Friends… I don't know where to begin. The apology is coming, but for now I'll just tell you that the following excerpt is meant to come right after the last bit I shared with you. It's incomplete, but I'm going to give you the couple of pieces that I have written with the necessary context so that you can see where I was going with this.

Aeri lay on her back, staring straight up at the ceiling. There was a stillness to the atmosphere, the quiet hush that only existed in early morning, before the day truly arrived. She'd been awake for a while, trying to figure out whether she should get up or just keep searching for patterns in the wooden boards above her. Flying sounded nice, but Shade wasn't here to lend her his wings.

There are still some dragons in the village. At least one of them would be willing to fly with her, right? Deciding she had no excuse to stay in bed, she pushed her blankets aside and sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. A few minutes later, she was fastening the last strap of her armor. Wearing it always made her feel competent, somehow more adult than when she dressed in other clothes. She had crafted it herself. It seemed to signify that she was capable, capable of smithing and fighting, but more importantly, capable of accomplishing whatever she set her mind to.

If only I knew what I wanted to accomplish now. She was home, she had taken her place as her father's heir, she had helped the people of Heimme… It wasn't entirely clear what was left for her to do, but she had the undeniable feeling that all was not yet finished.

Quietly descending the stairs, she noted that her grandmother hadn't left her room yet. The smoldering coals in the hearth were a poor source of light and heat, so she spent a moment stoking the fire. When she straightened, she saw that Cloudjumper was awake, his enormous eyes shining in the low light.

"Hey, friend," she murmured with a half smile. When he showed no sign of having heard her, she paused. "Cloudjumper?"

Taking a few steps towards him, she realized that he was, in fact, looking at her, but his attention seemed to be fixed on something else. Even when she held her breath, though, she couldn't hear anything other than the soft crackling of the fire.

"Cloudjumper… what is it?"

He blinked slowly, then let out an almost imperceptible rumble, as if he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted her to understand.

The quiet creaking of a door snapped them both back to the moment, and they turned to see Valka leaving her bedroom.

"Well, good morning you two. Isn't it a bit early for…" she trailed off, then frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

Cloudjumper rumbled more loudly, and Aeri ran her fingers through her hair with some consternation. "I think he hears something, or… I don't know. He doesn't seem upset."

Still frowning, her grandmother made her way over to Cloudjumper and rested a hand on his face, staring into his eyes. After a few moments of nearly unblinking eye contact, his frills twitched, and he let out a particularly expressive rumble.

"I don't know if he hears something, but he's definitely sensing something," Valka finally said.

"Is it bad?" Aeri asked.

"I don't think he's sure. Dragons have a very mysterious connection to the universe, much like the wise elder of a village. Perhaps there's a storm coming, maybe something has happened. I'm sure if it's important, we'll know about it soon enough."

"Hmm." Aeri knew her grandmother was right, but patience rarely came easily to her. "Well, I'm going down to the stables to try and persuade one of the dragons to fly me around for a bit. Who knows, maybe they've sensed something as well."

"Could be. After that, if you have time, you should check on Ash. She seemed far more responsive yesterday."

"I will." Striding over to the door, Aeri pulled it open, then froze. "Grandma?"

"Yes, dear? What— oh, my." Valka came to stand beside her, and together they stared out apprehensively at the unexpected sight before them.

Which, happened to be nothing but a wall of white. Reaching out hesitantly, Aeri dragged her fingers through the frigid air and sighed with some relief. "It's just fog."

A dense, impenetrable mist seemed to have settled over the village, and Aeri had the surreal thought that it was like being inside of a cloud.

"How unusual," Valka murmured. And it was unusual. Living on the sea, fog was a very normal occurrence, but never so thick, and it usually cleared soon after sunrise. Behind them, Cloudjumper was rumbling softly.

"Is this what you've been trying to tell us about?" Aeri turned to look at him. He was frowning slightly, and shrugged his wings as if to say, I'm not sure. "Well, I'm sure it will clear sooner or later. I'm still going to go to the stables, if only to check on the other dragons."

"Why don't you take Cloudjumper with you? I'll be here for a while, anyways. And perhaps he could use the fresh air."

The air was still, but just as cold as the snow beneath their feet. They encountered not a single soul as they made their way down the streets. Aeri figured all of the night patrols must have retreated to the Great Hall to warm their bones, but there was something very eery about the oppressive silence.

As they approached the staircase leading into the stables, Cloudjumper suddenly froze, eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" she started to ask, then she heard it.

(end excerpt)

What they heard was a strange commotion coming from within the stables, the sound of angry dragons. A group of invaders, pirates and (strangely enough) dragons, had made their way up through the caves, their approach hidden by the strange fog.

When they begin to pour out from the stables, Aeri and Cloudjumper work to alert the village, waking everyone up with the old horn used for dragon races. They also return to Valka's house so that Aeri can grab a sword and shield. Despite the confusion caused by the fog, Berk rallies and the Vikings and remaining dragons are able to hold their own. Meanwhile, the fog begins to clear, revealing another ship. Aeri knows Surmata is on it, and hitches a ride from a Monstrous Nightmare to confront the pirate queen.

Ash, upon hearing the horn and the shouting, realizes Berk must be under attack and knows she has to help defend the village. She is still weak, but she has a strong will, and a rush of adrenaline gets her out of her shelter and into the chaos. As the fog clears, more pirates notice her, and a group advances on her. Realizing she is in danger, she spreads her wings and leaps, but one of the pirates lands a crushing blow with a spiked mace on her abdomen and she crashes to the ground in agony. Thankfully, Cloudjumper and Valka (who is too old to fight, but is still a keen tactician) see this and swoop down to scatter the pirates and rescue Ash. Realizing something is seriously wrong with the female Fury, they take her back to her shelter and get Gobber (who is also far too old to fight) to tend to her.

While this is going on, Aeri has made it to the ship, which is manned by a crew of thugs and Surmata herself. Svar is also on the ship, chained, and to Aeri's horror, covered in terrible wounds. He is motionless, and she fears he might be dead, but when the Monstrous Nightmare starts wreaking havoc on the ship, he stirs. Aeri takes her sword and smashes his chains, freeing him, and immediately he stumbles to his feet, rumbling his thanks, and leaps into the fray, though his injuries have taken their toll and he is weak and unbalanced. As Aeri was freeing him, Surmata approached her from behind, and it was just in the nick of time that she turned around and blocked the pirate's sword. They fight, Surmata ranting angrily. Flames are now spreading across the ship from the Monstrous Nightmare's body.

Aeri almost has Surmata when a burning beam falls from one of the masts, narrowly missing her. As she moves to get out of the way, Surmata swings at her and the tip of her sword grazes Aeri's cheek before the pirate lashes out and kicks Aeri off balance. Her sword clatters away. Svar tries to help but is attacked by another pirate. Finally, a distant shrieking catches all of their attention, and Shade comes screaming from the sky. He slows at the last moment to land so heavily on the deck that the wooden planks crack around his feet before turning on Surmata, keeping himself in between her and Aeri. The pirate keeps him at bay by swinging her sword threateningly, a manic grin on her face. His arrival seems to have unhinged her, but she is still dangerous.

Then, bolts of lightning shoot from the sky, striking the water around the ship. James and Sahko arrive, James leaping the last ten feet with his sword drawn to engage Surmata in a frenzied battle. Aeri is weaponless, but must fight alongside Shade and Sahko to keep the remaining pirates at bay after Svar collapses and Aeri tells the Nightmare to leave.

The ship starts to creak ominously as the flames overtake it, smoke rising to impair their vision and making it difficult to breathe. Finally, James manages to cut off Surmata's sword hand, and she screams and falls back against the railing of the ship. He raises his blade to finish her off, but faster than he expected, she lunges at him with a dagger, stabbing him between his ribs. Without hesitation he runs her through with his own sword until it sinks into the wood of the railing. Hearing Shade growl right behind him, he pulls free of Surmata's dagger and throws himself to the side. The vengeful Night Fury leaps at the pinned, dying pirate and crashes through the railing, taking her with him into the sea. James falls unconscious, and Aeri runs to his side. Shade soon emerges from the sea and rushes to Svar, who is dying. They apologize to one another, before Svar tells him he has to get Aeri and James off the sinking ship. Aeri hauls James onto Shade and he and Sahko take off just as the ship sinks.

The fighting is pretty much over in the village, and the fog is completely gone. They get James to a healer, and Aeri is soon busy helping the villagers deal with the aftermath. Fortunately, none of the villagers were killed, though some were seriously wounded. As Shade wanders through the streets, he overhears a conversation that directly affects him.

Shade heard Gobber's voice around the corner, and turned in that direction, but froze when he heard the old smith's hushed words.

"Is she alright?" That was Valka, her voice barely more than a murmur.

"Well, she took a mace to the stomach, which under normal circumstances is unpleasant, but..."

"But?"

"We knew something wasn't right, and unfortunately, this confirmed it." They had to be talking about Ash. Fear constricted his heart, and he held his breath as he waited to hear what was wrong with her.

"You're not saying..."

"Aye," Gobber sighed heavily. "She was. Poor lass."

"Oh, gods," Aeri's grandmother whispered. "What about Shade?" His fear became confusion. What did he have to do with this?

"I don't think she knew, so how could he?"

"How is she doing now?"

"She'll be alright, but she was so distraught I had to sedate her. I know it was for good reason but I didn't know what else to do."

"That was probably the kindest thing you could've done. Does anyone else know?"

"Not yet. I wanted to tell ye first, get yer opinion on what we should do."

"We should probably alert Hiccup, but maybe we should wait to tell Aeri, she's still reeling from the fight-"

"We all are, but he has a right to know, and I feel like Aeri should be the one to tell him."

They were talking about him now. Tell me what? he screamed internally. A horrible suspicion had taken root, and his fear and confusion were giving way to abject panic.

"Maybe we should leave it to the dragons. Maybe Hiccup could tell Toothless, and maybe he could tell Shade..."

"Val, I honestly don't know. I don't know if we should even say anythin' at-" Suddenly both Gobber and Valka turned the corner, and froze when they saw Shade standing right there, staring at them.

His eyes were wide, and he was having a hard time breathing as he glanced between their horrified faces. Valka spoke first, slowly extending a hand and stepping closer to him.

"Now, Shade, don't-" Her voice was aggravatingly calm, and he growled warningly, causing her to freeze again with her hand outstretched.

"Where is she?" he demanded, and though they did not understand his words, they seemed to grasp his meaning well enough.

"She's resting, she's been through a lot-"

"She's been through a lot?" he roared. "When does the consideration extend to me? I've been through hell! Where. Is. She?!"

They blinked, mouths agape, and immediately his anger fled, leaving only exhaustion and fear. His distress must have been apparent, because Valka cleared her throat.

"She's in her shelter."

In an instant he was airborne, leaving the stunned humans behind. Moments later he was skidding to a stop on the icy street, his destination before him. Grump was outside, guarding the door, and his eyes shone with uncharacteristic compassion as Shade approached him.

"I'm sorry, Shade. Gobber told me not to let anyone in-"

"Please, Grump," Shade replied wearily. "I have to see her. Please."

The Hotburple seemed to consider for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Take care of her."

Shade murmured his thanks, then pushed the door open. His anxiety came to a head at the sight of Ash lying next to a small fire, still as death. A series of gauges on her stomach were coated with a greenish paste, and the very air in the room seemed to smell of despair.

She looked so small in that moment, an agonizing wave of helplessness washed over him. Swallowing thickly, he let the door swing quietly shut behind him, and padded closer.

"Ash," he said softly. "Ash, please, it's me."

For a moment, there was no response, then she shifted slightly, and one eye opened halfway, taking a few seconds to focus on him.

"Ash... I heard Gobber talking to Valka... I have to know..." his voice was shaking, and he hated himself in that moment. "Are you... are you..."

"Am I what?" Her voice was so quiet he wasn't sure she had even spoken.

He had the words, but he couldn't say them. A paralyzing vortex of fear and anxiety and anticipation was pressing down on him, and he had to dig deep to find the strength to continue.

"Pregnant." he whispered, then swallowed painfully and repeated himself, louder. "Pregnant."

She didn't respond. Her eye was trained on his face, but she might as well have been asleep. His nerves intensified, his entire body rigid, as he waited for her reply.

Finally, she responded, in the same quiet, small voice. "Not anymore."

His gut twisted painfully and he almost gasped from the sudden onslaught of feelings that crashed through him. Not anymore. Not anymore. She had been pregnant. She had been pregnant with his child. But not anymore.

She wasn't finished, though. "Gobber said... he said it wasn't alive. That it never would have hatched. It was small, and the shell wasn't the right color, and it wasn't formed properly... I- I didn't see it. But that's what he said."

Shade tried to rationalize it, it would never have been born, it wasn't viable... But it was still devastating.

"It's probably for the best," her voice was a whisper again. He knew what she meant, that it wasn't an ideal circumstance, that they weren't ready to be parents, but damn it, why did it feel like his heart was being torn from his chest?

He wanted to shout, to rage. At her, for not being more upset. At Gobber, for being the first one to find out. At himself, for reasons he could barely understand. At the world, for being so cruel.

Then a soft noise tore him from his anger, and startled, he looked at Ash, and saw her face was screwed up, as if she were in terrible pain. Her body shuddered, and another quiet sob escaped her, and then the unbearable rage evaporated until all that was left in him was grief.

"No, no, don't..." He didn't know what to say, because she had every right to be sad, but he hated that she was hurting, hated that there was nothing he could do to make it better. So he moved, laying next to her, curling his body around her and pressing his cheek against hers.

She was shaking, whimpering with each wracking sob, and all he could do was lay there and make soothing noises to try and comfort her.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, and he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, too, Ash. But this isn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"I would do anything to save him," she whispered mournfully, and he blinked in confusion.

"Him?"

"I- I saw him. Afterwards. In a dream. He was so sweet and perfect and he had your eyes."

His heart broke all over again, and he smiled sadly. "I'd kind of hoped for a girl, with her mother's eyes."

Though it took her some effort, she managed to turn her head and look him in the eyes, her features still tight with pain. "What?"

"You heard me," he replied softly.

"But... but..."

"But what? We had a bit of a falling out. So? It doesn't mean I love you any less, and I certainly hope the same goes for you. I wasn't planning on hatchlings at this point, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have wanted this one."

She was trembling slightly. "You would've wanted him?"

"Of course I would have wanted him. He's ours. We-" he swallowed thickly. "-we made him."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "He's gone."

"Don't say that," he said, more forcefully than he had intended. "He's only gone if we forget him. I will never forget him, even though I didn't even know he was here to begin with."

"I didn't know until it was too late, and part of me wishes I had never known. Because I won't ever forget him either."

In that moment, Shade was filled with a calm resolve. "It's not the end, Ash."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He took a deep breath. "Someday, we can try again."

She didn't answer right away. Then, in a quiet voice, "Really?"

"Really. We can have as many hatchlings as you want."

"What about you?"

The question caught him off guard. "What about me?"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy, too. So what do you want?"

"I want to be your mate. I want to give you hatchlings. I want them to grow up safe and loved, and I want us to grow old together, surrounded by our family. That would make me happy, but only if it would make you happy, too."

"I…" Her voice was shaky. "It would."

"I don't want you look back someday and wish things had been different, Ash."

"I won't. I love you, Shade, and that is never going to change. If I get to spend the rest of my life with you... I will have no regrets."

"I love you, too. I can't promise that everything will always be perfect, but I know we will be alright, whatever happens."

"Nothing is ever perfect. This is going to sound horribly lame, but we don't need perfect. We just need each other."

A small smile crept onto his face, and he nuzzled her cheek. He was still hurting, and he knew she was hurting, too. But they could see the light in the darkness, the warm promise that could not be extinguished. The hope that would heal them.

While Ash is recovering, Shade goes to Cinder and formally asks for his blessing to become Ash's mate. Cinder just chuckles and asks, "Isn't it a little late for that?"

James wakes up, disoriented, and sees Hiccup sitting in a chair by his bed. When he recalls what happened, he apologizes and promises to leave as soon as he is able. Hiccup simply says there isn't a need for that. James hesitantly asks, "Does that mean… I can stay?" "You can stay." At first he is excited, until he remembers that he betrayed Aeri, and that she might not wish to see him. But when he asks, Hiccup doesn't answer directly, just telling him to work on feeling better so he can talk to her himself.

When he is finally well enough to leave the room in the healer's house, he wanders slowly outside, afraid of what people will say when they see him. Thus far, Hiccup, Erik, and Valka have all been to see him, but they don't offer much information on the things he's most worried about. But when he emerges in the bright sun, momentarily blinded by the white snow, people seem truly pleased to see him, both Vikings and refugees alike. Sahko bounds up to him, happier than James has ever seen him. James knows he has something to take care of, and when he asks, he's directed to the forge.

(begin excerpt)

James made his way down the street, one hand on Sahko's shoulder for support. He wasn't in any pain, just stiff from being in bed for so long. As they walked, everyone they passed waved and called out greetings. Still in a state of disbelief, James just smiled sheepishly and waved back. As they approached the square, they could hear the sound of a hammer on metal, clanking away.

About halfway across the square, his confidence failed him, and he stopped in his tracks. His stomach was in knots, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest. At Sahko's questioning grumble, he sighed. "I don't know, maybe I should wait. Give her time. She might be mad, no, definitely mad…" Something pressed into his back so suddenly that he was knocked forward a few steps, and alarmed, he looked back to see Sahko frowning characteristically. The dragon was obviously not going to let him chicken out now. Everyone in the square had noticed them by now, and all had stopped to watch his progress. Nervously, he glanced around, and was surprised to see many people smiling encouragingly.

He steeled himself, then made himself take a step, then another. I'm done hiding.

Gobber was in the open part of the stall hammering on a shield, a fuzzy purple scarf wrapped around his neck. When he saw James, his face cracked with a toothy grin. "She's in there, lad," he gestured to the closed door.

Nodding his thanks, James stepped around Grump's snoring form. He placed his hand on the door, swallowed audibly, then pushed it open.

Inside it was cozy and warm, lit by half a dozen small lanterns. Her back was to him as she hunched over something on the workbench. For a moment, he just watched her. She worked so precisely, yet she had the power in her slim, graceful body to hammer out even the most stubborn of materials. Her hair was loosely braided, which he loved, but not as much as he loved it free, streaming out behind her in the blue sky—

"Are you going to close that, or did you want to let all the warm air out?"

Heat rising in his cheeks, he hastily pulled the door shut. She still hadn't turned around, so focused was she on whatever she was working on. He was quite curious, but didn't want to interrupt her farther by approaching without an invitation. When she leaned to the side to grab a worn out cloth, he caught a glimpse of a sword, and then she was hunched over it again, polishing the blade. While he waited for her to finish, he pulled off his gloves and looked around. Everything was much the same as it had been the last time he'd been inside, cluttered and busy. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it in his short time away. How much he'd missed every last detail of Berk.

Finally she straightened, stretching her neck. He held his breath as she turned around, her bright green eyes taking him in. She didn't seem surprised to see him, but her face was completely unreadable. A red line on her left cheek was the only visible reminder of the events of the recent past. Somehow, seeing her was both soothing and exhilarating, calming the worst of his fears while triggering a new wave of anxiety. She glanced down at his hands, and he noticed that he was wringing the gloves. Inwardly, he cursed his woefully apparent nerves, wondering how poorly she must think of him as he shoved the damn things into his pocket.

But something had changed in her expression. Her eyes glittered with something he didn't fully understand, but somehow knew wasn't bad. He wanted so desperately to make it all okay, to undo the damage he had wrought. But he couldn't. All he could do was make sure he never hurt her again.

"I… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Aeri," he whispered hoarsely. "I never— if I could change it all I would."

For a heartbreaking moment she said nothing, then, "I wouldn't."

The words were so quiet, but he knew he had heard her correctly. His shock must have been even more obvious than his nervousness because her lips twisted into a rueful smile.

"You lied to me, James. Some might even say you betrayed me… but you didn't, not really. What you did happened before we even met. Everything that came after… I know it was real. All of it. Maybe I'm a fool, seeing only what I want to see, but fool or not that's what I believe."

His throat was tight, eyes stinging. He didn't trust himself to speak.

She reached back and picked up the sword, bringing it forward to rest on her palms. The gleaming blade caught the light, shining a bright silver. The flat of the sword was etched with intricate designs, so complex but strangely familiar. He realized that they were similar to the designs he'd seen on tapestries all over the village, complete with geometric dragons.

Her gaze was fixed on the sword. "I thought it was fitting. It's a new sword, but… it belongs here. It's a part of this place."

It still hadn't really occurred to him, until her next words. "I think the dimensions are the same. I only held your sword a few times, but I'm pretty sure this weighs the same, which is to say, not much, but it's balanced and sharp as Hel…"

He took a small step forward.

"… When Shade took Surmata into the sea I knew it was a goner. I mean… I probably could have persuaded all the dragons to dive down and search for it, but I didn't really want to find it. That sword would always be a bad memory, even if it doesn't bother you that her blood was all over it, I'd always see it…"

A single tear fell and landed on the blade, and he took another step.

"… just like I'd always see you lying there in a pool of your own blood. After you left I felt nothing, like something died inside me, but seeing you again was like seeing colors for the first time, I don't know, but it was so short lived because you had to go and get stabbed and I was so damn afraid that I was going to have to see you die before… before…"

James stopped in front of her, and Aeri finally raised her face to meet his gaze. Tears were flowing freely now, and not just hers. Pressing her lips together, she extended her arms, offering him the sword.

Wordlessly he took it, marveling for a second at how incredibly beautiful it was, before reaching past her and depositing it back on the workbench. Nothing was more beautiful than the woman in front of him. He couldn't have said who moved first, but suddenly she was in his arms, face pressed into his shoulder. Gently he stroked her hair and whispered, "I'm sorry."

She leaned back just far enough to look into his eyes, and one hand came to rest on the back of his neck, while the other gently cupped his cheek. When their lips met, a fierce joy surged through him that he had never experienced before, and he tightened his embrace, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around until they were both giggling madly through tears of happiness. They barely even noticed when the door swung open, until they heard Gobber's deafening whoop of excitement and the cheering of the crowd that seemed to have gathered outside the shop.

Grinning, they wiped away the last of each other's tears.

"Should we go out?" Aeri asked.

"If we don't go out, they'll come in," he replied.

"I could always bar the door."

"I don't think your father would appreciate that very much."

"I don't think he would have let you stay if he had that much of a problem with it."

"That may be true, but—"

"COME ON, YOU TWO!" Gobber bellowed.

Aeri laughed, laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand, then they went to face the world together.

(end excerpt)

On a bright, sunny day when Ash is fully recovered, she and Shade officially become mates. He tells her they don't have to do the final dive of the flight, because of the strain it would put on her wings, but she is determined.

At the last moment of the dive, they separate and go rocketing apart inches above the swells, leaving white trails and flying droplets of water in their wakes. Her wings stay strong as they arc up to meet one another, and the ritual is complete.

A few days later, Shade and Toothless are sitting together on the mountainside.

"I'm proud of you, son."

Shade looked down into his father's eyes. "Thanks, Dad."

"Someday you're going to make a great Alpha."

"I hope that day is a long way off."

"You never know. Early retirement has its appeal," Toothless joked.

"Ugh. Don't speak of such things. Hiccup might hear you, and Aeri will kill me if he decides to retire prematurely."

In spite of all the pain and darkness, the island of Berk gets back to normal, even better than normal.

As some of you might have figured out, I did have another installment in the works. I figured out the plot(s), new characters and places and stories, allies and enemies… And then it occurred to me, just before my health began to decline. What I've done here is so far removed from the movies it was based on. I've been very creative with the HTTYD universe, and I'm more or less pleased with everything I came up with before my illness returned. But the truth is, I feel limited by it now. I decided that I would not alter the fundamental rules of the universe established in the movies, which basically meant no magic and no humans understanding dragon speech. But as I developed my ideas for the third installment, I felt a deep need to break those rules. But that would make it unrecognizable from whence it came, and for the amount of time and effort that goes into such an undertaking, why do it that way? Then it hit me, and in less than a week I had figured it out.

I have an original story. To be more specific, I have about 80 pages of plot details for a series of novels. Names, events, histories, geography, the dynamics between the mortal and the supernatural, etc. I drew characters and flags and maps (do you have any idea how damn difficult it is to draw a passable map? My God.) The first moment of inspiration for my universe changed everything for me. It was the beginning of the end for CCF, and the fate of my fan fiction career was sealed with the return of my illness. Without going into too much detail, it robs me of all energy, inspiration, creativity, motivation, hope, etcetera. So not only has CCF been on hold, but every creative project I had been working on, literary and otherwise. And it will all be on hold until I recover, which wouldn't be so bad, if I just knew when that would be. But my illness is unpredictable and sometimes downright vicious, and I have no way of knowing when episodes will occur or when they will pass.

I had promised myself that I would finish CCF by the end of the year, but I just kept getting sicker, and I simply couldn't do it. I hate that it came to this, but it's the best I could offer you under the circumstances. Despite being so sick, which very few people in my 'real' life know anything about, I'm starting school again, this time at a different university, next week. This will take every ounce of energy I have left, which admittedly is not much at the moment. I can't give up, though. It's not in my nature. Which is why I sat down and pieced together all this for you, even though I'm exhausted and pretty miserable. I didn't want to be one of those writers that just abandons their fics without notice. I thought you should know the end.

The next installment was going to go into detail about where Haku and the majority of his people finally settled down. It was going to address various details like where the strange fog came from and where Surmata got the dragons that aided her attack on Berk. I also figured out a pretty damn fantastic origin story for Toothless (and one for Cloudjumper!), complete with dramatic revelations brought by new characters. Relationships that we saw in CCF would be expanded upon, new ones would be created… This was going to be the summary.

"It's spring, and things have settled back to normal, or as normal as they get on Berk. Old feelings and new arrivals are mingling, and it would seem that the danger has passed, but unknown to our friends, an old evil has long lain dormant in the north, and is regaining the strength to bring war to the Archipelago and beyond. What will happen when the enemy strikes? Will Berk be able to stand up against it, or will everything they know and love be destroyed?"

I can't tell you just how good it was going to be. I was so thrilled by it. But like I said, the best parts of it broke the rules that I set for myself, so I had to make the choice. The decision made itself, with a flurry of inspirations and crazy ideas that just might work. So this is the main thing I want to tell you: Even though my fan fiction career is over, Of the Night is not. Far from it. If you enjoyed my fics in any way, you'll love what I have planned for my own series. These stories will be integrated and improved upon in really amazing ways in my universe, where I have the freedom to set my own rules. Now all that remains is for my illness to abate, so that I can really get to work on it.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you the fully fledged ending you all deserved for sticking with me after all this time. I hope you can forgive me, because I tried, I really did. You know the saying, "This hurts me more than it hurts you"? It really does. It's been hurting me badly for a long time. And I don't need more hurt than I already have to deal with on a daily basis. Like I said, this is the best I could do for you. I'm sorry it's not better, but sadly, that's how life is sometimes.

Thank you all so much for your endless support and kindness. It has meant the world to me through a tumultuous time in my life, and I hope that someday, when I finally get published, you'll get a random email from Fanfiction saying that CCF was updated, and you'll know that I'm inviting you all to be a part of that, too. (I mean it. If I can somehow accomplish that, you'll all be the very first to know.)

If you have any questions or comments that you don't feel like leaving in a review, feel free to PM me. It might take me a while to get back to you, but I will. For the rest of you… Cheers, friends. Take care.

— MM