In How To Train Your Dragon As A Stormcutter

The forest around him was calm as Randy woke up.

There he stood and walked, not feeling anything strange, and Randy gazed at his limbs, which were now two large wings. A moment later, the wings split into two, and he continued to move on the bottom ones. He stopped again.

This time, it really sank in. He was a dragon. A freaking dragon that could breathe fire, if that's what he remembered a Stormcutter could do. Nevertheless, he rotated his head and froze when he saw that he could turn it one hundred and eighty degrees, seeing his back scales and large tail.

'Urgh...' Randy barfed a little, turning his head back in place, '...not used to that,'

He made his way to a cliff, the talons of his wings gripping the stone as Randy peered down the drop to the rampaging waves below. A shiver went down his spine. Randy nudged away from the edge right after, his mind flooding with the ocean's vastness.

'Great,' Randy rolled his eyes, turning away and walking back to the spot where he woke up.

Surprisingly, it was a peaceful spot that was fit for a dragon, with nobody to bother him in these deep woods. And yet, Randy couldn't help but think of the sea, the chills getting to him. So, something else came to mind.

On one of the trees he eyed had a branch. Randy wasn't sure if it was him remembering something, or if it was instinctual, but before he knew it, he hung upside down from his...tail? Regardless, he was doing so, and he quite liked it.

'How is this branch not breaking?' Randy thought, tugging at it, which he immediately stopped, 'I better get down,'

So he did and unwrapped his tail, and he landed pretty safely, to his surprise. Sure, he was a dragon, but Randy had the memories of a human in his past life, and that part told him he would have broken his neck while doing that.

'Frankly, I should thank that being for...making me used to some things these dragons do,' Randy raised one of his clawed wings, running it across the spine-like things on his head. He even felt the 'crown' on top of his owl-like face, 'I should feel uncomfortable, or something should be in the way...but it feels as if I grew up like this,'

Randy looked down at the bushes around him with wide eyes of curiosity. He looked inland, deep into the forest, noticing the slight decline if he were to venture further, and that's the next thing that came to mind.

What was out there?

Taking the view of the cliffside into account, Randy knew he was on an island, mostly, but mostly because he kept on thinking of How To Train Your Dragon and how the maps of that world were more like an Archipelago. However, he was reminded that this wasn't exactly the same world.

'...Wait a minute,' His two sets of raised wings came into view, and it clicked.

Although, Randy hesitated.

Perhaps it was his human self again, but it was only for a moment. Right after, Randy flapped his large wings with a sense of unfamiliarity, as if he were a baby bird attempting flight for the first time. Suddenly, the flaps went into a rhythm of steady beats. He was off into the air before he knew it, the ground pulling away from him ever so slowly.

That didn't matter, as his heart thumped in his chest with excitement, for he was flying, and he felt as if he had a deep massage, his muscles relaxed and free. He for sure enjoyed it very much.

A few moments later, Randy landed. After he flew up to a good height, he could tell that this was an island in the middle of the ocean.

'Could there be...inhabitants?' He blinked, gazing around, 'Should I check?'

Of course, it was a good idea to check, for all the obvious reasons. He was a dragon, but regardless of what he thought, most people would be terrified of a dragon his size, and the only option would be to kill. They didn't know any better, but if a wild, threatening-looking animal was around your village, you'd be scared too.

So, Randy moved inland, but for the wrong reasons.

He found a ledge which led to a small drop to more floor, and under this ledge was a small cave. Big enough for a dragon like him. Small enough to be missed with a glance.

Of course, it was a good shelter, not only for resting but in case of any emergencies with any beasts or people around here, so with a backup plan, Randy was even more sure to explore this island. He started by crawling into the cave.

Many would call it foolish, some even simple-minded, but there was a simple reason. He wanted to sleep. Yes, Randy, the human turned dragon, in surroundings unknown and for all he knew, hazardous, wanted to curl up into a ball in a cave he just found like a little kitten and snore away.

Alas, nothing stopped him as Randy crouched and slipped into the cave, his eyes drooping slightly, making him want to sleep even more. Just like that, he used his fire breath to light up the ground beneath him and lay down, the warmth comforting to his scales. Randy paused for a moment.

'I really just used my breath so nonchalantly,'

He frowned a little. Randy thought that using his firepower would've felt ironically cool; Stormcutter's fire breaths were hot, and because he was a human before, perhaps a little adrenaline would run into his blood flow when seeing the flame fire forth from his mouth?

No. It felt as normal as moving an arm and his body deflated a little at that.

Regardless, Randy's eyelids felt heavy. Maybe it was the transportation from wherever that god creature was to here that placed some strain on him? He'll never know. For now, his body curled up, and Randy rested his head against the rock floor.

Strangely, just lying like this gave him that same feeling of when Randy would lie in bed under the covers on a cold day. The warmth circulating around his body, the strange sense of security and comfort. That's what made lying like this so nice for him, and maybe being a dragon had a part to play in it, but nevertheless, Randy was out cold nice and fast, his snore soft and rumbling.

Suddenly, a sharp pain woke him up.

Randy felt extremely relaxed, his muscles calm and his body lazy. So when this pinpoint sting woke him up, he was both shaken and taken off guard.

At first, his eyes darted around. His head twisted and turned. Then his body. Randy's heart pounded in his chest. Maybe he had been stabbed in his sleep, and he looked for the area of the wound. His movements became more frantic as he rushed around.

However, after having felt around with his hooked talons on his wings and scanned his scales with his eyes, Randy found the spot. There was no wound, but the pain was still there. It panged in the middle of his stomach.

Hunger.

It was only from his stomach, but this was bad. Randy crawled out of the cave with a grunt, the pain small, but there. He felt the sunlight against his scales. When he went to sleep, Randy didn't pay any mind to the time of day, but it was daytime as he'd never forget about the sun, and yet, after he experienced that wake-up call, Randy couldn't help but tell that time had passed.

A lot of time.

'...I'm starving,' He thought, letting out a low grumble as he placed a claw on his stomach, 'what can I eat?'

Randy's wild eyes scoured the forest around him. His first thought was berries. His second thought was how stupid that was, considering how he didn't know if they were poisonous or worse.

Third thought?

'...' Randy frowned, the embarrassment burning him up inside, '...I'm a dragon, I don't need berries,'

Regardless, his next thought for food led him over and back to that cliff, overlooking the vast sea and tumbling waves. Randy shivered, jumping back, his tail flicking with fear.

'Why did I have to be afraid of the sea?'

He shut his eyes. Yes, he could hunt for fish, that's what Stormcutters and most dragons eat, but the thought of flying over something vast, and somehow crashing below the surface and coming face to face with the never ending depth of the cold and horrid sea...it sent the fear crawling underneath his skin like ants burrowing their way into sand.

As he turned away from the cliff, Randy knew that this intensifying fear of the deep was going to be a problem. His stomach growled, notifying that it didn't leave, and was quite comfortable right where it was.

So he turned to the other best option. Inland.

Perhaps this island had free animals running around, and Randy wouldn't mind munching on them.

'Never thought I'd consider it,' He continued to move, his tail swaying slowly, 'however, I'm not human any more...'

So Randy continued on and kept to the ground. He believed that if he flew above the trees, he wouldn't see, and despite remembering that Stormcutters could be silent despite their large size, he knew full well he'd break a few trees before snatching an animal up.

Also, his stomach hurt, so staying focused in the air was a no-no regardless.

Funnily enough, his size was not truly a problem while walking, as he manoeuvred through openings in the trees and avoided bushes or anything that would give away his position. The growl of his stomach threw Randy's mind into turmoil.

What could he eat? A sheep? A cow? Deer? Goat? Maybe this island had lizards, but the deeper the woods he travelled into, the more his mind wandered.

A sound interrupted his thoughts.

It was not the sound of the bustling leaves or the flowing wind. There was something unnatural about it, as if it weren't nature at work. The sound was a smooth knock, repeating ever so slowly, as if whatever was doing it was being precise.

With a turn of his head, Randy followed the noise, making sure himself not to alert the one or thing emitting the noise.

Suddenly, the sound stopped. Something creaked and crashed just after, and that rumbling sound, if Randy wasn't a dragon, he would've soiled the ground beneath him. Nevertheless, he continued on.

That was where he came across a group of humans.

Keeping himself low, he watched as they stood around a long tree that had been felled just moments ago. Must've been what Randy heard. He heard their voices and watched as one of them walked away, axe in hand and eyes focused on another tall tree.

Randy's eyes narrowed.

Their helmets with pointed horns that curved or straightened, and their woolly and leather clothes, notified him of one thing. Vikings. Whether they were Vikings or not was the other question, but Randy knew they looked it.

Now how would they react to a dragon?

Really, they were predictable. More or less, Randy had nothing else to do but stay wary and on edge, readying himself if things became sour or downright life-threatening.

From a distance, he continued to observe them, his growling stomach always notifying him. The pain drove Randy to the realm of desperation. He needed to eat.

However, there was something else that made him step forward.

Maybe it was the fact that because he was a dragon, he could scare them, perhaps it was his intrusive thoughts that wanted him to move into the clear and show himself. Regardless, he moved and did just that, letting out a low rumble for good measure.