A/N: I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! I'm going to try and give you a winter break present of actually finishing this story! There should be about one or two chapters left of this thing, so it's not like it's an unattainable goal. I've still got a week and a day! And after everything that's happened to me I have a lot of free time since we can't travel like we normally do during Winter Break. So as long as I get a lot of reviews, I'll still update! It's kind of surreal to be finishing this trilogy— I've been writing it since freshman year of High School. However I think that the time has come to wrap it all up, and I hope that you all agree. :)

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The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a an axe, and as Hiccup stood stiffly in between Spitelout and Nightflight, he could feel every gaze around him, dragon and human alike, burning holes through his very being. The boy's face was pulled into an indignant frown, and his hands were balled into tight fists at his sides. At Spitelout's order, the thick yell to step aside, he only seemed to grow more stoic in the way that he stood, his jaw locked backwards as he met the man's acidic stare head-on. "No." He said thinly through his clenched teeth. "I won't let you harm her. I won't let you harm any of them. This violence has to stop— it's gone on for long enough."

Nightflight, the dragoness having straightened slowly once she got over the initial shock of being attacked, stepped forward so that she was at Hiccup's shoulder, the boy feeling a small twinge of discomfort as she grew a little bit more vulnerable in the sense that she could be attacked easier this way. However he knew in the back of his mind that if she were to stay cowering behind him, they would get nowhere. In order to finish this they had to do it the way they started: together. "You don't understand." The female said, her voice managing to stay calm and collected even now. "We wouldn't have come here for any other reason than to make peace. We mean you no harm at all and we're only here to ask that—"

She was cut off as Hiccup suddenly lashed out, using his elbow and pushing Nightflight backwards. The dragon was cut off, not knocked aside by the boy –because when it came to strength between them there was no match—but immediately taking the warning as she leapt backwards. And as she stumbled back, she narrowly missed as Spitelout reared forward, his weapon swinging down through the empty air where she had stood previously. "Hey!" Hiccup yelled at once, his eyes narrowed at the unwarranted advance. Astrid stiffened where she stood at the teenager's side, immediately backtracking in order to be closer to Nightflight. Ludi, cradled in the blonde's arms, immediately spat with fury, thrashing in her grip as if to say: 'Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!'

"That was uncalled for!" Hiccup yelled. "She was just trying to—"

"She's a demon!" Spitelout roared. "How else could she possibly have done what she has!?" Nightflight straightened, digging her claws into the mud as she gnashed her teeth together tightly. Hiccup held the man's gaze, and Spitelout grew even angrier, pacing forward as if he was preparing to go nose-to-nose with the younger of the two. "And you're a traitor. You're a traitor to Berk and you're a traitor to your family!" His words got quicker as he went on, the accusations and shouts blurring and fusing together in his rush. Hiccup's hands began to shake as the man shouted, and he bit down on his lower lip, struggling to withhold himself as long as he could. "You betrayed everyone here on this island and you deserve any and all punishment that—"

"Stop!" Hiccup yelled, cutting the man off before he could go on. Bitterness like bile squeezed his neck, and his chest constricted as he wondered whether or not the Viking could be right, as awful and sordid as he was. He told himself that he wasn't. Hiccup was just trying his best to finish what had all been started so that every side could win. All he was trying to do was accomplish something great like he had before; his allegiance wasn't with one singular side, it was with both. How could he be disloyal to one when he was just as conscious on what the other one needed as well?

But, standing here in the pouring rain and looking at the scene around him, he could not help but hesitate. The Night Furies that he had brought here were now fighting defensively, struggling to prevent harm from being inflicted on them, but also struggling not to hurt the Vikings advancing against them in turn. Hiccup had no idea where the younglings had gone— if the other dragons had adopted any kind of planning from him, he could only hope that they had had the foresight to take the little ones and found a way to flee.

And he could see the Vikings that he had left as well— polar opposite to the ones that he had known prior to all of this happening. The people he had grown up with were now reduced to half the warriors that they used to be. True, that they were still thick-headed; though now they were almost more so. And this blind sense of anger that was ultimately pointed outward at mostly everything, came from the sense of outright fear and paranoia that the Night Furies were now associated with. After everything that had happened, after Nightflight's initial visit, and after the many countless Raids that were performed against the island, it was like a flame that could not be kindled appropriately. And after it had been ignited by Hiccup's sudden return with the dragons in tow, it was now raging wildly and spreading faster than Hiccup could even try and smother it back down.

"I'm not a traitor!" He yelled, unable to keep his own voice in control, unfortunately. One of the first rules about confrontations in general was that you should always be the last person to yell— yelling just made you come across as worse, and it didn't help the attempt to calm the situation. But the rule slipped the teenager's mind in the heat of the moment, and he raised a hand up quickly to press against the side of his temple. "I'm the opposite! I'm just trying to do what's best for everyone! Can you not understand that?" He turned, addressing everyone now as he spun tightly. "Look around! Just look at yourselves!" He ordered, his voice edging over with the implication that he brought with the demand.

The majority of the crowd around him glared in response to the boy's efforts. However, to the boy's slight relief, he saw that a few of them actually followed the call, turning their heads from side to side as they looked from one side of the clearing to the other. At the drawn swords, at the warring figures. It was a sight to shudder at for Hiccup, and he could only pray that it would correlate as well to the others that were actually taking his word. "Can't you see what you all have been reduced to?" He asked, the rhetorical question ringing out through the rain-battered forest. "You guys used to be some of the greatest Vikings this is side of…well, anywhere!" He yelled, stuttering slightly on his words as he paused briefly. But then he shook his head, clearing his throat to prevent it from breaking before going on as best he could, his voice grating out a little unhealthily. "And now? You're all taking part in a losing battle! You're fighting against yourselves! It's right in front of your noses! What you all need to do is—"

"How would you know what was best for us!?" One of the women behind him yelled. He spun around, looking stricken at the sudden call. However once his eyes met the person who had shouted, a tall woman with slightly graying hair tied back in a tight bun, he swallowed uncomfortably. Her eyes were smoldering with pent-up anger as their gazes clashed, and when she spoke, her voice was just as drawn back as her expression was. "You left a long time ago— you didn't stay to see the ruins that these beasts left behind!" The dragons shifted at this, most of them looking abashed as they wilted. However the woman did not seem to notice, too busy spitting out the anger and hurt that must have festered for ages underneath her skin. "You didn't attend the funerals of all those who had died! You didn't see the damage! You didn't stay long at all; and certainly not long enough to absorb what these things did to us! Of course you would try to make it seem less than it was— you didn't even see it!"

Hiccup too in a deeper breath this time, pausing for a time in the effort to ensure the when he replied, his voice would be level and even. After counting to ten and waiting for as long as he could without being patronized again, he gave a slow nod. "You're right; I did leave. But I knew the wreckage that was left after what had happened, that much is for sure. This isn't me just trying to erase everything that the dragons have done, because I know that that isn't possible. I'm well aware of the hurt that they've caused you, but you can't just—" He broke off, his voice cutting off shortly as his throat closed prematurely. He grimaced in pain, trying to cough clear the stubborn thing. But as he ducked his head, it caused a swooning sensation to overtake him and he stumbled slightly, a small noise of complaint and frustration wriggling out from him almost inaudibly.

Catching the stumble with expertise that was slightly unexpected, Astrid leaned over, shifting down so that her shoulder could lock onto the boy's as she straightened in order to help him right himself. Hiccup took the comforting gesture, leaning on her and reaching up to draw his hands through his hair in the effort to try and shake off the sensations that were dragging him down. Taking over for him without even hesitating, Astrid did her best to juggle the cat in her arms while also aiding Hiccup to balance. "You're forgetting that Hiccup isn't the only one here!" She said, her voice raising as she hoped that she could be heard clearly enough. She could hardly hear herself think over the roar of this rain, not to mention the way that every so often thunder would rip itself over the sky, nearly deafening her with its clap. "I didn't leave after that last Raid. I was there for the funerals and I was there to experience fully what had happened in the wake of the attack. My own dragon Stormfly was left crippled after all of this— her wings were ripped, and now she can't fly anymore. But I'm still here. I still listened to Hiccup when he told me about these dragons and I've stayed with them personally for these past few weeks. He isn't lying and he isn't trying to slip anything past you at all. He's telling the truth."

"Very convenient that his girlfriend is the only other one to 'know' this." Spitelout growled.

Astrid stiffened, twisting back to stare the man down with a furious gaze. "Listen here, you piece of—"

She didn't have the chance to finish her insult before the older Viking was already sweeping on, not even attempting to try and listen to anything more from her. Hiccup was blinking rapidly, shaking his head every so often as if he were trying to clear it of something. "I say that we should drive them out." Spitelout growled thickly, Hiccup's head snapping back up at this as his green eyes widened significantly. "It doesn't matter what they think anymore. After everything they've done, I think they've just made a bad mistake by coming back here." There as a rumbling of agreement from those assembled, and the dragons lining near the edge of the clearing drew cautiously into themselves as they eyed the Vikings with weary expressions.

"No, you just have to listen." Hiccup pressed, struggling to persist as he forced himself to straighten back up once again. The movement caused pain to wrap around his joints, however he pushed aside the sensation as best he could manage. He couldn't focus on that now. Despite all of his greatest efforts…was he still destined to watch all of this slip away through his fingers? He was trying to hold on as tightly as he could, and yet nothing seemed to be working. Crumbling slightly underneath the pressure that was building up on his shoulders, he turned to look over almost desperately towards his father.

Stoick had been silent the entire time so far. Ever since Hiccup had first arrived, and ever since that initial shock had settled in, the Chief had been silent, staring in almost a blank fashion at the odd trio in front of him. His son, beaten and staggering, Astrid, trying to juggle that cat he had gotten for Hiccup so long ago while also providing support to the boy. And the black dragoness that stood behind them, the source of all of these problems. But as Hiccup yelled, over the sounds of the rousing crowd around them, the man blinked rapidly, as if jarred from some train of thought. "Dad!" Hiccup shouted, the intensity back into his injured voice at the realization of what was beginning to pick up again. "Dad, you of all people should see what's happened to the village! To our village! This wasn't the way that you taught me we should handle things! Do you not remember what you told me all these days?"

Stoick blinked, looked confused for a moment, as if what his son was saying passed right over his head. Hiccup turned, watching as some of the Vikings started to realign their stances, the sound of rain against metal growing sharper as blades were raised and clubs were drawn. Some other Vikings however merely stood, looking confused and torn as they looked to one another for some kind of help or alternative. The Night Furies started to rattle with apprehension and concern, a few calls going out to Hiccup in pleas of help or shouts to 'please hurry.' Hiccup's chest tightened with the anxiety that was threatening to bubble over on him, and his voice grew in an octave almost, his words blurring together in their desperation to get out properly to his father.

"You taught me, ever since I was a little kid, that you have to work with the people of this island! You can't just go and boss them around like they don't even have a brain for themselves! You can't suppress them like you are! And you most certainly cannot let people like him," With this, Hiccup turned and jabbed his finger over towards Spitelout, who seemed to increase in anger and fury tenfold with the signal. "take everything away from you! You were given the authority to watch over these people for better or for worse, and Dad, you've gotten so far off-track!" Hiccup's voice cracked slightly at this, and Astrid grimaced in sympathetic sorrow. "And now that I'm back I'm just trying to get you back to where you should be! Back to where we should be! Back where Berk should be!" He was rambling but he couldn't even attempt to try and withhold himself. "You still have a chance to help yourself, but you just have to—"

"Save it, Hiccup!" Spitelout snapped, the boy's jaw immediately slamming up to close shut. "There's no point in going on any longer! Nobody is going to listen to someone who abandoned their island right when their island needed them the most!" Hiccup stared a moment more at his father, a million more things that he could say running through his mind in the beat of a single second. But then he turned, scowling deeply by now as he faced the man that was speaking. Sure enough, he was met with that same ugly sneer that he had endured from Spitelout's son throughout the duration of his entire childhood. And, for probably the first time in his life, Hiccup wished he could have the younger of the family instead. At least I could convince Snotlout. He thought as he narrowed his eyes slightly. Now it seems like convincing his father is pretty close to impossible.

Even with Nightflight managing to make contact through to the humans, it wasn't working. They just seemed to get angrier with the unfamiliar idea. Granted that such a thing would scare them— especially with the memory of that the dragoness had done to Toothless. But Hiccup had thought that that detail would only cause a small issue, not grow in size and entirely obscure the entire situation and make things even worse. He struggled to swallow back the thickness that was sticking in the middle of his throat and tried to remember how to be calm. How to stand upright and how to breathe through the pain that was burning inside of his ankle and slowly spreading up his entire leg.

Breathing slowly became harder and harder to do. But not just from the pain— slowly, against himself, Hiccup could feel his emotions start to get away from him. He trembled from head to toe with the pent-up sensations, and Astrid began to look concerned as she glanced over to him with a small frown. She opened her mouth, as if to try and say something lowly to him, such as a warning or a cautionary phrase. The girl could pick up the slightest bit of change in the man, and in the back of her mind, watching the boy leaning against her start to stiffen and change, she shifted slightly in worry. "Hiccup…" She whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

But he wasn't listening anymore. His eyes were narrowed down into sits, and when he spoke, his voice leaked out through gritted teeth, escaping thickly as his glare smoldered into Spitelout's own. "Listen. To me." He snarled, hands shaking where they fisted at his sides. "You are not in charge here. No matter how much you think otherwise, you have as much power over this island as Bucket does, do you understand me?" More out of habit than anything, after leading the Night Furies for so long, authority, which before he had issues with drawing up in the first place, came easily into his voice. Spitelout jerked backwards, as if slapped across the face with the suddenly-scathing tone. But Hiccup only pushed further at this. "My father is the rightful Chief of Berk, and I don't care what you have to say about any of it; he's the one that makes the choices, not you. And there's a reason for that. I have more authority over these proceedings than you, even."

"You'd better watch yourself." Spitelout growled. By now the Night Furies, in the attempt to try and curb the violence of the humans, had taken to either rushing away or holding them back as best they could. Brightsky, bleeding from the tip of ear, was barring Mulch away from her with her tail, the Viking spitting with anger as he tried to wriggle out from her grip. Clearsky was still obviously sticking close to Nightflight, glancing her way every so often as he held down his own attacker against the ground, carefully keeping his claws sheathed and not putting too much excess pressure on top of them. Toothless was still hunched over Mistyeyes, shielding her from the violence as best he could in between his frantic attempts to try and level with her. "Know your place." The Viking added dangerously.

"Funny." Hiccup laughed dryly. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."

"Hiccup!" Astrid hissed, trying to warn him to stop, but finding it difficult to hold back the sense of admiration for her brunet.

Spitelout gave out a sharp yell, raising his weapon and bringing it down quickly towards Hiccup. The boy quickly turned to push Astrid out of the way of danger, the girl stumbling backwards into Nightflight as she gave out a sharp cry of alarm. Ludi was knocked out from the girl's cradled arms, giving a sharp mewl of disgust as she was immediately coated over with thick mud. Struggling to focus down his vision, Hiccup stepped quickly to the side as the man's club swung through the now-empty air. And immediately, as soon as the end of the staff touched the sticky mud, Hiccup threw himself down onto the ground, his hands flying out to grasp tightly around the piece of sturdy wood. Spitelout immediately gave a yowl of fury, using two hands to try and jerk the thing out of the boy's grasp, Hiccup only responding by curling inward around the thing, struggling to keep hold of the item which was suddenly as slippery as a newly-caught fish. "Let go you idiot!" Spitelout screeched, Astrid scrambling up to her feet, slipping in the mud in her rush to run for Hiccup. "You've lost, can't you see that!?"

"I refuse to see it!" Hiccup yelled, his voice clenched in tight pain as, in the process of Spitelout trying to wrench his weapon away from him, he was jarred back and forth, his wounded ankle knocking back and forth during the violent tussle. "Just like you refuse to see sense!" He let out a cry of agony as he was tugged forward, but he still refused to let go of the thing. Sensing the reaction, Spitelout repeated the sharp motion over and over, Hiccup beginning to scrabble and grasp uselessly at the wood as he began to lose grip, the thing sliding out from his fingers. Hopelessness started to choke at his heart as he realized that he couldn't even do this simple thing anymore— he couldn't even manage to get something as simple as a club away from the enemy.

But suddenly, his hopelessness was answered. Ludi, rearing and angered from her splash in the mud, leapt up to her feet, bawling furiously for a moment or two before rushing forward, racing forward over the sploshy ground to fly wildly at Spitelout's legs. Claws unsheathed and teeth drawn forward, the cat latched onto one of the man's ankles, digging deep into the skin as she hissed and squalled enough for fourteen cats. Astrid stopped, her foot halfway raised to walk as she blinked rapidly, caught off-guard at the change in events considering that he had been on her way to help the boy as well and had been beaten by a runt of cat.

Hiccup immediately snatched away the club and brought it close to his chest, forcing himself up to his feet and ignoring his seizing head as he turned instead to look back at Astrid imploringly, as if asking what they should do next. Because, if he was being truthful with himself, he had no idea where to go from here. He had taken inventory of the situation during his many sleepless nights, and it wasn't like he never considered a plan of action if things had gone wrong. But maybe some part of him, the weaker part, had hoped that it would never come to this. He couldn't even bear to think of what would happen if it turned to this, and yet here he was now, in the freezing rain, blackness edging his vision, ankle throbbing, and surrounded by fighting Vikings and distressed dragons.

It was a mess.

"I'm going to try and help Mistyeyes!" Astrid yelled over the rain, looking pained as met Hiccup's strained gaze with her own. There was a beat of silence between them, and she asked hesitantly, her voice barely a whisper. "Do you think he's right?" She murmured. Normally, Hiccup would be forced to lean closer in order to even hear her in the first place over all this excess noise around them. But this time he knew exactly what she was saying. She was merely voicing his own thoughts. "…Do you think we still have a chance?" She asked, her blue eyes round as they bored into Hiccup's green ones as the ocean met with deep forest.

Hiccup held her gaze for as long as he could, but after the briefest of seconds, he ducked his head slightly, wilting under the pressure once more. He remembered the girl's vacant, clueless look from before, and suddenly he wondered whether it would have been better for her to have remained ignorant. It would not have been better for Hiccup; that was obvious. But for Astrid to not know a single thing…to be unaware of what was going on and what her part had been….maybe that was easier for her. After all, then she wouldn't be forced to realize the failure that was coming for them. And she would be spared of whatever outcome would be waiting for them if indeed their efforts…all of their efforts…turned out to be for absolutely nothing.

And then he looked back up, looking guilt-ridden and stricken. "…I'm sorry." He offered weakly.

The reply was instant. "Don't be." Astrid said firmly, almost before he could even finish the apology. Her eyes became hard, and she took a few steps forward to place her hand on Hiccup's chest, over his heart, which beat against her hand like a hummingbird's. Nightflight was fixated on them firmly, her blinded eyes filled with such intensity that it seemed as if the dragon was actually able to see them and was hanging on every one of their movements. "Don't be sorry. For anything that you've ever done, you idiot." Astrid reinstated. She shook her head and smiled a pained grimace. "I love you so much. Not only for you, but for all you've done. So don't go apologizing for any bit of it." Looking hesitant, as if the last thing she wanted to do was leave him, she swooped forward quickly to press her lips against Hiccup's own, a quick little peck that was nonetheless urgent and heated. And when she drew back, she nodded again, not giving the fuzzy boy time to think of something to say before: "I'm going to help Mistyeyes. You stay fighting, Hiccup Haddock. Don't you even think about giving up." And with that, the smallest hint of water building up in her eyes, Astrid turned and sprinted back into the fray, out of sight from the boy in less than a moment as she raced for Toothless.

Ludi had flown backwards, landing on her feet with the expertise of a feline as she skidded her way back to Hiccup. The boy leaned down to pat the thing's wet head, mumbling out a small word or two or gratitude before straightening, turning and readjusting his grip on Spitelout's weapon as he crouched down slightly. The position caused pain to sink burning claws into the boy's leg, but he paid no attention, only grimacing deeply against the fire as he focused on Spitelout, who was now advancing slowly, a hidden threat in every step. "It doesn't have to be this way." Hiccup rasped, swaying on his feet a little bit as he fought the urge to cough into his elbow. "Spitelout, it really doesn't. You can still do the right thing here."

"Give me back my staff." The man's response came in a venomous snarl.

Hiccup ducked his head briefly, closing his eyes and sending up a small prayer to Thor to Please try and cut me some slack for once, for the love of all that is good. And then he straightened, gritting his teeth painfully as he gave a single, short, shake of the head. "No." He spat. "I'm not giving you the chance to hurt anybody else." But as the words left his mouth, and as the man stalked his way, Hiccup's heart fell down to his shaking knees. And he realized in the back of his mind, that just by doing this now, he was already giving Spitelout the opportunity to hurt someone— mainly him.

Nightflight felt like a struggling piece of prey that was doing its best to run from the enemy only to realize that it was cornered. That struggle was pointless and any attempts at trying to evade harm would end up being in vain. And as the thought crossed her mind, the dragon flinched deeply, rocketing up to her feet and managing not to slip in the process. Struggle might be vain, but that also meant one other thing. It didn't matter what she did from this point on— so she might as well try her best to pull out all of the stops. Spinning around and following the direction in which she had heard Astrid go, she sucked in a deep breath, calling out above the conflict as best she could. "Toothless!" She shouted, voice frantic as she searched for her friend. "Toothless! Toothless, where are you!"

"Nightflight?" Toothless' voice hit her eardrum, and immediately the dragoness spun around, ears erect as she followed the sound. And eventually, skirting around most of the thicket, she found herself closer to the dragon that she had been searching for. The male was standing protectively near Mistyeyes, who was struggling to get back up and regain her footing now, much to the protests of Astrid, who was trying to get her to be as still as she could. All three looked up upon the arrival of Nightflight, who skidded to an unsteady halt, puffing for air. "Nightflight, what are you—?"

She cut Toothless off abruptly. "Take me to Stoick." She demanded hotly.

Immediately the male reacted in the way that she had predicted. "What!?" He blustered, sounding incredulous at the sudden demand. "What do you mean!? Have you lost your mind entirely!? He'll kill you Nightflight! N-No, we need to do something else. This isn't working, what we're doing right now, don't you understand? We need to…we need to…I don't know, we need to do something else, something different, something that will work!" His voice was nearly hysterical as he yelled this, and suddenly Nightflight realized another problem with her blindness. She turned, looking over in the direction that she could only suppose that Mistyeyes was.

"How is she?" She asked. "Is she okay? Is she going to live?"

There was an angered snort, but a weak one, from down closer to the ground. Mistyeyes was crouched awkwardly on the ground, blood wetting her entire left flank as she narrowed her eyes into irritated slits. "I'm fine." She rasped, trying to get up yet again only to have Astrid push her down gently, the girl wringing her hands together in nervousness as she was trying her best to see whether or not she could fix the wound in a quick kind of bind. But there was nothing around her, and she couldn't dash out and look for something while there was fighting, she might be needed and missed if she left. Besides, the rain would wash away whatever she stuck onto the gash. So the teenager was left rather useless, hovering near Mistyeyes' side and watching anxiously to point out any nearing Vikings. And, rather sickeningly, Astrid thanked the lucky stars that, as an effect of the Raids, the Vikings were outnumbered by the dragons. At least it offered a little bit of comfort to know that they were on the side with the biggest numbers.

"Don't worry about me." Mistyeyes puffed, wincing, though the expression of pain was lost to Nightflight. Toothless looked down at her, his green eyes wide and hollow as he stared down desperately at the female, looking as if it had been him cut open rather than her. The gray dragoness ducked her head for the smallest of moments before forcing it back up into a snap, looking up at Toothless. "Take her to Stoick." She wheezed, blue eyes bright with pain. "We don't have a lot of chances left, Toothless. We need to take whatever we can get. No matter how dangerous." Then she blinked slowly, coughing in the back of her throat before adding: "And I trust Nightflight."

The female in question stiffened at this. And Toothless looked even more agonized with this. "I don't want to leave you." He murmured, his words soft but nevertheless holding severe amounts of hurt and indecision.

But a solution landed in their laps before there could be an argument. "What's the problem?" Clearsky asked, bolting forward from seemingly out of nowhere. Nightflight jumped at the sudden appearance of another voice, looking startled, and immediately the newcomer was overrun with guilt, trying to apologize. "Oh— oh, Nightflight. I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to— I didn't mean to sneak up on you; I should have known better." The male was bleeding from a scratch in his side, but it must have been a simple scrape— he wasn't even wincing at the feel of it.

"Clearsky!" Toothless ordered, the other snapping to attention immediately at the call of his name. "You need to take Nightflight and find Stoick with her! I would, but I don't want to leave Mistyeyes!" Mistyeyes, to her credit, threw a rather sour look over to Toothless at this, but the dragon didn't even glance her way. But, seeming to rethink it for a moment, Toothless looked over at Nightflight with a questionable gaze. "Wait a minute." He said, freezing the female in her tracks as she had started to back up slightly. "What are you going to do?" He asked, sounding puzzled as he eyed the dragon closely.

Nightflight flexed her claws. "I don't know." She answered hollowly. "Anything I can, really." Pausing for a moment and reconsidering, she shook her head. "And if that isn't good enough…" The blind dragon glanced over the way where Mistyeyes lay. "Nobody else deserves to be punished for my actions. I will make sure that if there is any more violence it is directed to me." Clearsky immediately bristled, opening his mouth to object. But Nightflight swept on. "If anybody dies for the sins that I have committed against Berk, I will not be able to rest easy for the rest of my life." She sucked in a sharp breath. "And if Mistyeyes dies, I won't be able to live with myself."

"She won't die." Toothless objected a little harshly as his tone spiked in something close to anger. But there was no bitterness in response from Nightflight, only sadness as the dragoness wilted even more. Astrid looked troubled, not speaking or replying as she just studied the deep gash in the dragoness' side, concern and deep worry etching a frown into her features. The male, sinking his claws deep into the earth below him, repeated his words with strained conviction, his eyes smoldering with the effort that it took to get out the few words. "Mistyeyes isn't going to die. I won't let her."

Nightflight was sorrowful. And when she spoke up again, she looked down at Mistyeyes with a desolate expression. "…Why?" She asked softly. "…You already saved my life once…you didn't have to do it again." She barely had to do it the first time back in the depths of the cave after her fight with Toothless. Now here she was again, having taking a blow that should have sliced through Nightflight's scales rather than her. It should be her bleeding out onto the sodden grass; not Mistyeyes. Mistyeyes should be leading this whole thing.

Mistyeyes offered a pinched smile that was too painful for Toothless to look at. "I told you already." She murmured, eyes gentle as she repeated her conviction from before. "I knew that you had a lot more to give…I couldn't let Stoick run you through because you still had a lot to do. And you did it— you got the humans to understand us, didn't you?" She sounded almost proud of the female, and Nightflight closed her eyes tightly, her wings trembling at her sides as she was shaking her head. Seeing the pain that the other was showing, Mistyeyes went on with a bracing voice. "You've done all that we've asked of you and more Nightflight. Don't feel bad for one moment." She rasped. "You fought with Hiccup against Frost. You flew with Astrid. You tried your best to have Astrid understand us even when you didn't want to, and you kept Hiccup safe for so long. You've done all this and more, so don't—"

"You shouldn't have jumped in front of me, though!" Nightflight objected a little shrilly, cutting her off. "That wasn't a good enough reason! …What's the use in having them understand if they don't listen?" She asked weakly, her ears flat against her head. Astrid deflated at this, looking agonized as she stared at the dragoness with a frown. Nightflight shook her head, as if answering her own hopeless question. "...They don't listen." She repeated. "This is all we had to go off of because we thought as soon as I managed it things would fall into place. But that's not how it is at all. They don't listen."

Mistyeyes was persistent though. "Maybe you just haven't said the right thing yet." She answered bracingly.

Nightflight stiffened at this, looking shocked at the words. Mistyeyes had stopped trying to get up to her feet now, slouched against the ground in a curled position as she flinched. Astrid leaned over and drew a comforting hand across the female's scales, and Clearsky shuffled his feet in a nervous pattern. Toothless sat down beside the gray dragoness, leaning down and nosing the top of her head every so often with soft whines in the back of his throat. He only paused every so often to look up and scan that area around them for incoming Vikings or attackers.

A sense of urgency wrapped around Nightflight's windpipe, and an expression akin to a scowl crossed over her face as she turned around quickly. Clearsky jerked at the sudden spin, but the female was already talking quickly. "Get me to Stoick." She ordered, leaving absolutely no room for question as the male went rigid. Mistyeyes looked up where she lay, the smallest hint of a smile crossing over her face at the change in the female. And it was true that her eyes, though clouded and fogged over, were burning with intensity, her chin tilted up just slightly as she drew herself together. She had to pull it together. Hiccup was facing Spitelout, already wounded and ill himself. Mistyeyes was bleeding out on the ground and Toothless and Astrid were struggling to help her.

Nightflight was all that the Pack had left.

She could not let them down now.

"Get me to Stoick." She said. "Now."

She was already starting to walk. Clearsky, searching through the crowd with a trained eye, spotted the Chief near the right edge, and he slung his tail over Nightflight's shoulders, herding her in the direction as he tried to match her suddenly-swift pace. "What are you going to do, Nightflight?" He asked hesitantly, looking somewhat nervous as he looked at the female with open concern. It was almost a good thing that she was blind to the expression that he wore. She didn't answer and he pressed further once he was met with silence. "…Do you have a plan?"

"Does anybody anymore?" She snapped. "We just have to make it through this. And even so, if it doesn't matter anymore, then it doesn't matter what I do. Right?"

His ears flattened slightly as they drew nearer. "What if he attacks you?"

"You'll protect me." The answer was immediate and strong, and Clearsky perked at the obvious trust that was being shown, slightly surprised. Taking the silence as something else, Nightflight asked: "You will protect me, right?"

"Of course I will." Clearsky murmured softly. "With my last breath."

"Then I will be more than okay. I trust you."

He blinked, still unsure. "But…what are you going to do?" Clearsky persisted, still worried.

Nightflight closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. She was all the Pack had left at the moment. She was the last lifeline that could be used. She had to pull through this— if not her, and if not now, then when? "My best." She said, her words softer than sheep down as she was barely heard over the clap of thunder that ripped apart the sky. "I'm going to do my best."

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

A/N: Merrily we fall out of line, out of line. I'd fall anywhere with you, I'm by your side.

Swinging in the rain, humming melodies. We're not going anywhere until we freeze.

I'm not afraid…anymore. I'm not afraid.

I Wouldn't Mind – He is We

Sorry if there are any issues. I got a new laptop for Christmas and I'm still getting used to it. But it's exactly one in the morning now and if you all will excuse me I am very tired and nearly falling asleep. So leave a review! Once I get enough feedback I'll post the next chapter! Tell me what ya think~!