How to Train Your Dragon: Journey Beyond Berk

Chapter Twenty-Five - The Adventure Continues...

Zephyr's POV:

I clung desperately to the horns of the Monstrous Nightmare, her constant bucking and twisting making it difficult for me to stay on. Most riders have their dragon they bond with, their rides smooth as if they speak to one another in a kind of harmony I did not understand. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me and this Dragon. She was not fond of me, and I not so much of her. But I had no other choice. My parents were missing, it was up to me to find them and bring them back home to Berk.

It had been weeks since their departure on what was supposed to be a short journey. Panic soon set in at Berk when the first week passed, chaos began to reign the following. No one knew what they were searching for, not even Val or Gobber.

The clouds above hung heavy and grey, mirroring the worry and uncertainty that plagued my mind with each waking moment. The wind howled, sending shivers down my spine. It was either that or the freezing temperatures. And yet, I pushed forward, the stubbornness in me not allowing me to turn back around until I knew they were safe. We eventually found ourselves on a barren island far beyond the Northern Seas. The Dragon landed gracefully, for once, allowing me to climb off her back with ease. Her golden eyes looked back at me from afar as I took my seat on a rocky outcrop.

I reached in my bag, shuffling my hands around until I stumbled upon the crumbled notes that I had found in my parent's room. It was the only clues I had, and yet the more I looked at them the more it felt like nonsense scribbled out on pages.

One section of the notes included the word "Waterfall.." scribbled on the page and has X's marked off on many what I presumed to be Island names they came across. My eyes continued to scan the pages before landing on another set of words that were once again scribbled onto the page.

"Sea caring legend..?" I whispered, trying to decipher the words. "How's that sound?" I asked looking back at the Monstrous Nightmare behind me.

Her voice echoed through the trees as she let out a huff followed by a puff of smoke.

"Thanks for your input..." I muttered, turning my focus back to the pages.

Nonsense... It's all nonsense.

Frustration consumed me the longer I stared at the notes, the pages coming to a blur as tears began to welled up in my eyes.

Lost. Thats how I felt.

The world felt as if it crumbled around me, left only with more questions than answers. I stood as I looked out at the cliff, the notes crumbling in my hand. My body wanting the throw these pages off the cliffside and into the unforgiving waters below. A defeated scream escaped me, my eyes closed as I fell to my knees. My hands still clutched on tight to the papers.

"Are you wishing to cause trouble?"

I froze at the sound of a male voice coming from behind me. My heart raced, and my body tensed as I thought about my knives which were tucked away at my side.

"If you continue to scream like that you'll attract some unwanted attention you know." Sarcasm rang as he spoke.

I turned, my eyes still red and swollen from the tears, to face a guy who didn't look much older than myself. He couldn't have been older than eighteen, maybe nineteen at most. His dark ash hair and copper tone skin gave him a rugged appearance, contrasting with the vulnerability I just displayed mere seconds ago. The left side of his face displayed a scar which followed from the top of his forehead all the way down to the tip of his cheekbone.

I'm dead.

"I'm not alone as you can see." My voice stern as I wiped away the tears from my cheeks, trying to scare him off with the Dragon that sat a few feet away from us.

His eyes snapped to the Monstrous Nightmare and then back to where I stood. "Even more of a reason not to draw attention to yourself. The world isn't quite ready for Dragon riders yet."

My mouth fell open as I tried to search for a response. His tone was cold and yet I couldn't tell if he was trying to help me or kill me or all of the above.

"That is what you are, is it not?" He finally asked, his eyebrow cocked as his gaze peered back over to the Monstrous Nightmare.

I followed his focus, looking at the Dragon who was clearly no help in this situation before looking back at the man before me. "Depends on who's asking..." I finally got out.

The man laughed and shook his head before rolling his eyes. "That was a rhetorical question, any sane viking wouldn't be anywhere near a Monstrous Nightmare."

"I could say the same thing to you..."

"I never said I was sane, miss Trouble." He narrowed his eyes and smirked, his gaze seemingly cut through my soul as he spoke.

Before I could figure out what else to say he began to charge in my direction, giving me the opportunity to grab my knives as I spun to dodge his attack. When I turned back around he was gone. I glanced over my shoulder, assuming he was behind me ready to put an end to me. My eyes widened as I watched him jumping off the cliff with his arms spread out like he had some sort of death wish. His body quickly disappeared into the heavy clouds that built up since our conversation started.

"Why didn't you help me back there?!" I snapped back at the Dragon.

Watching as her large eyes rolled at my question.

"Whatever.." I muttered, trying to wrap my head around what in Odin's name just happened. "I think it's time for us to go."

I rushed over to the Monstrous Nightmare who was already running towards me, surprisingly slowing down for just a moment to allow me to get on her back. I adjusted quickly, tightening my grips the horns of her head before she took off, her wings carrying us into the sky. Curiosity consumed me as I glanced down at the ledge where we just stood, watching as it grew smaller in the distance as we continued off.

"Who was that?" I muttered.

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***Authors Comments***

Hello readers!

I just wanted to say thank you all so much for all the love & support i've gotten on this story.

This was a fanfic I wrote years ago and decided to release it once again for the people to enjoy. Little did I know how much it would seriously blow up.

I know this wasn't a long chapter by any means. It is however a brief look into the future of Hiccup and Astrid's Daughter Zephyrs Journey, which is actually the name of the sequel that I will begin releasing in May! This story will tell the tale of Zephyr as she is coming of age, soon to be eighteen and struggling to find her own way within the world all while trying to find the answers of her parents' disappearance.

I am also working on other projects at this time which includes a Wattpad Original called "Population Zero" which is set to begin releasing in May as well. A book trailer can actually be found on the youtube channel "DisworksEdits" with the title: Population Zero | Official Book Trailer | Wattpad Original.

I also have two other Wattpad Fanfics planned for the future plus an original book in the works that is inspired by this story. I hope to be able to publish it in the coming years, as it is still in early development at this time.

Again, thank you all for your love & support on this story. Your kind words have inspired me to delve deeper into my creative side once again and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!