Sigrid The Relentless - How to Train your Dragon

22. Bonding with Sparkshot

After gathering up the courage, Fishlegs revealed that Sparkshot was - in fact - male. A discovery he was just a little shocked for, literally. This confirmation didn't really mean much, except the fact they'd have to be attentive during breeding season, just incase the lad would want to fly off. But they didn't even know if Skrills did that. 

For Sigrid, she cared more about getting to know the Skrill. She'd seen bits and pieces of his personality during their rescue mission, as well as their time spend together in the woods, but if she wanted to train this dragon she'd have to know the dragon. She'd learn about him, so in turn, he could learn about her. So, she did what worked before: sitting in an open field with Sparkshot, and letting him do his thing. She tried her best not to overly acknowledgehim, in fear he'd be uncomfortable by the attention. Instead she just let him wander - just like she'd done before - with her eyes set on the sky. Peaceful, and silent.

Sparkshot seemed comfortable, at least. It felt like the dragon hadn't seen nature at ease in centuries. Which was quite possibly true, as Skrill's could freeze themselves in ice for hundreds of years at a time. Sigrid couldn't image what the dragon must've been through in his lifetime. Now that she thought about it, she had no clue how old he actually was. Maybe she'd never know, she had no idea how to check, or if she even could.

For now, the dragon was entertained. But Sigrid had to be honest, she was getting a little bored. Her blue eyes looked around, wondering what she could do that would 1) be fun, and 2) not scare the Skrill. Feeling around in her pockets, she silently cheered when discovering that she hadn't forgotten to pack one of her small daggers. Taking the piece of shiny metal out of its hiding place, she twirled it around her fingers, taking in every hand-crafted detail.

It was beautiful, the dagger. Made by Gobber himself, like almost all weapons on Berk were. But this one was special, her father had said so himself, as it was commissioned by him as a birth gift for his firstborn child, her. Her mother had scolded him, each time he brought up the tiny dagger in conversation, not a fan of the implication of violence. Now, it was one of Sigrid's fondest memories. Although they'd blurried with time, she treasured them all the same.

Where was her mother now? Surely dead, eaten by a dragon. That's what everyone said. Sigrid always held hope that her mother survived the attack, even with everyone telling her otherwise. That was until her brother came back with a trained Nightfury, revealing that the dragons were raiding them to bring food to the nest, to offer them to their Queen, the Red Death. In that moment, Sigrid lost all hope. Her mother could survive a lot, but being dropped in the gaping mouth of that giant beast was not one of them. So now, she tended to believe the stories told on Berk, for she had no other reality in mind. 

Does Dagur miss Oswald? Sigrid's mind began to wonder. According to the Berserker himself, his father had 'retired', and he'd definitely hinted that he'd killed the man himself. Were his stories actually true? Sigrid wasn't so sure. Sure, the boy was criminally insane, but she didn't see him as the father-killing type. Ironically enough, since he didn't seem to have any issue burning other villages and their people into the ground. Was Oswald even dead? Sigrid had no answer. It saddened her, to think that the boy she grew up with would kill his own father, the one person that made Sigrid's inevitable fate on Berserker Island seem sort of alright.

Sigrid shook her head, was she going crazy? Why was she thinking about Dagur in the first place? To be fair, it wasn't that rare that the Berserker Chief was on her mind. She'd known him almost her whole life. They were engaged - arranged, yes, but still - and were now sworn enemies, fighting against opposites sides of a war for the past few years. Strange how the tides change with time.