Hiccup looked at me sympathetically after his father left. "What were you doing?" He asked me and I got up, "I'm not quite sure." I said looking off from the corner of my eye and my head and shoulders drooped a little. "Do you... do you think you'll be okay?" Hiccup asked. I nodded with confidence, "I've made it through worse besides we're Vikings; it's an occupational hazard." He still seemed unsure and I ruffed up the hair on his head.

"We've had a long day." Hiccup said. "We should rest up for tomorrow." I leaned against the wall, "Yet you slept through most of it." I commented and he stuck his tongue out at me. "Ooh, a tongue." I said sarcastically, "Now I'm terrified." He withdrew his tongue and pouted. "Whatever." He said and began walking upstairs but stopped halfway; looking back at me. "Could you... stay here, please?" He asked and I cocked an eyebrow. "I'm uncomfortable sleeping alone." He said and I drew my head back, "What?" I asked. "In a large house, I mean." He said putting a hand over his red face from what he'd just said.

"Sure, Hiccup." I said and laid on the couch where I usually slept when I stayed over with them. "Sweet dreams." I said and he smiled through his still blushing face, "You too." He said and continued on upstairs.

I decided that once he fell alseep I would leave because there was something I wanted to do. I checked upstairs quietly every twenty minutes but Hiccup seemed hesitant to sleep and each time I passed by he was tossing and turning with his eyes squinting as if he was thinking hard about something. Most of the time he was staring at the ceiling or his back towards the open door until the last time I went through and he was facing the door and his eyes were shut. He'd finally stopped fidgeting and relaxed enough to fall asleep.

I quietly went downstairs and left to go to the blacksmith. I wasn't making anything really special but I felt obliged to make it. I felt someone watching me and I froze and grabbed a hammer that was convienantly by my side; I turned around and saw Hiccup. I placed the hammer down and leaned back.

"What are you doing up so late at night?" He asked and I laid an arm over my in-progress project. "I'm just working on a new weapon." I lied. Hiccup cocked an eyebrow and tried to look around me and I leaned in the direction he was trying to look, he tried to do it the other way and I followed by leaning in that direction as well.

"Okay, spill it." He said. "Why have you been acting so strange lately?" He asked. "No reason." I said, not moving. "Then show me what you're doing there." He said, gesturing behind to behind me. "I don't see why I should." I said, not moving. "Just show me and I'll leave you alone." He said. "Nope." I said stubbornly.

"You're hiding something and I know that it's really none of my business but as future cheif I demand that you show me!" He said demandingly. "No." I said simply and he slouched, "Well, I tried." He said and turned around. I didn't let my guard down for good reason. Hiccup turned back around quickly and tried to tackle me out of the way but that obviously didn't work and I easily shoved him off.

"Don't get into a fight you can't win." I informed with a smirk and he slouched again. "If it's so important that you won't let your good friend Hiccup see it than it must be really important." He said, trying to make me feel guilty. "Not going to work." I said.

"Don't you love me?" He asked in a second attempt to try and make feel guily. I shook my head, "Maybe." I said as I pinched his cheek and he smacked my hand away. "Fine, I'll leave." He said before walking off. I made sure he was gone before I began working again.

I turned my back to the open air behind me and began working on my project once again and after a while I felt something or someone staring at me again. "Hiccup, I already said you can't see it and if I tell you one more time I'm going to use you as a skewer for fruit kabobs." I said but there was still the presence of someone.

"Hiccup, darn it! I said-" I turned around and saw the green eyes of a Night Fury that leapt from the shadows and of course, Shadow trotted up to me. I looked around frantically, "Shadow, leave now." I said and Shadow sat down, basically saying that he wasn't going anywhere. "Shadow, you're going to get caught." I said pushing his head slightly. "I told you what happens if they catch you, right?" I asked and Shadow shook it off.

I slapped a hand to my forehead. "Fine, you can stay but not for long." I said and Shadow seemed satisfied, lying down and curling up in a large ball. I was able to continue my project without Shadow interupting again since he fell asleep. He occasionaly grunted, kicked, swished his tail and flicked his ears which I thought was adorable.

Soon enough, the sun began rising and I was satisfied with my work. "Shadow." I sang and he finally jolted awake, looking up at me. I held up my project which was a saddle made just for him. He perked his ears and sniffed at it, not emitting any negative reaction I walked around him and he seemed intruiged with what I was doing with it and watched as I strapped the saddle with built in reigns around him.

I got on his back. "Let's take it for a test ride." I said and Shadow walked out of the blacksmith slowly, spread his wings and flew into the air. I held onto the saddle and we flew through the skies for only a few moments to see how Shadow liked the saddle and we landed behind Hiccup's house.

"How do like it, Shadow?" I asked and he simply nodded at me. The door opened to the front of the house and Shadow flew off. I walked around the house and met Hiccup in the front. He was watching the sunrise? I didn't know he did that. I walked up behind him and leant against the door, "Lovely, isn't it?" I asked and he jumped, "Huh?" He asked. "The sunrise." He looked back and said "Yeah."

After a while of just looking at the sunrise, I turned to Hiccup. "We should get ready for dragon training." I said and he nodded reluctantly before going back inside. I just took off walking towards the arena.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the nicest people ever; Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Asterid. "Oh, man." I heard Tuffnut whine, "What are you doing here?" I laid back against the wall and glared at him, "To kick your guys' asses." I said.

Gobber had came along after a while, opened the gate and made an opening gesture. "Welcome to dragon training!" He greeted and the others began saying that things like this are only fun if you get a scar out of it. "Yeah, pain. Love it." Hiccup said sarcastically as he walked in.

"Oh, man, what's he doing here?" Tuffnut asked. "How about you shut your over-worked mouth and mind your own business for once?" I said. "Yeah, but Hiccup already killed a Night Fury so does that disqualify him or-?" Snotlout commented and I glared. "If you want to keep your peanut-sized brain then I would highly suggest that you shut up. I don't know if you've noticed which you more than likely haven't because you're too busy oggling Astrid who you don't stand a chance with but a lot of people get tired of hearing all of you talk."

Gobber then blew the teens off and began introducing the dragons and motioned for me to come back over but like a stubborn child, I stayed put. Gobber went over to the Gronckle's cage and I wasn't listening to them anymore, just watching. The Gronkle was released.

I was practically invisible. I stayed on my side of the arena and I was watching what was going on; seeing the Gronckle shoot at the twins, Fishlegs and Snotlout but I stiffened once one hit Hiccup's shield and it was shot out of his grip and he had to chase it. The Gronckle followed Hiccup and I ran towards him, I'd shoved Hiccup out of the way and he fell onto his back, looking back at me and the Gronckle.

She charged up her shot and I reached under her chin to scratch her like I did with Shadow but she only seemed to become angrier so I reached farther under and scratched, causing her to pass out. Gobber, Hiccup, Asterid and Fishlegs were in awe while Snotlout and the twins seemed irritated.

I pushed the Gronckle's head off of me and got up, "Well, let's put her back in her cage." I said as I grabbed her head, Asterid had shook her head to get rid of the shock and came over to help and so did Gobber. While the other two had practically dropped her, I gently placed her head down and patted the side of her head while no one was looking. I got out and helped shut the cage.

Gobber looked at all of the other teens, "As we were about to see before Alyssa had somehow knocked the dragon unconsious, what do dragons always do?" He asked and no one aswered. "They always, always go for the kill." He said and everyone looked at each other except the way Hiccup and Asterid looked at me, they demanded an exclamation but I ignored them.

Hiccup's face turned from wanting an exclamation to wanting to know something else. To dig deeper into a secret but not mine... his own. It must be the Night Fury from yesterday.

"Whatever." I said. "Just because there aren't any visible scars doesn't mean that they're not there." I walked off and when I left the arena Astrid was waiting for me. "What was the deal back in the ring?" She asked. "Which part?" I asked back and she straightened up, "The Gronckle. How'd you do that?" She asked. "It's in the Book of Dragons." I lied. "Look it up." I said before walking off, leaving a skeptical Astrid behind.

We were staying at a hall that was near where we'd be sleeping while we were dragon training. I went inside to my room that and kept thinking about that one thing that Snotlout had said that pierced my heart, 'At least I have parents that love me.' My shoulders drooped as I placed my forehead against the wall and shook my head slowly. Anger began building up inside of me and I felt a surge travel through my arm and gathered at my fist. I picked it up and punched the thick walls, busting my knuckles open and dropping my hand. I let out a sigh and looked out of the large window.

I walked over to it and looked out of it just for a new view and a little bit of air. I shook my head and laid on the bed, trying to get past the events of the day and take a short nap.

I woke up a few short hours later and there was a large black mass in the already dark room. I recognized the shape and sat up, "Shadow, what are you doing? More importantly, how'd you get in?" I asked and Shadow made a gesture with his head towards the large window in the room.

"Well, what is it?" I asked. Shadow jumped out of the window and flew in place, waiting for me to jump from the window as well. I looked back and jumped down, landing on his still-saddled back. He flew through the rain that had begun pouring and began taking me out towards the cove again. He hurried over, stood on the ledge over the cove and showed me what was inside.

Even through the darkness and the rain, I saw another black figure down in the cove. I studied it for a bit until it began to shoot out of frustration. It was the half-tailed Night Fury. He seemed to be trying to fly but couldn't hold balance or get more than a couple of yards off of the ground.

Shadow looked at me and bucked slightly then looked at me as if he wanted me to go help him. I didn't know what to do, "Shadow, I'm sorry but I don't know how." Shadow trilled and the look on his barely visible face said that he understood and began flying back.

We began flying back to the hall and shook my head. "Shadow, don't take me back in through the window." I said and Shadow trilled questioningly. "If you take me back through the window and lightning flashes on the way there and then they'll catch you." I explained. Shadow understood and landed in front of the hall. I got off of Shadow's back. I turned back to him and patted his head, "Don't worry about it. We'll be able to do something for him sooner or later." I said and Shadow trilled, brushed the top of his head against me and flew off.

I opened the door slightly but a sudden burst of wind blew from behind me and slammed the door open and I hid behind the other door just in case anyone was still in the great hall. I looked after a few seconds and saw Hiccup sitting at the table. I entered and walked around through the shadows of the area, listening to everything Hiccup was saying and it all sounded familiar.

He was reading the Book of Dragons. I listened when he read the Night Fury page and began to come out of the shadows. He tossed his journal onto the book and I popped up behind him, "Hey, Hiccup." I said and he jumped, "Al! Al, what are you doing here?" He asked, "More importantly why are you soaked?" I shook my head, "Not important." I looked behind him and he tried to cover up the books.

I gently pushed him to the side and looked at his observations and the picture he drew of the Night Fury with the half tail. I saw that he had drawn a whole one but rubbed half of it out when I guess he noticed the Night Fury's tail was half missing. I grabbed the pencil that he'd left out and drew the tail back onto the Night Fury.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "They only have one tail fin thing." He said not really finding the right word for the tail. "No, they don't." I said and Hiccup cocked an eyebrow, "But the one I found… How do you-?" He asked but didn't finish. "He did at one time. Sweet dreams, Hic." I said and walked off, leaving Hiccup with so many questions.