Chapter 9: Flight and Fright
"...because it wasn't a month later that one of 'em took my leg." Gobber had just recounted how he lost two of his limbs. Hiccup warned Javelin that the blacksmith often exaggerated and/or switched facts greatly.
Fishlegs went off about still having control over dismembered body parts. Everyone looked at him in disgust, anger, and annoyance. Except one.
"Sorry to disappoint, Fishlegs, but that's impossible." Javelin smiled before continuing, "I know some folk who tried to do it. Didn't get anywhere."
"I swear I'm so angry right now," Snotlout growled. "I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight... with my face."
"Good, I have a pole that I can tie you to. See how good I am at axework," the warrior joked. Astrid grinned evilly at the comment, effectively shutting up Snotlout for now.
"Uh-uh-uh. It's the wings and the tails you really want," Gobber advised as he pulled off a chicken wing. "If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."
Javelin fell quiet after that. How true that is, he thought. His memory of Trena getting hit by the axe flared up. Great. He shook his body free before he could fall any deeper.
Unfortunately, the Jorgenson boy saw it.
Fortunately, Gobber got up and yawned before Snotlout could do anything. "Alright, I'm off to bed. And you should be too. Tomorrow, we get to the big boys." The teens, minus Hiccup, beamed with anticipation. "Slowly, but surely, making our way to the Monstrous Nightmare. But who will win the honor of killing it?"
"It's going to be me," Tuffnut bragged. "It's my destiny, see?" He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a red dragon mark.
Fishlegs gasped. "Your mom let you get a tattoo?"
"It's not a tattoo, it's a birthmark."
Ruffnut scoffed, "OK, I've been stuck with you since birth, and that's never been there before."
"Yes, it has," her brother claimed. "You've just never seen me from the left side before."
"Way I see it, those things are meant to be kept private," Javelin said. "But hey, might as well show you mine." He pulled back his right sleeve to show his squad insignia on his lower arm. It was a stylized H with the ends looking like talons. Each end was a different color: crimson, black, green, and yellow.
"Cool," Ruffnut responded.
"What is it?" Fishlegs asked
"My group's symbol. There were four of us. Now..." he trailed off, fighting the viscious memories seeking to torment him. "Now there's just me."
"What happened?" That question came from Snotlout.
"Not yet," Javelin growled, covering the mark.
"If you aren't going to tell us, then why'd you bother showing it?" Tuffnut complained. Gobber was about to say something, but Javelin beat him.
"Because I'm making sure you all get back to your homes." The warrior got up. "Now get going. I'll clean up." With that, everyone went down the ramp.
Only Astrid knew that Hiccup left early.
Javelin tidied up the watchtower and went through the village. However, he noticed that a light was on in Gobber's forge. Something called him to it, and he decided to follow.
"Hello?"
"Whoa!" Hiccup stumbled back in surprise. He had a leather apron on and was heating up the coals. "Don't... scare me like that," he half-said, half breathed.
"Sorry," the soldier apologized. "Just came here to see what was going on."
"Uh, nothing," Hiccup said sheepishly. "Merely finishing up on some... uh, work that I need to, uh, do."
Javelin didn't believe the half-truth, but chose not to pursue it. "Well, if you need any help..."
Hiccup grunted as he used what strength he had to squeeze the bellows again. "I'm good, thanks."
"Alright, then. Good night." He turned around and left.
As Hiccup constructed his tailfin for the Night Fury – Toothless, his mind kept going back to the assistant dragon trainer. Javelin. The Crimson Rider...
Before he met Toothless, he publicly went along with the village in denying the stories and rumors. While he wouldn't say he thought it was true, he also wouldn't say he wasn't interested. Now that he saw him in person, Hiccup was starting to wonder how true the stories were.
'At least half of that is partially true.'
What did he mean by that? Hiccup only told of him of the three Night Furies and the dragon army. Was it the army? No, Berk has been raided consistently for many decades. If that was the case, then it was the part about the Night Furies that had to be '... partially true.'
Then another question popped into his head; did Toothless belong to the Crimson Rider?
Twilight was eager to get flying again. After all, she'd been keeping a certain interest under her watchful eye for three days. It was nice to stretch her wings and not fly in a circle during the day. Right now, brother and sister were cruising along the shoreline opposite the village.
The view was beautiful in the starlight. The appearance of a certain Night Fury would have made it perfect.
Javelin caught the gleam in her eyes. "What is it, Twi?"
The dragoness' train of thought derailed. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I said, 'What is it, Twi?'"
"Oh. Uh, nothing," she answered nervously. She focused on other things in case Javelin entered her mind. Day, night, joy, fury, hate... Aghh!
Her brother chuckled. "You can't fool me, little sis. Go ahead, spit it out."
The female Night Fury looked down. "Look, we can bring some fish back!" She dived down and caught two pawfuls of fish. Javelin simultaneously leaned to the side and snatched one with his right hand.
Quarry in hand and claws, the two slowly made their way to the cove. "You have feelings for him."
Twilight faltered for a second and corrected it, but the change was noticable. "I guess?"
Javelin laughed. "Don't worry about it, sis. You both will figure it out soon enough." Before she could ponder long about what he meant, the soldier let loose a quip. "Besides, I didn't know I'd be an uncle soon."
That put her mind immediately into overload. Semi-unconscious, she flew right into a tree and hit the ground. Fish lay everywhere, and Javelin rolled onto his back, laughing. "I'm sorry, Twi, but I couldn't resist. Hahaha-Uff!"
The annoyed dragoness pounced on him with death glaring from her green eyes. "Uncle, huh?" she said before putting on a devillish grin. "Well, I think that makes him your brother-in-law." She batted his helmet playfully.
"Don't worry, I can handle being family with him. After all, I have been livng with you for almost fifteen years." Twilight got off and stared at him curiously.
"What do you mean by 'almost?'"
"Your birthday is next week," Javelin proudly stated. He removed his helmet, revealing his smiling face. "For practice's sake, happy birthday!" He hugged her and kissed her head.
"Thank you, big brother." She returned the embrace. Then she saw the fish lying around. "Come on. We're close enough to walk. And you're carrying it for this leg." She began to stroll off.
"Of course, princess." Twilight responded by throwing Javelin off his feet with her tail.
"Hey, Toothless!" Hiccup called out. He entered the cove carrying a large basket and something bound in leather. "I brought breakfast. I," he grunted as he flipped the basket with his leg, "hope you're hungry."
Javelin looked up from his Bible to see Toothless moving to the large pile of fish. "Good name," he complimented the boy. "People will underestimate him."
"Thanks" was the reply before Hiccup gave Toothless his buffet choices. When the Night Fury screamed at the sight of a striped eel, the boy quickly tossed it away from themselves. Twilight woke up from the scent and dashed to the opposite shore.
"Yeah, I don't care much for eel either," Hiccup comforted Toothless.
He got up and moved towards the Viking boy. "That's good, Hiccup. Dragons loathe those things."
"Dang right we do," Toothless said past a mouthful of fish. Swallowing that, he stuffed his head inside the basket to look for more.
"Really?"
The warrior nodded as Hiccup fastened the tailfin. Toothless froze as he felt weight return to his tail. Javelin backed out of the dragon's way as wings spread and legs bent to launch. Toothless then shot into the sky, Hiccup hanging onto his tail for dear life.
The Crimson Rider laughed in joy at seeing Toothless in the air. But the false tailfin had to be controlled by Hiccup. I have a good feeling about those two.
After a dive, the Night Fury glided over the lake. He finally noticed Hiccup hanging onto his tail. He turned left, throwing the boy into the lake. Unfortunately, with him gone, Toothless lost control and ended up in the opposite bank. The dragon's eyes went from hostility towards the boy to relief from feeling the sky again.
"Today is about teamwork," Gobber said as the doors were blasted back by an explosion. Pale green gas seeped through the arena, cutting off visual contact between the three teams. The blacksmith continued as he backed up, "Now a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other one lights it. Your job is to know which is which."
Javelin cut in. "Zipplebacks are clever creatures and always work as a team. Remember, it takes a team to take on a team." He continued in a soft whisper, "... in most cases."
"There!" Snotlout shouted and threw his bucket at something. Tuffnut quickly followed. They succeeded in drenching their target. The gas drifted away to reveal... Astrid and Ruffnut, the former having a very deadly look.
"Hey, it's us, idiots," Ruffnut said. Whatever remark that came from the boys was interrupted as Astrid punched Snotlout in the face. Tuffnut landed on the edge of the gas screen and was pulled in by the Zippleback.
The dragon tripped up the girls with its tail. The male twin came running out screaming "Oh, I'm hurt! I'm very much hurt!" One head came out of the gas and creeped up on Fishlegs.
Said teen splashed the head with water. The head collected gas in his mouth and chuckled. "Oh, wrong head." Fishlegs ran away, screaming, as he was sprayed. That left Hiccup all alone when the screen fully disappated and revealed the Zippleback.
"Now, Hiccup!" Gobber said. The boy launched the water in the air. The heads watched as the water fell onto the floor between them.
"You have got-"
"-To be kidding me," the right head said.
"Oh, great." Hiccup backed up when the Zippleback decided to scare him. Its wings flared out as the heads lunged towards him threateningly.
"Hiccup!" Gobber yelled.
"What the-"
"Oh, that's disgusting!" The dragon backed up as Hiccup approached it, holding his arms out.
"Back. Back into your cage. Now don't make me tell you again." The Zippleback retreated into its cage. "Now think about what you've done," Hiccup smirked as he threw the eel into the cell.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Get it out, get us out!" They were as much against the wall as they possibly could. The boy closed the doors and the light level dropped. "Noo!"
"Crimson, help!"
The sun was setting when the door opened back up. Crimson walked in and picked up the eel. "Sorry about that, guys."
"Can you please wash this place? I'm about to barf and pass out." The spark head was unconscious on the ground.
"I'll see what I can do."
The head's only response was going to sleep.
Hmm. Barf... Sounds like an appropriate name.
(AN) - Hey, guys. Hoped you liked this chapter.
Andipose, I appreciate your reviews on this story. I took what you said about last chapter and reworked this piece a bit.
Now, a word of warning. I will skip the montage sequence up to the dragon with one of the largest egos relative to its size (hint hint). It will implied that Hiccup and Javelin's relationship will grow a lot during those days. And Mando'a alert...
Keep strong and OYA!
