Night came upon the island like it always did; it came accompanied with dark masses of clouds, and a wet kind of feeling to linger in the air. Overhead, the blackness edging across the skies hid away the moon and the stars, almost adding a kind of exaggeration to the night. The overcast promised either a hard rain, or a mushy snow. Either way, the weather was like it always was, and always had been. Since the bad weather was starting to make its first appearances, the village was empty. People were staying holed up in their homes, being wise as they stayed inside.

But a few people were outside, braving the weather unlike all the others as they emerged from the forest. By the state of their clothes and hair, they'd been inside the woods for far too long. Each man had some sort of scratch or bruise from maneuvering the tough terrain, and their eyes were raw with exhaustion as they stumbled towards the head of the village. Their feet dragged against the grass, and a few weary mummers started among them as they raised their eyes up to the cloudy sky a little nervously. But the man at the head of their posse didn't waver as he made for the Chief's home, so they had no choice but to keep on.

Trudging up the steep slope up towards the house, they finally reached the destination. The people in tow sighed gratefully as they came to a gathered halt, thanking their lucky stars that the gale hadn't broken yet. Although, looking at the sky, they knew that it was pure luck. Even the clouds seemed to bend under the weight of its held-in water. The man that had been assigned to lead their expedition pushed his way up to the door without a single glance at the sky, reaching up and knocking on the rough wood respectfully.

A thunderclap shook the island, and no sooner had the noise ripped through the air did the night sky light up with a bright light. Lightening sliced apart the clouds for the briefest moment, a jagged scar in the dark. From the back of the group, Spitelout let out a loud curse as he tried to calm down from his brief flash of fear at the sudden noise. "Gobber, is ridiculous!" He said loudly, the head of their party turning at his sudden outburst. The man jabbed a finger back up at the clouds, obviously fuming as his face turned a slight shade of pink. "This is the millionth time that we've gone out there! And it's going to storm any minute now! We need to be in our homes, not out there wandering around the forest!"

Gobber opened his mouth to reply to the angry shout, when suddenly one of the men rounded on the hot-headed Viking. "Of course you would think that!" He snapped angrily, eyes like twin flames as he glared holes through the man. Spitelout narrowed his eyes crossly at the statement, but the speaker didn't falter in his words. "It's not like you would care, isn't that right? After all, it's not yourchild out there somewhere!"

Spitelout snarled angrily, taking a step forward as he balled his hands into two tight fists. "And you know why?" He asked critically, flashing back his own retort at the accusation. "It's because mykid doesn't go off running headfirst into trouble like your's does." The man stiffened like a board at this, but Spitelout only deepened his glare. "Snotlout knows better than to run off and hide out who-knows-where! Besides, we've skirted nearly the entire forest by now and they're nowhere to be found! Obviously if they were here, we woulda caught sight of them. It's a useless task."

Gobber could see that the man was slowly fluffing up with anger. His face was a stark scarlet, and the man knew that if he let the two of them keep going, then someone would end up hurt or injured. And besides, Stoick was a sight enough without all this trouble with fighting villagers. This was the last thing they needed. Looking over to the man who had challenged Spitelout in the first place, Gobber eyed him carefully. "Calm down, Hofferson." He said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. Ask anyone in the village, he was never the consoling type. "I'm sure that we'll be able to find both your daughter and everyone else without too much-"

Thunder drowned out the rest of his speech, another flash of white-hot light making its appearance as the island shrunk underneath the heavy weight of the coming squall. But Hofferson wasn't fazed by it, squaring himself up angrily as he looked at Spitelout with a sense of utmost fury. "What do you mean they're nowhere to be found?" He repeated in an angered haze. "We haven't even made a dent in our searching yet! Don't you wantthem not to be found? Have you forgotten that it's not just me who lost someone? It's yournephew out there too, ya know! Just because Snotlout isn't out there too-"

Spitelout snarled angrily, doing a sufficient job of cutting the man off. "Don't tell me how I should feel about kids." He said crossly, seething with anger at both this pointless fight, and their pointless job of scouring the island. They've been at it for days, and it was obvious that everyone was at their breaking point. "And even if Snotlout was out there, it still wouldn't matter! Unlike you, I don't babymy kids. We're Vikings! Not some pansy group of people that need to hold hands."

Hofferson only bristled even more at the comment, drawing himself up as he jabbed an accusing finger into his opponent's face. "Oh, yeah?" He yelled angrily, Gobber cursing the gods as he started forward angrily. "I guess that explains how well yourkid turned out!" He spat. "I guess that's why he's in such a big shadow of your nephew that you obviously don't care about!" Spitelout looked ready to explode at this comment. The other members in their party had slowly backed away from their skirmish, eyes wide with a nervous kind of fear. Some even stepped so far away from the house that they were slowly getting drenched from the rain that was starting to whip itself down from the cloudy sky.

"Alright, you two!" Gobber snapped angrily, lunging forward and forcing the two apart with a heavy shove. The two fell away from each other, still throwing looks of anger as they regained their footing. "I realize that you all are tired." The blacksmith went on, shooting the pair a sharp look as he remained their physical barrier. "But that doesn't give you any kinda excuse to throw your weight around!" Giving each man one last glare, he added: "Now pipe down, stop your yellin', and let's report to Stoick."

Spitelout looked away with a sharp grumble of irritation. "It's not like it'll come out any different." He growled under his breath. "We've come back with the same news a million times over. He'll just tell us to do the same exact thing all over again. Why do we even bother coming back to talk to him?"

At this, Gobber allowed himself to feel a little spark of anger. Much as he liked to keep a level-head most of the time, these words did little to help him maintain his composure. He turned stiffly, back at the door by now. Once again, he gave another series of knocks on the door, though this time the banging was considerably harder as he slammed his hand against the wood. "Now listen here, Spitelout." He growled, eyes narrowing into thin slits of anger as he looked at the Chief's anything-but-level-headed brother. True, he was a good warrior, and always showed where his loyalty lied in the end, though Gobber found himself fully frustrated with him more than half the time. Much like his son, Gobber reflected sourly.

"Much as you like to forget all the time," Gobber said scathingly, hearing footsteps start up on the other side of the door. "Stoick is chief. That means ya listen to him, ya do what he says, and ya don't question it. So right now I'd suggest that ya shut up, stand in line, and stop your buggin' before I have to make ya." His voice was barbed at the end, obviously sending the Viking a warning that he needn't voice. Taking the hint with a disgruntled glower, Spitelout turned away pointedly just in time for Stoick to open the door.

The chief answered like he always did, with a large sweeping motion that was slightly rushed. His eyes immediately went to the group, searching the pockets and holes that were apparent in the party. But, like all the times before, his expression grew a little angry as he didn't catch sight of any extra people in tow. The Chief leaned forward, blinking thoughtfully as he took a quick glance up at the stormy sky. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the group. "Go home." He said firmly, making it an order with the tone of his voice. Gobber twitched angrily as he saw Spitelout breathe out a sigh of relief. "Gobber, you have to stay behind and tell me what happened."

Without a single goodbye, or any additional words of that type, Stoick turned and headed back into his house. Unnerved, Gobber stood still for a few moments, blinking slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. It was falling apart so fast, sometimes the man had trouble trying to keep up with it. Reluctantly, he turned and nodded awkwardly to the search party, standing still for a moment and watching the group break up with irritated mumbles. He stood on the stoop of the Haddock Home, eyes following his fellow Vikings as they all fled for their families. The Vikings tried to dodge the raindrops that were now coming down at a million miles an hour, and Gobber realized with a sigh that he would have to make the long trek back home just like them soon. And his house was on the other side of the village.

The things I do for this guy.Gobber thought with irritation, turning hesitantly and walking in after his friend. He took time to shut the door behind him, taking care to make sure it was locked. With a storm that looked like it had some nasty potential like this, he didn't want the door blowing open from the wind. Once he was sure that the wooden barrier wouldn't act up, he turned around and followed Stoick. The man was hunched over a large table on the other side of the room, scowling as he grabbed up a pencil and furiously scratched across the surface of a map.

Gobber sighed as he recognized the sheet of paper; Stoick had been keeping track of how far the search parties had gone out, and what section of the island they checked. The map that he was busy scribbling over was a layout of the island of Berk. The chief had been busy scratching over some parts of the map and circling others that might hold what they were looking for. Looking a little ruefully at the stressed-out leader, Gobber shifted a little uneasily. "You could have at least said something to em." He said finally, voice oddly quiet in the noticeably-empty home. "They've been working hard lately."

"Not hard enough." Stoick growled angrily, not even pausing to glance back over at his friend. "Where did you search today?"

Gobber sighed, more pointedly this time. Walking over to Stoick's side with his same lopsided gait, the man reached over and drew a finger from one point to the other on the map. They had searched farther today, starting out earlier in the morning and going up until the moon was high in the sky. Or, would be high in the sky, if not for the clouds that blocked it. "From Raven's Point to the Cove. We figured that they might be there of all places, but we came up with nothing." He stopped himself just short of saying: like all the other times. He snapped his mouth closed before the words could slip out, but Stoick didn't seem to notice his almost-blunder.

The Chief took his pencil, ramming it down angrily against the table as he scratched out the area furiously in black. He pressed so hard that by the time he was finished with the task, there were bits and pieces of the charcoal scattered across the table, chunks that hadn't been used yet. Gobber eyed the pieces a little oddly, but Stoick's freezing voice cut off his thoughts as the man began to speak in a low tone. "They must be somewhere here, then." He growled, jabbing his finger down to gesture at the small space that had yet to be mauled off the paper. "We have to get out there soon and find them before they can move. We have to-"

"You know." Gobber said stiffly, looking at Stoick a little reproachfully as he narrowed his eyes. "We could try a different approach." The Chief finally seemed to hear Gobber this time, finally managing to tear his gaze away from the map as he turned to his friend. His eyes were a little distant, and Gobber wondered with pang whether the odd expression was from worry or anger. And he became even more concerned when he couldn't make a valuable guess on the two; he could be either one. "How about we search a little-"

"We have been searching, Gobber." Stoick said, fuming as he didn't wait for the man to finish speaking. Gobber went silent at this, choking back his flash of impatience and anger as he listened to the Chief with a dull look. The man turned on his heel, pacing up and down the room like he was in deep thought. "We've searched nearly the whole island for them, and yet we haven't found a single trace." He lifted his right arm, reaching up to rub his forehead roughly, the way he always did when he got increasingly stressed. "We have to double the patrols. Tell people that they're our number one priority. Put up sentries every night in the watchtowers, put guards stationed around the island, make sure that we're covering the entire place." He gave a small sigh, coming to a stop at the foot of the stairs. He turned, looking up the incline with an expression that was entirely unreadable.

Gobber cleared his throat, and yet Stoick didn't look back at him. Going on and hoping that his friend was listening, the male went on. "We could take a different approach." He said, putting emphasis on the last few words. "Stoick, when we're out there, we're looking for villagers that have run away. We're looking for people to drag back to this house against their will." He paused a moment, feeling a small flash of sadness at the images in his head before adding the last part. His voice turned hushed at this next part, and he felt a small tug in his heart at the same time. "We're not looking for your son. We're looking for a prisoner, not Hiccup."

"We can't take a different approach." Stoick snapped harshly, bristling as he turned away from the stairs, looking instead into the depths of the fire that blazed in the hearth. His eyes were chips of flint, and he dug his nails into the palms of his hands deeply. "No other kind of way will work." Suddenly, his look changed to a darker sort of gaze, and Gobber felt a strange sense of foreboding at the new change. "He went after that dragon." The chief growled angrily, seething with a new kind of anger. "Even when the Raids stop, this Night Fury is still causing trouble."

"I don't think it's-"

"We haveto find them." Stoick repeated, much more firmer this time as he rounded on his friend. "No matter what we have to do, or where we have to go. We have to start searching away from the island. Do you remember where that one island was, Gobber? With all the other Night Furies?" The Chief's eyes grew distant once more as he elaborated this new kind of plan. As if he were already seeing the Village lined up and ready to take off towards their destination. "Maybe they've gone there. Maybe we can find them if we leave straight away. We can go right now, there's no stopping us. Maybe we could even-"

Gobber's eyes grew wide at the odd ramblings, a wild question ripping through his mind at the sight of this new side of Stoick. Is this just because he's so worried, or because he's gone mad with anger?Deciding the question was unimportant, and backtracking quickly as he saw the man starting to advance, all sane rationalizations left the man's mind. As Stoick got closer, Gobber could see no other way around it. He wasn't sure why, but he needed Stoick to stop scaring him like this. Locking his arm back quickly, without even realizing it, Gobber threw forward a sharp punch, fist ramming right into the side of the Chief's head with a shocking tremor up his wrist.

Stoick was obviously surprised by the blow, eyes wide as his head flew to the side with the impact. Any lesser man would have been knocked right off his feet, but the burly chief only staggered slightly, regaining his footing after a moment as he straightened. His astonished eyes landed on Gobber, one hand going up and rubbing the sore spot numbly. Gobber's eyes were filled with confusion and maybe a little bit of fright as he lowered his arm in slow motion, hand still locking into a tight fist. "…I'm sorry." Stoick said in a hushed tone, just managing the words.

Gobber slowly got over the hurdle as he calmed down, a thought passing in the back of his mind that he should probably have been the one to apologize. After all, he just punched his friend for little to no reason. Shaking the pondering away and deciding that he would try and take his mind off of what just happened, Gobber's tone turned back to the clipped, business-like manner that it was before the episode. "We can't go back to that island right now." He said, jerking his head back towards the door, already hearing the rain and wind lashing against the side of the house. The storm had picked up faster than he thought it would, and it would surely do a number on the island. "Not in this kinda storm." He paused a moment before adding: "And that trip could take forever, Stoick. We don't have enough men for it, either." It felt kind of strange to be reminding his Chief of things such as this.

But Stoick seemed to have recovered from his odd behavior. He nodded slowly, thinking much slower now as he became noticeably quieter. He had dropped his hand from the side of his face, and Gobber figured that the hit hadn't really fazed him. After all, if a slice from a dragon did little to nothing, his punch had just been like a small little tap. The Chief cleared his throat after a moment's silence, shifting a little uneasily as he refused to look over at his friend. "…So…what do you suppose we do?" He asked, voice sounding as though it were carefully measured this time around.

Gobber gave a small sigh through his nose, feeling a sinking pit in his stomach. "I think you need to go out there yourself." He said, watching his tone carefully and making sure that he didn't sound too sharp or demanding. His voice was gentle as he looked at his friend, and once again, he felt that nerve-shaking pang of pity. "If Hiccup is anywhere on this island at all, he won't come out to some band of random Villagers callin' his name like he's some kinda criminal." He paused a moment, weighing his words before: "But he'll come out to his father."

Stoick shook his head listlessly, looking worn all of a sudden. "No, he wouldn't." He said gruffly, still not meeting his friend's eyes. The man let out a heavy sigh, looking frustrated as he turned fully, putting his back to Gobber. "The last time I saw 'im…" He trailed off for a moment, as if at a loss. "He was spouting nonsense…I had no other choice but try and hold him back!" Stoick whirled around, eyes fixed firmly on Gobber, waiting expectantly for an agreement. But when Gobber remained quiet, Stoick pressed his case. "I couldn't let him go do what he was rambling about…it would have been dangerous for everyone on the island! But…" He blanched, not able to finish the sentence.

"Stoick, you know Hiccup." Gobber said, trying his best to comfort the man. "He gets ideas, and sometimes they turn out well."

"And most of the time?" Stoick asked scathingly. Gobber hesitated a moment, and Stoick gave a tense nod, answering his own question. "Most of the time they blow up in everyones' faces, Gobber! We can't have another 'Hiccup Idea.' Not right now. Not when the last 'Hiccup Idea' resulted in the deaths of nearly half the village." The Chief reached up, rubbing his forehead with an agonized grimace. "People dead…families broken apart…the whole island in ruins…that's what happened last time Hiccup tried to do anything. We were willing to give the female dragon a try back then, and we were willing to put aside our rational thinking for that time, and look what happened because of it." He shook his head firmly. "I'm not going to do it again, Gobber."

"Vikings don't normally have rational thinking." Gobber said, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe it was just-"

"This isn't a joke, Gobber!" Stoick snapped, cutting his friend off with his irritated shout. "We have a serious problem on our hands! If Hiccup has gone out there to bring that Night Fury back here, the island is just going to get worse!" He turned swiftly, brushing past Gobber as he marched back over to the table that had the map. He slammed his fist down on the section that had yet to be crossed off, his fist creating almost a thunder-like sound as Gobber winced away from it. "We have to keep searching. We can't let up now."

"Are you sure?" Gobber asked, voice ragged now as he tried one last time to try and urge the Chief into changing his strategy.

"Yes." He said stiffly, squashing the last hope that Gobber had of changing the game. "If Hiccup istrying to bring back the Night Fury, he's going to be in for a surprise." Stoick turned stiffly. "Do what I asked." He said, making it an order. "We need to keep watch over the island in case the beasts return. Distribute the men so we have some to guard and some to patrol. From now on, our main goal is to keep this island safe. We have to track down Hiccup before things can get farther out of hand. I will not let those infernal monsters back on this island, Gobber. They may have succeeded in killing off Vikings here before," The man's eyes hardened, narrowing into slits of fury as he gripped the edge of the table tightly. "but if they show their faces here again, we'll show 'em that coming back was a grave mistake."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Excitement thrummed through the dragon's paws as he raced down the tunnel passageway, eyes wide with a laughing sort of expression. His breaths came in as sharp gasps, wings extended ever so slightly as they brushed the sides of the cavern. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, gleaming eyes seeing effortlessly in the darkness. The female was right on his tail, looking just as ecstatic as he was as she charged forward. "It's time!" He sang in a high trill, voice ragged from their running. But neither of the two showed any sign of slowing down, and they only pushed themselves faster as they neared the main section of the cave. "It can't believe it's finally here!"

"We're on the move!" The male yowled in triumph, finally feeling the sense of accomplishment that he'd been waiting for. He'd waited for what seemed like forever, and now he had the chance to bask in the glorious feeling. They'd managed to get nearly the entire Pack on their side now, save for the elderly, the too-young, and the small group of grumpy-paws. But the sheer size of their group now had nearly quadrupled, and that fact alone was enough to send the young dragon into a fit of happiness.

He burst into the main cavern, eyes wide with awe and astonishment as he took in the sight before him. Dragons of every shape and size were gathered around together near the entrance. They were milling around one another, separate conversations slowly coming together to create a roar of sound. The dragons seemed to be ready to go as they looked out over the island. But there was tremor of nervousness in the air as well, and he could see that a few of the dragons were casting looks back at the cave, as if they suddenly realized that they were leaving for good.

The footsteps quieted behind him, and the male turned curiously to look over his shoulder. The light brown dragon had come to a halt behind him, green eyes suddenly rounded out with a stranger kind of emotion. Slowly, she twisted around to look back at her, blinking slowly as she gazed back into the tunnel that they had just finished running through. The black depths yawned like a mouth, and the slender dragon gave a nervous shuffle of her paws at the sight of it.

The male blinked, titling his head to the side as he turned back to pad over to her delicately. "Leafdapple?" He prompted, sounding worried as he took in this new change. It was such a sudden transition from what she had been moments before, and the youth was suddenly struck with a sense of doubt. Was she going to change her mind now that she realized she would never come back here? His wings stiffened with fear at the thought, Leafdapple slowly turning around to meet his eyes curiously.

"Shadowclaw…you think I'll miss it here?" She asked, voice a little distant as she looked at him carefully.

Shadowclaw's ears flicked with surprise at the odd question. His green eyes flashed a little as he looked around the cave, at the familiar landmarks and feel of the walls that curved overhead. He wouldn't miss it; he barely remembered his time spent here as a little youngling in the Nursery. But he hadn't stayed here as long as Leafdapple had; he'd left when he was far too young, urged on by the reckless (and stupid) feeling of adventure that he always had when he was with Toothless. The older male had left, and little Shadowclaw had decided to follow him on his stubby wings.

He hadn't formed a bond with this place, he had only formed a bond with the few that were inside it. And since those who he became close to left, he did as well, without any second thoughts. So if it were him, he would immediately say: 'Of course you won't, you'll be just fine!' But looking at Leafdapple, who had spent nearly her whole life in this place, who knew it like the back of her claw, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her like that. She might end up missing her old home, that much was almost a given. Shadowclaw could only hope that the grief would be cancelled out with the feeling she would be shown while on Berk.

Leafdapple had perked at the silence, growing somewhat nervous now as she looked at him expectantly. Shaking himself, Shadowclaw finally opened his mouth and answered her. "You might." He said eventually, looking down and absent-mindedly drawing a paw over the smooth touch of the cave floor. "After all, you've lived here your whole life. I would be surprised if you didn'tmiss it every once in a while." But then he brightened, bouncing over to her and giving her an affectionate flick with his tail. "But you'll like where we're going, I promise you! You won't forget this place entirely, that's not what we're trying to do. But you have to realize that if you live here…." He gave a small shrug. "If you live here, then you're not…"

Leafdapple's eyes softened at this, and her tail curled up with a happy sort of twist. She got to her feet now, pushing herself up and touching her nose to Shadowclaw's in a friendly gesture. "I understand." She said warmly, drawing back after a moment as she smiled at him. Shadowclaw was warmed by the expression; he'd spent nearly a whole day gathering up all the Night Furies that were around his age, teaching them and coaching them on how to smile. They'd all caught on pretty quick, and some found it funny as they smiled for laughs. But Leafdapple seemed to be the best at giving out the grin. But maybe that's just because her's was just so pretty.

"C'mon!" Leafdapple chirped when he didn't react. She turned, bounding forward and bouncing over towards the center of the magnificent cavern. Her ears were upright with excitement once more, her brief hint of doubt now dashed away. She rushed into the heart of the gathering, glancing over her shoulder at Shadowclaw as she did so. "Let's see if we can find the others in this mess!" She yelled, turning back around and vanishing into the throng.

Anxious not to be left behind, and relieved that Leafdapple had regained her footing, Shadowclaw rushed after her. His paws were light as he skimmed across the stone, and he did his best to weave through the crowd without ramming into anybody. The Night Furies turned and eyed him oddly as he skirted through the crowd, but they didn't say anything as the male darted his way after the female. "Wait up!" He puffed airily, calling back to Leafdapple as he nearly tripped into the paws of Brightstream. "Sorry!" He squeaked, not glancing back at her as he remained in a brisk run. "Leafdapple!" He whined. "I'm not as fast as you!"

Suddenly, he slammed right into the leg of a Night Fury, the blow causing him to bounce off and crash into the ground with a huff. His green eyes snapped open wide with surprise, picking himself off the ground with a wince as he tried to recover himself. "Sorry!" He said again, looking over to the dragon he had crashed into. He felt embarrassment fill him from ears to tail-tip, and he opened his mouth to babble out an excuse that hopefully sounded right. But then he cut himself off at the sight of the dragon in front of him, smiling carelessly now as he recognized the figure. "Oh, it's just you." He said, Mistyeyes scowling as she rolled her eyes. "For a minute I thought it was someone I'd have to apologize to."

Mistyeyes gave a good-natured huff, reaching out and prodding the smaller dragon sharply in the ribs. Her blue eyes were filled with annoyance, but there was a also a small hint of amusement in their depths. "Why don't you stop traipsing around?" She suggested dryly, flicking the end of her tail dismissively. "We've got a long way to go, and we're going to leave soon. Don't tire yourself out before we even start our journey."

Shadowclaw settled his face into an overly-serious expression, closing his eyes and nodding dramatically in agreement. When he opened his eyes again, Mistyeyes was looking at him sourly. She sighed heavily, reaching out once again and pushing him away gently. "Oh, away with you." She said tartly. "If you stay any longer, I'm going to have to separate your tail from your body." Shadowclaw stuck his tongue out a her, turning on his claws and bouncing away in the direction that Leafdapple had gone. Mistyeyes watched him go, a small smile playing on the edges of her lips at the sight of him.

"Was that Shadowclaw?" The female started at the voice, turning around and glancing back with a happy look. Toothless was weaving through the crowd, heading over to her and coming to a stop at her side. The dragon looked much more thoughtful and serious than he usually was, eyes careful and calculating as he looked over the crowd slowly. "We need to make sure that everyone is here before we take off." Toothless explained to her, the gray dragon straightening at the instructions. "I figured you would know more dragons here than I would."

"Sure, I can help." Mistyeyes said brightly. "Yeah, that was Shadowclaw. And I think he was going after Leafdapple. So…that's two down."

Toothless sighed gently, shooting her a weary smile. "Only a million more to go."

Mistyeyes smiled wryly, brushing against him affectionately as she headed for the outer side of the crowd. There they would be able to get a better look at who was here and who wasn't. And then if there were a few stragglers, they would have to resort to scouring the tunnels for them. But it shouldn't be too hard, Mistyeyes reasoned with herself. After all, she knew the tunnels fairly well considering she hadn't been here in what felt like forever. She would be able to find her way around pretty easily. "You make it sound like having more dragons is a bad thing." She said coyly, glancing back at Toothless, who was trotting after her briskly.

He quickened his pace, falling into step beside her as he shrugged. "I never said that." He said, lowering his voice some as they broke out of the circle of other Night Furies. "It's just…we're walking on thin ice, you know?" Mistyeyes turned to look at him, blinking slowly as she sat down a ways away from the crowd. Toothless did the same, hesitating a moment before nodding in their direction. "They made a change for the better, we know that much. But…I can't help wondering if it will hold."

"What do you mean?" Mistyeyes asked, puzzled as she tilted her head to the left.

"Well... think about it. The change was goodbut…it was fasttoo." He let a frown cross his features as he gazed intently at the group of Night Furies. "I just can't help wondering whether or not it'll hold with them, you know? They seemed so unsure before, and now all of a sudden they're not. It's just a little unnerving if you think about it."

Mistyeyes paused a moment, eyes narrowing a fraction as she judged Toothless's features. She had expected the dragon to be a little put-out at all of this fuss. Ever since Hiccup first started to talk about coming here to the Night Furies, Mistyeyes had wondered whether or not Toothless would become jealous at the lack of attention from the human. After all, before, it had been just him. Now that there were a bunch of other Night Furies for Hiccup to handle, the boy didn't have time to bond with Toothless like he used to. But there was no hint of jealousy in the male's eyes. There wasn't an angry bristle in his scales or a sour flex in his claws. He merely looked worn out, tired and out of ideas.

Mistyeyes leaned forward, pressing her head comfortingly against his cheek. "Then don't think about it." She suggested warmly. "We've come this far, we won't let anything like that slow us down, will we?" Toothless shot her a grateful look, not replying outwardly to her words. But Mistyeyes wasn't fazed, smiling encouragingly as she got to her feet. "C'mon. Let's go take some role call, shall we?"

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"Shadowclaw and Leafdapple seem to be getting along pretty well now." Astrid observed, leaning against the wall of the cave as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her blue eyes were trained down at the crowd below, having a good view right into the heart of crowd. She could see the dark shapes of the two as they ran and zipped through the mass of dragons, and the blonde let a small smile grace her features. "Well, at least they're getting well together. I dunno if all that trampling around will help them get along with the other Night Furies too well." Hiccup didn't reply to her, and she frowned, smile dashing away as she turned over to glance back at him. "…Hiccup?" She prompted.

The boy was staring, not listening to her at all as he let out a small mumble in what she guessed was supposed to be a reply. He was sitting on the edge of the ledge that the pair were on, green eyes shadowed as he looked down at the dragons a few feet below. His legs dangled loosely over the edge of the rock, and Astrid noticed that his hands were gripping his knees rather tightly, as if he were nervous about something.

The sight made a crease appear in the girl's forehead, and she pushed off the wall of the cave as she sidled over to be beside him. She went carefully, wincing as her foot slipped a little on the damp surface. But gradually she got closer to the boy, and she gently lowered herself down to sit on his left. Her shoulders relaxed visibly as she ensured that she wouldn't slip off, the blonde clearing her throat a little before doing anything else.

She leaned over a little, reaching out and waving a hand rapidly in front of Hiccup's face. "Earth to Mr. I Can Talk to Dragons!" She sang, watching as Hiccup blinked rapidly at the interference of her hand. She broke whatever spacing contact he held, the boy turning over to look at her like she had roused him from sleep. Astrid looked at him carefully, looking concerned now as she let her joking manner slip. "You okay?" She asked softly. "I thought you would have been happy now that we got all of these dragons on our sides." She turned to look down at the group below. "We've got quite the collection now, I thought you would be relieved."

"I am." Hiccup said quickly. But he drew a hand loosely through his hair, eyes suddenly troubled as he bit his lower lip. "It's just…a feeling I have, I guess."

"A feeling of what?" Astrid asked. "Imminent disaster? 'Cause I think you're a little late if that's what you're feeling. You should have felt that like…days ago."

Hiccup shot her a slightly frustrated look. "You could say that." He said sourly, eyes flashing. Astrid became quiet as she realized that joking wouldn't help Hiccup right now. Usually it could shake him out of his troubles if the blonde shot a few cracks in his direction. But it seemed like he was too distracted now to appreciate them. The blonde became quiet as the thought entered her mind, merely staring at her Viking and waiting for him to explain.

The boy sighed at the change, turning away and mumbling out a small apology. "I'm sorry." He said regretfully. "It's just…I feel like something is wrong. You know when you get that feeling? Like you haven't realized what exactly it is yet, but…you just knowthat something isn't right? Like when you go to training and you forgot your sword? When you're going out the door, you think: 'Gee, I feel like I'm missing something.'" Astrid paused, thinking a moment before nodding slowly. Hiccup shrugged listlessly, "That's how I feel." He stated plainly.

"Well, let's think." Astrid said, reaching over and grabbing his hand in her's, trying to comfort him as best she could. "I'm right here." She started, pursing her lips as she thought. "Toothless and Mistyeyes went down to survey the crowd. Shadowclaw and Leafdapple are off running around down there. Nightflight went to talk to the dragons and make sure that everyone knows what's going to be going on these next few days. Ludi is right there." She turned, nodding over to the cat, who was pressed up in a ball on Hiccup's other side. "…And the dragons going with us are all down there waiting for our signal." Astrid concluded with an encouraging grin. "That just about covers everything."

Hiccup nodded slowly, but Astrid could tell that he was still unconvinced. She sighed lightly, leaning over and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She leaned against his side like she couldn't sit up herself, rolling her eyes and saying dryly: "You'd better be glad I put up with you." She informed him. "Because I'm not too sure that anybody else would."

This seemed to catch Hiccup's attention. The boy let out a small sigh of laughter, turning around and returning the hug just as tightly. "Believe me, I know." He said softly before drawing away. He glanced at her quietly for a moment or two, looking as if he wanted to say something more. But he shook himself, clearing his throat with a loud cough as he stood up. Astrid followed his lead, bracing herself in case the boy slipped off the rock. With his fake foot, the terrain was even harder for him to maneuver than it was for Astrid. If he fell, she'd have to try and catch him.

But he balanced himself neatly on the ledge, making Astrid scowl as she felt her foot slip off the side for the millionth time. She cursed under her breath, bringing her foot back to herself as she scowled down at the limb. "It feels like the world is tilted when I'm up here, or something." She growled angrily, regaining her balance with a sour expression. "I don't know how you keep yourself from slipping right off the rock."

Hiccup hummed a reply, looking down thoughtfully at the dragons below. "Should we leave, then?" He asked softly, voice growing subdued as he asked the question.

Astrid perked at this, following his line of eyesight as she blinked. The dragons looked more than ready to leave, they were all just hanging around waiting for Hiccup to say something about their departure. Mistyeyes and Toothless were gone, they must be tracking down the last few dragons that were supposed to leave. But still, Hiccup should say something even before they returned, just so the dragons could realize that they were leaving for good soon.

Astrid looked around the cave, feeling a small pang as she realized that she'd never come back here again. While her stay here hadn't been that pleasurable, what with the angry Night Furies, the pressure of showing them all about Berk, and the stressful nights, she found she would miss it. It held a lot of memories now, and it was a beautiful scenery to live with. She'd come to like the way that the light from outside would always catch the water on the walls in just the right angle, or the way that the stalagmites and the stalactites created a memorizing pattern.

It was pretty place to live, and she could understand if it took the Night Furies a little while to bear to leave the caverns of their old home. But Berk was where everyone here belonged, especially her and Hiccup. They couldn't stay here forever, even if the thought of going back to Berk was a little scary. They had to swallow back their fright and learn to face the inevitable, knowing that it would turn out okay. "Yes." She said finally, turning to give the boy an encouraging smile. "We should."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: Hey all! Glad to see that some of you stuck with me! I hope you enjoy what I have in store!