Here's September's drabble as promised! This is a Heather drabble and it will reveal how met her trusted Razorwhip, Windshear (from my perspective of course!).
Title: How Heather and Windshear Met
Takes Place: Before the events of Race to the Edge two-part episode "Have Dragon Will Travel"
Summary: The story of how Heather and Windshear met. After her village is raided by Dagur the Deranged who had recently escaped from his prison on Outcast Island, Heather vows revenge. Taking shelter in a secluded island, she comes across a young Razorwhip who had recently arrived at the island at the same time she did.
…
(Windshear's PoV)
Once she had lived with the female humans who called themselves Wingmaidens. Ever since the day she had hatched, they had raised her and her siblings and other infant Razorwhips and protected them from male Razorwhips. Despite being born blind, she could still remember flying through the sky with her claws clutching the Wingmaidens' backs.
But Windshear was no longer a baby. She was no longer blind or small and she no longer clung to the Wingmaidens' backs. Now she was a full-grown Razorwhip with silver, armor-like scales and neon green eyes and now she could fly independently to wherever her wings could carry her.
But she had been flying independently for several days now and although dragons could travel great distances without tire, she knew that she would have to find a place to rest sooner or later. Fortunately, there was a small island straight ahead of her.
Lifting her head, she sniffed the air and the heavy scent of sea slugs filled her nostrils. No doubt that this little island was full of all Razorwhips' favorite food. Flapping her wings to pick up speed, she headed straight for the island.
It wasn't long before she landed at the edge of a small ledge over the seawater. Sniffing again, Windshear also picked up the scent of fresh water. That meant a pond had to be nearby. As much as she had her heart set on sea slugs, Windshear knew she had to slake her thirst first. She had been traveling for a long time after all. So she set off through the trees following the smell of the pond.
Windshear couldn't detect any other signs of movement within the trees but she still had the feeling that she wasn't alone. If anything else was on this island, she would have to be careful. She sniffed the air again and sure enough, a new scent filled her nostrils. There was something oddly familiar about this new scent.
…..
(Heather's PoV)
Heather let out a deep, heavy sigh and shook her tired arms as soon as the front of her long but small rowboat touched the sands of the beach. This island had been a wonderful greeting for her eyes. She had been rowing out at sea for a few days now and her provisions were starting to run low. This looked like a good place to camp for the night and stock up on fresh water and food before she continued her way.
Hopping out of the boat, she waded through the shallow water to the back of her boat and mustered all her strength to push it all the way to the shore so that it wouldn't drift away with the tide. Once the boat was as far away from the shoreline as possible, Heather emptied it out of its contents – her homemade battle axe, journal, bucket of water and basket of food.
Sitting against the boat, she placed her axe beside her and propped up her journal against her knees. Pulling out a small charcoal pencil, she began to write down an entry in her journal (in Viking runes):
After four days of rowing, I've finally arrived on a small island where I will set up camp for the night, re-stock on my provisions before continuing on my mission: to track down Dagur and make him pay for what he had done to my village and my mom and dad!
Although they weren't my real parents, I still loved them with all my heart. After all, they had taken me in after my separation from my birth family and had raised and loved me as their own daughter. It doesn't help that I had lost them permanently not long after I had gotten them out of Outcast Island with the help of the Dragon Riders of Berk. Knowing the Dragon Riders, if they knew what I am currently going through, they would offer me some help just as they had done before. But I could never let them get involved…not this time. This is my mission and my mission alone.
As part of my mission, I am hoping to loot…
She quickly scratched out the word loot and replaced it with another word before continuing her entry.
...borrow from ships of anything that's of value in order to redistribute the people of my village and replace any items they had lost courtesy of Dagur's raids. Although it's not enough to replace lost loved ones, it's the least I can do to make sure that the remaining families can still provide for each other.
The trouble is, you never know when you might spot a ship out in the middle of the vast ocean and even if I found any, it would be difficult to sneak on board and grab whatever's valuable without being caught. Not to mention it would take some time to row from the ship back to my island.
If only there was some faster way I could use to fulfill my mission.
After she had finished her entry, Heather shut her journal, stuffed it under her belt and got to her feet. She picked up her half-full bucket of water and after some thought, she also picked up her axe. She never knew when it might come in handy. And so she entered the woods hoping to find a pond and refill her bucket.
As she walked amongst the tall trees, she couldn't help but feel she wasn't alone. But there seemed to be no signs of movement around her. She gripped her axe's handle tightly. If anyone or anything really was around, she had to be ready. After all, you never can tell when someone or something might be a friend or a foe.
…..
(Windshear's PoV)
Windshear had reached the pond. She cautiously looked left and right and even tried to peer through the grove of tall grass a little ways from the small watering hole. Seeing that the coast was clear, she walked over to the pond's edge and began to lap up the refreshing, sweet water.
Just the same, she kept her eyes sharply on her surroundings. The scent of another being was coming closer and it smelled more familiar than ever. It didn't smell too dangerous though. If it was dangerous, the scent would be foul and distrusting.
Then she heard some rustling coming from the tall grass on the other side of the pond.
…
(Heather's PoV)
Heather slowly made her way through a grove of grass as tall as her. She carried her water bucket in one hand and carried her axe in the other, using it to push away the tall blades in front of her. By the time she was out of the grass, she gasped at the sight in front of her.
Right in front of her was a small pond full of fresh water. And on the other side of said pond was a dragon. And not just any dragon but a Razorwhip.
Heather had heard about Razorwhip dragons but she never thought she'd actually see one. But now here she was staring at one that was practically not too far from her.
The silver scales covering the Razorwhip's body resembled a metal coat of armor and the sunlight reflected brightly against them. It had a long neck and an equally long tail longed with short, sharp spikes like a Deadly Nadder. As it looked up from the water towards her, Heather could see that its eyes were neon green.
Heather held her breath, not daring to move a muscle should the Razorwhip attempt to attack her. She had heard that Razorwhips were supposed to be one of the most aggressive dragons ever.
However, this particular Razorwhip didn't growl or pounce. It didn't seem to want to attack her at all. It simply just stared at her curiously.
…
(Windshear's PoV)
So there was someone else on the island after all.
And that someone was a female human.
That explained why the scent was familiar to Windshear. She had learned to recognize the scent of humans during her time with the Wingmaidens.
But this girl standing on the opposite side of the pond from her was no Wingmaiden. She wasn't dressed in the silver armor that resembled Razorwhip scales like the Wingmaidens wore. Not to mention she was much shorter and younger looking than the full-grown, older Wingmaidens. Her long hair was as black as a raven's feathers and her eyes were as green as the forest surrounding them and she looked just as curious about Windshear as she was curious of her. She showed no signs of wanting to chase or hurt her.
Still Windshear decided she should be cautious. After all, some humans could be good and others could be bad.
Satisfied with her fill of water, she began walking back towards the way she came to find the sea slugs. Then she paused to look back on that girl. In fact, the girl was moving away back into the forest again and keeping her eyes on Windshear at the same time.
Windshear growled softly, appreciating that the girl was good enough to give her some space.
…
(Heather's PoV)
Heather smiled as she heard the Razorwhip growling softly at her. She could tell the dragon was appreciative of her not getting too close to it.
Once the dragon had walked further away but still remained in sight, Heather started off towards its direction. She kept her eyes on the ground, making sure she was stepping quietly and lightly and keeping an eye out for any branches or twigs she might accidentally step on.
She knew she really should be leaving the Razorwhip alone but there was something about that dragon that was attracting her to it.
This got her thinking about Berk's Dragon Riders and their respective dragons – Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his Night Fury, Toothless, Astrid Hofferson and her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston and their Zippleback, Barf and Belch, Snotlout Jorgenson and his Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang and Fishlegs Ingerman and his Gronckle, Meatlug. She wondered if they had felt this sort of attraction to each other – the attraction she was currently feeling towards the Razorwhip.
Heather followed the Razorwhip all the way to a small ledge overlooking the ocean. Keeping herself hidden in the trees, she watched as the Razorwhip took off from the ledge and dove down into the seawater.
Heather took one step out from her hiding place, worried about the Razorwhip and whether or not it could swim but she quickly reminded herself that this was a wild dragon. Wild dragons could take care of themselves and they knew what they were doing.
It amazed her how worried she was being towards a wild dragon she had just recently met. Now she knew just how strong her attraction towards the Razorwhip was.
A few minutes later, the Razorwhip resurfaced her mouth full of what Heather recognized as sea slugs.
Must be what Razorwhips eat, she decided.
She moved a little further back into the trees as the Razorwhip landed on the ledge again, settling down to enjoy its meal.
Sitting back against one of the trees, Heather watched as the Razorwhip gobbled up every last sea slug before taking off into the air again. At first Heather thought it was leaving for good which saddened her. But then she realized that the Razorwhip was not leaving, just merely exercising its wings – going up and down, turning this way and that way.
Heather pulled out her journal and pencil, turned to a clean page and began a new entry:
No sooner did I arrive on this island than I found a dragon! And not just any dragon but a Razorwhip! I've heard so many stories about Razorwhips but I never thought I'd see one personally.
I was on my way to a pond to resupply fresh water and when I got there, I saw the Razorwhip just on the other side of the pond. Despite being a wild dragon as well as one of the most dangerous and aggressive, I was surprised by how calm and gentle this one was. It made no attempts to give chase and attack me. It just seemed curious about me as I was of it.
Just the same, I gave it some space and it seemed appreciative of me. I made sure there was still some distance between us as I followed the Razorwhip to the shore. I admit I was a little worried when the Razorwhip dove into the water to catch some sea slugs even though it has probably done it plenty of times before.
Althought I had just seen it, I really like this Razorwhip. It's bold, gentle, curious and independent – kind of like me. It can take care of itself and find its own food and water just like what I'm doing at the moment.
Heather paused and looked up at the flying Razorwhip above her. She was impressed by its acrobatic skills. Then she added:
But I think what I like best about this Razorwhip of how strongly it can fly even through the strongest windshears. I think that's what I'll call it: Windshear.
Suddenly, Heather felt some new presence on the island. Someone or something must have recently arrived. And this someone or something must be an enemy because Windshear was letting out a series of angry roars.
…
(Windshear's PoV)
Flapping her wings in mid-air, Windshear shook her head and roared nastily as a new scent filled her nostrils. And a rather foul scent nonetheless. This scent smelled like a mixture of fire and eels.
And whoever or whatever was carrying this foul scent had to go now!
Swiftly, she swooped down towards the trees to find the intruder.
…
(Heather's PoV)
Heather watched as the Razorwhip she named Windshear swooped down towards the trees. No doubt that it was on its way to finding the new presence on the island. Gathering up her journal and axe, Heather hurried towards the direction Windshear had taken.
She knew what she was doing was dangerous – following an angry dragon as it was looking for someone or something that might very well be an enemy.
Then again, she had already been through enough danger in the past what with dealing with the Outcasts and trying to rescue her parents. Not to mention she faced danger just recently with Dagur's raids. If she can handle those, she could certainly handle this too. She'll just keep her distance that's all. Besides she had her axe with her and she'd use it if she needed to.
As she followed the still-flying Razorwhip to wherever it was going, she heard a roar not too far away.
….
(Windshear's PoV)
Windshear heard the roar coming from that clearing and she could see what was making that roar…
A Typhoomerang!
This dragon with long sharp horns on its head and massive wings had a grayish-white head while the rest of its body was bright green.
The Typhoomerang let out another roar as it saw Windshear swooping down towards it. Windshear let out a roar right back before releasing sharp spikes from her tail.
The Typhoomerang jumped out of the way before letting out a stream of golden fire. Windshear dodged the streaming flames and swooped down and head-butted the large, green dragon right in the belly.
The Typhoomerang stumbled backwards but kept its feet planted. It shook its gray-white head and glared at its challenger.
Windshear stood up straight on her hind legs and hissed to show she was not afraid to keep up the challenge.
….
(Heather's PoV)
From her hiding place within the large, thick trees, Heather could see that the roar had come from a green Typhoomerang. She had recognized it from the illustrations she had seen in the Book of Dragons she had stolen from Berk to give to Alvin in exchange for her foster parents. She had also seen the way Windshear the Razorwhip had released sharp barbs from its spiked tail, dodged the Typhoomerang and head-butted the component right in the belly.
Now both dragons were standing on their hind legs ready to continue challenging each other.
Heather knew she had to back off so she wouldn't get hurt from the fight. Looking around, she saw a small cliff overlooking the two dragons in the clearing. And right at the edge of the cliff was a small boulder for her to hide behind. Now she could keep her distance and keep her eyes on the fight at the same time.
As she made her way up the small cliff, Heather watched as the two dragons lunged at each other.
….
(Windshear's PoV)
Windshear lunged at the Typhoomerang the same time it lunged at her.
She realized her mistake too late as the Typhoomerang scratched her chest with the sharp tips of its curved horns.
She let out an agonized roar but she was determined not to let this component bring her down. Lifting her tail, she slashed it against the Typhoomerang's left massive wing and it too let out an agnonized roar.
As the Typhoomerang glared at her, its eyes had become burning hot. Letting out another roar – an enraged one this time – it lunged at her again, this time pinning her to the ground with its two feet.
Windshear tried to get up but the Typhoomerang's feet was planted firmly against her body and her chest was stinging from the small, thin gashes from the dragon's horns. Exhaustion was overtaking her but she had to fight off this dragon. She had to!
Lifting her tail once again, this time she slashed the sharp tips at the end of her tail against the backs of the Typhoomerang's legs. As the Typhoomerang let out another howl, it released its grip on her and hovered about a foot above her.
With all the strength she had left, she released a stream of blue fire against the Typhoomerang's chest which pushed it higher above her.
Shaking its head, the Tymphoomerang glared down at her. Windshear weakly managed a loud roar to let the dragon know that this fight was over and that he was free to go.
Nodding begrudgingly, the Typhoomerang turned and flapped off into the sky.
…
(Heather's PoV)
From behind the boulder on top of the cliff, Heather watched as the green Typhoomerang flapped off high into the sky probably never to return. She was glad to see that rogue Typhoomerang go but now she was worried about the Razorwhip. It was lying on its side, obviously exhausted. She was impressed by how the silver Sharp-Class dragon had kept its own despite being overpowered by a dragon larger than itself.
Quickly, she began to make her way down the cliff to see if the Razorwhip was all right.
…
(Windshear's PoV)
Windshear could hear footsteps approaching her. Looking up, she saw the young raven-haired girl slowly making her way towards her.
Lifing her head weakly, she groaned.
"Shh," the girl said. "It's okay, Windshear. I won't hurt you. I'm Heather and I'm a friend."
Heather's gentle voice felt soothing to Windshear so much so that she didn't even notice her pain and exhaustion. She didn't even mind when the girl reached out a hand and stroked the silver scales down her neck. Windshear purred at Heather's gentle touch.
"I'm just gonna look you over, okay?" Heather continued.
Windshear groaned again and nodded.
…
(Heather's PoV)
Heather gingerly ran her fingers against the thin gashes from the Typhoomerang's horns on Windshear's chest. Windshear groaned but remained still as she let the girl examine her. Moving around on her knees, Heather looked over around the other parts of Windshear's body. Dirt and dust coated her silver scales.
Now that she was getting an up-close look of the Razorwhip's body, Heather could see that this dragon was a female. Another thing she noticed about the Razorwhip up close was just how young she was. Heather was astounded. This Razorwhip was large, fully-grown in fact but she couldn't be no more than a year old.
"You're pretty brave and strong for one so young," Heather told Windshear.
Windshear's neon green eyes sparkled with pride and admiration.
"Just like me," Heather added to herself.
Exhaling deeply, Windshear laid her head against the dirt.
Heather softly rubbed Windshear's neck. "Poor thing. I'll take care of you."
…
(Windshear's PoV)
As Windshear awoke, the smells of fresh pond water, sea slugs and burning wood filled her nostrils and she could hear the sound of crackling wood. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see a pile of sea slugs and a bucket full of water sitting in front of her.
Craning her neck, she could see Heather, who looked very wet, sitting cross-legged in front of a small campfire. The sight of the campfire wasn't at all surprising to Windshear. She had watched the Wingmaidens build many fires to cook their food or to warm their shelters.
Speaking of cooking food over a fire, that's exactly what Heather was doing. She was holding a trout attached to a long roasting stick over the dancing, golden flames.
Glancing in Windshear's direction, Heather smiled. "I thought you might be hungry when you woke up, so I caught some dinner for the two of us." She looked down at her soaked body and chuckled. "And trust me, it wasn't easy."
Windshear laughed her own dragon laugh, amused at the sight of the drenched girl. Then she turned to the water and sea slugs. Lowering her head towards the bucket and lapped up the water, taking in its cool, sweet taste. Then she happily munched on the plump, juicy sea slugs. She started to stand up but a sharp pain shot through her chest and she groaned and laid back down again.
Heather placed her fish down and rushed to Windshear's side.
"I wouldn't get up just now," she said, patting her long silver neck. "At least not until those cuts on your chest heal."
Windshear looked down at the cuts on her chest from the Typhoomerang. She'd almost forgotten that she had them.
"I've cleaned them with a little salt water while you were sleeping," Heather explained. "But I guess an extra cleaning wouldn't hurt."
Heather pulled out a small, damp cloth and gingerly dabbed it against the wounds. Windshear winced at the stinging pain of the salt water seeping into the cuts but remained relaxed. She was quite amazed how easily the girl trusted her even though they had just met. And maybe it was because of her time spent with the Wingmaidens that Windshear easily trusted her back. This girl had done so much for her and she would make sure she would do so much for her back.
After Heather had eaten her fish and putten out her fire, Heather curled up on the ground ready for sleep. For whatever reasons, Windshear didn't seem to like the sight of the girl sleeping all alone against the cold, hard ground. She must be very uncomfortable.
Lifting her tail and careful not to let the spikes that aligned it hurt her, she used it to nudge Heather who awakened instantly.
"Huh? What is it, girl?"
Standing up only an inch, Windshear slowly moved her feet towards Heather's direction and softly pushed her tail against Heather's back to pull her towards her.
"Oh, I see," Heather smiled.
She crawled closer towards Windshear and curled up on the ground again this time against Windshear's heated belly. Windshear curled her tail around the girl for protection.
"Thanks, Windshear," Heather whispered, patting the dragon's side as they both drifted off to sleep.
…
One Week Later
(Heather's PoV)
For a whole week, Heather watched over Windshear, cleaned her healing wounds, fished trout and slugs and fetched water for the both of them and slept together. One day it had rained and Windshear had kept her wing over Heather to keep her dry. It had amazed her how this dragon was able to keep her wing elevated for a long time without tiring and how she had been willing to do that for her.
Now she stood in front of the silver Razorwhip as she got to her feet and stretched.
"Feels good to be standing up after a whole week of resting, huh, girl?" Heather asked.
Windshear growled happily.
Heather looked down at Windshear's chest. Over the week, the scratches had faded into white lines. They blended in so perfectly with Windshear's silver scales, you hardly even noticed them.
"I guess it would be safe for you to fly again," Heather said. "I know how much you've been waiting for this moment."
Windshear looked up at the big blue, cloudless sky above them and Heather followed her lead. Then they looked at each other.
"Well, go on," Heather said encouragingly. "You're well enough now. Go ahead. Fly."
But instead of taking off, Windshear just lowered her neck until her horned snout was almost touching the ground.
"What is it?" Heather asked, confused.
Keeping her head still lowered, Windshear looked over at gestured towards her back.
Now Heather understood. Windshear wanted to fly but she wouldn't go unless she agreed to fly with her on her back! Just like Berk's Riders and their dragons!
Her heart pounding, Heather carefully climbed onto the Razorwhip's back just at the base of her long armored neck.
"You ready?" Heather asked excitedly.
Windshear growled a response. She looked almost excited as Heather was. Heather admitted she was also a little nervous. After all, it had been a long time since she flew on a dragon's back.
Before she knew it, Windshear unfolded her wings, hovered off the ground and inch and soon she was flapping her wings, lifting herself higher and higher. Soon the dragon and the girl were hovering above the trees.
"All right, Windshear, let's see how fast you can go," Heather said, her heart pounding even faster.
Windshear swooped over the treetops and all the way to the seawater. Heather laughed loudly as Windshear glided over the water. Looking down at the water, she smiled at her own reflection and Windshear's silver body on top of the water.
Then Windshear flew nose-first up into the air and flapped her wings higher and higher until they were high above the clouds.
"Wow," Heather breathed as she observed her surroundings.
The white clouds looked so soft and fluffy. Windshear reached out to touch them only for her hand to go right through them. She looked at Windshear and they laughed their human/dragon laughs.
They spent the next half-hour or so zig-zagging and gliding before landing back near the pond for a drink and a rest.
Heather cupped her hands into the water, scooped some up and brought it to her lips while Windshear merely lapped up the water with her forked tongue.
As she watched her new dragon friend drink, Heather thought about her mission to help the people who had suffered from Dagur's raids. Now she didn't have to worry about searching the endless ocean for ships, sneaking onto them without getting caught and taking forever to deliver the stolen, uh, borrowed goods back to the victims. Windshear was right here to help her with that…if she'd be willing to help.
"Uh, Windshear?"
Windshear looked up at her, her neon green eyes full of curiosity.
"Uh, I know we've only known each other for a week," Heather said slowly. "But you see, I'm on this mission to help some families who have suffered from my enemy's raids but I can't do it alone. I need some help from a friend. And that friend is you. If you want to, would you help me?"
Windshear looked at Heather for a moment. Then she moved her head against her own, purring as she nuzzled her.
"Thank you, Windshear," Heather said gratefully, rubbing the back of Windshear's neck. "You and I will be a team. We will complete our mission and whoever tries to stop us will be sorry!"
…
Hope you liked it! Stay tuned for October's drabble!