Chapter 4:
Toothless reacted immediately, jumping in front of Hiccup to shield him. The dragon's eyes narrowed in anger and he opened his mouth, ready to let out a dangerous plasma blast.
"No, bud - no!" Hiccup cried, stepping in front of him. "We'll never kill another dragon! We need to pacify if we're going to stay here!"
Toothless came back to himself at his rider's plea. He grunted in question of what they should do.
The Thunderdrum barreled towards them before they could come up with an answer, and Toothless barely got Hiccup out of the way in time. Hiccup struggled to stand, his prosthetic clanking on the rock below as he got his feet underneath of him. He and Toothless exchanged a panicked glance as the Thunderdrum wheeled around to their spot, snarling.
"What do you say we get out of here, bud?" said Hiccup. It was a loss, abandoning all of their supplies, but surviving seemed the more favorable option in this situation. At Toothless's more than enthusiastic nod, he jumped on his dragon's back and they started to run from the other dragon. The Thunderdrum boomed, and Hiccup grimaced at the noise, but he was too busy helping Toothless navigate to cover his ears.
The Thunderdrum chased them down the tunnel. It was fairly dark, however, and Toothless kept stumbling over stray rocks that were littered around. The sea-dragon came concerningly close to them when they tripped over a group stalagmite for the third time.
"Toothless, give us some light!" Hiccup called, leaning forward to talk to his dragon. "We'll never escape like this!"
Toothless growled, then shot out a soft plasma blast to light up the rest of the tunnel. Running was much easier now, because they could see the hidden obstacles before crashing into them. Unfortunately, their light wasn't only beneficial to them; the Thunderdrum was now quicker and more determined than ever now that it could see as well.
Hiccup spotted another way to go than straight - a second tunnel on his left led to Odin knew where. But it was better than this endless, monotonous chase.
"Bud, this way!" He pointed to the other tunnel. Without losing a step, Toothless stampeded down it, gaining speed in his burst of adrenaline.
The Thunderdrum was momentarily confused at the change of direction, but it soon settled into the change and picked up its pace. Hiccup bit his lip, his mind racing with thoughts of how to get the Thunderdrum to stop chasing them without hurting it… speaking of Thunderdrums chasing him, why in Thor's name was it after them in the first place? They hadn't done anything to harm it… well, he'd have to figure that out a little bit later. He was a bit busy at the moment.
Hiccup squinted down the tunnel, trying to see further ahead. He was surprised at what he saw.
"Toothless - watch out!"
The tunnel led to a spacious room. It would've been okay… except for the fact that there was a gaping hole in the middle. Toothless barely avoided toppling into it, and Hiccup's breath caught in his throat. They had almost fallen through.
"You alright, bud?" he asked a panting Toothless. His dragon looked unnerved as he stared down at the hole. He was acting like something was wrong - almost like he thought something was down there. Hiccup waved it off as Toothless being ruffled from almost falling down the void.
From behind them, the Thunderdrum roared in triumph. Hiccup's head whipped around as he realized that he had just led Toothless and himself to a dead end. "Oh, Thor..." He'd really messed up this time.
He faced the hole again. They couldn't go further in the cavern, because there wasn't enough room outside of the pit to stand… but that wasn't what was bothering Hiccup… there was something familiar about the hole… the tunnel… what was it? The hole seemed… almost like it had been dug by something… something... oh, gods, why couldn't he remember?
The Thunderdrum suddenly leapt at Hiccup and Toothless, knocking them over. Because they were standing at the edge of a pit, all three of them tumbled down - and in the process, Hiccup was knocked from Toothless's back. He yelped as he fell and clawed the air for Toothless. His dragon, desperate to save him, tried to reach his rider in time. He managed to grab him right before they hit the dirt.
THUD! Toothless's body slammed to the ground, and he started to roll. Hiccup felt some of the impact burn into his back, and he was paralyzed for a couple of seconds. He groaned as feeling came back to him, but quickly shook it off. Toothless released him from his talons and Hiccup stood and brushed dirt from himself. His dragon soon followed suit.
Too close for Hiccup's liking, the Thunderdrum was climbing to its legs, snarling. Its mouth was open, revealing rows and rows of gritty, sharp teeth. Hiccup and Toothless were of the same mind and turned, starting to run down the tunnel. It had a lot of passages, like some underground network. For a reason unknown to him, this troubled Hiccup, though again, he couldn't remember why.
"Toothless!" he gasped, straining to keep up with the Night Fury. "We need a plan! We really can't get out of here without the Thunderdrum letting us through - I'll have to train it or something! But I don't know how much time we have. I've got a bad feeling about this place, but I don't know why..."
His dragon snorted once and glanced around. He, too, seemed agitated by this tunnel, perhaps even more than Hiccup. Why couldn't he remember what this reminded him of? It was in the back of his mind in a clutter of other dragon facts he'd stuffed away... he tried to pull it out now, but for the life of him, couldn't manage to clear his head enough to look for the answer.
Suddenly, he felt an odd sort of shaking beneath his feet, almost like a small earthquake. It came from up ahead and back to the Thunderdrum. The ginormous dragon stopped in its tracks once it felt it, and gave a low, suspicious growl. Hiccup was surprised. Why had one small earthquake unsettled a monster as ferocious as the Thunderdrum?
The trembling came back once more, and this time Hiccup fell to his feet. Toothless didn't see him collapse and kept running, only to look to his side and see that his rider had vanished. Panicked, he turned back and saw Hiccup a little ways away, struggling to stand up.
And then Toothless noticed that the Thunderdrum was sneakily advancing behind him.
Toothless roared out a warning and started to charge towards Hiccup - but then the biggest jolt yet knocked him down. The ceiling started to crumble in front of him, and poured out rocks and dust that barricaded him from Hiccup. Toothless sneezed out debris and howled in fear for his friend.
Hiccup was beyond his help. He was alone and possibly hurt with an angry Thunderdrum ready to kill him at his first move. Though his rider had done some pretty crazy things, he doubted he'd pull out of this one unscathed...
And yet he was helpless. His best friend was going to die... and there was nothing he could do.
Hiccup coughed. And coughed. And coughed some more. He couldn't stop, as the dust from the rocks that had fallen had been inhaled, and his system was trying to get it out.
Once he had finally finished hacking, he groggily stood, feeling dizzy and slightly sick. Where was Toothless? He looked around and saw that part of the tunnel was blocked out by rocks and debris. Oh no, oh no… Toothless must've been on the other side! He touched the rocks, ready to dig through to reach his friend.
But then he heard a whimper behind him and pivoted around to see the Thunderdrum that had chased him lying prostrate on the ground. It seemed to be caught under a fallen rock that pinned its leg down. When it saw Hiccup staring, it snapped, telling Hiccup not to come any closer.
Hiccup's head pounded from the fall... and an idea. This dragon needed help. Maybe… if he helped it… maybe it would trust him. Maybe they could all make it out of this alive, and as friends. His father had owned a Thunderdrum, so he knew it wasn't impossible to train one. However, he knew he had his work cut out for him.
He knelt a good couple of yards away from the Thunderdrum and studied it. Its size was bigger than Stoick's previous dragon, Thornado, and made Hiccup guess that this was a female, as the girls were bigger in the Thunderdrum breed. He spoke in a soft voice, though he knew Thunderdrums were nearly deaf. Hopefully, she'd just see the kindness on his face and not attack.
"Hey, girl... it's okay, you don't need to growl. I'm Hiccup. I know you're hurting, but all I want to do is help," he explained, trying to make himself sound as non-threatening as possible, which wasn't that hard. "If you want, I can remove the rock. I know, I know, look at me. I'm sort of a walking fishbone. But I'm stronger than I look, and together, we can do it. I know we can. But you're going to have to trust me."
The Thunderdrum stared at Hiccup with cautious yellow eyes. Hiccup moved a little closer, and was pleased to notice that she didn't growl at him.
"I have a dragon. His name is Toothless. If you ask him, he'll tell you that I'd rather die than hurt a dragon. People sometimes call me the Friend of Dragons, because I'm the one who showed Vikings that dragons won't hurt us if we don't hurt them." The words flowed easily out of him, calm and true. The Thunderdrum listened closely, and Hiccup could've sworn that this dragon could hear him.
Hiccup continued. "I lost my leg in order to prove that, you know." He showed his prosthetic, which the dragon regarded with a large sniff. "It was painful, too. I see that your leg probably hurts, too, right?"
She grunted.
He moved even closer. He could reach out and touch her by now. Almost there… "I'm sorry, girl. I know it hurts. If you would like, I can help you. Can I move it?" He waited for a long moment, sweat breaking through his skin in his anxiousness.
The Thunderdrum nodded.
With a large grin, Hiccup scooted over to the rock that was lying on one of the dragon's legs. "Alright," he said. "We're going to need and work at the same time. You push, and I'll pull. That way, I can drag the rock from your foot, and you'll be free. Ready?"
Seeming to get the general idea, she signaled that she was ready to push, Hiccup started to pull. Hiccup had been working in the forge since he was very little, and though he didn't have rippling muscles like Gobber did, he had grown stronger from having to deal with weapons and later on other things once he'd started living at the Edge. A minute later, the rock was off of the Thunderdrum.
She slid her leg back into her body and gave a low rumble of thanks.
"Of course. I'm a Dragon Rider; it's what I do," Hiccup smiled. "Do you have a name?"
A shake of her head.
"Huh…" He sat back on his heels. "Do you want a name?"
She snorted questionably.
"Alright. I'll see what I can think of… how about… um… well, we met during a hurricane, and you've got a really loud voice, so how about Stormshout? You can always be heard, even in the middle of a hurricane."
The Thunderdrum surprisingly inclined her head to show that she liked the name. Hiccup was amazed. This dragon really could hear him. This was fascinated. A Thunderdrum that wasn't deaf? Well, you learned something new every day..
"Well, then, Stormshout," said Hiccup, "do you want to get out-"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the mysterious shaking that shuddered the floor. Stormshout let out a resonating boom and Hiccup winced. "Could you not - oh gods-!"
In front of the two, a hideous green monster had broken through the floor's surface, creating another hole they were in danger of falling through. Hiccup recognized the dragon immediately, and cursed himself for not realizing it earlier.
This is a Whispering Death tunnel!
Toothless was digging. His talons were all extracted and he ripped furiously at the dirt… he had to save Hiccup… he had to find his rider…
His paws were tired from moving so fast and so thoroughly, but he kept working. Because he wouldn't lose Hiccup.
He wouldn't lose his friend. He couldn't.
Rocks continued to fall.
"Oh, gods… my luck has come back to haunt me..."
Hiccup stumbled back as the Whispering Death hissed. Suddenly, he was fifteen years old again and facing it for the first time. His mind raced… what to do, what to do… let's see… weaknesses. It was all about finding the enemy's weaknesses, not trying to defeat their strengths. That was the key to defeat.
Whispering Deaths were sensitive to light. With enough of it, maybe they could make it disappear again. Hiccup turned to tell Stormshout this, but she was opening her mouth, ready to let out a boom that would knock anybody dead… except a Whispering Death.
"No!" Hiccup shouted, racing in front of her. "Whispering Deaths don't care about noise! Sound won't work. But, these things hate light. You have fire, Stormshout. Can you use it? It may scare it away."
Stormshout seemed momentarily annoyed that she couldn't use her favorite death roar. At her hesitation, the Whispering Death came closer, about to tear him apart. Remembering Hiccup's previous help, she sent rings of fire flying towards the Whispering Death, which scared it off. The other dragon howled and dipped below the earth again.
Hiccup looked at Stormshout with wide eyes. She had just saved his life. He was a complete stranger... and yet she had taken action against the monster.
...Speaking of the dragon, Hiccup could hear it moving below him again. That's what had knocked him over before. He and Stormshout stood close as they felt the ground tremble as it darted around.
It broke through again, this time in a closer spot. Stormshout sent more fire at it, but it just screeched and dodged and started flapping towards them again. So Hiccup did the very thing he had done four years ago: he ran.
Stormshout followed him immediately and they tore down the not-blocked side of the tunnel. But the Whispering Death was used to this network and was quick, if not quicker than them. It caught up with the two and howled. Suddenly, Hiccup felt something knock him over, and he was thrown to the ground. He struggled to face whatever had slammed him down, and succeeded to rolling on his back where he looked at the scene before him. He wished he hadn't.
Because the Whispering Death hovered right on top of him, its round mouth sparkling with teeth ready to shred him apart.
Astrid signed the note with a small flourish and held it up for her friends to examine. "Does this sound right?"
Fishlegs grimaced. "There is no right way to tell a man that his son's gone missing…"
The Dragon Riders were all set to go find Hiccup. Everything was packed, dragons saddled, and families kissed goodbye. Now, standing in front the Dragon Academy, they were going to send Terrible Terror Sharpshot with a letter to Stoick. Reports from the North said that the eye of the storm was still around Outcast Island, but had moved on a little. That meant the area of peacefulness was leaving the island, bringing on heavy rain and wind that could kill.
Ruffnut stepped up. "If Stoick wants, he can have Tuff as his new son!"
Tuffnut nodded eagerly. "I can be like Hiccup!" He changed his voice a nasally quirk that, to be honest, sounded a bit like Hiccup. "'I'm a friend of dragons! I lost my left leg! Tuffnut is my role model!'"
Astrid shot the twins a glare. "I told you muttonheads already - cut it out! This is serious."
"Yeah," said Snotlout, even though he had been snorting right along with them. "Cut it out."
Astrid handed her letter to Fishlegs, who started to tie it to Sharpshot's leg. She rubbed her arms nervously. It had been over a full day since she had seen Hiccup. Laughed at his sarcastic remarks. Punched his arm playfully. Even though they'd been separated longer than this, she still missed him so much knowing the danger he was in and prayed to the gods that he was alright. Well… she didn't exactly pray. She threatened them that if they didn't help Hiccup, they would be met by the wrong end of her axe. Even if the gods were immortal, she'd find a way to make them pay if Hiccup was hurt.
Fishlegs patted Sharpshot with a murmured thanks and let him fly off. It was a risk sending a tiny dragon into a huge storm, but with Sharpshot's experience and skill, they thought he could make it. He was small enough to make it through the hurricane, and strong enough not to be blown away.
"The sun's coming up," Fishlegs told Astrid. "Is everyone ready to go?"
Everyone made some indication that they were all geared up. Astrid turned her fierce eyes to the storm looming on the horizon. Who was more stubborn? She, or the hurricane? Astrid promised herself that she would be the victor of this fight. She'd win the prize: her dragon boy.
"Alright, then," said Astrid, patting Stormfly. "Let's bring Hiccup home."
He was going to die.
Hiccup was going to die.
He couldn't stop gaping, paralyzed. He never thought he'd go down like this. Maybe at the hands of an enemy leader saving his tribe, or peacefully in bed when he was ninety or so. But not like this. Not by a dragon.
All he could do was stare at the Whispering Death's teeth. Rows and rows and rows of them. They were coming towards him. Slowly. Huh. That was odd.
He thought he heard a roar somewhere behind him, but the teeth kept on coming and that was all Hiccup could focus on. A ripple of thoughts and regrets spilled from his head. Dad, I'm so sorry. I tried to save you. I really did. Gang, you're going to kill me for dying. Toothless… That was one goodbye he couldn't finish. Toothless had been the first one to understand him. The first one to be his friend. He hadn't judged him as incompetent just because he wasn't as big or burly as the other Vikings.
He sighed. You're the best, bud. Sorry it had to end this way.
Just before the Whispering Death's teeth punctured his chest, a blur of black leapt in front of him and knocked the dragon away. Hiccup was too stunned to register the turn of events. He didn't dare hope… it couldn't be…
Toothless?!
His Night Fury moved so quickly, Hiccup couldn't make out his familiar features. But he knew it was him. And that was all that mattered.
Stormshout waited near Hiccup, baring her teeth if the Whispering Death decided to come closer. He was surprised to see she hadn't yet fled. She seemed almost concerned for him, and Hiccup wanted to smile. He had trained another dragon, even facing death. Just another day in the job.
Hiccup sat up to watch Toothless fight. He was truly amazing, and Hiccup now fully understood the rumor about Toothless being the offspring of lighting. His dragon was quick, sharp, and most of all, dangerous. Soon, the Night Fury fought the Whispering Death back into the ground with a satisfying last plasma blast. The earth beneath them quaked as the dragon zoomed far, far away from them.
Toothless turned to look at Hiccup, his mouth agape in a toothless grin. Hiccup rushed forward and hugged him, murmuring, "Thank you, thank you, thank you…" He felt Toothless lick his hand, and gave a smirk.
Hiccup heard a low rumble behind them and untangled himself from Toothless. He gestured to the Thunderdrum, who was watching them nearby. "Hey, bud, I want you to meet my new friend, Stormshout…"
Long story short, it was all Toothless's fault.
The dragons had managed to explain what had made Stormshout angry with them using gestures and leading Hiccup different places to give him a visual.
Apparently, Toothless had woken up before Hiccup did and decided that he would surprise his rider with a nice breakfast. Toothless had ventured down the tunnel and came across a nest of eggs. He wasn't going to mess with them, but Stormshout had been lurking in the shadows and assumed the worst for her children. She attacked Toothless, and Hiccup knew the rest. Though Thunderdrums held long grudges, she knew now that the other dragon hadn't meant any harm and forgave him. Mostly.
Hiccup and Toothless were now preparing to leave. All of their things were collected and wounds patched. Toothless had earned a nasty gash on his paw from the battle with the Whispering Death, but was alright. The Night Fury was just tired from the fight, and Hiccup was beyond relieved that it wasn't anything worse.
Hiccup scratched his dragon's neck and grinned when Toothless purred back, leaning into his hand. Stormshout looked upon them from the side, and Hiccup walked up to her and gave a small bow.
"Thank you for saving me from the Whispering Death," said Hiccup, remembering when Stormshout had blown fire to keep the underground monster away from him. "I hope your eggs will hatch alright. You can always bring them to my village's Rookery, the Berkery. Our dragons go there this time of year to lay. You'll be welcomed there."
Stormshout nodded once, seeming pleased at Hiccup's bow.
Hiccup returned to Toothless's side and hopped on. "Well, it's time to go, bud. Is your paw doing okay?"
Toothless snorted in reply and licked Hiccup's hand, which was patting his head. Hiccup shouted a goodbye to Stormshout, which she returned with a roar that Hiccup did not cover his ears to. It was just a farewell, no matter how painful it was to listen to. Hiccup and Toothless glided outside, back into the rain and back into the storm.
Even though they were flying into some serious trouble, Hiccup wouldn't've turned back. No. Because Viking's had stubbornness issues. And though that could be bad sometimes, it was an occupational hazard. One that Hiccup would never give up.
Before you go, please leave a review! I feel like a little kid on Christmas when I find a review in my inbox. And it also keeps me updating quicker with your guys' support.
I hope you liked Chapter 4! Thanks for reading, guys, and see you next update! ;-)