The Edge of Black Wing

4 I'm a Loner, and I Don't Like it That Way I

Ska'i Malamalama

Without another delay, everyone got their dragons up in the air. They then began to head in the general direction Fishlegs speculated Stormfly led Toothless. Bless Pele he was correct, and the dragons were urged to hasten even more. Clinging to the back of Hookfang with all her strength, Ska'i and the rest of the Riders desperately tried to catch up to Hiccup. And Toothless, and Stormfly. She wondered if she would have this much anxiety when the chance would finally come that she'd bond with a dragon of her own.

She had never ridden Barf and Belch; the poor dragon was already carrying two people, and she didn't want to push the 'Zippleback - if it wasn't an emergency. And she would never admit this back on her island, but it did tug on her heartstrings that she had to share a dragon with Snotlout of all people, instead of Tuff.

"Hey! You know you're sitting behind me, right? I can hear you!"

Whoops. Did I say that last bit out loud?

"Yes, you did! You're becoming more like Tuffnut every day," he grumbled.

Er . . . again, whoops. "Sorry."

Snotlout grunted, "When are you getting a dragon of your own?"

"Hey!"

Now, it was his turn. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Hmmm," Ska'i could only return his grunt. It was already a pretty emotional, highly stressful morning. There wasn't a need to draw something out, when there were more important, pressing matters currently at hand.

Stormfly was flying at such breakneck speeds, that even Toothless had to flap more often than usual, to try to keep up.

As everyone else pushed their dragons to fly faster, Ska'i could faintly hear Hiccup shout at the 'Nadder, "Look, I know you want to find and save her as much as I do. But you can't do it alone, so would you mind slowing down for the rest of us?!" Her only acknowledgment was an impatient flick of her left ear and only showed down a fraction.

"Wonderful," Hiccup grouched. Ska'i didn't hear the first part of his sentence, but the last part was clear. ". . .and we won't exhaust ourselves if we keep going at this pace, either!" He twisted in his saddle, one way, then the other, eventually managing to catch eyes with her. "Ska'i! You think you can hop on Toothless?"

"From up in the air?" She murmured, questioning his sanity. Then immediately her own, as she debated doing it. Ah right, because Toothless couldn't exactly fly by himself. And Hookfang and Snotlout would be fine, without her.

Appearing to take her thoughtful silence as his answer, Hiccup commanded, "Snotlout, bring Hookfang up here so she can drop on Toothless!"

"Safely?" Ska'i was now beginning to fail at fighting back her nerves and barely heard Tuff call out to her, "It'll be okay, Ska'i!"

"Yeah, it sure will!" Ruffnut joined in. "Exactly how will it be okay, brother?"

I heard that.

Everything moved so fast after that. Toothless flapped to draft alongside Stormfly while Hiccup braced himself to leap out of his saddle. She didn't notice the twins maneuver their dragon beneath Toothless - in case anything happened. Hookfang put on an extra burst to glide above the Night Fury in preparation for Ska'i's intentional fall. Intentioned. This is intentional! And when Hiccup leaped for Stormfly, Ska'i purposely slid off Hookfang. I would never have imagined doing this if I was back on my island. But before deciding whether that was good, she found herself astride Toothless. Solo. She exhaled the biggest sigh of relief as a cheer could be heard underneath her, "Yeah, Ska'i! See, I told you it'd be okay!"

Hiccup managed to slow Stormfly down considerably, and the realization that hit Ska'i was she was riding a dragon alone. And it was so nice. A type of blissed tranquility washed over her. Almost like how the morning dew settled upon her when she bothered to get up that early, taking a sunrise stroll along the beach of the 'Edge. Wow. This is what it's supposed to feel like. She felt like she was the second lightest thing in the world, flying on the first lightest thing.

So transfixed was she atop the offspring of lightning and death itself, that she didn't even notice Tuff had flown up to coast alongside her. Until he asked her, "It's different than having to ride behind someone, huh?"

A burst of wind forcibly jolted her back to the reality of being at the forefront of riding a dragon rather than having the Rider block most of it. It was rather remarkable how her body had managed to regulate itself. In any case, as much as it could with this other-weather-ly extreme, below-freezing temperatures, it was cooler. Fighting through the gale buffeting her around, she struggled to put her hood up. After finally succeeding, it blew back down right away.

Yeah, alright. That wasn't going to work.

She gave up, a dull, flat expression on her face. But when Toothless gave her his side-eye smile, it surprised her when she matched it. She suspected that this little night-winged plasma of death was trying to make sure she was okay, in his unique way. To reassure her that she was perfectly fine and safe.

It sure was rather gusty on the back of a dragon. Back on her island, she'd never had to live through something a couple of village elders called a violent funnel of wind a "tornado." But it sure did feel like it, what with the near-breakneck speed they were gradually slowing down.

Hiccup turned in Stormfly's saddle enough to flash a glance at Ska'i, "So, how's it feel, getting to ride a dragon solo?"