Well. Obviously this was not updated for a while. Why? I did have the chapter written, but it was very, very short. Too short, and for whatever reason, I had no idea where I was going to go with this despite trying to think of something, anything, for several weeks. Finally I had a light bulb moment about half an hour ago, and here you are! Sorry for the wait, guys! Hopefully it will never be that long again!

Heartfelt thanks to Ananymus, Clara Lee, Abe, Shadow the Ranger, and Kelly Riker for reviewing!

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Her dreams were jumbled and chaotic, surreal and disorienting. First she was home safe in her nest, but no other dragon was there. Looking around frantically, she saw that now she was floating in the middle of the ocean, and though the sun was shining, she was inexplicably wet and cold. With an apprehensive sense of relief her searching gaze found her family – but they were flying away, and no matter how hard she tried her wings wouldn't beat fast enough, weirdly sluggish. "No!" She shrieked. "Don't leave me!" Then the sky disappeared, and she was in a whirlpool, choking on ash…choking…choking, and as she struggled, desperate for air…

It all vanished.

The young Nightfury didn't move, shivering in fright as the remnants of the nightmare gradually faded. Slowly she realized that she was comfortably warm, enfolded in a pair of midnight black wings so like her older brother's that for one fleeting, beautiful moment she thought it was he. Then the wings unfolded, exposing her to the brisk air outside the cozy cocoon. Squeaking in surprise, she flinched away from the bright winter sun, burrowing into the mature Nightfury's warm scales heedless of the dragon's unknown identity. With a low hrrrrr deep in his broad chest Toothless drew his wings back over the youngling and looked curiously at Hiccup as if to say, "What now?"

The Viking teen in question sat down on a mossy boulder next to his dragon. "Just let him rest, I suppose." A snort from Toothless warranted a hasty amendment. "Her rest, sorry. She's so young…gods, I can't believe those idiots that it would be a good idea to chase her halfway across the island."

The sound of frantic footsteps interrupted their musings. Both turned towards the source of the noise as Astrid's slim figure ran into the clearing. "Hiccup! Hey, Toothless, is Hiccup... oh, there you are."

Hiccup blinked as his crush and almost-but-not-quite-girlfriend put her hands on her knees to take several heaving breaths. "You're sure in a hurry," he remarked somewhat warily. "Did you sprint the whole way here?" Astrid nodded without looking up. "Why didn't you just ride Stormfly?"

Her breathing starting to slow down to normal levels, Astrid replied, "I didn't want to scare the whatever dragon it was that Snoutlout and my little brother were chasing this morning." She scowled. " The idiot has no clue how to ride a dragon."

Hiccup grinned. " Which one?"

Her scowl turned into a mischievous smile. "Both of them." She glanced curiously around. "I don't see any strange dragon around. Is it still here?"

Hiccup gestured to Toothless' enfolded wings. "Sleeping. She's just a baby, really."

Toothless lifted up his head and regarded Astrid with wide, innocent eyes. Astrid's own eyes suddenly widened. Abruptly, she turned and slugged Hiccup on the shoulder. He started to splutter indignantly, "Wh-what was that for?"

Her eyes danced. "That was for making me forget what I ran all the here for-it's six kilometers, for your information. You'll have to wait for everything else until we get back to the village. Can Toothless stay here to take care of the hatchling?"

"Yes, but why-"

She grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. "No buts! Let's go!"

He stumbled awkwardly for a few steps before finding his footing. "What's going on?"

Astrid laughed. "Hiccup, your mother's old tribe is visiting Berk!"

She only laughed harder at the dumbstruck expression on his face.

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Please review! Your feedback motivates me and helps me improve as a writer:) Any story ideas are very welcome! (Hopefully next chapter will be even longer)