Howling Echoes - A How to Train Your Dragon Story, The Echoes, Book 1

Chapter 69: Bonding

   We were above the open ocean.

   With a huge flock of dragons.

   We were just...hovering there.

   "Uh...I thought we were going to eat!"  I called.  "Oh, we are!"  Valka chuckled, then held up a hand.  I jumped off of Frostflake's back and turned into a dragon.  "Y'know, I really wish you'd warn me when you did tha -"  Frostflake cut off as the Bewilderbeast suddenly rose from the depths with a long, drawn out roar, then threw fish into the air from its mouth.

   I felt hesitant to eat something that just came out of somebody's mouth (I may usually be a dragon, but I'm not stupid, I know that stuff is disgusting), but everyone else was with joyful chirps of delight, including Cloudjumper, Frostflake, and Toothless, so I tried it.

   It took all my willpower not to throw it up, but I did two seconds afterward anyways.  I dove into the water and snatched up two fish, then sprang back into the air.  "Do you not like it?"  Cloudjumper cocked his head at me.  "I prefer fresh fish that...wasn't in somebody's mouth, sorry, thank you though,"  I replied, eating my catch.  The Stormcutter shrugged.  "Your loss."  He started snatching up more fish from the air.  

   Later we were flying by a cliff where there was air under our wings.  I suddenly felt weight on my wings and rolled, making Valka yelp.  I saw her fall and realized she'd been walking on me.  I grumbled and grabbed her from falling.  "What's wrong?"  Cloudjumper asked.  "Uh, I don't know, she walked on me without my knowledge!"  I snapped, dropping Valka onto his back.

   Valka went around onto the different dragons, eventually reuniting with Cloudjumper.  I relaxed, enjoying the wind that was keeping me afloat.  Hiccup, Toothless, Valka and Cloudjumper flew up above the other dragons, and I quickly followed.

   "It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon,"  I heard Hiccup say as he unhooked himself from Toothless' saddle.  "Oh no, not again."  I grumbled.  "but can you fly!?"  Hiccup ran off of Toothless and spread out his wings, turning Valka's gasp of horror into a nervous laugh of surprise.

   "Toothless?"  Cloudjumper looked at the Night Fury.  "What?"  Toothless asked, then his eyes widened in realization.  "Oh!"  He dove down toward Hiccup.  Hiccup laughed and rolled onto his back.  "Hiccup!"  I called, laughing.  Frostflake shot ahead of me - I hadn't realized she was there.

   Hiccup twisted back around to see a snowy rock formation in front of him.  "Oh no, not again.  Uh, hey, Toothless!"  He yelled.  "Hiccup!"  Toothless roared, struggling to speed up.  Frostflake and I both dove toward him, but Toothless wrapped his wings around Hiccup as they crashed through the hole in the formation before we could get there.

   "Yea - ah!  Almost!"  Hiccup cried, jumping out of the snow as Frostflake and I landed.  "Whew!  We just about had it that time!"  He started folded in his wings when Toothless tripped him with his tail, making me laugh.  Toothless laughed as well.  "That's what you get!"  He said.

   "So, what do you guys think?"  Cloudjumper asked.  "About what?"  All three of us answered in unison.  "About Valka?  The King?  The Sanctuary?"  My ears twitched back.   Valka was Cloudjumper's rider and Hiccup's mother, but...I still found her suspicious.  The King...there was something familiar about him.  And he knew me, even though I'd never seen him.  

   Was he under Berserker Island?  I thought with a stab of fresh grief.  And if he was, why didn't he help us?  He could've saved Whiplash!  Cloudjumper was looking at me with an intent look, and I realized the flaming tip of my tail was burning brightly and higher than usual.

   
"What's wrong?"  Cloudjumper asked.  "What?  Oh, nothing, sorry."  I said, calming the flame.  "Mmhmm,"  Cloudjumper said skeptically.  Valka walked over and rubbed a spot just behind Toothless' neck.  Some fins suddenly sprang up out of his back and ran down his spine.  "Now he can make those tight turns,"  Valka said.  "What!?  Hiccup!  Hiccup, look!  Frostflake, Cloudjumper, Kiara, look at this!  Watch watch watch!"  Toothless pressed the fins together, then spread them again.  I laughed.

   Valka rubbed my tail near the center, and suddenly the outer edges of my wings were marked by a lava-like flame.  She gently tapped Frostflake's front left paw, and the tip of her tail became a sharp, icy spear.  I glanced back at my wings and sprang around the place, trying to get a good look at them and flinging up snow.  "Woah..."  Frostflake swung her tail around to look at it, then sliced through part of the rocks.

   "We're going back to the Sanctuary!"  Toothless called.  "Ok!"  Cloudjumper roared.  "Wait for mee!"  I called.  "Frostflake, you coming?"  I asked, hovering above the snow.  "Nah, I think I'll hang out here for a bit longer."  She called back.  I met her gaze.  She didn't trust Valka either.  

   We got back to the Sanctuary, and Hiccup sat down on a green rock with a sigh.  "Hiccup, you miiiiiight wanna go into the water for a few minutes,"  I said when he got back up.  "Why?"  He asked.  "That rock was covered in dragon poop,"  I replied.  "Oh."  Toothless took him down to the water to clean himself off.

   I heard a small rustling, and my head snapped to the cave entrance with a growl.  I raised my wings, but relaxed when I saw Stoick there with Gobber glancing out the back.  I turned into a person and walked over.  "Hiccup will be up in a minute,"  I said.  "What are you guys doing here?"  Stoick growled.  "Well, we got found by a lady, found something out that you really need to hear from Hiccup, and we've been chatting with said lady for a while,"  I replied.

   Hiccup and Toothless came up, Hiccup dripping with water.  "Wha - how did you get in here?"  Hiccup asked.  "Real quick before you go, Hiccup, tell him."  I interfered swiftly.  "Um...we found Mom."  Hiccup said.  Stoick froze, and I turned back into a dragon.  "That was rather blunt."  Toothless commented.  I chuckled.

   "Where?"  Stoick breathed, his voice suddenly soft and chocked up.  Suddenly, Gobber backed away from the cave entrance, and Valka came out.

   Stoick turned, and his eyes widened.  With a chocked, soft voice, he whispered,

   "Valka."