𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 ━ how to train your dragon¹

8│FIGHT OR FLIGHT

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❛ sᴛᴏʀᴍʙᴏʀɴ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ғɪɢʜᴛ ᴏʀ ғʟɪɢʜᴛ ꒱


❝ EACH TIME YOU CUT ME
DOWN, I WILL COME BACK
TWICE AS STRONG ❞

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Let's get one thing straight: Dany was not the kind of person who would abandon her friends in the face of danger.

She was no coward nor was she traitorous. Her words the previous night had been the truth: she was not an idiot who would willingly go into a dragon's nest. However, she would have followed Hiccup and Toothless (and, she supposed, Astrid— if the other girl just happened to be there) past the gates of Hel if necessary. But Drogon was a dragon, who, unlike Toothless, had grown up without a nest. He'd only ever had his brothers and he'd rarely interacted with other dragons except when they needed to be healed by the Targaryens. His antisocial behavior (and, to be honest, his size) had prevented them following their friends into the volcano. So, Dany had flown back to the cove, trusting that Toothless would keep Hiccup safe.

She tried to reassure herself of these facts as she paced in the cove the following morning. She'd arrived bright and early, but unlike usual, she did not take her spot by the lake. Even her boots stayed on as she began her pacing, worried about what the day would bring. Unsurprisingly, Drogon remained unbothered by her concerns and curled up nearby, his eyes half-open as he watched her. Toothless, however, seemed to pick up on her agitation and stayed alert. He sat on his haunches with his ears pricked and swiveling. His tail switched back and forth restlessly as he strained to hear the sounds from the far-away dragon training pit.

The reason for their edginess was obvious: today was the day Hiccup would be facing the Monstrous Nightmare. Dany wasn't convinced that it would go well, considering the Vikings had run her parents out of town due to their. . . different views. With Hiccup being the chief's son, it was bound to have an even greater disastrous outcome.

As the sun wheeled higher in the sky, the girl's feet began to ache with the many steps she'd retraced, but her worries wouldn't let her sit still. Around midday, Toothless bolted upright, the pupils in his emerald eyes widening as his ears twitched forward. Dany wished that the dragon could talk to her and tell her what was going on, but she guessed that the event had started. Then, the Night Fury jerked completely straight and raced towards the high walls of the clearing.

Foreboding filled the girl as she watched the dragon struggle, wanting to help him but she knew it wouldn't do any good to get in the way. She raced over to her dragon and climbed up on his back. "Quickly, Drogon! Hiccup's in trouble!"

The large dragon huffed and rested his head on his paws, causing her to fall forward slightly. By this time, Toothless had scrambled his way out of the cove and was now racing towards Berk. Dany felt her heart pick up speed as she knew that every second they delayed would put her friends in even greater danger. "We don't have time for this! Toothless will be hurt if we don't do anything!"

The mention of his friend was enough to make Drogon rise to his feet. In one smooth flap of his wings, they rose out of the cove and, for the first time ever, began to fly towards the village.

🏹🏹🏹

Although he'd been hoping for a different outcome, deep down, Hiccup knew that his plan wouldn't work. Things had gone horribly wrong the moment his father's mallet had slammed on the iron bars of the dragon training ring. The Monstrous Nightmare's calming attitude had taken a one-eighty as the dragon had lit up with fire-y rage. Then, even worse, Toothless had come to his aid and attacked the other dragon. His only consolation was that Dany hadn't come as well (but even that would be short lived.)