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To Prove Them Wrong—

Chapter Eight – A Battle on Wings

Summary: "How far are you willing to go to prove them wrong?" "As far as the Gods will let me." AU with twelve-year-old Hiccup the Useless, who is determined to prove the people of Berk wrong. Even if it means disappearing for six years and returning as a whole new person.

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Hiccup stared down at the lifeless warrior, who had stilled completely. Not a single twitch or sound came from the boy, and Hiccup refused to acknowledge why. Slayjin was not dead. He was too strong for that… right?

"He's—" Hiccup choked on his own words. Tears fell shamelessly from his contrasted green eyes as he stared down at the limp body of Slayjin.

Behind him, Hiccup could hear the screams and roars of battle. The Red Death was, no doubt, still causing chaos. The Guardians were losing by a milestone.

"Hiccup," Vali murmured from beside him. "Hiccup, Slayjin is—"

"Don't say it," Hiccup whispered. He shut his eyes for a moment, faintly taking notice of Toothless warbling sadly. He let out a shaky breath, fingers digging into the gravel beneath him. Slayjin was dead. DEAD. After all the training he had endured, and all the potential he possessed, he was dead. Gone.

A new level of rage suddenly enveloped Hiccup. One of his best friends—DEAD. Because of that beast behind him, still mercilessly attacking the soldiers and dragons. The boy felt his body tremble with a new emotion. It wasn't fear, concern, or anxiety anymore. It was just anger.

"Hic—"

The boy suddenly stood, purposely avoiding everyone else's gaze, and approached Toothless. The Night Fury rumbled worriedly, causing the Novice to sigh sorrowfully. Hiccup quickly climbed onto the dragon's shoulders, slipping his foot into the pedal.

"Hiccup, wait—!"

He ignored Sola and Vali's desperate cries, and instead shot off the ground with Toothless. The pair surged up into the air with a new frenzy of determination. The twelve-year-old inhaled shakily, tightening his grip on Toothless' saddle. The dragon narrowed his eyes at the Red Death, feeling just as much emotion as his rider.

"C'mon, bud," Hiccup whispered, bending down to reach his dragon's head. He patted the Night Fury's broad head encouragingly. "Let's finish what we started."

With a single shift of the boy's foot, they were soaring across the sky. They flew with grace, moving as a single being. Their movements were linked together, affecting the other equally. A single twitch of either of them caused the other to follow the movement.

Rider and dragon shot through the distance between them and the Red Death. Hiccup narrowed his eyes in anticipation as he felt the familiar rumble below him. Toothless was charging up a plasma blast. And within seconds, the Night Fury had released the ball of energy and fired directly at the Red Death's face.

The ginormous beast roared in anger and pain. All six of its eyes tried following the pair, but simply got a headache. It snarled loudly, stumbling back to its feet. It was then the bystanders took notice of two protruding body parts placed on the creature's sides. Wings.

The Red Death bared its teeth in rage, abruptly lifting its breathtakingly large wings to full expansion. They easily stretched across the majority of the island's width, leaving just a few meters of spare space. Men and women gasped in surprise at the new revelation of the monster's wings.

"Alright, time to see if this guy can fly," Hiccup called to his companion. His best friend growled in agreement, and began diving back down towards the monumental dragon. It curled its lip back, revealing a mouth full of canine teeth.

Another boom and a roar rang out as Toothless released his fury on the Red Death. The titanwing began lifting its wings higher and higher, then snapping them back to the ground. Slowly but surely, the colossal reptile began rising into the air.

The Red Death was sluggish in its flying, making it obvious it hadn't flown in a while. Hiccup and Toothless silently agreed to use this fact to their advantage. Hiccup continued switching positions of the tailfin as they maneuvered between rocky spires. The dragon rider acknowledged his companion's exhaustion, and rubbed his head reassuringly.

Pillars of rock were destroyed as the thick reptilian armor bumped and crashed against sea stack after sea stack. Below them, giant groups of an audience had formed. Had Hiccup been paying more attention, he would have noticed Vali and Sola cheering him on, while sporting worried expressions.

"Okay, Toothless. Time to disappear!" the Novice exclaimed. A snort responded to him as they rose higher into the atmosphere.

The team and their pursuer flew higher and higher into the clouds, vanishing from their audience's sight. When Hiccup and Toothless reached the dark clouds, they quickly ducked away from the path of the Red Death.

By the time the monstrous beast had entered the gloomy clouds, Hiccup and Toothless had disappeared from sight. It growled lowly, snapping its head in every direction.

An abrupt whistle came from the far left, but the Red Death had no time to make a move. A black blur pelted through the eerie atmosphere, firing at the titanwing in all directions. Their target was the same every time, though. The wings.

Eventually the Red Death's temper got the best of it. It roared, producing a frightening sound. The next time it opened its mouth, it was to unleash a blazing inferno of fire. It breathed its fire in all directions, swerving left and right in desperation to find its attacker.

"Watch out!" Hiccup cried as an orange cloud of flames enveloped Toothless' tail. The fireproof scales protected the dragon himself, but the same could not be said about the prosthetic.

Flames engulfed the leathery tailfin replacement, forming tears in the fabric. Hiccup gulped, glancing back to see the Red Death still searching for them.

"Okay, time to see if this works," the Novice grumbled to himself. The duo made a drastic turn, swiftly approaching the Red Death. "C'mon, is that the best you got?" Hiccup bellowed, hoping to provoke the beast more. Toothless gave a snarl and roar to back up Hiccup's taunt.

The substantial monster widened its six eyes, finally gaining sight of the Night Fury and his rider. An intimidating growl rumbled in the back of its throat while it snapped its tremendous jaws towards the pair. Toothless tilted to the right, narrowly avoiding the opponent's grasp.

When Hiccup leaned forward, his best friend got the message. The Night Fury began leaning down, folding his wings to his sides. The two began diving at a surprising speed, with the Red Death gaining on them.

"We're almost there, bud. Don't worry," Hiccup encouraged his mount. The dragon had begun pumping his wings harshly to gain more speed, desperate to get more distance on the beast behind them.

"This is for Slayjin," Hiccup whispered. He then glanced back, forming another idea. "Hold, Toothless." The Night Fury obeyed, despite his confusion. What was his rider planning?

"NOW!" His rider jerked on the left side of the saddle, and Toothless got the message. He quickly turned to face the Red Death, already charging up a plasma blast. With as much power as he could muster, the ebony dragon opened his mouth and shot his blast of energy into their enemy's gaping jaws.

The ground was growing closer and closer to them. Hiccup and Toothless quickly took notice of this, and came to a stop. Smoke trailed behind the remains of the prosthetic as the Night Fury flapped his wings open and narrowly avoided the titanwing's grasp. The Red Death could not save itself, despite its humongous wings. Holes had formed, no doubt from Toothless' firepower.

One last roar escaped the Red Death as it plummeted to its doom. Its fate was sealed as it crashed into the ground, fire already exploding from the collision. Meanwhile, Hiccup and Toothless began navigating their way through the spikes of the Red Death's spine and tail.

They were almost there when Toothless began having trouble controlling his flight. Hiccup gasped, looking over his shoulder to see the prosthetic disintegrating. Eventually the remains simply slipped off, vanishing into the sea of fire below them.

"No," Hiccup gasped. He glanced back in front to come face-to-face with a very scary view. "No!"

The giant clubbed tail of the Red Death struck Hiccup and Toothless, launching Hiccup off the saddle. The boy cried out at the impact, and began losing consciousness. The fiery inferno below him was shooting up, preparing to engulf his entire body.

Toothless howled in a state of shock and concern as his best friend began falling to his doom. Without a single millisecond of hesitation, the dragon made a U-turn.

Toothless flew faster than he ever had in his life as he dove after his rider, reaching towards the boy in a desperate act to save his life. His claws just barely snagged onto his clothes before the fire suddenly shot higher, swallowing the rider and dragon whole.

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Ashes rained from the sky after the hazardous explosion. The warriors had never been so relieved. The Red Death was dead, thanks to a twelve-year-old Novice and his Night Fury. A single boy and his dragon had managed to take down a dragon the size of a mountain.

A familiar face navigated through the crowd, looking around desperately. His eyes glistened with tears, but he refused to let them fall. He needed proof that Hiccup was alive first.

"Hiccup!" Vali called, head snapping around in all directions. "HICCUP!"

Beside him, Sola began searching as well. The majority of the crowd just stood in place and bowed their heads, doubting that their best pair of warriors had survived the explosion. The dragons seemed to comprehend what was happening, and lowered their heads sadly.

Vali froze when he spotted a familiar black silhouette on the ashy ground. He gasped quietly, sprinting towards the Night Fury, despite his exhaustion.

"Toothless…," he whispered, trailing off expectantly. The dragon didn't open his eyes. "Hiccup…."

Vali's eyes wandered along the ebony dragon's form. His saddle was battered and torn, despite the excellent craftsmanship. Toothless' prosthetic was completely gone, and the connecting rod and rope was destroyed.

The Night Fury gave a pained rumble, shifting to his side. Vali and Sola collapsed to their knees beside each other. Sola shielded her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. Vali stared wide eyed at the dragon, knowing that if he blinked, his tears would fall. And he had to be strong—for Hiccup, and for all the other soldiers.

"I'm sorry," Vali whispered. "I'm so sorry I let you sacrifice yourself, Hiccup."

Although the Commander was relieved Toothless was alive, he could not say the same about Hiccup's demise. The poor twelve-year-old had lived such a short life, and an even shorter life of happiness. The boy didn't even get his surprise….

A curious warble exited Toothless as he slowly opened his eyes. Vivid emerald orbs met Vali's as they stared silently. Vali finally blinked, letting the built up tears stream down his face.

"I'm sorry, Toothless. I'm so sorry, Hiccup," Vali croaked through the lump in his throat.

Toothless' emerald eyes widened just slightly in comprehension. The Night Fury made a small crooning noise, just barely audible to Sola and Vali.

The Night Fury soundlessly glanced down to a spot hidden beneath his curled wings. He slowly began unfolding his wings, revealing a figure that could not ever be replaced—

"Hiccup!" Vali exclaimed. Sola gasped, removing her hands from her face. She held her breath in anticipation, praying to Odin that Hiccup was alive.

Vali grasped onto the bruised boy, placing his head against his chest. All was silent for a moment. Not even Sola's irregular breathing could be heard anymore. Everyone went rigid, waiting and hoping relentlessly….

"H-he's alive!" Vali choked out. "You saved him, Toothless."

Sola could not contain herself as she began weeping tears of joy and relief. Her face was graced with a broad grin as she stared down at Hiccup's face, which had just a couple small wounds.

"Thank you," Vali whispered genuinely as he rested a hand on Toothless' cheek. "Thank you so much." The dragon just rumbled in response.

"But… Vali—" Sola cut herself off with a choking noise as she stared down at Hiccup's left leg.

Oh.

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When Hiccup opened his eyes after a week of being unconscious, it was to the sound of pawsteps and the crooning noise. He blinked slowly, vision blurred for a moment. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed the familiar dragon perched right beside his bed. He chuckled quietly at his companion's excited face.

"Hey, Toothless," Hiccup murmured softly. He wasn't lying when he said it kind of hurt to talk. Not to mention his body ached all over, and one of his legs sort of… tingled and stung.

Toothless snorted at the boy, ruffling his rider's auburn hair with his warm breaths. The Novice smiled lightly, reaching up both hands to pet his dragon.

"Happy to see you too, bud. How—OWHHHH!" Hiccup cried out as Toothless accidentally stepped hard on his stomach. "Uh… I'm… in my dorm," the boy observed, forgetting about the new pain. "How…?"

Toothless warbled excitedly, hopping around the room. He leapt from beside Hiccup's bed to the windowsill, and then to his roommates' empty beds. The Novice winced when a snapping noise sounded, and he noticed one of his roommates, Kane, just had his bed broken in half.

"Okay—okay! Toothless!" Hiccup huffed as the Night Fury hopped around energetically. "What are you—?" He paused.

The boy blinked silently, feeling that one leg seemed… stranger than the other. It was the one that ached and stung a bit.

With a split second of hesitation, he pulled the covers off of himself. He couldn't even release a gasp.

His left shin was… gone. In its place was a neatly crafted prosthetic, which looked rather intimidating to Hiccup. The metal had an inscription on the wooden half, which was the Guardian Army's insignia. It was a cadet's insignia…. It was a feathery wing.

But Hiccup was just a Novice. Surely he wasn't supposed to have a wing inscription?

The other ranks of the army were different. The Novice had just one feather inscription, and Cadet ranks had one wing, and soldiers had two wings. Lieutenants had two wings and a sword pointing vertically in between. The Commander had all of those insignias, but with a small crown symbol above the rest.

Hiccup inhaled shakily. Toothless plopped down from one of the pillars, resting beside his rider. He crooned quietly, eyes wide and concerned. He leaned down, sniffing at the prosthetic. When he lifted his head to Hiccup's he saw the boy looking emotionless. Toothless once felt the same, and he knew Hiccup was in shock. It would wear off soon, though…

"Guess I should get up now," Hiccup chuckled weakly.

He turned to the edge of the bed, carefully placing his intact foot on the floor first. Then he stood on his new prosthetic, wincing in pain. He took a deep breath, then tried stepping forward.

Hiccup cried out as he prepared to hit the ground, only to have Toothless catch him. "Thanks, Toothless," he murmured.

The twelve-year-old leaned against the dragon for support as they ambled towards the door. After realizing how many stairs they'd have to use, Hiccup simply sat upon Toothless' shoulders and let the Night Fury carry him.

Toothless padded out of the dormitory building, to the outside where the sun beamed down at them. There were soldiers all around like every other day, but some had their dragons with them. Hiccup couldn't help a small smile at the sight.

"It's Hiccup!" someone exclaimed. The voice was followed by others shouting and calling to him and others.

People crowded around Hiccup, but he didn't feel suffocated. He felt… loved. Needed. Important.

Sola and Vali appeared from the crowd, the warriors parting to make room for the pair.

"'Bout time you woke up," was Sola's greeting. "Sleep well?"

Hiccup grinned. "Yes. It's kinda exhausting taking down a mountain-sized dragon," he replied teasingly. The bystanders chuckled.

"Good to see you up, Cadet Hiccup," Vali murmured with a smile.

The boy's eyes went wide. "C-Cadet Hiccup?" he repeated in bewilderment.

"Yes," Vali confirmed. "That insignia on your new leg isn't just for decoration, ya know."

Hiccup's grin widened. "I'm a Cadet now?"

"Of course!" Olvir laughed, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. He looked surprisingly well for someone who lost an apprentice. "You united us with dragons and took down one the size of a mountain. I think that adds up to at least a Cadet rank."

"Awesome," Hiccup breathed.

Vali chuckled. "You're one step closer to becoming a Warrior."

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A/N: I know it's been a loooong time but here's Chapter 8! :D

Also, quick question: I'm not really liking how I put review responses in chapters, so does anyone have any better ideas? Do you guys care if I respond, should I PM, or…? I feel like such a newb for asking hah oh well.

Thanks!

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