Howling Echoes - A How to Train Your Dragon Story, The Echoes, Book 1

Chapter 50: Friends and Family

   I watched Atali's gaze flip from me to Viggo and back.  I could practically see the pieces clicking together in her mind.

   Atali backed away.  I signaled for her to go, and she hesitated.  Then she nodded.  I waved at Astrid and she came over.  

   Seeing Atali hadn't softened his shell one bit, to my disappointment.  Astrid held Amber and Amythest in her hands.  One of Viggo's brows quirked.  "Where's Hiccup and Toothless?" I demanded, just barely holding myself back.  Fishlegs and Snotlout had gone with Dagur to the Berserker docks to attempt to obtain his Dragon Eye lense.

   I heard a roar from a ship.  "You never fail to disappoint, do you?" I muttered as Astrid gasped.  "Nice try, Viggo." The roar was unmistakably Night Fury, but clearly from a horn that I'd heard about only in legends.

   "Hm."  Viggo looked at the Razorwhips, and suddenly I heard a real Night Fury's roar as it was pulled up toward the flowers in a dragon proof cage.  I nodded at Frostflake and she blocked the Hunters from bringing him into the flowers.  Hiccup was in there, too.  

   "Fine." I growled.  "You win this time," I nodded at Astrid, and she put down the Razorwhips, who had started to sneeze.  "I believe both of us are leaving empty handed." Viggo objected as we walked toward Hiccup and Toothless.  My eyes narrowed and I turned to face him.   "Nope, just you."

   I rushed toward Viggo with my sword out.  I was sick of his games and his lies and his tricks.  It was time to end this.  No matter what it took.

   Viggo blocked me with whatever was on his arm, I could never remember what they were called, and shoved my sword back.  I stumbled back and he swiped a fire sword at me, but not Hiccup's.  My eyes widened.  I tripped Viggo with my leg and raised my sword above him.  

   Frostflake roared and jumped onto Viggo.  "Kiara, stop!" She roared.  "Think about what you're doing!"  I heard Hiccup grunt.  Viggo slid out from underneath Frostflake and slipped away.  I closed my eyes and slid my sword away, taking two long, deep breaths.  "Ok." I said.  "Thanks, girl."

   We flew back to the Edge, and Atali offered to take the two Razorwhips we had painted to look like Amber and Amythest back to her island.  Everyone agreed, and with a sad goodbye, Atali left for her island.  She left a map with me, and I was fiddling with it between my fingers when Frostflake came into my hut, exhausted.

   "Babies tiring you out, girl?" I asked, immediately trying to distract her from what I would've done had she not been there to stop me.  "Mhm.  Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?" Frostflake yawned, laying down with her tail on her head.  "Oh look!  A rainbow!" I pathetically tried, pointing outside.  She moved her tail aside and gave me a dead stare.

   "Fine," I sighed.  "No."  "Too bad."  Froztflake said.  "Because Hiccup does.  And the other Riders, in fact."  "Mmph." I groaned.  "Nooooo."  "Come on, you open up to me because you see me as family.  And, faced it, you see the others that way, too." Frostflake said.  "Open up to them.  I won't always be here, and I won't always understand.  You've opened up to Heather and Astrid before."  "That was different." I sighed.

   Frostlflake shrugged.  "Keep telling yourself that if you want to, but it's not going to change the fact that it's not." She left, leaving Kiara to fall asleep.