This is War
'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'
RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.
GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]
SUMMARY – They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.
Oo-oOo-oO
RE-WRITE
(It's freaking - words long. BAM.)
CONTENT WARNING:
Chapter will contain death, heavy blood and gore, and violence.
Viewer Discrimination is strongly advised.
Also, (on some level) minor spoilers for HttyD 2.
Oo-oOo-oO
Chapter 0 : Claws of Death [Prologue of Part One]
-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon.
Ramming the dragon down to the ground, he reared up, driving his tusks into the poor bastard's vulnerable, icy blue underbelly. As they sank into the flesh, peeling and tearing at the squelching skin around the wound, he felt guts and blood bath his killing machines.
The dragon's roar soon became a scream, its death slow and painful.
An agonised roar tore through the air, as a resonating thud echoed across the battlefield, as it drove them all the way through, piercing the other side and hovering over the snowy ground, now tinted a sickening red.
Blood gushed out its underbelly, as he removed his tusks, watching as its eyes rolled to the back of his skull, and it died on the spot.
Watching, the reality took its sweet time to sink in;
The Alpha had fallen.
At first, he heaved and panted, slowly turning around, barely aware that crimson blood and guts were dripping and sliding off his tusks, blood splattered across his face and caking his neck.
He looked like a mad-dragon- but, then again, he was.
He already worked for a mad-man, so this was nothing special. But, the agony and horror that followed his victory had him wanting to die.
Lifting his dark, massive head, the Bewilderbeast bellowed, as his mind practically exploded; bright, disturbing lights of rapidly spinning and flashing red, black and blue tortured him, and he fought with all his mind to get rid of them. But alas, they continued to dance in his eyes, and from the outside, it just appeared as if his eyes were turning into incredibly narrow slits.
Despite the onslaught of pain, he soon found himself gleefully accepting and welcoming it; this was what it felt like to be an ALPHA. The king, and all-powerful ruler of all dragon kind.
His roar soon became one of command, and before long, hypnotised, mind controlled dragons from both their sides flew around his head. Shrieking and screeching, they showered their new Alpha with respect and submission.
Coming down with a mighty thud, his eyes and mind slowly started to come back to reality.
The monster of a dragon decided to test out his new ability.
His mind reached out to all dragons, as he easily broke down their mental defences.
BOW, MY SUBJECTS!
The expectantly staring gathering of dragons, the oh so puny dragons, respectively obeyed, practically grovelling before him. They were completely heedless of what they were doing.
Any who weren't in his command yet, well, they were flying around him like little Fireworms trying to protect their pathetic Queen. Ugh, they always were wretched little things. His mind was slowly slipping into a state of what he'd put next to insanity, but he didn't give a single shit. He had everything right now, in this glorious, shining moment. With a furious roar, he rose once more on his hind legs, watching as the annoying, blind souls who didn't see his power and majesty, flew around blindly, trying to find and attack him, while desperately attempting to not crash into a trap or wall, and attempting (and failing) to steal back their independence from his iron claws of will.
His blue and red gaze suddenly whipped to the side, feeling a very powerful jab to his skull, that almost made him wince in pain.
Almost.
Not really.
Turning his gruesome head to the side, he searched the sky for what he was looking for; he reached out mentally, and rather than finding one powerful mind, he found two.
Except, one was human.
While he was beyond furious that those stupid Dragon Riders were messing everything up, again, even in his moment of glory, he couldn't resist snorting in pleasure, by the powers of Loki, he had a aptitude for this!
His frustrated roar split the air, and sent tremors through the earth below his feet, but that foolish dragon and its human didn't appear before him as he ordered.
Batting at both of their minds at the same time, he tried to lure them in; ah, yes, he could control humans, too. It had only been on very rare occasions, but none the less, he could do just that. It was some what of a challenge, too, since the primal instincts in the minds of humans was quite low, and they weren't exactly the same race. But, that didn't mean dragons couldn't dominate humans.
As he lost his patience and rammed his full power into the two's minds, he knew they were done for.
He heard cries and shouts of other humans, and screeches from their dragons, but he inwardly laughed at them. There was nothing they could do now. They should have submitted to him when they had the chance; now, they would meet the same demise as that pathetic snowy Bewilderbeast, laying dead and mangled on the cold, unforgiving, blood stained, snowy ground of a battlefield. A place where the war had already been won, even before the first ship was docked at the shore.
Two equally as pained screams tore split the air like a knife through butter, one human, and one dragon.
He watched, amused but almost pitiful, as a black streak crashed into the ground not far from him, the sound of snapping bones and their heavy landing echoing through the icy battlefield.
He snorted, listening as they went silent. However, they were still alive, and he could tell.
...It was time to finish this.
Oo-oOo-oO
-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon
Drago Bludvist watched. He watched all of it. Right from when the Muddy Bewilderbeast brutally murdered the Alpha, to when he took down the legendary Ancestral Night Fury.
Only when that happened, did he step in, as his Queen had ordered.
The Bewilderbeast noticed his forthcoming, and snarled his immediate resolve. Drago ignored the massive creature, knowing very well it was just its mind slipping into nothing, and just pits of darkness and insanity.
Eventually giving in, the Bewilderbeast followed his 'master' to where the dragon and rider had fallen.
They found the rider laid on his side, barely breathing. The young man's ribs were clearly broken, and he was unconscious in his own pool of blood.
Not far away, his Night Fury stood, banged up bad.
His wing was clearly broken, the membrane torn into shreds. Blood was oozing out a long cut on his side, and his body was bent in a way that made some of his ribs literally stick out of his body. He groaned, blearily blinking, and trying to grasp what happened. When he saw his human, his eyes widened in horror and panic, and only expanded upon sighting Drago and his Bewilderbeast.
The Alpha looked bored, although the madman at its feet looked more disappointed. "Really?" He asked, basically to no one. "All those years waiting for this so-called legendary rider, and THIS is what we get?" Toothless felt some confusion behind the terror and pain, but it was nearly fully blocked by the overruling emotions. "Pathetic." The madman snarled. He spun his bull-hook around to face the Alpha, who hissed in warning.
DO NOT TRIFLE AND TOY WITH ME, OLD Master. I am a FREE ALPHA now!
The Bewilderbeast shouted at the man, who merely grunted, muttering something about 'doing this old-fashioned'.
With a single motion, he swung his weapon around repeatedly over his head, shouting words telepathically from long, long ago, under a simple yell. Immediately, the Bewilderbeast bellowed his rage, being confined in the spell's magical bindings.
As it struck, he groaned, a horrific sound to hear, and felt his whole body shudder.
Drago merely looked on coldly, as the dragon once again became his own. The Night Fury had moved some what closer to his fallen rider, who was now awake and alert of his surroundings. The viking was downright petrified, watching the whole thing with no words and only pain and fear to fill him.
"NOW." Drago snarled, his voice laced with so much venom and malice, it could have downed and entire army.
He slowly lifted his bull hook from where the Bewilderbeast stared at it, entranced, and moved it right over so it landed directly on the Night Fury. The Alpha followed it, and got the idea; its bloody frills twitched, and a series of agitated clicks rose from its throat; it's eyes narrowed even further, continuously switching from extra thin to deadly thin.
Hiccup froze, not needing to be fully conscious, or told what that meant.
Whimpering in a way that was inhumane, he watched in terror, as his beloved partner started roaring and battling, until he finally fell under the Alpha's terrifying, bending will and power...
…...And became the Alpha's own.
Drago pointed his bull hook at Hiccup's chest, speaking a blunt, menacing voice.
"Kill him."
Hiccup's eyes widened, as the Bewilderbeast sent the command, and was received, by an alien-sounding growl from Toothless.
As if he was never wounded, the Night Fury started to walk and partially limp towards him...
Set to kill.
He was a complete puppet.
His best friend was a slave to the Bewilderbeast.
The Alpha.
Drago Bludvist.
And it was all his FAULT.
So he stood, and accepted his death, unaware of what laid ahead of that one mistake, which turned out to be more of a miracle.
Oo-oOo-oO
-Valley of Echoes, Midnight.
Dark wings covered the moon, blocking the silver glow from touching the land.
It was a dragon.
With pitch black scales that blended in with the night sky, sparkling and shimmering in the pale light of the starlight, and glowing red eyes that were enough to strike terror into the hearts of any foe, the creature was truly a sight to behold.
And upon its back, a large hunk of a man sat, silent as he stared blankly down on the beautiful landscape most would admire.
The dragon dove, tucking its massive wings to its sides, levelling out over the Valley of Echoes.
As it's name implied, the long, dark crevice between the mountain sides, bounced off loud noises
perfectly; such was the case for a haunting shriek.
Dragons, critters, birds and predators alike cowered in fear, as huge shadows passed over their nests and homes, the sound of wings beating against the chilly night breeze alerting them of the beast's nearby presence. With a single roar, Whispering Deaths whimpered. When passing a cold glare over the nest of a Changewing, the residents scurried to hide.
Cowards, it thought.
The rider on its back merely grunted at his dragon's statement, veering the creature towards a dark fortress upon the hill.
Gliding over the high mountain peaks, they encountered one flock of terrified Sand Nadders* and a dumb, and now brutally mangled and dead Snub-Nosed Gronckle [OCDS-2], before they turned, entering a ring of large, towering and intimidating mountains, that closed in on a rocky, barren wasteland which had only two ways out; flying, or somehow find their way through the endless complex of underground tunnels. He flew up high over the mountain, then dived down the side of the mountain in a curving slope.
The black dragon snapped his wings open, hovering over the huge black fortress that contained tortures and memories beyond imagination. They circled it twice, before gliding down to the huge, desolate clearing at its front. Great clouds of grey dust flew up around the beast, shrouding the already dark dragon in a cloak of grey.
Guarding the entrance were six armoured dragons, standing in a defensive line with watchful eyes. Upon seeing the huge dragon land, they stepped aside, and a moment later, the wall seemed to shift, and open, the result of huge doors sliding open.
The rider kicked the dragon's shoulder, who snorted and laid down. The man swung his leg over, and leaped off the huge beast, landing with a thud.
Drago Bludvist, Shur'tugal, Rider of Skulblaka Deathstar, had arrived.
Oo-oOo-oO
-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Midnight.
"YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?!" She shrieked, and Drago gathered up his tolerance. This was going to be rough.
Her eyes narrowed, as he rose his voice. "We did NOT let them go, your majesty- rather, we attempted to rid of them in a place that would convince the viking world they are dead." He paused, wondering why he even tried, since she didn't look convinced, even in the slightest. "And," Drago explained, "The fools have believed it."
"Yes," Scarlet snarled, looking ready to slaughter a dozen armies. "And now the GODS have them."
The crimson dragon lowered her head to look them directly, her glowing, slitted-pupil, piercing yellow eyes illuminating the scales around them in a bright glare. Shining in the light, her scarlet (hence her name) scales glittered like jewels. After a silent pause, she made a deep rumble in her throat, and lowered her head to his level. Drago wasn't even a sixth of the size of her snout, and he was only just smaller than her eye.
"At least the Archipelago is weakened now." The Dragon Rider cast his dark gaze aside, trying to muster up some excuse to save his ass.
"Go on..." The dragoness hissed.
Drago pressed on, his dragon still silent by his side. "Without the Rider and his Dragon, the Archipelago is now quite vulnerable- Especially their home," He explained, "We could take the Island now, and surely, that would stir enough controversy-"
"Yes, but we don't need THAT." The red dragon interrupted.
"We needed them-" She turned her head on one side, so she could stare right at him with one massive eye. Drago couldn't resist it. He cowered, almost going onto his knees in fear.
She stayed calm, which honestly made things even more terrifying. "-We needed the one thing you let slip out of our grasp... Poof, just like that!" She bared her sharp, white teeth at him in a snarl. "And THAT'S the excuse you come up with?"
Drago stayed silent. Beside him, his Skulblaka Night Fury hissed in warning, daring her to touch his rider.
Raising his voice to the conversation, Deathstar made sure to pour a ton of malice into his voice within the next few seconds. Remember, you big bag of scales, He hissed, You need us. We are at your command, but go too far, and you'll regret it.
A little nagging voice tugged at the back of Drago's mind- Hasn't she already gone past the limit? His thoughts didn't reach his dragon, for obvious reasons. Deathstar was awful at keeping his temper In heated situations, especially in arguments such as these. The dragon's muscles were tense with caution, ready to spring or attack at any moment.
Queen Scarlet hissed, nodding slowly. "Yes, yes, I know... Drago, could you tell your little lizard companion to shut his mouth, please?" She looked at her claws casually. "I'd absolutely HATE it for any... Accidents... To occur, within the next hour of briefing."
Raising a hand and laying it on the dragon's scaly shoulder, Drago soon managed to silence his dragon.
"Now," Scarlet said. "This is not the first time you have failed me, Shur'tugal. I expect this to NEVER happen again. Sound good to you?"
He glared coldly up at his Queen. "No promises, your highness."
"Very well..."
She hissed, her eyes glowing briefly as she licked her thin forked tongue over her teeth.
Drago repeated his words. "No. Promises."
Oo-oOo-oO
A/N (Author's Note):
Re-write. Can't say anything else, other than I've come a long way, and is now much more dedicated- as in, this is MUCH longer.
Those who read the original will notice the change in Scarlet; I decided to change this scene to a more calm version of her. She knows a lot of things, guys. XD
I am actually proud of myself, and that is a rare occurrence.
References:
Sand Nadders* - An OC Dragon Species created by BeyondTheClouds777. (Permission has been requested and granted, if you are that type of wary person.)
OC Dragon Species (OCDS):
OCDS-2: Snub-Nosed Gronckle – Boulder Class. Located in dark Valleys, Canyons, and dense Forests of cold regions. 64 % Female, 32 % Male, 04% Genderless. Closely related to the classic Gronckle, they share a relative size, although male Snub Noses are bigger, and the females are just bigger than the regular Gronckle. They have a much flatter and square like head, short horns instead of ears, no lumps or spikes for protection. There is more separation between the head and torso, and they have larger wings that don't need to constantly flap. Their tails are longer, but thick and blubbery, and are rather short. Scales are small, soft, and rubbery in texture; barely noticeable, some say, on first glance, they appear to have skin. Colours vary from light, pale brown to dark, to a dark purple and lavender, and the rare forest green; males often have darker colours, and they can either have pale green, white-yellow, or black (often appearing pupil-less) eyes. They are actually quite light-weighted, rarely eat rocks, and tend to have a soft, lovable nature coated with loyalty and compassion- on occasion, females are extremely aggressive in contrast to the rarer males, which has been used to set them apart from most other Boulder Class dragons.
-Crystallion12.