15 years later

Azalea pov

"Aza, wake up. It's time to wake up!" A gentle voice whispered in my ear.

"Five more minutes mum." I mumbled and wrapped myself up in my warm blanket.

"Fine Azalea, but don't say I didn't try to wake you up." My mother, Terra, said and left my room.

I smiled when I heard her footsteps fade away and snuggled deeper into my pillow.

The house was full of quiet sounds of my family getting ready for the day. My father, Alun, groaning as he got out of bed and stretched his back, the soft squeak of the floor where somebody was walking, the fire crackling in the living room, and in my room. Everything was perfect, and I was about to go to sleep but that drastically changed when the shutters suddenly banged open and somebody jumped onto my bed.

Before I could get up and defend myself from the intruder I was suddenly rolled off my bed.

"Ow! What the," I said as somebody gave me a noogie from behind.

"Hey let me go!" I shouted as I flipped the person over my head and quickly stood up.

"What's wrong bed head? Sleeping in much?" The blond haired guy laughed.

"What? Damn you Tuffnut!" I said as my best friend stood up.

"I bet I scared the living daylight outta you!" He said and laughed.

I glared at him and tackled him down.

We rolled around on the ground for a bit before I finally pinned him down.

"Lucky shot!" He shouted as he struggled to be set free.

"This outta teach ya not to mess with me!" I said and gave him a wet-wily.

"Ugh that's disgusting!" He shouted and tried to wipe the saliva from his ear as I stood up.

"I learn from the best!" I said jokingly.

"Good morning Tuffnut dear. Are you and your sister going to breakfast?" My mother said walking into my room. She wasn't surprised because this was an everyday thing.

"Yup. You wanna come with us?" He asked me.

"Sure! Speaking of which, where's Ruffnut?" I asked as I got some clothes from my dresser.

"She said she'd catch-" Tuffnut was interrupted by someone else climbing through my window.

"Morning Aza!" The new intruder said.

"Good morning Ruffnut." I replied. Again this was an everyday thing.

"We're going to breakfast, fat lip." Tuffnut said towards his sister.

"What did you call me Toad face?" She said and leaned towards her brother.

"I'm going to get ready now." My mum said and walked out of my room.

"Thanks mum. We'll be out in a minute." I called after her as the twins began their fighting.

"Hey Tuff, can you leave?" I asked interrupting their fight.

"What?" He said as he let go of his sisters' leg.

"Can you get out of my room?" I said.

"What for?" He whined.

"I'm gonna change." I stated and rolled my eyes.

"So? You've changed in front of me before." He said and leaned on my bed.

"We were kids! Pervert, just get out." I said as I tried to hide my blush.

"I got this." Ruffnut said and began to drag her brother out by his hair.

"Hey let me go big butt! Ow let go!" Tuffnut shouted as his twin dragged him out of my room.

I closed the door and chuckled, then went back to my bed.

I put on my tight light blue short sleeve shirt that stuck to me, some warm pants, a wool skirt over those, a pair black of fingerless gloves, and my fuzzy warm boots.

I walked to the full length mirror on the other side of my room and examined myself.

My long black hair was a mess from where Tuffnut gave me a noogie.

"Ugh great now I have to do my hair again." I said and began to gently brush it.

Everyone on the island said I looked more like my mum than my dad. I had her small nose, small ears and bright green eyes, and from my dad I had his thick black hair, freckles and, thankfully, his height.

I was about eight years old when I passed my mom up in height. She would always tease me but I knew she was jealous. Luckily all of my friends were around the same height as me if not taller.

"Azalea hurry or these two are going to kill each other." My mother said.

"Coming mum." I said and braided all my hair down my back.

Before I walked out of my room I looked out of my window and saw that the sun would rise in a few hours.

'I wonder what it would feel like to wake up after the sun.' I thought to myself as I walked to the living room where Tuffnut and Ruffnut were fighting on the ground.

"You guys ready?" I said as I grabbed my over the shoulder leather bag. It held a small dagger, some cheese, a small notebook and a charcoal pencil.

"Yeah." Ruffnut said as she pinned her brother down.

"Get off big butt!" Tuffnut yelled.

She got a random piece of wood and hit him over the head with it.

"Now I will." She sneered.

I rolled my eyes and walked outside with Ruffnut right behind.

"Hey that hurt!" We heard him shout behind.

"That was the point!" Ruffnut shouted back.

Tuffnut came out of nowhere and tackled his sister down.

I laughed and sat down on a log as I waited for them to finish their fight.

That's when the first dragon appeared.

It came out of nowhere but its roar was as clear as crystal. I looked over and saw a Monstrous Nightmare coming toward us.

"Get up!" I shouted and dragged the two shocked Viking behind a pillar just as the dragon spit fire on the spot we were previously at.

It flew over us, but didn't seem to spot us, and flew away.

"Run to the plaza." I said as soon the dragon was a bit farther away.

They nodded and we all ran to the main plaza where there where a few men and ladies out, but no dragons had attacked yet but I saw them circling up in the dark sky.

"Dragons!" I shouted as we continued to run.

After the words left my mouth the village was in chaos. Dragons where swooping in like crazy and people where running out of their homes ready to defend their village and sheep.

It was crazy as I ran towards the blacksmith where I expected to find my other childhood best friend, Hiccup.

I made it but it was empty, except for Gobber who was getting ready for the day.

"Hiccup not here yet?" I asked as a Gronckle came up behind me and roared.

"Not yet but I expect him to be here soon." He said and threw me a hammer.

I caught it in mid air, turned on my toes, and hit the Gronckle square in the face. It yelped in a dragon way and flew away. I might not have the training to kill a dragon yet, but I do have the knowledge, and strength to scare a Gronckle.

"I thought he'd be here by now." I muttered. "Anyways, you need any help?" I asked after I put the hammer in my belt loop and leaned on the counter.

"Not really. Why don't you go off and help the others." He shooed me off and I caught up with Ruff and Tuff.

"What happened so far?" I asked.

"Just a regular raid." Ruffnut said as a Nightmare blasted a cart.

"What are you guys doing just standing there?" We heard Astrid shout at us from behind. "Help us put out this fire!" She shouted gesturing to flaming cart behind her.

Astrid was another female Viking of our age group. She was all everyone talked about, and she was the one who everyone thought was going to be the one to kill her first dragon at the end of dragon training.

As I was about to get a bucket and fill it with water I heard some of the other Viking begin to complain.

"What are you doing out!" Somebody hollered.

"Get inside!" Someone else shouted.

"Get back inside!" A third said.

I turned around and saw my best friend, Hiccup, running past all the people who looked like giants compared to him.

Then he ran into his father, Stoick the vast.

He yanked Hiccup aloft to the crowd.

"Hiccup! What is he doing out again?" He yelled to the crowd then he looked at his son and said "What are you doing out? Get inside!" Stoick put Hiccup down and turned to the sky.

I walked down to where Hiccup was standing.

"Roar!" I shouted in his ear.

He jumped back and yelped.

"Aza what are you doing?" He said and regained his posture.

"Nothing much, just helping as much as I can. And why are you out? Let's get you to Gobber." I said as I grabbed his hand and began dragging him to the blacksmith.

We crossed behind a counter, where Gobber was reshaping blades with a hammer and tongs appendage.

"Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off." Gobber said as Hiccup put on a leather apron and started to put away Gobber's scattered appendages.

"Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this." Hiccup said while making a bodybuilder pose.

"Well everything need's toothpicks, don't they?" I said as Hiccup began transferring bent and chipped weapons to the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.

"Sure you don't need any help? You seem to be having a bunch of replacement and things." I asked.

"Well if you're going to keep asking you might as well make yourself useful." Gobber said.

I smiled and grabbed another leather apron and began to sharpen another sword.

After a bit I looked over and saw Hiccup staring out of the window. Quietly I walked over and saw what he was looking at.

See technically I was not a dragon killer, no training for it yet, but I was supposed to be on the fire brigade with five other Viking teens, they were Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Astrid.

"I see you still have a thing for Astrid, don't you Hiccup?" I teased.

He blinked out of his gaze and blushed. "It's not that it's just their job is so much cooler." Hiccup said as the four of them passed by.

He ran past me and tried to join them. I was about to warn him but Gobber got to him first.

"Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark." Hiccup whined.

"Hiccup, you have made your marks but," I started.

"But all in the wrong places." Gobber finished for me.

Hiccup gave me a desperate look but I just shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.

"Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date." He insisted.

"Hey you've had a date before." I said as I sharpened an axe.

"With a girl who doesn't see me as a sibling." He said.

I shrugged my shoulders again and went back to work. Yeah Hiccup and I dated for a while but it felt weird so we agreed to be best friends from now on.

"You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe..." Gobber said as he grabbed a bola, two iron balls connected by a rope. "You can't even throw one of these!" He said as another Viking took them from Gobber and threw them from our vision.

"Okay fine, but..." He said and rushed to the back corner of the shop and presents a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption. "This will throw it for me." Hiccup said as he opened the hinged lid of the device.

An arm sprung up, equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launched a bola, barely missing Gobber and me, but hitting the Viking who was at the counter.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"See, now this right here is what I'm talking about." Gobber said as I walked to the contraption.

"Mild calibration issue." Hiccup muttered and I nodded.

"Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all..." Gobber said as he gestured in Hiccup's general direction. "...This."

"But... you just pointed to all of him." I said butting in.

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you." Gobber said.

'Harsh.' I thought to myself.

"Ohhhh..." Hiccup said threateningly.

"Ohhhh, yes." Gobber said mimicking him.

"Oh boy here they go." I said quietly to myself.

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw...Viking-ness contained." Hiccup said gesturing to himself. "There will be consequences!" He said as Gobber tossed him a sword.

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now." Hiccup took it begrudgingly and began to sharpen it.

"Look at the bright side Hiccup!" I said trying to get him to cheer up.

"What bright side?" He said as he sharpened the sword.

"Well you could be a stupid and useless Viking, but you're not, you're a genius!" I said.

He gave me a depressed look and said "That really helps. But you'll see. One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here." He said.

"It's not everything Hiccup." I tried to reason.

"Oh yeah? Then do tell. I'd love to hear what else I could do to gain some respect around here." He challenged.

"Well you could be a really good...fisherman, or a...blacksmith. You know being a good blacksmith can make your reputation." I said as I finished my axe, and grabbed a dull sword and began sharpening it.

"Not as much ad killing a dragon would. See I bet a Nadder head would sure get me at least noticed. Or maybe a Gronckle, they're tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend." He said as he got this dreamy look on his face.

"With Astrid?" I teased.

"What? Who said anything about Astrid?" He said defensively as the redness rushed to his cheeks.

I smiled and heard Gobber laugh in the back.

"Anyways continue." I said as we began to sharpen our things.

"What about a Zippelback? They're exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status." He said.

"Also it's twice the danger and risk of getting hurt or dying." I said nonchalantly.

"You know you're being a very negative person today." He muttered.

"You say negative, I say realistic." I said with a grin. "Anyways please go on."

"And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire." He said as if I didn't already know.

"Those scare me." I said as looked down at my finger-less leather gloves.

"I bet they would." Gobber said as he carried newly sharpened swords and axes to the counter.

Hiccup slowed down what he was doing and looked over at me.

"You still have those scars?" He asked.

I looked up and smiled. "Scars don't go away Hiccup, not these at least." I muttered. "So were you done with your dragon rampage?" I said eager to change the subject.

"Well there's still the ultimate prize. The dragon no one has ever seen. You know which one right? The-"

"Night Fury! Get down!" We heard someone shout outside.

Both Hiccup and I ran to the stall and watched the catapult where Stoick was fighting with a Monstrous Nightmare, but it suddenly flew away. Stoick looked up and shouted "JUMP!"

KABOOM!

The Catapult EXPLODED sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.

"This thing is so weird. It never steals food, never shows itself, and..."

The sound receded, leaving the crippled catapult in flames.

"...never misses." I mumbled

"No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first." he said determined.

We were walking black to our previous spots when Gobber traded his hammer for an axe.

"Man the fort, Hiccup, you too Azalea. They need me out there!" He said and ran, err um, limped to the door but suddenly paused and turned around with a threatening glare.

"Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean." Gobber said and charged into the fray, hollering.

"Well you heard the man. We need to stay put here." I said as I continued my sharpening my sword.

"Right Hiccup?" I asked Hiccup who was standing behind me.

"Hiccup?" Well he was.

Before I could stop him he was out of the door pushing his contraption through a bunch of Vikings.

I watched as he weaved through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Hiccup!" I screamed after him. I hadn't left the blacksmith because I was taking off my leather apron, when I heard two other Viking shouting after him.

"Hiccup, where are you going!" One shouted

"Come back here!" The other screamed.

"I know. Be right back!" Hiccup shouted back.

I rolled my eyes, made sure my hammer was still in my belt loop, and ran after him.

"Hiccup! Hiccup wait!" I shouted and almost lost sight of him but I found him a little bit away.

"You have to give him credit, he sure runs fast enough." I said to myself as I ran and caught up.

Hiccup reached a cliff overlooking the smoking catapult and dropped the handles to the ground just as I caught up with him.

"Didn't you here me?" I asked a little winded. He cranked several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption.

"Hello? Earth to Hiccup!" I said loudly but he continued to ignore me.

He dropped a bola onto a chamber and then pivoted the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky.

We listened, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on the trigger.

We heard the Night Fury approaching and he turned his aim to the defense tower.

It closed in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night.

"Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at." Hiccup whispered to himself.

KABLAM!

The tower toppled over.

The blast of fire illuminated the dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulled the trigger.

KERTHUNK!

The flexed arm snapped forward, springing the weapon off the ground. The bola disappeared into the sky, followed by a WHACK and a SCREECH.

"Hiccup...did you just...?" I trailed off unable to vice my shock.

"Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that? Anybody? You saw that right Azalea?" He asked hope in his voice.

I snapped out of my daze and cleared my throat. "Well it was a bit dark, but I heard something." I said.

"Please tell me somebody else saw that," he said and looked around.

"Uh...H-H-Hiccup." I whispered and fear froze me stiff.

"Aza? What's wrong? Did anyone else see?" He said.

Hiccup had his back to the cliff so he didn't see the monstrous nightmare climbing the cliff.

I pointed a shaky finger behind him and he turned around.

"Except you." He moaned.

'Protect Hiccup!' I shouted in my head as I clenched and unclenched my fingers.

After a second I unfroze and got the hammer at my belt loop. Hiccup ran past me and the dragon ran after him, but stopped when hit him square on the side of its face with my hammer.

As I said before I don't have the training to be a dragon killer yet which means I don't really have the strength to actually do any damage to the dragon. But the few seconds before it regained itself I raised my hammer and was about to strike when it blasted the hammer out of my hand and sprayed everything around it with fire, including my hand.

I screamed uncontrollably as the fire burned off my glove, and reached my skin.

Even though my hand was in the fire for a few seconds it felt like it had melted away all my skin, and meat, and charred my bones, but when I pulled back it wasn't as bad as I had thought, though I had blisters everywhere, and my entire hand was red with pink spots.

I was still frozen in place with pain and fear when it was about to blast me again, but Hiccups' voice made me regain my senses. I looked up and saw the dragon about to shoot fire at me again. I turned around and ran as fast as my adrenaline full legs could carry me, but I tripped and fell on something hard.

I looked over and saw my hammer. With my good hand I picked it up and threw it as hard as I could and according to the satisfying snap, I'd say I threw it pretty hard.

I then stood up and ran to where Hiccup was hiding, grabbed his arm and ran to the plaza.

"Azalea your hand!" Hiccup shouted.

I looked down and saw some sort of liquid covering parts of my hand.

"It's fine just keep running!"

Vikings scatter as Hiccup and I dodged a near fatal blast. The Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire splashed up onto buildings, setting them alight. We duck behind the last standing brazier - the only shelter available as the Nightmare blasted it, spraying fire all around us. We hugged each other so neither of us would get burned too badly.

After a few seconds the fire that was blasting around us stopped. Hiccup let me go and peered around the smoldering post.

"No sign of the Nightmare. I think its -" He said as he turned back to find it leering at us.

I scream a little as it took a deep breath. "We're finished." I mumbled as I stood in front Hiccup to take the majority of the flame that would end us both.

Suddenly, Stoick leaped between the dragon and us, tackling the Nightmare to the ground. They tumble and wrestled. The Nightmare tried to toast him, but only coughed up smoke.

"You're all out." Stoick said. He smashed the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it away. It took to the air and disappeared. Winded, Stoick turned to Hiccup and me who were still hiding behind the brazier.

The burnt brazier pole collapsed, revealing us to him, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounced down the hill, destroying things as it went and scattering the Vikings who were holding down the netted Nadders. The freed dragons escaped... with several sheep in tow.

"Sorry, dad." Hiccup mumbled.

"Sorry Stoick." I said as I noticed the few tears running down my cheeks.

I quickly wiped the away and flinched when I moved my burned hand.

I gently moved my hand up and examined the damage done. I take back what I said before, about it not being as bad as I thought it was. Though the skin and meat hadn't melted off most of my skin from the tip of my middle finger to halfway to my elbow was either red, bleeding, or black, and most of my finger nails were gone.

"Okay, but I hit a Night Fury." Hiccup said sheepishly.

Stoick grabbed Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and hauled him away, fuming with embarrassment. And I followed behind, not wanting all the blame to go to Hiccup.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it. You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. Azalea was there! She saw everything dad, she can tell you!" He said and looked at me. "Tell them Aza!" He said

"I was there too Stoick, I saw-" I was cut off by a wave of dizziness that made me fall.

"Azalea!" Someone shouted.

Soon some one was by my side.

"You ok Aza?" I looked up at worried blue eyes.

"Hey Tuffnut, yeah I'm fine," I said as I held my head. "Just a little dizzy."

"Maybe it's from the pain?" He said.

I didn't say anything just sat there as the pain in my arm began to spread.

"See what happened? Because of you she got hurt!" Stoick yelled and everyone got silent. After a little bit the wave passed and I stood up with help of Tuffnut.

"It wasn't his fault Stoick. It was mine. Argh," I moaned as the pain in my arm increase.

Tuffnut quietly shushed me.

"Thanks but you can leave now." I whispered. He hesitantly nodded and walked back to the other Viking teens.

"But dad I really did hit it. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-" Hiccup started but was cut off.

"STOP! Just...stop." He released Hiccup and everyone got silent, staring expectantly.

"Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!" Stoick said as Hiccup looked around. All eyes are upon him.

"Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?" A few rotund Vikings stir self consciously.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?" Stoick said exasperated.

"I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad." Hiccup said.

"You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them." Even from here I could tell that stung. Hiccup looked around to see many nods of agreement.

"Get back to the house. Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up." Stoick said to Gobber before he lumbered off in the opposite direction.

"I'll go with you Hiccup." I said.

"No, Azalea, I'm taking you home too. Come on let's go." Gobber said as he lead Hiccup and I through the walk of shame.

We pass the teen fire brigade as they snickered.

"Quite the performance." Tuffnut said sneered.

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!" Snotlout said as we passed by.

"Why don't both of you shut your mouths before I do it for you!" I said through clenched teeth.

They both seemed shocked, Snotlout quickly recovered, but Tuffnut didn't.

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so..." Hiccup trailed off and avoided Astrid's glare and headed up toward a large house, standing prominently on the hill above the others.

"I really did hit one." Hiccup muttered.

"Sure, Hiccup." Gobber said not really believing him.

"He never listens." Hiccup said.

"Well, it runs in the family." Gobber agreed.

"Sure does." I said.

"And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. 'Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone." He said mimicking his father.

"Hey that sounded like him." I said with a chuckle.

"You're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand." Gobber said.

"Thank you, for summing that up." He said as we reach Hiccup's doorway.

"Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."

"I just want to be one of you guys." Hiccup said with a heavy sigh.

Gobber eyed him sympathetically.

Before he went through the door walked up to him and whispered in his ear. "Meet me in the woods behind my house." Hiccup nodded his head and turned and went through the front door; and straight out the back door.

I walked down the steps with Gobber.

"So what are you goin to do about that?" He said and nodded towards my hand.

"I don't know but its hurting more and more." I said truthfully.

"Well if you're lucky then you won't be needing one of these!" He said and pointed to his hand.

"Yeaaaaah that's not helping!" I said as we walked a little bit further.

"You know what I mean." He said as we reached my house.

"Ok thanks Gobber, I have to go now." I said and walked inside where my mother and father were pacing in the living room.

"Azalea! What happened?" My mum asked ad soon as I closed the door.

"Just a dragon." I said as I clenched my teeth from the pain and walked to my room.

"What do you mean 'just a dragon?' You're obviously in pain!" My dad exclaimed.

I walked to my bedroom and sat on my bed.

"Mum!" I whined as the pain doubled.

"Oh wait here, I think I have something for that. It won't completely heal it but it'll take some pain away." My mum said as she walked out of my room and then came back a moment later with a small jar full of a black sticky stuff that smelled like fish.

After being hurt so many times I already know what she wants me to do. So I held my arm out clenched my teeth to the pain.

I let out a little yelp here and there but that was about it.

When my mum finished with the black stuff she wrapped up my arm in some sea weed and made and arm sling, then she stood back as my dad looked over me.

"You're full of cuts and bruises! What happened?" He asked worried.

I told him everything that happened and stopped when I saw his face go red.

"You...he...that Hiccup! He's always causing trouble! And he always, ALWAYS brings you into it! I'm going to go and talk with that boy! He is never to see you again!" He finished.

"Daddy you're so over protective! Don't worry so much, ok? He's my friend. This was my fault anyways!" I said as I grabbed his arm as he walked away.

"But you're always getting hurt." He said.

"Daddy I promise I'll be fine, and besides you know I heal super fast! Just let me be friends with him!" I pleaded.

He gave me a debated look and sighed.

"Fine. But no more getting hurt." He said sternly.

"Ok daddy." I said and gave him a big hug.

He left my room leaving my mum and me.

"You have that card well played." She said as soon as dad was out of ear shot.

"Thank you mum." I said as I walked to my window and opened it to reveal Tuffnut.

My eyes grew wide with shock as his darted downward.

"I'll be with your father." My mum whispered and walked out of my room, shutting the door behind her.

"Oh uh Tuffnut, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I uh... Came here to... Apologize." He muttered.

"For what?" I said as I tilted my head to the side.

"For making you angry earlier." He said and rubbed his arm.

"Oh that!" I said after I remembered. "If anything I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that. And besides you know I hate it when people apologize to me!" I said wagging my finger at him.

He didn't say anything; he just stood there looking at me.

I sighed and said "Okay, fine I forgive you!" I said.

"Ha I know you so well! So what happened to your arm?" He asked with a big smile.

I looked down and told him the entire story. By the time I was done he was red with rage.

I rolled my eyes and prepared myself for his rant.

"Why would you do something like that?" He asked between clenched teeth.

"Because he's my best friend." I stated.

"That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard!" He shouted and sat on the window sill.

While he was shouting at me I looked past him and saw Hiccup step out of the forest, make an owl noise, and then walked back in.

"Yeah you would know all about stupid things Tuffnut." I said as I grabbed my bag and put on my warm tunic.

"What's that's supposed to mean?" He shouted.

I rolled my eyes and pushed Tuffnut out of my window then climbed out after him, careful not to hurt my arm.

"That. Hurt!" He said and sat up.

I smirked at him and squatted down. "Look I admire that you like to contradict yourself, not really, but don't get so rowdy." I said and punched his arm playfully.

While I stood up he rubbed his arm, and mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"Speak up, I didn't hear you." I said as the pain in my arm began to escalate again.

"...I said I'm not contra, contro...whatever you said! I'm just-"

"Hoot! Hoot!" The "owl" hooted again.

"Listen, I gotta go. Tell me what you where going to say later." I said as I began to walk towards the hidden Hiccup.

"Wait Azalea! Where are you going?" He asked.

"Out!" I shouted as I ran into the woods and past Hiccup who was squatting behind a bush.

"There you are." I said when I saw him.

"Yeah, here I am." He said with amusement in his voice.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked as I walked and he caught up.

"Oh nothing, just remembering a little spark I saw a few minutes ago, and then a little lovers quarrel." He said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Oh don't pretend you don't know." He said.

I shoved him gently with my good arm and said "Stop doing that! Just tell me what you meant!"

"Well let's just say I see a little...'Tuff' ness in your future." He said.

"Hiccup that makes no sense whatsoever." I said.

"You'll see what I mean later." He said with a sneaky smile.

I glared at him a little then the pain started up again.

I groaned a little, stopped walking, and held my arm.

"Aza we're alone, you don't have to pretend to be strong around me." Hiccup said.

"Yeah I know, but..." I trailed off as the pain flared.

"Look if it hurts too much you can go back home." He said as he walked over to me.

"Oh don't worry; the pain'll go down in a bit." I said.

"Come on if it hurts-" he started but I cut him off.

"I said I'm fine Hiccup." And after a moment the most of the pain partially left, and we began walking again.

"Hiccup I'm fine!" I said when I caught him giving me a worried glance.

"I'm just worried." He said.

I threw my good arm over his side and gave him a side hug.

"I know, just don't be so overly worried." I said as he side hugged me back around the waist.

"So you and Astrid?" I said jokingly.

"What about us? There's nothing there! Why? Has she said anything about me?" He asked as he let me go.

"I see the way you look at her, and boy do you have it bad for her!" I said between giggles.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He said as a blush rose to his cheeks. "But what about you and Tuffnut! Huh?" He said.

"What about us? He's my best friend. Just like you!" I said.

"True, but you and I dated." He said as we passed a tree that had been knocked over by storm a few years ago.

"... That's different." I muttered.

"Oh how so?" He asked.

"Well... You and I have practically been raised together, where Tuffnut and I became friends because of my mom." I said as I tried to climb over another fallen tree.

"That doesn't explain anything." He said with a smirk.

"I just don't see him in that way." I muttered.

"But I bet he sees you-" I cut him off right there.

"Hiccup lets focus on the search for the dragon not my 'love life'." I said looking up at the trees around us for any clue as to where the dragon went off to.

"Sure thing." He said amused.

I rolled my eyes and continued our search.

~~A few hours later.

"Hiccup we've been searching for hours can we go back yet?" I asked.

"Hold on, let's just check a few more places then we will go home. I promise." He said as he made another X on his map in his journal.

"Fine." I muttered and began looking at the trees above me. Hiccup looked up from his journal and peeked over a gorge, expectantly.

He saw nothing and added another 'X' to the page, then scratched his pencil over the whole map in frustration. He snapped the book closed and pocketed it.

"Now can we go home?" I asked.

"Yes we can finally go home." He said frustrated.

"What's wrong?" I asked we began to walk in the other direction.

"Uggh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon." Hiccup said as he whacked a low-hanging branch.

It snapped back at him, hitting him in the face.

I flinched and said "You ok?"

"I'm fine but don't you think it's weird?" He asked as he looked at the branch.

"What's so weird about a little branch?" I asked and took a closer look at it.

"Not the branch but..." He trailed off and looked up to see a snapped tree trunk.

"It's broken." I said as he walked away and followed a long trench of up-turned earth. I walked after him and we followed it to a cliff like place. We looked over the edge and both ducked down. On the other side of the cliff was a downed, black dragon, its body and tail tangled in a bola.

After the shock passed we looked over and watched it.

"It looks dead." I muttered as Hiccup nervously searched for his small dagger.

After he found it he held it in front of him in defense, and then quietly made his way down to bolder, a few feet away from the dragon.

"Be careful!" I whispered down to him.

He nodded and peered over the side of the bolder. After seeing that is was safe to come out, he stepped away from the rock and walked towards it.

"Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything!" he said happily.

'This fixes nothing.' I thought to myself as I slowly made my way to the bolder and climbed on top of it.

As I looked down at the beast below me I felt a twinge of something in my chest. I wouldn't know to describe except as the feeling you get when you see a child who's hurt and they're desperate for help. My hand subconsciously stretched out to the dragon. 'Sorry' I said in my head as I brought my hand back.

"Yes!" Hiccup said as he made a victory pose, planting his foot on the fallen

Night Fury. "I have brought down this mighty beast!"

It suddenly shifted.

"Whoa!" Hiccup jumped back, terrified, and I fell off the bolder and landed on my feet.

I looked over the side of the rock and watched as Hiccup turned his blade on it.

Obviously scared, Hiccup crept along the length of the weak, wounded dragon, his dagger poised to strike. As he reached the head, Hiccup found the Night Fury staring coldly at him.

I watched as Hiccup tried to look away, but he was drawn back to its unnerving, unflinching stare.

"Don't do it." I whispered very quietly.

With the dragon safety tangled in the ropes, Hiccup puffed himself up with false bravado.

"I'm going to kill you, Dragon. I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a Viking." He said softly.

I felt sick to my stomach, as I turned around and closed my eyes. "I can't watch this." I said.

"I am a VIKING!" he said.

I heard the dragon's labored breathing and my eyes flew open.

"Hiccup please don't!" I whispered to myself as I peeked over the edge.

They stared at each other for a while until the Night Fury closed its eye's and lowered its head, resigned to its fate.

I watched as Hiccup tried to go through with it, holding the dagger, fighting himself... until finally he lowered it with a frustrated sigh.

He looked over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds and muttered "I did this."

He turned to leave, but paused when he saw me.

"You're just gonna leave him there?" I asked.

He glanced back at the dragon, chest heaving.

"Guess not." He said. "Make sure no one's looking."

"Who else would be out here?" I said as I rolled my eyes.

He gave me a-you'd-be-surprised-look then hurried back to cut the ropes.

The Night Fury's eye's shot open. With the dragon watching his every move, Hiccup hurriedly cut through the bola ropes.

"Be careful hiccup." I said as I climbed the bolder again.

"I will." He said as he cut another rope.

As the last rope fell free, the Night Fury suddenly pounced!

"Hiccup!" I shouted as the dragon pinned him underneath me. I was too shocked to move when it gave him a look that said I'm-going-to-kill-you.

Hiccup and I were paralyzed. The dragon's breath ruffles his hair and I felt the heat of it from my spot on the rock. Slowly I looked down and saw Hiccup open his eyes to find the Night Fury's wolf-like stare. They stared at each other for a minute, the dragon ready to kill, and Hiccup ready to die. The dragon drew a deep breath, as though it was about to torch him.

"Please don't!" I shouted as a vision of a pile of ash in Hiccup's place crossed my mind.

Instead of torching him, it just let out an ear-piercing scream. It was about to fly away when it smelled the air and suddenly turned to me.

Its wolf like eye's dilated until the pupils took up most of the eye's. I sat there frozen as it climbed the rock and sniffed me. It kept on smelling me but then suddenly its eye went back to that of a wolves and it turned around and flew away, flapping violently through the canopy of trees. It bashed against a nearby mountain side, recovered, and dropped out of view some distance away.

Winded, Hiccup struggled to his feet, staggered a few steps, then collapsed to his knees, and fainted. I was still shocked but recovered when Hiccup fainted. I slid off the rock and fell to my knees next to him.

"Hiccup! Wake up! Come on don't do this here!" I said as I shook him with my good hand, my other hand had pretty much stopped hurting because of the adrenalin.

I looked around but no one was anywhere nearby.

"Hiccup!" I shouted and kept on shaking him and after a while he finally came to.

"W-what happened?" he asked.

"Well you almost got killed by a NIGHT FURY!" I shouted as he sat up.

"So that wasn't a dream?" he asked still in shock.

"Not a dream buddy." I said as I looked to the direction to where the dragon flew off to.

"You know what that means right?" he said as he began to stand up.

"What? That you just let the only Night Fury get away?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well that too, but I can't kill a dragon." He said as he looked at me.

"Well that's gonna be tough to tell your dad." I said as we began our walk home.

"Don't remind me." He groaned.

~~~ Half an hour later.

Once we made it back to the village he walked me to my house.

"Listen Hiccup, if you tell Stoick about the Night Fury, he'll be even madder, so just let him know you change your mind about the dragon killer thing." I said as we sat on my house steps.

"You say that as if he'll listen to me." He mumbled.

"Make him listen to you." I said and nudged him with my shoulder.

"Yeah, cuz I haven't tried that yet." He muttered.

I stood up when I saw my mum and dad walking towards the house.

"Well try harder bud." I said as he stood up.

"Ok I'll see you tomorrow Azalea." He said as I gave him a hug.

"Maybe. I start dragon training tomorrow." I stated.

"Oh yeah, that's tomorrow." He said.

"Hello Hiccup dear." My mum said as she and dad walked nearer to the house.

"Hello Mrs. Terra," He said politely. "Hello Mr. Alun,"

My dad ignored him and looked off into the distance. My mum elbowed him in the side.

"What? Oh…Hiccup…" he said then walked inside.

"I don't think your dad likes me." Hiccup said.

"Oh he's just bad with thing's like that." My mum said with an embarrassed smile.

"Well goodnight hiccup!" I said and waved as we walked back to his house.

"G'night." He said.

"That went well." I muttered as I walked inside with my mum.

"What was that Alun?" my mum said to my dad who was sitting in front of the fire warming his feet.

"What?" he asked.

My mum sighed and sat down next him.

"They're best friends." She whispered as I sat down in between them.

"So what was the meeting about?" I asked trying to change the subject and sat down on the other side of my dad.

"Oh, that…" my dad trailed off.

"We're going on one more search before the ice sets in." my mum said calmly.

I sat there and stared into the fire as I let the words sink in. Ever since my parents told me the story of my grandparents I've always been scared when they go these journeys.

"Well…may the Gods be with you on your journey." I said as my dad put his arm around me.

"We'll be fine. We always are." He said as buried my face into his chest, and my mum hugged me from behind.

"Well lets all get some sleep. We all have a big day tomorrow." My mum whispered.

"Oh that's right! You start dragon training in the morning." My dad said excitedly.

"Yes exactly, we all need some sleep." She said again.

"Yes mum." I said and stood up.

I slowly walked to my room but stopped and watched my parents sit by the fire for a little while, and then I walked into my room and shut the door. Then took off my bag, changed into my warm pants and a fuzzy long sleeve shirt and took a small nap.

~~~ 3 hours later~~~

I woke up later that night when the pain in my arm reached a new level. I rolled out of bed and looked outside the window.

"Now's a better time then any." I whispered and held in the scream I'd been holding in all day.

I walked to my bag put it on and silently climbed out of my window, careful not to hurt myself or make any noise. Once I was out I ran to the woods and down a path I had already memorized, even in the dark.

After a about an hour of running I began to walk, and soon I made it to a cave that was hidden by vines hanging down the entrance, and by the light of the moon I guided myself inside where I was met by two turquoise orbs with thin slits in the middle, floating in the middle of the air. I smiled and for a moment I forgot about the pain.

"Hey girl. How are you?" I asked the orbs. They tilted to the side a little and the came closer to me.

With my good hand, I reached into the darkness and smiled bigger when I felt a scaly surface under my hand. The orbs disappeared for a second, but soon showed themselves again.

"You think you can help me girl?" I asked as I began to walk backwards out of the cave.

The orbs followed and we were soon out of the cave.

The two turquoise orbs from earlier were actually eyes. They were the eyes of my trained dragon Embers. And she wasn't like any other dragon either. She was a Night Fury, my Night Fury and she could heal any injury.

Her scales were darker than my charcoal pencil in the middle of the night, but her eyes were as bright and as clear as a sunny afternoon. She sat on her hind legs, and watched me curiously, as I took off the seaweed my mom had put on the burns.

She glared down at my arm and growled. 'What have I told you?' a voice said in my head

"I know Embers. I shouldn't get hurt so much, dad already told me that this morning." I muttered. "Do you think you can work your magic? It's really hurting." I asked her.

She gave me a sad look but nodded her head. 'Just cuz you're my rider…' I heard a voice say in my head. I smiled as she then got back on all fours and opened her mouth to show that her teeth were gone.

"Thanks girl. You know the drill, don't let go until you're certain it's healed." I said as I put my burned arm her mouth.

She slowly closed it and then the pain really began.

I'm so glad our hiding spot is so far from the village, because if it was any closer every one would be awakened by the screams of a girl in pain.

Well that's chapter two!

I saw this movie a few weeks ago and I just couldn't wait to write this fic, and if you're a reader of 'New Member of The Pack' and you're wondering why I haven't updated in a while it's mostly because of this story! So sorry, but I'll to write a new chapter for you guys as soon as I can.

If you have any questions, concerns, or anything please feel free to tell me, cuz I really want to know what you all have to say! Oh i know I made a few or a lot of mistakes so yeah tell me if you want I wont get offended!

Recognition:

Thanks Z-WhisperMoon for being my first reviewer!

So until next time Usagi-chan123 is out!