AN: Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter! I'm glad to hear that so many of you are enjoying the story! Once again, before we start, I have a guest review that I would like to respond to:

"Wow this is surprisingly good. It has correct grammar, doesn't follow the Stoick wants to kill him cliche most of these types of stories have, has decent length chapters and has a unique way of Hiccup turning into a night fury. In short it's amazing."

Thank you for all the kind words! One of my inspirations for writing this was the lack of variety when it came to how Stoick is portrayed. I felt that in a lot of the stories, Stoick's reaction felt rather odd. Most of the time, he seems to think that Hiccup is brainwashed as a Night Fury, or that his son is actually dead and the Night Fury in front of him was just impersonating him. To me, those reactions always feel forced. All of the evidence is being crammed into this man's face, and he ignores it all and tries to kill his son anyways. No matter how stubborn vikings are, you would have to expect that a grieving father would prefer to think positively on the chance that his son could be alive, as Hiccup is pretty much always considered dead by the time these scenes happen in this genre, and he had already lost his wife. I felt that having him have a more accepting, if not a little cautious, outlook on the news would fit well with the story I want to create. As for it being a unique way of Hiccup becoming a Night Fury, I'm afraid you give me far too much credit. I will be honest and say that I have seen several stories have Hiccup be cursed by a witch. If you mean how I had him down-aged, then I know of one other story that does something similar, as well as a few in which he is fully reborn after dying to the Red Death. Specifically,

"Brothers of the Night" and "A Gift of Wings" come to mind while thinking of the latter option. By no means would I consider my story to be highly original, but instead I wish to forge this story into a more laid back and fun story, without as much death and violence, while also giving it its own identity that sets it apart from other stories within the genre.

Whew, sorry about the rant! I have a tendency to say everything on my mind when it comes to these types of things, so hopefully that essay of a response doesn't scare you guys off!

Now that that's out of the way, here's your friendly reminder to leave a review after you finish reading the chapter! I always enjoy reading what you guys think of my stories, and any and all constructive criticism helps me to improve as a writer.

As a side note, I have gone back and edited chapter 2 to fix up a few mistakes. Nothing major or important, but those changes should go live right around the time I post this chapter. On that note, I'll leave you in peace to read the chapter! Enjoy!

"Human Speech"

"Dragon Speech"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 3

The first night in the air passed by rather uneventfully. Hiccup's initial excitement of being up in the air had long since mellowed out, and in its place came boredom. He passed the time by making small talk with Toothless, hoping to get some information about the island they were heading to. Unfortunately for him, Toothless was tight-lipped on the topic, simply saying that he wanted it to be a surprise, assuring him that it would be worth the wait.

Toothless landed on a small island early the next morning for a short rest. Hiccup immediately hopped down from the larger dragon's back. He landed on wobbly legs, not used to being back on solid ground. He shook his head rapidly to clear his dizziness, and let out a small groan.

"Will it always feel like that?" He asked after a moment, blinking a few times to clear his vision. "I feel like I just got off of a ship after a month's long voyage… and I could have sworn I'd gotten my sea legs by now!"

Toothless chuckled. "Only the first few times. Most young dragons have the same issue. You'll get used to it pretty quickly."

"How much farther is it to the island, by the way?" Hiccup asked curiously. "Are we getting close?"

"You know, sometimes I forget you are supposed to be 15 mentally," Toothless teased. "That's the kind of thing I'd expect to hear from a hatchling!"

Hiccup blushed under his scales. "Hey, you can hardly blame me!" He protested. "I'm still new to all of this!"

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," Toothless said with a laugh. "We still have two more nights of flying ahead of us. I'm going to go and catch a few fish to hold us off until we reach the next island."

"Are you sure I'll be fine out here by myself?" Hiccup asked, glancing around at his surroundings warily.

"You'll be fine. This island doesn't have any human villages on it, so you shouldn't run into any trouble. At worst, you might run into a curious Terror."

Hiccup gave him a look. "You do realize that doesn't help my nerves, right?"

Toothless rolled his eyes, a very unusual expression for a dragon. "Right… I forgot you were raised on the whole 'mindless killing machines' propaganda."

Hiccup frowned. "You know about that?"

Toothless laughed slightly. "With a Night Fury's hearing, it's not exactly difficult to overhear the insults thrown your way during the raids. That and the terrified shouts whenever I go into a dive." At this, an amused grin crossed his face and he exclaimed in a falsely terrified voice. "Night Fury! Get Down!"

Hiccup couldn't help but grin. "Hey, you have to admit, you are pretty fearsome when you're raiding. All we hear is a brief whistle and then something gets blown to pieces half a second later." Hiccup's voice took on a teasing tone. "Of course, now that I've met you, I know that you're really nothing but an overgrown kitten!"

"Keep in mind that any insults you toss my way can be directed right back at yourself," Toothless said with an amused smirk.

"Touché."

"We are getting way off topic here," Toothless said. "Basically speaking, just forget everything you were taught about dragons back in your village. You'll actually find that most dragons are rather friendly if you get to know them properly." He paused for a moment. "I did tell you that the queen forces us to raid the villages, right?"
"You did," Hiccup confirmed with a nod. "It's just that it's not easy to come to terms with the fact that everything I know about you guys is either a lie or a massive exaggeration. They call you the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, for goodness sake!"

Toothless gave a toothy grin. "Oh, do they now? What a noble title," he snarked.

"So what do I do if I come across another dragon?" Hiccup asked.

"It's highly unlikely to happen here, but if you do, just be friendly and I doubt they'll bother you," Toothless replied. "At worst they'll probably ask where you came from. Night Furies are extremely rare. In fact, I highly doubt our numbers are even in the triple digits."

"Well, if you're sure…" Hiccup said, still feeling a little nervous.

Toothless gave him a reassuring smile. "I shouldn't be more than a few minutes. Try to practice your movement while I'm gone. I plan on teaching you how to hunt when we get to the island, and you need to be efficient on your feet if you want to stand any chance at catching a rabbit; Let alone a deer."

Hiccup seemed slightly uneasy about the concept of hunting, but pushed the thought aside. "Alright, I'll see you when you get back."

Toothless nodded before launching into the air and heading back out to sea. Deciding to heed his friend's advice, Hiccup got to his feet and slowly trotted around the clearing. After noticing that he wasn't stumbling, he began to pick up the pace.

Now at what could be considered a basic walking speed, Hiccup found that the art of walking on four legs had a very clear rhythm to it. With that in mind, he focused on memorizing the pattern and found himself improving at a much faster rate.

By the time Toothless returned with their late breakfast, Hiccup could walk at a standard pace without any slip ups. He had attempted a run, but wasn't having much luck in that regard quite yet.

Seeing Hiccup up and moving around, Toothless grinned. "It looks like you're starting to get the hang of it," He said with a pleased nod. "Good work."

Hiccup blushed red under his scales, unused to being so easily complimented. "It was actually pretty simple once I got the pattern down. I still can't run, but it's a start."

"That's perfectly fine for now. We still have a few days for you to practice before we reach our destination," Toothless said, before giving Hiccup a light nudge with his snout. "Now, eat up before I decide I could do with a second helping!"

"Alright, alright!" Hiccup said with a laugh. "You can be such a mother hen sometimes, you know that?"

For once, it was Toothless's turn to look flustered. After a moment, an idea came to mind, and he smirked mischievously "Well, if you don't want the fish, then I guess I'll eat it. I just thought you'd be hungry. Oh well, I could go for seconds." Opening his mouth, he slowly and dramatically reached out for one of Hiccup's fish.

"Hey!" Hiccup squeaked indignantly, hurrying over before his ravenous friend could get his mouth on his food. "You know very well that's not what I meant!"

The next two days passed in a similar fashion. They would fly throughout the night, and land in the morning for a brief meal and a few hours of shut eye while Hiccup tried to squeeze in some practice whenever he could. They would be back up in the air by midday, stopping occasionally on small islands to rest, and the process would repeat. By the time the duo set out on their third and final night of traveling, Hiccup had the basics of movement down perfectly. He could even run decently well, although he couldn't even hope to match Toothless in a race quite yet.

"So," Hiccup began after nearly half an hour of silently flying through the night. "Are you going to tell me about the island we're going to yet?"

Toothless laughed. "Are you sure you aren't a real hatchling? This is the fourth time you've asked that tonight!"

Hiccup grinned sheepishly. "I figured if I pestered you enough then you'd cave and tell me."

"Yep, definitely living up to your hatchling body," Toothless said, rolling his eyes, although the amused grin on his face showed that he wasn't really all that annoyed.

"You can hardly blame me!" Hiccup pouted. "We've been flying for hours and I'm bored out of my mind! It doesn't help that you keep talking about how much I'll like the island. It makes sense for me to be curious!"

"Well, you're in luck. We made better time than I expected. We're getting close; you should be able to spot the island on the horizon any time now." Toothless said, much to Hiccup's glee.

Leaning as far over Toothless's shoulder as he dared, Hiccup narrowed his eyes, scanning the horizon for any traces of land. Subconsciously, his pupils retracted to slits as his vision zoned in on the distance. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly exclaimed. "I think I see something!"

Toothless banked towards the distant speck. "Yep, that's the place!" He said with a grin. "We're still five or so miles out, but at our current speed, we should arrive within a couple minutes."

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly. "Five miles?! I've always known that dragons had better eyesight than humans, but that's ridiculous!"

"Dragons are creatures of the sky," Toothless explained. "We need good eyesight to help spot things on the ground without having to land."

"So, what will we be doing when we arrive?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"Sleeping," Toothless replied immediately. "You may not feel it yet, but we are running on far too little sleep at the moment, due to island hopping. Now that we're here, I plan on sleeping until next sundown. I suggest you do the same. You are nocturnal now, after all."

Hiccup surprised himself by letting out a yawn. "I could do with some more sleep as well. But as soon as we're awake I'm making you show me around!"

Toothless chuckled as he began to soar over the island. "Don't worry, that was the plan anyways. Now hold on, I'm getting ready to land."

Toothless swooped down and landed neatly on the side of a mountain. Hiccup hopped down from his friend's back as the larger Night Fury motioned towards an opening in the side of a nearby cliff. "Well, this is it! Home sweet home… at least during the winter."

Hiccup eyed the cave for a moment. "How do you keep warm during the winter, anyways? I know you said it's a little warmer here, but it's still a little chilly. I'm sure it still snows here quite a bit over the cold months."

Toothless shuddered dramatically. "Ugh, I'm not sure how I feel about that stuff. On one paw, it's pretty and fun to play in, but on the other it makes it a nightmare for us Night Furies to hunt. It completely ruins our camouflage."

Hiccup laughed at the mental image that provided. "You must stick out like a sore thumb!" He said, amused, before a thoughtful expression crossed his snout. " ...Or would the more accurate phrase be a sore claw? Eh, you know what I mean."

"I'm sure you'll figure that kind of stuff out in time," Toothless said with a slight chuckle. "For now, I'd like to get to sleep before sunrise. Follow me, I want to show you something I think you'll enjoy, now that we will be sleeping on stone floors."

Hiccup followed Toothless with a spark of curiosity as he led him into the cave. After a few minutes of walking through the dark tunnels the pair emerged into a decently sized chamber. It wasn't anything massive, but there was plenty of room to house the duo and probably a few others as well if it had to.

Toothless purred slightly as he glanced around, a content smile on his snout. "Ahh, it's nice to be back. I always miss this place when I'm stuck back at that tyrant's nest."

Hiccup frowned slightly in confusion. "Then why go back? It's not like you have to go back. I doubt the queen can find us out here if she tried."

"To be honest, most dragons don't have that luxury. Remember what I said about how the queen forces dragons to raid in order to feed her? I… wasn't entirely truthful with you then."

Hiccup gave the dragon a worried glance. "What do you mean?"

"The queen… no, the Red Death, is far more dangerous than I made her out to be," Toothless began in a grim tone. "Most of what I told you was the truth, but there was one thing I twisted slightly. Remember how I said that if a dragon refused to raid a village, the queen would eat them?"

"Yeah, I remember. I'm assuming there is more to that?"

Toothless nodded gravely. "The thing is, I made up the part about them being eaten if they refused. They are eaten if they don't bring back enough food, but in reality, the dragons aren't even physically capable of disobeying the queen."

Hiccup felt a sinking feeling in his gut. "You mean… she brainwashes them?"

"The Red Death is one of very few dragon species that are capable of becoming an Alpha. Alpha dragons are immensely powerful, and are able to fully control the minds of their underlings if they so wish," Toothless explained. "Usually Alpha dragons are very kind and benevolent creatures. They look after every member of their nest and protect them from harm. Most of the time, they will use their power to guide members of the nest away from harm's reach, or perhaps call all the dragons back to the nest to wait out an approaching storm, and even then they only do so through a form of telepathy. Controlling an underling's mind is usually reserved for breaking up fights or if something needs to be done with extreme precision from a group of dragons, such as expanding the nest."

"So what makes this 'Red Death' different?" Hiccup asked with grave curiosity.

Toothless's eyes clouded over for a moment, as if he were recalling a dreaded memory. "I wasn't alive when the Red Death invaded, but I've been told of it by a few of the older dragons in the nest who were, over the winters while we were free of her control. It was an otherwise uneventful night, just over three-hundred years ago. The flock was going about their everyday business as usual when one of the sentry Nadders rushed into the nest screaming that they were under attack. Back then, the nest was independent and was without an Alpha of any kind, so they weren't able to defend themselves when she settled into the pit of the volcano, forcefully claiming the nest as her own by imposing her power on the entire flock. Those who resisted were killed brutally and used as an example for any others who might have been considering revolting against her. Apparently it didn't even take a week for every dragon in the nest to be placed under her control."

Toothless took a deep breath to ease his aching lungs before continuing. "What makes her different from other Alphas is that she abuses her status as an Alpha. Unlike other Alphas who rarely use their abilities, the Red Death keeps the nest under her control at all times. The only time when we are able to break free of her power is during the winter. Luckily, Red Death dragons have to hibernate throughout the winter, and that weakens her control over us just enough to temporarily shake her off. Unfortunately when she goes into hibernation, she still leaves traces of her power within us, and as soon as it gets warm again, she regains control. It's a horrible way of life, but there isn't anything any of us can do about it."

Hiccup looked horrified by the revelation, before a sudden thought sparked his interest. "Well, clearly you aren't under her control, or you would have no doubt killed me by now. Does her spell not affect you?"

Toothless gave a genuine smile, "I'm impressed you picked up on that so easily. You see, the only dragons that can withstand an Alpha's power is another dragon of similar attributes; another Alpha, or at least a member of an Alpha species."

Hiccup caught on to what Toothless was implying. "Night Furies are an Alpha species?"

Toothless's smile wavered. "Yes. I'm sure you are wondering how I got involved with the nest if I am immune to her pull, and sadly it's not a pleasant tale. Before I hatched, my mother lived by herself on an island not too far from the nest. While I was still an egg, my mother was found by some of the queen's thralls. The queen was in control of their minds, and through them she tricked my mother into bringing my egg to the nest. They said that she would be safe there and would be able to raise me without fear." Toothless's body trembled, and he took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "The queen was well aware of the fact that Night Furies were able to resist her call, and she had no intention of holding her word. As soon as my mother entered the nest with my egg, the queen ambushed her. I-I'm not even sure she knew what happened. One second she was there, and the next the queen... b-bit her in two."

Hiccup gasped. "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry. W-when did you find out?"

Toothless's eyes were wet. "Dragons are sentient even while still developing within the egg. I... saw it all personally, at least through my senses. I still have nightmares about it occasionally. From what I gathered, the queen seemed to think that she could control me if she forced her power on me while I was still developing. I was scared for my life, so I… I pretended that the spell had been successful. I participated in raids, and did things I'm not proud of. But I was so afraid that I would be killed if I fled that I just kept at it throughout my life. I'm honestly shocked that she never caught on."

Hiccup leaned forwards and gave his friend a comforting lick, surprised by how naturally the gesture came to him, before stating what was on his mind. "Well, as long as I have anything to say about it, you aren't going to be her slave any longer. We'll stay out here and train. If one Night Fury can't take her, then maybe two of us can. We'll make a plan, and in a few years we'll go back to rid the nest of her for good. If she somehow manages to find us out here, I'll help you fight. I'll fight with everything I have to keep us safe, or die trying. I'm not about to submit to a killer."

Toothless's teary eyes widened gradually as he took in Hiccup's heartfelt speech. He wiped his eyes with a paw and stood up to meet Hiccup's determined gaze with one of his own. "I was thinking the same thing. There's a reason I brought you here instead of the nest, after all. I'm not about to let her do to you what she did to me and so many others. I… I'm lucky to be able to consider you my friend."

Hiccup gave a wide smile, before suddenly let out a yawn. "Well, enough with the depressing talk. I feel like I'm about to collapse. What was it you wanted to show me?"

Toothless perked up, glad for the change in subjects. "Oh you'll love this!" He darted over to one side of the chamber and hopped up onto a perfectly flat stone. Curious, Hiccup hopped up after him. Toothless grinned. "Watch this."

Opening his mouth, Toothless summoned a continuous stream of fire, much weaker than one of his typical blasts. Spinning in place, he lit the stone aflame, causing Hiccup to yelp in surprise, before laying down on the flames and offering a wing. "You wondered how I stayed warm in the winter? This is how. It's extremely comfortable. Since you don't know how to use your flame yet, you can share my stone until you learn to make your own."

Hesitantly, Hiccup stepped forward, wary of the embers that still surrounded the dragon. He let out a yelp of surprise when he accidentally stepped on one, but was surprised to find that the fire didn't hurt in the slightest. In fact, it almost felt… nice? A realization struck him, and he mentally slapped himself for not noticing sooner. He had fireproof scales! Of course the fire couldn't hurt him!

Reassured, Hiccup crawled under Toothless's extended wing and snuggled into his side like he had done over the past few days. He involuntarily found himself purring as the heat from the embers sent soothing warmth through his body. Looking up to meet Toothless's amused gaze, he chirped contently. "I could get used to this."

"I told you you'd like it," he said with a grin. "Now let's get some sleep. Your training begins tonight, and we have a long road ahead of us if we want to take down that tyrant."

Sleep was something Hiccup could get behind. Coated in warmth from the smoldering stone beneath him and the leathery embrace of his friend, he easily fell into a content slumber. It didn't take long for Toothless to follow his lead, resting his head down and curling his tail protectively around Hiccup's dozing form before falling into a peaceful slumber.

AN: Whew, this one was a pain to write out. I had quite a bit of trouble deciding on exact lines for a few scenes, but hopefully it turned out well in the end! If you have the time, please be sure to leave a review and give me your thoughts on the chapter. Any constructive criticism is much appreciated, as it helps me to improve as an author. Next chapter focuses on the start of Hiccup's training, so I hope you are all looking forward to that!

I'll see you all in the next chapter!