Chapter 4 - Desire for Execution

Suuup guys! It's been a while hasn't it? Yeah, I left you hanging long enough, so here's another chapter.

This is a rather short one, especially when you compare it to the previous one! Think of it as a transition chapter, but not just any ol' transition chapter! From this point forward, as we near the climax of the story, I'm going to change up the structure of the story.

I was afraid of stagnation and formulaic structure and thus I decided to do some changes that will be for the best and that will give me more liberties than the previous structure allowed. Which is why I did away with the Free Time mechanic. Hopefully you will notice the differences.

I'm still keeping the first person point of view unless stated otherwise :b

Long foreword done. Enjoy!

Log A: "White"

Rapunzel's POV

A day had passed since the conclusion of the third Class Trial, and honestly? Things were looking bad. Everybody was on edge or depressed and sad, and it permeated the entire camp grounds. We stood divided among ourselves thanks to Monobear's revelations and that's why I found myself eating all alone on the Restaurant. It was very lonely... I had grown used to eating with all of my friends, but now... everyone was doing their own thing.

Hiccup had it worse than everyone, though. For all the loneliness I felt, I was sure the Ultimate Lucky Student had it worse. Everyone had turned against him. Even I... yeah, I was pretty angry and confused when Monobear pulled those files on him, and I didn't know what to think, but now that I had calmed down... I regretted my actions. And I wanted to apologize.

But Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like anybody else was looking for him; they still distrusted him as far as I know (which isn't much, since I haven't talked to anyone ever since that day), but I had walked around the Camp to clear my mind and nothing! No sign of auburn hair, nor freckles.

Jack... was around, but he was worse for wear. He looked tired and demotivated, no longer even bothering to fake a smile. He also was kind of jumpy, looking from here and there as if he was expecting something or someone to pop up, his eyes full of wariness and hesitation. I... had an idea of who he was expecting, but I wonder... if he'll have the guts to face him after that fight they had?

A weary sigh escaped my lips as I toyed with my sunny-side eggs, not really feeling sunny or better. I was so entranced and focused on my dilemmas that I didn't notice Merida had entered the restaurant until she proceeded to sit next to me. I was startled, to say the least, when a sigh not coming from me broke the silence!

I eyed the forlorn and defeated redhead next to me curiously. This was an odd sight- I hadn't expected anyone to come see me, and this was an unusual kind of mood for Merida. A tense silence stretched over as I debated with myself if I should break the silence or not... I was kind of curious why Merida had decided to talk to me, after all! So, with a resolve I didn't know I had in me, I put on my best smile and greeted her.

"Hi, Merida! How's it going?"

Stupid! Stupidstupidstupid! That was waaay too cheery for the situation at hand! Merida thinks so too, given her "are you OK" face she's giving me. Her scowl returns as she shrugs and answers in a monotone tone of voice.

"Nothin' much. Really, I'm just so bloody tired of it all..."

She pauses as she slumps over the table, her red mane obscuring her face as she speaks through it, muffled voice of annoyance.

"This sucks... everythin' is such a mess and I just wish everyone made up or whatever."

I turn back to my plate and stab one of the eggs, the yolk bursting over and spreading all around the plate.

"Yeah, I get you... It's like, there's this dreary cloud all over the camp and everyone is on edge and nothing is getting done and Monobear is out there plotting something for more deaths and we don't know anything AN-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, girl!", All the apprehension I had stored inside me threatened to leak out once I began to speak, and I hadn't noticed until Merida decided to stop my ramblings. With an uneasy laugh after I managed to catch my breath, the Ultimate Archer joked, "Seems like Ms. Sunshine an' Rainbows ain't unshakable after all, huh?"

I smiled at that comment. I guess that really is the appearance I'm giving, huh? It's not a bad one, I'll admit. I chuckle nervously in response. "Yeah...", another sigh, "I just really wish everything was back to the way before all of this happened... at least we were all friends still..."

"Yah...", agreed Merida, looking rueful, "I'm not one to go back on 'er word, but sometimes I wish I could take back some of my actions... that lad Hiccup didn't deserve all of this, and we all acted like a buncha morons, fallin' for Monobear's plot like that."

"Well... At least we're talking to each other now, right?", I offered, meekly.

Merida blinked as if she hadn't quite understood what I had said, but her befuddled expression broke into the first warm and genuine smile I had seen since yesterday. "Yah... I mean... I couldn't really ever stay mad at ya, Rapunzel. Of all the blokes here, I know you're trustworthy."

That seriously warmed my heart! I had never considered myself trustworthy! There was a lot of things I didn't know and I wasn't reliable aside from my paintings, but to think that there were people here that found me worthy of trust! ...If only the circumstances surrounding us were more favorable... but this still made me very happy!

...And yet, unease and sadness still clouded my heart. Sure, the two of us were talking once again, but the others... were not. They still were skulking around, doubting each other, and not making up. And Monobear was still out there, plotting his next motive. And there were still a lot of things that were up in the air, mysteries to be solved. We don't even know if the file was real or not!

And Hiccup... where was he?

Jack POV

I lunged for cover behind a tree and though I was panting heavily from all the running around I had been doing, I stood as quietly as possible so I could hear if they were still on my tail. It wasn't long before I heard the clumsy steps of Snotlout as he crunched and ran through a brush on the opposite side, closely followed by some less cumbersome steps from Flynn.

"Where is he?! Did you see where that dumbass ran to?", asked Snot, as he no doubt tried to find me. Bothered by the fact that they could walk on me any moment, and that I had no idea where they were, I decided to get a vantage view on them by climbing the tree. It was weird, really, how natural it was for me to climb things, but I guess that's the perk of repressed memories... things never really do disappear from your mind.

Despite how tired I was, I was still able to deftly and quietly climb to a nearby branch. Using the thick foliage from the trees' crown, I peeked down and sure enough, there they were... the two teens standing dangerously below the spot I just had climbed from. I couldn't see their faces very well, but I could tell they weren't very happy. But I knew that already. That's why I was running from them.

"No, I did not.", answered Flynn, looking annoyed as he crossed his arms. "Y'know, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't struck Jack. Like, this was supposed to be just an interrogation, not torture, you idiot."

Snot shrugged. "Hey, you know how that white haired freak is. Chances are he was gonna dance around the issue like a pansy, so brute force was totally necessary!"

"Do you even hear yourself when you're talking?", shot back Flynn with a groan. "Whatever. The mess is done. If we want answers from him, we have to catch him so let's keep looking. He couldn't have gone far."

With a grunt, Snot took off and ran deep into the forest, Flynn following closely. I held my breath until I couldn't hear any sounds from their running and only then did I relax a little. As I tried to even my heartbeat, I gingerly touched my half-lidded right eye and hissed. Yep, I was sure that was already starting to bruise. That asshole really cleaned my clock this time. I'm surprised I managed to run away and not, you know, pass out from the hit. I felt a little silly feeling proud about that but in my current situation, any kind of small victories are good enough for me.

At that thought, my mood soured once more.

"Right... my current situation."

It was bad enough that I was practically being hunted down by those two because of their suspicions against me, and their hunger for information. They thought I had something to do with the Mastermind's plan due to the fact that I was supposed to be dead as that file stated. Of course, hell if I knew something about that. I really... don't know what the hell is up with me or who I am, and that file only made things worse.

Yes, it was because of that file that things had turned for the worse. A cold feeling spread through my chest as I remembered the cruel reality on that newspaper clip Monobear had forced on us.

My sister was dead. My dear, sweet, mischievous and annoying but smart Emma. Gone. And I hadn't... I hadn't even know... no, I didn't even remember that...!

I had done my share of crying and moaning and grieving yesterday but even know I still felt empty and drained of all energy and drive to do anything. The only reason I managed to survive Snot's "interrogation" was because my survival instincts kicked in. But even now, I still couldn't help the tears that threatened to escape. I suddenly felt like nothing mattered anymore and in truth that was most likely the case.

I had no home to return to, no family to welcome me back. Nothing. I had no motivation to escape, nothing to look forward to.

I was plagued by the realization that I had lost everything. From the very beginning, I had lost all that mattered to me, beyond the memories I had lost. It really...

It really didn't matter to me if I died or if I lived now. Everything was dreadful, either because of me or because of something I couldn't control.

Somehow, I had managed to destroy the only happiness I had here as well, only adding to my already dismal mood. In the heat of the moment, in the sorrow and anger that swirled inside me as the news of Emma's passing had been delivered to me, I had said hurtful things, things that I didn't really mean, to the one person who had put up with my bullshit, who believed in me no matter what. The one person who had cared for me and loved me and trusted me in this hellhole.

And I hated myself for it. I was so ashamed of myself, and I had pushed Hiccup away. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life that I can remember, and I didn't want to dwell on it but... but the searing pain of loneliness and aching in my heart was a constant reminder that I had done something I couldn't take back. I didn't have the courage to even face him; I was too afraid of being hurt once more. I could probably take the hurt from someone else, but not from Hiccup.

So all I could do is... avoid him.

"Heh... I bet he's already happier without me... he DID use to say that I was a pain in the ass..."

With those toxic thoughts and loneliness and pain from loss and the bruise on my eye, I sat on that tree, away from everyone and everything. I lost... no, time lost all meaning to me as it passed on, and I certainly paid no attention to it or the day as the sun moved through the sky slowly, the forest changing in coloration as the day drew to a close.

Hiccup POV

Work.

I had to keep working.

This iron must be hit like so while its still hot... and then it must be cooled in water... although the snow would probably cool it off just as well.

No, don't think of the snow and funtimes. Just focus on working.

That's right, this iron frame needs to be exactly 30 centimeters long. It's looking perfect.

Gotta keep my mind on finishing... whatever this is.

Oh right... I was scrapping the tail fin I was building for Toothless. It won't be useful anymore now that...

Gotta keep working. Yes, don't think on anything else.

Work is all I've been doing since yesterday. It keeps my mind occupied from wandering and-

Right, I gotta focus. Do stuff with my hands, no matter if the thing is useless. But this won't be useless. I bet it won't be. No, I designed this on a whim but I'm sure it will work, unlike the rest of the stuff on my life like-

No, it will definitely work. It's pure genius, I swear. A flight suit. Yes, kinda like the ones people use when they go skydiving. I'm recycling Toothless' tail fin and refurbishing it. With this, I'll surely glide. Yes, with this I can escape. I can use this to glide over the gates and then I'll be free. Away from this horrible place. Away from-

I can't stop it this time. This time around, his face comes into full shape and I drop the iron frame I was holding, not caring about the racket I was making in the forge. No one was going to come visit me anyway, and no one cared about me. I was alone.

That was the reality that was hovering above me. The fact that I was all alone and I had messed everything up. No family, and certainly no friends, no bud... no Toothless. And no Jack.

All I wanted was to get away from this.

I began to tear up. I wanted that to stop too. I wasn't supposed to cry. Vikings don't cry! And I-I made a promise...! I was supposed to smile and bear all despair and misfortune that came towards me and keep moving forwards. But I couldn't honor that promise...!

"I-I'm sorry... Aster...!", I said to no one but myself as I blubbered and cleaned my nose with the sleeve of my shirt.

I couldn't keep that promise up. I wanted to run away from the pain, and my mistakes. It was because of me that people had died. I was surely hated by everyone now, and no one outside this place cared for me. I just wanted to leave; anywhere was fine! Anywhere is good... As long as I could forget about this...!

But even I couldn't run away from the fact that everything was a mess and that it hurt to even think about all of this. The fact that I had started to cry once more proved this. I wanted to tear out my heart and smash it to pieces with the forge's hammer. Maybe that would ease the pain.

I don't know how much time passed before I managed to calm myself down. Crying left me exhausted and even more so when there was no dragon friend to comfort you... or a boyfriend or a friend really. Feeling more than miserable, I decided to stop working today. My mood was a wreck already and I didn't have it in me to keep working on the flight suit. As I began to put everything back on its place, a sudden voice startled me, making me drop the iron frame once again.

"Ah... so this is where you were..."

Merida POV

Ugh... this day had been such a drag. And the day before that too.

It was always like this when that whole Class Trial dealio happened but today was especially dreadful. Everyone was on edge and moody and the whole campground was empty as hell.

The only savin' grace had been that Blondie over here had actually talked to me. Compared to the cold shoulder everyone had been givin' me, this made my day brighter.

But I was still annoyed because everyone else was actin' like buttfaces. It made me want to smack some sense into 'em because this wasn't the time to be all distrustin' and crap.

These were the times when we had to stick together, especially against that damn Monobear. Had they forgotten what Astrid and Aster said?

...Of course, I had a fault on this too... if I had stood up for that wee lad Hiccup, maybe help him diffuse the tension instead of bein' a doubter... maybe things wouldn't have went sour between us.

But that was wishful thinkin'. And what was on the past was in the past. I had to focus on fixin' things up on the present. At least Blond-, err, Rapunzel and I were on speakin' terms. But now...

"What should we do...?"

I spoke outloud, and Rapunzel looked at me with a confused glance.

"Are you talking about the others?", she asked and I nodded perhaps too earnestly. Darn, this girl was good at discernin' stuff without havin' to explain myself.

"Yeah like... I'm not very good at speakin' and stuff, but I feel like we have to do somethin' or else everything will go to hell."

Rapunzel thought about what I said for a few moments before nodding in approval. "Hmm, true... I'm kind of nervous too, but I guess all we can do is round everyone else up and speak about this. That's all we can do."

"Sounds like a plan.", I said and I stood up immediately before I started to doubt myself. "Let's do it then. We are burnin' daylight so let's get to it!"

Rapunzel blinked and then stood up with a nervous "R-right", but before we even moved a step, the doors to the restaurant burst open and in walked two people of our group. Huh, looks like we had our job cut for us a little. Fishlegs and Tooth had just walked in and judgin' by their startled expressions, they weren't expectin' us. We weren't expectin' 'em either but I'm not complainin'

"Yo.", I greeted back as casually as I could. That, thankfully, eased off their nerves a lil, and they walked in with less guarded expressions, but still not quite sittin' next to us. Still, at least they had answered my greetin' with a small wave of the hand. They looked pretty rough around the edges, Tooth wearin' a tired smile and her hair being a disheveled mess, and Fishlegs was wearin' his shirt backwards but I didn't have the heart to point it out to 'im.

Yet.

An awkward silence fell on the room and I suddenly started to double-think my plan. Thankfully, Rapunzel was oblivious to the fact and she smiled sincerely at the two before speaking up.

"So, how've you guys been?"

Tooth and Fishlegs looked genuinely perplexed, as if they had realized they had permission to speak. They even looked at each other as if to confirm that they weren't dreamin' this up. Tooth smiled nervously at Rapunzel before answerin'.

"O-Oh... I've... been a little tired, but I'm fine!"

"I haven't slept well. At all. But I'm fine, I guess...", answered Fishlegs tiredly, the bags under his eyes proof of that. Yikes, that didn't look good...

"Yeah, same deal over here. Just tryin' to live my life and all, you know how it is...", I answered tryin' to sound non-commital, but as soon as those words left my mouth, I realized I had just cut all conversation short. Darn.

A somber look fell on Tooth's face as she surveyed the restaurant. "Huh... I never noticed how... big... this restaurant was... now that we have so few people here..."

At that, I too noticed that. It was true... there was like, what, nine of us left? Out of our group of sixteen...

"Yeah... it's really quiet too...", commented Rapunzel with a grimace. "It's kind of unnerving how... not noisy this place is when you compare it to back when we first arrived."

"It doesn't help that... now all of us are scattered around either...", added Fishlegs, "I've been always a loner kind of guy, much preferring to read by myself... but I was getting used to the ruckus and energy and all and now... I kinda miss it."

A general hum of agreement sounded in the room. It was true. Annoyin' as they were, the Twins were the moodmakers of this group and now that they were gone, with no messin' around, no stupid squabble or idiotic comments... this whole place was dead as a doornail. Whoops... probably not the most appropiate observation.

It was in that shared silence that his annoyin' voice filled the restaurant. As usual, Monobear had decided to pop out of thin air, standing on a table where we could all see him. However...

"Where is he?"

There was somethin' very off about the Headmaster. Usually, the goofy bear would ramble on about somethin' idiotic in a childish and loud voice, movin' around and prancin' like an idiot before he let a bombshell of a motive drop on us. But not this time. This time, Monobear was looking very serious, and all playfulness and mirth from his voice was gone. It was replaced by cold anger.

"I repeat. Where. is. He?"

Now, this was odd.

"Who... are you talking about...?", asked Fishlegs, nervously. Why was Monobear askin' us about someone and their whereabouts? Didn't this damn bear know everything that happened in this camp? If so, shouldn't he had already found out this person he is lookin' for instead of askin' us?

"Don't play dumb with me, fatty.", answered Monobear fiercely, takin' Fishlegs aback. "I know he is around here somewhere and that he is trying to speak to you all, so you better fess up. Where. IS. HE?"

"Are... you talkin' about Hiccup...?", I tried, hopin' to make any sense out of the Headmaster's odd behavior.

At that, Monobear groaned. "Ugh, no. I know where that wimpy loser is.", He shook his head. "Nevermind. It looks like you guys really don't know about him so he probably hasn't contacted you yet. I must hunt him down before he ruins my perfect plan."

More cryptic remarks before Monobear disappeared, leavin' very confused about this weird exchange. Another mystery to add to the pile that just doesn't stop from gettin' ever taller.

"What was that all about?", asked Tooth as she stared at the spot that Monobear had occupied.

"You think he was looking for one of us?", asked Rapunzel as she bit her nail.

"No", answered Fishlegs immediately as his brow furrowed. "We've been told by Monobear that he knows what happens in the camp at all times, and he has certainly shown proof of that. He... must be looking for someone else..."

"Someone else...? But I thought we were the only ones who were in this whole darn camp.", I said, not quite graspin' the concept. Didn't Monobear say we were the only ones here...?

"So... if its not one of us...", began Tooth, her face slightly brightenin' up as a thought dawned on her. "Does this mean someone from outside infiltrated the camp?! Maybe... help from outside has come?!"

The pause that followed that comment was abruptly cut short by Rapunzel snapping her fingers.

"Yeah...! That makes sense...! Monobear is only able to monitor us all... so he's probably trying to find someone from outside!"

"And he probably would hunt that person down, yeah... it makes sense!", added Fishlegs.

Help from outside... It seemed too good to be true. And yet, it seemed to be just that, accordin' to our brainiacs here. And I wasn't goin' to argue against that. But if that were true, then we had no time to waste here being pessimistic. There would be time to lick our wounds later.

"We have to find that person before Monobear finds 'im and eats 'im for brunch. C'mon, let's go!"

They didn't need to hear me twice. All the hesitation and gloom they had wore on their faces had been replaced with determination. It wasn't like we had overcome our pain and sadness, no. We just had a goal now, somethin' that gave us hope, an opportunity we had to seize in order to escape this horrible despair. And we had to protect that hope before it was torn asunder by a very wicked bear.

With that thought in our heads, we ran out of the restaurant and into the camp grounds, in our search for this mysterious individual that had eluded Monobear's all-seein' eye.

Hiccup POV

I recognized the shape of the person that stood in front of me. The small stature was there and the gait was present too. But the similarities between the person I was familiar with and the person standing before me ended there. Whereas the person I was familiar with had black and white fur even separated and smoothed over, this one was entirely white, and with rough patches of fur dirtied with mud and dirt.

Whereas the person I was familiar with had a red, menacing eye and a mocking grin that extended far more than the one on his white side, the person I was looking at had no such eye, instead sporting a bandage wrapped around the left side of its head, and an even grin that looked gentle. It even seemed to have a permanent blush on its cheeks.

I was familiar with Monobear's appearance. And the person... no, thing before me looked just like Monobear save for those stark differences I pointed out.

I was instantly wary. Why was this not-Monobear looking for me?

"Oooh man... I seriously thought he was going to find me before I contacted you, but yaaaay! I'm so glad I found you at last!"

I grabbed the nearest wrench next to me. It wasn't a good weapon but I could at least brandish it like a sword if I needed to.

"W-what... what are you...? Why do want to speak with me...?!"

This thing... spoke in a bubbly manner like Monobear but without all the malice behind the words and it was unnerving. Was this Monobear's next motive...? Or was he something apart from the Headmaster...?

As he saw my wrench and my aggressive expression, the not-Monobear thing recoiled and put his paws over his head, cowering in apparent fear.

"Uwwaaah! Please! There is no need for such violent behavior! I am not an enemy and I will answer your questions without resorting to violent interrogation! Please lower your mighty wrench, wee Hiccup!"

I only lowered the wrench a little, but still held it at ready, mostly out of spite due to the name this thing had used one me. Seriously... wee? I waited for the not-Monobear to explain itself.

Sensing that I would not attack him any soon, the not-Monobear sighed with relief and stood up at its full small height.

"Right... I should begin by introducing myself! Teehee, silly me~" it said, sounding disgustingly cute and putting a paw behind its head bashfully. "My name is Shirokuma, and I'm here to rescue you all!"

suspense suspense suspense

cliffhanger aaaaaand

scene

:b

Well, that was all from me today. Hopefully I will update sooner this time around but life is rough sometimes. Anyways, see ya later :]