Authors Note: Don't really have anything to say here. I own nothing.
7. That Night
The small group agreed to leave at first light. Daret would be heading back out to see if he and several of the other dragons could find the ice spitters home. Hiccup and Heather would be going back to Berk to train new Dragon riders there. Stoick dropped off to sleep leaning against the wall of Hiccup's cave next to Skullcrusher. Gobber was leaning on the head of his own dragon, a hotburple named Grump who had taken a liking to him and shown it by bowling him off his feet and laying on top of him. Heather had retreated to her own living space. Daret was curled up near the entrance to the caves in case the trapper he'd caught caused any trouble. Aster was dozing off under Stormfly's wing when he heard a soft clicking noise. He opened his eyes just in time to see The edge of a black and tan tail fin rounding the corner. He frowned and looked around. Hiccup and Toothless were gone. Careful not to wake his dragon he slipped out from under her wing and crept out of the cave. Daret was sitting up petting the head of his dragon, a scaly yellow spinney creature Aster had never seen before.
"Oh hey Aster, couldn't sleep? Seems to be going around." Aster nodded. There was no sign of Hiccup so he sat down next to Daret.
"How do you and Hiccup know each other?" Daret glanced up from his dragon's head and grinned at Aster.
"What I said earlier about her saving our lives, mine and Heather's, wasn't a joke. She's amazing, like a sister to me. My town was being raided by men from Outcast Island, Alvin and his men were raiding us constantly. The dragons weren't really a huge problem, probably because we were farther from here than Berk but they'd raid us every so often too. Until about four years ago then the dragon raids stopped entirely. But Alvin's raids just got worse. One day about two years ago he just decided to burn down the village. Hiccup and her dragons were passing by and I honestly don't know what would have happened to me if she hadn't been. She and her dragons attacked Alvin and his outcasts. Apparently they have a history, I don't know all of it." Skyclaw shifted under Daret's hands. Daret smiled down at the dragon resting its head in his lap.
"She was busy fighting Alvin. Hiccup didn't see me at first but Skyclaw did. Snatched me right out of my own burning house. A bunch of other people made it out that day but only because of Hiccup and her dragons. She couldn't stop the whole place burning to the ground though. She dropped most of us off at the nearest friendly island but Skyclaw didn't want to put me down. I lost everything that day and I didn't really want anything to do with him but he was insistent. Hiccup thinks he lost his nest when he was young and sees me as a kindred spirit. She won't tell me for sure though. Apparently Skyclaw doesn't like talking about it. Heather won't talk about her family or how she met Hiccup. All she ever says about it is that Hiccup saved her life. She was already here when I joined up." Aster raised an eyebrow at Daret.
"You don't speak dragoneese?" Daret shook his head.
"Skyclaw tried to teach me, still tries sometimes but I just don't have the knack for it. That or Toothless is a better teacher." Skyclaw smacked Daret in the head with a wing. Daret grinned down at the dragon.
"Speaking of, have you seen Toothless or Hiccup." Daret nodded resuming scratching Skyclaw under the chin.
"As a matter of fact I've seen both. They head up the volcano when one of them can't sleep. They've got a spot where they sit and stargaze until they fall asleep. Go straight up and turn left after you pop out the top of the mountain. There's a spot where the grass grows a bit thinker than anywhere else on the mountain. That's where they'll be." Aster frowned looking up towards the top of the mountain.
"Well how am I supposed to…" There was a tug at his shoulder and he turned to see Stormfly waiting next to him. Daret smiled up at him.
"They have a way of knowing when they're needed." Aster smiled at Daret and mounted Stormfly.
"Thanks." Daret nodded and stretched slightly.
"Not a problem." Daret smiled as Stormfly and Aster flew off up to the top of the mountain and disappeared from sight.
Soon they were landing again, Stormfly curled up on the grass and seemed to fall straight asleep. Aster looked around and frowned. He didn't see Hiccup or Toothless anywhere. But then he heard it, over the noise of sleeping dragons there was the soft sound of growls and purrs that hiccup had called dragoneese. Aster crept forward and spotted Hiccup and Toothless laying in a patch of grass surrounded by large flower bushes. The flowers were bright white and seemed to glow in the moonlight. Hiccup had removed her armor and now wore a brown tunic and matching trousers. She still wore her boot that resembled the scales of a Gronkle. Her metal leg glinted in the moonlight. She was talking to Toothless who looked drowsy. Toothless had a wing folded over Hiccup like a blanket. Aster smiled as Toothless opened one eye and rumbled at Hiccup who looked over her shoulder.
"Hey Aster. You alright?" Aster nodded stepping forwards and sitting down next to Hiccup.
"Yeah. I just heard you leaving and I was worried about you. Are you alright?" Hiccup nodded but she wasn't looking at him. She was fiddling with her false foot. Aster gently tilted her head up and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed slightly.
"You could always see right through me Aster." Aster laughed.
"Not really I can just tell when you aren't acting like yourself. I know it's been a while but you just seem uncomfortable." Hiccup sighed pushing Toothless's wing off her, he grumbled but curled back up and seemed to drift off to sleep.
"Yeah, I guess I am. It's just weird. I never thought my dad would accept this. Accept me. It's kinda difficult to wrap my head around the idea of going back to Berk you know." Aster nodded and took Hiccup's hand.
"You won't be alone this time. I promise you that." Hiccup smiled and leaned against him. He looked up at the sparkling night sky. He looked down at Hiccup to ask her something but she was already asleep. He smiled as Toothless wrapped his wing around them and went back to sleep.
The next morning Aster awoke to Hiccup poking him in the side. He gently swatted her had away and felt her lips on his forehead. He smiled and opened his eyes. She pulled him to his feet and they mounted up and flew back into the mountain to wake the others. Heather was waiting for them at the entrance to the cave a wide grin on her face. Daret was standing next to her fiddling with a large silver shield. Several dragons were waiting with him several nightmares and nadders and a small flock of terrors. Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright, remember, if anything happens, if you find anything send a terror to Berk. We'll be there to help you as fast as we can fly." Daret nodded and mounted Skyclaw. He took off and the small flock of dragons followed him. Stoick and Gobber walked out of the cave a few moments later. Hiccup dodged back into the cave to change into her armor. While they waited a small group of dragons came up to them and waited. There was a red monstrous nightmare, a large brown gronkle, and a hideous zippleback. Hiccup reemerged moments later dressed in her armor and scooped up her helmet sliding it on before she mounted Toothless. The others followed suit and mounted their dragons taking off with Hiccup and Toothless in the lead.
