Chapter 3 – The Campfire

That evening at sundown, my childhood friends and I gathered around the campfire, with a decapitated chicken roasting on a spit over the fire. "So, sister, tell us your life story!" Astrid demanded, and the others nodded in agreement.

So I leant forward so the light from the fire reflected onto my face and highlighted the shadows like a proper dramatic storyteller. "It all started on that fateful night..." I began and then told them everything, how the Hermansens had taken me away, taught me that dragons were not the beasts we thought they were (including the beginning of my obsession with the Night Fury), then lead on to my encounter with Stormfly, to my encounter with the dragon trappers, to meeting with Ninja, to absolutely owning the dragon trappers, to training Ninja to being here. They were all stunned.

"So there's a guy out there who's trapping dragons?" Hiccup seemed worried (of course he was, he's going to be Chief one day).

"Yep. But after we dealt with him, it's gonna take a while for him to get everything back to the way it was. I mean it was five years ago now and I haven't heard anything. Just goes to show, eh girl?" I said, rubbing the top of Ninja's head and she responded by licking my face. "Ewww..." I said, wiping her saliva off my face and flicking it back at her. Everyone laughed. In fact they laughed so much Snotlout choked on his chicken and the bone went down his throat. Astrid had to punch his stomach to sort it out. Ninja then gave me a look as if to say, "You did NOT just do that...I'm gonna sulk now." And with that she flew off and stood on the cliff, watching me with her bright green eyes.

I smiled, "She'll be back." And subconsciously held the pendant of my necklace.

"What's with the necklace?" Fishlegs inquired as he spotted me do this.

"Oh this?" I said and unclasped the necklace and passed it round to my sister first who was next to me. As it went round I explained. "The Hermansens made me this for my eighth birthday. I've worn it every day since."

"It actually does look like a Night Fury." Fishlegs stated, studying the necklace, but he of all people would know that.

"I know. It's gorgeous, isn't it?" I held it up so the firelight reflected in the jewel and then put it back on.

"It is." Astrid was impressed. Then she turned to her boyfriend and batted her eyelashes. "Can I have one?" with one of those smiles that you do when you want something.

"Maybe. You will have to wait and see, milady." In one of those smooth kind of voices and then he kissed her briefly.

"Ewwwww..." everyone else, including me, exclaimed at the same time, "Do you two have to do that here?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yeah, people trying to eat here!" His sister finished.

I laughed and said, "Excuse me while I go vomit." And jokingly got up and then sat back down. Everyone laughed. Astrid raised her eyebrows at me and smiled one of those sickening lovey dovey smiles. Everyone saw and pretended to vomit behind their backs. Hiccup wasn't really bothered (strange because apparently there was rarely a PDA from these two even in front of the guys. Also if his dad was there he would be bothered), he just shrugged and smiled and said, "We're allowed."

"Oh so because you're the son of the Chief you get to kiss your girlfriend whenever you like and put the rest of us off our food?" Snotlout sounded like he was trying to start an argument.

"No, it doesn't just apply to us. If you had a girlfriend, Snotlout, maybe you'd understand." Hiccup smiled as he said this and then everyone looked at me. Because Astrid's out of the question Snotlout was now going to try and impress me constantly. I think I blushed, I'm not entirely sure. I was embarrassed though. "Is that supposed to be a comeback for my AMAZING prank earlier? Cos if it is it's not a very good one. You'll have to do better than that!"

Everyone collapsed into hysterics at the memory except the couple in question. I had explained to the others what had happened and it wasn't going to get old for a long time. I got up, "Honestly, you should have seen their faces! It was CLASSIC! And Astrid was all defensive like, 'Right that's it you're so dead!' and came running after me!" I did an impression of my sister. She was the only person who didn't laugh. Even Hiccup smiled in amusement and when Astrid noticed she gave him evils and he put his hands up in surrender.

Once she was able to speak Ruffnut added, "Yeah, it was so funny we couldn't actually move we were laughing so much!"

"I think it was the way the Chief had the mock disappointment on his face!" I said and the twins and I laughed at the memory. I was actually crying. Fishlegs and Snotlout were laughing their heads off, despite not wanting to be involved with the initial prank.

"Yes okay, can we talk about something else now?" Astrid was clearly getting annoyed.

"Yeah, actually." I said, taking a massive bite of a chicken leg. I swallowed and then said, "I'd like to know what the peg leg's all about."

Hiccup laughed sarcastically and then explained to me what had happened at the age of around 15. About how he accidentally shot Toothless down, then met up with him on a regular basis (becoming better than Astrid at the whole dragon training thing in the process. That I'd like to see.), trained him, then gave him a temporary tail, flew him on a regular basis. Then he told me about the dragon arena fight and how Toothless had managed to fly in try to protect him, but instead got captured by the Chief who called his own son a liar and shunned him, and then used Toothless to find Dragon Island. Hiccup then taught all the others to train dragons and they all flew in to help defeat the king/queen of the dragon nest, the Red Death. However, it was Hiccup and Toothless that defeated it by using its size against it and blasting it. Toothless' tail then burnt away and they fell apart, down, down, down into the raging fire. Then they all thought he had died, and then when Toothless lifted his wing he revealed that his master was in fact still alive. Most of him. He lost his left leg in the fire and as a result Gobber made him a metal leg. Over the years he's tweaked it and made it more useful and easier to walk on, which is typical.

Now it was my turn to be stunned. "Wow. And that's how all this happened?" I said, gesturing to the entirety of Berk, with its feeding stations, dragon washes, fire prevention, custom stables, the lot.

"Yep. It was all this guy." Astrid smiled and put her head on his shoulder. In response he kissed the top of her head and caressed her hair gently.

I ignored this adorable PDA and said, "That's SO cool. But if anyone was going to change their minds it was going to be you." I said.

"Really, how did you come to that conclusion?" was the sarcastic reply I got.

I laughed sarcastically back and looked up to Ninja on the cliff. "So, I'm going to head off for a night flight, does anyone want to join me?"

Hiccup looked surprised, "That is SO weird, that's what I do at this time every day!"

"Awesome. Does anyone else want to join us?"

"Nah, I'm getting to bed." Was the general reply from the twins, Fishlegs and Snotlout.

Then I turned to Astrid. "Wanna join us, sis?"

"I'll pass, thanks, I'll leave you two to have your Night Fury nerd conversation!"

I laughed. "Thanks!" I said sarcastically, "Night! See you all tomorrow!" and motioned for Ninja to come down from the cliff, she seemed to have forgiven me. I got on and flew off into the night, Toothless hot on our tail.

Chapter 3 done! I love this chapter, it's so funny. Not as funny as the previous but still. Next chapter very soon!