𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 , httyd

iii • goodbye

• •• •

"Stormfly, huh?" The young teen queried, restless as she waited for the other teenager to soar back to her location.

The winged beast simply cocked its slender head, peering at her in befuddlement. The girl chortled in amusement, rubbing her hand over the dragon's neck in contentment.

A few dragons suddenly crowed out in alarm and slinked away from the edge that the girl was positioned at.

"He's back!" Maxine cried gleefully, looking down at the tranquil sea. An average sized Monstrous Nightmare had a flamboyant boat tied to his neck like a leash, and he dragged it through the waves.

Hiccup grunted with struggle, gripping at the slippery horns of the dragon. He tilted his head upwards at the ragged girl, grinning sheepishly.

"Uh, a little help here?"

"Oh, yeah," Maxine hummed in a popping realization, looking back at the confused creatures. The teenager jerked her head in the boy's direction, providing the dragons with a silent order.

They complied, the elders pushing off the dirty earth and soaring to Hookfang's side. They latched onto the wooden ship as if it were a fragile hatchling, lifting with preciseness.

Maxine acted as a guide, letting the workers know where it was safe to place.

The island rumbled and offspring dispersed as the parents expelled the wooden craft from their talons. The dragons then traveled back to their children, awaiting further orders from their homeless host.

"Where did you find this?" Maxine inquired, accompanied by an elevated eyebrow.

"I almost ran head first into it on my way here," Hiccup riposted. "I figured it can hold a couple dozen baby dragons."

"Yeah, well, at least you didn't come here on boat," Maxine teased. "You probably would've ended up mangled like whoever was on this bad boy."

Hiccup gulped, maneuvering away from the buoyant discoverey. "Uh, anyway... do you happen to have anymore rope?"

The teenage girl nodded, beckoning the teenage boy towards a nearby hole.

The indentation in the earth harbored an abundance of trinkets. The cavity held chattels like coins and clothes useless to Maxine, but Hiccup had his sight on a bundle of ropes, lying down like a thicket of vipers.

"Sometimes males bring things thinking they need to make a nest for their mate, but I already have them made, so I just take the stuff and stash it away," Maxine informed with a glimmer in her warm irises. She then looked away from the boy with apprehension. "Um, that's not weird... right?"

"Of course not," Hiccup assured softly. "Pretty clever."

"Huh," Maxine beamed with an emerging fortitude, "thanks. Well, here's the rope."

She flung the bundle of material to him, raising an eyebrow when the scrawny boy's hands fumbled to receive the rope.

"Is it thick enough?" The orphan wondered, the words wandering out of her mind and escaping out of the vocal chords from within her throat.

"No clue. We'll have to see."

Hiccup weighed the rope in his waxen fingers, giving a shake of the head. Maxine yelped with surprise as the viking went sonic speed back to the boat.

Hiccup spouted apologies like a new fountain as dragons both young and old scattered, the former's wings beating against the pebble ridden cliff. The anxious child was oblivious to the flustered girl as Hiccup hurriedly tied the ropes around the vessel's mast.

"What are you doing?"

Hiccup didn't enlighten Maxine, and instead kept working. The girl seemed to be falling apart at the seams with curiosity, but the boy didn't notice as he tethered a nearby dragon with the hawser.

"Help me," Hiccup finally cried out, but it was not the answer Maxine had aspired for. In no time, the girl succumbed to the boy's pleas, and aided in lassoing the winged creatures.

It was just when Maxine felt that her lifespan was depleting when Hiccup had decided that every mature dragon on the island was suitable for carrying the ship, when he let her conclude her work.

"Now what?" Maxine inquired.

"Now we have to get the hatchlings on board," the viking answered casually. He decided upon a petite Hideous Zippleback, placing it into the creaking raft. "The sooner I get them home the better."

The orphan's eyes dimmed spontaneously, concentrating on the boy's actions sadly. "So... you're leaving?"

"Yeah," Hiccup was scantily paying attention to Maxine, chaperoning the dragons to the boat.

Maxine huffed with a newfound impatience. "Bye," she stated vehemently. That was when Hiccup looked up.

"What?"

"I said bye," the girl echoed, before her face fell further. "That's what I'm supposed to say... right?"

"Well, yeah, I– I guess. It's just... I thought you might want to come with me?" A blush littered Hiccup's freckled cheeks, hinting that he was embarrassed. Maxine scuffed her barefoot against the jagged ground.

"No."

Hiccup frowned forlornly. "Berk's a nice place, you could—"

"I can't," Maxine grieved. "The dragons, they need me. Or, I mean, the dragons that aren't going with you." She gestured to a minuscule herd of the creatures far off. A few of the larger sized beasts lay still on the floor, their descendants nudging them and crying out garishly. "Sometimes the moms don't survive childbirth, and the dads are already gone. The hatchlings can't survive on their own, so I take on the task."

"We can take care of them at Berk."

"Dragons can also arrive at the island after all the others have gone. I need to be here just in case some do."

Hiccup sighed, discouraged. Usually he was able to convince people to see his way. "Fine, but at least promise to visit Berk. You could use the interactions."

"Sure," Maxine lied. Communicating with Hiccup was tired enough, and the young girl was not sure she would be okay around other bodies.

And then he left.