Young Dragonblood

Chapter Two

Your heart leapt. This was it. You were going to Shift, your whole body changing to something else entirely. What would you turn into? A Nadder? A flightmare? A Speed Stinger? There were so many dragons, any of which you could be. For all you knew, you could be a Hotburple, though you truly hoped not, those boulder classes were so slow. 
    Another thought hit you. Would you be able to control this dragon side? What if you couldn't and harmed Hiccup or Toothless? You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you did that. 
    You took a deep breath and looked at Hiccup. He'd already Shifted, the light from the rising moon shining on his black scales. It showed up the green edges to his wings and tail and shone on his metal foot, still somehow attached. He gave you a toothless smile of encouragement as the moon rose higher. 
    You turned your gaze to the moon, squinting at its brightness. The ache that had been plaguing you for the past week strengthened, spreading throughout your body, making your muscles clench. You hissed in pain, agony that of which you had never felt, and hope you never felt again, burned through your whole being. Even through this pain you could feel your bones changing, muscles shifting, skin stretching. How could Hiccup stand this every time he Shifted? It was as if your soul was rebelling against you. 
    You thought you cried out, but you couldn't be sure. You couldn't be sure of anything at that moment except pain. That was all you could feel. 
    Then... It was gone. Not entirely, though, the ache was still there, nagging you. But the tremendous pain that had swept through you like a scorching wind had dissipated. You gasped at the cool air, feeling like you hadn't been breathing for a long time, and blinked at the darkness dulled colours filtering into your vision. Everything seemed brighter, sharper. So sharp, in fact, you could see an ant scuttling over a blade of grass five yards away. 
    You groaned and lifted your head, seeing Hiccup and Toothless staring at you amazement. Shakily, your legs trembling, you got to all fours. Well, you were a quadrupedal dragon, that narrowed it down a little. You shuffled your wings, feeling the unfamiliar weight and new muscles. It was... Weird, but exciting. This was something so new, so thrilling. Not too many people could claim they had been a dragon. 
    ‘What?’ You asked Hiccup, surprising yourself with your Dragontongue words. How could you so suddenly understand dragon language? He just blinked in answer, his mouth slightly open. ‘What's the matter? What dragon am I?’ You tried to look back at yourself and almost cricked your neck. You had dark scales, that much you could tell. 
    ‘Hrm,’ Hiccup said. He nodded for you to follow and turned, padding towards the beach. You stumbled after him, struggling to coordinate your limbs and tripping over your own claws. This was going to take some getting used to. 
    Hiccup and Toothless led you to a calm rock pool, where the water was as flat as a tabletop. The moon and the stars were reflected in it, almost as if a piece of the heavens had been pulled to Earth and laid out here, on this very beach. You walked, or more accurately, fell, to the edge of the pool and looked down at your reflection. The moonlight was so bright that you could clearly see the defining features of the species you were. Dark scales, newtlike head, long opposable ears. 
    You were a Night Fury.