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

By this time, Hiccup had met Thrae and Asla. We had introduced him and Astrid to my cousins.

So, Thrae was the only one who could tell Hiccup about our impending doom.

Hiccup did NOT take the news very well.

"WHAT?! She's found us?! How?! We need to get the entire--wait, what? Some of her pack is STILL ALIVE?! Well, isn't that perfect. We'll need mom, and all the riders, and--"

"Hiccup, stop, calm down," Thrae said, his Norse language markings flashing with every syllable he spoke. He held out his paws and shook them, shaking his head as well. "Please take a little advice here, leader-to-leader. I know how you feel, having your entire society threatened by something truly terrifying. But, you need to calm down and figure out what you need to do without freaking out."

Hiccup sighed. "No," he said. "I'm worried for the safety of my tribe, yes. But, it's Astrid's safety I'm most concerned about. Cinderpaw nearly killed her, Thrae. And before that, Phoenix, Cinderpaw's mate, ran Astrid's arm through with his THREE-FOOT, FLAMING, RAZOR-SHARP claws. I don't want anything happening to Astrid this time. I'm scared for her, Thrae. Wouldn't you be feeling the same if this happened to Asla?" Thrae looked at the ground, realizing he'd act exactly like Hiccup if his mate was in danger.

Hiccup stared at the ground as well. Finally, after a few minutes, he looked up, a determined expression on his face. "Gather together your dragons, Thrae. I'll get mom and the riders, and hopefully Starrynight will be able to talk with Nightshade. We'll need all the help we can get; you have no idea what these dragons are capable of."

----

Thrae translated for Starrynight.

"Do you think it'll work?"

Hiccup shrugged, and Astrid smiled encouragingly.

"Just try," Hiccup said. Starrynight closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, arching her neck. Her ears twitched and her sonar-receptors vibrated. Suddenly, her ears pricked, and she grinned giddily.

"It worked," Thrae said happily. After a few moments, Starrynight opened her eyes.

"They're coming," Thrae translated for her. Hiccup grinned, and Astrid wrapped her arms around him, relieved.

"Now," Hiccup said. "Let's get ready for Cinderpaw."

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

It was early morning when they came. Large dragons with flaming claws and vengeance burning bright in their black eyes.

Hiccup, Astrid, and the other riders stood ready for them at the beach. I growled and flared my wings. Toothless twined his tail around mine and snarled, keeping one wing over me protectively.

Then Cinderpaw landed. She stalked forward, her huge claws leaving black burn marks on the sand. Valka gasped behind me, and I could tell she knew now what Hiccup had been so wary of.

Cinderpaw stopped in front of Hiccup, her daughter on her one side and her son-in-law on the other.

"You were prepared," Cinderpaw hissed. "I'm impressed...and, very disappointed. I was hoping to kill you all while you slept."

Hiccup glared at the menacing gray dragoness. "Well," he said bluntly. "It seems you didn't get your chance."

"I didn't, did I?," Cinderpaw crooned. "How did I not? You're all lined up, in the perfect place for me to kill you. You've practically GIVEN yourselves to me."

Hiccup smirked vengefully. "Not yet."

With that, the battle began.

It was bloody and fierce, and I don't like to recall it for this and one other reason.

Hiccup fought valiantly, using his firesword so expertly it was like an extension of his arm. Astrid killed three of the remaining pack members in a single blow from her axe, leaving Cinderpaw, Ember, Raggedflame, and one other Singeclaw. Shredder was there, too, and she cornered Cloudjumper while Valka was busy with Ember.

Cloudjumper snarled as the larger dragoness crawled towards him like a bat. He flared all four of his wings, trying to make himself look bigger. Shredder grinned menacingly, her bicolored eyes laughing and evil. Finally, with a guttural roar as loud as Thor's thunder, Cloudjumper launched himself at Shredder. She was stunned for a minute as Cloudjumper knocked her to the ground, that dragon being half her size.

Cloudjumper sank his fangs into Shredder's neck as she thrashed around, trying to throw him off. Her razor sharp claws ripped through Cloudjumper's flesh, but he ignored them, and stabbed Shredder with his own claws in turn. Shredder screamed in pain, but kept fighting. The rolling, bloody mass of scales, wings, and claws finally came to a stop when Shredder rolled over a jagged spire of rock protruding from the beach. The rock went through her chest, straight through her heart, and out the back. Cloudjumper leaped out of the way as the bloody spear nearly went through him. Shredder screamed a final, agonized howl, and fell limp against the stone. Cloudjumper flew off to find his mistress.

Raggedflame lunged at me, his claws dangerously close to my neck. I ducked under another swipe from him and hopped to his other side. I could feel the plasma building up in my spines and wings, causing them to glow bright blue. My nostrils spewed blue smoke and particles of pure, unrefined plasma. I roared at Raggedflame, showing the ball of bright blue building up in my throat. Raggedflame ignored the warning and got closer. I shot a huge plasma blast, one of extreme power and force. The explosion was colossal, having been enhanced by my anger.

Hope rose in my chest as the smoke cleared. Then, I felt something else in my chest. Pain. Raggedflame's claw had gone through my left side at an angle, flames licking out of the wound. Raggedflame yanked his paw back, intensifying the pain in my ribs. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Suddenly, I felt someone over me. A very, very angry someone. It was Toothless. His own spines, nose, wings and mouth were glowing blue, getting brighter and brighter the more I cried. He fired at Raggedflame, killing him with the impact.

Toothless nuzzled me, trying to get me up. "Paintsplash, come on, you're gonna be okay," he said. I stood up weakly, and then looked over. My jaw dropped, and instantly I knew who Kohora had been talking about.

Cinderpaw, bloodied and beaten, was stalking Astrid. Astrid had lost her axe; it was in the side of Ember, who lay dead on the ground.

I began to cry. No, I thought desperately. No no no nonononononoNO!

----

(THIRD PERSON POV)

Cinderpaw grinned evilly as her right eye socket poured blood again. "There's nowhere you can run, Astrid," she cackled. "Nowhere you can hide, no one you can call to save you. Hiccup is safely out of the way, occupied with Burntdeath. He was named that for a reason...."

Astrid was crying, white as a ghost, as Cinderpaw steadily advanced. Then she backed against a wall. This wall had no escape, and Astrid was sure to be killed now. Cinderpaw grinned, seeing this advantage to her goal. Then she leaped forward and knocked Astrid to the ground.

Astrid shook her head, dazed, and looked up. She gasped and tried to get up to escape, but Cinderpaw pinned her down, holding her to the ground by the neck. The dragoness held her down with her foot, holding her two blazing paws by her side, the fiery claws extended.

"Any last words, Astrid?," Cinderpaw crooned. Her claw flung downward. Astrid rolled almost in time...but not fast enough. The flaming claw stabbed through her side, and she screamed.