Hiccup froze for a moment; even his breath ceased making small white clouds in the winter air. The green-eyed visitor was not so reserved. He practically leaped forwards towards Hiccup, licking all the way up his chest and face in a show of joy – he showed no signs of injury from his less than graceful landing.

After the shock dissipated, Hiccup wrapped his arms around the black beast, pulling him close enough that he could hear his heart beat. There was a wordless exchange of feelings then, of "I missed you" and "how have you been?" They didn't need words; their arms and their eyes were enough to say all they needed to say.

It had been over half a year since their last meeting – normally, it would be until summer before the family journeyed across the sea and met with Toothless' own outside of the raging waterfall that marked the caldera. It had become a new tradition for the people of Berk, that journey across the sea. Each household would go either alone or with others during either the summer or late spring – when the weather was at its best – and they would meet with their old friends in their new home. It was a solemn affair at first, as the pain of separation was renewed with each goodbye. Now, four years having passed since Hiccup's own first journey across the sea, it had become almost a holiday of sorts.

But, in any case, they were united now. Their loving embrace was halted by a voice in the distance. A call into the darkness. Hiccup could not make out the words. It mattered little, though, for they sent him into a panic regardless of what they may have been expressing. In an instant, Hiccup released his arms from Toothless and began pushing him towards the door of the chief's house. His hushed, panicked tones and the urgency with which he pushed told Toothless enough, and fortunately the dragon caught the memo and ducked inside without issue.

"Is- is everything alright?" Hiccup still had both of his hands upon the wooden door after slamming it closed when the voice spoke from behind him. The chief turned swiftly and made a dogged attempt to hide his rapid breathing and alarmed state of mind.

"Yes! Yes, it's- everything is fine!"

Hiccup brushed his hands along his apron. The young visitor – definitely one of those from the nearby islands – stared back, wide eyed, awaiting a response. He carried a torch in his left hand that illuminated the surrounding area – including Hiccup's slightly panicked expression.

"It was just uh, just some sort of noise. Who knows what it was, really!"

After a short time of staring curiously, the young presumably chief nodded, clearly a bit jarred, and turned to leave. Once he was out of sight, Hiccup put his back against the door and sighed with relief. He looked around twice, checking to make sure no one else had come to investigate, and then pulled the door open just enough to allow himself entrance before quickly shutting it again.

It was not just the guests which were awoken by Toothless' crash landing. The whole Haddock household was awake and within the main room of the house – the two young children tugging curiously on the slightly annoyed dragon's ears. Valka and Astrid stood by his side as well, both rubbing him gently. It may have been a rude awakening, but none of them had the slightest complaint about seeing their old friend. With the danger of discovery resolved for the moment, Hiccup took the time to explain what he could to his family. He noted as well the damage to the dragon's mechanical tail – damage which was enough to keep him grounded until a replacement could be finished. It was more than just the landing itself – although that certainly didn't help matters. A few gears in the tail were sufficiently worn to make flying a challenge, which explained both the nature of Toothless' visit (which directly violated Hiccup's instructions to remain in the Hidden World for safety) and his rough landing.

Fortunately, the needed replacement was already in progress. Unfortunately, in progress did not mean near completion. Even if it was, how could Hiccup bring himself to send away his friend after he had just arrived? The nights were lonely sometimes, even with his family around, and he was perfectly content to spend the current night enjoying having things as they used to be – if only for a short time. Toothless seemed equally content with the idea. He curled up near the fire and Hiccup took his place in a seat nearby. The whole family spent the hours chatting quietly and giving Toothless more than his fair share of affection until most everyone had fallen asleep on various pieces of furniture within the room. Hiccup was the last awake.

"Toothless?" he whispered, nudging his foot against the dragon's black scales gently. Toothless responded by tilting his head up from where it rested, eying Hiccup questioningly.

"I just wanted to say," Hiccup said, reaching down to hold the dragon's head with both hands, "that it's good to see you again." Toothless cooed at that, giving Hiccup an affectionate lick. "I- I know what I told you and- and I'm glad you listened. But I- I think maybe it's time for something to change. It's been a long time, Toothless, and I think people are-"

Hiccup's quiet, gentle speaking was cut off by the shuffle of feet outside the door. Both he and his dragon eyed the door cautiously – reminded of the potential danger of discovery. It would be no problem on any other night, in truth, but non-Berkians were unlikely to be ecstatic about a dragon being upon the island. Especially, of course, when they had trusted that the Berkians spoke truthfully about having no contact with the beasts of old.

But their worry proved uncalled for as the footsteps moved past, likely just someone on patrol of the village – not some sort of prying set of eyes seeking to uncover Toothless' presence. When both of them relaxed again, Hiccup started to speak again, only for Toothless to lay his head in the chief's lap and appear fast asleep. It wasn't exactly a short flight, Hiccup reasoned, and it was quite late into the night. Toothless had good reason to be tired.

"Good night, bud. See you in the morning."

I chose to end here because it felt natural, although this chapter is much shorter than usual. The next and presumably final chapter will cover the next day and all the potential mayhem brought by Toothless' presence. Please review, it means a lot to me! Thanks for reading.