Chapter 12: To Trust a Friend
Jolt and Hiccup landed in the cove. Jolt got off of Spark and sighed heavily.
"You were this close to blowing your cover, and you just got your powers. You've got to get those under control man, or else the whole village will know about it soon," said Jolt.
"Well sorry if I just did it to save my skin, literally. It was reactive, I couldn't control it, and if I didn't I would be in the Healer's hut for the rest of the week," said Hiccup defensively.
"That too, but I was also talking about when your powers flared up near Astrid. Your emotions really can influence your powers, and your emotions toward her are especially strong," said Jolt, giving Hiccup a wink.
Hiccup cringed a little. "Is it really that obvious?"
"That and more. You don't exactly try to hide it. Are you going to ask her out to the Snoggletog dance next week?"
"I will, but I just need to work up the courage to ask her. I love her, don't get me wrong, but she still terrifies me sometimes when she's angry. She's just like her dragon, come to think of it."
"Oh come on man, grow a pair and ask her out."
"I will, I will. So, do you have anything prepared for some of your friends for Snoggletog?" asked Hiccup, trying to change the topic. He smiled inwardly, knowing full well that Jolt would love the present that he had made for him.
"As a matter of fact I have. The question is, have you?"
"Of course. Are you going to ask anyone out?"
Jolt blushed. "No, I haven't met anyone I like yet. But if I find one before Snoggletog, you bet I'm going to ask her out."
Hiccup laughed at the thought of Jolt with a girlfriend. It would be rather comical.
"Anyway, let's practice shall we?" offered Jolt.
Hiccup nodded and let Jolt go first. He started firing bolts of lightning at blinding speeds at the rocks scattered around the cove, shattering them to pieces.
Astrid, who was sitting in a tree downwind of them, and high enough to remain unseen, gasped. She hadn't understood most of the conversation, about powers and whatnot, but when she saw Jolt fire those lightning bolts, she couldn't help but stare. How long had he been able to do that? It certainly wasn't normal. Astrid adjusted her position to get a better view, and broke one of the limbs of the tree off. She held her breath, hoping that no one had heard that.
Every head in the cave swiveled in her direction. It only took a second or two for them to find her, she didn't exactly blend in. She saw Hiccup sigh and gestured toward Astrid while saying something in a whisper to Jolt. He nodded and looked back to Astrid.
She climbed down the tree quickly, trying to get away before they caught her. She got to the ground and started to run. She didn't get far before she felt a rope tug at her waist and skirt. She looked down, but there was no rope or anything around her, but she felt herself being dragged in the direction of the cove. She tried to resist, but she couldn't do anything. She was pulled into the cove to see Jolt with his hand out, eyes ablaze with light, holding onto Spark, both of their bodies sparking with electricity.
Astrid rubbed her eyes. This was just getting insane. She must be hallucinating. She tried to pull away, but she was just getting pulled faster and faster toward Jolt and Spark. Just as she was getting close, she felt the force that had pulled her slack off. She tried to run again, but Hiccup tackled her.
"You know, you're just a little bit to curious for your own good," said Hiccup, looking down at Astrid.
"And you two have some explaining to do," said Astrid through gritted teeth.
"Alright, but only if you don't try to run. You wouldn't get very far of course, thanks to Jolt and Spark."
Astrid nodded reluctantly, standing up with a hand from Hiccup.
"Now tell me what's going on," she said.
"Always so quick to the point. She's already pretty much seen what I can do, but do you want to show her?" said Jolt.
Hiccup nodded, grinning. "With pleasure." He stood for a second, concentrating before the same violet flames consumed his whole body again.
Astrid screamed. She ran to the pond and tried to grab some water to splash at Hiccup, but it didn't do anything. Hiccup was just staring at Astrid coolly through the flames. Jolt was laughing next to him, looking at the expression on Astrid's face.
"It's not funny! Can't you see that he's on fire?" said Astrid gesturing to Hiccup, who was still just standing there staring.
Jolt stopped laughing for a second. "Yeah, I see, and I know he's safe. But what's really funny is the expression on your face!" he said before bursting into laughter again.
Hiccup made the flames die down before firing a blast at a rock, melting it into molten rock. He grinned, and Astrid just stared.
"Well, I guess I'd better explain all of...this," he said, gesturing to both him and Spark.
Astrid just stood there dumbstruck.
"Okay, where to start. Well, there is this thing known as the changing, which happens when a dragon and a dragon or a dragon and a human save each other's lives in an act of friendship and love, causing both to become a bit of each other. All four of us have small scars that are each a part of the other. Toothless here hid my powers to protect me, but Spark convinced him to let me loose. We can both talk to our dragons, and any other dragons that were affected by the changing. I can use violet fire like Toothless, and I can cover my body in it or fire it. Jolt can use lightning and he can fire bolts of it, he can heal with it, and he can attract and levitate metal objects with it, which is how he dragged you over here," Hiccup said by way of brief explanation.
As if to show her, Jolt held out his hand, which flickered with electricity, and Astrid felt the tugging force again on her waist and skirt, and also her shoulder guards. In fact, the attraction was powerful enough to remove her ax from it's usual spot in her hip and make it fly toward Jolt, who caught it deftly, swinging it around and then leaning on it, grinning.
Astrid still just stood there speechless.
"Well? Say something, you're scaring me," said Hiccup jokingly.
She sputtered out, "How...how l-l-long?"
"Well, since yesterday for me, and about, three days for you Jolt?" said Hiccup.
"Just about. In fact, after that one day of training when that bolt of lightning struck your ax as it was about to cleave my skull in two, that was me. After that, I ran away because I couldn't hold in the energy, and when I landed in the cove, I just exploded. Hiccup found me and helped me focus my powers. And then he gained his, and I've been helping him focus his, even though he already has a good grip on them," said Jolt.
Astrid took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say. It's just a huge shock for me."
"I know Astrid, but you have to promise to not tell anyone. If you do, we'll probably be outcast, branded as freaks. Gods know what will happen if Mildew finds out. You have to keep our secret," said Hiccup, pleading.
Astrid contemplated the thought for a second. But she discarded the idea of telling anyone almost instantly. Hiccup was her friend, and she couldn't betray her friend. Jolt was, and she hated to admit it, a friend too. She was grateful that he wasn't taken away by her, she already had to deal with Snotlout and Hiccup, if Jolt got in the mix than heads would roll.
"I'll keep your secret, but you have to let me watch you guys practice. I want to know what you guys can really do."
Jolt and Hiccup looked at each other and nodded. "It's a deal. If you want to practice your own stuff on the other side of the cove, that's fine. We'll primarily be using this side, separate from each other. If we create another maelstrom...," Hiccup said shuddering, "I don't know that I'd survive."
"Maelstrom?" asked Astrid puzzled.
"Oh that's right you don't know about that. Well, it's that explosion that happened when I almost died between Toothless and Spark," said Jolt, not wanting to explain the whole concept again.
"Ok, do your thing, and I'll do mine. I'll make sure not to disturb you unless it's important," said Astrid, still slightly confused.
They went their separate ways, each practicing their own abilities, Jolt with his lightning, Hiccup with his fire, and Astrid with her ax.
Astrid was becoming frustrated. She had been throwing her ax at the same tree for twenty minutes, but she just couldn't get the timing right. She was so shaken up by what had been revealed to her that she just couldn't focus. Getting extremely frustrated she flung her arms up in an act of despair, forgetting that her ax was still clenched in her hands. It flew out of her hands and raced through the air right at Jolt's head.
"Watch out!" she shouted out.
Jolt turned around and saw the ax racing at his head. He held his arms in an x pattern just in front of his chest. The air around him rippled slightly, and when the ax got within the ripple's perimeter, it bounced off, thudding into a tree nearby.
Jolt opened his eyes to see that his head was still attached to his shoulders. He had no idea what he had just done, but somehow he had repelled the ax that had come hurtling at his head. It was as if he had erected a shield of sorts that had protected him from that object. He wanted to try something, so he grabbed a stone and handed it to Hiccup, and stood off a little away from where he was standing.
"Alright Hiccup, throw it at me," he said.
Hiccup raised his eyebrow, but did it anyway. The stone sailed through the air, aimed right for Jolt's left thigh. Jolt did what he had done before, crossing his arms, focusing on that shield thing from before. He saw the air in front of him ripple slightly again, but the rock sailed through the ripple this time, whacking him in the thigh.
He winced. "Okay, so I guess it only works on metal objects. Useful to know though. It could save my life one day."
"Indeed. Watch, I can do something similar," said Hiccup.
He did the same motion as Jolt had done, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The air shimmered around him, and then exploded into a wall of flame. The flames simply floated in the air, dancing and weaving magically.
"Hmm, it looks cool doesn't it," said a voice behind him.
Jolt turned around to see Hiccup grinning behind him. Jolt looked back to the wall of flames, which was still burning brightly.
"How...what...?" said Jolt, not sure exactly what to say.
"Ha ha ha, yeah I can move while still keeping up the fire shield. You were just so distracted that I slipped around the side and popped up right behind you. It's not that hard to understand."
"Oh, you mean like this," said Astrid behind Hiccup, causing him to almost jump out of his skin in surprise.
"Astrid...don't...do that. You scared the living daylight out of me," said Hiccup.
"Well, I think we'll call it a day. God work, and remember Astrid, no telling. And try to keep the weird glances in our direction to a minimum. No offense, but you give away your emotions way too easily. For instance, right now you want to strangle me because I'm saying this. You're body language just gives it away," said Jolt.
Hiccup laughed. It was true, Astrid was standing with her hands almost at Jolt's throat, looking as if she wanted to pop his head off. Jolt just pushed her away and crossed his arms across his chest. Astrid and Hiccup were pushed away from Jolt, Astrid more as she was wearing much more metal, but Hiccup still had his knife, so he was pushed back too.
Jolt simply walked off and mounted Spark. "I think we're done here," he said before flying off.
Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other before racing to their dragons. They mounted up and raced off toward the village. Hiccup with his night fury was significantly faster than Astrid on her nadder. Jolt, though, flew behind the two, and with Spark creating his own little storm, sped ahead of the pair at supersonic speeds. The boom from their flight shook the other riders to the bone. Jolt grinned as he raced past.
"Enjoying my dust?" he screamed to Astrid and Hiccup.
"Not in the slightest," screamed back Hiccup.
"Ha ha meet you in the village," he yelled, flying away.
They all met up again in the village square. Jolt was leaning against Spark, grinning wickedly.
"Enjoy the flight?"
"Yeah, once my eardrums recovered from that boom. That was really loud. It was almost as if you broke the air itself. I've never seen anything like it," said Hiccup.
They all had a good laugh, and then they all went their separate ways. Jolt and Hiccup both went into the forge, while Astrid went away to her house. Astrid walked slowly, thinking about what she had been told that day. It was all so exciting, but so puzzling. It made sense, but then it didn't. It certainly explained some things, not just about him, but about her. She looked down at her right hand and saw the mark there, the spike shaped scar at the base of her thumb, a scar that had showed up one day unnoticed, and didn't look quite normal. It appeared to be made not of her own skin, but of scales, nadder scales...