REVIEW:
Whiskerface: I like this slightly nicer Snotlout. I think the most dangerous person to wake up is either Hookfang or Stoick, actually.
Silver Sentinel: The four Stoick chose were: Gobber, Spitelout, Valka, and Fearless Finn.
Chapter 4
It was dark and warm when I woke up, completely sheltered by Toothless. He was awake, and I could hear a few people moving outside.
"There! One fire," Snotlout grumped and I heard him slithering back into the snow.
"Hey, Toothless?"
'Yes?'
"Can I see, please?"
The swirl of snow and cold air made me shiver a little, but I could see across the clearing now through a small gap between his wings. It was just before dawn, when the sky was painted pink and orange, and I cast my gaze across the three mounds of snow. Everyone had kept their head outside, so that even if the shelters collapsed they'd still be able to breathe. Fishlegs' had partially crumbled, and the roof rose up and down with every breath he took, but his face was clear of snow. Snotlout was fine, sleeping peacefully, but Astrid was nowhere to be seen.
'She's checking the traps.'
"What traps?"
'While I was out hunting yesterday, Fishlegs built some traps.' Toothless chuckled. 'They look like baskets on legs. When anything touches the legs, the basket falls down and catches it.''
I nodded, seeing how that would work. Fishlegs was smart. There was an unlit fire on the ground in front of us, and I frowned at it. Who'd built it, and why wasn't it lit? Well, it was still wonderfully warm in Toothless' wings, and the others were still sleeping peacefully too. There really wasn't any need for extra warmth, at least until Astrid came back.
Half an hour later, she returned with two small rodents and a bird that had been foolish enough to blunder into the trap, all killed by her axe. The small traps were tucked under one arm, and she set them down on the floor.
Her boot kicked Fishlegs awake. He sat bolt upright, screaming, and his snow shelter completely disintegrated, most of it flying into Snotlout's mouth.
"Hey, Fishface!" he yelled angrily, and Fishlegs stopped screaming, blushing. Astrid took her hands off her ears and picked up the animals she'd dropped, throwing them at Fishlegs.
"Chef, your ingredients."
I nudged Toothless and he fired a small blast at the fire to start it. Fishlegs smiled his thanks at us, then speared the animals on sticks and set them over the fire. Guess it's time to get up… I tapped the leathery wings in front of me and suppressed a groan as the freezing air hit me full force. Thor, it was cold! A flurry of snowflakes twirled under my nose, lifted from the ground by a gust of wind, and I looked at the storm, trying to gauge how fast it was moving.
"Let's try and cross the mountain peak before that storm hits us," I said eventually, and Snotlout instantly looked up in alarm.
'Relax, we've got a few hours,' Toothless said, to my relief, but Snotlout still looked nervous.
Fishlegs nodded. "Storms usually last a long time, but they don't blow in suddenly. We should have plenty of warning." He squeaked as one of the rodents threatened to burn, and hurriedly turned it over. The smell of cooking meat was delicious, and I licked my lips as my stomach grumbled a little.
"Why did you enter Dragon Training when you could have become a cook, Fishlegs?"
Fishlegs blushed. "Mum said I was strong enough to topple the largest Gronckle, and that being a cook would be a waste."
Snotlout finally decided to emerge from his shelter, and it collapsed behind him as he wriggled out. "If we ever get our own place, away from the Great Hall, you're doing the cooking."
With a pang, I suddenly remembered Toothless. "Do you want to go hunting, bud?"
He shook his head, which was weird—I'd never known him to turn down an opportunity to eat. 'I had enough last night.' That was a blatant lie, I could hear it in his voice, but when I glanced at him suspiciously, he was stretching. Wings above his head and forelegs far out in front of him, he looked a bit like a nightmarish cat, and I swallowed a snort of amusement.
"The rodents are done," Fishlegs said suddenly, pulling a handful of snow from the remains of his shelter. He handed one to Astrid and one to me, and I bit into it hungrily. Snotlout grumbled, but settled down to wait. The weak sun warmed the air a little, and it was quite pleasant next to the fire. Thirsty, I grabbed a handful of snow and pushed it into my mouth, then shivered. It was bitterly cold as it trickled down my throat, and I had to eat about ten mouthfuls of snow to slake my thirst as much as one mouthful of water would have. But by chasing it down with a mouthful of piping hot rodent and Toothless' constant body heat behind my back, I stayed reasonably warm.
Eventually Fishlegs lifted the bird off the fire and divided it between himself and Snotlout. Okay, we could go now. The sooner we could get moving, the sooner we'd arrive, and the less time we'd spend in the storm. Scrubbing my hands on the snow, I stood up. "Let's go."
"Mffphacraglie!" Snotlout protested, his mouth full of meat.
"You can eat on the way," Astrid told him. Grumbling unintelligibly, Snotlout stood up. Fishlegs got to his feet, and groaned.
"My legs still hurt from yesterday."
"So do mine," Astrid revealed. "But guess what? We're going to walk anyway."
I kept quiet, guilty. My legs were absolutely fine today.
'You can take turns on my back,' Toothless offered. 'One at a time today.'
"Who's turn is it?" I asked.
"Snotlout had the last turn, so Fishlegs." Astrid said.
'Which way?' he asked me, and I squinted upwards. It looked depressingly steep, covered in snow and ice, and nowhere looked easier than anywhere else.
"I don't think it really matters. We just need to clear the top and get down the other side before night falls."
We set off, trailing after Toothless as he shoved the snow aside and broke a path for us . The snow was knee deep most of the time, but occasionally we sank into it up to Astrid's skirt. I was soon puffing and panting as I struggled through the snow, and when we stopped to let Astrid swap places with Fishlegs, I shrugged my coat off and handed it to her.
"I don't need this right now."
Snotlout unwound his scarf and held it out. "Take good care of it," he muttered as she rolled her eyes and draped it across the saddle in front of her.
The snow became deeper and the air became colder as we climbed higher. Snotlout soon asked for his scarf back, and Astrid lay flat on her stomach on the saddle to try and conserve heat, but she still shivered. I felt like a human icicle, but I insisted that she keep my fur coat. It became harder to push through the snow, but we kept up a fast pace. It would only get harder when the storm hit us, and it was nearly noon. The first few clouds were starting to block out the sun.
"Time's up," Fishlegs called, and we stopped for our ten minute break. I shivered harder as we stopped moving, but was glad for the chance to rest my burning calves. Astrid struggled to get off the saddle, probably stiff with cold, and I joined her, tentatively putting my arm over her shoulder. She roughly pulled me closer and melted into my stunned embrace. Her cold lips formed words by my ear. "N—not a w—word—"
Toothless twined around us and I gently tipped Astrid onto his side. It seemed to be the only warmth in the world, except for the meagre sunlight shining down on us. When Snotlout joined the growing huddle, we slowly sank to our knees in the snow, tired from the long march. Fishlegs pushed his way in, though he didn't seem to feel the cold nearly as much as any of the smaller people. Astrid and I definitely had it worse, with our thin frames, and Toothless' slowly rising and falling side was a wonderful break from freezing my toes off.
A cloud passed over the sun, before it reappeared again. We were almost at the top of the mountain, there was just one more plain of snow to travel through. Another, more stubborn, cloud covered the sun, and it didn't emerge again. The scales beneath us heated up to compensate, and I frowned. Toothless was doing as much work as the rest of us, and he shouldn't waste energy on keeping us warm by stoking his heartfire. Still, I knew the warmth was necessary. His wing suddenly shifted, unfolding and stretching out, and came down to form a half tent over us.
All too soon, the rest was over and Fishlegs coaxed us into moving again. It was my turn to ride Toothless, and we both sighed in contentment as I settled into the saddle. It was good to be back together like this. There had been something wrong about seeing my friends riding my dragon, and I thought Toothless felt the same way.
"Just a little further," I encouraged, and we slowly moved out, pushing through snow that reached halfway up Snotlout's chest. If we could just get a third of the way down the mountain before we had to stop, we could still make it in three days. It was icy cold when I wasn't walking, sapping my energy, and I hunched over Toothless' back to keep warm, pressing myself low onto the saddle. My hands, numb and cold, unfeelingly rubbed over his head the way he liked, and he crooned wordlessly at me. His powerful muscles work in an endless rhythm, always shifting under the saddle, and his hot breath plumed in front of us like smoke. My calves still burned, thrumming with exertion, and I knew I'd be extremely stiff when I got off.
Fishlegs followed behind us, seemingly impervious to the cold, though Astrid and Snotlout were shivering. A blistering gust of wind blew through, threatening to rip my cheeks off, and I shuddered with cold. The peak wasn't too far off, just a little further. If we could get over it in time, maybe there would be shelter on the other side.
We were about halfway across the snow field when the storm hit us full force.
Snow, blown at impossibly high speeds by the freezing wind, stung every exposed piece of clothing and plastered against us in white clumps. It slipped down my back and made me shiver. Worse, it was coming towards us and slowing us down.
"Ah!" I twisted in the saddle at Astrid's cry. She stumbled backwards into Fishlegs who was an immovable rock in the snow. He grabbed her and set her down firmly in the snow. Bracing herself, Astrid leant forwards and kept moving, pushing through the wind and the snow. Talking became impossible, and I buried my face in the saddle to try to save any warmth I could. I prayed no one would get frostbite.
We kept going.
We didn't have much choice.
Progress was slow and exhausting all day, and by the time it got dark we could barely see in front of us anyway. We'd gone through another cycle, four forty minute sessions, and I was back on Toothless' back. Without his incredible ability to 'see' with sound, we would have been forced to stop hours ago. As it was, using his tail as a way to connect everyone, we could just about crawl forward. My eyes were closed to protect them from the snow that got everywhere, and even if they'd been open, I wouldn't have been able to see anything.
Screeching another 'seeing' roar, Toothless jumped slightly.
'We're almost there!'
The wind tore his words away the moment I'd heard them, but I managed to catch the meaning and my heart rose. I couldn't stop shivering violently, and when I peered at my fingers, they were blue with cold, and I couldn't feel my legs or arms. I could barely feel Toothless' warmth through the saddle. Gods, I hoped there was shelter soon, or we'd all become hypothermic.
It took a minute to travel five metres, and the temperature was still falling until my breath blew back into my face as ice. I felt like I was made of ice, like I might shatter if I was dropped, I was so cold. Everything I could still feel was so cold it was painful, and every breath stabbed my lungs with ice. The peak was a desolate place, but at least it was swept free of snow by the driving wind, making it slightly easier for the people walking to push forward. Toothless' wings suddenly snapped open, wrenched hard by the wind, and he yowled in pain before struggling to close them.
Another roar, and he changed direction suddenly. I hoped that meant he'd found somewhere to shelter. The snow started to build up again and suddenly the wind was gone. I sighed shakily in relief, shivering so hard my lungs shook, and cracked my eyes open. Tiny cuts on my eyelids stung, inflicted by tiny ice crystals, but a dark shadowy rock in front of me was a welcome sight. Toothless lay down in the snow with a tired sigh, and I tumbled off his back, my limbs as stiff as wood.
"A—a—are w—we st—st—stop—stopping here?" I muttered, teeth chattering. Astrid reached out and pulled me close to her and I hugged her back, desperate for any warmth. Snotlout joined in, shaking with shivers. Even Fishlegs was pale with cold, despite his large size and warm shirt.
'Come here. I can warm you,' Toothless said, and the tangled mess of bodies slowly shuffled closer. Fishlegs pushed Astrid and me in first, close against Toothless' skin, then Snotlout, and finally himself. Toothless looked at me worriedly, and I tried to smile with stiff lips.
"Wh—wh—what i—is i—it?"
'You're pale, and your lips are blue.'
His eyes scrunched in concentration, and I cried out as his body temperature rose so quickly it hurt my frozen skin. I hunched in on myself and tried to get used to it slowly. Eventually, the burn subsided and I sighed in relief.
"Th—thanks, bud."
He yawned, which made me yawn, the day's exertion catching up with me. Now that I was finally lying down, I didn't think I could get up again.
'We should get some rest.'
I nodded.
"Great, let's build a snow shelter," Snotlout said, looking around.
Fishlegs shook his head. "There isn't enough snow behind this rock. Besides, it would probably just blow away in the middle of the night."
"So what? I'm tired, hungry and absolutely fr—freezing!" Snotlout grumbled.
"We all are, Snotlout," Astrid said. "I don't th—think there's anything we can do about it."
"It's too windy for my traps, and as soon as Toothless left we'd freeze to death," Fishlegs agreed.
He nodded. 'Besides, nothing sensible is out and about in a storm like this.'
"Let's just tr—try and keep w—warm and get some sl—sleep for now," I said firmly. We'd need the energy for tomorrow, especially since we hadn't eaten since the morning.
I shivered as Toothless gently nudged me to the side, then twisted over and spread his left wing across the snow. I knew what he was doing immediately, and removed myself from Astrid's arms, crawling across his wing. I was instantly wrapped in strong front legs and cradled to his chest like a baby.
'Astrid next,' he called, and I jerked in surprise. A moment of thought had me face palming—of course the others needed to join me behind his wings. There wasn't anything else to shelter in, after all. I stiffened when Astrid scrambled across his wing and lay almost on top of me, her head on my chest and her hair falling onto my hand. It was silky smooth, and I caught myself fingering it before I forced myself to stop.
'Snotlout.' Snotlout crawled over and lay down next to me, about half way down Toothless' wing. 'You can come closer than that.'
The black wing lifted, and Snotlout slid down until he was squished against us. Astrid was so sleepy and cold that she didn't even mutter a token complaint about being so close to Snotlout, and though his unwashed Viking stench was pungent, I couldn't be bothered to move.
'Fishlegs, you're the largest so you'll be able to stand the cold better. You're on the outside.' Fishlegs crawled onto Toothless' wing and lay on his side with his back facing the outside. I snuggled closer to both Astrid and Toothless as he lowered his right wing over us, covering us like a living blanket.
Fishlegs fell asleep almost immediately, and Snotlout warmed up quickly enough, but frigid drafts blew in despite Toothless' best efforts, and I shivered with Astrid. Still, it was far warmer than trudging through the snow had been. Toothless expanded the fire in his core again, raising the temperature until Astrid dropped off, and I frowned sleepily.
"You really shouldn't do that…"
He nuzzled me. 'I'm not going to let you freeze.'
"You're tired…"
'I'm about to go to sleep. I'll be fine by morning.'
That made sense. I snuggled closer to him sleepily, and he purred, letting the pitch rise and fall like he was singing. It was cold outside, but the space under his wings was warm and slightly stuffy with four Vikings sheltering there.