Hadrian prowls on light feet with his bow loaded.
Having spent the better part of his hunting lying inside a hollow space of a tree, sheltered beneath a bush that hugged the base, its branches curving like a bell, leaves brushing the ground, Hadrian managed to shoot a boar. A young one by the size of its tusks.
The boar now tied to a large branch, he comes to an outcropping of rocks near the stream, and walks across the log. The snap of a twig makes him duck. Crouching behind a tree, he peers out as he sees movement in the brush.
Squinting, Hadrian can make out the tan brown of a doe. He quickly snares the boar, pulling it high out of the reach of other predators, masking the dead animal with pine branches.
Drawing up his bow he pulls back the string. The deer's ears twitch and Hadrian ceases his breathing. Its nostrils suddenly flare, and instantly the deer bolts off further into the woods.
Sighing, Hadrian lowers his bow. Picking up some old crust leaves, he grinds them in his hands and the bits fly on the soft kiss of air as it billows through the woods. The leaves felt dry enough that he needs to be more cautious in his walk. There's moisture in the air, no doubt carrying his scent farther, and the bits help show the speed of the wind.
Continuing to follow the deer's trail, he noiselessly runs along the fresh bed of pine needles. Father downstream, a small gathering of trees blocks the view of the Cove.
Hadrian can barely make out the outline of the dear, but he knows it's in there. He picks up a rock and pulls it against the string. The rock flies and slam against a tree, startling the deer to move further along. Keeping on its tail, he corners it at a small hillside. He pulls back the string, and takes aim.
"Hadrian!"
He flinches, looks back for an instant before returning his gaze and letting the arrow fly. The deer had already taken off and the arrow misses zips past it before it runs off. Hadrian scowls and turns around, finding Hiccup landing with Toothless.
"Dammit Hiccup! What the hell?!" he shouts.
Hiccup dismounts from Toothless, a small smile on his face.
"It's not funny." Hadrian says, but he's slightly smiling too. "I almost had that deer."
"Oh like we're that desperate for food. And besides, I thought you said you were trading the game." Hiccup reminds.
"I was, I never said I had already gotten it." Hadrian wises back. He unstrings the arrow and puts it back into the sheath.
"Well nonetheless, we're good on food given that Grandmamma went out and bought us some more food."
"Great." Hadrian sighs. "So, what are you here for?"
"Well, I was talking with the others about your dragon problem . . ."
"And I'm out of here." Hadrian cuts off. He starts to make the trek back to where he hung the boar.
"Hey wait!" Hiccup calls. He follows after Hadrian, Toothless freely exploring the woods while managing to keep up with the two boys. "Come on, just, listen."
"I have been listening. Clearly you haven't."
"Hadrian." Hiccup nags.
Hadrian looks to Hiccup, and Hiccup pouts his lip. Hadrian looks away, groaning in annoyance. "Alright."
Hiccup smiles.
"So what is it?" Hadrian asks. Slinging the bow across his back.
"You want to go for a ride?" Hiccup asks, and gesturing to Toothless, who crouches low, waiting for them to mount.
Hadrian gives them a look of bewilderment. "Okay, I'll admit that was unexpected."
"Just one ride, I want to show you something." Hiccup says.
"This is getting weird. . ." says Hadrian.
"Just, trust me."
"Hiccup I can't, I have to deliver this boar to local butcher." Hadrian dismisses as he cuts down the boar.
"Well we'll drop it off on the way. Come on." Hiccup helps hog tie the boar and Toothless carries it while Hadrian sits behind Hiccup. "Ready?" asks Hiccup.
"As I'll ever be."
They fly off in a swoop of air, disappearing into the clouds instantly. With their backs facing each other, Hadrian rests his elbows on his knees. Peering over the sides of Toothless as his wings flap. They fly past the forest in minutes, of what would've been a two hour walk back to the village. As they dive near the Plaza, Toothless drops off the boar and Hadrian was about to dismount. But Hiccup grabs his wrist and tugs him closer.
"Nope, not yet." Hiccup says as he steers Toothless wide.
"Wait, where are we going?" Hadrian asks.
"Just wait." Hiccup leaves.
Hadrian looks ahead of Hiccup and sees the sky of twilight. The pink and purple sky against the sea stacks, the water glistening with twinkles of gold and orange. Hadrian quietly gasps and looks over the right wing. The houses of the villages fade off as the trees of the forest come into view. A Typhoomerang burn mark overgrown with flowers of periwinkle pinks, blues and purples. The land then dips down into the Cove.
"Wow." Hadrian breathes.
"Heh, heh?" Hiccup sounds.
Hadrian chuckles. "Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool."
"See, and if you had a dragon, imagine you get this view every day. Not to mention how much more, fun it'll be in battle."
"Battle?"
"Yeah, you've seen us use the dragons before. And how we always win." Hiccup boasts.
"That is true." Hadrian agrees.
"So?"
There's a moment of quiet before Hadrian talks. "Well I guess I can't avoid the inevitable. I'm willing to consider it, if you find a dragon for me."
"Well, how about we drop by the Academy later and you can see what we have." Hiccup suggests.
"Yeah, sure. What've I got to lose?" Hadrian finally submits.
Back at the Academy, everyone lines up their dragons as Hiccup and Hadrian land. Stoick has also brought Thornado for the inspection. Lining up along the walls of the arena, Hadrian and Hiccup dismount Toothless. Hadrian leaves his weapons strapped to Toothless' saddle.
"Welcome gentlemen. Here you will find the best of the dragons Berk has to offer." Gobber gestures guiding Hiccup and Hadrian along the line.
Fishlegs and Meatlug are up first.
"Hello gentlemen." Fishlegs formally greets. "Allow me to introduce, the Gronckle. 14 feet long, has an 18 foot wingspan. Very loyal, affectionate and caring. In battle, their tales can be used as a bludgeon, their skin thick and impenetrable."
Hadrian goes up and pets Meatlug's snout. She purrs and licks Hadrian's cheek. He chuckles and pats her jaw. "She's so cute."
"Oh yes. The motherly nature in them makes them more protective and even a possible family pet. Great around children." Fishlegs persuades.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Hadrian says.
They move along to Astrid and her Stormfly.
"Just because they're beautiful doesn't mean you should underestimate her. She's fast and dangerous, and relies on a keen sense of smell and hearing." Astrid informs. "The tail of the Nadder can be whipped around, releasing a volley of giant spikes that can penetrate trees, walls, and enemies. They have a generous does of vanity, and spend a lot of time preening."
"I'd rather have a dragon that likes to fight instead of worrying about its looks." Hadrian says.
"Well then I have a dragon for you!" Snotlout swings over, wrapping an arm around Hadrian's shoulders. "Right this way my good fellow!"
Hadrian snatches his hand, crush his fingers in his own, and spins until Snotlout's arm is pinned behind his back. Snotlout releases a high-pitched squeal.
"Don't. Touch. Me."
Snotlout squeaks in response and when Hadrian releases his hand, he steps back but watches as Hadrian approaches Hookfang.
"So, Fishlegs," Hadrian calls. "What can you tell me about this dragon?"
Hookfang grunts as Hadrian scratches his chin.
"Well, the Monstrous Nightmare is 69 feet long with a 62 foot wingspan. They have the ability to ignite themselves with their fire."
"Impressive." Hadrian says, a smile on his face, seeming as if he's already made his decision.
But at the sight of a blue butterfly, Hookfang's eyes widen and he bolts off in the blink of an eye. Hadrian covers his face as a gust of wind is left behind from Hookfang.
"Hookfang! Hookfang!" Snotlout calls. But the Nightmare has already taken off.
"Or not."
As they near the twins and their Zippleback, they merely blow and spark at one another. Hadrian squints on eye shut while Hiccup covers his face from the explosion.
"And moving along." Hiccup ushers Hadrian over to Stoick and Thornado.
"So, what's there to learn about this big guy?" Hadrian says as he strokes Thorndao's snout.
Fishlegs walks up. "These dragons have stubby legs and long, skinny tails. When they open their enormous mouths, they show a series of teeth inside. Their wings are large triangles. The name comes from its main mode of attack/defense. Instead of breathing fire, the Thunderdrum produces a strong concussive sound that can kill a human at close range. The blast is so powerful that the creature is said to "get its power from Thor himself.""
"But, speaking from experience, they can be very stubborn." Stoick chimes.
"Can't imagine where he gets that from." Hiccup whispers to Hadrian.
"Not bad, but I'm not the most patient guy. And I wouldn't want to risk losing it with this dragon." Hadrian declines.
"You seem pretty patient." Astrid says.
"But if Stoick, is saying it's stubborn, I don't think I have the, capability to train it." Hadrian says. He turns to Hiccup. "I don't think any of these dragons really suit me. As expected."
"Well don't worry Hadrian, if there isn't one here, we'll find one either on Dragon Island or here on Berk." Hiccup says.
"Thanks Hiccup, but in the meantime I'm just going to head to the woods." Hadrian says. "Thanks."
With that, Hadrian presses on through the gates.
Hiccup sighs. "Hey, you tried son." Stoick says.
Hadrian returns to the woods, but makes no attempt at hunting. Instead, he simply gathers up some berries and navigates towards the Cove where he rests along a broken tree that had fallen years ago. Leaning back, Hadrian shuts his eyes and, releasing a sigh, rested the back of his head absent the toppled tree. Propping one foot against a rock, Hadrian stares at the sky, sighing. The clouds slowly roll over the Cove, night reclaiming the sky as it bleeds dark blue. Disappointment poisoning his veins.
"Well, I guess if I can't find one, who needs one?" he speaks to himself. "Maybe I should've just said yes to the Nightmare."
The disappointment mixes with fatigue as Hadrian's eyes began to feel heavy. Resting them, he shuts them, blocking out the distant glow of three early night stars.
A cool breeze brushes his hair. Hadrian's eyes flutter open. He rubs one eye with the back of his hand. He turns to see a sliver of the moon's reflection on the surface of the water. It was set in the west, so it must already be dawn. The dawn of a new day.
But that's impossible, he only shut his eyes for a moment. Great. Now he had to rush back home before Hiccup has an anxiety attack.
Pushing to his feet, Hadrian makes a quick pace as he headed home. Climbing out of the Cove with ease, he starts to do a steady jog back to the village. Rows of trees pass him by, the overall nightly noises slowly trading off with the early rising animals.
Hadrian was approaching a bundle of bushes when a pack of Terrors zoom out from the greens. Hadrian screams, and his feet instinctively skit to a stop, resulting in him slamming onto his back. He curls up and covers his head as they fly over, screeching and hissing.
"What the hell?" Hadrian whispers once the last stragglers fly over.
Propping on his hands he scans around, then stands. A grunt draws his attention and his heart stops. Hadrian swallows thickly as he slowly turns his head.
He comes to find a wolf, mere yards from where he's standing. Its merciless gold eyes fixated on him.
Hadrian's breathing slows, but his heart triples in speed.
The wolf snarls, foam sliding along the gums of its mouth. Hadrian slowly reaches his hand down and pulls out his knife from his boot that stops just below the knee. He flips the blade out and huffs. The wolf's ear draw back and distant howling prickles Hadrian's skin with goosebumps.
He slowly starts to walk backwards, and breaks his gaze to check his perimeter. When he looks back, the wolf is right in front of him. It latches onto his ankle and yanks, causing Hadrian's back to slap the ground. He screams as he feels the teeth puncture his skin.
"Get . . . Off!" he yells, twisting at the waist, sending a fierce kick into the wolf's side.
It whimpers and releases him. Hadrian scrambles to his feet, and as he starts to run, he nearly collapses from the weight on his foot. He regains himself and pushes despite the pain. His breathing quickens as the snarls encircle him. His knife clutched tight in his hand, he keeps running, catching the flash movements of shadows. The sunlight trying to leak through the trees and illuminate his opponents.
Suddenly, Hadrian drops and rolls down a hill. Crashing into a field of wild flowers, Hadrian can feel small thorns pinch his skin. He props himself on his elbows and holds his head. A cool sensation on his cheek alerts him he might be cut. He reaches a hand up and brushes his cheekbone. His fingers come back smeared with crimson. His empty hand makes him realize his knife was gone. His eyes shoot open and he desperately looks for his knife.
"Come on, come on!" he pleas, and then he looks up.
Instantly the world faded, and the fear the gripped him melted away like ice.
There two yards away, covered in thick interlocking, glistening black scales and red stripes trail along its torso.
A Skrill.
Every instinct screams to run, but Hadrian can't look away. This incredible creature has large wings, a spiked back and tail. The spikes on the Skrill's back and tail are sharp enough to cut with the slightest abrasion, and it seems like an excellent flyer. It also appears to have shark-like gills on its neck.
It looks to him, the dragon's eyes a harsh shade of crimson. But blood isn't the first thing that comes to Hadrian's mind. But a shiny ruby gemstone. The tightening around his mouth makes Hadrian realize he's smiling.
The creature blinks and suddenly snarls. It raises its wings and roars. It charges for him but before Hadrian had time to react, it zooms past him. Hadrian follows it and sees it confronting the pack of wolves. The wolves snarl and growl, the dragon roars and flaps its wings, teeth bared in hatred.
Then the wolves step back and run off.
"You scared them off." Hadrian mumbles.
The dragon spreads its wings and literally leaps off the ground into the air. It glides towards the horizon and Hadrian has to cover his eyes from the early morning glare. When he sees the silhouette disappear, Hadrian smiles and takes off running back to the village.