Hiccup just sighed, he knew what I was thinking but I didn't know what he was. Yeah, He originally planned to runaway but now I really couldn't allow that. It was cowardly and unacceptable- not just as a Viking, but as the someone I wanted to spend a lot more time with.
"Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow, you know you're gonna have to ki" Toothless was clever for an animal, so he didn't need to hear me, I pulled Hiccup closer, "kill a dragon." I whispered.
"Don't remind me." He whispered back glumly.
In that second, Toothless veered sharply to the right. Hiccup didn't understand which worried me a bit.
He was speeding now, in a thick fog. It was almost moist like the clouds but nowhere near as soothing. It was even worst when Toothless barely missed a Nightmare on his right! Gods, it was huge.
"Get down!" I was stunned so hadn't thought of that. Then came some Nadders then more. We were surrounded by dragons. But Hiccup was a dragon whisperer; he should be fine in their flocks, that wouldn't be so crazy in his crazy world, right?
"What's going on?" I asked and he answered in the same hushed tone that he didn't know. Which stole away the little relief I had that this wasn't as unpleasantly dangerous as it seemed.
"Looks like they're hauling in their kill." He noticed their legs, each with a plump, dead something in their talons.
Toothless is cool but how strong are his instincts compared to his like for Hiccup (or lesser me?). "Uh, what does that make us?"
They were all in a creepy sync; they flew through more haggard rocks, then down –very down. We couldn't scream, but did make unsilent exclamations as they flew towards a volcano.
Best first date I'd ever had was flying straight to Niflheim(hell).I tightened my grip around Hiccup, it might've been hurting him but he didn't say anything. We entered a huge splinter of the volcano. It was pit black but Toothless glided as easy as if we were still in the clouds. But we were so far away from all that.
The sweet afternoon and night we had not so long ago was still in my chest, but now being pushed aside for fear. Fear 200 times worst than Toothless' silly twirls. I really wanted that right now.
But despite my terror I was the tiniest bit relieved to be clinging onto the Dragon-boy. More than anyone else- even a bigger, experienced Viking because no other Viking would've been so calm in this situation. I, in the tinest way, appreciated this freaky boy more than anything in the world in that moment. But my gooey thoughts didn't soften the view of being in the center of thousands of dragons.
Niflheim(hell) was suppose to be cold and vast- where we were was big but crowded with millions of dragons bustling along the walls and ridges. The lava from the bottom was burning red, made the whole place the same, wicked tint- it hurt my eyes. The air was so dry, like putting your face over a fire and just breathing in.
"What my dad wouldn't give to find this." Hiccup stated. I held onto him tighter. Yeah, being here with an army or at least my axe would be nice. But nothing was nice right now- I was terrified but still morbidly fascinated in being in the middle of so much terror and potential destruction.
Circling the den, we saw all the dragons drop their prey into the misty, red bottom. We landed on a cliff, Toothless hide us behind a stalactite. He was acting mindless but still had enough concern in him to care for us.
"Well it's reassuring to know that all of our food is being dropped down a hole." I got him well enough to hear the confusion behind his snippy voice.
"They're not eating any of it so why…" steal hoards from us if they don't need it for their life force? Did they just like fighting with us? Granted, there was thrill with that but when we killed so easily how is it fun for them?
A Gronkle hovered over, dropped a little fish from its wide jaw. Scratched its lazy head- there was a huge grumbling- then CHOP!
The bottom of the volcano opened its enormous mouth…. And snapped it shut with the frozen Gronkle on its tongue. The neck was a mountain with head-horns of a coral-like look.
"What…is that?" my voice was calm, my blood was freezing; hands icy and back sweatier. Every dragon in sight pushed closer to the walls, away from the gigantic mouth.
The giant, animated rock monster had nostrils (the diameter of three men) which might have noticed the little snacks in its den.
Hiccup had seen enough was just as scared, but I still felt a confidence in him that we weren't going to be eaten by…that! "Okay Bud, you gotta get us outta here."
Toothless was terrified underneath us, but by Hiccups urgings he flew off- with the enormous dragon nearly swallowing us. That excited the other dragons, who all flew out then. They feared the monster too…they knew anything could be eaten by it. They willing came to feed it…so it wouldn't be hungry or annoyed enough to eat them.
…
"No, it totally makes sense; it's like a giant bee hive!" Hiccup and I were safe near home and discussing the volcano dragon.
"They're the workers and that's their Queen! It controls them." we landed in the cove, with equally gigantic news to tell everyone! "Let's go find your dad." I jumped off; this was such a mind-exploding day!
Being a weak fighter and friend of dragon's might buy Hiccup points in most conventional son, but discovering the Dragon's Nest would be approved by any intimidating parent.
"No!" Hiccup ran from behind to stop me. He looked worried (I didn't really believe in the word weird anymore but Hiccup still fit it fine).
"No, we can't. They'll kill Toothless. Astrid, we have to think this through." Hiccup pleaded with me, like I was the insane one. My affection for his weirdness hadn't ceased, my incredulous reaction to him still avoiding the village acceptance didn't fully reach me.
He needed reasoning, really? "Hiccup we just found the Dragon's nest! (his back was towards me) The thing we've been searching for since Viking first sailed here- and you want to keep it a secret? (I was getting pissed) To protect your pet dragon, are you serious?"
He was incapable of agreeing with humans. It was interesting, but in my annoyance just stupid! Gods, could anything sensible reach this freak? Was he scared of truth and honesty?
Then he turned around, his face serious and firm and stone. "Yes." His chin lifted when he said it.
He wasn't being stupid; he just cared about his dragon. More than anything I've ever cared about….it stunned me.
Care or affection wasn't banned in Viking custom- it just wasn't supported because who had time for hugs when there was always a more intense fight somewhere close by. So Hiccup turned away from me. He might be a dragon-training Viking (an unheard of paradox) but that fierceness in his eye was Viking all the way.
"Okay, so what do we do?" I was at lost- this couldn't be unheard forever but I'd keep quiet.
"Just give me until tomorrow. I'll think of something." He sounded so sad. Hiccup did know what our discovery meant to his tribe, he was set very far apart from us from but not separate. That tenderness was so…it was such a perfect mix in such a erratic day.
"Okay." He had my promise- even though he screwed up my life in the most bizarre way. Oh, which reminded me- he needed to know I wasn't as soft as him.
A little punch in the arm was sufficient. It probably hurt, but it was the least deserving. "That's for kidnapping me."
Toothless, who was sipping water in the background was alert but more confused. Hiccup shrugged at him- Dragon-boy didn't get simple justice. But I was judicial enough to give him all he deserved.
Affection is awkward- but so was my bang. I don't need it covering my eye but in another sense it needed to be there. It's necessary to my own preference of style.
So I grabbed Hiccup's shirt and gave him a quick peck.
It was awkward but sufficient to assure my loyalty and….deep appreciation of the night. "That was for…everything else."
He didn't say anything- I really didn't want him to have the last word- so I left.
I grabbed my axe on the way, it weighed different to me. The blade was sharp thanks to my careful attention of detail…it was meant to kill. But the urge for my dragon-skin winterwesr had lessened to dust….this blade, as good as it is, wouldn't scratch that Queen not matter how hard I tried.
It felt like all my training for was almost wasted….little dragons like that stupid Gronkle died so easy so was it that much of an accomplishment for Vikings, really? All the strength of the tribe might not be enough to take it down.
Everything was turned so insignificant. This should be depressing me, but I only thought it. What I definitely felt was the warm, lightness in my chest from the nicer parts of the night; a craving in my stomach to continue those sweeter moments. Gods know I didn't want a quaint little bread-making life….I just wanted the tingly fun in the clouds to continue, while still keeping my level-mind in Hiccup's crazy but magical world. I really wanted that, and had the training and drive to protect it from reaching the deathly limits Dragon-boy was prone to touch.