Hi this is my first fanfic ever so please review and let me know what you think! HTTYD2 SPOILERS ABOUND

Notice: I (sadly) do not own How To Train Your Dragon.

Toothless lounged on the cliff top, looking out over the expanse of ocean before him, glowing orange beneath the setting sun. The sky seemed to blaze with a lazy fire, a bold spectrum of color streaked with passing clouds. The brightest of stars were just appearing, faint in the dusk behind him. Even a dragon like him, seemingly designed for destruction and mindless savagery, could appreciate the beauty of the moment.

It had been a year since he had defeated the Alpha Bewilderbeast, and he was now 21 years old. Very young for a dragon, let alone the Alpha of an entire island full of strong, independent dragons. Despite his youth, he was strong, and fully matured. Toothless sighed, rested his head on his front paws. He and Hiccup rarely had a moment to spare anymore, each of them dealing with his own set of demands, surrounded constantly by a never-ending stream of humans and reptiles. And even in their precious spare time, Hiccup had to divide his time between his best friend and his love.

Speaking of love… Toothless peered over the edge of the cliff, down to the beach below. A blanket rested on the sand, and laying on it were two humans. They didn't appear to be talking, just resting peacefully in each other's arms. As the sun slipped across the horizon, the larger human- his human, Hiccup- sat up and pulled his companion onto her knees. He (Hiccup, that is) turned his back to the sun and, on his knees, began to speak to Astrid, the other human. Toothless, along with Hiccup, had become very fond of Astrid, and she seemed to feel the same.

Toothless had, in fact, flown the two of them to this very spot before disappearing up the cliff to give them privacy. Hiccup had explained the importance of this moment to Toothless, and the dragon was certain his human had never looked so nervous, not even in the face of Outcasts, crazed and power-hungry maniacs like Drago, not even when facing bloodthirsty wild dragons that even gave Toothless pause. Images of the Red Death, the Screaming Death, and the great black Bewilderbeast flashed through the dragon's mind, and he shook his head, clearing away the dark thoughts. He and Hiccup had been victorious over all of their foes, each mightier than the last. There had been sacrifices, and losses, but ultimately the two had become joined not just as companions, but mentally as well. Hiccup was so in tune with Toothless that the black dragon swore his human understood Dragonese.

Back to the moment. Vivid green eyes studied the tableau on the white sand below. The sun continued its decline, and Hiccup's voice drifted up to Toothless's sensitive ears. He caught a few phrases like "I love you" and "would you make me the happiest…" which made sense to the dragon, as his human was partaking in the ancient ritual of finding a mate and making her his. Toothless wasn't sure if he would be so sentimental if he ever found a mate (he scoffed mentally at this. There were no other Night Furies, and while he enjoyed the company of Stormfly and the others, he would never consider any of them to be a mate. His mate.)

A scream brought Toothless back to reality and alarmed, he leapt to his feet and looked over the edge. Astrid had tackled Hiccup and was attempting to eat his face, which Toothless had learned was something humans did as an act of affection. (A strange act, to be sure.) Hiccup was laughing and kissing her back, and after a few moments he pulled away from her to remove a small object from one of the many hidden pockets on his leather flight suit. A sparkle caught Toothless's attention as Hiccup slipped something shiny onto Astrid's finger. Toothless made a mental note to get a closer look at the possible toy later.

The sun had vanished and a great, full moon was rising. That was the black dragon's cue to silently swoop down and offer the couple his transportation services through the starry sky. They sailed through the gentle air currents, Hiccup sitting behind Astrid for once as he held her in his arms, trusting Toothless and the dragon's independent prosthetic to keep them airborne.

Toothless was thrilled that his human was so happy. Astrid was going to be around quite a bit more, he reasoned, which could potentially mean more fish, if Toothless utilized his helpless, pleading, adorable (which he would never admit to any other dragon) gaze at the right times.

The black dragon silently flew over the wind-ruffled sea, cleverly re-enacting the couple's very first flight together. He coasted around the recently reconstructed monoliths with their massive torches, and soared between perfectly puffy white clouds and the brilliant stars above until they could see the lights of Berk flickering in the distance.

Yet even as he carried the humans in a roundabout way back to the village, something had wormed its way into the back of the dragon's mind, and though Toothless ruthlessly suppressed it, the feeling had made itself clear.

Loneliness.

Far away, a lone dragon flew over the raging sea through a violent storm. It was exhausted, battered by wind and rain, and slowly descending despite its best efforts to remain in the air. Each flap of its perfectly formed wings was more strained than the last, and it panted with the effort of flight.

The hurricane was relentless, as though the gods themselves had taken it upon themselves to punish the slim dragon. Lightning flashed around it, blinding and scorching hot. With a deafening crack, the dragon was struck, and soundlessly it hung suspended in the electricity before the second passed. Its body plummeted toward the dark ocean, and was swallowed by the waves.

Hello, new friends! I'm adding this note as I prepare to finish posting the last two chapters of this story. I have an offer standing, to anyone interested. There is a sequel in the works, and so I have decided to give the 100th reviewer (whoever and whenever that might be) a sneak peek at it. If I've already begun posting it, then the lucky winner gets a preview of a future chapter. Sound good?

Thanks for reading :) I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.