Fury (A How to Train Your Dragon Fanfiction)

Chapter 8: Panic

"There she is!"

Hiccup and I land our dragons, Hiccup sliding off right away. I just stare in shock as Nightstar nudges me off her back with her wing. What looks like the whole village and their dragons have gathered and cheer loudly when my feet hit the earth.

"Um...what?" I ask.

"Your newcomer celebration! We need to welcome you to Berk!" Stoick says jovially, thumping my shoulders again and making my knees wobble.

"Didn't you say we would do that tomorrow?" I question, that familiar tightness appearing in my gut.

"Yes, but why wait?" Stoick laughs. He turns to the crowd and raises his hands. "LET'S CELEBRATE THE COMING OF THORA AND HER NIGHT FURY, NIGHTSTAR!"

The crowd roars and so do the gathered dragons. I swallow any anxiety inside of me and force a smile. If they did all this for me, I need to be polite.

"Why not?" I squeak.

Music starts playing from a few musicians on a raised stone. People start dancing and talking and milling around happily. Tons of people swarm me, babbling about Nightstar and me and my life. I still feel very overwhelmed, feeling like I'm about to burst from the sheer amount of people crowding me.

"Thora!" Hiccup calls.

I spin in the direction of his voice. He shoves a few people aside and grasps my hand, pulling me away from the crowd. I move incredibly close to him, my head pounding and my heart racing.

"Thank you," I breathe.

"You looked scared. I did what I had to," he responds. He glances at me. "Just a warning, our elder, Gothi, has this little welcoming thing that she likes doing. You can tell her if you don't want it."

"Thanks for the heads up." I duck as a Gronckle flies over my head. "Where are the others?"

"Right here!"

I turn around to see that all of Hiccup's, and I guess my, friends have arrived.

"Hey Thora!" Ruffnut greets. "Really great that you're becoming an official Berkian Viking and all. We need some more girls our age."

"I agree completely!" Snotlout says.

I try not to let guilt get the best of me, choosing to nod in response.

"What do you think of the party?" Astrid asks.

I look around. People are singing and drinking, the band is playing, dragons shoot fireballs into the air like fireworks, and others stand around just talking.

"It's insane," I say honestly. "But awesome...I guess?"

"Ain't no party like a Berkian party!" Tuffnut whoops.

Hiccup taps my shoulder, leaning over and whispering in my ear as the others start talking, "I'm gonna go tell dad about Drago in the forge."

"You need backup?" I ask with the same volume he used.

"Nah. Enjoy the party. Maybe stop by in a bit though." He smirks before he turns and strides away.

I watch him disappear, unsure, but sigh and let it go. As I look back at the laughing group nearby, then turn my gaze in a panorama of the giant gathering, I get the sudden urge to run. I obey my gut feeling, slinking off to a quieter spot. I find a rock ledge with a sturdy amount of vines and moss clinging to it. I climb the vegetation and settle on the ledge, glancing back at the throng of overjoyed Vikings.

I let out a long breath and rest my head against the cool stone. I run my hands over my face, trying to calm the second heartbeat that's appeared in my head. It's all too much to take in all at once. Stoick said that we'd do this tomorrow. That would've given me the chance to breathe and calm myself down and prepare. This "surprise party" thing is not what I wanted.