THE JOURNEY AFTER

CHAPTER 2

Hiya! I was gonna update on Sunday, but alas, it only happened today, Saturday. I probably didn't upload on sun cause it was the last day of the holidays, but I can't really remember!

Anyway, thanks to all the people who reviewed/favourited and to the one person(Saphirabrightscales) who favourited me as an author! All of these really made my day

And to the Guest that reviewed, glad you enjoyed the writing, and here's another chapter!

Now, the show must go on! Allons-y! (I may possibly be obsessed with Doctor Who as well as HTTTYD… maybe. I'll let you figure it out!)

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Hiccup woke early in the morning, roused by the sunlight streaming into the cave that had woken Toothless, making him shift around like a cat trying to fall back asleep. He shifted Toothless' wing out of the way, standing up and walking towards the entrance. The storm had moved away, barely visible on the horizon, but still present. The Terrors started to stir in the back of the cave, squabbling with each other and occasionally blasting fire at each other.

The storm was gone, barely visible on the horizon. Good for them, but bad for Berk. The storm cloud was heading directly towards the island, almost like it was trying to. Hiccup walked back into the cave, rousing Toothless as he did so. He grabbed his gear before heading back out to the entrance, Toothless tailing him this time.

"We need to get back soon. This storm isn't going to wait for us to get back home, especially now we have to take these Terrors back. And the wildlife"

Toothless grumbled in response, yapping at the Terrors. He had a quick conversation with them, one that Hiccup could only assume had to do with the remaining wildlife. Snotlout once questioned the need to bring the 'wimpy wildlife' back, resulting with a black eye from Astrid. It was only after Hiccup had explained that Dagur had been going on a wild rampage across any island, killing and pillaging anything and anyone that he agreed to collect them, even to his stubborn belief that the wildlife could take care of themselves. The Terrors scampered off, leaving Hiccup and Toothless to their own wits. Hiccup made quick work of saddling Toothless, finishing just before the Terrors returned, quickly pulling several small sacks out of the saddle bags. He carefully placed the animals in the bags. They stared up at him, placid and docile, like they sensed his anxiousness, or they knew that Dagur was coming. Either way, Hiccup was grateful.

He placed the sacks carefully in the saddle bags, leaving enough room for the animals to stick their heads out. Why Dagur had it out for animals, no one knew. Hiccup had a suspicion that it probably had something to do with one of the many times that Dagur had stepped on an unsuspecting animal, only to get attacked by said animal seconds later. He probably would never know, but it was as good a guess as any. Better than the twins at least.

He urged Toothless to fly towards Berk, watching the Terrors as he did so. They followed without any protest, buzzing around the duo madly. It was going to be a long flight back.

.

It was dark by the time that Berk was in sight. Hiccup and Toothless were soaking wet, having flown around the storm for a majority of the time. The Terrors had long since retreated into the saddle bags, huddling around the animals. Hiccup even had to use his flight suit several times, due to the extra weight Toothless was carrying. The storm was almost on Berk, and it most certainly would be by the time they reached it. Hiccup pushed Toothless to go faster, growing more anxious by the minute. Toothless sensed this, immediatley flying faster. They reached the island a few seconds before the storm did. Hiccup pulled the Terrors out of the saddle bags, placing a sack in their claws.

"Toothless, send them to the Mead hall. We have to warn d-" He stopped, sighing "We have to tell mum and Astrid"

Toothless conveyed the message to the Terrors, sending them straight to the hall. He then swooped down to Hiccup's house, his rider jumping off before he landed. He slammed the door open, scanning the room for his mother, yelling her name several times. Not finding her, ne jumped on Toothless and they headed for Astrid's house. He burst in, surprised to see Valka there as well.

"Hiccup, we were just talking 'bout y-" Valka started, getting out of her seat

"No time mom. There's a massive storm right over Berk! We need to get everyone to the Mead hall. Now!"

Astrid jumped out of her seat, standing next o Valka. She saw his worried look and immediately headed out of the door. Hiccup was about to follow her when Valka grabbed his arm.

"Hiccup, we 'ave a problem" she paused, letting it sink in "Gothi is still in her house. We need to get her down . Now"

Hiccup nodded, running out of the house, Valka hot on his heels. They both jumped on Toothless, Cloudjumper nowhere in sight, but probably helping Astrid. Hiccup directed Toothless up to Gothi's, letting Valka take over Toothless' saddle as he jumped onto the balcony surrounding the front half of the house. He yanked the door open, catching Gothi by surprise. The look on his face obviously told her something was wrong, as she made her way over to him. She looked out of the door, shocked by the storm. There hadn't been one like this since the night Hiccup was born. She studied her grandson's face as he guided her to Toothless. He knew something was happening, but he wasn't telling anyone. Her Terrors followed, swooping down to the Mead hall.

There was yet again another problem. There was no room on Toothless for Hiccup. The storm was now over Berk, winds whipping and rain pelting down.

"Mum, you have to take them down now!"

"Hiccup, I can't do th-"

"Mum, please!" Hiccup begged, knowing she would not leave him without a fight "I'll use my flight suit. I'll be fine!"

Valka stared at her son, frowning slightly "Be careful. Please"

Hiccup grinned at her, leading her to guide Toothless towards the hall, but not without one last glance at his rider. He knew the storm was bad, but he couldn't tell him.

Hiccup watched their descent, occasionally glancing towards the storm. As soon as they were on the floor, he ran back into Gothi's house, closing the windows and shutting the door. He was surprised that his grandmother hadn't noticed the storm. She wasn't the elder for nothing. Once the door was firmly closed he moved towards the edge again. This time, the storm was truly over Berk, leaving nothing to be desired. A flash of lightning accompanied by a loud clash of thunder boomed all around him. He paced back a few steps, questioning his sanity through what he was about to do. Never the less, he flung himself of the edge, quickly unfurling his suit, as well as popping the spring. He tried to glide smoothly but failed as the winds around him whipped uncontrollably, sending him into a frenzy of sudden movement. He frantically tried to re-direct his movements, only to be flipped over and flung towards the statue of his father. He muttered something about irony before he collided with it.

.

Toothless was worried sick. His rider was still outside, leading him to assume the worst. He was particularly jumpy and would only let Astrid, Valka and Cloudjumper come near him. He almost shot the later with a plasma blast when he made his way over.

'Calm down Toothless. Your rider is more than capable of taking care of himself' Cloudjumper said, trying to reassure the distraught Alpha 'He has gotten himself out of more pressing situations. Or so he tells me'

'let me reassure you that when Hiccup says "got out of", most of the time it means that he almost killed himself trying. Trust me, I was there. Every. Single. Time' Toothless growled out, growing more anxious by the minute 'And that provides me with an adequate reason to be absolutely terrified for him'

A loud clash of thunder brought the conversation to an end, startling the other dragons. Cloudjumper went over to calm them, leaving Toothless to wander around the hall. He stopped at the table that Astrid, Valka, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut occupied, plonking his head on Valka's lap. She stroked his head, telling him Hiccup was going to be fine.

To be true, Valka was terrified for her son. After losing Stoick, she had become paranoid about Hiccups safety, keeping him in her sights as much as she could. All though Astrid had promised her that Hiccup was more than capable, Valka was still unsure about her sons obvious ability to take care of himself, now more than ever. Every time she had ever seen him in danger, Toothless had quite literally swooped in to save him, but now that Toothless was with her, she feared for his life.

The wind howled outside, bellowing throughout the hall. Several Vikings wrestled the doors into place, making her cry out.

"Stop! Hiccup is still out there! Please!"

She rose from her seat, only to be stopped by Astrid. Valka was sure the look on her face mirrored the one on her own, and tried to pull away.

"Valka! He will be fine. I'll post some people near the door to listen for any knocking" Astrid said, letting her stand up "He's Hiccup! When has he ever let us down?"

Valka paused for a moment whilst Astrid told some of the others what to do. She looked over to the door, her heart heavy with concern.

"Ok lass, but only this time"

"I wouldn't doubt it"

They moved towards the main fire pit, moving around the mass of people in the hall. A loud crash was heard outside, making the mass of people immediately stop moving and stare towards the ceiling of the large building. Valka and Astrid shared a concerned look, hurrying towards the centre once again, now joined by Toothless. Said dragon had a feeling that everything was going to turn against him, and how right he was.

.

Above the Mead hall, Hiccup had just collided with the looming statue of his father, smashing into his stone chest. His flight suit was destroyed, leaving him plummeting towards the roof of the hall. He caught himself on the large hammer hanging of the belt of the stone giant, leaving him hanging in the midst of a fierce storm. He felt blood drip into his eye, signalling that he had cut himself in the plummet, but he had no time to worry about that. The winds were pushing his body around and the rain made the surface of the stone slippery, making him quickly lose his grip. He was hanging on for his life, only to be flung of by a vicious blast of lightning.

He plummeted down towards the roof once again, this time with nothing to stop him. He braced himself for impact, only to cry out in pain when a bolt of lightning struck his prosthetic. His vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges. He barely registered it when he collided into the roof of the Mead hall, only hearing Toothless' terrified roar as he plummeted towards the main fire pit, and possibly his own death.

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TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Welp, that was satisfying, sorta…

I would like to pay my respects to the families of those who lost their lives on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. 36 people from Australia lost their live, including a family of five, a well loved school teacher and parents in a popular football club. Could this be a coincidence, I don't know, but if it is, I hope whoever planned it goes to hell, coincidence or not. These events stay with people forever, no matter what.

Please let me know the good the bad and the ugly, as well as any favourites/follows. Thanks again and see you soon!

Peace out HTTYDians.