( An explanation for a almost three-week absent is probably best, there are actually four things that have put me off schedule.)
Writers Block: The worst disease for writers, can happen at anytime, and with no ready cure.
Computer Problems: A problem that can happen to anyone, luckily (and hopefully) thanks to a new virus scanner uploaded into my PC this will not be a problem any longer.
All Hallows Eve: Decorations, Candy, and being the person that made a costume this year instead of buying one.
October in general: For those who read "Secrets To The Grave" know I had a 'September Rant', yeah, I've forgotten that October is worst. Why ? Because this is the month they try to cram all they can in you in schools due to having a week off the next month and two weeks off the month afterwards.
(But in MUCH BETTER news, I've GOTTEN AN EDITOR FOR THIS STORY YAY ! I'm really happy about it, because having an editor really helps me make my material better and helps me grow.)
(With that said, and all my rambling you'll probably skip anyway done, let us begin again)
Cassandra put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, Astrid's eyes widened with fear, Hiccup's entire body shook. But Jolene, her face was unreadable. For those few dreadful moments, time stood still for the group. But once those few moments ended, Cassandra, Jolene and Astrid rushed into action, the only one who still stayed trapped in silence was Hiccup.
He was shocked and disgusted by what he saw. Halden looked pitiful. His tunic was a shade darker due to being drenched with sweat, dark circles colored under his closed eyes, his shaggy hair drapped down, with small drops of sweat dripping off the ends. Hiccup could hardly believe this was the same sarcastic, nervous, yet fun-loving guy he met just a few days ago.
Cassandra put a soft hand on her brother's fore-head, it was wet and sticky with sweat. She took hold of his chin and shook his head.
"Halden?"
No movements.
"Halden!" She raised her voice.
Hiccup felt his hands shudder at the lack of movement coming from the teen across from him. Taking a closer look, Astrid was right, Halden did resemble him, at least a little bit, and just staring at him now, Hiccup couldn't help but receive mind-made images of himself as a lifeless body himself.
Astrid stopped trying to pick the lock holding his left wrist to draw her attention to the younger girl and her brother. Cassandra looked up to her with sad eyes and blue met blue.
She gave one rapid glance at Jolene, her cruel green eyes stayed focused on fiddling with the lock holding Halden's right wrist, not meeting anyone's gaze, and once again, everything seemed to have been frozen in time. The air was thick, and fear clinged to every soul.
"Is. . .is he. . you know?" Stargazer asked.
Toothless shook his head. "I'm not sure?"
Rosefly flew to Cassie's shoulder. "Cassie I'm sorry."
Astrid stood back up, trying to keep her head high. "Cassandra, Jolene, I think it's time we-
"Ugmm?"
Her sentence was cut off short by a groan.
Voices were foggy in his already ringing ears, and he could vaguely feel the touch of another on his chin. The nightmares had been bad enough, but adding to the fact of no food or water and being trapped in suffocating heat that only seemed to be growing stronger, sweltering on his body, it was just unbearable.
Now in his heat exhausted state, Halden began to fear on whether or not he was hearing things.
Taking a chance, the young viking slowly opened his eyes and allowed a raspy groan to escape his mouth. The immediate sounds of gasps filled his hearing and obscure images started to shift into comprehensible shapes of people around him. Halden felt his chin being lifted once again and his aqua green eyes met a brighter blue.
His first guess was his mom, but once he blinked and allowed his eyes to gain back focus, Halden could see her features were younger, and her hair flowed lose around her shoulders instead of the braid he was accustomed to see in his mother.
She gave a quick nod, and turned her head to the satchel around her waist, unhooking a small canteen from it and positioning it towards his mouth.
"Here". She spoke softly with a voice soft and sweet to his ears, of course any voice would be better than the taunting of his captor and the snorting of his dragon. Halden opened his mouth slowly, allowing his sister to pour the liquid in.
Strange. It didn't taste like water, well it did, but not entirely. The liquid in Halden's mouth definitely had the clear taste of water, but something else as well. Something with a taste he could only describe as between oranges and lime, citrusy, like something Trader Yohan would have picked up from other islands.
Almost immediately, as the drink quenched his dehydrated throat, Halden could feel strength returning to him. Energy began to buzz once again in his veins, his heart pumping faster and he could feel this sudden rush in his body. His eyes perked up, he sat up right, and could now focus his brain on what was happening around him.
"Cassandra?"
She nodded but was automatically interrupted by another voice.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty." Jolene answered with dry sarcasm.
"Jolene." Halden acknowledged, she gave a simple nod for response, and began once again her pick with the lock as though her brother's possible death just a few moments ago never even happened.
"Just give me a minute and we'll get you out of here." She commented, but never took her eyes off the lock.
Halden nodded. "Good. . . .NO WAIT DON'T!" He shrieked suddenly, his once calm eyes grew wild and afraid, making the other three take a few steps back due to the outburst.
Both Hiccup and Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, all we have to do is pick the lock, find the Mastilla and bolt." Astrid explained, putting her hands on her hips. "Sounds pretty simple to me".
"Except he doesn't have the Mastilla." Halden explained.
"WHAT ?" Astrid yelled immediately, quickly angered to have traveled so far and to go through such trouble to get there, she grabbed the collar of his tunic to have him meet her gaze. "What are you talking about?" She demanded.
Cassandra and Hiccup saw Jolene about to grab her ax and quickly grabbed both her arms.
"Astrid!" Hiccup said sternly. "Let him explain".
Astrid let go of his tunic and walked back to Hiccup, whilst Jolene eyed her carefully. Halden nodded to Hiccup and mouthed a "thanks" before continuing.
"That's why he needs me, apparently when messing with the time-collar, he lost the Mastilla and needs my help because he doesn't know how to reverse what he did, if I leave, our only chance of getting it back and your-".
He looked up at Hiccup and Astrid. "Only chance of getting back home." The teen finished.
The tension in the room made the air around them thick, all were lost in thought and bewilderment.
Until it was all shattered by the sound of a laugh.
All eyes turned to Jolene who gave a soft chuckle at the story.
"WHAT is so funny about this!" Astrid commanded through clenched teeth.
Jolene gave a smirk, and cleared her throat. "Sorry, it's just amusing to finally see 'Chief Perfect' here- "
She gestured to Halden before re-crossing her arms. "Finally do something wrong."
"This isn't funny Jolene, how are we going to get home?" Hiccup asked, clearly not amused and puzzled by this sudden change in Jolene's persona.
Jolene rolled her eyes. "Look, I came here to get my brother, if getting home is the problem, why not go to the one who invented the collars in the first place, I'm surprised Cassie hasn't taken you to him yet."
Everyone turned to Cassie. "I was just told to help keep you guys under the radar remember, Halden was the one that brought you here."
"But we are NOT going to the inventor." Halden stated.
Astrid scowled. "Look here dragon boy!" She started. "I have flown across the Mediterranean of Misery to a Fireworm infested island, gone through secret passages, and walked across a lava river, just to get home and if there's someone here who can help us, then I'm going." Astrid stated.
Hiccup took Astrid's arm and led her back to him. "What Astrid is trying to say is that, we've gone through a lot of trouble to get here and we just want to get home, so if we visit this inventor maybe he can. . .
Halden cut him off and shook his head. "NO nonononono no you don't understand, if you go to him, he'll tell my parents, and if they find out I brought people here from the past ! They'll bury me alive and dance on my grave, I'm NOT exaggerating!"
Everyone, including the dragons gave him the look of "really, you expect us to believe that?"
"Okay so maybe I am exaggerating?" Halden said sheepishly. "But that's not the point, besides-"
Halden grew a sly smile. "If I'm going down-" He glanced to his sister. "I'm taking you both down with me."
Halden had said the magic words, Hiccup could see both the sisters's shoulders tense up and Jolene give a crude snarl to her brother.
"You wouldn't." She spat, though it sounded less as of a question and more of a threat for him.
Her brother's smile grew wider.
"Try me."
Any warmth or brightness drained from Jolene's eyes and now turned more ferocious and intense, like that of a hunter eyeing it's prey, ready to kill.
"Fine." She crossed her arms. "So we're just stuck then."
The troublemakers stared wide-eyed and greedily at the large box filled to the brim with several different shaped tubes and boxes with strings on the ends, ready to be ignited into bright sparks of light.
But Ruff and Tuff looked unimpressed, just a few minutes ago they helped their future descendants steal a box of fireworks from the forge, while Crash, Crush and Mallene distracted Gobber, they were to go in from the back and take the box and it became a easy success.
"Really, this is what we worked for?" Ruffnut asked. "I feel cheated."
"No wait !" Tuffnut argued. "Maybe their like dragon eggs, and they'll blow up in a few seconds." The male twin sat down beside the box, and peered his eyes into it, staring at it with such intensity. For several minutes he stayed still, focused on the box.
"Give it time." He told.
Several minutes later.
"Uh. . .what was I doing again?" He asked confused.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Being stupid as usual."
"Ohhhh. . .that makes sense."
"Fireworks are pretty simple." Mallene explained, grabbing one of the round tubes. "You need fire to make it work, for example-" She snapped her fingers and threw the tube in the air, automatically her dragon blew a small flame at the end of the string attached to it.
"Wait for it." She whispered, taking a few steps back.
The fire sparked and sizzled as it burned the string away and grew closer to the end of the firecracker. The crackling and sizzles made a steady tempo that roared louder the closer the sparkling flame approached faster to the tip of the explosive.
"What are we waiting for?" Tuff whispered, only to have his sister punch him in the gut.
"Oof." He winced. Ruffnut hissed at him. "Quiet idiot."
The string was becoming shorter and shorter, and once the flame finally reached the end, the entire tube started to shake and bounce, instinctively making the group circling the object to take a good many steps back. Abruptly, before they knew it, jittering and rattling, the rocket had shooted into the sky with a loud whizz, covered in flame several feet above the ground.
"Wooow, I bet it can see our house from up there." Tuffnut commented.
"That's not even the best part." Maller added. "Look."
The sparkler went higher and higher up until finally-
"BOOM"!
Soaring high enough into the sky, the firework exploded into dozens of tiny purple sparks above them, and transpiring into the wind.
As the noise died down and all the small flames burned out in the air, all was quiet. It was several minutes before the silence was shattered.
"That. . .was. . .AMAZING, it was AWESOME, it. .it. . was AMAZASOME!" Tuffnut yelled astounded.
"So wait, wait, wait a minute, in the future, we invent EXPLODING FIRE!" Ruffnut continued.
Maller shrugged. "Pretty much."
Ruffnut rushed and sprang for the box with eager eyes.
"If that's what just one of these can do-" She started filling her arms with as many as they could fill. "What should you say would happen with more of these around Berk?"
A simper crafted itself onto each of her companions.
They all shouted in unison.
"TO THE VILLAGE!"
Whisla Ingerman could be found pacing left and right near the Great Hall, stroking bits of her blonde hair, nervously and anxiously waiting for her new friend to come out.
"He should be fine." She thought to herself. "Hiccup is an understanding man. . .but Astrid. . . "
Back and Forth
Back and Forth
So lost in thought that she didn't even notice a rock had reached under her foot until-
"WOAH!" She slipped off the stone and landed squarely in the bushes planted by the side of the Great Hall.
"HEY WATCH IT WILL YA?"
Whisla wiggle her way out of the bushes to find a head poke out of them.
"Jorgenson!" Whisla said surprised.
Kiki's head was poked out of the bush, her braid tangled, crunched leaves in her hair, strands of them sticking out and bits of dirt on her cheek. Her face was clearly of annoyance as she rolled her eyes at the blonde. "No duh, you know for the supposed 'smartest girl in Berk' you're none too bright".
Whisla snarled. "What are you doing here anyway Kiki?"
Kiki huffed. "What do you think?" She pulled her arm out of the bush to show a glass in her hand. "I'm trying to figure out what's going on in there."
Whisla's eyes widened in shock and she began to shift uncomfortably in her place. Kiki quickly put the pieces together and grew a cruel smile. "Let me guess, you want to hear?"
Whisla nodded.
"Well I guess I can give you access. . .for a price though." Kiki said.
The blonde crossed her arms. "Alright, how about you let me listen and I won't tell you're dad that you were eavesdropping instead of where you've no doubt lied to him where you were going."
Kiki sneered. "Guess you're more clever than I thought Ingerman."
Whisla gave a shrug and made her way down into the bush, trying to avoid the roots and ignoring the leaves and branches scratching on her sleeves, both put their ears up to the glass against the wall to hear any sound.
"Okay we're clear on the plan?" Maller said.
"Yeaaah, wait. . .what plan again?" Tuffnut asked.
"Oy vay." She grumbled.
"WE DID IT, WE. . .DID. . .IT!"
Tuffnut and Ruffnut turned to find Crash and Crush running down towards them, half screaming, half panting.
"We hid smaller fireworks all around the village." Crush explained.
"Yeah, at the forge, the bakery, by the well, near the-
"All right, all right, we get the picture." Maller said.
Maller looked to her cousins. "Crash, you take your dragon and go to the northeast of the village, Crush, you go to the village to start the smaller ones, I take the southwest and you two-" She pointed at the past generation. "Take the north of Raven's Point, first the largest fireworks, then the smaller ones."
"Um. . I hate to break it to you but there's one problem in your plan." Ruffnut mentioned. "A large fire breathing problem. . . or lack there of."
Mallene waved her hand. "Got that covered." The female cupped her hands together and began to screech and shriek, using the back of her throat she hissed and growled in a complicated pattern of noises and sounds.
Soon enough came once again the beat of wings and a zippleback could be seen landing towards them.
"You taught me this trick when I was little in case something were to happen." She explained.
"You mean we can just take them, just like that?" Tuffnut asked excitedly.
Maller shrugged. "Who better to trust your dragon with, than yourself?"
Ruff and Tuff went towards their proper heads and petted them. Barf and Belch both purred at the contact and allowed their (now younger) riders to climb aboard them. Mallene smiled and started shifting through the large box of fireworks. She grabbed the biggest ones, large enough that she had to use both hands to carry each one, and handed them to every individual.
"Now when I give the signal, you blast them, got it?" She asked.
The others nodded.
"Good." Maller grinned and boarded Shriker. "Now it's time to Blow. Berk. Away."
"Quick shoving!"
"You quick shoving."
"I'm only shoving because you're shoving!"
"Well if we both keep shoving, we won't hear anything." Whisla hissed.
"Shh shh shhh." Kiki shushed. "Listen."
The two teenage girls quieted their quarreling and pushed their ears up to the glass.
"You don't look very similar."
"What did he say?" Kiki asked.
"Shhhhhhh." Whisla quieted her. "I'm listening".
"He's adopted."
"Adopted?" Kiki repeated questionably at the voice.
Mallene looked from her location at the busy daily lives of her people and smiled. "This will surely put some fire into their day." Looking down at the dragon she was sitting on, she spoke. "Are you ready boy?" The dragon nodded.
"Alright then."
"What are they saying now ?" Kiki asked.
"Right now the chief is just introducing himself to them." Whisla whispered.
"And?" The brunette said impatiently.
"And now Miss Astrid is threatening them." Whisla commented.
Kiki scoffed. "Well knowing her that's not real surprising."
Fishlegs's future daughter couldn't help but giggle at the extremely true comment.
"Go on, go on." Kiki persisted. "What else are they saying."
Whisla rolled her eyes. "Their saying -
She paused. "Kiki. . .do you hear something?"
"I hear you're talking and. . . wait. . yeah I do. . .like some kind of sizzling sound." She tried to describe.
Both paused, now searching around, the two could see that several of the other townsfolk had halted at their tasks to listen to the sounds.
At first it was just a small frizzing noise, but was soon continued by a pattern of crackles and pops that only seemed to be growing louder with every breath they took.
Louder and louder.
It was a though the entire isle of Berk was now in trance, silently listening to the disturbing noises penetrating through the air. But this silence was soon destroyed with a high pitch squeal of a firecracker shooting up into the air. The viking tribe looked up at the sky as it exploded into several shiny orange sparks of life.
Now the village started to relax, and even the younger village children squealed with delight over the small display. In fact most now had attention glued to the remaining bits of light the firework left off. So much so that no one noticed a Crush Thortson take out a match from his pocket, put it under a vendor cart-
-and run like mad away from it.
In just a matter of seconds, the squealing sound of the fireworks going off reached them again, only this time near the middle of the plaza, near several civilians and their dragons !
Astounded, people dashed away from the smoldering remains of the cart. But the dragons, now spooked, roared with anger, and began breathing fire for defense against the foreign objects. Back when Hiccup had came about the discovery of these items in travel, he had it noted to show them one at a time and at good distance from the dragons in understanding of their sensitive animal instinct.
This was a fact that never came to mind to the twins or their descendants.
Now in attack and defend mode, the dragons began shooting fire loosely and flying in disordered directions in panic. This fire inevitably igniting the many other fireworks Crush and Crash had hidden around the village. The sounds of exploding fireworks, mixing in with the racket of clammers and bangs of destruction produced by the dragons rampage, and the screams and shouts of the villagers, made a Hell music.
With most of the project completed, the twins and their descendants flew up and perched at one of the less chaotic areas to examine their work.
"Wow!" Ruffnut breathed. "I'm not sure what to say".
Tuff held back a tear of joy. "This, is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He choked.
They sat in complete admiration for their plan. "C'mon!" Ruffnut encouraged. "Let's get a closer look."
A thirty-eight year old Ruffnut was peacefully walking back from the docks when the sound of fireworks caught her ears. At first she was just as enthused as everyone else, that is until it turned from a trickle to a pour of firecracker bursts.
When ever chaos ensued on the island, the first guess was always the Thortsons family, so once this masterpiece of chaos arrived, most knew who they were going to blame, and true to all guesses, a zippleback could be seen gliding down lower in the midst of the catastrophe.
Now Ruffnut glared, she shouldn't had been surprised, but none the less angry with her nephews. When her eye caught the sight of the two-headed dragon, she marched over to where it landed.
"Crash and Crush Thortson, you two are going to be in. . ."
Her voice trailed off, these two weren't her brother's sons and this wasn't their zippleback!
The younger Ruff and Tuff looked straight back at her then back at each other, now realizing the danger of their situation, they mouthed in unison.
"Uh Oh." With that they took off.
"HEY GET BACK HERE!" Adult Ruff yelled. "SOME ONE CATCH THOSE TWO!"
"Uh. . .sis, you don't look too happy back there." Tuffnut commented.
"No duh mutton head." Younger Ruffnut replied with a smack to his head. "Now come on, we have to lose her. . .or me ?"
When their interrogation was interrupted and both future Astrid and Hiccup ran outside, Snotlout saw his chance, grabbing a hold of Fishlegs's hand and practically dragged him out of his chair.
"C'mon, now's our chance." He said.
Fishlegs, at first resistant, caved in and followed Snotlout outside.
The village looked like a war-zone, vikings were either running away or trying to wrestle and rangle the dragons down, barrels, boxes and other spare items were scattered around the cobblestones and smoke covered the plaza in result of the fireworks.
"Are you guys alright ?"
Fishlegs and Snotlout turned to Whisla and Kiki, facing them expectantly.
"We're fine thanks, what happened here?" Fishlegs tried to ask.
"It doesn't matter what happened." Snotlout interjected. "What matters is that we need to go now, like right now."
"Go ?" Whisla asked. "Why?"
"Need a lift?"
A zippleback came into the four's view. "Ruff ! Tuff ! You are a sight for sore eyes!" Fishlegs exclaimed, climbing onto Barf's neck.
"HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?" Kiki screeched.
Tuffnut shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, ask the writer."
"I SAID NO FOURTH WALL BREAKING"
"Look we need to get out of here!" Snotlout persisted, climbing aboard Belch. "How fast can this thing go?"
The twins shared a lop-sided grin. "You better hold on." Ruff said.
"WAIT!" Whisla and Kiki shrieked, but in seconds the dragon was up in the air.
(Yeah, if you haven't noticed yet, there are some elements I had promised for this chapter missing, but I intended this one to be much longer, but I've already passed my 3,000 word limit for this chapter, so I couldn't fit them all in. With Halloween over, breaks coming up, computer fixed, plus having a GREAT editor, expect updates more frequently my friends. Read and Review and this is Moonlight Snowflake signing off)