"I don't see anything," I mutter.

Nightstar snorts in response as we fly though the sky, the expanse of blue dotted with fluffy clouds. Our quest to find a new home isn't going too good, especially since the amount of villages around here is equivalent to the amount of care I give to the situation. That equals nil. Honestly, this idea is one of the stupidest I've had in a while. I slump over, pressing my forehead against Nightstar's back as I inhale and exhale, brainstorming.

I sit up abruptly, causing my dragon to roar lightly in annoyance.

"What if...we live with other dragons?" I suggest. "Like, we find a nest and...um..."

She looks back at me, shrugging her shoulders. It might work, but maybe humans would be better for you.

"Humans don't need some nomad ruining the way they work. We just need someplace to call a home." I sigh and run my hands down my face. "Back to the drawing board."

Nightstar suddenly perks up, a nervous shake going through her body. I listen closer as I scan the horizon, a few roars sounding like they're a league or so away. Not wanting to run into other dragons right now, I nudge Nightstar in order to urge her to move up. We fly higher into a small cloud cover, but the two of us are still too curious to fly away.

We get closer, and then I hear something incredibly unfamiliar. The dragons are roaring, yes, but there's the sound of laughter accompanying them; human laughter.

I look down through the clouds as the shapes fly directly underneath the two of us. I count five dragons, six riders mounted on their backs.

I do a double take, my brown eyes widening.

"Nightstar, look! They're dragon riders," I whisper. She nods, letting me know that she sees them too. "Should we follow them?"

She replies by turning around and gliding carefully behind them, still under the cover of the clouds. We're both cautious, watching them carefully.

As we get closer, I can identify the different dragons. There's a Zippleback with two riders, one for each head. There's also a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronckle, and a Deadly Nadder. The last dragon is the one that catches my attention. It's the same kind of dragon as Nightstar; a Fury.

Instantly, I feel an insatiable urge to talk to these people. It may be foolish of me, but if they have answers about Nightstar then I want them.

"Let's reveal ourselves," I say to my dragon, keeping my voice low. "But fly ahead. They can call out to us if they choose."

She nods. We duck below the cloud cover and zoom ahead, acting like we don't notice any of them. I wait, counting down the seconds and nearly forgetting to breathe in the process.

"Hey!" someone yells. I look back to see that the Fury dragon rider is waving to me. "Come back! We're not gonna hurt you!"

Nightstar slows down, turning sharply so that we're facing them. Her large wings beat the air, the two of us hovering from a safe distance away. The rider that just spoke to me motions for me to follow, his group heading straight for some nearby land. I follow, but remain on edge. I check my belt, where my trusty knife is ready for action.

They touch down on the ground while I land Nightstar among the branches of the trees. She bares her teeth a little while I look down at the newcomers, straight-faced and mysterious.

"I can't believe it..." the blonde woman riding the Deadly Nadder whispers.

The two people riding the Zippleback nod in agreement, both of them twins with golden hair. There's a rather pudgy Viking on the Gronckle, while a stout dark-haired man sits on the Monstrous nightmare.

Nightstar cocks her head, her snarl falling as she takes on a confused persona. I pat her neck gently, soothing her, but my gaze doesn't waver from them.

The man on the black dragon says nothing, only stares at Nightstar in amazement. He's handsome and tall, with dark brown hair and green eyes. There's a small scar on his chin and some small braids just behind his right ear. He has light stubble on his chin and his left foot is missing, replaced by a metal and wood attachment.

"Can you come down? Please?" he asks softly. "I swear we won't do anything to you."

I take a moment, weighing the options. I decide easily, choosing the possibly foolish option of talking to them. I nod to the man, leaning down to my dragon's ear.

"Touch down carefully," I whisper. "Prepare to fly away if the need arises."

She leaps off the branch gracefully, sweeping downwards. Her paws alight on the warm earth without a sound, her head stretching up proudly. I remain seated, my posture straight and my head held high so that I too look as regal as my dragon.

"You have a Night Fury," the handsome man says in awe.

"Is that what she is?" I inquire smoothly. "I thought it was just 'Fury'."

The man doesn't hesitate to bombard me with questions, something that slightly puts me off. Still, I can't refuse a curious mind. Knowledge is power, they say.

"Where did you find her?" he wonders.

"In a forest far from here about nine years ago," I answer curtly with a slight shrug of my shoulders.

The man gets off of his Night Fury and walks towards me. I tense, making him stop instantly. He holds up his hands in defence, giving me a gentle smile. I relax only a tiny bit. No human has smiled at me since I was orphaned, and his is so kind; so warm and inviting.

I take a deep breath and slide off Nightstar's back. I cross my arms, her tail surrounding my legs protectively as she remains on edge. The male Night Fury watches her, his light green eyes wide.

"I'm Hiccup," the man introduces himself, still smiling pleasantly.

I swallow the nervous lump in my throat, one hand surrounding my wrist as I look down. I muster my courage and straighten up, hands secured in tight fists.

"I'm...Thora. This is Nightstar." I gesture to my reptilian friend.

"That's Toothless," Hiccup says, jerking a thumb at his dragon. "And these people are Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs." He points to each person as he says their name. I note that the female twin is Ruffnut and the male is Tuffnut.

Nightstar makes a small growling noise of greeting. She and Toothless move towards each other, sniffing and pawing at one another tentatively. I wave to Hiccup's five companions, suddenly feeling unnaturally shy.

Hiccup clasps his hands together, chuckling a little. His green eyes are alight with excitement, his lips never stopping their content smile.

"So, Thora, are you from another village?" he inquires.

My throat tightens, my body stiffening. Instead of answering his question, I comment, "You ask a lot of questions, huh?"

He rubs the back of his neck, looking guilty. "Um..."

I smack myself mentally for being so snappish, shaking my head. "Yes, but that village is gone."

They all look at each other warily. Nightstar makes a little noise and looks back at me. I send her a silent "I'm okay" with one look.

Hiccup's eyes soften. "Well...we're from Berk. If that's of any importance to you-"

"You live in Berk? We were looking for it!" I exclaim, instantly more interested. I shut my mouth, letting out a little cough. "Uh...well...trying to, that is."

"What happened to your old home?" Astrid asks slowly, tilting her head a little.

My eyes squeeze shut involuntarily, the dragon fire blazing in my mind. It does anger me a little that they want to ask me so many questions right now, but maybe this is like their test to see if I'm safe to bring home. My eyes snap open, the brown seeming to glow red for a split second. My hand surrounds the necklace hanging around my neck, squeezing a little.

"Destroyed when I was seven. I haven't settled down anywhere else," I say calmly.

"You've been alone for that long?" Fishlegs asks in shock. "Woah."

"Only four years were spent alone. I found Nightstar when I was eleven." I pause. "Why are you so interested in her anyways?"

"As far as we knew, Toothless was the only Night Fury left," Hiccup says. He switches his gaze to Nightstar, awed. "Now, we finally found another one."

I look at the two dragons. They're now wrestling and playing while the other four dragons watch with wide-eyed interest. I smile lightly at them, knowing that my dragon must've been as lonely as me these last few years.

"If I'm allowed, could I come back to Berk with you?" I inquire.

"Of course!" Hiccup exclaims. "Everyone's gonna be so excited! Oh man..."

He stops talking as he grins breathlessly, Toothless running to his side. I whistle, making Nightstar gallop to me. The other riders take off, and I climb onto her back. With another deep breath, I take off and follow them as they soar into the sky.

We are going to Berk, and I'm not sure how that's going to work out.