Rylan carefully fitted the heavy door into place, then checked to see if it was lined up. It opened and closed smoothly, and he stepped back to admire the effect. 

His new house sat near the edge of the sea. It was small, but well made and secure. Hiccup had helped him get the supplies and Jolt moved the heavy things, but he mostly done it himself. There was a brown shackled roof, firm wooden walls, and even a protruding balcony for Jolt. 

He took a deep breath of the cold salty air, and looked around. The sun was starting to set, creating a dazzling sky of gold and orange. Fiery shreds of cloud drifted around, begging him for a flight. 

He smiled, and whistled to attract Jolt's attention. Jolt, who had been watching Rylan lazily, raised his head.

"Come on bud! Let's go!" 

The resting Pyron eased to his feet, stretched his back like a cat, and slid forward. Rylan carefully fitted his leather saddle on, still marveling at how molded it was to Jolt's body. 

He climbed up, grabbing one of Jolt's horns for support. The dragon muttered, disgruntled, as his head was tipped to one side under Rylan's weight. 

Once Rylan had settled into the saddle, Jolt stood up. He bounced for a moment on the ridge, then took off into the sunset. 

Blazing clouds of orange were stacked in the air. Rylan felt the cold wind filling his heart, his soul as they flapped through the tunnels of cloud. How could anybody live their lives without this feeling?

Jolt spread his wings wide and coasted, skimming the clouds with his claws. Rylan took a deep, cleansing breath of air and looked around. 

Below him, sillouhetted against the flaming clouds, was another figure on dragon back. It was Hiccup and Toothless, neither of them seeming to notice Jolt soaring above them. Tapping Jolt with his heels, Rylan pointed down at them. The excited Pyron immediately dived toward his friend, tongue hanging out. 

They shot down, missing Toothless and Hiccup by inches. From below, Rylan heard Hiccup give a small shout of surprise.

Jolt opened his wings again, allowing them to fill with wind and lift him once more. They rose up to the same level as Hiccup and Toothless, both of whom were still looking startled. 

Rylan and Hiccup both started laughing at the same time. Even Jolt and Toothless hummed deep in their throats, which Rylan could only assume was their way of laughing along. 

The beautiful, fiery clouds surrounded them, and Rylan took another deep breath. Hiccup smiled and said,

"There's nothing else in the world like it, is there?" 

Rylan shook his head, then rubbed Jolt's neck. None of this ever would have happened if Jolt's mother hadn't died. He might still be living in the terror of abandonment on Outcast island, runing drills every day in the cold. 

But now, he was free. Free from his father, free from the fear of rejection, free to live his life the way he chose to. 

----------------------

Alvin and his fleet sailed under the setting sun. Every man on board was scanning the skies, searching for any sign of the Pyron. 

The Whispering Death was chained to the deck, a muzzle clamped around its mouth to stop it from making noise. It had been so beaten down and hurt, the dragon didn't even try to resist anymore. 

One of the Outcast men suddenly pointed into the sky. Hazily, through the misty screen of cloud, a dark shape was moving. Alvin knew, somehow, that this wasn't just a wild dragon. This was the Pyron. 

Moving quickly and quietly, a group of men held down Alvin's dragon as others unchained it. Climbing into a rough saddle, Alvin signaled for them to release. 

The Whispering Death just lay on the deck, not sure if it was allowed to move. Eyes narrowing, Alvin kicked it savagely. It whimpered softly, then rose into the air. 

They flew jerkily through the clouds. The dragon's wings hadn't been used for weeks now, and it never had been a very smooth flier. Nevertheless, they moved fast, very fast, through the clouds.

-----------------------

Hiccup turned in a wide arc, banking aorund the side of a pillar-like cloud. Behind him, Rylan did the same, Jolt's huge wings sweeping the wind underneath them. The Pyron was such a beautiful and amazing dragon. And if he had not met Rylan, they might never had known it existed. 

He smiled to himself as he wondered how many other dragon species they had yet to discover. And which ones he hoped never to see again. He could happily live his life without seeing another Green Death, Skrill, or Whispering Death. 

At the very moment this thought occured to him, he heard the unmistakable skrieking cry of a Whispering Death. As he jerked around in the saddle, he saw a huge, snake-like draogn come barreling through the clouds. And, just his luck, Alvin the Treacherous was riding it. 

But Alvin didn't seem to notice Hiccup and Toothless. He was flying right at Rylan and Jolt, both of whom cried out in surprise. A couple weighted nets sat on his roughly made saddle, and he picked one up, taking aim at Jolt. 

"No!" Hiccup cried, surging forward. 

With the relfexes born from battle, Alvin wheeled around and slung the net at them instead. The thick, heavy ropes slammed into them, tangling Toothless's wings and pinning Hiccup beneath them. With his wings trapped, Toothless couldn't stay up. 

They plummeted downward. Hiccup's terror and confusion grew as the clouds whipped past. They were going to die if they landed on the ocean, he could tell that much. Not to mention Rylan and Jolt were fighting Alvin one on one. Unless...

Could Rylan have betrayed him? It had only been the two of them up there. Had Rylan been following him, awaiting his chance? 

But there was no time to worry about that now. The ocean had appeared under them, rushing nearer and nearer. 

But then he saw the boat. Hiccup never thought he'd be glad to see an Outcast ship, but now he had to admit he was. 

As they rocketed downward, a group of vikings positioned themselves in a way that they could break their rapid fall. Toothless was panicking, struggling against the strong ropes. Hiccup guessed this was reminding him of the time he had shot the weighted rope at him, enabling the loss of his tail fin. 

Hiccup tried to soothe him as the wind screamed in his ears. The boat was hurtling nearer and then... CRASH 

They smashed into the assembled men. Hiccup's head snapped back, and pain exploded across his chest. But he was alive, and judging by the rising and falling of Toothless's chest, his dragon was too. 

But now they had bigger problems. Outcast men were surrounding them, huge and muscular and frightening. Hiccup saw them through a haze of pain as he struggled weakly to free himself. As he moved his arm to push off the ropes, his chest seized up in agony. He must have broken ribs, because he couldn't even breathe without feeling like his sides were on fire. 

Groaning and panting and covered in cold sweat, he began to shake. Toothless growled in concern, his green eyes huge and terrified. 

He collapsed against Toothless, the world tipping crazily around him. Black fringed his vision. The last thing he saw was the sky flashing with lightning.