Finding you

Chapter 1: Taken

The winds were unusually cold and strong on that fateful winter night on the island of Berk. Two newly baked parents are snuggling in front of their fireplace, a night fury sleeps soundly beside the couple as they relish in the comforting warmth being emitted from the fire. Upstairs, in a small wooden crib in the corner of their bedroom, lay a five month old baby wrapped in thick furs to protect her from the cold as she sleeps almost as soundly as the dragon downstairs.

Exhaustion eventually washes over the parents, who fall asleep in each other's arms on the furs that cover the floor. Suddenly, a muffled cry sounds from the upstairs, waking the sleeping mother and filling her with worry. The mother rises from her husband's arms, careful not to wake either him or his dragon as she quietly makes her way upstairs to the crying babe in the bedroom.

As she leans over the crib, the baby's cries instantly vanish and are replaced by a curious look and a tilt of the head. The new mother can't help but beam at the light of her life, her little baby. She picks the baby up and lets her daughter wrap her little fingers around her mother's, her ocean blue eyes glittering in the moonlight that shines in through the small window.

The mother lifts her shirt, allowing her child to feed and fill its empty little belly before she would once again go to sleep. As the baby finishes its late dinner, her mother places a soft kiss to her forehead before she carefully places the baby back in its crib. The mother strokes the light little hairs on her daughters head before she turns to exit the room.

But as the mother is about to exit the room, the room suddenly heats up, making the bedroom feel like the inside of an oven. Before she can grasp what is going on, it is already too late. A large dragon with long, sharp talons and matching teeth tears through the wall like it had been made of paper, causing the small babe in the crib to cry out in fear as her mother can't help but stare dumbfounded at the creature that had broken into their home.

The dragon roars, liquid fire drips from its mouth as it crawls menacingly towards the crying baby. The mother's vision goes red. She quickly picks up her bedside axe and swings it in the direction of the dragon, attempting to chase it away as she matches its vicious roar.

All the commotion from the upstairs wakes the father and his night fury as well. The pair exchange a look of confusion before rushing up the stairs to see what is causing all the ruckus. The sight that meets them was one that could turn blood to ice.

A furious, large, black and crimson dragon is facing up against an equally enraged blonde who is swinging her sharp battle-axe expertly as she attempts to chase the dragon away both from their home and the baby in the crib.

The father sets his focus on his crying daughter as his night fury runs off to face the large intruder. A wall of fire separates the father from his daughter, but he doesn't care. Like an acrobat, he elegantly leaps over the scorching flames and performs a roll to cushion his fall. He nearly shoves his hands through the crib as he picks up his daughter, holding her close to his chest as he is determined to protect her should the other defenses fail.

But what he faces as he turns to where his dragon and his wife had previously fought, was not what he expected. Stretched out on the floor lay his night fury, his left wing at an odd angle as he groans in pain. His wife on the other hand, is stuck between the large talons of the vicious dragon, screaming her lungs out as she struggles to break free.

For a second, the pair made eye contact right before the wife cries out the name of her husband: "Hiccup!"

"Astrid!" He screams as he nearly throws himself after her, only remembering seconds before he would fall that he was still carrying his baby daughter. A coo escapes the baby as she stretched her small hands out, grasping for her mother, who is being flown far far away from the island they all called home.

The husband's shoulders fall as his eyes remain on the horizon, glued to the dragon that is flying away with the love of his life. A tear rolls down his cheek and when he first speaks her name again, his voice breaks: "Astrid."

The baby bursts out into a loud wail, probably waking every villager that hasn't already been awoken by the loud commotion at their Chief's house. The husband looks down at his daughter and strokes her damp, soft cheeks with the back of his fingers. "Don't worry, Zephyr, we'll get your mommy back. No matter what it takes."