THIS, children, is what happens when you stay up until three in the morning typing a random fanfic from one of your random plot bunnies. Plot bunnies are goooood.

Title is subject to change. Any suggestions?

Ah, well, hello there. I haven't seen anyone here for a long time...

Watch your language! I mean no threat to you. Eheheh, feisty type, aren't you? Pipe down for a moment, and I'll tell you what's going on.

This place may seem like an endless black void, but it's a transformation chamber. Because you wandered down to the depths of this cave out of curiosity- or maybe something else, eheh- you've stumbled upon this place. Don't call you 'girl'? What else should I call you? Astrid, that's a pretty name.

Anyways, have you noticed the white markings on the walls of this cave as you came in? Yes, those were the words of a prophecy. Only I can read them, and I'm not telling you exactly what they said.

But they did say that a girl would appear. Well, specifically, two humans... but what does that matter? One is good enough... Astrid, don't shy away- come closer, I haven't seen a human, not a human in such a long time...

I was here long before the Vikings of your age came here... what's your friend's name again? Hiccup? Such a silly name. Don't insult him? Oh, do you like him? Oh, don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes. You can't punch me, girl- I'm already as good as dead anyways.

Mhmm... where was I? Ah. That's right. You are the girl of the prophecy scribbled on these walls. There is a war, far away from the island that is your world, a war between dragons and dragons. Dragons of the waters, lurkers of the seas, warring against the dragons of the skies, claiming dry land and soaring over the endless spaces. Girl, which would you rather be in? Skies? I wouldn't blame you; flying is such a wonderful thing. Yes, I am a dragon... as well as everything else you could ever think of.

I could rattle on about my curse to look over these tunnels in which you are lost in, but I prefer not to. You must change soon. What do I mean? Astrid, why do you think I asked you whether you would lurk the skies or the seas?

Do not panic. This will be the chance of your lifetime, as well for the warring dragons...

Then, maybe you can help them.

And me.

One month later

A month.

An agonizing month of agonizingly agonizing physical and mental pain. A month of agony for Hiccup, a month of agony from his agonizingly aching metal leg which he refused to let anyone know about. Anyone but the healer, though, who apparently was too old for her job when she thought nothing of his angry-red skin.

Hiccup wasn't stupid. He knew his leg was infected, but didn't want to show anyone else. Well, he was about to tell someone that could help him, until he learned that Astrid went missing.

Oh, the gods help him, Astrid. Why, Astrid. The independent one that could always fend for herself, and did just so, until now.

Her unfaithful dragon returned with only scared cries, otherwise alone...

His agonizingly painful leg grew even more agonizingly painful after that.

Soon Hiccup was sick of the word agonizing, and sick of the pain, so he stooped to the level of letting Toothless carry him around on his back to get around the village of Berk. Toothless could smell his leg. He knew it was bad, and he knew that it was infected, and to Hiccup's stupidly proud dismay, he always tried to get someone else to see to it and treat it.

So, with a worried whimper, Hiccup's best friend looked at his glistening leg, all infected skin concealed from sight, and let the boy board on him. Hiccup felt particularly grumpy. Two weeks ago, everyone but him and Astrid's parents had given up on finding the girl.

It had been only a month and a half since the defeat of the gigantic 'queen' dragon, with six maliciously glistening eyes. Hiccup could only shrug off the painful memories, but they haunted him, made him feel weak with fear...

He shook them off.

He led Toothless out the door, the dragon snorting and whimpering and whining and insisting that he find a way to treat the boy's leg. Hiccup had planned to set off looking for Astrid, at most, his best human friend, by searching islands that were a quarter day away on the back of his pet, friend and steed all in one. This would take days longer by ship, but if the boy and his dragon traveled fast, they could cover some new islands and get back home by midnight...

Of course, Hiccup set a note for his father on where he went and where he was going. The handicapped boy was stubborn, however kind and awkward he was, as well as a major klutz; his artificial leg didn't help that status, either.

Hiccup hooked his 'foot' into the place where he could change the gears of Toothless's tail-fin. The boy spoke softly to his dragon as he piled up a basket full of fish, as well as a hearty lunch for himself.

Then they were off, and they searched the nearby islands happily. Hiccup drew well, that's for sure, so he plotted the islands on his self-made map. He once lost a map in the wind during a rowdy flight with Toothless, and it wasn't fun trying to make a new one.

Toothless was getting tired, and Hiccup didn't blame him. There was an island they already explored below; they could have lunch there, since it was basically made of rock, and there were only Terrible Terrors...

But then a lush green island came into the corner of Hiccup's view- an island he had never seen before, apparently covered by the constant mist that always seemed to be too thick to even fly through. But there was no mist now- only a clear sky, and the island looked so inviting...

Toothless saw the island too, but he seemed a thousand times less enthusiastic. Wailing out in horror, the dragon pulled away from the island abruptly, barely giving Hiccup a chance to shift tail-fin positions to the turn.

But something strange about the island drew the boy toward it. He didn't want to ignore his dragonic friend's cries of fear, though. But the unanswered reason why the dragon was so horrified didn't help his hungering curiosity, either. Curiosity kills the dragon, the other Vikings always used to say.

Hiccup and Toothless flew toward the island.

It was a good lunch, and Toothless was more than happy to be finally able to get off the island. It seemed that every five seconds, the dragon threw apprehensive looks over his shoulder, like a stalked mouse. Hiccup couldn't figure out what made his friend so anxious- if anything, he was drawn toward it because of his curiosity.

Hiccup didn't take the chance of boarding his dragon, in case Toothless tried to fly away without giving Hiccup any choice. His leg felt better than usual, anyways. So he walked toward the center of the island.

He noticed that Toothless seemed more and more anxious as the two trekked nearer to the isle's heart. Hiccup, at this point, had to know what was causing this. The curiosity, it burned as much as it did when he first thought of following Toothless after releasing the Night Fury.

So he walked deeper into the forest, Toothless yipping and whining and clawing at the ground. Hiccup wasn't listening anymore. The dragon wailed as he saw the glaze over his friend's eyes, the way he now trekked, as if he were sleepwalking...

At last, the no longer fully conscious boy and his yelping dragon came to a cave.

The cave.

And in he walked.

I've been waiting for you, boy. Where are you? How did you get here? You had to come here, you see-

Hiccup tried to stand and failed, falling back on his bottom and rubbing his head with a moan. It was all a void. Something made him come in here, and now he couldn't go back. Toothless was gone for some reason, Toothless didn't follow him in, and he couldn't ride Toothless back to the village where he could be safe. Now he was stuck in a black void, and everything seemed a bit more blurred, and now he had a migraine, great, and now there was a voice in his head-

-because your friend is here, boy, your friend-

His friend? Who was his friend? Who was he, anyways? Hiccup? That was his name, right? And-

-your friend, Astrid, boy, Hiccup, your friend, you like her, right? Astrid-

What appeared to be a girl with blond hair materialized many yards away. Hiccup stared in horror. It was Astrid, but it wasn't- she had a slick black tail with four fins at the end and ebony claws instead of fingers. Her forelegs were of a dragon's, scaled and all, and she seemed to have fangs. She seemed to be in pain, with great ashen wings flapping feebly, as she clawed at the nonexistent ground-

-ahaha, boy, boy! I'm going to be free, you see, I had to lead you here, you two had to transform together, I've been going MAD keeping her intact here-

Astrid moaned and turned over. She was fully clothed. She yelped in a way that didn't seem exactly human as she rolled onto her new wings, and turned over again, groaning and still clawing at the ground in pain-

COME HERE!

Icy cold claws gripped Hiccup by the shoulders. He shrieked- the claws emitted cold that seemed burning, and he struggled to get free, only making the pain worse. He collapsed on the ground, panting and moaning like a sick dog-

-ahaha, boy, I'll be sane again soon, you need to fulfill the prophecy if you want to return, if you ever want to come back-

Hiccup moaned. Something seemed to change; something pushed out of his back with agonizing pain, and his legs and arms began itching like mad. Not daring to look over himself, he stole a glance at Astrid. Everything was blurry, and his vision seemed to constantly change- sometimes sharper than usual, but usually almost blind. Astrid wasn't doing too well, either. Hiccup could see claw marks on the so-called ground, etched into whatever invisible platform they were laying on. Another spasm of pain rushed through the boy, and his neck seemed to grow a bit longer-

-and you'll finish the prophecy, yes, you'll do, you'll set me free! Ahaha-

The world went as black as the void.

Toothless didn't follow.

He was damned. The subject of all his loyalty, of all the love of friendship, walked into that wretched cave, and he didn't follow. Walking into that cave was against every fiber of his being, but not following his friend and at least trying to save him from impending doom was against himself as well. But he still didn't walk into the cave. And now, Toothless knew, that Hiccup was gone forever.

Little did the seemingly possessed Hiccup know, this cave was sacred to the dragons. He didn't know the secrets of this cave, this cave with the ivory carvings. How this very cave had taken his friend.

But something inside the dragon knew otherwise.

The dragon knew of the water and sky clans, of their ancient quarrel, of the dangers that surrounded them. Their homes, said to be in the north, were feared, any intruders forbidden upon entrance. They were fables, dragon fables, fables his mother (which was certainly not lightning) and his father (which was definitely not death) told him as a child before they were slayed by the old master dragon. It could take days straight to get there, if it was even real...

But the dragon knew that that was were Hiccup was now.

The winged reptile stared at his tail. He would fly to the north, but he could not fly without his rider. Toothless fell to the ground, clutching his head with a wail. Then he jumped up.

He could swim.

Toothless could swim to the north. It would take days... maybe even weeks. But he would swim to the north.

Toothless set out for the northern shore.

And that concludes a totally random fanfic idea.

...

What the HELL is wrong with my mind!

Oh, yeah. Is it HiccupxAstrid? Be patient, fools, yes, it will be. Soon. Sooner. Ahaha.