A/N: Once again, thanks for the wait! I hope that I can get back earlier now that my plate full of stuff has been ((kind of)) cleared! But nevertheless, here ya go! One new chapter! :3

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

Hiccup sat off to the side, legs crossed neatly as he sat on top of a flat rock separated from the other dragons in the clearing. Ludi was curled up in a tight ball in the boy's lap, letting out a contented purr every so often as if to remind Hiccup that she was in fact still there. He let his arm move up and down absently, stroking her grubby fur and only half-focusing as he looked idly around. Most dragons had come back by now, and conversation had boiled into a steady heat as each person in the traveling group started to get filled and comfortable. A few adults tittered over prospects such as what waited for them when they returned to Berk, some younglings were busily crafting together entertaining games to play and waste time, and parents fussed over their little ones together.

Their voices played on the edges of Hiccup's mind, phrases and complaints marking themselves down in his already-wavering attention. The little ones were too tired to go on much more. Joints and wings ached from the cold. The little dragons were growing weary and seemed worn thin. As each trivial piece of information reached him, Hiccup turned, craning his neck to the side and looking in the direction of the small Night Furies. Sure enough, though they tumbled and jumped around together, each child looked significantly wearier than they had been a few days ago, and he could see that they had grown slimmer since their journey had started.

The Viking let a small frown grace his features, a pang of worry striking him as he forced himself to tear his gaze away from the sight and the prospects that it brought. He gave a small sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head as if to clear the niggling doubts of worry. Instead, he moved on from the small details of fright, making sure to allow himself the facts that would instead help his cause. The wind was one factor, biting and scathing as freezing gusts battered the island they were taking shelter in. Though it caused a strong sense of inconvenience to the already-weakened group, it also showed itself as a sign that they were getting closer to Berk. Berk had always been chronic to such horrid weather patterns – Hiccup had known the fact ever since he had first stepped outside as a toddler and fell head-first into a snow bank. So when Hiccup first felt the sense of the winds and clouds, he had felt a small hint of relief rather than frustration. It showed that they were getting closer to their goal.

But it also did cause a little prick of anxiousness to grip him at the same time. After all…they were getting closer to their goal. Closer to Berk, and closer to his father, whose last words spoken to Hiccup were about how he was set on killing the Night Furies if they were to return. As the words rang in his head like a beaten melody of suspense, Hiccup's frown deepened, his green eyes shading over as he gave a light wince. He knew that he shouldn't think too much, or dwell on the inevitable worries that were stacking in the back of his mind like an unsecure wall. After all, the only person he could think of that would lend an ear to his worries like before was-

"Hello." The reserved voice sounded right by his left ear, cutting through his mantra that seemed to be on repeat ever since he had first watched the hunting parties of the dragons separate this midafternoon. He stiffened like a board, an expression almost akin to guilt washing over his face like a wave as he turned quickly to look back. Sure enough, blue eyes clashed with his green ones, and Hiccup found himself looking at Astrid, who was standing neatly a ways away behind him. First glance, he would have seen nothing the matter with her; he wouldn't have even given a second thought to her presence and actually might have found some solace in it.

But he noticed the little changes that had come from the episode with Nightflight. He noticed her rigid shoulders and her slightly narrowed azure eyes. He noticed the way that she held herself, and how she kept the cautious distance of about five feet between him and herself. Her eyes flickered up his skinny frame every so often, and where her arms were crossed over her chest, her hands balled into tightly-clenched fists.

Each feature of the girl ticked itself off in Hiccup's mind, and he allowed the frown to stay in its place, not bothering to wipe it away as he looked her way mournfully. Astrid shuffled a little at the odd expression trained on her, but she did not address. Instead, she cleared her throat softly, repeating her greeting from before a little louder now. "Hello." She said again, expectant now as she obviously wanted him to return the salutation.

In the background, a few dragons perked, perplexed looks sent the pair's way. Hiccup fought the urge to wail aloud as more and more reptiles turned their obvious attention to them, conversations halting mid-sentence with barely so much as a warning as heads swiveled back and ears perked. It was more than apparent of the worry and curiosity that had been thrumming through the clearing ever since dawn. Everyone had noticed when Astrid did not help Nightflight to fly today, and they noticed even more that tension that had sprung up between every person and dragon alike in their group. With no explanation or offered sense of knowledge about what was going on, Hiccup had known that things might get out of hand with the Night Furies. But he hadn't realized that feelings would get this heated.

Reptilian eyes burning holes through his clothes, Hiccup made an attempt to brighten a little bit, knowing for a fact that if given a sense of something amiss, panic would ensure. The dragons were already fretting over their returning to Berk, they didn't need anything else to tip them over the edges. "Hi." He replied, aware of how curt his voice was in comparison to what he would normally give in response to Astrid. But the girl, none the wiser to that knowledge, didn't see anything wrong with his words or tone. Hiccup hesitated a moment, a bridge of unspoken words stringing itself between the two of them as they took to merely staring at one another. It was a long moment before he got anything more out. "…Are you okay?" He asked finally, the words seeming lame as they fell clumsily off of his tongue. He surprised himself with the question that had blundered across on accident; he hadn't meant to make things so personal. Astrid was under the impression that he was a stranger; why would he care whether she was fine or not?

But what surprised him more than the unintended inquiry was Astrid's response. "I was about to ask you the same thing." She said, Hiccup wondering if it was his imagination that she was getting a little closer. Ludi perked at this, coming out of her dozing for once as she brightened, spotting Astrid as her tail curled up with satisfaction. Before Hiccup could try and stop her, the cat hopped out of his embrace, snooping over instead and brushing up against the blonde Viking's legs instead, a thick purr already rumbling in her throat loudly. Astrid tensed at the odd display of affection, looking puzzled. She didn't make any sort of inclination to touch her though, and Ludi looked put-out at this fact as she sat down with a heavy plop. The cat looked at Astrid, craning its neck back to stare her way with big round eyes, waiting impatiently with a twitching tail.

Hiccup coughed a moment, rousing Astrid as she looked back at him blankly. "She, uh….she doesn't bite." He offered weakly, hands clasping in his lap now that Ludi wasn't resting there to offer him something to preoccupy them with. "She won't hurt you or anything." He added quickly, realizing with a small pang that Astrid wouldn't remember all the times that she had threatened to steal Ludi away from Hiccup. "She's nice." He said again, knowing he was rambling but not really paying attention to the fact all that much. He only looked at Astrid intently, a million different mantras running loops inside his head. You love Ludi. Don't you remember? No, of course you don't remember. Just like you don't remember me. Could you remember, though? Could I help you to? I don't think I could.

Astrid stared at him searchingly a moment more before kneeling down, reaching out with a slow hand and letting it rest softly onto Ludi's head. The cat's purr immediately jumped-started once more, and Astrid grew significantly more relaxed as she grinned, scratching the pet's ears now as she gave a small chuckle. Her incessant blue gaze eventually trained itself back onto Hiccup though, an inevitable feat that Hiccup had been expecting, but dreading. And she made her statement known once more. "So…you gonna answer me?" Astrid asked. Hiccup stared back, not knowing how to reply as he took to being silent. She sighed through her nose a moment: "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay." Hiccup said quickly, blinking once as his tone went stiff again. "Why wouldn't I be?" He turned, looking back now as he tried to busy himself with surveying the group splayed out in front of him. Were there any injuries? Strained wings? Anything that needed to be worried about? But even as he questioned himself mentally, he heard Astrid shuffle forward, saw out of the corner of his eye as she took a seat exactly one foot from where he sat. He felt her piercing blue eyes, so vacant and lost now, trained on him. And her voice cut through his busying thoughts relentlessly as she attempted conversation once again.

"….I'm sorry." She said after a pause, the second statement out of her mouth and yet just as surprising as the first. Hiccup turned, eyes flashing at the apology as he twisted around to look back at her. Ludi was curling up in the blonde's lap with a contented expression now, and Astrid seemed to have gotten over her surprised hurdle as she allowed the pet to move freely now. She let one hand rest on the thing's back, the other laying against the ground limply as she looked at Hiccup a little anxiously. "I'm sorry." She repeated, sounding like a mockingbird, the way she spoke her words over and over again. "…If I've been…uncalled for." She said, sounding lame and clumsy in her speech.

"Uncalled for?" Hiccup asked, sounding like a mockingbird himself, trilling away the melody sent to him. "It's not uncalled for. You have every right to be angry, or to punch me in the face." He said, each word like a thorn being dragged out of his throat. He didn't want to do this, not again. He didn't want to cope with the way things were and pretend like it didn't matter, only to blow it out of proportion once again. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw something. He wanted to fix it all. But he couldn't. He was subjected to this, a second time. He was subjected to sitting off in the sidelines, watching things play out and being useless to any attempt in fixing it. He told himself that he wouldn't make the grave mistake he had almost made with Toothless: he wouldn't spend all his efforts trying to bring back memories that wouldn't come. That just led to more problems. And with the significant amount of responsibility now weighing on him with the pack dragons that relied on him, the biggest sense of responsibility that he'd had in a long time, he couldn't afford mistakes. Of any kind.

So what was he meant to do?

Astrid seemed oblivious to his thoughts though, merely blinking a few times at his seemingly-truthful assurances. "I didn't mean to." She said, a small hint of a smile teasing at her lips now as she realized that she could actually get a few words out of him. "It's just… a lot to take in." She paused, looking at him expectantly, waiting for another reply. Hiccup offered none, eyes narrowing a little as he forced himself to survey a youngling off to the side, wondering if she was limping for the game she was playing or for her weary joints. "This is me apologizing for how we got off." Astrid clarified, a little louder this time.

"You don't need to apologize." Hiccup said, curt as ever. "There's nothing wrong between us."

"And that's why you won't even look at me?" She demanded skeptically.

"It's complicated." He pointed out after yet another pause. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Don't give me any credit, then." Astrid said, half-teasing as she waited a moment for him to brighten. When he did nothing of the sort, Astrid gave a small sigh. "You said we were friends." She reminded him, a touch of her aggressive side sneaking through as her voice sharpened slightly. Hiccup perked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye with this. "And I was willing to go off of that, since I was all the way out here with you for seemingly no reason at all. But you've probably said about three complete sentences to me since we've started flying today. And so that leaves me to wonder if you're really telling the truth." She looked at Hiccup a little more anxiously at this, and when he turned to meet her gaze, Hiccup realized with a small twitch that she was beside herself. Her blue eyes were rounder now, and her posture was stiff as a board as she waited for Hiccup's reply.

Knowing that it would be terrible, and something that he would rather not dwell on, Hiccup put himself in her shoes for a moment. Lost. Confused. Astrid was stumbling along a beaten path that she had no clue twisted and turned underneath her. And now, the only other human that she knew was doing his best to try and ignore her. He cleared his throat a little thickly, letting her question fill the void of silence before speaking. "I am your friend." He said, picturing himself inwardly choking on the words. "I care about you. A lot." More than you know.

"Then you have a funny way of showing it." She commented fairly.

"Maybe I do." He said allowed reluctantly. Astrid blinked at the odd statement, and how fast that it was given. He looked at her carefully, remembering how many times that the girl had punched him in the shoulder only to soften the blow with a kiss. That had been an odd way of showing affection too, and yet Hiccup had always loved it whenever she did. "But….if you haven't noticed, we have company." He said, tearing himself away from the train of thought as he gestured lamely to the dragons around them.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed." She said humorously. "It's kind of hard not to." She paused, then: "But I don't see what that has to do with me. I mean – I guess I helped you with this whole thing before, but now I can't tell right from wrong. Not accurately, at least. I don't mean to make myself more of a burden than I really am….but I can't help you much from here on out." Hiccup shrugged limply, still averting his eyes. She repeated her question, mimicking the mockingbird once more. "So what do the dragons have to do with me now?"

"Nothing." Hiccup offered in response. "But they have absolutely everything to do with me. I'm who they look up to. I was the one who persuaded them that they should come back to Berk with me, and I can't afford to lose their trust or make them worried about things." He spoke this part quietly, more than aware that some dragons were still looking owlishly their way. "It's better if we wait to fix things later, when everything solved and over with. For now I have to concentrate on getting everyone back safely; that has to be my number one priority."

"…There's something you're not telling me, right?"

"Huh?" Hiccup asked, turning and looking at her almost oddly. "W-What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong." Astrid said quickly, head titling to the side softly as she studied him. "But you seem kind of distant. Maybe you're always like that, or maybe not. But when I first….woke up….or…whatever happened to me, you seemed really upset and really fixed on trying to talk to me. Now, you've changed a lot, and I've only known you for a few hours. It's like you turned over a whole different leaf. I thought it was because I was so snippy with you before, so I've decided to try and fix that as best as I can…but now I can guess that it's really just you trying to lead the rest of them." She glanced at the dragons, blinking once at the sight of them. "I can't find fault in that, and all I'm worried about right now too is getting home, so as long as we're already heading that way…." She paused before doubling back to reaffirm her earlier statement. "What I meant is that you don't see happy at all about going back to Berk. You seem really upset. So it's obviously got to be something that you're keeping from me."

"You get all that from me not talking to you?" Hiccup asked blandly, when she had finished.

"I get all that from paying attention." She corrected mildly. "And can you say that I'm wrong?"

"….No, I can't." Hiccup said, watching as Astrid's face whirled into a mixture of satisfaction that she had been right, to an ugly confirmation of something that she didn't want to think about. He glanced at the dragons around them, voice dropping into a harsh whisper as Astrid had to lean in closer to hear correctly. "I'll admit to you right now that our coming home probably won't be as welcoming as you'd like to think right now." The girl's face was pulled into a frown with this, but she didn't try and interrupt him. "That's what's got me so fixed on making sure I'm doing the right thing. I can't be…." He looked her up and down lamely. "….sidetracked…." He finished slowly.

"I see." Astrid said softly, after letting the meaning of both aspects sink in.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup offered, tasting bile in his mouth with each word that he ripped from his throat. "I hope you'll understand. But… anything could go wrong; anything could go severely wrong. And after all that's gone wrong already I don't feel comfortable in even having the chance of something more going on. I'm responsible for every person here, and it's…." Whatever he was going to say slipped his mind, and before he could stop himself, he added on the last part tiredly: "terrible."

"It doesn't have to be." Astrid urged reluctantly, obviously uncomfortable now as she looked his way. "Haven't you ever heard the term: 'working together?' You don't have to be alone on this. Your dragon friends could probably help you a bit. But then again, who am I to boss you around? I hardly know anything about you. Or anything going on here." Hiccup cringed at the phrases, but she didn't catch sight of it. "But I do know one thing." She said suddenly, catching his attention once more. "I know from what I've seen so far that you'll be able to-"

"Amber!" Hiccup jumped out of his skin at the screech, Astrid cutting herself off with her own shriek, the girl's hands flying up and clamping tightly over her ears as she curled inwards, flinching deeply. Not even glancing her way in the burst of sudden panic, Hiccup shot to his feet, eyes wide and big like moons as he was already up and running. He tripped over himself as he half-jumped, half-slid down the rock he'd been sitting on previously. The crowd of dragons was swarming now, every Night Fury on their feet now as they roared with fear and surprise.

"Move!" Hiccup snapped loudly, not bothering to be polite as he normally was, pushing and shoving his way past each bulky form in an attempt to reach the wailing that had picked up in the center of the clearing. It was grating his eardrums, and he had to fight the urge to follow Astrid's lead to try and shield himself from the clamor. "Get out of the way!" He screamed to each obstacle in his path. "LET ME THROUGH!" Most dragons instantly scrambled out of his way, clearing a path for him once they realized who was pushing. He felt each frightful look like a burning brand on his skin, and through the wailing and horrified screeches, he could hear the calls of help aimed in his direction.

He finally broke through the last barrier of dragons, skidding to an ungraceful stop and looking at the scene that met him with horror. Amber, the dragon that he had saved from falling down into the ocean, was on the ground writhing in pain and agony, her jaw split open in a silent screech as she convulsed on the ground. Her mother was hunkered over her, eyes wide with terror and desperation as she tried to calm her daughter, roughly licking her every so often as if it would help her cause. The younglings that had been playing with Amber moments before had scattered, hiding behind their parents now as they wailed aloud.

"What happened?" He demanded, rushing over and crouching down beside Amber. The little youngling was whimpering in a high octave in her throat, a shallow breath making her stomach rise and fall a little awkwardly. Her tail thrashed back and forth desperately, and she threw up tufts of grass as she clawed deep gouges into the ground. Looking at her now, Hiccup felt a wave of despair at the fact that he had absolutely no idea what was wrong. She didn't have any sort of wounds or something wrong with her physically, nothing that he could bind or fix easily. And despite the hours he had sometimes spent with the Elder when he was younger, he never really retained any advanced knowledge of sickness or herbs.

"She was playing with her friends!" Amber's mother was hyperventilating, making it harder to understand her as she spoke in rapid bursts. "I let her out of my sight for a few moments; I didn't think she could have gotten into any trouble! B-But when I came back, she was on the ground – I didn't have time to help her and now she's not responding to anything I do for her! You've got to help her, Hiccup! She's too young! She's too young to die!" Her voice rose into a strained yowl, and she pressed her nose tightly into her daughter's twitching side. "Don't take her away from me!" She pleaded.

"W-What was she doing?" Hiccup asked, fighting the urge to dig his nails into his skull as he asked the stupid question. What do I do for this? I have nothing at all to work with! He looked down at Amber with wide eyes, drawing a horrifying blank as he clashed her terrified eyes with his own similar expression. The little one's struggles were growing weaker, and he found himself suddenly unable to move, transfixed with staring at her hopelessly and not able to think of anything else he could possibly do.

He pictured himself swooping down to save her from plunging into the ocean; he had been so sure of himself back then, why couldn't he have that same sense again? The sense that even though he might not know that solution was the right one, but he might as well try as hard as he could? He grasped for the conscious feeling, but came up with absolutely nothing as it slipped right through his fingers. All he could think of was the fact that he had promised Astrid it would be alright, that nothing would happen. Or how he had persuaded Nightflight to try and try until she finally caved and agreed. His own voice rang in his head, like a dull ringing of a bell. How can I ever be sure of anything again?

Suddenly there was presence at his side, a calm voice shattering his thoughts and jarring him to reality as he turned quickly. Narrowed blue eyes met his stare, and Hiccup felt a sheer rush of relief as he found himself looking up at Mistyeyes, the gray dragon standing stoically at his side. She was completely calm and collected, quite different from the last time that Hiccup had seen her. Despite everything that their group had been through in the last few hours, suddenly Mistyeyes seemed unaffected by any of it. She was clear and level-headed, as if they were discussing a mildly concerning topic as she sat down in front of the little youngling.

"You'll have to give us space." She said, reaching out and pushing the mother back gently but firmly. "Now she must have taken in something potentially dangerous by the way she looks; her stomach is distended. We have to-" She blinked rapidly, suddenly stopping herself short as she turned and looked at Hiccup almost expectantly. The Viking stiffened as her penetrating blue eyes suddenly roved over to him, freezing for a moment under her look. Amber was gradually slackening in her struggles, and he knew that they had to act fast. Why was Mistyeyes wasting time looking to him? She knew what to do! She was just about to explain what they needed!

Her eyes flashed desperately as she stared at him, and it hit Hiccup like a ton of bricks. The crowd was staring at him, not her. They were waiting for him to reassure them, not Mistyeyes; he was the leader. And Mistyeyes knew what would ensue if she were to take control of the operation. But her wings trembled at her sides, betraying her calm attitude as she twitched every so often. She knew they were pressed for time as well.

Shaking himself as if to clear his mind, Hiccup reached over, grabbing Amber's flailing legs and pinning them down. It wasn't as difficult a task now; her movements weren't as spastic anymore. Whether or not that was a good sign, he almost didn't want to know. Heartbeat pounding like drums in his ears, he spoke up finally, forcing his voice not to tremble as he prayed to Thor that he wouldn't lose ground. "Whatever it is, we need it out of her system." He said, the dragons' attention fixated on the human as he tried to wrangle control of the predicament. "Mistyeyes, pry open her mouth." He ordered through gritted teeth, a flash of something akin to relief going through the dragon as he steered wildly onto the right track.

The gray female leaned over, cooing out a few soft words to the youngling as she used both paws to force her jaws apart. It took a moment of strain for her, Mistyeyes grimacing as she gave a small whine. Amber was fighting back, her held-in cries of agony picking up as the blockade that her teeth created started to crumble. She thrashed with objection at Mistyeyes's movements, and Hiccup was jostled this way and that in his attempt at restraining her. Flinching, the Viking realized that they wouldn't be able to do it alone. And in the heat of the moment, forgetting the whole ordeal from before, he let out a sharp scream, calling out for help. "TOOTHLESS!" He yelled, voice grating against his throat painfully as he yelled the name like a command.

The black Night Fury was there in an instant, green eyes narrowed as he squeezed past Clearsky, who stumbled a little at the intervention. He didn't say anything, holding Hiccup's eyes for only a moment before turning and taking the job over for Mistyeyes. The female blew out a gusty sigh, stepping back and watching with an anxious stare as Toothless took up the labor. He managed the feat of prying open the youngling's mouth easily, much faster than Mistyeyes could ever hope to have done. He winced a little with effort as he held her there, one eye closed tightly as he growled underneath his breath.

Hiccup, breathing turning uneven with the effort of it all, gave a tense nod. "Okay." He gasped sharply. "Mistyeyes. Make her sick." He ordered, his voice a little breathless as he gave a small cough. "We need to get whatever is causing this out of her, and the only way to do that is to make her choke it back up." Amber thrashed once more, as if pleading with them to stop. Pity and self-loathing choked at Hiccup's throat, but he tried to clear it as best he could. He was doing all that he could, even if he didn't know whether or not it was right.

Mistyeyes nodded tensely at the action, Hiccup feeling a small touch of relief as she didn't seem to find any fault to the solution. It was good that way, at least; he certainly did not have any means of a back-up plan. Carefully sheathing her claws and making sure that she wouldn't harm the youngling too much in the process, Mistyeyes leaned over her open mouth, looking up and flashing Toothless a warning look. The male responded by tightening his own hold, nodding a moment as if to reassure both of them that he would hold strong. Inhaling sharply, Mistyeyes reached down, her slender paw perfect for the task that had been given to her. She trusted her hand down, desperately attempting to trigger the little one's gag reflex before she could go down too far and injure her further. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it'll be okay." Mistyeyes was shushing the little female, blue eyes pained. "You're doing so well, honey. I'm so proud." She cooed, an almost motherly tone entering her voice as she tried her best to distract the youngling.

Hiccup watched, heart hammering painfully against his ribcage, unable to breathe now as he simply waited. Amber was getting dangerously still now; if this didn't work, nothing would. Amber's mother was standing off the side, nearly swaying as she trembled violently. She was muttering rapidly underneath her breath, though Hiccup couldn't make out intelligible words in the speech. He only heard the level of panic that was coursing through her tone, and he could almost see the waves of fear rolling off of her. This isn't about me. It's about them. Don't let Amber die, please. Hiccup prayed silently, closing his eyes tightly as he did so. She doesn't deserve it.

"Turn her on her side!" Mistyeyes suddenly yelped, Hiccup immediately doing as she requested. Quickly but smoothly, Mistyeyes slipped her paw back to herself, blue orbs wide as she stumbled backwards. No sooner had she stepped back, did a large convulsion travel up Amber's body. Toothless drew back as well, green eyes on the little scrap intently now as she started to gag. And no sooner did Hiccup step back as well did the bile finally burst out of her mouth, spilling onto the grass and emptying the female's stomach.

Hiccup made a move to go back, but Amber's mother burst forward first. "Amber!" She wailed, ears pointing directly upwards as she leaned down, nosing her daughter's flank and shaking from head to toe. "Are you alright? Are you okay? Say something! Please!" At first, hearing the panic in her voice, Hiccup's face melted into a look of despair, the boy thinking that they had failed to save her after all their attempts. But after a few seconds of passing, Amber gave out a heavy cough, the little one starting to whine and fuss as she curled up into a weak ball on the ground.

Mistyeyes sighed, sagging in sheer relief at the movements. "She'll be fine." She said softly, Hiccup not knowing whether she was assuring the mother or herself. The Viking turned, looking over at the gray dragoness with a small beat of surprise at her ragged tone. He opened his mouth to say something in her direction, maybe a thank-you. But he remembered himself just in time, wincing a moment before pushing himself back up to his feet. He took Mistyeyes's silent advice from before, offering a small smile to the stricken parent and giving her a small nod as he repeated the female's words. "She'll be fine now." He assured her.

"Oh. I know." The dragoness sighed loosely, not separating from her child as she spoke up to Hiccup where she crouched beside her. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Hiccup. She would have died without you." Hiccup glanced uncomfortably over to Mistyeyes at this, wanting nothing more than to cut her off and explain that if Mistyeyes had not intervened, her daughter would have surely been dead. But the gray dragon merely smiled his way, giving a discreet shake of the head to him, warning him to be quiet.

"You're welcome." He said instead. Then: "You'll want to make sure that she gets a lot of rest. And… don't give her anything more to eat for the next few hours. Let her stomach calm down and the shock to fade away before you do anything like that." Hopefully the advice made sense, or that it sounded genuine. More genuine that it did to him, at least. "I can come and check on her later, if you want."

"Thank you, thank you." The dragoness said in a small sigh, closing her eyes as she nuzzled her little one closer. "I cannot repay you enough for what you have just done for me." The words surprised Hiccup a little; from what he learned about Night Fury parents, they normally parted ways. Or they had a very distant relationship. That was the facts that were given to him, and yet it didn't explain cases such as Talon and Mistyeyes or Amber and her mother. The thought was an interesting one that Hiccup would have liked to explore if the question had been proposed a few months ago. But now, the thought only caused a small prick of sadness to tear at his chest. He stepped away without saying any more, turning and detaching himself from the scene before anything more could be said.

The dragons had burst into conversation as soon as Hiccup started to walk away. Some rushed up to the now-sickly youngling, questions peppering over the pair such as whether or not they were alright or if they needed help. Others stuck to their own groups, speaking together in hushed tones as they revered in what had just happened. And others called out to Hiccup as he walked, their comments and calls going into one deaf ear and out the other. "Good job, Hiccup!" "You saved her!" "Thank you, Hiccup!" He only acknowledged each yell with a small smile, the only thing he could offer.

Mistyeyes jogged up to Hiccup, squeezing her way out of the mass, who had been congratulating her as well. Much like Hiccup, though, she gave little to no heed to them. She merely brushed past, heading after the teen and calling him back. "Hiccup! Hiccup, come back! Wait!" The Viking guiltily considering ignoring her, wondering how far he would be able to walk into the island without getting lost. But as soon as the thought occurred, he was immediately filled with shame. Mistyeyes had just helped him so much and as soon as she wanted to speak with him, he was trying to find a way out.

He slowed reluctantly, stopping fully once he was out of earshot from the other Night Furies. Mistyeyes sprinted the last few feet, skidding to a stop beside him. And as she stood over him anxiously, he could clearly see the wretched concern in her blue depths. "Are you okay?" She asked softly, obviously not talking about what had just happened with Amber. "I mean – seriously. Are you okay?" He didn't reply quickly enough for her as she gave a small sigh. "Hiccup, I am really worried about you. I know what you're trying to do, and it's a noble effort, but I just really think…." She faltered a moment before starting over. "It's so unlike you. You're different, and it pains me to see you that way. I-Is there anything I can do to help you? At all? Please. I'm asking as a friend."

Hiccup didn't reply to her question fully. "Where's Toothless? He didn't want to come?" He asked, bitterness like a child's entering his tone now as he looked away from her.

Mistyeyes's ears flattened at the implication. "You know how he is." She said softly, a monotone voice as she shook her head slightly. "I'm doing my best to turn him around, and I think he's starting to. But….no, he didn't." She paused before reaffirming her earlier words with the fact. "You see? You two should never fight, don't you know that? And when you're so angry with one another, it's like the entire world is at odds. He's your best friend, Hiccup, and you should remember that before something happens and it turns out to be too late."

Hiccup didn't reply. He closed his eyes for a heartbeat, then turned and looked at her fully. "Thank you." He said, Mistyeyes leaning back with a small flash of surprise at the sudden turn. "For helping me. With Amber. It means a lot to me, so thank you. The fact that you would trust me enough to take over like that….it means a lot to me." It's certainly more than I do for myself.

"It's what friends do for one another." Mistyeyes said curtly, a veiled piece of advice hidden away in the words.

He nodded hesitantly. "I'll remember it." He promised.

The pale dragon held his gaze for another moment or two before giving a small nod. She got up to her feet and turned without another word, picking up her feet and retracing her steps to melt back into the throng of Night Furies. Hiccup watched her go, watched her closely as she seemed to recover automatically, calling back cheerily to those who spoke her way and smiling to each Pack member that she passed. Her tail was held high and curled slightly at the end, as if she were just another happy face in the crowd, celebrating what had just been accomplished. The boy's green eyes flashed at the transformation, but he didn't dwell too much on it. His attention was grasped tightly and held elsewhere.

Off to the side, a young male Night Fury was sitting with a ragtag group of others. Clearsky, Hiccup reminded himself. His ears were flickering back and forth as he shuffled from foot to foot. "Does anybody know what exactly was wrong with Amber?" He asked skeptically, tail twitching as it betrayed the male's nerves. "All Hiccup and Mistyeyes said was that she had something foul in her system. They never said what it was exactly."

A female responded, plucking at a piece of grass with one claw. "She could probably tell us. Once she's rested enough." She offered.

"Hopefully." Clearsky shuddered. "I'd hate to think of that happening again."

"If it does, we know how to fix it now." Another spoke up, a dusky black male this time.

"It doesn't make it better." Clearsky sighed. He glanced up at the sky, and the dark clouds that were starting to roll in overhead. He shivered again, not from the cold now as the dark masses started to swallow up the rising moon and the blinking stars. "I hate all this travelling around." He admitted finally, Hiccup blinking at the confession. "I much rather prefer waking up every morning in the same place….knowing where I was and what exactly I had to do. All this flying and hopping from island to island…it's so different. It doesn't feel safe. And now we have younglings nearly dying because of something found in the woods."

"It'll get better." The female assured him swiftly. "And we're perfectly safe with the rest of the Pack."

"Humph." Clear Sky muttered, shifting a little. "I'll just feel much better when we get to Berk." He said, a slow smile spreading across his face at the mention of the island. Hiccup's face, however, fell immediately. "It sounds so much better than this… a place where we can make a real home. And with the humans…if they're all that Hiccup says they are…maybe it'll be even better than the Cave."

The group dissolved into discussing the island, and Hiccup felt his stomach drop at their outlook. It was what he wanted: they were excited. But it just laid another burden down on top of his shoulders. Berk is nice….it is better than the cave. He thought desperately. At least the Berk that I remember. Who knows what it'll be like when we get back though. He pictured his father's stormy face, the parties sent out to hunt down Nightflight. He thought of his father's threat to wipe out all of the Night Furies if they were to return, and the very real situation of death and danger that he could be leading them into this very moment.

This place is dangerous. He thought silently, glancing over to Amber and her mother on the other side of the clearing, the older female curled protectively around her daughter by now. Amber's breathing had steadied, he could see from where he stood. And the youngling had fallen asleep after her episode, a small crease in her expression still as she snored lightly. They had been close with that one; she could have very nearly died.

….But is the place I'm leading you all to much better?

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

A/N: Berk will be making its appearance the next few chapters, and Astrid and Hiccup will also progress more together throughout the next few installments! I was really anxious to get this out this weekend because Finals start soon, and I had no idea if I would have another chance to update! Hopefully I will, but you never know.

So thanks for the wait again! This was really long, so hopefully it makes up for the time! ;)