Author's Note: I got my second COVID vaccine today. So far, so good. =) And then I discovered that I have to get a booster too and I was like, "Darn."
Hey everyone and happy February! =D I totally forgot that it was a new month today, and I didn't realize it was February until, like, mid-afternoon. X) I can't believe January is almost over. Winter's almost over...(*cries*), but we still have a long way to go before spring arrives. =)
Anyway, here's the next arc for "Sticks and Stones!" =D I had a bunch of fun writing it, so I hope you guys enjoy it. =)
Summary: After attacking an Outcast camp, Hiccup and Toothless are separated from the other Dragon Riders as well as wounded and crash land. On an island with Outcasts searching for them and having nothing but each other, Hiccup and Toothless will have to find a way to escape before the Outcasts discover them. (ROB.)
A Mission Gone Wrong, Part One
Hiccup and Toothless soared above the Isle of Berk. The sky was streaked with beautiful pinks, purples, and oranges. It was the cusp of dawn, and it was at that time that Hiccup loved to take a flight on his dragon like he did every morning. The two had never missed a morning flight. No matter how busy things got, Hiccup always made sure to squeeze in a little flight with his best friend.
The two relished in the wonderful sunrise, and Hiccup took bliss in the warm, summer wind that blew through his hair and brushed at his face. It had been a while since he and Toothless had been able to just enjoy a moment of such tranquility and peace. The Outcasts were still out there, plotting and scheming new ideas to bring Berk to its knees and force Hiccup, the "Dragon Conquer" to train their dragons so they could use them for battle and war. Of course, Hiccup would never do such a thing; he wishes that the tribe would just leave Berk and his friends alone. When dragons first came to rest on Berk, Hiccup knew things would be a little messy. Living life with dragons was new and exciting. There were many things to learn and do. Vikings could fly for one. Dragons protected their human companions, and Berk seemed firmer and stronger in their new life with dragons. Hiccup wasn't expecting to get into battle with other tribes over dragons and meet people who despised the amazing creatures that he had come to love. Hiccup sighed and patted Toothless' scaly head. The Night Fury crooned.
"Let's head back to Berk, Bud," said Hiccup. Toothless obeyed and the two soon steered back toward the direction of the Isle of Berk. The sky had turned into a lovely shade of blue, and white clouds were peppered against it. Hiccup and Toothless soared over Berk, passing vikings who were riding their dragons or simply just heading to work. The young viking waved at them all, and he and Toothless landed in front of the Dragon Training Academy. Hiccup gave Toothless an affectionate scratch under the head in a silent thank you, and he walked inside with his Night Fury in tow.
"Top of the morning, everyone!" greeted Hiccup cheerfully. The other teens smiled, and each replied with their own kind greeting as well. It pleased Hiccup to see that the other Dragon Riders had arrived earlier than usual. He could tell. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were struggling to keep their eyes open. Hiccup laughed silently to himself.
"So, do you have the map?" asked Astrid. She was always on top of things when it came to planning or missions, something that Hiccup admired in her. He pushed those distracting thoughts out of head and nodded, pulling out a neatly rolled map from under his vest.
"I got it right here," he said. He walked up to the table and the other Riders each took their positions around it. The dragons peeked over their Riders' heads and Hiccup rolled out the map onto the table.
"Okay, my dad said that there's an Outcast camp a few ways away from here," the young viking explained. He pointed at the miniature drawing of Berk and slid his finger to another small island and tapped it. "This is where they are. My Dad thinks that they might be trying to spy on us, and who knows how long it'll be until they launch an attack or reveal any dragon secrets to Alvin. Our best shot in driving them away from here is to use the element of surprise, so this mission will be a nightly trip."
"Oh, come on, Hiccup!" whined Ruffnut. "We already woke up super early to get here!"
"Yeah!" agreed Tuffnut. "I was going to sleep in tonight! Now you're going to mess up my sleep schedule."
"Sorry, guys," said Astrid with a small shrug. "But we're meeting up tonight whether you like it or not."
Ruffnut and Tuffnut groaned in unison.
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "You guys are pathetic. Who cares about losing a little bit of sleep? I bet I could go nights without any."
"You do know that you'd eventually end up hurting yourself, Snotlout," said Fishlegs factually. "If you go too long without sleep, you'll—"
"Shut up, Fishface," snapped Snotlout. "I can go without sleep for as long as I want to without feeling tired at all."
"Prove it," challenged Astrid as she crossed her arms.
"I will," said Snotlout. He paused. "Just not at this very moment."
"Looks who's pathetic now," mumbled Tuffnut, loud enough for the Riders to hear. Astrid, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs snickered.
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Laugh all you want. But I'm serious. I could go for nights without sleep."
"Whatever you say, Snotlout," said Hiccup as he rolled the map back up and tucked it under his vest. "I suggest you guys get whatever you have to get done today finished. We'll meet here after the sun goes down, and then we'll go and drive those Outcasts away."
"This is so awesome," said Tuffnut excitedly. "We'll practically be spies!"
"This is something that we have to take seriously, you guys," Fishlegs stated.
Astrid nodded. "One wrong move could cost us, and none of us want to get lost or caught on Outcast territory. So no fooling around, okay?"
"Who said we were fooling around?" asked Ruffnut. "We were just saying."
"Rigggght…" said Snotlout suspiciously.
"Anyway," said Hiccup, reeling his friends back to the main topic. "Remember, once night falls, meet up here so we can leave. Don't be late."
"What happens if we're late?" asked Tuffnut.
"We'll be late to go to the island with Outcasts and probably miss our chance," Hiccup replied. He turned to each of his friends. "Go do whatever you have to do, and don't be late!"
…
After the small meeting with the Dragon Riders, Hiccup and Toothless headed off to the forge to help Gobber with some of the multiple orders that were coming in from other vikings. The Haddock didn't know what the sudden uproar for weapons was, but he didn't mind helping Gobber construct several new swords, axes, maces, daggers, and different weapons of all kinds. Hiccup spotted each of his friends doing their own things too. Astrid was helping a group of kids learn how to properly fight, Snotlout and Hookfang were trying to master a new trick (although they mostly crashed into things and got yelled at), Hiccup saw Fishlegs and Meatlug head to the library, and the twins were causing random explosions around the village, occasionally getting the attention of his father, who scolded them quite frequently.
The day seemed to go by rather quickly, and it was probably due to Hiccup's anxious excitement about the upcoming nightly mission. He wasn't exactly nervous, but he wasn't feeling as enthusiastic as the twins were when he arrived at the Dragon Training Academy when night fell. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were the first to arrive, which surprised both Hiccup and Toothless.
"Wow, you guys actually came here early?" asked Hiccup.
"Well, duh," said Tuffnut. "You said we'd miss out on blowing up stuff."
"We're never late when it comes to destruction," added Ruffnut.
Hiccup blinked. He hadn't said anything about blowing up things, but it made the twins arrive earlier, so he didn't say anything.
A few moments later, the friendly squawk of Stormfly reached Hiccup's ears. He looked over to the entrance of the Academy to see Astrid walking in with her axe sheathed to her back. She patted Stormfly and walked up to the others, blinking when she spotted the twins.
"You guys came second?" she asked.
"No, we came first," corrected Ruffnut.
"First?" exclaimed Astrid.
"Yup. Don't underestimate us, A," Tuffnut said with a smirk. "We come early when wanna—"
"And we come late when we wanna," finished Ruffnut with a firm nod.
"Okay, then," said Astrid in slight bemusement.
Fishlegs was next to arrive. He greeted everyone politely and was surprised as well when Astrid told him the twins arrived first.
"Geez, guys. It's not like we found gold or something," said Tuffnut with a roll of his eyes.
"Although, that would be pretty cool," commented Ruffnut.
The five Riders stood in the Academy with their dragons, talking to each other about things they did with their dragons, new dragon facts, and other things that sparked a conversation. Tuffnut was halfway through his story on how he managed to steal an entire herd of sheep when Hiccup noticed that Snotlout still hadn't arrived.
"Hey, have any of you guys seen Snotlout?" Hiccup asked.
"The last time I saw him, Silent Sven was yelling at him," said Tuffnut. He scratched his head. "Well, trying to yell at him."
At that moment, Hookfang and Snotlout flew in. The Jorgeson looked like he had just gotten out of bed.
"Sorry, guys," said Snotlout as he slipped out of the saddle. "I slept in."
"Wait, wait," said Tuffnut. "Snotlout got to sleep?"
Ruffnut turned to Hiccup. "That's not fair!"
"I didn't tell him to!" Hiccup exclaimed.
"I just thought it was a better option compared to being yelled at by vikings who have no taste in awesome, amazing aerial maneuvers," said Snotlout as he crossed his arms. "Anyway, I'm here now. Are we going or not?"
Soon, the Dragon Riders found themselves flying over the dark blue ocean. The sky was a deep shade of blue, and stars blinked and gleamed in the sky. Hiccup deemed it a beautiful night, but he couldn't focus on the beauty of nighttime since he and his friends had a mission that they needed to focus on. One wrong move, like Astrid had said, and one of them could get hurt or the Outcasts could get away with information that could help them attack Berk. The young viking decided to review the plan one more time with his friends, just in case.
"Remember, we're going to stay hidden above the clouds so they can't see us right away," said Hiccup. "We don't want to risk getting caught and we want to make this as clean and swift as possible. Once we're above the camp, fire on my command. NOT before."
"I feel like he's targeting us," Hiccup heard Ruffnut whisper loudly to Tuffnut.
"He's totally targeting us," concurred Tuffnut.
"Anyway," Hiccup continued, ignoring the twins' loud whispering. "If I'm correct, the Outcasts will be using catapults, crossbows, and whatever other weapons that they have their hands on. Make sure to dodge anything that's thrown in your way and drive off as many Outcasts as you can."
The other Dragon Riders nodded, and they continued to fly toward the island that the Outcasts were camping on. As the silhouetted figure of an island began to come closer and closer into view, Hiccup led his friends into the clouds, hiding themselves from the Outcasts below. Hiccup peered down and he was able to spot the few orange dots of fires, a couple of tents, and the moving, armored figures of Outcasts below.
"Get ready…" murmured Hiccup. "FIRE!" he shouted.
Immediately after the command was given, the Dragon Riders fired. There was no need to hide themselves in the clouds anymore since the Outcasts were already alerted to their presence by the sudden blasts of fire. Still, the Outcasts were still surprised by the sudden flames that were being thrown down at them by the Dragon Riders above. There was no time to come up with a counterattack. So, the Outcasts attacked impulsively. They were skilled fighters even though they were taken by surprise, but the Riders were their match.
Hiccup told Toothless to fire a plasma blast toward a catapult that was about to launch a boulder. Toothless' accurate shot hit the contraption, and the boulder was tossed aimlessly into the sea.
"Nice going, bud," Hiccup said. Toothless warbled proudly. "Now, let's go and head toward the camp."
The other Dragon Riders were holding up well. They had been riding and training their dragons for nearly a year, and one would be surprised to know of this information if they saw their performance. It had almost been a year, yet the Dragon Riders fought like warriors as if they had been riding dragons all of their lives. Arrows and boulders were tossed at the Dragon Riders, but they dodged them using their evasive maneuvers, and blasted away every projectile. Burnt and scorched arrows fluttered to the ground. By the time they touched the dirt, they were piles of night colored ash.
The Dragon Riders moved into the camp, and Hiccup smiled. Things were going perfectly to plan. Nothing had hindered them, but Hiccup had the sneaking suspicion that something inauspicious was about to happen. Storming into the camp seemed a little too…easy. Yes, the Outcasts were fighting, but they weren't fighting with their usual strength.
Then, out of the blue, a massive size boulder knocked into Hiccup and Toothless, and the young viking's vision flickered, and he soon found himself falling to the ground. Hiccup braced himself for impact, and he could feel every bone shake in his body when he slammed into the hard, grassy ground. He nearly blacked out, but he didn't, thankfully.
Stumbling to his feet, Hiccup looked around for Toothless. He spotted him a few feet away and walked over to him. The Night Fury shook himself out of his daze and crooned, telling Hiccup that he was alright despite the fall.
Unfortunately, their troubles weren't over just yet. The Outcasts were approaching fast, armed with weapons that outnumbered Toothless and Hiccup. One managed to swiftly shoot an arrow at Toothless' leg, eliciting a roar from the black dragon. Hiccup whipped out his sword and did his best to defend his dragon, but he knew that he wouldn't last very long. Up above, the Riders were trying to get to him, and Hiccup suddenly realized that the whole thing—the camp, Outcasts, everything—was a trap.
Hiccup deflected an arrow from hitting him and Toothless, and came up with a crazy plan, but he knew it would have to be done if he, Toothless, and the rest of his friends were going to survive.
"You guys need to get out of here!" Hiccup yelled up at Astrid, who was the closest in earshot.
"What?! No!" cried Astrid. She and Stormfly blasted a flurry of arrows to her right. "We're not leaving you!"
"You have to! I'll meet up with you guys later, I promise! Just wait for me somewhere!" Hiccup shouted. He could see the reluctance in Astrid's eyes, but she nodded and told the others to follow her off the island. Hiccup watched briefly as his friends flew away, and he felt a sharp, small jolt of pain from his right leg, but he ignored it. Toothless roared at HIccup instantly and he gestured to his back. Hiccup hopped on while the Outcasts were busy firing at the Dragon Riders who were flying away.
"Hurry, Bud," Hiccup whispered. "Get us out of here. As fast as you can."
Toothless grunted and he pushed himself into a run. Hiccup and his dragon ran deep into the forest, and the sounds of firing and shooting soon faded away behind them. All that was left were the sounds of nature, which were rather tense due to the uneasy situation. Hiccup soon told Toothless to stop, knowing that his dragon needed to rest. Toothless nearly collapsed, but Hiccup held him up. He had spotted a cave nearby, and it was only a little ways away. The young viking encouraged his dragon as they slowly approached the cave entrance, and once they arrived, they both collapsed in exhaustion.
Hiccup sat up and leaned against the wall. He then noticed that there was a dart stuck in his leg, and he ripped it out without feeling any pain at all, which confused him a little. But that confusion slipped away just as fast as it had come. He and Toothless were stuck on an island filled with Outcasts, and he didn't know how they were going to get off and meet up with the others before they were discovered.
But first, he decided to worry about what was sitting right in front of him: his dragon's injuries and his own.
Author's Note: ...I don't have much to say here other than I hope you enjoyed this first part to "A Mission Gone Wrong." =) I'll see you guys in the next part!
Until the next chapter!
-BeyondTheMoon1203