Sorry you can't really see the cover...
This is an AU fanfic so prepare for weirdness:
Astrid is a normal girl on Berk. After Hiccup discovered the Night Fury's loving personality, everyone suddenly had a dragon... all of them but her, of course...
Astrid brought a bag of breadcrumbs to the forest. The birds chirped with excitement when she passed them. She opened her bag and scattered them on the ground. A small, bold bird began picking them off the ground.He twittered at her.
She wondered what he was saying to her. Thank you? More, please? But no matter how long she contemplated it, she could never figure it out. Soon other birds began to flit down to the ground and devour the bread. She watched them and listened to their conversations, even though she couldn't understand them.
Every day, she fed the birds. And after she fed the birds, she would go to the lake. And after relaxing by the lake, she'd search for dragons near the cliff. Now, her schedule looked like this:
1. Get up
2. Eat
3. Pack breadcrumbs and food
4. Go to the lake
5. Eat
6. Hang around a bit longer at the lake
7. Go to the cliffs
8. Go home
9. Actually go to sleep.
Astrid missed Hiccup's and her midnight adventures, but she saw no more reason to do so. To her, the adventures were over. She didn't know about Hiccup, but she guessed he still prowled around at night.
She was walking leisurely as she thought about all these things down the trail for the lake, where she'd fish or pick berries for some three hours. But she went down the rabbit hole of why she deserved Toothless and not Hiccup, so she stopped thinking altogether and stared blankly at the gravelly trail.
When Astrid finally reached the lake, she simply sat down and moped. But all the same, she was beckoned by the lake to fish. She sat there on the edge of the pond. She only caught one fish the whole time she was there, but she was fine with that. She liked to wade while she waited. She would skip stones and build small boats, all with great fun.
She absolutely loved the lush environment around her. She had a fort in the trees and a fishing pole hidden in a crevasse, and even a rope ladder up the cliffs. She loved it there. She wondered why she hadn't ever seen a dragon there. Soon enough, it was time to go to the cliffsides.
She scrambled up her rope ladder. At the top, she brushed her wiry hair from her face and started towards the cliffs at a sprint. The sun was going to to go down within a few hours, so Astrid hurried to get there. Today, she was lucky.
She found a dragon! It was only a Terrible Terror, but it was still worth it.
"Hey little guy," she said to it. "Do you want a fish?" She revealed the fish in her pocket. The little creature licked his lips and warily crept up to Astrid. "You don't need to worry," she said. "I'm a friend." She placed the fish in her open hand and set her hand on the ground. The Terror scuttled up and snapped it up.
It leaned into her side and began to purr.
Astrid began to doze off contentedly. And before she even knew it, the night set in.
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DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!! The town fire bell rang. It kept ringing. Astrid awoke with a jolt. "Mom? Dad?" she called before realizing that she wasn't at home. She stood up. She sprinted towards the village. Her eyes filled with smoke as she approached the village.
All she saw was red and orange. The Haddock House was on fire.
"We have to get Hiccup out of there!" Stoic boomed. "My son is in there." Astrid gasped.
"Hiccup! Hiccup!" she screamed. She could swear she heard Hiccup say, "Astrid?"
"Hiccup, it's going to be okay!" she yelled.
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CRACK! The house began to collapse. Astrid heard Toothless' distressed roar. He sat beside her. He looked on sadly as sparks flew into the air. Astrid patted Toothless. He whimpered. "Shh- shh, It's going to be okay..." she whispered.
"Help!" Hiccup yelled. Toothless' eyes flared and his pupils slitted. "Help!" Hiccup yelled again. Toothless roared and wriggled his haunches as he crouched down, staring into the depths of the fire. Suddenly he was in the air. He circled the house once before diving inside. "Toothless!" the villagers heard Hiccup exclaim.
The fire hissed and spat. Creak. "Hiccup, get out of there!" Astrid yelled. But it was too late. The house collapsed ontop of dragon and boy. "No!" she screamed. Her mother grabbed her be the arms to keep her away from the fire. "No!"
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As she waited on her bed, Astrid fought back tears. Every minute felt like an hour. Minutes turned to hours. She wanted to help excavate the Haddock House, but was afraid of what she'd almost certainly find. She tried reading, but unlike regular situations, it didn't calm her. The longer she waited, the more fearful and impatient she became.
"Toothless!" Stoic cried.
Okay... I hope you at least felt a little suspense there... Can anyone guess what's going to happen? Where I'm going with this??? Okay, if you don't it's fine. Actually, it's all the better so that you get a good surprise. :D
