...yeah...I have no excuse. Life has just suuuuucked recently. Like oh-my-God-I-have-no-idea-what-gets-me-out-of-bed-in-the-morning level of suck. Long story, not gonna go into it, idk if this thing will continue much longer but hey I thought I'd finish this chapter while I still had it so here ya go :)
Chapter 29
It wasn't going to end like this. Not if Jack had anything to say about it. Jumping from the rooftop, he slashed his staff through the air and sent a large and bright spark of frost, curving as it moved towards Stoick. The frost got thicker, leaving a sparkling trail of ice and frost behind it, moving quickly to cut right through the dark arrow that Pitch had sent. The sand disintegrated, turning into small particles right before it hit the Chief.
The Chief, tense as he was, watched the sand fall to his feet in wonder. He looked over to see the Guardian of Fun land on the balls of his feet, bending his knees and leaning down to prop himself up on his free hand with his other arm stretched out, holding his staff tight. But knowing that Pitch wasn't one to give up so quickly and easily, he looked back to the Nightmare King, glaring at the man who had the gall to take the first shot.
But Pitch had other ideas in mind. He was looking right at Jack when Stoick looked back at him, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled to himself. "Well, I must say it's about time," Pitch spoke before looking back to the Chief. "If you don't mind, the real fun has decided to show up so I think this is the part where I ignore you. Be a good boy and stay out of my way, won't you?" The Nightmare King held his hands behind his back as the sand began to collect underneath him, picking him up and moving him towards the rest of the Guardians that still stood on the rooftop. But before he could get more than a few feet off of the ground, he saw an arrow fly right in front of his head; its tip just missing his nose by just an inch.
The tall man looked at the Chief, seeing another, slightly shorter, man with dark hair and small helmet, pointing his bow and new arrow right at him. "I take it you're not finished lecturing me then?" he asked.
"Not by a long shot," answered Stoick, doing nothing to stop the man next to him from taking the next shot. "Now if you don't mind, I think we were in the middle of something?"
"Yes, I believe we were," Pitch admitted, "but if you don't mind I believe I have much more important things to do with my time that waste it on you so if you'll excuse me," Pitch snapped his fingers, roaring and snarling coming from the shadows, small as they were. At first, the bright eyes that appeared were that of only a few Dark Nadders, standing triumphant as they surrounded the crowd and made sure they knew their place. But, as quickly as they appeared, they started to shake, trembling as if something inside them was vibrating at an uncontrollable speed. These vibrations soon tore them apart, splitting them in two, the halves taking their own form and creating multiple dragons to ward off the humans. "I've got some business to attend to," Pitch went on before he continued his ascension, looking to where the Guardians had once stood.
However, to his slight surprise, and in a way even a bit of pleasure seeing as now he was about to play a little game of Hide-and-Seek, none of the Guardians were there. All of them were gone. He chuckled, his shoulders shaking as his hands moved to his side, swinging a little as he looked around for any sign of his foes. Like a cat looking for the mice, Pitch stayed still and kept his eyes open for any sign of the Guardians, knowing that wherever they were they were making sure to keep their eyes on Pitch just the same.
"I haven't got all day you know!" he called out, though not really expecting any kind of response from the other five Immortals. "Is this really how you wanted this to go? Hiding and trying to get the drop on me?" He turned around, making sure to check every rooftop or corner as he floated on the single small cloud. He chuckled again, shaking his head before he looked at the Viking's. "Very well. You want to play our little game this way? Fine by me. But I hope you don't mind if I raise the stakes."
The Nightmare King stretched out his arm, pointing his hand towards the huddled group of Vikings. "Go have some fun!" he shouted to the dragons, clenching his hand into a tight fist and sicking them on the Vikings as if they were a pack of wild dogs moving in for the kill.
The Dark Nadders roared, some even screeched, as they all ran for the mortals, their spikes springing out in order to prepare for the kill. But Stoick, as was the rest of his people that faced the battle with him, was ready. They charged right back at the dragons, shouting their war cries and brandishing their weapon of choice above their head.
Hiccup and Toothless watched from the rooftop, the brunet's eyes fixed solely on his father as he ran for the oncoming dragon. The Chief jumped and rolled out of the way of the dragon's swinging tail, which he quickly sliced off with his ax before moving to do the same with its wing, and just as quickly, its head.
The other Vikings had similar luck. Muscle memories seemed to kick in, helping them get rid of the nasty Nadders as if those years ago fighting off those late night attacks were merely yesterday.
But Pitch knew better than to let a few Nadders take care of the job. He barely moved his finger before more dragons started to run for the Vikings, Nadders and Gronckle's and Zippleback's, even Nightmares, all swarmed the group.
This was it. The battle they had so greatly desired had now began.
Pitch watched the chaos ensue for only a minute, knowing there were far more important things to attend to. If he knew the Guardians well, and he knew he did, they wouldn't hesitate to help out the Vikings in their time of need. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he said to himself, looking for the Guardians.
But the Guardians, who hadn't split up as Pitch had thought, stayed together as a group, hiding behind a shack as they watched the fight take place.
"We've got to do something," Jack spoke up, shuffling his staff in his hand as he anxiously waited for North to give them the green light to join the battle. Of course, he didn't really need such permission, but it would save him the earful later, not to mention North was more tactful when it came to battle strategies. "What's the plan?"
North looked at Pitch, carefully at that, then back to the fight. They could only go after one or the other. Despite what Stoick might think or even say, they didn't stand much of a chance against an army that had endless and unlimited resources. But if they took care of Pitch, they took care of everything. All of the problems and troubles would go away. He anxiously fidgeted, his fingers twitching as he looked at the ground and thought it over. "Alright, here's what we do," he said as he looked to the rest of the group, "we help the people. Stop as many dragons as you can."
"And Pitch?" asked Tooth.
"We wait. Wait until you see an opening. If you have even a second to get a hit, you get it. We fight both battles now, yes?"
"Sounds good to me!" Jack said before jumping on top of the roof.
"We'll cover more ground if we split up!" Bunny added as he tapped his large foot on the ground, a hole quickly appearing in front of him. "Stay safe!" he shouted before he jumped down the hole, appearing on the other side of the battle. He twirled his boomerangs in his hand before throwing them at a Zippleback that was otherwise completely unaware of his presence. Catching the returning weapon, Bunny looked to glare at Pitch. Viking's or not, his goal was to get to Pitch whatever the cost.
The Pooka moved to hop on top of a nearby house, ready to jump at the Boogieman, but a growl soon took his attention. He looked to his left to see a Gronckle, barely balancing itself on a rooftop next to him. "G'day mate. Come for a chat, have ya?" he asked before throwing both of his boomerangs at the dragon, only to have him slip and fall off of the roof, just barely missing the wooden weapons. As he caught himself, flying and hovering just a few feet above the ground, Aster let out a little growl of his own, not even looking up as he3 locked eyes with the creature and grabbed his weapons before they could clock him in his head. "Lucky one, you are," he commented before the dragon roared, flying towards Aster as he readied itself to fire at the Immortal. But Aster, being far more quick on his feet than a Gronckle, easily evaded the blast and jumped high into the air and slammed the arch his boomerang into the back of the Dark Dragon, knocking it down for a moment and giving him ample time to finish the job.
With one quick motion, he took both of his boomerangs and stabbed them into the back of the dragon, dragging them through its hide and out of the dragons head. As the dust settled, Aster chuckled to himself. "Funny," he said to himself, "I thought your skin would be a little tougher than that. My mistake."
Meanwhile, both Sandy and North were handling a problem of their own. Cornered by two Zipplebacks, the Guardians tried to find any kind of opening for them to get through and attack them from behind. Sandy waved his hand, his second whip soon materializing in his hand. He cracked both whips at the dragons, all four of their heads ducking away from the attack only to quickly move back in front of the two Immortals. North smirked, chuckling to himself as he had an idea. "Sandy," he said, lowering his hand so his comrade could stand on it.
Sandy, knowing right away what North's plan was, stepped onto the large man's palm and braced himself. Being nearly as light as a feather, North effortlessly threw the small man high into the air, distracting the two dragons that stood before him. Holding his swords out, North ran for two of the heads, quickly chopping them off whilst Sandy tumbled over and over until finally he held out his whips and cracked them both right on the head of the second Zippleback, both the creatures being destroyed in mere seconds.
Tooth was doing just as fine as the rest of her team. Flying through the air and destroying whatever dragon came in her way. Ducking and rolling through the air in order to avoid the normal dragons that fought on her side, her wings sliced through dragon after dragon, laughing a little as she watched a Monstrous Nightmare try and fail to blast her out of the sky. "Is that all you got?!" she asked before it began to chase her. But Tooth, being the smaller and more agile of the two, took a quick and sharp turn around the dragon as it caught up to her, which she let happen, and soon flew right through its wing. The dragon fell, turning to a pile of dust as it hit the ground.
Jack on the other hand was being more precise in his attacks, doing the opposite of Tooth and staying in one spot for a few moments at a time, pointing his staff at any Dark Dragon he could get a shot at and firing off blast after blast of frost and ice. In his focus and determination however, he failed to notice the Monstrous Nightmare sneaking up on him from behind, crawling up to a rooftop and preparing to take its shot. But just as it opened its jaw and was ready to attack, a bright blast of purple light shot at the beast, causing it to burst and disappear until there was hardly a trace of it left. The Guardian turned around when he heard the shot, recognizing the sound of the blast as that of the Night Fury.
He looked over to Hiccup, still hiding in the same spot as he was last he saw him, both he and Toothless looking at Jack to make sure he was okay. Jack quickly flew over to the brunet. "You doing okay?" he asked.
Throughout the battle, Hiccup and Toothless took whatever shot they could at the dragons, fighting off however many they could. The more they helped, the quicker this thing would be over after all. "I guess," Hiccup answered, "As good as I can be anyways."
"Well, not gonna lie, so far we're…well, we're alive," Jack added, looking around the chaos and pandemonium.
But unbeknownst to the both of them, Pitch noticed the one blast that had saved Jack and watched him fly over to the Night Fury. On the one hand, he did already get what he wanted out of the dragon, but on the other, exacting revenge was always one of the Nightmare King's favorite hobbies. He stretched out his arms, readying himself to fire another arrow, this time right at the Guardian who had taken his prize from him the last they met. He let the arrow loose, holding still as he watched it fly for the Spirit of Winter.
But Toothless, ever the watchful one, saw the arrow flying for them the moment it was let loose. He quickly fired back, his plasma blast destroying the arrow without a second to spare. Jack turned to see what Toothless had fired at, soon taking notice of how Pitch was staring right at him, angrily at that. "Hiccup…you need to go."
"Jack, I can't go without-"
Pitch flew for the three of them, his sand swirling behind him as he made a straight bee line right for the trio.
"GO!" Jack shouted before he flew right for the Boogieman, holding his staff out to his side before he swung it at the tall and dark man, nearly blinding him with a bright white light of ice. "NOW!"
Pitch lowered his arm that shielded his eyes, blinking the spots away as he clenched his teeth and glared at the Guardian. "I've had just about enough of you," he spoke.
"The feeling's pretty much mutual if it makes you feel any better," Jack replied before he moved for the Nightmare King, swiping at him with his staff while Pitch used his hands to block any attack with one and send his own blast with the other.
Hiccup watched the two engage in combat, looking around the battle for any other place he might be useful. "We gotta get out of here, bud," he said to Toothless. "We're not safe up here anymore."
Toothless, agreeing with Hiccup, jumped down from the rooftop and flew for a safe spot just outside the battle but still close enough for them both to see the action.
"We gotta do something," Hiccup spoke as he stepped off of the dragon, being careful not to step out into the open and give himself away. But as he looked around the battle, taking note of how his dad was doing as he stood side-by-side with Gobber and some woman as they faced off against the dragons, he also watched how Jack was handling himself as he fought against Pitch himself. "Come on, Jack, come on," he mumbled.
Jack didn't go for any specific moves or special attacks in order to bring Pitch down. He simply wanted to beat him, hoping to weaken him fast and easy with attack after attack. This wasn't something he was going to let Pitch walk away from this time, not after what he did the last time he saw him.
"What? No sarcastic comment?" asked Pitch, blocking all of Jack's blows and retaliating with his own which Jack almost just as easily avoided. "No coy attitude? Are you feeling alright, Frost?"
"I'm feeling great big guy!" Jack answered. "But it's not me you should be worried about."
"You're right," Pitch affirmed, quickly backing away from Jack as he held his arms out to his side, his black sand soon swirling around him a circle that began to encompass him completely. "It's them."
Jack flew for the sand, moving through it as he tried to grab whatever part of Pitch he could. But he was too late. Pitch had gone. He looked behind him to see the sand disappear, Pitch nowhere to be seen. He clenched his free hand into a tight fist, looking around for any sign of the Boogieman. But when he saw nothing, despite his frustration, he knew he had to focus his anger elsewhere or else risk letting Pitch win. He went back to attacking the Dark Dragons, destroying as many as he could.
As Hiccup watched Jack fight off the dragons, he knew how he felt. He was angry for him, knowing that if they could take care of Pitch then all of this would be over that much sooner. His eyes scanned the ongoing battle, looking for any way the he and Toothless could help. But all of the Guardians seemed to be doing fine for now, his dad was safe; all-in-all, this fight seemed to be split right down the middle.
From behind the two friends, a Zippleback poked its head around the corner, noticing the two as easy targets. Both of the heads growled, Toothless noticing them and quickly turning around in order to defend his rider. Hiccup watched the two heads dance back and forth with Toothless, his fingers twitching as his mind raced with possible options to help the dragon ward off the Zippleback. Noticing a long, square plank of wood amongst the debris, he picked it up and held it out to his side, shuffling it in his hands before he swung it at the left head of the Dark Dragon. The Zippleback in its snake-like movements easily moved its head out of the way of Hiccup's swing, chuckling almost to itself at the Viking's show.
"Toothless…you can handle this one, right?" Hiccup asked his friend.
The Zippleback soon let out small bits of sand from its mouth, its other head getting ready to ignite the 'smoke'. Hiccup wondered what might happen if the Dark Zippleback tried to ignite its 'smoke', and he was beginning to grow worried that he might find out just a little too close for comfort. Toothless readied himself to fire, knowing this Zippleback should be an easy kill.
But just as Toothless went to blast away the dragon, aiming for its body where the two necks met rather than try to destroy each head individually, an ax made its way through one neck before it quickly took off the other in one swift motion. Hiccup stumbled back, catching himself on the side of the building as he was caught off guard by the surprise attack. He looked to whoever was holding the ax, unsure whether to be surprised or angry at who he saw.
"Could you have taken any longer or did you want that thing to eat you?" Snotlout asked his cousin as he twirled the ax in his hand. "You okay?"
"Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"Well you're shouting at me for doing something I totally did right, so I'm gonna guess you're doing just fine," Snotlout went on.
"That doesn't answer my question!" Hiccup continued, taking a step closer to the slightly smaller Viking. "I thought we told you to stay on the island!"
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you're not breaking the rules here either, Hiccup!"
"That's-that's beside the point!"
"How?"
"It just is!"
"Whatever. You're welcome by the way!" Snotlout said as he moved to walk past Hiccup, determined to get in on the action that was going on in the village.
But Hiccup wasn't about to let Snotlout walk away from this so easily. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
Snotlout turned to look back at Hiccup, clenching his fist tight as he tried to pull his wrist out of Hiccup's grasp. "I'm going to get my dragon back! What else?"
"Hookfang?" Hiccup exclaimed. "Snotlout, I told you we were going to get him back, didn't I?"
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Snotlout asked. "With all of this going on, tell me exactly, how do you plan on getting my dragon back?"
Hiccup was silent for a moment, looking at the anarchy and sighing in frustration, knowing that Snotlout had a point. "I don't know, okay? I don't know! But I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it!"
"Good luck with that," Snotlout said as he took his wrist back, peeking around the corner to try to get a better look over the fight.
"How did you even get here?" Hiccup asked.
"I hid on one of the ships. I got under this tarp and hid behind the weapon stash."
"And no one bothered to check under the tarp?"
Snotlout looked at Hiccup as if he should know better than to ask that. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dragon to save. And get yourself a sword or something, would you?!"
"Snotlout, wait! You gotta get out here!"
"Not without Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted back before he ran into the battle, crying out his family's battle cry as he ran straight for a Dark Nadder. "Snotlout! OY OY OY!"
Hiccup groaned, slamming his fist on the wall beside him. "Dammit!" he cursed before looking at Toothless. The dragon looked at Hiccup sympathetically, understanding his frustration with the other dragon rider. "I've got to try to stop him. He's going to get himself hurt. Or worse!" He stepped out from hiding, looking for anything he could use to defend himself beside the piece of wood. "You need to stay here, bud."
Toothless looked at Hiccup curiously, knowing that he must be joking. He cooed, trying to convince the Viking to think otherwise.
"I know it's dangerous, but I can't risk letting you get hurt. I'll be fine, just go hide somewhere, okay?" But Toothless insisted on staying with Hiccup, nudging him and not letting the brunet leave his sight.
Hiccup knew this was a argument he would never win, the dragon caring too much for him. "Alright, but stay close, got it?" he said as he held the sword tight and went after Snotlout, charging into the battle with determination.
Stoick was fighting off the oncoming swarm of Dark Dragons as best he could, taking note whenever he got a moment's chance to see how his men and women were doing. It seemed that with each dragon they destroyed, they took one of their own with them. Just feet from the steps of the Great Hall, a Nadder, its rider still on its back, fell with a cry of agony and pain as it hit the ground.
But the Chief had little time to react, the battle around him still ongoing and in need of his attention and focus. He swung his ax at any dragon that dared to come near him. But none of it mattered. He again had to remind himself who the real enemy here was; Pitch. Noticing the tall man on a rooftop, overseeing the battle as if it were a spectacle, a game to him, Stoick knew he had to take his shot while the Nightmare King was unaware of Stoick's position in the fight.
"Spitelout!" he said as he moved over to his brother. "Your bolas! Now!"
Spitelout quickly handed the Chief the weapon, who quickly twirled it in his hand as he tried to get a clear shot, trying to find a moment in-between the cries and blasts and shouts to get Pitch when he wasn't looking. When he finally got his opportunity, he threw the balls as hard as he could, watching them circle through the air as they were thrown towards the Boogieman's legs.
However, to Stoick's surprise and dismay, Pitch simply moved out of the way, as if he didn't even take a step but moreover simply glided out of the way without even so much as looking in Stoick's general direction. He looked down at the Chief and smiled, finding it amusing how the man still thought he stood any kind of chance against him. Sand collected itself under his feet and carried him down to confront Stoick, his hands placed behind his back as he kept his smile all the way down. "You're really quite funny, do you know that?"
"Yes. I'm a real riot," Stoick said before charging for the man with his ax.
But as Stoick went to chop of Pitch's head, the slender man materialized a sword in his hand and quickly blocked the attack, holding the hilt with both hands as he hooked the sword underneath the curve of Stoick's weapon. Chuckling to himself, Pitch spoke directly to Stoick, ignoring the battle around him. "You know, I seem to recall letting you know that this fight had nothing to do with you. And yet, here you stand. Why is that?"
"You took my home. What other reason do I need?"
Pitch scoffed. "You sound like a broken record," he said as he pushed against the Chief. "I gave you an opportunity to leave. You would have been wise to take it."
"Yet here I stand."
"Indeed you do. If it's a fight you want," Pitch jumped back from Stoick, holding his sword out to his side and letting its tip glide across the ground, "then by all means, enjoy it. I just hope you're prepared for its inevitable outcome."
With a loud roar, a Dark Gronckle seemed to burst forth from behind Pitch, leaping for Stoick with wide open jaws. Stoick tried to move out of the way, but the sudden shake from the dragon landing sent him to the ground. As he turned over, his ax still in his hand as he tried to stand up, Pitch moved to stand beside his pet with a small laugh, as if he knew that he had won right here, right now.
"Have you had enough yet?" he asked, right before a bright golden shimmer cracked at the Dark Gronckle and destroyed it, Pitch taking a small step back as he watched Sandy land in front of the Chief. "Well, I must say, it's taken you long enough, don't you think?" Pitch asked before he made a second sword appear in his other hand.
Sandy, not willing to put up with any of Pitch's games, sent his whip crashing down towards the Nightmare King, the two of them engaging one another with hit after hit. It wasn't long however until Sandy's whip caught itself around one of Pitch's swords and pulled it away from him, leaving the man with only one weapon to defend himself with.
Meanwhile, Stoick watched in confusion as Pitch fought off what appeared to be, well, nothing. Every now and then he could see small burst of gold sparks from Pitch's swords, but other than that, there was nothing.
"I guess I'll have to deal with you later, old man," Pitch spoke to Stoick before continuing his assault on Sandy.
Stoick, not quite understanding what was going on, decided it was best to focus himself on the battle he knew he could fight for now, and that was with the dragons. He gathered himself and went back to the battle, hoping that the Guardians were doing all that they could in order to help them.
Jack, destroying a Dark Nadder, looked around the battle in bewilderment. It seemed that no matter what he or the Guardians or anyone did, no matter how many dragons they destroyed, another copy would soon be there to take its place. Pitch really did seem to have an endless and unlimited army at his disposal. He wondered for a moment what he was doing to get such an army ready. Did he have to scan the dragons he had captured every once in a while? Did he have to keep his supplies fresh? What on Earth was he doing to them while he kept them on this island.
As he looked around the battle, hoping to see anything from his fellow Immortals, he noticed one Viking in particular that stood out amongst the rest. Not because of how they were fighting, but because of how different they were than the rest. The boy looked familiar, Jack having to take a second to recognize the boy as Hiccup's cousin; Snotlout. He flew down to the young Viking with the intention of asking him just what had gotten into his mind that would make him think it was safe for him there. But upon reaching him and seeing the boy run right through him as he called out for someone, Hookfang if he heard him correctly, he was reminded of how Hiccup and now Stoick were the only ones from Berk who could see him.
But, not too far behind him, he saw Hiccup and Toothless running after him, Hiccup moving through the battle carefully as he called out for his cousin to stop running. He flew for Hiccup, standing in front of him as he grabbed him by the shoulders and made him stop. "Hiccup! What are you doing out here?!" he asked him.
"It's Snotlout!" Hiccup answered, pushing past Jack and trying to keep up with his cousin. "He's looking for his dragon! I've got to stop him before he gets himself hurt!"
"You're not gonna help him that much if you're stuck out here yourself!"
"Thanks for the update!" Hiccup said as he continued running after Snotlout, Jack and Toothless right on his tail. But as they ran for Hiccup, from out of the shadows, a large and furious Dark Monstrous Nightmare came between them. As it readied to fire at Jack and Toothless, the Guardian quickly flew out of the way, holding his staff out in front of him as he blasted the Dark Dragon away, but just a moment too late.
Its blast went right for Toothless, who sent a blast of his own right at the dragon at the same time. Hiccup ran through the sand, his vision completely obstructed by the tiny particles as they seemed to float for a moment before they fell to the ground. When the sand finally cleared, Hiccup running through it as quickly as he could, Toothless was gone.
"Toothless?!" he called out, thinking his dragon had simply been pushed back by the blast. "TOOTHLESS!"
Jack looked around, hoping to find any kind of hopeful sign for the Night Fury, but had no such luck. "Hiccup!" Jack said as he flew down to the Viking. "I don't see him. I don't know where he went!"
"Well he couldn't have gotten far!" Hiccup replied, trying to remain optimistic. Just because Toothless couldn't fly on his own didn't mean in any way that he couldn't handle himself in a fight. "I gotta find him."
Jack looked around, continuing his search for the dragon, whereupon he found the hilt of a sword sticking out from a barrel. Quickly, he grabbed the weapon and handed it to the younger Viking. "Here! You probably need this!" Jack said as he gave the weapon to Hiccup.
The brunet took the sword, taking a second to get used to its weight by shuffling it in his hands.
"You sure you can handle that?" Jack teased.
"You'd be surprised. Now help me find my dragon," Hiccup said as he went in search of the Night Fury, looking around every corner as he held the sword in front of him should another dragon wish to make a dramatic and surprise entrance like the last one did.
Jack did his part as well, even noticing Bunny and Tooth working in tandem to fight off both a Zippleback and a Nadder, standing back to back as they talked the other through their plans.
"I guess not much has changed in the last ten minutes, huh?"
"I wouldn't say that. A lot more of the island has been destroyed, probably a few more bones have been broken, but other than that, yeah, it's about the same."
Jack didn't bother trying to reply, noticing a familiar black shape on the crook of a rooftop just on the other side of the battle. "Is that him?" he asked Hiccup, pointing to the dark figure.
Hiccup narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the dragon, even trying to block what little bit of sun was shining through the clouds from his eyes. "It looks like him," he answered, "But how did he get all the way over-"
A large and mighty roar was heard behind them, a Dark Zippleback looking at the two of them as if they were easy targets.
But Jack knew better than to let them think they had the upper hand on someone like he and Hiccup. "I'll take the left one. You get the right one. Good?"
"Easy enough," Hiccup said before swinging the sword at the dragon, causing it to back off as it tried to find an opening to get the Viking when he was least expecting it.
Jack however being able to use his weapon as a bit of a firearm, had a little more luck when it came to warding off his own part of the two-headed dragon. Several small blasts emerged from the tip of his staff, each time the head of the dragon moving out of the way with swift and serpent like movements. "It's a lot harder than I thought."
"You get used to it," Hiccup said before running for the dragon, moving for where the neck met the body and giving it just a little nick with his blade, effectively causing the dark dragon to freak out and try to back away for a moment. Hiccup knew that if he were to strike, it would have to be now. The only thing worse than a dragon, and a Dark Dragon that worked for Pitch at that, was an angry Dark Dragon. He chopped off the head of the Zippleback, watching it fall to the ground like a piece of loose rope that piled on top of itself.
In its panicked state, Jack just as easily froze the second and final head of the Zippleback, watching it fall to the ground and shatter into several pieces whereas the rest fot he body started to fall apart into tiny fragments.
"Remind me again why you don't carry around a sword more often?" Jack asked Hiccup.
"It gets in the way," Hiccup said with a small shrug, looking back to where he saw Toothless last, taken aback a bit to see that he was now on a different rooftop several yards away. "TOOTHLESS!" he called out, hoping to get the attention of his friend.
"Can he even hear you?" Jack asked, hoping Hiccup wouldn't have to run right through the middle of the fight in order to get Toothless to notice him.
"He should," Hiccup answered, still unsure how the dragon was able to make it all the way over there so quickly. He waved his arms and even the sword above his head once more. "TOOTHLESS!" he called out again, this time getting the attention of the dragon who at least this time looked in his general direction. "OVER HERE, BUD!"
Jack did the same, waving his own arm over his head and even flying up a few feet in the hopes of letting Toothless get a better view of them. "WE'RE OVER HERE, BIG GUY!"
Now Toothless was definitely looking at them. He turned to look right at the two of them, Hiccup breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the dragon spread his wings and prepare to fly however far he could in order to get closer to the two of them.
As the dragon readied himself, he flapped his wings and soon started to hover, staying there in mid-air for a moment before he took to the skies, flying over the battle in a large circle as he kept his eyes fixed on the Viking and the Immortal.
The two boys lowered their hands slowly, both of them lost in their confusion and surprise. "I thought he couldn't fly on his own," Jack said as he landed beside Hiccup.
"He can't," Hiccup answered, taking a small step closer to the white-haired spirit. This didn't make any sense. None at all.
They both watched the dragon circle the battle once more before it flew higher into the air, hovering for just a second before it began to dive, swooping towards the two as a high pitched whistle pierced the air. A whistle Hiccup recognized all too well.
"Hiccup?" Jack asked as he watched Toothless fly closer and faster towards them.
"GET DOWN!" Hiccup cried out as he lunged for Jack and tackled him to the ground, not a moment too soon as the Night Fury sent a large blast towards the two of them, hitting right where they once stood as they tumbled out of the way, Hiccup holding Jack tightly in his arms.
They tried to catch their breath, neither of them knowing what was going on. "Are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he lied there next to Jack, moving the hair out of his eyes as he tried to make sure he hadn't been hit.
Jack, as worried as he was, looked at Hiccup and did the same as he, looking for any new scratches or bruises that needed his immediate attention. But seeing as how Hiccup wasn't shouting in pain, and he didn't see any blood, he safely assumed Hiccup was fine...or, as fine as he could be. "I'm okay. I'm okay. You?" he asked, wanted to just be extra certain that his Viking was alright.
"I think so," Hiccup said as he gave Jack a quick hug, thankful to the Gods that he hadn't been hit. It was rare that a Night Fury missed its shot. They were both lucky to be alive. They both stood up, looking around for any sign of the dragon.
"This doesn't make any sense," Jack went on. "How is he…why would he?"
"Jack," Hiccup interrupted, "it's coming back." He pointed at the dragon who was now circling around and preparing itself to take its next shot.
Jack, ready to defend Hiccup at all costs, stood in front of the emerald-eyed Viking and held his staff with both hands, taking in a deep breath as he tried to steady himself for his next shot. "Don't worry. You're not getting hurt. Not on my watch."
The dragon got closer, its flight pattern suggesting it wanted only Jack and Hiccup out of everyone else in the battle. It began its descent, aiming for the two of them once more.
"Get out of here," Jack spoke over his shoulder. "Now!"
"No!" Hiccup replied. "No! Not without you!" He held his sword up, though he didn't know what good it would do him against a blast from a Night Fury.
They both prepared themselves, Jack's staff beginning to glow and spark as he charged his staff for what would be a large and bright discharge of frost and ice, when suddenly a bright purple blast shot right over their heads and straight into the incoming dragon, who turned away once the blast had reached it and cried out in pain as it flew away.
The boys looked behind themselves, smiling as they saw Toothless, the real Toothless, glaring at the other dragon fro just another moment more before he looked at the two humans, chirping just a little as he moved over to Hiccup to make sure he was alright. Hiccup wrapped his arms around the Night Fury's neck. "Oh, thank Thor!" he said as he hugged his friend tight. "I thought I lost you for a second there, bud."
"Alright. So that's Toothless," Jack said, glad to see that the Night Fury was back and hadn't been harmed by the Dark Dragon. "But that still doesn't explain what that thing is," he pointed to the black dragon as it landed on another rooftop, watching over the battle as he growled and held its wings out as if ready to take a new flight at a moment's notice.
But as he stared at the dragon, Hiccup noticed there was something…off, about it. He took a step closer to it, ignoring Jack's warnings about not getting too close to it. It took him a moment, but he saw it. Its eyes. He had never seen another Night Fury before, but he was certain that no dragon, no matter what its species, shouldn't be as yellow and as sinister looking as those were. "Uh, Jack?" he said as he looked over his shoulder to his friend. "I don't think that's a Night Fury."
Jack looked at the enemy, its ferocious eyes looking over the battle with what looked like a villainous and devious grin, as if it was thinking over its next move and picking out its next target. It took him only a moment to realize what Hiccup meant. The evil eyes, that grin, he recognized those attributes anywhere. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he said as he twirled his staff in hand and pointed it at the dragon. "We've got to take care of that thing before it hurts everyone!"
But before Jack could send his own blast at the Dark Dragon, it roared ferociously and flew over the Viking's, blasting at them all and sent them flying back, sprawled all over the ground as they landed. The Dark Night Fury flew back and forth in a straight line, separating the Viking's from the Dark Dragons that were still on the ground.
As if they all heard some silent call, all of the Dark Dragons took to the skies, leaving the battle behind as they flew off, hovering just a few feet above the rooftops as they all looked down on the dumbfounded Vikings.
"What are they doing?" Hiccup asked, moving close to the Vikings as they tried to collect themselves, Toothless not far behind him.
"You know," Pitch said as he moved out from behind a fallen cart, hands behind his back as he stepped in front of the Viking's, a good distance still between them, "you can't say I didn't warn you. I gave you all the chance to leave, didn't I?"
The Viking's said nothing, but instead all glared at Pitch as they awaited a move they knew he surely must be planning.
"Regardless, I'm feeling a bit humble today. So I think I'll give you all one last chance," Pitch spoke.
Jack's eyes went wide. Pitch being merciful? This wasn't something that happened that often. If Stoick was right, he would take this opportunity.
"Leave now," Pitch went on, "and I shall make certain that none of my dragons will harm you anymore. You have my word on that."
Pitch's word? That was something that Jack, nor any of the Guardians, could ever trust.
Stoick stepped forward, his weapon still in hand as he clenched his free fist tight, staring right at Pitch defiantly. "You didn't seem to understand me last time. So I'll say it again," he pointed his ax at Pitch, "the only way you're getting rid of us is to do it yourself! We're not leaving here until we get our home back!"
"Look around you, old fool!" Pitch shouted, his arms outstretched. "Your home no longer exists! It's swarming with my dragons, your homes are destroyed and in disarray, your crops are dying, you haven't a home to come back to!" The Nightmare King started to chuckle, amused more than he thought possible by the Chief's stubbornness.
"We've rebuilt before," Stoick pointed out, lowering his weapon. "We'll be more than ready to do it again. Many generations have made Berk their home, and I'll be damned by Odin himself if I let this one be the last!"
Pitch smirked, rolling his eyes as he sighed. The Chief it seemed had sealed his and his people's fate. "Well then, say hello to your Odin for me when or if you even see him. You can tell him it was your fault that your entire village lost their lives in a single day. Besides, I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon. Especially not after the little discoveries I've made."
"Discoveries?" Stoick repeated.
"Oh yes. Your people are very good at documenting and preserving their knowledge, it's quite admirable actually. But you see, I found this one book while I did a little exploring. It's quite full of information you see. Dragon species, flight patterns, special attacks, it's quite the enjoyable read."
Hiccup froze for a moment. He looked away from Pitch for a moment, as if he felt guilty. He didn't need Pitch to elaborate. He knew what book he was talking about. The Book of Dragons was where it was today because of Hiccup. He was responsible for more than half of the knowledge stored in that expansive book.
"It was quite interesting actually. There's plenty of dragons in that book that I didn't even know existed. If I remember them correctly," Pitch started to count them on his fingers, "I believe the Thunderdrum's and Whispering Death's caught my eye. As well as that…oh what was it? The Skrull? Something like that. Those dragons sound perfect; definitely a few I'll be sure to keep an eye out for."
This was bad. This was getting really bad.
North held his swords tight, gritting his teeth as he pointed one of the sharp blades towards the Boogieman. "Why don't you do as these people ask?" he shouted. "Leave them alone! It's us you want, isn't it?"
His shoulders shook as he chuckled, Pitch not even looking in North's direction. "I would leave, you see. But if I did, then none of you would know where to find me."
Jack wanted to fly right up to Pitch and punch that stupid grin right off of his face. Knowing that doing so would spark another battle, he held himself back, but he wasn't sure if he could stop himself for long. This had to be some kind of game to him. He wanted the Guardians to find him. He wanted them to know where he was at all times so they could try to get the best of him, but ultimately fail.
"You know," Pitch said, finally looking towards the large Guardian, his blade still pointed at him, "it's your fault I'm here anyways. If anyone's to blame, it's you."
While the Viking's couldn't see the man that Pitch was talking to, Stoick looked right at him. He glared at the man, wondering what Pitch meant by that. Was it true? Did Pitch come here and ruin his home, hurt his people, just to get back at the Guardians?
"Obviously you all are going to keep fighting, regardless of what I say," Pitch went on as he looked back at the Viking's, "so I think it might be best if instead of telling you what will happen. I show you." The Nightmare King snapped his fingers, a low yet increasing rumble, almost like a roar, echoing from behind him. Out from the Meade Hall, carried by black sand and looking weaker than ever, came a large red Monstrous Nightmare.
Hiccup, among a few other Viking's, recognized the dragon right away. Hookfang, weaker than Hiccup had ever seen him, was being carried out in front of everyone like a prize to be shown off. His wings, tail, and snout clamped shut by the sand, the dragon could do nothing but use all of whatever strength he had to try and pry himself loose from the magic sand's grip.
"This beauty is one of three of his kind I managed to capture," Pitch said as he brought the dragon to his side, Hookfang's piercing eyes looking right at the Nightmare King threateningly, warning him that he had better not let his guard down even for a second or else the dragon wouldn't hesitate to use its mighty jaws to snap him in half. "He's one of the more aggressive ones, I must admit. He's kept me on my feet all this time. I've actually enjoyed reducing him to a tired and weak mess every now and again."
"Hookfang!" Hiccup called out, hoping to get the dragon's attention.
"Hookfang?" he heard someone call out from behind him in the crowd, recognizing the voice as Snotlout. His cousin pushed through the crowd, making his way to the front as he tried to look for his dragon. "Where?! Where is he!?"
Hiccup turned to try to stop Snotlout, knowing he would do something stupid and stubborn when he saw what condition his dragon was in. "Snotlout, wait," he pleaded.
"Hookfang!" he called out upon seeing his dragon. Hiccup stepped in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and trying to push him back.
"Snot! No! You can't! It's too dangerous!"
"That's my dragon, Hiccup!"
Pitch looked at the boy's scuffle, recognizing Hiccup before his attention was turned to the boy that claimed this dragon was his own. "So, this is yours, hm?" He looked at the Monstrous Nightmare, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue. "Pity. I really enjoyed him." He looked back to the crowd, the sand slowly starting to creep over Hookfang's head. "If anyone still thinks they can stand a chance against me," he spoke to his audience, his hand reaching out towards Hookfang with an open palm, "then let this be a little lesson to you. Perhaps one you won't take so lightly. Should you ever fight me again, this is what shall happen not just to your dragons, but to you all as well."
He slowly started to close his fist, the last of the sand finishing its trek across the dragon's head but leaving two small holes for all to see its eyes. At first, there was silence. But then Hookfang started to cry out. He thrashed a little, unable to get the sand off of his head with his claws and tail being held down by great strength. He roared, hoping that someone would come and save him.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout cried out as he pushed past Hiccup, carrying his ax as he ran for his dragon. He was cut short however, a dark Nightmare firing a blast right in front of him and stopping him from going any further. The dragon flew a little lower, ready to fire again should the boy try anything. Snotlout looked back and forth between the dark dragon and the one he considered to be a part of his family. Every time he tried to take a step closer, the dragon roared and readied itself to fire again. He was cornered.
"Let him go!" Snotlout cried out as he watched his friend cry out in pain.
The sand around Hookfang's head grew tighter, nearly suffocating him as his eyes looked around wildly. Pitch's fist grew tighter, his fingers just an inch from his palm as he watched the dragon try to free himself. He grinned, showing off his teeth as he enjoyed the cries of the dragon in its agony, practically music to his ears. The dragon, its head splitting with pain, managed to notice Snotlout amongst the crowd, standing closer than anyone else that was watching. But as they watched, they all stood still, their eyes wide with shock and fear. All except Snotlout. He couldn't stay still; trying to get past the large Monstrous Nightmare but getting stopped by a large blast every time he took a single step closer.
Their eyes met, Snotlout beginning to panic as he watched his friend get hurt just for Pitch to make a statement. Hookfang blinked, hoping that Snotlout wouldn't get himself killed as he tried to save him, but even he knew that at this point, it would be in vain. He cried out, stretching out his claws as they dug through the dirt and tried to pry himself free. Pitch's fist closed, Hookfang's eyes rolled back, and the mighty Monstrous Nightmare moved no more.
He fell limp, dead in front of all that stood before him.
"HOOKFANG!" Snotlout screamed as he tried to run for his friend, but a large black and red tail moved in front of him, Toothless preventing the boy from taking another step closer.
Pitch let his arm fall to his side, the sand slowly leaving the dragon's body as it showed off his crushed and mangled skull. "I trust you all got the picture?" he asked, letting the body sit there for a moment so that everyone could take it all in. "Such a shame though. It was such a waste of a good dragon."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Snotlout cried out.
"Oh don't flatter me boy," Pitch replied. "It won't do you any good."
He had had enough. Quickly, Snotlout dropped his ax, jumped over Toothless' tail and grabbed a dagger from his belt, hiding it behind his back as he ran for Pitch. "That was MY dragon you bastard!"
"Oh really?" Pitch answered with a dead-stare, his half-closed eyes looking right at the boy's. "From all of the shouting and fuss you were having I couldn't tell. Subtlety isn't exactly your strongsuit, boy."
"My name is Snotlout!" the Viking shouted.
"Snotlout!" Stoick cried. "Get back here!" He tried to run after him, but the Night Fury that had been watching over them all made certain that no one was getting as close to Pitch like the young Viking was, firing its own plasma blast in front of Stoick before he could take another step.
"Snot!" Spitelout shouted. "You leave that man alone! Get back here this instant!"
But Snotlout ignored them all. His mind was on Pitch.
Jack looked at the boy in fear. He would grab him and take him away himself, but with the boy not believe in him, there was no way he could do anything. All he could do was send ice under his feet, but that would do nothing to stop him from running for Pitch and making him pay for what he did. The other Guardians did the same, all trying to get closer to Pitch but being stopped by numerous dragons that stood in their way.
But Pitch wasn't stupid. He knew what was hiding behind the boy's back. With a quick snap of his fingers, sand wrapped around his legs and made him trip, pulling his feet out from underneath him and causing him to fall and drop the dagger. The blade slid towards Pitch, who leaned down and grabbed it as the sand lifted Snotlout up, dangling him upside down as he examined the blade. "Seriously?" he asked the boy. "This is your genius plan? Pathetic."
The sand brought Snotlout closer, flipping him over so Pitch could grab him by his shirt and hold him out for all to see as he used his other hand to hold out the blade.
More Vikings tried to get past the blockade of dragons, but were all stopped.
"NO!" Spitelout cried out! "PUT HIM DOWN!"
Snotlout grabbed Pitch's arm, beating it as hard as he could as he tried to squirm himself free, not looking at the remains of his dragon that lay just a few feet from him, the smell of dragon's blood already starting to sting his nostrils.
"Do you feel strong?" Pitch asked the Viking. "Do you think yourself tough against someone like me? With something so puny as a dagger such as this, you really think you can stand a chance?"
Snotlout didn't answer, his eyes glancing towards the dagger that Pitch now claimed as his own.
"I did what I did so that I could teach you all a lesson, boy. You would be wise to learn from it."
"PITCH!" North shouted. "LET HIM GO, NOW!"
Jack readied himself, knowing that if Pitch made a move to kill Snotlout, he would be ready to fight back. But he also knew if he fired too soon, it could startle Pitch, or even anger him, and cause him to hurt the boy even quicker.
Pitch looked around, looking at all the eyes that were fixated solely on him and the young man. He chuckled, lowering the boy slightly as he threw the dagger. "In fact," he spoke loudly, "you would all be wise to learn." He tossed the boy aside, throwing him on the ground in front of him. "Now get out of here. While I still allow it."
Snotlout slowly stood on his feet, looking over his shoulder to glare at Pitch and spit at him. Luckily for him, Pitch did nothing. He picked up his dagger and started to walk away, biting his lip as he awaited the scolding he would surely get from his father. He looked up, surprised to see his father looking concerned and worried, his arms reaching out for his son as he waited for him to make it back safe.
He held the dagger in his hand tightly, knowing that one of these days he would get back at Pitch.
A Dark Nadder landed beside Pitch, lowering itself so that Pitch could step onto its back and give him a ride. "Now, go back home like the smart Viking's I'm sure you think you all are."
Snotlout clenched his jaw, grinding his crooked teeth against each other as he turned on his heels and ran for Pitch, crying out in anger as tears started to leave him. He held the dagger out, grabbing the hilt with both hands as he prepared to stab the blade into the Nightmare King and avenge his fallen friend.
But before he could get close to Pitch, the Dark Nadder went to protect its master. Without any form of command, the dragon swiped its tail at the boy, sending several spikes in his direction.
Hearts went cold. Eyes went wide. None were prepared for the sigh of one of the dark spikes from the Nadder's tail piercing through Snotlout's chest and sending him flying back, landing on his side with the large spike sticking out of him.
"SNOTLOUT!" cried his father.
"NO!" cried Jack, who saw Hiccup freeze and tremble at the sight.
Pitch's eyes, like everyone else's were wide as well. But not for long. He looked at the Nadder and, with a single swipe of his hands, brought the Dark Dragon in front of him and on its side. One quick motion with his hands, and the dragon was split in two, its cries of agony and pain lasting no longer than a second before the sand dissolved into thin air.
"SNOTLOUT!" Hiccup cried out as he saw Spitelout run for his boy.
Pitch raised an open hand, his jaw dropped slightly as he silently commanded his dragons not to interfere with the father going to retrieve the boy's body.
Hiccup followed the older man, running for his cousin in the hope that there was still a chance he might be alive.
Spitelout slid across the floor as he dropped his helmet and pulled the spike out of his son's body, holding him close as he pulled him onto his lap. "He's still breathing," he said softly as Hiccup caught up with him, Stoick not far behind. "HE'S STILL ALIVE, STOICK!" Spitelout cried out, fighting back the tears as he held his hand over the hole in Snotlout's chest.
Eyes half open, hands limp as he tried to speak, Snotlout looked at his father, his vision blurry as he reached out for him. "D…dad?"
"Don't speak," Spitelout spoke as he picked his son up. "You need to save your energy…Gods, Stoick we've got to help him!"
"Dad…I don't think…"
"Don't you dare finish that, boy!" Spitelout commanded. Though he begged Stoick to help him save his boy, he knew that there was no such thing. He was far from saving now.
"Spitelout," Stoick spoke softly as he looked at the wounded Viking. He had no idea what to say. He never did when it came down to situations like these. All he knew was that it would be painful, and no comforting words would make the pain subside in any way possible.
"I-I'm sorry," Snotlout mustered, "I'm sorry …I failed…"
"No you didn't," Spitelout said, gently sitting back down as he tried to make his son comfortable in his last moments. "You didn't fail me at all, my boy."
"Snot," Hiccup said, fighting back his own tears. He knew Viking's had to be strong, but he never expected something like this. He never expected to see his own family being taken out this way.
"Hey, Hiccup," Snotlout went on, trying to force a smile as he looked at his cousin. "Do me…do me a favor?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell the guys goodbye for me, would ya?"
Hiccup nodded, reaching out to place his hand over Snotlout's.
"Make..make me sound kickass. Like…I got a few hits in."
Hiccup wanted to laugh. He wanted to find some way to make the pain go away for even just a moment. But he couldn't. He couldn't find any reason to laugh as he watched his friend die right in front of him.
Snotlout looked at his father, his eyes starting to close as his breathing got slower and quieter.
"I'll see ya in Valhalla, my son," Spitelout spoke softly.
Snotlout forced a toothy grin. "Take your time, old man." He breathed once more, and with that, his hand stopped moving. The dragon rider followed his dragon, and was heard no more.
Spitelout held his son's lifeless body close, biting his lips as he started to cry. The man never liked to show, or even admit he had a softer, sensitive side. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was giving his son a proper burial. A Viking's burial.
Hiccup felt a gentle nudge against his back, looking over to see Toothless looking at the fallen Viking. The Night Fury looked at his rider, nudging his nose against his cheek as he tried to console him in his dark time of need.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Pitch spoke up, his head hanging low. "Not to a child."
Spitelout bit his lip harder, his glaring eyes looking right at Pitch as he set his son down and stood up, turning to face Pitch. "You're a dead man," he spoke.
Still not looking at him, Pitch snapped his fingers and had his sand crawl out from underneath him, large pointed tentacles pointing themselves at the old man. "Get out of here," Pitch spoke. "It's your fault he's gone. I told you all not to come." He looked at the man. "I told you ALL this would happen!" He looked around, finding each of the Guardians scattered throughout the remains of the village. "I warned you this would happen. Not to a child, but I did warn you!"
THWACK!
Pitch stumbled back, nearly falling to the ground as he watched the boomerang fly back to its owner. He did nothing in response. In a way, he supposed he deserved that. He was not above harming children after all. But killing? Those days were behind him. This wasn't part of his plan. It never was.
"We have to go," Stoick spoke, placing his hand on Spitelout's shoulder. "Spitelout, we have to leave."
"He gave us a chance to go, Stoick. He gave us a chance, and we all said no. We wanted to fight…he's right. This is our fault."
"No it isn't," Stoick assured. "This is nowhere near our fault. It's his and his alone. But we have to leave. We must gather the men and go home."
"We are home, Stoick," Spitelout asserted.
But the Chief shook his head. "No. We're not."
"Dad?" asked Hiccup.
"We'll get our home back someday," Stoick spoke, picking Snotlout's body up and cradling it in his arms, "but not now. Our home is lost. We'll get it back one day. I promise."
Spitelout said nothing. Instead he just took his son's body from Stoick and went back to the crowd, feeling proud of his son as he took him back to the ships.
Pitch disappeared in a cloud of sand, all of the Guardians running to meet with one another now that the battle was over. None of them knew what to say. How could they? They didn't just lose this battle, they may as well have admitted defeat for the war. All of that training, that preparation, all for naught. Nothing they did made any difference against Pitch and his dragon army.
"We must rest," North spoke, grabbing a snow globe out from his jacket.
"North," Tooth started.
But North quickly interrupted her before she could continue. "I know…but we must rest. We need to collect ourselves."
"We failed," Jack spoke up. "We let a kid die on our watch…we're supposed to be Guardians."
"And Guardians we are," North reassured. "But for now, we must go." The Guardian of Wonder noticed the glaring and blaming eyes of Stoick. The Chief would want to speak to him. But that time wasn't now. Soon, but not now. Now wasn't a time for blaming; or in North's opinion, the acceptance of blame. Now was a time for mourning. He tossed the snow globe, the portal to the Workshop opening in one big bright swirling light.
"I've gotta check on Hiccup," Jack said, looking back at the crowd.
"Figured as much," said Bunny.
"It is alright, Jack. We will catch up with you," said North before he stepped through the portal.
Jack nodded towards the rest of his team, silently saying goodbye before he flew for the ships, looking for any sign of the brunet and his Night Fury.
It took him only a minute or so to find the young Viking, sitting by the edge of a ship as its passengers and cargo were being loaded. He landed in front of the boy and his dragon, knowing that there was a good chance that he wouldn't be in the mood for talking right now.
"Hiccup?" he spoke softly, one bare foot stepping just an inch closer, testing his boundaries as he tried to comfort his friend.
Hiccup's head hung low, Toothless watching only him, as he tried to gather himself. Tears would come, surely, but he would try to force them down. A Viking had to be brave after all. His dad knew that, Astrid knew that, the whole village knew it…Snotlout knew it. If anyone in the entire village tried to convince not just the village but themselves that they were the bravest Viking the Archipelago had ever seen, it was Snotlout. That stubborn, big-headed, egotistical, brash, boastful…yet kind, loyal, eager, true Viking through and through, who had the dragon to match, was gone. They were both gone. The moment it happened seemed to drag and yet it seemed to happen in just the blink of an eye. One minute he was there, and the next…he was no more.
"Hiccup," Jack spoke again, trying to get Hiccup's attention as he took another small step closer.
Hiccup sniffed, feeling the tears start to fall.
Jack looked to the Night Fury before nodding to the crowd behind him. "Can we get some privacy here, Toothless?"
The Night Fury acknowledged the Guardian, stepping behind Jack and spreading his wings just enough so that Hiccup and Jack would be hidden from view, giving Hiccup the opportunity to speak to Jack without worry of being seen.
"Are you okay?" asked Jack, knowing full well the answer was 'no'.
Of course, Hiccup shook his head, staying silent.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
He said nothing; didn't even move.
"Hey," Jack went on, sitting beside Hiccup and wrapping his arm around him. He knew he needed to be comforted right now, and despite what Hiccup was more than likely thinking, he wasn't judging him in the slightest for letting his tears fall down his freckled cheeks. "Everything's gonna be okay. I promise, this isn't over, Hiccup."
"Is it my fault?" Hiccup asked.
"What?"
"I mean," he shrugged, "I know there's not much I could have done to stop it but…could I have?" He wiped his cheek with his harsh green sleeve. "Is there something I could have done?"
Jack wasn't sure what to say, mostly because he was shocked to see Hiccup think that he shared any of the blame. If anything, Jack was the one who should be accepting the fault for this, not Hiccup. "Of course not," he answered. "Not at all."
"But…what if I had gotten to him in time? What if I had tried harder to-"
"Stop," Jack said, placing his hand on Hiccup's wet cheek and giving him a gentle nudge, trying to get Hiccup to look at him. It took him a second, but Hiccup slowly did look at Jack through his bangs, eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. "It's Pitch's fault. None of this is yours. Do you understand?"
"He was my cousin, Jack." Hiccup tried to get Jack to see reason, that maybe there was something he could have done or tried harder at. "He was my friend. My family. I just…I just feel like I could have done something."
Those words sounded all-too-familiar to the Guardian. "Listen," he started.
"What am I gonna tell the others?" Hiccup interrupted, his brain having no filter as the thoughts started to race and ramble around his mind, echoing over and over again how he had screwed up, just like the old days. "What am I going to say?"
Jack never once looked away from Hiccup. "You're going to tell them that you tried your very best, but in the end, Pitch was just too strong for us. We're going to go home, rest, regroup, and try again. It may not be tomorrow, may not be next week, but this isn't over. Okay?"
Hiccup bit his lip, taking in a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. He felt Jack's ice cold fingers weave their way through his hair, pulling his head closer towards his shoulder. The Night Fury cooed, hoping that he could reassure his friend that he wasn't alone in any of this. Hiccup closed his eyes, the last of his tears beginning to fall as he mourned the loss of his cousin.
"Hiccup?" an older man called out, Hiccup soon sitting upright as Toothless moved out of the way to reveal Spitelout, walking slowly towards him.
The young Viking quickly stood up, wanting to look as tough as he could as the older Viking moved closer. "Y-yes?"
"Are those tears, son?" the man asked.
Hiccup quickly tried to wipe away whatever remnants of his mourning were left. If there was one thing Snotlout's family was, it was tough, and Spitelout was no exception. "Yes-sir," Hiccup answered. "I know, Snotlout would probably be making fun of me for looking like this."
Spitelout shook his head. "Ay, that he would, but that don't mean ya should stop, boy." He knelt down, almost eye-level with Hiccup as he went on. "Listen to me…Snot…he looked up to ya. It may not have seemed like it, but he did."
Hiccup would have figured as much. There was only so much teasing a person could do before it became a little obvious that the hatred was spewing from somewhere. Not to mention he might have hinted at it a few times whenever he actually opened up to Hiccup.
"You were a good friend to him, and an even better cousin. I want ya to know that, a'ight?"
Another tear started to fall, Hiccup hurrying to wipe it away.
"It's a time for mourning, Hiccup," the man continued. "As tough as he may have seemed, Snotlout cried every now and then. We all do."
Hiccup could just barely make out lines where tears had already fallen down Spitelout's face, which he of course found to come as not much of a surprise. He didn't expect Spitelout, however strong he might be, to not get emotional over the loss of his son.
Jack said nothing as he watched the two, his hand reaching out to slowly wrap his fingers around Hiccup's. And though Hiccup couldn't hold Jack's back, he slowly moved his thumb, gliding it over Jack's knuckles ever so slightly.
"Just promise me something," Spitelout asked.
"Anything."
The older man placed his large hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "If we ever get the chance to come back here, I want you to help me kick that man all the way to Hel. Understand?"
Hiccup wasn't sure what to say at first, knowing that no matter what they did there was no way they could stand a chance against Pitch, not like this. Even the Guardians had a tough time fighting those dragons; how could they do it without them if they were to ever be beaten by them, or worse? Then, as if a reminder of his failure, a tarp-covered body was carried onto the ship. A helmet, it's curved horns on the side, placed on top of the body. Hiccup recognized the helmet immediately. That was why he had to fight. That was why he had to go on. He nodded, wanting more than anything to make Pitch pay for what he did. "I do, sir."
Spitelout nodded, standing upright without saying another word. He simply gave Hiccup that slight nod before he went on his way, leaving the young man alone with his dragon and the invisible winter spirit.
"Are you sure about this, Hic?" Jack asked, moving to stand beside Hiccup and look him in the eyes.
Hiccup nodded, turning around to face the water as the first of the ships began to set sail. "I do," he answered. "I don't care how long it takes, we're going to stop Pitch. We're going to fight him and get our home back, one way or another, no matter what it takes."
Well that happened...sorry?
