-Chapter: XIX-

-Thereby Hangs a Tale-

'I would mark the date, if I knew what date it was. I woke up this morning far colder than any previous morning. The collection of furs gleaned from Toothless' hunts, and subsequently strewn across a far section of the cave have helped in making many a nights sleep more comfortable. In my position however, comfort is a luxury I can not have so simply. Where was I?

'Snow. I woke up this morning, visible breath pouring from my mouth, and snow tramped across the entrance! The first blanket of snow, light albeit, has fallen and I wake up freezing. Wonderful. If I was to count the days, I would say that it has been three months since I have met Toothless. I can not say for sure. In the time to think about it, I have found to be more and more curious about what is going on in the village and how my disappearance has affected the people that live there. I can be certain my father won't find out until far later, most likely only after the ice chunks dotting the seas are gone, but that still leaves Gobber to think about. Is it guilt that I feel, knowing they will believe me dead, or is it guilt knowing that I left them all behind to carry on with my own life? They will have their festivals. The fires will burn, and songs will be sung. Yes I won't be there. I won't be there in the background to cause them problems, to deny their way of life. Which is better? The guilt or innocence of living free? Guilt of understanding and not passing that understanding on, or the innocence of simply wishing to be left alone?

...

'I am so glad I can write this down. I would speak with him, but...Toothless doesn't give me very good advice. Well, I am sure it is good, it's just that I can barely understand it half the time. He always has a way with words and making complicated, a simple sentence. Half the Vikings I know have a lesser capacity for speech than him. Which is another point that frightens me. The extent at which a single Night Fury's wisdom exceeds that of most Vikings, is a point that frightens me. To know that the 'enemy' that has been fought for seven generations probably is very much so in the exact same mind set as us.

...

I know Vikings are capable of peace. Sometimes it is forced, sometimes it is sought, but I do know that Vikings are capable of finding peace with a long-fought enemy. The countless scrolls and boards dictating peace treaties that hang in the Great Hall of the Village of Berk tells enough for that truth. The question remains. Can Vikings find peace with Dragons?

...

'Maybe leaving the Village has left me at a dead end...

'Hiccup was padding through the snow piled up against the trees and branches. A flurry burned his cheeks as he kept his gaze down to prevent flakes of snow from being whipped into his eyes. Winter had only just begun, and begun it has. Despite the pumping warmth radiating off the deadly Night Fury, and Hiccups refusal to be more than two meters away from the creature, it was still deathly chilling. He could feel the cold assaulting his bones and flesh under his meager garb of cloth and fur. That morning was colder than any morning he faced before, what with his body not yet adapted to face the cold, and the sun being denied passage. As he trudged through the snow, Toothless and Puff beside him were idly having stares with each other, shaking heads and letting loose deep, guttural sounds. Beyond that it was quiet in the forest, even with the winds howling. Few birds were out to sing bravely in the wake of the falling of dawn snow. What few leaves were left on the branches were torn loose by icy winds, setting bravely to the air only to be tossed about and picked up again by the prevailing winds and thrust upon the open skies. Vapor left the mouths of the three travelers as they wandered past the mixture of pines and their needles, and the leaved trees with no crowns.

'The morning was spent of washing out a bowl, some plates, and dealing with a fidgety Night Fury that yearned to go 'on an adventure'. Upon being asked of what he meant, Hiccup was told that he knew of a place on the island that he would like to take the three of them to. So with what could only be described as a torrent of cold snow caking the path leading down from the warmth-flooded cave, the trio set off Northward to Toothless' special destination. The clouds refused to part ways, so Hiccup had no way of telling how long they had traveled. What joy to live with someone who made make you think completely differently about everything around you. The silence of the dead forest did nothing to sway Hiccups constant over-thinking. He would dearly wish to hear the birds sing again. To see the rodents scatter and run from the footfalls, for a liveliness to be brought to the forest again. The silence could only be broken by word of tongue but not even Toothless' questioning tone could sway the boys focus, save a slight nudge from behind.

Hiccup whirled around to face the assailant, only to realize it was Toothless who had tapped him in the back. Even though it was just a tap, it was still enough to startle the boy out of his trance.

"Hiccup? Something wrong?" Puff asked while cocking his head to the side. Hiccup shook his head in denial, hoping to drop the question and resume the walking. The sooner they got to their destination and out of the cold, the better.

"You do not look okay, and I can sense that you are thinking strongly on something." Toothless added to the boys wish to keep moving. To believe that the large dragon could sense the energy used to think was only just a bit unnerving. On the other hand though, the Night Fury constantly reminded the boy that only strong moments of thought and concentration could be sensed, which would mean that Hiccup was backed up to a wall now that Toothless had seen through his shield of denial.

"It's the cold. The silence. The swirling snow storm. The lacking of birds singing, of creatures moving about. I like these walks when the forest is alive, not when it's dead." Hiccup spoke his minds concerns. Toothless eyed the boy curiously, before leaning back in question.

"Our conversation is not lively? You don't seem to have any answers for our questions." Toothless backed down a bit. Puff put himself upside down by a low-hanging frozen bough, griping the bark with his back claws. Hiccup looked back over in reply.

"I didn't actually hear anything coming from you earlier. I can hear you now, but before, you were just looking at each other and shaking your heads."

Toothless sat back slowly, thinking over the situation. Hiccup was strangely quiet during the expedition, and he had asked some rather interesting questions, of which Hiccup followed with silence. If it meant anything, it would due talking over at their destination. A destination of which, that Toothless has been keeping secret ever since Hiccup first spoke of the cold and its icy grip.

"How much further is it?" Hiccup dearly wished to know, his hands were beginning to sting under his thick wool cloak. Even when he donned the cloak and extra vest, he still was left cold in the finger tips and toes. Flying would most obviously be the most efficient method of getting around, but the swirling snow storm had a strong method of denying that. That left the only method of getting anywhere; journey by foot. Was Hiccup okay with it? Probably not.

Toothless shook his head, refusing to tell away anything to the boy until they could all rest easily.

Continuing on their journey, Hiccup decided to place himself directly against the hide of his large friend, for the snow had decided to pick up in ferocity. The flakes were coming down near horizontally, blocking his capacity for sight. He lowered his head into a crook in Toothless shifting flank, desperate to be out of the cold for only but a moment. Puff continued to blast meager jets of orange flames at the snow surrounding him, emitting puffs of steam in their path. Said steam only ended up freezing into an icy layer on his wings as it was blasted back at him.

He shook himself, breaking the building layers of ice, and warmed his scales slowly, before jumping back and placing himself beside his companions that were further ahead.

"Keep up Puff. We don't want to get separated." Hiccup called out to the small dragon, who sought shelter underneath Toothless' warm underbelly. All three continued to wade through the oncoming snow, only one knowing where they were headed.

"We are here." Toothless called out to Hiccup, and Puff as the trio turned up at the base of a mountain. Steam poured out of an opening in the side, indicating a source of hot-water. Hiccup peered inside. He could see light dancing on the walls going in, but could see no further as the walls curved around before him.

"Inside? What's in there?" Hiccup asked the dragon, even though he already knew the answer.

"Are we going inside or are we going to just freeze out here?" Puff called out at the duo's refusal to move. He tramped forward, shuffling past Hiccups legs and into the dark cave, leaving the two behind to follow in pace.

Snow melted under foot with slight squeaks as the walls glistened with moisture that stuck to Hiccup's clothes. The tunnel shifted downwards, snow-melt running down stream in a tiny creek that broke through loose, round pebbles. Droplets of water tumbled from the ceiling the entire length down the winding tunnel, picking up in amount as Puff continued to light the way with bright flashes of orange flame. Hiccup was thankful that the small dragon understood the humans lack of eye-sight in the dark. As Hiccup slowly shuffled his feet in fear of slipping and slamming his head into one of the caves walls, he could hear the distant sound of what could only be described as water tumbling down lightly. He wondered slightly as to what could possibly make that sound in a cave, when the tunnel rounded a corner sharply and opened out into a large somewhat circular cave with a glistening pool of water in the center. Water dripped from a crack in the ceiling, and exposed skylight that illuminated the center of the cavern with a shafting glow. Hiccup was stunned. It looked so very much similar to the cavern in his dreams, where he first truly spoke with Toothless. The pool, the walls, the light. Everything seemed like it came out of his dream and took form before him.

"What is this place?" He finally managed to ask. Steam stuck to his skin, making him feel pleasantly warm from the long trek. Puff had disappeared in the moment of not knowing what to say, while the Night Fury had placed himself happily beside the human.

"A hot-spring. A natural pool of hot water, perfect for warming yourself and relaxing. I have come here multiple times in the past, but havn't had a chance recently. When you seemed upset by the cold and the snow, I felt it would be a nice change of setting. I myself have been itching to come here for some time." Toothless spoke gleefully, before treading into the water that emitted wisps of steam in the rays of light that poked through the crack in the ceiling. As the waters lapped at his legs and scales, Toothless emitted a sound that Hiccup had only heard a few times before. When he had heard it, it was a deep rumble that emanated from his chest, like a small drum was being beaten lightly and swiftly. The sound reverberated from around the cave walls until it could only be a distant hum from beneath the steamy surface.

Hiccup was frozen in place. He had never expected for such a place to be on the island before. Tales were told of pools that were naturally warm, but he never thought he would find one, and here he was, having been personally guided to one by a dragon. What a weird, upsetting, and wonderful day, all mixed in one big, snow stormed cave.

As Hiccup made to enter the water, he jolted back as he remembered that he of course had clothes, unlike his companions. He sat himself down on the furthest rock ledge he could find and placed his apparel in the driest spot he could find. He was left with only his undergarments on, a thin sheep's wool cloth wrapping that kept from being bare most times. Toothless, who had been lost in a stupor only capable of being brought on by the hot mineral water, had turned his attention at the lack of the boy enjoying the waters.

"Are you coming in or what?" He asked, slightly confused as to why the boy was pausing.

"Yea, yeah. I just don't want to get my clothes wet." Hiccup explained, padding down his clothes in a small nook, safe from the dripping droplets of water. Toothless eyed the boy amusingly.

"You are still wearing something." Toothless remarked on the boy who was still wearing his full body undergarment. Hiccup looked down at himself before turning to the dragon with a insulted expression.

"I may live in the woods with two dragons, but I still have a sense of decency about me. I would like to keep myself clothed from you two, thank you very much." That earned him a snigger from Puff who had appeared nearby from under the waters.

"If you take that in the water, it will get wet. You will go back to our nest with a soaked hide." Puff spoke clearly as always. Hiccup looked back to Toothless hoping he could help him from the small reptile that sought to remove his dignity. All he got was a nod in approval from the Night Fury.

"Oh come on! I thought you would be on my side?" Hiccup groaned in annoyance.

"You can do one of two things. You can keep it on and freeze to death on the way back, or you can take it off and leave it dry with the rest of your clothes." Toothless explained calmly, with an edge of agitation.

"I can't believe I am being put into such an undignified position, by two dragons." Hiccup half-spoke to himself.

"It is only undignified for you. We do not share in your strange sense of 'decency'. It would get in the way of living comfortably." Toothless of course heard Hiccups half-speech. "You would find it indecent, but that is only a sense shared by other humans, and there are no other humans around. It is only indecent to yourself."

"You're not going to drop this, are you?" Hiccup asked uncomfortably.

"Only when you do." Toothless replied enthusiastically.

Hiccup looked over himself, before unbuttoning the garb and slipping it beside the others and wading slowly into the hot water, letting the warm waters take his mind off the current situation of clothes.

Placing himself opposite the large dragon, whom had a satisfied smirk on his wide face, Hiccup decided that maybe he was right about it. He had only himself to make shameful of, and the two reptiles certainly did not share in his morals.

"You know, this is actually rather nice after all." Hiccup replied to the smirking face far across from him. An obvious snort came shortly after the comment, much easily a method of simply saying 'You don't say'.

Not a word passed from any party member as each relished in the amazing hot-spring and the relaxing steam that stuck to skin and scale. The silence was broken not by anything save the gentle drip of water from the ceiling, and the distant calling of wind blowing still ever fiercely from the outside storm. Meanwhile, a smaller storm was brewing inside the head of a large dragon. Blazing yellow eyes stared at the churning waters lapped by a swaying tail. Eyes that focused on what was behind certain events and situations. A constant burning of thought and intelligence. Intelligence challenged by primal occurrence and idea.

"Hiccup." A slow voice called out to the boy lost in bliss with the hot water.

"Hiccup." The voice called again, no response. Toothless shook his head. He would of course enjoy it so much.

"Hiccup." Toothless called out again, this time earning a strong response from said boy who proceeded to rub the sides of his head and blink furiously. The boy looked across the surface at the Night Fury who had called out so forcefully at the boy.

"Do you have to be so pushy with that head of yours. I'm trying to relax." Hiccup groaned as he shifted position to stretch his legs underwater.

"Hiccup, I have been thinking." Toothless looked down at the water that circled in front of him.

"Thinking? What a surprise. You're always thinking."Hiccup mused with jest. Toothless ignored the comment wonderfully, before gaining the boys attention once again.

"I want to talk." He stated simply.

Hiccup looked up at him.

"We're talking right now, aren't we?" Toothless rolled his eyes as best he could. 'Must he be like this...', Toothless thought to himself.

"Now that we are out of the cold, we can continue our talk from earlier." Toothless shifted so he was in a more comfortable position to talk with focus on the boy.

Hiccup looked up thoughtfully.

"When we were still walking here? The one about speaking to me?" Hiccup asked, thinking he might not be able to relax so easily with the course being taken in their conversation.

"You do not know, so I will try to explain as simply as I can." Toothless began, with Hiccup looking on anxiously. Puff had taken to curling up on a flat ledge near the water, his tiny chest rising and falling in sleep.

"There are many ways a dragon will speak with others. With a show of display, guttural sounds, certain looks through the eyes, and of course with Mind Tongue."

"When you say 'gutteral sounds', do you mean like, noises?" Hiccup asked, somewhat confused but also understanding. Toothless nodded in conformation. "Interesting way to speak." Hiccup mused with himself as he gripped his chin in thought.

"I've heard humans bellow, roar, scream, cheer and cry. It is simple, but it says enough shortly." Toothless let loose a small blast of white-hot flame into the waters infront of him, turning forth bubbles and blasts of steam from the sudden heat. Hiccup felt the wave of heat rip through the water, before ebbing down again to a comfortable sense.

"What? Is the water too cold?" Hiccup laughed dryly at the Night Fury's attempt at heating the water.

"No." Toothless replied equally as dry. Hiccup furrowed a single brow in confusion, with said confusion easily picked up by curious 'Tooth. "I won't try and avoid doing certain things that might rouse your curiosity. I will do things that you will be confused by, and I will be hard pressed to explain what they mean and why I do them."

"Like how you are able to make sentences that show a greater capacity for speech than half the Vikings I've heard, despite being a dragon?" Hiccup pointed out curiously, surprising the dragon with the question.

"I am flattered you would think so, and yes." Toothless answered so.

"So, what are you getting at?" Hiccup asked, with a slight sign of worry in his voice.

"You don't need to be worried. I am just saying that sometimes I will do things that might surprise you. I would not want any harm to come to you, so I am just saying this now." Toothless explained, with a surprising amount of calm laced in his voice.

"Should I ask questions?" Hiccup eyed the dragon suspiciously.

"Please, but be warned. I may not be able to answer all your questions so easily."

"So, what you're saying is; I might end up with more questions than answers." Hiccup self-clarified.

"You would be right to assume so." Toothless had taken to getting of his belly from the water and had clambered out of the shallow pool while Hiccup thought over this. He put himself on a reasonably dry portion of the stone floor while Hiccup watched with interest. Toothless caught the boys eyes darting between the pool and the floor and the dragon.

"Too relaxing. I would sooner fall asleep than finish this nice talk." The dragon brought a quick explanation for the shift.

Hiccup looked over at the passed out lump of Terrible Terror, now slumped over on the rock; short bursts of snores emanating from Puff's snout. Toothless followed his gaze.

"He did not last long." Toothless let loose a quiet chuckle at the sight of the snoozing reptile before being questioned by Hiccup.

"Going back on the topic of speaking; I have a question." Hiccup began.

"And I have answers. We will have a simple game of Give and Take." Toothless finished Hiccups sentence with his own flurry of words.

"Actually, it's about that." Hiccup gestured to Toothless.

"Me?" Toothless lifted a single fore-leg in question, hinting towards pointing at himself in the process. Hiccup politely asked the Night Fury to avert his gaze, as he wanted to put on some clothes.

"Is the getting 'into' part, so different from the getting 'out of' part, that you need me to avert my gaze?" Toothless asked, with a slight edge of muse on the tip.

"Oh be quiet you. I just want a bit of privacy." Hiccup waved off the dragons comment whilst he pulled on his leggings and inner sleeves. Being given the sign to turn around, Toothless continued when Hiccup asked him to continue.

"You see, at the Village where I used to live, there are a lot of Vikings. If I took a guess, say seven score, maybe more. I don't really remember."

"What is a 'score"? Toothless asked with his gaze to the wall.

"A score is the same as twenty. That puts the number of Vikings at around 140 or so." Toothless nodded in understanding, if only to humor the boy into continuing with less questions.

"As I was saying, there are around 140 Vikings. Now, most Vikings are quite capable of speaking clearly and fluently, and reading and writing is quite common as well." Toothless thought about asking what 'writing' and 'reading' were, but he remembered that Hiccup often used those words when he was scratching at the small brown object he carried with him always. What ever that was, he could ask later; Hiccup was finally talking about something.

"And yet when you speak, as I said before, you show a greater capacity for speech than most of the Vikings I've heard talk at the Village. You show a way with words beyond simply knowing them, you understand them." Toothless mirrored his look from before. It was a prideful thing, to be looked upon as greater in thought than those who would deem the Night Fury a beast.

"So I just want to ask, how is that you know so much about words. I mean, I don't exactly believe that dragons speak the same words that I do. I know you have your own language, so you must have learned human words from somewhere; right?" Hiccup looked the dragon up and down, letting him think over the question. It wasn't the course Toothless had in mind, but he did enjoy having these kind of talks with the boy. It was a way to share each others knowledge, but the greatest pain was knowing that all the wisdom and knowledge that the Night Fury had, he would not be able to pass on to the human child.

"From you." Toothless spoke truly.

Hiccup sat back, shocked by the answer given to him. It took a moment to fully register that Toothless was in-fact speaking truthfully, that much he could tell. The confusion was laid bare from the choice of where he learned to speak his words.

"How? We've known each other for what, three months, and I taught you to speak with my words?" Hiccup asked, absolutely taken back.

"You did not teach me. You simply gave me a gift."

"What gift was that? My language?" Hiccup asked, not the slightest bit hoping to add humor to the conversation.

Toothless looked onward before looking directly into Hiccup's eyes.

"Our bond. Our connection that shared two souls. Your knowledge, wisdom, understanding. So much given to me, and I to you. Strength, courage, will, curiosity. All things that make up who we are, made stronger by the bond shared between two souls. You and I are alike in so many ways, it frightens me, and enlightens me at the same moment. On that day when we shared a connection, you opened yourself mentally, physically and spiritually, to all around you. You shared who you were with me, and I shared who I am with you. One part in the other as one might say."

Hiccup mouth was left ajar as Toothless continued.

"There are things that happen that I fear you may never be able to fully understand in all their glory. If there is one thing that is understandable from any walk of life, it is that you are amazing."

Hiccup collapsed onto his rump as the words slowly sunk into his mind. There was a feeling and emotional wall of understanding, care, compassion, and love forming from those words. They had more truth than any action or belief. They were simple words, and they hurt because of one thing. One thing that could never be reflected back.

"I don't deserve your compassion, your love and care. What have I done that made me deserve a wonderful friend like you? I spent fifteen years growing up, wanting to kill dragons, believing that the were demons leaked from Muspelheim* itself, thrown out by Surt* himself to torment us humans." Hiccup exasperated, immediately regretting having said what he had just said, for Toothless plates flattened against his neck as the words came forth.

If only Hiccup had a normal friend. A normal friend would remain hurt by the words. A normal friend would leave him to mope and come back later in the evening. A normal friend would remain indifferent and not give as much care to him. A normal friend would pass the comment off as a simple lack of understanding.

All true things, except Toothless was not a normal friend. He was his best friend. He was his brother, and he understood perfectly the reason behind Hiccups words. A best friend picks up the broken clay shards and puts them into a memorial to help remember the salad eating contests, or the wonderful potted-plant that grew inside the bowl.

"I only needed one thing." Toothless began slowly, knowing his words to strike true. Hiccup looked up slowly to meet the averted gaze of the dragon, pained to believe that his words may have struck a chord too strongly. His shimmering orbs told enough of the pain he felt.

"A friend, and that is something I have not been given the wonder of being given for as long as I have lived. No matter how far we travel, no matter how many new lands we may see, there will never be anyone I may meet who would be a greater friend than you. If there is anything I would ask, it is to simply ask you to accept my compassion, as I accept your friendship."

There was a sparse moment in which Hiccup took to understanding the words, but it was a short moment that after which, he launched himself at the dragon and took him in as strong a grip as he could manage. He buried his head into Toothless neck as soft tears slowly formed at the edges of his eyes, his arms stretched as wide as they can be to grip his brother in as close a hug as he can get. Toothless bent his own head down, nuzzling the boy gently in a mirror of his hug. He made due by pushing against his back side with his head, holding softly to the boy.

"Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me to this horrible world." Hiccup barely mumbled into the soft scales of his neck, the words coming out in a muffle mixed with a quivering voice.

"I would never leave you. That does not mean we can not go anywhere. We can go anywhere we want, at any time we want." Toothless spoke quietly, barely giving the words form in the boys head.

The two stayed in their embrace for time unnoticed, not that either member cared.

Hiccup slowly pulled off as he came to a thought.

"There is something I feel I should do. I don't know if you would like it though." Hiccup started slowly, his voice still uneasy from the lump having formed in his throat.

"If there is something troubling you, you can be sure that I will help you in any way I can." Toothless reassured the boy.

Hiccup took some time to slowly put his wandering clothes back on. Slipping the under tunic and socked leggings into his boots while packing his hems into the sash around his waist. Cords were tightened and knotted at the collar while his over-vest and cloak were buttoned and slipped over top.

Feeling filled with new energy and a need to do something crazy, he turned back to the eyeing dragon before stating simply.

"I need to speak with my people."

To say that what Toothless was off by a margin with what he thought Hiccup had in mind, would be an understatement...

...

-Slipping Snow and Whipping Wind-

-Fish on Legs, Wander with the meek-

-Give Eyes to Those We Seek-

-Those Followed, Change in Setting-

-Give a Rest to Those who Wander, Seek the Comfort of Those in Slumber-

...

A cold, frosty morning tickled the toes of a young boy sleeping soundly and safely on a fire-side bench within a warm longhouse in the Viking Village of Berk. A slight crackle came from the hearth as the boy shifted in his slumber. What but a tremble came from the doorframe yonder, shaking the house with a gentle rumble.

"Fishlegs!" The banging continued on, until it ceased altogether.

Fishlegs, now awake, but still wishing for sleep, curled his toes and slipped further into the bench, silently hoping the intruder does not know of a certain latch left slip.

All his dear hopes and dreams crashed in shattered clay bowls as the furs were ripped off his head and body, leaving him exposed to the cold air now whafting in through the rearward door, a door that had been unfortunately been left un-latched for anyone to enter.

"Aw, Dad! Just a few more moments." Fishlegs cried out at the sudden cold, gripping his wrapped legs as close to his massive chest as he can.

"Get up boy, your going to miss the send off!" His father urged Fishlegs from his comfortable spot. "Sorry I can't be there, Sven's little boat has sprung a leak and needs immediate attention."

Said voice shifted in tone, listing off gear as Fishlegs moved about the house, donning clothing and gear as he went. Soon, Fishlegs was fully garbed in traveling clothing, and equipped with map, sun-stone, tinder-lighter, and a small whittling knife. Fishlegs turned to give his father a large hug, swallowing the slightly smaller man in the embrace.

"Stay safe son. Bucket's bucket apparently has been acting up, you know what that means." His father let go of his son, knowing full well of the dangerous trip he was going to set out on.

"I know Dad. Tight bucket equals storm. Swirling squiggles equals Gobber being whacked on the head." Fishlegs tried jest, hoping to lighten the mood. Today was the day that Fishlegs had been waiting both anxiously, and excitedly, for the past three months.

Waving a solemn good-bye, Fishlegs made his way down the step of his home and headed up the slope to the Great Hall. The rest of the class was probably already there.

"Great, slept in again." 'Fish muttered to himself as he picked his way up the great steps. The air was much colder than it has been for the past week, and if Bucket's bucket meant anything, than that means the trip would be interesting to say the least.

As he got to the door, he thought back on the recent event that struck everyones nerves. He didn't want to think on it though, so he pushed it to the back of his mind and heaved aside the massive oak door.

Inside, the Great Hall was just as lively as it is on any other day. The only difference was that the central fire-pit burned far brighter and hotter in preparation of the coming cold. The large boy made his way past the various groups idly chatting by till he reached the back table, reserved for Gobber's Dragon Training Class.

"Fishlegs! Over here!" A voice called out from the table choked out by large bodies. Arriving at the table, Fish noted the presence of everyone from class except Gobber. He placed his pack down beside him as he sat himself onto the bench, a plate of light food being passed to him.

"Decided to finally show up? Worried you might only get a buck?" Snotlout teased as the large boy choked down a slice of bread and cheese.

"Where's Gobber?" Fishlegs asked through a hurried mouthful, barely understandable.

"Uh, at the stall. Where else would he be?" Tuffnut spoke in obvious tone.

"Yeah, probably moping about 'fish-bone still." Ruffnut added to her brothers comment with snide tone. Her decision to include 'fish-bone' only made Fishlegs pause in his wolfing hunger. Everyone knew the title of the walking disaster known as 'Hiccup' to being 'fish-bone' when mockery was in play. Fishlegs struggled swallowing his meal, hard pressed to believe that Ruff would use that name when he was dead. Not only was it disrespectful, but is was shameful as well.

Snotlout thought it wise of course to add his own remarks on how the boy probably tried cheating and went off to find his own prize in the forest, alone; only to trip on his feet and wind up dead in the forest. Fishlegs had enough of it.

"Look, I know he was never a big part of this group, but you could at least pay some respect to him. I don't think Stoick would appreciate the comments being made at this table about Hiccup."

Fishlegs finally spoke out about the groups lack of dignity. Vikings dying was not a rare occurrence, but that didn't exempt people from not paying respect to those who pass. At the mention of Stoick, Snotlout and the twins decided to shut up about it. No one could guess wrong what would happen if he found out they were mocking his son, in death at that.

Fishlegs looked around at the group waiting for their teacher to show up. Thinking it best, Fishlegs stood up, gaining the attention of Astrid.

"Where are you going?" Astrid asked, confused at the large boys sudden standing.

"Off to get Gobber. Some one has to drag him here." With that, Fishlegs pushed past the Vikings gathered nearby and headed once again out a pair of doors and into the windy open air of the Village.

Bouncing down the steps, Fishlegs moved down the slope of the setting towards the stall near the edge of the Village. He could see smoke pouring out the chimney, and a resounding clattering told of the presence of some one smashing steel and cursing out in grief. Fishlegs was at the stall gate, standing before a large man who was muttering on and on about how he never drew a nail once in the past four years. Fishlegs wanted to say something, anything to get the mans attention away from the focus on not having his apprentice to help set a rivet, or to weld in place a rune, or to set the boards shut so that the only light to see a pieces temperature was coming from the fire-pot. Fishlegs idly stood by the outer support beam, not feeling right with being near a man he once thought as being unbreakable. The moment passed, when Gobber nearly clocked him in the head with a lose hammer head blank that was let loose from his grip in a fit of anger.

Gobber paused for a moment to shake out the image of Hiccup leaning against the post, only to have a much larger Fishlegs fade into view.

"Ingerman? What are you doing here?" He moved his real hand towards his nail drifter, hoping to try again for the uncountable time to draw a straight nail. "Can't you see I'm busy?" He motioned towards the cart-full of tools stood next to him. All of which had visual damages that appeared to have come from much too heavy beatings or fire-scale residue, some a combination of both. Fishlegs only had to guess as to where the damages came from. Gobber looked back at the stack of items then back to 'Fish who had a curious look on his face.

"They aren't from me, I swear." Gobber stood stock still. Fishlegs eyed him strangely. "Okay, I confess. They were from me." He pouted, knowing he was the cause for damaging his favorite tools.

Fishlegs shook his head to clear himself of any thoughts and got back to topic.

"Everyone is at the Great Hall. Their waiting for you to give the sending-off speech and so forth." Fishlegs cleared his throat to get rid of a lump that was building.

"Not everyone..." Gobber muttered under his breath, hoping to not be heard clearly. He had his luck.

"I'm sorry?" Fishlegs inquired to the quiet word that escaped the large mans mouth.

"Nothing." Gobber took to a dignified pose before addressing the boy like he has been for the past three months.

"Tell them I will be there soon. Bucket came by with something of mine, just need to set it away and we'll be good." Gobber waved for the boy to leave, so that he could have some privacy with the small package that Bucket had dropped by on the counter, his name clearly visible on the wrapped parchment.

As 'Fish walked away, he stole a glance back as to what Gobber was fiddling with, but he needed only a glance to see a miniature wooden shield, with a picture of a skinny boy holding a hammer, to be placed above the door-frame leading into the back-room. A quiet good-bye reached the receding boys ears as he turned away from the scene, wishing to leave the man in the peace he needed.

True to his word, Gobber did in-fact show up only minutes later when the Ingerman' boy told the group that he would be coming soon. 'Fish refused to give any idea as to what was making the man late, at least nothing close to the truth. He did give them the idea that he was just busy with extra work. The group bought it for the time being, save Astrid who knew better than to believe it. She had a strong idea as to what troubled the old man, but knew better than to speak about it.

"All right class. I know your just itching to get out there." Gobber hobbled up to the table, a tankard attachment in place on his fake arm. The cup was filled as he told them of the requirements for the 'hunt' as he had come to call it.

"I know you're all well aware of what you need-" Gobber was cut off mid-sentence by Tuffnut, who had decided now to be the best time to speak up that he had forgotten everything related to it.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me. We have been going over this for the past month!" Gobber exasperated at Tuff's capacity for carelessness.

"Well, I wasn't paying attention." Tuff declared completely calm with himself. Gobber nearly smacked his head with his tankard before asking quietly.

"Are you going to pay attention right now? I am not going to repeat myself." Tuff looked up thoughtfully for a moment. It was dangerous when he thought carefully on something.

"Maybe..." He declared resolutely. He put on his most diplomatic face he could muster as he spoke the words that Gobber feared.

"Listen close. I am only going to say this once." Gobber emptied his cup before beginning.

"You are all going to be given two weeks till the end of the Winter-Eve Fire Festival*. That's fourteen days, starting at midnight tonight, to bring to this Great Hall, the most spectacular trophy you can get." Gobber waved his hands around to establish the setting.

"What kind of trophy?" Tuff asked. He would be the only one of course to ask any questions. Even Ruffnut was aware of what needed to be done.

"Game you dimwit. A Buck, Doe, Elk, Caribou. Some sort of animal trophy." Ruff bashed her brother on the helmet as she told him of what to bring in.

"I'm going to find the most awesomest dragon, kill it, and bring it's head back, with my face!" Snotlout cried out, pounding his chest in show of strength.

"Awesomest, is't a word, 'Lout." Astrid commented on the young man.

"...and dragons are not allowed." Fishlegs added as well. Snotlout pulled a completely confused look at the denial of killing dragons

"Of course dragons are allowed." Snotlout clarified obviously. Gobber immediately put his hand up in clarification.

"You can kill any dragon you come across, but their hides won't count. This is an animal hunt, not a dragon hunt. Leave that to the older warriors."

"Can we go? I think we have everything we need." Astrid asked the large man who was pausing for some reason.

"Yes. You can work together, or you can be at each others throats. Just don't kill each other, that would be rude." Gobber lead the group to the doors leading outside. Pushing past the massive frames, all the teens made their way to the edge of the Village for Gobber to wave good-luck and good-hunting.

'If it was not for the full moon to light up the night sparsely, then they would have set camp immediately in the first clearing they found. Tuff and Ruff made light of the dark mood that had settled on the wandering teens by continually bickering at each other. Snotlout on many occasions had managed to sneak too close to Astrid for her liking, which ended on his bloodying of his nose and the falling of his rump onto the solid ground. Fishlegs was the only one in the group who seemed fazed by the impeding darkness, and by the time the sun had set and their first night alone in the woods came upon them, he was a bag of fright and fear with what could lie around every rock and stump. It didn't take long for him to have his mouth shut from 'Lout and 'Tuff. Astrid had been keeping rather quiet for the journey South-West, through the sparse trees that came upon the mountain.

Their destination would be the central pass in the mountains that ran across the island. It was a great gap between two spires that stuck impressively into the night sky. Planning to set camp at mid-night, the group padded through the slowly thinning pines with their needles full and the leafed trees lade bare from the harsh winds that bit at exposed skin. If Bucket was right, then they would need the shelter the pass gave them for the coming storm. Each held plans on what they would be doing for the next two weeks. It was a system of tracking the prey, killing it, collecting it, then the arduous part of getting back to the Village in one piece. It was a task normally fit for groups of two or more, but with them needing to grab their own unique trophy, that meant splitting up and bidding best-wishes and worst-fallings to each other so that the win would be taken surely for whoever had the grandest kill. Gobber had to of course leave the 'working alone' part in. Things would be so much better for 'Fish if he could be with someone for the trip. He hated the dark; more so when he was alone.

Of course the boy who broke down when he was left alone in the dark would have to go on a quest alone in the dark to find great game. It was easy to see why Fishlegs was anxious for this event to come. He was looking forward to it, as it brought the chance to go on an adventure into the woods as he wanted to for some time, but it also would not be with his friends for the majority of the trip.

"Look! It's the pass!" The male of the twins cried out as the trees parted to reveal the spilt between two spires. Tuffnut frantically waved his hands to get the attention of the others. 'Ruff shoved him aside in 'Ruff' fashion to get him off his perch.

"Let me see." She spoke as he hands made contact with his helmet. Tuff tumbled off the log he was standing on as his sister made to his position.

"It is the pass!" She said as Tuff slipped of the moist log, falling onto his back with his arms flailing. He landed with a soft thud, followed by a groan about 'being hurt, very much hurt'.

"Isn't that what he just said?" Fishlegs piped up in confusion. The Twins always confused people with how they behave.

Astrid was the only one who was paying any attention to the sky that day, making her the only one who had noticed the oncoming clouds, heavily burdened.

"We need to get to that pass before the snow comes in. From there, we can go our separate ways." She spoke strongly, reminded everyone of the task at hand. This wasn't some happy hiking trip. This was a fight and race to claim a high-title in the Village. There was a lot at stake, and the game in the woods beyond would prove that.

As the five teens moved towards the pass, only one thought back on what could have happened to the sixth party member...

...

...

...

...

{-AU-}

It turns out, making a map on paper helps in plotting out story development and course of plan. This chapter was one of the slower ones for me to start out, but then I decided to just make a map of the island and plot out the paths various people took and what happened where, when, and so forth. Helps a lot with continuity.

Who knew?

{-AU-}

...

*Title* = 'Thereby Hangs a Tale'. It means that behind every event and occurrence, there is always a tale or two to tell of it.

*Mid-Winter/Summer Fire Festival* = of Celtic origin, the Fire Festivals of Europe were annual celebrations of various intent and meaning. Historically speaking, I am not sure if the Vikings had anything similar, or if they took one of these festivals as their own. There was massive Catholic and Christian influence in the Viking lives past the eleventh century, so I believe it easy enough for some other Northern Europe life-styles and traditions, such as Celtic, to have been implanted on the Vikings as well.

(please forgive my historical manifestations)

*Muspellheim* = Fiery land of demons and fire giants. From Norse Mythology. It takes residence on the Third Level, along with Niflheim.

*Surt* = A Fire Giant who rules over Muspellheim with a flaming sword.