2. Dread
Riding Toothless usually filled Hiccup with joy and content, but not now. Right now they were riding to Berk and all that Hiccup could feel was dread, the closer they got the more he regretted saying 'yes'. The island was a few hours away still, but they were so accustomed to flying long distances that the time seemed to pass a lot quicker. As they neared Berk, the uneasy feelings started to grow more and more. Hiccup, after five years of staying away, was finally going to see the village again, the tribe and house which he grew up with, but brought out only bad memories.
He was thankful that he wasn't doing this alone, Toothless was with him, sure, but they both had horrible memories attached to that place. Storm was the one not letting him turn back and flee, not physically, but mentally. She told him before they left the hideout, "We can turn back any time you want, I won't judge, or hold that against you, but you'll need to be sure that that's what you want, because the longer you stay away, the harder it will get"
And, Thor dammit, she was right. The longer he went without as much as glancing at the island, the more he felt helpless as soon as he remembered it. It was a terrible feeling. She was his support this time, even though they haven't been speaking almost the entire, he knew that Storm understood, she always had. The silence they shared was comfortable, Hiccup laying back on Toothless, watching the stars, Storm was slouched on Shadow, rhythmically stroking one of his metallic head spikes with closed eyes. He closed his eyes too, letting the wind blow away his worries.
Hiccup opened his eyes after what felt was seconds, but turned out to be an hour. The island of Berk was in barely in view, and Toothless' loud purring was what woke him up. He looked to his right where Storm was riding, she also was asleep still slouched, no longer petting Shadow's spikes. He flew closer to her, wanting to wake her so they could come up with a plan, a plan that they should have had before leaving. He started gently calling her name after getting close to her. Shadow looked back at him not wavering and started purring just as Toothless had, gently waking Storm. They've all learned that waking each other gently was the best, because living in the wild for years at a time means that people become a little skittish, and waking them up harshly is a sure fire way to get injured. Waking a skittish person on dragon back is just as bad.
Still flying close Hiccup opened his mouth to talk, only to be silenced by Storm's hand to his face. He closed his mouth, looking at her with furrowed brows. She lowered her hand to stifle a yawn, then she rubbed her eyes and finally motioned to him that he could talk.
"What's the plan?" he asked, not wanting to waste any time. Storm blinked at Hiccup, boredom in her eyes, Hiccup waited for her to say something, being awake again brought back all of those bad feelings, and he needed something to reassure him. She blinked at him again, her facial expression changed to one of disbelieve and he could see a question in her eyes 'Are you serious?'
"The same as always Chief," she started with an equally disbelieving tone. "We land on the opposite side of the island the village is, we scout out a place to camp, rest for a bit, then we make the trek to the village, find the places to hide and then…. You know, start spying on people?"
"Ah, yes, that is exactly the plan, yes," Hiccup mumbled out. Storm took a long look at him and sighed deeply, face changing to understanding.
"Hiccup, we have done this time and time before, nothing bad is going to happen."
"And if something does happen?"
"Then we deal with it together, as a team, a family. You aren't alone anymore, you have all of us with you, you don't have to do things alone, I just need you to understand that, especially now." Both of the dragons rumbled with agreement, Hiccup gently petted Toothless, looking out to the steadily approaching island.
"I do understand that Storm, it's just… well, bad memories breed bad decisions and we – I can't make any bad decisions when it concerns dragons… and us." He quietly added.
"I'm with you Hiccup, I'll be there to call out any yak dung worthy decisions you make. You're my Chief, but you're also human and humans make mistakes."
"Thanks, I don't know what I would do without you, honestly." He sent her a small, yet genuine, smile, receiving the same from her. He instantly felt better after talking to her, yet that feeling of dread hadn't left him fully. Although that wasn't surprising, he was going back to the island full of people who were ready to kill him after he sacrificed everything for them. The dread was unwanted, yet expected.
It was deep into the night when they reached the beaches of Berk, their dragons touching the sand without a sound. As soon as his feet, well foot, touched the island, fear gripped his heart. Hiccup took a deep breath, he didn't have time to fear, they had a job to do, one more important than his feelings. He glanced at his companions, gave them a small nod, and entered the nearby forest with them following closely. He knew these woods the best, these woods gave him peace when the village was too loud and gave him the best gift he could have ever asked for, his friendship with Toothless, and he never forgot the woods because of that.
Now, looking for a place to set up camp, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the fragile beginnings of his friendship with Toothless. After leaving this island he promised to himself that he would protect any and every dragon he could. 'Let's do this' he thought.
