Ice blue eyes smoldering with rage, Astrid bore down on Rylan. Her hair was messy after what Rylan could only assume was a furious flight, and her whole countenance radiated hatred.

"GET OUT!" she screamed, upgrading Rylan's surprise to downright panic. Hiccup scrambled to his feet, terrified of this frightening new change. Astrid had always been a little impulsive, a little unpredictable. But now there was nothing but cold, hard fury, directed squarely at the two vikings who were trying to carry on a friendly conversation. 

"Didn't you hear me?" she asked dangerously, advancing on Rylan. "Or were you too distracted by kidnapping Hiccup to pay attention?" Hiccup looked startled, but the look he gave Rylan was not one of fear. It was more like he was wondering what he would say.

Now it was Rylan's turn to get angry. He'd sacrificed and suffered everything to protect his dragon and make peace. He was homeless and wandering, without a real friend in the world. And this girl was not about to frighten him off. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I just couldn't understand you through the ignorance in your voice," he retaliated coldly.

Hiccup looked nervous and stuttered, "Uh.. Why don't we all just calm down for a a minute?"

"I will not calm down! Hiccup are you blind? Outcasts." She spoke the last word clearly and bitterly. "Kidnappers, thieves, murderers. Captured you, starved Toothless. Ring any bells?" Her axe was leveled at Rylan, and Stormfly prowled menacingly behind her. 

Rylan folded his arms, faking a composure he didn't feel. "Yes. That's the Outcasts," he said cooly, holding her gaze. "Those are the people that slaughtered Jolt's mother. Those are the people who captured Heather. My father is one of those people who killed my mother. But me? No. Rylan Rasmusen is not an Outcast.  Not anymore."

He spoke the final words with a ringing, powerful force. Astrid's eyes widened, and her grip on the axe loosened every so slightly. As for Hiccup, his eyes had filled with pity. 

"Why didn't you," he began, but Rylan finished the sentence. 

"Tell you that?" he asked incredulously. "Would you have believed it?" 

Hiccup started to say that he would, but Rylan headed him off. 

"I know you wouldn't. To be honest, if I was in your shoes I wouldn't have believed me either. But this is me, here and now, renouncing my tribe. I  am  not  one  of  them."

Astrid turned to Hiccup, a little of her certainty leaving. Hiccup looked helplessly at Rylan and Jolt. He believed them, but he already knew that no one else on Berk would be so forgiving. Astrid's immediate reaction proved that.

He stood in the middle of the glaring pair, a hand stretched out to each. 

"Calm down." he said, firmly and desicively. 

"Rylan, I believe your story. I believe that you did what you did for Jolt. And that should be good enough for everyone."

Because Astrid continued to glower at Rylan, he went on,

"But you know that this will take some explaining on Berk. If we just show up, everyone will come out guns a blazing. Just.. I don't know, wait it out until the coast is clear. I'm sure that we all," here he pointedly turned to Astrid, "Could use a little time to collect ourselves."

Astrid planted her axe firmly in the ground, jaw still set, but looking, perhaps a little bashful. 

Hiccup calmly mounted Toothless, his metal foot clicking smoothly into place. Rylan looked at him, suddenly not wanting to be left alone. Hiccup smiled reassuringly, and said,

"I'll come find you when it's safe."

Still looking angry, Astrid threw a disgusted look at Rylan and mounted Stormfly. Together, she and Hiccup flew off through the stone maze, away from the pair of Outcasts who so desperately needed a friend.