The Night Rider: Book Two

Chapter 15: Training

ASTRIDS POV.

Astrid was sitting on Stormfly's saddle, her legs swaying along with the breeze that blew up from the ocean below.

Around her were the other riders. On her left was Snotlout on his dragon, and on his left was Fishlegs on Meatlug. To Astrid's right was the twins on their dragon who were eagerly chatting with one another. And in front of all of them was Hiccup on Toothless. He was mounted up and was talking to all of them. After all the riders had forced themselves onto Hiccups side for the war, he reluctantly decided that if they were going to help him they needed to know how. So that's where they were, training on a remote cliffside of Berk.

Hiccup was saying something about how to dodge ballistas fired at them and other obsticales but she wasn't listening. She just kept thinking about Heather, Hiccups partner. The sight of him reaching out and touching Heather's hand replayed in her mind. She was so angry! And she was envious! Heather was beautiful, with soft and unbroken skin, dark smooth hair, and eyes that mirrored Hiccups. Astrid kept telling herself that they were just friends, but the way she had seen Hiccup grab her hand didn't sit right with her.

"Astrid." Said Hiccup.

"Yes?" She responded, although she had no idea what he had said. She tried to remember, but all that came to mind were ballista's. "What do you need?" She said sheepishly.

The twins stared at her and snickered. She shot them a look that told them 'stop or else' and they did, exchanging a worried look with one another and looking away from her.

"Would you like to go first?" He asked.

"At what?" She said and Hiccup looked at her with a look where she swore she could see resentment. Suddenly she felt embarrassed for kissing him after they had been reunited from their conflict with Dagur. "Sorry." She said looking away solemnly and she heard Hiccup sigh which made her feel even worse. Although it wasn't a pity sigh, or one born of resentment. But one that sounded like it almost came from a place of caring.

"Astrid if you're going to help me. If you all going to help me. Then I need you all to stay focused. I can't afford anything to happen to you." Hiccup said. At first she thought that maybe he was talking about all of them. But when she looked up and saw his eyes trained lightly on her Astrid realized that he couldn't afford anything happening too...her.

"I'll stay focused." She promised with a new energetic vigor in her tone. "What do you need me to do."

Hiccup smirked at her and he pointed out off the edge of the cliff out towards the open sea.

"Those sea stacks." He said and Astrid squinted at first not seeing anything but the open ocean filled with churning and crashing waves.

"Uh, what sea stacks?" Asked Ruff squinting so hard off into the distance her eyes very well could have been shut completely.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and reached into a leather saddle bag on Toothless, rummaging around in it for a moment before he pulled out a spy glass handing it to the twins first, gesturing for them to pass it down the line of riders once they had spotted the sea stacks.

When the spy glass reached her, Astrid pressed the small end up against her eye and peered through it scanning the horizon. At first she didn't see anything until she noticed two sea stacks, each covered in moss, the one of the left slightly shorter than the one on the right. They were about five miles out from the shore line. Quite a flight for a training exercise.

"Those a pretty far away Hiccup." Said Astrid passing the spyglass to Snotlout who grabbed it from her eagerly. "You sure there isn't some closer that we could use for practice?" She asked and Hiccup answer her quickly.