AN*

Uhhhhh...oops. Sorry about that. Had no idea I did that until now. Here's chapter four. This one took a lot out of me so I'm a bit brain dead here. Specially since its 5:00 and I'm off to school.

Comet Moon - Yes it is the same helmet from the trailer. Though that might change due to circumstances that will arise latter on. And most likely its reforged because Stoick is supposed to wear it too. But his seems smaller than Hiccups. Though that may be just the size difference. Which is pretty drastic then.

LettersUnWritten - I hope the formatting on this one is better on the eyes. I tried to space out the dialog as much as i can. Though this chapter is more about plot movement then character interaction. If its not then tell me and I'll try something else to help out on the eyes.

Well R&R!

Chapter 4

First Encounter

The wind swept through Meridas hair as she galloped on Angus through the woods. She swung from left to right as she quickly notched an arrow and released. She had perfected her accuracy against the targets. The only thing to do now was perfect her speed. Within a few short seconds she had already released four more arrows. They all landed near the bullseye, but not a single one has yet hit its mark. Merida slowed angus down till they came to a dead stop. She huffed in the exertion of pulling back the bowstring so many times in quick succession. Rolling her shoulders, Merida jumped off Angus and preceded to collect her arrows.

"HMPH! Da says I can't shoot down a dragon. Too fast they are he says. Well! Lets see whos faster than a dragon!." Merida ranted as she went about collecting her arrows. The ones that were out of reach remained there until she took down the entire target. She mounted Angus and kicked his sides lightly.

"Come on Angus. Again!" The horse remained still though and didn't budge a single inch.

"Come on Angus. Lets go!" Angus whined and shook his head no. They had been doing this since they first woke up, and that was nearly five hours ago! Angus has had enough and turned around abruptly before trotting off towards the castle.

"Angus! What are you doing! Hey!" Angus didn't slow our change course, though the shouts of protests were beginning to annoy him. "Well if we're heading home lets at least run there!" Merida said urging the horse to run by prodding his sides with her feet once again. Angus rolled his eyes and neighed, but complained and began running towards home. They hadn't even gone three feet before Angus once again stopped dead in his tracks. Merida felt his body tense as his ears perked up. Angus ears swiveled from side to side as he listened to his surroundings.

By his posture Merida knew that Angus felt there was somebody...or something...near. Merida slowly pulled the bow off her back and notched an arrow. A rustle to her left drew her and Angus attention. Another rustle from behind suggested something big heading towards them, roughly 20 meters away Merida guessed. Whatever it was was now to her left as the cracking of leaves and trees escalated. A low growl startled Merida and Angus as the animal continued to circle around them. Angus was now pacing around. His body shook with fear and did little to steady Meridas nerves. A loud roar froze the pair with fear. Merida screamed as fire erupted behind them sending Angus off in a full gallop forwards.

A few short feet latter fire erupted from their left and front; forcing the pair to turn right to avoid a fiery death. More fire erupted to their left and front and once again Merida and Angus were forced to turn right. Before even of them knew it a perfect ring of fire had encircled them. Merida was now completely panicking. She had fired her bow a few times hoping to hit the beast that was attacking her, which by now she knew to be a dragon.

Angus whined loudly as he continued running in vain to find an exit. A large shadow dropped down in front of them and angus skidded to a halt. The dragon was twice...no...three times bigger than Angus. Smoke bellowed out of his nostrils with each breath. She could just make out large horns on its head and massive spikes that ran down its back towards its tail. Which looked like a massive mace that could obliterate any poor soul that came in contact with it. Merida gulped in fear, as did Angus. The dragon was pure black but had blue circles around its body. Merida couldn't help but be reminded of clan MacKintosh; who also wore similar blue circles.

Any comfort in that thought were disintegrated as the dragon roared and leapt towards them. Merida closed her eyes tight, hoping to see her family one last time.

5 Hours Earlier

The early morning dew clung to hiccups helmet as Toothless flew low to the ground. At night they two had the luxury of flying at any altitude, but once daylight broke the horizon they were forced low to the ground to avoid curious eyes that happened to look up. Toothless shook his body slightly to get rid of any water droplets that collected on his body. They had already made landfall, but were forced to keep going due to the castles location. "We're almost there bud." Hiccup looked around and saw a piece of land that wasn't covered in trees. "Hey! You see that clearing? Lets land there to take a break." A low grumble rumbled through both stomachs and they both agreed. Bonnlose snorted in agreement.

Hiccup laughed as the little dragon stuck it head out of its bag. "Remember to stay near when we land Bonnlose. The locals aren't too friendly towards dragons." The dragon huffed a reply and Hiccup couldn't help but tell that the Terrible Terror was going to be a big problem in a small package. Toothless dived downwards and landed swiftly in a large clearing. Hiccup relaxed his muscles and sled off of hiccups saddle. Removing his helmet, Hiccup took a good look at his surroundings and gasped in shock. In the initial landing Hiccup hadn't noticed the large stone pillars that surrounded them on all sides.

Bonnlose whistled in appreciation. Something the Terrible Terrors learned to mimic from Vikings on berk. "You go that right…" Hiccup replied walking towards one of the pillars. It had cracked in half and fallen over. Hiccup kneeled next to it and ran a hand along its smooth surface. His prosthetic gave him some trouble standing but nothing major. He had put metal cleats on the bottom of his prosthetic to give him better traction. Hiccup returned to Toothless and opened up his rations bag. He gave a small fish to Bonnlose, who ate it whole in the blink of an eye, while he gave Toothless a larger one.

Hiccup sat down beside Toothless and began eating his ration of dried meat and hard bread. Bonnlose curled up on Hiccups lap and yawned. "I guess a quick nap won't cause any harm." Hiccup said sighing lazily. Hiccup blinked slowly and was lulled to sleep by the steady breathing of Toothless.

A few hours later Hiccup awoke with a jolt. His head was throbbing slightly and he rubbed it before sitting up. Toothless had gotten up and was now slowly creeping towards the forest. His body language sent redflags and Hiccup quickly stood and put his helmet back on. Grabbing a small sword Hiccup slowly approached the Night Fury. "What's wrong bud?" The Night Fury hissed a replay; telling Hiccup to remain quiet.

Hiccup remained quiet and looked around. A light breeze had developed and it sent shivers up his spine. His eyes went wide with realization; someone in their group was missing. "Wheres Bonnlose?" Hiccup whispered scanning the area for the Terrible Terror. Toothless didn't replay. Instead he crept into the forest, his gaze focused intently on what lied ahead. Hiccup followed behind him. Making sure to step where he stepped to ensure he didn't make any unnecessary noise.

A loud scream stopped both companions in their tracks. "Oh now. Bonnlose! They must have found him!" Toothless nodded his head in agreement and the pair took off running. Both hoping that their tiny friend would be alright until they got there. A loud roar made both dragon and riders eyes widen in surprise. It definitely wasn't a Terrible Terrors roar. They were small and squeaked a lot. This one was like a bass. Power and strength rippled through the air from such a roar. The pair exchanged a quick glance. In a single motion Hiccup hopped onto Toothless back and clicked his foot in. Toothless now running as fast as he could. Bonnlose was fine for now, but whoever screamed definitely wasn't.

Hiccup could see fire rapidly approaching them. Who ever was being attacked was on the other side. With a powerful kick of his legs, Toothless leaped over the fire. Expecting to land back on solid ground, Hiccup wasn't prepared for the jarring stop they experienced as Toothless slammed into something very large. Hiccup flew off the saddle and landed hard on his shoulder, but experience from such landings allowed him to roll to lesson the power of the blow. As he rolled Hiccup twisted his body and skidded to a stop. His prosthetic left foot was extended out behind him. The clets digging deep into the ground to slow him down. His right foot was bent slightly in front of him as if he was kneeling down.

Hiccup looked up, expecting to see Toothless and whatever they had collided with. Instead he was met with a surprised pair of blue eyes. Hiccup momentarily froze at the sight before him. A young petite woman sat atop of a giant horse. Her hair red and alive like the fire that surrounded them both. She had on a green dress with gold trimmings. A bow rested in one hand as another held an arrow. A large commotion to his right snapped his gaze away as he saw Toothless fighting with another dragon.

The unknown dragon slammed it head into Toothless side and sent Toothless crashing into a nearby tree. Snarling, the dragon turned it head back towards his first target, Merida. Hiccup ran between the two. Already knowing what the dragons intention was. Training dragons for five years gave much needed experience to Hiccup. He was able to hold his own against any dragon, besides Toothless, back on Berk. If he caused enough damage the dragons usually would submit and fly away. They weren't on Berk though. And this dragon wasn't simply going to fly away.

Hiccup ran towards the beast. Knowing that this tactic usually threw the dragon off balance since they didn't expect an attack from the smaller animal. As planned, the dragon took a few steps back, surprised by the move. Hiccup slashed at the dragons legs. The sword contacted its skins, but simply skidded off. Sending small sparks into the air. Hiccup rolled away from the slash of the dragon and put a few feet between them. Looking at the dull blade in shock. One swap had dulled the blade to the point it was better off being a stick then a sword. It had taken him five days to craft the sword and sharpen it to his likings. He didn't have time to relish on the lost of his sword as the dragons giant tail swept towards him.

Rolling, Hiccup barely managed to avoid a flattening strike by the giant mace. "Over here!" a voice yelled from behind the dragon. Hiccup looked and noticed the girl from earlier shooting arrow upon arrow at the dragon. They didn't do nothing except irritate the demonic dragon. Which now turned its attention back to the scottish princess.

Before the dragon could take a step towards the princess a large paw smacked the dragons face. Three long claw marks appeared on his face as turned a sickly red as blood trickled out. Toothless was back in the fight. Hiccup stood besides Toothless, now holding a battle axe. Astrid had been very persuasive that he carry one on his hip at at times. He'd need to thank her for that once the get him. The thought of her brought a slight pain to his chest.

The dragon stared at its opposition. Growling in annoyance it turned around and ran off into the forest. The fight, as quick it was, had really drained Hiccup and the adrenaline of it was quickly wearing off. He could feel his shouldering beginning to cramp up from the fall earlier in the fight. Pushing his own injuries aside, Hiccup turned to examine his flying friend. "You ok Toothless?" The dragon huffed and lifted up his right front leg. Three long scratches were clearly visible and bleed slightly. Hiccup knelt down to examine the would closely. "Not too deep. We just got to keep it clean and it should heal soon."

Merida had by now hopped off of Angus and was slowly approaching the pair. Her bow still at the ready. Though the pair had just protected her, Merida didn't know these two and wouldn't take any chances. Merida stopped approaching once she heard the dragon growling softly at her. Hiccup turned around and noticed Merida standing a few feet behind him. He stood and wiped his hands off on his pants. "Is he going to be fine?" She asked cautiously.

"Ya. Its just a scratch. Needs to be cleaned out regularly though." Merida nodded her head and strapped her bow onto her back and placed an arrow back into the quiver. The growling from Toothless softened further, but never stopped.

Merida frowned at this. "What do I have to do to make him-it is a him isn't it?" Hiccup nodded his head yes before patting Toothless on the head. Meridia continued speaking. "What do I have to do to make him stop growling."

"He doesn't trust you. Set your weapons aside and you shouldn't have a problem." Hiccup said. His tone making it seem like it was obvious. Merida glared at him before staring back at Toothless. She slowly removed her bow and quiver and set them aside. Toothless eyed them until she let them go. The moment she did this his attitude and posture changed from hostile to curious.

With the growling stopped, Merida continued to approach the pair slowly. She stopped a few feet and stared intently at Hiccup. Her gaze seemed to penetrate through his armor and helmet. Hiccup couldn't help but shuffle nervously. He knew she was analyzing him now, for what he didn't know. He didn't have to wait long before Merida spoke up. "Your from Berk aren't you?" Hiccup couldn't help but to laugh at her accent. The deep scottish accent really enhanced her personality.

"Well?" Merida persisted. Ignoring the laughing coming from the viking. Her eyes were looked on what little eyes she saw. Hiccup stiffened from the seriousness in her voice.

"Yes. I heard that the King and Queen requested help from us." Hiccup said patting Toothless on the head again.

"You came to help with our dragon problem?" Merida said, the seriousness still present in her voice.

"I'm here until its fixed or I'm no longer welcomed." Hiccup said softly. He needed her to like him. His mission wouldn't start off well if the first scot he found ended up hating him.

Her face hardened at him. "You don't look like much of a viking." Hiccup frowned, though she couldn't see, and crossed his arms. Before he could reply her face softened and a slight blush came to her cheeks.. "Maybe it would help if I could see your face." Hiccup blinked a few times in confusion before he realized that even though he could see her fine, she couldn't.

"Oh! Ya sorry. Introductions would be nice too." His brown hair puffed out as he removed his helmet. "I'm Hiccup." He put his hand out for her to shake.

Merida face blushed a little more. He looked rather handsome than what she thought he would. And that thought had already caused her to blush. A soft smiled formed on the edges of her lips as she shook his hand. "Merida of DunBroch." Toothless grumbled and bumped Hiccup.

"Oh! This is Toothless." Hiccup said gesturing to the dragon beside him. Merida smiled and reached out to pet him, stopping half way as she waited for permission. Toothless sniffed her hand and bumped her hand with his head. Merida giggled in excitement and scratched his head. Smiling proudly at her small accomplishment. She looked from Toothless to Hiccup. "Do you have a place to stay?" Hiccup shook his head no.

"Just got here this morning." Meridas smile grew as she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along. "Come on then! You can stay at my house!" Any protest that he gave was lost as Merida dragged him hurriedly through the woods. Neither of them knew it, but this was the start of the best friendship either of them would ever have.