(Hiccup's POV)
Toothless didn't relax.
The low rumble in his chest deepened as he stared toward the trees beyond the pond.
Hiccup followed his gaze.
"…What is it?"
The Night Fury slowly stood.
His wings lifted slightly, body lowering as if preparing to spring.
Hiccup swallowed.
"Okay. That's new."
The forest around them looked normal enough. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the waterfall continued its quiet trickle into the pond.
But Toothless wasn't bluffing.
Something had his full attention.
High above the clearing, hidden among the thick pine branches, the bat-winged dragon remained frozen against the trunk.
Her enormous ears tilted forward.
She had shifted her weight only slightly.
Apparently that had been enough.
The Night Fury was extremely good at noticing things.
Below, Toothless took a slow step toward the trees.
Hiccup stood carefully.
"Uh… Toothless?"
The dragon didn't respond.
Another step.
Another rumble.
Hiccup raised his hands slightly.
"Okay, whatever it is, maybe don't start a fight with it."
Toothless flicked his tail once.
Then suddenly—
He bolted forward.
The dragon dashed toward the forest edge and leapt into the trees.
Branches shook violently as he vanished into the canopy.
Hiccup stared.
"…Great."
He hurried after him.
"Please don't be another dragon."
In the Trees
The bat-winged dragon moved the moment the Night Fury leapt.
Silent wings opened.
She pushed off the branch and glided deeper into the forest canopy.
Below her, the Night Fury bounded from trunk to trunk, searching.
His ears angled forward.
His nose lifted slightly.
Tracking.
The bat-dragon moved carefully.
Every motion precise.
No sudden sounds.
No snapping branches.
Finally the Night Fury stopped.
He perched on a thick branch and looked around.
The forest was still.
The bat-dragon had already slipped farther away into the trees.
After a long moment, Toothless huffed irritably.
Nothing there.
He dropped back to the ground and trotted toward the clearing again.
Back at the Pond
Hiccup stood beside the water when Toothless returned.
"Find anything?"
Toothless snorted and flopped down beside the pond again.
Hiccup sat down across from him.
"Good," he said. "Let's keep it that way."
Toothless flicked his tail.
Hiccup opened the notebook again.
"Now where were we?"
He flipped a few pages and continued writing.
"Dragon reactions to eels: extremely negative."
Toothless glanced at the page.
Hiccup smiled slightly.
"Don't worry. No more eel experiments today."
Toothless snorted.
Above them, far deeper in the forest now, the bat-winged dragon perched on a distant branch.
Her ears slowly rotated as she listened.
The Night Fury had almost found her.
Almost.
She would have to be more careful.
But as she watched the clearing from afar, her tail flicked thoughtfully.
The human was still learning.
And the Night Fury was slowly learning to trust him.
Which meant the story she remembered was moving forward.
Exactly as it should.