{Hunter's POV}

What else could I said besides that, I didn't love her or at least I didn't know if I did but I didn't want to give her a false hope if my feelings weren't mutual. I had a lot going on right now and I didn't need to add a girlfriend to that mix. Not to mention, I was sure she was going to hate me when I told her the truth about having Hope, and being Shadow. All those times in class when we were supposed to raise our hands if we'd slept with someone...I never did. They thought I was still a virgin. I was a liar and I knew that but I had my reasons and I only hoped one day after I told them...that they would forgive me. I watched her smile fall and tears brim her eyes instantly at my words. "Y-You don't..." She stopped putting her head down, and now I felt like a jackass. "Its...okay, Hunter...I understand." Oh Gods I hated hearing her cry, maybe I did still have feelings for her but everything was a mess right now and I wasn't sure.

"Astrid...just wait a minute...What I mean is...I don't know how I feel for you...A lot...has happened the last two years and...I just, I need time to figure everything out..." I tell her. "I just...can't be in a relationship, not right now anyway...I got a lot going on..."

"Its...okay, Hunter...I can...give you time to figure things out..." She cried. Yup, totally felt like an ass.

"Please don't cry..." I asked her softly.

Astrid calms herself down the best she can, "Hunter..." I looked at her feeling like a jerk, "Can you just tell me one thing?...What happened to you the last two years...?"

I tensed a bit, I couldn't tell her. Not right now I couldn't...What did I say? I disappeared because I got a girl pregnant, then became a single father at 16, and I was the famous dragon racer she always swooned over? No. I wasn't saying anything yet. "Nothing..."

"Don't tell me that!" Astrid snapped, "I know you are hiding something, you and Heather both are! Tell me, please!"

"Astrid..." I said turning his head from her. Great, so she knew I was hiding something. It was to be expected with how I'd been acting lately, as told by Heather.

"Whatever it is...Its why you won't be with me isn't it? Its another girl, right?..." Astrid whimpered looking down.

I looked at her quickly, "No! Its not that...I just...A lot has happened and I don't think I am in a good place to be in a relationship at the moment."

"Why can't you!? Do you know how much it hurt me when you didn't come back to school after your vacation?! And were gone for two years...What happened to you...? Please tell me..."

"Astrid, its not that easy to talk about, it was hard on me! Why cant you understand that!?" I snapped back at her. I just wanted to get out of here. The bell had rung and the others were coming outside now seeing the argument.

"So you are hiding something, you just admitted to it! What is going on, Hunter? What happened two years ago? Why didn't you come back to school...It wasn't just because Heather lost her mom and you guys moved and got home-schooled!" Astrid yelled back. I froze a bit, I was caught. She was right, I did just admit to it but saying it wasn't easy to talk about. Now what, I could run...rather fly away or tell her and the others the truth right now. I looked at Heather who gave me the look, the one that said tell them. I saw my friends looking at me with wondering eyes, and Astrid...she looked hurt and mad. Never a good combination.

"Alright class, whatever is going on...No longer matters. Its class time." Gobber said approaching the group. Oh thank Thor!

"This isn't over, Hunter...As soon as class is over, I want to know whatever it is your hiding..." Astrid huffed as she went to the stables to saddle up Stormfly. I'd already saddled, Strykeout. I led him out and got on his back. The next 30 minutes we spent working on formations. Astrid was glaring at me the whole time, and I was sure the rest of my friends were too. They all knew I was hiding something and were probably upset that I hadn't come clean about. Now that they knew for sure I was, they'd be all over me until I told the truth but right now was class time...I knew they would ask first chance they got after the last bell of the day rang. I sighed heavily as we moved into aerial flips, dive bombs, sharp turns and more. This was easy for me, well on Toothless it was. On Strykeout was a new challenge for me but nothing I couldn't handle.

We were currently about 40 feet in the air practicing these moves when Heather stopped short and Strykeout and I ran into her. "Heather...What the hell..." Shaun groaned since we all got stopped so we wouldn't crash together and fall. I noticed she was staring off towards the North, she never got distracted that easily.

"Hunter...Isn't that mom coming towards us on Cloud Jumper?" Heather asked me, I blinked a few times and looked the way she was and sure enough it was mom with her Stormcutter dragon, Cloud Jumper she called it. Dad had a Thunderdrum named Thornado. Heather had Windshear her Razorwhip and her Terrible Terror, Nightstar. Me on the other hand had not one or two but 3 dragons now. Toothless my Night Fury, Strykeout my Triple Stryke, and Sharpshot my Terrible Terror. But only the Haddocks knew Toothless was mine, to everyone else who saw him...He belonged to Shadow but that was me anyway even if no one knew that but my family. I hated keeping secrets but if I told it would just cause more trouble that I didn't need right now.

I watched as mom flew towards us with Cloud Jumper, she looked to be holding something in her arms as I leaned a bit and looked closer my eyes widened. In my mother's arms was my daughter, Hope. Why was my mom bringing her to the school! Were the Gods trying to kill me!? Oh great Odin above why. First Heather threatens to tell them if I don't and now mom is bringing my daughter here and for what reason. Hope should be in daycare right now and I didn't get any calls! Then again my phone was down in the stables but that is entirely beside the point. I wouldn't do anything, not yet. Maybe mom was coming to see dad, she must of got off early and picked Hope up for me...Right? I watched as mom got closer to us, Hope was moving around a lot, Cloud Jumper jerked and mom tried to hold both her dragon and Hope but it didn't work. Hope slipped from her arms falling towards the ground.

Fear took over me as I urged Strykeout into a dive, just close enough I stood on his back and jumped off and dove faster. I pulled Hope into my arms and turned is so my back would take the impact. "HUNTER!" I heard Astrid and Heather yell together. I closed my eyes holding her tightly as I waited for what I assumed would be unimaginable pain but it never came. I felt something wrap around my waist and stop my fall. Opening my eyes I looked up and saw Strykeout there with a smile and his tongue out of his mouth. Looking down I saw his 3 tails wrapped around me to slow my fall to the ground, he placed me down carefully as I took a few breaths to calm down. I nearly died! And Strykeout, who wasn't even my bonded dragon saved my life. I forced a smile and rubbed his head as he unwrapped his tails from me and crouched down.

"Thank you buddy..." I said softly, the dragon cooed at me and backed up a bit. I saw my mother land, then Heather, Astrid and the rest of them. And here we go.

"Hunter...Gods, I'm so sorry...She...wouldn't stop moving around and it scared...Cloud Jumper..." My mother sobbed.

"Its okay mom...She's fine...Just scared." I said calmly.

"Are you okay?" My mother asked, I nodded.

"You idiot!" I heard Heather scold me. I rolled my eyes at her. "What were you thinking! You could of killed yourself!" Heather shouted, Hope began to whimper.

"Ssshh, its okay." I soothed.

"Vi!" I heard my father yell as he rushed over as fast as he could. "I saw everything from the window, what happened? Is everyone alright?!"

"Dad...Everyone is fine...Its okay. Mom had Hope on Cloud Jumper, she wriggled to much and fell off. I dived, caught her...and then Strykeout caught me. We're both okay. She's just scared..." I explained quickly.

"Papa!" Hope said happily.

"Hello princess." Samuel smiled to her. The others were just confused as to what was going on. I looked to my mother now.

"Why is she here mom? This is no place for her." I state.

"The daycare had a small explosion, all kids evacuated safely and had to be picked up...They said you wouldn't answer so they called me. I just figured you'd want to know what happened and we were close by so we came here..." My mother replied quietly. I sighed heavily as I kissed Hope's forehead and cradled her close.

"I'm going to take her home for the day..." I sighed softly moving towards Strykeout as he bent down to let me on his back.

"Hunter...You have class. I'll take her with me back home..." My mother offered preparing to take Hope from me but she clung tighter and buried her face in my chest.

"Awe, she wants her big brother..." Rylee smiled gently. My father, sister, mother, and myself all stared at her arching a brow in disbelief at what she said. "What...Did I...say something I wasn't supposed to?" Rylee questioned, I felt all their eyes on me now as I continued to hold Hope.

"You...don't know?" My mother stated.

"Know...what? What's going on?" Astrid asked stepping forward now. I sighed.

"Son...I think its time you told them..." My father put a hand on my shoulder now and I nodded. I saw Astrid's eyes water a bit, I had a feeling she knew what I was going to say but she was waiting for me to say it.

"Hunter?..." Astrid said shakily. I faced them now with serious eyes.

"She isn't my little sister...She's..." I trailed off as Hope cuddled close to me, she turned her head facing the group as her eyes opened revealing my green eyes.

"Dada..." Hope said nuzzling against my chest and their eyes widened with their mouths dropping open.

"My daughter." I finally finished my sentence. An awkward silence fell over the area now, just the light breeze blowing around. None of them moved as I sighed, I knew this would happen. They were all in complete shock of what I said. "You all have been harassing Heather to know what I've been hiding, now you know. I have a daughter, this is her. And her name is Hope Haddock. I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone, I wasn't ready for people to know I fathered a child two years ago. And I asked my parents, and my sister to keep the secret for me until I was ready to talk about it. Astrid...This, her is why I said I wasn't ready for a relationship...Aside from not not knowing how I feel in return, I didn't know how you would take to me having a child. I know that look in your eyes, you're hurt I hid something. You all are. I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but I wasn't ready to talk about it and I really didn't know how to tell all of you that I had a child. I know all of you are in shock right now and the fall scared Hope pretty good so I'm going to take her home and...when all of you are ready to know the truth about the last two years...You can come by the house. Heather can give you the address...And Astrid..." I saw her look at me sadly, still in shock. "Please believe I never wanted to hurt you...And I'm more sorry than you'll ever know for hiding this from you, from all of you but I had to do what was best for Hope."

Without another word more, I got on Strykeout holding Hope close to me as he launched into the sky heading back home. I couldn't say anything other than what I had, that fall scared Hope and I just wanted to get her home. I knew the group would come eventually to hear everything but for now my concern was for Hope. And what made this all worse, they didn't even know about Toothless or me being Shadow yet. I would tell them when they came for the story. They knew one secret, they might as well know both. I sighed as I kept my eyes on the sky while flying home. Hope was smiling softly and cuddled against me as I made sure to hold her tightly. Today definitely didn't go how I wanted it too, this wasn't how I wanted them to find out but it happened so all I could do was wait for them to come for answers and prayed to Odin that they would forgive me for everything.