The Impossible Boy (HTTYD)

Chapter 8

Aurora:

I yelped in surprise when the dragon began to plummet. Its pitch black, scaly wings pinned themselves to its body and we fell. I screamed and gripped its ears, as if I wasn't already, and held on. My helmet slowly began to fall off my head and I held it down.

"Pull up!" I yelled. As it ignored my pleading, I shut my eyes. If this was it, I'd rather not watch. But the ground never came. As I slowly opened my crinkled eyes, I noticed we were hovering just over a bit of rock on an island. The night fury quickly closed its wings again, and we fell to the floor elegantly. Well, him elegantly, me still struggling to not throw up.

Anyway, I'm Aurora. I'm fifteen. My father is an Outcast dragon hunter. My mother... not so much. I don't remember much about her, only that she pleaded for their safety and was utterly ignored. She was cast out from the Outcasts. Ironic, isn't it? Though I didn't necessarily agree with my mother, I didn't agree with my father, either. I've never really had a reason to hate dragons, nor like them. Until I met this dragon, whose name I haven't yet discovered.

I've seen it and its rider train together, though only briefly. Through the bars of the arena, I saw them work in tandem, only to be stopped short by a very angry father. Apparently, he did not like my observations. I remember the harsh scolding I received and a vague threat of punishment if I was ever caught near the arena again. Something to do with "safety", I dunno.

To be honest, I felt pity for the pair. I don't know dragons to be the awful creatures as they are described. This dragon is a majestic creature, certainly not deserving of Alvin's cruel treatment. So, I decided to save it - assuming I wasn't eaten in the process. Much to my surprise, I wasn't. I figured it could prove its innocence by not eating me. Solid plan, I know.

And so, I ended up here. On the back of a dragon: riding it. Maybe Alvin should've gone after me instead of the dragon boy.

The dragon lurched to a stop. I quickly dismounted. Imagine the embarrassment if I actually threw up while still on the dragon... Gagging succeeded my fleeing boots, away from the dragon and behind a boulder. I didn't need it watching me. "Ugh," I muttered, wiping my mouth. I rummaged through my satchel in search of water and guzzled the whole bottle in a matter of moments.

I returned to our landing site with a hint, really a boatload, of embarrassment. I looked at the dragon. Was it... laughing? And smiling? It had retracted its teeth and now presented me with a very gummy smile and a gagging sound that resembled a laugh. Much to its delight, I scowled, "Shut up." It's laughing increased. Dumb dragon. I kicked a rock, and it echoed across the island.

I sat against the rock in a tired state of defeat. Our travels of the day began to wear me down. We must've been flying for a very long time - I have a very high endurance, mainly built from running from the arena. I loved to try and see the dragon and its rider in action, but was always interrupted too early. My head weighed heavily in my hands.

The dragon began to purr. "I've never heard a dragon purr before... who knew." It yawned and padded over next to me and lied down. It's tail curled protectively around my waist and it's head lay in my lap which would probably be numb in only a few minutes from the head's sheer weight. I began to nod off as the sun set, cuddling with a dragon. Before my eyes fully closed, its jet black wings enveloped us, closing us off from the blinding lights.