A/N – Here's a chapter entirely from Hiccup's POV! I know we all wanted one. There's not much dialogue, because there's no one for him to really talk to, besides himself and Toothless…so…here you go!

Oh, by the way, have I told you all how awesome you are? No?! Well, you all rock. Seriously.

X

Chapter 9: Whatever Comes

He landed after another long twilight flight, and wanted nothing more than to return to the starry sky on the other side of the clouds. But the sun warmed the eastern sky, brushing it purple and gold. His time was up. Toothless warbled; he wanted to fly more, too. He knew the risk, though, and didn't complain any more than that. Instead he meandered through the forest, toward home, silent among the bare and dead Blood Trees.

Hiccup missed the autumn. He loved to watch the bright Blood leaves twirl in the wind.

"Hiccup. You've spent the entire night out there again?" His mother met them at the hidden entrance, arms crossed. She snapped, "The whole village is in an uproar over your little stunt. You shouldn't be flying. Someone will shoot you both out of the sky."

Toothless said nothing. He knew better than to retort.

Hiccup also knew better. "Nothing happened. No one saw us."

"You're sure about that?" she asked flatly.

"Yes. We fly too high and it's too dark to see Toothless," Hiccup explained, gesturing to the calm Night Fury, whose skin matched that of a dark, moonless night. The dragon held no interest in the conversation. He had found entertainment in a half-rotten log. Hiccup sighed. Sometimes he wished he could be a dragon, too. Careless. Happy. Free.

"Hunters came close to the house last night," she warned. "They won't find it, but they are getting bold."

"If they won't find it, why are you worried about them?" he asked with a grin, but it vanished at the sight of her unamused glare.

"One of them might get lucky. You might do something stupid." She frowned. The lines on her face became more prominent. "You need to stop taking these risks. It's only been three days."

He sighed loudly, interrupting her.

"Son, this is serious. You exposed yourself to the village. They won't rest until they've hunted you down," she said in a deadly whisper. Her face softened. "You need to be more careful, Hiccup. You're the only son I've got. I don't want to lose you."

"I'll be more careful," he said automatically.

She shook her head. Long brown braids swished behind her. By her feet, a little Terrible Terror sat. It yawned, but then the air changed. Hiccup did not feel it. He saw it. The Terrible Terror stood, growling and clawing at the ground, needle-teeth barred and back arched, big eyes narrowed.

"Not again," Hiccup said quickly, turning to Toothless. He had lowered himself to the ground, just like the Terror, and pulled his wings in tight against his body. Hiccup approached himself carefully, hands outstretched and ready to jump out of the way.

No sooner had the sensation came, then it departed. The Terror shook and yawned. Toothless stretched and nuzzled into the dirt where he'd been digging.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked. "Those usually last longer."

His mother shook her head. She patted the Terror, and it cooed back at her. "The alpha is growing restless."

"What does that mean?" Hiccup asked.

She didn't answer.

"The dragons are already attacking more," he reminded her, depressing himself by thinking about it, about the casualties, about the injured dragons that she healed. "There's got to be something we can do about it. I mean, can't we go talk to the alpha or something?"

She laughed, a bright and vibrant sound that he rarely heard.

"There's no talking to the Alpha, especially one as stubborn as ours." She turned back toward the entrance to their cavern abode and ducked inside. She echoed back up, "Breakfast will be ready soon. Get some sleep or get to work."

He sighed again, louder this time. Guess their talk was over. Why was it always this or that? Why wasn't there ever a choice?

Hiccup took off into the woods, storming through the brambles, with Toothless a short way behind. His riding leathers made maneuvering through the forest much easier than the cloak his mother insisted he wear. She'd surely scold him about wearing the leather, too. She always had something to scold him about. She'd been horribly irritable ever since he'd saved that Monstrous Nightmare.

Of course, she was angry about it. What was he supposed to do? Stand back and hide in the woods while that poor dragon got slaughtered for sport? Absolutely not.

He walked for a while. Toothless barely made a sound, but Hiccup knew he followed. Sometimes he thought, for fun mostly, that Night Furies just might be made partially of shadows.

Gradually, the sun lit the tops of the Blood Trees and speared the dead ends with gold. A small bird fluttered onto a twisted branch. Its nimble feet found easy purchase. It whistled, and then bounced back into the air. Among the brief tone, Hiccup thought he heard something whispered behind it. Toothless perked, head titled, eyes focused on something unseen. Hiccup placed a hand on the dragon's head and strained to see what he saw.

Hunters? Hiccup readied to jump on Toothless' back. He took a step back when Toothless exhaled. No threat. Hiccup eased, but the sound touched his ears again. Just too far away to hear. He strained to see through the thick trees. Again, but to soft.

His heart leapt. "Is it her?"

Toothless grumbled. He wasn't a fan of Astrid, but he didn't openly dislike her. Whenever she appeared, he slunk off and out of view, sinking down into the forest floor, pouting. Hiccup patted Toothless and left him to his pouts. She never spoke very loudly, she couldn't with the hunters present. That often left him worried that he'd missed her.

"Hello?" Astrid's voice drifted through the trees.

He caught a glimpse of bright yellow. Hair. She carried something, hugged it to her chest. Hiccup tiptoed closer. She walked forward, looking ahead of her. In her arms she carried a small basket. Her wide, blue eyes scanned the forest. He could stand and stare at her for a while, but he wanted to hear her speak. Reaching out with his leather-covered knuckles, he knocked on a tree trunk.

Astrid jumped and spun. A small gasp escaped her lips. Those eyes looked him up and down, her startled confusion didn't wane. Blinking, he glanced down at his riding leathers. He'd always worn the cloak. To ease her discomfort, he shrugged.

Her surprise eased into that bright smile, but didn't fade. "There you are. I was beginning to think this was too early for you."

No, he wanted to say, but didn't. He'd held his promise to his mother never to speak to the Vikings. He shook his head instead.

Astrid smiled again, wider this time, and titled her head down slightly as she laughed. She held out the small basket. "I brought breakfast. It's not much, just a few biscuits, but my mother wouldn't let me leave without it. Want to join me?"

Yes, he nodded. He knew the perfect place.

He motioned for her to follow and held out his hand. Cautiously, she took it, and her skin eased into his exposed palm. His heart skipped. Aside from his mother, she was the only other human he'd touched. Something about felt different. He knew it wasn't all humans that felt this way. It was her. Astrid was special.

He led her to one of his favorite spots in the forest. It was a simple clearing, but the Blood Trees grew so thick that they mimicked walls. The stone of the mountain made up a smooth ground, and a small hole in the canopy glimpsed the blue sky.

"Oh," Astrid said as she ducked into the clearing after him.

Do you like it? He wanted to ask, but didn't. He watched Astrid walk the clearing's edge, examining.

"This is where you showed me the Nadder," Astrid said, eyes on the spot where the dragon had been.

He nodded. He'd been so close to getting her on a dragon. He couldn't help but wonder, what if he had?

Hiccup sat down on the stone, and she followed his example. She opened the basket and took out two biscuits, on for herself and one for him. She spoke while she ate, or more like picked at her food. Hiccup hadn't had much in the way of baked food. He tore a piece of the biscuit off and stuffed it underneath his mask when Astrid wasn't looking. He'd also kept that promise. He'd not shown his face.

The biscuit melted in his mouth, warm butter and salt. He tore off a bigger piece and ate the entire biscuit before Astrid had eaten half of hers. She caught him, though, and smiled. "Don't eat much out here?"

He shrugged. Fish, wild boar, and roots.

Astrid smiled down at her hands. She handed him her half-eaten biscuit and he eagerly took it. "You know, I was unsure at first whether or not it was really you on that dragon. But it couldn't have been anyone else."

Hiccup swallowed, savoring the flavor as it faded.

"If you would have worn your cloak, I would have known instantly."

He wanted to tell her about how he didn't feel like changing, or how he liked his flight suit better than that baggy cloak. But he didn't. He looked down at his leathers and shrugged.

"It's okay," Astrid said, a light pink on her cheeks. "It looks good on you."

He blushed, thankful for the mask.

"It's hard to think that you're the same person that they talk about," Astrid said, her eyes on him, unfocused. She chuckled, but it lacked the heart that warmed her laughter. "My dad calls you the 'Dragon Master.' He's determined that you're some kind of demon-monster-man with magic powers to control the dragons."

He'd heard those rumors, too, from eavesdropped conversations of hunters, afraid of finding the dragon-demon and wishing someone else would. They would shift their eyes and hold their weapons with white knuckles. Their knees would slack.

"Did Nak and Hoark really see you?" Astrid asked, leaning toward him, brows furled.

Hiccup chuckled, and she raised a brow. He wanted to tell her how he'd risk his own hide and his mother's wrath by jumping out at two hunters the day before. He'd never heard a grown man scream so loud, or high, or seen a human run so fast. He'd laughed about it until he told his mother.

"Everyone is afraid of you," Astrid said, bringing him out of his mind. "But…I'm not."

Something inside his chest warmed. It was a sensation he'd come to associate with Astrid. She made him feel it more and more, like he might float away and never come down.

Her expression softened. Those blue eyes met his and she said, "Should I be?"

No. He shook his head. He tentatively reached out to her. She didn't move or flinch, but met his hand halfway. Her warm fingers laced with his, and he was sure if she didn't have a hold on him he'd be floating away.

"That's good," Astrid said. She smiled. Feathers flickered against his ribs. "I don't want to be."

X

With the last wisps of twilight, Hiccup snuck toward the village. He mustn't be seen, he told himself, while watching for hunters' traps and alert sentries. They had multiplied these past few weeks. Hiccup doubted anything would happen to him with Toothless so close, but it didn't stop him from being careful. He didn't want anything to happen to either of them.

Little lights poked through the trees. The village. Toothless stopped, chirped, and held his head down.

"It's alright, bud," Hiccup whispered. "Stay here, watch out for hunters. I'll be back in a minute. Okay?"

Toothless shook his head mournfully. Hiccup patted the dragon on the nose and continued toward the village.

He knew which house was hers. He'd followed her home a few times, only to turn around after she closed the door. Did she know? He wanted to see her, to hear her, but how would he get to her? Too many sentries patrolled the village, looking for him. Their watching torchlight never faded. And even if he slipped past them, there was the house itself. How would he get inside? which window led to her? He doubted her parents would be happy to see him. From what she said about her father, Hiccup would be happy never meeting him.

A sentry's light broke his thoughts. Hiccup ducked behind the closest tree as the formidable Viking passed, all scowl and beard. Small, wide eyes searched from side to side, underneath heavy eyebrows. The man walked on. The light from his torch hadn't vanished before another appeared, and the light of another rounded the corner of two houses. They left no shadows between them for him to hide in.

Defeated, Hiccup took a retreating step back into the forest. Tonight wouldn't do. The path to her held too many obstacles. She would have to come to him, whenever that might be. It had already been three days since he'd seen her last. When would the next day come? Tomorrow? A week? He didn't want to wait that long.

With each step, the light from the village grew fainter, until the darkness surrounded him. It didn't frighten him. He had grown up in it, learned to live with it, to use it. Toothless waited where Hiccup had left him, patiently waiting, eager to see him again. He nudged Hiccup's hand, and left a long string of warm saliva behind.

"Ew," Hiccup groaned. He wiped the spit on a tree. "I'm glad to see you, too."

Toothless smiled into his hand, but not a moment after, Hiccup felt the change in the air. Tension seized, gripped, and held on.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked, removing his hand from the dragon's proximity.

Toothless flattened and arched. His dragon-grin vanished and a snarl replaced it. Poised close to the ground, ready to attack, wings folded, teeth barred, eyes narrowed and feral. Hiccup froze. All around him the forest buzzed with impatiently dragons, urged by the unseen forces of nature.

"Toothless," Hiccup said, cooing the dragon with quick hand signals his mother had taught him. Never touch an angry dragon, unless you wanted to lose a few fingers or a hand. Hiccup bit back those words. "Hey, Bud, look at me. At me."

Hiccup stepped in front of Toothless, slowly, to avoid a sudden reaction. He opened his hands, non-threatening stance, and took even breaths. The forest jittered and growled, a multitude of dragons edging their way toward the village. Hiccup kept his interior calm. It took several long moments, but Toothless' growl lessened and gradually his tension deflated. He shook his head and whined. Kind eyes looked up at Hiccup, as if nothing had happened, and he nosed his exposed hand.

"There you are," Hiccup said as he stroked Toothless' head. "You had me worried there. I thought the alpha took you, too."

It hadn't yet, and Hiccup wanted to keep it that way.

Toothless nudged him closer, circling his body around Hiccup's. His snarl returned, but not feral this time. Protective. Dragons clipped the tops of the bare trees, wings extended and claws open. They howled and cried, under the forced allegiance of the hidden alpha, toward the village to feed their master.

The dragons decreased and Toothless pushed Hiccup in the direction of home.

"No, Toothless," Hiccup said firmly. He balled his fist. "I have to do something."

Toothless gave an unenthused growl.

"Come on," Hiccup said, jumping onto the dragon's back. He secured his mask.

Toothless reluctantly spread his massive black wings and took off toward the sky. With his speed, it didn't take long to join the hoard. Fires already lit the evening sky, turning the blue sky orange and gray, melting icicles and snow. Dragons rampaged through the smoke, fire dripping from jaws and teeth snagging sheep, chickens, yaks, and anything else they could find. Vikings chased them, weapons in hand and raised, poised to kill.

Where to start?

A group of Nadders cornered several sheep in a paddock. Vikings raced toward the fence with axes and hammers held high.

There.

Toothless fired at the ground between the Nadder and the Vikings, starling the humans and dragons. The Vikings hesitated, looking around bewildered and confused, whereas the dragons took off to the sky with only a single sheep between them.

Hiccup sighed; hot breath bounced off the inside of his mask. They flew over the confused Vikings, and several fingers pointed to the sky. Hiccup glanced back to see them gawking, hammers frozen in midair. Pride swelled in his chest. Being visible felt good.

Hiccup and Toothless flew back and forth over the village, rescuing dragons and preventing disaster to both dragon and human, as much as he could. He blew apart the catapults, only having to watch it bring down one dragon. Its terrible cry echoed as the boulder brought it to the ground. Crossbows were another matter. Hiccup could dodge those he saw coming, but several arrows whizzed by with less than a hair between it and him. They couldn't stop moving.

Before tonight, Hiccup had only heard the terror coming from the village. He had never seen it. Between the shrieking dragons, wailing Vikings, and flames, it was chaos. Hiccup grit his teeth. He didn't have time to quiver in surprise. There were lives to save.

Toothless warbled impatiently, a warning. An angry Monstrous Nightmare, flanked by arrows, landed haphazardly on a Viking house. An arrow landed in its shoulder and it let out a horrible cry. Panic rose in Hiccup's chest. The Nightmare burst into bright flames that ravaged through the rooftop, licking down the house's walls. Cries set out among the Vikings. A man dropped his hammer and without hesitation threw himself into the house.

The Nightmare's weight made the roof creak and crack, sending embers into the air. Toothless fired. The blast exploded in midair above the dragon, disorienting it, and it rose into the air. The root collapsed; embers raced into the air. The man burst out of the house, but he wasn't alone. He pulled a woman behind him, and a familiar face followed. Astrid just jumped through the burning doorway as the house caved in on itself.

Hiccup's chest caved in. He should have recognized it sooner. It had been her house.

Toothless gave a quick sideways lunge, jerking Hiccup to the side. A flaming arrow barely missed Hiccup's head, and instead went flying into the smoke. Down below, angry Vikings gathered, pointing and shouting, crossbows lined and aimed upwards, at him.

Hiccup barely at time to react before the burning arrows flew into the air. Toothless made a dangerous free-fall, avoiding most of them, except one that grazed Hiccup's shoulder. He groaned, clasping a hand over his arm. Toothless furiously flapped, rocketing them into the clouds. Hiccup pulled his hand away. No wound, only a scorch on his leather.

Toothless warbled, looking up at his rider.

"That was close," Hiccup sighed. "Why are they shooting at us?"

Toothless whined, shaking his head at his rider.

He had only been helping them not die. Maybe his mother had been right about them. Hiccup shook his head. He refused to give in like that.

He urged Toothless back down into the chaos. Vikings rushed toward a door set into the mountain, the Great Hall he assumed, from what Astrid had told him. He found her on the stairs, yellow hair gleaming in the firelight, blue eyes reflecting a bright sky regardless of the daytime. Her eyes, along with others around her, found him in the sky.

Astrid shook her head, eyes on him, and Hiccup tensed. He knew that look, even if she denied the emotion. Fear. She feared him?

The man that had recused her from the burning house pointed up at him, angry words on his lips, but Hiccup couldn't hear them. The man glared; his eye matched Astrid's.

The man yanked Astrid away, toward the Great Hall. An arrow whizzed by Toothless and brought Hiccup's attention back. The attack. Dragons attacked Vikings. Vikings attacked dragons. The end felt too far to be real, but Hiccup pursued, keeping the causalities to a minimum. As the dragons waned and vanished back into the forest with whatever profit they had, Toothless joined them.