Chapter Two: New World
The Companions sat in Eep's cave around a tiny fire Toothless had lit for them. A huge boulder blocked the entrance, so there was no fear of being discovered by the tribe. Still, there was a frightened and apprehensive mood to the whole group. Only Guy, Eep's skinny caveman boyfriend, didn't seem to be tense. He sat staring into the fire and stroking Belt, his pet sloth. Like Eep, he was open minded to new ideas, and Jack decided that was how the two could see him.
"So, if you all are from another time…" Guy began, breaking out of his thoughtful trance. "How did you get here?"
"Magic portals," Rapunzel said blandly. At their curious looks, she tried to explain. "It's like this glowing circle that appears in the air. If you step inside, then you appear somewhere else. Like if one appeared right now and you stepped into it, you might end up on the other side of the valley, or where you first met us, and no time will have passed at all."
"And sometimes, they will send you back in time for no reason," Elsa sighed.
"I don't understand!" Anna suddenly snapped, flames flying out of her hands and onto the fire. She hadn't said a word in hours. "Why would North send us here!"
"Our friend with the portals," Hiccup explained in a whisper. But Eep and Guy weren't listening. They were staring at Anna.
"I don't know, honey," Jack said, placing a comforting cold hand on her shoulder. "Maybe it was just an accident."
"But all six of us appeared in the same place at the same time!" Elsa countered.
"Not helping," Merida said. "Don't worry, Anna. North will find us and take us back home."
"But the portals are so unpredictable! Not to mention he doesn't have all the kinks worked out of the tracking device yet. We could be stuck here for years! Maybe even forever!"
"What's so bad about that?" Eep asked, finally tuning back into the conversation.
Anna ignored her, rocking back and forth, panicking. She was desperately trying not to release a flame wave, but her hands were on fire. Merida got up and sprang to her side.
"Anna. Anna listen. LISTEN TO ME." She grabbed Anna's chin in her hands and forced her friend to look at her. "Calm down. We cannot. give in. to fear," she said firmly. "Ah know you're scared. But you have focus on the now. Everyone gets scared when they look too far into the future, but nobody is scared all the time, right?"
"Right…" Anna whispered weakly. The fire in her hands died.
"It's because nobody spends all their time scared about the future. They go one day at a time. That's what we're going to 'ave to do. It's what we've always done, you just didn't know it. We can survive long enough for North to get us, and even longer than that if we needed to. Look around! You're surrounded by four Guardians and a dragon rider. Not to mention your own powers! You're perfectly safe."
Anna inhaled deeply, then slumped over into Merida's waiting arms, fast asleep. Merida picked her up and carried her over to one of the ledges that served as beds. Then she rejoined the others at the fire.
"What did you just do?" Rapunzel asked.
"I battled her fear until there was none left. She became so peaceful she just fell asleep."
"But the Moon didn't give you any powers," Elsa said.
"Not superhuman powers like healing or flying," Merida explained, slightly disappointed. "But I'm the Guardian of Courage, and to guard courage, you need to know how to fight fear. I have special insight now."
She lapsed into the silence, deep in thought. 'Special insight?' That didn't even begin to cover it. Merida could sense fear even more than Toothless could, and that was saying something. But when a person was really scared, then she could see the fear just as clearly as Anna could see magic. And Anna had been teeming terror; Merida had barely been able to see her at the beginning. Usually when anxiety was this strong, she could tell what it was that they were scared of. But this time, she couldn't.
And that was what worried Merida most of all.
She was so lost in her musings that she didn't hear anything until Hiccup shook her shoulder.
"Merida, are you alright?"
"What? Oh yeah, Ah'm fine. Just a little tired I guess. Did I miss anything?"
"We've just been explaining to Eep and Guy about Guardianship and the Moon. And we've discovered something else about this time period…"
"Yes?" She waited for him to continue. "Hiccup, what it is it?"
"There is no moon," Jack finished. "This is in the time before Tsars came to Earth. We're completely on our own."
Merida could see the despair in everyone's faces. Now even the two cavemen understood why they wanted to get home. She stood up and smiled at them.
"One day at a time, guys. Now I suggest we all get some sleep. We can't live in this cave forever, so tomorrow we have to get started on some shelter."
They silently agreed with her and began moving towards the previously set sleeping arrangements: Hiccup curled up with Toothless on the floor, Jack and Rapunzel at the biggest ledge in the back, Anna and Elsa on another ledge, and Eep taking the one above them. Merida put out the fire so Guy could roll the stone away and get to his own cave. When it had been repositioned, she unsheathed her sword and glared at the rock. Anything that wanted to harm her friends would have to go through her first.
The next morning, Eep was shaken awake by Merida.
"Your dad's calling for you!" she whispered. "Hurry and answer before he comes up here."
Accordingly, Eep went to the door and poked her head out, blinking in the bright sun. "Yeah?"
"It's time to move out. Hunting day, remember?"
"Oh. I don't like hunting today."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely."
"You know, maybe one of us should stay behind…" Eep's mother suggested.
"No no, that's okay. I'll be fine. I don't want to spread anything to the rest of the tribe."
"Okay, honey. There's one egg left in our cave if you want it. By the way, have you seen Guy?"
"No."
"If you see him tell him we're going hunting and we can't wait on him."
"Okay."
Eep moved back into the cave and slid the rock back. They listened as the tribe ran out of the protected little valley, shaking the ground as they went.
"How many people are there in your tribe, exactly?" Elsa asked.
"Well there's my family, my mom, dad, grandma, brother and sister. Then there's the Horks, five of them, including the baby; the Gorts, four of them; the four Erfs, and the four Throgs."
"There are twenty one people in all," Guy spoke up from the very back of the cave. "Counting me."
Eep squinted at him. "When'd you get here?"
"Before everyone else woke up. Except Merida. She nearly chopped my head off with her sharp-stick."
"It's a sword," Merida said.
"No more arguing," Rapunzel said. "Now that the tribe is gone we can eat breakfast and start working on shelter."
"I'll go get the egg," Eep said. She disappeared.
"We can't all eat one egg," Hiccup said.
"Sure you can," Guy said.
A moment later, Eep returned with a giant, ostrich sized egg, and they all agreed that it would be fine to share. Rapunzel convinced Eep that they weren't used to eating raw egg, and showed her how to fry it over a fire. Of course, she didn't have her trusty fire pan, but she found a thin rock that worked just as well.
Afterwards, Eep and Guy led the way on their elephants—or as they called them, girelephants—to the jungle in the distance. Hiccup, Merida, and Jack flew, while the others rode the giant mammals. When they finally reached their destination, they were surprised. It was not the type of forest they were all used to.
The trees were massive, their trunks as thick as a house and covered with brightly colored mosses. Gigantic flowers were scattered amongst the branches, and thick vines weaved in and out. The underbrush was a tangled mass of colors, but occasionally they could make out the moss-like grass. It seemed to be a subtle blue-green, but Rapunzel wasn't sure if that was the natural shade or it appeared that way from lack of sun. High above their heads, the leafy canopy blocked out direct sunlight.
As she looked skyward, a tiny creature scrambled over her bare feet. Glancing down, Rapunzel saw a furry elephant the size of a mouse. She squealed in fright and jumped into Jack's arms.
"So…I was thinking of just building a hut on the ground," Hiccup said. "But I think our best bet is a treehouse."
"Agreed," Elsa said, looking paler than usual.
"I think they're cute!" Anna said, bending down to look at them more closely.
"Not if they run over your face at night," Elsa pointed out. Anna quickly agreed.
All morning they fought their way through the thick, exotic jungle, looking for the right tree. Jack spotted it first, flying above the rest of them (Toothless was too wide to fly). Extensive shelf fungus, surprisingly sturdy, was layered in the branches. With a few walls, it could become quite a nice living space.
"The first thing we need to do is figure out a way to bring the building materials from the ground to the tree," Guy said. "Belt, we're going to need a vine."
While Belt went off to cut a vine, Hiccup explained the pulley system to Guy, who instantly understood how it would work. With Jack's help, they were able to make a crude pulley.
Meanwhile, the Rapunzel began sketching out blueprints for the walls and the other girls weaved leaves together for a thatch roof. Toothless, with Merida's help, dug a trench in the floor so that they could secure the walls when they had them. Around noon, Jack stopped the work.
"I think we all deserve a break!" he announced.
"We've barely started," Rapunzel said.
"We've got a foundation and most of the roof," Jack countered.
"Besides, I'm hot," Eep said. "We should go swimming."
"Jack and Elsa could…" Rapunzel began.
"Milady, don't stress yourself," Jack said mockingly. "We'll have plenty of time to work later. Eep? Take us to your swimming hole."
Eep grinned, and moments later they were traveling again, grabbing any fruit they passed for lunch.
"Are you alright, Anna?" Merida whispered as they rode the girelephant. It was Elsa's turn to fly on Toothless. "You've been really quiet today."
"I'm fine," Anna said, a little too quickly.
Merida frowned. This was not like the Anna she knew. But she knew from her own experiences that it was better not to press the matter further. Merida was a little older than Anna this time, but she remembered what it had felt like to be a teenage girl in a strange world. She leaned forward and hugged her friend, and felt Anna's fear lessen.
"We're here!" Eep suddenly yelled.
Looking up, Merida gasped. They were on the edge of a small cove, filled with sparkling clear water. A water fall poured over the edge, splashing halfway onto a smooth, curved rock that flowed gently into the pool. In the very center of the cove, a giant rock slanted skyward.
"Behold the world's first water park," Jack said. "Complete with water slide and diving board."
"What?" Hiccup asked, confused.
"Uh, North accidentally sent me to the future one time."
"Let's go!" Guy yelled.
Happily, they clambered down the gentle grassy slope to the slide. One by one, they slid down and splashed into the deep, cool water. It was refreshing, not to terribly cold. Although, if someone got too close to Jack, he made it just a little chillier. Once they were all in, they raced out to the rock, Guy won, and scaled the peak. Eep and Guy immediately jumped off.
"It looks a lot higher from up here," Elsa said, gulping.
"It's not as high as we've flown before," Jack said.
"Or us," Hiccup said, motioning to where Toothless lay watching on the grass.
"But you were always there to catch us if we fell," Anna said. "That's what's different."
Jack grinned and flew halfway down. "Now jump!"
Of course, when Elsa jumped, he let her fall all the way to the water.
"Dad!" she sputtered.
"See? That wasn't so bad."
"You didn't catch me."
"Did I say I would?"
Merida laughed and dived in next. "Nothin' to it!"
Everyone jumped in then. However, when Hiccup jumped, Toothless panicked and tried to fly to get him. Of course, he ended up flailing in the water and nearly drowning Guy, but in the end, nobody was hurt.
Hiccup decided to stay with his clearly shaken dragon until he had calmed down. He laid the soaked prosthetic tail flat on the grass to dry and scratched Toothless' head fondly. Together, they watched the others complicate their dives and jumps until a competition emerged, of which Eep eventually won. Secretly, Hiccup thought Jack's trick, flying high into the air and free falling down, stopping at the last second and dropping calmly into the pond without a splash, was the most impressive.
"Attention, everyone!" Elsa proclaimed, standing on the very tip of the rock. "I am about to preform a feat so elaborate that no one has ever attempted it before."
She had everyone's full attention now. They watched as she waved her hand…and an ice staircase formed from where she stood all the way down to the water. Hiccup laughed as she descended serenely, taking her own sweet time. At the bottom, she stood on an island of ice and smiled slyly up at the figures above.
Without hesitating, Anna skipped down the steps. To her surprise, Elsa melted them when she was part way down, and she fell in a ball of fire. Merida quickly jumped in after her.
"Are yew alright Anna?" she asked with clearly forced cheerfulness. Hiccup knew her better and realized she was honestly concerned. Thankfully, Anna nodded, a little out of breath, but otherwise fine. But only Hiccup saw Jack fly down and talk to her, evidently worried. Anna shrugged it off and swam back to the rock, leaving Jack hovering genuinely troubled.
In a flash, the events leading up to the portal came rushing back at him. His father's disappointment instantly crushed him again, and he flopped back on the grass. He had to think of something else. But he couldn't. Who else was still disappointed in him? What if Astrid…
NO. That's impossible.
"Hey Hiccup!" Rapunzel called. "Are you going to come back in? Call it a hunch, but I think Toothless is calm."
Hiccup sat up and looked at Toothless and saw he had fallen asleep. But now he didn't feel like swimming. Thinking fast, he realized that his clothes were dry. He must have been thinking for longer than he realized.
"I, uh, don't really want to get back in now that my clothes are dry," Hiccup said. "It feels really nice out here in the sun."
Rapunzel looked down at her hair, floating in the water around her, and realized it would take a long time to dry out, especially since there were no towels. She dragged herself out of the water and up the hill.
"Good idea. I'll join you."
It took awhile to lay down all her hair, but eventually she came and sat next to Hiccup. They sat in silence, just enjoying one another's company and watching Merida and Eep attempt to scale the water slide from the bottom. Meanwhile, Jack and Guy were holding a contest to see who could hold their breaths the longest, and Elsa was keeping count. Only Anna was alone, sitting on the edge of the diving rock. Rapunzel waved her down, but she shook her head.
"Is Anna okay?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know. I guess she's just tired from last night. She got pretty upset."
"Understandable. She seemed to enjoy swimming though."
"Until she plummeted to earth in a ball of fire?"
"Yeah. It almost looked planned, though."
"That's what I'm choosing to believe." Rapunzel looked worriedly at her daughter.
Hiccup decided it was time to change subjects. "So, what did you all come up with for the house?"
They spent the next several minutes planning and sketching in a patch of dirt. One by one, the others joined them. Finally, Guy looked up at the sun.
"We should start heading back. It'll take us awhile to get back to the cave."
"I thought we were staying in the treehouse tonight," Merida said.
"Without walls it's way too dangerous," Hiccup said. "We could roll off in our sleep."
"I could keep watch tonight," Jack said. "If anyone started to roll off I could just catch them."
"But we don't have beds," Rapunzel pointed out. "It's just going to be simpler if we stay at the cave again."
"Then let's go," Eep said. "I have to be back before Mom discovers I'm gone."
"Or worse," Guy said. "Your dad."
They quickly agreed they needed to head back and started climbing the hill. At the top, they noted with a start that the two girelephants were gone. Eep's eagle eye quickly spotted them retreating in the distance and ran after them before anyone could say anything.
"That's strange," Guy said. "They never run off on their own."
"Something made them run off," Hiccup said suddenly, noting Toothless' tension for the first time.
Suddenly a high pitched shriek sounded behind them. Turning, they saw three angry, hungry looking pterodactyls approaching. Everyone stood stock still, terrified. They were much bigger than Toothless. Hiccup gulped and stepped out in front of everyone else he began to talk in a very calming, soothing voice.
"Hey fellas, how ya doing? It's alright, we're not here to hurt you. In fact, we were just leaving. But, you know, if you want we could stay and talk awhile."
Cautiously, he stretched out his hand and looked down at the ground. He tried to remember that Rapunzel was right behind him and if they escaped she could heal any injuries the dinosaur would cause him, but it didn't stop the pain from coming. To his immense relief, the creature behaved just like a dragon, and touched his hand gently. Smiling, Hiccup pet his dinosaur. To his left, he could see that Merida had tamed the second one. Rapunzel approached the third, and after some coaxing, convinced it that she was nice.
When Eep returned with her girelephant, scowling and disappointed the other had gotten away, she was quite surprised to see Rapunzel, Elsa, Anna and Merida on pterodactyls.
"How…" she began.
"Hiccup trained them," Guy explained, climbing on behind her.
"Can I have one?"
"You can have all three when we leave," Elsa said.
"You know, on second thought, we'll go a lot faster if we all fly."
Eep jumped off her girelephant and scrambled on behind Merida. Guy shrugged, patted the girelephant goodbye, and joined Rapunzel. With Hiccup and Toothless leading, they flew in a v-formation back to the valley.
"Hey Jack!" Rapunzel called.
"Yeah?"
"You were right, we needed a break. I'm glad we came."
"Ooh! Tomorrow we can show you the maze!" Guy said excitedly.
"But we really need to finish the treehouse," Hiccup said.
"We can go to the maze in the afternoon," Elsa suggested. "That'll give us time to start working on the walls."
Everyone looked pleadingly at Hiccup. With a start, he realized he had been unofficially appointed leader. He thought for a second.
"Fine by me," he said, much to the delight of the others.
An: Don't forget, the third chapter is also available!
