Race to the Rescue

Chapter 3

Heathers head was buzzing with activity from the previous nights events. She was still shaken from (1) being captured and (2) Dagur saving her life. She was flying on Windshear back to Dragons Edge to check on her friends. She wanted to make sure they were ok.

She landed on the platform by the stables and slid off her dragon and looked around. "Hello" she called, a little uncertain. "Astrid! Hiccup! Anybody"!

"Heather" a stunned voice asked and Heather turned to see Fishlegs and Meatlug stepping out of the stables. "Fishlegs" Heather let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank Thor". "What are you doing here" Fishlegs wondered as he walked out to join her. "I wanted to check on you guys" she answered. "Have you seen Astrid"?

"Actually I haven't" Fishlegs responded, his brow furrowing. "That's weird, I haven't seen her all day"! Heather frowned. "Let's ask Hiccup. Maybe he knows". Fishlegs nodded and the set off towards his hut. "So what happened last night" Fishlegs asked. "I thought you'd be a goner"! Heather almost laughed. "So did I. I had a very unlikely savior. My brother".

Fishlegs stopped in his tracks. "Dagur" he spit out, his eyes widening each second. Heather nodded. "I have no idea why. But he just did. I'd be dead otherwise". Fishlegs rubbed his forehead trying to wrap his brain around everything he just heard. "That is something I never expected from Dagur" he murmured. "But we'll focus on that later". They had reached Hiccups hut and Fishlegs pulled the door up.

The two stepped inside and gasped at the sight. Hiccup was fast asleep at his desk, slightly drooling. Crumpled up pieces of paper lay all over the floor and on his desk. A sample of charcoal was dangling from his hand and beside him was a very unhappy Toothless who hadn't been out for a flight all day. When he saw Heather his ears perked up and he bounded over, happy to see someone.

"Hey boy" Heather smiled and scratched his jaw. "So what now" Fishlegs asked. "Hiccups out cold". Heather sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "We can try and find Astrid". Fishlegs almost laughed. "Your serious! We have no idea where she is"! "So what" Heather replied stubbornly. "Come on Toothless, you can help us". She whirled around and marched out of Hiccups hut, Toothless and Windshear following. Fishlegs quickly scribbled a note for Hiccup, saying Toothless was fine incase he happened to wake up then scurried after Heather who was making her way to Astrid's hut.

He scampered after her and was panting slightly by the time he caught up with her. "What are we doing here" he panted. Heather looked around Astrid's hut before picking up one of her headbands laying on the floor. She held it out for Toothless to sniff, letting him get her sent. Then she knelt down and began messing with Toothless's tail. "What are you doing" Fishlegs asked, slightly confused.

"Toothless has been around Astrid more than Windshear and Meatlug" Heather answered, twisting some metal. "I'll fly him because he can't fly on his own and hopefully, he'll pick up her sent".

Heather stepped back and looked at the tail. She had adjusted it so the stirrup was wider, allowing her to put her foot there. It would be tight and would probably pinch her, but at least she could fly him. "Let's go" she said and pulled herself onto Toothless's back and held out the headband once again. "Take us to Astrid boy" she told the dragon and yelped slightly as Toothless took off, Fishlegs Windshear and Meatlug following.

Heather struggles keeping Toothless in the air but she eventually figured it out. By then the pair was way past dragons edge and up in the skies, looking for Astrid.

Astrid held her arm as a bolt of lighting lit up the sky around her. "This is stupid" Dagur yelled over the howling wind. "What do you expect to find here"! "Your dragon"! Astrid shot back, but as she spoke she knew she had a 1 in a million chance of finding the dragon she had in mind. Come on, where is it she thought desperately. She had been flying for hours and she was tired. Not to mention Stormfly. And she really didn't enjoy listening to Dagur blab in her ear all the time.

Another blast of lighting forced her to take her dragon to the ground and into a cave for shelter. "What we're you thinking"! Dagur lectured. "You could have gotten us killed"! Astrid glared at him, knowing all the times her life had been on the line because of him. Dagur realized what she was thinking and smiled sheepishly. "Right".

Astrid shook her head and looked around the cave, failing to see the scorch mark on the wall due to the darkness. "We'll have to stay here till the storm lightens up" she said reluctantly. "It's too dangerous to go back out there".

"Perfect" Dagur groaned and slumped against the wall. Astrid rolled her eyes at him. "What dragon are we even looking for" Dagur complained. "and anyhow, do you honestly think, me of all people could train a dragon"!

"We're gonna find out" Astrid muttered and had Stormfly light a fire on the cave floor. A growl was heard from within the cave and Astrid's head snapped in thats direction.

There!

The dragon she had been looking for. Dagur caught sight of the sleeping beast on his mouth fell open. "Oh no! No way" he exclaimed. "There is no way I'm training that"!

Astrid ignored him. It wouldn't be easy that was for sure. But it would have to happen. Dagurs noise awoke the dragon and it slowly got up and starched before turning around, it's yellow eyes pouring down on Astrid. This was it.

It was time to train the Skrill.