AN: What's up, y'all? I think everyone is going to flip with this chapter. Enjoy! :3

Music: "Something Wild" by Lindsey Stirling (feat. Andrew McMahon)

NOTES!: "Leaves are Falling. Autumn is Calling."

Chapter 12: Something Wild

Rain and sleet poured down on them from above as the waves crashed up against their ship, tossing it around like a rowdy child with a toy. The harsh winds whipped at the sails and ropes, trying to shove them off their course and through the storm. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed in quick succession by monstrous rolls of thunder right over their heads.

Astrid's ears were ringing, slightly muffling the overwhelming noise of the storm and the shouts of her crew. She dropped to her knees and skidded across the wet wood of the deck to grab onto one of the ropes that had come loose. She yanked it back down against the storm that was trying to take it from them and tied it down as fast as she could.

"Astrid!" Someone screamed, and she looked up to see a massive wave towering far above them.

Then everything went black.

Astrid started awake, gasping for breath. She coughed and gagged, spitting out sand and sea water as she turned herself slowly onto her side. Her whole body ached and her clothes were soaked through. She lifted her head as much as she could and looked around. From what she could see, she'd washed up on some beach.

She pushed herself up and slowly climbed to her feet, rubbing her shoulder where a large bruise was surely forming if the pain was any indication. She looked down the beach and found the others also slowly coming around. Fishlegs was the the closest and sat up with bleary eyes. Snotlout was sprawled on his stomach and groaned loudly before rolling over and asking for five more minutes. Ruffnut came crawling out from under a larger piece of their ship that had washed up with them, and Tuffnut was hanging over the side, rubbing his head as he came to.

"Is everyone okay?" Astrid called to them. A couple of groans were the only replies she got, but they all managed to get to their feet.

"Where are we?" Fishlegs asked, staring around at the long stretches of beach and the forest on top of the bluffs.

"No idea. Let's search the wreckage for anything useful. Then we can take a look around." Astrid told them, already heading for the pile of splintered wood that vaguely looked like part of a ship.

There wasn't much left. They managed to find a couple bundles of rations that had survived, but besides that the shipwreck had little to offer. What was strapped to their persons proved somewhat useful. Fishlegs had his dagger and Snotlout provided the map for the quest, preserved by an oiled skin. Astrid managed to find her axe half buried in the sand near where she'd washed up herself.

"Alright, looks like we've got enough food for tonight, but not much else." Astrid crossed her arms as they all stood in a circle around the supplies they'd put together.

"The map is great, but we won't know more about our position until we can chart the stars tonight." Fishlegs peered up at the sky, using one hand to shield his eyes against the afternoon sun.

"Yeah, but even if we manage to figure out where we are what are we gonna do? It's not like we can go anywhere." Tuffnut pointed out, looking at the pieces that was once their boat.

"Great! So we're stranded out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of our quest with no food and no water. Is there anything I'm missing?" Snotlout asked dryly.

"We also only have one axe." Ruffnut added helpfully, pointing at the only weapon they'd salvaged.

"It may not be an ideal situation, but at least we're all still alive." Fishlegs told them, and then looked at Astrid. "Why don't we take a look around the island and see if there's a village? Maybe there's some people here who can help us."

"I think that might be our only option as of right now." Astrid agreed. "Let's pack up the supplies and get moving."

As the vikings began stuffing what little they had into bundles, none of them noticed that high above them, at the top of the bluffs and hidden in the trees, was a green Terrible Terror. The tiny dragon squinted down at the group, sniffing the air, and then turned around and flew off.

He couldn't believe it. His mind absolutely refused to process what he was seeing.

The group had been searching the island for the better part of two hours and had made significant progress. What exactly they were here for, he didn't know, but what he did know was that they were stranded. In all likelihood, they were looking for a village or town for help, but they hadn't found one and they weren't going to.

Then he saw her face.

"Duh Da-Duh, we're dead!" He said, turning and thumping his back against the tree trunk hiding him from view.

Hiccup was sitting up high in a tree a little distance from where the mysterious group of people were slowly clambering through the underbrush. Well, they weren't so mysterious anymore. After spotting Astrid Hofferson's face on the leader of the group, the horns of Snotlout's helmet and the shuffling movements of Fishlegs as well as the lazy gaits of Ruffnut and Tuffnut became that much more clear to him.

"What's wrong?" Toothless questioned, crouched on the thick branches of the tree across from him.

"They're from Berk, Toothless." Hiccup said, and Toothless's ears flicked up with surprise. "It's Astrid and Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Toothless stared at him a few moments longer and a small rumble of thought vibrated from his chest. With a small nod, the Night Fury crawled along the branches around them, looking in the direction the vikings were heading. He'd only taken a few steps when Hiccup's head shot up.

"whoa whoa whoa, where do you think you're going?" Hiccup demanded, holding his arms wide.

"To get a closer look. We still need to find out why they're here." Toothless pointed out, looking back at Hiccup over his shoulder.

"Are you crazy?! If they see either of us we're going to be in serious trouble!" Hiccup hissed back, his head already swimming with scenarios of the young vikings returning to Berk to report to their Chief...

"But if they're here for the Buffalord herd, we'll have no choice but to step in." Toothless replied evenly. "And I don't think you can simply turn away from this, either. Whether they meant to come here or not, they're stranded."

Hiccup opened his mouth to retort, but stopped. He sighed heavily, looking down at the helmet in his hands. He gripped it tighter when he realized his hands were shaking. He sensed Toothless shifting around on the branch and moving closer, but still looked up in surprise when he felt his dragon's nose gently touch his forehead.

Toothless tilted his head again and his expression could only be described as smug inquiring.

"Okay! Fine, fine! Let's go see what the heck they're doing!" Hiccup flung his arms up in defeat as Toothless snickered.

"Uuugh! There's nothing here!" Snotlout groaned, whacking a branch that was hanging in front of him, but it swung back and hit him in the face. "Ow!"

"Stop whining, Snotlout!" Astrid snapped back. "We need to at least find a place to make camp, so just suck it up until then!"

"But we've been walking around this island for hours!" Snotlout continued.

As he was talking, the trees opened up to reveal wide, sloping plains. Astrid came to a full stop with the others falling in behind her. The grass was green and waved gently in the cool breeze that came up off the ocean. There was a sweet herbal scent in the air that reminded Astrid of Gothi's hut back on Berk, but there was no village in sight. There was nothing in sight.

"Oh, would you look at that? A whole lot more of nothing!" Ruffnut exclaimed, extending her arms out towards the peaceful scene in front of her.

"Okay! I get it!" Astrid shouted, grinding her teeth as she tried to find some patience. They were all tired and worn out and stomping around in soggy clothes. "There's a river just over there. We can set up camp and refill the waterskins!"

"Thank gods!" Tuffnut muttered as they all started dragging their feet towards the river.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they'd set up what little they had. The sky was painted with so many warm colors, but the winds that were picking up as the evening wore on were ice cold. They were shivering in their damp clothes as Snotlout stacked up the would they'd collected. Upon realizing that they had all lost their wands during the storm, except for Tuffnut who managed to provide his but found it split in half, they had to resort to the old fashioned way.

"Why isn't this working?!" Snotlout snapped, scowling at the stick he'd been rubbing between his palms.

"We're gonna freeze to death!" Ruffnut wailed, and Astrid didn't have anymore energy to talk back so she just rolled her eyes.

"We're not going to freeze." Fishlegs tried to assure her. "If worst comes to worst we can all huddle together. We can use our body heat to keep each other warm."

"Except that wouldn't really help with the problem of our damp clothes." Astrid sighed heavily, struggling to keep her eyes open at this point.

"Maybe if we just find a way to tie these two pieces together we can get my wand to work." Tuffnut suggested hopefully, holding out the snapped stick.

"Mmm, maybe." Fishlegs said hesitantly. "There's still a few splinters that are connected, so there is some flow for magic... But trying magic with a broken wand is super unpredictable. You could blow yourself up!"

"That sounds like a plus to me!" Ruffnut grinned.

"I got it!" Snotlout shrieked joyfully, interrupting them with his triumph.

Astrid was actually pleasantly surprised to see a pretty good sized flame growing in the kindling. Unlike the last four times Snotlout had thought he'd done it, this one seemed like it had a chance. Snotlout added some more kindling into the middle of the pyramid he'd created with several medium sized sticks. Once the flames were hot enough they would be able to build it up with the larger sticks and logs they'd found.

"Well, my friends, I dare say our luck is turning -Mrrmph!" Ruffnut had slapped her hand over her brothers mouth with a solid glare.

"Do not jinx this!" She pointed at him threateningly, and Astrid actually laughed a little, which seemed to catch everyone's attention.

"Good work, Snotlout." Astrid nodded at him and he grinned back. "The rest of us should get the food ready while Snotlout keeps working on this."

It was a small win, but it gave them all the morale boost they needed to make the chilly evening tolerable. The fire was soon built up to a decent size, letting them warm up and dry off for the most part as they ate what food they had.

Astrid looked around thoughtfully. After eating, keeping her eyes open was much easier and her body didn't feel so heavy. They had a pretty good set up for camp, with a boulder offering some shelter and a break in the wind and a river just a few paces away for fresh water. Everyone seemed more at ease now that they'd had time to eat and a good sleep would do them all good, but the sun had yet to fall below the horizon line and there was still a good amount of light out.

Somewhere in the distance, Astrid swore she heard a low, guttural sound. Almost like a yak or cow lowing in a pasture, but not quite.

"Did you guys hear that?" Astrid asked, turning her head to try and see where the sound had come from.

"Hear what?" Snotlout tilted his head, his mouth still full.

"I could've sworn I..." Astrid muttered absently as she got to her feet and started in the direction she thought the sound might have come from.

The river was between her and the hill she wanted to reach the top of, but there was a narrower part that allowed her to jump across easily enough. Astrid kept walking, vaguely aware that the twins were following her while Snotlout and Fishlegs stayed behind, but she kept her focus forward as they reached the top of the hill.

The plain beyond sloped down to the bluffs where there was a sheer drop into the ocean. It was wide and open and gave a beautiful view of the quickly fading sunset, but Astrid's eyes fell down on the lumbering figures of about five dragons. Two appeared to be full grown with large statures, and three smaller ones shuffled around them, also quite fat but pretty quick compared to their larger counterparts.

"We did it." Astrid breathed, her mouth stretching up on its own. "I can't believe -! You guys! We found them! We found the Buffalord!" She snapped her head around to look at the twins in her excitement.

"Whoa! Look at those things! I've never seen anything like 'em!" Tuff waved an arm towards the small herd.

"They're massive! Bet they can take your head off with one bite!" Ruff put in.

"Come on!" Astrid ordered, running back in the direction of camp. She leaped over the river when she reached it, stumbling slightly on the landing, but continuing on. She went straight for her axe, picking it up and testing the edge on her thumb. "I'll distract it. One of you will have to get the saliva."

"Wait, what?" Snotlout started, shooting Astrid and the twins a confused look.

"What's happening?" Fishlegs echoed his thoughts a little more eloquently.

"We found the Buffalord!" Ruff exclaimed.

"And it is huge!" Tuff added.

"Can we focus, please?" Astrid cut in. "We get the ingredient for Dr. Sweet and then the only thing we have to worry about is finding a way home! So let's make the most of this situation before our luck runs dry."

"But we don't know the first thing about this dragon! How it attacks or defends itself." Fishlegs remarked. "Maybe we should take some time to observe it first and formulate a plan."

"Um, guys?" Ruffnut called out, but Snotlout started in.

"Oh, come on! We've been trained by the best of the best! We can take whatever this thing can throw at us!" Snotlout boasted.

"You guys!" Tuffnut called this time.

"I just think it'd be better if we approached with some caution! We've been really lucky in the span of a couple hours, but that doesn't mean we should act recklessly!" Fishlegs said pointedly.

"I see your point, Fishlegs. Why don't we all go take a look at the herd again and we can discuss the next best move?" Astrid suggested.

"You know what might be better? Focusing on the dragon that's right there!" Ruffnut shouted, pointing up.

On top of the boulder they'd been using for cover was a medium sized dragon as black as the darkest night. Bright green eyes glared down at them as sharp fangs glinted in the firelight. Snotlout, who had been standing just in front of it, squealed and scrambled away, stumbling over himself to everyone else on the opposite side of the fire.

"What is that? I mean, it looks really cool! But also really scary!" Tuffnut yelled.

"Night Fury." Astrid barely dared to breathe, watching the slim dragon. It wasn't moving, but it was still poised to lunge at them at any moment.

"What do you want?"

They all whipped around, several screams splitting the air, at the sudden and unfamiliar voice. Astrid stood at the center of their group, axe at the ready and her stance wide. She was cursing herself in her mind for letting someone sneak up directly behind them, effectively sandwiching her team between the mysterious dragon and the even more mysterious person standing in front of them now.

The firelight from behind them helped illuminate the man before them despite the darkness that was growing as the sun sunk completely below the horizon. He was tall and slim, but carried himself with confidence. A fighter of some kind, she was guessing. He was dressed mostly in brown leathers with a few armor pieces here and there. The metal helmet over his head covered his face and distorted his voice, but she could spy some brown hair sticking out the back and his eyes seemed to glow through the slits in his helmet.

His eyes... matched the dragon's.

His eyes matched the dragon's!

"Who are you?" Astrid demanded, gripping her axe tightly and preparing for a fight. They may not have weapons, but they had the advantage of numbers. They could make this work.

"I asked you first." The man retorted.

"Well, we asked you second!" Tuffnut shot back. The man tilted his head and stared at them for a moment, and then he shrugged.

"Fair enough. Most people call me Cat." The man, Cat, told them easily. "Now, how about you tell me what it is you came here for?"

"Oh, well, that's easy -Mmmrrph!" Ruffnut stepped forward casually to started explaining, but Fishleg's slapped a hand over her mouth.

"We're here on official business by order of the Royal Council of the Allied Kingdoms." Astrid lifted her chin, glancing back to see if the dragon had moved or not but she couldn't see properly with just her peripherals. "Any act of violence against us will be seen as a direct attack on the Allied Kingdoms!" She added for good measure.

"Wow, that's a mouthful." Cat said dryly. "Why not just say you're here for the Buffalord?"

"Who says we are?" Snotlout demanded.

"Why else would you come to this island?" Cat asked incredulously.

"He's got a point there." Tuffnut nodded.

"Look, I've been watching you guys for a while now. I know you're here for the Buffalord. You know you're here for the Buffalord. So why don't we all act like adults and talk about it?" Cat suggested, somehow managing to shoot them a pointed look despite his face being entirely covered.

"You've been watching us?" Astrid growled, raising her axe slightly, and Cat rolled his eyes.

"Yes, out in wild country you don't exactly run up and give a hug to every visitor you get. I was being cautious." His tone definitely touched the line of being condescending, but Astrid guessed she had that one coming. "Why do you want the Buffalord?" He asked again, this time his voice was firm.

Astrid didn't lower her axe, but shifted her feet. She glanced over at the others quickly: the twins looked more curious than anything, Fishlegs still looked terrified, and Snotlout was snarling but his bottom lip was trembling. Looking back at Cat, she found him patiently waiting. She sighed and lowered her axe just a little, straightening to her full height.

"There's a plague. We were sent to collect the saliva because one of our doctors thinks he can create a remedy with it." Astrid admitted. It left a bad taste in her mouth, but they were all worn out from their journey and had no way off the island or any way to contact anyone. They were stuck and the last thing they needed was to start a fight with some random guy and his pet dragon.

"And what exactly was your plan for getting the saliva?" He pressed, his eyes dropping to Astrid's axe. She looked down at it and then lifted her chin higher.

"We were just discussing that." Astrid replied curtly.

There was silence for a long moment, but then Cat just shrugged again.

"Okay." He said and walked passed them, heading for the boulder where the dragon had stopped snarling and was climbing down to greet him.

"Okay?" Astrid repeated, staring at him and wondering what kind of planet he came from.

"Okay." Cat nodded, opening what looked like a saddlebag on the dragon and pulling out two fairly sized glass jars. "I'll get the saliva for you."

"Just like that?" Snotlout lifted an eyebrow as their whole group stared on in bafflement.

"Just like that." Cat assured with what sounded like a chuckle. "I'm not here to hurt you or prevent you from getting medicine. I'm here to protect the Buffalord herd. As long as you don't kill them or try to steal them, we won't have any problems."

"You're preserving the species." Fishlegs said in awe.

"That is the hope, yes." Cat responded almost absently as he tucked the two jars into a small sack and then turned to where they'd seen the herd. He paused to look back and wave at them. "Well, come on! Unless you wanna stand there all night."

Astrid shared a lot of confused looks with the others before they all started to follow Cat and the dragon that trotted along at his side. Instead of stopping at the top of the hill like Astrid and the twins had, Cat kept going and walked right up to the herd. Only one of the adults was still awake and lightly grazing in a patch herbs. Cat stepped up and patted it's shoulder, pulling out the jars and taking off the caps.

"This is incredible!" Fishlegs breathed as Cat used the jars to catch the green-stained drool. "They're so docile! Almost yak-like!"

"Yep. As long as they're on their island. Try to take them away from their food source and they become almost unstoppable." Cat explained, capping one jar and then reaching for the other. "It's why people will just cut off their heads and drain what they can, but these guys are one of the most gentle species of dragon in existence."

"So, you... what, exactly? Live here on an empty island to be a dragon rancher?" Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. Cat actually laughed at that.

"Not exactly." He said, standing up with the two jars now filled to the top with the green solution they'd come for. He handed one off to each of the twins as Tuffnut muttered something that sounded like 'cool' and then Cat turned to Astrid to finish. "I don't live here, but I make it a point to keep an eye on the herd."

"...You're the Dragon Rider we've been hearing about." Astrid finally said it, and everyone seemed to freeze for a moment. Cat tilted his head at her again; in amusement this time.

"What was your first clue?" He quipped.

"You're nothing like what I expected." Astrid told him plainly.

"Oh, I'm sure." Cat nodded sagely, turning to keep facing her as he walked backwards towards his dragon. "Let me guess, you were expecting a big, terrifying guy with crazy looking eyes and ordering dragons around? Or maybe you expected us to fly in, dragons blazing? Trust me, I've heard it all before." He turned towards his saddlebag again, leaving his back to them.

"They say you might be in league with Pitch Black." Astrid said, watching him carefully as he stiffened at the mention of Pitch. He turned his head just slightly to speak back to her.

"Pitch Black is no friend of mine." His voice was quiet and his body still tense. "Do you intend to try and take me back to your Council for questioning?"

Astrid lowered her chin, glancing at the two jars he'd graced them with and then the others. All of them looked as hesitant as Astrid felt, and when she finally turned back to Cat, she found the words coming out without regret.

"No." She said. "You've been generous to us... Provided this isn't some kind of trick." She added the last part with a smirk and Cat snorted, rolling his eyes again. When she continued, it was with a more serious tone. "Thank you, for the medicine. We'll leave here in peace, you have my word."

"I appreciate that." Cat nodded. "I know dragons make people nervous. It isn't always this easy."

"I think we can imagine." Fishlegs agreed, peering at the dragon by his side. "Just out of curiosity, your dragon there wouldn't happen to be a...?" Fishlegs trailed off, though his pitch was getting higher with his excitement.

"A Night Fury." Cat nodded. "This is Toothless."

'Toothless' lifted his head up and gave a warble, his ear flaps flicking. His pupils were wider than before, more friendly.

"What kind of a name is that? This thing definitely has teeth! I got a really good look at them when he nearly gave me a heart-attack!" Snotlout ranted. Toothless snorted.

"In any case. We'll be around the island for the rest of the night, so if you run into any trouble, just give a shout." Cat told them, swinging onto Toothless's back.

"Wait! Why not stay at our camp?" Fishlegs suggested. Astrid shot him a look, but it went unnoticed as the twins grinned and agreed with the idea. Snotlout didn't say anything. "You said... Well, maybe you'd be interested in sharing some of your knowledge about dragons?"

Cat stared at them all for a really long time, but Astrid couldn't tell what he was thinking because of that stupid helmet. Toothless even looked back at him eventually, and Cat shared a look with the dragon that, if Astrid were crazy, she'd swear they were communicating.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt..." Cat finally said very slowly. Fishlegs and the twins beamed.

"Oh, you're gonna love it!" Tuffnut started in, walking up to throw his arm around Cat's shoulder as soon as he'd climbed off of Toothless. "We've got a fire! And a rock! And... Well, that's about it, but it's gonna be great!"

Astrid kept her distance, but she did have to admit the evening proved... interesting. It was definitely weird to feel mostly at ease even though there was a Night Fury napping just a few paces from her. Cat was reclined back against Toothless's side, looking perfectly comfortable. The twins and Fishlegs pestered Cat with endless questions, and he was patient with them, answering most of them. Occasionally he'd side-step a topic, and Astrid tried to make note of them. The main thing he seemed to avoid was telling them about himself, which was more than a little suspicious.

"So, what are... Well, I mean, what made you realize that dragons could be 'trained', so to speak?" Fishlegs asked after Cat had finished explaining that most dragons attack out of fear rather than malicious intent.

"Yeah. And if dragons are so innocent why were they raiding our village for so many generations?" Snotlout muttered.

"Have you had any raids recently?" Cat looked directly at Snotlout, who shifted in his seat.

"No." Snotlout admitted. "It all suddenly stopped one day about two years ago."

"That's because the nest in the Archipelago was controlled by a Queen. If the dragons didn't bring back enough food, they'd get eaten themselves." Cat's hand fell down to rub Toothless's head. "After the Queen died, the dragons were freed and a lot of them left the Archipelago entirely."

"How do you know all this?" Snotlout wanted to know. His tone wasn't quite accusing, but his expression looked uncharacteristically thoughtful.

"Toothless and I had a run-in with the nest a few years back." Cat shrugged. "We were passing through the Archipelago to more southern lands. Got caught by the Queen's call. Almost got eaten. Any other questions?"

"Why do you keep doing that?" Astrid cut in after remaining quiet through most of the conversation. Everyone looked over to her, and Cat met her eyes evenly.

"Doing what?" Cat responded calmly, unmoving.

"Dodging the question about what you are." Astrid shot back, knowing that he was aware she'd caught him dodging Fishlegs' question.

There was silence for a long time. The others looked back and forth between them as they stared each other down. Finally, Cat eased back, raising his waterskin for a drink.

"Because I don't know the answer." He said.

It was quiet again and Toothless lifted his head to look at Cat, giving a warble. Cat nodded and patted Toothless's muzzle before getting to his feet. He stretched his arms up as he yawned.

"Well, I think it's about time we turned in." Cat told them as Toothless also got up, stretching out like a cat before wandering a few paces away and sniffing around. Cat gave them all a mock salute as he turned to follow. "Tonight has been... interesting."

Hiccup gladly rolled under Toothless's wing, curling up for sleep in the warmth. A few moments after they'd settled, Hiccup could hear the others shifting around and getting ready for bed. It wasn't long before their murmuring voices came to him too.

"I hope he'll be willing to share more with us tomorrow." Fishlegs' voice was the one to break the silence.

"I wouldn't hold my breath, Fish'." That was Snotlout.

"Why not? Just imagine how much better Berk would be if we knew how to make peace with dragons!" Fishlegs insisted.

"I think getting people on board with that idea would be harder than you think." Astrid spoke up. "There's a lot of older people on Berk who will never go for something so... Well, frankly, crazy. Especially not because of advice from a Dragon Rider. Mildew might actually bust a vein with his screaming."

There was a universal aura of Cringe from the group and Hiccup at the mention of Mildew.

"But just imagine how cool it'd be to have a pet dragon!" Ruffnut argued.

"Yeah! It could blow things up, maul your enemies, and if T' over there is any indication: They're super cuddly too!" Hiccup could Feel Tuffnut beaming at the idea. "That sounds like the best companion ever, am I right?"

"I don't disagree that there could be some advantages to the knowledge Cat is willing to share, but try to remember that we know absolutely nothing about him." Astrid reminded them all.

The murmuring died down after that, and a few moments later Hiccup could sense them all drifting to sleep. Snotlout and the twins were already snoring. Astrid was only lightly sleeping.

Hiccup sat up and took off his helmet. Leaning against Toothless's side, he stared at the sleeping forms of his... He wasn't really sure what to call them now. He wasn't sure what to think.

"They were more peaceful than you expected." Toothless remarked.

"Definitely." Hiccup responded through their bond, not wanting to wake the others.

"They seem eager to learn. At the very least curious. Why not teach them?" Toothless suggested, and Hiccup glanced at him before looking back at the group.

"It's way more complicated than that and you know it." Hiccup muttered.

"Maybe by teaching them, you can make things a little less complicated." Toothless pressed, gently nudging his shoulder with his nose.

Hiccup opened his mouth, taking in breath to retort, but stopped. He sighed, pressing his lips together and looking down at his helmet in his hands. He stared at it for a long time before finally speaking again.

"How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be." He whispered.

Morning came. Hiccup hadn't managed to sleep at all, his mind choosing to stir over Toothless's words all night instead. When the moon and stars began to fade, Hiccup stood and walked away from the camp.

The river water was icy-cold and refreshing as he splashed it on his face. He sat back on his heel as he looked out towards the horizon, watching the dark blue sky give way to the warm pastels of morning. A breeze swept up from the ocean, bringing the scent of the sea and the rush of the wind to him.

Hiccup closed his eyes and lifted his chin into the breeze, enjoying that familiar feeling.

He opened his eyes when the wind settled again and sighed. With a sharp nod to himself, Hiccup stood and reached out with his mind. His pack should still be where they'd left them the day before; on a large seastack just off the shore of the island. Calling them to come meet them, Hiccup shoved on his helmet and turned back towards the camp. Toothless was staring at him as he came back, but Hiccup chose not to say anything about it.

The pair didn't have to wait long for the vikings to come around. Astrid was first, rising with the sun quite naturally. Fishlegs was sleep-clouded but managed to get up. The rest were like the walking dead. Still, they grouped together and cleaned up their camp and then got to business addressing their biggest problem.

"So we've got the medicine now, but how the heck are we gonna get it home?" Snotlout asked.

"I think the only option we have is to build some kind of raft ourselves and try to find an island with some people who can help us." Astrid told them, which did seem the most reasonable in their current situation.

"Unless..." Tuffnut trailed off, looking and nodding his head not so subtly in Hiccup's direction. "You know, our man Cat is still hanging out with us. Maybe he can help."

"I think we've already asked for a lot, Tuff." Astrid tried to be polite, but Hiccup could hear the reluctance in her voice.

"Well, I should tell you that the closest inhabited island is several miles away heading north. Going south you'll have to cross the Archipelago's fog barrier before you'll be able to find anyone." Hiccup informed them.

"Well, that's just great! That's how our ship got wrecked the first time!" Ruffnut crossed her arms over her chest with a pout.

"There is one other way..." Hiccup trailed off purposefully, waiting to see if they'd bite. Everyone turned to look at Astrid, who was looking at him with a slightly scrunched expression before throwing her arms up in frustration.

"Alright, fine! What do you think we should do?" She questioned.

"I have dragons." Hiccup began, watching their expressions carefully. "I can take you passed the Archipelago's barrier, but there's no way I'm landing in viking territory. We'd have to go further south where the Kingdoms are larger and aren't on constant lookout for dragons. It's easier to go unnoticed there."

"Are you saying we'd get to ride on dragons?!" Tuff looked like he was going to burst from excitement, but Astrid only got more suspicious.

"Why would you do that for us?" Astrid wanted to know. "We're vikings and you're a Dragon Rider! And how do we know you're not just going to use us as shields to attack the Allied Kingdoms?"

"Because of all the vikings I've dealt with, I've never seen anyone show even the slightest interest in peace with dragons. You didn't immediately attack me or Toothless. You chose to talk. I think that's worth looking passed our differences for." Hiccup said honestly. "As for the second part; there's no way you can no for show. And I know there's no way for me to convince you. So you're just going to have to trust me."

Astrid gave him a skeptical, wary look.

"Let me show you." Hiccup tried, taking a step back and opening his arm to show her Toothless. She looked between him and Toothless for a moment, and then nodded.

"Alright." She conceded. "I guess we don't have much other choice. If the rest of you are okay with it?" She turned to the rest of the team, and the others gave various reactions of nods and whoops of excitement.

"Great." Hiccup grinned behind his helmet. "Let's match you up."

They all gave him a confused look, but he just turned and raised his arm. From up above, his pack started diving down towards them, swooping into the field behind Toothless. Hookfang landed in front, regarding the vikings with a squint, and Hiccup went to meet him.

"I hope you're right about this." The Monstrous Nightmare hissed, leaning down to press his snout into Hiccup's palm as he started walking backwards.

"Me too." Hiccup told him, guiding him back towards the group.

Hiccup could hear the others behind him. Mostly Snotlout as he whined and whimpered with uncertainty and fear. Hiccup reached back and grabbed his arm, trying to guide it closer to Hookfang, but Snotlout resisted.

"Wait! What are you-!?" Snotlout yanked his arm free, his voice getting loud in his fear, and Hookfang snorted.

"Shh! Relax," Hiccup told Hookfang before turning to Snotlout and gently taking his arm again. "It's okay. It's okay."

Very carefully, Hiccup replaced his own hand with Snotlout's, letting him and Hookfang make contact for the first time. Hookfang relaxed into the shaky, but larger hand, pressing up into it, and Snotlout stared in shock and wonder. His face expanded into a full grin as he laughed. Hiccup found himself smiling too.

"H-hey, where are you going?" Snotlout called out as Hiccup moved over to Toothless and reached into his saddlebag.

"You're gonna need something to help you hold on." Hiccup told them, turning back to the group with an armful of rope. The other four stared at him in awe, and then turned to look over at the other dragons as they drew a little closer.

Maybe this wouldn't be as tough as he thought.