Getting closer to the end... please review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 14 Berk

Astrid opened the door only slightly and peered through the crack. The storm was over and she opened the door completely. Even the light rain had stopped and the sun was finally shining through the clouds. She stepped outside, Valka close behind her. Two months had passed and still no sign of Hiccup or Toothless. She sighed. Somewhere she was still so afraid that Hiccup had been captured, but another part of her had slowly began to accept the fact that he might be dead. Valka had been a great support, but Astrid knew that she feared for her son as well. She stopped at the edge of the plaza and looked up to the sky. There were still clouds, but they were scattered across the blue sky. She took a deep breath and froze. Up there, in the sky above the village, a jet black dragon shot through the sky. A surprised yelp from behind her told her Valka had seen it too.

"Could it be...?"

The dragon turned around and dove down towards the plaza. She could clearly see the prosthetic tailfin on the left side of his tail. Not red, like the old one, but brown, like someone had made a new one for him. No, not someone... Hiccup. The dragon landed. It was Toothless. But the one on his back, shaking his head, flinging water drops from his black hair, was not Hiccup. When the man slid off Toothless' his back, she could see that he was slightly taller than Hiccup, and, most importantly, he had both his legs. Toothless sat down, looking at the man with his head cocked a little to the right. Astrid felt her anger rise. Who was this person? Why was he riding Toothless like he owned him? And most important of all, where was Hiccup? Before she even knew it, she had run the short distance between herself and the stranger and was she on his chest, her hands firmly around his neck.

'Astrid!'

Valka looked up and her jaw dropped. A second Night Fury, a white Night Fury came down at the plaza. Before the dragon even touched the grounded, Hiccup jumped from it's back, running towards Astrid and Toothless. The white dragon tried to pounce past him.

'Snowflake!'

He stopped her, his hands stretched out. She growled at him, her teeth bared, but she stayed where she was.

'Astrid!'

He pulled at her shoulder, but she slapped him without even looking up. He stumbled back, tripping on his metal leg. For a moment he sat on the ground, hand on his cheek, dazed from the slap, then he scrambled back onto his feet.

'Astrid!'

This time he put his arms around her waist and pulled her of the man on the ground. She was fighting to get out of his grip, but he seemed to have no problem holding her tight.

'Settle down!'

Valka could only stare as her son dropped the girl on the ground and stepped past her, to the man on the ground. When he pulled him up, the white Night Fury, the one he had called Snowflake, jumped over the girl, hitting her with her tail, towards the man who was obviously her rider.

'Hiccup?'

Hiccup turned around at the sound of his mothers voice and smiled when he saw her. Astrid had gotten back on her feet, looking completely flabbergasted.

'Hiccup? You're alright? You're not dead?'

'Dead? Why would I be dead? Why would you even think... oooww, WHY would you DO that?'

'That's for scaring me and letting us think you were dead.' She hesitated for a moment before grabbing his collar and kissing him. 'That's for, you know, coming back.'

Hiccup smiled and then was caught in an embrace from his mother. All of Berk had gathered at the plaza. Valka let go of her son and smiled. It took a while before everyone had welcomed their chief back. Valka noticed the Night Fury and her rider standing to the side.

'Hiccup? Who's your friend?'

Hiccup looked up as if he totally forgot about the man and his Night Fury. Toothless bounded back to the two and rubbed his head up against the man. Valka walked a little closer to the pair. Astrid and Hiccup followed, but the white dragon growled when Astrid got too close. The man hushed her, but the dragon kept eyeing her suspiciously.

'Mom, Astrid, this is Wrenlou and Snowflake. They saved Toothless.'

'Another Night Fury. Amazing.'

'Wrenlou, this is my mom, Valka.'

Valka slowly walked closer to the dragon, just as she had done with Toothless when they first met, but unlike Toothless, Snowflake wrapped her tail around her rider and growled, her teeth bared.

'Easy girl, I'm sure not everyone on Berk is trying to kill me.' Wrenlou's voice was a bit harsh.

Hiccup chuckled and Wrenlou smiled.

'Yeah, well done Astrid!' Snotlout shouted from the crowd.

If looks could kill, Snotlout had died an awful death right where he stood. In the meantime Snowflake had allowed Valka to touch her.

'She's beautiful. I never would have dreamed I would ever see another Night Fury. And a white one an at! Are all females white?'

Wrenlou shook his head. 'No, the females are black too. She's the only one.'

'How do you know so much about Night Fury's?' Astrid asked, her arms crossed.

'Because I happen to live on Night Fury Island, home of all the Night Fury's.' He looked at Toothless. 'Well, almost all the Night Fury's.'

'Why don't we go inside?' Hiccup suggested, 'We can talk there.'

The crowd nodded almost in unison and quickly made their way to the Great Hall. Wrenlou stayed behind, walking towards the edge of the cliff.

'Are you coming?'

'I'll b right there Hiccup, don't worry.'

He heard Hiccup walk away. He looked out over the ocean. Somewhere, out there, was a certain Titan wing. He sighed. He couldn't get the dragon out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. Ever since he saw it here two months ago, it had been lingering in the back of his mind and had it made a come-back in his nightmares. He shivered. It was cold on Berk. He shook his head as if to get rid of a fly and turned around. He followed Snowflake towards the Great Hall, entering a sea of sound. He smiled. He had fulfilled part one of his mission. Hiccup was home.