Ugh this one gave me problems.

Mostly because I needed everything to happen a cERTAIN WAY and it was a giant hassle nggk

Oh well

Here's #9


February 13. 12:40 p.m.

1 new message from Stormy: I've been stolen away to the slopes.

1 new message from Stormy: Meet before dinner?

You sent: mmkay

1 new message from Stormy: Don't go die or anything.

You sent: from what?

1 new message from Stormy: Dunno.

1 new message from Stormy: A skier running you over?

1 new message from Stormy: Falling off the mountain?

1 new message from Stormy: Avalanche?

You sent: good joke

You sent: even IM not that unlucky.

As fate would have it, he was.

He very, very, very much was.

It started on the lifts.


February 13. 1:23 p.m.

At the highest point of the mountain, with both Hiccup and Astrid maybe fifteen feet apart, the latter surrounded by Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout, and the former backed by Fishlegs.

Neither aware of how close the other was.

Neither aware of how loose the snow was atop the gigantic rock formation.

Both about to feel the direct effects of their close friends being utterly stupid idiots.

(All the teens' boards and skis were strewn across the flat-ish mountaintop, as they bickered in tandem about something that could potentially become an issue.)


Astrid:

"Snotlout, shut up," Astrid hissed; the boy in question was yelling at the top of his lungs, determined to test the whole "snow rolls down if you shout loud enough" theory.

Snotlout balked. He looked genuinely hurt. "Babe, it's gonna be awesome, plus we might even get rid of the loser-nerds! Two birds with one stone!"

She grabbed his jacket, hell-bent on literally knocking some sense into him: "Stop calling me that, or I'll throw you off the side of this mountain."

The boy gulped, crossed his heart, and the intense blonde dropped him. Hard.

"She's grumpy," Tuffnut said.

"Or grumpier," Ruffnut chimed. Astrid glared at them both.

The female twin laughed nervously before nudging her brother to move. "C'mon, there's no way we can get hurt just standing here. Let's go up Raven Point!"

(Raven Point was not a place you simply "went up".)

(They would not make it ten feet up to Raven Point.)

"You guys wouldn't make it ten feet," Astrid said. "Besides, where are you gonna leave your boards?"

The twins shared a look.

"Well, with you," Ruffnut started.

"Or Snotlout."

"Or neither!"

"Yeah! We could use them as jumping boards or something."

"To get up to Raven Point!"

Tuffnut guffawed. "We're such geniuses."

Astrid facepalmed. "That's one word."


Hiccup:

"Fishlegs, I don't think this is the best ide-"

"Relaaaax, Hiccup. This is totally safe!" the larger boy replied. He was holding Hiccup's Christmas gift from his uncle-a miniature catapult-and had loaded it with medium-sized rocks. "I tested it at home."

Hiccup screamed (on the inside). "Did you, ah, test it with large amounts of snow?"

Fishlegs waved his hand dismissively. He kept his eyes at Raven Point, probably calculating trajectory and a whole lot of other scientific mumbo jumbo that Hiccup was least concerned about. "Sure, yeah, styrofoam snow."

"Oh, okay," the brunet said with a tight smile. If one paid attention, they would notice that his eye was twitching. If one was telepathic, they would receive the following message in their minds, repeated so much it may even be counted as a mantra:

I'm going to die today I'm going to die and my parents will find it either ironic or poetic that I died in the mountains during winter because this was the setting of my birth and I am going to die because my friend thinks it's a good idea to taunt loose snow will catapults

In a vain attempt at trying to save his life (and, technically, everyone else's), Hiccup called out to his friend right before the latter had let loose a rather sizable piece of rock: "Hey, uh, 'legs, you do... uh, know what you're doing, right?"

Fishlegs almost dropped the catapult.

Hiccup almost wished he had.

"Relax, Hiccup. I've studied this. I am in complete control, here," Fishlegs said, turning back to the device. "I spent all of last night researching..."

And again, the mantra:

I am going to die Fishlegs will be the death of me I should never be allowed out of the house why did my parents let me leave this morning Stormy is going to kill me I haven't talked to Astrid Oh hello there goes my life flashing before me I am going to DIE


February 13. 1:45 p.m.

You sent: what does one do when one's friends is doing a mega stupid

1 new message from Stormy: A mega stupid what?

You sent: id call it "thing"

You sent: but at this point i dont think it qualifies

1 new message from Stormy: My friends are doing something mega stupid, too.

1 new message from Stormy: And I'd totally ditch them right now, but they might ruin the ski trip for everyone, and I'M supposed to be the RESPONSIBLE one.

1 new message from Stormy: R.I.P. Us.

You sent: if i dont make it

1 new message from Stormy: Here we go.

You sent: tell my father...

You sent: that i was the one who had the last cookie...

1 new message from Stormy: You're a terrible human being.

You sent: excuse you

You sent: i was doing him a favor

You sent: the guy does NOT need any more pounds, alright?

1 new message from Stormy: Correction:

1 new message from Stormy: Terrible child.

You sent: id give you a comeback but

1 new message from Stormy: ?

1 new message from Stormy: But?

1 new message from Stormy: Uh?

1 new message from Stormy: Hello?


February 13. 2:04 p.m.

Fifty meters below Raven Point. (AKA "Where Stupid People Do Stupid Things")


Hiccup:

As Fishlegs let fly rocks one after another, Hiccup found himself frozen-haha, get it-in his tracks, switching from watching his friend and eyeing the hanging cliff.

He had hurriedly put away his phone when he heard the larger boy whooping at the cliffside-Fishlegs had started his snow assault.

In the distance, Hiccup saw movement. Snow fell from where the rocks had hit.

And they were starting to drop in larger bunches.

"Dude, stop, you're loosening the snow! And it's already loose!" Hiccup almost yelled-until he remembered that that wouldn't help either. He snatched the catapult from his friend's hands, tumbling down a few feet to the side.

(He wasn't all that used to his substitute snowboarding leg, it being quite new and him being quite clumsy.)

He didn't see the snow start to roll.


Astrid:

"Guys, I'm telling you, it's not a myth-it happens in real life, and if you don't stop your yelling, it'll happen here," Astrid pleaded. Or reprimanded. (Or both.)

Needless to say, the three daredevils were well beyond being reasoned with. They were hooting louder than ever, heard even halfway down the slopes.

They were "testing a theory": Does the whole "shouting causes an avalanche" thing actually happen outside of television and cinema or was it actually a thing that happened?

(It was.)

(The tour guide in riding in the school buses literally told them it does.)

(Thrice.)

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT," Snotlout yelled, purposefully keeping his voice on maximum to continue their 'experiment'. "SEE? NOTHIIIINGGG'SS HAPPENING!"

"YEAH, AND I'M STarTIng tO LoSE MY VoicE," Tuffnut screamed, his voice cracking.

His sister roared with laughter. "YOU SOUND LIKE PUBERTY, EXCEPT WORSE!"

"ShuT Up!"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO YOU!"

They slammed their helmets together, growling like really, really fake-sounding wolves. Astrid considered pushing all three of them down the slope.

She settled for tackling them and somehow keeping all their mouths shut.

Her back was to the mountain.

She didn't see the white wave of snow.


Also I can't answer ya'lls questions because -spoilers-

But like

it's me

there is a point to everything

so r&R LOVES (and not just 'update' please, that won't get the next one to come sooner)