Chapter One

Erika had very few memories of her early life that she remembered. The three she could recall were replayed in her mind countless times as she tried to remember even the tiniest details. Her past was something she'd always been interested in simply because she knew very little about it. It was something her parents rarely spoke of.

She remembered the island where she was born. The harsh winds, crashing waves, tall cliffs, bitter snow, and barren rocks were things she was glad she'd escaped. But, Erika also recalled the beautiful forests, skies with puffy clouds, and the way the sun glinted off the water on the occasional nice day. Those were the things she missed. The things she somehow knew in her heart she'd see again. Her island had been harsh and beautiful, and this caused the people to become hardened. The Vikings who'd lived there were cruel, hardy, and most often giant, bulking creatures. Both the men and women were bloodthirsty and skilled people in the ways of weaponry. But, one thing she remembered for certain was that most of these Vikings were definitely not very smart.

Erika's second memory was her fondest. When she'd been a young girl, about three or four, she'd only had one friend. This young boy had been the exception to the stationary Vikings she remembered. He'd been scrawny, weak, and actually quite smart. Erika had always been an outcast in the group of other young Vikings. Why, she'd never remembered. But, this boy, Hiccup, had been her friend. His body had reminded her of a twig and his legs of a newborn lamb trying to learn to walk. But, his mind had always amazed her. He'd draw these things in the dirt. Things she'd never imagined. She had always been amazed at how he could do that. She'd tried it a few times but had always failed miserably. That had been how she knew how skilled and smart he really was.

Her third memory was her least favorite. It was the only one she didn't try to remember. Erika only thought about it in the nightmares that sometimes plagued her. When she'd asked her parents, they'd said that it was something that had actually happened. The memory had happened when she was the same age as the second. The dream, or rather a memory, was always the same.

Erika was sleeping soundly in her lumpy bed when she was suddenly woken by familiar sounds. The rush of huge wings over the roof. The yelling of orders as Vikings streamed from their houses, ready for the inevitable. The screeches of beasts larger than some houses. Dragons. As her eyes opened, she rubbed them, the sudden light too much for her eyes. When she could finally see, she scrambled to the foot of her bed and gazed out the window in wonder. Dragons of all shapes and sizes flew about in the dark sky. Some spouted fire at houses as they passed by, but most of them seemed to be going after the sheep. Her young eyes were amazed by these mysterious creatures. Fire reflected in her eyes as yet another dragon blew its dangerous breath. Then, something raced past her window to the clearing in front of her house. She jumped out of her bed and ran to the door, opening and watching the scene before her.

The chief of their island, Stoick the Vast, was fighting a Monstrous Nightmare. The huge beast drew back as the huge man cut mercilessly at it with his huge war ax. It retaliated with its fiery breath, moving forward now. The chief rolled out of the way and then raced at the dragon. The dragon tried to shoot at him again, but only a little splitter came out. It was out of juice. Stoick smiled and grabbed it by its mouth, pulling its head to the ground. He lifted his mighty ax and swung it down, hitting the dragon's neck and slicing it cleanly off. Erika gave a cry of shock, her eyes wide in horror. Tears in her eyes, she turned and ran back to her room, burying her body in the blankets. All she could think about was that poor dragon. Then, she'd wake up.

Erika knew her old island had dragons and that the Vikings there captured and sometimes even killed them. This was the thing she was glad she'd escaped. She couldn't imagine ever doing anything as horrible as killing a dragon or even fighting one. That's why her parents had left.

In a village where everything was about killing dragons and fighting them, her parents never really fit in. They and very few others didn't want to fight those beautiful creatures. They wanted to study them, learn about them. Make peace. But, they were outcasts because of this. So, when she was four her parents took a boat and left with her and what few belongings they could fit in the small ship. Then, after about a week of sailing through an endless fog, they arrived at an island. It wasn't as big as her old island, but still pretty big. Her parents had made a house and raised her there.

That was where she lived now. It had been 10 years since she'd last seen her home island. Erika's parents had named the new island The Home of Beauty. She loved her island. It had towering forests and green fields. Bright blue skies, great weather, and warm seas to swim in. Dragons were frequent visitors and her parents studied them. They befriended the dragons, showing them that they wouldn't hurt them, and they taught their daughter to do the same. Her parents had notebooks where they'd record all their findings. They also studied the plants and animals on the island, taking samples and putting them in notebooks too. Erika didn't think of herself or her parents as Vikings. They were researchers. When she was old enough they let her go with them on their trips to study dragons on other islands. Erika didn't know how many islands her parents had found, but it was definitely a lot.

Her father and mother had seen many different dragons too. Their favorite to brag about was the feared Night Fury. They'd only seen it once, but Erika looked over the notes they'd made about it countless times. She was always captivated by the drawings they'd made. It looked so beautiful. From the gleam in its eyes, she could tell that it was smart too. She had memorized every piece of information there was about the jet-black dragon. The Night Fury was a generally small dragon, not nearly as big as a Monstrous Nightmare. But, its wings were pretty big compared to its body. It was fast, smart, and beautiful. Another amazing thing she'd read was that they had retractable teeth! They could be toothless if they wanted to! Erika didn't know about any other dragon that could do that. Her parents had seen it only a short while during the day, so they guessed that they were nocturnal or hunted at night. Their pitch-black scales would be perfect for blending into the night sky. She loved the way they looked and basically everything about them. She wished with all her heart that one day she'd be able to see one like her parents. But, she also knew that they were almost, if not already, extinct. Her parents had seen that Night Fury shortly after they'd come to The Home of Beauty. That was almost 10 years ago. It might be dead or killed now.

Erika had seen a lot of dragons in her life, but none stayed on the island for very long. It made her sad to see the only friends she'd ever made leave, but she knew that they were free creatures and she didn't want to trap any of them. Some of her favorite dragons were Night Fury's, Monstrous Nightmares, Gronkles, Rumblehorns, Deadly Nadders, Thunderdrums, and the Hideous Zippleback. All dragons amazed and awed her, but these specifically held a special place in her heart. Her favorite class of dragons had always been the Strike class. She liked their speed, thinking it just made them more beautiful.

She always enjoyed studying dragons and learning their secrets, but she really wished she could see a rare dragon just once. She knew all she could do was wait. So, she kept taking notes, hoping that one day she'd meet one of those dragons people knew almost nothing about.