HTLANF: Race to the Edge

Chapter 16 ~ Of Mates and Vengeful Ones (Part 3)

The following morning all of us prepared for our trip to Berk. I secured Astrid's belongings to Kala's saddle with reluctance as we were getting ready.

"Can't believe we have to willingly talk to the psycho..maybe we should've burned all of this.." I muttered in agitation.

"Maybe, but if we show her kindness she might stop all of this. Though, I have a feeling that she won't." Kala crooned out, her ear plates folding back a bit at the end.

I smiled a bit and scratched her head. "Guess we'll just wait and see huh?"

She nodded slightly as she leaned into my touch, purrs forming in her throat as I scratched. It was nice to be able to understand what she was saying in her dragon form now, the only downside is that it's going to be hard to not respond properly to her since the others have no clue we're mated now, but maybe it'll go unnoticed since I respond to her draconic speech all the time. The fact that our friends haven't put it together yet is rather surprising, honestly. My eyes went back to normal after everything and yet no one has taken notice of the change. Not even Fishlegs or Heather, who are the more intelligent ones of our friends.

"C'mon lovebirds!! We're waiting on you!!" We heard Snotlout shout from Hookfang's back.

The both of us stifled laughs as I mounted Kala's back. "Alright, alright! Let's get going!" I yelled back as I adjusted Kala's tailfin and all of us took to the air.

~~~HTLANF~~~

The closer all of us got to Berk, the more on edge we got. Not only has it been months since we last set foot in Berk, but now we're dealing with bounties on Kala and I's heads and Astrid out to get us for the transformation.

I have a feeling that this trip is gonna go downhill real quick.

As we landed on the island, Stoick was there to greet us like we suspected. He had a soft smile on his face and sympathy in his eyes.

"How have things been in the Great Beyond for you all?" He asked as we all dismounted.

"It's been great, but stressful for sure." I replied as I started to remove Astrid's things from my mate's back, Heather coming to help out with it all.

"I can imagine." Stoick chuckled. "You all still willing to give a show for the village tonight?"

We all looked at one another in thought. With everything that has been going on, we had forgotten that Stoick had asked us to perform as part of the celebration.

"Um. I guess we could. We haven't really had time to come up with anything though. So it'll just be off the top of our heads." I decided after we all finished our silent conversation, looking back towards the chief as I spoke.

"Excellent." Stoick smiled as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "If you need anything just give a holler." And with that he went on his way.

I sighed as I set down the items in my arms.

"You're not gonna tell him about the bounties?" Ruffnut asked as the others approached Kala and I.

"No point in doing it right now." Kala said once she was in human form. "It would dampen the happy mood that's radiating throughout the entire village."

"She's right. We'll keep it to ourselves for now and wait for the right time." I agreed, not wanting to ruin the celebration for anyone.

"Let's just enjoy our time here, alright?" Kala asked, earning nods from the others.

"Alright, you heard the woman." Tuffnut joked.

"The party is on!" Ruffnut added just as jokingly as she and Tuffnut rushed off, Snotlout right behind them with a smirk on his lips.

Kala and I looked at Fishlegs and Heather with a silent question.

"We're gonna help you with all of Astrid's things, if that's okay?" Fishlegs asked.

We smiled softly and nodded in sync.

"Of course you guys can. Honestly, it would be nice to have people there to stop me from ripping her to shreds." I admitted, laughing nervously as we all gathered Astrid's belongings.

~~~HTLANF~~~

I knocked on the door to the Hoffersons' hut nervously when we arrived. I backed away as the door opened to reveal a smiling Mrs. Hofferson.

"Well isn't this a surprise? What brings the four of you here?" She asked as she looked at all four of us.

Hiccup cleared his throat as he made his way to the front of our little group. "We just came to drop off Astrid's things. She left them on Dragon's Edge and we just haven't had time to bring them back for her."

"That's sweet of you Hiccup. Come on in." Mrs. Hofferson said as she made her way back inside.

We all filed in after her and set everything in our arms down by the stairs. I looked around the hut from the place I stood as Hiccup intertwined our hands. There were a lot of weapons displayed in the hut.

"Astrid's not here at the moment, but you can stay and wait for her if you would like." Mrs. Hofferson offered.

The four of us shared glances.

"Um. That's probably not the best idea right now, but thank you for the offer." I said nervously.
"Are you sure? I'm sure she would love to see you all again after so long."

"We're sure ma'am." Heather interjected. "It's still tense between all of us after what happened."

"I understand. It was nice seeing you all again. Thank you for dropping off her things." Mrs. Hofferson thanked.

We all nodded and left the hut, all of us not feeling comfortable in the slightest about the situation.

"On the bright side, she wasn't there. So no conflicts so far." Fishlegs chided, trying to lighten up the mood.

Hiccup and I looked at one another then back at Fishlegs with small smiles.

"Fair point. You guys can go do whatever. Kala and I can handle ourselves." Hiccup said, ushering Fishlegs and Heather to go have fun.

"You sure? What if bounty hunters come after you guys?" Heather asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine Heather. Go on." I encouraged.

They looked at one another and sighed.

"Alright, fine. Just be careful okay?" She asked and Hiccup and I nodded.

With that they went off to go enjoy the celebration.

My hold on Hiccup's hand tightened slightly as we went around the village. He looked at me with concern and I smiled softly.

"Just nervous being back here is all." I reassured.

He smiled and kissed my hand. "I get it. I am too. But we got this. Just today and we'll go home in the morning, alright?"

I nodded. "Alright."

~~~HTLANF~~~