Cloud's Journey: Home

Dragon Trainer

Seconds after we'd stepped onto the shores of dragon island, I found myself cornered by five of its inhabitants.

The fish pail was a bad idea.

"Throw them a fish!" Hiccup shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Then ask something of them before you give them any more."

I did as he said and threw each dragon a fish. They smacked their jaws and seemed to smile at me. Nervously, I smiled back.

"Ask something of them." Hiccup reminded.

"Back up, please." I said to a Zippleback blocking my escape. It blinked. "Back up I said." I pressed my hand on one neck. It moved ith a squawk, but before it could fire I threw each head a fish. They munched happily.

I waltzed over to Hiccup and Astrid, smirking. "Huh?"

Hiccup smiled. "You may just have gotten yourself five dragons."

We all looked at the Zippleback, two Nadders, two Gronckles, and the Monstrous Nightmare. They had come closer and were looking at me. Me. I felt my chest swell.

Then I frowned. I didn't want FIVE dragons, I wanted ONE dragon, MY dragon.

"Which one do I choose?" I asked, looked at each of the creatures slowly coming closer.

"Whichever one feels right." Hiccup replied.

I nodded and stepped up to my quintet. Each sniffed me--or my fish.

My mind was blank.

I looked from each of the five dragons. None felt... like mine. Frowning slightly, I reached my hand out to the red Zippleback I had pushed previously. It bumped my hand and I couldn't help but smile as it continued to nudge it. As amazing as it was, it still didn't feel like a real bond.

I touched the other four, even the Nightmare, without fail. Fish certainly helped, maybe too well, in a way that made the dragons only trust me for food and the fact I wouldn't harm them.

Now they were beginning to get restless. I had only three fish left and I hadn't handed them one for a few minutes. They shuffled their feet over and over and swung their heads from side to side.

"It doesn't feel right." I told Hiccup. "Not... special."

"Alright. Too bad though, this was a big break."

I sighed and turned away. As I walked back to where my friends stood, their was a commotion behind me. Suddenly my shoulders were being jostled and my arm wasn't still enough to hold the bucket. It went flying, hitting the rocky ground with a loud rattle and the fish spilled out. Something scratched my arm; then the dragons were fighting over the last fish.

"Cloud, get away! Move!" Hiccup and Astrid ordered.

I ran a few yards, clutching my arm, which had started to sting a little. My arm felt sticky. Confused, I looked at it. Blood trailed like red vines down to my wrist.

I stared at it with my mouth open.

The dragons were gone. Hiccup and Astrid ran over.

Hiccup's face went pale. He started to reach into his satchel.

"Just wait." Astrid held up a hand before taking my arm in one hand. With her other, she swiped away some blood from around the cut. The flow didn't pause, so after swiping the blood away again, she pressed her finger on top.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup held out his hands.

"I know what I'm doing. I've been wounded enough times." She said, sliding her finger off my wound and dabbing it a few times. A red bead of blood budded but that was it."

"She doesn't need first-aid." Astrid slapped her hands together to rub off the blood.

"You'll need to wash it off." Hiccup stepped closer.

"No she doesn't." We both stared at Astrid, who was grinning. "It'll dry and flake off before we get home."

"Astrid--"

"It's ok, Hiccup." I interrupted. "It doesn't hurt."

Sighing, Hiccup just headed for the forest. We followed him.

That morning, I found several more dragons. As Odin's generosity would have it, I was able to pet most of the dragons I found. But none of them felt right or I would scare them away. Discouraged, I told Hiccup it was about lunchtime and I was ready to go home.

Hiccup called Toothless, who'd stayed behind a bit, and he came with Stormfly. We mounted up and took to the sky.

I was silent the whole way home. When Berk came into view, I sighed on Hiccup's shoulder.

"When will I find it?" I asked.

"Just be patience." Hiccup smiled. "I didn't train Toothless until days after I found him. When I got anywhere near him, it took a whole day to just touch him. You're doing good."

"But at least you knew who your dragon would be." I sighed.

We landed in town. It was nearly empty under the high sun. I'd been right, it was lunch time.

"Do you want to eat in the great hall?" Hiccup asked when we had dismounted.

I thought it over. Sitting next to Hiccup while dining in a dim room sounded perfect. But--I looked at my arm, which was still crusty with brown stains--I should probably clean up and maybe get some ideas on paper.

"No thanks." I smiled. "Maybe some other time."

"Sure. See you later." Hiccup smiled back and he and Astrid walked off to the Great Hall.

I headed for my house. It came into view and I saw right away that one of my ferns was knocked over. Grumbling, stepped onto the porch, bent over, and set the pot right again.

As I straightened my back, I bumped my arm on the door frame.

"Thor's--" I stopped myself from cursing as I examined my arm.

"Hey Cloud," Snotlout cooed as he walked up. "I wanted to see if you were eating in the Great--"

"No, Snotlout. I already told Hiccup I wasn't." I sighed.

That wasn't why Snotlout had gone silent. "What happened to your arm?!" he squealed.

I looked again. The cut had reopened and blood streamed down my arm. I groaned.

"Nothing, it's just reopening." I said, holding my hand overtop the wound.

"What happ--"

"I'm fine." I snapped, opening my door. "Go eat in the Great Hall with the others. I'll see you later."

With that, I closed the door.

Sighing, I washed my arm in a bucket of cold water and did what Astrid had before until the bleeding stopped. When it had, I made up some salad with fish meat in it and went to eat it in my room.

I was walking to my desk when I noticed a piece of glass had fallen off my shelf and onto the floor. Putting my food down, I put the glass back and sat at my desk to eat. Bluewing must have flown in the room and knocked it over.

In front of me on the desk was paper to jot down my ideas. Sketches, notes, anything that entered my brain on what type of dragon I might like, went down on the paper.

Just be patient. Hiccup had said.

I will. I promised. I have to wait for that special feeling.