Hiccup's P.O.V.

Toothless and I were exhausted. We had been flying for over fourteen hours straight in an attempt to get as far away from the edge as we could before everyone got up. But now, as we headed into the late afternoon, Toothless' wings were going to fall off if we didn't stop soon. We had already past Berk and I thought about stopping, but if Astrid was to come searching, she would have to tell my dad I was gone. I wanted no proof that I was ever here. But that was three hours ago, so it was probably safe to stop.

Looking towards the ground, I saw a wooded island. It wasn't very big, but it was the best hiding place we had seen in hours. I turned Toothless towards it and we started our descent.

"There, bud. We can rest a few hours and then we'll continue on towards Loki Crest," I said, shuddering at the thought of going within even forty miles of Loki Crest.

Loki Crest was said to be haunted by dragons and Vikings who had died during the three hundred year war between them. Very few people knew about it and even less had been there. There were only three people on Berk who knew about this place - Gobber, my dad, and myself. Only one had been there and that was me. It was one of the first things Toothless and I had done, and I swore never to go back there. But after finding that map seven weeks ago I knew that I'd have to go back. That was the first stop of fourteen. Each stop held a new riddle, and when all put together, they lead to an ancient artifact that Vikings had been searching for for years. It was legended to be able to drop dragons dead with a single drop.

As Toothless and I lay in the sun, I thought about my friends. If they knew what I was going after they would do everything in their power to stop me. The Cursed Blood was not something to mess with. Legends told of many great Vikings' lives being taken while trying to acquire this. The one who got closest was only three stops away. Stop eleven was rumored to be the most dangerous. Even twelve and thirteen were safer, and they were supposedly guarded with some of the fiercest dragons in the world. My father had gone after this and hadn't even gotten to Loki Crest before he turned back.

I wiped something wet off my face, only to feel more fall. I saw that it was a raining and jumped as thunder clapped. Toothless was quick to run towards the shallow cave that we had found. Looking back at the storm clouds, I groaned, glad we had stopped when we had. Shivering to the core and soaked to the bone, I gathered as much wood as I could and all of our baskets and ran for the cave. I quickly and gratefully changed into my spare set of clothes, hanging the others to dry. I reached into one of the baskets for a blanket, surprised to find my old sheepskin vest. I pulled it on over the rest of my clothes, relishing its warmth. Then I realized these were my old clothes. It had been so long since I had worn this green sweater. It was much tighter everywhere, but for the elbows down. I then remembered all of my clothes were like that. I'd have them fitted and then when I got them, cut off the sleeves and resewn them with a looser piece. It was for reasons I didn't like to talk about one bit.

Snuggling closer to Toothless, I wonder what everyone else was doing. The sun had been blocked out by the clouds and every thunder clap shook the ground. I saw small white balls turn into the size of Terrible Terrors. When they hit the ground, most would crack in half. I gathered the ones that rolled into the cave and put them in buckets, knowing it would be good idea to have fresh water since we were probably going to be here a few days. I silently cursed myself for not finding a deeper cave. This one could barely hold Toothless, the baskets, me and the fire. It went further back, but I didn't dare see if there was anything. But if the hail kept this up we'd have no choice.

The fire started to die down and I scooted closer to the fire and Toothless at the same time. I wanted to put more wood on the dying fire, but we didn't have that much to begin with. We had to conserve it a much as possible. Between what heat was left of the fire, Toothless, and the two blankets I had, I hoped it would be enough.

Astrid's P.O.V.

After that talk with Heather, I think everyone's spirits were slightly lifted. We had sentries posted again - three different ones each night, with the Night Terrors guarding the South side. The dragons were well fed, which prevented them from fighting. But everyone's spirits were still down. Hiccup always knew how to cheer people up.

That was one reason why getting Hiccup back was so important. He was the one who kept everyone happy and not fighting constantly. Other than the twins of course. No one could control them.

I turn sharply when I see Heather running towards me, Windsheer barely on the ground before she jumped off.

"Astrid! I found something!"

"What is it?" I questioned.

She slowed slightly. "Viggo and his ships. They're on the move. But that's not all. They have a dragon."

"What type of dragon?"

"I might be wrong," she panted, "but I think it's a white Night Fury."

Hey everyone! Look who's back! I feel really bad for not updating, but I do hope this helps make up for it! Thanks for the reviews and I hope y'all enjoyed! Please review!

Best Regards,
PFT221B