Chapter Nineteen

"Rrrggg Ygghh…" Teeth groaned, slowly feeling movement return to her body. After hours of lying on the rocky ground, being watched over by the Stormcutter, she wanted nothing more than to simply roll over. Fortunately, blinking returned a bit ago, bringing relief to her eyes. At least that was something to be comforted by. Plus the fact she saw Hiccup and Astrid, though they weren't able to really get to her since her apparent guardian was being overly protective!

"Cmmm hnnn…" She huffed to herself, trying to move her lips. Her entire body still felt numb, not helping with trying to move. As she slowly tried to prop herself up with a slow to respond arm, she couldn't help but think of how miserable fighting Speed Stingers was, and she prayed that was going to be the last time she ever had to; at least, while being unarmed. The entire time spent lying on the cold, rocky ground, she resolved to finish building her armor before doing any more adventures, so something like this wouldn't happen again.

A soft growl sounded above her. Slowly turning her head, she watched the Stormcutter gently climb down the rock that it used as its perch; using its wings like a spider. Tilting its head sideways, it simply stared at her as if unsure if she was better or not.

"…stupid dragon…" She muttered to herself, finally able to push herself into a sitting position.

The Stormcutter roared happily, seeing her finally moving on her own. Rubbing against her, it bit on her fur coat and pulled her up.

"Agh!" She yelped, trying to find her feet under her. Crashing back onto the ground, she glared at the dragon that looked confused. "Thanks pal!" She snarled sarcastically as she tried to get onto her hands and knees. Slowly, she used the boulder alongside to help pull herself up. Leaning against it as she tried to get her mobility back, she simply glared at the dragon.

She was right with her estimate of its size. Standing up on its two feet, it was barely two feet taller than her. It had a lot of room to grow. The black, charcoal scales were still stained red with blood, telling her how gruesome of a kill it had with the Speed Stinger; though the red did blend well with the dusk colored hide along its body.

"Hmph. Guess I should be thankful you didn't kill me the same way." She growled, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Teeth?" A voice called out.

Both Teeth and the Stormcutter turned to see Hiccup and Astrid run into view. Freezing in place, they gawked at her standing next to the dragon, who was growling angrily at them.

"Teeth! Are you alright?!" Hiccup cried out, carefully watching the dragon.

"What do you think?" She huffed. "Apart from being roughed up and paralyzed, I'm just sore. Lying on the floor for hours on end tends to make your body stiff." At that, she rolled her shoulders to emit some cracking sounds.

"Uh, I hate to be the one pointing out the Rumblehorn in the room, but what is that dragon?" Astrid called out, pointing at the beast now standing up taller.

"You've seriously never seen a Stormcutter before? Seriously?" Teeth huffed, slowly making her way to them. "They're powerful dragons. Ruthless too. There's a reason why they like to hunt Nightmares down; and it's not because they taste great."

"Is that what killed that Speed Stinger?" Hiccup asked, seeing the dragon act nervous as Teeth got closer to them.

Teeth nodded, wincing as her stiff body continued to give her grief. "Yeah. Honestly, I'm surprised it didn't chase after the second one. These beasts are all about hunting their prey."

"You'll have to tell us more about them. Right now, let's get out of here." Astrid began to say, gesturing for Teeth to hurry it up.

"Actually, we need to do something before we leave. If you want to help this dragon, we gotta get it out of this cave." She grunted, stopping and turning to the Stormcutter, who in turn looked down at her. "Maybe that'll be enough for Mala to let me go."

Astrid was shocked to hear her suggest they help a dragon, making her gape with wide eyes.

"I want to get out of here, okay?" She defended, scowling at her. "I can't do that unless Mala sees me helping dragons. At the very least, it'll show them that the dragon didn't kill me. Yet."

Hiccup stared at the dragon, as it was eyeing him and Toothless suspiciously. "Uh…got any ideas then?"

"Look, if it didn't kill me yet, I can probably guide it out myself." She began to say, turning to look up at the Stormcutter. "The trick is going to be getting it up that ledge. This cavern is too small for it to fly through, so it has no choice but to walk out."

Hiccup stewed on the thought as he watched the Stormcutter continue to watch them warily. "What if we had a series of ramps set up for it to walk on?"

"That'd probably work. It can walk around just fine as you can see."

"Come on, Astrid, let's go tell Mala what we need."

Astrid glanced at Teeth with a worried look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! I just got stung by a Speed Stinger! If you really want to help me, go tell Mala to set up a ramp or something for this guy! Leaving this gods forsaken island will help me feel better!"

"We'll come find you when we got something set up for it!" Hiccup called out as he ran back to where the ledge was.

Astrid kept looking between her, and the Stormcutter. Shaking her head in disbelief, she too turned to chase after Hiccup. Both Stormfly and Toothless also ran with them, spurred on by the sudden change in energy.

Looking at the dragon, she let out a long sigh. "Well, let's see if you can follow me. It's going to take me longer to walk to the ledge since I'm still getting that venom out of me…"

As she slowly took steps forward, she didn't realize how little balance she had. Getting light headed, she quickly leaned against the side of the cavern wall. "Fantastic. Can't even move on my own." She growled to herself. Stumbling over some rocks, she was caught off guard as something pushed her away from the wall. Trying to grab anything to stop her from falling, she felt herself grab something hard, yet smooth. Losing her breath, she was shocked to see that the Stormcutter had placed itself in between the wall and her. Holding one of its wings up, it let her hold one of its long claws, helping her walk out.

"Hmph. Guess you're useful being alive too." She muttered, reluctantly letting it help her.

As the two slowly progressed to the cave exit, people talking and sounds of hammers pounding started to echo.

The Stormcutter started to growl, stopping in place and narrowing its eyes toward the direction they were going to.

"Come on, we gotta keep moving."

The Stormcutter refused to go ahead, which it kept on growling with a warning tone to it.

"Guess it's my turn to help you." She grunted, gently pulling on the claw. Feeling some resistance, she continued to pull on it.

Seeing her take steps away, and not wanting to lose track of her, the Stormcutter slowly and very reluctantly began to follow her.

"Come on, I know you don't like them. Kind of like me too." She grunted, as they rounded the corner. There, still a walk away from them, were the Defender of the Wing. They were placing wooden planks up specific rocks, creating a zig zag path that would lead outside. It hardly had any progress done; rather, it only had the ramps placed where they were supposed to go and were waiting to be set in place. The workers were busy pounding stakes in the ground in order to keep the ramps from sliding out from under anything that would walk on them.

"Urgh, come on. Let's rest while they finish up." She huffed, focusing on a boulder to sit on. Her legs were slow to respond, as they slipped up on the rough surface of loose rocks and uneven ground. She instantly let go of the Stormcutter, trying to brace herself as she crashed head first.

"Rrrhaagghh!" The Stormcutter cried out, leaning down and biting her fur coat. Pulling her up, it held onto her until it felt her get onto her feet.

"Don't expect this to be normal. I can walk fine on my own; at least, when I'm not recovering from paralysis." She huffed, embarrassed that it continued to help her. She almost wished it was indifferent to her, for the sake of being comfortable. After spending most of her life hunting them, having a dragon help her was still…uncomfortable for her. If it knew what she was, then it probably wouldn't have helped her in the first place. Finally taking a seat, she turned to see that the workers were all staring at her with wide eyes. Included with the audience, was Mala and Throk!

"Quit gawkin' and get to work!" She shouted angrily. "The sooner you get done, the sooner I can get out of here!"

Throk turned to continue to order the workers around, with Mala still staring at her. Hiccup and Astrid were riding their dragons, walking them up slowly to her and the Stormcutter.

The Stormcutter didn't do anything to fend off the strangers. Instead, it was looking at Toothless and Stormfly strangely as it glanced between them and the people riding them.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Hiccup asked, eyeing the Stormcutter warily.

"I already answered that question. Nothing's changed since then to now." She growled angrily. "Wait a sec, where's Snotlout? I'm surprised he isn't here with you guys."

"We were wondering the same thing." Hiccup answered, slowly dismounting from Toothless. "Found out from Mala that he was planning on using Hookfang to bust you out. So they locked him up until they found out if you succeeded or failed."

"Heh, guess they can keep him locked up until we can leave." She huffed, stretching her arms to help rid her body of the soreness. Her back cracked loudly with the action, making her breathe in relief. "Gods, can't wait to actually start sparring again. My body is out of shape with all the resting and lying down I've done."

"I can appreciate that." Astrid replied, smiling at the thought.

Toothless then let out a low, inquisitive growl. Slowly walking up to the Stormcutter, he then greeted it.

The Stormcutter also let out a softer growl, though it remained standing straight up and tense.

"Can't believe you trained that dragon." Hiccup replied, taking a seat next to Teeth. "I can't wait to see Fishlegs' face when he sees that you tamed a new kind of dragon."

Teeth's head instantly snapped towards him. "I didn't train it! I only helped it! It couldn't take on two Speed Stingers, as it was apparent they were hounding it as long as it was stuck in here, so I evened the playing field." Looking at the dragon conversing with Toothless, she quickly added. "I know these dragons. They only thrive in open spaces and in the sky. Once this thing gets out, or sees the exit, it'll take off without looking back. Mala and her people were idiots keeping it in here. No wonder it doesn't like them."

"Seems like you two have more in common than you think." Astrid pointed out, sliding off Stormfly to let her 'talk' to the Stormcutter. "You both don't like the Defenders of the Wing, and you fought Speed Stingers together."

"More like the Chains of the Wing. This beast was born to fly! So they stick it in a cave to recover! Psshh, idiots…and don't think I know what you two are trying to do! It won't work!" She snapped, glaring at her. "I'm telling you, once it sees the sky it's going to forget everything I did and leave!"

"I guess we'll see." Hiccup whispered, letting a sly smile grow on his face.

"Ugh, you guys are just as annoying as Snotlout sometimes." She growled as she rolled her eyes. "Just tell me that Mala's going to let me go."

Hiccup was the first to respond. "Oh, you definitely earned your pardon. The moment we told her you were trying to help this dragon, she ordered everyone to start working on the ramps. She told us that you have more than just surprised her, taming this dragon."

"I didn't tame it! I just showed it that I'm not a pretentious assh-"

"Sounds like you tamed it to me." Astrid interrupted.

Glaring at her, she then turned to see the Stormcutter continue to eye Toothless warily, though its threatening demeanor had left. "Just get me out of here…" She growled, knowing she was going to be unable to really convince Hiccup and Astrid that she didn't train it; at least, until they got it outside.

"Hiccup Haddock?"

Everyone turned, dragons included, to see Throk slowly walk his way to them. The Stormcutter instantly started to growl, lowering itself so it was using its wings to prop itself up. It looked like it was going to spring on him.

Freezing in place, Throk then gestured to the ledge. "The ramps are in place. We're waiting for you now."

"It's actually Teeth you'll be waiting for." He replied, walking cautiously to Toothless as to not provoke the Stormcutter. Climbing on him, he then said. "I suggest you move your men away from the exit. This dragon might attack anyone that it feels threatened by."

"And I won't feel bad if it does." Teeth added, piercing Throk's eyes with her own icy stare.

Scowling at her, Throk reluctantly nodded. Turning around, he then jogged away, grabbing his men that were waiting for him.

"We'll go ahead. Show the Stormcutter how to leave and make sure the exit is clear. You walk with it, alright?"

"Yeah, let's just get this over with." Teeth huffed, slowly standing up. Thankfully, the paralysis was nearly gone. The only sign of its existence was where she was stabbed with the stinger, which understandably was still numb.

Both Hiccup and Astrid rode their dragons away, climbing up the series of ramps to the top of the ledge. Teeth slowly walked to the Stormcutter, reaching her hand out to it.

Knowing she was approaching it, though never taking its eyes off the leaving dragons, it extended its wing to her, letting her grab its claw. It had its wings stacked on each other, making it look like it had two wings instead of its four.

"Alright, let's go…" She sighed, gently pulling on the claw. To be honest, she was a little enthralled by the fact that she was walking with a dragon; especially one such as this. Apart from killing the few she hunted before, she never imagined she'd be helping one. Granted, she was doing it to save her own hide; but still, she was helping it regardless of reasons.

As the two approached the ramps, the Stormcutter suddenly started to get antsy. It knew where it was, and now, saw how to get out! Moving faster on its own, it started to pull Teeth along.

"There ya' go. Almost there." She whispered while letting go of the claw and watching it start to jog up the ramps. Trying to keep its wings folded while it hobbled along, it looked like penguin trying to waddle away. Smiling, she followed it to the top and was rewarded with a blinding white light just ahead.

Roaring excitedly, the Stormcutter sprinted towards the exit, readying its wings to take off.

"Knew it." She replied with a small, relieved smile.

As soon as it broke outside, it bolted straight up in the air; all thanks to the four powerful wings. Even though she was still inside, she could feel the gust it left behind. Letting out a sigh, she then too walked out.

"Teeth! You did it!" Hiccup shouted, riding Toothless to her. "It's out and free!"

"Yeah. I guess that means I'm free too." She grunted, looking up to see the Stormcutter continue to roar and fly in circles. Slowly, it started to fly higher and higher, to the point it was just a speck in the blue sky. "Told you it'd take off and leave everything behind. I'm just glad to be done with it. I want to go back to the Edge."

"Indeed, now you can, Teeth Wrathen."

Frowning, Teeth turned and glared at Mala, who was walking up with Throk and a couple of men. Astrid, who was also sitting on Stormfly, walked her over next to Toothless, as if to ensure she could help Teeth if needed.

"I never thought we could get that dragon out. After we tried multiple times, we feared that it would live the rest of its days in there."

"So you sent me in there to have me killed then; wouldn't have expected anything less." She replied, scowling at the queen. "You failed to mention the fact that there were Speed Stingers in there too. Probably the only reason why I was able to calm the Stormcutter down."

Mala closed her eyes and bit her lip; as if reigning in her own anger at the accusation. "Regardless, you passed through relatively unscathed. And, is that what it's called? A Stormcutter?"

Teeth nodded, though she folded her arms and glared at the queen. "Yup. The only dragon that can carve through high winds and can soar higher than any other dragon. They typically like to make their nests on cliffs and overlooks. Now, before I leave, I believe you have something of mine."

Throk then stepped forward, with a silver longsword in a homemade sheath in his hands. Scowling at her, he gently handed it to her.

"Good." She huffed, taking it and holding onto it.

"Now, as far as you go, Hiccup Haddock." Mala began to say, turning to him. "I would like to visit with you and your group of Dragon Riders again. I know we're to blame for the rocky introductions, so I would like to try again. Granted, so long as there aren't any plans of mutiny and treason next time."

"We'll talk to Snotlout about that." He assured. "I mean, if you let him go."

"We're releasing him as we speak." She replied cordially.

Having enough of the conversation, Teeth grunted as she walked to Stormfly. "Mind if I ride with you?"

Astrid instantly smirked at her. "Wait, are you asking for a ride? On a dragon?"

"What else am I going to do? Swim back? Besides, even if I decided to sail to Dragon's Edge, you'll just kidnap me again." She huffed, sliding the sword's sheath on her back. "At least this way I'm agreeing to ride instead of being taken."

"That's right. I would." She teased as she helped her climb on.

"We'll be back. I promise Mala." Hiccup announced, smiling as he readied Toothless. "And if you know anything about Viggo, we'd greatly appreciate it."

"Given how many times they're trying to raid us, it'll only be a matter of time before we find another Hunter. We'll make him talk."

Hiccup nodded. Turning to Astrid and Teeth, who was gripping Astrid's waist as if it were her connection to breathing, he then asked. "Ready?"

"I've been ready since my 'trial'." Teeth spat, clearly not trying to be friends with the Defenders.

Frowning, Mala then walked up to Hiccup. "I will make one suggestion, Hiccup; in regards to finding Viggo. We've consistently noted several ships making way to Changewing Island. None of my men have been able to sail to the island, since it's regularly patrolled. You and your dragons would serve far better as infiltrators than we ever could be."

"Changewing Island?" Astrid called out. "We've been there before."

"But it's a larger island. At least larger than most." Hiccup replied. Turning to Mala, he nodded with his usual smile. "Thanks, Mala. We'll go check it out. As soon as we learn something, we'll send word."

"Travel safely." She replied, giving him permission to take his leave.

"Ready guys?"

"Yup! How about you, Teeth?"

"Just go!" She shouted angrily. "Seriously! I'm sick of wasting time!"

Smiling, Hiccup nodded at Mala, and then let Toothless launch into the air.

Teeth lost her breath, both due to both the cold and the sudden speed Stormfly launched into. Squeezing Astrid, she finally took a breath as she relaxed. Well, slightly relaxed.

"I'm glad you're okay, Teeth." Astrid answered, turning to look at her. "We actually tried to help you when you called out."

"Oh? Did Mala stop you?" She asked, looking down to see how high they actually were.

Not saying anything, she nodded.

Teeth then looked ahead with a solemn expression. "Doesn't matter. We're still back at where we were. We have no idea where Viggo is, or what he's planning next. I mean, I guess it's clear he's been focusing on the Defenders of the Wing, not you guys."

"And whatever he's doing at Changewing Island…" Hiccup called out. Looking around, he then let out a wide smile. "Right now, let's just get home. We'll make up a plan when we get some rest. And to figure out what kind of saddle Teeth will need."

"Saddle?" She replied with confusion. "I don't ride a dragon. Why on earth would I need a saddle?"

Hiccup didn't say anything. Gesturing to something behind her, he simply smiled.

Teeth's blood froze. She knew exactly what he was looking at, yet everything in her mind was screaming that it wasn't the case! Slowly, and reluctantly, she turned to see the Stormcutter gliding close behind. It kept on looking at her with a concerned look, as if making sure she was okay.

"Go on! G'it!" She shouted, making motions to shoo it away.

Seeing the motions, the Stormcutter did the opposite. Gliding closer, it was literally just above her head, all while looking at her with a smile.

"Ugh! How do I make it go away?!" She shouted, reaching up and trying to push it away. "They're usually loner dragons!"

"Don't know. Never dealt with a Stormcutter before." Hiccup replied, letting Toothless glide closer to it. "If they're usually loners, then I think he's choosing to follow you."

"I get he wants to follow me. It's that I don't want him too!" She yelled angrily.

The Stormcutter then growled at Toothless, more in the way of a greeting. Toothless growled back, smiling at their new friend.

"Come on. We'll think of something when we get back to Dragon's Edge." Hiccup laughed, let Toothless fly faster.

Teeth simply sat there fuming. Unable to really get away from the dragon, and being stuck on Stormfly, again, she begrudgingly conceded to sit and wait until they got back to the Edge.

"Cheer up, Teeth! Now you can say you're officially part of the Dragon Riders!" Astrid teased.

"Yeah. Great. The one thing I didn't want is what I got for risking my neck on trying to find Viggo. Woo hoo." She huffed sarcastically.

The Stormcutter then lowered itself so it could rub against her.

"Gah! Get off! Don't you know anything about personal space?!" She roared, flinging her arms to push it away.

Still smiling at her, it backed off slightly so that it was tailing close behind Stormfly.

Returning to her fuming mood, she simply stared into the distance. Her head was spinning, not only with the recent events, or the fact she still hasn't found Viggo, but that a dragon was trailing behind her. Not any dragon, but a dragon from her area of the world. Shaking her head, she simply looked down as she tried to come to terms with what just happened.

"Hey! You're back!" Heather called out, smiling widely as Hiccup landed in the hanger. "Did you find her?"

"Oh yeah, we found her alright. It was an adventure getting her back too." He replied, sliding off his saddle.

"Uh-oh. What kind of adventure?" Fishlegs asked, looking nervous at the news.

"Well, we were right in assuming that there was another dragon sympathetic island. However, Teeth was hired to kill their queen. "

"What?!" They both cried out in shock.

"She went with it, as that was the only way she could find out about Viggo."

"Did she actually do it though?" Heather asked, looking panicked at the thought.

"No, she failed and was captured. And when we found the island, they thought we enslaved dragons like Teeth, so we were locked up with her." Kneeling down, he began to stroke Toothless' head. "Thankfully, Teeth helped convince the queen, named Mala, to let us go. She however, was sent to be judged by a dragon."

"Wait. What do you mean judged by a dragon?" Fishlegs quizzed. "You don't mean that…a dragon was going to decide if she lived or not?"

"Actually, that's exactly what happened."

Fishlegs just gaped at him, afraid to ask what happened. Heather however, knew better. "Care to enlighten us with what happened?"

Smiling, Hiccup simply gestured to something above them.

Turning around, they gasped as they saw Stormfly glide over them, followed by a very different looking dragon. The two dragons slowly glided over towards a nearby cliff, landing close by one of the ramp ways.

"What in Thor's name is that?!" Heather cried out.

"That is what Teeth calls a Stormcutter. Apparently they're more common where she's from." Hiccup began to explain, smiling as Astrid and Teeth dismounted from Stormfly. The Stormcutter let out a cheerful roar, nuzzling against Teeth and almost pushing her over with its sheer strength.

"A Stormcutter…" Fishlegs whispered, writing something down in the Book of Dragons that he seemed to magically pull out. "This is incredible! She trained it?"

"I didn't train it!"

Everyone turned to see Teeth marching angrily towards them. The Stormcutter simply walked behind her, eyeing its new surroundings carefully.

"I don't want to train a dragon! I don't want to ride one!" She continued to shout, stopping to glare at her follower. "I don't get it…they're supposed to be loner dragons!"

"Interesting…" Fishlegs observed as he hastily scribbled into the Dragon Book. "What else do you know about them?"

"Gah! Why don't you figure it out yourselves? All I want is to find Viggo and kill him! Then my brother!" She shouted, marching past everyone. "Let me know if you find them! Otherwise, leave me alone!" Setting her eyes on the forge, she simply ignored the annoying pest that wouldn't leave more than a couple of feet between it and her. Getting to the doorway, she cracked open the door, slipped in, and locked it shut.

"Well, didn't think yeh were going to have to sneak in here."

Shutting her eyes in anger, she turned around to see Gobber standing at the forge smiling at her.

"I have my reasons." She huffed, hearing the Stormcutter try to get through the door. Feeling it buck, she simply leaned against it to keep it shut.

"What's that?" He cried out, seeing the door buck once again.

"A dragon that won't stop following me." She growled in annoyance. "I've been trying to lose it since I've been reunited with the others!"

"Ah, speaking of which, did yeh learn anything about Vigg-"

"I don't want to talk about it." She cut off, latching a large Gronckle Iron bar across the door. Seeing it hold, she marched to where her bed was while unstrapping the sword from her back.

Staring at the door as a large force hit against it, he looked at her with worry as she started to shed the fur coat, boots, and gloves. Seeing her angrily put them away, he simply leaned against the workbench.

"Look, if you need to leave, you can. I just barred the door so the dragon would get the hint." She huffed angrily as she tossed her gloves on the floor. "Who knows? It might take to liking you instead."

"Well, can't say that I'm not interested in why a dragon has yeh all wound up." He replied as he set a few items out on the workbench.

"The dragon isn't helping. That's why I'm mad at it." She growled. "That entire trip. That entire time I was running as a sell sword, was nothing but a waste of time! I was almost killed, and I still don't know where Viggo is!" Reaching for her own smithing apron, she quickly tied it around her and marched to the forge, not noticing what Gobber had set out on the workbench.

"You know, lass, perhaps yeh should reconsider the priorities of yer desires."

"Why would I do that? Until I avenge my dad and my clan, and kill those that are responsible for what happened to me, what else matters?"

Seeing her stoke the forge hot, to help her vent her frustrations, he leaned back and watched her carefully. "Is that what this is all about? Why yer angry? Because yer not getting the vengeance you want?"

"Yes! That, and the fact that I'm around people that only seem to care about dragons! Fishlegs didn't even ask how I was doing, after almost being killed and missing for a couple of days. Instead, he asks what I know of that dragon!"

The door shook again, in perfect timing as she gestured to the door.

"Is that all they care about? Dragons? No one seemed to care that we still don't know where Viggo is!"

Gobber stood up, resting his hook of a hand on hers to keep her still and to force her to take a moment to listen to him. "Do yeh believe that's all they care about?"

Teeth glared at him with her usual stares that typically commanded for respect for her authority. However, no matter how hard she stared at him, she couldn't get him to back down. The question seemed to dig into her, as she reluctantly turned away from him. "No…I don't believe that. Though sometimes it sure feels like it."

Gobber let a soft smile grow on his face. "Yeh know, lass…I think yeh should consider giving something a try."

"Like what? Riding a dragon?"

"If that's what yeh feel. I was more suggesting that yeh stop trying to be the same Teeth yeh were when yer father was around. Or any of yer clan and kin."

"I have no kin. Not anymore at least. I was adopted remember?"

"Hear me out." He pressed, making her square up to him. "Yeh keep acting like someone is ready to blister yeh if yeh act out of line, or try to enjoy yerself a little bit."

"Because I know the cost of letting my guard down!" She shouted angrily.

"The cost when yeh were around yer dad? Being taught how to be a chief?"

Teeth's eyes narrowed. "What're you saying? That my dad beat me unless I behaved a certain way? He never hurt me!"

"Calm down, Teeth." Gobber replied with an annoyed tone. "I'm not saying he beat on yeh. If you relax for a couple of minutes, let me explain what I'm tryin' to tell ya'."

Still feeling tense about the subject, she reluctantly nodded as she stepped away from the forge.

Silently grateful that she was giving him the time, he began to explain his thoughts. "I know that yeh've been training and learning to be the chief of yer clan. Which is why yer the person that yeh are."

Teeth simply nodded as she folded her arms and silently listened to him.

"But that's what I'm trying to say. That's all yeh've known. All that yeh lived for." Gesturing to the room around them, he pressed. "Look around. Yer not part of yer clan anymore. Even if yeh get yer vengeance on Viggo and yer brother, it'll never be the same."

Teeth tried to fight the frown that was forming on her face. She already knew that, but hearing it from another made it a lot more real.

"Yeh have friends. Friends that want to help yeh. Apparently a dragon as well."

Thump! The door bucked as the Stormcutter hit against it for the countless time.

"Maybe look at yerself and think what yeh can learn from them. Maybe learn to be a friend like them. I'm sure yeh've never had the opportunity to actually associate with others your age."

Teeth glanced away from him.

"Listen, I know yeh won't do anything if yeh don't choose to do it. But maybe think about the opportunity yeh have to learn from others. Be it Hiccup, Heather, Astrid, even the twins…" Gobber began to say, walking to the door. Sliding the bar off, he cracked open the door. "I'll let yeh think about it by yerself…but I want yeh to know one thing. We, particularly me, only want yeh to be happy. Vengeance will come, but yeh need to think about what's to come after that."

Teeth watched him slide through the door, letting out a shocked cry as he saw what kind of dragon was waiting outside. Staring at the floor, she reluctantly acknowledged what he was trying to tell her. She was no more a hunter. Not like she was before. Her entire life, everything she was working towards, was gone; with no real future ahead of her.

Shaking her head, she looked up at the workbench and gasped at what she saw. A pair of gauntlets, made out of Gronckle Iron lay there. Next to them were a pair of boots, clad in the same material. Reaching for them, she strapped one of the gauntlets on to test the fit. It was snug. Exactly how she wanted it to be.

Shaking her head, she turned to the door, still bucking at the Stormcutter's eagerness to find her.

"…what do I do?" She whispered to herself. Staring at the palm of her new gauntlet, she continued to debate the dilemma inside of her.

Hiccup was sitting with everyone at the clubhouse. Staring at a map of Changewing Island, he simply let his mind ponder recent events.

"So…does this mean she's out of the group?" Ruffnut asked, breaking the silence that had befallen everyone.

"No."

"Uh, Hiccup." Snotlout began to argue. "She obviously doesn't want to stay here. She only cares about getting revenge."

"She's staying! At least, until she chooses to leave…" He yelled, looking distraught. "We keep treating her like the friend she is."

"Uh…Hiccup?" Fishlegs spoke up timidly. "I'm all for making her feel welcome here, and for treating like one of us…but it kind of feels like she doesn't want to be a friend with us."

"Even I have to agree with that." Heather seconded. "We'll keep trying Hiccup, but we have to think about the real possibility that she say's no and moves on from us."

"Listen, I understand what you guys are saying. But you need to remember that she has a high chance of being killed if we let her go and do what she wants alone!" Hiccup growled. "We're not only trying to be her friend, we're trying to stop her from getting herself killed!"

"Besides, she did help us. Especially with Mala and the Defenders of the Wing." Astrid followed up with. "We can't just let her go by herself! Besides, you can't blame her. She's lived an entire life as a Marauder!"

"But what about her being a Marauder? Doesn't that at least concern you?" Heather asked, looking at her with worry. "She could turn on us, you know. Like I did…"

"You won't have to worry about that."

Everyone let out an audible gasp, whirling around to see Teeth standing there. Wearing her fur coat, though she was wearing some new armored gauntlets and boots too; she simply stood there while looking away from them a little ashamed. Behind her was the Stormcutter, who was smiling happily now that it was with her again.

"Teeth!" Hiccup cried out, standing up to walk to her.

"Hold on, Hiccup." She replied, stopping him. Looking at everyone, she let out a long sigh. "Listen, I'm sorry. I haven't been…uh…oh for the gods' sake, I haven't been a great friend to you guys; even after all you've done for me."

Snotlout let out a confident smirk, relishing in the praise.

"It's just that…that I never had friends before. Or anyone near my age." She continued to explain. "All my life, I've lived as if I was going to be taking over the Marauders and my clan. I've always been in authority. I've always been in charge and had to solve my own problems alone." Letting out a long sigh, she sheepishly rubbed her arm. It was the first time she ever did something like this, and had no idea what to say or what to do. "If…if you're willing, I'd like to learn from you guys. You know, on how to be a friend. Or at least, associate with you."

"Teeth, of course!" Hiccup replied, finally walking up to her. "That's why we forced you to stay with us. We want to help you."

Teeth nodded in acknowledgement. "I can still work the forge for you. You know, to earn my keep here."

"Teeth, you've already done more than Snotlout." Astrid quickly replied, which she ignored his angry glare. "You don't owe us anything! Promise!"

"Thanks…and I'll try to not lose my cool…but I make no promise on that…" She admitted, still acting sheepish and awkward with her confession.

"Not to worry, Teeth. We understand." Hiccup replied with a comforting smile. "Just make sure you don't get frustrated with yourself if you don't get something right away, alright?"

Teeth nodded, unable to really say anything else. Turning to the Stormcutter that stood over her, she then asked. "So…heh, I guess I need to ask you guys what the hell I should do with this guy…"

Hiccup smiled as he walked up and wrapped an arm around her, making her cringe at the touch. "Well, step one is to get his trust. Which you've done. Now you just need to work on trusting him yourself."

Looking up at the Stormcutter's black face, still stained with some blood from the Stinger it killed, she reluctantly raised her hand.

Taken back by the offer, the Stormcutter was surprisingly quick to respond. Leaning forward, it placed its forehead directly in her palm, though pushing her back a little bit.

"Hah! That was easy." Astrid cheered, followed by the others in their excitement. "We'll have to make a saddle for you before you start riding."

"Yeah, I guess that would be good…" She whispered, slowly taking her hand off the dragon's head. Staring at it, she silently pondered something to herself. Not saying anything, she reached up a second time, this time wiping her hand across its chin. The remaining blood started to fade away as she rubbed it, but to her surprise, the black dirt wasn't dirt at all. It was the actual coloration of its scales and hide.

"Huh, guess it doesn't need that much a bath anyways." Snotlout teased, seeing the black remain on its face.

"Cinder…"

Everyone turned to Teeth, unsure of what she said.

"If we're going to stick together…you need a name…" She whispered, seeing the Stormcutter almost smile at the word. "Cinder. For the orange, grey and black."

Cinder roared happily, flapping all four of its wings.

"Whoa!" Tuffnut shouted, being blown over from the sudden gust.

"Well, I guess this is it." Teeth whispered, turning to face Hiccup. "I'm willing to follow you. You know, since you're the leader here."

Hiccup smiled as everyone started to surround her, minus Tuffnut. "Teeth. You're our friend. So stop treating everything as if there's a hierarchy, alright? I might be the one that makes plans and pushes us towards our goals…but I need everyone to contribute. Start thinking that we're all equal."

"Besides, it's going to take some time before you're ready to fly against the Hunter's." Astrid spoke up. "We'll work you through it and you'll be flying as if you've been doing it all your life."

Teeth let a real smile grow on her face. Nodding, she looked up at Cinder. "Well, guess we better get to work then." And for a moment, she swore she felt a peace she had never experienced before. It was beyond description, but if she had to put words to it…it would be she felt like she found a place in the world. As a Dragon Rider.

There you go! The end of the story. I plan on finishing the second part after the next DB story, since I didn't want this story too long. Also I wanted to make it special the moment she starts riding a Stormcutter. And how she goes about getting revenge and changing from a Hunter to a Rider.

Any ways, was there anything you liked about the story? What you didn't like? Let me know! Should I stay away from stories that aren't the Dragon Boarder? Or should I keep trying to write original adventures? Please tell me, whether in a PM or a review. I can't change or improve if I'm not told what I should work on.

Thanks again for the support! Hope you enjoyed it!
-Dustnblood