The smallest hint of sunlight was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Hiccup woke. His eyes burned, there was a painful crick in his back that definitely hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep, and the soreness in his right wrist was back. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing at his eyes and sighing when his back popped and some of the tension was relieved. For a moment, Hiccup was extremely confused. Why was had he fallen asleep slumped over his desk in the back of the forge instead of in his bed back at home? But then he saw the finished tailfin out of the corner of his eye and it all rushed back.

All afternoon and all night, he'd worked on the invention. When he'd finally finished it, he'd been too tired to stumble back to his house, so he'd fallen asleep where he sat. Even with all the aches he was feeling, he couldn't bring himself to regret working long after the sun had set. If he succeeded in helping Toothless fly again, it would all be worth it.

At this hour of the morning, most of the Vikings were still fast asleep in their beds. Hiccup was grateful because he needed to smuggle the tailfin and some fish to the cove for Toothless. If someone saw him, there would be no way for him to explain why he was carrying a Viking-crafted dragon fin and enough fish to feed an entire Viking family. Carefully, to make sure he wasn't seen, Hiccup snuck out of the forge with the tailfin tucked under his arm and his journal tucked into his vest pocket. Before heading directly to the trees at the edge of the village, the young Viking headed to the storehouse to grab a basket of fish. Then he was off to the cove. Brimming with excitement, he was too distracted to notice the pair of eyes following him as he disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

}!{

Toothless was waiting for him again, and again Hiccup was delighted to see him. In fact, the Night Fury could greet him every day and he would never get tired of it. After giving his dark scales a good scratch, Hiccup set the tailfin by the base of a large rock and dumped the basket of fish on the ground. The dragon's large green eyes lit up and his teeth – his teeth? – snapped into place as he gobbled up the meal. Hiccup's smaller green eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Teeth? Toothless had retractable teeth?

Hiccup couldn't help but feel like an idiot. How had he missed that? But then again, Toothless had never shown him his teeth before today, probably because he didn't want to frighten the young Viking. The Night Fury seemed to quite like the name he'd been given though, so Hiccup didn't feel too bad.

Once he finished eating, Toothless turned to him with a very pleased look on his face, the kind that comes with a full stomach, and it made Hiccup smile. Toothless retracted his teeth and tried to mimic his smile with his slimy pink gums.

Hiccup laughed at his attempt, finding it absolutely adorable. "You're amazing, you know that bud?"

The dragon crooned happily at his words of praise before realizing that Hiccup had brought more than just fish with him to the cove. He crept over to the teen and sniffed the mostly-leather contraption tucked under his arm.

Hiccup got a little nervous at the attention his invention was receiving. There was no guarantee the tailfin would succeed in restoring his friend's flight, and Hiccup didn't want him to get his hopes up only to have them come crashing back down literally.

"It-It's a new tailfin to help you fly again..." So nervous about his invention, Hiccup didn't realize how excited the Night Fury had gotten until he received a big slobbery lick to the face.

Laughing at his friend's enthusiasm, Hiccup shook the saliva from his face. "Alright, I know you're excited, but hold on a second. We can't try it out until your tail is better, so how about we take a look?"

Eager to comply, Toothless brought his tail around for the boy to look at. With gentle fingers, Hiccup removed the bandages.

"Wow," he breathed. While the wound wasn't fully healed, it looked much better than it had the previous day. The coloring was a healthy pink rather than an angry red, and it was already beginning to close.

"Dragons heal way faster than humans," Hiccup said, once again amazed by the large flying reptiles. "It's not quite ready yet, but I'm going to leave the bandages off. I think that will help it."

Toothless took that as an opportunity to lick his wound, coating it with generous amount of spit. Now, Hiccup was no expert, but he figured that some fresh air and exposure to medicinal dragon saliva couldn't hurt.

Once the Night Fury finished treating his tail, he turned his attention to Hiccup. His boy had gotten hurt the other day, and Toothless wanted to make sure he was healing well. He gave Hiccup's right wrist a gentle nudge with his nose, and the young Viking seemed to understand what he was asking. He rolled up his sleeve and unwrapped his own bandages to reveal the tender flesh underneath. The bruises, purple and blue just the other day, had faded to yellow-green splotches and the swelling was gone. It was still sore, but that was to be expected after working in the forge for hours the previous day.

Toothless gave him a knowing look, one that said I know you haven't been resting this like you should be, and proceeded to lick his injury like he'd done his own. Once he felt he had cared for Hiccup's wrist enough, the boy carefully wrapped it back up.

"You're too good to me," Hiccup said. "I've never had anyone else look after me the way you do, not even my dad. It's… nice." To show the Night Fury his appreciation, he gave Toothless a good scratch under his chin.

"You like that, huh bud?" The dragon leaned into his touch and Hiccup scratched a little to the left –

And Toothless suddenly lay on the ground at his feet, unconscious.

Hiccup dropped to his knees beside him, checking to make sure his friend was okay. It only took him a moment to realize that Toothless was fine, just deeply asleep. The Viking stared at his hands with wide eyes. Had he just brought down a Night Fury on his own, with nothing more than his two hands?

He was fascinated. Of course, he'd never use this knowledge to harm Toothless, but it was still interesting. These creatures that possessed so much strength and fire power could simply be brought down with a well-placed scratch to the chin. He could only imagine how shocked his father would be if he knew such information.

With the sun rising higher in the sky, he didn't have long before he had to return to the village for dragon training. He didn't want to just disappear on Toothless though. What if he woke up to find Hiccup gone and panicked? No, it would be better if he stayed in the cove for a bit longer.

He sat next to Toothless and leaned up against his smooth scales. There was a nice breeze blowing through the cove, rustling his hair. Birds sang as they fluttered overhead. With such a nice day, Hiccup found himself close to falling asleep too. Just as he was about to nod off, Toothless started to stir.

"There you are bud. I was starting to get a little worried."

Toothless blinked at him lazily and then crooned at the sight of his friend.

Hiccup laughed. "I was waiting for you to wake up before I left for training. I didn't want to worry you. But I have to go now, I don't want Gobber to come looking for me if I'm late."

After giving Toothless a quick hug, the young Viking took off.

}!{

Hiccup actually wasn't the last one to training, which surprised him. The twins had gotten distracted in town by a couple of birds and lost track of time, which didn't surprise him. But they were all here now, awaiting an explanation from Gobber on why the arena looked like a maze.

The blacksmith cleared his throat and gestured at the wooden walls with his hook. "The arena is set up today to begin your training against Deadly Nadders. I want everyone to wander into the maze. Once you're all out of sight, I'll release the beast."

"That's it?" Snotlout questioned. "You're just going to let that thing into the arena without giving us any tips? We're all going to die!"

Gobber rolled his eyes. "I will be keeping an eye on everything from above the arena and offering advice is you train. Now get in there you lot, we don't have all day!"

The teens grumbled, but took their places in the maze. Hiccup was feeling pretty nervous. How was he expected to survive down here with both the trapped dragon and the other teens? To be completely honest, he'd rather deal with the dragon. Metal gears began grinding as the Nadder's door was opened and a screech sounded as it burst free. Another screech followed in quick succession, though this one was decidedly more human. It seemed the Deadly Nadder had found Fishlegs. Hiccup took off running in the opposite direction. The Terrible Terror from the previous day hadn't bothered him, but it was small. The Nadder would be taller than Toothless and have way more sharp appendages. He was going to err on the side of caution and run away.

Three turns later, he ran smack into Astrid. "Sorry!" He apologized.

Astrid just sighed. "Be careful and be quiet. We don't want the Nadder finding us."

Hiccup nodded in agreement just as Gobber's voice rang out above the arena. "The Deadly Nadder is a dragon species known for its speed and agility. If you run into it, don't bother running away. Your best chance in find its blind spot and hide in it."

From the other side of the arena, Hiccup could hear the twins bickering. Then there was a blast of fire and a frustrated yell.

"I guess it found Ruff and Tuff." Astrid said, and then she disappeared around a corner. Hiccup thought about following her, thinking that maybe they could evade the Nadder together, but quickly decided against it. She wouldn't want to work with him. He turned in the opposite direction than she had gone and rounded a corner of his own. And it was just his luck that he came face to face with the dragon.

The Nadder was easily taller than Toothless when the Night Fury stood normally. It was a beautiful dragon though. Sky blue scales with yellow accents covered its body. A crown of spikes fanned out from the back of its head. Its large yellow eyes were trained directly on Hiccup. With the dragon watching his every move, he was careful with his movements. Spooking this dragon was the last thing he wanted to do.

From up above, Gobber noticed Hiccup's predicament. "Don't move Hiccup! Hide in the blind spot!" The blacksmith took off from his viewpoint and ran for the gate to the arena.

Hiccup's eyes never left the dragon in front of him. He'd managed to befriend a Night Fury and a Terrible Terror, so why not try with a Deadly Nadder? It seemed like his best chance at survival.

"Well aren't you a beautiful girl?" He asked her. It was quiet enough that the other teens wouldn't hear him, but he knew the dragon would be able to pick up on it with her heightened sense of hearing.

The dragon perked up at his words. He wasn't sure she understood what he was saying, but she seemed to appreciate the calming tone of his voice. Very slowly, Hiccup reached his hand out. He didn't step any closer though, and instead let the dragon to decide if he was safe to approach. The Nadder stretched her neck, bringing her beak-shaped snout near his hand. After sniffing audibly, the look in her yellow eyes softened and her spikes were lowered. She stepped closer to the young Viking, sniffing his tunic and vest, and she seemed to like what she smelled. The Nadder nuzzled against his arm, butting him with her head.

Hiccup laughed softly and rubbed some of the scales on her face. She crooned with pleasure. A frown crossed his face, however, when he realized Gobber was storming down here to his rescue. If Gobber found the Nadder this close to him, the experienced warrior wouldn't hesitate to dispatch the dragon if he thought his apprentice was in danger.

He needed to make them realize the dragon wasn't a threat to him, but he didn't want to hurt her or her feelings. Thinking on his feet, he switched from gently rubbing her scales to giving them a good scratch. His fingers traveled down over her cheek and to the underside jaw. It took a moment of searching before…. there! He found the pressure point! He thanked the Gods it was in the same place Toothless' had been. Seconds after the Nadder hit the ground, Gobber came careening around the corner. When his eyes landed on the downed dragon they promptly doubled in size. His jaw dropped.

"Hiccup?" He asked, dumbfounded. The other teens were right behind him with similar expressions of shock on their faces. It seemed they were at a loss for words. But before they managed to come to their wits and string together a coherent sentence, Hiccup fled.

The first place he thought to go was the Great Hall. There, he would be able to get some food and have some time to sort through his thoughts. He ran through town and didn't slow until he reached the steps of the Great Hall. But once he was sitting with his meal, things didn't get any better. Though nobody noticed he was present, they seemed to have caught wind of the incident with the Terrible Terror from the previous day. He's not quite sure who told everyone, but they must have done a poor job. Bits of conversation drifted over to him, things like "tried to eat him" and "wrestled it to the ground with his bare hands."

Though not all of it was negative – in fact, most of it seemed to be rather positive – Hiccup found himself growing uncomfortable with all the talk. Previously, he'd always been ignored or criticized, treated like an inconvenience by many of the villagers. But now it was a different story. Many were praising his supposed actions with the Terror, discussing the act of heroism they deemed so unlike him. Had it been just several days ago, Hiccup would have been ecstatic. He'd dreamed of a moment like this his entire life, one where the other Vikings realized there was hope for him yet and praised him. But a lot had changed in several days. He'd met Toothless, and being praised because they thought he'd beaten a dragon during training left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't want to hurt dragons, and he'd didn't like other people thinking he had, even if it made them like him.

After only eating a small portion of his meal, Hiccup decided he could stand the gossip any longer. Abandoning his plate on the table, he headed to the forest. He wasn't sure where else to go. He could head to the forge and see if Gobber needed any help, but if the blacksmith questioned him about the Nadder incident, Hiccup wouldn't know what to say. Besides, he was dying to see Toothless and try out his tailfin anyway.

The forest was peaceful. Trees provided gentle shade. Birds sang from their places among the leaves. Even the squirrels were all out and about today. The old Hiccup would have taken time to enjoy this peace he could only find outside the village. The new Hiccup, however, just wanted to see Toothless. Trading his leisurely pace for a steady jog, Hiccup set his sights on the cove.

Once he arrived, he was pleased to note the tailfin was in the same place he'd left it that morning. He wanted to test it as soon as possible so he could think about any changes it might need for improvement. Before testing the fin though, he wanted to greet his friend.

Toothless was laying by the pond, sunning himself on the warm dirt. A giggle slipped past Hiccup's lips as he thought Toothless acts just like a giant housecat. The noise caught the Night Fury's attention and before Hiccup could blink he was being tackled by a large black blur.

"Hey Toothless," he greeted. "I'm happy to see you too, bud."

But Toothless didn't exactly look happy to see him. He didn't look unhappy, exactly, but he seemed more… focused, than usual.

"Is something wrong?" Hiccup asked him.

The Night fury responded by pressing his nose against the Viking's fur vest and inhaling deeply. He let slip a discontented grumble before proceeding to rub his head all over Hiccup's clothes. The small Viking wasn't sure what his dragon friend was trying to accomplish, but it sure did tickle.

"Toothless!" He gasped as he fought back a laugh. "Wh-what are you doing?"

The dragon ignored him, choosing to keep going. Before long, Hiccup was bursting with laughter, tears of mirth leaking from the corners of his eyes. He weakly pushed at the Night Fury's head, but it was no use. Toothless was way stronger than him and equally as stubborn. He wasn't going to stop until he decided to.

Once he'd managed to rub his snout over nearly every bit of his vest, Toothless sat back on his haunches, content.

More than a little out of breath, Hiccup sat up slowly and wiped the leftover tears from his eyes. "All done then?"

Toothless leaned forwards and gave him another sniff before nodding in satisfaction.

"I don't understand. Did I smell bad or something?" He paused to think back on his day. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred that he could remember, especially nothing that would make him stink. Unless…

"The Nadder!" He exclaimed, the realization suddenly dawning on him. "I was petting the Deadly Nadder at training today and her head rubbed against my vest! But then… why did you not want me smelling like another dragon?"

Toothless grumbled, which Hiccup roughly interpreted it as 'my human,' before coming to curl around him.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Possessive much?" But he gave his friend a good scratch anyway.

As he ran his fingers over the pitch scales, things slowly began falling into place. At training, the Nadder had sniffed him before approaching him. And the Terrible Terror had sniffed him a lot too, and it seemed to make him happy. It had been Toothless, or more specifically his scent, that had allowed the dragons to see he wasn't a threat. Smelling another dragon on him made them realize he was a friend and could be trusted.

"Thanks bud," Hiccup whispered, thinking of the rapidly fading bruises on his arm and of Toothless taking the time to scent his clothing. The Night Fury had been taking care of him since they'd met, and now he wanted to fulfill the promise he'd made and gave back.

"What do you say we try out that tailfin?" He asked.

Toothless hopped to his feet immediately.

"Woah, slow down there bud, I want to take another look at your wound first."

The Night Fury huffed, pouting that he had to wait, but brought his tail to Hiccup's lap without hesitation. It had only been a few hours since he'd last looked at it, but it had improved a lot. The injury looked healed enough to withstand the test flight, especially since they wouldn't be leaving the cove. And besides, the leather Hiccup had used was soft and supple, it wouldn't irritate it too much.

"Alright then, Id' say we give it a shot!" Hiccup stood and approached the bundle of leather. Toothless was right at his heels, eager to get back in the air.

It took a while to get it buckled on properly, since Toothless was wriggling while ill-contained excitement, but once it was on it seemed to fit nicely. The size of the artificial fin matched the real one, and the spines collapsed and expanded properly. It looked good, but looking like it was going to work didn't mean it would. All they could do now was test it.

"Okay Toothless," Hiccup said. "We're going to take it nice and slow. How about you fly out over the water, then turn and come back to me?"

Toothless nodded, before turning to face the pond. His gaze grew sharp and he shifted his weight. Everything about him practically screamed determination. After taking a deep breath, he launched himself into the air. The takeoff wasn't bad. The artificial tailfin folded back against the tail just like the real one. Leveling out was the problem. As Toothless spread his wings to settle into an even glide, his real tailfin did the same. The artificial fin didn't have the same capabilities, though. Without all the muscles and membranes, it would never open like that by itself. The lack of support from the Viking-made fin caused Toothless to fall out of the air and crash into the water below. With a pitiful warble and a sad look in his eyes, the Night Fury swam to the edge of the pond and pulled himself back onto dry land.

"Sorry about that bud, but don't let it get you down. That was only our first test flight. Besides, I think I've figured out the problem. Now I can get started on some designs to correct it. I just have one question." Hiccup grinned mischievously, "How would you feel about a saddle?"