Chapter seventeen – Moonlit Night*

In the moonlight I felt your heart

Quiver like a bowstring's pulse

In the moon's mere light

You looked at me

Nobody knows your heart

Hiccup was restless. His arm was throbbing, and he couldn't sleep. He shuddered in cold sweat.

When he opened his eyes, for a moment he didn't recognize where he was. The air was still and earthy. The ceiling was rock. A soft glow from the moon shined through the cave opening.

He turned his head over and saw Astrid sleeping peacefully on a bed of leaves beside him. She only shifted in her sleep to curl deeper into her fur cape, which she now used as a blanket.

When the sun has gone I see you

Beautiful and haunting but cold

Like the blade of a knife

So sharp, so sweet

Nobody knows your heart

He watched her sleep for a while.

This girl who had been prepared to kill him, had just as easily taken care of him. Although she kept her distance after their fight and mostly gave him the silent treatment, she still dutifully cared for him.

At a glance, he realized her dagger wasn't near her. At the moment, she was completely vulnerable to him. Granted, he had no idea where she'd hidden his sword, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed. For all she knew, Hiccup could take his chance and kill her in her sleep. But even now, Astrid trusted him. She had that much faith in his life's worth.

For a moment, his pulse quickened.

He winced as his arm started aching again, much sharper than before. Holding his breath, so as to not wake her, he shifted out from under his own fur blanket.

Deciding to get some fresh air, and collect himself, he quietly stepped out of the cave, looking off into the distance.

All of your sorrow, grief and pain

Locked away in the forest of the night

Your secret heart belongs to the world…

Of the things that cry in the night

Of the things that sigh in the night…

The moon was full and bright. The forest was quiet and peaceful. A gentle blue hue washing over the dark green canopy. The same river where he'd met Astrid for the first time cut through the valley like a silver ribbon.

"You know, you could always jump, boy," said a deep, melodious voice. "End it all…"

Hiccup turned around and looked up. Laying above the cave, with her paws crossed beneath her, sat the wolf goddess Hiccup had seen by the river. From his angle, she somehow looked even larger. His whole body could easily fit inside her mouth, his head crushed like a nut between her powerful jaws.

This was Moro. Astrid's mother.

He could definitely see the resemblance.

"As soon as your strength returns, the mark will spread and destroy you," she said, not giving either hint of pity or delight.

Hiccup was brave and held his gaze on her.

"It feels like I must have been asleep for weeks. Like it had all been a dream that Astrid was by my side, nursing me," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

The goddess chuckled, "I was hoping you'd cry out in your sleep. Then I would have bitten your head off to silence you."

How strange that they could talk to each other so casually. Almost like equals, yet worlds apart.

Hiccup looked out into the distance. "It's a beautiful forest." He glanced back up at her on her throne of rock. "Are Okkoto and the boars on the move yet?" Hiccup asked.

Moro seemed to frown. "Yes, the boars are marching," she growled. She lifted her head and gazed up at the distant winking stars. "The trees cry out as they die, but you cannot hear them. I lie here. I listen to the pain of the forest and feel the ache of the bullet in my chest and dream of the day when I will finally crunch that gun woman's head in my jaws."

Hiccup studied her.

Moro seemed so impartial, so wise, so tired. Even now, she didn't refer to Mala by her name. Simply, 'that gun woman'.

"Moro, why can't the humans and the forest live in peace together?" he asked, taking a step. "Why can't we stop this fighting now?"

She dug her claws slightly in the stone beneath her paws. "The humans are gathering for the final battle. The flames of their guns will burn us all."

Hiccup frowned. "And what happens to Astrid? What's your plan, to let her die with you?"

The goddess huffed, drawing herself taller, ears perked. "Typical. Selfish. You think like a human. Astrid is my daughter. She is of the wolf tribe. When the forest dies, so does she."

Hiccup clenched his jaw. It wasn't fair. She shouldn't be condemned to die over a pointless war, the same way he was.

"You must set her free! She's not a wolf! She's human!" he snapped.

"Silence, boy! How dare you speak to a god like that," Moro snarled, her lips curling to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Her eyes were sharp and critical. "I caught her human parents defiling my forest. They threw their baby at my feet as they ran away. Instead of eating her, I raised her as my own. Now my poor, ugly, beautiful daughter is neither human nor wolf… How can you help her?"

Hiccup bowed his head. Because she was absolutely right. What could he do?

"I don't know…" he answered, "But at least we might find a way to live."

The goddess cackled a mighty laugh, her shoulders bouncing, her lips stretching and flashing her teeth in a ghoulish smile. "How? Will you join forces with Astrid and fight the humans?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No. All that does is cause more hatred."

Moro sighed heavily, "There is nothing you can do, boy. Soon the demon mark will spread and kill you. Leave this place at sunrise. Return and I shall kill you."

…

Back inside the cave, Hiccup frowned as he sat down on his furs. It seemed everybody wanted to kill him these days.

He didn't notice Astrid stirring slightly in her sleep or when she opened her eyes and simply watched him, silently.

He was finally pulled from his thoughts when she asked, "You feeling alright?"

He turned to her and nodded, a small quirk of a smile tugging his lips. "I'm fine, thanks to you and the Forest Spirit."

She tiredly sighed and snuggled into her fur, closing her eyes again. She was soon carried off and steadily breathing once more.

Hiccup pursed his lips, somehow fighting between a smile and a frown. But with his thoughts all jumbled in a mess, it was no wonder. He'd never been confronted with something so complicated, so controversial, in his life. As prince, he'd always strived to be an openminded individual, and thought of himself as a passivist at heart. There had never been a problem he had seen in his village resolved without a middle ground, a vital aim to compromise.

Was there really no alternative? Was he really just useless to their struggle? Was it really his fight to participate in? He only met Astrid and Mala a few days ago. He was practically a stranger to them all. What difference could he possibly make?

He just wanted peace. Why couldn't that happen?

He covered Astrid with his fur blanket, giving her some of his warmth in return.

Who was he kidding? He wasn't a hero. It was all he could do just to pause the fight. He was just one man. A man doomed to meet a painful end.

…

I apologize for the wait, but in summary, I really, really need a new computer. Updates will just happen when they happen. So, no promises. Thank you for following anyway.