Dragon Riders

(The morning dawn had passed and now the sun was high in the sky over these dangerous waters. Looking closely at the sky, a small figure was plummeting its way to the ground. A closer look you can see that it looks to be human shape. This shape you see...is a young dragon rider)

"How did I end up like this? It was supposed to be a normal flight. Like what Toothless and I do everyday. Now here I am hurtling ninety miles an hour towards the water. Oh Fire Lizards, this is going to really hurt.

(Time, literally, seemed to be standing still, for the man)

"Okay, first off. You all are probable wandering who the heck is this random person who is hurtling to his death. Let me introduce myself, my name is Hiccup. I know I know, but it wasn't really my choice. My mom says that in our old clan, people would say 'that a hideous name will ward off gnomes and trolls.' And along the lines that it's what they call the runts of the litter.

I know what you're thinking. How can a 6 whatever inch guy be a runt. Well let me tell you that I wasn't always this way.

Let me start at the beginning, my mother, Valka, was a head strong, fierce and courageous young Viking of an island called Berk. She told me, my father couldn't help but fall in love with her, but there was one problem. Dragons. Like any Viking, my parents would hunt and kill, like normal Vikings would do, to who ever dare threatened their home. They never questioned why though, just did it.

It wasn't until one day my mother shot down a large beast that was roaming the skies at night.

My mother, at first, was thinking of waking the village to go hunt it down. But something inside of her told her to go get the beast herself. Without a second thought, she went after it.

She was strolling through the woods trying to find the beast but had no luck. She wondered how she could have lost such a large dragon. It wasn't until she stumbled onto some broken branches and destroyed trees that she found it. There is was, wrapped up in a tightly netted rope laid a gigantic orange owl face like creature. Its double wings were wrapped tightly around its body. It smashed in face looked at her like it was reading her like an open book. Waiting, like it knew that what she was her to do. It closed its eyes and leaned it head into the dirt like it was giving her the opportunity to strike.

Like so many lesson, like so many things that have been pounded into her over the years, somehow drifted off. This feeling, this dragon…..she couldn't do it. She quickly cut the rope hoping the dragon would fly away. Once the last rope that held the dragon down was cut, the rope slipped off and all the dragon did was stare. Stare straight at my mother, confused at her antics. She tried desperately to get it to fly, go, to do anything really. The dragon continued to stare at her, which let her have no choice but to let out as frustrated sigh as she went back to the village.

She remembers how she heard loud footsteps behind and turned to see the dragon follow her. She would yell at it, telling it to stay, but it every time she moved it followed her.

I can still laugh from the image that plagued my head when she told me this.

She said it was very frustrating how, the male dragon she named Cloudjumper, would follow her around like a lost puppy. It took a couple of winter to teach him to stay and to trust her. They became very close, he even gave her the gift of flight. She said it was the most wonderful feeling, being on Cloudjumper's back and watch the cloud roam around you, the wind in your face, the smell of sea water and earth through your nose. But with all that it still was not a good idea to bring the dragon into the village. Even with their close bond, the village would surely kill Cloudjumper.

Fear ran through my mother at the thought of how the Vikings in the village would react. It's more of shoot first and ask question later my mom would say. That's why she kept him a secret.

A year had pass and my mom gave birth to me. I was small and helpless. Not at all what a Viking child should. Thus the name Hiccup.

Even with me, my mom felt her world was falling apart. She wasn't the same Viking anymore. She just couldn't harm a dragon after what she's been through with Cloudjumper. She couldn't tell the village, they would all think she was mad and banish her. She had no choice, she decided to pack up and leave, before they found out. Before they found Cloudjumper, she had to leave.

During that night while she packed, she saw me. I was staring up at her wondering what she was doing when idea flowed through her. What would happen to me? Would I be okay? Would they except me or seem me as a curse that drove my mother away? Feeling dread, my mother said her mother instincts took over as she grabbed me and left.

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It had been hours since we left our home. It was cold, and getting close to dark. My mother wondered how long until we see land. It was only until they came to a large glacier field did they think to stop and rest of the night. It was bare but what choice did they have. Night was coming and my mother did not know if they would be able to make the night.

Trying to finding a spot to land, she had no idea that we were followed. A fire blast came from behind as she had no choice but to defend. She clutch me to her chest as Cloudjumper tried his best to protect us. She remembered it happened so fast. The blast of fire, trying to dodge and trying to head for cover. It wasn't until we were blocked by large ghostly blue, very thin tidal dragon that we came to a halt. It would have been more of a skeleton if not for the skin on the dragon's body. Its thin body made it swift, even while it fired at us. The dragon began to circle us, and my mother saw on the back of the creature was a dark skin man. His face was broad as he yelled in a strange language. She stared at him confused until he came to Old Norse.

The man spoke slow, but strong. Wanting to know why she was here and what she wanted. She told him that she was just trying to find shelter for the night and did not mean any harm. The man stared at her, like he was judging her before deciding her fate. He saw no harm in her and told her to follow.

They flew through the glaciers until they came to a dark cavern. Entering it, they went through a long tunnel that began to warm up as they got more inside. The tunnel came to an end which revealed an entire island of green and clean water. Dragons flew all around them. It was the most spectacular site my mother had ever seen in her life. They came to a landing point on one of the main islands. My mother saw that they were not alone. Other riders with their dragons sat around a campfire as they looked up at their new arrival. Curious as they were, they did not pry. Except for the two children, a boy and girl. They wanted to know, so they ran up to the strange woman and her large dragon. Hearing their parents yell at them, the boy stopped, but the girl kept going. Ignoring her mother voice she wanted to know what my mother was holding. My mother introduced me to the little girl who stared at me with awe. She introduced herself as Camicazi to me and she stared blabbing on about how she lived her with her mother and that she would one day have her own dragon.

Camicazi was like any three year old. She seemed to think that Hiccup would understand her and kept on babbling. The other little boy would try to sneak a peek from a distance but Camicazi grabbed him and started saying that this was Erien and he is six years old. My mother said she could hear the boy whisperly say 'and a half'. My mother couldn't help but chuckle at the boy words.

Because the kids did this, they broke the tensions that separated my mother and me from the rest. They each introduce themselves. First was the leader Tortel. He is the dark skinned man that rode the skeleton dragon. He says that part of his heritage comes from a land called African. He was once a slave on his way to a place called England but Vikings took him from the English slave ship to sail to their home to be sold. He was able to escape when a dragon attacked them. He still rides that dragon that saved him, which he calls Narses.

Next is a large giant tall broad man named Ordindal. He has a long beard with dread lock dirty blonde hair that cover his eyes and most of his face. He does not talk much but he is kind even though he frightens outsiders with his giant appearance. He is the black smith of the group. He rides on a large broad dragon that looks like the grown up version of a Gronckles . He named him Bard.

Then there is Bertha, who is the mother of the three year old Camicazi. She was too like my mother who came from a Viking village. She came be a part of the group when her village was attacked by an enemies, who were another Viking clan, that they had no choice but to run. They were rescued by Tortel but sadly Camicazi's father died due to a mortal wound before they could reach the sanctuary. She has a fire dragon which she named after her husband called Authun.

Last is Skur, Father of Erien. He was once a general in his own tribe but one night was attacked by the Drago army. No one survived but Skur and Erien when they had no choice but to escape to the woods. They were hunted by the army but later escaped with both his son's semi looking Monstrous Nightmare and his earth dragon named Erlend.

My mother was astonished to see other riders like herself. But later learned that they had more in common than she thought. What turned out to be spending the night became more.

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It had been a couple of years now and I was turning three. Camiczai, who I called Cammy at the time because I could not pronounce words very well, was playing with me until we came upon Erien, who I called Eri, and his dragon Ran.

I was so memorized by his dragon's uniqueness. Ran was very similar to a Monstrous Nightmare, except for the blue scales and the turquoise belly. Its horns and wings were amazing as well. On the end of each end were there glowing balls. Ran could dim or make them brighter. They were used to help attract prey. I think it's cool how when Erien rides Ran through the sky you can see the streak that the glow leaves. (think Monstrous Nightmare had a child with an angler fish)

Cammy on the other hand, was jealous of Erien and his dragon. She was six years old and wanted a dragon of her very own. Thus the two leading into another argument of "how it's not fair" and "it's not my fault no dragon likes you."

"Show off"

"Jealous much"

This also led to me getting bored and usually walking away. It wasn't until they start beating each other that the adults have to come and separate them. But that day was different. The day I met my friend and very own dragon.

I was about to walk away when I tripped over a large rock. Both Cammy and Eri turned to look at me to see my face covered in leaves and dirt. They both laughed at me while I tried not to cry. I turned to look at my tormentor to see that it was not a rock but a blue-ish purple dragon egg. I tried to get a better look at it but a dark shatter loomed over me.

Looking up, I saw that it was my mother along with the rest of the adults who had been looking for us. My mother asked me "What's that you got there?" She then picked me up and started whipping my face with her sleeve. "Why do I always find you dirty?" Trying to get away from my mother, I pointed my arms to the dragon egg.

Sadly, Tortel put his hand on the egg and shook his head. He said this one is dead and we left it. As we headed back to base camp, I looked over my mother's shoulders at the dead egg. Inside I knew that , that egg was no ordinary egg.

Once at base we heard the sound of rumbling along with dragons screeching at the sky. Ordindal said a storm's a-coming and we all prepared for the stormy night ahead.

After eating our food the storm started to really show its power. Lighting crackled through the sky as the loud thunder soon followed. I jumped in my mother's arms every time a thunder came. My mother tried to calm me down, saying it was okay. Ordindal did something really weird that helps me out to this day. He watched the lightening, then counted with his fingers until under roar of thunder came about.

He told us that by counting we can see how far off the storm is. His father taught him this method for future storms. It became a game to us children and we all started counting.

A few minutes later, my eyes began to droop as sleep was beginning to overtake me. It wasn't until a loud boom followed by a bright light from a lightning bolt hitting the ground did we all jump in surprise and fright.

For some reason my body moved on its own. I got out of my mother's arms and ran towards were the lighting struck. My mother and everyone else ran after me. We came to a halt at a giant crater in the ground with only the same blue-ish purple dragon egg in the middle. Electricity coursing around the egg as tiny crackle and cooing could be heard.

I went down into the crater and my mother shouted at me to stop, but Tortel held her back. I came up to the strange egg and watched as little eyes began to look out from the cracks. I tried to coax the baby dragon out of the egg and large wing broke out of the egg. The egg then shattered to pieces as out came a black cat/bat like dragon. His yellowish-green eyes widely stared up at me, as he began to let out a coo.

I heard Skur say "Will you look at that. Lighting and death itself."

"A Night Fury" Said Ordindal. "I only heard of them from the legends"

I stuck my hand out as the baby Night Fury began to sniff it. It let out a sneeze that let out a plasma bolt. His powerful blast knocked back on his butt and he stared sniffling. I laugh at the silly dragon and tried the best I could to hold him.

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After that day, Toothless and I became inseparable. Your probably wondering why in the Thunderdrum's name did I name a Night Fury Toothless. At first the dragon had no sign of teeth, which shocked most of us. It was only until lunch time did the Night Fury show off his pearly whites. Apparently Night Furies have attractable teeth. And thus I called him Toothless and he would come whenever I called him that.

Plus I was three. So what, sick a terror on me.

If you're wondering about Cammy, don't. She got her own dragon one day when she thought someone was messy with her. It was a white long furry air dragon that had a sliverish-white scale tummy. Its horns were twisted like a sheep's. To tell you the truth, we didn't see it until it blew hot air on Cammy's neck.

Sad part was that it was quick and whenever she turned around it would quickly hide on the other side her. She would often yell at us to quit it, but we tried to tell her it wasn't us. But alas the dragon blended so well into the white stony background that you could see it. Its horns look like branches growing out of the rock.

It continued like this for days, until Cammy got fed up with it. She would start building weird contraptions to try and catch the beast that loved to torment her. Whenever we tried to ask, but she would only say that 'she was on a mission' and run off with all her supplies.

After a while, she trapped herself in one of her own devices and it was too far for anyone to help her. Thus she was left with only one thing. The white dragon. She told me that she knew that it was staring at her in mock for at least two hours, forty-three minutes, and ninety-three seconds.

After that they had a mutual bond in tormenting everyone one else. Until she would get yelled at.

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After a couple of years, Toothless and I were old enough to take our first flight together. It was scary at first since I never ridden a dragon by myself before. I had always ridden with my mother and she too was worried. The first flight was been amazing. I know understood why everyone said the first flight was special. Every day to every year I would practice on Toothless. We loved the challenge of daring courses and races with the others.

Ordindal saw me try to sketch out new idea of how we can go faster. He showed me his practice and got me hooked on the work of a black smith. We even came up with saddles for our dragons, which actually reduced the problem of back aches and soars.

Every day was a new day in our lives as dragon riders. We were outcast, people who rode wild untamable beast who would kill a man just for by looking at him. We thought that we could be happy. Live like this with no one who could bother us. But all dreams have to come to an end. That days we meet our eternal enemy.

A Viking ship was along the shorelines due to broken sails from probably a storm. They probably thought that they had hit a remote glacier. We had no time to think for when we saw them they had seen us. That day, the man known as Drago, had form a dark plan into his head. Our mission from that day forth was to protect the dragons who have protected us. We would fight until we were no more.