On the Backs of Beast

Chapter 1

Fire burned hot on and around the houses and buildings. Torches stretched up high with flames that attempted to light up the night sky so the Vikings could see their winged enemies. Tommy watched as people threw weapons at the dragons and as dragons swooped down with pointed claws attempting to snatch whatever they could grab. Tommy wasn't supposed to be outside watching, his father and brother had made it very clear he was to remain inside the house away from danger.

Unfortunately for them, Tommy was never one for following rules and because of the sudden dragon attack they had forgotten to lock the doors. Tonight was the night for him, the night he would finally kill a dragon. He was done being known as the son of the chief, or the little brother of the best dragon killer in the village, or gods-forbid the little brother of the deceased Wilbur. Tommy was going to kill a dragon and make a name for himself, and to do that he needed to kill one of the strongest dragons.

There were tons of strong dragons out there, all tough to kill, but Tommy already knew exactly which dragon he was going to kill. There was one dragon that no person in the village had managed to kill yet, in fact no person had even managed to get a good look at it. The dragon Tommy was going to kill was a night fury, a dragon said to be death itself given form. All he needed was one to show itself so he could take his shot.

It wasn't long before the purple blasts started to fire. Tommy quickly grabbed his bow and arrows, all of which he had made himself in secret since no one really trusted him with weapons, and climbed up the tree he had been hiding behind. He watched the sky intently as he pulled an arrow back, looking for the figure of the dragon in the fire or to see it block out a group of stars. Tommy held his breath, pulled back an arrow, and as he watched the black shape soar across the sky, he fired.

Had he been paying closer attention at the time, maybe he would have seen the white that seemed to peek through the dragon. Instead, Tommy cheered loudly from the tree as he saw the dragon's shape fall down. He had hit it, he had really hit it! He doubted he had killed it, his arrows were just sharp enough to pierce a dragons' scales and send them down, but they weren't enough to kill a dragon. But now that the dragon was down, all Tommy had to do was find it so he could finish the kill!

"I did it! I really, really did it! Did anyone see that?! Prime, I hope someone saw that!" Tommy practically shouted from up in the tree, throwing his hands up. As he did so, he felt himself start to fall back. He reached for the branches above him, but he couldn't get a good grip and he fell, his arrows and bow clattering to the ground with him as they all fell from the tree, hitting a couple branches on the way down. Tommy groaned as he got up from the floor, his body aching harshly. His eyes fluttered open, and in front of him he saw a grapple grounder staring back at him.

Tommy jumped up and started to run as fast as his body could carry him, his quiver, which held only one arrow in it, clattering against his back with every step. He could hear the speedy dragon close behind him, and could practically feel the hot breathe on his back. He could feel and hear himself screaming, though he had no idea when he started. He ran down the hill towards the houses, the grapple grounder hot on his trail. His only savior so far was the fact that grapple grounders preferred to restrict victims instead of shooting, but he didn't know how long it would be before the dragon finally got impatient.

Tommy then tripped over an exposed tree root, and his body flung forward faster than he could react. He felt himself hit something, or rather someone. He felt a hand grab him and pull him behind the person he bumped into, and when he opened his eyes again he saw the familiar pink hair of his older brother. The adrenaline rushing through his veins, along with the still lingering pain from falling from that tree earlier, made it hard for Tommy to tell exactly what was going on but he could tell his brother had scared off the dragon that had chased him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, tight and angry yet protective. Slowly, Tommy looked over his shoulder to see his father with a very angry expression on his face that caused Tommy to gulp. He knew he was in big trouble, even if he had just shot down a night fury. Not that his family would believe him, they would think he was just trying to get out of trouble. He could see other Vikings looking at him, none of them happy. Tommy could even see some of the other teenagers looking at him and he could feel heat rise to his cheeks from embarrassment.

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"What were you thinking Tommy?! You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt!" Philza said to his youngest son, pushing Tommy into the hutt with his oldest behind him. He could see the embarrassment on his cheeks but Phil was too worried about what could have happened to his son if Techno hadn't heard him. Tommy often reminded Phil of Wilbur, always getting himself in danger and trouble, but Philza refused to lose Tommy like he did Wil. If only Tommy wasn't so eager to try and kill a dragon.

"I was fine! The grapple grounder only caught me off guard cause I fell out of a tree!" Tommy snapped back, clearly not thinking before he spoke like he often did. Phil's eyes widened at what his son said, and he heard Techno growl slightly. He looked back at the rest of the village, giving a glare to make it clear that they were all to leave immediately and then slammed the doors shut.

"Why in the Nether were you up in a tree?! Phil and I specifically told you to stay home!" Techno growled, grabbing Tommy's shoulder. Tommy looked at the ground, not wanting to meet his father or brother's eyes. Phil was too worried about Tommy to feel guilty, and even if Techno wasn't the best at showing it, Philza knew he was also concerned about his younger brother. Techno had been very hurt when Wilbur was killed, leaving the family without even a body to bury, and blamed himself for not being able to save his brother.

"But I shot a night fury! I swear I did! I saw it go down, I just gotta find it!" Tommy said, trying to convince his family. Techno huffed and walked away, clearly upset and tired. Philza shook his head, giving Tommy a disappointed look as he walked away. Phil wished Tommy wasn't so insistent, knowing the glory of battle was always short-lived and just wanting his son to live a happy and safe life.

As he sat down at a table in another room, he heard the door open. He looked up to see Schlatt, the village blacksmith and old friend of Phil's, not to mention the man had a child of his own. "Heard about what happened with Tommy. Gotta give it to the kid, he's very persistent. Just like you were when you were his age." Schlatt said, sitting down at the table with Phil. Schlatt had a smile, but Phil could tell he was concerned about the chief and his family.

"Phil, can I give you some advice?" Schlatt said, before speaking again without giving Phil a chance to answer. "You have to put Tommy in training. He's not gonna stop trying to kill a dragon, and one day you and Techno won't be there to protect him. I know you don't want him involved with our war, I didn't wanna involve Tubbo either. But as their parents, we have to prepare them." Schlatt said. Philza didn't want to, but he agreed with Schlatt. He sighed, taking a drink from his mug. One day, he was going to end the war with the dragons for his village and for his sons, and he wasn't going to lose.