I seriously apologize for the lack of anything with this story. Schooling became more of a hassle than I originally planned and I got overworked the past few weeks. Anyway, here is the next chapter for the reading. Hopefully I can have the next one out by next week.
A low rumbling in the distance disrupted the otherwise quiet village. One sharp bang after another fleeting through the skies as if escaping from a terrible entity just out of sight. Just out of mind. In the distance, a soft light grew and faded as gentle as a new born heartbeat. The innocent, pulsing, and rhythmic beats of light danced across the distant skies. The oncoming storm seemed eminent, only just out of range, but close enough to instill a sharp uneasiness in all those who felt its thunderous roar and indomitable presence.
The villagers of Berk sat quietly in their homes, listening to these sounds, waiting for the inevitable. Everywhere, the village barely stirred, barely showed signs of life, barely showed color. Everyone could feel just how different Berk was. No one could quite explain the shift, just that there was one. No one realized that it was the absence of light. The absence of innocence and love and compassion. Two lights, two dragons. They were gone and the village could feel it.
Astrid could feel the rumblings beneath her feet as the storm raged in the distance. One foot after another led her to Svelta's quaint home. It wasn't much with boards stringed together here and there to create and decent home. A place to sleep and be at rest. One of the lucky homes to escape the disaster that befell Berk, time and time again.
The door swung open quickly, banging against a table just inside the door. A few glasses and objects of interest fell from the table, clattering and breaking onto the ground. The girl noticed the broken shards and moved past them, walking into the next room. She tried to restrain herself as much as possible, though, to no avail. She pushed open the door and saw the dragon sitting with Svelta. She was slowly rubbing his wounds with therapeutic ointments to help null the pain if only a little.
Svelta did not look towards the young viking girl who just entered the room, rather, she continued to attend to her patient as if her every life depended on it. She was a fantastic woman, wanting so much to help anyone in need regardless of who or what they are.
Toothless looked up quickly at the young girl and smiled. Astrid simply looked at Toothless and shook her head. The dragon looked confused and felt an overwhelming fear swell inside him. Astrid raised a hand and motioned for him to follow. Svelta glanced over her shoulder, removing herself from the area and letting her patient go. The healer whispered a few words to the dragon, warning him to take it slow and to return soon. The dragon nodded and left the house with the young girl.
The girl and the dragon walked silently, hearing the distant rumbles and the deathly silence that filled the air. The viking glanced to the distant horizon, seeing just a tinge of red lining the sky where a fire was raging, consuming all of the life it could lay its greedy hands on. She wondered what small island it had hit and if anyone was hurt. She wondered if everyone was going to be okay.
The door to Stoick's home opened and closed softly. The inner sanctum of the home was warm and homely. The fire pit crackled with brilliant and vibrant flames as they reached their arms to the skies. Stoick sat near the fire, poking at the burning wood with a metal rod, shifting and pushing the burning pieces as he thought to himself. He always had to deal with his son trying to be something he wasn't, but he still acted like himself. This dragon that was in his home, it wasn't the son he knew. The father felt so useless when his son needed him most. He didn't know what to say or to do, so he left it alone. He knew he would only do harm if he tried talking to the boy. It was a situation he just couldn't control or handle. A situation he had no experience with. The girl and the dragon quietly walked past the still chief, careful not to disturb his thoughts.
The two ascended the stairs quietly. The door slowly creaked open as the two entered the room. It was low lit in the room with the only light was provided by the murky and cloudy skies. Everything in the room seemed grayed out. Monotone. Apathetic. Void. Even the lone dragon who sat in front of the window watching the horizon seemed drained of color. The room felt uninviting and melancholic to the girl.
The two walked towards the dragon. Astrid sat on the bad, staring at the ground and Toothless sat behind his loved one. It simply broke him seeing his Hiccup like this. His usual life and buoyancy was all but absent from him. He could feel the hurt and the pain and the anger radiating off of him. Toothless walked closer to his mate and wrapped his arms around him tightly.
The girl watched as Toothless wrapped his arms around the dragon. She saw how the dragon did not respond. She saw the distant look in the dragon's eyes like he was so far from his body that he just could no longer feel the warm embrace of his lover's arms. She wondered how he could still hold the strange dragon so tenderly when sweet and kind dragon she knew just didn't seem to be alive anymore. She wanted him to come back.
Toothless didn't let go for a long time. He didn't make a sound as tears rolled down his scales and landed on his mate softly. He could feel his love's heartbeat. It was the strongest he ever felt it beat. It beat with something Toothless' own heart once beat with. It was the strong, anger filled beat of hatred. No, this wasn't quite hatred. As much as Hiccup may want it to be, it wasn't hatred. It was the illusion of hatred. The illusion that he wanted death and suffering to those who did him harm. He was alive.
Astrid pushed herself off the bed and walked out of the room. She couldn't be in there. She couldn't be near that dragon. It's overpowering emotions just kept flooding into her. She could feel them so strongly without it ever having said a word or give a look or move at all. She descended into the living room and sat near Stoick. She too wondered how to handle the situation. It was a wound that neither of them could heal. It was a scar that was going to be left inside the dragon. Both of them looked at each other and nodded. They knew they wouldn't be the ones to mend the shattered remnants.
Toothless sat there, holding his mate for the longest time. His mate needed him and he needed his mate. Toothless brought his eyes up and stared out to the horizon. He could see the faint red glow of a distant fire. Where lightning struck and where the storm was heaviest. He could see the hazy gray look of the sky as the rain fell in the distance. The wind was pushing the smell of ash towards the village. The all familiar scent refilled the village again, magnifying the already present smell of cinders. The town felt like it was burning yet again without ever feeling heat.
A paw was holding onto him softly. Then another paw was holding onto him. He looked down and saw his mate holding onto his arm. It started out soft, then grew in strength until the dragon was firmly holding onto him. Toothless felt the Night Fury slowly fall into him, letting himself be embraced by the larger dragon. Toothless felt his heart feel more at ease, but he knew the dragon was still lost.
The larger dragon held onto his mate, pulling him in as close as he could. He wanted his mate to feel like himself again. He wanted the dragon he knew back. He still loved him with all his heart regardless. The dragon leaned in closely and whispered into his ear. Words of love and trust and hope and strength. The smaller dragon softly nodded in response.
"I want you to know I love you with all of my heart. Until the day I die and beyond, you shall be mine and I hope to always be yours. Leave it all behind and just hear my voice. I promised and promised time and time again that no one will hurt you. I hope you'll be able to forgive me one day. I keep breaking those promises. I always try and make sure no one is hurt and that everyone is okay. You suffered so much and I couldn't do anything about it. If my words mean anything to you now, just listen to me. I know you. I know you can't hate. You are not capable of it. That's what makes you better than me. That's what makes you better than those who do us harm. Your ability to forgive is what makes you so powerful. Your will to let go is what lets you live life. That doesn't mean you don't know justice. Your sense of justice is stronger than anyone's on Berk. I know that when the time comes and you see those who did this too you, you'll ignore the vengeance that you desire and you'll judge them fairly. You'll rise above them, show them who you really are and just how low they are in comparison."
"I know what you want dearest. You no longer want to be a victim. You no longer want to have anyone come and rescue you. You want to stand alone without the need for others but that's what makes you so strong. You rely on people. You trust and you depend and you protect with the best of your ability. You need us and we need you. Don't think you need to leave us behind to become stronger. I don't know if you've noticed, but you've made everyone around you stronger than they ever could have been without you here. You guided them and motivated them and gave them a goal to achieve. You pushed them forward with your light. You made them who they are today. You are the person they try so hard to become. You give them so much hope, more than you can ever imagine."
The dragon in his grasp shifted slightly. His heart beat slowed and mellowed. Toothless said there hoping his whispers were really enough to help his mate through this. He knew in his heart they would never be enough, but he had to try and he had to make him feel like himself again. If he doesn't then the island will have lost its shining light.
Toothless looked down at his mate and he noticed the green in his eyes. The entire universe was held in those emerald eyes. The way the light danced off of them and reflected the love and tenderness of life just astonished him. The way the air moved around him shifted. It was softer and warmer. His glow was returning. That radiant life seemed to be coming back, slowly, yet surely.
"Yes, they hurt you. They did things to you that are unforgivable and you may never forgive them. I do know one thing. I know that you'll rise above it. It maybe forever etched into your heart but use it to push you forward. Use that scar to make you stronger. You've been through so much since we met and I know we are going to go through a lot more and I'm going to be with you every step of the way, okay?"
The dragon in his embrace nodded softly. The dragon never spoke a word while the two stared out into the endless horizon. The storm was edging closer and closer. The sounds of lightning and thunder coiling together drummed out over the skies and into the bones of every Berk resident. The hazy gray of rain slowly intensified as the oncoming shower headed towards the otherwise peaceful island of Berk.
The faint red glow in the distance seemed to have gotten brighter and brighter as the time went on. Toothless noticed that every minute or two there would be an unusually loud clap of thunder that echoed through the skies. It would run through the ground and into the dragon's bones. It shook him to his very core. The dragon in his embrace did not falter.
The soft rain poured down against the roof of the chief's home. The entirety of Berk had retreated into their homes and remained silent. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the rain and the thunder. The sun was lowering in the sky creating a dim atmosphere in the village. Normally rain showers like these are regarded as the gifts of the gods. This rain didn't feel like a gift. It felt like a curse, one that echoed throughout the halls of the viking world. It whispered of tragedies. It gossiped of death. It talked of disasters. It shouted with envy and anger and frustration. It was alive with wrath.
Toothless slowly opened his eyes. He didn't know how long it had been since he and his mate retired to the bed for some sleep. He was alone now. He expected he would be. It'd been a while since he last slept with his mate like that. It felt so peaceful and relaxing. He felt safe and at rest. Now he could hear the cascades of water just outside the window and it murmured of his loneliness.
He looked out the window and saw the shape he'd longed for. A black figure moving towards the docks. Alone and drenched. Even from a distance he could still make out the shivering form of his love. It seemed like he was always just out of reach. He felt powerless.
He failed many times before. He let his mate get hurt so many times. He watched his mate go through so much pain and suffering. He watched his mate come out of those situations so much stronger. His capacity to forgive and his sense of justice and his will to move forward and his love and kindness and sincerity and compassion. He watched his mate come so close to death so many times. He thought he was the worst mate that ever lived. He couldn't protect him like he should. He should have been able to kill Dagur. He was stronger. He was bigger. He was fast and stealthy and had amazing reflexes. The only thing that stopped him was fear. Not for himself. For his mate. If he died, his mate would be devastated and he'd be in harm's way. He worried about his mate's health and that was his downfall. He got angered to easily. He let his emotions cloud his judgement. He was almost exactly like Stoick sometimes. He was pretty sure Stoick knew that as well.
The dragon was suddenly met with cold rain as he walked out the door. Lightning cracked overhead as he left the home. The wind was soft and made even a dragon feel drenched to the bone. One foot after another led Toothless in the direction of his mate. He walked to where he last saw his mate and he looked around him. Houses largely untouched by the fire. They still held some semblance of normality. The further the dragon walked in the direction of his mate, the more destroyed the village looked. While many of the houses were already repaired the greenery and life of Berk was all but singed and burned away. Black, muddy dust resided where the flowers and the grass once thrived.
The dragon walked on, trying to retrace his love's steps as he went along. The dead grass around him slowly began to fade back into a lively green. It wasn't strong, but the life was beginning to return, slowly but surely.
He looked down at the docks. The dragon was sitting there in the cold and rain staring out into the sea. Toothless walked down the stairs and made his way closer to the dragon. He sat next to him and held a wing out over his mate's head. At first the dragon did nothing, then Toothless saw him lift his head up and stare at the wing above his head. He watched as the dragon looked with a soft look in his eyes before he turned his attention to his mate. Toothless stared into his mate's eyes as did his mate to him. A thousand words were said in that stare.
"Why are you here?" the dragon said. Toothless looked at the Night Fury and smiled softly.
"You know why I'm here," Toothless said. The dragon looked away from Toothless and stared back out into the ocean. There was nothing said between the two for a long time. The only sound the two heard was the rain coming down on top of and around the pair. It felt somber and solemn and contemplative. Toothless could still see past all those mixed emotions in his mate's eyes. He saw past the cloud of anger. He saw past the walls of weakness. He saw past the illusion of hatred and vengeance. Deep in his core, his mate needed someone, but his mate thought he needed himself. Just himself. He thought he would be stronger that way. If he wasn't himself. If he was someone else.
"Leave," the dragon barely said. Toothless continued to stare at his mate, not moving.
"Well?" the dragon said again, still barely audible. Toothless did not move still. He stood staring at his mate and waited. The dragon turned towards him and flashed an angered face. Toothless just found it cute and quite funny.
"I can fend for myse-" the dragon began to say before he was abruptly cut off my a pair of lips connecting with his own. Toothless stayed like this for a few moments before pulling away.
"I love you," Toothless said. The dragon stared at him, then looked away towards the ocean and its trailing horizon. The silence between the two returned. It stayed for longer this time. Toothless could see the light begin to dim even more as the sun slowly sank. Then the dragon spoke.
"I'm going to kill them," he said softly, "When they come back or when I go to them. I'll kill them." Toothless stared at the dragon. He wasn't at all shocked or fazed by the words his mate had just uttered. He used to hear them all to often when he was younger. Situations like these happened often when he was younger. It was just how the dragon world was and it seemed like it was how the human world could be as well. He knew his mate and he knew he would never kill someone. He wouldn't kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. He would never kill out of vengeance.
"Okay," Toothless said simply and continued looking at his mate. The dragon's head turned towards him with an expression of surprise and a bit of confusion.
"Okay?" the dragon repeated. Toothless nodded his head and repeated his mate's words.
"Okay," the Night Fury said again, affirming his original words. The dragon stared at the ground for a few moments.
"Okay," the dragon said again, "I'm going to kill them. I'm not going to be weak anymore." Toothless nodded his head in agreement with his mate.
"You were always strong to me," Toothless said softly.
"I nearly died on many occasions," the dragon said.
"Yet here you are," Toothless said confidently, "With each challenge, you became that much stronger." The dragon stared at the ground, grinding his teeth together.
"Not strong enough," the dragon said sharply. Toothless looked towards the horizon, noting the red glow in the distance had diminished. It looked like there was a ship in the distance, but he turned towards his mate before he could make out exactly what it was.
"You're stronger than you think," Toothless said, moving closer to the dragon. The Night Fury looked up towards the horizon and shrugged off the comment.
"Look at me," Toothless said delicately. At first the dragon ignored the request, but he slowly turned towards his mate after a few moments. Toothless looked at him with such love and compassion and understanding and warmth that it overwhelmed the dragon.
"I know you," Toothless said, "I know you won't kill them. No matter how much you say it, I know you'll make the right decision in the end." Toothless came close and wrapped his arms around the dragon, pulling him in closely and tightly. The warmth radiated off of the larger dragon as he tried so desperately to remind the smaller Night Fury who he was.
The two stayed that way for the longest time. The rain slowly poured down around them and it spoke to Berk. It whispered of kindness. It gossiped of love. It talked of compassion. It shouted with faith and light. It was alive with hope.
"I love you," the smaller dragon said, letting himself be pulled into the comforting and loving embrace. Toothless breathed slowly and squeezed tightly for a moment. The Night Fury smiled softly and whispered to his mate.
"I love you too, Hiccup."