Happy Fourth of July!

The air was getting cooler as the sun lowered to the horizon. It was about a hand's length from setting; the sky was already tinted orange and pink. As I walked up to my home, I saw a flash of woody brown scales. Cloudjumper appeared from the side of the house, rumbling at me softly as he approached. His presence meant that Grandma was home. Mom and Dad were probably still out and about, tending to the needs of the tribe.

I stretched out my arm. "Hey, Cloudjumper." He let out a hum and pressed his hooked nose to my hand. Then I walked inside. After giving my grandmother a hug and talking with her for a while, I retreated to my room, proud of myself for keeping my voice level.

I didn't tell them that night. Or the day after.

Borghild was already at the clearing when I trekked through the forest to visit Darkcrown. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Did you tell them?" she asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

I pursed my lips and hesitated.

"No, you didn't." Borghild stood, sweeping her blond hair back. A devilish grin formed on her face. "Let's show them then, shall we?"

"Wait! I don't know how she handles crowds!" I blocked my friend's way. Darkcrown was shuffling behind her, her head tilted to the side.

"We'll just have to see," she stated.

"Borghild!"

"Just our friends, no more," she answered smoothly. "After that, you'll have to deal with everyone else."

My lips pursed again, thinking over her words. "Fine. When do you want to do it?"

Her answering smile made me shiver.

The next day, my friends and I flew around Berk. This time I rode with Kari on Sunwing—and thank the Gods I did, I was getting tired of Jetfire's rowdy way of flight. Olin was content to let Borghild sit with him.

We flew over places I didn't even know could exist on this Isle! We glided under grand arches, through short tunnels, and even rested on a platform hovering above the roaring sea.

When we landed near the Great Hall some time after noon, Borghild slid off Blazer's saddle. She smiled and said, "Iona and I need to show you something."

Olin raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side, doubtful. He dismounted, leaning against his Snafflefang. "Really?"

"Yeah. Iona can attest to that, right?"

Everyone turned to me, even the Dragons. I resisted the urge to suck in my lip. "Yeah. In the forest."

Haldor snorted. "What are you going to show us—a rock? Your favorite tree?"

I scowled. "No. Something better." When he directed an incredulous glare at me, I added, "Something no one on Berk has seen before."

Both Kari—who was still sitting on her Dragon—and Olin blinked, eager. But Haldor only sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Lead the way."

As we weaved through the streets of our village, Olin sped up towards me. He nudged my shoulder a few times. "So! What's this secret, Iona?"

Borghild, who was walking at my other side, said, "Something you'll never forget."

Olin shivered with excitement. I could imagine Haldor groaning behind us.

Kari asked, "Can you at least give us a hint?" We skirted a large group of Vikings and Dragons, heading onto a pathway leading to the outskirts of the village and into the forest. There were less people here and even fewer chances to be overheard—if Haldor kept his voice quiet.

"Dragon." Borghild narrowed her eyes at me.

"What?" Haldor exclaimed. "A Dragon? That's your big secret? It's totally not like there are hundreds of Dragons here!"

"She's special!" I retorted, turning to face my cousin. He hadn't dismounted from Jetfire's neck. The blue Nightmare, however, had noticed this and seemed annoyed. He looked like he wanted to throw his rider from his saddle—I wondered if he was actually going to do it. "You'll see."

His voice high-pitched from excitement, Olin nearly screamed, "A new Dragon?" He threw his hands over his mouth, his eyes scanning the area wildly, just as Borghild and I shushed him. "What does she look like?"

I answered, "She looks and walks like a Nightmare, has the head of a Night Fury, and has frills like Cloudjumper."

"And her scales hide her in plain sight," added Borghild. As we crossed into the forest, she kicked up some snow. "She could attack you and you wouldn't know until impact! Well, you'd be dead."

I shot her a warning glare, to which she just smiled smugly and shrugged.

We traveled the rest of the way, answering questions Olin and Kari—and occasionally Haldor—threw at us. When we neared the clearing, the Dragons became attentive, their eyes wide, their bodies tense. They caught Darkcrown's scent.

I peered through the trees and foliage, trying to make out Darkcrown's form. She was up ahead, her own eyes as large as plates—possibly larger because of her size. Her frills were fanned as well, trying her best to sense the bodies before her. She looked intimidating.

I motioned for everyone to stop and pressed forward. To my annoyance, Borghild followed me.

"Hey, Darkcrown," I soothed. She shifted in her makeshift nest. I noticed more bones than usual marking the outline, some of them fresh. "They're just friends, like Borghild. Remember? I told you about them not too long ago."

"We came to introduce them to you," Borghild said. Then she turned to me, her eyes expectant. When I gave her a slight nod, she turned and bellowed, "Come over here!"

My friends burst through the forest and into the clearing.

"You weren't joking!" Haldor leaned forward in his saddle, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Jetfire was mimicking his expression.

Kari dismounted, her expression that of wonder and awe. "How long have you known?" Beside her, Sunwing was watching my Dragon, his head tilted, his spiky crest pricked.

"A long time," I responded.

Darkcrown made a few deep, tinkling sounds in her throat. The other Dragons made responding growls and hisses and relaxed.

Borghild observed them. "See? They're getting along well." Then she spoke to me, her hands on her hips. "And it took you three days!"

"I didn't think to speak with my friends, first."

"What?" Kari made her way towards us, leaving her Nadder to communicate with Darkcrown. He was bobbing up and down, his head tilted and wings flared. "Three days for what?"

"I'd like to hear it too." Haldor stomped towards us, followed by Olin, and crossed his arms. "How long have you kept her a secret?"

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sit down. This'll be long."

.:*+*:.

"Five months?" Haldor was so loud that even the Dragons paused in their rambunctious playing to gaze at him in interest. "You kept Darkcrown a secret from us for five months?" He was gesturing wildly at my Dragon, who had resumed her little game with the others. They were throwing bones around, a Dragonese version of catch.

"Four and a half," I corrected. "But yeah."

"Well, she's no longer a secret now." Kari stretched nonchalantly, popping some bones in her spine in a stretch. Then she reached over and grasped a sail-shaped bone. "So she collects bones to make her nest?"

"Makes you wonder about the adults." Olin nodded at his own statement, turning to study Darkcrown. "If she's that big, do you think the adults are bigger than Cloudjumper? Maybe even the Boneknapper?"

Kari shook her head. "Mom told me that the Boneknapper was huge. If that's the case," she blinked at my Dragon, "Darkcrown is little more than a baby."

Borghild narrowed her eyes. "Then how did she end up on Berk?"

They all stared at me. I flinched. "She was here when I found her!" I paused, shifting through my memory. "Now that I think about it…I never saw her move for the first week or two. I mean, she moved from place to place in the clearing, but she was still."

"What do you mean 'still'?" Haldor interrogated.

"She only moved her head, neck, and frills. She wasn't like…like that." Darkcrown was batting at Jetfire with her wing-claws, her head low and tilted to the side, her reflective back arched. She greatly resembled Toothless—if he'd do something like that. Jetfire was snapping playfully at her, holding himself up with his wings.

I noticed that she no longer seemed to be limping and smiled.

"Are you saying that…maybe she was hurt?" Olin was wide-eyed with pity and sadness, lifting up his arms to hide his mouth behind clenched hands.

"She may have been tired," I responded quickly.

Haldor murmured something under his breath. When I glanced at him, I noticed that he was eyeing me with admiration, hidden behind his usual arrogant expression.

"Have you ridden her yet?" Olin asked, scooting closer. "What's it like? Where do you sit?"

"Slow down!" Kari scolded. "Darkcrown looks nearly impossible to ride—there's nowhere to sit!"

"There is, actually." All eyes were pinned on me. "I sit on her back, using her frill tips to steady myself." I straightened my back proudly. "She only walks from place to place, but I'm glad she lets me ride her."

Olin, concerned, protested, "But wouldn't that feel uncomfortable?"

I leaned forward; the others, alerted, did the same. "I think there are people where Darkcrown lives. A wild Dragon would've tried to run away or attack, right? Darkcrown just stared at me."

Olin gasped. "Are you trying to say that she's feral, but is acquainted with people?"

We were all quiet, the excited cries of our Dragons faint in the background.

"She has to go back." Kari's voice was soft, tilting her head downward slightly.

I immediately glanced at Borghild, but her face betrayed nothing.

Then my broad-shouldered cousin stretched. "Enough of this. Tell us about her!" He stared at me intensely. "What have you found out? I'm sure you gathered notes."

Olin gasped. "Oh! Species name!"

"And fire type?" Kari urged.

"Now we're talkin'," Borghild sneered, yet she seemed genuinely happy.

I smiled. "The placeholder species name is the Waterscale, and her fire type is lightning…"

.:*+*:.

"Iona, we need to talk." A few days later, Dad caught me right as I planned to make a detour to visit Darkcrown. Yet, to my surprise, he led me into the forest, but away from the path to the clearing.

We traveled in the thinning snow for a while, making small talk, until Toothless perked and bounded ahead. When we caught up to him, there was a large opening in the ground, hosting a small pool of water. The water mimicked Darkcrown's scales—reflecting the sky and part of the cove walls. The bowl was mostly overrun with vegetation, and I even saw a lonely tree a ways from the water.

Dad took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, smiling at a memory. "This is where I would meet up with Toothless many years ago. This is where Berk's history began to change for the better." He sat and gestured for me to do the same. "When my dad set off to look for the Queen's nest, I would steal away to this cove and try to help Toothless fly again. In fact, he's how I learned some of the many dragon secrets."

Toothless nudged Dad and crooned happily.

It was silent for a while before Dad removed something from his cape. My heart fluttered.

My sketchbook.

"I didn't mean to pry," Dad started, smiling apologetically, "but I noticed that it was open. And there was a note saying that I could look."

"Oh…yeah. I meant that." I'd opened the book the previous night. At first it was accidentally, but I decided after a brief mental battle that it'd be for the best—I even wrote a little note, giving my permission to browse.

"Alright then." Dad opened my sketchbook and flipped to Darkcrown's section. He studied the images I drew with approving smiles and nodded at the notes. "Waterscale, you say? Reflective scales? Oh, and a nest of boar bones!" The Chief of Berk hummed with curiosity and faced me. "Care to take me to your Dragon?"

I nodded and stood. "Follow me."