How To Train Your Dragon

15: One Foot But Alive

Happy feelings wash over me from Toothless and I know that Hiccup is awake. I feel so relieved. Suddenly Seafire lifts me off the beach and twists her long neck around, placing me on her back. She opens her teardrop shaped wings and we rocket into the sky, drops of water falling in our wake and I fine mist lifting from the sea.

We fly up above Berk, Seafire's strong wings lifting us higher with every beat. The wind whips through my hair and brushes across my face. She flies skillfully, keeping her shadow away from the village. Her blue underside blends in well with the clear sky, which is a rarity to see on Berk. No one can see us, though we can see them. Only the other dragons know we are up here.

We level out and I look down over Seafire's shoulder. Below us is my house and the stone path that leads down to the other houses. Dragons fly here and there and sit on houses, the torches in the village square that we would light to scare the dragons away, have been cleared of wood and ash and filled with fish for the dragons to eat.

I watch as Hiccup walks out of the house, his left foot gone and replaced with metal and a spring. He walks awkwardly as he gets used to it. I feel relieved again as I realize that that was the blood I had seen. I hear my brother say to himself, "I knew it. I'm dead."

Dad walks up to him and pats his shoulder, laughing. "No, but you gave it your best shot." He leads Hiccup down the path, slightly supporting him. "So what do you think?"

Hiccup has no words to the peace between the dragons and Vikings before him.

Villagers begin to point and shout Hiccup's name, saying that he is wake and alive. They come up and gather in a lose circle around him and dad.

"How did you do it?" Hiccup asks dad.

"Turns out we just needed a little more of... this." Dad says gesturing to Hiccup.

Hiccup rolls his eyes. "You just gestured to all of me." Dad only smiles and nods.

Gobber shoulders his way up beside dad and gestures with his hook hand to my brother's new metal foot. "That bit's my work, with a bit of Hiccup flair. Think it will do?"

Hiccup balances back on his real foot and holds the metal one out in front of him, turning it from side to side. "I might make a few tweaks." He says making the villagers laugh.

Astrid pushes her way through the group and punches Hiccup hard in the shoulder. "That's for scaring me." She says.

Hiccup stumbles then turns to her. "What, is it always going to be like this? You-"

Astrid grasps the front of my brother's shirt and cuts him off by pulling him into a kiss. This time on the lips. She has quite the nerve to do that in front of our father. But dad just gives a surprised and happy chuckle, which surprises me.

Astrid pulls away leaving my brother looking shocked but happy. "I could get used to this."

I can feel anxiety coming from Toothless in the house and send out a welcoming feeling, making him burst out. "Nightfury!" Gobber shouts and all except for Hiccup, dad, and Astrid duck down. Toothless leaps over their heads and lands beside Hiccup. His eyes dart up to the sky and I can feel him yearning to fly. I don't blame him. It's amazing to fly.

"Yes." Gobber says, "But first," He hands Hiccup a new leather saddle, a closed red fake tail, and rods, wires, and gears. Hiccup sags a bit under the weight. "You will need these. There not the original, but I took a look at your draw outs and I did the best I could."

"This is great Gobber." Hiccup looks at the stuff in his arms. "Thanks." He turns to Toothless, but then pauses and turns to dad. "Where's Whisper?"

Dad hesitates, gathering his words. "She woke up shortly after we got back to the house, and when I wouldn't let her see you she tried to force her way to your side, but then she saw the blood from your missing foot and panicked then ran. I haven't seen her since."

Hiccup puts the equipment down and places the saddle on Toothless' back. "Then I'll look."

Seafire closes her wings against her body and dives down. The force of the wind nearly pulls me off her, but I cling on. At the last second her wings snap open and her claws skim the grass. With pounding steps she lands and gracefully bounds to a stop behind the house.

I slip down off her back and peer out from behind the house. The Hiccup, dad, Astrid, Gobber, and everyone else gathered in the lose circle are looking around wondering what the noise was. The dragons have turned their heads knowing it is Seafire and I.

"Whisper?" Hiccup calls.

And with that I run out. The villagers separate making a path for me, and I tackle my brother in a hug. "Whisper!" He says. "Your okay!"

I nod and look at his metal foot. "I'm fine. It feels strange but I'll get the hang of it." He reassures me.

Dad puts a hand on my shoulder. "Where were you? What was that noise?"

I grasp my brother's wrist and turn towards the house. I call out to Seafire and she answers with an unsure feeling of showing herself. I press out reassurance that it will be fine and she peers out, half her black and blue head peaks out around the corner her silvery blue eye sparkling. The villagers back up till they are back in the town square. I guess they are still getting use to dragons. Hiccup tries to take a step back but I pull him forward. I can feel dad's grip slightly tighten on my shoulder but he holds his ground as he says, "A real Waterfright."

Astrid takes a step back. "But they're only from legends."

Gobber shuffles a bit. "Apparently not."

I call her again with comforting feelings and she steps out, raising her head high she pads down the slope to me. Her long, elegantly curved black claws make marks in the grass. Her tail waves behind her, swishing over the grass.

Toothless respectfully moves back a step, and I am surprised to see that she is slightly larger than him. And even more so when dad drops his hand from my shoulder and backs up, he must be following Toothless' example. My brother tries to pull away again, but I turn to him and write on his palm with my other hand, M-E-E-T-S-E-A-F-I-R-E. Then her head is over my shoulder, her forehead pressing against the side of my head. I drop Hiccup's hand and turn to her, aware of him backing up a bit. Pressing my forehead to hers, I gaze into her eyes and I can feel her relax.

I step back and motion for Hiccup to come to me. He is reluctant, but steps to my side. With a hand on her cheek, I take my brother's hand with my other and raise it to her nose. I step away, lowering my hands to my sides.

Hiccup gazes into Seafire's eyes and she stares back, his hand hovering above her nose. Then she presses her nose into his hand. He turns to me, "Seafire, I like her."

Seafire raises her head and goes over to and sniffs him. Then she turns to Gobber and he backs up saying, "I got some things... too.... yeah." And with that he hobbles away.

Astrid bravely steps forward and Seafire lets her stroke her cheek. "How fast is she?" Astrid asks.

I shrug.

"Then let's find out." Hiccup says then quickly saddles Toothless up, getting ready for flight.

Astrid calls Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, over, and climbs on. I get on Seafire's back and Fishlegs comes over with the Gronkle Meatlug, Snotlought with the Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang, and the twins with the Hideous Zippleback Barf and Belch.

Fishlegs looks at Seafire and says, "The Book of Dragons says that they have blue eyes."

Hiccup gets on Toothless' back. "Well then it must be wrong. Remember we used to think they were only from legends, but now we have some things to correct, about many dragons in the book." Then he snaps open the fake red tail, displaying a painting of a white Viking skull with now lower jaw bone and wearing a white Viking helmet with horns.

And with that we take off with the wind racing by us. Me on Seafire beside Hiccup on Toothless, Astrid on Stormfly behind us, followed by Snotlought on Hookfang, then Tuffnut on the Zippleback head Barf and Tuffnut on the other head Belch, and finally Fishlegs on Meatlug.

There is no place I would rather be than riding Seafire with the wind swirling around us and nothing but open sky ahead.