The time dragged on slower than a snail coated with molasses. Although Nightflight sped up a little bit once the two got better at working together (nothing short of a miracle, mind you) it still was taking much too long to get to Berk. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like days. Hiccup had watched as the sun slowly got swallowed by dark clouds, another storm coming on the way. At least Hiccup knew he was getting closer, it only rained this much in Berk. But that was the only piece of evidence he had that signaled they were going the right way. Eyeing the darkening sky, Hiccup prayed that it would keep from raining long enough for them to find Berk. Flying regularly was hard enough, with rain in the mix, it would be close to impossible, what with the sun going down, too.

Ludi had managed to wedge herself between Hiccup and Nightflight, pressing up against her human snugly, faint snoring noises managing to reach Hiccup's ears from the cat. She had fallen asleep in the first hour of flying, Hiccup taking that as a notion that their flying was getting better. Or at least smoother. Though nothing had really gotten in their way yet, it was mostly just flying straight and wishing it was the right direction. He'd taken a look at the islands that they were able to pass, but none of them were ringing a bell so far. The frustration of everything going on was enough to make him explode right on the spot.

He hadn't spoken to Nightflight since the dragon had so surprisingly comforted him, and vice versa. The silence had been a comfortable one at first, but as the time started to drag on, it started to get uncomfortable, rubbing at Hiccup the wrong way. Maybe it was just the tension from his lingering dream, or the fact that he was riding a blind dragon miles and miles above the ocean, he was growing more and more agitated, skin prickling with impatience and desperation. But if Nightflight noticed, she gave no heed, seeming a lot more engrossed with keeping her wings to a specific time than Hiccup had first thought her to have been. That, or she was trying her best to ignore him.

All in all, Hiccup had completely underestimated the awkwardness of the situation. And had time to reflect on what could happen if they made it back to Berk. If the village was still there, and everybody was alright. He wondered how he could possibly explain anything that had happened, whether he could make his father and everybody else see reason, and see the piece of Nightflight that he had discovered. Vikings were never good with change, they were still having obstacles with the dragons after all this time. What would their reactions be if Hiccup showed up with the thing that created this whole mess? It would be more than hard to pull this off…and Hiccup didn't even know what Toothless and Mistyeyes would do in response. It was understandable for them and the village to dislike her, it wasn't like the hate was uncalled for. But now that's she's changed the way she has, the village might be blinded to that fact by her past actions. They might not even try to give her a second chance.

The thought made Hiccup's stomach drop. Had all this been for nothing, then?

He cleared his throat finally, if only to put something into the striking silence he had been enduring this whole time. "I think we're getting closer." He said, voice slicing through the silence abruptly. Nightflight jerked slightly with surprise at hearing the sudden words, staggering in her wing stride as she fumbled a moment. Hiccup held tightly to Nightflight as she regained her pattern from before, making sure that Ludi wouldn't be jostled and go flying off of the dragon in the process. She didn't even stir from her sleep, not even twitching an eye as Nightflight scrambled in the air. She was too dead to the world to notice if they did a barrel roll, it looked like.

Nightflight gained her recent actions easily enough, shaking her head back and forth with a small snort, as if clearing her head. She pricked her ears expectantly, giving a small nod in reply to Hiccup. The Viking gave a small sigh, letting go of Ludi when he was sure she wouldn't roll off of the dragon and down into the sea. He would have no idea how he would go back and catch her if she fell, now that he thought about it. This wasn't like riding Toothless, where Hiccup barely had to say anything for the dragon to swoop and glide in the exact way he wanted him to. Nightflight was entirely different in many ways. First off, all they could accomplish right now was flying straight…

"I think we're closer than we think we are." Nightflight said, Hiccup straightening considerably at her words. The dragon blinked her sightless eyes, as if mulling over something in her mind. By the small twitch of her ears every now and then, Hiccup wondered if she was thinking along the same lines as he was. If so, they were more alike than Hiccup had first thought. Nightflight spoke up again, sounding a little more thoughtful than before. "I don't know…it's a feeling, I guess. We're just close." She said it simply, as if it didn't really matter.

But Hiccup cracked a smile. "It's like you're drawn to it." He said, trying his best at teasing. Nightflight scowled at once, but did not interrupt. Whether she was waiting for him to go on, or just go ahead and throw himself down into the ocean, he had no idea. So he did the safe thing and opened his mouth again. "It's like you fit in already." He added, immediately questioning how smart he was at Nightflight's sharp sigh.

"I'm going to forget you said that." Nightflight snarled in reply, glaring straight forward now.

And yet, she did not turn down his assumption. That might not mean anything, but Hiccup could bear with it, hope that it did mean something. He genuinely felt that Nightflight could forge her way into the island, she could fit in perfectly. It wasn't like the Vikings on Berk were perfect, they've killed thousands of dragons before now. They've wrecked havoc on the dragon world just like Nightflight had down to their's, surely they would be even now, with the dragons? Both in the wrong? But then again…two wrongs don't really make a right…

That is, if what Hiccup's been taught it true anymore.

But it seemed like everything was changing right now. Why would it be so bad to have lessons changed as well?

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"Are we any closer?" Nightflight asked suddenly, snapping Hiccup to attention. The boy straightened, blinking rapidly as he craned his neck to look around the dragon's head. He had almost started to doze off for a moment, they had been flying so long with no breaks in between. With nothing but the sky in front of them, Nightflight was getting better at flying. Hiccup hardly needed to be there to help her along, except for the passing mumble of 'bird' or 'that was nothing, just the wind.' Hiccup would have liked to say that they made a good team, but somehow he didn't think that fitted very well with the pair.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, spotting a small splotch of land on the distant horizon. Up ahead, much closer than the island itself, there were large rock structures shooting out of the ocean waters, reaching up towards the clouded sky like knives. Hiccup blinked, pausing a moment or two to make sure, stomping down the sudden excitement and happiness that was bubbling in his stomach. He should know when they got to the island, he had been living there his whole life. He thought he spotted the familiar-looking mountains the were poking out of the far-away island, and he let a small, hesitant grin come over his face. It was combined with nervousness, the small sense of fear that was left over from his dream showing in the grimace. But there was hope there, too. Hope that the island would be fine.

"I…think so…" Hiccup said in a small mumble, still looking worried. He accidentally prodded Ludi as he leaned forward, and this time, the cat did wake up. Stretching her jaws in a large yawn, she stretched for a moment, or as well as she could in the small space provided for her. There wasn't a lot of room on a dragon's back, if you think about it. The cat paused a moment afterwards, ears flicking back and forth for a moment as she raised her muzzle in the air, sniffing cautiously. But then she sprang to her paws, Hiccup jumping at the sudden movement from her, immediately flashing forward and making sure she did not fall. But that seemed the least of the cat's worries, for once. The silver tabby pushed forward, springing up and sitting neatly on Nightflight's head. Her eyes shined as she looked to the upcoming island, looking more than excited as she kneaded her paws on the Night Fury anxiously. She let out a small chirp, looking from Hiccup to the island. It seemed that she knew this was Berk, then.

But where was the fire? The dragons? Had the fire been put out? Or was there simply not anything left to burn? Had the dragons retreated? Or were they all on the island now, celebrating an easy victory? The questions crammed themselves into Hiccup's mind, he had to shut his eyes and hit either sides of his head to beat them out of his brain. Stop it. He told himself crossly, shaking himself loose. It's fine, everything's okay. It was just a dream, stop thinking about it so much! We're going to land there, and it's going to be fine!He steeled himself, opening his eyes and looking over at Ludi, willing all his attentions to her and nothing else. If only to get his mind off of it. "Ludi, get down, you're going to fall."

"That can be arranged." Nightflight growled under her breath. Hiccup glared sharply at the dragon, but she was just threatening. She jerked her head to either sides when it became unbalanced, making sure the little fluff ball wouldn't fall over and smack down onto the surface of the ocean. "Little thing is too much work than its worth." She growled, trying her best to keep her head balanced. Hiccup's frown was replaced by a small smile, but before he could say anything (a thank-you, probably?) Nightflight stiffened. She perked her ears, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. Hiccup turned, trying to see what she was hearing, but he couldn't see anything except for the rolling masses of clouds around them. "What's wrong?" He asked, tilting his head as he turned back to look at her, concerned.

"Get Ludi off of my head." She growled out suddenly, a lot more harsher than she had been a moment before. Jerking with surprise, Hiccup leaned over quickly, snatching Ludi back and holding her close to his chest. Nightflight was so preoccupied with listening for whatever she had heard before, her wings were starting to falter, the three losing altitude as they got closer to the ocean. Eyeing the water with a certain look of urgency, Hiccup reached over with his moveable arm, shaking Nightflight with a panicked look.

"Nightflight! We're getting closer to the ocean! You gotta get back up into the sky!" Nightflight wasn't paying attention, suddenly jerking roughly to the side, eyes wide as she continued to search the landscape around them blindly. "Nightflight!" Hiccup screamed, falling to the side from the rough movement. He nearly fell right off of the dragon and into the ocean, he didn't even have a saddle to make sure that something like that wouldn't happen. He caught the dragon by the neck with his bad arm right before he could, not knowing which one he would rather have had. Pain like fire swamped his arm, shooting up his body and making him gasp sharply, eyes widening as they burned. But he grunted, twisting around and pulling himself up with his other arm. Panting with pain and fear, Hiccup righted himself, making sure that Ludi had not fallen as well. He clutched his bad arm with a flinch, having to wait until the fire shrunk down to a small burning before he could even manage to speak.

"W-What was that for!?" He shouted, more angry now. "I nearly got knocked six feet under the water! What are you even-"

"Shh!" Nightflight growled, cutting him off rudely. Hiccup readied himself for another rebuke to the dragon -who did she think she was, suddenly?- but then he snapped his mouth shut, looking down at Ludi oddly. The cat had stiffened by now, ears twitching back and forth just as if she were mirroring Nightflight's own movements. Except Ludi looked a lot more terrified, looking stricken as she looked back and forth wildly. Growing a little bit more worried, Hiccup turned around slowly, a small sense of dread worming inside him as they got lower and lower towards the water.

But right when he turned around, he realized what was making the two so worried. A small light was in the distance, gleaming a sharp shade of purple. Hiccup's eyes widened to be as big as the moon that the clouds were covering right now. He tightened his hold on both Ludi and Nightflight, voice raising into a sharp scream in a matter of moments. "LEFT LEFT LEFT!" He shouted, voice cracking at the high octave it had shot to. Nightflight let out a sharp yell, snapping to attention with no seconds left to spare. The dragon swerved to the side, the fireball smashing into the waves beneath them, causing a large tidal wave to rush over the three.

The freezing cold water rushed over the trio, Nightflight smashing down into the water from the unprepared dump. Hiccup spluttered, choking on seawater as he hacked and coughed, wildly searching for Ludi to try and help her stay afloat. Please let her be safe. He prayed silently, panicking as he splashed through the water for her frantically. But Nightflight started to pump her wings again, shooting out of the water and up into the sky. She was stumbling on her way up, Hiccup having to cling tightly to her to just stay on her. "LUDI!" He screamed, watching with horror as the water got farther and farther away from them. Nightflight let out a muffled roar, Hiccup whirling around to face her with wide eyes.

Nightflight's jaws were clamped shut tight, Ludi hanging from the dragon's mouth, swinging and flailing where she hung in midair. As Hiccup and the cat met eyes, she snapped to life, squalling and screaming with fright and indignation. Nightflight's voice echoed in Hiccup's head, he almost thought he was imagining it. "THIS IS HER, RIGHT?" The dragon roared, the boy having to wince away from the sudden increase in volume. He gave a rapid nod, but realized she wouldn't be able to see it. Swallowing uneasily for a moment, Hiccup started to bark out orders, Nightflight still spinning and crashing through the air clumsily.

"Okay, Nightflight, get in order!" Hiccup yelled sharply, head moving a mile a minute as he tried to take in everything around him at once. This whole thing was on his shoulders, one mistake, and they might as well give up. "Forget what just happened, you gotta calm down! There's nothing around us, we're heading the wrong way from Berk! Straighten yourself out, otherwise we're getting nowhere!" He looked at Ludi in panic, watching as pain started to replace her features, the cat starting to cry out as she struggled.

Nightflight took his advice, not giving another thought to it as she slowed her wings, turning so that sheturned in a neat arc. "That's right, this is the right direction." Hiccup mumbled, looking over desperately at Berk. It was so far away. A beating of wings reached his ears. Whatever had shot at them was getting closer. "Okay." Hiccup said, closing his eyes for a moment as he braced himself. "Let go of Ludi." He said, voice strong and flat. Nightflight jerked at the directions, Ludi pausing in her complaining and turning to look at Hiccup like he was the stupidest person on the planet.

Granted, but still.

"You're going to have to drop her, and then go straight down. I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

Nightflight's eyes flashed at this statement, and if Hiccup didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he saw the dragon's grip get tighter, as if protecting the cat she had claimed to hate so much. Hiccup's hands balled into fists. The dragon was almost here! "NOW!" He screamed, more forceful this time around. Nightflight hesitated, one more second, then winced as she let her jaw go slack. Ludi fell. The cat screamed as she plummeted towards the waves, jerking and spinning in the air. "GO! FOLD YOUR WINGS BACK IN!" Hiccup yelled, voice scratching his throat as he yelled. Nightflight complied at once, unconsciously leaning forward as she started her descent. Hiccup pushed himself up, completely ignoring the fiery pain in his shoulder. Crawling forward, Hiccup braced himself up against Nightflight's neck, the dragon letting out a scared whimper. "It's fine, we're okay." Hiccup rasped, hands going out as his eyes narrowed with concentration. "A little faster, a little forward. We're fine." A dragon's roar shook the earth, covering up Ludi's shrieks of terror as she cried. Hiccup's heart tore with fear, every inch of him trembling with anxiousness. "We're fine." He said, voice breaking along with his heart. Was he a liar? Ludi was nearly on them, now. They weren't going fast enough, they were going to miss her!

At the last moment, Hiccup threw himself forward, a desperate, and last hope. He managed to snag the cat in the nick of time, just barely able to get a grip on her. Before he could drop her, he fell backwards, landing with a heavy huff onto Nightflight's back. The dragon let out a sharp shout of surprise, Ludi blinking wildly, as if not able to comprehend what just happened. Blood matted her neck fur, sticky and hot as the fur clumped together. But Hiccup had no time at all to fuss over her. He pushed himself up, breath coming in rapid pants as he bolted upright. Tucking Ludi safely in front of him, he made sure she wasn't showing all that much. He had no idea what was happening, or what would happen. "Come on, Nightflight, we have to get back to Berk. Hurry!" He said, throwing a panicked look over his shoulder, back towards where the fireball had come from. The sound of wings had stopped. There was nothing there. Swallowing uneasily, Hiccup turned stiffly, hunching his shoulders. Nightflight quickened her strides, increasing speed as she shot forward. Berk was a smudge on the horizon, would they make it?

A sudden roar split the air again, Hiccup closing his eyes as he ducked his head to his chest. "Go faster!" He yelled urgently, frustration and fear making him shake.

Nightflight shrieked back angrily. "I'm going as fast as I can!"

The wings were back. Whatever it was, it had managed to get in front of them. A large shape barreled towards them, another fireball streaking forward, aiming for them. Nightflight recognized the sound, eyes widening. "UP! NOW!" He screamed sharply, the Night Fury immediately changing her direction, climbing up into the sky. The fireball rushed underneath them, snagging Nightflight's tail, but the dragon didn't even wince at the touch. Her breath was just as fast as Hiccup's was, the dragon hyperventilating as she fumbled in her movements.

"I can't do this!" She gasped sharply, trying to pinpoint their attacker. The dragon was rushing at them. Nightflight staggered, shaking by now. Hiccup's hands flew up to his head wildly, yelling comfort at her that he hoped sounded sincere. If they stood here any longer, they were toast! They would literally be burned to a crisp! As the dragon got closer, his words got closer together, louder and more desperate. Nightflight ducked her head close to her chest, trembling where she hovered for a moment before raising her voice on her own, ears slicking back to her head as she screamed. "FLEETFOOT, STOP!" Hiccup closed his eyes, bracing for the burning heat that was going to collide into him. It was all over. This was it.

Whether or not his dream was true, he would never know. He'd never get the chance.

But suddenly everything stopped. The wings quieted, a sharp intake of breath coming from somebody in front of them. Hiccup's eyes cracked open slightly, a grimace set firmly on his face as he winced away from the scene in front of him. The Night Fury that attacked them was right in front of them, eyes wide with astonishment as it looked over at Nightflight with a stunned look. "…Nightflight?" He croaked, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. The Night Fury did not reply, but flattened her ears in response, almost looking like she wanted to look away. "…Is that really you?" Fleetfoot asked, sounding suddenly overjoyed. "The Pack thought you were dead! We had to retreat from the island! Without you there to lead us, everything started to fall apart!" His eyes shone with happiness as he looked at her. "I'm so happy you're safe!" Hiccup's mouth closed in a small line as he looked anxiously at Fleetfoot, wincing slightly. There was more than just friendly concern in the dragon's eyes.

Suddenly, he looked confused. "Why aren't you looking at me?" He asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm not?" Nightflight asked, changing the direction of her gaze. Her voice sounded small, as if she wasn't sure at all what to say to him. The reality of it all seemed to crash in on her in that one moment. She had gone from a mighty, fearless leader, to a dragon dependent on a human. A dragon with a human on its back. A dragon who had just unconsciously risked everything for a cat. But she had changed so that her full face shown to Fleetfoot. The Night Fury gasped sharply at the sight of her ruined features, the long claw marks raked down across her now-sightless eyes. The once smooth and beautiful face was now scarred beyond repair.

It was then that Fleetfoot noticed Hiccup. The boy had taken the hint, flattening himself as much as he cold against Nightflight, trying to hide himself. Fleetfoot immediately growled sharply, ears slicking back to his head as a snarl ripped through his throat. Hiccup flinched away, grimacing as he glanced down at Ludi, shuffling over so that he was more or less sitting on her. The cat let out a small squeak, but did not budge. She went limp, the only movement she dared to make was a small shiver every now and then. The only sign that she was there, Hiccup hoped. Fleetfoot looked from Hiccup and then back to Nightflight's face. He was too shocked to say anything for a moment, but fury slowly filled each and every feature on his face. Hiccup swallowed thickly, glancing to the side and over to where Berk was. Fleetfoot was standing in between them and the island, there was no getting to Berk unless they could find a way to get past him. And for once, Hiccup's mind was blank on what to do. He couldn't think anything clearly with the look of murder on a Night Fury less than twelve feet away from them. Call him crazy.

"D-Did this…HUMAN do this to you!?" He yowled suddenly, Hiccup flinching into Nightflight's neck. He gripped the dragon tightly, trying to either assure her that everything was under control, (it was a complete lie, but the Night Fury was slowly becoming more and more panicked) or taking strength from the dragon. Nightflight blinked rapidly, staggering slightly in her hover at the question. She looked lost for a moment, looking around wildly as if searching for an answer in the blackness of the world that pressed on her now. When she didn't answer right away, Fleetfoot shook his head quickly back and forth, a roar full of fury and absolute hatred blazing in his eyes. He drew himself up, wings splaying out at his sides for a heartbeat before he shot forward like lightening. Hiccup stiffened at the movement, straightening at once. "UP! UP!" He yelled frantically.

Nightflight obeyed, actually managing to pull off a good show. She swooped upwards almost elegantly, and when Hiccup let out a soft breath of relief, she took that into account as well. Skidding to a stop in midair, Nightflight spun back around towards where Fleetfoot had been before. He had moved of course, currently slashing through the place that Hiccup had been moments ago. She wasn't facing all the right way, but she was close. Through the terror of the situation, Hiccup had to admit, that was a pretty good feat. Especially since Nightflight was so frightened. He looked down at the dragon, actually feeling a small prickle of pride in his heart. Could this really work? Could his relationship with Nightflight continue to grow and change like it was now? Until he was as close to her Toothless was to him? As Mistyeyes was? Despite what they've been through?

Fleetfoot whirled around, fuming.

Nightflight found her tongue finally. "Yes! …no." She paused a moment, as if trying to sort out her thoughts. "Not really! Fleetfoot, I'm…" She closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh, almost like a whimper. "I'm going with them. Back to their island, I mean. I regret what I've done before, I know now because of this human that there's more to life than just trying to get what you want. And doing whatever you can to get it." Fleetfoot jerked back, shock shining in his eyes as he looked with disbelief at Nightflight. The female turned away, ears flattened. "You wouldn't understand, and I don't expect you to, either.

"You can be in charge now." She went on, Hiccup perking at this. "You're in charge of the Pack now. Take them back to our other island, our true island. And stay there. Berk isn't a problem to us, it never was." Her eyes hardened somewhat, and she drew herself up. She was more like her old self, more powerful, despite her blind state. "And if you ever cross paths with Berk again, you'll have to face to me." Hiccup blinked for a moment, caught off-guard. But then a warm feeling kindled in his chest, and he smiled softly. Gratitude filled him to the brim. He was right about Nightflight after all.

"This is…" Fleetfoot was lost for words. "…entirely unlike you…"

"Maybe that's a good thing." Nightflight said stiffly, sounding a little less sure now.

"No. It's not. You're being ridiculous, Nightflight!" Fleetfoot yelled, looking saddened as his eyes widened. "I like you the way that you were! You were perfect, I want thatNightflight back! You know the way you feel about humans! You were entirely right that we needed to take our world back from the humans, Nightflight! Even if you can't see anymore! I can take care of you, I can help you! We can take our world back together!" Nightflight's eyes were wide, round as a million moons put together. Hiccup blinked, looking back anxiously towards Berk. It was still there, maybe a little closer now that they had moved. But still…it was too far. Would people hear him call for help all the way out here? Was there people to hear him call out? He bit his lower lip, feeling the ticking seconds like stabs to the heart.

Fleetfoot looked desperate by now. "I'll help you…because I love you, Nightflight."

The dragon jerked backwards, as if slapped. She blinked rapidly, entirely caught off-guard. She looked shocked. Hiccup glanced back at Berk once more, glancing back down at Ludi, who had poked her head out by now. She looked up at him fearfully, obviously sharing his impatience and fright. Would Nightflight change her mind? She had confided in him her fears of love. And here was a dragon right now, looking at her with wide green eyes, confessing his feelings. Everything she was scared of…it could all disappear now, if she went with Fleetfoot. The thought made Hiccup's head reel, and he didn't try and stop it. He just watched Nightflight with cautious eyes, reaching down and putting his hand on top of Ludi's head comfortingly. The cat let out a small coo, closing her eyes as she leaned into his hand, seeking warmth.

Nightflight looked lost, like she was cornered and had no way out. She stared straight at Fleetfoot, despite her lack of vision. Like he had opened her eyes. But that wasn't the way it was! Hiccup had opened her eyes! To everything else she could be! But the Viking realized that both statements were true. Fleetfoot and Hiccup both represented different worlds. Fleetfoot was Nightflight's old life…safe, comforting, and a promise of a bright future, completely ridden from humans. Hiccup held a brighter future in his hands…if they could make it work. Both windows were open wide for Nightflight to jump through, but she had to chose which to take, first.

The Night Fury glanced back over her shoulder, to where Hiccup was sitting. The boy's mouth was a closed line, he refused to say anything. This was her choice, he would not stand in her way again. He had to know that she meant what she said. That she was entirely loyal to him. She would show it one way or another.

Finally, she closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh. She gave a nod, to who it was for was a mystery. Snapping her eyes open once more, she stared long and hard at Fleetfoot before speaking, voice soft. "I wish I could say that I felt the same way." She said simply, Fleetfoot straightening at her words. "But I can't. I'm not the dragon you fell in love with anymore, I've changed. Hopefully for the better. And I'm going to stay that way." She paused, adding a little stronger: "I'm a dragon of Berk now, Fleetfoot. You go your way, I'll go mine." She turned back to Hiccup. "Which way is Berk?" She asked, sounding tired.

"…turn a little bit." Hiccup mumbled, not knowing whether to smile or not.

Nightflight glanced over at Fleetfoot one last time, foggy eyes filled with sadness and maybe a little regret. But she flicked an ear in farewell, turning and spreading out her wings, heading in the direction of Berk. Fleetfoot watched them go with a dumbfounded expression, staring after them until they were almost as small as Berk. Hiccup grinned at the sight of the island below as it got closer and closer, they were home. The thought made his chest swell with both happiness and fear. This was it, then. This was what they had been waiting for. What would happen below would decide what they did next. And how they did it. And hopefully it would be smooth sailing from now on.

"You'll have to go slower." Hiccup said, eyeing the cliffs jutting out of the sea that was starting around them. "There are a lot of cliffs around here, it's not just open sky." His voice was soft, and Nightflight hummed a small note of acknowledgement at his words. A tense moment of silence passed until Hiccup shrugged. "Maybe you should just fly up, they way we'll be above any cliffs around here. It'll be easier."

"Are there any cliffs to block my way up?" Nightflight asked, coming to a hover.

"No, you're fine." Hiccup mumbled.

The Night Fury turned, jerking herself upwards clumsily before climbing into the sky. She was a little less talented at the vertical part so far, more or less pulling herself upwards, having to put her whole body into it awkwardly. Hiccup clung tightly, eyeing Ludi and making sure she was doing the same. Hiccup watched all the cliffs, waiting until they were a few inches above them before giving a small nod. "Okay, you're good." He assured her, Nightflight perking at this. She fumbled a moment as she re-angled herself.

Hiccup expected more silence, but he broke it instead. "Thank you. For…for what you said back there." He said softly, green eyes brimming with gratitude. "It meant a lot to me. That you would stick up Berk when you aren't even apart of it yet."

"I know who I am now. That's all there is to it." Nightflight said simply.

"No." Hiccup said. "It's much more than that." He smiled. And after a moment, Nightflight smiled as well. Whether she had known of his expression or not, she turned back a moment, giving the human a small, almost shy grin. Hiccup reached over, putting a hand on her head affectionately. "And you know, I don't think it'll be too hard to get you to stay on Berk." Hope was in his voice, and Nightflight actually seemed pleased by this statement now. Now hiding the happiness under grouchiness anymore. It seemed as if her finals doubts went along with Fleetfoot. "Actually, maybe you'll even-"

His words were cut off abruptly, something slamming into him at full-force, claws sinking into his already-ruined arm. The thing shot down, ripping him off from Nightflight and tackling him down through the air. It rammed into one of the cliffs that surrounded Berk, pinning him flush against the rock. Hiccup's eyes were wide, his breath driven out of him in whoosh, leaving him gasping for air. The pain in his shoulder was almost something that he couldn't get past, the boy twitching with every shoot of fire going up his arm. He twisted around, looking with wide eyes at Fleetfoot, who loomed over him threateningly. The dragon's eyes were filled with malice as he looked down at the boy, and Hiccup shut his eyes tightly, a scream of pain choking itself out of Hiccup's mouth as fire danced and pricked through his skin.

"Fleetfoot!" Nightflight yelped, Hiccup's head whipping around to look at her desperately. The dragoness was staggering, turning full circles as she tried to get the sense of where she was. Despite the situation, a rush of hot relief poured over Hiccup as he caught sight of Ludi. The cat had somehow managed to hang onto Nightflight, the cat clinging tightly to the dragon as she jerked and twisted through the air. Ludi let out a sharp meow, looking sad and alarmed as she looked down at Hiccup. Nightflight was still spinning. She wasn't going to get anywhere with the way she was doing things right now.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Hiccup called out to the dragon, trying to get her in the right direction at least. "Nightflight!" He yelled, voice heavy with pain as it cracked and splintered. The dragon perked, turning in the right direction (thank the gods) and flapping forward a little lopsided. She made quick work in getting there, her claws bumping against the rock as she let out a small yelp of surprise. But she recovered quickly, going forward and lading cautiously on the grainy rock. She paused a moment, panting unevenly as she let out a small shudder. But then she steeled herself, eyes narrowing as she drew herself up, glowering over towards Fleetfoot. "Fleetfoot, what are you doing?" She demanded, blinking rapidly, as if trying to clear her fuzzy eyesight. Her claws slid out threateningly, scraping against the surface of the cliff.

"Tell me that you really meant it." He said, voice stiff. Nightflight twitched with surprise, eyeing the male oddly as he spoke. He went on, voice hardening as he shook his head back and forth. "You didn't mean it, Nightflight! Look at this! It's just the human!" The female dug her claws into the rock face, looking more and more nervous by now. She was completely alone, except for Ludi, and the cat wouldn't be able to give her intrusions on where to go. If Fleetfoot attacked…she wouldn't be able to do anything in defense for herself. At least not without an obscene amount of difficulty. "This thing wasn't even strong enough to defend itself!I could kill it right now if I wanted! You need people around you that can protect you, like me! I can do ten times what this thing can for you, and you know it!" Nightflight stiffened at this, not turning his words down. Hiccup felt the first waves of panic start to swamp over him. "Come back with me, Nightflight! Please! I don't want to lose you, not right now! Not like this!"

"Fleetfoot…" Nightflight tried, wincing. Ludi leaned around the dragon a moment, looking at Hiccup with wide eyes. She looked as if she were preparing to intervene herself. Hiccup twisted, trying to get out from Fleetfoot's grip. The dragon snarled at once, digging his claws into Hiccup more. The teen jerked to a stop, wincing a moment before shooting an angry warning look over at the cat. She can be as stupid as she wanted to when this was all over. But for now, she just had to do what seemed actually right for once. She'd taken too many risks already, she was a cat for Thor's sake. She could only go so far in life. The most Hiccup had ever seen Ruffnut's cat do was occasionally getting to its feet to attack her face.

The dragoness looked lost, staring at Fleetfoot with a forlorn look. She couldn't change her mind! They were so close to Berk! They had been so close to putting this all away! Panic had engulfed Hiccup by now, he couldn't feel pain anymore, it was the last thing on his mind. He jerked forward, trying to push himself up, clawing his way out of Fleetfoot's grip. "Nightflight, don't!" He screamed, voice laden with alarm. The Night Fury jumped at his voice, looking over into his general direction. "Don't give up everything!" He grunted, struggling out from underneath the dragon. Claws ripped through his skin, but he gave no heed to it. "You can't just-" He got cut off, Fleetfoot slamming the boy down closer to the ground. His face mashed into the ground, the boy grimaced as he tried to push himself back up. But the weight was too heavy by now.

"Answer me." Fleetfoot said thinly, looking at Nightflight steadily. "You know you don't belong with humans, it's obvious." Nightflight's ears flattened as she looked down at her paws. "You belong with dragons,Nightflight! And you know it! You belong with me! Please, come back with me. Whatever you think this human has for you, he wont be able to give it to you. I have everything you could ever want, and so does the Pack." He paused, tilting his head to the side as his voice got gentler suddenly. "I know this is different, but I can help you see much better than this human can. I can promise you that."

Nightflight shuffled her paws a moment, looking at the ground silently. She looked up slowly, locking eyes with Fleetfoot. And then she gave a small smile. "…Maybe you're right." She mumbled. "I can't just give up the Pack so quickly." Hiccup stiffened at once, Ludi's eyes widened considerably. The boy managed to get his head back up, looking with disbelief and alarm at Nightflight, as if he couldn't comprehend what just happened. His heart shattered into a million pieces, and it was like he was watching all of the shards fall to the ground in front of him.

"No, Nightflight, don't do this!" He yelled, voice cracking as he tried to jerk forward again. But Fleetfoot growled sharply, having enough. He leaned down close to Hiccup's ear, sucking in a deep breath and roaring as loud as he could into the boy's ear, Hiccup flinching away from the sharp noise. His ears rung, and his head spun as Fleetfoot drew back with a low snarl. Now that the panic was being replaced with disappointment and fear, his wounds started to show themselves. Granted, most of them was because he tried to move too much, but he gritted his teeth, trying to fight against the pain.

He couldn't give up now, he was so close to being home, back at Berk. But now, looking at the way Nightflight's tail curled with happiness as she stared at Fleetfoot, Hiccup wondered if it even mattered anymore.