And here it is, the straw that breaks the camel's back. Its ALL downhill from here... and I guess now's a good time to mention that i might tweak the canon just a tiny bit. Nothing major, but i think I'm going to have Hiccup shoot down Toothless at 14 rather than 15. Hope that's not too big an inconsistency lol.

anyway, enjoy! Or don't, it's kind of a sad chapter haha.


Entry 53

Honestly, I have no words for what occurred today.

We had another raid, for the first time in months. And it also happened to be my not-quite-fourteenth-birthday, yet again. I feel so special… I swear, I'm the only one this happens to.

There we were, just me and my dad, having a somewhat civil dinner (he had scrounged up the best of what's left to make it an "occasion"), when BABOOM! Dragon fire, everywhere! But that's not the worst part. Usually, when a raid starts, my dad gets angry, and is ready to fight; but this time… his face paled. I heard him mutter "it can't be" before he jumped up, running to the door.

"What? What can't be?" I asked, getting up as well.

"That sound!" he yelled. "That explosion, didn't you hear it?"

I did, but I didn't get why it was so special. So I just blinked in response.

"Get to the forge! Now, Hiccup!" He roared. "And don't even THINK about sneaking away. The devil's truly here today… gods help us all..." Then, he rushed outside.

I stood there for a second, in shock. He's NEVER reacted like that to a raid before. 'The devil's truly here today'... that could only mean one thing.

The Night Fury.

With this new realization, I took off running toward the forge. If the Night Fury was here, I had to get my trap! As I was running through the village, a shout came from the left- "NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!" I looked over just in time to see it: a flash of purple and an explosion at the catapults. Stunned, I stood there for a second, staring at the quickly spreading flames… only to feel hands shove me to the side.

"What're you doing, Hiccup! Get inside!" The man yelled. He pushed me again, and I finally snapped out of whatever state I was in, and ran the rest of the way to the forge.

"Gobber! Gobber, did you see that!?" I called out as I switched out my vest for my smithing apron. But no reply came... Confused, I looked around each area of the forge, but he was nowhere to be found.

A grin crept across my face; he must have already been out fighting. Which meant I was alone. Which meant he couldn't force me to stay here. Which meant I could take my trap out for a test run.

I ran to my workshop, getting all the pieces together, as a Viking called out from somewhere in the front for a weapon change. "One minute!" I yelled back, then snuck out the rear entrance toward the trees once again.

From my spot, I had a pretty clear view of the sky, even with all the smoke and red glow of burning buildings. Quickly, I fitted the bow-like launcher with one of my bolas, and pulled it back. Honestly, that should have been my clue to stop, because I heard an odd click as it snapped into place, but I figured it was just a minor crack in the wood or something.

"Come on, where are you…" I squinted to see any sign of the dragon, but despite the clear purple explosions, I couldn't make out any discernible figure. "I know you're here. I just need one shot…" As I stood there, searching for the Night Fury, I began to hear more unusual sounds coming from my device. Just as I turned my attention to it and realized something wasn't right, the line snapped, and the bola shot out at a steep angle. One of the wings of the snapped bow flew backward, hitting me hard enough to knock the air from my lungs for a moment. And then, from a ways into town, I heard something that made my blood turn to ice. Someone yelled out in shock, and I knew who it was.

It was my father.

Realizing just how bad this situation was getting, I rushed the broken prototype back into the forge, then hurried to the front, trying to see just what had happened.

"There ya are! We've been waiting for a fix!" The Vikings at the counter yelled as I searched for where my dad was, only to stop mid-word. "What happened to ya?"

I looked down just long enough to notice that a bit of blood had seeped through my shirtsleeve where the wood had hit, but that wasn't what I was worried about.

I had found my dad in the crowd, and it was even worse than I could have imagined. Somehow, the bola had managed to hit HIM. Of all the people on Berk, it was just my luck that I managed to hit my father. Several others were around him, trying to cut the rope to get him free, all the while the dragons dive bombed nearby, taking our precious livestock with them.

No. No no no no no. This could NOT be happening… All I could do was watch as our last means of survival were carried away, as all other sounds and sights around me ceased to exist. I'm sure the Vikings were still yelling, and the beasts were still roaring, and the fires were still burning… but all I could see was the mess I'd caused.

"No…" my voice choked out, as the last tails faded into the night sky, and the world seemed to lose all hope. For the first time in years, I felt like tears were threatening to build in my eyes, and I looked away, only to see my father, back on his feet, staring at me. It was an expression I had never seen before, not angry, not disappointed, just… empty. As if his soul had simply slipped away. It was then that I knew he knew. And before I knew it, I was running.

As if I could just run from everything I'd done.

Until next time…

-H