Chapter Nine

A/N: Only a couple more chapters to go. (This might be the second-to-last but I'm not sure. My outline for this story is pretty vague so it's hard to tell.)

In response to...

The Wolf Raven: Thank you, I was afraid the last chapter sounded weird, it's relief to know you didn't think so. And of course I've seen the movie poster! I fawn over it all the time nowadays... XD And yes, Hiccup's little braid is adorable. The story is about 80 or 85% done. So we're getting close.

Guest: Haha, I'm sorry! XD I sometimes can't fight my inner evil-author.

XxPinkXMustachexX: Uh, maybe...she isn't entirely sure (as you'll find out pretty soon) XD And yeah, my mom had a concussion once and that was NOT fun.

Avatarlover123: Thank you so much :D

OinkyThePiggy: Phew, that's a relief (I always get worried about my chapters sounding off.) And I agree! There definitely isn't enough Thornado-love out there. He's such an interesting dragon but we don't get enough about him (until recently of course but GAH! ...we won't go into last week's episode though.)

Ninuhuju: Oh don't worry, Savage will get what's coming to him. XD

"Astrid...!" Hiccup gasps as he pries himself off the floor. She's laying on her back, one hand clutching the side of her head as bits of blood trickle through her fingers... Savage hit her pretty hard. Said Outcast sneers at Hiccup before lifting his sword high above his head, aiming directly at the fallen girl.

But before he can strike-

"AGH!" Savage's body is flung through the air and directly over edge of the ship, Thornado chortling in amusement as his tail sends the man splashing into the ocean.

Hiccup whirls around, sighing in relief at the sight of his father. "Dad..." He breathes with a weary smile.

"Are you alright, son?" Stoick asks him.

"I'm okay." Hiccup mutters before turning back to Astrid.

She's groaning in pain but forces herself to sit up, blinking away the dizziness. Her head is pounding and she's not entirely convinced she doesn't have a concussion... But at least Savage didn't kill her like he was planning to. She looks over at Stoick and Hiccup, who are both staring at her with concern in their eyes. "I'm fine." She tells them before they can ask.

But Hiccup still frowns and scoots closer, moving her bangs out of the way so he can see how bad it is. While he's inspecting her injury, Stoick asks, "Where's Toothless? We need to get out of here before anyone else gets hurt."

Astrid feels Hiccup flinch at the question. To get Toothless, they'll need to go back to the island...and that could be risky... He could easily get a ride on Thornado or Stormfly and no one else would be in danger. But... "He's still locked up on Outcast Island." Astrid says. "We need to find him."

Hiccup remains silent, his eyes downcast. The idea of leaving Toothless behind is more painful than anything he could imagine...but if they stay here any longer...someone might get killed. Astrid might-

"We're not going to abandon Toothless." She whispers in his ear, understanding the conflicted expression on his face. "We'll rescue him and get off the island. The others will cover us."

Hiccup looks up, meeting her gaze with a longing expression. He hopes she's right...

And Stoick recognizes the pained look on his son's face. "Go on, Hiccup." He says, suddenly, drawing the boy's attention. "Go find Toothless. The other teens and I will keep the Outcasts busy until you get back." He nods his head in the direction of the enemy village. "Be careful."

Without another moment's hesitation, Astrid climbs to her feet, tugging Hiccup up alongside her. They're both a bit wobbly but neither of them fall, their unsteady bodies being supported by each other.

Satisfied that they understand what to do, Stoick takes off back to rejoin the fight. By this point, almost half the ship is on fire. Some of the soldiers battle the quickly spreading flames while the others frantically shoot arrows at the Riders. But the teens are only playing with them. These men are no threat at all in their current condition. They're nothing more than trapped rats, being toyed with by cats. Even Alvin seems less arrogant than usual as they glares at Hiccup, escaping off the edge of his boat.

"Are you sure you feel okay, Astrid?" Hiccup asks as they hop onto the docks. Her hand is still lingering on the bleeding gash, which is dangerously close to her temple.

"I'm okay." She says, firmly. "My head hurts a bit but it's nothing compared to some injuries I've had before." She even flashes him a cocky grin. "Remember there was a time when getting hurt was something I looked forward to."

He smirks at the memory. "Yeah... 'it's not fun unless you a get a few scars out of it', right?"

She chuckles a little as they take off toward the beach but stops at the sound of something very large and very heavy landing behind them. Both Riders turn to find Stormfly staring at them with a curious expression. She chirps at her human, who smiles. "Sorry, girl. I guess I got distracted... Yes, you can come with."

The Nadderhead squawks happily before flapping over to them and falling into pace beside the two friends. She keeps a sharp eye out for any Outcasts who might be hiding in the tree line...

Toothless screeches in utter rage at the men who chained him. There are a total of five soldiers guarding his cage, all of them armed and looking very peeved at having to watch the 'temperamental Night Fury'. More than once, they stick their swords through the bars and threaten him to be quiet, only to have their weapons torn from their hands by the dragon's razor sharp teeth and thrown across the Arena.

And, normally, Toothless wouldn't waste his time throwing a fit like this. After all, hadn't he just ridiculed those other dragons for doing just this? But now it's different. Now, Hiccup is badly wounded and has been dragged off to who-knows-where! The last time his dragon saw him get burned this badly, he lost his leg... His human was in horrible pain for weeks after that. He doesn't want to ever see that happen again.

But he can't save his friend if he's locked away! He needs to find Hiccup and get him home to safety before something else goes terribly wrong!

Suddenly, as if reacting to his frustration and anger, Toothless feels something...shift deep in his chest. Almost like a switch being thrown... A familiar heat bubbles in his throat and he snarls a dragon-esque smile.

It's been hours since he hit his shot limit.

Looks like he's got his fire back...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

At the sound of the scream, Hiccup and Astrid freeze mid-step. They're standing behind the Killing Arena, Hiccup having finally remembered where Alvin's men took his dragon. They exchange horrified looks at the sound.

"What's going on in there?" Astrid hisses, her hands unconsciously tightening around Hiccup's wrist.

"I'm not sure..." He admits. They both duck down behind some brush when a handful of Outcasts come spilling out of the Arena, sprinting as fast as they can. Well, now they know who screamed...but why?

They're given their answer when a very irritated-looking Night Fury comes stomping out the door. He rears back his head and lets out a deafening roar, causing the men to run even faster.

With a satisfied snort, Toothless lifts his nose into the air, hoping to catch wind of Hiccup's scent. And he does... But why does he smell so close? Turning his head in the right direction, his toothless mouth falls open in shock. Seriously. This is the second time he's been sure he would have to rescue Hiccup...

And yet here he is. But don't misunderstand. Toothless is nearly beside himself at the sight of his young Rider running toward him down the hill, Astrid and Stormfly close behind him.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup cries, to happy to even question what his dragon was up to just now. He stops short, skidding to a halt as his Night Fury barrels toward him at top running speed. "Um, T-Toothless! Wait a second, bud-" But his words, and his breath, are interrupted as the dragon plows into him, tackling him to the ground.

And despite the stinging protests of his burned arm, Hiccup laughs joyfully and throws his good arm around Toothless's neck, hugging him as tight as physically possible.

"Oh thank Thor!" He breathes. "I guess this means you broke yourself out. Good job, buddy."

And if Toothless could speak...well, actually he doesn't need to speak to communicate his relief to the boy. The message is well-recieved after a few hundred nudges and licks as well as the loudest purring Hiccup has ever heard.

But unfortunately, their gleeful reunion has to come to an end.

"Uhhh, Hiccup?" Astrid suddenly asks, sounding slightly disturbed.

He turns, craning his neck beyond the figure of his loving dragon to see a confused and worried look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asks, pushing away from Toothless and sitting up.

"Toothless's tail is...torn." She reminds him, pointing down at the shredded tail fin. And Hiccup's stomach clenches when he remembers... They can't fly out of here without his fin. So that means...

"We're going to need to patch it up before we can go..." He realizes.

A/N: Probably only one chapter to go. (That's what it looks like as of now.)