Yes! Finally, here is the 12th chapter for you all! By the time this is posted, I'll have deleted the two updates that weren't actual story pieces. Also, hope you like the chapter!

I won't be able to have review responses in this chapter either, but in the next they will be there. The reason is because our internet is down and because I live out in the boonies, it's taking until Tuesday to come back, meaning that I've had to use the little hotspot time I have to work on this. Enjoy!

Hiccup sighed as he parted ways with the group. Finally, the hound that often went by the name of Astrid was off of his back. Sometimes, he couldn't believe she was 16.

Not that vikings really acted their age anyways.

It was because she had taken a role that had her acting almost like her own chief, though she certainly had far more respect for Stoick than anyone else and never tried to act anything other than responsible and humble around him. She, like anyone else, wanted his respect and trust. It was fairly easy to earn this, and the only people Hiccup could think of who lacked honor at all in Stoick's eyes were Hiccup himself and maybe Mildew. But she was a bit bossy to those she treated like underlings. Or at least, in Hiccup's eyes.

Hiccup brushed through tough grasses of late spring as they sprung back into their upright states behind his footsteps. The earth crunched as the wizened layer of last season's growth was squished and cracked under him. He liked this a bit, the momentary isolation. He had the odd sensation that he should appreciate this more, as if he wouldn't get a chance for this later.

As he kept walking, he admired the scenery. It was nice out, the air moist but not so much so that it would make him grow colder. The trees quivered gently with the evening breeze and the birds scavenging for the last meal of the day trilled. Every now and again there would be a stronger breeze, and the trees would sway and hum a echo of the sounds of waves. At a few different points throughout his walk he would stop and simply listen to the sounds of nature, and also listen to see if he was being followed. He had the odd feeling that he was, and he didn't like how he couldn't hear at all while walking. Pausing was the easiest resolution he could think of, though, and so pause he did.

When he could hear his footsteps echoing rather far off, he knew the cove was close. One of it's traits was that any sound nearby would echo. This made Hiccup even more jumpy when training or with Toothless. He was already far too jumpy.

He made it to the rim of the cove and circled a bit until he made it to the ledge. As he started to sit down and prepare to slide the rest of the way down, he had the oddest sensation of fear and awareness and he could feel every hair on his body stand on edge, his neck hairs especially tingly. He wanted to look around, but his instincts told him to keep his head down and his eyes staring at the rock under him.

When Hiccup finally was able to convince himself to look around, he saw nothing and had previously heard nothing. He looked all around, and one of his theories was that maybe Toothless was nearby and he had heard the dragon in the distance and got spooked, but when he realized said dragon was nowhere in sight and Hiccup couldn't find anything that could have caused this panic, he was terrified. Far more so than when he had actually gotten the feeling. This was because he hadn't the foggiest idea what had caused it. That meant that if there actually was something or someone following him, then he was helpless, and if it was some sort of omen for impending doom, then Hiccup wouldn't be able to know what it was warning him of.

He was able to to start thinking rationally with a start. If someone was following him, he needed to get away from the cove, and fast. He averted his gaze as quickly as he could and then continued walking but this time around the cove further and past it. He strained to hear anyone's footsteps, but he found it near possible to hear over his own as they mixed with the throbbing of his head, the rush of adrenaline, and the pounding of his heart.

Who would be following him anyways? He struggled to think of anyone that might be interested in his whereabouts. Hiccup sped up a little bit, worried and wondering if whatever was following him really even was human.

Hiccup made his way through the forest and well past the cove to the point where he felt safe to stop. He felt so stupid. He hadn't heard or sensed anything that was similar to the time previous and he wasn't sure if he was going crazy or not. Had he imagined it?

He made the decision to start walking back after what felt like an eternity of switching back and forth on returning or not. Just as he was about to take a step, he heard a subtle creaking directly to his right and his gaze darted to the source of the sound.

The familiar blonde stood in a sneaking stance. As their eyes met, her expression went from one of concentration and determination to one of surprise. What was she surprised about?

"Astrid..?" Hiccup asked, unsure why. Of course this was Astrid!

"Uh, I mean, fancy meeting you here! What, uh, brings you to this part of the woods?" Hiccup mentally face palmed for what felt like the millionth time. Why did he have to be so socially awkward..?

Astrid's look faded away as it was replaced with a look of frustration. She took a couple angry steps towards him.

"Save me the lame cover-ups, no-bender. What have you been doing out here? Some secret training or something like that?" She paused for a moment as Hiccup tried to speak. "And don't lie, either." She raised her axe close to his face as he pulled back. "I don't have time for anything like that."

Hiccup chuckled nervously and rapidly tried to form his excuse. "Well, you see, I've been..uh.." he paused, unable to think of anything. "..training?" It wasn't a complete lie, he had been training..but he wouldn't go into detail. He'd pretend he was just training with a sword, he decided.

Astrid glared at him. "Oh really? And with what?" She pointed to his vest that carried the tailfin inside. "Whatever that is?"

She sighed angrily. "Listen. I'm a busy person, so I'll say this once and only once. Whatever it is you're doing, training or whatever, the first time you get in my way or anyone else's, you'll regret waking up that morning. If I were you, I'd train and then maybe start acting like a real viking. Stop with your tricks and contraptions and whatever else, and start shaping up to be a real heir." She retracted her axe and turned, starting to walk away. After a couple steps, she stopped and turned back to him.

"And who knows? Maybe that way you might even learn to bend." She had a small smirk on her face as she spoke, an expression Hiccup hadn't seen on her before. Astrid turned back and walked away. Hiccup stared until he couldn't see her form anymore.

~.~.~

``So, you just let her walk all over you like that?``

'What?' Hiccup exclaimed. 'She didn't walk all over me! That's just...well, that's how she always is.`

Toothless' face displayed a look Hiccup assumed was confusion. ``What do you mean, that's how she always is? I mean, she seemed rather angry to me, and if she was that angry all the time, she wouldn't be half as liked as you've said she is.``

Hiccup sighed in both the real world and through their mental link. 'Not to everyone, just to me. Or anyone who "gets in her way", I guess.'

``I don't understand. You haven't done anything to her, have you? I mean, maybe you smelled bad one day and she had to sit ne-``

Hiccup cut the night fury off. 'No, no, it's not like that. That's how Snotlout acts around me, the twins are less aggressive but they like to tease me as well, and Fishlegs...well, he's just kind of..there. He doesn't really do anything when it happens, he only stands there. It's nice that he doesn't act like them I guess, but still.. It's not that I've done anything to them personally, it's just that they collectively hate me.` Hiccup did realize that the dragon hardly knew these people, and what he did know about them, it was all from Hiccup's perspective and detailing; the dragon, luckily, had never really met these people.

``And what for?`` the dragon asked. `` You must have done something incredibly harmful or annoying or bothersome for them to react that way. And to be honest, in all the time I've observed, you haven't been all that badly behaved.``

Hiccup sighed and thought for a moment. 'It's...complicated. I'd rather not speak of it here when I'm spending my scarce time away from them.'

The dragon bowed his head in a motion that Hiccup understood as comprehension and respect for his wishes.

``..Well, moving on, there's something important to discuss.`` The dragon rose from his lying position and started to pace slowly in front of Hiccup, who sat perched on a rock.

'I was going to say the same thing,' Hiccup replied with a sense of unpleasant familiarity towards this situation. He stretched his legs out for a moment while he thought. 'Or I was going to think the same thing. You can go first, though.`

``Well,`` Toothless started, stopping mid-pace and plopping down. Hiccup was sure that, if he were a human, he'd be taking a long sigh right about now. ``We need to talk about the festival. I know how it is coming up very soon, of course, but more importantly, many adult members of your village have departed. Apparently, it's to go and let nearby tribes know that the festival is coming up.``

Hiccup stopped, dumbstruck. 'And how do you know this...?' This in turn, caused the dragon to stop too.

``Well, I was without anything to do while you were gone. I figured it would be a good idea to get some exercise, which has become scarce due to my recent injuries. On my walk, I happened to come across some of your ships and there were many of your people lined near them. Of course, I had to see what was going on. While I don't quite understand human language, through your crude mannerisms, body language, and gestures, I was able to piece that information together.``

For a moment, Hiccup was happy after hearing this. This would make it much less risky to train with Toothless!

``Not only that, the risk being lowered, but also we will have more time to train. This will prove very useful, you've still got a long way to go.`` Toothless sat for a moment, then met Hiccup's gaze. He looked annoyed. ``..Sorry. It's hard not to hear when you think so loud.``

'What does that even mean?' Hiccup teased, then he thought for a moment. `Wait...so my dad, he went with them, right?`

He didn't expect an answer and wasn't at all surprised when there was none. A wave of sadness washed over him, and for a moment, it stayed. Then he wondered why he was so sad, though he truly knew.

Earlier had been one of the only times that he had actually won in anything. This was new and maybe, deep down..he had hoped to impress his father with it. Hiccup knew it was a stupid thought, but... he only wanted his father to be proud or even anything but disappointed as always. He quickly dismissed the feeling, though.

'But, anyways...I'll say what I was going to now.' Hiccup took his vest off with the tailfin inside, speaking while he did so. 'I noticed how your tailfin..it got damaged, and since I haven't seen you flying since, I thought...' he took the vest off and set it aside, then held the tailfin with two hands. He stared at it, then dared to meet Toothless' gaze. The dragon seemed to be simply staring at it, unsure of what to think. His narrowed emerald eyes studied it, pupils scanning it subtly.

Then altogether, the dragon's face lit up. His eyes widened to reveal surprise as his maw fell open.

Hiccup couldn't help but grin at the expression. He opened and closed the tailfin, and the dragon stood frozen still staring at it unbelieving.

'So, what do you think?' Hiccup asked. 'I noticed that sometimes, you'd space out just staring up. I think it should fit nicely.'

It seemed the dragon had finally recovered from his shock, as his gaze slowly drew up to meet Hiccup's. ``For...for me?``

Hiccup shook his head. 'No, for the other night fury who is missing a tailfin.'

Toothless' look of awe instantly switched to a bored look of annoyance. He stared at Hiccup for a moment, and the boy stared back sheepishly, holding in a giggle at the dragon's expression.

'Well, do you want to try it on, Toothless?` he asked. When the dragon turned around and slid his tail towards Hiccup, the boy started examining the dragon's tail. Of course, the fin was missing, but just how much of it was missing was what really shook Hiccup. The entire fin was gone. There wasn't even remnants that hadn't been damaged. Hiccup knew that the Blessed healed quickly, but wow, that was really quick. It looked as if he had been born with only one tailfin.

He slid on the tube-like segment and then clicked closed the two halves when he figured the tailfin was in the right spot. He opened and closed it, then switched around for a better angle. He straddled the tail and reopened it once more, adjusting the position a bit when he figured it was good.

'Alright, I think-' Hiccup was mid-way off of the dragon as he spoke, and was preparing to see how it worked when the entirety of his weight was yanked forward. He let out an alarmed cry and squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel wind rushing past him and his hair flitting all around his face. His cheeks grew cold. He opened his eyes to see the world beneath him growing farther and zooming past.

'Toothless, wait! I'm not off yet! I still needed to find a way to secure it!' Hiccup pleaded desperately, and as soon as the dragon looked back, realization spread across his face. He swooped in an arc, much to Hiccup's dismay, and skimmed over the water of the pond. It was in the center of the pond that he lashed his tail and with it, flung Hiccup off as if he were an insect. Hiccup splashed into the water and quickly stood up, as it wasn't deep at all. He stared as the dragon tried to land but struggled and let out a cry before he crashed into a rocky cliff-side and slid down onto the ground. Hiccup caught a glimpse of the artificial tailfin and noticed it was closed and felt pity for the dragon as he waded over.

~.~.~

'I tried to tell you,' Hiccup scolded as he took the tail off of Toothless. He'd have to make a few edits, but in honesty he was rather proud with the results he had gotten. 'You didn't let me finish. I was going to explain how it needed a couple repairs and how there was no sure way to keep it open so far.'

The night fury let out a low warble. ``I know, I know, I just got excited. I mean, at least we're both okay...-ish.`` Toothless licked his paw which had been crushed between the cove's wall and his weight and momentum. It wasn't really too bad of an injury, but he would need to be cautious for the time being.

``I really do appreciate it, though.`` Toothless looked to Hiccup. ``It means more than you know. Losing flight to a dragon, especially one as renowned for their speed as I am...it's as if you as a viking became an outcast for some horrible crime. Although for dragons, it's not really pressure and disappointment coming from other dragons, but rather, from yourself.`` The dragon stared into space for a while, then huffed and started to clean his shining paw once more.

They stayed like that for a while, Hiccup fiddling with the tailfin and Toothless cleaning peacefully. After making adjustments to his satisfaction, Hiccup broke the silence.

'So, what other training will I have?' he asked curiously, hoping to start on it. 'I mean, in the match today I didn't really have any offense bending to use, so I'd guess we'd start with that. The offense will probably be really hard to learn seeing as even the defense allowed me to win. I think it just might have been her strategy, though.` The boy looked to the dragon expecting an answer and was met with a look of surprise. 'What is it?'

``You won the match?`` Toothless asked slowly.

'Oh, did I forget to tell you? Sorry. Yeah, I did.` Hiccup thought for a moment. He had already gotten over the thrill, but he supposed it would be surprising for anyone else to hear about it. He was far weaker than the others, and then suddenly he won a match without too much exertion?

``That's...it means your training is going well. Great to know. This means that, yes, we can move on to offense.``

~.~.~

"Hiccup? Hiccup! Wake up, lad!"

Hiccup jolted awake. In contrast to his sudden movement, his eyes opened groggily as he glanced around and took in his surroundings.

"Wha..oh, Gobber?" he looked to the blacksmith who stood in the doorway. Hiccup stood and instantly regretted his choices as his neck pulsated with pain. He had been working on the tailfin, he remembered, and he had just come up with a splendid solution, when he had started thinking about the next day, and then...

It was as if someone had dumped ice water on him. He darted over to the side of his desk and stood in front, blocking the sketches scattered all over from sight. "Oh, yes, I'll be out in a minute! Dragon training, right! Yes, haha, I just have to, uh, breakfast myself. I mean, er..."

Gobber looked at him skeptically. "Ehh..do what ye need to. Just be at the training site in 'round an hour." The man turned slowly and hobbled away.

Hiccup let out a huge breath. He sidestepped away from his desk and scooped up the papers in his arms. He swept them under a chest full of scrap material and set it back on top, hoping they were well enough hidden for no one to find them. Sketches of the tailfin weren't as ominous, but sketches of Toothless along with them mixed thoroughly would be a red flag to anyone who saw. They wouldn't know it was a night fury, but they'd for sure know it was some sort of dragon.

He made his way to the Great Hall to get something to eat and see if he could listen in on what their plans were for the day. It was very obvious that much of the village was gone, the whole town seeming desolate and abandoned, save for the condition of the homes and how every now and then there would be an older viking or a sick one walking around.

As soon as he made his way through the two big doors, his gaze crossed with the other teens'. They all stared at him for a while, which was new, but Astrid then glanced back at her food and Snotlout made a face at him. Fishlegs and the twins went back to eating in turn as well.

Hiccup shamefully averted his eyes and stared at the ground as he walked. He slid onto the bench of an open table and grabbed a bowl, filling it as he listened in.

"...and so, that was when I said, 'quick, get the dragon!', and...BOOM!" Tuffnut motioned with his hands above his head. He then lowered them calmly as he finished his sentence, smirking. "And that was how I got Ruffnut's braids utterly destroyed."

Ruffnut growled at this. "You only got me cause Sven was stupid enough to believe there was a dragon rampaging in that shack in broad daylight! Anyone else would have busted you."

"Nope, that would have fooled anyone. My prowess in trickery bestowed upon my by the great god Loki is finer than any other." Tuffnut spooned his gritty meal into his mouth and savored it as if it were the best food in the world.

"Guys," Snotlout started, capturing everyone's attention, "guess what?"

Fishlegs gasped. "We get to study dragon anatomy and find the best striking points?" he asked eagerly.

"What? No." Snotlout leaned close to the group as if to keep others from hearing. "Apparently, we get to fight dragons during our training."

Tuffnut gasped. "No way. I say you're bluffing."

"Am not!" Snotlout defended. "Before he left, I heard my dad talking about how the dragon training and preparation for the festival have happened to overlap for us this year, and so we'll be doing both."

Hiccup was surprised at this, though he didn't show it. He kept his head down, but inside he was feeling all sorts of emotions. He was mostly worried, however, as he knew it would be hard to find a way around fighting dragons. Some aspects were good, though, as he knew he'd get chances to learn things about different dragons.

He listened in on the rest of the conversation, zoning out sometimes when they spoke of trivial matters. But every now and again, something interesting would come up, and Hiccup would listen in again.

Eventually he finished his meal. He finished cleaning up and headed out, the brisk air tugging on his features. He trudged along the path to the arena-like structure, deep in thought.

He had a feeling there would only be a few more duels left, and he was prepared for them, he knew. He had learnt some useful moves that he had become decent at the previous day while training.

He picked his head up and looked forward, seeing the empty area. Hiccup sighed and then made his way over to a seat.

This was going to be a long day.

Thank you for reading, leave a review and let me know what you think! See you soon!

P.S: My internet is down (if you didn't read the intro) and although I've finally repaired my spell/grammar check apps, they can't connect so sorry for any mistakes~