Here's chapter two, sorry for the wait. I've been doing more writing for Legacy of the Overlord so I haven't really spent much time on this.
Again, very rushed and hurried. But still, I hope everyone enjoys.
Like usual if you like, leaves reviews.
How To Train Your Dragon
Outcast.
Thrown out.
Rejected.
I was all of those things once.
She was all of those things once.
We have both been forgotten. But perhaps not completely.
This boy, this scrawny creature, riding upon one of my own regal brethren. I had watched that day of their celebration. How he and the others were brought into their family, their precious tribe, he was nothing like the others. He didn't act like the others. He didn't think like the others. He didn't feel like the others.
He was like her in a way.
Yet they excepted him. They respected him, what he came to symbolize.
She had never mentioned anything like this, but she had probably thought that something like this might happen. She was a firm believer in small miracles.
Then the black ships came. I felt the impending attack first, than the other brethren, like small chill running down the spines on your back or over scales. The battle started shortly thereafter.
I should have remained in the shadows, I should have stayed out of the fight, but I should have done a lot of things before this night. The boy was what mattered now, he was the writer. He was the one who thought differently.
The Outcast ships burned magnificently, it was good to be able to flaunt my power, my training, my skills, my hunting prowess after so long sleeping. But the boy found me, the smaller brethren was loyal... I had not been expecting that. His eyes held everything to me. He didn't know it, didn't understand how, but he told me everything, his life of ridicule before his friendship with the dragon he had maimed with one of his inventions, how the boy had risked everything to bring forth a new era, his father, his tribe. his best friend... and how, at the end of it all, he killed a Sea Dragonus Maximus!
Well, it appears my Goddess was right after all.
Big surprises do come in small packages.
Chapter Two: Looking for the Key
To say Stoick was happy would be the understatement of the century. To say Stoick may as well be feasting in Valhalla already would also be an understatement... but you would be close to understanding how the big chieftain of the Hairy Hooligan tribe was feeling at the moment his son came soaring out from the brightening dawn sky to say the Outcasts were defeated. Their boats burning in Hooligan waters. The surviving Outcast warriors who had reached land had quickly been rounded up and shackled in the old dragon arena, within a week word would have travelled to the other tribes and no doubt they would be bartering for slaves. Hiccup wondered briefly how the other tribes would react to the dragons but his mind was too scattered to focus for anything. He had taken a place in the great hall and had placed the huge feather on the table in front of him, a shining black that seemed to be a colour all of its own and with the rich purple running along its edge, it reminded him of a sword for some reason, like it could cut through bone and armour as easily as the great dragon who had owned it, could destroy a boat. He sat there for an unknown amount of time in the Great Hall, only Toothless sat with him, staring at the feather with the same transfixed gaze. Outside the rest of the Hooligan tribe were repairing the village , the few houses that had been set alight by the Outcasts that made it to shore, or by accident by dragons who were now helping the process of repair. Something that the Vikings found surprising was that while dragons could start fires very easily they could also put them out with relative ease as well. Mostly by smothering the flames with their fire-resistant bodies, depriving the fire of oxygen, they could also suck the air away from a larger fire to suffocate it of oxygen leaving just a smouldering pile. Vikings and dragons were also being used to guard the Outcast prisoners in the old dragon ring, Snotlout and Fireworm were on guard here as well. Fireworm seemed very pleased with the result of the prisoners in the cage, she had been one of the original dragons captured to be killed by the Vikings before Hiccup saved them all, now she crawled over the arena chains, growling and snarling at the Outcast inhabitants within. The repairs continued, even though there was talk already about another celebration being held for the victory. That would have to wait.
Hiccup couldn't get his mind off the mysterious dragon whose eyes seemed to know everything about him. They had made him feel like... that if he had continued to stare into them he would have learnt the secrets to everything there was to know. It was a powerful feeling, but a down-right terrifying one too.
Taken out of his stupor by a shout from outside, Hiccup got his book and charcoal from a holster on Toothless' saddle and opened it to a fresh page. He placed the feather on a chair near Toothless so he wasn't leaning on it as he wrote. With the dragons now helping the Vikings of Berk, Hiccup had taken it upon himself to rewrite the Dragon Manual. He sketched the huge outline he had seen while riding Toothless and made sure to include its two horns and feathery wings, those had been the only details he had been able to see apart from its glowing, amber eyes. Then, underneath the drawing, he wrote:
Speed: unknown (faster than a Night Fury)
Size: estimate 50 feet (larger than Monstrous Nightmare)
Dragon shares many similarities with Night Furies but has feathers and is extremely large in comparison. Two horns on the nose may be just for display, could be used in a fight. Attacks in similar fashion to a Night Fury but its attacks are extremely powerful, capable of penetrating both sides of an Outcast longboat. Burns with a blue and purple flame, could hint to fire being very hot. Never before seen flames of a similar fashion. Dragon seems intelligent and tolerant, but caution should be exercised if encountered again.
Hiccup looked at what he wrote and wondered whether this dragon was a new dragon species or a sub-species of the Night Fury, like how the Timberjack was related to the Monstrous Nightmare. He refused to believed that the dragon he and Toothless had caught sight of was the same as Toothless himself. He had seen distinguishing features between the older and younger dragons. While Toothless was quite young and didn't have many features that showed his age, the old female Night Fury who was often roosting in the Great Hall had grown a large sail on her back in place of the budding spines which graced Toothless'. He had seen several other Furies were starting to grow similar sails. But if the dragon he had seen attacking the Outcast boats was a Night Fury... he couldn't even imagine the age of it. The page needed a name, a name for this dragon. "Hey, Hiccup. You're dad said you'd be here." it was Fishlegs who joined him at the table.
"Oh' Fishlegs, you scared me." Hiccup said picking himself back from the floor where he had fallen. Toothless helping him back to his seat.
"Sorry, didn't mean it." Hiccup watched as the other teens gathered around and sat down, food plates and goblets in hand, looking exhausted after the battle. Snotlout (just taken off guard duty) was sporting a black eye and a cut lip, Tuffnut and Ruffnut were covered in dirt and their faces were gashed, they'd fallen from Newtsbreath and Seaslug probably from an argument got out-of-hand (again). Fishleg just looked a bit singed and Astrid was sporting cuts and bruises as she took her usual place at Hiccup's side. Brightclaw, Horrorcow, Fireworm and Newtslug (a term Hiccup had used for the twin's dragons and had stuck) followed their riders in and laid down nearby.
"What are you writing?" Astrid asked, placing a goblet of water into Hiccup's hand. "A new entry to the Manual?"
"I don't know why you're bothering with that." Snotlout said, taking a huge mouthful of whatever drink he had in his goblet. "With you showing everyone dragon's aren't all fiery breath and sharp teeth, its pretty much useless now. Not that I ever bothered to read it anyway."
"Actually, the original book still has many good tip on the dragon species," Fishlegs added, his speech becoming animated and excited with the discussion of books "Hiccup is just adding what the dragons could do now that would be useful to help in the village, or ways in training them. I've already helped him add more to the Gronkle section. Most Gronkles are capable of sniffing out precious metals or gems in rocks, and Horrorcow can beat her wings so fast she can help heat the fires in the blacksmith forge." Horrorcow on hearing her name rolled onto her back showing off her belly and allowed Fishlegs to scratch her pale underside, the Gronkle's left rear leg clawing at the air much like a dog.
"Are you sure about this one Hiccup?" Astrid asked as she looked at his writing. "Dragon shares many similarities with Night Furies but has feathers and is extremely large in comparison. Speed, unknown. Size, larger than a Monstrous Nightmare." there was an obvious hint of non-belief in Astrid's voice as she read aloud, but the description had drawn the other teens and the dragons closer together to look at the slim paragraph. "What is this?"
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like any dragon we've seen here. Even those weird Raptortougnes." Tuffnut said. Raptortounges were actually a breed of dragon who had made themselves known only after the vikings had killed the Green Death, they resembled a dragon who had been trod on by a very heavy giant. Giving them a remarkably flat appearances, they could cram themselves into the tightest places and wedge themselves in the crevices of cliffs to wait in ambush for birds who would land.
"You're going to find this hard to believe, but a this dragon was the reason we got victory last night." Hiccup told them truthfully. And he then proceeded to tell them of how he and Toothless had witnessed the simultaneous destruction of dozens of Outcast long boats and how they had finally been able to catch up with it, cruising over the tops of the high clouds. Staring with its cold, intelligent eyes. By the end of Hiccup's speech, his fellow Vikings were quiet, trying to comprehend what the Hooligan heir had told them, the feather was obvious proof that Hiccup had been telling the truth and each teen spent time running their fingers along the huge feather. The dragon's sniffed at the black object when it was shown to them, but they shied away from it. Eyes to the floor in what Hiccup had noticed seemed to be a sign of great respect between the dragons. He had seen a lot of the dragons doing it to Toothless.
"Whoa, this thing sounds awesome! Do you think it'll show up again?" Ruffnut said, breaking the silence that had gathered in the great hall her hand stroking the feather on the table.
"I'm not sure, but it seemed... surprised... when Toothless and me caught up with it. Like it didn't think we'd be able to follow." Hiccup told them. "But I'm not sure if it will show itself again, its probably a subspecies of Night Fury and they can be very shy." The break seemed to cause a little conversation to start between the newly minted Vikings, and the conversation continued about the huge dragon Hiccup had seen.
"Wouldn't it be cool, if it was looking for a rider, like it was trying to pick out the strongest Vikings from all around the islands and tribes." The dragons growled quietly and edged closer to their riders, obviously the dragons didn't think it was cool.
"How come this thing hasn't shown itself before? If that had attacked Berk it would've caused a huge amount of damage. Especially if you think its fire is that hot." Snotlout asked Hiccup, the others looked to the thin teen to listen to his answer but Hiccup just shook his head.
"I don't know." he answered truthfully. Really, what did he know. What he knew about the mysterious dragon was exactly what he had told the others just now. "Perhaps it was wary to come to the islands because of the Green Death, or perhaps its looking for new territory, maybe its even looking for a mate. Even the presence f humans may have warded it off and its slowly coming closer because the other dragons are starting to trust us."
"You keep saying 'it's looking', but what's looking for?" Astrid asked "How do you know it's looking for anything? It may have just found its way here, or was here all along and just didn't trust us."
"I don't know, but, when we were up there with it and it was just staring us. It just seemed like it was looking for something, and there was something else, but I can't remember what." Hiccup said. There was a moments pause until the great doors to the huge hall opened and Gobber shuffled over to the teens at the table. Hiccup quickly shut the book and hid the gigantic feather under the table.
"There you are, wondered where'd you'd gone off to." the large man said "Com'on now, time for you to get some sleep, we've still got a lot to fix up but we don't need you to fall asleep on your duties. Go home, get some kip, and join us when you're all fresh and ready. We you lot up front there attacking the Outcasts consider this a reward for victory. A full night's sleep before we turf you out to help, now go on." And one by one the teens and their dragons left the great hall saying their goodbyes.
What Hiccup had forgot, was that whisper in the wind, that sound that he had that he hadn't been sure was either a voice or just the breeze. He had forgotten it by the time he had begun writing in his book about the huge dragon that had given the Hooligans victory over the Outcasts.
------ HTTYD ------
The distant, misty island that was home to the dragons' nest was quiet. The dragons were nesting inside, free from the terror of the Green Death and awaiting for their mates and neighbours to return from the Vikings, for you see, with the fighting between them now a thing of the past the dragons came to see the wingless as friends; and dragons enjoyed the company of friends. But none of the dragons were flying about outside, preferring the warmth and relative safety of the volcano that was their roosting site, so no one saw the shadow of a dragon crawl over the rotting carcass and the blasted bones of the Green Death. Black and purple tinted feathers fluttered to the stone beach and caressed the rocks and bones.
Powerful claws and grasping feet landed elegantly upon one of the Green Death's exposed ribs, a great dome of bones and spine and skin and rotting flesh, half burnt and blasted. The smell offended his nose, but he had to come here since it was important. It was key to bringing forth his Goddess. He didn't have to worry about being found by the brethren, they knew how dangerous he could be, he didn't need to flaunt his power to them. They'd leave him alone. He didn't have to prove himself to anyone any more, only to his Goddess.
By their very name, a sea dragon was meant to be big but the Green Death was huge even to others of his own kind. For the feathered Night Fury, that could be a clue to something that he searched for. Climbing down from the arching ribs and gliding down into the devastated chest cavity of the huge corpse, blasted and scorched from its own fire. Very ingenious for the scrawny boy to come up with that plan based on an encounter with a Terrible Terror the dragon thought to himself.
He dug around in the ground and the burnt flesh just looking, the smell felt like it was clawing at the smell receptors in his sensitive nose, but that didn't stop the large Night Fury from using the two horns on its nose as a shovel to shift more earth and grizzly mess. He had been here before, looking as well, for any clue that could help him restore power to the Astral Gateway where he had been hibernating all these lonely years. He would not stop until he found what he was looking for.
He had to send his Goddess a sign, a sign that she would recognise despite being reborn and her memory of this place turned to ashes; it was something she would have to feel, a pulse of power, or something to tempt her curiosity. He could always remember her being a very cautious, but curious creature. He was certain that this sea dragon had had a certain stone in its possession. A stone that his old master had made at the height of her power before the betrayal of the tribes that killed her. But even if the stone could not be found, there were other ways to give power to the gate. They would just be a little harder to obtain.
He continued to dig, he was covered in filth and grime and steaming, stinking gore by the time he had to finish from sheer exhaustion or else he would spending the night in this corpse. His feathers slimy and bloody.
The Green Death's heaving carcass was huge, he still had many areas to look and dig at before he could be certain the stone could not be found.
Flying from out of the huge body, back between its huge rib bones he dove into the sea to clean his body and feathers, returning them to their gleaming black and purple, his horns and claws back to a dark, almost black, storm grey. Drying out in the air on the stoney beach he ruffled his feathery mane and crest free from water and spread his wings out to his sides, their full one hundred and twenty feet span, allowing his legs to curl up under him and his throat and chin to meet the smooth pebbles on the shore.
He could still remember her weight on his back, between his shoulder blades and wing joints she had ridden him to speeds not even his fellow Night Furys could hope to obtain. Whispering gentle but firm orders in his ears and him swaying and banking in response to her gentle touches and the movement of her body. He missed his master, he wanted her back. And he wanted to destroy the tribes that had taken her from him.
The boy was the answer, he was sure. The boy, Hiccup was his name, could help him. He would have to keep an eye on the young Viking to insure his safety; not that he would need much of it with the younger brethren as his mount. A strong and loyal male that reminded the huge dragon of himself when he was younger with his young Goddess.
He heard the flapping wings of a Monstrous Nightmare approaching the Green Death's corpse, with it were several smaller dragons and a Gronckle by the judge on the humming. By the time this territorial patrol had reached the section of beach which marked the Green Death's resting place there was no sign of the large black dragon, save for twirling patterns and disturbances in the mist and fog.
