"Stoick!"

"Hold on!" the gruff Viking shouted, his voice bordering on panic. He leapt through the flames, eyes set on the cradle in the center of the inferno. He rolled up next to it and hurriedly reached for the bundle inside.

His hand came up empty, a thin blanket slipping through his fingers.

"Stoick!" The voice cried again and he turned his frantic gaze at the rapidly diminishing voice. Through the flames and the smoke, he saw the dragon, blue and red, four large wings beating down on the smoke clogged air. Stoick scanned the scene frantically before focusing on the dragon once more as a small shrill cry warbled through the air.

His heart stopped. The beast shifted its burden in its talons and rose steadily into the dark atmosphere.

"Valka!" He jumped back through the flames to give chase.

"Stoick!" The desperate voice of his love drifted through the air, barely louder than a whisper. But above the sounds of fire and destruction, he heard yet again the now distant cry of an infant, as distant as the voice.

Realization hit him like a mountain and he collapsed to his knees in the ruin of his home. "No," his voice cracked. "NOOOOOO!" he cried with ferocity and emotion unexpected from the mighty stoic Viking.

The beast had taken his wife, he had watched her disappear into the night, and it tore at his heart. But the pain greater than that, than knowing he failed, was knowing he failed not only his wife, but his newborn daughter as well. For the beast had taken her too. His entire family was gone in one fell swoop, and it nearly overcame him.

"Val...Raven...I'm so sorry."

…

Valka watched in horror as Stoick, her dear husband and love of her life, turned to nothing more than a speck against the raging flames that devoured her home. Berk itself was nothing more than a shadow flickering with dying orange lights. For all the sadness she felt at her home growing smaller, she felt almost no fear for herself. She feared for her husband, who undoubtedly would begin to assume the worst. And she feared for her daughter, who was now soaring high above the world in the talons of a dragon that probably did not even know she was there.

The dragon readjusted its grip on her, talons gripping one arm and a bunch of fabric on the back of her tunic. She felt a small amount of gratitude, at the dragon or at fate she was unsure, that she had one arm free to hold her child. However, a cry escaped her throat at the sudden movement and her free arm tightened around the bundle against her chest. "No no no no," she spoke in soft but panicked tones. "Take me back," she spoke up, addressing the looming figure above her.

The creature turned its head almost all the way around and focused its large eyes intently on the woman. They looked like the sun on a warm summer day, warm and gentle, betraying the true might and fire that lay beneath.

"Please take me back," Valka begged. The creature cooed sadly, a look of pity crossing its face, but made no move to turn around. "I know you're intelligent! You can understand me. Please, take us back!"

The dragon started and peered curiously back at his passenger.

Us? He thought and narrowed his eyes.

He shifted the woman in his talons yet again and brought her closer to his large owl-like eye while still maintaining a stable flight. The movement caused the woman to draw back and clutch the bundle tighter to her chest. A small squawk burst from her arms and a tiny fist flailed against her breast.

Oh…us. The dragon took a moment to just stare at the small human, his wings stilling to a glide. It was wrapped in the woman's skirt in an attempt to shield it from the biting north wind. He could barely make out a small round nose, red with cold. Its whimpering cries were muffled slightly but its discomfort was obvious.

Cloud Jumper looked back at the woman, and pleading eyes stared back. "I am so sorry," he apologized with a sorrowful grumble, though he knew the Vikingess could not understand him. "I did not realize you still had your hatchling, but I cannot turn around now." They had only been traveling for a small amount of time and the rest of the journey would take close to a day. The dragon could not waste the daylight to return the hatchling, and he had no assurance that he would not be killed on sight upon his return to the Viking Isle. The King had wanted him back with the dragon soul, the woman, as soon as possible. The King had sensed the dragon soul a few weeks ago and sent Cloud Jumper to investigate. If rumors and legends were to be believed, there were dragons in existence that were trapped in human bodies, fiery souls contained by flesh. This woman, or so the King believed and Cloud Jumper was inclined to agree, was one of those souls. He had sensed it as soon as they had made eye contact.

Though she had held a sword and appeared quite capable of wielding it, he knew somehow that she would not. She had glanced nervously at her hatchling but even the possible threat to her offspring had not convinced her to attack. That was when he had known, as he looked in her warm green eyes, behind the startled fear of finding a dragon in her home, she was not afraid of Cloud Jumper himself. She lowered her sword and they shared a moment in which the world beyond did not matter, it was as if the dragon soul within her was calling out, begging someone to see it, save it, take it away from the horrors of the Viking world it was forced to endure.

This woman, with her kind eyes and dragon heart, was not meant to live among men. She did not belong here, and so Cloud Jumper had acted.

In his haste, however, he had missed the woman's actions, which had lead to him having not one, but two passengers. Which lead to his current dilemma. Human hatchlings were fragile beyond belief and it would not do to have his passengers dangling exposed to the harsh winds for the remainder of the day.

He scanned the open ocean below and quickly spied a small island, no bigger than the wingspan of a few large dragons. Trying to maneuver the Viking woman onto his back would be difficult enough without her ignorant to his intent, and with a hatchling in her arms. So the large dragon descended to the small island.

Valka saw the small spit of land and allowed a moment of hope to rise before quelling the hope of rescue. While they had not traveled far, it would be several hours for a Viking long-ship to reach them.

She knew that the dragon meant her no harm, she was sure. Had it been only her, she would have been more accepting of the situation, perhaps even excited by the chance to interact freely with a dragon without the scrutiny of the village on her. But as it was, she had her daughter with her, her two month old infant. And they needed to get home, right?

The dragon's wings split into four in preparation for the landing, and mighty strokes thundered around her in series of two. The infant in her arms stopped squirming and her squeaking subsided, green eyes wide, and Valka wondered if the thudding wing beats sounded like a heartbeat to Raven.

They were set gently on the rocky ground, and Valka stumbled to get her feet under her since the dragon had been holding her near horizontal by the back of her tunic. The dragon landed with a soft thump next to her. It lowered its head and approached her, gazing with wide eyes between her and the child in her arms. She took a few cautious steps back, though felt her fear ebbing once she saw the creature's eyes once more, warm and kind, like a soul reflecting her own.

The dragon, which she recognized now as a Storm Cutter in the light of the rising sun, seemed to sense her hesitance, however small, and paused his advance. He instead lowered his head to the side, holding very still with his shoulders and back exposed. Valka didn't move, very much confused by the dragon's strange behavior.

Its eyes flickered back to her motionless form and he nodded from her to his back quickly.

"Well come on human, I haven't got all day." He motioned again, with more vigor when the woman still refused to move.

Valka understood in an instant. "OH, no I-I can't," she stuttered, and the Storm Cutter looked at her head on again. He motioned with his head to the north then back to her and his spiked back. "I can't go with you!" She said, shock clear in her sharp voice. "I have to go home," she pointed south. "That way."

The Storm Cutter seemed annoyed at her request and advanced towards her again with a shake of his head. Valka kept her distance, stepping back as well. But the island was far too small for her to flee far. She felt her heel strike the edge of a cliff and turned to see a steep drop off into the ocean, sharp waves breaking against the rocks. Her heart skipped a beat. The Storm Cutter wanted her to go with him, and where ever that may be, she knew it likely was no place for humans.

"Please, we need to go home," she begged on last time to the oncoming dragon, though she could feel resignation sinking in.

Said dragon was getting annoyed with this human's constant pleading. Could she not see he was only trying to help? If she would just give him a chance to explain, he was sure she would agree. But there was the problem, as only the King could communicate directly to humans in a way they could understand.

"Which is why we need to get you to the King quickly. Now are you going to ride on my back like a civilized little human or am I carrying you for the rest of the day?" He shuffled and lifted his talons to try to convey his message.

The human must have misunderstood, for as soon as she saw his claws, she yelled and jerked back, "NO no-Aah!"

Valka's foot slipped off the cliff ledge and for a horrible moment, she felt gravity pulling her back. She flailed one arm out to try and balance herself. Just as the crumbling lip gave out beneath her, she felt her hand bump something and she instinctively held on for dear life. She felt her fall stop instantly. Her toes just barely touched the crumbling cliff, her body leaning out over the edge.

The Storm Cutter held the human by one of his wing talons. She looked flustered but grateful as she looked between the dragon and her near fall. He gazed at her with questioning eyes, a tint of worry creeping into the bright yellow.

Valka deflated. She knew what he was asking. She looked back over the ocean towards Berk. Her home. Her family. She couldn't just leave them. But as she looked back at the Storm Cutter that held her so carefully by a talon meant to rip flesh, she couldn't help but wonder why. Oh, how she longed to learn, and now that all her heart-felt beliefs were being reassured before her eyes, that longing only grew. But could she leave her home just to indulge in the selfish desire to explore the dragon world? Could she leave her family, her husband, to believe her dead? And most importantly of all, could she pull her daughter into this life with her?

Her daughter was the one who eventually decided it for her. Raven stared wide eyed at the marvelous creature, tiny fists pumping in excitement. Valka smiled. Dragons were misunderstood by her home and family, creatures to be feared and killed on sight. She did not want her daughter growing up to fear these magnificent creatures. She wanted nothing more than someone to share in this truth, the wonderful truth and beauty that stood before her. If there was a chance for her child to grow up free from the pressures and corrupt ideologies of the Viking life, free to see for herself that dragons weren't monsters, then perhaps it was worth leaving her home behind. For she knew in her heart that they wouldn't be heading back any time soon if at all, and this moment would determine her daughter's future.

I'm sorry, Stoick. She thought, and looked back at the dragon, its gold eyes waiting patiently.

"Alright," she nodded curtly to the Storm Cutter.

The dragon smiled a small draconic smile and lifted her carefully up over his head with his wing and settling her gently behind his crown. Riding a dragon, what would Stoick think? She chuckled sadly. With a satisfied roar, the Storm Cutter took off, leaving the small rocky island behind them with two powerful down strokes of his wings. They left behind the shadow of Berk, the smoke trailing into the sky. Valka said a silent good bye and looked ahead. The sun was rising above them, warming her skin. Her daughter blew contented raspberries as the wind mussed her fluffy red hair. The world opened up before them and Valka felt a deeper sense of peace, believing that their destiny lay just beyond the next cloud.