>Cloudjumper's POV<

I gently set the basket down and landed next to it, waiting for the King to scold me. The King opened his eyes and turned his massive gaze to me. "What took you so long?"

I shuffled my claws nervously. "Well, I. . . uh. . ."

"Where were you?" he asked sternly. Then his eyes flickered over to the basket, where the hatchling was starting to writhe. "And what is that?"

"I-it's a human hatchling," I stuttered.

"You took a child?" He looked at me in disbelief.

"No, no!" I protested. "A much bigger human was threatening a mother and her. . . child, so I took the hatchling for its safety. And the mother speaks our tongue. She understood what I was doing and told me to take care of it."

The King studied me for a few seconds, then sighed. "You may raise the child if you wish."

My eyes immediately lit up. "Really? Thank you."

He nodded at me. I gently lifted the basket with my claws and carried the child up to my cave. I gently set it down and studied the child. It gurgled and clapped its hands, smiling. It was then that I realized I had NO idea how to raise this thing.

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I had to admit, that mother's child was very. . . strange. He was very frail for a human, and he had already gotten sick within the first few days. If he didn't get healed soon, he would grow worse, and then, soon after, die. But what could possibly heal this hatchling? I knew nothing on what could cure it and what would kill it. The only thing I could think of, that had worked on both human and dragon, was Night Fury saliva.

But when the humans got healed by it. . . they changed. Dramatically. They were never the same again.

But if this child were to survive, I would have to visit the Isle of Night, but Night Furies were known to be very protective of their own and I doubt they would help the child. But if I didn't try. . . the hatchling would die.

Then it struck me. Of course! I would get the hatchling's mother! She would know what to do.

I quietly crept up to the child's basket, making sure he was asleep. Then I flew down to a ledge that overlooked the King. I cleared my throat nervously, waiting for the King to respond.

"Yes, Cloudjumper?" he asked.

"I, uhh, need to get the child's mother?"

"Is that a statement or a question?"

"I-it's a statement," I said, lifting my head.

"All right then. Why?"

"The child. . . he's ill. And I don't know how to cure him. His mother will know."

"So you want to get his mother?"

"If he is to survive, then yes."

The King nodded. "Go."

I lept from the ledge I was standing on and spread my wings.

"THANK YOU!" I roared over my shoulder, flying out of the cavern.

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It was dusk when I arrived at Berk. It looked peaceful without all the screaming warriors and dragons. Torches flickered as I flew past, making my way towards the large hut at the top of the hill. It still had a gaping hole in it where I tore the wood away, leaving the entire inside of the upper part of the hut visible.

I spotted the mother of the hatchling sitting on the floor, gazing into the night sky. She saw me coming and immediately stood up and ran downstairs. I was flying over the hut when she opened the door and began to run in the direction I was going.

I looked around, trying to find a clearing in the trees big enough for a dragon my size to land. The only place I found was a sunken piece of land with a waterfall leaking over the side, spilling into a pool at the bottom. I landed next to the water's edge and waited for the mother to appear.

It was only a few seconds after I touched down that she appeared at the edge of the cove. She looked at me, then gracefully jumped from boulder to boulder until she reached the ground.

She ran up to me. She studied me for a second, and I knew she could see the worry that was evident on my face. "How is he?" she demanded.

"Not good," I admitted. "He's sick. He's going to die if he doesn't get help."

A look of anguish washed over her face. "Do you know of a cure?" she asked weakly.

"I might, but I don't know if it's going to work."

She glanced behind her, where she came out of the undergrowth. Then she looked back at me. "I'm coming with you," she said with a determined look in her eyes. I extended my wing and bent down, allowing her to climb up. Once she was in a more-or-less comfortable and safe position, I extended my wings and flew up into the sky.

I noticed her last longing look back at the island as we flew away.