Symphony of Shadows

20. Tracker

Hiccup was covered in dragon saliva and could not wait to wash it all off. Toothless had been especially excited to see him after waiting all day and had nearly tackled him off the side of the cliff. The dragon could barely stand still while Hiccup was tying the basket of newly purchased goods and putting his flying armor on. After plenty of pets and "I missed you too bud"s, they flew out of the island and headed back home. Poor Toothless had practically shot out of the cave nearly giving Hiccup whiplash in the process.

Now the stars were their only companions as they flew above the clouds and despite the magical view, Hiccup found himself only thinking about one thing: Astrid. She had shown a side of herself that he had never seen before (and doubted anyone else had either). Strength was all Astrid knew, it was what was engraved in her and in every other viking so Hiccup was astonished that she had chosen to let him in. He also felt pity for her having to carry so many burdens which were made heavier due to the fact that she refused to share her worries with anyone else. For so many years he had idolized and put Astrid on a pedestal in his mind so it was clear for him to see the front that she put up for everyone after actually getting to know her. She seemed so stressed about her mission to find him that it almost made Hiccup turn himself in, but he had to remember his own mission. He couldn't be discovered because it would mean a death sentence for Toothless and Hiccup would die before letting that happen.

Instead of turning himself in, he would do anything else for Astrid, since all he needed was to be near her. Simply her presence and her words gave him the strength that he had been lacking his whole life. She made him feel invincible and seen at the same time.

"What do you think, bud? Do you think I should be with a girl that harms dragons? Do you think she can change?"
Toothless responded in an amused "Mroooor" and a shake of his head at the revelation that Hiccup had spent the day galavanting after a girl while he had slept in the cave.
"I know it's silly but she's...different. I don't think I could stay away from her if I tried."
The Night Fury was perplexed at the situation and was glad that he didn't have any drama of his own. Humans were so complicated.
"And then there's the whole situation with attacking Berk because what if she gets hurt or hurts one of the dragons...it's just a mess ugh."

Hiccup fell back on Toothless and let out a frustrated sigh, he would have to decide what to do about the raids. He couldn't continue them on Berk because it would mean risking Astrid. He would have to stop the raids, at least on Berk. Hiccup could leave the past behind for Astrid, it was the only way they could continue their...friendship. He had come to value their relationship highly as the only friends he had these days had scales. The lack of social contact had begun to affect him, especially after Lyra since he hadn't wanted to talk to anyone really and threw himself into finding a way to defeat the Red Death. Now that he was unoccupied, it had made him realize how lonely he felt as the days went by. Waking up to just go back to sleep and flying every evening without change had dulled his mind and he had decided that he needed more spark in his life. Hiccup let the hatred and fury over the past fuel him and be that spark that lighted his life but he had found a new spark: Astrid.

He could see that now, how he let that rage consume him until all he could think about was the pain he suffered at the hands of others. The only memories he allowed himself to remember were the ones that further fueled his hate until there was nothing left but contempt for Berk. He had become the very things he detested: apathetic and violent. Hiccup had started out seeking peace but couldn't get past the ache for acceptance and the pain of rejection which snowballed into the present day. How had everything gone so wrong? A cold tear leaked down his cheek and he found himself begging the gods why his dad couldn't just love him. So much could have been avoided if he had just been loved and accepted the way that he was. All of him. Hiccup would never regret meeting Toothless but he just wished everything would be simpler and that he didn't have to be constantly on the run. His life had taken a turn that put him in inevitable danger and he had been okay with it until his reunion with Astrid. Now he just wanted to live in a cottage with her and Toothless and settle down. It didn't have to be Berk, he would go anywhere for her. But sadly that was not reality, Astrid had to change her mind, change everything she had ever known, for that to happen. It wasn't possible...

But he had changed. He had been able to see the light behind Toothless' eyes and know that violence was not the answer. If Hiccup could change, maybe Astrid could too? It would have to be a heck of a change but he could do it, he had to. Astrid would come to love Toothless, just like he had. Maybe she would even want to ride a dragon? Gods that would be amazing. Hiccup couldn't help but picture them flying together under the very stars that shined around him. He could bring that vision to life. He had defeated the Red Death, a tyrannical monster that had plagued viking kind for centuries, surely he could help Astrid see that dragons didn't have to be the enemy.

As they approached the place that Hiccup had grown to call home, he couldn't wait to collapse on his bed and go to sleep after such a long day full of revelations. Toothless landed in the clearing on the cliff near his makeshift cottage (a large tent with all of his belongings inside) and the exhausted viking nearly fell off the saddle.
He recovered but was soon overtaken by a strong yawn.
"Are you ready for sleep, bud? It's been a long day, I sure am."
Hiccup was ready to head straight to bed until he heard something odd, or rather didn't hear something. The dragons. He scanned the clearing and sure enough where there should be a hundred dragons snoring or walking around, there was nothing. Taking off his helmet to hear better, he started to call out just to confirm the pit of doom in his stomach. The flock was gone. Shit. Shit. This was just what Hiccup needed. But where could they have gone? They usually headed over to Berk, Beserker Island, or Outcast Island this time of the week and the dragons must've picked up on the routine as their hunger peaked.  He had to get them as soon as he could but if he were to fly out now, he would be purely guessing where to go. He needed to make sure he was flying to the right island first because a mistake would cost too much time. Hiccup rifled his hands through his hair, racking his brain for any indications of where they would be.

"Squaaawk!"
Hiccup thought it was a figment of his delusional imagination but the sound had been real and so was the Deadly Nadder that trotted over to him. He thanked the gods that they had given him a smidge of favor in leaving him the fastest Tracker Class dragon. Rubbing her snout, Hiccup started to form a plan.
"Hey girl! Where is everyone else? Can you take them to me, please?"
"Rawwwkk." The blue dragon bobbed her head and beat her wings, looking back at Hiccup in motion for him to follow her. He ran over to Toothless and got back on the saddle, devising their next step.
"Okay Toothless, we need to follow her, the flock needs us."
"Rooowrr."
Toothless took off and joined the Deadly Nadder in the sky where she had already made significant advances in the direction the flock had gone in. They were flying fast into the darkness and Hiccup held on as he laid down on his stomach to help Toothless increase his speed alongside the Tracker dragon. Maybe they would be able to make it in time before anything went wrong.

"Come on girl! We're almost there!"
Hiccup swore his encouragement gave her a burst of speed as they raced across the night sky. They had made significant headway and his stomach dropped as he realized what island the flock had chosen to raid: Berk. His heart thumped in his chest, threatening to jump out and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He had to get to Berk. Breathes of fire and burning houses lit up the night and Hiccup prayed that no one had been critically injured before he could intervene. He knew what he had to do. He had to call the dragons off.