Chapter Thirty Seven

"Oh, I know this song won't do, Enough to prove my love to you, In my heart you'll always know, There is a place only love can go There is a place only you can go..." A Place Only You Can Go, NEEDTOBREATHE

Here on Berk we enjoy our new way of living. Five years ago it was Viking against dragon, and often to the death. But that all changed, and now we have our best kept secret. Granted the place doesn't look like much. But this wet heap of rock packs more than a few surprises.

Life here can be amazing. But it's not for the faint of heart. While most people enjoy hobbies like whittling or needlepoint, we Berkians prefer something a little more exciting: Dragon racing.

Now, it may not sound like your average sport. But there's a lot more to it than that. The riders are covered with face paint to match their team's color, and they have to chase down sheep as their primary target. Let's just say that it has become a very popular, and very competitive sport.

Before I even begin I should let everyone know that a year has passed since the whole Snoggletog incident. Life has definitely changed for the better for the dragons and Berkians. For instance, Hiccup designed top of the line fire prevention, and even built stables for the dragons as well. Not only that, but we also have a dragon-wash station along with feeding stations for visitors. Needless to say Berk has become a popular destination for visiting dragons.

And of course I get stuck watching them to make sure they don't cause any trouble. You see, I have an ability that most people still don't fully understand. I can bond with almost any dragon, trained or wild. I've learned over the years that my abilities are limited, yes, but they can come in handy.

Not only has Berk changed for the better, but everyone else I've gotten to know have changed as well. Hiccup is now the tallest rider in the group, much to Snotlout's annoyance. He built a weapon that reminds me a bit of a light saber from Star Wars, called Inferno. Astrid had changed her hair style to make it look almost like Heather's when we first met and even changed her outfit. Snotlout, surprisingly, was the shortest in the group now. Fishlegs was still pretty much the same, though he constantly tested his knowledge on the dragons when he could. And the twins were… well, you know. How they usually are.

The dragon races were held annually every couple of weeks. Astrid was on the top ranking right next to Hiccup and me. She made it her life's goal to make sure that she won every race. But as so often happens on this island, things changed. Snotlout and Fishlegs were fighting over Ruffnut of all people. They seemed to decide that Astrid wasn't going to choose either of them, and went for someone who couldn't beat them up as often. I wondered if they regretted that choice now.

Snowfire sat perched on a sea stack a few feet away from the island, watching the race go by. I'd decided not to take part in it for a few reasons. One of them being, I wanted to test something out. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to try something like this on my own, but I couldn't resist. I sat in Snowfire's saddle as she took off towards a herd of Timberjacks. Compared to other dragons they were probably my second favorite, with long eel-shape bodies and huge wingspans.

The Timberjacks didn't seem to mind as Snowfire flew in between them. She narrowed her eyes as one of them, a dark orange one with brown spots, looked directly at us. Another flew underneath, giving me the perfect opportunity to try out my next stunt.

"Are you ready girl?" I asked after patting her on the head. Snowfire only growled in response and rolled her eyes. She wasn't overly fond with how risky this was. But once again, I couldn't resist. "Just try and relax," I whispered to myself as Snowfire leveled out.

With one quick glance over my shoulder, I took a deep breath before standing up and taking a leap of faith. Fortunately I landed squarely on the back of the Timberjack underneath us. It let out a yelp of surprise before relaxing a moment later. I stepped on him lightly enough that he would hardly notice.

Snowfire kept a close eye on me as she watched. She knew what to do if things went wrong. The Timberjacks were a friendlier race of dragons; they usually kept well away from humans when they could. Once another got closer, I jumped off the Timberjack I was on and landed on the back of another one. This time the yellow and white Timberjack growled in response, twisting a little as I held on gently.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," I reassured it. The Timberjack relaxed after that, much to my relief. Finally Snowfire flew down beside it, stretching out a wing so that I could step lightly across without startling the herd. "That went better than I expected," I added once we were far enough away.

'If you consider almost falling off better,' Snowfire muttered with a roll of her eyes. 'Not all dragons will take to such change so lightly.'

"I know, but think of the possibilities," I murmured almost absently. Now I was laying on her back as she flew on, staring at the blue sky. "I never realized what I could do with my ability. And now…." I closed my eyes as I thought of it.

Flying on a dragon was like nothing I had ever experienced before. When I was younger I had been terrified with the idea of flying. Now I can barely remember why. Snowfire had opened my world when she took me on my first flight. And finding Berk, along with it's inhabitants, made things even better. Up here I felt more than just alive. Flying was like… freedom.

I hadn't even noticed how far we had gone until a few rock pillars stretched before us. My heart nearly skipped a beat when Snowfire barely managed to miss hitting one. She growled in annoyance before pulling further up.

Just beyond the rocky islands outside of Berk was the Archipelago. Hiccup and I had been mapping it out over the past year, searching for any Night Furies in the process. Unfortunately our searches hadn't been that successful. But I've learned in my time here that one couldn't give up hope. To give up hope was like admitting defeat.

'Someone else is here,' Snowfire suddenly muttered after picking up a familiar scent. My eyes widened when I realized that this was another new island. The rocky shapes were starting to look unfamiliar, despite all of the islands we had already seen. She landed on the nearest pillar just as the fog began to clear.

"Looks like another new island to add to the maps," I said while trying to get a clearer view. The island wasn't all that big, but it held an assortment of plants and tall trees. Maybe a little island exploring wouldn't be such a bad thing. "Whadya say to a little island exploring?" I asked out loud.

'Perhaps, if we find more wild dragons,' Snowfire replied, narrowing her eyes slightly at the thought. Along with discovering new islands we had also made a point of discovering new dragons as well. It amazed me at how many different species there were. Some were extremely hostile towards intruders, while others were as friendly as a Terrible Terror.

Snowfire took off once again and flew towards the island, and sure enough we weren't the only ones there. Hiccup was just as surprised to see us as we were to see him. He already had the map out and was drawling the details when Snowfire landed nearby.

"I thought I might find you here," I once I hopped off her saddle.

"Afternoon milady," Hiccup said as Toothless crooned in excitement and bounded towards us. "Where have you been?"

"Where have I been?" I repeated with a smirk. "Oh the usual, jumping off of Timberjacks and annoying Snow," I added when Hiccup folded his arms. His eyes widened while Snowfire just snorted in annoyance. Toothless nudged my hand as I started rubbing his head affectionately. "I'm surprised you weren't at the race this morning," I added when Toothless and Snowfire started chasing each other.

"I've uh, been avoiding my dad," he admitted as I sat down to join him.

"Oh no. What happened now?" I asked.

"Oh you're going to – you're going to love this," handing me a charcoal pencil, and I began to drawl on the map. "I wake up, the sun is shining, Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop, I saunter down for breakfast thinking all is right with the world and I get, 'Son, we need to talk.'" His imitation of Stoick was almost spot on.

"Not now, dad. I've got a whole day of goofing off to do," I said while rolling my shoulders. I couldn't resist making my worst imitation of Hiccup. And the look he gave me was priceless.

"Okay, first of all, I-I don't sound like that. Who – who is this character?" asked Hiccup as he grinned at me.

'I thought it was realistic enough,' Snowfire hummed in amusement when we both looked at her. Even Toothless was crooning with laughter.

"And second, what is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?" he added after looking back at me. I only shrugged my shoulders more, causing even Snowfire to laugh at the sight while Hiccup shook his head in amusement. "A very flattering impression; anyway, he goes," he said with a smirk before continuing his impression of Stoick, "'You're the pride of Berk, son. And I couldn't be prouder!'"

"Ah, thanks dad, I'm pretty impressed myself," I continued with my impersonation and waved my hands about.

"When have I ever done that with my hands?" Hiccup laughed and waved his hands about.

"You just did!" I pointed out and laughed.

"Ah, kay, just hold still. Very serious," Hiccup suddenly warned me before holding my shoulder. I just made a point to hide my grin, despite how difficult that was at the moment. "You're all grown up now. And since no chief can ask for a better successor, I've decided—"

"To make you chief?" I suggested in a question, my eyes widening in surprise. "That's… amazing!" Before Hiccup could say anything, our dragons started running around and knocked us both over.

"Yeah, so…. This is what I'm dealing with," he sighed after I helped him back up.

"What'd you tell him?" I couldn't help but ask, already guessing what he did.

Being put under such pressure wasn't necessarily a good thing. I knew how much Stoick was looking forward to making Hiccup chief. But it was a huge responsibility, and one I had a feeling Hiccup wasn't ready for.

"I-I didn't. By the time he turned around I was gone," he explained as I picked the map off the ground.

"Well, it is a lot of responsibility," I murmured thoughtfully. "I'd have to work on the map on my own for sure, and someone would have to fly Toothless since you'll be too busy, but…." I paused and looked at Hiccup anxiously.

"I-It's not me, Alex," he sighed as he sat back down. "All those speeches and planning, running the village, that's his thing."

"Hiccup, I get that, really. But, you are the chief's only son. I mean, being chief…. What an honor. I'd be pretty excited," I said after sitting down next to him.

And yet there was another part of me that understood why Hiccup was so reluctant to take his father's place as chief.

"It's just…. You already know your place on Berk. You already know who you are. But me? I'm still looking. I know, I'm not my father, and I've never met my mother. So…. What does that make me?"

I looked at Hiccup in surprise and was tempted to tell him that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Part of me always felt like I still hadn't found my place on the island. But I did know that my heart belonged with the dragons. Maybe that was what he referred to.

"What you're looking for, isn't out there, Hiccup," I sighed after leaning against his shoulder before placing my hand on his chest. "It's in here. Maybe you just don't see it yet." I hadn't even noticed the dragon saliva until kissing him on the cheek.

"Maybe," said Hiccup as he started standing up, "but you know, there is something out there."

I glanced up in surprise when he tapped my shoulder. Sure enough there really was something out in the distance. There were two huge rocky peeks with smoke rising between them. A few dead trees lined the forest up ahead, and I realized that something wasn't right.

AN: So here's the beginning of part three. I'm actually really excited about this part. The second movie is probably by far my favorite :) Of course Guardians of the Galaxy will always hold a special place in my favorite list though...

Sil - Thanks! and, well, those are questions that will be answered in the future. I love making readers wonder what happened to my characters. Especially when the truths is finally revealed later on ;) And unfortunately it isn't snowing... I'd love to have some snow; it's been really warm here on the East Coast lately.

69759 - You might have been ;) And it sounds like an interesting title. Definitely different from the ones I've heard. And thanks, I've been looking forward to the second movie too! :D

Cutie Kyuubi - Unfortunately she probably won't be opening up to anyone about her father any time soon. It may take a while for that to happen.

Nightfire260 - Yes I did get an XBOX for Christmas. It was worth the money! :D I actually may make a one-shot based off of what Astrid has to say about their relationship... I'm not entirely sure yet though.