A/N: This will be quick and short, I promise. So, I'll repeat this at the bottom too, but thank you so much silverwolvesarecool. I feel so special to have my own cover now!
Also, I'm mixing in the 'I need to add more spirit-related into the story' and 'try and mix up the plot' reviews (well, review for the latter) without throwing away the original-movie plot. So, note: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT ALINGED WITH ANY SCENE IN THE MOVIE.
Thanks!
How To Hide Your Spirit
I was 100% delighted with the fact that dragon training today wasn't going to have any dragons in it. I really was. But I was also incredibly suspicious. I had a feeling Gobber was up to something that with include his idea of me being... well, not entirely human. Or something else that would make me uncomfortable, whether or not he knew it.
There was also the fact that I was not a bystander today, rather sitting with the rest of the group.
I felt really out of place. No dragons meant no human-form fighting, meaning the traditional Transformation lessons were coming right up. And I was in the smack-dab middle of it. I chewed on my lip as I noticed nearly everyone else was having the same ideas, save Fishlegs who was looking downright relieved. I looked over at Gobber who was just waiting for the twins to put a cap on it. Eventually they tuned it down (whatever they were fighting about managed to do me a favor and fly right over my head. Seemed as though the gods were feeling fairly merciful today), and Gobber hobbled in front of us.
"Today, class, we are going to do a leetle more than the basic fight'n now that all of us have come o' age."
Cue Snotlout looking at me and smirking.
Gobber caught it and gave a small smile that lit fire to a sign above his head saying 'Hiccup's going to have so much fun!' (It was a sarcastic sign because the gods knew Gobber would not have it otherwise). I braced for impact.
"Now ya all may be wonderin' 'now what's 'iccup doin' 'ere then?" Thank you Gobber, that really helped my social life. Not that it existed anyways. "Well, it's because his 'uman form enhances 'is abilities." Astrid, being the only one catching Gobber disbelief, looked over my way and narrowed her eyes.
'Do ye all remember last class when 'iccup fell to the ground an' 'overed 'is ears? 'e experienced an alarm. Alarms are when yer Spirit tells ya yer pressing too hard against it," Gobber's eyes turned sharp as he looked at me, "now why 'e'd be surpressin' 'is form when 'e's clearly in danger is beyond me."
I cringed at the realization of it. And the stares of course. Astrid was likely still the only one who had caught Gobber's drift, but it didn't mean no one understood that there was something wrong with me (wait, something wrong with me? Really? How was that even possible...) I looked to meet Astrid's stare and shivered as she looked at me. She had that look in her eye that meant she knew something about this, and it would likely terrify me.
Gobber cleared his voice and got back our attentions.
"Our forms 'ive off a sound 'at belongs t' our spirit. Say, 'iccup, now wha' did ye hear?" Gobber asked.
I swallowed. I had to think fast. What would a human hear? Something to signify danger...
"A whistle!" I blurted out.
Nice, Hiccup. Real smooth. Because humans whistle in times of danger.
Gobber raised and eyebrow.
"Well that's strange. They usually 'ear screams, but it has been a while..." Gobber went on explaining the other 'danger' signals, but I was otherwise preoccupied shrinking from view (although I did find it funny that the twins' alarm was a squeal). Why was I so horrible at lying? If the gods were going to curse me with a second form of the Viking's worst enemy, couldn't they have at least handed me some acting skills so that I could live with it?
"'iccup? 'iccup!" Gobber's obnoxious voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Yup! Yes, I am present!" I said, snapping out of my self-pity. I earned myself some snickers from Snotlout and the twins.
Gobber nodded.
"I see that. Ma question wa' if ye could tell me if ye 'ave ever felt the internal pain o' Spirit Supression?"
I rolled my eyes and the first comment and shook my head. It was the one honest thing. I guess my Transforming in the woods probably helped with that.
"Well, we 'ave already been over that, so we can move on. This is wha' ye 'ave been waiting for; spirit 'and ta 'and combat. The best we can learn is from eachother!" There were too many gleeful replies for my comfort, " 'iccup, ye will no' be participating but ye will be stayin' in the arena."
I gulped, as I knew my vulnerability would be used to the maximum by Snotlout and the twins (mainly Snolout). I fast walked it over to the side of the arena and watched as the other-who-hated-me took their forms.
Snotlout's thick and muscular form became even more so, although his height decreased and his posture subsided (I'd say 'if that were even possible', but this was a change of bodily form, not to mention holier-than-thou Snotlout). He grew fur and his fingers became thick paws with claws (yay, I'm a poet; I rhymed). Fishlegs increased in weight (but not much) and grew much taller, while sprouting very long fur and beefier hands. The twins changing always made me cringe. The had thin red skin/ fur and their tongues had trouble staying in their mouth. My stomach always tumbled at their demonic look. Then there was Astrid, who always looked majestic while changing (forms (!) thank you very much; I am not a pervert). Her arms expanded and grew red and orange feathers, with some yellow sprinkled in. Although her arms expanded, her size decreased. Her normally sky-blue eyes turned lavender and her nose and mouth blended into a beak.
Gobber never said that it wasn't allowed to go into half form, but I guessed that it just seemed more fun to them if they could change completely. Snotlout went to Astrid, likely trying to show dominance (he normally wasn't so completely stupid, but his canine senses were in the mix). She finished him off easily, using her surprising strength and speed, not to mention some fire here and there, but you could tell she wasn't trying to damage him for all eternity, in which he probably could have done.
The twins went for each other (I know. Who knew?...), and, like usual, there was no real victor of that fight. I looked at Fishlegs who was so completely glad that we was left out of the fights. He really wanted to be in my place right then; I could tell. But No one wanted to be in my place right then; not really.
.:.:.
The fighting as over and I was glad I only come out with a bruise on my side that was pure accident. The twins forgot where they were and immediately shook out of their stupor (of course, they 'forgot' to apologize to me). I made my way to the forge (I wasn't ready to go back to the woods; maybe tomorrow), when I was pulled aside my Astrid.
"I know you're hiding something," Astrid looked me in the eye, "Gobber know it, I know it, and I know the Elder knows it. You're just lucky we're all ready to let you figure it out for yourself." Something in Astrid's gaze was almost forgiving, which was admittedly even scarier for me. Her eyes (thankfully?) hardened again, "But you better fess up to it soon; I'm not exactly patient."
Astrid let go of me, and my stomach dropped when I saw her eyes were going lavender. She practically ran off, and something in me realized she did so as to mot hurt me. I gave her silent sympathy; a phoenix Spirit was hard to contain, and even the violent didn't want to burn another.
I walked over, chastisising myself. Of course! The village Elder knew everything. Why wouldn't she know what I was, or at least that I was hiding something! Astrid was a phoenix, (you know, the bird that burns and then comes back to life) so she was signifigantly harder to kill, mostly because a Viking's greatest threat is to be bruned alive, so she was expected to be the next Elder. I felt bad for her, but, I guessed, someone had to live until they forgot who they were. But if Gobber hinted, and the Elder knew, Astrid would definitely be cued in for the show.
La, de, da, da, the life of Hiccup Haddock! Horray!
A/N: Just so you know, this will be the exact same day as the whole 'oh, Toothless cannot fly because you ripped off his tailfin'. Like I said, I changed this around for this little exposition.
Woah! Okay, so where did I go? Vacation, Youtube (no seriously, I do AMVs now and participate in MEPs. I would love subscribers; I'm AirFireWaterEarth 0413), and somewhere in the deep corners of mind. If you might possibly remember, the very first chapter contained me saying something like 'and depressing circumstances', well I've had them come and bite me... hard. I'm not comfortable saying what exactly due to varying circumstances, but they have. And when my 2000 word chapter was rather discarded, I was discouraged. But now I'm back!
So thank you again, silverwolvesarecool (and thank you for compliment on my avatar in deviantArt XD. I have for my Youtube as well) for my very own fanfic cover!
Thank you to all who support me and
