The Forgotten Friend (How To Train Your Dragon)

Chapter Eight:

The sound of the Great Hall's doors slamming shut travels through the plaza, ripping my attention away from my notes.

"Ready the ships!" Stoick yells.

Calder and I peer outside the forge, where we find our livid chief trudging toward the plaza.

I gulp, "This isn't good."

Calder stands in front of me as Stoick reaches the forge.

"Calder, you'll be coming on this one. You're in charge of the Night Fury," Stoick orders.

My brother takes a couple of seconds to process the information, "Yes, Chief."

"Good. Now, make sure that the devil doesn't have a chance to escape the arena when Spitelout chains it."

"Aye."

Taking this as my chance, I sneak out the back entrance of the forge before Stoick can notice me. Utilizing many shortcuts, I jog to the training arena in record time. Unlike many moments before, there is no one hanging around the arena, having me breathe a sigh of relief. I reach the cages, where I hear the caged dragons roar. I unlock the cage that is furthest away from me, and I find Toothless' silhouette by the back corner. I drop my bow and inch inside as Toothless spots me.

"Remember me, boy?"

A barely audible warble greets me, and Toothless steps toward me. A leather strap bounds his jaws, causing me to grimace.

"I'm so sorry."

Toothless sniffs my extended hand and locks eyes with me.

"You know that I won't hurt you."

I remove my quiver and unsheathe my dagger which is tied to the outside of the bag. Toothless bares his teeth at the sight of it, yet I hold my dagger out.

"Let's get you out of here before they come to get you."

I maneuver my fingers between the leather strap and Toothless' smooth scales. As I prepare to cut the strap, I hear Spitelout's booming voice approaching the arena.

I curse under my breath, "They're too close. I'm sorry, Toothless."

I begin to back away with my bow and quiver in hand. Toothless releases a warble, but I still shut the doors, locking it behind me. I quietly rush to the arena's tunnel and make my escape. Taking cover in a couple of bushes, I wait until Spitelout and a small group of Vikings pass me. Once the coast is clear, I step out from my cover, only to bump into Calder.

"There you are. I was wondering where you went."

"Calder, you have to know that Hiccup found the nest. Apparently, only a dragon can find it. Chief will get everyone killed if they go in there. There's... something on the island that even the dragons are terrified of." I ramble with my voice trembling, "Please. You have to let Toothless escape."

Calder is visibly taken aback.

"Please, Calder, I don't want to lose you."

I hug him tight while trying to keep my tears at bay.

"Eira, it's okay. I loosen the chains when they're distracted. Hopefully, the Night Fury can understand and run off," Calder plans. "Get back to the house."

With hesitation, I comply, and in a matter of minutes, I find myself in our hut.

"What can I do?" I question, pacing around the dying fire.

A soft roar breaks me away from my planning, and I cautiously make my way up the stairs, where the roar originated from. I crack open my door, spotting my dragon's snowy white scales slithering about my room. Opening my door fully, I enter the room, earning a gentle nudge from Seze.