Double Fury (Book Two)

Chapter 1: What Will She Say?

"Come on! You can do it!" I call.

Two young Night Furies stand on a rock ledge far above me, the wind blowing my auburn hair away from my shoulders. I look up at them while Nightstar shifts nervously beside me. Thunder Song, my Terrible Terror, gnaws on a fish at my feet.

"Don't worry, girl. Dark Moon and Emerald are ready to fly. I know it," I murmur to Nightstar as I keep watching the two dragons.

Dark Moon creeps to the edge, sniffing as his big yellow eyes seem to get bigger. Nightstar makes a distressed noise in her throat. I shake my head and sigh.

"If they can't do it, we're here to catch them," I remind her.

Nightstar snorts, pawing at her ear plate before readying herself. Dark Moon takes a leap, spreading his tiny wings. He plummets for a split second, squinting his eyes as his wide mouth opens a tiny bit. The wind picks up and he glides, flapping his wings as he keeps himself up.

"Go Dark Moon! Good job!" I shout, clapping my hands together.

Nightstar grins and stomps the ground in celebration as she watches her son fly around. She stops and turns to look at the second baby on the rocky cliff.

Emerald watches her brother, her big green eyes alight with curiosity. She takes a step forwards, her claws scratching at the edge of the stone ledge. Then, she too leaps off. The same thing that happened to Dark Moon happens to her and the two Night Furies go zipping around in the sky, flapping their tiny wings.

Without a word, I climb on Nightstar's back. Thunder Song jumps up, still holding the fish, and takes off. Nightstar roars and leaps into the air, swiftly catching up with her young offspring and we fly back to the village.

Hiccup's POV

"Alright. We'll make sure it's ready," I assure a Viking woman.

"Thank ya, Chief!" she says, walking away.

I wipe my face, then brush my hands off on my apron before I reach behind me and untie the strings of said apron. Even as the chief of Berk, I still take orders in the shop to help out Gobber. It's different, but after three years I feel pretty confident in my abilities.

"Headin' home, Hiccup?" Gobber asks, poking his head out from behind the main forge.

I nod. "Yeah, it's been a long day."

"You could use some rest! You seem spaced out today, lad!" My old friend laughs, although I don't do the same.

In all honesty, I am spaced out today. My mother has been bringing up the same topic of conversation nearly every day with me, and it's getting exhausting.

"Hiccup, you really must think about what your future is going to look like. A young chief like you will need a successor one day," her words echo in my head. "I'm sure there's quite a few girls who wouldn't mind being your bride."

I release a long sigh as I hang my apron up, calling one more farewell to Gobber before I leave the blacksmith. The Vikings of Berk are already winding down for the evening, wandering back to their homes and lighting torches.

I wander towards the edge of the village, the perfect place to watch the sunset. A few people call greetings to me as I walk by, and I respond politely. I don't have it in me to say much more.

My mind wanders back to the conversation I had with my mother this morning. I stop, my one boot tapping on the wood of the ship dock for a second before I let out a long breath, settling down next to the water and watching the sky turn orange as the memory rushes back to me.