The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

Insights

Chapter 30: Insights

Toothless flew through the forest in search of the Light Fury. It felt awkward and uncomfortable for him to be without Hiccup on his back, but he reminded himself that he was doing this for him. He knew he had to put in some honest effort in this task or his friend would never let it go. He was persistent like that.

Toothless finally spotted her on the other side of the island past the trees on the beach. She looked at him as he landed, seeming both guarded and curious. He grunted a greeting at her, and she made a weird noise in response. She still eyed him suspiciously, so he turned all the way around to show her that he was completely alone. Seeming satisfied with this, she relaxed and sat on the sand.

Toothless wondered where he should go from here. It had been a long time since he interacted with a strange dragon alone - especially one so close to his own species. He remembered how he initially bonded with Hiccup, so he figured he might as well use one of those tactics. He trotted back to the forest and retrieved a long, thick tree branch. The Light Fury watched him intently as he began to draw in the sand. When he finished, he backed up and smiled proudly at his creation.

The Light Fury padded forward and glanced down at the drawing of Hiccup. She immediately snarled and swiped at the sand with her paw. Toothless growled right back at her, lounging forward to stand protectively over the drawing. The female appeared surprised, but she did not back down until he took a threatening step towards her. She walked away form him and lay down in the sand with a huff.

Now that he had taught her a lesson about disrespecting his best friend, Toothless thought he could try something different and began to draw again. This time, when he finished, the Light Fury turned her head away. Toothless trotted up to her and nudged her shoulder. She growled at him, but he merely sat down and looked at her expectantly.

Finally, the Light Fury got up and made her way over to the second drawing. He felt gleeful at her surprise when she saw he had drawn her this time. She looked around in uncertainty. Spotting the drawing stick, she grabbed it in her mouth and began to create her own drawing. Upon finishing, she dropped the stick and called to Toothless.

The Night Fury joined and looked down. She had drawn a picture of him right to the picture of her. It was pretty good too! He made a satisfied noised and nudged her in thanks. She seemed almost happy as she gazed at him. It appeared perhaps Hiccup was right after all. Maybe getting to know this dragon could be fun.

***

"The situation here looks bleak," Viggo said gravely. He and the others were gathered outside their hut to discuss current events at the end of the day. "Krogan and I witnessed the villagers paying off the warlords. Clearly, they think they are not able to take care of themselves."

"They're not even teaching the kids how to fight," Dagur said. "The cycle will only continue!"

"And I don't think they'll get over their fear of dragons if they don't feel confident they can defend themselves," said Oliver.

"Agreed," said Eira. "Nonviolence as a tactic is only useful when you have the ability to use force to stop a threat. Otherwise you're letting your enemies walk all over you. Peace needs to come from a place of strength."

Krogan nodded. From experience, he knew everything they said to be true. "Then attitudes around here need to change."

"That is a good way to put it," said Viggo. "The ability is already there. The villagers need knowledge and motivation. The children are eager to learn strategy and have been quick to pick up on Maces and Talons."

"And fighting too," said Dagur. "Well, play fighting."

"Children don't have the same self-imposed psychological limitations as adults," Eira said. "Bad experiences must have biased the adults. Maybe we could ask permission to train the kids, and they will inspire their parents."