The Night Rider

Chapter 6: Dragon Raid

ASTRIDS POV.

"There's no use in denying it Stoick, we both know what happened to those dragons!" It was Gobber. "You think I don't know that! The Night Rider, the Thief of the Vikings attacked my home, we all could have been killed" Stoick yelled back, his voice booming so loud that Astrid could hear him almost perfectly through the walls of the chiefs house.

The two were either silent if they had taken there argument to a lower tone. Stoicks next sentence came softly. "I've fought dozens of Vikings, I've fought hundreds of dragons." He took a deep breath. "But I've never fought them when there on the same side Gobber." Astrid could hear the tapping of Gobbers peg leg on the wooden boards as he walked towards Stoicks voice.

"If the man has allied himself with the dragons, then he should be treated as one." She slowed her breathing and pressed her ear up to the wood as much as she could. "Aye, your right, death shall come for this rider if he is to ever to step foot in my home again." Stoick replied in a cold tone.

Gobber had most likely said something back but if he did Astrid wasn't able to hear it. The front door opened and Gobber left walking down to the blacksmith. Astrid began to walk away when a deep voice stopped her. "You might as well come in instead of snooping." It was Stoick. 'How had he known I was there!?' Astrid wondered.

Astrid walked into the house, Stoick was seated at his table and he was rubbing his temple. "Who's the Night Rider?" Stoick exhaled and sat back in his chair gesturing for her to take a seat across from him. She sat and repeated her question. "Who is he?" She asked the question cautiously not to make Stoick as upset as he had been with Gobber.

"He'a a man, as far as we know he's been around for about two years." Stoick removed his helmet and placed it on the table.  "We first just heard murmurs from Trader Yohann of a man who rode... a Night Fury, from outside the Archipelago." Astrid interrupted and leaned forward know even more intrigued with this rider.

"A Night Fury! I thought they were extinct!" Stoick shook his head in agreement. "So did we, that's why we thought Yohann had been mistaken. But then Alvin, chief of the Outcasts reported encountering him." Stoick leaned closer to Astrid and made eye contact.

"In the weeks following there were more reports of him inside the Archipelago, and that's when the whole thing started to seem more real." He began to rub his temple again. "That was a year ago. Gobber, Spitelout, myself and a few others have been trying to prepare Berk for the inevitable attack."

It was all starting to make sense know. "That's why there's been more defenses put up, that's why there's twenty-four hour guards on the arena. It's because your awaiting the Night Rider!" For about a year there had been more defenses go up around Berk.

"That rider must have been watching us for weeks. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike." He jabbed the table with his pointer finger when he said strike. He rose from the table and put the helmet back on his head. "You best prepare yourself lassy, I don't think it's the last we'll be seeing of him."

With that he left his house leaving Astrid to wonder about all the information that had just flooded her brain. It was only the ear rattling sound of the horn that pulled her back to reality. And there was only one thing that horn was used for. To inform the village when raids were about to happen.

Astrid bolted up from the chair and out the front door just in time to have a Natters magnesium blast leave a scorch trail in front of the house. "Astrid, go get your friends and grab water. These fires will need to be put out." There were already a house that's roof was inflames. "But chief I can fight!" She said back. "No! Do as your told!"

With that he hurled his axe at a groncle that was struggling to pick up a yak, scarring it off. She rolled her eyes and ran down to the well where the other teens where filling buckets with water already. "Astrid! Thank Thor your alright!" Fishlegs said, his voice quivering with fear as he handed her a bucket.

"Get down!" She yelled as a Natter flew towards them all of its spines raised. With one swift movement she pulled her axe off her back and through it into the Natters head. The axe deflected off the Natters head but it still brung the large blue and yellow beast down.

Astrid retrieved her axe and rushed up to the Natter he axe raised above her head. A terrible high pitched screech could be heard from high above and a Viking from in the distance yelled. "Night Fury! Get down!" An incredibly powerful blast like the one that had shattered the roof of the arena landed ten feet away from her but it still knocked her over.

She looked up to see an easily identifiable black dragon soaring through the blue sky. One by one the teens all picked themselves off the ground. The encounter with the beast had even left Ruff and Tuff speechless. "Was that a..." Tuff started "Night Fury." Ruff finished.

All they could see was the dragon, but if you knew what you were looking for you could spot it with a keen enough eye. Lying prone of the dragons back was a man almost completely camouflaged...almost. "Everyone focus on the Night Fury!" Astrid could hear the fury in Stoicks voice.

"What about the fires!" Snotlout asked, his water bucket still gripped tightly in his hands. "Bring down that dragon!" Stoick commanded. Suddenly all Vikings were throwing bola's at the beast but the slow moving bola's were no match for the dragons lightning speed.

Astrid thought, how could she hit this dragon. A moment from three years ago popped into her mind. When Hiccup had claimed to have shot down a Night Fury. What was that contraption he had used. She ran over the Gobbers blacksmith to one of the back rooms. She began to rip off white sheets that were on desks and things she couldn't even identify. 'What had Hiccup been working on in here?'

She thought to herself. She yanked off one of the white blankets and found it. There was even still a bola in it. She grabbed the two handles and wheeled the cart outside. She aimed it carefully at the dragon and pulled the trigger. The kick almost knocked her down but she was able to remain on her feet.

There was a terrible high pitched screech from above and the Night Fury began to fall from the sky. The Viking crowd watched in awe as it fell from the sky and landed about thirty feet in front of the them. There lying on the ground unconscious was the mighty Night Fury, next to it... lying still on the ground... was a man dressed in armor made of black dragon scales... it was the Night Rider.