Licky-Toothless!

Ok, so I just love seeing Toothless lick Hiccup! We only got a tiny one in the film, but RoB and DoB have offered us a couple more, AND (woooohoooo!) the clip played at Comic Con from HTTYD2 had Toothless licking all over helpless Hiccup! Anyway, just going to post the moments where Toothless gives Hiccup love in a rather slobbery way. Above we have the film after Hiccup has come out of his coma.

Riders of Berk, Alvin and the Outcasts, when Hiccup and Toothless are reunited on Dragon Island.

Riders of Berk, Defiant One, when Hiccup find Toothless after a crash landing. (My goodness his tongue is long!)

And Defenders of Berk, Tunnel Vision, when Toothless gets to Hiccup after falling down a well.

It is interesting to note when Toothless shows affection in this way. It is not every time he sees Hiccup, and it is not even every time he is trying to show affection. All the instances above happened after Hiccup and Toothless were separated, whether by actual distance or by a lack of consciousness. BUT Toothless doesn't even always lick Hiccup after they have been separated. He didn't lick Hiccup when he found him in We Are Family Part 2, and that was one of their most unpleasant separations yet. So... why does Toothless lick when he licks?

I don't think there is a solid answer, or a formula, but there is at least a pattern so far as I can see. Three out of the four instances have been in private, and the other was a good distance from people. I think Toothless licks Hiccup when HE is extremely happy to see him and he doesn't even really care what Hiccup thinks. Hiccup doesn't exactly seem to like getting slapped in the face by that pink squishy thing, and we can't blame him! In the sequel clip, as far as I know, he actually tries to convince Toothless to stop licking him. When Toothless gets excited, and that is easily caused by reunion, he quickly loses all his tough-guy, scary-dragon exterior. He licks Hiccup right in the face even if Hiccup isn't necessarily going to appreciate it, but Toothless wants to do that because that is one way that he shows his love for the boy... even if it does result in Hiccup getting slobbered!