I love the ending to this chapter. By far the best one I've done yet! But you'll have to wait to read it!

Anyways, this chapter is short, mostly because the entire week I was busy helping out with the school play. It was worth it, though!

xMidnightAurorax: As I've said, I plan to see this story to its end. Glad you're enjoying it, though!

Miles-tails-prowler: I did not know that! Hopefully anybody brave (or foolish) enough to mess around with acetylene reads your comment!

mr abomination: Wonderful! That should help you get good grades, right? :D

Saphireanime: I don't know how old Hiccup is, but 14 sounds like a good age. And Toothless does go into 'mother-hen' mode when Hiccup's around.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Morning couldn't come fast enough. When it finally did arrive, Astrid wolfed down her morning meal and, with the excuse of going to train, she ran off into the woods. The path to the cove was ingrained into her brain. Left around the pile of rocks, down the crevice, and she was there. Astrid didn't waste any time to admire the cove in the morning light. She hopped down the pile of rocks, briskly walking to the rock that housed the book. Now that she knew it was there, she was surprised Snotlout hadn't seen it. She grabbed it and climbed up to the exit, aware that it wouldn't be safe there. After a speedy debate, she hurried to a familiar hole. Astrid threw down a fresh vine and climbed into the cavern she had been stranded in yesterday.

With a brief glance around to re-familiarize herself, she settled down against a wall, using the sunlight streaming from the opening to read. She pored over the journal entries, trying to figure out everything he had discovered. The dragon was called Toothless, she had figured out that much. And from the way Hiccup wrote about Toothless, he seemed to think that dragons were intelligent. Astrid put down the book when that thought came to life. Dragons weren't, couldn't, be intelligent. Right? They were mindless creatures, and we have to…

Kill them or they'll kill us… that's how the old mantra went. Kill the mindless beasts. She was slipping back into the Viking mindset. Besides, if it was killed-or-be-killed when it came to dragons, then why wasn't Hiccup killed?

'He was' her conscience bitterly reminded her. Astrid vigorously shook her head. No, it wasn't her fault. He had jumped in front of the axe. 'But you threw it'. No, no, she wasn't going for him. Couldn't he have restrained himself and… let his best friend, the only one who accepted him, die?

Astrid's breath caught, as she finally realized why Hiccup couldn't kill that dragon, and why the dragon similarly couldn't kill him. They were different from everybody else, a one-of-a-kind. An enigma that nobody else understood. Grief and guilt assaulted her mind. She didn't know how long she sat there, staring blankly at the book in front of her. Finally, she roughly dragged the emotions into a corner of her mind, and hardened her resolve to follow in Hiccup's footsteps. But first, she had to think like Hiccup.

Thankfully, the forge wasn't too busy, seeing as they haven't had a raid in a while, and Gobber was more than happy to answer her questions, even if he was confused in the sudden interest she had.

"He often kept to himself, but what I do know is he was by far the smartest person in this tribe. True, the weakest, but he could outthink anybody."

"Anything else?"

Gobber sighed, putting his hammer down as he stared at the axe he had been working on. "Astrid… I don't feel ready to talk so casually about him so soon."

Astrid nodded, before gently asking, "Can I see his workshop."

"Don't touch anything, or I'll feed you to the Nightmare!"

Astrid slowly walked through the curtain, a feeling of nostalgia overcoming her. She pushed it aside, reminding herself of her promise, and started to look at the drawings with a new eye. After stashing a few in a small pouch she had brought, she started looking for old journals. Surely that wasn't the only one he had, after all those years. Eventually, she found three journals hidden away behind the small bookcase. She grabbed them and stuffed them into the pouch as well. She threw one final glance around the room, before exiting. Astrid thanked Gobber and hurriedly exited the forge, heading towards the cave. She had some reading to do.

Gobber watched Astrid half run, half jog out of the village. The sudden interest in Hiccup was intriguing, to say the least. Then again, Hiccup did have an effect on everyone in the village, even if they denied it. Hiccup had become a part of their lives, and the sudden removal of him stunned everyone.

Speaking of Hiccup, Stoick wasn't dealing with the loss too well. After the burial, he hardly came out of his house, leaving Spitelout in charge of the village. While he wasn't a horrible leader, Gobber much preferred Stoick. Gobber glanced up the hill towards the Chief's house, before setting the axe off to the side. It was time he talked to Stoick.

Stoick was interrupted from his thinking by a knock at the door. He glanced at it briefly, before he looked back at the fire. The door creaked open, and Gobber stuck his head in. Stoick stared at the flames, not wanting to talk to anyone right now. Gobber walked over, a worried look on his face.

"Stoick… it's been a week."

Stoick glowered, replying, "I know how long it's been."

"The village needs you."

"I'm not ready."

"Stoick, I understand you need time to mourn, but you've already had that time!"

"Well the time hasn't been long enough."

Gobber threw up his hand in despair, "You didn't take this long to get over Valhallarama."

It was a low blow, and Gobber knew it. Stoick's face darkened even more, but he didn't reply.

"The people need you, Stoick."

"You have Spitelout."

"He's not you!"

"Well he'll have to do."

"For the love of Thor, look at yourself! Have you even eaten? You look starved! You're killing yourself Stoick. You need to stop this! What would Hiccup say if…"

The stool clattered to the floor as Stoick abruptly stood up. Gobber realized with dread he had crossed the line. Stoick towered over Gobber, a dangerous look in his eyes. "I'm perfectly fine Gobber, and don't you forget it. And I'm sure Hiccup," the name was spat out with disgust, "Wouldn't care. No, he'd be off playing with his little friend."

Gobber's face became one of confusion, "What do you mean Stoick?"

Stoick advanced on Gobber, who backed up just as quickly. He had never seen the Chief this angry before. "What I mean is that Hiccup betrayed us all." Stoick whipped out a plain, brown journal, waving it in front of Gobber's face. "He tried to make friends with those devils. He was never one of us."

The book dropped to the floor with a clatter and Stoick turned back towards the fire. Gobber carefully picked it up. He had seen Hiccup write in these books when he had an idea, or when he had spare time. "Where did you find this?" Gobber asked.

"In his room, beneath the bed."

"When?"

"The day after the burial." Stoick could recall the day easily. He was in Hiccup's room, wishing things had been different, when he noticed the corner of the book peeking out from underneath the bed.

Gobber stared at the book, his mind a jumbled mess. "So you haven't been mourning him?"

Stoick snorted, "Mourning? No, I've been cursing him."

"Stoick, he's your own son!"

"No, no he wasn't. No son of mine would steal fish to feed a dragon. No son of mine would try to befriend one of those beasts. No son of mine would play with them, and no son of mine would go so far as to RIDE THE BEASTS!"

Gobber felt as if his eyes would pop out, his mind refusing to even comprehend the subject, "Wha…ride it?"

Stoick nodded, righting the chair and sitting back down on it, growling, "This conversation is over, Gobber."

Gobber glanced at the journal, before begrudgingly walking out. His mind was a maelstrom of questions and emotions. It looked like his afternoon was going to be busy.

Astrid was sweating heavily by the time she arrived at the cavern. Normally, a simple run to the cavern would be no problem. Unfortunately, it seemed like Snotlout's interest in her was back, and with a vengeance. It took all of her skills to evade him. She had never realized how intent he was until she was up in a tree, and watched half-amused and half-disgusted as he tried to sniff the air like a dog. But even his stubbornness had to wear out eventually. After a couple of hours, he gave up and trekked back to the village.

Astrid slid down the vine, and threw a small bag of supplies into a corner. It contained a spare vine in case the existing one broke, some food and water, and most importantly, Hiccup's journals. Astrid retrieved the journals and settled next to the sack. After a brief deliberation, she chose the one that looked to be the oldest. The spine cracked as it was opened, releasing a small cloud of dust with it. After a brief coughing fit, Astrid started to read, and allowed her mind to immerse itself in the words.

It was just after sundown in Berk. The village was silent, save for the sound of footsteps, as a young auburn haired boy was scampering up the hill. He was going to be late for dinner, and that always resulted in a barrage of questions from his father. Honestly, it wasn't his fault the net broke, and he didn't understand why Gulli made him pick up all the fish.

The boy paused, gasping for breath. Why did the village have to be on a hill? Couldn't they have moved away from the sea a mil (1) or two? There were a few wonderfully nice clearings they could have settled in. But his insane ancestors chose one of the steepest hills in Berk.

"Hey, Useless!"

The boy, Hiccup, paled as he heard that voice. It was the voice of his cousin, Snotlout. Hiccup didn't pause to look behind him, immediately running for the safety of the Great Hall. Of course, it was a lost cause, as he felt a hand roughly grab him from behind and slam him into a nearby house. Hiccup's head swam as he blindly stumbled away. Another blow to his cheek sent him into the ground. He felt something warm slide down his face, and his eyes closed, silently accepting his fate. A foot smashed into his rib, and he thought he heard a crack as the air was forced out of his lungs. Hiccup gasped for breath, as a tear started to slide down his face. This only elicited laughter from the 3 voices.

Wait, 3?

Hiccup peered through one eye. There was Snotlout and Tuffnut, of course. They were always present when he was beaten like this. But behind them, watching with a small smile, was Astrid. Even though she was laughing at him, he couldn't help but admire her. The golden hair reflecting the torchlight, her blue-sapphire eyes alive with laughter. It was malicious laughter, but laughter nonetheless.

"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING?"

The hysterics abruptly stopped, replaced with frantic footsteps as the other kids scattered. He heard a hollow thunk, and recognized the sound of Gobber's wooden leg. He was gently raised, and a hand wiped away the blood on his face.

"Who did this to you, lad?" Gobber gently asked. Ever since his mother had died, Stoick's family skills had broken down, and Gobber stepped in as a surrogate father.

"Nobody. I just tripped." Hiccup offered a weak smile. He knew Gobber didn't believe him, but he knew Gobber wouldn't push for an answer either.

Gobber shook his head in despair, helping Hiccup up and guiding him towards the forge. Hiccup was going to officially be his apprentice next year, but he still helped out when there weren't any raids going on. Hiccup felt more comfortable in the forge than he did at home, and smiled as Gobber sat him on a table in the spare room. Gobber was muttering to himself while he helped bandage Hiccup's wounds. Normally, a wounded Viking would visit Gothi, although Hiccup hurt himself so much that Gothi banned him from visiting her unless it was life-threatening.

Just as Gobber was finishing up, Hiccup asked, "Why does everybody hate me so much?"

Gobber glanced up at Hiccup, "Lad, it's not that they hate you, it's just that you're different than them."

"But that's why they hate me, right? They hate what's different than them?"

Gobber paused momentarily, before replying, "Most people hate what's different than them, or what they can't understand. But sometimes, the difference can lead the person to many great things. Have I told you the story of Beowulf?"

Hiccup shook his head, and Gobber kept Hiccup in the forge, retelling the story of a grand warrior, his mighty achievements, and how he conquered what was thought to be unconquerable.

Yay for Hiccup-Gobber interaction! Hope I pulled that off nicely.

(1): A mil is, surprisingly, 7 miles. It is where we got the term 'mile', but the measurement is different. Strange, right?

And I know for a fact that the movie was set after Beowulf. Why else would Tuffnut call the Red Death the 'Bride of Grendel'? It's the subtle things that amuse me. :)

The next chapter should be longer, and it should be back to Toothless and Hiccup! Yay!