A/N: WOW! Thank you SO much for the reviews! I got so many, I was so happy! :D

Thanks you ^^

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No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! Hyperventilating and gasping, Toothless spun in midair, taking his first break in what seemed like miles and miles. He'd been pushing himself so that he went faster than he ever had before, having started that a long time ago. His wings were screaming with exhaustion, trying to fold in on themselves and just take a rest. He floundered in the air clumsily, having to concentrate with all his might to keep flying and not just drop right down into the sea down below. Gasping sharply, Toothless let out a roar that echoed throughout the night. "HICCUP! WHERE ARE YOU!" He screamed, his voice starting to edge close to hysteria.

Hiccup couldn't be gone! Toothless had never gone that fast in…well, he didn't really remember! He'd gotten close to that speed, and yet the sudden burst had even surprised him. The fear and adrenaline that had powered him before was starting to melt away like water, leaving him sapped for energy and unable to go on much longer. But he couldn't just stop, Hiccup was in danger, he could be dead by now! The thought tore Toothless's heart into halves, a ripping, painful sensation that seared through his chest. He ducked his head low, starting to lose altitude as his wings started to fail on themselves. "Why is it always me that gets us into trouble?" He whispered thickly, emotion welling up in his throat, creating a lump that wasn't going to get cleared easily. "Why is it always me that puts you in danger? Gets you in trouble?"

What would be happening if he had just stayed back with Nightflight? Forgotten Hiccup and everything in Berk, and just lived the way a Night Fury normally lived? Hiccup would have Ludi, a pet that would never get him into life-threatening situations like the ones that Toothless pushed him into. Nightflight would be happy and content, living with him and the rest of the pack. And…maybe…Toothless would have been happy that way too. If he was blind to his former life, and just hadn't remembered that way things were…maybe this wouldn't be happening now. Maybe everything would just be much better if he hadn't been so selfish.

He looked down at the water almost numbly, watching it get closer and closer. His body weighed a million tons, he couldn't fly any more if he even wanted to. Without a chance of him finding Hiccup, the village breaking underneath his feet, and everything he's ever loved falling apart, what point was there? Where would he go? Nowhere. He couldn't go anywhere. He couldn't live without Hiccup…without him would be living without a purpose. Without Mistyeyes…without Shadowclaw. All of his friends, he had no idea what to do anymore.

"Hey!" A shrill voice squeaked, barely reaching his ears where he was. At first, he didn't respond to it, too wrapped-up in his own self-pity to give a notice. But the voice called out again, familiar. It was so familiar, it made new strength flood through his muscles, his eyes snapping open at once, hope and happiness flooding into the green orbs like an open dam. It was him! It was him! Shooting upwards faster than he thought possible, Toothless raced forward to where he heard the voice, fast as a lightening bolt. "Hey! I'm over here! Where are you?" The voice called out, nearly cracking at the high volume it was reaching.

"Hiccup!" Toothless yelled, skidding to a stop as the voice got closer. "I can't believe you-" He broke off, eyes widening slowly, horror and terror replacing the happiness that had filled them a heartbeat ago. A wall of Night Furies loomed over him, glowering sharply down at him, claws glinting like daggers and fangs bared. Growls and suspicious looks were flashed his way, and Toothless wildly tried to think of him fighting them all off. Or flying to the village to try and warn all of Berk before the army could catch up to him. If reinforcements were coming to replace the Night Furies at Berk right now…there was no more hope, at all. The village had spent its last night, the Night Furies were just too strong, it seemed. Toothless cringed away from the sight. "Why?" He whispered underneath his breath. What had he done to deserve this!? What had ANY of them done to deserve this kind of end!?

"Because I'm just so darn smart!" The joyous chirp made Toothless freeze, pausing a moment before slowly turning, shocked now, instead of scared. The familiar green eyes bored into him, the same trilling voice filled with laughter. He was really here. Shadowclaw did a neat little twirl in the air, spinning and flipping a moment before adding onto what he said, not even reacting to Toothless's half-dead look as the older dragon stared at the younger. "I went all the way back to the island! I flew fast, because I knew we didn't have a lot of time! These are the dragons that are against Nightflight, they said they'll help us defend Berk if we let them go in peace! If we take care of Nightflight, they'll aid in driving the others away!" The dragon beside Shadowclaw, a light brown color, looked at him with admiring green eyes.

"W-What!?" Toothless blustered, a smile spreading over his face. "Really!? Shadowclaw, I thought you went to join the Pack again! How did you do this? I can't believe I didn't think of this, this is amazing!" The words came too fast, Shadowclaw waiting for the elder one to finish before even trying to speak. His eyes were glimmering with self-pride, and he looked ready to burst. But behind that was a sense of determination that exceeded his age, a grim sort of look that they all seemed to adopted when this all started.

"I went back so I could find a way to get back here! This is Leafdapple," He tilted his head over to the side, indicating the small brown dragon fluttering in the air beside him. She averted eye contact with Toothless, looking a little uncomfortable as she did so. He frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, turning back to Shadowclaw. He was a little lost for words, blanching down at the little dragon as he continued to explain what was happening, words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush. "she told me that there were Night Furies back at the original island that we all lived on! That they would probably help us drive Nightflight out!" He jerked his head back to the group behind him, the large group that now filled Toothless with more energy than he could contain. "They agreed to help us! If Nightflight is out of the picture, maybe the two sides will be able to join together again! You gotta lead us back to the island!"

"B-But…" Toothless hesitated moment, green eyes wide with indecision as he looked from the dragons, to the way he had been going. He looked at the Night Furies…all of them together. They showed a possible outcome for the village…a future of them actually making it through. A million lives could be saved tonight, both from the village, and the Night Furies that were underneath Nightflight's influence. Staring a moment, Toothless closed his eyes, ducking his head close to his chest. He'd been flying so long trying to find Hiccup. Was he really going to give his human up this easily?

"…Please…" He whispered, so low that even Shadowclaw couldn't hear. "Just give me a little bit more time. I'll come back for you, I promise." Opening his eyes a little reluctantly, he drew himself up, composing himself for one more moment. But they couldn't waste any more time than they had already. "Follow me, we have to hurry, the island is getting worse and worse the longer we stay here." The other Night Furies shared glances, but did not object to him taking the lead. As a whole, they turned the way Toothless had come, the large black dragon taking the lead as he shot back the way he'd flown over. The others followed, strong and ready to fight to get back their rightful ways of life.

"I'm so sorry…" Toothless thought, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he flew. "Just hang on for me. I'll be right back."

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"Be quiet!" Hiccup hissed sharply, glaring back at Ludi. The cat was curled up in a tight little ball, meowing every so often as if to remind Hiccup that she hadn't eaten in forever. The soot and ash from the fire back at home had long since washed away from her fur, thanks to the unwanted fall into the ocean. But it was drying in odd clumps, and every time that Ludi made a move to try and smooth it out, she wrinkled her nose at the sharp tang of saltwater, giving up at once. She's tried doing that about six times in the past hour. So she basically looked like a weird hedgehog. Ludi snapped her mouth shut, resting her head on her paws glumly, looking more than cross.

"What? You think that I want to be in this situation either!?" Hiccup demanded, glowering over sharply at the cat, who ignored him fixedly. He went on, not caring whether Ludi was even bothering to listen, or if he was just talking to himself. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere without a way home, we have no means of any kind of food, everyone on Berk may be dead, we have another dragon lose on the island that wants to KILL us, and I CANT GET THIS STUPID FIRE TO LIGHT!" He slammed down the sticks he was attempting to rub together, glaring at the wood sourly. "It's not even possible, what is this stupid thing!? Rubbing two pieces of wood together? Who thought of that!? Somebody really bored, that's who…"

Ludi eyed him sourly where she sat, shivering pointedly in his direction. Her words seemed to slam Hiccup right in the face: "It's YOUR fault we're here." Or maybe that wasn't what she thought…maybe that's just what he figured. He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping as the anger inside of him melted into a sad feeling. "I know." He mumbled, Ludi perking at his new tone of voice. "I'm sorry, Ludi." He reached over, rolling his hand slowly over the grass, not burnt, for once. "If I hadn't ran off…we might not be here. And I know you were just trying to protect me. And I really appreciate that." He glanced over at the cat, who yawned. Forgetting that minor detail, Hiccup shook his head from side to side. "If you hadn't been with me…I'd probably be dead right now. So…thanks."

Ludi flopped around so that she was laying in his direction, but didn't do anything. She looked dead-tired. After climbing that tree, they had stayed up there for a long time, it was hard for Hiccup to keep himself upright, while Ludi had to cling to branch in order for it not to swing her off, from that way Hiccup was shaking it all around. Hiccup was surprised they managed to stay hidden for that long, the tree was rustling so much. They had made 'camp' right underneath the same tree, in case they needed to climb up again in a rush to avoid Nightflight. If she could even find her way over here again.

Looking over his shoulder at the dark foliage behind him, Hiccup felt a frown pull down his lips again. The way he always did when he thought of Nightflight. But this frown was different, it was pity. A kind of feeling that no Viking should ever feel in his life. Hiccup hadn't felt pity for the Red Death when he and Toothless battled against him, he just saw the flaw in his plan right before they slammed into the giant tail. Nightflight was just as bad as that dragon, in his opinion. She nearly ripped Toothless away from Berk and him, she got way too close in killing him, she was wreaking havoc onto Berk, and she just finished trying to kill him a SECOND time. She could probably match up to any kind of crazy, stupid dragon out there.

And yet he couldn't bring himself to be angry at her. The frown only deepened at the thought, and he closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. Something was wrong with him, then. There was no other possible answer to it than that. A real Viking would kill her on sight, without another thought to be given. Hiccup was never like any of the other Vikings, that was sure from the get-go. He didn't know whether he got it from his mother or not, he never met her. And he certainly did not get it from his father. Slouching against the bark of the tree, he held his head in his good hand, pressing down hard. "I'm a screw-up." He growled under hid breath.

Ludi got up at this, trudging over and crawling up to curl into Hiccup's lap. She purred loudly, as if reassuring him that he didn't screw-up ALL the time. Maybe just sometimes. Smiling a little, he reached down and patted her now-salty fur, blinking a little at the odd smell that came off of her. As if catching his thoughts, Ludi abruptly turned, hopping off and spitting at him angrily. "I'm sorry, it's just-" He broke off, smile fading slowly as he perked up. He looked at the trees and undergrowth that surrounded them on all sides, eyes slowly narrowing and flashing down to Ludi. "Ludi, get up into the tree." He whispered, trying to keep his voice calm. The cat blinked, eyes gleaming in the darkness like twin moons. She turned, suddenly much more subdued than before. She blinked owlishly, as if trying to locate the danger herself, to make sure that Hiccup wasn't trying to scare her or anything. Which was a stupid assumption, Hiccup always gave the punch lines away before they were intended.

A sharp rustle in the brushes sent her reeling, and Ludi spun around faster than a top, shooting upwards and scurrying up the tree as though her tail was on fire. Hiccup reached for the nearest branch, ready to hoist himself up and after her, when he paused, staring at the bark of the tree absently, waiting a moment. Hesitating. The noises of footsteps got louder, and it was no question to who they belonged to. Hiccup tightened his hold on the branch a moment before letting go. He wasn't running this time. He knew better now.

He narrowed his eyes, dropping his hand and whirling around in place, immediately looking into the ruined and scarred face of the dragon that had haunted him for months and months on end.

But they were equals now.

For a moment, the two remained like that. Whether or not Nightflight could even see him at all, she seemed to sense the lack of flight. She knew that he was standing right in front of her. Which led him to wonder how MUCH she could actually see. Maybe outlines? A blurry image? It would make sense. Hiccup's hands clenched and unclenched together, causing his injured shoulder to spark and burn with pain, but he bit the bottom of his lip to keep from yelling out. If he even could. He couldn't remember how to breathe right, Nightflight was looming over him, nearly blocking out the moonlight.

…Maybe this was a bad idea.

Nightflight was first to speak, narrowing her eyes to slits, as if she could still see out of them. "You're braver than I took you for, human." She commented, no impressed tone hidden in her voice remotely. She just sounded irritated. "A lot stupider too, it looks like." Hiccup didn't reply, mouth set in a thin line as he stared steadily over to her own faded gaze. Ludi trembled up in the tree, tucking tighter into herself, ducking away from the scene, not able to watch what was unfolding below her. Nightflight flicked her ear, smirking now. "You aren't going to even try and run? Or maybe you want you BEG for you life like you did in the caves so long ago, hmm?"

Hiccup stiffened at this, stomach twisting into knots at the memories that crammed into his head. Nightflight seemed to notice this, looking much more than satisfied at the mental game she had started. "Well, you were so very LUCKY that Toothless was there to save you, aren't you?" She mused, tilting her head to the side slightly, a mock expression of sympathy etched on her face. But then she snickered once again. "But he isn't here for you now, is he? He let you go without much of a fight, huh? Some friend, right?"

Hiccup managed to find his voice this time. Anger welled up inside of him, and he drew himself up, green eyes burning with evergreen fire. "Toothless is ten times the dragon you'll ever HOPE of being!" He snapped, taking a step forward so that he was closer. Nightflight seemed surprised at the sudden draw of courage, not seeing the way he had changed before he talked. As soon as he spoke, she leapt with surprise, blind to the world around her. But she recovered quickly, as if she never had any sort of shock from the sudden action.

"Well, maybe I'll make the extra effort to bring your body back to him, then." She purred.

The words blurted out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "If you could even make it back to the island! You'd fall into the water just like you did before!" He clapped his hand over his mouth immediately, eyes widening as he stepped back again. Nightflight stiffened for a moment, straight as a board. Anger creased over her face, and her wings splayed out behind her, blocking out even more light. Ludi plopped her paws over her eyes, not wanting to look at what would happen next. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, apologize? Wasn't the best option, and it didn't make much sense. But still, it was better than nothing. But before he could do anything, Nightflight lunged forward, claws glinting in the darkness before they buried themselves right beside Hiccup's head, sinking deep into the bark.

Hiccup gasped, short of air, suddenly. His eyes were as big as the moon that Nightflight was blocking, and he pressed himself against the trunk of the tree, starting to flinch away from the beast. Nightflight growled underneath her breath, tugging backwards, as if to try and yank her claws out of the tree, but they seemed stuck. For a minute, Hiccup wondered whether she was meaning to hit him in the first place, and just couldn't see him. But she stopped trying, Hiccup couldn't tell.

Instead, she leaned in close, nearly nose-to-nose with the boy, who was pressed up against the tree as far as he could go. Any farther, and he would just melt right into it. Which seemed like the better option as of right now. "Say that again." She growled. Her voice was so low, Hiccup was sure he would not have heard it under normal circumstances. But the whole forest was silent, as if holding its breath as it watching the scene playing out. Even Ludi was quiet for once, Hiccup doubted that Nightflight even knew she was anywhere close to here.

But Hiccup figured he might as well make his point if he was going to die. It wasn't like Nightflight would let him live anyway. Glancing up to where Ludi was, Hiccup closed his eyes a moment, thinking out a small goodbye that he hoped she got. Ludi's eyes gleamed down at him, sad and confused. But she of all people should know that Hiccup had no chance either right now. "If I wasn't there to save your hide back there, you would have drowned in the ocean, and you know it!" He yelled, voice cracking, which he hoped she didn't notice. "You can't do anything now that my PET CAT wounded you!"

Nightflight growled, roaring with anger and shock that Hiccup would have the guts to say something like that to her face. She fumed, thrashing her tail back and forth decisively as she glowered down at the child who had made so many problems for her. HER. A Night Fury! The thought made her lip twitch with disgust. The child deserved to be blasted right off of the ground he stood on! But then again…she shook her head rapidly. No. She bared her teeth once more, a guttural snarl making Hiccup tremble against the wood. She drew herself up, taking a deep breath. Green gas bubbled in the back of her throat, and Hiccup closed his eyes tightly, body going rigid as he braced himself for the end of it.

A fury-filled roar came next, and the sonic sound of a purple blast shooting from Nightflight's mouth. And yet Hiccup didn't feel anything. Hesitantly, like an unprepared child would do, he opened his eyes slowly, grimacing as he braced himself. But he perked at once, turning and looking over at the pile of wood he had thrown down in irritation a while ago. It was now a blazing fire. Nightflight ripped her claws out of the tree, glaring hotly over at him. Hiccup opened his mouth, but nothing came out. There were no words that he could have asked, he was too shocked.

"There." She growled, before he could try and manage words. She started to leave, steps leaving large imprints in the ground from her stomping. "I let you live, we're even now. And by the time I come back here, you would leave, if you're smart. Don't think I'll let you off again. I owe you nothing, now." Without another word, she turned, blundering away into the foliage and disappearing within an instant, leaving Hiccup standing alone, still cowering against the tree.

For a while, the only noise was the crackle of the fire, snapping and popping through the silence. Ludi leaped down from the tree, landing heavily on Hiccup's good shoulder, which caused fire to blossom in his other one. He gasped sharply, and Ludi squealed, turning and jumping on the ground before she could do anything else wrong. She paused a moment, looking after Nightflight, before turning back to Hiccup with wide eyes. She was asking him what he thought they should do. Taking a deep breath, Hiccup steeled himself, determination settling inside of him.

Stooping down, he picked up Ludi, settling the cat on his shoulder with a grimace of pain. But he pushed it aside, looking the way Nightflight had gone with a thoughtful look on his face. Ludi let out a small mew, questioning and confused. Hiccup shook his head, and started forward, limping on his bad leg. "Come on." He muttered, walking slowly the way Nightflight had raced off to.