Chapter Thirty Six
It was another peaceful day on Berk. The sheep were bleating to one another yaks mooing, dragons flying freely. Life couldn't be more peaceful. That was until Stoick's booming voice suddenly shook the entire village, jostling the sheep and the yaks in the process.
"Cut him off! Make sure he doesn't escape!" Stoick yelled as a mysterious individual ran past Jacob and Snotlout. Snowfire and Toothless flew side-by-side, like always. Only this time Hiccup and I weren't speaking to each other. Instead, we were sitting there in awkward silence.
"I didn't think he could run this fast," Hiccup admitted after the individual managed to get past Jacob and Snotlout.
'He is a human on a mission,' Snowfire huffed as Toothless cut off the individual in question, her close behind him. The man in question ran through a side street, rushing past some barrels and scaring a chicken along the way. Snowfire and Toothless weren't able to get through the narrow side street, so I did the only thing that came to mind.
"Astrid, he's headed your way!" I called. Up in the sky, Astrid nodded and gestured to Stormfly.
"On it!" she called back and locked onto the runaway's position. "Stormfly! Spine shot!" she commanded. Quickly, Stormfly shot her spines out of her tail, and they effectively hit the path of their intended target. I smirked at the sight of Gobber, Berk's resident blacksmith and Dragon Dentist.
"I won't do it, Stoick, and you can't make me! None of you can make me!" Gobber shouted defiantly as the six of us began surrounding him. Jacob and Snotlout were soon approaching him as well, both looking none too happy with the situation.
"Keep him surrounded," Stoick ordered.
It was time for Gobber to take a bath. My nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of just how long it had been since his last one. I don't know why men had such a horrible time with bathing themselves. But his stench was starting to rile up even the dragons, and that was saying something.
"A Viking is supposed to smell this way! It's a badge of honor!" he exclaimed. I watched on in amusement as a purple Terrible Terror crawled onto Gobber's shoulder and chattered happily before taking a whiff of the stench rolling off him in waves. Once it caught that scent, the Terror gagged and flew off crookedly a few seconds before bumping into a pole.
'I could always freeze him and than melt him,' Snowfire suggested, looking at us in amusement while Gobber just glared.
"We want him washed, not killed," I reminded her. Fishlegs and Meatlug were on their way after grabbing a bucket of water from the village well. Gobber was still struggling to break free when the pair reached us.
"Hurry, we've gotta get that tub filled so we could give Gobber his bath," Fishlegs said as the group completely surrounded Gobber.
"Oh, come on, since when was it a crime to take a bath?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.
"It's for your own good, Gobber," Stoick added in a firm tone.
"Actually, it's for the good of the town," Hiccup corrected his father as I tried to block out Gobber's stench. Toothless and Snowfire growled in disgust, their noses more sensitive to scent than humans.
"Get in the tub!" Stoick ordered while Snotlout and Hookfang came up from behind. I hadn't even noticed the pair leaving until now.
"Hookfang, toss him into the tub," Snotlout commanded. And of course, as usual, the Monstrous Nightmare just shook his head and suddenly threw Snotlout off into the wooden tub. "Every. Single. Time! Doesn't this get old for you?" Snotlout grumbled. Hookfang merely shifted his eyes from left to right.
With Gobber distracted for the moment, Hiccup and I signaled for Snowfire and Toothless to sneak up on Gobber while Hiccup nodded to Astrid to get in on the plan. The Hofferson girl nodded in agreement and hopped onto Stormfly, waiting eagerly for the plan to unfold.
"I won't do it, Stoick!" Gobber shouted, refusing to bathe again. Sometimes I wondered if men just loved to live up to their typical stereotypes. Luckily he hadn't noticed Toothless or Snowfire approaching him from behind.
"Now, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted to Astrid, who flew up on Stormfly. Gobber looked up in surprise, but was taken completely off guard when Snowfire suddenly knocked him into the tub, and Toothless held him down.
"Bath time, Gobber," I announced as Fishlegs had Meatlug fly towards us. Gobber flinched when Meatlug reached the tub, dropping what should have been a bucket full of water. But instead, we were all stunned to see only a little water thrown on him. Gobber was ecstatic with not having his much needed bath, but Stoick's expression told us this should not be happening in the first place.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, son," Stoick said to Fishlegs.
"I can't, sir! The well's dry!" Fishlegs exclaimed, looking pointedly at the empty bucket.
Snowfire and I exchanged anxious looks as Stoick and Hiccup went over to inspect the well in question. Knowing that something was wrong with their only source of freshwater could mean trouble. But it also meant something else was wrong. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something worse was happening underground, where the water came from.
"We just dug up that well two summers ago," Stoick explained as they lowered a bucket into the well to test Fishlegs' accusation. Sure enough it was bone dry.
"Water doesn't just disappear," Hiccup tried coming up with an explanation. "There has to be a reason."
"My guess is, the flow of water was somehow disrupted," Jacob inquired before shrugging it off. I had to second that suggestion. If something was tunneling under the island, that something might be responsible for this.
"I think the real question is, how are we supposed to start the flow of water again?" I asked curiously.
"We're going to have to dig a new one," Stoick said. "And until it's done, we'll have to ration water... which means..." Stoick paused and looked at Gobber in frustration.
"No more baths," he said cheerfully, putting both arms around Hiccup and I, then added, "Always a silver lining!" All the while we were both trying not to gag in disgust. This was worse than that time mom forgot to take the trash out.
"Ugh, it's gonna take weeks to wash this out," I muttered while Hiccup looked like he was about to be sick.
...
All of us were gathered in the arena after discussing how to solve the issue of the water shortage. We'd gathered around with Astrid and Jacob to try and come up with a plan. Meanwhile, we were forced to ration our water source.
"Okay, we need to figure out a way to keep Berk supplied with water until we can dig out a new well," Hiccup started before turning to the twins. "Ruff, Tuff, strap on the trough and head over to Lars Lake to fill it."
"Why not have Snowfire breathe ice and than melt it?" Snotlout suggested in a smug tone.
'Why don't I just freeze you, and see what happens?' Snowfire retorted before slapping her tail across his face. I tried not to laugh at his reaction, all the while Ruffnut and Tuffnut were trying to figure out how to 'carry' the water trough to Lars Lake.
"Okay, but that thing's pretty big," Tuffnut said. "I mean, that's bigger than Ruffnut's butt. It could take a while... a week or two, maybe" Ruffnut than punched him in the arm after the insult that he'd mentioned.
"Isn't that what Barf and Belch are for?" I asked, gesturing to the Zippleback in question.
"Why would you think that?" asked Tuffnut after getting up.
"Because—" Hiccup stopped himself after realizing he was wasting his time. "Okay... moving on." He then turned to Astrid and Snotlout. "Astrid, Snotlout, head to the mountain streams and and fill up as many canteens as you can."
"Mountain streams," Snotlout began while gingerly running a hand through Astrid's hair. "Romantic—" He never finished when Astrid suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted before promptly kicking him to the ground.
"Alex, you, Fishlegs and Jacob are with me, we can figure out what happened inside that well," Hiccup added.
...
Astrid and Snotlout had reached the cove after scouring the mountain streams for any water they might find. This was the easiest place to find water, and they had already filled several canteens when Snotlout started talking again.
"You know, Astrid, I've been thinking," Snotlout began.
"We've talked about your thinking," Astrid muttered crossly. She wasn't sure if this was Hiccup's idea of a cruel prank, but he wasn't going to enjoy his evening after this little escapade. "It's not good for anyone."
"Who says we have to give the water away?" Snotlout asked after filling another vase in a basket.
"What are you talking about?" Astrid demanded, crossing her arms as she glared at him.
"It's simple supply and demand. Follow me," replied Snotlout. He grabbed a vase from the basket and looked at Astrid triumphantly. "The people of Berk are parched, desperate for water. And who's got all their water, Astrid? Snotlout, that's who! Haha! I'm gonna make a fortune!"
"You're going to charge people for water?" Astrid asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Snotlout was this arrogant. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"Is it? Do whatever you want, Astrid. Just don't ask me to cut you in later."
Snotlout chose that moment to leave, and Astrid just stared after them in amazement. Somehow she wasn't surprised that the obnoxious Jorgenson boy would try to profit off of this. This wasn't going to end well for him.
...
Back in the village, Jacob, Hiccup and I were being lowered into the well by Fishlegs and Meatlug. This felt like the start of a scary movie, like the ones you see where people get trapped underground. That left nothing but bad memories when mom would drag me to some of her favorite horror movies.
"That's it, girl," Fishlegs told Meatlug as she lowered the rope. "Just keep it steady."
"Lower," Hiccup ordered as we continued getting deeper into the well.
"Keep going," I added, noticing that we weren't anywhere close to where the water had dropped.
"Just a little more... Okay, hold it right there," Hiccup said. My eyes widened when I realized just how low the water really was.
"The water level was way up here," Jacob mused after inspecting the damp walls. "And it's still wet."
"Nobody could have drunk the water that fast," I added cautiously.
"What do you think?" Hiccup asked, and it only just dawned on me that he was probably hoping we'd have answers from our world. Jacob shook his head and looked at me hopefully. Good thing one of us stayed away during Geology class.
"It's most likely due to ground movement," I explained. "But if that were the case, we would have likely felt it."
Hiccup grabbed a loose rock and threw it down. We didn't hear a splash that should have followed, meaning the water level had dropped all the way down.
"Fishlegs, get us all the way down," Hiccup ordered.
"Are you sure?" asked Fishlegs in a nervous tone. "It looks awfully dark and scary down there." I only rolled my eyes at that question.
"Fishlegs, we're the ones down here in the dark, not you," I reminded him.
"Okay!" Fishlegs shouted back. "Take 'em down, girl."
Meatlug started lowering us further down again. In a few seconds, the rope had begun to rock a little, jostling all three of us from our thoughts.
"Uh, what's going on up there?" Jacob asked uneasily.
"Okay, uh... Steady, Meatlug," Fishlegs tried soothing Meatlug.
My heart nearly skipped a beat when the rope suddenly cut on a sharp piece of rock. Toothless and Snowfire flew down into the well, despite Snowfire being twice Toothless' size. Panic washed over me when I realized we were falling. And before I knew what was happening, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me in a protective hold. It took a few seconds for me to realize Hiccup had grabbed me, and rolled over so that he would take the worst of our fall.
Jacob clung onto Toothless for dear life as the Night Fury charged after us, Snowfire close behind them. The minute we landed was when Hiccup's teeth ground together in pain. My heart was still pounding when I noticed Snowfire bounding over us with one leap.
'Little one!' I looked at her in relief until hearing a groan from underneath me. For second I thought it might be Jacob until I looked down at Hiccup's pale face.
"Hiccup!" I gasped in surprise after realizing that he'd taken the full hit that was meant for me. He took a few deep breaths before exhaling until his face returned to it's normal color. "Hiccup, what were you thinking? You shouldn't have taken the full impact of that fall." Yet I knew that I would have done the same. My mind was still whirling with the realization that we could have been killed from that impact.
"I... I couldn't let you get hurt," he managed to wheeze out, still shaken from the fall. It looked like he wanted to say something else, when a cough from nearby reminded me that we weren't alone.
"Well, this is awkward," Jacob muttered as I helped Hiccup back to his feet. I threw him an apologetic look, realizing just how awkward situations like these must be for him.
"Toothless, you okay?" Hiccup asked once he'd recovered from the impact. The Night Fury only warbled in response, gesturing to the fact that he'd caught Jacob before he could meet the same fate as us.
"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Stoick's yell reached us.
"W-We're okay, dad!" Hiccup shouted back. I didn't miss the fact that Hiccup was trying to hide the pain he was in from the fall. Honestly, Hiccup had to be the worst liar. Luckily though, Stoick seemed to buy it.
"Can you fly back up?" asked Stoick.
"No, it's too narrow," I replied. Not to mention Snowfire had barely managed to fit through the well. I was amazed she got through at all.
"Someone grab me a rope," Stoick ordered from above. "I'm coming down after you, son."
"Dad, don't!"
"Sir, we'll be fine," Jacob reassured him. "The water had to go somewhere."
"Besides, we've got Toothless and Snowfire with us," I added, trying to sound cheerful. "We'll find another way."
"They make excellent points, sir," Fishlegs said to Stoick. "Alex and Jacob have knowledge about this kind of stuff from their world, and Hiccup has Toothless, who can navigate his way through the darkness... and this is clearly none of my business."
My eyes narrowed as I saw what looked like a winding tunnel ahead of us. This tunnel didn't look like it was naturally formed. Something had carved it's way through, something big. Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks before he told Stoick what we were doing.
"Wait, I-I think we've found something," Hiccup called to his father.
"You know, it kind of sucks not having parents who worry about us," Jacob muttered under his breath once he'd caught up with us. Snowfire huffed and let out a cloud of mist across his face.
'Are we not enough?' she asked. Oh, I could imagine the answers he would have for her at that moment. Jacob was smart enough though not to say anything. I hadn't missed the fact that Hiccup winced in pain, arching his back while trying to make it look as though it was nothing.
"You okay?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, it just hurts a little," he replied sheepishly, than grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder.
I held back a sigh, feeling sorely responsible for what had happened. The one thing I'd learned about Hiccup over the months, was that he was stubborn. More stubborn than his father, if that was possible. He was adamant on walking, despite the pain he was in. I supposed if he wasn't going to rest his shoulder now, it would be wise to send him to Gothi's place when this was over.
These caves had an eerie feeling to them. I couldn't shake off the feeling that we weren't alone. Hiccup seemed to sense it as well.
"I don't know about you four, but I get the feeling that we aren't alone," he remarked.
"Yeah, definitely not the only one getting that feeling," Jacob replied.
Toothless and Snowfire looked over their shoulders suspiciously and growled before returning to our sides. 'We are not alone,' Snowfire hissed with unease. I simply nodded in agreement, that bad feeling in my stomach suddenly returning.
It didn't take us long to find more tunnels throughout this network. What bothered me more than anything was that they were winding throughout Berk. One wrong move and the entire village could collapse under these tunnels.
"Wow... these tunnels run right underneath Berk," Hiccup breathed out in amazement.
"Yeah... don't these tunnels look familiar?" I asked warily, having remembered the one event on Berk that had left Toothless on edge. "Like, Whispering Death familiar?"
Hiccup threw me a worried look, remembering that Whispering Deaths were some of the few dragons I couldn't bond so easily with. We were all making our way deeper into the tunnel when something crunched under our feet. Hiccup held up his lantern, than stepped back in shock at what was under our feet.
"Dragon eggs?" he asked in disbelief. Toothless sniffed the eggs cautiously while Snowfire growled with unease. These eggs had been put here on purpose. I noticed with unease that they were everywhere, and to top things off, there were wooden crates scattered all over the place. "Look at these," Hiccup said after noticing them as well. "That's an Outcast symbol!" I felt my blood run cold at the recognition of that red marking. The moment was ruined when a shrill scream echoed throughout the cave, this one even worse than Snowfire's screech. "Toothless, light up the cave," Hiccup suddenly ordered.
Toothless fired a plasma blast through the tunnel, illuminating the walls. My eyes widened in horror when I saw hundreds upon hundreds of eggshells scattered throughout the tunnel floors. I looked on warily after noticing that these tunnels were oddly familiar to the ones dug out by Whispering Deaths.
"Something tells me these are Whispering Death tunnels," I guessed out loud. Hiccup's eyes widened with realization at that. I shuddered at the memory of what a Whispering Death could do. Images of a mouth full of razor sharp teeth came to mind. That was when I noticed something that made my heart nearly skip a beat.
"That's a big tunnel," Jacob murmured after looking around quietly for the most part.
"Yeah, I really don't wanna know what made that tunnel," Hiccup nodded in agreement.
'I have a bad feeling about this,' Snowfire growled uneasily.
I patted her on the shoulder, hoping whatever happened, we'd all make it out of this alive. We began trying to look for a way out, but every way seemed to end with it's path blocked by stone. Jacob had stayed quiet for the most part, every now and than jumping at the slightest sound. When we finally decided to turn around, a breeze blew through the tunnel and suddenly blew out the lantern Hiccup was holding.
"Oh, great," Hiccup groaned in annoyance as darkness surrounded us. "Toothless, can you give us some light?" Toothless was more than happy to oblige, and lit the lantern.
Unfortunately, the moment the lanterns were lit was when we found our backs against a Whispering Death. Toothless fired a plasma blast while Snowfire fired an icy blast to stun it. Hiccup was quick to mount Toothless while Jacob and I mounted Snowfire. I didn't miss the way Hiccup flinched when Toothless started flying. He shouldn't be flying if he was in that much pain. Unfortunately, none of us really had a choice. Then another Whispering Death suddenly flew out from another tunnel, flying straight towards Hiccup.
"Look out!" I shouted, alerting both Hiccup and Toothless in time. They avoided the Whispering Death just as it had reached where they were moments ago.
"Well, this is fun," Jacob muttered as the five of us avoided a Whispering Death in all but three seconds. Another one had suddenly exploded from the ground below us and was now hovering in front of us. "Got anything that could scare it away?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. There were three of them. Three Whispering Deaths, and I had a bad feeling they weren't alone.
'They have vanished,' Snowfire mused, looking around frantically to find out where they went to. I noticed that she was right, and looked anxiously at both Hiccup and Jacob.
"Where'd they go?" Hiccup asked. This just seemed to get worse and worse when a large rock fell from a hole up above.
"If I had to guess, I'd say up there," I replied, pointing up to where they were digging.
"There heading up – to the town! We have to warn them!" Hiccup shouted frantically as Toothless and Snowfire flew through the tunnel.
...
Snotlout had been making a large profit selling his water while the others were underground. Gustav looked down at the small portion he managed to grab, wondering whether or not Snotlout would offer him more. His mother would surely be disappointed in the lack of water he'd received. Meanwhile, Jessica was busy grabbing as much as she could without Snotlout noticing. Gustav was almost tempted to do the same when he thought better of it. Something was not quite right with that girl, no matter what people said. She was different from Alex and Jacob, which made Gustav all the more suspicious.
"Get your fresh mountain water over here!" Snotlout shouted.
Astrid was about to stop him when the ground suddenly began to tremble under her feet. She noticed Gustav staring at a certain spot and was ready to intercept when a Whispering Death suddenly erupted from the ground. The sight was enough to startle everyone from what they were doing, except for Gustav. His legs were trembling with dread as the Whispering Death got ready to lung.
"Stand back!" Gobber yelled. He jumped in front of Gustav, shield in hand as he held it up against the Whispering Death's ring of fire. Gobber slowly moved towards a wheelbarrow and hit it with his peg leg right into the Whispering Death, stopping it's attack. Just as Gobber had punched it with the wheelbarrow, the Whispering Death suddenly burrowed underground, destroying Snotlout's wheelbarrow in the process.
Stoick noticed two other Whispering Deaths and ran towards a horn, blowing into it to scare them off, and alert the Vikings to their attack. He tossed the horn to a passing Viking the moment he was finished. "Hold this!" Stoick ordered.
"What should I do with it?" the Viking asked.
"Keep blowing!" Stoick yelled over his shoulder. Obeying his Chief's orders, the Viking continued blowing into the horn, causing only a temporary distraction for the Whispering Deaths. Stoick used the chance to reach a group of Vikings, Jessica among them, and yelled, "Quickly, everyone form a defensive line in front of the village!"
Everyone grabbed a weapon after that, everyone that was, except for Jessica. Her face turned white with horror as she saw the destruction caused by the Whispering Deaths. She'd never faced the threat of battle before, and this was something that she had never prepared for.
"Where are you going?" Astrid demanded when she started running from the chaos.
"Where does it look like I'm going?" she called back over her shoulder, panic obvious in her voice. Astrid shook her head in disbelief as she watched Jessica flee behind a building. How was it that she was from the same world as Alex and Jacob? They were nothing alike.
Meanwhile, Snotlout was still being chased by a Whispering Death. "Hookfang, help! Hurry!" he shouted in panic. Luckily when he reached up, Hookfang grabbed him, but his troubles were far from over at that point. The Whispering Death suddenly emerged from the ground and began to chase both dragon and Rider. Snotlout, still dangling from Hookfang's grasp. He braced himself for what he thought would be the end.
"Stormfly, spine shot! Sniper, fire blast!" Astrid's cry rang out, and at that moment both Stormfly and Sniper fired at the Whispering Death, causing it to disappear underground again.
"Astrid!" Fishlegs yelled. She turned and saw a Whispering Death flying behind her, but before it could attack, Meatlug fired a lava blast to knock it out. "Nice shot, girl! Impeccable timing as always." Meatlug growled happily at the praise.
In the town square, Stoick had grabbed a wooden piece and was smacking it across the Whispering Death's face before swinging it at another that tried attacking from behind. Just as he'd whacked the second one, the first one he'd attacked tripped him with it's tail. The Whispering Death tried attacking after that, but Stoick managed to roll out of the way fast enough to avoid the hit. Stoick turned and noticed a shield laying beside him.
"Want something to chew, don't you? Dinner is served!" Stoick grabbed the shield and held it up just as the Whispering Death tried attacking him, only for the shield to be stuck between it's teeth. The Whispering Death snarled and lifted him up, tossing Stoick aside. The throw caused him to land on Gobber, who was busy fending off another Whispering Death. "Odin's beard!" Stoick exclaimed as he got up. He then turned to look at Gobber. "Gobber, take care of the village. I'm going to see if our new friends match up with Thornado."
Gobber noticed a Whispering Death had cornered Spitelout. He ran up to the Whispering Death and slammed his hammer on it's tail. His attempt at distracting the Whispering Death was enough time for Spitelout to escape their wrath. After receiving a good punch from Gobber, the Whispering Death burrowed into a hole where the Riders now anxiously hovered over.
"Where did these Whispering Deaths come from? And why are they so much smaller?" Astrid asked Fishlegs. Fishlegs was the only one who could possibly understand the situation they were in, as far as she was concerned.
"They must be hatchlings!" he exclaimed. Astrid's shoulders slumped with relief. She hoped that would make it easier for them to drive the Whispering Deaths away. But seeing the worried look Fishlegs had on told her this would be anything but easy.
"That's good news, right?" she asked hopefully, dreading what his answer would be.
"Actually, it's not," Fishlegs replied uneasily, looking down at the hole warily. "Newly hatched Whispering Deaths can be worse than adults. They don't have control over their jaw muscles or their spines. They're kind of like out of control soblings," he explained as two more Whispering Deaths flew about.
"Sounds about right," Astrid muttered as they tried to figure out what to do next.
...
Back underground, the five of us were still navigating our way through the tunnels. Luckily, Jacob had brought along a lantern with him and was holding it up to get a better view. All the while Toothless kept using his sonar abilities to guide our way through.
"Nothing like having a Night Fury with sonar abilities," Jacob mused, thankful we had some way of guiding our way out. I just nodded in agreement, once again wondering how we would have gotten through this mess without our dragons.
'There are Whispering Deaths everywhere,' Snowfire growled with unease. It really did feel as if the ground was alive with something moving underneath or above.
"Yeah, keep going, bud!" Hiccup praised Toothless as we moved onward through the dark. These tunnels weren't smooth like the other ones. Instead, they were winding labyrinths that never seemed to end. "Don't these guys ever make a straight tunnel?" he wondered out loud.
"Most likely not," I replied, having remembered reading in the Book of Dragons about them. "They're Whispering Deaths, remember?"
'It's a good thing you can see in the dark,' Snowfire hummed. I just rolled my eyes at the amusement in her tone. Humans had poor eyesight at best. Without Toothless, we'd be wandering blindly through the tunnels.
Finally, the four of us had seen what looked light at the edge of the tunnel. Snowfire put on an extra burst of speed, happy to be out of the confining tunnels once and for all. What we all saw next made our eyes widen in shock.
"This is not good," I muttered after noting all the chaos unfolding around us.
Villagers who weren't fighting or couldn't fight had tried running for cover. And not to my surprise, Jessica wasn't among them. I'd always known she was a coward, especially when it came to dragons. Nearby, Astrid had Stormfly fly up and fire her magnesium at one of the Whispering Deaths, making it roar in frustration before retreating back underground.
'I could always freeze the tunnels,' Snowfire suggested, gesturing to the tunnels below us. 'Perhaps that will stop them in their tracks.'
"Wouldn't that take a lot of energy?" Jacob asked quizzically.
"Yeah, we really need to drive them out, away from Berk," I said under my breath.
"I need something from the forge," Hiccup said after taking in all the chaos.
"We'll cover you," I reassured him as Toothless flew towards the forge. Whispering Deaths were everywhere, and Vikings were trying to help fend them off while those who were defenseless ran for cover. I spotted the twins admiring the destruction caused by them, and rolled my eyes at the sight. Only they would enjoy the fact that their home was being destroyed. "You just might wanna make it quick," I added as a Whispering Death appeared in front of us.
"You mind waiting here for a moment?" Jacob asked, earning a look of surprise from me. "I've gotta make sure Sniper isn't causing anymore trouble than we're already in."
He didn't give me a chance to argue as Snowfire landed beside Toothless, growling with unease as the Whispering Death rounded on us. 'Go away!' Snowfire roared back as the Whispering Death swerved left and right. Toothless roared in agreement and suddenly lunged onto the Whispering Death's head, engaging in a wrestling match while Snowfire crawled from behind.
Snowfire suddenly swatted the Whispering Death with her talons, earning a glare from the dragon in question. I held back a sigh of relief when the Whispering Death was distracted when Hiccup emerged with his shield, using the reflecting light to catch it's attention.
"Let's shine a little light on the situation," Hiccup said as he used the shield's reflection to blind the Whispering Death momentarily.
"Really? This is the worst time for a good pun," I muttered crossly. The Whispering Death tried to free itself once Snowfire got hold of it's tail.
'This beast is stronger than it looks!' she growled.
"Oh, you don't like that, do you?" Hiccup asked. With great effort, the Whispering Death managed to free itself, unable to handle the light any longer. "Rule number one: Never forget a dragon's weakness."
Once the Whispering Death was gone, Snowfire and Toothless took off to join Stormfly with Astrid. She looked at us anxiously, clearing looking for whatever answers we might provide for the situation.
"The Whispering Death tunnels drained the water supply," I explained warily.
"Yeah, we kind of figured that out already," Astrid replied. "We need to keep them in the sunlight."
"That is why I have this," Hiccup told her, holding up his shield.
"Keep the sunlight bouncing off of it," I said as an idea formed in the back of my mind. "If we work together, we should be able to drive them away."
Using the Iron Gronckle shield, we were able to drive one of the Whispering Deaths away. I couldn't help but grin in triumph, already feeling drained from this fight. Whispering Deaths were no jokes, especially when it came to the younger ones.
"One down. Two more to go," Astrid said once it was gone. "It's working... we're driving them away from the village." All three dragons were now on the run thanks to Hiccup's shield and some extra fireballs from the others.
"That's right! You better run!" Snotlout shouted after them as they flew from the village.
"I'm gonna miss those guys. They were, like, dangerous but cool at the same time," said Tuffnut. I just rolled my eyes at his remark, getting anxious about what might happen next.
'This is not over,' Snowfire suddenly warned us, and I knew where that anxious feeling came from. She had sensed it too, and I couldn't help but feel as if something worse would emerge from those tunnels.
"Stop being so negative," Snotlout retorted. "Enjoy the moment. Buy some water."
My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of a loud scream that reverberated through the island, startling us and the dragons. Snowfire looked around warily, her eyes narrowed to slits. Toothless jumped into a defensive position almost immediately. Meatlug let out an uneasy growl as she looked at the ground.
"W-What is it?" Fishlegs asked nervously. A few seconds later and he finally got his answer.
We all gaped in shock at the sight of a massive dragon exploding from the ground. This dragon had the appearance and shape of a Whispering Death, only it was albino. I never really gave it much thought as to whether dragons could be albino like all reptiles, but it suddenly made sense now.
"Uh... so that's what I was afraid of," Hiccup stammered as we all began backing away fearfully, then the dragon let out another deafening shriek. "Uh, suggestions, anyone?" he asked while we gaped at the white behemoth.
The wild dragon tried attacking both Snotlout and Fishlegs, but Meatlug and Hookfang jumped in to stop it. "What is that thing?" Snotlout nearly squeaked, terror evident in his voice.
"Snow, any suggestions?" I asked warily, having already hated the Whispering Deaths enough. This thing made them look like kittens.
'I have never seen such a creature in my life,' she replied, her eyes narrowed with hate as she looked at the large dragon.
"Fishlegs, is that in the Book of Dragons?" Hiccup asked. I didn't miss the horrified look on Fishlegs' face as he kept muttering something under his breath, fingers pressing against each other. "Fishlegs, is that thing in the Book of Dragons?" Hiccup asked once more, snapping Fishlegs out of his trance.
"Uh... definitely not," Fishlegs replied.
"Are you sure?" I rolled my eyes at the doubt in Hiccup's voice. Honestly, one would think by now he would know of Fishlegs' vast knowledge with the Book of Dragons.
"Hiccup, I am certain I would have remembered all my Boulder Class, Titan Wing Whispering Deaths with bright red eyes that bore a hole right through your very soul!" Fishlegs retorted. My eyes widened with panic as the albino dragon headed straight for Berk. Fortunately, Hiccup and Toothless were quick to spur into action.
"Toothless, plasma blast!" We all watched on as Toothless fired a plasma blast at the newborn. The wild Whispering Death suddenly whirled around and let out another ear-shattering scream. I had to cover my ears as the dragons started getting on edge, Snowfire included.
'That noise is more obnoxious than the hatchling over there!' Snowfire hissed, gesturing to Snotlout.
"It's affecting our dragons!" Astrid cried out in alarm as Stormfly began to writhe in agony. I looked back at them anxiously, realizing she was right.
"I know, that scream, it's disorienting them," Hiccup replied as Toothless and Snowfire tried covering their ears.
"So, now we know that the Whispering Death has a subspecies," I stated warily. "And it's far more dangerous than the Whispering Death."
The red eyes, red-tipped tail and notable size really made it stand out. Not to mention it was albino. I wondered if this species was always that color. Naming it shouldn't be too difficult. I noticed how much more destructive it was as well. Surprisingly, Tuffnut was the first to come up with a name.
"Screaming Death... I love it!" he shouted after uncovering his ears before ducking as the three Whispering Death hatchlings reemerged from the ground. "Okay... maybe love is too strong of a word?" he asked, Ruffnut facepalming herself in response. It's three Whispering Death companions suddenly followed the Screaming Death as they charged for the village.
"Hiccup, Alex, what are we gonna do?" Astrid asked anxiously.
"We've gotta find a way to drive all four of them away from Berk, once and for all!" I replied, realizing that was the only way out of this mess.
"You guys focus on the Whispering Deaths. Alex and I will try to keep the Screaming Death busy," Hiccup ordered.
"Okay, you two have fun! See ya!" Snotlout said before leaving to get a head start.
"Remember your dragon flight club training!" Hiccup called after them as the others left. I gave him a look that would have said everything. Of course I hadn't really been part of the dragon flight club when it was first formed. Back than we hardly spoke to each other.
I didn't argue as we flew off to find the Screaming Death.
As we reached the village, I could see that the people of Berk were preparing for the oncoming battle. Just as they had gotten ready though, the Screaming Death erupted from the ground and glared at them. One Viking woman had tried getting away, but instead she tripped over a rock and fell forward.
"Snow, slow it down!" I ordered, realizing the woman would make an easy target. Snowfire let out an icy blast while Toothless fired a plasma blast at the same time. The Screaming Death noticed our attacks and dodged, firing a large fireball in the process. "Incoming!" I shouted as we avoided the blast.
The fire blast ended up destroying a watch tower nearby. I rolled my eyes at the thought of the twins cheering over such destruction. Heck, they would probably do the same thing. Snowfire and Toothless continued firing at the Screaming Death in an attempt to drive it away. That's when Snowfire accidentally bumped into the Screaming Death's tail. The impact sent us both tumbling down, and I clung on for dear life.
'Hold on!' Snowfire cried as she lost balance. I hadn't realized until looking that Hiccup had lost balance on Toothless. It was only than that I remembered the injury he'd endured during our fall into the well.
"Snow, you okay?" I asked worriedly, noticing that she was cringing in pain as well.
'I will live,' she replied, looking down at Hiccup as the Screaming Death rounded on him. Hiccup braced himself for the worse when a bellowing roar from Thornado and a fire blast from Sniper stopped it.
"Thanks dad, thanks Jacob!" Hiccup sighed in relief as the Screaming Death retreated from the threat.
"I don't even want to know what that thing is, but we need to get it away from Berk," Stoick said once we'd regrouped. The Screaming Death was headed straight for the village. Again. My shoulders sagged in frustration, and I suddenly wondered if this attack would ever end.
"Way ahead of you," I muttered as Snowfire stood back up. "We'll try and lead it away from the village." Hiccup threw me a worried look, and I rolled my eyes. "You're in no condition to take that thing on alone, even if you have Toothless," I told him in a stern voice.
'She does have a good point,' Snowfire hummed in amusement. Hiccup just sighed in frustration before nodding in agreement. Besides, I'd never let him live it down if this thing did get the better of him.
...
In the woods surrounding Berk, the rest of the Dragon Riders were working together to drive the three Whispering Deaths off of the island. One of them had Hookfang and Meatlug on the run.
"Let's split up. It can't follow us both," Astrid said.
"I don't get it," Snotlout replied in confusion. Then his eyes widened as he understood her meaning. "Oh... good plan!"
One of the Whispering Deaths was still chasing Astrid. "Stormfly, evasive maneuvers!" she ordered. Stormfly did just that and zigzagged through the trees as one of the Whispering Deaths uncontrollably launched it's spine.
Snotlout had Hookfang double back in Astrid's direction, and Hookfang prepared for a nasty surprise attack between the trees. Just as Astrid and Stormfly flew by, Snotlout gave Hookfang the signal for an attack.
"Now, Hookfang!" What the Whispering Death got next was a face-full of pine tree courtesy of Berk's most obnoxious residents.
"Oops, I hate it when that happens," Astrid said, relieved as the Whispering Death retreated.
Meanwhile, Fishlegs had Meatlug fly at lower speeds as another Whispering Death started gaining on them. "Slower Meatlug... wait for it... wait for it..." The chubby Ingerman boy said carefully as the Whispering Death continued gaining on them. Once the Whispering Death was within range, Meatlug let loose a stinky fart right in it's face. The Whispering Death recoiled in disgust at the stench, and that gave Fishlegs and Meatlug the perfect opportunity for an attack.
"Tail Bludgeon!" At her Rider's command, Meatlug swung her bulbous tail right at the Whispering Death's face. "Ah, there's nothing more glorious than a well-placed tail bludgeon! Right, girl?" Fishlegs pumped his fist into the air triumphantly, while Meatlug smiled a toothy smile.
...
All of us were working together to stop the Screaming Death from destroying more of the village. Surprisingly, Jacob worked alongside Stoick while Hiccup and I stuck together. Thornado had fired a sonic blast at the Screaming Death while Sniper let out a fiery blast.
The Screaming Death retaliated by firing two fireballs at them, which they both avoided. Snowfire let out an icy blast while Toothless fired a plasma blast, but it seemed like no matter what trick we tried, our attacks only just stunned it for a moment.
"Okay, let's see how it likes this," Hiccup said as an idea came to mind. He started moving his ordinate shield up and down, reflecting the sunlight off of it. Once the light hit the Screaming Death, it dove back into the ground. "Just as I thought."
Just as he said that, the Screaming Death exploded from the ground and started charging at them. I shook my head in frustration as Hiccup and Toothless moved quickly to avoid getting hit.
"Apparently, it doesn't mind the sunlight," Stoick grumbled.
"It must not have that weakness," Hiccup said in exasperation.
"That means they have better eyesight than Whispering Deaths," I muttered crossly. Which also meant, they were pretty much a more advanced subspecies of the Whispering Death. That was just plain wonderful.
"Well, we better figure out what it does have and quick," Stoick said. Just as he did that, the Screaming Death let out another ear-splitting scream that made our dragons, even Snowfire, writhe in confusion. "What is happening?"
"The screaming. It effects the dragons' flying," Hiccup explained warily.
"Hence the name Screaming Death," I put in.
Toothless then fired a plasma blast, and even though he was flying awkwardly, he still managed to land a hit on the Screaming Death, stopping it's screaming for just a moment. It chose that moment to fly down and chase both Toothless and Snowfire towards the sea. Stoick and Jacob tried going after us, but a Whispering Death blocked their path.
Dodging spines left and right on Toothless and Snowfire, we lured the Screaming Death as far from Berk as possible with whatever shiny object we could find. I used my double swords and reflected the sunlight off of them, while Hiccup used his shield. To our surprise, the Screaming Death was actually chasing the light.
"Like a moth to the flame," I said in amazement.
"It's actually attracted to the light... I guess that could be used as a weakness," Hiccup mused after noting it's craving. Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks. "Toothless, to the sea stacks!" he ordered, and Snowfire flew in close behind.
Using his shield, and my double swords, we were able to lure the Screaming Death in a chase around the surrounding sea stacks. On one of them, Astrid had Stormfly land until she spotted us down below. "They're down there!" she announced after noticing the Screaming Death that was closing in on them. Stormfly flew down and fell in beside Toothless. "Need a little help?" Astrid asked.
'More than a little,' Snowfire replied with a roll of her eyes. That was saying something. I don't think I've ever heard Snowfire ask for help.
"That thing doesn't have the Whispering Death's weaknesses," Hiccup explained. "It goes after the sunlight." Astrid looked a little surprised with that bit of news.
"So... how do we beat it?" she asked anxiously. Hiccup was silent for a few moments as he formulated a plan.
"We give it what it wants," he replied. "Alex and I'll keep it following us. You guys get behind it and hit it with everything you've got!" Astrid didn't look pleased with the plan, but at least it was a plan. She nodded in agreement.
"Got it," she told him.
"Let's get this done and over with," I said, determination making me wish this whole ordeal was over.
Toothless and Snowfire flew gracefully this way and that between the sea stacks, the Screaming Death following them. Suddenly it opened it's mouth and fired a huge fireball at them, fire also shooting from it's frills.
'I have never seen a dragon with this much ferocity,' Snowfire hissed as she dodged the attack. I turned and looked over my shoulder in time to see that Toothless had bumped into a sea stack. Hiccup was grinding his teeth in pain, and I realized too late that the Screaming Death was right in front of them.
"Hiccup! Toothless!" I cried before Snowfire fired a fiery blast at the Screaming Death on the left side of it's face, while the twins fired on the right side.
"Barf, let em have it!" Ruffnut commanded as the Screaming Death flew upward. Tuffnut than got Belch to spark Barf's gas, and the resulting explosion forced the Screaming Death to turn away, only to get blasted by Hookfang next.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Snotlout jeered at the behemoth. The Screaming Death retaliated by firing it's spikes at both Hookfang and Meatlug, but they were fast enough to dodge them.
"He-He didn't mean that, sir! Or ma'am, whatever you are!" Fishlegs tried apologizing while Hookfang and Snotlout circled for another attack.
But before they could get a shot in, the Screaming Death suddenly let out fireball after fireball. My eyes widened in amazement and horror when the Screaming Death let loose like a machine gun. We flew frantically in different directions to avoid getting hit. That gave Hiccup enough time to recover from his fall and use his shield to gain it's attention.
"Let's see if we can use it's size against it," Hiccup said as Toothless shot up like an arrow.
"Stay safe," I prayed silently while Snowfire crooned worriedly.
Up and up they went, a mad dragon right behind their tail. "Yeah, come on, Toothless, go!" Hiccup cheered, determination drawling them both to perform dangerous stunts. After gaining enough altitude, they were able to level out for just a moment. "Hold... almost... now!" he shouted, prompting Toothless to do a power dive.
For a moment, it was like the Red Death all over again. But this time, there wasn't going to be anyone shooting fireballs into the larger dragon's mouth as it prepared to fire. Quickly pulling up, Hiccup and Toothless led the Screaming Death into an area that had highly packed sea stacks. "That's it. Keep coming. Almost there, big guy," Hiccup tried coaxing the Screaming Death to follow them further.
The Screaming Death was so dead set on getting the light that he had that it didn't notice where Hiccup and Toothless had led it. Just before the Screaming Death collided into a rock, Hiccup had Toothless fly up. The Screaming Death hit the sea stack face-first and went straight down, the collision force resulting in some rocks breaking off of it and pinning it's right wing to the ground. The Screaming Death roared in pain, attracting the attention of the three Whispering Death siblings who quickly flew to it's aid. While it managed to free it's wing, the Screaming Death tried flying away, only to crash into the ground once more.
"Poor thing," I murmured as guilt stabbed at my stomach. Despite all the chaos it had caused, and my revulsion towards Whispering Deaths, they were still dragons. That instinct to rush in and help them kept returning. "It must have broken it's wing and can't fly now." Then I noticed that the Whispering Deaths were flying in and carrying their sibling away from the island.
'They would not abandon their family,' Snowfire mused as she watched the scene warily. Toothless only responded in growling a warning to the Whispering Deaths that were retreating.
"Whoa, bud, whoa! It's hurt," Hiccup tried reassuring his best friend. "Let it go."
...
Once the crisis was averted, the village went on restoring what damage the four dragons had caused. I was more than relieved that it was over, but something told me this was not the last time we would see them. Jacob was sitting beside Jessica, who had her face buried in her hands as she trembled from shock.
"Everything okay?" I asked warily. Finally, Jessica looked up from her sobbing and glared at me.
"No!" she suddenly shouted. "You and your damned dragons are ruining everything! I can't stand living here anymore!" Even Jacob looked a little stunned to hear that. "There has to be a way back home... there has to be."
"Well, there is no way back, as far as we know," Jacob muttered crossly, still looking a bit shocked by what she said. "Besides, not all dragons are bad, in case you have forgotten." As if to prove his point, Sniper lowered his head and tried reassuring Jessica, but she only shrieked and pushed him away.
"Get it away from me!" she cried once again. Sniper just lifted his head and looked at her in disappointment, while Snowfire rolled her eyes.
'Such a weak little hatchling,' she crooned. Jessica's eyes widened when she realized she could hear what Snowfire was saying. 'Perhaps you would be better suited with the Outcasts.'
Jacob and I exchanged knowing looks. Something told me that putting Jessica with the Outcasts would end in disaster.
"Look, we'll find a way to get you out of this world," I said after giving it some thought. "Until than, you're just gonna have to deal with the fact that this world is different from ours. And that difference isn't always a bad thing."
Jessica just glared at me in response. I only rolled my eyes and turned to leave, Snowfire following me from behind.
'She will never fit in with this world,' Snowfire told me. I nodded in agreement, having already decided that we would never get along in the end. Jessica was always used to being the center of attention. Arriving on Berk had changed her entire world.
Snowfire took off once we were far enough away. We circled the island for a few minutes before she finally landed on a nearby sea stack overlooking the village. After everything that had happened today, it left me wondering if things would ever be patched up. I knew Hiccup was annoyed with me for not telling him the truth. But he was willing to take a fall for me, and I'd regretted letting him do that.
"You okay?" I looked at Jacob in surprise as Sniper landed beside us. "Don't listen to a word she says, she's just a crazy bag full of cats."
I couldn't help but grin at that expression. Jacob knew me all too well.
'Something else is bothering you.' I nodded as Snowfire nudged me gently. 'Speak your mind, hatchling.'
"I... I just have a bad feeling that this isn't over," I muttered after looking away uneasily. Jacob rose an eyebrow at that. "I mean, the conflict between me and Jessica, and those Whispering Deaths. If there's one thing I've learned from the Book of Dragons, hatchlings almost always return to their birthplace."
"Well, that could be a big problem," Jacob said after realization dawned on him. He never did take the time to learn Norse. I supposed he just didn't have the patience to learn it. "Have you thought of telling Hiccup or the others?"
All I could do was swallow and look away once again. I flinched when Jacob put a hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle yet firm.
"I don't know if they'd listen," I admitted guiltily. "We work together just fine, but..." I broke off and finally looked at him. "He doesn't trust me."
'Maybe you need to learn to trust him,' Snowfire informed me. I patted her on the shoulder and looked down at the village thoughtfully. Many times I'd thought of telling him the truth about my father. But I was scared, mostly of myself. I hated to admit that I didn't want him or anyone else judging me because of what my father did to me.
"Nobody's forcing you to tell anyone," Jacob reminded me. "But if you want them to trust you again, it might be a good idea to."
I looked at Jacob doubtfully, wondering if that would ever be true. Either way, I was in no hurry to tell them anything. At least not until I knew they could handle it without freaking out.
AN: This chapter was fun to write... again, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've been having trouble writing a few of the chapters up ahead of schedule, so that's why it took so long /:
CartoonLoverBecky - Lol, They might have you beaten there.
The Silent Fury - Indeed it is :)
Nire13 - I'm not sure if that will be happening anytime soon, but it might... it might ;)