A/N-A quick reply to a guest review by account-less: thanks for your support! I kind of am wondering if people just don't know this series is here, or if they're just put off by the fact that there are four books before this one and don't want to take the time reading them all.

Also a shout out to Spirit of Fury for the profile mention! And a shout-out to some of my regular reviewers: Madhuntr, A fanfiction reviewer, The Crimson Commando, and everyone else who's encourage the posting of this tale. Your support is everything to a writer.

In the meantime: Hiccup's world is about to change completely. Read on...

Chapter 8

Collision Course

The boundaries are blurred

In the real world

The lines between truth and tale

Past and future intertwine

In a fractal vision of reality

When one meets the other

The ground shakes

And the foundations of life will crack

Our peace and standing cease to exist

When our world is thrown from our grasp

There wasn't any time left for debate. After the raid that had swept through and so many dragons had been taken, she had no longer any choice left but to find out if that boy and his allies were friends or foes.

She and her Stormcutter had watched, unseen, the Night Fury and his rider from a distance for several weeks now, whenever the pair had taken flight around the back of or away from their island. Something was dangerously familiar about him, but she simply could not pin down what it was, not without bringing him in.

Deep in the cavern, she lay against her dragon, working to finally muster up the courage to go out and actually confront the pair as she needed to. There were multiple ways to test them, to understand what the relationship between these people and their dragons were, but she knew in several of them the pair would have to be brought back to the nest, so that she could come to understand without risk of being found out too early.

She sighed, knowing that she was procrastinating and avoiding the inevitable, and looked again to the Stormcutter, who crooned in curiosity and concern for her.

"It's time, Cloudjumper," she said tiredly. The dragon nodded understandingly and slowly stood up, bending over slightly so that his rider could climb on, hooking her staff around his spinal crests and hoisting herself up. Then, he roared out loudly and took off out through the narrow entrance and into daylight, a veritable cloud of dragons following him who were still somehow strong enough to resist the opposing force that was trying to pull them away from their home.

The entire flock glided upward, entering the clouds to hide them from easy sight, and set their aim toward Berk.

"Dad, I…I need to talk to you, right now."

It had taken until the next morning for Hiccup to finally feel like he was ready to speak about what he and his friends had seen. Stoick looked up, slightly surprised, from where he was whittling over the table, to find his son standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking like he hadn't had a wink of sleep, Toothless standing worriedly behind him.

Stoick carefully set down the knife and duck carving he'd been working on, and folded his hands as he turned to face Hiccup fully. "Well, then, go ahead," he encouraged. "Is everything alright?"

Hiccup started to speak, before seeming to think better of it and instead opting to shrug uncertainly as he moved to sit down in a nearby chair. "Well, I-I don't know if anything is actually wrong, per se," he said slowly, motioning for Toothless to come sit by both of them. "It's just…the movie we saw yesterday, it…I feel like we saw a horrible omen."

"Oh? Well ye knew it would be about us, more or less," Stoick toned, "and they'd be wanting te make things exciting for their audience."

"They killed you."

Stoick's mouth closed immediately, and he looked straight at Hiccup with sudden understanding. "I see," he said quietly. "Oh, Hiccup, it wasn't real. I'm still here, and I'm nae leaving this family any time soon."

Hiccup sighed. "I know, but…they did it in the worst way they could." He looked at his father, and then at Toothless. "They put Toothless under the control of another dragon, an alpha like the Red Death was, and they made him try to kill me…" he looked at his father again, "and you…you took the shot instead."

"So…that's why you reacted the way you did yesterday," Toothless whispered. He looked shamefully at the floor, now realizing why Hiccup had felt so afraid around him the day before.

Stoick reached over and placed his hand under the Night Fury's jaw, lifting his head up. "Hey, ye haven't done anything wrong, and I trust ye with my life," he reassured, smiling lightly. "And even more importantly, I trust ye with Hiccup." Toothless glanced away, mulling the words over, before slowly nodding and turning to look at Stoick and Hiccup. "And I swear, on my own life, I will fight to make certain that no one ever hurts either of you, including me," he stated. He leaned over and rubbed his head up against Hiccup as the boy gave him a thankful scratch, and Stoick moved forward to embrace both of them.

"But…what if something does happen?" Hiccup asked still, breaking the moment of peace. "We ran into a Stormcutter several weeks ago, I told you about that. And, there was one in the movie. Both had riders." He looked pointedly at Stoick. "And, in the movie, the rider…it was my mother."

"Valka?" Stoick asked carefully, feeling the stab of an old pain in his heart. Hiccup nodded. Neither said anything for a moment, the only movement being Toothless as he curled around both of his family members for support.

"Well," Stoick began slowly, "it could just be coincidence"- "And that's what Hawken said as well," Hiccup interjected. "-but if something does actually come of this, we have a warning now," Stoick continued. "And maybe we can work to make things happen differently. After all, I'm sure not everything is the same here as it was in the film, right?" He gestured to his son and Toothless. "We are a family, and nothing is going to break that."

Hiccup looked up at his father, before standing up and hugging him, hard. "Thanks Dad," he whispered, tears spilling down his face again. Stoick only smiled and returned the embrace to his son. "You're welcome."

They stayed that way for a minute, before Stoick released his grip and stepped backward, looking his son up and down. "Now, ye seem te have had a hard morning," he said lightly. "Go and take Toothless, and just take a flight around for a while. I'll give Gobber an extra hand, and I can tell ye need it. You two still need to fully reconcile this between each other, too." Hiccup glanced at Toothless, whose eyes had widened with hopefulness, and he smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I'll, uh, try to be back before sunset at least."

As Hiccup and Toothless bounded out the front door and disappeared into the air, Stoick's smile fell with their departure and he looked toward the painting hanging above the mantle of the cooking fire pit. He still remembered the day Bucket had painted it: a thin, reddish-brown haired woman with piercing green eyes and a warm, knowing smile, standing next to Stoick and holding a tiny bundle.

Stoick sighed and walked toward the painting, his hand brushing the edge of the delicate strokes. "If only it were true," he said quietly. "After all these years, I still miss you Val."

::So, do you want to talk about it?:: Toothless queried, glancing up at his rider as they soared up above the ocean-like layer of clouds that had gathered. Hiccup shrugged. "There really isn't much left to say is there?" he replied. "I was put on edge for no good reason, and I've been overreacting."

He leaned forward and patted Toothless on the cheek. "I trust you with my life Toothless, and I say that honestly. You're as close as any brother could be to me."

Toothless nodded, a genuine smile growing across his face. ::We're brothers in spirit Hiccup. You and I aren't very different at the heart, and I would trust you with everything too. We both have already, in fact.:: "I know," Hiccup sighed, lying back across the dragon's spine. "I'm still going to apologize for yesterday though. It wasn't real, what I saw, and you have never let me down." Toothless smiled warmly. ::And I never will, so long as I'm here.::

The pair flew in mostly silence after that, breaking the tranquility of the rare peaceful afternoon only for the occasional bout of acrobatics or lighthearted teasing, and as the sun moved lazily overhead they found themselves relaxing fully as the thermals carried the pair effortlessly above the clouds, just high enough to stay in the clear air. Neither noticed how far from Berk they had actually wandered, but neither cared. It was warm, calm, and beautiful, and both boys found themselves lost in the moment.

It was the perfect opportunity; neither of the pair saw her head as she carefully peered up through the sea of clouds, and there was no one else in sight, or at least not close enough to be watching that would try and stop them. She could take both, with the element of surprise on her side, and bring them back to the caverns. There, she could finally find out if they could in fact be trusted, or another enemy that would then be all too easily removed.

She directed her dragon to descend again with the slightest tap of her staff, and then the two moved up ahead into the path of the Night Fury and his rider. A nearby Nadder she directed behind, to grab the boy when they were properly distracted. Then, they waited for the right moment.

Toothless' ears swiveled around as he picked up the faint sound of leathery wings within the clouds, and he suddenly stalled, his own wings flaring out as he slowed to observe his surroundings. ::We're not alone out here anymore,:: he growled quietly, and Hiccup slowly sat up, taking in their surroundings as well.

"Is it one of our riders?" he asked cautiously. Toothless shook his head slowly and started to reply, before the sea of clouds below and in front of them exploded upward.

Two massive pairs of wings cleared the vapors and the silhouette flared in front of the afternoon sun, and an owlish head turned to regard them. Toothless' wings snapped outward as he backpedaled, baring his teeth in warning.

"You," Hiccup gasped. From atop the Stormcutter stared back a now-familiar figure, dressed with a helmet circled by spikes, and in one hand a makeshift shield while the other spun a long staff bearing a pair of hooked ends.

The figure pointed toward Hiccup with the staff, and before he or Toothless could comprehend what had just occurred, let alone react, Hiccup felt himself wrenched from the saddle, safety hooks slipping off as he dangled from the claws of a bright green Nadder.

Toothless screamed in protest and anger and turned to grab for his rider, but the Stormcutter swerved forward and wrapped his own massive talons around the Night Fury, pinning Toothless' wings to his sides and effectively immobilizing the dragon.

"Let him go!" Hiccup screamed. "Toothless!" He squirmed and managed to wrench one arm out from the grip of a talon, before the Nadder dropped him to a nearby rust-colored Nightmare. Toothless attempted to squirm from his captor's grip as well, and attempted to swivel his head up and around to fire at the Stormcutter, but the larger dragon was experienced with cases like this, and had Toothless pinned so that he couldn't fire at anything but open air.

Toothless looked helplessly at Hiccup and shook his head dejectedly, and Hiccup sighed inwardly before nodding. Neither of them had any choice but to go with their captors, and Hiccup had a horrible feeling rising within him at just what they were going to be faced with.

The incident did not go fully without notice, however. Miles away, too far to help directly, another rider upon a blue Nadder watched as Hiccup and Toothless were kidnapped, and immediately she knew what was about to transpire. She was too far away to try and help, and knew the other dragons that now surrounded the captive pair would interfere anyway. There was one person who could help though, and he would know how to find them.

"Come on, Thorn," Astrid urged, turning her mount back toward Berk. "We need to find Stoick and Hawken, now." The Nadder nodded, and immediately the two sped away. Time was short, especially if what they'd seen the day before would be any indication.

The Nightmare followed the Stormcutter north, and the growing flock of dragons around them glided in formation toward the approaching island. Piece after piece began to fall in place as well as Hiccup watched the spires of ice rise in front of them out of the bay of the island, stretching up from a cliff side of rock. It was this cliff that they aimed for, the flock gliding into and through a small opening almost right at the junction of stone and crystal. Inside, a twisting tunnel led them deeper and deeper into the teal-tinted mountain.

They entered finally into a large, semi-empty space, appearing nearly black after having been in the bright sun before, and the Nightmare dropped Hiccup unceremoniously to the floor. He hit hard, but rolled quickly to his feet and adopted a defensive stance without hesitation, watching as the Stormcutter circled above.

The rider slide down the massive dragon's wing and landed without a sound on the stone floor, watching Hiccup intently. The Stormcutter grunted wordlessly and dropped Toothless, hovering backward as the Night Fury immediately twisted around and leapt upward, hissing in rage. When the lunge missed Toothless inched to the side and wrapped protectively around Hiccup, who laid a calming, but alert, hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"Alright, what do you want," Hiccup snapped. "First you and your Stormcutter attempted to drive us away from this place a few weeks ago, and then for some unfathomable reason you now decide to up and drag us here? We have our own problems already, what with the dragons disappearing back home and…hey, hey, WHAT are you doing?!"

The rider had moved forward, cocking their head almost animalistically (it reminded Hiccup of Hawken when the teen was being odd) and glancing at Toothless, who bared his teeth again and snapped at the figure.

::Touch my rider again and I'll roast you faster than you can say fire,:: he growled. The rider stopped, and shrank back placatingly, holding their hands up and dropping both staff and shield. Other dragons began to gather closer to them, but the figure held a hand up to them and gestured to stay back.

::I'm still thinking this was a bad idea,:: the Stormcutter muttered, mostly to himself. Hiccup snorted, too fed up to realize what he was giving away. "Oh, you think?!" he snarked. "I don't take kindly to being kidnapped, and my dragon even less so, yet you thought it was a brilliant plan to drag us both away from what was supposed to be a relaxing flight. You think that was a bad idea?"

The Stormcutter cocked his head in confusion, his eyes widening with growing surprise. ::I'm sorry, did…did you just reply to me? You understand Dragonese?:: he queried cautiously. His rider glanced between the dragon and Hiccup, who only nodded. "Yeah, you weren't expecting that little tidbit, were you? A gift from a friend of mine, who I'm sure will show up any time now if the rest of you don't let us walk out of here freely. It wasn't the only gift either."

"You can understand dragons?" the rider suddenly asked. Hiccup flinched at the sudden words, and the muffled but clearly feminine voice that came from underneath the mask. "Y-yeah, I can," he answered slowly. "And I can tell you that me and my dragon are not pleased with being treated like…"

He trailed off as the figure moved forward again, slowly. Toothless bared his teeth again, eyes narrowing to slits and his tail curling tighter around Hiccup's feet. Then, the rider raised her hand again and opened it wide, twisting it off to the side and downward, a faint vapor releasing from the makeshift gloves she wore. Toothless' eyes followed the hand, before widening slightly as the vapor reached him and he slumped to the ground. The rider reached forward and found the soft spot under his chin, and seconds later Toothless had been dropped into a blissful state of unawares.

Now Hiccup became the protector, swiping the rider's hand away and standing above his dragon, pulling the hidden Mysteel dagger from his waist. "Don't. Touch. Him," he growled, flashing the blade warningly. The rider stood up, rising tall and seeming to glare down at Hiccup, though it was hard to tell the true expression through the mask they wore.

The next reaction, however, was all too clear. The rider looked at Hiccup's face, focusing more specifically on his chin, and stepped back in shock, as if they had been punched. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, before flinching as the rider reached slowly, hesitatingly toward him, the hands under the clawed gloves stretching forward and touching his face lightly. They stopped upon the scar inflicted so long ago even Hiccup had forgotten the cause. The next word from the figure, however, shattered his world and made everything as clear as day.

"H-Hiccup?" the rider whispered. Hiccup gasped and reeled back as well, stumbling over his still-unconscious dragon's tail and falling backward. The rider jerked in shock, before stepping back again as well and crouching low, bringing her hands up to her helmet and slowly removing the covering.

Long, dark reddish-brown hair streaked with sparse gray spilled out in a long braid, and bright green eyes looked out from an angular face that looked both youthful and at the same time worn with age and experience. A shocked, awed look painted her entire expression.

"C-Can it be? After all these years?" she asked almost as if choking on the words. Hiccup, meanwhile, still couldn't bring himself to utter a syllable, his mind too busy processing another fantasy unfolding before him. The movie was right, was all he could think. She's here, she's alive; my mother is standing right here in front of me! Indeed, his mother stepped forward again, but stopped as Toothless groaned and slowly rolled upright, blinking and glancing down groggily at his rider as he returned to the real world.

"Hiccup, is…is that really you?" the rider nearly whispered again. Finally, at the sound of his name once more, Hiccup gathered the ability to say something in return.

"M-Mom?" he stuttered, vice breaking in a ridiculous squeak. The reaction to his words were nearly the same on her as hers were on him. She stumbled back in shock, shaking her head.

"No, no, you were too young," she babbled. "You were only months old, you-you barely knew me. How…how…how do you know I am your mother?"

Toothless' eyes widened as he finally clicked together what had occurred, and he stared at Hiccup. ::Is this true?:: he asked. ::This is your mother?:: Hiccup only barely nodded. "It…it's a long story. I, uh, I know you're my mother, but I don't…I don't know any more than that, anything about you."

Her eyes stayed wide, though her shoulders did sag slightly at the admittance of his lack of knowledge about her. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I'm sure you don't know much. And that is all my fault. I…left, in a way, and once gone I believed it was better if I had stayed away." She looked up at Hiccup again, and he could see now that memories were rushing through her, tears threatening to break. "I left a village where I was outcast, and I was taken from a people who hated dragons; taken from you."

She glanced at the Stormcutter as she said this, garnering strength from his presence, the only constant she'd had. "I had found the truth, and believed I could never return, lest I be branded a traitor and killed, or taken away from you and your father again. I…" she trailed off, the tears beginning to well up and spill out.

Hiccup stood in the center of a whirlwind of emotions. His mother was in fact alive, and the greatest hope that had been awakened by what he'd seen the day before had been given life. But, he also felt anger, and pain from her having left them behind, when she could have so easily come back. He knew if things hadn't played out as such nothing of what he knew in life would have come about, but with that also came worry, fear about what could be coming next. After all, if part of what he'd seen had come to pass, what of the rest?

Slowly, however, Hiccup began to truly comprehend his mother's words, and he began reading how she truly felt now. Both their pasts had just been thrust back upon them, and they both were hurt by it. As if knowing, Toothless carefully nudged Hiccup from behind, toward his mother.

::You know what's right here,:: he whispered. Hiccup opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it and nodded. He walked forward slowly, and put his hand on his mother's shoulder, who flinched and looked up, the guilt and pain of her past decisions etched on her features.

"We…we both have long stories to tell, and pasts to reconcile with," Hiccup said quietly. "And, I'm thinking that there will be things both of us will be angry at the other about." He took in a deep breath as he tried to formulate his next words, his mother standing up straight again and her face melting into an unreadable mesh of expressions.

"I'm not going to say I'm not very angry about your leaving us," Hiccup breathed. "I needed you, Dad needed you, for all these years past. But… I can't say we've both been the best models for family either. And if things hadn't turned out the way they did, there is a lot I wouldn't have in my life." He glanced at Toothless, who smiled knowingly.

Valka looked at him, carefully, as a new emotion wormed its way to the surface: hope. "Then…is there a chance that we…you and I at least…can-can have a second chance?" she asked warily, both needing and afraid of the answer. "I…I found you riding dragons, as in tune with them as I am. You took so much after me even after all these years. I know I don't have a right to ask, I…I know, but…"

She didn't finish as she waited anxiously for a reply. Hiccup scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and glanced at his friend, who nodded encouragingly, bringing to mind another friend of theirs who would have a lot to say if Hiccup didn't at least try to fix this.

"Well, there's a friend of mine who told us of a belief that everyone should be given opportunities," he started. "I…I think we need to start off by explaining ourselves, fully. Then, maybe, I can give you a certain answer."

Valka nodded, before her eyes suddenly widened and a smile graced her features again. "Then I know just where we can talk," she said more excitedly. "Follow me!"

She turned and ran down a path in the cave, her Stormcutter following her nimbly and the other dragons disappearing from view elsewhere in the cavern. Hiccup stood at a loss for a moment, before Toothless practically shoved him over toward the path Valka had taken. ::What are you waiting for?:: he asked, turning and leaping himself down the tunnel. ::You heard what she said: follow her!::

They raced through the caves, Toothless occasionally having to stop as Hiccup clumsily failed to climb over or around boulders and ice chunks time and time again. All the while, Valka and her dragon only barely stayed in view, slowing enough to let the other pair catch up some, before immediately disappearing around the corner yet again.

Finally, Hiccup and Toothless slipped through a brighter exit, and stepped out into the open, staring awestruck at the sight that unfolded before them.

Just like what he'd seen only the day before, Hiccup stood upon a high ledge jutting out into a massive open space. Domes and spears of greenish ice rose from hexagonal columns of rock high above his head, the walls and ground covered in lush thickets of green ferns and mosses.

And, all around, though sparser in number than Hiccup had expected, dragons of all shapes and sizes flew or hung from the columns or just lazed about on ledges and outcrops. Hiccup simply stood for a moment and stared until Toothless finally barked to get his attention, and gestured to the side.

On the wall, the Stormcutter hung from the rock columns, and hanging from his claws on her staff was Valka. She smiled knowingly and dropped carefully to the ground. "I think this is as good as any place to talk," she said lightly. "Don't you agree?" Hiccup only nodded slightly, still a little star struck at this turn of events, as he walked over toward her, Toothless following directly behind him.

A/N-So, what do you think? Let me know in a review! There will be a lot of bonding and fixing of the past in the next couple chapters, before things heat up again...