Illusion

by Sandfire Kat

When Hiccup thought it was all over, Night Furies start to attack Berk in revenge for what he and Toothless had both done to them. It is up to Hiccup and Toothless once more to save Berk before it is too late. Before all of Berk is destroyed. A strange ally is found, and Hiccup realizes that with her help, they could solve everything. But the thought might just come too late.

39. Chapter 39

A/N: I'm back from the cruise! You all are so happy to see me. I know you are. O-o

I wanted to get a chapter out to you all, but the plane we were on wouldn't let me get onto wifi. And I can't really type out a chapter while I'm going up the hill on Splash Mountain. But THANKS SO MUCH for all the reviews I got! I love you all so much! I was on a DreamWorks cruise! So I got to go to a meet and greet with Stoick and Gobber~. No Hiccup though. He was only in the parade at the end of the cruise. How stupid is that? I sniped a bunch of pictures of him though while he danced around! I'm like: "HA. YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH AVOIDING ME SO EASILY? NAY NAY NAY."

(ITALICS FOR DRAGONS MEANS ASTRID CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.)

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

Astrid stood stiffly in the sloppily-created line that stretched out in front of her. She gripped the three plates she had scooped up tightly in her hands, her knuckles bleached white from the force. Her blue eyes were narrowed into furious slits, teeth clamped tightly together as she prayed to Thor for patience. The group behind her was made up of the teens on the island; Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout were all gathered around her, and that didn't really help you if you had a headache already. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were both trying to see if they could shoot a rock into Gobber's mouth with their slingshot without him noticing; so far all they had accomplished was knocking a small girl across the forehead with a flying projectile. They were quite proud of themselves.

Fishlegs was talking about Meatlug, and how his poor dragon was still recovering from her claw breaking during the last Raid. Astrid flared at this, remembering Stormfly and her new, ripped-apart, wings. But she managed to hold her tongue for the moment, standing rigid and angry as Snotlout drawled on about useless things. She shuffled along in line, silently fuming as the others followed her along like she was the head of a conga line. "Hey, Astrid." Snotlout said, ignoring her as she rolled her eyes. "I was thinking maybe after we get done eating, we can go and ride around on Hookfang." His eyes glinted proudly as he drew himself up importantly. "He is the best Monstrous Nightmare out there."

"Right." Astrid sighed tiredly, finally getting to the food service. The Viking that was designated as cook stood wearily behind the stone counter-top, looking tired. Astrid managed to give him a small smile as he plopped down some meat onto the three plates she was balancing precariously on her arms. It wasn't as big as it normally was, in fact, Astrid's hand was bigger than the slices on the plates. But the was something to be expected, Astrid guessed sadly. With the village burned the way it was, it was no wonder that the food would be lost along with the buildings and neat little streets. Turning away and continuing along in line, Astrid shot a look over in Snotlout's direction. "Sorry, Snotlout. I have plans. And I wouldn't suggest you ride him again. You might set the village on fire like last time."

Snotlout gave an angered grumble, crossing his arms over his chest tightly. "You set fire to a few meadows and people never let you forget about it." He snarled under his breath.

"Hey, I have a question." Tuffnut said suddenly, lowering his slingshot to his side as he looked over at Astrid. The blonde sighed through her nose, turning her gaze over to him. Of course you do. she thought to herself. The boy pointed from one plate to another, forehead creased as he counted them aloud. "How come you have so much stuff?" He asked, a grin forming on his plate. "Are one of them for me?" He demanded excitedly.

"Hey, if he gets one, I want one!" Snotlout exclaimed.

"And then that leaves one for me!" Ruffnut said firmly.

"No. No. And no!" Astrid snapped, loosing what little patience she had before. "One is for me, the other is for Hiccup, and the last one is for the Elder. Now if you all will please let me finish getting my food that I came here for, I would greatly appreciate it!" Her blue eyes blazed with sharp anger, her jaw locked backwards as she glared at the quartet in front of her. They looked at her with wide eyes, mouths set into thin lines as they blinked rapidly. Astrid held their gazes, still going along with the line as she glowered over in their general direction.

"Hey, Astrid." Snotlout said, being the first to speak.

The blonde sighed heavily, shoulders drooping as she gave up. "What?" She asked.

He waggled his eyebrows up and down, giving her a small wink. "I'm naked under my clothes."

"Oh, Thor." Astrid cursed. "I swear, if you weren't-"

"Attention!" A booming voice suddenly rang throughout the Mess Hall, all of the chatter and yelling that had been going on before now coming to a halt. Voices tapered off in the middle of their stories, children stopped racing around, and mourners looked up from the table, eyes glistening in the light. Stoick stood at the head of the hall, all eyes going over to rest on the Chief. Astrid started with surprise, immediately anxious at the look on the man's face. He held a battle axe tightly in his right hand, and a fiery look in his eyes. Astrid shifted uncomfortably, paranoid mind immediately starting to launch itself into rapid thoughts.

Something was wrong.

Stoick waited until everybody had quieted down, Astrid swore that if a pencil dropped in the Hall, it would echo for forever. She bit her lower lip, the silence making the scene all the more frightening. Desperately, she looked over towards the doors that led out of the Mess Hall, trying to see if she could spot Hiccup. Was he okay? Something on Stoick's face was rubbing her the wrong way. He looked upset…and angry. She could only remember the last time that he had walked around with that look on his face. And by the small murmurings starting around her, Astrid could tell that the others were thinking the same thing as she was.

"It has come to my attention that we did not get all the Night Furies on the island." He said, immediately earning reactions all throughout the Hall. Men shot to their feet, looking alarmed as they scanned the area, as if expecting a million dragon to start pouring through the doors. Women dashed forward, grabbing their children and holding them tightly in her arms. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were so alarmed, they lost track of their aim, the rock shooting off-course from their slingshot to soar an inch away from Stoick's head. But if he noticed, he didn't show it.

He held his hand up for silence, but it was a moment before everybody calmed down enough to pay proper attention. Astrid had gone numb, feeling as though all the blood was rushing away from her head and leaving her dizzy. She shuffled a bit as she tried to find her footing, Snotlout reaching out to try and help her stand upright. But she shook away his offer roughly, eyes wide and focused on the Chief. "So far it's only one." He went on, voice booming across the room to be heard. "It's somewhere across the island, and it's the dragon that had been here on Berk before. The one that caused all this."

"No." Astrid whispered hoarsely.

The men were visibly more relaxed by the fact that it was only one dragon, but the recognition in their eyes was enough to send Astrid's skin crawling. They knew which one it was. The one that had sent Hiccup back to Berk bruised and bloodied more than once. The one that had turned Berk and twisted it so that it was entirely upside-down. Men started to grumble to one another, some already tripping over themselves trying to get to Stoick.

"We have to go out there and find it!" He went on, Astrid's eyes growing huge as he went on. "With its past, we cannot let this one escape us like some of the others did." His eyes narrowed into slits, fists curling tightly. "We have to find the Night Fury and kill it. Otherwise all we've worked for could be for nothing." A few anxious looks were exchanged, a few of the dragons in the Hall titling their heads in confusion. "Whoever comes with us will not be able to have room for weakness. Berk may be a dragon-friendly place now, but this thing is not a dragon. It's a monster. And the sooner we get rid of it, the better!" His words ended in a strong shout, the crowd around Astrid starting to nod in agreement, getting up from their tables and yelling out cheers of assent.

"I want to go!"

"Tell me where to find it! I'll finish it off!"

"It needs to pay for what it did to Berk!"

"We'll show it what happens when ye mess with Vikings!"

"Kill it! Before it finds the island! Before it finds the children!"

Astrid's heart picked up to be a million times it should be, ramming against her ribcage so hard, she thought that somebody was punching her. Her hands went numb, the plates she was holding falling to the ground in what seemed like slow-motion. They slammed against the ground, wood and food skidding across the ground in a messy heap. The others standing around her let out loud complaints at this, shuffling away to be out of the line of fire. But the blonde was too dead to the world to even try and respond to them. She stared over at Stoick, the ground shaking underneath her feet. His expression. Sad, angry, worried, regretful, disappointed.

Hiccup.

Something happened to Hiccup.

The girl spun on her heel, not even bothering to pick up the mess she had made before running for the exit. The other teenagers gasped with surprise at her sudden departure, staring after her a little oddly. She rushed for the door, trying to hide behind as many Vikings as she could. She had no idea how much Stoick knew about the situation; if he saw her sprinting for the exit, would he make her stay? Skirting through the mass of Vikings that were now up on their feet, she made her way as quick as she could to the end of the Hall. Reaching up, she gripped the handle of it tightly, about to pull back on it. But suddenly, a voice cut through her thoughts.

"And where are you going?"

She turned, rolling her eyes yet again. "Snotlout, please." She begged. "I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?" Fishlegs asked, panting for air as he stood beside Snotlout.

Astrid blinked, eyes flickering over to Stoick. The Chief was surrounded by Vikings who were stumbling over themselves, trying to volunteer to go with him. The thought made Astrid's stomach churn, and she swallowed back the bad taste in her throat. Stoick nodded every once and a while, gaze sweeping over his people as he tried to see which ones were best to go. But as he looked out over them, he caught sight of Astrid, the girl freezing in place with one hand on the door. The Chief and her locked gazes, Stoick's eyes narrowing in confusion and suspicion. "We have to go." Astrid whispered out of the corner of her mouth, spinning around and breaking her eye contact with the man. Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled with the door, glancing back to see Stoick start to try and push his way over in their direction. But she finally managed to get it open, a blast of freezing cold wind ramming against her as she jogged down the steps.

The others followed her around the back of the Hall, looking confused. "What are we doing?" Snotlout demanded, crashing into Astrid's back as she came to an abrupt halt. She stared fixedly at the bush that was just now starting to grow back from the fires, spinning in place as she looked around the area. This was where she had left Hiccup, and now he was gone. It was like he'd never been here at all. The girl closed her eyes tightly, turning around stiffly so that she could glare back at the audience staring at her.

"There is no 'we.'" She said clearly, stressing each word. "It's just…a big mess. And…I don't know what's going on." Snotlout raised an eyebrow at her, the teens mirroring his expression as silence settled over them. They looked at her expectantly, Astrid giving out a huff as she drew a hand sloppily through her bangs. "It's something of Hiccup's." She explained. A little of the confusion melted off their faces (save for Tuffnut's). Hiccup's plans always caused some kind of trouble, as well as being known for their complicities and difficultness.

"What?" Snotlout asked. "Is it about that dragon?"

Astrid opened her mouth to reply, but Fishlegs poked his way into the conversation. "If I remember right, Stoick was talking about that female Night Fury that was brought here almost a year ago?" He reminded them. "Wasn't she the one that caused Toothless to leave? And the one who wanted Hiccup dead? I didn't know she was the one controlling the Raids. I always thought that dragons acted together now that the Red Death was killed by Hiccup." He paused a moment before shaking his head. "Hiccup wants her alive? What changed? She almost wiped Berk off the ocean!"

"I know!" Ruffnut exclaimed. "…I like her!"

"Please!" Astrid shouted sharply, cutting them off rudely. "She's changed now. Hiccup showed me how she isn't like that anymore, and if you guys wanted ANY kind of part in this, you're going to just have to completely forget what happened these past months, because it doesn't matter anymore." She blinked, turning and shooting a look over at Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "For some it'll be easier to forget." She added as she crossed her hands over her chest.

She shook her head. "Anyway." She sighed. "We cannot let the other Vikings get to that dragon. Whatever happens, they can't touch her. She got hurt, and now she can't see, so if the others get to her, she's not going to stand a chance. I need to get to her before anybody else, and without Hiccup, I have no idea how to do that…" She trailed off, starting suddenly as she turned to her friends. They were looking at her oddly, obviously not catching on fully to the short story she was rushing through. She pointed to each of them, startled. "Can you guys cause a distraction?" She asked excitedly.

Tuffnut immediately brightened at this. He leaned forward in anticipation, moving over and slapping his sister in the process. "What kind of distraction?" He asked eagerly. "I can do all kinds!"

"You all need to do it." Astrid said tensely. "Just- just make sure that you delay Stoick leaving as much as you can. But don't let on you know about any of this." If they even knew. If they were even taking in what she was saying. After exchanging glances from one another silently, one by one, they gave small nods. "Great." She sighed heavily, feeling a small hint of relief at this. "I promise I'll get back to you guys, and I know that it's confusing. Just….cause some kind of distraction. Hiccup always knows what he's doing, we know that much, right?" If I can just find Hiccup.

"Well, yeah. That's always obvious." Snotlout said.

"Well some people just don't get that." Astrid huffed. "Thank you, though. Hopefully you'll be able to stall long enough for us to do something."

"Yeah, but can you just go over that one more-" Fishlegs started.

Astrid heard the creak of the Mess Hall door opening, a warm wave of fear going down her spine as she started to back up rapidly. "I'm sorry!" She hissed. "Just try and stall!" She rounded the corner as fast as she could, panic making her throat constrict. She heard footsteps stop a ways away. Stoick's voice reached her ears, the Chief openly suspicious now as he addressed the group that Astrid had just left moments before.

"What are you doing out here? Where is Astrid?" He asked.

Astrid flattened herself against the wall, listening as she gasped for air that didn't seem to fill her lungs. Snotlout spoke up first, a wave of relief rushing through the girl at his words. "Stoick! I'm so glad you're here! Fishlegs was just about to push me into the ocean!" When the man didn't reply, Snotlout backtracked, emphasizing the words. "Push me into the ocean! First of all: that's physically impossible! Second of all: I'm pretty sure that it would be frowned upon in most societies!"

"What?" Stoick asked, baffled.

"Fishlegs!" Ruffnut snapped. "What's your problem? Stop throwing people into the ocean! I've told you before!"

"I-I- I can't stop myself!" Fishlegs improvised.

"He's a maniac! Stoick you have to stop him before he throws all of Berk into the ocean!" Snotlout yelled.

"I don't have time for this." Stoick sighed, footsteps sounding as though he was starting to turn.

All of a sudden, a violent-sounding scuffling started, Snotlout starting to scream for real this time. "STOICK, HE'S ACTUALLY THROWING ME INTO THE OCEAN!" Astrid's eyes widened a fraction as she leaned over slightly, blinking rapidly as she saw Fishlegs starting to drag Snotlout away from the group. "FISHLEGS STOP, YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! HELP!" Stoick jerked forward, looking ultimately baffled as he tried to help Snotlout. Ruffnut and Tuffnut dashed forward, purposely making it harder for Stoick as they tried to help as well. They flailed their arms, smacking the Chief and tripping him up.

Astrid would have to work with that distraction.

Okay. Where did Toothless and the others go? She racked her brain for answers, trying to remember what Hiccup had said before. "Something about eating while we were…" She whispered, voice barely audible as she tried to clear her mind better. She snapped her eyes open, blue orbs sparkling. "The beach!" She whispered, turning and looking over to the west. It was probably a three minute run from the Mess Hall, but that wasn't factoring in the rocks she would have to climb over to get to the shoreline. She'd just have to be fast. It was clear that their distraction wasn't going to work for very long.

Breaking into a sprint, Astrid made for the beach as fast as her legs could carry her. Her breath came in rapid gasps, and she prayed to Thor that she would not be spotted. Was Hiccup spotted? Where was he? The thoughts fueled her burning legs, giving her the energy she needed to tear her way down the side of Berk. The ground underneath her started to slope down towards the rocky shore; she could almost feel herself tripping as she stumbled and staggered. The Mess Hall was shrinking behind her, getting smaller and smaller the farther she raced.

She risked a glance over her shoulder, eyes desperate for a look back at her friends. They were still managing to keep Stoick from going back into the building and rallying together their search party. Snotlout and Fishlegs had broken out into a fist-fight of sorts, Stoick tried to get past Tuffnut and Ruffnut, who were loudly declaring bets on who would win. It was obvious that Stoick was running out of patience. You tended to do that when you were around that group. But he couldn't just leave the teenagers alone, it was pretty apparent that if he did, they would end up killing one another.

"Thank you, Thor." Astrid said fervently, breathing labored as she felt her legs start to weigh down. "Just let this whole thing go smoothly, please. I'm begging you." She whispered, turning back so that she could actually see where she was running. The words brought an ideal vision to mind, but Astrid knew from experience that things never worked out easily for them. Ever. The thought of this whole thing going down without a hitch was something to laugh at. Sometimes it felt like the day that Hiccup first found Nightflight marked the last peaceful day that Berk would ever see.

Finally, the beach started to become visible. The girl could already see Toothless, Mistyeyes, and Shadowclaw, all hunkered down together at the shore. They didn't seem to be fishing anymore, or at least they shouldn't have been. Shadowclaw and Ludi were splashing through the saltwater that lapped against the sand, probably having scared away any kind of fish that were in this area. Mistyeyes and Toothless sat a ways away, watching them play as they nibbled off bites of fish that had been caught. It looked very peaceful.

Too bad Astrid was going to ruin it.

"Hey!" She called out, Mistyeyes and Toothless immediately turning towards her voice as she started her rapid scramble down the rocks. Toothless leapt to his feet, eyes already searching frantically for Hiccup. When he could not find his rider, he got significantly more distressed, kneading his feet on the ground anxiously as he waited impatiently for Astrid to arrive. Mistyeyes got up slower, eyes narrowed and cautious as she observed the female.

"Something is wrong." She said, blue eyes thoughtful.

"Oh, you think so, do you?" Toothless growled.

Mistyeyes's eyes flickered over to him, readying herself to snap at the male. But there wasn't anger in his tone, just worry. And she couldn't really blame him, either. Instead, she just shook her head, turning around and calling out to Shadowclaw and Ludi. "Shadowclaw! Ludi! Get back on shore! Something is wrong!" Shadowclaw perked at this, stopping mid-splash as he turned expectantly over to Mistyeyes. He turned, giving a chirp to Ludi, and nudging her back to shore. Granted, she had only gotten paw-deep in the water, (cats don't like water) but she shook herself out, fur going in every direction as she turned, bouncing her way back to the two Night Furies. She flicked her paws irritably, trying to get them as dry as she could on her way back.

Astrid lost her balance, falling the rest of the way down until she landed in a heap on the sand. She pushed herself up quickly, head spinning as she spat out nasty-tasting grains. Wiping her mouth free of the mess, she got shakily to her feet, wincing at the small tingling of pain from the motion. But she had to push it aside right now. Fishlegs could only avoid Snotlout's fist for so long. "We have a problem!" Astrid yelled, skidding to a stop in front of the two dragons. They looked at her incredulously, waiting for her to explain. She gulped in a few much-needed breaths before saying anything, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees.

But she pushed herself back up. "Stoick found out about Nightflight." She said, watching as the dragons' expressions changed from disbelief to horror. "They're going after her…trying to find her." She went on, still gasping. "I don't know where Hiccup is! I'm pretty sure that Stoick did something," Toothless's ears flattened at once, the dragon baring his teeth and letting out a feral snarl. "but I'm not sure." She added quickly at the new change. "The point is, without Hiccup, this whole operation is resting on our shoulders!"

Mistyeyes gave a tense nod, eyes turning determined. She turned to Toothless, blue eyes boring into his own green ones. "It doesn't matter what we think about Nightflight." She said firmly. "Hiccup thinks that she deserves a second chance. We need to trust him." Toothless silently agreed with her, though he did not say anything along the lines of: 'What are you talking about? What I think about Nightflight? Of course I wont leave her! I would never leave her! I love her!' It was a bit of a stretch to wish for something like that, but at least then Mistyeyes would know where his emotions were.

She shook her head to clear it, turning back to Astrid. The girl looked frazzled, desperately trying to think of something to say or do in this situation. Mistyeyes felt a flash of pain at this, feeling sorry for her. She opened her mouth to say something; she might be able to give the girl an idea to get her mind going for plans on what to do. But then she snapped it closed, cursing herself as she did so. She had forgotten that Hiccup was the only Vikings that could hear her speak. Make that hear any kind of dragon speak.

"Okay, I've got it!" Astrid yelled suddenly, causing all of the dragons to jump. She turned swiftly over to Toothless, pointing to him fixedly. "You take Ludi with you and go find Hiccup!" She ordered, the tabby cat bouncing up to sit atop said dragon's head. "If- I mean when you find him, you go back to where Nightflight is and we can meet you there if we can! Mistyeyes! You, me, and Shadowclaw are going to get Nightflight and try to get her out of there before the others can find her!" The gray Night Fury let out a chirp of affirmation as the girl said this. Shadowclaw hopped out from the ocean, shaking the water off his scales and going over to stand beside Mistyeyes.

Toothless took one last long look at the ground before spinning around, charging back up the hill. The others watched him anxiously, eyes trained on the dragon until he disappeared over the rise. Astrid's hands wrung together nervously in front of her, mind trying to think of a million things at once. Is this what Hiccup felt like before he went to face the Red Death? She wondered timidly. About whether or not we would make it out? Whether or not things would go perfectly fine, or horribly wrong? "Please come back from wherever you are, Hiccup." She said softly. "I can't do this alone."

Mistyeyes whined at this, leaning over and pressing her snout comfortingly against the girl's side as she cooed. Astrid sighed, putting her hand on the dragon's smooth hide and stroking her for a moment. She tried to draw as much strength from her as she could, wishing that she knew more about what was happening. Maybe then she would be able to plan it out better. But she roused herself from those thoughts, forcing her legs to move so that she could hoist herself onto the gray Night Fury. "Okay." She said when she was balanced. She turned around, looking back in the direction that she had been taken by Hiccup before. The way that led to Nightflight. "Alright, girl, we have to hurry." She said, feeling a pang in her heart.

Normally she would be more than happy to ride on a Night Fury. Not many Vikings got to claim that. But she couldn't forget her true dragon, Stormfly. She would never be able to fly again, Astrid wasn't even sure that Hiccup could find a way to help her fly. What was she supposed to do if her dragon was grounded without a way to gain altitude? She would never be able to give Stormfly up, no matter what. So what was she going to do?

She had to focus, that was what she was going to do.

Mistyeyes paused a moment, letting Astrid get a tight hold onto her. Then she flattened herself to the ground, pushing off the beach and shooting into the air at a million miles an hour. Shadowclaw followed, able to keep up amazingly, for his smaller size. Astrid was jostled, locking her arms tightly around Mistyeyes's neck as the dragon rocketed forward. The girl felt her cheeks start to pull backwards from the force, the girl starting to feel a little dizzy by the time that Berk vanished behind them. Riding a Night Fury was much different than riding any other dragon. How did Hiccup manage to look so calm while he rode his? Especially when they were doing all their stunts and tricks? It was almost impossible for Astrid to stay upright on this one!

But then again, Hiccup usually slowed Toothless's pace when she was riding with them so that he was beside her. Riding a Night Fury at full speed was entirely different. It still terrified Astrid as much as it had the very first day she had gotten onto Toothless. For the first part, anyway. She would have let out a scream, but she couldn't breathe. And it would most likely get lost in the wind either way.

Mistyeyes shot through the quickly-gathering clouds, not even faltering in her strokes as thunder boomed overhead, nearly shattering Astrid's eardrums in the process. Astrid managed to push herself up with effort, narrowing her eyes against the freezing wind as she peered down at the cliffs below. Her eyes watered uncontrollably at the gusts blowing against her, the girl cursing softly as she rubbed at them irritably. "I hope you know where you're going!" She screamed, almost unable to be heard over the storm that was brewing. "Because I sure don't!"

Mistyeyes chirped back at her, hoping that it would assure the Viking. She swerved around the storm as best she could, starting to feel the first few freezing raindrops against her scales. Her blue eyes were focused and intelligent, boring through the darkness and searching for the cliff that she had been to many times before now. She felt like she would find it blindfolded by now, which must have been because she felt so guilty traveling the same path whenever she brought food to Nightflight. Guilt made things easier for her to remember, it felt like sometimes.

Finally, she caught sight of it. She could see the cliff that they had left only hours before, and she could see the dragon that resided there. Nightflight was curled into a tight ball, shivering from the cold. She jumped every so often at the thunder that split itself through the sky, looking surprised and panicked. "There!" She shouted over to Shadowclaw, the smaller Night Fury already landing before she said anything. Leaning to the side, Mistyeyes made a too-sharp turn, rocketing down to the ground a little faster than she probably should have. Astrid let out a sharp yell, nearly choking Mistyeyes as she tightened her grip on the dragon's neck. Fighting the urge to gag, the gray Night Fury managed to stick the landing neatly.

She skidded a heartbeat, pads stinging from scraping against the rock. But she righted herself before she could skid right off the face of the cliff, turning swiftly and digging her claws into the stone. Astrid scrambled off of her back rapidly, shaking a little as she hit the ground running. Mistyeyes had to give Astrid credit, though: the girl ran right up to Nightflight without even hesitating. "Hey! Hey, get up!" She called out awkwardly, still reeling from Mistyeyes's speedy flight.

Nightflight blinked her sightless eyes, stiffening at her voice. She got to her feet slowly, backing up so cautiously, Astrid was pretty sure that a snail would be able to got faster than her. She huffed out a short breath, realizing that she had probably scared her. She had to be more like Hiccup. What would Hiccup do? She smiled, forcing herself to calm down and try to make her voice as gentle as possible. "Hey, it's okay, girl. I'm sorry I scared you." Nightflight blinked, straightening out as she seemed to recognize Astrid. "That's right." Astrid said encouragingly, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. "You know me, girl. I'm from before. I'm here to help you."

Nightflight's ears flattened, the dragon letting out a confused coo.

"Hiccup isn't here." Astrid said, noting the dragon get more nervous at the words. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay. You have to listen to me, alright?" Was that the rumble of thunder, or could she hear voices out there getting closer? She turned to look, but couldn't see through the clouds that blocked her view. "Alright, you have to work with me here. Remember, I'm with Hiccup. There are Vikings that are going to come over here, okay?" Nightflight stiffened, a small growl forming in her throat. "No, no! It'll be okay! We just have to get you out of here before they come! If you let me…" She blanched, realizing the fatal hole in her plan.

Nightflight couldn't see.

How was she going to fly?

"Oh, gods." Astrid whispered to herself, Mistyeyes and Shadowclaw starting to get nervous as they looked behind them anxiously. That meant it wasn't just Astrid's imagination; they could hear something out there too. Whirling back to Nightflight, Astrid felt a grave sense of duty. She knew what she had to do. But it was not going to be ideal. "You have to let me guide you to somewhere safe." Nightflight tilted her head at this. "I can tell you where to fly and how to do it." Astrid went on, voice a little shaky. "You just have to trust me and let me ride you."

For a moment, Nightflight almost looked angry. Her ears flattened, eyes narrowing as she shuffled back more. Her hind legs were teetering over the edge of the cliff by now, she wasn't going to be able to back up anymore, otherwise she'd just fall off. Nightflight looked almost offended for a moment, and Astrid slowly started to count the number of seconds they probably had until the other Vikings came. But suddenly Nightflight blinked rapidly, looking unfocused for a moment as she tilted her head. She seemed to remembering something, or imagining a flashback.

The voice were getting closer.

Astrid shut her eyes tightly. "We're going to die." She moaned sorrowfully.

But suddenly Nightflight drew herself up, jumping right for Astrid. The girl let out a shriek, backtracking rapidly as she tried to get out the dragon's line. Mistyeyes tensed, shooting to her feet with alarm at the pounce. Shadowclaw's ears flattened, eyes growing to be a million times their normal size. But Nightflight jumped too short. She landed right in front of Astrid, the blonde gasping as her heat pounding a million times a second. The Night Fury swung herself around, eyes narrowed as she showed her back to Astrid.

She was giving her permission.

Astrid swallowed back the lump in her throat, turning over to Mistyeyes and Shadowclaw. "You guys will have to help me." She said a little nervously. Mistyeyes nodded, wincing as a Viking's shout echoed over to where they sat. She leapt to her feet, bounding over to stand on Nightflight's right side. Shadowclaw did the same with the left. Astrid gave a small nod, feeling a little overwhelmed as she cautiously placed her hands on the back of Nightflight. She glanced over in her direction, holding her breath as she waited for the Night Fury to kick her off. But Nightflight was stiff as a board; she was going to be moving any time soon, unless Astrid was on her back.

Sighing, the girl pulled herself up with a grimace, shuffling nervously as she held onto the Night Fury. "Okay." She whispered, closing her eyes tightly. Just do what Hiccup would do. Her mind coached her. Oh, Hiccup! Where are you? I need you! This would be so much easier if she were able to have Hiccup by her side. The shouts of the Vikings were getting closer; the men had made quick work in scaling the skies, it seemed. "Okay." She repeated, blue eyes snapping open. She tightened her hold onto Nightflight, feeling the blind dragon start to crouch low to the rock face. "Let's go." She said airily.

Nightflight paused for a moment, the sounds of Vikings less than a few yards away. They were getting close. They were running out of time. "Go!" Astrid yelled desperately. "Nightflight, GO!" The Night Fury stiffened, eyes widening as her wings shot out at her sides. She leapt off the rock more out of fear than anything, the take-off clumsy at its best. Astrid shrieked with surprise, unable to help Nightflight as the Night Fury scrambled for purchase in the air.

They started to fall down towards the ocean, Astrid desperately trying to suck in enough air to call out direction. Which way was up? Which way was down? All she knew was that the ocean was getting closer and closer way too fast, her mind drawing a panicked blank as she reached for something to say. Mistyeyes yelled out something to Nightflight in dragon's language, but Nightflight was panicking too much to try and follow her words. The sounds of Vikings were too close, the ocean even closer. The only thing on Astrid's mind was Hiccup. What would Hiccup do?

He sure as heck wouldn't be doing this.

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

Toothless had checked the Smithy, the Mess Hall, and the Elder's house. All of them came up blank. This was the last place he could think of for Hiccup to be. The Night Fury looked at Hiccup's home curiously, wondering why he would be here of all places. Shaking his head, Toothless bounded forward, ears perked for some kind of noise as he nosed his way inside the home. It took a few tries to get the door to open, doors were things that dragons hated. You couldn't work them very well without thumbs, after all. But he finally managed to get it open, stepping inside the house with a noisy creak of floorboards. He raised his snout into the air, sniffing cautiously as he looked back and forth. He could smell the usual scents of Hiccup and his father. Ludi gave a small meow, ears perked as she tilted her head back, taking in noisy sniffles as she tried to mimic Toothless's movements. "Hiccup?" Toothless called out into the empty-looking house.

Nothing came.

Toothless sighed, glancing over his shoulder and debating on whether or not to go look someplace else. But then he caught another scent from the breeze that blew through the living room. A recent smell. Stoick and Hiccup's familiar scent hung in the air, making a path up the stairs and to the left. Hiccup's room. Toothless's eyes narrowed slowly at the smells. They were much too close together, he thought. He could barely tell one form the other. Stoick and Hiccup were not close enough to walk together like that. Whenever they did walk together around the island, they would kept a respective distance between themselves. Unless Hiccup was hurt and had to be carried, something was off. Ludi seemed to be thinking the same thing he was, the small cat's ears flattening against her head as she shuffled uncertainly. She gave a small chirp, urging Toothless on.

Turning away, Toothless came through the doorway, leaving the door ajar behind him. The Night Fury walked up the stairs carefully, watching his feet carefully as he went. They should really make these things bigger. He had to have balance to get up these stairs. As he walked up carefully, Toothless sniffed once more, a hint of anger blossoming inside him as he realized that there was another smell mixed in with Hiccup's own. Fear. Raw and cold fear hung in the house like a curtain; Toothless was faintly shocked that he had missed it before now.

He walked more quickly now, making it up the stairs and leaning over to the side that the scent veered off to. Hiccup's room. Toothless growled softly, pacing forward and looking at the door with rage. The chair leaning against it wasn't conveniently placed, that was for sure. It was locked underneath specifically to keep the boy's door impossible to open from the other side. "Hiccup!" Toothless yelled, putting his ear to the door when he got no answer. There were scraping noises from the other side, muffled gasps of pain and banging. Panicking, Toothless turned, raising his claws and sinking it into the wood of the chair. The Night Fury grunted, throwing his weight to the side as he ripped the chair away from the door. The crashed into the wall at the end of the hall, Toothless not even pausing to survey his work before crashing himself against Hiccup's door. Ludi squealed with surprise at this, squalling loudly as she dug her claws into the Night Fury's head, clinging to him like her life depended on it.

The door broke underneath his strength, swinging open loosely and showing the scene to the Night Fury. A mountain of books and other assorted objects were piled together on top of his bed. Things like books, blankets, notebooks, and pillows stacked on top of one another. Hiccup was at the top, stretching with a pained grimace on his face as he tried to wrap his hands around the window bordering the roof of the room. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, his body showing signs of exhaustion and failure, but he kept reaching. Upon Toothless's coming into the room, Hiccup gasped sharply with surprise, whipping his head around to look at his dragon. Doing so caused him to tip his balance, the boy slipping off of his perch and toppling off the makeshift stairs.

He slammed into the ground with a painful smacking noise, curling up with a grumble and holding his bad arm tightly. "Dangit." He hissed through clenched teeth. Toothless stiffened with worry, but Hiccup managed to push himself back up. He turned his olive eyes over to Toothless, giving the dragon a relieved smile. "Thank the gods, Toothless! And Ludi! I've never been so happy to see you two!" Hiccup blustered, getting off the ground with a little difficulty before dashing forward, wrapping his arm around his Night Fury tightly. He tried to use his other arm, but immediately stepped backwards, holding it with a small hiss. At Toothless's look, he tried to recover, brushing it off quickly. "It's fine, Toothless. I'm fine." He said painfully, voice choked. "I guess it's acting up again…" He said, trailing off with a saddened look.

Toothless stepped forward, concerned as he nosed Hiccup's injuries softly. "What happened?"

"My dad." Hiccup said softly, refusing to look at Toothless in the eyes.

The Night Fury drew backwards, looking a cross between mournful and furious. "What did he do?"

"I tried to tell him about Nightflight too early. I had no choice." Hiccup sighed heavily. "He wouldn't listen to me, just like he always does." His voice grew a little bitter at this, but then it changed back to worn-out, tired. "He put me in here and told me I couldn't leave. He wouldn't let me tell him how Nightflight has changed." He closed his eyes tightly, grumbling to himself for a heartbeat. "He never listens to me. I was stupid to even think that he would even try to do it this time."

Toothless's ears flattened, going forward and pushing his head against Hiccup's with a coo. He wrapped his wing around his human, pulling him backwards carefully into a soft embrace. "I'm sorry." He offered weakly, feeling helpless when it came to these things. He couldn't go out there and make Stoick treat Hiccup like a son should be treated, the Chief couldn't understand. Toothless was only able to speak to Hiccup, he couldn't have Stoick understand him like his son did. He couldn't go to Stoick and tell him how amazing his son was, and how much it hurt Hiccup when he got cast aside. He couldn't tell him that his son was the brightest thing on this island, and how lucky he was to have somebody like that related to him. He couldn't express to the man how terrible it was to watch this happy person break apart and crumple to pieces because of these things.

Hiccup leaned over, taking Toothless's comfort for a few minutes as he closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths, getting himself under control before he did anything. Toothless sighed glumly, wishing that Stoick could see this. He wished that the man could see something like this and feel guilty for the rest of his life. He deserved it. Ludi whined softly, curling close to herself as her eyes got big and sad. She leaned over, prodding Hiccup gently with her paw, as if stroking him. Hiccup gave her a small little smile, Ludi drawing back and looking a little better.

"Nightflight." Hiccup said suddenly, recovering as he pulled away.

"She's in trouble." Toothless said, already turning so that Hiccup could get onto his back. The teen complied, swing his leg over Toothless's back and locking his prosthetic in place firmly. "We have to get there before the other Vikings do. Astrid should be there already." Toothless explained, turning swiftly and leaping into the air. Hiccup switched into the correct position, the two shooting up to the ceiling and soaring through the gap in the roof. They shot into the freezing weather outside, Hiccup blinking rapidly as a few raindrops landed on him, freezing to the touch. He couldn't decide whether it was rain or hail that was coming down.

"Then we have to get there fast." Hiccup said tensely. "She can't deal with this by herself."

Toothless nodded tensely, pushing himself as fast as he could possibly go. Hiccup leaned over, green eyes narrowed as he looked down at the grass of Berk. It was empty. Usually by this time, people were crowding the streets, trying to find some kind of late-night entertainment before they retired to bed. But now it was barren. Nobody was taking a moonlit walk, no kids were running around playing Kill the Red Death, and no old seniors were telling a group of listeners stories of the older times. It was a ghost town. And that couldn't be good at all.

Hiccup pushed Toothless faster, the Night Fury's jaw locking backwards as he shot forward. They left Berk behind in a matter of minutes, thunder rumbling around them as they made for Nightflight's cliff. Hiccup kept an eye out for Vikings that could be around flying on their dragons, biting his lower lip as he expected to be stopped by a party. But there was nothing up here either. Panic encased him like a blanket; had he missed too much? Had they already killed Nightflight? The thought made fear stab him through the heart, the boy almost forgetting how to breathe. "There!" He yelled, catching sight of the cliff that they had left Nightflight.

Toothless started, veering down to the jutting rock steeply. Hiccup only narrowed his eyes, though, the crease in his forehead getting bigger and bigger the closer they got. No…that can't be right. Toothless landed neatly on the rock, ears flicking back and forth as his eyes widened. He turned a full circle, looking confused as his wings twitched at his sides. Hiccup unlatched his fake leg, a numb expression on his face as he slid off of Toothless. "No…" He said, voice choked on itself. "That isn't….what…?"

The place was empty.

Nobody was there.

Hiccup turned, rush over to the edge of the cliff, leaning over precariously as he tried to see down to the ocean. He squinted, the dark making it too hard to see. He drew backwards with a disappointed look. He slowly turned over to Toothless and Ludi, the two staring at him fearfully, waiting for him to speak. His green eyes were weighted, shoulders loose as he looked at them desperately.

"We're too late." He croaked.

Toothless ducked his head low, mentally cursing himself for not being fast enough. His shoulders were hunched, as if the weight of the situation suddenly slammed down on him, and he was unable to hold it up. Ludi was subdued for once, expression sober as she looked down at her paws. Disappointment and sorrow hung in the air between them like a heavy blanket, Hiccup's shoulders starting to shake as he fought to get enough breath into his lungs. He looked over in the direction of Berk, the small glow of torches poking their way through the darkness, as if trying to shed light over the scene.

But it only stood as a reminder of what had ruined everything.

Hiccup drew his knees up to his chest, bringing his arms up slowly and drawing his fingers through his hair. He ducked his head close to his chest, eyes starting to burn as he imagined Nightflight having to defend herself in vain. And what about Astrid? Was she in trouble now that it was known she was trying to help the Night Fury? The thought made a weight make itself apparent in Hiccup's stomach, and he closed his eyes, wishing that he could have been faster, could have made his father listen.

This was all his fault.

"We're too late." He repeated brokenly.

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

A/N: I have fallen…to my knees. As I sing a lullaby of pain…

I'm feeling broken…in my melody. As I sing to help the tears go away.

Promise of a Lifetime - Kutless

I hope I get to hear from you all again!

Me: And now, it would be my honor to present Stoick with the 'Best Parent Ever' Award! ^^

Stoick: :D YAY!

Me: Stoick, you have shown us that you are the best parent out there! What do you have to say to all the children out there that can only wish that you were their dad?

Stoick: I'd like to say-

Hiccup: Stop the ceremony. O-o

Stoick: No! I need you to see how good of a father I am! I'm such a nice person! D:

Me: Yeah, Hiccup, he really is.

Stoick: I'd like to thank the academy, and my-

Hiccup: I SAID STOP THE CEREMONY!

If you all don't get that joke, I am severely disappointed.