Well hello there. It has been a while. I was overseas, then I was at a sports camp, and then I was sick. Oh, and my computer is throwing another hissy fit. Surprise, surprise. Anyway, you should find this chapter satisfying, I do believe. Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows. Over 100 favs now! Hoorah! Aren't I popular? Please enjoy.

Chapter 9- Escape

Two dragon heads peered out of the cavern, one bright blue Nadder, one tired looking Night Fury. The Night Fury ducked back into the cave, and began to talk to the young man clinging to the Nadder's back.

"Remember to stay as close to her back as possible. Think small and flat."

"Yes, yes I've got it. See you soon Toothless."

"I hope not," Shadow Stalker sniffed stiffly. Hiccup just grinned. "Good luck Green Eyes."

"You too Toothless."

"Take care Sky Song, I hope we may have the opportunity to become friends once the adventure is over," the Night Fury turned to the Nadder.

"As do I," she nodded, "but I feel the adventure has only just begun."

"I know," Shadow Stalker sighed, "but one can always hope."

"Thank you," Hiccup stared into Shadow Stalker's eyes, and the pitch black dragon could not help but feel a little anxious.

"Shoo, you have little time."

Hiccup grinned again, and pinned himself close to Sky Song's back.

"Ready," he breathed softly.

The dragon replied by spreading her wings and leaping into the treacherous cavern. Hiccup, who had remained fairly relaxed until this point, winced as he realised just how many dragons were there. He flattened himself even closer to Sky Song's back and watched warily. The Deadly Nadder flitted swiftly from one ledge to the next, careful not to expose her back to any passing dragon. Both dragon and human were on high alert, adrenaline racing through their veins.

Sky Song breathed out a relieved sigh when she found an unguarded exit, close to the top. She ducked out and spread her wings wide, exhaling a strained breath as the wind stretched her wings. However, she was taken off guard as a Terrible Terror appeared from behind a rock, flying in her direction. She quickly moved to duck behind a rock, but feared she would be too late. Suddenly, she felt the weight of the Viking slip from her back, falling down the side of the cliff.

It took every effort for her not to squeak in shock, and she tried to appear normal as the Terror buzzed above her. As soon as it rounded the corner, she flitted down in the direction he fell. It was a very long drop straight down, and she feared the worst. She glided down, and when she had almost reached the bottom with no sign of him, her heart fluttered in her chest.

There was a hissing noise behind her, and she turned to find the human man peeling leather flaps from his arms, tucking them back into sheaths on the sides of his leg.

"You're alive!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice.

He grinned wickedly at her as he winded up a fin sticking out from behind him.

"Flying suit," he briefly explained as she watched him curiously. She growled at him for scaring her, then invited him back onto her back. He clambered up, and pinned himself against her again as they took off.

As the last of the jagged rocks disappeared past them in the fog, Hiccup began to feel an itch in his limbs, and the ache in his damaged shoulder worsened. Sky Song felt the unsettlement of her rider, and glanced around curiously.

"The change, it's coming," he wheezed.

Not quite understanding, Sky Song continued to fly, but lowered down, searching for a landing spot. She found a wide sea stack, and landed lightly on top, only to have Hiccup roll off her and thump down ungracefully next to her. Her eyes were lit with worry, and a bit of curiosity.

"I'm fine," he waved his hand at her.

She glanced unhappily at the receding fog and watched it with apprehension. They were still too close for her liking. She looked back at the doubled over boy and tilted her head sideways, studying him. The sun dropped below the western horizon, and he began to morph. Her head turned to the other side and a startled squawked escaped her beak like mouth.

Before she had full time to comprehend what was happening, a full bodied Night Fury stood before her. The body itself was unfamiliar, but she could already recognise the wry expression on his face.

"Hiccup?"

"Yah. I think we forgot to mention this part to you."

"Yes, I believe you did," was her formulated response, but her face held a blank, shocked expression.

"Sorry."

"You are full of surprises," she shook her head. "I wish you would give me some warning."

"Sorry," he repeated sheepishly. "At least you don't have to carry me anymore. In fact, you can go back now."

"Nah, the Queen has not realised I have escaped Berk yet, I think I will stay with you for the time being."

"Suit yourself," he gave a dragonish version of a shrug, and lifted himself into the air.

They soared quietly together back to Berk, but Hiccup's right wing was weak, and he constantly wobbled and veered off course. Sky Song's gaze kept flashing over to him in worry, but he pretended there was no problem. Eventually she decided to speak up.

"Haven't quite mastered the flying part yet?" she asked innocently.

"Just a scratch on the old wing," the Night Fury said in a nonchalant, but somewhat strained voice.

They flew further, and the wobbling got worse. Sky Song shook her head and spoke again.

"I really think we should stop for the night."

"What? But Berk's only a short distance from here," he scoffed.

"You look terrible," she stated earnestly.

The black dragon sighed, "Thank you, for pointing that out."

She gave a dragon version of an eye roll. "Come, we're landing. Now."

The last word was a command, and Hiccup could do nothing but grudgingly agree.

They came to a small island not far from the Berk archipelago. Hiccup grumbled the entire way, and Sky Song listened silently to his moaning.

"Honestly, you're starting to sound like Shadow Stalker," she jibed.

That stopped him in his tracks. Instead he licked at his wounds a bit and then circled around, blasting the grass beneath him to make a warm bed, before curling up into a ball and staring sulkily at Sky Song. She preened at her wings a bit, and tidied the deadly spines on her tail. Eventually she tucked her head into a wing and began to breathe more rhythmically. Hiccup watched her a bit longer and then shifted his head a way from her, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep, images of Astrid running past his closed eyes.

()()()()()

He woke with a dragon's foot clasped around him, shaking him awake. He moaned sleepily, then started when he realised exactly what was disturbing his sleep. He leapt up onto his feet and jumped back, now in his human form.

"Wah! Oh, Sky Song. Uh, good morning." His shoulders relaxed and he rubbed sheepishly at his hair, which stuck out in all directions.

The Nadder tilted her head and fluttered her eyelids. "You're cute when you sleep."

"Urgh," was his response. He turned around, his hand falling to his side, and looked up at the sky. It was well into the morning.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he scrutinised, turning back towards the blue dragon.

"Maybe I had my own sleep to catch up on," she huffed.

Hiccup gave her a half smile. Sky Song came off as sweet and soft, but he was beginning to see a tougher, unforgiving side to her. Underestimating her would be a mistake. Not unlike Astrid.

They stood awkwardly for half a minute, gazing at each other.

"Umm, should we go?" Hiccup wondered aloud.

"Oh, yes, I guess we should," Sky Song jumped to life, shaking herself out of her daydream.

Hiccup walked forward, his legs a bit wobbly and his face screwing up as he felt a sharp tug at his shoulder. Sky Song's face softened, but Hiccup attempted to shrug it off, which just made it worse.

"Uh, may I?" Hiccup asked as he reached Sky Song's back, and she nodded compliantly. He pulled himself onto her back, and once he was settled the azure Nadder took flight, heading back to the place where she had been held captive, beaten and tortured more than once. It was not exactly a nice feeling for her, but she felt it was the right thing to do. She couldn't help but think that she held a duty to the dragon society to make sure this boy survived for, if he were the boy of prophecy, he could be the bringer of great joy and prosperity in the future. She wasn't completely certain that he would live up to what Shadow Stalker believed he would, but he was certainly a strange human being, and that had to count for something. She could almost hear his mind clunking to life as he perched on her back, ducking his head down to protect his face from the wind.

Thoughts went to the blonde girl, Astrid. She wondered if she would see that strange girl again. How much did she know about this strange misadventure Sky Song had found herself in, how much was she involved? Sky Song's heart skittered in confusion. She already felt a strange warmth towards the girl, and wished to see her again, but is that what fate allowed? She could not even begin to guess. The flight was silent, both lost in sullen thought and, unknown to them, both on the same topic.

Hiccup's forehead was becoming permanently lined as he wondered about Astrid. He, like Sky Song, speculated about ever seeing her again. The memories of the events of their last meeting were twisted and blurred, not meeting together at the right points, making a confusing mess of images and emotions. Was she involved with Snotlout willingly, or was there another agenda he knew not of? Did he even interpret the signs right? What did he actually see? He was so confused, and he replayed the memories again, but nothing new came to light, no new clue. He groaned and rested his pounding head against Sky Song's smooth scales. She did not betray any thought, but there was a comforting rumble in the back of her throat as she continued to fly. She knew all too well how he was feeling.

He held that position until there was a light squawk from the Nadder, and his head shot up. He recognised the familiar shape of his home island, having seen it from the sky many times on various adventures. His mind automatically linked the vision of Berk with thoughts of Astrid, causing his face to grimace.

"Maybe it's not too late to head back to the Queen's lair?" he suggested, only half kidding.

Sky Song gave him a curious look, but continued to fly straight.

"Be strong, silly boy. I don't know what you could have to fear here."

Hiccup just groaned, then reluctantly began to direct her to the cove. She landed a few metres from the edge, and Hiccup gently climbed off. He began to stride to one of the entry points when a hushed hissing noise came from Sky Song behind him. He froze, then fell into a natural crouch.

"What is it?" he hissed back.

"Someone's here, human."

Hiccup's brow furrowed, and he began to creep forward slowly. It may not be her, he told himself, keep your head. However, his heart ignored his head and began to flutter madly. He peered over the edge, and remained still for a while, but there was no evidence of life. He then moved to begin climbing down, but Sky Song interrupted him.

"What if it's an ambush?"

He stopped and considered that for a moment, then shrugged.

"Let's find out."

With that he began his descent, with Sky Song watching anxiously from above. When he did reach the bottom, Sky Song hoped lithely after him, jumping next to him in case she needed to become defensive quickly. They both looked around the cove with sharp eyes, one looking for a threat, the other not entirely sure what he was looking for.

There was the shifty creak of wood, a noise only someone with dragon hearing would hear, and both pairs of eyes darted to Hiccup's cave. Hiccup straight away began moving towards the noise, and Sky Song reluctantly followed, muttering something about reckless, stupid humans.

With no secrecy or grace, Hiccup pulled the door open, and stuck his head in. His somewhat strained face softened when he found Astrid curled up on the floor, like he used to always find her before he took her inside. He paused and watched her for a moment, while Sky Song waited restlessly behind him.

"What? What is it?"

Hiccup's forehead scrunched up as he watched Astrid shiver. Was she going through another one of those stubborn spells and not lighting the fire? He walked in, still ignoring Sky Song, and pressed his hand to the wood she lay upon to find it was still warm. His frown drew deeper. He crouched down and gently picked up one of her hands, holding it between both of his. They felt warm enough. Why did she look so cold? Suddenly a small whine left her lips and she tossed her body on its other side in her sleep, causing him to let go of her hand. He stared at the back of her head for a few moments, before slowly rising out of his crouch.

"Hiccup!" An impatient voice called from behind him, and he suddenly became aware of Sky Song's stressed calling from outside the door.

He hurried to the opening and gently climbed out and shut the door behind him.

"Are you okay? What's in there?" She stuck her face directly in front of Hiccup's, watching him closely with beady eyes.

His hands automatically raised above his head.

"Whoa, it's just Astrid. Remember that girl?"

The dragon's face softened and she leaned back out of Hiccup's space.

"Oh, her. What's she doing here?"

"I have no idea."

Hiccup's arms came down to rest at his side and his face was full of thought. Sky Song took a step back. He flashed a look up at her then, with his mouth pulled into a thin line, and strode back into his cave, leaving Sky Song to occupy herself.

He stood in the doorway for a while, watching the curled mass with an indecisive expression. Eventually he sank down into the corner, his back pressed against the wall and his knees brought up to his chest. And he watched, no longer sure of where he belonged in his own home.

He sat there for quite a while, his face stony and caught in thought. Suddenly Astrid began to squirm in her sleep and gave a whimper. Hiccup winced and rolled into a crouch, before crawling over to her side. Her shivering had grown worse and her face was pulled into an anxious scowl, still sleeping. Hiccup studied the lines etched into her face. Without a conscious thought, his hand reached out and he began to smooth out the lines with his thumb. He caught himself and froze, pulling his hand back. As he watched, the lines grew deeper again. His hand came back down to her strained face and they began to smooth out again. He gave a sad smile and cupped his palm to the side of her head as he continued to stroke her forehead with his thumb.

Gently the shivering slowed, and he sat down next to her head. She let out a heavy breath and her head lolled back, her body straightening and rolling onto her back. Hiccup's hands shot up into the air and his face became strained as he found her head in his lap. He swore quietly and began to move. He slowly shifted himself out from underneath her, his teeth gritted as he saw the nightmares begin to return to her face. As soon as he was clear of her he came back to her side, beginning to sooth her again.

She shifted her weight again and slowly her eyes began to drift open. He froze, and slowly brought his hand back, scooting backwards while watching her closely. She groaned and stretched, pushing herself up and running a hand through her messy hair. Then, as if noticing him for the first time, paused and studied him. He was holding very still, one hand frozen in mid-air and a wary look on his face. Suddenly she jumped on him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and her chin resting on his shoulder. His arms stuck out at awkward angles and he remained fixed. She held the hug, and slowly his hands came down, one patting her on the back.

"Take it things didn't go too well back at the village then," he eventually choked out, a range of emotions jolting through his body.

She pulled back, and began to laugh but then it became choked, and a sob ran through her body. A hand came to her mouth and the tears began to stream down her face. Hesitantly, Hiccup began to embrace her again then, slowly became more confident, pulling her into his side. Rubbing her shoulder in a comforting matter, his mouth pulled into a grim line and he stared at the opposite wall as she sobbed into his side. The tears had finally arrived.

Oh dear. Poor Astrid's having another breakdown. This story isnae kind to the poor lass. *Evil smile* Hehehe. Anyway hope you enjoyed. Pretty please review. Please? I'll try to get my head (and computer) into gear soon. Then I can start actually posting chapters semi-regularly. Hah, as if. Thanks for reading!

Guest Reviews:

The Unamed: Why thank you. I like that thought. Probably won't happen, but nice idea. Thank you very much for reviewing. Sorry I took so long to update. Byeee. :)

Noctus Fury: I love the flashbacks too! (Have I already said that? Probably). There are some good ones coming up, trust me. I've had to fight the urge to put them in every chapter. I haven't got a lot between Hiccup and Astrid as kids though, largely 'cause I don't think they had a huge amount of interaction as kids. Like, they were around each other a lot, but they didn't talk a lot.

As for Green Eyes, we'll have to wait and see. And when I say we, I mean we. I'm not entirely sure where that's going either. It's just something Shadow Stalker/Toothless said. Okay, so that's a bit of a lie. I do have a bit of a plan. Farvel Noctus Fury. :)