(Important Notice)
Okay, you guys are gonna laugh at this one... I made another book... Yeah, I know that means more time away from writing this one, but I'm still going to try to update it as much as I can.
My motivation just has not been there to write recently, and I got inspiration to start a new work. I also know that I still have TWO other books(which I put on hiatus for now), but I'll get to those later.
Anyway, if you want to read more of what I'm writing while waiting for this one to update, go read my new work "Reincarnated as Discord in MLP."
I'll be updating that one either every 3 days or a week, depending on how much time I have on my hands. Again, sorry for not updating as much. Enjoy the chapter!
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Third Person POV
'Another day, another training session where I wonder how some of us made it to our teenage years.' Kaarik thought as he listened to the screams of his group.
So here I was sitting on top of Indra as we watched the others train. It's been weeks since our last training session, so I was going to go extra hard on them. However, it's safe to say they all immediately shut that idea down and elected Helga to train with instead.
"I can't be that bad to train with? Right?" I mumbled to myself as I watched them.
"Stay close, everyone!" Helga's voice rang out as she and the rest of the group dodged through trees and branches. Adjusting her grip on Toothless's leather saddle, they banked smoothly around a massive tree. "We're practicing low-altitude evasive drills. That means keeping eyes open and communication tight!"
Behind her, the rest of the gang followed in formation. Astrid was cutting precise lines on Stormfly, Snotlout doing the usual showboating on Hookfang, and the twins were bickering as Barf and Belch nearly clipped a pine tree. Kaarik was hovering above the forest, watching their training. Since Indra was too big, he wasn't able to take part in drills like this.
"Easy, bud." Kaarik murmured, patting his dragon's back as it growled in annoyance. Being unable to participate in drills bored him, without anything to do.
As I continued watching them for a few more minutes, I saw Fishlegs and Meatlug go crashing into a tree. Seeing this, Indra laughed in his weird dragon voice. It's kind of creepy sometimes, to be honest.
"Kaarik! Helga!" Fishlegs's voice echoed panic-stricken from somewhere deeper in the woods.
Helga pulled Toothless up into a sharp climb. "Fishlegs?"
They found Meatlug wedged firmly between two tight oak trunks, her hind legs dangling uselessly while Fishlegs fussed over her harness.
"What happened?" Helga asked, dismounting quickly while Toothless landed with an agile thud.
As everyone else dismounted their dragons, Fishlegs began trying to explain. "It was a... I don't know, a flaming squirrel or something! A demon!" Fishlegs squeaked, his face pale. "It darted right past us, sparked like crazy, and startled Meatlug into the trees!"
Snotlout burst out laughing as Hookfang touched down. "Right, Fishlegs. A flaming squirrel. Did it also ask you to recite the Book of Dragons?" He continued holding his stomach from laughter.
Kaarik remained atop Indra, scanning the treeline. The giant dragon lowered his head, nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air, the crest along his neck twitching as he registered something faint.
"My dragon's sense of smell may not be as good as Toothless', but even he smells something that wasn't near us before.
Before Helga could respond, a sudden streak of orange light zip-zagged through the undergrowth ahead, leaving a trail of smoking embers on the grass. Toothless immediately let out a sharp, protective warble, stepping between Helga and whatever flew past.
"Wait here." Helga told the others, unhooking her knife and creeping forward into the ferns.
Kaarik slid down from Indra's saddle, holding up a hand to signal his massive dragon to stay alert. The titan wing settled low, its eyes narrowing as it readied to strike if its rider faced any danger.
Parting a cluster of wet ferns, Helga gasped. "Guys... look."
Cowering near the root of an old dead tree was a tiny dragon. It had to be the size of a small dog. It was bright orange and yellow, with tiny wing-claws and an oversized head. It whimpered, clutching one of its swollen, bruised front talons.
"It's just a baby." Helga said, her expression softening immediately. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small piece of dried fish, holding it out gently. "Hey there, little guy. You're a long way from home, aren't you?"
The baby dragon sniffed the fish, let out a high-pitched chirrup, and snatched it from her hand. Toothless, however, was not impressed. The Night Fury snarled low in his throat, his ears flattened straight back. He nudged Helga forcefully with his snout, trying to push her away from the infant.
"Toothless, stop it! He's hurt." Helga chided softly, scratching the Night Fury under his chin to calm him. "Look at his leg."
Kaarik knelt beside Helga, his shadow looming over the tiny dragon. His Titan Wing Skrill poked its massive snout into the foliage, letting out a heavy burst of warm air from its nostrils. The baby dragon squeaked in alarm at the giant electrical predator, quickly scrambling behind Helga's boot.
"Careful, Helga." Kaarik warned, his eyes narrowed as he examined the burn marks on the surrounding grass. "Look at the ground. Those scorch marks form a distinct circular pattern. This isn't any standard stoker or tracker class dragon."
"We need to get him back to the village and patch up that leg," Helga insisted, gently scooping the small orange dragon into her arms.
"Or, just a quick thought, we leave the baby dragon here in case its mother returns." Kaarik suggested intently.
"We can do that after he gets a little better." She retorted.
"Helga…"
"Kaarik."
'Curse your maternal instincts...' Kaarik thought as the others stared at them as they both stared each other down.
"Are you guys sensing some romantic tension?" Tuffnut said, only for the group to turn to him and look at him like he was crazy. "Just me? Okay fine, whatever."
Helga remounted Toothless, holding the small dragon securely in her lap. "We can handle it. How much trouble could one tiny dragon really cause?"
Kaarik glanced down at the intricate, scorched spiral pattern left in the mud where the baby had been resting. "Famous last words, Helga. Famous last words."