"War."
A quiet enough command that started the warriors of Berk chanting and screeching, the warriors banged the handles of their weapons against the tables and walls. Astrid grinned at her mother, the chieftess, and howled into the battle cries. The village poured outside without torches and settling in position, they waited. Astrid sharpened her hatchets, restlessly shifting her weight, as she trained her eyes on the dark outline of the dock.
Out of the mists, a ship came. The masts dressed in sails as black as the night, unnervingly black. And the sailors on board were dressed in strange armor. They wore normal animal skins but over which they wore the colorful scaly armor that made them look like small dragons. The only thing comfortingly Viking about them were their war helmets with long horns scraping the sky.
Ruffnut murmured under her breath, "You pirates are gonna get what's coming to you." Astrid touched her friends shoulder. The beginnings of dawn came and Astrid recognized the battle cry of her mother. Astrid sent up her own bone chilling scream and began the charge. Her troop thundering down the hill in her wake.
:
The pirates had been quietly unlatching the gates of flock pens and food stores when the cry went up. They were caught unawares when the famous warriors of Berk attacked them. A small pirate with freckles was still frozen in panic. He and his crew were so outnumbered, it wasn't funny.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his father was wrestling two men. A woman with a sword crept up behind him. The young pirate threw his smallest dagger toward his father. His father, the mighty Stoick the Vast, caught it deftly in his left hand. In a blur of scarlet, he stabbed the woman who been coming up behind him with his left hand. With his right hand he grabbed the head of one Viking and smashed it into the other's. The three adversaries went down like rag dolls. "Go, Dad!" he triumphantly screamed, only to realize that he had attracted the attention of other young Vikings.
They moved toward him as one, like a pack of wild dogs. Breathlessly he threw the nearest torch into the window of the nearest house. The young pirate took up another piece of burning wood and waved it around him like a sword and screeche, imitating the Beserkers of old. The 3 warriors stayed at bay, watching him warily, you never wanted to get too close in case he was a real Beserker- those madmen would rage on through countless battle wounds, taking down whole malitias before they realized they were dead. He waved his fire at them and screamed like a madman until he heard the dull crack of a pillar breaking, he immediately turned tail and ran. He dived into an open window, ran across someone's dining table and crashed out a window on the other side. Wood splintered in his wake. His enemies tried to chase after him but were only halfway through the room when the house collapsed. His enemies were buried in rubble.
Laughing, he ran back toward the docks, keeping out of sight. He looked to the sky and paled. "Dad!" he screamed. The immense Viking knocked down another man before looking at his son. From his son's expression he knew to look at the sky. The Pirate cussed before hollering, " T'IS DAWN! RETREAT!"
Everyone then began to race for the docks and the pirate ship.
The sun was rising as red as the blood spilt below. A young pirate by the name of Snotlout was throwing rocks and hammers into the skulls of any Viking who neared. Someone somewhere had started a fire. Smoke clouded his vision and caught in his throat. The sound was deafening, screams of pain and fear coming from all around him. Above the rest he heard his Chief's cry for retreat. Turning to follow orders, a hammer spiraled through the air and smashed into Snotlout's face. He staggered. He felt two pairs of hands grab him by the arms. Panicked, he cries out for help. Another blow from a hammer brings pain to his jaw and blackness to his mind.
;
The pirate ship quickly broke away from the docks. Random Vikings of Berk who had tried to board it had been unceremoniously dumped into the icy water. Arrows still rained on them but most were poorly made, missing or bouncing harmlessly off the ship's Nightfury sails. Only one arrow, shot from Astrid's bow, was able to successfully lodge itself into the mast of the ship. The pirate captain finally halted his bellowing of orders to survey his crew. There were quite a few cuts and bruises but no one was dead. The pirate petted his enormous red beard, fretfully. They had stolen only half of what they had meant to steal. How would his village survive? There wasn't enough for village AND for their offering. And without their offering, they'd surely all be doomed. He stopped his fretting long enough to observe the arrow, lodged into the wood. His mind recalled the fierce girl who had shot that arrow. Impressive. Now if only he could find a wife for one of his heirs, like that.
Looking about to check on his aforementioned heirs, the pirate's blood ran cold. His voice boomed across the ship and the whole ocean.
"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS MY NEPHEW?!"
He calls to his son, "Hiccup?"
"Yeah, Dad. I'm here."
"Did you see your cousin get aboard the ship?"
Hiccup scrunches up his face in concentration, the entire ship waits with bated breath to hear from Hiccups photographic memory, "No… Snotlout… He didn't make it to the docks."
;
What a nightmare, Snotlout thinks. The sun is glaring into his face when he opens his eyes. How late is it? Had he slept in? His Chores! His mother would kill him!
Trying to bolt out of bed he finds himself restrained and a sharp pain around his shoulders and wrists. He falls back onto hard earth and smacks his head against the pole behind him. Delirious, he observes his surroundings. Slowly, a barn is coming into focus. Panic reasserts itself within him. This was not any barn on His island. He's been kidnapped. Just then the doors banged open and two blonde teenagers came in with food. They both had horns and teeth sewn into their clothes of furs and leather just as both were very tall, very blonde, and very skinny.
"Oh look. He's awake." Said the boy, baring his teeth.
"Hope you slept well, THIEVING PIRATE." Griped the girl.
And in one of the Thorson twin's rare moments of unison they said, "Welcome To Berk."
Snotlout fully realizes the gravity of his situation and can only manage out a miserable cuss word.
The twins both exploded with laughter.
A muffled exclamation came from an all new direction. Three heads swiveled as one to see a rather large boy emerge from a hay pile on the barns uppermost loft. "Hey, Guys! What's so funny?"
The girl screams up, "Don't go that way!" But it's too late. The large boy steps off the loft and into mid air. He fell 10 feet to land in another, thankfully large, hay pile. The girl ran over and began pulling the boy out.
"Cute Couple" grunted Snot lout.
"WHAT? Were not a couple!" yelled the girl, jumping away from the large boy in the hay.
The boy in the hay promptly fell back down, "Ouch! Ya'know, Ruffnut, You COULD reject the idea of us in ever being together WITHOUT letting me fall on my Face!"
Flustered and sputtering, she helped him out of the pile. Irritated, he muttered a thank you and started stomping about the barn, performing chores.
Ruffnut stuttered along behind him before she finally managed a confused and guilty, "Sorry, Fishlegs."
"Ruffnut and Fishlegs…," muttered Snotlout, turning his head to look at the third teen by the door, "Which makes you…?"
"The one who captured you." Said the nameless teen in a voice suited for coughing, puffing up his chest, proudly.
"All these years on the job and I get kidnapped by a clothesline? Well there's go my pride."
The nameless kid made no reply except to crash the butt of his hammer into Snotlout's helmet. Snotlout grinned into the pain of his head and the vibrating gong that reverberated in his helmet. Even over the ringing in his ears, he could hear the other teenagers break into uproarious laughter.
;
Astrid trudged forward. She'd been helping her mother take account of what was stolen, they took stock from every little store, but the place that was hit the worse was Mercia The Maker's shop. Astrid had seen it getting robbed too, but she hadn't been able to stop it. Bertha had assured her daughter, "We protected the sheep, and have more medicine and food then we're likely to need. Remember, little Aster, when peckish turns to Hunger, you can't eat Finery."
"I know, I know." she'd muttered to herself. And she did know, every sane viking knew if you had to pick between a sheep and a gem, only one could keep you alive through a storm. But still, as she made her way up to her house on the hill, she couldn't help kicking herself. She should have stationed someone to guard that shop, or perhaps covered up the display window at least- And was that laughter? It sounded like Fishlegs and Ruffnut... but what were they doing in the main barn?
Astrid was almost at the top of her hill, the main barn was built in the small valley between her her hill and the Ingerman's hillock. if she jumped, she'd land on the barn roof. She backed up to give herself a running start, stretching her arms and legs, she had a flicker of doubt.
There was only 7 feet to leap across, but there was a 30 foot drop if she missed. She could just walk down the hill and through the front door like a normal person... but Nah.
;
Ruff hefted a huge crate up to her chest and was walking out the barn door when Tuffnut heard an unusual "thump" from above. Was there someone else in the upper loft? Bending to pick up his crate, someone wolf whistled. He spun around, thoughts of his cousins and their obnoxious friends showing up to pick a fight, but it was just the pirate.
"Woops, sorry, thought you were your sister." the pirate said, heavy on the sarcasm and suggestive eyebrow waggling.
Tuffnut snorted, his shoulders dropping their tension, "Well, I get that a lot."
"Identical twins, huh?"
Tuffnut stiffened as he was putting a smaller box on top of his crate, if this pirate was going where he thought he was going with this, Tuffnut might really have to kill him. He'd heard enough threesome jokes to last him a lifetime.
"The two of you don't look that alike."
"If she should be so lucky." Tuffnut said, relaxing again, cocky smile in place.
"I guess she would be, seeing as you're so much more delicate. Dainty even."
"Ha! Yeaah, I'm a beautiful thing." Tuffnut said, smirking. He even flipped his hair.
Snotlout chuckled at this, but was slightly disappointed, he'd thought Tuffnut would definitely one of those Macho Man types, who hated being compared to a girl.
"Of course," said Snotlout, scrambling for material because the lanky boy was walking for the door and Snotlout didn't want to be alone just yet, "There's nothing wrong with your sister's Dragon-esque figure."
Tuffnut froze. He turned slowly, putting the boxes down almost casually. "No one." He walks over to Snotlout easily, smile still in place, "No one insults my sister but me."
Snotlout was so pleased with finding Tuffnut's weak spot he actually yelled, "Ahah!" aloud. Tuff scowled, he span, intending to kick Snotlout right in the jaw. A hand caught his ankle and with fluid ease twisted his kick against himself until he had flipped around and landed in the straw.
"Wow." Snotlout said, taking in the girl who had appeared from no where and saved him, it was a perfect throw. Amazing technique. "You work out? You look like you work out"
She turned to face him, every muscle coiled like a cat. Snotlout blinked. She did look like she worked out. More than that, she looked like Cazi. Especially when she raised one blonde eyebrow like that.
"Does that line actually work?" she asked, picking hay out of her braid.
"You'd be surprised." Snotlout said jovially, his eyes locked on Tuffnut who was standing up and brushing himself off.
"Why did you stop me?!" huffed Tuffnut.
"You were standing too close, you would have snapped his neck." she scolded.
"Know it all." Tuffnut muttered, but he didn't try to kick Snotlout again. He and this girl were obviously close.
"Aw, don't be mad, how about I shoot his balls off for you instead?"
Tuffnut laughed, Snotlout laughed too until the girl started stringing her bow.
"Wait, Seriously?" As Snotlout's eyes kept getting bigger, Tuffnut's smile got crueler.
"Don't worry! Astrid's the best shot on the island. If she says she'll shoot your balls off, you'll only loose your balls."
As soon as Astrid pulled back the string, Snotlout jumped. The ropes travelled with him up the barn post so that he was stuck, like a spider on the wall, an arrow planted in the ground where his balls used to be.
"How did you do that?" Astrid asked, voice full of entertained wonder, like a child discovering a new toy.
"I- I don't know", said Snotlout his voice strained.
Tuffnut fell back to the floor, he was so shocked, "What do'ya mean you don't know?"
"I panicked."
"You- DahahahahaHA! You Panicked?" Tuffnut was rolling around the floor with that one. Astrid had smile that clearly said she was enjoying this too much.
"Well I guess I shouldn't have bothered", Snotlout pouted, "You're not that great a shot anyway."
"Excuse me?" pretending to be affronted, Astrid strung another arrow, but her grin gave her away.
"I know someone who's better than you." Snotlout's face was still for the first time, no sly winks or half smiles, he was serious. It doesn't suit him, thought Tuffnut.
"Who?" Astrid asked, immediately interested. But the serious expression broke and Snotlout was the joker again.
"Why? Does it irk you, that theres someone out there who's better than you?"
Insistently, "Tell me, who it is."
He didn't speak, just smiled.
"Uhg!" Astrid loosed her arrow, it was lucky that the grip of Snotlout's boots slipped and he fell back to earth, because Astrid's arrow was burried where his head would have been.
"Geez, Astrid, what happened to not killing him?"
"He's so annoying. [to Snotlout] Just tell me!"
Snotlout just looked up at his captors, smug. So the girl twin, Ruff, hates being teased about Fishlegs. The boy twin, I still don't have his name, hates insults toward his sister when she isn't around to defend herself. And this one, Aster? Astrid?, hates secrets. Huh. "This is way too fun, I can't tell you now!"
Tuffnut began pulling Astrid away, handing her one of the boxes to her as they went. "C'mon, you'll never get the answer out of him now."
They were almost at the door when Astrid turned around and demands, "Are they a girl or a boy?"
Snotlout cackles, Tuffnut groans in defeat.
;
And miles and miles away, a red headed girl sneezed. Are people talking about me?
_ $^$^&&&_$(
Reading your reviews, makes me happy! so if you haven't yet, REVIEW IT NOW OR FACE MY WRATH... 0.e
thanks ^_^
