Hiccup's POV

I jolted awake as I coughed water out. Hunching over to catch my breath I noticed that I was laying on a beach. Suddenly a hand touched my shoulder and I acted on reflex, taking the thin dagger from my sleeve and holding it up to the person's neck.

"Whoa, hey easy!!" The figure said while backing off a bit. "I just wanted to see if you were alright?"

"Eret?" I question as I try to make out the features in the moonlight. That voice certainly sounded familiar.

"What are you doing here?" I question.

"I dragged you from the water." Was all that Eret said.

"Why help me?" I ask.

"Why did you take that second bullet for me?" Eret questioned back and then I remembered what happened on the cliff. Two shots fired, and me pushing Eret back over the cliff as one hit me while the other grazed passed.

I shrugged and checked where I was hit. "By my people's code of honor I now owe you a life debt." Eret explained.

I suddenly feel something and then take out the necklace Mai and Ami had given me. The bullet had embedded itself in the crystal. If I didn't have this on that bullet would have hit me in the heart.

"Remind me to thank those two." I mumble and look at Eret again. My vision had adjusted to the dark and I could see him sitting there looking uncomfortable. Then I remembered that he got shot in the shoulder. Swimming with that injury as well as an extra person would have been extremely painful.

"Let me see that shoulder of yours." I tell him as I take out a miniature first aid kit, the size of a mint tin.

"Just what do you keep in that coat of yours?" Eret questioned while baring his shoulder.

"A lot." I say while checking his shoulder. The bullet was still in there and I decided to keep him talking as a distraction while I took it out. "So tell me about your people?" I asked.

Eret hissed a little but started talking. "There isn't really much to tell. They don't exist anymore." Eret said sadly.

"Sorry." I tell him but he simply shakes his head. "We were a nomadic tribe, but one day when I was eleven, we were attacked by bandits. They were slaughtering everybody they found. My father told me to escape into the forest and hide."

I finally managed to get the bullet out which caused Eret to clutch his shoulder in pain.

"Don't give me that look." I tell him. "I'm a mercenary not a doctor."

"So how did you wind up with Drago?" I asked as I disinfected and bandaged the wound.

Eret gave a shrug or at least tried to. "I traveled to the forest after the attack for days until I came to a hunter's campsite. Drago was one of the men there and he decided to take me in."

"So you felt like you owed Drago." I mumble.

"Well I was an eleven year old kid covered in mud and bruises. Him taking me in was a godsend." Eret defended.

I hum a bit skeptical and Eret turned to me. "What?" He asked.

"I was just wondering what Drago was doing in the area mere days after your tribe was attacked." I said while putting away the medical supplies and handing Eret a packet of painkillers.

"You aren't implying that he had something to do with that, are you?" Eret questioned.

"Who knows. You'll have to ask him when you see him." I say while beginning to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Eret asked running after me.

"Let's see. Free the dragons, rescue my friends, and beat the crap out of Drago." I tell him as I keep walking. It looks like a long trek up the side of the cliff. "Why are you following me?"

"I told you before. I owe you a life debt. If you hadn't pushed me back that bullet would have hit its mark." Eret stated while walking behind me.

"You just saved my life. I think that's debt repaid." I tell him.

"That's not how the whole life debt thing worked for my tribe." Eret muttered. "It's actually for life."

I stop and stare back at Eret. "Please don't tell me I'm stuck with you forever."

Eret nervously rubs the back of his head while I let out a groan. I just decided to keep on walking.

"Don't you also owe Drago a life debt?" I questioned as we had been walking for almost an hour.

"I knew how to survive in the woods, so while I was thankful for him for taking me in, he didn't actually save my life. I just mostly helped him out of gratitude." Eret explained. "You however pushed me out of the way of a bullet that would have struck my heart."

"And now I'm stuck with you?" I ask.

"Pretty much." Eret answered.

I let out a sigh. "If you're planning to tag along just know that I won't stop the others, especially Astrid, from hitting you for what you did." I tell him.

"I kind of expected that." Eret tells me as we finally reach the cliff top. "I do owe Astrid a big apology."

We trudged through the woods until we came upon the dragons who were still bound. They were happy to see me as I cut them out of the nets, but they gave menacing growls to Eret who hesitantly inched closer.

"No barbecuing him guys." I tell the dragons. "He hasn't been a threat so far."

The dragons continued giving Eret suspicious looks but they backed off on the growling.

We entered the grotto and I picked up my gun off the ground and then proceeded to cut Furious free.

"I thought you were dead human." Furious said as he rose up to stretch his wings. He then spotted Eret behind me who was gaping at the talking dragon.

Furious pounced on Eret. "Why is he here?"

"Apparently he now owes me a life debt." I tell the dragon who isn't letting Eret up.

"I see, so you're stuck with this one. Poor you." Furious said to me while giving his version of a laugh. He then inched his head closer to Eret who was squirming. "Know this human. The only reason I'm not turning you into a pile of ashes is because your life now belongs to another."

I saw Furious let Eret up while I was trying to activate the tracker. The dragon then turned to me. "Just what are you doing?"

"I'm going to show those guys just who they are messing with." I tell Furious as the tracker pinged, showing a dot heading for the isle of Tomorrow.