I leaned back in my chair, breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced over my writing one last time. Was everything as good as I could possibly make it? For the moment, yes, I supposed it was. No doubt I would have a different opinion later. If I cared to look over it a few months from now I would probably want, as usual, to rewrite it entirely. I suppose every writer feels that way at some point.

I stared at the wall, lost in thought. Another story finished. All the long months of hard work, of mapping it out in my head, of sorting out random plot points and merging them together, of developing dozens of characters and finding out roles for all of them, and then all the typing and retyping and the endless revising, it was all over now. There was nothing else to be done except publish it. It is a rather strange feeling to have the work of such a long time suddenly over just like that. It is a sense of both relief and emptiness.

With a heavy sigh I shut my computer down and switched off my light, muttering to myself, "And that's that. It's over."

So now what?

I stood up and pulled on a coat. A walk seemed like good idea. I did often take them when trying to clear my head, especially when I was stuck on plot points or what to write next.

As I turned towards the door my gaze fell upon my bed. Sitting on it was Hiccup, looking as laid back as he ever did. Astrid was next to him, an arm around his shoulders. Toothless sat on the floor, so that Hiccup could scratch his head. Beside and behind them were many other characters, all looking at me pleasantly. There were aliens and humans and animals, some male, some female, some hideous and others beautiful, some were machines and some were organics, and some were a bizarre mixture of both, some were short and others were tall. They covered my bed and the space around it, so that it was like looking at a collage. And I knew each and every one of them, and had for years in many cases. Others did too, but not entirely in the way that I did.

"Hi guys," I said, raising a hand in a cross between a wave and a salute.

"Where'ya going?" one of them asked.

I shrugged, completely unconcerned. "I have no idea."

"Mind if we come along?" asked Hiccup.

"Sure."

I turned and made my way out the door. I did not see them come with me, but I knew they were there. They always would be, no matter where I decided to go.