There were very few situations in which Astrid Hofferson was awakened by someone. This is mostly due to her keen instinct, similar to that of Toothless', which alerted her whenever there was a need to be alert.

Thankfully for it, by the time they were fighting dragons in the village, she had woken up, before the raid even got there. Later on, these abilities came in handy, and she became one of the elite guards in Berk. Now, it helps her avoid the spikes of the impatient dragon every morning.

That's why whenever she felt someone evoke her, she knew something was not fine. Usually, if that happened, she would rise, while her body was encircled with bandages, after some horrible incident.

Only once was she awoken by twins at a terribly early hour, but before she could have killed them, they explained themselves with the hope of gaining her help in pranking Toothless for Loki Day. The best day of her life, she beams, every time she recalls this.

Surprisingly, today was different; the person responsible for her rousing was Heather, who wore a rather depressed expression. Moments later, she found herself standing at the nearly completed stables.

Not surprised by the fact of the presence of the other, tired, known by her young adults, she listened to Heather's odd plan of attacking Dagur, but in the meantime, her eyes couldn't leave the sight of Toothless, whose behavior was far from his normal one.

The man crossed his arms over his chest, tightly, as his mind wandered elsewhere, far from reality. Even though his existence had never been an interesting topic for her, today she surveyed every part of his body, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Finally, she apprehended that, when Heather finished her speech, after explaining everybody's position in it, forgetting about one. "What about Hiccup?" Astrid asked, and quirked up the corner of her mouth, glimpsing that she hit a nerve.

"She isn't involved," Toothless answered sharply, having remained silent throughout the entire conversation.

"She isn't involved in the plan, or does she not want to take part in it?" Astrid questioned and clicked her tongue when neither of them responded. "She doesn't want to. If that is so, then I'm shocked ye're even invitin' us to it. She is our leader, and we follow her decisions."

"Since when have you been so eager to follow her decisions?" Toothless snarled, boring his eyes into Astrid, enraged. "Weren't you-,"

"Don't ya dare point out my past," Astrid warned, gnashing her teeth, "or I'll start pointin' out yers."

The two of them scowled at one another, ready to knife each other's throats, but before that could have happened, Heather pushed in between them. "Guys, there is no point in arguing," she started, before glancing at Astrid, seriously. "From what I know, Hiccup isn't anything like a leader, she's just one person who isn't willing to help us."

Immediately, Astrid's eyes narrowed at Toothless, before muttering, "What a piece of shit ya are," to him, snappily. "Hiccup isn't our official leader, but she was the one to lead us toward victory over the Red Death," she started, before pointing at the rest of the gathered, "she may not be their leader," and then at herself, "but she's mine."

"I get it, but-,"

"But what?" Astrid snorted, shaking her head, amused. "Honestly, I'm more curious about the reason why Hiccup doesn't want to be involved in the plan because listenin' to it, I think that it isn't a bad idea, and she would agree with me, surely. So, what are ya not tellin' us?"

Afterward, Astrid glimpsed how Toothless gazed at Heather, who inhaled, calmly. "I'm planning on killing Dagur," she explained, raising her chin, confidently.

"All clear, now," Astrid muttered, swiftly glancing to the side, pondering, before scowling back at Heather. "Forget it. I won't help."

"What?" Heather reacted as her eyes widened. "I was sure-,"

"I'm not a murderer," Astird justified, closing up her expression, "and I don't want to become one."

"What's wrong with you all?! I will kill him! Me!" Heather roared, throwing her arms. "I just need-,"

"Either way I don't want to assist ya in becomin' one," Astrid noted, tightening her jaw. "I don't want to have any part in it, at all."

"Astrid, Dagur deserves to die! He killed-,"

"I don't care who he killed!" Astrid shouted, and after holding her nose for a moment loosened. "I'm sorry Heather, for whatever happened, but my answer is no, regardless of anythin'," she concluded, and ricocheting at Toothless added, "Before I bolt out, I have a question for ya."

Consequently, she moved to him just to stop in front of him, lifting her head to glower at him, bitter. The man returned it, tensing his cross of arms on his chest, but in the meantime, pointing with his hand to her to begin.

"Why do ya want to do it?" She asked, snapping her brows together. "What's yer reason?"

"Dagur has-,"

"No!" Astrid interrupted him, immediately. "Ya have no reason to kill him! Ya should be fuckin' silent!"

"If you let me finish, you would hear I wanted to say that he kills dragons, who are my kind, my family," Toothless clarified, creasing his forehead, enraged.

"Oh, since when ye're so carin' about that 'yer kind'?" Astrid snorted, rolling her eyes. "Ya have no reason for takin' part in this," she claimed, pointing around before pointing at the group of dead silent young adults. "They have," she empathized, before recalling and pointing specifically at Fishlegs, "Dagur caged him, and fed him with the bad fish," then at twins, "He cut her hair off, and glued it with resin to his head," and finally at Snotlout, "He left him in the middle of the forest when he was five!"

"You didn't mention yourself," Toothless acknowledged, raising the corner of his mouth.

"Dagur never has done me anythin', and that is why I don't want to kill him. What's yer excuse?"

"Touché," Tuffnut commented behind their back, but after receiving three, horrible glares he pressed his lips together and haven't spoken anymore.

"Just so ya know, Hiccup literally landed at Gothi's for two months, because he landed his dagger into her scull, almost endin' her life," Astrid continued and smirked when the startle crossed his face, momentarily. "The truth is she should be the one on yer spot, and it should be ya, tryin' to lead her out of it," she muttered to him, just as he gazed to the side, hardening his expression.

Afterward, while the horrible silence around remained, Astrid scrutinized him, how his body tensed, how hard he fought with his own thoughts, and within that, with himself. Exhaling, she straightened, before elaborating.

"I'll tell ya this, honestly. I dislike ya for a lot of things; for yer huge ego, yer grumpy ass, yer fuckin' dryness, and more, however, I don't hate ya, because of two things I respect ya for," she put forth, before shoving her hand before his sight and counting on her fingers, simultaneously specifying. "Yer love for Hiccup and the fact that ye're not stupid, and today ye've lost that respect, makin' a mindless decision and hurtin' Hiccup, with baseless defiance."

Consequently, Toothless closed himself completely, while the muscle in his jaw twitched and his eyes lowered somewhere to the side. At the sight, Astrid just shook her head and announced, before lifting her arms, in a gesture of defeat.

"Do whatever ya want, but I'm out of here," Astrid declared and whistled loudly, calling Stormfly, who has had fun with other dragons, chasing them, while the conversation occurred. "Although, think about the things ye're about to commit, please."

Afterward, she sat on her dragonness's back, before two of them flew off, away from the whole, unwanted chaos. In the middle of the air, Stormfly glanced at Astrid and squealed, tilting her head at her, after which the woman sighed, soundly.

"The nasty things are goin' on, girl," Astrid outlined, stroking one of her spikes on the head, before lying comfortably on her back. "If it won't stop, there might be destructive consequences for our group; for Hiccup and Toothless, especially," she summed up and patted Stormfly's back when she began whining, anxiously. "Don't worry, we'll come up with somethin', surely," she assured, and after wiping her face with her hand straightened. "At the moment, let's go to Hiccup."

Immediately, the dragonness gained velocity, and the two of them traveled through the dense wood, before landing in front of the familiar hut. She will be jealous of this sight, forever, Astrid remarked, admiring the stunning mountain panorama, and then, stepped toward the entrance.

Knocking into it, Astrid was welcomed inside rather fastly, and ordering Stormfly to stay at the spot, she opened it, just to reveal rather a desperate picture. Hiccup, sitting by the table, straightened unnaturally, and smiled at her weakly, while her puffy eyes, crinkled by the corners attempted to hide their redness, unsuccessfully.

"Hi, Astrid," Hiccup greeted her, grunting away her cracking voice. "W-What are ya doin' here?"

"I just came after the," she paused, closing the opening behind herself and clearing her throat, "after the little talk with her Heather and ya know who."

"So ya know," Hiccup mumbled, rubbing her eyelids, painfully. "How bad it is?"

"Unfortunately, these two have rather a solid plan; with distraction, ambush," Astrid responded and sat next to Hiccup, glancing at her, defeated. "I don't mean to let ya down, but I doubt the team won't be convinced."

"All of it?" Hiccup inquired and bit her thumbnail when Astrid nodded. "Even Fishlegs?"

"Ya know how much he hates Dagur," Astrid reminded, crossing her arms and leaning on her chair's back. "It's the perfect occasion for him to get rid of him, without dirty work."

"Right," Hiccup consented, lifting her legs and hugging her knees close to her chest. "What a fuckin' catastrophe."

"Yeah."

"The truth is, it's not even the fact they will kill Dagur the disaster; he's an idiot, maniac; he deserves it, but in final, they will regret it, destroy themselves, mentally," Hiccup unrolled and placed her chin on top of her knees, before proceeding, "Fishlegs, Heather," and then sliding her face down, so half of it was pressed into her legs, before mumbling, "Toothless; all demolished."

"Also, while we mention him, what happened between the two of ya?" Astrid questioned, leaning her head on the arm supported on the table. "I mean, he looked wrecked."

"Well, we argued, and I said somethin' I shouldn't have."

"Ya called him an asshole?"

"Sort of."

Afterward, Astrid gaped at her for a moment, before grinning at her, benevolently. "Whatever that was, surely it was nothin' that apology won't fix," she assured, and Hiccup smiled at her, heaving a sigh of relief, while Astrid straightened. "For now, let's think about what to do with the occurrin' situation."

"Right," Hiccup agreed, standing up rapidly. "I'll finally go through these papers," she stated, pointing at the two, Heather bags in the corner gathered with findings after robbing Dagur.

"Why so?"

"I'm thinkin' that there might be somethin', which will forbid us from killin' him," Hiccup replied, grabbing one of them and throwing it on top of the table. "Maybe, the message that if we killed him it's as if the Berk declared war against Berserker's every ally."

"That's some idea," Astrid approved, standing up to lean over Hiccup, studying some of the papers herself. "What would ya like me to do? Maybe I could help ya in search?"

"I want ya to relax," Hiccup commanded and gazed at her, seriously, "also prepare, because if it won't work, we'll have to convince them, the hard way."

Staring at her, Astrid observed how fear crossed Hiccup's face, and she patted her shoulder, sympathetically. "We won't have to, ya'll see," she vouched and inhaled, soundly. "I'll leave ya alone, so you can focus," she added, before moving to the exit, stopping by it, to skim at Hiccup. "Don't worry Hiccup, we'll manage."

Afterward, the woman disappeared, leaving behind herself only the rush of cold air, which flew through the opening when she walked out. Gaping forward, somewhere into emptiness, Hiccup finally exhaled shakily, before concentrating on her task, fully.