An outcast among the Outcasts ch 10
Revised
Chapter 10: swimming lessons.
"Wahoo!" Akiran yelled as he jumped into the ocean. Nightshade roared as he jumped in after him. They both popped up a moment later, splashing each other playfully. Shift and Rue just stood on the beach, the other riders where off working on something or other and had left Akiran and Rue to do as they pleased.
After a moment Shift jumped in too, effectively splashing Rue.
"Hey! Shift!" She whined as she wiped the water out of her face.
"Araar." Shift called back, nuzzling her playfully. Rue turned her back to the dragon, but he continued to nuzzle her.
"Oh, I can't stay mad at you." She said turning around and scratching him under his chin. Shift's vine looking things wiggled happily at the attention.
"Hey Rue! Come on in the water's great!" Akiran called as he splashed Nightshade. The dragon used his tail to return the splash.
"I don't think so." Rue said as she laughed at a sputtering Akiran.
"Why not?" He asked, he couldn't think of a single reason to not go swimming.
"I can't swim." Except that one.
"No one ever taught ya or something?" He asked swimming back to shore.
"You could say that…" Rue said, thinking back to when she had lived on Outcast Island. Alvin had never taught her to swim, or anything else for that matter.
"I'll teach you then." Akiran's voice broke through her memories.
"Really?" She asked skeptically.
"Really." Akiran answered confidently. He took her hand and pulled her to a nearby cove grabbing his black jacket as he went, the dragons following behind them. The cove was fairly shallow on one end and got deeper as you swam farther out. It was also generally well protected from the larger waves by a wall of spiky rocks.
"We'll start over here, and then swim out as you get better." Akiran said.
"Ok." Rue nodded, although she kept eyeing the deep end suspiciously. Akiran walked into the water, bringing Rue in with him. They stopped waist deep.
"First things first, if your gonna swim you have to float," Akiran explained, " first lie back and I'll support your back with my hands," She gave him a worried look, "and I won't let go until you're ready to try it in your own."
Rue carefully laid down, Akiran's hands where warm where they rested on her back and neck. The water gently lapped around her, it was actually relaxing. She closed her eyes and just relaxed, not even blinking as Akiran moved his hands away.
"This feels really nice." She sighed.
"The best part is that you're doing it on your own." Akiran laughed.
"What?!" Rue shrieked sinking a little. She came back up spluttering sea water.
"You where doing great. You just need to not freakout like that again." Akiran chuckled.
"Thanks for the tip." Rue said grumpily.
"Come on, tell me you didn't enjoy it?" Akiran prodded.
"Let's just move on to the next part." Rue said simply.
"Ok next is the back stroke." Akiran said demonstrating how to properly spin your arms and kick your feet. Rue copied him and was soon quite good at it. He taught her a few other techniques before taking a break, heading up by the dragons.
Shift and Nightshade had decided to sunbath while their human friends took a swim. Shift had blended into the sand so he could get good and warm (AN: If you've ever been to a beach or sandy area you know how hot the sand can get!) and Nightshade had fallen asleep. Akiran sat back and let the sun soak into his drenched clothes. Rue was practicing her front stroke when the others showed up.
"What's Rue doing?" Snotlout asked as he watched her swimming out towards the deep end.
"Swimming." Akiran answered drowsily, his eyelids sagging closed.
"I can see that, but why so far out there? I thought she couldn't swim?" This comment made Akiran's eyes open slightly.
"She'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" He said with a smirk. Just then an ear splitting roar pierced the air. A Scauldron had lifted its head up out of the deep end and Rue was right on top of it!
"Um…that." Snotlout said sarcastically and pointed to the dragon.
"Quick, Ruff and Tuff, distract it from the air, Fish, from the ground, Astrid, Akiran and Snotlout, you guys and I will try to get Rue down." Hiccup ordered. With no time to lose, everyone mounted their dragons and launched into the air.
The Scauldron swung its head from side to side, trying to get whatever was on it off, bellowing in irritation.
"Help me!" Rue cried, holding onto the dragon for dear life.
"Hey fish breathe!" Ruff hollered.
"Your mother was a troll!" Tuff called. The twins flew circles around the dragons head calling insults, effectively confusing and frustrating it. Fishlegs threw boulders at its shoulders. Snotlout tried to fly low enough to grab Rue's outstretched hand but had to fly back up swiftly to avoid being hit by a spray of scalding water.
"Where, in the name of Thor, did that come from?!" Snot shouted as he regained a safe altitude.
"There!" Astrid shouted as a second Scauldron rose from the depths.
"Astrid, Snot! Distract the other one, Akiran and I'll get Rue." Hiccup said, thinking quickly.
"Be careful!" Astrid called over as she flew over to the second Scauldron. By this time Scauldron one was getting very dizzy from tracking the twins. The Scauldron finally got so dizzy it fell forward onto the beech, sending a giant wave along with it. Rue was hurtled off the dragon's head and onto the soft sand of the beach, though she cracked her head on a rock, knocking her unconscious. The wave knocked Fish from Meatlug's back, washing him up next to the Scauldron. The creature recovered and began to curiously sniff at Fish. Fishlegs looked like he was about to faint, until the Scauldron began gently licking his arm and face. The second Scauldron ignored Astrid and Snotlout and swam up next to its friend. As it got a sniff of Fish, it too began to lick him.
"Hey… hehe… stop that,… haha… that tickles." Fishlegs laughed. Hiccup landed a little ways away from Fish.
"Incredible." He muttered taking out his sketch book and drawing the scene before him. Akiran landed over by Rue, worry flashing in his grey blue eyes. He looked her over for any injuries, but besides a bump on her head she seemed to be ok. She muttered something in her sleep, so softly that he almost didn't catch it.
"Alvin…father." Akiran tilted his head in confusion.
"How's she doing?" Astrid asked, coming up behind him. Shift came up too and gently nuzzled Rue, she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hi." She said with a pained smile.
"Hey, you ok?" Akiran asked gently.
"Yeah, just a killer headache." She said, sitting up and putting her hand to her head, "Where's the dragon?"
"I think Fishlegs tamed them." Astrid said, suppressing a chuckle. Rue turned to see two Scauldrons being lovingly patted on the head by a still drenched Fishlegs.
"I hope Meatlug doesn't get jealous." Rue chuckled.
"Hey guys meet, Coral and Seaweed." Fish called over his shoulder. Ruff and Tuff, seeing that it was safe, finally landed.
"So how was riding a Scauldron?" Tuff asked Rue, who had managed to stand up and join the group along with Astrid and Akiran.
"You know it was actually pretty fun, except for being flung a hundred yards and crashing into a rock." She joked, still holding her head and starting to sway a little.
"You don't look so good." Ruff said noticing how green Rue was turning.
"I'm… not ok." She said as she lost her breakfast.
"Eew." Tuff said taking a step back. Ruff elbowed him in the gut and then went to help Rue, who had started giggling and acting really weird.
"I think that rock knocked her brain loose." Snot said watching from a distance. Astrid found a rock and threw it at Snotlout, hitting him right on his helmet.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed.
"Has Toothless always been pink?" Rue asked, stroking the nightfury's head. Toothless looked at Hiccup and they both shared a sort of shrug.
"Maybe we should get her back home." He said a little uneasy.
"Noooo." Rue whined, "I don't want to go back there. Please don't take me back. It smells bad and everyone is mean and nasty there."
"Back to the village not back to Outcast Island." Astrid clarified.
"Oh, good. If I went back, Alvin would lock me up and I'd never see any of you guys again." She said sadly looking at all of them.
"Let's get you home." Astrid said, supporting Rue with one arm.
"Maybe we should get that bump looked at first. Trader Yohan should be able to help, he's delt with this sorta stuff before," Akiran offered, Astrid was about to protest but he held up his hand, "I'm one of the fastest, Yohan is good with remedies and it looks like you're needed here to take care of Coral and Seaweed."
Astrid nodded her consent and allowed Akiran to scoop up Rue.
"Bye everyone." Rue giggled, then to just Akiran, "ya know, you're stronger than you look."
"Um thanks." He said.
Nightshade flew quickly but smoothly back to Trader Yohan's ship. On the way Rue wouldn't stop chatting.
"I've only been here three days and I've already made so many friends. Back at Outcast Island the only one who was nice to me was my mom and Rocktooth. He never acted that way around Alvin but when he would go away on trips he would always bring me something. I miss him."
"Was Rocktooth a friend of yours?"
"He was my best friend, my big brother best friend."
"Brother?"
"Yep. He made me my dragon whistle, you know. Alvin always said he should stop tinkering around and be more like him."
"Like him?"
"Yeah, Rocktooth is Alvin's heir anyway."
"I thought only blood relations could be heirs?"
"That's right."
"So if Alvin is a blood relation to Rocktooth and Rocktooth is your brother, that would make you…" Akiran couldn't even finish the sentence.
"Alvin the Trecherous's daughter. Yep, but don't worry I'm not like him." She comforted him.
"Um…" Was all Akiran got out before Rue interrupted.
"You know, I've always been scared to tell you that but I'm not scared anymore. In fact I want to tell you something else." She whispered as they landed.
"And what's that?" Akiran asked, wondering what other secrets she had. Lifting her up in his arms she leaned up to his ear and whispered, "I really like you." Akiran stopped midstride.
"Oy, Akiran I was wondering when you'd show up." Yohan said, coming up from below deck, "and I see the ladies here are falling for you already."
"Not quite, she got a bump on the head and now she's acting really weird." Akiran said.
"Well, bring 'er in. I'll see what I can do for her." Yohan said with a pat to Akiran's back. Akiran brought her below deck and laid her down on his cot.
Yohan looked her over, Rue giggling as he did, dug something out of a chest and fed it to her.
"That tastes, really weird." She said before falling asleep.
"What was that?" Akiran asked.
"A bit of a plant that induces sleep, traded from a Berserker for a dragon tooth necklace." Yohan said placing a damp rag over Rue's forehead, "She'll wake up in a while and be back to her normal self. Now how did she get that dragon egg sized bump?"
So Akiran told Yohan about teaching Rue to swim, the Scauldrons, Rue getting flung and hitting her head, and Rue's confession of being Alvin's daughter. He told him everything, except what she had said about really liking him.
"That explains why she looks familiar." Yohan nodded. Having done trades with Alvin in the past he had seen her looking through his ship once or twice. She would never get anything but Alvin's son would and give it to her. She even looked a little like Alvin.
"So what should I do?" Akiran's voice broke into Yohan's thoughts.
"As I see it, you have three options, one tell Stoick and possibly get Rue put in jail, two don't tell Stoick but tell Hiccup so he can tell Stoick and possibly be more merciful on her, or three pretend you didn't hear anything." Yohan said, stroking his beard as he spoke.
"Or convince Rue to tell Stoick, herself." Akiran said, looking over where Rue was. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, and she was so fun when she was awake.
"I can't really believe such a kind, funny, beautiful girl could be Alvin the Treacherous's daughter." He sighed.
"What did you say?" Yohan asked.
"Nothing." Akiran tried to coverup his slip of the tongue, but Yohan could see the color rising in his cheeks.
"Oh boy. This is definitely a doozy. The daughter of the leader of the Outcasts and a roaming Viking." Yohan suppressed a chuckle.
"What of it?" Akiran said with a humph.
"Its just that… you're growing up." Yohan smiled sadly. He had often thought of Akiran as the son he never had.
"Oh." Akiran said simply, although a million emotions ran through him at once. A thump from on deck and someone calling his name caused Yohan to leave for a bit. Akiran sat down on a stool next to Rue.
"Odin help me, I just don't know what to do." He sighed, running his hand through his dark brown hair.
"Do about what?" Rue asked sitting up.
"Rue! You're up. How are you feeling?" Akiran asked, partly to stall and partly out of real concern.
"Much better, I still have a small headache." She said with a shake of her head, "I was really out of it wasn't I?"
"Yeah, let's get back to the others now, ok?" He said.
"Ok." She smiled. Apparently she didn't remember anything she said. Shift appeared as they came up on deck and gently nudged Rue's shoulder.
"Have you tried riding him yet?" Akiran asked.
"Not yet." She said.
"Why not?"
"I'm kinda scared."
"You can do it. Just trust him and yourself." Akiran said as he mounted Nightshade.
"Ok. Lets do this." Rue said with false confidence. She gently hopped on Shift and gripped one of his spikes. Shift excitedly jumped off the boat and into the air. Akiran laughed and urged Nightshade into the sky. Rue seemed to be doing ok, she was actually laughing as they flew. She smiled over at him and he smiled back. They arrived at the cove a little to soon for Akiran's taste.
"Hey you actually rode Shift!" Astrid said happily as they landed.
"Yeah." Rue said breathlessly. She hopped off Shift and gave him a scratch under his chin. Shift replied to this with a purr like growl and a lick on the cheek.
"Nice to see you're back to normal." Fishlegs said, "you wanna meet Coral and Seaweed?"
"Sure." Rue said coming up next to him in front of the two Scauldron. Coral had pink tinges on her chin and Seaweed was a dark green color.
"Nice to meet you." Rue said lifting her hand to Seaweed's nose. He gurgled and allowed her to pet him, Coral did the same. Fishlegs went over to discuss something with Hiccup and Akiran came up next to Rue.
"They aren't so bad when you're not being swung around on their head." Rue said. Standing back to let the others meet the new dragons.
"Yeah, um… Rue, will you meet me down here, tonight before sunset?" He asked shyly.
"Sure." She smiled.
"Great." Akiran smiled.
Rocktooth watched the horizon from the crows nest. Berk was barely visible and there where no signs of them having being spotted yet. Anger coursed through him as he watched a dragon swoop over the island, a Nightfury judging from the shape. Undoubtedly the same Nightfury that Hiccup rode, the one they had used to kidnap Rue.
"Don't worry Rue, I'm coming." He muttered.
"Any lookouts?" Alvin hollered up.
"Nothing sir." Rocktooth hollered back.
"Perfect, we'll reach the far shore by dark, take the corse we sailed last time." Alvin said.
Rocktooth just kept watching Berk.