Dragon Rider (httyd)

1

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"LEAVING! We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever." I said, placing the basket on the ground. I heard a sharp sound from above me and looked up. "Ah, man... Aggh! What the-- What are you doing here?"

Astrid jumped off the rock and walked angrily to me. "I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you. Start talking! Are you training with someone?" She put her ax to my throat.

"Uh... training?"

"It better not involve this!" She grabbed my collar.

"I know this looks really bad, but you see...this is, uh... You're right! You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits. So, you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go." I put her hand on my chest and tried to get her to come with me. She bent my arm back and knocked me to the ground. "OW! Why would you DO that?!"

"That's for the lies." She dropped the ax handle on my stomach. "And that's for everything else." I groaned and stood up.

Toothless started coming out from behind a rock and was growling.

"Get down! RUN! RUN!" Astrid tackled me to the ground. I threw her ax away from up.

"NO! No. It's okay! It's okay... she's a friend. It's okay. You just scared him." I pressed my body against Toothless's head.

"I scared him?! Who is "him"?" She asked incredulously.

"Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid." I introduced them. Toothless snarled. Astrid turned and started to run away. "Da, da-da! We're dead!"

Toothless started to walk away. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?!"

I caught up to Toothless and jumped on. We followed Astrid through the trees until she jumped up on a log. While she was in mid air, Toothless swooped down and grabbed her.

"AH! Oh, Great Odin's ghost! Oh, this is it!" Astrid screamed all the way to the top of the tree where Toothless dropped her on a branch then landed on the top of the tree, bending down so Astrid was dangling over the lake. "Hiccup, get me down from here!" She yelled angrily.

"You have to give me a chance to explain." I said.

"I am not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!"

"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you. Please, Astrid." I extended my hand. She looked down then back up at me. She frowned then started to climb up. She slapped my hand away then climbed onto Toothless's back.

"Now, get me down." She said.

"Toothless, down. Gently. See? Nothing to be afraid of." I said. Toothless slowly lifted off the branch. Then we shot into the air. Astrid started slipping off the back. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I put my hand on hers to pull her up.

Toothless spun and swooped and splashed into and out of the ocean at an extreme speed.

"WHOA!! TOOTHLESS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! BAD DRAGON! He's not usually like this. Oh, no...Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us. And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

Astrid wrapped her arms around my torso. "Okay! I am sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!"

Toothless extended his wings and we popped up, now gliding above the clouds. The sky was perfectly clear and brightly coloured.

"Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing. He's amazing." After a couple moments of silence, Astrid spoke again. So what now? Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to kill a..." she paused then whispered in my ear. "kill a dragon."

"Don't remind me." I said. Toothless suddenly swerves to the side. "Toothless, what's happening? Whoa, what is it?"

The fog cleared just enough to now see that we were surrounded by wild dragons that were carrying fresh kill. "Get down!" I said. We flattened ourselves to Toothless's back.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know. Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud." Toothless ignored me and continued to flick his head back and forth anxiously. "It looks like they're hauling in their kill."

"Uh, what does that make us?" Astrid said.

We flew over a massive island that was crawling with dragons. "What my dad wouldn't give to find this." I whispered.

We followed the dragons into the mountain. The dragons in front of us dropped their kill into the centre of the mountain. "It's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole." I whispered sarcastically.

"They're not eating any of it." Astrid said. A Gronckle stopped above the pit and dropped a small, single fish from its mouth. There was a low growl from deep in the pit. We watched in horror as the most ginormous creature either of us had ever seen shot out of the smoky hole and ate the Gronckle whole.

"Alright, buddy, we gotta get out of here. Now!" Toothless jumped out from behind the column we were hiding behind. We followed the flock of dragons. The massive dragon almost got us, but got a Zippleback instead.

We flew as quickly back to Berk and landed in the cove.

Astrid jumped off of Toothless and stumbled away. "No, it totally makes sense. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them. Let's find your Dad." She spoke excitedly.

"No, no! Not yet. They'll... kill Toothless. Astrid, we have to think this through carefully." I said and stopped her.

"Hiccup, we just discovered the Dragons' Nest. The thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret?! To protect your pet dragon?! Are you serious?!" Astrid said incredulously.

"Yes." I said simply. Astrid's face softened.

"Okay. Then what do we do?"

I thought for a moment. "Nothing."

"What?" She said.

"We do nothing. No matter what happens, it won't be good." Astrid looked always then back at me. "If we tell dad, he kills Toothless. If we don't, we still have to kill and fight dragons." I said.

"Okay. Then what?" She said.

"I was going to leave before you found me." I said. "I'm still going to. And I won't come back."

"Hiccup.." she said.

"You can tell them whatever you want."

"Hiccup, come on."

"No, Astrid." I said. "I can't stay. I've never fit here. Most people don't even like me. No one's going to miss me. And Toothless needs me. There only so long before he gets found. I mean, you did."

Astrid didn't say anything. She was staring at the ground.

"I've already got my stuff here." She suddenly punched my shoulder. "Ow! Why would you do that?" I exclaimed.

"That's for kidnapping me." I shrugged lightly, internationally agreeing. Then she pulled me in by my collar and kissed me quickly on the lips. "And that's for everything else."

I was frozen in shock with my mouth slightly open.

"Be safe, Hiccup." She said before grabbing her ax and running back towards the village.

Toothless came over and warbled over my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." I said. I picked up the bag I'd dropped earlier, hopped on Toothless, and we were in the sky.

We flew over Berk for the last time. I stared sadly at mine and my dad's house. He would miss me, but he would get over it. I took one last look over the village then we flew into the night.