Hiccuped stared into the setting sun, a dozen large ships drawing closer to the harbors of Berk. The young Night Fury blinked a few times, unable to comprehend the approaching armada.
"How could he have returned so quickly?" Hiccup whispered out frantically.
Toothless scanned the area surrounding the two, villagers scrambling about, raising defenses and stockpiling weapons. Commands were being yelled out as men quickly and efficiently carried them out. The war bell still chimed loudly throughout the village, echoing into the distance.
"Damnit, he's always one step ahead of us!" yelled a frustrated Hiccup, "He had his armada docked on a nearby island!" The young Night Fury jumped down from the roof and onto the streets below. He landed swiftly and sprinted into the direction of his father's commanding voice booming out. It took a few moments for Toothless to realize Hiccup had left and saw his lover's tail disappear around a corner. The Night Fury jumped down from his position and chased after Hiccup, trying his best to figure out where he had went.
"Dad! Dad!" Hiccup yelled as he ran to his father issuing out orders to men, Gobber by his side, "What do we do? I didn't expect him to have fully mobilized armada with him!" Hiccup's voice was frantic and irratic, not the usual calm and collected child Stoick had come to know. Stoick raised a hand, requesting that his son be silent.
"Son, I need you to remain calm. I need you and Toothless to defend the upper village where villagers are being evacuated too. If all else fails, you are the final front. I'll be back...probably," His father calmy said, looking deeply into his sons eyes. Hiccup felt a pit form in his stomach. Never before had he seen this look in his father's eyes. The young Night Fury only saw that look once before...when he held a knife to the trapped Toothless, as the Night Fury waited for death to come. Surely Dagur couldn't be more of an advirsary than the Red Death.
Hiccup reluctantly nodded his head. Stoick breathed a deep breath and stood, staring off into the reddening sea, the armada nearly upon Berk. With a sharp defiant glint in his dad's eyes, Hiccup watched as his father ran towards the front lines with Gobber in hot pursuit.
"And I'll be here...maybe," Hiccup whispered to himself.
"Hiccup!" yelled a smooth male voice from behind the young Night Fury. Hiccup turned to see Toothless in the distance, running towards him. Hiccup felt a small smile form on his face and took a few steps towards his love.
SSTHMP
Hiccup stopped in his track. An arrow had landed in the road between Hiccup and Toothless. The two stared at the arrow and at each other, both feeling pits form in their stomachs. The sky darkened suddenly as the pair looked to the sky. A massive barage of arrows littered the skies over Berk.
"Toothless! Destory the arrows!" Hiccup yelled subconsiously. Toothless stared into the sky, mortified by the sight but soon snapped out of it. The arrows were drawing closer by the second as the Night Fury shot blast after blast of plasma into the arrows, effectively destroying many of them. Toothless looked over at Hiccup who had frozen in place, staring into the arrows mere seconds away from plunging into him.
"Hiccup!" Toothless yelled as he pulled his Night Fury behind the cover of a house, thousands of arrows landing around them. Hiccup snapped from his daze and watched the arrows rain down upon them. The young Night Fury watched as a few unlucky vikings got caught in the barrage, blood spraying onto the ground as arrows pierced through their bodies. Hiccup's eyes widened at the blood...so much blood. Toothless shielded Hiccup's eyes from the grisley sight as a few of them writhed on the ground before croaking out their last breath.
"We...we..we aren't even on the front lines...," Hiccup whispered out, "Is this...war?" Toothless quickly moved him and Hiccup towards the great hall where the villagers were gathering, careful to shield his love's eyes from any carnage they past by.
"Toothless, Hiccup!" A familiar voice called out. Toothless turned to see Astrid making her way closer to the pair. As Astrid came closer, she noticed Hiccup's vacant and mortified stare. She stopped short of the two of them, before she quickly bent down in front of Hiccup.
"Hiccup? Hiccup can you hear me?" Astrid asked softly to the young Night Fury. Hiccup looked up into her eyes, the vacant look quickly fading as he regained his sense.
"We need to move," Astrid said quickly, nudging Hiccup. He nodded his head softly as the trio made their way into the great hall. Toothless looked over his shoulder as they ascended the long stairway leading to the hall. The armada had forcefully docked at the harbor as Berserkers flooded off of the ships. He could hear faint battle cries and dying screams, hoping that Stoick returned safely.
Astrid looked up at the giant doors of the hall, watching as villagers made their way in, carrying what little possession they could carry with them. She watched as a young boy with blood splattered over his abdomen made his way into the hall. The hollow look in his eyes, his careless steps, and the dead air around him. The boy had definitely lost someone. The young viking cringed her teeth thinking back to when she the bells of war woke her from sleep. She hurridly opened her window to see a cloud of arrows flying at her. The horrified viking girl slammed the window shut and she took cover on the ground, hearing and seeing arrow heads pierce into the wood of her room walls.
The trio quietly slipped into the hall, making their way towards the side for a place to rest. Toothless sat himself and Hiccup down, making sure that his love was comfortable. Hiccup had returned to his vacant stares, looking to the ground as tears streamed down his face. Toothless licked up Hiccup's tears, nuzzling him hoping to comfort his love.
"He's never seen someone die before," Toothless thought to himself, glancing over to Astrid who slowly shook her head. Astrid had seen death before, back in the days when vikings and dragons were enemies. She saw her fair share of vikings get slaughtered, however, with Hiccup's rather sheltered life, she didn't think he was familiar with the concept of death.
"I don't mean to be rude, but you're useless like this. The sooner you come to terms with war, the better," Astrid said sternly, being greeted with a glare from Toothless, "I'm sorry but someone has to be the one to tell him." Hiccup nodded his head slowly as he slowly got to his feet.
"No, you're right," Hiccup said quietly. The young Night Fury had regained some of his composure, and his eyes slowly filled with life again. Toothless kept his closeness to his love, making sure that he was truly okay.
"Don't push yourself to much. It's not everyday that you see death," Toothless said softly to his Night Fury. Hiccup nodded slowly, wiping away any tears that remained in his eyes.
"I've got to grow up and face the world sooner or later bud," Hiccup whispered, nuzzling into shoulder, "Thank you." Astrid rolled her eyes quickly and punched of them hardly in the shoulders, eliciting an loud 'ow' from both.
"I'm really happy for you two, but now is not the time to be all lovey-dovey," she said almost angrily. Hiccup nodded his head as he turned to face the crowd of villagers that took refuge in the hall. He scanned among the crowd and found Fishlegs, and the Twins with their families. The young Night Fury turned his head towards the door, noticing Snotlout rushing into the door, breathing heavily.
"I don't like this," Hiccup thought, "I know we were told to guard the door, but dad knows Toothless and I could make a huge impact on the outcome of the battle."
"Oh no," Astrid yelled out, staring at Hiccup. She could read him like a book almost as easily as Toothless.
"If you go out there, you could easily be caught. Not only would Dagur have a hostage, he would also have the Chief's son, the dragon tamer, and a Night Fury all in one swoop. You are staying here with the rest of us!" She said sternly and commandingly, "We need your brain here, protecting the villagers." Hiccup stared at her, slightly intimidated by her presence.
"You make a great leader," Hiccup said quietly. She rolled her eyes and moved towards the door to get a few words with Snotlout.
"Just think of a plan to keep us all safe," Astrid called out over her shoulder as she approached the exhausted Snotlout.
Stoick ducked and raised his fist in an uppercut, hearing a snapping sound as his fist connected with a Berserker jaw, sending the invader sprawling to the ground a few feet away. He moved backwards, his back connecting with Gobber's as they serveyed the situation. The Berk vikings outnumbered the Berserkers by a small amount, but that number quickly dropped as the Berserkers quickly took down many men before a dent could be made in their invader's force.
"This isn't looking good Stoick," Gobber said. The old viking blocked an axe with his hammer attatchment and sent the Berserker's weapon to the ground as he swung his giant hammer into the Berserker's head, hearing a sickening crack as the invader fell to the ground most likely dead.
"They've already taken out the vanguard," Stoick said angrily. The Berk Chief brought up his axe to block an incoming sword attack, catching the strike and pushing it away, sending his attacker off balance. Stoick took this opportunity to strike down his assailent. The chief didn't remember the last time he had to kill another man. There was too much blood and death in the air, far worse than any past attempts made to look for the dragon's nest before the Red Death. War with other tribes had never been an issue that was brought up, it was always vikings versus dragons up until a few months ago. Although the concept of war was thought of as unlikely didn't mean the Hooligan vikings didn't take special precautions just incase.
"Incoming!" a voice shouted from higher ground. Stoick quickly glanced to the skies to see the small band of dragon rider reinforcements arrive. The dragon riders quickly took to the harbor, setting fire to the few remaining incoming boats. Stoick cringed as he heard the deathly screams of Berserker men who were being burned alive.
"Oh thank gods!" Gobber exclaimed, "Now the real fight begins!" Stoick and Gobber drew back slightly, meeting up with Spitelout who headed the dragon rider brigade.
"It's not looking good Stoick. I sent my men down to the harbor area to cut down their men, but their army is stronger than we could have anticipated, "Spitelout explained, "I'm sorry Stoick, but we may need to bring out the Night Furies if the battle continues like this." Stoick clenched his fist but nodded his head, understanding the state of the battle. Spitelout let out a call and his dragon took off into the air. Stoick and Gobber followed Spitelout and his dragon a short ways as they entered the heat of the battle once again. Stoick stared at the battlefield ahead of them, many men on either side slain as blood ran down the streets. Stoick's head felt a tad light, never seeing this much carnage and death before. Dagur had caused this...that deranged kid and his insane goals that will kill him in the end.
"Gobber! On your left!" Stoick shouted out, as he took out a man on his right. Gobber reacted quickly, sending the Berserker sprawling back. The ranks and formation's the Hooligan tribe used had all but fallen apart at this point. All of Stoick's hopes rode on the Dragon Corps. If they could push the Berserker's back enough, they may just be able to win this. The chief had to win this battle, not only for his home, his village, his people, but for the sake of his son. He's lost too much already and he's not about to let his son be tortured and used by that son-of-a-bitch Dagur.
Astrid looked out the large hall doors, watching as dragon's scorched through the lower city, setting many Berserker's ablaze. Smoke rose into the growing night sky. Astrid watched as the sun slowly slipped over the horizon, leaving behind a growing darkness. She slowly shut the doors and returned to the hall center where the group was circled up discussing strategy.
"I've got the rear. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs will be the middle guard, leaving Astrid, Toothless, and Snotlout to defend the front," Hiccup proposed. When no arguments were met with the plan, the young Night Fury shook his head approvingly. Astrid stood for a moment, deciding where to sit, but decided on between Ruffnut and Hiccup, noticing Ruff's flirtatious manner directed towards the Night Fury, effectively creeping him out and moving himself closer to Toothless by the moment. Astrid pushed her way in between the two, hearing a soft sigh of relief come from Hiccup.
"What happens if that plan fails? If they break through our defenses?" Fishlegs asked cautiously. Hiccup contemplated for a few moments, letting an uneasy silence fall between the young vikings.
"Then we all fall back and form a protective barrier around the villagers the be-" Hiccup said, getting cut off at the sound of the hall doors bursting open. Six Berserker invaders rushed in, stopping short in front of the teens who quickly formed their defensive position.
"Now what do we have here? Aren't those the Night Furies Dagur was talking about?" One of the Berserkers whispered. The other few laughed, a sickening humidity in their voice. The atmosphere changed in the hall, becoming stale and lifeless. These men seemed to be just as deranged as Dagur himself, sending off a vibe that struck Hiccup to his very core, rendering his limbs useless and his mind frozen in a state of panic and terror.
"Oh we'll definitely get some great reward bringing them to him," another said lustfully. Hiccup started to worry heavily again, his body tensing up, his mind locking down. He shook his head quickly, trying to maintain his composure and focus, his body trembling. The Berserkers slowly crept up on the young vikings. One charged at Astrid, who quickly redirected his punch and brought her knee up to his elbow, hearing a loud snap echo throughout the hall. She quickly grabbed his face, bringing it in contact with her knee, silencing the screaming that once filled the room.
"That little bitch!" One of the screamed, as the remaining five invaders charged at the young vikings. Toothless swung his tail quickly, sending two more Berserkers into the hall wall, silencing them as they slumped to the ground unconscious. The other three Berserkers charged at the front guard. Ruffnut ran to Astrid quickly, helping her deal with a Berserker with a sword. The two dodged his sword attacks, getting him off balance to where he accidently fell onto his own sword, stabbing himself in the leg. Tuffnut moved quickly, throwing his axe at the Berserker, distracting him long enough for Snotlout to get a good uppercut on him, sending him back dazed. Tuffnut quickly moved in and went for the second punch, sending the Berserker to the ground out cold.
This final Berserker however, he didn't move. He just watched the young vikings intently. Snotlout rushed the invader, getting punched in the stomach and thrown to the side. Tuffnut followed suit quickly after, getting his face kicked in. Ruffnut didn't hesitate to follow her brother as she was tossed to the side. Astrid slowly approached the invading viking, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. The two slowly circled each other. Toothless didn't like the waiting and jumped in rushing towards the invader. Astrid took this chance and charged the invader, jumping up sending her foot towards his face. The Berserker quickly grabbed Astrid's foot with his hand, sending her into Snotlout as the struggled to get up. Toothless stopped short in front of the viking that threatened his love and his home.
"I'm going to mount your heads side by side," The Berserker taunted. He quickly moved towards Toothless, connecting a clean uppercut, sending the Night Fury back. Fishlegs took his chance, quickly moving it and striking at the Berserker's kneecaps.
"Gods!" The viking screamed as his knee bent backwards at an odd angle. He punched his knee, pushing it back into place. Fishlegs eye's widened as the viking quickly punched the viking, tossing him to the side. The viking continued his relentless assault on the Night Fury, pushing him closer and closer towards Hiccup. Toothless dodged one of the punches and bit down on his assailant's arm, flinging him off to the side. The viking picked up an axe from the ground, charging at Toothless. The Night Fury dodged the swings, but still got a handle to the face, disorienting him long enough for the viking to send a strong kick into Toothless. The viking stared down at the Night Fury, raising the axe above his head, going for the kill.
Blood sprayed onto the ground around Toothless. The Night Fury looked up and saw the viking was missing his left arm and large chunk of flesh out of his left side. The viking puked blood onto the ground before falling back into a large pool of his own blood, dying before he even hit the floor. All eyes slowly turned towards Hiccup, a small trail of smoke escaping his mouth. The young Night Fury was panting heavily, his eyes wide and pupils in slits. The boy was mortified by his own actions, standing completely still, frozen in place.
"Did...I just...kill a man?" Hiccup whispered out.