Um… hey guys! Long time no see, eh? *laughs nervously* It's only been… what… 4 months?
PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I'M SO SORRY… I've had really bad writer's block, plus the stress of recently starting high school. (#freshmankat) I never planned to completely abandon this story, just take a break (although I didn't plan to make the break this long.)
Once again I'm super sorry, but at least I didn't completely abandon WLGL! I'm also happy to announce that I'll be returning to fanfiction! *halfhearted cheering*
Anyways, here's the LONG awaited chapter 10. This chapter is relatively short, but I wanted to get it out as soon as possible (4 months..?) I promise next chapter won't take as long for me to type up… (that is, if you guys are still reading this crappy story.)
Astrid's hand shook. The words of the other riders echoed around her ears. She ran her thumb over the marks carefully etched into the wood of the pencil. It was obvious. This was Hiccup's pencil, no doubt about it. He's the only person she knows of who would take the time to mark their name into a pencil, let alone keep on his person all the time.
"Astrid!" Stoick shouted. "What is it?" Astrid's head snapped up, her breath hitching in her throat.
"It's Hiccup. They've been here." She held up the pencil for everyone to see. Stoick gasped, but everyone else just seemed puzzled.
Tuffnut looked thoughtfully at the pencil. "What's a piece of wood got to do with Hiccup?" He thought for a second, then gasped. "Oh my gods, Hiccup's been turned into a pencil! Don't worry H, we'll get you out of there!" Tuff continued his babbling, while the other riders just ignored him.
Stoick held out his hand expectantly. "Let me see that, Astrid." Said shieldmaiden reluctantly handed over the pencil. Stoick examined the pencil, then cradled it against himself. "Oh, Hiccup…"
"But why would Hiccup's pencil be all the way out here?" Fishlegs mused.
"Duh, he obviously left it for us as a clue. Don't you know anything, fish face?" Snotlout said impatiently.
Fishlegs opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "You've got a point."
Astrid finally found her voice. "But that doesn't explain why we haven't been able to track the scent! What if he's-" she cut herself off, not wanting to think about it.
"It doesn't matter." Stoick said quickly. "What matters is that my son has been here. We need to find him." Toothless barked his agreement. Stoick held the pencil down to Skullcrusher. "Is there any scent left on this, boy?" The Rumblehorn sniffed the pencil, pupils contracting. He gave a roar, and Stoick's face set in determination. "He's got a scent! Let's go!"
Astrid grinned widely, heart soaring with hope. If there was still a scent, then the pencil would've been put in the water recently. Astrid hoped the pencil was left as a clue, and tried not to think of the other option- the one where Hiccup wasn't okay. She directed Stormfly to follow the rest of the riders, who followed the bellowing Rumblehorn.
The masked man stood at the edge of the small boat, the breeze slightly ruffling his hood. He could see the dragon hunter's base looming up ahead. He grinned to himself, chuckling slightly. Only a little more time, and he'd be practically rich. All he had to do was deliver the Haddock boy to Viggo, which was proving to be easy as pie. He hadn't run into any disruptions at all, which surprised him. He expected those pesky dragon riders to have been all over him by now, or at least the little blonde girl. It wasn't hard to see that she had feelings for the boy, and vice versa. No matter, less trouble for him, he supposed.
The boat bumped into one of the many docks, and the masked man stepped onto the wooden platform. Viggo's men scrambled about, hauling things from crates to dragons to and fro. "So we meet again." A deep voice rumbled on his right. The man turned slightly, not surprised to see the hulking form of Ryker. "You got him?"
The masked man nodded stiffly. "I wouldn't be here if I hadn't," he answered shortly. He was still angry at the hunter for cheating him a couple months prior, though as Viggo says, it's "business."
Ryker nodded approvingly. He produced a sack, throwing it to the masked man's feet. "Viggo was adamant that you receive the gold this time." The man smirked and picked up the sack, looking inside. He was pleased to see that it was filled nearly to the brim with the promised gold.
"He's yours." The masked man stepped aside. "He's just below deck. Although you should probably know, he's blind." Ryker raised a brow. "It wasn't me, though I wish it was." He smirked as Ryker chuckled under his breath.
The hunter nodded to the two men standing obediently behind him. The masked man watched the trio head towards his ship with a cruel smile on his face.
Hiccup swore he almost had a heart attack when he heard the telltale thump of the boat hitting the dock. He sincerely hoped he was mistaken, but he clearly heard the masked man step off. Hiccup strained his ears and closed his eyes- as if that made any difference. He vaguely heard voices. He guessed the masked man was talking to someone… Were they at the dragon hunter's base? Hiccup barely suppressed a shiver, hoping dearly for the opposite.
"Viggo was adamant that you receive the gold this time." A familiar voice rumbled. Hiccup's eyes shot open, his heart pounding. That voice wasn't associated with good things. Hiccup desperately tried to steady his heart, but his treacherous mind betrayed him. It played very unpleasant memories- ones that he'd love to forget, and hopefully not repeat. Hiccup knew he needed to do something- and fast.
Bracing himself against the wall, he shakily got to his feet. Once again making a sad attempt at shaking the haddock guts out of his hair, he held his hands out in front of him, feeling for the ladder he knew was in the corner. He had no idea what he'd do once he found the ladder, not to mention if he was even able to get all the way up it without being noticed or heard. He figured his best bet was to jump into the ocean. At least then he'd have a decent chance at escaping or training a sea dragon, though he'd never been the strongest swimmer. He figured drowning would be better than the other option.
Hiccup grinned to himself when he felt the brush of wood against his outstretched fingers. He curled his hand around it, making sure it was a ladder. It definitely felt like a ladder, though he could never be completely sure since he couldn't see. Hiccup carefully lifted his prosthetic, finding the bottom rung of the ladder. Taking a deep breath, he made his way up to the deck of the ship.
As soon as he felt the ladder end, he stopped and listened. It sounded like Ryker and the masked man were still talking. Hiccup pulled himself the rest of the way onto the deck of the ship, then crept forwards. He wasn't sure where the side of the ship was, but figured if he kept walking he'd find it eventually. The problem was not being seen by-
"Stop him!" Hiccup jumped at Ryker's angry shout. Guess sneaking away is out. He started running in the opposite direction of the hunter's pounding footsteps, hoping to reach the edge of the boat before they reached him.
Hiccup's knees hit the wood of the rim of the ship. He clambered over it and leapt, preparing himself to be enveloped by the icy waves- only have his arm nearly wrenched from its socket by Ryker. "Where do you think you're going?" The hunter's voice growled.
Even dangling over the edge of a boat with his arm in his enemy's iron grip, Hiccup still couldn't stop his mouth from blabbing. "Oh, you know, I just felt like taking a swim. The water is very nice this time of year!" Ryker chuckled darkly and pulled him up roughly, throwing him on the deck of the ship. As his head collided painfully with the wooden deck of the ship, Hiccup felt a weird sense of deja-vu. Before, Ryker caught him from falling off a cliff. This time, he stopped him from escaping in nearly the same way.
"There will be no swimming for you today, Haddock. Viggo wants a word with you- and pretty badly too." Hiccup scrambled away from the sound of Ryker's advancing footsteps, head pounding from its previous encounter with the deck. Two sets of hands grabbed his arms, hauling him to his feet. The hunters tightly tied his hands behind his back- again. Hiccup angrily tugged at them, having only just escaped the previous ropes.
"I'm flattered, but I'd really rather not. Can't he wait? I have some beauty sleep to catch up on-" A brutal punch in the gut abruptly stopped his ranting. Hiccup attempted to double over, but couldn't due to the two burly hunters grasping his biceps.
"I'm in no mood for your sass, boy. Unless if you want another one, I suggest you keep that trap of yours shut." Ryker growled. Hiccup was too busy trying to breathe to reply. Ryker roughly grabbed Hiccup by the chin, forcing him to blink up at him. He attempted to glare at the hunter, though he wasn't sure if he was looking at the right thing or not. The hunter's hot, smelly breath washed over his face. "So the masked man was right. You are blind." Hiccup rather felt than saw Ryker's evil grin.
"So what if I am?" Hiccup finally found his voice, though it sounded slightly wheezy. His gut throbbed, protesting against breathing. "I can still do this." Hiccup kicked out with his prosthetic, the metal foot connecting with Ryker's knee, bouncing off with a loud pop. Hiccup felt a swell of pride, listening to Ryker's pained shout. He assumed he either sprained or dislocated the hunter's knee.
"You little-" Ryker clambered back to his feet, his fist colliding brutally with the side of Hiccup's head. Instantly everything went fuzzy, his hearing fading in and out. Hiccup felt the hunters pull on his arms, dragging him off the ship. His eyes slid closed, and consciousness slipped from his grasp.
I… er… *coughs* Next chapter should be up in a week or so!