The next three days passed by in a blur. There was still no news from the fleet, and the remaining Vikings in the village were growing more and more uneasy with each passing day. That, and they seemed to be due for another dragon attack any day now. The entire village was full of tension and set on edge, gathering outside of the Arena to watch training for something to take their minds off the matter.

Astrid had managed to lay low all three days in Dragon Training, except for tricking a Terrible Terror with a beam of light, as she had done with Toothless, quite accidentally the day before. She took a small piece of broken glass and lined it up with the sun, so it reflected a small dot of light on the ground, which could be moved by tilting to glass in different directions.

She was almost done with his new and improved tailpiece too, finding time to work on it between classes. It was made from a scrap piece of red cloth, used to make ship sails, that Astrid had found down by the docks. It had thinner, lighter control rods, and a thicker strap attaching it to the foot pedal. It folded much flatter, and Astrid had to admit she was quite impressed by her craftsmanship.

Hiccup had been tailing her after Training each day, although nothing more had happened between them. Astrid was wary, thinking perhaps he was only hanging around to try and figure out her secret. He had been helpful and kind, but not overly so in the arena, where anyone could see.

Gobber had announced that day after training that there was to be a two day break. Several reasons were listed, among them, Gobber was sore and tired, they were expecting news from the fleet tomorrow or the next day, there were out about of dragons in the arena to practice with, and Gothi, the village elder, needed more time to decide which recruit was to receive the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the whole village.

Astrid had been rather pleased at the news, looking forward to two long days with Toothless and the new tail. She could tell the Nightfury was getting pent up and bored stuck in the ravine. He wanted to stretch his wings.

She was on the way out to him now, picking her way delicately through the new early summer growth, humming gently and listening to the rustling of leaves around her and the flow of a small stream off to the right of the path. Birds chirped and flitted from branch to branch, collecting materials to build their new nests. Small animals like rabbits and squirrels were everywhere, darting across the trail and scampering up trees, chattering away in the warm air.

Upon reaching the ravine, Toothless greeted her warmly, as per usual, and excitedly bounced on his feet when he saw the new prosthetic.

Astrid laughed as he laid down and swung around his tail for Astrid to attach it.

"Eager aren't you now, bud?" Astrid said, strapping the tail in place and tightening the straps appropriately. Her fingers scraped through the dirt, getting it stuck under her nails as she tucked the straps all the way around. Toothless's tail was heavy, and he wasn't making it any easier by excitedly wiggling about.

Astrid double checked the saddle straps, to ensure they were still firmly in place, and mounted her dragon. Toothless warbled expectantly, waiting for the okay from Astrid as she settled herself in the saddle and fitted her foot into the pedal.

"Alright." She said, scratching the spot behind Toothless's ear that he liked. "You know the drill, bud!" Toothless grunted and took a running start before leaping into the air, beating his wings strongly, swiftly rising into the air. Astrid had to admit she had missed this, and had been looking forward to it for several days. The way her stomach lifted to her throat on the first assent, the thrill made her want to call out in exhilaration.

Astrid smiled into the sun and moved the tail into the first position, allowing Toothless to glide smoothly over the treetops, staying low until they were out of eyeshot of the village. Astrid could tell Toothless was elated. He flew with his eyes half shut, his mouth half open, and the tip of his broad tongue lolling out.

"Ready to try this thing out?" She shouted euphorically, leaning forward so the dragon could hear her over the sounds of the wind. Toothless called out to the sky, shaking his head and beating his wings harder, they rose to the level of the sparse clouds, then coasted along for a moment as they both got their bearings.

"Toothless! Dive!" Astrid shouted, slapping the tail down flat and gripping the front of the saddle and dragon dropped his shoulders, folding in his wings, and dropped. Astrid could keep in her yell this time, and Toothless answered, the rushing wind stealing their voices straight from their mouths.

Down they dove, Astrid stomach rising up into her chest as her spirit rose higher and higher. Toothless began to spread out his wings again as the sea rose up to meet them. Astrid started to slowly open then tail, then, when the Nightfury shot out his wings to their full span, she kicked the pedal down, the red tail shooting out, waving proudly in the onslaught of fierce winds. Toothless's claws touched the surface of the water, sending up quite a spray at their speed.

"Perfect!" Astrid shouted, pumping one fist in the air. Toothless agreed with her, shooting a plasma blast into the great beyond.

He seemed to be making no move to slow down and the pair approached the huge rock formations that made up the coastline of a neighboring island. Astrid took a deep breath, accepting the challenge. The air rushing past her tugged on her braid and her clothes, making her feel wrapped up by the wind. It was an absolutely freeing feeling, one that made your heart race and time stop.

"Left!" Astrid shouted, sending Toothless banking around a large tower of sea-splashed rock. She rocked the pedal up, closing the fin a little bit allowing Toothless to make tighter turns. "Nice!"

They had been working to voice commands and directions the last three days, while they were ground-bound as Astrid finished up the new tail. Speaking of it, it seemed to holding up wonderfully, responding to the pedal perfectly, withstanding the wind and the dragon's abrupt movements. They banked left and right, then Toothless want to take control, so Astrid let him. He almost seemed as if he want to test out Astrid's abilities.

Astrid laughed when he flipped upside down, flew perpendicular, and shot straight up into the air. He was showing off, and Astrid was just along for the ride.

Then it happened. Toothless went straight up, then leveled out, parallel to the ground, thousands of feet below, and Astrid just sort of floated right off his back. One second she was sitting in the saddle, and the next, she was plummeting to the ground.

"Toothless!" She screamed as she realized what had happened. His tail was stuck in the open position, so his descent was slowed considerably. He cried out to her, working his wings against the pull as he too started to drop.

Astrid fought to control her wild spinning and face her friend. He was flapping wildly, desperate to catch her. Astrid watched as the tail folded in on itself, the rods she had worked on painstakingly bent at odd angles. Toothless sped up without the extra drag. She glanced down, gulping as she saw a rocky ledge rising up to meet her.

Toothless was almost there. Astrid reached out, fumbling to get a hold on him and pull herself into the saddle. He cried out, a gutheral scared sound, almost similar to the one he had made when she first shot him down, She was wracked with guilt whenever she thought about that. Now she understood how he must have felt then.

"Come on, bud!" She yelled, finally getting a grip and snapping out the broken tail fin. Toothless came to such and abrupt slow down, her body jerked down and met with the dragon's thick neck. She was more than happy to wrap her arms around him, trusting him to save her.

He did, swooping low before rising and landing on top of on of the rock formations. It was all Astrid could do to roll off of him and lay flat on her back, panting, heart racing, eyes squeezed shut. Toothless made a gentle, concerned sound, nudging her arm worriedly.

Astrid smiled and hugged the Nightfury. "That was sure the thrill of a lifetime!" She said, scratching the dragon and then chasing him around the small top of the outcropping once she caught her breath. Toothless seemed thrilled that Astrid was alright, sniffing her up and down to confirm it for himself, before letting himself be chased.

The pair played for long minutes, letting the fear wear off before Astrid crouched down and inspected the tailpiece.

"Well, it's busted." She frowned, rocking back on her heels. Toothless grunted, sniffing at the fabric. "All the rods are bent, bud." She said, pushing back loose strands of hair.

Standing up, Astrid brushed off the seat of her pants and remounted Toothless. "If we go slow and gentle, I think we can make it home perfectly fine." She said, although she had supreme doubts.

But, several slow going hours later, Toothless was gliding down, circling the ravine before landing softly.

"I'm so sorry, Toothless." Astrid murmured, removing the tail and rolling it up to carry home to fix. "We need a better system. Maybe something to hold me in place. But also, it could break if it got pulled on really hard. For safely."

Toothless cocked his head encouragingly. Astrid grinned. "You're too good to me." She crooned, hugging his wide head again. He purred, the vibration rumbling through Astrid's whole body.

"I'll be back tomorrow, big T." She said. "With a new, and improved, tail!" Astrid kissed him on the nose and turned up the trail.

AN_

Hey all a y'all! Sorry about the shorter chapter... But, I do have good news! I finished the book this evening! Yay! It is a total of 20 chapters, and I have a bonus chapter planned if you guys are good :)

I will posting new chapters every Sunday evening and Wednesday evening (Central Standard Time).

Thank you everyone for the views, follows, favorites and the reviews! I adore the reviews!

Good day everyone!

-Birch66724