A/N: Hey there! Yes, I'm back, and yes, this is (going to be) the sequel to 'As the Skies Open', titled 'We Soar Above the Clouds'. :) I wanted to give you this first chapter earlier than I was planning as a little gift. I'm not sure when the next one will be up, but I figured at least you guys will have a chapter so you know I haven't just dropped my AtSO-verse off a cliff or something.
Please, please, leave me reviews so I know if this story is coming along well. As I've mentioned to some of you, this sequel is not going to follow any HTTYD material; it's entirely my own work now. While it's exciting, it's also kind of scary, because I have nothing but your feedback to let me know if I'm on the right track. So I'm counting on you to help me out here, please and thank you. :)
Please bear in mind the first few chapters are going to be a tad slow. I won't really get into the core/point of this story for several chapters, so please just hang in there with me and keep reading!
Thank you guys for all your support on AtSO, this sequel never would have happened without your love making it as successful and fun to write as it was. I'm glad to be back, glad to write Hiccup and Toothless and all these other characters that have taken residence in my head, and I hope you enjoy! It's not quite a teaser, since it's a full chapter, and I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible
Thanks again to all my faithful readers!
~Rays of Color
Chapter One: Winter Chill
The setting sun blazed in the later winter sky. Few gulls stirred, as it was still too cold for much animal activity, and the late afternoon passed in a peaceful quiet. Snow still blanketed much of Berk and the rest of the isle, but some of the sunnier cliffs remained bare, warmed by the sea and the absence of shading trees. The winds subsided today, leading to an almost-glassy surface on the water.
A dark shape lay atop one of these bluffs, overlooking the gray-blue winter sea. The Night Fury sprawled contentedly on the rocks, warmed by the fire in his belly against the chill that came from being a few degrees South of Freezing-to-Death. The human who reclined against his flank was not so lucky; she was swaddled in many layers of clothing to ward off the cold. A long bear-fur cloak wrapped around her, underneath which a woolen, fur lined mantle covered thin shoulders. The girl also wore a thick woolen tunic that nearly reached her knees, a warm, long-sleeved undershirt underneath that, and a pair of thick leggings. Despite her many layers, only the dragon's warm presence at her back kept her from shivering.
Hiccup had to fight her father to let her go out flying for very long at all. She understood he had a reason to be concerned – her health had always been frail at best, and more than half her winters resulted in her being bedridden for weeks. Cold didn't agree well with Hiccup, which was ironic given her clan lived in one of the northern-most locations she knew.
But the fact remained that she couldn't stand to be out of the sky for long, and neither could Toothless. The past two days, with their raging winds and stinging, wet snow, had been miserable. Hiccup knew it would be stupid to brave the weather, for she'd just ridden herself of uncomfortable, wracking coughs and was in no hurry to get sick all over again. But with a today, with weather that was as pleasant as Berk saw in winter, she could restrain herself no longer. She woke up early, threw on as many layers as she could stand, and she and Toothless rushed outside; her father's concerns had only waylaid them for minute or two.
Their entire day was spent in the cool sunshine, and both Hiccup and Toothless reveled in the rushing air. Even now, a little more than two and a half years since her village had honored her at Champions' Tower, Hiccup still felt more at home in the air than she did on the ground. It was amazing and wonderful to be accepted by her people; but Hiccup was still very different. She always had been, and always would be. Berk accepted her, but no one really understood her. She was still an oddity, albeit a respected one. So the air remained her escape.
Plus, she needed to get out of the house. With her seventeeth birthday and coming-of-age around the corner, her father had tried to broach the subject of succession several times. Both she and Snotlout were eligible heirs, and recently her relations with her cousin had been rather strained. She knew he wanted to be chief; up until the battle with the Green Death, everyone had expected it to be him without question. Now things were more complicated. Hiccup still didn't know if she wanted to be chief, if she wanted to shoulder that heavy responsibility. No matter what, Toothless would always come first in her life; her abilities as a chief might suffer under the strain of coming second to a dragon who needed her to fly.
She scratched absently at that dragon's hide as she continued to think. No one was as important in her life as Toothless. Not Astren, her boyfriend of more than two years, not even her father. That was another thing the villagers simply didn't get; their dragons were indeed important to them, but everyone had at least one human relationship that remained more important. Not so for Hiccup; she often speculated that even if her mother were still alive, Toothless would outrank even that incredible woman.
To be fair, Hiccup's extreme loyalty was exactly mirrored by the Night Fury. He saved her life more times than she cared to remember (mostly because reliving a near-death experience was not her idea of a pleasant time), and protected her fiercely. For all his retractable teeth and razor-like claws, though, he was also incredibly cuddly. Every night, he curled up on her bed, his breath taking on a cat-like purring as they drifted off to sleep (Hiccup had discovered on a short trip to visit the Meatheads, who remained tense and borderline hostile around dragons, that it was nearly impossible for her to fall asleep without that sound). More often than not, Hiccup would wake up to a large, lithe black wing draped over her in an absent-minded gesture that read both protectiveness and affection.
Plus, she thought as she turned to see Toothless munching on a fish, she couldn't ask for a better friend in all the world. Regardless of the fact that she remained unable to understand his language (for she was sure Toothless did speak, just that they had no way to cross the barrier), there was no one with whom she communicated as well. The language thing had bothered her off and on over the past years, however. Toothless was always so patient on the occasions when body language and basic gestures, failed them, and she had to simply guess at what he was trying to say. Furthermore, sometimes she just wanted to hear what he had to say. She was sure it would be fascinating to talk, really talk, to the mighty Fury who was her best friend.
The sun sank even further, and Hiccup sighed, struggling to gain her feet under the many layers of fur and cloth that kept her from freezing.
"C'mon bud," she smiled at Toothless, "we'd better head back before I turned into a icicle."
The Fury snorted, but shook himself as he rose to pad next to his human. He interrupted the girl as she rubbed her hands to restore some warmth to them; with a gentle whuff, he breathed hot air right onto her chilled fingers. Hiccup beamed at him, touched by the gesture. Her hands now warm, she swung herself up into the black leather saddle with an ease born of years of practice.
Although, she mused, it was rather ironic that she could throw herself into the saddle at a moment's notice, yet she still struggled with walking. The bitterness that threatened to cloud her happy mood quickly melted away as Toothless launched them both into the sunset, the orange lighting casting Berk in a homey, warm light. Hiccup enjoyed the flight home despite the biting cold, and reluctantly slid down from the saddle when Toothless landed. She removed the saddle from his shoulders, knowing her friend was more comfortable sleeping without it on. Her fingers only fumbled a few times, even with the cold so familiar were the movements.
"There you go, Bud," she smiled at the dragon, saddle bundled up under one arm while her free hand reached out to pat the Fury. He whuffed gently at her, his hot breath warming the few bits of skin exposed to the winter air, and she laughed. "Let's go home, you goof."
Together, they began trudging through the snow, up the hill to the Chief's house. Hiccup supposed she could have gone straight to the Great Hall for dinner, but she wanted to get Toothless' saddle oiled and put away before eating. Three years experience had taught her it was better to take good care of the gear she created for Toothless, rather than it wearing out more quickly and giving without warning (like that time a year and a half ago when one of the main straps on Toothless' saddle had sheared unexpectedly. Mid-flight. Stoick was furious, having seen her fall from his position on the ground. She suspected it was too similar to how she fell after defeating the Green Deaths for her father's comfort. Luckily, Toothless' quick reactions saved her again.) so dinner would just have to wait.
Toothless walked in front of her, his large body breaking up the snow to allow Hiccup easier passage. She was straggling just a little bit, struggling to find footing on the icier layers underneath with her prosthetic, when another person crashed straight into her.
With a grunt, Hiccup tumbled to the ground, one cheek mashed against the dirty sleet that had long since frozen to the ground. A surprised 'oof' from the body next to her showed the other person hadn't even seen her.
"Sorry," Hiccup began, rolling over and sitting up. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Toothless a few yards away whip his head around as he realized she wasn't right behind him. "I didn't see y–"
The other viking raised their head, and Hiccup stopped short. She was face to face with Jabtooth, her worst childhood bully. In the last three years, she'd only crossed paths with the older girl twice – She worked at the blacksmith and taught willing townspeople how to fly, while Jabtooth worked down at the docks. Those two encounters had been tense, not a word spoken between them. Jabtooth ended up clenching her sturdy fists, apparently fighting down an aggressive urge, while Hiccup had ended up freezing on the spot, eyes wide and forcibly keeping herself from backing away from the larger girl.
Now, Hiccup had to suppress that same reaction. She belonged here in Berk, she was a hero, and she wouldn't let anyone make her feel inferior anymore. Not even a childhood demon. Swallowing hard, she jerkily pushed off the ground and staggered to her feet. Jabtooth stood much more gracefully (after all, she hadn't lost part of a leg saving a village that wanted nothing to do with her and treated her like scum, Hiccup couldn't help but thinking rather bitterly), brushing herself off before she suddenly tensed.
A hot puff of air rushed past Hiccup, and she knew Toothless stood at her back, mostly likely glaring at Jab. He was likely just overprotective and concerned; the Night Fury had never met Jabtooth before, knew nothing of the history between the two girls (he hadn't been there the two times since the Battle that she'd run across Jab). Still, it would be a good idea to diffuse the situation, now. Jabtooth, as far as Hiccup could tell, was one of the Vikings that still wasn't completely comfortable around dragons, and being face to face with their former worst enemy could prod the brutish girl into lashing out. Hiccup would rather not have to explain why Toothless had torn a villager to shreds to anyone.
"Toothless, stop, it was just an accident," she turned, one gloved hand stroking the dragon's snout. He huffed again, and then inhaled, looking like he was about to relax. Some scent must have caught his attention though, for his eyes narrowed sharply.
Her last thought was oh NO, before Hiccup flung herself at the dragon in a desperate attempt to stop his imminent attack.
He'd turned his head when he heard Hiccup grunt; likely, she'd just stumbled on the ice (she didn't posses claws like his to anchor her in place on the frozen hillside) but it was always, always a better idea to double check where his human was concerned. She had a decided knack for getting into trouble.
He found two bodies sprawled in the snow – the slight one was Hiccup, swaddled in furs and wool to protect her scrawny frame from the cold. The bulkier one was a stranger, but the style of clothing told him it was a villager. It was a female, too, although her face was much more square and threatening than his Hiccup's open, friendly features. He sent his best glare at the unfamiliar female. As a local, she probably meant no harm to Hiccup (her rather fickle clan practically worshipped the ground his human walked on now, although their treatment had been cruel before she saved them all. His blood still simmered, remembering an afternoon where Hiccup showed up in their cove with a bruised face and an unfamiliar scent after being beaten by one of her kin.). Still, it wouldn't hurt to establish the pecking order with this stranger, so Toothless gave her his best glare – eyelids shaping his eyes to look more elongated than round, pupils narrowing to predatory slits, upper lip curled in a snarl to reveal a row of pointy silver teeth.
He rather enjoyed the stranger's look of fear. Hiccup, however, was not pleased with him, urging him to stop scaring the townsgirl. Of course, he was powerless to deny her when she scratched his snout like she was currently, and this stranger posed no apparent threat, so he dropped the glare and huffed, drawing in a fresh breath of wintery air.
That was when he caught the scent. The scent from that afternoon all those years ago, with a shaken and bruised Hiccup. The scent of her tormentor. The village was too swimming with people and dragons and livestock for him to have picked it out earlier, but here, with few people out and about and the chill erasing any old scents, he caught it anew.
Die, worthless human, he roared as he lunged forward, intent of destroying this human who had dared to hurt his Hiccup.
A/N: and that's the end of the chapter! Oh, come on, I couldn't help myself with the cliffhanger. I have to give you some incentive to stick around!
Please drop me a review, your feedback is my guiding light on this story, as explained above. Also, I'm always here to answer PM's, so feel free to message me, it absolutely makes my day!