The 'Dragon Master'

Slitherwing Island

While Snotlout grumbles to Hookfang I take this as my opportunity to escape. Harmony flies up and darts away as quick as she can, swooping around some rocks. "For the love of Thor!" I hear Snotlout yell. I look for a place to hide from him, knowing I only have a few seconds to outsmart him. "Down there!" I tell Harmony, pointing to a pile of amber.

Once we're hidden Snotlout and Hookfang round the corner, looking for us. "Where did he go?" Snotlout grunts to himself, glaring at the surrounding area. He thinks I'm a boy? Well at least that means he didn't recognise me or anything.

I wait until he flies off before tapping one foot lightly against Harmony's scales, silently letting her know that it's safe to move as long as we stay quiet. She takes off and we fly off hurriedly, avoiding a certain rider with success.

"I can't believe he followed us," I grumble as we fly. I start tying my hair back into its usual braid. "That arrogant, naive idiot!"

Harmony rawks in agreement and I get an idea. "Let's make a quick stop at Slitherwing Island," I suggest to Harmony, who changes course slightly so we arrive at the nice island.  As far as I'm concerned, I'm the second person to ever tame a Slitherwing, so maybe nobody at Berk has figured it out yet. If I land on Slitherwing Island, where the dragons don't mind me too much anymore, Snotlout could get scared and leave. I'd believe that.

Harmony lands on the island a few minutes later. It doesn't take long for the first Slitherwing pod to slip out from the shrubbery. There's three of them circling us. I know that the only reason they haven't attacked us yet is due to their leader not giving out the silent command, which usually happens without question.

I allow them to act like I'm the next course on the menu, but as usual it doesn't last long before Saffron slides over and screeches. The advancing Slitherwings stop in their tracks and arch their backs to her, bowing to their leader.

I walk over to Saffron, my wild Slitherwing ally, and place my hand on her muzzle like I'm taming her all over again, glad this is one of the only areas not coated with poison. She allows me to do this and her guards scatter, knowing they're not needed. "It's good to see you again," I say to her.

"There is a rider chasing me and Harmony for my identity. He followed us to Melody Island. Right this moment I'm not sure if we lost him or not, but I don't want to take the risk of returning to the Dragon Sanctuary with him following us. Is it alright if we stay here for a while?"

Saffron rawked and nodded. "Thank you," I say happily, grateful for having such amazing allies and friends. "So how are things here?"

Saffron unfurls her small yet powerful wings, then closes them up again. Pretty much a Slitherwing shrug. "Fair enough," I nod. "By the way, Volcana's eggs hatched. Two males and a female."

Saffron rawks excitedly, urging me to continue. While she prefers living out here with more of her kind, she enjoys keeping in touch with all the news in the sanctuary. The information that Volcana had laid eggs in the first place was a cause of celebration to her.

We began walking back to her cave, which was the largest one in the island. Harmony followed us, keeping a careful eye on any Slitherwing we passed. While my dragons trusted the Slitherwings I've tamed enough to not be suspicious around them, they're not so calm around the winged snakes coated with poisonous venom that remain wild. I can't exactly blame them for that, can I?

We arrive at Saffron's cave. It's slightly gloomy to my Viking eyes, but to a dragon it could possibly look to be so much more than that. Then again, I don't have the eyes of a dragon. This could be just the same to them as it is to me.

I pull on the spare gloves I always keep in a small nook inside the cave so that I can touch Saffron and her friends without the fear of being poisoned. "Harmony, I want you to get some rest," I tell the Death Song, who rawks sadly. She doesn't like it when I go off with wild dragons without her.

"You need your strength if we're going to fly out tomorrow," I remind her. "Besides, it's not very safe for you to be outside the cave since the Slitherwings could mistake you for prey. I don't want to run the risk of that."

Harmony continued to make grumbling noises, but curled up in the cave's corner obediently. "I won't be too long, I'm just going to catch up with Saffron," I let her know where I'm going. "Thank you for being so good today. I really needed it."

She rawked and licked at my face. "I clearly spoke too soon, you disgusting reptile," I sigh while she lets out a dragon's version of a laugh. I glare at her and hitch my mask up even higher so you can only see the narrow slits of my green eyes. This gesture only makes her start rolling about on the floor. I sigh audibly and leave the cave in search of Saffron.

The Slitherwing is waiting - as usual -at the mouth of her cave. She knows what to expect and has already slipped into the makeshift saddle I've fashioned for her over the years. I climb on and tighten it so I don't fly off.

We're about to take off when I hear a screech from behind me. Usually I'd roll my eyes if made an appearance and tried to get me to let her join in, but this wasn't a questioning screech, or a pleasing one at all to hear.

She was screeching with panic, anger and fear.