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

Chapter 84: Fight and Flight

   Hiccup and Toothless landed in front of a Trapper.

   "What are you?"  He asked, holding up a torch.  Hiccup, failing to be stealthy, lit up his sword.  "A lot of effort for one Trapper, don't you think?"  Frostflake muttered.  "Ssh!"  I scolded her quietly. 

   Toothless appeared behind him, nostrils and backfins glowing blue, and suddenly the Trapper charged at Hiccup, but Hiccup swiftly hit his sword away. Toothless bounced past the Trapper and landed beside Hiccup.  Then the Trapper flung his lantern at the pair.  

   Flames rose from the deck.  As though it wouldn't freak anybody out, he walked right through.  "I knew it!  You're a demon!"  He yelled.

   Aaaand there goes stealth.  I thought as Hiccup flipped up his mask.  "No, no no no, not a demon, just a guy, see?  Just - just a guy, here to rescue these dragons."  He said hurriedly.  "Aaaaand there goes our plan,"  Frostflake muttered.  I shrugged.  "Just roll with it I guess, ok?"

    "Ooooh, I think I know a demon when I see one!" The Trapper cried.  Clearly not.  "No human legs are that skinny!"  I laughed despite myself, and the Trapper's head swung around.  Luckily Hookfang and Snotlout (Hookfang on fire and Snotlout with his rear in flames) were there to fill the gap.

   "Prepare to face the Montorous Nightmare!"  Snotlout yelled, then screeched in surprise.  He approached the twins (seriously?), who lit up an explosion.  "Too soon, guys, you always come in too soon!"  Hiccup hissed quietly.

   The Trapper was going full-on panic mode and surely alerting the whole crew.  "Aah!  We're doomed!  Demons everywhere - ooh!"  Astrid hit him in the back of the head with the blunt end of her axe.  "Astrid, I had him right where I wanted him!"  Hiccup said.  "And now he's right where I want him,"   Astrid said.

   I landed on the boat.  "Let's just go.  Come on, girl."  I dismounted Frostflake and got to work on freeing dragons.

   About thirty seconds later, the loud battle cry that had become all too familiar to me split the air.  "ATTACK!"

   I whirled around and swiftly slid to the side, out of the way of the sword that had fallen toward me.  I kicked the Trapper in the side and he clutched his hip, groaning.  Frostflake snatched him up and chucked him over the side.

   "Hey K, look out!"  Dagur cried.  I turned to see another Trapper right behind me, just to see the mace he held get hit away by one tail, then one arm get held by another, his other arm getting the same treatment before he was chucked off the side of the boat.

   "Thanks, big boy!"  Dagur called.  "Let's get out of here!"  Hiccup yelled.  I quickly turned into a dragon and snatched Dagur up in my claws (a regular occurrence at this point), feeling a shiver through my wings.  "Sleuther, catch!"  I called, tossing him the Berserker chieftain.  He caught him with one of his tail and a muttered comment about cooked salmon or something like that.  

   "I gotcha, Kiara!"  Frostflake called, swooping below me.  I turned back into a person and landed on her back.  "Thanks, girl,"  I said, patting her back.  She glanced back at me.  "Anyday."  She purred.  "Now let's get outa here!"  "Right with ya girl!"  I agreed as she flapped away into the foggy morning.

   "Well, that was sloppy,"  I commented as we landed.  "We could be training a lot harder."  Astrid agreed.  "Maybe you all rely a little too much on your dragons and not enough on another."  Valka chimed in.  "It's a little hard where half of those people are complete and utter muttonheads."  I pointed out.

   Viggo chuckled lightly.  "What?  They are!"  I protested.  "If you recall, WE uncovered Project Shellfire and saved the whole team!"  Tuffnut said.  "Yeah, and you almost got all of us killed doing it,"  Hiccup added.  "And details."  Snotlout cackled.  

   I rolled my eyes and helped calm some of the new arrivals as the others went into the Great Hall to eat.  

   It had been a few months, and now a year since Drago's defeat.  Things had changed a lot.  Berk was now basically a Dragon Sanctuary, similar to Valka's but with houses and people and no ice.  Dragons were EVERYWHERE.  There were probably more dragons than there where PEOPLE at this point!  (Hiccup and Fishlegs had debated endlessly about if I was a person or a dragon, and I had finally ended the argument by saying both; when I'm a dragon I'm a dragon, when I'm a human I'm a person).

   And Dagur and I were also apparently officially a couple, according to the twins, but nobody cared much about them.  Everyone had also gotten cool new gear upgrades, including me.  We all had armor colored and based off of our respective dragons (if I should have Fire Wraith or Frost Wraith armor was also a common debate between Hiclegs, but I decided on Frost Wraith) with their shed scales.  They each had flight suits built into them, which was more like flight suits now then glide suits, although nobody really used them other than Hiccup, Astrid, and me.

   I went into the Great Hall after Dagur to a food fight.  Soon after, however, it was halted by Gobber.  "Hang up those saddles, and get married." 

   The Hall seemed to freeze as everybody stared at them.  "The M-word."  Tuffnut scowled.  "Ew, gross."  Ruffnut agreed.  "Unless it's me."  She threw something in her brother's face, and I quickly left.  

   "Gosh, that wasn't awkward at all."  I laughed.  Dagur chuckled.  "Or was it?" 

   "It's called sarcasm, crazy bones."

   "I AM NOT - crazy."

   "Mmmm."

   "I'm NOT!"

   "Thaaaat's debatable."

   "Hmph."