If you could pick any fictional animal to be your lifelong companion (like a Pokémon or fantasy pet), what would it be?
The Case for a Night Fury on the Sofa: Why Toothless Would Be My Lifelong Companion
If you could choose any creature from fiction to walk beside you for the rest of your days — not just for an adventure, but for the quiet Tuesdays, the late-night cups of tea, and the long walks — what would you pick?
It’s a deceptively difficult question. A phoenix is magnificent but spends half its time bursting into flames on the carpet. A Pokémon like Pikachu is adorable until you realise your toaster will never survive. A direwolf is loyal, but good luck explaining it to the neighbours.
For me, the answer has been settled for years. I would choose a Night Fury. Specifically, Toothless.
What Makes a Lifelong Companion?
When we were younger, we might have chosen purely for power or cool factor. A dragon that can level mountains! A hippogriff that can win battles!
A lifelong companion needs a different CV. I have three criteria:
- Emotional intelligence over raw power. It has to be understood when you need company and when you need space.
- Loyalty without dependency. The sort of bond that doesn’t demand constant attention, but is utterly steadfast.
- A sense of humour. If you are going to live with a creature for decades, it had better make you laugh.
Toothless ticks every single box.
Why Toothless, and Not Any Other Dragon
On paper, a Night Fury is the most dangerous dragon in the archipelago. In practice, as anyone who has watched How to Train Your Dragon knows, Toothless behaves like a giant, overgrown cat with wings.
He is fiercely intelligent, but not in a lofty, oracle-like way that makes you feel inadequate. His intelligence is playful. He problem-solves, he sulks, he learns, he forgives. He communicates volumes without saying a single word — a tilt of the head, a warble, those enormous, expressive eyes.
Unlike more aloof fantasy creatures — say, a phoenix or an elven stag — Toothless wants to be part of your life. He is curious about your human rituals. He would absolutely try to steal your chair the moment you got up. He would nudge your elbow when you are reading for too long. He is the perfect counterbalance to our very human tendency to overthink.
And then, of course, there is the flying. I have spent a lifetime with my feet firmly on the ground. The idea of seeing the world as he sees it — not as conquest, but as sheer joy — is profoundly appealing. Not to travel faster, but to see things differently.
What Life Would Actually Look Like
I imagine it would be surprisingly domestic.
Mornings would start with a disgruntled chirrup because his fish portion is late. Evenings would be him curled up — improbably — in the warmest spot in the house, purring so loudly the windows rattle. On difficult days, there would be no need for platitudes. Just that solid, warm presence leaning against your leg, reminding you that you are not alone.
He also comes with a built-in life lesson that I value more now than ever: strength and gentleness are not opposites. Toothless can disappear into the night sky at supersonic speed, yet he is endlessly gentle with those he trusts. He is proof that you can be formidable and kind in the same breath.
A lifelong companion should make you braver and softer at the same time. That is rare in people, let alone in pets. In a Night Fury, it is standard.
So yes, give me the creature that can light up the sky and still gets distracted by its own reflection. Give me the co-pilot, the confidant, and the world’s most enthusiastic lapdog who happens to weigh half a tonne.
If you see a slightly bewildered-looking gentleman being followed by a soot-black, green-eyed shadow that pretends not to be there — that will be us.
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