"H-Hiccup?" her soft voice gurgled from the cot.

He snapped his head up. "Meyla?"

She coughed violently. "Nurse…"

"I know a dragon stung you," he scooted closer to her and took her hand. The tears threatened to spill out of his eyes, but he held strong for her.

"My wing."

"That's where it stung you."

Her voice cracked from her dry throat. "The poison is slow, I'll last a few more days, unless you stop it."

"Well how do I stop it!?"

Her eyes widened as she finally made eye contact him, and they fell to stare at the wall. "You can't. Just, make me go peacefully," she took his hand. It was shaking. Her fear just showed through the cracks. She truly was courageous.

He let a tear slip out, knowing exactly what she meant. "You know I couldn't do that to you…"

"Then I'll die painfully."

"I can't lose you! You're the last of your kind! I…"

"You know," her eyelids closed half-way, "Your family is lucky."

"Why?" The tears stopped as he gazed at her seriously for a moment at her random statement. He pulled her hands close to his face.

"They have you."

The tears spilled out over his cheeks. Her own eyes brimmed but she was stronger than he was. So many thoughts crossed through his mind. She knew about his mom, and Astrid, and his dad, yet she understood how much they all loved him. She must know what love is; once she had a family too. After they died, she must have felt so much survivor's guilt.

"You… you accepted that you'd die a long time ago, didn't you?" he said between sobs.

"Yes." She ran one of her hands over his hair. "But then I met you. Forlǫg bjóða," she whispered.

Hiccup sat up and looked at her, tightening his face.

"Check the box," she weakly pointed to a roughly woven grass box in the corner.

"What is it?" He picked it up, examining it carefully.

"Open," her breathing hitched.

Hiccup lifted the lid off tentatively and stared into it. His eyes shot back to hers and met her wide grin. "You didn't…"

"I knew you were having trouble with your leg."

It was a hand-made, wooden leg. Similar to Gobber's, he noted, but the intricately cut details engraved in the grain said differently. He could make out tiny etchings of dragons, and an island, as well as what he believed was Meyla and him.

"It shouldn't bend or rust," she flashed a weak smile.

He fastened it around his legs with some straps. "You made this for me?"

She gave another smile.

"Thank you," he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Hey, try not to give up on me just yet. I'm a-"

"A Dragon Wing, I know." Joyful tears threatened to spill out as he watched her. She closed her eyes and began slipping back into sleep.

Toothless watched with his face lowered, knowing that something was severely wrong with her.

Hiccup left the hut into the waning darkness. The forest was quieting with the onset of nightfall. He stared straight ahead, with Toothless looking confused behind him. He fell to his knees, unwilling to walk any farther.

He let out an angry cry into to the sky that was darkening above the trees. Birds screamed in response to his yells, and Toothless nudged his shoulder in comfort.

She had given him a gift that he would never be able to repay. He clutched his hair in his fists angrily. He could never just leave here there: alone and on death's bed.

The drying tear streaks down his cheeks made his face raw and he wracked his brain for some of the language that Meyla knew best. After many small lessons teaching each other their mother tongues, he had barely remembered any asides from the few he had watched her teach him. He thought back to when she sat across from him in the clearing and mouthed the words directly. He had said them back, and meant them.

"Ek ást þú, Meyla."

The orange sky seemed to erupt in flame above him. Toothless sent a mournful howl into the sky.

As if by echo, a fuming roar responded. The pair froze, staring unbelievingly into the trees. Toothless was instantly on guard, ready to fight, and Hiccup stood back up in defense. Not to defend himself- but to defend Meyla. He would not let anything near the hut until it had killed him first.

The roar echoed again, closer this time. It sounded like a howling wind that would rake through a cavern in a storm.

"The Sun Swallower."

As if on queue, the massive beast exploded into the clearing, sending Hiccup backwards. It clung to several trees, with its tail in the air. The black, iridescent scales seemed nearly invisible against the shadows. He didn't move, hoping it was just passing through; but it's shiny black eyes were directed at him, and if he was anything like the other dragons on this island, he wasn't friendly.

Hiccup could make out the long snout, thin horns and slender body. It had talons as large as his blade and the spines on its back looked just as threatening when they were arched.

Quick as lightning it lunged, but Toothless shot back quicker and hit its flank. It's screamed loudly and reached for the night fury. Hiccup sped over and slid underneath it, slicing at it's belly while it was reaching for Toothless. The dragon tucked in its wings, lifted off the ground, and did a mid-air roll. Hiccup gawked as it landed on the grass, facing them with hatred in its eyes. It's piercing scream projected at their faces and deafened them for a moment. Hiccup stood stunned.

Regaining his balance, he stood to face it.

A battle cry reverberated behind him. He spun around to see Meyla running towards them, with the look of a true warrior on her face.

"What are you doing?!" He cried out to her. "You're injured!"

"Honoring my family," her eyebrows were furrowed and the hair hung loosely around her face. She looked savage, and Hiccup realized that there was no stopping her.

Instead, he faced the dragon, who was fuming with smoke rising from his nostrils. It lifted off the ground and far up into the sky.

"Run! It's going to light the clearing!"

Toothless scooped the pair onto his back as he bolted for the trees.

The Sun Swallower sent rained down a storm of fire and the trees around them lit up.

Hiccup closed his eyes as he clutched Meyla around the waist. He tried covering her from the flames. Toothless dodged the trees as the flames raced behind them and slowly diminished. He cried out and Hiccup spun around. He could make out his dragon's tail in the darkness as flames licked dangerously close to the vulnerable fabric. He continued to run thorugh the dark forest, snapping tendrils and vines and plowing through the undergrowth.

Meyla was hunched over in his embrace.

"We are so dead."