~LITTLE HICCUP~

Great, it was just great. Ever since Tufflout had started living in Berk, I had seemed more of a failure than before. Everyone greeted him when he went through the village. Then they saw me beside him and frowned, probably thinking "This boy is going to be the chief? Gods help us all." One would think I had hated his guts by then, but that was not the case. He had felt like the brother I never had to me. I could have seeked guidance from him, and he would know the answers.

It's the wings and the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon," Gobber's voice broke my train of thought. A downed dragon is a dead dragon. I left the fish that I was cooking on a stick-- along with Gobber and the recruits, who were oblivious of my actions and remained in a circle around the fire pit-- on the wooden bench, hurrying down to the bottom of the abandoned catapult tower.

~HICCUP~

I sat in front of the fire, tending to it as the stew I was making boiled above the flames. Getting up, I headed to the kitchen, where I took out a wooden bowl and spoon to pour the stew into. The door swung open, rattling on it's hinges from the strong winds outside, and Little Hiccup entered.

"Can you help me?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"I'm going to make Toothless a new tail."

My lips curled into a small grin. "Sure. But sit down first. Dinner's ready."

He grabbed a bowl while I hoisted the pot out from the fire, using both hands instead of one like my dad did. "Smells good," Little Hiccup commented.

"Let's hope it tastes as good as it smells," I joked, sitting down across from him, serving us both.

"Tufflout?"

"Mmhhmm?" I responded through a mouthful of stew.

"I just- " he started. "I'm glad you're here. I like the company."

Swallowing, I smiled. "I do too."

~~~

"Hey, bud,"

I greeted Toothless, "Ready for a flight?"

"I've been wanting to stretch my wings for ages!" he replied, which I took to be a yes.

I hopped on Toothless, and he launched himself into the sky. We flew and flew, almost forgetting about our problems. Tugging my helmet over my face, I laid back on my dragon, and closed my eyes.

~~~

The cold wind blew under my helmet and whipped my face, making me sleepily open my eyes. Yawning, I stretched my arms, cracking my back. Sheets of ice were scattered over the ocean, with everywhere else covered in a fluffy blanket of blinding white snow.

"Hey, bud, is it just me, or does this place seem oddly familiar?" Still not fully awake, it was only when they started to shoot us down did I realize we had stumbled upon Eret's old fortress. "Watch out, bud!" I yelled over the trappers' shouts and orders. We evaded a net flying towards us, only to be caught by another that caught us by surprise. "Toothless!" I screamed, my leg unlatching as I plummeting towards the ocean. The Night Fury's momentum forced him to fall painfully onto the fortress. I could hear his cries of struggle beneath the sound of the icy wind in my ears, before I was enveloped in the sharp cold of the sea.

I automatically took a deep breath, the frigid waters shocking me. Salt water filled my lungs, and I kicked my feet, desperate for air. Breaking the surface of the the ocean, I coughed, and swam over to a small patch of ice floating a few metres away. Crawling onto the sheet of ice, I coughed up as much water as I could get out of my lungs. My heart raced from the excitement.

I slowly moved into a kneeling position. In the distance, the trappers were struggling to restrain the panicking Night Fury. "Hiccup! Help! Help! Get off me you-Hiccup!"Toothless screeched. I watched, pained that I wasn't able to help my best friend.

Once I had caught my breath, I reluctantly dove back into the sea. Training at the Academy wasn't just about flying dragons. We also had to work on our physical endurance as well if we were ever to be separated by our dragons. This made the seemingly long swim only slightly exhausting for me. I crawled on my stomach up the icy, wet stone so as not to slip and fall.

The fortress consisted mainly of four cylindrical, wooden towers, each one connected to the other by a bridge. Metal spikes lined the outside of the towers, and the pillars supporting the bridges were sharpened to a ferocious point. Overall, the place said "Stay away! We are not to be trifled with."

Swiftly and silently, I hid behind one of the towers, where none of the guards keeping watch would see me. Large grates were placed in the ground every twenty metres. I assumed this was where the dragons were caged. I quickly formulated a plan in my head. If I used my sword to provide a distraction, I could find Toothless and break him out.

Circling around the tower, I inevitably found stairs which led to the top. I sprayed some Zippleback gas around the bottom steps with the hilt of my sword, and set it to flames with the other end, which was covered in Nightmare saliva (good for long-lasting fire). I heard the explosion behind me as I ducked for cover, and the sound of multiple pairs of feet started to come closer. This was my chance. Taking out my spyglass, I saw that the commotion left only one guard per tower, all of which had their attention drawn towards the excitement on the ground. I repeated to set fire to the bottom of the other towers so the last of the guards would leave their posts to deal with their more pressing matters.

Despite my feelings about releasing the other dragons, I left them in their underground cages if it was not the Night Fury I sought out. We had already altered the past enough; if I changed anything else, the future (for Little Hiccup) could be disastrous.

Halfway through my search, I heard a familiar dragon call. A call for help. Peeking through the metal bars, a dragon more black than the night itself peered up at me. Toothless' snout was tightly shut with a thick band of metal. The lock for the cage was a simple latch; hardly complex. I opened the barred door and broke the chains with my sword. He flew out and landed a short distance away. I followed quickly.

"Let's get out of here, bud," I said, running towards Toothless.

As I started to run towards my best friend, an arrow whipped by just in front of my face, creating a small tear on my leather helmet. "Not so fast, Dragon Rider," a familiar voice said. Slowly, I turned, and my eyes rested on the figure before me. The archer was a tall man with broad shoulders. He had a large, round nose, and a strong chin tattooed with a few vertical lines.

"Who are you?" I asked, though I was almost certain I already knew the answer.

He looked insulted. "I am Eret. Son of Erik. Finest dragon trapper alive."

I loved writing this chapter so much, it was so fun! Thanks to everyone who voted and commented on my story! I've dedicated this chapter to @wackyauthor05, my little cousin! I guess I can't call her little for much longer. Anyway, she's a new Wattpader, so check out her stuff once she's written something.

xoxo - @DragonMaster1908

P.S. Is it just me with this problem, or can you not spell check your work anymore?