Hi everyone, it's been quite some time since I last published but as you know, I'm not leaving anytime soon.
Here goes chapter 14.
Toothless's POV
We are flying for approximately an hour now. This archipelago is not large and the distances between the island are not long so we should find one soon. It's the twins who lost the human game so Barf and Belch were forced to take madman (I admit the name given by the twins is funny) until the next island. I look down at Drago. I'm still not reassured with his presence, even if he hangs at several meters from us, can't talk because of the tissue in his mouth and that he can't move. It amuses me so much to see Drago like this and how much he hates it. We suddenly enter in a hot air zone. Strange since we are in a frozen region. I then turn my head to the right to see dark clouds coming in our direction.
-Where does those clouds come from, Stormfly gasps.
Our reactions get the human attention and they notice the storm.
-Euh, do you guys see this, Snotlout asks.
-It would be hard to miss it, Hiccup responds. It looks like a storm is coming.
I then hear some birds below us fly away. I look behind me where others dark clouds are coming closer. In fact, they are almost all around us. The sky was clear a minute ago and storms don't just appear like that. We should have felt it coming unless…it is forming. The cloud surrounds us like a circle and seems to be turning. This isn't a simple storm and the horror of this realization strike me. We are inside the center of a hurricane. By the other dragon's reaction, I think they felt the same thing than me.
-Toothless? What's wrong, Hiccup asks me.
-We need to get out of here.
If we don't move and fast, we're doomed. The winds around the center of a hurricane are so strong and unstable that we won't be able to control our flight or even stay in the sky. I've heard stories about dragons whose wings were literally ripped off their body. My worries, of course, doesn't concern Drago.
-There is an opening at our left, Falla exclaims and we notice the hole in the clouds that she is talking about.
We don't lose time to quickly fly toward it.
-Hey, what are they doing, Snotlout screams surprised.
-We are saving you so shut your tongue, Hookfang responds.
-They must have felt something, Hiccup says.
Of course, if someone can understand us, it's him. Our riders soon understand the problem when the wind starts to rise and urges us to go faster. Like if needed to be told that. We are leaving the center of the hurricane when the real storm begins. The winds and the rain that were in the center start to concentrate around it, forming a natural wall impossible to pass. I can see it behind me, it looks like a tornado. The hurricane is now raging all around us. It's not the first time we fly into conditions like this but these kinds of storms are more dangerous because of their strength.
-WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, Hiccup yells.
I hear the twins yell something about loving this but I must concentrate on my flight. The furious winds force me to constantly move the position of my wings and tail fin so that they stay open and adjust to the airs flows. Hiccup tells others to adopt the diamond formation while he maneuvers my prosthesis to match my movements. We don't know the size of this hurricane so trying to leave it would be suicidal. Our best chance to escape it unharmed is to find somewhere where we could land. We continue flying in the hurricane but without the sun, clouds or stars, it's impossible to measure the time.
-LAN…W…KILL US AL...
Is that Drago I heard? Wasn't he gagged? A gust of wind almost makes me lose my balance so I don't think about him longer, keeping my concentration on my flight. Some time passes again before I hear someone yell again but this time, it seems to be Fishlegs and I think he is calling Hiccup. I see Meatlug flying closer to us.
-HICCUP, he screams, WE LOST ASTRID AND THE TWINS.
What? I quickly glance in the direction where Stormfly and Barf and Belch were flying. None of them are here. I look back in front of me so I don't risk losing my balance again but that doesn't stop my worries. What happened to Stormfly? Did Drago did something to Barf and Belch?
-SNOTLOUT IS ALSO MISSING, Owen adds.
Damn it. This is only getting worse. We have to find them without getting lost too. But how? A lightning then strikes in the sky not so far in front of us just before we hear the sound of the detonation. Great. First the Speed Stinger, then Drago and now a hurricane with lightning. This our worst trip ever. Soon, it's the whole sky that is light up at a regular interval. Some of the lightning are too close to me for my liking. I'm not afraid. It's just that I hate lightning. Meatlug fly close to me again.
-We must lose altitude, she says not screaming like the humans since we have greater earing. We are too much exposed to the ligh…
She doesn't have the time to finish that a lightning pass between us. I feel it burning on my scales at the end of my tail like if I was being targeted by the flames of five dragons at the same time. Suddenly, I start to lose control of my flight and before I can do anything, Hiccup and I fall. I see Meatlug and Falla plunges after us but they are unable to catch us because of the winds and soon disappears into the storm while Hiccup and I continue to fall to our death. And this is why I HATE LIGHTNING. I let out a long roar, calling the others to help them locate us.
Clinging to my saddle, Hiccup does his best to stay on my back while maneuvering the tail so I can regain control of my flight but it doesn't work. Positioning myself so I can look at my tail, I see that the tissues of the prosthesis were completely burned and some of the metals rods are twisted. It's ruined.
-Okay Toothless, Hiccup says trying not to panic, w…we need to angle yourself.
He propels his body to the left, helping me to turn me over so that I get back to a flying position, we can now see the ocean coming toward us at a dangerous speed. I open my wing and close my good tail fin, trying to glide on the air flows to slow down our fall. Hitting the water at this speed will certainly kill us. I can see the enormous waves continually destroying the flat surface of the oceans like if a big sea dragon was jumping out of the water each time. I do my best to adjust my wings to the unstable winds to continue gilding but in the end, it's useless. Without the ability to gain altitude, we'll fall in the water. Another lightning appears not far from us and his light illuminate something at our right. It's enormous and…rocky? A third lightning illuminates it again.
-An island, Hiccup screams.
He's right. Two hundred paws at our right, there is an island. I can't see is size or shape but I don't care. This is our chance. I lean my wings to the left, trying to glide on a downward airflow. When we are one hundred paws above the water, I abruptly turn to the right. Flapping my wings will only break my balance without my prosthetic so I keep them open, despite the pain the wind provokes, and my good tail fin closed. Without an air flow to keep us in the air, we quickly lose altitude. The island is getting closer, and closer and I have no way to control my landing.
-Hold on, I tell Hiccup just before we hit the ground.
I use my paws to try to jump on the ground but my movement isn't correctly coordinated with our speed and the second time we touch the ground end up with a crash. I feel Hiccup body leave my back before I roll on a rocky soil. Once I came to a stop, I groan before carefully standing up. My body aches a little but nothing seems broken or bleeding. Hiccup rejoins me, asking if I'm alright. He doesn't seem hurt either. A chance he jumped off my back otherwise my body could have crushed him. It's the advantage of having a certain prize list of crashes: you learnt how to do it correctly. I reassure him about my condition by purring and he calms down.
I wonder if the other found this island too. There is no way for us to find them now. A lightning breaks the sky again and almost make me squeak.
-We should find a shelter.
-Yeah, good idea.
Fighting against the wind and the rain, we start walk toward some kind of rock formation away from the ocean. An enormous wave then hit the rocky beach we crashed on. It takes some time, again it's impossible to say how much, but we arrive to our destination. After some research, we see a light piercing through the darkness. Intrigued, we follow it and discover a cave. Once inside, I shake myself to get ride of the water on my scale.
-Oh Toothless, Hiccup complains after receiving the water I ejected.
-HICCUP, TOOTHLESS.
We look at the end of the cave to see Fishlegs running toward us.
-Oh thanks Thor, we were so worried, he adds.
While Hiccup talk with them, Meatlug rejoins me and jump around each other before I rub my head with her's. None of them seems to be hurt which relieve me.
-Glad to see you two are okay, she says. You nearly made us choke our tongue.
-I would have preferred to avoid it, believe me, I respond. And you? Where are the others?
-We are fine. After you fell, we tried to find you and Hiccup in the water. This is how we found this island and the cave. Owen and Falla returned into the storm while Fishlegs and I lighted a fire in case it could help others find us. We were about to try searching on the island.
As we all walk toward the fire at the end of the cave, I see that it is big enough for ten dragons of medium size to move inside. Hiccup kneels in front of the fire in order to dry himself.
-None of you were hurt, Meatlug asks.
-Just a rough landing, nothing to worry about.
I'm about to ask if she has news from Falla since she left when I hear something land in front of the cave. We all turn to see Falla and Owen enter the cave all wet. Sadly, no one else is with them but I'm happy to see them alright.
-You're safe, Falla exclaims before rejoining us.
We happily rub our head together while Owen also greets us with eagerness.
-Did you find any traces of the others, Hiccup asks him.
-No sorry. The storm is now too strong, going out would be too dangerous.
-We couldn't even go far from the island without risking getting lost, Falla adds to me and Meatlug.
I sigh. At least they tried, all we can do now is hope that our friends found somewhere to shelter. We all gather at the end of the cave where the humans remove our bags from our saddles and empty them, disposing everything around so their material and objects that need it can dry. Hiccup takes the opportunity to replace my destroyed prosthesis by our replacement.
-Yuck, it doesn't smell good, Falla says after sniffing the remaining of my destroyed prosthesis before Hiccup put it with the rest.
Our riders them remove their wet clothes before sitting against us around the fire. Falla and I cover our riders completely with our wings since they don't have anything on their body protecting them from the cold. Fishlegs, however, have to use some blankets since Meatlug wings are too small to cover him. They quickly start fall asleep while we look at the entry of the cave where the hurricane is still raging. A lightning hit the ground next to the entry of the cave, startling us.
-We should try to sleep, I propose. We'll need our strength to search the others tomorrow.
-You know I can't sleep when I'm worried, Meatlug says, or happy or sad or angry. Fishlegs is sleeping and I don't want to wake him just so he can sing one of his lullabies.
I look at Falla and she seems a little annoyed just like me.
-You know, she then says to Meatlug, I know how to keep your mind occupied. An enigma. Do you want to try it?
-An enigma?
-Yes, listen. My muscles relax and my eyes are heavy. My breath is slow and low. If you want to find me, you must repeat me. Who am I?
My muscles relax and my eyes are heavy? My breath is slow and low? If you want to find me, you must repeat me? I look at Falla questionably but she rolls up her lips, a way of saying no. I hear Meatlug repeat the riddles continuously. Times passes while I lick my front paws to get rid of the dirt on it. The fire decreased a little when Meatlug yawns, which make me also yawns, and she finally falls asleep. Falla yawns too before putting her head on her paws and closing her eyes.
-Wait, I call and she opens one eye. The enigma, what is the answer?
-No idea. I just made it up to trick Meatlug.
-You invented it to make her fall asleep, I ask to which she responds with a purr.
-This is mischievous, I add smiling.
She smiles too before closing her eyes again. I do the same, letting the sleep come to me.
Hiccup's POV
When I open my eyes, the only thing I can see is a black membrane. I move a little and the membrane gently rise up, revealing the head of Toothless who greet me with a gentle grunt.
-Morning bud, I say standing up and stretching my muscles before the cold air makes me shudder.
Toothless does the same behind me before shaking himself.
-Okay everyone, I call, it's time to get up. Fishlegs, Owen, we need to go find the others.
They and their dragons slowly wake up while I walk toward Toothless saddles at my right. Arranged all around are the different things I brought. I start by taking my clothes that are now dry and put them on before storing the rest inside the bags of Toothless saddle. At least the rain cleaned us a little but I must remember to take a bath when I'll have the occasion. I put the saddle back on Toothless, attaches the straps on his belly and push on it to make sure it is correctly attached. Owen is finishing preparing himself so I leave the cave with Toothless to see on what kind of island we are. The sky is masked by an thick layer of grey clouds. In front of the cave, a large open space that gives on the ocean where Toothless and I crashed last night. The beach is made of rock and far away on the right, there is the beginning of a forest.
Meatlug is eating some rocks in front of us while Fishlegs put her saddle on her back. It makes me realize that we didn't eat mush last night. If we could all eat rocks like her…euh, with some reflections, I don't think I'll like it. Right now, we need to make sure the others are not hurt or worse. I instantly stop images of Astrid or my friends drowning in the ocean that tries to invade my mind and chose to focus on what happened to us since we left Berk. This trip has become more dangerous and unpredictable than I expected. And why didn't we find this Night Island or whatever place where the Night Fury live yet? It's like something doesn't want us to learn the truth about them. I turn around to look at the cave and notice an enormous mountain above us, about the same size than the one on Berk. Behind it, there are four other mountains also of the same size.
-Hum. This island is bigger than most island we found in this region, Fishlegs comments. How big do you guys think it really is?
-I think the bigger the better, Owen intervenes leaving the cave with Falla. It would mean that the chances the others landed here are greater.
-Maybe, I say clinging to hope. It's worth the try. Let's go.
We climb on our dragons and fly above the forest but not high or fast so we are able to see the ground clearly. From where we are, I can see that the island has the form of a quarter of a moon. We were on the southern extremity who has a triangular shape. The other extremity is rounded and covered by a forest that ends up separating on the left side, where we are flying, giving way to the four mountains that extend on all the remaining length. It's impossible to see the other side of the island from where we are but I think it is approximately four times longer than Berk.
-Maybe each of us should go on his way, Owen proposes while we're passing the second mountain. Like this, we could find the others quicker.
-Guys look, Fishlegs screams before I can respond to Owen..
Following his finger, I see a small beach made of sand where several dragons and humans are moving. It's them, it's our friends. We found them, and they weren't this far from where we camped. What chance we have. Our dragons quickly dive toward them, roaring. Our friends on the ground look at us, their dragons roar in return. As soon as Toothless lands, I get off his back and runs toward Astrid.
-Thanks Thor, you're alright, I say before she hugs me.
-Yes and you, she asks.
-We're all okay, I answer hugging her back.
We then turn my attention to the others. The dragons are running and jumping all around, greeting and reassuring each other in their own ways. The twins and Snotlout are also alright. After talking a little with them, I notice the presence of Drago sitting in the sand with a disgusted expression on the face.
-Did he caused you guys any trouble during the storm, I ask.
The dragons look in my direction and the disappointment expression on Toothless and Meatlug it's clear as the sun. Falla is calmer than the others about Drago even if she seems distrustful of him.
-Not really once Hookfang convince him to shut up after he lost his gag, Snotlout answers.
Drago, like always, ignore our discussion about him but he doesn't seem to be comfortable.
-Good, I say. Does someone have any idea where we are?
I could have asked this question to Drago, since he told us he is from this region but he isn't really cooperative and I don't trust him.
-Maybe we could ask to the peoples that lives here, Tuffnut proposes.
I turn to see him standing on a rock facing the forest that separates us from the mountains.
-I don't think this island is habited Tuff, I tell him.
-Then who build this?
He points to the third mountain who is situated at our left. On the facade facing the ocean, there is something and it doesn't seem natural. Fishlegs takes his spyglasses from Meatlug saddle to get a better look at the thing.
-What the…, he says shocked. You need to see this Hiccup.
He gives me his spyglasses and I use it to look at the thing on the mountain. I gasp when I see what it is. Carved in the rock of the mountain, there is a statue. A statue representing a Night Fury.
Oh oh. Are you guys intrigued? Happy?
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Until next time.