I do not own Dragons: Riders of Berk. Direct quotes from the series will be bolded.
A Girl Named Heather: Part One
Like most afternoons, Sunset found herself flying through Berk on Toothless, right behind her best friend. The redhead kept her arms securely around Hiccup's waist as she peered over his shoulder. "There's the flag!" she called excitedly.
"Let's go buddy!" Hiccup urged, taking Toothless to his maximum speed. They whipped through the forest, twisting among the trees and flying past the first checkpoint flag.
Astrid scanned the skies from the academy with excitement. She spotted the trio fast approaching the last checkpoint flag located on the cliff hanging above the building. "There they are!"
Fishlegs, who was studiously keeping track of their progress, marked another tally on the sundial with a piece of chalk. "They made a new course record!" he reported excitedly.
Toothless swooped in through the open door, barking happily. Sunset and Hiccup high-fived. "That's how a speed course is supposed to be done." Sunset grinned triumphantly. The two dismounted Toothless and stroked him fondly. "So, how good did we do?"
"You're still the fastest, but there's someone who's catching up pretty quickly," Fishlegs informed.
Surprised, Hiccup, Sunset and Toothless looked at their friends suspiciously. Ruffnut and Tuffnut paused in their daily fight to hold up their hands in defense. "It's totally not us," Tuffnut assured them.
"I think I have an idea on who it is." Sunset glared accusingly at Astrid, who was petting Stormfly. The girl glanced briefly at them and smirked challengingly.
Hiccup stared in shock. "How can Toothless possibly be getting slower?"
"Oh, he isn't." Fishlegs approached Hiccup and held out the book he used to keep speed scores. "She is getting faster." The large boy gestured towards the smug Deadly Nadder.
Hiccup put his hands on his hips. "You don't say? Is there anything you'd like to share, Astrid?" he asked teasingly.
Astrid continued scratching Stormfly's chin. "Oh, nothing, really. I've just been experimenting with what she eats and it's apparently working. And it also seems to be making you mad!"
"Oh, whatever," Sunset scoffed playfully. "You're just getting lucky."
"Is that so?" Astrid grinned. "Then how about we meet tomorrow to work on our speed times? Then you can see just how unlucky you guys are."
"It's on!" Hiccup laughed.
"Woo-hoo!"
Everyone glanced up to see Snotlout flying into the arena on Hookfang. The boy grinned widely. "Guys, you gotta come see what I just found!"
"Is it a severed head?" Tuffnut asked excitedly.
"Ooh! Is it our cousin Lars?" Ruffnut put in.
"Is it the severed head of our cousin Lars?"
Startled, Fishlegs glanced at the twins. "Cousin Lars died?"
The twins were immediately subdued by the very idea. "Don't stay stuff like that, man," Tuffnut scolded. "It's not cool."
"Are you guys coming or not?" Snotlout asked impatiently.
Curious, the other teens climbed onto their dragons. "Lead the way," Hiccup invited.
Beaming, Snotlout complied. They flew to the beach, where they instantly spotted the remains of a wrecked ship among the sand and rock. The teens landed near the wreckage. Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, this is so cool. I've never seen a wrecked ship before," he said sarcastically. Ruffnut nodded in agreement.
"I saw it first so that means it's mine," Snotlout told them, motioning for them all to peek underneath the sail. They did, and it was much to their surprise to find a pretty, sleeping girl with long raven hair and pale skin curled up against the edge of the sideways boat.
Tuffnut smiled goofily. "This is so much better than a wrecked boat."
Snotlout glared at him. "Already called dibs!"
Astrid slapped their shoulders, disgusted by their behaviour. "Guys, this is a person!"
"Isn't it awesome?" Snotlout asked, completely missing her point. Hiccup rolled his eyes and pushed past his cousin, carefully crawling towards the girl.
"Hey," he whispered, nudging her arm. "Are you okay?"
The girl moaned softly, waking up and glancing up tiredly. Her eyes immediately grew panicked upon seeing the strangers and she shoved away from the teens, cowering against the side of the boat. "No, no, it's okay!" Hiccup assured the frightened girl. "We won't hurt you. We're friendly."
The girl eyed them with suspicion for a moment before collapsing into a heavy coughing fit. Deciding that they were probably her only hope for rescue, she asked weakly, "Do you have some water?"
Fishlegs, Snotlout and Tuffnut immediately thrust their cups of water towards the girl. Snotlout shoved Tuffnut and Fishlegs out of the way and held his out to the girl with a smooth smile. "It's my pleasure."
With a small smile the girl accepted the cup and drank deeply. She wiped the lingering drops off of her chin and passed the cup back to Snotlout with a grateful smile. The smile disappeared when she recalled her situation. "Can you tell me where I am?" she asked softly.
Hiccup smiled welcomingly. "This is the island of Berk." Tuffnut and Snotlout nodded idly, staring at the girl with love-struck eyes. Toothless shoved past the teens, curiously sniffing the girl. Frightened, the girl held her arms over her face to protect herself. Hiccup quickly shoved Toothless back out. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you." He motioned for the girl outside. "You can come out."
Hesitant, the girl slowly crawled from the wrecked ship and watched as Hiccup ordered the Night Fury to settle down, which he did. Both turned to smile at her when she stood, her legs a little shaky. "How'd you do that?" she asked in awe.
Immediately jumping on the chance to impress the girl, Snotlout scoffed. "Oh, that's nothing. Hookfang! You get over here right now!"
Hookfang glanced at his rider, amused by his attempt to show dominance, and flew off. Snotlout scowled. "Oh, he's quite the jokester. He'll be back soon." He coughed. "So, I'm Snotlout, and I'm the one who rescued you. You're welcome.
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Since Snotlout started the introductions, I'll finish them off. I'm Hiccup," he introduced. "And this is Toothless." He patted the Night Fury's head. "The twins are Ruffnut and Tuffnut, that's Fishlegs, Astrid and Sunset." He pointed to each person as he listed their name.
"I'm Heather," the girl said softly. "Thank you, all of you, for helping me."
"So, what happened, Heather?" Astrid asked, her curiosity no longer able to be contained.
A sad expression crossed Heather's face. "My parents and I were travelling back to our island when pirates attacked," she said solemnly. "They ransacked our boat and brought us back to our island. They lay siege to it and I managed to escape." She cast a glance at the sea. "But my parents weren't so lucky."
Hiccup placed a comforting hand on her arm. "Hey, don't worry. My dad's the chief of Berk. He can help you." He led the girl away with the other teens following behind. Astrid and Sunset lingered behind. The blonde looked at Sunset, whose expression was one of reluctance.
"The only time you have that look on your face is when you're thinking bad about someone and it's true, but you don't want to believe it," Astrid observed. "You have a strange feeling about this too, huh?"
Sunset frowned. "There was an immense lack of tears considering she lost her parents and her home all in one go."
Astrid nodded in agreement. She bent down and studied the interior of the wrecked ship, searching for anything that was out of place. But nothing was found. "Come on," she muttered. The two girls hurried to their dragons. The twins and Fishlegs had already taken off. Hiccup helped Heather aboard Toothless, leaving Sunset to crawl on behind her.
"Um..."
The noise caught Astrid's attention. She glanced down to see Snotlout hesitantly approaching her. "Can...can I have a ride?"
Astrid smirked. "Well, that depends on whether you can admit that I'm best Viking warrior on Berk."
Snotlout scowled, but muttered, "Astrid Hofferson is the best Viking warrior on Berk."
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Astrid grinned and Snotlout shot her a glare and climbed on behind her. They flew towards the village, the wind rushing past them.
"...this is pretty cozy," Snotlout said flirtatiously.
"Keep the hands off or I'll push you off," Astrid warned idly.
"Got it."
...
"This is my place," Hiccup declared as Toothless landed in his front yard. He helped Heather dismount and the girl glanced around curiously.
"You have a nice village," Heather complimented. "It has a comforting feel to it."
"Yeah, well, we're a pretty close-knit village. Most of the time, anyway." Hiccup motioned for Heather to follow. They entered the Haddock household, where Stoick was in the middle of preparing dinner. The whole house smelled of fish stew.
"Ah, Hiccup. I was wondering when you would get back." He glanced up from the pot cooking on the fire and his eyes instantly locked onto the unfamiliar girl standing self-consciously behind Hiccup. "And who is this young lady? I don't think I've seen her around the village before," Stoick observed.
Hiccup and Sunset exchanged looks. "Well, she's not exactly from the island," Sunset said.
Stoick closed his eyes. "What did you two do this time?"
"Nothing!" they exclaimed in unison. Heather giggled at their indigent tones and quickly placed a hand over her mouth.
"Her ship crashed onto our shores," Hiccup explained. "Her island was taken by pirates and she was the only one to escape."
Stoick's expression softened instantly. "I'm sorry to hear that, young lady. I am Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk. And you are welcome to stay here until we find a safe place for you to go. And your name would be...?"
"Heather. Thank you, sir, for your kindness," Heather said softly.
"I'll get you settled in my room," Hiccup led Heather upstairs with Toothless trailing behind. "Sun, can you get her something to eat?"
"Sure thing." Sunset grabbed a wooden bowl from the shelf and stood beside the warm pot, waiting for the stew to finish cooking. She shot a glance at Stoick, who was now distractedly stirring the soup. "'What did you two do this time?'" she mimicked, catching Stoick's attention. "What did you think we did? Kidnap the girl from her island?"
"For some reason, it wouldn't have surprised me if that was the case," Stoick muttered, inspecting the stew. Satisfied by its texture and temperature, he ladled some into the waiting bowl. "Make sure you and Hiccup take good care of her. She went through a traumatizing experience and a lot is happening to her at one time."
"She'll be taken care of," Sunset promised the man. She jogged upstairs to find Hiccup showing Heather his blueprints. She seemed rather interested in all of them. "Here's some stew," Sunset said, holding the bowl out.
Heather smiled gratefully and took it. "Thank you. I appreciate this. I'm a complete stranger and you're all being so nice to me."
"It's nothing. We're happy to help." Hiccup shot the girl a smile. "If you need anything during the night, I'll just be downstairs."
"Thanks, Hiccup." Heather smiled shyly. Toothless waddled past the girl and Heather shied away slightly. Sunset followed her best friends downstairs, leaving Hiccup's new houseguest to eat her food and rest. And for some reason, leaving Heather alone didn't sit well with Sunset.
You're being paranoid, she chided. Tons of people wash up on shores with tragic stories. Heather is one of them.
But while the girl certainly seemed...shaken, she didn't seem distraught enough considering what she had gone through. And Astrid thought something was off about the girl too.
"What are you thinking about, Sun?"
Startled from her thoughts, Sunset turned to see Stoick and Hiccup eyeing her curiously. "Oh. Nothing. I guess I just zoned out."
"It's been quite the day for you kids," Stoick agreed. "And I think it's time you all got some rest."
"Uh, sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Hiccup." Sunset waved at her friend, gave Toothless a hug and left. She walked outside and was surprised to see that darkness was quickly falling. "Gee, it has been an eventful day."
A soft grunting noise caused Sunset to glance around the village. She spotted Astrid coming from the side of her house, struggling to pull a massive barrel of...something. "Hey, Astrid! Need some help?"
Astrid looked up in panic and quickly moved in front of the barrel. "No! I mean, no thanks. I got it."
Her flushed face and heavy pants told Sunset otherwise. She was confused for only a moment as to why Astrid would refuse her help when she remembered what the blonde had said earlier in the ring. She grinned knowingly. "If it's the magic food you're feeding Stormfly, I promise I won't tell Hiccup."
Astrid hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Sunset always kept her promises and Astrid trusted her. Besides, she could really use some help moving the barrel.
The redhead jogged over and together they managed to bring the food over to Stormfly. The dragon chirped cheerfully upon seeing them and wagged her tail. Sunset eyed the food in amusement as Astrid tossed it to her. "Chicken, huh?"
"It gives Stormfly all the energy she needs." Astrid grinned smugly as her dragon eagerly gobbled up the food. "Do you think Hiccup will ever figure it out?"
"Probably not," Sunset admitted. "I never would have guessed it was chicken that was giving Stormfly all that speed."
Astrid laughed. "Yeah, but then again, you don't even know what chicken tastes like."
"True that."
Stormfly's head suddenly jerked up. She peered intently at the shadows surrounding her barn, ears alert. "What is it?" Astrid whispered, scanning the village. Unable to see anything from their position in the barn Sunset and Astrid crept into the darkness. "Stay here, girl," Astrid said softly. Stormfly cooed in understanding and went back to eating her chicken.
"I don't see anything," Sunset whispered, straining her eyes. The shadows cast around town made it difficult to see. Astrid motioned for the redhead to follow her and together the two girls ducked behind houses, looking for a sign of anything suspicious that would have made Stormfly react the way she did.
"There!" Sunset pointed at a dark figure running through the village. Astrid and Sunset jogged after her, but it soon became apparent that the figure had too much of a head start for them to catch up. Sunset squinted as the figure took off and for a brief moment the silver light from the moon illuminated their body. "Is that Heather?" Sunset asked in puzzlement as the girl disappeared around a building.
Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh."
Sunset sighed heavily. "Well, if I wasn't suspicious before, I sure am now."
...
Heather's odd behaviour continued to bother Sunset. The following morning she decided to talk to Hiccup. There was always the chance that the person sneaking through the village only looked like Heather.
The redhead walked out into the late morning sun and headed to the Haddock household. She pushed open the door (she had given up on knocking long ago-Hiccup's house was pretty much her house) and was instantly greeted by silence.
"Hiccup?" Sunset called. The soft crackling of the fire was her only response. "Okay," she mused as she shut the door. "Maybe he's at the forge."
She jogged towards Gobber's shop and halted by the door. She watched with her mouth agape as Hiccup took off into the air, a new, shorter connecting rod attached to Toothless and Heather riding behind Hiccup. The trio disappeared high into the sky, both whooping gleefully as Toothless sped along.
"I'm so not happy right now," Sunset scowled at the disappearing figures. "Looks like I'll be the one telling Astrid our little contest is off because someone is being inconsiderate."
Annoyed beyond belief Sunset jogged to the beach, scanning the small cliffs that they often perched on when waiting for someone else. Sure enough, a few yards away, she could see Stormfly with Astrid perched atop. Sunset sprinted the rest of the way, shouting and waving her arms to get the blonde's attention.
Astrid glanced down at Sunset, her impatience quickly morphing into confusion. "Sunset? Where's Hiccup? I thought we were-"
Before Sunset could explain Hiccup chose that precise moment to shoot by, not even noticing the two girls. Heather laughed gleefully, the sound ringing in Astrid's ears. The blonde watched in irritation as they disappeared in the distance. "Is he serious?"
Sunset shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, Astrid. I would have reminded him but he left without me."
"It's not your fault." Astrid flew Stormfly down to the beach so that Sunset could climb on. "It's his fault."
"It normally is," Sunset sighed as they took off into the air. They flew into the dragon academy, where the rest of their friends were waiting.
"Took you long enough," Ruffnut drawled, peering at them lazily from Barf's head.
"Trust me, it would have been longer if someone had stuck to previously made plans," Astrid grumbled. She and Sunset dismounted Stormfly and the Nadder went to get a drink of water.
Snotlout glared in exasperation at Hookfang, who was pacing the length of the arena impatiently. "Look, if we're not going to train, then I'm gonna go before Hookfang lights this place up."
"How come Hiccup isn't with you?" Fishlegs asked, pausing in his cleaning of Meatlug's ears to glance curiously at Sunset.
The redhead frowned and gestured towards the crystal blue sky. "He's currently giving Heather a private lesson."
As if he meant to demonstrate her point Hiccup flew above the academy clearly visible through the metal encasement. He whooped happily as they sailed past, Heather giggling madly behind him. Fishlegs missed the irritation in the girl's voice and brightened. "Ooh! Can anyone get private lessons?"
"Just her," Astrid answered dryly, glaring at the spot in the sky Hiccup and Toothless had once occupied.
Ruffnut studied the blonde and grinned mischievously. "Looks like someone's upset there's another rooster in the hen house."
Astrid glowered at the girl and walked over to Stormfly, who was resting by the water trough. "I am not jealous," she snapped, scratching Stormfly's chin. Just as the words left her mouth Hiccup and Heather swooped in on Toothless, their faces flushed with excitement.
Hiccup helped Heather dismount and the girl twirled around, taking in the academy. Hiccup faced his friends and smiled cheerfully. "Hey, guys! Ready for some training?"
He was met with twin glares of annoyance from Astrid and Sunset. Astrid crossed her arms. "You should really take a page out of Sunset's book on manners, Hiccup. You seem to be lacking some."
Hiccup stared at her in confusion for a moment before remembering the plans they had made yesterday. He slapped his forehead, annoyed at himself. "I am so sorry. I completely forgot."
Astrid scoffed and turned to Heather with an antagonistic smile. "Did you sleep well, Heather?"
The girl turned to Astrid, her smile attempting to be sincere. "I did, thank you Astrid," Heather said sweetly. She turned her attention on Hiccup, who glancing between the girls nervously. "So this is where you train the dragons?" she asked with genuine interest.
"Yup. This is where we train dragons how to be a part of our everyday lives," Hiccup explained.
Eager to impress the pretty girl, Fishlegs scurried forward and held out the Book of Dragons with pride. "This is where we record everything. I'm the one responsible for writing it all down."
Snotlout snorted and shoved the large boy out of the way. "Yeah, you write down what Hiccup tells you." He grinned suavely at the girl. "I on the other hand, do what I want."
Heather's hands twitched anxiously. "Could I see the book?"
Alarm bells rang in Sunset's head as Fishlegs held the book out. She swooped in and snatched the Book of Dragons from his hands. Astrid, who was having the same feelings as Sunset, stormed past the stunned teens and grabbed Sunset by the arm, dragging her to Hiccup. "We'll be taking that," she said coldly, ignoring the soft scowl on Heather's face.
"We need to talk," Astrid muttered as she ushered the annoyed Hiccup away from the gawking group. They stood at the far end of the academy for privacy.
"I don't think it's a good idea to show Heather all these secrets," Sunset said, phrasing her words carefully.
Hiccup shrugged off her urgent tone. "It'll be fine, guys."
Astrid frowned. "We don't trust her, Hiccup."
The boy glanced at Sunset in surprise at this admittance, as it was very rare for Sunset to be willing to distrust anyone without a good, solid reason. Rather annoyed by their behaviour towards Heather, he snapped, "I trust her and that should be good enough for you."
Hiccup stormed towards the group, ready to begin. Astrid and Sunset watched after him, hurt that he just dismissed their concerns. "I don't like the way she looked at this book," Sunset muttered.
"Keep the book with you," Astrid ordered, her eyes narrowed. "In fact, let's go find a nice hiding spot for it right now. And whatever you do, don't give it back to Hiccup until this girl is gone."
Sunset nodded hesitantly and the two left the arena. Heather watched them go, the Book of Dragons clutched under the redhead's arm. Her right eye twitched slightly. She knew they were going to hide the book and she had no way of sneaking off to follow them, as she was surrounded by smitten boys and one mildly amused female.
It looked like she was going to have to find another way to obtain the desired information.
...
Dusk fell and it was that time where Heather managed to slip away from Hiccup, who was busy feeding Toothless. The girl was irritated that Astrid and Sunset had seen right through her so quickly. "I guess I'm going to have to find that book one way or another," Heather muttered as she walked towards Fishlegs. The boy was playing with Meatlug in his front yard. "But for now, I'll have to get information from the trainers."
She cleared her throat, notifying Fishlegs of her presence. The boy got to his feet immediately and Meatlug cooed in greeting. "Hey, Fishlegs! Or maybe the more accurate title is Log-Master of the Book of Dragons." She smiled sweetly.
"You can call me whatever you'd like." Fishlegs grinned bashfully.
"I was just wondering, what would one find in the Book of Dragons about a Gronkle?"
Fishlegs positively glowed with excitement. This was his element. "Gronkle's are members of the Boulder Class," he explained. "They fourteen feet long and have an eighteen-foot wingspan." He picked up the edge of Meatlug's wing and expanded it to show Heather. "And most importantly, they are five-thousand seven hundred and twenty-four pounds of pure love." He gave Meatlug a hug and she nuzzled against him affectionately.
"She's really cute." Heather smiled. "How does she do in battle?"
Fishlegs motioned her over. "Feel her skin."
Heather curiously approached the Gronkle and hesitantly stroked her nose. Fishlegs smiled proudly. "Her skin is impenetrable and thick like armour."
Heather hummed softly. Believing that he was really impressing her, Fishlegs grabbed a rock and went behind his dragon. He tossed it at her hide and the rock immediately bounced off Meatlug's skin and struck Fishlegs in the face. He grinned in embarrassment and rubbed his noise. "It's also pretty springy."
Heather giggled softly and joined Fishlegs behind Meatlug. She studied the tail with interest. "What purpose does the tail have? It looks like a weapon."
"That's because it is." He lifted up Meatlug's tail. "It works like a bludgeon."
"You have a pretty cool dragon." Heather smiled. "Thanks for sharing all this with me. I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll head off for Hiccup's house."
"If you have any more questions I'll be happy to answer." Fishlegs grinned goofily and waved as Heather departed.
He didn't even notice as she headed to the Hooligan Harbour rather than the Haddock household.
...
Heather climbed down the wooden docks and spotted the male twin with his Hideous Zippleback, chucking rocks into the water. "I thought I heard his voice," she mused before approaching them. "Hey, Tuffnut."
Tuffnut whipped around upon hearing her voice and grinned excitedly. "Hey! Heather! What's up?"
"Just taking a walk," Heather shrugged and glanced at his Zippleback curiously. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you if you could show me how you and Ruffnut shoot fire from this big guy."
"I can totally do that!" Tuffnut beamed and motioned for her to climb on Barf's head. She did so cautiously and was awed when the dragon head gave no protest. She hung on tightly as Tuffnut ordered his dragon to stand up. "All you have to do is yank on his head and he'll spray gas. I'll yank on Belch's head and he'll ignite the gas," Tuffnut explained. "Oh, and don't breathe the gas in."
Heather titled her head to the side. "Why?"
"You really don't want to know," Tuffnut said feelingly. "When you're ready, give me the signal."
Heather blinked. "And that would be...?"
Tuffnut frowned. "Man, I always forget that part." He rapped his knuckles against his helmet in an attempt to remember.
"Is it 'fire'?" Heather suggested, thinking that the signal between the twins wouldn't be a complex one.
"That's it!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "You're really good! Way better than my sister, who I could easily get rid of, by the way. Just saying." He chuckled to himself and directed his dragon to face the boat in front of him. "Ready...fire!"
Heather yanked on Barf's head and he immediately sprayed gas onto the empty boat. Heather held her breath as Tuffnut gave Belch his order and soon the boat was alight with flames. Tuffnut laughed evilly. "That was awesome!"
"Now what?" Heather asked nervously.
"We hide until the chief finds us and gives us a butt-load of trouble," Tuffnut said simply.
Heather quickly climbed off the Zippleback. "Thanks, Tuffnut, for this...demonstration. I'll see you later."
"Later." Tuffnut waved happily as Heather booked it. "She's cute."
"Thorston!"
Tuffnut pouted as he spotted Stoick lumbering down the docks towards him, his face a mask of fury. "Ah, man. I didn't even get a chance to hide."
...
"That was a close one," Heather muttered as she walked back through the village. "The last thing I need is to get in trouble."
"Hey, Heather!"
The girl glanced up to see Snotlout waving at her eagerly from his house. What interested her was the Monstrous Nightmare standing idly beside him. "Hey, Snotlout." Heather walked over and carefully approached Hookfang. He allowed her to stroke his chin. "I meant to tell that you have a pretty impressive dragon."
Snotlout waved the compliment off dismissively. "Yeah, thanks. You know I don't think you thanked me for saving your life." He sidled up to the girl expectantly.
Heather smiled politely. "Thanks, Snotlout." She turned her attention back to the dragon. "How much does this big guy weigh?"
"Around five thousand pounds. He's Monstrous, just like his rider." Snotlout flexed his muscles arrogantly. "How about I take you on a tour of the island?"
"Oh, no thanks. Hiccup already took me on one with Toothless." Heather ignored the stunned expression on Snotlout's face and examined Hookfang's wings. She lifted the edge up and spotted something coating his scales. "How does he flame up?"
"The spit on his scales lets him do that," Snotlout said impatiently, not quite liking that his dragon was getting more attention than him. "It coats his whole body. And the ladies really like the smell of it." He took some off of Hookfang's scales and rubbed it on his body.
Heather resisted the urge to shudder and experimentally touched the spit. "And he can light up on command?"
"He could, if he ever listened to me." Snotlout scowled. "He's a pretty pig-headed dragon."
Calmly, Hookfang turned his head and cast a flame on Snotlout's behind. Heather gasped in shock and Snotlout, who was used to this occurrence, merely offered a false smile. "I'll be right back." He tore for the water trough resting by the side of his house and he jumped in it, sighing in relief. Hookfang snickered.
"Uh...don't rush for my sake!" Heather called. She turned her head and spotted Hiccup walking through the village. He cast his cousin an amused glance before smiling at Heather.
"I haven't seen you all day!"
"I've been pretty busy." Heather smiled. "Where are you off to?"
"Oh, I'm just going to grab the Book of Dragons back from Sunset. I have a few more things I think I can add to it. I'll see you back at the house."
Heather beamed as Hiccup headed off again. Maybe I won't have to go searching for the book after all.
...
"What is the matter with you?"
The demand came from Gobber, whose hulking frame blocked Sunset's bedroom doorframe. The large man stared at the girl in bafflement as she peeked through the window, trying to see if Hiccup had given up and left yet.
"It's a complicated matter," Sunset hissed. She allowed the curtains to fall back into place and crawled away from the window. "Just tell him I'm not here."
"Too late. I already told him you are here." Gobber crossed his arms. "If you don't want to see him, fine. All he wants is the Book of Dragons."
"Oh, no!" Sunset cried, getting to her feet. "The book stays with me!"
"It seems you're finally developing the quality known as greed. I don't like it. It doesn't suit you." Gobber pointed his hooked hand at his charge. "Get. The. Book."
Sunset puffed out her chest and glared up at him, her helmet falling halfway over her emerald eyes. "No."
"Alright. The hard way, then." With ease Gobber picked up the protesting girl and slung her over one shoulder so that she could not interfere. With lazy eyes he scanned the mildly messy room and ignored the tiny fists beating against his broad back. "Where oh where would Sunset hide the Book of Dragons?"
On a hunch he whipped the pillow from the bed. Satisfied, he picked the book from its hiding place. "That couldn't have been comfortable."
"Gobber!" Sunset shrieked, twisting madly. "You can't give him the book! It's not safe!"
"I'm supposed to be the paranoid one and you're supposed to be the sensible one," Gobber remarked as he lumbered down the stairs. "Not the other way around."
Hiccup was just about to barge inside when Gobber threw the door open again. Hiccup caught a brief glimpse of the thrashing Sunset before Gobber gave a brief nod, tossed the book at him and shut the door firmly. Hiccup hesitated, wondering if Sunset's odd behaviour was because of his neglect that morning.
"I'll make it up to her later," he decided as he hurried for home, the book clutched to his chest. He wanted to get the new stats down before he forgot them.
Gobber headed back upstairs and dumped the frustrated Sunset onto her bed. "Stay. There. For the rest of the night," he ordered. "I don't know what's gotten into you but I think you need some alone time to work out your issues."
Sunset scowled as her caretaker left. "I'll show you issues," she muttered under her breath and ran to the window. She threw the curtains open and glanced frantically outside, hoping desperately that Astrid would somehow appear. After five minutes her wish was seemingly granted. The red glow from the setting sun lit up Astrid, who was talking a walk-and the blonde happened to be walking past Gobber's home. "Astrid!" she hissed, waving her arm out the window to get her attention.
Astrid glanced up upon hearing her name. "What's up?" she asked, noting the urgent tone in her friend's voice.
"Hiccup has the Book of Dragons again!" Sunset informed. "And I'm a little uncomfortable with that idea."
"Then I think I better go check on Hiccup's new houseguest." Astrid's eyes narrowed into slits and she immediately hurried for the Haddock household. She paused a few yards away when she spotted the boy adjusting Toothless' rigging. If he's out here, then I have a pretty good idea of what she is probably doing.
Astrid snuck around Hiccup and Toothless and entered the house. She crept upstairs and smirked triumphantly when she caught Heather sneaking around the room. Eventually she found the Book of Dragons and she flipped through the pages. Astrid snarled upon hearing the girl mutter facts about the Deadly Nadder under her breath.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" she asked sharply, entering the room fully.
Heather jumped, tossing the book to the floor in her surprise. "I-"
Hiccup, upon hearing Astrid's shout, hurried into the room. "What's going on?"
"She was sneaking around! To get that," Astrid pointed at the book. Hiccup bent down and scooped it up, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Heather looked at Hiccup pleadingly. "I am so sorry, Hiccup. I was cleaning up the room when I found it. I really couldn't resist."
Hiccup smiled at her. "No, it's fine."
Astrid scowled and got into his face, finger jabbing at his chest. "What do you mean, 'its fine'? She was reading the sacred Book of Dragons!"
Hiccup frowned at her. "Calm down, Astrid."
"Me calm down?" Astrid asked incredulously. "She is the one sneaking around in your room and at night. Sunset and I caught her near my house last night."
Heather looked at the floor. "I couldn't sleep, so I took I walk. I kept having awful nightmares."
"I can only imagine," Hiccup said sympathetically.
"You must be joking," Astrid said flatly.
The boy glared at her, fed up with her insensitivity and aggression. "Alright, you need to stop."
"Oh, I don't think so. In fact, I'm just getting started." Astrid scowled at them both before storming downstairs.
Hiccup sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about her."
"No, I shouldn't have looked at the book," Heather said, trying to keep a smirk from surfacing. "It was wrong of me."
"It's cool, I don't mind if you read it." Hiccup put the book back under his bed and Heather allowed the smirk to show.
Tonight, she would be making friends with a Deadly Nadder.
...
"This sucks," Sunset sighed. She and Astrid were in the blonde's bedroom, brooding over recent events. After the scene at Hiccup's house Astrid had went straight to Gobber's. She managed to convince the man that Sunset needed some girl time to loosen up and so they sat on the wooden floor of the Hofferson household, thinking.
"Why doesn't Hiccup believe us?" Astrid asked in frustration, punching her pillow.
"He's a boy. And sadly for us, Heather is pretty." Sunset shrugged. "But the problem is we don't have a good reason to be suspicious of her."
"No normal person sneaks around looking for the Book of Dragons," Astrid pointed out.
"Yeah, but we need the reason why she's secretly looking for the Book of Dragons," Sunset explained. "If the reason we have solid evidence to back-up our reasons for being suspicious of her."
"And do you suggest we do that?" Astrid demanded.
A sudden roar from the barn caused the girls to rush to the window. They squinted into the darkness and spotted a figure carefully approaching the Deadly Nadder. "Oh no she isn't!" Astrid cried and raced downstairs with Sunset following close behind. They hurried out into the night and came upon the barn just in time to catch Heather feeding Stormfly a piece of chicken. "What do you think you're doing?" Astrid demanded, furious.
Heather turned around in surprise. She quickly smoothed her expression into a smug smile. "You sure like to sneak up to people."
"Only those who deserve it," Astrid growled. She and Sunset walked up to the girl. "Don't bother giving us your innocent act. We can see right through it."
"I noticed," Heather said coolly. She cupped Stormfly's face and stroked her nose. With a satisfied smile at Astrid's snarl, she casually pushed past the girls. "And I think you're dragon likes me. Bye, Stormfly!"
Astrid's anger melted away and was replaced by hurt. Sunset placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for the loyalty," Astrid muttered to Stormfly before grabbing her axe from the side of the house and hurrying away. Sunset was quick to follow and the two girls soon became nothing but shadows running through the dark night.
"Where are we going?" Sunset panted.
"I need to let off some steam," Astrid said shortly as they approached the forest. "You don't have to come."
"Sure I do. I need to make sure you don't hurt yourself," Sunset joked.
Astrid managed a tiny smile before launching her axe at the nearest tree. It embedded perfectly into the bark but it did not stay there long. Sunset was quiet as she watched the blonde throw the axe at any tree close to her. Astrid's shoulders heaved with pants and sweat rolled down her face.
"I don't know what she's up to," she growled, yanking her axe from a magnificent pine. "But I will find out."
A twig snapped, alerting the girls that they were not alone. Astrid and Sunset pressed up against the tree trunk of the pine and peered cautiously into the night. They spotted Heather as she crept past. Sunset smiled softly. "I think we might find out right now," she whispered and they followed, keeping to the trees to avoid being caught.
Eventually Heather emerged onto the beach. She cast a long look at the ocean before settling down on a washed-up log. The two girls watched for a moment before frowning. "Maybe she isn't up to anything," Sunset finally spoke. "Maybe we're just being paranoid."
"Oh really? What does that look like to you?" Astrid pointed into the distance, where a boat decorated with spiked shields rapidly approached.
"An Outcast ship," Sunset breathed as the vessel rolled on shore. There was a grunt as a familiar Outcast jumped to the sand, striding purposefully towards the tense Heather.
"It's Savage," Astrid whispered in shock.
Savage approached Heather. "Well?" he demanded.
"I've learned a lot about dragons," Heather said quickly. "But I discovered something better that will make Alvin extremely happy."
Savage crossed his arms and sneered down at the girl. "Go on."
"They have a book of dragons. It has everything Alvin could possibly hope for. It tells everything on how to control dragons."
"And where is this book?"
Heather swallowed nervously. "I don't have it yet. But I promise I will! I just need a little more time!"
Savage towered over the girl, the silver moonlight enhancing his sinister features. "Alvin isn't a patient man. He won't be happy with this."
"I promise you when I get back to Outcast Island with the book everything will be worth it!" Heather said desperately. "You're going to have to trust me."
Sunset gasped in horror. Astrid quickly shoved them both lower on the slope they were crouching behind. Heather jumped, startled by the noise. "I gotta go." She took off down the beach and Savage cast a suspicious glance at the forest before boarding the ship. The two girls waited a few tense moments before peering over the lip of the slope cautiously.
The Outcasts were gone.
"Go, go, go!" Astrid hollered. The two girls sprinted through the forest. Their boots pounded against the dirt paths as they scrambled up to the Haddock household. Not even bothering about waking anyone up Astrid barged into the house with Sunset right behind her.
Despite the noise Hiccup still slept soundly, wrapped up in a blanket on the floor. Toothless jolted awake and stared at the two girls in surprise. He cooed happily upon seeing Sunset. The redhead gave him a quick hug as Astrid gave Hiccup a kick to the side. "Get up!" she ordered.
Hiccup groaned in pain and rolled over to see Astrid looming over him. "Why would you do something like that?"
"Because we are here to warn you that Heather is working for the Outcasts!" Astrid snapped. "We just saw her talking to Savage!"
"You're crazy. She's sleeping upstairs."
"Oh yeah?" Astrid challenged, confident that they had beat the sneak. She dragged Hiccup upstairs and was disgruntled to find Heather sleeping soundly in Hiccup's bed.
The girl stirred and woke up, yawning. She peered blearily at the trio. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Hiccup assured her and eyed his friends with worry. "Nothing at all."
With a frustrated yell Astrid stormed outside, Sunset scrambling after her. Hiccup quickly followed after them, determined to get to the bottom of their strange behaviour. "I think you guys need to relax."
Astrid whirled around, furious. "We saw her, Hiccup."
"Well, it was dark out. Perhaps you saw something else," Hiccup suggested, wrapping his arms around himself to guard him from the chilly night breeze.
"Hiccup, we know what we saw!" Sunset said desperately. "And don't you think there's something odd about a girl who just washes up on our beach?"
"No," Hiccup said firmly. "Her island is under siege and she escaped. I would have thought you of all people would have had more compassion for her, Sun."
"And I would," Sunset cried. "If I believed her! Hiccup, you know I don't put suspicion on people for no reason!"
"How could we make up seeing Heather speaking with Savage?" Astrid demanded. "That's not just something you mistakenly see!"
Hiccup frowned at his friends in disappointment. "I don't know what your problem is, but let me tell you this. If I know one thing it's that Heather is not working for the Outcasts."
"Then you obviously don't know anything," Astrid whispered, defeated and hurt.
Sunset watched the girl storm off. She turned to Hiccup and frowned deeply. "I would have thought," she said sadly, "after all our years of friendship, you wouldn't let a pretty face cloud your trust in me."
The redhead walked off as Hiccup stared helplessly after her. The words she spoke were like a punch to the gut. "They're just worried," he muttered to himself as he headed back inside. "They think that the Book of Dragons is in danger."
Later on, he wished with all his heart he had believed the girls from the beginning.
...
The morning sun filtered in through Astrid's bedroom window. Sunset got up from the hard floor and yawned, stretching her back. She peered sleepily out the window-only to see Heather taking off on Stormfly. "Astrid! Astrid, wake up!" Sunset hollered, shaking the girl frantically.
The blonde immediately jumped to her feet, albeit woozily. "What's the matter?" she demanded. "Are the Outcasts here?"
"No, but they will be soon! Heather took Stormfly and she had the Book of Dragons with her!"
Panicked, Astrid and Sunset raced over to Hiccup's house. There was no way he could dismiss their concerns this time. Astrid shoved the door open, causing Stoick and Hiccup to stare at them in surprise. "Heather's gone!" Astrid cried. "And she took Stormfly!"
Hiccup closed his eyes, regret and anger washing over him. "And the book," he whispered.
"Why would she take the book?" Stoick demanded.
"She's working for the Outcasts," Sunset explained hurriedly.
Horrified by this drastic turn of events, Stoick instantly boomed his orders. "Go after her right now! I'm going to stay here in case she's already made it too far. If the Outcasts attack we'll be on the far side of the island. Move!"
The teens obeyed. Toothless raced after the kids as they charged into the village, hammering on the doors of the other riders. "Let's go, Fishlegs!" Sunset hollered, pounding on the door. "We've got an emergency!"
"Ruff and Tuff, get to the dragon academy right now!" Hiccup called as he gave quick and firm pound on the Thorston door.
"Snotlout, move your butt!" Astrid shrieked. "My dragon's been kidnapped!"
The other teens immediately burst from their houses. They grabbed their dragons and everyone rushed to the dragon academy. "What happened?" Snotlout demanded.
"Heather is working for the Outcasts. She stole the Book of Dragons and is heading for Outcast Island on Stormfly," Sunset said as she helped Hiccup adjust the saddle on Toothless.
Fishlegs was horrified. "If Alvin gets that book we're doomed!"
"He won't get the book," Hiccup said firmly. He let out a heavy sigh. "How did I miss this?"
"You got distracted by a pretty face," Sunset said flatly. Hiccup swallowed thickly, knowing that this was what Sunset and Astrid had tried to warn him about all along.
"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered. "I should have trusted you. You've never given me a reason not to."
Sunset allowed a soft smile to cross her pale face. "It's not me you should be apologizing to," she pointed out.
Astrid came over at that moment, climbing onto Toothless. Sunset got on behind her and Hiccup finished the adjustments. "Astrid-"
"Whatever," Astrid cut him off. "You can apologize for being an idiot after we get my dragon back."
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, of course." He mounted Toothless and glanced at his friends. "Whatever happens, we can't let Heather reach Outcast Island!"
"Then let's move!" Snotlout boomed. They all took off into the air, flying quickly through the skies.
After five minutes of seeing nothing but clear blueness, Astrid grew discouraged. "Stormfly is too fast for us to catch up to her!"
Hiccup cast a smile over his shoulder. "With you, yes. But not with a stranger."
"Hey, I see her!" Snotlout hollered, pointing ahead.
Hiccup smiled grimly. "She's gonna be sorry for helping me with Toothless' speed."
He adjusted the position of the tailfin and they accelerated towards the Nadder. Heather looked at them as they flew beside her in desperation. Hiccup guided Toothless closer to Stormfly, so close that their wings nearly brushed against each other's.
Frantic, Heather pulled a piece of chicken from her bag and fed it quickly to Stormfly. Hiccup stared in surprise. "Chicken is what you've been-?"
"Now is so not the time," Sunset snapped, bringing Hiccup back on track.
The chicken gave Stormfly the energy boast she needed. Toothless did his best to chase after the Nadder, but it became apparent that getting beside Heather again wasn't going to work. "Time to move up, Hiccup," Sunset instructed.
Hiccup nodded and guided Toothless over Stormfly. Astrid waited for the right moment before jumping down and landing in the saddle behind Heather. "Where do you think you're going?"
Heather glowered at her and sent an elbow to Astrid's stomach. The blonde toppled down Stormfly's back before grabbing onto her tail. "Stormfly, tail flip!" Astrid called.
Her dragon obeyed, flicking her tail and sending Astrid flying into the saddle once more. The blonde wasted no time in getting Heather into a neck lock and the two girls began fighting for control. Fishlegs watched the brawl below nervously and glanced up. "Guys!" he cried in panic. "We just crossed Outcast waters!"
"Astrid, could you hurry it up please!" Hiccup called down.
"She's a little stronger than she looks!" Astrid hollered just before Heather rammed her chin into Astrid's face.
Hiccup glanced in worry as flaming boulders flew towards them. "They were expecting us," Sunset muttered. "Hey, Astrid?"
But the blonde was preoccupied. Astrid managed to free herself from Heather's chokehold and grabbed the girl's arm menacingly. "Don't you ever mess with my dragon again!" she shouted and gave the girl a shove. The push had more force than intended and Heather pitched off of Stormfly, the book falling with her.
"I got Heather!" Snotlout called and swooped after the girl. Hiccup and Sunset immediately went after the book, which was falling dangerously close to the Outcasts. Snotlout managed to catch the girl, but Hiccup and Sunset weren't having much luck.
"We need that book!" Sunset said desperately, wrapping her arms around Hiccup's waist as they entered a steep descent. Hiccup extended his arm, his fingers inches away from grabbing the book and the book was a few feet away from striking Outcast shores.
"Look out!"
Hiccup jolted at Sunset's cry and jerked Toothless to the side, able to miss a flaming boulder. The book, however, was gone. They could hear Savage give a gleeful cry as they reluctantly headed back to the group, knowing that the book was on Outcast Island and that they were no match for a whole island of Outcasts.
They levelled out with the rest of the group, Heather riding behind Snotlout, a sad expression on her face. The Berk teens exchanged solemn looks.
"We lost it," Hiccup muttered, feeling burdened and guilty. Sunset squeezed him comfortingly and he felt like he didn't deserve it. "Alvin...has the Book of Dragons."