Oh, to be Hiccup walking with his daughter through the woods, when she finds a little bird on the dirty ground. She looks at it, observing, trying to know what to do. With a little voice, she asks "Can we help him?".
Hiccup is filled with nostalgia within seconds, being back in a simpler time, where his father was invincible and the strongest man alive. He remembered saying the same thing, almost begging his father for another option besides ending it. Because that couldn't be the only option.
The sight his father gave was felt in his bones. The anxiety he felt, in his stomach doing strange things while his father looked at the bird.
When he agreed, Hiccup felt lighter. Hope that there was more to choose.
He took care of the little bird for two weeks before getting was finally cured, and he remembered his father's face when they released the animal back to nature. It was soft, almost like he was happy because of it.
His father's words when they took the bird in were carved in his bones, though. What probably made him who he was.
He remembered Toothless, the first time he saw him. Haggard, trapped, lost. And it was his fault. He did that to him – and he'd always regret that, even after coming to terms with it. First, we take responsibility.
He worked so hard to find a way to fix his mistake, but when he did and Toothless still stayed, he understood what his father actually meant.
Then, you care for him. The nights they passed with each other, little moments of care between Hiccup and Toothless. They were always caring for each other, with little and simple gifts, acts. A love forged between them.
Hiccup passed almost 6 years with Toothless, but it felt so much more. A lifetime, even. His presence constant, everywhere he went, there he was. He couldn’t talk, but they communicated better than most talking creatures did.
And, finally, you return it to the wild. But Toothless couldn't stay. Hiccup knew it even before all the chaos came to berk and they had to run. Even though he denied it, he knew it for so long.
He wanted to have faith, humanity could change. Berk did, his father did. But there was always someone looking for war, power. And the dragons always ended up hurt, slaves, or killed by them.
He did everything he could to find a way for Toothless to fly on his own. Working exhaustively until it worked.
When he last hugged Toothless, he almost didn't let it go. He felt his warmth, his claws digging into his shoulders like he also didn't want it. But it was for the best. Hiccup cared for him so much, loved him so deeply, that if his safety was in letting him go, he was willing to make it happen.
It felt like someone had stabbed him when he watched Toothless flying away. A deep cut that'd never close.
Hiccup felt dizzy with all those memories. Took a deep breath, one, two times, and finally, knelt near his daughter.
He put his hand on her shoulder, pressed slightly while he looked at the little animal, and then back to her. Oh, how he wished his father could meet her. How he longed for Toothless to get to know her.
But now, all he could do was pass on their teachings.
"Yeah, can you get me a stick?"
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
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