I went from dreaming peacefully to eye's wide with shock in the morning. I was hit in my sore ribs with something heavy. Of course it would be her. Starfire made her way into the Great Hall and must have nudged me in the ribs.
"You are a real pain in my ..." I scowled at the dragon before Hiccup greeted me.
"Good morning." Hiccup greeted halfway from the entrance to my bed. I scowled at him still mad at him for last night and he said "You aren't still mad at me about last night are you? It's over, look Starfire is well rested and she didn't destroy anything. I'd say I made the right call.". Where is Astrid when you need her? She surely would have hit him for the cockiness of that statement. Then again she must have known that her actions last night would be likely to counteract her own purpose.
"Oh, keep talking and that anger is going to turn into hate." I said shooing Starfire away from my bed so I could get up.
"Hate! Well thats a little excessive, don't you think?" Hiccup replied still grinning.
"YOU practically claimed my ..." I started but stopped myself before I said 'my dragon', as Starfire was present, and continued "... Starfire as your own and didn't even give me a warning, let alone ask my opinion! Now, you have the nerve to bring her with you to rub it in!".
Hiccup looked taken aback for a few seconds and then apologized "I'm sorry. It's just, I've seen Toothless alone so long I thought that ...".
"Oh gods. Please tell me Toothless and Starfire didn't ..." I interrupted but I was interrupted myself.
"No!" Hiccup interjected and then concluded "No she actually stole his bed and he slept on the rafters but I don't think he really minded. I was going to say I've seen him without a family for such a long time I just ... couldn't think for anyone else but him just then. Like when we chased after her, leaving Astrid behind."
"I forgive you ... at least most of me dose. My pride still hates you." I said jokingly. "And my muscles hate Fishlegs, and my ribs hate Starfire, and most of me just generally hates Snotlout." I added making Hiccup smile. I then came up with a plan to wipe away the cockiness Astrid bestowed upon him last night.
"And my sense of feminine pride is shaking it head at Astrid." I stated very slyly, trying very hard to keep a strait face. Hiccup looked stunned and he looked at me and tried to gauge exactly what I meant by that.
"Why ... do you say that ... what did Astrid do?" Hiccup said very cautiously. I knew his shyness and awkwardness would make this conversation very painful for him.
"Oh it's nothing I just thought she would be more ... choosy ... with the times she is ... letting out her feelings." I teased.
Hiccup turned bright red as he softly said "You saw?".
"The whole thing lover boy! Astrid the fearsome hero. You the swooning maiden. You really need to practice your form a bit. You looked like a dead eel being coddled by a bear." I teased as loudly as I could.
Hiccup's cheeks were crimson now and he looked at me and croaked "Please stop.". Just then Starfire nudged me and made her impatient sound.
I was wondering if she was actually eager to start training until I realized "Oh. You want the fish I promised you. Alright lets go.". I left Hiccup standing in the Great Hall paralyzed by his own shyness. I walked over to the fish storehouse, where I got the fish for my Terror, and rummaged through it as Starfire waited outside. I returned with a rack of smoked fish with eight fish hanging off of it attached by twine.
I took one fish off and teased Starfire "You want your breakfast?" and I through it into the air. I was expecting Starfire to snap it out of the air but the fish just landed behind her.
"What, you don't want them anymore?" I asked looking down at the extremely annoyed Nightfury. It answered by snapping the rest of the dangling fish off of the rack. I through the rack back into the storehouse and then my Terror landed on my shoulder. Starfire growled at it and I gave it some scratches under the chin.
The Nightfury thought I was picking favorites and I teased "Well at least he listens to me. Watch, fetch.". I pointed to the fish that Starfire dropped and my Terror swooped off of my shoulder and brought it back to me. Starfire was not impressed but was disappointed when I didn't give her that fish and I fed it to my Terror. Starfire then flew off with a growl. Toothless, was watching us and watched her fly away. He then looked at me with an accusatory glare. I walked by him on my way back to the Great Hall for breakfast and said "She will be back. She likes the fish too much.". He bounced up and down when he heard this and started leaping on and off Hiccups house. I looked at him in awe for a moment. Then a somber thought came into my head which killed my happy mood. I wonder if I will be that happy if I ever meet someone from my tribe? I entered the Great Hall and got my breakfast and sat down across from Hiccup, who was the only other one at the table. He didn't strike up any conversation and avoided eye contact.
"Hiccup! By the gods, I was only teasing you. I think it is cute how you two can banter like that and still end up were you did." I finally spoke when it was apparent that he wasn't going to.
"Can you not tell anyone?" Hiccup asked. "I mean about the dead eel and ... maiden thing.".
I laughed at him which only turned him red again but I finished and said "Hiccup stop being so self-conscious. I just made that stuff up to make you feel bad.".
"Why?" he asked.
"One, for revenge for last night. Two, for not realizing your mistake on your own. Three, for being so dam cocky when you tried to justify your actions." I explained. Hiccup was still red but slowly got his nerve back.
"Oh, by the way I didn't take Starfire to you to 'rub it in' she found you on her own and I just followed." Hiccup stated.
"Ya so she could have me get some smoked fish for her." I said disgruntled at the dragon that continually used me as a means to an end.
"Not exactly, she definitely smelled out where the fish storehouse was before she could smell you. She didn't just want the fish but she wanted your permission and for you to get them for her. It looks like Starfire is respecting you allot more than last night." Hiccup explained. I felt slightly guilty about how I acted at the storehouse earlier now. Soon all the other teens were sitting at the table and I told my story of how I was trapped in the cave and ultimately escaped with Starfire.
"I can't believe you found another Nightfury" Fishlegs said in awe.
"Where is she anyways?" Astrid asked.
"Um ... she kind of ... flew off." I said to everybody's surprise.
"We need to go after her." Hiccup stated, getting up from the table.
"Hiccup don't worry about it. She will be back, trust me she is just being stubborn and prideful." I said.
After our breakfast I told them I was going to make a saddle for Starfire. I went to Gobber's to make it but I had a harder time than I expected. In exchange for the leather, Gobber had me make five new shields, eleven axe heads, and various other tools and supplies for everyday use but most of them were for construction. Finally, he let me start on the saddle for Starfire.
"So you got yourself a Nightfury did ya." Gobber commented as I was scraping the leather.
"Well 'got' is a strong word. It's more like sparked a mild interest in me and now she wakes me up so I can get her smoked fish." I admitted.
Gobber chuckled and said "Well I don't doubt that. I think thats how Hiccup told me it was with Toothless. Even with the humbling experience of needing his prosthetic, Toothless through Hiccup clean off him the first few times he tried to ride him.".
"Really, then how come you are still so brash after loosing two limbs?" I joked taking in the information.
"Everyone has a part of themselves they can live without and those they can't lose. For me, I think I would much rather lose the rest of my limbs than my memories." He jabbed back.
"Oh right I already know what humbles you. Tell me, did you hop or roll all the way to the Great Hall while you were stuck in that bola" I teased back.
"If you don't let that event die I'm gonna ..." Gobber tried to threaten but I cut him off.
"What? Get trapped in another bola coming after me and roll at me very fast." I laughed.
"Forgive me lass but for someone who was publicly embarrassed by Astrid a few days ago, one of my previous trainees, you seem to be putting yourself in a high standing when thinking of evading a seasoned battle veteran." jabbed Gobber. I laughed knowing that this contest of insults would go on for a long time if we didn't stop.
"See this is why I'm not your apprentice Gobber. I've been here for two hours and we are already talking with insults and threats. Imagine a whole day." I stated.
"I don't wan't to lass. You were right, it would end very badly." Gobber concluded and went back to his work and I to mine. I finished the saddle and walked it over to the academy. I glared at the black scaled dragon I found there.
"Oh, you came back did you?" I scolded and Starfire turned her head to see me. When she saw the saddle in my hands, she got a very skeptical look on her face and sniffed at the air trying to determine exactly what it was.
"Yep, this is a saddle and we are going flying." I said sternly to the dragon. It backed away as I approached it. I chased after it all around the arena but she playfully, and resiliently bounded everywhere I was not. I was getting angry and the other riders were not helping.
"Your going to treasure this moment when you look back on this in the future." Hiccup said coyly as he watched the ridiculous sight of me chasing my dragon with a saddle. I broke down and fell against the stone wall. I curled into a little ball and cried with my face buried in my knees.
"The one ... good thing ... that happened ... to ... me since ... I ... got here ... and she ... hates ... me ... me ... so much." I sobbed uncontrollably into my knees.
"Is she crying?" Snotlout said with disgust as the whole group had stopped to watch me. Starfire's expression had softened and was now moving towards me and was crooning to try to comfort me.
"Um ... should we do something?" Fishlegs asked the rest of the group. Starfire was nudging me and I was unresponsive in my little ball. She then wrapped her tail around me and snuggled next to me trying to comfort me.
"Wait for it ..." Hiccup instructed the group, having seen this behavior before from me.
"Gotcha!" I exclaimed quite excitedly. I sprang out of my little ball and slapped the saddle on Starfire. I secured two straps before she realized what happened. She sprang up and looked around at the saddle now, mostly, secured to her and looked back at me and roared.
"Yes. Looks like the big bad Nightfury is taking me flying after all." I bragged. Starfire didn't resist anymore as I secured the rest of the straps. She simply wore the most disappointed looking face I had ever seen on any living being.
"Oh come on. It can't be that bad, taking your human on a flight." I tried to reconcile with her. She noticed when I called myself 'her human' and nuzzled me as a sort of forgiveness.
I mounted her and whispered into her ear "Just so I know your not going to be pouting through our whole flight I'll make you a deal. If you can throw me off, and catch me ... the catching part is very important, this time I'll give you a back-rub for and hour when we land.".
Starfire looked back at me with a glint in her eye. She launched off the ground and out of the arena at, what I'm sure was, her fastest speed.