(Hiccup's POV)
The first thing Hiccup learned about flying a dragon was that it was nothing like riding anything else.
Toothless climbed into the sky above the forest, powerful wings beating steadily as the wind rushed past them.
Hiccup gripped the saddle handles tightly.
"Okay!" he shouted over the wind. "We're doing great!"
Toothless banked slightly.
Hiccup shifted his foot.
The artificial tail fin adjusted.
The turn sharpened.
Hiccup laughed.
"This is amazing!"
Below them the forest rolled past in waves of green, the cliffs of Berk visible far off in the distance.
Toothless climbed higher.
The dragon clearly loved being back in the air.
But flying together took practice.
A lot of practice.
Toothless tilted suddenly.
Hiccup reacted too slowly.
The tail fin stayed open too long.
The dragon rolled sideways.
"Whoa!"
They spun.
Toothless corrected with a powerful wingbeat.
Hiccup released the pedal.
The tail fin snapped shut.
They leveled out again.
Hiccup exhaled.
"Okay."
He patted the dragon's neck.
"Still working out the bugs."
Toothless snorted.
They circled above the forest again, climbing into a steady glide.
Each movement taught them something.
A press of the pedal.
A shift of the tail.
A banking turn.
Little by little the movements started to sync together.
Dragon and rider.
Above and behind them, another shape glided through the sky.
The bat-winged dragon kept her distance as she followed.
Her enormous wings carried her silently through the high air currents.
Below her, the Night Fury and the human rider experimented with flight.
The Night Fury adjusted to the new tail fin.
The human adjusted to controlling it.
Two halves of the same solution.
The bat-dragon tilted one wing slightly, matching their course from above.
Toothless suddenly dove.
Hiccup yelped.
"Okay! Diving!"
The forest rushed toward them.
Wind roared in Hiccup's ears as the dragon angled downward.
"Pull up! Pull up!"
Hiccup pressed the pedal.
The tail fin opened.
Toothless leveled out just above the treetops.
They skimmed over the forest canopy before climbing again.
Hiccup laughed breathlessly.
"Okay, that was awesome."
Toothless gave a happy rumble.
Far above them, the bat-winged dragon circled once more.
She had watched the Night Fury grounded for many days.
Now the dragon had returned to the sky.
And the human had become part of his wings.
Below her, the two continued practicing their turns through the open air.
The partnership was still clumsy.
Still learning.
But the sky had accepted them again.