He knew he was here somewhere. He closed his eyes and listened to the wind brush by his hair.
"Where are you?" Hiccup whispered. He drew his sword. "I know you're here somewhere. Show yourself beast!"
Just then, Hiccup heard rustling from the bushes behind him. He turned to slay the beast but was too slow. The beast pounced on top of him and pinned him down. It was over. He had lost.
Toothless licked his partner's face and released him.
"I thought I had you that time buddy."
Hiccup dropped the wooden sword he had made and rubbed Toothless's face. Toothless grinned and licked him again.
For 3 whole days, they had been playing this 'game'. Hiccup didn't know why, but something deep within him, his instincts perhaps, told him he needed to prepare Toothless and himself for battle.
"That's enough for today Toothless. We'll try again later. I'm starving" Hiccup walked over to his pile of stuff. The saddle he had made for Toothless was jumbled up. His actual sword laid next to it.
Hiccup groaned as he searched the saddle. "Toothless, did you really have to eat all of our food."
Toothless turned his head confused by what Hiccup was saying.
"Don't play coy with me. You know what you did."
Hiccup readied to pounce on Toothless when he heard a familiar voice in the sky.
"What are you doing so far away from the village!"
Astrid landed Stormfly next to Hiccup and Toothless. She dismounted from her dragon, leaned in, and gave Hiccup a kiss. "I looked for you this morning, but you were nowhere to be found. I was worried. Gobber said he's spotted you flying in this direction for the last 3 days. Is everything ok?"
Hiccup avoided Astrid's eyes. "I think something is coming. I feel it in my gut. I've been preparing for battle with Toothless." They turned to see Stormfly and Toothless wrestling. "I think Toothless senses it too. I'm weird aren't I?" Astrid stared at Hiccup with a blank expression. "God, I knew it!"
"Hiccup, I've been having a strange feeling too. It feels like the calm before the storm. Maybe you're right or wrong. Who knows for sure? What I do know is that you're driving me crazy with your disappearing act. You're the bravest, smartest warrior I know."
"Don't forget devilishly handsome."
"Don't push it mister." Astrid punched Hiccup in the arm. "Let's head back to the village. If I know Toothless, he's probably ate all of your rations."
Toothless raised his head at the sound of his name being called. Suddenly, he and Stormfly become defensive. They look past Hiccup and Astrid like they see something far off in the distance.
Hiccup looked in the direction they're looking and sees a shimmer. He turns back to the dragons."Whoa-whoa! Toothless I said whoa!" Toothless stops. "There's nothing there guys. It's probably just a dumb bird. Calm down." Toothless and Stormfly slowly calm down and begin wrestling again.
"That was strange... I think you're right Astrid. We should go." Hiccup calls Toothless over, resaddles him, and mounts him. "Let's go boy!"
He and Astrid fly off towards the village.
"We were lucky not to be seen," spoke Jaeger the Hurricane to his dragon. "Your cloaking ability is very handy Gypsy." Jaeger's dragon, purrs loudly at the sound of satisfaction in his master's voice. "So, this is the boy I've heard so much about. Well Hiccup, you and your village are in for a surprise."
