First Friends

Chapter 10

I growled as a dragon flew down toward one of the stray sheep, and I followed the orders Stoick had given me. I leapt up onto a rock and roared to let the attacking dragon know that I wasn't going to let even a sick sheep get taken. My metal paw slipped and I fell slightly, but quickly regained my footing.

"B-but if we don't bring enough food back, we'll get eaten! What-where else are we supposed to find food?" one of them yelped. Astrid chased him away with a well-aimed rock. It hit him square in the jaw, forcing him to leave. I looked toward the village, where I had a perfect view from my perch. A Monsterous Nightmare lit itself on fire and dove toward the building I identified as the blacksmith's shop. Instantly my nerves threatened to smother me.

Hiccup, I thought worriedly. While it was true that I knew he could handle himself, I was still nervous whenever he was in danger. That's when I heard it: the high-pitched scream usually followed by-FWOOM-BANG! Oh no. Night Fury. I desperately hoped that nothing ill had befallen Hiccup, or Gobber, who sometimes gave me pieces of chicken when Hiccup wasn't looking. Stoick would scratch me behind the ears, giving me utter bliss. Astrid climbed up next to me just as the Night Fury fired again, taking out another catapult and a house. He seemed to be taking aim at the blacksmith's shop and I began to panic. I reached down within myself and brought up my loudest challenge yet. She cringed and went down to a knee, covering her ears to keep from going deaf. But it worked. The dragon turned his big, squid-like head my way and came to investigate, leaving the village momentarily.

"Who gave that scream?" his voice sounded like raw silk: smooth, but rough at the same time.

"I did. And if you want to hurt my master, you're going to have to go through me," I snarled. "He works at the blacksmith's shop, the building you were just aiming for. I challenge you to the right to destroy buildings!"

"You're on, pipsqueak," he hissed. He worked up a decent sized gob of plasma and fired at me. I pushed Astrid out of the way and leapt a second before it landed. I jumped up and grabbed a tree top with my jaws, dragging it down with my weight. I curled my tail around a treeroot that was sticking up ridiculously high and pulled my projectile even further down. The Night Fury came closer, and within my range of attack. I released the rough bark and the root and rolled out of the way. I sat up and watched the tip of the tree as it hurtled toward the dragon, completely catching him off guard. I snickered when it clubbed him and sent him flapping unsteadily toward the direction the dragons always came from. He somehow still managed to fly above the village and avoid detection, and the other dragons followed him, ending the attack. I went over to where Astrid was and she gaped at me. One of the shepherds picked me up and held me aloft, making me dizzy from the height.

"Three cheers for Tiger! He chased the Night Fury away! Hip-hip!" another one cried. The others did the usual, "Hip-hip Hooray!" routine and we went back to the village.

Stoick wanted to know what the cacophony was about, so Astrid explained.

"Tiger tree-whipped a Night Fury that was stalking and harrassing the sheep! It was soo cool!"she exclaimed. Hiccup staggered wearily toward me after I was set down. I raced to meet him and cuddled him, wiggling beneath him so he could sit down. He automatically grabbed my harness as I trotted toward the house after confirming that everyone was alive and alright.

"So, what was that noise just before the Night Fury headed off toward the sheep?" Stoick asked. I murmured and nudged his hip lightly, drawing attention to myself. He looked down at me. "That was you? What in Thor's name did you do or say to that devil?"

I wiggled my butt until Hiccup woke up and changed to a barrel that was nearby. Then I took up a basic challenger position and roared softly. I winced as my throat suddenly decided it was raw and tired from the volume of the challenge scream. His eyes widened when he realized what I meant.