Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD in any way shape or form. I do own my original characters.

Night and Day

Chapter 13:

As much as Toothless tried to pull the ship as fast as he could Hiccup did make him rest from time to time. There were other dragons that could pull the ship instead of him, but Toothless was convinced none of them were as fast as or as strong as he was. They needed to save Star and that meant Toothless taking the lead.

"I know you miss her bud." Hiccup said softly as he gently rubbed at Toothless's head. He'd had to take off Toothless's automatic tailfin after the stubborn night fury had ignored Hiccup's orders for the hundredth time. "We'll get her back."

"Before or after I kill the ones that took her?" Toothless mumbled more to himself before pulling away from Hiccup to go back to pacing the deck of the ship.

Hiccup sighed softly and shook his head. There was nothing he could do to comfort his upset night fury friend. Their prisoner had given them as much information as he could about the traps and other deceptions that they would come across.

Even with the information Mason had given them Hiccup was nervous. They should have passed by the first obstacle yesterday, but instead it'd been nothing but clearing sailing. The fog bank that Mason had warned them of had vanished as soon as their fleet had come up to it.

"Bring me the prisoner." Hiccup commanded as he pulled out his spy glass. He spotted a few islands here and there, small sandy spots or outcroppings of rocks, but otherwise he didn't see anything of concern.

Soon enough Mason was with Hiccup on the deck of the ship. The man had been cleaned up and his arm had been taken care of after he had agreed to cooperate.

"Well?" Hiccup asked as he handed the spy glass to the prisoner. He watched impassively as Mason lifted the tool to his eye to look out at the calm sea. Hiccup noticed the subtle twitch of Mason's head as if he could hear something.

Mason handed the spy glass back. "You're expected." He said simply. "The traps have been removed. The dragon sentries that are used to confuse outsiders and sink ships aren't at their posts." To Mason that meant Havardr had arrived with Star. The white night fury would have argued for the safety of the Berkians; that was the only reason Berk's fleet hadn't been turned around or sunk yet.

Hiccup thought about this for a moment before nodding his head. "Send a message to the other ships," He said as he walked over to the person holding a terrible terror. "No attacking unless provoked. Be wary, but unless there are obvious signs of aggression I don't want anyone to engage in combat."

An angry grumble from Toothless made Hiccup sigh and shake his head. "They're not attacking us Toothless. If we attack them who knows what they'll do?" He was trying to get Toothless to see reason. "They might keep us from Star if we're hostile."

Toothless snorted at that. "I'd like to see them try." Toothless stormed over to Mason and glared silently at him for a minute before turning to head below deck.

When Toothless was gone Hiccup let out the breath he'd been holding. "So..." He took a drink from the water skin that he'd taken to keeping with him. "Is it always this hot around here?"

Mason tried to keep from smirking at that. "Yes, but locals don't notice." He took the offered water and took a hearty swig. "You're used to the freezing cold; I'm surprised more of your people aren't sick from the heat."

When they'd first noticed the heat Hiccup had gone to Mason to find out what they could do. Even though the man was their prisoner Hiccup knew his information and experience would be useful. "You told us to drink water regularly and to stay out of the sun as much as possible, so that's what we're doing."

Silence stretched between captor and captive and it gave Mason a chance to shuffle over to the railing of the ship to look down into the water. He could hear the soft voice of Rivera from the depths and it relaxed him. He knew the water dragon was down there subtly guiding the ships towards home.

"We should arrive in a day." Mason commented as he looked up at the sky to figure out the time. "The port isn't big enough for your ships, so you'll either need to fly in on your dragons or row in on one or your smaller boats."

Hiccup nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "And what would you suggest?"

Mason shrugged and looked at one of the dragons pulling the ship. "Fly in. Seeing you on good terms with your own dragons will put my people at ease."

The second the port came into view Star had retreated below deck. Both Havardr and her mother had assured her she would be safe, but this was a new place she'd been brought to against her will; she didn't trust these strangers. The stares she'd been getting from the sailors were bad enough; what would the people on land do? She hated being stared at and it'd taken a long time to get used to the people of Berk staring at her.

"Come on Star, everything will be fine." Havardr insisted as he tried to coax the white dragon out of a corner behind some barrels.

Star looked out over the barrels and stuck her tongue out at him. "You can't make me!" Her statement was true enough. With all the bindings removed from her Havardr couldn't physically move her. "I'm staying right here until we go back to Berk."

Havardr sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Seriously? You haven't even seen the place! I said I would take you back after you at least met with the elders." He couldn't believe how stubborn Star was being. "Stop being a spoiled brat and get into the landing boat." He had to quickly dodge when suddenly a barrel was sent flying at his head. "Oh! You've asked for it now!"

Before Star had time to react there was suddenly a very heavy presence on her back. She swung her head around and her eyes went wide when she found Havardr on her back. "Get OFF!" She cried out in a panic as she began bucking and twisting around to get Havardr off her back. "No one rides ME!"

Havardr hung on for dear life as the white night fury female began flailing around and ramming into the walls to try and dislodge him. Star ran up the stairs and spread her wings on deck to give herself more room to try and flip Havardr off of her. He didn't quite understand why Star was struggling so much or why she was so adamant about not letting anyone ride her, but at least his tactic had gotten Star out from hiding.

"Off, Off, OFF!" Star demanded over and over as she angrily jumped into the air to fly several feet up. She spun once she was in the air and dove into the water. Star could feel Havardr hanging onto her tighter as she shot through the water and then back into the air. Star roared and pushed herself to go as fast as possible as she rose higher and higher into the air.

Once she was high up into the air Star could feel herself starting to relax. Joy blossomed in her chest at the feeling of her wings fully stretched and pumping. She didn't even care that Havardr was on her back as she tucked in her wings and fell for a few minutes before stretching her wings out again to catch the air. The warmth in the air helped to lift her back up after her free fall and it was all she could do not to just dive again.

"I'm gonna be sick." Havardr mumbled as he fought to keep his stomach still. He'd only ridden on dragons a few times; not many of his people rode dragons seriously and Havardr had never been one of them. He hadn't been expecting Star to perform so many aerial tricks the second she was in the air again.

"Not on me you're not." Havardr's threat reminded Star that she did in fact have a stow away on her back. "Just hold on." She told him before she changed her direction towards land. As much as she wanted to just fly north she knew Berk would be too far for her to fly on her own.

Star glanced around at the port as she approached land and she winced. Her little display had attracted a great deal of attention and now there were a whole lot of people waiting at the docks and looking up at her. There was enough room made for her to land, but she didn't want to land with so many people around. Instead Star made a beeline for the sandy shore not to far from the docks. Luckily the beach wasn't nearly as crowded.

She landed with a strong gust of wind that knocked up the sand beneath her, but it helped to keep the few people that were around back. "Off." Star told Havardr one last time as she held still for him.

Havardr was off of Star's back in record time. He ended up on his knees as he took deep breaths to calm both his stomach and his nerves. He glanced up when a shadow loomed over him and found himself looking up at the narrowed eyes of a very angry white night fury.

"No one rides me." Star told Havardr darkly with her teeth bared. "I don't care who you are or how important you think you are, I am not to be ridden." With that said Star blew a hot gust of breath at Havardr through her nose and then turned to look at the approaching people.

"Take care of that. Before I take off again." The white night fury warned the man who was using her side to stand back up. She was not in the mood to be compromising at the moment and if taking on a position of authority meant she would be left alone then she'd take it.

Star would never describe herself as skittish, she just hated being the center of attention around strangers. Strangers were difficult to predict and she never knew what might happen. When she'd first gotten big enough to ride, people had randomly tried to climb up onto her back; which was probably why she didn't like having people on her back to begin with.

Havardr sighed a little and nodded. He raised his hand up to greet the oncoming people and then stepped in front of Star so he could address them. His words were quick and to the point as he asked the crowd to disperse.

The crowd of people didn't want to leave, not when the white night fury that they'd been waiting to see again for years was finally returned to them, but eventually city guards arrived to help persuade the throng of people.

In the time it took for the guards to get the onlookers to go away Star had made her way to the ocean water and had happily waded into the shallows.

The water was a lot warmer then Star was used too, but it felt good to work at the grime that had built up along her scales while she'd been at sea. It felt good to roll onto her back and scratch at the scales along her spine using the wet sand. After a few minutes of splashing and cleaning herself Star rolled onto her stomach and looked out at the open ocean. Her eyes misted over as her thoughts reached out towards Berk and Toothless.

"Star?" A voice interrupted her silent meditation and her white head turned and her plates lifted up. Havardr stood there with his hands clasped behind him and there were a few armored men standing a few feet behind him. "It's time to go."

Morning Star looked back at ocean for a moment more, her eyes filled with longing before she let out a small sigh and stood up. Her scales glistened with droplets of salt water and sand. She waited until she was out of the water and standing next to Havardr before she shook herself to assist in the drying process. As she had planned the water that had been clinging to her was now all over Havardr.

Havardr bit his tongue to keep from saying anything, but his look of irritation was all Star needed. "The drowned rat look suits you." Star mumbled with a smirk before going past Havardr to head towards the docks were the small landing boat was currently being tied off. Her mother was being helped onto the docks and Star wanted to make sure the elderly woman was alright.

"Sir?" of the four guards currently standing behind Havardr three followed after Morning Star to make sure no one got to close to the white night fury. The fourth stayed behind to help Havardr.

The soaked man took a deep steadying breath before chuckling. "The elders are going to have their hands full with her." He reached up to get his dripping bangs out of his face. "Have the flight escort ready to take Morning Star to the nest. She's going to want to meet with the elders as soon as possible."

The guard nodded and went off to go and get the dragons paired with the guards ready for flight.

With a quick glance at the sky as he walked back to the docks Havardr confirmed that most of the dragons between here and the nest had been grounded to show respect to the returned white night fury.

"Mother if you're not feeling well you can ride on my back." Havardr heard Star offering once he returned to the group. He eyed her careful to see if she'd timed that particular offer with his arrival, but she seemed genuinely concerned for her human mother. Seeing as how the elderly woman couldn't understand Star one of the guards that was able to translated.

Elizabeth smiled in relief, but she shook her head. "That's sweet of you dear, but I'm going to go by cart. Flying doesn't suit me very well."

The group waited, since Star insisted, until Elizabeth was on her way before the first dragon guards lifted up into the air.

"I thought no one rode you?" Havardr teased before being helped up onto the last dragon guard on the ground. He made a rather bland face at the prospect of flying again, but it was the fastest way to get to the nest.

Star spread her wings and bolted into the air faster then the nadder that Havardr was currently on. "My mother isn't just anyone." she replied with a dignified sniff. In her mind Star figured if she offered rides to people then they wouldn't be actually riding her like people did other dragons. When a person rode a dragon then that person had most of the control; Star refused to give control of herself to another person.

Seeing as how Star had no idea where she was supposed to go Havardr, riding on a nadder, took the lead while the other guards flew in a loose circle around Morning Star.

She found having an escort curious. Where they afraid she'd make a break for it despite the fact she'd have nowhere to go? Or perhaps there were people around that didn't want her there and the escort was for her protection.

A part of Star was tempted to dash ahead of her escort, she knew she'd be able to outpace them easily even with her bad wing, but she held back. She'd already had one outburst and she didn't need these people distrusting her.

"So where are we going?" Star asked to no one in particular. It was one of the dragon guards to her side that replied.

The hobblegrunt, whose scales were a mix of yellow and purple at the moment, got as close to Star as he could as they flew. "We're heading for the nest," His scales shifted more to the yellow. "The elders are waiting for you."

Maybe it was because of the hobblegrunt, but Star felt a sense of calm wash over her as they flew. With a flick of the hobblegrunt's head Star looked forward towards the largest mountain on the island. She could see various dragons flying around the mountain only to land the closer she and her escort got. With her sharp eyes she could see many of the dragons perching on ledges and at the entrances of many caves to watch her approach.

Star felt nervous again as she realized there were a lot of dragons around the mountain just watching. This was as bad as back at the docks with all those humans watching her! She hated being the center of attention and here all these dragons were focused on her.

"Calm yourself," Again Star felt calm seeping into her mind as the hobblegrunt spoke. "They are just excited to see you returned to us." he gave her a lopsided smirk which Star returned shyly. "They will not approach you until you're ready."

That reassurance helped to settle Star's nerves. As long as she wasn't crowded Star would be fine; for the time being at least. She took a deep breath and then another as she and her escort flew lower to align with a large cave entrance with carefully carved arches. Sitting at the center of the arches was a single night fury.

Star felt a jolt as she recognized the type of dragon and for a brief moment she hoped it was Toothless. Her hopes were dashed though when they landed and she took a closer look at the night fury greeter.

The night furies scales were a deep blue instead of black and he had red markings that stood out from his blue scales around his eyes. Although one of his eyes was a rich crimson color the other was dulled to grey with a harsh scar going across it. As they got closer Star was acutely aware of the fact that this night fury was bigger in size compared to Toothless; which meant he was even larger then she was.

"The elders are waiting." The dark blue night fury with the red markings and one good eye stated as he stood up and turned to lead the way into the mountain. "I've been assigned as your personal guard here on the island. I'm Shade."

Star stood there in shock as Shade waited for her to follow after him. Other then Toothless she'd never seen another night fury before and truth be told Morning Star hadn't completely trusted Havardr when the man had told her that there were other night furies here on the island.

Slowly, just in case this was a trick, Star walked up to Shade. She kept her body low the closer she got to the other night fury. He watched her with interest, his ear plates up in curiosity. He held still even as Star reached out to touch his leg with one of her paws.

Quickly Star pulled her paw away after the light touch and her own ear plates came up when she heard a light chuckling. She stood up straight, her ears coming back down in irritation, when she realized Shade was laughing at her!

"I'm very real."

Star snorted at that and held her head up high before walking forward past Shade into the mountain.

Shade waited a moment as he watched the white night fury go. She reminded him of a hatchling with her antics. "You coming?" Shade asked behind him towards the guards and Havardr.

Havardr groaned and nodded. He was still recovering from his second flight of the day. "Go on ahead; I'll catch up." The man could not understand how the human guards could stand flying so much on their partnered dragons.

The dark blue night fury nodded and went on ahead to catch up with Star before she got too far ahead and ended up lost in the labyrinth that was the nest.

A/N: FFFFFFFFFFFFF- I am so sorry it took a year to write this horrible chapter. It's trash. I know it, but it's the best I could get out. I even changed the fricking plot just to get this chapter out (not by much, but enough to actually write).

Acknowledgements!

I held a fanart contest last year and the winners got to enter their characters into the story. The winner? Nixxon Mysterio with his night fury Shade! Thank you for participating and I hope I do your character justice in the future. If anything doesn't work just tell me and I'll make changes.

Hailey: Thank you very much for the inspiration.

Thanks to yessboss21, Edward James Kenway, peinisimo, lexielue10, SoNevable, Luna Silveria, gmjngvkh, and the many others, guests, and anons for continuing to review and encouraging me to post an udpate!