This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend The Lightning Phoenix, who has persuaded me to post it early. You should thank him.

You might notice that it is rather long and the different sections are almost completely unrelated. This is because I condensed another chapter into it, so that we can get on to what we've all been waiting for. You just have to wait until next week for it.

Thanks to those of you who have reviewed so far today!

Sousuke Tenki

Vvarden

Colinou

QuiteARandomFan (Good questions... we will just have to wait and see.)

Harkonnen28

The Lightning Phoenix

MoonbornWalker

Little Did You Know

canadasam101

ShiNe

Sunlight streamed into the space as the door opened, and Ash's eyelids fluttered. Slowly her surroundings came into focus, and she realized that she was in Toothless's shelter. What am I doing here? She tried to sit up but a searing pain immediately flashed down her side, and she dropped back to the floor. Confused, she looked at her leg, noticing that it was covered in bandages.

"What happened?" she croaked, realizing how thirsty she was.

"It's the talk of the town, right now." Ash looked up and saw Kiva in the doorway, looking hesitant. "Can I come in?"

Ash could only nod, and her friend entered the room. "I wanted to see you sooner, but everyone told me I had to wait."

Kiva looked at her expectantly for a moment, but when Ash said nothing, she sighed. "I was really worried when you didn't come back. And then I heard you had an adventure without me, complete with the dashing hero."

Reality crashed down on Ash, and she nearly winced. A Typhoomerang had done this to her. Even better, Shade had been the one to rescue her from it, and save her life. She wanted to groan, and simultaneously run away and hide forever.

"Well? Are you going to tell me anything?"

"Water?" Ash asked hoarsely.

Kiva looked surprised. "Oh! Oh, you're probably really thirsty. Here," she dragged a bucket over. "Can you reach this? Okay, good." Ash managed to lift her head high enough to drink deeply from the bucket, feeling immensely better.

"Thanks," she said.

Kiva backed up a few feet, then sat down. "So, story time?"

"There's not much to tell," Ash tried to convince her, but her friend was having none of it.

"Then why is no one talking about anything else?"

"Fine. I was flying around the other side of the island, when I saw a Typhoomerang chasing something through the forest, knocking trees out of its way. I flew closer and realized that it was after Soren, who was running for his life, and I tried to intervene. It wasn't fully grown, but those are big dragons anyways, and it was not in a good mood. So it messed me up and just when it looked like it was about to finish me and Soren off… Shade blasted in and fought it off."

Kiva's eyes were wide. "Then what?"

"Then… I don't really remember," Ash lied, trying not to think of waking to see Shade tending to her injuries.

Her friend seemed to believe her though. "Wow. That's… crazy. I wish I could've been there to help."

Ash rolled her eyes. "You just wish you had been there to see Shade in action."

Kiva grinned guiltily. "Yeah, that too. How was he? Is he a good fighter?"

"I guess so…"

"Ugh come on! I need more than that!" she pressed.

"Fine! Whatever…" Ash dutifully recounted exactly how Shade had driven off the Typhoomerang, trying to ignore the adoring look in Kiva's eyes. "And then I passed out."

"Wow! I have to talk to him and tell him how brave he is," she gushed. Ash did her best to avoid rolling her eyes.

"Go. Be my guest. I don't think he wants the attention, though…" she trailed off, knowing full well that Kiva was no longer paying attention to her. Sighing, she rested her head on the floor and waited for her friend to focus again.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Kiva finally asked, clearly itching to go find Shade.

"No, I'm just going to get some rest. Go on, have your fun."

"You're the best, Ash," she said excitedly, before darting from the shelter. Ash maintained her cheerful expression until the door swung shut, then allowed misery to creep back onto her face. Kiva was going to be all lovey-dovey with Shade, who was probably in love with her already, and they were going to be mates and have lots of Night Fury hatchlings and they would be beautiful together and live happily ever after and Ash would probably have to babysit their beautiful hatchlings and be alone forever.

Despair threatened to swallow her heart. Shade was so kind, and caring, and strong, and he had saved her life and when he had curled around her it had been one of the best feelings she'd ever experienced. Not to mention when he had licked her side. That had been altogether too confusing. What would it be like to experience that… without the injury in the way?

No. She squeezed her eyes shut. No, no, NO. He's been gone for three years! She tried to argue with herself. Things have changed, obviously— she vividly recalled the scars on his muscular chest, the solemn intensity of his incredible blue eyes— BUT that doesn't change how you felt about him before! She'd had her chance with him and she'd shut him down. That's what she wanted. Right? Just friends. But now that they weren't friends at all, she couldn't stop thinking of him, dreaming of him. I just miss my friend. She missed how he had always been there for her, missed the fun they would have, missed his insight and understanding.

And now Kiva would be the one he turned to, to share those insights and jokes. Ash was out of the picture. That's what she wanted, she told herself, over and over again.

Then why aren't you happy about it?

She groaned loudly. Get over it. Get. Over. Him.

"Ash? Are you alright?" She opened one eye to see Storm's concerned face in the doorway.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," she replied as brightly as she could, wiping the misery from her face.

"If you say so." Storm looked hesitant. "Can… can I come in?"

"Of course. This is your shelter."

Shade's sister slowly entered the room, and Ash found she was thankful that the younger female had Toothless's green eyes and not her brother's. "What's going on?" she asked, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.

"So… Kiva." Storm sat on her haunches, meeting her gaze.

"What about her?"

"She looked pretty excited when she left."

"That she did," Ash replied weakly, not wanting to break eye contact and reveal more than she was sure Storm knew.

"She was going after Shade, wasn't she?"

"I… think so."

"And that's okay with you?"

Ash was taken aback. "Why does it matter?"

Storm shifted, looking a little uncomfortable. "Well, you were his best friend before he left. And now you're not even on speaking terms, for whatever reason," she looked at Ash meaningfully. "And now Kiva is here, and she's always always following him around if I'm not with him to keep her at bay. Oh, and he saved your life and got hurt in the process. I mean, I'd be miserable, and I think you are, too."

Ash just stared at her, and sheepishly the younger female looked at the ground. "That's the way Shade looks at me when I try to get all intuitive."

"He's hurt?"

Storm looked up, surprised. "I mean, he can't fly for a while, and he's got some burns…" Ash saw in her mind's eye Shade being flung from the Typhoomerang's back and crashing through the trees to the ground. Of course he was hurt. But he hadn't said anything when he was taking care of her…

"I see that's news to you. Well, I'm just now realizing how unhelpful I'm being, so I'm just going to go, sorry…" Storm got up and started towards the door.

"No, don't go." Surprised, she turned back to see Ash still laying there with a funny expression on her face. "What other… insights about my life would you care to share with me?"

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"Well," Storm padded back to the center of the room and sat down again. "No one tells me anything, including Shade, so I'm just putting things together, but I think I might be the only one who caught on to what happened."

"What happened?"

"Well, before he and Aeri left, Shade was acting really funny anyways. I know now that he was fighting a lot with Dad, but now that he's back, and you two aren't talking, I think it had something to do with you, too. Am I close?"

"Very."

"I won't pry into that, because that's none of my business, but I think whatever happened basically destroyed your relationship, even though that's clearly not what you want."

Ash gaped at her. "What do you mean, that's not what I want? Maybe that's exactly what I wanted."

"I sincerely doubt it. Maybe that's what you thought you wanted, but you've been acting so miserable, I think you're starting to realize that what you really wanted has been there all along."

"I… I…" Ash was speechless, and her heart was thumping painfully in her chest. Finally she closed her eyes sadly. "It doesn't matter what I want. Because I'm not the only one who matters."

"At least you can see that much, unlike Kiva," Storm's voice had an edge to it, and Ash's eyes flew open.

"Kiva knows what she wants. But she's not a bad dragon. She's nice, and pretty smart, and she's very attractive…" Ash trailed off at the look of distaste Storm had on her face.

"Most Night Furies are pretty smart, although some are more so than others," the younger dragon said flatly. "I don't know, Ash. She wouldn't make him a good mate. Looks aren't everything."

Privately, Ash completely agreed with her, but felt that she had to defend her friend. "Kiva just needs to settle down a bit. You'll like her better the longer she's around, and if she matters to Shade, then I'm sure you'll make the effort to get to know her. Right?"

Storm was staring at her with disbelief. "You must have hit your head pretty hard."

"Hey," she replied defensively. "Not that hard…" The look she received from Shade's sister made her amend, "Okay, pretty hard. But I mean it. Give Kiva a chance."

"If you insist…"

"I do."

Storm sighed, then turned to leave. "Well, remember what you told me, Ash. You're not the only one who matters. Kiva doesn't seem to understand that. If you really care about Shade as much as I think you do, you should do something about it."

"Don't you think I've tried?" Ash said miserably. "As soon as he got back, I tried. He said we couldn't be friends."

"That was more than two weeks ago. He didn't have to do what he did to keep you alive, Ash. Things have changed. Maybe you should try again."

With that, the younger female slipped quietly from the room, leaving Ash alone with her thoughts.

The days passed quickly. Ash was confined to the shelter at the top of the hill, which was fine with Shade. Or so he told himself. He wasn't ready to see her. Everything was starting to get on his nerves though, since he couldn't fly. Storm seemed to sense this, and gave him space, but that left him wide open for Kiva, who seemed more infatuated with him than ever. It took all he had to not take out his frustrations on the talkative female.

Aeri had finished Erik's armor, much to her brother's delight. He looked quite dashing in it, not an exact copy of their father, but similar enough to inspire fondness.

"I can't wait until we can fly together!" he exclaimed, and Aeri smacked herself.

"A helmet! We didn't make you a helmet!"

Immediately they set to work, though Erik soon discovered that the armor required a lot of wearing in. At his wincing, Aeri just laughed. "It won't offend me if you don't wear it all the time," she informed him, and gratefully, he went back to the house to change into his usual blue tunic and vest.

Aeri mostly just wore her bodysuit around, forgoing her shoulder armor. It was easier to move around in, and when it got hot in the forge, she appreciated the relative coolness of the suit without the chest plate.

A group of teens and their dragons had taken to hanging around outside the forge after their classes ended, much to Erik's disconcertion. He was sort of a loner, though he was always happy to teach younger students at the Academy. But these young Vikings were eagerly watching his and Aeri's progress. Too embarrassed to actually ask for armor or weapons themselves, they simply observed through the window, although they tended to be a noisy bunch.

Finally, about a week after they had started showing up, Gobber lost his patience. "What are ye all doin' out there? Can't ye see we're workin', here?"

One of Snotlout's sons came forward, a bit nervously, but encouraged by the pretty smile of one of the girls. "We're just watching, uh, sir."

"Could ye watch a bit more quietly, then?"

One particularly hot day, it got so sweltering in the forge that Erik, not thinking, simply peeled off his sweaty tunic and threw it aside as he worked. Neither Aeri nor Gobber said anything, too engrossed in their own work, but when Erik looked out to the square, he noticed with a great deal of embarrassment that no less than half a dozen of the village girls were staring at him through the open window.

"Um, can I, uh, help you?"

The girls immediately burst into giggles, though one larger girl stepped forward boldly. "I don't know, can you?"

Erik's jaw dropped, but Aeri came to his rescue, stepping in front of him. "No, he's a bit busy at the moment. Maybe try again later, when Storm is around to express how she feels?"

The girl scowled at her but didn't reply, sullenly turning away with her hammer in hand. The others were shrieking with laughter, and they waved their fingers at her brother as they left. "Bye, Erik! See you in class tomorrow!"

Aeri turned to look at him. Her brother's cheeks were an alarming shade of red as he hurriedly pulled his tunic back on. "Any of those—" she gestured at the retreating figures of the teenage girls. "— I should be worried about?"

"Uh, maybe Helga," he mumbled, embarrassed, and Gobber burst out laughing, having watched the whole thing.

"That Helga's a real piece of work. Watch out for her and her hammer, lad."

"A piece of work like our mom was a piece of work?" Aeri asked curiously, though she had a feeling she knew what the answer would be.

"Not in the slightest!" Gobber shouted. "Astrid was always hangin' around the forge, but she was a glorious lass. So much spirit! Had your dad looking like poor Erik here, but about twenty times worse. Oh, they'd sneak off, but I learned the hard way that it was best to let them go. Once I caught them—"

"Aaaaand we're changing the subject!" Erik cried out as Aeri clapped her hands over her ears.

"Oh, pshaw. You two are no fun at all." But he didn't elaborate, fortunately for them. "I'm just sayin'. Ruffnut gave your Dad a fair bit of trouble before Astrid stepped in an' set things straight. An' ye've got a fair bit more muscle on ye than your father did at your age, Erik. You've got the whole package. What ye need is a girl who doesn't care about the wrappin'. Ye hear what I'm sayin'?"

"I think so," Erik replied slowly, wondering why Gobber was suddenly imparting his "wisdom" on him.

"Isn't there a girl here in the village ye've got yer sights on?"

"You're such a gossip, Gobber!" Aeri interrupted. "I have no doubt that as soon as Erik tells you the girl's name, her family will be drawing up a marriage contract."

"Now wait jus' a minute, young lady!" Gobber protested, but Erik cut him off.

"It's fine. No, Gobber, there's no one."

The old smith looked disappointed. "I guess I would've noticed it by now. Yer father was always terrible at hidin' how he felt about yer mother. Fortunately, that turned out well, wouldn't ye say?"

The two Haddock children had to agree. Satisfied, Gobber let them get back to work, offering them a little too much information when he walked out. "Nature's a'callin'!"

Wincing, Aeri and Erik looked at each other, before shrugging and refocusing on their tasks. Erik had quickly picked up the basic skills necessary to smithing, and had been making himself very useful. Aeri was working on his helmet, which was taking an immense amount of concentration. He had done a few crude sketches depicting how he wanted it to look, but for the most part she was designing it based on what he had described to her.

"Gobber?" a familiar female voice called, and they both straightened to see Alyka stepping into the shop.

"Hey, sis," Erik said, but the blonde's gaze was narrowed on Aeri.

"What are you doing here?"

"You know," Aeri sighed. "I'm actually here most of the time. So maybe it's my turn to ask, what are you doing here?"

Clearly not expecting that response, Alyka's mouth opened, then closed. Then she shrugged, holding up her axe. Or rather, the two pieces of her axe.

"How did you manage to do that?" Aeri frowned.

"Um… trees?"

"Well, bring it here so I can look at it." Hesitantly, her younger sister walked over, looking Aeri up and down suspiciously as she deposited her axe onto the workbench.

"Would you please relax? I'm not going to hurt it, promise," Aeri said exasperatedly, leaning forward to examine the handle. It appeared that the head had simply come off due to stress, which was fortunate. "It looks like the two pieces are in decent shape. Let me get some tools and I'll put it back together."

Erik watched them silently, leaning against the wall. Alyka had very successfully avoided their older sister until now, and he was curious to see if she'd finally get over her inexplicable animosity towards Aeri. He heard a rumbling sound and looked out to see Soturi watching the situation through the window, clearly as interested as he was in the outcome. The teenaged Night Fury smiled slightly at him, before turning her attention back to the two sisters.

"So…" Aeri started as she worked. Alyka just glared at her. "Trees, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What gave you the 'deforestation' urge today?"

"Like I'd tell you."

Aeri laughed softly. "Fair enough." She labored in silence for another ten minutes or so, before standing upright, wiping the perspiration from her forehead.

"That should do it."

Alyka moved to snatch her newly repaired axe out of her hands, but Aeri lifted it over her head, out of her reach. "Nuh uh. Have you even looked at the blade on this thing?" She brought it down and held it at Alyka's eye level.

"What's wrong with it?" she growled, frustrated.

"You couldn't even cut butter with this thing!"

"I don't care!"

"You should," Aeri gave her a stern look. "A Viking should always take care of their weapons. That, and it'll just break again. Think about it. You have to apply that much more pressure to get a dull blade to cut something."

Alyka glowered at her, but didn't argue. With a slight smile, Aeri took the axe over to the grindstone, and after a moment, her sister followed her, hovering like an anxious parent. Once Aeri finished, she stood, expertly twirling the weapon, much to her sister's surprise.

"Ah, yes, you forgot I know how to use one of these," she smiled.

"Not as well as Mom," Alyka grumbled, crossing her arms.

"No one can use an axe like Mom." Aeri paused. "Does your shoulder armor fit right?"

Taken aback, Alyka's scowl faded for just a moment. "It… yeah, it's fine," she said, a little too quickly.

"You sure? It looks a little tight…"

"I said it's fine!" She made another grab for her axe, but this time Aeri dropped her arm so that her sister could reach. Alyka held it close to her chest for a moment, then stepped back, swinging it experimentally. "What did you do to it? It feels different!" she glared accusingly at her older sister.

"I balanced it. So it should fly better when you're chopping down trees." Alyka still looked dangerously suspicious, so Aeri sighed, holding up her hands. "Just try it out, will you?"

"Fine." The fiery blonde suddenly looked down, shifting from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Aeri asked.

"Uh… Thanks. I guess. For fixing my axe." With that, Alyka shot her one more suspicious glare before turning and running out of the forge. Erik watched as she leapt smoothly onto Soturi's back, holding her axe with one hand, and the pair flew off.

Aeri breathed a huge sigh. "Well. That was about as fun as pulling dragon teeth."

Erik walked over to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Hey, you made a lot of progress. She's talking to you, right? And she said thank you."

"I guess," she replied, staring out the window in the direction their sister had flown.

"Seriously. Don't overthink it. Once she realizes how much better her axe is working, she'll open up even more." He patted her back, then turned back to the saddle he was tracing.

Aeri supposed he was right. A lot of patience was the key, when dealing with a sister who had never possessed any. So, she pulled the half-formed helmet back into the center of the bench and started tweaking it again.

Later that night, after Erik had wished his sister a goodnight at their grandmother's house, he made his way up the hill, wondering where Storm had gotten off to. Peeking into the shelter, he could see the sleeping form of Ash next to the glowing embers of the fire, but the other Night Furies were nowhere to be seen. With a shrug, he climbed up the steps and pushed open the front door of his home. He was greeted by the sight of Wren at the table, sketching in her notebook by the light of half a dozen candles. She didn't even look up as he entered, only nodded slightly when he greeted her.

"What are you drawing?" he came up behind her and peered over her shoulder.

"Don't look!" she flattened herself against the book, completely covering it.

"Ah! Okay, okay!" he backed away, holding his hands up. "Not looking. Have you seen Alyka?"

Wren sat up, quickly shutting her notebook and hugging it close to her chest before turning to look at him. "She raged through after class, then went out to throw her axe at inanimate objects." His little sister had always possessed a wide vocabulary, and now that she was eight, it had only expanded.

"Do you know why she's been so mad?" Erik asked.

"Hmm… I know, but I don't think she'd appreciate me telling you."

"Even if I promise not to tell?"

She looked at him appraisingly with her big green eyes. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt…" Glancing around, she leaned in closer. "There's this boy in her class. He's confusing her. And she doesn't like to be confused."

Well, that much Erik knew. "How old is he?" He didn't want his thirteen-year-old sister involved with someone who wasn't her age, even though he knew she was pretty enough to attract the attention of the older boys.

"Oh, I think he's fourteen. But her birthday is next week, you know." Erik could have smacked himself. He'd almost completely forgotten about Alyka's upcoming birthday.

"… and I wouldn't worry about other boys," Wren continued insightfully. "Being the Chief's daughter means only the bravest boys will talk to you, and teenage boys pretend to be brave, but they aren't actually."

"So how is she confused?"

"Well, I guess he actually is brave enough to talk to the Chief's daughter. Not to mention the bravery required to come within arm's reach of Alyka."

Erik couldn't help but laugh. "You have a point. Who is this boy? Do I need to give him a talking to?"

"I think his name is Rorik. And no, you don't. He's just talking to her, sometimes being helpful. He actually seems really nice."

"How do you know all this?"

"I like watching the older kids in their classes. Learning stuff that's 'too advanced' for my age."

"Seems like you learn a lot of other stuff, too."

Wren shrugged. "What can I say? Skali is almost big enough to fly with me on her back, but until she is, I have to live vi- vicariously through them."

Erik was impressed. "That's a new word."

"Thanks. I overheard Dad say it and asked him what it meant so now I can use it."

"Good work. Now, is there any food left over from dinner last night?"

"I dunno. Go look." With that she slid off the bench and ran up the stairs.

Two weeks after the incident with the Typhoomerang, Shade slowly opened his wing, feeling the stiff muscles in his back protest. It was somewhat early in the morning, but he hadn't been able to sleep anyways. Fortunately, Gobber and Valka were early risers. They had taken off the splint earlier a few minutes before, with the strict warning that he was not to leave the ground until they gave him permission to do so. Which meant… no flying with Aeri for the time being.

The square was empty, as the sun was just peeking over the forest, and most Vikings and dragons were still sound asleep. Shade settled himself in a patch of faintly warm sunlight outside the forge, looking forward to an hour or so of peace. It was not to be so, however, as he realized that Cloudjumper wasn't going to follow his rider and Gobber to the Great Hall. The Stormcutter was watching him owlishly from where he lounged nearby, not saying a word.

"What?" Shade finally asked, turning slightly to face the older dragon.

"Oh, I'm just curious."

"You, and everyone else on Berk."

Cloudjumper smiled slightly. "I spoke to Cinder about a week ago."

"And what did he have to say?"

"All manner of interesting things. There's a lot you haven't told us, Shade."

"I keep meaning to, it just never feels like the right time. That, and I don't particularly want any more attention than I'm already getting."

"Which is interesting. Most dragons love attention. I mean, I don't, and your family, oddly enough, doesn't, but you know how the rest are."

"Yes, they all follow the Hookfang School of Self-Adoration."

The Stormcutter let out a loud snort. "You didn't know him when he was young. Having children really settles one's temperament."

"I'd say that means I'm not going to be settled for a long time, but I've found myself really favoring the idea of never following that route."

"What makes you say that?"

"I mean, a lot of dragons mate for convenience, right? I guess I could do that, but I just can't imagine being paired to someone I didn't really love. And I don't think I'm capable of loving someone in that way. At least, not anymore," he trailed off, unsure of what Cloudjumper's expression meant. "What?"

"You sound so sure. What does Kiva think of all that?"

Shade felt his face heat, and resisted the urge to look down. "Uh, nothing? Because I haven't said anything along those lines to her?"

He found himself pinned in place by the older dragon's stern look. "And why not?"

"Hmm, because she'd take it as a challenge? Rather than, I don't know, respectfully backing off?"

"Are you leading her on?"

"I mean, it probably looks that way, doesn't it?"

"To me, yes. To just about everyone else, it looks like you're a perfectly happy couple."

"Great. Neither of those are accurate, I hope you realize?"

Cloudjumper's gaze relaxed a bit. "I had hoped so."

"Ugh. What a mess."

"I'll say. Especially when you consider that a few of the especially gossipy dragons were shrewd enough to go to Soren after your little adventure in the forest."

Shade felt his heart drop. "What… what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that half the dragons on Berk know exactly how you saved Ash's life, and are probably even more curious than I am to know what that means."

The Night Fury groaned and buried his face in his paws. "I just… it was the only way! It didn't mean anything…"

"Fortunately, most have refrained from talking too much about it, probably because you haven't bothered to go see her as she's recovered."

Shade's head snapped up, and he glared at Cloudjumper. "That doesn't mean I don't care."

The Stormcutter blinked. "I never suggested that."

Deflating, Shade groaned again. "It's… complicated."

"I can only imagine. What I don't imagine is Kiva taking it well if she ever finds out."

"Kiva again? I'm not… she's not…" he stammered helplessly.

"Well, is it Kiva, or is it Ash?"

"Why does it have to be either?"

"It doesn't. But I think it will be."

Shade did not like the sound of that. He scowled at the older dragon, who chuckled softly as he got to his feet. "I'm just saying, Shade. You have a choice to make."

"WHY do I have to choose anyone? Why can't I just be left alone?"

Cloudjumper gestured with his wing. "Because it's just not going to happen that way." Startled, Shade glanced across the square to see none other than Ash stepping into the sunlight. She looked surprised to see him, and stopped in her tracks.

Immediately he turned and narrowed his eyes at Cloudjumper. "This doesn't mean anything."

"Of course not. And don't worry, I won't be blabbing to anyone about what you've told me."

"You mean what you've been insinuating this entire time? I should certainly hope not. Especially not to my parents."

The Stormcutter clamped his jaws shut, eyes glittering with amusement, before spreading his massive wings and taking off towards the Great Hall. Leaving Shade alone with Ash.

He sighed and turned back to see her waiting in the middle of the square. Just sitting, not exactly watching him, but keeping her eye on him as she waited for him to either leave or allow her to come closer.

And it was funny, but the fact that she was giving him the opportunity to say no really resonated with Shade. Kiva never asked if he wanted to be left alone. She just showed up and stuck around and never left until Storm took pity on him and came up with some excuse to pull him away. Ash was… respecting him. Did he want to talk to her? Maybe, maybe not. He definitely didn't want to have to face her yet, but he supposed it had to happen sometime, and better it happen now with no one around.

So he waited until her gaze traveled back to him, and nodded. For once, her face betrayed none of her thoughts. She slowly stood and approached him, limping slightly. As she came closer, he could see the angry-looking scar traveling the length of her side, and had to swallow the sudden urge to hunt down that Typhoomerang and maul it. Instead, he got to his feet, gesturing with his head for her to follow him.

He didn't go far, just around the back of the forge to the grassy area with a view of the sea. They both settled onto the soft green, and for a moment neither of them spoke, just watched the sunlight glittering on the water in the distance. He realized that she was waiting for him to say something, so he cleared his throat.

"Hi."

"Hi," she replied, not taking her eyes off the ocean.

"How… how are you feeling?"

"Much better," she said softly, finally looking at him. Her silvery green eyes were enormous, and rendered him momentarily speechless. Don't even go there, fish-for-brains, he told himself roughly, shaking off the mesmerization.

"Good. I mean, I'm glad." He looked away for a moment, before helplessly being drawn back. She was focusing on the grass between her paws, running a single claw through the long blades.

"Thank you."

"For what?" He couldn't think of why she would be thanking him, of all dragons.

She turned her head, and he saw in her features just a trace of exasperation. "You know, for saving my life? You didn't have to."

Ash was far outside of her comfort zone, here. When she had woken before dawn and hadn't been able to go back to sleep, she'd left the shelter with the intention of wandering around to think. Then she'd seen Cloudjumper and Shade talking by the forge, and it seemed like a decent opportunity to thank him personally for the way he'd come to her rescue.

She didn't want to be around him. She didn't want to see his face. Specifically, his eyes. Didn't want to see those. At all. But it would be rude of her to not show her gratitude, right? And she had been raised to be polite, if nothing else.

But he was just looking at her, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking, as usual, and she suddenly felt itchy. After another moment passed, she couldn't take it anymore. So she started getting to her feet.

"Okay, that's all. I'm just going to—"

"Yes, I did." Ash stopped, and swung her gaze to meet his.

"You what?"

His eyes were solemn. "You said I didn't have to. But I did."

She blinked at him. Then, slowly, she lowered herself back into the grass. "I mean, it would have been unfortunate, and Cinder would have been really upset, but no one would have blamed you if you hadn't—"

"I would have blamed me."

Oh. This was just some guilt thing. He hadn't saved her because he cared about her, he saved her because he was inherently good and it was in his nature to put others first. She fought the small wave of disappointment coursing through her, then decided to change the subject., searching the ocean for something interesting to pin her gaze on. "I heard you were hurt. I didn't even notice. I'm sorry you have to deal with that—"

"Ash." She didn't want to look at him. She didn't. But she did, peeking out of the corner of her eye, to see his serious face. And his eyes, so intense and blue.

"What?"

"If you had died, I never would have been able to forgive myself. Never."

Hmm. That didn't sound like he didn't care. But she didn't want to read too much into it. Especially when he was technically with her friend. That thought brought with it a tide of mild nausea and chest pain. She let out a shaky breath, desperately wishing for him to say something else, to ease her confusion. Then she saw it.

"What?" Shade asked her, his chest hurting despite his best efforts to suppress his confused emotions. She was staring out at the horizon, eyes narrowed. He followed her gaze, at first seeing nothing. Then, the tiniest of shadows became apparent, on the line where the sea met the sky. What… was that?

Hmm, I wonder what it could be :p Again, if there's anything in particular you want to be reading about, I must highly recommend reviewing and letting me know so I can write more of whatever it is. See you next week!