"YOU!" Snotlout burst into the small wooden building. Madness danced in his eyes as he glared accusingly at Ruffnut and Tuffnut. He stormed up to the twins, each footfall landing heavier than the next.
"I don't know how, but you've summoned Loki himself!" the muscular Viking shouted, jabbing his index fingers at their shoulders viciously. Five sets of eyes stared at him blankly. The twins, though, shortly broke out in excited grins.
"I didn't even know that was possible…" said Ruffnut, her raspy voice filled with awe.
"I didn't either..." agreed Tuffnut, turning to his twin, "I wish I knew how we did it!"
"Where is he?" the two demanded with perfectly synchronized excitement. Their eyes watched Snotlout expectantly, but the shorter man sputtered in shock at their reaction and stepped back. He had expected an admission of guilt, an apology, or at least a valid reason to punch someone.
"Hold on," interrupted Hiccup, "I'm pretty sure that's not possible. I mean, what would Loki want with Dragon's Edge?" He raised his eyebrow at the three. The twins looked at each other, considering the question seriously. Snotlout frowned and rolled his eyes, his arms crossed in annoyance. Of course Hiccup would have to start talking logic. The shorter man didn't see the point in finding logic where the trickster was concerned. There was a reason Loki was called the trickster, and that reason had nothing to do with stupid logic.
"I'm pretty sure no one's ever done it," Fishlegs offered thoughtfully, "I could have overlooked something when I was reading, but I've never heard of it happening."
"Well, maybe not Loki, but close enough," Snotlout said with an irritable huff. He scowled fiercely at no one in particular. It pained him to admit that he might have had a slightly exaggerated reaction, but it didn't change how serious he felt the situation was.
"Right," Astrid said with a roll of her eyes, "weren't you supposed to get Sam and Dann—"
"Spawn of Loki!" Snotlout's interruption was deliberate and angry. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Okay, so they did something weird again," the auburn-haired Viking concluded with a sigh, "they've been doing weird things since I ran into them."
"Not like this!" The shorter man's arms flared out to gesture toward the vague direction of where he had gone. Fishlegs' eyes went wide and he leaned forward attentively, waiting for the witness of the dragon's abilities. Snotlout groaned in irritation. This wasn't some dragon! This was…well…He wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't something for the book.
"He…He…" Snotlout struggled for the words to explain, "I was on my way to get them, right?" Astrid, Hiccup, and Fishlegs nodded. With the confirmation of their attention, he took a breath and continued.
"I was on my way, and I followed them into the forest, and I see this… this white… thing…" the man paused a moment, "I thought I was seeing things, but, I got a little closer, and it was a dragon." All eyes were locked on him, wide in surprise. They weren't expecting another dragon to have appeared on the island. Before he could continue his tale, the largest of the group decided it was time to ask a question.
"Was it a Screaming Death? Or a Snow wraith?" asked Fishlegs worriedly. Hiccup frowned, but didn't have to wait long for the expected answer.
"Of course not," sneered Snotlout, "it was that Danny dragon! And! I know it was him because Sam was right there and called him that!"
"Snotlout, that just means he can change colors," pointed out Hiccup sensibly, "it doesn't make him the spawn of Loki."
"I know that," hissed the shorter man, his large arms flailing, "but what about him walking through trees?" Several confused stares were directed toward him, not understanding the impact of what he had just told them.
"Uh…if they were in the forest, they would kind of have to walk through the trees to get anywhere," supplied Astrid, as though it were obvious.
"Not what I mean!" Snotlout ran his hands through the brown hair sticking out from beneath his horned helmet in angry frustration. "He didn't go 'through the trees'…" his tone of voice was mocking as he moved his hand in an exaggerated squiggle in attempt to illustrate a normal path in the woods, "he went through the trees!" The motion was changed to one of a smooth line. "And really, I mean through them, like they weren't even there!" While Hiccup frowned at the information, Astrid and Fishlegs stared at Snotlout in disbelief. The twins' faces had twisted into wicked delight.
"Sister of mine," said Tuffnut with exaggerated formality.
"Yes, brother of mine?" replied Ruffnut, her own voice reflecting the tone.
"Let us go forth and pay our respects to this wondrous being!" The male twin straightened his normally hunched posture and pointed out the door. His sister gleefully prepared to follow, but Hiccup rushed over and grabbed the back of their collars.
"Hold on! I'm sure there's a logical explanation…" Hiccup suddenly found his words cut off with a cry from Snotlout.
"SPAWN OF LOKI!" The shorter Viking, eyes wide with terror, pointed frantically at the doorway where a young, black-haired girl peeked in.
"Oh crud…" Her violet eyes widened in horror and she fled. The twins, absolutely thrilled, escaped Hiccup's grasp and quickly chased after.
"Danny!" yelled Sam as she raced across the wooden planking to where the black dragon waited, "I think we've got another Salem!" Blue eyes widened with frightened understanding as memories flashed through his mind. Sam had nearly been burned at the stake as a witch, and Danny had nearly met his end in his attempt to rescue her. The dragon anxiously crouched down, ready for his friend to scramble onto his shoulders once more. As he watched her draw nearer, though, two wiry figures with long blonde hair burst out of the house, chasing his friend wildly.
A growl ripped through Danny's throat as he burst forward. With all the speed he could muster on four legs, he ran to put himself between the twins and Sam. The beast's wings flared out as he roared at the humans who dared to pursue his friend. The two Vikings let out identical, high-pitched squeals of terror at the creature that suddenly cut off their path.
Mine, Danny's mind seemed to hiss at him. Mine. His sharp, glittering teeth snapped at the pair in fury. MINE! No…Not his… A brief moment of human thought pushed him to fight back against the reptile he had become. Sam didn't belong to anyone, especially not him.
The dragon shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He could feel his senses abandoning him once again, and he feared what he might do. Slowly, Danny backed away, gently forcing Sam further down the planking. He continued to growl at the twins, only vaguely aware of the rest of the Vikings having exited the building. When he had enough distance to allow more reasonable thought, he lowered himself and waited for Sam to climb up. His eyes stayed fixed on the two who had chased the girl, and his throat continued to rumble angrily.
When Hiccup stepped forward between the two humans, Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He remembered how the man had broken through to him before and suddenly found it hard to maintain the growl and the threatening stance. He didn't understand it. Danny couldn't comprehend what exactly that action had done or why. He felt part of him wanting to trust the man and allow him close, and it made him angry that he couldn't direct any anger toward that one Viking.
"It's okay…" Hiccup said, softly, his hand raising toward Danny as he had done before, "we're not going to hurt you…" The outstretched hand was mesmerizing. The dragon couldn't help staring at it. He couldn't resist his facial muscles relaxing as the hand grew nearer.
"Danny…" Sam's anxious voice cut through the growing haze in his mind. He shook his head and growled fiercely at the Viking, who stumbled backward in shock. The man had been trying to do it again. Danny snarled and slowly widened the distance. He felt betrayed. The man knew dragons. He knew how to gain the trust of dragons through their instincts. Hiccup had that knowledge and had used it against him. He had been played like a violin.
"Come on!" hissed the girl. She was perched on his shoulders, ready for their escape. Danny lowered his wings and turned. With one last, hurt look toward the humans that they had hoped would be their ticket home, the dragon left.
Six stunned Vikings stared after the retreating beast. They could hardly believe what had just happened. They had been so certain that Danny had begun to see them as his pack like the other dragons had. And what did the girl mean, "another Salem"? Hiccup's mind was frozen on the look of utter betrayal that had crossed the creature's face. He couldn't comprehend where such an emotion had come from.
"So…are we chasing after them?" asked Tuffnut, who was promptly slapped upside the head by Astrid. An argument quickly followed, with much yelling and shoving, but Hiccup heard none of it. He was soon dragged out of his thoughts when Toothless appeared, racing up to him and looking around frantically. The Viking's eyes widened. His dragon had heard the commotion and was looking for his new pack-mate. His little brother, Hiccup remembered the girl saying. He frowned at the thought. How did everything go downhill so fast? Snotlout's reaction to seeing Sam had terrified her. From her response, it seemed obvious that something similar had happened to her and Danny in the past.
"Toothless," Hiccup called to the dragon, "come here, bud." He had an idea. He hoped it would be enough to convince them to come back, but if it wasn't, at least they would be able to take care of themselves. He patted his leg to gesture for Toothless to follow, leaving the rest of the squabbling group behind as he entered the small building once again.
Hiccup moved quickly while Toothless wandered the room, peeking behind and under everything, as though expecting Danny to be hiding somewhere. A disappointed whine drifted to the man's ears as he continued to gather supplies and wrap them in a wool blanket. The creature approached Hiccup and worriedly nudged him with his snout. After a comforting pat on the creature's head, the man hefted up the bundle and led the way back outside. Quickly, he mounted Toothless' saddle, and the two took off, into the sky, to find the frightened, mysterious pair.
"This is just great," muttered Sam crossly after several minutes of silent stewing, "we're stuck on an island in the middle of who knows where with superstitious Vikings that want to kill us because they think we're connected to Loki." The dragon below her hummed dejectedly as he continued to walk deeper into the forest. The girl's shoulders slumped as she sighed. She knew her friend too well. He was probably beating himself up over the situation.
"Danny, it wasn't your fault," she said, trying to sound comforting in spite of her temper, "we need to know what still works. You know…In case there really were ghosts. And, by the way, we still need to finish the checklist." The dragon huffed grumpily. Sam scowled, her mind working to figure out which part he would have found most annoying. She was unable to see his face from her perch on his shoulder, reducing her ability to comprehend his attempts at communication. With an irritated huff of her own, she took a guess.
"Okay, I get that you're frustrated and all," she started, "but it's either get it figured out or be surprised later when things don't work how you expect them to." The dragon paused and sighed. He craned his neck around to give her a doubtful, sidelong glance. The girl raised an eyebrow at him. Sam was pretty sure he was being over-confident in his abilities. Those few tests they had already done seemed to make him think everything was normal.
"You couldn't even walk when we got here," she pointed out, "and don't make me remind you about the times your powers did something you didn't plan on, oh pantsless wonder." The dragon's eyes nearly burst out of his skull. He stared at his friend in horror for a moment before looking at his body, then back at her. In a blink, he'd turned invisible, leaving Sam appearing to float in the air. Sam brought her hands to her face in guilty mortification. She had forgotten that Danny was, technically, not wearing anything. She had accidentally brought it to his attention and embarrassed him. The girl couldn't have known her friend hadn't fully realized it until that moment.
"I am so sorry," she told him earnestly, "I wasn't thinking..." She heard the dragon whine in pitiful discomfort. The girl carefully slid off the dragon's shoulders, wincing as her feet landed on the debris of the forest floor.
"If it helps…you're…you know…a reptile…I mean…" she was struggling to find delicate wording to help him feel better about the situation as she tried to point her eyes where she thought him to be, "reptiles can't be told apart like mammals… They…um… They can only really be told apart by colors and…stuff like that…" Delicate was never her strong point. Sam hoped Danny understood what she was trying to tell him. The invisible dragon whined questioningly.
"I promise, Danny," she said fervently in his general direction, "your scales cover everything."
It took several minutes more to coax the embarrassed dragon back into visibility. When he re-appeared, he was on the other side of a few trees. Shamefaced, he hesitantly returned to her side, though neither seemed ready to continue the journey. That would require contact, and both of them were far too uncomfortable with what had happened to even consider the girl climbing back onto Danny's shoulders. Sam sat where she had stood and Danny lowered himself to sit on his haunches. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for the awkwardness between them to pass and half avoiding each others' gazes.
As they sat, Danny's ears twitched and he raised his head. Sam was about to ask what he had heard when Toothless bounded through the trees with a bundle clamped in his sharp, stubby teeth. The creature dropped it in front of Sam, then ran several frantic laps around the larger dragon trying to make sure every scale was where it belonged.
The girl picked up the bundle, confusion written all over her face. She untied the coarse material to find it was a blanket. Inside it, she found some rope, a piece of flint, a knife, a water skin, and a piece of cured mutton, clearly a gift for Danny. Sam frowned. At first she was disgusted at the container clearly made of leather, but she knew there weren't a whole lot of options available for carrying liquid. The other items would be incredibly useful for starting a fire and gathering other needed supplies, though. Then her thoughts turned in another direction and her eyebrows drew closer together. Why would the smaller creature be sent so far with all this? She didn't think Hiccup would expect him to deliver something so precisely without him. Unless…
Sam's frown turned to a scowl as she raised her eyes to look in the direction Toothless had come from. There, through the trees, just barely visible, was Hiccup. The Viking sheepishly raised a hand in greeting, but made no move to approach. When Sam turned to inform Danny of their visitor, her eyes met a sight that nearly made her laugh in spite of everything. There he was, his head as high and as far back as his neck would allow, staring at Toothless in wide-eyed alarm. The smaller dragon had managed to stand himself up on his hind legs and bring his own, stubby face within inches of Danny's.
Sam forced the unexpected smirk off her face and cleared her throat to catch her friend's attention. It surprised her when Toothless dropped to all fours again to look at her. She gave a terribly fake cough to give herself a moment to overcome her stupor.
"Danny," she said, finally, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, "I think someone wants to talk."
A/N: Okay, so...There were a lot of amazing comments left after last chapter. o_o Seriously. Amazing. Like, you guys have no idea how excited I was to read each one. I'm just sorry I didn't have much time at my computer to reply to some of them or, well, write faster, I suppose.
I don't have a whole lot to say, other than...well... I love you guys... *sniffle*
Next chapter may or may not have an info dump for the characters...If I don't realize another scene that has to happen first. Yeah... Anyway... Also, Snotlout not mentioning Danny glowing is completely intentional. I'll get to that in a couple of chapters. :3
As always, thanks for reading!