How to Be a Dragon Star 1

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Solution

After another successful fishing hunt, Estrella was rather sore. The fish were not as common as they'd been before the dragons had raided the waters, and she and the other hunters had had to swim a lot longer to come up with what they needed. If they kept going at this rate, the ecosystem would be destroyed and the vikings would have nothing to eat.

Stoick had called another meeting. Estrella was standing towards the back, not hiding this time, but listening. No one shooed her away; everyone just ignored her.

"Can't we have the dragons take the message back to Berk for us?" someone suggested. The vikings were discussing how to get off this island, and the most likely option so far was to have the Berkians who had stayed behind (the young, old, and incapable) send a rescue mission with enough boats to carry back the stranded vikings. The problem was, no one back at Berk knew about the current situation their comrades were in.

"Frankly, we can't ask much more of the dragons right now," the first viking brought up, the one who had spoken first in the last meeting. "We need them to stay happy and content with us, or we'll starve."

"Well, what's the other option?" Spitelout asked, sarcasm threaded in his voice. "Try to swim home?"

"We're in a good position right now," the other viking argued. "I don't think we should ask too much of them all at once."

"We're all dehydrated. We can't sleep at night. You heard the dragon girl; the fish are running out," Snotlout listed. "I wouldn't call that a good position. If we don't do something fast, our deaths will be painful and drawn-out."

"Could we send a party to search all around the island, to see if there are any materials whatsoever to fashion a raft with?" Mulch suggested. "A tree or something..."

"I'd be surprised if there was anything besides dragons living on this island," Stoick said. "Before we came here, I mean."

Everyone fell silent. No one brought up another solution.

"It's worth a try, though," Stoick added. "Mulch, lead the search party. Take Bucket, Reed, and Cod with you."

"Yes, chief," Mulch said, and the four of them dispersed.

Stoick sighed. "It's better than just standing around here doing nothing," he muttered. "If only humans could fly as easily as dragons could."

An impossible idea fell into Estrella's head. I'm a human, she thought wildly. But I can fly! "Stoick. Er, chief." She cleared her throat and tried to speak louder. "Sir? I— I have a solution."

Seven heads turned to stare at her. Estrella quailed under their gazes and her throat seized up. She cleared it again and continued. "What if— What if I fly back to Berk and—" She licked her lips. "And give them the message?"

Silence.

Spitelout scoffed and crossed his arms. "Ridiculous," he scorned.

"It's a thought," Stoick responded, ignoring Spitelout. "But the other Berkians would immediately shoot down a dragon coming too close— and remember, the other Berkians saw you at the ring, not acting, well... particularly friendly."

"I'm swift," Estrella said. "I could dodge it... and the second I came close enough, I would morph. They'd be confused, but I would tell them."

"You won't even tell us," Spitelout reminded her.

Estrella paused. "I can't help you if you won't let me help," she said. "What else are you going to do? Face it— There's no trees on this island, and even if there were, you can't make a whole raft out of one, especially a raft that you could trust on the ocean. There's no way of steering, no way to hold the wood together. And I'm willing to risk my life for this. If I die, you won't be in any worse position." She turned to Stoick, knowing he had the final say.