The Distant Shores of China
Ch. 7: What Lies Beneath the Surface
What's up, everyone? So, here is the next chapter! I hope that you enjoy it! Also, if you find anything to critique, fire away.
OOXO
All these weeks... all these trials... all these tribulations... and for what? For the group to be on the verge of collapse before they even reached their goal? Rapunzel sighed as she stoked the crackling fire once more. It had been more than a month since the outburst between Hiccup and Li-Shang. Ever since then, an icy tension would descend on the group whenever the two would be in each others' presence. She despised those moments, powerless as she was to heal the broken bond between them.
Almost as soon as it crossed her mind, Rapunzel lifted her eyes from the comforting glow of the fire to observe the other goings-on at their new campsite on the steppe landscape: Merida, Mulan, and Astrid sparring with each other, with Mushu and Cri-Kee observing; the twins and Ling comparing wisecracks; Yao and Snotlout arguing yet again over which one of them would be a better leader; Chien-Po instructing Fishlegs on meditation; and Eugene trying to make friendly conversation with Li-Shang. It all seemed innocent enough, but Rapunzel was acutely aware that beneath the surface of comradeship, tension, unease, and impatience laced its depths, none of which she had been able to relieve.
With this new awareness of herself and her surroundings, Rapunzel suddenly realized that her legs had become quite sore from crouching by the fire. Stretching her legs to soothe the nagging pain, her gaze became drawn towards the captivating twinkling of the stars in the clear night sky. Her attention was soon transfixed by how each star's individual beauty aided in the entirety of the sky's glory. Each individual... .
Blinking to clear her thoughts, Rapunzel recalled that she had not seen Hiccup anywhere from her attentive glance around the campsite. Slowly getting to her feet so as not to waken Pascal, she silently made her way through the enveloping darkness, the gentle splashing echoing from the nearby river serving as her guide. Catching sight of the gentle pinpricks of starlight reflecting off of the tranquil waters, Rapunzel did not pause until she was staring right into the crystal-clear depths of the river and at the reflection of a fragile, confused girl, lost in a strange world. What could she say, she was new to it all; the world outside what she knew, how it worked, keeping friends together through thick and thin... . With this last thought, Rapunzel recalled why she had even made her way here. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how lost and confused Hiccup was probably feeling at that moment.
Darting her gaze up and down the river's banks, she soon spied a faint glow emanating from behind a patch of scraggly bushes. Approaching the spot, Rapunzel could hear a faint scratching and murmuring, confirming her suspicions of before. Peering over the bush, she saw that Hiccup was poring over a diagram, stick in hand, with Toothless providing the sole source of illumination. Praying that she would know what to say, she drew in a deep breath and quietly settled herself down beside him, observing his plans while she did so. As she timidly patted Toothless' head, forcing a gentle smile in the process, she soon noticed that the scratching had faded, prompting her to turn her attention toward Hiccup. He was lying there perfectly still, no motion except for his hand, which was clenching the stick in a white-knuckled grip. The message was clear; one false move on her part and he would lose it.
Several minutes passed as Rapunzel observed the emotional journey Hiccup was conveying; anger and frustration were clearly seen from the way he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, yet these signals could not hide the subtle undertones of guilt and pain shimmering in his eyes. Finally, after several agonizing minutes, Toothless, with a soft purr, gently nudged Hiccup. As he slowly turned his gaze toward Toothless, Hiccup relaxed his hand and numbly got to his feet. After taking one last look at the plans etched on the ground, Hiccup trudged toward the riverbank, paying no attention to Rapunzel all the while. Reaching the crisp water, he slowly lifted his head toward the starry sky and drooped his shoulders in a dejected fashion. Figuring that now was the best time to talk to him, Rapunzel collected her thoughts before addressing him, not wanting to accidentally upset him in some way. Coming to stand beside him, Rapunzel, turning her gaze toward the stars, asked,
"Beautiful night, isn't it?"
Silence. No affirmation, no sarcastic comment at the ready. Just silence. This was going to be harder than she thought. Drawing in a deep breath, hoping that she would properly word what she was planning to say, she continued,
"I know that you're trying to do what is best for all of us, so whatever you decide to go with from here on out, I'll be there for you."
At this, Hiccup silently lowered his head to stare into the waters at his own reflection. He was only roused, albeit for a few moments, when Toothless rubbed up against him. As Hiccup patted Toothless' head in acknowledgement, Rapunzel turned her attention to the water as well, clueless as to what to do now. How could she hope to show confidence towards him when she barely had any to spare for herself? All of it was just a front, a way to conceal how powerless she felt. Well, a promise was still a promise, and nothing was going to change what she had said.
Closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath of the fresh night air, Rapunzel turned away and quietly began to find her way back toward the campsite. As a gentle breeze danced across the river and against her frame, rustling her flowing golden hair, Rapunzel heard a voice, soft as the wind, say,
"Thank you for believing in me."
Slowly turning around, Rapunzel saw that Hiccup was now facing her, an expression of calm having taken over the turmoil of emotions from before.
"You're welcome," Rapunzel replied before resuming her destination towards the campsite. While she felt a little lighter in both body and spirit from what she had accomplished, the great weight of unfulfillment still held firmly onto her like a chain. She knew that she still had a long way to go before she would truly discover her place and her importance on the team. All she could do for the moment was hope that what little she had done was enough to get Hiccup back on his feet.
OOXO
The first rays of dawn were just starting to peek out over the horizon, lightly grazing the steppe landscape. Even while the world was still and silent amidst the coming of the dawn, Merida felt anything but peaceful in her surroundings. Sword in hand, she lunged forward, accurately skewering the practice dummy's right side before performing a diagonal swipe to the left, scattering twigs and grass across the ground. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Merida took a good long look at the carnage she had wrought on her target. The lumpy, broken mass of sticks and grass did not give any hint as to what shape it had been before, a mark of the many violent, unrestrained beatings it had undergone over the last couple of days.
Smiling in satisfaction, Merida was just about to sheathe her sword when a glint of sunlight ricocheted off the blade and made contact with her eyes. Grunting in pain, she swiftly covered them from the blinding glow, sunspots twirling in her vision. Recovering from this shock, she turned her gaze towards the horizon, realization slowly sinking in. How long had she been up? It hadn't felt like more than an hour or so. Distraction seemed to have gotten the better of her, it seemed.
Turning her attention towards her blade once more, Merida caught a glimpse of her reflection. Usually, she did not take much care in her appearance, but the way her hair was plastered across her face, veiling all except her eyes, the gleam of battle-lust still shimmering in their depths, was enough to send an unsettling shiver of unease through her mind. Swiping her hair out of her face, Merida became uncomfortably aware of how tired she was. Well, no good getting any beauty sleep now. No doubt Hiccup had made his decision on their next move and was dying to get an early start.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Merida glanced toward the towering mountains in the distance, their jagged peaks piercing the sky like daggers. She, and everyone else, were well aware of the risks that would come with traversing those peaks and the land beyond them. She wasn't afraid, though. She was the princess of Scotland, the finest archer in her land. It would take more than ominous peaks and a couple of Huns to scare her off. By the time she was through with them, they would be in worse shape than that practice dummy. With a new burst of confidence, Merida tightly gripped her sword hilt, embracing the chilling wind that sprinted down from the mountainside as she imagined herself standing victorious over her enemies. Those Huns would regret that they had ever crossed her path.
Sheathing her sword, Merida decided to use this moment of confidence to hunt down some food for the group. After retrieving her bow from the grass, she utilized her hunter's instinct, deducing that the river was her best option for finding something suitable. Lightly sprinting over the grassy plain, her senses' powers seemed to multiply tenfold as she zoomed in on her surroundings, allowing her to find some desirable cover in the form of some scraggly bushes. Kneeling down on one knee behind this suitable cover, she transitioned into full-on hunter mode, taking notice of every single cracking twig, every rustling blade of grass, any sign of movement. Lightly licking her lips, which were dry from the piercing wind, she was soon alerted to the presence of a rabbit downstream from her, near the edge of the riverbank. Taking opportunity of the rabbit desiring to quench its thirst, Merida slowly lifted her bow, watching as the rabbit waded a little ways into the river... drew the bowstring taut as the rabbit began to drink... slowly exhaled... cleared her mind... chills racing up and down her spine... cold, cruel laughter... freezing in place, powerless, helpless... no one to save her...
As Merida's shaking fingers clumsily fired the arrow, it careened to the far left of her intended target and disappeared into the undergrowth. After this magnificent fumble on her part, the rabbit wasted no time in dashing into the safety of the grass. The escape of her potential victim did little to distract Merida from the growing terror beginning to engulf her senses, bathing her in a cold sweat. With her bow slipping out of her numb fingers, she abruptly sat down on the packed earth and wrapped her arms around her legs, gasping for air as her chest seized up. She could almost feel the icy fingers clawing through her heart once more, freezing her from the inside-out, prompting her to hunch herself further into a ball to keep out the penetrating cold and to hide herself from the dark world outside. After a few panic-striken moments, dreading what she might face, she slowly raised her head, half-expecting to see that icy, menacing figure towering over her once more. As her senses presented the objective truth of her solitude, the rays of the early-morning sun peeked out from behind the cloud cover, bathing her face in a warm glow. Even with this reassurance of safety, a cold chill still left her whole body trembling and weak.
Daring to uncurl from her protective position, Merida's hand came to rest on something hard and smooth. Glancing down, she saw that her hand rested on a stick, when drew her gaze toward the crude diagram displayed beside it. Tracing her finger along the edges of the diagram, she quickly became aware of the placement of important landmarks; the location of their camp, the mountain peaks to the south, and the sea to the east. Overlaying this rudimentary map were many crooked lines that appeared to have been hastily scribbled over its entirety, with either a check or an ex over each one. It finally dawned on Merida that this diagram had to be a planner for what routes would be most feasible for the remainder of their journey. Not surprisingly, the route that led straight through the heart of Hun territory was circled, deeming it the best option of them all. Well, it didn't take a genius to deduce who had crafted this layout. Aware of what this might mean, Merida closed her eyes, fighting to keep back a shiver of fear. No, she wasn't weak. She could handle it. If they had to go through Hun territory, so be it. The faster they could get to China, the better. But what would they have to face once they got there? What kind of sickening horrors awaited them once they reached their destination? What if they were too late?
Merida was soon driven out of these thoughts by a strange rumbling. Jumping in fear, she tensed up, awaiting the sound once more. She reddened in spite of herself once she realized that the culprit was her impatient stomach. Glancing up at the sky, she came fully back into awareness with a shock, observing that the sun was now fully lighting the landscape. No doubt the others were already awake by now and awaiting breakfast. Gripping her bow once more, she cast a final glance at the muddled diagram, closed her eyes, steeled her nerves, and began to scout the riverbanks for another suitable hunting location.
OOXO
"Jeez, it's about time you got back. Ole' Snotlout here can't keep up his very best on an empty stomach," Snotlout said, flexing his biceps as a demonstration.
This was not the sort of comment Merida was willing to put up with at the moment, what with the many scrapes on her hands from crawling across sharp rocks, the urge for sleep beginning to drain her remaining strength and patience, and the constant pangs of hunger threatening to drive what was left of her sane state of mind into ravenous throes.
"Well, if you want to prove to me one of these times what your very best is capable of, I suggest that you track down our food next time. It takes patience and cunning, qualities which I'm sure you have in abundance," she replied, not bothering to hide the sarcastic tone in her voice so he could take a hint.
"Snotlout, don't tell me you're going to just sit by and do nothing while this simple princess tramples your honor as a Viking into smithereens. It would not be a pleasant story to relate to the others at Berk," Tuffnut said, sharing a mischievous wink with his sister and Ling while Yao chuckled in the background.
"For your information, I have plenty of both of those qualities. You can't get to be where I'm at without them," Snotlout retaliated, with Hookfang rolling his eyes in the background. Finding the perfect opportunity to get him out of her hair, Merida, not being able to hold back a sly grin, replied,
"Well, prove to me that you are capable, and I won't question your prestigious standing any longer."
"Maybe I will, then. Those rabbits will be praying for the end when I'm through with them, and then you can tell the others at Berk that it was Snotlout who led to their demise," he said, picking up one of his axes and clumsily charging into the wilds.
Once Snotlout was out of earshot, Merida roughly grabbed her bundle of rabbits and laid them across a nearby rock large enough for the task at hand, ignoring the concerned gaze she knew Rapunzel was directing at her. Grabbing a nearby knife, she deftly maneuvered it as she began the dirty work of skinning the day's kill, a task which provided food for the entire group, but of course that idiot still had to gripe. Sure, like he was the one actually doing any of the work... .
Forced back into reality, Merida gasped in pain as the knife slipped from her grasp and neatly sliced her left palm.
"Oh, goodness! Are you okay? Let me help you with that," Rapunzel said, retrieving a clean cloth from one of Jack's saddle-bags.
"No, it's all right. I can handle it myself," Merida replied, wincing in pain and embarrasment as she reluctantly accepted the cloth, retrieved honey and another spare cloth-piece from her bag, and made her way to the river. Kneeling on the riverbank, she dipped the cloth in the water and pressed it against the searing cut, gritting her teeth as she did so. What on earth was that back there? It certainly wasn't like her to get distracted like that, especially if the task she was doing was in any way important. First her breakdown, now this... no, it couldn't be serious. It was all just sleep-deprivation and a short temper. Nothing unusual... right? An image seemed to dazzle in her mind's eye; Hiccup, stone-cold and unfeeling, the storm, the chilling confrontation with Li-Shang at the campsite... he had become someone he was not. What if the same thing was happening to her?
Driving that chilling thought out of her mind, Merida, having been able to lessen the flow of blood, was now free to assess the cut's appearance. Having determined that it did not seem to be either that deep or wide, she gently spread some honey over it to disinfect it and expertly tied the spare piece of cloth around her hand. Satisfied with her handiwork, she was just about to return to the campsite when the sharp crack of a twig pierced the silence. Heart racing, Merida swiftly reached for her bow, only to remember that she had left it at the campsite. Just as the cold pangs of fear began to grip her shaking frame once more, she sighed in relief when Scathach was revealed to be the source of the sound.
"Oh, it's... it's only you, you wee devil, you," Merida softly laughed, very uncomfortable with the nervous stammer in her voice as she patted her dragon's head. Softly rumbling down in her throat, Scathach nudged Merida and fixed her with a piercing stare.
"Oh, no, you don't. You're not getting anything out of me," Merida said, crossing her arms for emphasis. Cocking her head to one side, Scathach narrowed her eyes, apparently waiting until her mistress divulged all of her troubling secrets.
"Don't give me that. Honestly, you silly dragon, sometimes you act like my mother. Come along, now. I'm sure those rabbits are ready," Merida sighed, abruptly standing up and striding back towards the campsite, just catching the huff of impatience from her dragon as she trailed behind her. Soon enough, the sharp scent of crisp rabbit began to drift on the wind, confirming her suspicions.
"There you are. Feeling better?" Rapunzel asked Merida, her motherly gaze directed towards her friend's bandaged hand.
"I'm fine," Merida curtly replied, fighting to keep back a wave of impatience at this affronting question. What, did Rapunzel think that she wasn't capable of dealing with a little scrape like that? What did she know about her pain tolerance, anyway? Well, she supposed it didn't matter too much what Rapunzel thought, because those rabbits were starting to look really tempting. Finally giving in to the voracious cries of her stomach, she soon made quick to display her urgency by immediately lashing out at the pile and swiping the juiciest-looking rabbit her focused gaze could detect. No sooner did she make herself comfortable by the fire, she hastened to tear off that first succulent mouthful. The tantalizing flavor that flooded her mouth soon activated her basic primal instinct of inhaling as much sustenance as possible, driving all other thoughts and cares suffered throughout the day to fade from present memory. All that mattered was having one more bite. Just one more couldn't hurt.
Only when all that was left was a pile of bones did Merida finally take the time to draw in some much-needed breaths of air. Heaving a sigh of satisfaction, she casually tossed the bones into the fire and began to clean off the crumbs that had accumulated on her mouth and dress in her ravenous haste. The eerie silence around the campfire soon prompted her to turn her gaze toward the others, who were all averting their eyes to stare at the ground or in the distance at whatever had caught their attention.
"What?" Merida snapped, her terse question a result of the disconcerting feeling she felt, akin to being left out of something crucial.
"Oh, nothing. We all just noticed that you've seemed to have worked up... quite an appetite," Eugene replied, a little too warily for her liking.
"Well, you don't have to sound so nervous about it," Merida said, trying to keep a tone of frustration from creeping into her voice. She was starving. What did they expect? They hadn't been up since gods-know-when without having a bite to eat all day. As if they wouldn't do the same thing in her position. She was almost glad when Hiccup, who had been meekly nibbling at his food, soon cleared his throat in an authoritative manner, rising up as he did so. Once everyone's attention seemed to be fixed towards him, he said,
"Seeing as how we're all here... well, except for Snotlout, wherever he went off to...um... I just wanted to say that I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and since the issue was brought up before..."
Pausing at this moment to cast a quick glance at Li-Shang, who seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously, Hiccup, with an air of guilt, continued,
"I know that things have been... difficult the last couple of months. There is so much that I know I need to make up to all of you. That's why I have decided that, from this point on, I'm going to take a vote as to what course to take."
With this, Hiccup drew out a slip of paper from one of Toothless' saddle-bags and unfurled it, revealing a crude sketch of the remainder of their journey, similar to the diagram that Merida had seen earlier. A polite silence reigned as Hiccup laid out the map and began to explain his plan.
"Now, there are two choices we could take; we could either make our way to the sea and stick to the coast until we get to China, or we can cut straight across enemy territory. Sticking to the sea would be safer, since we would be avoiding the bulk of enemy territory. However, it will, undoubtedly, take longer to get to China. Going behind enemy lines will be a lot faster in this case. However, in order to lessen the risk of being seen, it would be best for us to travel at night and to split up. That way, if some of us are... captured, it wouldn't be clear how many of us there actually are, so that would definitely give us an advantage overall. In the end, though, it's your choice."
Merida could almost hear the gears turning in everyone's heads as they contemplated this new development. While she was relieved that Hiccup seemed to be reverting back to his old self, she still could not shake the unsettling feeling that, at any moment, he might pull the rug out from under them again. She was no stranger to how desperate he was to reach China. That fact was painfully clear. What was to say, then, that he wouldn't pull something rash or unpredictable yet that would place the whole group in jeopardy again? She did not have long to wonder about the potential repercussions in store for the future before Rapunzel, voice shaking yet determined, said,
"I think that... we should go across Hun territory. I decided to come on this mission, and I'm going to do my part to get it done, no matter what it takes."
"Are you sure about this, Rapunzel? I don't want you to get hurt," Eugene interjected, turning her face towards his.
"I'm sure," she replied, her eyes staring unflinchingly back at her husband. Sighing with resignation, Eugene then said, a light smile playing on his lips,
"What kind of a husband would I be if I didn't go with you? After all, I made a promise at the altar to stay by your side. I'd say that this is the perfect time to put that into practice."
With an unmistakable look of relief on his face, Hiccup turned to his Viking kin, awaiting their response. Astrid, a slight twinkle in her eye, soon replied,
"Well, I've been waiting for a chance to crack some Hun skulls. It comes with being a Viking. Count me in."
"Oh, yeah, it's time to make some Huns squeal, baby," Ruffnut snickered.
"You can all be assured that my sister and I will not want to miss out on this magnificent opportunity of making them beg for mercy. They shall rue the day when they cross the twins," Tuffnut added, an impish grin crossing his face as he said so.
Fishlegs, the perfect representation of nervousness throughout the entire outlining of the plan, finally said, with a slight squeak in his voice,
"The people of Berk and China are counting on us. I'm not going to stand by and do nothing. It's time to stand up and fight."
Yao, dramatically standing in front of the group, said,
"I say we follow Hiccup's plan. You're not going to see me skulking around enemy territory. I'm going to face them head-on."
"And so will I. I will not suffer my country to wait any longer. It's time to give those Huns a lesson in honor," Mulan chimed in, standing beside Yao during her declaration.
"Hey, don't think you're going without us. Cri-Kee and I have come too far with you to chicken out now, right, Cri-Kee?" Mushu asked, with a chirp from his cricket friend to back up his statement.
Merida felt a surge of emotion welling up in her, bolstering up her foul mood. Even with the danger involved in this risky plan, even with the image of the malevolent figure in her dreams fresh in her mind's eye, she was determined to prove to herself that she would not be restrained by her fears.
"You can count me in, too. I'm itching to give those Huns a taste of my blade," she chimed in, standing beside the others and unsheathing her sword for emphasis.
With a little more confidence evident in his posture, Hiccup lastly turned toward Li-Shang, who all the while had been sitting in pensive silence. Returning Hiccup's look, he narrowed his eyes, as if trying to decide if there was some kind of dark ulterior motive hidden under this unanimous decision. He finally stood up alongside the others, simply nodding his head to showcase his decision.
"Well, it looks like it's settled, then," Hiccup announced, a note of relief apparent in his tone as he surveyed the willing party around him.
"For the most part," Astrid added, just as Snotlout trudged out from behind some bushes. It didn't take long for the others to notice that he was soaked from top to bottom and had mud smeared over his face.
"I bet those rabbits gave you a run for their money, aye, Snotlout?" Merida slyly asked, focusing on not having a fit of laughter overwhelm her as she surveyed the damage he had sustained.
"Laugh all you want, princess, because I would love for you to behold this sweet beauty I managed to catch," Snotlout retorted, whipping out from behind his back his prize. At the mere sight of his catch, Merida could not help but burst into raucous laughter as she beheld what had to be the scrawniest-looking rabbit she had ever seen in her entire life.
"Did... did you find that in... in a swamp? Or was it already dead when you found it?" Merida snorted, cupping her hand over her mouth as she said so.
"For your information, I killed this thing fair and square. It took a while, but hey, that's patience for yah. Oh, and did I mention that blending in with the river is an excellent strategy? Pretty cunning of me, wouldn't you say?" Snotlout retorted, shaking his catch to prove a point, it seemed. Not that it mattered, because it still had to be the most pathetic, useless...
All of a sudden, a shriek rent the air, followed by a flurry of feathers.
"AHHH... GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!" Snotlout squealed, ducking away from the falcon that had suddenly descended on him and was now slashing at his hands and face. Having managed to escape the falcon's onslaught, Snotlout made haste to cower away from it, with only the slightest groan evident to express his frustration as the falcon snatched up his catch. Merida could only watch with a mixture of fascination and bewilderment as the majestic creature soared off into the distance.
"What in Thor's name was that all about?" Astrid finally asked, axe at the ready as if she expected another one to divebomb them. Fishlegs, always the one who seemed to have an answer to everything, only replied,
"I'm not sure. Usually, an animal would only act like that if prey was scarce, but from what Merida managed to catch, I'd say that there is plenty around. So why would it go for the one Snotlout had?"
"Especially if it was just a sack of bones?" Yao made quick to point out, casting a smirk in Snotlout's direction, who was already starting to nurse his wounds.
"Hey, come on, I worked hard to get that rabbit. Stupid falcon," he grumbled, wincing as he touched a particularly deep gash on his right cheek.
"Well, whatever was up with that thing, it's gone now. In the meantime, we should prepare for the journey ahead," Hiccup said, packing up his supplies as he said so. Casting one last dirty look towards the sky, Snotlout said,
"Fine... wait, what are we doing?"
OOXO
The sun had just reached its apex, basking the mountaintops in a cold glow that did little to ease the chilling climate of the peaks. With a trained eye, one would be able to see a hidden cave nestled near the peak of a mountain. This mountain, in turn, was like a gleaming, jagged needle in the noonday sun, towering over its neighboring peers.
It was towards the cave on this mountain that the falcon began to glide towards, still bearing its catch in its talons. Sweeping towards the yawning opening, it gently alighted on its master's arm, presenting its prize. After examining the misshapen rabbit, the gray-skinned man tore off a piece of it and offered it to his pet as a reward for its good work. Turning back towards the cave, he strode deeper into the darkness, past his men, who all shrank somewhat at his presence, and towards the back end of the cave, where a pack of snarling, ravenous wolves were tearing and rending the carcass of a deer, showing no sign of ceasing their mindless haste. Pausing for a few moments to appreciate the sheer beauty and ferociousness of these predators, the man suddenly gave a sharp command of whistles. The conversion of these animals from mindless beasts into trained canines was soon apparent, as they all promptly sat at attention, ears perked forward and the glint of intelligence in their eyes. Without a word, the man flung the twisted body of the rabbit into their midst, waiting as the pack crowded its mangled form, sniffing it over. A few moments passed before they all sat at attention once more, having stored the many layers of scent in their memories.
"Remember that scent, my dears. Taste it, yearn it, live for it... it is the key to their fall."
As if in answer to their master, the pack all began to howl as if they were one. With the noise still ringing off of the cave walls, the mysterious man unchained them from the restrainment of the cave, a cold smile playing upon his lips as they succumbed to the mad lust of the hunt. After they had sprinted off into the distance, he uttered another sharp whistle, summoning his falcon to him. He then promptly set about ordering his men to mount up. He would not take any dawdling from them. After so many months, the time had finally come to crush these piteous fools under his heel. Shan-Yu would no longer have any reason to doubt his competence. He would make sure of that.
With the horses pawing the snow, the anticipation of the moment having spread like an infectious disease, the mysterious man, having mounted his horse in a graceful manner defying his stocky build, urged his mount onward, leading the charge towards his sure victory. He would no longer have any reason to be ashamed in being called Khenbish, a 'Nobody'; he would go down in history as being the one whom the Hero of China begged to for mercy, the one who would quash the inner rebellion, and cement China as a powerhouse under Hun rule. The tantalizing sensation of victory was nearly upon him. He would not fail.
OOXO
So, it seems that we have another villain in the mix. Who is the mysterious Khenbish? Will our heroes succeed in their plan of infiltrating China? And will Snotlout ever get over his humiliation over the falcon attack? Find out next time on The Distant Shores of China! But seriously, though, how did you all like this chapter? If you think that there is something that I need to improve on, please don't hesitate in saying so. I know that there is always room for improvement, so any criticism is welcome, as long as they aren't flames. If you absolutely despise something, please politely bring it up if you have to, and don't read the story anymore if I don't change it and if it bothers you that much. Anyway, that's all I got right now, folks. Here's hoping that I will be able to update soon. See you next time!
