Finn had been the tiniest bit terrified to return to Maero. He wasn't sure if he'd be subject to flashbacks like his sister at the sights and sounds of the most dreadful place he'd ever been. He felt his stomach churning when it came into sight, so much that he had to lie down just after he touched down to alleviate the nausea. Once he felt better, he spent a few minutes setting up camp before collapsing into the tent and falling asleep instantly.

The next morning, he awoke to the sun shining through the opening at the front of his makeshift tent. For the first time in a very long while, he didn't feel like getting up. He was usually a morning person and the very idea of sleeping until the sun was high enough to beam down at him so brightly had once been abhorrent. Now he felt like rolling over and going back to sleep. Unfortunately, he also needed to go to the outhouse so he figured that was as good a reason as any to get up.

When he had gone through his morning routine, minus breakfast lest the nausea return, he set out for the source of his problems.

Finn knew this path. It was a bit surprising, even to him, that his memory was as sharp as it was considering the last time he had been there was 8 years ago. His body felt stiff, his stomach churning with a mixture of anger and fear. He was literally walking directly into his nightmares but this time, he wouldn't back down.

The stones on the path were sharp, he could feel them through his boot. He remembered his feet bleeding after the long trek to the house. The second night, Benen had brought him some water so that he could wash them. The man hadn't spoken but it was a gesture of kindness he hadn't forgotten. Now that he thought about it, it had probably been extremely risky to attempt to sneak water from the well without Ratri noticing. Even after Benen had died, Finn still found new reasons to love and respect him.

As the house finally came into view, the Haddock boy felt another wave of nausea. Weeds covered the walls and the garden was in shambles but beyond that, there was no difference between the house as it was now and the house he had left. Finn looked for signs of more slaves but apparently Ratri had given up on the idea. Or perhaps he could no longer afford them.

Finn's strides became more difficult the closer the house became. It was so much smaller than he remembered. Perhaps this was because he was so much smaller at age 7. Or because his dreams made it seem like an impenetrable, cavernous prison. Either way, it hardly looked like the setting of hundreds of nightmares. In fact, it hardly looked like anyone lived there.

His eyes traveled to the tiny building out back where he and Benen had slept. Almost of their own accord, he walked up to it and lifted a trembling hand to push it open. Two mats still remained. Finn remembered curling up on his and forcing back tears until he fell asleep. He had to bend down now to even enter the room because the roof was several inches too low. There were dusty boxes piled on top of the mats, like Ratri had started using this as a storage room. Clearly no one had lived here for quite some time. Finn sincerely hoped it had been deserted for the full 8 years but, knowing Ratri, he couldn't be sure.

He crouched down next to Benen's mat. A tiny indentation still remained in the middle, where his best friend had slept. Finn got on his knees and traced the faint outline with his finger. His heart ached with grief at the realization that Benen had slept there for years. This flat, uncomfortable mat that had made Finn's back sore had been the most comfortable object in his friend's possession.

Something on the wall caught his eye as he looked up at the boxes. Just next to the mat where Benen had slept, words were carved into the wooden wall. Finn had to crouch down low to see them through the strips of sunlight shining through the wooden beams. He squinted at the faded letters, worn by years of rain and snow seeping through the small building. One name finally jumped out to him.

Nora.

Finn felt a wave of sadness for his friend. Nora was Benen's older sister's name. The two had been very close but he had never seen her again after the raid on his village. And yet, over forty years later, he had carved her name in the dank, dingy place he slept as a comfort to him in his life of misery. Finn made out the names of Benen's parents, Claire and Aedan. A few names Benen had mentioned when talking about old friends he'd had. Aida's name was the most worn of them all, presumably the first he had carved. There was a name Finn didn't recognize at all, Camille. But it was the name squeezed into the space closest to the corner that stunned Finn the most. He felt his throat constrict, his eyes burn with tears as he stared at the four letters over and over again.

Finn.

Benen had written the name of the little boy he had only known for a day among the names of people he had loved all his life. This tiny gesture was enough to make Finn want to break down crying again. How had he known? How could he know that he would come to love Finn the way he loved his own family? That he would die for this boy? Finn reached out and touched the worn letters on the wall, his fingers shaking with pent up emotion.

Hiccup and Astrid had offered to take Benen to find his family. They had been willing to let him leave Berk forever to live his own life with his own people. And Benen had turned it down. He had turned down seeing Nora's possible children or grandchildren, had turned down finding Aida again, seeing his own home again. He had chosen to live the rest of his life on a strange island simply because of a little boy he had met three days previously. The weight of Benen's sacrifice crashed down on Finn so that he felt tears dripping down his face. His best friend had truly been the strongest, bravest, most humble and compassionate person he had ever known. It was something Finn knew he would never have been able to repay and yet Benen had never drawn attention to it, never once used his selfless actions as leverage when the two had had a rare disagreement.

And Finn had done nothing short of ruining his memory. Instead of taking this path of selflessness and compassion, he had turned into the sort of monster who had abused Benen every day for decades. For the first time, he was glad Benen had died before he had to see what an abusive tyrant Finn had become. He didn't think he could handle those sad, disappointed blue eyes boring into him. Benen would be so ashamed of him.

"I'm sorry." Finn whispered to the wall of names. "I wasn't worth staying for. I wasn't worth saving. I should have died when that barn collapsed, not you." he put his forehead against the wall as a wave of tears dripped down his face.

WHACK!

A sharp pain exploded across Finn's upper back and neck. The Haddock boy jumped to his feet and came face to face with a frail, elderly man whose cold gray eyes he could never forget. The man bellowed something in Latin but the words were garbled in the boy's ears. For a moment, he stood still, his heart pounding loudly and his body frozen in terror.

Then the spell broke.

With one swift movement, Finn threw out his hand and grasped the man's throat before slamming him into the wall of the building.

"You!" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Let me go!" Ratri whimpered in a weak, strangled voice. "Spare me!"

"Spare you?" Finn let out a mad, derisive laugh. "Look at my face."

"Please-"

"LOOK AT IT!" Finn shouted. "And don't tell me you don't know who I am."

The gray eyes that had flashed through his dreams locked onto his. In a moment, they widened in recognition.

"I'm not a helpless little boy anymore." Finn hissed, his nose centimeters from Ratri's.

"I give you anything! Have mercy!" Ratri begged in a trembling voice.

"MERCY?" Finn bellowed, his grip on the man's throat tightening. "You think you deserve mercy for what you did to me? Did you give me mercy when I begged you not to beat me? Did you give me mercy when you watched blood pouring down my shoulders? When you kept me inchains?" the man whimpered again, his veins pulsing beneath Finn's fingers. Finn leaned forward until their noses touched. "Give me a reason. One reason to spare you."

Tears poured out of Ratri's eyes as he struggled hopelessly against Finn's hold. He knew he had no answer. He knew Finn had the upper hand. He knew he was going to die and Finn enjoyed watching him squirm.

The desire to tighten his hand and watch the life drain out of Ratri's eyes enveloped the Haddock boy. It would be too easy. A fitting end to the monster who had beaten him, spat on him, treated him as less than the dirt beneath his feet. The man who had treated Benen like property for years. Anger fueled him and his fist tightened. Ratri's eyes bulged. And then, very suddenly, a voice entered his head.

"If you remember nothing else, remember this: in life, you have many paths to choose from. Some are good, some not so good. And sometimes you don't know which path is the right path. But it's never too late to change it."

Finn dry swallowed, his eyes still locked onto the man he hated more than anything. Ending his life would be so easy. But Benen's voice echoed through his mind. The stubborn boy within him desperately wanted to end it. But if Benen were watching him right now... what would hewant him to do?

Now was the time to choose his path. Now was the time to decide who he truly wanted to be. Did he want to be the raging man who lashed out every time he was wronged or the wise man who valued mercy and forgiveness? He could choose the path Ratri had chosen, the path of abuse and hatred for his fellow man... or he could choose the path Benen had chosen. He felt the full weight of his choice. The time was now.

His heart pounding and his eyes burning, Finn slowly lowered Ratri to the ground and opened his hand.

Ratri gasped. "Wh-why-"

"That wasn't me." Finn hissed to the older man, malice in every syllable. "That was Benen, the man you tortured and insulted. But I won't be like you."

He shoved the man against the wall and stomped away, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. And though he didn't know it then, that would be the last time he ever saw the house, either in real life or in his dreams.

Xxx

Cliff Smedley hadn't slept in days.

Every time he closed his eyes, the scene replayed. His best friend Erick lying in a pool of blood, bone shards everywhere, his screams echoing off the walls... there was no escaping it. In Cliff's entire life, he'd never seen anything so horrific. And underneath it all was the constant, pervasive fear that that would be the last time he ever saw Erick alive.

But the Smedley boy's behavior didn't go unnoticed, at least not by Vernon and Thalia Smedley. Very little slipped past them, especially concerning their only child. Cliff had always been quite a character, even in his shyer youth, but they had never known him to be this morose. He had insisted on going to work but Horst told them he barely got anything done.

To Thalia, this level of depression was simply unacceptable for her son. She had spent the better of ten years trying to encourage him to be outgoing and cheerful so that he would have friends. Cliff had taken these lessons to heart in the last year and was finally getting out of the house and chattering away about his new best friend Erick. Vernon, a man of few words, listened with a smile as Thalia peppered their boy with questions about work and Erick and dragon training.

They honestly hadn't expected Cliff to turn into a recluse, not after all the progress he had been making. They never thought they'd see the day when he spent every night petrified of falling asleep and every day crying at random and locking himself in his bedroom. So when Vernon finally heard that Erick had awakened during the night, he had gone immediately to fetch his wife so they could talk to their son together. Cliff was at the leather shop, shakily trying to repair a saddle. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had to blink constantly to keep himself focused.

"Hey," Thalia said in a gentle tone, sitting down next to Cliff and putting her hands on his shoulders, "how are you feeling?"

Cliff shook his head. He looked to be on the verge of tears again.

"Erick woke up last night." Thalia continued. "I'm sure you heard about it."

Cliff nodded.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Thalia asked, squeezing her son's shoulders. "I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"I can't." Cliff mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Just can't."

"I think it'll be good for you." Vernon spoke up at last. "See him awake."

"Mhm, and you'll make him smile." Thalia added. "He needs to smile right now."

Cliff put his head in his hands and his shoulders shook. Thalia rubbed his back.

"I thought he was going to die." he whimpered.

"I know you did."

"He might still die."

"No he won't." Vernon said firmly. "Hiccup didn't. Gobber didn't. Erick's going to be fine."

Cliff lifted his head and wiped tears off his face. Vernon's expression softened.

"If he's your best friend, you should go see him when he needs you." he stated.

"Your dad's right." Thalia ruffled her son's curly hair. "Go now. You're no help here."

"But Horst-"

"Can handle it. You're not exactly rolling in orders, especially after what happened." Thalia patted his back. "Come on, up you go."

"Aw, but mom-"

"Don't argue with me." Thalia waited until her son was standing before she crossed the room to open the door. "Go be a... a bruh."

Cliff gave her a halfhearted, though somewhat amused, smile as he crossed the room. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "Thanks."

"Love you, Cliffy." Thalia beamed at him.

"Love you too, mom. And you, dad."

Vernon nodded at him, which Cliff knew to mean "I love you too."

Xxx

Adrianna woke up with a sore back. She wasn't used to sleeping while sitting and she disliked it immensely. She made a mental note to sleep in her bed that night. Erick was still unconscious but he occasionally grunted in his sleep. That had to be a good sign, didn't it?

"Morning, sleepyhead." Inga said cheerfully, pulling back the curtain. "Can't say this is the most relaxing place to spend the night. Unless you're the patient."

"Can't say you're wrong." Adrianna replied through a yawn. "Worth it though. I got to talk to him."

"Yeah, Mara was up to go to the outhouse and she overheard you two. By the time she came back to chat, you were both out again. Word got all over Berk this morning." Inga stared at Erick's sleeping form. "He looks better. But I'm no expert."

"Aren't you training to be a healer?"

"The important word in that question is training." Inga reminded her. "So did you want to stay for breakfast or are you going to the Great Hall?"

"I'll stay." Adrianna told her. "I want to be here if he wakes up again."

"Ah. I leave you lovebirds be then." Inga smiled knowingly, her eyes resting on their clasped hands.

"It's not like that." Adrianna mumbled.

"It's always been like that, you two are just too stubborn to see it." Inga raised an eyebrow. "Been obvious to everyone else for years."

"Like you and Finn?"

"How dare you imply something so preposterous." Inga scoffed. "We're not even friends."

"The sparks you two throw are strong enough to power Berk for a month." Adrianna smirked at Inga's outraged expression. "Deny it all you want. But you're so going to be my sister."

Inga paused, looking like she'd just remembered something unpleasant. "I thought Finn wasn't coming back."

Adrianna shrugged; now that she had slept, she had decided to shove away such negative thinking. "Nothing can stop true love."

"I will smack you."

"Okay, okay." Adrianna put her free hand up in mock surrender. "I know better than to get on your bad side."

"As well you should." Inga narrowed her eyes at the Haddock girl. "I'll toss a muffin your way when I get the chance."

"You didn't bake said muffin, did you?"

"Why would that matter?"

"Because I hate it when people throw rocks at me."

"Ugh, you're just as bad as your evil twin." Inga stomped off.

"Love you, sis!" Adrianna called after her.

"Yeah yeah." Inga waved an arm dismissively.

Adrianna snickered and turned back to Erick, who had begun to stir.

"You two are loud." he mumbled, his mouth stretching into a tiny smile.

"Sibling rivalry." Adrianna replied. "How are you feeling?"

Erick opened his eyes and stared blearily at the ceiling. "Awful." he croaked.

"You probably will for a while." Adrianna adjusted the bed so Erick could sit up a little bit. "Want something to drink?"

"Water?"

"No, Gobber's finest mead." Adrianna deadpanned. Erick's mouth turned up in a smile. "Yes, water."

"Thanks." Erick said hoarsely.

Adrianna fetched him the nearest skin of water and held it up to his mouth. He had to drink slowly but he looked a bit better when he was finished.

"Not sure how I feel about sarcasm this early in the morning." Erick mumbled.

"It's almost eleven."

"Early for you." he winked at her. "So how..." he squeezed his eyes shut and put a hand to his temple.

Adrianna leaned in to get a closer look at his face. "Are you okay?"

"Headache." Erick replied. "Going away. H-how'd I get here?"

"You... you don't remember?" Adrianna's face fell. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell Erick that he would need to walk with a prosthetic for the rest of his life. "I'm not sure I'm the right person to tell you this..."

"Hey," Erick took her hand and squeezed it. Adrianna's heart lifted with hope because his grip was quite strong for someone who had nearly died less than a week ago. "You're my best friend. I trust you."

Adrianna smiled at these words. Even if he didn't remember their exchange just before he passed out, her presence here seemed to have clued him in.

She steeled herself. "First off... what do you remember?"

"Um... I was goofing off with Cliff. Goes fuzzy after that. Why, did I hit my head?" Erick put his free hand to his temple.

"No, your head is fine." Adrianna replied softly. She gazed down at his leg for a split second. "We think it was an accident... the only witness isn't here to ask what really happened. But you and Finn were on the mill. Somehow... you fell in."

Erick's breath hitched. He stared at her with slightly parted lips. "What..."

"Erick... Your leg..." Adrianna gently touched the blankets beside his knee.

She watched a bead of sweat trickle down his left temple. "What... What's wrong with it?"

"It's healing just fine." Adrianna said softly. "But..." She didn't know how to say it, so she merely lifted the blankets to reveal his stump.

Erick sucked in a breath and froze, staring at his leg in a mixture of horror and shock. Adrianna tried to gauge his response, unsure where to continue.

"Mara said it's healing really well... And my dad was unconscious for his accident much longer-"

Erick suddenly grasped her hand tightly. His face was tight in agony. "I don't remember." He whispered hoarsely, tears gathering in his eyes. "Annie, I don't remember anything!"

"It's okay! It's okay," Adrianna quickly sat forward and hugged him tight. "We'll figure it out, I promise, and we'll get you a prosthetic just like my dad's and we'll get you back on your feet again in no time. I promise."

She didn't know how to make it better or what words to say. But she suspected only time and friendship would help him cope with the shocking news.

A soft knock on the curtain made Erick pull away, wiping the tears out of his eyes with a hand. Adrianna turned to the door questioningly. "I don't know if you want to see anyone-"

"I-It's okay..." Erick swallowed. "I'm okay."

Adrianna nodded. He wanted, no needed, something to ground him again. Having extra people might help calm him down.

She turned toward the opening. "Come in!"

Cliff tentatively poked his head in. "Hey."

"Oh, it's you." Erick deadpanned with a smirk. "Should have known you'd do something like knock on a curtain."

"Oh, do you want me to go?" Cliff's face fell.

"What? No, I was kidding." Erick looked slightly apologetic as he held out his free hand. "C'mere, bruh."

Cliff slowly sauntered in, glancing once at Erick's leg. Adrianna quickly covered it again for both their sakes. "Sorry I'm just now coming..."

"I just woke up. So unless you wanted to hear me snore at you, you're just in time." Erick quipped with a smile.

"Ehh, it wasn't that obnoxious." Adrianna shrugged. "I tuned it out after a while."

"Hey!" Erick narrowed his eyes at her as Cliff tittered nervously. "Not helping."

"Looks like you've had her all to yourself." Cliff playfully punched Adrianna's shoulder. "Quite the ladies man, aren't you?"

"Oh be quiet," Adrianna smacked his arm.

"Behave, you two." Erick made a mock serious face at them both. "Or I'll have to kick you out for disturbing the peace."

Cliff gave half a smile. "Your face is disturbing the peace."

Erick narrowed his eyes but shook his head in slight confusion. This wasn't the Cliff he was used to seeing. Sure, some of the playful attitude was there, but it was guarded. Withheld. In the other boy's eyes, he saw worry and fear underneath the goofy guise.

"So I'm going to get you guys some food." Adrianna said after an awkward silence. She squeezed Erick's hand. "I'll be back."

"Take your time." Erick smiled at her as she walked out. Then he turned to Cliff. "What's up, man?"

Cliff sat in the chair Adrianna had vacated. Erick knew Cliff to fidget a lot anyway. But as the seconds ticked by, the boy wrung his fingers together tightly and squirmed in his seat. Erick had never seen him look so morose.

"Cliff?"

Finally, the curly-haired boy looked up. "I thought you were going to die, Erick."

Erick swallowed. "What happened?"

Cliff's eyes widened. "Horst and I heard you screaming. We ran up and you were just..." He paused, taking a shaky breath. "Th-there was blood everywhere. Finn was there, I don't know why. Then Horst told me to go get help and I found Hiccup." Cliff ran a hand along his face. "It keeps replaying in my head every day."

Erick took in his friend's condition. Dark circles under his eyes, pale skin. He didn't look good. "I'm sorry, Cliff. You shouldn't have had to see that."

Cliff shook his head bitterly. "Not your fault."

"What's that mean? Does Finn know what happened?"

Cliff glared at the floor. "Finn's gone. Took off that night." Erick blinked in shock.

"Gone? Took off, what-"

"He did something." Cliff said in a wrathful voice, which was even weirder than him being silent. "Nobody knows what happened up there and Finn left before anyone could question him. And now that hes vowing to never come back-"

"Never come back?" Erick asked in shock. "Why wouldn't he come back?"

Cliff shrugged indifferently. "Guilt? Good riddance, I say."

"You make it sound like its his fault..."

Cliff glared at a spot slightly to his left. "We left you up there alone. It wasn't five minutes and you were screaming. He was supposed to be in jail. You do the math."

Erick blinked suddenly, a sliver of a memory surfacing. "Wait... Finn." He dropped his head into his hands. "Finn was there."

Cliff's voice was softer. "You remember?"

Adrianna's voice wafted over his shoulder. "You remember something?" Both boys looked up at her in surprise. She smiled wanly and said in a sing-song voice, "I'm back."

"It was an accident." Erick muttered. "He didn't mean to do it, I tripped."

"You don't have to protect him. He's not here. He's not coming back." Adrianna growled, handing both boys a muffin.

"No, I mean it. It was an accident. It was stupid but I remember Finn's face when he pulled me out. He didn't mean to do it." Erick said firmly.

"Yeah, he was upset all right." Adrianna reluctantly conceded. "But he didn't even apologize. He just flew off."

"Annie, he is your brother-"

"So what?" Adrianna huffed. "If he nearly kills someone, I have to bail him out? I don't think so."

"I'm not saying that and you know it." Erick said in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "He's not a lost cause."

"I don't hate him." Adrianna said darkly. "I just never want to see him again."

"I don't think you mean that." Erick took her hand. "And I don't even think you're supposed to forgive him right here and now. But come on, if there's a chance for reconciliation-"

"Just because your brother is an idiot doesn't mean-"

"Um..." Cliff interrupted. "No offense but I kind of see both your points. And I don't like watching my favorite couple argue."

Adrianna and Erick stared at each other for a second before Erick shrugged. "Look, just give him another chance. That's all I'm asking. Because I swear, it was an accident."

Adrianna studied his face. Cliff stared at the floor in frustration. "Well," she said finally, hand on her hip. "If he ever shows his face here again, I guess we'll have to ask him."

Adrianna stepped over to the curtain, clearly closing the conversation for herself.

"Annie?" She turned back to Erick with a raised eyebrow. "If Finn's gone... does that make you the future chief?"

Adrianna's brow pinched slightly. "It would seem so." With that, she pushed out the curtain, her long blonde hair swishing down her back as she went.

"She's not too happy about that," Cliff muttered. "He bailed out on a lot of stuff. But like I said, good riddance."

Erick's heart clenched at those words. He wouldn't press the matter, but deep down he knew Finn hadn't wanted this. There was always hope for change. If Finn's parents had taught him anything, it was that there was always hope. Anybody could change the course of their future.

Xxx

One would think watching the ocean waves beating upon the seashore in a rhythmic pattern would be relaxing. But from two thousand feet up, Finn found himself bored and depressed beyond measure.

He knew he'd made the right decision in letting Ratri go. Deep down, he felt it was the right thing. But even in the aftermath, he felt withdrawn, rudderless. He wasn't sure what to do next or where to go. He still didn't have a plan. However, it was at this point that he didn't care.

Usually he liked sunsets. The sky beheld a kaleidoscopic view: a cacophony of colors so vast and beautiful that usually took his breath away. He figured he was like his dad that way. Always staring at the horizon with a certain longing in his eyes, that hungering desire to see how far he could go, how fast he could fly. But now, Finn stared down at the rocky crags below, peeking out of the frothy waves.

He'd always been an active person. For as long as he could remember, he'd always bounced out of bed and run out the door, ready for another day of playing or hard work. Finn always found some activity or work to be done to lift his spirits. He'd never known depression like this could exist. He felt dull, blank. Any activities that would normally cheer him up sounded bleak and dismal. He didn't have a care in the world for anyone or anything. It was at this point in his loneliness that he wanted to drown in loneliness itself. Nothing could possibly help him now.

Sharpshot took the note to his parents. Despite Toothless' and Stormfly's great tracking skills, he knew what to do to evade them if need be. It would take them at least a week to track him to Maero, which was now a dozen miles west. He'd stopped Thornado on a lonely little island in the middle of the ocean. If they ever came looking, and he suspected at some point they might, they wouldn't find him here. He'd be long gone by then, one way or another.

A pebble rolled off the edge and plummeted down the chasm. Finn watched until it disappeared from his vision. Thornado was somewhere in the woods, either hunting or sleeping or just keeping his distance. His mood swings had increased the last few days that Finn almost didn't think his dragon would even notice his disappearance. It would be easy to just slip off the edge and let himself free fall until SPLAT! No more Fearless Finn Haddock to be seen or heard from again. If he deserved anything, that's what it was.

Finn was just warming up to the idea, really considering it, when a high pitch wail of distress sounded from the woods. He whipped around with a gasp, blue eyes searching. It wasn't Thornado, but it was definitely a dragon. He couldn't immediately place the species, so it must be a dragon he'd never seen before. The wail sounded again from deep in the forest and Finn found himself scrambling to his feet. Even in his depressed state, that was a distinct distress call from a giant flying lizard. It was ingrained in his system, practically in his blood stream to come to its rescue.

A branch slapped him in the face as he plunged into the forest. The deeper into the wood he ran, the more the trees seemed to thicken. Weaving between the massive trunks and bushes, Finn strained his ears to find the distressed dragon. Finally, a crash sounded from nearby, followed by distinct, angry growls. Finn turned a corner and saw a large tree trunk blocking his path. He paused only for a second to find the easiest route over the obstruction. Running toward a nearby boulder, Finn kicked off and vaulted over the fallen tree and landed on the other side. He rose from his crouch and gasped when he caught sight of the most beautiful dragon he'd ever seen.

Glistening blue-green scales of varying hues from tail to snout with matching sea green eyes, writhing in a rope net tethered to the ground. She tossed and turned on her side, bashing her tail against the ground, trees, anything in her path. Finn swallowed hard, staring at her in awe before she caught sight of him. The dragon wailed in fear, struggling against the ropes, her claws creating deep grooves in the ground.

"Hey, no, it's okay!" Finn called, quickly grabbing any knives or weapons he had on him and throwing them as far away as he could before she really got dangerous. The weapons clattered into a heap in the bushes behind him and the dragon's thrashing lessened. She stared at him with a wary, cold eye. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

Finn inched forward, holding out a hand. The vibrant dragon growled lowly, issuing a warning. Finn gingerly stepped closer, stopping at ten feet from her snout but careful to stay in her line of sight.

"Look at you..." Finn murmured, crouching to look her in the eye. "You're quite a beauty, aren't you?"

The dragon sniffed at him and looked away, clearly annoyed.

For the first time in a while, Finn cracked a smile. "Listen, I'll help you out of that if you promise not to bite my hand off. That sound fair?" Inching forward, he closed the distance until he sat three feet in front of her. She glared at him, her gaze piercing. Finn almost wished his father was here. He'd probably know what kind of dragon this was and what all of her special abilities were from how fast she could fly to what her favorite food was, right down to what kind of fire she breathed. All that good stuff. But his dad wasn't here, so he'd have to figure all that out later.

This net was clearly set by dragon trappers. He'd heard her screams from nearly a mile away. There was no telling if the trappers were still on the island. He didn't want to get captured with them. He'd had enough of being captured in his lifetime.

Carefully, he held out a hand in front of her snout. She growled indignantly, trying to back away. "Hey, it's okay, look," Finn said carefully. "Look, I just want to help. I'll get you out and I'll leave you alone. I'll walk away and never see you again. Okay?"

The bluish green dragon stared at him beadily for another minute before looking at his hand. He watched in fascination as her eyes dilated. Finally, she inched forward, sniffed his palm, and eased her snout into it. Finn held his breath. Raising up his other hand to gently scratch under her chin, he vaguely wondered if this was what his dad had felt back when he met Toothless: bonding with a dragon for the first time... the first boy to ever bond with a dragon.

Her scales were warm and a little slimy, leaving a sticky residue on his hand when he withdrew. He vaguely wondered if she was an aquatic dragon, like Thornado. The dragon hummed eagerly when he scratched her chin.

Finn smiled. "Yeah yeah... let's get on with it."

Inching forward, he began inspecting the ropes. It took a few minutes, especially without some kind of weapon to cut the rope (which would have been the simplest route), but eventually he found a large knot behind her bony head. With deft fingers, Finn began to unravel the ropes. He was glad to have worked with weapons and rope long enough to have strong hands, or else he might not have been able to release her. He'd be crushed if he had to leave her here at the mercy of dragon trappers just because he couldn't untie a stupid knot.

Finally, the ropes loosened and Finn began to undo the crisscross design. The dragon tensed beneath him, ready to be free. Finn pulled out the final knot and rested a hand on her back. "All right big girl, you're-"

The dragon leaped out of the remaining bonds and roared. Too late, when she spread her wings and stretched out, Finn saw the crackling across her scales that only meant one thing. Her sparking wing smacked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards in a smoking heap. Finn gasped, clutching his chest in agony for nearly a minute before the blinding pain began to dim. He looked up in a dazed shock, blue eyes wide.

She stood nearby with her tail curved around her body, her head down in shame. She cooed at him, clearly expecting him to yell and punish her. Groaning, Finn rolled into a seating position. He pulled open his shirt to see little red blisters dotting his chest.

"Ow?" Finn frowned at the dragon. "You could've warned me."

The dragon mewled at him, tucking her head down between her paws. Despite the pain, Finn couldn't help but melt a little at how cute she was. If his dad was ever right about anything, it was that dragons weren't really evil creatures. She'd gotten so excited to be free that she'd gone overboard. She hadn't meant to hurt him at all. He could write a book about the shame written all over her face.

Finn slowly got to his feet, walking over to her as calmly as possible. He squatted down in front of her and carefully touched her snout. "Don't zap me next time, okay?" She gave him a happy coo and nearly knocked him flat when she jumped up and licked his face.

"Ick..." He wiped his face on his sleeve. Looking around the clearing, he wondered where Thornado had gotten to. He hadn't seen his friend in at least an hour. "Well... nice saving you, I guess. I've got to find my friend. I'll see you around."

Finn gave her a short wave before walking off, pushing through some bushes. He heard her questioning coo in the clearing, almost as if she was asking No play?

Marching through the trees, Finn wondered how far he'd have to walk before he found Thornado. His dragon could be quite reclusive when he wanted to be. It was no mystery that the old dragon was upset with him. He was usually an old grouchy guss anyway, but being forced to fly around the entire Archipelago on a pointless excursion probably annoyed him to no end. If Finn had to be somebody's travel service, he'd probably be annoyed too.

The pitter patter of feet behind him pulled him out of his thoughts and Finn looked over his shoulder. The vibrant blue and green dragon halted in her tracks and ducked behind a bush half her size. Finn snorted and shook his head, and marched on. A minute later he heard a loud crash and a dragoness grunt that would have Toothless chuckling.

"What are you doing?" Finn demanded, turning on his heel. He raised an eyebrow at the dragon shaking her head as she emerged from behind a tree. Apparently she'd run into it or something, possibly trying to dodge the unmoving bushes or surrounding tree trunks. "You're hopeless."

The dragon ran around him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Finn rolled his eyes and carried on, trying to ignore her as he called for his dragon.

At long last, the duo found the Thunderdrum gazing down at the ocean from a cliff, just as Finn had been doing a half hour before. Thornado turned at the sound of their arrival and promptly growled possessively at the young dragon.

"Hey now, it's okay Thornado. I just got her out of a trap is all. No need to be a cantankerous old man."

Thornado huffed in his face. He stepped over to the new dragon and they both sniffed around. If Finn didn't know dragons so well, he'd probably think their little introductory dance a bit strange, but he'd seen it a million times over by now. Within minutes, Thornado was sitting on the ground with a grumpy expression while the smaller, much younger dragon hopped around him with excited chirps.

Finn almost laughed. "Okay, okay! Man, you're a real bundle of energy aren't you? Do you have a pack?"

The dragon sat in front of him and moaned sadly. Finn frowned. Clearly she was alone and not very old... She nudged his shoulder and looked at him questioningly.

"No... I'm on my own too." Finn bit his lip. "Made some stupid choices. I've got no plans but I can't go home. I don't know..."

The more he thought about it, the more loneliness and shame surged back into his system. He didn't know what to do. He felt so terrible about what happened to Erick, wreaking havoc on the village... nearly giving himself up to a girl he barely knew. He wanted to make good choices; he wanted to do the right thing. But how do you do that when you don't have any direction? Did he have any hope of a good future alone in the world with only grumpy Thornado at his side? He wasn't sure he could. One thing for sure: his family would never accept him back. He didn't deserve to live there anymore.

A gentle wing tip lifted his chin, and he stared up at her in surprise. The blue dragon gave him a sad coo and rested her chin over his shoulder. Within seconds, Finn found himself wrapping his arms around her neck. He could feel the sliminess of her scales seep into his shirt but he didn't care. For the first time in a long, long time, he accepted the hug being offered. His eyes burned and he had to blink away tears.

The dragon finally stepped back and licked his forehead. Finn sniffed and gave her a sheepish smile. Then she did something he hadn't expected. Walking behind him, she grabbed the cuff of his shirt and pulled him backwards.

"Agh! Hey! What are you doing?" Finn flailed as she dragged him backwards. He grabbed one of her horns to keep from falling on his rear. "Let me go, what are you-"

Finn froze. The dragon released him and bumped him in the chest, nearly pushing him into Thornado. The Thunderdrum watched on, uninterested, but Finn got the clear message. Back on Berk, he'd seen it many times when young dragons would get into trouble, their mothers, even fathers at times, would grab them behind the neck and usher them back into the nest. His new friend seemed to be telling him the same thing as he stared into her eyes, unyielding but with a certain kindness and love that spoke the words that needed to be said:

Go home.

"But..." Finn began. "But I can't. I've screwed up so much, they couldn't possibly allow me to come back!"

Thornado grumbled and the blue dragon gave him a look that said she wasn't buying the excuse. Finn stared at both dragons in confusion. He didn't know if his family, or the village, would allow him to come home for good... but he could stop by to apologize. He could stay long enough to repent of his mistakes, give his family a proper farewell (if they allowed it), and then be on his merry way. Maybe he could spend his days traveling the various islands in the Archipelago, saving dragons as he went. Maybe one day he could settle down somewhere.

He swallowed, his heart pounding in anticipation. He thought about Benen once again and wondered what he would want him to do. The answer was clear within seconds. Benen would want him to admit his mistakes face to face with those he'd wronged. Benen would want him to go home.

Just like that, Finn had a plan. He felt like a single strand of humanity had rooted itself back to the ground, giving him something to stand on. He wasn't looking forward to it, oh no, he was terrified. He fully expected his father to throw him out within seconds of seeing his face. But he had to apologize. He had to try. On his way home he'd figure out a plan afterward. He'd make things work. If his payment for his crimes was a life of solitude, so be it. He certainly deserved it.

"You're amazing." Finn said as he hugged the beautiful dragon once again. "Thank you."

The dragon cooed in his ear, wrapping him up in her wings with all the love she could muster. At long last, Finn stepped back and climbed into Thornado's saddle. The sky was beginning to darken, which made him falter for only a moment. He wondered if he should set up camp and leave in the morning, but Thornado flapped his wings in anticipation. Apparently he was about as ready to go home as ever.

"Alright..." Finn turned to the female dragon a final time. "Thanks. Maybe I'll see you around, okay?"

The dragon gave him a single nod before turning and flapping away. Within seconds she was gone, disappearing in the darkening forest. He felt sad to see her go, but hoped that maybe one day they would see each other again.

"Okay Thornado," Finn sighed. "Enough of this nonsense. Let's go home."