Archive of Our Own

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The air streaked with a black blur, twisting around winding tunnels. The dragon once known as Toothless flew through the glistening cavern of the Hidden World, his mind elsewhere from the hard beating of his dark wings and the rush of air against him. His responsibilities as Alpha were left there on the ground beneath him as he spun through the air. The walls blurred together in a mesh of multi-coloured shapes as he passed.His mate had taken the children to the surface, to see the world of the humans for the first time. He didn’t know if she intended it as a rare treat of a cautionary warning. Either way, they had been gone too long. The Night Fury had begun to worry about them.His mind went into overdrive, dwelling over any possible reason to explain why they were gone for so long.
What if they’d been caught by trappers or flown too close to the water that their wings had been soaked and they’d drowned?He flew overhead to avoid disturbing the dragons and their children nesting. He remembered when his mate and he had been expecting hatchlings. He sure would have appreciated peace and quiet back then. But that was the life of the Alpha, you live for your people, not just for yourself and your family.The undisturbed areas passed beneath him without illuminating. He had never known them to glow when he was around, for none of the hatchlings were Night Fury young. The thought made him sad.He landed on a flat shelf overlooking the large cavern. He surveyed the area, searching around for the snowy shaded female. Where did she go?He turned as he felt a loud thud from behind him. The Deadly Nadder that was once known as “Stormfly” gave him a curious look.He held his paw over his eyes to indicate a “looking around” gesture. His friend nodded with understanding, raising her wing and squawking. They had gone towards the Great Waterfall, all four of them, the gesture said.Grunting to communicate his gratitude, he took off. The fury angled himself northwards and shot off, the Nadder following him to the surface. He slipped around natural rocky pillars, spinning to avoid low hanging stalactites that threatened him as she struggled to keep up.He grunted to other dragons as they passed, some glancing up at him with curiosity while others made respectful sounds. He paid them no heed, he had a job to do.The Hidden World closed off into a narrow cave, devoid of any colour other than the bleak grey of the stones. The cave opened up into a cavern. The Great Waterfall lay in the center, dropping obscene amounts of seawater to fill the cavern.With a loud boom, he shot through the mouth of the Great Waterfall. The great downfall of sea falling inwards remained as awe-inspiring as the first time he had seen it, years ago. He had no time to admire its beauty, however.He emerged into a fog that drifted over the sea, masking anything nearby from his sight. Stormfly flew behind him, scouting out higher airspace. He searched around the mist, coming to a stop by a rocky platform that stuck out of the water. He hovered above it, scanning all around him for his family. She knew not to venture out too far, didn’t she?Something collided with him from behind in an airborne tackle. He was knocked out of the air, landing on the rock base beneath him, on his back.The Light Fury landed on his chest, straddling him. She smirked at him, her playful side on display. pressing her snowy nose against his in greeting.He squirmed beneath her, his features forming a soft pout. The weight of her pressed down on him, binding him to the rock.She poked his chest with her hoof, sticking her tongue out. Too slow, the gesture seemed to say.He darted in and licked her on the cheek before she could avoid it. He wore a cheeky grin on his face, waggling his eyebrows. She scrunched up her nose and glared at him in mock anger, her eyes singing with affection in contrast to her glaring face.The Night Fury felt excited bumps on his tail, clambering up it. His three young appeared on his mate’s left wing, gazing down at him. His little Night-Lights.They yipped in greeting, their eyes twinkling in amusement at their father’s current predicament. He laughed as they piled on his tail like he was some sort of dragon pillow. They nestled against him, making sighs of mock tiredness. They took after their mother in how they adored to tease him.The shadowy dragon struggled to rise with the weight of them. The little ones pinned down his tail, preventing him from knocking them all off with it.His mate took pity on him, leaning down to lick his cheek before shifting off of him. His body ached a little as he got to his feet, shooting her a small, grateful smile.As he straightened, he heard the fog whisper as something parted the low-hanging clouds. On instinct, his body shifted, his wings moving to cover his young as he heard the creak of wood from the fog.A shape began to form from the fog, brown and looming. He stepped back, plasma forming in the back of his throat. His scales glowed a faint blue.A wooden ship emerged from the gray blanket. The fury flew to it, landing on the helm of the vessel to get the attention of the four humans on deck. He snarled in warning, narrowing his eyes in a silent challenge.A human man faced him. There was something vaguely familiar about him. He held no fear in his eyes, only… excitement? The fury frowned, confused.“Hey there bud,” The fury noticed the softness in the man’s voice, the calm in his demeanor, “Remember me?”The woman at the back of the ship held the young close, reassuring them. The little children look terrified at the sight of him.The man reached to him, turning his face away from him to show he was no threat. The fury approached him cautiously, sniffing his hand. His eyes widened.
Toothless tackled Hiccup to the deck, nuzzling into his friend. Hiccup laughed,“I am glad to see you too bud!” He exclaimed. Toothless licked him, spittle spraying all over Hiccup, drawing a groan from him.“How’s the saddle holding up?” Hiccup managed as Toothless continued to lick him.He felt all the subtle differences in Hiccup that the years had given him. He had grown bulkier under that armour and he had a beard now, a short fuzzy thing that reminded the Night Fury of his father, Stoic.
An image flashed through his head. A fuzzy haze, a bright bolt of plasma. Hiccup yelling his father’s name, like calling for him louder would bring him back.
He dispersed the memory before guilt overwhelmed him. He focused on the joy of seeing his best friend again.A boy and a girl approached. They looked frightened of him as if he was planning on devouring their father alive. Toothless didn’t blame them. To an outsider, it looked like he was trying to digest Hiccup with his tongue.Their father guided both their hands out into an outstretched position. The boy cringed away but the girl remained. She kept her hand outstretched if a little shaky. Her eyes were closed, her head turned away from him.Toothless pressed his nose into the palm of the girl, sniffing it lightly. She smelt like ink and sheepskin, a reader for sure.The girl opened her eyes as her hand met his snout. She laughed with untamed joy as he purred against her touch, just like he had done with Hiccup, all those years ago.She pulled her hand away, a soft smile on her features. He gave her one of his signature toothless grins. She patted him on the top of the head in a rhythmic pattern. The contact felt soothing to him.A little whimper from his side made him turn. Hiccup’s son remained with his face behind his hands, probably scared that the dragon had eaten his sister. Toothless bent down to gaze at the terrified little boy.Toothless sniffed his hair, giving it a hard, rough lick. The boy squealed, his hands leaving his face. Toothless smiled at him, tilting his head.He scooped the boy onto his back in one easy motion. Before he could take off, he felt a heavier weight settle behind the boy.“Trying to kidnap my children, is that it Toothless?” Hiccup grinned. He patted the dragon on the nose with affection. Toothless basked in his touch. He had missed it.They took off with a quick burst of speed. Toothless tucked his wings in to lessen the air resistance as they climbed higher. As he streaked towards the clouds, Hiccup whooped with glee. The sound felt so Hiccup to Toothless. It reassured him to know his old friend had not changed too much on the inside.The little boy whooped alongside his father, the sound of his laughter spread out across the sky.They flew amidst the clouds. Toothless dived through the frothy masses. He cut shapes into them with his flight, straight narrow lines that divided the puffy balls up. He grinned as Hiccup tossed his son into the air. Toothless tensed, ready to dive down to catch him.The child giggled as Hiccup caught him in his arms. Toothless relaxed, going out of protective parent mode.His mate flew alongside, beaming up at him. His Night Lights swam through the air with her, making use of the time to practice their camouflage. One pulled up beside Toothless, delighting as Hiccup’s boy began to play with them.“We never did give her a proper name, did we bud?” Hiccup asked, nodding at his mate. Toothless shook his head, making sure Hiccup felt the movement. “Well, the people at Berk liked to refer to her as Nuble-”A sonic boom cut him off as she shot straight ahead on her own, flying large, orbital rings around them. Showoff. Toothless felt at ease, for the first time in years. Being the Alpha, his relationship with his mate and even raising his hatchlings had taken its toll on him. The life he had led, he wouldn’t have traded it for the world, but it could get tiresome sometimes. And on those sometimes, he wondered if he had made the right choice-His thoughts were interrupted as Astrid pulled up ahead of them, her daughter riding on Stormfly alongside her.The two kids swapped places, with the girl leaping like a cat onto Toothless’s back. Her auburn red hair glistened in the Sun's light, like the center of a warm hearth. Her laugh was just as warm, filling the air around her with the pleasant sound. Hiccup placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders to keep her steady as she settled down in front of her father.He felt the girl pat the side of his face. Her hands traced the scales of his cheek, fingers gliding over them like a soft whisper. He leaned into her touch. The smell of quills and parchment once again filled his nostrils, but there was something else in it too. Is that...fur? She pulled her hand away from him, as a cloud parted before them. She began to stroke his back, easing her hand around his nubs. The gesture felt odd to him.“He's not a dog, Cam,” Hiccup chastised, “Right bud?” He patted the dragon on his side. Toothless could hear the undertone strictness in his words. The girl’s wandering fingers retreated, her hands held up away from him.Stormfly suddenly stopped in front of them, lurching to the side. Astrid waved her arms over her head on the dragon's back.“Hiccup!” She yelled. The wind began to roar around them. “There’s a storm ahead! We need to turn around and get out of her before--” The wind howled, snatching the words from her mouth. She turned Stormfly around, flying in the opposite direction to the dark clouds that had risen. She gestured for them to follow, the wind too loud for words.Hiccup leaned down to yell in Toothless’s ear. “Get us out of here, bud!”Toothless beat his wings against the wind, struggling to fly. His limbs began to feel heavy like they were coated with a heavy metal that weighed him down.As he resisted, he could feel himself being dragged into the whirlwind that had formed. He pushed against it, managing to break free of its grasp. He flew towards Stormfly. The dragon turned to check the proximity of the whirlwind. What he saw made him freeze.His mate was being dragged into the spiral storm. She screeched in distress, blue eyes wide as her wings beat with frantic strokes. The force of the storm reeled her in, like a fish it had caught on a line. This fish was trapped, no way to escape and yet it struggled on.Toothless flew to Stormfly’s side. He brushed Hiccup and his daughter off his back with the edge of his wing. He did not have time for Hiccup’s qualms.He shot off towards the whirlwind. His son followed alongside him, his pale body flickering in and out of his site. He growled at him, a sharp order to stay back.The wind grasped at him, eager to take him into its embrace. He reached his mate, latching onto her with his claws. Together they fought the wind like rowers fight the river’s current, though they know it is futile. It dragged them into its midst, as they struggled to be free. A whirlpool began to form at its sea base.“Toothless!” He heard Hiccup yell. He heard his children howl after them as he plunged into the whirlwind. His mate screeched a mournful howl. He held her close as tears began to leak from her eyes.His wild howl filled the skies, all the pain and grief he felt present in the sound. His children would grow up alone as the last of their kind, just as he had. His eyes met with Hiccups. Please, take care of them, he pleaded, hoping Hiccup would understand. He held his mate tighter.Both their wings fluttered to a stop as the whirlwind snatched them from flight. They fell in a spiraling free fall towards the sea, pulled into the center of the whirlwind. The Night Fury wrapped his wings around his mate, cradling her against his chest as she closed her eyes.For a split second, he was reminded of when she had brought him to the Hidden World. The swirling spirals, the gaping hole swallowing them. But they did not fly as two partners, dancing across the sky in an elaborate ritual.They fell into the abyss, as one.

Swept away by the wind, the great sea swallows them, a parent taking its children into its embrace. The sky thunders as lightning flickers across the grey skies, a roar from the gods. An announcement, a promise, a vow, a warning of some kind, none could say.

The night and the day were caught in a whirlpool, an unnatural current that drags them across the sea with a purpose. It separates them from whom they are, whom they love and hate, leaving only their bare essence. They drift an endless distance, a voyage with no ship. Guided by the gods’ hands, they pass little specks of green and mounds of brown. Ruined ships are passed, creatures slink into the sea’s depths as the hands of the gods usher them aside, for they are only onlookers of their work.

All of this happens within minutes, and yet it seems to happen within an eternity. Time warps in a backward current, the flow reversing as reality is twisted. Mass is shifted and changed, becoming something similar and yet utterly new. Scales become flesh, wings become arms as faces are sunken inwards. The gods work as one to transform beast to man.

They gifted them with knowledge, of the customs of humans and their language. They allowed some of their beastal characteristics to remain. It would not do for the humans to perceive them as ordinary, as truly one of them. They would be freaks amongst the humans, for the real challenge would lie in acceptance.

Their work complete, the creators stand back to allow the events they have set in motion to unfold. For them, this is little more than an experiment, an evaluation. A chance at a better world, if the inhabitants of it are willing to grasp at the opportunity.

And for the poor beasts caught in the gods’ plan. They have a world of misery in store for them, as is the way of the relations between the human and dragonkind. Fate spins no thread, weaves no destiny for the world, it is in the hands of the mortals themselves how their fates are shaped.

And there would be no third chance.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

5 Years Later
She was nudged awake, something cold wet lapping the crown of his head.The blue-eyed girl sat up, expecting to find some small, curious creature that had taken an interest in her. Instead, she found the gentle lapse of the tide, ushering her to awareness.She groaned, scratching her head. Loose, wet rags clung to her skin. The Sun beat down on her, like a cruel parent punishing its child. Where was she?The girl was on the coast of a beach. A light breeze fluttered against her face, smelling of salt and seaweed. The birds sang as if to announce her arrival.
She frowned. She knew what birds were but not where she had learnt what birds were. Odd.She shifted to her knees, wincing as her body protested the movement. Her hair fell ragged over her eyes, forcing her to sweep it behind her head. Her skin tingled as she brushed her fingers off of it.Strangely enough, she didn’t feel cold, only wet and exposed. Green wetness clung to her. She peeled the seaweed from her shoulders, hissing as it tore at the skin. How long had she been on the beach?She started to rise. The world spun, dizziness leaping up into her head. The girl staggered and fell, landing face down in the wet sand. She lay there for a second, waiting for the world to stop spinThe blue eyes looked up from the sand, as she sneezed the sand from her nostrils.

She gazed up at him as his limbs fluttered to a stop, the hurricane of sand dispersing. He looked sheepish and a little apologetic. He grinned at her with a goofy, toothless smile.

The dizziness returned as she was pulled out of the brief flash of remembrance. She fell against a nearby tree, grabbing hold of it for support. Her eyes stung and watered as flakes of sand snuck into them. She hated sand. It was coarse, rough...and irritating.Small grains of the stuff clung to her cheeks. She scratched them, trying to scrape them off but giving up as the coarse grains remained, like a stubborn hatchling that refuses to release their parent when learning to fly on their own.The girl let go of the tree, taking two clumsy forwards steps. The salty taste of the sea lingered on the girl’s tongue, making her gag. Another two. She spat to expel the seawater from her mouth. Another two steps. Exhaustion plagued her, her body felt like it was covered in sticky tar that constricted her every movement.She passed the furthest point the waves could reach on the shoreline. The hot sand clung to her toes, almost painful in its intensity. She didn’t mind, it reminded her that she was here. That she was present on this beach and not drifting around in the darkness for eternity.She didn’t remember falling asleep but suddenly she was dreaming. Or remembering.

He held his wings above his head in some sort of weird gesture. He danced around her, making odd grunting noises. She took a step back, her blue eyes widening in confusion and slight fear. He came closer to her as he pranced circles around her, strangely resembling a chicken….and she hit him on the nose. Several times. He fell back, looking disheartened.
Flashes of time came back to her, disjointed and out of place. Flashes of time that didn’t make any sense.
She watched him through the bars, hidden in the darkness. He sniffed around like he could almost sense her, before being called away. She felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and disappointment. The only other one of her kind she had met and he was under someone’s thumb.

She awoke as a something slammed shut, making a horrible clang sound. It ringed around her head, like a Terrible Terror had taken residence in there and was bouncing around the walls of her skull. She pressed her hand to her forehead. looked up as her vision cleared.She stepped back, trembling. Her eyes darted around, looking for a possible way to escape. Despair began to creep into her chest as she found none.She was in a cage.A group of men hung just outside the bars. All she could see of them was the paleness of their robes, as shadows obscured their faces. But she knew they were watching. She could feel their hungry gazes taking in every inch of her. She was their entertainment, a thing to laugh at. A thing to hate.She suddenly felt very afraid, a cold dread settling over her. She recognised the deep-rooted feeling in her stomach, though she could not recall where she had felt it before.A man was banged his fist against the bars, making her jump. Only his short-cropped blond hair and a small goatee on his chin were visible in the darkness.“So, girlie, mind telling me how God allowed it that you came into existence?” A chorus of laughter followed his mocking question. His long face contorted into an ugly sneer. “What great beast and disgusting, sinful woman sired you? Are you the spawn of the devil? Or are you just merely a vessel for his will?” She fled from him, as he laughed. “Perhaps God intended you as a source of entertainment, for us or for himself. Tell me, which would you prefer?”The girl retreated into the shadows at the rear of the cage, trying to hide from her captor. This just amused him further, erecting a cheer from the other men as she cringed away from their attention. Their jeers and yells rung in her ears, making her head spin.“Sinful,”“Unclean, a scourge upon the world,”“You have no right to even gaze upon our leader, Constantine, let alone speak with him, wretch,”She curled up into a ball, trying to ignore their cruel words and their jeering laughter. Why was this happening to her? Everything felt wrong. Her skin prickled and ached like it had been stretched and kneaded a million times over. She would have taken that pain, however, over their mockery.“Where did she go? She just disappeared.”“She’s probably hiding in the shadows, in the back,”“As she should, the wretched creature,”The girl drew her attention away from their voices. She glanced at a small puddle of rainwater in the cage beside her. Traces of moonlight flickered through the bars, allowing her to see herself faintly in the puddle.The reflection had the youthful face of an older adolescent. Her eyes were a bright, unnatural blue that spanned her entire lenses, like a peaceful river that stretched into lazy circles around her dark pupils. Her hair was silvery white, like a rare, exotic plant that flourished in the moonlight. She looked a stranger to herself. Who was she?There was no answer. The sky did not thunder in reply, no response presented itself. Just heartbreaking silence. The fear that had taken residence in her chest upon realising she was caged began to lessen. At the very least, her torment would be limited to cruel words and jeering.A loud hiss penetrated through the bars as a fire ignited outside the cage. A dozen or so men crowded around it, cheering as the flames lit up the surroundings. One of them pointed in her direction and said something, as the others jeered. She tried to tune out the horrible noises. A sound so cruel and vile could not be considered “laughter.”
They flew together, night and day united as one. They danced through the sky, the clouds their dance floor. The two stopped just short of each other, gazing into the other’s e yes. The moon blessed them with its gaze, a pale light shining on them. It felt wondrous, to fly with someone. She had never had that opportunity.
Foreign thoughts and feelings flooded into her mind, memories that she couldn’t understand. She blocked out the flow of memories, trying to push the invading thoughts from her brain. Everything was just too much. She sat in the cage, shaking with fear and despair.A loud rustling came from the treeline as a cloaked figure emerged from the vegetation, carrying someone wrapped in a blanket over their shoulder. They placed the body down, taking great care to keep the cloak around it.A large man stood up from the campfire and turned towards the newcomer.“What’s this, then?” He twirled his finger around the body in her arms.“Found him on the beach when I was out on watch. He’ll be out for a while, I hit him with a tranq arrow,” Their voice sounded cold, chilly as the winter breeze.The blue-eyed girl pressed her ears to the bars. She didn’t know how, but she could understand their conversations.“Great work, we’ll make one of us of you yet!” The man grinned, displaying his rotten yellow teeth. The grin turned to a frown as he glanced at the body on the ground. “Although, where’s his teeth gone?”“I don’t care,” The stranger huffed, “Can I go now? I prefer to spend as little time as possible in your company, Don”The man, Don, glared, “Show a little enthusiasm, would you? Throw ‘em in the cage there, with the other freak,”The strangers looked up, “Other freak?”“Yeah, the one with the weird blue eyes.She looks otherworldly, I’m tellin’ ya,”The cloaked one glanced at her through the bars.“Get her some clothes , for Odin’s sake,” The cloaked one hissed at the man. She almost thought she heard a trace of sympathy in their voice.“What have we said about Od-” He began.They cut him off with a wave of their hand
“The poor girls in rags! Do you have any shame?!”“She’s a freak, why would she need clothes?” The man muttered as he walked away.The cloaked one sighed and pounded their foot against the ground. The mud squelched under their boot. They opened the cage door with a metallic clink, as it swung outwards with a loud groan. The cloaked person carried the limp body into the cell, placing it in the opposite corner to her.The stranger approached her, wary of any sudden movement. The cloaked figure glanced at her and sighed. They turned and removed the fabric from around their shoulders. The blue-eyed girl glanced at them, no longer veiled by the cloak.She was female, with auburn red hair and bright blue eyes. She looked around fifteen, much younger than the men at the camp. Her face vaguely looked familiar, like she resembled someone the girl had known. The blue-eyed girl gazed up at her, clearing her throat, struggling to project sounds from her throat.“Who?” She managed, the sound coming out in a deep croak.The girl ignored the question, “Here, take this.” She mumbled, almost inaudible. “You must be freezing,” She passed her the cloak, the fabric feeling soft against her rough, calloused hands. The now-cloakless redhead glanced at her one last time and left her there, in the dark.
She looked down at the body before her. He was a boy, about her age, with messy dark hair. His eyes were closed but he didn’t look asleep. His jaw looked uncomfortably rigid and his eyelids were scrunched up in a tightly.She turned him over so he was lying flat on his back. His jaw slackened under her touch, his facial muscles relaxing as she propped him into a more comfortable position. She took the cloak from around her shoulders and wrapped it around him. She didn’t miss it, her body felt warm enough already.Curiosity drew her to him. Her fingers traced his cracked lips. His cool breath brushed against her finger, as she parted his lips with two fingers. Why she did this, she didn’t know. He shifted in his sleep. A low sound escaped his lips, like a purr.“Toothless,” She smiled to herself as she examined his, indeed toothless, gums. He snorted in his sleep as she spoke. It almost sounded like he had heard her.She found herself counting the freckles that dotted his nose. They spread out along his face like they had a mind of their own. She ran her fingers along his jawline, noticing the little dimples and imperfections along it.“Awww, look at them. Maybe the two freaks can mate and have freakish babes?” One of the men shouted. His voice rung around the bars like it was hammering itself into her skull over and over.She scuttled back into her corner, settling down against the bars as the cold iron pressed against the exposed parts of the weathered fabric of her rags. She turned away from the boy at the opposite end of the cell.The cold northern wind blew into her prison, making her shiver. Her body ached, longing for sleep. It gave into the exhaustion, the embrace of sleep welcoming her.
Freedom was hers as she flew through the sky. There was no prison, no bars surrounded her, nothing but the empty blue sky that welcomed her home. But it wasn’t empty. A black shape amassed just beyond her vision.She chased it but the faster she pursued, the more the shape became smoky and transparent. Then she could no longer see it.But she knew it was there. It had to be.
Loud shouts woke her. It sounded like they were being attacked, a thought that held a small satisfaction for her. She awoke blind to the world. She wasn’t scared; even darkness was favourable next to the horror the light brought.“Hey, what in Od- God’s name was that?!” Voices came from the darkness.“Blazing gods, where did the light go?” She felt like laughing as she heard the sounds of men stumbling around, cursing each other.“Everyone back to their tents. No way we’re gettin’ that fire back up and runnin’ without light.” Don’s voice came from far away as if he was leaving the clearing. She could hear the shuffles of the men moving away. After a couple of distant shouts, they were gone.
An eerie, though not unwelcome silence hung in the air. She felt the tension drain out of her body and she sighed. Her circumstances must be really bad if she embraced the dark over the light.
A sound brought her out of her thoughts. Footsteps. They were slow and awkward like their owner was injured or something. She growled, as a warning or in fear, she didn’t know. She heard a growl in response, a deep, guttural rumbling. A boy, she guessed.She heard him stop. For a moment there was silence. Then the footsteps resumed, more frantic and hasty than before. He came ever closer, she could sense his movement in front of her through the darkness. Then, another silence.His cool breath brushed her cheek. His eyes appeared, they were a forest of lush vegetation and greenery, deep and inviting. They glimmered with an unusual brightness, asking her to stay in their soft embrace.A blue-ish glow illuminated his face. His messy dark hair hung loose over his face as he looked at her with wonder. She frowned, confused as to where the blue light was emitting from. She turned around to see if there was any light behind her. The glow followed her gaze. She turned back to him, the light following again.Her eyes were glowing, as were his.
A few quick breaths escaped him, quiet chuckles. She smiled at the sound, her face basked in the green glow. Her cheeks suddenly felt very hot. He grinned back at her, showing off his toothless gums. He looked cute. Ridiculous, but cute.He squinted his eyes in concentration, slightly diminishing the green light. Teeth sprouted from his gums, like thorns on a rose bush. She giggled at him. What a strange ability.Their pupils met. He stared at her, a burning intensity in his eyes that both scared her and attracted her. She felt drawn to him, like a moth to a forest fire. His face levelled with her, their noses practically touching. The tip of her own nose began to tingle, electricity running down the edges of it. It spread, making her entire face burn a bright red that she hoped he couldn’t see through the green glow of his eyes.She couldn’t remember anything of her previous life, all she had known was the cage around her. This boy, he was a chance of something new and exciting...maybe she should take it.All she knew was that she loved the droplets of emerald that swum amid her vision. She wanted to drown in them, to just have-

The warmth of his wings wrapped around her. Colours glimmered all around, a cavern filled with starlight. She cuddled beside him, nuzzling her head under his chin. His scales felt firm against her cheek as she clung to him. She felt him lean on her, as she did the same. She tucked her wings in between his. His warmth chased away the coldness in her body.

He licked her ear and she smiled, basking in his affection. He was here, with her. He was hers and she was his.
She closed her eyes. She was content. She was a quee-

She leapt back, fear and confusion gathering in her chest. The memories were not to be denied, they forced themselves to the surface of her mind. She didn’t understand them, couldn’t understand them.The bright green eyes furrowed as she retreated back into the corner. They flashed with hurt and confusion.
Light suddenly burst into the clearing, as a figure bearing a torch burst through the treeline. They ran, huffing like they had run all the way from the other side of the island. The figure looked up at them gasping. The girl recognised her as the redhead from earlier. She laid a tired hand on her arm.“I’m here to...,” She gasped loudly, cutting himself. “Rescue you. Quickly now, there’s a boat waiting for you,” The two stared at her, frozen.“Well go on then! Don’t sit around staring at me,” She huffed and crossed their arms.The boy looked downwards. She followed his gaze to his left foot... or lack thereof. Instead of flesh and blood, a simple wooden support stuck out from beneath the fabric of his clothing, a hasty peg leg.She glanced up at the hopeful look on his face, Her heart panged as she gazed at him. He was no stranger to her, that much was clear. He needed her...and she needed him.She grasped his hand, giving him an affirmative nod. Together, they followed the girl as she led them towards the coastline.The boy wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The gesture made her feel warm until she realised he was only holding on to her for support.

“Save him,”
A messy-haired boy appeared within her mind’s eye. His face was full of sadness but also acceptance like he was making some great sacrifice. Who was he? What did he mean? She tried to remember but the memory eluded her.His hand tightened around hers, bringing her back to reality. She caught his gaze lingering on her for a moment. She nodded that she was okay, she’d be fine.
They reached the beach. The sea stretched out in front of her, a great meadow of glistening glass of pale moonlight. A little skiff was docked by the shore. The redhead broke off into a run, gesturing for them to follow. The boy pulled her along, tugging on her hand.They piled into the small little boat, her guiding him inside as he clambered over the side. He let go of her to grab hold of the skiff. The wood complained with a loud groan but held. She settled at the back as the boy with the green eyes and the redhead stayed at the front.They took an oar each. The wood felt cheap and weak against her hand. She pressed her palms to the side of the skiff. The quality of the timber felt a similar quality.Everything was silent like the sea was holding its breath. A light blanket of mist enveloped them as they sailed from the shoreline, like a veil to hide them from their troubles. The tension weighed on the air.
“I feel like I should, on behalf of the two of us,” The boy shot her a quick glance as he was speaking, “Uh, Thank you for saving us,”The redhead didn’t answer and, for a moment, there was only the calm movement of the sea under their oars. “We’re not out of the water yet,” She finally responded, “Both literally and figuratively,”Toothless shrugged, “The water seems pretty calm from where I’m sitting. So maybe we could figure out where we go from here.”“Be my guest,” The redhead answered. She glanced at him for a brief second, before turning her attention back onto the oar.“Well…” He paused, “Do you have a plan in mind?”“Yep,”“Mind sharing what that plan entails?”“Sitting back, shutting up and rowing,” The redhead deadpanned.The green-eyed boy rolled his eyes, raising his head to the sky. “And then what?”“...Then I’ll dump you in the ocean if you don’t adhere to the plan and shut up,” She growled. She was touchy.“Now, that was uncalled for,” The boy huffed and crossed his arms. She tried to ignore how cute he looked when he was annoyed.It was the redhead’s turn to roll her eyes, “You sound just like my father. He’s reclusive. And twice your age.”“Well, I’m twice as handsome as your father, I’ll bet,” He grinned. The girl stifled a laugh as the redhead let out a heavy sigh.His grin widened as he noticed her fighting giggles. She settled down, a small smile lingering on her face.“So, how did you end up with those fanatics?” She asked.The boy shifted in his seat,“I’d rather talk about you, babe,” He planted another grin on his face. It felt stoic this time.“Stop avoiding the question, cutie,” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her cheeks stained red.He raised an eyebrow, an amused look plastered across his face.“Didyouwakeupwithnomemoriestoo?” Her words came out in an unintelligible flurry, as she tried to mask her slip-up.He frowned at her, “What?”“Do you, uh, remember anything?” she tried again, glancing up at him.His eyes lit up in panic for a split second before returning to normal. It happened so fast, if she hadn’t been so entranced in his eyes she would have missed it. He looked frozen. It was all the confirmation she needed.“Looks like we’re both just...freaks,” She mumbled.“Speak for yourself. I’m-.” He hesitated. She could see the lie forming on his lips. Before he could speak, she gently took his hand.“Toothless,”He stared at her...and burst out into laughter.“Two can play at that game, Toothpaste-Hair,” He said. “Or maybe just Toothpaste. That sounds better,” He grinned again, sincere this time. She couldn’t help but smile back.She noticed he didn’t move his hand away.The redhead scowled at her as she noticed at their intertwined hands. “Alright, lovebirds. Calm it down a bit,”They both ignored her.He turned to her with a serious expression.“I was joking about your hair. It’s...nice,” His voice had gone quiet.“You’re not getting an apology, Toothless,” She bared her teeth at him.He sagged, “Is that my name now? Toothless, really?”The girl shrugged, “It’s better than Toothpaste,”He brightened at that, “Yeah, you’re right. Sucks to be you.”“Am I the only one paying attention here? Those men could find us at any minute,” The redhead almost yelled. “So stop with the flirting and wake up!”
“There they are!” Came a shout from behind them.The sharp, wooden bow of a ship emerged from the fog behind them. It streaked through the water towards them. As it approached them, its speed kept at a breakneck pace,“It’s gonna ram us! Quick, row!” The redhead yelped over the sounds of the ship crashing through the water towards them.Toothless let go of her hand to grip the oar with both of his. She did the same to her own. They strained against the tide, rowing away from the large ship that was bearing on top of them. The wood creaked as the little ship struggled to deliver them from their pursuers.The girl kept her eyes forward, ignoring the creaks of mast and decking as the ship grew closer. It groaned like an ancient beast, growing closer and closer to its prey. Her motions became in tune, push against the water, reposition her oar, push against the water. The noise grew louder until it sounded within arm’s reach of her.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. She didn’t even have time to scream before she was pulled into the ocean, the wood cracking and bursting behind her.The cold water swallowed her. She thrashed as it pulled her under. The hand holding onto her arm disappeared as she felt the coldness envelop her, seeping into her mouth and nostrils as she struggled to keep from gulping in the water. Her body called for air, begging for it. Her muscles burned as she forced them to swim upwards. Her body felt loose and uncontrolled. She couldn’t swim, it all felt too wrong . Her hand stretched out towards the surface. She sunk down into the depths.She felt a shock wave that shook the water around her. Something splashed into the water, distorting the area around her. Those bright green lights illuminated her. Toothless; he’d dove down to rescue her. She was grabbed by the collar of her rags and hoisted up, towards the surface. The girl broke free of the water, gasping for breath. But she kept rising, above the water. She glanced up at what was holding her. What she saw was no Toothless.A crescent white beast with wings and smooth scales held her within its claws. Little black nubs decorated its back. The edges of its ears were stained obsidian, It looked down at her and she realised it had the same green eyes as Toothless. Almost everything about them was the same. Their shade, deepness, how they glistened in the light, how their pupils shifted and changed erratically. She looked down.The large ship was burning. The crew were loosening a rowboat from the deck and placing it in the water. She saw that man, Constantine, barking orders at his crew of white-robed men.The water bubbled and splashed beneath her, as two other winged beasts emerged from it. As they ascended higher, she saw they had her companions in their claws. Toothless looked astonished as he came into view.“Took you long enough,” The redhead complained. She swung her body and, in one swift motion, catapulted herself onto the creature’s back. The beast was mostly an obsidian colour but had a bright white underbelly and large blue eyes that strangely resembled her own. The redhead patted its nose, cooing at it.“Is that any way to treat your brother, who did just save your grumpy bacon?” A perky voice replied. She frowned. Where was-The upside-down face of a little boy suddenly appeared from the top of the creature. She tilted her head to get a better view of him. He had a crop of platinum blond hair, with youthful green eyes. (It was getting tiresome.) He grinned when he saw her.“Let’s make ‘em go boom, silver lady.” His head disappeared again.The redhead groaned, “Ignis, that’s enough. We need to get these two out of here.”The boy pouted, “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Camicazi. Mom and Dad were worried sick when you disappeared ontop Eclipse. Especially Dad. He actually looked up from his maps and his charts. It was miraculous,”“Didn’t know he cared,” She grumbled, leaning back on her mount as they picked up speed. “And don’t call me Camicazi. It’s Cammy, little brother. Let’s focus on getting out of here.”
Toothpaste was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the cream-coloured claws that held her aloft.“So, I take it you’ve never ridden a dragon before?” The boy, Ignis looked back at Toothless. “Amazing, isn’t it? The freedom, the view, all of it.”“Yeah, it is,” His voice sounded husky.The blue eyes girl turned to look at him. He glanced away from her as if he had been staring.That was weird.“Y’know,” Cammy began, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you really remind me of this...uhh, dog I used to know.” She let out an awkward cough that sounded false, “He had really bright green eyes,”She locked eyes with Toothless. He looked just as confused as her, his emerald rings furrowed. Did she just compare him to a dog out of nowhere?She gave him a small smile.
He grinned at her, before retracting his teeth to show off his gums. She found herself giggling again. It came out in rapid breaths as she struggled to prevent her laughter from becoming too noisy.“Any chance I could ride up top?” Toothless called, “It’s getting really uncomfortable down here,”“If you’re going to be hitching a ride on one of my dragons-” She began.“Camicazi, you know that Dad said that they’re not pets. We don’t own them, we’re just looking after them ‘till Dad finds their paren-”“Shut up, Ignis, no one asked you to speak,” She snarled at him before turning back to Toothless, “As I was saying, if you wanna ride on a dragon, you’re gonna have to do something for me,” Cammy smirked at him as he groaned. Toothpaste frowned.“Oh yeah, and what’s that?”“Ride on this dragon, with me,”She felt a spark of jealousy in her chest erupt into an explosion. The shrapnel from the explosion lodged itself into her heart.“Fine,” Toothless shifted. Cammy directed her mount over to him, reaching her hand out for him. He grasped it and she pulled him up. He settled behind her.Toothpaste's only reassurance was the discomfort on his face. Cammy smirked at her.She admitted it hurt. She should have done something in the cage, found out the source of their connection. They had known each other before, she was sure of it. Why had she pulled away?She had pulled away because she was afraid.
The girl turned away. And yelped as she was grabbed by hands. Human hands.“Hey wanna ride with me?” Ignis grinned as he pulled her up to the dragon’s back. He was strong for a boy that looked to be only around 12. A sly gleam sat within his eyes.She nodded, clambering onto the pale dragon’s back. She settled down behind him.“So, uh, what’s his name?” She asked, indicating the dragon.“His name’s Frost. Dad says we should call him a “Night Light” but he looks more like a Light Fury to me, minus his green eyes and slight black colour which are a signature Night Fury traits.” She was taken aback by his rambling. If the dragon (Err-sorry, Frost) had the same eyes as Toothless, what could that mean? Why would Toothless have a “Night Fury trait”?She rubbed behind Frost’s ears. The little dragon purred against her touch and once again she was reminded of Toothless. He nuzzled his way into her palm and sniffed softly. She smiled at him as he turned to face her.His emerald green eyes were widened in shock. He let out an excited bark and dive-bombed suddenly, towards an island directly beneath them. She caught a glimpse of the other dragons following before she was forced to look forward.She yelped again as it picked up speed. It stopped just short of the sea, as water splashed into her face. Ignis whooped, the childlike sound echoing across the empty ocean.The pale dragon skimmed across treelines, his claws rustling the leaves as they passed. He spun in a sort-of barrel roll. She clung on for dear life as he spun, all the while Ignis was laughing like a little maniac.They landed outside a cave on a small hill in the centre of the island. The island seemed quite bare, the hill being the only feature that stuck out from the treeline. She stumbled as she got off of Frost’s back. Ignis hopped off too, punching his fist into the air.“That was awesome. How come you don’t fly like that for me, Frosty Flakes?”The dragon snorted, flicking him with his tail with affection. He nuzzled into the girl’s arms and closed his eyes. Great puffs of breath blew from his nose, parting her hair from her forehead.Ignis glanced at the dragon. The little boy’s eyebrows furrowed,“He...doesn’t like being touched by strangers. He must have met you before.”Her eyes darted towards him, “He knew me?”
“Either that or your beauty brought him out of his social awkwardness shell.” He said, waggling his eyebrows. “You’re hair is cast in the moonlight like a shining sta-”“Ignis, stop trying to be poetic,” Toothless and Cammy had caught up with them,“First, you and your dragon kidnap the poor girl; then you recite some of my poetry. Have the youth no respect?” Her voice sounded stern but amusement twinkled in her eyes.“Hey, this wasn’t me!” The twelve-year-old cried out, “He just brought us here on our own. I’ve never seen him so excited bef-”Frost suddenly bumped his head against the back of her knees, sweeping Toothpaste up onto his back. He took to the skies, hooting for his siblings to follow.
She straightened herself, as the ground grew farther and farther away. The three dragons rose into the air in a circle.“Uhh, do you have any idea what’s going on here, Toothpaste?” Toothless’s voice asked from behind her.Then there was the shriek of a plasma blast.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The bolt of the ballista struck him. The Night Fury screeched in pain and anguish as he looked at the shattered remains of his tail fin. He struggled to keep afloat in the air. The wind dragged him down as plummeted, the trees and the ground rushing to meet him.

Toothless was woken by a sharp pain in his chest.He sat up as the pain ringed on his insides. White bandages blanketed his abdomen, wrapped with a great deal of care. Other then the bandages, his chest was bare. He groaned as he tried to remember what happened.
Eclipse turned her head to look at him. Her scales were mostly dark, with a white underbelly. Her blue eyes stared into his own. Strange, they looked almost exactly like...hers. Exactly the same.

“Uhh, do you have any idea what’s going on here, Toothpaste?” He asked, his voice shaking in bewilderment, “Because, I don’t,”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, eyes wild.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to shock you,” He winced. “Should’ve announced myself,”

She glared at him, eyes narrow like she was wondering whether to toss him off to the ground below. It was a long fall.

A hissing sound from his left made him turn. Eclipse’s mouth was opened wide, revealing toothless gums. He squinted. It looked like her throat was glowing purple. Wha-

A bright light flashed before his eyes as a bolt of purple plasma struck him.

The force of it sent him flying off the dragon. He spiralled into a freefall, the wind tearing at him. The smell of charred fabric filled his nose. He felt weightless, he was floating through the air, he was flying.

Until he hit the ground.

Toothless felt a force rocket through his body, like a shock wave. He gasped as all the air escaped his lungs. Darkness spread through his vision, shutting his body down. He let it.

The haziness in his vision cleared enough for him to look around. His brows furrowed at his dimly lit surroundings. There were torches on the wall, loosely held there with wooden bolts. He was lying on a cloak in a...cave?He tried to raise himself from his place lying down on the ground.“I wouldn't do that.” He jumped as someone spoke from behind him. He turned to see the blue-eyed girl sitting in the corner beside him.“Sorry, didn’t mean to shock you,” She mimicked, “Should’ve announced myself,”He sat back, groaning as his ribs hurt.“Two jokes in one day, Toothpaste? You're spoiling me.”“It's been three days.
New day, new joke,”He blanched at her, “What?! Three days?! I've been out for three days?!’She crossed her arms, ”You were hardly in the position to be moved. Just be thankful you lived to joke another day,”He sighed. Three days, gone just like that. “So. What happened? How did I survive a fall that high?”She grimaced, “We don't know. But, here's the real anomaly here.” She took a torch from the wall and pressed it against her wrist. Her eyes began to glow a brighter blue.Toothless panicked, “What the hell are you doing?”She withdrew the torch from her flesh and brandished her forearm to him. There was not a mark on it, no burn, nothing.“How-?” Toothless spluttered.She gestured at him, “There’s something... wrong about us. You just took a plasma shot to the face and you're still pretty. How is that possible?” She frowned, “Somehow, the dragons knew you would survive. They wanted to show us that we were, um…”“Fireproof?” He piped up.“Yeah. But how did they know?”Toothless considered this. Something about the way she had said it stuck out to him.“Wait, You just called me pretty.”“No, I didn-. Figure of speech,” She glared at him as he laughed. “Shut up,”
He managed to sit up, wincing slightly. Laughing hurt.“I can’t believe that’s what you took from what I said,” She grumbled, “Anyway...I need you to keep this between us.”“What? Why?” He asked, his brow furrowing.“You saw how those people who found us reacted. What's to say other people won't act the same? So I need you to promise me that you'll keep this a secret.”“But-”“Promise me!” There was a real terror in her voice, “ I can't be put in another cage,”
Toothless did not speak for a long time. He considered what she was asking. Maybe she was right, so far, they had only been treated terribly for their…quirks.“Alright.” He glanced at her, “You know, they’re still going to think we’re really weird,”“I can live with that,” Came her curt reply.Silence stretched across the room.“So... where's Cammy?” He looked around the cave.“Oh right, I'll go get your girlfriend straight away, shall I?” Ouch, her sarcasm bit deep.“Hey, you know things aren't like that.” He protested.“I don't know. You two seemed pretty cosy on that dragon,” Her voice had gone cold.He glanced at her. She had bags under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep recently. Flakes of dirt clung to her skin, like she had not had time to wash.
She must have been watching over him while he was unconscious. She stared down at the ground.“Are you jealous, Toothpaste?” He tilted his head to look at her.“What? No!” She said, a little too quickly.“Did you put patch me up?“Look, I'm glad you're okay.” The girl turned to leave.“Hey, wait!” He cried out in desperation.She looked around, just as surprised as him at the loud volume of his voice.“Just...did you?”She sighed, “Camicazi insisted she be the one. She threw Ignis and I outside, saying she was the better healer or something. Then all we heard were the sound of her screams,”Toothless’s eyes widened, “I didn’t...hurt her, did I? ”“Well-sort-of,” She cracked a half smile, “Your skin was boiling hot. The only one who could touch you without getting burned was...well, me,” She finished.She had been looking after him for three days? He had assumed she had thought of him as an idiotic goofball. She really had spent her time tending to him?She turned to leave again but he caught her wrist with a gentle grip.“I, uh, don't want to be alone,” He felt pathetic saying it. But it was true. “Could you stay with me?” He was practically begging.She stared at him for a moment, the bright oceans of her eyes piercing him. He felt exposed, like she could see through him, straight down to his soul.Without speaking, she sat down directly in front of him, still not breaking eye contact. Usually, he would make a joke to lighten the situation, but something held him back.Her eyes glimmered like an ocean of starlight. He could see himself in them, a lone sailor drowning in a sea of beauty. And he was okay with that. Overjoyed, even.“Y-your eyes,” He stuttered.She smirked and moved her face closer to his, “My eyes?”He gulped, “They're, uh...pretty. Really pretty,” He finished. They had been the first thing he had seen, that he could remember anyway. Those bright blue islands that lay in the middle of a fast ocean of darkness, he had been drawn to them. Drawn to her. He was being silly. What chances did he have with her, he was just an idiotic jokester while she was...her.She moved closer to him,“And what about now?”Their noses were practically touching. Toothless was reminded of when they had met, in the darkness of that prison cell. Nothing but her bright blue irises could be seen but he had felt a connection, so fast and sudden and yet it felt...right. Maybe that hadn't been the first time they had met after all. He gulped as she slid her finger under his chin.She withdrew and moved to his side, plopping herself down beside him.“Honestly, Toothless, you make it too easy,”He frowned, “Too easy?”She smirked at him. He noticed her teeth were just as pearly white as her hair.“You’re just so gullible.” She nestled herself against him and closed her eyes, her head leaning on his shoulder. “So easy to tease,” The weight of her head on his shoulder held him better than any metal clasp ever could.He froze up. How was he supposed to react to this? Was there a certain protocol for when a girl leans on you like a pillow?“Uh...hi?”“Hey,” She murmured. Her voice sounded sleepy against his shoulder.“Are you okay?” He asked, slightly concerned.“M’okay, just tired. Long few days.,” Her dazed mumbles were really quite cute. “You’re so warm,” She hummed in a soft pitch.Toothless began to feel drowsy too. His head drooped to lean against hers. He closed his eyes and everything melted away. There was no amnesia, no mystery, just them in the moment.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He tried to dismiss it but it pegged at him. He sighed, regretful that he had to disturb the tranquillity.“How are we going to keep this a secret from Cammy... and Ignis? A-about our abilities, I m-mean,”She smirked, “You sure know how to ruin a moment, Toothy.” She raised her head from his shoulder to look at him directly. His arm complained from the movement. “Well, I may have forgot to mention that you were blasted in the face. They didn’t see you fall either, so I may have under exaggerated the height. I’m sure your ego will survive.”He frowned, “That seems extremely convenient. I’m sure one of them would have noticed something.”She shrugged, “It was dark,” She slid her hand into his. The gesture felt comforting to him.“And what, they’re just going to ignore our big eyes that look exactly like their dragons’ eyes when we feel bursts of emotion...or intense heat?” He asked.“Stop overthinking it. We are going to be fine.” She sounded less like she was trying to convince him and more like she was trying to reassure herself.“Yeah, you’re right. As usual,”“Flattery will get you nowhere, green eyes,”“Why would you even insult me for that? You know that I can literally just do the same, right?”“Yeah but you won’t, because…”
She leaned in towards him, “You love the moral high ground,” Her face inched closer to his. He felt a nervous lump appear in his throat.
“Mr Toothless, you’re awake!”They both jumped at the sound of the excited voice that announced Ignis’s arrival. The boy had launched into a rant.“That was so cool, the way you fell from so high. Terrifying but so cool.” He kept speaking, without a pause, “Oh, yeah, Cammy left last night to go get our mother. She has a big fleet, she is a chieftess after all. So, yeah she’ll come to rescue us and bring us home. It's gonna be the coolest, you’ll see.” He gasped for air, taking several deep breaths.Toothless gave the twelve-year-old an annoyed look as the blue-eyed girl giggled at his outburst. She patted him on the head. Since when had these two become so chummy?“Calm it, Hothead. Plenty of air for everyone,” Toothless called to him.Ignis squinted at him, “Sorry, Mr Toothless, didn’t mean to interrupt your handholding session with Luna,”They let go of each other's hands immediately, glancing away from each other. The girl faced the wall, her fingers picking at her elbow. Toothless gulped as an awkward silence filled the room. That little devil. He coughed into his palm.“Luna?” He asked her, trying to relieve the tension. Also, he was just genuinely curious.“Yeah, Ignis gave me the idea.” She straightened her hair idly, “He said his Dad told him it meant moon in some old language. And that I was like a ray of pale moonlight in the night’s star or something.”The boy piped up, “Yeah, he loves to talk about random things that interest him. Or did before...well..” His bottom lip quivered. A dark cloud descended over him.Toothless glanced at him. He clearly had some unresolved issues with his father.“So, how long will we have to stay in this hole, Hothead?”“Cammy will be back soon.” He brightened. “ She took the other two Night Lights with her. But Frost didn’t want to leave Luna.”As if summoned by his name, the moderately-sized dragon flew in through the cave opening. His pale scales reflected the light from outside. Toothless had to squint to look at him.The dragon tilted his head to look at him. Then it pressed its head down in a courtesy. Toothless glanced at Luna, who seemed confused as well. Why would Frost bow down to him?Ignis looked between him and the dragon. He shrugged it off.“I’m gonna go wait for Cammy outside,” He mumbled and left the cave.
“What a weird kid,” Toothless thought out loud as the boy left. Luna looked away from the wall. She smiled.“He grows on you. Trust me, he’ll either drive you up the wall or become your best friend,”Toothless shrugged, “Well, he doesn’t seem to like me,” A bit of an understatement.“What’s to like?” She grinned. Toothless couldn’t be mad at that smile.“Ouch, that hurts me right in here,” He patted the left side of his chest. “Why does no one understands that they should all bow down to me? Except for Frost here,” He patted the dragon on the nose. “Good boy.”Luna sent an exaggerated eye roll his way.Frost suddenly screeched, a wild look in his bright, green eyes. A dozen sharp projectiles flew in through the mouth of the cave, burrowing itself in the Night Light’s back so he looked like some kind of winged porcupine. Upon further inspection, Toothless realised with a jolt that they were needles. He ran forward to help as the dragon collapsed with a heavy thud. A tall, skinny man walked in through the mouth of the cave. He stood over the unconscious dragon, careful not to allow himself to touch it. In one hand he held a crossbow, in the other he held, what looked to Toothless like a tome of some kind.“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Corinthians, 11:14,” The man spoke, his voice full of disdain and scorn.“Take this disgusting creature aboard the ship. It will die for the glory of our Lord,” He glanced at them, “Them too,”Two men walked in beside him.They raised identical crossbows, levelling them at Luna.
Time slowed as Toothless closed the distance between them. The crossbows rustled as the string loosened the bolt straight at him. He swerved to avoid the first, but he was not so lucky with the second.It burrowed itself into his shoulder. A stabbing pain shot through his arm, as he yanked it out. The needle was empty, the tranquillizer had found its target.He felt a wave of drowsiness threaten to overwhelm him. He pressed himself forward, his limbs beginning to turn to jelly. He tackled the first man as he nocked another bolt in the crossbow. Toothless felt his nails dig into the man’s arms as he wrestled with him. His ears rung as blood rushed to his head.He twisted so the man was held in front of him, as the second bolt loosened by his friend stuck into the man’s chest. His grip slackened and collapsed.He ran over to the other man, grabbing his crossbow. As they wrestled for the weapon the man raised his boot and sent a wild kick at Toothless. It sunk into his stomach and he gasped as he staggered back, air escaping his chest. The world spun.The next bolt struck him in the neck.He heard a scream, as the ground rushed towards him. His mind left consciousness before he felt the impact.
She screeched with terror and took off into the air, only for a bolt to streak through the air and sink into her neck. He could only watch as she crashed to earth as a poor dove whose wings fail them, before disappearing into the clumps of tall grass. He charged through, the flaky strands parting before him as he went. He had to find her.

He emerged from the thick grass, as the man called “Grimmel” raised his weapon. His mouth opened for a plasma blast, but it was too late. He had failed.
A weight pressed down on him. His body ached, it felt like it had been twisted into an unnatural position over a long stretch of time. A flicker of light pierced his irises through the skin of his eyelids. They resisted him as he struggled to open them. The intensity of the brightness sharpened as little beams slipped through the widening space in his eyelids. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust.His surroundings gradually came into focus. The bright light emitted from a string of lanterns placed on wooden panelled walls. It looked like the interior of a ship.A loud breath drew his attention from the room to the sleeping girl on top of him. The reason why his body ached so much became clear. He was hunched over a pile of sacks, Luna dumped on top of him with little thought.He eased her off him, careful of waking her. A coat far too big for her hung from her shoulders, the name-tag HAGEN sowed onto the collar. It was probably best to keep her unaware of their circumstances. And besides, she had an adorable little dimple on her cheek when she slept.A cute puff of breath escaped her lips as he moved her. A soft smile drifted across his features. Her face was dreamlike, shaped into a gentle and peaceful expression. The scene was almost perfect, if not for the fact that her beautiful ocean eyes were hidden behind her eyelids.
“I hope her fate in the next life is as peaceful as she is now, despite what my father says,”Toothless flinched as he heard the voice from behind him. He turned around to see a boy about his age sitting behind him. He had a thick mop of messy blond hair that was swept to the side with little care, with hazel brown eyes and a solemn expression on his face.“Were you there...the whole time? Just watching us?”The boy’s eyes shifted to the side, “I was...g-guarding. You are prisoners,”Toothless glared at him, “Any notion of privacy under that thick mop you call hair?”He looked hurt at the comment. Toothless did not feel any regret. This guy was holding him (And Luna by extension) prisoner.“So...why are we here?” He demanded. The boy looked up at him.“My father has decreed that you shall be punished your insolence.” He sounded like a parrot, echoing his father’s voice.“Do I really look like the, uh, insolent type to you?”The boy nodded, “Y-yes, very much actually,”“Good, because that’s what I was going for.” He paused, thinking of a way to approach this, “Your father believes I should die simply because my eyes are, how should I put this, weird ” He took in a breath and pressed on, “Does it seem right for you that two teenagers,“

He pointed to himself and Luna, “-And one 12-year-old should be executed because of this fact?”The boy didn’t answer him. He just stared at him, his soft, hazel eyes shining directly into his own. Toothless frowned.“Uhh...hello?”“Oh, umm, I-” The boy stammered, “I um..I d-d-” Words seemed to fail him.Toothless could see he had freaked the poor kid out, “Hey, hey it’s okay. Let’s backtrack a bit.” He paused.“So what’s your name, kid?”“H-Hagen,” He stuttered out.“OK Hagen, I’m Toothless,” He smiled, showing him the lack of teeth on his gums,“So, the people holding me here against my will, they think I’m the spawn of a guy named Satan or something.” He winced as Hagen recoiled at the name, “Me and my...umm”He glanced at Luna. What were they to each other again?“Friend. Me and my friend here could really use your help, Hagen. Please,” He met his gaze, attempting to plead with his eyes.“But I can’t help you, my father will punish me. He’ll-”The sound of a key turning cut him off. The door opened with a sharp click. Toothless turned to face the new arrival. A snarl twisted across his face as he recognised the long-faced man who had captured them.“Ah, you are awake,” The man spoke with a softness in his voice. But Toothless could remember all too well the spittle spraying from his face in sheer anger as he screamed for his accomplices to seize them in the cave.“Let us not waste any time on pleasantries. You shall be punished, in whatever manner it is that the Lord decrees or my name is not Constantine,”Toothless growled, “You let us go or-”Constantine interrupted him, “Revelation, 16:13. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.”Toothless frowned, “What-?”“No God-revering human of love and passion is not familiar with the sacred text. You have associated with that of which is impure. You are tainted by the great serpent. For that, you must die, as the Lord wills it so.”Great Serpent? Did he mean Frost? He didn’t see what was so wrong with hanging out with a reptile. Reptiles were cool.“We haven’t done anything. “ Toothless attempted to sway the man, “We’re just doing what we can to find out who we are” Constantine hissed at his words. He paced up and down. He looked unstable like a living volcano that could erupt any second.“You share the same eyes as the amalgamation of the devil and the form of God’s most holy angels. You must have relation to him,” He insisted. A manic passion burned within his eyes.Toothless struggled to form words that would appeal to the man.“We’re just teenagers! Please don’t do this…”He searched the man’s eyes for an ounce of pity. He found nothing.“No. The time has come. For both of you.” He slipped a blade from a satchel around his waist. It had a strange curve on its blade and the edge looked deadly sharp. Constantine rotated it around in a “move it” motion.Toothless turned to Hagen, with some desperate hope that he would be able to sway his father. Instead, he found the boy’s eyes cast downwards. He didn’t look up.“Pick her up,” Constantine gestured towards Luna’s sleeping form, “Chop, chop, we are on a very tight schedule, ” Toothless slipped his hands underneath the sleeping girl’s back. He lifted her up in a bridal carry. The muscles of his arms groaned in complaint under the weight. Seemed they still had not woken up yet.She began to stir in his arms as he carried her outside the cell. Her eyes opened a crack. A lazy smile drifted across her face when she saw him,“Hey, Toothy,” Normally he would pretend to be annoyed at the nickname (Nickname of a nickname?) But today he could barely muster up a small returning smile to reassure her. Probably because he was carrying her, unbeknownst, to her probable execution at the hands of these maniacs. Unless he did something firstHe followed Constantine up the stairs to the top deck of the vessel. The night sky was as dark as a shadow, like a piece of cloth was held over the world to veil it from the Sun’s sight.Men in white robes glanced at him as he passed. Toothless saw the unwavering judgement in their eyes. It made him shiver.Luna shifted in his arms. She gazed up at him, with her deep blue eyes. Once again, Toothless wanted to drown in them. Anything was preferable to the likely painful demise that awaited them.“What’s goin’ on?” She yawned. She began to look around, breaking eye contact with him“Hey, look at me,” Her eyes drifted back to him again, “We’re gonna be okay. I promise,” He took in every detail of her. Her luminous silver hair, the pale skin of her face and her eyes, especially her eyes. He wanted his last view to be of the deep oceans of her irises.
In the distance, a loud shriek echoed across the sea. Discourse rippled across the crewmen as they all turned to the open sea to find the source of the noise.,“What in God’s name was that?” One of the crew leaned over the side. He turned and faced the long-faced man. “Mr Constantine, sir. What should we do?”“It’s a bad omen. We’re cursed!” Another yelled.“SILENCE!” Constantine bellowed, his long face contorted into a frustrated look. “There is nothing out there. Now, commence the ceremony,”It was then Toothless noticed the large pyre in the centre of the ship. It lay on a large stone slab, probably to prevent it from setting the entire vessel aflame when lit. What filled him with dread, however, was the white form that was tied to it.“Frost,” He breathed.Constantine glanced at him, “How ironic that you chose a name like that for the ruler of fiery hell,” He clapped his hands together. “It is only right for the bringer of fire to die by fire. Tie them to the pyre,” He gestured towards them. Toothless frowned. Where was Ignis?Hands seized them. He felt Luna being ripped from his grasp and forced himself to stay calm as she cried out. Anger wouldn’t help him here.His wrists were bound, as he was tied to pieces of wood. Oil was splashed over his face, seeping into his eyes and making his vision blur. He gasped for breath as it ran down his face and into his mouth. It tasted like liquid flame, burning the inside of his mouth.“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, Revelation 12:9 ” He heard Constantine cry out. His followers cheered.Toothless managed to glimpse Hagen through the crowd. The boy gazed at him. Their eyes met for a short moment. Hagen looked away. Please, look back. Please.He looked around, desperate for a way to escape. He caught sight of Luna. There was a strange, calm expression on her face. Her eyes gleamed with...was that amusement?His thoughts were interrupted as a blanket of flame engulfed him.
Not that it bothered him. If anything, it was a huge help as it burned away the wood holding him there, a cleansing flame, though not the kind that they were expecting. Except it burnt away most of his clothes. Oops.He got to his feet, wary of the crowd of fanatics that gazed at him like he had just fallen from the sky.“Do you not see? Satan has gifted him with immunity to our flames.” Constantine cried, his face contorted in triumphant mania. “Seize them. KILL THEM!”The white-robed people drew metal blades from their sleeves. Toothless steeled himself as the crowd charged him, weapons levelled at him. He closed his eyes.“WAIT!” He heard a shout. Toothless opened his eyes.Hagen stepped in front of him, between them and the mob.“This...this is wrong. You should be p-p…” Toothless thought Hagen’s words would fail him again right then. But by some miracle, he pressed on, “Preaching p-peace, not violence. Do you think this is w-what God s-stands for? Execution?” His voice was proud and strong. He looked almost unrecognisable to the slumped boy from earlier.“He’s standing up to his dad…” Toothless whispered. He felt a hand slide into his own, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Luna“Get out of the way, boy,” Constantine hissed.“B-but I’m not just a boy...I’m your s-son. And you haven’t been a father to me,”“You...You are no son of mine, standing up for dragons ,” The mob leader turned away, “Kill them... all of them,”The crowd charged them.Hagen took a fearful step back. But he didn’t move aside, Toothless noted. He chastised himself for caring, they were about to be fighting for their lives here.He glimpsed dark shapes above him. He didn’t know if they were really there or just desperate figments of his imagination.The mob descended on them, knocking them down flat like a tidal wave. He felt the wind knocked from him, as he heard Frost give a wild roar as he bowled into them. Even as the dragon fought them, he could see that Frost was about to be overwhelmed. The dragon thrashed, struggling to keep their blades from piercing his skin. Luna’s hand was ripped from his in the chaos.

“Oh no!”

He dove as the ice exploded around them, engulfing the boy, Hiccup in his limbs to protect him. Then there was nothing. Nothing but that fierce spark of anger that grew inside him. It grew into a bright blue flame that surrounded him and erupted into a fiery explosion. The ice was shattered as he emerged. He glowed a bright blue, his mouth contorted into a tooth filled snarl.

A wave of bright blue energy exploded out of him. All the anger, all the hatred, all the pain expelled out of him at one in a blast of plasma. It threw all the of them back, a blur of white cloth flying away from him through the air.He looked down at himself. Large sections of his body glowed blue, energy pulsing beneath the skin. It lit up everything around him. He felt unstoppable, like all the power in the world lay at his fingertips. But, as soon as it appeared, it vanished.He sunk to his knees. He felt drained like he barely had even kept his soul in from exploding outwards in the concussive blast.The sky seemed to come alive as he witnessed two pairs of eyes descend down upon the ship. They fired a hail of plasma, scattering those still left standing amongst the aftermath of the explosion. His explosion. Only one figure stood upright. He couldn’t make them out. Their arms were stretched up to the heavens, a desperate plea for help. His gaze followed the mans gesture. Toothless’s eyes must be deceiving him; a black shape hung over the mast, a figure on its back.Dizziness overtook him as the world tilted, as the ground rushed to embrace him. His head smacked against the hard wooden decking.
Toothless saw no more.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first thing she noticed was the warmth that surrounded her.

Luna basked in it, not caring where it originated from. She felt at peace, warm and snug. Not even the threat of screeching fanatics could draw her from the solace she had found in this mysterious bundle of heat. She wasn’t one to question nice things.

“Luna...Luna, wake up!” She felt arms shake her as an impatient voice filled her ears. It burst the little bubble of serenity that she had buried herself in.

With a groan, she slowly forced her eyes to open as a blinding, bright light flickered in through the tiny crack that had begun to form in her eyelid. The room came into focus. As did the 12-year-old boy waiting in it.

“Ignis…” She groaned, speech not quite returning to her yet. “Do you care...at all for my comfort?”

It irked her further that the boy had the gall to smirk. “Oh, I’d say you look pretty comfortable,”

Her brows furrowed, taking more effort than usual because of her state of sleepiness. What did he mean by that? The cheeky hatchling.

She sat up...only for an arm to rope around her and tug her back down again. She squealed as she realised she was wrapped in someone’s arms. The mysterious source of warmth suddenly made a lot more sense.

Her gaze followed along the arm until she reached their face, where an open mouth and a stark set of gums met her. She yelped as she recognised Toothless, scrambling out of his arms like he had the plague. She fell in a heap onto the floor in a panic.

Ignis burst into a childish giggle, which evolved into hysterical laughter at her reaction. She glared at him.

“Who put me here...

with him?”

She demanded. A rose-tinted blush formed on her cheeks.

Ignis managed to regain control of himself, as he whispered to her, “Well...you kinda did?”

She frowned, “No, I wouldn’t have.”

He shrugged, “You were unconscious and just latched onto him and wouldn’t let go. It annoyed the heck out of Cammy,”

“Cammy? She’s here? Wait a minute,” She glanced around her surroundings, “Where

is

here? Another ship?”

Ignis chuckled, “Yeah, this is another ship. Thankfully this one isn’t crewed by religious zealots. This is my mom’s ship. You should come meet her, I think she’ll really like you.”

She clambered up from her place on the floor. Disturbed little particles of dust hung in the air, glinting in the light of the oil lantern in Ignis’s hand. Dark shadows clung to the corners of the room as the light did not quite reach them. She dusted herself off.

“Yeah sure, as long as you don’t mention this,” She offered, “

Ever

,”

He gulped, his Adam’s Apple bobbing up in his throat. He planted a cheery look on his face and waved for her to follow him as he slipped the door open. He stood beside it and held it open for her, eyes cast downwards. She brushed by him, a hidden grin on her face, Oh, the poor boy.

He pressed on ahead of her, taking a left to a wooden stair. She followed him, keeping close to avoid the crew members bustling around the ship. Every so often, one would glance at her and she would keep her head down.

“How did you guys find us?” She asked.

He chewed his lip, “I ran into my mom on the beach. When we came back to the cave, you guys were gone. Mom scouted around on Eclipse’s back. Found the ship with all the religious folk, and, well,” He shrugged, “You know the rest,”

She nodded, “Huh. I’ll make sure to thank her for saving us,”

“Well, from the looks of it, you guys didn’t really need help. All the crew were knocked down, Frost’s doing I assume,” Her stomach twisted as she remembered what happened. When Toothless...yeah.

“-All except this one other prisoner. Older man…” He trailed off, “Oh, and this blond haired kid. Yeah, that’s about it,”

She nodded, not really listening. Toothless had

exploded.

If there had been something fishy about the two of them before, there was definitely something big at play here. Now she just needed to figure out what it was.

“Mom’s just up here,” He gestured down the corridor.

Her stomach fluttered with nerves. She felt her eyes light in a blue glow in response to the fluttery feeling. Why did this have to happen now, of all times?

She nudged Ignis as he led her through the ship.

“Hey Ig, you wouldn’t have anything to cover my eyes, would you?”

He gave her a curious look, “Yeah, I have these,” He pulled out a pair of black-tinted lenses, held together by a glass frame. “Dad made these for me and Cammy. Said they’d help protect our eyes from the Sun. Why?”

She pulled them from his grasp and slotted them over her face. The frames pressed harshly against her nose.

“I’ll explain later,” She whispered, as they arrived at a plated wooden doorway. Ignis pushed the door open, as it creaked in protest. He motioned for her to head inside the room.

Wary, she slipped in through the doorway. The room was decorated with a large array of weaponry; shields, sword, axes, maces, you name it, lined the walls like the walls. It looked more like an armoury and not the personal quarters of any sane individual. But that was just her being judgemental, right?

She caught her own reflection in the shining surface of a shield held on a plaque on the opposite side of the room. The black tint of the lenses dulled any colour she could see but even then, her hair looked unnaturally shiny. She tucked it behind her ears as a desperate attempt to hide it.

Luna jumped as the closet began to rustle. A yelp shot out of her as a fully armoured woman burst out of the wooden container. She scampered back to the doorway, her eyes wild.

The woman broke into a fit of laughter, a meek little giggle that made Luna feel equally scared and stupid.

“The look on your face…” Her face contorted in effort as she struggled to reign in her laughter, “Oh Thor’s undergarments...” The woman pressed her sleeve against her mouth to quell the laughter. She had a bright, pleasant voice and her face lit up as she smiled.

Luna just stood there, feeling awkward. How was she supposed to react to something like that?

The woman managed to regain control of herself. She swept her long blond locks from her face and held her hand out.

“Sorry, I’m not usually prone to such outbursts. I’m Chieftess Hofferson,” She grasped Luna’s hand, the woman’s much larger hand enveloping her own, and giving it a rough shake, “But you can call me Astrid. Everyone does. Except for Snotlout but well, he

is

Snotlout,”

Astrid pulled a chair out from beneath a large wooden table in the centre of the room. She took her place on the adjacent side of the table, gesturing for her to sit. Luna sat down, still feeling awkward.

“So, where are you from?” Astrid beamed at her. Her smile seemed a little too friendly, it was unnerving.

“I, uh, don’t know,” She shrugged. She didn’t have much else to say. Astrid seemed like she could do the talking for both of them. “I don’t remember anything before your daughter, Camicazi found me,”

“What, nothing at all?” Astrid frowned, “That is strange.” She sat back, looking thoughtful.

“What about the boy who was with you? The one Ignis said was a bit of an ass?”

Luna smiled to herself, “Toothless. Yeah, I don’t know much about him either,” A flicker of surprise shot through the older woman’s face. It was gone as soon as it appeared.

Astrid paused,

“Ignis…” She hesitated, “He said that Frost...got attached to you, for a lack of a better word. The boy too. He said that he had never seen Frost act that way around anyone before. He was really excited. Almost like he recognised you...” Her brows furrowed, “But that’s impossible. He’s been on Berk his whole life. His siblings and we are the only people he’s ever known,”

Luna thought about this. She voiced a question of her own.

“How did you, uhh, come by him? I doubt creatures like that are commonplace,”

Astrid’s lips stretched into a sad smile, “There was a time when you were more likely to find a dragon nesting on the roof of your house than any insect or pest.” She sighed, “But those days are long gone.”

Astrid pulled a dagger from her satchel and begun to sharpen it on a stone.

“Those three, their parents were caught in a massive whirlwind 5 years ago. Swallowed the poor creatures whole. My husband, Hiccup, he took it hard.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. Luna could sense a great sadness within her like she had not quite recovered from the event, “He was...I suppose close doesn’t even begin to describe it, with one of the dragons. Hiccup and Toothless, rider and dragon, together they mapped the world,”

Luna’s eyes widened a fraction as she heard the name of the dragon, before realising that it was just a simple coincidence.

“Hiccup retreated into himself after that. He spends all of his time locked away in his workshop, plotting potential courses for where the ocean could have taken them.” Her voice began to shake, almost unnoticeable beneath the steel in her voice, “I’m terrified that Ignis and Camicazi will grow up not knowing their father. All he’s shown them these past 5 years is a locked doorway and a sullen silence. That is if he’s not sending them on voyages to look for his lost friend,” Her voice broke completely. Luna thought she glimpsed a lone tear running down the woman’s face.

Luna didn’t know what to do. Should she comfort her or stay silent? She settled on giving her a gentle pat on the back.

Astrid straightened, forcing a smile on her face. It didn’t quite reach her eyes. She brushed the tear from her cheek,

“Sorry, didn’t mean to unload that on you.” She sniffed, “You must be hungry,”

Luna nodded, “Yeah, I could eat,”

Astrid smiled, “Good. It’s feeding time,”

Luna frowned at that. That was a weird thing to say. She brushed it off and followed the woman to the top deck.

The Sun beat against her eyes as she emerged onto the top deck. They struggled to adjust to the harsh rays of morning. The first thing that struck her was the trio of dragons that were curled around the mast as a snake clings to a tree. They looked content, despite their uncomfortable position. Frost opened one lazy eye to glance at her before settling back into sleep. Luna smiled at the sight of them.

“I suppose I should properly introduce you three,” Astrid offered, “The big ball of fluff with the black ears; that’s Frost as you probably already knew. He’s the alpha of the three, the big brother for lack of a better term. He may act all proud and scary but he's a softy at heart,” She reached over to brush his tail that hung low above her head, “The female with the blue eyes and white underbelly is Eclipse. She likes to mess with people, the sly girl. And the last one,” A sad smile shifted across her mouth, “That one’s Stoic. He’s a quiet one. Doesn't interact with people much. Even his siblings don’t seem to get much out of him,”

As Luna stared up at the dragons, she bumped into someone’s backside
A short man turned around and scowled at her. Tufts of long hair stuck out of a helmet with curly horns that sat on the crown of his head.

“Watch where you’re going, Blonde,” He mumbled as he walked. She wasn’t even blond, her hair was silver. Idiot.

Astrid turned and gave an exaggerated eye roll.

“Don’t mind him, Snotlout doesn’t have manners” She indicated her thumb at him as he walked away, “Or much brains. Honestly, you’re lucky he didn’t try to flirt with you.”

Luna smiled at the Chieftess’ comment.

Astrid led her towards a short, stout man. The man was tinkering with a device on a small workbench. He wore a grubby tunic and a silvery moustache fell from his face that somewhat resembled a thick noodle. A metal instrument was attached to the place his hand should have been. She glanced at it, saddened by what he had lost. Luna knew all about missing parts of herself.

“Gobber!” Astrid exclaimed. The man jumped at his name.

“Aye, Chieftess, a bit of warning next time?” He grumbled.

“Nonsense, it’s payback for all the loud noises you’ve made over the years. And I told you on my wedding day; just because I’m your Chieftess, doesn’t mean you have to address me so formally, Astrid is fine,” She slapped him on the arm.

He shrugged, not dignifying a response.

“Who’s the wee lass ya’ got there?”

“She’s hungry,”

“Heya Hungry, I’m Gobber the Belch. The only one around here with any brains at all,” His voice held a heavy accent over it.

Luna held a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. She liked this Gobber character.

Astrid sighed, “You got any food for her or what?”

Gobber nodded, “She’ll get her food once ya tell me her name.”

Astrid turned to her, “Actually, I don’t think I asked your name,”

Oh…

“I-I uh,” She stammered, “D-don’t know my name.” She gulped, “Your son helped me pick one,”

The blonde raised an eyebrow, “He didn’t pick anything too...outrageous, did he?”

“Luna!” Came a shout to her left. Ignis rushed out to her and grabbed her hand. She didn’t even have time to open her mouth before she was whisked away by the 12-year-old. She managed to catch a glimpse of Astrid’s other eyebrow raising in question. She mouthed a

sorry

as she went.

He rushed her below deck.

“It’s Toothless. He, uh, woke up,” He glanced at her, “He was glowing blue, all over his body so I thought maybe I should tell you before anyone else saw,”

She nodded, remembering the night before. She had almost forgotten about the way his body lit up in a bright blue, how that energy

exploded

out of him like a tidal wave.

“Ignis,” Her voice had taken on a hard edge, “Don't tell anyone about this. Not even your sister. OK?”

He nodded, his head shaking sporadically like he had one too many caffeine shots.

Luna hoped Toothless could keep himself hidden until she reached him. She needed to see him.

“Heya, Toothpaste,” He croaked as she opened the door. He was wrapped in a blanket on the bed, only his head visible

She glanced at him, curious, “How did you know it was me?”

He glanced away from her, “Your footsteps,”

She frowned, “You could tell it was me by my footsteps?”

“The speed and the weight of them. Yeah,”

That was weird. But also kind of cute. She smiled at him.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Like I was sat on by a Gronkle,” He muttered. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. She noticed his teeth were on display.

“Hey, what’s with the…” She gestured to her mouth.

They retracted inwards like they were shy. He looked sheepish. She made a soft amused sound.

Luna sat down at the edge of his bed

“So…” She began, “Ignis told me that you were having some...skin problems?”

Toothless raised the blanket off him, revealing a blue glow that emitted from him. A pattern of glowing tattoos trailed down his chest.

“Oh,” She had to mentally slap herself to stop her attention wandering.

“Ignis seemed to think it was something called “puberty”,” He supplied.

She waved a hand at his words, “I wouldn’t trust a thing that comes out of that boy’s mouth. So...we can’t tell anyone about thi-” The glow began to diminish, “...Oh, what’s it doing?”

Toothless sighed, “I was worried about you. Last thing I remember is a bunch of fanatics about to kill us. When you came in, I felt relieved that you were okay. Then, well... the glow stopped,”

She nodded, filing away the info that he had been worried about her, “So it must be tied to your emotions. OK, that makes things much easier,”

He frowned, “What do you mean?”

Luna sighed, “We can’t let these people know we’re...different. Or they might lock us in a cage, remember?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Is that why you’re wearing those black things over your eyes?”

She blushed and quickly took them off, stuttering out a response “Y-yeah.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. They look cute on you,”

She blushed harder. “Thanks.” Why did he have this effect on her?

He perked up, “So, can I go meet the crew?”

She gave him a regretful look, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Toothy. What if you suddenly start glowing? Then they’ll-”

“-Throw us in a cage, yeah I got it,” He sighed, “What if they don’t?

What if…”

He emphasised the last part, “...They accepted us for what we are?”

Her face was adamant, “That’s not a risk I want to take,” She felt a pang in her chest as his face fell, “Look, let’s just wait until we get to wherever we’re going. Then we will decide on the best course of action to take. Alright?”

“Fine,” He grumbled. She hated to do this to him but it was for the best.

There was a knock at the door. Before she could reach it, the wood swung open. A man stood in the doorway.

“Thank the Lord you two are in good health. It would have been very unfortunate for something to have happened to either you.”

Luna snarled, “Constantine,”

His face lit up in mock hurt, “Oh my, the contempt. And to think of all we suffered together at the hands of those fanatics,” He held his palm up to his head.

Toothless frowned at him, “What are you talking about? How did you get here?”

Constantine laughed. Luna shivered as she remembered where she had first hear it, “Why, I was rescued, just as you were. I am so grateful to the crew of

The Fury’s Wing

here for saving me from such a horrible fate. Who knows what they would have done to me?”

The green-eyed boy growled, sounding alarmingly feral, “You damn liar,”

Luna placed a hand on his arm to help calm him down. It wouldn’t help them at all if he lost his cool.

Constantine stepped fully into the room from the doorway, closing the door behind him. His pleasant expression morphed into a glare, “Lord forgive me for such sinful actions, but I do what I must to serve His will in the long term,” He smiled; a chilly, cold expression that sent shivers down her lower back.

The man paced around the room, “Let me make one thing abundantly clear. If you expose who I am, I will show them

what you are

.” He paused, “Freaks. Abominations of nature. Minions of Satan,” An eerie smile crept upon his face, “They will not accept you. No one will. They will see you for the monstrosities you truly are,” With that, he slipped out the door as suddenly as he appeared. He certainly had a flair for the dramatic.

The door shut with a loud slam behind him.

“Damn it!” Toothless slammed his fist down into the wall. The wood broke and gave way beneath his knuckles. Luna said nothing; she was still processing the whole thing.

Toothless pounded his foot on the decking, “What are we going to do, Toothpaste?” The use of the nickname did very little to alleviate the situation. “We have done

nothing

to this madman...but he decides to chase us across the whole fricken archipelago like some wild dog, for

no reason.

We have done nothing to him," He repeated

Luna shrunk back. Maybe that last part wasn’t entirely true.

As Toothless ranted, Luna slipped her hand inside her pocket. It was still there. She partially slipped it out, the spine of weathered pages sticking out of her coat pocket. She would have to examine it later.

She had first noticed it when she had woken up on the fanatics’ ship. It had simply been in her coat pocket. She slipped the fabric off her shoulders and glanced at the nametag. HAGEN.

“Toothless,” She called. He stopped his ranting to look at her, “You know anyone named Hagen?”

He grimaced, “Yeah, he’s Constantine’s boy. Poor kid, his father’s been brainwashing him to parrot his every word. Damn it!” She could hear the underlying rage in his voice.

“Toothless, are you OK?” she called, turning around to face him.

His pupils had slit into narrow lines. Luna took a step back as Toothless’s torso began to brighten into a blue glow. His eyes were green lanterns that were about to burst into flames of emerald.

“Toothless don’t-”

The room was filled by a fiery blue light.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Toothless gasped for breath as the room filled with light.His head swam as he fought to keep himself upright. All the energy had been sucked out of him; he was left feeling drained. The green-eyed boy slumped against the wall. Only for the weakened timber to collapse under his weight.The decking splintered beneath him as he crashed into it. Shards of wood dug into his arms, little splinters that impaled him. He groaned. What had just happened? He was feeling a little drowsy.
Luna

He scrambled to his feet. If he had hurt her, he would never forgive himself.Green eyes darted around the room. The bed had been knocked over and the fur rug on the floor had been blackened to obsidian. He began to panic. She wasn’t here. Had she been disintegrated? No, she couldn’t have. No.A set of bright orbs appeared in front of him, floating by themselves in the open air. Luna materialised in front of her, her body solidifying as it lost its transparency. She glanced down at herself in astonishment, a look that was no doubt mirrored on his own face.“Odin almighty,” came a stark whisper from the doorway. Luna glanced towards the newcomer in shock as she finished solidifying, just enough time for them to see.“Cammy...We can explain!” Toothless tried as she fled from the door, “Wait. Damn it!”He broke off in pursuit. His body felt heavy like it had been transformed yet again, only this time to lead. He stumbled after her, his peg leg trailing behind her as he struggled to keep up,“Please, just stop!” He gasped. His leg gave way and he collapsed in a heap on the ground. He heard the sound of her footsteps slow to a stop.He grabbed onto the wall for support and pulled himself to his feet.“Thanks, I-”Luna suddenly materialised behind her and tackled her to the ground. Cammy yelled for help like she was hoping to get the attention of a crew member. Luna clamped her hand over her mouth. Damn it, he thought to himself as Cammy struggled against the silver-haired girl’s grip.“Hey, calm down, Cam,” He glanced around, hoping no one was about, “Please. Someone will hear you. Just give us a chance to explain,”Her face twisted in anger at “Cam” like the nickname bore some resentment for her. She stopped, her hands dropping to her sides. She still looked scared though.“I get it okay. The stuff we can do...it’s weird . And hard to explain,” He sighed, “Look, We’re gonna let you up now. Promise me you won’t freak out, OK?”She gave a slow nod. He got off her and got to his feet, holding out his hand to help her up. He sighed as she neglected it and pulled herself to her feet.Camicazi dusted herself off and propped herself against the timber wall,“Talk,” She uttered, her arms crossed.He gulped. There was a lot resting on this. If he screwed this up…“So, we’re both fireproof and I can do this weird blue explosion and Luna can turn invisible and I have no damn idea what’s happening!” It all exploded out of him at once, in a quick babble. “But we had to keep it a secret because Luna was scared you guys might put her in a cage and-”“Woah, slow down,” She looked lost, “You thought we would throw you in a cage? What’d you take us for, savages?” She scoffed at him.“Yes, we did,” Toothless turned as Luna spoke from behind him. Her face held a calm expression across her pale features, “Did you give us any reason to think we could trust you? You treat those dragons like property. Or is “ my dragons ” just a term of endearment?”Cammy snarled, “They’re just animals. Get over it,” Toothless noticed something he couldn’t decipher in her voice.Luna smirked, “I wonder if your father would agree with that.”“Shut up! You don’t get to talk about my father, you’ve never even met him!” She spat at her.“Look, there’s no easy way to explain this,” He tried to gain both their attention, “Just let us show you..please.”She looked at him for a long moment. A shadow of surprise lit in her eyes as if something he had said had resonated with her. Her eyes searched his as if she was searching through his soul. He let her.Without a word, she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. An invitation. He glanced over at Luna as she stared at him expectantly. Okay, he needed to activate that fluttery energy sensation...but he needed to keep it under control. While Luna would avoid being turned to ash, Camicazi wouldn’t be so lucky.He needed a memory, something to focus on that would draw the emotion out of him. It seemed to react strongly to fear, but not just being afraid for himself. But afraid for someone else.His eyes drifted shut. He blocked everything out and focused on his breathing.Nothing came.“I-,” He was weak. Too weak to summon that power again. Too-“What are you doing!” Luna’s distressed cry echoed in his ears. His eyes flashed open as Camicazi pressed a dagger she had kept hidden to Luna’s throat as she held her up by the collar.“You freaks are gonna die,” She snarled, “Starting with “Toothpaste” here,”
He could feel it, creeping up his spine. The trickle of energy that flooded through his body, filling his limbs with a renewed strength and making lines across his skin glow a bright blue. The energy brought with it cold, calculated anger. Camicazi stepped back, the dagger dropping from her hand with a loud clatter as it hit the decking.“You can let go of me now,” Luna whispered to her. Cammy let go of her collar.“What?!” He turned to her, as a realisation dawned on him. “What do you mean?”
Luna turned her head towards him, “We needed to trigger an emotional rea-”“SO YOU MADE ME BELIEVE YOU WERE IN DANGER?!” He roared, his voice alive with something echoey and unnatural. The sound felt powerful, ringing off the walls like the sonic waves of a….Shock crossed across her face, “No, I only meant tha-”“YOU LIED TO ME!” His roar was deafening, a primal sound that did not sound in the least bit human. Anger blocked out any logical thinking.He felt the energy crackle at his fingertips. They had tricked him, scared him into action. The energy pulsated, longing to be free of his body. They weren’t to be trusted. They, they-
What was he doing?
Toothless eyes widened at the fear displayed on both their faces. Fear for their lives. Green eyes darted down to his hands that were balled into fists. He took a step back from them and fled down the corridor before he lost control completely. Sparks flew off him as crewmembers leapt out of his way, looking bewildered and frightened. He ignored them. He had to get away from here. Away from them. He felt the energy burn through the rags over his shoulders, sizzling against his skin. He didn’t care, let it burn away all the clothes he wore. Right now, he felt more beast than man.He sprinted to the top deck. A blonde woman in a large coat stood in his way.“Hey, what are you doi-” Sheer astonishment hung itself across her face, “No, it can’t be.” Disbelief coated her features, “...Toothless?” He ran past her as she gaped at him, stunned. Something told him to just run. And so he did.He reached the end of the decking as pale claws dug themselves into the decking before him. His gaze followed them up until his eyes met with green rings so like his own. Frost glanced down at him, tilting his head to look at him for a few seconds.He turned around and slowly lowered himself to the ground. An invitation to climb aboard.He didn’t hesitate to clamber onto the dragon’s back.
The dragon shifted to allow him access. As he tucked his legs around Frost’s back, he heard a voice call out to him from below.“Toothless...wait! We can figure this out,” The blond woman from a few seconds ago looked up at him, a shocked and fearful expression visible on her face. Her eyes were filled with recognition...she knew him. “I don’t know how this happened...but we can fix this,”He glanced back at Frost. His bright green eyes held a similar look. While he was on this ship, he would be a danger to everyone on it. He could burn the whole thing down in a tantrum. Besides, something told him that this dragon could illustrate who and what he was far better than anyone’s words. He nodded his head at the snowy Fury; he was ready.With a harrowing screech, the great pale beast shot off into the air as the others followed along. The last thing he saw before the sky embraced him was the panic that crossed the woman’s face. Then, he had eyes only for the stars. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey,”Luna looked up from the floor, “Hey.”“Can I join you?” Cammy asked, nodding her head at the empty by the wall beside her. Luna shrugged her shoulder and moved a little to the side to make room for her. The redhead planted herself down.An awkward silence grew between them.“He’s gone,” Cammy said suddenly, “Mom said he went off on Frost’s back. The other two went with them.” Luna hoped he knew what he was doing. He often didn’t.“I imagine it’s annoying that they up and leave you, twice, for two total strangers,” Luna tried to smile but it came off as more of a grimace.“Yeah,” The redhead mumbled.The silence returned and this time, it stayed.
Luna found her hand wandering inside her pocket. Like it had a will of its own, it drew the contents out onto her lap. A weathered leather book, with strange symbols carved onto the front. She pulled back the string binding it together and opened on the first page.
Father returned home from his trip today. He was not in the gentlest of moods; he raised a threatening hand to mother when she asked him where he had gone this time. Although he always threatens to, he can never quite find it within himself to do it, which I am eternally grateful for. Mother usually channels her frustration over him into her treatment of me. That is if I am not spending the evening committing the holy scriptures to memory...
It was a diary and an expressive one at that. Luna found herself wondering about this Hagen character and what cruelty his father (And from the looks of it, his mother) had shown him. Add that to the long list of reasons she hated the man.“What’s that?” Cammy asked, a light tinge of curiosity on her voice.Luna shrugged, “Just a book I found,” She put it down on the chair beside her “ I think-.”“Excuse me,” A voice interrupted her, “You’re wearing my coat,”Luna looked up and her eyes met with dark hazel ones. They stared blankly at her, expectant.“You must be Hagen. Sorry, I’ll give this back,” She apologised and slipped to coat off her shoulders to hand it back to him, position herself to obscure the leather book from his sight.“Next time, don’t steal someone's coat without permission,” He grumbled. The light of an overhead lantern made his messy blond hair shine unnaturally. He gave her a stink eye as he walked away.Luna frowned. She didn’t know what his problem was but she wasn’t in the mood for his rudeness.“Next time, don’t take part in the kidnapping and burning at stake of people and only interfere at the very end,” She called. He sent an obscene gesture her way.“Idiot,” Cammy muttered beside her. “I’m surprised that someone so religious would even know a sign that foul,” They two looked at each other. They burst out laughing.“Wow, he was so mad, ” Luna said between laughs, “It was like he had taken it as a personal insult that I had dared to borrow his clothing.”Cammy nodded, her face lit up in a wide smile. Luna had to admit, she looked a lot nicer when she smiled, “He has it out for you,”“And why is that? I would assume you would know since...well, you and I haven’t exactly been on the best of terms,”Cammy looked uncomfortable, “Sorry if I was...distant, before. I-” She searched for the right words, “I grew up in a village with a majority of boys, without a lot of girls my age. So I find this mysterious boy with weird dragon eyes and he’s kind of cute. But then there’s this girl and she’s smarter and prettier than I am and I feel a little…” Her face scrunched up in embarrassment, “Threatened. Wow, sorry I didn’t mean to-”“Unload that on me?” Luna smirked, “Your mom said something similar. Of course, she was talking about your dad and not…” Her eyes widened, “Wait, you... like Toothless?” She felt burning hot waves mass in the centre of her stomach.“Yeah.” The redhead cringed. “It’s silly, I know. As if anyone that cool, that confident would settle for...this,” She pointed to herself.Luna frowned, “But you just gestured to all of you.”“Yeah. The freakish girl who spends all her time out in the woods, with animals.”“I thought you didn’t like animals? You did say they’re just animals earlier as a defence.”“Well, I’m kinda embarrassed about it. What kind of Viking spends more time in the company of beasts than humans?”“So you don’t want people to see you like that?” Luna asked.Cammy sighed, “It doesn’t matter. They already see me as the chief’s disappointing daughter who can’t even lift a battle axe,”“Hey, hey. Don’t think like that. Think of all the amazing things you’ve done since the little time I’ve known you. You infiltrated an island filled with religious fanatics and single-handedly rescued two people from an island full of said religious fanatics, one of whom was missing a leg. Meanwhile, all I’ve done is lose my memory and get burnt at the stake,” She smiled as Cammy giggled, “And don’t forget; Toothless and I are freaks too. We can be freaks, together.”The redhead’s eyes met with hers. “Thanks...Toothpaste.”A spark of amusement ran through her, “Oh, it’s Toothpaste now is it?” Cammy chuckled at her mock indignation. “You bet it is,”“How did you end up with those fanatics, anyway?” Luna asked as their laughter died down. A guarded look crossed her face. Luna realised that she had made the girl uncomfortable, “Hey, you don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to. Sorry I asked,” She added.Cammy shook her head, “No, it’s not that…” She released an exasperated sigh, “My dad sent me...looking for those damn dragons,” Her hands clenched into fists, “I get that he and his dragon had a bond...but it’s time to let it go. He’s been missing for 5 years; we’re never going to find him even if he is alive.”Luna placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
A small smile peaked the corners of the redhead’s lips as she opened her mouth to speak, “I’ve never really talked to someone about this stuff; thanks, you’re a good listener. Sometimes it’s just..easier to babble to someone you hardly know.”Luna nodded. Her hand still lay firm on her shoulder.They jumped as heavy footsteps rang from the staircase. Two people climbing down the noisy, wooden planks.“We’ll have to leave them, Gobber. Frost knows the way home. Keep our course on Old Berk, we’ll rendezvous with…” Astrid coughed, “ The Chief there. Maybe all of this can finally come to an end,” She stopped when she saw them, her gaze focusing on Luna. The woman opened her mouth to say something. But no sound came out.“I-it...” The shock on her face was almost comical.”It really is you...” She managed, “How did I not see it before? The bright blue eyes, the silvery white hair...even that sly little look on your face,”What did she mean? They had only met today.“Aye, it’s definitely her,” Gobber agreed. Luna frowned at them both. Did they know who she-“What are you talking about, Mom?” Cammy piped up. Astrid glanced at her as if just noticing she was there.“She’s who we’ve been looking for, all this time,”What? She recalled the story Astrid had told her, about the dragon’s missing parents that had been caught in a whirlwind.“T-that’s impossible,” She blurted out, “I’m-” She broke off. What could she possibly say that would dispute the claim. Nothing. But what she was saying just couldn't be true, “No, you’re lying,”Astrid shot her a look of sympathy, “I know this is hard to accept but-”“NO!” Her shout echoed across the ship, not unlike how Toothless's had earlier.Cammy’s eyes flashed to her, “You’re the reason why we’ve been scouring the entire archipelago for years ?!” Luna caught the underlying why my dad has shut himself off from us. “No Cam, I-” She tried to reason.“DON’T CALL ME THAT.” Luna couldn’t help the underlying feelings of hurt shooting through her chest. She thought they had moment there.“Camicazi,” Astrid warned, “Calm down. Now.” “I’ve been calm for 5 years!” Her voice was close to a roar, “I put up with this goddamn crusade of yours long enough! And now, YOU’RE SUDDENLY MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS RANDOM STRANGER THAN YOUR OWN DAUGHTER.”She stormed off, her voice still ringing around the room.Astrid sighed, “Gobber, go after her.”The stout man hesitated, “She needs time. And maybe yerself should go, later. It would be better off that way.”“I don’t have time, we need to concentrate on getting to Old Berk as fast as possible.”“Or maybe, you’re usin’ that as an excuse to-”“That’s enough, Gobber!” Gone was the cheerfulness and excitement that Luna had seen of the woman that had bundled herself into a cabinet so she could jump out and scare her visitor. In its place, there was the coldness that came with the burden of responsibility.Luna felt her skin tingle, like sharp beads of electricity, were racing just below the surface. She gazed down at her hands, or lack thereof. Instead, her gaze landed squarely on the ground beneath her. She was camouflaged again. Like a wispy apparition that stalked the corridors of the ship. She slipped away while the two adults were distracted, stealing away into the shadows.She found herself back in Toothless’s room. It was still in a state as if it had been bombed, with loose bits of blackened wood scattered across the floor beneath all the knocked-over furniture.From her pocket, she drew out the leather book and opened it on a random page in the middle.

Father finally shared with me where he has been going on his long voyages. He’s been going out hunting dragons! Not just any dragons, but the offspring of lightning and death itself, the Night Fury. He said he might take me along on one of his expeditions, get me away from mother. I’d like that.

He told me he had found a family of them; a male and female, as well as their offspring. He let them know he was coming, saying “there’s no thrill in the hunt if the prey aren’t aware they’re being hunted.”
She turned the page, opening up a new day of the diary.
My father and I went out hunting those dragons I mentioned in my last entry. I see what he meant by the thrill of the hunt, there’s nothing like chasing a beast that could burn your whole ship to splinters if you’re not careful.

We found that family of Night Furies resting on a hilltop. My father slaughtered the male as he slept, then the female as she leapt to defend her offspring. One quick crossbow bolt and it was all over. My father then handed me the weapon.

It’s a grisly contraption, outfitted with dragon hide with a tendon for a string. It was his father’s before him, and now he wanted to pass it on to me. To kill the hatchling.

I couldn’t do it. The little thing looked so small and innocent with its big green eyes and toothless gums. I switched the bolt with a tranq dart when my father wasn’t looking. He’s not one to skin his prey, he hunts for sport.

Luna felt a surge of affection for the boy. Despite how cold he had been to her earlier, he had a heart of gold buried in there somewhere. She just hoped Constantine hadn’t drained all of the goodness from him.“-No! How dare you!” A shout echoed up from the floorboards. Luna froze.“What I do, I do only because it was wanted of me!” Luna shifted from her place on the bed and placed herself flat against the blackened floorboards. Nothing but the slightest hint of light could be seen in the cracks of the floorboards, but she could hear well enough.“What would you have me do? Kill them all?! Bah,” The voice was almost unrecognisable, so full of anger and a trace of what Luna thought to be fear. Gone was Constantine’s cold drawl. His voice was uncharacteristically emotive, “You question me? Do you not remember the very thing you and him pushed me into when I was but 14 years old? I-”She heard a loud creak, the sound of a door’s hinges.“Hagen?”“Father dearest. I heard you speaking. Who were you talking to?“No one. Thinking aloud. My boy-”“I’m your boy now? What happened to kill them all ?”There was silence between them. Luna worried that they had noticed her listening until Constantine spoke again.“Hagen...you could never understand. I did it to protect you.”“Protect me? By sending a crowd of maniacs to tear me apart?” Hagen laughed. There was little humour in it“And what was my alternative?” He snapped. “You had your chance to prove yourself to these people, so they trust you now. Did you not notice the beasts flying overhead?” Constantine hissed. The sound came off as almost reptilian to Luna. “They were following us for days, watching. If any of our captives had been killed, they would have slaughtered us in revenge. So the plan changed. The freaks were no longer my concern,”“And what was your concern?” The blond haired boy challenged.“The safety of you and myself,” His father responded coolly.Luna noticed that the boy seemed taken aback by this.“What? Since when have you given a damn about me?”Constantine was quiet again. It was a guilty silence.“And what about you? Were you just going to scuttle away? Mission complete, killed a bunch of human kids and a few flying serpents?” Hagen demanded.“Do you take me for such a fool to believe dragons could be killed by fire ? When they came to interfere as the crew rushed all of you, I called out for help, put on a moving performance that involved a lot of pitiful begging for them to “save my son, please! I beg of you!” I knew the best chance for survival was to play along with this charade. So play it I did,”Luna had to cover her mouth with her hand to silence her own shocked gasps. So he hadn’t been trying to kill them on the ship, he had been posing as a victim. He had let go of his crusade to save his son.“You have a plan for everything, don’t you?”“No one has a plan for everything. You simply plan and adapt...and hope you succeed,”“Well, tell me,” Hagen sneered, “Is this what succeeding looks like?”“No. Our situation is dire,”“ Your situation. I could easily expose who you are. In fact, I should do that. It would be the wise thing to do.”“Not without dragging yourself down. You’ve committed acts that they would find shameful. The worst part is...these are good people. They will accept the freaks for what they are...and now we have nothing to blackmail them wi-”The floorboards beneath her burst and sent her tumbling down into the cabin below. Toothless’s explosive output of energy had done them no favours and they had finally given in to her weight upon them.Luna scrambled up from the ground to face them. Her head levelled with them, as they both gazed straight at her with twin shocked expressions. She smiled to herself.Thank Odin for her camouflage.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Some distant part of him had dearly missed this. Could you miss something you didn't even remember?The dragons had formed into a tight formation, one following behind the other. The wind whipped at Toothless from his place on Frost’s back, scattering his hair in several directions like his dark locks were waving the sea a lazy farewell before he sailed off into the clouds.Up and up they climbed, the flat sea replaced with lumpy, white shapes that parted before them. He felt the air become thinner, as every breath became a battle. The sky was silent save for the flapping of the dragons’ wings and the rustling of the wind against his ears.The mounts stopped, almost sending him toppling off into the air. He felt a shift in movement around his waist, as the younger dragons crowded around him on Frost’s back, like the many slim heads of a Hydra. They gazed at him with soft, intelligent eyes that held wisdom he yearned to understand.Frost pulled his head back to look at him as well, upside down. He looked ridiculous but also endearing, in a way, with his tongue out of his mouth and flapping against the wind.The three of them just looked at him, for a long moment. Their gazes were expectant, they were waiting on him. What had they brought him up here to show him? Was he supposed to do something?The female, Toothless remembered distinctly as being named Eclipse, raised herself into the air above him. She rested her claws lightly on his shoulder, then slipped her paws around so she held him in a sort of bear-hug, his back to her leathery chest. She was warm, her stark white scales smooth against him. Then the scaly foothold disappeared beneath him.He yelped as he fell into the open air, Eclipse still wrapped around him. She folded her wings inwards, as they picked up speed and descended into a spiralling freefall. The wind roared at him over the sound of the dragon's breath so close to his ear. Was her plan to just hold him until they hit the ground?Then she spread her wings.
Their freefall slowly eased into a gentle glide across the air. He watched the clouds pass beneath him, small teases of the sea through the wispy whiteness.The roar of the wind turned to a light whisper across his cheeks. He looked to his left, as the great dark wings sprouted out from his side. Her wings became his. Like he himself, was flying and not the dragonThe clouds parted as a moderately sized island appeared on the horizon. Twin statues of cone-shaped human faces were erected out to the sea, their mouths agape with a burning flame. Run-down houses were dotted around the coastline as large cliffs loomed in the background.Toothless barely had enough time to take in the surroundings before suddenly, she let him go.Terror rocketed through him like the wind upon his skin. It tore at him, hurting more than any whip. He tried to swim through the air towards Eclipse, as the dragon tumbled across the sky. He reached for her.Her tail fin smacked into his face, sending him flying off course.Panic gripped him as they neared the ground. He was going to die here, splat down on the cliffside on some lonely island-Her claws latched onto him and pulled her to him. He let out a sound between a scream and a whoop. Her wings covered his arms once again, just in time for them to pull up to avoid colliding with the trees that hung from the trees. Their wings shook under the force of the wind. The dragon screeched over the wind as they descended into the fog.
“Uh, oh…” He grunted as a maze of large rock pillars rose from the sea. Toothless erased all thoughts of panic from his mind as the pillars engulfed them. Dragon and boy morphed into one.They slipped through an opening, angling to the side to dive into the next. Their darkened wings swung to the side to avoid a rock face strutting out, rotating into an aerial roll.Sea-water sprayed into his face as they brushed by the surface, slicing it with their wings. They took precise turns, one wrong move would cost them their lives.He and the dragon were one, no longer just dragon and rider. They curved their wings to turn to the side, as the wind escaping between the pillars ruffled their scales. With one final turn, they soared out and the open air embraced them once again.

The boy cheered as he raised his arms above his head. They had survived the danger, together and had flown, not just as dragon and rider but as one. He was right to celebrate. Toothless felt almost as happy. He was back to his old self. His wings were restored and he could fly again., albeit with a little help.

Toothless fired a plasma bolt, as the light trace of flames from the shot engulfed the boy as he groaned, “Oh Come one…”

The dragon smirked to himself.

Eclipse gently placed him down in a field of long grass that flattened under him. Her siblings descended from the sky above them, as they had been tracking their progress.The memories came rushing back to him, for a while. The attack on the town, the ballista bola burrowing itself into his tailspin and destroying it forever. He glanced down at the place his ankle should have been, where instead there was a simple wooden support. It felt surreal to him. Could it be?

Toothless decided he would stay with him. The boy who had rescued him from the netting, who studied him from afar and brought him barrels of fish to eat. The boy who had built him a new tail and given him a second chance at flight. The boy who had risked everything, the respect of his people, the love of his father, for him. The boy who had changed their minds about dragons and changed his life forever...
Toothless staggered back in shock. He...he was a dragon. The ruler of them all, the last of his kind. That much was clear to him now. That and that he needed to find him. The boy. His best friend.
He pushed on. The ground was muddy and waterlogged, his ankles sunk deep into the earth every step he took like the earth was attempting to swallow him whole. Frost and Eclipse walked alongside him, their pale paws staining brown as they squelched their way across the wet ground. Stoick trailed behind them.Toothless stopped and turned towards the dragon. It cast its eyes to the side, not looking at him.
His mate smiled at him, with that look that both invited and scared him.

She raised her wing to reveal three newly-hatched Night Lights. One was mostly pale with splotches of obsidian sprinkled on his ears and back, his own bright emerald eyes staring back at him. The other two held a similar look to each other, mostly a dark colour with splotches of white dotted around patches of their scales.

Two sets of blue and green eyes came towards, clamouring for their father’s attention. But one held back. His emeralds were cast downwards, his tail curled up against his chest.

The Night Fury tilted his head and cooed at him to encourage the hatchling. His mate gave a gentle nudge with her tail, a coy smile across her pale cheeks. The hatchling stayed where he was.

His mate nudged him with her nose, a bit more insistent this time. That seemed to do the trick, as the nervous patters of the little dragon’s paws approached him, slowly.

The hatchling joined his siblings, shifting to the side of his sister to draw less attention. The Night Fury brushed him out into the open with his tale. The little one’s head raised up, his face meek as he gazed up at his father, slight fear glinting in his eyes. The Night Fury patted the young Fury on the head with his tail, brushing it along his crown. The nervous hatchling seemed to relax a little. His pale brother looked jealous that he wasn’t the one receiving all the attention.

The Night Fury knew he wasn’t supposed to have favourites but he couldn’t help the way his heart went out to the little dragon. Wary of anything, like he had been in his youth. But unlike him, his offspring would not grow up alone. He would make absolutely certain of that.

The boy approached Stoick, raising his hand out towards him.“Shh, you oversized panda...it’s alright,” He said, palm pressed against his scaly nose. The dragon sniffed his palm and looked up, making eye contact with him. Those green eyes shone with wonder...and sadness too. Toothless wrapped his arms around his angular neck, cradling Stoick's large head in his arms.“I’m here,” He whispered, voice welling with emotion, “I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I’ll-..I’ll never leave you again, I promise,” His voice broke off as the words caught in his throat. “I failed you…”The dragon looked to be on the verge of tears as well, his eyes shimmering with a shinyness that magnified the green Their foreheads pressed together. Cold droplets of rain sprinkled down on them like the weather reflected the emotions running through his chest.“I failed you!” He cried again, the words lingering in the air. Two other snouts buried into his arms. As he cradled his children, Toothless couldn’t tell if it was his tears, those of the dragons or rainwater that poured down his cheeks in wet streaks like painful marks of his failure. His body protested every movement as they trudged through the mud in the direction the houses had been. Wet locks of hair loosed icy drops across his face that ran all down to the ruined remains of his shirt. He shivered.Frost’s scales glinted even brighter than usual, the rain reflecting the light of the Sun that had begun to peak through the clouds of rainwater. Specks of water flew at them at an angle, as the force of the wind blew at his cheeks..He sought cover beneath a large oak tree, shaking to rid himself of all the water that clung to his skin. The dragons were hidden from his sight by a veil of leaves that hung low from the branches.“You’ve never been to Berk before, son?” Came a voice from behind him. It was hoarse and heavily accented, “You might have thought to bring something warmer.”Toothless turned around to see a woman staring at him. A leathery armour was pinned around her shoulders and she leaned against a long staff with double horns protruding from each end. He noted with a degree of caution that they were embellished with large spikes.“Sorry, I got lost,” He glanced up at the woman’s face. Worry lines were spread across her forehead and her hair had a good deal more grey in her hair than he remembered but that didn’t stop his eyes widening in recognition at the woman.
“Oh, he’s beautiful,” The woman laughed, her voice slurring as she ran her hands over his gums. “He may very well be the last of his kind!”

“Valka?”She tilted her head at him, “Do I know you?”This was a very complicated situation. How should he approach this?Probably just open his mouth.Her brows furrowed further as he stretched his jaw to reveal his toothless gums to her.“You’re...toothless.” She noted, a hint of apprehension in her tone.He grinned, “In the flesh.”Toothless wished he could have saved the moment when it hit her in his mind.“You’re...Toothless!” She repeated, much louder this time. A huge grin formed on her face.
Her eyes widened until they resembled large dragon eggs in their sockets.“Toothless!” She again, “How...how is this possible?” She grabbed him and wrapped him in a tight hug.“If only I knew,” He sighed against her shoulder. His arms wrapped around her back.Valka tripped over her words, spluttering questions like an awkward adolescent Viking, “How-how did you even get here?”Frost chose that moment to peak his head in through the veil of leaves. Valka barked a laugh at him as he spied on them.“Oh, of course, you wonderful creature!” She scratched under his chin as the dragon beamed at her. Eclipse and Stoic joined them, poking their heads in with an eagerness to see what was going on. Toothless felt like breaking down into tears all over again.“So, are Nubless and Stormfly with you?”Toothless frowned at her as they walked along the muddy trail, “Nubless?”Valka snorted, “I forgot you had missed that. We all called her that after you left.” A wistful smile sprinkled across her cheeks, “It’s a pity I never got to meet her. Hiccup tells me she was quite the sight to see, though not the most trusting of dragons.”Toothless perked up at the mention of his best friend’s name, “Hiccup! Is he here?”A sad look drifted across her weathered features, “Yes and no. Come, the Old Town is just up ahead.”Of course, she had to go and be cryptic about it. Toothless rolled his eyes at Frost, who just stared blankly at him, before hurrying on after Valka.
The town was empty, almost abandoned. It was eerie, Berk and silence together seemed like a weird concept to him. He kept expecting to see a Gronkle set fire to a house or for Gobber to launder up at him and demand to have a look at his teeth. Instead, he was met with nothing but the cawing of crows as they danced across the tips of rooftops.The architecture of the island had been toned down. Gone were the food stations, dragon wash and fire extinguishing systems and in their place was...well, nothing. The buildings no longer towered above him, instead, they stood as simple wooden shacks. It was as if he had travelled through time to the days before he had met Hiccup. Before all of this had happened.They reached the Great Hall, the colossal stone doors flanked by twin statues with sword in hand and blade in the mouth. Toothless smiled; to some it might look imposing, intimidating even. But to him, it was the subject of many jokes by Hiccup. Toothless couldn’t wait to see him.Valka slammed her fist down on the large doors.“Hiccup!” She bellowed, “Come out here. I have a surprise for you. Too-”“Go away,” Came a voice inside the hall, “You’ve given it your all, Mom. Now it’s time to go home. Give it up,” The voice sounded croaky and tired.“But son-”“I SAID LEAVE,” His voice thundered, rocking the very foundations of the stones they stood upon. Toothless’s hair stood on end...well, even more so.“We found him…”“That’s low.” Came the reply, “Using that. Leave, Valka...and don’t return,” Toothless witnessed the look of pain that flashed across her face at being called Valka by her son. Her hair billowed in the wind behind her, like it was mourning what her son had become.Toothless’s face fell. What had happened to his old friend that had driven him to this?“Hiccup!” He called, “It's me, Too-”“I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. LEAVE. ME. ALONE,” A loud yell penetrated through the doors.Valka looked at him, despair in her eyes. Now he knew what she meant when she said Yes and no. “Stand back,” He warned. He had an idea...and it was not going to be pretty.
He placed himself firmly in front of the looming doorway. He knew what he to do.“Hiccup…”He heard Hiccup utter an old Norse curse. “Leave now, or there will be consequences!” The last part had come out as a small splutter.This was his fault. If he hadn’t gone missing, Hiccup wouldn’t have devoted himself to searching for him and wouldn’t have neglected his children. He had destroyed his best friend’s family simply by existing. He was a plaque on them, he was a frea-The wave of blue energy burst the doors clean open, slamming them against the interior stonework. The entire structure shuddered.He sunk to his knees. All the energy seemed to disappear from his body. No, he had to get up. GET UP!Toothless rose to his feet. Just in time to see the orange blur of a flame blade hurtle towards him like a fiery comet flying across the blank vacuum of space.Instinctively, he dodged the strike and tumbled backwards down the stone steps. Valka surged forwards to help but he waved her away as he got to his feet. He had to shoulder this alone. It was the only way to stop this for good.He backpedalled and got a good look at his attacker. He recognised immediately the armour and mask Hiccup had worn during that whole business with Drago, realizing with a pang that their red logo had been scratched off the shoulder plate.Behind the eyeholes, angry green eyes glared at him, a hateful madness burning beneath the green. It tore at his heart to see Hiccup like this.“Hiccup… It’s me bud. I’m right here,”Hiccup charged him, ignoring his plea. Toothless braced himself for another strike but instead, Hiccup rolled past him, spraying Zippleback gas all around him from a small canister. A green sea surrounded him, filling his nostrils with a horrid gassy smell.The masked man snatched up the flame blade where it had impaled into the ground. Without a moment’s hesitation, Hiccup ignited it with the tip of his weapon. The air around Toothless exploded as he was doused in a swallowing flame. It clung to his clothing like a parasite but left him alone.“No!” He heard Valka cry out. He was suddenly reminded of Stoick's death at his hands. Another way he had destroyed their family. Toothless had failed Hiccup then, he had failed him 5 years ago...
He would not fail him now.
The smoke cleared. He felt the ruined remains of his shirt burn to a crisp but his skin remained unscathed, with only a light coating of soot in spread across hsi chest.Hiccups eyes widened behind the mask, before returning to a snarl. He sent Valka a reassuring look before Hiccup was on him again, slashing wildly with the flame blade, creating a blur of orange as the flames hungrily licked the air around him. The wind roared in his ears as it tugged him towards his attacker.Toothless dodged a heavy strike from Hiccup as the blade clanged against the ground, leaving the man temporarily stunned. He grasped the weapon by the blade, taking a small bit of satisfaction as Hiccup gazed at him, incredulous, as his arm remained unharmed from the stream of fire.With his other hand, he reached and pulled the mask from his face. It slipped off and clanked against the stone ground. What greeted him was a bearded man, with long, messy hair that had not been well taken care of. A burning intensity shone in the man’s eyes, his face contorted into a hard grimace.They wrestled for control of his weapon. Toothless grasped it with both hands, focusing on knocking Hiccup’s fingers from the handle.“It wasn’t your fault, what happened.” His voice strained as the weapon tilted towards him. “You would never hurt her. You would never hurt me .”As he was speaking, he didn’t notice Hiccup’s metal leg sneak around his ankle. The dragon-boy released a strangled gasp as Hiccup wrenched his feet out from under him. Toothless fell to the ground, still grappling for the weapon as Hiccup fell with him.“Hiccup…” He gasped, every breath a struggle, “Please...you are my best friend, bud. My best friend-”He felt something slam into his face and the whole world shook. A coppery taste filled his mouth, as something wet dribbled onto his tongue. His ears rung as Hiccup yelled at him. “Stop it! Stop trying to…” Toothless gasped as the coppery liquid began to crawl down his throat. Hiccup screamed right in his face, spittle spraying from his mouth. His breath smelled of rotted honey. “...trick me!”Toothless spat, the blood spraying out into the Viking’s face. The bearded man fell back, disorientated as he wiped the red from his eyes. Toothless lunged at him and grabbed hold of the straps on his torso.“Hiccup...what you’re searching for, isn’t out there.” He struggled for breath, his chest screaming as tendrils of pain dug into it. “It’s in here.”He pulled on the coil on the front of his armour.Hiccup’s wingsuit unfolded from beneath his arms, as a gust of wind yanked him off of Toothless. Pale white paws appeared from the sky as the dragons caught him their grasp. The flame blade cluttered to the ground, the stream of fire cut off.“Hiccup…” The dragons lowered themselves so they hovered with Hiccup at eye level.Toothless’s eyes met with Hiccup’s green ones.All the anger, all the pain, all the...loss; He could see it dissipating from the emerald rings, like the wind that rustled through his hair was plucking them from his soul. But what took their place seemed even worse; an empty nothing. His eyes looked dead.Toothless glanced up at Frost. The dragon dropped the now-docile Hiccup to the ground. The boy rushed over to him.“Hiccup!” Valka ran over to them. Hiccup looked at her, his eyes welling with tears.Toothless wrapped him in the fiercest hug of the archipelago. He felt Valka join in the huddle, her arms stretching around them both.The light of the Sun was cut off as three pairs of wings surrounded them, cocooning them in a mesh of black and white limbs. Toothless shut his eyes, the tears slipping through the cracks in his eyelids. They burned like acid, but that didn’t stop his body from releasing the floodgates of his tear ducts.He felt every tear running a path down his face, finding a home on his upper lip or side of his nose. Some ran into his mouth and left a salty taste on his tongue. He kept crying like he was trying to expel the horrible feelings in his chest out through his tears.A cracked voice spoke out, muffled in the huddle, accompanied by loud sniffles.“Y-you a-and me, bud,” Hiccup spluttered through his sniffles, “Always,” His voice broke. It sounded wet like he was speaking through a waterfall of phlegm that ran through his mouth and nostril. Toothless felt a wetness form in his short. Whos tears had caused it, he didn’t know.The dragons pulled away, the cold air rushing to embrace him once again once the cover of their wings disappeared. He felt Valka’s arms release him from a tight lock, allowing air to flow normally back to his lungs. But Hiccup stayed, sniffling into his shoulder. Toothless made no move to separate them.“Toothless...” He heard Valka sigh and lay a stern hand on his shoulder. He sighed and shifted out of Hiccup’s embrace. The Viking opened his puffy eyes, still shining with tears amidst the emerald. Toothless helped him to his feet as if he were a child and guided him inside the behemoth doors.
The Great Hall had changed drastically in the time Toothless had been away. Gone were the long dining tables, comfortable timber chairs and large, brazen fireplace that stood in the centre as the village hearthInstead, workbenches were crowded around each other in a circle. Large maps of the archipelago and tidal charts plastered the walls. A pale light extruded from a cylindrical device that reminded him of the Dragon Eye.Toothless put Hiccup down gently on a chair. Something hard and wooden knocked against the back of his knee. It made a sloshing sound as it smacked against the stone floor. As he turned, he noticed a small keg lay knocked over, a chestnut liquid leaking from it. Hiccup groaned at the sight of it. Toothless winced as a sour smell crawled into his nostrils.Valka scowled at the drink that stained the floor, “Hiccup! There’s barrels of this stuff here. How much of it did you have?”Hiccup muttered something inaudible and slumped back in his chair. Toothless gazed at the woman, confused.“Mead,” She said with disdain, her lip curled, “The poison that is willfully taken.”Toothless suddenly understood why Hiccup’s strikes had been so sloppy, why he had managed to beat him.He glanced at his old friend, his unkempt and scruffy beard dotted with chestnut stains down the length of it.“I did this to him,” He realised, “To all of them.”Valka’s mouth opened to protest, “Toothless...”“Are you gonna tell me it’s not true?!” He demanded.Valka sighed and slumped her shoulders. Toothless suddenly realised how weary she looked. He regretted raising his voice.“Don’t beat yourself up about it. Hiccup... wouldn’t want that.” She gestured to the curled up lump that had fallen asleep on the chair.“I'll leave you two alone. Scrounge up some fish for the dragons,” She left, the daylight cut off as she closed the door behind her.Toothless straightened an upturned chair and sat down on it. The memories came, dropping in on his skull like someone was tossing bricks at his head, hitting dead centre every time. So many memories and feelings... too many .

“Those who attacked us were relentless and crazy...but those who stopped them? Even more so!”

“Itchy Armpit it is…”

“I'm gonna kill you, dragon. I’m gonna...I’m gonna cut out your heart and bring it to my father,”

“He's down...and it's ugly. Dragons and Vikings; enemies again!”

“Alright bud, show ‘em what you got.”

“You do know my leg isn't a chewtoy, don’t you?”

“We are so...leaving. We’re leaving. Let’s pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation...forever,”

“No! Get away from him! Go on, get out of here!”

“You and me, bud. Always,”

“You'd never hurt him. You'd never hurt me.”

“You know that doesn't wash out!”

“Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile,”

“You belong with her...and that's alright,”

“You’ve looked after us long enough...time to look after yourselves,”

He laughed. He smiled. He worried. He wept. He remembered.Was he still in the present or had he been transported to times long past? Better times?Hiccup snorted in his sleep, bringing Toothless out of the hurricane of remembrance.“There were…”His voice so slurred that Toothless had a hard time hearing him, “...dragons...w-when I was a boy-y.” - “Astrid!” She yelled, her feet pounding along the deck like some odd musical instrument. Maybe a drum.Gobbler frowned at Luna as she ran past him. She took a flight of stairs three steps at a time, using the railing for extra speed.She burst through the door of the chieftess's quarters. Instead of hiding in the closet, this time she was at her desk, a map held out in front of her. She glanced up at her.“Astr-”“There you are. I was just going to look for you.” She stood up from the desk, “You need to tell me something.”“Yes, I-”“Where is she?”Luna frowned at her, “Who?”Astrid growled, sounding almost feral. “My dragon.”Luna felt almost afraid of the wild look in the blonde’s blue eyes.“Uh, what?”“You're here. Toothless was here. So. Where. Is. Stormfly?!”“I have no idea what you-”Suddenly, a battle axe buried itself in the timber beside her. It stuck into the wooden panelling, inches from her face. Luna hadn't even seen her throw it. If her heart had eyes, they were certainly widened.
“What’s the rush-. Oh,” Luna jumped as Gobber spoke from the doorway behind her. “I, uh...sorry.”“No Gobber, stay. She was just about to tell us where Stormfly is.” Astrid glared at her, “Weren’t you? ” Luna gulped, “Look, we have a much more pressing iss-”“ More pressing issue?! ” Luna realised that she had said the wrong thing.“No, I-I only meant that-”Astrid held up a hand to silence her. Luna ignored it.“-That man, Constantine he-”“I DON’T CARE. WHERE IS MY DRAGON?!” She screeched, her mouth open wide. It would have been almost comical if it wasn’t so terrifying.Luna took a step back, her back bumping into Gobber in the doorway.“I told you. I don’t kno-”“If you don’t know, then who does?!”Luna didn’t have an answer for her.“Chieftess...if I may be so bold, I think yar should let the lass speak.”Astrid sighed. Luna saw all the fight go out of her shoulders. She gestured at her to speak.“Well…” she began, “I was eavesdropping on that man, Constantine. Him and his son-”“Ya know, tha’s very rude,” Gobber interjected. She turned and glared at him, “Oh...sorry.”“They were saying that...well, that they tricked you.

themselves from the fanatics and played themselves as victims.”Astrid narrowed her eyes, “To what end?”“Well, the man’s up to something. He didn’t chase us across the archipaelago for nothing.”“And why did he, do you think?” Astrid asked.“He was talking about someone named Satan, that we were his envoys or something.”Astrid glanced at her with interest, then turned and pulled the axe from where it was embellished in the wall.“Come,” She motioned for the two of them to follow. As they hurried towards the quarters at the base level of the ship, shouting bounced over the walls.“No father! Please, stop!”They reached the room. The door handle rattled under Astrid’s hand, locked. Luna took a step back as the Chieftess knocked down the door with a single kick and charged inside, Gobber soon following.“Get the hell off him,” Luna heard the sickening sound of something being whacked by an axe butt. She slipped in through the doorway after themThere was a body crumpled on the floor, limbs spread out like they had been whacked mid-movement. Luna took a step forward to get a closer look. She recognised Constantine’s short cropped locks of blond. Streams of blood ran from his forehead, where a nasty mark that resembled a handle bruised across his skin.Hagen had his back up against the wall, his eyes wild with fear. Astrid had her hand stretched out to him.“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be alright.” Gone was the hostile tone and in its place was a calm, sympathetic voice. It made you want to believe that everything would be ok.Constantine groaned and began to stir. Gobber brandished his false arm at him, this time with the head of a mallet sticking from the stump.“I wouldn’t do tha’ if I were you.” For once, his tone sounded deadly serious. “Good thing I’m not.”“Get him out of here,” Astrid gestured towards the man on the floor, keeping her attention on Hagen. Gobber hefted up Constantine and slung him over his broad shoulders. He didn’t struggle.“You won’t ever have to worry about him again.” Astrid said, “I promise.”Luna opened her mouth to protest, “Astri-”“Not now,” She hissed, “He’s just been attacked by his father. The boy’s been through enough. Leave us.”Luna sighed and left. She knew an uphill battle when she saw one. The girl found herself near the helm of the ship. The gentle creaks of the wheel and the rustling of the sails as the wind slipped through the pale fabric were the only sounds to disturb her. Her eyes were drawn to the sky.The Sun was a faint glow that peaked just above the horizon, threatening to slip under at any second. Luna’s gaze flitted across from star to star like a frog that leaps between lilypads. She realised with a jolt that she was searching for three winged shapes...and their rider.
The girl sighed and turned away from the sky as the last rays of day disappeared beneath the horizon. Just as she was about to wander back below deck, the helmsman spoke to her.“You sound tired...care to share your baggage?”She frowned, “What?”“I-I mean, care to tell me what’s making you feel down?” She turned around to glance at the helmsman. He was quite large, towering over the wooden wheel.“Well, where should I start? The part where the only person I trust ran out on me, the part where someone on this ship wants to kill me or maybe the fact that the captain thinks I’m a damn dragon?” She huffed.“Ouch,” The man winced, “Sounds rough...Wait a minute, did you say Astrid thinks you’re a dragon?!”“Yeah...something about who you’ve been searching for?”The man’s eyes widened, “You’re...you’re HER! ”Luna glared at him, “Am not. Your leader just thinks I am. She’s clearly delusional. Desper-”The man shook his head, “No, no. You’re definitely her. Bright blue eyes, pale skin and hair like-” He jumped up and down on the spot, like an excited toddler.“The goddamn moon, I get it!” She snapped. A look of hurt flashed across his face. Luna sighed “Sorry, uh- what’s your name?”“Fishlegs…” He mumbled, eyes downwards. His shoulders slumped. The childlike energy had vanished.Luna felt bad. He hadn’t deserved for her to erupt on him. It wasn’t his fault her life was so confusing.“So...Fishlegs. You know a lot about dragons?”The man’s bright green eyes (Uhhh, really?) lit up.“Oh, yes!” He perked up, “They’re a bit of a passion of mine or, well, were before…” Fishlegs trailed off.“What happened? Why not now?”“They disappeared. The world just wasn’t ready for them, I guess.”Luna considered this, “Then why are there still dragons with you?”“You mean your hatchlings?”“I’m not a dragon!” She glowered“OK, sorry, sorry.” He backtracked. “Hiccup, the Chief, he said it would be too dangerous for them to go home. Their father was Alpha before he...went missing. The new Alpha wouldn’t take too kindly to them. Might see them as a threat. So we took care of them until we found you gu- I mean, until we find their parents.”Luna grunted, “Any idea where they might be?”“Well, getting caught in a tornado would most likely kill you...but these are dragons we’re talking about...If I had to guess, probably south.”
Somewhere South
“So...what’s your name?” The man asked as he tucked a wool cloak over her shoulders. His hair was slicked back and a blue linear pattern decorated his chin.“I...don’t remember,” The girl said. She pulled the cloak tighter over her.The man furrowed his brows, “You don’t remember?”She shook her head.
“Why is she here? There was meant to be only two!”

He admitted freely that he had miscalculated. That whirlwind had only been intended to swallow the two Furies, not pick up a stowaway. The girl could throw a wrench in their plans.

“I will handle this problem. I did not expect the silly creature to fly in after them!”

“Well, you cannot always account for heroics...or stupidity. See that you do. Fix your mistake!”

He would. But how? What would be a convenient and simplistic solution? He couldn’t blink her from existence, the man would notice and he was important.

Perhaps he could...ah, yes. Perfect.

He crafted a shadowy wraith of them; an imitation of the Furies. He gave them the gift of flight and of plasma and breathed something resembling life into them. Their eyes opened. One eye green, the other blue. Their scales were a mesh of dark and light, one side scaly, the other smooth as could be. The creature was transparent, a mockery of the original.

Then he released it upon the world.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Nothing at all?” The man asked her.She shook her head again. “It’s like...where there should be memories, there’s just nothing.”The man frowned, “Huh.”She planted a smile on her face, “What’s your name?”“Oh, I’m Eret. Son of Eret.” He puffed his chest out.“Right,” She smiled, “You...live on any of these islands?” She gestured over to the horizon and the hundred of islands dotted along it.“Yes, there’s lots of us there. Berk, home of the Great Dragon Riders!” He coughed, “Except there aren’t any.”The girl frowned, “What?”“Dragons. There aren’t any dragons,” He sighed, “They’re all gone, the lot of them.” “Hmm…” She said, thoughtful. “Do you have a ship?”He scoffed at her, “Of course I have a ship.”She stared at him, “Can I...tag along?”He held his hand up to his chin, “Sure, why not. I’lll warn you though, I have to rendezvous with my Chief up north within the week.”She beamed at him and got up from the ground. Eret gulped as she rose to full height.“You’re, um...tall,” She thought she noticed him propping himself up on the tips of his feet.She shrugged, wide smile still plastered across her face.“Shall we go then?”-Luna sat down and wiped the sweat from her brow.Where could she be? They were gonna be docking at land soon and she’d be damned if she let Cammy run off without giving her the chance to explain.“Hey, Snotloud!” She called at the long-haired man as he passed.“It’s Snotlout,” He grumbled and kept on walking.“Hey wait! I need to find Cammy. Y’know, the Chieftess’s daughter?”He didn’t even glance at her as he called over his shoulder, “Not my problem, blonde.”She got up and followed after him.“Aw, c’mon. Don’t be like that.”“Go away.”“Not until you tell me.”He huffed and crossed his arms. “She’s probably up in on the Dragon’s nest. Now, will you go away?”“Where?” She blanched at him.“Up there,” He nodded at the top of the sail post.Luna followed his gesture to a figure hunched over the bannister at the top of the sail.“Thanks Snotlou-” She turned around but he was gone. She glimpsed his long hair disappearing below deck.“Idiot..” She grumbled. Luna turned to the rope ladder that hung from the side of the post. It swayed in the breeze. She grabbed hold of one of the flimsy rungs, pinning it to the side to prevent it from dislodging her. She began to climb.“Hey…” Luna said as she grabbed hold of the ledge and pulled herself up. Cammy scowled at her but said nothing.“Look, you’ve got this wrong. I’m no dragon. Just a weird girl with an eye condition.”“Oh yeah? Explain fireproof skin..” Cammy muttered, still not looking at her.Luna sighed. This was going to be a little difficult.“Look I just….don’t know. Can I just be the weird blue-eyed girl and not…”“One of the two people that inadvertently ruined my life?” Cammy snapped. Luna felt a flash of hurt in her chest. “Just go…please.”
“No.”Cammy turned around to glare at her. “What?”“No. If...if I screwed up things so much, then give me a chance to fix it.”“You can’t just fix five years of my life!”“But I can make some sort of positive impact,” Luna said.“The best way you can make a positive impact is by leaving. SO GO.” Her voice scattered across the sky in its loud volume.“I can’t do that. I have to make this right.”“Fine. I’ll indulge you.” Cammy said, “What do you plan to do?”“I-I…” She didn’t know what to say, “I, uh….what place is this?”Cammy turned to look at where she was gesturing and said, “This is Berk. Or the Old Town anyway. The Chief should be there...and your friend.” Her lip curled in distaste.“Don’t you think you’re being a little petty?” Luna asked, “You're literally blaming him -us- for getting swallowed by a big tornado. Why not blame...fate or something?”“Because I can’t punch fate in the face, can I?” Cammy said, “You on the other hand…”Luna gulped.To her surprise, a grin formed on the redhead’s face.“You actually…” Cammy shook her head and offered her hand, “Fine. I’m being petty. Sorry.”Luna grasped it. “I’m sorry too.”“Now, let’s go see if Toothless managed to kick my father’s ass into gear.”
-
“Any luck?”“Oh, Gods no.”Hiccup was still curled up on his chair. His snores echoed across the hall, like a manly motor engine without the manly.“What am I going to do, Valka?” Toothless sighed and gestured towards him.“I don’t know. I tried for years to make him see reason.” Valka said, “But all I could do was slow his...decline.”An idea struck him, “Did he ever fly with one of the dragons while I was away?”She shook her head at him, “He said that he wouldn’t ride a dragon unless it was you.”Toothless felt a surge of affection for Hiccup. Despite everything, he had managed to stay a loyal friend at least.He gestured to Valka, “Here, help me wake him up.”“Ah. Why...why would y-you do that?!” Hiccup spluttered, water dripping from his outraged face and hair.Valka dropped the empty bucket to the floor. She jerked her head at Toothless and mouthed “his idea”.“C’mon Hiccup. Let’s go for a walk,” said Toothless, noticing Hiccup wince at the chirpiness in his voice. “Let’s make use of the...good weather?” There was a clap of thunder in the distance.Hiccup hissed as the doors of the hall opened with a croak. Toothless wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him out through the doorway. He breathed in deeply.“Mmm. You smell that, bud? That’s the smell of freedom.”Hiccup shook his head, “Freedom smells like dragon slobber and damp clothing.”Toothless smiled at him. “Guess you’re gonna miss the slobber, huh?”Hiccup nodded again, “How...how did this happen?”“What?” Hiccup waved his hand at his chest.“But Hiccup, you just gestured to all of me?” Toothless said, smirking.“Oh, you cheeky...I am long past that, I…” Hiccup said. A laugh began to creep its way up the man’s throat. He doubled over.“You’re not gonna vomit are you?” Toothless said.“Oh, would you stop…” Hiccup waved a hand at him, still laughing. Toothless laughed with him. At that moment, things seemed like they might be okay. “So where we headed?” Hiccup asked as they walked through the trees. He seemed to have come out of his stupor.“The woods,” Toothless said. Simple answer for a simple question.“I can see that. Care to be a bit more specific there, bud?”“I can tell you that there will be trees there.”“Wow, I’m blessed. Thank you so much-, whoa…” Hiccup yelped as the ground opened and swallowed him.Toothless peered down at him and said, “You’re really out of it, aren’t you?”Hiccup groaned as he got up, “Haven’t been around here for a while.” Toothless slid down after him, landing at his feet. “We’re here.”Hiccup leaned on the elevated bit of ground for support. “Where is here- Oh.”They were at the base of a large gorge. A small lake lay in the centre. On the far end lay several scratches made into the dirt.“This is where...where we…” Hiccup didn’t complete his sentence; he was too busy wrapping Toothless in a hug.“Where we first met,” Toothless finished for him. “I thought it might help…”Hiccup beamed at him, “This is...overwhelming. You're here and more or less okay, with me. It’s almost like I’m dreaming.”“Glad you can see the positives to this, son,” Came a voice from above. Toothless glanced up to see Valka perched up in a tree, leaning on her staff for support. A stern look was plastered on her face. “As you’ve been wasting away in there, you condemned the ones who cared about you the most.”Toothless spoke over her, “Valka, can we not do this no-”“We are doing this now.” She growled, “He can’t just pop out of his hidy-hole, happy as can be. Without a care for the hell he put us through.”“Val-”“She’s right, bud.”Toothless’s head whipped around, “Hiccup-”The man sighed, “As much as I enjoy reliving my childhood with you...I can’t.” His voice was husky and low, “Five years. Half a decade of neglect and bad parenting.”Toothless wanted to protest. Really, he did. But no words to defend Hiccup came to him. Because...because he was right.