Chapter 5! Hope you enjoy this one! Also, last chapter I gave a small shout-out to dreaming-about-dragons. I said he couldn't post a a review; come to find out, he is actually a she...so...my bad. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Five

Heather finished scratching Snatch's chin and looked up to see Matt sitting against a boulder with Wasatch laying down next to him; staring at the lightning clouds in the distance. All day he distanced himself from not only from her, but also Hiccup and Astrid. Sighing, she finally stood up and began to walk over to him for a third time that day. Last time she tried to talk to him, he just walked away to the other side of the camp. Matt saw her starting his way again. Giving up on trying to be alone, Matt just returned his gaze up to the raging clouds.

"I'm glad you didn't walk away from me this time." Heather said softly, sitting down next to him.

Matt didn't say anything, but just kept on looking at the clouds.

Sitting awkwardly with him for minute, Heather never said a thing. She didn't know what to say to him. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally asked the obvious question in her head. "Why are you mad at me? What's bugging you?" She steamed, a little frustrated that Matt was acting that way.

Looking at her, Matt quietly replied "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself. I have no idea what's bugging me. I'm just..." Matt breathed heavily as if venting pressure building up inside of him. Closing his eyes, he began to say "I thought I was making the right decisions in trying to keep you and Astrid away from danger. After being corrected by Valka and now Hiccup, I'm not really sure I'm even able to make correct decisions."

Heather reached for Matt's hand and pulled it closer to her. Looking at him, she said "Why don't you want me or Astrid to come?"

Scoffing, Matt shot back "Why do you think Heather? Look at what happened to me! I've been maimed, shocked, beat, you name it! I've been there." In a lower voice he explained "I don't want you to feel what I felt or go through what I went through."

"Matt…" Heather said softly "You know that I'm not sheltered from trouble and bad experiences. I almost lost my parents! I was captured by the Outcasts, forced to deceive and steal from Hiccup and Astrid; the list goes on! Trust me when I say I know a little bit about what you went through!" Gesturing towards Astrid, she added "Astrid has also seen her fair share of trouble. She was captured by Drago! She saw her dragon taken away from her and she was about to be killed! She knows a little about what you went through as well!"

Matt didn't say anything. He knew Heather was right, he just hated admitting that he was wrong for trying to protect them by sheltering them.

Smiling weakly, Heather lifted her other hand and brushed Matt's cut on his cheek. "Do you have regrets? Do you regret anything that you've gone through? What about choosing to stay here?"

"Of course I don't have regrets!" Matt said defensively "I'm so happy that I chose to stay here! You know that!"

"I do know that." Heather said with a wider smile "Matt, I too don't have regrets. The only regret I'd have is if we were separated and I never got to see you again." Scooting closer to him, she pleaded "Please don't just send me away next time something goes wrong. I chose to come with you for better or for worse. I know for a fact that Astrid feels the same way."

Finally smiling since they separated from Snotlout and the twins, Matt said "I'm sorry Heather. I guess it was my turn to learn how to treat others…" Looking towards Hiccup and Astrid, who were busy talking amongst themselves on the other side of the fire, he asked "Have I been a little impatient lately?"

"Well…" Heather began to say "A little more than usual. Not as bad as you're probably thinking, but it has been noticeable. You just seem…angrier now."

Sighing, Matt rested his head against the boulder. Shutting his eyes for a minute, he explained "I think I know why too."

"Why?" Heather asked, looking up at him.

"Because I reacted badly to Alvin." Matt answered "It was a really bad experience for me; not because of what he said or what I saw." Stopping for second, he then corrected himself saying "Well…ok maybe a little bit of what I saw, but I think the real reason why it was such a bad experience was because I told myself nothing was going to change. Alvin will stay as Alvin and I need to never be hurt by him again."

Heather didn't say anything. This was the first time he really opened up about Alvin and she didn't want to stop him from keeping on going.

Looking down, he added "I went there knowing that I would never forgive him. And that's exactly what happened. After that, I guess I was just taking out my frustration with my words and actions…"

"Matt…you're a good man." Heather said with a smile "That's one thing I've always like about you, you're always recognizing your weaknesses and try to conquer them." Closing her eyes as she lay her head on his shoulder, she said "It's good to have you back with us."

Matt didn't say anything, but just kept on staring at the clouds, deep in thought. It made him suddenly feel a lot better about himself after hearing Heather's compliments. Smiling slightly to himself, he closed his eyes and rested his head against Heathers. Snatch then flew and landed on the two of them, covering them with his small wings. "Thank you Heather…" Matt whispered.

Hiccup and Astrid were watching the two talk, and ultimately fall asleep together. Smiling, Astrid looked at Hiccup and said "Well, I guess Heather talked some sense into Matt after all!"

"I hope so." Hiccup said, eyeing Matt "I was getting a little worried when he wouldn't even come close to the fire. We can't have him fall apart on us now." Turning to Astrid, he asked "Was I tough on him earlier today?"

"You needed to be." Astrid said, reaching up and began to braid Hiccup's hair "He was getting a little out of hand as far as ordering others around."

Shaking his head, Hiccup asked a second question "Was visiting Alvin that bad of an experience?"

"It could have gone better if Matt didn't have an attitude." Astrid answered, focusing on the hair she was weaving together "But I do think it was hard for him when he saw Alvin personally."

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head "I meant that to be a good experience for him. I guess he really has an issue that he can't just get over with."

"You knew that from the beginning." Astrid said, calling him out. Finishing with the braid, she then leaned against him saying "You were just hoping for a better outcome than the one that actually happened."

Nodding, Hiccup let out an exasperated sigh. Leaning against Toothless, who was fast asleep, he said quietly "I miss him."

"Who? Matt?" Astrid asked with a confused look.

"Dad." Hiccup said softly. A small tear was forming in his eye, which he quickly wiped away.

Smiling tenderly at Hiccup, Astrid asked "Why now? I know you've always missed him, but why right now?"

Hiccup shrugged slightly, looking blankly into the sky. "I guess because I'm still not the chief he was…"

"That's because you're not him Hiccup!" Astrid said quickly, pulling his face to make him look at her "Hiccup, you can't be someone you know you can't be!"

"Thanks. That's reassuring." Hiccup said sarcastically "Really helping me out there Astrid."

Ignoring him, she continued "You can't be like him, but you can be better than him."

"How?" Hiccup asked "I try to do one thing and it falls apart! Matt's experience at Outcast Island, me getting captured, you guys getting captured, the list goes on!" Looking at Astrid, he then added "That's only of recent! Don't even get me started on events before!"

"You made a mistake. Who doesn't?" Astrid pointed out "Look at how many of your plans worked!"

"But my dad didn't make any mistakes when it came to being chief!" Hiccup rebutted.

"Even when he grounded all dragons?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow "Or when he banished them to Dragon Island after Mildew framed them?"

Seeing her point, Hiccup then said "I guess I'm still getting used to being chief. I feel so overwhelmed sometimes."

"I betting that's why Matt wants to help you." Astrid said with a smile, resting against Hiccup's arm "He wants to help make your life that much easier."

"I'm grateful for that…" Hiccup said softly, resting his head against Astrid's "He just needs some more exposure to it I guess."

"Just like you…" Astrid said softly, closing her eyes.

Smiling, Hiccup leaned down and kissed Astrid's forehead. "I love you Astrid. Thanks."

"I love you too Hiccup." Astrid said with a smile, her eyes still closed "And you're welcome."

"Always the humble one." Hiccup said, laughing lightly and leaning back on Toothless.

Sleep didn't take long for the two, as they fell asleep almost instantly.

Matt suddenly was shook awake. Trying to see through his adjusting eyes, he was surprised to see Hiccup staring at him. "Hiccup? What's go-" he began to say. Though the sun wasn't up, the skyline started to have a light blue glow to it, hinting that dawn was fast approaching.

"Shh!" Hiccup said, putting his finger over his lips to tell Matt to be quiet "Savage's men are coming! We need to move now!"

Matt instinctively stood up, waking Heather in the process. Seeing her confused face, he whispered "Be quiet! We're having to leave right now!"

Hearing how urgent his voice was, Heather stood up and looked around "Where's Snatch?" she asked.

"Don't know!" Matt whispered back, getting Wasatch up "But we don't have time to look for him right now!"

Before Heather could say anything, she saw the light of a torch illuminate the area a little bit away from them. Running to Matt, she quickly jumped on the neck of Wasatch. Matt also sat on Wasatch, since riding in his bindings would make it harder for Heather to hold on.

Hiccup and Toothless led the group into the pitch black night, with Astrid and Stormfly, and Matt with Heather on Wasatch. Running into the night, they heard the dreaded words they were trying to avoid. "There they are! After 'em boys!"

Matt heard some Bolas crash into a rock next to them. Leaning right, Matt guided Wasatch behind some rocks to take cover.

Looking at where Astrid and Hiccup were, both Matt and Heather watched in horror as some Bolas tripped up Stormfly's legs, causing her to trip and fall.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, turning to go help her.

Astrid was already off Stormfly and cutting the ropes with her axe. Helping Stormfly up, she glanced at the approaching slavers. Suddenly a black fog surrounded her, cutting off all vision she had. Unsure of what to do, she felt herself grabbed and pulled away from the black mist. Turning to see who grabbed her, she was relieved to see that it was Hiccup who pulled her out of the fog. She also saw Stormfly being guided by Heather.

Following Hiccup, she saw that Matt, Wasatch, and Toothless were hiding behind a rock; ready to receive the rest of the group.

"Snatch really knows his timing!" Astrid whispered out of relief, kneeling down next to Heather.

Hiccup quickly put his finger to his lips, silencing any conversation. Peering around the corner, he saw the black cloud head to a different direction than where everyone else was at. "Thank you Snatch…" he whispered when he saw the group of slavers chase after the fog.

Seeing that they were in the clear, Hiccup turned to everyone and said "Probably would have ended differently if Snatch hadn't been with us."

Heather elbowed Matt in the stomach "Told you I needed to stay."

Matt just shook his head, saying "Alright, alright, I was wrong." Looking at Hiccup, he then asked "So…what do we do now?"

"We move." Hiccup said, sitting on Toothless "Once the slavers realize that Snatch was leading them away, they'll be coming back here."

Jumping on Wasatch, Matt said "Lead the way then, we'll be right behind you."

Nodding, Hiccup turned to Astrid and asked "Are you ok Astrid?"

"I'm fine, so is Stormfly." Astrid said with a smile, climbing on her dragon once again.

Nodding, Hiccup began to head the opposite way that Snatch went.

Matt helped Heather on Wasatch and began to follow both Astrid and Hiccup. Turning to Heather, he asked "Are you ok Heather?"

"I'm fine Matt." Heather replied "Just a little worried about Snatch."

"He'll be fine!" Matt said reassuring her "He can slip away at any time. He always has."

Smiling, Heather then whispered into his ear "So far…no regrets."

Smiling at what she said, he added "Good…I'm glad to hear that. Makes me feel better having you here with me."

The group kept on riding, clear until it was late morning. Hiccup then said out loud "Alright we'll rest here for a minute. See if Snatch catches up to us."

Heather slid off of Wasatch as did Matt. Almost instantly the Skrill stood on its two legs and stretched his wings.

"Probably wants to go fly." Matt said, scratching Wasatch's side "Probably has a lot of energy to burn now."

"So does Stormfly." Astrid added, seeing her dragon act in a similar manner as Wasatch.

"Keep them on the ground." Hiccup said "I don't want us to be spotted." Walking up to Matt, Hiccup then quietly said "So…are you still mad about what I said yesterday?"

"No." Matt replied simply "And I wasn't really mad at that, but when you let Astrid and Heather stay."

Before Hiccup could say anything, Matt raised his hand and added "But! I was wrong. I was just trying so hard to protect them that I was trying to shelter them. That was a mistake on my part, and I admit that." Looking down from Hiccup, he then asked "If it's still alright with you, I'd still like to help you with your chiefing duties."

Hiccup smiled and grabbed Matt's shoulder, saying "Matt, I made mistakes too. More recently with you."

Matt looked up with a surprised look on his face, not sure what Hiccup was meaning.

"When I sent you to Outcast Island, I was sure that you would see the change in not only Alvin, but all the Outcasts. I thought that would help you move on and stop holding a grudge against Alvin." Looking at Matt in the eyes, he added "I was wrong. I didn't realize that your problem is a little more than just a cut leg and a bad history with Alvin. It's something you live with every day."

"Astrid told you everything then huh?" Matt said with a small smile on his face.

"And then some." Hiccup replied with a smile of his own "Matt, I would love to have you help me. If you're still willing to work with a guy who's going to make a few more mistakes."

"I guess we'll have to live and learn from them togehter!" Matt said with a lot broader of a smile.

"Thanks Matt…" Hiccup said softly.

Smiling, Matt then said "So…I do have one issue I need to bring up."

Shocked, Hiccup asked "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure if anything is wrong" He said in a serious tone. Turning to the storm clouds that still raged in the distance, he said "I have no idea with what's going on with those clouds. It's not Wasatch causing them, because well, he's here with us. And I've been watching them since we've been here, they haven't moved at all! They aren't normal."

"So…what are you suggesting?" Astrid asked, walking up to them. Heather also stood by Matt at this point.

Shrugging, Matt suggested "Check them out. Figure out what's going on with them."

"I think we have more pressing issues right now." Hiccup said "Like trying to get off this island."

Nodding, Matt said "I know, but they still bug me." Looking at the storm clouds, he added "Maybe it's just me being curious, but I really want to check them out."

"Before we do anything like that, or keep on moving, can we please try and find Snatch?" Heather cut in, stepping in the middle of the group "I just want to make sure he's ok."

Hiccup looked at Heather, and then back at the direction from where they came from. Finally, he said "It might throw them off if we headed in the direction Snatch went to."

Matt then added "If we don't go directly the same way we came from at least."

"Of course. I'm not going to back track the exact same way we came from, but if we go in a roundabout way, we'll probably find Snatch and lose any one tracking us."

"I'm all for it!" Astrid said with a smile. Grabbing Heather's arm, she said "Don't worry, Snatch is going to be fine!"

Smiling, Heather nodded and began to walk towards Wasatch. Matt followed and climbed on with her.

"Alright, same rules." Hiccup said after setting himself on Toothless "No flying unless you absolutely have to. I don't want to be spotted if we can avoid it."

"Got it." Matt said, unclipping his helmet from his saddle. Sliding it on, he turned to face Heather. "Been awhile since I put this on, even if I don't really need it."

Smiling, Heather shook her head and said "Let's just go."

Cresting over a hill, they arrived at a small river. Matt stared at it for a second, looking familiar for some reason. Heather too stared at the river.

"Is this where we…" Heather began to say.

"I think so." Matt answered. Looking upstream he said "I'm willing to bet we can find the old arena that Dagur built."

"What's up guys?" Astrid asked, walking Stormfly next to Wasatch.

"I think…we've been here before." Matt said, turning to Astrid "This is where Dagur took us to train Death Killer." Looking upstream, Matt guided Wasatch to walk over another hill. Cresting it, he said "Well, we are a lot closer to the arena than I thought."

Looking over Matt's shoulder, Heather saw the remains of the temporary arena. The walls were all collapsed as well as half the arena was filled up with mud. Some of the logs that were used as walls had fallen on top of each other, causing a chaotic looking structure to form in the middle of the arena. The netting used as the roof was strewn all around the arena. Stepping off of Wasatch, Matt and Heather walked up to the arena.

"Wow…didn't really last that long did it?" Astrid said, observing the ruined arena.

"It was built with that in mind." Matt replied, pulling down a net that was hanging loosely from a log "It was actually pretty solid."

Suddenly Heather let out a small cry, making everyone run towards her. Kneeling at the ground, she was cradling something. Moving around her, Matt gasped at what he saw.

In her arms was Snatch. Eyes closed, the Smokebreath lay in her arms motionless.

"Snatch!" She cried "Wake up please!"

Kneeling next to her, Matt saw a crossbow bolt sticking out of the dragon's side. Looking up at Heather, he quickly grabbed her and pulled her into him.

Sobbing, she asked "Why? Why would they hurt him?"

Matt couldn't say anything. Holding her tight, he looked up at Hiccup and Astrid and mouthed "He's gone. Killed." He then returned his attention to Heather who was still crying. Trying to comfort her, he then said "He's the reason why we were able to escape. Even to get away this morning!"

Heather didn't say anything, but kept on holding onto Snatch. Letting her head fall onto Matt's shoulder, she sobbed into it.

"I'm so sorry Heather…" Matt said, tears starting to form in his eyes "I don't even know what to say…"

Looking up at Matt's eyes, she whispered hoarsely "I guess this is why you wanted me to stay…I think I understand why you didn't want me to come…"

Matt's heart was wrenched when she said that. Now sobbing uncontrollably, Matt squeezed her, wishing he could do something to make her feel better.

Wasatch then walked around the two mourners and sniffed Snatch that lay in Heather's arms. Realizing what had happened to him, the Skrill let out a loud roar, obviously angry at what happened to his friend.

Matt and Heather stared at the angry dragon. Then a thought came to Matt; one that made him sweat suddenly. "If they killed Snatch…they knew we'd come looking for him!" he thought to himself. Turning around, he saw Astrid making Stormfly dig a small hole with Hiccup and Toothless watching. Standing up, he quickly activated his brace and ran up the hill he came down on. Everyone stopped and stared at him, not sure of what he was doing or why he was running up the hill.

Finally reaching the top, Matt saw exactly what he thought. The slavers were sneakily crawling up the hill and were almost at the peak!

"Everyone run!" Matt shouted, spinning around and running back down the hill.

Wasatch focused on top of the hill, ready to fire at anyone that would come over it.

Heather checked her grip on Snatch and began to run away from where Matt was coming from. Both Hiccup and Astrid jumped on their dragons and turned to run as well. As Matt was getting closer to Wasatch, he saw multiple Slavers emerge from the wrecked arena. "Wasatch lookout!" Matt shouted, drawing his sword.

Almost as soon as Matt had said that, one of the slavers threw one of the heavy nets on Wasatch. Wasatch immediately began to radiate with lightning, trying to fight off the surprise attackers. Unable to really move, Wasatch just laid there, trying to arc his lightning to hit the attackers who were distancing themselves from him.

Extending his blade and letting sparks run down it, Matt charged a Slaver who had his axe raised. Acting like he was going right, Matt then planted his good leg and launched himself left of the Slaver. Swinging the axe at where Matt was, the Slaver exposed himself; to which Matt quickly ran his sword through. Pulling out the sword, Matt saw another Slaver charging him with a sword. Back pedaling away, Matt countered the attack. Sending a jolt of electricity through his attacker's sword, Matt quickly slashed his chest. Dropping the Slaver, Matt saw yet another slaver running at him; this time with a shield.

Ready to fight his new attacker, Matt saw Stormfly run up behind him. Astrid, who had run off of Stormfly, then appeared above the Slaver with her axe raised over her head. Matt quickly closed his eyes as the axe made contact with the Viking.

"You're getting a lot better fighting!" Astrid said with a smile. Then in a serious tone added "Hurry and help Wasatch! I'll try to protect you!"

"Got it!" Matt yelled, running to where Wasatch lay. Immediately, the Skrill stopped radiating lightning and let Matt get close to him. Matt began to hack at the thick ropes that made the net, swearing every time it failed to cut through.

Astrid was busy countering a Slaver's hammer. Using the handle of her axe, she quickly brought it across the face of her attacker. Reeling back in pain, the Slaver kicked at Astrid's legs; causing her to fall to the ground. Landing hard, she looked up to see the Slaver raise his hammer only to drop it as a flurry of spikes hit him. Stormfly stood over Astrid, protecting her as she stood up. "Thanks Stormfly!" she huffed, getting a small breather. Seeing another Slaver charge Stormfly with an axe raised. Putting herself between the attacker and Stormfly, Astrid lowered her shoulders and rammed into the Slaver. Having her balance thrown off from the hit, Astrid stumbled away. Looking up at the Slaver, she was shocked to see him already swinging his axe at her. Back pedaling away as fast as she could, she felt her arm get hit with the force of the axe. Stumbling back, she felt her arm feel warm. Looking down at it, she saw it was covered in blood. Stormfly then fired a fire bolt at the Slaver, blowing him away from Astrid. In pain, Astrid then pulled herself onto Stormfly with her good arm. "Up Stormfly!" She shouted, trying to subdue the pain in her left arm. Feeling herself launch into the air, she shouted "Matt, I can't fight anymore!"

"Don't worry! Just get out of here!" Matt shouted back, still hacking at the net.

Hiccup was helping Heather get on Toothless. Still not letting go of Snatch, she quickly seated herself on Toothless. Looking at Matt who was still struggling to cut the net, she shouted "Matt! Lookout!"

Matt looked up in time to see the rest of the Slavers coming over the hill. Knowing that freeing Wasatch was out of the question, Matt stood in a defensive position, ready to receive the attackers. Suddenly a plasma blast blew into the crowd. Matt quickly looked back to see Toothless ready to fire another one. Smiling, Matt turned to face the other Slavers just in time to take a hammer to the face. A Slaver had run through the fire and charged Matt while he was distracted.

The force of the hit sent him spinning in the air, to which he landed hard on his back. Feeling himself slowly slip into darkness, Matt tried to get up to crawl away. Feeling himself pulled up, he saw the face of his attacker laughing. Having no energy left to fight back, he then felt his helmet get yanked off and thrown away. Seeing it land on the ground, he saw that it was completely caved in from the blow he took. Staring blankly at it, he finally slipped into the darkness from the blow he took.

Astrid was about to put Stormfly into a dive to get Matt. Just as she was about to do so, the Slaver held a knife to Matt's throat. "Don't even think about it!" he shouted. Holding up Matt by the armor, he began to back away. A few others grabbed the net that Wasatch was in and dragged him along. Keeping Matt by the Skrill to keep him from radiating with lightning, the Slaver said to the rest of his men "Go get them boys!"

Astrid immediately made Stormfly dodge some Bolas thrown at her. Flying away from the ruined arena, she saw Hiccup and Toothless running away as well. Heather was screaming at Hiccup, trying to get him to turn back to get Matt. "We can't leave them! Hiccup! Please don't leave Matt!"

"I'm sorry Heather!" Hiccup shouted back at her "But we can't take them all! Especially with them holding Matt prisoner. Let's fall back, get a plan and then we'll get Matt and Wasatch back."

Heather just sobbed. In less than a few hours, she lost Snatch and now potentially Matt and Wasatch.