Hey Guys! :D So I know I haven't posted in while, I think I'm about a week late? Anyway, I have been super stressed in the last few weeks, but it's summerrrrrrrr! Mega excited even though I haven't done anything yet and I know I'm not going to move at all until my freedom comes to the end, but, that does mean I have much more time to write. I just want to say thank you for your patience, the last week I've had some really bad swings of depression and sadness, so I haven't really felt anything. I do hope you read my notes, by the way, I explain a lot of random stuff that could possibly be important? Anyway I haven't written that much lately, but when I was watching Inside Out (go watch it if you haven't already, it's amazing) at 4am i got incredibly emotional and started crying uncontrollably (why am I like this?) and then something went off in my head and I played some sad songs and then put on the HTTYD soundtrack and started writing. So that's why this is so late and I guess just, enjoy!

In the darkening light, Katia headed down her trail towards the grove. In the excitement of finding Hiccup she had almost lost thought about it. The grin still written all over her face, she made her way through the thick forest and over the familiar pathways she had walked over many times.

Once she arrived, she stayed low and steady. She wanted not to either offend or frighten him, just to get another glimpse at him. She picked a hooked stick from the ground and tossed it into the air, testing it. Not bad. On all fours, she crawled forward, through the mossy ground and leaf curtain she had copied into her memory. She paused. He was close. She could sense him. Somewhere.

Something had happened to Katia over the years. She had adopted the ability to sense things before they even happened. Like if a branch would snap just by feeling the air. By sensing the air and the world around her. And often, she would sense that a terrible terror had just come down and perched on a tree rather than hear its small wings beating and the tree leaves rustling.

Using the stick to help with balance and jumping down the rocky walls, hooking it over ledges and such. The air around her felt warmer, but yet colder, more fresh, like something was about to happen. In what little light she had, she pieced out a darker shape next to a pile of boulders. She turned around, loose hair whipping behind her with a crisp swishing sound. The low moon light glimmered upon a small body of water, a lake. Stars were beginning to show themselves, shining brightly, lighting up the darkness that surrounded.

When she turned back around, she was astounded. A huge pair of lime green eyes stared at her so intently she could almost feel the black slits clawing at her. She stared back into him, hoping he would feel her gaze as she could his. Most of his body was hidden, camouflaging as it should in the night. Her hand dropped her stick. Katia straightened her back, pulling her shoulders with her. She and her arm out, and made a simple gesture to come forward. He sniffed at her and leaned his head to one side. One step backwards. Her eyeline moved not. Another step. He took a step. Three steps, quickening the pace. He took three steps at her same speed. He realised what she had done. She had guided him into the beams let down by the moon.

She could see him better now. Rough scaly skin exactly how she remembered. His ears accompanied by several other nubs that lined his face, their use she knew not of. His tale wrapped around his side with a slow yet swift movement. She felt his warm breath on her skin, prickling her in a way she'd never felt.

'So this is what it's like to look into a dragons' soul,' thought Katia privately, but somehow it didn't feel so private, not with him staring so intensely.

Being a dragon, especially a night fury, he could see even in he dark, but now he could see the bright shine in her eyes, her expression glittering. She wasn't scared. This was new. This was very new. But at the same time, it felt like he was the change that was meant to be. Night furies are known for their smarts and being one of the cleverest dragons ever discovered, but this was something that any dragon could see. Her soul was that of a dragon.

She belonged in the wilderness. So did he. He knew of his strengths, and only used them when necessary. So did she.

The dragons' pupils dilated, and he sat back on his hindquarters. He made a low purring sound that reminded Katia of the hug she had not long ago shared with Hiccup. But she swept all thoughts of that behind her. One of the most feared creatures was here in front of her, yet the beauty of it only grew. With his huge eyes and ears, he looked almost cute.

Feeling the quiet stare upon her, Katia realised that she'd have to prove herself. Normally she'd think quickly, but here, she had all the time in the world in her hands.

Katia pulled her face into a rare smile, and opened her eyes wide. She drew herself up, and held her arms out wide, showing there were no hidden weapons. Above them, the moon was rising, dawning upon a turn of events.

To her surprise, the dragon replicated her actions, ears and nubs sticking up, a gummy smile spreading across his face.

"Toothless?" A small mutter was heard. Almost in reply to her puzzlement, he drew out a set of sharp white teeth and retracted them again.

A look of awe and fascination designed itself over her face. He was becoming more amazing than she'd ever imagined. A thought came to her. She looked at her hands, weathered and tough skinned from living as she did, and held them out for him to inspect. He sniffed them and leans his head on one side. She drew them back and hope filled her entire body, a kind of adrenaline she'd never experienced before. One last breath, before her right hand outstretched once more, and closed her eyes for the dragon's reassurance.

A shock pumped through her hand and to the rest of her body like lightning. It felt like nothing she'd ever dreamed of. Like, one hundred knives piercing her skin, but she felt no pain. There were no words to describe the sensation.

Katia raised her head again, and opened her eyes, meeting those of the dragon. The burning stare prickled its way down her back. His pupils were dilated, and his body was in a vulnerable position, showing that he trusted her. The dragon tilted his head in curiosity. In all the world he had seen, nothing had been quite as extraordinary as this. This was a human, yet she placed her trust in him. When he looked into her eyes, he saw wonder.

Moonlight poured into the grove from the huge white orb hovering in the sky above them. The smile on Katia's face grew because somewhere up there, Odin gave them his blessing.

Hiccup

Hiccup sprinted back to the village in the darkening sky.

He was very much confused about what had just happened, and realized just how insane the whole thing really was. A girl who had been practically exiled into the outskirts of the village had managed to survive on her own? It seemed a little overkill to Hiccup, but he supposed it wasn't entirely impossible. However it still felt a little surreal to him. Perhaps he had just imagined it. But his skin was still damp though, from falling into the river. He snatched his arm up from his side, and looked at it. His wrist was grazed lightly from the leather that had scratched him. She was real.

Hiccup had reached the village, and stopped. Should he tell someone? But then he remembered that her family was a disgrace to the Berkian community, and people tended not to speak of them. In fact, even though Stoick had cared a little for Audhild Walstone, Katia's mother, because on more than one occasion she had offered to mind Hiccup when he was being a nuisance, Stoick was rather glad that he didn't have to watch over them excessively after they were stolen by dragons one night, when Katia and Hiccup were both only five.

Hiccup still felt a little shaken as he trudged through the thicket to get to his house. He shivered in the cold autumn winds that always picked from Freezing-to-Death, and tripped over a stone that he swore had not been there that morning.

The door to Great Stoick the Vast's house squealed as Hiccup pushed it open, and then snapped angrily as it slammed behind him. Sitting by the fire was his father, red hair tied back.

"Son."

Hiccup sighed heavily, and dragged himself from his route upstairs to a safe distance away, but still close enough to be heard.

"Oh, uh, yeah?"

"I'll be going away for some time. Try to find the nest again."

"So… good luck?"

"Dragon training. With the other teens, starting tomorrow. Gobber will be in charge, we need new recruits while I'm gone." Stoick didn't move his gaze from something wooden in his hands that he seemed to be carving.

"Oh. Well. Thanks Dad." Hiccup tried to show no emotion at this, and returned back to his original path to his bedroom. He seemed to not be paying attention at all, until his Dad looked up at him and coughed.

"Well I'd expect you to be a little more excited than that! You were begging me last week!"

"Huh?"

"Oh for Thor's sake! Dragon training tomorrow morning!"

Hiccup instantly perked up at this. This was his chance!

"Really Dad?" A nod came from Stoick.

"Thanks!" Hiccup thought about hugging his father but then had second thoughts and took a step back. "Well if that's all you need me for I'll just get going." Hiccup turned back to the stairs and made for them but he was stopped by his father.

Stoick sat up, and put whatever he had been carving down.

"No son. I'm not done with you yet. I want you to sit her with me, we have something important to talk about."

Hiccup was not pleased with this. 'The old honey and the hatchet' he thought. He wondered what he had unknowingly caused know by purely existing. But he thought it as best not to start an argument now, so calmly went over to a stool next the fire and sat down.

"Son, as you know, these attacks have been getting worse and worse, and more frequent too. This village is more dangerous than ever, we had four deaths in the last!"

Hiccup pondered over what this might have to do with him, and if this conversation was about him at all.

"Well I don't know how to explain this. But… well… I just don't think… that… well… if anything were to happen to me that you'd… well… be able to run the village."

Hiccup, as you can imagine was extremely put out by this. Another conversation about him not being good enough then.

"Dad, I tell you ever time! I'm trying to be a good Viking, a good son, a good heir, even. I'm trying really hard! Is that not enough for you? Well I suppose is isn't. But what can I do about that? I don't even want to run the village, I never asked to be the Chief's son! You can make Snotlout first in line if you want, but if he ever does become Chief just know that I'll be out of here as fast as my fishbone legs can carry me!" Hiccup, who rarely let his dad get under his skin, was feeling particularly tired and worn out, completely lost his cool. He went to go upstairs again, but once more Stoick stopped him.

"Wait, no Hiccup this isn't what this is about!"

Hiccup, though he felt very strongly that this was entirely about, sat back down again, glared at his father.

"You should know by now that I would never put Snotlout as my first heir, he would have the village in shambles overnight. You're clever enough, Son, I know you'd be excellent at chiefing when it comes to certain things, but well, with all of these attacks going on right now, and I know you never pay any attention to your warfare classes, that you wouldn't be able to handle the raids very well, you know?"

Hiccup calmed down a bit at hearing that his dad didn't think he was entirely useless.

"But what are you going to do about that?"

"Well at first I didn't know what to do either but then Hiccup, as I always say, everything has an answer. Son I want you to start thinking about getting married."

"Married?" This was just a bit too much for Hiccup to handle. "MARRIED? Dad you can't be serious! I'm fourteen! And to who? No one would want to marry me!"

"Hiccup I'm dead serious. And you have to try to understand that this is the only way! It's not the end of the world now is it! You know that marriages at your age, though, yes are relatively uncommon are not completely unheard of! And I'm sure we can find someone who will take you, and if they don't at first we'll just have to provide more than half of the dowry for her. And even if we can't get anyone on Berk to marry you, we can always renew a peace treaty or even begin one! If I remember correctly the Meathead tribe have a female heir, a treaty with them is exactly what we need. Maybe we could get their help to find the dragon nest!"

Hiccup remembered Bertha the Exceptionally Fat exceptionally well. She was well, an exceptionally fat girl with an ugly face that would not shut up. They had met once when there was a gathering of tribes for a gaming event. She had bested Hiccup (like everyone else) in every tournament. The worst thing about her though was that Odin forbid you start a conversation with, even if you're just trying to be friendly. She would talk nonsense for hours, or until you gave her some food. Hiccup, of course made this very mistake upon meeting her and her brother Thuggory. Thuggory, despite being a very desirable heir, and you would expect him to join in with the teasing of Hiccup, took a liking to Hiccup when he heard him muttering comebacks under his breath when Snotlout was making fun of him, and also when he saw Hiccup drawing a very accurate picture of Snotlout in a journal along with a couple of lines of inappropriate poetry underneath. For this Hiccup liked Thuggory, and saw him as one of his only friends.

However when Stoick saw the look of sheer horror at this suggestion he quickly reassured Hiccup that Mogadon, her father, chief of the Meatheads, would most likely not allow it, considering she was only eleven.

"So what about on Berk then son?" Stoick said laughingly. "Anyone who takes your fancy?"

Hiccup didn't know what to say.

"I don't think so." He said, trying to sound blank.

"Well what about Ruffnut. I suppose she' s more trouble than she's worth. Quite literally, eh, son?" Stoick roared at his own joke, which was even worse than some of Hiccups puns.

Hiccup pretended to laugh at this.

"What about Astrid then? She's a promising warrior Hiccup. And a pretty one at that!" Stoick laughed again.

Hiccup did not need telling this. He harboured a very private crush on Astrid. Well, private from everyone except Gobber, who on various occasions caught him staring. She was strong, fast at running, excellent at sword fighting and, as her name suggested, very beautiful. With blue eyes and blonde hair, she was like a little Valkyrie. And yet every single day he had to watch her live on as if he weren't there. She didn't join in with the 'let's make fun of Hiccup because he's a fishbone' scheme. At first Hiccup fancied that she liked him in secret too, and that one day they would be together. But he quickly realised that he was being stupid because she glared at him when he did things wrong, refused to accept his offers of help, and generally had never done anything nice to him, even if she wasn't necessarily mean to him. He supposed he just wasn't good enough for her.

But that didn't stop him. He had a small collection of drawings just of her, and a journal that was half filled with some badly-written poetry and some records of things she said and conversations they shared. The 'conversations' section was very short, so it wouldn't be a lie to say that he eavesdropped in on conversations she had with other people to make up for it in the 'things she says' chapter. It was a work in progress.

The problem with what his dad had just said was that getting married to Astrid had always been a little fantasy of his, an sometimes, in the hours he spent alone in the forge or in the forest or, in fact, anywhere, seeing as he was nearly always on his own, he liked to live an alternate life in his head where they were a couple, and he lived through each day adding something to his little daydream.

So now that marrying her was potentially an option, he felt very uncomfortable, for in his fantasies she always loved him back, whereas she would live a life in misery if she were to be saddled up with him for the rest of her life.

"Maybe you could even get me a grandson!" The burly man found what he had just said very funny, while it seemed to disturb Hiccup slightly.

"Uh, I would definitely not get your hopes up." Hiccup said, trying to keep the conversation light.

Hiccup decided that it would probably be best if he best if he leave before he felt anymore awkward.

"There aren't any more life changing alterations now are there?"

"I don't think so. Spitelout still thinks he's the best, Gobber's hand and foot still haven't grow back. If you want to go to bed now son, I have nothing left to talk to about." He gestured towards the stairs.

"Oh thank Woden!" Hiccup muttered and hurriedly made his way up to his room, leaving Stoick sighing after him, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

It had been a long day, within the space of three hours he had learned that a girl who had once been a friend was still alive after years of believing she was dead, that he finally had his wish of killing dragons, and now he had to think about getting married to Astrid. 'Well at least I get to have dragon training,' he thought, before remembering that he had no experience with dragons, wielding weapons, or with not ruining everything, and that he had no luck whatsoever, and that every other viking teen did.

Hiccup tried not to think of the embarrassment that would follow the next day, but still it churned his insides. The thought of Katia was a little overwhelming, but the training! He had always dreamed of finally slaying a dragon and finally being acknowledged as something other than a waste of space, but the spark had been flooded by the words Katia had said earlier. 'They've never hurt me'. He'd been brought up to fear dragons, to kill them, rid of them. Everyone on Berk had at least one scar from a dragon, whether it be his own small scratch on his chin, or Gobber who lacked half an arm and a foot, but Katia seemed to have no visible dragon markings; she'd hardly been grazed, besides some of the deep scratches on her hands that he recognised to be from trees and thorns. And she'd been practically unarmed and most certainly physically closer to dragons for more time than anyone in village at once. Surely the dragons he knew would have devoured her with relish!

Hiccup glanced at his desk across his room from his bed. On it, there lay the miniature battle axes and war hammers he had carved from an oak branch the other day. He moved his gaze to the axe his Dad had given to him before he had turned out to be such a disappointment that hung up on his wall. Bitterness spiked him, prickling against his freckles. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he have had Snotlouts' strength? Why did he have to be the useless one?

Once more, he attempted to focus on the fuzzy picture of Katia in his mind. She hadn't thought of him as useless, back when they were younger. He remembered the wind tickling his cheeks, and the water leaking from his ears as he felt her gaze on him. He had sensed that she was nervous, and other than the shaking at first, she'd been perfectly confident in trusting him even after all these years. She didn't seem to care that he was a screw-up. But then again maybe she didn't know.

His feelings went numb inside. He honestly had no idea what he was going to do.

Hiccup went over to the chest at the foot of his bed, and pulled out another tunic, brown. It was longer than his others and reserved it for sleeping in. As he changed, he closed his eyes. He was stuck here, while Katia was goodness knows where doing goodness knows what. And Astrid would probably be throwing her axe at a tree, or thinking about doing just that while she was really in bed. His eyes flickered across his floor one last time, and before his skin could freeze off from the cold he dived into his bed, throwing the dense mass of furs over him. He usually slept without that many furs, as it was considered sissy, but he had a lot to do tomorrow, and needed all the sleep he could get; hours of shivering just weren't going to cut it this time.

From the crack in his ceiling that he had been meaning to fix, the night sky darted in, and moonlight trickled from it, brightening his room. It reminded him yet again of the moment his forest eyes met Katia's bright blue gems, sparkling, or maybe it was just the sunset light. Either way, he drowned when he stayed staring for maybe a few seconds too long. Darkness surrounded him, and a chilling sensation sneered at him, but he was too tired to care. Too much happened in the short space of time. But his eyes snapped open at him remembering something important, something big. He had shot down a night fury.

So that was that! I think I used italics more, do you like it? I hope I didn't make that many mistakes. I don't know if I should actually put something in my profile? Should I? Anyway, please, please leave a review, or message me or whatever about what you think of my work, it means a heck of a lot more to me than you think, or if you want to do something? You know what that sentence made no sense I should really go.

'Till the next time then, Byyeeee :)