(Hiccup's POV)
The idea had kept Hiccup awake most of the night.
He had filled nearly three pages of his notebook with sketches before the design finally started to make sense. Wood frame. Leather straps. Cloth stretched across the surface to mimic the missing half of the tail fin.
It didn't need to be perfect.
It just needed to work.
Now he carried the finished pieces carefully through the forest.
"Well," he muttered to himself, adjusting the bundle under his arm, "either this is genius… or I'm about to get flattened by a dragon."
The trees opened into the hidden basin.
The pond shimmered beneath the waterfall, and beside it lay the Night Fury.
Toothless lifted his head immediately when Hiccup appeared.
"Morning, bud."
Hiccup dropped the bundle beside a rock and reached into his basket.
Toothless perked up as a fish sailed across the clearing.
Snap.
Gone.
"Good," Hiccup said. "You're in a cooperative mood."
He picked up the wooden frame.
"Alright. Let's see if this works."
Toothless leaned forward curiously as Hiccup crouched beside his tail.
"Easy… easy…"
The dragon tensed slightly but didn't pull away.
Hiccup lifted the damaged tail carefully.
"You're missing half your tail fin," he explained quietly. "Which means you can't stabilize in the air."
He held up the frame.
"So… I built you a new one."
Leather straps wrapped carefully around the base of Toothless's tail while Hiccup tightened the buckles.
The cloth fin extended outward, forming a mirror image of the missing half.
Hiccup stepped back.
"There."
Toothless twisted his body slightly, inspecting the strange new attachment.
"Go on," Hiccup said. "Try it."
The dragon stood.
Wings stretched wide.
Above the clearing, hidden among the branches overlooking the basin, the bat-winged dragon leaned forward slightly.
This was important.
Toothless crouched.
Then leapt.
For a moment—
It worked.
The wings caught the air and lifted him off the ground.
But almost immediately the dragon tilted sideways.
The tail fin flapped uselessly.
Without control, the balance was wrong.
Toothless spun and slammed into the grass with a frustrated growl.
Hiccup winced.
"…Okay."
The dragon glared at him.
"First prototype," Hiccup said quickly.
Toothless snorted.
The Night Fury tried again.
Another leap.
Another brief lift—
Another uncontrolled spin.
Crash.
Hiccup sighed and grabbed his notebook.
"Right. So that didn't work."
Toothless flicked his tail irritably.
Hiccup flipped to the tail sketch again.
"You can move your tail," he said slowly.
"But you can't adjust the fin."
He scratched another note beside the drawing.
"Which means…"
His eyes widened.
"Oh."
He looked up at Toothless.
"I need to control it."
Toothless blinked.
Hiccup stood and grabbed the saddle frame he had brought with him.
"I fly with you."
He pointed at the dragon.
"You handle the wings."
Then he pointed at the artificial fin.
"I steer."
Toothless tilted his head.
Above them, the bat-winged dragon watched silently.
The human had discovered the truth.
The Night Fury could not fly alone anymore.
But together—
The two of them might return to the sky.