This is where I belong ||httyd fanfic||

57. Meeting the mysterious rider again

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The foliage encompassing the Selardalr forests was something of a higher grade of nature than what the old seafarer had seen in years past. Leaves and vines of the same shade and translucence as the finest emeralds he'd ever spied on the market. Blades of grass with their dripping dew and the overgrowth of moss on the scattered stones were too like collections of green crystal. In the nerve-wracking time Johann had stayed here so far, he supposed he had little time or paid little effort to notice such vibrant greenery basking in adoration of every creature that lived here enjoying their over-tipped allowance of good fortune.

And based on his current string of failures so far in convincing the self-exiled former heir of Berk, he would have even less time to do so. He could only thank the Gods that Hiccup had found something else to pursue.

Their expeditionary troop consisting of himself, Hiccup, Toothless, and Syn had made fair distance into the woods chasing the long vanished glimpse of the mystery dragon and its rider. Johann, who'd long since lost any coordination he claimed to have was stumbling over every stray twig and bush on the path. Syn, who was just keeping up with his pace due to still reeling from the birth of her new child, was the only one offering to help him back on his feet. As for Hiccup and his chortling dragon, they sprinted forth surging with adrenaline, calling upon their long refined mental maps and navigating with ease.

"The big guy was pretty close to touching down when it passed by!" Hiccup called out. "If we hurry, we can probably catch it before it takes off again!"

"For a dragon as big as a house, it sure moves fast!" Syn whined.

"Indeed. Dragons face no contest in terms of size!" Johann called back trying to lighten the mood. "Why, this one possesses the magnitude of a sea serpent I encountered sailing the shores of-"

"DON'T!" Both Hiccup and Syn desperately cried out.

"Please! I'm not going out by way of boredom!" Toothless barked.

"Toothless and I can safely speak from experience: size doesn't always matter." Hiccup said running ahead. "Whatever this guy decides to pull, we'll be ready this time!"

"Yes, right then, onward to conquest!" Johann shouted with all the ferocity of a Viking going into battle with a fist in the air and ran ahead.

Hiccup gave a hard stare at Johaan's near retreating figure with red faintly tinting his eyesight's edge. Though concentrated on the task at hand, the issue of the merchant's intentions hadn't faded from his thoughts. Fate had apparently given him a lucky bone when he had spotted the rider but Hiccup could tell from his own practice of the art when someone was avoiding confrontation. The ever-present pounding strain given by his prosthetic leg wasn't enough of a handicap for the vigorous young man to allow Johann to escape, but he made quick to soften his features so as not to make the old man wary.

"You know; I'm surprised you're doing this."

"Yeh, well... doubt my inner fortitude, do you?" Johann asked nervously. "Tis always been said I possess the soul of a warrior beneath this shabby garb of mine!"

"Never said I doubted your 'warrior's soul.' But I'm thinking... I don't know, maybe I did get a little quick to judge. I mean, here you are with us, helping us to find an unknown breed of dragon on an island in the middle of nowhere. Considering how dragons aren't really your thing, well, I'm impressed."