I think I have a slight problem, perhaps a social disorder. Why do I think that? Well, maybe because I've spent the last three days inside Hiccup's house, hardly leaving. Nightstar spends time with me during mornings and evenings, but my dragon is rather social and likes talking to the other dragons, especially Toothless. I'm not going to stop her. She's always been more extroverted than me.
The only person I've talked to regularly is Hiccup. We spend our evenings sitting next to the fire with our dragons, talking about our lives and our preferences. I don't reveal a whole lot. If anything, I'll reveal more if the time is right. Sometimes, we don't even talk. We just sit and draw in notebooks, listening to the crackling of the fire.
I peek out my window on day four to see Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut heading towards the house. They're all wearing bright face paint in different colours, something I'm rather confused about. I take a deep breath, mustering all my courage and heading down the stairs. I open the door as they reach the front steps, making myself look as happy as possible.
"There you are!" Astrid says.
"Hey," I greet them, rubbing the back of my neck.
"How's the hermit?" Tuffnut teases.
I purse my lips. "She's not used to having people around yet."
"That's no problem. Having friends is a weird thing to get used to, right?" Snotlout asks, crossing his burly arms across his chest.
"Yeah, friends..." I say, shifting on my feet.
"We wanted to invite you to the dragon races," Ruffnut says. "The ones where Tuff and I always win."
"Only because Snotlout and Fishlegs are too busy trying to impress you," Astrid argues.
"I'd love to watch," I cut in.
"Watch? Oh, no way." Snotlout shakes his head. "You're gonna be in the race."
My eyes widen, my heart starting to pound. "What? I can't-"
I'm cut off by Tuffnut grabbing my wrist and dragging me away, followed by everyone else. I don't know what it is with these people feeling the need to drag me around by my limbs, but I don't like it.
"We want some more competition," he says. "You'll catch on quick."
"Won't I need Nightstar?" I ask, trying to pick up my feet a little and buy myself some more time to calm down.
"She's with our dragons already," Fishlegs says. "You finally get to meet them!"
"Oh. Okay," I mutter. So much for that plan.
I can't say I'm exactly thrilled about this sudden plan, but I am kind of willing to try. I mean, how else am I going to assimilate into this society if I hide away in the chieftain's house for days on end?
"So, here's the rules..." Astrid starts.
—————
"It's that easy."
I stare at the dragon hangar, not sure how to respond. I can hear the noises of hundreds of dragons coming from inside, almost shaking the ground. Astrid smiles at me while everyone else waits for my reaction. I smile weakly.
"Alright. Sounds good." I nod, feeling better about this whole plan. The others grin and Snotlout pumps his fist. "And it's alright if I'm not painted and everything?"
"That can wait for later." Astrid smirks.
We go inside, where our dragons immediately come and join us. They're all painted too, their colours matching their riders. Toothless and Hiccup are nowhere to be seen. That surprises me, honestly.
"Is Hiccup going to race?" I ask.
"He should, but he's really interested in discovering new lands," Astrid says, patting her Deadly Nadder. There's a slight edge in her tone, like that's a touchy subject for her. I drop the topic immediately.
Nightstar comes zipping down from the roof, wagging her tail. She has a brand new saddle strapped on to her back and her bright blue eyes seem to glow with excitement. I'm excited to go flying too after the few days of getting used to things.
"Woah! Nice saddle!" I tell her as she licks me.
I groan a little as her drool coats my clothes. She chuckles deep in her throat and nuzzles my neck with her wide nose. I roll my eyes and scratch her ear plates.
I glance over my shoulder as Snotlout saunters up to me with a large grin. A red Monstrous Nightmare stands next to him, eyeing Nightstar.
"Well, I'll introduce my dragon first. You should know who's gonna win, after all." He winks. "This is Hookfang."
"Oh oh! And this is Meatlug!" Fishlegs introduces proudly, patting his Gronckle. "She's my special girl."
"Great names," I comment with a light smirk.
"If you know them, you should know ours too," Ruffnut says. "This is Barf." She points to one of their Zippleback's heads.
"And this is Belch," Tuffnut adds, pointing to the other head as he puffs his chest out with pride.
"And this is Stormfly," Astrid introduces, pointing to her pretty blue Deadly Nadder.
I nod in response. I turn and climb onto Nightstar, settling myself in. The new saddle feels nice, albeit foreign to me after so many years of bareback riding. I make a mental note to thank Gobber later.
We take off, flying out of the hangar and heading towards the track. Lots of Vikings have already gathered to watch. My heart beats rapidly as we line up at the start, both from excitement and nervousness. Our names are announced as we prepare.
The horn blows and the race begins.