A/N +: ...Well... that was embarrassing... Sorry for messing up the upload guys! Here is how it was supposed to go.

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm super sorry for the delay in bringing out this chapter. I know it's been, two... three months!? WTF Mike! Get your shit together!

When Camicazi first laid eyes on what remained of Hiccup's leg, she physically jumped in horror. Her left arm went limp and dropped to her side, discarding his sock on the floor while her other hand raised to her mouth, fingers shaking.

It really was a shocking image. Pink markings slithered down from just above Hiccup's knee, becoming darker and more concentrated the further down they went, all weaving together to develop a shiny, bulbous mass where his leg ended. A deep crevice that resembled a pair of lips smiling back at her wickedly stretched across the small length of his shin that had survived, the visible result of a healer having to pull a flap of unscathed skin over his injury and using it to cover the wound. Above that... only the outside half of his calf remained, the rest of it gone and replaced by a craterous scar, its edges meandering around and in between the still working muscles that shook beneath his natural skin.

She had seen first hand the effect Dragonfire had on the human body many times before, back in a time when the ungodly beasts descended from the heavens and rained fire on her village... but not to this extent. A wave of nausea washed over her suddenly, and she clamped her eyes shut, fighting back the bile that caught in her throat as she imagined one of Berk's healers snipping away the charred tendrils that 'couldn't' be saved.

"I-It's alright..."

Hiccup's voice was subdued and tremulous, but it snapped Camicazi out of her trance like a war horn blaring in her ears. She licked her lips and swallowed thickly, before looking up at him through her tousled bangs. He looked petrified, staring back at her with eyes dancing with different emotions, back arched forward and both hands clamped over the edge of his bed frame so tight she could have sworn she heard the wood splinter.

"...I feel that way when I look at it too."

A cold shiver ran down Camicazi's spine as the nervous tone of his voice turned into one of malice and fury, and she quickly realised that this was way too much for him to handle at the moment. She swiftly grabbed his sock off the floor and gently put it back on, letting out a sigh of relief when his posture immediately relaxed. But then she felt a horrible churn of guilt in her gut and slapped herself mentally. Of course, it was too soon to try an attempt such a massive step after he'd only just sustained another grievous injury. "Hiccup! I'm so sorry, I didn't think! I was just trying to..."

With his stump covered and protected from the early morning chill, the red mist that clouded Hiccups mind, along with the pounding of his heart in his ears started to dissipate. "...I thought I was doing the right thing! I'm so sorry!" Camicazi's frantic apologising brought him crashing back to earth with a thud, and when he realised she was on the verge of tears, he reached out and gently took one of her flailing wrists.

She immediately froze and raised her head to look at him again, and when he followed up by placing a caring hand on her cheek, she melted on the inside and sighed. He looked like his usual self again. "I'm sorry, I should have known it was too soon."

Hiccup smiled at her warmly and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead before lifting his leg off her lap and pulling her into a hug which she instantly returned. "Don't apologise, Cami..." He whispered, rubbing her back up and down. "...It's not your fault I'm so messed up."

"You're not messed up..." She muttered into his shoulder and then chuckled. "...Not as far as this is concerned anyway."

They stayed in that embrace for a few minutes before parting. Camicazi left the bed and handed back his prosthetic which he promptly re-attached and then sat back down next to him. After a couple of seconds of wringing her hands anxiously, not sure whether she should continue on the subject or not, she wrapped her arm around his waist and spoke softly. "Would you at least talk about it? Get some of what you're bottling up into the open? I think it will do you good."

Hiccup thought about what she'd asked, and it didn't take him long to come up with an answer. When it came to Camicazi, he really didn't have anything left to lose. He'd already told her how he felt when he first lost his leg, and nothing could be worse than what he'd just experienced. He let out a short laugh and looked down at her, her eyes were practically gleaming with hope. "Sure."

Camicazi beamed at him proudly and then looked down at his hand. She took it started brushing her thumb over his knuckles as a form of comfort. "Does it hurt?" Was the first question to come to mind.

"Most of the time..."

Her eyes widened at that answer, but he kept a calm tone, so she let him continue without interruption.

"...It's worst in winter, the cold sets in and makes the stump ache, that's why I was limping during The Gauntlet..." Hiccup felt her tense and held her a little tighter. "...it's not your fault..." He said soothingly and rubbed her arm up and down. "...Summers no not so bad unless we have fire weather, the skin goes dry and chafes, and sweating just makes it more irritating. And then there's the phantom pain..."

"Phantom pain? Whats that?" Camicazi cut him off a little confused. She'd never heard Ragna speak of that before.

"...It's difficult to explain..." He replied and gave his head a scratch. "...Gobber says his went away after a year or so, but I still get it now and again. Apparently, it occurs when your brain thinks the missing limb is still there even when it's not, but the pain is real. Sometimes I feel burning, other times it itches or feels like someones squeezing it really hard."

"That doesn't make any sense..." Camicazi shook her head in confusion. "...So even though your leg is gone, you can still feel it?"

"Yep, I don't really understand it either."

"Okay, so how long does it last?"

"It used to be for hours, days even..." He shrugged and grimaced at the memories. "...but now it lasts a couple of minutes at most, so I'm hoping it'll wear off soon."

"Me too..." Camicazi yawned and moved her hand from his waist up and into his hair, entangling her fingers. She had more questions, but after everything they'd both been through emotionally that morning, decided they could wait for another time. "...you know, I'm really proud of you..." He turned to face her, and she could tell he was about to say something, so she released his hand and press a finger to his lips. "...and just for the record, what I've seen today doesn't change the way I feel about you. I still love you... and one day, if all goes well, I will marry you." He smiled and kissed her finger, but that wasn't enough for her.

Hiccup yelped as she yanked his head forward and their lips crashed together. The surprise was quickly washed away though when he felt her tongue graze his teeth begging for access, and he happily obliged. Camicazi allowed him to push her onto her back, but just as euphoria was about to overwhelm her, a thought popped into her head, and she pushed him away just enough that they parted. "B-But..." She panted as she fought for breath, and when he groaned like a child who'd had his favourite toy taken away, a grin split her face. She quickly composed herself though, and her expression turned serious. "...if I ever hear you call yourself, useless, disfigured, a cripple or anything like that again, I'll punch you so hard you're ancestors will feel it..."

"Yes, ma'am." Hiccup growled in response and tried to dive in again, but she still held him back.

"...A-And stop calling me ma'am, it makes me feel like an old lady."

"Got it, babe."

Camicazi smirked wickedly. "Better." Her brace against him slackened, but just as their lips were about to meet again, they both shot up as the sound of the front door crashing open reverberated through the hut and shook the walls, closely followed by the crooning of a certain Night Fury.

"Aww, Bud..." Hiccup complained, rolling off Camicazi as Toothless poked his head through the bedroom door. "...you have the worst timing... ever!" He flung his uninjured arm in the air for emphasis.

"I can see that..." Ragna was stood in the doorway now, arms crossed and brow raised. "...I take it the two of you managed to work things out?"

"We were working things out..." Camicazi rolled her eyes and sat up, shooting both her aunt and the Dragon a glare. "...until we were so rudely interrupted! Give us five more minutes."

Toothless just let out an annoyed snort in response, his best friend and future 'mate' had spent too much time together. Now it was his turn for some attention.

"It's okay, Cami..." Hiccup assured and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"...Toothless needs some loving too, and we still have two days to make up for it."

"Talk about killing the mood though." She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Urgh... you two lovebirds make me wanna hurl!..." Ragna cut in which earned her a scowl from both teens, but she held her ground. "...come on. The sooner Hiccup gets updated on whats been going on while he was out and catches up with Toothless, the sooner you can get back to whatever it was you were up to."

When Ragna finally left, Hiccup grabbed a fur and wrapped it around his shoulders. He pushed himself to his feet and wobbled a little bit, but when he was balanced, he carefully made his way over to Toothless with Camicazi sticking close just in case his legs gave out. They approached the door and just like last time, Toothless backed out of the way to let them through but kept his slightly annoyed expression. "Aww, whats wrong? Are you pouting big baby boo?..." He cooed and turned to look at Camicazi. "...can you give us a minute?"

"Sure." She nodded back and began walking towards the dining table where Ragna was sitting, but after just a few steps and hearing Hiccup mumble, she looked over her shoulder at the two best friends. Toothless was already curled up with his back against the wall, and Hiccup lowered himself somewhat awkwardly, so he was resting against his Dragons side. "I'm sorry I was away for so long, buddy." She heard him speak, and then Toothless plopped his head lazily on Hiccups lap, crooning happily as he received a scratch behind the ears. Eventually, she managed to tear her gaze away from them and continued onwards, letting out a content breath as she sat opposite her aunt.

Ragna stared at Camicazi with a raised brow, noting the way her niece focused on her hands that rested on the table as she rocked back and forth. The smile that that was permanently plastered on her face, only to break into a full grin every once in a while, and when that happened she'd stick out her tongue a little and bite it so the smile would subside. After a few minutes, Ragna rolled her eyes knowingly and leaned forward, placing her good hand on Camicazi's shoulder.

Camicazi jumped at the contact and looked up. "What?" She asked innocently, pushing aside her daydream and shrugging her aunt off.

"What happened while I was gone?..." Ragna gestured at Hiccup with her chin. "...everything was so tense before we left. The last thing I expected to find when we got back, was you two all over each other again."

"We spoke about a lot of things..." Camicazi took a moment to collect her thoughts, bowing her head and picking some of the dirt from under her fingernails. "...important things." She shrugged.

"Such as?" Ragna pressed.

Camicazi looked back at Hiccup and blushed before turning and facing her aunt again, she gestured Ragna over with her fingers, and she leaned forward, so they were practically ear to ear. "Well first off... he asked me to marry him -"

Ragna's eyes widened. "He what!?" She blurted out, but Camicazi was quick to slap a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh."

The two of them stayed quiet for a moment, hoping they hadn't drawn the attention of Hiccup and Toothless. When the only sound they heard was Hiccup's murmuring and Toothless' warbling, they both relaxed.

Camicazi shot a death glare at Ragna until she nodded at her silent threat, and then removed her hand. "He didn't pull out a bag of gold and offer to buy me if that's what you're thinking..." Ragnas expression incredibly smug, but Camicazi continued with a huff, keeping her voice low. "...Look, the long and short of it is, I said yes. He... he loves me... like really, really loves me, and I love him. It wasn't an official proposal, no contract, no mundr, just a promise between us that it'll happen... someday."

Rahna smiled at that, reclining in her seat and making herself comfortable. She loved how her niece's cheeks went from rosy to beet red while speaking that last statement. "Someday, huh?"

"Yes, someday!..." Camicazi hissed, her face burned so hot she felt like it would melt off. "...not tomorrow, six months or even two years from now... but someday..." She brought both hands up to her face, pressing her palms into her eye sockets to hide her embarrassment... or tears. "...Hiccup's on his own mission..." She sniffed. "...he's supposed to help us with the Wind Stalker, teach us how to live with Dragons and then just... move on to the next tribe... all the while looking for a future wife..."

"And he decided to lay all his cards on the table right away, instead of stringing you along?" Ragna interjected, throwing a prideful look at Hiccup over Camicazi's shoulder, but he and his Dragon were now fast asleep.

"He did..." Camicazi nodded, feeling her blush subside. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and let out a small laugh. "...he was so honest with me, so I was honest with him. I told him everything about Mom and Dad, including how you intervened."

Ragnas features dropped, and she gazed at her niece apologetically. "How'd he take it?"

"Not well... he listened mostly, then got mad when I told him how I found out..." She shot Ragna a knowing look, and then grinned devilishly. "...I think he might have some choice words for you."

Ragna chuckled and shook her head, casting her mind back to that first-night Hiccup arrived on Bog Island and stood up to Bertha in the Great Hall like they were equals. "Well, I guess I should brace myself for them then, Odin knows that boy can put someone in their place when his heart is in it."

"Yeah, he -"

"Argh!... Really bud!?..." Camicazi and Ragna snapped their attention towards the sudden commotion that erupted behind them, and they both slapped hands over their mouths in an attempt stop their guffaws. Hiccup was trying his best to push Toothless' snout away, but it was already too late. His hair was already slicked up on one side, Night Fury saliva dripping down his cheek and off his chin. "...Toothless, stop!" Toothless burped in Hiccups face, and he grimaced, the scent of day-old fish filled his nostrils and mouth, almost making him gag.

"Alright, that's enough you two!..." Camicazi laughed and then stood up, she strutted over to the now bickering pair and took Hiccup by the elbow, lifting him up and pulling him away from the onslaught Dragon kisses he was receiving. "...Come on babe, we need to talk."

"Yeah..." Hiccup grumbled, wiping his face clean with half the fur draped over his shoulders. "...thanks for the save."

Toothless let out an annoyed bark, but when Camicazi shot him a playful scowl, he admitted defeat and curled up into a ball, feigning sleep.

"I see I have some competition..." She sniggered as they sat down on the bench, her hand instinctively reached for his and their fingers entwined. "...I guess I should get used to the idea of sharing you, huh?"

"Ah, he's not usually this needy. He can't fly yet, his wings still a bit stiff, but once he's back in the air again and we've done a few laps around the island, all of that sloppiness will be washed right out of his system."

"I hope so, Dragon drool doesn't suit you."

"Ahem." Ragna coughed, making both teens jump and gaining their attention.

"Oh, right..." Hiccup spluttered, it didn't take him long to regain his composure though as he remembered exactly why he was here. "...has the Wind Stalker attacked again?"

"Surprisingly not..." Ragna answered quickly, though the tone of her voice was laced with confusion. "...it used to attack at least once a week, always targeting a different storehouse. But ever since you and Cami confronted it, it hasn't been seen near the village."

"Is it still on the island?"

"There have been a few sightings..." Camicazi continued. "...mainly in the swamps to the west."

"Why would it do that, Hiccup? Suddenly change its behaviour even though it swatted the three of you out of the sky like flies?..." Hiccup didn't answer right away, the look on his face was one of pure concentration, and Ragna could swear she could hear the gears churning in his head. "...Hiccup?"

"I think..." He swallowed thickly and glanced at both women. "...I think she feels bad about attacking us, that's why she's staying away."

"'She' feels bad?"

"Yes, the Wind Stalker is a girl..." Hiccup shrugged as if the fact he could figure out a Dragons gender just by looking at it was no feat at all. "...Also, do you remember what I told you before we took that flight on Toothless? Dragons have emotions, just like you and me. Before the Wind Stalker lashed out at us, you and her formed a bond... a friendship. How would you feel if you almost killed a friend?..." He let that statement hang in the air for a second, noting the way both their faces warped from utter bewilderment to a sort of understanding. "...We need to get out into the swamps, track her down and then you can train her."

"Me?" Camicazi gasped incredulously.

"Yes, you. Like I said the bond between you is already there..."