============

(Toothless's POV)

Wha......where...where am I?

*blinks, slowly opens eyes and looks around*

Why am I cold? Why am I w--...........oh...........

*FLASHBACK, STILL TOOTHLESS'S POV*

(The Stormcutter grinned at Hiccup evilly, then flicked her tail and he fell. He and Astrid reached out for each other, but I knew it was too late.

"NO!!!," I remember Astrid screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wrapped my wings around Hiccup, we hit the water, and everything went black.)

*END OF FLASHBACK, STILL TOOTHLESS'S POV*

Wait, Hiccup? HICCUP!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!!!

*NOW AUTHOR'S POV*

Toothless looked around frantically for his master, and all of a sudden a strange, yet familiar voice echoed through his mind.

"Hush, Toothless," it said. "He's safe."

Toothless backed against the wall in the pitch black cave he was in and scratched at his ears frantically. "Wh-who are you?!," he whinnied. "What do you want from me?!! Why are you inside my head?!!!!"

"Toothless," the voice in his mind said. "Don't you remember me? Have you really forgotten us, after only four years?" Toothless's eyes snapped open and he suddenly stopped pulling at his ears.

"No......."

A jet black dragoness appeared out of the shadows, her eyes burning bright like sapphires sitting in the moonlight. The pupils were pale, but the eyes weren't blind. These eyes were magic, and had prophecy-like powers, but could only see the present and what was happening somewhere they weren't. The dragoness had a light blue swirl over her left eye and numerous blue freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. She had the patterns of Toothless swirling and splotching her sides, wings, and back, and Toothless could only stare in disbelief.

"Mother.........," he whispered in shock. "You're alive?"

The former Nighthaven Queen, named Nightshade, nodded and smiled.

"What about father and Featherwar?," Toothless asked. "Are they alive?" Nightshade nodded again. She smiled at her son and fluttered her wings. It was all Toothless could do to run up to his mother and wrap his wings around her, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for saving me and Hiccup." Nightshade purred and nuzzled Toothless.

"You're welcome..." Then she turned downcast and pulled away to look at Toothless sadly. "I just wish we could've saved Astrid," she said shakily. Toothless's face fell as he remembered Astrid's crying, pleading, terrified, desperate face as that dragon carried her off. Toothless looked up at his mother.

"So, you saw all of what happened?," he said quietly. Nightshade nodded slightly and looked away, a tear slipping from her eye.

"All dragons are born innocent, helpless, weak, and kind hearted, son," she said, her voice wavering. She looked back at Toothless. "It's just that some are hardened and choose to do wrong. This happens for many reasons. Maybe they were abused by their family. Maybe someone who meant the world to them, died, and they were full of grief. Maybe they were told they were worthless, would never amount to much, were pushed beyond their limit...." Nightshade began to cry harder as she remembered her father's harsh words. "....and they set out to prove the world it was wrong," she continued. "And maybe, evil was all that they knew. They could've grown up in a family of villains and criminals, and they thought evil was the normal way of life."

Toothless eyed his mother with wet eyes. "Or maybe they want revenge...." Nightshade nodded, and her face started to look worried.

"How do you know this?"

Toothless looked up at his mother. "A certain dragon who remembers too much," he said shakily. "She wants us, specifically Hiccup and Astrid, mother. She's been after us, wanting only to run us through with her own claws and have the taste of our blood on her tongue." Nightshade's eyes widened.

"What?," she said in a dangerously calm voice. "Tell me her name. I wanna see her for myself."

Toothless told her, and she closed her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Nightshade gasped and began to cry again, and she threw herself on the floor.

"What is it?!," Toothless asked worriedly. Nightshade opened her eyes and looked up at her son. She opened her mouth to speak, and just started crying harder. A sinking feeling began to eat away at Toothless's gut, and he started to question if he really wanted to know the answer. He shook his head. No, no, NO!!! It's not--it can't--

"It's Astrid," Nightshade finally gasped in between sobs. Toothless dropped to the floor next to his mother. Now that he knew who it was, he wanted to know what was happening.

"And," Nightshade continued, trying to remain composed. "Cinderpaw is doing some awful things to her."

============

The Stormcutter had Astrid pinned to the wall. Cinderpaw paced the cave, smoke flaring out of her nose angrily. Astrid was pale and weak, and she didn't fight against the Stormcutter's grip. She was cut and bruised and scabbed and burned, all torture and punishment and "motivation" from Cinderpaw.

The one-eyed dragoness flared her flaming wings and stood on her hind legs, looking straight into Astrid's dull, once-bright blue eyes.

"I am going to ask you ONE MORE TIME," Cinderpaw hissed, her voice cracking and sounding like stones in a can, as it was not meant for human speech. "Where are Hiccup and that wretched Night Fury of his?! Tell me, or I'll be forced to set Shredder on you...." The Stormcutter, though she couldn't understand Norse, could guess what Cinderpaw was saying, and she brandished one of her razor-sharp claws with deadly joy.

Astrid looked straight at Cinderpaw's battle-scarred, terrifying face. Her eyes, though dull, flickered weakly with what was left of Astrid's warrior flame. "I'm not telling you," she managed to croak, her throat dry with thirst. Cinderpaw trembled with rage. She shot Shredder a "Do it NOW" glance, and Shredder smiled evilly.

Then Cinderpaw plopped back onto all fours and stalked out of the cave as Shredder brought one of her wickedly sharp claws to Astrid.....