Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon, so far all characters belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.
AN: Thank you so much for your ideas and constructive criticism. To those of you who reviewed, you are the best people ever :P Hope guys like my new chapter and my perspective on Astrid.
"We're leaving." I say firmly to Toothless as I adjust his saddle and attach his artificial tail fin. He grumbles in confusion; he doesn't understand. Exasperatedly, I run my fingers through my hair to calm myself down. "My village –my father wants me to kill a dragon to prove that I'm a true Viking. I can't do it, Toothless. We have to go, it's the only option. They will find you and kill you if we do – Toothless?" The dragon had suddenly jerks away from me and silently but quickly vanished among the shadows cast by the walls of the rocky pit around us.
Confused, I am about to call out to him again when I hear a muffled thump behind me. I turn around very slowly, all my muscles tense and freeze at who I see. Standing there with the glory of the setting sun shining on her is Astrid. The very first and the very last person I want to see right now, for various reasons. She is standing there with her axe leaning on one shoulder and her hand on her hip staring at me with a calculating expression.
Did she see Toothless?
Alarm shoots through my body at this thought. It is all over if she had. Praying that she hadn't seen him, I mentally make a check of my surroundings for any other incriminating evidence other than a great scaly dragon.
Backpack full of food, clothes, fishing gear, and some gold.
Well, if that's all, I can just say I wanted to spend some time by myself and planned on camping out here by myself. Or tell her that I am running away.
Empty basket used to bring fish for Toothless.
The rest of my flying outfit, most of which I am already wearing.
Oh. And who could forget the paw prints in the sand by the beach, talon scratches on the bark of a nearby tree, and the few random black glossy scales that my wonderful dragon seemed to lose frequently.
I'm screwed. Correction. We're screwed.
I decide to speak first to see if I can distract her and maybe convince her to leave. "Astr –" I begin, but she interrupts me.
"Who were you talking to just now?" She snaps, her blue eyes like ice shards boring into me. Unwillingly, I start to quail under her glare.
"Talking? – What...? I don't –"
She sighs angrily and stalks towards me, all the grace of a wild cat going in for the kill. "Do. Not. Play. Games. With. Me." With each word, she takes another step closer to me, and by the last, she has her axe at my throat. "I want answers Hiccup. I'm sick of your games and your lies and your tricks. I know you've been cheating in dragon training, I just don't know how. But I will, because you are going to tell me. Who were you talking to just now, Hiccup?" Her voice drips with malice.
I can tell by the look on her face that all her pent up anger from the last few weeks is slipping out now. She hated being bested in the ring, she practised the hardest, was the strongest, and the smartest on her feet. She should have won every time, especially today. And we both knew it. Her pride had been crushed, and she is mad as all hell. At me.
However, before I can even begin to explain, my idiot dragon decides to play fierce protector, slamming Astrid to the ground before I can even blink. He lets out a deep growl, she shrieks in terror, and he pushes himself away from her leaving paw-sized dents in the ground on either side of her face. With a satisfied look on his muzzle he circles back towards me and stands at my shoulder with a threatening but relaxed stance.
I roll my eyes and press my index finger and thumb against the bridge of my nose in irritation. Toothless the genius.
Astrid is still lying on the ground, breathing hard and staring at me with wide terrified eyes. Or rather, between me and the dragon beside me.
I walk over to her slowly and help her gently to her feet. Surprisingly, she lets me, although she's probably in shock.
I wave behind me and then gesture at her and then back again, "Toothless, Astrid. Astrid, Toothless."
Toothless growls in response to the introductions. Astrid stares at me like I've gone crazy.
"Hiccup!" She yells in my face, clearly not in shock anymore, "That's a dragon! A Night Fury, no less! Get a grip! It could kill you; what are you thinking? Dragons are not pets!" And then she spots his saddle. Her eyes widen in horror. "Oh, gods Hiccup. You ride that thing? Wha – What's wrong with you?" Astrid begins to back away from me as Toothless snorts in indignation.
I raise my hands in front of me in attempt to calm her down. "Astrid, please. Listen to me. He's not going to hurt you, he's perfectly safe," the dragon in question growls threateningly to reinforce my point, "The night of the last raid, I really did shoot him down. His tailfin got ripped off in the process. I found him the next morning. Astrid... I couldn't kill him. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. It just isn't in me to be a dragon killer. In return for saving his life, he's become my friend." I finish, hoping that my persuasions will be enough for her to believe me. Maybe... Maybe if she understands, then I can convince others. Maybe I won't have to leave.
No sooner does this thought pass through my mind, then she contradicts it.
"Are you crazy? Hiccup, that right there, is the mortal enemy of Vikings. They steal our food, destroy our houses, and kill our people. You're telling me that you couldn't kill it? Your own mother was killed by one of these monsters! If you couldn't find it in yourself to kill that dragon, then you are NOT a Viking. You don't belong with us." Her chest rises and falls with anger as she stares at me.
Her words cut through my soul, confirming everything that I had always suspected about what others thought about me. I was a misfit among my own people.
There is a dead silence as she waits for her words to sink in; the look on her face clearly wanting to believe that she can convince me to step back across the line she believed separated us. The line where dragons were your friends and where they were your enemies.
"Right then. Guess you made my decision for me. You're right. I should go." I turn violently away from her. I feel empty and lost. Only one thing fills me: the need to leave. Toothless warbles in concern as he throws a dirty look at Astrid and pads after me.
I start to wander rather aimlessly around the clearing, picking up the few things that I had brought here since meeting Toothless.
"Wait. What? Leave?" Alarm creeps into Astrid's voice, "Hiccup, you can't leave..." I don't respond and the next thing I know, I'm lying on my back with her knee digging into my stomach. I gasp for breath but receive none. "So you're going to take the coward's way out? Run away from your problems?"
Her anger makes her even more beautiful. Not that I can really notice as I begin to lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. Before I can gesture at her to get off so I can breath, debris from the ground next to us exploding flies at us. Toothless had just let loose one of his unique plasma shots inches from where we were. Heat washes over me and Astrid ducks to avoid getting hit, relieving the pressure from my stomach. I suck in air gratefully and am immediately introduced to the sight of the underside of my dragon's chest. I see the muscles of his throat working as he snarls at the girl who is quickly scrambling away from us. I push Toothless out of the way and shout after her to wait, but she's already gotten to her feet and climbed over the wall of the pit.
I slump uselessly against my friend in defeat and he breathes heavily once on my hair in a comforting sort of way. I close my eyes and soak in his warmth, glad that I still have him by my side even though he has every reason to hate me. We sit there for a moment more before he uses his head to make me stand up. He walks over to the pile of stuff I want to bring with us and waits patiently. He stares at me with his bright green eyes filled with understanding as I get my bearings and head towards him.
AN: Once again, please review, I appreciate your comments and ideas. As a side note, I will try to update every Thursday :P