Dragons have big teeth. Sure, that was something what every little child on Berk knew. What Astrid didn't realise until now, was how big they really were when you're watching them from hardly a one foot distance. Big mouth full of sharp fangs was the only thing she could see before her eyes as she was running away from the cove.
She didn't stop until she reached the small clearing in the woods. She hid behind the fallen tree trunk. She needed a little while to calm down and order her thoughts. Gods knew, her head was full of them now, when she escaped almost certain death. She expected lot of things when she decided to follow Hiccup today, but dragon was not one of them.
Dragon. Hiccup Haddock was keeping a dragon in the cove. He even seemed to tame it, if Astrid could assume so from that little she saw. She had to laugh on how ridiculous it sounded. Who ever heard about tamed friendly dragon? It was absurd.
But, what other explanation she could find? When she came to the cove, Hiccup and Ruffnut (since when she was fraternizing with Hiccup, Astrid had no idea) were already there. This meant, the dragon had to be there too. Astrid was sure she would notice big scaly reptile flying into the cove. So, if the dragon was wild and hostile towards humans, he would eat the two of them right away. But Astrid was watching them for good five minutes before she was discovered and they didn't even seemed frightened by the presence of the dragon.
Hiccup and Ruffnut befriended the dragon. How, Astrid had no idea, but by doing that they committed the treason. And something had to be done about that.
Astrid got up and with a new determination headed straight to the village. Others have to know. The Chief have to know. She speeded up, fully ignoring that small voice in the back of her head, which kept telling her to stop and think this over once more. But she knew what she was doing. Befriending their most sworn enemy was wrong, to say at least, and it had to be punished. Her anger from being defeated by Hiccup in the training had nothing to do with it.
Unfortunately for her, Astrid never got to the village. She actually only managed to do about five steps before she was grabbed by two clawed paws and lifted in the air.
"Hiccup, get me down from here!" she screamed when the dragon dropped her on the tree branch very, very high above the solid ground. But all the boy did was land the dragon on the top of the very same tree. He landed it. Oh great Odin's ghost! He was riding it! Astrid would scream again, but she went absolutely speechless.
"You have to give me a chance to explain," pleaded Hiccup. Astrid shot him a deadly glare.
"I'm not listening to anything you have to say!" she spat, while trying to get from the end of the branch to the tree trunk. Of all trees around, this idiot had to choose the one which branches were withered. It wouldn't hold her much longer.
"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you." Hiccup held out his hand. What? Was he really thinking she would get on... that? Was he insane?
"Please, Astrid." The branch started to crack. Astrid tried to not panic and stay calm. There was no chance to get down on her own. Only way how to get on ground again was apparently accept Hiccup's help. Sit on the dragon. Never!
The branch made another crack and Astrid felt how she dropped for a couple of inches down. Hiccup was still offering his hand to her. Damn him! She was droved into the corner.
She smacked off his hand and climbed on the dragon's back without his help. It felt even more surreal than it sounded.
"Now get me down!" she ordered. Hiccup told to dragon (Toothless? Did he really call it Toothless? Was he blind? Or daft? Or both?!) to land and then he turned to her and gave her inappropriately big smile. What was so funny? Didn't he realise in what trouble he was?
"See? Nothing to be afraid of," he said and patted the dragon on its side. Astrid highly disagreed. And as usual, she was right. What followed next was probably the scariest and in the same time the most stunning experience of her life.
It started dreadfully. The dragon decided to show off and according Hiccup's confused exclamations, it really wasn't on the programme. It stopped only then when Astrid yelled she's sorry. For what she was apologizing she wasn't even sure. Main thing was that it got the dragon back to its senses.
She had to admit, flying among the clouds was pretty cool. She even went that far and in the moment of weakness even said so. She was rewarded by two big toothy smiles, one from Hiccup and one from the dragon itself.
But before she got a chance to start comprehend her thoughts or say anything else, Toothless went crazy again and took the lead for a second time. The place he took them to was something Astrid was dying to see as much as she was fearing it. The Dragon Nest.
It was located on the island in the fogs of Helheim's Gate. Astrid couldn't believe it. It was so close all that time. How many times the Vikings been there, and they never found it. And if they did, they never came back. But now, she knew the exact location.
"That nest was enormous. I've never imagined there would be so many dragons!" she said when they were on their way back. Hiccup didn't say a word since they left the Nest. Astrid didn't see his face, but if tension in his shoulders was any indication, he was pretty troubled over their discovery as well.
"I've never imagined they would be forced to raid us," he murmured and Toothless did something which resembled an agreeing moan. Astrid sneered.
"Don't be ridiculous. Forced? They don't mind." She almost felt off when Hiccup sharply turned to face her and in the same time Toothless decided to start landing.
"What?!" the boy shouted on her disbelievingly. Astrid tried to explain.
"They are animals." Toothless landed and Hiccup was breathing in for answer, but Astrid didn't give him a chance.
"It totally makes sense. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers and that's their queen. It controls them." She jumped down from dragon's back. Finally, she was feeling the firm ground under her feet.
"Let's find your dad!" she ordered and turned to leave. She noticed Ruffnut approaching them from the other side of the cove. The dragon went to greet her and Astrid was stopped by Hiccup's urgent voice.
"No! No, Astrid, wait!" he ran to her and grabbed her hand as if make sure she won't leave. Astrid gave him a murderous stare. It made Hiccup to drop her hand, but it didn't shut him up.
"They will kill... Toothless. We have to think this through carefully." He looked really worried over that and Astrid was once again absolutely stunned.
"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, utterly shocked. She quickly pulled herself together and continued.
"We just discovered the dragon's nest. The thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?" He couldn't be. Not even such fool like him could. But apparently, she was wrong.
"Yes," he answered in firm voice and to Astrid's absolute disbelieve, she could hear the clear traces of pride in his voice when he was saying that.
"I'm sorry, Hiccup, but I can't." She wasn't sorry for the dragon, she was more sorry that it took treason for Hiccup to finally find his backbone and stay behind his decision, however bad they were. She turned again and wanted to leave.
"Astrid, please!" cried Hiccup behind her back. If she for one second admired his determination a while ago, now she was twice time disgusted how pathetic he sounded. She spun on her heel and shouted right to his face:
"You want prefer the life of a dragon over the lives of your own people!"
"That's not like that!" he tried to defend himself weakly, but Astrid didn't give him a chance.
"Then how is it? Explain it to me, because this is like it looks to me." He didn't say a word and Astrid let out an insincere laugh. He really was a fool.
"You can't possibly think that all dragons are good." One look into his face told her that this was exactly what he was thinking. She shook her head in disbelieve.
"You're making assumptions stated on this one," she said and pointed on the black dragon staying nearby with Ruffnut by his side. Nor Astrid or Hiccup noticed they came so close.
"Well I think its solid enough," objected Hiccup and he looked like he really did believe it. Astrid sighed. She never thought that Hiccup would be so naive.
"No, it is not! No one in his right senses would say so!"
"What do you mean by that?" Didn't he really know?
"You are letting your feelings to influence your judgement. It's like..." she was trying to find something to make an example.
"If you met one good Outcast, would you automatically assuming that the others are good too? I don't think so." She looked at him to see if it got through to him, but Hiccup wore unreadable mask on his face.
"Your first duty should be to your people, not to your... pet," she added. Only then he finally snapped back.
"He's not my pet. He is my friend and I'm just trying to protect him," he hissed angrily. Astrid heard deep growl from the dragon as well. Was he insulted by being labelled as a pet? Never mind. Either way, it just served to Astrid to prove her point.
"And who will protect us?" Dragons were dangerous, vicious creatures and this one was no exception. He could be behaving a little, but it didn't change the fact he was still a beast and their enemy.
Astrid turned to leave, only to be stopped once again.
"Astrid, be reasonable!" cried out Hiccup and Astrid gasped. She made a few quick steps back and shoved the boy to the chest. No one would ever accuse her for being anything but reasonable.
"I am! I'm the only one here who is!" She briefly looked at Ruffnut. The other girl didn't say a word the whole time, but given her protective stance over the dragon and frosty stare she was sending to Astrid, there could be no doubt about where her loyalties stood. Astrid looked back at Hiccup.
"Not telling is a treason, Hiccup. We have a chance to end this for good." The boy actually laughed on that, albeit a little hysterically.
"End it? End it?" he repeated incredulously.
"Are you sure you've seen the same thing as me back there?" he asked her, but he didn't wait for answer and continued.
"We won't stand a chance against it! It will end us, before we even get out from the ships!"
"Then we will die as warriors!" retorted Astrid proudly, meaning every single word of it. But Hiccup just laughed at her.
"Oh, great!" he groaned and hid his face in his palms for a second. When he looked at her again, derisive expression was gone, replaced with one very sarcastic and yet tired at the same time.
"Yes," he murmured silently. He sighed deeply and then continued with a new dose of passion.
"Because that's all is it about, right? Die in the glory and go straight to the Valhalla. Well, thank you very much, but I don't want to die!" Only now it finally occurred to Astrid.
"You are afraid," she exclaimed in astonishment. Hiccup laughed again on her astonished face.
"Yes! Yes, of course I am! I would be fool not to be!" he made a small pause to take a breath and then continued.
"You're saying I have a duty to our people? I agree! That's why I'm not going to send them to a war they cannot win!" he sounded very resolutely about that and Astrid suddenly knew that any other words were pointless. He already made up his mind.
"They have a right to decide for themselves." With that, she turned and made her last and final effort to leave.
"Astrid!" cried Hiccup after her, but this time, she didn't turn back and simply ignored him. She said everything she wanted to say. He didn't listen, anyway. She gave him a chance to make this right; no one could say she didn't. But he didn't take it. Now it was time to take matters into her hands.
"Astrid!" She ignored him again and started to climb up to the rocks. She needed to get to the village and speak to the Chief.