I swear I'm not dead! I'm just very stressed! My family has been having very serious health issues and I'm still waiting for the publishing company to respond about my book, plus I've been working on my co-author story! I also like to point out that we're almost done with Arc One of Venusar" Sagan! Let's see... Chapter 9: Gearing up... Ah, Venus and Hiccup convince the other teens to free the dragons and help free Toothless so they can kill Hatign. Doesn't seem all that action packed...

Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD.

When I came to my senses, we were at the Arena. I just sat beside the gates, not wanting to relive what had happened a few hours ago. There were footsteps and the other teenagers were in the arena as well, all looking at Hiccup. "So, you really tamed that thing?" Tuffnut asked, making me jump up.

"Toothless," I hissed, making them whip around and shrink back. "Is not a thing! Hiccup has earned his trust and holds his honor." Snotlout snorted and I was close to growling. Hiccup touched my shoulder and shook his head.

"Now's not the time Ven." He said. "But she's right. I didn't train Toothless, I earned his trust. I shot him down, but let him free instead of killing him. He pinned me, but didn't kill me." He looked at me and I nodded once.

"So, what's next?" Fishlegs asked. Hiccup walked towards Hookfang's pen and my eyes widened. No, he wasn't… was he? Astrid caught on to what I was thinking and made everyone step back as the two came out, Hiccup backing away with his hand hovering over Hookfang's snout. She also stopped Snotlout from picking up a mace I had forgotten to pickup.

She allowed Snotlout to become her rider and I smiled, gently hugging my friend's neck. "I know you didn't mean to snap Hookfang." I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. She snorted and nodded. Astrid went to Stormfly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut went to Zip and Zilch while Fishlegs went to Meatlug.

"What's their names?" Astrid asked, rubbing Stormfly. I smiled as the Nadder purred.

"That's Stormfly and Meatlug. Snotlout is paired with Hookfang and… well, let's not go with the Zippleback as they probably won't listen to us." They all knew I meant the twins and not Zip and Zilch. Hiccup touched my arm and asked a silent question. "If you guys are going with us, you must know what you're up against."

"It's just a ton of dragons, right?" Snotlout asked, smirking. I shook my head with Hiccup and Astrid.

"Her name is Hátign, but she's also known as Red Death. She's a dragoness with more magic than normal. She controls the dragons, making them go into an undead like state. All of the raids were her and her alone." I explained. Fishlegs frowned.

"But there is no Red Death in the book of dragons." He murmured. I rolled my eyes.

"Because she never goes on raids." I said. "Hátign is half the height of Berk Mountain. If she were to come to Berk, we would be wiped out instantly." I saw him shudder and I stroked Hookfang, who had ended up beside me.

"Please." Snotlout scoffed. "No dragon can be bigger than Hookfang!" I raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"Hookfang is female, the smaller of the Nightmares." I said seriously. Then I shook my head and looked towards the misty sea. "I'll inform you more as we leave… if you still want to." I added darkly, as I turned away. I went to the gate and heard someone sigh.

"Venus, you're going to have to lead us." Hiccup murmured as he stood beside me. "They've been gone too long to remember how to get back. I lied when I said only a dragon could find the nest."

I half smiled. "Yes, the Dragon Shifter twins who lived past sixteen a couple hundred years ago led a failed attack on the nest using their powers to get there." I sighed. "That bit was true."

A few minutes later, everyone was seated on the chosen dragons, looking nervous. "The dragons should know what to do, but Venus will have to lead them." Hiccup instructed. They turned to look at me and I stayed where I was with my arms crossed behind my back. "But you guys," he said, turning to the dragons. "Please try not to spin. They don't have the right saddles yet."

"Can't promise anything." Zip and Zilch said. I rolled my eyes while Hiccup snorted.

"Just try you two." I said in a commanding tone. "Hiccup, go with Astrid. I can't focus on the nest if I have to worry about you." He nodded and easily mounted Stormfly. "Go, circle the island!" I ordered. They took off and I broke out into a run. I jumped off of the canyon, electing a scream from Astrid. A second later, I joined them in my second form, which was the Night Fury.

"Ven, you're gonna have to blend in!" Hiccup called. "You will stand out if you don't!" I wanted to fly over and slap him, but decided not to. I doubt he'd like being slapped in the face by a flailing wing. I snorted and made my scaled go darker before speeding up to go to the front.

Two hours later, we were just outside of the misty sea. "We rest for an hour!" Hiccup called. "Everyone is getting tired." I didn't say anything as we halted on a sadly isle. Everyone but Hiccup muttered about how sore they where, making me chuckle. "Venus, how far do you think we are?"

"Hour, maybe two." I mumbled, resting my head on my feet. Next thing I knew, I was drifting off to sleep.

-Toothless' POV-

The Vikings who had hurt Venus and Hiccup locked me in a neck and muzzle brace, keeping me from breathing fire. They placed me on a ship and I saw Hiccup looking from a platform, his face full of pain. If he was pained to see me – and he barely knew me – how was Venus?

The thought of the other Dragon Shifter made the fight come back to me. It was obvious she didn't want me to hurt any Vikings, but that didn't mean I couldn't scare them. I jerked, trying to break the binds thy put on me. Venus… she had been crying when I was placed in that cell. When a dragon cries, they lose most of their abilities, making them unable to fight off others. The same goes for Dragon Shifters.

"Take us to the nest beast." The one with the fiery red beard – Stoick the Vast, Hiccup and Venus' father – spat. I growled and glared at him. He didn't quiver, which I had to respect him for. It was then I realized what he meant. If we went to the nest, Hiccup and Venus would come after me and Hátign would kill all three of us. The single thought made me jerk harder on the binds that held me.

After what seemed like days, which was really hours, the boats hit the nest. The dragons were talking until Stoick landed on the shoreline, making everyone stop talking. I winced as the catapults fired, opening a hole big enough for everyone to fly out of. The Vikings didn't know what I knew and tried to hurt the dragons that flew out. When the last one was out, every single Viking, except two, started cheering. I heard a growl only dragon could hear and admittedly whimpered, shrinking back. "Stoick, the Fury!" the smith, Gobber I believe, said.

Stoick said something that made them quit cheering. I heard an even louder roar and Stoick jumped out of the hole just as Hátign came out.

I lied. There's action.

I'm doing the best I can to remember the movie, but we have to remember that this is AU, so don't yell at me, kay? Reviews are very welcome, but are not forced.