Young Dragonblood

Chapter Six

You were all silent on the first part of the journey back to Berk. None of you could find anything reassuring to say. The events of that night had transpired so fast, so dramatically. Only hours after leaving your adoptive island you had found your dragon side, watched the full moon rise, practiced flying and been hunted. It was all so thrilling, and painful, apparently, to be a Dragonblood. 
    The hunter, though; her face was so familiar. Those sharp eyes boring into you, haunting you. Your mind knew her, but you did not, and you couldn't work out why. 
    You asked Hiccup if he knew her or the other hunters. After a moment's pause he said he did, that he'd run into them before. On the rare times he'd encountered them they had always gone for him and not Toothless or any other dragons around, always him. He'd come to the conclusion that these hunters only hunted Dragonbloods, though how they knew he was one he did not know. 
    They stayed in tense silence the rest of the way back, expecting at any second for the red and white Phantom to drop from the sky. Of course, it wouldn't have been able to keep up with the Night Fury, but imagination sometimes overrode logic. 
    The wind picked up a little in the grey sky, foreshadowing a summer storm in a few days time. You loved storms, especially the ones with lightning but no rain, and you always stood out in them no matter what other people said to stop you. Now you'd be able to fly in them... Or not. The pain of your injured tail shot up your spine, reminding you that it could be quite serious. That you may not be able to fly again. 
    As you neared the Isle if Berk you noticed Hiccup was still in hybrid form. You tapped his wing and he looked back, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had wings. ‘Wings away,’ you said. He looked at you blankly for a moment before realising what you meant and Shifting to his human form, black wings melting away. You were still amazed at how the dragon side hid itself. 
    Instead of landing in full view of the population of the island, Toothless alighted on the grass behind the Chief's hut. Several Vikings waved to him; after all, you couldn't miss a black dragon that was the only known individual of its kind with two people on its back. Hiccup waved back but did not deign to answer their queries, too wrapped up in his thoughts he was. 
    You and Toothless followed him into the hut, finding Gobber bending over the fire trying to roast a couple of small salmon on a spit. He straightened up when he heard the door creak and waved a greasy pair of tongs at you. ‘Hallo there! Thought you might be hungry when you got back, so I made... This.’ He wafted his hand at the surprisingly delicious looking fish. ‘You the young Dragonblood?’
    You nodded, eyeing the fish. You hadn't eaten since the night before and after the eventful, weird night you were starving. 
    ‘Where's my mother and Fishlegs?’ Hiccup asked, glancing at the fish. You could tell he wanted to get stuck into it, but was holding back until more important matters were taken care of. 
    Gobber didn't know, so Hiccup momentarily Shifted to his hybrid form and growled to Toothless, who was already halfway out the door with seemingly the same idea. The Chief stretched his wings before changing back to human. 
    While they were both distracted, you took one of the fish before it was burnt to cinders. 

***

Quite soon Toothless had come back to the hut with Valka and Fishlegs in tow. Both the Chief's mother and his friend were understandably worried, watching him with frowns as he paced, skewered fish in hand, on the other side of the fire pit. He told them what had happened since you'd left the day before, with snippets from you contributing to the picture. There seemed so much for a single night, crammed into a few small hours. You almost told them about you knowing the lead hunter a couple of times, but you bit the words back and decided this was not the right time. Eventually, when all was told and the story was finished, Hiccup left with only the words, ‘I'm going to tell Gothi.’ Soon after, Fishlegs and Gobber departed with the intention of checking the defences, leaving you and Valka alone in the hut. You bit your tongue when she looked at you. You knew she had seen you wanting to say something when Hiccup was talking, and you also knew she wasn't going to leave it be. 
    Without really thinking it through, you blurted out that you knew the hunter, the words coming out in the wrong order. You blushed and repeated what you'd tried to say, slower and in the correct order this time. 
    Valka came over and put her arm around your shoulders, ever the protective Stormcutter. ‘We'll sort it,’ she said.