Howling Echoes - The Echoes, Book 1 - Rewritten

Chapter 1: Captured

   The world around Kiara was cold, hard stone.  The world above was trapped away by metal bars crisscrossing, only letting light come through small squares left in the gaps.  In front of her, there were people.

   They looked quite stupid.

   They were in a tower, a round blond-haired man and a black-haired man with blue eyes on the bottoms, two twins who looked and smelled like they hadn't cleaned in years in the middle, and two skinny girls (one with blond hair and blue eyes and one with black hair and green eyes) on the top.

   And at the bottom there was a skinny male with brown hair, watching them.

   "You take the one on the left, I'll take the one on the right."  Said one of the girls.  Kiara rolled her eyes.  That was the best they had, after an hour?  She'd assumed they hadn't seen her because they were too deep in thought, but apparently not, they were blind.

   "Wait wait wait,"  The skinny guy spoke up.  "If we blast our way out of here, they're never gonna trust us."  His metal leg squeaked as he moved, something strange in comparison to the wooden peg legs Kiara had seen on most one-legged people.

   "We're locked in a cage."  The black-haired man volunteered.

   "Very insightful."  The male twin said.

   "It's all just a misunderstanding."  The boy said.

   "A misunderstanding I'd rather clear up from the backs of our dragons."  The blonde said.

   "No, Astrid.  We have to earn their trust."  The boy said.

   "By standing trial?"  Astrid said, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

   "For being Dragon Hunters, why not?  We're innocent, aren't we?"  The boy asked.

   "Perhaps the truth will set us free."  The round guy said as the girls - then the twins - hopped to the ground.

   Kiara couldn't hold it in anymore.  She started laughing a dry, choked laugh, amused.  "Wow,"  She chuckled, wiping away tears as everyone spun toward the shadows she was hidden in.  "You really don't have any idea how these trials go, do you?"

   "Ahh!  It's a ghost, here to haunt us for all of eternity!"  The boy twin said just before the other twin punched him in the face.

   "No, you muttonhead!  It's a person!"  The black-haired guy spat.  "I get to keep her!"  He added instantly.

   "Oh no, you do not!"  Kiara sprang to her feet and kicked his leg out from under him.  Keeping me you are not!  

   "Snotlout, you muttonhead, that's a person!"  Astrid snapped.

   "Uh, yeah, I know that."  Snotlout said.  "Geeze, Astrid, don't need to me so huffy."  He mumbled under his breath as he got up, resulting in Astrid promptly punching him to the ground again.

   The stick boy stepped forward, his hair short and chocolate and his eyes gentle and olive green.  "Hey, I'm Hiccup.  Who are you?"

   "Kiara,"  Kiara said, taking a hesitant step back.  

   Hiccup nodded.  "That's Heather, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut."  He said, gesturing to each of them as he spoke.

   "You're in here for being Dragon Hunters?"  Kiara guessed.

   "Yes, Captain Obvioo - OW!"  Snotlout started but cut off in a shout of pain when Astrid lightly hit him.

   "What are you in here for?"  Heather asked, her jet-black hair flipping as she turned her head.

   Kiara shrugged.  "Same thing."

   "Are you?"  Astrid asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

   "No,"  Kiara said.  "Apparently anyone riding a dragon gets tossed down here."

   "You ride a dragon?"  Fishlegs asked, his eyes wide.  

   "We didn't know there were other dragon riders outside the archipelago."  Hiccup mused.

   Kiara shrugged.  "Life surprises you.  It's a small world."  

   "What dragon do you ride?"  Fishlegs asked.

   "I don't know the Dragon Hunter name for it or your name for it, but I call it a Frostbringer.  Her name is Frostflake."  Kiara said.

   "Ooo, what does it look like?"  Fishlegs squeaked.

   "Well, she looks kind of like a Light Fury, but she's blue -"  Kiara started.

   "A Light Fury?"  Hiccup said.

   "Yeah, it's like a Night Fury but white and with other abilities, anyway -"  Kiara said.

   "Another Night Fury?"  Hiccup's gaze was shining.

   "Nnnnno.  That's not what I said."  Kiara said.  "It's a subspecies."

   "Can you bring us to one?"  Hiccup asked.  "We've been searching for anything like Toothless for so long!"

   "Toothless...a Night Fury?"  Kiara asked.

   Hiccup nodded.

   They do still exist.  Well, how can I pass up the chance to revive at least some of the Night Fury genes?  Kiara thought.  "If you brought me with you - assuming your gaining of trust thing actually works - then yes."

   Astrid looked like she was about to say something, but Hiccup jumped in too quickly.  "Yes.  We'll say you're with us - like a -"

   "A scout."  Kiara offered.

   "Yeah, a scout!"  Hiccup said.  He looked too excited to bother listening to Astrid, who was looking very suspicious of Kiara. 

   Who wouldn't be?  Kiara thought, feeling excitement bubble in her own chest.  A Night Fury - I hope the Light Furies haven't been discovered yet.  

   "I hope we can gain their trust,"  Astrid said, her voice tinged with suspicion.

   "We will."  Hiccup said confidently.  "And we'll find the Light Furies."

   "We have a sort of war thing going on with Viggo though, are we just gonna drop that or..?"  The second twin said, apparently a girl.

   Hiccup sighed, deflating a little.  "We'll defeat Viggo."  He said, still confident.  "And then we'll find the Light Furies."

   Hi!  So, if you've read Howling Echoes (the original version) you probably noticed a LOT of changes.

   First of all, the Light Furies.  That is the biggest one.  Second of all, the fact that Astrid actually has suspicion.  That's just me fixing character that I didn't put in.