Omgomgomg... I never though that the "Hiccup ran away" fandom would be so big... so many favs and followers already and it's just one chapter! I hope I can keep up with your expectations and please review!
Second chapter. I will be alternating every chapter, so basically it's Berk, Hiccup, Berk, Hiccup... and when I say Berk I mean Astrid. So here goes, chapter 2! Ten years after the event that changed Berk forever.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2 Early raid
Astrid swung her axe at the Nadder, hitting it right on it's snout. The dragon squawked and backed away, but she didn't have time to follow it and finish the job, because the gas breathing head of a Zippleback appeared on her right, breathing out the greenish gas. She had just enough time to jump for cover, as the other head sparked and lighted the gas, resulting in an explosion. She grunted and jumped to her feet, grabbing her axe in the process.
Early morning dragon raids were nothing new. They had been happening for as long as she could remember, but they appeared to have been far more frequent the last ten years. They were raided only two weeks ago. Normally the dragons didn't come back so soon.
She narrowly avoided a fireblast, followed by a Nadder's spines. She chased a Gronckle away from a sheep, but didn't see that it was carried off by another behind her back. Berk was on fire, almost every house burning. Not counting the ones that were still burned from the last raid. She ran towards the center of the village, finding Snotlout and Fishlegs.
'What have we got?' She breathed.
'Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks.' Fishlegs counted down on his fingers. 'Oh, and Tuffnut saw a Monstrous Nightmare.'
'No Night Fury's?'
Fishlegs shook his head, then ran off. Snotlout grabbed his sword and shouted his battle cry, before engaging a Nadder head on.
It was strange. For some reason they hadn't seen a Night Fury in ten years. Well, not that they ever saw it, but they hadn't been attacked by one in ten years.
Ten years... that's when Hiccup...
She brushed the though aside. What a time to be thinking about Hiccup! The boy had been a nuisance, creating chaos and destruction every where he went. He had been weak and useless. And yet...
She had to duck for cover as a Zippleback flew over, close to the ground. The dragon was wounded. She ran after it. She knew it wasn't a fair fight, but she wasn't exactly focused. For some reason, Hiccup had found his way back into her mind, after not thinking about him for ten years.
She had to admit, just before he disappeared, he had been less clumsy, and far better with dragons than she ever was. She managed to kill the Zippleback quickly, then turned around and grabbed a bucket. She filled it with water and dumped it on the nearest fire. The flames sputtered, then died.
Just like the Zippleback.
Just like Hiccup...
No! They didn't know if the boy was actually dead!
She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought, but failed. It was like Hiccup hung onto her mind with both hands, refusing to let go. She hollered in frustration, taking it out on the nearest dragon. The Nadder fled quickly, not wanting to engage the angry woman. She screamed after it, throwing her axe in some random direction.
The dragons were leaving, taking most of the sheep and the yaks with them. She watched them fly away, then wondered if Hiccup had been indeed taken by a dragon, like they believed. She grabbed her head and grunted loudly.
'Are you okay?'
A large hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up, ready to shout to whoever touched her, but swallowed it. It was Stoick, the Chief of Berk, and Hiccup's father. His large red beard already showed signs of grey, just like his hair. His face showed the many lines of fighting the dragons, caring for an early born child after his wife had been carried off by dragons, and then losing that child. Everything she had wanted to say, no, everything she wanted to scream, died in her mouth. Instead, she just nodded and watched the man walk away.
She remembered how it had been the first few months after Hiccup's disappearance. Stoick had not taken it well. The search had gone on for months. They had searched every inch of Berk a thousand times over, including the cliffs and beaches, all to no avail. The usually charming, gentle man had changing into a grumpy, angry one. The young children, who didn't know Hiccup existed, had only known Stoick that way. Astrid knew better. She had been only fourteen at the time, but she remembered. The searching, the worry, some of the villagers celebrating. Celebrating! Because a boy had vanished.
She stumbled back to her house. Since the death of her parents she had it all to herself. Without even bothering to take off her armor, she plopped on her bed and almost instantly fell asleep.
She didn't sleep easy. Her dreams were haunted by dragons, taking monstrous proportions, and Hiccup, standing among those dragons, reaching out to her, screaming her name before being engulfed in flames.
She bolted awake, the dream fresh in her head. Why would she be dreaming of Hiccup now? She hardly even knew the boy! She suddenly realized she should stop thinking about him as a boy. After all, it had been ten years. He should be a man now. But in her dream, he had been that boy she barely got to know. She sighed. The ones that had known Hiccup, truly known Hiccup, were his father and Gobber. But asking Stoick about his son was a ticket to getting yelled at, tied to a mast and shipped off.
So, Gobber.
She would go ask Gobber.
She had no idea where this sudden urge to get to know Hiccup suddenly came from, but she didn't care. She had to know more about this boy and why he had come back into her mind so sudden.
