AN: A big thank you to Fjord Mustang for helping me with my writing, as always. Happy reading.

The next morning started fresh and cool, to become warm and bracing after the morning mist cleared. Animals, feeling the change in the aura, started breeding rapidly. The increased amount of the young birds in the woods filled with chirps and cries of the hatchlings crying for food. Another cry soon joined, very distinctive and sounding very out-of-place in the usual animal kingdom.

"Woah-woah-woah, Toothless!" Hiccup yelled in fright, losing control of the flying path for yet another time, deviating from the circular pattern he tried to soar with the dragon. A wall of trees rushed towards them, leaving behind the howling of the wind and his terrified scream. He was grabbing the leather hand grip on the neck band with one hand as the other held the tailfin positioning rope, in anticipation of the impact.

Toothless stretched out his wings and bent his body backwards. Just before crashing against an exceptionally large specimen of the Pinaceae family, the dragon flapped his powerful wings forward, in one powerful swing, teeth bared and eyes slit in agitation.

Four paws impacted with the tree trunk, boring claws into its core, and sending small, brown splinters of lignin flying around. Hiccup was cast forward, his chest hitting the Fury's neck hard.

Thankfully, Hiccup did not have to enjoy this experience for too long. Toothless, unable to keep himself attached to the tree with his claws, launched himself backwards with a mighty jump, causing Hiccup to scream again in surprise. Before the terrified teen was able to scream again, the agile beast rotated in the air in a quick and fluid somersault.

Gods I just rolled over on a dragon! the amazed boy thought.

The dragon folded back his wings and then fell back towards the ground, a distance Hiccup estimated was around thirty elbows. As before, the youth coloured their fall with a loud cry, unaware he was breaking Toothless's concentration as he relaxed his legs outstretched, waiting to be near the soil to activate the Battle Seer and absorb the impact with his muscles and bones. The human was not helping at all.

They accelerated very fast and, with the speed of a diving hawk, they met the ground.

With a deafening crash, Toothless's legs plunged into the earth. The dirt shattered in explosion from the dragon's pressing mass, splintering around the submerging paws with a small cloud of dust. The dragon's belly lowered itself right after the legs, almost touching the soil, feeling the vibrations running through his legs.

Hiccup tried to stand in the stirrups, but as they crashed he was pressed back to the saddle with great speed. At least, the dragon thought, it stopped his annoying yelling.

The traumatised boy unhooked himself from the saddle harness, still silent and sucking his breath in. He climbed down from the dragon as lightly as possible and then, after a few unsteady steps, fell on his knees, hissing from pain. He turned to his dragon with a weak, forced smile to thank Toothless for letting him live for another couple of moments before they would attempt to fly again.

However, his gleeful facial expression disappeared almost instantly, replaced by one of true horror.

Those eyes again! Hiccup's field of vision was replaced by two walls of toxic-greenness with two tiny dark slits in the middle.

The boy could only hear his deep breathing and insane heartbeat, afraid the blood pressure would cause his skull to blow up. He fell backwards, not able to break contact. He would die here and then. He only wanted it to be fast.

He did not die, in the end.

Toothless merely closed his eyes and let out a calm breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were still slitted, but only as his eyes would normally have been, the murderous aura gone.

Hiccup stood up, shaking and wiping his forehead with his uncovered forearm, his sleeves now rolled up.

The dragon pulled out his right foreleg first from the new hole in the ground, carelessly shaking off the earth pieces attached to it, then doing the same with his other limbs. The boy looked again at the crater they had created, astonished at the strength of his draconic companion.

He noticed that Toothless had problems with crash landings when he had first seen him, as he was probably injured and weakened. The Fury was now, most probably, healthy and strong again, and the boy would not dare guess if what Toothless had just achieved was the scaled creature's highest potential.

Hiccup had so many questions, but he would ask them at the proper time.

Fleshpetal had made him ponder how much he really knew about Astrid, Toothless and everybody around him. He had presumed what he thought about the others was right, but still kept avoiding closer contact with anyone, with the obvious exception of the deadliest of all creatures known to man.

He still believed that the way he acted around the golden-haired girl was the one and only proper way: make her forget about him instead of him getting involved in a useless one-sided chase.

He would not be so ignorant towards the dragon.

As the fear went away, the most precious part of his body let itself be known again with a numbing pain .

"Thor almighty! How this hurts," he squeaked in a high soprano.

Toothless licked his nose, which seemed to him to be the proper reaction to show Hiccup that he did not care about the boy's pain.

It hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience for the dragon, either, and he was in this whole situation because of that moaning biped in the first place!

"I might never have children because of you," Hiccup whispered with reproach.

The Fury snorted loudly in contempt, and the boy clearly understood the intent conveyed as "Oh, my, what a tragic pity!" said with a few centars of a very dark coloured humour.

Sometimes, Toothless also thought that the amount of stress the youth had been exposing him to might make him infertile. It had happened to him before in his life, and he did not want to repeat it.

Five more whines and two curses were enough for Hiccup to gather himself together again. He took the rope in his left hand and, in a fluid movement, jumped on the saddle, using the dragon's powerful black elbow as a support for his hand. Toothless helped him every time by lowering his body and leaning towards the boy.

"Ready!" Hiccup said with confidence, after hooking himself to the saddle and looking back at the tail, positioning his invention in the take-off position. Both tail-fins were up, fully outstretched.

There were a few positions Hiccup had now figured out. Both tail-fins up, above the line of the tail, would cause the elevation. Both fins down would make the dragon decrease his height. The other role the tail had in steering was lateral turning. When the left tail-fin stood and the right lay flat, then Toothless would turn left. The reversed situation would cause the opposite direction shift.

The dragon had helped to explain the use of his huge, primary wings and the middle fins, placed beneath the primaries. The middle secondary fins were responsible for the rotation. With the right middle fin up and the left down, the Fury would roll right. Toothless had demonstrated it by rolling on the ground and ending on his back with his belly up. Hiccup commented this bit of wisdom with a laugh at the reclining, confused dragon, who now looked like a cute pup.

A second later, the boy had found himself moaning, holding his hurting head

With both tail-fins stood straight up, the two gigantic wings unfolded fully. Their task was not a brain-cracker for the small boy. They propelled the massive body forward, and this only told how powerful those membrane-covered limbs were.

After a few lightning-swift steps, they now accelerated, the boy's body leaning back from the force of the impulse. In one beat of the wings they were up, leaving a billowing cloud of dust behind. The wind started humming in Hiccup's ears again, and his body filled with joy. With a practiced movement, he moved the tail-fin to the right. Toothless rotated his body in the same direction, flying at an angle and they started their soaring-in-a-circle routine.

Hiccup wanted to land on a treeless spot outside the cove today.

This was one of the smaller goals he wanted to achieve. Preparations were complete. He knew how to control the tail, and the Fury could synchronise enough with him not to get them killed in their attempt. The boy frankly admitted after each of their failed attempts, he had only been able to walk unharmed out of cove each day, thanks only to Toothless' amazing abilities. He had always saved them from getting permanently injured. Temporarily injured was just fine.

"Ha!" Hiccup bellowed shortly and let the rope loosen a bit, lowering the tail-fin again to fly straight again. Toothless at the signal, grunted in agreement and rolled his body back to the levelled position and decreased the speed to land on a grassy field in front of them.

"Woaaaah!" the boy yelled warningly, seeing the approaching ground. To Hiccup's surprise, the dragon stopped almost instantaneously, and the youth was launched forward from the saddle as if from a catapult, continuing his trip alone. He landed on his feet and after a few rushed steps he stopped.

He wanted to shout to Toothless in joy, announcing to the dragon that they had finally gotten Toothless out from his cove, but then he saw the oddest image.

The fearsome Fury now squirmed and crawled among the mix of tall grass blades and wild mint plants, purring loudly. Hiccup chuckled loudly, seeing his normally dignified scaled companion enjoy himself, eyes closed in delight, lips baring countless fangs in a ruptured smile. Toothless squirmed to brush all parts of his body against the grass as if wanting to saturate all of himself with the scent of the plants.

A small hand reached down,plucked a few green stalks of the wild herb, and studied them.

Who would have thought that ordinary Mountain Mint would have this effect on Night Furies? The boy mused and took a few more of these leaves, mostly used as a cooking ingredient. He put them into the inner pocket of his tunic, hoping he had just gotten another 'weapon' against the fire-breathing creatures.

He sat down and leaned against a tree, letting Toothless enjoy the grass a little longer. He gazed at the sight, feeling more than content with the happiness the dragon displayed. It was what Hiccup wanted to see and yearned for: to make the crippled Fury happy. Was it even possible?

As if hearing his thoughts, Toothless's head emerged from the green field with a foolish smirk and a very unfocused stare. His extremely dilated pupils rested on the small figure of the boy,and he quickly rose to his feet. He made an unsteady step and another one.

With a happy purr, the wobbling dragon sniffed Hiccup's head and then licked the boy's face. Despite Hiccup's yells of protest, Toothless continued his slobbery attack. Satisfied with the effect, the dragon curled by the teen who was trying to wipe his face with a fragment of his tunic. The sleepy dragon, after lying down, placed his head on Hiccup's lap, purring deeply.

Hiccup then no longer wanted to wipe his face. He wanted to touch the dragon. Hesitantly, he let his hand rest on the oval head. Toothless responded to the touch and, smiling, he pressed his side to the scrawny chest, rubbing slowly against it. The boy hugged the dragon's neck and the purring intensified.

They both daydreamed and let themselves linger for a while in this state where time disappears, along with everything else.

"Come on, bud. I wanted to show you something," Hiccup said softly, after a while, and Toothless licked his face once in response. The enchanted, intoxicated-looking Fury followed the boy, gently nipping the back of his tunic with his teeth, eyes closed and tail waggling.

They walked like two geese, with Hiccup leading the way and humming one of the melodies he had heard the fishermen sing when working.

A strong gust of wind ruffled the youth's red-brown hair and clothes while crashing waves filled his ears with the music of the ocean that came along with the strong smell of iodine.

"Here we are," Hiccup said, looking past his shoulder at the scaled head. Toothless opened his absent-looking eyes. With a few sniffs, the eyes slit and the smile disappeared from the ebony muzzle.

"This is one of my favourite points to watch the ocean," the boy smiled blankly, "I hope you are enjoying your first day out of your…your... prison," he spoke weakly, feeling overwhelming guilt.

As usual, such feelings were not given to him to last long. Toothless nuzzled his forehead gently… and then bashed the boy's head with his jowl.

Hiccup scowled, rubbing his head as the dragon passed him and approached the end of the cliff, outstretching from the land, high above the foaming, furious waters.

The sun glistened along iridescent scales and into focused eyes. Toothless pulled his body to its fullest height, standing proudly.

The boy could only gasp silently, amazed. This creature looked so magnificent, unbound, stronger than any other being! He was not a being one could control, nor one who was dependent.

This dragon was meant to be free, soaring above every problem the earth had to offer, where nothing could reach him. Here was not a place for this being, it all was wrong, just horribly wrong.

Toothless took a deep breath of the air, filling his lungs to their fullest. Neither the ridiculous-looking saddle nor the rugged piece of leather on his tail with the rope attached to it could take away the dignity radiating from him. Eyelids shut, his head rose high and he gave out a mighty, earsplitting, roar, erasing all other sounds, letting the world know he was alive and not giving up.

Hiccup gazed at this manifestation of primal force in astonished silence. After what seemed like a eternity to the motionless boy, the Fury stopped and in that split moment the world seemed to remain quiet. Hiccup blinked and Toothless was in front of him, fiery eyes looking deeply into his.

There was a question the young man was afraid to ask. Would the dragon now leave him? He was out of the cove, not stopped by stone walls anymore. Such a reaction would be proper and justified. Hiccup would accept it, even if his heart ached. It was not his decision, it never had been. He wished he could to read Toothless's eyes, just as he knew his were beseeching to the dragon.

A strong breeze blew from behind the staring Fury, and Hiccup's hair folded back, revealing all his fine-boned face.

The dragon bared his teeth, seeing the boy's stare, and lowered his body. He leaped forward towards the small human who did not do anything to avoid the beast. A sharp-fanged head collided with the boy, sending his fragile body into the air.

Hiccup soon dropped down, exactly on the saddle. Toothless had just pressed his head between the boy's legs and chucked his frame up and onto his back with one weak movement. Now the Fury was sprinting through the forest, avoiding trees with almost careless looking glances, heading ever deeper.

The boy's most unpleasant now- backward-sitting ride started as fast as it ended. His fingers did not let go of the saddle leather straps on the sides. He clutched them bravely until the end. That came when Toothless jumped high and the boy looked back and saw the well-known lake approaching.

"That's great," he only managed to mutter before hitting the water.

He actually meant it.

Three apparently was the magical number of the afternoon.

Hiccup was the third one to arrive on the Hill for the weapons training. He finished third in the warm-up race. He trained with the sword and shield with three bystanders gaping at him without any reservation. One happened to be an extremely unattractive lady. She was smiling, letting him know about her missing teeth at the front. He smiled back, trying to be polite. She giggled and grinned widely. The front teeth were not the only ones missing.

No more being polite to women for some time.

Then, as he dreaded, he was paired with Astrid.

Do not meet her eyes! Do not meet her eyes! He repeated in his mind forcefully. Welcome the new emotionless Hiccup! An unstoppable heartless warrior without a soul! Not showing any feelings to any-

He looked up, meeting her face.

Goodbye, new emotionless Hiccup.

"Hello," he greeted shortly.

She knew about him and her collapse. Did she remember how he had carried her? He mostly hoped she did not remember that he kept his hand on one very wrong place for some time.

Hiccup could not be blamed. He had never carried a woman before in his life.

His ruffled emotions ended once he had a closer look at her face. How exhausted she looked! It was the first thing he thought about. He saw a few bruises and cuts on her pale skin.

It made him feel angry. He knew from whom those injuries came from. The only thing that did not change about her was the strand of hair covering the left side of her face.

However, her eyes were the part that had changed the most. They were cold, not the typical scrutinising gaze, rather one that made Hiccup think of the cold anger the dragon used to glare at him with.

These were dangerous eyes!

Astrid took her pose without uttering a syllable, and Hiccup mimicked her. His feelings disappeared, leaving only room for concentration and ideas. He managed to block the first blow with his shield, only guessing where it would fall, but he did not see the other two that came immediately after, almost like lightning strikes.

First his helmet rung and then his now-numb hand let his training stick drop. His elbow was in agony, struck just above the leather vambrace.

This was a hit meant to disarm and hurt. Attacking joints was a sure way to make the victim suffer for the next few days, and Hiccup was sure he would do exactly that. He could not complain, though; he was lucky the helmet took the blow, instead of his face. It was either pure coincidence, or a warning from the girl.

Hiccup did not believe in coincidences.

Three, indeed, was the magical number today.

"Get up!" Astrid barked through her teeth and flicked her head.

She still looks lovely when she does that, the boy thought, grabbing his weapon and standing up. He barely took his position when the fierce blonde dropped close to ground, spinning slowly, and then kicked Hiccup's knee with her outstretched leg. The boy immediately lost his balance and forcefully hit the ground. Even as he lay sprawled on his back and helpless, Astrid's weapon dropped and smashed on Hiccup's stomach.

He scowled and rolled on his stomach, gasping for air. Again, a hit perfectly attacked his elbow joint, just above the grey leather greaves.

"Stand up!" The furious girl said with calm anger, pacing from side to side.

Hiccup listened to that beautiful voice. He coughed a few times and took the stick up in his now shaking hand.

So, it's been two hits now... I am going for the lucky one! He thought ironically and for some reason he smirked, looking at the girl who had thunder in her eyes.

Astrid was fighting roughly. Attacking joints and striking him as he lay on the ground. His helmet rested on the grass as it felt off from his head.

Full service.

These were not training moves. They were not demonstrating anything or helping him learn. They were simply designed to teach him only one thing: pain. He wondered with humour how many more hits he could take before he was not able to move anymore. He immediately thought about the number three again, which caused him to smile even more.

The warrioress did not seem to share his "happy " thoughts, as her teeth glistened and her tired-looking eyes widened in anger at this alleged mockery.

Before Hiccup could even raise his shield, a dark-trousered leg hit his right side, just beneath the rib-line. His ribcage echoed a thud from the powerful attack. He had received blows to the elbows, knees, head and, now,the kidney. The boy pressed his hand to the stricken place, radiating with leg-buckling pain. He fell to one knee.

Here's the lucky number blow! He thought "happily," and he huffed a few distorted chuckles between the deep breaths.

"What's so funny?" Astrid hissed, panting as the beaten teen the front stood up shakily, his eyes appearing to shine more with each time the girl tried to break the boy's will. She had intended to end this in two or three hits.

As soon as she had seen him so close to her, something took control of her.

Hiccup had seen her when she was at her weakest and most vulnerable! He had helped her, and her hatred burned more because of that. He was her enemy! He was only a village clown, walking destruction. Useless, useless!

Her leg hooked Hiccup off balance and, dropping the training stick, she punched him with an opened palm in the jowl. The boy's light body dropped backwards, and he now lay sprawled out in the grass.

Astrid was puffing as if she had run a long distance.

The scrawny teen did not move. Finally, he stayed down on the ground. It had certainly taken her longer than she had anticipated, but she still was stronger. Better.

Soft laughter broke her thoughts.

Hiccup was still moving, and he was laughing. At her.

She would make him pay for this. Pay for seeing her weak. Pay for these perceptive eyes of his. Pay for being better than she. Pay for his smiling face. Pay for not leaving her thoughts.

Hiccup turned to his side and, supporting himself on his hands, tried standing. He found his weakened joints could no longer hold him up. So, he chortled louder as he dropped to the ground. It was so ironic he could not help himself. The girl he loved was now about to kill him. Nothing was more funny than this situation!

Unable to control herself, Astrid stepped to the squirming boy. Bending down, she grabbed him by his tunic, pulling his face closer to hers. He still smiled even with his body limp, not doing anything to defend himself, his eyes unfocused on anything.

Astrid trembled from the unceasing storm of emotions inside her.

"I'm sorry," she heard Hiccup whisper weakly. She gazed dumbfounded at her enemy. Why was he apologising to her?

The hated youth's eyes looked back at her from beneath his shaggy auburn hair, now soberly and with resignation.

"I'm sorry for doing anything that made you so mad," Hiccup mouthed, pure honesty soaking from those words.

He was supposed to hate her! Laugh at her! Yet, his straight face with dizzy eyes focused on her only expressed only apology and submission to whatever she wanted to do to him.

What was it she wanted to do? She forgot... oh, hit him.. Yes! Hit him and make him pay! His eyes started to burn her with a feeling she did not deserve, filling her with guilt and showing the full nonsense of the situation she had created.

Stop looking at me in this way! Astrid shouted in her thoughts, grabbing Hiccup's tunic harder. The boy still stayed limp, letting her reach her decision.

That small shard of sanity, making her hate herself for her actions for a short moment, died very fast, extinguished by her pride.

In a way, Astrid was grateful for what happened a moment later. She could not do anything, hanging in the void.

"Oy, sweetie!" a raised voice resonated shortly behind Astrid. She turned, and a fist connected with her face. She dropped Hiccup, hearing him fall heavily back to the ground and lie very still. She felt the side of her face getting numb.

The huge frame of Fishlegs hovered, kneeling, over Hiccup.

"Hiccup? Do you hear me?" he said loudly, tenderly lifting the youth's head and small shoulders up in his pan-sized hands.

Ruffnut stood in front of the fallen Astrid, watching as the scrawny boy slowly sat up, assuring his friends of his well-being.

"We need to talk," the girl twin said sternly, turning back to the person she had just hit, her stare heavy.

"Nobody is goin' t' talk with anyone!" Gobber's strong voice resounded, "Let me see him," he walked to Hiccup and looked at him, "How ar' ya?" he asked attentively.

"Fine," the injured teen said immediately, attempting to get up.

"Don't get up!" Gobber said sharply.

Tuffnut and Snotlout were slowly pacing on the side, stopping at a reasonable distance from the ruckus.

The smith asked where Hiccup had been hit, and did not receive any cooperation from the adolescent boy. Ruffnut provided all the details, as if she had watched carefully since the beginning. After carefully examining the youth's joints, testing them between his fingers while he supported them with his empty arm-stump, Gobber then pressed his hand against the ribcage, folding the tunic up, not caring about Hiccup's wince when his burns were partially exposed to view.

"I am fine!" the boy said with irritation and stood up, moving away from the forger's hand. Gobber looked attentively at the teen, who was pushing his tunic back down over his trousers, clearly annoyed with the protective attention he received.

"It appears so," Gobber stated slowly, his eyes probing Hiccup's proudly straightened posture. It took a lot of the youth's self-control not to succumb to the pain. He felt he had already caused enough problems for today.

"All right, you lot," the trainer said more loudly, "Everybody, leave yer weapons an' go an' eat somethin' in th' Mead Hall. B' back fo' th' next part of th' training!" he ordered. His frame then turned back to the one girl who was still standing behind him. By 'everybody' Gobber meant 'everybody except Astrid'.

Hiccup, reluctant to leave, took a step towards the blacksmith, trying to push away Ruffnut's hand off from his shoulder.

"Sir, I can explain..." he said, attempting to sound diplomatic.

His teacher's face deformed into a vengeful mask of fury, "This is not a request!" his voice dinned piercingly, startling the boy.

Request...request... the echo reverberated through the meadow. Hiccup looked one last time at Astrid's slumped posture before letting himself be guided by Ruffnut's hand, Fishlegs walking by his side in heavy silence.

The boy limped on his right leg, his knee letting him know about its not-so-good condition.

His mind worked hard, seeing order in the chaos of thoughts that had pushed Astrid to act like that. It was a punishment, that seemed obvious to him. He had done something to anger his training partner. But the usually quick appearing come-back did not come to his mind this time.

"Don't think about it too much," Ruffnut said vigorously, smiling reassuringly. Hiccup did not answer back. Such request was easier said than done.

The boy felt hungry and tried to concentrate on that feeling to scatter all other thoughts away. But he already knew that, no matter what he would do, thoughts of Astrid would surely not leave him.

Hiccup's heart missed a beat with every swung of the Mead Hall doors. He had more than hoped to see his attractive tormentor. Fishlegs chatted loudly with Ruffnut, sitting next to him, about the incoming training. Both of them sounded natural, however, the lack of booming laughter and their forcing him to join the talk was making it apparent as to why -or for whom- they were doing it.

Snotlout and Tuffnut sat at the table nearby eating and arm-wrestling at the same time. Hiccup's relative ate calmly while his friend tried to bend his hand, uttering with a tense and red face "Do you feel the power of the most deadly weapon yet?" and so forth.

The spoon travelled clumsily and sluggishly back and forth from Hiccup's mouth to his plate. The boy jerked again, and his eyes widened in hope as the doors opened suddenly. His enthusiasm dropped with the sight of another not-Astrid person. The misery of this fact was increased by Fishlegs trying to tell the lamest jokes under the sun, secretively glimpsing at him.

"A Viking fisherman is sailing near Berk and has trouble putting up his sail," Fishlegs started his fabulous jest, "As he is pulling at the rope and nothing happens, he hears a voice behind him that says:

'You need to grease the pulleys.'

"He looks behind him and sees nothing, just a Gronkle hovering behind him, and it flies away when he screams.

"Terrified he might have heard a ghost, he abandons ship, jumps overboard and swims to shore. A Berk farmer pulls him out, dries him off and gives him some mead to drink. The Viking seaman tells his story about this strange happening of hearing a mysterious voice advising him to grease the pulleys, but only seeing a Gronkle flying overhead- some supernatural thing was happening!

"The Berk Viking says, 'Tell me, now, did this Gronkle happen to be browner than usual?'

'Yes!'

'And did he have a white mark on his chest?'

'Yes!'

'And were his eyes slightly crossed?'

'Oh, yes!'

"The Berk farmer laughed and waved his hand sarcastically, 'Oh, THAT Gronkle! Don't listen to him. He doesn't know anything about pulleys!'

Hiccup snorted, almost spitting out food from his mouth. That was a good one! He looked apologetically at the talking pair. Ruffnut looked bored, her mouth slightly opened, but upon seeing Hiccup's almost choke after the snort, her laugh thundered out.

"Fishy," she said after a few giggles, "Would you mind getting me a mug of water, please?" she said with a grin.

Fishlegs rose up immediately, saying, "Of course," in agreement.

"From the barrel by the counter,if you would be so kind," she put her hand on his giant arm.

The powerful-looking teen smiled and stepped out from the bench. He did not ask why it was he who should get a drink for Ruffnut, and from the barrel by the counter, of all things. There was one closer. He did not ask as if he did understand the motives behind that strange request. He did understand them very well.

He walked slowly towards his goal, engaging in a simple conversation with a small group of young Vikings, drinking by the table nearby.

Just next to them, Snotlout sat with his best friend. Only one of them ate, despite two plates being positioned by the youths' arms. They were trying to scoop the stew into the spoons with their left hands, whilst keeping their eyes on their right arms. Palms squeezed tightly, they were still arm-wrestling. Snotlout ate without any stress, keeping his arm as straight as a watch tower. Tuffnut tried to put some food into his mouth, but then the black-haired boy bent his hand dangerously. It took the weaker boy a lot of huffs to get the hand up again.

"Feeling the power of the most devastating weapon in the world?" Tuffnut puffed out, his eyes almost leaving their sockets, his face as red as a Nightmare's hide. They seemed to enjoy each other even if the winner of this contest was obvious since the beginning.

Hiccup masticated a boiled carrot much more than it was necessary, and he still could not bring himself to eat any faster.

Ruffnut moved closer, very close with Fishlegs absent, giving them more privacy. The boy's chewing accelerated, the speed almost hurting his jaws. He swallowed nervously, and grinned, thus revealing the small piece of carrot, which unbeknownst to him, ornamented his frontal teeth.

With glistening eyes, Hiccup's female table companion moved her face rapidly towards his, stopping inches from him with an smile. She put her hand on the blushing youth's spoon-wielding palm.

"I've always liked you," she said in a seductive tone. Hiccup almost choked to death with the air he could not breathe in. He wanted to say something back, but his mouth simply opened and closed as a fish taken out of the water.

Ruffnut batted her eyebrows a few times more for better effect, and then her face broke into uncontrollable laughter, grabbing her stomach and waggling back and forth. Hiccup was still red from the girl, who had now fallen and was rolling on the floor. He concentrated on his food, blessing his hair for concealing his face -at least partially-, eating hastily.

"I couldn't help myself, sorry for that," Ruffnut emerged from beneath the table, grabbing her helmet from the floor and sat again, closely, but no wtithin Hiccup's private space.

"At least you forgot about her for a moment," the devilishly-smirking girl stated, looking at the young smith apprentice with a face so serious it made him forget about his embarrassment and calm down his mind.

The way Ruffnut said that, clarified her knowledge about Hiccup's feelings. The boy did not feel surprised about this discovery.

"Is it so obvious?" he asked, nonchalantly. There seemed nobody who did not know about his pathetic love-life.

"Very," Ruffnut answered simply, with one of her ever-present smirks.

The wooden spoon suddenly dropped with a clatter, scattering the vegetables around the clay dish as Hiccup hissed and grabbed his left elbow, attempting to massage it. Any movement with his hand posed a problem, the youth noted. He immediately returned to his prior position when he noticed Ruffnut observing him.

Before the adamant youth managed to make another clumsy movement to take his cutlery, a lean hand grabbed it, scooped stew in it and raised it up towards his mouth.

Getting flushed finally seemed like a quite decent idea all of a sudden.

"What are you doing?" he hissed quietly, praying nobody was seeing this.

"Feeding you, dumbass," Ruffnut said in an angelic tone.

"Can you-?"

"I can't," she cut him off in a stern voice, "And if you don't start eating, I will make a scene fifty times sweeter," she added threateningly, but with her face on her hand, looking bored.

"I can eat by myself!" Hiccup objected, his tone harsher. Ruffnut did not waste any moment, she left the spoon and squeezed the youth's left elbow delicately with the same, uninterested features. The scrawny boy winced immediately and pulled his hurt limb to his chest, letting out a loud breath through the nose, eyes squeezed shut.

Ruffnut waited patiently, looking serious and when the boy opened his eyes again, she picked the utensil, filled it with stew and tried again.

Hiccup, with dropped eyes, ate the offered food, chewing and swallowing it fast. There was nothing extraordinary or sensual in Ruffnut feeding him now. It was like feeding a cripple. Was this the way Toothless felt all this time?

Hiccup swallowed another offered mouthful. He glanced at his food-giver.

"You look quite composed when feeding somebody," the youth noticed.

Ruffnut smiled in answer and wiped his chin from the leftover food with a finger, causing Hiccup to blush, "Let's just say I've had a lot of practise," she said humorously. The topic was not discussed any further.

Almost at the same moment, the doors opened again and, from the curtain, Astrid appeared, looking as tired as before, keeping her head low.

She bumped into somebody, mumbled a quick apology and, after quickly nicking, the first nearest plate, she hurried to the table at the far end.

The bench creaked as Hiccup started to stand up, zeal painted on his face.

"You can't help her," Ruffnut threw out, slowly stirring the boy's stew.

She grabbed his wrist gently, being careful not to add any more pain as he made a movement to leave anyway, dismissing her words.

"You are not the one who can help her now," she rephrased in her hoarse voice, glaring soberly at the youth.

"I need to do something!" he uttered with desperation.

"You can't," she repeated.

"Then who can?" his voice angered.

"Nobody can," Ruffnut stated, looking unflustered, "You need to understand that she needs her space for now. I do understand how you feel," she said, averting her head to look at Astrid as well. Her words irritated the boy, who trembled in exasperation. What could she possibly know?

"You feel guilty because you think it is your fault that she acted the way she did. You are angry at yourself for not being able to stop her. When she hit you, you wanted to be punished for whatever it was you did wrong to her."

Hiccup remained still, listening to the quiet voice continue.

"Knowing the actual reason was not important, the important thing was the pain you felt. Now you do not know what to do, but you want to do anything, selfishly pushing forward your desire to redeem yourself in her eyes. Should I co?" Ruffnut asked, putting her head on her hand again, not keeping hold of the boy anymore.

Hiccup sat heavily. A stew-filled spoon appeared in front ontinuef him.

"Eat. You need your strength. We all need your strength," she said with a quick simper.

He complied.

The din strengthened as a new group of people poured in. Luckily, none of them noticed Hiccup sitting by the wall, his scrawny silhouette secreted into the dimmed space.

The spoon now hit the bottom of the empty bowl.

"I'm happy you have decided to support me," Hiccup said openly with a weak smile.

"I do not do it for yourself. I just want for us to get out of this training alive," Ruffnut said evenly, leaning back carelessly, "It would be better if you brought out your more crazy self soon," she winked to the straight-sitting boy flirtingly, "That's when I like you the most."

Fishlegs appeared shortly and noticed Hiccup,red-faced, and the teasing girl laughing. It was good to feel that even by merely going to fetch a mug of water you could actually be helping somebody with their problems.

There had been no chance at a victory since the beginning. There was still too much chaos, lack of understanding of each other, and their opponent was exploiting these weaknesses with practised ease.

Hiccup was not surprised with that, not at all. Fleshpetal had said that they would meet on the battlefield. The sarcastic youth just did not expect it to happen so soon.

Just after Gobber received a short "Yes," upon asking if the injured boy was ready to fight, they jumped right into the fight.

Hiccup was trying to come up with any ideas to win and give orders. But nothing seemed to work so far.

The young commander did not try to take the six teenagers heads on, instead running to the woods.

The scrawny boy strung an arrow right before Fleshpetal started hastening, having discerned the change in his movements. His elbow flared with pain and the usual fluid movement took him longer; also, he could not muster all his strength. The weakly released arrow missed the escaping man, digging into the soil as Hiccup had aimed it low, not wanting to severely injure the man.

Snotlout and Tuffnut, without waiting for the command, sprinted after their target, ignoring the small boy yelling to them to stop.

"Only cowards hide! Fight like a Viking!" Snotlout said loudly with spite, meeting the tree line with his friend. They did not speed further, but walked slowly, looking intently around.

Of course he ran! It is clearly a tactical retreat! He will use the trees to his advantage to strike and retreat, just like Gobber used the darkness! Hiccup cursed mentally, getting his bow struck as fast as he could with his hurting arm.

"Orders?" Ruffnut said quickly, staying low by the boy's left side with her shield up. Fishlegs was on his right in the same position and Astrid farther behind him, but keeping her defensive stance as the others.

"Fishlegs shield me! Ruffnut in front of me, on my left side!" he shouted, sensing the rush of the upcoming battle fill him up, "Astrid!" he exclaimed, not looking behind himself, "Front on my right!"

His team took the positions immediately. Hiccup had to be shielded, as he did not have any defence while shooting, and Fleshpetal was carrying a bow on his back.

The arrow tip trembled as the boy tried to keep it aimed at the front, waiting for their enemy to appear. Hiccup knew it would happen soon. He felt it.

"Walk forward! Shields up!" he ordered and they marched toward the woods, "Remember, we stick together!"

Gobber observed them intently, sitting on the basket, chin against his fist. He did not fall asleep as he had earlier, when the accident with Astrid happened.

Tuffnut's and Snotlout's croaking laughter tumbled through the woods. The unit behind them was able to spot them from afar.

They are betraying their positions! Why did they stop watching the surroundings and start talking to each other?!

Hiccup only waited for the moment Fleshpetal would appear to strike the devastating blow.

A silhouette blurred in front of the gleeful teen, appearing like a shadow from behind the trees. In two, precise strikes, he sent the boys to the ground, whining in pain.

Hiccup released the arrow, which struck the tree, behind which Fleshpetal had just hidden after his sneak attack.

"My face! It hurts! It so much hurts!" Tuffnut moaned dramatically, rolling on the ground.

"My balls!" Snotlout breathed weakly.

"Yer out!" Gobber yelled sharply, "Get yerself up and I want ya here! Now!"

The defeated duo sprung to their feet, miraculously forgetting about their agonising pain.

"Nice job, idiot!" Ruffnut said shortly to her brother as he passed by them, running to the waiting blacksmith.

Now, the group reached the tree line. The woods were humming quietly before them. Hiccup took a breath, put his bow on his back and drew out the small sword Gobber had given him earlier. In such confined space and in a group the bow would be slower. The adversary would be able to strike and hide himself back easily before he was even able to fire an arrow.

They kept together as planned. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, but they still lost.

Indeed, Fleshpetal using a net to trap a group had not been something he had anticipated. Only Astrid managed to roll out on the ground, right before the net trapped the other trainees.

Their enemy jumped from the branch above them.

Hiccup was able to glimpse at their enemy before they started. He wore a brown-coloured leather armour, light and silent. His gauntlets held a hand-long, one sided axe with a spike on the other side of the blade. He did not wear any head protection, his hair neatly pulled into a ponytail hanging down his back.

Astrid lunged at Fleshpetal with a sharp yell. Before she reached him, a chain with a weighted tip, twisted around her, tangling her. She fell on the ground, hitting a tree with her uncontrolled fall. Fleshpetal then ran to the rest of the trapped team, avoiding Ruffnut's jab with the spear she had managed to poke through the net, and he punched all of them on the body.

Hiccup would have said that he was gentle with them. The hits almost did not hurt and were more of a symbol that that the battle was over. He even helped them to get out of the net, not bothering to free Astrid, still worming on the ground.

The scrawny teen pitied the downed girl, but he also felt resentment towards her. Why did she not free them? Surely four of them could do more than only one!

"Why didn't you free us?" Ruffnut yelled angrily to the downed warrioress.

"We have lost 75 percent of our battle power because of this!" Fishlegs said, swinging his hammer in rarely shown choler.

Hiccup sighed, "It's all right," he spoke, silencing his fellow teammates, who now both had a surprised look on their faces, "We still can try again, right?" he stepped to Astrid to get the chain off her. The snarling girl however, had another opinion about this boy trying to help her.

"I can do it myself!" she hissed abruptly, looking like an angry cat. After squirming futilely, she finally rolled herself on the ground. After a few turns, the chain fell off her. Without any word, she snapped up her axe and walked quickly in the direction of the Hill.

"Stop thinking it is your fault!" Ruffnut said to Hiccup who was standing at the side, miffed. She quickly followed Astrid, swearing loudly.

Carrying the folded net and chain, Fleshpetal accompanied the remaining boys out of the woods in silence. Hiccup noticed that the brail was large, weighted by the stones at the bottom. It was the same type that was used to trap the Terrors. The leather-armoured man had not carried such a contraption when the youth saw him earlier today. This must have meant that he had it prepared somewhere in the woods.

On the Hill, Hiccup saw Tuffnut and Snotlout, punished of their insubordination by doing pushups and shouting, "Please forgive my idiocy!".

Gobber was beating the tempo with a stick he whammed against his peg leg.

The wheezing boys always behaved much more obediently after getting quality time with Gobber.

The smith limped aside with Fleshpetal, listening to his whispered report with great attention.

Hiccup used that time to discuss his next plan. Ruffnut kept herself away from Astrid.

So they've argued... great! Hurray for Hiccup, keeping the team morale up! He thought, his self-confidence quickly melting.

His mind ran to Toothless, thinking of how much the dragon had sacrificed for him. The proud Fury could have run away, but the elusive beast decided to go back to his prison, instead carrying the person who had crippled him on his back. Hiccup did not deserve such a gesture, but he had been granted it, and the very selfish part of him was happy that Toothless had chosen to stay.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut started bickering, Snotlout tried to flirt with Astrid, who, the boy swore, had a murderous look in her eyes. It was irritating, he could not concentrate.

"Quiet!" he screamed and the meadow fell silent, all eyes directed at him. He took a deep breath.

"Sir!" he said in the direction of the blacksmith, who had a kind smile on his face, "I would like to request wooden weapons for this part of the training, please," he said confidently to his master.

"Of course!" Gobber answered naturally before any of the trainees could say anything, and exchanged looks with Fleshpetal, who nodded in agreement, "Anything else you might need?"

Hiccup asked for other equipment.

Through the afternoon, they experimented with various weapons and shields. Changed formations and tactics. But nothing worked. Something was missing.

They fought for a long time, until the sun started to set. And the darkness was not the only thing that started to fall.

"Enough of this crap!" Snotlout was the first to say what he thought loudly, wiping out his dirt-covered forehead as the group rested on the grass to talk about the tactics for the next battle, "We will never win this!"

"Yeah, I agree," Tuffnut said, letting out the long stick he used as a weapon.

"Are you giving up?"Fishlegs asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"No! What I mean is, why won't we let somebody else give orders around here?" Snotlout said, looking around.

"Like ...you?" Ruffnut voiced suspiciously, glaring from beneath her cocked helmet.

The proposing boy, grinned widely, "Not me! ...I vote for Astrid!" he said loudly, his head turning to the mentioned girl on this last sentence.

Hiccup was sitting still, catching on the words after a short delay. He could not gather his focus or arrange his thoughts. Pain drenched everything. He kept his arm close to his body. His elbow was letting him know of its condition whenever he tried to swing the wooden weapon or fire a training arrow, the kind that had a small woollen sack filled with sand tied at the top.

The longer they fought, the worse he performed. The only thing he was thinking about, now, was when this training was going to end, so he could go and rest. Tend to his wounds. He would need to clean himself first. Sauna bath sounded nice. There he would be warm. He would take a few woollen towels and kept his bruised bones warm. It would stop the pain.

"What do you think Hiccup?" Ruffnut asked him. The boy caught his name and needed a moment to gather his composure to answer.

Toothless, give me your strength! He thought about the dragon and his proud image by the ocean. He would not give up.

The pain became only a small pulsating spot at the back of his mind, letting him think.

"We tried everything I thought of. A leadership change could bring a new perspective," he said wearily. Astrid, after the first fight, had followed Hiccup's orders without any complaint or shown reluctance. She was not talking to anybody, not even answering Snotlout's sleazy endeavours to accost her.

However, she reacted to the proposition, and her face livened with attention and energy.

Without any waste of time, she took the charge and after receiving the instructions, they charged into the battle.

And this time, they won.

Only their teacher's reaction to that seemed far off from the desired one.

"What were ya thinkin', ya skull-smashed gnomes!" Gobber roared at Astrid and Hiccup, who were standing in front of his agitated self. Fleshpetal was standing by the yelling teacher's side, looking sternly at the blonde girl's blue eyes.

Astrid's was standing, strung tight as a bowstring, taking the scolding with an impassive face, showing some dignity. Which could not be said about the slouched boy who was thinking only about going home, and falling on the bed... and...

"Usin' Hiccup as a live shield to grab th' enemy an' then strike?" Gobber yelled into Astrid's face.

...'d be better if he went to Toothless and slept there. The dragon would maybe allow him to sleep by his side again? How he yearned not to sleep alone any longer! But that knee was killing him and the cove was quite far away.

"An' ya!" he stepped rapidly with finger pointed accusingly at Hiccup, "How could ya play along with it! Where was yer mind? Being pushed forward an' then grabbing Fleshpetal t' stop him?" He bellowed and took a deep breath, looking at the pain-filled eyes, "How is yer leg?" He asked in a softer tone.

"Excellent, Sir!" Hiccup replied in a strong voice.

"Good," Gobber nodded and put a hand behind his back, "Go home an' rest," he said, turning and pacing back to Astrid.

The auburn-haired boy looked uncertainly at the girl one last time, as he knew he was officially dismissed and walked away, trying to do it as quickly as possible, without limping or cursing.

"In a real battle ya would've lost a man," the moustached blacksmith spoke with constricted anger.

"But we won," Astrid spoke back shortly.

"Unacceptable," Gobber even shorter retort came immediately.

"Occupational hazard, Sir!" the axe-wielding girl said.

The trainer's face reddened with fury, "As leader, it's yer job to minimise the risk! D'ya even know when tha' saying ya used was invented?" His goggled eyes and his face made it clear it was a rhetorical question, "This sayin' was forged right after our ancestors arrived here. So many of us died then, it wa' a joke. Just a sarcastic way to describe tha' even being born as a Viking is makin' ya most likely killed! An' this is what it was! Something t' help people cope with reality. A joke! An' this is how I see yer victory today! As a joke!" he yelled at the motionless soldier-girl tensing below his impressive height.

Gobber took a deep breath, "From wha' I understood, ya pushed Hiccup into Fleshpetal as he wa' close in hope tha' th' boy would provide a sufficient distraction for th' other team members t' strike effectively. Is tha' correct?" he queried, leaning back.

"Yes, Sir," Astrid answered.

"Did ya inform yer fellow soldier of th' risk he would be takin' an' of th' incoming fight?" The bulky man asked.

"No, I did not, Sir," Astrid said, her voice not as strong as in the previous answer.

"Did ya know thought about this ...'plan' let's call it, before th' combat?" Gobber continued his questioning.

"No, I did not, Sir," the cloth-stained girl uttered, her confidence and pride rapidly evaporating with the passing time.

The weapon-maker twisted his moustache around his finger and while twirling it, he looked pensively at Astrid.

She had a strong desire to escape this look, penetrated by it and that her feelings and motives were being analysed. She did not want them to be seen through,since she was not sure of them, herself.

"Let's summarise it, shall we?" Gobber asked and let his moustache go, "Ya hav' ordered th' group t' follow yer strategy, which did not work. Seein' tha' ye were losin' control on th' battlefield,ya pushed th' nearest soldier at th' enemy because...?" He hung his voice expectantly.

"He was barely moving...not attacking together with the others. I wanted for us to win!" She said, her voice completely unconvincing. Astrid started realising what she had done and what the next thing her teacher said would be. It was so shameful of her not to think of it.

"Yes...a noble cause. However," Gobber paced to the side, putting his hand on his chin in a pretended thinking expression, "As far as I've observed, Hiccup earlier showed a lot of energy and was quite capable on th' shield training. It makes me wonder... did anything happen just recently tha' made Hiccup lose most of his vigour and perhaps...just perhaps, tha' made his movement painful? Any ideas?...," he turned his face back to the girl, "...Astrid?" he drawled this word through his teeth.

What had she done? How could this have happened?

Her body stiffened again as she raised her head up, "I let myself be guided by anger and, therefore, I injured my fellow soldier on the training session. I did not consider the possibility that he continued to suffer from it. I endangered the health and lives of my teammates. I am ready to accept any consequences!" She said that in full volume. It helped a little to let the guilt out.

Gobber quickly exchanged looks with Fleshpetal. The blacksmith smiled and the younger trainer visibly relaxed.

"Very good!" The older warrior put his big hand on her shoulder, "Excellent. Ya see it. Ya cannot be blamed for all of it,though," he said absent-mindedly, "Hiccup, that moronic rascal! Instead of tellin' 'bout his condition straight away, he hid it and pretended everythin' was fine," he huffed tiredly, "I'll need t' talk to that boy later about it."

"I don't think it will change anything," Astrid said out loudly and covered her mouth at once with a shocked expression.

That made both men laugh.

"I think yer right!" Gobber agreed, grinning, and then walked to the basket to take out a big, double-bladed axe, "Here ya go," he put it into the girl's hands. Astrid knew what that meant straight away, "Yer last task fo' today,"

He and Fleshpetal paced to the trees by the path, descending to the village.

"How d' ya find today's trainin'?" Gobber asked the armoured youth. The latter thought for a moment before answering.

"I expected something... more from it to be honest. Especially from Hiccup. His strategies were all quite original but lacked a certain...,"

"...Flair?" Gobber supplied kindly.

"Yes," Fleshpetal smiled in agreement, "In the beginning Hiccup's plans were most threatening, but as the training progressed they became... dull and repetitive. His injury was probably hindering his concentration," he thought again, "The other trainees weren't bad. Snotlout had to be taken out as first since he was probably most dangerous with his unpredictable actions. Astrid was too far away from the group when Hiccup was the leader, not reacting in time to orders," he chuckled humorously, "And I tried to stay as far away from Fishlegs as possible. He still needs some weapon training, but whenever he swung that stick, it made me scared," he then said with a small smile, "The twins fight similarly, but Tuffnut follows orders very well, which made her one of the most valuable team members today."

They marched in silence. The swooshing woods neared.

"Can I ask ya somethin'?" the forger said nonchalantly to his companion.

"Certainly," the younger male answered with a nod.

"I d' not mean t' sound like I'm cuttin' into yer matters with Astrid, but I've heard something, ya know... th' typical gossip. Nothin' anyone could believe,"

He raised his hand defensively, talking in a polite tone, "Anyway, I've heard, believe or not, tha' yer family already arranged for ya to marry a wife from another tribe. I would congratulate ya if not for th' fact ya seem t' be very interested in our angry blonde girl," he said, as if dismissing all the things he just said

"It only made me question why ya, a person from such reputable and prominent family, would so suddenly b' interested in a girl ya hav' never seemed t' be interested in before?" He formed it as a question but continued, as if amusing himself with his thoughts, "An' I've also heard -oh,my, this gossip! ...so addicting!- that yer family did not take well to yer interest in an immigrant's child. There were even rumours of them reconsidering ya gettin' married!"

"If..." he raised his finger "-just if!- This was true... I only hope for tha' poor girl ya hav' chosen t' use in yer games not to be hurt. Would ya agree with me?" He eyed Fleshpetal, observing him intently.

The young's man face was unreadable as he smiled, as Gobber observed, with the only smile he possessed, beautiful and making you believe in everything he said.

"Of course, Sir. It is just gossip. Who would have believed it?" He laughed his pearly laugh.

"Indeed," Gobber grinned, still looking at his conversation partner, "Who would?"

The weight was fine.

She should have felt humiliated, chosen as the worst trainee to carry the axe above her head. There had been too many shoulds and woulds today. She felt calmer now, but how long would it last? As Hiccup changed, she changed with him. The better he got, the more frustrated she had become. A constant fight between agitation and reason. And the logic was losing more and more often.

She corrected her grip on the axe, the blade hanging above her head, evening the weight out on both hands.

Since this was a period of time when she could think straight, she wanted to get some things in order so the situation of today would not happen again.

She had always been competitive and liked to win, but never at the expense of somebody else. Never acting like a low bully, punching a person who did not even want to defend himself. That boy was a bad influence on her. She did not feel that way towards Snotlout, who was better than her at the sword. Or Fleshpetal, who was better at almost everything.

It was only Hiccup.

It was not only because he kept on winning. There was something in him which irritated her. His laughably small posture, full of uncertainty, and his lack of self-confidence.

And the raising respect she felt towards him. She now saw him as something more than a village clown. He was clumsy and awkward, but also smart and courageous when the situation demanded, never complaining, always trying his best. It was impossible to dismiss all of it without feeling even a bit of respect towards the clumsy youth.

Ruffnut was already on his side, and Fishlegs had been since the beginning. He kept winning over people's trust without a powerful voice or big muscles. It was weird, original, interesting and, again, irritating.

Whenever Astrid felt a bit of positive feelings towards Hiccup, angry thoughts took her over. She had had far too numerous encounters with the positive aspects about this strange boy. Why could she not let him out of her head?

Aside all these cogitations, there was another reason, which was the main cause or her behaviour and raising irritation. Her fight with that dangerous, growing feeling she could not seem to control or handle.

She was always in control! There was nothing she could not handle. Nothing that would terrify her.

She kept repeating herself that it was not true, not Hiccup! He was her enemy, somebody to defeat.

She could not allow herself to be swayed with emotions anymore. Just keep her distance and train as always.

However, she first had to rest and have a long sauna bath.

And dearly hope thoughts about Hiccup would not start crawling back into her mind.

It was hopeless. There were simply too many factors prohibiting his progress with the new tailfin control system. Receiving the idea was one thing, putting it into action was another.

He had made several sketches the night before, all now lying scattered on the floor with the saddle and the tailfin lying on top of them. A thick sailor rope, placed nearby and coiled in a circle, had a yellowish tint in the fire glow.

He had gotten this idea suddenly, in one of these strokes of brilliance as if he had been hit by lightning ...or punched.

He had been punched, so he considered it to be the propellant that pushed his mind to come up with the plan.

The contraption he had built for Toothless to substitute his original tailfin could be treated simply as a sail. It caught wind, and, by altering its course, you were able to control the body. In the case of a sail, the ship. In the case of the tailfin, the dragon. It seemed so simple.

Sails were controlled by the cords attached to their ends, and, by pulling or releasing the ropes you were able to adjust them. He wanted to do the same with his dragon-related invention.

Use thick ropes to control not only the opening of the gadget, but also the angle in which it stood. The rest came fast. Hands were not a good way to control since they were too much affected by the shakes and not precise enough. He listed what he needed from the invention.

Precision, ease of use, securing his position when flying, foolproof, easy to maintain and repair.

He pondered hard on how to connect all of these requirements into the one device.

Saddle stirrups seemed like a good way to start. They would keep him secured in the saddle, and manoeuvring with his legs would enable him to focus on what was in front of him. A rather vital skill to survive on the back of a speeding dragon.

A precise length of rope would come directly from the tail and go up to his left stirrup. He would make some sort of a paddle that would be able to control the length by wobbling it forward or backwards.

The control line would need to connect with the paddle after running through series of hole-slots in leather circles that the dragon would keep on his legs. These should make the controls smoother, just the way sail controls were running through a series of pulleys.

The tailfin angle control cord would be running on Toothless's right side and going first through the hole-slot, placed on the leather belt, mounting the artificial tail to the dragon's body. Then it would go straight into the hole-slots on the leg's harness.

Installing the addition should not take long, since there were only light modifications to implement, with the exception of the pedals. These would take some delicate metalwork to make stirrups look like iron sandals.

He would have done it today, if not for his condition.

Hiccup submerged a white piece of cloth in the warmed water, sitting on a stool in front of the hearth.

He took out the woollen fabric and, after rubbing a bit of soap into it, he started cleaning his body. With the stitches, he would not risk going to the sauna or taking a bath. The warmness of the cloth relieved him momentarily from the pain as he pressed it to his elbow.

His hand was unable to move well, so there was no possible way he would be able to do any manual work tonight. Furthermore, fatigue added to a hurting body was not a good combination for concentration.

The pitiable remains of his clear mind were solemnly set at occupying Hiccup with thoughts of Astrid beating him, yelling at him, and using him as a live-shield.

Something told him hate might have to do something with it, but just what had he done to her? He did not know. It might have been his enchanting demeanour, which made him the star of Berk society, despite his scrawnyness.

Feet on a leather pelt, he scrubbed them with his right hand, trying to decide what to do. He wanted to go and visit Toothless. Actually, there was not a moment he did not want to do that.

But given his knee condition, he did not find it a good idea, and the dragon might not be happy to see him so lame.

He needed to rest first. He would only rest for a moment and then go and see Toothless at night.

He yawned and took off his father's leather cloaks, hanging by the wooden pole planted in the supporting column.

He would sleep in front of the hearth, curled up, as he liked to do when he was a kid.

He stopped in the middle of his way back to the fire, cloak hanging loosely on his arms, most of it sweeping the floor behind him.

Did he actually like to do that when he was younger?

The cold floor caused him to jump quickly to the fur, lying on the ground.

He lay down and quickly covered himself with his father's garment. The feeling and the smell was the same as he remembered. It was peculiar, since he was not aware before, that he used to do that, not until this moment.

His breath slowed and calmed quickly with the fire cracking calmly, lulling him to sleep, exactly as in the past.

The sun shone through the knobbed wood, teasing his long-opened eyes. Still droplets glistened on the static black scales around his curled body. Toothless smelled the fresh and cleared air after last night's rain.

Sounds of life in the forest were buzzing in his ears with the leading role of the woodpecker, which seemingly chose as a point of honour to make one specific dragon crazy with the knocking of its beak against wood.

Even though it was morning, he already felt deprived from energy. Sluggishly, he stood up. The droplets ornamenting his skin were casted into motion, spotting the brown earth with drizzle.

Toothless froze momentarily, afraid he might have had disturbed somebody's sleep. He looked down, under him. But his tree bolt-hole was empty. The circular depression in the soil marked the spot of his night's sojourn.

Hiccup had not come as he had said he would.

Toothless sighed deeply. He had been angry at the Scalgertar yesterday for not visiting him and, now, he was only filled with a pricking disappointment.

He had to move his body and get rid of the night's coldness residing in his muscles. His training routine went smoothly, he did not concentrate on any movement his body made, thinking about his clanmate and worrying what might have happened to him. His clan did not seem welcoming towards Hiccup, and it made the dragon's concern even more vivid.

After another lighting barrel roll, he landed and suddenly crashed with his left side on the ground.

His left forward knee throbbed with pain, along with the right bottom one. He must have made a mistake when practising, yet he did not remember the last time he had made an error like this.

He rested, lying in front of the fire-stone, now cold and dull grey, head on his forepaws, gazing at the wall-opening. Without the loud presence of the small boy, everything seemed less interesting, except gazing at the never-changing crack in the stone and waiting for Hiccup to show up.

That was utterly fascinating and captivated all of the dragon's attention.

Toothless would never show it in front of Scalgertar, but he missed the scaleless mammal.

Only one sun cycle has passed, he must just be occupied with his human matters, nothing to be alerted about, he kept repeating himself. A small particle of him sensed that Hiccup was alive and well.

The evening came quickly. The motionless Fury blinked his three eyelids and took a standing pose, showing nothing but superiority and strength. No feelings of missing the human were included.

His act, however, was destroyed as he heard Hiccup stopping in front of the entrance and taking several deep, ragged breaths.

Looks like Toothless was not the only one trying to act here.

"Toothless, don't scare me like that!" the youth exclaimed, seeing the big head, looming over him right in front of the entrance. The dragon's eyes were far from welcoming.

"I brought you fish, see?" Hiccup said carefully with a goofy smile. The ebony beast narrowed his eyes and twitched his nose, not looking interested in the deliciously smelling gift.

With a sigh, the boy dropped his happy act and limped resolutely, straight into the cove, not presenting the Fury with an eye contact.

Toothless let the pup hobble by him, dropping the basket and the saddle. The latter looked slightly different from when the dragon saw it the last time.

"Let's not do anything drastic, shall we?" Hiccup said warningly, directing the words behind himself as he limped to the fallen tree trunk and sat heavily on it with the Fury following him like a shadow. Toothless was not about to do anything drastic, at least not for the next ten heartbeats.

"I'm sorry I did not come. I fought and got hurt, then I overslept and worked on this," he pointed to the harness," I also need your help with my back again, please. So... no biting?" he looked directly into the dragon's eyes, trying to make his voice sound strong and confident.

The dark Fury smirked toothily, it was much better to hear this than scared apologies. Toothless started to feel Hope that Hiccup might one day grow to be his equal.

SHOW BACK the dragon wrote in the earth

The youth pulled off his tunic and let his scaled companion tend to the wound. The dragon snorted reproachfully, seeing the stitches and the red dots where the needle had penetrated the skin. He did not remove them. Hiccup seemed to take comfort from the human ways of treating wounds. Understandable, since he had never seen how dragons do that.

The healing process of the gash was progressing without any complications he could see or smell. He licked the wound again carefully, enjoying the salty taste the human had.

When dragons lapped each other, it was a sign of affection and care. He felt both of those things towards Scalgertar, and a sense of pride was filling him. The boy had asked Toothless to help him, of all creatures. It simplified things. This time, Toothless would not need to knock Hiccup unconscious to see his wounded back.

Nothing escaped his perceptive eye, not one scratch, skin abrasion or bruise on the small body. He continued his task, remembering to ask his human a few questions.

Hiccup moaned painfully as he licked a big bruise on the left side of his waist. It had yellow centre with a reddish-purple circle around it. He grunted quietly, urging the boy to be still. Toothless nudged Hiccup's left hand to lift it. The sitting youth hissed again. The hand was would be next to be checked, Toothless mentally noted, and pressed his soft tongue to the waist contusion.

It was a typical injury caused by a blunt object; the dragon could even identify the shape of what had done it, and surely, a dragon did not cause it.

Human's organs were very similar to the dragon's, almost same placement and look with very subtle differences. So, Toothless could tell the youth's kidneys were undamaged, along with the ribs. There were some damaged muscles and some small bleeding under his skin from destroyed capillaries, however, it was completely natural. After all, every bruise got its colour from the clotted blood beneath the skin.

Hiccup did not protest when his armoured nurse licked his damaged elbow tenderly with the black eyelids closed, but looked at the procedure with slightly opened mouth.

Toothless finished and looked at the boy with dangerously slitted pupils. A deep growl with bared teeth helped the boy remember that his knee hurt as well. With hesitancy, he drew up his trousers leg, and the procedure repeated.

After the dragon finished, his eyes rested on Hiccup's, dilated and filled with worry, making the boy ashamed of his state as if a caring parent was looking over him. The boy could not help such a thought, as ridiculous as it was.

Toothless nudged his face and then licked it, causing the boy to smile.

"Sorry for making you worried...buddy," he petted the big nose affectionately with his undamaged hand. A snort told him that he was not forgiven, only temporary let out of the loop until he would feel better.

NO MOVE, The dragon wrote and trotted to the one of the medium sized trees . He cut its bark. Hiccup observed carefully, memorising the tree and how his caretaker was drawing out the resin. Soon, the youth's back was covered in a sticky and pleasantly smelling substance. As instructed, he did not cover his back, and moved himself to the lighted fire stone.

Toothless offered his folded wing lean against as he limped heavily to seat near the warmness. Before he could utter a word of thanks, the fast Fury sprinted to the fish-filled basket and with few moves of its forepaw emptied the content into the ground and started devouring, looking often into the boy's direction, checking if the youth did not have any stupid ideas like moving.

The sun almost disappeared behind the edge, and that meant that Scalgertar might want to return to his shelter.

Toothless swallowed another fish, averting his head rapidly back, once again, to check on the boy.

The bruised human was going to spend the night here, under his protection, and that was final. It would also give them a chance to converse about some essential matters. The main topic would be who had done this to Hiccup and how fast Toothless would like that person to die.

His attention now caught the harness, lying on the ground. His clanmate had most probably gotten another, ingenious idea to make him fly better. The pup had such a brilliant mind, which made him a truly valuable ally. If only the youth would have more confidence in himself and a stronger body.

Toothless swallowed the last fish and smacked his lips with contentment.

He was going to change Hiccup's personality and body to help him reach his full potential. He would do it stealthily and subtly so that the boy would not even notice what had happened.

But first, he had to help him with his current injuries to prolong the youth's fragile life before his disgustingly primitive folks killed him.

He sucked in a deeper breath. It was time to add some cuteness into his act.

The darkness came suddenly. So much for testing out the harness and measuring the rope to operate the mechanism. Hiccup could not complain, though, on his situation. Toothless seemed to be happy with the situation, and the boy shared the notion.

Hiccup laughed, seeing the playful predator rolling on the grassless ground by the pond, scratching his back and sides with a satisfied purring. The exposed dragon belly, as the boy saw, was covered in small scales that gradually got bigger until they were the size of human fist on the chest.

The dragon asked him to follow him into the water carefully and stay there, without moving.

The curious teen followed and stepped into the lake, feeling the soft sand beneath his feet. He shivered, the coldness surrounding his bare body.

"Do I really need to do that?" He asked, trembling.

Toothless grunted in negligent agreement, drifting on his back in the deeper waters and looking at the cloudless sky, the light orange mixing with the incoming blackness.

The treatment Hiccup received was the most original he ever came in contact with.

After a while of soaking in the water, Toothless swam to him and tapped his arm in a few places with the soft part of his paw. It hurt at first, but then the hand went numb and flat. The boy did not panic at the lost control of his limb, entrusting his big companion with it. The same thing happened to his leg as he was nuzzled to move back to the shallower part. He caught the dragon's neck, no longer able to support his own weight. The dragon bent his leg for Hiccup to sit on. He gently carried the boy between the lake and the glowing stone. While Hiccup tried to dress, the dragon used this time to dry himself with his blue flame.

Tonight would be one he would never forget. The dragon surrounded his body, coiling around it tightly, almost depraving the boy from breath.

"I think I should go home," Hiccup said, feeling scared of the situation he was in. It was irrational since he trusted Toothless fully; he was simply frightened of the unknown. He was unaware that the sable dragon changed his relaxed expression, gazing at Hiccup's neck with his right paw tensed to strike and knock out Hiccup, if necessary.

Hiccup looked back at the Fury, now the scaled muzzle a display of pure innocence. The only thing missing would be for him to blink twice, increasing the cuteness factor.

Toothless blinked twice and smiled widely without his teeth.

The boy quickly calculated how much time he needed. Tomorrow he only had to visit Jawlock and train with him. He did not know exactly when would do that, and no deadline was placed for him to show up. That helped him solidify the decision to stay.

He did not really had a choice, now, with a limp hand and leg.

Toothless's body started vibrating without any sound, making him feel drowsy, his body relaxed. He was barely aware where he was or what he was doing.

A glowing orb appeared, stopping in front of his eyes, the trapped lightning dancing for him again.

Was he still awake or dreaming, now?

He could not move, it was only his slightly opened eyes and the "star". He should make a wish.

Wish... what he wanted now? He already wished for Toothless to fly again. He should think of something for himself, now.

The azure glow filled his sight; it was pale but still blinding him.

Choose Hiccup! You have one wish only! Choose before your star will disappear! Hurry!

He wanted...

The globe flared in blue light and after the overwhelming light, he saw blackness.

He woke up, seeing the rafters above him. His room was big again. Terrifyingly big. The bed was scarily giant. It was not a surprise. He was six years old, and he could already write his name nicely! He used to write with his right hand, but he could not move it now. His had body changed along with his life. The burns still hurt whenever he moved. It was best to just lie still.

He was offered a drink, clear water in a small, grey clay mug, held by a big hand. This hand was terrifying as well. How still it was, and how his father was so silent.

He drank it clumsily, his teeth biting the mug's rim. A cold liquid dripped from his chin. Immediately a soft fabric of a colour he no longer remembered wiped his face delicately.

"I love you, dad," He said suddenly in hoarse, thin voice. The word 'love' escaped his mouth, written in white runes and fell slowly onto the bed's sheet, falling like a leave from an arid tree.

His father never answered. He only gave him his best smile, the one that was sad and forced, but still, the best he could manage.

Then Hiccup was sitting alone in his bed, looking at his closed world.

He looked beneath the stool his father sat at. The boy's face brightened. Dad had left a gift for him after all! He dropped from the bed and took up a small word in his hands, which said 'denial'. He picked up the word 'love' from his bed and opened his door only to see the main doors slamming, catching a glimpse of his father's tired face.

Oh, another gift!

He bent and picked up 'hate' word from the floor, putting it carefully on top of the others he had in his other hand.

He took a few steps down and took up another one. 'Guilt' it said. He stepped outside, as his foot landed on the ground outside the door, he realized he was older now. Berk was covered in snow. A few years had passed and his burns did not hurt so much anymore. He was caught between child and youth.

A path, black as night led down from his house, leading to his destination.

The whiteness was overwhelming, as if the world became pure for a moment. He could not admire the view, though, he had to hurry!

Hurry to kill a dragon!

The word appeared in front of him and crushed on the path with a loud thud. He looked with interest what that was. He just found 'lies'! How heavy it was!

He ran to his destination quickly and knocked on the large door. It opened on its own, with a loud screech.

Inside, his small anvil waited for him with his, even smaller, hammer.

"Faster, lad! Yer lettin' th' warm air out!" The grumpy voice said as he walked in. The door slammed behind him.

"What ar' ya waitin' for?" Gobber asked abruptly with a raised voice," This is what life ya've chosen. Go an' work on it!" he yelled, pointing at the anvil that zoomed to him, and the small hammer pressed into his palm after flying across the room.

He placed all the words into beside the anvil and took one of them. He struck it once and it changed into a chain link, white and glistening. It was pretty, because it was his. His own identity.

Another word was struck with the hammer, and it changed into another chain link. The first one dropped to the ground and attached itself to the metal ring on his leg. He had worn this manacle when everything had changed for him.

Why was he not like as the others of his people?

On anvil words 'useless' and 'weak' appeared.

Snotlout was better than he. Everybody was better.

He wiped sweat from his forehead. When he removed the hand, there were new words attached to it: 'Jealousy' and 'need for admiration'. He imagined Astrid and the word 'love' appeared again, but he could tell it was different than the first one.

He grew older, and words kept on appearing. The rain of chain links poured from the anvil.

He never looked down at the chain. He only collected the words.

His hand stopped his work with the loud shriek of a dragon outside.

"Blasted beasties can't be quiet fo' a night!" Gobber cursed, changing his pincers into an axe.

"There," he said to him, pointing at the place where Hiccup stood," Ya know wha' I mean," and ran out from, the forge with a battlecry.

Through the opened door, he saw the small figure of his elusive prize falling from the sky.

He moved stepped out from the forge and, when he blinked, he already stood above the trapped Fury.

"I did it!" he shouted, and the word 'haughtiness' dropped on the dragon's head, waking the creature up.

"I'm going to kill you dragon!" the boy shouted, and he tried to lift a dagger. Then he realised that he could not move. The chain he so carefully forged was tangling his body, binding every part of it in a tight embrace.

"I'm a Viking!" He yelled, and the chain fastened stronger. The dragon observed him calmly, his eyes filled with understanding pity.

"I'm a Viking! I'm a dragon killer! I will kill you because…. I hate you!" The small human wheezed, losing air in his lungs as his metal entrapment squeezed him stronger," I must hate you...to be loved again," he said quietly and, feeling faint from the lack of air, he fell forward limply.

His body penetrated the ground and then he found himself in the dark water, surrounded by darkness. It was good kind of nothingness. The one destroying memories and the life they carried.

But it was not his place, he did not need it, as he lost part of his life already.

He submerged further, seeing a ray of pearly light penetrating the water. It stopped over the dark shape of the entrapped dragon, now lying on his back on the weed-filled bottom.

Floating down, he stopped his descent in front of the Fury. A giant eye opened, gazing at him with the same pity and pain he did not notice before.

"Why do you want to forget?" Hiccup asked the dragon, floating in the water above the Fury.

The beast did not answer; only a chain clanged on his handsome body.

Chain?

Oh, it had a chain tying him, just like he did!

He looked at the silverfish creation on the Fury. Hiccup could recognise from what word each chain link had been made.

This one was hate. And another one next to it as well. And another. And another. And another...

The chain was the same length and with similar words. Only the first few parts of it, coming out from where the dragon had his heart, were different. The first one was 'fear' and the second 'abandonment' with 'guilt' hanging from it. And there was the biggest link of his metal string, lying heavily on the black chest: 'emptiness'.

He felt drawn to the creature, a desire to make a contact with the similar being. He slowly floated, and the dragon's eyes, for the first time, showed a sign of life, and smouldering with anticipation, leaning his snout forward to close the distance faster.

Hurry Hiccup! Hurry to save the dragon!

He closed his eyes as his face almost touched the Fury's nose and a moment later, a long-familiar feeling of warmth, radiating through his body.

Toothless...

The sound of something scribbling in the ground caused him to open his eyes again. He was in a new place, in the one he did not recognise. He was sitting cross-legged on a grey sand. He had heard the waves, attacking the shore in a gentle pulse.

He touched the sand, fascinated by its colour. It felt rougher and heavier than the sand he knew. It poured through his fingers slowly, until only a solid object was left in his palm. He opened the fist, and there was a small fang. A dragon fang.

He looked back at the sand, noticing now that it was a graveyard. Countless fangs and claws stuck out from the dirt. A few skulls partially showed, their empty eyes sockets looking at him.

It was a peaceful place, a grey beach under a colossus grey mountain. There was an opening at the top, and it glowed red and orange as if something hot was inside it. He looked down, directing his stare at the scribbling noise.

Toothless was dancing! A sapling trunk was grasped in his mouth as he swirled and twirled happily with smooth elegance, creating shapeless figures in the soil.

JOIN ME

A sign appeared in front of the boy, curved in the sand.

I can't, he thought, feeling the chain still miring him.

The words disappeared, inundated with the sand, and new ones came into existence.

LOOSEN YOUR CHAIN HICCUP

I can't break it, it is too strong! I'm not as powerful as you, he thought to the dragon, knowing the truth of this words.

The sand moved again, covering the runes.

The dragon still spun as if not noticing him.

LOOK WITHOUT DIMINISHING YOURSELF

The new message told him. He looked at Toothless carefully. The joyous Fury was free!

The small human thought that … until he noticed the argent cord, shimmering with the black dragon's movements.

The dragon still had the chain attached to him, only it was not tangling his body. Hiccup followed the chain with his eyes. How long it was! So much longer than his was... and yet, he was still trapped in his own chain.

Enraged, he started squirming, fighting futilely with the bindings he made for himself. It was pointless, he could not be as free as his friend.

FREE YOURSELF

"I can't!" he shouted angrily," I can't break it!"

Toothless stopped his dance, as if he had heard the boy just now, and he turned his head to Hiccup. Seeing him, he dropped the tree he held and walked to the youth and then sat in front of him on his hinder legs, looking amused with his attempts. With a draconic smirk, new words were shaped into the sand.

YOU DO NOT BREAK IT BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE

Hiccup looked dumbfounded at what was written in front of him. Then, what he was supposed to do if he could not destroy the chain?

Toothless puffed his chest with pride, and his chain clanged, attached to his heart.

ACCEPT WHAT YOUR CHAIN IS

IT IS WHO YOU ARE HICCUP

WHO YOU WERE WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU WILL BE

The Fury smiled toothily in support as the words ceased to exist and transformed into an amorphous form.

SOME LINKS WILL FALL OFF AND SOME WILL NEVER DISSAPEAR

The toxic green eyes looked down at the boy's ankle. The metal manacle with the 'mother' word on it. The first and the most important one, and the one holding everything together.

Toothless grabbed the end of Hiccup's chain and, moving his head in a circle around his body, started unwinding it.

After a few more turns, it dropped, still on the ground and...nothing changed.

"Nothing changed," Hiccup said, disappointed.

Toothless grumbled in his laughter.

OF COURSE NOTHING WOULD CHANGE DIMWIT

Did the sand or Toothless just call him a dimwit?

CHANGE NEVER COMES FAST BUT NOW YOU CAN MOVE

Hiccup stood up, still feeling the chain's weight on his leg.

MOVE THEN AND ONE DAY YOU WILL BE SO STRONG YOU WON'T FEEL THE CHAIN ANYMORE

As these words disappeared into the ground, Toothless trotted to his previous spot, grabbed the tree again in his mouth and started twisting again, yowling and rumbling mirthfully.

The boy tried to follow the dragon's movements and felt himself spinning in place, looking at the blue sky. He whirled faster and faster, laughing, until the world blurred and he could not tell where he was anymore.

He opened his eyes, seeing the dark membrane of the wing above him. His head still spun as the dream he just had was real. He even felt the laughter dying in his ears. It all seemed too real and vivid in his head.

He lifted his head, feeling strangely light, from the dragon's side. Toothless grumbled in annoyance but did not change his slumbering position. The dragon's entire body was circled around him in a an embrace, the noble head in front of Hiccup's small boots, eye lids closed and breathing slowly.

Hiccup escaped from under the partially opened wing and stretched himself. Surprised, he moved his left hand as a test, and then a leg. He was healed!

An astonished chuckle escaped his mouth, and he grabbed his previously painful elbow and he hissed.

All right, that one still hurts when touched, he thought and touched his knee, This one as well. However, this did not stop him from rejoicing. He looked over the dragon, looking at his sleeping, magnificent body.

Hiccup smiled in content, cracking his knuckles . He thought about how to show the dragon how grateful he was.

An another, almost overwhelming trill of pleasure made his knees weak. Hiccup continued his pleasurable assault, encouraged by the dragon's uncontrolled purring.

I never knew that humans could do this! Toothless barely managed to put this thought together when another wave of pure bliss flared through his powerful body.

"Faster!" He roared, and the boy, guided with instinct, sped up. The dragon's breathing quickened, trying not to move not to hurt the youth accidently. When the Fury thought it could not get even better, Hiccup touched him for the last time and his eyesight flared with whiteness, his body dropping to the ground.

He smiled in pure delight.

He would have never guessed being scratched under the chin could feel so good.

Hiccup left, leaving the harness in its basket under a tree, having Toothless's smile as a goodbye. As he disappeared, the dragon's grimace dropped and his eyes changed into slits.

Who would have guessed that humans are capable of self-healing? More importantly, Scalgertar had told him everything when he was lying there in the trance, dreaming with with his eyes open.

The pup took place in some sort of training, designed to teach them how to kill a dragon? Nothing surprising in that, judging how the humans lived. He had not heard a thing which would surprise him however, the boy started asking him about his past, then things got... interesting.

Hiccup told him that that grey beach with a misted ocean was a weird place to dance and Toothless knew of only one place those words could have described.

The interesting part was, he had never told Hiccup about it.

Silly Story time.

(If you do not know what noir style of film was, you might not like the story)

I apologise because today's theme was supposed to be about Hiccup SLASHED with a chair. Sadly, the Chair Lovers Organisation threatened me with soft cushions, so I had to change the story. I apologise to all the Hiccup/chair readers.

*Noir piano music*

It was a day just like every other. If that day was the one where you were looking at the wall, smoking one cigarette after another than yes, welcome to my world.

I was working as a dragon to hire for quite a time now. I forgot already how long, since I had to sell my detective diploma to pay my cave rent.

I also used to have a Terrible Terror secretary. Used to...heh. Being a Nightmare myself , we had quite a flaming romance between us, but, sadly she left. They say that size in love does not matter...well, it did.

I puffed out another smoke ring from my muzzle, bored to my claws , when I heard a pretty, melodious voice of a dragoness.

As melodious as grunts and snarls can get.

"Can I come in?" I heard from the cave opening.

"Please... my cave's always open," I said, noticing that caves, indeed, were always open. Quite surprising for a this type of geological formation, huh?

"What can I do for you, sweet cheeks?" I asked, seeing the most beautiful Nadder ever.

My mom used to be very protective about me so I could not say that I knew a lot of Nadders, but that dragoness was still something.

"A-are you the Big Wing Boy?" she asked me shyly. I huffed out another smoke ring.

"Yes, that's me, the Big Wing Boy," I replied. There were a few things about me that were big. It was a shame there were only two of them, and both happened to be my wings.

"I am looking for somebody, and I've heard there is nothing you can't find!" She said pleadingly.

I knew since the beginning that I could not refuse such a beauty," I'm going to reward you generously," she said sensually, winking her beautiful, blue eyelid. I immediately thought of the many bones I would receive as a payment.

What else would such outstandingly beautiful, flirtingly smiling dragoness mean?

My mom had never explained to me those things well.

Her instructions were for me to find her pet human.

Not a pet human again, I thought with a sigh.

Apparently that human's name was Astrid, and she had gone missing together with a boy named Hiccup.

"It's human mating season," I said dryly," They are probably takin' their sweet time together."

"Please, I only want to know if she's okay...,"she said unsurely, her head dropping in grief. I couldn't make such lady-dragon sad.

It was time to act.

"I will do my best, ...Miss...?" I asked warmly.

Her reaction was not the one expected. She started trembling , and her eyes widened in terror.

"I cannot tell you, kind Sir. My name is banned, and there is one human hunter who will hunt me down and stick my hide on display for daring to have such a common name!" She hissed to me.

"I understand, but I need to call you something," I said , and I noted a small plant growing just outside the cave

It had a thin stalk from which azure chalice shaped petals dangled, reminding me of those funny human ding-dong things hang at top of some church towers.

"Very well, Miss Blue-," I started but was stopped by her tail pressing to my mouth.

Having a darted tail pressed to your mouth was never a good thing.

"Don't say it! She will hear it and destroy both of us!" She roared in perfect fright.

"But it's a common name, what is wrong with having name like that? Or Grass? Or Rock?" I asked, after spitting her tail out.

I was never into tail fetishes, like some of my friends were.

"I am not the one to judge logic here! Please just find Astrid!" She said , and escaped my cave hurriedly.

"What would happen if I would say Bl-" I never finished. An arrow made of the plant name I was about to utter crashed into my head, killing me.

The last thing I saw were the blue bells hanging from between my eyes.

AN: Another weird dream! Quite a lot of those dreams I have in this story. No, I do nto smoke or take anything before writing them.

I drink. Tea. No alcohol included.

Tell me what you think, whenever your opinion about this story/chapter is good, bad, or you just like bananas...like me!

Until next time.