always believed there was a fine line between stupidity and bravery. Hiccup wasn't sure where he stood on that line, having just asked Yrsa to follow him to the cave where a dangerous Night Fury resided with just a shield and a fish in his hand. But what he was sure of, was that Yrsa might just be as afraid as he was, shuffling closer and closer through the boulders. He never thought she could be scared of anything, and yet here they were. It made her more human to Hiccup, that was for sure.
Hiccup could feel Yrsa's breath down his neck. She clung onto the back of his fleece jacket, peering over his shoulder with wide eyes as they shuffled in close. He tensed up, not sure how to deal with this side of Yrsa. He always thought she'd rather be eaten by a dragon then willingly cling onto him for a feeling of security. It made his heart flutter, and he frowned━
His thoughts were cut of by the feel of his shield hitting the sides of the opening. With a racing heart, he and Yrsa peered into the cove, searching for the Night Fury amongst the afternoon sun. He couldn't see the dragon anywhere. With an awkward glance back at Yrsa, who's breath was hitched in anticipation, he held up the slimy salmon. With a quick motion, he chucked the fish over the brim of his shield, and it landed a few feet away on the grass.
They waited there for a few moments for the Night Fury to come, but he didn't. Yrsa shuffled in closer behind Hiccup, and his heart beat grew even faster. "Do you see it?" she whispered anxiously.
"No, I don't see him," he replied back in the same tone, "do you?"
"Why do you think I was asking you?"
Her reply was harsh, and there was a flicker of amusement in Hiccup's chest. There she is, he mused before his fear came back in waves. He looked back out, tilting his head either side before sighing. He went to move until thud, his shield got stuck between the boulders. Hiccup scowled at it. He shoved it. It didn't budge. He ducked under, ignoring Yrsa's sounds of disapproval and tugged at it from the other side to no avail. "Oh, great," he grumbled. "Just great."
Reaching down, he picked up his fish and looked back over at Yrsa, nodding for her to join him. She gaped, "What? No."
Hiccup frowned at her, "Didn't you want to see the dragon?"
"Yes! Of course," her voice was a harsh whisper, and her nostrils flared in her annoyance. Hiccup wondered how she could look so regal with her shabby-cut bangs. "From a distance! I would like to live until supper, thank you!"
"I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
"I'm not. I'm being cautious. You, on the other hand, Haddock, are being idiotic."
Hiccup couldn't help it; his lips quirked upwards. His response to her snarky comments made Yrsa worse. She gritted her teeth, having a mental battle with her pride. "If he wanted to kill us," said Hiccup, "we'd already be dead."
She scowled, hating how he was right. With a short grumble, Yrsa ducked under the shield after him. When she stood back up, she propped her chin back up and gave a huff, "So?" she said, but at the flickering of her eyes, Hiccup knew she was searching for the dragon with the same nerves as before.
The fish slipped in Hiccup's grip, and he fixed it up, holding it tight with his fingers under the gills. With a deep, brave breath, he led the two of them along the dirt shore of the pond, trying to focus on his curiosity rather than his nerves. He held out a cautious hand to Yrsa, not sure whether the Night Fury would remember her or not, or suddenly decide to attack━it's not like their last encounters have been anything but pleasant.
Neither noticed the Night Fury watching them from above a set of boulders, crouching like a cat observing a meal. When Hiccup heard the scrape of his claws on the stone, he and Yrsa spun around, their gasps getting stuck in the back of their throats.
The dragon jumped down, landing on the grass with slight thumps. He sniffed at the air, eyeing the fish in Hiccup's hands with a hungry man. Yrsa stiffened, glancing at Hiccup to ask, what now?
Hiccup answered by holding out the fish. Hiccup kept his face as far away from his hand as possible. If the dragon bit off his hand, he wasn't going to let him bite off his face, that was for sure.
The Night Fury tilted his head, ears quivering. His back hunching up, he prowled towards them cautiously━there was a guttural purr in the back of his throat as he reached his neck out before his eyes caught a glint in Hiccup's tunic belt, and he jumped back with a growl.
Yrsa immediately went to the defence but Hiccup immediately stopped her, "No! No! It's okay━he just sees my dagger. It's fine!"
Hiccup hesitantly pulled away the flap of his fleece, and Yrsa stepped back, eyeing the dragon warily. His fingers grazed the hilt of his dagger, and the dragon snarled.
He took a step back, breathing heavily. Yrsa clenched her hands to keep herself still. Deciding to just get it over and done with, Hiccup picked up his dagger in his fingertips. Holding it out at arms length, he dropped it to the ground. Quickly, he hooked it up onto his boot and tossed it as far as he could into the water.
As soon as the blade sunk down, the Night Fury's aggression switched━he sat down on his hind legs, and held up his head with bright, wide eyes and quivering ears. Hiccup felt Yrsa relax, letting out a small breath of surprise.
Hiccup held out the salmon again. The Night Fury purred and shuffled in closer, reaching towards the fish with an open mouth. Hiccup frowned, his hold of the fish falling when he saw gums and no teeth.
"Huh," he let out, musing. "Toothless. I could have sworn you had━"
Snap! Out of the dragon's gums, teeth appeared and snatched the fish from his hands. Yrsa yelped and brought her hands to her chest, shuffling back. The Night Fury threw his head back and swallowed the salmon whole, licking at his gums with a fat fork tongue.
Hiccup blinked, barely taking notice of Yrsa clutching his vest again with a fierce grip, "━Teeth ..."
The dragon tilted his head yet again at them, and with a purr, approached the them with an eager sniff. Yrsa gasped and tugged Hiccup back with her, the two teens scrambling away as far as they could until they could no longer. Backed up━on their backsides━against the boulders, Hiccup stammered, "━Uh━uh━" Hiccup held his arm out before Yrsa, trying to keep her safe. He didn't even think about it, "━no, no, no━" the Night Fury was so close, he leaned over the two kids, and Hiccup could see every detail in his scales and eyes, "━I━I don't have anymore!"
Then, the dragon's eyes rolled back, and he began to gag.
A frown etched on their faces, watching the Night Fury throw his head back yet again━until he threw up half a salmon onto Hiccup's lap. Yrsa's face contorted.
He sat back on his hind legs and watched them. It took the two of them a moment to realise he wanted them to eat the other half of the fish. Hiccup gaped up at the Night Fury, incredulous. He glanced at Yrsa beside him, and knew that she might murder him for all of this once they were done.
The dragon's gaze flickered down to the fish in Hiccup's hands and back up to their faces, egging them on to eat it. "Oh, gods..." Yrsa mumbled.
Hiccup held up the fish to his mouth. Doing his best not to gag at the smell, or the feel of it slipping in his fingers coated in dragon slobber, he took a lasting bite into the flesh. He passed it over to Yrsa, feeling his whole body want to shiver in disgust. She picked at the slimy scales, turning it over to its other side before sinking her teeth in, ripping off a good size chunk.
"Mmmm!" she nodded, trying their best to make it seem like they enjoyed it and weren't dying from disgust on the inside. The Night Fury made a low, interested growl at the noise they made.
Yrsa passed the fish back to Hiccup, immediately wiping off the slime onto the grass. Hiccup held out the fish, forcing a smile on his face. The dragon didn't take it. He swallowed━gulping, and the Vikings' shoulders slumped. Is he serious━?
Hiccup closed his eyes and swallowed. He nearly wretched the thing up, but kept it down and shuddered. Beside him, Yrsa had tears in her eyes from the reflex. The Night Fury licked his lips, as if asking them how it tasted, and so, Hiccup gave him a week, toothy smile.
The dragon frowned at him, and then━well, he did the last thing Hiccup could ever expect. His gums twitched, lifted ... and the dragon seemed to smile. His breath was taken away. This dangerous creature━the offspring of lightning and death itself━was smiling at them ... intelligent, beautiful ... not at all like what they said.
He wasn't thinking as he held out his hand to touch the Night Fury. Yrsa tried to stop him, but he ignored her. For a second, Hiccup thought the Night Fury would let him, until his eyes narrowed back into slits, and he dashed away. Standing up, Hiccup watched him land across the pond, burning the grass around him to ash before setting down for a nap, sighing contently amongst the warmth.
Hiccup glanced at Yrsa, and a grin tugged at his lips again. She was still in a state of shock, watching the dragon with her hands to her chest. She didn't look like she wanted to move from her spot, but Hiccup did. He followed after the dragon. He sat there, by his sleeping figure. He didn't even notice him, his chest rising and falling under his wings until he heard the chirp of a mother bird up above, and saw the teen in the corner of his eyes. He looked over, and his ears fell back, annoyed. With a huff, he ignored Hiccup and lied back down, swiping his tail around and covering his face with the remaining flap of his fin.
Hiccup's curiosity got the better of him, and he shuffled forward. He reached out his fingers for the dragon's tail━he just wanted to feel it. It seemed so rough and yet so smooth at the same time━
He heard him, and the tail fin folded back down. Immediately, Hiccup was on his feet, spinning back around and hurrying away. The Night Fury growled, as if rolling his eyes, and hobbled around to find another sleeping spot (far from the annoying humans).
Hiccup heard a chuckle, and looked over. His eyes widened to see Yrsa laugh, hiding her smile in her hands at his actions. As soon as she noticed he had heard her, she stopped, clearing her throat.
He walked back to her and awkwardly sat down in front of her on the grass. She didn't look at him, and instead watched the Night Fury nestle himself like a bat hanging from the trees with his tail swung over. Hiccup found himself watching her instead.
It was strange. He never knew she could laugh. He always thought it was something━much like many other things━that Yrsa couldn't do. Like smile, or show affection, or just be a nice person. But those thoughts started to change the day he saw her give mercy to a beast she had been so ready to kill.
They didn't speak too much, a few mutters here and there. But in the time they let the dragon sleep, Hiccup could see her shoulders start to relax, and her hands settle themselves in her lap. She was opening up to him, slowly━very slowly. Not in her words, but in the way she might manage a small smile at something he said about his dad, or lean back against the rock and let her posture fall just a little bit.
She was a good listener. Hiccup could tell━with a strange sense of delight━that she hung onto every single word he said, even if she tried not to show it. She stole glances at him, and he could see a glint in her eyes━a kindness.
Dusk slowly began to fall, and Hiccup started to notice other things, too. He noticed the dark freckles beside her left eye. He noticed the slight upturn of her nose. He saw the way the setting sun set a golden, bronze glow over her cheeks, or how her black hair━even if it was tied up, and off her face, and messy, seemed rich like prized wool.
And he realised that Yrsa was not kind━not really━, and she was far from easy, but there was also something about her that told him: she was already a warrior, and if she could be leader of something, he'd see that, too.
It made him━out of the blue━say, "I don't think you're crazy."
He blushed, realising how weird it must sound. She was halfway through musing about how strong the Night Fury must be to hang from it's tail before cutting short, arching a brow at his outburst. Then, she blushed, too, and her cheeks flushed a glorious deep red.
"I don't think you're useless," she answered back simply. "Never did."
It was the most honest response he had gotten out of her all evening, and it made him smile.
They didn't speak much after that, not they spoke much beforehand. Instead, it was a comfortable silence as Hiccup drew in the dirt. Yrsa watched him by his side, eyes following the stick that dragged through the soil. He sketched the basis of the Night Fury's head and ears. He didn't hear the Night Fury wake and walk over until he felt his hot breath hovering over his shoulder. Hiccup and Yrsa froze, breaths hitching in the back of their throats. The Night Fury peered down, letting out a low, and gentle pur that warmed the shivers down Hiccup's spine.
He gulped, but continued to draw, trying to stay as calm as he could with the creature right behind them. The dragon watched him sketch out the eyes and the ears, moaning in curiosity before his own eyes piqued with an idea. He stood up on his hind legs and hobbled towards the trees. Yrsa frowned, watching him with a gap of disbelief that Hiccup matched, seeing the dragon pull a branch right from the nearest tree with his teeth. It broke off with a snap, and he dragged it back over to them, leaves and all. With a happy snarl, the Night Fury danced around the teens sitting by the rock, drawing lines and circles in the dirt.
Hiccup was breathless in his awe, eyes following the creature━such a fearsome creature, they said━draw out a map of lines; a whole artwork just because Hiccup had drawn him. He moved with ease on his back two legs, spinning and hopping over his lines (and whacking the branch across Hiccup and Yrsa's heads in passing) until he stepped back, dropping the tree branch to admire his work. He gave a proud huff.
It was such a human thing for him to do. It made Hiccup let out a breathless smile. He stood up, peering around at the lines scattered across, unable to control his awe. The Night Fury had copied him. What reason? Was it to find similarity? Was it a thank you for drawing him? Did this creature want to join in with Hiccup, want to copy him because he was just as enamoured and curious of Hiccup as he was of him?
Yrsa held a similar look of shock on her face. She glanced up at Hiccup, looking for an aswer he didn't have. He could only just scoff in awe.
He tried to step out of the cocoon of lines to get a better look. But as his foot stepped on one of the markings, the Night Fury growled. Hiccup jumped, moving his foot immediately, and he stopped.
Hiccup frowned, curious. Carefully, he touched his toes back on the line. The dragon snarled. He moved his foot away, and the dragon purred, ears quivering.
So, he stepped over the line, smiling at the Night Fury. He stepped over the next, and the next━careful not to ruin the artwork, Hiccup danced his way out of the maze of scribbles and dashes. He did not look where he was going, only where his feet went, treading lightly into the spaces and over the lines. It was a courtesy, to not destroy this artwork the Night Fury had made for them. Hiccup didn't want to destroy it. How could he? He was far too immersed to even think; far too amazed. This creature was intelligent, and he was curious, and he was playful. He wasn't a killer, he wasn't a monster. He wasn't this mystery on a blank page supposed to be feared by every Viking of Berk who had common sense. Maybe Hiccup didn't have common sense, but he had a gut━and it told him that it was all wrong. That maybe, just maybe, this creature was kind, and sweet, and just trying to survive like the rest of them; like him.
In under seconds, Hiccup stopped and hunched up. He felt the hot breath on his neck, parting his hair━the Night Fury was right behind him.
Hiccup glanced up, and couldn't believe that he could be struck with even more awe. The Night Fury gazed back at him, gentle and with that breath of intelligence and curiosity that matched Hiccup's own. Perhaps he was crazy, and he was different, but that let him see something far beyond anything any other Viking has had the chance to until now. Before he could stop himself, his palm itched out to the dragon's snout, and he snarled softly. He stopped, waiting for the Night Fury to understand that no, they wouldn't hurt him either.
Hiccup took a deep breath. Putting all of his trust in the dragon, he closed his eyes and looked away, extending his palm outstretched as far as he could dare go. He held his breath, not sure what he'd do. Maybe he'd bite his hand off, burn his arm away ... but then, there was a gentle pur ... and Hiccup felt the scales of the Night Fury's snout settle in his palm.
He flinched in surprise. Glancing up, his eyes widened, and Hiccup felt his heart in his throat. But it wasn't out of fear━no, instead, he felt as though he witnessed the very answer he was craving: what it all meant.
He realised it meant this.
And the truth was: this dragon did change everything.
𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
an: i have no self control, but that's okay ahaha.
what are some things y'all want to see in the movies for this book??