AN: Hey guys. I'm expecting a few prompt whacks in the face with books and bricks today.
I'm not going to apologise for that cliff hanger. Cause, whilst many of you may argue it was not necessary, I thought it was a great place to finish.
Sorry for the ridiculously long wait, I've been...busy. And procrastinating. Hopefully next chapter will be up soon-ish. Don't expect any promises.
OH! Language warning for all chapters from now on. Mostly mild stuff.
Cheers.
Chapter 2
}He Jumped{
~Hiccup~
I gaped in utter disbelief at what had just transpired. The stallion just ran off a cliff. He just...splat. He...just whoosh! Splat!
"You saw that too right?" Thornado snuffled my boot, nudging it as if asking me to get up. I flopped onto my back, wincing at the discomfort in my side. "I can't believe it. And I didn't even want to shoot him and he just-"
I was cut off by an angry whinny, it was close and it shocked me out of my skin.
"Did you hear that?" I scrambled to my feet, not before slipping onto my arse in my hurry to get up. I stumbled forward on unsteady feet and saw that the clear lookout did indeed end in a drop. I leaned over the edge to get a better look and instead of seeing a black grease spot far down in a rocky ravine below us, the stallion was alive. The drop was only fairly short, maybe two or three meters and the black stallion glared up at me, snorting indignantly and pawing at the chilly earth. He was enclosed on all sides by natural stone walls, the whole...cove thing was on a slope, the other walls remaining out of view from anyone above. There was a small billabong in the center of the cove, shaded by droopy ghost gums and there were sprinklings of grass and common shrubs throughout.
I sat back on my heels, watching the stallion as he reared and turned to find his way out, satisfied with his glaring at me. He would find a way out. He was a brumby stallion after all. I let out a breathy laugh and stood.
"Lucky bastard."
Thornado was cropping tiny shoots of grass, completely unfazed.
"Well of course you don't care." I muttered sarcastically. I scooped up the rifle and made a noise of frustration in the back of my throat. It dripped mud and slush. "That'll take forever to get clean. Dad's gonna be pissed." I slung it over my shoulder and tied Thornado up in the shade of a droopy She-Oak and loosened the saddle girth a tad. I peeled my gloves off with my teeth and pulled a felt rag out of the saddle bags to wipe the gun, trying to give it some illusion of being clean.
I exhaled through my nose when I was finished, severely worrying for my safety if Dad were to notice the dirty gun when I got back. I slung the strap over the saddle horn and moved to watch the stallion once more.
He was huffing and stomping angrily, charging the walls and trying to leap up, only to fall back onto the ground. I frowned but took solace in the fact the stallion had plenty of grass and water to get by for the next while. I mean...it's not like I could get a wild brumby out of there, let alone a stallion that size. I'd have better luck trying to get Dad to dance around in one of Mum's old dresses. Ha! I chuckled softly to myself at the thought. Yeah...it'd be better just to let him be. He'll find a way out...probably.
"Tough luck son. You'll see one tomorra." Dad clapped me roughly on the back, attempting to cheer me up after not having shot a brumby today, "afterall...there's still another week left of the season. Maybe try another section tomorra."
Mum watched us from the kitchen, brow creased softly, from worry or something else I couldn't tell.
Gobber chuckled loudly, flipping sausages and stirring gravy at the same time. "The buggers were probly too scared a ya. Heard a ya Dad's reputation an' bolted 'fore ya could get there."
Dad laughed boisterously. "A course Gob. I frightened 'em off on the boy. Ne'er mind Henry. Ya'll see one tomorra."
"...yeah. Maybe." I shrugged noncommittally, trying not to seem too conspicuous.
"That's the spirit. Now, Val, d'ya know where the beer is?" Dad seemed to shrug off the disappointment of today's hunt and looked to Mum expectantly.
"Fridge Stoick." She gave a small smile and stepped out of the road to come stand beside me. She curled a gentle arm around my shoulders and lead me away into the hall. She stood in front of me, narrow face pinched with concern. "Now Hiccup," I looked to the side when she used my old nickname, "I know it must be hard fer ya, missin' out on ya first today...but...just know...that no matter what happens...I'll always be proud of ya? Okay?"
"Okay." She pulled me into a hug and I relaxed into her warmth. "You can eat ya dinner upstairs tonight if ya want."
"Thanks Mum."
We pulled apart and Mum smiled, eyes crinkling at the edges. "Look at you...almost as tall as ya Mum," she pulled me in for another hug, "you've got ya Father's height in ya."
I smiled awkwardly into her shoulder. It didn't always seem that way.
We broke apart once more to help Gobber serve.
I settled at my desk, my plate still wafting steam despite the cold seeping through the crack in the window pane. I flicked through my drawing book and stopped on an empty page. I picked up a pencil in one hand and started doodling on the page while half-heartedly eating with the other. Slowly I filled the page and another, and another. Until eventually my hand seemed to move in lazy circles, sketching soft curves and sloping lines. The shapes slowly took form, the pencil shading and the eraser cleaning up and leaving new highlights.
I leaned back and examined the picture, fingers tracing over the page, light as feathers. It was the stallion from earlier, with his thick black coat and knotted mane, his thick muscles and the pride with which he raised his head...He made a rather magnificent picture.
I cocked my head on the side and thought back to him, the great black stallion, he probably stood a few hands higher than Thornado. He was...something rather curious. Not a speck of white on his black coat. He was...rather a handsome thing. I stood and gathered my plate, walking out the room to take it downstairs. It would be a shame to leave him to die...maybe I'll check on him tomorrow.