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Hiccup Haddock was having the weirdest day of his life — which was saying a lot, considering that he had encountered some of the strangest dragons in the known world. Not to mention, he lived in close quarters with the Thorston twins.
And the day had started off relatively normal, too — as normal as it got on the Edge, anyway. And when all the work was done for the day, he and Toothless had gone on a little solo flight to an island not far from the Edge, a place Hiccup frequented when he needed some space to think or sketch or plan. And there, right on his favorite place, a mossy cliff overlooking the beach, was a dragon he'd never seen before, not even in the Book of Dragons or Bork's papers.
It was beautiful, as red as Toothless's tail fin, scales gleaming like thousands of burning embers. Its chest and underbelly were yellow, and black and green spines traveling down its back and tail. Its body was muscular, with a slender snout, and, Hiccup saw, since it's mouth hung open as if dazed or confused, a mouthful of deadly sharp teeth. Great red wings sprouted from its back.
The weirdest part? It stood on its hind legs, front legs hanging loosely at its sides. If it hadn't been bright red, not much taller than Toothless, and covered in scales, he might have thought it was human. Just… something in the way it carried itself.
"Oh, wow," Hiccup breathed, climbing slowly off Toothless, hoping he could approach this incredible creature without startling it away or provoking it to attack. In response, the dragon crouched, still on its hind legs, head tilted. Curious, maybe? It didn't seem afraid, just a little wary, and maybe a little lost. Almost as if unsure of where it was or how it had gotten there. Hope rose inside of Hiccup. How incredible would it be if he could train it?
Inching forward, he raised his hand. "You're beautiful," he murmured. "What are you? Where did you come from?"
The dragon tensed the slightest bit as Hiccup came within touching distance, its baffled expression so close to human it nearly made him step back. "No, no, no," he crooned, still in that soft voice. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. We can be friends, right?"
And Hiccup closed his eyes, turned his head, held out his hand, palm out. He hoped. He waited.
Nothing happened.
He peeked over to see the dragon still staring at him. It didn't seem to instinctively understand Hiccup's invitation like most dragons did. Maybe this particular kind of dragon preferred a more direct approach? Since the dragon hadn't done anything remotely threatening since Hiccup and Toothless's arrival, Hiccup decided to take the chance.
He reached out and gingerly pressed his hand against the cool scales of the dragon's forehead.
For a moment, he and the dragon just stood there, staring at one another, Hiccup excited and a little apprehensive, the dragon wary and unsure. Then the dragon opened its mouth — Toothless growled in warning behind Hiccup — and then…
And then—
"Uhhhh," it said. "Is this some kinda… uh, ritual or somethin' where you come from? 'Cuz like, no offense, dude, but I don't even know you. And your hand's all up on my head."
Hiccup's mouth fell open as the dragon spoke, strange words, in a strange dialect, with a strange voice. "I— uh—" he said wisely, and the dragon cocked an eyebrow. Wait. It had… it had eyebrows? How had he not noticed that before?
"Also," the dragon continued, still standing there with Hiccup's hand pressed against its head (Hiccup felt like he was glued in place, unable to move as the world spun madly around him), "you called me beautiful. Which is weird, 'cuz we just met, but honestly, I needed it, man. It's been a hard day, y'know?"
When Hiccup didn't respond, too busy gaping at the talking dragon, the dragon took it as his cue to keep babbling. "Uhhh… how long does this hand thing last, anyway? Not that it's not, uh, nice — actually kinda soothing — but I just dropped outta the sky while fighting some weird-ass Time-Goblin-King or whatever, and then suddenly, I'm here? And then you come ridin' in on your? Oh, shit, a dragon!"
Hiccup managed to lower his hand and back away a few steps. "Uh… you do know… that you're a dragon, right?"
"Only part time," the dragon said, waving a wickedly taloned paw — actually, it looked more like a hand, with opposable thumbs and everything! — like it was talking about something inconsequential. Like the weather. "But your friend, I can tell! He's a full-time dragon, baby! Like in Lord of the Rings, am I right?"
"I… I don't know who that is," Hiccup answered lamely. "Is… is he from around here?"
The dragon guffawed like Hiccup had told a great joke, which only confused Hiccup more. "You got the jokes, man."
"Uh… yep," said Hiccup awkwardly. "Sure… sure do."
They stared at each other for a couple more seconds. Toothless's impatient chuff broke the stilted silence. The strange dragon straightened up, something like anxiety flashing in its dark eyes. "Well," it said conversationally, "I gotta go, I guess. Figure out where I am, figure out how to get back." He considered Hiccup for a minute. "D'you know where I am?"
"You're near our base on Dragon's Edge," Hiccup supplied. "A bit outside the Barbaric Archipelago."
"Okay, okay, cool. So that's like… Italy, right?"
"…No?"
The dragon shrugged. "I'll figure it out, no worries." It spread its wings. "See ya, dude! Later, dragon bro!"
"Wait," Hiccup blurted just before the dragon took to the air. He couldn't let this one-of-a-kind creature fly away without learning more, not to mention, with Viggo and his hunters skulking around, it wouldn't be safe. "Why don't you come back to base with Toothless and I? My friends and I, we've got food, supplies. And maps. Maybe we can help you figure out how you got here and how to get you back home?" The dragon hesitated. "Please, at least just for a few hours to rest and regroup? It's not safe out there, there are Dragon Hunters—"
The dragon's face darkened. "I know all about hunters," he growled. "I can handle them."
"I'm not doubting you," Hiccup said patiently. "But it's getting late, and you don't know this area. You don't know these hunters. You don't know Viggo Grimborn."
The dragon threw back its head and laughed. "Viggo Grimborn? This really is Lord of the Rings!"
"I still don't know who that is," Hiccup muttered to Toothless, who trilled in agreement. Hiccup really hoped the Lord of the Rings, wherever he hailed from, would prove to be an ally to Berk and not an enemy. Hiccup had more than enough of those right now.
"Okay, what the heck?" the dragon said suddenly. "I'll go with you to your base. You seem pretty chill, and you've got a cool metal leg, so I think I can trust you."
"Uh… thanks?"
"Sure thing, uh…?"
"Oh," said Hiccup. "I'm Hiccup." He thumbed over at Toothless. "This is Toothless."
The dragon raised its eyebrows. "Hiccup," it said. It looked at Toothless, at the gleaming teeth he hadn't retracted. "And Toothless."
And here we go, Hiccup thought. He'd had this conversation way too many times (though he never dreamed he'd have it with a dragon). Yes, his name was Hiccup. Like mistake, or even annoying bodily function when you eat too quickly. And yes, Toothless had teeth. Woohoo.
But to his surprise, the dragon just shrugged and said, "Okay, cool."
Hiccup blinked. "No jokes? Usually people make jokes."
The dragon snorted. "My best friend's name is Spud, so I ain't gonna judge you. I'm Jake."
A name Hiccup had never heard before, and yet it still seemed strange for a dragon somehow. But it was like Jake had said. His name was Hiccup; he had no room to talk.
Jake grinned a sharp, toothy grin. "Well, what are you waiting for?" it asked, gesturing to the sky. "Lead the way, Hiccup and Toothless!"
Oh my Thor, Hiccup thought as he climbed onto Toothless with trembling legs and engaged the tail fin, feeling the dragon's eyes on him, watching every move he made with rapt curiosity. Wait until Tuffnut sees this. I can not believe Lycanwings are real!