Hello again. In this chapter, we catch a glimpse into Hiccup and Toothless' new life on Dragon Island and encounter a new dragon whose presence slowly drives a wedge between the two as well as Hiccup encountering her personal nightmares and struggling with her memories. Posting this chapter 10-6-2014. Next chapter to be posted in 7-8 days due to work and for that I apologize. Thank you and please enjoy.

Update 10-14-2014: Due to work hours changing and longer overtime shifts, I haven't been able to finish the next chapter to the story. I wish I had more time to do so but with my week fully booked with restaurant reservations (I work as a chef) the chapter as is not satisfying to me. I'm so sorry to have to ask for an additional two day extension just to fix things up and make the story a better read for you, the reader. There is nothing I hate more than to disappoint people and I'm sorry to have to do this. I will work my hardest to get the story out.

To the reader, I apologize and I promised to try not to let this happen again. Thank you and I'm sorry.

...

Soaring high above the clouds on the back of a Night Fury is the happiest girl in the Archipelago, sole human on Dragon Island as well as its queen. Her short brunette hair waves wildly with the breeze as the warmth from the sun kisses her almond colored freckled face. A smile spreads over her lips as she unlatched her safety harnesses attached to her dark brown boardshorts and clipped them behind her into belt mode.

"Okay, bud, you ready?" she looked down to her knight and teammate.

"Let's do this," he let out an impatient growl of approval, the rush of flying with her for hours still in his blood.

Unclamping her artificial metal left leg, she swiftly brought her limbs together to her core as she crouched on top of his leather saddle with her hands still firmly holding onto his rails before pressing herself slightly down. Taking a quick breath as the clouds below break and the image of her home and domain came into sight. A thick lush greenery covers the island's dense forest while the tall dormant volcano casts a cooling shadow over the black pebbled beach. She smiled once more before pushing herself off of his back till she was past him in flight and back flipped downward into a free fall dive towards the oceanic blue reef around the coastline of Dragon Island with a cheerful "Yeehaw!"

Following by her side, the Night Fury dove parallel to her, matching her speed and excitement as they let the warm air envelope their bodies while darting down without a care in the world. For them, flight was all about freedom, trust and taking a chance. Each couldn't fly without the other and they wouldn't have it any other way as they looked to one another with all the content and delight the world could possible contain. She shot him a sweet smile and he flashed her his signature toothless grin as he reached his right paw to her bare left shoulder, giving it a light tap to allow her body to rotate twice mid-dive. Facing him once more, they grinned as they sped downward and allowed their bright green eyes of peridot and serpentine to close, taking in the glow from the midmorning sun before synchronizing their body as he flipped and she spun herself back to his saddle before unbuckling her belt back into harness mode. Reattaching her metal leg, she activated his synthetic red left fin to the open position and pulled the rails upward.

She howled joyfully as he spread his wings and angled his flight towards the sunrise before turning back with a downward flip and spiral towards the coastline of their home, landing gently onto the warm pebbles on a patch of unshaded beach and allowed them heat his paws delightfully.

He chuckled as his rider and queen undid her binds on his saddle back to a belt position as her right dark knee-length gladiator sandal stepped onto the rocks. The names of these two individuals are Toothless the Night Fury and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, but here she's known solely as Hiccup the Hope.

"That was a good dive!" Hiccup praised with a smile as she adjusted the string around her neck from her green halter top swimsuit behind her metal shield before doing the same to the back strings attached to the mesh around her midriff dyed the same shade over her brown leather vest.

"Thank you, Milady," he grinned as he pressed his cheek to hers lovingly and allowed her to retrieve her wooden staff from the holster on his saddle.

In all honesty, she didn't really need to carry a shield or staff with her while she roamed her island but it gave Toothless relief to know she still used them and trained with them on a regular basis as they playfully dueled with each other when work was done. For Toothless, he couldn't have been happier to be right by Hiccup's side. She meant the world to him in so many ways. It was nearly a month ago she risked her life to save not only his life, but the lives of every dragon on the island from the wrath of a false dragon god. Since then, things on the isle have changed, for the best all would agree. The first few days they settled on Dragon Island were the most difficult for Hiccup. She would wake up early in his arms and have to remind herself she wasn't living on the Isle of Berk anymore and didn't have all these responsibilities and burdens to perform anymore. She'd then shimmy her way out of his hold, miraculously not stirring him from his sleep -which bothered him to an extent- and try to find little things to do to keep herself busy while Toothless peacefully slumbered. It took some time, but she was finally able to relax and was soon able to move into her new role as queen, something that seemed to come naturally for her. Mostly, she took the time to learn about each dragon living on the island, developing a special bonds with them, and although she could only speak to Toothless fully, she was able to communicate with them via clicks and whistles. It was a language that tickled the tip of her nose and cringled it in just the right way for Toothless to continually coo and purr when she'd use it. He noticed she was now smiling more and it made his heart warm with this feeling of love for her, almost like this was where she was always meant to be, surrounded by dragons and the evergreen. But most of all, him. The other dragons never treated her with distain because she was a human, if anything they truly cared for her as if she were one of their own, even if she wasn't their queen. They respected her as a person, a friend, as a part of their mixed family. That's what made her special to them.

Taking in a breath of the morning air, Hiccup felt calm and at peace. The smell of the ocean breeze and the sound of the slow wave crashing onto the pebbled beach along with the late autumn glow of the morning sun on her little piece of paradise gave her all the liberty in the world. Here, there was no rush. No heavy obligations. Just smooth currents of both sky and sea and she loved every moment of her time. Even more so with Toothless there to share it with. He was there for her the moment she'd awaken to greet the new day and there to kiss her cheek lovingly before bed at night. Toothless...was irreplaceable.

Along with the familiar serene sounds of nature, there was a pattering of dragon wings with the cheerful chatters from a dear friend. "Welcome back, Sharpshot, how was the trip?" Hiccup smiled as she greeted his approaching flying dorm, catching him as he landed in her embrace. He nuzzled comfortably onto her bosom, hearing and enjoying the light pattering of her heartbeat.

"Too long for my taste, but hey, that's what I get for being the all-important postal carrier of the Queen of Dragon Island as well as for the young Instructor of the Berk Dragon Academy. Yep, it's a gig not many Terrors can perform," he confidently rubbed his right claws onto his chest, polishing them neatly. "But when I'm on duty, the Airmail is delivered in a 'Sharp Shot'!"

"So glad we can place our confidence in a dragon so important…" Toothless drowned with a smirk, rolling his eyes but still happy to see his friend. Although he wasn't too thrilled with him getting so comfortable with his Hiccup…

"I'll take that as things are going smoothly over on Berk," Hiccup laughed as she undid the string around Sharpshot's paw, taking the letter and reading it with a smile. "I knew he could do it… I'm so proud of him. Everyone."

"Yep, kid's got the whole island on a revamp. You should see it. Total transformation…" Sharpshot cooed as he rubbed the top of his head onto her neck, jiggling the shell necklace hugging about her collarbone.

Closing her eyes, Hiccup tried to imagine Berk anew, adorn in bright vivid colors that could make a rainbow blush with envy. The sun would be shining brightly as sound birds and Terrible Terrors zooming by the village rooftops, singing the melodies of joy and freedom at the top of their lungs. She could see Gobber working in the forge with Bones by his side, mending dragon saddles and making tools for Vikings; advancing their everyday living. She saw Gothi finding ways to use medicine to heal both man and beast with Etch shielding her visions from the sunlight. The everyday people would be walking side by side with dragons of their own and riders could be hear zooming through the clouds like hawks. A vision of Gustav came to minds as he spoke to others of how to trust and care for ones dragons with Fanghook there to aid him. There would be dragons freely roaming around the plaza and forests, going about their merry days without a care in the world or fear for the Hooligan tribe. She could see her father…

Her eyes shot open to stop anymore visions.

No… she thought with a slowly fading smile. I'm not his child anymore…

For Hiccup, it still hurt to look too closely towards the future of her homeland. Even with the weeks passed, her wounds completely healed thanks to Toothless and a new feeling of bliss enveloping her soul, it was still going to take some more time before her heart and mind were ready to fully recover and face the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans once more. If she was truly honest with you and herself, she'd tell you she was secretly afraid of that man. There were mornings when she'd miss him. She'd wake up sometimes before the sunrise and would sit silently in the shadows on the far side of the cave while Toothless was still asleep because when she tried to reach into her mind to pull out her father's image, all she could see was a large bear-like creature with fists at the ready out to strike her. The very thought was sending cold shivers down her spine, shivers which Toothless and Sharpshot noticed as the paper between her fingertips began to shake slightly.

"Hiccup…" Toothless leaned in and pressed his snout onto her forearm, snapping her out of her trance.

"Huh?"

"You okay?" he asked, seeing the slight shadow of fear in her eyes and he knew she was thinking about that day again.

"Y-yeah, I'm just…so proud of everyone… Thank you so much for the letter, Sharpshot. You should rest off, you must be tired…" Hiccup smiled weakly before placing him on the beach gently, the warm stones warming his paws. While he was on the winded side, Sharpshot couldn't help but notice how her expression changed after reading the letter. It was a bittersweet moment.

Feeling anxious, Hiccup began walking towards the forest line to find something to do, anything that would get her mind off of these shadowed images wandering within her mind that seemed to manifest into her reality like transparent outlines of lost figures. Every time she'd open her mind and try to focus on the good times she must have had with Stoick the Vast, on Berk, there were foggy images of people she was sure she must have known but were hidden from her sights. Were these shadowy figments of her imagination real? Were they once a part of her family and why did it sting her mind so much when she wanted to dig in and pull out those moments, forcing her to stop? The past seemed so far and clouded and yet so close and clear. Lately she had been having more of those moments now that her thoughts were free from obligations; it was one of the few downsides to living in paradise. Thankfully, she knew how to remedy the feeling for a while and gave a light smile as she extended her staff outward and with a thrust lifted her body up a far distance and hopped onto a fallen tree trunk, balancing her stride with the staff horizontal in both hands as she continued deeper into the evergreen.

Toothless watched as she walked off and followed closely behind on the ground adjacent to her. He hated when she'd get like this, how quiet her voice would become and how her eyes would slightly dimmed. During some mornings he'd catch her seated to the far end of their cave, blankly staring into the vast void of nothingness on the stone walls. He'd do his best to comfort her in any way he could. Sometimes he'd find some berries and pluck her a branch full of ripe fruit or just simply curl up right beside her, telling her everything was going to be alright. Even if some of these mornings and moments were rare, it still ached his heart to know she was still facing her own demons and there was no way he could go in and fight them for her. He definitely would if he could.

Hopping onto a different log, Hiccup allowed the passing shadows and light from the breaks in the braches above to continually cool and heat her skin as she tried to organize herself. They passed a small herd of yaks and Toothless couldn't help but chuckled for a moment as they wandered about and grazed on the tall fields of grass. It was within the first week Hiccup had arrived that many of the dragon brought back live animals for her not knowing that their queen was an herbivore and since they themselves didn't eat them, they were left to roam the island freely and once realizing they were not on the menu, grew comfortable here.

Dragon Island was now a place of comfort, not cruelty.

After walking a fair distance, they made it to a waterfall where several dragons were gathered for a drink or to catch the small but abundant freshwater fish that swam in the cool liquid for a light snack. Many of the younger dragons were playing around in small mud puddles, splashing about and honing in on their hunting skills. This was one of the things Hiccup's reign -the reign of Hope as they called it- brought. Joy.

As the two were making their way towards the stream, the chattering calls of baby dragons hopping about caught sight of Hiccup and soon bombarded her to the knees with excitement, eager to greet their queen to another fine morning. She giggled softly as she kneed down to salute each and every one a good morning, calming them down with light soothing fifes similar to hushing but with a tinge of a whistling coo before she motioned for them to return to their playtime. With cheerful expressions, the young dragons rushed off back to their mud puddles or raced off into the forest to chase each other about. Hiccup gave a slow sigh of relief as she looked all around her. The sunlight was bouncing off of the crystal clear falls and stream, placing small diamond of light onto its calm surface as the warm breeze rustled through the tree limbs, swaying the leaves into the most beautiful melody of autumn. All around Nadders, Zipplebacks, Gronckles and Nightmares lounged around as they sun bathed on large rocks or on the soft mossy earth near the stream. There were days she couldn't believe this was her new home, it was just too peaceful to be real and yet here she was, and right by her side to experience this new world to her was her best friend and first true love, Toothless.

Lifting their heads out of the waters, a tall teal Zippleback came forward to Hiccup after munching on minnows, making their way to her and lowered both heads down to greet their queen and healer.

"Hey there, you two, how are your scratches?" she asked placing each palm onto each of their damp heads before turning over to show her the clearing marking on their sides. "Aw, they look much better. Take it easy until they fully heal, you're doing great," Hiccup smiled as she ran her fingertips over the slowly fading claw marks on his scales. Many of the dragons had large scars over their bodies, some even missing limbs or eyes from battling each other, facing the wrath of Red Death or human themselves. She did all she could to help their pain and with every healing she performed, it only seemed to solidify the dragons fondness for her. They had never known a human to be so gentle and caring to anything other than themselves. Hiccup saw them, their pain and fear, and could see herself. She treated them the same way she wanted to be treated and it showed greatly. With her approval, the Zippleback bowed their heads once more and went on their way to cool off in the tranquil waters as small fish tickled their claws.

Giving Hiccup a light push to her side, Toothless purred as he led her back into the forest. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah… I don't know, Toothless, I'm so happy Berk is accepting dragons and slowly changing but a part of me still refuses to believe it. It just seems like yesterday we met and now the world around us is moving so fast. I don't know if I'm ready to…" she looked down to the heather and traced her fingertips over their tall tips.

"Then don't rush with the world. Like I tell you, take this slowly and wait it out until it's a certainty that everything has boiled over. I don't want you to throw yourself back into the pot and get hurt again, you're still recovering." Toothless cooed, pressing himself close to her forearm. "You're still having those visions, are you?" he asked helping her up a narrow incline

"Most mornings… It's like I'm being followed by spirits or something like that. When I try to make sense of them my brain only seems to hurt."

"These things take time. I'm sure you'll figure out how to work it out." Toothless settled her down on a small stone before sniffing around for something she could eat.

It became a little game for him to track down hidden vegetables within the earth and give to her, it made him feel like he was needed. Their feeding routine changed since moving here. Every morning, afternoon and late in the evening Hiccup would gather woven baskets she made out of dried sea grass and place them into a small ship she and Toothless built together out one of the many broken Viking warships scattered around the sea stacks. They dubbed it The Hopeful Puffin and while it was a small little thing, it was all the two really needed to go out and catch fish. She'd board the ship and he'd push her out into sea before climbing in and they'd sailed to a suitable spot before she'd release a net out to catch Toothless his meals. The waters around Dragon Island were teaming fish of all shapes and sizes and not fifteen minute later the two would have all their baskets filled with fresh salty fish. It would take all the patience and control in the world for Toothless to not simply gorge down on the tempting baskets before him but he'd somehow manage till they returned back to shore. Any additional baskets they'd fill she'd give out to other dragons who took to net fishing quite well as she taught them to scoop fish with them to feed themselves and their families. For the first time, her people could fill their bellies to their fullest and it was the best feeling in the world to not go hungry anymore.

Hiccup giggled as she watched Toothless bounce from one place to another, digging up small sweet golden beets and celeriac along with a branch of bilberries. While she could only eat the beet and the berries right now, she placed the celeriac in her satchel she fastened onto Toothless' saddle for later use when they returned to the cave.

Dragon Island didn't have the most abundant supply of edible vegetation but she wasn't picky and she was lucky enough to have saved some of the seeds from the fruits Gothi had packed her in the medical kit and scattered them over the island in a random fashion. During her first week on the island, she wondered if she should plant a garden but opposed to the idea and instead spread the fruit and vegetable seeds she'd find randomly. She wanted to keep Dragon Island as wild as nature had intended it to be for centuries. The dragons helped her by providing nutrient rich fertilizer for the growing seedlings and did their best to not step on them.

Once she was finished with her breakfast, Hiccup rose, stretching out and feeling better about things. Toothless really knew how to make her forget her worries and focus on relaxing. "Thank you for that wonderful meal, best I've had in weeks," she smiled as they continued through the evergreen.

"But of course," Toothless smirked as he kissed her cheek.

They had walked for a good forty-five minutes when the sound of a wild dragon's cry and the squeal of a boar came within earshot of the two and they sprang into action. While conflicts between dragon and the boars were rare, there were still times when the two would clash. Racing towards the noise, Hiccup jumped over fallen logs and the occasional boulder with her staff before reaching the site of a full-grown boar hovering over a stone closing trying to ream into it and whatever was within it. From the hideout she and Toothless could hear the faint calls of help from a dragon, one she wasn't familiar with but she wasn't going to stop that from having her aid the poor creature. Taking her staff she held it out like a spear and though it was blunted at both ends shot it near the boar below the hill, scaring it away with its tail curled between its legs.

"Scavengers," Toothless bit. It was his little nickname for the hogs as they made their way towards the small stone formation.

Pulling her staff out of the semi-soft earth, Hiccup lowered herself down to see the dragon that laid within the hole. She thought it could possibly be a small Nadder or Gronckle but that was inside was a dragon like she had never seem before. He was no bigger than a Terror and chattered cautiously at Hiccup's approaching form. Presenting her open palm she kneeled down to his level and did her best to calm his nerves.

"Hey, little guy. Who are you?" she smiled as he called out in high-pitched babbles before trying to snap at her fingers. Lucky for Hiccup she had quick reflexes and managed to pull her hand away before she had less digits to count with. "Whoa, settle down, big fella," she cooed before trying once more to coax him out.

Toothless' left eye twitched when the little beast tried to bite off at her fingers and motioned over to the opposite side to get a better look at the runt. Taking a whiff at the dragon, he could smell a sour charred mustiness. This was not a native dragon to the island and it had him now on edge at potential threats to his queen and friend. He could already tell he wasn't going to like this tiny monster…

"I've never seen anything like him," Hiccup gawked in amazement and a mix of curiosity.

She looked to Toothless who noticed her excitement and frowned as he glared back and roared out to the new dragon to "Go Away", although this was the censored version of the phrase he used.

"You're not helping," she groaned lifting herself up, scratching under her chin as she looked down to the now exiting little dragon. His head to neck were tinged in a pale shade of blue, decorated with two horns atop and one slightly curved one over his snout. The rest of his body was a beautiful shade of burnt orange-red with the lower tips of his wings the same shade as his head. She had to admit, he was definitely a cutie. "You know I think we may have discovered a new species…" she said with a sparkle in her eyes. It had been a while since she categorized a dragon and her mind was now racing with the possibilities of what this dragon had to offer.

Before she could even think a moment more, Toothless stepped forward and pushed her as far as he could from the new dragon. He knew that look in her eyes and if it meant she would be making a new friend with this little mess, he was going to put his two cents in and deny her the luxury.

"Whoa, hey, Toothless!" she managed as he shoved her body back and while she could never overpower him if she pushed back onto his snout, she knew he wouldn't shove her anymore. "What has gotten into you?" Instead of answering her, Toothless let out a low overprotective growl, slightly bearing his teeth.

Hiccup focused back to the new dragon and could see him fidgeting with his right-wing, slightly crying out in pain. "Looks like he's hurt," she blinked as she stepped back towards him. "Don't be afraid, I'm a friend."

The little dragon tested the word 'friend' on the tip of his tongue and it excited the roof of his mouth as it vibrated.

Reaching into one of the inner pockets of her vest, Hiccup pulled out a small wrapping of sweet grass she saved from the medical kit and presented it out to the dragon as he chattered and snapped his jaws by her actions. "Here. It's okay, it's just a little dragon nip."

The sweet scent of the herb lured the little one out of hiding. It was a smell he had never experienced before but it nipped at his nostrils lovingly as he leaned forward to take it.

Fueled with a new feeling of jealously, Toothless shouted out once more for the creature to leave, only scaring him onto Hiccup's form.

"Hey, come on, play nice," she motioned over to Toothless as she placed her hands onto the dragon, now sniffing her body and could pick up the sweet flavor of dragon nip on her skin and hair. It have him a warm feeling inside and his instincts told him to latch into her scent and not let go, which he thusly did so. And once his talons retracted, they slightly pierced into the skin over her breast, cutting into her lightly. She let out a small groan of pain and she pried the dragon off her flesh, holding him at bay. "Little dragon! Big claws!"

The warm feeling of blood trailed slowly down her reddened wounds as the little dragon kicked his feet slightly in midair. Standing up once more, Hiccup held the little dragon out gently as to not injure his already tender wing. "Come on, let's go. We'll fix you right up."

The tiny dragon looked into the female's bright green eyes and smiling face, the smell of her sweet grass scented blood wafting into his snout as the word, "Friend!" passed his sharp-toothed grin.

Back over near the stream, all the dragons gathered around to see the new dragon as he curled onto Hiccup's lap as she dressed his wing with a little splint. By that time Toothless had already healed her cut marks and cleared away her blood but his was boiling as he saw the little demon purr so comfortably on his woman's legs. This was just like the time he had met Sharpshot only ten, no a hundred times worse because she'd constantly praise the little guy for being so good for not fussing as she bandaged his wing. All around, the dragons wondered and asked what he could possibly be, none ever seeing a dragon quite like this before.

He kept quiet as he let the sweet-smelling creature cover his wing in cloth and adored the warmth from her skin on his belly. He made sure not to claw her and even rubbed his bull-like horns onto her boardshorts, loving the sound the fabric made on contact with them.

"I see the queen has made a new friend," a titan-winged dragon named Goliath smirked as he stood by the sulking Night Fury.

"Punk's only here till that wing heals then he's off the island," Toothless growled under his breath, seeing it cuddle closer to Hiccup's torso.

Goliath chuckled at this and gave his former student a cheeky grin. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of him."

"Pfff, as if. What do I have to be jealous of? He's nothing compared to me…" he continued to snarl.

"It does raise the question of how he got here and where he's from. A few were saying you two found him being attacked by a Scavenger, this is quite disturbing indeed…"

"Hiccup's gonna be sending a letter soon to Gustav about this. Maybe there's information on him in the Book of Dragons?" His eyes slit and narrowed even more as Hiccup gave a small peck onto the little dragon's cheek and it took every once in him to not go overboard. "I don't care where he came from or how he got here, I just want him gone…" And with his tempter high, Toothless marched off into the forest to go claw at some trees, anything to sink his black daggers into and imagine it as the obnoxious little brat seated so happily by his female's side.

Still going over measurements on the new dragon to mark down on the letter, Hiccup smiled from ear to ear as she documented everything she could about this strange little dragon. A part of her felt like Bork the Bold and wondered if he had felt the same jittery patter in inside as he observed a new dragon for the first time.

"Okay, wingspan: Twenty inches. A good size…" she said as she placed the measuring rope down and marked it on the sheet of paper. She examined the single claws on the tips of his wings and noted their sharpness, as well as any other special feature she could finds before lowering her charcoal pencil.

"Well, looks like we covered all the basics," Hiccup smiled as she rubbed underneath his chin, he leaning into it adoringly. "Soon we'll figure out what you are and have you on your own two wings in no time." She was grateful he only had a small sprain and not a broken wing. She knew a dragon who couldn't fly had little chance of surviving on its own. That was something she thought about a lot for Toothless. He was so independent and strong, even without one of his tail fins. It was something she really adored and admired about him, he never let his injury be his crutch.

From the far end of the stream, Hiccup could hear the all too familiar sound of heaving and her suspicions were confirmed at the sight of not just one, but several Gronckles desperately trying to heave outward. She sighed patiently before walking over to the group, the little dragon perched over her shoulder.

"You guys overdid it, didn't you?" She crossed her arms as she looked to them while they tried to hide their shame. "It's okay, I'm not mad. We can fix this," Hiccup chuckled as she lowered herself to rub one of the Gronckle's bellies and after several good scratches expelled a piping hot mass of red lava that cooled into Gronckle iron. Hiccup did this perhaps eight times and soon a stretch of the bank near the stream was covered in a silver-ish glow of metal.

"That's a lot of Gronckle iron," Hiccup stated as she lifted one up. She could use some in her and Toothless' cave for emergencies or tool mending but the rest would just collect dust and it was a shame since the ore was so versatile. An idea popped into her head as she gathered the rest of the sheets and raced over to the sheet and wrote down an additional piece of information:

...P.S. Some of the Gronckles are producing a lot of iron and I can't possibly use it all. If Gobber would like, he and Bones can come pick up the ore to take back to Berk. Bones knows the way to my new home and we'll be patiently waiting for your reply on both the dragon investigation and the offer.

Your friend and mentor, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.

With the letter now complete, Hiccup rolled it securely and whistled out for Sharpshot to come forward, which he did so on a flash with a determined sense of duty. Letter in paw, Sharpshot darted out into the sky towards Berk, the late afternoon light from the sun gracing his wings on his voyage.

"I better get these and myself home. Do you feel comfortable on your own or do you want to come with me for the night?" Hiccup asked the dragon purring over her backside.

He let out a cheering, "Friend!" wanted more than anything to not be left alone in the dark.

"Alright then, let's head home," she smiled before saying her farewells to the remaining dragons and made the fair distance hike back to the cave she shared with Toothless.

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish what I was about to say," Hiccup alleged as she placed firewood over the small area they used to light the cave at night.

"It's written all over your face what you're going to say and the answer is no. He can just sleep out where he was found…" Toothless groaned as the tiny dragon scurried from one end of the cave to another. He still wasn't too pleased she was still with him and even less so with him here. This cave was for him and Hiccup, not for a third-party member to just barge in and make himself home.

"Oh, but just look at him, he's all alone in this world with nowhere or no one to turn to but us." She pled to him as she finished aligning the chopped wood together. Placing her palm under Toothless' chin, she pulled him close to her face and kissed the tip of his snout. "Just for the night, please."

Toothless loved it when she'd do this but tonight she was really testing his patience and feelings by doing this. He knew he couldn't deny her anything if she asked like that and batted her long eyelashes at him, it got him hot and bothered and he was sure she knew it too.

With a heave grunt, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "One night…"

Hiccup leaned down and kissed him once more. "Thank you," she purred and chirped trying out her Dragonese she was slowly learning for him.

If he could blush, his face would most likely be red from hearing her say that and even though he couldn't it didn't stop him from turning his head bashfully.

"Hear that, little guy, looks like you can stay for the night," she giggled walking over to stop him from running around wildly.

The little dragon squawked in delight as he saw Toothless ready himself to ignite the pile of wood and wanted to show off to the sweet grass smelling female he was just as good as him. His fire was much faster to ignite and he shot a burst of fire out to the fire pit, providing a torch for the enclosure. Toothless was taken aback by the action and stared at the younger dragon as he leapt into Hiccup's arms.

"Looks like we got ourselves a little Torch," she smiled and rubbed under Torch's chin.

"Lucky shot…" Toothless mumbled under his breath.

"Okay, who's hungry?" Hiccup asked not hearing Toothless' complaints. Taking the celeriac from her satchel on his saddle on the end of the cave, she cleaned away it's surface before walking over to a wooden she built and using a small dagger, cut off the stem, peeled the skin off and sliced into the bulb of the root before using the new flying pan she made from some of the Gronckle iron and poured in a bit of water so she could par boil the root for a light soupy mash. While the pan was heating up by the fire, she brought out the basket meant for Toothless' dinner and placed it before him.

"Okay, a hundred for you," she said before taking one from the top of the pile and placing it on a small wooden plank of wood for Torch, "and one for you." Toothless licked his chops, readying himself to dine. "There you go, boys, your first supper together."

Turning back to stir her pan, Hiccup left the boys to enjoy their meals. Toothless smiled watching her go and once he looked down to feast on his meal, it was nearly all gone. At the bottom of the basket was a fish carcass, the head still attached mockingly as a burp escaped Torch's mouth as he looked to Toothless with big innocent gold eyes.

"Why, you little…!" he spat out as Torch chattered off to one end of the cave.

"Whoa, Toothless, you're sure hungry tonight, aren't ya, bud?" Hiccup returned back to retrieve his empty basket with a smile. She was afraid he wouldn't have eaten but was glad he still had his appetite.

Toothless turned his sights to the thriving dragon on the side of the cave and roared out a threat in some fairly colorful language low enough for only him to hear.

"T-T-Torch still hungry," he complained to Toothless.

After Hiccup finished her dinner and washed her dishes while Toothless gave a quick sweep of the cave with a twig bristled broom they got ready for bed and normally this consisted of him lying on the ground with his wings held open as Hiccup changed into her sleeping gown and placed herself into his hold before giving each other a goodnight kiss, but they had company so the routine was thrown off. For starters, Toothless had pushed Hiccup to the dark end of the cave and spread his long black wings outward to cover her body from the younger dragon's eyes, only he was allowed to see her bare form. It was when Hiccup cleared a small stone for Torch to sleep on that he refused to let go of her white nightdress, forcing Toothless to yank him off of her, sending him off with such a racket.

Torch then returned to Hiccup's side and whined about not wanting to sleep alone and be cold that Hiccup couldn't help but hold him close. "Toothless, you don't mind if we all sleep together for the night, do you?"

"Oh no, I draw the line there. No way I'm sleeping with him." He was already fed up with the little brat. First he steals Hiccup's attention, eats his dinner and now he wants to cuddle up with them in bed. He wasn't about to share that with him and tried once more to pull Torch from Hiccup, only to have him wrap his little wings over her neck and hold her tightly so that if he did pull him, he'd take her down too.

Frustrated, Toothless growled once more before moving to the left of the cave and scorching the floor in a circle before laying atop it and shutting his eyes hard, trying to sleep away this nightmare.

Hiccup's heart fell when he walked away from her. This was the first time he ever did that to her and she somehow felt cold from it. She reached out for him but his face was towards the wall. She could tell he was obviously mad but what choice did she have, she knew what it was like to have to sleep alone in the dark when you had no one to turn to. Torch didn't deserve to sleep like that… Kneeling to the hard ground, Hiccup cradled Torch in her arms before lying flat and curled her legs to her core for warmth. Torch was her only warmth that night, but it didn't help remedy her silent shivers as she drifted to sleep. A small tear fell down her face, unnoticed by the small dragon in her arms and the dark one on the far side wanting to shed one too.

When he was sure she was asleep, he turned to see her, balled up and trembling. He hated his stubborn pride almost as much as the snoring little home wrecker in her arms that she held close for security. Toothless could see that Torch's sore wing was fully healed already, meaning it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be. The little imp even proved it by flapping them in his sleep. Toothless let out a heavy sigh as he leaned over Hiccup, brushing the lose strands of hair away from her face with his snout gently, earning him a soft moan from her.

I'm sorry, Hiccup. It's not you, it's him…

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of Dragon Island, while every dragon rested in their caves and nests, a giant mother dragon soared in on swift wings and landed at the spot where her son's scent ended. He was flew off from home after a heated argument with his siblings and seemed to have made it here. She sniffed the surround air where the small stone formation was, desperate to track his scent but a heavy aroma of fields and sweetness blocked her from grabbing hold of his. While sweet grass calmed most dragons, it did little to soothe the anger and maternal rage of the dragon as she roared out in fury for her son. She unleashed a heavy stream of fire onto the trees, burning them in an instant as she cried out to the heavens for her child.

Toothless could hear loud roars, their message too blurred by anger to understand and he ran out the cave to the darkness of the sandy cool beach. He sped to a high rock hill and listened to the horrible cries as Goliath came flying in from his sleep.

"What have we got?" Toothless commanded in his military-like demeanor as if the new reign of Hope didn't exist.

"Hard to say. It's a female but from here I can't tell what she wants? Perhaps a challenge on our queen?" Goliath asked worryingly.

Toothless growled at the thought. He was already on edge, now he had to deal with this potential threat from a female dragon. "Set up a small brigade to monitor the situation up close. If she leaves the island let her go, if she steps closer to this end to NOT hesitate to take her down. Our top priority is to protect Hiccup."

"Should we alert her to the intruder?"

"No. She's already dealing with her own demons, I don't to have to burden her with this. If anything happens, I'LL handle it for her." He gave a firm look out as a bright glow emerged from the forest before slowly fading. Soon the female's cries ended and the night grew calmer once more.

"She's gone. Should I still set out the troops?" Goliath asked.

"Negative. I'll stand post for now. I'll alert you to any further activity."

"Alright, sir." And with that, Goliath went off to his own cave on the south side of the island.

Toothless stood patrol for a good part of the night until the close break of day and grew restless before heading back into the cave. He could still see she was shaking in her sleep and he ached to just embrace her in his warmth. Instead, the sound of loud snoring from Torch had him puff his breath as he went off to his previous spot to finally sleep, his stomach growls acting as a cruel lullaby.

When Hiccup woke up, she was cold and her side hurt from sleeping on stone. Her movements did nothing to stir Torch from his slumber and she slowly placed him on the ground as she rose from her stiff position. She looked over to Toothless who was curled into a tight ball, his body slowly rising and falling with his every breath. A part of her wanted to go over to him, greet him to the new day, but what if he was still upset? She didn't want him mad at her because she was feeling insecure. She needed to be strong and independent like him, not weak and unsure like she was on Berk. Here she had to be a queen and that meant protecting others. Turning over to change, Hiccup quietly hoped today would be better than the last.

She was getting ready to go for a fishing trip when Torch finally rose from sleep, chirping merrily that he was the first to arise before Toothless and ran towards Hiccup, hugging her leather strapped leg. Hushing him to not waken Toothless and examined his wing. It seemed better and she was sure he'd be able to fly in no time, but he whimpered falsely seeing the concern in her eyes fade away. After second guessing herself, she exited the cave with several baskets, Torch following behind as she loaded The Hopeful Puffin before pushing it out to the warming morning waters.

The sun was beginning to rise and she could see the slow speckles of first light touching the waters with its warm fingers towards the vessel. Hiccup rowed the boat a fair distance before tossing over the nets, Torch watching closely as she performed every task like lowering the sail and dropping the small stone anchor overboard. He was so fascinated by her every movement that he felt he couldn't blink lest he missed her doing something amazing. His gaze on her was distracted as small bubbles formed over the side of the boat and from it, popped up the head of a Scaludron.

He held his head high before bowing to the young human queen of dragons, greeting her with fair winds and tides.

"Atlas, Good morning," she said in a mixture of her tongue and his.

"And a fair morning to you, young Queen Hiccup. I see you are without your wary Night Fury of a partner and I must say it is a finer day not having to hear his insisting rambles and muttering, but to be young and in love as they say…" The Scaludron continued and even though Hiccup could only make out little pieces of his nearly one-sided conversation, she was happy to see him. "Where is that chap? Hasn't run off on such a beautiful lady such as yourself, has he?"

Hiccup shook her head as she pulled on the netting to retrieve the last catch, Atlas talking for so long she managed to finish her fishing. "Sleep."

"On such a glorious day? The nerve of some youths I must say… I don't understand how and why you put up with his uncouth mannerisms at times, my lady, when you are quite possibly the most civil creature I have met and I've seen the world over innumerable times."

"Love," Hiccup blushed as she grinned and confessed to her Scaludron friend.

Torch watch as the honey glow sunshine touched Hiccup's face, lighting up her smile even more and making her peridot eyes sparkle with an amber flare. She gave off this energy, this aura of radiance and it drew the young dragon to her in a way he never thought possible. This Hiccup, was the kindest, sweetest, and nicest creature he had ever met and she was his friend. But she saw that nasty, mean Night Fury, Toothless as her love? He felt Hiccup deserved better than that. She deserved someone who would hold her at night and go on fishing trips with her, like him perhaps?

"Aw, innocent adoration, what it does to us at times?" Atlas cooed. "Love can be a powerful force. Sometimes more so than a typhoon… I'll leave you to be, my lady, you and your small little friend here." Before Torch could tell the water dragon he was not little and was almost an adult, he sank back into the deep, leaving the queen and the small one on the Hopeful Puffin.

Hiccup smiled as she reached out to grab the last fish when the texture felt different, slimy almost and looking down she could see it was not a fish at all, but a black eel with yellow stippled markings over it. She let go of the Clouded Smoked eel and panicked slightly, this was the first time she had caught one and it set her in a fright as it wriggled around on the deck of her ship. Her reaction to the eel sparked an idea in Torch's head and he dove down and quickly slurped up the delicious meal in one go. Hiccup was about to protest but seeing his seemed alright eating it she wondered if it was a natural diet choice for him.

"Wow, Torch, thank you. You're one of a kind," she lowered herself to pet him under the chin, to which he full heartedly accepted. "Toothless hates eels."

Torch's expression slightly deflated upon hearing the mean dragon's name. It was going to take a lot for him to out shine a Night Fury, but he'd try. He felt determined as they sailed back to shore, the morning sun climbing up to start a new day.

Heavy, tired eyes opened, Toothless stretched himself out of his sleeping position. His arms felt empty without Hiccup there and when he turned to see her, she was gone. It wasn't just her, the little brat, Torch as well and while he was glade the little monster vanished, Hiccup's disappearance set him on a scramble. He sniffed around for her, looked over the cave three times before racing outdoors to see her pulling up towards the shoreline, Torch by her side with cases of fish.

She went fishing without me… Toothless felt hurt. They did everything together. Just them, because they were a team. So why was she out with a new dragon? In his half-awake state, he wasn't going to think it over logically and marched towards her in a rage. "Where have you been?!"

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Bossy. Torch and I went fishing, that's all," she replied with a crooked brow. This wasn't his usual behavior.

"You should have woke me up! You know you're not allowed outside without me!"

There was something about his comment that rang into her ears. It was from a different voice and it seemed so long ago that it was said to her.

You know you're not allowed outside without me, Sis…

Her head began to hurt, and it spun out of control from her state of vertigo that she had to take hold of the Puffin for stability. She was confused about many things right now, but for now she'd focus on the one before her.

"I didn't want to disturb you while you slept and I can make decisions of my own free will, Toothless. If I want to go outside, I will." She panted firmly to him as she regained her balance.

"Not without me you don't! You may be the Queen but if I tell you something, I expect you to listen and not be stubborn about it!" he was still on defense mode and letting his general voice out on her.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a subordinate, Toothless! I'm not lesser than you, I'm your equal here!"

"You're NOT my equal…!" was all he could muster out before her face went from defensive to offended. He could have finished his sentence, that she was most important than him and he worried about her but Torch flew onto his face, trying to claw at him.

"I-I-Is meany to Hiccup!" Torch cried out before being tossed to the sandy beach hardly, landing him on the side of his healed but bandaged wing.

"TORCH!" Hiccup shouted as she raced to pick him up, Toothless stopping her by yanking on her vest. He had it with the twerp, Hiccup was his and they were going home, now.

Fidgeting, Hiccup slipped out of her vest and ran to Torch, slowly picking him up off the ground. "Are you okay?"

"T-T-Torch's wing hurts!" he mewled, acting hurt.

"Toothless? Why would you do this? What's gotten into you?" Hiccup's eyes were filled with fear, concern and confusion. She didn't recognize this Toothless and she wanted him the way he normally was.

"Get over it and get out of here!" Toothless snarled loudly to Torch before running off into the forest.

It was the last time she heard from or seen of him for the rest of the day.

Hiccup waited the whole day by the entrance of the cave, hoping for Toothless to come home but he never did. The sun had already left the sky and the full moon seemed to be the only light in the world. She barely ate her dinner of beets and wild mushrooms and the basket meant for Toothless' breakfast, lunch and dinner had gone untouched. For the most part, she remained silent and on occasion would say little things to Torch as she checked his wing.

He, on the other hand, was enjoying his time alone with Hiccup. When he had left, she nursed him back to health with fish and a hot shower, something he had never had before but thoroughly liked as she massaged her fingertips onto his scales and washing him clean. If the Night Fury would never return, he could get used to this life.

Dressed in her nightdress, Hiccup sighed a lonely sigh as she killed the fire on the pit and sat on the stone floor where she and Toothless normally slept together. She felt so deserted in this cold dark cavity. It made her mind think the walls of the cave were closing in on her, making her feel cramped and the lost voice she had heard before crossed her head.

You don't need to be afraid, Sis. Bro's here to protect you…

She didn't have a brother, so why would she hear this voice that made her feel good inside tell her so? It made no sense to her and that frightened her a lot more than calming her down. If she did have a brother, she'd want for him to be brave and big, someone who could scare away all the fears in her mind. But she was an only child, and she didn't have a brother. She didn't even have her dragon anymore. Hiccup closed her eyes and let several tears fall. When she opened them again, she could swear there were two big glowing eyes staring directly into her soul. Two oval predator-like eyes that never blinked or moved, they just kept staring at her shapelessly in the darkness.

Hiccup dreaded looking away and yet she didn't want to face this demon of her own manifestation. Curling her body, Hiccup trembled from the cold and from fear as she could feel the two eyes watching her every breath in the shadows…