learning to fly, how to train your dragon

005. the problem with toke

Her mother glanced at her. There seemed to be some hesitation the moment she noticed the pleading glint in her daughter's eyes. She then sighed, "If I get everything done here, then perhaps."

Freya faltered, not expecting the answer, "Wait▬really?"

Her mother shot her a quick look, "Only if I get everything done."

Her daughter started to grin. She quickly hid it, though, nodding and rushing along to continue to help. A new rush of determination flooded Freya Balderofferson▬not to prove something to everyone else, but to do well for her mother. To get her to see▬to be proud of her. Freya knew she was proud of her. That wasn't what she meant▬her mother was very much proud of her, she would never say that she wasn't. But for her to be proud of something Freya had done that she originally didn't want her to do ... she supposed that was what she was determined to do the most.

As the morning progressed, the teens were spread out all across the village before they were to head to Dragon Training. While Freya helped her mother, the Twins and Snotlout were running, cackling away from Silent Sven's farm. While they were doing that, Fishlegs was reading his new botany book he got from a recent trade visit. And as he did so, Hiccup was still slouched over a dying candle flame, alone in his home and staring at the Night Fury page in the Dragon Manual. Astrid, it seemed, was the only one that spent her morning vigorously training, desperate to make up for the hiccup she had at the previous training day.

She was making her way from the forge after getting her axe resharpened to then return to the same set of trees to blunt it all over again only to stop, noticing Toke sitting alone out on the cliffside walkways. His legs hung over the edge and he scathed his knife against a fallen stick, sharpening it to a point. He kept checking it against the wood beside him, scratching words and drawings before scraping his blade against it once more.

Astrid let out a long puff of air, wondering whether she should just leave him be. But soon, she sighed and swivelled around. The Hofferson marched to the edge of the cliff and started down the walkway towards her friend. In fact, perhaps Toke was one of Astrid's only friends▬since they were kids. She hang out around the others. She rolled her eyes at Snotlout and told off the Twins. She let them follow her like sheep because▬she admitted▬she liked the attention. She liked them being scared of her, instead of everyone thinking her family were the scared ones. But truth was, she only ever liked being around Toke. Even if he annoyed her, and frustrated her. Even if they argued and butted heads on many different things, Astrid still sat down beside him anyway.

"You okay?" she decided to ask him gently, hanging her legs over the edge, too.

She had a feeling she knew what was on his mind. They hadn't spoken about what had happened in the arena with the Gronckle▬Astrid knew he didn't want to talk about it. And she wasn't sure what she was supposed to think▬or feel. It was obvious, she knew ... Toke had frozen up; he had stared at that dragon and was unable to move. Just like her Uncle had. Astrid had freaked out. She had seen her Uncle, instead of Toke. And she was so scared herself, that for a moment, she had been that little girl stranded out in the Dreadfall night watching the man she looked up to be frozen with fear▬and couldn't let what happened to him happen to Toke. In that moment, his pride and his life had been far more important to her than winning any round. So, she pushed him out of the way. But she knew▬she knew Toke was afraid of dragons.

And he knew she had figured it out, too, and she supposed that was why he hadn't said anything.

"Yeah," muttered Toke, giving his stick a rough scrape from his knife blade. "Fine."

Astrid pursed her lips and reached a hand down to fiddle with the string wrapped around her mother's axe handle.

Toke took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. "I have to miss dragon training today▬" he made this face as if this was the worst thing possible to happen. He rolled his eyes and shot her a knowing look▬she knew it was all a lie. "Have to do Dad's chores while he's away▬help out Mum, you know. Shame▬" he sighed it all out, slumping his shoulders and shaking his head. "Was so looking forward to it... But▬" he kissed his teeth, "▬looks like I can't come!"