Lucky you; you get a two-for-one special! Okay, this was originally going to be two separate chapters, but they were exceedingly short and paired each other well.

Oh my...

She couldn't help it; she lifted a hand and raked the cloud, her other hand holding securely to Hiccup. Then, as they circled the lone cloud, she laughed and lifted both arms to touch it. Hiccup smiled and looked back at her, relishing in her joy as much as she was.

Astrid was absolutely speechless. Toothless angled upward and took them out on top of the clouds where the sun no longer reached at this late hour. The deep blue of the sky was suddenly pierced by the beautiful dancing lights that were the stuff of the most wonderful legends. And here, to see them firsthand!

Hiccup hand unknowingly placed a hand over hers, which she had once more placed around his chest. His hand was gentle and sweet, adding intimacy to the moment they were sharing. They were no longer fierce competitors; now, they were just two equal Viking teens, sharing the sweetest moment ever to be known.

Toothless took them down a bit, until they broke through the cloud once more and soared high over the buildings of Berk. The sun had disappeared, leaving the village aglow with candles and torches.

"Ohh!" Astrid sighed contentedly. Hiccup smiled and stroked her hand gently with his thumb, sending her heart fluttering again. She pulled closer to him and hugged him tightly, setting her head on his shoulder. The warmth of his body didn't help to slow her heart rate, which she hoped he couldn't feel.

They glided above the village. It looks so peaceful in the evening, Astrid thought with another deep sigh of content. This was everything she'd ever wanted, without even knowing she wanted it. It was as though the world was opening itself to her and Hiccup, and just for them.

"Alright, I admit it: this is pretty cool." Astrid said with a small wave of her hand. "It's...amazing. He's amazing." She slid a hand down to pat Toothless on the side lovingly.

Suddenly, she realized something that killed her lovely mood. "Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow!" She said nervously. "You know you're going to have to kill a - " She lowered her voice even further and whispered in his ear. " - kill a dragon." Her lips brushed accidentally against his ear and made him shiver slightly.

"Ughh, don't remind me – Toothless?" The dragon had just perked his ears up. The teens heard it too; a very strange sound, like high pitched warbling.

Toothless banked suddenly and flew much faster than the cruising speed they had gone at before. Now they were speeding through a dense cloud of mist. "Toothless, what's happening?" Hiccup asked nervously. Then they saw it.

Dragons. Hundreds of them. All heading in the same direction as Toothless, through the hanging mist. They all held within their claws their kill of some sort. Some held goats, others held sheep. Some even carried a couple fish...all except Toothless, Astrid noted with a pang.

"Get down!" Hiccup hissed. Hiccup leaned drastically forward. Astrid leaned down onto his back. Even in the situation they were in, Hiccup didn't exactly ignore the feel of her body pressed against his.

Suddenly, they were in a dark cave that one would not notice unless they actually flew in through the mouth, and alighted on a stalagmite. The cave had an eerie crimson hue, which made it much more frightening than necessary.

The incoming dragons dropped whatever food they had into the reddish pit beneath them. Suddenly, a very large, very powerful head emerged from the mist and snapped at a Gronckle that had skimped on the amount of food it had dropped. This frightened the other dragons enough that they flooded out of the caverns. The large dragon in the center saw Toothless sitting on the crag and made to crush him with it's powerful jaws.

"Toothless, time to get out of here!" Hiccup commanded and the Night Fury took off in one bound. With that they were off and out of the newly discovered nest and into the cool night air.

"Toothless, take us home." Even Hiccup sounded frightened; Hiccup, who had just given her the time of her life, who had just braved a crazed dragon to make sure she wasn't afraid.

And this is what frightened her the most.

R&R, gimme some pointers...whatever you've got. :D