AN: Well then... I hope you guys liked that chapter, only took me a few days to update that time.

*wild cheering and applause*

I know I know! Oh you're too kind! *bows*

Anyway...

last chapter had a long AN so I'll keep this short and sweet and sassy.

Yay alliteration!

*cough*nerd*cough*

*flips hair*whatever

ANYWAY...

sorry, I get distracted

I would like to thank you guys for your support 19 follows! yay! I honestly didn't think I'd get any but meh.

The first OC will be making his debut this chapter and I would like to thank Fenrir's Phantom for the OC and their support.

I HAVE A QUESTION!

Should the Riders be nomads or have a village?

Let me know in the Reviews!:)

If you spot anything I can do to improve don't hesitate to let me know, trust me I won't be offended, maybe a little miffed but not offended, years of bullying have given me a stone-hard shell when it comes to insults. That and probably the fact my younger sister and I fight like the Thorston twins, yeesh, like watching rabid wolves fight over a scrap of meat. Except with loads more insults. And snarling.

ANYWAY!

READ THE BOTTOM AN! READ IT! PLEASE!

As per usual I own, come closer, *leans down as if to whisper in ear* NOTHING!

Chapter 4

}Stormfly and Fishing{

~Astrid~

Hours later we settled in our cave, Toothless and the Nadder resting their wings. I slipped from Toothless' back and watched the Nadder cautiously. As we flew she had gently dropped me on Toothless' back and simply followed us back to our cave. Maybe...maybe she feels indebted to me... I shook my head, no, that's stupid although... I looked over at Toothless and Hiccup and how they interacted, Toothless curling around Hiccup to keep him warm and the intelligent way he listened to what Hiccup had to say. I couldn't help but think maybe she did. Maybe she looked to me the same way that Toothless looked to Hiccup. Hiccup was blabbering away about something, but ignored him my senses fixed solely on the dragon before me.

On an impulse I stepped toward the Nadder slowly, my knees bent and muscles tensed, ready to spring away at a moment's notice. The Nadder looked at me curiously with its intelligent eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder how on Midgard I had once hated these beautiful creatures. With trembling fingers I reached out as if to touch her and held my open palm out to her. She looked at me curiously and I turned my face away, screwing my eyes shut. Seconds passed and I couldn't help but feel ridiculous, holding my hand out to a man eating dragon as if asking it to...

I gasped in surprise as hot air rushed past my hand and warm scales were pressed into my palm.

I opened my eyes and turned slowly to face the dragon. Her yellow eyes looked at me with an intelligence and ferocity that reminded me of myself. Gently, I removed my hand from the Nadder's snout and reached out to stroke her. The Nadder gave a small bird-like squawk and let me run my fingers along the scales on her neck.

I let out a breathy laugh and smiled up at the dragon. She gave another squawk and gently padded away to roost by the once again flickering fire. I stared after her, the way she moved with bird-like grace compared to Toothless' cat-like confidence and elegance. It was strange. But beautiful.

"I think you just got your own dragon."

I jumped and whirled around to face Hiccup, sending my fist flying into his upper arm. "Don't do that!"

He winced and rubbed the flesh where my fist had connected with his arm. "Jeez Astrid, what is with you and punching people?"

I huffed and folded my arms, "don't sneak up on me."

He raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't sneaking. I think I made enough noise to wake an armada."

I glared at him and raised my fist threateningly.

He yelped and raised his hands, holding them in front of his body protectively. Smirking I lowered my fist and crossed my arms.

Hiccup turned back to face me, lowering his arms, surprise evident on his face.

"Alright, teach me."

He blinked at me owlishly, a blank expression on his freckled face.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes, "teach me how to ride a dragon. I have a dragon now and I can't just ride Toothless forever so why waste a perfectly good opportunity?"

"Oh..oh! Oh!" He chuckled nervously, "yeah of course I'll teach you how to ride a dragon!" A wide grin spread across his features and I couldn't help but smile back. A small smile, barely curling my lips, but a smile none the less.

"Alright, first things first. Name her. You can't just call her dragon forever now can you?"

I looked over at the Nadder, taking in her appearance. She needed a name that combined her beauty and her ferocity. Her scales were a beautiful sky blue, her body patterned with marigold yellow. A crown of ivory spikes adorned her head and her cloud white underbelly stood in stark contrast with her sky blue scales...Clouds, sky...My thoughts were interrupted when a clap of thunder sounded in the distance. A grin curled across my lips, storm... Stormwind? ...Stormeagle?...Stormfly.

"Stormfly. She'll be Stormfly."

Hiccup nodded approvingly, "Stormfly...I like it."

I grinned, "alright, what's next?"

"Feeding. To gain a dragon's trust you have to feed them. Generally they like to eat fish but not eels, they're terrified of eels." Hiccup lectured.

I nodded, "fish. I think I have a few left over from earlier."

I crossed the cave and opened the basket I used earlier, bending down I opened the basket and pulled a large Perch out. Stormfly perked up, her nostrils flaring and zoomed in on the fish in my hand. She stood and approached me, her head lowered to my level and tail-end in the air. She sniffed the fish in my hand and in a heartbeat she'd opened her mouth, seized the fish and swallowed it whole. I gaped at her lightning quickness and simply stared at her majesty.

She turned back to me and started sniffing me, looking for more fish. I laughed at the way her breath tickled my neck.

"Easy girl!" I laughed and reached into the basket to give her more fish.

I fed her the next few fish in much the same manner as I had before. Stormfly nuzzled my neck happily and I couldn't help but think that might've been the only proper food she'd been given in a while.

"You're welcome. Stormfly."

She squawked happily and moved over to sleep by the fire. I looked out at the lightening sky and it was only then I realised just how tired I was. I yawned and crossed the cave making my way to my semi-circle of stalagmites. Stormfly looked up and saw me walking to the corner of the cave. She gave a small squawk and lifted one of her wings, as if beckoning for me to come.

I hesitated, looking between my stone circle and Stormfly. I glanced over at Hiccup to ask him for advice but he was already sound asleep, wrapped in Toothless' wings. Surely it will be warmer... I hesitated but then making my mind up I crossed the cave to lie in Stormfly's wing. If Hiccup can do it I can do it too.

As I lay down Stormfly curled her wing around my body and the first thing I noticed was how much warmer it was. I sighed in bliss and snuggled deeper into Stormfly's side, relishing her warmth. And before I knew it I found sleep gently encircling me in its shadowy embrace.

~Hiccup~

I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. The sun was high in the sky when I woke and Astrid was still sound asleep in Stormfly's wings. Toothless was asleep. Again. In short I was bored.

I turned back to the others, watching them doze for a moment. An idea started tickling in the back of my mind and I grabbed one of my notebooks from my satchel. I quickly scribbled a note on one of the pages and tore it out, weighing it down with a rock. I looked around briefly and acting on second thought I emptied my satchel and put it in the fish basket, slinging the basket over my shoulder. I cast another glance around the cave before turning on my heel and trudging down the trail outside.

The path looked to be an old goat trail, but it seemed fairly unused. There were no footprints other than the occasional boot print that must be Astrid's from when she went fishing yesterday. I looked along the trail and saw that it twisted back and forth a lot before finally ducking behind the waterfall some way ahead of our cave.

As I made my way down the trail I looked out over the island and I couldn't help but compare its natural beauty with Berk. Cerulean waters stretched for miles in every direction before lapping at the pale sand of the beach. The forest below sprawled over rolling hills broken only by the sapphire serpentine curls of the river flowing out to sea.

It took me far longer than I would've liked to reach the bottom. It would've taken less time on Toothless, I thought sourly. I looked around briefly before making my way to the base of the waterfall where the water collected in a lake. Broad leafed grass stretched out to the waters edge and reeds shot skyward out of the placid pool. Water lilies floated on the surface, their pale petals like silk. Weeping Willows caressed the surface of the lake, their narrow leaves causing ripples.

I slipped the fishing basket from my back and set it down by a large rock. I removed my satchel and took a knife out. I settled on my knees in the damp earth and reached out over the lake. With the knife I cut the reeds in handfuls, placing them on a flat rock to dry. I repeated this process for some time until I felt I had enough. I stood and wandered through the forest someway collecting small branches and kindling for the fire tonight.

Tonight..I groaned in frustration, the dragons.

"What are they going to eat?" I dragged a hand down my face and moaned into it.

I set the tinder down by my fish basket and sat in the grass to think. I looked over at my gathered tinder and spied an oak branch, it was fairly straight, no knots and was fairly solid, indicating it hadn't been rotted out. I reached out and grabbed it, it fit nicely in my hand and wasn't too long or heavy. I grabbed the knife and propped the branch on my knee, cutting off pieces of one end until it had been sharpened to a point.

I examined the sharp wood critically, not my best work but it'll do. I removed my fur boots and rolled my pants up past my knees. Looking down I glared at my thin legs, completely devoid of muscle. And fat for that matter as well. My thin build would always be cause for ridicule back on Berk, but here, here I was free from all the pressures of society and I could be who I wanted. I could invent what I want and there would only be Astrid to judge. And free from Berk she might even express her thoughts on them. And me. Maybe...maybe I'd even have a shot at her.

A small grin spread across my face at the thought, yes, I will, I will have a chance. I frowned, but first...

I stood up with a small grunt and waded into the shallows, bracing myself against the biting cold. I looked down, my makeshift spear in hand, and dug my toes into the soft sand. I saw a few small fish nibble on my toes but nothing large enough to eat let alone feed a dragon. I sighed in defeat and moved further into the water, spear poised to strike. I waited perfectly still for a fish to come within range, my arms quivering slightly from the effort of staying still.

There! I saw a flash of scales and forced my spear down upon where I saw the fish, driving the point down into the sand.

I bit my lip and slowly lifted the spear tip out of the water and...nothing. No fish. Nothing. Not so much as a scale.

"The gods hate me." I muttered and poised the spear to strike.

Waiting. Waiting. More waiting. Some more waiting after that. And then splash!

I saw another flash of scales and my spear descended on the creature with a force that sent water splashing into my face.

This time I felt something crunch underneath the spear and when I lifted the point out of the water there was a small Perch wiggling on the point, the tip of my spear emerging out its side, stained red with the fish's blood.

"I did it!" I raised my hands over my head and danced around in the water. "I did it! I did it, I did it!" I laughed and turned around to go back ashore and drop the fish in the basket.

I made to take a step when a spear landed with a splash between my feet. I yelped and brandished my fish topped spear at the direction I assumed the spear came from.

A growl came from within the shadows of a Weeping Willow followed by a male voice, husky from disuse. "You're scaring all the fish."

"Uh..um..ah..uh...hi?" I squeaked.

The voice snorted, "very threatening you are. What are you, a walking fish bone?"

I frowned, my annoyance over coming my initial fear, "gee, thanks, I go to a completely different island, seemingly uninhabited and I've only been here two days and already I'm once again labelled fish bone. Thank you for your hospitality."

The voice remained quiet for some time and I hoped that he'd left. He didn't say anything more so I waded out of the shallows, dropping the fish in the basket. One down, gods know how many more.

I turned around to wade back into the water only to bump into solid muscle. I stumbled back and fell on my rear with a yelp.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

I stared wide-eyed at the figure before me. He dressed like a Viking. He sounded like a Viking. But he didn't look like a Viking...he looked like a hiccup. He was tall, granted, but that didn't make a Viking a Viking. He was lithe with muscle, not the rippling masses built up from years of heavy eating and swinging a giant war-hammer around, but the kind of muscle tone from years of living in the wild; running for your life, climbing trees and mountains, hunting your own food. Without the muscle tone he would be similar to me in build, with stick-like limbs and hands and feet too big for his body.

He had obviously been living on his own for some time, having to make his own clothes and weapons. He wore a crude wolf-skin vest over nothing but his toned flesh. Leather boots were wrapped tightly around his feet, bound with thin leather thongs and tattered black trousers covered his long legs.

I gulped, looking up at his unshaven face and matted hair that fell about his shoulders I realised something. He couldn't have been much older than me.

"Fishing?" I said uncertainly.

AN: Ta da! What do you guys think? I hope you guys like it! :)

Fenrir's Phantom! Please read! Plz! Plz.

I really hope you like how I portrayed Asmund, I hope he doesn't seem too OOC from what you imagined, if you have anyway for me to improve his portrayal I would like to hear them. :)

AND GUYS! PLEASE READ!

THIS FANFIC IS UN-BETA-D! If you think I need a Beta PLEASE let me know! I want to make this fic as enjoyable for you guys as possible and if my writing is crap I can't do that. PLEASE LET ME KNOW! and if you would like to Beta my work *nudgenudge winkwink* Let me know! It'd be greatly appreciated! :)