I opened my eyes. Everything was still dark. Around me I could hear the scuffling of the Nadder. Then it flew away.

The light came back, making me blink and shield my eyes. Something shuffled beside me. Hiccup and Astrid rushed to my side.

"Are you ok?" Hiccup demanded. His eyes flashed with worry.

"Yeah. What happened?" I asked, standing up. The green Nadder was nowhere in sight. I turned around. Stormfly was gazing gently down at me.

"Stormfly curled around you." Astrid said, stepping up to place a hand on her dragon. "That's what protected you from the spines."

"But what made the dragon go berserk?" I asked.

"You must have stepped on a twig, or it was scared when you fell back." Hiccup said.

I looked at the ground. It was embedded with a line of green spines tipped in white. A few were scattered loose at my feet. I picked one up.

"Are these poisonous?" I asked.

"Venom sixteen." Hiccup's face was dark.

The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I stared at the deadly spike in my hands. But as I studied it, I saw a peculiar mark swirled in the green part. The white tip was also pretty. I started to tuck it into my belt.

"I wouldn't do that." Astrid said. Hiccup looked ready to say the same thing.

"I'll be fine." I finished tucking the spike away, making sure it wasn't in a position to poke me.

"Um... do you want to go home now?" Hiccup asked.

"No way." I smiled. "I'm not going to quit now. Nothing will stop me from getting my own dragon."

"Alright." Hiccup gave me a small smile. "Let's keep looking.

In minutes we came across a blue Gronckle. I wasn't fond of the stumpy reptiles, I wanted a faster dragon. But I figured until I was more skilled it would be a good start.

It ended with me out of breath. Those things weren't as slow as they seemed.

It took awhile but we found another Nadder. This one was orange, so I knew it wasn't the same one.

"Put it out put it out!" I screamed as I bounced around with the end of my shoulder length hair on fire. Astrid told me to stand still, then she put it out with her bare hands.

Later we found yet another Nadder. I didn't try.

"I don't want a Nadder." I told Hiccup and Astrid, my heart racing.

My heart raced even more when, after a long search, the next dragon turned out to be a Monstrous Nightmare.

"Make Snotlout proud." Astrid mocked.

"Just relax..." Hiccup glared at Astrid.

Relax?

"...and approach with an outstretched hand."

When we walked away, boy did my hand hurt.

"Thankfully it's no worse than a quick hot water burn." Hiccup studied my palm.

"That's what you think!" I wailed. But my heart fluttered as I watched him fondle my hand in his. He had pushed me out of the way.

Gronckle. Lava Blast.

Zippleback. I admit, when they pulled me out of the smoke I didn't remember much.

Another Zippleback. No treats, no treaty.

Yet ANOTHER Nadder.

"I can't do this." I backed away.

"You don't have to if--" Hiccup started.

"Face your fears, you'll be fine." Astrid pushed me forward. I looked at my bandaged hand.

"Alright." I muttered. Almost on tip-toe, I walked up to the resting Nadder.

"Hi," I said lamely.

The yellow dragon, curled up, lifted its head and stared at me.

"You're not going to hurt me, are you?" I asked. I ache all over from running and getting hit and getting burned..."

Before I knew it, I was right in front of the Deadly Nadder. My hand lingered in front of its face. I couldn't touch it.

"Touch her." Hiccup encouraged. I didn't turn to look at him. I was eye to eye with this beautiful creature.

My hand touched her yellow nose. It was cool and smooth. We continued to look into each other's eyes.

"Thank you." I murmured.

She blinked. Her body started to shift and her wings rustled. Then she was standing above me, still looking into my pale blue eyes.

"Now what do I do?" I asked.

"Try to get on her back." Hiccup instructed from behind. "Careful, she's never had anyone on her back before."

I placed my hand on the Nadder's cream chin and began running it to her shoulder.

"Can I ride you?" I asked. She blinked.

Grasping the start of her wing, I jumped up, trying to heft myself on. I thought I'd done it when my feet hit the ground again. My dragon sidestepped, but didn't fly away or act aggressive.

"Sorry." I apologized. I tried again, and again my feet landed on the ground.

Only this time it wasn't the ground. It was her foot. With a squawk, she flew away.

I through back my head and screamed in frustration.

The day ended with what Hiccup and Astrid called a Typhoomarang. Smoke stains and dirt on my clothes were the last straw. Toothless and Stormfly drove the monster away.

"What was that I said earlier about nothing stopping me from getting my own dragon?" I groaned as Hiccup helped me up.

"That's pretty much it." Hiccup assisted me onto Toothless' back before getting on himself. We took off and I rested against his back. My eyes closed, I felt his mop of hair tickling my face. By the time we'd reached Berk I was almost asleep.

My body jarred as Toothless hit the ground. I opened my eyes. We were in front of my house.

"You probably want to rest." Hiccup said, twisting around in the saddle.

I nodded.

"Hiccup, there you are." Stoick walked up as Hiccup helped me off Toothless' back.

"Hey Dad." Hiccup smiled.

The chief looked his son up and down. "What did this girl do to you?" he asked.

Hiccup was covered head to toe in smoke stain from pulling me out of harms way. His face and hands were smudged with mud and his hair was messier than usual.

"Nothing, Dad." Hiccup's smile faded. "We're fine."

"Oh I can see that." Stoick snorted. I cringed. "Are you hurt?"

"No Dad." Now Hiccup was beginning to frown. "Astrid and I took her to Dragon Island, that's all. She didn't try to burn me at the stake."

He winced at his own words and sent me an apologetic look.

"Fine. As long as you're safe." Stoick walked away.

Sighing, Hiccup followed him.

I watched them leave.

"He hates me." I whimpered.

"Stoick?" Astrid led me into my house. "No. He's scared of you."

I didn't pursue the subject. Stoick was mad at me for what happened two weeks ago. I had tried to kill Toothless, his son's dragon. I knew Berk's chief was worried for Hiccup's safety, all of his people's safety in fact, and apparently killing Toothless would endangered everyone. Without Toothless, Hiccup was weak. With Hiccup weak, he couldn't protect Berk.

I had been angry at first, but what if Stoick was right? What if I had put Hiccup in danger? He wasn't exactly the strongest Viking ever.

I put the green Nadder spike in my cupboard. Maybe Hiccup would make me a sheath for it and it could be my personal weapon. Then I shook my head to get rid of the images. My hair flew in my face.

My hair!

"Look at my hair!" I exclaimed, holding out the ends. They were grey and stringy now.

"Hey, it's a battle scar." Astrid encouraged. "It looks good."

I felt a wimpy tear threaten to fall. It didn't look good to me. I'd been so proud of my thick, white hair. Now the beautiful ends were ruined. My hair was tipped in ugly grey. It did not look good.

This morning had been so sunny. Now the sun was setting and so was my happiness.

"Astrid? How will I ever get my own dragon?"