This took me a while. I rewrote it twice. It isn't even that long.

But it's AWESOME.

Anyway, read it, tell me what you liked/disliked, or if this was just a total train wreck. Trust me, it probably is. 0.0

Astrid ran off towards the Viking army assembled about two hundred yards away. She scrambled easily over the rocks, but before she could cross the rocky coast the ground rumbled and she staggered. The rocks felt much sharper than she had expected.

She cried out as a rock jabbed her sharply in the stomach. Spitelout, one of the higher-ranking men in the Viking army, quickly came to her aid. She could see that she was not the only one who had lost her footing; several men nearby had stumbled and were picking themselves up off the rocks. "Astrid, duck!" Spitelout shouted.

The Mother Dragon had begun to chase after Toothless. It swung it's tail around dangerously close to the army as Toothless changed direction in midair. Astrid flung herself back onto the ground, missing the sweep of the Mother's tail by mere inches, strands of her hair being blown by the rush. She was attempting to avoid death, though the rocks hitting her blooming bruises weren't exactly much better.

Toothless and Hiccup had succeeded in getting the Mother airborne. Through the mist they flew, and a few moments later they had soared into the clouds, out of view.

"Astrid!" A rough voice called from the crowd. She stood up once more, ignoring the pain she was feeling like a true Viking, and turned to see both Stoik and her father making their way through the sea of bodies.

Astrid waved her arms high above her head, signaling to them her position. They hurried towards her.

"Astrid! Thank the Gods you're safe!" Magnus gathered her to him in a huge, suffocating hug. Once he let her go, Stoik put a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," He said, bowing his head slightly. "Your actions will not be forgotten."

Astrid smiled proudly at him. "It was the least I could - "

The crowd behind them suddenly gasped as the sky lit up for a split second.

"Lightning?" Her father asked.

"No," She said quietly, shaking her head. "Must be - "

A roar from said cloud finished her sentence. Her heart thudded against her chest as though it would burst. Come on, Hiccup... She trusted him, she wanted more than anything for him to return victorious, but that dragon was huge...

A few moments passed in complete silence. Everyone on the beach had their heads turned skyward, watching in horror as the cloud repeatedly lit up like lightning. Astrid placed her hand worriedly over her mouth. "Oh, Hiccup, come on! Please..." She tapped her foot repeatedly, she kept a tight grip on the axe that hung from her belt...

Then a resounding roar startled the crowd out of their silence. The cloud was literally moving, as though the wind was stirring it, and a huge figure came speeding towards the ground. The Mother was disintegrating, burning from the inside, as it careened into the ground. A fiery explosion engulfed the Mother where it landed.

Astrid's eyes grew wide as she saw Toothless flying straight into the inferno...and she saw the thin figure of a human falling before him, into the fire.

"No!" She screamed. Oh, by Thor's hammer...

She sped off towards the flames, which were already dying rather quickly. Her heart thudded, her lungs screamed, but she didn't care. She didn't even care that she was crying, which was very unViking-like, not to mention very rare for her. All that mattered now was her lost companion...and perhaps what had been lost with him.

"Hiccup?" She shouted through tears. "Hiccup, please..."

Her vision was becoming blurred. In her confusion she tripped once more and landed next to a very dark rock...that had two vivid green slits in it. "Toothless?"

The mighty Night Fury didn't seem to be as mighty as before. He lay on his side, wings folded before him.

"Oh, Toothless..." She gasped into her hands, as though in a vain attempt to pray. She let her tears spill unchecked as she noted that Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. Soft footsteps were behind her, which she realized was the army mournfully standing a few yards behind her for support.

"Oh, no, oh no..."

Toothless closed his eyes. She feared for a moment that he was passing away, but instead he unfurled his massive midnight wings. Held within was the limp body of -
"Oh, Hiccup..." She pulled him close and brushed the hair away from his face. He had several cuts and bruises, but there was one gash an inch beneath his eye that was dripping crimson blood. Stoik was behind her, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she could hear him sniffing.

She knew this was it. She didn't want it to end like this... She reluctantly kissed his lips tenderly before another shuddering sob overtook her.

Her face was dry now. The tears she had let fall were all she had left within her, and now she let her head fall to Hiccup's chest in defeat. His warm, comforting chest... Wait...what...? She pressed her ear against the left side of his chest.

"Oh gods, he's alive! Hiccup's alive!"

The crowd behind her began cheering. Astrid sighed with relief and breathed again. She was gasping for air, pulling in the cool breeze to calm her shaking limbs. Reluctantly, she stood up and handed Hiccup's limp body to Stoik and turned to thank Toothless. But a hand over her stomach revealed a gash she hadn't noticed, one that was staining the fabric of her shirt with blood.

That was the last she felt before the cheering became a muddled roar and the sandy bank rushed up to meet her.

Again, I just changed the storyline. Well, it was Astrid's point of view, I can't have her just standing around!

And, of course, I ask you once more for your lovely reviews, and I thank you for waiting this thing out. This has met a lot more success than my other stories have. Keep it up, oh devoted fans of AxH. :)