Hey, guys!

OH. MY. GOSH. This chapter took FOREVER to write, and I don't really know why. Maybe it's because it's just filler stuff, yet still important to . . . MY DASTARDLY PLOT *evil laughter*

Alright, I'm done being weird. Enjoy the story. And don't forget to comment on the QOTC (Question Of The Chapter) down below! Also, be sure to check out the Youtuber featured above, inhonoredglory, she's got some great stuff. MAJOR feels.

***

Toothless felt the boy's warm hand slip from his face, opened his eyes, and was quite surprised to find that he'd mysteriously passed out. He sighed. He'd hoped that the human wouldn't be affected, but this was what tended to happen when one touched a dragon that was related to another dragon that was directly descended from lightning. Fortunately, this was only a one-time occurrence. Afterward, the boy would be alright, but for now, he needed to rest and get his strength back.

A gust of wind blew through the cove. Toothless was unaffected, but the unconscious human shivered. Raising his head, the Night Fury let out a far-carrying sound that was somewhere between a barely audible growl and a purr. His pupils shrank to half their size and grew back rapidly. This power, accessible only by the Alpha, allowed him to completely control the minds of his followers, but Toothless never used it that way. The only time he used it was for long-distance communication.

Twig, he called out, eyes closed. Twig, are you there?

I'm here, sir, the Terror replied instantly. He could hear the surprise in her voice, as well as a shard of worry for his failing health. But she kept the latter mostly to herself.

Come to my cove. I need your help with something.

Yes, Alpha.

Toothless broke the connection and opened his eyes. His heightened sense of hearing could already make out the sound of Twig's tiny wings beating furiously at the air as she tried her hardest to break the sound barrier. Within two minutes, she was diving over the edge of the wall and screeching to a stop a foot or two away. "Yes, Alpha?" she panted.

Toothless motioned to the boy's inert form with one paw and Twig's eyes bulged out of her head. "We need to get him back to the village, and I can't remember off the top of my head where that is."

Twig bobbed her head, eager to be of use. "I'll show you, sir." She hopped in the air again, flapping toward the cove's exit.

Slightly amused, Toothless called her back. "Twig? Perhaps you wouldn't mind helping me get him on my back first?"

"Oh," Twig said sheepishly, grinning just a little, "sorry."

Toothless shoveled his head under the boy's body while Twig pushed his other side to keep him from flopping away. After a few minutes, they had him laying face-down on Toothless' back, his arms hanging on either side of the dragon's neck, and the rest of him in between Toothless' folded wings.
The boy's weight was easier to handle than he'd thought it would be. Toothless wasn't sure if that was normal or not. He gestured forward with a careful swing of his head. "Alright, I think that'll do. Let's go."

The trip through the woods, past the river, and into the dead village was long and slow-going, but Toothless did notice that Twig made the journey on foot when she could have flown. He thought that was very sweet of her.

When they got to the building that Hiccup had chosen to live in, Twig mentioned going up stairs, and at first, Toothless didn't know what she meant. Then they actually got to the stairs, and Toothless looked up, and all he saw was the boy slipping down his back on the way.

Twig saw it, too. She crawled up his tail and sat in between the human's ankles. "I'll keep him from falling off."

"Thank you." Toothless ascended the stairs, pulling his cramped wings in tighter to compensate for the lack of space. They got upstairs and he sidled up against the bed, dumping the boy onto the blanket. Toothless took the blanket in his teeth and pulled what he could of it over the boy, wrapping him up like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

"Alpha?" Twig said when the boy was settled.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask how the heck he ended up unconscious in your cove?"

Toothless watched the boy's sleeping face. "We shared a fish, and he spent the next half hour or so trying to touch me."

Twig's eyes were wide. "Why?" she asked.

"I don't know," the Night Fury admitted, shaking his head. "Perhaps he's making the most of an opportunity, being near the last of a dying species."

Twig jumped down from the bed and rubbed her head against his foreleg affectionately. "I don't believe you're the last one. And I don't think the Night Furies are dying off, either."

Toothless hummed sadly. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I'm not." Twig stated, doing a rare thing by looking him square in the eyes. She wasn't being disrespectful, but she and Toothless had been friends long before they were king and subject. "I really do believe that one day, you will find another of your kind. It might not be today, or tomorrow, or even sometime this year, but you will find them."

Toothless sighed. "Thank you for saying that. Ten years of searching and finding absolutely nothing can get a little discouraging at times."

"Just don't ever give up, okay?" Twig pleaded. "The only way you definitely won't find them is if you stop looking. They're out there, somewhere."

"I won't. I promise."

***

When Hiccup woke up, he didn't open his eyes at first, just tried to figure out exactly what had happened. He remembered touching the Alpha, the pure awe and elation that had filled him, before something zapped through his veins and paralyzed him, and everything went dark. Had the whole thing been a dream?

He opened his eyes and was confused for a second before he realized that he was back in the smithy, in his room. So touching the Alpha had been his imagination. He felt disappointed, even though he knew it was only a minor setback. Although . . . what if the Alpha rejected him?

Hiccup closed his eyes, forcing the negative thoughts away. He couldn't afford to think about that. Besides, even if that didn't work, he could always just throw his plan out there and see what happened. Yeah. Yeah, that would work. There was only an enormous chance he would fail.

Something stepped on his leg and he looked up to find Twig balancing on his knee.

"Hey, Twig," he greeted her. There was something off about her facial expression. Either annoyed or impressed. Or maybe both. "What's wrong?"

What's wrong?! the Terror squeaked. You snuck into the Alpha's cove without his express permission! You do realize that some dragons kill for that, right?

"Fortunately for me, the Alpha is not one of them," Hiccup responded, feeling slightly relieved that he hadn't been dreaming. "Is he still back at the cove?"

Twig sighed, giving him the eye. Yes, he went back after taking you back here, and no, he's not overly defensive, but you still took a HUGE risk by doing that! You had no idea he wouldn't rend you limb from limb for tresspassing. . . . hypothetically speaking, of course. Why did you do it, anyway?

"Well, first off, I brought him food. That seemed to help," he responded.

Ohhhhhhhh, ok. Yes, that does make a difference, Twig said, licking her lips as if the mention of food had her thinking about breakfast.

"I think, even if, for some reason, the Alpha isn't the dragon that saved me on Berk, I still need to—want to—help him," he stated hopefully.

But Twig was already shaking her head. You've got great intentions, Hiccup, but most dragons don't like accepting help. And it's not like you can regrow that missing tail fin.

Maybe I can, Hiccup thought, half to himself and half to Twig. As soon as the words fell on Twig's ears, she leaned in closer to his face, every molecule of her being wanting in on this plan. What? How?!

Hiccup sat up, throwing the blanket off of him and turning Twig into a fuzzy lump on the bed. "I'm going to do what I was taught to do," he declared, "and no matter what happens, I'm going to get that dragon in the air again."

***

QOTC:
Which is better, Everlark or Kale?