Moon Fire

Chapter 17

Guys, I am SO SORRY this took so long. I started college last semester and it kept me pretty busy plus I had writer's block on top of that. But anyways, we're here now, that's what matters. Enjoy the chapter!

The song is A Tale of Sea Dragons by Marcus Warner.

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Terror. That was the only thing Hiccup's mind could process at the moment, as he and Toothless plummeted to the sea. All he could do was hang on to the saddle for dear life and pray to Odin that he didn't fall off.

I need you to change the tail soon, Toothless said, astonishing Hiccup with how calm he sounded. Startled, the boy obeyed, remembering the position for flying straight. The dragon shifted his focus to the waves below, quickly coming closer and closer until . . .

Ready, Hiccup . . . NOW!

Hiccup jerked his foot in the pedal the second the word resounded in his brain. Toothless' wings shot wide open, stopping their descent and causing them to rocket forward, creating huge waves on either side of them.

Overwhelmed by the sheer speed of their movement, Hiccup kept his face buried in the saddle for a few seconds until he'd mostly convinced himself that they weren't dead. When he lifted his head, what he saw took his breath away.

Toothless' wings were spread impossibly wide, his strength and speed carrying them quickly over the waves. The ocean breeze smacked him in the face and he had to crouch low over the saddle to avoid getting blown off. He stayed very still, waiting with bated breath for the prosthetic to fail, to send them careening into the water. But, to his immense surprise, it held steady.

Are we really flying? he wondered.

In answer, Toothless looked back at him and grinned. Try it and see.

Hiccup shifted the pedal, making Toothless bank to the left, then the right. His wingtips created tracks in the ocean, spraying them both with seawater. The dragon pumped his wings once, sending them soaring gracefully over a rolling wave. Hiccup moved the pedal, intending only to turn again, but his foot slipped and went down too far, making something happen to the effect of them going upside down. The sudden maneuver elicited a roar from Toothless, a sound that went from total surprise to utter delight in half a second. When they were right-side-up again, Toothless snapped his head around to meet Hiccup's gaze, his face saying, DO IT AGAIN DO IT AGAIN DO IT AGAIN!!

Laughing, Hiccup complied, loving when Toothless cried out with abandon, bellowing his joy to the clouds. He changed the pedal and Toothless cupped his wings and zoomed into the sky. The dragon roared, calling out to his herd.

Several voices answered from further out over the sea. Hiccup and Toothless raced to join them. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot down to the sea about ten feet away from them. Toothless jumped, instinctively moving further away while Hiccup scanned the skies. No storm clouds were in sight, so he couldn't understand where the lightning had come from until he heard a familiar voice. Sindri glided above them, upside down, grinning at Toothless. The Night Fury smiled back, sticking his tongue out. Sindri rumbled happily, flipped himself upright again, and roared something that made Toothless growl playfully in return.

He wants to race us, was the translation.

Hiccup looked up at Sindri. "Where to?" he asked over the wind.

In answer, Sindri looked ahead, then back down at them, answering to Toothless, who then relayed the message. If we go straight, there's a group of sea stacks about a half-mile out. We'll turn there and finish where the herd is gathered.