WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!
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And that's over with! Phew! *wipes imaginary sweat off forehead* So, sorry guys! I would have posted this a lot sooner, but I got sick for literally two weeks (I still have a cough I'm trying to get over), and some of my family ended up in the hospital for a few days, so yeah, that wasn't cool, but everyone's feeling better now, so that's great! :D
So, I hope you enjoy Tooth and Claw! :D I'm going to try to at least do one update a day...and this, like the other "episodes", will have about 8 chapters, probably be somewhere around 20,000 words...I don't know, let's see how it works out! :D Love you guys! :D See you next update, and enjoy chapter 1! :D
A ship cut through the ocean water, pushing waves up around it. The air was stormy, but not too stormy; it was clear enough to cut through easily, but stormy enough to stall the ships for a few hours.
On the sail of the ship, a black Skrill was painted, and on the deck of the ship, Berserkers marched back and forth.
Dagur stood amongst his men, a deranged, paranoid smile on his face. "Oh, what a glorious morning!" he cheered happily, raising his hands to gesture to the sky above. "A beautiful morning! The perfect morning...for revenge!" His eyes darkened suddenly, and the soldier that had been walking behind him doubled his pace; no one wanted to be anywhere remotely near Dagur when he was in a good mood.
"Ryker and his men may have lost their leader," said Dagur, grinning madly, "but they're still as strong as ever. It's a beautiful day to go after them, wouldn't you say?"
He turned to the nearest Berserker soldier, who quickly nodded and hurried off. Dagur turned back and looked up at the sky with a dramatic sigh.
"Sire…" said Savage quietly.
Dagur frowned and groaned. "What, what? What do you want that is so important you had to spoil the moment?"
Savage flinched and recoiled, but only for a moment. "Sire, the storm has set itself directly over the base of Ryker and his hunters!" cried Savage, quickly coming over to the leader of the Berserkers, still keeping his distance, because the news he brought wasn't pleasant. "Setting a course for their base right now would be...unwise."
"Unwise!" shrieked Dagur. "Unwise!?"
Savage gulped. "Sire…"
"FINE!" Dagur snapped, because he wasn't going to let anyone think he was unwise, Thor forbid. "If we can't set a course for Ryker's base...why don't we set a course for the Edge? The dragon riders are still there, wouldn't you say? They haven't...fled like cowards back to Berk by now?"
"I doubt it, sire," said Savage.
"Good!" said Dagur. "Set a course for Dragon's Edge! I'm in a good mood today!"
That was enough to strike terror into Dagur's entire crew, and instantly, the Berserkers began doing as Dagur had demanded, turning the ships away from the storm, away from Ryker's base, towards Dragon's Edge.
...
The sun was bright and warm that morning, and Astrid woke up, feeling better and more refreshed than she had felt in a while. She grabbed her axe from where it leaned against the bed and hopped to her feet; there was a spring in her step. Stormfly chirped at her, and Astrid grinned.
"Sure thing, girl," she said. "Let's go for a flight, shall we?"
It had been a while since Astrid had felt up to a flight with her dragon. She leapt onto Stormfly's back, Stormfly spread her wings, and the two took to the sky, into the early warmth of the still rising sun.
They flew over the forests; scorch marks littered the forest from when the dragon riders had mimicked the attack a while back, but by now, the dead grass was regrowing, and the scorched tree branches had fallen off and replaced by newly growing branches.
Everything was back to normal. Had it really only been two weeks ago that they were questioning whether or not Hiccup would survive his injuries? Had it really been two weeks since the battle in which Viggo had met his unfortunate end, since they had fought off the hunters and formed a temporary peace treaty with the Berserkers (which was long broken by now, but that didn't matter)?
It seemed so much longer ago than just two weeks.
"Whoooo!" Astrid whooped, throwing her hands in the air. They passed a tree, and Astrid expertly swung her arm, releasing her axe in the progress. The axe embedded in the wooden bark of the tree, right where she had been aiming, and when Stormfly swung back around a second time, Astrid grabbed the axe's handle and yanked it back towards her.
A lot had changed in two weeks.
There had been no sign of Dagur, no sign of Ryker and his dragon hunters, Hiccup's condition kept improving, they never had to send for a healer from the mainlands, the twins hadn't done anything stupid, the forest was mending, Fishlegs and Meatlug, with Snotlout and Hookfang's help, had repaired the damage inflicted on the Edge.
Everything was perfect.
Everything was back to normal.
…
Astrid landed Stormfly right outside Hiccup's hut. She dismounted quickly, patted Stormfly's side in thanks, and headed towards the door. She swung her axe behind her, slipping it into its sheath attached to her back, and when she reached the hatch, she pulled it open and headed inside.
Hiccup was sitting at his desk, elbow on the table, chin resting against his knuckles. But when he heard the door open, he leaned over, saw Astrid, and smiled.
"Astrid!" he called. "Morning!" He braced his hands against the desk and pushed himself into a stand; he winced only for a moment, calling to mind that he still had an injury and didn't want to rip his stitches out, but then, the wince smoothed out, and he smiled at Astrid as she moved to stand beside him.
"Stood up too fast again?" she said, reaching out to grab his shoulder and steady him, and Hiccup nodded, smiling embarrassedly.
"Yeah," he said. "Can't do that…" His smile faded into a frown again, and he reached over at the desk, shutting his notebook before Astrid could see what it was.
"What are you working on?" asked Astrid, noticing how quickly he had closed his notebook.
"Ah, nothing much," said Hiccup, shrugging. "Just a new idea I had with Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare gel...but it's crazy. It'll probably never work out right, anyways…"
"We're dragon riders," said Astrid, smiling. "Basically everything we do is crazy. So, come on…" She moved to snatch the notebook out of his hand, but he held it back. "What are you working on?"
"It's nothing to show for yet," said Hiccup, setting the notebook back on the desk. "Just a new sword design."
"A sword?" said Astrid, brow furrowing in confusion. "Why would you want Monstrous Nightmare gel for a new sword?"
"Ah, now that," said Hiccup, tapping her nose with his finger, to which she groaned, "is a surprise. You'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry."
Astrid sighed, but smiled, shaking her head. "Only you, Hiccup," she said, "would work on a new design for a sword two weeks after being stabbed. What was that thing Gothi said about you getting some rest and not doing anything strenuous? Or have you forgotten again?"
"I haven't forgotten," said Hiccup. "How could I, with everyone always reminding me? I've just gotten a bit...bored."
"Bored," said Astrid. "Hence the Monstrous Nightmare gel sword?"
"Hence the Monstrous Nightmare gel sword."
"Right," said Astrid. For a few moments, there was silence. Hiccup moved over to the bed and sat down; Astrid, after an instant's hesitation, moved to sit beside him. "So, have you talked with your dad?" she asked idly.
Hiccup sighed, but nodded. "I have," he said.
"What did he say?"
"He said he thinks I should go back to Berk with them," said Hiccup, "just until the wound closes for good. He's worried staying here will make me...I don't know…"
"Living out here is kind of stressful, Hiccup," said Astrid. "Worrying about Ryker and his dragon hunters, not to mention Dagur still out there and at large...your dad just doesn't want you to do anything strenuous before you're ready to take it."
"You're supposed to be on my side, Astrid," said Hiccup.
"I am on your side," said Astrid, "and that's why I think it's a good idea for you to go back to Berk while you finish recovering. When you were hurt...it was scary, Hiccup. It was terrifying for all of us. We don't want anything like that to happen again. We don't want you to reopen your wound. You know what Gothi said, she might not be able to stitch it up a second time."
Hiccup sighed, but nodded. "You're right," he said. "You usually are. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"You will be," said Astrid, smiling, to which he smiled back in return. "Just you wait. You'll be back here before you know it."
...
Later on in the afternoon, Hiccup, Astrid, and the other riders stood, about to head down to the docks, where the Berkian ships were waiting, ready to leave. Toothless sat beside Hiccup like an obedient puppy; even the dragon seemed to think it was best for Hiccup to go back to Berk for the remainder of his recovery.
"Take care of yourself, Hiccup," said Fishlegs.
"I will," said Hiccup, nodding. "And you too."
"And remember," said Fishlegs, "I put Toothless' spare auto tailfin on the ship. You can put it on when you get back to Berk, so you don't have to worry about flying Toothless every morning to give him exercise."
"I'll remember, Fishlegs," said Hiccup.
"And don't do anything strenuous-"
"Alright, Fishlegs!" Hiccup laughed softly, putting his hands up as if to defend himself. "I'll be alright! You make it sound like I'm going on the front lines in a battle!"
"I know," said Fishlegs. "Well, we'll see you soon."
"And don't forget to airmail us when you get there!" said Tuffnut.
"Seriously," said Hiccup, "I'm not going on vacation, or anything. I'm just going to Berk, and I'll be back in a few weeks."
"Still!" said Ruffnut. "Don't forget to write, anyways! It's going to be weird without you…"
After the last of the goodbyes, Hiccup turned to Astrid, and though he was smiling, she could still see the worry in his eyes. Astrid sighed and approached him.
"It's better this way, Hiccup," said Astrid softly, but he still jumped slightly. "Dagur still thinks you're dead. It's safer for you if you go back to Berk to mend the rest of the way."
"But what about you guys?" Hiccup argued instantly, as Astrid knew he would. "Dagur, Ryker, the hunters...they could attack when I'm gone, and I don't want you guys to get hurt…"
"We won't get hurt, Hiccup," Astrid promised. "You have my word that when you get back, we'll all still be in one piece."
Hiccup sighed. "I wish you guys could come with us," he said.
"I do, too," said Astrid, "but we have to stay here, make sure Dagur and Ryker don't claim the Edge for their own." She looked to Toothless and nodded. "Take care of Hiccup, Toothless," she said. "Don't let him do anything stupid."
Toothless nodded seriously.
"Hey!" Hiccup protested.
Toothless chortled, and Astrid laughed. Before Hiccup had time to object again, Stoick approached from the docks. He, like Toothless and Astrid, looked relieved at the thought of Hiccup going home for the rest of his recovery. Dragon's Edge wasn't dangerous, but there were dangers outside of the Edge that threatened both dragons and vikings alike. No one wanted to see Hiccup get hurt a second time.
"It's time, Hiccup," said Stoick, putting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"Alright," said Hiccup, nodding. "I'll see you guys in a few weeks," said Hiccup to Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs. "And I'll airmail you when we get home. I expect daily reports. Let me know if anything happens, if you see any sign of Dagur or Ryker-"
"Sheesh!" shouted Snotlout, rolling his eyes. "Just go already, Princess! We've got it covered!"
"That's what worries me."
"Hiccup, go home," said Astrid. "Get some rest, and don't come back until you're ready. We'll take care of things here. Just go."
Hiccup looked like he would have said something else, but Stoick wrapped his arm around Hiccup's shoulders and led him to the docks, Toothless following closely. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins watched them leave, waving, until the ships disappeared over the horizon.