"I don't get it," Hiccup said taking a bite of his bread.

After his shift was done for the day, Hiccup headed to the Meade Hall to have lunch with the others.

The Meade Hall reminded Hiccup of the Great Hall back on Berk.

Only it was slightly smaller and quieter.

Tapestry of dragons and chieftains throughout history ran along the timber walls.

The warm earthy colours of amber and copper lifted the dim, gloomy spirit of the hall. Something the village of Edon found comforting during the dreaded colder seasons.

After months of raining, the people of Edon had grown sick of the dull, mucky weather.

They were Vikings, however and could pull through anything Mother Nature throws at them.

"Get what?" Gunnar, sitting opposite to Hiccup muffled through his mouthful of fish.

Hiccup stared at the freshly smoked salmon on his plate.

Although it did look delicious, he didn't feel too hungry.

In fact, he lost his appetite ever since this morning's turn of events.

Bjorn had assured him everything was fine, and that Megadon was just a superstitious mad man. Nothing he said could be taken seriously; even if he was the chief's cousin.

Many did dislike him for his superstitious ways, and some claim he would throw the chief off his throne one day.

Hiccup let out a sigh, "That Megadon guy. He believed Toothless is dangerous. That he would harm anyone," he fiddled with his knife, "I mean, it's ridiculous. Toothless is my best friend. He'd never hurt me or anyone. There is no way his species cursed,"

He cast his eyes over the foyer, where the fireplace stood against the wall, igniting the dim hall.

A rug made of wolf skin laid in front of the fireplace.

Carved statues of magnificent dragons stood on either side of the doors leading to the hall.

Their open jaws spat out fire, warming Vikings who normally used the hall.

Rounded wooden table scattered around the hall, which were occupied with hungry villagers wolfing down their lunch.

It was already midday and the hall has never looked so full.

Bar tenders and waitresses enter in and out of the kitchen, serving customers.

"Well, he's wrong," Ingrid declared, taking a chunk of her apple, "Don't listen to what Megadon says. He hates newcomers, especially one with a Night Fury,"

Hiccup shot her a deadpanned look, "Well, that certainly makes me feel better, doesn't it?"

"Look, you get Ingrid's point," Gunnar said, casually leaning back on his chair, "That guy is as narrow as a spear. My guess is he had some kind of grudge and is afraid,"

Hiccup let out a snort, "Afraid of what? Toothless? What could have possibly done?"

"Not him specifically. Maybe a Night Fury," Gunnar explained then lowered his voice, "Did you see the scars around his neck?"

Hiccup shook his head, not recalling any scars on the man's neck.

"Well, rumour has it they're from a Night Fury," Gunnar declared, which shocked Hiccup the most out of the rest.

The auburn-haired Viking knitted his brows together in confusion.

"But that couldn't be possible," he waved it off dismissively, "It could have been something else. Maybe a wolf or some other wild animal," he lifted his cup, gulping down his mead.

Gunnar shrugged, "That's what we think. But a small minority believed those scars were from a wild, untamed Night Fury. Not like Toothless, who's perfectly trained,"

The thought of a dragon- a Night Fury to have harmed a human made Hiccup's stomach turned.

He believed dragons had a purpose to attack, which is to defend themselves. So Megadon must have tried to harm it. Yet, Hiccup wasn't sure what Megadon must have done.

"You guys don't think Toothless is dangerous, right? I mean, he doesn't go around wreaking havoc," Hiccup said after a brief silence.

Runa shook her head, "Of course not. He's welcomed here. He's part of us and so are you,"

Runa was one of the teenagers Hiccup met, who happens to excel at archery.

Her sandy blonde hair draped down her back in small braids. Her eyes were green, similar to Hiccup's.

Wrapped around her shoulders was a brown fur shawl with her crimson red tunic worn underneath.

Beige leggings fitted around her torso, complemented with a pair of laced black boots.

At first, Runa didn't exactly trust the newcomer, but after getting her bow fixed by Hiccup, she realise how gifted he was.

That's when she thought this strange, but rather cute boy wasn't so bad after all.

Often in the afternoons after her archery lessons, Runa would give Hiccup a few pointers of using a bow and arrow.

Although the boy was amazing at dragon racing and repairing weapons, he really was hopeless at wielding a weapon.

"If Night Furies are part of some...black curse," Hiccup went on, "What kind of bad stuff could they possibly do?"

"I told you, boy," another voice broke through their conversation.

Hiccup whirled around to see Megadon approaching his table.

His deep green eyes pierced through the younger male coldly.

"Bring a Night Fury here and bad things ought to happen," Megadon spoke through gritted teeth, "Illness, death, even dragons turning on humans. And..." he paused when thunder rumbled in the distance, "storms almost every day for the past two months,"

Ingrid stood up from her seat. She looked at Megadon with a mix of anger and disbelief.

"Hey! That's not true. You can't just make things up," she exclaimed in protest, "For your information, those things don't happen just because we have a Night Fury in our midst,"

"Yeah!" Gunnar agreed, "Storms happen because that's typical Edon weather for you. It's Fall now and it always rain at this time of the year," he narrowed his eyes at the man, "You're a superstitious fool,"

Megadon scowled at the teenagers. He turned to his nephew, a hideous grin on his face.

"Is that how you talk to your own uncle?" Megadon chuckled, circling around the boy, "I'm sure your father has taught you some manners,"

Gunnar glared at him, crossing his arms.

"Oh he has. I just don't plan to use it on someone like you,"

Megadon let out a growl then leaned forward, his intimidating green eyes boring into Gunnar's.

"Listen, boy, when I become chief, I swear you and your father will be banished, do you hear me?"

The village knew how much Megadon desired to take over Edon. They knew he had some schemes of his own once he does.

"Doubt it," Gunnar replied incredulously.

Megadon turned to the rest of the hall, who were murmuring quietly among themselves.

Then he turned to Hiccup, giving him a stone-cold glare.

"I don't know where you're from, boy," he spoke, lowering his voice, "But when the black curse comes to effect, you are the one responsible,"

Megadon stood back, turning back to the crowd.

"The boy's Night Fury is cursed. I have warned you all ever since that bloody boy came here," he announced, a mix of paranoia and alarm in his voice, "Doom is upon us. The only way we can be safe is to kill his beast. Just like the others,"

A murmur from the crowd had risen with shouts of protests.

There were a majority who shouted, "Kill it!" and "Destroy it and bring its head as a helmet"

Only a minority, including Hiccup and his friends stayed silent.

They knew this mob was really getting out of hand. However, they did not want to raise the fire any more than it already did.

Hiccup glanced over at the crowd then turned to a proud looking Megadon.

The smug on his face says it all; he had most of the crowd on his side.

Hiccup's face twisted to an angry scowl. He couldn't let any of these people kill his best friend, the only one who had stood by him during his ordeal back on Berk. He was the only one breathe life into him.

Toothless had been with him through thick and thin.

No one was going to take him away.

"Nobody is killing anything," a voice boomed, which made the hall shook.

The crowd collapsed to silence when Arvin, the chief of Edon stormed into the hall.

He was an impressively large man with an intimidating glare.

His face was covered with scruffy raven black beard and a bell shaped helmet covering his short strands of hair.

Clad in chainmail and metal shoulder pads, Arvin resembled a real warrior; a true chieftain.

He was a man so highly respected and admired that made his cousin grew green with envy.

Ever since Arvin became chief, Megadon swore to assassinate him. One day.

Draped down his back, Arvin wore a thick fur coat made of wolf skin.

A symbol of power in Viking tribes.

Standing at seven foot two, Arvin really intimidated some people, including Hiccup.

Though, the chief did favour the young man. He was glad his son could get along with him; a stranger for far away.

Sometimes, the Edon chief really did reminded Hiccup of his father.

Arvin cast his intimidating green eyes at the crowd then to his cousin.

Just as he suspected, Megadon was causing troubling again.

Reluctantly, Megadon saluted to the chief.

"Chief! I...I was just-''

"Causing trouble to my people?" Arvin sighed, rubbing his temples, "We do not need any grief in this town, Megadon. Cousin, do you not understand we don't kill dragons here. We are a peaceful tribe," he petted his dark green terror perched on his shoulder.

Megadon's face twisted to an annoyed, angry scowl.

"We have a Night Fury in our midst, cousin. I tried to warn these people. All thanks for welcoming him in our shores;" he pointed accusingly at Hiccup, "It is only a matter of time before we're doomed. We must kill it before it dooms us all. Just like the others-''

Arvin raised a hand, silencing him.

"Enough! That is not how things are handled," he shot Megadon a murderous glare, "Nothing has happened. Your predictions and nonsense about some...black curse means nothing. I suggest you find something useful to do with your time,"

Megadon gaped wanting to speak. No words could come out.

He was downright speechless.

With nothing left to say, Megadon turned towards the door.

He paused midway, sneering at his cousin.

"Mark my words, cousin. One day Edon will crumble," Megadon looked at the crowd cautiously, "You will all be doomed,"

With a huff, Megadon stormed out of the Great Hall.

Once Megadon left, Hiccup felt even more confused than ever.

Questions seem to pile, swinging back and forth in his mind like a pendulum.

The conversation Arvin had with Megadon hung in his Hiccup's mind for a brief moment.

That proved the two must have had a rough relationship, despite being blood relatives.

Though they had some kind of history, Hiccup was more concerned about the Night Furies' disappearance.

The island of Edon must know something about it.

Two years living in Edon really made Hiccup realise there were more things about this place than meets the eye.

"I have a feeling Night Furies aren't his favourite dragons," Gunnar spoke, snapping Hiccup out of his thoughts, "He only talks about the 'black curse' rubbish just to scare off rubbish,"

Hiccup quirked a brow, "You don't believe your own uncle?"

Gunnar shook his head, chugging down his mead.

"Nope. I have no respect for him. All he does is cause trouble to our village and to my father,"

Hiccup gave a nod. He could understand why Gunnar to feel that way about his own relative.

Sighing, he played with his food, taking just little bites.

Right now, he had completely lost his appetite.

"You don't think he could be responsible for the Night Furies, do you?" he blurted.

The others looked at him dumbfounded.

"We don't know what happened," Ingrid replied, "All we know is that they're gone,"

"I know," Hiccup let out a breath, "But it feels Megadon really has some kind of grudge with a Night Fury,"

Gunnar munched his food, "He has. Like I said, rumour has it those scars were from Night Furies,"

Hiccup furrowed his brows, perplexed, "But Night Furies only attack to defend," he shook his head, "I just don't get it,"

"Neither do we. But let's not worry about that," Runa said, grabbing out her bow, "I'm going to go practice. Anyone coming?"

"Gunnar!" Arvin approached the teens' table, looking serious, "The fishermen just came to the docks. Their boats are damaged from a recent storm. Could you go down there to check on them?"

Gunnar gave a curt nod, "Sure, dad. Just leave it with me,"

The Chief strode past their table, his dark cur cape trailed behind him. He walked to the back of the hall in a table reserved for the Chief and village authorities.

"Well, I'm off," Gunnar groaned, getting up, "A future chief gotta do what a future gotta do. I'll see you guys later,"

The dark haired teen hopped out of his seat and strode out of the hall.

That only left Hiccup with the girls. Though, he didn't exactly felt like being around anyone right now.

"So, Hiccup, Ingrid, you wanna do some training?" Runa asked, placing her bow on the table.

Ingrid gave a nod, "Sure. I'll go grab my gear. I know the perfect place to train,"

Runa turned to Hiccup with a questioning glance.

"Hiccup?"

The auburn haired teen glanced at both girls then let out a breath.

"Actually, I'm going to check on Toothless," he said getting up, "He must be hungry and I kinda lost my appetite,"

The girls exchanged looks. They knew their friend was troubled and wanted to be alone for a while.

The worry in the boy's jade-green eyes proved to be so.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Ingrid asked, concerned.

Hiccup gave a hum of approval, "Yeah. I just want some time to myself, if you don't mind,"

"Fine. Suit yourself," Ingrid shrugged with a slight smile, "We're going to have so much fun without you,"

The auburn haired teen playfully rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure you are," he muttered heading towards the door, "But I'll be fine. See you later then,"

Runa and Ingrid watched the lanky teen leave the hall in a hurry.

It was silence in their table until Runa gave Ingrid a light punch.

"You should tell him," Runa insisted with a raised brow.

Ingrid felt her cheeks rise, "What do you mean?"

Runa rolled her eyes, "I have seen the way you looked at him. You obviously have feelings for him, right?"

Although she admired Hiccup for being brave, kind and intelligent, Ingrid only saw him as an amazing friend she's ever had. Nothing more.

Yet, her heart was completely in denial.

Every time Ingrid watched Hiccup work in the forge, she swore her heart instantly pounded faster than normal.

"No, I don't," Ingrid said, averting her eyes to the ground, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Runa. Besides, I'm not into that sort of thing. I could never be interested in him that way,"

Runa swung her head back, laughing.

"They all say that. You are so in denial," she shook her head dismissively, "Now come on. Let's do some training,"

~

His mind was in a rather foggy state as Hiccup ambled towards his lodge.

After this morning's turn of events, so many thoughts kept racing back and forth inside his head.

He needed to get his mind of them. Perhaps a nice flight would help.

That is what he planned to do this afternoon.

Hiccup sprinted through the village, cautiously stepping over puddles left by last night's storm.

Thankfully it had stopped raining. However, the rain did leave a mess of muddy puddles, which were likely to cause accidents if not careful.

Leaping over mud and fallen fruit crates, Hiccup ran as quickly as his skinny legs could carry him.

Although he's gain some muscles, Hiccup was still quite skinny and frail than most people his age.

Hiccup ran through the forest until he stopped at a clearing with a waterfall.

His home, a cosy lodge made of timber with a traditional architecture roof stood proudly in the centre.

Shrubs and pines surrounded the clearing, creating such breathtaking scenery.

A charcoal black cave stood behind the small lodge.

Inside the cave, the black shape of Toothless was curled against the warmth of the dying fire.

Low snoring emanated through the ebony dragon as he slept soundly.

Hiccup stepped inside the mouth of the cave, watching his friend sleep.

An amused grin formed on his lips.

Battling with his conscience, Hiccup was torn between waking up the sleeping dragon and letting him sleep for several more minutes.

With a sigh, Hiccup strode inside his warm lodge, slipping off his hood.

Although the lodge was smaller than his home on Berk, it really had everything he needed.

A small fireplace stood in centre with flames slowly dying from the night before.

A slice of log circled the hearth with a wooden chair sitting adjacent to it.

By the corner stood his bed, which was edged against window, shedding just enough light.

The dining table stood behind the foyer, close to the food storage.

Occasionally, Hiccup would whip up a meal, which didn't taste half as bad.

Cooking had been one of his specialities, but was something he rarely did back on Berk.

According to his father, it was a skill he frowned upon.

Here on Edon, people weren't so judgemental about his skills.

Hiccup slump on the log, rubbing his hands together against the chill.

He winced, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his arm.

Rolling up his sleeve, Hiccup stared at the deep cut on his arm.

He earned that scar during his shift while he mended a broken axe.

Carelessly, he had knocked several swords, accidently scraping his arm with a blade.

At first, he simply dismissed it as a minor cut.

However, he didn't feel that much pain until now.

Hiccup went over to this bed, grabbing his satchel, which was hanging on one pillar of the bed.

Pulling out a bottle of ointment, he smeared a few drops over his wounded arm then wrapped a tourniquet around it.

He heard a loud thud, followed by the crashing of furniture.

Hiccup looked up to find Toothless had trampled inside the lodge, staining the floorboards with muddy footprints.

When he saw his rider with a bandage tied around his arm, Toothless snarled at his arm.

Obviously, he was worried about his rider.

"No, it's okay, bud," Hiccup assured him, shuffling back, "I'm fine. I just hurt my arm by accident. Don't worry,"

Toothless snarled at the bloody cloth. His irises dilated, softening his features.

To Hiccup's surprise, the Night Fury lunged forward and began licking his human's wound.

The auburn haired teen groaned in disgust.

"Eww, Toothless! You know there's blood on it," he chuckled, amused.

The Night Fury then pinned down his rider and began licking his clothes, slobbering saliva everywhere.

Hiccup was in fistful of laughter as the playful Night Fury continued to lick him. He had to admit, he was a little ticklish.