Tales of the Dragon Riders

We are family

Toothless and Windshear were sleeping soundly on the plateau, curled into themselves right behind where Hiccup and Heather were standing.

Baby Scuttleclaws suddenly bounded on top of the snoozing dragons, waking them instantly.

Heather tightened the straps to her armor, and next to her, Hiccup did the same thing, checking each one of the attachments and making sure he still had Inferno. She looked at her husband, feeling slightly reluctant about their decision of leaving so quickly.

"Hey, Hiccup," she said, "are you sure we have to leave so soon? I...I mean...we could always stick around for a few more minutes...or at least say goodbye to your mother and sister..."

Even as she spoke, she knew saying goodbye to them wasn't a good idea. They had to leave in secret, and they had to do it before Valka or Hala caught them in the act. If Valka was as protective as Stoick, she would most likely set packs of dragons to watch Hiccup and Heather just to make sure they didn't leave.

But at the same time, it felt wrong, just to leave without telling them where they were going.

Hiccup shook his head, like she knew he would. "No, we can't," he said. "We're not waiting around for Drago to attack this place. Eret already said that Drago knows where the cave is...there isn't time to waste, Heather. We've gotta find him first."

Heather sighed, mostly to herself, because she knew he was right. She nodded. "And then after we find Drago and talk him, or fight him, out of the whole dragon army business, we'll come back, right?" she said.

Hiccup nodded. "Yes," he promised. Knowing he wasn't going to vanish on his sister and mother after only just finding them. "We'll come back."

A baby Scuttleclaw bit Toothless' tail in its gummy jaws and Toothless lifted his tail and the dragon clear off the ground, snarling at the baby one. Windshear scared it off, and the Scuttleclaw complained in little grunts and chirps as it flew away.

"Come on," Hiccup said. "Let's go."

Heather nodded. She was about to turn around and jump on Windshear's back, but suddenly, she saw, in the corner of her eye, Hiccup jerked backwards. There were muffled cries; something must have been covering his mouth.

All this happened in a split second, because the very next thing she knew it, Heather had her axe drawn and aimed at...Stoick?

Toothless snarled at Stoick, and then relaxed when he realized who it was.

Hiccup clawed at his father's grip on his face, and eventually broke away, stumbling forward to stand beside Heather again.

"Are you kidding me!?" he blurted.

""What-what are you doing here!?" Heather asks him, putting her weapon away.

"How did you get in here!?" Hiccup demanded.

Heather was thinking the same way. They knew the Berk had tracking dragons, but at the same time, it seemed weird that they just suddenly barged in here without anyone even noticing.

Well, at the same time, they guessed that he could have snuck in here easily on his dragon.

"The same way we're getting you two out," Stoick replied.

"WE!?" Hiccup and Heather exclaimed in unison.

"All clear!" An accented voice called from behind them, and Hiccup and Heather looked as Gobber motioned for Stoick and the two dragon riders to follow him, waving his hook at them for extra emphasis.

Stoick grabbed Hiccup's wrist and held it tightly, and then, he grabbed Heather's wrist as well. His grip was hard and tight, and she knew that no amount of jerking or wriggling would free herself from the tight clasp.