Chapter 38:Who's The Best?
Groaning with pain,I opened my eyes and stared right into a pair of frightfully large green eyes.I choked back a scream,only to find that the eyes belonged to a dragon,not a human.In about a few seconds,I realised it was Toothless."Sorry 'bout that.I thought you were an enemy who had sneaked onto the island,"Hiccup came up behind me."Why on earth are you flying round Berk in the middle of the night?!"I cocked an eyebrow at him suspiciously."I'll just get straight to the point.Once you are old enough and you are chosen by me and the other dragon riders,you get to be part of the Berk Watch.It's a group where we patrol Berk to keep it safe from enemies.Today,Astrid,Fishlegs and I are patrolling Berk for the night,"he explained as Toothless bounded up to me and nudged my hand.I nodded in understanding.
"I'll just take my leave now,"I muttered as I yawned and stretched.Hiccup nodded and mounted Toothless."Hey Yannied,"he suddenly piped up as I turned to leave,"Maybe one day you and your friends will become one of the members of the Berk Watch.We'll see how it goes,"he finished before shooting off on Toothless."That's good,"I replied before running up to the wall of my house,scaling the wall and jumping in at the window into my bedroom.
~One week later~
"It's time!It's time!"Nevaeh shrieked as she jumped up and down around Death and Skull.It was the hugely anticipated day:The Dragon Race.Cassie,Jessica,Zack,Nevaeh,Oliver and I were gathered outside the Academy,where the race would start.The whole village was crowded around the outside of the Academy,chattering and shouting excitedly.Just as the last banner was hung up,a horn sounded,silencing everyone.Stoick,the chief of the village,rose from a grand oak chair he had been sitting on."My fellow villagers,I am glad to welcome you back to this grand,amazing Dragon Race.This time,instead of the usual racers,we have new,younger racers that are completely different.They have gladly accepted the challenge of taking part in this race.Let's welcome them!"he announced,gesturing to us.Hiccup ran up and pushed Nevaeh forward."Go on,one by one,"he instructed.Nevaeh swaggered into the Academy with Death and Skull,waving at everyone.Next went Cassie on Mayhem,standing on him and posing and waving.Jessica walked up next and simply smiled and waved politely.Oliver showed off Fireproof's muscular body and made him flame up,spread his wings and roar.Zack made Deathroar show off his collection of dagger-sharp spines and his magnesium blast.Last of all was me.Strolling into the Academy,I made Castaway roll in and suddenly uncurl in one millisecond and roar his loudest.The villagers cheered for everyone.
"Now,the contestants will prepare themselves and in five minutes,they'll be ready to listen to the route they will have to take as the race.Contestants,proceed to the stables!"Stoick ordered.We ran for the nearby stables where Hiccup and his friends were preparing face paint and fish and water for our dragons before the race.I grabbed some black and red face paint and smeared it onto Castaway's face.I painted black round his eyes and a red arrow on his forehead and snout.Then I quickly painted the same design on my own face.Strapping my homemade saddle to Castaway,I adjusted it till it was at the right place and the right angle.Castaway swallowed some fishes and had a drink of water before the horn sounded again for us to come out.I glanced at the others.They looked terrifying,almost menacing,with their face paint designs,not to mention their dragons.I led Castaway out into the Academy.The others came up behind me.
"Attention,contestants!This is the route you'll have to take,"Gobber pointed to a large-scale map of Berk,"Firstly,you'll start from here and fly out to sea and weave through the sea-stacks there.After the sea-stacks,you'll have to soar up to the sky all the way up to Gothi's house and grab a flag each from her rooftop.The flags will have your dragon's face on it,so take the right one!After taking a flag,you'll have to dive straight down all the way to Sven's farm and start collecting sheep for yourselves!The sheep have a target painted on their bodies so you can't cheat by taking just any sheep.Before collecting a sheep,however,you'll have to come back here and fly one whole lap around Berk and return right here.One white sheep is worth one point.There are sheep let loose all over the island,so keep your eyes peeled,"Gobber paused for breath before continuing,"Then,at a certain point in time,a horn will be blown to signal the release of The Black Sheep!It's worth ten points,and whoever gets it first gets ten points!The first contestant to ten points wins the race!And remember,you must have your flag with you to win!"Gobber finally finished.Everyone cheered and shouted and stamped till the Academy shook beneath our feet."Contestants,position yourselves!When the horn is blown,the race shall BEGIN!"Stoick sat down again,evidently interested to watch us.
I mounted Castaway and stroked his head."Don't strain yourself too much,Castaway.You've only just got well,"I whispered before gazing ahead,waiting for the horn to be blown.Right on cue,a ground-rattling horn sounded.Castaway zoomed out of the Academy and headed out to sea.The rest of the riders were neck-and-neck with us.I checked Castaway's wings.He was beating his wings faster than he had ever done before."C'mon!"I mumbled,urging Castaway on.We reached the sea-stacks,where we weaved expertly between them.The saddle stretched like it was supposed to and worked perfectly.I could see Oliver and Nevaeh right on my tail.Cassie,Jessica and Zack were ahead.Suddenly,the end of the sea-stacks came."Castaway,sky!"I tugged at the saddle to make him go up.He began shooting vertically up into the sky to the clouds.Searching desperately for Gothi's house,I finally spotted it towering on a steep cliff above the Great Hall."There!"I pointed.Castaway began zooming towards it,but Zack and Cassie were right in front,blocking my view.
To my utter shock,Castaway let loose a blast of hot blue fire right at the two,making them panic and fly out of the way."Hey!"Zack yelled,glaring at me."Wasn't me,I swear!"I protested,but Zack had already made Deathroar shoot a spine at me.Narrowly dodging it,I aimed a blast directly at Zack,who almost fell off Deathroar while avoiding it."Three can play at this!"Cassie broke in,aiming a frost blast at Zack.Gothi's house loomed up surprisingly quick."Look out!"I roared at Zack.Deathroar suddenly crashed into Gothi's roof.Zack got up in a flash and was back on Deathroar in a moment."No way am I gonna lose this!"he bellowed,snatching his flag and racing off against Cassie.Castaway neared the flags on Gothi's roof and I grabbed mine and tucked it into my belt.Then we had to dive."Castaway,roll up,"I commanded.He curled into a ball and we began our frightfully dangerous descent down to earth.About three seconds later,Castaway unrolled and broke his fall by spreading his wings to slow down our falling speed.Then we raced back to the Academy and began our long lap around Berk.So far,I was in third place with Zack and Cassie in front.
Castaway's competitive spirit must've reared its head,because as soon as he saw Zack and Cassie in front,he flapped his wings till his whole body jerked and shook that I almost fell off him.Surging forward,we ended up beside Cassie and Zack.They took one glance at me and suddenly rushed forward,their dragons flying for all they were worth.Out of the blue,Castaway stopped flapping his wings and swerved to the side.He slowed down his flapping and began losing altitude."Castaway!Castaway!"I panicked.What was going on?!Why were we slowly descending downwards?!
"C'mon,Castaway.If we aren't gonna end up first,we gotta at least finish this,"I urged him.Rummaging around in my handy saddlebag,I got out some fish and fed Castaway to help him regain his strength.Eventually,he began flapping his wings again at a normal speed and we flew slowly but surely into the Academy,making our first lap and gaining the ability to collect sheep.We flew past the cheering villagers and headed straight round Berk again looking for sheep.
As we flew past the plaza,I caught sight of a white sheep huddled in a tight space between two houses."Castaway,sharp twirl,"I muttered,steering him to the sheep.As we neared the narrow space,Castaway folded in his wings and shot through the space effortlessly while I grabbed the sheep as we flew past."One point,nine to go,"I thought aloud,making Castaway grip the sheep in his claws.It bleated in fright.We flew round Berk some more before spying the other riders dead ahead.As far as I could make out,Cassie had three,Zack had three,Jessica,Oliver and Nevaeh had two and I had one.Fortunately,as they flew past the docks,they didn't see what I saw:a sheep in a crate on a fishing dock.Castaway swooped down towards it and clamped his claws on the sheep's back.I patted his head silently and kept my eyes peeled for some more sheep."There's one!"Zack shouted from ahead.Just then,I saw Jessica and Oliver arguing about something a few metres ahead of me.
"It's mine!"Oliver growled as he gestured to a sheep tucked under his arm.Jessica snatched at it and tugged at it violently,insisting,"No!It's mine!".The pair got into a tugging match,which had the poor sheep being pulled mercilessly between the two.Before I could even think,Castaway was flying faster towards the sheep."Oh no,Castaway,no!"I tried to pull Castaway away from Jessica and Oliver,but to no avail.He meant to fly in between and get the sheep.Bracing myself for the angry shouts,I watched as Castaway opened his mouth and flew in between Jessica and Oliver.Jessica gave a scream and Oliver's jaw dropped.I flew ahead with Castaway and grinned at the astounded pair behind me."Not my idea,I swear,but I agree with it,"I shouted before glancing at the white sheep in Castaway's mouth.Now,we had three sheep,which equaled to three points.Reaching the Academy,Castaway dropped the sheep into a crate that had his face painted on it.But my heart sank as I saw how crowded the other riders' crates were.Everyone else had five each despite me stealing one from Jessica and Oliver.
Everyone went onto the next lap where a new batch of sheep were released and more sheep were hidden in strange places.Somehow,Zack had fallen behind and was flying just ahead of me while Cassie was leading.She swooped down effortlessly on Frostbite and grabbed a sheep from the ground.Meanwhile,Oliver and Jessica were racing to overtake me,which was simple enough considering the fact that Castaway wasn't flying at top speed.As we searched,Castaway grunted in delight and flew towards a sea-stack out to sea.A lonely sheep was leisurely nibbling grass there.Reaching out his claws,Castaway grabbed it deftly and turned sharply back to the route around Berk.I watched as the others fought over sheep and yelled at each other in a hostile manner.
After that lap when we finally put our sheep in our nets,we were stopped for a minute."Okay,contestants!Here are the scores so far...In first place,we have Jessica Hemmings with nine points,and in second place we have Oliver Ackles with eight,in third place we have Nevaeh Jacson with seven,in fourth place we have Zack Smotch with six,in fifth place we have Cassie Hemmings with five and in last place,Yannied Lepsy with four.This will be the final lap before the winner is decided.So,fellow villagers,cheer for your favourite racer before we start the last and final lap!"Gobber announced to the entire village that was spectating.Immediately,everyone began chanting different names,including mine which was surprising considering the fact that I was last.
All of the riders positioned themselves at the starting position,gazing straight ahead.At the blow of the horn,we all sped off."I'm gonna beat you guys up!"Nevaeh shouted,speeding up ahead.A minute into the lap,another horn sounded."The Black Sheep!It's being released!"Zack cried out eagerly.Castaway grunted excitedly."Where will it be?Where did it go?"I asked myself,trying to remember what Silent Sven had often remarked about his special black sheep.Then,it finally came into my mind."It always falls down the well!"I suddenly cried out to myself,making sure it wasn't loud enough for the rest to hear.Castaway heard what I said and headed straight for the village's main well.
To my surprise,Mulch was standing by the well with his arms crossed."The Black Sheep ain't anywhere in these wells.It's out roamin' somewhere in the village,"he told me before shooing me away.I was at a loss.Where in this world was the Black Sheep?Castaway returned to the route round Berk and we searched some more.Seeing the other riders looking as puzzled as I was,I knew they were just as exasperated as I was.We all flew back to the Academy empty-handed,already knowing who the destined winner was.
Out of the blue,Jessica screamed,making me almost leap out of my skin.She was gesturing wildly at the spectating crowd and swooped down straight at a young girl who was staring wide-eyed at her and Mayhem bolting towards her at full speed."Jessica,what are you doing?!"Zack hollered in alarm.Jessica grabbed at the girl and boomeranged back,holding something up in her hands.My jaw dropped."I got it!I got the Black Sheep!"she screamed in excitement.As expected,everyone else began trying to steal it.Oliver flew over Mayhem,dropped onto his back and kicked the Black Sheep out of Jessica's hands.Then he leapt off Mayhem and dived towards Fireproof,his dragon,that had successfully caught the kicked sheep.Oliver laughed at us and took the sheep out of Fireproof's mouth before flying towards his sheep crate.However,before he could drop his sheep,Nevaeh swooped in with a blast of sparked gas and snatched the sheep out of Oliver's hands."It's mine!"she hissed fiercely before flying off to look at her supporters proudly."C'mon Castaway,let's show everyone how you win,"I whispered challengingly.Castaway needed no further encouragement.We flew quickly towards Nevaeh.I dropped down from Castaway and landed on Death and Skull's back,then quietly sneaked towards the sheep.
Suddenly,Nevaeh turned around and caught sight of me.Without hesitation,I grabbed the sheep and hurled myself off Death and Skull,wrenching the sheep out of Nevaeh's hands.Sailing down,I landed on Castaway and headed straight for my crate.There was no time to waste for parading around with the sheep.The next moment,the Black Sheep disappeared from my hands."I'll have that,thank you very much,"Zack remarked casually as he zoomed past.I shook my fist at him.Zack quickly hovered above his crate and dropped it.
The sheep never reached Zack's crate.A blindingly-white dragon flew past the dropping sheep in half-a-millisecond and whacked it into another crate with its tail.I squinted at the dragon and saw who it was."Cassie and Frostbite take the Black Sheep at the last moment!Cassie Hemmings wins this Dragon Race!"Gobber bellowed,hopping up and down madly.Cassie was screaming with joy and tearing past the spectators,high-fiving her supporters.The other riders and I clapped for her,because despite us losing,we knew the value of sportsmanship.Everyone was gathered back at the starting position.
"Now for the final results...In first place,we have Cassie Hemmings with fifteen points,in second place Jessica Hemmings with nine,in third place Oliver Ackles with eight,in fourth place Nevaeh Jacson with seven,in fifth place Zack Smotch with six and in last place,Yannied Lepsy with four.Let's give a hand for all our contestants!"Gobber announced to the deafening clapping and cheering of the villagers watching.Stoick descended from his oak chair and came to hand out the prizes.Cassie proudly accepted a giant golden trophy marked 'FIRST' with a dragon curled around it and a medal with a bright red ribbon.Frostbite got a gold medal as well.Jessica received a silver trophy with 'SECOND' on it and a silver medal as well.Oliver got a small bronze trophy with 'THIRD' on it and a bronze medal.Nevaeh got a brand new saddle that was polished till it shone like Cassie's golden trophy.Zack got a pair of new wrist braces that had a compass built into one and a knife attached to the other.Finally,I got a couple of gronckle iron shin guards that had tiny spikes all over them.Everyone also got a 'Certificate of Participation' to mark our first ever official Dragon Race.
After the cheering and marching and celebrating,the Academy began clearing of villagers as they went home,for the sun was going down.I walked home with Castaway and gave him cooked fish as a treat for the race."We did our best,didn't we?And that saddle worked pretty well,"I murmured to myself,tugging at the saddle.It was still in perfectly good condition after all that stretching from the race.Unstrapping the saddle,I dragged it off and hung it up in Castaway's shed before leading him into the house by the fire.My parents were pleased to see me,and they didn't even disapprove of me being in last place.They sent me to my bedroom to turn in for the night.I pinned my certificate to the wall above my desk and tried on my new shin guards.They fit pretty well,and were sharp to the touch.I put them away in my chest of odds and ends and fell on my bed,staring up at the wooden ceiling.Castaway curled up and looked at me from his corner.Sighing,I turned over to sleep.
What would tomorrow bring?
A.N.Hey guys!Sorry for not posting at all these past few weeks.I've had exams(still have them-in fact I'm writing this when I'm supposed to be studying for one but :P) AND not to mention I was sick,but finally this came up!Decided to write an extra-long one for you guys!Thanks for sticking around :D
P.S.The racers in this story(including me) did a little 'lucky draw' to decide who would get what positions,if you were wondering...