.... Hiccup's POV....
I laughed to myself in my flight back to the den. I never thought my favorite girl would call me toothless... But that would have to do for now until she got more comfortable with me. I pumped my wings and flew up into the stars, ending in a steep spiral dive of joy. I let out a roar of joy and shot a small plasma blast into my flight path, I was filled with joy from the time I got to spend with Astrid. Human interaction was so special to me now... I couldn't remember the last time I had felt the touch of a kind human hand. I knew it would be tough to focus tomorrow... Already I was dying to see Astrid again tomorrow evening.
....
The queen wants to see you. A voice growled behind me. I jumped and turned to face the monstrous nightmares behind me. I'd heard them rustling near us, not realizing their inentions. This was the queen's guard. They waited at the entrance of the queen's volcanoe, doing her bidding. The guard switched off at night, so that the queen always had 24 hour servitude. I gulped and flew after them. We soon reached the darkened cave entrance, where I felt the queen's presence rolling over me in waves of fear. This was how she kept her place as queen. Any dragon who stood in her presence seemed physically unable to resist her commands, and as far as I could tell it was a kind of fear response the queen elicited in the dragons in her vicinity.
Their nervous systems and muscles seemed to shut down and function only minimally as she commanded. Some dragons were more affected than others, and I had discovered over the years that while I grew weaker and shook in her presence, I could still maintain control of myself and fly away if I needed to. No one knew how big she actually was, just that great sorrow resulted from not bringing in enough kill or not doing her bidding.
I trembled at the entrance, waiting for her to speak. The night fury fears me. Good. Your pod is of particular interest to me... The biggest kills come consistently from you. I trust you will accomplish my design. The filthy humans have sat on that island long enough. I will have it for my new nest. Bring every last human there to me as kill. We will take what is ours The queen rumbled. I gasped and shook, not knowing what to say.
Th-the humans are well prepared to destroy any dragon who attacks- subduing them will take time. We will lose many podmates I said, my voice shaking. That is no concern of mine. I expect to feast on the humans there in 6 moons time. Do not disappoint me The queen hissed. I stumbled back, shaking my head. I will not put the dragons here in that kind of danger. Eat me and leave the humans be. Another nest must be found I growled. The guards shot me withering glares. I knew I had just put many dragons in danger by refusing the queen's order, but it was the only choice I was willing to make. I leapt into the air and flew high.
The failing of my muscles and the shaking in my body made me crooked and slow in my flight path as I defied her command to enter her den. I let out my ring blasts to alert my pod to flee- it was the distress signal we came up with long ago. I soon saw them rising fast into the sky, dragonets in tow, so I circled back around as they escaped. The rumbling roar of the angered queen sent chills through my bones.
I saw other dragons quickly rising and flying as far from the nest as they could, then looked down to see the entire nest shaking as if the queen was about to bust out of her volcanoe. I saw dragons falling from the sky, pulled down by the queen's commands. I knew some of them would die, but others would live to attack Berk and decimate it. Either the Vikings would prevail and my den would be wiped out, or the dragons would destroy every living soul on Berk. I blinked back tears fast, my heart thundering from the exertion it took to defy the queen. Both my worlds were about to be destroyed, and I felt totally helpless to stop it.
I forced myself to circle one more time, witnessing from high above several pods worth of dragons being eaten as they tried to escape with their malfunctioning wings. I pumped my wings and rose higher, then flew as fast as I could to escape the scene of death my refusal had caused. I wouldn't have a place there after this... I would soon be podless.
Evening was coming soon. My sore muscles ached for rest as I hauled the last net of fish with my pod back to our temporary hiding place. You're off today. First you struggle in morning hunt, then you refuse the queen's order to wipe out some filthy humans who couldn't care less if our race lives or dies. What's up? Windshear asked. I... met a dragoness. But she's not from our den. And I don't want to bring her to our den... She has human friends on Berk. They saved her life and she owes them a debt. I promised I would help her protect them. I answered.
Hmm. I wouldn't want my mate here either. Go to her this evening after we decide what to do. I don't know if you will be able to stay with us or not. I just don't know. I can watch Hookfang's dragonets when Spike Tail returns. There is no telling what he or the others will do. I for one want you to stay. My mate would be with me now if the nest I came from hadn't obeyed their queen. She gave a similar order, my mate refused because it would put to many of our dragons in danger, but he had to go because our queen took his sister hostage and threatened to kill her if kill was not brought back. My mate and I were one of the few dragons spared alive, caught and shipped off to other humans. Windshear said. Thank you. I... Don't think any of our pod would have made it if we tried to destroy Berk. We lose to many attacking that place just to get the sheep and yaks. I told her, as my stomach churned with guilt. Of all my podmates I would have trusted her with my secret... I had a feeling she kept some of her own. But I couldn't risk them knowing I was human and dragon. Windshear nodded her head in acknowledgement and leapt from the cliff of our large sea stack. She was headed to get more food for the dragonets, and put her voice in on my fate which was currently being discussed by the rest of the pod.
I heard faint growing and roars as the pod talked about what to do with me, I tried to block it out and play tug a war with Red Wing, Hookfang's first hatched daughter. We wrestled with her fish for a few minutes longer before I heard the angry stomping of Spike Tail outside our shelter. I quickly jumped to my feet and scurried to the entrance, squeezing past Spike Tail's withering glare. So. You put all of us in mortal danger for some dragoness. You are to focused on your own needs and not enough on the pod's. We took you in, despite the queen's ultimatum. She said we had to kill you if you ever got out of line. Why shouldn't we? Give me one good reason. Spiketail hissed. I gulped and surveyed my surroundings. We were in a cave I couldn't blast out of, and it was clear that I would be killed if I couldn't convince Spike Tail that I should live. My other podmates stood at the entrance, spikes up and scales flaming.
Stormfly wouldn't look at me, her head was low. She had probably lost family back at the den... All of my podmates could have. Windshear was the only other dragon who would look at me, great concern in her eyes. I wouldn't follow and order to send our whole nest and myself to our deaths. That's all that would have happened if we tried to attack Berk. Sheep and yaks we can carry of easy enough. But humans? They have weapons that will destroy us all. Revolting against to he queen gives us a better chance at survival than attacking Berk. I told him.
Spike Tail roared and lunged at me, clearly not convinced by my reason. I ducked as Windshear's tail whipped around to smack Spike Tail back, nearly off the cliff. Enough. I went through this at my old nest. My nest did follow through with the queen's orders, and nearly all of them died. Not one of us made it back. I don't know what the queen did when no one returned, but I do know we would be wise to listen to Toothless. Stop your anger. You are directing it at the wrong dragon. We have a chance to stay here safely and rescue those family members that we can from the queen. Toothless will be our greatest asset in this, and our greatest protection in a much smaller group. If we can get and stay far enough from the queen we will have our own nest free from such cruel oppression, Windshear growled.
Spike tail hissed in annoyance and lashed his tail, thinking carefully about Windshear's words. He looked sideways to his mate, she was shaking her wings in a sort of rhythm at him, and I guessed she was sending him a signal. Fine. I have heard this same reasoning from all of the pod members. They do agree that taking on Berk would destroy our only real chance at survival. The queen may come out from hiding and kill everyone at anytime. We just can't keep living like this. We will stay here until further options are discovered, Spike tail said. I sighed in relief, grateful for the pod members who thought through killing me more than Spike tail had. I didn't know how much more of Spike Tail's eager efforts to throw me out of the pod I could take. He thought he had a good reason this time, but I knew better. Dragons couldn't keep living under the queen. Our numbers were dwindling to fast to sustain, mostly from the lives lost raiding other islands with humans on them. Windshear came to watch the dragonets with Hook fang, and I left with the rest of the pod to survey better nesting sites and catch some extra prey.