First Strike

"Erik?" Vigo's voice echoed throughout the camp. His father was looking for him. Erik knew that. His 12 year old mind still couldn't comprehend the cruel punishments his father came up with.

"Erik!" The voice was commanding now, almost scaring Erik out of his hiding place. He forced himself to stay in his corner, hiding near the armory. He squeezed his eyes shut, and prepared to move so his father couldn't find him. However, just as he exited the hiding place, a shadow fell over him. His heart sank, and he slowly looked up. Vigo towered over him, a look of disappointment on his face.

"My son is being a coward. Is that what I taught you?" Vigo stepped back, allowing Erik to rise to his feet.

"You're not my father," Erik hissed. "I may not know where I came from, but I knew I had a happier past." HIs voice rose, becoming desperate. "Why do you make me do these things?" he asked. Vigo grabbed his arm, leading him to the arena.

"I do this to train you. Right now, you're weak. I want to help you become strong. Can you do that for your father?" Erik looked away, and slowly nodded his head.

"Yes father," he muttered.

"This is for your own good. Remember that." Vigo patted him on the head, and handed him a sword. Even at such a young age, Erik was already a master swordsman. There was a talent within him, that with or without Vigo, would have come out anyway. Erik did enjoy the thrill of battle, the energy that came from a fight. He was cunning, and knew when to use violence. Those qualities would have been in him from the start. What Vigo had taught him was savagery. That was what Erik didn't approve of. The merciless slaughtering of anyone who was of the least bit inconvenient to him. But it was the only thing Erik knew. Vigo had bred his conscious out of him.

"Erik!" Vigo's loud voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Yes father," he said, hurrying to his father's side. Vigo nodded approvingly, motioning to the arena.

"Who am I going to be facing?" Erik asked.

"He's a trader," Vigo responded. "But he has broken my trust, and is to be put to death. I expect you to the deed."

"How good is he?" Erik asked, hesitantly.

"Don't worry. You can beat him." Erik gulped, and with a heavy heart, stepped into the arena.

Astrid weaved through the crowd, feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the crowd. Lanterns and torches had been hung all around the village, for the celebration. It was well after midnight, and the party was still going strong.

"Astrid," she heard a familiar voice call. Relief was evident on her face, when she saw Hiccup approach.

"Thank Thor," she said. "I was getting very overwhelmed." She nodded at a woman who was praising her for getting rid of Vigo.

"I know what you mean. Especially because I don't think this is over. It's like it was with the Screaming death. Something is off." Astrid sighed, as this was becoming quite regular.

"It's been a long time since we could just enjoy life. For the past couple months, we were always looking over are backs, waiting for an ambush." She paused, letting him know that she understood what he was going through.

"But for now, we don't have to do that. You told me you were going to live in the moment. How are we going to pursue a relationship if you're always worried about preparing for an attack?" Hiccup started at the ground for a few seconds, not responding.

"I guess you're right. I'm sorry Astrid. I'm being unfair to you. I'll make it up to you." Astrid shook her head.

"You don't have to. You're just being human. It's natural. But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. We have plenty of time to work through… stuff." Hiccup grinned, holding himself higher.

"You're right. Thanks Astrid." He was then pulled away by a man, eager for details of the battle. He blew a kiss, which made Astrid smile. She could've sworn she'd seen him mouth Love you, but maybe that was just what she wanted.

A gulping sound turned her attention to Toothless, who was gulping down smoked salmon. He must've grabbed a basket, and was now eating in a secluded corner. She laughed, and went in search of Stormfly.

Hiccup wasn't sure whether Astrid had heard what had slipped out of his mouth. It had been spur of the moment. As he was being pulled away, he'd called out "love you", but wasn't sure whether she's heard him or not. After he'd politely excused himself from the man, he went in search of his father. He passed Ruffnut and Tuffnut, majorly exaggerating their part in the battle.

"So, then there was Hiccup. He would have been killed if we hadn't come to the rescue. Yup. We won that battle because of me and Belch," Tuffnut boasted. Hiccup grinned, somehow okay with Tuffnut's boasting. He knew he was just having fun. He turned away, trying to find his father. In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure dart off into the trees, but when he turned to investigate, nothing was there. The next moment, he spotted the hulking figure of his father, and forgot about what he'd just seen. He stepped back into the crowds, and was quickly jam packed between people, fighting to even move.

Toothless swallowed the last fish, licking his lips appreciatively. So far, Hiccup hadn't called for him, so Toothless was in no hurry to move. He rather liked this nice secluded corner, where he could eat. He sprawled out, kicking the basket away. In his mind, the battle was over. He trusted Hiccup, and he seemed to think the whole Vigo fiasco was finished.

He stretched, yawning, and preparing for a quick nap. He curled up, then felt a sharp sting in his leg. He tried to get up, but found his legs wouldn't move. He tried to call out, but everything was getting blurry. As a desperate last attempt, he fired off three plasma blasts, one of them catching a tree on fire. The, his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

"That's the night fury?" Erik asked. His men nodded.

"Good. Then let's get him on the ship. Set course for the base camp. Let's go."

Sorry for the delay. I hope to post more often. R&R. Thanks

NightLightning21