Disclaimer: I don't own httyd.

AN: Hmm… Hmmm…. Hmmmm….

Arc: The Retrieval

Days Until Wedding: 22 days

Music I'm Listenting To At The Moment: Life's Too Short

"How Long Would You Last"

"So…"

"Aren't you going to get us down?"

Astrid shrugged as she unsheathed her bow and arrow. She pulled the string and pointed towards the hanging teens.

Snotlout's eyes widened "Whoa! Wait! Wouldn't it be better if one of you climbed up here and help us?!"

Astrid smiled sweetly at him "Nope!" she said as she let go of the string and the arrow soared towards the teens. They shouted at the top of their lungs while the arrow went through Fishleg's bindings and the rotund viking fell down with a loud thud while he landed on his face.

"Ow…"

"Hey! What about us?!" Tuffnut shouted as he started struggling

"Come on guys, let's look for answers" Astrid said as she started walking while Hiccup helped FIshleg's on his legs.

"So Legs, want to tell me why you guys were tied up there?" Hiccup asked as the teens left, leaving Snotlout and Tuffnut struggling to break free.

Fishlegs sighed as he rubbed his sore forearms. "This actually started after Astrid left and went after you" Fishlegs gave Astrid a look that she returned with a shrug. "Those guys thought that since the two of you were gone, they could get away with everything."

"Uh-huh… so where was Ruff and Heather while those two were wreaking havoc?" Astrid asked the rotund teen.

Fishlegs shrugged "I don't know. I haven't seen Heather since you guys left and Ruff was the one who tied us on the mast because Tuffnut and Snotlout burned her hair."

Hiccup sighed as he massaged his nose "Of course they did…" he drawled

It was when Fishlegs glanced behind him did he notice Cami. When he did, he scrunched his nose in thought. It wasn't a moment later when his eyes widened like saucers and hid behind Hiccup.

"What is she doing here?!" he shrieked

Cami raised a brow with both hands on her hips "Excuse me?"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no" Fishlegs was hyperventilating again. "If she's here then that means more chaos. If there's more chaos then we're all doomed!" he suddenly bolted away with both hands on the air. Even at the distance, Hiccup and the others could still hear him shout the word doom.

Hiccup gave Cami a knowing look and she returned it with a glare

"Not. One. Word." Cami said with gritted teeth. Hiccup laughed behind closed lips and they started walking towards Hiccup's home. When they arrived, they were lucky enough to catch Heather go out the house.

Heather noticed them and she beamed. Thuggory couldn't take it anymore and hugged her with a death grip. Hiccup wanted to stop it but Astrid was quick to give him a look that clearly said 'Remember the deal?'. Hiccup hugged and decided to cross his own arms instead.

He was diligent in trying to prove her wrong, for once. Too bad for him that Astrid knew better. She knew that Hiccup would eventually snap. She was just going to wait like she always did when they had a bet.

"Thuggy!" Heather squealed as she hugged Thuggory back

Cami choked on her laugh "Thuggy? That the best she got?"

"Thory?" Hiccup asked with an amuse smile as he said the nickname the short blonde used for their giant of a friend. Cami just huffed and pouted. Hiccup shook his head at her antics.

"Hey Heather, look what we got?" Hiccup grinned as he unsheathed the golden dragon from his armor. Heather gasped as she brought her hands to cover her mouth.

"Is that… what I think it is?" she asked in a whisper

"Yep… We finally got it…" this time Hiccup's face became serious "The only problem now is how can we get both your parents and Thug's dad…"

Heather's hopeful face fell after putting two and two together "Oh…"

Astrid gave her a reassuring smile "Don't worry, we'll think of something"

"Thanks Astrid" Heather glanced behind the blonde and noticed another blonde behind her "Who's that girl behind you?"

Cami walked forward and offered her hand "Camicazi but you can call me Cami for short" she said with a smile. Heather smiled back and took her offered hand

"Heather…"

"Nice to meet you Heather."

"Likewise"

"Now that pleasantries are done, why don't we go to my house and eat, I'm starving" Hiccup whined and to emphasize his point, his stomach growled. The teens around him laugh at his expense while he blushed.

"Hey Astrid… I need to uhm… speak with you in private…" Heather said nervously "You could come too Cami if you want…"

Astrid raised an eyebrow but shrugged nonetheless and Cami had nothing else to do so she followed.

The boys just watched as the girls left them alone. Hiccup looked at Thug then at Fishlegs

"Well? Are we going to eat or not?" Hiccup asked and both boys shrugged their shoulders before following Hiccup in his house.

-With the girls-

"Well Heather, you managed to drag me and Camicazi here, so what's up?" Astrid asked as she and the other two girls were walking towards an alley.

Heather fidgeted "Well… it has something to do with Ruffnut…"

Astrid groaned and rolled her eyes "What did she do this time?" What problem could Ruffnut cause in the span of three days?

"She… lost her purity…" Heather said while choking back a sob.

"WHAT?!" Astrid hissed rather than shouted because she knew that this was crucial. Cami, who didn't have a clue who Ruffnut was, just rasied an eyebrow. "Are you serious?!" Astrid snapped as they left the village and entered the forest.

Heather nodded slowly. She was currently keeping her gaze on the ground, afraid of looking at Astrid's facial expression.

"How did this happen?!" Astrid asked. This was not good. How could she be so reckless? She should know better!

"I don't know… Ruffnut herself told me about it…" Heather sighed as she hugged herself.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Cami sighed as she walked beside the duo. "It's completely normal!"

Astrid looked at Cami and shook her head "Not in Berk. People here are serious about traditions and keeping your purity until marriage is at the top of our list." Astrid grabbed Heather by the shoulder and forced her to look at her "Look, where is Ruff now? I need to ask him about this"

"That's where I'm taking you now. She's too dangerous at the moment to be left in her own devices. If I didn't knock out Snotlout then he would've been probably be dead by now"

"Wait… you're telling me that Ruff was ready to kill Snotface?" Astrid couldn't help but chuckle "What I wouldn't trade to watch that happen…"

Heather looked at her with wide eyes "Astrid!"

"Hey, I'm only kidding!"

"This is no time for jokes!" Heather snapped

"Actually, it is. Panicking will get you nowhere" Cami said calmly. Heather blinked at what the short blonde said and contemplated about it. She realized what Cami meant so she drew her breath in and released a huge sigh.

"You're right… It's just that… I don't know what to do!" Heather said as they continued walking. Astrid and Cami realized that Heather was taking them to a waterfall since the sounds of water falling could be finally heard from where they were currently.

"Of course you don't. It's not like you've been in this situation already" Astrid widened her eyes and gaped at Heather "Don't tell me you and Thuggory?!"

Heather gasped and her eyes widened "No way! The closest we got was kissing and I still think that's awkward!"

Astrid visibly relaxed "Phew… for a second there I thought another war was going to take place…"

"Another war?" Cami asked

"Oh yeah… those idiots didn't tell you, did they?" Astrid asked

"If by idiots you mean Hiccup and Thug then yes they didn't tell me. Before you arrived at Thug's boat, they were busy fighting each other. Now I partially know why" Cami shook her head

"Don't worry, I'll tell you about the war later" Astrid said while Cami shrugged.

The three girls eventually arrived at the waterfall and immediately saw the fellow blonde sitting on a rock. Astrid was taken aback by Ruffnut's peaceful face. Every time she saw her fellow blonde, she was either smiling or frowning. Never had she encountered this.

"Hey Ruff…" Astrid said as she approached the girl

"Astrid?" Ruffnut looked up

Astrid smiled slightly "Yep… we've returned…"

Ruffnut didn't say anything and just stood up from the rock she was sitting on and hugged the girl.

"I'm… I'm…" Ruffnut was on the verge of tears

"Shhh… I know…" Astrid let go of Ruffnut and smiled reassuringly "Now, tell me everything from the beginning"

-With Hiccup and the other boys-

Hiccup and the other guys stared blankly at the black smoke that originated from the pot they used.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how they cook soup" Fishlegs mused

"Gee Legs, what was your first clue, the burning smell or the weird texture?" Hiccup dryly asked.

Thuggory sighed as his stomach growled "You two had never done this before, had you?"

Hiccup and Fislegs blinked at each other before shrugging simultaneously.

"What are we going to do now?" Fishlegs asked "I'm so hungry!"

"I know! Let's find the girls and let them cook!" Hiccup said like it was the best idea ever.

Thuggory gave him an incredulous look "Hiccup, if they heard you say that then they'll definitely kill you"

Hiccup shrugged "Sure beats doing nothing…"

All the teens groaned as their stomach's growled at the same time.

AN: Well… Here you go! Enjoy and Review!