Disclaimer: All rights remain with DreamWorks, Cressida Cowell, and William Joyce.
A/N: Me: Goðan Nott! This chapter was actually part of chapter 9 but I decided to cut down on the size of transitional chapters. So I rearranged some stuff, added some CAMBRIA flare, and I created this chapter! It took me longer because it wasn't prewritten like the others, but that's never stopped me before! I decided to do this instead of my homework, i'll do that in the morning when I get up.
Loki: *rubs the bump on his head* you clearly need to reprioritize your standards then.
Me: Oh you're one to talk Mr. "I'm going to defeat my brother, and kill my father so I can become king of Asgard"!
Loki: I doubt I sound like that.
Me: that's right, you definitely sound like your Shakespearian or something...
Loki: ...do we really need to have this conversation again.
Me: *nodding.* Clearly. Alright readers, as Loki and I have a conversation about his accent, you guys enjoy the story.
Chapter 10: Pitch
"Tttttttttoooootttttthhhhhhhllllllllleeeeeeeeesssssssss!" echoed a voice through the cove.
Pitch's ears twitched. Now who could possibly find this place?
He raised his head, stirring from his nap and stared at the boy walking towards him. Over Hiccup's left shoulder a basket was slung and tucked under his right arm was a long parcel. A giant grin plastered his face.
"Hey Toothless." He greeted warmly.
Pitch's pupils slit as he got up to meet the boy. "You did not just call me Toothless."
Calm down, Old One. The Gold soothed. I'm sure the boy didn't mean anything by it.
He insulted the Nightmare King's bravery! The Darkness roared angrily. He called him toothless! It was definitely an insult, almost as if he called him spineless!
The boy's name is Hiccup. The Gold pointed out. I'm sure Toothless was not the worst name the boy could come up with.
Pitch just glared.
"I brought breakfast for you," the boy continued setting the basket down. "I h-h-hope you're hungry."
Pitch immediately brightened up.
"Well Hiccup, I suppose you aren't entirely pathetic after all." He crooned eagerly.
Hiccup tipped the woven basket over causing all the contents of fish to pour out over the ground.
"Alright, that's disgusting." He mumbled, but then chirped up, "So we've got some nice Icelandic cod, some Atlantic salmon and a whole smoked eel."
He smiled.
But at the sound of "eel" Pitch reared back, baring his teeth and hissing violently.
"Get that blasted thing away!" He demanded, "It looks like a Black Star Serpent. I despise those creatures—they were one of the many banes to my regiment in the Golden Ages."
Are you still afraid of the Black Star Serpent, little Pitch Black? The Darkness jeered.
"Shut up!" Pitch roared.
Everyone was afraid of those monsters. The Gold whispered.
"No, no, no!" Hiccup shouted, picking up the eel and throwing it into the pond next to them.
Pitch stopped and looked at Hiccup. He just gave a final snort.
"Yeah, I don't really like eel much either." The child agreed.
With caution, the once-was Nightmare King inched his head forward towards the spilled fish. Catching no fresh scent of anymore of foul serpentine fish, he deemed it safe to eat. Hesitantly, he took one in his mouth and swallowed it; finding that it was good he quickly forced it down his throat so he could eat the next one.
"There you go, that's it—don't you mind me, I'll just be right here, minding my own business…" Hiccup muttered, disappearing from his line of sight.
"Do whatever you want boy, I am not your mother; I need not know of what you do... or frankly, I don't really care—so long as you don't kill yourself." Pitch growled lightly, continuing to enjoy his meal.
I cannot believe you are actually eating what the little whelp brought you. The Darkness spat.
Hush. Pitch replied, continuing his meal. Being that I cannot hunt anymore without Avara's mind control, I would've had to learn on my own. And that was being unfruitful and catching me no food. At least now I have a person to bring food; almost like a personal slave.
Is that really what you think of him, Old One? The Gold questioned.
Pitch stopped wolfing his food down to think about the Gold's question. He hid his thoughts from both the Gold and the Darkness.
What do I think of Hiccup? He wondered. I've only known him for the day, and yet…I feel a sort of connection.
The moment ended for him.
Nevermind, he's just a boy—a child. His insides roiled. I dislike children.
There's the Pitch we all Fear. The Darkness butted in, ignoring the fences Pitch put up around his thoughts.
Pitch scoffed. "Few truly Fear me these days. I am old, becoming nothing but a bad dream."
I wonder why, the Darkness questioned sardonically. You give no reason to Fear you, and people do not Fear you. Such a conundrum.
Pitch was about to retort when he felt a sudden clenching on his tail where his end fin was. He knew that feeling—the feeling of his other fin.
It's there again! Pitch's mind exclaimed excitedly.
Without second thought or any true reasoning, he lunged himself into the air.
"Ah! No, no, no!" Hiccup cried out frantically.
"So long Hiccup, good-bye boy!" He bellowed without really considering what the boy meant to him.
But as soon as he reached a certain height, gravity took its toll. For some reason he couldn't control the fin, he couldn't even feel it connected to him in his mind. So he fell back towards the earth.
"No!" Pitch shrieked, trying to find in his mind, the place where he could control both fins, but only feeling the one.
Suddenly with a loud sound of ripping paper, Pitch soared back up, gaining his flight senses again.
"Yes, I did it!" Although I'm not sure how… Pitch howled in triumph spread his wings taut; in doing so he turned left so he could circle around the cove again.
Maybe I can properly say good-bye to Hiccup. He thought. Perhaps even take him with me… He could not forget Hiccup's Fear. He could never forget it—not when his was so similar.
Suddenly a shout shook him from his thoughts.
"Oh yes, I did it!"
The shocked Night Fury looked back to see Hiccup on his tail, holding on the new fin.
Pitch looked down at the pond. I was considering taking you with me, and maybe I still will, but no hitchhikers. Besides, this will get you back for naming me something utterly ridiculous.
With that pleasant thought, he lashed his tail to the side flinging Hiccup into the pond. The boy skipped like a stone over the water before sinking in. But Pitch didn't even get to enjoy the moment, because he too plummeted towards the water. Giving a look at his tail he realized that the fin was a paper color…and completely furled.
"What…?" He didn't get to finish the statement though, because he presently skidded across the water.
When he resurfaced, little Hiccup's head was bobbing above the water with his hands thrown in the air.
"Yeah!" He chirped enthusiastically.
Pitch glared at him before, turning around to swim towards the shore.
I can't believe… I don't know what he did to my new fin or my flight, but he ruined it. Absolutely soiled—
Old One, have you not observed the fin more closely? The Gold questioned.
Curious by his nicer side, once he reached the shore, he swished his tail in front of him so he could look at the fins. The one that he thought had grown back was indeed made out of a sort of papery material. What he had thought to be bones, were iron rods connected to a leather that was wrapped around his tail.
It was man made.
"Toothless!" a young voice shouted.
The nightmare dragon turned around to see a grinning boy—who was sopping wet—come towards him from out of the water.
"Hiccup, did you—?"
"It worked, bud! It actually worked!" Hiccup chattered, shaking his wet hair.
"You built that tail for me?" Pitch questioned again.
"Of course we'll have to fix the bugs in the design," Hiccup babbled, walking towards Pitch's tail. "And not only that, but I'll have to see if I can find a lighter material or more connecting rods so that the fin can stay open for sustained flight—"
"Do you think you can honestly get me to fly again?" Pitch scoffed, but holding still so the boy could take the faulty tail off. His wet hands brushed against Pitch's tail scales, making him feel warm.
"But I know with a few tweaks I can get you back up into the sky again in no time!" He cheeped happily, furling the tail together and wrapping the leather strap around the paper material.
Pitch stared incredulous at the boy.
Can you believe the whelp? The Darkness laughed bitterly. He actually believes he can get a downed dragon to fly again.
He did get the Old One into the air for a while. The Gold sang out.
Bah! But he could never actually achieve anything better. The Darkness countered. He's nothing but an ignorant, stupid child.
Hiccup finished taking the tail off of Pitch's tail; he set it down on the ground and held the long black thing in his arms, staring at the real fin intently.
"It seems as though I might have to make a few minor adjustments to the current connecting rods as well…" He mumbled to himself. "But considering that I used just what I had seen from yesterday night and a drawing that I made, I say that I did really well—considering that the size is almost right."
Pitch could only keep looking at the boy; why was he doing this?
With a shrug, Hiccup carefully placed the tail on the ground and picked up the prosthetic fin. Shaking his soaking wet hair again, he sprinkled Pitch with a shower of little droplets.
Pitch snapped out of his thoughts growling. "Don't do that, boy!"
Hiccup gave a clearly pleased chuckle. "Hey, you were the one that tossed me into the pond! You got what you deserved."
"I don't take hitchhikers!" Pitch snarled, but it was almost playful.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, shivered, but still kept his great big smile. "I best be going then, Gobber's probably going to wonder where I went."
Pitch yawned in return. Inhaling deeply, he sprayed a small stream of fire onto the ground where he was standing; he pressed down on them thoroughly to make coals. Satisfied with the temperature in result, he curled down on them. The warm embers fitted to his body and seeped there warmth into this cold and wet skin and scales.
"Then go. I don't want you getting in trouble and having those stomping, bumbling adults coming down here to find me."
"Get a good night's rest bud, I'll be back tomorrow." Hiccup said spinning around and beginning to leave the cove.
Pitch laid his head down on his claws and closed his eyes.
There was a quick swish of gravel and dirt and suddenly footsteps approached him. Pitch reopened his eyes to see Hiccup in front of him. The boy placed his warm, but wet, palm on Pitch's snout just for a second.
"Bye Toothless." And then he left.
Pitch was stuck in the cove by himself again, and alone. But he didn't feel very lonely. In fact, he even smiled—even if it was a very small grin.
"Goodnight Hiccup."
A/N: Me: Aw, wasn't that cute...sort of?
Loki: CAMBRIA, stop trying to make conversations of any sort.
Me: Okay, okay... *sigh*
Loki: I would like to personally thank, for both CAMBRIA and I: Vi-Violence, Kit-Usa, Sapphire Roz, sauara, Rochana, Zehava, uknowhothisis, and Demonicsis for reviewing on the last chapter. It meant a good deal to the both of us.
Me: oh yeah, Rochana, don't worry if English isn't your first language; just tell me what your first language is and go ahead and leave a review in that language, i'm pretty sure I can figure it out! Also I want to have my college degree in foreign languages so any of you guys, throw me all the languages you know (be sure to tell me what they are) I want to know as many as I can. My favorite will always be Icelandic though:)
Loki: *rolls eyes* anyways, I believe that is all we have for you.
Me: Yup, see you guys next update!
Loki: Until we meet again, fair readers.
Me: Takk fyrir!