Hiccup wished that his eyes could truly roll into the back of this head. He knew that when he stopped Toothless would still be giving him a big dumb smile. And when he did Toothless was still there just as happy looking as before. Hiccup could feel Toothless happiness rolling off him, trying it's best to make him happy as well. But as much as Hiccup didn't want it to, it seeped into him and lifted his mood. He wrapped his arms around Toothless neck and pressed his face under the dragon's chin.

"How is it that death could be coming our way and you can still make me feel like nothing's wrong." Hiccup whispered.

"I'm sworn to protect. Whether or not something is wrong my job in life is to make sure you're happy. I'll stare down death itself if I must, to keep you happy.

"Toothless don't risk yourself for me. That isn't right."

"Little late for that." Toothless chuckled. "You're mine." The dragon's tone flattening out, becoming more serious with each word. "If at the end of my life I'm more scars than skin, so be it. If I die a bloody death at least I'll know that I died protecting what we've built up and the one I love. If I go quietly into the night, I'll know I've lived my life well. With my mate at my side similarly ready to look forward to our next adventure. And if you are to die before me and it wasn't at your own volition or mistake." He paused and a growl grew in his throat. "I'll hunt down whoever or whatever it was that ended your life. I will find them and make them feel the same pain I'll be going through. I'll go to the ends of the earth until my body gives out on me if I need to."

"Toothless that's not… You don't have to do that for me. It's kinda scary actually."

"Sorry." Toothless whispered. The dragon wrapped a foreleg around Hiccup. "Thinking about you not being at my side puts me in a dark place."

"I can see that." Hiccup pulled away enough to look at Toothless. He smiled a small smile and pecked the dragon on the lips. "I suppose that I'll have to make sure that I never die then, won't I?"

"That would be best." Toothless said lightly. Hiccup pulled away from him fully but didn't walk away or even turn. He sat and looked the dragon up and down.

"Thank you Toothless."

"For?"

"Just, everything. I can always count on you, and that's a weird feeling to have."

"You've just come to the conclusion that I'll always be with you?"

"Well no. I've always felt this way about you I guess. I knew you were trustworthy from the start. I guess just hearing that you'd go on a revenge fueled rampage for me is nicer to hear than you think.

This whole thing really. I pray every night that I won't wake up and be in my bed on Berk." Hiccup deflates a bit. Thinking about losing all the memories he'd made with Toothless.

"Well if you do wake up, run away. Find me and we can start this all over again. It would be at least a bit easier since we sorta know what we're doing. Enough that we could skip to all the good parts. Like constantly mating, and telling each other how much we love one another."

"You just want me for my body." Hiccup joked.

"Well I wasn't going to mate with an ugly human was I?"

"Charmer." Hiccup said sarcastically. The dragon puffed out his chest and struck a pose with his head.

"What can I say? I'm a dragon of many words."

"Many of them dumb." Hiccup snided. Toothless continued on pretending not to hear Hiccup.

"And high standards. I only accept the finest tail." He stopped his pose and looked directly into Hiccup's eyes. "I only accept those willing to pleasure me in whatever way I see fit. Those I can make quiver with the memories of our love making." Quiver Hiccup did, suddenly reminded how much he was in pain. Toothless pressed his snout against Hiccup's chest. "Or someone who I've been able to open up to. Show my vulnerabilities to and trust them completely. Someone who's just as messed up as me but when we're together it's like nothing bad has ever happened to me.

Do you know someone like that? I'd love to meet them." The words caught in the dragon's throat. He pressed his head against Hiccup harder and Hiccup had his arms wrapped around his neck again. Toothless could feel tears dripping onto the back of his head and could hear Hiccup desperately trying to not break out into a fit. The couple sat for a while. Pulling themselves together.

Toothless pulled away first. He looked at the red, blotchy, tear streak ridden face of his mate and smiled softly.

"I wish we didn't have to go down there right now." Toothless huffed. Hiccup nodded. "But it's our job." Hiccup agreed again.

Hiccup wiped his face clean and smiled back. He took one last good look at his dragon before turning and hobbling towards the entrance to the mountain. Toothless followed behind but watching Hiccup limp slowly was killing him. He stepped in front of Hiccup and lowered himself down, allowing Hiccup to flip onto his back. The pair now moving at a semi regular speed made their way inside and after a few hops they were standing in front of their people. The faces big and small look at them from all around. Waiting to be told why there was a ban on flying again so soon after the previous.

Hiccup slipped off Toothless and sat with his legs dangling off the edge of the platform they stood on.

"I'm sorry that we're on lockdown again." Toothless began. "This morning we were informed that a Bewilderbeast was headed in our direction." There was murmuring in the crowd. "As of right now we don't know what it's intention is and we don't know if it's coming for us, or is going to pass us. We have scouts looking into it right now but it will be a while until we know what it's doing.

So right now we are going to be preparing for an attack on Helheim's gate." The room became very quiet. The mass of dragons waiting for orders. At the same time Stoic and the other humans had made their way to Hiccup.

"Oi Hiccup what's going on?" Stoic whispered.

"I'll tell you later. I'm going to have to ask you a favor." Hiccup answered.

"What's that?"

"I need your ship." Hiccup said.

"What?"

"We may be getting attacked. I need your ship to evacuate fledglings." Hiccup stood up and whispered in Toothless' ear and sat back down.

"Hiccup I can't just give you that ship." Stoic said. Hiccup turned to face his dad.

"I'm sorry, but it wasn't a question. It's the safest and fastest way to get the vulnerable out of here. So I'm taking it"

"We've procured the human's ship so that we can transport fledglings and the weak. Sending them away with the nest mothers." Toothless boomed. "This may be the first time we have to defend our home from an outside force. But we must stand together. This is our home, our way of life. And I'm going to defend it with my life. I'm going to fight until my spirit is broken and my body is worse. And I hope you will too!" The air was suddenly electric with cheers and hollering. Toothless backed away and turned to Hiccup and leaned down. He pressed his snout into Hiccup's hair and took a deep breath. "I'm going to help get the fledglings loaded up. Come down when you can?"

"Yeah I'll be there. I just have to calm my dad down. He's not exactly happy that we just stole his ship."