This chapter is in Hali's point of view. And Toothless will be turning into a human. I read all of your reviews and the majority of you guys wanted Toothless as a human. I am sorry for you guys that didn't want him as a human. Though, I have some ideas for him since he can turn into a human. Anyways, really sorry for those of you who didn't want him as a human.

I am trying out this chapter in present tense just to see how I like it. P.S. This is a long chapter.

A Downed Dragon Is A Dead Dragon

The Next Day

I keep thinking about Toothless, about what the Nightmare had said. She hadn't said it directly, though Toothless had. He said that I was the princess. But that is the least of my worries. The majority of the things on my mind is the language that dragons speak. I assume it did not have an official title, so I take the courtesy of calling it Dragontongue. It seems appropriate. My mind is spinning on how I can understand it. It makes no sense. None whatsoever. Nor does the 'me being a princess' thing make sense. I know this world is crazy, but at this level, it's ridiculous.

I walk into dragon training, my dagger in its sheath. I took one out of the forge earlier. I see Ashter and the others are already stretching. It seems silly. Stretching for strategy? I feel no need to do so. So I merely sit against the back wall, pull my journal out from my vest, and start doodling. I feel no need to draw anything specific.

My mind is probably on my drawing for a while until I hear Gobber shout, "Alright, welcome to strategy!" I quickly finish off my drawing and shove my journal and my pencil in my vest. I watch Gobber as he rounds all of the teens into the center, along with a fighting Ruffnut and Tuffnut. I sigh as I stand up and make my way to the line.

Snotlout gags at me, which isn't unexpected. I would be surprised if she didn't. Gobber paces around us, slapping Snotlout in the process. I stifle a laugh. "Strategy is the whole reason that most of us come out alive from these raids. Because we have plans. The most important thing about strategy is knowing your surroundings. That is why we are heading to Black Heart Bay!"

I freeze. Black Heart Bay? That means we go by the Cove. What if they find Toothless? I need to go warn him. I watch as Gobber leads the teens to the gate, but I stop him before he reaches them. "Gobber, can I go get my satchel that I left in the forest last night? It can't wait." He seems to think about it for a moment but nods. I dash out of the arena and towards the Cove.

I am panting by the time I get to the Cove. I see Toothless sleeping in the Cove, not hidden by anything! I jump off of the wall and hurry towards. Who knows how much time I have to get him out of sight? I glance behind me to make sure they didn't come. I sigh, relieved, as I walk up to the sleeping dragon. I hate to wake him since he looks so peaceful, but he could possibly be killed on sight if anyone sees him.

"Toothless!" I shout, my head hurting from the cut I got when I was running through the forest. "Toothless, wake up!" I shake his fore-paw. He groggily sits up, his eyes half closed. They widen when his eyes set on my forehead.

"What happened?" he asks, concerned. He walks up to me, his face inches from mine. "Did one of those Vikings hurt you? How deep is it? Is it infect-"

"Toothless calm down!" I interrupt. "I just ran into a tree, no it was not one of the Vikings' doings, and no it is not infected. You need to hide because the dragon training class is heading to Black Heart Bay and I don't want them to see you." He nods. I stroke his head gently and he licks me.

I laugh as I wipe the slobber off of my face. I realize something when I put my arm down: my head isn't hurting anymore. My hand immediately goes up to where the cut is, or used to be. It seems to have healed when Toothless licked me. I stare at him in awe.

"I never told you?" he asks. I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "Us dragons have healing powers in our saliva. It doesn't heal the injured area completely, but it keeps it from getting infected. I'm glad that cut wasn't." I smile at him and I scratch him behind the ears. I soon stop when I hear Gobber coming.

"IIIIIII've got my axe, and I've got my mace, and I love my wife with the ugly face! I'm a Viking through and through!" he sings. I panic. They're here!

"Go into that cave and I will come back and tell you when they've gone, okay?" I usher him towards the cave. He quickly turns around.

"Wait! Will you be alright?" he asks.

"I'll be fine. You just need to hide."

"But-" He stops when I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a gentle hug.

"I'll be fine, bud. I just want you to be safe. So please go in that cave and stay there until I come back. Got it?" I pull back to see him nod. "Good." I kiss the top of his head and head towards the Cove walls. I feel the red stain my cheeks as I catch up with my class. Gobber chants his song over and over again as the others roll their eyes out of boredom. My nose tickles and I sneeze loudly, making everyone jump. Apparently they had no idea I was there.

"Hali!" Gobber gasps.

"Gobber!" I gasp in imitation.

"How long have you been here?" His eyes scan the forest, as if unsure if another me is going to pop out of the trees.

"Calm down. There is not going to be another me jump out and give you a heart attack! I just got here. Why?"

"No reason. Just don't scare me like that." He turns back around and mumbles his song to himself. Sometimes Gobber really confuses me. I follow them slowly as I start to trail behind, making sure to remember my promise to Toothless. As we walk, my mind goes into overdrive.

I remember the first time I met Toothless in the Cove yesterday when he and another dragon told me about the prophecy. I want to believe that I can stop this war, but I can't. When I was born, they knew I would be a 'hiccup' so they were going to name me that. Though when they found out I was a girl, the changed it to Hali. It would've been Hicca but my mom decided against it.

I start to realize how much I care about him and I haven't even known him long. My mind lingers on my feelings. I have no idea how I am feeling. It's strange, but in a kind of good way. Though I can not focus on that. Right now, I need to find a way to quickly sneak away from the group, tell Toothless the coast is clear, and slip back here unnoticed.

I watch as the group take a turn into the forest, concealing them from view. The perfect opportunity to slip away. I quietly tiptoe away and to the Cove, making sure that no one noticed me sneak out. Once I am out of ear-shot, I make a mad dash to Toothless who thankfully was still in the cave I directed him to. I smile when Toothless looks up at me and I see relief clear in his eyes. He probably thought I was harmed or something.

I glance behind my shoulder, checking to see if anyone followed me. Seeing no one behind me, I climb down the rocky walls. He bounds over to me and tackles me to the ground, rubbing his head against my neck.

"Whoa!" I exclaim as I am pinned to the ground. I stay still as Toothless examines me, checking for any injuries done to me. "Bud, I'm fine!" I manage to sit up when he backs up slightly. "Toothless, I can't stay long, but I'll see if I can manage to make it back tonight." He nods as I stand up.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asks.

"I'll be fine," I stroke his head gently, reassuring him that I will be fine. "I'll do my best to come back unnoticed." I then turn and run to the walls, hoping that I can get there before anyone actually notices. Pft. Like that will happen.

I finally catch up to the group after the long walk to them. They all are chattering while Gobber is now singing his song at the top of his lungs. What I catch most of the chattering is the most hurtful thing I have ever heard from Snotlout.

"You know," she whispers to Ruffnut. She whispers loud enough for me to hear it. "I think Hali should have died along with her stupid mother. What do you think?" Rage boils up inside me. No one insults my mother. No one.

"Fuck you, Snotlout!" I shout at her. I brush past her and catch up to Gobber who I know will be there for me. I feel the tears threatening to come out. Gobber stops singing when he notices me next to him, my arms wrapped around me, my head hung low. I don't need to say anything as Gobber puts his arm around my shoulder, guiding me away from the other teens.

"Things will get better, Hali," he tells me in a whisper. "I promise. This is just one bump in your life. You'll get past it and it will make you stronger." I look up at him. This is one of the few times when he says something right and it helps me feel better. Gobber tries, but sometimes the words don't always come out right.

I smile at him and he smiles back, knowing he said the right thing.

{Let's just skip the tedious walking and get right to Black Heart Bay}

We walk onto the shore after possibly the longest walk of our lives. Though Gobber, even though he has a prosthetic limb, is at the top of his energy somehow. He begins instructing us on how to take in our surroundings. I've already done that so I sit on a rock near the crashing waves. My knees are drawn up to my chest as I stare out into the distance. The sight of the sun setting makes me feel sleepy. It's either that or the impossibly long walk from the village to here.

"Hali!" Gobber calls, grabbing my attention. I turn around as he tosses a fishing pole to me. It doesn't look like the ones we have at the village. This one is a makeshift-fishing pole, made from a stick and a long string with a small hook attached to the bottom of the string. He sits next to me and casts the line into the ocean, the waves swallowing the hook.

"You know how to fish, right?" he asks me as I cast my line into the water.

"Yeah," I reply, shifting myself on the rock to sit more comfortably. "Mom and dad taught me how when I was five. 'Course I haven't fished for a while, so get ready to pull me out of the water." I end with a laugh and Gobber laughs with me.

"Nah, you'll be fine." We watched our lines in silence until my line got a tug. I snap my head up because I was starting to drift off. I start pulling my line to see the most peculiar thing. There was a fish with another fish on its tail. And just above the line was another fish.

"What the?" I stare at the fish on my line in confusion. I look to Gobber for an explanation. He laughs as he grabs hold of my line.

"Oh Thor!" he exclaims, the wide grin not leaving his face. "You've got the lucky catch!" He takes each fish off and skews each one on a stick. He then hands each one to us. He catches his own fish and does the same thing.

"I can start the fire, Gobber," I offer as I follow him away from the shore. He nods and I walk to the woods, looking for good firewood. I walk deeper into the woods and stop when I hear rustling in the bushes ahead. I reach for my dagger, my eyes stuck on where the rustling had come from.

"Who's there?" I ask cautiously. I glance behind me to see only trees. I am completely submerged in the forest. I turn my head back around to see... a bunny. I face-palm myself. I get scared of a bunny. I shake my head in anger. I jump when I hear Gobber call my name.

Gobber pokes his head into the trees. "Ah, there you are, Hali. You alright there? You seem a bit shaken up."

I wave it off. "Nah, I'm fine. I just need a little help finding some firewood." Gobber comes through the trees and we both start collecting firewood.

After a few splinters (mostly in me) we finally have enough firewood and bring them back to the others. I see Ruffnut and Tuffnut fighting again, (no surprise there), Ashter trying to tell Snotlout how to hold a fish on a stick, and Fishlegs reading his book. I look to Gobber.

"Come on, lass," he tells me. "You'll have to face 'em sooner or later." I sigh as we make our way towards them. Gobber and I set up the firewood and Gobber lit it. We all sit around the fire, roasting our fish, in silence.

"Gobber," I whisper to him. He leans over. "Tell them about how you lost your limbs." I know he loves telling that story. His face lights up and he faces the teenagers. They all give him wary looks, possible wondering what Gobber was thinking.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I lost my limbs?" he asks. Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs sit up attentively, Snotlout eyes Gobber, and Ashter stares. "Well, I was walking through the forest, ready to hunt the boars when all of a sudden a Monstrous Nightmare took my arm and swallowed it whole. And I could tell from the look on his face. I was delicious. And it wasn't until a month later when another one took my leg."

The twins stare in awe at Gobber's prosthetic arm and leg. Fishlegs seems to have a question in mind.

"Isn't it weird that if your hand was in a dragon?" he wonders. "What if your arm was still alive so you could crush a dragon's heart from the inside?" We all stare at him. No, that is not weird, it is creepy.

"I swear I'm so angry right now!" Snotlout says angrily. "I'll avenge your beautiful hand, and your beautiful foot! I'll chop off the head of every dragon I see!" Way to be a kiss-up, Snotlout.

Gobber hums in disagreement. "Nope! It's the wings – the tails you want. If the dragon can't fly, it can't get away. Like the saying goes, a downed dragon is a dead dragon." The last sentence hits me. Toothless is missing a tail fin. And he's stuck in the cove! How will he get out without the proper flight necessities? I need to fix that.

Gobber stands and stretches. "Alright, we should be off if we're going to get back by noon. Come on, let's go!" The teens groan. I, with the rest of them, follow Gobber back to the village. Tomorrow, I promise myself. Tomorrow, I will find a way to get Toothless back into the air.