If Toothless died before Hiccup
- So, I was looking through my drafts (which are mostly half-finished or failed gifsets) and I found this lil thing that I wrote several weeks ago while tipsy, but I still kinda like it. So....
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I’ve seen a lot of headcanons about Hiccup dying before Toothless, but none of the other way around, and I’ve been toying with stories to doodle as comics and...
We begin with a timeskip of an elderly retired Hiccup visited by an equally elderly and dying Toothless. Toothless is accompanied by his first three offspring (tbh I imagine Toothless would have a whole bunch of babies but anyway). Hiccup understands what’s happening, and he mounts Toothless one last time as the five of them begin their journey to Vanaheim while Toothless’ children make sure that their ailing parent can safely maintain flight, as the old dragon hasn’t had a passenger in several decades. Hiccup spends days on the island with Toothless, relaxing and exploring, and he spends the sunsets and sunrises recounting stories of their adventures together. One morning, Hiccup wakes up, leaning against Toothless, and dreamily narrates the story about when he and Toothless first met. Before he finishes recounting the memory, he looks behind him. Toothless is lifeless against his back, but Hiccup already knew; he felt the dragon stop breathing. Toothless died in his sleep, surrounded by his firstborn offspring and his best friend. He and the Night Lights pay their respects before Hiccup mounts the new dragon alpha, one of the offspring, and returns home to New Berk and the human family that still needs him.
Honestly, I could see Hiccup and Toothless dying together on Vanaheim, but I think that would be oddly convenient timing and go against the narrative that enforces Hiccup’s dedication to his non-dragon family. Also, Toothless’ resting place, which he creates due to there not being an existing resting place for Night Furies, would become the future resting place for Night Lights. This all assumes that Vanaheim is canon to the HTTYD movieverse, which is a pretty flimsy connection, given the fact that the movie dragons left “not a bone nor a fang for men to remember them by.” However, this same concept could work if it took place in The Hidden World itself. And perhaps I will doodle it out if folks want me to.