Jaci was up before Toothless, and she nudged him awake with her snout. "Come on, get up. You wanted to look for your friend right?" The mention of that made Toothless perk up, and he got up from his comfortable spot. Although the leather saddle on his back was a little uncomfortable - it had rubbed against his back in his sleep. Nothing he could do about it now though. "Good. Now, who is your friend?"

"Well..." Toothless said hesitantly. Jaci didn't seem to be very violent, but if she reacted badly to the news, she could attack him and have an advantage since he couldn't fly - something she didn't know yet. "I don't think it really matters," he said quickly. "As long as I can recognize him, I can find him." In his mind, he was starting to form a plan - a lie. "Do you know a good place to eat? I'm starving."

The change of topic seemed to take Jaci by surprise (and she would get an answer about this dragon's friend, oh yes she would) but she answered after a moment. "I'll go. The dragons there know me better and if you came I would have to introduce to everyone - and I mean everyone. By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Oh." Toothless said shortly. Had he never really introduced himself? "I'm Toothless."

"Toothless?" Jaci said and laughed slightly. "Bit of a funny name don't you think?" Toothless shrugged his shoulders. Jaci looked towards the entrance of the cave. "I'll be back soon," she promised and the smaller Night Fury galloped out of the cave before flying away.

Toothless grimaced to himself. He had been hoping he would be alone at one point. But he didn't want to do what he needed to. He sighed and took a deep breath before he turned around and ripped off his red tail-fin. The metal rod clattered out of place. The red fabric left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he spit it off to the side, once he was at the mouth of the cave.

He would say he lost it in the storm. It would protect Hiccup for a little longer, and hopefully Jaci would help him find the Viking teenager without getting too aggressive.

Hopefully.

The trek up the mountain wasn't doing too well.

All the little crags and cliffs made it already difficult to maneuver with two normal legs, let alone with one metal one. Twice, he had only fallen off, only for Astrid to hoist him back up in the nick of time. Close to three times he had banged his shin or calf against a large rock (Oh Odin the pain). He had also slipped on mossy patches covering the boulders, face-plant and get a horrible-tasting mouthful of moss. Fun.

Eventually though, they reached a high enough point where the two Vikings could see everything fairly well. Astrid gripped a tree trunk with one hand and leaned over the edge of the small cliff she and Hiccup were standing on. "Look," she said. She pointed far off, to the West side of the mountain. There was a small cluster of what seemed to be shacks, with smoke curling out of little dots. "That must be the Outcast village."

Hiccup nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe we could sneak in there somehow, and find out what happened to the others and their dragons."

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "Sneak into the Outcast village? Our sworn enemies who would love to disembowel us? On purpose?"

"Thank you for summing that up."

Astrid rolled her eyes at his catchphrase and swept her bangs out of her eyes with one hand. "Well," she said slowly, twirling Hiccup's dagger in her hands. She gripped the leather hilt tightly. "You've done something crazy and stupid. Should've known something insane was bound to come up sometime." She hit him lightly on the shoulder (only Hiccup could come up with something so insane, but they didn't really have any other ideas). "Let's go fishbone."

Hiccup grinned. "Alright. As long as you're the human shield." She smiled slightly at him, and were about to start the journey back down when Hiccup noticed something with... Potential.

The Viking walked up to the tree with the large, peeling bark. "Hey Astrid," he called. She joined him, looking at him (he was grinning like an idiot. An absolutely adorable idiot.) and the tree curiously. Hiccup wrenched off a large piece of bark; large enough for a full-grown, beefy Viking to sit on. "What do you think of taking this down the mountain?"

Astrid let out a small gasp. "Oh no," she said quickly. "I am not riding on that thing down a bumpy and dangerous mountain!" She put her hands on her hips to emphasize her point. Way too many things could go wrong.

Hiccup pouted a little. "It'll be faster," he said. "It'll be easier on my leg." He moved his left leg to remind her of his 'disability'. He knew he was halfway there in convincing her. "Besides, remember the last time we went on a rider together hmm? On a certain dragon? And it -"

Astrid sighed, crossing her arms against her chest. "- changed my life for the better," she muttered. "Fine," she said unhappily. Hiccup set the bark down and climbed on. Astrid sat beside him, put her legs around his and wrapped her arms around his frail form. "But if we die, I'm going to kill you."

Hiccup laughed lightly. "Wouldn't expect anything else of you." He leaned back and kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes widened; he had never done that before. A wobbly smile appeared on her face, and she flushed. "Push off? I don't exactly have the leg strength."

"What?" It took her a few seconds to register what he had said. "Oh. Right." She removed her legs and gave a big push then put her lower limbs back in position. The make-shift sled started to go down the hill.

"Okay!" she screamed as it picked up speed, squeezing Hiccup's torso. "I take it back! Get me off of this thing!" Too late for that, she thought glumly, but she also made a mental note as she yelled: never use Hiccup's crazy, insane or stupid ideas ever again.

Toothless devoured the fish Jaci had brought back; he hadn't realized how hungry he had been - what with the worry of Hiccup, keeping his secret and not being killed by the Outcasts or the female Night Fury - until there was food in front of him.

Jaci ate her portion quickly as well, and she was done eating before him. "You know," she said thoughtfully, studying him. "It's odd I don't recognize you. What island were you assigned to?"

In group of Night Furies (called a Pack), every year, five Night Furies who had come of age were chosen to scope out other islands from their own, seeing if there are any good resources or advantages to moving. Jaci had been sent to Outcast Island, much to her displeasure, and had been her for almost ten spring-times.

"Berk." Toothless answered. "For fifteen spring-times."

"Ah, that's why we don't know each other." He was a few years older. Younger hatchlings didn't interact with older ones too much. They kept to their year, at least until they were older. She gave him a puzzled look. "We're not supposed to stay longer than fifteen spring-times; why haven't you gone back to the Pack?"

"Personal reasons. I didn't want to leave my friend." If the Dragon Queen hadn't hypnotized him he would've left before, but once Hiccup's bola had snapped him out of it, he couldn't really go anywhere. And there was no way in Hel he would go back, even for a visit, if Hiccup wouldn't be safe. His Pod might not react well. "He's not a Night Fury," (or a dragon) "and I wasn't sure how the others would take to him. But I'm happy on Berk. Besides, with the injury I got from the storm" - he lifted his tail with a fake, sad expression on his face to demonstrate the missing tail-fin, and Jaci gasped slightly - "I don't think I'll be able to make it back."

Jaci pawed the ground, thinking hard. "Winter is coming. The sea will freeze over; you could walk back across the ice."

"Maybe." Once he was done with his meal, he jerked his head towards the entrance of the cave. "Can we start looking for my friend now?" Jaci nodded and they walked to the exit together. "Thanks for the food," he added.

Jaci gave a low rumbling sound, which was the dragon-to-dragon version of a smile. "You're welcome." She paused, feeling hesitant. Toothless did seem nice, but... Who was his friend, exactly? What sort of dragon could make a saddle on his back? "Friend," she finished, and feeling embarrassed and pleased with herself she dashed upfront, leaving a conflicted but overall happy Toothless behind to follow.

The female dragon stayed on the ground, and Toothless noticed how, as they walked through the forest, she was careful not to go up too high through the cliffs, or anywhere that would mean he would have to fly. Gratefulness surged through him. And guilt, for his lies.

So far though, there was no sign of any of the teens. No footprints or anything. There was also no way to tell if the teens' dragons had been around, because there were Nadders, Zipplebacks, Gronckles and Nightmares everywhere, leaving footprints on the ground and flying in the air. It was extremely frustrating. Toothless shot his fire at the tree to vent out his anger. Within a few moments it was blackened and burnt to a crisp.

"We'll find your friend," Jaci reassured him. "We just have to keep looking."

"Yeah..." Toothless said. The intensity of his emotions in his eyes - the worry, the fear, love for a friend - frightened Jaci slightly. She had never seen a Night Fury be so devoted to anybody, especially somebody of a different dragon species. He must be really close to his friend. "We just have to keep looking."

Toothless turned his head and sniffed the air - from miles away, he could smell smoke. "Hey Jaci, where's the village on this island?"

"West," Jaci answered, but gave him a incredulous look. "Why? You don't think your friend would go there on purpose do you? Nobody could be that stupid."

Toothless made a low rumbling noise, shaking his head. Only Hiccup would do that. "You don't know my friend well enough then." He took a few steps forward, and when Jaci didn't follow he looked back. "Aren't you coming?" He tried to keep his voice level, not allowing his - what was it? Disappointment? - er, conflicted emotions seep into his voice. It didn't work very successfully.

Jaci cocked her head to the side, looking troubled. "Well," she said slowly. She pawed the ground nervously. "Normally I avoid trouble. Those humans are pretty good at killing dragons. They haven't been killing as many, lately though. Taking them into that giant cage, call it an arena and locking dragons up. They don't even know I'm on the island; the only reason they haven't tried to hunt me down."

Toothless felt desperation gnaw at him from the inside, and his throat was dry. He needed Jaci to help him, needed her flight. She wasn't that bad as a companion either (or unattractive, as far as dragons go - oh shut up brain! He told himself). There was only one thing left to do. "My father is Canicus and my mother is Huo." He really had sunk to a whole new level of low. Playing the 'my parents are the leaders of the pack' card.

Jaci's blue eyes widened. "You're their son? You're Arluin? You said your name was Toothless!" Her voice was shrill and accusatory. He had lied to her. He was the heir to the Pod, the next leader. But he had said he might never go back... Who would lead them? His parents must be worried sick... His parents! Oh, he had done it, hadn't he! Night Furies were obliged to help the Heir, no matter what. But how did she know he wasn't lying? He had to be tested before she agreed to anything dangerous. "Why did you say your name was Toothless, Arluin?"

"It's the nickname my friend gave me. And I do prefer it, actually."

That only gave her more questions. Why wouldn't he want to be recognized as the Heir, by using his birth name. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"My eyes," he answered. His green ones met her blue ones. "Only the Heir has green eyes, passed down from father to son. If I wasn't Canicus' son, how could I have green eyes?"

She snorted angrily. Why hadn't she noticed that before and high-winged it out of there? "Great. Now I have you help you, you over-grown lump of a lizard." She sighed. "Fine, let's go to the village where we could easily be skinned alive." Toothless made the rumbling noise again, even louder than before. The two dragons walked in silence, until they got to the outskirts of the village.

Jaci sighed again, turning to give Toothless a sharp look. "Well played Toothless," she admitted grudgingly. Then she led the way down the hill, towards the village with the high risk of being skinned alive. Fun.

A/N: I had SO much fun with this chapter. Toothless starts revealing some of his secrets. We get to see Jaci's temper peak here, which will a reappearance, I assure you. She hates having secrets being kept from her. Toothless' real name, Arluin, means "noble friend" and "noble warrior". I thought it suited him perfectly. His mother's name is Chinese for fire, and his father's name means "born of fire". The leader of the Pack will have a temper, and you will meet both of these dragon's in the course of this story.

So now the two Night Furies and Vikings are heading towards the village... Chaos will ensue, I assure you. You'll also find out what happened to the other teens in the next chapter or two. Also, the other dragons are heading towards Berk. Stoick's not going to be pleased. And the Outcasts know Hiccup's on the island. Oh dear. What do you think will happen?

Please review.