"Astrid, what's that?" Hiccup called excitedly. I glanced over just to spot a very small, yet long neck peeking out from behind a rock. I held my hand in the air without looking to catch the spyglass. I knew he was going to throw it. I felt the wind woosh next to my hand and someone holding onto my hair for balance. I stayed perfectly still knowing the two-year old could catch the spyglass just as well as I could. The hand released my hair.
"What do you see Runa?" I asked the small girl. I shifted my weight in the saddle knowing exactly what she was going to do. Runa walked out onto Stormfly's wing. Stormfly shifted ever so slightly to encompass the tiny girls weight on that side. Runa was tiny, maybe 17 pounds. She looked just like a mini me, but her incredible mind was all Hiccup. She was a prodigy to say the least. She had just turned two but was already talking in full sentence with near perfect speech. She could draw better than any other child in the village, she already practically has every dragon in the village melting in her small hands. She stood on Stormfly's wing peering through the spyglass.
"Not new Daddy, It baby Dramillion!" She said handing me the spyglass. I almost laughed at the look on Hiccups face. I glanced quickly through the spyglass and saw my little girl was right. I tossed to back to Hiccup for him to have a second look. He looked both proud and disappointed.
"Can we say Hi?" Runa begged me.
"Ask Daddy" I told her. I shifted in the saddle again as she walked to the edge of Stormfly's wing.
"Toofless!" She called. The black Night Fury shot forward from a few feet behind us.. She patted the nose as it passed her before he drifted to the side and had his wings even with Stormfly's. She leaped the foot between the wings and tumbled in a ball onto Toothless's wing, quickly righting herself before she could roll right off the edge. She had scared me half to death the first time she did it, but now days it was so common.
"Daddy, can we say Hi?" She asked, giving him puppy dog eyes. Hiccup was a sucker, that is all I am going to say.
"Sure sweetie" He responded. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist as she sat down behind him.
"Come on bud!" Hiccup said, and toothless dived towards the young dragon. I can see the future. When they are about 5 feet from the ground my little girl lets go of my husband and makes herself into a ball. Toothless can predict the future too. He turns his wing slowly downward and she rolls off of him and onto the ground. Also scared me to death the first time. I know she is copying Hiccup all the time, but that is the scariest part. Hiccup thinks she is the most amazing thing ever, he is not wrong. She unfurls from her ball and makes her way over to the small Dramillion. It hisses threateningly at her. I watch Runa freeze. Hiccup and Toothless land and Hiccup jumps quickly off keeping an eye on both the girl and dragon. I know he doesn't want to interfere, to see how she does. He often forgets she is only two years old, and not the seven year olds he is used to training. I'm about to swoop in when the most amazing thing happens.
Runa is looking the dragon in the eyes, staring it down. It holds her stare. Then I feel my heart jump to my throat as I watch her slowly hold up her hand. She breaks the stare and looks away from the dragon. I decide enough is enough, I start landing Stormfly next to Toothless. I hop off Stormfly to run at the dragon. I feel Hiccups arms snake around my waist, holding me back.
"Watch" He whispers in my ear, Stormfly coos softly as if to agree with him. I watch as the dragon slowly approaches my daughter and places it's nose on her palm. I gasp as she turns to look at it. She rubs it gently under its snout with the biggest smile on her face. Yep, She may look like me, but she is all Hiccup.