First Friends

Chapter 24

I jumped up with a yelp when Hiccup opened the door and informed me that he was leaving Berk forever. I followed him into the woods and raced ahead of him, blocking his path. He'd taught me a few things over the years, and writing was one of them. I pulled out a journal and flipped it open to a new page, then removed my charcoal pencil and wrote two short, simple words:

No go.

He sighed and set down his things. "Tiger, I have to go. I can't and won't kill a dragon. Not after I've made friends with Toothless," he said, pulling me in for a tight hug. Sadness and fear came off him in waves. I licked him as best I could, then flopped a paw over his shoulders, holding onto him for dear life. I tilted my ear slightly as a rustling sound was heard, heading off in the direction of Toothless' Cove. I pulled back away from Hiccup and pinned him to the ground, giving him my biggest, roundest, saddest eyes ever, begging him not to go in all but words. His eyes filled up with tears and he pulled me down for one last hug before rolling me on my back, then darting off, waving a hand at me when I tried to follow. My heart sank, shattering into a million tiny shards when it hit my stomach. I flopped down on my paws and moped, not even bothering when a rabbit came up to me. A squirrel came up next, but I slumped to a small den-like area in some boulders that were nearby. I must have been a pitiful sight because several forest animals, who I normally would have killed, cuddled up next to me, comforting me.

A scream reached my ears, faint with distance. My head shot up and I looked out of the mouth of the cave, my actions spooking the animals into fleeing. I bolted to where I heard the scream come from, and looked up as Hiccup's voice reached me.

"You have to give me a chance to explain!" he said to someone. I squinted up through the foliage, backing up when I still couldn't see. Astrid was hanging from a tree branch like an ornament.

"I am not listening to anything you have to say," Astrid roared back. I jumped up as high as I could to a rocky outcropping, ignoring their conversation for a moment. I reached the top and pricked my ears forward to catch each word.

"See, there's nothing to be afraid of," Hiccup said, a bit nervously.

"Yet," Toothless said before propelling himself, Hiccup, and Astrid into the air, climbing higher and higher with each wingbeat. Astrid's screams were as clear as a bell for me, and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Something glinted, catching my eye. I made my way to where I'd seen the object and found Astrid's ax hidden by some brush. It looked like it had slid there, so it wasn't hard for me to figure out what happened. Astrid was obsessed with sharpening her ax, so she was likely waiting for Hiccup to arrive. I followed her scent to a rock, where it was thickest. A basket with Hiccup's scent on it was sitting not far from the rock, and when I flipped it open, he had a picture of me and Stoick, some fishing materials, as well as a blanket I'd slept with when we were both young cubs. He was still a cub in my eyes, and in his village's eyes too, but he wasn't as young a cub as some other cubs in the village. A lump formed in my throat, and I nuzzled everything lovingly, inhaling his scent in case I never saw him again.