BONUS CHAPTER!
Chapter 6: Dashing Through the Forest
"Snow, it had to be snow." Anna complained, shivering despite the coat. Night had descended, stars twinkling in the dark sky. "She couldn't have warm magic that covered the fjord in warm sand and" she stopped when she looked over Hiccup's shoulder and saw smoke rising. "FIRE!" She shouted, startling Toothless. He whirled around and Anna was sent tumbling down the hill and into a stream, Hiccup staying secure because he strapped himself in the harness; muscle memory could really help sometimes. Toothless bounded down the hill, sniffing Anna to make sure she was okay.
"Cold…coldcoldcold" she said as the lower half of her dress froze. She waddled towards the building where the smoke was coming from. Hiccup dismounted from Toothless, telling him to hide in the forest. Reaching the building, he knocked the snow off the sign, but couldn't read the words. Anna could however. "Wandering Oaks Trading Post." A little bit more snow fell off. "Ooh, and sauna." Anna said. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you." Hiccup said.
As she went in, a reindeer pulling a sled full of ice stopped right outside the building. Hiccup gazed at the man oddly, and the man starred at Hiccup for a moment. The man went into the building after Anna, though seemed to have no interest in her. Hiccup drew Firestorm and was dragging the blade absentmindedly in the snow. Looking up, he saw a glove the queen wore swirling in the wind. With a quick movement, he brought the glove down to him using the flat part of the blade.
He ran behind the trading post and held the glove to Toothless. Toothless sniffed it a few times and then looked at Hiccup ludicrously.
"The scent on this glove is who we are searching for Toothless!" Hiccup nearly shouted. "Find it, follow it, and we can end this eternal winter, get our lumber, finish rebuilding Berk, and get back home; we never have to come back here again. I also don't have to listen to the princess's rambling." 'Even though she has a nice voice.' Hiccup thought to himself. Toothless sniffed the glove a few more times. He then raised his head, but his ears perked up. Hiccup heard a grunt and a yell that was cut short by a thud. Looking around the building, he saw the man from earlier lying in the snow. His reindeer came sniffed around him, like Toothless did with Hiccup when he brought him fish.
A few minutes earlier…
Anna was roughly thrown into the trading post by a strong gust of wind that slammed the door behind her. As she looked around she was distracted by a sound.
"Woohoo" the massive man said, calling to her cheerfully. Anna guessed his name was Oaken. "Big summer blow out; half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun balm of my invention, yah?"
"Oh right" Anna said, reminding herself of the mission she was on. "How about boots, winter boots, and dresses?" She asked.
"That vould be in our vinter department." Oaken said, indicating to a spot at the back of the building with his hand. Looking, Anna saw a collection of a total of six winter items. Anna walked over, picking up the pair of boots and the winter dress, along with a pair of mittens.
"I was wondering, has another young woman, I don't know, the queen, perhaps, been up this way?" Anna asked him.
"The only one crazy enough to be out in this veather is you dear." Oaken replied. The door opened and slammed again, revealing a man covered from head to toe in snow and ice, with only his eyes visible. "You and this fellow." He added. "Woohoo; big summer blow out."
The man approached Anna, almost threateningly. Anna backed away as far as the counter allowed.
"Carrots." The man mumbled, voice even more muffled by the scarf around his face. Anna looked back at him, confused. "Behind you." The man said in an irritated voice. Anna quickly moved out of the way.
"Vere have you come from?" Oaken asked.
"The North Mountain." The man covered in snow responded. He grabbed a rope and an ice axe. Placing them on the counter with the carrots. Anna's mind began whirling with possibilities.
"That vill be forty." Oaken said.
"Forty!?" the man covered in snow said ludicrously. "No, ten." He bargained.
"Oh, that's no good. You see this from our vinter stock, vith supply and demand we have a big problem." Oaken explained.
"You want to talk about a supply and demand problem, I sell ice for a living." The man in snow said.
"Oh that's a rough business to be in right now." Anna said. The man glared at her. "That's bad." She added weakly.
"Ten's all I got; help me out." The man begged to Oaken.
"Okay" Oaken said, pushing the carrots forward and pulling the rope and the axe towards him. "Ten vill get you this and no more."
"A question about the north mountain; did what happen there seem… magical?" Anna interrupted. The man sighed.
"Yes" he groaned, pulling his scarf down. "Now back up, while I deal with this crook here." Oaken stood up, revealing that he was a massive seven foot tall man with a barrel chest.
"Vhat did you call me?" He asked, his face looking more hurt than anything. He picked the man up like a sack of potatoes, and threw him out of the trading post.
"No Sven, I didn't get your carrots." The man said as he picked himself up from the snow. The reindeer, Sven, groaned in sadness. "But I did find us a place to sleep; and it's free." Sven looked over at the run down barn next to the trading post; and snorted. Hiccup waited for Anna, and she came out, where the coat he gave her over a winter dress she had bought and a cloak over the coat.
"Ready?" Hiccup asked.
"I think I will go with the man from here on out." Anna said. Hiccup blinked dumbly.
"What? Why? The Night Fury is the fastest animal that I know of; far faster than that reindeer that the man has." Hiccup said.
"I thank you for what you've done; but I just have a feeling that he can lead me to my sister faster than you can." She stood on her toes and pecked his cheek before walking towards the barn. Hiccup simply swung into the saddle, clicked his prosthetic into place, and had Toothless launch up into the air. He circled in the air, grumbling to himself. As everything the princess said ran through his mind, his anger rose through the roof. He let out a wordless yell, lying back on the saddle. Here he was, trying to help, and yet the princess just brushed him off. Might as well just attack and take the trees, forget asking for them.
While his thoughts were circulating in his head, he saw Anna get out of the barn with the man, and hopped into the sled and start racing off. He may not be best of company, but Hiccup, despite failing with Drago, was still good at talking with people. If Anna failed, maybe he could do it. He motioned for Toothless to follow the sled.
Despite being above the tree's, because of the Night Furies silent flying, he could still hear the conversation between Anna and the man, whose name was later revealed to be Kristoff. Hiccup looked ahead to see anything out of place, and failing, tuned back into the conversation.
"Really? What's his last name?" Kristoff asked. Anna scoffed.
"Of the Southern Isles." She said. Hiccup realized they were talking about Hans.
"What's his favorite food?" Kristoff challenged.
"Sandwiches." Anna replied confidently.
"Best friend's name?" Kristoff inquired. Hiccup smirked; no way could she know that.
"Probably John." Anna said. Hiccup's smirk grew into a full smile; she didn't know.
"Eye color?" Kristoff asked.
"Dreamy." Anna said. 'way to go dude' Hiccup thought to himself 'you got her day dreaming again.'
"Foot size?" Kristoff said. Hiccup snickered. He knew exactly what Kristoff was referring to.
"Foot size doesn't matter." Anna said, not understanding the relevance of the question.
"Have you even had a meal with him? What if you hate the way he eats? What if you hate the way he picks his noise?" Kristoff challenged.
"Picks his nose?" Anna asked ludicrously. Hiccup stuck his finger up his nose, and pulled out a booger.
"And eats it." Kristoff said. Hiccup flicked the booger off his finger with his thumb.
"Excuse me sir, he is a prince." Anna said.
"All men do it." Kristoff said.
Hiccup groaned as he tuned the two out; he had enough of the discussion. He noticed the sled had stopped and Kristoff was looking around. Toothless hovered in the air and growled, looking behind him. Hiccup swung Toothless around, so he was facing the direction of the invisible threat, and kept him in the air. He peered into the woods, where he caught several eye shines from Kristoff's lantern.
"What are they?" Anna asked.
"Wolves." Kristoff said. "GO SVEN!" The reindeer didn't need to be told twice and took off full speed. Hiccup leaned down and Toothless followed them. Hiccup heard the two arguing, and it seemed, even in this serious situation, they were still arguing about Hans. Hiccup chanced a glance down, and saw Kristoff pulled down by a wolf, hanging on to the sled by a rope. The wolves were attempting to pull Kristoff free from the rope. Hiccup urged Toothless to shoot ahead and turn around. A high pitched whistle filled the air, and then was cut short when Toothless fired. The blue ball of flame struck the wolf, knocking it free of Kristoff.
Kristoff pulled himself back to the sled, and saw they were mere yards from a cliff.
"Get ready to jump Sven!" Anna shouted.
"You don't tell him what to do." Kristoff said. "I do." He picked Anna up and threw on the reindeer. "Jump Sven!" Kristoff shouted, cutting the rope that kept Sven attached to the sled. Sven jumped the gap, landing safely. Kristoff jumped off his sled at the last moment, landing on the edge. He looked down, and his sled lit up, burning away. "I just paid it off." Kristoff moaned. He slid a little; and then steadily started to slide towards the edge. Anna watched with fear as he moved to his inevitable death.
A dark shadow shot down after him as his grip loosened completely, and then shot back up, holding him by the back of his coat. The shadow was Toothless, and he set down Kristoff and then landed looking at the two people and the reindeer.
"Hiccup!" Anna shouted with nearly unconcealed joy. Hiccup looked at Anna for a moment before replying.
"Still think I've done everything I can?" He asked.
AN: Meeting between characters; but no interaction. That will happen next chapter. Please comment and until next time, this is The-real-dragon-rider saying later!