We are one clan now, though people tried to stick to their own for the first few months, which were the hardest times we faced as each clan mourned the loss of their people. The first few days were spent in utter chaos as people took out their anger, arguing that that they should have saved more people, that they left behind children, soldiers, healers. Skikru put this to rest explaining, as best they can that this was the only was for anyone to survive. They listed what the needed and who they needed for it. The jobs to be done the order that needed to be kept, the unity in which we needed to live. We were pretty much calm by out fourth month. It had taken a while for most of us to understand what we were living in. There was a lt of electrical equipment, something they called key passes and safety locks, airlocks, security cameras. this was a lot to take in for us and caused many to be wary of who they were living with. My father was one of these people, not wanting us to be alone with the Sky people, or me to be honest. this meant i was by his side often or banished to our room. I accompanied him to meetings, being left in the corner to draw in my book while he and the other leaders argued over things like rations. Skikru were in charge of how the bunker was run because they new how to keep the water running and the electronic aspects of the bunker going. our leader, our new commander was Octavia of Skikrew. She proffered to be called Octavia Com Onekru as we were one now but my father made a point to call her as one of the sky people. Indra had reprimanded him for this more than once she was our leader because she refused to be biased, she was the one to win the conclave and name us one clan, giving us all a chance to survive rather than just her people. While skikru ran the technical side of things, she kept the peace, negotiated important matters and made sure everything was fair for everyone.
I got a chance to watch her lead as she took command of the room whenever the leaders got to rowdy. I had been told tales of her since the sky people had landed. First from my uncle Lincoln before he was named a traitor to our people. Then gossip around camp. She visited a village i was staying in at the time. My father was on some important secret mission i was left with nyko, Lincolns brother and our best healer, he had looked after me a lot when i was a baby when my father would be called away. She had been visiting After Lincoln was taken b reapers and she looked more like one of us than Lincolns drawing had shown and though she had spent time with Nyko I had been far to shy and avoided her, merely waving when she said hello or pretending not to speak English like our the warriors. Nyko had given me a strange look but said nothing as he shook his head with a small smile. She looked even stronger now, than she did before with her commander garb and face paint that was matching to Lincolns tattoos.
After my father had left me in our room while he attended the meetings for the third time i decided that it was time to explore or else i would spend the next five years locked in here an end up going crazy before we were allowed to go back to the ground. each time i was left alone i expected my father to check back on me. The meetings lasted from 2 to 3 hours and left him in a bad mood, i had been expecting someone to walk through every hour or so to check on me, ensure i hadn't ran off to embarrass him. I decided to do exactly that after the third time, bored to the bone, laying on my bed. I didn't actually plan to embarrass him i just wanted to get away and explore for a little while. I waited fifteen minutes before sticking my head out the door. I walked out empty handed, checking the hallway before sneaking away. The conference room was directly across from up and apart from our room it was the only place on the bunker that i was allowed to see so far. I even ate in our room as again i wasn't allowed off this floor. I didnt leave the floor the first time i decided to explore. Sneaking past the conference room that was bustling with voices. The hall was curved, lined with the doors that led to each room for the the representatives.
Once passed the halls i came upon the the staircase in the middle of the room, a bring spiral going down. Along the other side there were large doors that led who knows where, i wanted to explore them but wasnt sure how much time i had and how far they led. I snuck over to one of them to read the signs posted on them. Weapons, Storage, Exit i paused on the exit remembering the way we had come in. There were several more rooms further along the wall but i was certain i wouldn't be able to look through them all before my father returned. I turned to go back, noting all the furnishings scattered around the floor and bookshelves stacked with neat looking books. I ran my fingers over some on a lower shelf, tempted to pull one out and flick through it but a shout down the hall caused me to pull my hand back and head off towards my room.
I beat my father back, returning to my bed just in time to get a breeze as the door slammed open.
"Gahh, blasted Azgeda, !" my father yelled, storming into the room fuming.
"Calm yourself Stoic, they wont get what they asked for and you know it."
"Oh i know it, I'll be sure to kill anyone who tries to take it."
"They are thinking of themselves yes, but if you are to keep your place on this council then you will have to calm your anger" Indra said,standing in the doorway, making it clear she was not planing to stay to argue, but rather join Octavia, likely back in the command room to finish planning. Stoik fumed as he clenched his fists.
""im aware of my place Indra," he growled "there's no need to remind me"
"I beg to differ" Indra replied darkly before turning and walking away.
"Ga" Stoic growled, dropping down into the chair in front of his desk.
Hiccup new better than to question his anger, He blamed Arcadia for my mothers death and had hated them long before that. I simply made myself as small as i could and waited for him to leave,which he did after fuming for fifteen minutes.
The next time i snuck out i brought back a book from one of the shelves, hoping nobody would notice it gone. I had found a nook in the wall, big enough to fit a grown woman and scurried into it. Getting a sort of fresh air while i browsed through the book. I was lucky enough to have been taught how to read by Lincoln when i was allowed to stay with him. I did this every time my father went to a meeting, staying for an hour before sneaking back. Eventually people took to walking around the floors rather than hiding in their rooms. nobody acknowledged me when they passed so i didnt have to interact until a few weeks later. My father had finally deemed it safe for me to walk this floor as long as i stayed out of trouble which meant there were more people walking around while i was in my cubby. I had gathered a stack of books, flipping through different ones, trying to read as many as i could while i was allowed out. I tried to keep my eyes down while they past but caught myself watching the interactions of some people around the room.
Skikru seemed to be the most interesting people around here, having different people up here all the time from different floors. They acted like they were delivering reports and updates but they lingered long enough to turn talk onto more pleasant subjects. Their stern faces going soft and melting into smiles. They seemed really close with each others as they joked and messed around, pretending to fight when someone said something, though it didn't seem to be to serious as the rest of their group laughed. The most common of the group from Skikru consisted of a tall guy with slightly tanned skin and dark hair, he was usually serious and spent most of his time with a short blonde girl who i remembered to be Clarke, she was close with Lexa for a while before she died. Octavia often joined their group and seemed to relax, resembling the girl he had seen in Nyko's village so long ago. Another girl spent a lot of time up here, she walked with a slight limp but wore a smirk 95% of the time, she was sometimes accompanied by a scruffy haired boy with with a large nose who walked with his hand in his pockets, or a small guy with slanted eyes and a shy demeanor. It was fun to watch them interact because it reassured me that their was still some source of happiness in this bunker, and from what my uncle had told me of the the first Sky people, they had been through a lot compared to the rest of their people.
Around the six month mark, we were forced into school. When i say we i mean everyone between the ages of 7 and 18, it was mandatory to ensure everyone had the same education and was fairly taught though it was not prohibited to teach you own children any extra history lessons like, we hate this clan or that clan stole our chickens several years ago so we must never associate with them. It was a great system. Day one of school was, interesting. I got pushed into a rail and was endlessly teased for being a klutz. That is thanks to my brute of a cousin, Snot lout. It was day two that life underground got really interesting as i walked into class to find A fierce looking blonde with Skye blue eyes. The second i saw the i thought we were outside again and i nearly lost my breath, well i did but that's only Snotlout chose that moment to punch me square in the chest. The Girl glanced over but it was hard to read her expression with the tears in my eyes.
I avoided her after that, like i avoided everyone in this place. I went from out room to my cubby after School then repeated the process. Room, Class, Room, Cubby, Room Repeat. I stole Glances at her as she slipped into Snotlouts group, Quickly taking over. It was an odd mix to see really, so many clans mixing as friends, not just colleagues or representatives but Friends. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were from Podakru While Snot was Trikru and Fishlegs was from Skikru. I was extra surprised that he was in their group but somehow he had been accepted. Hadn't figured out where The Blonde was from as she kept Pretty silent about herself.
We were a few months into school and i had developed a major crush on the Blonde who i had found out was Called Astrid. She was the leader of the classroom, keeping everyone else in check when we were being taught something important and keeping Snotlout from bullying everyone. He had even stopped picking on me so much which was great cause now i could draw in class without fear of him snatching my notebook and tearing pages out, again.
We were mid way through a lesson when an alarm went off. The room flashed red and blue and the doors sealed shut. Our teacher jumped up in a panic, running over to the door and trying to pull it open. When that didn't work she moved over to a panel of buttons and pressed them multiple times, each time receiving a dull err noise. She turned back to us after the fifth errr and plastered a smile on her face, it wasn't reassuring.
"Okay children, this is just a practice drill." She assured us, her eyes flicking around the room. Some of the kids panicked, trying to get the door to open as a team, others ignored it. The others being Ruffnut and Tuffnut who traded ideas on what the siren meant.
"Maybe our Air supply has run out" Ruff suggested.
"Yeah, maybe everyone's started to go crazy"
"And Started Killing each other"
"Haha oh yeah that would be awesome."
"That would not be awesome." Hiccup said, overhearing them over the yelling kids by the door. Snotlout was bawling on the floor claiming he was too young and talented to die.
"pfft, sure it would" Ruff said.
"Yeah we could loot their stuff and have extra food." Tuff added, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"You do realize that if the grown ups kill each other we have no one to farm our food or run the water" Hiccup pointed out. "And we would be locked under ground for the next few years in a hole full of dead bodies."
"Yeah" Tuff said slowly. "that'd smell worse than month old yak milk." they Cringed Together before returning to possible reasons for the siren.
"Okay then maybe something exploded!"
"Oh yeah, that would be awesome i love it when things explode!" they chuckled, continuing with their guessing game. I gave up and returned my attention to my book.
"That's pretty good" Astrid commented, looking down at my drawing. I jumped.
"oh, Astrid hey, um Hey Astrid" I spluttered stupidly. She didn't look up, instead, looking closer at my drawing. It wasn't one of my better one's but it did capture the beauty of the forests above ground.
"Where is it?" She asked, looking up. Her Skye blue eyes catching me off guard.
"That, oh its um. A forest not far from Polis" He said, hoping his voice didn't wobble as much as he thinks it did. She nodded.
"Its really good actually."
"oh, uh thanks, ah Thank you" He said, scratching the back of his head nervously. Her blonde Hair fell over her eyes when she looked back down, drawn to the image in front of her.
"Can you draw one for me?" She asked, looking back up to meet my gaze.
"Hmm" I asked distracted, " Oh right sure yeah i mean of course." Her lips quirked upwards for a second before she nodded, turning back to the front of the class and sinking comfortably into the seat in front of Hiccup.
I felt my cheeks grow hot and followed her lead, sinking right down in my seat and holding my book close to my face. The alarm continued for another fifteen minutes before being shut off. An Announcement came over the speaker system and explaining the problem. A water pipe had broken down on the bottom level and short circuited the security system, locking all the doors and setting off the Alarm but it was all fixed and very little water had been lost. The door opened moments after that and Snotlout was the first to throw himself out of the room, Praising Thor for saving him. I rolled my eyes and waited for the Teacher to excuse us but she was out the door seconds after Snotlout.
That night i Stayed up drawing a picture of the ground for Astrid, trying to remember a nice place to draw, forest, mountains, lakes, Polis, It'd be easier if i knew where she was from so that i could draw a picture of her home fore her but he wasn't allowed downstairs and it was already late. He didn't got to his cubby to read today, instead drawing since he got onto his bed. He was almost finished when his father burst in, he ducked his head and switched off his torch.
"Stoic" Indra warned, following him through the door and closing it tightly behind her. "Remember"
"Gah, stop reminding me to be Calm Indra, im not going to Start anything" He growled. "But you know as well as i do that Azgeda was responsible for that lock down."
"How do you figure that to be true?" She questioned.
"It was no coincidence that The other representatives had left the the room before the lock down. Leaving them alone in Polis. Who knows what they did in there."
"You sound ridiculous" Indra commented. "Azgeda touched nothing in there, Skikru Checked. Stoic spat.
"And you want me to trust them?"
"I do" Indra said, A challenge in her tone.
"Well i wont, i know who my enemies are and i will not lie down and let them walk over us."
"We are Onekru" Indra said. "We are not enemies down here no matter how we have been wronged. If we are to survive we need to live in peace." Stoic Growled at her words, pacing the room. "If you don't mind, I'm going to see to OUR commander before i retire for the evening, i suggest you rest too."
He glared at her back as she left, huffing when she was out of the room. Hiccup slid his book under his pillow and rolled over, deciding to go to sleep, he wasn't going to get anymore drawing done while his father sat brooding by the door.
The next day he missed class due to his fathers meetings that he insisted Hiccup join him in. SO he did and he sat in the corner, half following what was going on whilst drawing.
"Hey" A voice spoke up in front of him. He looked up to Find a blonde crouching in front of him. It was Wanheda looking very mundane in her Skikru clothes.
"Can i see that?" She asked gesturing to his book. He glanced around, realizing the leaders were filing out the room and he hadn't noticed. "Your dad will be back i a few minutes" She assured he, watching his eyes flick around the room.
Hiccup hesitantly handed over the book, revealing the image of the forest he was working on for Astrid. It was all lines and shading at the moment but it was clear enough to see a forest.
"Wow this is really good. Who taught you to draw?" Wanheda asked. He shrugged. "Yeah, i kinda taught myself." She said, handing the book back.
"You draw?" Hiccup asked, as she placed the book back in his hands. She nodded, a smile gracing her lips.
"You know" She said, Looking between Hiccup and the door. "I think i have something you might like, Wait right here okay" She stood up and left looking over her shoulder with a smile before heading down the hallway.
Hiccup waited, returning to his drawing as people slowly filed back into the room, his father gave him a once over before going back to his talk with Indra who looked as if she'd rather be anywhere but here. Something dropped into his lap as someone passed, he looked up to See Waheda's wink as she passed. Picking up the thing o his lap he found a rectangle tin covered in scratches and marks. He opened it to find a rainbow of colour, pencils of different sizes filled the case in a semi neat row, his eyes were wide as he admired the colour's.
He caught his fathers eye when he looked up and shut the case, sliding it under his shirt once his father looked away. After the meeting he tried to wait for Wanheda but his father ushered him back to his room before he got the Chance.
"Do you even listen to what we are discussing?" Stoik asked once the door closed. Hiccup stood in front of him nervously. He nodded halfheartedly.
"Son, if you are going to lead then you will have to listen to Everything that is Discussed, not just what you feel like listening to"
"I know but" Hiccup countered. "Who says i'm going to lead our people in the first place." Hiccup Asked. Stoik glared at him.
"You are my son, Of course you are going to lead." Stoik argued "Its in your blood." He said. Hiccup hid his groan.
"Yes, dad." Hiccup said, kicking the ground in front of him.
"Get some sleep, you have lessons in the morning" Stoic said, leaving the room without question. Hiccup considered waiting a few minutes and then sneaking out to his hole in the wall but feared his father would notice and come looking for him. Instead he removed his shoes and climbed onto his bed, grabbing his book ad his new pencils and getting to work. It wasn't late, though it was hard to tell down here but whenever Stoik was done with him he always got told to got to bed. At least he will be well rested when they get back to the ground.
He left the drawing on her desk before class, folded up neatly. She didnt look at it though, instead she slipped it into her pocket and returned to her group, hitting Snotlout when he said something she found offensive. This month they were focused on history of the Clans so there was a lot of talking during class and a few visitors from each clan who were able to explain their own history better than someone from a different clan would.
Today they had Someone from Trikru. Indra entered the room looking as in command as always. Her face stern as she walked straight to the front of the room.
"Who knows who this is?" The teacher asked. (A different teacher i might add seeing as the one from earlier Quit) Several children shouted out Answers but Ruff and Tuff were the loudest.
"Oh oh, Thats Indra com TriKru" Ruff called, climbing over her brother to silence him before he could answer.
"Thank you Ruffnut, Do you know her position?" She questioned.
"Ah" Ruff paused.
"She was Lexa's second!" Tuff called. "And now She's Commander Skirippers Second."
"No, No no Skiripper was her second." Snotlout said proudly.
"Both correct." Indra said. "I taught our commander what she knows and im honored to be her second." She said.
"Alright" The teacher spoke cheerfully. "What do we know about Trikru?"
"They live in the forest" Tuff said.
"Oh, oh They ah, have some of the best healers." Ruff added.
"They were the first kru to interact with SKikru" Fishlegs supplied
"We are the best of the Clans" Snotlout said cockily. Everyone glared at him, his opinion clearly not agreed with by many. Indra cleared her throat, Staring Darkly at The young boy in front of her.
"They have a bad history with Azgeda" Astrid said, moving the discussion along.
"Yes, thats right." The teacher said, glad to move along as the tension in the room grew thick. They continued on with this path of discussion, Hiccup sank low in his chair in the hopes he wouldn't have to answer anything though he knew most of what they were taught.
As they day grew on he couldn't wait to leave, he had been really excited when he woke up this morning, ready to give Astrid the drawing he had stayed up late to finish. But as he listened to the history of his clan, which he had been hearing since he was a baby, he just grew more tired with every word. He drifted off in his chair, slumping down as everything was muffled.
He woke to a bang, causing him to fall from his chair and land heavily on the ground. He shouted out when his elbow made contact, scraping on the concrete. Laughter filled the room and as he opened his eye's he was greeted to the faces of his classmates, pointing at him. He got to his feet and fixed his chair, looking around he found that the class was filled with only students and no adults meaning class was probably over. He grabbed his book from his desk and held it close before trying to leave. His path was blocked by Snotlout.
"Where ya going Fish bone" He questioned, hands on hips. Hiccup ignored him, trying to pass around him but he stepped in his way.
"Whats wrong, does little Hiccup want to run to his room?" He asked mockingly, his voice turning childish. The class continued to laugh and hiccup tried to pass again, this time shoving his Cousin aside, which only worked because he wasn't paying attention to Hiccup when it happened.
He raced back to his room, hand on his sore elbow all the way there.
"Hey, hey slowdown there." Someone said as he narrowly avoided crashing into them.
"Sorry" Hiccup said, staring at the ground. The guy in front of him crouched down to his height.
"You okay?" He asked, his deep voice soft. Hiccup nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve, which looked awkward as he kept one hand on his elbow. "You sure?" The guy asked, nodding to his arm." Hiccup looked up and found the guy was the same one he had seen around polis so often with his group of Friends. Bellamy? Yeah Bellamy.
"Yeah, i just fell" Hiccup shrugged. "Im good." Bellamy gave him a hesitant look but nodded.
"How bout you try not to crash into to many people, okay?" Bellamy asked humorously, hiccup nodded, turning back towards his room.
Once there he reluctantly released his hold on his arm, peeling his fingers away from the sticky substance that had leaked through the material of his sleeve. He rolled it up to get a look at the wound. It was just a scratch but the sleeve had caused the blood to smear around making it look worse than it was. He grabbed a rag from his trunk and wiped the blood off, wrapping another piece around it as a precaution before changing his shirt. He his his previous one at the bottom of his trunk with his drawing books and stuff. He used the rag to wipe his hands clean, the white material now stained black, he showed it into his pillowcase and lay down.
Authors note. Okay i planned to have this out quicker than it is, hence the shortness of the chapter, but ya know lifes a bitch and it just gets in the way. Anyway i do want to add a little more before i do a time just, they wont be long time jumps just a few months probably, just enough to keep it interesting. Anywho, hope you enjoy, i love reviews so please dont hesitate and um any suggestions would be great to, thanks for reading!