A/N: Welcome! Thanks for dropping by this fanfic. It's my first one, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!
Note: The events take place the night before Hiccup's final exam. Also, Hiccup only visited the cove for a short period of time, postponing their departure to late in the evening. So Astrid's flight on Toothless never happened.
Italics mean that were going into the thoughts of the characters.
Just clearing things up. Wouldn't want y'all to get confused. ^_^
Chapter one: Detachment
The moon shone brightly, making for a spectacular view of the Ocean as tiny flickering candles illuminated the cobblestone walkway that lead towards the forge. "Toothless, "Hiccup whispered as he ducked under a large bush "Buddy, stay here. I'm just going to get a few supplies and we can leave, okay?"
The Night Fury snorted, as if to say 'yeah, whatever '.
Hiccup and Toothless had become inseparable ever since the incident at Raven Point. Toothless wouldn't allow Hiccup to go into the village alone, knowing that trouble followed the boy wherever he went.
At the same time, Hiccup did not want the Vikings to know about Toothless because of one reason: They would hurt any dragon, especially a Night Fury. Siding with the dragons instead of his tribe was immediately punishable with death. This was the reason they had to leave.
Right now wasn't the time to be thinking about these matters. He needed to concentrate.
"Okay, I'm ready"
The plan: Hiccup was to sneak in and retrieve the materials he needed for their "permanent vacation" then leave without a trace. If he did get caught, they would immediately switch to the fallback plan, which was to get out no matter what.
Toothless gave the boy a small nudge. "Right" Hiccup said worriedly. Toothless didn't fear that Hiccup would get hurt though. The Night Fury would be patiently stalking any potential threats from the safety of a large bush.
Giving Toothless one last nod of acknowledgement, Hiccup got out of the bush and silently made his way towards the forge.
The night was young, the sound of crickets and owls covered up the sounds of his clumsy footsteps. A few more paces and he had made it to the front door of the forge. Thinking about the decision he was about to make, he silently wove his way through a small opening in the window.
"Being thin does have its benefits" Hiccup said to himself, feeling quite pleased.
It was hard to see in the forge. Visibility was poor since the place was usually lit up by the large furnace in the midsection. That didn't stop Hiccup though. He knew this place like the back of his hand.
After a few well placed footsteps, he found his desk.
Large blueprints lined the walls. The Guillotine, the Crossbow, the Decapitator. These were the inventions that he never had the time to create. In the past few weeks, he was usually busy with other things. Namely: Toothless' tailfin, saddle and his very own flying harness.
He rummaged through the drawers of his desk, trying to find the extra foot pedal he once made. 'Just in case' Hiccup thought to himself. He might need it.
With the pedal, they would be able to sustain themselves longer without having to make any repairs. It might just be the deciding factor in a life or death situation. "Better safe than sorry" muttered Hiccup, under his breath.
Unfortunately, his train of thought was broken as a loud sound from the front of the forge filled his ears.
"I know you're in there, Useless!" Snotlout barked. "Don't make me go in there!" Hiccup's mind went into overdrive; his plan couldn't be foiled now.
"Come on out, Dragon Slayer!" Ruffnut said in a mocking tone "Looks like you're little secret's been revealed"
"Found it!" Hiccup was overjoyed to find the small metal contraption .He stuffed it in his brown satchel and made a break for the back door. He ran past the large barrels, containing what seemed to be swords. As he reached the back door, he was faced with another problem. It was blocked by crates the size of boulders. He knew he wouldn't be able to move them but he tried anyways.
Hiccup was becoming frustrated, sweat filling his brow. "Why don't you bud—"Before he could finish, the main door had been kicked open.
"Hiccup, how dare you cheat dragon training!" Astrid was fuming. No, fuming wasn't the right word. She marched over to him and nearly exploded with rage. "I'm going to show you a trick you'll never forget, Hiccup" She stated, pulling his collar and dragging him outside the forge.
The cold air blew over his face. He could see that most of his fellow trainees had come to watch the brutal beating that was about to occur. She pushed him down, and placed a foot on his chest.
"Do you really think we wouldn't find out?" Astrid asked. "We aren't as dumb as you think"
"C'mon Astrid," Tuffnut rasped "Let's get this show on the road."
"Very well, which limb shall I cut off first?" Astrid asked "Your arm seems like a solid start!" She stated as she twirled her axe in a graceful yet deadly arc.
Hiccup's large green eyes had been instilled with fear as he braced himself for the pain that was about to follow. 'I'm so dead' he thought to himself; with that last thought, he closed his eyes.
Although scared, Fishlegs found the urge to step up for Hiccup "A-Astrid, aren't you going a little o-overboard?"
"One limb isn't enough for you?" Astrid replied. The other teens now watched with a variety of mixed emotions, and excitement was one of them.
"C'mon now Astrid" Fishlegs said, now with a much more serious tone "You've got to be joking"
Astrid replied back, looking as deadly as ever. "I don't joke around when it comes to people like him" With that last sentence, she swung her axe downwards, aimed at Hiccup's arm. But before the blow could land, a loud, familiar roar bellowed through the clearing.
The Night Fury pounced on Astrid, throwing her axe off and knocking her unconscious. The other Viking teens merely looked at Toothless with shock. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, eyes sparkling with relief "Thanks buddy! I don't know what I would do without you."
Toothless returned the greeting with his signature toothless smile.
The group of Vikings had been shocked out of their minds. 'How in the name of Odin…' Snotlout thought to himself. 'You've got to be kidding me!'
Toothless gave one more loud roar then crouched low to the ground; A signal that it was time for them to take to the skies. "Fishlegs" Hiccup said as he mounted the Night Fury. "Thanks"
"N-n-no problem, Hiccup" Fishlegs said, trying to muster as much confidence as he could. "See you soon then" Hiccup replied, as he clipped his harness onto the saddle.
With that, Toothless rocketed into the air, leaving behind a shocked group of Viking teens to stare as they glided through the twilight sky.
The night sky evolved into a sea of stars, each star with its own luminescence and color. The air was cold, but the pair of man and beast would not waver, for they were determined to find land —or, at least, a place to land.
"Look, buddy!" Hiccup exclaimed, pointing to the small dot, barely visible, in the middle of the sea. "It's about time we found land, don't you think?" Hiccup let a dry smile spread across his face and Toothless let out what seemed to be a laugh in reply.
The tiny spec was vaguely recognizable but it was the only thing that Hiccup could hope for, as the pair had become quite weary for the bitterness of the evening had pulled them down. They have been flying for 5 hours now, without any breaks, so the sight of land was rejuvenating.
Excited and tired, the pair rushed forward, winds barking at them as they sped through the open sky. They broke through the thin layer of clouds, and could hear the roar of the raging sea beneath them.
The island, as Hiccup came to confirm later, came into view. It was much bigger than Hiccup had expected. Lush forests covered the landscape while tall mountains gave refuge to migrating birds. A large lake and a few smaller ones reflected the spectacular night sky and tiny little lights dotted the landscape.
'I guess those are fireflies.' Hiccup peered in for a better look, only to disappoint himself. He really wanted better vision. Like Toothless' eyesight, perhaps.
"Let's land by the lake" Hiccup instructed his friend, companion and partner. "It would be much easier for both of us" He flicked on the pedal, switching them into the fourth gear, and glided them down, headed towards the large body of water.
Toothless gave a small nod as Hiccup's tiny body melted with his, and together they flew down towards the island.
The exhausted pair landed in a small clearing to the east of the lake. Hiccup carefully dismounted, and immediately thanked the gods for having landed safely. They wouldn't want that unfortunate mishap during their first flight to happen once more. Toothless, whom Hiccup expected to curl up and get some rest, dashed off in the direction of the lake, which was not too far from their location, in search of food.
'All righty then.' Hiccup turned around, and surprisingly found a huge rock. He placed his satchel, which had been slung around his shoulder, by the edge of the rock. 'I guess I'm getting the firewood.'
Hiccup turned towards the direction of the woods, which was opposite to that of the lake, and started to walk in that direction. He was half way into the entrance when he was started by Toothless, who just appeared out of no where. The Night Fury was holding two large fish in his mouth, (Fish that Hiccup could not identify.) and dropped them in front of the rider.
Toothless huffed victoriously, to prove his dominance over the skinny boy. "Oh whatever," Hiccup said in his usual sarcastic tone, and he proceeded to gather the fish from the soft, grass covered earth. Toothless, who now seemed to be full of energy, rushed back to their newly established campsite, leaving Hiccup in the dust.
When the dragon reached their place, he lit up a small fire, which then grew to an unbelievable size. Hiccup had just turned around to see the flame, and was captured by the feeling of warmth. "You can do everything, can't you?"
He walked to the source of the fire, and sat down in front of it, letting the soft grass cushion his behind. He then lazily reached out for his satchel and took out two large sticks, that he later used to poke the fish. He put the fish over the fire, letting it cook, and stared deep into the flames.
"We're in for one hell of a ride, bud"
A/N: How did you guys like the first chapter? I'm pretty sure that most of you might say that Astrid is a little bit out of character but, she's only acting that way because she couldn't hold her rage anymore.
I'll update as soon as I can! Oh, don't forget to review! =D
Ravenblack