Hello peoples! It's Chocobo Scrine agian! while I'm taking a little break from my homework I'll post this chappie! What will happen? What is the Something Insane? What is the Thor's DayThursday festival like?

Enough!

Starndard Disclaimers apply, R&R or Toothless will GRRRR!

L

I

A

M

Chapter Nine: Something Insane

I really couldn't describe the rest of the festival. It all went by in a kind of blur of barbeque and several Terrors begging for handouts. I swear those little guys are like a cross between Yorkshire Terriers and piranhas. I remember Toothless was always nearby like a second shadow. I tried to tell him the worst that could happen was me eating something too spicy-but Erika said I was just wasting my breath.

"Once Toothless decides to protect someone, there's no stopping him." She had said gorging on a turkey wing, "Even though it can be as annoying as hell with him breathing down your neck…"

Toothless snorted, "HEY!"

"I think you ticked him off." I said trying not to laugh. Toothless was getting into a bit of a holiday mood, which made Erika very happy. At one point I even saw him playing with some of the little kids enthusiastically, he even let them clamber all over him all dignity gone to the wind. Well, Night Furies were famous for their playful nature.

But he said he would tell us why he had been so depressed for so long. However he was going to wait until after the Thor's Day Thursday Festival, he didn't want to go ruining the mood of one of the few good times anyone could enjoy. I agreed wholeheartedly.

I've never played any carnival games before, but I found out pretty quick I was pretty good at the shooting range-though I had no idea what I was going to do with the giant Night Fury plushie I won. I tried the dunking booth-and nearly killed the Sergeant, Geof.

The Dragon Race was really amazing, definitely something to write home about. Arthur won. And I still can figure this out but I keep feeling really annoyed around him-especially when Erika starts praising him and gets all giggly over him-and Arthur's starting to like her back…He even asked her out to see a movie…

If she has a crush on Arthur why did she hug me earlier? When she had hugged me…I thought I was going to pass out…

Maybe if I did something cooler than Arthur…She's notice me…

Maybe making breakfast would be a good start.

I woke up extra early on the day after the Thor's Day Thursday Festival and started flipping through the cook book for any good recipes. Finally I found something that sounded good, Feta Fritata. As I was getting some eegs out of the fridge Ethan came down stairs looking a little sleepy.

"It's my turn to cook." He said, 'Besides, shouldn't you still be resting?" He stood at the counter with me as I was beating the eegs.

"I'm fine." I said, "Besides, this is for Erika."

"Um…"Ethan said, "You might want to use cheddar, bacon, and green onions. Erika hates feta cheese."

"Oh…" my face fell I liked feta cheese; but it was a good thing I didn't put the feta cheese in…I really didn't want to give Erika something she'd hate. After ten minutes of arguing Ethan and I agreed on making breakfast together. But he said not to let him catch me in the kitchen cooking the rest of the day.

"I'm making my special recipe for fish and chips tonight!" He said.

I took the hint and after breakfast went out into the pastures to hang out with the little Night Furies, as soon as they saw me the squealed with delight and came scampering over to me. Most of them were too young to fly. Toothless watched me from his section with a very pretty female Night Fury, Aria his mate along with a few tiny three month old hatchlings who were squealing as they collided with each other. One of them was curled up in my lap snoozing peacefully as I gently petted her scaly hide being careful not to wake her.

"How long have you been able to understand us?" Toothless asked.

"I was just born this way." I said fiddling with the hatchling's floppy ears, "it was one of the reasons why I kept getting beaten up and called "freak" by the bullies in Manhattan."

Toothless let out a low pained moan as if remembering something from long ago.

"When are you gonna tell us?" I asked, "You know…about-?"

Toothless just looked at me sadly, "I will tell you, but not right now, I want to wait until Erika and Ethan and their friends get back from training." He said, "And…speaking of training…you should start looking for a Dragon here, I'm sure Coal will like you."

I just went with the change of subject.

Coal, one of Toothless' and Aria's hatchling had to be the most hyperactive and over affectionate Night Fury I had ever encountered. He must have been a black lab in a past life. He was constantly bouncing up and down and half the time I was with him I spent on my back with him almost smushing me and nearly drowned me in Dragon slobber.

"Come on! Let's play Liam! Let's play!" Coal kept saying over and over and over. I had to restrain myself from giving him a good kick. Toothless seeing I was getting close to completely losing it forcefully shoved his hatchling away from me.

"Coal! How many times do I and your mother have to go through this!" Toothless snapped, "NO Squashing people! You could crush someone! You're a lot more powerful than you think!"

I couldn't help but snigger. Coal saw and stuck his thick slightly forked tongue at me. I returned the gesture.

I spent the rest of the day trying to find a possible Night Fury to bond with but, no luck. Toothless was out of the question. If his Rider had been killed like Erika thought, he wasn't going to bond with another one even after a thousand years.

But if that was what happened…how was Toothless still alive? Most bonded Dragons died when their Rider did, with the exception of old age. And in the worst case scenario, if a Dragon's Rider is killed, there's a very solid pattern of their Dragon going mad from grief and tearing the schmuck who killed their Rider to shreds then either killing themselves or rampaging around trying to provoke anyone and anything they encounter into killing them.

Erika, Etha, Sean, Greg, Jean, and…Arthur…(I still can't figure out why I feel so annoyed with him around…) got back from training mid afternoon, but things got pushed back a bit because of Erika's date with Arthur. We were already done with dinner by the time they got back. I was pretty much fuming by then. I had been expecting that they went to go see some romantic flick-but Erika hates those. They went to a double feature of some old Miyazaki movies. Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle.

"…If you don't have a strong stomach, keep a plastic bag handy if you watch Princess Mononoke." Erika said, "That scenes with the melting flesh and Demon Wormies? Yuck!" she stuck her tongue out comically and finished off her soda.

"Are you done?" I asked slightly irritably, "Remember what we're all here for?" For a full horrifying thirty seconds Erika just looked at me comfusesd, then she remembered.

"Oh! Toothless!" she said, "Thanks for reminding me Liam!" She was the first at the door to the pastures, "Come on what are you guys all waiting for?"

Soon we were all sitting around Toothless. He was ready.

"You'd better have a good reason for keeping this bottled up for so long Toothless!" Erika said, "Don't you know how unhealthy that is! It makes your hai-errrr…..scales fall off!"

Toothless just took a breath, "Liam, be ready to translate I…I don't want to describe it more than once…"

And he told us.

By the time I was done translating (and after getting over the initial shock that Toothless' Rider had been the First Rider and the snorts of hearing of a Viking Tribe called the "Numbnuts"), I could barely speak. Ethan was in tears. Greg and Jean both looked like they were about to be sick. Arthur wasn't letting anyone see his face. Sean was sick. Erika, looked both upset and angry.

"Why did you keep this bottled up!" Erika demanded, "And for eleven hundred years!"

"How is it you're still alive?" Arthur asked, "I thought that most Bonded Dragons died shortly after their Rider did?"

"He's…asking…how? Not Why?" Toothless asked. I nodded then turned to Artuhur.

"He was asking if you were asking "how" and not "Why'?" I said, "Toothless…how…how did you survive that?"

"I…I was made immortal. So I would fight in the Ragnorak." Toothless said.

"Ragnorak?" I asked, "But…didn't that just happen forty years ago?"

Toothless snorted slightly indignant, "No! The one that will take place at the end of the world!"

"Oh….the one when Mimir's head gets chatty." Erika said, "Dad read Ethan and I Norse legends for bedtime stories." she said at the look I gave her.

"Lemme get this straight…you were made immortal…" I said.

"By Odin and Father Thor…" Toothless said.

"Okay, made immortal by the gods of Asgard so you'd be able to fight in the Ragnorak when it's the end of the world."

Stunned silence.

"Immortal?" Erika said, "Is…is that even possible?"

"After 2012, that question lost all meaning." Ethan said, "Especially now. Now, we've got monsters and zombies and magic and everything else that sixty years ago, was thought to be only found in RPGs."

He was right. Reality was a fragile thing these days. People would believe just about anything nowadays.

There wasn't much we could do at the immediate moment-well Erika gave Toothless a bit of a yelling at-so we all just went home to mull things over. I was up almost all night. I couldn't sleep after the grisly description of how Hiccup, Toothless' Rider, had been killed.

The bond between Dragon and Rider…I've always heard it as being one of the most powerful natural forces in the world…I thought looking up at the ceiling which was now adorned with glow in the dark stickers given to me by Mrs. Haroldson. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Toothless to have lost his Rider. But a few Riders who survived the death of their Dragon said it felt like a part of themselves had died.

I yawned. I had to get some sleep. My first day of training was tomorrow. I would have to put these thoughts aside for now. Maybe during training, I could figure something out to get Erika to notice me even with Arthur around…I yawned and rolled over pulling the sheets closer around me and dropped off to sleep.

We all woke up early the next day. Mrs. Haroldson and Mr. Bill made omelets for breakfast. They were delicious!

"Where do you get mini hams?" I asked picking up a piece with my fork.

"That's bacon." Erika said, "This kind is a little healthier than the kind Americans usually eat."

Oh that's right, this was Canadian Bacon! One guy I knew in Manhattan ate it with cheese and barbeque sauce in a sandwich. We all finished our breakfast and soon Erika, Ethan, and I were on our way to the training ring with Jet and Zephyr. I felt a little out of place. I was the only cadet without a Dragon. I think…

The training center was a large domed building with a large cement lined pit in the back where several more cadets and their Dragons were training. In a section off to the side there were some without Dragons.

"Don't feel too left out." I heard Arthur said, "I was training for over a year before Lenneth accepted me as her Rider."

I turned to face him, "It took that long?" I asked, "How exactly does this Rider and Dragon bonding thing work anyway?"

Arthur tilted his head to the side thinking, "Well…Dragons choose their Rider, not the other way around so it can take up to five years for a Dragon to choose their Rider. They're pretty picky-hey!" His Nadder, Lenneth had nipped at him playfully.

"Lenneth! I meant Dragons know what they're looking for." Lenneth made a happy crooning noise, "So, don't worry about it. You're a Night Fury Whisperer so at least you've got it narrowed down. There's bound to be a Night Fury who'll like you. And this is just me…but I'm kinda hoping you bond with Toothless…:

"Toothless?" I asked totally taken by surprise, "But he said he won't accept another Rider, not after what happened to Hiccup."

And speaking of Hiccup, who on earth would name their kid "Hiccup"? I think this just proves that Vikings just liked the letter "H" and they were running out of "H" names. Arthur looked over at the training ring.

"Well…there's really nothing much we can do…" he said.

He was right. It was out of our hands.

"Awricht Cadets!" Chief Geof said galumphing over and clapping his hands, "We're doing target practice today, Greg, Jean, get the Skeet shooter and NO hitting anyone or it's a 'undred laps fer ye!"

Greg and Jean dashed off to get the Skeet shooter while the rest of us headed for the locker rooms. After stowing my stuff in a locker I went over to the weapons rack. It was lined with all sorts of guns. Caliber Max's, 45-67 Snipers, Wyvern shots, everything to keep a pyromaniac happy. I galced over at Arthur who picked a 45-67 Sniper. It was about medium sized, lightweight, the kind they use at summer camp for riffle class.

I took the Caliber Max. It was heavy. A lot heavier than it looked on T.V.

"Urrrwaaaauuuggghhhhhh!" I staggered backward nearly crashing into Sean.

"WAH! Liam! Watch it!" Ethan yelped.

"Isn't that too heavy for you?" Sean said grabbing me shoulders to steady me.

"N-No…" I said hoisting the Caliber Max onto my shoulder. It hurt! It was resting right on my most recent burn scar. As long as the gun didn't jerk around too much it wouldn't open it up again. My upper body strength wasn't much, but I was fairly strong and I can give a few good punches.

"Liam…"Sean asked suspiciously, "Are you…jealous?"

My whole face went beat red, "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about." I snapped heading out the door to the ring. As I did, I overheard what Ethan was saying to Sean.

"He's sweet on Erika…" he whispered. Was this thing loaded?

After Chief gave me a brief demo on how to operate the Caliber Max, all the Cadets divvied up into groups and started taking shots at Skeet. The air was filled with the sounds of gunshots and yells of "PULL!". My aim was horrible at first but after an hour I was able to hit a quarter of the Skeet, and by then my shoulder was hurting. I just sucked it up.

After target practice, the Cadets who had Dragons were doing some warm up flights. I and the ones without Dragons were learning how to use magic crystals. I finally found something I was a complete natural at. My only hitch was that I was a little over enthusiastic with my magic and nearly turned the training ring into a swimming pool. Water was the element I was the most in tune with so anything I did with water I'd be able to do with ease.

"Jus stay calm an' ye'll 'ave no problem." Geof said, "Emotion is the base line for how strong your magic will be."

It was almost mid-afternoon when training was over. We all were putting the weapons and training gear away when it happened. Just as I lifted a large and heavy box of skeet my shoulder hurt! The burn scar had opened up!

"AAAAAAAAAAHH!" I dropped the box, and falling to my knees clutched at my shoulder. Seconds later, Erika, Ethan, and everyone else were all crowded around me.

"Liam what's wrong!" Erika said sounding worried, "What happened to your shoulder?"

"I-it's nothing…" I said through gritted teeth.

"Liam…You'd better get your shoulder looked at." Ethan said. The next thing I knew both Ethan and Erika were leading me back to the ranch. Soon I was in my room sitting on my bed feeling totally embarrassed. I couldn't believe this happened on my first day of training…

Erika came in with a first aid kit and sat down on the bed next to me.

"Liam." She said, 'Take off your shirt."

I jolted and turned bright red.

"Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh!" I stammered.

"Oh don't get so excited." Erika said rolling her eyes, "I'm just going to do first aid."

I hesitated then I pulled my shirt off over my head.

"Liam…" Erika gasped, "What…?" she was completely speechless. My entire torso and upper arms were covered in scars, burn scars, and shadows of old bruises. And on my hands were markings from when my mother put my hands on the stove.

"Liam…why didn't you say anything?" Erika said, "Were these ever treated?" I shook my head. Erika sighed and opened the first aid kit and pulled out some cotton balls and antiseptic. It stung a little as she started to clean up my injuries. I felt more ashamed that she had to see me like this...

"Who did this to you?" she asked. There was no beating around the bush…

"…My…My mother…" I said. Erika gasped

"Your mother did this to you? No wonder you left New York…" She said, "It really is good you came here. Don't worry if she comes, I won't let her get you." She continued to dab at my injuries, "Let me know if it hurts at all."

"It doesn't." I said and in response she pressed down hard and it REALLY hurt!

"OW!" I shouted.

"Don't bottle things like that up!" Erika said, "Or I'll get very sadistic. We're here to help you Liam." She continued to clean me up and after several slightly uncomfortable minutes she was done putting the band-aids on me. I pulled my shirt back on with some relief.

"Thanks…" I said. Erika gently slugged me on the arm.

"That was for keeping that to yourself." She said. She closed the first aid kit.

"Erika…" I said, "I…You…you were the first one to ever show me any kindness…" I said.

"Don't mention it." Erika said a little sheepishly flapping her hand feebly. On impulse I grasped her hand.

"Thank you so much…" I said. Without realizing it our faces were getting closer and closer. Erika noticed first and jumped off the bed blushing furiously.

"I-I'd better let you get some rest." She said, "Just come down whenever…" she hurriedly left the room closing the door behind her. I sat on my bed in shock and feeling a little guilty…I had almost kissed Erika! But she and Arthur had a thing going. It wouldn't be right. But I didn't want to be with anyone else but Erika.

I took off my boots and taking Erika's advice, lay down to rest for a while.

I guess I know what Toothless is feeling…I thought absentmindedly, Dad just died last week…It's like there's a huge hole in my chest…Tears pricked my eyes at those thoughts. Even though I barely remembered Dad, we had been very close. Mom included before my fifth birthday…the day after that she…changed. Some fallout heavy wind had blown into Vancouver and she had been out at the farmer's market…that was it…

I yawned feeling drowsy. Blinking I tried to stay awake.

No…there was no way I could imagine what Toothless was feeling. There was close to nothing anyone alive could do.

Nothing anyone… "alive" can do?

I sat bolt upright. It was like someone had turned on a light bulb over my head. Maybe no one here could help Toothless but…what about his Rider? What if…This was going to be really going out on a limb but I had to try something. I leapt off and left my room and ran downstairs.

"Hey Erika? IS there a computer I can use?" I asked once I found her.

"Yeah," she said, "You want to use it?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said, "Just…to surf the net, YouTube videos, that kind of stuff." I improvised. She motioned to follow her. We went into her grandpa's study, she said the wireless connection was best there.

"And if you go looking at books be sure you put them back where you found them." She said after setting the computer up, "Have fun.' She said with a parting smile.

I sat down and brought up Google.

"Okay…ghosts ghosts…" I muttered and typed in "Communicating with ghosts". While I was waiting for the fifty million results to load I looked at the bookshelves. There were books on almost every subject from history to (yuck) chemistry. Apparently Mr. Bill must have been a bit of a mad scientist judging from all the mechanics books and the messy chemists set. There was even a work bench with some half finished gizmos.

I turned back to the screen and started narrowing down my results. All I ended up with some stuff that required a psychic medium and I was pretty sure I wasn't psychic. I got up to stretch my legs and peruse the books. I flipped through an anatomy book on Dragons and was about to put it back when my sleeve caught on something and while I tried to free myself the shelf swung inwards, like a door.

"I thought this only happened in movies…" I muttered chuckling to myself and walking in to make sure I didn't make anything fall. All that was in the compartment was a table and a black book. Curious I picked it up and flipped through it. It was full of all sorts of weird circles and symbols-it was some kind of magic book-almost sixty years old. I flipped to the preamble to try and figure out what it was for.

I almost dropped it when I finished.

It was a book on Necromancy.

Ideas started rushing through my head at top speed. And when I was done sorting them out one idea, one insane idea stood out. I was holding the answer t helping Toothless in my hands. If I did this right…I could bring Hiccup back. Resolved to what I was about to do I tucked to book under my arm and left the compartment closing the shelf door behind me and after shutting the computer off left the study and instead of going back to my room I went right for the pastures and made a beeline for Toothless as soon as I saw him.

"Toothless…" I said. He turned to face me.

"What is it?" he asked then he froze, "Liam…what are you thinking?" He was on to me…I think…

"Everything's gonna be alright I said, "Just hold on for a few days and everything will be alright."

Toothless leapt to his feet looking extremely worried. Did someone say this to Toothless before? And were they also planning on trying to bring Hiccup back to life?

"Liam. Tell me. What are you planning to do?" he sounded worried.

"I can't tell you." I said shaking my head, "But it'll work out I know it will." I turned to go but Toothless swung his tail around blocking my progress.

"Liam, tell me NOW!" he said.

Now what was I going to do? I couldn't let Toothless see the Necromancy book.

"Liam? What's that book you've got?" Erika asked.

"Um….Just a ghost story book." I lied.

"Did you get that from Grandpa's study?" Erika asked accusingly trying to reach for the book, "Just give it to me and I'll put it back and I won't say a word." I tried to cover it up, which was made difficult because Toothless was trying to get a look too and had now wrapped his tail around my middle to prevent me from running off.

"Just-let-me-take-tha-…." Erika's jaw dropped ans her words trailed off as she finally caught a glimpse of what book I held.

"Liam…How did you get that?" she asked. I finally managed to wriggle free from Toothless and stumbled backwards away from both him and Erika.

"I just found it." I said.

"Liam…" Erika said, "That's a Necromancy book!"

"I know." I said, "I need it right now."

"But Liam…" Erika said blanching and taking a step towards me, "That's the book that caused WWIII!"

"Then that guy did it wrong!" I said, "I won't I'm bringing Hiccup back! He's the only one who can help Toothless."

Toothless lunged right at me snatching the book right out of my hands and before I could even react, he threw it down to the grass ten feet away and with a burst of plasma…incinerated it.

I was speechless.

"Toothless!" I wailed, "Why did you-? How-?" I groaned and held my head in my hands, "Oh great...there goes your last chance of ever seeing your Rider again…"

"I won't have you turn into a Shade Liam!" Toothless growled, "That's what happened to the last person who used this book! I won't let that happen again!"

"But you said that your Rider-." I began.

"YOU are my Rider now Liam!" Toothless said.

"What!" I bleated. I could have sworn I heard him wrong!

"What did he say?" Erika asked look from Toothless t me and back again.

"He…He…Said…I'm his Rider now…" I said not entirely believing it myself. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from Erika, but I wasn't expecting a near bone crushing hug!

"Accept! Accept!" She said jumping up and down while she was hugging me, "I'll get you a saddle!" She released me and I gasped in relief, she had been cutting off my air supply! I turned to Toothless. I took a deep breath.

"I thought you wouldn't accept a new Rider.'" I said.

Toothless smiled slightly the look in his eyes saying quite plainly: "So did I."

"Will you accept?" Toothless asked.

"I will." I said.

How many of you actually thoguht I was going to have Liam use Necromancy to try and bring Hiccup back to life? *counts hands* well...I didn't!

This chapter had a lot of stuff happening,. Toothless starting to go back to his old self a little, him finally opening up, the gang finding out about Liam;s past, and Liam gettging the incentive to do something insane and Toothless accepting Liam as his Rider.

Well...time to get back to my homework!

stay tuned for chapter ten: Liam speaks a dead language.

Chocobo Scribe signing off!