So, here's another chap! And thanks, Ladipretender, for editing this story always as fast as you can! (And I'm happy to make you laugh with my stupid typos, like the one I had on the 'previously' paragraph and I didn't notice at all!)

I've been really happy for getting so many wonderful reviews, thanks, guys! :D

Previously, Stoick and Gobber returned from Berk with bad news: crazy, mad dragons had attacked the Hooligans. Soon, Hiccup figured out that the Outcasts have been torturing dragons beyond belief and it's now up to Hiccup, his friends and their tribe to save them.

Chapter 20

Scouting

Hiccup knew he needed to be sure he was right in his assumptions. The whole next day, he revised his notes, checked his maps, went through all the information he had gathered over the last five years and still the only explanation he had for the weird attack on Berk remained the same. The Outcasts had been trying to control the dragons so they could take over the archipelago and when they didn't obey, they suffered. The problem was that the more the Outcasts forced them to do what they wanted, the more the dragons struggled.

Hiccup knew dragons were wild, free creatures, being imprisoned was something they couldn't stand, it could break them. He needed to get them out of there, the dragons would go mad in no time if he didn't. Or they'd get depressed and die. Either way, they needed rescue.

He had a pretty good idea of what Alvin did to them, and chaining down their wings so they couldn't scape and be at the Outcasts' nonexistent mercy. And, as Gobber said, a downed dragon is a dead dragon. Those words echoed in Hiccup's mind since he realized Alvin's plans and it was driving him crazy.

Needless to say, Hiccup didn't sleep that night. Neither did Stoick nor Gobber. The latter was pounding metal into shape, making swords, just in case, he was trying to do it as silently as possible, but it was not like blacksmithing was a silent occupation. He managed not to wake anyone, though. No one asked Gobber to do it, but he felt the need to work his hands so he could think things through, besides, they might need more help in the forge, since Hiccup needed to rest and Hall would have to do all the work to prepare for a fight. Stoick was pacing from side to side in the forge.

"If Hiccup is right, he'll want to go there, Gobber. It's dangerous!"

"You know, Stoick, by what I see, he had been handling himself pretty well these past few years…"

"I know, but I don't want him to get hurt."

"You can't over protect him, Stoick. He's a big boy now and he makes his own decisions. I also don't want him to go, it's definitely a stupid idea. And it's still hard to believe and to see dragons as helpless creatures, but if it's true, I must admit I pity them… "

"But they're just dragons," Stoick said automatically, and then he looked outside to the Rumblehorn that had helped them. "Yet, you're right. They don't deserve something like that…"

"Then what are you going to do?"

"We are going to help my son. The Outcasts may be numerous but they aren't stupid, they rarely attack us Hooligans because we're a big tribe."

"I understand you wanting to do that, you probably don't want to leave Hiccup ever again, however, do you really think all the Hooligans will help you?"

"What do you mean, Gobber?"

"Think about it, Stoick. We couldn't even tell our tribe about all of it, like the dragons because they've been attacked again. Do you really believe they'd willingly risk themselves for the creatures we've been fighting with for generations? Maybe some of them will pity them, but a great many will think you're crazy for even thinking about helping them. The majority of the Hooligans might even be thankful for what the Outcasts are doing, they're torturing and probably killing the dragons, but most people couldn't care less and you know it."

Stoick rubbed his red beard thoughtfully. He hadn't considered that, but he knew Gobber was right. Most of the Hooligans wouldn't want to help them because all they knew about dragons was the bad side of them. Even Stoick himself was having difficulty in seeing them as kind and gentle creatures, often catching himself thinking about them as was used to always doing, like moments ago, when he had to look at the Rumblehorn to remember that they were not mindless beasts.

"I guess you're right…" Stoick mumbled, annoyed, sitting on a chair beside Hiccup's table.

"The kids, however, are a different story. I mean, look at them. We left them alone for one week and they already got themselves dragon-pets. I even overheard Fishlegs saying he didn't want to leave Meatlug behind."

"Meatlug?"

"The Gronckle."

"Oh…" He rolled his eyes again and continued to rub his vast red beard. "I guess Astrid doesn't want to be separated from the Nadder she called Stormfly. Nor the twins with that Zippleback. I'm not so sure about Snotlout, though."

"And I think Astrid is going to help Hiccup, you allowing her or not." Stoick nodded at Gobber's assumption. "But don't worry right now, Stoick. Hiccup is a smart young man, I know he'll think of something."

The Hooligan chief agreed with his brother-in-arms, but couldn't help but worry about his son. Being a parent was a really hard job, the concern for one's offspring never ceased until death, especially when he had already believed he had lost his son for five long and mournful years.

A few hours after the sun came over the horizon, Stoick and Gobber left the forge, both tired and restless, but not sleepy. They could feel that the mood of the entire tribe was heavier, all of them knew about the news, except for the small children, of course, because they couldn't really understand it. Despite the somber mood, they saw Heather and Snotlout before they entered the Great Hall to eat. It seemed like she was helping him take care of a Monstrous Nightmare.

"Yes, that's it. Now you give him the salmon." Heather instructed in a bossy tone. "You're good at it."

"Of course, Babe, I'm good at anything and everything!" Snotlout said proudly.

"Okay, it was not that good, you may wipe that proud grin off your face."

And all Stoick and Gobber could think was that there was no doubt Snotlout was getting himself a pet-dragon too. And that beautiful black haired girl definitely had something to do with it.

Both men entered the Great Hall and ate their breakfast and then went back to the 'upper level' to Hiccup's house. Getting closer, they heard Astrid's voice loud and clear in a scolding tone.

"Hiccup! You were awake all night?"

"Astrid, I'm not deaf, stop yelling at me. And of course I haven't slept. How could I?"

"My Gods! You're as stubborn as your father!"

"Yeah. I know. You already said that."

"Hiccup, how are you supposed to get better if you keep pushing yourself like that?"

"For the last time, I'm not dying! I'm fine! How many times do I have to prove that I'm not that weak, scrawny little kid that I used to be?" He said angrily, putting his now empty mug of buttermilk on the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a walk to clear my head."

He called for Toothless, who quickly stood by his side to serve as a crutch, even though Hiccup tried his best not to lean on the black dragon. He succeeded most of the time, he was getting better and walking or breathing didn't hurt as much, but it frustrated him that he wasn't healed yet.

Hiccup found Gobber and his father on the other side of the door, they were about to come in, but the young man said he needed some time alone. Slowly, he walked with Toothless around the 'upper level' until he reached a beautiful and very high cliff, where both could see the ocean before them and the wind blew so cold it felt like it could cut skin, yet, it was pleasant for someone used to flying at utterly fast speeds.

Hiccup held onto Toothless to sit down in front of the edge of the cliff, the dragon helped way he could and then laid on his human's right side. Hiccup could relate to the dragons' pain, like them, he also had a free, willing spirit and he knew how hard it was to be locked and chained down, especially after knowing the joys of flying. He sighed heavily to ignore the pain; he leaned on Toothless who just huffed in sympathy.

They stayed there looking at the horizon for a long time until Astrid and Stormfly got closer to them. The girl had some sort of a guilty expression on her face and she sat down near them and was clearly uncomfortable by being in such dangerous place.

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Not be bothered by this…" She said gesturing to the cliff.

"When you've willingly fallen as much as I have, you kinda get used to this. I'm not scared by the height. Even though I know it is a bit stupid standing here with a crippled dragon that is without his prosthetic gear and wouldn't be able to fly even if he wanted…"

She sighed and looked at the horizon, he did the same.

"You've changed a lot." Astrid pointed out. "I'm sorry for being a nag. I should trust you, you've been taking care of yourself for years now and I'm just irritating you."

"You're not just irritating me, though you're good at it…"

She huffed and punched his left arm. He complained and rubbed the sore spot as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"As I was saying, I know I was hard on you, but that's just because I worry about you… I… care about you…" the last words came very low and he almost didn't hear them, but he did, the red tinged cheeks were proof of it. Astrid was fighting not to blush too much.

"Thanks, but why? I mean, you never really cared for me…" He trailed off and then Sharpshot got closer wanting to be petted, screeching to get his attention and jumping on his lap. Toothless huffed jealously at the tiny dragon that Hiccup began to mindlessly pet.

"I'm not sure… I mean, for five years I thought you died because you couldn't defend yourself, but now, things are different and you're someone I've kinda started to admire. But do not let it go to your head or it will all be for nothing. Snotlout is already greedy and arrogant enough for the whole family."

"Yes, you're right about that…" He commented trying not to laugh.

"Look, Hiccup, if you're really right, which I don't doubt you are, and those dragons are suffering, I agree they need rescue. And if there's someone who can help them, I believe it's gonna be you."

"Thanks, Astrid. I just don't know how to do this, yet…"

"I know you'll think of something, but I can try to help if you want. What were you thinking about when we engage them?"

"So, you're really going along?"

"Of course. Who do you think I am? A coward? No. I'm in for battles! I'm not afraid of them. Which doesn't mean I go searching for them for no reason." He knew she was indeed a really good warrior; he didn't need to question her, though deep down he was concerned, he knew the Outcasts were tough, but he didn't say anything.

"Obviously." He agreed and then paused for a minute to think. "The priority is not to fight, though. The priority is to free the dragons. I actually would prefer not to fight them. The thing is how are we going to save them without the fighting part? Even if we manage to get there unseen in the middle of the night, the moment we start freeing them, the Outcasts will notice and then we'll have a problem…"

"What if there was a distraction?"

"What kind of distraction?" He asked liking the idea and mentally slapping himself for not thinking about it before. Sometimes, it took someone to look at the situation from a different angle to point out obvious things.

"How about a Night Fury distraction kind of thing?"

"That might actually work…" He wondered out loud, his mind already working different possibilities of how it could happen. And then his voice became sad. "But there's another problem, maybe most of the dragons might not be able to fly right away…"

"What do you mean?"

"It took a few weeks before Sharpshot could fly. His wings were bent against his body in an uncomfortable way, almost broken, and he had to stretch them a lot to get the muscles strong enough to be airborne again. It's obviously not all the dragon's cases, or else some of them wouldn't be able to get to Berk, but there is that possibility…"

"Maybe for those we could prepare ships to take them away, right?"

"That might work. Thanks Astrid. I don't know what would I do without you."

"Oh, you're a smart boy. You would think of something. Eventually."

He smiled sincerely and she felt her heart skipping a beat. She never really noticed him before but now she could see the handsome young man he had become. Astrid barely realized that they both were leaning further and closer to each other until his eyes widened and something snapped in his mind that made him back away.

"I need to talk to Garth!" Hiccup blurted out and grabbed Toothless's flank to help him stand up, being careful not to slip down the edge of the cliff. He started to walk as fast as he could to the rocky stairs that lead to the 'middle level' of the village. Astrid followed right behind.

"Wha-Why?"

"There's still a problem in that plan. We don't have many ships, we barely use them. It might not be enough… Garth is good at building ships and he spends a lot of time at the docks, maybe he'll manage to build some more or maybe he knows where we can get them…"

"We have a lot on Berk…"

"Astrid, you and I both know the Hooligans hate dragons and there's no way they will help us save them."

"Maybe you're right, Son." Stoick's voice came from not too far away and both stopped to look at him, including Toothless that was serving as a crutch for his human. He didn't get all the conversation, but he did get the last and most important information. "But I'm still the chief and I can lend any or all of the boats to whomever I want. But, what would you need them for?"

"Well, it's a long story, I'll tell you later, I need to talk to Garth first…" he stopped talking when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Go with Stoick, explain to him a little bit of what you've been thinking, I'll ask Garth for the information you wanted." Astrid suggested already jumping on Stormfly. She was definitely getting used in having a pet dragon.

Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber and Camicazi reunited in his house, they sat by the table and Hiccup opened his map again, explaining a little bit of the plan he was thinking of. He didn't expect his father to want to join in, he thought he was just curious and he'd probably try to forbid him from going, but his father surprised him saying he wanted to help. He understood him helping with the Berserkers, it was in the heat of the moment and all, but now was different, they were preparing for something totally unfamiliar.

"Wait, are you saying you want to go, Dad? To save dragons? I understand Astrid, she got used to them, but you always hated them…" Hiccup was surprised.

"Of course. But you're my son. And that's more important." Stoick said without a second thought. "Anyway, I liked the distraction thing."

"Yes, but we'd still need more information." Camicazi pointed out and Hiccup nodded.

"That's why I'll have to go on a scouting mission as soon as I can. I need to have an idea about the numbers…"

"I'll tell everyone who's in shape to get ready. A few humans and dragons were hurt, not all of them will be ready to fight, but I believe most of them will be." Camicazi said.

"Great. You do that. Gobber, could you please help Hall to get more weapons done? I guess he'll probably make more arrows too, he did use a lot of them against the Berserkers…" Gobber agreed and went out with Camicazi saying something like how bossy he was, but smiling proudly.

Stoick stayed a little longer, it was weird yet amazing having his son alive and again in his life, but it was hard to get used to the fact that he was not the helpless wimp he once was. It was easy for him to forget it even when he heard Hiccup describing the things he did during the time he was out. He was proud of what his son has conquered over the years, and at the same time, he was sad for not being there for him. Sure, it wasn't directly his fault, but he knew he drove Hiccup away when he was on Berk. Stoick also wanted him to come back, however, considering the circumstances, he stopped insisting for the moment.

His father only left the house when it was starting to get dark, because Hiccup asked him to get a basket of fish for Toothless.

Hiccup was impatient. He wanted to be able to go now; yet, he was rational enough to know he needed to be prepared. He kept revising his notes and maps, always restless when he got anxious or exited with something. He sat at his table, eating some fish he had just made with some bread, not much, though. He wasn't really hungry. That was when Astrid entered the house after knocking.

"Hey, Hiccup. Sorry about the delay, I was trying to help Garth. He has a boat under construction, but he said he won't have more than seven for you ready. You guys really rarely use them…"

"Of course not, we have dragons. Why'd we need ships?" He said half smiling and shrugging. "By the way, where is Stormfly?"

"I fed her and left her to help Garth and his dragon, Runa. Sten and Calder were helping too."

"I'm glad he's getting some help. Sten is a good boy. Are you hungry?"

"No, I ate at the Great Hall. Thanks." She said looking at the maps on the table and sat by his side. Toothless was bored and resting near them. "You know, it's amazing how much you managed to map, you've gone so far. Dragons really are amazing…"

"Yeah. I'm so used to them that it is hard to believe I wanted to kill them a few years before."

"And I can't believe I came to like a dragon so much. I want Stormfly to come along with me. But at the same time, I want her to be safe."

"Believe me, I know the feeling. But if you want to, you can stay here."

"I told you I belong on Berk…"

"Maybe you could stay just for a while. Until the Hooligans get used enough to the idea of dragons being good to not kill her on the sight." He suggested just wishing he could enjoy the moment, he knew it was difficult given the circumstances to make long life plans, but he wanted her around just for a bit longer. "You'll always be welcome here." He finished to assure her of that fact and she nodded, smiling. She knew that all along, but hearing it was good anyway. Astrid knew Stoick wanted him back on Berk; she did too, though she wouldn't admit it so quickly.

"By the way, I saw Snotlout and that Heather girl eating dinner together. I think he's really starting to like her. Which is great, I couldn't stand him hitting on me anymore…"

"He was doing that? But you guys never…" He trailed off and Astrid cut him off saying that there was no chance they'd ever get together; it was a relief for him. "And do you have anyone special on Berk waiting for you right now?"

"No. Not at the moment…" She admitted, feeling herself lean in closer again, it was amazing how he drew her like that. She liked it, though. Maybe she did even before he left, but she suppressed it easier because he was the runt of the litter and a walking disaster for the village. Yet she usually caught herself looking at the cute, clumsy boy. Now he was a handsome young man, a chief and a dragon whisper, yet he still didn't lose his adorable clumsy site and it fascinated her even more.

"Then maybe you could stay a little longer. I could teach you so many things about dragons…" He whispered, drawing closer as well.

"That's a possibility." Astrid mumbled, swiping her golden bangs out of her eyes.

"Good. I like having you around."

"And I like being with you."

"Really?" There was hope in his voice.

"Yeah…"

"In that case..." He grinned, almost sexily, and his voice be came low and deep. "Come here you." It was all he said before quickly placing his right, and nearest, hand on the back of her neck and pulled Astrid closer until her lips met his.

He probably would never have done something like that five years ago. He'd have been too scared that she would kill him if he tried to get too close. Even though she wouldn't do that, but she would be mortified since he was, after all, the embarrassment of the village.

But now it was different. The worst that could happen would be Astrid slapping his face and storming out to never see him again, and he actually hadn't been expecting to see her again until they found Berk's boat, weeks ago. So he was willing to take the risk. This, however, was not what happened. To his surprise, she kissed back and then he felt her small, soft hands reaching for his chest and shoulders.

They only stopped moments later, jumping apart in surprise when they heard knocks on the wooden door. Both parted, red as a tomato.

"Come in." He managed to say. Camicazi looked at them and raised an eyebrow.

"Am I interrupting something?" She knew she was, but it was automatic.

"No…"

"Good. In this case, may I talk to you for a minute, Hiccup? In private."

"Sure…" He turned to face Astrid that was still red, but was now with furrowed eyebrows. "Astrid, could you please excuse us for a minute?" He was hoping she'd say something like 'sure, I'll be back later', instead, she only stood up wordlessly and stormed out, almost bumping into Camicazi on the way.

Cami looked at her go in silence before she closed the door; she knew that the Hooligan girl was just jealous, but it was not something for her to butt in. she petted Toothless, who looked really bored, and sat on the chair Astrid had left, placing a mug on the table before crossing her arms.

"I know you spend the whole night awake."

"Astrid told you, didn't she?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Hiccup. I know you well enough, already." Camicazi retorted, and then she shrugged "But, yes. She did tell me. Even though I don't think she likes me too much…"

"Why not?"

"Girl stuff. Now, drink this. It is buttermilk, I know you like it so I got it especially for you, it will help you sleep. And you should rest, young man. You need to be in great shape ASAP. Now go to bed."

"When is everyone going to stop bossing me around about rest? For Thor's sake I'm fine!" He complained, taking sips of the drink.

"We care about you, mutton-head. And I know you want to do something and start planning, but you won't be able to do anything if you're in bad shape. So just go, you need to sleep, okay?"

"Okay, I'll go. But I won't assure you I'll be sleeping at all." He finished the drink and stood up, walking to the bed. He was tired, exhausted, he was awake for several hours and his body was still in a healing process. He felt his eyelids get heavy by the time he went to sit on his bed, feeling it a bit strange.

"Yes, you will. You'll be sleeping very calmly and you'll be thanking me tomorrow."

"Thanking you? Cami, did you put something on my drink again?" His voice rose almost indignant.

"Sorry, I had no choice. I knew you wouldn't do this by yourself, so I asked Ingrid to give you something to help you sleep. That's all. You can yell at me tomorrow."

"Cami, I hate you…" Hiccup wasn't sad or mad at her, he wasn't even angry. At least not too angry. He didn't actually mean it, and he also knew she wasn't going to be upset by it. It was almost like a sibling thing. She smiled and said something like 'yeah, I know', however he barely heard her as he started to get even more sleepy.

The next day, as soon as the first sunrays started to pass the horizon, Camicazi was already awake with her Changewing. Both had already eaten breakfast and she was fastening the leathery saddle on Shimmer. The entire village was still fast asleep. All but one.

"What are you doing up so early?" Cami yelped, surprised and looked behind to find Bork's curious eyes. He was already awake, the morning shift patrols were usually his, and half of his Terrible Terrors pack was already around the village while the other half was using him as support.

"Bork, don't scare me like that! You've got light feet, you know!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But that means you're doing something you're not supposed to, doesn't it? You rarely get scared…" He said in a matter of fact tone, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be stupid, Bork." She complained, crossing her arms. "I'm the second in command here, remember? I can make my own choices without asking permission."

"Yes, but does Hiccup know? Or Eret? Where are you going, by the way?"

"Hiccup doesn't need to know and I'm still mad at Eret. He's not the boss of me and I'm not speaking to him so soon."

"You can sure hold a grudge. Remind me not to get on your bad side, okay?"

"Good, then I won't have to say you'll be in trouble if you speak to anyone seeing me this morning."

"Again, where are you going?"

"To Outcast Island. I'm going on a scouting mission. Hiccup needs numbers and he can't go right now. Those dragons needs immediate help, so I'll go."

"Camicazi! This is beyond stupid!

"Of course not. It's brilliant. I'm a burglar and probably the stealthiest person on Drakheim and Shimmer can blend in with anything, which makes her almost invisible. The perfect pair for a mission like this. You'll see. We'll be back by tomorrow, no one will notice my absence unless you say something you shouldn't, but if you do, I'm going to take you on a flight with Shimmer, a very fast and dangerously maneuvered flight."

"It's not fair, you know I hate heights!"

"And that's just the beginning. I'm going and don't say anything stupid! Take care of Stormcloud for me, I'm only going with Shimmer because of her Changewing ability."

Bork reluctantly nodded, grabbing the purple Terrible Terror from her arms, the tiny dragon screeched in complaint, not really liking to be kept away from her human. Cami petted Stormcloud one more time before jumping on Shimmer and flying away.

Flashback 20

"Do you think it is something to worry about?" Sten asked Hiccup a few days later, the Strike Tribe leader had just return from the Bog Burglars.

"There's always something to worry about…"

"May I investigate it?"

"I thought you were working on a research project."

"I am. But Hall and Eira are helping me. In fact, they seem more exited to do the research thing than I am…" He answered "I like the testing and noting part a bit more…"

"I don't know, Sten. It might be dangerous…"

"You know I can handle myself. And Calder will be with me." Hiccup sighed thoughtfully for a moment.

"Okay, you can go, but take Sharpshot with you." He said lifting the tiny green and red dragon from his shoulder and handing him to the teen. "If there's anything, any problem at all, report to me through him and Toothless and I will be there. And if I don't receive anything, I'll go there before sundown anyway."

"Yes, sir." Sten said, getting Sharpshot and calling his Snafflefang. In just a few hours, he was landing again on the island he once lived.

Sten tried to ignore the awful feeling that always rushed in him when he looked at the wrecked remains of his old village.

He started walking into the forest near the village area with Calder right behind him and Sharpshot on his shoulder. Everything was very quiet and eerie. Sten spent a few hours looking around, finding nothing, but when he was about to give up, both dragons started to growl.

"What is it, guys?" he asked, looking around and ducked just in time to avoid being hit by an arrow.

Calder jumped in front of his human and growled menacingly while Sten drew his sword. From the direction the arrow came, he could see the shape of someone coming closer until it was revealed to be a girl. A very beautiful girl, in his opinion. She had piercing blue eyes and dark reddish hair, not too long, but it fell on her shoulders in a messy way. Her clothes seemed dirty and a bit worn out. But maybe what surprised him the most was that there was a yellow Terrible Terror on her right shoulder, and that arm was extended in his direction, holding a very sharp spear. He also noticed a quiver and a bow on her back and the arrow might have come from there.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I should ask you the same thing."

"But I asked first."

Sten stepped forward, not letting go of the sword, and then the yellow dragon went to attack, screeching at him. That was when he dropped his weapon on the ground and raised his hands to show the dragon he was unarmed. Hiccup had taught him how to approach wild dragons and for these kind of things, he was a very good student. The dragon looked at him doubtfully until Sten assured he wasn't going to hurt him, slowly reaching his hand to pet him, both Calder and Sharpshot got in a ready position to protect him if needed. Sten finally managed to reach the yellow dragon in front of him and slowly petted him and instantly, he became very meek.

"How did you do that?" She was curious, but her voice was still demanding.

"I know how to deal with them. This dragon is mine and the other one is from a friend."

"Wait, so you're from that tribe that allied with dragons?"

"Yeah, I'm from the Strike Tribe. Dragons are our friends. Now, who are you?"

"I asked first."

"Fine." Sten huffed, "I'll tell you if you put down your weapons."

"Only if you do that too!" She replied.

"I already did. My sword is on the floor." He pointed at it, she looked and thought for a moment before sighing, supporting the not pointed end of the spear on the floor and putting the left hand on her hip, waiting for him to continue. He gulped and cleared his throat. "My name is Sten. This is Sharpshot and Calder."

"And why are you here?" he sighed wondering how bossy the girl was but continued.

"We came here a few days ago, we noticed someone was around recently so I volunteered to look around."

"And you know what happened to that village? Did you attack them?"

"It wasn't us. It was the Berserkers. It happened around 2 or 3 years ago. They destroyed everything and the few survivors, like me, joined the Strike Tribe."

"Oh… Okay, then." She mumbled and took the hand off of her hip to hold the spear as well, but not in a menacing way. "I'm sorry for that."

"Now, it's you turn. Who are you?"

"I'm…" She started but was cut off by a loud grown from above that was distinctly Night Fury. And soon the dragon revealed himself, landing next to Sten.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here? I didn't send Sharpshot back…"

"That's exactly why I'm here."

"Sorry, it's just that I had nothing to report until now. But it can't be that late, can it?"

"Half an hour before sun set." Hall said and his Hackatoo landed behind Sten, along with Eira and her dragon.

"Already?" He asked, confused, looking up but not managing to see much of the sky because of the tree tops.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The girl asked pointing the spear once again, Sten sighed.

Hiccup looked at and analyzed the girl. She seemed to be around Sten's age, only 15 and she was in a very defensive stance. If there was one thing Hiccup had learned over the years with the dragons was that sometimes, humans had similar behavior. Dealing with dragons was natural for him, something easy, and when a human was acting similar to a dragon, it was easy for him too.

He didn't need to know who the girl was or where she came from, or even what she had been through; he only needed to look at her and her defensive stance to know she was scared and fearful. The first thing he would do when dealing with a dragon was assuring its safety, showing it he was not a threat, and that was what he did with the girl.

He dismounted Toothless and petted his head to calm him down before he introduced himself and everyone to the girl. Hiccup made sure to always keep his hands where she could see, assuring her he meant no harm. He was relieved to see her slowly but surely getting calmer.

"So, you're the leader?" She asked to be sure.

"Yes I am. I know, I'm scrawny and weak looking and all, but yes, I am the chief of the Strike Tribe, believe it or not."

"Well, I was looking for you. I wanted to know more about you guys. I'm from the Meatheads, I've seen you once in a while on Market Day, but I never got the courage to speak to you. I want to be one of you."

"What about your parents or your tribe? And, may I know your name, first?"

The girl hesitated for a second and gulped.

"My name is Kari."

"It's a pretty name. Does this one have a name too?" Hiccup gestured to the yellow Terrible Terror.

"He's Erik."

"Okay, now that we all know each other and since it's getting dark, why don't we find ourselves a shelter for the night, shall we?"

"There's a cave, not far from here. I've been camping there for the past few weeks…"

They agreed and Hiccup asked Hall and Eira to get some wood to light a bonfire, it seemed that it was going to be a very cold night, as usual. They also came with nets of fish, they managed to get with the help of their dragons. They all gathered around a bonfire fired up by Toothless. Sten seemed to be very concerned for the girl and he wanted to get closer, curiously, but he respected her space.

The cave wasn't very big, but it was enough to hold all of them and the dragons without them being too cramped. Hiccup asked the girl to explain what happened with her and how she got there. It took her a while, but she finally managed to tell the whole story.

"I came from the Meatheads tribe, as I said. I lost my parents when I was little and I've been seen as an outcast since then. Never really fitting in. Maybe I never did, because I never thought about dragons being mean creatures. They were just defending themselves. But if I said that, then I'd be really ostracized. Then, one day, I found Erik. He was hurt and I treated him, hiding him from everyone. Since I knew about you, I wanted to know more about them, but if I asked in front of my village, they'd think I was insane. And you always came so fast, you usually went only where you needed, bought your items quickly and then you were gone…"

"Sorry, it's just that we know the majority don't like us being there…" Sten commented. Kari shrugged and went on.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I ran away. And then I found the Outcasts. Or they found me. They saw me with Erik and though I was from the Strike Tribe. They came after me, but we lost each other on a storm nearby. The ship I was using sustained too much damage, but I managed into get in this abandoned island…"

"So you've been here since then?" Sten asked and she nodded. "It must have been really lonely." He concluded and she nodded once again.

"It's settled then." Hiccup announced. "You'll come back with us to our island in the morning."

So, did you like it? Please let me know by reviewing!

I'd love to read your thoughts on the story and/or what you're expecting for next chap! :D

And after that, you can check on my profile for other stories or go to my DA link and check it out!

Itban Fuyu