Found again (HTTYD FF)

★37★

Astrid could only stare. She held on with all her might to the front paw of the Night Fury, who was gently squeezing her close. She didn't understand, she couldn't... Her mind was confused, trying to find an explanation, some logical reason... What had happened? How did it happen? When did it happen?

At one point, Hiccup is saving her from a fall into the ocean that would surely break all her bones, if she even survived. The next, he's dodging the attacks of that crazed dragon and growling like a dragon. And in the next, she's suddenly being held not by a pair of hands, but by two of a Night Fury's paws with sharp, curved claws.

She was confused and scared when she shot Hiccup out of the sky on Berk. She didn't know what to do, how to act. But this was worse. Now she was even in danger of falling into the ocean - but Stormfly might be able to save her if something like this happened.

Hiccup had managed to turn into a Night Fury? Since when? How?

She could feel the warm scales she was pressed against vibrating with deep guttural sounds. She could feel his heart pounding, too. Big, calm and slow compared to hers. Or so it seemed to her.

"Hiccup...?" She breathed out uncertainly, strangled. Was it even still him? Wasn't it Toothless who was holding her now? No - the other Night Fury hovered a short distance away, an angry look fixed on Hiccup.

Astrid listened to the low growling sounds of their conversation, which she never had a chance to understand. It hadn't bothered her before, she hadn't complained about not understanding dragons now that she was friends with them. Only now she would give anything to understand what was going on. She hated being left out! She wanted to take part in all the action!

It didn't seem like Stormfly was going to interfere in any way. She hovered in her spot a little ways away, waiting. All the dragons were waiting, eyes wide open. And Astrid could do nothing but wait with them.

She watched as the dragon that had tried to throw her into the ocean earlier narrowed his eyes and snorted. He tossed his head, turned, and flew away, but not before a short cry was wrenched from his throat, answered by some of the dragons in their group. The dragon soon disappeared from sight, along with everyone who had joined him.

Astrid expected Hiccup to let her go and let her fly the rest of the way in the saddle. Stormfly even positioned herself beneath her and looked up at Astrid. But Hiccup wouldn't let her go. He said something to Stormfly, to which she backed away, offended.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" She asked. She would have been foolish to expect an answer. And maybe she was expecting one.

They lapsed into silence. There was only the quiet flapping of wings and Astrid was almost afraid to breathe. Even the sound of the shallow exhalations escaping her mouth was too loud by comparison. She feared that if she breathed just a little louder, everything would melt away and she would wake up again from this strange dream. Everything would be more or less normal again.

She just wanted to know what would happen next. Convinced it was just a dream, she remained silent. Reason told her it was real, but for once she wasn't listening to reason. It would have been better, more understandable, if it were just a dream. It was hard for her to accept that a creature like Hiccup existed. A man with dragon wings, a man who was human with only a tiny part of his being. Somehow she managed to absorb it, after long days of constant inner turmoil. She had heard stories of something similar. It wasn't easy to accept, but she did. Eventually.

But this? How was she supposed to accept something like this? How could, anything at all, turn into another creature? It didn't make sense. How had he done it so quickly? She hadn't even noticed until the last moment!