Inside the great hall, a roaring fire was welcoming us in the large pit built into the floor. At the back was a pile of fish and eels. It was smaller than normal, thanks to the winter taking its toll on our resources.

I glanced around the hall and noticed it sounded empty, even though it wasn't. I counted several Vikings lying on their sides with empty stares on their faces. Any time Toothless stepped or we moved, it echoed for a couple seconds before fading into silence. Normally, there was background noise to soak up all of our sounds, but today was just... eerie.

"Right here, bud," I said to Toothless, my voice echoing.

He stopped at the ledge surrounding the fire pit. The fire pit was between us and the fish at the back of the great hall, the heat distorting our view of the pile. Astrid stayed with him while I grabbed a basket, filled it with fish, and put two more on dishes for her and me. I returned to Toothless and Astrid and realized just how hungry I was.

Toothless was investigating a motionless Viking nearby, sniffing over her head and left shoulder. He nudged her with his snout, but she never responded. Toothless sat back on his haunches and looked at me with an expression like he was asking for my help.

"C'mere, buddy," I said, avoiding having to somehow explain several people were frozen in time.

Toothless padded toward me and began smelling the contents of the basket in front of him.

I flipped the basket lid open, and Toothless dove in. He pulled a fish out with his mouth, looking at me. He swallowed it with a grunt and returned to his basket in silence.

Astrid and I worked skewers through our fishes and held them in the fire. I kept Toothless within sight, ready to stop him if he started wandering too close to the fish in the back.

Toothless finished the contents in his basket and looked around the great hall for a few seconds, licking his lips.

I always wondered what Toothless was thinking when he simply glanced around his surroundings. Maybe he was scanning the area so he could be ready to protect me. There didn't seem to be much on his mind, because he looked at me in appreciation before lying on the ground next to my feet and curling up for at least some rest. After a few seconds he sighed in contentment, the sound echoing softly.

I pulled my fish out of the flames once it began developing a blackened color and examined it. I began eating, relishing the taste of cooked food once again. I ate like it was my last meal, making sure to savor every bite. And before I knew it, the fish in front of me was a husk of bone and innards. I tossed the remains into the fire, where they sizzled and turned black. I sat down on the stone ledge surrounding the fire pit, my legs overhanging the edge.

"Feel better?" Astrid asked, a faint echo accompanying her question.

I jumped slightly, forgetting about her again. I looked at her and nodded, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her. In actuality, what I told her was a lie. I didn't feel any different after that meal, except for less hunger.

We sat there in silence. The fire was crackling, and Toothless was breathing. I kept my eyes on Toothless. He looked so peaceful the way he was curled up near my feet, even though Speed Stingers were doing a phenomenal job of keeping us on-edge. Not that the winter weather was any less traumatic, mind you. But Toothless just seemed not to care right now, maybe because he knew I was with him.

I got off the ledge and sat down next to Toothless, the shuffling of my coat and trousers echoing throughout the hall. He looked at me for a few seconds before resting his head on his paws again. I stroked along the side of his neck, hoping some of my fear and worry would leave. Toothless closed his eyes and sighed.

After a while, Toothless rumbled in appreciation. I smiled a little in return, feeling some of the stress I had built up over the last few days disappear.

How he could make me feel better was a mystery, and at some point, I thought I would have gotten used to it and learned all of his tricks. But every time he did something like this, I felt exactly the same as that magical first evening we touched.

I didn't know how long I had been sitting next to Toothless, but after a while, I felt like all my pent-up fear, worry, and stress had melted away.

Astrid sat down next to me. She pulled me into a loose hug and whispered, "You love him, don't you?"

I nodded silently, not wanting to break this moment. I was also scared I would offend Astrid because Stormfly was paralyzed. Astrid didn't have her dragon for protection, but Toothless seemed to do just fine for now.

As soon as Astrid let me go, Toothless leaned toward her and licked her on the side of her face with a low murmur.

She pushed him away and said, "Do that to Hiccup." She used her coat sleeve to wipe Night Fury saliva off herself.

I caught her eye and couldn't hold back my smile. She smiled back at me. Neither of us could keep from giggling.

"What?" she asked, the echo bringing her word back to me several times.

"Nothing," I replied, continuing to laugh. I tried to keep it quiet because I felt uncomfortable hearing so much echo in the great hall.

I looked down, trying to let that fit of laughter subside. After a few seconds, I returned to stroking Toothless' neck. Toothless leaned into my hand, murmuring in appreciation.

In the back of my mind, I knew I had to do something about the Speed Stingers soon. I wondered if I could take advantage of them possibly being asleep at the moment.

I committed to my idea and stood, my hips and knees creaking from being on the floor for a while. Toothless grunted at me.

Without asking for Astrid's approval, I stated, "I wanna find where the Speed Stingers have gone."

"Now?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. Why not?"

"Hiccup, they could be anywhere. They're probably hiding in some cave on the island."

"I don't want to scour the island," I told her. "It's too cold for that. I just want to check for any traces of the Speed Stingers. Maybe I'll find something." I paused, hoping my sense of reason was actually heading somewhere. "Maybe there's a way to cut them off from the village."

Astrid thought for a moment and replied, "I'm coming with you."

She stood and acted like she was walking past me. At the last second, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek. Astrid grinned as she let me go, looking back at me as she sauntered toward the front entrance of the great hall.

Toothless grunted and pushed me from behind. I stumbled, trying to catch my balance and then started to walk forward.

Astrid pulled one of the doors open, revealing a black sky with no stars. All the still-inhabited houses on Berk were lit from inside by their hearths, casting an odd yellow glow around the snow-covered village. Several footprints were briefly visible in the dancing light, some Viking, some Night Fury, and some Speed Stinger.

I walked outside and shivered. Thankfully, there was a slight wind blowing now, which made the cold a little more tolerable. There was no snow falling from the clouds above us. Maybe, just maybe, tracks would be findable.

Through the darkness, I spied the outline of the armory and said, "Armory first, then we'll take a look."

I got on Toothless' back and had him follow Astrid toward the armory. She opened the door for us to enter. Adjusting to the low light, I quickly found an iron-rimmed shield I had made this past summer. On the center was a silhouette of a stylistic Night Fury, a left red tail fin complementing the natural black fin on the right.

I reached down to pick the shield up, but when my hand touched the metal, I jerked it back. The metal was unbelievably cold. I groaned, forcing myself to endure a few seconds of chilled metal on my skin and picked up the shield. I wrestled with it for a few seconds, trying to get my coat sleeve between my arm and the handle. When I had some free time, I was going to wrap the handle in leather to keep it from being so agonizingly cold.

I turned to Astrid and said, "Get whatever you need."

Astrid picked up a nondescript wooden shield, a small dagger and a bola. Just like me, she flinched as the metal contacted her hands. She tucked the dagger into her belt.

"Okay. I'm ready," she stated.

I nodded to her, still reeling from the shock of touching the metal, and walked over to Toothless.

"Ready, bud?" I asked him.

I guided Toothless out of the armory, Astrid behind us, and hopped onto his back. I took the plate off the bottom of my peg and stowed it in the satchel at my waist.

As I glanced at the armory wall, a leather strap with small metal hooks on either end caught my attention. This would have been convenient to have in the armory a few seconds ago. I hooked the strap on either side of my shield and looped it diagonally across my chest.

"You coming, Astrid?" I asked her.

She nodded. I held my hand out for her, giving her a slightly easier time getting onto Toothless' back.

She got situated, wrapped her arms around my chest and immediately let go.

"The metal's too cold," she observed.

"Just hang on to the leather," I told her. A second later, I felt the strap tighten against my chest.

"Okay. That's much better," she said.

I nodded and clicked into the stirrup with my peg.

"Let's go, bud," I said to Toothless. He grunted in approval before crouching slightly. Toothless jumped into the air and lifted off, creating a brief shower of white around the entrance to the armory. Within a few seconds, we were flying away from the village.