Henrik only caught a quick glance of the man in the middle of the crowd before he was pushed against a wall with Toothless and Stormfly in front of him, blocking him from view. For a brief moment, though, he was sure they made eye contact.

"Hello, everyone," a voice bellowed. It was low and smooth, spoken softly yet carrying across the entire room. It had a rather musical quality to it, low and hypnotic, but it was also powerfully impressive. It demanded attention and as soon as it began, all other voices hushed. "I realize everyone is concerned, for our own safety as well as that of our good friend, Hookfang. Rest assured, I am doing everything I can to ensure his release. Until then, we all need to be careful. The police are watching over us more stringently than ever. At this point I don't want anyone caught for jaywalking, understood?" there were murmurs of agreement, "good, good. Now, Hookfang's arraignment will be held soon, they cannot put it off any longer. It is unlikely, but possible, that they will release him on bail until the actual trial. If this is the case, we need to be prepared so I want everyone who is able to come to me for extra assignments. If you all stay here for the night, I'll come to each off you one by one to gather what you've already collected and assign you more work. For now, that is all. As I understand it, Meatlug has food prepared for everyone. Please, help yourselves. Children first."

Another quiet chorus rang through the crowd and they began to disperse. Henrik was still trapped behind Toothless and Stormfly, neither having moved from the spot. Stormfly leaned over and was about to whisper something when the voice began again.

"Oh," it said, as though in a sudden epiphany, "I almost forgot. Toothless, Stormfly," Henrik could feel both of them tensing, "I saw you brought me a present. How about the three of you meet me first, hm?"

"Yes sir," Stormfly muttered and Henrik panicked. He considered bolting, but he knew he would never make it far, especially not with Stormfly gripping his arm the way she was. She pulled him forward and Toothless followed. When they approached the man, Henrik finally had a chance to get a good view of him. He was much taller than Henrik, taller even than Toothless. He had sharp eyes that seemed to mock Henrik as they looked him up and down, a haughty smirk on his face.

"Sir?" Stormfly broke the silence and drawing the attention of both Henrik and the man who he assumed was Green Death away from each other. The Green Death smiled.

"Yes, yes, of course," he wrapped a careful arm around Henrik's shoulder making the boy shudder. "Follow me, we shouldn't do this here."

So they followed him. They had to walk slowly so that Toothless, not used to the new leg, could keep up. His limp was prominent though he did not seem bothered. The Green Death did not appear to notice it at all, making Henrik wonder if he even knew he had lost it in the first place. Finally, they were away from the crowd and entered a small room which must have once been an office. The man sat down in a old chair and offered the other seat to Henrik, leaving the other two to stand.

"Now, you can only imagine how surprised I was to see you here," he said, resting his chin on intertwined fingers. "The son of the great police chief, Stoick Haddick, and here you are, in the lair of Dragons. You can imagine what kind of position this puts me in."

"A pretty good one I'd imagine," Henrik muttered. His words were defiantly sarcastic but he could not bring himself to look the man in the eyes. The Green Death hummed with a sort of pleasure.

"Oh, I do like you. Not nearly as dimwitted as that father of yours I see. Though, perhaps not if you were foolish enough to come here and expect to be able to leave safely," he reached forward tapped Henrik's chin twice with an index finger.

"I wasn't really expecting to come here at all," Henrik shrugged and the Green Death chuckled.

"Of course not," he withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair, looking at Henrik as though he were judging an item on whether or not it was worth buying. "You're father would kill to know where we were. I assume you are hoping to run back to Daddy to tell him all about us? I do hope you know why that won't be possible."

"Either way, I assume you're about to tell me," Henrik frowned, noticing Stormfly's stunned look out of the corner of his eyes. She didn't seem to approve of the way he was speaking to their leader.

"Quite right," the Green Death hummed, "though we do have a few options here. You see you've given me quite an advantage. Option number one, it's not my favorite option but it's effective, is to simply kill you now. You can see why this may be necessary. You now know where our hideout is and could easily turn us in to your father. I can't let that happen.

"Option number two: we could hold you for ransom. You're head would fetch a pretty penny I'm sure; perhaps we could even negotiate a deal for the release of Hookfang. If you cooperate I'm sure it would be a painless process. There's no need for any harm to come to you.

"Option number three is my personal favorite. You join us and do whatever I ask of you. With you as one of us, we'd have a clear advantage over your dear father."

"There isn't an option four?" Henrik muttered, the Green Death seemed to understand this was a rhetorical question and simply waited so Henrik sighed. "Option one is obviously out. Option two wouldn't work for either of us; the police don't negotiate for prisoners. Option three isn't much better. I don't hold any weight with law enforcement other than Stoick being my father. I'm not even sure he's convinced we're related."

"Dear boy, you don't understand how useful you could be. Listen," he shifted forward in his seat, closer to Henrik. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, "I like you so I'm going to give you some advice. Everyone alive today will one day be nothing but supper for worms. There are only three things that can possibly delay this fate: strength, cleverness, and luck. There isn't much anyone can do about luck and you obviously aren't doing so well on strength-"he gave Henrik's bicep a small squeeze, "-but you are clever. So you have a choice, you can side with us and someday later become worm food, or you could deny me and become my supper now," his fingers tightened dangerously, making Henrik wince and Toothless take a step forward. The Green Death sent Toothless a warning glance and he stepped back, still looking worried.

"Okay," Henrik grimaced but steeled his nerves "I'll join you, but if you tell me to do something I can't do, I'm out."

"Of course," the man pulled back, patting Henrik's arms once as he did, "but remember, should that happen, you will then be the enemy. I will not hesitate should you betray us."

"Yes sir," he replied, biting his lip and dropping his head. The answer pleased the Green Death and he started to beam.

"Wonderful," he stood, "Stormfly, have Barf and Belch take the boy home. Tell them we've recruited the son of the police chief and they should make sure to treat him as such. I doubt they will listen, but… Anyways, remember what I've told you, hmm, Little Supper?"

Henrik nodded and Stormfly ushered him out of the room. Before she closed the door he caught a quick glimpse of Toothless scowling as the Green Death put an arm around his shoulder. In the larger room, he was led through the crowd of Dragons. There were more people there than he would have ever imagined were part of the group, it was terrifying. Eventually Stormfly came to a stop and Henrik found himself in front of a pair of conjoined twins attached at the hip. They were identical and slightly above average height, though they looked a bit taller because of how thin and lanky they were. They had strawberry blond hair that didn't look quite right with their yellow green eyes but seemed to work well enough.

"Barf, Belch," Stormfly addressed them, "this is Henrik Hamish Haddick III, the police chief's son—" the twins gaped openly "—Death wants you to take him back to his house, safely. He'll be joining us as a new recruit."

"We've got the son of the police chief here and we're just walking him home? Have we lost our minds?" the one on the left said, eyeing Henrik suspiciously.

"We walk him home tonight and tomorrow his dad's walking us with handcuffs," the other added.

"I don't know what all this we talk is," Stormfly rolled her eyes and reached out to knock their heads together, "but the Green Death's given you orders so do as you're told."

"Fine, we're on it," the right twin groaned, rubbing his head, then muttered under his breath, "she-devil."

"Bitch," the other added quietly, hiding a smirk. Stormfly was not amused. She growled menacingly but decided it was not worth it and turned on her heel, leaving Henrik alone with the twins. They approached him and he could only wonder if it was difficult for them to walk. They each had four legs and seemed to walk very naturally and in synch, but Henrik thought it must be harder than walking normally. He fell enough normally, if he was tied to someone else he was certain he would spend more time with his face on the ground than his feet.

The twins circled Henrik, looking him over carefully and humming occasionally. There was an almost carnivorous look in their eyes that made him swallow nervously. When it had been just Toothless on the streets, it was easy to forget that he was a Dragon, part of a group of criminals his father would kill to get his hands on. This had been a shocking reminder.

"He looks like he's gonna throw up," the twins stopped in front of Henrik and stared, stroking their chins thoughtfully.

"He really does. Not sure I blame 'im though. Pretty sure if I was the police chief's kid and I'd just met the Green Death, I'd be pretty freaked out too."

"What's wrong kid? You're not afraid the big guy's gonna get revenge or anything, are you?"

"I mean you're only the son of the man who arrested our innocent brethren."

"But he can't possibly hold anything against you."

They were smiling wickedly, apparently attempting to intimidate Henrik. He would admit that, yes, he was very afraid of the Green Death, but he was focusing on something else.

"Is he really innocent? Hookfang, I mean," he asked, flinching a bit away from the pair who had gotten very close.

"You're kidding, right?" the right twin scoffed and pulled away.

"Of course he's innocent," the other said, "you think we just go around killing kids for no reason? What the hell would we get from that?"

"You were just threatening me, like, two seconds ago. How should I know whether or not you kill kids," good choice Henrik, mouthing off to Dragons while smack in the middle of their nest seems like a great plan. He must have a death wish.

"You listen to me," the right one jerked forward, pulling his twin along with him. He grabbed a hold of Henrik's collar and pulled him up so he had to stand on his toes to avoid choking. "We do some shit you people look down on or whatever, but we don't kill seven year old kids. Your father and his mindless cronies were just looking for an excuse to lock him up. It's bullshit."

"Alright," Henrik choked out, "I was just asking; I'm sorry."

"Damn right," he spat, throwing Henrik back down. Henrik stumbled at the sudden force and fell to his knees, but he quickly got back to his feet. "Now come on, we still have to take you home."

Henrik nodded and they turned their backs and immediately started weaving their way through the crowd. He had to hurry to keep up and not lose them. When they reached the stairs, Henrik turned his head to get one last look at the group of young men and women. In the back, behind everyone else, he could see Toothless staring back at him. The man watched him for a moment, frowning, before he turned away and disappeared into the mass of people. Henrik turned back and realized the twins had gotten ahead of him. He rushed to catch up and they made their way out of the old building, checking first to make sure no one was around to see them.

The rest of the trip back to Henrik's house was quiet and uncomfortably nerve wracking. It had gotten dark and Henrik tripped a few times on tree roots and weeds. The twins had begun to lose the last of their patience when they finally made it. Henrik smiled nervously then walked awkwardly to the tree that led to his room. He could see the pair watching him as he climbed, probably laughing when nearly slipped on a branch.

When Henrik made it inside he immediately threw off his shoes and climbed under the covers of his bed without changing his clothes. He had a lot of thinking to do. He could tell his dad about the Dragons and their hideout, but he couldn't see that ending well. They would know where they were but they still didn't have any evidence against the lot of them, let alone the Green Death himself. If he turned them in, the man would certainly want revenge. That wasn't something Henrik could risk. He also didn't want any harm to come to Toothless, he'd grown attached to him (and Stormfly as well, he supposed, she seemed okay so far).

Alternatively, he could do what the Green Death told him, whatever that would be. The thought of it made his stomach twist. Whatever it was, it would probably be illegal. He didn't know if he could do that, and if he couldn't… well, he didn't like his odds. He guessed he would have to just wait and see what was asked of him before making any decisions.

Worst came to worst, he could always run away and join the circus, travel the world. He'd have an act as the clumsiest, most awkward kid in the northern hemisphere, maybe the world. He would sleep with the clowns if he was lucky, with the lions if he wasn't, and maybe learn to juggle. That was a terrible idea in retrospect. He would never be able to juggle successfully. He would just stick with the lions.

He barely sleep at all that night. He pretended to when Stoick came home and opened the door to check on him, but otherwise he sat and chewed on his thumb trying to come up with ways to get out of his situation. He dozed off around four in the morning and woke up at precisely seven (he'd forgot to change his alarm for the weekend and it was still set as though he had to wake up for school).

He was about to go down for breakfast when he noticed a slip of paper on his window sill. He knew it must have been from the Dragons, his father would never leave a note and he would have noticed it if it was there before. He walked over to the window, half expecting to see Barf and Belch right outside staring at him, and inspected the papers. There was an envelope and another sheet of paper on top of it. The envelope read 'Do not read,' so Henrik unfolded the paper.

'Dear Little Supper,' it read 'for your first task as a Dragon, I need you to find a way to deliver this letter to Hookfang. You should understand why we can't do it ourselves. Please let Toothless know when you've completed the task. Best of luck.'

It wasn't signed but 'Little Supper' made it pretty obvious who it was from. Henrik swallowed and set the letter aside so that he could change his clothes. When he was dressed he folded the letter and shoved it into his pocket. Downstairs he found his father already sitting at the breakfast table with a bowl of cereal and bags under his eyes.

"Hey, Dad," Henrik muttered, grabbing a bowl for himself and sitting across from him. Stoick grunted in response, taking a gulp of coffee. Stoick never sipped his coffee; even if it was scalding hot he had to drink it in large gulps. Nothing the man did was small.

"So Dad, I was wondering," Henrik fidgeted and played with his spoon, "do you think I could come into the station with you today? It's just that I kept hearing noises yesterday and I'm kind of nervous. I know there's patrol outside and everything but I thought, maybe, it'd be okay if I came in?"

"Henrik," Stoick sighed, "the officers watching the house are fully capable of keeping ye safe, nothing is going to happen ta ye if ye just stay in the house."

"I know," Henrik looked down and tapped his spoon against his bowl, "I know. I was just nervous, you know? If it's a problem, I'll just stay here."

Stoick rubbed his eyes then dragged his hand the rest of the way down his face. "Alright," he said finally, "ye can come wi me, but ye have ta promise ta stay oot o ma way, understood?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll just sit and do my homework or something. I won't be in the way at all," Henrik nodded and his fingers went down to brush the piece of paper hidden in his pocket. He was very tempted to open it and read what was inside before delivering it, but knew that wasn't in his best interest.

After Stoick had finished getting ready and Henrik gathered his homework and sketch book they drove to the station. There was nearly five minutes of silence in the car before Henrik thought to turn the radio on. It was tuned in on a news station until the Inger case came up so, when Stoick frowned deeply, Henrik changed it to a music station. He didn't particularly like any of the music they were playing, and he could tell Stoick didn't either, but it felt too awkward to try and change it again so he left it.

The station was packed with officers and the like bustling by and jostling Henrik. It seemed like everyone they passed had to stop them to speak with Stoick so it took them forever to get anywhere. Finally Stoick pointed out a bench in the lobby and left Henrik to stay there.

"Just stay put an please din cause any trouble," he said in parting, leaving Henrik alone with his backpack.

"I can't promise anything," Henrik muttered to himself more than to Stoick, who didn't appear to hear it anyways. He sat down and pulled out his trigonometry book, turning to their current chapter. He only paid half attention to the book, keeping an eye on the people in the room. The crowded lobby was slowly thinning out until only the receptionist and a man and a woman on benches across the room remained. The woman was deathly thin with sunken cheeks, dark eyes and a twitch in her fingers while the man was large with a leather jacket and an unkempt beard. Henrik didn't pay them much mind until another man came in and, after speaking to the receptionist, went and sat on the bench next to Henrik's. He chuckled, just loud enough for the newcomer to hear.

"What's yer problem kid," he sneered, looking sideways at him.

"What, no, I'm sorry," Henrik fought to hide his smile so as not to give away his lie, "it's just that man over there was giving you a few rather rude gestures."

"Oi," he called across the room to the man in the leather jacket, "you got a problem with me?"

Before Henrik could shove his text book back into his bag the men had broken into a fight. It escalated even further when another man and woman entered the lobby and it turned into an all out brawl. Soon even police officers had joined in the scuffle. Henrik dashed out of the room and down the hall to the left, entering the third room on the right. It was where they kept people awaiting trial. The two guards there were familiar, having been over to Henrik's house for dinner before.

"Henrik, boy, what are you doing here?" the taller one asked.

"Sorry, it's just there's this big fight in the lobby so I thought I should find someone," Henrik explained, shuffling his feet. This was it, if he was going to deliver the letter, it had to be now.

"Shit," the shorter one swore, "alright kid, stay here and don't talk with any of them," he kicked the bars, "we'll be right back." They hurried out of the room, hands readied on their hips to pull their guns if needed. Henrik let out a breath of relief. It had worked.

There were three men currently imprisoned; he recognized one of them as Hookfang. He was very tall with a shock of messy red hair and freckles. He, and one of the others, was staring straight at Henrik with a smirk.

"Are you, Hookfang?" he asked quietly, approaching the bars. The man snorted.

"Yeah, I'm Hookfang," he replied, standing and approaching where Henrik stood. He grabbed onto the bars and stared down at him. Henrik wasn't very tall in the first place, so staring up at the man he felt as though he were two feet tall, "you come to see the man accused of murder? Some dare from the kids at school?"

"No," Henrik stood his ground, "I mean, I came to see you but not because… I have something for you," he pulled the letter out of his pocket and shoved it through the bars. Hookfang took it, peering suspiciously at it.

"Little Supper?" he mused, reading the envelope before tearing it open. He read it carefully, smirking at first then frowning, then smirking again and finally laughing loudly.

"Gods, kid, you really got yourself in trouble," he laughed but then his smile slipped, "listen, I appreciate the help or whatever, but it's not worth it. You're getting mixed up in shit you don't want to be mixed up in. Once Green Death digs his claws into you, he's not going to let you go."

"Don't you want to get out? The, um, Barf and Belch seemed sure you were innocent," Henrik frowned.

"I didn't kill the girl," Hookfang ran a hand through his hair and pace a bit in the cell. "I didn't kill her but I'm going to plead guilty at my arraignment. So whatever he has you doing, stop it. Go home and don't leave, don't even go to school if that's what it takes. Your dad's a cop, have him keep you safe."

"If you didn't do it, why are you pleading guilty?" Henrik asked, biting his lip. Something didn't fit right and it was making him uneasy.

"Listen- what's your name?" Hookfang stopped pacing and faced him.

"Henrik Hamish Haddick III," he supplied, waiting for the amused look or laugh that always came when he introduced himself. Sure enough, Hookfang snorted in delight.

"H-h-h-h. What were your parents thinking or do they just hate you? Alright Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, listen, the real world doesn't follow the nice little laws you like to think it does. Guilty or not guilty, I'm pretty much fucked, so I may as well just accept a life of bartering for cigarettes in prison."

"You butchered my name," Henrik muttered. Hookfang pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, clearly frustrated. Henrik wasn't trying to piss him off, but he seemed to have a talent for getting on the wrong sides of people. He would honestly like stay as far away from the Green Death as possible, he just couldn't see how. He also had this niggling curiosity. If Hookfang was truly innocent, which he wouldn't bet money on just yet, then who did kill the girl? And why as he willing to take the fall for it? He had his theories, and none of them were

"Just stay out of our shit, for your own good," Hookfang barked and threw the letter to the ground at Henrik's feet. He turned on his heel and sat against the far wall, closing his eyes and turning his head away. Henrik stood and fidgeted.

"I don't know how," he whispered, only just loud enough for Hookfang to hear. The tall man shifted in his spot and Henrik realized he wasn't planning to answer so he reached down to pick up the letter. As he left the room he thought he heard Hookfang answer, though it was quiet and grave and Henrik could only half say he wasn't imagining it.

"Run."

He sounded earnest and insistent that Henrik nearly panicked and ran right then. As it was, he walked briskly past the still active mess in the lobby and to a bench in a connecting hallway. He collapsed onto it and ran his fingers over the letter. He hadn't read it earlier because he would have had to open the envelope and Hookfang would have surely noticed. But Hookfang had thrown the letter back at him. No one would know if he read it now. Still his fingers trembled as he unfolded the sheet of paper and he felt as though he had to hide from anyone walking down the hallway.

Hookfang, the letter read, I hope this letter finds you well—Henrik thought that was a rather tactless comment considering the situation—You have obviously met my new little friend. He is the son of Stoick and I believe he will be very useful in securing your freedom. You can imagine my surprise when Toothless brought him to a meeting—The letter went on to describe more of how Henrik had found himself at the Green Death's mercy, including the loss of Toothless's leg (Henrik was surprised Hookfang hadn't commented on that, but perhaps the two weren't close).

I want you to keep doing as you have been. Say nothing to the police and I will take care of everything. If I have any news for you I will send it by way of our new little friend. I'll keep in touch and remember what we've talked about.

The note was then signed in flawless cursive. Henrik turned the paper over to check if there was anything on the other side, but that was it. He had expected there to be much more, expected there would at least be something important, but that was all there was. Then it hit him. This had been a test. The Green Death had only wanted to test Henrik to see if he could successfully deliver a message to Hookfang. Henrik crumpled the sheet angrily and shoved it into his backpack. He felt as though he had been used and made a fool of and all for something entirely pointless.

He looked into his backpack and contemplated returning to studying, but felt as though he were too worked up to do so. Instead, he pulled the zipper shut and slung the bag over his shoulder. The lobby had cleared only slightly so he stopped by the front desk and asked the receptionist to tell his father he had gone home, not entirely sure she had heard him over the commotion but not caring. He considered for a moment actually doing as he said and going straight home, but couldn't resist stopping by to see if Toothless was in the usual spot.

He was there, along with Stormfly and the twins, Barf and Belch. Henrik almost turned and ran when he saw the others but Stormfly noticed him first and called him over. He took a breath, holding it all in his cheeks for a couple of seconds then letting it out all at once. He approached the group slowly and tensely, not knowing what face he should be making in this situation. He tried smiling a bit when he got closer, but then he just felt dumb so he dropped it.

"Hey kid," Stormfly stepped away from the wall and uncrossed her arms. Henrik nodded. "You get our message?"

"Yeah, I delivered the message and passed his little test," Henrik allowed a bit of spite into his voice but regretted it when he saw her raise her eyebrow, though the other three snickered quietly. It wasn't her fault what the Green Death chose to do with his new messenger boy.

"Already?" the right twin dragged the other forward, disbelief in his eyes.

"Um, yeah, already. I thought that was what I was supposed to do," Henrik looked between them, hoping he hadn't done anything wrong.

"No, that's what he wanted. We just didn't expect you to be done so quickly. He gave you at least a week to get it done," Stromfly answered, patting his shoulder comfortingly. Henrik licked his lips, finding they had gotten very dry. He noticed Toothless was still sitting against the wall, watching the rest of them. Henrik wondered if his leg was bothering him. When no one said anything further he walked closer and sat down beside him, letting his bag fall to the ground. He pulled his knees to his chest and dropped his head into them. It had been a long day. He was surprised when he felt Toothless wrap an arm around him and ruffle his hair. He didn't raise his head but smiled into his knees. It was a nice feeling.

"Not that this isn't adorable or anything, but I'd kind of like to know what Hookfang had to say," one of the twins interrupted, which one, Henrik couldn't tell without looking. He raised his head, hiding his smile by biting his lip.

"He didn't say much, but—" Henrik paused for a moment, trying to sort out what he should or should not say. He probably shouldn't mention anything he had read in the note itself, though that wasn't much, in case they reported back to Green Death that he had disobeyed him. He didn't know how they'd take Hookfang's decision to plead guilty, but supposed it was their right to know, "he wants to plead guilty."

There was silence for several seconds and Henrik noticed Toothless's grip around his shoulder tightened slightly while the other three stared at him in disbelief. Henrik began to fidget, not knowing what else to say and not feeling comfortable with everyone's attention on him. Finally the left twin spoke.

"You're kidding right," he snarled, "because if you are it's not fucking funny." They took a step forward but stopped when Toothless let out his own snarl. "What!" he started again, "you can't possibly be siding with him here! Hookfang didn't do shit, why would he want to go to jail?"

"Sorry, that's just what he told me," Henrik murmured, rubbing his arms as though he were cold. "If it helps, I believe that he's innocent."

The twins both opened their mouths to speak but Stormfly beat them to it. "That means a lot Henrik, thank you," she glared at the twins until they sighed and nodded, consenting. Henrik stayed there a while longer, relating the details of his 'visit' to Hookfang then simply chatting. The twins cooled down a bit and even began to act friendly (he even found out which twin was which). It was strange how well he seemed to get along with the lot of them. He'd never gotten on this well with any of his peers, but felt quite at home with a group of criminals. He was even laughing at the jokes the twins were cracking once they warmed up to him a bit. He was able to forget about the whole mess and was genuinely enjoying himself, but the sun was dropping low in the sky and he knew he would have to leave soon. He told the others as much and began on his way home.

He had made the trip back to the house enough times now he was confident in getting around unnoticed. Most people were staying inside nowadays anyways so it wasn't likely he would run into anyone. Unfortunately today happened to be the day he did. As he turned a corner he found himself knocking straight into another person with enough force that he fell backwards onto the hard sidewalk. He stood up, rubbing his tail bone, and looked at the offender who had knocked him down. He was face to face with Astrid Hofferson.

He was screwed. Both of Astrid's parents worked with Stoick. They were sure to tell him she found him wandering about town instead of going straight home. His father would lock him away in his room and never let him out. He would have to be homeschooled.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, raising one eyebrow curiously. Henrik scrambled to come up with an excuse.

"Oh, you know," he swung his arms and rocked back onto his heels a few times, trying, and failing, to appear nonchalant, "just getting some exercise."

"In skinny jeans?" Astrid raised an eyebrow and jerked her head to move her bangs from her face, "you're not even sweating."

Well shit. "No, I know," Henrik stumbled to try and think of an excuse, "I just forgot my, uh, workout clothes at school, in the locker rooms. So I'm just going to go get them now," he laughed a bit, awkwardly and turned on his heel to rush away but was stopped by her hand against his chest.

"Neither your house or the school is on this side of town and you've been acting really strange in school so I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm watching you," Astrid stared him down. He was not happy to admit he was shorter than her and found her exceptionally intimidating. If he hadn't across from the Greed Death just the day before, he would have said she was the most terrifying person he'd met sans his father, who he had been around enough that he was really more annoying than scary. "My parents work with your dad so I know all about the break in and I know you aren't supposed to leave the house. Do you think this is some sort of game? A little girl died, Henrik, and you're the son of the police chief who happened to arrest the member of the gang who did it. So whatever you're doing, stop it."

She shoved him back a bit in emphasis but apparently had said her part as she then turned and stalked away. Henrik rubbed his sore chest, from where she had shoved him, and muttered incomprehensibly under his breath. He was definitely screwed now. Astrid would tell her parents who would tell Stoick who would lock him in his room, board all the windows, and never let him out. Then the Green Death would probably have some goons break down his door and murder him for not doing his part as a dragon. He was as good as dead.

A/N: This took longer than expected and it's still not the end of the backstory. Oops. hopefully you and Jack are enjoying this story because there is more to come, though it is hard to write with school and shit.