The Dragon's Egg
An HTTYD Fanfic.
((Hey guys! Thanks for tuning into my fan fiction. I do not own the rights to the characters from the storybook and movie. Please give comments and feedback. I would like to know if I'm on a good track with this story.))
"Over there!" A man hollered through the clashing sounds of the heavy rain against the earth. "She went this way!" Another one shouted, his arm flung forward in the air to signal a pack of men to follow. Their tunics were soaked and the lit torches they carried were battling against the rain to stay lit. The sounds of horses jeering amongst them with the thunderous pounding upon the ground sounded like a stampede. Drowned out from the rain were the sounds of bushes, grass, and low hanging tree branches being pushed aside further up ahead of the group of pursuing men. The girl panted in sporadic rhythms, trying to keep herself focused and with enough breath to escape. Her jet black hair clumped together and weighed almost as heavily as her equally soaked garments. But what slowed her down the most was the makeshift backpack she kept securely strapped to her back. Her arm flailed as it pushed another branch away from her path, only to have it swing back to it's original position once she passed and let go of it.
There had to be a way for her to lose the horses. If she could force the men to go on foot, she might still have a chance. But she didn't have much time to think, they were closing in on her fast. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she hid herself behind a boulder. It was so difficult to see in the rain, especially at night. Something, however, caught her eye. There! Somehow she managed to spot the entrance to the densely entanglement of vegetation, far too dense for horses to maneuver through. But could she make it there without being seen? Being ever so careful, she peered around the rock, looking for the light of the torches and listening for the sounds of the men and horses. It seems they had slowed as well, they must have lost sight of her. She moved back to the middle of the boulder, trying to figure out what to do.
"Have you found her?" One man shouted in her direction. "Not yet!" A man, perhaps was only about ten feet away on the other side of the boulder shouted back. The girl gasped, not realizing until now how close he was. She looked around frantically until her bare foot slipped on some mud and she fell to her knees. She had let out a tiny yelp and covered her mouth quickly, worried that the man might have heard it. And she had every right to worried. She heard the low roar of the flames on the torch the man held swing around and he approached the boulder, unsure if he had in fact heard something. Oh no! She thought to herself. She looked around again, and to her surprise, there was a crevice beneath the boulder just barely big enough for her to squeeze through. But the bag on her back would not fit. She had to think fast. Slipping the bag into a very thick bush, she squeezed herself into the mud-laden crevice.
It was difficult for her to breath, but she tried to quiet herself. Suddenly, the squishing sound of the man's footprints came into clear range of her hearing as the two large feet stepped right in front of her. Before she realized it, her breath was held in terror, especially as the man paused in that spot. The sound of her racing heart pounded in her head and she prayed that the man will turn around and leave. "There's no one over here!" The man finally shouted before turning around to rendezvous with the rest of the group. The girl let out a sigh of relief before crawling out from under the rock formation. She took another quick look around before grabbing the backpack and strapping it down tightly. This was it, if she was going to have a chance, it had to be now. Taking a few deep breaths, she lunged forward, her toes digging into the wet soil below to prevent her from slipping. Her arms swayed vigorously as the girl sprinted for the sanctuary of the thick forest. Almost there… just a few more strides… She thought, still listening for closing pursuers who might have seen her.
Success! The girl moved in far enough to mask her figure when she looked back. The light from the torches had turned and were travelling to the right. It seems her plan worked. The forest had gotten too thick for the horses, which means some of the men were forced to detour. She only prayed no one had seen her. Now was not the time to rest however. She turned, and kept running through the dense forest. Her feet were all scraped up from running over shards of wood and rocks. She was sure they were probably bleeding. She felt her muscles burn and her breathing became heavy. Running through this part of the woods was tougher. She could feel herself slowing down. But no, she couldn't stop, she had to keep going no matter what. A hand lazily flew up towards a branch to catch herself, but to no avail, her reach was not long enough and she plummeted forward into the mud. More panting and heavy breathing. She managed to prop her torso out of the mud so she was on her hands and knees. Her eyes clenched shut as her head hung down, desperately trying to catch enough breath to continue. It took a lot of will power, but she managed to get back up. She could still hear the sounds of the men behind her. They must have entered the thick area on foot. Whether they were running or not she didn't know. Continuing on her way, she weaved between the plantation with haste. What she thought was a clearing, turned out to be a small drop. The girl wobbled and clenched a nearby tree as she almost fell into the creek just below her. A creek…. That could lead her to the ocean! Since she's on the cusp of the coast after all. Crouching down, the girl began her decent into the trench.
Thank goodness the heavy rain masked the sounds of her feet splashing through the shallow creek. Most of it was a mud-like bed, with some rocks here and there. It wasn't until she felt the coarse grains of sand beneath her numbing feet and the smell of salt in the air that she felt some kind of relief. Almost free. It seemed that with the feeling of hope, her running pace picked up and her strides widened. Before she realized it, she was on a long beach, the waves crashing against the shore. And there, off in the distance at the other end of the beach to the right was a wooden boat. It looked like it belonged to a fisherman of some kind as the boat had a tiny two-man cabin in the middle, made of the same wood. It was almost like a small barge. The girl didn't question whose it was. She looked to her left at the other side of the beach, off in the distance, she could see the lights of the men that were on the horses. Without another thought, she bolted for the boat. This was her only chance now. She had to get onto the sea where they could not follow.
-End of Chapter One!-