The trader and the rider

Chapter 4

I woke up early that morning. Someone was knocking on my door pretty strongly, and with a yawn, I woke up and went to see who it was. Heather.

-Whatever you are selling, I don't want it.

-Very funny. A terrible terror has just arrived, a dragon hunter's boat is going to sail at night and they will be carrying a dragon's egg. Hiccup wants to talk about the operation.

-Okay, let's go.

I whistled at Boreas and jumped off the cliff. The dragon caught me mid-fall and we flew quickly to the clubhouse, followed by Heather and her dragon. Everyone was already there, looking at a map on the middle of the table. The dragons were playing outside, and I left Boreas with them.

-What did I miss? -I asked the group.

Hiccup explained the situation quickly. They didn't know what egg they were transporting, but with the information on the letter and the knowledge they got by watching the ships' schedules, we were able to find where they would be more vulnerable and when they'd get there. It was a night mission, which I was at least familiar with. And hey, sinking boats was my thing.

-Egg on a boat huh? I think I know how that story goes.

Instead of hearing a chuckle or seeing a smile, the riders just looked worried at me.

-I'm kidding, jeez. Humour is my coping mechanism.

-A-anyway, we could use your help in this mission. There might be more boats than just that one, so we could use backup.

-Got it.

-Alright then, we'll spend the day getting ready for tonight. We need to save that egg.
Once the leader dismissed us, I kinda just stood around, not knowing where to go. Everyone seemed to know what to do or practice, but I felt a bit lost. Thankfully, Heather came to my aid.

-Come on, we can practice some combat, you might need it tonight.

-One might think having a dragon is enough, but nooo, let's make ourselves the deadly machine of war.

-Well said.

We flew to the arena, thankfully alone. I didn't feel like failing in front of others.

-So, I know you fight with daggers, but you should try another hand to hand combat. Astrid did mention a bow and arrow, but that would be too hard to learn ina day how to aim on your dragon while flying, and we need something for tonight.

-True.

-So, what do you think you might be more comfortable using?

-Well, to be honest nothing with blades. I don't feel too good with them around unless they are tiny like the daggers'. And nothing too heavy, so no maces.

-What about a duelling staff?

-Huh. Never thought about it, but I guess it could work. It's light, I can carry it around easily, and no blades attached. Let's give it a try.

She threw one of the staffs at me, and I held it carefully. It was pretty light, enough to move with just one hand, but it seemed resistant and hard enough to not break. I moved it around, practising hits and how it feels to use the weapon. It honestly felt natural to me, like an extension of my arm.
Heather helped me practice and taught me some combat techniques, as well as Astrid in the afternoon. I seemed to be a fast learner, as I quickly got close to overpowering Heather in a training session.
After the training, I went with Boreas' to the clubhouse to rest for a bit, and I found Hiccup looking at the dragon eye papers.

-What are you up to?

-Oh, just going through the information we have on the dragon eye. Actually, if you don't mind, could you help me for a bit?