Hiccup felt himself transforming. It felt like an electric shock, flying through his body. He gasped. But it came out sounding unusual. He opened his eyes, and looked down. But he did not see his foot and prosthetic. He saw two black paws. He began to spin in circles, and saw a tail! He stopped. It hit him. He had done it! Toothless, who had been sleeping at the edge of the ledge, padded up.

"You are lucky, you've got a real tail." He commented, and padded back to his corner, singularly uninterested.

If dragons could blush, Hiccup would have done.

"Very good, little one. Very good. It will become quicker and easier as you do it more. Simply perform the same process again to change back, thinking of a human instead of a dragon." The Bewilderbeast praised. "But do not show the others your transformation yet. They must not know. Go now, little one, in good health and may your journey be free of hardship."

"Thank you, Icemaster. May you live long and well." Hiccup said. Then he tried the transformation again. It was noticeably quicker and easier. He bowed, and left, calling Toothless. Toothless yawned, and followed.

------🦅------

The journey to Berk was uneventful, and Hiccup and Astrid talked to pass the time.

"Hiccup?" Astrid started.

"Yes, Astrid?" Hiccup replied, a little warily. He had hardly talked to Astrid since he had revealed himself.

"How did you befriend Toothless?" She asked.

"Well, it's a long story. But you remember the night of the raid when I said I had shot down a Night Fury?"

"Yes."

"I wasn't lying. I found him the next day. He had lost half his tailfin. He got stuck in a cove. And I earned his trust."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Hiccup. I'm sorry. I should have treated you better."

"That's okay."

Most of the rest of the flight was silent.

------🦅------

The rest of the flight took an hour. By the time they arrived back, they were all tired and a little irritable. Tuffnut had picked up a chicken on an island they had stopped at for water, and he was babbling about her incessantly.

"And then Chicken..." he carried on.

"Look! Berk is in sight!" He was interrupted by Gobber. Hiccup felt a twinge of nervousness. He hadn't been to Berk for a long time. He couldn't just walk in like nothing had happened. Then he saw, up on the catapult towers, his bola-firing cannons!

"Are those my-" He asked Gobber.

"Aye, laddie. Those are your inventions. We looked at all your designs after you had di- sorry. Gone." Gobber replied with a wink.

"What made you think I had died?"

"The blood, the dagger and the scorches. We-"

"The blood was from Toothless's fish he ate. The dagger I dropped in there ages ago to earn his trust. And the scorches were when he was stuck in there, trying to get out." Hiccup interrupted.

"Aye, that would explain it. Glad you're not dead, Laddie."

They swooped in to land. But what they saw was unusual. The defences were up, there were villagers scurrying around everywhere, and there were carts of weapons everywhere.

"What is going on here?" Stoick muttered.

"Chief! You're back! Thank Odin. There have been sightings of Drago's armada not far from here, and heading this way!" The acting chief had rushed to meet them. "We are preparing for war!"

Hiccup gasped.

"I'll get the dragons! I'll be back within 6 hours." He leapt on to Toothless and they were off.

"I'll help." Valka vaulted on to Cloudjumper and they were off too.

"If Drago's bringing his armada here... Gods help us all." Stoick muttered, and was off making preparations.

------🦅------

A day later, the preparations were made. Berk was ready as it would ever be. Hiccup, Valka and the dragons had returned soon after Midnight, and the dragons had taken up their respective positions. The Changewings were in the middle of the village, a backup force in case all else failed.

The Monstrous Nightmares were at the base of the island, waiting under the cliffs to ambush the enemy. The Gronckles were hovering very high, some waiting to squash the enemy, others to do the Gale-Force Gronckle manoeuvre.

The rest of the dragons were in formation hovering just above Berk, Hiccup and Toothless at their head, and the Dragon Riders just behind him.

Hiccup took a deep breath. And then, he saw it. Sailing and flying towards him, thousands strong-

Drago's Armada.

It had begun.

I know it's short but I've fleshed it out with the mid flight bit and I wanted suspense! Okay, the book is nearing the end, and I warn you, I can be kinda evil, so don't count on happy endings... I might release the other one in a little while, maybe today. We'll see, it's already half done. 

Don't forget to vote, it helps out!

🦅—Aquila