Chapter 14
On the way

Jack had to admit, at first he was scared. Terrified, even. It reminded him a bit of the first and only time he had found himself on a horse's back, when he had been eight. Granted Toothless was smaller than a horse, but being on his back made Jack dizzy. The dragon barely moved his back to be more comfy that Jack quickly wrapped his arms around Hiccup's waist and squeezed with distress. The tamer chuckled and patted his arm, looking at him over his own shoulder.

''It's okay, don't worry.''

Jack swallowed and tried to relax, nodding in understanding. He knew he had nothing to worry about, but that didn't mean he managed to really act confident and relaxed. Hiccup proved himself patient with him, giving him reassuring smiles and a few advices so he wouldn't get frightened by the height.

Little by little, Jack managed to relax, then appreciate the flight. Once he was at ease, Toothless made a couple aerial stunt to entertain him, which allowed Hiccup to hear the boy's laugh. They spent a good hour in the sky, flying above the forest and around the island, until dawn caught up with them, signaling them to go back to the camp. In the end, Jack had liked this flight so much he couldn't help but smile and bounce on his feet when Hiccup offered to come with them too on the following day.

And he came along the next day as well, and soon it became an habit between the three of them. Sharpshot tagged along too, either by flying with them, either by snuggling in Jack's arms, who was making sure not to crush him between Hiccup and him.

At the circus, noone questioned this new habit. Actually, Jack doubted anyone had noticed since the tamer and him were always the first ones to get up in the morning. He liked this idea, it felt like he was sharing a secret with Hiccup, and most of all he could enjoy some quality time with him, just the two of them… well with the dragons, of course, but still. With this he felt closer to the tamer, and it was during these moments he could see this peculiar smile of Hiccup's. Jack liked this smile and, with time, it was making him smile too.

Jack really liked these morning flights. The scenery was changing with each location of the circus – which was making the boy loose the smallest landmark he could have – but Hiccup and the dragons being here with him, along with the clouds surrounding them, it felt familiar, and it felt like freedom.

He was feeling free since he had left Burgess and his village. Surely he was still hidding his appearance and was still plagued with nightmares, but at least the circus troup wasn't treating him like some leper they didn't want to touch nore come too close to, even less look at. No, the troup was treating him as a human, even as a friend.

Moreover, these morning flights were benefic for his nightmares as it was bringing him dreams instead. Peaceful dreams in which he was flying among the clouds, above cities and their light in the dark. Sometimes, Jack was wondering what it looked like by daylight, or lit by sunset or sunrise. These dreams were making his nights more bearable and allowed him to drift back to sleep even after a nightmare, thing that he had never managed to do beforehand. Now, once the bad memories were haunting him, he could fight them back, he just had to think about flying or hug Sharpshot closer to him.

Little by little, he could sleep better and it was visible during the day because he had more energy and merrier mood. Jack started to go see others more easily, constantly helping with luggages and tools – in the extend of what he was able to carry – with mounting and dismounting the tents, he was cooking almost all the meals and was sometimes caught humming while doing so.

The day Valka told him he was doing a lot of work, maybe too much, he shyly responded that he felt indebted to them and wanted to pay them back, somehow. For saving him, but also for taking him in with them. That day, Jack saw an expression on the ringmistress' face that left him puzzled and a bit guilty : Valka looked like she was moved but saddened by his thankfulness. Their conversation ended up in a hug, which Jack returned, and a few words assuring him the circus was his home too, now.

Then it was Jack's turn not to know if he had to be moved or sad. Having a place he could call home was heartwarming, but at the same time he couldn't get rid of the anguish that this beautiful dream would shatter once the troup learnt about his history. It was a problem he was constantly trying to delay, but he didn't know how long he needed to gather the courage to face this reality. Undoubtedly years wouldn't be enough to prepare him.

Jack woke up with so much energy it surprised himself. Another nightmare had tried to torment him during the night, but he had managed to fight it off by dreaming about another flight on dragon back. However, the prospect of doing another one was worrying him more than making him excited. Or rather, the idea of taking a flight in this location.

The troup was about to give their last representation in the region of the Windy Mounts, a mountain chain with pretty wet weather and a lot of strong winds, especially during winter. The four places they had visited in the area had allowed Jack to discover a bounded population who used to cheer up from the bad weather by having a lot of parties and celebrations. The Hairy Hooligans circus' last stop had brought them in Nordé mountains, where lived the Screeching Eagles clan, arriving right on time to celebrate the marriage of the chief's nephew.

If the brand new show of the twins – who had spent it fighting over a shield instead of really performing their jigling – was met with quite a success, Hiccup and his dragons were less appreciated. There was a few wild dragons in the mountains and the clan was not fond of them. Actually, they were hunting them. Jack was heartbroken to hear dragon hunting was one of the Screeching Eagles' favorite hobby.

That was why Jack was so reluctant to take a morning flight there. He had shared his worries with Hiccup the previous evening, and did so again in the morning. Hiccup just smiled at him and reassured him with added arguments to the ones he had already told him the day before. Toothless and him were going before dawn specifically not to be seen. Moreover, the local weather was helping them hide thanks to this constant fog covering the mountain, the Screeching Eagles' village and its surroundings. Not mention the clan had accepted to stop hunting dragons by the time the circus was there specifically to avoid mistaking one of Hiccup's dragons for a wild one.

Jack tried to convince himself that Hiccup was right and careful enough, but he couldn't shake the feeling away. He had a bad feeling about this. As he was standing awkwardly, nervously fidgeting with his sleeves, Hiccup could clearly see he was still reluctant. His amused smile dropped.

''You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. I won't force you, you know.''

Jack hesitated. Granted he didn't want to take the risk, but it was obvious that Hiccup and Toothless were going to. So the boy sighed and gave in.

''I can't just leave you too alone. What if something happen ?''

Hiccup let him climb on the saddle behind himself, staring at him without a word. Once Jack was settled, he pouted, making the auburnet chuckle. Hiccup bent on his dragon and patted his flank, meeting lime eyes.

''You hear that, bud ? Jack the Knight's gonna watch over us.''

The boy instantly felt red creeping on his cheeks up to his ears. Unable to retort, he looked down and pulled on his hood in hopes to hide these unwanted colors so subtly betraying his embarrassment. Despite of this, nostalgia took over. Jack remembered a time when his mother and sister would call him that, especially when he was helping his sister escaping from some bullies, or when he was defending his mother from gossiping old ladies who were only jealous of her once perfect family.

Jack came out his thoughts back to the present when Toothless took off. By reflex, he squeezed Hiccup's middle, the tamer bent forward to follow his dragon's movements. Sharpshot had not come with them this time because Jack had not wanted to wake him up. Despite how much the Terrible Terror seemed to love Jack, he could still prove himself quite grumpy if someone was interrupting his night or naps. Jack had learnt it the hard way, his forearm was still adorning the fresh scars from the scratches he had gotten that day.

The fog was so thick around them that Jack could barely see anything. Toothless, for his part, seemed perfectly fine to fly and avoid the obstacles. He was baffingly able to see the trees before his passengers could. As they had just avoided a particularly tall pine, Jack looked back at it, thoughtful.

''How does Toothless manage to see in this fog ?''

''He's a Night Fury,'' Hiccup explained, his voice filled with a light chuckle but mostly pride. ''These dragons evolve by night, usually. They have developped a few ways to sense their surroundings without sight. Do you hear these vibrating sounds he emits ?''

Jack quieted and strained his ears. Between the sound of beating wings and the wind blowing in his face, he still managed to discern some low noises coming from the dragon.

''He uses it to spot the obstacles and avoid them.'' The tamer added.

The boy smiled and let go of one hand so he could stroke the dragon's side, who turned his head to look at him. He purred as he saw Jack's smile.

''Tooth' is really impressive.''

Hiccup looked over his shoulder, looking even more proud. ''He never ceases to amaze me.''

Jack smirked and felt like joking. ''Anyway, I already knew he was the real mastermind, here.''

Hiccup laughed too, while the dragon warbled, sounding both pleased and teasing. Jack petted him a bit more and Toothless obviously liked it as he beat his wings with more energy and joy, getting higher in the fog. Then a comfortable silence surrounded them. All they could hear was the wind, some early birds chirping, the beating of wings and the dragon's breathing. Soon, Jack closed his eyes, tilting his head backward so he could relish the caress of the wind. He took a deep breath, savoring this feeling of being weightless. Everything seemed so peaceful, up here in the sky.

During their first flight together, Hiccup had told him that, for him, nothing could compare to flying on a dragon's back. Back then, Jack had been too scared to really comprehend his words, but now he couldn't agree more. Even memories from his old life couldn't compare with how good he was feeling during the flights. Never before had he felt so free and serene, or lighter.

It was as if all his troubles were stuck on the ground, unable to follow him up high. He could forget everything, forget his past, forget about the accident, about his strange magic. Nothing mattered but the dragon carrying him and the young man accompagnying him. Jack felt like nothing could reach him when he was flying like this-His train of thoughts died as Toothless halted without a warning.

Jack blenched and squeezed his arms around Hiccup, who seemed just as clueless as him. A noise reverberated under them and Jack got alarmed to see lights through the fog, some voices coming along.

''What's going on ?'' He asked.

''I don't know, but it can't be good. Toothless, you have to get us out of here, bud.''

The dragon shook his head while growling before he swiftly turned around. As he was planing quickly, he found himself forced to dodge what looked like projectiles. The objects were passing too fast in the fog so Jack couldn't really see them, but he swore there was ropes and arrows among it.

Toothless' dodges were so sudden and harsh, Jack had no way to anticipate it and even had troubles holding onto Hiccup. Several times he was sure he was about to let go and fall. The auburnet seemed to notice as he ended up letting go of a handle to wrap an arm around Jack.

''Hold on tight !''

''I'm trying !'' He boy replied, tightening his grip as he could.

On Hiccup's front, he found a belt and wrapped his fingers around it, hoping it would be an easier grip. He felt the tamer's arm leave him, surely to hold on the saddle again, but he could only guess because his face was pressed against his friend's back, squinting his eyes in fear.

Shivers started to run down his back and arms, he could feel the air getting colder around them. A part of his mind knew what that meant and was asking him to calm down, to keep his powers in control, but this thought couldn't really reach him, couldn't pass through his fear. He didn't even realise when the wind started to blow around them, as if trying to push them and quicken their flee. Jack's breathing was trembling while his limbs were shivering. Hesitantly, he cracked an eye open and found with horror there was frost covering his tunic, along with Hiccup's back.

Instincts told him to let go and avoid freezing him, but he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. The only thing he managed to do was looking back behind him to check on the supposed hunters, but that prevented him from seeing the upcoming dodge.

''Watch out !'' Hiccup shouted.

Toothless roared as he was suddenly propelled on the side, his trajectory changing so harshly that Jack swore once again he could have let go. He pressed himself closer to Hiccup, everything spinning around them, gravity taking a hold of them while pulling them at top speed towards the ground. Despite his fright, Jack still understood that Toothless had been hit by something, that they were now free-falling and that, soon, they would be crash-landing.

The poor dragon was not just falling, he was spinning uncontrollably, shaking his passengers all about. Their fall got slowed down as they went through the trees, hitting and crashing in several branches. Toothless yelped and whined a few times, Hiccup and Jack receiving some blows themselve, and when they finally reached the ground, the dragon sprawled on his side. Jack's left leg got crushed under the winged creature's weight, his arm on the same side receiving the same treatment with Hiccup's body.

A few seconds were required so the boy could clear the dizziness. His blurred vision came back to focus, allowing him to take in where they had crashed. In the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees. Thankfully for them, the soil was quite mossy and that had smoothered their crash. Jack shook his head to clear his mind and tried to straightened, only to wince as he got held back by his two left limbs. Toothless grumbled and flapped his wing and head in try to get back up. He seemed dizzy too.

Jack wanted to help him but he was stuck. With his free hand, he pushed against Hiccup's back in try to free himself.

''Hiccup, I'm stuck.'' He groaned.

He tried again to push, but stopped as he noticed the auburnet was not reacting. ''Hiccup ?''

No response. The boy's heart launched into a worried pounding and all thought concerning his arm left him. He stopped pushing the tamer so he could instead shake his shoulder.

''Hiccup ?!''

Toothless turned his head in try to see what was going on, whining, while Jack shook him even more. The tamer was not responding at all. The boy ended up pulling at his shoulder so he could try and turn him on his side. The athletic body followed limply, and Jack spotted a thin trickle of blood on his forehead. Despite this, he was still breathing. Jack caught the breath he had been holding back, sighing heavily, but he couldn't just relish in the good news. He quickly reassured Toothless.

''It's okay, he's just knocked out.''

The dragon whined in response and started to bostle again. Jack tried to help him getting up by pushing the ground. The task proved to be hard but not impossible. After some struggles, the dragon managed to roll onto his stomach. Still tied to the saddle but his lifelines, Hiccup remained sat there, swaying a bit, while Jack stayed on the ground, wincing as a sharp pain jolted in his ankle as soon as the weight of Toothless' warm body left it. He couldn't help but yelp in pain, making Toothless jump. The ebony Fury nearly lost his balance, unable to keep it as long as his paws and tail were entangled in these ropes.

Jack gritted his teeth and sat up, looking down at his ankle. Despite darkness and the fog, he noticed a dark bruise standing out on his pale skin. Jack had happened to get hurt at the farm, on several occasions, he had a broken arm and Emma had sprained her ankle one time when she had fallen from a ladder. Basing on his memories, judging by the aspect of the wound and the pain, he concluded that his ankle was just sprained, maybe twisted, but definitively not broken. That ought to reassure him a bit, but that didn't mean he would be able to walk with this.

Pushing this aside, he crawled to Toothless. He hurried to help him out of the ropes, looking around them to make sure whoever had attacked them was not coming. He tried to convince himself it was the Screeching Eagles mistaking them for a wild dragon, only it was just a theory. Quite likely, but still just a theory that he couldn't prove right or wrong. Plus, there were more pressing matters to attend to first. He had to free Toothless from the ropes, then the dragon could fly and bring them back to the camp, with some luck they could go back before dawn. That's only then they would be able to tend to their wounds.

Hiccup was right, darkness and fog was their best cover, they had to take advantage of it while it was still there. When Jack finally managed to free Toothless, the dragon hurriedly stretched his legs, wings and tail, then got back on his paws, turning his head so he could check on his rider. He was whining and shaking his back, visibly trying to wake Hiccup up. The dragon tamer must had had a hard blow on his head because Jack could see a bump forming. That didn't deter the dragon from trying to wake him up, even using his tail to push him.

That was when Jack was faced with bad news. There was a problem with Toothless' tail. One of the fins seemed twisted, a piece of flesh hanging loosely, lifelessly, obviously broken. The boy panicked and dragged himself closer, catching the dragon's tail so he could get a closer look at it. He realised that Toothless was actually wearing some sort of equipment on his tail. A piece of leather with a solid frame was secured around the tail and linking a peg settled on the right fin, to a metal and leather fake fin on the left side.

Jack wondered how he had not noticed that before, but it looked like Hiccup was not the only one having a prosthetic. Toothless did too. He had no left fin at all, entirely replaced by the contraption. The good side of the story was that it was actually the prosthetic which was broken, not the dragon who was wounded. The bad side of the story was that Jack had absolutely no idea how to fix it. But Hiccup must know. It was obvious this fake fin was part of the numerous inventions he had made, even if Jack had only seen a few until then, he could recognize Hiccup's crafting.

Toothless' ears popped up on his head with a start as they heard a stick snap in the fog. The lack of torch light seemed to prove it was an animal, not the hunters, but that didn't mean they weren't lurking close by.

''We should move,'' Jack whispered to the dragon, ''do you know where the camp is ?''

Toothless looked at him with round eyes, tilting his head on the side. Despite how smart dragons were compared to animals, it was clear they couldn't really understand what he was saying to them. It didn't stop him from talking to them anyway, maybe he was doing this because Hiccup himself used to ? Toothless and him were always giving the impression of understanding each other, but since the tamer was unconscious, it was up to Jack to find a solution.

Gritting his teeth, he leant on Toothless' hip in try to get up. He groaned in pain and quickly lifted his feet as soon as he put weight on it. That was bad, he really couldn't walk like this. Toothless lowered his head to his swollen ankle, sniffing it and whinning. He too seemed to understand that Jack wasn't going to be moving around with this. The boy winced again as the dragon licked his injury, but despite that he patted his friend's scaly head.

''Thanks Tooth', but I'm not sure it's gonna help.''

The dragon whined again and rubbed his head against him, it looked like a sign of apology and comfort. Jack smiled, but it quickly faded as he looked back to Hiccup. Still sat on the saddle, he was bent in two, arms hanging loose and head tilted so low it was brushing Toothless' nape. The boy couldn't help but think his friend was going to have back ache when he would wake up, along with the headache and the bump.

''Come on, we have to move.''

Jack softly pushed Toothless, who started to walk without protesting. He had to lean on him because he was limping, he could barely put his feet down. He didn't know where to head to, but he still made them move. Luckily, Toothless seemed to understand they had to go back to the circus. His ears up, he was searching for sounds, Jack could hear him produce these vibrating sounds, and the way his nostrils were moving indicated he was also checking the smells. Hiccup had told him that Deadly Nadders had a really great smell, so the boy could only hope that Night Furies also had some, at least enough to find the way back to the camp.

As soon as the dragon started to walk again, changing their direction, Jack followed him while still leaning on him. Limping like this, especially on an uneven forest ground, it quickly tired him. He was leaning more and more on Toothless, slowing him down. Jack thought about climbing on his back, behind Hiccup, but the dragon was already carrying a limp body, he didn't want to burden him further more.

They kept on walking slowly, getting lost into the woods. The fog all around was blinding them, and also covering their bodies with droplets of water. Toothless shivered and sneezed a few times, unable to mute the sounds. Most of the droplets covering Jack were turning into pearls of ice, slightly pricking his skin. And it was not helping them being discreet, because once the sun started to rise, the faint light piercing through the fog was reflecting in the ice, making it glitter in the blurred half-light.

Jack had no idea how far they still were from the camp, but one thing was certain : the sun was rising, they had to hurry up. He tried to quicken his steps, but his ankle was hurting more as he was forcing on it, and his other leg was starting to tire and getting cramped. His ragged breath was turning into small clouds in the crisp air, and even if Toothless was taking short pauses – surely so the boy could take some rest – Jack was instantly pushing him so they could continue.

His legs were starting to shake when they found themselve at the bottom of a slope. The dew on the mossy ground was making it as slippery for the boy as for the dragon, slowing them down even more. One of Toothless' paws slipped and the dragon bostled about trying to catch his balance. Jack backed by reflex and saw Hiccup swaying on the saddle. The tamer fell on the side and the boy lunged in try to catch him. Even if his legs had been perfectly healthy, he doubted he could have done anything really. He barely heard the life lines snap before the unconscious body of Hiccup collapsed on him, laying them both in the moss and tearing a surprised yelp from him.

Jack grunted under the larger body, trying to push him away from him, not to avail.

''Toothless… Help ?'' He gasped, out of breath.

The dragon chirped, seemingly finding the situation funny, then he nudged the rider. He barely moved before the dragon lifted his head in a start, on guard. Jack glanced in the same direction and paled as he spotted lights in the mist. He couldn't hear any steps in the wet moss but he swore he could discern a whispering voice.

''I heard something over there.''

It was certainly not a voice from the circus troup. Jack still didn't know if these hunters were from the Screeching Eagles or if they were poachers passing by, but what he was sure of was that they wouldn't listen to him if he tried to talk them into leaving Toothless alone. Panicking, he placed a hand on Toothless' leg to catch his attention, then whispered to him in a hurry ''hide, Tooth'.'' Said dragon tilted his head to him, confused.

''Come on, go.'' He prompted, not daring to speak louder.

A quick glance towards the lights showed him they were getting closer. He tried to push Toothless' paw, who lifted it in surprise and took a step back, then the boy struggled in try to get out from under Hiccup, pushing all his might. The auburnet's back was crushing his chest and his head was resting next to his, just as still as before. Jack winced as he kept on pushing. Maybe the hunters would be lenient if they only found two strangers in the woods ? This reassuring thought vanished from his mind as he reminded himself of his unusual hair color. No, the hunters would definitively not be lenient, they must were going to see him as a demon or a warlock, just like everyone was assuming with just a glance.

''What are you waiting for ?'' He hissed at the dragon who was still next to them.

Jack gave him a panicked look and waved his arms in try to chase him, but the dragon proved to be quite stubborn. His lime green eyes hardened and, when he finally decided to move, he skirted Jack so he could reach behind his head. The boy rolled his eyes but didn't have the time to prompt him as he felt the Fury bite his collar and pull at him. Jack yelped without meaning to as he was pulled from under Hiccup. Since the hunters were still coming, the boy quickly wrapped his arms around his unconscious friend so he would be dragged along with him.

Toothless backed, dragging the both of them, until the threesome found themselve hidden in a thick bush. The faithful Fury layed behind Jack, pulling him until he was sat against his side, then he rested his head on his paws, a grumpy but worried look darting around them, tail and wing circled around the two young men he was protecting. Jack's heart was pounding loudly in his chest, he tried to take a hold on his fear and squeezed Hiccup against him. His thin arms were wrapped around larger and athletic shoulders while the auburn head was resting against his collarbone, some strands tickling his neck.

He didn't mind it, neither Hiccup's leg weighting on his wounded ankle. He could only focus on the whispers coming closer to their position, frames getting clearer in the fog. The ambient light was slowly increasing, piercing the fog and lifting it, threatening to expose them even more. Jack held his breath as one of the hunters turned towards their bush. He felt Toothless tightening his tail around him, his lips lifting in a silent snarl.

And that was this exact moment Hiccup choose to wake up. The auburn-haired grunted and winced while moving weakily. Jack started and squeezed him in his arms, hurriedly placing a pale hand on his mouth and hushing him. His whole body tensed as the hunter seemed to have heard them, turning sharply towards them. Jack stayed as still as he could, holding his breath to the extend he thought his heart had stopped too. Hiccup had frozen in his arms, looking like he had caught up enough of the situation to realise they were in trouble, maybe he even also had his eyes on the hunter.

Said hunter scaned the area around him, on guard, but he didn't seem to know where the noise had come from. After what felt like forever but had mostly been a couple of minutes, dawn shining brighter around them, the hunter ended up giving up and following the others who were calling for him to move on. Jack waited to not see them anymore, nore the light from their torches, then he sagged against Toothless' flank, sighing heavily, arms dropping on each side of him.

Toothless huffed with satisfaction and nudged Jack's cheek, then Hiccup. The auburnet smiled and stroked his best friend's head. ''Yeah, I'm fine, bud.''

Aside from that, none of them moved. They remained snuggled against one another, in the midth of this bush. Without confering, without talking, they just stayed there, as if feeling the same fear of the hunters coming back if they dared to move or speak too loud. In the end, Hiccup was the one to break the gloomy silence.

''So…'' He whispered, ''I think I missed something here.''

''Yeah.'' Jack replied, speaking just as low, voice slightly shaking.

He boy tensed as he noticed frost had spread on the ground around them. Though it was light and starting to melt, he couldn't help but worry that the hunter could have seen it.

''Hey, you okay ?''

Jack's thoughts died as warm fingers brushed his face. He looked up with a start and met Hiccup's eyes. The rider had sat up but was still close to him, almost against him. The closeness and the warmth emitting from his body made the boy a bit dizzy, helping him to forget his previous fright.

''Huh, yeah, I'm… a bit shaken is all.''

Hiccup nodded, thought he didn't seem completely convinced, and Jack felt the warm fingers brush his face again, brush his cheek. He closed his eyes by reflex, but it turned into a wince as he felt burning tingling on his cheekbone. Checking by himself, his hand met Hiccup's, who quickly retreated it. Jack tried to swallow down his embarrassment, then ran his fingertips on what felt like scrapes. His cheekbone was covered of it, surely from their fall when they had hit all these branches.

''It looks nasty.'' Hiccup mumbled, his concerned green eyes not leaving Jack.

The boy shyly looked at him, hand pressed on his own cheek, then pouted as he noticed his friend was not in better shape.

''You have a few too, not mentioning this big bump here.''

He pointed to the auburnet's forehead, who patted it. Once he touched the bump, he gave Jack a sheepish grin.

''What happened, exactly ? I only recall we were avoiding projectiles, but after that, nothing…''

Jack bit his lips, a new pout creeping on his face. ''One of it hit Tooth' and we fell. You got knocked out and Tooth's fake fin broke.''

''Now I understand why we haven't taken off yet.''

He seemed like he wanted to laugh it off, but Jack kept on pouting. He even crossed his arms and averted his eyes, quite annoyed. ''I won't say 'I told you', but I'm thinking it pretty loud.''

Hiccup chuckled and scooted even closer. Jack instinctively closed his eyes and felt the tamer press a kiss in his hair.

''It's gonna be fine, don't worry. We went through worst than that. All we have to do is go back to the camp.''

For a moment, Jack melted to the warm and reassuring touch, until his brain caught up and made him notice something. Hiccup had kissed his hair. His hair. He instantly panicked and quickly pulled his hood back on his head, wide-eyed and breath quickening. He knew it was no use, not only because Hiccup had already seen his hair, but mostly because he had known for a while. Still he couldn't help but hide in his hood, trying to shelter himself in it, willing the fabric to protect him.

Actually, this incident was reminding him this question plaguing him since he had joined the circus : Hiccup and Valka both knew about his abnormal appearance, but none of them had said anything about it. Jack was afraid about what they were thinking about it, it was filling him with anguish each time he was thinking about it.

That's why it took him a lot of courage to hesitantly meet the tamer's eyes. Hiccup was still close to him, thought he had backed a bit when the boy had put on his hood. Much to Jack's surprise, the freckled face was tainted with sadness, though Hiccup gave him a reassuring smile.

''Don't worry, I didn't see anything.''

Obviously, both of them knew it was a lie, still Jack appreciated this effort to make him at ease, even though he didn't understand why Hiccup was doing this. He couldn't see how Hiccup could still be treating him the same despite knowing he was not normal. Maybe it had something to do with his open mind, which had made him able to accept and like dragons whereas everyone else was seeing them as blood-thirsty monsters ?

The auburnet smiled at him and checked their surroundings before he got up, and offered him a hand. ''Come on, we should leave before they come back.''

Jack hesitated, then he accepted the help to get up. A sharp pain in his ankle reminded him that he was injured and tore a muffled groan from his lips. Hiccup started and squeezed his hand, quickly wrapping his other arm around the boy's waist when he swayed.

''Jack, you okay ? Are you hurt ?''

Toothless whined and stood too, rubbing his head against the boy's back, who was trying to straighten without putting weight on his left leg. Hiccup, still holding him close, looked down and saw how his ankle looked like.

''What happened ? Is it from the fall ?''

Jack, thought he was still wincing, forced himself to nod. It was still painful, but he noticed it was a bit better than before. Something fresh was surrounding his ankle and was soothing the pain. Curious, he also looked down and marveled as there was some kind of an ice block around his feet, like a translucent cast. Was it him who had done that ? With his powers ? Without even realising it ?

''One more reason to go back and take care of this.'' Hiccup prompted.

Jack was about to let go and handle himself on his own – he could feel that this ice cast was lessening the limping – but Hiccup wasn't willing to let him do so. Keeping Jack's hand in his, he put the boy's arm around his own shoulders and pressed him closer.

''Lean on me.''

''N-No, it's okay, really-''

''Jack.''

The boy closed his mouth by reflex as he met an insistant glare. There were reproaches in these vibrant green eyes, but behind that there was only this concern that was warming Jack's heart up. So he didn't insist, and leant on Hiccup as the tamer started to walk. Toothless quickly followed, keeping close to them while watching their surroundings and glaring at anything making noise.

Dawn was slowly turning into morning and the fog had almost entirely lifted up, exposing them and filling them with a anguish impression of constant danger.

''What do we do if we meet these hunters ?'' Jack asked in a whisper.

''I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. The Screeching Eagles must have mistaken Toothless for a wild dragon. I'm sure they would leave us alone if we explain-''

''How can you be sure it's the Screeching Eagles ? Maybe they're poachers ? They said there was a lot in the area.''

Hiccup didn't answer right away, and Jack knew that was beause he had a fair point.

''We'll see if we cross their path. Either case, when we'll get back to the camp, we won't have to worry about it anymore, they won't dare come too close to it.''

Jack only hummed in response, because he didn't know what to say. He couldn't reassure himself completely, but Hiccup being awake was making him feel better.

Just like before the auburnet had woken up, Jack followed Toothless who seemed to know where he was going, and silence loomed around them. Jack didn't like it. Sure he knew they had to be discreet, but silence had something menacing on its own, as if it was a predator ready to claw at them.

After a while progressing between the trees, Jack felt the urge to talk, to break this sickening silence, even if it was just with a whisper. ''Do you think the others have noticed our missing ?''

''Since the sun has risen, definitively. Usually, Toothless and I are back by that time. I apologize in advance for the commotion, the others can get hysterical when worried.''

''To that extend ?'' Jack hesitated, now only focused on this other problem.

Hiccup chuckled softly. If he wasn't holding the boy's arm and his waist, Jack knew he would have been scratching his cheek or rubbing the back of his head as the tamer seemed nervous.

''Last time something like this happened, Astrid punched me so hard she nearly broke my arm. Then Dagur and her spent the following week trying to stop us from going back on a stroll.''

''Toothless must have disliked that.''

''You have no idea.''

He chuckled again, and Jack had to admit that, picturing the violent blonde and the crazed redhead being that protective of Hiccup and Toothless, that ought to lift up his spirits.

''I don't dare imagine Snotlout and the twins.'' The auburnet added, ''seeing how they care about you, it would be funny to see Ruffnut mothering you in the following days.''

Jack shivered at the thought, earning a louder chuckle from the tamer. Though, if he was really thinking about it, the boy didn't see why it would be such a bad thing. Even if he hated being treated like a child, he kind of missed motherly attention, and receiving some from Ruffnut was evidence of the friendship he had build with her.

The nostalgia showing on his face vanished as Toothless rushed past them, bouncing and warbling, disappearing between trees.

''Here's the camp. Ready for the great commotion ?''

Hiccup's voice was full of teasing but Jack stayed mute. He was torn between the different emotions filling him. The relief from escaping the hunters and being back at the camp, nervousness from how the troup would react, recurring worry about Hiccup and his thoughts about Jack's white hair, and remains of fear from what he had felt in the woods, while hiding from the hunters. He was a bit shaken.

Jack didn't say anything and followed as Hiccup half-carried him towards the tents they could spot among the trees. Before they get there, they could already hear the worried and frantic voices of the troup.

''I can't believe it !'' Dagur groaned, ''If Toothless' here, they have to be somewhere !''

''We'll split up in several teams.'' Valka ordered, ''that way we'll cover more ground and find them quicker.''

''What's going on in here ?'' Hiccup teased.

The group turned hearing his voice, but relief barely tainted their faces before their eyes widdened when landing on them. Toothless warbled, already laughing at the upcoming outburst, sitting next to Fishlegs who had a hand on his side as if he had been trying to calm him down.

''What happened to you guys ?!'' Astrid exclaimed, ''where were you ?!''

Jack tensed by reflex.

''Look at you boys…'' Valka sighed as she came to them.

She ran a hand in her son's hair to get a closer look at his bump, then gently took Jack's face to examine his scrapes.

''Just a small accident in the forest,'' Hiccup explained. ''We crash-landed.''

''Aye, I can see that.'' Gobber huffed, ''Toothless' tail is dead as a dodo.''

''Jaaaaack !'' Ruffnut shouted.

The young blonde woman pushed Valka out of her way and threw herself in Jack's arms, tearing him off Hiccup. The boy's breath got stolen by the impact that made him sway backward, almost tripping. A serie of chopped 'ows' escaped him because of his ankle, making Ruffnut start. She barely let go of him, keeping her hands on his shoulders, as she apologized profusely.

''Oh sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you but we were sick worried you know, we couldn't find you this morning and no way to know where you were and when we saw Hiccup and Toothless were gone too but not Sharpshot we panicked and- Jack, what's wrong with your foot ?!''

The boy sputtered, taken aback by such an amont of words but also the concern pouring from her restless voice. He rose his hands as if trying to sooth a wild beast and tried to say something as the blonde was still rumbling frantically.

''It's okay, Ruff, I'm fine ! It's barely sprained, really.''

The blonde winced as if she was holding back waterfalls in her eyes, then she pulled Jack into another bone-crushing hug. It looked like she was aiming to comfort herself more than him, rubbing his back so hard she was actually shaking him. Jack gave a distressed look at Hiccup, silently asking for help, but the auburnet only smirked, and even more when Tuffnut joined his sister. Or rather, when he pushed her aside so he could choke Jack himself. The boy huffed and rolled his eyes, before hearing Hiccup yelp in pain.

Jack looked back to him and found Astrid next to the tamer, glaring at him, clenching her fists while he was holding his arm as if she had punched him. Jack had no doubt it was what had just happened.

''That's for scaring me.'' She growled.

Hiccup opened his mouth, about to protest or make a joke, but got cut as Snotlout did the same as the blonde, punching him in the shoulder. Jack gritted his teeth seeing this.

''An' that's f'hurting Jack !'' The stocky guy added.

Hiccup looked offended while the dark-haired guy turned to the twins. Tuffnut was still clinging to Jack and his twin sister had wrapped her arms around the both of them. Snotlout couldn't care less and grabbed them both by the hair so he could remove them. The boy dressed in blue hooded-tunic tensed, not sure what he had to expect from their Mister Muscles. Granted he was soft inside, but that didn't mean he was gentle and knew how to control his anger… or his strength.

His annoyed glare softened as it landed on Jack, then he took the boy's arm to put it around his broad shoulders, inviting him to lean on him just like Hiccup had done just before.

''Cm'on,'' he said with a surprisingly friendly voice and, for once, without grunting. ''Let's take care of you b'fore they d'mage you 'ven more.''

Dagur and Heather both awed and teased him ''aww, big bro Snotface taking care of his mentee.''

''Shut up, you two.''

Jack couldn't help but smile at that.

Just like Hiccup had said, the troup could get hysterical when worried for one of them. It proved how close they were and how much of a family they actually were. Valka was the autority figure as well as kindness and a really good confidante. Gobber was like the excentric uncle, Mala was like a big sister a bit too mature to be accomplice but who was still watching over the others. Astrid, Heather, Fishlegs and Eret were like the elders of the groups, wiser than the other siblings. Hiccup, Dagur (though he was actually Heather's big brother) and Snotlout were the rebelious second borns, and the twins were the youngest constantly playing mischief around.

As to Jack… He was surprisingly feeling like a part of them. They all cared for him and were treating him like one of their own. He felt like he was kind of the youngest of large siblings, everyone wanting to protect and watch over him. It was not displeasant, he had to admit.

Valka and Fishlegs took care of his ankle, confirmng it was twisted and that it would take one to two weeks for him to recover completely. The circus was supposed to leave Windy Mounts on that day, but with what had happened in the morning, they had decided to stay one more day, even if staying longer in these woods infested with dragon hunters didn't sound like a joyful idea.

Jack spent his day being smothered by the twins and Snotlout. They were constantly following him, offering an arm to lean on when he wanted to move around, doing his chores for him, cooking on his stead… He almost felt oppressed and disabled but forgot this idea as Sharpshot joined him and found a permanent place in his arms. It was obvious the small dragon had been frightened by Jack's missing and wanted to make sure he was taking it easy on his wound. Jack couldn't be more moved by such concern, it was the complete opposite of what he had lived in his village.

So, after a moment, he stopped being grumpy and decided to just appreciate the help. Actually, he even found it funny starting from the moment he pranked the twins and Snotlout. He sent the threesome back and forth in the camp to fetch various items. The recurring excuses were drinking water and items to take care of Sharpshot. Since the moment he had recovered from his village's attack which had led him to the circus in the first place, Hiccup had been giving him precious tips to take care of a dragon, and it was the perfect excuse to fool around Snotlout and the twins. A clamp to trim Sharpshot's claws, a brush to clean his teeth after the treats he had sent the twins to bring back, oil to massage the small dragon's paws…

He also could have faked being in pain with his ankle and send them fetching cures, but he didn't want to fake this kind of things. If there was something the last four years had teached him, it was silent suffering. Plus, he knew that would only worry them.

On several occasions, he could see the others – mostly Astrid, Dagur and Fishlegs – smirk or even laugh from his little game. The funnier part was that none of Tuffnut, Ruffnut nore Snotlout was realising he was fooling them. That was hilarious. The threesome only realised it when Dagur tried to mimick Jack, but he was far from being as subtle as the boy, and Snotlout and the twins were far from liking him as much as they liked the mischievous boy.

When evening came by, Valka insisted on treating Jack's ankle again. He knew he couldn't skip this, and he didn't really want to since saying her 'no' would only make her worry. So, after she had applied medicine and replaced his bandage with a new one, she told him to go take his dinner with the others while she was cleaning. Either way, since he was still limping, he doubted he would reach the bonfire before her.

She was not done when he arrived, still he couldn't bring himself to join the others right away. As he was nearing the group gathered around a legume stew made by Fishlegs, the hooded boy stopped and hid behind the nearest tent. He felt bad for eavedropping without them knowing he was there, still he couldn't help but doing so as it was him they were talking about.

This was his shot to finally know what they were really thinking about him. Did their kindness and friendship were really genuine ? Were they secretly afraid of him and his powers ?

He didn't know what he had to expect, he wasn't even sure of what he wanted to hear them saying. On one hand, he wanted to believe in their sincerity, that he could once again live surrounded by people seeing and treating him as a human. But on the other hand, he couldn't help but think that it was too good to be true, or that they were having other goals behind it, for instance wanting to use his powers.

So what he heard surprised him, since the conversation was actually about his hair. It sounded like Hiccup had told them how Jack had quickly hidden in his hood as he had realised he had lost it in their fall. Jack was uneased that the auburnet had told the others, and he was dreading their reaction. That's when Heather asked something he wasn't expecting.

''What does it look like ? His hair, I mean. Valka and you have already seen it back when you saved him from his village, but now he's always hiding it.''

''True,'' Tuffnut approved, ''even for sleeping. He always hides in his hood. Ruff and I never got to see it, like at all.''

''I'm curious too,'' Fishlegs added. ''There must be a reason for him to hide it all the time. I'm sure it's related to his village, but… what is so different about it ?''

Silence loomed for a moment, for Jack it felt like his heart had been stuffed in a bag, it was suffocating. He tried to take a discreet peek to the group, but all he could see from Hiccup was his back. He couldn't see his face. All he could see was the fact that the auburnet's head was low, surely staring at the fire or the pint he had in his hands.

''It looks like it's made of snow.'' Hiccup said,'' it's white, but not just that. It's not some plain white, it's full of colorful highlights. Blue, silver… It's glittering, as if there was frosted sparks in it. It's like staring at a blanket of freshly fallen snow in smooth winter light.''

Jack blushed without meaning to, his heart sent in a new loop, beating so strong and fast that his chest was aching. His breath had troubles keeping up to this speed. Not only had Hiccup just made a beautiful and poetic depiction of his hair, usually scorned at and poorly looked, but he also did so with such a fond voice, admiring and almost dreamy. It was more than enough to prove how much the tamer was meaning his words. Jack heard one of the girls sigh dreamily, then Snotlout was the one to talk.

''D'you think he'll ever be ready t'show it t'us ?''

''I don't know,'' the auburnet admitted, ''but I hope so. That would mean he's finally able to move on from his past and open up to us.''

Jack remained hidden in the shadow, a fist pressed on his chest where his heart was still going crazy. He slightly bent to he could take another peek of the group, observing how they seemed to sooth down their own thoughts so they could move on another subject. This one, ô surprising, was about dragons. The twins were rambling about the next prank they were planning with Barf and Belch, aiming to prank Dagur and Mala. Astrid and Hiccup tried to deter them while Snotlout laughed at them, claiming he wanted to witness the redhead's retaliation. As to Eret, he was simply chuckling while Astrid was leaning against him, her head resting on his large shoulder.

Jack contemplated the prospect of joining them for a moment, even pulling off his hood. If it truly was how Hiccup and the others were seeing his white hair, then he didn't have to be afraid of showing them. Despite of this, he was still afraid. It was too soon for him, he was not ready. He had spent too much time hiding it to just suddenly let it go. So he rathered giving himself some time to really digest what the tamer had said, giving it some time to melt away his last hesitations.