I have decided to present a short story which I had a while ago but never went along with finishing it. This piece of work is quite short (five chapters the most), but it gives a little insight on a possible Feral!Astrid AU. And I have to say... I quite enjoy writing this.

Leave a review of what you think :)

Also, should I continue?

Souls of Dragons

Chapter 1: An Unwelcoming Meeting

This was a strange land for him.

Filled with the vast space of flight for any dragon. An icy wall of solitude surrounding a flock of dragons, encircling a tree that was so tall it could reach Asgard, if not for the barrier. Beautiful plants that grew around, it was almost like paradise. Unlike Berk, he thought, solemnly. But it was a nice sight apart from civilization; he could tell that there were no humans here. Only dragons occupied this secluded place, separate from the outside world of Vikings.

A safe haven for dragons.

Hiccup was Dragon Master, after all, as many nations had called him, so he knew how dragons worked. He was the protector of Berk, and the son of Stoick the Vast and Valka the Gentle. He represented the future of Berk, the future where dragons and Vikings could live in harmony. He was meant to be a peace keeper, and succeed his father as the Chief of Berk, once he was old enough.

He was not supposed to be in some dragon sanctuary.

He did not belong to such a place.

Hiccup sighed, as he took in the sight around him. Yea, it was quite beautiful here. He loved the sight of the space, where a rather large dragon of sorts had created a protective haven for all dragons. It contained all types of dragons, ranging from the smallest Terrible Terror to large dragons he had never seen. It was beautiful.

The young man recognized the standard dragons. Well, standard for him; from Monstrous Nightmares to Gronkles. He noticed there were a few Terrible Terrors and Zipplebacks. And yet, he did not most of the dragons that had started to walk over and sniff him with curiosity. Some had large back legs with gimpy forelegs, while others were thick and sprouted six legs. He was certain that a couple of them could change the colour of their scales.

Toothless seemed to love the sight of the place. He already made himself known and sniffed the dragons with curiosity. Sure, Toothless started to hiss at the dragons that would get too close to Hiccup, but that was normal. A behaviour that was like with dogs. And Toothless found himself three Deadly Naddar hatchlings to pay attention to.

But Hiccup could not stay here.

He had merely flown with Toothless to escape his home. He wanted to be away from Berk, and from his father's decision to make an arranged marriage. Luckily, his mother was against the idea (at least someone was on his side). She voiced her opinion so loud that Hiccup's friend Camicazi could hear from the other side of the Archipelago (and yes, Camicazi sent him a Terror letter to confirm Mrs. Haddock's range of vocal anger).

When his parents sat and argued their son's future, Hiccup had darted passed Finna's questions and hopped on Toothless and flew away. He didn't want to talk with anyone except for Toothless. At least he could count on the dragon to not bring up anything that related to the words wife and marriage. He trusted that the dragon would agree with him on anything.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Toothless glanced up at the twenty-year-old rider on his back. He growled softly as the young adult fully relaxed and leaned against the Night Fury's back.

The sun was starting to set and the clouds in the sky were marking the final colors of day with dark oranges and disappearing blue. The wind was blowing against the two friends, but it did not bother them. It was refreshing to see the beautiful colours around them in the clouds, far away from their island home.

"Sorry, bud. Just angry, I guess," the boy muttered.

The Night Fury grumbled, so Hiccup continued: "Maybe Mom will talk some sense into him. It wouldn't be the first time."

As for the dragon sanctuary... That was the tricky part.

He had minded his own business. He only paid attention to the vast space of clouds and fresh air above him. He didn't ask to anger a mysterious Vigilante dragon-man. Especially one that could easily beat him up and wrap his spleen around his neck. At least, that was what Hiccup figured.

Toothless was the one flying, after all. He was the one who flew in the territory of the weird Vigilante. Hiccup had stared at the forming stars above him and asked Toothless if it was a good idea to leave Berk and not go through with the marriage. To not have to settle down and miss on the adventures that were still out there... dragons to be discovered... lands to be seen...

"But I don't understand why Dad wants this stupid arrangement. It's not like I want to get married. I haven't seen Heather in months… maybe she's completely different." Hiccup sighed as he stroked his friend's scales. "I'm just lucky Mom's taking my side in all this."

Toothless nodded and cooed in response.

"Thanks, bud." Hiccup patted his best friend's head. "Nothing could break the bond between us."

But it wasn't like he hated the girl he was betrothed to; in fact, Heather was quite nice. The last time Hiccup met her, that is. And that was… last year, during Snoggletog, maybe? It was just that she was the daughter of a neighboring chief and Dad thought it would help her island with protection, while Berk received supplies. Both parties benefited from the arrangement.

It was the perfect plan. Except Hiccup hated it.

Hiccup never saw himself as the married type, or a married man to be exact. He was too busy flying, making things, drawing things, finding dragons, and the usual stuff for a twenty-year-old to do. Plus, he helped his mother around the house and worked with Gobber at the forgery, and not to mention that Finna spent most of her time trying to train Hiccup in swordsmanship. Oh, and there was the Dragon Academy he and Fishlegs were working on together.

And Dad thought he needed a wife?

Hiccup chuckled, as he watched Toothless played with baby Deadly Naddars. Wives always lead to... other things. Leaving home. Not able to leave the house as much. Working on what husbands where supposed to do (what that was, he had no idea).

And…. he shuttered slightly. Kids.

The young heir was not used to being around little kids. Growing up as the town's runt (or, ironically, a hiccup), he did not spend much time with or around kids. Well, besides his younger sister Finna, who was born three years after him and the average daughter of a chief. It didn't help that she was favored by Stoick, as she could easily swing an axe and pick up on killing dragons growing up. Yea, Hiccup loved his sister, but she was the perfect Viking. He did not fit in with her.

He did not fit with anyone.

So why would a wife, let alone a baby, want him as a supportive father and husband? It did not make sense to him. Which was why he decided that he was not ready to start a family. He wasn't ready to settle down, not with all these dragons to explore.

And the reason why he left with Toothless.

But that stupid reptile had to ruin it. While Hiccup was contemplating on whether he should go back and tell his father that he was declining the marriage, Toothless had picked up the scent of a human.

A scent that was more dragon than human.

Toothless growled protectively.

Hiccup looked down. "What's the matter, bud?"

Out of the clouds sprouted a Deadly Naddar. It began to encircle the Night Fury, causing the wind to push the clouds and create a smoke effect. Surrounding the creature in a mysterious mist.

Hiccup grabbed on the rails of his saddle protectively. There was something odd about this dragon. A small figure in amour stood on his back. It was a human. Riding a dragon. And it was a Deadly Naddar; not many Hooligans chose them simply because they were harder to train.

Yet. There it was: a Deadly Naddar with a rider.

Hiccup had tried to calm his friend, while the Naddar encircled them. The rider on its back stared at him with empty eyes, and a mask to hide the face. Coated in furs and armour right to the hands. If Hiccup did not look closer, he would have mistaken the rider for… well, not a human.

Hiccup tried to pull his dragon away. He suddenly caught the instincts of the dragon and pulled on Toothless' harness. "We need to leave, bud. We need to go now."

But the Night Fury was in a trance. The beast would not listen to his rider, despite the protests.

The chief's son had no option. He darted passed the mysterious person under the clouds and hoped that the rider would not follow.

Well, Hiccup was proven wrong: spike-like darts quickly passed through the clouds and swung passed them. Hiccup pulled Toothless left and right to avoid the darts, but each second brought at least three more his way.

Hiccup looked back, making sure that the rider and Deadly Naddar were not still following them. "What is up with this guy?" he asked Toothless.

The Night Fury did not respond.

As he thought he was alone, and finally free of those darts, Toothless followed the many dragons that appeared. They varied from much larger to much smaller than Toothless, but Hiccup could not recognize most of the species. Many were foreign to him.

They squawked at the presence of the human and tried to knock him off Toothless. But Hiccup put up a fight; he drew out Inferno as he rode on Toothless. Midair, the dragons were in awe of the fire and allowed both friends to follow them.

That was where Hiccup found the sanctuary.

However, he still could not find the rider, which terrified him. The two friends had been with these baby Naddars for who knows how long and they haven't come across any vigilante humans, or even the Deadly Naddar that he was riding.

He shuttered. Hiccup was not sure where the rider was, and that scared him more than the conflict that ensued not too long ago. Could the rider follow him here in this... sanctuary for dragons? A part of Hiccup wanted to believe that this rider would not. But he could not be sure; the rider seemed hostile when Hiccup and Toothless entered this… region. Perhaps he lives here, Hiccup thought.

Sadly, he didn't get a better look at the rider either.

From what Hiccup remembered, there had not been any Viking settlements this far from Berk. Hiccup would have known; he spent the past five years integrating dragon riding and training to all parts of the Barbaric Archipelago. And this place, especially, did not come up on either his maps or stories from talking with the neighboring tribes.

The rider would not be happy if he found Hiccup and Toothless in the dragon sanctuary. Hiccup may not have known how all these dragons came here, but some looked as though they went through terrible injuries. And those injuries looked as thought they were healed by a human... a human who lived with the dragons and was most likely protective of them. If the rider attacked them simply because the two friends had flown near this region-

"Bud, we can't stay here," Hiccup decided.

Toothless rolled his eyes, as he licked the baby Naddar's head. "These pups are too cute. They want me to play with them." As to prove his point, he rubbed his head against all three of the Nadders' heads. The hatchlings seemed to love that, as they kissed their new friend's head with little licks.

Nice help, Hiccup thought to himself. "I hope the rider finds you, you know that? I hope he-" He paused. "I hope he makes you a little slave. He'll make you work and find all the fish and hunt for him." Hiccup laughed. "And he won't rub your belly when you get a bellyache."

"Keep dreaming, Hiccup," Toothless snorted.

Hiccup rolled his eyes this time, as he walked over to the Naddars. Each baby dragon sprouted their own colours of scales. One was a light magenta, while the other two were lime green and baby blue. As most Deadly Naddars, their dart-like spikes on their tails were yellow. And they can pack quite a punch when they're older, Hiccup thought to himself.

"You guys are pretty cute," the twenty-year old admitted, as the lime green Naddar brushed its head gently under his hand. Hiccup liked the feel of hatchlings; their scales were softer than adult scales.

Toothless probably was moaning in jealousy behind him, but Hiccup paid no attention to it. He was too mesmerized with the little Deadly Naddar, who had now decided that he should be covered in little dragon kisses as well.

"C-come on now, you guys!" Hiccup protested, but it was foolhardy; his giggles were dominant. "Yes! Yes, you're very adorable!"

A growl came from Toothless this time.

Hiccup looked back at his friend and noticed the changed look in the Night Fury. From his eyes, which were now little slants, he was glaring at Hiccup and his claws and teeth were retracted.

He looked deadly.

"Are you really that jealous, bud?" Hiccup taunted, as he stood up. The dragon sneered, but he was looking passed Hiccup.

Suddenly, the Deadly Naddar came from the sky. With a loud shriek, it swung its tail and hundreds of spikes darted in his direction.

The man, on instinct drew out his sword, but not before Toothless sprung in the air and attacked the Deadly Naddar. Both dragons were clawing and hissing at each other, with the Night Fury threatening to bite the blue dragon, as they both fell on the ground. The Naddar tried to counter with its spiked-tail, but Toothless prevented the use of its tail by sitting on it.

Hiccup immediately stiffened in position. He had noticed that the rider was not with the Deadly Naddar, or anywhere near them in his peripheral vision. Where are you, Rider? Hiccup thought, raising up Inferno in defense.

Then he felt like he was being watched.

He looked up and saw the rider falling. Hiccup raised Inferno and blocked the first attack from the rider. The rider's mask was still present on him, and he let out a holler as he struck again with his axe. Hiccup anticipated on the attack and blocked it again, but he could not hold on the pressure the rider's attack, his weight on Hiccup.

"You should not be here."

Hiccup's eyes widened. Something about the voice was not only surprising as to what the rider was, but something from his past. Yet… he could not exactly recall.

With some strength, he pushed the rider off him with a swift kick of his left leg and held Inferno out. The rider stepped back and held his axe out as well.

There were many thoughts passing through his head, and he could not make sense of what to ask. The one question he could speak of was: "Wait, you're a girl?"

Out of all the possible responses, he did not anticipate the woman to punch his face.

"Gods!" Hiccup shouted in pain. "Look, I didn't mean to intrude!" he insisted, as he rubbed his face. Man did that woman throw a good punch or what. She's better than Camicazi and Finna.

Jeeze, he never thought he would ever think of that.

Once again, he found the woman's hands touching him. This time, her hand was firmly grasped around his rather exposed neck. Hiccup immediately regretted not making a protective layer of leather there.

"Give me one reason why I should not kill you," she demanded, with poison in her breath.

Besides the fact that you'll kill me before I can talk… He pointed to Toothless, who was still fighting with the Deadly Naddar. Or he thought the dragon was. He could not tell, since he could not concentrate on the spinning of the world. "I... have a…. dragon, too!"

The rider hesitated. If Hiccup could see her face, or her eyes better, he might have thought she was studying his face. Not that he didn't mind. But this girl tried to kill him twice: a minute ago and right now.

"A slave?" With a huff, she dropped Hiccup to the ground. "You mean to tell me you have enslaved this poor creature?"

Hiccup rubbed his throat. Man, that was going to leave a mark. Or a bruise. He shuttered. Mom's going to kill me.

The young man snorted. "I have no idea how you fathomed that from "I have a dragon"." With some strength, he stood up and watched the rider take her mask off.

It was kind of strange for Hiccup. He was never really attracted to girls growing up. Simply because he only played with Finna. And that was when she wasn't with Stoick. Oh, and being around his mother. But he was her son, and all sons thought their mothers were the most beautiful women on Midgard until they had their own wives.

Hiccup found himself looking at the woman. Not staring, but… observing. Her hair, pulled in a sloppy side braid, was a golden blonde. And not the dirty blonde that Ruffnut had, or the curliness that Finna supported in her auburn braid. The rider's blonde hair wasn't even that thick. It was surprisingly straight. And it was... cute? Yea... it was cute that it was messy and pulled back.

And her eyes… he did not think he ever saw a deeper shade of blue eyes from anyone. Again, not that he ever looked at anyone's eyes. But her eyes… were so blue. They were like… sapphires. Sparkling in the sun. And they showed such determination and pride. Did someone once say that the eyes are the windows of a person's soul?

Hiccup shook his head in confusion. Was he fantasizing this rider?

Who almost killed me twice?

The woman shrugged, her axe still in hand. "Having a dragon and enslaving a dragon is the same to me," she said, nonchalantly. "I see no difference."

"I promise you, I am not his master," Hiccup explained. "He's my best friend."

The rider looked back at him with anger in her eyes. "Best friend?" she hissed. "How can this dragon be your best friend, when you force him to take you where you demand him?"

There was a spark of tenacity in Hiccup that he usually felt when he tried to persuade Vikings the loyalty in dragons. "Are you even listening to me? I don't force him to do anything." He hoped his voice was firm enough to spread the message. "He choses to fly with me."

When she did not reply, Hiccup rolled his eyes and rubbed his sore neck. "Look, forgive me for barking, but you're the one who strangled me, after punching me in the face." He stood up and walked closer to her. "I have the right to be pissed off."

Once again, she did not reply. Her gaze was on Toothless, who was now lying beside the Deadly Naddar. It went from his neck all the way to his tail, and her face froze with no emotion. It was deadlier than the way she spoke to him. And the choking.

"What is this?" she demanded.

Sighing, he walked over and patted Toothless' head. With the dragon's silent approval, Hiccup bent down to the tail and presented it to her, demonstrating the flaps and folding on his tailfin.

"I use this to fly him."

She looked back at Hiccup with suspicion. A look that Hiccup was worried with how her actions would answer. "How was he hurt?"

"I-uh, I found him like that in the woods," Hiccup said.

Which was not a total lie; he technically found Toothless in the woods. Like that. After he had shot him down with a large slingshot. But he wasn't going to tell a psychopathic vigilante dragon girl the specific details. He could feel his throat stiffen at the muscle memory of being choked.

She walked closer to him and stared at him.

He gulped in confusion. The way she stared at him… it was feral-like. As though she had never seen a human so close before. Her eyes were everywhere on him. His nose; his hair; his eyes; his mouth. And the small scar on his chin.

She raised her hand.

Hiccup's hands went for Inferno's hilt.

Her hand was gently reaching for his face. Well, his chin to be exact. Hiccup didn't know what to do; his only reflex was for him to lean his head away. Was she trying to choke him again? If she was, he was sure his sword was charged with enough Monstrous Nightmare saliva to ignite once again.

What the hell is she doing? But he could his face beginning to blush with anticipation.

"Are… you okay?" he asked, quietly. As though it would disturb her.

Too late.

The girl's face stiffened again, like when she was looking at Toothless' fin. The change was so stunned, Hiccup was not able to ignite Inferno with its fire. The woman's reflexes were much faster than his own. She immediately stood back up. Her hands drew back her axe, and she pointed it to Hiccup's face.

"You should not be here."

Hiccup gulped. He did not have to think twice about her orders. With a quick step, he steadied himself up and patted Toothless' back. The Night Fury immediately got up while Hiccup hopped on the saddle.

He didn't even look back when Toothless roared and exited the dragon sanctuary. Or when they quickly flew back to Berk with the sun beginning to set on them. He didn't even hesitate to tell Toothless to fly fast.

Hiccup only hoped that the woman did not follow him back home. It would have been a terrible situation to explain to Stoick the Vast and to the rest of the island. If the vigilante, dragon woman was hostile with him for "enslaving" Toothless, then she would not be happy to see Berk with Vikings on the backs of dragons. Who knows what kind of terror would be spread across Berk.

Let's just hope that doesn't happen, Hiccup thought.

There was one thing that the vigilante had said, that Hiccup agreed. Something, even though he didn't want to be on Berk while Stoick planned his future, which really struck with him. He ignored the fact that he loved the seclusion of the sanctuary and the many dragons. There was one crucial fact that the vigilante pointed out:

He should not be there.

And he didn't want to stay, either.