Saturday is once again upon us, and that means it's time for another chapter of this ol' story of mine! Today I got some fluff, interactions, and a fight scene for you guys, so buckle down and get your scrolling finger ready to go!

Again, I'll try to follow the weekly Saturday upload schedule, but I might take the next week off cause it's spring break, so don't get your hopes up for another update, since I may not upload until two weeks from now. Feel free to yell at me if I miss a day, and I'll try to get right on it.

Anyhow, without further ado, here's another chapter of,

A Future Past, a New Fate

DISCLAIMER: I don't own either of these franchises, but if I did, I would've made the support conversations in Fates better.

Chapter 3: Thorn in my Side

Shortly after me and Toothless finished off his portion of the cod, Hiccup had come over, (a wide grin stretched across his face for whatever reason) telling us that since I had slept in so late, noon to be exact, they would have to get going to the dragon academy. I was disheartened upon hearing that, but he said they would only be gone for four hours or so, so I would just have to find something to occupy the time while they were gone. As I watched Toothless flash me a smile before leaping off into the sky with Hiccup on his back, I thought to myself, 'Of course I can fend off boredom for four measly hours. I've done it before for much longer than that!'

Fifteen minutes in, and I realized just how wrong I was to think that.

I sighed in frustration as another minute ticked by after what seemed like an hour. Gods, I had never felt so bored in my life. With Toothless and Hiccup gone and the excitement over this morning's meal, I was forced to cope with the fact that my body was very much still tired and sore, and it would protest with me just opening my wings. So that meant flying was out, and going into the village was out since I didn't really want to attract that much attention to myself right now. I would only meet with Hiccup's friends and that's it. So, with no other options, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to get a much-needed nap. With that sentiment, I slowly walked over to the side of Hiccup's hut, not really wanting to go though that infernal doorway, and curled up against the wooden structure. I quickly found myself entering a deep sleep, which was devoid of any dreams.

I awoke to the sound of large flapping wings around me.

My eyelids slowly cracked open, the evening sun filtering through the blue orbs. It looked to be later in the day, the sun just over the horizon, the beautiful colors of the sky coming out once more to create another picture-perfect setting. I blinked a couple times to get the sleep out of my eyes before yawning, my wings subconsciously stretching out behind me. I was happy to feel that they felt almost as good as new, only feeling a slight tinge of pain under the muscle fibers. I was a little amazed that I had recovered so quickly, giving my wings an experimental flap. No pain. 'Dragons must be able to heal wounds faster, because if I were that sore as a human then I would be out of commission for at least five days,' I mused, slowly getting to my feet and stretching out my body, almost like a cat would.

My mind went back to the flapping wings I thought I had heard earlier. Perhaps Toothless and Hiccup were back? I glanced around the area, before my eyes settled on a dragon that was absolutely not Toothless. In front of me was a dragon that held a similar appearance to the one Astrid had flown in on, but it had a different coloration, having a dark maroon red scales where the blue one should have been. It's underbelly was still the same white, however, along with the undersides of it's wings. It eyed me with a dangerous gleam in it's expression. My look did not change, but on the inside I was already formulating a plan of attack if things went south. The dragon looked me up and down, before scoffing. "So, this is the new Shadowshifter the others have been talking about? I must say, I'm not entirely impressed." He mocked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. I inwardly bristled at his comment, my eyes and pupils narrowing. "I'm sorry, have we met?" I asked harshly, not at all liking this dragon's attitude.

Said dragon smirked before chuckling lowly. "I am Redthorn, although you may call me Thorn." He greeted, although he didn't sound sincere at all.

I resisted the urge to teach this dragon a lesson in manners. "Charmed." I replied, my stony expression not changing. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to see me? You're the first dragon to do so." I asked, although I was actually curious about this. If he was correct about others talking about me, then why was he the first to talk with me?

His smirk turned to an angry frown, as if he swallowed some of Kjelle's cooking. "The others are afraid of what Toothless," He spat the name out like it was a bit of poison. "Would do to them should they get too close. But me… I know that without him here, you're nothing but a helpless damsel, no better than a trophy mate." I was a little surprised by that. Were they truly so afraid of Toothless that they wouldn't get anywhere near me? But he was such a nice and polite dragon…

Redthorn begin to circle around me menacingly, his tail held up behind him. I just noticed the spikes on his tail were raised, looking sharp and deadly. I slowly crouched lower, not liking where this unpleasant encounter was going. "I came here to prove something… to prove that I am better than any blasted Shadowshifter. Perhaps if I defeat you in combat…" The spikes shifted dangerously. "He will think twice before messing with me again!" He exclaimed, looking ready to pounce and tear me to shreds.

But I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath, not letting his words rile me up. Provoking your enemy was a common thing for the low level grunts of the Grimleal to do, and it allowed them to lower your defenses so they could kill you more easily. But I never allowed them to get to me. "Normally I would love to have a friendly spar, but you… I think I will pass. Thank you for the offer, Redthorn, but I must decline." I replied, emphasizing the last word so he would fully understand that I didn't want to fight. I began to turn away and walk towards Hiccup's house, wanting to get inside and away from this lunatic.

I heard his growl behind me. "You damn Shifters are nothing but cowards. Perhaps if you weren't so scared of everything, your race would still be alive and well, but here we are, the last two Shifters of their own damn kind!" He shot at my retreating form, sounding more and more heated as time went on. I simply trudged on, ignoring his hateful words.

"Is suppose that's how your wimp of a father and whore mother died as well? On the run from something they were too weak for? Or of old age after hiding away from everything for too long?"

I froze.

My neck slowly turned to look back at the dragon who was mocking me, my eyes blazing with a fury I hadn't felt for a long time. He smirked upon noticing me stop. "Oh, did I hit a nerve there?" He asked, feigning concern.

That was the last thing I let him say before I roared with the fury of a thousand suns, rushing over to him in the blink of an eye, my wings outstretched and my claws ready to kill.

~Toothless~

The dragon academy, as usual, was boring. Watching these kids try to find the best spots for scratching a dragon got old quick. At least I hadn't been the one subjected to their tiny hands. I winced, remembering a boy with particularly long claws try to scratch Meatlug, his flimsy hands scraping against her tough hide with audible scraping noises. That could not have felt good…

Ah, well, at least the young hatchlings seemed to enjoy themselves, and that was their goal at the end of the day, so you could say the academy today went well. Now, however, me and Hiccup were gathering all of riders and the dragons together. The reason? We thought it was time they met Lucina. Fishlegs and Astrid were with us at the academy, so those were two down. The twins were off causing trouble in the Great Hall, letting loose a few Smallshots in the very wooden, very flammable dining area, Barf and Belch providing the distraction they needed with that gas that I hate so much. Snotlout was… well, flirting with Hiccup's birth mother, which I found odd. She seemed amused by the whole thing, and Hookfang could do nothing but sit back and watch his rider make a fool of himself, exasperated. Cloudjumper was also amused with everything, although more with Hookfang's reaction.

Once we had gathered everybody up, which had taken a bit longer than it was supposed to, Hiccup went to explain the situation to the other humans, and I explained what was going on to the dragons.

I growled in a low, non-threatening manner, catching the other dragon's attention. I briefly smiled at the perks of being the Alpha, but continued onwards. "Well, gang, today me and Hiccup found something that we thought would surprise you," I began, glancing between the five dragons in front of me as I spoke. Stormfly, who already knew who I was talking about, said nothing, but gave me an approving look.

Barf and Belch looked at each other, seemingly unimpressed. "What could," Barf said, before Belch picked up where his twin left off. "Possibly surprise,"

"Us now?"

Cloudjumper nodded benevolently. "Yes, there isn't much that could surprise me, Toothless. Unless, you somehow managed to find another Shadowshifter, which, might I remind you is impossible, since me and my rider have searched for years without luck." I couldn't help but smirk after he was done talking. He had hit the surprise dead on and didn't even know it!

"Well," I said, stretching out that word for a good three seconds. "About that…"

Meatlug let out a small gasp, her eyes widening. "Wait, you mean?..."

Hookfang, to her right, started to laugh good heartedly, walking up to me and patting me on the back. "I can't believe it! You finally got yourself a girl, eh Toothless? Naga be damned, I thought you were gonna be a loner forever!" He teased, smirking the whole time.

I huffed, rolling my eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. And I will neither confirm nor deny your claim that I 'got a girl'." I shot back. That insufferable smirk never once left his face. "Right, right." He said, plodding back over to join the other dragons.

"Toothless." Cloudjumper's voice caught my attention, sounding more serious than usual. "Is it true? Have you found another Shadowshifter?" The large dragon asked, his brow furrowed. I grinned cheekily. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see!" I said, not willing to tell them anything more. Cloudjumper simply scowled in response.

The others turned their attention away from me, conversing among themselves as to what exactly this thing was that I wanted to show them. I was grateful for this small lull in conversation.

Because otherwise, I would've missed a faint roar in the distance, a familiar roar. My ears stood straight up, and my eyes widened considerably. 'That was… Lucina!' I realized, recognizing her roar from our first meeting. I forgot all about introducing the others to Lucina, rushing over to my rider with only one thought running through my head on a loop. 'Lucina's in trouble.'

He was still talking to his friends when I almost bowled him over, catching him off guard. "Woah, bud! What's gotten you riled u-" his playful tone shifted immediately upon seeing my fearful expression. "Toothless? What's the matter?" He asked, now completely serious.

"Lucina, she's in trouble. I heard her roar from here!" I relayed quickly, twisting my body so my rider could quickly jump on. His face contorted into one of worry almost immediately. "What?! Oh, of course something has to go wrong," He exclaimed before vaulting onto my back, quickly hooking his leg into the slot. "C'mon, bud, let's go!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," I said, shooting off into the sky. I could hear the other humans shouting after us, but I paid them no heed, as did Hiccup. We both had one goal in mind, and that was to make sure she was okay. We sped through the skies together as one, our movements in perfect unison.

I could only hope that we didn't get there too late.

~Lucina~

My sudden attack took Redthorn by surprise, judging by his shocked squawk. Taking advantage of him being off guard, I quickly spun and slammed my left wing into the side of his neck, feeling the sensitive muscles there get impacted by the force of my (apparently) powerful wing muscles. He grunted in pain, stumbling back a couple feet. I didn't stop there, carrying my momentum through and swinging my tail into his head, sending him reeling to the side. I swiftly took a defensive stance, knowing that if I pushed further it would leave me open. True to my assumption, he righted himself quickly, glaring at me with hate filled eyes. "Big mistake!" He growled out, before rushing forward with his tail spikes outstretched, tail curled in anticipation. He whipped his tail forward, sending a volley spikes at me. My eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to have a projectile attack. Thankfully, my reflexes were honed to be near impeccable, and I quickly dropped and rolled to the side, clambering to my paws. His assault didn't stop there, swinging with one of his claws once I rose out of my roll. Thinking quickly, I ducked under his outstretched wing before spinning and clipping his legs with my tail, sending him sprawling onto the grassy floor. I didn't follow through with the momentum this time around, however, righting myself and staring down my opponent. He was getting desperate, if his heavy breathing and erratic movements as he rose to his clawed feet were any indication. He growled once more, before opening his mouth, a glow of orange visible in the back of his throat. My eyes narrowed in anticipation, awaiting whatever surprise he had in store.

"DIE!" He roared, before unleashing a torrent of flame in my direction. I sprung high into the air at the last second, feeling the immense heat the fire held on my hind legs, the flames licking my scales. Once I was at the peak of my jump, I glared at Redthorn before employing a skill that my father had taught me so long ago; Aether. I forced my momentum forward, tucking my body in and using my front body weight to send myself into a rapid spin. Normally, to perform this technique, I would have to have a sword in hand, but my claws will do just fine. When I was mere feet in front of my target, I unfurled my body, catching a glimpse of a surprised and fearful dragon before I slammed into him, holding his head to the floor by his neck as we slip a couple yards from the amount of momentum behind that attack.

He coughed, wings limp at his sides. "Urgh… Damn… you…!" Redthorn managed to choke out, glaring at me hatefully, even though he was at a severe disadvantage. My claws could crush his neck in an instant, but as much as I wanted to, that would make me no better than a murderer. I had taken a human life only a few times before, and it left me with a sick feeling in my stomach every time I did so. I avoided killing people whenever I could, but this dragon was making it very hard to not just end his life right now. "You can mock me all you want…" I said, my eyes almost slits as I spoke with a rage that I didn't know I had. A flash of fear went through his once arrogant eyes. "But you will NEVER talk about my family like that, EVER AGAIN!" I yelled in his face, causing him to shrink back with every word. I was just so Godsdamned angry! What right did he have to call the ones I loved cowards? To mock them?! Did he have any idea what I've BEEN THROUGH?!

My anger reaching it's peak, I felt something welling up inside of me, something… hot. Volatile. I felt the sudden urge to open my mouth, and when I did so I face a purple light emanating onto Thorn's terrified muzzle, accompanied with a low hissing noise.

I suddenly felt my teeth move, and I quickly turned my head away from my assailant, blasting a ball of flame that shot across the ground before exploding with a crack a few yards away, leaving a smoldering crater in the ground. I stared at the smoking remains of what used to be a patch of grass, my anger forgotten for a split second. 'What the…' I thought to myself, surprised at what I just did. That was at the same level of power as one of Morgan's Arcfire spells…

I felt Redthorn shift underneath me, trying to get away, but I held fast, my anger returning as I bared down upon him, malice clouding my vision. "Consider that a warning shot." I growled, not noticing my teeth sliding back into view. "Next time…" I roughly shoved him to the side, removing my claws from his throat. "I won't be so merciful."

Once he was free from my grip he quickly scrambled to his feet, scowling. His eyes were filled with raw hatred, all directed at me. "Damn you Shadowshifters…" He spat, before turning and flying away into the village with what little dignity he had. I waited until he was out of sight, then sighed in relief, my muscles finally relaxing. If there was one thing that I wasn't expecting to happen today, it was an actual fight with another dragon. It was good to know I wasn't getting rusty.

"Lucina!" "Lucina!" I blinked in surprise when two voices yelled my name. Looking over to my left, I caught the sight of one extremely worried looking dragon and one worried looking rider. I hadn't expected Toothless and Hiccup to be back so soon. 'I must've been asleep for longer than I thought…' I thought to myself, watching them touch down on the ground before hurrying over to me. "Are you alright, Lucina? I saw the end of that tussle you had there with that Nadder," He asked, circling around me and checking my body over for injuries.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but Toothless interrupted me by walking up and nuzzling the side of my head, making small crooning sounds as he did so. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help… you're not hurt, are you?" He asked, concern prominent in his speech. I felt my face heat up from the intimate contact, but I was getting used to it. It was just how Toothless showed affection. I couldn't help but lean a little into his touch, finding his warm scales comforting. "I'm fine, Toothless. I can take care of myself," I assured, although my wing did ache a bit from where I hit him. His scales were tougher than I anticipated.

He snorted a bit in amusement, stepping away from me. "I could see that, but that doesn't mean you didn't worry me!" He said, his eyes flashing with laughter, and what almost seemed like a hint of admiration.

"Well, no injuries on this end," Hiccup said from my side, the feeling of my wing being lifted upwards followed by a hand running along the scales underneath causing the muscles to tense slightly. "I recognized that Nadder from our mission last week… did he say something to you?" The chieftain asked from his position under my wing, his voice muffled slightly.

I went to answer, then hesitated. I wasn't quite ready to tell them the story of my mother and father yet… perhaps some other time in the future. "He arrived while I was sleeping, throwing hateful words my way. After a short talk, he challenged me to a duel, which I tried to decline, but… I let my anger get the best of me." I relayed to the two just as Hiccup walked into view, apparently satisfied with his inspection.

Toothless growled, his teeth glinting sharply in the evening sun. "I knew that Thorntail would be trouble! Should've just left him there on the trapper's boat after he tried to fight me," he glowered.

I blinked in surprise. Redthorn had mentioned something about wanting to prove that he's better than any Shadowshifter… perhaps he was talking about getting back at Toothless for losing to him. But then, why fight me? Did he think that I was important to Toothless?

For some reason, just the thought of that brought butterflies to my stomach.

Hiccup's brow furrowed, trying to make sense of the situation. "He didn't seem entirely fond of you, to say the least, but I'm surprised he would go as far as to attack Lucina…" He sighed to himself as he put a hand on his chin.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly interrupted whatever thoughts the three of us had, and we turned to face a group of six other humans touch down on the patch of land in front of us, each of them riding a different dragon. The six quickly unhitched themselves from the backs of their dragons, Astrid leading them with the rounder boy bringing up the rear. "Why did you just take off like that, you dope?! You could've at least said something!" She exclaimed, clearly angry at the now sheepish chieftain.

While Hiccup was busy tripping his way through some made up explanation, I took the time to inspect our new guests. I had already met Astrid (who was starting to feel more and more like a blonde Severa), but the other five were new to me. The man on Astrid's left was shorter than her, but seemed to have muscle than anything, as evidenced by his bulging biceps when he folded his arms. 'Kind of reminds me of Laurent's father,' I mused, the burly axe-wielder coming to mind. To his right were two almost identical looking people, save for the fact one was a man and the other was a woman. Twins, I'm guessing. I haven't met any twins before, but I've heard the bond they hold is as unbreakable as steel.

That may not have been true, however, because soon after Hiccup started explaining the situation to them they started to argue with each other before dropping and exchanging blows as they rolled along the ground, yelling about some trivial thing the whole time. I shook my head in amusement, my mind wandering to the times Morgan and I had sparred. They could sometimes get a little heated, but it was all in good fun. The portly boy that I had seen behind them stood next to the taller, older woman, arms lax at his sides as he nervously glanced back and forth between Hiccup and Astrid. Reminds me of Yarne when Severa would yell at others in front of him.

The taller women I mentioned is who caught my attention. She was clad in an armor set that was painted blue and brown, which was most definitely not for show. The shoulder pads especially looked well crafted and solid. For some reason, her face seemed… familiar. Hiccup's talking caused me to look towards him, and I realized what the familiarity was. He held a striking resemblance to this mystery woman, their jawlines and features very similar. I looked back over to the woman, looking her over again. 'Similar builds, too… perhaps she's Hiccup's mother?' A pang of loneliness and regret washed over me, but I quickly shook it off. This wasn't about me.

It seems that the woman knew that somebody was watching her, because for a moment her brow furrowed in confusion, her eyes dancing around her before settling on me, the striking green orbs set dead on my own. She gasped, her eyes widening intensely as she realized what exactly she was looking at, her head snapping to Toothless, who was standing wingtip-to-wingtip with me, and back to me, her mouth agape with shock. I sighed inwardly. 'Here we go again…' I thought bitterly, not liking any unwanted attention I brought to myself. People in Ylisse had almost worshipped me as some sort of hero back in Ylisse, but I never thought myself to be any sort of hero. I couldn't save any of my aunts or uncles… I couldn't save my parents… what hero let's people die? I understood why they praised me, but I couldn't help but think… I didn't deserve it.

"Oh, Odin… Hiccup! You've… you've found another Night Fury?!" The older woman's voice brought me out of deep rooted thoughts, the surprise in her voice and on her face extremely evident even for someone like me, who was not the best when it comes to emotions… or humor.

Hiccup paused in his small excuse-making, turning to look at the woman, then back to me. The rest of Hiccup's friends just started to notice me as well, different variations of surprise plastered over their expressions (save for Astrid, who had already known about my existence). "Well, there goes the dramatic effect…" He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yep, she's the surprise I was talking about back in the academy. Mom, Lucina. Lucina, Valka." He introduced, gesturing between me and the woman, who I now knew that she was, indeed, Hiccup's mother. She slowly walked up to me, hands outstretched in front of her, an awestruck look on her face. I was a little tense, not quite ready for a complete stranger to get so close, let alone touch me, but I reminded myself that this woman was Hiccup's own kin. If she was anything like said chieftain, she wouldn't hurt me.

She placed an open palm on the center of my muzzle, the leathery texture of the almost half-gloves she was wearing rubbing up against my scales. I held myself from flinching back, and eventually I found myself relaxing around her. Then she started to scratch me behind the ears, sending sudden pleasurable waves down my back. "She's beautiful… I thought there were none left," I heard her say to Hiccup, but I was more focused on the impromptu scratches she was giving me. For some reason, her nails against my rough, scaly skin felt like somebody was running a comb against my body, but it just felt so damn good. 'This feels… way better… than it should…' I thought, leaning my head into her hand as she continued to work behind my head. The sensations her hands were sending through my body was comparable to the massage Toothless had given my wings just last night. 'It must have something to do with my new muscles… Perhaps they're easily stimulated for pleasure in certain places?' It would make sense, considering there's still so much about this draconic body that I have no clue about.

She eventually stopped, removing her hands from my ears and moving onto the side of my body. I blinked in confusion when she abruptly quit what she was doing, tilting my head to the side as I watched her move. I cringed when she unfurled one of my wings, a twinge of pain making itself known as she did so. I probably pushed my wings too hard during the fight with Redthorn. Thankfully, she wasn't too rough with it, carefully fanning it out and holding it lightly in her hands. "Impressive! must be a good flier," she noted, inspecting the appendage from every angle.

Hiccup seemed to have noticed my discomfort with her handling my wing like that, because he quickly hobbled over, hands in front of him in a universal 'stop' signal. "I'd be careful with her wings, mom. She's traveled a long ways from home, and her wings are still sore from her journey." He explained.

Valka's eyes widened some, then she nodded, very careful letting go of my wing which allowed me to fold it up against my side once more. "I apologize, it's just… Hiccup, I've spent years looking for any signs of the remaining Night Furies, and all I got were a couple rumors and legends! This is an incredible find!" She said to her son, moving away from her spot near my wing, which I was grateful for. The scratches she gave me felt good, but handling my wing was a bit much. It was at that time the rest of Hiccup's friends had decided to walk up next to him, the portly one looking especially giddy. "There's two of them… I'm never gonna win another dragon race again, am I?" The burly one asked rhetorically, looking exasperated.

Astrid snorted, smirking. "Well, to never win one again, you would actually have to win one…" She pointed out. The two twins laughed behind her when she said that. "Yeah, even Ruffnut's won a race before." The boy said, gesturing to his twin sister. She scoffed in reply. "I even had this guy as my teammate, so you know it was extra hard," she shot back. The boy they were mocking sputtered indignantly, before turning away from the three, crossing his arms and grumbling angrily.

'What a lovely relationship they have…' I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes at their behavior.

Hiccup looked at the whole debacle with an amused smile on his face, before turning to me. "Well, Lucina, these are the people Astrid was talking about yesterday. We've got Snotlout," he pointed at the burly boy. "The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut," my gaze turned to the two blonde twins, who looked about two remarks away from getting into another scuffle. "Fishlegs," he gestured towards the portly boy, who was quite literally shaking with excitement as he looked over me. "And my mom, Valka." He finished with his mother, who bowed her head respectfully in my direction. I nodded in return, causing her to smile sweetly. "They sure are a… lively bunch, to say the least." I said, chuckling lightly.

I heard Toothless chuff in amusement, walking up beside me. "That's the understatement of the eon." He agreed, laughing alongside me.

Fishlegs finally decided to speak up, eyes wide with wonder. "Hiccup, does this mean that there are more Night Furies out there? This could be huge!" He exclaimed.

Hiccup responded by putting a hand to his chin. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I want to believe yes, but everything we've searched says no. But now that Lucina's here… that changes everything," He answered, looking deep in thought. I looked at Toothless, who was looking between all of the humans with watchful eyes. Had he really been the last of his kind before I showed up? 'I could only imagine how lonely that must've been… at least I had my family to keep me company in our bleak time.' I thought with pity.

Said Night Fury (or was it Shadowshifter?) seemed to take notice I was looking at him, his gaze moving from the humans to me. "Something wrong, Luci?" He asked, catching me off guard with the use of Morgan's nickname for me.

"Luci?" I asked without thinking, my head tilting in confusion. His eyes widened at that, as if realizing what he had just said. "O-oh, sorry, I-I didn't mean to…" He stammered before turning away, a guilty look on his face. If he wasn't pitch black in coloration, I'm certain his face would be beet red in embarrassment.

I chuckled lightly, then, acting on impulse, walked up to him and nuzzled against the side of his neck, enjoying the warmth of his scales. He seemed to freeze up when I did so for some reason, though. Didn't he do this earlier today? I'm sure it was just a way dragons showed affection. "Don't be. I'm just surprised that you and Morgan call me the same thing," I said, grinning slightly before ending the contact. He stayed frozen like that for longer than I anticipated, his eyes seemingly locked on some far away place, the black pupils within those acid-green pools enlarged considerably compared to how they normally were.

I raised a nonexistent eyebrow, eyeing him questionably. "Are you alright, Toothless?" I asked him, moving in front of him so I could try and get his attention. It did get a reaction, just not the one I was expecting, as he suddenly yelled out in surprise, flaring his wings out and knocking himself back a few feet. I watched, confused and somewhat amused at the same time as he quickly righted himself back on his feet, now looking even more embarrassed. "I-I, Yeah, I-I'm fine! Don't worry about me, heh," He stammered awkwardly, trying his hardest to force a gummy smile.

"Well, I'll be damned!" A deeper voice interrupted me before I could ask what was wrong, and a dragon suddenly landed next to Toothless, looking very proud and smug at the same time. I was instantly on guard, since I have never seen this dragon before and his coloration was strikingly similar to that of Redthorn. "And here I thought you were lying about gettin' a girl!" The newcomer said in a friendly way, patting the still shell-shocked Toothless on the back with a claw. I instantly felt my face heat up at what the new dragon said. "That's… we're not…" I struggled to find the right words, my stomach starting to twist itself into a knot and my heart warming my chest.

The new dragon looked over to me, his slit eyes roaming over my body with a scrutinizing gaze, almost like he was testing me. He stayed like that for a moment, before he grinned widely, his razor sharp teeth doing nothing to help offset the edge I felt. Just because I was comfortable around Toothless, doesn't mean I was comfortable around other dragons. "There's the lucky girl!" The… Monstrous dragon said, walking up to me with that grin still on his face. 'Stay strong… Toothless won't let him hurt you,' I told myself, and for some reason, that seemed to calm my nerves.

He patted me roughly on the back, and I lurched forward, grimacing. "Name's Hookfang. Don't you worry, Toothless here'll treat you right." He said.

I chuckled dryly, not particularly enjoying Hookfang's company at the moment. "E-er, r-right… I'll keep that in mind," I replied half heartedly, still not liking how he was calling me and Toothless a couple. I mean, I used to be human, and he was a dragon. It just… didn't make sense.

'But you're a dragon now as well.' The logical part of my brain replied back, and I scowled. That didn't mean anything. He was still a dragon.

A well-mannered… nice… somewhat cute dragon…

Aaagh! Enough with these thoughts, Lucina! I shook my head, trying to rid myself of these impure daydreams.

"Oh, quit scaring her, Hookfang! She looks about ready to jump out of her skin!" Another unfamiliar voice shot at said dragon. Hookfang groaned and turned to look at an approaching dragon, who I recognized as Astrid's mount. "Ah, c'mon, Stormfly! I'm just trying to lighten up the mood," he said, eyes narrowing.

Toothless, who seemed to have recovered from whatever he was embarrassed about, walked up next to me almost protectively, eying Hookfang with what almost looked like exasperation and annoyance. "I didn't know adding more weight to it was a way to lighten something…" He said, causing Hookfang to snort in response, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Stormfly sighed lightly, shaking her head while chuckling. "Don't mind him, that's just the way he acts in front of newcomers. I'm Stormfly," She greeted while stretching her body, her tail curling itself out while the spines rose up in down in a wave-like pattern.

'There's still so much I have to learn…' I thought to myself, watching her tail move with intrigue. The way dragons interacted was so different from humans. "Lucina. Nice to meet you." I greeted, already liking her company more than Hookfang's.

Stormfly smiled at this, looking over to Toothless who still stood protectively by my side. "He isn't wrong, though. There isn't a more loyal dragon in the world than Toothless, he'll keep you safe." She said, nodding over to said Night Fury. I blushed heavily as she said that, not expecting her to start matching me and Toothless together as well. 'What is it with everyone thinking me and Toothless are together?' I wondered, not understanding where they were getting it from.

I was beginning to reach my social limit when three more dragons suddenly appeared, all with different statures. There was one that was smaller than the rest of the dragon, but it more than made up for it with the bulk it had, a huge jaw likely capable of crushing boulders along with two tiny wings atop it's back. 'How would it even fly?' I wondered, trying to figure out how those tiny wings were able to even lift it. I'm… not going to lie, I was a tad frightened of the dragon that landed next to it, it's two green heads both looking at me with unwavering eyes. Creepy…

Of course, those dragons were nothing in comparison to the sheer intimidation factor of the dragon that touched down just seconds after. It stood a couple feet over me, it's flattened face gazing at me with an unreadable expression on it's face. I swallowed in fear, the massive wings on it's back and the wings on it's front claws giving the impression that it was no slouch when it came to flying. 'I wouldn't want to fight that dragon…' I thought, taking in the rippling muscles that were visible underneath it's scaly skin.

The two headed dragon quickly bounded over to me, and I shrunk back in fear as they twisted their heads around me as they moved, as if trying to look at me from every possible angle. "Wow, Toothless," The head on the left said, before being cut off by the head on the right. "You weren't," It continued, then paused, allowing the head on the left to finish up the sentence. "Lying!"

'That's going to get annoying fast,' I thought to myself when I realized they were alternating between themselves as they spoke. I heard Toothless huff in exasperation. "Right, cause I'm totally known to be a liar…" He muttered, rolling his eyes.

The large dragon walked up to us, standing tall over us on it's hind legs with it's chest pushed outward, it's stance almost regal. "Forgive us for disbelieving, but… I thought there were no more Shadowshifters left. I had searched with Valka for years, and… nothing." The dragon said, it's tone of voice not what I expected at all. He turned to me with the last part, his eyes curious. "How did you escape our attention for so long? It is truly curious…"

"I… come from a place far away. Ylisse." I said after a brief pause, not wanting to say anything wrong. I did not want to get onto these dragon's bad sides…

"Ylisse? Where's that? I've never heard of an island named Ylisse," The dragon with the small wings said, her head tilting curiously to the side.

I was quicker on the draw this time, remembering the explanation I gave Toothless. "That's because it's not in the archipelago. It's past the sea, an entirely different continent." I explained, trying my hardest to make it sound convincing.

Well, as convincing as I could while I had multiple terrifying dragons staring me down.

I heard Hookfang chuckle. "Ooh, an exotic Shadowshifter? You got lucky with her…" He teased, which Toothless just responded to with a roll of his eyes. He was reacting to all these accusations better than I was, at least… if I were still human, my face would probably be permanently red.

"Oh, wow!" The two headed dragon began.

"That's so far!" The one on the right said.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Barf," The left head, now named… Barf (Eugh…)… greeted.

"And I'm Belch!" The right head said, flashing her a goofy smile. Belch? Just who was in charge of these names? Owain would think of something better in a heartbeat…

The bulky dragon simply raised a claw in greeting, a big grin on her face. "Name's Meatlug, good to meet you." She greeted. I held back a cringe. It was a good thing Owain wasn't here, he'd probably have a heart attack from how horrible these Vikings were at naming things. At least Stormfly and Hookfang were somewhat fitting.

"My name is Cloudjumper. It is nice to meet you." The large, four-winged dragon greeted, a soft smile on his flattened muzzle. I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a tad more comfortable around these dragons (save for Hookfang). Although I wasn't going to be these dragons anytime soon like Toothless did for me, I could at least learn to slightly enjoy their company.

"It's nice to meet you all. You may call me Lucina." I returned their friendly greeting, bowing my head slightly.

Barf and Belch gasped, turning to look at each other for a brief moment before looking towards Toothless, who's expression was a mix between embarrassed beyond belief and protectiveness towards me. "Such a pretty name!" Barf complimented, followed by Belch. "You're one lucky dragon, Toothless."

I blushed from their complement, and was about to thank them… then they said the second part, and now I was sure I was going to die from embarrassment.

"Ha! Yeah, lucky I didn't get to her first!" Hookfang remarked, laughing harshly. I instantly cringed heavily at that, blushing as more than a few unsavory images coming to mind. I could tell Toothless didn't find that comment amusing, either, giving Hookfang a stony glare. "Uh-huh. Right." He deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"Showin' off your new girlfriend, Toothless? I know I would!" Tuffnut teased, suddenly appearing next to Barf and Belch. It seemed Hiccup and his friends were done observing us, making their way to where we were conversing. Ruffnut scoffed, sending her twin a disbelieving look. "Please. The day you get a girlfriend is the day Eret stops secretly crushing on me."

"So, I should've had a girlfriend months ago then? He's never had a crush on you!" Tuffnut shot back.

"He's probably just biding his time. He'll come around, I'm sure…" Ruffnut said, grinning with a dreamy look on her face. Tuffnut responded by rolling his eyes, leaning on Barf's side.

"Well, it is common for other dragon species to show off their mates. I'm sure Night Furies are no different," Fishlegs added, ignoring the twin's bickering.

I simply groaned as I listened to all the conversation, wishing I could curl up into a ball and disappear from this heavy embarrassment. Why does everyone seem so keen on me and Toothless being together? We're just friends, acquaintances! Sure, he might've done some things that were a little… intimate, but again, I'm sure that's just how he shows affection.

I glanced over to Toothless, who seemed just as embarrassed and exasperated as I did, a paw resting heavily on his muzzle. "Oh, Naga, when will this conversation end…" He muttered into his claws.

"It's like they don't even care how we feel," I agreed, sighing in exhaustion, both mental and physical. Since the excitement of my fight with Redthorn has ended, the adrenaline that had initially been coursing through my body has now run it's course, my tiredness now making itself clear. I didn't feel as bad as this morning, but still really damn sore.

Hiccup, having finished with explaining to the riders what exactly happened with Lucina, walked over to the two of us. …Well, it was more of a hobble with his prosthetic, but I wasn't one to point that out. He took a look at the two of us, grimacing. "Yeah, that must not have been the most comfortable of talks, to say the least," he said dryly, rubbing the top of my head softly. I could feel his emotions touch me once more, a combination of amusement and fatigue. Thankfully, I was more prepared for his touch than the first time, not flinching back from shock like I did before.

He ended the contact, and with it the connection between our emotions. I blinked, confused after he moved his hand from me to Toothless. 'Those emotions… is that what he was feeling right then?' Looking back to when he first made contact with me, I remembered the overwhelming wave of emotions that had almost bowled me over and cause me to flinch back. Does he have some kind of special ability that allows him to feel a dragon's emotions, and vice versa? It would explain why the dragons seem so at ease in his presence, and why I had felt so comfortable around him after he touched the top of my head. I had felt his emotions.

"You both look exhausted, so why don't we go for a quick fly then call it a night?" He suggested, going for a scratch under my chin. I leaned into his touch, my tailfins twitching involuntarily from the masterful use of his fingers. "That sounds… nice…" I managed to get out in between scratches.

Hiccup chuckled, moving his hand back to his side (much to my dismay) before jogging over to the other riders, calling their names to get their attention. I heard Toothless laugh next to me, and glancing over to him I saw him give me a knowing smile. "Seems like somebody enjoys his scratches~," He said teasingly, nudging me in the side.

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Don't push it,"

"I don't hear you denying it!"

A short explanation to the other riders and an equally short goodbye left the three of us alone once more, just us and the setting sun. I sighed heavily, the weight of all the things I've done in the past couple days starting to finally catch up to me, my mind and body both exhausted.

I heard Toothless walk up next to me, nudging my side slightly with his wing. "Tired?" He asked, lying down beside me.

I nodded slowly, following suite and resting my weary muscles on the ground. "There's just been so much excitement these past couple days…" I said, glancing over to him with a soft smile. "Meeting you two, the fight, that awkward conversation we just had… it's nice to just have a small rest every now and then."

A flicker of anger flashed through his eyes when I mentioned the fight. "That Thorntail… Redthorn, right?" He asked, turning to look me in the eyes. I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "What did he say to you that made you so mad?" He asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Hiccup, who was waving at the retreating forms of his friends as they left, hummed in agreement. "I've been curious about that too, actually. Didn't really peg you as the violent type," He added, sitting down next to the two of us.

"I…" I paused, not exactly sure what to say. My parents weren't exactly what one would call a comfortable subject to talk about for me. "He just called me some… less than ideal names. That is all." I finished lamely, trying to sound at least somewhat convincing.

The look on Toothless's face clearly told me he didn't believe me for a second, but he relented, sighing as he looked towards the sky. "Well, maybe a quick fly around the island will clear your mind," He said, suddenly standing up and shaking out the stiffness in his body.

My wings twitched at the mention of flying, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "That sounds nice." I said, rising from my resting place on the ground and stretching my muscles out, trying to ignore the dull aches my sore body was giving off. A nice, calm flight sounds incredible right now, actually.

I heard a small click to my right, and looking over I saw Toothless and Hiccup already linked together on the saddle, the human sitting comfortably on Toothless's back. "Alright, you ready bud?" Said chieftain asked to his dragon, patting him on the head.

Toothless nodded excitedly. "Like you even need to ask!"

And with one swift, practiced motion, they flung themselves into the air, Toothless's powerful wing strokes literally leaving me in the dust. I coughed from the amount of particles he had kicked up, waving a paw in front of my face. When the dust cloud had cleared, I looked to the sky, only to see Toothless and Hiccup hovering in the air, the former with a cheeky smile on his muzzle. I rolled my eyes. "Boys…" I muttered before I leapt up into the air to join them, that pleasurable feeling of being up in the air making itself known again. I was up next to the duo in no time at all, giving them a deadpan glare. "Was that really necessary?"

Hiccup and Toothless both laughed at my misfortune, and although I was trying to stay mad, I couldn't help but find their laughter contagious, and soon I was laughing alongside them. It's been quite a long time since I've been able to joke around with friends, and I felt like I could say that recently I've been genuinely… happy.

Our flight was short, but sweet, the wind rejuvenating my spirit from all the excitement we've had recently. Just cruising through the sky, the breeze filling my wings beneath me… it was relaxing. By the time we touched back down in front of Hiccup's home, the sunset had bled into a starry sky, the lack of clouds giving everyone a clear view of the beautiful, dark blue expanse above. 'If only the skies were this beautiful back home…' I lamented, remembering the dark, cloudy skies under Grima's influence.

I struggled to keep from simply collapsing onto the ground when we entered the house, the crackling fireplace filling me with a comfortable warmth. 'Gods, I'm exhausted…' I thought tiredly to myself as I slowly walked over to the corner of the room where I had slept the night before. Hiccup had bid us both goodnight before walking up the stairs to his bedroom, and I heard a door open and shut from above.

Before I could fall into a tired heap on the floor, Toothless had walked up to me, an unreadable expression on his face. His tail shifted behind him as if he was shuffling nervously. "Would you, uh… like me to groom you again? I know you must be tired, so…" He timidly asked.

I was confused for a second, wondering what he meant by grooming, then I remembered the massage he had given me the night before. 'So that's what it's called…'

I recalled his tongue gliding across my scales, unwinding any knots or stress hidden under the musculature. While it was definitely on the intimate side of the relationship spectrum, I wasn't one to turn down such a kind offer, so I nodded, smiling tiredly at him. "I would love that. Thank you, Toothless," I thanked him before slowly lowering my body to the ground, ready to conk out for the night.

I waited a few seconds, wondering when he was going to begin, then I felt that same leathery sensation on my wings from last night, and I sighed in relief as he worked his magic, my tail fins twitching in pleasure ever so slightly. 'Good Gods, How is he so good at this?' I wondered to myself, a rumbling noise emanating from deep down my throat as he glided his tongue across my wings, unraveling my stress with expert precision. I didn't know how he did it, but I've never felt a better massage in my life. For some reason, it was significantly less disturbing that he was using his tongue this time around, and I was just focusing on enjoying his work.

The relaxing sensations I was feeling paired with how mentally exhausted I felt was more than enough to lull me into a deep slumber, the world going dark around me and my senses fading to nothingness.

~Elsewhere~

Far off on the edge of the archipelago, a small island sat. It was known by only a scant few, and those scant few paid it no heed, considering it too small to do anything with, since it had no animals inhabiting it, no dragons, just wild foliage.

Today, the population count rose to one.

A hooded figure sat in the middle of the island, the black coat they were wearing able to hide whatever they looked like from the world. They took a small look around, their eyes hidden under the hood, before letting out an ominous laugh. "So, this is where those problem children have hid themselves…" The obviously female voice stated, a sinister smirk worming its way onto her face. "I thought they knew better than to go through an unstable portal,"

The figure sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter." She said, shrugging slightly. She raised a gloved hand, dark wisps of magic rising from her fingertips. "They should know by now…"

Her smirk turned into a full on evil, toothy smile, the magic increasing in power until it covered her whole arm.

"They can't escape FATE!"

Another chapter come and gone. I had quite a bit of fun and trouble writing this chapter, mainly due to the fight scene and the introduction. I'm a little rusty when it comes to fight scenes, so tell me what y'all think. Anyhow, the main villain got introduced in this chapter, and I'm pretty sure anyone who's played Awakening or Heroes knows who this is.

Next chapter will finally get in on everyone's favorite tactician apprentice, Morgan! We'll start his story next time.

Don't forget to leave a review if you have compliments/criticism. Until next time!