Brenna POV
A soft breeze ruffled my hair, sending it flying behind me as I stood at the edge of a crumbling sea stack, balancing precariously on the thin ledge jetting outward over the swift water flowing below. A smile spread across my face as I turned my back to the wind, feeling the force of it pushing against me while I held my arms out wide, embracing the sunlight as it shone brightly on my pale skin. Energy seemed to pulse within me, and I allowed myself to fall backward, directly into the updraft. The wind billowed around me as I sank through the cool clouds below. The rushing water lapped at the rocks harshly, eroding the mineral away over time, and leaving behind only a smooth surface that I couldn't grab onto even if I had wanted to. I could hear the ocean waves growing louder even as the wind roared in my ears, and yet there was a fog of deafening silence in my mind all the same.
An enormous dark shadow was cast above me, blocking out the light of the sun hitting my face. I opened my eyes to see a gigantic aqua reptile gaining on me, outstretched wings folding tightly against its body to enhance the creature's already superior speed. The tiger striped scales shimmered in the sunlight like glitter, and the large lavender eyes of the beast gleamed with mischief. A dragon. My dragon. My Monstrous Nightmare, Nightwing. I smiled as her strong jaws closed gently on my body, stopping me from falling further due to her strong grip on my abdomen. She growled playfully at me, before I abruptly found myself thrown high into the air once again, this time twisting my torso in order to get into her saddle. "I always know you will catch me when I fall, girl." I murmured, stroking the scales on her cheek. She snorted in response, used to these training exercises. The primary one we had been focusing on for the past week had been agility. Our favorite test was when I would climb to the highest part of a sea stack or cliff, and then leap, testing her reflexes as she drove through the sky to grab me as I plummeted toward the sea or earth. I trusted my dragon, and I knew she would always have my back, just as I had hers.
I took a deep breath and grasped the ebony horns protruding from her head. "But I found more marigold." I added, withdrawing the orange flower from my bag and holding it within her line of sight. She rumbled in acknowledgment and shook her head, signaling her disinterest in the concept. I frowned at her aloofness for a moment, before smirking as I decided on where we should go next that would make her happy and let her relax after a tough day of training. "Let's go to our clearing, girl." I told her, patting her head. This time she purred excitedly and flapped her wings harder, eager to get to our new destination. She accelerated upward, turning left and heading in the direction of her favorite place in the entire archipelago. Berk didn't have many extraordinarily beautiful spots on the island, but Nightwing and I had found a serene glade deep within the forest one morning while exploring the uncharted landscapes of our home. Hidden behind a curtain of tall, thick trees was a round clearing of waist high emerald grass with a clear sapphire pond in the center. I had taken the liberty to name it Freya's Garden, and Nightwing and I often came here to relax on days when we had nothing else to do. It had been a long day and my duties as healer in training were finished for the afternoon. My aunt Gothi was teaching me to take her place as tribe healer, and my main job this day had been to collect some herbs we were running low on supply of, including marigold and poppy seed. A routine run, just like every other day in the life of a healer's apprentice. After completing my chores, Nightwing and I went to train together, so the clearing would be a good place for some quiet time alone to relax before heading back home.
The sun was still high in the air by the time that we landed and I slid off her neck, stretching the muscles in my sore legs We strode across the grass and sat down beside the lake, watching the breeze skate over the glossy surface, startling small schools of fish as they swam back and forth through the freshwater in front of us. Nightwing shuffled closer to me, covering me with her wing and pulling my form against her side in a show of affection as she closed her eyes to take a nap.
I laid against her shoulder and shut my eyes as well, content with the weight of her colossal wing resting over my body, intending only to listen to the sounds of a dragon race occurring on the central part of the island. The other dragon riders were surely having a good time there. Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and of course Snotlout. They were all amazing people and I had interacted with most of them on at least one occasion or another. Except Snotlout. I probably would've, had he not been so stubborn every time he needed a healer and refused to come to us. He went to Gobber more than my aunt, perhaps too embarrassed to admit something was ever wrong with him. Astrid was my best friend ever since we were children, and although she was constantly annoyed by the arrogant brunet, I couldn't help but find him a little attractive. I smiled to myself at that thought, thinking about how stupid I was to even think about that kind of stuff. I was a healer and dragon rider. I didn't have time for anything like romance. What chances do I have with anyone, let alone one of the heroes of Berk?
Not much time seemed to have passed when I was suddenly awoken by the feeling of my dragon moving away from me and causing me to fall back on my spine and head. Gaining my bearings and hearing the growling coming from her persuaded me to swiftly get to my feet, patting her side in reassurance while picking up my sword from the ground where I had dozed off. Another dragon let out a loud roar, and Nightwing scraped her claws through the grass aggressively, declaring the territory as hers. Then she set herself on fire by igniting the flammable gel that secreted from her skin, forcing me to back away too. "Hey! Easy there girl! Easy! I'm right here!" I reminded her, trying to calm my dragon down again. No longer hearing any sound of hostility coming from the opposing creature, I rubbed my hand along the scales of Nightwing's neck and cheek, soothing her while I tried to get a glimpse of who or what she was freaking out over. She finally composed herself and backed up a few steps, but she didn't take her eyes off the creature she was staring at. I hadn't actually seen it yet, but I knew whatever it had been was still there, mainly since I was feeling the vibrations in the ground as it moved from side to side. "Good girl." I praised Nightwing, massaging her shoulder as I walked around her massive body to see what we were up against.
When I noticed my dragon's back and tail spines relaxing, I finally turned my attention on the other creature. I breathed a sigh of relief, instantly recognizing the orange dragon staring back at us with narrow yellow eyes. Hookfang? It was in that moment that I finally saw his rider atop his neck, staring at me with a seemingly equal amount of astonishment. It was Snotlout. I took in his appearance, as disheveled and sweaty as it was, and couldn't help the grin that split my lips. His dark chestnut hair feathered away from his face under his helmet, some clinging to his forehead and cheeks from the moisture of his sweat weighing it down. His blue eyes shone brightly, making them look almost gray in the rays of the sunshine beaming down into the glade. A green vest covered his broad chest, showing off his muscular body and exposing a small patch of the thin dark hairs covering his chest; and he wore a pair of grayish-blue pants with a heavily adorned belt around his waist, the outfit finished with a set of black fur lined boots. His face was covered in streaks of red and yellow war paint that matched those decorating Hookfang's giant form, the flashy colors giving them both a vibrant appearance. A true dragon rider stood before me.
I waited for him to say something, unsure about how to even begin the conversation. Thankfully, I didn't have to. "I'm sorry we disturbed you, fair lady. My dragon saw yours and became very curious about it. Forgive me?" Snotlout asked while Hookfang lowered him to the ground gently. I gave him a kind smile in understanding. "It's quite alright. It was no trouble. We were just relaxing." I accepted his apology, though he had nothing to seek forgiveness for. He grinned back at me and started to walk in my direction. "And may I ask your name, beautiful?" Snotlout asked. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks in response to his comment. "Brenna. Brenna Derganson," I introduced myself, then gestured to my dragon. "And this is Nightwing." Snotlout's eyebrow raised, and he looked between us and Hookfang. "Nice to meet you Brenna. I'm Snotlout Jorgenson. And this is my brave companion Hookfang. We saved Berk a few times you know." He began cockily. "Ah yes...I know... it's nice to finally meet you both." I told them, seeing now what Astrid was talking about when it came to his ego. But from what I had heard, I also knew that the viking boy was kind at heart, and he was obviously attractive. However, he was far easier to talk to than I had imagined, so perhaps getting to know him would be less challenging than I previously thought.
Third Person POV
The dragon rider cheered from his place on his dragon's neck, pumping his fist in the air as they rounded another corner. "Yes buddy! Almost there! One more lap and Tuffnut will be on his knees praying he was as amazing as us!" Snotlout laughed, excitedly patting his dragon on its head. Hookfang roared loudly in agreement, using his wings to thrust forward powerfully. Snotlout could see the finish line, just on the other side of the next cliff. All Hookfang had to do was dive and they would be there. He could hear Barf and Belch and Ruff and Tuff gaining speed, but he and Hookfang had already won. For once in his life, Snotlout bested all the dragon riders in a race, even Hiccup. "Woo hoo! Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" He whooped his personal catchphrase. The crowd yelled jubilantly all around, and Snotlout was too busy basking in the admiration to notice that Hookfang had no intention of slowing down and landing in the winner's circle.
Unbeknownst to the rider, the red-orange dragon had caught a new and alluring scent, and was determined to follow it. Snotlout opened his eyes, feeling the wind rush through his dragon's wings as he gained altitude. "Hookfang? The trophy is that way. Behind us! What are you doing? Where are you going?" Snotlout asked, staring incredulously at his dragon as he pointed at the arena gradually growing smaller behind them. Hookfang growled and surged forward, nearly knocking Snotlout off of his back. The dragon rolled his eyes, focusing on how the sweet scent was growing stronger by the moment instead of his rider's frustrated rambling above him. It wasn't long before the pair flew over a brightly lit meadow, barely visible from the sky. Hookfang could feel the vibrations of another dragon's footsteps somewhere below him, and decided to soar down into the lush glade to investigate the source of it all. Snotlout grunted as his dragon came to an rough stop, able to tell something was unusual. Hookfang actually seemed excited and happy about something. "What's going on in that thick skull of yours?" He asked aloud. Hookfang continued to ignore his rider, striding forward through the trees. The soft sound of snoring gradually hit their ears, and both dragon and human curiosity piqued at this. Hookfang slowed his pace, quietly coming to a stop in front of a crystal clear lake. Snotlout gasped as his gaze fell on the object of his dragon's attention.
Across the water, a large pale blue Monstrous Nightmare slept soundly in a patch of sunlight. It had long black stripes stretching across its spine and legs, and darker teal shades that tinted the outer edges of its wings, tail, and snout. Its eyes were mostly closed, but what could be seen of them appeared to be purple in color. Hookfang grew restless, the amazing aroma sending his senses into overdrive. "A female Monstrous Nightmare. Again. Does this one have eggs too?" Snotlout asked his best friend. Hookfang let out a low growl, warning his rider not to test his patience while edging forward cautiously. Snotlout grew nervous, unsure about how this new dragon would react to them approaching it.
As Snotlout predicted, it took only a few moments for the sleeping dragon to wake up, feeling the foreign presence just a few feet away from it. It jumped to its feet, baring its teeth and growling loudly. Hookfang sprang back, startled, before letting out a roar. The blue dragon hissed and set itself on fire, glaring at the the slightly bigger dragon and rider with that fierce lavender gaze. "Hey! Easy there girl! Easy! I'm right here!" A voice broke through the two dragons as they continued to hiss and snap their jaws at one another. It was a commanding yet feminine sound that caught Snotlout's attention immediately, since it was so much quieter than the standoff occurring in front of him. A small hand appeared from the side of the dragon that Snotlout couldn't see, rubbing its scales softly, and he did his best to calm Hookfang down in reciprocation. The female dragon settled down, backing away slightly from her male counterpart. "Good girl." The voice said. Snotlout was extremely curious now. He wanted to know who this girl was.
Seemingly on cue, a young woman emerged from around the side of the female dragon, moving to stand at its shoulder. Snotlout was immediately infatuated with her. All thoughts of Astrid, Ruffnut, and Heather disappeared from his mind. She was smaller in stature than the other three viking girls, but she seemed stronger than any of them. A faint blush rose to his cheeks as he took note of her wider hips and bust, how she looked more like a woman than many other girls he had met. She wore an outfit similar to Astrid's, gray boots, blue leggings, black leather studded skirt, and a teal strapless top with one arm band. Her hair cascaded down her back in a thick brown wave, and her eyes...Her eyes were prettier than even the fair Freya's. Blue, light blue, the color of the sky and the heavens. Gods...she was beautiful.
Snotlout had to take a moment before gaining his composure. He felt as though he might have seen her before around the village, but this was the first time he was truly taking her in. "I'm sorry we disturbed you, fair lady. My dragon saw yours and became very curious about it. Forgive me?" Snotlout asked, tapping Hookfang to encourage him to lower him to the ground.
Hookfang moved so that Snotlout could get off of him easily, for once not trying to embarrass his rider. "It's quite alright. It was no trouble. We were just relaxing." The young woman replied, smiling. Even her smile was gorgeous! "And may I ask your name, beautiful?" Snotlout flirted smoothly. The girl chuckled and blushed, her cheeks turning a dusty rose color. "Brenna. Brenna Derganson." She said, petting her dragon, who nuzzled her back gently. "And this is Nightwing." Brenna introduced herself and her dragon. "Nice to meet you Brenna. I'm Snotlout Jorgenson. And this is my brave companion Hookfang. We saved Berk a few times you know." He smiled. Brenna nodded, "Ah yes...I know... it's nice to finally meet you both." She said.
Nightwing nudged her rider again, but this time she stepped passed her and walked right over to Hookfang. Hookfang leaned back for a moment, his neck craned in an "S" shape, before moving in close to Nightwing and sniffing her flank. Both dragons' eyes dilated as they stared at each other, before rising into the air together. They took off without warning, disappearing and leaving their riders alone next to the lake. "Well...I think our dragons like each other..." Brenna said quietly. "Um...yeah. I guess so..." Snotlout replied just as awkwardly. Neither really cared to know what their dragons were probably doing, knowing they were most likely play fighting somewhere. "So Brenna, I feel like I may have seen you around before. You live in Berk too, don't you?" Snotlout questioned the other rider. "Yes. My aunt is just always sending me to go find herbs for her, so I'm hardly home." "Oh, that blows. Who is your aunt?" Snotlout asked. "Gothi." Brenna replied with a smirk. "Gothi? Like Gothi, Gothi? About yay high? Carries a stick that she likes to hit you with?" Brenna laughed. "That's the one." She confirmed. "But you're so...young..." Snotlout said. "My mom is Gothi's younger sister's youngest daughter." She explained.
Snotlout nodded, finally understanding, or at least, understanding to the best of his ability. "I train with Gothi for part of the day, and then I go training with Nightwing. Sharpening our skills, improving our weak spots. Then we come here. We like to be alone..." Brenna explained. Seeing the slightly disappointed look on Snotlout's face, she quickly added, "But, having visitors is nice too." She said. Snotlout grinned. "Well, with Gothi as your aunt, I can see why you'd like time by yourself." He joked lightheartedly. "Did she tell you about the time she helped us find the snow wraith?" He wondered. Brenna laughed, "Oh yes. As I recall, you weren't much help in the search for the snow wraith tooth. She said you complained a lot." She countered, watching the dragon rider's cheeks flush slightly in response to her comment. "What about you? Shouldn't you be out training with Hiccup or patrolling the borders?" Brenna changed the subject. Snotlout shrugged. "Nah. It's my day off. Hookfang and I just won a race though." He replied, adding the last part in an effort to impress her.
Brenna nodded. "Well I wouldn't want to take away from your day off. Having such an important job must be stressful, I'd hate to use up the time you could be using to catch up on rest and relaxation." About that time, both dragons re-emerged from the trees near, hissing happily among themselves. The viking girl turned to her dragon, looking as though she was about to mount up. Snotlout's eyes widened, not wanting her to leave. He wanted to get to know her better. She seemed different than all the others. And plus, she had a Monstrous Nightmare! What was not to love? "Wait!" He began, catching her hand in both of his own as she moved to walk away. Brenna's mouth fell open in surprise, meeting his gaze with curiosity. "Er...um...I just...I wouldn't mind spending my day with a beautiful girl. Unless she doesn't want to..." He quickly added. Brenna blushed at the sweet gesture coming from the viking boy. She had heard rumors that Snotlout was an egotistical, flirtatious, impulsive jerk. And it may be true, but so far he didn't seem so bad. In fact, the longer she stood there, the more intrigued with him she became. There was more than what met the eye with the boy, and she was determined to discover what exactly that was.
Snotlout gingerly sat on the grass, holding his palm out to offer the girl a seat beside him. Brenna accepted his hand and sat down with the boy, eager to spend time getting to know him. Snotlout was instantly taken with the dragon rider, unable to look away from her. A brief, yet surprisingly comfortable silence fell over the pair, but it didn't last too long. Taking matters into his own hands, Snotlout was the first to speak. "Tell me about yourself." Brenna laughed at how sudden the question came, but quickly put together some generic answers to common questions. "Well, I'm seventeen years old. I love dragons, obviously, especially Monstrous Nightmares. My favorite color is blue. I'm next in line as healer. And...I love to train with Nightwing." "Wow! Look at that, we have so much in common already!" Snotlout exclaimed excitedly. "Oh really?" Brenna inquired with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Yeah! I'm also seventeen, I love Monstrous Nightmares, and training with my dragon!" He replied, trying to impress the girl beside him. He wasn't lying though. "Tell me more." Brenna prodded.
It took a second for Snotlout to gather his thoughts, all the while stammering over his words. "Er...well...my favorite color is actually red. I'm part of the Berk Watch with the other riders, and I used to work in the armory as the official weapons tester before moving to Dragon's Edge. Hookfang is my best friend. And I love dragon racing!" He added enthusiastically. "Interesting. I do remember seeing you test some of Gobber's new inventions out. I bet that was an interesting experience." Brenna stated, a knowing glint in those beautiful eyes. Snotlout chuckled, hoping she had only seen the days when the test runs had gone well and he hadn't unknowingly embarrassed himself in front of her. "Yeah, I guess so. He tried to kill me a few times, but it was a fun job." He briefly reminisced on the past few months, and how quickly his life had changed since leaving with the other riders to discover what amazing new dragon species and places lay beyond the archipelago. They hadn't been gone long, but even he had to admit that he got homesick once in awhile, just like his friends. Brenna's voice broke through his thoughts, capturing his attention again. "I think I'm going to like getting to know you, Snotlout." She smiled at him hopefully. "Me too...I mean...I...er...I'm going to like getting to know you too, Brenna." He agreed, his own smile forming on his lips as he felt an unfamiliar tug settling in his stomach. Who knows, maybe this girl could be the answer to his prayers. Whatever the case, he was grateful for her company nonetheless.
Brenna POV
An hour or so passed, the two of us talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Our likes, dislikes, friends, enemies...that sort of thing. We had a lot in common, but we had our fair share of differences too, which simply made our interaction all the more exciting. I told him about what it was like being a healer apprentice and how to take care of common everyday problems like muscle pain and nausea. He told me about Dragon's Edge, and what it was like living there, and how he and the gang had discovered so many new dragon species in such a short time. I couldn't help but envy him a bit, as my responsibilities here kept me tethered to Berk's mainland most days. Astrid had already offered for me to stay with her on Dragon's Edge, but I had turned her down, knowing I couldn't ask my aunt to be alone all the time. Despite that, I enjoyed listening to the stories he told me all the same. One of my favorites was about how they were constantly trying to defeat Dagur and his dragon trappers. He spoke so strongly about their mission, I could see how much he truly cared for everyone on Dragon's Edge and on Berk.
Two giant shadows fell upon us some time later, causing Snotlout and I to stop talking as we watched our dragons glide over the lake together, exchanging a series of soft hisses and roars. We glanced at each other as Hookfang and Nightwing circled the lake, before coming to a stop directly in front of us. They continued to hiss and sniff each other, clearly still getting to know one another, but neither of them showing any sign of aggression. They seemed like they were suddenly best friends. "You two have fun together?" Snotlout asked. Hookfang snorted and nudged my dragon happily, while Nightwing rubbed her cheek along his neck.
Just then, the sound of a horn blasted through the sky, one that I distinctly recognized as Gothi's. She was calling me back to help. "Shoot. I've got to go!" I exclaimed, getting to my feet. "Oh, yeah, totally. Hookfang and I should go too. Hiccup will be wondering where we've been." Snotlout muttered, seemingly a bit depressed about it. I frowned at that, but held out my hand to help him up. The Jorgenson boy grasped it and pulled himself up gratefully. "I really enjoyed speaking with you today, Snotlout. Maybe we could hang out again soon." I suggested. "Yeah. I enjoyed talking to you too. I'd like that." He replied, mood brightening once more. I grinned, hesitantly removing my hand from his and walking over to Nightwing. "Let's go home, girl." I whispered, getting into my saddle. "Bye, Snotlout!" I called over to the viking boy. "Bye, Brenna!" He waved back, watching as I took to the air. What a day...