AN- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! Well, this is my first HTTYD fic!! I just saw the movie recently and I've become absolutely smitten with it. :3 It's such a cute and emotionally touching movie. Well, the last scene of the movie stuck in my mind, and it's driven me to write this. This fic is basically the scene after the Red Death goes down, written from Toothless's POV and will feature a flashback entirely of my own making. If I get around to it, I might add a second chapter that will be from Hiccup's POV, but as of now it's just a one-shot from our favorite Night Fury's POV. ;P Well, without further delay, here's "Capacity for Sacrifice"!! ;D

Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own How to Train Your Dragon in any way. I do, however, own this fic, the plot, storyline, and the flashback that is entirely of my own design.

.:Capacity for Sacrifice:.

To most, an animal's capacity for sacrifice is a measure of intelligence; their willingness to risk themselves to aid another, a hallmark of high-order intelligence and complex emotions. During the battle with the Red Death, Toothless showed a capacity for sacrifice that left all the residents of Berk stunned, and made them all realize just how strong the bond could be between human and dragon, two species that should have been mortal enemies…

Toothless roared out in fear, feeling the artificial tailfin fall apart from the flames, causing both him and his Viking rider to plummet from the sky like a bird struck by a hunter's arrow. The Night Fury's panic only intensified when he felt his young companion's weight vanish from the saddle as he lost his grip and slipped off. Without a thought the mighty black dragon whipped around to the best of his ability, though the lack of his artificial fin made it nearly impossible to steer. His pale green eyes widened, seeing his young charge falling towards the flames of the Red Death's final breath.

Struggling to gain speed, the crippled Night Fury tried again and again to grasp the descending human, but he was just out of reach. Closer and closer, the flames were rising as they fell towards them, as if the gates of Hell had opened beneath them, waiting. Toothless cried out to Hiccup, both in fear and frustration, for the young human was so close yet just out of his grasp. The heat was mounting as they fell, and he sensed immediately when his human friend lost consciousness from the sheer heat and lack of air from the roaring flames. The moment Toothless sensed that, the mighty Night Fury loosed a powerful roar, folding both pairs of wings against his body, diving towards Hiccup as fast as he could in his exhausted state.

Reaching out desperately with his arms, Toothless's claws were finally able to grasp Hiccup's fur vest, pulling the boy's limp body close to his own. He wrapped his powerful forelegs protectively around the young human's form, pressing him gently against his scaled chest to shield him from the fierce heat and flames. The raging fire was so close now Toothless could feel the first flames licking at his scaled hide, and he reacted to the danger instinctively. His arched his body, laying his head on Hiccup's chest, his shoulders taking the brunt of the flames and heat. His delicate wings folded tight around his body, covering his head and Hiccup's body, preventing the flames from reaching him. In his panic and fear, however, the Night Fury failed to notice that Hiccup's left leg wasn't covered in the wing membranes and was exposed to the fire.

Not a moment later, Toothless plunged into the heart of the fire. The heat was stifling, nearly causing the black dragon to pass out. Flames lashed at his scaled hide and delicate wings, making him whimper in pain. He clutched Hiccup tighter, as if to reassure the human that everything would be alright, even though he was unconscious. Toothless squeezed his eyes shut, the roaring of the flames loud in his ears, reminding him of the bellows of the great dragon that breathed them.

As they descended, Toothless felt the overwhelming fear of death seize him, making him whine. He didn't want to die, not so soon, not this way. He wanted to spend his life with Hiccup, and not have it cut short by one of his own kind. The further and faster that he fell, he couldn't help but reflect on his short time with Hiccup. As the memories flooded him, one in particular caught in his mind. It was of the first night Hiccup had spent out in the canyon with him, soon after he had mended his tail. It was one of the first times the Night Fury had allowed the human close without threatening him, and the night when their bond became impossible for the dragon to ignore…

A cold wind blew down the small canyon, making the young human's fire flicker erratically. Toothless, as the human had since named him, watched the Viking closely, making sure he wouldn't pull anything and try to hurt him. He was perched atop a grouping of rocks, curled around himself to keep warm. His shimmering green eyes drifted to the tip of his tail, which was lying before him due to his contorted position. The leather replacement fin the human had attached to it earlier in the day was ungainly and unwieldy compared to his remaining fin, but it did its function well.

Idly scratching at his somewhat floppy ear with his left front claws, Toothless looked back over at the young Viking, Hiccup. He was sitting by the fire, trying to stay warm since the temperature was dropping quickly as the sun descended behind the canyon walls and darkness set in. Not that Toothless minded the darkness; he was called a Night Fury for a reason, after all.

The sun's light eventually disappeared completely, and the only illumination came from the Viking's fire. Although the sky was clear and the winds were calm, Toothless's sensitive hearing picked up on the sound of a storm not too far off shore. He reacted by getting to his feet, leaping over to the nearby dead tree and hanging upside-down from the thickest branch with his rear claws like an overgrown bat. His delicate wings were tucked tight around his body, forming a cloak of black membrane and skin around his scaly form.

Peering out from his soft, velvety cocoon, Toothless spotted Hiccup looking at him in confused fascination. It was as if he'd never seen a Night Fury sleep before. He grunted at the Viking curiously, before withdrawing his head back within the tangle of wings and resting it against his chest. He was warm and protected from any weather like this, as long as the rain didn't fall too hard. He normally slept like this, preferring it to sleeping on the cold ground or the hard floor of a cave.

As the Night Fury had suspected, not too long after he moved to the tree did the storm strike. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder shook the ground, rain coming down in torrents and wind whipping through the canyon. He was unbothered by it, but Hiccup was. The cold rain and wind extinguished his fire, and soaked the human to the bone. He tried to climb out of the canyon to return home, but the rain made the rocks too slippery to climb.

Toothless popped his head out of his so-far-waterproof cocoon, watching the human idly as he tried to 'escape' back to the village. He yawned slightly, his teeth sheathed and hidden in his gums, making him appear feeble and weak, though that couldn't be farther from the truth. As the minutes dragged on and Hiccup still found no success, Toothless grew a bit annoyed with the human. He made a hooting, almost grunting noise, catching Hiccup's attention, before gesturing up to his wings with his head and eyes. Hiccup clearly didn't understand what he was getting at, since he merely looked at him, but when Toothless made a slightly agitated growl did he walk over to the Night Fury.

As soon as Hiccup was within his range did Toothless 'strike', shooting his wings forward and using them to shove Hiccup towards him. Hiccup, whom hadn't expected such an action in the slightest, yelped, and did so again when Toothless closed his jaws on the human's shoulder and lifted him slightly. The Night Fury's forelegs reached out and grasped him, moving him around a bit until he was upside-down as well. His long tail wrapped around the boy's lower legs and ankles, holding him securely in place so he wouldn't fall and hurt himself. Satisfied, Toothless pulled Hiccup against his scaly underbelly and refolded his wings around both himself and the slightly squirming human, keeping out the rain and wind.

Hiccup didn't seem very appreciative, squirming around and trying to push the Night Fury's forelegs off from around his torso. The Viking was acting like he was suddenly going to either chomp down on him or swallow him whole. The very notion made the Night Fury roll his seemingly glowing eyes. Humans… they were such panicky creatures… he was only trying to keep him warm and dry, not eat him.

Toothless eventually got fed up with the boy's struggles and growled at him slightly, making him stop. Despite the fact that he hadn't made any moves to hurt him, the human still seemed scared, and that annoyed the Night Fury. Tightening he grip on the young Viking slightly, Toothless arched his head near the human's, snorting in slight annoyance at him before licking at his hair. Hiccup must have taken his action the wrong way, because the next moment he shrieked and began struggling desperately. The Viking must have thought that he had been attempting to swallow him.

The Night Fury sighed loudly and purred at Hiccup, which finally got him to stop struggling so much. Toothless was relieved by that, since the human would elbow his stomach whenever he thrashed around too much. Outside his velvety cocoon, the Night Fury's heightened hearing picked up on the sounds of the storm, which told him it was worsening. The rain beating against the delicate membrane of his bat-like wings became louder and harder, and eventually he felt a few drops leak through the gaps in his membrane 'umbrella'. He sighed loudly again; around this time would be when he abandoned his roost to find a more waterproof shelter. The Night Fury knew there was a small crevice not too far from the dead tree that would be just big enough to squeeze him in, but he also knew it wouldn't be large enough for both him and the young human.

Toothless sighed once again, knowing he'd have to tough it out and stay put, not wanting to get the boy sick by making him stay out in the cold, rain and wind all night just so that he could get a comfortable night's rest. A slight shift from Hiccup made the Night Fury focus on him again, grunting at him curiously. Hiccup tilted his head back so that they could look each other in the eyes before speaking.

"Uhh… Toothless…?" the human said, smiling a tad nervously, "… you gonna let me down? All the blood's rushing to my head…" he added. Toothless rolled his eyes and grunted back at him, as if telling him to 'deal with it and not be such a baby'. Hiccup sighed loudly, able to understand what the black dragon was trying to get across. "… alright… I guess I'll hang around tonight…" he joked slightly. Toothless was unimpressed, looking at the human blankly. "… yeah… I didn't think that was funny either…" he sighed.

Toothless sighed quietly before lowering his head back against the top of his chest, closing his eyes. Hiccup's arms were hanging down near the dragon's head, not pinned to the dragon like the rest of his body. The human shifted a bit and leaned his head back so he could see Toothless's head better, before he pushed his hand under the Night Fury's head, scratching his chin. Toothless couldn't help but purr loudly, literally melting under the human's touch. He loved getting scratched, and under his chin was one of his favorite places to be rubbed.

When Hiccup finished scratching and withdrew his hand, Toothless opened his eyes back up. He leaned up to the boy's level slightly and opened his maw, licking the human's face and head with his thick, slightly-forked tongue. Hiccup smiled and reached around blindly with his hand, due to the Night Fury's slimy tongue covering his eyes, until he found Toothless's head and scratched. The dragon let out a contented purr, closing his eyes and laying his ears back happily. He could get used to this, even if it involved sacrificing most of a good night's rest to keep the human warm and dry.

To return the favor, Toothless tilted his head slightly and licked at Hiccup's left arm and hand, them being closest. It must have tickled, for the boy started laughing and squirming a bit in his grasp. The Night Fury smirked somewhat evilly, continuing to 'torture' his 'captive' for the next half hour until he let the young Viking try and get some rest. Hiccup did eventually fall asleep in his grasp, despite his somewhat precarious position, and Toothless kept an eye on him all night.

Toothless told himself that once the storm cleared he'd put the human somewhere dry to sleep and then curl up in the small crevice to get his wings out of the wind and rain, but when the opportunity finally presented itself and the storm stopped, he decided to sacrifice a good night's rest so the human could have one instead. After all, one night of semi-uncomfortable sleep wouldn't kill him.

With that thought in mind, the mighty Night Fury closed his large eyes, tenderly clutching the fragile human closer to his body to keep him warm, before he dozed off as well…

Toothless was shaken from his memory when the heat suddenly died; the pair having fallen through the plume of flame, and were now in open air. The Night Fury's relief was indescribable, but it was cut short as he withdrew his head from the protective sheath of his wings to see the rocky shore rushing up to meet them. He roared in fear, wings flying out, trying to slow down before they crashed into the ground.

His large wings unfurled the moment they caught the air, jerking the dragon's body so violently that his wing-joints were nearly wrenched out, and his grip on Hiccup nearly came loose. But it wasn't enough. He was falling too fast, and he was starting to tumble due to his crippled tail. The Night Fury was stricken with panic once again, realizing he was going to crash into the ground. He twisted his body and swung his tail desperately, trying in vain to reduce his speed before he hit the ground with fatal force.

Seconds before he crashed into the stony ground, Toothless violently flipped his body, clutching Hiccup as tight as he could and folded his wings, lying his head on the young human and squeezing his eyes shut, hoping beyond hope that at least Hiccup's life would be spared. He knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if the human died and he did not. In a last act to protect the young boy, Toothless rolled so that his shoulder was to the ground, knowing it'd protect Hiccup the most from the impact.

Then there was a loud crash of scales hitting rock, cracking of stone, and earth shaking.

Toothless screamed in pain as he hit the ground, Hiccup slipping from his grasp as he tumbled and rolled over himself, crashing into sharp, volcanic rock. He hoped the loud cracking he was hearing were his scales shattering, and not his bones. After what seemed like an eternity the world stopped tumbling and he slid to a stop on his side in the ash-laden soil, his eyes closed tightly. It took the Night Fury a moment to realize he wasn't dead, but his body radiated with pain from the impact.

Instinctively Toothless went to tighten his grip on Hiccup, only to realize in horror that he had been lost. His eyes flew open and he called to him, but received no answer. Cringing in pain, the black dragon forced himself to his feet, shaking from exhaustion and sheer force of the impact he had just somehow survived. His rear legs felt sluggish and heavy, and he began to fear that his back had been broken. Such trivial thoughts were pushed from his mind by the panic that overtook him when he realized Hiccup was nowhere in sight.

Forcing his painful body onward, Toothless staggered forward, searching desperately for the young human, wings dragging limply behind him. His ears flicked towards every noise, his eyes scanning the fog, trying to locate his rider. His heart was heavy at the thought that he might have lost him, but he refused to give up on Hiccup so soon.

Taking another step forward, a shape became visible on the ground through the mist, and Toothless immediately forced himself towards it. But when the figure came into view, the Night Fury's eyes went wide and his ears drooped, seeing Hiccup unmoving, burned and bruised on the rocky ground. Ignoring the protests screaming from his battered body, Toothless rushed as fast as his body would allow to his human friend, only to collapse onto his wing beside the boy with a weak cry, unable to stand any longer.

Breathing heavily, Toothless looked at the young human, searching desperately for any signs of life. The wing he was lying on partly covered the boy, but despite that he could smell the damage to his leg. It was bad; he knew it, very bad. He whined softly, seeing that he hadn't been able to protect him fully. Focusing back on him, he became distressed when he saw no signs of life, and began fearing that Hiccup was truly dead.

Taking a deep breath, Toothless reached out towards the fallen human, lightly closing his claws on him. Slowly he began to pull the human towards him, despite the agony it caused from dragging him over his painful wing. As soon as Hiccup was close enough, Toothless got his first good look at the boy's leg. It was as bad as he thought. Horribly burned from the fire, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to walk again. Or even help him fly.

Honestly Toothless didn't care about flying at this point, too fearful that he had lost his human friend. Pulling him closer, Toothless lightly pressed his ear to Hiccup's chest, and sighed in relief to hear him breathing and that his heart was still beating. The very fact that he was still alive helped to ease his suffering. The Night Fury pulled Hiccup even closer, against his belly and chest, gently wrapping his arms around his torso and tenderly cradling him against his scaly body to protect him in case something tried to attack him. Cringing at the pain, he then lifted his free wing, laying the velvety membrane over him softly like a blanket to protect him and shield him from view.

The effort of moving had been too much for the Night Fury, and his head fell heavily to the ground moments after Hiccup was safely within his tender hold. His pale green eyes slid shut in exhaustion mere seconds later, his body going limp, though his hold on the boy didn't wane in the slightest. He had exhausted all of his strength and energy, and knew that he wouldn't be able to get back up on his own. His heavy breathing was the only indicator that he had survived the plummet, and even though his instincts to protect the young human were strong, he barely reacted when he heard footsteps rushing towards him.

Toothless honestly didn't care about anything; Hiccup was safe in his grasp thanks to his sacrifice, and that was all that mattered…

.:End to Capacity for Sacrifice:.

AN- well… did you guys like my first HTTYD fic? ^^; I know there's a few differences in my fic compared to the movie, but cut me some slack, okay? I've only seen the scene once. ^^; Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this!! I'll try to write a few more HTTYD fics sometime in the future. Thanks for reading and please review!! ;D

~Ibeyla ^^