Chapter 13.
20 years ago
"Red."
"Shut up." The hefty woman spun on her heal as she stomped away. "I am so sick of your... crap!" She spit the cigarette out of her mouth and ground it in the dirt beneath her boot. There was the jingle of spurs behind her, but she chose to ignore it. The man was hardly sober, had an empty gun, and ten bags of loot sitting at his feet.
Why the heck did she love him.
"Please, Red, let me explain."
She swept around as she raged. The lean man took a step closer, causing her to pause and stare him in the eyes from beneath the rim of her hat. "You killed two people. And not ONE of the people were who I assigned you to kill!"
"Assigned!? If you think it's such an easy task of killing Stoick the Vast, why don't you go out and prove it!? That Grounder nearly got me in the shoulder."
With a huff she rolled her eyes before looking away. "I thought I could trust you."
"You thought you could trust me!? I asked for five other men and instead you sent them off on a folly mission."
"I was protecting you!"
"NO YOU WEREN'T." His voice rose higher then she'd ever heard it before, riveting off the walls of their hideout and sending the echoes to vibrating without. She swallowed and remained silent, having never ever seen him talk to her in such a way.
And he wasn't done. "I almost died, because you thought me some invincible hero."
"That's not true." She denied in broken anger. She almost wanted to cry, something she never did.
"It is." He tossed the satchels at her feet. She looked up in shock, noting the wetness behind his lids as well. This was like any other fight they'd ever had, right? Angry and empty words shot in the heat of the moment, then they make up. Right? This wasn't any different?
"I love you." She defended. "I love you. You know what killing Stoick would do for us? I thought you loved me."
He looked away with a shake of his head, smiling sarcastically. Turning back, his smile disappeared. "If you truly loved me, you wouldn't send me out to die."
Anger twisted in her gut, and a feeling of desperate hopelessness she'd never felt before. She was always in charge, she always had a grasp on what happened or what was to happen, and this... this was not in her plans. And there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. Because even if she wanted to, she couldn't kill him. She just couldn't.
"I hate you." She hissed. She didn't mean a word of it, but it was the only thing she could come up with. As in her usual defense, she wanted to grab the gun at her hips.
"Same to you, ma'am." He growled. Neither moved, both tense like two bobcats ready to pounce.
In that instant, two shots rang out from above them. Red instinctively grabbed her pistol and twisted around, firing three shots of her own. As quickly as it started, it came to an abrupt end. Red breathed heavily as she turned around and peered through the cloud of gun powder smoke.
"Who is it!?" She called, her own voice repeating itself in an echoing path down the tunnels. There was the sounds of a shuffle, the large dome-like structure of the cave not allowing any movement to escape her hearing. She smiled and twisted deftly to aim towards one of the overhanging cliffs above them. "I know you're up there." She called in a sing-song tone.
"Is that you, Stoker?"
"Sure as heck is." She pulled the trigger, recognizing that voice anywhere. But the bullets bounced harmlessly off the stone, the smoke and dust making it impossible for her to shoot what she couldn't see. She hissed in irritation, wondering why Wilder wasn't helping her out. She froze, her mind flashing a million warning bells when she realized why he'd remained silent this entire time. Wilder might be a hopeless idiot at times, but he was a brave idiot.
"No." She hissed. She heard the sounds of scuttling and realized Stoick was getting away, but at the same time, she didn't care. She flung the gun away and rushed through the dust and spoke in search of him, only to nearly trip over something heavy, like sand bags, lying on the ground. She let a sob catch in her throat, the natural reaction painful. It had been year since she'd cried. Not since she was a child.
"No, no, no." She repeated over and over again, her hands trembling as she reached for his shoulders. She rolled him over, flinching back when she saw the blood streaming down his forehead and over his lifeless eyes. Cringing away, she stumbled back in shock and horror.
"No. NO. Nonononono..." She felt the wall meet her back, where she stopped. She stared in absolute terror at his prone body, while the foreign feeling of her cheeks tingling from salt water overcame her. She let a sob seize her chest.
"No." She repeated hoarsely. She moved closer again, letting her hand fall to rest against his still-warm and bristly cheek. She smiled tearfully at happier memories.
"I'm sorry." She murmured. Tugging him into her arms, she pressed her face into his neck. She could feel the thick hot blood sliding against her skin from his wounds but she couldn't care less. Hugging him close, she whispered a farewell.
"I love... loved you." She hiccuped. "I promise- I swear I did. I'm so sorry." She breathed heavily, taking in the last of his sent before she slowly let him rest on the stony ground once again. "I promise, I'll prove it. I'll avenge you, and take Stoick's life myself."
...
There was a barn dance after the rodeo, but Hiccup didn't bother to stick around. Leaving the half drunken and merry bunch he silently slipped away from the crowd, still beaming from what he could honestly say was one of the best days of his life.
He hummed softly as he stopped by the Forge and picked up his saddle bags and instructed Pixie to stay behind. She looked pitifully disappointed, giving him those big begging puppy eyes. But tonight, he just wanted to be alone with the wind and prairies and his best friend.
"Stay here girl." He murmured with a rub of her head. Picking up a sack of feed and satchel of his regular supplies: a brush, blanket, and pick, he set off for the long walk.
It was a silent journey, but one that he enjoyed. Town was noisy and hectic, something he didn't favor. Fishlegs dreamed of going to the big city and finding a smart job but Hiccup... he preferred it out in the open, where he wasn't trapped or grounded. He'd experienced enough of that in his life, he didn't want to spend the time he had left like that any longer then he already had.
Toothless, per usual, knew he was coming before he even reached the cove. Hiccup grinned and quickened his pace at the sound of the soft nicker, not bothering to sit down and slide into the cove, but rather just trotted down. Toothless was waiting at the bottom, giving a happy bounce when he saw him.
"Hey bud." Hiccup greeted. Toothless' nose dove straight for the satchel. "You hungry?" He pulled out the small draw-string bag and set it on the ground for his disposal, before running a hand down the horse's neck and belly. He frowned in confusion, surprised by Toothless's wide and full belly. His stomach wasn't making a sound- unlike any stabled horse, who were constantly hungry.
"Did you get into something, Toothless?"
The horse raised his head and twisted his head about to eye him, as though saying "I'm not an idiot."
Hiccup's eyes fell to the ground, where he noticed hoof marks leading up to the top of the cove. He reached down and felt the dirt, realizing they'd been made relatively recent.
"You went out for food." Hiccup realized in disbelief. Toothless snorted.
"That's why you're full... but, you came back." Hiccup looked back down to Toothless' head buried in the sack, still chomping on the feed as calm as could be. Hiccup smiled slowly in amazement.
Toothless tensed beneath Hiccup's hand, his muscles bunching up and his legs straightening stiffly. Hiccup bit his lip and instinctively reached for the pistol at his belt.
"Who is it, bud? Just Astrid?" Hiccup whispered. Toothless flung his neck in the air and screamed shrilly, before shooting away in a cloud of dust. Hiccup growled before dropping to the ground, his gun in hand as he aimed carefully towards the edge of the canyon. After no or anyone made an appearance, he carefully rolled over to glance in the opposite direction. Toothless was pacing against the cave wall, his head low but eyes alight dangerously. Something was wrong.
"Hello?" Hiccup slowly got to his feet. No one was stepping forward, and the long wait was making him worry. He was ready to shoot anything that so much as moved. But what if it just turned out to be Pixie? Or Astrid?
Three bodies suddenly launched out of nowhere, dragging him back to the ground in one sharp moment. Hiccup wheezed when the wind left his body weak and helpless to his captors. Someone laughed while another caught his shoulders in their hands, tugging him to sit up before the hands slammed him against the wall. Hiccup gasped in a meager attempt to regain his breath, absolutely helpless to help himself, or even to see who it was who'd attacked, for they'd tugged his Stetson down over his eyes.
"What the heck happened today? You cheated somehow I know you did." Snotlout's voice. He should've known. Hiccup almost rolled his eyes from beneath the hat.
He went rigid, remembering where they were and that Toothless just so happened to be on the other side of the cove. He was probably throwing a fit- they'd find him, his secret would be out.
"I-I- SNotlout, we have to leave."
"Why? I have you in a good spot right now. And I want answers. I lost my pride today to you, shrimp!"
Hiccup moaned when he heard Toothless's screech, along with the pounding of hooves. He knew what was coming, and everything- everything- was over now.
"NIGHT FURY." Snotlout screamed. There were two other shouts and just as quickly as they'd nabbed him, they were suddenly gone. Hiccup curled up when the ground began to vibrate from the pounding of four hooves of an angry horse.
"What the-!?"
There was enough cussing in that moment to fill the firery pits of hell. Hiccup knew that meant that they hadn't escaped, but were probably trapped by a protective Toothless. And the last thing he wanted was for The Night Fury to hurt- or even kill- a human being. That would only be bad news for them both. Hiccup would probably be labeled as a murderer, especially if he was bent on protecting Toothless.
Without thought of his own safety, or of what those three idiots had done to him in the past, Hiccup launched to his feet and shoved his hat to the back of his head. Sure enough, Toothless had Snotlout, Tuff, and Ruff all dangling from the tree over the cove. Toothless was pounding back and forth below it, waiting for one of their holds to slip.
"Great! Horse, go get that scrawny guy over there!" Snotlout weakly kicked his foot towards Hiccup's direction, but Toothless paid no mind. If anything, it only made him more upset.
"Snotlout, I'd suggest you stop struggling." Hiccup cautioned, moving slowly and carefully towards his friend. Toothless calmed, his screaming coming to an abrupt halt as he turned his head to nicker softly. Hiccup smiled and lifted his hands calmly in a soft gesture. Toothless lowered his head, pressing his nose against his palm.
"What in Sam Hill!?" Ruffnut squeaked.
"This is Toothless." Hiccup addressed sternly. Turning to face the three deputies, he tucked his hand against his empty holster, his other resting on Toothless's neck. "He tends to be very protective of his loved ones, so I'd suggest you come down here and do as I say."
They stared at him owlishly from above, Tuffnut and Ruffnut both looking to Snotlout for his response. His jaw was still hanging against his chest in absolute shock.
Ruffnut huffed in exasperation before grabbing her brother and letting go, dragging him to the ground with her where they landed in a heap of gangly limbs. Toothless jumped back with a low snort, causing the Thorston's to cringe back.
"It's alright, bud." Hiccup waited for Snotlout to join them, but he was stubbornly still dangling. "Just come down, Snotlout."
"How do I know you won't just kill me?" Snotlout protested. "You have a grudge, I can tell."
"While I'd have full understandable reasons to hold a grudge, I don't. We are cousins anyways, and family feuds aren't things people should hang onto."
Snotlout grumbled. "So you won't set your "buddy" on me the second my feet touch the ground?"
Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Only if you cooperate."
Snotlout fell clumsily, picking himself back up with a small amount of dignity. He brushed himself off before finally meeting Hiccup's eyes, but he didn't hold it. He looked away towards the tree, his demeanor aloof.
"First off, I just have a question to ask." Hiccup crossed his arms, while Toothless continued to give them death glares from over his shoulder. Snotlout's eyes flitted between the horse and Hiccup's, before he finally gave a sharp nod.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
The silence was dead quiet, almost eerily as the three gave him black-eyed stares. Toothless gave a soft whiff, making Tuffnut nudge Snotlout urgently.
"My Dad." Snotlout rushed.
Hiccup scrunched his face in bemusement. That was not the answer he'd expected. "Your... Dad?"
"My Dad wants me to be sheriff." Snotlout hurried on. "You were next in line, I... couldn't let that happen. I made you out the bad guy."
"But why?" Hiccup murmured. It hadn't been necessary. Was that what Snotlout wanted or what Spitelout wanted? And was bullying and hitting him really the best way to get what you wanted?
"Because?" Snotlout drug out the word, his tone angry. "Because of this little thing called "pressure". Or maybe bullying, I don't know." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Just... fine. Fear. Fear of disappointing."
Hiccup pressed his lips together. "Then I guess we have something in common."
The silence fell again, like a thick blanket, except for the twins who were shuffling awkwardly towards the side. Finally, Tuff raised his hand.
"What?"
"How is the Night Fury there." Tuffnut pointed roughly, quickly retracting his hand when Toothless took a small step forward. "And yet he's not tearing you, or any of us, to shreds?"
Hiccup gave a half smile as he absently reached a hand up to rub Toothless's neck. The horse relaxed some at his touch, his ears flicking back but his gaze remained weary.
"We were both outcasts." He answered simply. He didn't have to tell them anything, for today, they were the ones on the end of the leash.
Toothless suddenly lunged. Hiccup shouted in alarm and reached to stop him, only to be flung aside as the giant mass of horse flesh plunged towards the three intruders. The twins hugged each other while Snotlout squeaked and tried to run, but it was all an unnecessary attempt.
Hiccup watched in confusement as Toothless rushed past them all, only to desperately pound up the cove wall. Snotlout sputtered and melted to the ground in a faint, while the twins both whipped around to watch in wide-eyed shock as Toothless disappeared over the coves mouth.
"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed. Hurrying past the three morons, he tried to follow, when two shots rang out.
"OWWWW I AM HURT. I AM VERY MUCH HURT!" Tuffnut gripped his shoulder and collapsed on top of his sister. As Ruff grabbed her brother and shoved him out of the way, Hiccup scrambled for his gun, only to remember he'd left it on the other side of the cove. He glanced back hurriedly to the other three, noticing that none of them were wearing their holsters.
He growled and grit his teeth, mind flashing with a million thoughts, then a prayer as he took a wild card and dashed for the other side of the cove. Another shot rang out, bouncing harmlessly off the ground at Hiccup's feet. He dove to the dirt, caught his gun in his left hand and whipped around, firing wildly towards the cove's edge. There were the screams of horses and the sounds of frantic hooves, causing the dust to fly and obscure him from seeing how many there were. All he could see was one man hunched over, his gun aimed towards him. He fired his last shot, then got to his feet and dusted himself off, before disappearing out of sight.
Hiccup breathed heavily, not hesitating when he got to his feet and ran towards the tree. Jumping, he caught a branch and pulled himself up and over, until his hand finally found solid ground again. Crawling up onto the plains, Hiccup lifted his hand and looked about frantically for signs of his horse.
His heart plummeted. Already a good distance away were three men on horseback, with a tethered and struggling Toothless tied between them. He was trapped and forced to run beside them.
"No..." Hiccup trotted a few worthless steps, still out of breath from the rush of adrenaline. He collapsed to his knees as he watched painfully while Toothless grew further and further away, until they were mere specks on the setting horizon.
A/N: Hey there folks! Another chapter for you. The stories going to really starting moving now hehe. I hope the first bit of this chapter wasn't too confusing... I felt the need to put a bit of our villains back story in so you guys won't be confused when she enters the story. And btw, she isn't a original character of mine. If you guys look carefully enough, you'll figure out who it is (if you haven't already lol). Thank you for reading and all your feedback! Reviews are awesome. *hugs*