So, just as a FYI. This is a reboot of the Dragon Boarder series. You see, with the new Dragons show, it rendered all my stories, with the exception of the first one, obsolete and with huge character differences. This story, and potentially others that follow, will be written according to the new Canon in the HTTYD universe. I hope you'll enjoy this story as you have with the others! So please, without further delay, read on.
Chapter One: And so it resumes…
"Slow down Hiccup! We don't need to pretend the Red Death's behind us!" Astrid shouted out loud, glancing over at a smiling Hiccup. "You excited or something?"
"Is it that obvious?" Hiccup replied, slowing down Toothless.
"Well, since we left Dragon's Edge, we've been flying at a rate that would get us to Berk at Noon!" Astrid laughed, guiding Stormfly closer to Toothless "How much farther is this island?"
"Not much farther! I can't wait to show it to you!" Hiccup said with a wide smile "I think you'll enjoy it."
"Give me a hint at least. Is it like Dragon's Edge? Or…" Astrid began to say, only to be cut off.
"I'll just say that it throws some old memories back." Hiccup replied, looking over at Astrid.
"You're killing me Hiccup!" Astrid shouted out of despair.
Hiccup just shook his head and laughed, returning his focus on what lay ahead.
Astrid couldn't help but smile at her excited friend. He never really went into details about the island, other than he just wanted Astrid to come with him. Leaving everyone else back at Dragon's Edge, she couldn't help but feel excited just because of the mystery. Looking over Hiccup, she saw that he was carrying a basket on his back; which he wouldn't tell her what was in it until they got to the island he discovered. Strapped to one side of Toothless' saddle was a small chest. A smaller chest that could really only hold small to medium sized objects. Where ever this was, Hiccup was planning on doing something there.
"There!" Hiccup shouted, pointing ahead. "See! Told you it wouldn't be that long."
Astrid stared at the island, covered in a white layer of snow and with scattered pine trees. It almost looked like a glacier and less than an island. It wasn't a big island either, it was honestly a little bit of a letdown compared to how Hiccup talked about the island. "Well…it's…white! Like Dragon's Edge and Berk…" Astrid said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.
Laughing, Hiccup shook his head and said "It's what's on the island that's the surprise. Not the island itself!"
"Oh. You made it sound like the island was going to be a paradise!" Astrid shouted, angry that she was misled.
"I never said that. I just said that would throw some memories that we kind of forgot about." Hiccup replied.
Frowning, she guided Stormfly down onto a snowy plain, right under a small, snow-capped mountain. Dismounting Stormfly, she felt the cold wind cut through her shirt. Shivering, she then asked Hiccup "So…what did you want to show me?"
"This way." Hiccup quickly said "There's a cave just around this grove of trees. Hopefully the surprise is in there."
"Wait. What do you mean hopefully?" Astrid asked, following Hiccup "Enough mystery! Just tell me what it is!"
"I can't! It'd ruin everything!" Hiccup said, realizing Astrid's patience was running low "If the surprise isn't there, I'll give you another hint, ok?"
"Fine! Let's just get out of the wind." Astrid huffed, walking past Hiccup.
Rounding around a few trees, she saw the cave. Grabbing her arms to try and keep her warm, she briskly walked into the cave. No longer feeling the wind, Astrid let out a long sigh of relief, letting her body slowly regain some warmth. Turning around, she saw Hiccup with the two dragons walk in. "Alright Hiccup, what's this surprise?" she asked, placing one hand on her hip.
"Uhhh…" Hiccup began to say, looking past Astrid and deeper into the cave "He…he should be here."
"Who? Who's he?" Astrid asked, glaring at Hiccup.
Suddenly a roar sounded from outside, causing both dragons to look at the entrance. Almost immediately after the roar, a Skrill landed at the opening, radiating with lightning.
"Hiccup! Lookout!" Astrid shouted, running and drawing her axe.
"Wait!" Hiccup yelled, grabbing Astrid's arm "Look! Don't you recognize him? Look closely at the back!"
Staring at Hiccup, she slowly looked over at the Skrill, glaring at them. Looking at the back, she saw that black stripes were along the spikes. "No way...is that…how did you find him!" Astrid gasped, staring at the dragon.
"I told you it would throw some memories back!" Hiccup laughed, opening the basket. Pulling out a fish, he tossed it to the Skrill who caught it with his mouth "Good to see you again Wasatch!"
Swallowing the fish, Wasatch then slowly walked up to Hiccup and rested his head against Hiccup's chest. Shocking him lightly, the Skrill then turned to look at Astrid.
Extending her hand out to the Skrill, she also let her axe slowly drop to the ground. Feeling the dragon's head pressed against it, she felt a jolt run through her body. Feeling her muscles weaken, she couldn't help but scratch the massive forehead. Wasatch rubbed his head up and down as she began the scratching, making the most of the kind gesture.
Finally pulling away from Astrid, Wasatch then turned to Toothless and Stormfly, growling at them and flapping his wings. The two responded similarly, seeming to smile while doing so. At that, the dragons bolted out and began to roll in the snow, playing with each other.
"Ah. Good to know that Wasatch is still friendly to other dragons." Hiccup said, laughing at the sight of the dragon playing in the snow. "I bet he was pretty lonely…"
"Definitely." Astrid replied, also staring at the snow flurry as the dragons tackled each other. Turning to Hiccup, she then asked "I remember when he left almost three years ago! How did you find him?"
Taking a seat on a rock, Hiccup motioned Astrid to do the same. Seeing her sit down next to him, he then said "It was when I first found this island. I saw some lightning above this mountain and decided to check it out. When we landed, Wasatch jumped us immediately. He must have known who we were, because he pinned me on the ground and began to lick me. I'm just glad it was Wasatch. Could have been a lot worse if it was a different Skrill."
At that, he then picked up the small chest off the ground and placed it in a small crevice. Making sure it was secure, he then opened it and pulled out a series of straps and an oddly shaped object.
Recognizing them, Astrid then said "Matt's saddle?"
"Yeah. I thought it would be good to leave them here with Wasatch. For nostalgia sake." Hiccup said, looking down at the straps.
Astrid didn't say anything but just looked up from the saddle and stared at Hiccup. Seeing his face, she then asked "Your thinking of him now aren't you?"
"I can't help but think about what he's doing." Hiccup explained, kneeling down and putting the bindings and straps back in the small chest "Since I first saw Wasatch, I can't help but think about him. Like, did his leg heal? Is he still snowboarding?" Looking at Astrid, he then asked "Did he actually get home?"
Astrid just sighed. Standing up, she then walked over to him. Grabbing his arm, she then said "Tell you what. You tell me what you're thinking, and then I want to say something. Something that hasn't really changed."
Hiccup quickly looked up at her, not sure how to take the cryptic message. "How about…you go first." Hiccup said, walking over to a seat where they could sit together.
Sighing, Astrid nodded "Ok…deal." At that, she then took a deep breath. Hiccup wasn't going to be too happy hearing this.
"Take the $400 transaction from accounts payable and credit it to cash for $376 and interest payable for $34." Matt whispered quietly to himself, circling an answer on the test. Done. After a long semester of studying, homework, eating cheap pasta, and not getting enough sleep, Matt was finally done with school and ready for the winter vacation of a month and a half.
Standing up, he quickly zipped up his grey snowboard coat and made sure his Dragon Alliance snapback hat was on securely. Grabbing his test, he shouldered his backpack as he slid the paper onto his professor's desk.
"Have a great vacation Matt!" Professor Peirce said with a smile.
"Thanks Professor, you too!" Matt whispered, smiling as he did so "See you next semester!" At that he quietly opened the door and walked out of the room. Hearing the door close, Matt then let out a whoop of excitement. "What's up!" he shouted fist pumping the air "A whole semester of accounting is done! Who passed the class? This guy!" Running out the building, he looked up at the sky to see snow falling gently down. "Ah! Snow!" he said, closing his eyes and letting the cold flakes melt on his face. Each flake seemed to chip away the stress he had built up during final's week.
Soaking in the feeling, he then heard a girl laugh at him. Turning around, his face immediately turned red when he saw Darien, smiling at him as she walked up. Wearing a white coat, with a pink beanie hat, her reddish blonde hair was covered in flakes of snow. Having had an English class with her, it was hard for Matt to not like her.
"Let me guess…" Darien began to say, letting Matt walk with her "You're done with school huh? Today's your last day."
Still blushing, Matt then said "Heh, well you nailed it. Accounting 2010 is officially over. Also being my last test for finals."
"How did a hardcore snowboarder like you turn into a paper pusher?" Darien asked, looking at Matt with curiosity.
"How did you know that I was a snowboarder?" Matt asked. Though they talked with each other, they weren't super close.
"Oh please." Darien said, rolling her eyes "You were a legend with snowboarding in Utah! Everyone was waiting for you to announce that you were going professional."
"Everyone!?" Matt asked, staring at Darien.
"Well…all the snowboard clubs in high school and small organizations." Darien explained, starting to walk down some steps that led to the lower portion of the university campus. "I also followed you on a personal level. So what happened? Why didn't you?"
"Why didn't you tell me you knew who I really was?" Matt asked, still soaking in the new information.
Shrugging, Darien then said "I don't know. Just never really thought it was important. At least until now."
Smiling, Matt then in turn shrugged "Well, since you told me the something new, I guess I can tell you something new. You've seen me limp right?"
Nodding, Darien said "I didn't think much of it, but yeah; I've seen you limp."
Smiling, Matt then said "Three years ago, I had a snowboard accident."
"Wait…you mean up at Alpine Heights?" Darien asked.
Surprised again, Matt then asked "How did you-"
"I followed you, remember? I was betting on what day you'd announce you were signing with Red Bull." Darien explained "You can imagine my surprise when you instead announced you were retiring. Was your leg really the reason?"
Still shocked, Matt then nodded his head and explained "Among other things, but it was the main reason. The leg never really healed, and I haven't been able to do the same things I used to do since."
"Didn't therapy work?" she asked, walking towards the dorm rooms. "At least help?"
"Oh it helped." Matt quickly answered, "But the root of the problem is the bone, not the muscle. I crashed so hard that my Femur never really healed. The x-ray shows that I'm missing a piece of the bone; and it almost looks like it was cut rather than broke. Strength wise, I'm fine. It's just when I plant my foot down just right is when it hurts."
"Dang…of course it had to happen to you. You were a rising star!" Darien said, shaking her head "The next Shaun White!"
Laughing, Matt swiped his card key through card slot, opening the door to their dorm building. "I wouldn't say I was a rising star. But it was fun."
"Do you still snowboard?" Darien asked, letting Matt open the door for her.
"For sure! Just not as intense as I did before. Mostly just joy riding instead of tricks and competition events." Matt replied, chuckling. Looking down at Darien, he then asked "What about you? You have to snowboard since you know so much about me."
"Got me." She said with a smile "I love to board. Not as good as you were I'm sure; I just like to ride around. Kind of like you!"
"Heh, does sound like me…" Matt whispered, looking at Darien. Getting an idea, he then asked "Hey, so…would you like to come up to my room? Make some hot chocolate and chat for a little bit?"
Smiling, Darien shook her head, saying "Thanks, but no thanks…I still have a math test to study for tomorrow. Some of us aren't done with school yet!"
Bummed at the rejection, Matt just nodded with a forced smile.
"But…I will take a rain check." Darien said, making Matt's face light up.
"So…next semester?" Matt asked, having a hopeful look on his face.
"Next semester. Who knows, maybe earlier." Darien said with a smile. Lightly hitting him in the chest, she left a piece of paper where he awkwardly grabbed it. Smiling wider, she then turned down a hallway and disappeared from his view.
Smiling, Matt looked down at the paper and saw a number on it. Shaking his head, he then walked to an elevator. Happy that he finally scored a friendship with a girl that he liked, he was then immediately filled with remorse since the semester was ending and he was leaving the next morning.
Lost in his thoughts, he then heard the elevator bing, with the doors opening. Stepping past a few students with grim looks on their faces, probably heading to some tests. Letting the doors close, he then hit the button with a big 4 on it. Feeling the elevator move, he then turned his thoughts to his vacation. Heading home, Matt was going to stop by the Alpine Heights for a tradition he started three years ago. Every year after his encounter with Hiccup and the entire village of Berk, he snowboarded to the cave that led him to his best and most valued memory. All the times he came back, the cave was closed. Smiling at the thought of seeing Berk again, he now just expected it to be a onetime thing.
Hearing the elevator bing again, Matt waited for the doors to open. Stepping off the elevator, he quickly scooted to the side of the hall to let some other kids run onto the elevator. Laughing at his good fortune, he then walked down the hall and towards his dorm room. His roommate left earlier that day, leaving him alone with the small few rooms. Swiping the card again, Matt opened the door and walked in. Already packed up and ready to go, it was only a waiting game to head home. Well, after he dropped by Alpine Heights. Smiling at the thought of going to the ski resort, Matt flipped on the light in his room to reveal something that made his heart stop. His bags were torn open; with everything scattered and thrown around the room.
"Oh no, no, no!" Matt shouted, running to the mess. Scanning the room, he saw that his laptop and small TV were still there. "Ok…why wouldn't they take the two most valuable things I own?" Matt whispered, inspecting the bags. Glancing up, he saw his truck's keys still hanging on the wall. "Didn't take the truck…" Pulling up his duffle bag that had his snowboard gear, he saw that his equipment was still there, but scattered all over and around in the bag. About the zip up the bag, a piece of paper caught his attention. Quickly grabbing it, he saw that it was his sketch of Wasatch, his Skrill. Mainly drawn from memory, the picture still sent him down memory lane.
Staring at the picture, a thought came to him. Looking in the back in the bag, he began to search for a small book. Tearing through his bag, he became more and more desperate. "No…No! It has to be here!" Flipping his bag over, he dumped out the goggles, boots, bindings, and anything else that was in the bag. Confirming that it was empty, Matt took a step back from the duffle. It was gone. His special journal that he kept. It had drawings of Berk, Wasatch, and it talked about the cave.
Pulling out his phone, he quickly dialed a number. Waiting for the other end to pick up, he took a second and looked out his window. With the light snow falling heavier, he could see his reflection staring back at him. With a worried, anxious look; the scruffy, shaggy black haired 19 year old couldn't help but think of the what if's.
"Hey son! How was the test?" A voice sounded on the other end of the line.
"Dad, hold on for a sec." Matt quickly said, kicking over the duffle bag just to make sure he missed the journal "I'm calling about the thing that happened three years ago."
His dad's voice instantly grew somber "Hold on. Let me get in a quite spot."
Matt began to rub his forehead, now starting to get a pit forming in his stomach. He couldn't have lost it. Shouldn't have! How did anyone know what to look for? Where to look for? More importantly why?
"Ok, I'm alone." His dad's voice quietly said "What's going on?"
"Dad…my room got broke into." Matt began to explain "Everything's been torn out of the bags and such."
"What's missing? Your laptop?" His dad asked. "More importantly, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, and no, they didn't take anything. Except my journal. The journal about the cave, about Berk, about the dragons; they took it!"
His dad didn't say anything. This wasn't good. Finally after what felt like an hour, he whispered in the phone "Do you think they know about the cave?"
"I don't know. I never mentioned it to anyone! Except you of course." Matt replied, pacing frantically around his room "But nothing else is missing! Not the TV, not the laptop, not even my can of spare cash! I have like a hundred bucks in it!"
"Are you sure you didn't slip? You think someone might have overheard you?" His dad pressed.
"Dad! It took me 4 months to get the gumption to tell you! I hardly even think about it unless I'm alone!" Matt said angrily, finally stopping his pacing. Leaning against the wall of his room, he slid down to where he was sitting. "I don't know who, how, or why. All I know is that they ransacked my room to find it."
"Well…what do you do now?" his dad asked, sounding discouraged at what was happening.
Sighing, and looking blankly out the window, Matt then said "I guess I better stay at the cave for a few days. See if someone comes or not."
"My thoughts exactly" his dad whispered.