PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR NOT UPDATING BUT I JUST COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO WRITE, IT WAS LIKE A LARGE WALL WAS PREVENTING ME! ANYWAY I FELT SO HORRIBLE FOR NOT GIVING YOU AN UPDATE THAT I COULDN'T SLEEP SO HERE I AM AT 2:05 IN THE MORNING WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER! IF ANYTHING COMES OUT OF THIS ENDEVOUR BE IT BAD OR GOOD BLAME IT ON MY SLEEP ADDLED MIND AND FOUR 1.25L BOTTLES OF PEPSI, SPRITE, CREAMING SODA AND FANTA OVER THE SPACE OF A FEW HOURS! ENJOY! R&R! (YES I AM AWARE THAT IS 5L OF SOFTDRINK)

Hicca woke early the next morning, the sun was only just rising and she knew that she had several more hours before she was expected at dragon training. She bounced out of bed and dressed quickly, slid her dagger into her belt and pulled her long hair back into a tight braid that fell down her back. She smiled happily and ran downstairs and out the door, quickly making her way to the hall. She spotted several early risers who were walking about the village and starting their morning routines. Hicca jogged up the stairs and entered the empty hall, the teens were not known for being morning people and the older Vikings who were up had already had breakfast, leaving her all alone.

She sat down at her usual table in the furthest corner and ate a big breakfast to prepare for training later that day, just as she was leaving the hall she was met with the group of Viking teens who pushed past her rudely in their quest to find breakfast, only Fishlegs even bothered to say good morning and she smiled sweetly at him before moving back down the stairs and over to the forge. Hicca entered her personal workshop in the back of the forge and began working on a new prosthetic for Gobber, he had commented offhandedly a few weeks ago that he missed fishing and she had begun to steadily work on a prosthetic invention that would allow him to hold the rod in his missing hand.

Hours later she could hear the Viking teenagers moving noisily through the village in a pack, the metallic ringing coming from their direction hinted at the fact that they were going to training. She quickly checked the position of the sun and visibly balked as she realised that she had been working on the prosthetic for hours. Hicca gently set it down on the workbench and stripped off her work apron, wiping her hand over her forehead to dispel the sweat that had formed due to the hot fires of the forge.

She sighed and picked up the axe her father had given her, placing it over her shoulder and leaving the forge behind the group, trying her hardest not to be seen. She had been having such a good day so far and it would be a shame to change that with the group's teasing. Fishlegs turned to wave at her subtly, knowing that his friend wouldn't want the others to see her. The bulky boy was really her only friend in the entire village other than Gobber and Gobber was more of a father than a friend, he had been more of a father to her than her real one had ever been but she suspected it had something to do with the smithy being named her godfather by Valhalarama when she was born.

Sooner than she had hoped Hicca was once again in the ring, the other teens were standing a little way away from her in a group, Fishlegs detached from them and jogged over to her when she entered; sticking by her so the others would hopefully leave her alone. Her eyes scanned the makeshift maze that Gobber had created out of huge wooden panels, it didn't look that difficult to navigate but Hicca doubted that all they had to do was make it from one side to the other, she was certain that Gobber would never allow something to be that easy.

"What dragon do you reckon we're going to fight today?" Fishlegs asked quietly, trusting her inner knowledge of the way Gobber worked. "Well the nightmare is for the best in training so not him today, we've already had the Gronkle so Gobber would most likely try and kill us with something different now we know how to defeat that type of dragon. I think he would want to save the harder dragon for later so that rules out the Zippleback and I heard him singing when he got up this morning which means he is very happy and will probably want to see someone get hurt and bleed today, so I'm guessing not the Terrible Terror. That only leaves the Deadly Nadder, tell me oh dear friend… how good are you with large sharp spines?" she teased, pausing dramatically at the end and breaking into giggles at the horrified look on his face.

Hicca was completely unaware that the other trainees had stopped to listen to her as she ranted, missing the dark look of jealousy that the male Thorsten twin shot at her beefy friend as he laughed loudly over her descriptions, only for him to pale as she determined the dragon they were facing today. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he heard Hicca's chiming laugh, it falling when she buried her face in Fishlegs shoulder, her face pressed into her arm as she continued cackling madly. "Oi lass! Thank ye very much for ruinin' the surprise! I wanted to see their faces when I told 'em which one was goin' to be trying to kill 'em today!" Gobber thundered as he entered, sending a fake mad look in her direction.

This sent the young girl into another wave of crazy laughter; her giggles were becoming slightly hysterical and all of the trainees were looking at her strangely, "And stop laughin' like that lass, people are gonna think you're mad," Gobber scolded, she had by this point completely collapsed against her friend and her shoulders shook with the effort of supressing the chuckles of amusement that wound their way through her chest. "Okay, okay," she hiccupped, wiping her eyes with her forearm and shifted her axe to the other shoulder, "Please continue telling us how you plan to kill us today," she gestured with her free hand to the group of teens and put up an incredible poker face, not a sign of emotion crossing her face.

Gobber stared her down but she just grinned happily and tilted her head innocently, bringing her shoulders up in a small shrug as if to say 'who me?' Gobber shook his head but Hicca could see a small smile threatening to break and grinned victoriously, raising her axe slightly in the air, letting it drop as Gobber hefted a shield into her arms and threw them at several others, leaving the rest to grab their own from the small selection. "Alright, let's get started," Gobber called, moving swiftly through the maze and across the ring and jerking down a lever to one of the cages, once again letting the dragon loose on them without any beforehand knowledge.

Gobber grabbed the edge of the ring and hoisted himself out, slipping carefully through the iron bars so he could observe them as they struggled to survive. Hicca ignored the looming threat of the dragon as it made its way around the ring, choosing instead to stand in the centre so she had a clear view of Gobber. "Hey, you know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book, or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?" she asked, letting her shield hang casually by her side. The only warning she got for the incoming fireball was a steady swoosh as it thudded into the wall next to Hicca's head, embedding the burning embers into the thick wood.

"Yah!" she cried, ducking instinctually away from the heat with a startled yelp, "Whoa," she said, Gobber's shout drowning her out, "Focus, Hicca! You're not even trying!" Gobber yelled and Hicca had to admire his skill, he managed to sound exasperated, angry and pleading all in the same sentence. The Deadly Nadder hoped over one of the panels and Hicca shrieked as it bore down on her, its mouth open wide and its rows of pointy teeth glistening like freshly sharpened blades. Her feet thrummed back and forth quickly, her mind trying to figure out which side would be easier to navigate but with only seconds to spare she darted off to the right, her shield weighing her down as she ran.

It was not well known on Berk but Hicca was one of the fastest and most agile people on the island, years of running away from bullies and childhood tormentors had helped build up her stamina and strengthen her leg muscles. However the heavy shield strapped to her arm made it vastly difficult for her to navigate her way through the maze with the uneven weight making it hard to balance around the corners. "Today, it's all about attack! Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter!" Gobber instructed, missing the incurious look Fishlegs sent in his direction as the spines of the Nadder thudded into his shield as he ran through the maze, his big bulk making this lesson a lot harder for him.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" he yelled, his shield hitting a wall and sending him spinning as he looked over his shoulder for the Nadder, that had been pursuing him moments before from its place above them on the top of the panels. "Look for its blind spot! Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it and strike!" Gobber advised, watching with an almost bored expression as Hicca darted past the twins, the two running almost in sync as only twins could. They both jerked to a stop as they came face to face with the Nadder, its head moving forward till they were almost touching, the twins having found its blind spot first.

Its nostrils flared as it tried to locate the owner of the scent that was so close but it couldn't see, Tuffnut instinctively pulled back and crushed himself against his sister as he watched the Nadder with a terrified expression. Ruffnut cringed disgusted as she tried to avoid large movements and risk moving out of the blind spot. "Oh. Do you ever bathe?" she hissed, her voice coloured with nausea, the two twins moved side to side as the Nadder swung its head, somehow remaining hidden in its blind spot. "If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot," he growled, pushing her roughly only for her to come barrelling back and shove her shield into his ribs, causing him to groan quietly in pain and her to smirk happily.

The two twins turned to each other angrily, forgetting about the deadly dragon right in front of them, "How about I give you one?" Ruffnut responded, butting her helmet covered head against her brothers heavily, a heavy snarl from beside them turned their attention back to the Nadder, their fighting had moved them out of its blind spot and they were now fully visible to the angry dragon. Ruffnut screeched in panic as a deep scratching sound hummed from the Nadder, the indication that it was about to fire on the teens. Tuffnut reacted quickly, grabbing his sister by the elbow and pulling her to the side just as the burning flame erupted from the Nadder, scorching the panel they had originally been standing in front of.

"Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot, not so much," Gobber intoned moving his head in a gesture of admittance, chuckling as three of the teens darted past beneath him. He had barely even moved from his spot when the twins were about to become a barbecue plater for the hungry dragon, much different from the frantic motions he had made the day before when Hicca was in danger. Hicca saw that the Nadder was far enough away not to be a threat and broke away from the group, skidding to a halt back in front of Gobber and craned her neck back so she could see Gobber.

"Hey, so, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" she asked, trying to act casual, "No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" Gobber ordered loudly, thrusting his real hand towards the dragon that was moving swiftly across the arena in search of prey. "I know, I know, but hypothetically…" she began, slowly backing up so she could still ask her questions but was cut off by Astrid who was crouched behind the corner with Snotlout cowering behind her, "Hicca! Get down!" she hissed, peeking around the corner only to duck back as the Nadder crept around the one in front.

Its jerky movements reminded Astrid of a bird of prey she once saw, its sharp beak like mouth, beady eyes and thin body completed the image, she admitted to herself that even though she was born to hate it she couldn't help but notice how magnificent it really was. She carefully timed the exact moment when they would be in its blind spot then counted down, quickly pushing off and tumbled forward into a roll, using her shield to gain speed and move to the other panels. Much to her displeasure Snotlout managed the same manoeuvre and appeared next to her, the two turned back just in time to see Hicca attempt to copy them only for the weight of the shield to drag her back by the arm strap as it refused to move with her.

The Nadder heard the sharp clang and heavy breathing, tipping its head to the side so Hicca was out of its blind spot and in full view, it darted forward, snapping dangerously close to where Hicca was once standing as she shrieked and jumped aside. She quickly heaved herself to her feet and darted down the maze, trying desperately to avoid the Nadder that flapped its wings strongly and landed heavily on top of the panels, balancing precariously on the edge before dropping down, cutting off the alley that Astrid and Snotlout were about to run down. The Nadder sped forwards and Astrid crouched, bringing up her axe as she readied to face it. Snotlout sneered and pushed her aside with his shield, ignoring her cry of ignition as he pulled back his mace arm and leant back, "Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this," he preened, throwing his mace towards the dragon.

It flew straight into the panel, connecting with a muffled thump before falling to the ground, completely missing the dragon which made a funny sound in the back of its throat, a cross between a hiss and a cough as it turned back to face the two Vikings. "The sun was in my eyes Astrid," Snotlout moaned, slumping as he turned to face the blond teen as she spun on her heel and fled from the Nadder. He gave a startled yelp as it shot a blast of fire towards him, moving at the last second so it stuck the wall, Snotlout was still whining as he tailed Astrid. "What do you want me to do, block out the sun?" he cried, "I could do that but I don't have the time," he boasted, almost forgetting about the angry dragon as it chased them through the alley. Astrid continued on her forward path but Snotlout sensing it was growing closer slunk into the closest exit from the wooden alley.

Astrid skidded around the corner, the shield that was dragged across the floor with her threw up sparks as she passed Hicca, the Nadder barely even noticed the small teen and continued chasing Astrid, knocking over the panels and destroying Gobber's maze as the blond Viking darted through the alleys to avoid the snarling dragon. Hicca had once again stopped to talk to Gobber, hoping for the meaty Viking to be able to tell him anything about Night Furies, "Has anyone ever seen one napping?' she asked desperately, barely even noticing as she was buffeted from side to side by the Viking teens as they ran past in a panic, several of their shields making contact with her arms and back in their haste to get away.

"Hicca," Gobber shouted, making Hicca turn and watch in dismay as the maze fell apart in front of her. Astrid ran up one of the falling panels, the steep incline making it easier unfortunately for both her and the dragon to climb. She reached the top and made a desperate leap to the next, balancing unevenly on the top as it fell, "Hicca!" she shrieked as a warning to the other girl to get out of the way, unable to stop Astrid's descent Hicca cringed and prepared to do the next best thing to insure the Viking girl's safety, break her fall.

A cloud of dust rose from the arena floor as the last of the panels hit the ground, stirring up a years' worth of dust and dirt, as the cloud slowly drifted away the other Viking teens could make out two distinct people shapes on the floor. Astrid had gotten tangled up with Hicca as they both fell, Astrid's axe becoming embedded in Hicca's shield as the smaller girl broke her fall. "Ohhhh, love on the battlefield," Tuffnut sung as Astrid attempted to free her axe from Hicca's shield, their legs still rapped together, no one noticed the tiny hint of jealousy in Tuffnut's voice as he called out from his place beside his sister.

"She could do better," Ruffnut agreed, stage whispering so everyone could hear, her blue eyes were trained solely on the golden haired Viking however, a spark of possession flaring within her eyes. "Let me… Why don't you…?" Hicca's voice trailed off as Astrid finally managed to untangle their legs, shoving Hicca to the ground by her vest in the process. A loud crash alerted the Viking teens to the Deadly Nadder's presence, bird like dragon having finally freed itself from the ruins of what used to be the maze. Astrid gasped and looked about for her axe only to realise that it was still embedded in Hicca's shield.

She placed her boot onto the surface of Hicca's shield and tugged sharply on the handle of her axe, ignoring Hicca's cries of pain as the strap dug firmly into her arm and the shields metal bearings scraped roughly across her forearm. Astrid changed her tactics as she realised that the axe was stuck too deep into the shield to be extracted, she stood painfully on Hicca's face and pulled backwards on the axe, ripping both shield and axe from the young girl and swung it back, slamming it heavily against the approaching dragon's face and knocking the great beast to the side with a startled groan of pain as most of the shield shattered on impact.

The Nadder quickly scampered away, making sure to keep a fearful eye on Astrid as she held the broken remains of the shield still attached to the axe in front of her like a club, "Well done, Astrid," Gobber called as he lead the Deadly Nadder back into its cage. She was panting heavily as the rush of adrenaline faded and turned angrily to Hicca with her axe hanging loosely by her side, unaware of the village elder watching from the sidelines. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" Astrid asked, waving her axe in the air in frustration. Hicca finally uncurled from her place on the floor, staring up at Astrid with wide eyes.

The arm her shield was attached to was cradled close to her body as she tried to stop the throbbing, a faint line of red had appeared on her shirt and she tried desperately to stop it as she stared up at Astrid with a mixture of surprise and resentment in her eyes that finally faded to acceptance. "Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on," she deadpanned, pointing her axe towards Hicca's neck before turning and leaving the ring, the group of teens following after her.

Hicca grimaced and peeled her hand away from her arm, pulling her long sleeve up to her elbow with a wince. She checked her arm and winced again, dropping her sleeve back over the cut and moving quickly out of the arena, unaware of the elder watching her. Minutes later she was alone in the villages healing hut, the healer had been taken with the voyagers to help them if anyone was injured while at sea, leaving the hut empty. Hicca dragged out a small roll of bandages and a salve that stopped bleeding, she grabbed her dagger from her belt and cut away the sleeve below her elbow, it was covered with blood and she wouldn't be able to wear it anymore without someone asking how it happened, no matter how rude or violent Astrid was Hicca did not wish to get her in trouble.

She glanced at the cut and promptly changed her view to that of a healer, poking and prodding at it to see how bad it actually was. A few moments later she pulled back her hand and sighed regretfully, reaching for the salve and uncapping it one-handily with a practised ease, using two fingers to smear the cream into the cut. The top of the shield had managed to catch the hem of her sleeve and jerk it up while the metal on the strap cut into her skin, forming a 1cmm deep scratch that went from her wrist to mid-way between her elbow and hand. It wasn't very bad and Hicca thanked the gods that it while quite long and deep it hadn't been too wide and split open her arm.

A quick coating of salve and bandages later that could easily be covered up with her shirt Hicca was done; she speedily placed away the box of supplies and left the healers hut, bumping into the other trainees as she made her way back to her house and from there, into the woods. "You know Astrid, you were kind of hard on Hicca," Fishlegs said nervously, twisting his hands together as he watched one of his oldest friends walk away from them, her shoulders slumped. "What do you mean Fishlegs, first she didn't move, then she got me stuck on the ground, then she nearly stopped me from beating the Nadder. How exactly was I too hard?" Astrid asked sarcastically, expecting the beefy boy to back down like he usually did.

"Well firstly the only reason she didn't move was to protect you, she had a chance to get out of the way but she stayed and broke your fall because otherwise you could have landed on the hard stone floor and possibly been gravelly injured, Hicca is by far the nicest Viking on this island and you only belittle her because of it" Fishlegs began, sticking his hands on his hips and facing Astrid defiantly as the blond Viking stared at him in shock. "Secondly it was your fault as well you got stuck, you landed in such a way that your axe got wedged into her shield, maybe if you had tried to free yourself before your beloved axe you wouldn't have had a problem," he sniped, holding up a hand to stop Astrid as she tried to continue.

"And lastly she didn't stop you from beating the Nadder if you had looked around you would have realised that there were more things you could have used to stop the Nadder, things that probably would have been more useful than an axe in the first place. And if you hadn't noticed by trying to free your axe you were hurting Hicca but afterwards she didn't say anything, instead you felt you had the right to be angry and went off your head screaming at her, in case you hadn't noticed Astrid let me spell it out for you. Hicca didn't do anything wrong, you did, but of course it couldn't be perfect Astrid's fault so you had to blame someone else. You know for someone so smart you can be pretty dumb at times Astrid, maybe you should start thinking before you act," Fishlegs finished acidly, turning and stalking away from the group of teens who were gaping after him, surprised that the softest and nicest member of their group had just said something like that.

Astrid growled under her breathe and pushed past the group, stomping back to her hut as she contemplated what Fishlegs had said, why would Hicca stay and get hurt to save her instead of moving and letting Astrid fall? Astrid had never exactly been nice to Hicca; in fact she had been downright horrible to the smaller girl for basically her entire life.

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Hicca stumbled across a loose rock and cursed, readjusting the shield on her arm. She had stolen it from the forge when Gobber wasn't looking and hurried into the forest before any of the villagers could spot her with a shield out of training. Her hand slipped to the pouch at her waist and withdrew a medium fish she had taken from the stores, holding it carefully in front of her. The cove entrance came into sight and she readied her shield in front of her, shuffling forward into the narrow tunnel that lead to the mini section of paradise. She came to the very end before it opened up and stopped, lowering her shield so she could see over the top of it into the cove.

She lifted her hand with the fish and turned her shield to the side so she could get a clear shot. With a muffled grunt she tossed the fish forward into the open and cowered back behind her shield, watching attentively as it landed with a thump on the grassy floor. She poked her head around the boulder and glanced from side to side as the fish remained stationary, no dragon coming to claim it. Deciding she had already come too far to turn back she moved forward, holding her shield in front of her as protection.

Hicca had barely made it two steps before her shield became wedged in-between the two boulders, the grey rocks holding it tightly in their embrace. She gave it a few tugs only for it to remain steadfast in its place, she huffed annoyed and unlatched her arm, ducking under the shield to appear on the other side in the cove. She gave one last half-hearted tug and turned away, sighing under her breath. She moved towards the fish that still lay on the ground, picking it up by its gills she took several steps into the cove, her eyes scanning the wide expanse as she moved forward cautiously.

Aodh sat on his perch, a large rock balanced on another; his eyes followed the human female as she moved forward slowly. The delectable smelling fish in her hands did nothing to deter his concentration as he crouched back, turning slowly as the human moved further into the area he called home, or prison both seemed to work for his situation. He saw her tense as he moved to quickly and he hissed quietly so her human hearing couldn't detect it as she rotated slowly on the spot to face him, he began to slowly make his way down the rock, never breaking the intense staring contest between him and the strange female.

He was a Night Fury, most feared of all dragons after the nest queen and no one, dragon or other, had ever dared stand up to him, nor look him in the eye. Yet here was a frail human female who looked like she could barely even give him a scratch walking into his current home without even a shield for protection. He spread out his wings to look bigger and stalked menacingly towards her, eyeing the fish she held in her delicate hands. He sniffed the air and caught the lingering scent of metal on her, she had brought a weapon! He growled deep in his throat and crouched down so his head was nearly on the ground and the small human stiffened, hesitantly holding out the fish.

The scent of fresh fish permitted his nostrils and addled his brain, his sub-conscious forcing him to take several steps forward and open his mouth before the mist cleared over his mind, reminding his of the deadly steel concealed on her person. He made a suspicious grumble in the back of his throat and backed up; startling her so she drew back the fish against her chest and her hand went to her belt. His eyes widened and he prepared for her to attack, a small bit of him would feel guilty for killing her but he pushed it away and focused on the fact that it would be defence.

She bared the small knife and glanced at him, he let out of a puff of anger and shuffled backwards, keeping a steady eye on her hand near the dagger, her fingers clasped around the handle and he growled, drawing back in preparation to pounce but her hand retreated and her small face twisted into a weird expression before she took several small breathes, her eyes widening in understanding. She pulled it from her leather wrap and held it at arm's length, dropping it quickly to the ground, Aodh was slightly less wary but also highly intrigued. It was a well-known fact among dragons that Vikings did not give up their weapons for anything, before several raids when he scouted ahead he had even seen some sleeping with their weapons on their person.

He jerked his head stiffly to the side and the toe of Hicca's boot shifted under the knife, tossing it easily to the side and into the water; she saw almost at once a change envelope the dragon as the threat disappeared in a place where it would not be easily accessible. He shifted back onto his haunches and his eyes widened, his ears laid back and she could see his face resembled that of a begging puppy. She inwardly smiled but managed a small grin on the outside, holding out her hand to offer him the fish, he looked suspicious for a moment but then moved slowly forward till his mouth was a foot away from the fish, wide in anticipation.

Hicca could see the pinks gums and cocked her head quizzically to the side, "Toothless," she muttered, staring at its open mouth with the fish still offered forward, "I could have sworn you had…" her voice was cut off in fear as razor sharp teeth filled his mouth, moments later the fish was snatched from her hand and he darted back a few steps, happily munching on his treat. "…teeth," she finished, holding her hand close to her body and marvelling that he had managed to take a fish from her hands without even getting scratched.

He licked his lips happily before his head snapped in her direction, his pupils dilating as he went from sitting to crouching in moments and began stalking towards her, nosing her vest and belt where the scent of the fish lingered. Her basic instincts kicked in and she stumbled backwards, lifting her arms in the air as he moved faster and faster towards her, causing her to stumble and trip over her own feet, landing heavily on the ground. Even after she had fallen she still moved backwards, scuttling on her hands and feet before she was backed against a rock, "No, no, no. I…" her voice trailed off as she turned her head, narrowly avoiding colliding with his that was only a foot away.

"I don't have anymore," she pleaded desperately for the Night Fury to understand, its glowing green eyes drew closer and closer to her own. A weird chuffing sound burst from his throat, his slitted pupils rolling back in his head and his stomach rolled, making fierce growling noises. With a final retching sound the night furies mouth opened and half of the previously eaten fish appeared in Hicca's lap, "Uh," she groaned, slowly siting up as the night fury backed away, he snorted through his nose and sat back, his wings folded carefully behind his back. Hicca stared at him in amazement, moving the fish from her lap into her hands and pushing with her feet, propping herself further up the rock.

Hicca broke the awkward stare with the dragon to allow her eyes to scan the cove before returning the gaze of the fearsome night fury, he was still perched on his back legs and his eyes were focused intensely on her face. She gave a small smile out of discomfort and he looked sharply between her and the fish a few times, the meaning obvious even though he couldn't speak. She sighed and slowly lifted the fish to her mouth, taking a small bite out of the side then nearly throwing it back up, "Mmmm," she groaned through a mouth full of fish, turning her gaze back to the Night Fury's.

She made a muffled sound of affirmation around the fish and held it out to him, squeezing her eyes shut at the putrid taste, the Night Fury mimed swallowing and Hicca dropped her arms, casting her eyes skyward in annoyance before finally giving in. She couldn't allow the disgusting taste to linger in her mouth any longer as she swallowed heavily, feeling the slimy mixture of dragon spit and fish slide down her throat she nearly threw up, holding it in with her clenched fist against her mouth, her face turning a murky green before it slowly faded.

She sighed in relief and shook her head receiving a stifled sneezing sound from the dragon that licked his lips and continued to stare at her. Hicca saw that he was trying to ask if she enjoyed it and she smiled toothily at him, hopping to show that she had enjoyed his gift. He looked at her puzzled for a few seconds before he slowly began to mimic her pulling his lips back in an adorable gummy smile. She clambered to a crouching position and cautiously extended her hand towards the dragon that growled and bared his teeth, his ears laid flat against his head and his pupils changed into slits.

He darted to the side and flapped clumsily across the cove, landing awkwardly behind some rocks, blowing a stream of fire at the ground he turned quickly and created a large burnt patch that exuded warmth, collapsing sleepily in a heap on the hot embers. A bird trilling from its nest caught his attention and he watched with wistful eyes as it took off into the air only to come face to face with Hicca who had moved stealthily across the cove to sit a few feet away, she lifted a hand and he snorted, turning his head back and laying it neatly on his front legs. He noisily moved his back legs, covering his body with his wings and swung his tail around to cover his face from view.

Hicca waited till he had stopped moving them scooted closer, reaching out a slim hand to touch his tail, it was inches away when the night fury whipped back his tail, glaring fiercely into her emerald eyes, making her swing around and walk awkwardly away in the opposite direction to which he ambled off. She walked only a few feet before she stopped, sitting down against a mossy rock that was as soft as her bed and slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

She woke hours later as the sun was going down and glanced around the clearing, spotting the night fury hanging from a tree branch by its tail, with its wings wrapped around itself it looked like a giant bat. She pictured his face in her mind and absentmindedly picked up a stick, scratching out lines and shapes in the dirt that gradually began to look like the night fury sleeping across the cove.

Aodh uncovered his wings from his eyes, warbling quietly as his eyes scanned the cove, spotting the Viking girl sitting across the clearing. Her back was to him and Aodh approved of this display of trust, in the world of dragons turning ones back on another was a move that showed you trusted them not to attack you when your back was turned. She sat forlornly a small stick clutched in her hand, her small face resting in her unoccupied even smaller hand. He gently set himself down off the branch, uncurling his tail from around its sturdy grip.

He darted across the clearing silently, years of tracking and capturing prey had taught him to be light on his feet, even with his size. He appeared on the right side of the girl, gazing down at the drawing with interest, it showed a remarkable likeness to himself and he followed the movements she was making with the stick intently, his head moving all around in an effort to keep up, it looked like fun! He saw that she was putting the final touches on the image and moved quickly away, picking a small tree clinging to the edge of the cove as his target.

He clenched it between his strong jaws and heaved, the tree crumbling from the edge with a harsh ripping sound and a shower of dust. He moved back towards the girl and tilted his head to the side, pressing the roots of the tree into the dirt and dragged strongly, digging a small trench in the ground as he twirled and leap, continuously making the drawing bigger and bigger with each movement. At one point he slowed mid stride to whack the girl on the head as if to say 'look at me, I'm drawing just like you,' then continued on. He suddenly drew to a halt, tossing his tree to the side and admiring his drawing, it looked beautiful!

Aodh glanced up to see the girl looking around in wonder at his marvellous creation before striding forward to get a closer look, stepping directly on one of the lines of his drawing. He hunched down and bared his teeth, growling wickedly as he flattened his ears against his head. She jerked back startled and looked at him sheepishly before a look dawned in her eyes, she slowly lifted her foot and warbled happily, reverting back as she once again stepped on his drawing. She did it once more, eliciting the same reaction before she stepped over it, correcting her mistake and grinning happily at him, slowly tracing her way out of his drawing.

This time she made sure not to step on any lines and mess it up with he was thankful for, twisting twirling and leaping her way out of his intricately designed drawing. Her small arms were spread wide to keep her balance, like he did with his wings when he was flying yet he was slightly surprised to see her do this while on solid ground. She came closer and closer to the spot where he was yet he did not feel himself panicked or suspicious, instead he found himself not minding how close she was to him.

Hicca stopped suddenly as she felt a warming heat and gust of air from above her, she cringed and glanced up, realising that her game of avoiding the lines of the drawing had taken her across the cove and straight into the dragon. The night fury gazed down at her and she found herself lowering her arm that she had raised to defend herself on instinct. Instead she slowly reached out with the same hand, the night fury shied away, snorting in suspicion, he growled as her hand got closer and she withdrew it, understanding dawning in her eyes.

She turned her head and began reaching out again, this time not looking for fear of being rejected. She could feel the heat radiating off his scales and summarised that it must be from his inner fire, Aodh's eyes widened as her hand drew closer before halting in mid-air, he saw that she was too scared to move it any further forward and closed the distance, pushing his head into her head as his eyes slid closed.

Almost instantly he realised what he had done and snorted, eyeing her hand with distaste before darting off, moving quickly across the cove. This time Hicca didn't bother to follow him, the sun was going down and Gobber wanted them at the tower of honour after sundown for dinner and to regal them of stories of his time in dragon raids. She glanced at her hand, convinced she could still feel the fiery warmth of the dragon, and though she hated to admit it even to herself, the dragons touch had brought her comfort, more comfort than she had felt in a while.

Hicca shook her head to rid herself of her daydream and darted out of the cove, glancing back at the last second to see the night fury curled up on the other side of the cove, his piercing eyes staring at her as if he were looking right through her and into her soul. She shuddered at the eerie feeling and kept running, making it back to the edge of the forest in record time, the sun was barely even touching the horizon yet and she sighed in relief, she still had enough time to get the scent of sweat off her from training earlier and the run she just completed.

Hicca snuck through the village, hoping that no one had seen her enter the village from the forest; if they told her father she was in the woods this late he would be raving mad. She was almost at her house when she heard voices from a dark alley nearby and a hand shot out, several more following its lead. She was grabbed roughly around the arms and waist, another hand placed over her mouth prevented her from crying out and she was dragged kicking and screaming into the shadows.

OOOOOH CLIFFHANGER! DON'T WORRY I'LL UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN! I LOVE ALL OF YOU! AND TO MY FIRST EVER REVIEWERS ON THIS STORY snowowl94, asia2000lover, , C4, RedOptics7 I GIVE A HUGE THANKYOU, YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST!