I apologize for the delay. I had a ten page paper to write and some computer problems to boot. Not my most exciting weekend xD

I also got extremely distracted by Dreamwork Dragons: Wild Skies on Cartoonnetwork. If you guys haven't played it yet, go do that when you finish reading this chapter. I highly recommend it. I would also suggest making an account to save your progress. But it's actually not a bad game. The best is that it gives you great insight as to how each dragon reacts to the "trust" process, how they fly, and... while it's not exactly what Berk looks like, it gives you a good feel of the island and how big it is.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers! I honestly don't have much to say in response to you guys other than your reviews are the reason I'm still writing this (:

Just me: With your thoughts on whether dragons could understand Norse or not, lets put it this way. I think the dragons understand what they want to hear and what they think they hear. Kind of like dogs. They recognize the tone of the voice, mostly. When Hiccup was scolding Toothless in Gift of the Night Fury, lets be honest, he didn't sound mad at all. He sounded amused and was wagging his finger around so Toothless probably thought Hiccup was trying to be silly or something. But, well, Toothless obviously has some sort of recognition of words because he's able to react to Hiccup's commands and plans. Like in the most recent episode when they had to break through the ice to get the key piece. Hiccup didn't tell Toothless to burn through the ice but he understood, anyways. So he had to have been paying attention to the conversation and understood enough to do what Hiccup wanted him to. I can only assume that most of the dragons are like this (unless they're Hookfang and they just ignore their owner anyways xD). ...Did that make sense? Haha.

Chapter Six: Berk on Fire

Toothless caught back up with the others in no time. His dark form slunk through the air up behind Stormfly causing Astrid to fire a glance over her shoulder, at first thinking it was an an enemy. It took her many seconds to recognize the shape of Toothless.

"Hiccup! Oh, gosh, I about had Stormfly poison spike you. What in Thor's name were you doing?" she demanded.

The night was difficult to see through with no moon or starlight to provide some lighting, hidden behind the lingering clouds. Hiccup had to focus to see the outline of the dragons and teens around him. They looked like dark blobs. Meatlug's tossed about in her bumble bee like way of flying. She nearly knocked into Barf and Belch but the dragon dodged hurriedly, crying out angrily at her as she stumbled by.

"Sorry," Fishlegs apologized. "It's really hard to see right now."

"Toothless and I overheard Alvin. They're going to head for Berk now."

Astrid's eyes widened, but Hiccup couldn't see. "Now? Those idiots probably don't even know how to ride their dragons well enough, yet. This could be easy."

Hiccup couldn't quite feel the same confidence she had.

"At least that gives us more time than we think. Their ships will take a while to get to Berk, so maybe that'll give us until at least morning if not later to get Berk prepared," Astrid continued.

Hiccup perked up just the tiniest bit at this thought. Ships did take longer to get places than dragons. That gave them ample more time to prepare for the upcoming battle. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. Beneath him, Toothless roared softly in agreement. The Night Fury beat his wings hard, dashing his way to the front where he took the lead, zipping through the air. The wings of the other dragons could be heard behind them, flapping wildly to keep up and get back to Berk as fast as they could manage.

They reached the edge of the clouds and a world of sky opened up to them. Moonlight came flooding down, the brightness dancing off the silvery waves of the ocean and the shiny scales of the dragons. It was a full moon, go figure, hanging in the air like a giant orb. The stars that dotted the sky around it looked like little holes in the black canvas above them. They could now see each other, everyone's faces practically glowed in the pale light. The dragons seemed to shimmer, sparkling with each movement they made as ocean spray slid along their bodies. It was a magical scene and one that, if war wasn't looming so near in the future, that Hiccup felt would have been a wonderful moment to remember. The grim looks on everyone's faces, including the dragons, though, reminded him of what was to come and what they still had to endure.

The thought of his father came to mind.

"Oh, Odin, help me," he breathed to himself, but Toothless heard easily, craning his head around some to glance up at Hiccup. "It's okay, Toothless. Just wondering how I'm going to admit all this to my father. It's not like he can look any angrier than he ever does at me so maybe it won't be so bad."

Toothless whined softly, snorting and shaking his head. Hiccup knew instantly that his friend was trying to tell him that his father's reaction needed to be the least of his worries. What happened all ready happened and there was no changing it. The thing that they needed to be prepared for now was taking down Alvin. Hiccup could feel Toothless' muscles tensing with anticipation.

Stoick and the majority of the village had gathered in the Great Hall. After searching all day, many of the men and women were too tired to go out for another search. They were gathered together to eat and reenergize so that they would be capable of setting out again soon. Stoick was stiff, wanting to head back out now. He knew he could. Thornado had gotten word of what had happened while off visiting some friends, and had come back to the island to help. The blue Thunderdrum waited by the door of the Great Hall.

"Stoick, eat. You can't go out and try to find Hiccup through the night without having some energy," Gobber was ordering, keeping the village chief from going to his dragon by piling more food on Stoick's plate.

Stoick slid the plate away from him, muttering icily under his breath. "I can't just sit around eating, Gobber. My son is out there. Who knows what Alvin is doing to him."

Gobber hardened and pushed the plate back. He took his hammer-hand and pressed it into Stoick's chest to force the man to sit. He then motioned to the food again. "Eat first, and then you can go out all you want. Besides, Toothless is out there. Maybe he's even returning now with Hiccup on his back."

At that instant, the doors to the Great Hall swung open. Loud squeals interrupted the idle chatter as the hinges moved. Thornado bounced away to avoid being hit, the Thunderdrum looking over excitedly to see who had entered. The chill of the wind swept through the room, causing the torches and candles to flicker, but none blew out. The dazzling gleam of the hall remained as steady as ever, but even seemed to grow in intensity once the village realized who it was walking through the door.

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried out, his voice filled with as much glee as he dare muster in front of his people. He stood up so fast, he sent his chair behind him sprawling to the ground. Darting through the crowd, he ran up to where Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest were slowly entering through the door. "You're alive!"

Hiccup didn't even have time to respond before Stoick grabbed him, hoisting him up in elation. He held his son close to him, feeling the worries of the day finally managing to drift away. His son blubbered incoherently, asking for Stoick to put him down. He finally did, unsure as to why Hiccup didn't seem to share the same feelings that he did right now.

Hiccup, once safely back on the ground, sucked in a breath, "Dad, Alvin and his men are coming! They're going to try and destroy Berk."

Stoick's features grew grim. He stood up straight, gaze hardening at the news. He managed to remain calm, though the villagers behind him who had heard began to mutter restlessly. The chief looked up at the other teens, whose families were crowding around them. Then Stoick saw the evidence of what had happened.

Astrid bruised face, Tuffnut's bruised body, the scar along Ruffnut's cheek, and Snotlout's bandaged head. He looked back down to Hiccup, wondering what wounds his own son might be wearing.

Hiccup figured out what his father was looking for and sighed. "I only have a couple bruises dad. Alvin also nearly drowned me... twice."

"Drowned you?"

"Yeah, he held be under in a pool and then this morning he flew me out to the middle of the ocean and left me there. Toothless found me."

Stoick's expression grew puzzled. "He flew you?"

Hiccup's all ready sullen face grew melancholy and bitter. He had to gaze at his feet for a moment, searching for the right words. He seemed to be growing paler and ignored the sick stirring in his stomach. At that time, he recognized the feeling of hunger that had become familiar to him recently. The smell of the food in the Great Hall called to him, but he couldn't eat until he had told his father the truth. He clung to what little courage he had in him and turned his gaze back up. "I taught Alvin and the others how to ride dragons, dad."

"You what?" Stoick practically roared, his plump cheeks seeming to flush a deep shade of red. He reached out and grabbed Hiccup's shirt, pulling his son close to him, fury blazing in his eyes hotter than dragon fire. "Why would you do that?"

Hiccup felt more fear than ever before. Not even Alvin had quite the effect his father had on him. Hiccup hated letting Stoick down. It was a greater wound than being stabbed ever would. It made him ache to see the disappointment so clear in his father's eyes. His face burned hot with shame and he didn't even have the heart to defend himself.

Astrid rushed forward at that moment, leaving her parents baffled as she tried to pry Stoick's hand off of Hiccup's shirt. She looked at her leader with defiance, shouting, "He did it to save us. Alvin was going to torture and kill me and the others. If Hiccup hadn't done anything, none of us would probably be here right now."

Stoick finally released Hiccup and wheeled away, his cape flinging about him in a flurry. He paced up and down for a moment, trying to gather himself and fit everything together. His son had saved his friends by teaching their greatest enemy how to ride their new allies. Wars until now had always been human verse human or human verse dragon. Now, human and dragons would be facing each other on the same sides yet opposing sides. It seemed as if the dragons were divided, much like the Vikings were, so now both sides were drawing each in their own personal wars to gain an advantage. The question would be who would come out on top?

Turning back to Hiccup, Stoick saw the look on his son's face. The expression, the emotion. It was of one who felt utterly pathetic in the eyes of his father. A failure. What Hiccup had looked like for most of his life. Stoick had thought that that time had ended, but here again, he was giving his son a reason to feel that humiliation. And for what? For trying to save his friends?

Astrid was standing beside Hiccup, a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. She was glaring up at Stoick with the gaze of a fierce Viking. She had earned her right to live through whatever Alvin had put her through. Behind her, Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs were all watching, their gazes varying. Snotlout stood beside his father, seemed to not know whether to laugh at Hiccup or feel sympathy. He owed Hiccup his life here, but he was also normally the jerk who bagged on him. Tuffnut seemed passive while Ruffnut was frowning lightly, arms crossed. Fishlegs just looked terrified and was clutching Meatlug in the best hug he could manage.

Toothless was on the other side of Hiccup. Stoick hadn't even noticed that the dragon had brought forth his teeth and was baring them. The Night Fury's green depths were piercing and vivid. They locked on to Stoick's, telling him that he needed to let the anger for Hiccup go now. Stoick didn't particularly want to face the dragon's wrath and he could feel his frustration with Hiccup fading all ready. His son, since the defeat of the Red Death, had been making mistakes still, but had fixed every single one of them and never let Stoick down in the end. He had to believe that Hiccup could do that now.

"Look, this isn't important. What we need to focus on now is getting ready to face Alvin, his men, and their dragons. How much time do we have?" he finally asked, releasing the rest of his anger in a rapid exhale of breath. He remained serious, however, prepared to do what was needed to face Alvin.

"We think until morning," Astrid piped up, helping to move the situation beyond the previous argument.

Hiccup seemed to - not really cheer up, but managed to get serious. He turned to Toothless, placing a hand on his dragon comfortingly to calm him down. Toothless snorted before making a motion with his head to tell Hiccup to follow him.

"Astrid, dad, I'll be right back," Hiccup explained before he turned and dashed after Toothless, who fled the Great Hall.

Toothless didn't even wait up. Hiccup was a bit confused, having thought the Night Fury would have just flown them to wherever he wanted to go. That wasn't the case, however, so Hiccup, despite his protesting muscles, had to bound after Toothless as fast as he could manage. The dragon led him into the village and wandered over to Gobber's workshop. Toothless sniffed around a bit before locating what he was looking for, snagging it with his teeth, and dragging it out from beneath a bench.

Hiccup had to find a light source. He eventually retrieved a torch and lit it, holding it over what Toothless had retrieved to see what it was. "Your old tail and saddle. Are we going through this again, bud? Are you sure you don't want to keep that tail. You can fly all on your own with it."

Toothless glanced back at the prosthetic he was currently wearing. He cocked his head at it, as if trying to decide his thoughts. After only a couple seconds, he growled warily at it and turned back to the older fin. The skull stared up at them from the red-painted flap. The Night Fury sniffed it before nosing it towards Hiccup, who was still befuddled that Toothless would want to go back to wearing the old one.

"Why, Toothless?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders in question.

The Night Fury made a couple soft noises before leaning forward. He pressed his nose gently against Hiccup's own prosthetic, cooing louder. He pulled away and placed his nose on his old prosthetic, cooing again. When he pulled back, he turned around and held his tail out for Hiccup to remove his current tail piece.

Running his hands through his hair, Hiccup struggled to make sense of what his best friend was trying to tell him. He looked down at his leg and then over at the saddle and old fin. He frowned at them, wondering what was so special about them to Toothless that he would give up his freedom to wear them. Maybe Toothless just wanted things to end the way they started. Their friendship existed because Toothless had needed Hiccup to control his tail. Was Toothless worried that they couldn't be friends if Hiccup was partially in control?

That couldn't be it, though. Toothless had just saved him because of their friendship. They were clearly still together despite the change in tail pieces.

But it was their connection. Hiccup blinked in understanding. Toothless and him were more in sync, more connected, more together than ever when they had to work as one. They had to think the same way, feel the same things, and practically achieve viewing from the eyes of each other. It wasn't that way when Toothless could fly by himself. Hiccup wasn't a factor in control, Toothless was the only guide then. It was a barrier between them that neither Toothless nor Hiccup wanted.

So Hiccup removed the current tail and attached the old one. As he secured the saddle, Toothless turned his head around, crooning. He seemed to be tweeting with the sounds of a young bird. Happy to just be alive. The Night Fury grinned, pink gums lacking teeth for the time being.

When Hiccup was done, he went back over to the torch, which he had hooked up against the side of Gobber's workshop. He extinguished it before he and his best friend left. As Hiccup started to make his way back to the Great Hall, Toothless stopped. His elongated scales quivered, moving up and down, almost like they were testing the air. He cocked his head before a rumble that sounded eerily like thunder emitted in the distance.

Hiccup turned his gaze upward and saw the stars staring down at them. "That's weird..."

When he looked back down, Toothless was looking at him with a look of apprehension. The Night Fury lowered himself and Hiccup quickly swung himself into the saddle. He snagged at the chain on his vest, hooking himself on. He felt the sudden rush of being thrown upwards and then they were sailing over everything. The churning waters were the only thing heard for a while as the two flew out into nowhere. Hiccup tossed his head back and forth, wondering where the thunder sound could have come from.

Then he saw a light. Fire blazed along the horizon of the sea, smoke billowing up in tendrils. The forms of ships skipping across the ocean could be seen and Hiccup felt his stomach clench.

"Oh, Thor," Hiccup breathed, his voice barely escaping his throat as it tightened with unease. Beneath him, Toothless' body vibrated with a growl of warning and anger. The Night Fury let out a screech, but it didn't slow the ships. It was responded with another burst of the thunder-like noise splitting the air.

The ships were skimming the water, held by ropes which were being gripped by dragons. The outcasts' dragons. The creatures beat their wings furiously, attempting to keep the boats from falling and crashing into the water. The large, hulking ships carried catapults and a couple scores of men. Instead of trying to spend all night sailing, Alvin was having the dragons fly the ships to Berk. It was much the same idea Hiccup had had to get the baby dragons back to Berk back around Snoggletog. It was almost sickening to see the idea used in this way.

Hiccup bent down, touching the side of Toothless' neck. "We gotta' go warn my dad and the others. We need to be ready now."

Toothless nodded his head before veering and speeding back towards Berk. It took no time for the Night Fury to arrive back home at full speed, but Hiccup knew it wouldn't be too much longer before Alvin and the other arrives. Toothless landed on the steps of the Great Hall where Hiccup clambered off. He practically jumped up the last couple steps before swinging the door open wide. He rushed in, Toothless on his heels.

The Vikings were all gathered around the center fire pit. Astrid and the others were off to the side, gulping down food in mighty chunks and inhaling water. Ruffnut reached over and grabbed the chicken leg that her brother still had on his plate. He shoved her away before both winced in obvious pain from the sudden movements.

"Stop it, you two. Wait until you're both fully recovered to go at it again," Astrid sighed.

Snotlout laughed. "Wimps, can't even handle a small shove."

Ruffnut raised a foot and kicked Snotlout off of the bench they were sitting on. He went tumbling, his injured head getting tossed around and he cried out in agony. When he stopped rolling, he clutched his skull, muttering under his breath.

Astrid grunted, then turned as Hiccup approached. He was hungry, his stomach clawing itself. He grabbed Tuffnut's chicken leg while the boy was too distracted to protest. He devoured it faster than he thought possible, immediately feeling like he was going to be sick once it was down to nothing but the bone. He moaned, regretting that decision.

"You shouldn't eat so fast," Astrid pointed out.

Hiccup swallowed a bit of water she handed him. "You're a little too later on the info there."

Tossing the cup aside, he charged into the throng of men and women. Stoick was speaking, his booming voice resonating around the room and capturing everyone's attention. He was talking war strategies and ideas for when Alvin and the others arrived. He was putting the dragons into play, knowing that there would probably be battles in the sky now. Hiccup shimmied his way through some more people and finally manage to come up beside his uncle Spitelout, who stood to the right of Stoick.

"Hiccup?" Spitelout questioned, looking down at him with a puzzle gaze.

Hiccup waved awkwardly. "Uh, hi. Can I just, you know, squeeze by you real quick and get to my dad?"

Spitelout stepped back as much as he could. Hiccup tried to push himself through the gap, never so grateful for having been small. He managed to get all the way past and then collided with the body of his father. Stoick paused in his speech, looking down at Hiccup with a fierce gaze, not of anger at Hiccup, but determination to take down Alvin.

"Oh, hey, dad. Well, you see. There's been a slight change of plans," Hiccup started.

Stoick let out a deep sigh. "What is it, son?"

"Well, Alvin's dragons are kind of flying the ships here so I think they'll be here in about five to ten minutes, more or less."

Hiccup ducked as a cry of rage exploded from his father's mouth. The chief of the tribe jumped into action, his arms flinging out and about, ordering men and women to get to their posts or their dragons. The villagers grew into a frenzy, shoving each other aside as they scattered, each one hurrying to get to their stations. Hiccup watched as Stoick quickly called out to Mulch and Bucket, ordering them to lead the pregnant women, the elderly, and the children to safety by getting as far away as they could. The two nodded and slipped into the madness. The mass squeezed out of the Great Hall, leaving Hiccup, the other teens, Stoick, Toothless, and Thornado standing idly in the sudden silence.

"Hiccup, you and the others need to go with Mulch and Bucket," Stoick announced.

Astrid flew to her feet. "But we can help! We're the best at riding our dragons, you know that!"

"I know, which is why I need you with Mulch and the others. If any of Alvin's men break through and storm the island, I need people there to protect them. You have to do this."

Astrid stomped a foot on the ground, seeming ready to argue more. She had nothing to say against that, however, and was left in a rut. She turned and glanced at the others, who were all now standing. No one looked thrilled, as each one of them held the powerful desire to get back at Alvin for what he and his men did to them. At the same time, the apprehension of seeing Alvin again was still sitting in the dark pits of their memories and they did not want to come face to face with the leader of their enemies.

The lighting of the room had seemed to dim with absence of the other villagers. Shadows played across the walls and across the faces of the people in the room. They danced and twisted, seeming a fearful beauty. The faces of the people in the room were grim. Thornado and Toothless' were no different, their mouths hard lines across their muzzles. Their eyes gleamed, bright with the reflections of fire.

"Lets get going, guys. We need to figure out where our dragons are waiting," Astrid finally announced, waving a hand for them all to follow.

She started off with Fighlegs scurrying along behind her. The twins and Snotlout followed very soon after and, in only a minute, the five of them were silhouettes standing at the entrance of the Great Hall. They paused for a moment before they appeared to exchange words and then plunged down the stairs, vanishing from view.

Hiccup stood alone with his father and their dragons. He recalled the earlier conversation and the fury in Stoick's eyes. He winced, turning and looking up at the man.

"Dad, I need to stay and help here."

Stoick shook his head, his vast beard scratching along his armor. "No, you don't. Go with the others, we've got it."

"But dad-"

Stoick's eyes hardened with concern. "Hiccup, you have nothing to prove. Just because you taught Alvin how to train dragons doesn't mean that you need to make it up by staying back and fighting."

"That's not what I was going to say, dad! Listen to me," Hiccup demanded, taking a step towards the man. His own green eyes looked up, proclaiming that he wanted Stoick's attention and he wanted it now.

Stoick, surprised by the outburst, went silent and waited for Hiccup to explain.

"Maybe I can get Toothless to reason with Alvin's dragons. I don't know what their motives are for wanting to help him, but maybe I can make it an easier fight if we can get his dragons on our side. Besides, you know how useful toothless would be in this fight. We can blend into the night. That could give us the chance to attack Alvin's ships from behind."

Stoick pulled back into his own thoughts. Hiccup watched his father pace. The anticipation for the coming fight was rising up like a storm. The emotions crashing and swirling all around the island were like a maelstrom, warning of the impending battle that was soon to take place. It felt like a weight had been placed at one side of the island, putting Berk off balance. The island was going to start sinking soon if something wasn't done, but all anyone could do was panic and watch with dread.

Finally, Stoick nodded, "All right. But once you take out their ships and if Alvin's dragons don't listen, I want you to go find and help your friends. Deal?"

"Deal."

As the two turned to the door, Gobber stood in the frame. His outline was pale from the moon outside, but the fire inside made his face looking haunting. The man glanced back out before looking back in. He pointed tot he outside world and cried out, "They're about here, Stoick! We need you out here to lead us!"

Stoick nodded. He jogged to the door, pushing past Gobber. Thornado moved out after him. On the stairs, Stoick flung himself up upon his dragon and the Thunderdrum beat into the sky. Behind, Gobber scanned the skyline.

Hiccup came up beside the blacksmith, "What are you looking for?"

Gobber looked back down and laughed. Suddenly, the sound of wings could be heard. The wings creaked like that of old bones. When the dragon settled down at the bottom of the Great Hall steps, Hiccup understood why. It was the Bone Knapper that Gobber had befriended. The creature roared as soft as it could manage while Gobber hobbled down the stairs. He glanced back up at Hiccup, smirking.

"Didn't think you'd see him again, did you?" Gobber chuckled, reaching up and scratching the Bone Knapper under the chin.

The hulking creature let out a purring noise, welcoming the scratch with a grin of satisfaction. Once Gobber stopped, it used its nose to help him climb onto its back. Standing up, it let out its rock-shattering roar before leaping into the air. Hiccup watched it beat the air with pounding flaps before turning and following Stoick out towards the docks.

Looking out, Hiccup could see the ships and dragons of the outcasts approaching fast. The torches the outcasts held on the ships blazed their path, lighting up the world out at sea. The dragons' outlines were visible as the moon's light reflected off their scales, creating an eerie glow hovering in the air. The wind was picking up and whipped around the island like cold fingers, brushing against the skin of villagers and reminding Hiccup of the chill of the dungeon. He shivered, but swallowed down the lump in his throat and sought out his courage. He looked behind him to see Toothless waiting, form hunched and ready to take off.

Hiccup nodded, pulling himself into the saddle. Once he was hooked on, he wound his hands tight around the grip he had made for himself. He hunched his back, ready for the flight and saw the dark, pitch black wings of his Night Fury spread out to the sides, stretching out further beyond the width of the stairs. The dragon knelt down before pushing up, wings pressing down, and then was airborne. Hiccup always felt safe in the air because he knew he could do anything while with Toothless. Back in the dungeon, back on the outcasts' island, he had done enough to survive. Now, though, it would take the help of his best friend for Hiccup to free his home from the monster that was about to besiege it.

A thunderous roar bellowed through the night air. The village seemed to rattle under its presence. It signaled the arrival of Alvin. Hiccup adjusted and got Toothless soaring higher. Soon, the two floated invisibly above Alvin and his ships, waiting for their moment to strike.

The dragons released the ropes. The ships beat into the waves, causing an onslaught of crashes as water met water in a desperate attempt to flee the wooden masses. The ships maneuvered just off shore, turning to allow the catapults the best aim they could manage. The ships that didn't have the catapults continued forward, heading for the docks with hoards of men who would storm the island.

Thornado appeared out above the docks, the blue Thunderdrum carrying Stoick upon his back. Behind him, many of the villagers sat upon their dragons. Gobber and his Bone Knapper hovered just below Thornado, screeching a warning for Alvin to not come any closer.

"Alvin!" Stoick cried. "This is your one chance to turn around and not return. We're ready for you."

Alvin cackled, the laugh skimming through the air and hitting the ears of the villagers that gathered at the docks, along the cliffs, and amongst the houses. Weapons were raised, ready to kill, but none of them could escape the uncomfortable feeling that etched its way across their hearts as they heard Alvin.

"Well now, Stoick. I think you're underestimating the power of our new allies," the man chuckled, patting Blood Cry on the head.

The Thunderdrum smiled a dangerous smile. The wicked gleam in his eyes was clear to Hiccup. Alvin's dragon would not be persuaded to stop the onslaught. Hiccup could only hope that not all of Alvin's dragons were so. He shook his head at himself, unable to believe he didn't see it when he first met the red Thunderdrum. The creature hadn't seemed evil then...

Stoick blinked and said, "As you are underestimating ours."

That was when Blood Cry swelled up. The Thunderdrum released a cry into the air that burst like powerful waves at Stoick, Thornado, and the others. They all scattered, bursting in one direction or another to dodge the cry. It kept pummeling straight on and soon splintered one of the houses lined along the cliffside. With that roar, it was all hell. Nightmares, Nadders, Zipplebacks, Gronckles, Thunderdrums, a Bone Knapper, a Skrill, and a Whispering Death burst into shrill screams as the battle exploded.

Flames lit the air. Hiccup wheeled back as homes went up in smoke. Orange wisps sped along the wood and ash flew into the sky. The war cries of men and woman fueled the fight on as outcasts reached the docks and began to stream off in a hoard. Swords clashed, hammers were thrown, and the sounds of dragons colliding vibrated through the night. It smelled of smoke and blood as the crimson substance was shed upon the ground with fresh wounds.

Peering around, trying to tear himself from the sight, he looked down to the ships with catapults. Rocks were sent soaring through the air as the weapons unleashed them in a might swing. Hiccup watched one hit the bakery. A Gronckle came by a minute later, delivering another boulder for the catapult. As the meaty creature flew away, Hiccup bent down. Toothless looked back at him and Hiccup pointed at the ship where the men rushed to try and reload the weapon.

Toothless nodded and climbed into the air. He looked down, gauging the distance. As he finally let himself plummet in his dive bomb, the piercing scream he was known for shattered through even the drumming of battle. Hiccup could hardly hear above the rushing of the wind and Toothless. The Night Fury pulled up at that moment, an orange burst shooting out and hitting the ship in an explosion of purple and blue flames. Toothless retreated back into the night to vanish from view.

Berk's inhabitants broke out into cheers. Hiccup realized, at that moment, that the fighting had ceased as outcast and villager alike turned to see what Toothless would do. Upon discovering that the Night Fury was assisting them, the island of Berk was all ready celebrating. The outcasts muttered bitterly, wondering who would take out the dark dragon.

Alvin screamed into the air with frustration. His sudden noise shocked the island back into the fight and everything resumed.

Hiccup looked down to see that the island was burning. Fire from dragons on both sides were sending everything up in flames. Villagers who weren't currently engaged in battle rushed to protect the most valuable things and take them to safety. The flames bathed everything in an orange glow. Like the Great Hall, the shadows danced. The splayed across everything, giving the whole realm a dauntingly frightening look. Hiccup could barely recognize his home.

"Okay, lets go for that one," he muttered to Toothless, spotting another catapult being reloaded.

The two repeated the process. They managed to knock out three more ships, leaving four left, only one of which still had a catapult. The other three were empty, docked as their crews were on land now. Hiccup was about to order for the next one when a blast of white-hot fire grazed just past them. Hiccup recoiled and Toothless dived away to avoid another shot taken at them.

When he was able to locate the predator, Hiccup found the Skrill speeding towards them. The monstrous beast opened its mouth, saliva dripping down from its fangs. Its whole body was alight with lightning. Hiccup could see that its rider was no longer there, either shot off or fallen off during the fight. The creature was working on its own instinct now. It was coming for them.

"Toothless, think you could reason with it?" Hiccup begged, gripping tight to the handle and helping his dragon to move around to face the new enemy.

Toothless opened his mouth and a flood of desperate noises escaped his maw. The Skrill shrieked in response and a column of fire spewed out from its throat. Toothless spun to the right, just barely missing. Hiccup could feel the heat soar past. His hair seemed to go on end and he looked up to see the Skrill come close. Toothless rolled again, once again crying out, trying to converse with it. The Skrill continued to ignore him.

Hiccup, seeing that reasoning was pointless, took an intake of breath, his heart drumming wildly. He remained calm, knowing that compared to the Red Death, the Skrill wouldn't be too much of an issue. "Come on, bud, we gotta' take it out a different way."

Toothless snorted and turned to speed away. The other dragon followed. Hiccup looked back to see its narrowed eyes shining through the night, haunting and striking. He turned back forward and looked for some way to get away from it. He looked down, seeing the masses of dragons and people tumbling about along the coast and through the village. The fire was like a vast ocean on land.

"Toothless, get over to that forest and under the treeline. We can lose it there," Hiccup ordered, seeing that the forest back behind Berk lay untouched for the time being.

Toothless plunged and, soon, they were under the thick canopy of leaves. The darkness veiled them. Toothless twisted and turned, ducked and spin, before stopping and landing, bounding into a clear area and hunkering down. The Skrill's shriek laced its way among the trees, but the creature was soon forced to give up. Once Hiccup heard the receding sound of wings, he released the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Looking down at Toothless, who craned his head around to look up, Hiccup said, "Lets go back and take out that last catapult ship. Then we can keep the deal and find the others."

Toothless nodded and took back to the air. As they broke out through the trees, however, Hiccup felt like his eardrums bursted. Sound was all around him, and it punched him hard in the gut. He felt himself thrown with such a force that he was somehow detached from Toothless' saddle. He was floating for a moment and then flailing. The ground was rushing towards him.

He hit it full impact and he thought for sure his bones had shattered. He tumbled along the ground until his body rolled up against a tree where he came to a stop. Pain, agony, and misery swept through his entire being all at once. He reached out and pushed himself away from the tree, rolling over until he was lying on his left side. He checked to make sure he could feel all the body parts he was supposed to have. His right arm, left arm, head, torso, right leg, and left thigh. Everything responded to him, though with tendrils of ache.

Then he remembered Toothless. He managed to turn onto his stomach and was beginning to push himself up, his arms wobbling beneath him. His brain searched for the answer as to what had happened, but he wasn't sure.

Then an unbearable weight smashed onto his back and pushed him down. He crashed back onto the ground, sprawled out and shaking. His left cheek rested uncomfortably on top of a twig. The weight on his back didn't cease and he wondered if his spine was going to break. He heaved with the effort to keep breathing.

"What's the matter, Dragon Conquerer? Am I stepping on you too hard?" Alvin laughed, thrusting more weight onto Hiccup and shoving him harder into the ground.

Blood Cry came up behind Alvin, eyes glinting with victory.

YAY!

...Wait...

xD

This is the part where you review and then go play Dreamworks Dragons: Wild Skies... So do it... Both of those things x3

Love,

Deyoxis