At first, Harrow did not register their flight through the woods from the enraged Changewing. Led by Ruffnut's tight grip around his wrist, he managed to keep pace ably enough, managed not to stumble too much over roots and duck under low hanging branches, but he wasn't fully aware of where they were going.

No, his mind was turning over something Ruffnut had said just before Snotlout started their pell-mell run back towards Berk. She had shown more than a passing recognition for the particular dragon now pursuing them. Harrow knew why, of course. They had seen this dragon back on the nameless isle where the Hunter's had made their trapping camp. In fact, they had freed this particular dragon, so why was it here now? Something did not add up.

But, he had to cast those thoughts to the back of his mind for the moment and focus on more pertinent and immediate concerns.

To whit, avoiding the claws, fangs, and lethal acid of a very angry Changewing right on their heels.

Harrow could hear the dragon behind them, snarling and roaring, smashing through the underbrush and tearing up the forest floor. Every time he chanced a backwards look over his shoulder, the scaled beast seemed to have gained on them. He feared that at any moment a searing blast of acid might strike him and start the agonizing process of turning him into a steaming pile of sludge, or that the dragon might pounce and visit a more traditional end upon him. But more than his fears for himself, he found himself fearing for Ruffnut.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout hollered from somewhere ahead of them. "Hookfang! Where are you, you useless overgrown lizard?!"

"Barf!" Tuffnut joined in, calling for all he was worth. "Belch! Could use some help here!"

"Do they really think their dragons will hear them out here?" Harrow asked Ruffnut, skeptical. "I mean, we went a fair ways out from Berk, didn't we?"

"Dragon's have very keen sense of hearing." Ruffnut replied. She sounded very knowledgeable for a second, until she added. "Or at least, that's what Fishlegs is always saying, the big dragon nerd that he is."

Harrow felt a frisson of hope anyway. "Oh, that's good. So you're saying there's a chance Snotlout's dragon, or your dragon, might show up and save our asses?"

"Totally!" Ruffnut said, wincing as they hopped a fallen log. "But I think we ought to hedge our bets and run faster!"

Harrow couldn't fault that reasoning. "Fair enough."

The trail hadn't seemed that long when they had gone the other way earlier in the afternoon, but now it seemed to wind on forever. The wound in his side ached, but probably due to all the adrenaline coursing through him, he was able to bear it. He hoped the moisture running down his side and over his hip was merely sweat and not blood. He hoped he wasn't slowing Ruffnut down. He hoped that they reached the damn village soon.

Yes, a lot of hoping going on.

The crashing and roaring got louder behind them. Harrow idly thought to himself that for such a supposedly stealthy dragon, the Changewing was certainly making a lot of noise. Ruffnut swore as she stumbled and Harrow stumbled with her. Straining, he helped her regain her balance and kept her moving, urging, "Keep going!"

Ahead, through the thinning trees, the edge of Berk could be made out. Ruffnut laughed, relieved. "There's the village!"

Not a moment too soon, either. As they burst out from the forest's boundary, a flaming comet bearing flapping wings and a lashing tail descends behind them. Snotlout turned and skidded to a stop, smiling triumphantly. Tuffnut came to a stop beside him as well, grinning madly at the brawl to come.

"Alright, Hookfang! Now that Changewing is in for some payback!"

Harrow and Ruffnut ran just far enough to stand beside them and then turned to watch the impending confrontation. The red and black Monstrous Nightmare descends with a challenging roar, baring its fangs and spreading its wings to land in an inferno of its own making. The Changewing came up short with the bigger dragon now standing in its way. It roars and postures some distance from Hookfang, snapping its jaws and lashing its tendrils and tail, stretching its wings as far as possible.

"Get 'em, Hooky!" Snotlout shouted. "Show 'em who's boss in Berk!"

Another shadow passed overhead. Angrily trilling, Barf and Belch landed beside Hookfang and joined him in facing down the Changewing.

"Barf!" Ruffnut cried, happy to see the Zippleback. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Send that Changewing packing, Belch!" Tuffnut cheered, punching the air with one fist.

But wasn't just Hookfang and the twin's Zippleback that responded to the presence of the intruding predator dragon on the edge of the village.

From all over Berk, a multi-species cloud of dragons rose into the air and joined in against the Changewing, landing to form a barrier of scale and claw or hovering in a semicircle with the interloper at its center. Some dragons shot warning blasts to dissuade the Changewing from coming any closer, others dove in feigned dive bombing runs. A crowd of Berkians emerged from homes and shops to witness the display.

Harrow watched in awe as the Changewing thought better of its chances and retreated, never giving the angry horde of village dragons its back. It melted into the underbrush of the forest and disappeared from sight with a strange, almost mournful cry.

"That's right, keep on running!" Snotlout called after the departing dragon, running to the edge of the woods. "You remember this the next time you try and mess with the Snot Man!"

"That was awesome!" Ruffnut crowed as Tuffnut came over to where she stood with Harrow by her side. "Did you see how amazing our dragon was?!"

"Of course our dragon is awesome!" Tuffnut replied brightly, grinning like a fool. "Is it any surprise? Thorston-style training for the win!"

The two Thorstons engaged in a friendly sibling headbutt, very reminiscent of how they usually celebrate mutual victories. Tuffnut looked relieved, like he hoped she had forgiven him for his earlier behavior.

Then, suddenly, she punched her unsuspecting brother right in that smiling face of his, rocking him on his feet, and that notion must have shuddered to a dead halt in his mind.

Barf and Belch walked over to watch their riders closely, always curious as to what antics they'd get up to next. The crowd that had gathered to watch their dragons face down the Changewing now had something else to captivate their attention as well. Vikings relished a good brawl, after all.

"What the hel was that for?!" Tuffnut bawled in shocked disbelief, holding his abused nose. Blood leaked from between his clutching fingers.

"That was for being a fucking muttonhead!" Ruffnut snapped, beyond upset. "Did you forget that you pelted us with fresh yak dung?! You ruined our perfect, romantic afternoon alone!"

"I told you, that was all Snotlout's fault!" Tuffnut whined, his tone going nasal as his nose swelled. He checked to see how much blood was flowing. The answer, he found, was a lot. "Oh man, I think you broke my nose! I am hurt, very much hurt!"

Hearing his name, and annoyed that it wasn't in any positive tone, Snotlout joined the dispute. He swaggering over from where he was praising his dragon on a job well done.

"Hey, I found you moping around in the Great Hall, crying your eyes out because Ruff ditched you to go play tongue-tag with this asshole!" Snotlout jerked a thumb over to where Harrow stood, following the proceedings while trying to ignore the nagging ache in his side. For his part, he glared slow murder back at the brawny young Viking.

"You wanted to go pranking today, and it just so happens that you also were pissed that Ruff betrayed you. I figured, two birds, one arrow, right? So, don't throw me under the damn yak-drawn cart when things don't go your way!"

"Betrayal?!" Ruffnut echoed, incredulous and outraged. "What are you even talking about?!"

"You blew me off! Then I saw you running off with Harrow!" Then, turning round on Snotlout, he added. "And for the last time, I was not crying!"

Growling, Ruffnut shoved her brother hard in the chest. "So, what, you decided to then just come and dump yakshit all over us for the hel of it?"

"Not right away!" Tuffnut protested, stumbling.

Harrow tentatively raised a hand at that juncture. "Uh, for the record, I had no idea that she blew you off, Tuff. I didn't realize it'd be such a big deal."

Tuffnut shot him a flat look. "We're twins. We do everything together, it's like a law of nature!" Like that explained everything. Harrow put up a placating hand and backed up a step.

"Yeah, right, because I totally want my muttonhead twin brother there when I'm trying to make out with a hot guy." Ruffnut drawled sardonically, rolling her eyes. "That's going to really set the mood."

"You could have told Tuff the truth, at least!" Snotlout interjected. "None of this would have happened!"

Harrow could see that things were going to escalate as Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout all began wildly gesticulating and raising their voices, trying to shout each other down. His gaze had drifted over to the crowd of villagers who were watching with quiet relish when Spitelout pushed his way through.

"Alright! Make way, coming through!" Spitelout cried, "What in Odin's beard is going on over here? What's all this commotion? And what the hel is that smell?"

"Hey pops, you just missed it!" Snotlout exclaimed, happy to change the subject. "A Changewing chased us to the edge of town and Hookfang and the other dragons drove it off! It was totally awesome!"

"A Changewing?" Spitelout echoed, skeptical, brow furrowed. "Here, on Berk? You sure, son?"

"We saw it, too." One of the nearby village women piped up. Several other Berkians nodded their heads. "It chased the them in from the forest, before your son and the twins' dragons intervened and chased it off."

"Better find the chief and tell him about this, then." Spitelout replied, rubbing his beard. He turned his gaze on Ruffnut and Harrow and sniffed the air. "Ah, that's what that stink is! What the blazes were you two doing, rolling in the yak pens?!"

Before Ruffnut or Harrow could protest or explain, he waved them off. "Ah, never mind! I don't want to know. Come along, you can get cleaned up after."

"Do we really have to wait?" Ruffnut protested, gesturing down at her ruined clothes, then waving at Harrow. "I mean, we're both covered in this crap! What about Harrow's stitches? Isn't there a chance they might get infected? Maybe he should see Gothi."

"No, this is important. The chief said he wanted all you dragon riders at the Great Hall." Spitelout replied. "While you lot were off running around Berk all willy-nilly, a wild dragon was making off with sheep from the farms on the edge of the village."

"What, like the raids?" Snotlout wondered, unbelieving..

"Aye, just not so bad. For now. Hiccup is putting together a plan to nip the problem in the bud." Spitelout told them. Then, casting a critical eye over Harrow, he added. "As for your wounds, you probably should have stayed in Haddock Hall and rested, like any sensible person."

"I needed some exercise! I was going crazy just laying around." Harrow argued peevishly.

"Well, now you may have made things worse for yourself! But don't worry, I'll send for Gothi, and she'll meet you at the Great Hall. She can look you over there. Now, let's get a move on."

With only a moderate amount of grumbling, the three dragon riders and Harrow fell into step and followed Spitelout back through the village. The crowd of villagers dispersed with their passing, the spectacle of the dragon fight and subsequent argument over and done with. The day was getting late, after all, and there were still things to do.

Ruffnut hung back with Harrow as they made their way. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she kept pace. "Spitelout's right. I shouldn't have dragged you out of bed. Sorry." she said, softly, so that her brother or Snotlout couldn't hear.

"I'm fine." Harrow insisted. "Just filthy and a little tired, nothing a good wash and a night's sleep couldn't fix. I actually really enjoyed today."

"Really?"

"Yep." Harrow nodded, smiling. "Every part, except of course the running for our lives."

Ruffnut smiled brightly one moment, and then wiped the expression off her face the next when her brother looked back over his shoulder. "Come on, guys! Hurry up!"

"Hold your gods-damned Nadders, we're coming as fast as we can!" Ruffnut shouted back. When her brother pulled a face and looked away, the smile was back.

They rounded a corner and came to the village square, bustling with Hooligans going about closing up stalls and shops for the end of the day. Ahead, the spire loomed along with the staircase to the Great Hall, the sky beginning to take on the hues of twilight as the sun lowered to meet the western sea. Spitelout had already mounted the lowest steps. Snotlout and Tuffnut were not far beyond him on the far edge of the square's cobblestones.

As Ruffnut and Harrow set foot on the nearer edge of the square, Harrow asked. "What did you mean, back there in the clearing? When the changewing appeared?"

Ruffnut glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"I think you said, it's the changewing. Not, it's a Changewing." Harrow explained, giving her a pointed look.

"Oh, that's right!" Ruffnut gasped. "We never told you!"

"Never told me what?"

"You remember the Hunter's isle, the fight on the beach?" Ruffnut asked as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "And you got hurt?"

"Yeah, I remember that vividly." Harrow muttered, absentmindedly laying a hand on his wounded side in sympathy with the memory seared into his mind. "Why?"

They began to ascend the steps. Spitelout, Snotlout, and Tuffnut had already passed into the Great Hall ahead of them.

"Do you remember what happened next? Anything at all?" Ruffnut pressed.

Harrow tried to think back. He remembered the face of the Hunter who was going to finish him off, how he smugly spoke about how songs should be written of Harrow's battle prowess. How he was going to finish Harrow quickly as a favor. He remembered Ruffnut's words at the edge of his fading consciousness, pleading for his life with such urgency. No one else had ever cared so much about what become of Harrow Gudmundson. Well, that was not entirely true. There were a few others, but that number was precious few. Dwindling, even now.

Harrow was going to tell Ruffnut what he remembered in the next moment but before he could, they reached the doors of the Great Hall. The hall was much the same as it ever was, packed with tables and benches, dimly lit by torches and braziers, and slightly hazy with the smoke from the central fire pit.

"A Changewing? Here?" boomed the unmistakable voice of Stoick.

Spitelout was standing before the chief's table, leaning on the back of a chair. "Aye, that's what I said. But, I heard from the people who were eyes-on with the beastie. A Changewing is on Berk."

"So, that's the culprit making off with the livestock, eh?" Gobber remarked airily, sitting to Stoick's right hand at the table, his mug attachment filled to the brim with mead. "Just one dragon? Not much of a raid, I'd say."

Harrow noticed that the rest of the Riders were present as well. Snotlout and Tuffnut sat at a nearby table with mugs of mead already to hand, Tuffnut with a wadding of rags to his abused nose. Fishlegs and Hiccup stood with a map of Berk unfurled upon the chief's table. Astrid and Heather were there, too, leaning over the venerable work of cartography.

Toothless was in attendance, as usual, as constant as Hiccup's shadow. The Night Fury was laid out by the central fire pit, wings folded and tail curled around to cover his blunt snout. Every so often he'd crack an eye and survey the room but otherwise was content to rest himself.

"That is what Fishlegs and I already suspected." Hiccup declared. "The Haskell farm, as well as Sven's farm, and several others bear the signs of Changewing acid and footprints."

"We already have some ideas where the dragon in question might be nesting at night." Fishlegs added, dragging his finger around the coastlines and forests around Berk. He cast a look at Snotlout and Tuffnut, "And, thanks to the unintended reconnaissance mission you performed, we can now confirm the Changewing's whereabouts."

"That was the plan, all along!" Snotlout said, grinning widely, pleased with himself.

"The World's Greatest Weapon is always happy to help out." Tuffnut added, business-like, taking a swig of his drink.

"But what I don't understand, is why it is even here at all?" Astrid inquired, pointedly ignoring them. "Changewings have never been a problem on Berk. Like, ever!"

"Could migration patterns have changed recently?" Heather ventured thoughtfully. "On the edge, they changed sometimes, according to other dragons' flocking behavior and the seasons. Maybe that happened here?"

"A good guess." Fishlegs said, smiling appreciatively. Heather returned the expression warmly. "But, I would expect more than one Changewing to be on the island if that were the case. No, I feel we may have a situation more like the time when Snotlout stole a nest full of Changewing eggs and brought them home to Berk. Remember that?"

"Yep, sure do." Astrid muttered, shooting an irritated look over at Snotlout. "That was almost a disaster!"

"Will you guys ever let me live that down?! It was a one-time mistake!" Snotlout whined, sulking. "Who could have known that Changewing eggs looked like enormous jewels?"

"Anyone who read the Book of Dragons, that's who." Fishlegs retorted dryly.

"Now, there's a good joke, Fishlegs!" Tuffnut laughed, earning a death glare from Snotlout. "Who has ever seen Snotlout read?"

"Shut up, Tuffnut!"

Hiccup groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, well, putting aside Snotlout's dubious literacy, I'm pretty sure no one brought anything like Changewing eggs back to Berk. Right?"

A collection of nods from the Riders was his reply.

"Well, what else could possibly have attracted a lone Changewing to Berk?" Heather asked the group.

"I have an idea." Ruffnut said as she and Harrow joined the gathering. They had stood off a short distance, mindful of the funk that hung around them still. "I think the Changewing might be here looking for Harrow."

Harrow abruptly turned to look directly at the blonde young woman beside him, thoroughly bewildered. "Uh, what?"

Snotlout snorted derisively where he sat. "I call yakshit!"

"Oh, my Thor! I think Ruff is on to something." Tuffnut exclaimed, springing up from his seat in his exuberance. "Why didn't I think of this before!?"

"Because you barely think in the first place?" Astrid quipped, deadpan.

"Will someone please make some sense and stay on task?!" Stoick thundered, thumping a fist down on the table hard enough to cause it to jump.

Scoffing, Spitelout interjected. "Why would a Changewing be after him?"

"Because! It saved him from getting his head chopped off! Ruffnut and I saw it with our own eyes!" Tuffnut answered, waving his arms around. "Didn't we tell you that part when we got back from our patrol?"

"First I've heard of it." Gobber remarked with a shrug. "Chief?"

"I haven't heard anything about it either." Stoick admitted, turning his stony gaze on Ruffnut. "Why was this information left out?"

"It didn't seem important at the time, obviously." Ruffnut retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "We had Dragon Hunters practically in our backyard! Wouldn't you say kicking them out of our proverbial neighborhood ranks higher in that situation?"

"Fair point." Gobber opined, bringing his mug attachment to his lips.

"Hmmm, interesting." Fishlegs mutters, rubbing his chin the way he did when pondering dragon-related matters. "Is there any other pertinent details related to the Changewing that we should know?"

"He saved it from a snout trap." Tuffnut supplied. "We did mention that, didn't we?"

Ruffnut nodded. "We helped. I vaguely remember glossing that over."

"Aye, I remember that part." Stoick confirmed with a grunt.

Harrow remembered that moment. The trap releasing, the Changewing shaking itself free, and then staring back at him as if it somehow knew it had been his plan all along to free it. A nebulous possibility surfaced in his mind. Could it really be that simple?

"Okay, so a Changewing is on Berk because Harrow released it from a trap." Hiccup did not sound totally convinced. "I still don't understand why."

"I think I'm starting to, though." Fishlegs said. "It's a little shaky, but bear with me." He cleared his throat before he continued. "I believe that Harrow inadvertently formed what I'll tentatively call a life-bond with this Changewing."

"A who-now?" Snotlout muttered, pulling a face.

"A life-bond!" Fishlegs repeated excitedly, warming up to the subject as he thought about it. "I'd say it's sort of like an honor-debt in Viking society. You know, you save someone's life and they owe you theirs in return? Usually, in the sagas, the person who owes the life follows the person who saved them as a companion, or servant."

"Okay, great idea, Fishface. Except, there is one little tiny problem with your idea." Snotlout said, getting up to refill his mug. He gestured at the hefty dragon scholar with his empty drinking vessel. "The gods-damned Changewing tried to kill us!"

Fishlegs expression fell into contemplation again. "Hmm, that does sound like a problem."

"No, I think Fishlegs has got the right idea." Heather remarked optimistically. "If I remember correctly, it only intervened when it looked like Harrow was going to be killed. Right?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded.

Heather went on, turning her gaze on Harrow. "Okay. So, today, what happened that would make it act to defend you?"

"Snotlout punched me in the face." Harrow replied, irritably, sparing a hard glare for the brawny young Viking in question. Then he froze as the realization dawned on him. "Oh gods, that's it! That's why it revealed itself!"

"Why did Snotlout punch you in the face?" Astrid asked. She started over to take a look at him. Then, she wrinkled her nose as she picked up on the smell. "Ugh! What is that?"

"Yeah, about that." Ruffnut drawled, glaring at over at the offenders fit to light fires. "My idiot brother and Snotlout ambushed us while we were out in the forest, minding our own business."

"Yeah, right!" Snotlout snorted derisively, but Tuffnut had the decency to look apologetic at least when the rest of the group turned unhappy eyes on them.

"We wanted to go get cleaned up." Harrow supplied with a shrug. "But, Spitelout said this meeting was important."

Stoick, who now registered the lingering foetor of yak waste with a quick blink of his eyes, showed no sign of being disgusted. He just shot a dark look at his brother in law, who in his defense merely shrugged, before sighing. "We're almost finished here. Then, you two are going straight to the bath-house. Understood?"

"Got it, chief." Ruffnut replied, sketching a mock salute with a wide smile. "Straight to the bath-house, no arguments here!"

"Ah, Stoick, I already sent for Gothi to check on the lad's stitches." Spitelout piped up. "Figured it was better safe than sorry."

Stoick ran a broad hand down his face. "Fine. After the examination then."

"Right. Now, with that out of the way, what do we plan to do about this Changewing?" Stoick asked the group.

Hiccup and Fishlegs exchanged a look. It was Fishlegs who answered first. "Well, we thought that we might try driving it away. Herd it off the island and make it realize how untenable staying would be..."

"... but, now that we have this other theory kicking around, we think perhaps that might not work." Hiccup finished, giving an awkward half-shrug.

"Why not?" Stoick inquired, frowning thunderously. "This is starting to sound like there is a complication."

Astrid sighed. She had just worked out what that might be. "It'll just come back. Won't it?"

Hiccup scratched at the back of his neck, concentrating on the map on the table. "Yep. It followed Harrow all the way to Berk, after all. We have no reason to think that being chased off by a pack of Dragon Riders would dissuade it, either."

"It won't leave until it has what it wants." Fishlegs stated succinctly. He indicated Harrow with a nod. "Him."

Harrow groaned, slumped back against the edge of the table behind him, the back of his head resting on the tabletop. "Why, why am I being made the center of this?"

"No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose." Tuffnut opined sagely. "Or, you don't like that one, there is the road to Hel is paved with good intentions? I could go on, I got a million more!"

Ruffnut gave him the stink eye. "Tuff, just shut up. Really."

"Sorry, Harrow, but it does look like you are the key to this situation." Hiccup said, his expression apologetic.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Gobber asked brightly. "Tie him to a tree and wave as the beastie makes off with him?"

That drew laughs from Snotlout and Tuffnut, and an annoyed groan from Harrow, who drawled, "Go to Hel, Gobber."

Grinning widely, Spitelout nudged the curmudgeonly smith with an elbow and remarked, "Oh, now I see what you mean. Very disrespectful, indeed! Ha!"

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup sighed. "No, we are not tying Harrow to a tree. That seems like an entirely unhelpful suggestion."

"But a hilarious one, make no mistake!" Spitelout observed happily. He and Gobber clinked their tankards and laughed some more.

Stoick speared them both with his best chiefly glare and got them to step back in line, if such a thing were possible. "So, we are ruling out using force to solve the Changewing issue. Fine. What is our next option?"

Fishlegs peered intently at Harrow for a moment. "Well, there is one idea we could try…"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hiccup asked him, also looking at Harrow with a speculative air.

Fishlegs smirked. "Oh, yeah."

"Uh, guys, care to clue the rest of us in on your brilliant plan?" Astrid cajoled, a touch peeved to be left out of the loop. Judging by the expressions of the rest of the group, she wasn't the only one.

Harrow noticed the scrutiny he was under from the dragon scholars of the group and felt his spirits sink. " I don't like the way they are looking at me…"

Ruffnut laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, whatever they come up with, I'll be there to help you through it."

Harrow couldn't help but smile back at her. "Thanks. Means a lot."

"Well?" Astrid prompted of Hiccup and Fishlegs. "We're waiting."

"Okay, so we have an idea that might work." Fishlegs started, excitement lighting up his face. "But, we will admit it's not without its flaws."

Hiccup nodded. "It's simple. If the Changewing is here for Harrow, as we suspect, then it may be possible for him to try and train it. That way, he could get it into the habit of hunting elsewhere, and leave the livestock alone."

"Wait a minute… can Changewings even be trained?" Tuffnut asked, mystified.

Snotlout snorted derisively. "No way! No one has ever done that before. They're way to aggressive, remember?"

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with Snotlout." Heather added, a dubious expression on her face. "That sounds pretty dangerous. And Harrow's already been through a lot already."

Gobber shrugged, cleaning an ear with his good hand's pinkie finger. "Eh, I like my idea better."

"Aye! More fun for us!" Spitelout put in.

Harrow was having none of it. It was one thing to fly on Barf and Belch, to scratch Toothless under the chin, or to be around the relatively tame village dragons. It was entirely another to go messing around with a wild predator dragon, even one that might - operative word, might- be friendly to him. Besides, he had not come to Berk to become the babysitter for a giant acid-spitting lizard. Not that they needed to know that.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on... you want me to train a Changewing? Are you serious?!"

"We did say that there were some flaws to the plan." Fishlegs reiterated with a brittle smile and nervous chuckle. "There is a chance the Changewing may not react in a... positive manner, let's say."

"And, by that, you mean try and kill him?" Ruffnut drawled irritably, frowning. "I'm usually all for crazy ideas, the more insane the better, but this is a step too far… even for me!"

"Oh, come on! It won't try and kill him, Ruff." Hiccup argued, trying a reassuring smile to bolster his words. "Why would it, if it's trying to protect him? Right? Let's not forget the life bond."

"Isn't that just a theory?" Astrid asked, just doubtful as the others. "I don't think we should be risking Harrow's life on something we aren't even sure of yet."

"We don't exactly have a choice." Stoick swiftly interjected. The chief could feel the discussion was veering away from the goal at hand again and he really wanted a course of action to present to Keldt and his fellow drovers when next they came around.

He looked to Hiccup and Fishlegs, his expression stony. "You're sure there is no other way?"

"Of course." Hiccup answered. "I mean, well, short of killing it - which we're not going to do!"

Alarmed at that horrifying prospect, Fishlegs shook his head quickly. "Of course not!"

Stoick nodded, then, as if that was that. "Very well. Then, let's try the training solution. Carefully, aye?" To Harrow, he said, "I appreciate your misgivings, lad. But take heart. Fishlegs and my son know what they're about."

Harrow was not feeling reassured in the least. Still, he tried not to show it. "I'll do my best, sir."

"Good." Stoick grunted. He stood up from his seat. "Now, Nattmal is starting. All of you need to get some nourishment and rest. We'll meet again here tomorrow morning to go over the finer details of the training attempt."

As an afterthought he looked over to where Ruffnut and Harrow sat together, and added, "And, for the sake of the gods, get cleaned up!"

The Riders broke up and headed in different directions as the Chief, Gobber, and Spitelout headed for the serving tables where the evening meal was being set out. A stream of villagers began trickling in from the doors of the Hall. It wouldn't be long before the place was filled.

"Harrow, wait up." Hiccup called as Harrow stood up from where he had been sitting. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry we have to put you in the middle of this situation, but I can assure you that everything will work out fine."

"It's okay, I understand the why of it." Harrow replied. "It's just… has anyone ever tried to train a Changewing before?"

"Not that we have heard of." Astrid supplied, stepping up beside Hiccup. She tried for a reassuring smile. "But, hey, that makes you the first to make the attempt, right?"

"Heh, y-yeah… right." Harrow muttered, not enthused with the idea that there was no precedent. "But you guys do this whole dragon training thing all the time, right? You'll be able to teach me the technique?"

"Nothing to it!" Ruffnut assured him exuberantly. "It's all in gaining the trust of the dragon in question, right, Hiccup?"

"Right." Hiccup agreed. "And avoiding things that trigger a fearful or aggressive response from said dragon. It's all in the body language, really." He avoided the urge to ramble with a awkward grin. "Don't worry, we'll go over it tomorrow before we set out."

Astrid clapped a friendly hand on Harrow's shoulder despite his state of uncleanliness. "You'll do fine, Harrow. Just think, if you manage to train the Changewing, then you'll be a dragon rider just like the rest of us! Wouldn't that be amazing?"

That thought hadn't occurred to Harrow. The only thought he had entertained was the inherent danger in the enterprise should it go horribly wrong, which he felt was more than reasonable. He had never stopped to consider the outcome should he succeed.

"Me? A dragon rider?" Harrow mused, a little dumbfounded. "That… well, that does sound amazing."

"That's the spirit!" Astrid cheered, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "See you guys tomorrow!"

"Later." Harrow replied, rubbing the impact point. Even when she was pulling them her punches packed a wallop.

Ruffnut sketched a wave. "See you."

Hiccup watched Astrid walk off to join Heather and Fishlegs, then turned back to Harrow and Ruffnut. "Seriously, everything will work out. Try not to worry about it tonight. I think I see Gothi coming this way. Let her take a look at your wounds, then go get clean, get something to eat and rest up. Alright?"

"Sure." Harrow agreed. "But, understand, if that Changewing kills me tomorrow, I'm haunting you until you die, go it?"

"Quit worrying so much, you big baby!" Ruffnut admonished before Hiccup could reply. "Hiccup's the best dragon trainer in Midgard. What could go wrong?"

"Heh, uh… I appreciate the vote of confidence, Ruff. I really do." Hiccup replied, scratching the back of his head in a self-conscious way. "But let's not go jinxing ourselves, okay?"

"Who's jinxing anything?" Ruffnut teased, grinning.

"Later, Hiccup." Harrow wished him.

Hiccup spared them one more glance before he turned to seek his own meal. Gothi showed up in the next moment, with a perturbed Gobber in tow. The old blacksmith grumbled under his breath about cooling yak-chops but dutifully translated what the old healer wrote on her wax tablet.

It turned out after a cursory exam that the wound was not infected - thankfully - and that it was no longer open, having scabbed over. The stitches were still in place despite all the running around and straining Harrow had done earlier. However, when Gothi pressed on the wound lightly to test the stability of the underlying rib, Harrow gasped as a sharp pain jabbed his side.

"What's wrong?" Ruffnut asked as she watched the examination from the sidelines. "I thought things were better."

"The rib is still not fully healed, and no small wonder." Gobber replied. "Bones take weeks to heal."

"Can anything more be done for it? A potion, maybe?" Harrow asked, mildly annoyed. He was sick of feeling weak and having pain dog his movements. The constant anxiety over his injury was weighing on him.

Gothi wrote something and Gobber shook his head. "Sorry, laddie, you have to let nature do the heavy lifting with this one."

"Gods-damn it." Harrow muttered. "Well, thanks again, Gothi. And you, too, Gobber."

Gothi smiled kindly and patted him on the arm, then turned and hobbled away toward the doors of the Great Hall with the aid of her staff.

Gobber regarded Harrow with a sympathetic gaze. "If I can think of anything more that can be done, I'll let you know. For now, though, rest would be best."

Harrow nodded silently and heaved a tired sigh. Ruffnut sidled up beside him and gently looped an arm with his. "Come on, let's get out of here. I don't know about you, but I could use a bath."

Harrow huffed a short laugh despite his mood. "Now there is a phrase that I'm sure Tuffnut has never uttered in his life."

"Once a year is usually enough for him." Ruffnut laughed, a sound that warmed Harrow's heart as they walked. "And, though I'm sure it would surprise people around here, I do enjoy being clean. For a while, at least, anyway."