Sorry about the slow updates, guys. Life is catching up to me, and I don't have a lot of time to write.

Sparrow's POV

Two months later…

I glance up at the nearly full moon through an opening in the Viking den. Sighing, I lay my head back down and bury my nose into the purple flank of Ambra. It's my last night here on Berk. Tomorrow, I'm going to have to come up with an excuse to leave.

What will I tell them? If I say I want to go check on the Terrors back at the island I supposedly came from, they might want to come with me. Oh, gosh, why is this so hard? Ugh, I knew I should've isolated myself from the dragons here, and now I…care about them. A bit.

But I can't! Frostbite would kill me if I even looked regretful back at camp. I squeeze my eyes shut and wrap my paws over my nose. It'll be all right, I guess. I mean, she probably won't let me be a part of the attack on Berk. So I wouldn't have to see….

Suddenly, I feel Ambra shift next to me and open my eyes. She gazes at me softly and whispers, "Come on."

The purple Terrible Terror slowly gets up and flies out of the Viking den. I stand and follow her. Ha, I remember the first night I spent in that place. I was so freaked out about sleeping with humans nearby, and I felt like a pet.

Ambra leads me to where the rocky mountain begins and sits on a boulder. "Can't sleep?" she asks as I settle next to her.

"No," I sigh, "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Yes, but it's okay. What's on your mind?"

I look down at my paws, and then up at the moon, "I have to go somewhere…. and I kinda have to go alone."

Ambra tilts her head, "Do you want to tell me where you're going?"

I shake my head and shuffle my paws, "I can't."

Ambra nods and presses up against me. She's slightly younger than me, but when she does so my heart aches. "Alright." She murmurs, "But be safe."

I stay silent and look at my paws. I can't ensure my safety…. or hers.

We stay like that for a long time, and when I finally open my eyes, it's morning. We must've fallen asleep.

"Where have you been?" I jump in surprise and turn to see Pounce flying towards us. Ambra and I scramble to our paws as he and Iris land on the boulder. "Whoa, what is going on here?" Iris grins and trots towards me.

Ambra rolls her eyes and shoves her sister, "Shut up. Hawk couldn't sleep so we went outside. Any problem with that?"

Iris doesn't respond but simply grins like an idiot. Pounce narrows his eyes at me. He was never very trusting with me. At least he won't be too upset when I leave…

Ambra looks over her shoulder and grins at me before following her sister and her brother to the village. Suddenly, I catch myself muttering, "That is, if I leave."

Frostbite's POV

I nose my way through the wall of lichen and enter the dim, shady den. The scent of herbs reaches my nose, making me want to gag. Instead, I lift my chin and puff out my chest, striding in with authority.

The young Changewing, Poppyseed, looks up from a strange smelling flower and greets cheerfully, "Hello, Frostbite! What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak with Dracen," I reply, "Do you know where he is?"

Poppyseed nods and says, "He went to the Salmon River to get some water mint because Badger got a bellyache, but he should be back soon."

I nod and sit down, "I can wait."

Poppyseed nods again and turns back to her work. A few moments later, she turns back around with the strange flower in her paw.

"Can you guess what this flower is?"

I stare at it blankly and then look at her, "Shouldn't you know the answer?"

She nods and smiles, "Oh, I do. I just want to see if you know it."

Shaking my head, I say, "Sorry, but no. I'm not very good with herbs. I remember, when we were young, Dracen would always talk about different types of herbs and their uses. None of us really paid any attention, sometimes Ash would even walk away in the middle of his rants," I let out a sad laugh, "Those were fun times, but now I never seem to have time to hang out with him, or Ash, or Sawyer. Of course, I get enough of Skurge everyday, he sleeps in my den for crying out loud! But…maybe after all of this Berk stuff, maybe we can be friends again. Like, real friends."

I stop, realizing that I'm mostly saying this stuff to myself, and look down at Poppyseed. She's gazes at me with sympathy, and then looks back down at her flower, "Well…I'll give you a hint. Me."

I blink in confusion. Then, I perk up and ask, "Poppy flower?"

The healer apprentice nods and grins, "Yup! And," she laughs, "I guess you can see why I like them so much."

I smile and purr, "Because it has the word 'poppy' in it?"

"Yes. And also that the seeds, when eaten, of course, give you dreamless sleeping."

I tilt my head and state, "Well, I could definitely use some of that."

"Do you want a couple before going to sleep?" Poppyseed offers and I nod gratefully, "That would be great, thanks."

She nods and goes to put away the colorful herb. "You know," she calls while bustling about at the back of the den, "Dracen talks about you sometimes. Like, stuff about when you two were young. He said you two met when he attacked you, ya know, in a playful way, and now he laughs about it because you're now the big warrior leader, and he's the healer."

"Yeah," I shuffle my paws, "We turned out pretty differently."

"He said he didn't like fighting very much, but he said you were the best at it. He would watch you in class and try to copy your moves, but he was never as good as you. I think it was nice that he practiced in private to try and make you happy, but just a little bit creepy that he watched you…somewhat often."

I blink in surprise, "He practiced in private?"

"Yeah. Cute, huh?"

"Yeah," I respond softly, looking down at my paws. My long, hooked claws sink a little into the soft stone floor and I let out a sigh. Suddenly, the lichen rustles and Dracen appears with a mouthful of leafy green plants.

He stops when he sees me, and then walks past me, avoiding my gaze. "Poppyseed," he says, putting down the plants, "Take one of these to Badger and then wait outside, please."

His apprentice nods, and with one last glance at me, picks up the herbs and disappears through the lichen.

Dracen gently carries the rest of the water mint to the back of the den, "What can I do for you, your Highness?"

I frown and say, "You don't have to call me that, Dracen."

He grunts and continues busying himself. I let out a soft growl. He's avoiding my gaze.

Dracen looks up at my growl, and then back at the ground. "Okay," he says, sitting down, "What is it?"

"As you should know," I begin, "Sparrow should be returning today or tomorrow. We'll have a couple of practice attacks, and then go to Berk. I want you to be ready for injuries, and stock up on herbs. The first opening battle shouldn't be too bad, so you'll be staying at the camp. But when we fight to claim Berk, I want you to be near and ready. There are probably small islands nearby, so the day before the battle, I'll have some dragons help you carry herbs and anything you need over to one. If you need more herbs, Poppyseed can go back and forth, maybe have one of her siblings help. Then, after we conquer Berk, the Vikings and their pets will probably retaliate as soon as possible, so, as you can see, you're going to need all the herbs you can get."

Dracen nods, taking this in, and finally, after a few moments, he says, "I'm going to need a bit more help getting the herbs, then. Can I get a few apprentices to pick more?"

I nod, and before I can stop myself, press my cheek against his. He seems surprised, but then nuzzles me back. For a moment, I feel like none of this happened. The clan was never formed, the Outcasts were still alive, and Dracen and I were still friends. My heart clenches.

What happened to us? Me, Dracen, Ash, Sawyer, and sometimes Skurge- what tore between us? I think it might be my fault, actually. I wanted this clan thing so much, that I didn't even realize what it would cost. Our friendship.

Inwardly, I give myself a hard shake. No, no. I will fix this. After we get Berk, after my revenge on my family, I will spend time with them. And we'll be friends again. Just like the old times.

"Dracen," I mutter softly, "Take as much time as you want. I won't do this without you."

I feel his head nod, and then I slowly pull away. Dracen, for the first time in what feels like months, finally meets my gaze. I purr softly and he sighs, "I've missed you, Phoenix."

For some reason, it doesn't bother me when he says my birthname. All I do is nod and respond quietly, "Me too, Dracen, me too."

"Infernious! Gather to hear my words!"

Everybody looks up from their meals and then gathers beneath the Leader's Ledge, some taking their prey with them. When they're all assembled, I pronounce, "Sparrow, the omega and current spy on Berk should be back with us by nightfall. That means, the Battle for Berk is almost upon us!"

The dragons cheer and roar in excitement. I wait for them to quiet down, and then say, "Before we attack, we will practice a couple of times. But I think we would all like to know who is coming to the first battle.

"Skurge and I discussed this, and we've decided to bring big and relatively rare dragon species to the attack, so to scare the pathetic pets. A nervous enemy is already half beaten. So, the dragons that shall be coming are…"

Everyone leans closer.

"Skurge, Zylah, Whiplash, Skull, Sawyer, Ash, Amber, Aquamarine, Viperfang, Snapper, Swiftstrike, and I'm also adding the Claws Solheart and Nixie."

Murmurs pass through the clan and I add after a moment, "No apprentices included."

"WHAT?!" Wildfang and Larksong exclaim at the same time. They lead the apprentices as they scurry closer to the Leader's Ledge. "That's not fair!" Adder whines loudly, "My mentor is going!"

"So is mine!" Wildfang growls, "We should be there to help them!"

I send a fiery glare at them and they fall silent. Clearing my throat, I say, "Apprentices, while we are gone, it is your job, along with Skyflame and Stone, to protect the camp and the caretaker and her hatchlings."

They don't look too happy, but they don't retort. I turn to Skyflame; "Meanwhile, you and Crag will run the clan during the battle."

Her eyes widen a bit, but then she nods, "Alright."

"Er-Frostbite?"

I turn to Solheart's voice and see the blind dragon pacing anxiously, "There's one flaw in your plan. I can't fly or swim. How am I to get to Berk?"

"I can carry you." Skull offers. I nod and give him a grateful look, "Thank you, Skull. Also, Nightwhisper," the current omega looks up at me, "I assume the battle claws are ready?"

He nods feverishly and yips, "Yes, my queen. And so is your mask."

Once again, murmurs pass through the crowd and I say, "Well, I'm not going to reveal my identity to my family immediately! Why not give them…a little surprise?"

Once again…again, murmurs pass through the clan, but they definitely sound positive now. Ignoring them, I continue, "Thank you, Nightwhisper. When Sparrow comes back, you may go back to being a Fang, but you shall be the lowest ranked one. Also, since we need your smoke to hide us during the Attack on Berk, and since Ash can't do it all by herself, you are a part of the attack."

Nightwhisper grins, "Thank you, my queen!"

Unfortunately, this only infuriates the apprentices once again.

"Seriously?" Wildfang cries out, "We can't go, and yet the omega can?"

Brook opens her mouth to back up her brother, but I quickly interrupt and growl, "Apprentices, I am done discussing this. You are not going, and that is final."

Wildfang and Brook lower their heads and instead glare at the ground. Skyflame walks up to us and gives her apprentice a hard shove, "Seeing your behavior towards your leader, I think the two of you should clean out the Claws' nests."

"Aww!" Brook whines and Wildfang jumps up, "You're not my mentor! Why are you telling me what to do?"

"Because I'm giving her permission to," I snarl, having enough of his attitude, "so if you have any problems with that, please take them to me later in my cave."

The apprentice draws in a sharp breath and looks away. I nod brusquely and look at Whiplash, "You're apprentice could use some discipline, or he could find himself demoted."

Whiplash nods and cuffs Wildfang's head with his tail. "I'll deal with you later, apprentice." He hisses.

After a few more words, I call the meeting to an end and leap off the Leader's Ledge. Everyone goes back to his or her meals and I see Dracen walking towards the apprentices. Getting an idea, I call out, "Dracen!"

The Changewing stops and turns to me. Swiveling my head around, I call, "Sawyer! Ash!" The two look up, just as confused as Dracen, and walk towards me.

I flutter up to the top of the hollow, yelping over my shoulder, "C'mon!"

The sound of wings beating follows me and I turn around. Ash and Sawyer and glancing around in confusion, but Dracen is staring at me. I purr and ask, "Are you ready, guys?"

"What are we doing?" Ash asks.

"We," I turn around and head into the forest, "are going to help Dracen pick herbs."

Forever friends! Forever, you and me, forever ever and always will be! La la la la, la la la la la la, la la, la la, la la la la la!

...on a totally unrelated subject, DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT SPOILER PIC OF CAPTAIN HOOK AND EMMA SWAN ABOUT TO KISS? AHHHH! THE FEEEEELS!

That was for Once Upon a Time, for any of those non-oncers.