Edited.

Hiccup swallowed.

Aware of the attention, aware she had no shield, no axe, no hammer, no sword. But it was alright. She wasn't there to fight.

The dragon had ceased its fire. Not for running out, she wouldn't be this lucky twice, even if all the luck in the world was what she needed for what she intended to do now. It was a bad idea, a stupid, crazy one, for sure. It was also the only idea she could think of.

The Monstrous Nightmare looked at her. Right to her soul, as other dragons seemed to do quite often. It crooked its head, yellow irises and thin, snake-like pupils nipping her whole, skinny existence, but she didn't wince. Not frozen by panic like she had many times before, no. Hiccup was scared, yes, but she also knew this would work. She could see the curiosity in the dragon's eyes and maybe the sudden silence amongst her own was a sign, not that she believed signs much, although praying was in her thoughts as she gathered courage to do what she was about to.

"It's okay, it's okay…" no fear in sight, her voice came out as a mother's soft whisper to calm a child's nightmare. "I won't hurt you". The wyvern was approaching, yes, but so, so much slower than when it went for her husband. It was almost calm, not showing its teeth, no hissing, just curiosity and doubt.

Holding an arm towards him, she remembered, the usual dagger on her belt. Right. Toothless hated any blades on sight, too. If he won't burn me, I can't cut him. So her left hand took the oversized knife out, never breaking their eye contact. She dropped it. Just like before.

This ripped another wave of gasps across the crowd and the set of eyes locked with hers widened a bit, as the Nightmare walked closer, low, like a hunting house cat, still doubting, still waiting.

Right.

Instinctively, her both her hands went for her head. The helmet resting above it. The sign she was a Viking. A citizen from this strong, warrior culture which hunt down that smart, gentle species for centuries. The snake eyelids got thin, and she could see his challenge. If you're telling the truth, prove it.

"I'm not one of them", she heard the truth she ran away from most of her life when she discarded the helmet to the ground just like her dagger. A louder gasp and increasing murmurs and whisperings were heard, still, but she wasn't done.

Alright then, the dragon was quite close now, and Hiccup noticed how his pupils were bigger than before. Like Toothless, maybe this one's pupils were a significative indicator for their humor.

"Stop the fight" Stoick's command was authoritative as always, certain and daring anyone to not obey, except all Berkians couldn't unglue their eyes from this scene. What was this, after all? Nobody moved to stop her as they let their Chief's voice be forgotten on the wind.

"No! I need you all to see this" the dragon trainer girl was still far from her goal and she knew it would work. The crimson animal was starting to trust her. "They not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them". Hiccup's voice didn't shake at all, and it made her clear that all villagers were listening. Her hand was centimeters near the red scales and the pupils were widening by the second.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT" Stoick yelled his order through all Vikings, sheer rage and power in his tone, in the hammer he slammed against the horizontal bars. Metal on metal, shouting and blades around, pupils became a straight, thin line against yellow irises, and it was Hiccup's reflexes that saved her when the dragon's mouth tried to bite it off, back to its offensive reaction.

She yelled, trying to run and thanked the fact she spent her whole life running so no flames of his new blast got to her.

"Hiccup!", Artichoke's voice was heard, and he wasn't on the floor anymore. An unrecognizable weapon hit its muzzle, the blonde's aim was certain and full, made the dragon walk almost back to its cage, but he wouldn't go back to that dark, forgotten, rotting hole that easy.

Fire aimed towards the teens and Hiccup ran and yelled loudly. A much bigger gate, unlike the small door she had came through, was opened by her father, and the couple ran towards it, just almost reaching safety again.

Artichoke made his way out first, being pulled to freedom by their leader. Hiccup, however, was too slow. A fire blast got in her way from freedom and although the dragon couldn't escape through that gate, it wouldn't let her get away so easily, either. So, she did what she always did best.

She ran.

She ran till her legs gave in in that circle, hellish, kill rink. Kill rink. She was the one going to get killed. Hiccup barely could take in the air when the Monstruous Nightmare trapped her on the floor. Trapped her much better and much easier than what it took her to risk it all and save her husband. Its three claws were steel made bars, would easily rip her open.

Then everything went grey.

She couldn't breathe right; she couldn't see anything. Dust and smoke filled in the air. The black-nail-made prison loosen out and she was free from being toasted alive, coughing, still crawling away, until it cleared out.

Toothless was there.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Toothless was almost napping that regular evening, accepting her human wouldn't come today. She was fine with it, really. Nearly falling asleep with heavy eyelids and little to no perception of her surrounding until she heard.

Distant and low, sure, but it was screaming. It was yelling, calling for help in the midst of an attack. It was her friend. Her Hiccup. Hiccup was in danger, she was yelling. This made the dragon jolt up, searching for what she couldn't see. She needed to leave, she needed to find where the sound was coming from.

Instinct, adrenaline, willpower, she couldn't care less what you could call it, with human complex words. It didn't matter what for or how, but she needed to get out. Needed to find her. Falling. Falling, she couldn't climb the stones, she couldn't fly alone but another faraway sound of terror gave her the necessary strength to make her claws break their way up in those stone-walls, to free her from that cage.

Any other day, any other attempt, Toothless would be celebrating proudly after climbing her way out, but now? She could enjoy her new liberty later, now, her human was in danger, and she couldn't loose more family, so she ran.

The Night Fury ran as fast as she could, wings open to help her gliding her way faster to Hiccup. She couldn't care for the dense forest, she didn't stop to notice the human constructions, she saw and felt nothing but the raw wish, the need to protect.

A jump for impulse and the usual buzzing sound before a powerful, energetic purple blast melt her way in. Yes, her Hiccup was here. And so was a filthy, soon to be dead Monstrous Nightmare.

Toothless threw her body against it, raging and growling. Stay back. Back. But this stranger wanted no talking, no hearing, it tried to fight again, but fine, she could use the violence. Hiccup was secure behind her body and there was no way in hell this Night Fury would loose to a starving mindless Monstrous Nightmare. The arrogance in her thought just enraged him more and they impacted again, fire and teeth against each other.

He was no match, though. Didn't want to fight her at all, no, he'd insist in making his way to her human and that wouldn't be allowed. Why are you protecting this trash? Seemed to be stamped in his eyes, but she only let a guttural grunt in response. One enough to make him stand back, stand back against an odd, rock made wall. Good.

Before Toothless could turn to check on her human, she was already there, already with her arms hugging her head, except there was no time. There was no time for the dragon to get herself together and feel the relief at the sight of her best friend's safety before her. There was no time for the dragon to wonder in shock and betrayal why her best friend was pushing her away. There was only time for the Night Fury to see a growing number of threats, smaller in size but not in power, as she saw all those humans, all with their shining tools of torture. Sha handled a handful. Protecting Hiccup, even if they weren't aiming for her. In her state of fighting alert, a push of wings here and there was enough, until a much bigger of them, much taller and wider, ran towards her.

She gave him no chance, feral strength pining the large human down. He was strong, though, struggling bare-handed against her font paws, maybe he could even have won, maybe his raw human strength was enough to let him win and get out of this alive, maybe. You know, if this wasn't a fire-breathing creature we're talking about.

But her Hiccup's supplication grounded her to reality, made her hesitate and look at that friend to whom she owed her life. Is this another stupid human she cared for? It was and her face yelled it out for Toothless, for anyone to read. Hiccup wasn't terrorized anymore, but she was scared, scared for her, for him, for everyone, she was heartbroken, pain and prayers in her feature that made Toothless want to coo her into a warm, comforting embrace of affection.

That's what made her loose her peak. A strong, raw punch was felt in her head. And another. And a push. And a full adult human weight. And other. And other. And other. And other. She could barely breathe, barely open her mouth to anything. They were pinning and suffocating her in that pile of humanity.

The large male she almost burnt was standing now. It seemed like their leader. She held his gaze, cursing him to drown in a never-ending sea of lava. So much fury in her eyes aiming for him, promising to finish her job when she was free, she barely heard Hiccup's voice in the back.

"Put it with the others", the male didn't look away, either.

Toothless would want to at least win that staring contest, but she was soon dragged to a dark, tight cave. Where she couldn't leave and see anything except for thin layers of light. She called for Hiccup there. She cried for her friend in there.