The wind tore at my wings as I struggled to stay aloft above the ocean.

Toothless was watching the eggs while I went out to catch fish, and tonight wasn't exactly the best night for doing it. I pulled my goggles over my eyes and pumped my wings. The snow was sparse and the sky was mostly clear, but the gale was horrendously strong. On top of that, it was only the back end of a huge blizzard system that had headed toward Berk. I'd watched its process from the mouth of the cave and calculated that it would bring relentless wind and snow for about two months, meaning it would end around Snoggletog.
Which is just great, really. Hiccup will be tearing his hair out worrying about Toothless. Movement beneath me caught my eye, and I looked downward. Across the ice at a sprint was a pack of wingless dragons that I recognized as Speed Stingers. Some were carrying yak meat, others live sheep. I looked in the direction they had come from. "Uh oh," I said aloud. "That direction is Berk..."

I quickly dove down, grabbed some dinner before I forgot, and sped back home. I wrote a letter to Hiccup saying that Toothless was here for a couple months for personal/business matters. Then I got the mail carrier to fly it to Berk.

Toothless was upset that Berk had been ravaged by Stingers, but after a while he dropped it and went to sleep. I curled up next to him and closed my eyes, dreaming about Snoggletog.

============

Hiccup sat in the branches of a tree in the cove, his hands folded in his lap, his head against the tree trunk. The wind had died down a bit, and it was gently ruffling his auburn hair. His prosthetic glinted in the moonlight that had the audacity to break through the cloud cover and illuminate the softly falling snow.

Hiccup sighed. He was trying to remain upbeat, trying to remain happy so Astrid could be happy. But with Toothless missing and most of his tribe--his responsibility--frozen by the Speed Stingers, Hiccup had a reason to be glum.

The tree trembled and Hiccup looked over. Astrid had perched herself on the branch across from Hiccup; how she made it up with Stinger wound in her leg and a concussion, he did not know. Astrid pulled her legs up to her chest and folded her arms across her knees before resting her chin on them. Hiccup looked back up at the moon. "Astrid, you shouldn't be up here. You're still trying to heal, remember?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Astrid said. "I only heal when I'm with you." Hiccup cracked a small grin.

"That why you came up here?" he asked, looking at her.

Astrid smiled and admitted, "That, you looked lonely, and I wanted to make sure you were being happy. Which, I can tell you're not."

"Well, what am I supposed to do, Astrid? The blizzard's rolling back in, Toothless is missing, I let almost the entire tribe get stung by Speed Stingers, you're hurt....I am honestly not having the best day right now." Astrid adjusted the bandage on her head and crawled onto Hiccup's branch next to him. She leaned into him and put her arms around him.

"Hey, every chief messes up at least a few times when they start out," she soothed.

"How do you know?" Hiccup grumbled.

"Because I know you," Astrid said. "Since we're so close, that meant I knew a lot about your father. And you were kind of a mini, dulled-down version of him when you led the Dragon Academy. Hiccup, listen to me. It's not your fault they were stung. It's not your fault Toothless disappeared. It's not your fault I got hurt. It's definitely not your fault that there's a blizzard coming." Hiccup managed a smile.

"Of course, Astrid. I don't control the weather. I'm not that awesome." Astrid laughed and punched Hiccup's shoulder. Then she overbalanced slightly, tipped backward, and would have fallen if Hiccup didn't slip a hand around her waist in time.

"You, miss, need to be more careful," Hiccup chided. Astrid blushed. She leaned her head on Hiccup's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

"As long as you act more happy," she whispered. Hiccup gently ran his fingers through her hair, caressing each strand as if it were made of pure gold.

"I really don't know what I would do without you, Astrid," Hiccup told her endearingly.

"Me neither." She was silent for a moment before whispering, "Goodnight, babe. I love you."

"I love you too." Hiccup got no answer; Astrid had already fallen asleep. Hiccup smiled and pulled her closer before drifting off as well.