Freedom in its Richest Form

Freedom and Gravity (5)

"Hiccup," the dragon repeats, testing out the word. "And you think my name is weird?"

"So could you please tell me what happened? 'Cause I would at least like an explanation for my dad when he kills me. Oh gosh, my dad's gonna kill me! I can't go back like this! What-"

"Woah, okay, don't freak out, I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems." Cue deadpan look. "Okay, so maybe it is that bad, but from what I've been told about the legends, that should have just let you talk to dragons, not turn you into one."

"But then again...you do smell different from other humans. Kinda...actually, kinda like dragon, as crazy as it sounds," he says, looking at me like I'm the strangest thing since Thor wearing a dress to get his stolen hammer back. Based off what he's saying, I might as well be.

"Okay, so what, that means I have, like, the soul of a dragon or something?" I ask, starting to get a little nervous.

His eyes shoot up from the ground and gives me a contemplative look. "...Yes... I guess it does."

Well that is rather unprecedented. My head drops with a sigh, and I sit down on a rock. "What am I gonna do?" I ask.

"Well, for starters, you should probably learn to control this...stuff before something bad happens."

"What do you think could happen?" I look at him incredulously. This is already bad enough; I don't need to deal with something bad.

"I'm not really sure how all this works with you, but hatchlings have to learn to control their fire pretty quickly lest it overpower and consume them, and you'll probably want to know how to fly so you're not caught," he responds. Okay, so those are valid points.

"Fine. What first?" I ask begrudgingly, reluctant to leave the comfortable stone.

"I suggest flight. Best to have a getaway in case anything goes wrong." He looks awfully excited about this.

"Okay, so what do I do?" I look up to the sky with a growing anticipation. This might actually be pretty exciting.

"First things first, pick up your wings. It's bad posture to drag them around and it'll just make your back really sore," he says, adopting an instructive tone. I comply immediately, having had enough soreness courtesy of my brute of a cousin to last several lifetimes.

"Great! Now I want you to fly," he says, sitting back like he's preparing to watch a play.

"W-wait, just like that? Aren't you gonna teach me anything?" I ask, nervousness leaking into my voice.

"You shouldn't need it. The basics are pretty instinctual. After that, you just pick things up with experience. Just...don't think about it too much."

I send him an anxious glance and set my sights on the sky. My ebony wings unfurl from my back, and I crouch down, tail poised, trusting some buried instinct to guide me into the sky.

With a powerful downward beat of my wings, I launch into the sky like the finest arrow. The icy midday air kisses my face the higher I go, and I can swear upon the nine realms that I have never in my life felt so free!

An elated yell escapes my throat as I level out. "This is amazing!" Toothless joins me in the sky, his near-silent wing beats sounding next to me.

"Glad to see you enjoying yourself," he says smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right. No need to rub it in," I retort with a huff. By now, we're gliding just above the treetops by the cliffs on the north side of the island. "But seriously, is this how you feel every time you fly?"

"Yep, nothing like it. But now it's time to land."

"Wait, I don't know how to land. Is this another instinct thing?" I ask, growing increasingly worried.

"No, this is something you just have to figure out," he says. Splendid. See the sarcasm? It's right there. Seriously, it's gushing.

* * * * * * *

The cove comes into view within a few leisurely minutes, and I still haven't figured out how to land.

"Okay, so what you're gonna want to do is increase drag by angling your wings up as you come in. This will slow you down. Continue flapping as you do this. Finally, bend your knees. Don't forget that unless you feel like breaking your leg today," he speaks up.

I nod and circle the cove as he demonstrates. He makes it look so easy. Okay, Hiccup, just try it. You can't stay in the sky forever, no matter how much you like it.

I swoop towards the ground, remembering Toothless's instructions and demonstration. The ground approaches quickly so I angle my wings up. However, surprise surprise, I go up! Imagine that.

Before I know it, my vision is filled with the smooth granite of the cove wall, followed immediately by black.

* * * * * * *

Light slowly leaks into my vision. "Ohhh, anybody catch the gronkle that rammed me?" I ask, still mildly delirious.

"Hehey, He lives!" shouts the fuzzy black blob which comes back to focus as Toothless. "You know, it probably would have been a good idea to slow down first."

"No duh," I grind out, managing to sit up despite my protesting body. Toothless does nothing to help, but looks Rather smug. "...you enjoy watching me suffer."

He looks affronted. "Hey, I resent that! Well, mostly. Nah, not really. Besides, you're fine. Now, come on! You can't learn to land just sitting there."

Now it's my turn to look put off. "I just ran into solid rock, and you expect me to jump right back in?"

"Hey, you're getting the idea!" he chirps cheerily.

Wooh! Chapter. Done. Boom. Constructive criticism always appreciated!