Hiccup spun the wheel, gripping it tightly in his hands, feeling the familiar rough wood beneath his fingers. He stopped it and felt the Airship turn, before Hiccup righted its course. He would be approaching the fog soon, he could already see its ominous dark mass hang ahead, blanketing everything the eye could see. It was almost akin to a wall, a big swirling thunderous wall that shifted and hid untold dangers. He turned a valve, the Airship starting to rise. He lowered the power slightly and looked to Anka behind him, staring at the fog ahead of them, "Do we have to go through that?" She asks fearfully, eyes locked on the course ahead of them.
"Yes, unfortunately but you'll be fine. I've gone through this hundreds of times." He reassures, not adding the fact that each time he was always scared out of his wits. Just brushing against one of the floating mountains would mean almost certain disaster. Either the hull gets torn right open and they fall to their doom or the balloon is ripped to shreds and they fall to their doom. Either way, not fun, "We'll be at my island soon."
"Can't wait to see it! Though I expect the weather's dreadful." She says, looking at him anxiously. Hiccup detected something in her expression, something that vanished as suddenly as it appeared. Hiccup didn't say anything though and focused on the way ahead. He looked up at the sky above, momentarily ignoring the wall of clouds ahead of him. It was surprisingly late, the sun nearing the edge of the horizon. Astrid must be worried, he thought to himself; I said I'll be back by just about noon. He prayed that Astrid had heeded his warning about not entering the stone building. As he approached the fog, the sun drew lower and lower in the sky, the light fading every degree it sank. Hiccup shook his head as darkness began to set in. He pressed the button on the wheel and his floodlights crackled on, bathing the area around them in glorious light. A small comfort but a comfort nonetheless. It would make navigating the treacherous fog much easier. He pulled the Airship into an even steeper climb, checking the gauges to make sure he didn't overshoot his target. Once satisfied, he levelled out the Airship and lowered the power, lowering his speed just before he entered the fog. Charging ahead would result in him getting killed. Never the less, he always made sure he would be able to quickly adjust speed as necessary.
Soon enough, he had entered the dark void of the fog and he kept his eyes strained, trying to peer through the soupy clouds for the distinctive silhouettes of the floating mountains that patrolled these skies. He turned the wheel a few degrees to the right then righted his course when he felt the adjustments were satisfactory. He looked back at Anka then returned his attention back to piloting his Airship. Normally, he would've long climbed up to the upper decks as it gave him a much easier time but Hiccup still didn't trust leaving Anka and the chief alone in here. Despite saving her life and her just drooling all over him, he still had an odd feeling about Anka. Something she had said. As well as the obvious signs that the Brothers had made.
Seeing the sun sink, Astrid decided to head back to Hiccup's hut but as she looked around, she found it to be nowhere in sight. She looked at the beast in front of her and asked, not expecting a reply, "Where are we?" Naturally, it said nothing, "Can you take me back to Hiccup's place?" It looked up at her, ears perking up at the mention of Hiccup. It looked around and nodded furiously, jumping and started off in a direction, following the coastline. Astrid bolted, trying to keep pace with the beast.
After a few minutes of running, the beast stopped just outside of Hiccup's wooden hut, Astrid puffing and blowing behind it. Astrid was normally considered extremely fit but trying to keep up with this beast couldn't help but make her exhausted, taking in massive gulps of air with every inhale. Her mouth was parched and she was already starting to feel hungry but there was something else, a pain in her stomach. It was an odd feeling, something like a hot burning sensation. The beast stopped just outside the threshold to Hiccup's hut, tail waggling excitedly. It turned to look at her and its excitement disappeared when it saw Astrid hunched over, clutching at her stomach in pain. It walked over to her and stopped just in front of her, looking at her, examine her face. Astrid could swear it looked worried. It walked around her and out of Astrid's sight and she felt it gently nudge her, its snout pressing into her back. She looked back at it and pushed her forward, just a little. Taking a hint, she started forward, the beast moving forward so that it was just beside her, every now and then looking up into her face.
Waiting for a few moments before she entered, Astrid felt just a little better and she walked into the hut, thanking the beast as she did so. Astrid sat herself down next to the fire pit, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the hut. The beast moved down next to her and curled up into a protective clutch, with Astrid in the centre of the curl of its body. She smiled and patted it on the head. The beast seemed to purr, like a kitten almost. Within seconds it seemed light, dusk had turned to night and a chill set in. Astrid shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Despite being used to the cold from Berk, she still felt chilly, goose bumps already forming on her arms. The beast stirred and pointed its head at the fire pit. It spat a gust of fire at the pit and it instantly roared to life, bathing the area around it in an iridescent glow. She looked down at the beast and smiled, the beast looking up at her in return. She rested her hand on its head and it closed its eyes, resting its head down on the ground. She stared into the fire and pondered, deep in thought as she watched the flames dance in the night time darkness.
She was worried, terribly so. Where was Hiccup? Could he be in trouble? The note he had left said he'd be back in half a day and it was already long past that. What if he had died? What if some horrible accident happened and Hiccup… She stopped herself. No, that would never happen. Hiccup wouldn't be that careless. Would he? She then realised, she knew nothing about Hiccup. Sure he had told her his life's story but, personally, she knew nothing about the man. She suddenly felt the seed of doubt in her mind begin to sprout. She knew absolutely nothing about him. What things he enjoyed doing, or not Hiccup actually liked her or not, she didn't even know what his favourite damned colour was! A roiling conflict built in her mind. No, she shouldn't worry about that. She was Astrid Hofferson for Gods' sake! She was brilliant, beautiful and deadly with a blade. But… No, no buts! She was the beauty of Berk, a better fighter than Snot or any of her friends; definitely better looking than Ruff and a better drinker than the lot of them. She shouldn't have to worry about whether or not Hiccup still liked her or not. I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine, she reassured herself. Still though, the seed of doubt was planted and it seemed like it would never get out. How did Hiccup manage to do this to her? She used to be so self-assured, so confidant. Now she was pining over someone she barely knew, worrying if she was 'good enough'. She put her face in her hands and groaned. How did this happen?