Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. Have a super short chapter (barely 1K words) full of cat comedy and puzzles. I promise that next time there will be a more exciting update!

And I also had an idea. You guys leave such amazing reviews and I really don't make much of an effort to show my appreciation for that. So from now on if you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share in a review, I'll do my best to respond.

UnbreakableWarrior - You're right, sometimes the best of things come from the ugliest of turns. And I'm glad that my writing makes sense and I'm actually getting a clear message across. Sometimes even I don't understand it...

Guest - Thank you, Anon! That's exactly what I was hoping for

HiccupHaddockIII - Thank you!

Angryhenry - Brighter times shall come

Foxmorgorth - That is a great theory. But I'll leave it up to you to find the answers in the upcoming chapters

Supergoddad - Thank you. I don't know if it's noticeable but I have an unhealthy addiction to cliffhangers...

DrLynn29 - Thank you! And yes, I hope I can give you guys a nice ending. But we'll just have to hang on and wait out the storm

Madre - The Chapter Fairy came early. And look...a mini cliffhanger :P

Silence rang in Hiccup's ears. He lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, the sheets thrown back so that he could feel the cold seep through his clothes. The soft glow of the city lights floated through the far window.

He didn't know what it was that drove him to try again. He had to be grasping at mere threads now. She was probably with her family, happy and too caught up in catching up with them to check her phone. But even still he dialed again. And again. And again.

"Oh what's the use, Toothless," he sighed. The black kitten's ears perked up at his name. He crawled onto Hiccup's chest and tucked his paws under him, offering a sort of silent comfort only a cat could provide. Hiccup scratched behind his ears and turned his phone off.

The former stray had started living in the apartment shortly after they moved in. Valka had been too busy with her shelter to spend time with him and he had started to get stressed and wreak havoc on the house when she was away. So, with Astrid's consent, Toothless had joined their tiny, awkward family. He spent most days sleeping in the sunshine on the living room floor or begging for food every time someone came into the kitchen.

Lately, Toothless had been the only one who seemed to have any answers. His green eyes were lit with wisdom and peace. His feline gaze alone brought ease to Hiccup's racing thoughts. It was comforting to know that someone, albeit a snarky kitten, would be there to listen to his rants.

And now, with the clock on the desk reading 1:04 a.m. and only his cat as company, Hiccup wished for nothing more than a crazy idea; a plan. Anything that would distract him from the impenetrable, suffocating silence that had hung over the apartment for weeks now. But he was so tired; tired of fighting; tired of trying to come up with answers to questions that no one could answer. He just wanted to sink into the blankets and sleep for a hundred years. And then maybe, just maybe, when he woke up the sky would be just a bit clearer, and the little bird that had long since fallen silent would sing again.

Meow.

Hiccup groaned when something scratched gently at his chest. He swept an arm over himself as he rolled onto his side, pushing the black kitten to the other side of the bed. Toothless huffed and shook his head as he sat up, staring at the back of the young man's green shirt.

Meeoow.

Small paws rubbed insistently at Hiccup's back. "Come on, bud. I know I promised you half a can of Friskies for breakfast...I'll get to it. Just a few more minutes…" Hiccup mumbled into the pillow. A few moments later a soft snore was absorbed by the pillow, just loud enough for the kitten's sensitive ears to pick up.

Toothless' tail whipped from side to side dangerously as he lowered himself into a crouch. His eyes narrowed on his target: his sleeping friend's mop of auburn hair. If the boy would just move a tad, he could pounce right onto the top of his head. But stealth was key. So he waited, watching.

Almost there...almost...now!

A black blur flew through the air and landed on Hiccup's head. He jerked upright, his eyes wide open, any hope he might have had for sleeping in washed away with ice water. The kitten clung to his hair, roosting like a chicken. "TOOTHLESS!"

Meow.

In a nutshell, a normal morning with Toothless.

Hiccup sat hunched at the table with a cup of steaming coffee clutched in front of his face as the kitten munched away happily at his breakfast, his tail swaying gently. "Yeah, eat your food like nothing happened. Stupid cat.." He finished his coffee and felt a shiver run up his back as he became suddenly aware of the cold.

Hiccup sighed and strode across the kitchen to set the mug in the sink. He glanced outside at the city below. People dashed down the sidewalk and cars shot by, tiny pieces in the massive, shimmering puzzle that was the city of St. Louis. Sunlight danced on the glass panels that made up the skyline. The arch rose elegantly in the distance like a silver bridge to the rising sun.

Yes, all one big puzzle, with no one to solve it.

Hiccup turned away from the window, thinking. He was done sitting around and waiting for the pieces to fall into place. He needed a plan, and he needed Astrid to come home so that he could make things right. This was where she belonged; with he and Toothless in their half-empty apartment with boxes in every corner. Not in some guest room miles and miles away. If she could just understand that she belonged here and that it was okay to let her guard down and not always have to fight for power, they just might be okay.

That...that was it. He needed to get her to believe him. If that meant calling her and interrupting her week with her family and risking getting shot down again...then that was a chance he would have to take.

Hiccup walked out of the kitchen with a grin on his face, his cat at his heels.

This was the first step in solving their puzzle.