Wrapped up in a mesh of chains, harnesses and locks with over a dozen spears and crossbows on him, Draven's semi-unconscious state was being dragged off to the village jail. His glow was also close to nonexistent. His blue luminosity was as dim as a dying candle.

Under normal circumstances, Stoick would have let Spitelout kill the mutant Wraith but his curiosity was getting the better of him. Knowing that this dragon could speak fluently as well as clearly having his own agenda, Stoick figured that he'd maybe try to talk to it. A change from the usual viking habit of slaughter first, ask later.

Reaching the jail, most of the guards stayed outside while four others hauled Draven to one of the cells. The cell in question was only three by three meters big, where they sat him down on the chair in the middle of the cell while strapping and tightening the chains and harnesses all around the room to keep the hybrid immobile.

Hearing and seeing the hybrid begin to groan and twitch again was enough of a reason for the vikings tightening the chains in his cell to vacate quickly. Seconds after they shut the cell door, Draven was awake and started trailing his head from side to side, not making much eye contact with Stoick, Gobber or the other vikings while also growling lowly.

"Do you have a name?" Stoick calmly yet firmly asked, breaking the eery silence. No answer.

"Would you like to tell us exactly what you are?" Stoick asked. Again, silence. Draven continually looked around the cell and occasionally over his shoulder to the window where he could see the storm breaking and sun getting through. The hybrid eventually answered "Why I look different? I don't like being generic."

Wanting to at least get something out of the mutant Wraith, Stoick took a step forward. "Look, I know you can speak our language fluently and can do more that put a few words together. The whole village heard you and that other Wraith talk our words."

This caught Draven's attention. Glancing over to the cell door, he answered the chief "Hmph. Strange how losing one's mind in a haze of violence can make you forget what language you speak. I didn't even know we were speaking human." Looking away from the chief, he returned to his quiet demeanor.

After a moment of silence as Stoick contemplated everything he had seen the Wraith do in the months since he arrived. He then asked him "Do you maybe want to tell us if you have any kind of plan or perhaps an agenda for being on Berk? You and that Skrill don't behave like normal dragons, especially with how you always interfere with our fights."

Maintaining his low head and bland voice and demeanor, Draven simply replied "One objective was fulfilled ten minutes ago while the other is still underway. Although based on what I've seen, I'm quickly losing hope in that idea of the second. It's also that I believe no one on this island is ready for the answer."

Stoick was slowly beginning to lose his patience at how the dragon not seemingly taking the interrogation seriously based on his vague answers and bland tone. Rubbing two of his fingers over his forehead, he took a step over to a table next to the cell where one of the viking guards had placed the Wraith's sword.

Picking up the blade, the chief examined it, from its light weight, its smooth side, its razor diamond edge, and its jade handle covered in a gold wrapping. "I must say, this is an impressive blade you got here. I don't think anyone, not even trader Johan has seen its like before."

Again with his low voice, Draven answered "The Katana. My master gave that sword to me the day I completed my training." Raising an eyebrow at what the mutant Wraith said, Stoick asked "Training? Training for what?"

"Revenge." was the only word to coldly escape Draven's lips. "Revenge against that Wraith."

Hearing this, Spitelout the stepped forward and blurted out with a slight chuckle "HA! I never imagined dragons as the type to carry grudges."

"A grudge?" Draven said back in a low yet threatening tone. "A GRUDGE!?" he said again but shouted as he stood up from the chair and took a step forward to the cell door. He couldn't take a step further because of the restraints but it was enough to cause everyone in the room to step away in fear.

"That Skrill and I have waited five long years to kill that monstrosity after he destroyed both of our lives in five short hours. 'A grudge' is putting it mildly for what we had for him." Draven said in such a manner that chills went down everyone's spines as well as causing the air temperature to drop like a rock. Just like at the arena when Hiccup was hurt, Wraiths had the ability to freeze their surroundings when aggravated.

With the air thick with silence and Draven done venting his aggression, he sat back down, dropped his head and returned to his quiet state.

Stoick, Spitelout and several other vikings retired to the other side of the jail to talk amongst themselves. Gobber however was still standing near to the door of Draven's cell. Looking to the blacksmith, Draven could tell he had a question from the way he was staring. "Paint a portrait, it will last longer." Draven sarcastically said to Gobber.

Speaking quiet enough for only Draven to hear him, Gobber couldn't help but ask "It appears as though I'm one of the only people who saw you mark an X in the ground when you were talking to the Wraith."

Draven's eyes went wide at the statement. He didn't intend to but his subconscious made the X when he remembered the events of five years ago. Gobber continued "You did so when you said the words 'Five years ago.' Those words with the mark only bring one memory to mind."

Seek that the cat was out of the bag, Draven quietly replied to the blacksmith "Well at least here's one person who was smart enough to figure it out, though I'm surprisingly disappointed it's taken anybody this long." Pausing a moment to see Gobber's face change to one of pure shock, Draven continued "What would you do Gobber? I watched him vaporise my mother with a plasma bolt and electrocute my father who was defenceless in the water. I wasn't going to let him get to my closest friend so I did what I had to do." Seeing the group of vikings turn and make their way back, Draven dropped his head again and returned to his silence.

As luck would have it, Draven began to feel a stir within him as well as feel his body get hotter. When Stoick got back to Draven's cell door, the hybrid's glow began to return. With the extra patches of armour, only his hands, biceps, wings, calves, feet and the center of his chest could glow now, meaning his glow could no longer blind people. Still, it was a sign.

"What's going on?" Spitelout questioned at seeing the mutant Wraith glowing again. Slowly looking up with a grin, Draven answered "It doesn't surprise me that you don't know but that's because people hardly ever see a Wraith die. Specifically, when one Wraith is killed by another. The defeated Wraith dissolves and releases its essence and venom into the air. My absorbing it not only prevented any of you from becoming infected, but allowed me to evolve."

Slowly getting up, Draven continued with a slight chuckle "Speaking of which, I don't even know why I'm letting you hold me in these restraints."

With that, Draven focused on his now amplified Fireworm ability and pushed his body to full temperature in a matter of seconds. The chains around his body started steaming and glowing bright yellow and in moments, they had liquefied and fallen off his body.

Making his move to escape before Stoick and his men tried anything, Draven secreted his dark mist which now had a partial paralyzing effect and released it in the direction of the vikings. To add to his new abilities, he gained his Wraith tail but it didn't come out of his spine. It came from his right forearm, wrapped around like a tendril. Extending it out, he reached through the cell door and grabbed his sword. Pulling it back and sheathing it, the hybrid turned to the rear wall and shot it out with a plasma bolt.

With the wall gone, nothing was holding back the solar light anymore from reaching Draven. Only this time when it touched his skin, it didn't even hurt. It tingled and stung a little and he still felt that it was draining his strength, but he didn't feel as though his body would incinerate itself a two minutes. Stoick, Gobber and the other vikings came out of their paralysis just quick enough to see the Wraith extend his wings and take to the sky.

Leaving the jail Stoick placed a hand on his best friends shoulder. "Gobber, did he say anything else when the others and I were discussing options?" the chief asked the smith. Gobber was caught off guard to say the least and was quiet for a few moments before he decided. Turning to Stoick, all he answered was "Nothing interesting. Just continually mumbling about gibberish."

Nodding, Stoick went about his business around town while Gobber returned to the forge, still trying to comprehend what he had heard.

...

Although he now had a greater resistance to sunlight, Draven could still feel himself growing weaker by the second as he tried to get back home. The three deep gashes on his chest from where the Wraith hit him wasn't helping either.

Reaching the secluded part of the wood where his home was, he noticed something on his way down. He noticed that Toothless was down there.

Getting weaker from the solar light and his injury, he didn't have full control over his decent. Bracing himself, he flared his wings as much as he could at the last moment but he still hit the ground with an audible thud and rolled several meters.

Hearing the crash, Hiccup rushed out of the forge where she was waiting for Draven and saw him on the ground. Rushing over, she saw how he had changed as well as how weak he was in his state.

Draven heard Hiccup's footsteps as she approached and slowly rolled onto his back. "Draven!? You're hurt!" Hiccup said fearfully as she pulled Draven's arm over her shoulder to help him inside. "Ha. You should see the other guy." Draven joked back to her.

Stepping inside, Draven turned back to human state as Hiccup helped him to his bed. "Bottom shelf, left side." Draven said to Hiccup as she sat him down. As she set him down, Hiccup went over to the cabinet Draven mentioned and found a small jar with a blue pasty liquid inside. It was his healing formula. Even though Draven had the ability of accelerated healing, the gashes on his chest were too deep to heal properly on his own.

As Hiccup brought the jar over to Draven, the hybrid took off his coat so he could more easily get to his injury. Draven then proceeded to take the formula from Hiccup and start applying it to the wounds under his shirt.

After several seconds of groaning and a steaming sound, his wounds were healed but Hiccup could still see that his shirt was stained in blood and he was still in a weakened state.

"Take off your shirt." Hiccup asked Draven.

"What?" the hybrid answered rather surprised and confused.

"Take off your shirt!" Hiccup said again but in more of an order than a request.

She then made her way to Draven's kitchen to fetch a bowl of water and a rag. As she did, Draven did as she instructed and removed his torn bloodstained shirt.

Returning with the water, Hiccup saw all the details of Draven's mutated arm and how it changed to human flesh at his shoulder with several blackened veins leading to his chest and up his neck to his right ear.

Soaking the rag, Hiccup began cleaning up the remaining bloodstains on Draven's chest. The gashes in question were almost fully healed now and would soon turn to scars that would disappear, but in the mean time Hiccup was just trying to clean the blood.

With the contact she was making with Draven in doing so, she also saw and felt his toned muscles. They weren't large but they were defined. She continued wiping the blood, going from the bottom of his ribs up to his shoulder.

As Hiccup finished up cleaning the now healed wounds, her emerald eyes couldn't help but trail up to meet with the crimson eyes of Draven. For a long time, the two teenagers gazed into each others eyes and both began to feel their heartbeats quicken.

Draven trailed his right hand up to Hiccup's face where she felt that warm comforting sensation once more and their faces drew closer together. Closing their eyes, Hiccup and Draven zoned out of the world around them. The only other person that existed in the world was the one in front of them.

Finally closing the remaining distance, Hiccup's and Draven's lips met together where the two teenagers sank into the sensation of their kiss. It didn't matter to them that one was human while the other was half dragon. To them, they followed the wishes of their hearts and souls.

Time itself almost seemed to stop for them. The thing that brought them out of their trance was when Draven felt a tear roll down his cheek but it wasn't his. Opening his eyes and separating their kiss, Draven could see that Hiccup was breaking up and more tears were about to flow.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" Draven asked soothingly, half suspecting he may have did something wrong. The only answer Hiccup gave his was moving from her chair to his bed and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, burying her head into his collarbone.

It didn't take long for Draven to figure it out. He almost died. If he died, what would be left for Hiccup and the same could be said if it were she to do so. Both only had each other in their entire lives and if one died, who would be there for the other.

Wrapping his own arms around her, Draven spoke soothingly again and with control in his voice "Hiccup. What was the one thing I promised you when you first learned about me several days ago?"

Hiccup pulled her head back to look him in the eyes, but was still trying hard to hold back her tears to answer. Draven continued "I promised I would NEVER leave you again. If not for you, I would have never come back to this island. If not for you, I would never have had found the drive to face the last five years."

Hiccup's managed to crack a smile and she felt her tears beginning to cease. Tightening their arms around each other, the teens pulled each other into another kiss. When they separated, the gazed into each other's eyes once again before Draven whispered to the one person he loved "Come with me."

...

Back in the skies over the island, Berk's two dragons riders soured through the clouds as they watched the sunset. It was the feeling of the vast open space of the sky as well as slicing through the clouds that the two dragon riders loved so much about flying.

Over the next two hours of the sunset, all they did was fly. No flips or spins. They just flew, occasionally reaching out for clouds as they sometimes flew around them.

The bright golden orange of the afternoon sky was eventually replaced with the darkness of the night sky, only to be filled with a vast array of emerald greens, violet purples and cyan blues as auroras dance back and forth between the stars. The riders and their dragons ascended above the cloud line to get a better look when Hiccup said to Draven who was flying on her right side "Have you ever seen a more amazing sight in your life?"

She was still gazing up at the sky when she asked and honestly, Draven had never seen a more beautiful sight. Sure he'd seen auroras up close dozens of times in the past, but those had nothing on the sight he beheld right now. The auroras coupled with the fact that he was sharing this moment with Hiccup was truly a moment he'd remember for all time.

"Nope. Never." Draven answered Hiccup. Looking over to him, Hiccup saw that he wasn't staring that the sky but directly into her eyes, and couldn't help but blush.

After several seconds, Draven gained a devilish smile and dived back into the clouds towards the forests and coastline. Hiccup followed close behind and for the next twenty minutes, they played. Ducking and diving in and out of the trees of the forests and the sea stacks of the coastline, the riders and their dragons chased each other around the island, laughing and always trying to overtake each other.

Soon however, it was time to stop and the pair made their way back to the cove.

Landing, Hiccup dismounted Toothless who rubbed his head against her to say goodnight. Hiccup then jumped on the back of Violet's saddle with Draven and the two made their way back to the village.

"Ah, young love." Toothless said with a bit of a laugh as he watched the two riders disappear into the night on the back of his Skrill partner.

Returning to the village, Draven kept Violet low to the waters and within the shadows as he maneuvered his dragon to the forge. Using his improved vision, he could see that the area around the forge was completely vacant. The heat signitures of Gobber and everyone else was inside their homes or in the great hall.

Landing only long enough for the riders to dismount, Violet took to the air again and into the shadows of the night.

Keeping his hood on while in the village, Draven walked Hiccup to the rear entrance of the forge where the teenagers stopped to gaze into each others eyes once again. "Well, goodnight." Draven said to Hiccup. Leaning closer to him, the two teens pulled each other into another deep kiss before pulling back. "Goodnight." Hiccup said back as she entered the forge.

Draven's mind was in a haze of bliss. He'd been flying for years, yet those sensations he got couldn't compare to the feeling he had now. Even though on the ground, he felt as though his body was weightless and was five miles up. Letting out a long breath, he turned towards the cliff and stepped off the edge, landing perfectly in Violet's saddle as she passed under.

"Well?" Violet asked her rider with a wide grin as she look back to him. "You're referring to last week when you blew my cover aren't you?" Draven answered his Skrill.

"What are those two words?" Violet said, again with her grin. Rolling his eyes and giving in, Draven said to his Wraith "As much as what you did was reckless -even-though-I'm-more-so-... Thank you."

With that, the Wraith hybrid with his Skrill companion returned to their secluded cottage in the woods.

...

Hiccup was sitting in her private study with her head rested against the table. Her mind too was in a daze of bliss with a wide smile on her face as she flicked her pencil up and down on her table. Her mind kept on replaying all the days events, from she and Draven having breakfast together, to her successful yet life threatening flight with Toothless to the flight she and Draven shared in the afternoon. And their kiss.

Her mind was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a sound and felt a pressence by her study door. Turning her head, she saw a familiar large red haired and bearded viking. "Dad! You're back! Gobber's not here, so..." she said in a panicking tone, trying to gather up and cover all her sketches of Toothless and his riding gear on her table.

"I know. I came looking for you." Stoick interrupted with a soft voice.

"You did?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"You've been keeping secrets." Stoick said firmly, taking a step towards Hiccup.

"I... have?" Hiccup returned, growing more nervous by the second.

"Just how long did you think you could hide IT from me?"

Hiccup could barely contain her nerves. Did he find out about Draven or Toothless? "I don't know what you're..." she said, again trying to act innocent.

"Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it." Stoick firmly said.

"Oh?" Hiccup aid questioningly, still hoping he wasn't talking about what she thought he was.

Taking another step towards his daughter, Stoick said "So. Let's talk about that dragon."

That was it. Her cover was blown. Someone had to have seen her with Draven's Wraith form or Toothless. "Oh, gods. Dad I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to-" Hiccup said in a close to shaky voice.

What she wasn't expecting was for Stoick to start laughing.

"You're not... upset?" Hiccup asked cautiously.

"What?! I was hoping for this!" the chief bellowed somewhat excitedly.

Hiccup was confused to say the least. "Uh... you were?"

"And believe me, it only gets better!" Stoick continued, "Just wait 'till you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time! And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear! WHAT A FEELING!" He gave her a pat on the shoulder but with his strength and Hiccup's small size, it may have well been a punch as she stumbled back and fell into a basket behind her.

" You really had me going there, dear. All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was rough! I almost gave up on you! And all the while, you were holding out on me! THOR ALMIGHTY!" Stoick cheered as Hiccup climbed out of the basket.

Taking a seat, Stoick continued "Ah. With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about."

For a long while, there was an awkward silence between the two as Hiccup struggled to maintain eye contact with her father, if she could still call him that. How was it that he only now gave her positive attention with the dragon training. Why couldn't he just accept her for who she was?

"Oh, I... brought you something. To keep you safe in the ring." Stoick pulled out and gave Hiccup a horned helmet.

"Wow. Thanks." Hiccup said, trying to act surprised and joyed.

"Your mother would've wanted you to have it." Stoick mentioned as he gestured to it while Hiccup ran her hand along it. "It's half of her breast plate." he finished.

Those words were weird enough for Hiccup to pull her hand back.

"Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know?" he said , gesturing to his own helmet.

Putting the helmet down, Hiccup heard her father then say to her "Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal."

"Oh, and one other thing." Stoick said to his daughter. 'Uh, what now?' Hiccup thought. She just wanted to be alone now.

"I've heard about Hood coming out a lot more and that people have seen you two spending time together." Stoick said in a curious manner. Hiccup's panic began to return. Had someone seen his face or his Wraith form.

Waving her hands in the air, Hiccup quickly tried to deter her father "What!? Oh, we.. Dad, you know we're just friends. I mean he's a bit of a hermit who's alone a lot... But he's just looking for attention... He's weird, don't worry about that."

Nodding, Stoick felt reassured that Hood was still seemed like a passive/neutral hermit who hadn't been trying anything suspicious. "Okay then."

Stretching out her arms, Hiccup put on a fake yawn while saying "I should really get to bed."

Talking at the same time, Stoick slowly made his way outside while Hiccup kept trying to get him to leave "Yes! Good! Okay. Good talk. See you back at the house. We should do this again. I'm great. Thanks for stopping by. Glad I stopped by, I hope you uh, like the hat. And for the... the breast hat." they both stuttered out until Stoick was finally out the door.

"Well, uh... good night." Stoick finally said before squeezing out the door, accidentally bumping over a sword rack from his excitement.

Hiccup on the other hand felt as though a knife had gone through her. She just couldn't her a break. If it wasn't everyone hating her for her mistakes, it was now everyone rooting for over because of a lie.

Laying down on the bed in her study, she couldn't hold back a couple of tears as she tried to plan on how to get herself out of her current situation. That's when she began to think; to try drop out of training, and work with Draven to get more dragon riders and change Berk from a land of violence and killing, to one of peace and cooperation.

Only time would tell.

Sorry about the last two chapters being shorter than my previous ones.

Also, I'm aware that there are many spelling or grammar mistakes in previous chapters. The reason for this is that I work on a tablet and I'm a speed typist. As a result, some sentences make no sense and I don't notice these until after I've put them up. If you guys don't mind, whenever you spot one please notify me in my PM and not in the review.

Other than that, let me know what you guys think of the story thus far. We're almost at the home stretch.