I've never remembered much of home… but I know this isn't home. Berk isn't home. Home was someplace with only dragons of myth, and were worshipped in the east. In this place, Berk, they are seen as the enemy, but for good reason. They attack this island, stealing all the food they can in the darkest hours of the morning.

I washed up under the docks of this frozen island after one such attack, ending only after a raging storm. I was six when it happened, Hiccup was nine, and already treated as the scapegoat, the trash of Berk. He was scrawny then, small for his age, and lacking the enthusiasm for fighting that the others his age have.

Chief Stoick took me in, even though I was nothing like him and his people. I could fight people, true. I had throwing stars and long, curved swords strapped to my back, yes.

But did I have the heart to attack the dragons after I recovered? No.

In that light, Hiccup and I became closer than anyone would have dreamed people of such different cultures could. While he and his people have mostly rounded, lighter colored eyes, I have slanted, earthy colored eyes. I'm tiny compared to the others, even those of my own age, only up to Hiccup's collarbone then, just as I still am now.

I wasn't accepted by any others, so Hiccup and I spent most of our time in the woods, if we weren't helping Gothi with her herb garden, or Gobber in the forge.

We remained there, only barely keeping from being exiled, for three years. He had been nearly twelve, and I was just nine, when the dragon raid came. We ran from the burning house, carrying the weapons I've grown into and shared with Hiccup, right into the face of a Monstrous Nightmare. I screamed, and Hiccup pushed me behind himself, though we both drew one of my curved swords each, and aimed shakily at it.

I couldn't believe what happened next: it's eyes, slitted at first, dilated as it gazed at us, as its body stopped burning. Hiccup raised his hand to its snout as we lowered the weapons. But then, Stoick killed the dragon right before our eyes, as the rest of the dragons fled, carrying the livestock of the Island with them.

He dragged us to the center of the village, throwing us down onto the scorched earth, as the villagers gathered around us in a circle. They all condemned us, mere children, both for not fighting back when we had the chance, and for interacting with the enemy.

"Gather only what is truly yours!" Stoick screamed at us. "Then leave this place! Never come back!"

We only took a bow for each of us, a couple handfuls of arrows for the quiver, another sword for each of us, a small set of daggers, a change of clothes, blanket and pillow each, and a basket of fish and nets. It was all we could take before Stoick carried us to the docks, tossed us in a tiny boat, and they sent us off, hate in their eyes, but Fishlegs and Gobber were the only ones who watched us go with pity and fear.

Just as we were within two ship-lengths of the docks, another Monstrous Nightmare grabbed the boat, and carried us away, screaming in terror. Hiccup held me tightly as I cried and was still holding me when we both woke up the next morning, the boat hidden in a cave, a small tree lit up to keep us warm, even as the Nightmare watches us.

Over the next four years, we both learned more than we could ever dream to among the Vikings. We learned Dragonese, and learned our dragon friend's name was Glowwing. She renamed us, Hiccup Fury, and me Fire. It seemed intentional even then, just to say Fire and Fury.

I was thirteen, Hiccup sixteen, when she died of old age, curled around us, her hatchlings. She made us promise to use her hide to create armor, her bones to create weapons, so that she would be with us no matter what. We kept that promise, but Hiccup made most of it so that I could grow into it, saying I would need the armor more than him.

I was fourteen when we met the two Night Furies while hunting, an albino female matched in size by the pitch-black male. Neither of us wore our armor for that day, and though they didn't initially trust us, we soon became the best of friends, the closest thing to family we'd had in years.

I rode the abino female, her name is Eclipse. The Hiccup rode the male, his name is Pitch.

Soon after we met, we made masks from the last of Glowwing's hide, completely hiding our identities. Hiccup took up blacksmithing with the help of a local Gronkle named Crusher and Pitch, and I took up carving. Soon enough, we had enough weapons and statues between us to trade at market, so we made our way to the first civilization we could find, which just so happened to be Berk.

We both kept our silence as we rowed the boat up to the dock, our stock wrapped carefully in the remains of our old clothes. Our only clothes now are made of the skins from our kills under our armor, and thus, are minimal. I wear a tiny pair of shorts and a halter-style shirt that covers most of my chest, but leaves much of my stomach, back, and shoulders exposed, with leather boots lined with fur on the inside, wedged heels boosting me up to Hiccup's chin, rather than his shoulder, as it better suits me for quick movement if something happens while I'm out hunting with the bow. Hiccup wears normal length pants and sleeveless tunic under his armor, and boots similar to my own minus the heels.

We set up at the edge of the square, next to the forge, using the remains of a broken crate as our table. Using an extra board in front of the 'table', we lean the swords and bows upright for display, and set out the wooden and metal carvings. Stoick was the first to approach us, and by the Gods he looked horrible. Heck, all of the villagers looked horrible, as if ashamed or depressed.

Uncaring for this, we sell and trade all but a single bow and sword to most of the villagers. Fishlegs and Gobber, surprisingly, were the ones to buy all of the carvings and a bow and sword each, in fact, they bought the best of our weapons. When we wrapped up our remaining merchandise, Gobber insisted that we accompany him to the forge.

Fishlegs was there as well, and they figured out who we were soon after, and insisted that we visit to borrow the forge every once in a while.

For another year, we visited every month, before Gobber was to teach the young recruits to fight dragons. And he enlisted our help… somehow.