A/N: Once again, I am sending out kisses and cookies to every wonderful angel that reviewed during the last chapter. Also, all those that favourited and alerted, the same goes to you. You might not believe it, but every single email I get concerning this fanfiction makes my day better and tells me I should continue writing it. Seriously. I get demotivated so easily, you'd laugh...
So yeah, this chapter starts with a flashback, but afterwards I delved right into the Dragon Race. So, to help you all SET THE MOOD, I highly, strongly, really suggest you listen to Jónsi – Go Do whilst reading this chapter (AFTER the flashback, which ain't long). It's TOTALLY worth it, it gets you all hyped up and into dragon-flying-mode-feel. Really. It's what I wrote this chapter to.
Chapter 6
The algid, salty liquid ran past his skin smoothly; his huge, thinly membraned wings swinging with sluggish movements to allow him to glide forward without much effort.
Everything seemed dark, ominous and silent. But not to Thornado.
His eyes sought through the gloom, discovering the tiniest, most resilient aquatic creature slither forwards as he approached.
A few innocent, tiny bubbles erupted from his nostrils, rising up with gradual grace towards the far away surface.
His massive jaw widening, Thornado burst forward with all energy he found, snatching up the writhing fish and gulping them down.
Salt prickled the inside of his maw. Vigour entered his system.
He would need some further goodies for his companions.
Swimming along as stealthily as a Thunderdrum could, Thornado rose up, nearing the glittering, sunny surface of the ocean.
He was about to spring upwards, letting fresh, moist air and warming, radiant rays of sunlight cover his body when a new, strange scent pierced his nostrils.
His pupils deflated, jaw shut tightly as he halted, floating easily in the depths of the sea.
The pungent smell scratched the inside of his skin, feeling so new and out of place, but at the same time so terribly familiar.
Thornado glided forwards, sniffing the water vehemently, following the rather curious fragrance that became stronger and more intense.
With every stroke he took, he could feel something bubble and froth within him; this was no unaccustomed scent, no, this was something that reminded him painstakingly of home and love, of safe-keeping, of caressing and of protection.
It was the smell of respect and trust as well as power. It was something he had long ago left behind, in order to fulfil a new, higher duty, but which he had never forgotten.
Something that had burned itself into his heart, etched with the finest spikes to stay constant and memorable.
And to his bitter horror, he felt it fade; slithering away from the conscious world to whatever place one travels to at such a stage in life.
A thrilling, fearful surge of energy filled his system and he jolted forwards like a lightning bolt.
Closer and closer did he get, determination flaring to its brightest; he had to save it.
He had to save the memory.
Toothless swung his wings eagerly, his speed increasing at a dramatic rate as Hiccup leaned forwards in his saddle so that the wind resistance would decrease.
Like a lightning bolt they shot through the sky, clouds crashing into their faces; moisture tainting their paint-covered skin and giving them a thrilling, goose-bump creating surge of energy.
"Here Toothless! It's Odin's Hammer, there should be some here!" The rider mumbled through his thick, leather helmet.
Toothless cried out, wings folding together. Hiccup pressed down on the pedal, the tail-fin mimicking the actions so that his dragon shot like an arrow down onto the earth. Shortly before they met hard, pebbled rock and muddy grass, Hiccup tilted his foot, Toothless expanding his wings and letting the wind carry them safely towards the ground.
The young chief jolted off in mid air, chasing speedily across the landscape. Not far away, something squawked and chattered. Net-bag in hand, Hiccup sprinted along, jumping over a fallen pine tree until he reached his destination.
A red-painted Terrible Terror. Grabbing it quickly, he placed it within the net, the small reptile jerking in surprise but not protesting otherwise.
The Night Fury glided above Hiccup, and just as he neared the edge of a cliff, the boy hurdled into the sparkling, dark ocean, only for his nimble dragon to catch him swiftly, both accelerating across the upper hemisphere.
Within his fluttering, constantly moving bag, three further Terrible Terrors cawed.
"Don't worry boys, you're safe with me!" Hiccup laughed, feeling a wonderful, bubbling sensation within his stomach as Toothless climbed higher and higher, the sun piercing their skin mercilessly.
"Next: Twin Axe Island!" The young chief cheered, crying merrily into the air as his dragon dipped down, raking through clouds and winds and spluttering ocean froth.
He could already tell the faint, dark outlines of said island in the distant, rapidly growing in size as they neared at an unmeasurable velocity, when something interjected his view.
"Wooh!" A feminine voice bellowed into the air, accompanied by a joyful caw.
Stormfly barrel-rolled in mid-air, spreading her wings elegantly as she caught her perfect balance. Astrid got up on the saddle, hopping on her dragon's head before she launched herself onto the island.
Hiccup grinned underneath his mask, admiring her agility.
"Come on, Toothless, we can't let them beat us-" But before he could fully finish his sentence, allowing for Toothless to speed up even more, another voice interrupted.
"Seems like you're loosing, chief!" The Jorgenson cried, Hookfang gliding sideways past the Night Fury, "But don't worry, I'll bring us all glory!"
The fire-drenched dragon roared in agreement, sliding past the duo and onto the island.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" His voice faded as the distance expanded.
"Not with us!" Hiccup leaned forward again, Toothless dashing along.
He flew at a slight angle, allowing Hiccup to hold out his hand towards the earth, and with immaculate timing and precise calculations, he grasped a Terrible Terror without fail.
Toothless need not even slow down.
"Red tail!" Hiccup bellowed after he inspected the creature within his hands.
The Night Fury shot a blissful plasma blast into the air, purple flames flickering before they diminished, smoke passing by in a whiz. Far below, just above the tumult of an ocean, he saw the twins riding their Hideous Zippleback, both heads and riders bickering without pause.
"Fail." The chief shook his head amusedly.
Further left flew Fishlegs; his speed questionable, despite riding a Gronckle.
"Changewing Island now..." The boy muttered, Toothless glancing up suspiciously before he complied and twisted elegantly.
They reached the island in a matter of seconds. Trees grew tall and colourful with the glimmering eggs; Hiccup felt cold sweat gradually accumulate at the back of his neck.
"Careful bud, we don't want any angry mothers at our backs!" He called through the rushing wind.
He had already spotted the reptile he sought, leaning out of the saddle to haul over the small hill and grab his next item of victory, when Astrid's tall and lithe presence obstructed his view. She stood at the Terrible Terror nest, packing what was obviously her blue-painted one into her net-bag, back turned to her boyfriend and current rival.
"Slow down bud, let's surprise her!" He whispered, feeling a smug smirk tackle his lips.
Just before the slender woman hopped back onto her Deadly Nadder's saddle, Hiccup leaped from his own, wrapping his arms around Astrid who plummeted to the ground with a brief shriek. The boy did not swallow back his loud laughter, rolling off of her and removing his helmet.
"Gotcha there!" He chuckled, jumping to his feet and already having the next Terror in his hands.
"Hiccup!" Astrid bellowed, getting onto her own feet in a matter of seconds and glaring deathly daggers at him.
"No time!" As swiftly as he could, he pecked her cheek, lurching off the side of the hill and onto Toothless' back once more.
He was assured of his victory, with now six Terrible Terrors in his possession and the purple one being released soon, that he flew back to Berk, depositing his prize into the appropriate basket.
The masses of Vikings cheered and laughed, all drinking Snoggletog-according beverages (thank gods Astrid had found no time for her infamous Yaknog) and celebrating with their own dances and stories, whilst watching riders swing by above their home island.
It was then that the reverberating horn was sounded by none other than Gobber, declaring the release of the most prize-worthy purple Terrible Terror, which, once caught and dumped in the right basket, would announce the end of the match, which would be announced by another blow of the booming instrument.
A new smirk tugged at his lips, "Let's get going, Toothless!" An appreciative roar, and they sped off, leaving behind a trail of fine dust and astounded, applauding Vikings.
But where would the small victory-bringing reptile be? All he knew was that one of the stationary Viking's on the several islands had kept it hidden, and would let it go as soon as the horn sounded. They had purposefully chosen islands not too far from home; the horn was terribly loud, but not enough for the entire world to hear.
"Toothless, we need your instincts and a good portion of luck to find this guy!" Hiccup announced, readjusting his helmet.
Their instincts, however, took them to a small, cave-covered island a little further north-east.
What had he and Astrid named it again?
Ah, yes, Salty Beer Mug. By Thor, one would not want to ask how that name came to be.
Once more, the tearing feeling of chilling wind smacked against Hiccup's body, accompanied by the ever-loud rushing of the tides below, and the distant roars and growls of various kinds of dragons. Thunderdrums sprang further below, a Typhoomerang fluttered somewhere in the distance and numerous Raincutters danced off to their right.
"Maybe he's here." Toothless landed silently, Hiccup crouching below the bushes, sneaking along and having his ears perked for any give-away squawks.
A rustling to his left alerted him immediately; he and the black dragon stood back, hearkening. Something moved, something approached, crunching along trodden branches and juggling pebbles.
"Booh!" A shadow overcame Hiccup faster than he could react; suddenly, he was pinned to the ground with a stirring weight above him. Mellifluous laughter echoed inside his ears.
Removing his helmet, he discovered a joyful Astrid sitting atop his abdomen, giggling cunningly. Her blue-and-orange face paint was slightly smeared.
"Astrid..." He shook his head, beguilement growing.
"Oh yes, It's me, and you are totally busted..." smirking mischievously the way he only knew the twins to be capable of, the girl gradually raised her hand, revealing the purple Terrible Terror he so sought.
"You've got him already!" He was frowning, struggling to get up; but her body on top of his stomach hindered any further actions.
"Which means, I win." Stretching out her tongue in a teasing manner, Astrid jolted to her feet, racing back through the bushes and towards an impatient Stormfly.
"See you later!" She called, but Hiccup had already gathered himself, chasing after her.
"Come on Toothless!" The dragon hopped along behind him.
Just before she reached her faithful dragon's side, the young chief flung himself at her, grasping her back and once more throwing her to the ground; this time, he was pushing his weight onto her.
"You better give me that dragon, milady." His lips curled upwards cruelly.
"Or what?" She panted, smiling slowly.
"Or you'll pay the hard way." Magically attracted, he leaned down, already feeling his pulse quickening and his heart stampeding as he decided to claim her lips before he stole her treasure; yet something intervened, once again.
A scalding, piercing sensation overwhelmed the back of his neck without warning, causing the boy to jerk upwards and pat himself desperately.
"What the-"
The girl beneath him kept her overly complacent expression as she wriggled away to get up.
"Oops, did I not mention that I deployed lots of Fireworm dragons in these bushes?" She gave him a mocking innocent face, shrugging indifferently, as she raced back towards Stormfly.
Meanwhile, Hiccup was still being plagued by those burning dragons, which had snuck underneath his leather flying suit.
"Astrid!" He called with the faintest hint of anger and admiration mixed together.
"Good luck, chief!" She bellowed as Stormfly dashed away above them.
One earth-shaking roar from his onyx companion, and the tiny, glowing reptiles jerked off his skin and slithered away. Never had Hiccup felt more relieved. Never had he desired to be bathing in snow, either. He swore he had burn marks all over him.
Astrid had to pay for that...
Clambering onto Toothless' back, they catapulted into the air, wings expanding as the Night Fury effortlessly caught up with his blue-painted counterpart.
"Look at that, up on your feet so fast?" Astrid mocked, grinning as she swerved to the side.
"Toothless is the alpha, in case you have forgotten!" He had his helmet stuffed inside his net-bag, which was currently empty.
"Oh, how could I?" she increased the distance between them, yet Hiccup already closed in, his dragon perfectly approaching the blonde Viking's side.
"I think you'd be better off handing me that Terrible Terror." He could not help but feel self-assured.
"You sure? Because one way or another, I'd win."
"Oh really?" He quirked an eyebrow at that.
"Of course. You tend to throw your sheep into my basket; I can imagine you doing the same with my Terrible Terror."
Indeed, Hiccup had the habit to throw his sheep into Astrid's basket on occasion; something he was accustomed to whenever they had Dragon Races as a team. It would come as no surprise that Hiccup and Astrid always voted to be on the same side. Hiccup did not like competing with his girlfriend, for she took challenges much too seriously...
Despite them deciding to continue the Dragon Racing tradition without customary teams except when specific events called for it, the young chief still had the tendency to drop off his prize in the blue goal, instead of the black one. Much to the pleasure of his girlfriend. And his dismay.
Granted, he did enjoy seeing her jubilate everytime she was announced champion. So, maybe half of those times he did it on purpose. Hiccup did not want to stand in the way of Astrid's current Dragon Racing Champion title, anyway.
They needed no contest to prove who the real champion was, after all. And with Hiccup as chief now...
"This is different" The auburn-haired boy objected, the grin still present on his lips, "and it's my Terrible Terror, to be precise."
"Can't see your name on it."
"I can write it on there, if you want."
A squirming sound alerted both of them of the reptile's obvious protest to being part of this ridiculous sport.
"Hiccup, only three words: Come get me." Throwing him a challenging glance, she dived towards the ocean, her Deadly Nadder fluttering excitedly towards Berk along a different route.
But one Hiccup knew all too well.
He followed, Toothless mimicking the actions.
Soon, they were flying through various stone constructions, then towards the entrance of a few caves, through which the teal reptile darted without a halt. Darkness consumed Hiccup and his partner, but thanks to his dragon's great capability of seeing within the obscurity, it was no problem. He trusted his talented counterpart to find the correct route out, and towards Astrid.
Abruptly, however, Toothless slowed down, swinging his wings vehemently against the flow.
He roared.
"What's up, bud?"
At that moment, the chief realised that he could not hear Astrid nor Stormfly anywhere in the distance. Yet they had been only seconds apart...
"She's hiding." Hiccup detected, patting Toothless appreciatively, "Alright, let's trick her! Plasma shot!"
The Night Fury obliged, shooting purple flames into the distance. Sluggishly, they descended, landing as lithely as a cat on the stony ground and listening intently to any audible movement. A tiny, brief tumbling rock told him that Astrid must have been hiding only ten metres in front of him.
"I think they're gone, Stormfly." She now giggled, proving Hiccup's assumption, "Let's-"
Without warning, he stood behind her, towering over her slightly shorter body.
"You sure about that?" he whispered back, causing the girl to stare, wide-eyed, in bewilderment at him.
"How did you-"
"I'm that good." a nudge to his side caused him to stumble a little, "I mean, we."
Toothless nodded in approval.
"You're not getting it." Astrid crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest, raising herself onto her toes.
He observed as she challenged his eyes, holding his malachite stare fearlessly. Her orbs glittered a deeper, more indigo hue; her cheeks were flushed, a bare pant leaving her lips, silky hair sticking to her face, framing it's wonderful, hearty shape. Blue and orange had become a blur upon her, making her look almost wild.
"Maybe I don't want it..." he uttered absentmindedly, feeling his stern facial expression soften as he lost himself in the detail of her features.
"What...?" She frowned in the slightest, irritation taking over as she lowered her arms.
The young chief took that opportunity to grasp her arms, tugging her closer to him as he crashed his lips onto hers. She was evidently surprised, initially muttering against his lips before she gave in, returning the gesture and moaning pleasingly.
They separated by a hair's breadth, eyes fixated onto each other's.
Hiccup felt an overwhelming amount of emotions consume him, and all of a sudden, the mood was set. This would make it perfect, complete, and memorable. So he believed, before doubt started to peck at the corners.
"Astrid, I-"
What did Thor, or Odin, or maybe even Freyja have against him that they disrupted every intimate moment he tried to enjoy?
"Found you two! Eugh, kissing in the dark, get a room!" Tuffnut complained, Ruffnut and their dragon right behind them, "Now hand over that Terrible Terror!"
Hiccup sighed, Astrid briefly leaning into him before she took a well-measured step away from all of them, "No chance!"
And before he could count to three, she had sped off on Stormfly, Barf and Belch already following.
Only Hiccup was left behind to wonder.
A/N: So yeah, what's Thornado doing here, in this flashback? Maybe I just missed him. I have an obsession with Thunderdrums, really. But maybe he'll just play a major role later. Anywho, I thought it only fair to bring back the big(ger) guy. But you won't find out until later what he's on to, maybe.
Some Hiccstrid-y Dragon Racing bonding time. I loved writing this. And yeah, lotsa fluff, as will be in the next chapter. It'll get seriously serious again, but just don't forget, this is with a strong Hiccstrid influence, so it'll be more profoundly displayed than in the movies, even. Bear with me m'dears!
Oh, and, for all observant eyes – at the end of HTTYD2, Hiccup chucks the black sheep in Astrid's basket. I really wanna know why...so I thought I'd mention it in here. EDIT: After having seen Dawn of the Dragon Racers, a small edit was made ;P
Please review if you liked this chapter. A word will do. As long as you review (do I get appreciation for the lame rhyme? Yes? No?)
*hearts*