That was one of these nights, when the hooting of owls, also the chirping of crickets were the only noises around, the dense mist shrouded the dim land, hence the stomped route, and anything that was farther than a few feet appeared invisible. It was during it, that Hiccup had wandered just behind the man, whose gaze was fixed onward, and who wasn't even pestered by the enveloping him defeaning silence as well as blackness, moreover, came off to be even comforted by it.

As for the woman herself, she found such a walk always a hazard, after all, the current time of the day was famous for the predators, like wolves and bears, that only looked forward to such an effortless prey, like the one she was. That would be tough to admit, but she quicker her pace, cyclically, so as to be the nearer to him, to the point that she appeared just behind his back, and could feel the amusement, over the fact, fuming out of his body.

Trying not to unnerve by it, Hiccup scratched the fingers of both hands against each other and, for a while, having a chance being lack of his attention, stared at him, more precisely, at what she had just forth from her eyes. With interest, she gazed at the navy, woolen shirt, which was loosely hovering on him, but also, the brown, leather tunic-like over it, with the attached same material hood which, currently, was hung on his head.

Rather baffled, Hiccup took notice, that he didn't possess any weaponry - any axe, sword, even knife - neither of he owned, although, recalling his dragon nature, also his hatred toward these, which he, rather certainly, declared, she couldn't stay surprised. Eventually, she caught up with him and, hence, walked side by side with the man, who at the view, did not even flinch, nor ricocheted at her, his eyes ahead, continually, while the woman attempted to maintain appearances alike, although kept glancing at him, occasionally.

His jet, straight hair descended on his rather vast shoulders, which sneaked out from behind the hood which wasn't much required, at that point, since he wore the same mask from the day they'd met, at which her focus remained. The mask itself was coal black, rather hard and simple, also, was a coverage for his entire face, excluding the eyes as well as the area around them, thus, she glimpsed the acid green of them gazing at her, at some point, which forced her to glance away.

"You're overly nosy, aren't you?" he acknowledged, although Hiccup didn't dare herself to respond. "If you have something to say, then say it. Save us both the awkwardness."

"Why ye're wearin' it?" she asked, at once gazing at him, her eyes twinkling with the curiousness that betrayed her interest. "The mask."

Shrugging, the only reply he bestowed her with was, "And what makes people wear masks?" to which she only knotted her brows.

"Well, because they're thieves, burglars, bandits, crooks," she listed, while the man narrowed his eyes at her, to which sight she explained, "I mean, since they're hidin' their identity, they've rather no promisin' intentions, ain't ya agree?" and sighing, he took off the coverage, dropped it to the ground, and stomped on it, as the two ceased their route, so he could do so. "Ya could just return it to the owner, rather than destroy it."

"If they owned it, according to you, they were robber themselves," he pointed out, and the smirk debuted on his face, as the woman crossed her arms. "The question is, do you think that robbing the robber is still a robbery?"

Afterward, the only what Hiccup did, was squinting her eyes, and stating, "Ye're such a wiseass, aren't ya?" as the man's grin only brightened.

"Whatever you say," he responded, walking backward, before turning his body in the direction of the path, and exclaiming, when the woman remained at the spot, "Don't stand like that, come on."

Rolling her eyes, Hiccup listened and hurried after him, and when appearing just by him, questioned, "Where we're even goin'?" and shockingly, didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"Back in the cove, you've got me thinking, because, since we're holding such hatred toward each other's races, how possibly could we ever cooperate," he defined, the seriousness overtaking his face. "Hence, I thought I could show you some of my world; the world of the dragon."

"Rather if ya'd want to show me that, ya'd need to be a dragon, firstly," Hiccup spotted, lifting an eyebrow at the man, who nohow reacted. "Also, how ya'd like to show me it, at the isle shrouded with the Vikings only?"

"Because it's like so, it's ideal for that," he clarified, and soon after, they'd found themselves just by the border, which departed the forest and village itself, and he grinned at her, before insisting, "Ladies first."

"Why we're goin' to the village?" she asked, not moving an inch as she narrowed her eyes at him, warily. "What if somebody sees us?"

"Let's find out," he pressed, and himself made rather an overly wide step forward, leaving her behind, stunned, although halted the next ones, when noticing her stand. "Come on, I thought you'd be more curious. Don't say you're scared, out of the blue."

"I am not scared," she countered, rather quickly bypassing him, as she dashed onward. "I just ain't trust ya."

"Clever, however, the trust is not even a line here," he guaranteed, and as they'd been strolling along the route in between various houses, glimpsing the uneasiness clouding her features, added, "Look, if that's a case, I vow to not harm anyone. I'm not absurd enough to demand things from you, and then violate my own rules."

"I know ya'd not dare to hurt," she replied, twisting her fingers as her eyes locked on the footing onward. "However, for unknown reasons, ye're leadin' me through the roads of my home, so, rather understandable that I somewhat am worried."

The response to her confession never really came, as the man shrugged only, and soon thereafter, the deafening silence circled them, although favorable enough, that neither felt the urge to uphold the conversation. Eventually, while proceeding along the main square rather to the woman's apprehension, in the background, audible were the strangest sounds echoing from the houses, and while Hiccup's face glowed with the redness, the man didn't even bat an eye at them.

Trying to overlook them, the woman took in the sight of the setting - the extinguished touches, from which the remnants of smoke steamed, the crescent moon, which illuminated the darkened, agitated ocean, and even the man himself. At that point, and at every other, his gaze was piercing into the ahead, as if the entire world faded into insignificance, as if nothing existed, other than what was occupying his thoughts, and he was determined to delve deep into it with all his might.

Ultimately, they'd left for the village's outskirts, and while so, only more of the questions appeared in Hiccup's mind, until recalling the route, which she'd been forced to cross almost daily, comparing it to the current, she realized it was the exact duplicate of it. Not long after, at a certain distance, she glimpsed the well-known arena, elevated at the ridge, to which the way was by the wooden path, having its placing against the wall of the cliff, on which the whole village was.

At once, as the step departed her from entering the bridge, she quit the walk, and muttered, "Do I even want to know why ye're leadin' me to the arena?" darting her eyes from the spot to the man, who didn't even glance at her, not even mentioning stop.

"When we reach there, you'll find out," he declared, not ever putting the brakes on his gait. "If you'd like to be unseen, you'd better hurry up, because, at that rate, we won't get there until the dawn."

"Ye're not tryin' to coerce me to unleash some dragons, right?" she inquired, cocking her brows at him, as she hastened after him. "If so, know that I ain't want to be involved in anythin' like that!"

"You won't be doing anything, that's against your will, be sure of that," he promised, and even peeked at her, when the woman, yet again, caught up with him. "Besides, if I wanted to free these dragons, I would have done that a long time ago already, don't you think?"

Solely, with how'd she reacted to the acknowledgment, was by sizing the man up, who was outright chuffed by her retort, having the corners of his lips lifted just as the quiet groan escaped her mouth. Eventually, yet again, the silence swathed them, while the sound of their steps produced against the wooden trail and the impact of the ocean's waves against the cliff, which shook the bridge occasionally, were the singular ones around.

It wasn't until they'd reached the arena's gate, that Hiccup recovered her awareness, catching sight of the cavity, leading to the metal grate of the entrance, which was halfway upright unlocked, and underneath which the man sneaked past inside. Herself, Hiccup followed him, although broke the rest of stride just outside the frame, against which she leaned her back, when having not slight doubts, afterward being granted with a sigh as she did.

"Really?" he grumbled, glancing at the sky shortly, before pivoting his body toward her, narrowing his eyes, annoyed. "Again?"

"Ya'd told me, I won't do anythin' that's against my will," she recalled, almost as if crushing the two grates in her grasp, "and comin' here is against my will, so."

The woman gazed at the man, whose only response was with the lift of his thick eyebrow, and tensed her shoulders, plastering them just nigher to the frigid metal, which came off to be even colder than it was in reality, as having the cold glare at herself. Ultimately, rather unhurriedly, he walked up to her, and while being inches from her, they'd both locked each other's stare at one another - the man the bored one, while the woman the uneasy, maybe even frightened.

At some point, suddenly, he snatched her arm, just below her armpit, and yanked her away from the outdated gate, as he led her farther into the arena, while Hiccup made worthless efforts to get out of his hold, cursing him in the meantime. Accordingly, they'd made it to the opposing from the entrance wall, and hence, to the opening of one of the dragon's cages, at the sound of which unlocking, the panic sank in the woman, whose head swathed dark thoughts, although once she'd been shoved inside, was shocked.

Kneeling at the hard stone, her wrists bruised after the impact, she'd been gaping at the streak of light from the outside before it's been taken away, along with the appearance of the noise of shutting the entrance, firmly. Without wasting a moment to gaze around, Hiccup gathered herself up and hurried to the entry, although when pushing it, the door didn't move an inch, and as it didn't, one more time the woman thrust her palms into them, before whisper-shouting.

"Let me out!"

"Why should I?" he countered, his voice subdued because of the stone dividing them. "Now, you'll experience the dragon's point of view from rather the closest distance possible."

"Look, I get it," she began, leaning her forehead on the wooden detail of the closing, defeated. "Vikings constantly imprison ya, that's awful, and I am truly sorry for that," she stated, her hands shaking with how firmly they were squeezed. "Can ya, please, let me out, now?"

"If you put it that way," he commenced, although Hiccup's hope lapsed sooner than it even appeared, as he finished, "No."

"Fuckin' asshole!" she rasped and slammed her hands in the door, again, the same firmly as earlier. "Let me out!"

"I will, straightforward in the morning," he responded, and added, probably hearing her gasp, vexed. "Since that, I'm leaving you. Have a good night!"

"Ye're jokin', right?" she snorted, rolling her eyes, however, upon receiving no reply from him, panicked. "Ya'd really left?" she questioned, although knowing an answer, and yelled, "Hey! Ya can't just leave me like this!" using all her strength to escape the cage, but to no avail. "Come back!"

All of a sudden, just at the further part of the cage's space, audible was the growl, that reminded Hiccup about the gravity of the entire situation, and also, made the woman alert, as she spun toward the worrisome noise. Just then, she'd actually taken in sight of her scenery - the stone walls obscured by the vast amounts of scratches, the muddied ground with the stains of dried blood, but also, the enormous body, which hovered by each made breath of its owner.

At that point, Hiccup watched only, how the same blue-scaled Death Nadder, with whom she had come into contact barely days ago, widened its golden eyes at her, slitting the orbs in the meantime, and attempted to lift itself, although the tries went in avail. The moment the claws rubbed the footing, was the moment when the woman detected the dense chains around the whole creature, which upheld it to the ground, and having lost the fight to them, the Nadder collapsed to the soil, defeated.

Hence, there was no concern for Hiccup of being attacked, nor blasted, as the dragon wore the muzzle, such tense that it bruised the skin underneath the scales, although the wary eyes drilled into her, constantly. The longer the woman was gazing at the Nadder, the stronger the sympathy was building itself inside her - the comparison toward the innocent being, that rather certainly had never done anything awry.

The Nadder was the female, rather obvious when having pointed out that whenever around her, Hiccup'd heard the strong, feminine voice, and for that matter, it was always harder for the woman to combat the potential mother, separated from her children. At last, something inside Hiccup broke, at the notice of the rather deep cuts, which wrapped the dragonness's entire body, generated by the previous battles with her peers presumably, and approaching her, Hiccup didn't halt despite the warning snarl of the female.

"'s okay, 's okay," she shushed, bending herself at the level of dragonness eyes. "I won't hurt ya, I promise," she swore, although the female didn't come off convinced, the spikes on her head put up in mistrust. "Let me help ya."

Whispering that, somewhat, Hiccup went beyond the Nadder's border of personal space, because instantly after, she'd begun thrashing around, without any control, nor respect for the injured body, which she bruised only more. At once, the woman took a step further back, her hands extended in front of her, while her face twisted at the sight of harming herself Nadder, which, upon stabbing her wing to the edge of her durability, tumbled, while her fastened breathing was the only sign of her being alive yet.

The woman's arms shivered with the desire to ease the creature's despair, to soothe the female, which was, most assumably, the most distrusting dragon around, remembering the lengthy time she spent there, and also, the reality of her not even speaking a word. Ultimately, certain was that Hiccup must, somehow, gain the dragonness trust, and while the idea appeared in her mind, she searched through the compartments of her clothing and taking off the knife, much to the female's dread, she dropped it to the ground.

"See? 's alright," Hiccup quieted, kneeling just by the female, who hadn't much objections, other than a doubtful glare. "I just wish to help ya, that's all," she vowed, her hands upholding her, being plastered to the ground. "Trust me, please."

For the moment there, they locked their gazes at each other, even better, that the female managed to lessen hers, staring at the Hiccup's beam, as her breathing settled, and the orbs of her eyes rounded, naturally. At last, the Nadder inched her head nigher her, to the point where her snout snuggled itself underneath her palm, and let it rest there, while the rough scales tickled the woman's skin, resulting in her bright smile.

Soon after, Hiccup persuaded the dragonness to allow her to have one of the female's spikes, which she used to cut off the part of her sleeve, whose crumpled material she operated with to wipe the remaining blood off the Nadder's body. Eventually, while cleaning one of the dragonness's head spikes, the female leaned her head on the woman's bent knees, even daring herself to snuggle closer toward the Hiccup's warmth, who observed that, taken aback.

Immediately, the grin painted itself on her face, and stroking some of her scales, she whispered, "I'll let ya out of here. I swear," and promised, having even slight hope that she didn't lie.

That was just an outstanding view - the Viking woman, in between her slumber embracing the head of the same snoozing dragonness, which was twice her size, both maintaining rather serene expressions. The whole picture observed the man, who, crossing his arms, leaned himself on the opened entrance, throughout which, from the between of his figure, the rays of morning sun entered the closing, illuminating it with the bright, yellow light.

At some point, he tilted his head to the side, so that the glow, previously curtained by his stand, blinded Hiccup's eyes, hence firstly, she veered her head, the urge for rest being fierce, before undergoing and opening her eyes, weary. Eventually, at the very notice of his presence, they widened, while the woman straightened her back, although cautiously, so as not to awaken the creature laying on her knees, and glowered at the lifted corner of the watcher.

"Good morning," he greeted, his grin only brightening with the lack of hers. "I can see you had just a fine night."

"Surely," she replied, the gentlest feasible putting off her knees the weight of the female's head, before muttering, "It was fine."

Rather, instead of gazing at him, even so barely, her eyes paused at the calmly-looking dragonness, whose jaw tensed, having met the cold surface of the stone footing, and at once, not being able to defy, Hiccup caressed her palm against her forehead. At the motion, the tips of her fingers, swathed by the redness upon the night of blood-cleaning, brushed not only these treated injuries but also some scars, having their location on the blueish skin and scratches on solid scales.

Continually, the acid eyes were blocked at her, as the man sized the woman up, his body as if ceased in time, his moving chest being the only sign of him being alive, and the closed-up expression maintained on his face. At last, he approached the two, and Hiccup shifted her position farther rearwards when he crouched down just to the front of her and found himself merely over the woman's eye level, before, leaning his forearms on his bent knees, he spoke.

"You could put an end to her suffering, you know that?"

"How so?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him, mistrusting, and upon him pointing with his at the chain, shook her head, even so subconsciously. "I-I couldn't."

"Why not? Right away, we'll find some keys, an axe to break the metal with," he listed, and as Hiccup's face clouded guilt, remarked, "You won't do it, only because of your village. Out of the scare, that you'll lose in their eyes for that."

"Can ya blame me?" she countered, shorty following the man, who stood up, sighing, glaring her vexed eyes into his, empty. "Ye've no idea, how's like to care about somebody, how's like to have somethin' to lose, so why am I even surprised by that?"

"You're correct, I have nothing to lose," he affirmed, leaning his palms on the back of his neck. "Although, from what's noticeable, it's better this way."

"Havin' nothin' to lose isn't all that great."

"Is it not, really?" he acknowledged, the two having a stare combat, before he hardened his expression, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'd better get out of here, before there'll gather a crowd outside, which you'd not like, likely."

"Right," she agreed, being the first one to take her eyes away, defeated. "Let's just get goin'."

Soon after mumbling that, the woman bypassed the man, bending her body just so not even an inch of it brushed against his, and got out outside, where she squinted her eyes, blinded by the sun in the background of the reddish sky. Eventually, when not sensing any presence of him rearward, she gazed behind, curious of the reason for his pausing, and glimpsing how he'd gripped his hand firmly on the closing whilst standing in the middle of it, she locked her eyes on him.

That moment, that second-lasting moment, was the excuse for why she'd spotted, even so barely, a mere heart and empathy in the man, whose gape at the creature, although not visible, must have been intense, maybe even compassionate, maybe even humane. Ultimately, the feeling vanished as soon as the moment did, when the man, with a rather sudden motion, shut the entrance severely, and having an empty expression gazed at the Hiccup, who responded to him, equivalently.

Silence hung in the air as neither of them spoke a word, their stares locked onto each other's piercing green eyes before they paced steadily toward the gate of the arena, crossing the threshold without any primary obstacle. During the trek, Hiccup's gaze alternated between the breathtaking panorama of the sunrise and the winding path that lay ahead, much oblivious to the actuality of the man's cautious stare, throughout the entire span, straight at herself.