||The Dragon Boy|| A HTTYD Short Story||

Where is he?!

Astrid POV

"Where is he?" Stoick's angry voice rings out over the entire village. It's been over two hours since Johan left with his goods. I traded some axe polish for a dragon tooth. Vikings pile into the village square to see our very angry chief pacing around

"Where is who?" Stoicks right hand man Gobber asks.

"Rider, he's disappeared. Has anyone seen him?" He answers and the villagers murmur a collective no.

"He was probably eaten by dragons. Although what would they do with that fishbone?" Snotlout snorts and the twins laugh with him.

"Shut up you three this is serious!" Stoic growls out into the falling darkness.

"It's no point looking for him in the dark, we should look for him tomorrow." I speak up to the crowd.

"Astrid right, Vikings who haven't gone in the latest dragon hunt meet at the at the great hall tomorrow at noon." Stoick orders and the people begin to disperse, I stare up at the sky, no dragons to night.

But they will be back.
They're always back.

******

"Thank you Johan!" I shout my thanks at the shrinking ship sailing away from Dragons Edge. 

"Anytime Master Hiccup!" Johan calls back.

"Stryker! Storm! Stark!" I shout and as a set of triplet Deadly Nadders emerge from a cave. "All right guys, let's go find Toothless, Storm, fetch large sheet. Stryker rope." These three are pretty well trained to voice commands if I say so my self. Whilst Storm and Stryker fetch their items I saddle Stark. I need the over two to carry Toothless in a sling if his saddle is broken, he can't fly with out it.

When the others are back we take flight and fly north to Helhiems Gate, where we killed the Red Death.

Mist has settled over the the nest of the Red Death. Smoke still linger from the mountain and small fires still burn.

"Stryker! Left. Storm over!" I instruct the two dragons, they go they're seperate ways and Stark and I fly right, before we even got down far enough to see the ground a fire blast shoots up from the left side of the island and I know Stryker has found Toothless.

"C'mon Stark, let's bring him home." A familiar shing of spikes greet my ears, showing my Stark is on high alert.  Gliding around the island we follow the direction of the fire blast. We soon land beside Stryker, Storm and Toothless.

"Toothless!" I shout jumping down and rushing  to him, he bounds to life jumping up and down in excitement. He pauses a disgruntled look over his face. He approaches my head down with a sad look in his face, he reaches me and bends down sniffing my feet. He pushes my prosthesis, causing me to stumble and fall backwards.

"Ah! Toothless please don't do that." I groan sitting up and facing him, he gives an apologetic croon. I get to my feet to to inspect his own prosthetic. The tail seems to only have superficial marks, and after having a few on ground tests it's time to take flight.

"You ready to fly bud?" I ask him patting his neck, he answers by spreading his wings in anticipation. I intended to have an easy flight back but Toothless decided otherwise by taking a vertical take off straight into the clouds.

"Yeah! Go baby!" I shout into the clouds, Toothless plasma blasts in front of us creating a circle of fire. My face falls as the flames don't die down.  We emerge from the other side my hair a little singed.

Three Weeks Later

'I don't get it bud, where have all the fish gone?" I ask Toothless, scratching his chin. He coos sadly looking at a fish less lake.
"We might have to risk it" Toothless shoots a mini blast at my feet, "yeah I know. I don't really want to do it either, but Berk has some good food stores and some supplies. We'll go tonight."

The dragons here on the edge aren't all tame, but most are fairly happy with my company.  Toothless and I head back to our hut to prepare our raid.

Darkness is falling as I replace my newly sharpened dagger in my armour sleeve. I sigh, picking up my staff. I don't like using it but I have to when I need help.

"Let's go bud." I urge Toothless, tapping down my mask I climb onto Toothless. We take flight around The Edge, I shake the staff the rocks vibrating. Roughly, I'm asking them to help me raid Berk. Asking, not commanding. The Edge has the more basic types of Dragons, Gronkle, Nightmares, Zipple Backs, Nadders, Change Wings. Change wings are our biggest weapons after Toothless, they can blend into anything.

A few laps of the island later and an army of dragons are following us. I'm willing to have as little bloodshed as possible.  We don't raid often but we always have a plan. The Change Wings and the ZB's take out the main defences, a ZB's gas causes a lot of confusion. The Nadders usually do the stealing along with the Gronkles and Nightmares are distractions. You know, big dragon nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

Almost an hour later the silhouette of Berk is visible in front of the fading sun. The dragons know what to do. I hover in the sky hidden in the dark, three ZBs wander around spreading gas amongst the houses. The dragons are stealing for themselves, but Toothless being flightless without me I need a few baskets of fish. With the villagers still oblivious to the raid Toothless and I glide downwards to the food stores.

"Okay bud, in and out." I tell Toothless as he waits by the door. I grab four large baskets two are full of fish. This raid is time sensitive so I set to work filling the other baskets with some tools and fabric. Hitching up a basket to my back, I carry the others and run back to Toothless.

"Stryker! Storm!" I shout out, the two Nadders race up to me.  I hand them two baskets and pick them up either by tail or feet. I pass another basket to Toothless to carry before I mount up and we take flight.

For a few minutes as I wait for the dragons to finish up I think that no one has seen us. That is, until shouting is to be heard below on the ground. Houses begin lighting up and Vikings pour out of houses. Most of the dragons are at the food stores.

"C'mon bud, lets give them time to get out if their." I urge him and without any word, he dives  a familiar screeching from Toothless that strikes fear into the Vikings. Toothless gathers gas for a plasma blast and fires at the entrance of the food storage. Vikings leap out the way and shout "NightFury!"  The dragons start pouring out of the storage building and into the sky.

An ear piercing cry rings throughout the battle field, I hunt for the source of the cry. Stark is pinned under a bola. I have to do something.

"Just hang here bud." I instruct Toothless, he gives me a nervous croon. Arming my self with the fire sword I jam the tail fin.

And jump.