A/N: I know, I know. I sincerely apologize for all the waiting that I've put you all through. I feel very guilty which is why I've geared myself into cranking out this next chapter before I do anything else. I've just got a lot on my plate at the moment, and while I know it isn't the most stellar excuse, I hope that you could forgive me. If there are even any people still lingering over this story! There's only a few more chapters until the end, so I will do my best to finish as soon as possible! Once again, I truly do apologize! You've got no idea how busy I've been lately.

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There was no time left for…well, anything. There wasn't time left for hesitation, or reluctance, or cowardice, or anything else that could fall under such a category. Time had been swallowed and eaten and lost, and all that was left was simply to try and hope that what you were about to do could be the thing to finally solve the problem. Though it wasn't the most simplest of ideas. Nothing really was by this point. Tangled and barbed, the state of their circumstances at this point resembled a patch of briar— it was twisted and confusing, and no matter which way you ran, you seemed to get scratched by a thorn regardless. And as time stretched on and the situation only closed further in on you, it seemed to appear, in a sense, completely impossible. You were stuck in the patch of thorns, and you could not get out.

But there just wasn't time for anything other than effort anymore.

The old saying was passed that a captain must always go down with a sinking ship. And in a way, Nightflight supposed that that was all that was happening by this point. It seemed like ages since hope had last been sprouted in the hearts of those that were wise to the real situation. It felt like a faraway dream of the time when Shadowclaw had come up with the opportunity of bringing the dragons back to Berk, and to have a sense of triumph or motivation towards their goal. A goal that, so long ago, seemed attainable. But now it flapped and trembled like a leaf in the breeze— it was fragile and unstable. Unsure.

But if this was as far as they could come— if this was where all of their effort was ground to a halt, then she would not allow any further damage to be done. Nightflight would make a hundred percent certain that her fellow dragons were to go free, and she was to be pinned down with the weight of the blame. She was a captain that was prepared to go down with the ship, and to watch all of the others flee to safety, such a mercy was to be granted to her. Because, really, she was what lay at the root of all this trouble. She had been the cause of this from the very start.

It was stupid. She was stupid. To have dragged things out as long as she did, and to apply such vicious actions as she had, for the sole reason of pure jealousy and shrewd desire. All of this trouble had been made and she hadn't even a good excuse for dragging it all up. But at least she was able to look back on things and reflect— to realize that yes, she was stupid, and no, she would never dare to make the same mistake again. That although it was truly an awful thing to do as it was, she had most certainly backtracked far enough to right her character and ensure that her efforts were motivated into something else. Something that could fix the sins she had committed against far too many people to count.

Now she only pleaded and wished that others could do the same upon looking at her. But frustration was alive and livid under her scales as her hopes seemed only to crash back down to the ground. The Vikings seemed blind with rage and fear and anger and sorrow. They couldn't listen to reason— at least not fully. It was like she was speaking to someone with cotton stuffed in their ears, and she was unable to get her message through clearly without it being too muffled by the fluff. So what was she to do? Scream? She had tried that. Get angry? She wouldn't dare such a thing. So what, then? What could she do?

Mistyeyes' words rang in her ears, and the Night Fury's ears slicked back to her head. 'Maybe you just haven't said the right thing, yet.' Maybe the other had a point— maybe she had yet to land on what to say. But the problem was picking out what could possibly work when everything else had failed. Nervousness showed in the slight trembling of her feet as she rushed closely after Clearsky, but she struggled to wipe the emotion away and stuff it down instead. No— she didn't have time for this. None of them had time to be scared anymore. There just wasn't a choice.

Clearsky's tail had been wrapped around her neck, tight enough to guide her along while running, yet obviously loose enough not to choke her silly. The other was racing along, searching for Stoick, as Nightflight had requested, and as Mistyeyes had reinstated. Stoick was the link that they needed to mend by now. If they could get Stoick to realize what had happened, and what was going on, then they could spread such an influence across to the others gathered around them as well. The message still had the chance to be received, yet it all laid on the very thin hope that they could get someone in power to listen. And somehow Nightflight knew that getting Spitelout to see reason wasn't really in their time quota in the moment at hand. They didn't have two years to dispose of.

Nightflight stumbled and staggered every so often as she ran, getting caught up by roots and brambles, or accidentally brushing past a fight that was taking place. The clearing was crowded— she didn't have to have a sense of sight to realize such a blatantly obvious fact. She got tripped up every third step, yet each time she staggered, she righted herself stubbornly, refusing to reply to Clearsky's worried question of whether or not she was okay as she pushed on. Exhaustion dragged her down, and right now the only thing she wanted to do was dry off from all this rain and sleep for a few months. She swore to herself that if they somehow got through this, then she was staying away from water for as long as she could.

All of a sudden, Clearsky skidded to a stop. Nightflight let out a squeak as she found herself ramming right into the back of the male, falling over and landing on the ground with a huff of air. Mud immediately caked itself over her, and she gave a furious snort as she picked herself up, scowling deeply. She unsheathed her claws and flicked away the grime coating her as best she could, though cleanliness was far from her main priority at the moment. Instead, she turned towards Clearsky, her stare intent despite its lack of vision. "Do you see him?" she demanded, her voice immediately sparked in concern.

Clearsky hesitated before he replied. Nightflight pictured the dragon looking dubious and worried— she could feel the way his tail seemed to tremble from side to side. He was worried about her, and the fact wasn't too hard to a leap to guess on. After all, his first reaction upon hearing that she was going to go and find the Viking Chief was a form of rampant disbelief. But, again, there was no time for anything like that. And she could not have been more relieved when the other did bring himself to reply, his voice slightly cautious. "Y-Yeah." he reported, sounding thoughtful. "He's over there!"

He turned and reached back, pressing against Nightflight's shoulder and steering her to where the Chief supposedly was. Not for the first time did Nightflight wish that she could actually see what was going on around her— such a thing might make this a little bit easier to handle. She felt like she was stumbling around in the dark, and her voice was laced in a hint of bitterness as she said: "You need to steer me over there! I need to get his attention!"

Predictably, Clearsky hesitated. "Nightflight, are you sure?" he asked, openly reluctant now as he shuffled his feet against the ground. They gave out sharp squeaking sounds against the mud. Nightflight could feel his gaze burning a hole through her scales, though she tried to ignore it as best she could. Just as she was trying to stave off the rising feeling of impatience she was getting the longer she stood still like this. They just couldn't afford to lounge around anywhere! "We don't have to do this! We can just take the dragons and go! We can leave before any of this has to—"

Nightflight cut him off before he could even finish. "No!" she snapped, her voice hot as well as her expression as she frowned. "We've come too far, don't you understand that?" She turned on the dragon, though she knew that such a fired response came only because she was under too much stress and pressure to watch her tone. She would feel bad for being so abrasive later, but in the moment, she could probably care less. "We need to get this done! And if we can't do that, then I need to make sure that no more harm is brought against the Night Furies!"

Clearsky made a noise of complaint in the back of his throat. "I don't want to see you get hurt." he said, his voice softer now as he pressed this point. Nightflight's ears flicked from side to side, and she tried to search for something she could say in response. But there wasn't really much she could choose from, if she was being honest. This outcome had no guarantee. It could go one way and work out wonderfully, or it could go the other way and bring the absolute opposite effect along with it. There was no telling which would happen, and she was certainly not about to make any promises on what it could be. She had made too many of those before, and look where it had gotten her.

"Take me to Stoick." Her words and resolute and firm. There was no denying the request, as it came across more of a demand than anything else. She felt bad resorting to bossing the male around, but really she had no choice. And it got the job done as Clearsky only hesitated a second longer before ducking forward and wrapping his tail around the female's neck again, turning and guiding her closer to the Chief. Nightflight's scarred eyes narrowed with each step she was brought closer, and she tried to ignore the way that her heart was thudding painfully fast against her ribcage. This had to be done. There wasn't any other way to do this.

Clearsky walked until they were only a few mere yards away from the Viking Chief. Stoick was busy trying to match up against another Night Fury, but it was clear that his mind wasn't focused. Clearsky watched as the man doled out attacks that seemed to be the skill level of a teenager practicing on their first sword. There was a distance look in his eyes, and Clearsky felt a strange sense of sorrow in looking at the man. His head tilted to the side, and for a moment he was distracted by sheer confusion. When Hiccup had spoken of his father, he had said such wonderful things. Things that were frightening as well, yes, but they had been wonderful all the same. How strong he was, how formidable. How he had done many great things before the age of thirteen.

This didn't really seem like the same person. It was a polar body, or a shell, or something along those lines. Because it certainly wasn't the Stoick that Hiccup had talked about. He seemed tired and worn— there were dark rings underneath his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. By the way he swung his arm, it was as if weights were tied to his wrists. And his footing was off as he stepped awkwardly from side to side. Clearsky's eyes narrowed, and he glanced over his shoulder, trying to remember where Hiccup had gone. Had he seen the sight that his father was? Was there an explanation?

Yet before he could land on the smaller Viking, he was cut off as Nightflight shifted by his side. Hurriedly, he snapped back into himself, wrenching his tail back from the dragoness and taking a quick step to the side. Nightflight thankfully seemed to realize that this meant they had reached their final stopping point, for she wasted little to no time at all before raising her voice into a shout. "Stoick!" It wasn't nearly as loud as it had been the first time— with this call, the female was purposefully not calling attention to the entire crowd. Rather, she was focused only on her one target. "Stoick! Stoick, please, let me talk to you!" Her ears slicked back to her head, and she took a small step forward. "I need to speak with you!"

Clearsky shifted with nervousness as Stoick immediately whipped around to face the dragon. The male swallowed, apprehension grating his nerves as he watched Stoick register who he was looking at. Not just a few moments ago it seemed, Stoick had been trying to run Nightflight through, effectively slicing Mistyeyes with what had looked to be a nasty wound. And as the Chief would find himself staring at the dragon yet again, who knew what could happen? Self-consciously, the dragon took a step closer to Nightflight, lingering by her side with a rather worried expression as his eyes darted quickly to scan the area every now and then.

Stoick didn't reply audibly, but Nightflight didn't seem to need an outright response. She took in a quick gasp of air before launching forward, her sightless eyes pained as she seemed to stare right at the man she was addressing. Sometimes Clearsky found himself forgetting that the dragoness was blind— though he was always remembered by the scars that marred her complexion. "Stoick! This has to stop!" Nightflight's voice was clear and rigid as it seemed to ring out and over to the man. "As Chief of Berk, you have to see how much harm is coming to your island! And to your people! You must understand that this cannot go on for any longer! Who knows what could happen if such a thing continued!"

Clearsky's eyes were trained intently on the man, watching the scene as it began to fold out in front of him with bated breath. Stoick did not reply, though he had turned fully now to look at Nightflight, his stare impossible to read. Was he angry? Or was that confusion? Or was it sadness? Clearsky was struggling to pick out what Nightflight could not— if Stoick's stare began to crowd itself with anger, he would immediately throw himself forward to protect the female. As smart as she was, Nightflight could not monitor such a thing with her wounded eyesight. Acting as her eyes, Clearsky stayed stubbornly fixed at the dragoness' side.

Stoick did not reply, and Nightflight forced herself to keep pressing. "Look— I made a mistake! I will be the very first to admit such a thing! I was selfish, and cruel, and awful; yet now I am here to beg your forgiveness! I've made up for everything I've done in all areas besides Berk, when I've hurt Berk the most in more ways than one! I'm just trying to make things right! We all are!" With this, she turned and raised her tail to gesture at the mass of dragons behind her. "Don't you understand that? I sincerely regret all that's happened! And I take full responsibility for it!"

Stoick's stare was just as ambiguous as it had been before. And when he spoke, his voice was low and rasping— you could hardly hear it over the thundering storm still taking place around them. "Hiccup." he said lowly. Nightflight perked at this, blinking as she stiffened in a visible fashion. And once again, Clearsky looked back to try and see where the teenager had gone. But again he came up empty-handed. He didn't seem to be anywhere at all. Stoick's eyes seemed to spark with just the smallest hint of anger, though it was enough to cause Clearsky to panic as he too went rigid along with Nightflight. But even as he did so, Stoick didn't make an actual move to advance forward. "You— you—"

Nightflight took in a slow breath, and to Clearsky's surprise, her voice was completely calm and collected as she replied. "I've wronged Hiccup, very deeply." She acknowledged the fact with no bitterness at all— only open reflection. "And truly I regret nothing more in this world than that fact alone. But Stoick, you must understand that Hiccup has forgiven me. Just like he had forgiven all of the other species of dragons that now live on Berk in the past. The person that I had wronged most was able to forgive me as well as the whole of the Night Furies— and we're just asking you to do the same as well. So we can put our two shattered groups together to create one singular whole once more."

Stoick gritted his teeth. At his side, his hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. Yet there was that bone-aching sadness in his eyes still as well. A tragic offset to the sign of anger. "You've done too much." he growled, his voice still quiet and hard to hear. "A beast like you…like all of you…you've done too much against this island. You need to leave." Clearsky tensed at this and began to take a step forward as if to plant himself in between Stoick and Nightflight as a barrier. But Nightflight stopped him with a flick of her ear, the male wilting just slightly as he looked anxiously between her and human.

Nightflight dipped her head in the smallest of nods. "What you say is true." she said, Clearsky looking at her incredulously over the acknowledgement. This wasn't really helping their case! But if the female noticed his stare she gave no heed. Instead she swept on quickly, her voice remaining steady and smooth like the surface of an unruffled pond. "We've done so much. Acts of injustice and brutality are on our side without much doubt." She paused, and shifted for a moment or two before pressing with a small jerk of the head. "But can the same not be said about you?"

Clearsky hissed. "Nightflight." The singular word was murmured out underneath his breath— a word of warning before she could say anything that she could end up regretting.

But it was like she was deaf as she just swept on. She was either very stupid or very stubborn to get to her point, but either way, she was causing Clearsky's nerves to unravel and unwind faster than he could hold them together. Nightflight stared fixedly over at Stoick, and with this she blinked slowly. "Stoick, if we are speaking about harms against the village of Berk, you have heard me say repeatedly that not only I, but us as a whole, experience very real feelings of anguish in the face of what crimes we have committed. And even now, you can see that my dragons are doing nothing against the people that were under your command." At least she hoped that that was what they were doing— she couldn't very well turn around and see. But as Clearsky seemed to remain collected beside her, and not stiffen up at all, she figured that such an assumption would be correct. And she allowed a small sense of relief to touch her as well. That meant the dragons were actually listening to their orders. "Even as we are under attack, we are trying to show to you and your people that we mean absolutely no harm."

She paused once again, deliberating over her next words. And she took in yet another breath, tilting her head to the side as her voice grew a tad softer. Almost a touch gentler than it had been before. "And if most of your grievances are for Hiccup," The Chief went absolutely rigid with this. "then we are almost one in the same, you and I." Clearsky winced, wishing that he could follow the dragoness' train of thought before she spoke. Maybe then he wouldn't be so worried or confused with where she was going with things. But at the moment he was just left jumping over every little thing she uttered, hoping that the female was right and that she was doing all she could with what she had left to work with.

The female pressed on, though her words did hold a cautious air to them as they fell in between her and the Chief of Berk. "I've committed many wrongs against Hiccup; but you have done such a thing as well, Stoick. In the past you haven't been the kindest. And while I know for a fact that your wrongs are far smaller than the ones I have committed, they had gone on for much longer." Clearsky watched with a nervous expression, trying to probe the Chief's face for any signs of shifting mood. Nightflight was on thin ice with this one, and she wasn't really on the thickest of sections up until this point. "Yet Hiccup forgave you for all you had done against him. Just as he did me, once I proved to him that I was just as willing to change.

"And that's what you had to do for him, wasn't it? After the Red Death was defeated, you had to change— and through that change, Hiccup was able to fully see how willing you were to work. And how you were striving for a better outcome than the one you had before." Nightflight let the words register, hoping with all her heart that they made at least the smallest bit of sense. "You and I are more alike than you would probably like to think, but maybe that doesn't have to be a bad thing. I know that I'm not your favorite dragon in a mile's radius at the moment, but…maybe it doesn't have to be that way?" There was a questioning lilt to the last few words, and Nightflight's ears flattened down to her head once more.

Stoick did not respond to her though. And as silence stretched on between them, Nightflight could hear the snaps of dragons and the crying shouts of Vikings as well. She could hear weapons swinging through the air and she could hear raindrops pelt hollowly against meal swords and shields. They didn't have time. Feeling a sense of clawing dread, Nightflight closed her eyes tightly, moving her head in the smallest of shakes. "At least don't blame the others." she blurted out before she could stop herself. Clearsky looked at her wildly with this, yet she did not react as she felt him turn. Rather she took in a sharp gasp before moving on.

"I'm the one that caused all of this— not my Pack. It was wrong of me on so many levels to do what I did, but most importantly of all of them, I should not have dragged the other Night Furies down with me with all of this. And I cannot sit by while others are harmed for my wrongdoings." She ducked her head in a solemn gesture, and as she moved down, her face was creased over with a deep cringe. "If you hurt anyone, I ask that the harm is only directed to me. And that I suffer for what I have done solely, rather than anybody else. Let the other dragons go free, and I will not raise a claw against any of you."

Before he could stop himself, Clearsky was objecting, skittering to the side as he leaned out to look at Nightflight in the face. His eyes were wide with shock, and for a moment he could do nothing but stare at her. Though after a second he did manage to get out a stuttering cry. "Nightflight! What are you— you didn't tell me you would do this! No! I'm not going to let you serve yourself on some kind of platter like that! We all get out of here, or none of us do, do you understand?" He searched her gaze with a frantic kind of need, though she did not raise her head up from where it was hung towards the ground. Shaking his head quickly, Clearsky pressed on, his voice almost harsh. "Nightflight you can't just do something like that and expect to—"

The female's head whipped up suddenly, and her eyes, though clouded, were blazing at once. Her voice was a thin growl when she replied, and for the moment Clearsky forgot that Stoick was still staring openly at the pair of them. "I will not let others die for what I have done." Nightflight hissed through clenched teeth. "I will protect them as much as I possibly can, and if it means doing something like this, then I'm perfectly fine with it. There are innocents here, Clearsky— dragons like you, who never went to the Raids in the first place. I got them here by telling them that they would have a better life in Berk. And if my promise goes unfulfilled, I might as well be dead anyway."

Clearsky hissed. "We can find another way."

Nightflight only stared at him steadily. "There's no time." she said.

The male only seemed to grow more desperate. "Then I'll make more." he blustered weakly.

Nightflight opened her mouth to reply, but she never got the chance to. Her ears sharper thanks to her lack of ability to see, Nightflight stiffened as a sudden screech caused her to whip her head to the side. Clearsky, alarmed by her sudden change, turned to follow her gaze as well, horror rounding out his eyes as they landed on what had caught her attention. The scream of a singular name echoed its way off from somewhere in the distance. And despite the fact the owner of the voice was unable to be seen in the throng of people around them, there was no mistaking who it was. And why they were so stricken. "Hiccup!" Astrid screamed, her voice taut with panic and fear. "Hiccup! Look out!"

"What's happening?" Nightflight rasped, immediately tense as she staggered forward. When Clearsky didn't reply, only staring open-mouthed, she only grew more apprehensive. "Clearsky, tell me what's happening— I can't see." Stoick seemed torn on who to look at first, looking wildly from what was going on, to Nightflight, who, as seconds slipped by, only grew worse in her wracked nerves. "Clearsky!" she snapped quickly, the male jerking as he was finally roused from the reverie he had been put into. "What's happening? Is Hiccup okay?"

"He's—" Clearsky blinked rapidly. Hiccup had been trying to make his way over to them, it looked like. How the teenager had gotten away from Spitelout was a mystery, considering that they had left before they could try and see how their scene unfolded. But the teenager had been rushing over to where Clearsky and Nightflight stood across from Stoick, when he was suddenly cut off. As soon as Astrid's cry had forced its way out over the sound of the pelting rain, another Viking had suddenly broken apart from the crowd to rush at the younger boy.

It wasn't Spitelout, yet the man's face was just as twisted in anger. Hiccup had been caught off-guard, apparently not having heard Astrid's warning as clearly as the dragons had as he was knocked down to the ground with a swift blow to the back of his head from a club. The boy grunted in harsh pain as he was sent sprawling, and the Viking immediately rushed to stand over him in a threatening manner. Clearsky reeled, nearly walking in place in the effort to try and curb the well of emotions blossoming inside of him. He waited for Hiccup to get up, but the teenager seemed to have been effectively paralyzed by the sudden swipe. He was prostrate on the ground, unmoving even when the other Viking stooped low over hm.

"Hiccup!" the dragon stuttered, his eyes gleaming with alarm. "He— he got attacked. He'll get up in a second though— he'll get up." His eyes were round with desperation as he tilted his neck awkwardly in order to try and keep an eye on what was going on. But as seconds ticked by, Hiccup still did not move, and his stomach fell in a heavy swing. His ears flattened quickly, and he watched with a sense of terror as the Viking raised his club again to swing. "Nightflight, he isn't getting up." he mumbled, his words hollow and defeated. Why wasn't he getting up? Was this the end?

"Where is he?" Nightflight demanded hotly, her voice already dripping in anger.

"Nightflight, you can't go over there!" Clearsky hissed, turning to look at her in disbelief. "You have to stay here! You were just getting through to Stoick!" Mistyeyes had said that maybe things weren't going to plan just because Nightflight might not have said the right thing. But, to Clearsky at least, she was just beginning to get through to the man with what route she was taking now. If she left now to attack one of the other humans, she would entirely ruin everything. Things were falling apart enough as it is, they didn't need this kind of trouble on top of it too.

But Nightflight was adamant. She turned and fixed the dragon with a look of irritation and unbridled fury. "Tell me where he is." she repeated firmly. "I'm not just going to stand here while he's—"

"We won't get anywhere if you go off and do that!" Clearsky stammered.

"And we won't get anywhere else if Hiccup gets beaten to a pulp!" She paused for a moment, fuming, before going on with a scathing tone: "Look— everything else is falling apart. But be that as it may, I'm not going to just let my friend get injured any more than he already has. I'm going to protect Hiccup, and if you don't tell me where he is in two seconds, then you will have a clawed ear on your left side, do you understand me?" Once again, she would feel bad later for being so sharp and irritated. But right now that was the last thing on her mind. She just knew that she had to get to Hiccup and she had to get to him fast.

Clearsky turned, grabbing her neck with his tail like he had done before as he looped away. Nightflight staggered for a moment, caught off-guard by the sudden guidance. Though she recovered quickly and got her feet back under herself, picking up the pace as she galloped closely behind the male in front of her. Part of her was screaming at herself in frustration— she was leaving Stoick, and with how much time they were losing and at how quick of a rate they were doing such, it was pretty much over. Disappointment wallowed in the pit of her stomach but she tried her best to shove it aside. She had to focus on the moment at hand anyway.

Clearsky skidded to a halt, letting out an earsplitting roar as he saw that the Viking was still attacking. "Let him go!" he screeched, unfurling his wings so that he looked three times his normal size. The Viking's eyes widened, and he let out a cry something along the lines of how the 'beast' was attacking. But Clearsky was far from listening at this point. He could see that Hiccup was bleeding, and he bared his teeth in a sign of anger. "Get off of him!" he screeched. Nightflight shook her head as if to clear it, slinking forward and feeling along the ground for Hiccup.

And when she reached the boy, she immediately hunched forward, hovering over him with her blinded eyes as wide as two twin moons. "Hiccup?" she asked, leaning down and nudging him with her nose. Hiccup didn't reply outright, though she heard the boy's subtle groan of pain as she must have touched something sore. She curled her tail around her friend with a sorrowful look of concern. "Hiccup, are you okay?" She was unable to see the damage that had been inflicted on him, but she could tell that even before anything had happened, he was injured and weak enough.

She couldn't lose Hiccup. She couldn't lose Hiccup and Mistyeyes at the same time. But was that what was going to end up happening? Hiccup had been so vulnerable before— he had been forced to undergo so much while his health deteriorated; but was this the final straw? Mistyeyes had a ragged hole in her side, and she was so weak now, how was she going to pull through with all this fighting going on around them? She didn't know what she would do if both of them would die. The entire reason she was who she was now was mostly due to the two of them. And she couldn't bear to hurt Toothless in such a way as to watch the two most important people in the world to him lose their lives. No— she couldn't watch anything like that happen.

"Nightflight." Clearsky murmured softly.

Nightflight's head lifted up from where it was pressed gingerly to the boy's forehead, and before she could ask what was wrong, she was given an answer. A short growl made its way over to her, and Nightflight turned with a weary expression to face the newcomer. "It's all come down to this." Spitelout's voice carried its way over to her, and her stomach twisted into itself tightly as she frowned. She could feel Clearsky shuffle his way closer to her and Hiccup. And, pushing down the fear rising in her chest as best she could, Nightflight's chin tilted upwards. Though the gesture of defiance did not seem to slow Spitelout as he continued to advance. Oddly enough, she could plainly hear the man's footsteps crawl closer, despite the sound of rain and fighting around her. And despite the sound of her hammering heart as well.

"Can't you know when to give up?" Spitelout asked, his voice scathing and angry. Nightflight's tail twitched forward as it wrapped tighter around Hiccup, and she found herself gravitating over in order to better shield the child. Yet this only caused the man to chuff with laughter. "Know when to give up, you stupid creature. You've done too much against this island for us to accept you here. Go ahead and leave— it'll save you the trouble." He paused for a second and then added: "But I guess this way you just give us a much better time to spend." Clearsky eyed the man's club with a frightened expression, and he looked quickly over Nightflight's way to see whether or not she understood what the man was implying. Yet by her expression it was rather obvious that she was more than aware.

"Don't take another step closer." Nightflight murmured, her voice low as she narrowed her eyes slightly. She wasn't looking exactly at Spitelout, but she held close to Hiccup, who was still dazed on the ground. "Are you really solving the problem of old violence with renewed violence?" Her tone was as gentle as could be, yet there was hard edge to her voice at the same time. "We all just want this to stop. Look at what you've caused." She was pointing not only to the scene around her, but down to Hiccup as well. Clearsky looked down at the boy's bleeding leg and new gashes and bruises, his gaze pained at the sight. "You're doing more harm at the moment than the Night Furies are. And yet you have the gall to point your finger at us and look down your nose? You're a hypocrite."

"And you're just a walking target." Spitelout snarled. "Don't think just because you can talk means that you're going to get away with anything. None of what you're saying means anything."

Nightflight's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose you're under the impression that your words do?"

He snarled in anger. "Move aside." he growled. "We have a certain way of dealing with traitors on this island. You wanna be a part of this place? Then you'll just have to cooperate, I guess."

Nightflight wavered slightly, but she brought herself to scowl regardless. "You have to stop." she growled. "I'm not letting you harm Hiccup. I've wronged in the past, and I acknowledge that. But just because I messed up something in the past, and just because you haven't the brains to realize what I'm trying to do, that doesn't mean I have an excuse to stand by and watch you hurt my friends." Spitelout didn't seem to be all that interested in what she had to say. He was still approaching, and fast. Digging her feet into the mud, Nightflight drew herself up, bracing herself as she made sure that she was hunched over her listless friend. Clearsky made a noise of complaint, and moved over so that he could try and help as well.

Spitelout did not waste another second. Nightflight was unprepared for the first blow, since she was unable to see what was going on in front of her. The club landed against the side of her head and grimaced, a small gasp of pain wrenching itself out from her mouth as she staggered. But she was resolute as she forced herself to recover again. She righted herself and dug her claws deep in the mud, making sure that Hiccup was protected before another blow landed itself against the same spot of her head, the female's head spinning as it was clouded in stars. She blinked rapidly, feeling her legs start to shake with the effort to hold herself up and over the boy on the ground.

Four more blows came and went, Nightflight growing weaker and weaker with each passing one though ensuring Hiccup was safe. Finally Clearsky could not go on to watch such a sight play itself out, marching forward and throwing himself in between her and Spitelout. "Stop it!" His voice was raised in a thunderous yowl, and he was aware that they were drawing attention back to themselves now gradually. "Stop it! Just stop! You're just doing more harm than good! Nightflight, are you okay!?"

Nightflight was staggering, looking dazed. And when she got ahold of her voice, she asked listlessly: "Is…is Hiccup okay?" She shook her head and tried to clear it as best she could. Her ears flicked rapidly from side to side, and she coughed with a deep grimace. She ducked her head and nosed the boy yet again, who was beginning to rouse now that he was recovering from the blow from before. There was a small, incoherent mumble that wheezed itself out from his mouth. Though his voice was still choked in pain, he didn't appear to be freshly hurt. The fact came along with a fervent sense of relief to the Night Fury.

Clearsky whipped back around to glare down Spitelout. "This stops." he growled. It was pointless to go on— he was starting to adopt Nightflight's mindset. The ship was going down, but by Thor, he was going to go down with it, right at her side. "If you want to hurt them, you'll have to go through me first." He unsheathed his claws and dug them deep down into the ground. Spitelout held his gaze, fury kindling itself like embers in the back of his gaze. And after a small pause, looking from Clearsky to the dragon and the boy – the source of all of this, and the source of all his anger – repeatedly, as if deciding what to do.

The man drew his club and started forward a second time. The other Vikings who shared such a mindset, and who had taken to watching the scene unfold, started forward as well, as if to offer help to the man. Yet before they could walk a few steps, another shape suddenly barreled itself forward. Brightsky planted herself beside Clearsky, having rushed forward from seemingly nowhere. And her eyes were chips of burning flint as she too held the man's raging stare. "Watch yourself." she advised, her voice firm. "Nobody touches Nightflight. Or Hiccup."

Nightflight stiffened, her eyes beginning to clear from being hit as they were flooded instead with surprise and shock.

A chirp sounded itself from the other side of the clearing, and running through the rain, Shadowclaw and Leafdapple barreled forward, their movements almost entirely in sync. Shadowclaw skidded to a stop right in front of Clearsky, while Leafdapple doubled back next to Nightflight and Hiccup, leaning down to give the pair a worried sniff. "You'll have to go through me, you ignorant flea-bag!" Shadowclaw roared— the youth seeming to not have any kind of filter with things like this. Clearsky turned and gave the younger dragon an exasperated look, but he wasn't even sure that he saw in the first place. His eyes were trained on Spitelout and the others, his tail raised in an aggressive stance.

"Shadowclaw." Clearsky sighed, his tone faltering as he winced.

"Clearsky." Shadowclaw mimicked his tone, not even looking back to the other as he snapped back the reply.

One by one, other Night Furies separated, pacing out of the shadows to close ranks together. They wore looks of determination or defiance— they met the stares of the Vikings with blank looks that almost dared the others to call them out on their actions. They were not attacking, yet they were standing for something. Standing in defense for someone. Astrid looped forward as well and stuck herself in between Shadowclaw and Clearsky, an axe clenched tightly inside of her hands as her blue eyes blazed in anger and expectation. The blonde was openly at home as she was crowded around by the other dragons, and the other dragons clustered closer to her as well, to include her in their protective huddle.

Toothless made his way over as well, Mistyeyes leaning severely against his shoulder. She grimaced deeply with every step, and her head was hung down in a sense of exhaustion as her feet dragged. Blood was running down her side thickly— colored a dark shade of black that blended into the night around them. However she was refusing to let up, and when she got near the others, she raised her head, her blue eyes smoldering and as determined as ever. Toothless looked at her worriedly, though he helped her along until they could stand next to the others against the Vikings. "Spitelout." Toothless said, his voice critical as he met the man's stare. "Look at what you've done." His green eyes were weary as he continuously looked from Mistyeyes to Hiccup, seemingly torn in between who he should rush to first. But as she was leaning on him already, he remained where he was next to Mistyeyes. "…isn't this enough? We just want to mend things— not break them further like you all are doing."

Spitelout seemed confused on what to do as all the Night Furies swarmed forward at once, surrounding Hiccup and Astrid and Nightflight entirely. All stares seemed to be narrowed into the same stare of defiance, and all claws were unsheathed as the dragons were prepared to defend the others. Not spread out as they were before, now all efforts were combined. A large group now all aiming towards the same thing at once. A sizeable force, and one that seemed, at least in part, entirely the same.

Hiccup slowly came back to himself, his green eyes clearing little by little as he began to push himself up on trembling arms. Feeling the shift underneath her, Nightflight skittered backwards, letting out a soft, concerned coo as she leaned her head down to place it underneath his arms, helping the boy to at least sit up. She could hear the boy's pained noises as he was pushed up, and gingerly, she struggled to be as gentle as possible. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, her face clouded over with severe worry. "Hiccup, are you okay?"

"Your— your head. It's—" Hiccup mumbled, his words slurred and awkward.

Astrid had doubled back to be closer to them, her voice entering the picture as Nightflight's ear twitched. "Hiccup! What are you talking about!? Oh my goodness— the back of your head is covered in blood. Are you okay?" Nightflight was still helping to prop the boy up with her head, though she could feel that Astrid stooped down to help as some of the pressure against her snout was relieved. "I don't have any more bandages— I used them all on your leg." Nightflight heard a soft tapping, as if Astrid was patting her hand lightly against the boy's cheek or hand. "Can you hear me? Hiccup? Hiccup— can you hear me?"

"M'fine." Hiccup mumbled, his voice still low and befuddled. "M'fine, I just…what's going on? What happened?" As intelligence leaked back into his voice and as she came around slowly but surely, Nightflight could tell that the panic and fear was returning to him as well. She winced, feeling guilty that she had, in a sense, let the boy down with the fact that she was not able to sway Stoick. But at least he was safe. Had she not taken the attacks for the boy, he could be in an even more dangerous state. At least she had managed to protect him.

"I think it's over." Astrid rasped softly, and if Nightflight didn't know her any better, she could have sworn that she could hear a certain level of thickness to her tone, as if the girl was swallowing back tears or a strong sense of disappointment. The girl turned and seemed to hold Hiccup a little bit tighter, for Nightflight was able to back away fully now and straighten. "I think that we lost…" Astrid murmured. Hiccup started to object, Nightflight's heart ripping in half at the attempt to try and salvage what they were doing. But Astrid seemed steeled against it as she went on gently: "Hiccup…I think we have to go. I think…I think we're finished here."

"That's not…" Hiccup broke off, flinching deeply. "We still have a chance…"

"No, Hiccup." Astrid pushed gently. She reached over and clasped both of Hiccup's hands tightly inside of her own. "Hiccup, we've tried our best." Hiccup looked over at her, his eyes green pools of misery that caused Astrid's chest to constrict in a terrible way. She shook her head, wishing that she could alleviate the hurt that the boy was experiencing, yet knowing that she couldn't. Not now— not anymore. "And that's all that we could do. And now…we just have to leave. I don't know where we can go, but we can't just stay here. They'll kill them all. And with the way that they're protecting us…I can't put them in such a dangerous position either."

"What?" Hiccup asked, blinking rapidly to try and clear his head. "What are you talking about?"

Astrid looked at him with a worried expression. "Can you stand up?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to push Hiccup past the point of what he could accomplish. She had been truthful when she pointed out the boy's head. The back of his hair was now matted with blood from the blow he had taken not ten minutes ago, and there was a fuzzy look in his eyes as he stared at her a little dully. But when Hiccup only gave a nod, she leaned over and brought Hiccup's arm around her neck, holding him so that he could put most of if not all of his weight onto her.

And, straining only slightly, Astrid got up to her feet and brought him up with her in the process. Hiccup grimaced and gasped sharply as his head spun, and Astrid mumbled a small apology if she had gone too fast. But when they got up to their feet, Hiccup's focus was taken away from his injuries as his eyes widened in disbelief. Each and every Night Fury that had made the journey to Berk, excluding River and the younglings as they had escaped to find a hiding place, was now surrounding them on all sides. In a large circle, they were closely-knit to keep any other force away. Their ears were flattened, and though they did not attack, it was clear of what they could do if approached. They were defensive. Over him. They were guarding him, as well as Nightflight and Astrid.

Against himself, Hiccup's lips were twitched upwards in a smile. He looked over at Nightflight, whose own head was leaking blood from its own misuse, and his heart was warmed with deep gratitude. Despite the fact that this whole situation was turning out far less stellar than they had first thought it would be, the Night Furies were still sticking with him. They had rushed to his side when he was being attacked and now they faced the entire village of Berk for his sake. The boy turned and looked at them all, and, his expression grew fonder as he staggered. "….Thank you." he murmured, to absolutely no one in particular. It was a general thank-you. For everything.

He began to turn, trying to wrack his brain for what to do next. But as he turned, he was caught short, his gaze getting caught on someone else's. His father was standing on the other side of the circle of Night Furies, two dragons watching him intently in case he decided to attack. Stoick looked stricken, his expression outlined in shock and confusion as he just stared straight at his battered son. Leaning heavily against Astrid, Hiccup offered his father a wry smile, though it did not reach his eyes, and it came out more of a grimace than anything else. "Hey…Dad." Hiccup rasped softly, reaching up to push his wet bangs aside. He was acutely aware of every human gaze in the clearing trained on him in the center of the throng of Night Furies. Yet the only one he focused on was his father's.

Stoick was silent for a long moment. And when he replied, Hiccup could hardly hear over the rain. "…You…" he asked, looking around at the circle of dragons. His tone was skeptical, though his face was still wiped clean of anything but numb shock. "You…did this?" He seemed lost for words.

Nightflight sat up, turning and looking calmly in Stoick's direction. Hiccup turned and glanced at her before looking over at Astrid and untangling himself from the girl. And once he did so, he turned so that he could wrap his arms instead around Nightflight's neck to help him stand, the dragon immediately stooping down so that she could help support him more. As he moved, the Night Furies looked over in his direction with a little worry, bristling with concern for the boy as they shifted a little bit closer. Stoick watched the exchange with the same numb expression.

Hiccup offered his father a small shrug, nodding his head. "…Tried to, anyway." he murmured, his words weighted with a little sadness.

And finally, Stoick asked the vital question. "…Why?" His eyes searched Hiccup's own, and the teenager was stricken to realize that his father seemed expectant for an actual answer this time around. Everyone did. They were shocked with the newest unfolding and with the way that the Night Furies had thrown themselves forward to protect Hiccup. Actions spoke louder than words, and with the demonstration set up, nobody really knew what to do but stand there and listen. What else could they do but charge the entire group of dragons? Which, at once, had the power to easily swat them aside like they were mere bugs.

Hiccup paused, glancing back at the others, who were still tense and prepared to fight for him if need be. And he shrugged again. "I…uhm…." He winced as pain rang throughout his head, though he shoved it aside as best he could. "I brought Nightflight here in the first place. And then…Nightflight brought the others here in the first place." Nightflight stirred, shuffling closer to him as she let out yet another coo, this one a little bit more sorrowful than the first.

He met his father's gaze head-on, blinking once. His father seemed torn and unsure, staring at his son, who he had raised and coached along to the path of a Chief. He seemed so much more mature. Standing tall despite his injuries. His eyes seemed wise far beyond their years. And he seemed to hold himself with more importance, the Night Furies bending under the weight of leadership that now was rested across his shoulders. He was not the same Hiccup. He was something much more.

"I guess we both just…wanted to make up for our mistakes." Hiccup said eventually.

Stoick blinked, looking from his son, to the dragons, to Nightflight, and then to the crowd of Vikings standing silently around them in the pouring rain.

And, following his gaze as best he could, Hiccup offered yet another pained sort of smile. And he pressed on as best he could, holding himself up against the dragon he had once fostered a deep-set loathing towards.

"Wouldn't you?"

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A/N: One more chapter left. And I give you my word that, if I get a lot of reviews for this one, the update shall come within the end of the month. Once again I apologize for everything. But after that event happened that I mentioned a few chapters ago, my life is very difficult. And the things that I do choose to work on come with a more emotional reason or 'need' if you will. I realize it isn't fair and I promise that if I get feedback, then the next chapter will come much sooner than the others!

Hopefully there aren't many typos in here, but I just decided that after so long you all deserved the soonest update you could get.