GENDERBENT HICCUP! GET THE HECK OUT OF BERK AU!
HTTYD-GENDERBENT: Where I Belong
Chapter Two: Let Me Show You
Caldera Cay: Hikka's Hut
She had been here for a week.
A whole, fricking, week since she had come to Caldera Cay and began living with the Defenders of the Wing and four since she had been flying.
On the first day, the villagers and herself had gotten to work building a hut for her. They even let her pick out the design and spot for the house. She decided to have it on a small cliff, not too far from the village. It has a nice view of both said village, as well as the horizon ahead. The design was inspired by Toothless himself, with a built-in-forge and plenty of crazy contraptions on the roof, including a windmill and a launch pad for Toothless. The interior is actually quite identical to her house back on Berk. She guessed that she just wanted a familiar sight to help her settle in better. The bedroom she and Toothless slept in was a loft, accessed by a log with steps carved out of it. The lower floor has a large, circular, stone table with chairs, in case Margaret or some children decided to visit for a drink or chat, a large chest for some things she plans to fill in later, many crates and barrels, filled with both food for Hikka and food for Toothless and a fire pit not too far from the table.
The second day was due to adding to the house. Such as a bed for Toothless, which was a circular stone slab, getting the tools needed for blacksmithing and inventing. She was able to acquire those at the Northern Markets, as well as the large assortment of crated foods and barrels of fish that she had to spend countless hours on getting.
The third day was just finishing touches, such as painting and decorating. The lower floor has all sorts of blueprints for Hikka's planned inventions and some decorative shields on the wall.
And the forth and rest of the week was because as Hikka and Toothless were about to take a well deserved flight for their work, Mala forbade it.
Hikka was livid. No flying?! Then Mala explained that now that Hikka was going to live here, she will have to respect their ways, and that meant no dragon back flying. Period. Hikka had, of course, protested, saying that Toothless can't fly without her, but Mala held firm, simply saying: "You're an intelligent young woman, Hikka. I'm sure you'll find a way to get the Night Fury to fly on his own." Mala deliberately ignored Toothless growl for even suggesting such a thing and walked away, back straight and hands behind her back.
Right now, Hikka was laying about on her bed, still a bit steamed and unsure what to do. She didn't feel like getting on any inventing, and now, she was not allowed to fly. She was upset.
Toothless was just the same, if not worse. Unlike Hikka, who prefers to handle her problems on her own without letting people know of whatever was burdening her, Toothless let his feelings known. And in full volume. On the forth day, after Mala told them the news, Toothless was just silent and grumpy, his entire expression actually quite comical. He would stomp his foot every time he took a step and his tail dragged against the dirt floor. Hikka was able to get him to stop dragging, for it would ruin the tail.
On the fifth day, he began showing his frustration verbally. Well, as verbally as a dragon that didn't speak Norse could anyway. Whenever Hikka was trying to sleep or talk, or get something done, Toothless would growl, roar and even shriek his famous shriek to get Hikka to just get on his back so they can fly like they wished. But no luck. While Hikka didn't agree with Mala, she respected her, and so no flying was done on that day either.
Six days in, and he started showing his anger, not just verbally, but physically. Whenever Hikka was within range, he would smack the back of her head with his tail and then gestured towards the sky. He would bumped her in the back, push her out of bed at night or simply get in her face and breathed his stinky fish breath on her. And still, no avail.
The seventh and final day of the week, Toothless decided that if he can't pressure his Soulful One into getting them to fly, then he shall make the rest of the village suffer his wrath too. He would get on the very top of Hikka's hut, then stomp around, letting the chips and dust literally fall where they may and then roared as loud as possible while everyone was asleep, waking everyone up, and making sure they are on the wrong side of the bed.
Yeah, they were not the happy couple.
It was day eighth now, and Hikka just stayed in bed, staring up towards the ceiling. Or really, Toothless's frustrated eyes as he stood over her bed, his nose right in front of hers. He let out a soft warble for the eleventh time and Hikka sighed, taking in his face with her hands gently.
"Toothless. I understand that you are frustrated, but..." she didn't now how to finish her sentence, so she didn't. Toothless sighed as well and nuzzled her face. He had to remember that this was just as hard for her as it was for him. They both felt free when they fly. If he should be crabby at anyone, it should be Mala.
"Well, this is just depressing." the two of them perked up at Margaret's sarcastic, yet humorous tone as she entered the hut and looked up at the loft. Toothless roared in delight as Hikka smiled. Toothless allowed Hikka to climb down his tail to reach the lower floor faster and she ran up to Margaret and hugged her. The old woman laughed and patted her back.
"You want some tea?"
"Tea would be lovely, dear." Hikka smiled and went over to the fire pit and placed the pot of water over the fire and stirred up the embers, to make the fire burn hotter. Trader Johann was the one who introduced her to tea, as Stoick pretty much forbade her from having any other drink other then water and juice. And so, during a trade with Berk, Johann showed her some tea that came from another of one of his exotic travels, and gave her instructions on how to brew it. Trade it in for another spyglass, and he had himself a deal. Hikka and Gothi were the only users of this fine thing called tea. Everyone else on the island just stuck to mead, beer and wine. Sure Hikka had the occasional wine here and there, but she was a tea girl through and through.
Toothless came up to Margaret and gently nuzzled her. Margaret smiled and stroked his head lightly. She then pulled out a small fish, a mullet, and held it above his head. Tail wagging, he arched his back before hopping up and grabbing the raw fish out of her fingers and swallowing it whole. She carefully stepped forward, cane in hand, and slowly placing herself in a seat by the table as Hikka watched the cauldron.
"You, know I heard a phrase. It's called 'A watched pot never boils'." Hikka blushed and made her way over the table and took a seat herself. Toothless sat on his hunches beside her, tail wagging in joy of a friend in their presence.
"Still upset with Mala's degree?" Margaret asked gently, and their mood dampened a little.
"Yes. With the degree though, not Mala. I understand why she is doing this. She respects the dragons and their right to be free. But Toothless can't fly without me, and then she suggest I find a way for him to fly on his own. And whenever I do consider it and make a blueprint for it, he sniffs it out and rips it apart. So, yeah, he's pretty stubborn on the bare mention of flying without me." Toothless nodded, making his decisions clear.
He was not flying anywhere without his Sál. And he had an idea of how to get Mala to except them riding on dragon back, but she was as stubborn as him. But not enough. All he had to do was get both Hikka and Mala on his back.
"Margaret, what do I do?"
"Something will come around and she'll have to listen to your opinion. What's meant to fly shouldn't stay grounded forever." Hikka smiled, knowing she wasn't just referring to Toothless. Said dragon let out a warning roar, as he heard steam from the cauldron. Hikka rushed over and started brewing the tea. Eventually, it was all finished and she started pouring it into two wooden cups. After handing the fish one two Margaret, she sat down once more and took a quick sip. Piping hot and delicious.
They sat there, just talking about small topics and such, when they heard a noise. It sound like slurping. They turned around to the brewing desk to see that Toothless had stuck his head inside the tea cauldron and was now lapping up the extra tea. Hikka laughed, making Toothless lift his head, only to reveal that the cauldron was stuck around his snout.
"Toothless!" Hikka guffawed as Toothless turned his head towards her, before realizing that the cauldron was really stuck. He started shaking his head around, accidentally hitting said head, and cauldron, against the desk, the wall, knocking down some blueprints as he went, and even sat in the fire pit. Though, he was unaffected by the sudden heat on the hind quarters. In fact, he even purred.
Hikka giggled as she got up from her seat and walked over to the Night Fury. The dragon's ears perked up at the sound of his Soulful One's footsteps and turned his head towards her direction. Hikka smiled and leaned over to grabbed the cauldron. She guided him out of the fire pit and then started to try and pry the pot off the ebony dragon's head. At first, nothing happened.
"Toothless, I need you to help me out with this one." Toothless rumbled the affirmative and started to tug along with her. After about a minute, the cauldron came off with a pop and Hikka landed on her backside, Toothless getting the same treatment, landing on his rump with a much rougher thump.
Margaret cackled lightly and soon enough, everyone in the house hold was laughing.
Compared to Berk, this life was worth living in.
Hikka and Toothless strolled through the village with smiles on their faces. Their talk with Margaret really lightened their spirits.
But they were still a bit down. Toothless was starting to get restless and his wings ached to fly. And he wanted Hikka to get on his damned back. It was getting annoying how light he felt without her slim weight on his own. It was starting to drive him absolutely mad. A life without flying was one thing, but flying without your Soulful One was an entirely different one, so he'd rather not fly at all rather not fly with Hikka.
The two heard a squawk and looked up to see Illviðri and Krókur looking down at them. Illviðri let out another squawk and gestured to the sky.
Hikka understood the message.
'Come fly with us.'
But Hikka only shook her head sadly. Illviðri and Krókur crooned in disappointment, before flying off somewhere closer to the volcano, where the Great Protector resided.
Hikka sighed. She really wished that she could join them. But orders were orders. She decided to go to the library. Margaret said that the place is a paradise of knowledge, and it should help her both think of a way to let Mala approve Dragon Riding, and pass the time.
Toothless went to follow, before Hikka raised a hand to stop him. Toothless cooed, hurt, but Hikka stayed firm. "I need some time alone, bud. Why don't you wander around the woods. Try and make some friends. I'll see you soon for dinner, alright?" Toothless let out a dragonic sigh and nodded. Hikka smiled and went off to the library.
When she faded from view, Toothless turned to the volcano, where Illviðri and Krókur flew off to. He decided they needed to discuss.
"I can't stand staying on the ground any longer and neither can Sál. I don't know what else to do." Toothless told the group as they gathered on a path on the volcano. His frustration spoke volumes as he had his wings out open to speak. The Dragon way of asking permission to take part in a important converse.
"Well, there must be someway to convince Mala that 'Dragon Riding' as they call it is just the way of the Soulful Ones." Móðurlega raised her wings and said in a calming manner, thinking of some sort of loop hole they haven't considered yet. Krókur stepped forward and raised his wings to speak next.
"Why don't we just grab Mala and take her flying? That might convince her. I'll even be the one to let her on my back." "Too risky for Sál. If we just grab her out of nowhere, the rest of the colony could suspect that she is betraying them." Spýta lifted his head, urging the body forward to have a go at the floor and then the Zippleback raised their wings.
"How about coaxing some of the Defenders to get on our backs so they see they have our consent to riding us?" "They're just as determent about upholding their laws as Queen Mala is. I'm afraid that won't work either." The Gronckle said sadly. Illviðri grew frustrated and held up her wings.
"Well, what can we do?" the entire party was silent. They don't know what to do. Mala was a woman worthy of their respect, but what she was forcing upon the Night Fury and their Sál was brutal. Ever since their first meeting, the two outcasts have been bonded. Not even death can break their bond. And Sál was just as compelled to flight as they were. It was like asking a Viking to take a bath. By the end of the day, the viking still smelled like a Submaripper and a Soulful One was in the air on a dragon's back.
But not today as it seemed.
"Give it time." they froze at the sound of Vernda's gentle and understanding voice as she landed in front of them. The rebels bowed their heads in respect, but Illviðri still looked distraught. "But that's just it. Mala won't give Sál the time to understand that it is the way of the Soulful Ones to ride their dragon."
"Mala will learn that not even her laws can keep a dragon and his girl apart. And she'll have to accept the fact that there are just some things that are meant to be. Whether it is a dragon meant to swim instead of fly or a girl to ride a dragon instead of being stuck in a library." Vernda told them wisely, before taking flight and going back to the volcano.
The group exchanged looks, feeling defeated but determent at the same time.
"Maybe she's right. Let's just wait this whole thing out. Good things come to those who wait, right?" Andaðu said in a cheerful manner, trying to keep their spirits high. But only Toothless was the one down. He felt as though he had waited long enough.
But deciding that it was probably for the better that they wait. If he continued to bug about it, Mala could get irritated and demand his 'release'. He can't let that happen. He nodded to the group, raised his wings and glided back towards the village.
The rebellion watched him as he glided, feeling sad for him.
But Vernda was right. All they could do right now was wait.
Hikka slammed the book shut, frustration seriously starting to take it's toll on her. She was hoping that looking through the books of the Defenders laws would present a loophole to her grounded problem. But nothing. Just 'Respect the word of the dragon' and that was it. How in Helheim was that supposed to help her?
Hikka sighed. Maybe she can find something in the afternoon.
CRASH!
CRUMBLE!
"What in Odin's name?!" a distant voice cried out, soon followed by a choir of questions. Hikka got up immediately and rushed over. A hoard of people were gathered in a circle. Mala and Margaret were there too, as were the rebellion dragons and Toothless.
Hikka bolted over to them, to see they were gathered around a massive hole. Hikka frowned. Unless Mala thought they needed a new dungeon this was defiantly not there before. It was almost as big as a Monstrous Nightmare's entire wingspan.
Toothless grumbled, leaning into the whole so he can get a better sniff, before his pupils turned into slits and he roared into the air in anger, wings opened out as he yelled to the village, though half of the village couldn't understand him.
"It's Bíta! He's here!"
"Whoa! Easy, bud. It's just a hole." Hikka tried to calm him down.
"It's not just a hole." they looked down at the hole to see Throk looking up at them from within the hole. "There is a assortment of tunnels connected to this one. It's like an underground village." the second in command told them, before Mala kneeled down closer to the hole.
"Can you see anything else, Throk?" "Nothing out of the ordinary, my queen." he said, before a cloud of dust and dirt covered the hole, preventing everyone to see what is going on, before Throk was catapulted into the air. He let out a startled cry, before angling himself with expertise and landing on his feet like a cat. He let out deep breathes as Mala rushed over.
"Are you alright, Throk?" Throk smiled reassuringly.
"I am alright, my queen." "What happened?" Hikka asked, "That blast flew you a yard away from the hole itself." "I'm not sure, Hikka. The cloud blinded me. But I do know now that something is down there. Something big. But I can't tell what."
Toothless stayed by the hole, before roaring in aggravation and leaping into the hole. Hikka noticed and rushed over the hole and yelled. "Toothless!" the Night Fury ignored her as he started to sniff around some more, and listened for the telltale harsh whispers. His fears were true. He truly was here. He trekked deeper.
Mala, Throk and Margaret approached from behind Hikka, staring at the hole, until the whole ground started to tremble. Hikka carefully looked at Margaret. "I hope that's just an earthquake." but then they heard it too. The whispering.
"What is that sound?" Hikka whispered. But she had no doubt in her mind that this was dragon related. The only problem was is that she is only familiar with Gronckles, Nightmares, Nadders, Terrors, Zipplebacks and Night Furies. Every other dragon, though she remembered the names, was a complete mystery to her.
And then, he appeared.
Bursting out of the ground, Bíta stared down hatefully at the humans surrounding him. The Red Rage Whispering Death relished in the fear he inspire on the people around him, but his eyes were only on one human.
The girl that smelled of Night Fury.
Bíta smiled evilly, and chased her.
This time, he wasn't planning on leaving empty handed.
Pretty soon, Hikka ran herself into a corner. The Viking girl groaned at herself for not thinking ahead, before a familiar hiss made her turn around. Bíta slithered towards his, eyes narrowed in pure hate for this girl.
"Very fortunate that you survived Eitur's venom. But nothing can save you from my rage. This time, you ARE coming with me. The Red Death has been patient long enough." the Whispering Death told her, even though Hikka didn't understand.
"Don't count on it!" Illviðri's voice could be heard, before three tail spines made a small fence between Hikka and the winged serpent. Soon, said Nadder made her appearance known and landed in front of the girl, wings raised in defense.
Bíta roared in irritation at the Nadder's interference, and burrowed away, but not leaving, as they could still hear the rumbling and the harsh whispering. Hikka sighed in relief and patted Illviðri's side. "Thanks girl." the pretty wyvern cooed. Looking around, Hikka could see that the Berkian arena dragons had fanned out and were standing at the ready, waiting for the serpent to appear and pounce.
For a moment, it was quiet, before more rumbling was heard and Bíta once again burst through the ground. He was hoping to surprise the still searching Night Fury, but got annoyed and decided to have another crack at capturing the Soulful One.
"He looks pretty angry." Margaret said as she approached the girl, surprising the ex-Berkian heir and immediately began leading her somewhere safe. "Why don't you do that thing where you say you touch his nose and feed him grass?" Hikka looked at her with a 'are you serious?' look, before sighing.
"OK. Uh, what do we know about Whispering Death?"
"Boulder Class dragons. Quite the temper, hunts from underground, and has very sensitive eyes. Doesn't like the sun much." Hikka got to thinking.
"Doesn't like sun, huh? Maybe we could use that to draw him away."
"OUTTA THE FREAKING WAY!"
Krókur roared in victory as he successfully scored a shot at Bíta's face. Bíta roared in rage as the two violent dragons started to engage in aerial combat. Illviðri turned to the group.
"Let's run him out of town!" they nodded and prepared to take off and join the fray. They circled around in the air, around the center of town and by the large hole.
And just then, from said hole, appeared Toothless. He growled up at Bíta, before turning to the other dragons in the sky.
"Back off! He's all mine!"
"What is he doing?!" Hikka demanded, worry coloring her voice. Throk came up to her. "He wants them to back off."
"No problem there." Rafrifa said fearfully as she slowly fluttered away. If the situation called for it, she'll give that Whispering Death a what for. But if Toothless wanted to handle this on his own, then who was she to argue?
A stare off was held as Bíta and Toothless glared at each other.
"Today, your bloodline ends, Draumur!"
"Only in your delusions!" he responded, before Bíta attempted an upper-bite, only to miss and be tackled by the Night Fury. He quickly threw him off and slithered away, as Toothless fired blast after blast, only to miss as Bíta soared higher and higher.
Toothless attempted to take off, but forgot one tiny detail.
He can't fly. Not alone.
Bíta stared, wondering what this dragon was playing at, before noticing the fake tail fin. He cackled evilly as he spoke like he made a groundbreaking discovery. He never realized this before. He thought out back in the ocean he fell from shock. As it seems, that was not the case.
"Oh this is too precious to be true. A Night Fury who can't fly! HA HA HA!" he then looked down upon him with cold pleasure. "What shame your mother must feel." Toothless snarled at the insult and still continued to try and take flight to chase him as he flew off, but no dice.
Hikka looked at the scene in fear. She turned to Mala, "Toothless can't fly without me! He's a sitting duck out there!" she told the woman, who looked unmoved, but concerned all the same. Hikka didn't wait for an answer and rushed off towards the ebony dragon.
"Just let me help you, bud." She tried to get on the dragon's back, but the agitated creature shoved her so hard, she landed on her rear, and could only watch in shock as he raced after the Whispering Death. "Toothless... what's wrong?" she could only murmur as he turned towards his Soulful One, looking very serious.
"Please, Sál. Don't get involved." he begged, hoping his expression would be enough for her to understand. But she just continued to looked so distraught as Skot came up to her and helped her up. Hikka could only stare as she asked no-one in particular.
"What is going on?" Skot couldn't answer, nor did he really want to.
Bíta shot a barrage of spines, one of them hitting Toothless in the leg. He screeched in pain, and Hikka felt as though she felt the same pain, but in her chest, right where her heart was.
"TOOTHLESS!" Skot couldn't stand by anymore when he listened to Hikka's distress and rushed forward, dodging any conflict and rushing legs, until he seated himself on a wheelbarrow cart. He waited until the right moment, his eyes train solely on Bíta's own eye, before taking a deep breathe and then opened fire.
Despite all odds, the ball hit sure and true right into Bíta's eye. He shrieked in pain and fury, the sound piercing the ears of everyone present, before he looked at the Terrible Terror. The small dragon showed no signs of fear and stood his ground, glaring and threatening to fire another shot as the back of his throat glowed orange.
Bíta decided that he'll let the Terror have this victory and prepared to burrow away. Before he turned to the Night Fury.
"Hope you can live with the fact of how utterly helpless you are, if you needed assistance from a pest." Toothless growled, as he let out a small cackle and burrowed away from the village and deeper into the island. Toothless watched him go, angry at himself for letting him get away as Hikka approached him. Her eyes were fixed on the spike still embedded in his leg.
"Toothless. Your hurt." she went to reach for it, but stop herself when Toothless growled. It wasn't directed at her, but it still had her on edge. Toothless turned to her and lost the look of aggression. He didn't mean to shove her so hard before, or to make her feel like she had to ask permission to approach her.
Hikka smiled softly, before grabbing the spike and giving it a hefty tug. Toothless didn't even flinch, and then quickly took off to higher ground. "Toothless! Wait!" she cried as Toothless stopped by Skot. He glared. "Don't get involved in this." "He was going to kill you! I had to do some-" Toothless growled a warning, making the Terror go silent.
"Never again." The Terror bowed his head in submission, before Toothless continued higher, watching the upturned earth trail carefully. Hikka watched him as he stood guard.
"Hikka, are you alright?" Hikka turned to the Queen.
"I am. But Toothless isn't. He could have been killed! He can't fly without me, remember!"
"Then you better fix that problem quickly, before the Whispering Death becomes a threat. Not only to us, but the Great Protector as well." Hikka groaned at Mala's stubbornness, and just continued to stare at the Night Fury, who growled quietly.
The rebellion approached the disheartened Skot with saddened eyes, and Andaðu bent down to his level.
"You did the right thing. You were right. Draumur and many other people could have been seriously harmed out there if you hadn't stepped in." "Yeah," Spýta pitched in, "So chin up, little guy!" Skot looked over at the Night Fury with eyes just as sad, if not sadder.
"He didn't seem to think so." Krókur can understand why he was so upset about this. In the short amount of time he has known Skot, the Terror has looked up to the Furies, and to meet one in the flesh had been a dream come true. And now Toothless goes on and dashes his efforts? It's enough to break the heart of a hardened warrior.
"He just doesn't want you, or Hikka getting hurt." Illviðri told him, and that seemed to make him a little bit better. Night Furies after all are guardians of the dragon and human world. It was only their natural instinct to make sure that the innocent and helpless were out of the way of the battle.
That made Illviðri stiffen as she remembered that fact. Now that she thought about it, Toothless's aggression towards that Whispering Death seemed more personal. Like he wanted this fight all to himself for reasons other then his duty as a Night Fury.
"But while we're on the subject, did anyone else find Draumur's behavior a little strange, as well as Bíta's?" She asked, looking between Krókur and Móðurlega. The two nodded, "Agreed. Bíta singled Draumur and Sál out." "And Draumur wanted to fight this alone. And it didn't look like it was because of duty." Krókur finished the Gronckle's hypothesis. Illviðri nodded, agreeing.
"He certainly did. But why?" she asked as they watched him. His guarded posture made Krókur speak next.
"We need to keep an eye out. Mala has a point about one thing. Bíta will be back, and she'll be a threat, not just to Sál and the people of the Wing, but the Great Protector too. Especially with what Bíta said something about Red Death wanting to meet her in person." "Agreed." Illviðri said, before turning to the whole group.
"Móðurlega, you stand guard by the volcano, keep Vernda safe. Andaðu, Spýta, you keep an eye out by the forests, two heads, and two sets of eyes, are better then one for that amount of wild." The Gronckle and the Zippleback nodded. The blue wyvern turned to Krókur. "Krókur, we'll stay by close to the nest, make sure Bíta doesn't make anymore unwelcome appearances. I'll take one half, you take the other." the Nightmare nodded. While Krókur loved to be leader, there was no denying that in a crisis, Illviðri was the one to go for a battle plan.
Skot looked around, before looking up at the Sharp class dragon. "What about me?"
"You stay close to Sál, guard her to the best of your ability. With Draumur focused on Bíta, I'm worried he'll be too clouded to think about protecting her. That's where you come in. If Bíta, or anything else that you might not be able to handle comes along, holler for anyone that's in the vicinity of the area your in. Understand?" Skot was surprised that Illviðri would trust him with something as important as this, but nodded, eyes narrowing in determination.
Illviðri smiled, before turning to the rebellion. "No matter what happens, it's an honor to fight and fly with you." the group smiled. Illviðri looked at them all, before raising her wings. "Fight and Flight!" the rebellion did the same and chanted after her.
"FIGHT AND FLIGHT!" before taking off to take their respective posts. Skot flew over to Hikka, landing on her shoulder and giving her a comforting rub. Hikka smiled, though it had no brightness and scratched his chin. "Thanks for saving Toothless." Skot purred, before sharing her concerned glances at the growling Night Fury.
Later that Night: Hikka's Hut
"I really wish I could speak you language so you could just tell me what was going on out there today." Hikka bemoaned for the tenth time as she finished tending to Toothless's leg, as the Night Fury paid no mind to her concern and simply growled at the ground below them. Skot was seated by Hikka's bed post, simply watching them, and occasionally looking around for anything out of the ordinary.
A noise from the front door made him growl a warning, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, bud. It's just Throk." Throk paused at Toothless's unease, but continued towards the loft when his growls quietened down. "How is he?" Throk asked as he watched the girl sit the dragon back on his bed. "He's still a little on edge, but other then that." they were silent for a moment, before she turned to the second in command of the Wing.
"Any sign of that Whispering Death?" Throk shook his head sadly.
"Even with that flock of your dragon friends scouting the area, there has been no sign of her." That did not ease the girl's fears. Throk noticed and attempted to console her as he made his way up the stairs and onto the loft.
"I doubt she'll come back. Not after the way your dragons chased her out." Hikka sighed, turning to the man. "I don't think so. That was same Whispering Death that was with that violent flock of dragons that attacked us the first day we got here. I have a feeling she'll be back." Throk didn't know what else to say, but placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Get some rest, Hikka. We'll figure this mess out after a good night sleep." Hikka smiled and nodded. Throk nodded with a small, barely noticeable smile of his own and walked away, "Good night, Hikka." "Good night Throk." as Throk closed the door, Hikka took one final look at the ointment-covered leg and smiled in accomplishment. "Okay, that should do it, sweetie. You just need to take it easy." Toothless let out a small rumble, giving the indication that he understood and went over his bed, heating it up and curling up.
Hikka could only watch him with sad eyes. He didn't even give her a good night lick, or a nuzzle on the stomach. And he always did that before bed. Sometimes, he even gets into her own bed and just holds her all night if she had a rough day or a bad dream.
But tonight, nothing.
Hikka sighed, and got changed into her night clothes, a simple white dress with brown leather lacing at the neck and went pass her knees. Looking at Toothless one last time as she got herself in bed, she sighed and laid down and closed her eyes. Skot jumped off the bed post and slid himself under Hikka's arm. Hikka smiled tiredly as Skot licked her cheek. Toothless opened one eye carefully, feeling sad that he didn't do that earlier, but closed his eyes.
Pretty soon, Hikka blew out the candle and she and Skot were out like candle light.
Toothless waited until he heard her steady breathing, indicating she was truly asleep. He got up, carefully making his way over, as to not startle both her and Skot awake. He hovered over the sleeping girl, just taking in the peaceful image. She looked so innocent. So fragile. Like the simplest touch would just shatter her.
He must insure that never happens.
So with a mighty thrust of his wings, he jumped through the skylight and out into the open. He landed as carefully as he could, sniffed around for Bíta's foul stench and began to run towards the forest, turning back to the hut.
Then he took a deep breathe.
He knew he was doing the right thing.
"I'm sorry, Sál."
The Next Morning
When Hikka woke up, it was to a sharp tug on a string of her hair. She shot up immediately, a hand going to the offended spot where Skot plucked the brunette lock. "OW!" she cried, before she noticed why Skot had woke her up. He rushed over to Toothless's vacant bed and jumped up and down in a frantic attempt to get her to understand.
Toothless was gone.
"TOOTHLESS!"
She opened the door and rush out, still in her sleepwear, but not concerned as it was still very early in the day and everyone was still asleep. Skot flew after her, landing on her shoulder when she stopped in realization as she looked off towards the jungle.
"Oh, no. He went after him. Alone." she spoke softly, as Skot cooed worryingly.
Later: Rebellion
As Hikka rushed back into her hut to grab the appropriate supplies and get dress, the Rebellion were having a small meeting as they waited for her to get ready.
"It's moments like this when I really hate something, and what I hate right now, is that Draumur was able to slip by me." Krókur grunted, sounding like that stinky old man back from Berk for a second.(cough, Mildew, cough)
"He's a Night Fury, of course he was able to slip by you." Móðurlega told him, only making him grumble. Illviðri took the wheel before things got too heated.
"There's a changed of plans, all of us scout the forest for Bíta, and Draumur. If my nose is correct, and it usually is, both are somewhere out in the woods." They nodded in agreement. Finally, Hikka came out of the hut, a full satchel of supplies and properly dressed. She prepared to make the trek, when a voice called out.
"Hikka!" The girl winched. She hoped that she'll be able to get to the forest without being stopped, but life isn't that simple, clearly. She slowly turned to see Mala and Throk coming towards her. "What are you doing?" Hikka looked frightened, before she steeled herself.
"I'm going to find Toothless." Mala looked at her for a moment, and sighed, as though sad.
"Hikka, I understand you and the Night Fury have a bond, but you are going to have to eventually learn that a dragon is not meant to be a pet." she said with a hand on Hikka's shoulder, but the words only enraged her.
"A 'pet'? A 'pet'?!" she screamed, slapping Mala's hand away, "I that really how you think I see Toothless? How I see all dragons!?" Mala and Throk looked at her with wide eyes. In the time they have come to know dragons, she was always quiet and very calm and reserved. Never has she ever shouted in such a defensive manner.
"Toothless is far much more to me then just some 'pet'! He's my best friend! He was my only friend in the Helheim I called a home. He stood by me despite everything I've done, and protected me, cared for me, loved me more then my father ever did!" she yelled, before saying in a calmer, but still angry tone. "I respect you Mala, and your ways and respect for the dragons, but I am nothing without Toothless. And I'm not going to loose my best friend to your rules." and with that, she marched off, Mala and Throk left with a lot to think about what she just said.
She just kept walking, until Krókur stepped in front of her and lowered his neck for her. She stared at him, to which he snarled encouragingly. She smiled, before pulling herself onto the back of his head and holding onto his horns to steady herself. Skot chirped and jumped onto Hikka's shoulder.
As the dragons gathered around her, Mala saw something as she stared at the group as the sun bathed them in an almost heavenly light. For a second, they saw Hikka for who she was.
A Dragon Rider.
Krókur let out a mighty roar and took off, the others following behind.
Mala and Throk watched as they became specks in the sky. They knew what they had to do.
The Forests of Caldera Cay
Everyone's eyes were peeled as they attempted spot even footprints of the Night Fury, or a glimpse of the Red Rage Whispering Death. But so far nothing. Until finally Hikka spotted something. "There. Down below." She pointed towards two large sets of holes in a clearing.
"Good eyes, Sál!" Krókur cried, before gliding towards the holes. Again, Hikka didn't know what he said, though he said it in a praising tone, so she smiled. But she continued to wonder what Sál meant. She heard Toothless and the other dragons say it whenever they were talking to each other or saying something to her.
Toothless... she really hoped that he was OK.
They landed, and Hikka immediately slid off Krókur's neck and towards the holes. "Toothless? Toothless!" her voice echoes around the clearing. After a moment of listening, she eyes downcast in defeat. "He's not here..." Skot cooed comfortingly and nudged her hand lightly. Hikka smiled and scratched his head in thanks.
Illviðri sniffed around before turning to Krókur, "Bíta was defiantly here. So was Draumur. Where either have gone, I'm not sure." Krókur nodded, before Hikka called them over.
"Look at this. She must have lost a tooth." she said as she stood up to reveal a long sharp tooth in her hand. It was Bíta's. Defiantly.
Then Illviðri smelled something. "Guys." she growled, "He's coming." everyone started growling as well, and Hikka noticed. "Guys, what's wrong?" when they didn't respond to her, she remained silent and listened. Pretty soon, she could hear the whisper in the air and feel the ground quake under her boots.
"The whisper." Móðurlega said with caution, preparing to flutter away.
"Looks like we beat Draumur." Krókur tried to say in a joking manner, but his unease spoke volumes. Illviðri responded, though her tone showed sarcasm. "Yeah. We win."
The ground broke apart as Bíta shot into the air, right by Móðurlega. "Not feeling like a winner." Bíta chuckled evilly.
"You wont feel anything once I'm done with you, Gronckle." he said threateningly before diving back into the ground. Krókur growled in annoyance.
"I hate it when he does that!" "Quiet!" Móðurlega commanded as they waited for the next big appearance from the violent serpent. And once more, their suspicions were answered. Bíta once more shot from the ground, again near Móðurlega, who rushed off, in her fear, hiding under Krókur. The Nightmare gave a deadpan stare, as Hikka went to approach it. Illviðri noticed and quickly grabbed the back of her shirt, and started running back to the group with her in her beak.
"Girl! Put me down!" Hikka told her, but the Nadder wasn't having it. She was eventually able to wriggle out of her grip and ran back towards the Whispering Death. "If I can train this thing, maybe it'll leave Toothless alone."
"It's a suicide mission, Sál! SÁL!" Illviðri cried as Bíta made a beeline straight towards Hikka. The dragons hoped that the girl would see sense and run, but...
When the dust cleared, Bíta had stopped just a few inches away from Hikka's hand. Hikka had her head turned away, as Bíta growled at the appendage, beginning to open his mouth to bite it off.
But something pulled him back from that.
Ignoring it as merely wanting the hunt to last longer, he arched into the air and burrowed away. Hikka ran over to the freshly made burrow as looked with a confused expression. "Okay..."
"She better not do what I think she's going to do- and she did it." Illviðri could only bow her head in disappointment as Hikka ignored her luring chirps and jumped down the hole without a second thought. Skot soon jumped in after her. Illviðri sighed. "I feel like I'm gonna have to get used to that behavior."
Hikka looked around, but couldn't see anything. "It's pitch black in here." Skot heard that and lit up his fire, but not shooting, lighting the tunnels to an extent. "Thanks big guy." Skot smiled and cheered on the inside. She called him big! Terrible Terrors were usually considered pest dragons, so that was a huge compliment to a dragon his size.
Then a growl echoes in the tunnels, making Skot whimper, but he kept the fire going. Hikka looked ahead at the many different channels of tunnels connected to this one.
"This thing has been busy." Skot grumbled in agreement as Hikka started walking. "This is where she spends all her time, there must be something down here that can help us." Skot nodded, before hissing was heard and Hikka saw a spiked whip-like tail appear and disappear through another tunnel.
"There he goes. Let's follow." Skot nodded as Hikka climbed down the tunnel. They walked slowly down the tunnel, lit by Skot's fire, listening to the occasional faint shrieks of the Whispering Death. But then, they heard footsteps coming from a tunnel beside them, making them tense up as Skot prepared to fire.
The orange light in the cave became more potent as Throk and Mala, a flaming torch in the former's hand, entered the channel and saw them. "Hikka!" Mala rushed over and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" Hikka looked bewildered.
"Uh, yeah. What are you doing here?"
"We are looking for you and the Whispering Death." Throk told her.
"Oh." Hikka could only say, before shaking herself. "Well, I haven't seen anything."
Before Bíta suddenly appeared before them. They gasped, before hiding behind a wall of another tunnel, Throk immediately putting out the torch and Skot dosing his fire. They watched him specifically avoid a ray of light that entered the tunnel, hissing at it and slithering away. Hikka noticed and looked on thoughtfully.
So what Mala said is true. Whispering Death's are sensitive to sunlight.
The Skot sneezed.
Bíta spun around at breakneck speed with a hissing snarl. The group held their breathe and moved in deeper into their tunnel as Bíta slithered by, trying to find the disturbance. "Let's just hope he keeps going." Hikka said, before the serpent stopped and the spikes clanked as they opened up. Hikka rolled her eyes.
Typical response for Hikka the Unlucky.
Throk noticed something on the Whispering Death's body and got the two girls to look.
A bite mark. And there was something about that bitemark that looked familiar to Hikka. She clearly remembered how after Toothless had another moody moment and bite their table. The same teeth markings were there.
Hikka reached out to touch the light blue scars, when Bíta continued moving.
"Did you see that?" "Was that a bitemark?" Throk and Hikka asked almost in unison. "Not just any bite mark. That was a Night Fury bite mark. And from the looks of it, it was very aged, and bigger then Toothless, that we can be sure." Mala said as she continued to watch the tail, until it disappeared totally. "I think I know why Toothless and this dragon are hunting each other." Mala left the answer hanging in the air, but they figured it out.
"They have a history." "A grudge." Hikka looked to the two of them, before looking off after the Death as well. "If that's true, how long do dragons carry a grudge?" she wasn't expecting an answer, but she got one from a reluctant Throk.
"To the death." Hikka's eyes widened in fear. Toothless!
"Let's get out of here before she comes back."
"Ideal plan." they ran off towards where Hikka came, only to be blocked by Bíta.
"FOUND YOU!" they immediately dodged it, using the beam of light to their advantage and got away. Bíta hissed in anger, and disappeared down another tunnel.
On the Surface
The rebellion dragons looked down the hole, hovering and waiting for Hikka to reappear, but nothing. Illviðri sighed in irritation.
"They have been down there forever!" she said, before leaning down deeper into the whole. "Sál? Skot!" as if on cue, Hikka, Mala, Throk and Skot appeared in their sight, "We're right here, girl. It's OK." Hikka said soothingly, easing their worries and glad they were alright. Before rumbling was heard and the flock looked up to see miles of dust blowing into the air as Bíta made a trail towards them.
And there for, towards Sál!
Illviðri shrieked in warning, making the group turn around, and notice shaking and crumbling of dirt and rock.
He was coming. And fast.
"You two go first!" Throk demanded, kneeling down and holding out his hands to lift them up and out. First Queen Mala, who had some help as Illviðri slammed her tail against the tunnel entrance walls, making a makeshift ladder. Mala climbed up and out, and Throk did the same for Hikka.
Mala reached down for Throk to grab her hand, but she couldn't reach. Skot was trying his best to help, trying to lift Throk's weight so he could carry him out, but Throk was too heavy for him. So Skot tried the alternative, stepping in front of Throk and growling threateningly at the building wall of dust.
"Just a little more!" "I'm trying!" Throk responded, before realizing it was too late. "EVERYONE STAND BACK!"
The flock and the two women ran off, as the force sent Throk flying into the air just like before in the village. Bíta soon followed him, his rows of rotating teeth threatening to grind him down like paste. He could have been, hadn't Illviðri grabbed him and pulled him away from Bíta's jaws. She set him down by the group. After a brief checkup to see if he was alright, they turned back to the Whispering Death. He really didn't like the fact that these humans were in her tunnels.
"We should go. Now." Mala grabbed Hikka's arm, and this time, she wasn't arguing. The group and the flock all ran together, away from the violent Red Rage leader. Hikka was immediately falling behind, and Bíta would have got her, hadn't Toothless appeared and tackled the Whispering Death away from his Soulful One.
Hikka turned and smiled widely at him.
"TOOTHLESS!" she cried in excitement as he and Bíta twisted around as Bíta tried to shake him off, only for Toothless to push him a foot away from himself and the group. Bíta quickly recovered and snarled. Toothless roared at him.
"Stay away from them, Bíta! This is between you and me!"
"Terms accepted." before noticing the other dragons starting to surround them. Bíta took one last look at the charging Night Fury before tunneling downward and away. Toothless roared at losing him again, as Hikka tried to approach him. Toothless jumped when Hikka touched him and turned to her, growling. Upset that she got herself involved once more.
"Toothless, calm down, it's me. I know what's going on with you and that other dragon." the ex-heir told him, making him paused. How? How could she know? Then he remembered how though she might not know exactly what happened, she at least has an understanding that something bad was going on.
"Let me help you." she went to touch his nose, but he rejected and rushed off towards where Bíta went, following the trail of dirt he left in his escape. "Toothless, come back!" she ran after him. After a few minute, Toothless turned his head and sent a small blast towards Hikka's feet, making her stop.
Hikka looked at the black dragon with a heartbroken look, one that Toothless never wanted to see again. Toothless looked at the ground for a second, ashamed of himself, before running away once again.
Away from who was supposed to be with.
They stayed in that same spot for hours as Hikka finished crying. The dragons had overheard what Hikka, Mala and Throk were talking about and were having a conversation of their own.
"So Draumur and Bíta have a history? I always assumed, but..." Krókur started. Everyone else stayed silent.
Mala looked over to Hikka, who was curled up in a fetal position. "He's just trying to protect you."
"I know. But it's not a fair fight. If Toothless is gonna win, he has to fly, and he can't fly without me." the younger girl told them. Throk looked to the girl, "So what are you saying?" "I'm saying we need to find him and soon." She went over to Illviðri, who immediately bowed down for her to get on.
Mala and Throk exchanged looks, before the Queen sighed, as though she was about to endure a huge chore and walked over to Krókur, who, though looked surprised, bowed his head and allowed her and Throk onto his back.
Hikka looked just as shocked. "Mala?" "I now understand Hikka, you are not an enemy to dragons. If anything, I think you understand them more then even I do." Hikka watched her for a moment, before smiling. Mala returned that smile in kind.
"Now, let's find your dragon."
It took most of the day, but it would have taking them all day to finally find Toothless if they had went on foot.
"There he is! Get me down there, girl." Illviðri nodded and soared down. She landed and Hikka hopped off, and slowly approached the growling Night Fury. He turned to her footsteps, at first annoyed, but then he saw the tear stains on her cheeks and lowered his guard.
He made her cry.
The one thing he promised himself to never do was be the reason she cried, but he royally screwed that one up. He was just so dead set on finding Bíta and stopping her rampage, that he never took into account how his Sál might be feeling about all this.
He hated how so cautious Hikka looked as she stepped closer and closer towards him, hand out, waiting for him.
He waited... for about four seconds, before nudging his head under her hand. Hikka felt so happy, that she simply held his face in her hands and leaned her head on his. "Hey, sweetie. You had me so worried for a while." Toothless rumbled, sounding so apologetic. "You haven't been yourself lately." she told him, taking in his sad, puppy eyes, before giggling and hugging his head tightly.
"Good to see you're still you."
They were silent for a moment, before Toothless pupils went to slits and turned towards a loud rumble as Bíta once again dug through the dirt and rock and out into the open. He roared in his direction and he growled the same.
"You can walk away from this, bud." Hikka tried to urge him, but his eyes and attention were now fixed on the Whispering Death.
"Come on, Draumur! Avenge you mother!" Toothless growled, and Hikka went to get on his back. "Let's just go home." he shrugged her off once more and ran off after the serpent.
"She was so close!" "I thought she had him!" the dragons complained.
Toothless did an impressive jump into the sky and fire, but missed. He looked to his useless tail, distracting himself long enough for Bíta to hit him with his tail and hit the ground. Toothless rolled and quickly found his feet. Again, Toothless tried to fly towards him to engage, only for his tail to weigh him down and expose his belly, giving Bíta a clean shot on his vulnerable scales. Toothless squirmed in pain, but soon got back on his feet and kept leaping to catch him, but he kept dodging him. To Hikka, it looked like the Whispering Death was trying to lead him somewhere.
Hikka couldn't watch this anymore. "He needs our help." she got on Illviðri's back and they charged, but Toothless roared at them and they stopped.
"Come on, girl! What's wrong?" Hikka tried to urge the Nadder to continue, but she wouldn't budge.
"They know this isn't their fight, Hikka."
Bíta finally lunged at the Night Fury. He was able to jump out of the way, but Bíta arched himself around and blew rings of fire at him, knocking him towards the cliffs. Toothless roar, before Bíta burrowed into the cliff, making the spot Toothless stood a lone standing pillar, separated from the forest, and from Hikka. The gap was too wide for him to jump across and there was no flying out of this one. The black dragon looked down at the chasm, trying to spot the Red Rager through the dust, only for him to appear to him himself and blow another fire ring, only serving in making the stack smaller.
"TOOTHLESS!" Hikka cried as she realized why the Whispering Death was luring him here. He was going to use his incapability to fly against him and push him off into the chasm. "Buddy." Toothless looked to her with scared eyes, pleading with her to look away. If he died today, he didn't want her to see it.
Bíta fired another shot and another, making Toothless edge closer to the canyon below, nearly slipping and loosing his footing as he scrabbled to get back on the pillar. Bíta looked down at his victim in sick glee.
"They say that no matter where they stand in the world, a Soulful One can hear the dying screams of their dragon, and the feeling is mutual when the Soulful One deals their last breathe." he said in a chilling tone, only making the Night Fury growl at him.
Hikka watched in fear, before narrowing her eyes at the serpent. She took a step forward, knocking over a small pebble as she did. Surprisingly, through all the commotion, Toothless heard the pebble fall and turned his head towards his rider.
What she did next almost gave him and everyone around them(minus Bíta) a heart attack.
She stepped over the edge and allowed herself to fall.
"HIKKA!" Mala could only cry as Toothless watched in shock as Hikka fell closer and closer to the ground and her impending doom. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Bíta fired another shot, only for Toothless to leap off the pillar willingly and nosedived towards his Soulful One.
Hikka's face was blank, confident that he would reach her in time. Toothless roared in earnest, flapping his wings so he would reach her faster.
As though the Gods, Æsir and Vanir, had heard them, they reached each other and Hikka, finally, clicked her foot into the pedal, opening the tail fin, just as they, as well as stone and rock hit the bottom, making a cloud of dust, only their cries were heard.
Everyone held their breathe, and Bíta watched the cloud with eyes narrowed in suspicion.
It was silent for a second, before Toothless flew out of the cloud and into the sky, Hikka strapped onto his back.
Just like as it should be.
The two Defenders and the dragons cheered in celebration, as Bíta could only stare in shock and awe.
"You save me, I save you. That's the way it is." Toothless couldn't agree more, done with his stubborn attitude and just shot towards the still shocked Whispering Death. But he snapped out of it and only snarled as he shot his tail spines towards them and shot a ring of fire at them.
The two dodged both, taking towards the sky, before Toothless stopped, free falled and shot at him again. He hit the ground near him, making the Rock-Eater scatter. He turned to them and hissed, only for the sun to peak out from the clouds, and blind him. He hissed at the pain and immediately burrowed into the dark.
Hikka looked at the ground, then remembered.
Sensitive to sunlight.
"Okay, bud. Let's keep him above ground." Toothless nodded, as they shot up higher into the sky, before diving towards one of the holes and fired two mighty blasts into it, setting off a geyser reacting to all surrounding holes.
Mala and Throk could only watch in awe as they soared through the chaos as one.
Bíta was forced out of the tunnels and made a rough collision with a rock wall and landed on the ground in pain. He quickly got up, and roared.
Toothless quickly dove and charged into him, pinning the serpent to the ground.
Toothless roared, intending for the killing blow, when Hikka pulled him back. "Toothless, no!" he looked between her, and Bíta, who looked back at him with wide eyes. Eyes riddled in fear. Toothless let out a long, lasting roar, making the serpent flinch and hiss as it looked like Toothless was really going to kill him.
But he stopped.
He remembered what his mother used to say to him and his siblings all the time.
"Whenever you get the chance, be the better dragon."
He let out a deep breath through his nose, before looking down at the Whispering Death.
"You will not hunt for us again. You will not touch her." he demanded, no, told him. That wasn't a request. That was an order. The two exchanged low growls, before Toothless hopped off and allowed the serpent fly off and away from the island.
The two exchanged glances, before Hikka hugged his head while still on his back.
"I'm very proud of you, bud. I love you." Toothless cooed in delight at seeing that bright smile that he hadn't seen in a week.
"I love you too, Sál." Illviðri and Krókur exchanged smiles.
"I guess all dragon grudges aren't to the death." "Indeed, Krókur. Indeed."
Hikka looked at Toothless and placed a soft hand on his head.
"Come on, bud. Let's go home." he nodded and the lot took off. Hikka could help but glance at Mala and Throk as they rode on Illviðri and Krókur respectively. She smiled.
Something told her that things were about to change.
Later at the Wing
"I understand that all this will take some time getting used to!" Queen Mala addressed her subjects as they stood below her in an audience. "But understand, that though it might not be the way of the Defender, it is defiantly the way of the Dragon Rider. Today, Hikka and her Night Fury have shown me what they truly think of each other and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the other. And that is more then enough proof for me."
The crowd cheered.
"Today, is the way things can be should we allow it. I'm willing to try, if it means our relationship with dragons become stronger. Are you?!" the cheers went louder in volume as Hikka and Toothless stood by Mala. "Today we welcome a new dawn. The dawn of the Dragon Riders!"
Roars were now heard from the crowd and Hikka noticed some dragons have gathered around the commotion, and they all looked quite content. Like they have been waiting for this for a long time. Hikka could only smile and watch as some Defenders were already approaching dragons, and they in kind looked ready to get to know their respected human.
Toothless nudged Hikka's arm around his neck, making her giggled, before they infested when Skot jumped on Toothless head and nuzzled her cheek. She patted the tiny dragon's head, smiling thoughtfully.
"You were a good shot, today. How do you like the name... Sharpshot?" Sharpshot chirped in delight and climbed on top of Hikka's head, making her laugh, along with Mala and Throk.
"My name is Hikka. I was once the heir of Stoick the 'Vast' Haddock, Chief of Berk, who for generations, it was man against dragon. I was told that dragons were savage creatures. They had no emotion. That they always go for the kill. But I know the truth now."
Hikka and Toothless flew over the forest with the rebellion flock following them, each with a large boulder in their claws. They were on the look out for any leftover holes Bíta, or Bitemark as Hikka had come to call her, had left behind.
"One day, everything changed. I met Toothless, and things have gotten better. I lost my tribe, my family, my home, but from the ashes, found a new home with people like me. People who knew the truth too. Together, we've shown the Defenders that there could be so much more that dragons can offer. We can ride them, fight with them, even train them."
Hikka spotted a hole and smiled, tapping Toothless's shoulder. The black dragon understood and dropped his boulder, which landed right on top of the hole, covering it up. The flock cheered, then laughed as Sharpshot dropped the tiniest of stones onto the boulder, though he seemed quite proud of himself.
"Dragons can't change who they are. But who would want them to? Dragons are powerful, amazing, beautiful creatures. Caldera Cay is my home now. The Defenders of the Wing are my people. My tribe. And as long as it takes me, I am going to learn everything that is to know about dragons."
Hikka let out a cheer as they rode off.
Towards the sun.
"Wouldn't you?"
So, it was this chapter's turn to be edited. Let me know if I missed something in the other chapters, I'd really appreciate it.
Toothless - Draumur - Meaning 'Dream' in Icelandic
Hikka- Sál - Meaning 'Soul' in Icelandic
Stormfly - Illviðri - Meaning 'Storms' in Icelandic
Hookfang - Krókur - Meaning 'Hook' in Icelandic
Meatlug - Móðurlega - Meaning 'Motherly' in Icelandic
Barf and Belch - Andaðu and Spýta - Andaðu meaning 'Breath' and Spýta meaning 'Spit' both in Icelandic
Sharpshot - Skot - Meaning 'Shot' in Icelandic
Bitemark - Bíta - Meaning 'Bite' in Icelandic
Eitur - Meaning 'Poison' in Icelandic
Sigra - Meaning 'Conquest' in Icelandic
Tálbeita - Meaning 'Lure' in Icelandic
Vernda - Meaning 'Protect' in Icelandic
