Back at college and beginning classes again. I thought that would be good for this story because I usually write between classes... Wasn't planning on the workload at all x3
SongoftheDarquePhoenix: I'm trying not to bog down chapters with too much emotion that I might talk about in another chapter. It'll end up being quite redundant and annoying. After looking over my outline, most of the emotional aftermath dealings will come from some of the later chapters so don't worry, it's all coming!
I hate odd numbers so part of me is annoyed at myself for having nineteen chapters planned, but there just isn't another reason to make a chapter after that as of right now, haha.
Congrats to Theresaw2010 for being my 100th reviewer, haha xD And mega-hugs for Alethea 13, Quirky Revelations, Anony mouse101, clay, Pewter Griffon, KaliAnn, 20 minutes, Wolf of IndigoRiver, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, and starr1095. You guys are way too sweet! You could seriously be my only readers and I wouldn't mind because your kindness and dedication just make me so happy and keep my inspiration to write this story so high!
And I'm also quite happy that you all enjoyed my idea with Snotlout. I really enjoy him as a character with something deeper to him... I honestly can't believe he's nothing but a jerk.
Now, after the long wait, onwards!
Chapter Fourteen: Try so Hard to Fail so Miserably
The metal chains were heavy and ice cold. The links rested along Hiccup's back, pressing against his plate armor and pinning him down against Toothless, hands still on the handle of the saddle and right cheek resting on the Night Fury's neck. He grunted with frustration, glad the armor was there to protect his scrawny back from bruising under the weight. He tried to shift his body around to see what was going on. He peered up through the gaps in the net and saw it rolling and shaking as the masses of dragons and people beneath it struggled to try and free themselves. Hissing with irritation, Hiccup realized that hoping to throw the net off would do no good. Toothless was remaining still, as if waiting for Hiccup to come up with a plan.
Stormfly's cry suddenly rang in Hiccup's ears and he nearly smacked himself. Fire, duh! He managed to twist his head in the direction of the Nadder, hoping Astrid would be able to hear him. Or even Fishlegs.
"Astrid! Fishlegs! Can you hear me? Tell your dragons to blast the net if they can! Try to shoot up, though, so that we don't accidentally hit each other," he called out, feeling the strength of his voice rub his throat, having never really shouted so loudly before.
He then released the handle of his saddle, which was under his stomach. He moved his hands up and then around Toothless' neck, unable to lift them due to the chains. Once his hands were wrapped around Toothless as much as they could, Hiccup spoke softly to his dragon, encouragingly saying, "All right, bud. Can you raise your head to shoot up? We need to get out of this!"
At that moment, the shrill scream of a dragon pierced the air. The Berk dragons, trapped under the net, began to shriek with violent rage and fear. Toothless bucked when a nearby dragon under the net flung through and nearly collided with him. The Night Fury whined at the dragon, a Nightmare, but the creature refused to listen, thrashing about under the links and leaving its poor rider to cling to its neck in desperation.
Hiccup couldn't see what was going on or why the sudden outburst occurred. He resumed his focus to Toothless, tugging his best friend's neck to try and help him lift his great head. Toothless growled with determination, neck muscles pushing against the chains, ignoring the slapping of them on his nose as the net moved about under the flailing of trapped beasts. Once his head was lifted enough, Toothless sucked in a breath, gas billowing in his throat before his blast shot up, ripping apart a hole in the net as chain links shattered and melted. With room to reach through, Toothless used his forearms to pry the hole wider, breaking apart more links to create a gap large enough to escape.
As Toothless was about to fling himself through the hole, an enemy dragon launched on top of them. Now Hiccup not only had the chains pressing against him, but the foot of a Nadder was stomping onto the chains. Hiccup could feel his plate armor all ready indenting under the force. His back screamed in agony and he wanted to cry out, but he couldn't draw in a breath. Toothless shrieked with fury, scratching and clawing at the ground to try and pull them out from underneath the enemy through to their freedom. The air was exploding in noise, but Hiccup couldn't distinguish anything and his eyesight was starting to blur with the lack of oxygen.
The weight lifted at that moment and Toothless dove forward, through the gap he had made in the net. Unfortunately, a claw of the Nadder hooked through the net and under Hiccup's armor. As the Nadder was tossed back by an opponent and Toothless went forward, Hiccup was ripped from his dragon. The cords that attached him to the saddle snapped. His left leg just managed to dislodge, but the sudden jerk of the movement caused the bindings to stretch some and so his prosthetic was left to just barely cling to his leg.
The Nadder came crashing down, bringing Hiccup with him. The impact left Hiccup feeling like his whole body had shattered. He ached, especially the shoulder he had come crashing down upon. He was still under the net and the Nadder's opponent was viciously ripping at it from on top of the net. Hiccup, fighting past the pain, began to squirm violently, trying to to dislodge his armor from the Nadder's claw. When it seemed hopeless, he bit his lip bitterly before reaching down and untying the plates from around his body. He slipped out, crawling beneath the net to try and find Toothless, hardly able to maneuver. His dry throat didn't want to speak, but he found himself crying out for his best friend, knowing the Night Fury would hear him. He pushed up with his might, trying to stand underneath the net. He was all ready shaky since his prosthetic was still hanging limply from his knee and it didn't help when the net thrashed suddenly, throwing him to the ground and reawakening the pain that had begun to beat about in his body. Some Berk dragons were still caught beneath the net and enemies on top weren't helping. Hiccup cried out again, fearful he would be trampled. If he was then Toothless wouldn't be able to fly. If Toothless couldn't fly, he would be vulnerable... And Hiccup was not about to let that happen to his best friend!
An explosion to his right caused heat to wash over him and red to blaze across his vision. It cooled as suddenly as it happened and Hiccup was able to crawl to the opening it created. He felt light as soon as the net was removed from on top of him and he glanced up from hands and knees to see Meatlug hovering up above, Fishlegs looking down with a worried expression drawn over his face. The large boy was clutching Meatlug's saddle to the point that his knuckles were fiercely white and he almost seemed that he was about to be sick.
"Hiccup, are you okay?"
"Just super," Hiccup lied, spinning to sit on his butt and speedily making to tighten the bindings of his leg. He winced, the skin around his knee raw from being scraped by the wrapping as it was removed. He was in poor shape... "Where's Toothless?"
His green eyes peered back up as Fishlegs pointed. Hiccup cast about in that direction and noticed Toothless wrestling with a rather portly Nightmare. The creature certainly had size and weight against the Night Fury, but Toothless didn't hold back, slashing out with extended claws and snapping his jaw, teeth clear against his pink gums. It was a fight that made the one between Toothless and Hookfang in the kill ring that while ago seem civil. Crimson splattered the ground beneath the two conflicting beasts like paint and Hiccup could only prey to Odin that it was the Nightmare's.
Assured that his prosthetic was fine, Hiccup stood and tried to dash over the net to his friend. It shifted, tripping him up. He caught himself, scraping red smears across his palms from the rough ground. He hissed in annoyance, the net becoming more of an irritation than a hinderance at this point. His legs protested, but he regained his footing and ducked under the blast of a Gronckle. Between the pain and fear, Hiccup tried to just focus on his determination to return to Toothless. The wails of dragons around him and the cries of men and women were ignored. He couldn't think about that now. He was in too much danger. Toothless was in too much danger.
Toothless spun around and crashed his tail into the side of the Nightmare's face. Hiccup felt a shred of fear, hoping it wouldn't break the tail fin, but it seemed unharmed. The Nightmare stumbled to the side, giving Hiccup the time to run over and pull himself onto Toothless' back. He reached to strap himself on but was reminded that the cords were snapped. He cursed, latching in his prosthetic. He snatched the handle before him and put all his strength into holding on lest he be thrown off.
"You okay, Bud?" Hiccup questioned now that he felt somewhat secure.
Toothless craned his head about and snorted assuringly. Hiccup took a quick once-over and saw no visible injuries to his friend aside from a shallow cut down the front right of Toothless's nose. It barely bled, a shimmer of red among the dark black of scales. Hiccup released a sigh and nodded, letting Toothless know they could take to the sky at that moment. Toothless beat his wings and they were airborne. Hiccup tossed his head about, trying to take in the scene. Most of the Berk riders and dragons had escaped and were battling in the sky, fire shooting through the air. A couple were still trapped beneath the net, enemies pounding on top of them, taking advantage of their inability to move. A couple still bodies were strewn about, even a Viking or two. The motionless beings caused a fuel of fury in Hiccup, who quickly ordered Toothless they help the dragons still trapped beneath the net.
The Night Fury screeched in agreement, plunging down and ramming into a Gronckle that had another pinned down. The force of the hit caused Hiccup to lurch forward and so he pulled himself close to his friend's body, fingers tightening on the handle. He had no intention of being thrown off again.
Hiccup watched the Gronckle, thrown off balance, go crashing to the ground, rolling and crushing its Folk i Isen rider beneath him. The man survived, but was injured enough that he limply let go of the Gronckle and lay upon the ground, dazed and gasping for breath. Toothless ignored him, aiming a spit of fire at the dragon. The Gronckle yelped and took off while Toothless launched at another nearby enemy attacking a trapped Nightmare.
It took some time, but with the help of Fishlegs and Meatlug who came to help, Hiccup and Toothless managed to help free all the rest of the trapped dragons. The net lay upon the ground, burning red where fire had broken apart holes, bumped where bodies that couldn't make it out resided, and bloodied where dragons' scales were torn or their fleshy underbelly was exposed and scored by claws. Hiccup steered Toothless after an enemy when a sudden cry caught his attention.
Now, the air was filled with shrieks and screams all around him, but this cry was different. It was Stormfly. And it was not a cry of triumph or strength or battle. It was one of pain and desperation. Hiccup felt like his heart almost stopped as his mind trailed to Astrid, hoping to Odin that didn't mean she was injured or... dead.
Toothless was the first to see the Nadder and veered in her direction in such a mighty whip that Hiccup felt his shoulders yank as his body was almost flung one way but his hands gripped the dragon to go another. He groaned, the cold air slipping by his face and he peered through a sparkle of tears forming from the wind in his eyes to see the blue Nadder. Stormfly wasn't flying and was backing up to avoid the vicious jaws of dragons that went after her. She shuttered, clearly in agony, but ran out of room to back up. Astrid wasn't on her back and Hiccup couldn't see the blond viking female anywhere among the mess. So he was left to watch with horror as Stormfly, with no where to go, tumbled over the edge, clawing at air, then plummeting to the ocean below.
Toothless called out to her. He drove his wings harder, zipping over the cliff edge and then heading straight down, intending to go after the fallen Nadder. Hiccup's eyes widened at the realization of what they were doing, but he didn't order Toothless to stop. He braced himself for the water, sucking in a deep breath before he and the Night Fury were beneath the surface, enveloped by an endless void of shifting cold.
The darkness of the cave made it seem like a tomb. There was light filtering in somehow, though. Pale and hazy, it wasn't much, but it was just enough for Hoark and Snotlout to see the rubble that had trapped them and their party in the cave. Many of the vikings were clawing and tugging, attempting to pull free a stone that might bring an opening they could escape through. They gave up after a few moments so many of the dragons stepped forward, scraping against the stone to try and dislodge something. A dragon finally pulled a boulder away, but it only ended up causing a pile of rubble to come cascading down and nearly hit a couple of the vikings standing too close.
"It's no use," Hoark muttered bitterly, shaking his head at what was once their only exit.
Snotlout's hands shifted between balled up fists to clammy palms. His blood felt boiling hot and he ran up, kicking angrily at a boulder that trapped them. It resulted in nothing but a flare of pain shooting up his leg. He grabbed at his foot, a squeak of pain emitting from his throat before he clamped his mouth shut, trying not to betray himself. Panic was pulsing in his bones. He trembled, finally setting his foot back down and walking back and forth alongside the rubble, searching and hoping that there was something they could do. He couldn't be trapped down here! How could he prove anything if he was stuck here... how could he prove anything if he was to die here?
He bent down, snatching up a smooth stone and throwing it with a burst of madness. It hit against the cave wall and just clattered to the ground, the noise echoing repeatedly around them. "I'm not ready to die!"
The vikings and dragons around him silenced. All of them felt a shiver run through their bodies as they contemplated Snotlout's words. They all agreed. Though they had come to put their lives on the line for Berk, no one was truly ready to die. Especially not just from being trapped in a cave. That was not the death of a warrior. It was pitiful, pathetic.
Snotlout was breathing heavily from the loss of concentration. He just wanted to punch something. He began to beat at a rock, putting his anger and determination into each blow. The rock did not yield and when Snotlout finally felt drained, his fits were covered in crimson splotches and bruised. He shook, tears stinging at his eyes as he examined the way the light glittered off the red of his knuckles. As he examined them, he suddenly found his gaze seeking out the source of the light. He got down on his hands and knees, stumbling into a crawl before he spotted the gap. Somehow, someway, the rocks had fallen just right to create a gap through to the other side. A gap just big enough for a viking teen to get through.
Never had Snotlout wished he was more of Hiccup's size. But he knew he could do it even if he wasn't. He started forward, moving under the boulders, wondering it they might give out and come crashing on top of him at any moment. Hoark called out to him and he heard Hookfang's whine of distress but he didn't stop. "I can escape... I'll get help!"
If he didn't, then Hookfang, Hoark, and all the others might be doomed.
He reached a particularly tight squeeze in the gap. His hands reached for anything to help pull himself through, kicking his feet out on the ground, jamming his toes and fighting to push on. Eventually, he shot out, crashing to his stomach. He was only a couple feet from the exit now and hurriedly made his way out. As he stood up, now free of the cave and back in the tunnel, Snotlout felt a small thrill of success. So caught up, he did not even realize he was not alone until he felt a slam in his back that sent him back down to his hands and knees. He bit his lip to hold back the cry. He tried to stand back up, noticing the red palm print stains his hands left upon the grey stone.
His gaze travled up to see Alvin, Hella, and Blood Cry. Alvin was laughing at him, brutally close and eyes glittering with fire. The man knocked him again and Snotlout was soon back upon the floor of the tunnel. He groaned, trying to push past the agony and the dread that was consuming him as his eyes met the dark gaze of Alvin. The man approached, reaching down and grasping Snotlout's shirt in his fist. He yanked the boy up and hoisted him in the air. Snotlout kicked his feet out, trying to get Alvin to release him, but none of his attacks seemed to even bother Alvin. The Outcast sneered and then tossed Snotlout to Hella. The woman let him fall, watching him grimace with pain and fear before she then picked him up.
"We come back to see what good of a job Blood Cry has done and we find that the wimpiest boy on Berk has escaped. So you're the big rescue plan, aren't you?" Alvin snickered.
Hella forced Snotlout to turn and face Alvin, who came forward, pressing his face into Snotlout's and letting his breath wash over the viking teen. Snotlout winced, trying to look away, but was unable. His mouth was dry, but he just managed to get a glob of spit into Alvin's beard as he fired back, "I'm not a wimp!"
"Really? Even puny Hiccup's been more of a threat to me than you have ever been," Alvin stated, pulling back and wiping his grimy hands at his beard to remove the saliva. "Aren't you the one that one of my men knocked out in the first couple minutes of just talking to you that first time we captured you and your friends? At least those twins put up a fight... Though I suppose you didn't faint like the fat kid, I'll give you that."
Snotlout felt humiliation run over him. His face colored, both with embarrassment and vexation. He twisted about in Hella's grip like he made to do something but there was nothing he could do and the woman held him too tightly. His eyes shot over to see Blood Cry nearby, the Thunder Drum standing with a smirk across his wide face. Snotlout felt a wave of tiredness take hold of him and he dangled in Hella's hands. The woman snarled with annoyance.
"Take him to the meeting room. He can be the witness to Stoick's death. I'll meet you back there after Frosne gets a hold of the chief," Alvin ordered to Hella, voice snapping through the cave before he made off, Blood Cry following.
Hella began to drag Snotlout along. Snotlout stumbled along without protest. He took the woman in, her blond hair, he sharp eyes, her fierce aura about her. His father had once been friends with her. She had once had a good side to her. Maybe it was still there.
"Why would you do this?" Snotlout muttered. "My father was your friend!"
Hella paused, turning and sending a palm across Snotlout's cheek in a slap. It stung and he reached up, touching the welt tenderly before turning back to her. Her eyes narrowed. "Your father betrayed me! He's the reason I was exiled. He may have been my friend for a bit, but he sure changed sides quickly."
"You killed a child! I like breaking things and punching Hiccup but... to kill someone!"
Hella sneered. "You have no idea what I went through boy."
"No, but my father did and now he's dead because of the man you're helping!" Snotlout fired back.
"Your father deserved to die. A weak man."
Rage. Snotlout found himself smashing a fist into Hella's gut. It was hardly strong enough to knock the breath from her, but she did stumble and grunt with surprise. "My father was a great man and died the death of a true warrior unlike you and Alvin will. You will die as traitors and murderers!"
Snotlout wasn't the brightest. His comebacks weren't the best. But he knew one thing was for certain. In this case... he was actually right. And Hella was wrong. And Alvin was wrong. And Frosne was wrong. They were all wrong. They were all monsters. And they would die as such.
Hella snatched the collar of his shirt in her hand and yanked him along.
"Stoick, come back here!" Gobber's voice called to him.
The viking chief hardly minded his friend. His feet carried him after Frosne. The evil man was getting too far ahead. At this rate, Stoick would lose him in the caves and be separated from his tribe. That would do no good. He had to get the coward and cut him down. Cut him down immediately and watch his blood stain the ground for what he had done to Berk. Frosne would die. Now. Stoick relished the idea of taking down this man. This enemy. This beast. So caught up in his revenge, he could no longer hear Gobber's protests and Phlegma's warnings. He was too far gone. Both in his mind and in the caves.
"Frosne, stop and fight me," Stoick roared.
Frosne just glanced back, smiling sickly and winking like it was all some sort of game. The man continued to run along, dodging puddles of water and spinning down into random tunnels. Stoick charged after him, refusing to give up. His men were fighting because of this horrid man, Alvin, and Hella. Stoick's men and women were dying because of this horrid man, Alvin, and Hella. So Stoick would make sure this was ended. As soon as possible.
He raised his sword, catching up to the Folk i Isen leader as some as his determination pushed him forward with a greater and stronger drive. Stoick swung the sword, but Frosne ducked and slipped into another tunnel. Stoick's sword clattered against the side of the tunnel as Stoick missed and he hissed. He scored the wall with his weapon for good measure, chipping a line in the stone before he resumed his pursuit of the treacherous man he intended to kill.
The tunnels were growing dimmer. Shadows were deepening, the few torches that lined the way flickering just enough to light the way. The shadows of Stoick and Frosne flashed upon the walls, large figures that lunged slowly into the heart of the mountain of Outcast Island. The puddles in the tunnels became more frequent and Stoick hardly bothered to dodge them any more, splashing through their dark reflections, soaking the bottom of his pants with the icy liquid. The dripping around him steadily increased and aside from the heavy breathing and ferocious stomping of himself and his enemy, it seemed that Stoick's ears were drumming with the sound of dripping water that pooled along the floor of the tunnel.
Suddenly, they entered a cave. Small, round, and with a chill that seemed endless. Stoick slowed, pausing to take in the cave. There wasn't much to it. That's when he noticed it, however. It seemed like a large puddle, but the opaque coloring of it told Stoick that it was almost like a small lake in the middle of the room, the bottom no where to be seen. His gaze danced across the water, so still and perfect aside from the disruption of a tear-like drip from the ceiling above. Ripples fanned out from the disturbance and Stoick watched the ripples dance to the opposite side, ending at the edge where Frosne stood, eyes penetrating through the darkness. Stoick hissed, reminded of his mission.
The chief began to inch around the pool, ready to plunge his sword into Frosne's heart. The enemy man didn't move. He watched Stoick nearing him, not even seeming to care. Stoick felt unnerved at this and began to fear a trap. He slowed before finally stopping, watching Frosne with a wary gaze as the reality of the situation finally sunk in. He was alone with a man who didn't even appear concerned. Stoick didn't know the layouts of the tunnels... it would take him ages to get back to his people... His people who could be in danger. He seethed to himself, realizing what an idiot he had just been. He turned, thinking it best to try and get back.
The exit was blocked, though. Alvin and Blood Cry stood there. Stoick knew then and there that he had truly been foolish. An idiot. What sort of a tribe leader was he to fall for such a dumb plan. His grip on his sword twisted and he pulled the weapon up before him. He would die here then. If he could take out at least one of these enemies, though, he would die a proper death. So be it. He started towards Alvin, muscles tensing, breath swathing around his face as a white puff due to the frigidness of the room. He felt sweat dripping down his face, icy. He felt a wild mixture of hatred and despair keeping him moving.
"You will die, Alvin," Stoick announced, readying his sword.
Alvin chuckled lightly. "Hope you can swim."
Frosne came up from behind and tripped Stoick up. With a mighty shove, Stoick felt himself thrown into the center of the room, right into the pool. It was freezing and his body tightened up with surprise. He lost his grasp on his sword. Stoick only saw it sinking for a couple seconds before it vanished into the darkness of the pool's depths.
Toothless wrapped his forearms around Stormfly. He used his wings and back legs to try and pull them up. However, it was difficult to do so in the shifting violence of the ocean. Stormly kicked a bit, but found it difficult to help. One of her wings was bent awkwardly, clearly broken. Hiccup could just make this out. He watched in pity as the dragon could only succumb to helplessness and rely on Toothless to try and help bring her to the surface and prevent her from drowning. Toothless, however, was struggling immensely.
Hiccup released the handle of Toothless' saddle and detached his left limb. He pushed out into the open expanse of the sea. He was of no help just sitting on Toothless' back. He used his arms to come back over to the Nadder. The water was slowly staining red. Stormfly had a gash across her stomach that was slowly leaking into the surrounding water, creating a haze that Hiccup tried to avoid. He was slowly reaching his breaking point on air, lungs burning with desperation. He reached for Stormfly, however, wrapping hands around her neck and kicking wildly with his real foot, the prosthetic of no use in the water.
Without having to worry about Hiccup any more, Toothless was able to move a bit more freely. The two of them slowly began to drag Stormfly back to the surface. The Nadder was growing weaker, eyes drooping as she slowly started to give into unconsciousness. Hiccup begged her in his heart to be all right. Astrid would be heartbroken if the Nadder were to die. And Hiccup would feel dreadful for having failed her. He kicked a bit harder, but without air, his attempts were becoming more futile.
A blur of bubbles beside him announced the presences of another. Hiccup glanced over and spotted a blond braid moving through the greenish depths. Astrid's blue gaze found his green eyes. She seemed worn and had a bloody nose that colored the water around her face. She was pale, but wasn't profusely injured. Hiccup felt a blanket of relief on him, but they still had not breached the surface. Astrid came up beside him to help her dragon swim up. Her good legs added a greater amount of help than Hiccup could and, between the three of them, Stormfly finally reached the air above.
Hiccup's lungs gulped down their own share of oxygen. He felt sick, his stomach churning. His legs tried to stop moving but he forced them to continue. Toothless led the way, tugging Stormfly along to try and get to a nearby shoreline. The swirling ocean waters heaved them about, trying to send them smashing into the sides of rocks that jutted from the ocean or along the cliff wall that Stormfly had fallen from.
"She's got a broken wing," Hiccup called out to Astrid, his voice barely audible over the ocean.
Astrid nodded. "And a gash... We got double teamed and then a third enemy came out of nowhere. Poor Stormfly crashed and I got knocked off and divided from her. Think she'll be all right?"
"Well, she's a lot like you so I'm going to have to say yes," Hiccup responded, struggling to keep Stormfly up and help Toothless pull her along.
Astrid glanced over, smirking despite the blood that flooded around her mouth from her nose. She seemed to regain a spark and she kicked at the water. Their clothes were getting heavier, but adrenaline gave the two teens the strength to keep moving. Toothless whined out to them. They glanced ahead and spotted a small shore along the main island. With a destination to now go to, a drive entered their systems and they kept moving forward. Stormfly raggedly breathed, eyes fluttering weakly. Toothless grunted softly, trying to get her stay awake. They were almost there.
They were almost there...
Ruffnut and Tuffnut clambered to the shore. Their limbs were weak from all the swimming and, for a moment, they allowed themselves the opportunity of just crashing into the sand, relishing the chance to ignore moving. They had removed their shoes during the swim, finding it easier without the heavy, fur-lined boots on. Tuffnut's chest rose and fell with a great intensity while Ruffnut did her best to calm her racing heart and breath more evenly. They were both on their backs, eyes closed. They could hear shouting and screams coming from the caves where Stoick led the men and women to fight the Folk i Isen in the caves.
"So... much... death... and... destruction," Tuffnut heaved.
Ruffnut couldn't even respond. The tone of Tuffnut's voice was obviously not of pleasure like they usually had when things were in chaos. This wasn't the same type of death and destruction they liked to watch. Like when Thor was setting the village on fire because of the metal. No, this was different. It wasn't enjoyable. It wasn't fascinating like fire was. Dangerous and, yet, strangely beautiful. No, this was hard core and this was real. It was awesome, but it wasn't exactly pleasurable.
Tuffnut stirred, moving into a sitting position as he finally regained his breath. "Ruffnut... If we don't survive, I just want to say. You're annoying. And I hate you. But you're the best sister I've got."
"I'm your only sister, idiot," Ruffnut fired back as she, too, sat up. "But I suppose you're okay for being the stupidest person alive."
"My specialty."
Ruffnut couldn't even laugh at the moment. She rolled to her knees before standing up. She felt disgusting now due to the sand that caked her body. Her hair was a mess, some of it falling out of her braids. It, too, was coated in a frosting layer of sand and it rubbed along her body irritatingly. Based on the way Tuffnut stood, he was experiencing the same discomfort. They glanced at each other with annoyance, but pushed past it, running towards the closest boat that was up along the shore. They neared its large hull and Tuffnut helped Ruffnut to get up onto the deck. She clattered to the ground.
"Nice landing, sis," Tuffnut spat.
Ruffnut just growled, standing back up and flicking her gaze about along the deck. There had to be weapons somewhere. She had lost hers in the crash and Tuffnut had used his to help Hiccup take out one of the Scauldron. She darted up to some boxes and heaved up one of the lids. Inside was one spear.
One. Spear.
If there was anything she and Tuffnut could never do right... it was sharing. But, it seemed, they wouldn't have too much of an option unless they wanted to check every single boat. By the time they found another weapon, though, the war could be over and they could miss it all. So she leaned over, reaching in and wrapped a fist around the weapon before pulling it from the crate. She tested it in her hand and deemed it worthy before heading back to the side of the boat and jumping over, landing on the sand a bit shakily.
"That's it?" Tuffnut asked.
She nodded before waving for him to come on. The two did their best to dart along the sand to the caves. Their feet sunk in the rolling beads beneath them but they finally reached hard ground. Ruffnut felt her heart speeding back up, but not necessarily from the run. Her hands were growing clammy as she finally recognized the danger they were about to charge into. She readjusted her grip on the weapon as Tuffnut caught up and came along side her. The two peered into the cave before them, almost uncertain, and listened to the shouts that were fired about from inside. They exchanged a glance before raising their arms and bellowing out their best war cries.
Their legs carried them into the cave, but they had to take a couple twists and turns before they finally caught sight of their fellow villagers in the fight. It was a mass of flailing limbs, the occasional flash of red, and the clanging of weapons. The two stood at the edge, shifting about before Tuffnut fired a look over asking, "What should we do first?"
"I don't know, why do you think I would know?" Ruffnut replied.
A fierce grunt alerted her to an approaching enemy. She spun on her heels, her bare feet rubbing almost raw on the stone floor, and watched as the man neared, raising up a sword above his head, intending to bring it down and slice Ruffnut in two. She stood her ground, waiting until just before he brought it down before she rolled to the side. She sat back up on her heels, ignoring the sand rubbing against her like a rough rag. The man craned his head about to look at her, smirking.
"Ruff!" Tuffnut called out.
She tossed the spear to him. He caught it and approached the man, swinging the spear around. He struck the man on the head and grinned with triumph before he realized that he had just hit the men with the wrong end. The guy scratched at the spot on his face where the blunt end had hit him, seeming only irritated. Tuffnut huffed at himself before ducking the whirring of a sword that went out after him. He crashed back onto his butt.
Ruffnut came charging. "Toss it back!"
She caught the spear, but almost fumbled it in the process. She just managed to bring it up some as she reached the man, but only high enough to pierce him in the thigh. She felt the weapon sink into his flesh. He shouted out in agony, a bellow that nearly shattered her eardrum. He started to topple backwards and so she latched onto the spear, pulling it out of his leg as he landed on his back. The stone beneath him soaked up the red coloring and he snarled curses into the air.
"Damn children!"
Ruffnut pulled Tuffnut to his feet and the two high-fived, grinning. Their celebration was short-lived, as the man fought back to his feet and began to swing about like a wild bear just trying to slash his opponent. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had a hard time keeping up with his attacks, stumbling back in attempts to spare their lives. Ruffnut's eyes widened as he caught the end of one of her braids, lopping it off. Her braid came loose, hair spreading across her face and getting in her eyes. She felt terror seize her as she swiped at her face to clear it of the loose blond strands. The spear in her hand made it harder to do so and she was so caught up in trying to see that she stopped moving.
She felt Tuffnut grab her shoulders and try to pull her back. Then her foot exploded in pain and she howled out in agony. She and Tuffnut went crashing onto their backs, but Ruffnut couldn't feel anything aside from the brutal pain coming front her right foot. She managed to pull enough hair from her eyes to look down and see what had happened. Her foot had been sliced. Right down the middle, clean through, seeming it had split it in half. It wasn't her whole foot, however, only coming up about halfway, but the pain was consuming and the blood was welling out like a erupting volcano. She gasped from the pain, starting to reach out to her foot, but then noticing their attacker barreling at them, though limping.
Tuffnut snatched up the spear which Ruffnut had dropped in pain. He lunged it forward as the man came down upon him. The next thing Ruffnut knew, the man's body lay on top of Tuffnut. A spear was sticking up through the enemy, having punctured his very body. But Tuffnut was not visible. Ruffnut was unaware of it he was alive.
"Tuff," she sobbed through her pain.
Normally she liked pain... but this wasn't the pain she and Tuffnut usually gave each other. This was... this was agony. This was more than seeing stars, this was seeing blood. Blood everywhere. She gasped, trying to move to the body to try and help her brother, but she couldn't. Her foot... her foot.
The body of the enemy shifted and was thrown off. Tuffnut lay on the ground, gagging for breath. He was alive. He was breathing. The man had managed to give him a cut down his left arm, but it wasn't too terrible. He easily stood up and rushed over to his sister, leaning down beside her with worry. He glanced up, the fighting still raging about them. Another enemy spotted them and Tuffnut squeezed his eyes shut.
Ruffnut saw this and for the first time she felt... defeated. Never had she felt this before. It was awful. Between this new feeling and her foot, which trembled on the ground, bleeding heavily, she was growing weak. She fell back, found herself staring up at the ceiling of the tunnel. So this was how it was going to end. Staring at the bleak grey coloring of a tunnel, her foot on fire, and ever fiber of her being just feeling sick. She had Tuffnut beside her and her family somewhere in the mess. She would never see Barfbelch again. It was over.
"It's over!" a shout echoed in the cave.
That voice.
Ruffnut raised her head and Tuffnut helped her sit up. She was growing pale. The enemy that had been coming at them stopped in his tracks. He turned and the twins looked in the direction that he gazed. Alvin. The brute of a man was parting through the Berk and Folk i Isen battle. Behind him, Frosne pushed a captured Stoick forward, sword at the ready to kill Stoick at any moment. The Berk chief was sopping and trembling, cold. He could not even glance up to meet the faces of the people he had failed. Frosne and Alvin were laughing. Blood Cry was grinning that wicked grin. That wicked, wicked grin.
Alvin spun in a circle. "Berk has lost. No more fighting. We have won!"
The Folk i Isen broken out into cheers. A Berk man made a move to attack but Frosne pushed the sword closer to Stoick and the villager stopped. No one wanted to be the reason Stoick was killed at that moment. The Berk man dropped his weapon, the hammer hitting the ground with a clank. Other villagers followed suit and, soon, they were all empty handed. It was over. Gobber and Phlegma stood stiffly side-by-side, their faces dawning looks of disappointment and loss.
Ruffnut felt... tears. It was the worst feeling she had ever had. But she couldn't stop it. Beside her, Tuffnut sniffed, wiping furiously at his own face to hide the wet droplets that slid down his own cheeks. There was nothing they could do. Where was Hiccup? How were the dragons fairing? Did Berk have any hope left? It seemed as if there was none. Ruffnut lay back down, wondering if she would even get to see. Her foot hurt so bad...
Tuffnut snarled into the air, "It's not over, Alvin!"
"We'll see about that," the man responded, his smooth voice like a knife whizzing through the air. It seem to hit ever member of the Hooligan tribe in the chest and they all released their breath in a collective sigh. The end. This was it. It couldn't be. But what else could they do? Not everyone could perform miracles like Hiccup.
And it didn't seem he would be arriving any time soon.
...Hehe...
Reviews, please! No flames, but constructive criticism is welcome if you feel I need it.
I apologize for any major typos and too-often repeated words. My laptop gave me a lot of trouble writing this chapter when it comes to typing for some reason...
Love,
Deyoxis