This Is War- Book One of the DragonBorn Trilogy

by Crystallion12

It's been 15 years since Hiccup and Toothless, Captains of the City of Dracoris, rose to realms, dreams and feats far above Midgard. They've destroyed the city of Rome, slain the Undead Army of a Thousand... But as a terrifying, scarlet dragoness begins an era of terror, suddenly, old friends are foes, and it seems like they'll have to return to Berk, after all. [Rated T, ReWrite.]

2. Part 1, Chapter 1- A Split Arrow

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

-Rated T- Genres Adventure/Fantasy-

-Rewrite.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.

Warning: Some violence and blood/gore in this chapter. Viewer Discretion advised.

X-x-X

Part One: The Night Fury and his Rider

X-x-X

Chapter 01: A Split Arrow

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

Like a broken arrow,

Paths in life shall never fly true.

As fate passes by you anew,

It is as clear as the truth is narrow,

And all that can be done is see if it'll strike the bullseye

Like a dragon's hope for mercy when it dares cry.

For a broken arrow,

Will never fly true.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

[Approx. 2478_D, May 26th, Morning.]

'Why would a Bewilderbeast attack… Like this?'

Toothless' ear plates perked. He turned his gaze slightly, looking at the equally unnerved Deadly Nadder behind him. If the charred, ashen forests that were devastatingly withered weren't creepy or haunting enough, now they stared at the outcome of an Alpha Species' unrelenting wrath.

Hiccup's body was giving off slight shivers, and Toothless couldn't blame him. Astrid couldn't take away the worried, confused frown off her features.

There wasn't any mistaking.

As their riders directed them towards the destroyed fort, trapped in giant spikes of turquoise ice, it was clear that a Bewilderbeast- and if they were right, the Alpha himself- had launched a brutal, lethal assault on the base. But why? Toothless asked himself in silence, listening to his rider's voiced thoughts.

"What happened here? Just… How… What could have done this? Why?"

Astrid's tongue wouldn't click. She swallowed, trying to say something, but she just couldn't find an answer. She must have seen something, and hissed his name. Hiccup turned to look, just as a man shouted 'fire!'.

Hiccup's mind was rushing- and his heart skipped a beat, as suddenly, the whizzing of a bola cutting through the air rang in his ears. He shouted over the wind, pulling Toothless backwards to dodge as he held on tightly. Whipping his head around, he watched in horror as Stormfly went down, a net tightly binding her, Astrid falling quickly out of control. Toothless shot down, swiftly grabbing the shield maiden in his talons, flapping upwards, circling around.

The heir looked to Astrid, and she gave him a shaky nod, no words needed as Toothless shrieked, flying back down to their attackers. "STOP!"

"What are you doing!?" Astrid cried.

A group of men were attempting to bind Stormfly, wrapping her legs and pinning her tail- one in particular had a rope tied around the Nadder's head, and he wore an expression of wonder and betrayed fear as Toothless landed with a snarl, setting Astrid down as she shouted for her companion, who gave a pained, miserable whine.

"Stormfly!"

Hiccup swung off, taking his Dragon Blade, Inferno, and setting it alight with a whooshof bright flames. The heat reflected on him, but he had grown used to it long ago.

Glancing at Astrid, he could see she was quite angry judging by the way she glared, and gripped tightly on a stick she picked up for a make-shift weapon.

Meanwhile, Hiccup turned to also give a pointed look at the man who appeared to be the leader. He was smirking, a look of amazement on his face. "Back again, Rider?" He paused, and averted his gaze to eye Toothless, who was hissing.

"Soil my britches… So it is a Night Fury."

Hiccup frowned, something stirring from within him- recognition? He glanced at Toothless, and shuddered. Maybe he hadn't met these men before, but he wasn't so sure about his dragon. They were deadly thin pupils against illuminated green that seemed to radiate only rage and loathing, a look thatcould make even his father tremble, he reckoned, and the men seemed no different.

One of the Trappers whimpered, cowering, his grip on his weapon constricting as he muttered to the leader. "The Traitor ain't gonna like this…" The leader growled, hitting his shoulder, stepping a boot on Stormfly's horn.

"No, he won't." He pointed the tip of his sword at the two riders and the Night Fury. "How are you even alive?"

The Vikings shared a confused glance, and Hiccup held up his hands slowly.

"Look, we've never met…"

The man laughed curtly. "Never met? Very well. You may have 'never' graced us with your awful presence before, DragonBorn, but I'll tell you this. Dragon Trapping is hard enough work as it is, without do-gooder dragon riders sneaking in to rescue them!"

Toothless stiffened, his gaze locking onto Hiccup's.

Ultimately, he appeared just as confused as a stranger would. He retracted in his sword as he spoke, stunned. "What do-gooder… There are other dragon riders?"

"Ha. Other than the obvious, and your thieving buddy from last night? Why don't you tell me. I'm sure you've got some connection with those blasted Draconians." He didn't falter at their baffled expressions, although the Nadder and Fury gave small whines. This wasn't any information that should be freely exposed, especially to their precious riders. "You may have a Bewilderbeast on your side, but we still have a quota to fill. How do you think we explain this mess to Lord Drago Bludvist?"

"Lord Drago what-fist?" Hiccup stared. "Does anything you say make sense?"

One of the trappers sneered, rolling his shoulder. "The Queen is expecting a new shipment of dragons for their army by tomorrow."

Another huffed and spoke in his whiney voice, as the leader nodded slightly at their acclamations. "And she don't take well to excuses. We've already lost over a dozen to her wrath!"

They nodded, mumbling among themselves. "This is what she had the Traitor give me last time I showed up empty-handed-" The leader growled, eyes dark as he pulled his shirt to the sides of his chest, revealing an angry, bright red scar- a branding scar. It sent chills down their spines, making them pull back, disgusted, "-And they promised to be far less understanding in the future."

Hiccup chose his words carefully, trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that kept saying he knew these Trappers from somewhere.

"Look, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or a 'Bewilderbeast'," Eret nodded to hidden trappers, who aimed their crossbows. "Or your lunatic… Queen, and this… Traitor-fist guy and their dragon army. Just give us back our dragon and we'll go, strange, hostile person whom we've never met."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, where are my manners?" He made a mocking bow, and drew a short, curved sword at the same time. "I'm Eret, son of Eret. Finest dragon trapper alive."

Toothless growled, and Hiccup's fist clenched.

"After all… It's not just anyone who can capture the Ancestral Night Fury and his precious DragonBorn."

Rigid, the Night Fury roared, trying to dim out the last half of the man's words. Hiccup just glared, and smirked, gesturing to his best friend. "No, it's Toothless. And, he says we're going. Now."

Eret laughed. "Oh, you know nothing. And, all dragons say that… RUSH 'EM, LADS!"

Toothless gave a shriek, hidden trappers pouncing from the shadows. He blasted with his fire at a thick, sharp spike of ice above them, precisely gaining the upper hand as it came crashing down, forcing the men to leap and duck out the way, less they die. Hiccup sprang forward, slashing the ropes with his fiery sword. Astrid followed quickly, shouting at Stormfly to go. Hearts pounding,the dragons ran- they had already heard too much- and quickly took off as soon as their riders clambered on.

"YOU WILL NEVER HOLD ON TO THOSE DRAGONS, RIDERS, YOU HEAR ME!? THE SCARLET QUEEN IS COMING TO TAKE THEM ALL! BE WARNED, DRAGONBORN, FOR SHE WILL KILL YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

Hiccup shuddered, and abruptly, an intense pain erupted in his arm, the sound of fabric tearing in his ears. He yelped, the action resulting with Toothless slightly swerving sideways with a roar. The Night Fury sped up, and glanced back, worriedly looking at his partner. Hiccup hissed in pain, glaring at where the arrow had lodged itself in his arm. It burned with pain, a searing agony. He shook his head, trying to ignore the wound, and flew Toothless onward.

"Hiccup?" Astrid turned in the saddle, gasping as she saw him. "Hiccup! You got s-"

"Yes, Astrid. I'm aware. Painfully aware… Agh… Gods…" He groaned, trying to take out his pain by squeezing his thighs to the saddle, as if he could transfer his suffering to the leather.

Toothless whined, looking at him anxiously, setting a dead course for Berk. He warbled to the bruised Nadder flying abreast from the lithe dragon, and she nodded, giving a screech before she pumped her wings sturdily, trying to accelerate their return. The heir lightly patted his companion's thick neck, murmuring a word of appreciation.

He gave a trembling sigh.

Looked like another chaotic drama was on the horizon…

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

A hoarse, pained and angry shout escaped his lips. Beneath him, his dragon howled loudly, and struggled to level off in the smoke-filled skies. Embers glowed in the night like burning stars, pillars of green and red fumes rising from the ground and the village.

Both dragon and rider narrowed their eyes, and the Humanblaka showed his companion the arrow residing in his shoulder through his mind.

They are going to pay for that… The dragon seemed to… Say?

He frowned, or, at least, the Hiccup that wasn't in the dream did. Like he was torn between worlds, Hiccup was confused at the voice, but like everything else, the Hiccup in the scene didn't react at all- he knew what it all was.

If only someone could explain…

The Night Fury screeched, loud and shrill, and the shockingly ginormous dragon steered upwards, pounding his wings in the foul air. Hiccup made a silent, apparently non-existing gasp as the shouts and panicked screams sounding below, became recognisable.

They were attacking Berk?!

He wanted to yell at Toothless, this strange Toothless, to stop.

But it never came out, and the only emotion he could see in the dark, cold emerald orbs of Hiccup's eyes behind the mask was slight pity, perhaps a scintilla of remorse or regret.

Somewhere in the background, he shuddered, for a massive chain of bright green lightning spotlighted in the sky with a booming clap, illuminating the giant dragon's figure behind the smoke in a terrifying, thundering image.

Toothless let out his signature banshee-like shriek, wheeling around, and a terrible build-up of plasma rose in his throat, before the bright flash of awful blue fire erupted from his mouth.

He watched in horror, as it flew over the burning village they had once called home, but never missed- it then struck its target, the mountain that stood in Berk's heart. It was a sickening sight, the blue explosion tremendous, and it tore a huge chunk out the towering hill of rock, as burning boulders crumbled and descended upon the village, the whole island shaking at the impact.

Hiccup's heart was screaming, yet, the man riding upon Toothless seemed to spare not a single care.

He did not cheer or congratulate the large beast he was mounted upon, instead bending down for less air resistance as the lithe, muscular black creature dove, truly revealing how massive he was when he spread his wings. Toothless screeched once more, a deep hissing in his throat, and flickering, lighter blue flames spewed out the edges of his mouth, before the shocking realisation was made. The Night Fury opened his jaws wide, and from his maw emerged a jet of bright, haunting, icy blue flames, like that of perhaps a Red Death. He strafed down the village square, leaving in his wake a path of devastation, ignoring the shouts, and screams of the villagers, before shooting up again, even faster than the non-existent Hiccup knew now.

I think that's enough, Deathdoom, The man suddenly spoke, but his lips did not move. The giant, glittering, gore-splattered dragon gave a rumble of consent, slowing down in the air for his rider. Hiccup huffed as the Night Fury released a plasma blast above the village for emphasis of their victory. I think we've shown our point.

Fair enough, Little One. The dragon growled, looking down at the wreck beneath them.

They glanced at one another, the dragon turning his head slightly to the left to look at him out the corner of one green eye. Shall we pose our conditions?

No. Hiccup swore, that, well, the man under the mask- who he really wished wasn't most certainly himself- smirked. Let's give them some… Time, to consider their defeat. Circle the village, and alert me if anything changes. I need to pee.

Wow. Great timing.

The Rider chuckling lowly, all a broken, somehow non-existent Hiccup could do was watch as the man stood in the saddle, two large black wings unfurling from his back, patting the scaly beast beneath him with a tail from behind a leg. Personally, 'non-existent Hiccup' was absolutely disgusted and shocked to witness a joke so casually stated in such a dreadful situation. If only they felt the same…

Roaring threateningly, the winged Dragon Rider leaped off his companion, flying away into the night, riding tainted air conquered by blood and smoke.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

[Approx. 2478_D, May 26th, Night.]

"Hiccup! Son, wake up… It's just a dream…"

Stoick watched his son helplessly, the young man in his arms and resting- not so peacefully, either- in his lap.

The Chief sighed, feeling as if the blasted gods had forsaken them, resting the Nine Realms solely on his shoulders, and heck, were they heavy.

The memory of the morning kept re-playing vividly in his troubled mind. The mortification and chilling fear as he saw them land, Astrid on the verge of crying, Hiccup limp and bleeding upon his dragon's back…

Stoick manoeuvred through the crowd, spouting jovial greetings in passing. "Hey, how are you? Beautiful day."

Stoick then grinned, looking at Spitelout, who seemed grumpier than usual, and that made sense. "Hello, Spitelout, great game today!" And he got a muttered grunt in response, gathering a chuckle from him, until he nearly bumped into another villager, holding a baby Gronckle in her arms.

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Ack- oh! And little Goop."

He ducked his head, walking into the Great Forge. He looked to Gobber. "Any sign of him?"

"Ah, he's probably flown off the edge of the world by now."

Gobber hammered a tooth into a blue Zippleback's mouth, the head itself looking rather nervous, while its counterpart just watched with a grateful smile. Stoick smiled softly at the sight, fond of all his subjects, both dragon and viking, on his island. The blacksmith looked at him. "You sure you want that kid runnin' the village? You can still delay your retirement."

"He's ready, you'll see." Stoick beamed, then paused, hearing the roar of a familiar Deadly Nadder. He looked up, seeing Stormfly flying close beside Toothless, his son's faithful Night Fury, whom was like a second son to him.

Opening his mouth to speak, something faltered in his voice. As if on instinct, he looked to the other part of the 'gang', as Hiccup called his odd but wonderful friends. Snotlout Jorgenson, his cousin, Fishlegs, the Ingerman boy and resident Dragon Expert, and the Thorston twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, with their respective dragons- Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, Fishlegs' Gronckle, Meatlug, and the twins' Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch. And he, unfortunately, knew the expressions that they all wore, standing around in the plaza. As a family like group, they knew each other smoothly, and were also very swift to spot when something was wrong.

Without a word, the four riders climbed onto their dragons, taking flight and making a straight bee-line for the Nadder and Fury. The two dragons seemed worried, closer now, the latter almost flying flimsily. The five dragons all gave worried cries, and that cemented the fact.

"Hiccup…" Stoick mumbled, and the Chief pushed his way through the crowd, watching in dread as the group aided the Night Fury to land. For a moment, Stoick feared Toothless had been wounded, and hoped it was just something amiss with his equipment. This worry then did a double take, and intensified, seeing it was not the connecting rod, the tail fin, or even the saddle that was damaged, but the controller- the rider.

His son.

"Hiccup!" He rushed forward, just as the heir gave a whine of pain, and accidentally rolled off his saddle. His friends began to move, obviously fretting for their beloved leader, but their Chief was faster.

Catching the youth, his heart thumped in his chest rapidly, as he saw the shaft of the arrow sticking out from his child's shoulder.

He stammered for a minute, the sound of the villagers mumbling and crooning in worry, loud in his ears. Finally, he gathered his bearings, whipping his gaze around to look at Snotlout.

"Snotlout! Tell Gothi Hiccup was shot by an arrow in the arm, we'll be there in a minute! Go!" The stocky rider nodded, already heading out, jumping onto Hookfang's neck as the dragon took a running start to fly, the villagers quickly making way.

Stoick looked back down at his son, shaking, and whimpering in his arms, cold to the touch. At least he had that armour to keep him warm. He looked around, feeling some-what daft or faint. "Skullcrusher!" He called, and the Rumblehorn obediently emerged, fast to understand the dire situation. He aided his partner onto his back, giving the son of his rider a gentle, worrisome nuzzle before spreading his wings.

Toothless watched in anguish, knowing he couldn't fly on his own, so he simply broke into a run to make his way to the Elder's hut, for once, sucking up his pride, and praying to every higher force that his precious Hiccup would be okay…

And now, Toothless was almost a mirrored image. He watched with grievous eyes, whining softly on occasion, and helplessly nudging his rider's stiff, trembling side.

"I know, Toothless… I know…"

It was then that the young man awoke, moaning softly, eyelids fluttering weakly. "Dad… Berk… Danger…" Stoick immediately quietened his voice, hushing him gently as he stroked a strand of auburn hair behind his ear. Blurry and exhausted eyes met his, and he smiled a little, albeit sadly, humming softly to his one and only child.

"I know, son… Astrid told me… Shh…"

Hiccup whimpered, clearly still at unease, and wishing he could tell him all about that horrid, simply awful nightmare. It didn't feel right, and unlike usual dreams, he remembered it far too accurately, instead of forgetting all the (usually) blurry mess within ten minutes. With a whine, the young man looked around a little, dizzy, his head starting to ache horribly with confusion as he realised he was in the Dragon Hanger, in his father's arms beside Toothless in his dragon's stall.

He tried remembering how he got here, but soon figured out, despite his fatigue, that he would have been out cold and brought there.

"Shhh… Rest… You're safe here… It'll be okay, son…"

He wanted to agree with his father, if only the shrieks of a giant Night Fury and a heartless, older version of himself didn't plague his thoughts.

But, the temptation of sleep was far too strong, drawing him inwards and within its steely grasp before the rider could even tell his father how he feared thatToothless, and himself were to be the enemy.

And if they were, then Berk would be doomed to suffer and perish in icy flames…

But why?

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

[Approx. 2478_D, May 26th, Night.]

A voice, somewhat weary and aged, was what roused Hiccup from his dream-less slumber. He moaned, his eyes tiredly opening. Beside him, he could feel that Toothless was also awake, rumbling softly in what sounded like acknowledgement. For a while, he blinked, staring at Gothi, figuring she would be here to tend to his injury, but he then realised she had already done so- rather silently, in that case- and she yet remained. His father wasn't holding him anymore, having gone off somewhere, leaving him beside his dragon, wrapped in blankets snugly.

"Wake up, Dragon Rider…"

He blinked, yawning. He looked around, searching for the source, before suddenly, Gothi lightly whacked his foot with her staff, drawing his attention to her, just as she, for the first time since he was born (or, as far as he was aware), spoke.

She eyed him and Toothless. "You must leave Berk…" The elderly woman only paused for a brief second. "You must. Drago and Deathstar will not spare you again."

"W… Wha…? What? Gothi? You can speak?"

The elder rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, before she lifted his chin with her staff, mumbling quietly, "Come on, get up, get up. No time to waste."

She ushered him onto his feet, and stumbling, he climbed onto Toothless' bare back. He began to speak of it, but she pressed a wrinkly, thin finger to his lips, and gently, looped a red velvet leash around Toothless' neck, pulling the dragon along. He watched, trying to wrap his head around what was going on, as she led Toothless silently past the Dragon Stalls, occupied by the dragons and their riders. It was the dead of night, and Hiccup was cold. He shivered, clinging to the warmth of his best friend.

"Gothi… Where are… We going…"

She hushed him once more, and to their shock, she took them out the Hanger, leading them away from it, and through the village.

Only now, did Hiccup realise what had happened- his father had evacuated the village into the Hanger, the underground chambers. It felt like a dusty, abandoned ghost town, not a single light glowing from within the huts. Was this 'Drago Bludvist' and his Queen truly to be feared in such intensity?

He shuddered. He didn't like being in the open, knowing that everyone he held dear wasn't beside him. While usually the sounds of the night were comforting, now, they made him jump and whimper. The breeze was cold and abnormal, the chilly atmosphere bizarre, almost like it wasn't widespread. Eerie shrieks occasionally pierced the air, and Gothi would sometimes pause to stare at the night sky, her grey brows furrowed. She muttered some more dismissively.

She made no comments, and before long, they stood in her hut. She must have left swiftly, for objects were scattered and somewhat untidy.

Nodding to one of her many Terrible Terrors, who seemed to have awaited their arrival, she had her friend ignite a torch to light the room. They watched, confused, as she scuttled around, muttering, and clicking quietly to herself. Hiccup grew ever more restless, unsettled; one of the Terrors must have been staring at him from under her bed, because he did not like that eerie feeling of being watched by an undetected presence, a sensation he currently had.

"Uh… Gothi…?"

She shook her head and kept scavenging, seemingly searching for something.

"Gothi?"

"Not now, Hiccup. I need to find that saddle, and that tail-fin for your Night Fury, and quick…"

He blinked. "What…?"

I swear, I'm just as confused as you are. Toothless thought, and sighed to himself, dearly wishing Hiccup could hear him. At least the youth could figure out his body language, and he patted his neck a little as he slid off his back.

"Aha!"

She made a crooked smile, running a worn hand over a sheet of black velvet, concealing a lump tucked away under one of her many shelves. "There it is, the old…" Her expression dropped, and her eyes widened slightly as she hastily took away the sheet, abruptly alarmed, even more so than before.

Hiccup, lost in confusion, reached out his good hand, but she quickly swatted it away, and hurried to Toothless, throwing onto his back between the neck and shoulder blades a saddle, sleek and black, made of fine leather. Aside from the two straps to wrap around the dragon, there were two loose flaps of black leather where the legs (of a human) would hug Toothless, and each had two loops, or bands of leather, supposedly to secure the rider's legs.

They both came out with baffled, stunned noises, however the elderly woman heeded not, grabbing one of the two thick straps, and taking it up around the Night Fury's neck, clasping the buckle that appeared to be made of Gronckle Iron. She hastily did likewise for the one that wrapped around his stomach, just behind his shoulders and around the belly's girth.

"Get on, now!"

Hiccup whined softly, reluctant to do so. One, his shoulder hurt, two, Toothless was wearing none of his flying gear and just some plain, unusual new saddle, and three, well, what in the Nine Realms was going on?

Prepared to simply get on after considering his options, Hiccup moved, but paused yet again. He could have sworn he heard some creaking of wood, a soft hiss, and haunting tapping from the roof.

He looked up, neglecting his paranoia after reasoning his mind was being rather cruel on him.

She glared, though, somehow more menacing- believe it or not- than even Astrid. He gulped, and grasped the semicircle handle acting as a saddle horn, swinging into the unacquainted place. It was comfortable, but very bizarre, uncomfortable in turn because of the absurdity. Toothless looked up at him with a soft snort, a million questions in his intelligent eyes. Hiccup wondered if his eyes were any different.

"Gothi? Please, can you just ex-"

He froze, as if ice had frozen his veins- hearing Gothi's scream, he whipped around to see a horrifying image. "GOTHI! NO!"

There it stood, gore dripping from its yellowed fangs, a large, murky brown-red dragon, a hissing menace of the Stoker Class- a vicious Typhoomerang. Gothi was gasping croakily, clutching her bleeding neck. The elderly woman screamed out something that sounded like 'go!'. He hesitated, tears stinging his eyes, and yelped as Toothless suddenly lurched forward, the unattended prosthetic hanging to the end of his tail.

Heart racing, Hiccup cried out in terror as the Night Fury charged headfirst, straight at the exit, but he must have forgotten something…

What was it? The simple fact that he couldn't fly.

The dragon shrieked as his rider shouted, his paws scrambling to get a decent grip on stone. They ultimately skidded down the mountain, the Night Fury doing his best to leap from ledge to ridge, Hiccup staring in fear at the armoured, scary dragons that were circling the mountain.

His eyes suddenly darted away, to meet the yellow pair of the savage Typhoomerang from before, who could have killed Gothi.

He- no, it- could have murdered Gothi.

Rage boiled within him, but like rain to fire, it went up in a smokescreen of terror as the said beast bellowed with a roar and shot at them like a bullet, sparks flickering on the edges of its wings. "TOOTHLESS! HURRY! HURRY!"

Dragon roared and leapt, heart pounding and limbs on fire.

Rider screamed, the wind roaring in his ears.

Enemy shrieked, as its prey escaped its talons narrowly, oh so unfortunately.

Toothless came down to earth with a thud, tumbling, using a paw to stop his breaking roll in fear he'd crush Hiccup and hurt him gravely. A piercing agony and a crack temporarily stole his focus, but he disregarded it in favour of getting out the confusing mess they were in alive.

Moaning in his throat, his head throbbing and limbs burning at the impact, he glanced at the young man hiding his face against his dark scales. Taking an affirmative for the go, the Night Fury got on his paws, glancing at his surroundings before launching into a run. It hurt abnormally, and that was all it truly took for the dragon to realise his paw- that he had landed on- had probably been broken. Uttering a filthy dragon curse, he forced his legs to take them faster, determined.

A nagging voice kept rambling on his head. They needed to fly. Even a Night Fury such as himself, was no match for what, seven armoured dragons? Perhaps if he had been a fully-fledged adult, or a Titan Wing, but not in his current form.

He wailed into the night, praying somebody may hear them, be it viking or beast.

Shhrrrieek! One of the beings dove down, letting loose a terrible cry, its steely talons barely missing Toothless' flank. The claws skidded lightly over the ground instead, grabbing mounds of dust and dirt. The dragon, which he believed was a Snafflefang- he hadn't seen one in over a decade, he couldn't be certain- let out a frustrated bark, roaring to its companions as they attempted to seize their target; or was it targets?

Toothless whined. His claws scraped against a stone platform as he circled around a Weather Post, his tail lashing out and striking the Snafflefang's snout with a harsh thwack. He could have sworn he felt a drop of blood land on his crimson-smeared tail.

It howled in vehement rage once more, snapping its jaws blindly, and the Night Fury almost stopped to stare, only Hiccup's frightened squeak bringing him to reality.

It was, at borderline, a thin escape.

Hiccup's foot kicked out, hitting the snout of the Typhoomerang. Toothless yelped, realising his dazed moment had almost costed their lives. He scampered onto his paws, giving a small grunt of apology when Hiccup struggled to fasten himself in his place. This made the lithe Strike dragon pause, and he barked sharply, using one wing to lift the young man's hand away. There was a moment of question. Toothless swished his tail in the air, Hiccup making a silent 'o' with his mouth, nodding slightly at his sprinting companion.

It took a moment for the full implications to sink in.

"You want me to do what?!"

Toothless roared, staring his rider in the eye, deliberately rolling his shoulders back in a gesture for him to act. Hiccup whined, but nodded, shakily taking a deep breath.

So, he brought his legs out the securing straps, assembled any courage in his scrawny body, and balancing on his dragon's back on his stomach, Hiccup crawled down Toothless' scaly figure. He grasped with his knees tightly upon seeing the length of his Night Fury's tail, but a twinge of relief seeped into his mind, noting how the odd prosthetic was still there, hanging on surprisingly well.

"Try and keep steady, Bud! Please?!"

He got a roar in return, and he muttered under his breath, "Worth a shot," before he started to advance down the dragon's tail, which had slightly elevated off the ground as the Fury ran.

(He realised that the whole thing, pose and facial expressions, otherwise, if not for the danger and fear of the situation, would be hilarious to behold.)

It was a bumpy ride, and it hurt, and then it pained him some more before swooping down and chucking him into agonised Hell. He bit the inside of his cheek, and having to stretch out his arms far to reach the prosthetic, he soon realised he had a new problem to add to the stinking heap of drama.

And only then, he saw that there were three, or, getting technical, five, straps.

One was thick and shorter, with a sturdy Gronckle Iron buckle, while the other two had simple metal buckles and were thinner, longer. He presumed it would be like the one he'd made Toothless for Snoggletog, five years back. It held onto his tail by two symmetrical, thin loops that wrapped thrice around the nearest spikes on Toothless' tail, the same spikes further down digging into his body.

Taking a deep breath and going by his guts and instincts, he took the thick strap with quivering hands, and brought it around the base of the tail-fins, smiling ever so weakly when it perfectly fitted with a pleasant click of security.

No longer having to worry the contraption would suddenly take off from the billowing wind, he began to try and figure out where, and how, he tied the smaller straps.

Suddenly, he got a faceful of ebony scales. "TOOTHLESS! E-ahh!"

He screamed, clutching desperately onto the Fury's tail. He thumped against the ground more than once, his dragon's movements suddenly consisting of bounding leaps and skidding turns that were harshly hostile to him.

He grunted, and turned his head, gasping in horror when he saw what was waiting for them in their path.

A cliff.

And, of course, they were surrounded. He whined, Toothless' shriek of alarm a blaring siren in his head. The adolescent's hands fumbled with the straps hurriedly, his heart's rapid beating sending jolts of pain throughout his body. The Rider cursed loudly, precariously clinging on still, trying to secure the straps.

"T-Toothless! BUD!"

The Night Fury glanced back at him, never slowing down. He couldn't. Glancing up at the dragons that were diving at them, screaming cries made to mark their deaths, the lithe black dragon gave a mighty snort and propelled them forward, leaping off the cliff edge.

Click. "YES! TOOTHLESS, I DID I- AHHH!"

Toothless snorted and looked back, flapping strong, streaking past the confused, stunned enemies gathered in the sky.

He lowered down slightly, allowing Hiccup to slide down to sit in the saddle again. The man gave a squeaking oof, falling ungracefully too far and hitting a thick neck, panic rushing through burning veins as his hands scrambled and clutched onto his companion's body. Despite the movement, the enemies were still their neighbours, so he took a shuddering gasp and rapidly shook his head, regained his composure, and shoved his legs into the leg straps, clutching onto the saddle horn.

By now, their sudden triumph had been recognised. The soldier dragons shrieked and snarled in outrage, setting chase with snapping jaws and grappling claws.

Diving, strident turns, barrel rolling to the sides and dipping up and down had never been such an exhausting and adrenalizing experience for Hiccup and Toothless. Their hearts seemed to pound in a coordinated rhythm, their short breaths only quelled by the sickening, booming cries of their pursuers.

It made the rider feel somewhat useless, unable to really do much apart from being a lookout. He did have to admit, however, Toothless' reflexes per the new prosthetic had drastically improved, and he must have been faster.

However, the legendary speed of a Night Fury apparently was not fast enough.

A haunting, unfamiliar shriek sliced the air, and suddenly, a bright flash of green scales rushed under them, causing Toothless to howl in pain.

Hiccup stared, his breath caught in his throat.

Sticky, hot and glistening, black Night Fury blood splashed on him, hissing as it burned his bare hands. It was the epitome of a nightmare- one of his worst.

He gasped, and holding on tight, the Viking whispered to his dragon to find safety. Toothless moaned from the new wound across his underbelly, and the Viking frantically scrutinized the skies to try and find the mystery tormentor.

His hands, shaking, aching, tingling and sticky with blood dripping off his fingers, tightened around the hilt of Inferno as the same growl sounded once more, but it was a mere echo in the distance falling from stone pillars. Cursing, he focused on where Toothless seemed to be heading- a tight opening just large enough for Toothless to squeeze in, between two walls of stone.

"Bud… Wait. Follow my lead… We need to lose them…"

The dragon halted, then nodded slightly, allowing Hiccup to pull the reins slightly to the left, inclining a movement with the opposing foot on the right. The dragon complied, keeping a steady pace as the dragons tried to match up to their change of course, flustered. "Dive," Hiccup murmured, and the Night Fury growled in response, ducking under the arch of a sea stack rising from the water.

A screech, the crumbling of rocks, and annoyed snaps from the rear direction gave them the notice that one of the dragons must have had an unfortunate collision with the obstacle. Hiccup smirked slightly, feeling a pinch of triumph in his heavy chest.

Take that, devils, he thought, even if the adolescent thought 'devils' was a bit harsh. Who knew what had gotten into those armoured creatures… Were they Drago's?

Toothless' bark brought him out his stupor. Muttering obscenities at his foolishness, to be distracted like that, he spurred his companion on, weaving and ducking between the sea stacks dotting the ocean.

Yes… We did it… Hiccup felt a weak smile play on his lips. Toothless sped up, and twisted his body, silently and swiftly slipping through the entrance in the stone. It led to an almost ravine-like path, a trickling river down its length. The black dragon scanned his surroundings, now drooping, and slowly glided over to the gravelled bank. He landed with a heavy thud, hastily padding inside a dark, slightly damp but decent cave. It pulled inwards, offering a wall of cover and enough space to be comfortable. They'd be safe, at least, for now.

The Night Fury weakly peeked his triangular head past the stone wall. The armoured dragons, nowhere to be found.

Good, he said quietly to himself, snorting softly.

He padded back into the cavern, laying down with a wince and leaning to one side so Hiccup, with his half-lidded eyes and sluggish movements, could slide down easier. The young rider murmured quietly, snuggling in by his warm side, unable to register much else than exhaustion.

And it was like this, that both Night Fury and Rider fell asleep, resting in the uneasy world of subconscious.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo

ShoutOuts:

aslan333- Hey buddy! Wonderful to see you again, I wondered if you'd come along for the re-write. Thanks for the review!

NatBlake [Beta]- Aww, thanks, pal! Yes, let's give him his bacon… XD So yes, the armband shall be a plotpoint in relative near-future. And yes you did. You're an official-not-so-official Beta. XD Inspiration Beta. Because you are an inspiration to both TIW and my heart, even though you didn't know that 'Dragonites' was our fanbase name. XD Thanks for the review!

martatkaczyk920- Welcome to the second chapter… Hehe, thanks! I hope I wasn't too slow. ;) Thx for the review!

Also, I really want to give a special ShoutOut to both of my 'betas' for TIW. NatBlake, who's famous for his stories 'Captain hiccup' and 'Running With Fate' (if you have not read the first WHAT are YOU DOING with your LIFE, XD) and also to the much more in-depth or 'official' helping hand here, the amazing Introvert-Dragon, who's been so incredibly kind to take on two versions of this chapter's draft and spotted their flaws and helped me out a TON. Go check 'em out when you're lacking stories to read. XD Thanks guys, you're awesome! Love ya!

Dragonites Unite!

-Crystallion12