I'll not get tired of saying it: thanks ladipretender, for having the patience to edit and correct it all for me! :D

And thank you so much for the support guys, I've already gotten over 100 favs and that's really the higher number I've always received! Along with the over 160 followers. Now all I ask is for a bit more of reviews, please! Knowing what the readers think of it or might happen fill my day with joy!

btw, if you liked the cover or if you're wondering how Cami looks like, you can check my DA account (after reviewing), the link is in my profile.

Now, read and enjoy! :D

Previously, Hiccup went out for a flight in the middle of the night to think things through and he ended up having to fix Toothless's prosthetic at the forge, only to catch Gobber's attention. The former mentor, then, realized he was his favorite apprentice and they vowed to tell Stoick soon that Hiccup was still alive in a way that wouldn't get Toothless killed.

Chapter 12

The Truth

The next day, Hiccup woke up later than usual because he had come back home really late. He left tons of cod for Toothless, who was looking totally bored, before he went out with his cape on and hood securely in place. He watched the Hooligans (especially his father) from afar all morning, not forgetting to ask Garth to go a bit slower on the repairs.

"Okay, Chief. But, you should really make up your mind. Do you want them off of the island or not?" Garth asked, not angry, but merely confused.

"Yes… and no… It's complicated… Just stall for a bit, okay, but make it almost ready, so if they choose to, they may go whenever they want."

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Thanks"

Hiccup turned to walk back up the stairs, it was almost midday and he was already feeling hungry, so he went to the Great Hall. Sharpshot was keeping Toothless company back home, but Hiccup knew it was only a matter of time before one them bothered the other. And he wasn't wrong, since the little green dragon landed on his shoulder as soon as Hiccup started eating.

Bork sat beside him moments later, being followed, as usual, by half of his Terrible Terror pack. The other half was probably patrolling. Bork brought two extra plates of fish, leaving both by his side and the tiny dragons started to eagerly eat from one. The other one was intended for when the other group of the dragons arrived.

"Cami filled me in with the new stuff about our guests… It must be difficult for you…" Bork trailed off, glancing at Hiccup anxiously.

"I'll manage. Thanks for the concern, though."

"At least he doesn't have a weapon. I mean, we did take them all away... Except for that bald man with a hook for a hand. Are you sure it was a good idea to leave him with that?"

"Yeah. No problem. He's fine. Did your Terribles hide the chest with the Hooligan's weapons?"

"Don't worry, it's in a safe place."

"Okay, they might leave today, so be ready to ask your dragons to get it at any minute."

"Sure."

He agreed, by then Hiccup was almost finishing, while Bork was still in the middle of his meal when Heidi, Heather's little sister, approached running and out of breath.

"Hiccup… There's a problem…"

"Don't call me by the name!" He hissed looking around and relieved that no Hooligan was near.

"I'm sorry! I forgot…"

"Don't worry about it. What kind of problem, anyway?"

"It's a Scauldron, by that little shore about a mile from here." There was a tiny shore on the island, with sand and all, but it was too shallow for big ships to get close enough to dock, so it wasn't very concerning. "The dragon is usually very calm, but it seems to be in pain..."

Hiccup swallowed the rest of his food and stood up to follow the girl.

"Explain it to me better on the way."

"So, I noticed the dragon wasn't really eating lately, but I thought it was just my imagination. He seems to be very uncomfortable so I tried to help. He usually hangs out on that shore, but when I tried to help him, he almost spit boiling water on me a couple of times… I don't know what else to do… And Sten is there too, he was trying to help me."

"It's okay, Heidi. Just go back. I'll see what's going on."

She nodded and turned around to walk away. Hiccup kept walking and nearly jumped from surprise when he heard Stoick's sarcastic voice in a sarcastic tone behind him. Hiccup tried not to look at him. In the middle of the day with few clouds and blazing sun, he had to be extra careful not to let his hood fail to cover his face before he was sure he and Toothless were safe.

"I see, problems with the dragons… That's what you get for living with those beasts," Hiccup silently groaned, exasperated and his shoulders fell.

"Better than the time where it was kill or be killed. The poor animal might just have something going on. He might be hurt and all he needs is a bit of understanding and compassion… You know what? Why don't you come with me? I can show you how they can be very docile."

"I highly doubt that."

"Afraid you might be wrong?"

"Never."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Hiccup asked with faster steps, "Follow me."

If he were flying Toothless the path would take 10 seconds. On foot, it was about ten minutes of uncomfortable silence heading south. It was only when they were already reaching the tiny shore that Hiccup gathered enough courage to start a conversation.

"May I ask you something?"

"You just did." Hiccup rolled his eyes. The beginning didn't turn out as well as he had wished.

"I mean if I could ask a hypothetical question…"

"I guess so."

"What if your son was still alive?"

"I told you, it's not possible." He answered, a bit bitter. He felt as if he was talking to a very stubborn little kid, like his son had been as a child. They could see the Scauldron in the distance and the dragon was screeching in agony. Hiccup winced sympathetically while Stoick showed no emotion.

"That's why I said it was hypothetical. Anyway, what would you do if your son were alive and well? If everything was just a big misunderstanding? What would you do? Would you be mad at him for running away? Even if he didn't fake his own death?"

"You mean if he had run away with the beasts?"

"Yeah…" Hiccup gulped nervously, "What would you do if you found him again in a situation like that?"

"I'd be tremendously mad, of course!" Hiccup's heart sank. He knew he might hear that, that his father would probably be angry. And he prepared himself to hear that. He just had hoped to hear something else. Anything but a hate confession would be better. "Yet…" Stoick trailed off, "Yet I'd…"

"Watch out, D-Stoick!" Hiccup cut him off in mid-sentence almost making the mistake of calling him 'dad'. The boy was actually anxious to hear what his father had to say, but he had no choice but to interrupt.

Hiccup had to use his entire strength to push the stoic man to the side in order to evade the flying boiling water from the Scauldron. They had come right in front of him and luckily, Hiccup was paying attention to the dragon that had gotten scared by their presence. Sten was there, maintaining a safe distance and informing the new arrivals that he believed the problem had something to do with the dragon's mouth. Hiccup thanked the teenager and asked him to back away a little more before making shushing noises to sooth the dragon while Stoick just complained a bit more.

"It's okay, Buddy. We're friends. We're not here to harm you," Hiccup said raising his hands in a surrender-like gesture to calm the dragon down. The dragon stopped growling and just whined, sad and in pain, reaching his head to touch Hiccup's hand in front of him. Then, he explained to his father. "Wounded dragons tend to be more scared and act in a defense mode. They react mainly on protective instinct, it's not their fault."

"Yeah… right…" Stoick mumbled ironically, not sure if 'Ric' heard him or not.

"What's wrong, Buddy?" The dragon growled again and Hiccup ended up looking in its massive mouth only to see a big fishbone locked in place between the dragon's jaws. It was painfully stuck on the dragon's gums. Hiccup concluded he regurgitated part of his meal and it got tied there somehow on the way out. He petted the dragon gently and said with a soothing voice. "Don't worry. I'll fix it. But I need you to be very calm and still. It might hurt a little but don't bite me, please."

"Wait, you're going to stick your hand into that beast's mouth?"

"Yeah. Look inside, he's hurt. The only way to remove it is pulling it out…" Stoick approached and saw the stuck fishbone in the dragon's gums.

"You do realize that this dragon is poisonous, don't you?"

"Obviously I know. All I have to do is not let myself get cut on its teeth."

"Did you hit your head too often when you were a baby?" Stoick asked sarcastically.

Hiccup sighed deeply and mumbled under his breath, "You tell me…" but he concluded Stoick didn't hear him, or else he'd probably say something.

"If you want to help, you might want to hold his jaws open. Just be careful with the sharp part of the teeth and you'll be fine." Hiccup suggested and his father shrugged agreeing, he had strength to do that, he was Stoick the Vast, after all.

Stoick kept the jaws open by holding two teeth, one on the upper side and one on the lower side of the Scaldron's mouth. "But I'll warn you, if I see he's going to spit boiling water, I'm letting it go.".

"Sure. I wouldn't expect anything else," Hiccup pointed out, imagining his dad would say something like that. And then, boldly, he reached his hand inside the dragon's mouth.

The moment his hand touched the stuck fishbone, the dragon screeched in pain and unwittingly started to expel the boiling water inside him. "Get away!" Was all Hiccup had time to say, and Stoick backed away just in time, pulling his hand back to safety. The young chief, on the other hand, didn't notice, but with all the movement, he ended up catching a bit of the skin next to his elbow, where his leather clothing didn't cover, on one sharp tooth. The cut wasn't deep or wide, and so small he didn't even see it. What he did notice, though, was that his fingers, in the path of the flying boiling water, had almost gotten burned. Luckily, though, they hadn't.

The dragon calmed down and moaned sadly. Hiccup rubbed the skin on his left hand that had entered in contact with some expelled water, it just stung a bit, nothing serious. And then, he went to try again. Stoick seriously thought he was nuts but joined along. The second try, Hiccup managed to pull out the stuck fishbone. The Scauldron was so happy and thankful that he started licking the young man who had to hold his hood in place with a hand and push him away with the other.

"See? It wasn't so bad."

"I guess so…"

"He's gonna be fine now. Let's go back." Silently, Sten nodded in agreement and started walking back. Hiccup directly behind his left side and Stoick on the right, though nigher of them were moving yet.

"I thought you told me there wasn't any Night Fury rider…" Stoick said in a deep voice.

"Technically, that's not what I said, why?"

"Then, what is that demon doing here?" Hiccup frowned, confused, and turned to look in the direction his father was, the same place they had come from.

He saw Toothless with wide, curious eyes and Hiccup wanted to face palm, but there was no time. He knew that Toothless wasn't deliberately disobeying, he simply had good hearing. His human friend's yelp of pain with the Scauldron must have reached his ears, and he merely wanted to see if he was okay. The dragon didn't want to be spotted, and had actually thought that he was hidden well enough behind the trees; the problem was that he was just too dark and the day was just too sunny.

Stoick felt a bit betrayed and utterly furious. He needed to kill that murderous beast, so he charged in Toothless's direction, not forgetting to grab Sten's sword along the way. The boy was big, bulky and probably could have stopped the redhead from getting his weapon, but was just so surprised that he didn't react on time.

Toothless immediately adopted a defensive position, growling loudly, showing his teeth and narrowing his eyes into thin slits, prepared to fight Stoick if needed. Hiccup didn't lose a second or have a second thought. He grabbed Inferno and extended it in order to block Stoick's blow just before it reached Toothless. The Night Fury wouldn't let the Hooligan chief hurt him like that, but he also didn't want to attack his friend's father. And Hiccup knew they could seriously hurt each other if he didn't stop them.

It wasn't easy to block Stoick's sword, his anger made him even stronger, but the surprise of seeing a fire sword confused and distracted him for a few seconds. With the right hand, Hiccup motioned for Toothless not to attack and back away, an order he also directed at Sten, who refused to leave him in that situation. But Hiccup insisted, saying he'd be fine and Sten eventually felt like he had no other option, but he'd ask someone to help, like Camicazi or Eret.

Fighting Stoick was not the same thing as fighting Snotlout. His cousin had no control of his movements; all he did was swing the sword around with no technique or proper coordination. Stoick, however, was a different story. The total opposite, in fact. His father was not only really strong, but he was an experienced warrior and knew exactly what he needed to do with his weapon, even when a bit blinded by rage.

Hiccup struggled to stay unharmed, the advantages he had against his cousin were better technique and agility, now however, he only had the second one and he found it difficult to keep up. Toothless growled as if he was about to help out, but Hiccup told him not to. The black dragon was divided, not knowing what to do.

"Wait a minute, just let me explain!" He yelled, defending himself.

"NO! Get out of the way!"

"Stop! Would you for once in your life please just listen to me!"

Stoick had it. He was angry, furious. He had been searching for that devilish creature for five years and he wouldn't stop now. Stoick was thankful for the Strike Tribe's help, but if he needed to go through their leader to kill the Night Fury, he would.

Stoick then decided to finish it, he kicked his opponent right in the stomach area and it sent Hiccup straight to the ground, numb and disconcerted from the pain. That split second of disorientation could have cost Hiccup his life, if it wasn't for one thing happening. When Hiccup fell, his hood slipped out of place, going from covering his head to lying on his back, revealing his face.

Stoick was enraged but it all stopped as he saw his face. The young man in front of him was familiar, but older than he could remember. The rebellious, shaggy auburn hair was messier than his memory recalled, but the freckles were just the same. And the eyes, the green eyes that so much resembled his lost wife and that he thought he'd never see again. All of these characteristics could only belong to one person. "…Hi-Hiccup…?"

The young man sighed heavily, there was no reason to hide or try to deceive anymore. His eyes fell sadly as he retracted the fire blade. Stoick still held the sword, but it was down and non-threatening now.

"Yeah… It's me, Dad… I'm sorry… But, before you say anything, in my defense, I didn't know you thought I was dead, okay? But yeah, I ran away… And I'm sorry for disappointing you. Take it out on me, be mad at me, but please just don't hurt Toothless."

Stoick was so awestruck that he had no reaction. That is, until he heard the dragon's name. "The dragon? That demonic beas-"

"Stop. Don't do that. Don't call him names. It wasn't his fault. I was the one who decided to run away. He's my friend. My best friend."

Stoick looked at Toothless, still doubtful and angry. Everything was happening so fast he struggled to keep up; minutes ago, Stoick believed his son had been dead for over five long years. He was so disoriented that he didn't even realize Hiccup was still on the ground. The boy was not paying much attention either, and when he did, he motioned to his friend to get closer. "Could you help me up, Bud?" Toothless walked over until he was beside him and Hiccup grabbed the saddle so he could use it as a support. Sometimes it was difficult to stand up because of the prosthetic, depending on the position he was in, but usually he managed alone somehow, however it was harder to do it with a barely healed, painful gash on his abdomen.

Toothless crooned concerned and then huffed at Stoick. "It's alright, Bud. I'm in one piece, see?"

As Hiccup stood up again, Stoick looked carefully at his son. He was a healthy young man, alive and breathing like he had wished so many times over the past five years. His prayers were finally heard. His grip on the sword's hilt finally gave away and the weapon fell straight to the sand. His actions surprised Hiccup, but not as much as when his father approached him and did what he least expected. He hugged him. Hiccup stood there without knowing what to do until he felt his own arms hugging back. However they had to separate as they heard a voice calling out.

"Ric! Chief! Emergency!"

"Wow, Bork, slow down. Breathe a little first,," Hiccup said while he watched Bork support his weight on his knees to catch his breath from the run. Bork looked at him and frowned confused, gesturing to the hood on his back and not on his head, Hiccup nodded and explained. "He knows now… You could have sent one of your Terrors, you know…"

"Too important… They're here."

Flashback 12

He knew his next decision might save him or doom him and his dragon even more.

"Look, what if we all escaped? Together. You help me out of here and free Toothless and we can go away."

"But how? Toothless and Moody can't carry all of us."

"We don't have to go too much farther. And Toothless is strong; he can carry me and your parents while you fly with your sister on Moody."

"Okay. I'm in!"

So Hiccup explained his plan. Heather gave him all the information he needed, how many guards there were, where the exits were, how big the dungeon was, and how far away Toothless and Moody were.

"So the guards around here are almost asleep by now," She told him. "They usually get very tired at night, with not much to do. My parents have been here this whole time, so they know a lot about it…"

"Right. I'll open my cell now. We can go save you family and then reach our dragons."

"You could to that the whole time? Why haven't you run away before?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I'll explain later…"

Soon, he was able to open the cell door padlock with his pick set, without forgetting the tiny green and red dragon that was too weak to fly and could barely stand on his shoulder. Both trailed through the dungeon carefully, hiding from any source of movement or footsteps. Hiccup had to be extra careful with his metal leg clanging against the rocky floor until he decided to rip part of his clothes to wrap around prosthetic, so the sound wouldn't be so loud when he walked.

When they reached her family's cell, he was actually thankful he decided to be bold and take a risk, because, in the end, she wasn't lying. They were a bit confused, though, but there was no time to explain anything. Not even when her father asked, astounded, why the hell were searching for dragons. But since he was actually escaping, he couldn't really complain.

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed in a whisper as he saw the black dragon, trapped and bound with chains and leather noseband. "Don't worry, Bud. I'm getting you out of here"

Hiccup wasn't as fast as picking a lock as Camicazi, but he did it as quickly as he could and soon his best friend was free. Toothless opened and stretched his wings, feeling a bit sore, but he nodded when Hiccup asked if he was able to fly. Luckily, the Outcasts didn't take off his saddle and prosthetic tail fin, probably because most of them were too scared to mess with the most dangerous dragon ever known.

Moody was a couple of empty cells away, she wasn't chained down, though, probably because she didn't give them as much trouble as the 'unholy offspring of lightening and death itself'. And then, they were tip toeing their way out of the dungeons.

When they finally got outside, the sky was already turning lighter on the horizon; the sun would be up soon. Heather's parents complained a bit about riding on a dragon, but they didn't really have a choice. It was either that or stay behind to be executed. Hiccup grabbed the Terrible Terror and held him on the saddle with him.

Heidi, Heather's little sister, was strangely exited to mount up. She was around fourteen, Hiccup wondered if maybe she didn't really remember how it was to deal with the raids, she was probably only ten or eleven when he killed the Red Death and the raids diminished significantly.

The second they managed to be airborne, they were spotted by an Outcast who started yelling. Obviously, Hiccup thought ironically, It was just too easy... It didn't take long for arrows and catapulted rocks to come in their direction. Toothless and Moody evaded as best as they could, but the Night Fury was carrying too much weight and the Hobblegrunt could only sense the projectiles when they were dangerously close.

They were far from the shores yet, where it would be easier to fly away without getting hit. Because of the extra weight and the soreness in his wings, Toothless was slower than usual. Hiccup helped as he could by shifting the fake tail fin so the dragon could fly higher.

Things were getting even more difficult when a sonic blast that could only come from a Thunderdrum diverted a few arrows from their path.

"Need a little help?" Hiccup recognized the voice as Camicazi's, he turned and saw her and Eret heading their way on their dragons.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it," He answered with the same joking tone she used, but he was awfully glad to see them.

"Who are these people?" Eret asked curiously as Windwalker diverted a rock and used another sonic blast to break a catapult. Shimmer shot acid on another catapult, and the Outcast started running to avoid the green liquid from the Changewing.

"Heather's family. Long story. Talk later, escape now." Hiccup quickly explained.

"I'll help you, Toothless," Cami said and motioned for her dragon to grab the man sitting on Toothless, she guessed he was probably Heather's father by what Hiccup said. He screamed, a little startled. Camicazi whistled and a Deadly Nadder came to them, it was Runa, Garth's dragon and then Shimmer dropped the man on the Nadder's back. Next, she did the same with the woman, who had be Heather's mother.

"Thanks!" Hiccup replied as soon as he realized that Toothless was flying a lot better without the extra weight, although, because of the pain, yet as perfect as he normally would. But it was enough to safely get them out of there.

They went back to the village and Heather explained everything. She said she was sorry for lying to everyone, but when she told them how Alvin captured their boat and how he threatened her family, most people got a bit understanding. Who wouldn't sacrifice something for the loved ones?

It took a while, but everyone forgave her. Heather and her family were so thankful that they promised to never lie to the Strike Tribe again. Her parents were a bit scared of the dragons at first, but soon they got used to the scaly creatures who curiously wandered around. Her family planned to go as soon as they made a new boat for them so they could leave, however, as they got more and more used to the dragons and everyone around them, the whole family decided to stay. They were a merchant family and often kept sailing on the open sea, but decided to change their life style and settle there.

Months had passed since then.

Peaceful and joyful months. Everyone was used to the dragons to an unimaginable level. Babies had their cradles rocked by the scaly creatures at night and they laughed at the sight of their big slit-like eyes. Something that their mothers never thought they'd see. It was as if nothing could go wrong and nothing could break that peace. But for the ones who lost most of their tribe, it was hard to rely on peace, for them, it seemed to be the calm before the storm.

So Stoick finally found out who 'Ric' really is! Things are changing... And I bet you all know whom Bork referred with "they're here", right?

Anyway, please just leave me your review in the box below! I'll be super happy to read them! And tell me what you think will happen next! :D

Itban Fuyu