"RUN!"
Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs and Gustav raced through the forest, ducking beneath tree branches, running for their very lives. Astrid looked behind them, and gasped.
"They're right on top of us!" she shouted.
Hiccup looked back, and paused. "Fishlegs, and Gustav," he said, "you two, cover Astrid. Astrid, you need to get to the top of that cliffside. I'll hold these guys back, and try to buy you some time."
"What!?" Astrid shouted. "No! We're not leaving you behind!"
"You don't have another choice," said Hiccup. "Fishlegs and Gustav, make sure they don't get her. I'll buy you as much time as I can, just go!"
They nodded and started running. Once they started, they didn't stop. They continued on, on, and on, until they came face to face with more of their enemies. Gustav instantly stepped forward, holding his weapon out in front of him, ready to use it against them.
"Fishlegs, get Astrid to the mountain," said Gustav bravely. "I'll take down these loonies." Astrid and Fishlegs nodded, running off in the opposite direction, never looking back, even once. First Hiccup, now Gustav. Who was next?
Suddenly, a Berkian girl and her partner ran up to Astrid and Fishlegs. Their names were Kari and Karen, sisters, and really good friends with Astrid and the other dragon riders.
"They got Gustav," said Kari. "We watched it happen."
"I think they got Hiccup, too," said Karen. "We didn't see it, but we can assume it." At that very moment, Hiccup ran up to them, panting, a bruise forming on his forehead, his hair sweaty.
"Nice to see all you guys again!" he said. "KEEP RUNNING!" he shouted suddenly, pushing the others in the direction of the cliffside. "They're right behind me!"
"Hiccup, they got Gustav!" said Astrid as she and the others ran side by side. Hiccup glanced behind him nervously, almost as if he expected someone to suddenly lunge from that direction.
"I can't go back, not now," he said. "They're mad at me. Besides, I'm not exactly the fastest runner in the world."
"I'll do it!" said Fishlegs, rushing back in the opposite direction of where they were originally heading. The others nodded to him, and then continued on. When they reached the base of the cliff, they were jumped by two of their enemies.
Hiccup, Kari and Karen stepped up, fighting them while Astrid stealthily made her way over to the face of the cliff. Then, she drew two daggers, and began climbing. She looked back when she was about half-way up, watching as Hiccup and her friends battled the other soldiers. Then, she shook her head to break herself from her thoughts, and continued the task of climbing the mountain.
"DON'T LOOK BACK, ASTRID!" Hiccup shouted. "WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LOOK BACK!"
And so naturally, the first thing she did was look back. Kari and Karen were being held back by the same soldier while Hiccup took on the last one. Astrid looked at the ground, watching in sickening fear as the ground seemed to rise towards her, although it wasn't moving at all.
"ASTRID!" Hiccup shouted, breaking the girl from her thoughts. She looked back up at the rest of the area she needed to climb, and took a deep breath.
"I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I can do this." Mind made up, she continued to climb the cliffside. Once she finally got there, she was jumped by a soldier. She quickly dropped her daggers and drew her axe, meeting the man in battle.
She swung her axe at him, and he ducked, and then dodged, keeping perfect balance all the while. Astrid swiped at him a second time, results being the same. He parried with her, and then took up his sword once more, raising it over his head with a battle cry of fury.
Astrid saw her chance, and took it. Wincing, she bashed the flat of her axe against the man's head, not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to stun him, for certain. He stumbled back, his hands on his head while Astrid dropped her axe, racing forward towards her prize.
She wrapped her hand around the flagpole, and then hefted the blue flag above her head, holding it with victory as she stood at the edge of the cliff, looking below at the other soldiers still fighting.
"RED TEAM WINS!" Astrid shouted at the top of her lungs. Instantly, the fighting stopped, and the people below cheered, clapping in applause and whooping. Hiccup waved to her, and gave her a thumbs up while she tossed the flag over the cliffside for the others to see.
She turned around to look at the soldier she had bashed, just as he took off his helmet. Snotlout sulked, rubbing his head, still feeling the after effect from Astrid's blow.
"Aww, did I hurt you?" said Astrid jokingly.
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't," he said, straightening up. "I was just fooling with you, is all. Um...that was a good game, but I would have won if you had gotten here five minutes later."
Astrid huffed. "Pfft," she said. "You didn't even know where the Red Flag was."
"Oh, oh yeah?" said Snotlout. "Well...well...I…"
Astrid smirked. "Good game, Snotlout," she said. "Now let's go meet the others down on the level ground. And a tip for next time, Snotlout." Snotlout turned in her direction, waiting for her to continue. "Never hide your flag in the same place twice," said Astrid. "That's how we always win. We always know where you hide the flag."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter," said Snotlout, "because the Blue Team is going to win in tomorrow night's game."
"I look forward to seeing that, Snotlout," said Astrid, rather sarcastically. Then, she and the other boy left to meet up with the other Berkians.
So what do you guys think about the story so far? It gets better, don't worry! :D I hope you all look forward to the next chapter as much as I am looking forward to writing it! See you next time! :D And yes, something bad will happen soon, don't you worry! Oh, wait, was that out loud? XD Okay, and I have a question: Did any of you think that Hiccup and the others were in the middle of an attack, or did you know they were playing a game the entire time? :D