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

Skullcrusher landed with a tremendous thud on the beach, followed by Valka and the riders. He tossed his head impatiently, and Eret hopped off, sensing that Skullcrusher had smelled something. The Rumblehorn looked up at what was left of the cliff. He spread his enormous wings and flapped up to the top of the destroyed cliff. He barked as soon as he got up there.

Perched very precariously on the edge was a very familiar helmet, one with three rows of spikes running across the top and sides and a visor that could flip in front of the eyes....

Skullcrusher sniffed it, barked again, and brought it down to Valka. Valka took the helmet in her shaking hands.

"Hiccup," she whispered. Suddenly, Skullcrusher whipped his head up as he caught another scent. He bounded to where it came from, for it was familiar but, it was as if the one it came from was in danger. He stopped abruptly at a stain on the rocks; a peeling layer of something was on the rocks, a brown flower that hadn't been washed away by the rain. More of the substance was on the sand, faded and worn.

It was blood.

Skullcrusher signaled Valka and Eret over with a toss of his head. He looked back and forth from Hiccup's helmet to the blood on the ground. Valka understood immediately and dropped the helmet, fear for her son spreading across her face.

"Oh no......"

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

Astrid was doubled over on the floor of the cave, tears streaming out of her eyes as she gritted her teeth in pain. Cinderpaw stalked around her, grinning down at her evilly.

"I told you that bad things happen when you don't obey," she hissed. "Did you listen? No. You chose to simply glare at me and refuse to tell me where Hiccup was. What was your punishment? A giant burn across your stomach." Astrid looked at Cinderpaw defiantly.

"I'm aware of that."

Cinderpaw cackled. "You do realize that I'm not killing you, only because I know it'll draw Hiccup in eventually?," she snarled, admiring her flaming claws in fake modesty. She looked down at Astrid. "Then, I'll kill you right in front of him. He'll break down, beg to be killed, just so he can be with you again. I'll gladly oblige."

Astrid glared at the dragoness. "He'll kill you," she managed to growl. "He will. Just like he killed Phoenix, just to protect me." Cinderpaw brought her head dangerously close to Astrid's face.

"You're so sure of that, aren't you?," she whispered. "You're so sure he'll protect you. Did he protect you from Shredder carrying you off? No. He's weak, not cut out for becoming chief."

"Too late," Astrid smirked. "He already is."

"Oh, I feel so bad for your tribe," Cinderpaw said with fake sympathy. "I'll bet his father, the chief before him, is SO disappointed."

Astrid began to cry angrily. "Stoick's dead," she said quietly. Cinderpaw grinned.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. Now, don't get any funny ideas, kid. I'll be leaving, now. Shredder! Watch her!"

Cinderpaw was about to leave the cave when two plasma blasts from different directions exploded through the wall.

----

"Toothless!"

"Paintsplash, Stormfly!"

We landed in the gaping hole we had just created. Toothless nodded to me and Stormfly, and we looked down at the cave.

"ASTRID!," Hiccup shouted once he saw her. Cinderpaw grinned.

"Now, see, what did I tell you? He did come, and I think it's about time I ran you through, Astrid." Hiccup wasn't about to let that happen. He vaulted off Toothless's back and kicked Cinderpaw over, his firesword drawn. He whipped out his dagger, and he had a weapon in each hand, shielding Astrid as Cinderpaw stalked around him.

Toothless backed Shredder against a wall and kept her there. Me and Stormfly circled Cinderpaw, Hiccup, and Astrid. Cinderpaw watched us out of the corner of her eye and moved slowly. Suddenly, she whipped around and whacked Stormfly with her wing. Stormfly hit a wall and fell to the ground, knocked out. Shredder flung Toothless out of her way, and much the same thing happened to him as to Stormfly. I looked back at Cinderpaw and readied a plasma blast. My spines glowed, blue smoke twirled out of my nose, and I flared my now-blue wings. Cinderpaw merely smirked and we circled each other. I was about to fire when Cinderpaw slashed at my side, I felt intense pain, and I was flung against a wall.

Then everything went black.