Oneshots and Short Stories

Big Sister, Little Sister - Part Two

Neima was long gone by the time Ember managed to manouvre around Toothless's sleeping frame and get out the door, but she knew where to go anyway. The girl set off for the dragon stables behind the house.

Personal dragon stables were unusual on Berk, but they were being built more and more recently. This particular stable was smaller than the massive shared ones, with one extra-large stall for Toothless and Comet, one stall for Stormfly, one stall for Shimmer and one stall for Spineclaw.

Ember slipped in the ajar stable door and watched her sister clean her dragon's scales. Shimmer was one of Toothless and Comet's two daughters, and was a cheerful soul. Ember remembered the day, three years ago, when Neima had met her Night Fury, and the two had instantly bonded. She had memories of playing with the blue-eyed Night Fury, much like she had memories of being very small and playing with Comet.

However, Ember thought that her dragon was even better than Shimmer. Spineclaw was a Sparkbreather, a brand-new species closely related to the Night Fury. Ember and her father had rescued the blue dragon two years ago, and he had been faithful to the girl ever since. He was a glorious cobalt blue, with spikes on his head, back, neck and tail, and his eyes were a startlingly toxic green.

Spineclaw brightened at the sight of his rider and nuzzled her, pushing Ember back a few steps with his strength. She laughed and rubbed him behind the ears, happily noting that a spike that had broken off during a particularly difficult maneuver was now growing back.

"Ready to fly, boy?" she whispered in his ear, and he jumped up and down in excitement. Ten minutes passed as Ember wrestled the saddle onto Spineclaw's frame, then clambered onto his back, feeling a sense of surety flow through her veins. On Spineclaw she was invincible!

Ember looked up to see Shimmer, Neima on her back, already at the stable door. Stormfly, nestled in the straw of her stall, grunted as Spineclaw passed, and Ember waved to the Nadder as they walked by.

"Ready to go?" asked her big sister as Spineclaw pulled up beside. "I'm gonna leave you in the dust, you know." Shimmer growled in agreement, shooting the Sparkbreather a playfully challenging look.

"Just you try," teased Ember, and with that her dragon shot into the sky.

The air was cold and crisp, and it stung Ember's face, giving her an adrenaline rush like nothing else. She whooped and Spineclaw shot out a burst of flame, billowing in the air around them and crackling in the chilly breeze.

A blue ball of fire soon shot in front of them, and Ember looked back to see Neima and Shimmer just behind them. They were catching up dangerously fast, and her sister looked determined to pass them.

"Go faster, Spiney!" cried the girl, and her dragon's wingbeats grew faster and faster, shooting them forwards into the crisp morning sky. A few low-lying clouds dissipated with one beat of Spineclaw's wings, trailing water vapour behind them in an elegant slipstream.

Shimmer roared and soon, Ember could hear the Night Fury's strong wingbeats getting closer and closer. She leaned down in the saddle, her chin almost hitting her dragon's scales, trying to go faster in the roaring wind.

Eventually, Neima and Shimmer pulled up beside them. The female Night Fury's pink tongue hung out of her mouth, but there was a light of achievement in her eyes that warmed Ember's heart. She clucked at Spineclaw in a friendly manner, but he was so tired that he only nodded at her.

Neima, too, was leaning down in the saddle, her eyes sparkling. She caught Ember's gaze and grinned.

"You're doing really well with Spiney, little sis. I'm impressed." Ember stared. Recently it seemed as if Neima was doing her best to make Ember miserable, but this seemed heartfelt. She wasn't sure what to do.

"T-thank you!" she squeaked, and her older sister smiled again.

"Listen, our dragons are all burned out. Let's take them to land for a bit, then we ca-"

Neima was cut off by Shimmer screeching and veering wildly. A rock pillar, jutting out of the ocean below, loomed suddenly, and Spineclaw was on a direct collision course.

"EMBER!!" screamed Neima, and Spineclaw began to dodge it, but he was too slow. Ember was knocked viciously from the saddle, and fell, the waters below coming nearer and nearer.

Fear filled her heart, and something snapped inside her. She screamed, and the edge of the world started going fuzzy, her limbs screeching with pain, as if something was wrong.

Just before she blacked out, she saw Shimmer and Spineclaw diving for her, and her sister calling her name, her limbs as heavy as a dragon's paws... And then everything went dark.