Hiccup prayed the gods that, when he opened his eyes a dragon would be there. Hiccup opened the eyes, and groaned as he saw nothing. He opened his notebook and placed a cross on the spots he'd just checked, before his frustration got a spike, scribbling all over the map he had drawn. He just spend the entire day searching around in the forest.

"Eugh, the gods must hate me." Hiccup said to himself, closing the book in frustration. "Some people lose their knife or their mug. Not me. I manage to lose and entire dragon!"

In frustration, he punched a branch that hung in his way, which took offense to this and hit Hiccup right back in his face.

"Eugh, I'm glad Astrid's not here." Hiccup said, taking a few steps further, rubbing his painful eye. "She would have a field trip with this. Stupid branch."

Suddenly he noticed broken branches and a fallen tree. He ran in the direction of the devastated forest. He gasped when he saw it. A dragon. Black as the night. The one dragon no man has ever soon before. A Night Fury.

"I did it." He exclaimed, his unbelief turning into pride and joy. "I did it. This fixes everything."

He placed his foot on the Dragon's torso. "I have brought down this mighty beast! WHOAH!"

He jumped back when the corpse gave a groan. He gasped when he saw that the Night Fury wasn't dead. It was very much alive and staring with one eye at hiccup, its pupils narrow and unmoving."

Hiccup stared back at the beast for a few moments, before making a decision. He drew his knife and approached the dragon.

He took a deep breath and raised his knife. "I'm going to kill you, dragon." He said, his voice shaking a little. "I'm going to cut out your heart and I'm going to present it to my father."

He raised his knife higher. His head turned back to the Dragon's head, who's eyes were still fixated on the boy.

Hiccup closed his eyes for a moment, opened them again to give the dragon a last look, knowing that his face was the last the dragon would see. The dragon closed his eyes in defeat, apparently accepting his fate.

Hiccup raised the knife for a last time, holding it in the air for a moment. With a groan he lowered the knife, burying his face in his hands. He looked at the dragon.

"I'm going to regret this." Hiccup said; as he kneeled down to cut the ropes of the bola.

The dragon's eyes popped open as he heard and noticed that the ropes were being cut. As Hiccup cut the last rope, the dragon jumped up and pounced on the boy, staring him in the eyes.

Hiccup breathed heavily, praying to every God in the skies that the Dragon would spare him. He cringed as the dragon raised his head, opening his jaw, showing his teeth …and then roared in the face of the boy. He jumped away and disappeared in the forest.

Hiccup, breathing heavily, not believing that he just got away with that, got up, took a few uneasy steps and then ...passed out.

Half hour later hiccup regained consciousness, he saw that the sun was beginning to fade away in the horizon. Soon it would be dark. He had to get back soon. He started running back to the village

It was already dark as he reached the village and got back to his house. Quietly as he could he opened the door of his house. He peeped inside and saw his father, sitting and staring into the flames of the fireplace.

He noticed Astrid standing on the top of the stairs, gesturing to him that he had to come up quickly. As fast and quietly as he could, Hiccup tried to get upstairs.

"Hiccup." Stoick said, not looking away from the fire. It made Hiccup stop in his tracks.

"Hi Dad." He said, a voice full defeat.

"Astrid said that you were already in bed." Stoick said, still not looking away from the fire.

"Dad, please, don't punish Astrid because she …" Hiccup began.

"Son, I know you, I know Astrid and I knew was lying." Stoick said, this time getting up and walking to Hiccup.

"We need to talk." Stoick said. He turned to Astrid. "All of us."

"Yes, Chief." Astrid said, not a pinch of enthusiasm in her voice.

"I think it's time that the both of you are getting Dragon Training." Stoick said with a smile on his face.

Hiccup noticed that Astrid next to him froze.

"Dad, I don't think that's a good idea." Hiccup said.

"Off course it's not a good idea!" Stoick said with a smile.

"I-it isn't?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a GREAT idea." Stoick said. "You'll learn how to kill Dragons and become one of us and Astrid will get over this childish fear she has for Dragons."

"Nothing childish about it." Astrid muttered under her breath, only Hiccup hearing it.

Stoick grabbed an axe that was leaning against the wall and threw into Hiccups arms, who almost fell backwards because of the weight.

"This is important, son." Stoick said. "When you carry this, you carry all of us."

"Sure feels like it." Hiccup muttered, making Astrid giggle.

Stoick just continued his speech, not noticing what his son said. "Which means you walk like us, talk like us, thinks like us. No more of …this."

"You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup said.

"Deal?" Stoick asked.

"This conversation feels very one-sided." Hiccup complained.

"Deal?"

Hiccup sighed. "Deal!"

"Good." Stock grabbed his bag and hoisted it on his back. "Well, I'm off. Train hard, the both of you. I'll be back …probably."

"We'll be here." Hiccup said.

"…maybe." Astrid added.

They watched Stoick walk out the door. Hiccup plopped down in the nearest chair and gave a sigh. Astrid also grabbed a chair and took a seat next to him.

"So …" she said. "Did you find it?"

"Hmm?" Hiccup asked, still processing what happened today.

"The Dragon, Hiccup." She said, punching him softly on the shoulder. "You know: the one you shot down, the one you went to find in the woods all day long and the reason I had to lie to your father."

"Oh, that." Hiccup said, realizing that HE had to lie too. If she would find out he had released it … "Well, after searching a whole day I found …"

"Yes?" Astrid asked.

"I found the bolas that had hit it and by the look of the ravaged area, the dragon did crash into the woods, but the bolas were broken. It seemed that he escaped."

"Well, better luck next time." Astrid said, a hint of disappointed in her voice. She yawned. "I'm beat. Let's go to bed."

Hiccup suddenly felt tired himself. He yawned himself. "Yeah, me too." He said. "And don't forget we have …eugh, Dragon Training tomorrow."

Astrid froze. "I don't want to go, Hiccup." She whimpered. "I'll get hurt. You'll get hurt. We'll die …we'll."

"be fine, Astrid." Hiccup said, placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them softly. "I don't think that Gobber will put us against Dragons at our first day without some first lessons, don't you think?"

"I …I guess." She said, stroking some hair out of her face. "I still am scared, though."

Hiccup smiled. "Don't worry, Astrid." He said. "I'll protect you."

Astrid laughed. "My hero." She giggled.

"Always there to save the damsel in distress." Hiccup chuckled.

"Well, now I'm reassured, let's go to sleep."

The two teens walked up the the stairs and went to the attic. The two had always slept in the same room ever since Astrid came living with them. But after a few years, in the Teen Years, Astrid wanted some more privacy. So Stoick had built in a wall. They were only one opening of the door away from each other.

Wich was good, because Astrid suffered frequently from nightmares and Hiccup was the only one who could calm her down and bring her back to sleep.

Hiccup jumped on his bed, throwing his sheets over him. Astrid walked to the door that separated their chambers. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Good night, Hiccup." She said softly.

"Sleep tight, Astrid." Hiccup said back.

"I …I" Astrid stuttered, seemingly wanting to say something more. She sighed and seemed to drop it. "Good night."

She walked through her door and closed it behind her. Once out of Hiccup sight, she leaned against the door, holding her hand against her heart.

"Why cant I tell …?" she whispered to herself. She sighed again and want to her bed.

"What was that about?" Hiccup asked himself, once Astrid had walked out the chamber. He shook his head, laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.