"I Do.... NOT!!"

Chapter 14: Truth

                                ....Astrid's POV.....

      "Hey little guys... uh... sorry can't play..." I whispered. The small moment of wakefulness I had was overcome with the exhaustion it took to move my hand and touch a tiny snout gnawing on my finger. I heard faint growls and tiny scampering claws as toothless shooed the babies away. I opened my eyes to see blurry, dim light. Everything sounded far away and under water. The faint shape of toothless filled my vision, and I felt him nudging and sniffing me. "No... just leme'sleep..." I mumbled. He sat me up and made me drink some strange tasting stuff. I could only take a few swallows before I turned my face away. I wanted nothing to do with food or water. I just wanted to stop existing.

A few more swallows were shoved down my throat as I dozed off again, feeling terribly sick.

----- Hiccup's POV -----

I watched Astrids face carefully, thinking hard. She was still so cold. She couldn't last long like this. A crazy idea began forming, so I offered to watch the dragonets while my pod went fishing. When they left I built the fire up high. Then I carefully brought Astrid very close to it and tried touching her finger to the flames. I heard a legend among dragons of a strange, elusive race that had insane healing abilities. Apparently they were also fireproof... completely. Most dragons had high tolerance to fire, I had never stood in fire for longer than a half hour, but I did know that while most dragons would grow uncomfortable at that point, I felt just the opposite- warm, full of energy, and a desire to stay in the fire longer. If the race they told stories of had anything to do with night furies.. maybe I was fireproof. If Astrid had insane abilities, maybe she was fireproof. Maybe she had something to do with the legends mother dragons told their babies at night. I held her finger there for a short time and then carefully examined it.

It looked just fine! In fact, I noticed her slowly reaching her finger back into the fire, as if she wanted to touch it longer. I knew her dress was going to burn up if I put her in the fire as she was, so I went to work licking her dress to fireproof it. I'd noticed my slobber had lots of interesting qualities over the years... including fireproofing things. A few minutes later she was curled up on the fire sleep, she looked far more relaxed and finally at peace. Hoomans are fireproof? The stories mommy telled us are right here!! The dragonets squealed, racing circles around me. I guess those aren't just legends after all I rumbled in quiet amazement. Astrid seemed to take on a strange glow as she slept, as if the fire was living inside her. I continued feeding the fire and watching my friend carefully periodically I pulled her from the fire and fireproofed her dress again.

My podmates soon returned with a meager catch, and a few of the things Windshear and Astrid would need. That is the strangest thing I've ever seen... fireproof humans are just myths! Spiketail said, incredulous. Then I guess she is our myth. Her name is Astrid. She busted everyone out of the arena with my help. I told Spiketail. I said all humans were evil... but maybe I was wrong. Spiketail said quietly. I couldn't imagine losing another one of our dragonets. A yelp of pain came from the back of our cave, and I turned to see little spike trying to stand on his mangled leg. Hold on little one. I'll come to you spiketail growled, he went to comfort his dragonet and I turned back to Astrid. She had begin to stir and now sat up. When she realized she was in the fire she jumped up and yelped in surprise. "What? How am I not... burning?" She asked, very confused. I gave her an apologetic grin and began scratching an explanation in the dirt. "I understood everything you said," Astrid gasped. "I guess this means you don't have to write me messages anymore," she said. I straightened quickly and bounced around her in excitement.