Dragon's Hope, Part 2
Chapter 12:
In a Dragon's Eyes
The first thing I realized when I woke up in the cabin was that I was warm. After so long huddled around Toothless's fires in dismal caves to keep from freezing to death, the comforting feeling was almost foreign to me.
The second thing I noticed was that everything, from the tips of my toes to the top of my sweat-laden forehead, hurt. It was a deep ach, as if had been hit with a powerful wave of water and now my body was bruised all over. Shifting, a soft groan left my lips and I felt something heavy weighing on my torso and legs. I tried to push it off, but my limp arms stubbornly refused to move.
Something creaked, and I heard soft footsteps approaching.
I should have been alarmed. I should have tried to sit up and demand where I was and what was going on, but nothing was responding to my commands. I felt paralyzed and claustrophobic, trying desperately to just make something – anything – move.
"Shhh" someone said, and I stopped my feeble struggles against whatever was on top of me. A light hand rested on my arm, comforting and gentle. "Shh, shh. Stay still, little traveler. That's it. Everything's fine."
The tone was that of a girl's, only a few years senior me, yet her voice was filled with so much love and sorrow I couldn't help feeling she was much older. Against my better judgment, I found myself relaxing against her hand, tried and weary. Alright? Was it really? Despite everything, I wanted to trust her. I wanted to believe that everything was going it be ok.
"Where…" I croaked, swallowed, then tried again. "Where am I?"
The girl sat down on a chair next to me. "You're in my home, little wanderer. Imagine my surprise when I found a stranger on my doorstep, nearly frozen to death. You have been asleep for a long time."
"Oh..." was all I said, before a thought struck me and my eyes shot open. I didn't see anything, as expected. "Where's Toothless?" I demanded. "Where's my dragon?"
"You have no need to worry. Your dragon is here."
I heard her stand up and walk away, followed shortly after by the sound of Toothless's claws on the wooden floor. Replacing the girl by the side of the bed, he stuck his nose in my face, whining softly.
"Hey, bud," I said, managing to lift my hand and place it on the dragon's head. Toothless licked my face, and I could hear the thump, thump, thump on the floor as he wagged his tail happily. I screwed up my slobber-coated face. "Yeah, bud, I love you too."
I smiled at him, and kept smiling until the dragon decided that the bed was big enough for the two of us and climbed on top of me.
"Bud! Hey…oaf! Toothless! This isn't your…h-hey! Ow! T-Toothless! Don't step there!"
The girl started laughing, and felt my face heat up as Toothless settled between me and the wall, practically taking up the entire bed and shoving me to the edge. He laid his head on my arm, pinning me to the sheets.
"That dragon you have there is very special. You must feel honored."
I blinked. Honored? Having grown up around dragons, I had never particularly felt honored that they chose to be our companions. Privileged, maybe, but not honored. My mother and I were always just another part of the heard.
With the little movement my pinned arm could manage, I scratched Toothless's chin. He opened his mouth and let out a satisfied sign, breathing the smell of rotting fish into my face.
I gaged. "Yeah, honored."
Giggling again, the girl sat back down beside the bed, and I blushed a second time. It was strange talking to a girl who wasn't my mother or didn't want to bash in my skull. I had never really had any experience on that front. "Can I…ask you something?" I said, listening to the rhythmic sounds of my dragon's heartbeat as he slowly fell asleep.
"Of course."
"Why did you save me?"
She shifted, and after a moment, said, "You are a traveler, are you not? Any traveler that is sick or weary may rest in my home for as long as they need. Is there a reason I shouldn't have saved you?"
She was right, I supposed. After all, she didn't know who I was or what I had done. She didn't know my plans, or what I would have done in her position. There was no reason she wouldn't save me.
"Nevermind, I guess. And thank you. For helping me, I mean."
"You are welcome," she said, and I could practically hear the gentle smile on her face. "Now rest. You've had a hard journey, and there will be enough to do when next you wake."
She was right. As she spoke, my eyelids began to droop, and I had to focus to hear what she said. "Just…one more question," I muttered sleepily.
"Anything, little traveler."
I turned my head toward her. "What's your name?"
She seemed to think on the inquiry for a moment, before saying, "I have never had a real name to call my own, but if you want, you may call me Nio."
"Nio…" I whispered as sleep slowly folded over me. It was a nice name. It made me feel warm and comforted, but also strangely nostalgic.
That's right…I'll have enough to think about later…but right now I think it would be ok if I just…rested a bit…
-o0o-
Water poured down from the heavens in torrents, slamming into my face and forcing chills down my spine. The lightning from the storm was everywhere, and even though I couldn't see it, I knew where it was from the tingling in my skull. Toothless ran in front of me, guiding me to the small camp.
At least, I assumed that's where he was going. We did need to find his saddle, after all.
Lightning struck another tree to my right, and the sound was almost deafening. I immediately covered my ears, but doing so made me lose my concentration, and I stumbled on something sticking out of the earth. The ground was slick as I landed, and my face met mud.
I lay there for a second, still a bit shocked at what had happened. The only thing I could hear was the wash of water and my own heartbeat. When I tried to get up, all the beatings I had endured over the past day and a half seemed to catch up to me, because I collapsed back onto my side.
An abrupt laugh burst from my throat. It tasked like mud.
The gods really do have it out for me, don't they? I thought. It wasn't funny. It was just ironic.
Honestly, I had no idea what had come over me. Me, defeating a skrill? I couldn't even fly my own dragon properly. What hope did I have against a centuries-old monster?
I thought back to only minutes earlier, when I had faced a monster of a different sort.
Dirk.
Dirk was dead. I had killed him.
The thought made me cold all over, and I wasn't because of the rain. I hadn't wanted to kill him, had I? And yet he was still dead, and his blood was on my hands. I could still taste the rage that had come over me in that moment, and it was more frightening than I was willing to admit. It wasn't natural. It wasn't me.
Would the same terrifying feeling come over me when I faced Drago for the second time? …Did I want it to?
Well, I still had to survive this night first before I needed to worry about that. However, right now my chances weren't looking all that great.
Pushing up with my hands, I managed to get shakily to my feet. Mud clung to my face and hair, worming its way into every cut and gash on my person, the taste still fresh in my mouth like a lingering reminder of my situation. Honestly though, that was only the tip of the mountain of my problems at the moment. My legs were weak, but at least I could stand. One step forward, then another and another, until I resumed my jog as I followed-
I stopped abruptly, because there was nothing to follow. Toothless was gone – silent. I turned in circles, straining my ears for any sign as to which direction I should go, but I couldn't hear anything past the pounding rain and the panic drumbeating at my ribcage.
"Toothless!" I yelled. The only thing that answered me was the rain.
This wasn't good. Without Toothless, I wouldn't be able to get off the island or defeat fight the skrill. The lightning was becoming quieter, meaning the skrill was starting to head down the mountain, toward the people living in the villages. We were running out of time, and I needed my dragon.
"TOOTHLESS!" I called again. I knew he couldn't hear me, but the dragon had this uncanny way of knowing when I needed him if I shouted. Flailing my arms also helped, which was what I was doing now.
Can he even see me in this storm? I wondered. Right now it felt like there was a whole lake being dumped on my head.
The sound of heavy splashing sounded to my right, and I turned, a relived grin on my face. Finally! A second later, though, the smile vanished. It wasn't just Toothless running this way. Someone else was following right behind the dragon.
I opened my mouth, but stopped when I heard the person shout, "Ho there!"
My heartbeat sped up. I knew that voice.
"Glad I finally found you!" the man yelled over the rain. "I was beginning to wonder if you had taken a tumble over the waterfall!"
Zax, the very same man who had ordered me to be taken to the altar, was running toward me. He splashed to a halt only a few feet away and somehow managed to get even more mud on my legs. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be with Shank or the rest of his cult friends?
The man tried to lay a hand on my shoulder, but I jumped away. Toothless came up beside my so I could lay a hand on his head, but strangely the dragon didn't growl at the man.
"Aw, what's the matter?" Zax teased. "You aren't afraid of me now, are you?"
"What do you want?" I snapped. I didn't have time for this. "Shouldn't you be with Shank?"
"Shank is dead," he said abruptly.
I paled. "ah….but-"
"He went over the falls when your dragon lit up the altar, and all of his followers either fled after the battle with your viking friends or jumped into the river after Shank." Zax said the words like he couldn't care less about when happened to Shank's men, and could just picture him shrugging. "No big loss. I never really liked them all that much anyway.
"But I didn't come here to tell you about Shank. I came to give you this."
Before I had a change to think about what he said, the man shoved something at me, and I grabbed it with numb hands. The thing was big, heavy, and made of strong but thin leather that held up in my hands.
It was Toothless's saddle; a piece of work I had labored over for many weeks, and had only recently finished. The cult had taken it after Toothless was captured yesterday.
"What…" I said, then scowled. "Are you really trying to help me? I thought the only thing you guys wanted to do was sacrifice the village to the dragon."
"My plans aren't so dramatic," he said nonchalantly. "But we don't have time to discuss them right now. You should probably get going."
I stood there for a second, considering what he said. It was true; the dragon's rampage was getting closer to the bottom of the mountain, and I knew that if the rain continued like this, there was going to be a flood. A big flood. Still, I hesitated, wondering what this man's true motive might be. In the end though I just scowled ever harder and threw the saddle on Toothless's back. "I'll see about you later."
"I'm sure you will," he said, almost too happy.
Strapping the saddle to the dragon only took a couple of seconds, and once I made sure the balance wasn't off, I dragged myself onto the saddle. "Let's go!" I said, nudging the night fury with my legs.
Toothless didn't need any more incentive. With a mighty leap and a flap of his wings, we were in the air and trying not to be swept away by the wind that seemed determined to throw us down the mountain. With almost painful effort, Toothless flapped and flapped until the wind calmed and I felt the rain thicken until it was all around, as if we were underwater.
We were in the clouds, right where the skrill was supposed to be.
I suppose this was the part where I needed a plan.
I did have a plan, didn't I? Well, I had sort of plan, though it was more like some crazy concoction of a scheme I had thought up on the spot. It was an idea that had been lingering in the back of my mind for a while, but before now I never had the conviction or the knowledge to figure out precisely what it was. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on my will, thinking of my senses, and everything I knew about dragons – who they were.
The Alpha, I though aggressively. Think about the Alpha! He gave you something that night, something that you can use! The only thing you can use!
Yes! This could work, right? I knew the Alpha had given me something right before his death. It had been a last request – the last thing he would ever give me. I felt it in my bones, in my core. How else could I explain the things I could do, even blind? A sightless person couldn't walk through crowded forests or fly on a dragon or fight.
You defeated Dirk, didn't you? You can fight this dragon too.
Still, I couldn't stop the little voice in my head from whispering, it's not going to work.
Lightning crashed right before us, and Toothless's wings flailed. He made a high-pitched squawking noise as if to say "if you have a plan, now would a good time to use it!"
"I know!" I shouted. "I'm working on it!"
Then the roar came – a sound so deep it vibrated straight from my eardrums down to the tips of my toes. It was the kind of sound that made rabbits freeze up in fear, and monsters cower like weaklings in their caves. This wasn't just the roar of a dragon, is was the roar of a demon.
I felt the harsh tingling on my skin too late to do anything, but Toothless was already prepared. He spun in the air just as something huge swept past us with a speed I knew only skrills and typhoomerangs could reach. Once Toothless righted himself, he spun in a circle, as if he didn't know which way to go.
He can't hear him, I thought frantically. The only thing he can do is see, and I bet that's worth jack right now.
This was a dangerous game we were playing, and skrill knew it, too.
It was like hitting the ground after falling off a dragon, only this ground came from the sky, with the power of immense speed and lightning behind it. Toothless tried his best to ovoid the strike, but even he wasn't fast enough to see it coming. The night fury was flung through the air, and I lost my grip on the rain-slick saddle.
Toothless was screaming
I was falling
It's not working
It's not working
It was never going to work
But it has to work! I don't have any other options!
It was never going to work that way
Then WHAT WAY?
You're missing something
(Everything)
What is it? What am I missing?
The wind howled, the only thing that separated me from the void. Determination lingered, which turned into anger, which turned into fear, which turned into desperation, and I called out to the only thing that was left.
TOOTHLESS!
I don't remember when I stopped falling. It was like a dream; I was just swept away like a leaf lifted by the wind, but I did know one thing. Toothless was there, and I felt closer to him than I have ever felt with anyone before in my life.
We were one, like a lock clicking into place. A bow and arrow, a weapon ready to fire, a unit of unstoppable power that couldn't be contained any longer. I knew this, and Toothless knew it too.
We weren't a mount and rider anymore. We were a dragon.
And so I opened my eyes, and we roared.
The skrill hadn't anticipated the counterattack, because it pulled up from its next charge and hissed. The monster was a brilliant gray, with eyes made from molten gold and hate. Electricity flickered around its body like armor, flowing over a mighty crown and jumping between its teeth. Looking at the monster was like looking at your worst nightmare, and I could feel the abhorrence bubbling within it like a vast pit of acid.
But we're not afraid of you, nightmare. Not anymore. Your reign of terror has come to an end. Go back to where you belong, servant of the dark.
The Skrill's eyes glowed. And who are you to command me, little guardian? Who but the dark could command the sssstorm?
Then Toothless took in a breath, filling up his lungs with power. I felt a deep burning in my chest, and I knew that he had never lit a fire this large before.
I can.
The plasma ball hit the skrill square in the chest, and it was so powerful that the monster was flung back and lost its balance in the air. Toothless used the opportunity to dive out of the way of the firebolt that crashed from the sky as the monster retaliated. The night fury swept under its wing, hitting it in the back with two more blasts from his mouth.
The skrill opened its maw to let lose an angry roar, but Toothless hit it again, this time on the side of the snout. Its head snapped to the side, and its body followed, causing the monster to drop several dozen yards. Once it had righted itself, shaking the hit off, Toothless was once again facing it. Our eyes met, and there was something in the monster's gaze that wasn't there before.
Pretending to be an Alpha, little guardian? Do you dare?
GO!
The monster licked its lips and narrowed its eyes. Yessss, it iss not time now. However I will look forward to the day when you sssee the truth, little guardian. When you watch your comradessss die like sso many ssssheep brought to sssslaughter, and then I will watch in glee asss you choke on your own agony.
Then it left, taking the storm and darkness with it. Together we watched, hovering, as the nightmare vanished back into the night, and that's when I realized that something was very, very wrong.
I was breathing deeply, deeper than I ever had before, and my lungs seared like they were on fire. Everything ached and burned, and it felt as if a strong wind could simply blow us away. But it wasn't the wind that scared me.
No, it was the fact that I couldn't hear the wind.
A sense of panic flashed between us like lightning, and I felt Toothless as he began to panic. I whipped my head downward, but instead of seeing Toothless below me, I saw the dark form of an island and the ocean. Toothless's wings – no, my wings, flailed as I realized that there was nothing between me and the silent, open air.
Stop!
With all my willpower, I pulled myself away from the dragon. The feeling was like tearing a wound open – my vision weaved in and out, until, with a gasp, I snapped back to the darkness.
My heart pounded, and beneath me I could feel Toothless as he heaved and gasped. It was still disturbingly cold and raining, but the sound of thunder had receded into the distance.
I placed a hand on my face and laughed painfully, patting Toothless with my other hand.
"Let's not do that again," I croaked.
And then the world slowly faded, even as I felt myself slip from the dragon's back and fall into the void.
-o0o-
Atop the mountain, down below the clouds, a thin man stood, watching with a face of despair as the silver dragon withdrew.
"NO!" he screamed, high and cracked, gnarled hands reaching out. "Coward! You would run, dragon, after I summoned you from beyond? I, commander of the dark? Vessel of the shadow? I command your return, serpent!"
He continued to yell, demanding that the dragon return to fight and destroy, but the silver monster did not turn back, and the only thing the man could see fit to do was let lose wordless, juvenile screeches of rage.
"Maybe the dragon doesn't follow the orders of an imposter."
The thin man whipped around, beady eyes narrowing into tiny, black slits. "You! How dare you think to imply-"
He stopped. The man looked down, eyes winding as a horrifying revelation swept over him. Meeting the gaze of the man standing before him, he chocked, blood welling up and spilling over thin lips.
"You…but I am the...I cannot…"
And then he collapsed like a bag of wet eels, clutching at his stomach as a dark liquid flowed freely from between his hands to join the puddles on the ground.
The man standing shook his head, looking down at the dead figure with something close to pity in his eyes. "It's been a pleasure, Shank, truly it has. But I think it's about time I had a turn, don't you think? Plus I did promise the kid that you were dead, and if I didn't kill you, then that would make me a liar."
He whistled as he took a damp cloth from his pocket and cleaned his blade cheerily. "Ah, but look at the time. I have a lot of stuff to do, you know. Come on, Deadeye. We should get going."
Behind him, a dark shadow moved in the forest. It growled, but bowed down as the large man slipped onto its back.
Then the monster lifted two velvety wings, and together they disappeared into the sky.
-o0o-
So, I probably should have had this chapter out, like, two weeks ago when my classes ended, but a few things got in the way (like writer's block). Sorry about the long wait guys, but I have other things I consider a priority. But we are finally here and everyone is happy! Yay!
And that's a wrap for part 2. I have finally fished my plans for the end of this fic and I have to say it's going to be awesome! In case you're confused, just know that the first part of the chapter was a flashback to when Hiccup was trying to survive the winter with Toothless.
Feel free to drop a review, if you so please (oh and if anyone can guess who Nio really is, I might be motivated enough to have the next chapter out a lot sooner than normal ;) )
See you next time!
