"NIGHT FURY!"

"GET DOWN!"

THOOOOOOM!

"Toothless."

Scrambling to his feet, Hiccup rushed to the open forge window and leaned out of it in the same way he did years ago. He watched as another plasma blast hit a guard tower, shattering into splinters as a purple fire flowered out from its center.

Toothless was alive! He was okay! And he could fly on his own still.

Vikings were running scared for their weapons, the ballistas and the catapults, but many were incinerated before they could be reached.

"Stupid Night Fury," Snotlout growled, gripping his axe tightly.

"Chief, are ya sure it's wise to-" Gobber began.

"Shut it, Gobber, I know what I'm doing! Now, come on. We're taking down that unholy beast once and for all."

Gobber fastened in his hammer-attachment and followed Snotlout to the door. "So, d'we 'ave a plan er-"

"We shoot at it with all we've got," Snotlout snarled. "It can't dodge everything. We finish it before it finishes us. And then-" The chief made a malicious chortle that made Hiccup's blood run cold as if liquid ice was pumped into it. "I wear its skull as my helmet. You, Gobber, you'll get a wing or something."

"Wait!" Hiccup rushed forward and blocked the exit. "You can't kill him!"

Snotlout scoffed indignantly at him. "Yeah, I can, and I am killing it. So, get outta way. Oh, when I finally-"

"No, please, you don't understand!" Hiccup pleaded. "He's just protecting himself! He-he's not dangerous, Snotlout! You're ma-"

The next thing Hiccup knew, he was grabbed by the neckline of his tunic and flung against the wall.

Hiccup winced in pain while his vision spun tightly.

Snotlout glared down at him. "If you know what's good for you, then stay. Put. There."

Then, with a warcry, he and Gobber jumped into the fray. From outside the window, Hiccup heard Snotlout ordering all fire at the Night Fury. Hiccup peeked out the window, gazing at the ballista which was being loaded with harpoons tipped with Dragon Root. The harpoons were fired into the darkness, as they had no way of seeing a Night Fury in the dead of night. Another plasma blast erupted out of seemingly nowhere, vaporizing three or four Vikings on the spot while others in the vicinity were knocked back by its shockwave.

Hiccup's fingernails dug into the grain of the wood. He had to do something. Toothless needed help. But what could he do against a horde of angry Vikings? Something told him Snotlout now would have no problem killing him if he got in the way one more time. No, he needed to get off of Berk, and get Toothless away from here, too. But how was he supposed to do that?

The catapults launched a series of flaming boulders in the sky while a counterstrike of multiple indigo blasts was fired back. There was no time to lose. Hiccup darted out the door.

He hardly knew what he was doing, and he had not thought about what to do. Still, he kept running as fast as his legs could physically go. He ran through the fire, adrenaline coursing through his veins and making him blind of the danger he was putting himself in. All he thought, all he cared about was saving Toothless.

Think, Hiccup, think, he thought. You've got to get Toothless outta here. But how? Toothless was maybe thousands of feet in the air while Hiccup was down on this scorching heap of rock. He could not simply hop on a dragon's back and fly up to him; even if there were a chance of freeing one from a cage which was surrounded by easily fifty angry, gargantuan Berkians, Toothless still had the stealth advantage while being concealed by the cloak of night.

As he heard Toothless tear screechingly through the air and incinerate another ballista, the answer became clear. All dragons have a limited number of shots which needs to be refueled. For Toothless, refueling never took long. He would probably hide someplace secluded on Berk.

The Cove!

Hiccup dashed towards the outskirts of the smoking village and into the woods. He ran down the long, winding path of the dark forest with only the cold, pale light of the stars and moon filtering through the foliage as his guide. He pushed past the branches and the bushes and clambered over the rotting logs, not stopping for anything. Stopping for a break was not an option for him. A moment's pause for breath meant he might lose Toothless…

But abruptly and regrettably, Hiccup stumbled over an outgrown root and face planted in the dirt. Grunting in pain, he undauntingly pushed himself up when he heard a whistling tear through the air above him like an arrow whizzing at lightning speed.

"Toothless," Hiccup breathed.

He broke into a run, hoping that he would meet him in time. He had to be getting close, but the forest seemed to go on forever, and the darkness gave the illusion of unknown territory. Soon, the trees began to part and Hiccup came to a rock formation with a small gap in between, just big enough for a person of his size to pass.

He passed through it and looking down, he saw him. Toothless. He was there, lapping up water, looking completely the same. That is, almost the same. He still possessed both his tailfins. It was sort of strange, seeing him completely whole rather than broken. Hiccup was unsure whether Toothless was better off without him. He was free and could fly on his own, but now he was hunted by all of Berk. Nonetheless, Hiccup would not hesitate to keep his friend safe.

Much to his misfortune, when he took a step forward, his foot slipped off the edge, and the rest of his body followed. He collided with the hard, unforgiving ground which smacked against him in motionless retaliation. He gulped in air, his body quivering in agony from the bruises he had attained.

"Well," he winced, his hands pushing against the stiff dirt, "I guess that coulda -agh- hurt more."

He then heard a low growl above him. He lifted his head, and he saw Toothless staring down at him, his green eyes glowing with intense anger and his teeth bared.

"Toothless! Thank goodness you're here!" Hiccup cried, joy brimming over at seeing his best friend.

He was so relieved to see him that he reached forward to hug Toothless when the Night Fury snarled at him making Hiccup scootch away clumsily on the ground in fright.

"Toothless, please, it's Hiccup," he pleaded, attempting to reach out his hand to the dark dragon's forehead. "Don't you re-"

But Toothless would not let Hiccup touch him as if this boy were some kind of an enemy. Yes, that was what Hiccup was in his eyes: an enemy. He had never met him, so why would he think of him any differently?

Hiccup tried reaching forward again to have his effort crushed by Toothless backing him against a boulder. The Night Fury leered at him in utter fury that made Hiccup quiver and breathe panickedly. Blood pounded in his ears as panic overtook his senses. He barely recognized this behavior from Toothless, and witnessing it now was terrifying.

But Hiccup took a breath, regaining control of himself. "It's okay, Toothless," he whispered. "It's okay." Slowly and calmly, he extended his hand towards Toothless' forehead. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. I'd never hurt you."

The dark dragon snarled threateningly at him, not believing him, but he was not attacking Hiccup. That was certainly an improvement. Maybe, just maybe, Hiccup had a chance of winning his trust.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Hiccup turned his head away and gradually extended his hand towards the dragon in the same way he had done that first time. Hiccup attempted to remain calm, but uncertainty crept into his mind. It took many days for him and Toothless to fully connect. How could he regain that trust so quickly? Toothless did not even remember him. What if Hiccup failed? What if because of his failure, Toothless was killed? What if-

His thoughts abruptly halted, and his eyes flew open with a gasp. He felt scales press against his hand. He sharply turned his head to see if what he believed was true, and there it was. Toothless was leaning into Hiccup's hand as a sign of trust.

Hiccup chuckled in quiet relief and surprise. "There you are, bud."

But almost an instant later, Toothless opened his eyes, shrunk back with a snort, and began trodding away. So much for the hope that Toothless trusted him.

"Wait, Toothless!" Hiccup scrambled to his feet and ran after his friend. "You can't stay here, it-it's not safe! I need you to come with me, we-"

Hiccup abruptly stopped when he saw a bola forward and ensnare itself around the Night Fury who toppled onto his side with a screech.

"Toothless!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to his dragon's side and desperately tugged at the ropes in an attempt to loosen them, but it was futile. They were too tight, and Hiccup had no knife to cut them.

"Don't touch the ropes," came a threatening voice.

Turning fast, Hiccup beheld a thin but tall figure wearing armor of thick dragon skin. The warrior wore a spiked helmet which covered their face, but Hiccup assumed this was not someone of Berk. The warrior unsheathed a shortsword from his or her belt.

Hiccup stood in front of Toothless, glaring intensely at the hunter. "You stay away from him!"

The warrior approached, sword raised dangerously. "Step away from the Night Fury. I will not ask twice."

"Over my dead body," Hiccup whispered, pouring every ounce of anger into his words.

The warrior shrugged flippantly. "Fine," he said, then charged.

Hiccup reached behind him for Inferno, realizing that it was not there; he was unarmed. Quickly, Hiccup sidestepped and grasped the warrior's wrist, twisted it and relieved him of his sword before hitting the soldier in the head with the butt of it.

The soldier, groaning in pain, stumbled back before unsheathing a double-sided battle-axe with a growl. "You'll die for that!"

Axe locked with blade, each weapon grinding against each other. Hiccup grunted while he fought against the soldier's strength. This masked man was very strong. His opponent broke the hold and swiftly began striking a flurry of blows that Hiccup was barely able to block. He was losing ground. He was being backed into a nearby tree.

What do I do? What do I do? Hiccup panicked internally. Think, Hiccup, think. Suddenly, he remembered something Astrid had told him. "When in doubt, go for the legs."

When the axe came crashing down on his shortsword, Hiccup swept the warrior's legs. His opponent fell flat on his back, and his mask slipped off.

Except the warrior was not a man, but rather a young woman. Hiccup stumbled back with a startled gasp; he recognized this woman. He knew that pale face, that blond hair, those stunning blue eyes all too well.

"Astrid?"