"Okay, this should work," Hiccup said after a few hours of messing with the shield.
"What is it supposed to do Hiccup?" Heather asked curiously as she observed the one of a kind shield before her.
It was still in a circle as it was before but the designs and features on it was different. "This shield has the three things that Vikings could never carry in the air," replied Hiccup in an excited voice before she continued, "It can convert itself into a sling-shot for me to use as a bow, it can shoot a grappling hook from the middle of itself, and it can launch bolas from either side of it."
"Wow, does it work?" Heather asked in awe as she touched the black wooden paint on the shield.
"I haven't really tried it out but I'm thinking of flying with it to get the hang of having it with me before I try out the weapons built in it," Hiccup answered truthfully.
"Well, then let's go now. I mean, Stormslice and Toothless are already so board that they are trying to catch a dangling fruit from a high tree," Heather said in a laughing tone.
"This I gotta see," Hiccup said excitedly as she placed the shield on her arm and ran out of the forge to see her dragon jumping into the air and trying to bite onto a fruit before falling back onto the ground.
Stormslice seemed to be nowhere in sight and it seems that only Toothless was the one that was trying. Where is Stormslice? She never misses a funny moment with Toothless to taunt him about his lack of jumping into the air, Hiccup wondered confused.
"Heather, did you send Stormslice into the woods?" Hiccup asked looking at her foster sister.
"No actually she was right here with Toothless when I left to check on you," Heather answered truthfully as she looked behind her to see if Stormslice was there.
"Well, she probably left to go find some more food for us to eat. But let's see what this shield can do if I can shoot that fruit down to Toothless," Hiccup said thoughtfully as she pushed on a piece of wood to make the shield turn into a contraption to use as a bow.
The shield parted into two halves and had a tight piece of leather, that is used as a way for Hiccup to hold onto the shield, in the middle of them. She loaded the leather with a rock and aimed at the fruit. Taking a deep breath in, Hiccup released the leather, which pulled forward, which made the rock fly through the sky and hit the fruit hard. The fruit began to shake from the impact and fell from its place in the tree. Toothless jumped into the air and caught it in his mouth before landing and swallowing the fruit. Nice job Hiccup, that shield could help you get out of some pretty rough situations, Toothless said happily to her.
Hiccup smiled and nodded her head thanks before asking "Toothless do you want to go flying right now?"
You bet!!! Toothless roared with happiness as he started to run around in circles before stopping to allow Hiccup to climb on.
"Also have you seen Stormslice?" Hiccup asked her dragon as she was about to mount him.
Why don't you ask her? Toothless said grinning at something behind the two girls.
She looked behind her to see Stormslice silently approaching Heather as she looked at the two confused. Heather knew that Hiccup had the ability to talk to dragons but could never understand what the dragons were saying herself. No matter how many times Hiccup tried to teach her, Heather never knew what the dragons were saying unless Hiccup translated for her. "Stormslice," Hiccup said sternly to the dragon.
Stormslice looked upwards to see Hiccup giving her a stern look. Come on Hiccup, can't a dragon have fun with her rider? she wined startling Heather out of her wits.
"No and beside you already scared her so don't make it worse," Hiccup said threateningly.
"Hiccup it's okay, she just wants to have a bit of fun every now and then. Besides, we don't have much fun on this island with training and all," Heather said assuringly as she petted Stormslice on the nose in comfort and reassurance before mounting her.
"Well, we wouldn't be training if I didn't have a mission. But you know as well as I do that I have no choice if I want to prove myself to the Viking shifters one day," Hiccup said sadly as she mounted Toothless as well before the dragons took off into the sky.
"Stop worrying about proving yourself because you are going to.... Hiccup are you alright?" Heather asked with concern as Hiccup began to hold her head with both of her hands in pain and dizziness.
Hiccup couldn't reply right now because the pain was hard and hurting her. She didn't realize what she was doing until she couldn't feel the familiar leather saddle underneath her anymore. "Hiccup!!" Heather shouted in horror as her foster sister fell through the sky clutching her head in pain.
Toothless roared out in horror before flying downwards towards Hiccup, at a fast pace, and caught her right leg before she hit the water. He flew upwards until the ocean wasn't near Hiccup. "Thanks Toothless, we should probably head somewhere close enough to allow Hiccup to recover from whatever happened to her," said Heather thankfully.
The two of them looked before Toothless spotted an island that was filled with a full forest. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a village so that probably meant it was uninhabited right now at the moment. He motioned with his head towards the island and Heather nodded her head yes to show she understood and followed him towards that place.
They flew above the woods and Toothless gently placed Hiccup on the ground before landing on the ground with Stormslice not far from behind her. Heather dismounted Stormslice and ran over to Hiccup's side. She sat on her knees and held Hiccup in her arms crying. Hiccup was the only family she had left since Dagger took away her parents and her tribe. The only one who was able to comfort her when she woke from the nightmares of her past and the only one who understood what happened to her. "Hiccup, please don't die on me. You are the only family I have left," Heather cried out as she hugged the unconscious Hiccup.
Heather get back from her!! shouted Stormslice in horror as something glowed on Hiccups forehead.
"What?" Heather asked in horror as she saw the glow form all over Hiccups face.
She gently placed Hiccup on the ground and backed away before a blinding light formed around Hiccup's human form. Heather backed away in shock and asked, as Hiccup continued to glow, "What's happening?"
She is experiencing the first stages of the shifting abilities, said a voice as the form of Hiccup's mother appeared.
"Wait, now?" Heather asked.
Hiccup's mother, otherwise known as Valka, nodded her head yes and looked at her daughters glowing body happily. Then the glow faded after a few minutes. "Wait, what happened? How come nothing has happened to Hiccup?" Heather asked confused as nothing changed.
The shift will happen at night Heather, she was just experiencing the power she will get when she shifts. But that was the first stage. The second one will hit harder. The final will be when Hiccup shifts into her form. You mustn't tell her about the shift. Make up an excuse if you want but you must never reveal it Heather for she is in danger. If she finds out about the shift, it will only make the process worse for her and the Red Death will become more desperate. Be careful Heather and protect my daughter, warned Valka tearfully.
"I already look up to her like a sister Valka. I won't tell and will try my best to keep her safe," promised Heather.
I already know that the dragons will help but be safe. But I have to go. My enemies are coming. Goodbye Heather, Valka replied fearfully before she disappeared.
"Great, how am I supposed to communicate with dragons to even know what to do to help protect Hiccup?" Heather asked sarcastically as she went up towards Hiccup's limp form, and kneeled next to it.
She waited for an answer and nothing happened. Suddenly a twig snapped behind them. Heather got up and turned, with her weapon ready, to face her opponents. They stood in a group with their weapons held high, ready to attack her at any moment. There seemed to be five of them. No problem, Stormslice, Toothless, and I can take them on, Heather thought smugly to herself.
"Who are you?" demanded one of the people in the group that had blue eyes and shaggy blond hair.
"Someone who can kick your butt if you don't go away," snarled Heather as she bunched up her muscles and readied for battle.
"You? A woman? Ha! Like you could beat me, Snotlout Jorgenson, in combat," boasted another person who called himself Snotlout.
Heather instantly remembered who this person was to Hiccup. He was the one who bullied and ridiculed Hiccup the most. "You!" Heather snarled angrily at him.
Snotlout smirked but it disappeared when the dragons raised themselves up angrily in a fighting stance against the group. Now it was Heather's turn to smirk smugly against the group. Preparing herself for a fight, she was about to throw the first attack when she heard Hiccup groan in pain. She turned to see Hiccup moving her head from side to side with eyes closed tightly in pain. "Hiccup?" Heather asked as she quickly dropped her weapon and ran to Hiccup's aid.
In response, Hiccup sat up weakly and leaned against Heather for support before asking "Heather? What happened?"
"You got a headache and passed out from it. You have been skipping one too many meals again sis. It isn't good for your health," scolded Heather as she tightly held onto Hiccup in a tight embrace before adding, "I thought I lost you like I lost my tribe and my family."
"I'll be fine Heather. I promise," reassured Hiccup as she returned the embrace weakly.
"Hiccup?" one of people in the group, who asked who Heather was earlier, asked as the group lowered their weapons in awe and surprise but mostly confused.
Hiccup pulled back from her sisters embrace and looked at the group in horror before turning it into anger. She remembered them all. Snotlout, her cousin and tormentor, the twins who acted like Snotlout's partners and tormented Hiccup with Snotlout, Fishlegs who acted like he didn't know her, and lastly, Aden her crush and other tormentor. Breathing in angrily, Hiccup slowly stood up and, with Heather's help, walked over to Toothless to mount him and fly home. "Hiccup is that really you?" Fishlegs asked hopefully and curiously.
Turning her head towards the group, Hiccup glared angrily at them and snarled, "Yes Fishface its me. Or do you just want to ignore me again while I cry out in pain!! You are all a disgrace to this generation of Vikings and there is something I have always wanted to say to you all."
"Oh yeah? And what is that Useless?" mocked Snotlout.
"People like you should rot in the nine realms of the underworld!!" Hiccup yelled angrily.
That wiped the different looks off of the teens faces and replaced them with shock. "Are these the people who tormented you for almost your whole life Hiccup?" Heather asked as she glared at the group.
"Does a rotten tree wilt during Devastating Winter?" Hiccup asked sarcastically as she mounted Toothless.
Heather looked at Hiccup with concern before looking back to glare at the group. "Listen up you Vikings there are some things that I am good at. And one of them is protecting my foster sister. So come anywhere near her and..."
Before Heather could finish her threat, a bola was launched in the air and wrapped around Toothless and Hiccup. Crying out in horror, Hiccup desperately pulled at the ropes to free herself from them. "Hiccup!!!" she heard Heather shout in horror.
From the corner of her eye, Hiccup could see reinforcements arriving. Stormslice, get Heather out of here now!! Hiccup roared in dragonese.
Stormslice nodded her head in obligation and flew into the air with Heather in her claws screaming for Stormslice to put her down and help Hiccup. Hiccup already knew that something like this would happen and hatched a back-up plan to keep Heather safe and ensure that she wouldn't be used against Hiccup as a weakness. Strong arms pulled her out of the ropes, and away from Toothless, and tied up her arms tightly to get a strong grip on her to make sure she couldn't escape. Suddenly something hit Hiccup hard on the inside that made her gasp out in pain and faint with the world going black.