I twirl my axe expertly as Heather and I walk silently towards the stables. Despite us planning a recon flight for the next few days, she managed to convince me to go on a quick lap around the Edge. Leave it to my competitive spirit to accept the challenge.

Once we reach the stables, I rush in and let Stormfly out. She bumps her nose against me and I rub her affectionately. She leans into my touch, begging for more.

Heather walks up to me with Windshear following behind her. "Ready?"

"Of course," I reply, as I mount my dragon. Heather gets on Windshear's saddle as well. "Unless you're too chicken to take us on."

"Please. Windshear and I can trash you any day." She smirks at me. I scoff in response. Stormfly squawks dismissively and spreads her wings.

"Let's go, Stormfly!" She takes off, getting a head start on Windshear.

Before I can turn around and say anything to them, Windshear zooms right past us, the wind blowing my hair all over my face. I scowl at how easily she overtook us and urge Stormfly to go faster.

Right as I'm about to yell at them, Windshear loses her coordination and falls.

"Stormfly, dive!" She manages to grip Windshear in her talons and flies us back to the Edge.

I dismount Stormfly and walk over to Heather checking up on Windshear.

"What happened up there? Is she okay?" I ask, rubbing Windshear's nose. She inhales sharply and I realize what's happening just before I step out of the way, turning back to find a burn mark right where I'd been standing. She sneezes once more. "Is she sick?"

"She must have a cold or something," Heather mutters. "She'll be fine."

"We can't let her go on the recon flight like this. It's too risky." I start walking in the direction of the Clubhouse.

"We could ask someone to go with you instead," She suggests.

I immediately turn down the idea. "They're probably busy with their own things," I reason. "I could go alone."

"But Hiccup said-"

"I'll be fine on my own, Heather. I didn't train my whole life for nothing!" I insist. "Besides," I pat Stormfly on the nose. "I have Stormfly with me."

We enter the Clubhouse. As expected, Hiccup is there, reading over the Dragon Eye notes. Again. He looks up from the pages and smiles. I smile back at him before he goes back to reading.

"I really don't think it's a good idea, Astrid."

I try to shush her before Hiccup overhears us. She waves my hand away.

"In fact, it's a terrible idea." She says slightly louder, as if she means to draw attention.

"What's a terrible idea?" Hiccup stands between Heather and I. Heather, I will kill you.

Heather looks at me warily before turning to Hiccup. She shrugs and opens her mouth to explain. I beat her to it.

"We were supposed to go for a recon flight this evening but Windshear is sick." Heather tries to cut in but I continue quickly. "I'm trying to tell her I'm perfectly capable of going by myself, but she insists that I take someone else with me."

Heather is just about to say something when Hiccup cuts in. Her eye roll doesn't go unnoticed. "As much as I trust you to take care of yourself, Astrid, it's just too dangerous. We go out in pairs in case anything happens. I can't let you go by yourself either."

"Says the one who goes on secret flights all the time," I mutter. He glares at me subtly. I glance up exasperatedly, although I am touched by his concern for my safety. "I can handle myself out there just fine. You know that." I cross my arms, daring him to challenge me.

"I know that. But just for argument's sake, what if something happens to both you and Stormfly and neither of you can get help?" He counters.

I open my mouth ready to respond, but I realize he's made a good point. The last time that happened, Stormfly had been caught by the dragon hunters and I had been stranded at sea. If it weren't for Hiccup, I would've drowned. I close my mouth with an audible snap and scowl at the ground.

He takes a step closer. I look up, but avoid his gaze. "I'll come with you," he offers.

I dare to look him in the eye. He isn't willing me to say yes. He's simply waiting for a response. I look at Heather. She shrugs, but I can see a small smile playing on her lips. Of course she would find this amusing. Hiccup turns to her and vaguely gestures towards me.

I narrow my eyes slightly. Heather, don't you dare.

"I think it's a great idea!"

I sigh, making it clear that I'm not happy with this arrangement. "Fine. Meet here in an hour, alright?"

I don't wait for Hiccup to reply. I simply walk out of the Clubhouse. I know he will be here when I am. He always is.

It's strange. I don't know why I was so set on not letting Hiccup come along. Normally I'd jump at the chance to go with Hiccup instead of the other riders. But after last night, I just don't know what to feel anymore. He's always there for me. Why am I even pushing him away? I shove the thought out of my mind before I can dwell on it further.

Stormfly meets me outside my hut and bumps into me, making me stumble back a few steps. She croons, and I giggle at the warm air blowing my hair out of my face.

"Well, looks like Hiccup's coming along this time, girl. You don't mind sharing do you?" She nudges me again. I smile at her affection. "Didn't think so."

I walk into my hut and grab a saddle bag, stuffing some basic supplies into it. Water, enough food for the trip for myself and Stormfly. She squawks at me from the window. I laugh at the sight of her poking her head through the window. She doesn't seem to care how she looks though. She's more focused on staring longingly at the piece of chicken that I left on the table while packing. I pick it up and toss it to her. She catches it skillfully in her mouth before flying off. I shake my head. She pretends to be sophisticated and fierce, but really, she's the most playful dragon I know.

I make my way with Stormfly to the Clubhouse an hour later. As I expected, Hiccup and Toothless are already there, talking to Heather.

"So we could-" Hiccup grins when he notices my arrival. "Hey, Astrid!"

I nod in greeting. "So we could what?"

"I was just telling Heather our plans to defend the Edge from Viggo."

"Right. I may have some ideas, too!" Heather adds in.

"That's great." I try to keep my voice neutral, but judging from Hiccup's expression, I did let some hostility through. Heather innocently avoids eye contact.

"You guys should go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you get back."

Hiccup mounts Toothless. I hop onto Stormfly's saddle and check that I have everything. He checks Toothless' tailfin and the stirrup before turning to me.

"Ready?" He asks. I nod. He waves at Heather, who smiles back at us. "See you when we get back!"

"Have fun, you two!" She says just as we take off.

Fun? It's a recon flight. How fun can that be?

A/N: Suspicious much? I'm having so much fun with this. I didn't expect so many faves and follows on my first story on this website.. And reviews too. Thank you sooo much for the response. And if you have any ideas for this please share them. I'd love to try and add it in. Until next time! :)