The next day, Hiccup went to find Astrid, before everyone gathered in the training arena. He and Beryl searched, eventually locating her.

"How do you want to do this?" Beryl eyed the ax sticking out of a tree across the small clearing from them, the ax Astrid was at the moment removing from the scarred bark. She hadn't noticed either of them yet, not facing the right direction to see them.

"Stay back, and rescue me if she starts cutting off limbs. I'm already down one." Hiccup smirked, walking towards Astrid. "Just stay calm. This is something I have to do." He raised his voice. "Astrid. You wanted to talk later? Now seems like-"

An ax thudded into a tree far, far too close for comfort. "Is that a no?"

Astrid walked over, her stride long. Hiccup was expecting her to hit him, as she so often did.

That was another difference between her and Flint. Flint never took her anger out on anyone around her in such a way.

Instead, she simply stopped in front of him and glared. "Sure. Let's. So, have anything to say for yourself?"

"Uhh... about which part?" He really wasn't sure where she wanted him to start.

"Let's go with the most recent one. That stupid stunt with the paint." Her voice was hot with anger.

That, however, was not something Hiccup was going to apologize for. "What about it? You wanted me to mark Toothless like some farmer's sheep. Excuse me for not liking that any more than he did."

"It isn't that." Astrid abruptly moved aside and pulled the ax out of the tree. "You show up and don't pay attention, and then you defy me. Stoick put me in charge, not you. You had no right-"

"You have no right to treat them like animals." Hiccup crossed his arms, distinctly aware that the orange tint to his right arm was clearly visible, despite him trying to wash it out the night before. He had more success with Toothless's wing, though hopefully, Astrid wouldn't notice that.

"Hiccup." Astrid was staring at him a bit oddly now. "They are animals. Smart ones, but still animals. Even Fishlegs thinks so."

"You really believe that." It wasn't a question. Hiccup shook his head in frustration. This for him had become more than a petty argument about Astrid's authority. "After everything I've shown this village."

"You showed us they weren't inherently evil. We figured the rest out while you were asleep. I've spent more time with Stormfly than you have with Toothless. A lot more." Astrid shrugged. "You aren't the expert anymore. We all know as much as you do."

That struck a nerve Hiccup hadn't known existed, both in him and in Beryl, who snarled. He had to restrain himself from growling at Astrid. While it might be true from her perspective, he knew for a fact that it wasn't true from his. Even if he didn't have the memories of Ember, he would have argued that point. So he did, his voice rising as he became more and more worked up.

"That's rich, coming from you! Where is Stormfly now? Do you even know? I spend all day, every day with him," he pointed at Toothless, who was glaring daggers at Astrid, "and I definitely know more about him than you do about Stormfly." He was glaring at her now. "You treat her like a... follower. Not an equal."

"Because she follows. Listens to what I tell her." Astrid spoke slowly as if trying to explain to a child. "You don't want to believe that-"

"What? That my only real friend is an animal?" Hiccup forged ahead, not caring if what he said hurt her. "No, I don't. Because that would make everyone else even less. Are you an animal? Because Toothless sure can show a lot more intelligence and empathy than you can. I don't see him treating you as lesser."

Now she punched him, hard. He stumbled back, smiling despite the impact. She had hit one of his knife hilts, one of the ones hidden by his leather armor. That had to hurt.

She glared at him. "You're just unable to accept the fact that we don't need you to help us through all of this. Who figured out how to stop the dragons from stealing fish from storehouses? Not you. You were too busy learning to walk. Who fixed the fact that the dragons were scaring the sheep over the Winter? That wasn't you either. You weren't even conscious. You showed the way, but the rest of us actually went out and did it. Stop acting like you know something we don't!"

Astrid paused before continuing. "Who figured out how to call their dragon from anywhere on Berk? I did, while you were gone. Still think you know your dragon better than I know mine?" She inhaled, before letting out an odd call that sounded almost like a reptilian howl, something Ember's memories identified as a somewhat accurate Nadder call. Specifically, one used by hatchlings when in distress.

He couldn't help but snicker. That was an ironic discovery on Astrid's part.

Astrid glared at him as Stormfly rapidly approached and landed in the clearing, rushing over to Astrid's side. She smiled angrily. "Who's laughing now?"

Hiccup decided this particular bit of knowledge wouldn't be too suspicious. "I am. Maybe I was wrong. You don't treat her as a follower all of the time. That's the call baby Nadders use to get their parents' attention." He let that sink in.

Astrid's smile dropped a little bit. She scowled. "So? It does the job."

"It does the job in worrying her every time you feel like getting her attention. It's like if I figured out a way to imitate a human baby's scream, and went around randomly screaming. Sure, it works, but it really isn't a good way to get attention." Hiccup pointed to Stormfly, who was preening Astrid's hair, or trying to. Astrid was fending her off. "She's worried."

Beryl snorted. He spoke to Stormfly. "So much for her being an alpha."

Stormfly retorted glibly. "She is. And I'm the alpha's protector."

Hiccup wasn't listening to their side conversation. He couldn't afford to ignore Astrid, who was clearly becoming even more frustrated, her hands wringing the hilt of her ax, likely as a substitute for his neck. Ah, violence. Such a perfectly Viking trait.

Astrid at length spoke, her voice full of venom. "I still don't need you. None of us do. You just can't stand going back to the way things were. Being useless." She seemed entirely aware of how much that would hurt.

Hiccup snapped. He wouldn't have expected to hear that from Astrid, of all people. He might have crossed a line earlier, but she had just crossed right back and punched him along the way, metaphorically and literally speaking. He embraced several different memories he had gained from Ember, putting together several different observations. The memories came easily, and in about half a second he had put it together. Hopefully, this wouldn't go as badly as his last attempt at such a thing had.

He howled, somewhat similar to what Astrid had done, but subtly different. It was a poor human imitation, as Astrid's had been, but thanks to remembering exactly what it sounded like, he managed to get it close enough as to be recognizable.

There were so many subtle shades to the language of dragons and so many sounds that in truth didn't really translate to words at all. Such calls fell into the latter category, which explained why they were simple enough for a human to replicate at all. Astrid had been calling for attention as a hatchling presumably in distress. What Hiccup did was a bit different. He called as a warning. Ready for conflict, was one way it could be translated.

Stormfly reacted immediately, spines raising and teeth baring as she stood over Astrid, eyeing the woods around them. Astrid's eyes bulged in shock.

Hiccup walked up to Stormfly, raising a hand to her muzzle. "Thank you. This one was a false alarm." If he concentrated, he could hear Beryl conveying the same message in words Stormfly could understand. "She means to use it but is mixing them up. There's no need to worry when you hear her."

Stormfly huffed, backing away and settling down. Hiccup met Astrid's eyes. "That is the call you should be using. A warning call, a call to battle. There isn't really one for 'I want you to come over here', so that's as close as it gets."

"That sounded exactly like mine!" Astrid had scrambled to her feet. "There's no difference."

"There is. You just don't know what to listen for." Hiccup began to walk away. "I won't challenge your authority, or stop coming to the arena. I care about the dragons too much to not help." Time to drop the other foot. "But I won't follow you either, not while you insist on thinking of them like animals." He left the clearing before she could answer, Beryl trailing behind him.

The second they were out of hearing range, Beryl pounced on him. "What is wrong with you?" He seemed upset. "You just made it a thousand times worse!"

"Ugh... can't explain... if I can't breathe..." Hiccup groaned as Beryl removed a paw from his stomach. "I know, I know." His face was thoughtful. "Honestly, I don't really care."

"You did care!" Beryl was sounded confused, almost saddened. "What changed? I thought you both liked each other."

"I liked her. And maybe at some point she thought she liked me." Hiccup winced as stood. Beryl's pounce, while as gentle as the Fury in question could make it, had knocked him on his back rather hard. The hazards of having a five-ton lizard as a friend. "Clearly, that isn't the case now. She's gone back to treating me like dirt."

That was one side of the problem. He hadn't been able to put a finger on it before. Astrid was acting like she always had. In charge, the best of the group. Whatever fleeting liking for him she harbored had dissipated at some point.

The other side was more difficult to explain, at least to Beryl. For himself, it was fairly simple. He didn't find himself that attracted to Astrid anymore. Her dismissive and at this point blatantly superior attitude helped, but he probably would have felt about the same if she hadn't acted like that. He supposed it could be attributed to Ember's memories screwing with his perception, but that implied it wasn't a good change. He had gained perspective from Ember. Many years of it. He could remember years of living with Flint. She was really a better version of Astrid, from what he knew now. The same level of determination and the same anger, but Flint could control it and didn't look down on anyone, or take her anger out on them. Things Astrid did do. Flint also lacked Astrid's disdain for others. That was something he hadn't really seen in Astrid until recently, the way she instantly assessed the capabilities of everyone around her and dismissed those she didn't deem capable enough to be a threat. People like him, now that she was confident with Stormfly. He and Beryl, in her eyes, were no longer a threat. And so he was nothing to her. Even if he could convince her they were still dangerous, did he really want to live like that?

Besides, it felt wrong to even think about romance when he didn't have full control over himself. When he was in a very real way still mourning his last love. The one who had been killed right in front of him.

Beryl knew none of this, but he could see something of Hiccup's thought process in his eyes. He whined, licking Hiccup in the face. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault." Hiccup might have resented Ember's memories, but they felt like part of him now, so it was hard to do that. Of course, there'd be some downsides, he was lucky it wasn't all bad. The truth wasn't always fun to hear or to realize. At least now he didn't have to desperately try and recapture whatever brief spark had been between them. Astrid seemed content to forget about that and move on. He would too. "I just don't think it's going to work out between me and Astrid."

"Really?" Beryl cast a glance back in the direction of the clearing. "Well, at least I won't have to be around Stormfly."

"Yes, that would be good for both of us." Hiccup would never have guessed that Astrid's dragon was so aggravating. Like a passive version of Snotlout, happy to mindlessly follow Astrid, basking in her charge's reflected glory instead of procuring it herself. He didn't really like being around her either. "But we're still going to be around both of them. They're in charge of dragon stuff, and hopefully, we can make sure they don't mess anything up."

Beryl shook the wing that had previously been marked with paint. "So insulting. You think they'd do other things like that?"

"Bud, they mean well. But if they see you guys as animals... yes." Hiccup thought through how Vikings treated cattle or dogs. Half of what he could think of would be terribly demeaning if applied to dragons, and the other half might start a minor war. Such as selling and trading them at will. The few dragons in the village that understood humans would start a riot if they understood what was going on in that scenario, and they wouldn't be wrong to do so.

"Add that to the list of problems to fix." Beryl huffed, starting off towards the village. Hiccup walked beside him.

"What list?"

Beryl snorted. "Deal with Old-smelly-idiot-dragon-hater, fix how everyone sees us, take over for your father at some point, and find my jerk of a brother. There's enough there for it to count as a list."

"First off, I assume you meant Mildew." Hiccup tried not to laugh at the quite accurate name Beryl had given the old man. "second, don't talk about Spark like that."

"I have every right to. He left me." Beryl almost tripped over a fallen log. He recovered with a snarl.

Hiccup blinked, shocked. Beryl never tripped. It was partly having four legs, and partly just being really coordinated. He looked closer and saw the pain in Beryl's eyes.

"Stop." Hiccup moved forward and stood in front of Beryl. "Now speak. Stop holding this in. It's clearly hurting you."

Beryl shook his head and growled, motioning for Hiccup to move aside. "There's nothing to talk about."

"No." Hiccup stood firm. "We aren't moving from this spot until you tell me what else is bothering you."

"There is nothing else!" Beryl moved to a nearby tree and began clawing at it as he ranted. "He's my older brother, and we always looked out for each other! He left me there after I told him to fly away! I didn't think he'd just leave for good! I spent so very long waiting for him to come back, to challenge the Queen. I even told other dragons he was out there, somewhere. After a few years, they stopped listening. A few more, and I stopped hoping." His voice was sad. "I don't want to know why he never came for me. I don't want to go find him if he's still alive. It hurts to think about, finding him just living somewhere, having moved on."

Hiccup winced. "That doesn't sound like Spark to me." It really didn't fit what he knew of the other Fury. What Ember knew.

"It wouldn't. He changed after we saw... you know." Beryl looked decidedly uncomfortable, now just dragging a claw along the ground, not meeting Hiccup's eyes. "He didn't believe they were dead. Wouldn't. I had to knock him out to keep him from going back and looking for them, even after we saw them torn apart ourselves. He still didn't believe me afterward. I had to go with him as he searched... for our Sire and Dam. Convinced they had somehow survived and gone somewhere else. That's how we got so close to the Queen's dominion. I couldn't leave him to search for what didn't exist. He's probably still looking." Beryl sniffed, a sound Hiccup had never heard at quite that pitch in this life. "Apparently, looking for the dead was more important than me."

Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless's back, idly scratching under the saddle. "We don't have to search. But we don't know for sure he abandoned you. Something might have happened to stop him from coming back." What that might be, Hiccup had no idea. "Don't you want to know-"

Beryl roared, a sound of distress and frustration. The trees shook, and a flock of birds startled in the distance, their squawking audible in the otherwise complete silence following the roar. He groaned, shaking his head. "I do. But I don't, at the same time. I can't face it if he just chose to leave me. I'd rather not know."

"Then let's make a deal." This was the best solution Hiccup could think of. "When we find him, don't talk to him. Let me first. I can find out, and if he just left you there of his own free will, we'll go. You won't have to face him." But if he didn't, if there was some good excuse...

Hiccup was proposing this for two reasons. The first was that he wanted Beryl to be at peace. This was a part of that. The second was slightly more selfish. Both parts of him wanted, no, needed to see Spark. To figure out what was wrong with him, to just see him in general. How that interaction would go would heavily depend on Spark. But Hiccup definitely needed to play that out, if they ever found him. Though showing up as Ember would be very complicated, even if Beryl agreed that he could resume Ember's form for that occasion at all. He'd figure that part out if the time ever came.

Beryl had collapsed to the ground, spent and too distressed to remain standing. He huffed, eyes closed. "I still don't want to. But I might be able to bear that." His voice hardened. "And if he did just leave me, let him know I found a better brother. You."

Hiccup was still beside Beryl, offering what support he could. "I'm touched. But calling me your brother to spite him? You aren't a spiteful person."

"Let me have that, this once." Beryl's voice was soft. "In that case, I'll make an exception."

"If you still feel that way then..." Hiccup trailed off, considering it. "I can do that."

O-O-O-O-O

After their little argument, neither Hiccup nor Beryl felt like going anywhere. But they hauled themselves up and made it to the arena on time anyway. Beryl had insisted, though Hiccup was pretty sure that was because he needed a distraction. That was fine with him. He needed one too. Refocusing on their most current goal was a good one.

Astrid seemed set on ignoring them today. Hiccup stayed in the background as Astrid and the other teens continued their various dragon-related efforts, mostly things like the logistics of keeping both sides of a dragon-human village happy.

Astrid was doing a good job... if one saw dragons as animals, as she so clearly did. There was no mention of asking the dragons about anything, and only Fishlegs seemed to consider the reactions to some of the long-term plans Astrid put forth, though in the manner of one concerned for their own personal safety rather than the feelings of those being offended.

Hiccup, after about ten minutes of that, switched his attention over to the dragon half of the conversation. He was not at all surprised to hear Meatlug leading that side of the discussion. Stormfly refused to participate, but Hookfang, Barf and Belch, and Beryl himself were all involved.

It was ironic to Hiccup that the draconic discussion went so much easier than the human side. Astrid considered animals the ones who could cooperate and civilly discuss things without conflict, something Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut seemed incapable of. Barf and Belch were quiet but serious when discussing matters of importance, and Hookfang seemed almost awed by Meatlug's presence, so he didn't act arrogant at all. Meatlug herself was calm and not really in control so much as leading the discussion, often deferring to Beryl.

Hiccup found himself listening intently when the conversation turned towards the dragons' long-term plans for Berk.

Meatlug summed it up fairly well. "We want to live alongside them. It is better for both species."

Hookfang softly snorted, speaking in a subdued tone. "Alongside is key. Not under. I am teaching my charge that, slowly but surely. He has stopped trying to enforce commands physically."

Barf and Belch let out a small puff of gas in laughter. "How long did that take?"

"Three weeks." Hookfang bowed his head. "Three weeks of me consistently kicking him back every time. He changed colors in that time. I have never seen a blue and black No-scaled-not-prey before. But it had to be done."

Meatlug nodded. "That is good, though not the best method. You are the only one who had to deal with that particular issue. Most of our charges are not so presumptuous." She rumbled sadly. "Mine is ignorant though, despite his love of knowledge. He is blind to everything I can think of to show him the truth."

Barf and Belch knocked their heads together, a gesture Hiccup could only interpret as frustration. "We can do nothing to help. Our charges do not care whether we are intelligent or not. They are not, so it does not matter to them. In some ways that is good, but that they do not care is worrying long-term."

The mood in the arena, among the dragons, had soured, falling almost into depression. Meatlug perked up. "Beryl? Have you made any additional progress with your Missing-piece? You have succeeded so well where the rest of us struggle."

Beryl cast a glance at Hiccup before answering, speaking carefully. "There is no further progress to be made. He knows all there is to know."

Hookfang looked up, incredulous. "All? He still calls you by a name of his own picking, despite you, unlike the rest of us, already having a name. He does not know all."

Beryl squirmed, seemingly indecisive. "I can not explain how... but he now does that for the benefit of the other No-scaled-not-prey. In private, he calls me..." Beryl nodded at Hiccup, his face hopeful.

Hiccup had been assuming that they were hiding everything from everyone, but he supposed showing a little to the dragons couldn't really hurt. They didn't have to know how he could do it. He spoke quietly, drawing no human attention to himself. "Beryl."

Dragon attention, on the other hand, was pulled to him. Every dragon in the arena, including Stormfly, jerked around to stare at him in utter shock.

Hiccup flinched as the other teens noticed the complete focus of attention on him. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea.

"Woah, Hiccup!" Ruffnut pointed at Barf and Belch. "They're both looking at you!" Her voice shook. Tuffnut seemed equally shocked.

"So?" Hiccup shrugged.

"No, you don't understand." Tuffnut eyed Hiccup doubtfully. "That never happens. Getting the attention of one head is hard enough. The other always makes sure nothing is going on around it. Like a sentry. We've never seen this happen."

Hiccup did know that, in retrospect. "Well, I-"

"Okay, Zipplebacks are weird." Snotlout shrugged. "Like rider, like dragon. What I want to know is, what did you just do? Hookfang never pays attention to me. I could really use whatever you did."

Hiccup's mind flashed back to what Hookfang had said. He replied without thought. "No, you need to pay attention to him. It took him three weeks to teach you one simple thing."

Snotlout's face flushed, and he took a step back. "How do you know about that? You were unconscious at the time!"

Astrid cut in, her voice cold. "It doesn't matter. If you're done interrupting us, Hiccup?"

"For now." Hiccup glanced at the dragons, all of whom were still looking at him. "I can't guarantee that though."

The teens somewhat reluctantly returned to their discussion. Fishlegs glanced over at Hiccup several times, his eyes glowing with curiosity.

Hiccup muttered, turning to face Toothless. "That was a mistake. They won't forget this."

"It was. I should have broken the news at a better time." Beryl glanced over at the other dragons. "We wish this kept discreet. If you wouldn't mind..."

Meatlug snapped back to attention, her eyes refocusing on Beryl. "Why? And what, exactly, are we keeping discrete for you?" Suspicion colored her tone. "You are very good at conveying meaning with gestures. Is that how you told him?" She continued without letting Beryl answer. "I don't think so, because he knew exactly what to say, and when. Have you taught him our language?"

Beryl did his best to act nonchalant. "We had weeks to work on our communication, free of distraction. But there is something about him. I do not think anyone else could learn." That was the truth.

Hookfang nudged Hiccup with his maw, having inched close enough to do so earlier. "You hear me?"

Hiccup whispered his answer, scratching Hookfang's nose before gently pushing his head away. "Yes. Discrete, remember?"

Barf and Belch pulled Hookfang away by his necks, taking the chance to eye Hiccup. He said nothing.

Meatlug made eye contact with Hiccup. "We will speak privately later. This is not a good place. My charge is watching. For now, I will respect your wishes, so we cannot communicate openly here." She addressed Beryl. "Care to explain in his stead?"

"There isn't much to explain." Beryl shifted, curling his tail around Hiccup. "One day something just clicked for him. It was not like my learning their language. He knows all, though I am unsure if he can speak it."

Beryl's tone shifted very subtly, and Hiccup realized that Beryl was preparing to lie with his next words. It was so subtle, almost entirely unnoticeable, but he knew Beryl. He had heard that little tell develop as Beryl grew and told harmless lies, in play mostly.

Beryl continued, outwardly just as he had been, no real change audible to anyone else. "I think he picked it up from spending so much time with me, and from something about him. None can argue that he is the closest one of the No-scaled-not-prey can get to being one of us. Perhaps fate simply decided it was unfair that he could not hear us. We do not know the trigger, but as he went from nothing to everything, there must be something more than simple experience."

It was a good explanation, a plausible one that couldn't be contested. Hiccup was glad Beryl had been able to handle the pressure.

Meatlug seemed mostly convinced, though there was a slight edge to her voice. "That does seem like the work of fate itself. It is too bad we cannot extend it to all those here. That would make things so much easier. I believe in time, my charge may be as close to me as yours is to you. It is possible that he may obtain the same gift if it is triggered by that."

"It is near impossible for anyone to do what he has done." Beryl shook his head. "Do not get your hopes up." He seemed to be slightly regretting giving Meatlug false hope.

Stormfly butted into the conversation both literally and figuratively, shoving Meatlug aside as she went to stand in front of Beryl and by extension Hiccup. "Yours is still not as good as mine." Her voice was much less confident than usual. "Mine is in charge."

That was met with a snort. "What good is leadership compared to true understanding?" Beryl cast a glance over at Astrid, who was separating the twins in exasperation. "Feel free to believe that. I personally do not value leadership at all. It is nothing but difficulty and responsibility taken on to allow others happiness and freedom. I'd rather make my own decisions, or consult those close to me. I can do that now. Can you?"

Stormfly stared at him angrily for a second, before visibly settling herself. "You were content to wait for another to save you once. What happened to making your own decisions then?" Her tone was too sly, too innocent. She knew exactly how much that must hurt, reminding Beryl of Spark's failure.

Hiccup intervened, speaking quietly so as to not be overheard by the teens. "I liked you better when I couldn't hear you." He got Beryl's attention and met his eyes. "Ignore her."

Beryl grunted, expression sad. He didn't say anything, simply walking away from Stormfly, tail dragging along the ground.

"Bud?"

"She's right." He kept walking, out towards the arena door. "I shouldn't have waited. Not like it would have made a difference though. We were stuck either way."

Hiccup followed Beryl out, ignoring everyone else. "Where are we going?"

They crossed the wooden bridge separating the outcropping the arena was built into from the rest of the village. Beryl's mood lifted a little as they left the arena behind. "Anywhere but where she is."

They wandered the town. Beryl was leading the way this time, and Hiccup was content to follow. There wasn't anything more he could say.

As they went, he watched the village carefully. The villagers were going about their lives, the dragons in their midst. All seemed well on the surface.

Underneath the surface, however, was a just faintly visible tension. The villagers were not aware of it, the dragons were similarly oblivious for the most part. Hiccup could only see it because he was looking. The many small things that taken on their own would have been meaningless.

The Viking tossing fish out to Terrors, but going on his way after a while, leaving Terrors hungry. They flew off, slightly disgruntled. The Viking had grown bored of the activity, so he had left. No consideration of how the ones he was feeding might react, or that not all of them had even gotten food.

The dragons loitering outside a butcher's workspace, before being shooed away by a large woman with a pan and a no-nonsense attitude. It did not escape Hiccup's notice that several village dogs had been treated in the same way. The dragons took no notice of that fact.

The older Vikings, trying to coerce a dragon into flying them places, speaking slowly and waving fish in the air. They got no takers, save for those Terrors from before, who decided the fish being waved around was a good substitute for the food they had missed out on.

None of it was truly mean-spirited or done condescendingly on purpose. It all made total sense given what the Vikings believed. But to Hiccup, every tiny injustice spoke of a larger inequality, one of man and beast, not people interacting with people.

Beryl saw it too. He began pointing things out, quietly. Hiccup couldn't respond, but Beryl knew that. He was simply speaking his observations.

By the end of the hour, Hiccup had seen enough. He and Beryl stopped in the middle of the plaza, looking out into the village. "This isn't the best."

"An understatement." Beryl flicked an ear. "Why does everyone want to stay here? I was not around to hear that decision being made."

"I was told you didn't leave my side for practically the entire time, so that makes sense." Hiccup smiled. "Next time, at least try to keep yourself healthy. I thought you were looking a little out of shape when I woke up."

"There won't be a next time," Beryl growled. "You have too few limbs as it is. Do not lose another."

"We agree on that." Hiccup thought back. "To change the subject, you know what the village is missing today?"

"A large floating sign that says 'dragons are people'?"

"Sarcasm is my department. But no. It's missing a crotchety old man with regrettably good speaking skills riling up the village. Any day is improved by an absence of Mildew."

They both laughed at that.

O-O-O-O-O

A few days later, no one was laughing. Mildew's more ardent supporters had declared him missing, even going so far as to accuse dragons of eating him, and other such atrocities. Stoick had finally had to gather everyone into village plaza to get the facts straight.

"Settle down!" Stoick had climbed on top of a bench, brought out from the Great Hall. "We are here to find out what happened to Mildew!"

At that, the crowd was suddenly a lot less interested. Someone yelled out, safe in the anonymity of the group. "Who cares?"

"He's one of us!" Stoick crossed his arms. "When was he last seen?"

Aldric, one of Mildew's biggest supporters, stepped out of the crowd. "Not for four days."

"Oy, I saw 'im yesterday." Someone else spoke.

Aldric seemed happy to hear that. "Really? Where?"

"He was just wandering the village."

Stoick raised his hands, quieting everyone. "Was that the last time anyone saw him?" There was no response. "Okay, so he hasn't been seen since yesterday. We'll wait a few days. He's always kept to himself."

Several of Mildew's other supporters protested that. Stoick turned away. "Feel free to look for him if you want. He may be truly missing."

Hiccup was close enough to hear Stoick's last, muttered words. "Or just trying to get more attention. That'd be my guess."

He personally suspected something different. His thoughts were interrupted by a punch on the shoulder. A very hard one.

Beryl reared, leaping from his place partially hidden in a convenient alley to avoid the crowd. He landed by Hiccup, snarling at...

"Astrid." Hiccup sat up, a hand to his shoulder. That had been much harder than the punches he was used to. She was still very mad at him. "What have I done recently to deserve that?"

Astrid looked like she would rather be anywhere else. "I have been ordered", she spat that word at him, "to go search Mildew's hut by the chief. And I have also been ordered to take you with me."

"When?"

"Just now, of course." She turned, stalking away towards Stormfly, who was on the edge of the crowd. "Let's get this over with."

Well, she had come from the direction of Stoick. Hiccup sighed, standing up. Stoick probably thought he was doing Hiccup a favor.

O-O-O-O-O

They landed in front of Mildew's hut. It was an old, run-down place, similar to the huts in the village except for upkeep and location. Why the village had built Mildew's hut on the side of the mountain, a good hour's walk from town, no one would say. Hiccup personally thought it was a rare example of Viking foresight and planning. He had never been inside before. Never wanted to either.

Stormfly loitered outside the hut, entirely content to wait. Beryl, however, was right next to Hiccup in front of the door.

Much to Astrid's annoyance. "Hiccup, get your dragon out of the way. I can't even get to the door." She visibly prepared to shove Toothless, before thinking better of even trying.

Beryl's head whipped around, and he met Astrid's eyes. He then stepped closer to the door, glaring at her the entire time.

Only Hiccup heard him taunt her. "Make me. Just push me aside like you would an animal. If you can."

Hiccup kept a straight face with ease. Beryl's tone had been neutral, the statement not at all intended as a joke. It was a challenge. "Ask him yourself. I don't control him."

"Clearly," Astrid griped, staring at Toothless. "but we don't have time for this."

"We have all the time in the world." Beryl lifted his lips in a twisted mockery of a smile. "Unless you'd like to ask nicely?"

"We have all the time in the world." Hiccup parroted Beryl, glad he was standing safely away from Astrid. "Maybe ask him as I suggested?"

The standoff continued for a good thirty seconds, Astrid glaring at Beryl, Beryl staring impassively at Astrid, and Hiccup waiting behind Beryl. Waiting for Astrid to crack. He knew Beryl would wait hours simply to drive the point home if he had to.

"Fine!" Astrid threw her hands up. "Hiccup, I'll get you for this."

"What?" Hiccup pointed at himself. "If it were up to me, we'd already be done here! I don't like Mildew's front porch any more than you do."

"Toothless", Astrid, gritted out, "move."

Nothing. Beryl perked his ears, but otherwise stayed exactly where he was. He shook his head deliberately.

Hiccup imagined that he could see steam coming out of Astrid's ears. "Bud, if you're waiting for her to ask nicely, this is going to be a long day."

Beryl nodded.

"Toothless, please move before I lose my temper and-" Astrid hefted her ax menacingly.

A snort of disdain was the only response she got, aside from Toothless taking a leisurely step to the side, allowing her past.

She stormed past, not even stopping at the door, slamming into it with her shoulder. Old and slightly moldy wood gave way with a wet crack, the door swinging open.

"I hadn't tried the door yet. It might not have been bolted." Hiccup stared into the dark hut.

"It was either the door or your dragon," Astrid called out from the inside of the hut.

"The door doesn't fight back." Beryl snorted, trying to disperse the dust from the forced entry.

They made their way into the hut, which Astrid had lit by way of relighting the old torches scattered around.

The light revealed an interior that perfectly matched Mildew. Old, moldy, and generally disturbing. It was mostly bare of possessions, save for some very odd items in a corner.

Astrid lifted a pair of chillingly familiar boots. "Zippleback feet, hollowed out and turned into shoes, claws and all." She tossed them to the side in disgust, holding up the next item. "Nightmare claws tied to a stick." It went on the pile.

Beryl was staring at the four painted shields on the wall. "Those are very ugly."

"True." Hiccup walked from shield to shield. The first three depicted three increasingly horrid-looking women, each larger and uglier than the last. The fourth shield depicted a sheep. Mildew's pet sheep, Fungus.

Who, Hiccup saw, wasn't around either. That supported the theory that Mildew had gone somewhere. He never left Fungus behind, even on his trips to the village. The hut was bare besides those few things and an untidy heap of personal possessions in the corner. That was it, the fire dead in the hearth and dust settling everywhere, mold growing in the darker corners.

Hiccup noticed something on the ground near the ashes of the fire. Something wasn't right there. He moved closer.

The ash was different here. Darker, and quite a bit of it, as if the logs had spilled out. Quite a bonfire with this much ash though. So... much... ash...

An immensely fine black powder, reminiscent of ash but too dark to be just normal ash.

Flint's body was already gone. It must have been pulled away by the water somehow.

The massive Night Fury broke down in front of his eyes, crumbling into an immensely fine black powder...

Hiccup jerked back, stumbling over his prosthetic and hitting his side against the wall as he fell. The ash. That fine black ash, too black to be normal. He knew what that was. What it meant.

Beryl started towards him, the beginning of a question on his tongue.

Hiccup cut him off, his voice low so that Astrid, on the other side of the hut and as of now unaware of anything unusual wouldn't hear. "Vithvarandi."

Author's Note: Well, there goes any sense of safety either Hiccup or Beryl felt. Things are ramping back up again…

Also, for those of you who wanted an explanation for Astrid's coldness and anger towards Hiccup, or to see Astrid's side of things, it is coming, just not quite yet. The same goes for Vithvarandi, whose actions are often quite odd and seemingly illogical. All will make at least some sense in time.