Dragon riders are go! Chapter 3.

A/N:

First chapter after the winter term of my school. This has been much slower than usual due to my laziness (like a few other writers). I have noticed small flaws in previous chapters so if you could spot them then it would be appreciated.

Chapter 3:

As another day drew to a close Hiccup gave a fleeting glance to the communicator he had received. His curiosity of the bizarre world he now knew of sorely tempted him to press the big red button on the silver, metallic face of the device; to be whisked away into another strange journey of discovery pushing the limits on his limited understanding of the world.

Hiccup, however, was not sure he was ready, tumbling into his bed as the sky became darker.

He woke up after a fitful sleep. His mind's constant internal battle refreshed by his rest; it was the strength of the resurgent mindset that pushed Hiccup as his hand fell, reasonably forcefully, on the curved button; the feeling of the button having been fully pressed solidified his resolve as he strode out to meet his Dragon.

Toothless had been up early, his strong desire to protect Hiccup, after the very recent unfortunate incident, rousing him from his deep slumber to observe the current situation in the village. as he walked steadily towards his friend, he scanned the area for anything that looked out of the ordinary; finding none he arrived at Hiccup's door just as it opened:

the absent minded boy ran into the dragon's unsuspecting head as he left, falling backwards onto the floor as Toothless, after recoiling in surprise, gave him a low, echoing laugh.

After straightening himself he addressed his happy dragon "I summoned Scott again. I Hope you're ready to meet him again Bud."

The excited movements of the dragon in response to this news confirmed that his best friend was indeed excited. Smiling with mutual understanding, Hiccup then lead Toothless to get Toothless' saddle fitted, the night fury was happy to oblige as he turned his sauntering wander toward the dragon stables.

Meanwhile at Tracy island.

Scott had received Hiccup's invitation and he too was excited as he dropped into the cockpit of thunderbird one. He took a moment to reflect on the chance encounter as Thunderbird one passed through the (slow) launch procedure. After the engines finally fired up Scott was once again brought back to the management of the aircraft; he checked all the readings on the flight instruments were fine before notifying Virgil of his current status.

Back to Berk.

Toothless had been highly impatient to fly, even before Scott could be seen or heard. Hiccup gave a small sigh as he mounted the dragon to allow it to properly pursue its intention. As soon as Hiccup was properly mounted, Toothless took to the clear skies with a vigour that surprised even Hiccup: Flying as high as Toothless could, Hiccup could finally make out the shine of the approaching ship.

Expecting a slow glide to meet Scott at the landing site, Hiccup was surprised when Toothless instead initiated a steep dive towards the ship; Hiccup could only hope the dragon knew what he was doing as the duo's airspeed skyrocketed.

Toothless was still in perfect control and he had his target in his sights; not a firing target, but an opponent in a race; And so Toothless raced to fulfil his hidden ambition from Scott's last visit: beating Scott's ship in a race.

Scott Tracy was pulling into subsonic for landing when his radar signalled something else was in his area and chasing him; Scared for a moment that a missile had somehow been locked onto him he was relieved when the visual informed him it was just Toothless. Wondering about the dragon's motives he remembered how fast he was going and understood how flying a ship far faster than any animal would get the attention of a prideful dragon.

Toothless himself was gaining quite well, although he was losing speed from having pulled out of a dive. Hiccup, after reassuring himself that his dragon was not making one of his fabled attack runs, began to see that Toothless was straining to make himself more aerodynamic as Thunderbird one approached.

Scott allowed the dragon to catch up with the tail of his ship before deciding to act; he was interested in the outcome of this 'race' but couldn't open up his engines for fear of hurting the dragon and/or overshooting the landing site. Instead Scott decided to outmanoeuvre the dragon and performed a quick half aileron roll before pulling up to initiate a dive (pulling up while upside down pulls the nose down towards the earth).

Toothless was not one to be outdone by a simple manoeuvre, in fact he completed his own manoeuvre faster than the futuristic craft; surprising Scott as he pulled ever closer to the cockpit, even after more evasive turns from Scott trying to prove that this supersonic capable craft was able to beat the persistent dragon.

Weary from failed attempts to get the smug dragon of his tail he proceeded to the landing site he had used before. Toothless, of course, basked in the knowledge he had managed to beat the fast, strange object, meanwhile Hiccup obviously was very close to throwing up from this unnecessary contest, having also become temporarily unconscious from the sheer number of high-G turns Toothless performed (Toothless' tail adjustments had to be performed subconsciously).

This became a source of confusion as Scott left thunderbird one to see Hiccup weakly detach himself before falling, face-first, off Toothless onto the ground, Scott rushed over to help Hiccup while Toothless realised the unintended consequences of his showmanship on his rider. Scott carefully rolled Hiccup over onto his back before carrying out first aid.

Gradually Hiccup gained consciousness, but it was obvious he was fatigued by the experience. Scott offered to let Hiccup recover in bed, but Hiccup refused, even in his tired state he was eager to learn about the hidden world he now knew about.

He asked carefully, unnecessarily careful in the unlikely case that this may somehow offend Scott:

"so, what's it like on the outside?" he asked, with what little strength he could muster after his little incident.

Scott answered simply "Not to be arrogant, but it is far more amazing than you could ever imagine.." he said with confidence as a small part of his mind grew excited at the prospect of showing his new friend his home; to repay him for his tour of Berk.

Hiccup continued getting more excited while still resisting the urge to throw up again. He gave an energetic plea to be shown Scott's world before slumping on Toothless' back. Scott decided that, against Hiccups own statement, allowing the thin boy to recover would be better for him. He left the guilty Toothless to carry Hiccup back to his bed, before following behind them to see if Hiccup needed any first aid after his hectic ride.

Hiccup opened his eyes after his body had finished recovering from his experience. He gradually became aware of being in a strange position as his consciousness gained awareness of his current state. He looked around to see Scott sitting close by, watching intently for signs of sickness, and Toothless looking worried on his bed. After subconsciously noticing how nice it was that Toothless' bulk wasn't on him as he awakened, he got ready to ask Scott about the strange position.

Scott noticed Hiccup awakening, the unhealthy shade of illness fortunately absent from his face, he came closer to help Hiccup get up but halted to prevent Toothless from giving an energetic welcome; for what seemed like the millionth time that day. He turned back and saw Hiccup swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand up, a smile of familiarity slowly forming on his face.

"Hello Scott, hope I didn't sleep too long," Hiccup said in a half shy half joking manner.

"You didn't sleep that long, only 2 hours." Scott responded in a friendly tone, although still wary for an unwelcome return of the sickness.

Hiccup nodded in understanding "That's good," his mind brought up his subconscious question from earlier and he found he was also curious about that strange occurrence: "why did I wake up in that position? I never sleep like that normally."

Scott was briefly worried about the fact that Hiccup didn't understand the purpose of that position but resolved it after remembering that he was in a foreign land; the people here probably didn't know much about the first aid from the outside world (not that it particularly mattered considering the skills of Elder Gothi). He answered his friend's question, not content to let the unsure reaction fester in Hiccup's mind.

"The position I laid you in was to prevent you from drowning in your vomit" he informed Hiccup honestly, ignoring the disgusting nature of the problem presented in favour of the simple answer to his question.

Hiccup recoiled in disgust at the suggestion of him drowning in his own bile but also understood how important that action was, considering how ill he had felt earlier. He prevented further thought on the matter and instead got out of his bed and stood up. He quickly dressed and left the house, leaving Scott behind due to his sudden actions. Scott regained his composure and strode out to wander back to his ship, still observing the weird every day actions of the people around; of these activities, most had been forgotten due to how automated systems had removed the need for humans to do such things: Each sight was like a reminder to Scott, a reminder of what people did before the use of electronics.

Hiccup himself was already halfway back to the landing site, having found Toothless happy to see him and also happy to give him a ride; having such a good friend convinced Hiccup that Toothless had to come on this journey as well. The flight took far less time than walking and by the time Toothless had landed, Scott had barely gotten out of the village. So, Hiccup had to wait while Scott made the long and slow journey to his current location.

Scott was still enjoying himself, there had always been an element of discovery during these trips and this island was definitely the highlight (apart from space) of his career. Thus, he thought it was reasonable that he took a few photos of the scenery around him, and perhaps of the boy's dragon if the boy agreed, he brought out a compact camera and took careful photos of the scenery around him; he was sure at least one person back at Tracy island would be jealous of this 'mission'.

Scott must have used a decent chunk of his camera's memory by the time, photographing more objects here than any other time in his life. He saw Hiccup patiently waiting near the ship, with his dragon close by. Hiccup arose from his stillness to confront Scott about the upcoming adventure, "Hello again Scott, is the ship ready to go? Also, can Toothless come along as well? he should be well behaved, and I would hate to leave him behind."

Scott was initially cautious about picking up large cargo but stopped himself with a reminder that Toothless was a Night Fury and not just some cargo. The dragon was also a good friend of the young boy; it would be a horrible trip for Hiccup if he didn't have his companion beside him. He made up his mind and gave a small declaration of agreement "He can come, wouldn't like to have you travelling without your friend after all."

Hiccup was overjoyed, he punched the air to release his overflowing excitement before running over to Toothless. He roused the dragon from a nap and told him the happy news while hugging him, "you're coming on the trip as well! Scott said it was fine for you to come!"

Toothless chirped happily, leaning into the hug as he did so. Scott was happy to see that he had made a positive decision but frowned as a sound could be heard from the bushes. Seconds later, Astrid rushed into the clearing; a happy smile showing through her heavy breaths as she realised she had caught them in the act of leaving. Scott was left in surprise while Hiccup, used to such events, intervened, "Astrid, what are you doing here? There's really no point in coming; I was just about to leave with Scott here, that's all."

Astrid didn't bother to respond at first, taking the awkward silence to approach Hiccup while swinging her axe casually. Scott was cautious of the use of a weapon, but Hiccup stayed calm; he knew that Astrid only used that for intimidation, and he was far too aware of that fact to let her petty display scare him. Astrid came closer and closer, until she was right in front of Hiccup's face. Hiccup never wavered, instead he began to speak with a disappointed tone, "really, Astrid? Why do you think that waving your axe will make me want to answer you? I respect that you want to talk, but this is not the way to do it."

Astrid slowly lost the sharp edge of her behaviour, replacing it with acceptance, but she was still interested in the journey, "I may not want to harm you, but if you're going to go off this island then I go too. And that's final."

Hiccup sighed in exasperation, "Well, I guess I can't just make you go quietly so I guess you're coming with me." He turned to Scott "sorry Scott, she may not be violent with me, but she has other ways of getting what she wants, I'm going to have to let her go with me as well."

Scott was getting impatient due to Astrid's continued presence. He wasn't trying to be hostile, but the girl's arrival had been far from unthreatening, "She can go, but please put away that axe, I don't want my passengers to hurt each other" She slowly dropped the axe, keeping it held for a while longer until another impatient glance from Scott and Hiccup made her put the axe away onto her belt.

Having finally won this short emotional skirmish, Scott turned around and headed back to thunderbird one; gesturing for Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless to follow. While they closed the gap, Hiccup noted that Astrid's mount was absent, "Astrid, where's Stormfly?"

Astrid slowed for a few seconds, caught in thought, before replying, "I don't know, I left her behind when I heard you were planning a journey without me."

Hiccup nodded in understanding before bringing his attention to the steps they were about to climb. Scott was already at the top of the stairs; he looked back at his main passengers before ducking into the entrance but paused when he saw an unexpected sight. Hiccup came in after him and stopped as well; he looked at what had caused Scott's sudden stop and was surprised when he saw a certain deadly Nadder in front of the Tracy. Astrid walked in and was pleased to see her dragon in the ship, "There you are, I thought I'd accidentally left you behind!"

Scott relaxed slightly, after confirming that this was not a threat to his passengers; since he barely knew anything about dragon behaviour. Hiccup also resumed his walking through the compartment, checking quickly that Scott hadn't been too emotionally affected by the sudden appearance of a dragon on his own ship.

Toothless watched the others go in before following once he had space to get in through the entrance. Those that were already in the supersonic jet gave a quick glance towards Toothless as the blue-black dragon took in his surroundings with an astonished croon. Hiccup noticed the endearing behaviour of his best bud with a smile, "Yeah Toothless, I'm amazed by the ship too." Toothless returned his eyes back to Hiccup, drooling slightly in excitement.

While his occupants got to know the inside of the craft, Scott was busy getting thunderbird one ready for launch. The engines had just been ignited when John Tracy gave him a video call. Scott thanked the fact that his passengers were out of sight during a call, otherwise the secret would be revealed. He accepted the call and came face to virtual face with John Tracy. The space-inhabiting member of the International rescue group was in high spirits; no huge disaster was occurring, and he was free to feel, for a short time, that either people had gotten smart enough to avoid disasters in the first place. Or, even better, the criminals which they sometimes faced had given up. Being in such a happy state of mind, he naturally started the conversation, "Hello Scott! Did your recent assignment go well? I really hope you haven't had a bad time; the rest of international rescue is having a celebration at the moment."

Scott grinned slightly for a short time, due to two reasons; firstly, his team members were safe and enjoying themselves, this was what John would know about. The second, secret, cause of his happiness was that his 'expedition' wasn't about rescuing, but rather getting to know a foreign tribe; he was happy to help them explore the surrounding world and be their guide. He then responded, with a grin that almost matched John's, "Hello John, Everything is going great here, I haven't had any hard rescues (covering up the fact that it wasn't meant to be a rescue at all) here and now everyone involved is safe and sound. I should be arriving back within 30 minutes."

John gave a nod in acknowledgement before saying farewell and returning to monitor the earth model for disaster call-outs. He secretly wondered, since Scott had been working in a uninspected part of the earth (the area was almost constantly covered in cloud) what stories he could tell. Even in his most creative answers, John would never get any hints as to the true nature of the expedition.

Scott took a look behind him, scanning the faces of the humans and dragons that had presented him with such an amazing new perception of the world. He then turned back, whispering gently, "such a beautiful occurrence should never be a secret, it's time the world knew about the existence of dragons."

END OF CHAPTER

A/N

I watched httyd 3 in cinema yesterday, for new readers; this could give you a sense of time, and I am planning that HTTYD 3 is going to be the end point of my stories, unless Dreamworks makes a new series. I thank dragontrainer101 (1. Off the top of my head, not sure if accurate. he/she probably won't know of this) since the ending of the movie was understandably emotional for me. His/her story explaining a continuing relationship really helped me get over my sadness.