Chapter 2: Starting Over
I climbed on Toothless' back.
The sky was still dark blue, but over in the southwest, the clouds had a distinctly purple tinge that let everyone know that morning wasn't far.
A cool, calming breeze blew off the ocean as I pressed down on the tailfin, as we rose up in the air and took off in the sky, away from that horrible, awful place, away from Halfdan, away from his lackeys, away from the guards, away from Savage, away from…
Away from everything.
I gently pushed my thoughts in another direction. I didn't want to think about how much I hated Outcast Island.
This was my chance to start a new life with Toothless. It was my chance to start over and I wasn't going to waste it.
I heard the night wolves falling silent, as they so often did when morning came. They were my company at night, mixing with the moon and the stars that gazed down on me from my little window at night. If I really struggled, I could feel a bit of ocean breeze on my face every night, if I could just find the right way to prop myself up on the sill for two seconds before I was dragged back down again, back down into cold, deep darkness…
No.
I had to stop thinking like that. I was starting over.
Neither Toothless nor I had slept that night, but once the real danger was past and Outcast Island was far behind us, I sensed him feeling the effects of fatigue.
I lifted my foot off the pedal, letting the tail fin snap closed and we began freefalling towards the water.
On impulse, I did the trick I'd done one thousand times before, many years ago, in my old life. I undid my vest and jumped out of the saddle, freefalling.
I smelled salt and felt us getting nearer to the water, so I grabbed onto Toothless' saddle and buckled myself inside, but I still heard the splash as his belly skimmed the water.
A few seagulls cried out in alarm upon seeing a black-as-night dragon in the middle of the day, but I simply laughed, trying to keep the tiredness out of my mind.
We could sleep later, I reminded myself, before catching sight of an island on the horizon.
"Hey, Toothless," I mumbled, stroking his head in an attempt to calm him, "there's an island."
Toothless moaned in confirmation, letting me know I wasn't hallucinating.
I could've been doing anything these days.
I never thought I'd wind up on Outcast Island quite the way I had, I never thought I'd hear my dad tell me those terrible words, I never thought it was possible to hate somebody as much as he hated me, but…
No.
I was starting over.
I was starting over and hopefully, this island could help me in that quest.
I knew it was most likely going to be inhabited. But I also knew Toothless and I were capable of sleeping outside and eating very little. I knew we were capable of being quiet.
And there was a forest perfect for hiding out in just off one of the main paths, I noted as we got closer.
But I didn't note any more than that, because suddenly, weapons were flying at us from the direction of the island.
An arrow pierced Toothless' tailfin and I felt us beginning to fall.
Oh, perfect.
The arrow hadn't done more than pierce it and rip a bit of the top layer off, revealing its mechanics, but that was enough to seriously hamper our flight.
I saw us heading for the beach and closed my eyes, knowing I was about to become a stain on the sand. Toothless was already spreading his wings to hopefully slow his fall, and then he glanced over at me and grabbed me in his talons.
I felt his scaly front paws clutching at my arms, dragging me forward and then my boots were skimming the sand and he was letting me go…
I had a mouthful of sand and the cries of frightened Vikings ringing in my ears.
"Did you see that?"
"That dragon just grabbed that boy!"
"He might've saved the boy's life!"
"Restrain him!"
"Restrain the dragon!"
"Get the boy!"
"Who knows what that thing can do?!"
"Grab him!"
I lifted my head and gazed around me at the blurry shapes of overly muscled Vikings that I'd grown so used to on Outcast Island and just as I opened my mouth to tell them not to hurt Toothless, I realized my throat wouldn't let the words pass through.
My body wouldn't cooperate, wouldn't let me stand. So I lay there on the white sand and I made an odd noise before I let my head fall to the ground again, a headache threatening as I blacked out.
