Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter...and not updating for 5 days. **winces** So, to make up for it, double update! I hope you enjoy.

*Warning: Moderate amount of swearing*

Hiccup POV

I sat by the stream with Toothless, who pounced playfully through the water, chasing fleeting river salmon with gusto. I fiddled with the hilt of a sword I had created while on the run. With only the click of a button, I could launch a collapsible blade out of the hilt. I had enchanted the blade to catch fire with a simple, wordless spell. The hilt also contained cartridges of a simplified potion which could be sprayed as a gas. It was extremely flammable and with only a tiny spark, it would explode.

I tucked the hilt back into a holster I had attached to my specialized suit. I had created this suit for very specific reasons. It was tough and dependable, and was covered in hidden compartments carrying several different contraptions, including my wand, which I hardly used anymore. Another reason I had made this suit was because of the shadows.

The shadows were evil...things. They seemed to be attracted to Toothless and I, and enjoyed attacking random people as they followed us, mostly children. They passed through them and left them paralyzed and fearful of everything, absorbing their confidence and energy as they passed through them.

I had discovered that they couldn't physically hurt me. I wanted to believe it had something to do with my animagus being a dragon, but past experiences with shadow potions had me thinking otherwise. This suit allowed me to absorb the shadows as they passed through me. I had needed to experiment with several different materials until I finally settled on black leather.

As Toothless and I traveled around the northern world, we hunted down these 'packs' of shadows and destroyed them before they could hurt others. From what we have discovered, only two things could destroy them; my touch, and a dragon's fire. I didn't enjoy using my touch to kill them, not because it hurt me, but because of the rush of power and energy I felt after killing one. I knew it was wrong, feeding off of these shadow creatures, stealing their life forces after they had recently sucked it out of others. It was so...inhuman, so wrong. I hated it.

I hated all of it, but there was nothing I could do.

However, it seemed that this fact was unavoidable, as everywhere we went, they would appear, trying to attack us. If I was in my dragon form, it was much faster to kill them, however, while a dragon it's possible for them to hurt me. As a human, they couldn't touch me without dying, which made me practically invincible. Toothless wasn't so lucky, and there have been several close calls before. A lot of the time, I would summon a patronus to guard Toothless. Although it couldn't kill the shadows, it could create a shield with it's wings which deterred them, holding them at bay. It would always stay until Toothless was safe and sometimes refused to go even after the shadows were defeated.

I continued watching Toothless prance around the stream chasing after fleeting fish with a small smile on my face. I stood and stretched, raising my hands far above my head, when I saw a flash of darkness by the stream.

"Toothless." I said, my tone urgent. Immediately, Toothless stopped splashing around and looked around him, quietly growling. "Shadows." I whispered. I took out my sword and extended the blade.

"We need to get them, we're too close to a village to let them go." I told him. Toothless nodded.

A shadow suddenly leaped out from behind a bush. It shrieked an unearthly sound and two more leaped out of the bush snarling and crying shrilly. I lit my sword on command and suddenly, the shadows pounced. Two went after Toothless while one came towards me.

I swung upwards with my sword, slashing at the shadow. It didn't dissolve completely, meaning I hadn't dealt a killing blow. The shadow turned and raced at me. I smiled and dropped my sword arm. I held a hand out and as soon as the shadow touched my bare skin, it shrieked and dissolved completely. I felt that same rush of energy and felt ten times more awake, with unused energy stored in my core. I looked over to Toothless who was having trouble with the remaining shadow. I assumed he had killed the other one and walked closer to him.

The shadow looked around and seemed to realize all it's brethren were destroyed. I placed my sword back in it's holster on my belt, and momentarily distracted with my presence, Toothless turned to look at me. The shadow, seeing it's chance to flee, leaped into the air, and took off into the dark sky, dusk approaching quickly.

"Come on Toothless." I said. I jumped onto Toothless's back. "We've gotta catch that thing before it hurts someone else." Toothless snarled in anticipation and launched himself off the ground.

We had been flying for at least an hour, occasionally losing the trail of the shadow, only to catch up to it once it let it's guard down. You could tell when the energy it had stolen began to wear off, as it started losing altitude. Toothless beat his wings steadily in the cool March air as I sat atop his back, scanning the horizon for the familiar dark shape of the shadow. I spotted it as it flew down, into a dense forest.

"There! Come on Toothless!" I called, pointing to the monster.

Toothless landed and I jumped off his back, with a hand already on my sword hilt. I extended the blade and set it aflame. I charged at the beast who charged right back. I stabbed at the shadow which promptly dissolved the moment it hit my blade. I retracted the still flaming blade and tucked it back into it's holster.

"Point for me." I told Toothless smugly. Toothless growled slightly and rolled his eyes. "I'm now 2" I held up two fingers "points ahead of you."

I turned in a full circle, examining my surroundings much more carefully. It was a deep cove, with lots of trees and a large boulder separating us from the other side. It looked so familiar...

"No." I whispered. Toothless walked over to stand beside me. "Toothless, you remember this place?" I asked him.

Toothless cocked his head slightly before his ears perked up. He smiled his draconic grin and began rushing around excitedly, examining the cove. He reached the giant boulder separating the cove into two parts. Suddenly, he stopped moving and poked his nose past the boulder, looking like he found something interesting to sniff.

"No, Toothless." I heard a familiar feminine voice hiss. "Stop it!"

I froze. My throat became dry and my stomach twisted in excited knots. Could it be-?

"Merida?" I asked, my voicing cracking with hopefulness.

I saw Merida, who stepped out from behind the boulder with uncertain steps. She had changed over the year. A year? I nearly flinched at the revelation. Yes, I had been gone for more than a year.

Her face no longer held as much baby fat as it had, now her cheekbones were much more defined, and her jawline had become sharper. She still wore her Hogwarts uniform, just with no cloak. I met her eyes, still the same brave blue I had missed so dearly.

"Hiccup?" She asked. I nodded. "You look so...different." She whispered.

I looked down at the suit I was wearing. "Yeah, uh, it's not quite Hogwarts uniform, but-"

Merida rushed over and threw her arms around my neck, tears making her brilliant blue eyes sparkle. I hugged her back, burying my face into her neck. We stood like that for a while before Merida pulled back, examining my face. Finally, her eyes rested on mine. We stared at each other for a while, drinking the sight of the other in, before Toothless stuck his head between us and we separated awkwardly.

"Right, so." I shifted on my feet. "What's going on-"

Merida drew back a fist and punched my left shoulder, hard.

"Ow! What-" She punched me again.

"I need that, you know!" I told her.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?!" She nearly screamed at me.

"I don't-"

"You just left us! You left me standing there in the cove with Punzie without goodbye's, nothing! Then, you disappear for a year-not just a year-a year, four months and 2 whole bloody weeks without a single word. Not a single, godforsaken word! Next thing I know, you show up here-"

"I'm sorry." I blurted.

Merida stopped, though she clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm sorry I left. It was just...so much had happened, and-"

Merida held up a hand.

I looked over to Toothless, helpless. Toothless gave me a look that said: This is your own fault. Deal with it.

I turned back to Merida, standing a good distance away from her fists.

"What have you been doing? Why didn't you come back?" She asked.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and began shifting from foot to foot.

"Oh, you know. Normal stuff. Just running from the Guardians, fighting shadow monsters-"

"Shadow monsters?" She asked.

"Yeah. Nasty things, really evil. They like sucking the life out of people. Actually, the reason we're here is cause we followed one."

"You killed it though, right?" She asked looking around nervously.

"Yeah." I cast another look at Toothless, this one gloating. Toothless huffed and lay down beside Merida. I peered up at the sky. Night was approaching quickly. I looked back to Merida.

"It's nearly dark. You're probably missing dinner." I told her.

"I don't care." She said.

"But what about Rapunzel?" I asked. Merida paused.

"Punzie doesn't know you're here. I've gotta tell her-"

"No, Merida." I said, grabbing her arm. "You cannot tell a soul I am here." I told her, completely serious.

"And why not?" She asked, crossing her arms. "You've been away for a hell of a long time. I think Punzie deserves to know."

"I know. I know she does, but the very people that are hunting me down are in that castle. Well, actually, maybe not Jack. I lost him back at the pole-"

"You've seen Jack?" She asked.

I snorted. "Of course. He's been trying to catch me since November."

"Why?"

"Cause he's still convinced I'm this dark wizard and whatnot." I told her.

We stood in silence for only a moment more.

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" She asked me.

I avoided her eyes. "Merida-"

"You can't leave again, Hiccup. You have to stop running, please." She pleaded.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked her. "I can't stay here, I can't go back to Berk. The only place for me is on the run."

"Just...stay here, in the cove. Only for a few days. Please, I'll figure something out."

I sighed. I couldn't win this one and Merida knew it. "Fine. A week, maximum."

Merida nodded. "Good."

We stood there for a minute, enjoying the silence together.

"I think you should go now." I mumbled.

"Oh." She said. She turned away from me. "I'll see you tomorrow then...Viking." I could hear the teasing in her voice.

"Goodbye, your Highness." I bowed to her. I smiled and Merida left.

The forest was filled with the sounds of insects humming to life, and rustling tree branches as the wind tugged at them gently. After a few moments alone, Toothless warbled cocking his head to the side in silent question.

"I know, Toothless." I closed my eyes where I stood, rocking back on my heels. "We can't stay here."