Chapter 17
What Snakes Beneath Part 2
NOTE: Some people have expressed displeasure in the way the twins ride a Teostra and Lunastra, as well as in the way I include monsters from the Frontier series. Suffice it to say that the elder dragons have their own reason for letting the Thorstons ride them, which will be explained in a future chapter. As for the Frontier monsters – they're just as much monsters as the ones from the main series, so why not include them?
Bottom line - if you don't like it, don't read it. I'm not changing anything.
Hiccup and the gang were caught between two earth-digging, sharp-fanged creatures that, more likely than not, hated their guts. All they had to do was figure out a way to save said guts from spilling onto the ground.
"Someone hold it still!" cried Tuff. "I wanna pet it!" He crept forward with a hand outstretched, only to be pulled back by Snaketail.
"Which one?" she spat at him. "The dragon that'll grind you into hamburger? Or the monster that'll paralyze you before making your head explode?"
Batwings was glancing from one to the other – neither the Whispering Death nor the Najarala looked like an appealing death option. "Can someone do something? Preferably something that'll get us out from between these beasts and back to our monsters?"
"I'd really feel a lot safer on Venomwing's back," agreed Arachne, with a nervous gulp.
Taking a deep breath, Hiccup took a cautious step toward the Najarala. The green snake wyvern was closest to him, and in his opinion, was the bigger threat to his group. If Batwings could talk to the Whispering Death, then maybe they had a shot at negotiating with it – but no one could speak Najarala, so it was up to him to engage it.
"Do you actually have a plan?" Astrid asked him critically. "Or are you trying to get yourself killed?"
He really loved it when the Hofferson girl had so much confidence in him.
Turning to face her, he replied determinedly, "If I can train it, then maybe it'll leave Sightless alone. Everything will go back to normal. Just let me approach it quietly, while it's calm."
"I see," Snotlout said. "Right, so you are trying to get yourself killed."
Hiccup turned back around, and saw the Najarala nearly on top of him, ready to strike with its beak agape and fangs glistening. By reflex, Hiccup flinched and held out his hand at arm's length – and to his surprise, the Najarala stopped, tilting its head to the side in confusion. The other riders squinted their eyes shut, too scared to want to witness the outcome.
Hesitantly, the Haddock boy inched his arm a little closer to the Najarala. He could hear its breaths being inhaled through the nostril slits in its beak, and see its yellow eyes widen a little with curiosity. A little ray of hope dawned inside of Hiccup – maybe he could train this monster!
But then, the Najarala changed its mind, diving under the ground with one sinuous movement and a massive cloud of dust.
Meanwhile, Batwings was trying to communicate with the Whispering Death, while at the same time keeping it from getting any closer. His odd vocalizations of hisses and chirps didn't seem to be doing any good, though, and the Death quickly grew bored with him. Letting out a sharp, hostile hiss, it contorted its body and fired several long spikes that the Siren only barely avoided.
In the next instant, the Whispering Death plowed its nightmarish jaws into the soil and was gone in seconds. It left a slightly traumatized Batwings on his rear, heart racing at the suddenness of its parting attack.
"I assume it didn't wanted to talk," Snaketail said, snidely.
Helped onto his shaky feet by Mocktalk, who raced over as soon as the Death was gone, Batwings regarded her and the others with uncertainty. "It was so weird. She kept saying that she didn't converse with enemies and that she was too busy to chat anyway. I wish I knew more about what she was going on about…"
All of a sudden, Astrid spoke up. "Hiccup, I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no."
Batwings and the Monster Riders whirled around in time to see Hiccup's distinctive mess of brown hair disappear over the lip of the Najarala's hole.
"Why does he always do that?" Astrid fumed.
"Oooooh, man," Fishlegs shuddered, walking to the edge of the pit and hesitantly looking down. "I'm so glad that I'm not down there right now."
That was when Snotlout shoved him in. Over his startled scream, the Jorgenson boy looked innocently at Astrid and said, "Oops, my bad."
Arachne kicked him in the shin and scowled. She might like Snotlout a little more than most folks did, but that didn't mean he could push his friends into monster-infested tunnels around her.
"Should we go down there?" asked Batwings.
"Yeah," Ruffnut replied casually. Then, she smirked and added, "In a minute."
Najarala Tunnels
Jaw set and fists clenched, Hiccup stepped away from the circle of light that the hole provided and entered the shadows beyond. There was a long tunnel extending through the earth in front of him, dark enough so that he couldn't make out anything more than twenty feet away. There were even darker spots dotting the walls of the tunnel, probably other passageways branching off of this one.
"This thing has been busy…" Hiccup murmured to himself.
Suddenly, there was a horrible scream. The Chief-to-be jumped a foot in the air and whirled around, just in time to see Fishlegs hit the ground. There was a huge cloud of dust and a muffled *thump* when he collided with the soil at the bottom of the pit.
"Oh, thanks, Fishlegs," greeted Hiccup, mightily relieved to have a friend by his side. "I would have figured that you'd be the last person to follow me down here."
The Ingerman nervously stuttered a reply. "Uh, y-yeah! I didn't w-want for you to have to f-face those things alone!"
They both started at the sound of a distant, echoing rattle that came from further down the tunnel. Nothing leapt out at them, however. Judging the complex to be safe for the moment, Hiccup began to walk forward in order to explore. Gingerly, Fishlegs followed him.
"Quick question," he gulped. "Why are we down here again?"
Not even looking at him, Hiccup responded, "This is where the Najarala spends all of its time. There has to be something down here that can help us find out what it wants. And maybe we can learn more about that Whispering Death, too."
Peering down a side tunnel, Hiccup felt his blood run cold as he witnessed the vague outline of the Najarala's thick tail wind through the darkness on the other side. If he had been there a second earlier, the snake wyvern would have noticed him, and then… it didn't even bear thinking about. This was its domain, and it ruled here, not the Monster Riders.
Squashing his fear, he called out to Fishlegs. "There it goes, let's follow it!"
When his whisper-shout got no response, Hiccup turned around and saw his pudgy companion staying put, practically quaking in his boots.
"Oh!" he exclaimed with false surprise. "You were talking to me?"
Hiccup gestured down the tunnel with some exasperation. "Legs, remember? New monster! You love this stuff!"
It took Fishlegs a few seconds to wrestle with his mind. Finally, he stamped a foot, fumed, "I hate that about me!" and grudgingly followed Hiccup on his exploration.
The Najarala's tunnels seemed to go on forever and in every direction possible. Soon, neither of them knew how far, or for how long, they had traveled. It was almost too dark to see, but shafts of light occasionally shone down from holes in the ceiling, which helped to light the way. Hiccup and Fishlegs stuck to the main path as much as possible so as not to get lost, and peered into whatever side tunnel they came across in hopes of catching a glimpse of their quarry. The only thing they ever heard from it, though, were its distant hisses or rattling scales. It unnerved both the timid Fishlegs and the normally-courageous Hiccup.
"Get your weapon out," he advised to his sidekick, drawing his Hunter's Dagger from its sheath and readying his shield. "We might need to defend ourselves."
"Uh… yeah, okay, sure," Fishlegs stammered back. He took out the Carapace Mace from its own sheath and nervously tapped it against his palm.
They were beginning to approach another patch of light, this one almost as wide as the hole they had fallen into. It ended up saving their lives – without it, they never would have seen the Najarala suddenly lurch out from a side tunnel. The monster swung its head and neck down one end of the main tunnel, and Hiccup took this opportunity to hustle Fishlegs into a shallow alcove. And they were just in time, too, as the Najarala slithered leisurely past them only a second later. It cringed when it came to a patch of sunlight, then hastily slithered around it before continuing on its way.
The flat end of its tail had almost entirely disappeared into the blackness when Fishlegs gasped, his voice worryingly loud. "Hiccup! Did you see –"
With one of its odd clanking sounds, the Najarala turned around and moved with astounding speed, reacting to the unexpected noise in its lair. It came to a stop right in front of their alcove, plates rattling with suspicion. Hiccup clapped a hand over Fishlegs' mouth and sent a glare his way.
"Can it wait?" he hissed.
Then, the snake wyvern started moving again, much more cautiously this time. It slid easily across the dirt, its stubby legs helping it to push itself forward. When it stopped again, it was tense, apparently listening to something that only it could hear.
Hiccup was watching it closely, waiting for it to move on again, when Fishlegs nudged him. When he was sure he had his friend's full attention, the monster enthusiast pointed his weapon at something on the Najarala's flank. There, just behind its leg, was a series of nasty-looking, dark red scars, contrasting with the forest-green color of its scales. They looked old, but seemed to have never healed properly, giving them a jagged appearance.
Almost like the boys' gazes on its wound made it uncomfortable, the Najarala took off with all speed down the tunnel. When they were sure it was gone, Hiccup and Fishlegs stepped out of their alcove and stared after it.
"Was that a bite mark?" asked Hiccup.
Nodding, Fishlegs replied, "And not just any bite mark. I'm ninety-eight percent sure that that was a Gore Magala bite mark! I think I know why Sightless is hunting this monster."
"They have a history…" Hiccup finished for him.
"A grudge," he added.
"Well, how long do monsters carry a grudge?" the Haddock boy wondered.
Swallowing thickly, Fishlegs informed him, "For the more intelligent monsters – to the death."
Unfortunately, both the Najarala and the Gore Magala fell into the 'intelligent monsters' category. That meant that as long as the Najarala remained on Berk, Sightless would never stop hunting it.
"Let's get out of here before it comes back," muttered Hiccup.
"That is a really good idea," Fishlegs grinned.
Together, they ran back the way they had come, but they didn't get far – for as soon as they had made it into the first disc of light on the floor, the wall in front of them exploded, and an all-too-familiar whisper reached their ears.
Facing the Whispering Death with as much courage as he could muster, Hiccup raised his sword and shouted, "Weapon up, Legs! If this thing won't let us pass…"
He never had the chance to finish, because the Whispering Death struck. It plunged right through the light they stood in and snapped its terrible jaws, which the two only barely dodged. Immediately, the Death turned around for another go, but slammed its head into Hiccup's raised shield before it could attempt a bite. Hissing in pain and rage, the dragon curled its tail and threw several long needles at its human adversaries. Fishlegs jumped in and blocked the projectiles with his own sturdy shield, then swung his Carapace Mace and clubbed the Death in the chin, forcing its jaws closed for the moment.
The Whispering Death's tail lashed out from the shadows, only visible under the light for a split second. However, that was enough time for Hiccup to bring out his Hunter's Dagger, its blade flashing in the sunlight. The sword clashed with the thorn-studded tail with a tremendous ringing sound, which would undoubtedly carry through the tunnels for miles.
"We're not actually trying to kill this dragon, are we?" squeaked Fishlegs, holding his ground when the Death tackled him and made impact with his shield. He skidded backward a short distance, and fell on his back when it tripped him with its tail.
Hiccup leapt at the Whispering Death and slashed a long cut across its jaw when it tried to finish his friend off. "No! We're not hunters anymore, remember?" he replied, as the Death retreated back into the darkness. "But if it keeps getting in our way, we might not have a choice."
Painfully, Fishlegs got to his feet. "Technically, we never were hunters in the first – do you hear that?"
Indeed, there was a distant rattle coming from farther down the tunnel, audible over the sounds of the Whispering Death burrowing through the earth in order to flee. The Najarala had heard their struggle with the hostile dragon, and was almost certainly coming to find them.
"Run!" cried Hiccup, and the two of them bolted.
Berk Woods
"They've been down there forever!" worried Astrid, clutching the sides of the hole until her knuckles turned white. "Hiccup! Fishlegs!" she called.
Almost instantly, the two missing Monster Riders appeared at the bottom of the pit as if on command.
"Yep, right here!" confirmed Hiccup.
"Did you see the monster?" inquired Tuff, enthusiastic. "Was it cool?"
"Did you touch it?" pressed Ruff.
"I wanna touch it!" her brother added. Before the male Thorston could start an argument, Batwings smacked him to keep him quiet.
"We really need to get out of this hole!" shouted Fishlegs.
The ground began to tremble again, and Astrid caught sight of a trail of displaced dirt making its way toward them from the far distance. Whether or not it was the Najarala or the Whispering Death, she couldn't say, but it was closing in fast.
"Yes, you do!" Snaketail agreed. "Someone pull them up!"
"Fishlegs, you go first," ordered Hiccup, taking charge. He let the much larger teen climb up onto his shoulders, giving him enough height to reach Snotlout's and Snaketail's outstretched hands. While they easily pulled the Ingerman boy up to ground level, Astrid leaned as far down as she dared and offered her own hand to Hiccup, still trapped in the pit.
"Hurry, grab my hand!" she urged.
The sound of shifting earth was starting to become more apparent as the monster (or dragon) tunneled ever closer. Hiccup grunted, jumping as high as he could in an effort to reach Astrid. But no matter how high he leapt, he always missed.
"I can't reach!" he exclaimed, after his fingers missed Astrid's by centimeters.
Finally, he made a last, desperate attempt and jumped with all of his might. At the same time, Astrid reached down as far as she possibly could, and their fingers latched firmly around the others' wrists. The Hofferson girl yanked with all of her strength – but as she slowly lifted her friend toward the surface, his hand slipped, and he fell right back down to the bottom.
The earth trail was now traveling at frightening speed, and the tremors were getting worse by the second. Whichever of the two underground beasts were chasing after him, it was almost on top of them.
"Everyone stand back!" Hiccup shouted.
All of the Monster Riders stumbled backwards a fair distance before a geyser of dirt erupted from out of the pit, the force sending Hiccup flying high into the air above them, yelling with shock and fear.
"Wow, I bet he can see our house from up there!" commented Tuffnut, amazed.
Traveling farther than the dirt it had thrown up in its wake, the Najarala broke out from the obscuring cloud and soared into the air behind Hiccup. The scrawny Chief-to-be began to fall toward the serpent-like monster, its terrible beak wide open. If it closed on him, it would be with sufficient force to cut him in half.
"Mocktalk, go!" yelled Batwings.
Obediently, the Qurupeco took flight, launching himself into the air. In a blur of green, the bird wyvern snatched up the falling Hiccup in his talons. The Najarala's beak snapped shut inches beneath them.
"Thanks, Batwings," gasped Hiccup, as Mocktalk dropped him onto the ground. Before the Siren could reply, though, the Najarala hit the ground and glared at them, rattling its plates menacingly.
"I don't think it's too keen on having visitors," said Arachne.
"Can we get out of here?!" Snotlout demanded, then added in a whimper, "Please…?"
"No," Hiccup said strongly. "I know that I can train this monster. Does anyone have some dragon nip?"
The words were barely out of his mouth when Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Snaketail all handed him handfuls of the sweet-smelling grass. Hiccup gathered up his courage and walked toward the Najarala, very uncertain. Dragon nip didn't have as strong effects on monsters as it did on dragons, but with any luck, it'd relax the Najarala enough for Hiccup to be able to train it.
"Don't be afraid," he said soothingly, holding out the grass for the Najarala to sniff. "Come on, you'll love this stuff. Most monsters do."
Gingerly, the Najarala slithered toward Hiccup, head bending down to investigate the intoxicating dragon nip. There was a long, silent pause as the snake wyvern observed Hiccup and his offering…
…and then it sneezed. The dragon nip went flying all over the place, spreading its smell all around. Behind the Monster Riders, all of their gathered monsters went limp with contentment and sprawled themselves out on the ground, too relaxed to want to move. Batwings went fully unconscious, flopping over Mocktalk's back and beginning to snore softly.
"Great," huffed Snotlout. "Now we're defenseless."
Regaining its anger now that the dragon nip was gone, the Najarala faced the gang once more, baring its venomous fangs threateningly as it further advanced.
"Any other ideas?" Hiccup offered. "I'm throwing it wide open to the group."
"We can fight it!" Ruffnut suggested with some degree of enthusiasm. She unclipped the Blue Prominence from her back and held the Lance aloft, its pointy end pointing at the monster.
"Guys, we've never fought monsters for real before!" objected Arachne, ducking behind Snotlout.
A short moment of silence followed, and then Snaketail piped up. "I've got a pretty good idea. RUN!" she shrieked.
All at once, the Monster Riders bolted toward the forest, trying not to be the closest one to the enraged serpent behind them. Giving off a deafening clatter from its back plates, the Najarala lunged at them.
Hiccup turned his head to see it right behind him. Its head raced toward him, its beak nipping at his tunic. Seeing that it was rearing back for another, probably more successful, strike, Hiccup redoubled his efforts to get away. But then, he stumbled over the uneven terrain, and knew that the Najarala would catch him any second now.
A loud and very familiar scream echoed out from the woods in the near distance, and a black shape pounced out from the bushes and right onto the Najarala's back. The Gore Magala's tackle threw his enemy back into the clearing. Instantly, Hiccup knew who it was, and it was Arachne's gasp that punctuated the hope that suddenly flared to life in his chest – "Sightless!"
Giving off another frightening scream, Sightless flared out his arms and stomped them on the ground, allowing his wings to flare out to their maximum span. He was ready to confront his rival. The Najarala let out a challenging drone, not intimidated in the least, daring Sightless to come meet him head-on.
But all of a sudden, the other monsters were there. Having recovered from their temporary bout of dragon-nip-induced slumber, they closed in on the Najarala from all sides, furious at the monster for daring to attack their riders. Sightless belted out another scream, drawing its attention toward him again – Come and fight me! he seemed to be saying.
Frantically, the Najarala glanced from one monster to the other, almost as if afraid. The odds stacked against it, it curled up its body like it was about to attack, then dove back underground.
Hiccup rushed up to Sightless' side, only to have the black monster kick him away and growl. Holding his hands up cautiously, the Haddock boy spoke, "Sightless, it's me! I know what's going on between you and that other monster. Let me help you! What happened to being a team?"
Somewhat calmer now, but still not lax enough to retract his horns, Sightless tossed his head with a skeptical grunt and loped away in pursuit of the long-gone Najarala.
"Stop, Sightless!" called Hiccup, running after him.
He hadn't gone far when the Gore Magala abruptly turned around and blasted the ground with a blast of black fire. Dirt and virus flew up from the point of impact, forcing Hiccup to back off or catch eel pox. Confident that he wouldn't be followed any longer, Sightless spread his cape and continued the hunt.
He was warning me not to follow him, Hiccup realized, watching his best friend vanish amongst the trees. He wants to settle the score on his own – but if he's on his own, then he doesn't stand much of a chance.
"Awwwwwkward," Tuff commented.
His next words were, "Oh, I am hurt! I am very much hurt!"
Once Tuff had calmed down, the Berk Monster Riders mounted their monsters and took to the skies. Every so often, one of them would peer over their saddle and scan the forest below for any sign of Sightless. But they couldn't find horn nor cloak of him – just trees, trees, the occasional Najarala hole, and more trees.
Clouds were covering the sky again, so it was a bit harder to see. Hiccup and Astrid were flying on Blackhawk, at the front of the group. The Yian Garuga kept her ears pricked high, in case her superior wyvern sense of hearing would pick something up from down below. All of a sudden, Snotsnarl broke formation and cruised up beside the raven-like wyvern.
"So," Snotlout said conversationally, "Sightless has an arch-nemesis. Kinda like you and me, cousin!" He puffed out his chest and glared at Hiccup a bit.
"Lout," sighed Hiccup, "you're not my arch-nemesis."
"Yeah, but you're mine," the pig-headed Jorgenson declared, and made a motion with his hands and eyes. I'm watching you.
"Hey, Wings," Arachne chirped from farther back. "Fishlegs says that the Najarala has a scar from Sightless. You've got a scar, so do you have a rival too?"
Batwings took one hand off of Mocktalk's saddle and reached up to touch the old cut gingerly. It was rather faint, and his shirt hid most of it, but the scar Arachne was referring to could still be seen on the side of his neck. No one had ever asked him about it until now.
"Of course I do," he told her. "He's a rather charming fellow, going by the name of D–"
He was interrupted by the Thorston twins. At the very back of the formation, the two of them were flying along on Queen and King, having a burping contest that was growing increasingly loud. Groaning aloud, Batwings steered Mocktalk around to talk some sense into them.
Meanwhile, Astrid was patting Hiccup's hand encouragingly. "Don't worry. He's only trying to protect you."
Anyone could tell from the reassurance in her voice that she was talking about Sightless. But Hiccup's frown didn't slacken, so concerned was he.
"Oh, that's not what it is," Snotlout replied, quick to contradict Astrid. "Sightless doesn't want you around because this is between him and the other guy. He's a fighter, like me. Not… whatever you are."
Hiccup should have felt bad, but instead, he felt a realization dawn on him. "I, I never thought I'd say this, but Snotlout? I think you're right!"
At this, Lout was rendered speechless. "Wait… huh? You guys heard that, right?" he asked, looking around in amazement.
"It's not a fair fight," Hiccup continued. "If Sightless is going to win, he has to fly, and he can't fly without me."
"Duh, we knew that," sneered Snaketail. "What're you saying?"
"I'm saying," he answered, "that we need to find him, and soon."
The squad of monsters increased their speed, and the forest went by more quickly beneath them. They were over the thickest part of the woods now, where only the occasional patch of light green indicated a break in the trees. The crowns of the evergreens were dark under the overcast sky.
And then, one of the Monster Riders caught a glimpse of something darker.
"There he is!" crowed Arachne, pointing to something black amidst the forest. "Gore Magala, dead ahead!"
"Let's go down there," Hiccup instructed. They dove down on their monsters to meet Sightless.
They caught up to the monster as he was busy sniffing along the grass, his horns still out in agitation. It appeared that he had lost the scent of his foe, growling in frustration as he was. There was no sign of the Najarala around.
Hopping off of Blackhawk's back, Hiccup warily approached the busy Gore Magala. No words had to be spoken, though – Sightless turned around, teeth slightly bared. Upon smelling Hiccup's familiar scent, though, he dropped the menacing expression. Tilting his head to the side, Sightless softly growled in a questioning way.
Do you still trust me? Hiccup asked silently, holding out his hand.
Sightless hesitated for only an instant, then he gave his reply. He nuzzled the hand that Hiccup offered him, and gurgled low in his throat, an apology in his own language. That simple gesture lifted a huge weight off of Hiccup's chest.
"Hey, bud," he said softly, rubbing Sightless' massive head. "You had me so worried there for a while. You haven't been yourself lately."
Agreeing, Sightless nodded and gurgled again, apologizing a second time.
"That's okay," Hiccup replied with a smile. "It's good to see you're still you."
The moment was not to last. Bringing the heartfelt reunion to an abrupt halt was the Najarala, who burst up out of the ground nearby and rattled its challenge loudly. The hate-filled glare in its yellow eyes was directed squarely at Sightless, but Hiccup thought he saw its gaze flick over him as well.
"You can still walk away from this, bud!" warned Hiccup, but Sightless didn't listen. Despite the boy's efforts to pull him away, the Gore Magala leapt into a battle-ready stance and displayed his horns as if posturing against another of his kind for dominance.
"Let's just go home!" Hiccup pleaded. Once again, however, Sightless kicked him away and chased after the Najarala.
"You were so close that time!" lamented Fishlegs, landing Heatray. Around him, the others did the same with their monsters.
"He needs our help!" Snaketail decided, and urged Twinhorn forward.
The Diablos snarled and lumbered to do battle, followed by the rest of the monsters – but then, at a scolding scream from Sightless, they all stopped in their tracks.
"Come on, girl!" Arachne growled, wrestling with a stubborn Venomwing.
"Snotsnarl won't budge!" said Snotlout, incredulously.
"I think mine is broken," Tuff stated.
"They know that this isn't their fight," Batwings observed. "Sightless wants a one-on-one battle against that slippery serpent. Whatever it has done to him in the past, he wants revenge for it."
"Or the other way around," noted Ruffnut. "Fishlegs told us about the bite mark."
"You were listening?" the Siren gasped.
But they quieted their budding argument as the scene in front of them began to unfold. Sightless leapt high into the air with a thrust from his wings, spitting black fire madly. The Najarala hissed as if laughing, dodging the bolts that came from above, then watched as its enemy tried and failed to keep his injured wing working. When Sightless began to fall, the Najarala stretched up and pecked at him with its beak, sending the Gore Magala into the dirt. It whipped out its tail next, swatting him across the small clearing. Immediately, Sightless leapt again, but the Najarala was ready for him – it clattered its plates before clapping its beak shut to produce that terrible, earsplitting sound. Sightless fell onto his back, screaming.
The snake wyvern hissed with laughter, slithering slowly away into the forest. Being driven positively mad with anger, Sightless continuously pounced at the Najarala's tail, leg, flank – anything at all. But he couldn't hit anything in his delirious rage, since his nemesis kept twisting and coiling out of the way. All of a sudden, the Najarala turned around and attack, raising its head high before swooping down with a savage, toxic bite. Luckily, Sightless managed to dodge, only to have it twist its flexible body around to face him once more. Sightless turned, but wasn't quick enough to avoid a second blast of sound. This one was so close that it knocked him away a far distance, tumbling through the bushes and out of sight.
"The sea is that way!" Hiccup yelled to his friends. "If they go any farther, one of them is going to end up falling into the ocean!"
"Let's hope it's the earthworm, then," grumbled Batwings.
The monsters charged forward after Sightless and the Najarala. Out of all of them, only Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut made it out of the clearing – the others tried to follow, but the sudden appearance of the Whispering Death blocked their way.
"So it's round two, is it?" muttered Fishlegs, staring defiantly into the Death's terrible jaws. "Ready to fight, guys?"
"Ready?" repeated Snotlout. "Ha, I'll chop up the tails of every dragon I fight! With my face!"
"Please, be my guest," Batwings snickered, pulling his Double Deathbolts out of their sheaths. "Just let us help."
To himself, though, he frowned and murmured, "I only wish I knew what this girl was after. Why is she assisting the Najarala?"
Cliffside
The four-rider team of Hiccup, Astrid, and the Thorstons broke through the trees and found themselves on a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean. They also saw that Sightless was cornered with his back to the sea. Despite the precarious position, though, Hiccup's monster was still willing to fight.
Sightless slammed his arms into the ground and threw his head back, screaming his loudest yet. Curtains of virus floated up from his stretched-out cloak and rapidly covered the sky in black fog, blotting out what little light managed to filter through the thick cloud cover. That didn't deter the Najarala, though – if anything, the snake wyvern seemed to grow more confident. Seeing that the battle wasn't yet over, it rapidly burrowed into the rock.
Tremors began to shake the ground, and a whole section of the cliff began to fall apart. As rocks tumbled into the ocean below, Sightless became trapped on an increasingly-small island projecting up from the choppy waters, with his rider watching helplessly from the other side of the new gap.
The island trembled, and the Najarala burrowed out from the side. Raising its head high above Sightless while its little legs dug into the rock, it released another painful sound wave before Sightless could even think about attacking. The Gore Magala vaguely noticed the young Vikings at the edge of the cliff going through similar agony as he, but he pushed that to the back of his mind and ignored his own pain. He only wanted to take down that Najarala.
Speaking of that squirming beast, it let out another blast of sound, this one painful enough to make Sightless retreat. He felt his leg slip over the edge of the island, and realized that he was only a few inches away from plummeting helplessly into the sea. Sightless raised his head and, detecting the familiar heat signature of Hiccup, screamed for help.
Through the darkness provided by the cloud of virus floating across the sky, Hiccup himself saw his monster companion struggling to stay on solid ground while the Najarala attacked. If he died, who would Hiccup look after, and go flying with, and lead the academy with? Who would be his best friend?
"Buddy…" Hiccup whispered, his heart clenching painfully from seeing Sightless in the awful position he was in.
That was when a bold, risky, incredibly idiotic plan came to Hiccup's mind. He had no other choice but to do it. The light in his green eyes turning defiant and determined, he took a deep breath – and simply stepped off of the cliff.
Wind whipped at Hiccup's cheeks and ears, drowning out the sound of his friends' gasps. Turning over in the air, he saw the disbelieving faces of Astrid and the twins gawking down at him, getting farther away as he fell toward the unforgiving sea.
Just then, a terrible whine filled Hiccup's eardrums, making them feel like they were about to rupture. He saw part of the cliff collapse and plummet after him – if he didn't drown in the sea, then he would be crushed.
A dark shadow swooped down upon him to obscure his vision, but it wasn't unconsciousness that enveloped him with vast, furry wings.
Hiccup grinned. Exactly as I thought.
Berk Woods
Back in the forest, the second group of two struggled against the Whispering Death. Snotlout, Snaketail, Batwings, and Fishlegs were scattered all over the clearing, so as not to give the Death a clear target. Arachne was flying above their heads on Venomwing's back. As soon as it struck one of them, he or she would narrowly get out of the way, and another would use the opportunity to strike.
"This is so epic!" whooped Snotlout, rolling away from the Whispering Death's tail. "It feels like monster training with Gobber all over again!"
"'Epic' isn't the word I'd use to describe it!" Arachne yelped, ducking under a stray spike that shot over her head instead of through it.
Grazing the Death's tough, stone-like hide with one of his Dual Blades, Batwings added, "Yeah, more like 'why am I doing this in the first place?'"
The serpentine dragon hissed, teeth chattering, and dove under the ground. The end of its tail wasn't even below ground yet when it resurfaced, dirt and rock trailing from its jaws as it struck at Snaketail. She was ready for it, and squinted through the dust as she brought up her bladed shield to block its attack. When the Death flinched, the brown-haired Grundenson girl quickly slotted her sword into the Noble Shieldaxe and converted it to 'axe mode', then swung it over her head with all her might. If the blade connected, it would have been enough to cut the Death in half.
Unfortunately, it coiled out of the way at the last moment and prepared to throw more of its deadly spines. Snaketail, busy trying to pick up her Charge Blade, was in no position to dodge. That was when Arachne and Venomwing swooped down, the Remobra scoring a blow with her talons on the Whispering Death's head. It turned to face the circling wyvern, shooting a fire whirlwind from the depths of its maw, but it cut off the flames in surprise when Batwings flew into the air and latched onto its head!
"Easy, girl!" he shouted, grabbing the Death's horns with all his might. The dragon whipped around erratically, thrashing its head and tail in every direction, but the Siren stayed put. "We're not going to hurt you if you stop attacking us! Whoa! Whoa there, easy I say!"
Finally, the Whispering Death threw off its humanoid assailant with a twist of its head. Batwings hit a tree trunk, slid down to rest in the grass, and lay still. With a satisfied hiss, the Death turned around – and then Snotlout's Hammer hit it in the face.
"Woo, head shot!" Lout cheered, punching the air in victory. "I so wish Astrid had seen that!"
The Whispering Death slumped to the ground, head pounding. Wisely, it decided not to pursue the Monster Riders any longer. Wobbling a little bit in its flight, it burrowed into the ground and was gone from view. One last hiss curled from the hole it had dug, and then there was no sign of it.
"Am I glad that's over!" sighed Snaketail. Her rear end hit the dirt, so tired was she.
"I hope Hiccup's doing well with Sightless," Fishlegs said worriedly.
An answering scream came from the distance, followed by clanking and rattling. The sky started to darken, and then they heard the Najarala's sonic blast vibrating in their ears.
"Uh, is the sun supposed to set this fast?" asked Snotlout, looking around and seeing how dark everything was all of a sudden.
Eyes popping, Fishlegs patted his hand with his weapon. "Ooh, that's the Gore Magala's legendary ability!" the Ingerman enthused. "I've read about it in the Book of Monsters! When it gets really, really mad, it releases its virus into the sky and turns the day into night!"
"Not literally, right?" Arachne inquired, as she and Venomwing landed.
"Hold it!" shouted Snotlout, holding up a hand. "Does anyone else hear that?"
Indeed, when they all quieted, they heard the Najarala's rattling growing closer. The earth started to shake, and there was no sign of Sightless or Hiccup giving chase.
Had the snake wyvern won?
"You save me, I save you!" Hiccup said triumphantly, patting Sightless' head. "That's the way it works, bud."
The two of them were back in the air, Hiccup with his foot fitting comfortably into the stirrup and his hands gripping the edge of his saddle as always. They soared up and away from the ocean, the cheers of Astrid and the Thorstons coming to them loud and clear. Wide wings spread, the Gore Magala and his human friend twirled masterfully in the sky, his joyous scream emanating across the sky.
Down below, the Najarala resurfaced on the edge of the forest, furious at having been cheated at its prize. Flat, pointed scales were flung from its tail to try and hit the circling Gore Magala, but he dodged every one of them and kept coming. The Najarala opened its beak, about to give it another sample of its sonic blast, but Sightless shot past before it could. The wind thrown up from his passing disrupted the snake wyvern's balance, and, not willing to give up, it spun around to attack its airborne enemy again.
All of a sudden, the black cloud floating in the air above the battlefield started to break up. Sunlight shone through the gaps and brought light to the forest. The Najarala flinched and howled as the light stung its sensitive eyes, and it tunneled into the ground to make its escape.
"The sunlight!" Hiccup could hear Astrid shouting. "That's its weakness!"
Everything became clear to him right about then. Of course, it made sense that a monster that traveled underground wouldn't like the sun, since its eyes were probably quite weak. There wasn't any monster that was invincible – Hel, even the almighty Fatalis had a weakness.
So the Najarala's vulnerability is light, thought Hiccup. Alright, let's see if we can keep him above ground.
"Let's go, bud!" he shouted, and Sightless veered off in pursuit of his fleeing foe.
From high up in the air, the pair could see Najarala burrows scattered all over the forest, wide enough around to serve as prime targets. They dove straight for one of the holes, and Sightless fired a blast of virus directly inside. Skimming the tops of the trees, he did the same thing with four more holes. Pillars of black fog exploded up from the holes whenever he shot his dark fire into them.
On the fifth hole, the Najarala emerged, shrouded in virus. It probably exposed itself in order to get fresh air, because it didn't want to contract the eel pox floating around in its tunnels. Instantly, Hiccup spotted it, and steered Sightless toward it to finish the battle.
The Najarala lunged at them the moment they got in range, moving like it had been hurled from a sling. However, Sightless was too agile for it, and dodged its beak and fangs. Hiccup clicked the stirrup for a final time, and, framed by the sunlight that was now pouring down from the gaps in the clouds, Sightless charged.
Blinded, the snake wyvern couldn't do a thing to defend itself. The force of Sightless tackling it sent it flying. Sightless leapt on top of the Najarala as soon as it had stopped skidding across the ground, preparing to end things once and for all.
"Sightless, stop!" pleaded Hiccup. "We won. You can just let it go."
For a moment, the Gore Magala considered the possibility. When the Najarala let out a soft hiss in protest, he made up his mind. Sightless screamed in his archenemy's face, then tentatively moved away from it.
Immediately, the Najarala slithered off a fair distance before coiling up and raising its head, about to start tunneling. But then, it stopped, turned toward Sightless, and dipped its head in an unmistakable nod. It plowed its beak into the ground and was gone within a second, its tail plates making a final, resonant clang.
A trail of upturned earth making its way deeper into the forest indicated that the snake wyvern wouldn't be coming back.
Hiccup hopped off of Sightless' back and hugged the monster's neck, and Sightless growled happily before lowering his horns. There would be no more need for such aggression, now that the Najarala was taking its leave. And, if they ever met again, Hiccup felt that things wouldn't turn out so violent next time.
The others flew over on their monsters and dismounted. "That. Was. Amazing!" Ruffnut said, emphasis on every word. "I've gotta find Queen an arch-nemesis!"
Queen snorted in approval and tossed her head.
"Aw man," Snotlout whined. "Sightless could have finished it off!"
Hiccup just smiled and replied nonchalantly, "I guess all monster grudges aren't to the death after all."
"Guess I'll have to change that in the book," sighed Fishlegs, sounding like he was looking forward to that very much.
Just then, Batwings hobbled up to join the gang, supported by Mocktalk. He had a big lump on his head, his dirty-blond hair was disheveled, and his movements didn't seem very coordinated.
"Did I miss anything?" he asked.
Everyone laughed.
Secret Cave
At the entrance to the secret cave, a massive cavern in the side of Berk that opened up to the sea, a boat was docked. If any Berkian was there to see it, the Tigrex skull positioned on the bow would have given away its owner in a flash.
"Now, where is she?" grunted Alvin the Treacherous, tapping his foot on the beach. "I told 'er ta come meet me 'ere by this time. Figured she woulda been 'ere by –"
The sand in front of him shifted, then the Whispering Death burst out, scattering it everywhere. Annoyed, Alvin wiped the sand away from his eyes with a grunt before turning toward his dragon.
"So, Nightshade," he said, "you finish makin' yer tunnels all throughout Berk?"
Nightshade nodded and hissed.
"Excellent!" the Outcast leader exclaimed with a grin. "All we gotta do now is wait, an' then we can execute our grand plan to destroy Berk!"
When our past rears its ugly head, it usually doesn't have a paralyzing beak and a bad attitude. If it does, you're going to need a great friend who has your back.
I will always have Sightless' back, and he will always have mine.
I tried to slip in a little human-versus-dragon action there. This is a Monster Hunter crossover, after all – I have to have people battling giant reptiles at least a few times.
Also, Gore Magalas cause the area to become much darker when they get angry. That's an ability I haven't had Sightless demonstrate yet.
The next episode will come soon! Please review, readers.
Next time: Twin-Sanity