Hiccup had been working inside the forge when he heard it. The fearful howl that rattled his very soul. He instantly knew it was Shadow, and she was in trouble. He didn't know where she was, or what was going on, but within mere moments he was outside and listening to her wailing howls.

She was trapped somewhere, he heard her say, and had been trapped in there by the other teens. He listened to her dragon sounds and growls, then realised that she was trapped in the arena. He ran as fast as his one good leg and prosthetic could carry him, and barged past anyone that dared to bar his way.

When he made it to the arena, and forcefully yanked open the gate, he could hear Shadow crying inside one of the cages. He ran over to it and pulled the leaver. The metal doors opened with a creak and he rushed inside to find her. She was curled up by the double doors, tears rolling down her face like a cascading waterfall. It sickened him to see her so broken.

"Shadow! Oh my gods, what happened?" he stammered. She couldn't form proper words because of her crying, and her hitched throat, but Hiccup was able to just understand the words of Dragoneese she was speaking.

It was Snotlout who locked her in there. They made her feel frightened, and he tried to hurt her.

Hiccup growled in rage and held her in a tight hug, willing her sadness and tears to go away as he cradled her in his arms on the floor. After about ten minutes, she calmed down enough to speak, but the tears were still flowing down her face, and her eyes no longer had that beautiful glow in them instead they were rimmed with red.

Those puffy red eyes looked up at the darkened sky, and she started to panic anew. It was dark, and there was no moon tonight. She had to leave, and she had no idea what time it was.

Her clawed hands groped Hiccup's shoulders, searching for the blemish on his skin that she left. Her hand rested against the marked flesh, and he knew exactly what she wanted. She was asking for him to take her away, to keep her safe from everyone, and get her away from the village at the cost of his own life.

He nodded in acceptance, and pulled her to her feet. Calmly, he dragged her out of the arena and down the walkway. They moved fast to avoid everyone, but eventually they ran into the other teens. They froze when they saw the two of them. Shadow, crying in Hiccup's arms, who was dragging her out of the village. Astrid didn't know what to think, the whole situation being unknown to her, but the others looked horrified. Not just at the sight of Shadow out of the cage, but the deadly gleam in Hiccup's eyes which made them all shiver. Then Hiccup growled a challenge to his cousin in Dragoneese.

'You hurt her again, and I'll end you.'

Without another sound, the two of them ran off in the direction of the forest, the others knowing better than to follow. Astrid immediately rounded on the others, who cowered in fear, and demanded an answer.

Hiccup and Shadow ran through the forest as fast as they could, despite Hiccup tripping on his prosthetic in the dark. They made it through the main part of the forest, towards Raven Pont, past the cove, to the other side of the island where they finally stopped.

They were both massively out of breath, and were leaning on each other for support. Shadow was still shedding a few stray tears, but it looked like her crying had almost stopped. Hiccup wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug.

"I- I was afraid… afraid that I would be trapped… that I would be abandoned in there into the night…" she sobbed quietly. Hiccup patted the top of her head and made calm shushing noises.

"No one is going to abandon you. I'm still here for you, and I always will be." He said.

"But I was… I was going to abandon everyone tonight. I was going to leave. But I got locked up in that cage, and I got so frightened." He shushed her again and placed his hand on her cheek.

"I know you were. I know that you have to leave, and I tried not getting attached, but I couldn't help it. You have become a part of the group. A part of our crazy, rag-tag bunch of morons. And I'm so glad that you were able to become a part of us. I wish you could stay, but I know that you have to go." He whispered right next to her ear.

"I couldn't help but get attached to you Shadow, you are a beautiful, unique person. I couldn't help but fall." He whispered again. This time, he was looking right into her eyes, which were now glowing bright I the absence of the moon. Her cheek was cradled in his calloused palm and holding her so she couldn't move. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, allowing him to absorb her scent.

Hiccup tilted his head to the side, closed his eyes, and slowly leaned in to her, making their breaths mingle together in the cold night air.

He licked his lips in anticipation and his breathing hitched in his throat as he began to close the space between their lips.

A panicked roar filled the air, killing the moment and forcing the two apart. Hiccup had a bright red blush on his face and Shadow looked wild. The draconic scream filled the air again, coming from a large distance away.

Shadow perked her ears, listening to the message while Hiccup waited.

"It's Toothless. He's saying the village is under attack. They've been ambushed by the Outcasts."

They stood up in an instant and began the long run all the way back to the village, all thoughts of escaping, abandonment and kisses flew out of their minds as they focused on getting back in time to save everyone. If the Outcasts were attacking, and had the element of surprise, it could have massive negative effects on the villagers and the dragons.

Not once did they stop until they reached the village, and as soon as they made it to the village limits, they went onto stealth mode to avoid capture. They crept through the darkness and shadows, following the sounds of a fight until they found Toothless. He was fighting a ferocious battle between him and six outcasts, all armed to the teeth with axes and swords. Unfortunately, he had been fighting for so long that now he was losing.

Shadow stopped Hiccup from yelling out and running to his best friend, hissing into his ear that they needed a plan. They watched, helpless, as ropes were being thrown over the Night Fury in an attempt to hold him down. At the same time, many other outcasts were fighting the remaining dragons and villagers, capturing them alive and herding them inside the great hall.

Shadow leaned forward, her teeth grazing Hiccup's ear. "I got a plan." She said. "These guys cant function well on their own, right?" Hiccup shook his head. Without Alvin the Treacherous, they were too stupid to come up with anything smart.

"We need to draw their leader out and eliminate him. The best bet would be using a long range weapon. My bow for example. I'll need to go and get it from your house, and I need you to cause a ruckus while I'm gone." Hiccup looked at her sceptically.

"If you run out there, screaming bloody murder, it should catch all their attention, and draw out their leader. I'll bet my left foot that you are highly wanted by him anyway, and are probably the reason he is here. With the leader out in the open, I can shoot him from a distance, causing panic among the ranks, and give you enough time to get Toothless or one of the other dragons free. From there we can take the rest of them out from the air and free the rest. Got it?"

Hiccup nodded. He wasn't entirely happy with the plan, but it was the best they got, and there was not much else they could do with just the two of them. Everyone else was out for the count.

"Ok, it should take me three minutes to get to your house, find my bow and arrows and get back here. So stay hidden here for three minutes, then unleash hell. By then, I should be back in time to watch the chaos unfold." She whispered.

Hiccup took a big breath and nodded. Shadow nodded too and slipped away in the dark, and Hiccup started counting.

WOOHOO! thirty chapters! its been great fun writing all this, and I'm glad you guys have read my work. I just want to say thanks for all the times you have read my story, thanks again. Now, THE BIG REVEAL IS NEXT! the part we have all been waiting for will finally be revealed in the next chapter, but I want to get a lot of reviews first. Please tell me if I have made any mistakes in my writing or could improve anywhere. I want to do creative writing in uni, and need to know where I can improve.

Review your thoughts and opinions. I love your feedback, and it will make me update faster. remember, the big reveal is coming up next!