Returning Home (Hiccstrid vs Merricup) ****COMPLETE****

Gift of a Friend

Thank you @SagaRed035 for the idea behind the next couple chapters. 
I hope you enjoy it.

Jack's POV

There's something about Astrid that makes me want to get to know her. I don't tell the others this 'cause I know how they would react. After I leave Hiccup's room, I say goodnight to the gang and head back to my room. I lay awake for a while thinking about Astrid. 

It's almost like she's two different people. The girl who ran into me in the hall and the one who yelled at Hiccup in the dining room. I found it intriguing. There's something different about her that isn't there in the other girls. I can't quite place it. After a while, I am finally able to fall asleep. 

When I wake up to a loud screeching. I cover my ears but it won't go away. I look up and see a green Terrible Terror sitting on the head of the bed. I shoo it way. I hear someone poke their head into the room 

"Jack we are going to have breakfast soon," Elsa says.

"Thanks. Is it going to be in the same room as last night?" She nods and leaves. I was going to head down but decide to look for Astrid. I see a woman walking towards me. I think her name was Valka.

"Uh... excuse me. Do you know where Astrid is?" She gives me a strange look. 

"Look if you are going to talk to her about what happened last night just leave it."

I shake my head "No I don't want to talk to her about that. She probably thinks that I'm not her biggest fan but there's something different about her. I just want to get to know her more."

Valka gives me a skeptical look but gives in. "She's in the hatchery. I can show you."

Once we get there she says to be careful the mother dragons aren't used to having new people around. I walk inside and see all different kinds of dragons. A few baby dragons run up to me and rub themselves against my legs. I bend down to pet them. I see a Deadly Nadder and a dragon that looks like a white version of Toothless. They see me and slowly walk over. They sniff me for a little bit and then start nudging me.  Suddenly something attacks me. I can't get it off my face. 

I hear someone shouting but can't hear who it is. Then the dragon is prayed off my face and I'm face to face with an angry blonde. I'm not surprised at this but at the dragon, she's holding. It's a baby Night Fury?

"What are you doing here?" Astrid asks as she bends down and lets the dragon go. 

"I was looking for you." She was about to say something back but stops when she sees her dragons nudging me. Her eyes soften a little.

"Why?"

"I just want to talk. Not about last night just in general. I want to get to know you." I say and visibly cringe at the last part. Astrid laughs a little. 

"It looks like my dragons like you so I guess that's fine." This is why I thought she was different I realize. She trusts her dragons with her life. She's willing to talk to me all because of her dragons. "I need to fly them anyway. So you want to race?"

"You're on."

"Ok then the first one out wins"

"I thought we weren't allowed to fly in here." 

"Do I look like someone who follows rules? I thought you were all about breaking them?"

She gives me a challenging smirk "Oh you got that right."

She counts down and starts running towards a cliff and jumps. I am stunned. What just happened? I look for her. Then I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"You know I'm not one to cheat but if you just going stay there I might as well just get going."