-JenniferTjandrajana

Stoick stood out of his home in the bitter cold.

He glanced up at the dull, grey skies.

A heavy snow was falling all over the isle of Berk, and there would be a snow storm soon.

The village below was clothed in a sheet of thick snow.

Winter had arrived earlier than expected. Snoggletog wasn't for another month, yet everyone was busily preparing for the festive season.

A gust of wind brushed past the chief. He moved his hand over his plaited beard to dust off some frost and breathed out a sigh.

Three months ago, the chief discovered his son had kept a dragon. He had even sided with those damn beasts.

It never occured to him that his own son would be a traitor, who brought so much shame to their clan and to the entire tribe.

After what he did, the boy didn't deserve to be called a Viking, nor have the privilege as the chief's son. He was not welcomed here.

Banishment had been for the best of the village, but the chief, especially.

Yet, Stoick knew banishing his own son was a pain.

Stoick still remembers it; the hurt in that boy's eyes when he disowned him, when he...banished him.

He swore that traitor was about to break down in tears that day.

But he didn't.

Then again, why should Stoick care if that traitor flooded the entire village with his tears?

Why should he care if he was gone?

Part of him wished he hadn't banished him.

As much as Stoick tried to deny it, banishment was a painful choice for a parent to make.

Now the chief was left without a family; no wife, no son, nothing.

Stoick was alone, blanketed in misery.

A feeling tugged in his heart; a feeling of remorse.

What if it was too late? What if that dragon had already finished him off?

"If you stay out here any longer, you're gonna catch a cold," Stoick whirled around to find his eldest friend, Gobber clambering up the hill, shivering.

Stoick exhaled sharply, "The cold never really bothered me,"

"Ah," Gobber limped beside the chief, "Bucket and Mulch just arrived at the docks. Because of the recent dragon attacks, there's not enough food to last through the winter,"

Stoick hadn't been listening. He was too entranced in his own trail of thoughts, until he heard Gobber's last comment.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"And because winter has finally set in," Gobber went on, "the ocean is frozen solid. Not to mention most of our livestock is hibernating,"

Stoick groaned. He rubbed his temples, sensing a headache coming on.

"Tell me some good news, Gobber," he muttered.

Gobber stared at his friend for a moment.

From the dark bags under his eyes, Gobber suspect the chief hadn't been getting much sleep.

Yet, he knew the reason why.

"Gee, Stoick, you look terrible," Gobber said which earned him a glare from the chief, "I'm serious. You look like you haven't got a good night's sleep,"

Stoick sucked in a breath, "The village cannot last through the winter without enough food. It is my duty to feed the entire village. It is my duty to protect the village from any dragon attacks," Stoick turned to his friend, "Of course I can't get any shut eye. Sleep is for the weak!"

Gobber stared at the chief in disbelief.

He knew the chief was as stubborn as Hel, and he was just making up excuses to hide the real reason he was troubled.

It was time to let it out of him.

"I don't think that's the only reason," Gobber eyed the red haired chief closely; "You're missing him, aren't you?"

Stoick quickly averted his eyes from the blacksmith.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Gobber,"

Gobber rolled his eyes, "You know who I'm talking about; your son,"

Stoick shifted his enormous weight.

Although Gobber was right, Stoick denied any emotional attachment or memories he held of that Berk traitor.

"I don't have a son," Stoick stated in denial, "That...boy is a traitor. He had thrown himself with that-''

"Banishment was too harsh for the young lad," Gobber interjected, "That lad is only fifteen when you banished him. He's too young to be on his own,"

Stoick stayed silent for a moment. He looked dully up at the gloomy sky.

Ever since the dreaded boy left, every day Stoick tried to forget about him.

Yet, a chunk of him was holding him back.

Everywhere he went, even in his sleep, all he could think about was that boy.

He had failed his wife. Well, at least the boy was with his mother in Valhalla now.

"The village doesn't need that traitor. I don't need him," Stoick paused abruptly, "He has betrayed us all,"

Gobber opened his mouth to speak. Then closed it, realising there was nothing more he could say.

"Well, wherever he is, I'm sure he misses you," the old blacksmith patted Stoick's shoulder, "The village needs you, Stoick. You can't stand around drowning in your own guilt,"

Stoick scoffed, "I'm not drowning in my own guilt-''

"You've barely gotten enough sleep, Stoick," Gobber pointed out, "You've been distracted lately, and you haven't been much like yourself. The village needs their chief,"

With nothing else to say, Gobber limped down towards the village.

Stoick watched his friend leave. He stayed in the cold a bit longer.

Then he drew a breath and made his way down towards the village.

~

Ever since they left Berk, Hiccup and Toothless have travelled across the Barbaric Archipelago, exploring lands they've never seen before.

Hiccup would jot down the places they've visited, and dragons they've encountered.

However, some lands containing civilization weren't very welcoming. They had many trust issues about fire breathing beasts on their shores.

So it was best to avoid those places.

An array of terrible terrors squawked passed.

Rider and dragon watched in awe as the colourful sight migrated to the south.

Hiccup and Toothless had just travelled to the southern islands of the Archipelago, where the climate was a lot warmer.

Unlike the bitter climate Hiccup was used to in Berk.

Berk- a place that was nothing but a memory; a place that he was forbidden to enter; a place of kill or be killed.

Although he was exiled there, Hiccup did miss it.

It was his home, yet most of the times, he didn't really belong there.

Still, Berk really held a few memories.

In the distance, the sun began to set, shedding its last rays across the pastel skies.

It would be night fall soon.

Hiccup knew he needed to find a place for the night.

After flying endlessly all day, Hiccup was exhausted. He couldn't keep his eyes open a second longer.

The auburn haired teen wrapped his arms around himself as the sharp icy wind nipped his skin.

Despite being rugged in his bear skin vest, he was still freezing.

Winter was rapidly approaching, and he needed to find a place to settle for the dreaded winter.

"What do you say we land somewhere for the night?" Hiccup suggested, tugging onto his vest.

The Night Fury simply crooned in agreement. He couldn't agree more.

With darkness rapidly drawing near, Toothless flew higher above the pastel skies.

Hiccup navigated through the clouds, passing the vast ocean below.

Scauldrons, a species of tidal class dragons gracefully swam through the crystal clear water. Their small heads bobbed up and down like jellyfishes.

Hiccup had read about these dragons. Though, he had never seen one up close before.

A head emerged from the water, squirting scaulding water in the air.

As the duo flew further, dark clouds gathered above them.

The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

A streak of lightning ripped through the clouds, suggesting a storm was coming.

"Looks like we need to land and fast," Hiccup stared up at the gloomy grey skies.

Down below, there were nothing but sea stacks and various rock formations.

No island was in sight.

They were indeed farther away from Viking civilisation.

The ocean stretched endlessly that it could possibly lead to the edge of the world.

Nobody knows what was over there.

Some say a gates leads to the underworld. Others say it leads to a world of nothingness.

Streaks of lightning shot through the sky. The wind howled loudly that made the hairs on Hiccup's neck stand.

Toothless adjusted his speed, as his human steered with his footing.

Hiccup glanced over his shoulder with worry.

Thunder clouds gradually moved closer, and he grew fearful what fate had in store for him.

"I don't like the look of this," Hiccup crouch his head as lighting ripped above him.

Then the next thing happened in a blur.

An electric force shocked the Night Fury, sending him spiralling out of control.

Hiccup tried to steer upwards. No matter how hard he tried, his Night Fury continued spiralling downwards.

Hiccup screamed, tugging onto Toothless for dear life.

Peering over his shoulder, he saw Toothless' prosthetic tail breaking.

"Oh, no," he groaned, "A broken tail. Great. That's exactly what we need,"

Toothless crooned worriedly.

"Get ready for a crash landing, bud,"

Toothless gave a worried roar as he and his rider plummeted down below.

The next thing they knew, everything went black.

~

Hiccup's forest green eyes burst open.

It was a fine day, an hour after dawn. The storm the night before had passed, leaving a fine, yet cold day.

Hiccup weakly sat up. His whole body ached, as if somebody twice his weight had crushed him.

His stomach gnawed with hungry, and strangely enough, he had a vague memory of last night.

One moment he and Toothless were caught in a thunder storm. Then they were here, in the middle of some forest surrounded by fern and over grown pines.

The forest was green and lively, sprouting with wildlife.

Fern grew here and there. Moss crawled along boulders. Vines snaked along trees and climbed over ancient rock walls that stretched out for miles.

Hiccup stood to his feet and rolled a dislocated shoulder into place.

"Hmm. I wonder where we are, bud," he muttered, glancing around his surroundings.

The Night Fury growled, opening a sleepy eye. He groggily stood up, suddenly feeling something off.

Glancing at his broken tail, Toothless gave a low, disappointed roar.

"Yeah, I know, bud," Hiccup patted his scaly friend, "Don't worry. We'll fix it and it'll be good as new,"

Hiccup's eyes darted around the forest.

Something about this forest did feel like home. Only it wasn't.

Running his hand through a tree track, he could feel it was damp. Probably from the storm the night before.

The storm had been pretty heavy and harsh that it blew both rider and Night Fury here.

"Thought you'd wake up soon enough,"

Hiccup jumped at the sound of the unknown voice. His heart pounded heavily against his chest.

Perched on a moss covered boulder was a shrouded figure in black.

Hiccup couldn't exactly see them. Though, the voice sounded young and female.

"You were knocked down pretty badly," the strange figure leapt off the boulder.

Hiccup edged back as the figure slowly approached him.

There was definitely something off about this figure. He couldn't help but feel a sense of intimidation.

The hooded figure towered over him by several inches, making him feel vulnerable and weak.

Strangely enough, the figure really did remind him of Astrid.

Hiccup's mouth had gone dry, and he was parched. He tried to find his voice, but nothing could come.

Instead, he just stared into the figure's piercing blue eyes.

"I...Well...you see..."

The figure unsheathes her sword, holding it firmly against Hiccup's neck.

Her deep blue orbs through his jade green eyes.

There was nothing friendly about this stranger. Her eyes displayed nothing but suspicion.

"What are you doing here, stranger?" the female's voice spoke with a sneer, "We don't get very many outsiders here. So tell me, are you a spy?"

"What? No!" Hiccup exclaimed, edging himself further.

"Are you a dragon trapper?" the figure sneered, eyeing him closely, "Come to take our dragons and sell them, right?"

Hiccup's green eyes widened, "What?" he shook his head, "N-no, I'm not here to harm anybody,"

"Prove it! Prove you're none of those cold hearted killers!" the figure narrowed her eyes as she shuffled closer.

Hiccup continued to back away, craning his neck to avoid the blade from slicing him.

Beads of sweat rolled down his face. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat.

The hooded figure fixed a suspicious glare on the smaller auburn haired boy.

"Well? What have you got to say? Speak up!"

A sudden growl erupted from the Night Fury.

Startled, the hooded figure stumbled backwards, hitting her back against a boulder.

She dropped her sword on the ground, but was afraid to retrieve it.

The Night Fury fixed on his human then to the hooded stranger. He could sense danger. He could sense his human was in trouble, and knew his instincts were correct.

Becoming defensive, Toothless leapt forward, snarling at the intruder.

He stalked towards the intruder as she clung herself against the boulder for dear life.

The Night Fury's reptilian eyes glared at the blue eyed stranger.

With a breath, he was ready to blast her, but Hiccup stepped in to stop him.

"No, bud!" Hiccup stepped forward between his dragon and the stranger, "She didn't hurt me. I'm okay,"

"So they do exist," the hooded stranger murmured, staring at the protective Night Fury.

Reaching for her sword, she sheathes it back around her waistband.

Slowly, she raised and cautiously approached the Night Fury.

"My people have never seen a Night Fury, let alone believe they exist," the figure walked closer as Toothless growled at her, "Yet, I believe they do. But I never thought I'd see one. Some say their race died years ago,"

Toothless furled his wings and slowly backed away. He gave a confused croon to his rider.

Hiccup shrugged at the perplexed Night Fury.

Questions popped in his head after what the stranger said.

"Wait, there were other Night Furies?" Hiccup stepped forward, curiosity brimming in his eyes, "What happened to them?"

The stranger shrugged. She pulled down her hood, revealing a young girl's face around Hiccup's age.

Her hair was a chestnut brown reaching past her shoulders.

Braids were done on either side.

A dark blue dress fitted around her, covered with a brown bear skin cardigan.

A brown leather waistband was wrapped around her slim waist.

Her look was complemented by brown leggings and laced fur boots.

Hiccup stared at the girl, partly smitten.

"Nobody knows why there are barely any left," the girl went on, her gaze fixed on Toothless, "But I am fortunate to see one up close,"

Hiccup eyed the girl curiously, "So, you people don't hunt dragons?"

The girl shook her head, "No, our tribe are a peaceful race. We would never hurt those creatures. We are curious about them," she drew a sharp breath, "But occasionally, we would get visits from dragon trappers. They live to sell dragons for profits,"

Hiccup gave a nod. He wasn't sure where he was, but he had never come across a race where humans actually befriended dragons.

For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged.

"I'm sorry for scaring you before," the girl gently stroke Toothless' head, who accepted her affectionate gesture, "We're just not used to outsiders. We're a small tribe anyway and we are cautious of dragon trappers," she looked up at Hiccup with a smile, "Besides, you don't seem so bad. I'm Ingrid,"

"I'm Hiccup," Hiccup replied.

He looked at toothless, who nuzzled against him.

"And this is Toothless," Hiccup scratched Toothless' chin, who seem to enjoy it, "He's my best friend. Well, only friend,"

Ingrid could sense the strange boy seem troubled. She suspects something must have happened to him. But she chose not to intrude.

Although the boy did seem friendly, there were so many things she did not know about him.

Trusting an outsider was a risk. But she doubts this boy would try to harm anyone.

"So what brings you to the Isle of Edon?" Ingrid asked curiosity shimmered in her eyes.

"Edon?" Hiccup repeated, realising he was a long way from home.

Perhaps this island was in the south-east region of the archipelago.

Although the climate was slightly warmer, there was a bit of a chill.

Hiccup gathered his memories from the storm the night before. He had tried to piece together everything that's happened.

"Well, we were caught in the middle of a storm," he glanced over at toothless' broken prosthetic tail, "Then Toothless' tail broke and next thing we knew, we crash landed here,"

Ingrid kneeled down, inspecting Toothless' prosthetic tail.

"What happened to his tail?"

Guilt shifted in Hiccup's eyes. He couldn't tell her the truth, otherwise she won't trust him.

This had been his fault for taking Toothless down.

Hiccup decided not to tell anyone he intently tried to kill him.

So he gave a shrug.

"Long story," Hiccup crouched down next to his dragon, "But he can't fly without me. I control his tail,"

Ingrid stared at him closely for a moment.

"Ah, I see," Ingrid rose to her feet, "I gathered you need some place to stay, right?"

"Yeah," Hiccup glanced at Toothless' broken tail, "At least for now. We need to get his tail fixed,"

Ingrid inspected Toothless' tail closely.

When her hand touched the sizzling rod, she let out a yelp.

"Hmm. It looks badly damaged," Ingrid sucked on her burnt finger, "But it shouldn't be hard for my dad to fix,"

Hiccup's eyes lit up, "Your dad's a blacksmith?"

Ingrid nodded, standing up.

"Yep. Best one in the village," she said with a smile, "There is nothing he can't fix. I think he's got a spare rod you could use,"

"He sort of reminds me of Gobber," Hiccup muttered, a hint of sadness in his voice, "For a meathead with an artificial arm and leg; there is nothing he can't do,"

Although Berk was no longer his home, Hiccup did miss the people there, including Gobber.

To him, the blacksmith had been anything close to a father and a friend.

His pep talks might be terrible, but at least he was there for him.

Ingrid turned to the auburn haired teen, an eyebrow raised.

"Who's that?"

"Someone I know," Hiccup drew a sharp breath, "I used to work as his apprentice. He was a blacksmith,"

Ingrid's eyes lit up, "Wow, that's great. Well, my dad's been looking for someone to help him. I mean, if you're thinking of staying,"

Hiccup glanced over at his dragon. He hadn't really thought of staying, though it would be nice to be surrounded by people like him.

Besides, he had nowhere to go. No home, no family, nothing.

It was just him and Toothless for the last three months.