Chapter 9: "Courage Under Dragon Fire"
(One last note before we start! It's a bit silly and I'm cool with that, but the featured song for this chapter should definitely be without a single doubt 'Sanctuary' A.K.A. the opening song from 'Kingdom Hearts II'. No actual lyrics posted, because duh...Have it play in the background if you so desire, but like with all the other featured tracks, it's optional!)
Hiccup, Astrid, Megan, Brittany and Tilolo made their way through the forest as night was beginning to fall. The flock followed closely behind. Brittany and Tilolo rode with Astrid on Stormfly. Megan had allowed Hiccup to ride on her back.
Their only light came from markings on the rocks similar to the etchings in the den while Valka's spirit floated along. As Valka's spirit passed through the wall of ivy on the path to the den, the ivy began to slowly wither and die.
Meanwhile, Grimmel and his men were also making their way through the forest, burning it as they did.
In addition to the heavy chain around his neck, Nicholas could feel a heavy weight upon his heart. Maybe...if he had taken the time to listen to Megan...maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe things would've turned out differently.
Nicholas held his niece's slumbering body and started to cry. "Odin, what have I done?" He said to himself. "Megan...Please, Megan...Wake up."
The kids arrived at the den.
The flock gathered around the center of their nest as Valka's dragon spirit reunited with her human body. A spot appeared on her chest where Nicholas had shot her as a dragon. The color was slowly draining from Valka's face as the poison coursed through her system.
"Mom..." Hiccup sat down near his mother. "Please, Mom...breathe."
"C-Can you...Can you really heal her?" Brittany asked.
"I...I-I've never had to heal anything this bad before. It's gonna take me some time." Hiccup said. "I won't leave you, Mom." He began to concentrate and held up his left hand now glowing with the silhouette of a dragon's paw.
At that point, they heard a loud sound and felt the ground rumble. It broke Hiccup's concentration. The kids looked over to the entrance. It sounded like the soldiers were drawing closer.
"...I'll hold them off!" Megan said. She ran out of the den.
Hiccup turned to the flock. "Follow her." He said. The dragons rushed off.
Astrid made herself comfortable in a spot.
"Wait! Astrid!" Brittany said. "I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?" Astrid asked.
"...T-Turn me into a Scalewalker!"
"What?"
"I want you to turn me into a Scalewalker."
"You realize that if I do this, there is no going back." Astrid said. "Are you sure you really want this?"
"Yes. Please...I want to help."
Astrid thought for a second. "...Alright, I'll do it. There's no time to properly teach you about being a dragon. You should stay behind and protect Hiccup and Valka."
"I can definitely do that!"
"Good. Lie down in that spot. I'll do the rest."
Brittany nodded. She laid down in a spot near Astrid. "Ummm...This isn't gonna hurt too much, right?"
"Only for a bit." Astrid said. She closed her eyes and transformed into a Nadder. Then she held Brittany's left arm in her jaw and bit down ever so slightly.
The dark brunette pulled her arm away. She was now sporting the bite mark of a Deadly Nadder. "Geez that smarts!" Brittany hissed.
Tilolo quickly wrapped a bandana around her arm. "Friends heal Bri-Bri later. Now, friends help out Meg-Meg and flock!" He ran out and Astrid followed.
'I really hope this works...' Brittany thought. She closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had become a dragon- A Dramillion from the Mystery Class with a dark-grey and silver color scheme. "W-Wow..." She shook herself out of her amazement. There would be time to admire her new form later. Right now, her friends needed her. "W-We'll be back soon!" She said to Hiccup as she left.
"Be safe." Hiccup said.
Grimmel's men had used the cannon to blast their way through, opening a path to the den for them.
"They're in there! Forward, men!" Grimmel commanded.
Megan and the flock gathered at the den entrance. They could see the approaching army.
"We can drive them back! We are dragons!" Megan said, giving the dragons a pep talk. She took a moment to sense the vibrations from the approaching army through the earth. "They have guns...and a cannon...but don't be afraid. They're in our world now! Let's go!" With Astrid by her side, Megan led the flock into battle.
"Load your weapons and burn them out." Grimmel said. "Pick them off one by one."
Nicholas looked on as the soldiers set fire to the woods. Though, something strange happened. When he blinked, it was as if he was looking at a completely different forest. He could see the fire wisping off of the trees as blue auras. When he blinked again, his vision returned to normal. Was the forest playing tricks on his eyes? Or was it his guilt for having ignored his niece? A brief tug from the chain around his neck, however, pulled him away from his thoughts.
While this was happening, Hiccup began his attempt to save Valka's life.
"Take cover within the trees." Megan told the dragons as they hid nearby.
With Astrid and Megan leading the flock, the dragons moved as swift as the wind. They moved through the darkness of the trees.
"Use my uncle's traps against them." Toothless and Luna rushed by unseen, frightening a few soldiers who were soon grabbed up by hidden traps.
"Draw their fire, then strike back from the shadows while they're reloading." Soldiers tried to fire upon Astrid and Stormfly, but their shots missed the two Nadders, making them waste their ammunition.
The soldiers scrambled to reload their weapons. Unfortunately for them, they were soon struck down by the other dragons of the flock ambushing them.
The soldiers were the ones being picked off one by one.
Grimmel called out for his remaining men to report. Maybe one of them had some good news for him.
In the den, Hiccup put everything he had into healing his mother. He poured every bit of his power into it, but his efforts were nowhere near enough. If anything, Hiccup's attempts to heal Valka only seemed to be delaying the inevitable.
Hiccup took a moment to stop. He panted heavily. "I...I-I-I can't...I can't do it." He said. "Mom, I-I can't do it. I...I'm just not strong enough." He held Valka's face and pressed his forehead against hers. "Please, Mom...Tell me what I need to do."
It was at that moment Hiccup looked up at the ceiling of the den. He could see some old markings. It showed a circle of dragons and a pair of hands overlayed with a set of pawprints smack dab in the middle. Those markings made Hiccup realize what he was missing. What he needed was—
"The flock!" Hiccup said. "I need the flock!"
Outside, the dragons continued to take out the soldiers. They were implementing Megan's strategy perfectly.
As they dashed through the burning forest, dealing with the soldiers as they did, they were suddenly stopped in their tracks. They could hear a familiar howl. Hiccup was calling for them!
Hiccup's call caused the etchings in the den and entrance to glow brightly. But it wasn't just within the den. The large rocks in the forest also glowed with drawing of dragons and strange symbols.
The soldiers started to become unnerved. A few were freaking out as much as the Berkians were.
"I-I-I-It's the Scalewalker!"
"It's him! That wild boy from earlier!"
"He's calling them!"
"We don't stand a chance!"
"Witchcraft." Grimmel said to himself as he looked at one of the glowing rocks.
The dragons ran at the call, pouncing over and on the men.
"This-It just ain't natural, I tell you!" One soldier yelled, running with his tail between his legs.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Grimmel yelled. "Back to your positions!"
"M-Milord these aren't normal dragons!" Another soldier yelled. "I'm gone!"
A few more of them followed suit.
"Run for it, lads!"
"The stories about the dragons are all true!"
"Th-The dragons!"
"We're surrounded!"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
Nicholas looked around. He watched as he saw the dragons ran past. He saw them jump over the soldiers, a few even pounced, knocking the men down and throwing off the aim of their rifles as they fired.
But then...One dragon stopped as it ran by him. A white dragon. A very familiar white dragon.
Nicholas and the white Fury stared at each other. The dragon was heavily panting. Then, he blinked and he was no longer looking at the dragon. It was his niece. "...Megan."
The white Fury-No...Megan. Megan smiled at him a little, letting him know that it was still her.
Grimmel turned to see Nicholas staring at a white dragon. He recognized it immediately as the white dragon from last night. The same creature that had evaded him twice. He would not let this dragon escape him a third time. Grimmel drew his pistol and aimed at Megan.
Megan's eyes grew wide at this.
Nicholas quickly grabbed at the chain connecting the iron collar on his neck to Grimmel's saddle. He yanked it, throwing off the pale man's aim as the gun fired.
The bullet hit the ground near Megan's paws, making her jump.
"Megan run for it!" Nicholas yelled.
Megan made tracks, following Astrid and the flock back to the den.
"Don't let them get away!" Grimmel shouted. "Gunners, slay these beasts!"
The soldiers brought the cannon forward. As fast as they could, they loaded the cannon and aimed it as they lit the fuse.
(*KA-BOOM!*)
"Everyone hurry!" Hiccup said. "D-Down here! I need your help!"
The flock had filled the den and surrounded Hiccup and Valka.
Astrid and Brittany took this moment to return to their human bodies.
Brittany looked over to the entrance. "M-Megan!"
"Astrid, where's Megan?!" Hiccup said.
"I...I don't know!" Astrid said. "Sh-She...She must still be out there!"
Megan laid on the ground, unconscious.
Grimmel and his remaining men continued. They were practically on top of the den. "Men, if you run, you will be killed!" He said. "As long as you follow my will, we will prevail! Hurry up with that weapon! Victory is at hand!"
The soldiers brought the cannon closer, to get the best shot possible.
"Megan." Nicholas whispered to himself.
Within the den, Hiccup decided that there was no time to wait for Megan. He held up his hands in the air and concentrated. He let out a draconic howl as his hands glowed with his dragon spirit appearing above him. The flock joined in the howl, making the glow of the etchings on the walls and the rocks outside intensify.
"Show yourselves, wicked dragons, and meet your end!" Grimmel called out. He could see the glowing markings coming from behind the waterfall. They clearly originated from that point. "There is the lair of those devils! Load the cannon!"
The few soldiers that did not run aimed and loaded the cannon. With their shot lined up, they lit the fuse.
Megan woke up at that moment. Her keen Fury ears picked up on the hissing of the fuse. She stood up and rushed towards the cannon.
"Musketeers!" On Grimmel's command, the men aimed their guns at Megan.
"Megan!" Nicholas yelled.
"FIRE!"
The soldiers opened fire on the dragon running to them.
But Megan nimbly avoided their shots. She bared her teeth and snarled.
"Th-That! That ain't a normal dragon!" One of the gunners yelled.
"It's just not natural!" Another yelled.
"Run, lads!"
"Get back here!" Grimmel shouted.
Megan leaped onto the cannon, using her weight to throw off its trajectory. Once she saw that the fuse was running out, she jumped away.
The cannon exploded, firing its shot into the ground.
The force of the blast had thrown Megan across the clearing where the cannon once stood. She had been knocked unconscious again.
Nicholas had been thrown backwards at about the same distance. He sat against Grimmel's horse and made sure his niece's human body was unharmed. "...M-Megan...Ohh, Megan."
Grimmel had been thrown from his horse. He slowly stood up and walked over to Megan's dragon body. He drew his sword.
"M-Megan...M-Megan! Get up, get up, get up! Get up, Megan!" Nicholas shouted.
"Enough, McMartin!" Grimmel snapped.
"NO! You no harm Meg-Meg!" Tilolo decided to drop in out of nowhere. He tried to attack Grimmel, slapping the man with his wings.
"Wretched Nopon!" Grimmel smacked Tilolo with his arm, sending the young Nopon to the ground and knocking him out. With that annoying furball out of the way, he once again drew his sword.
"Stop! Stop it! She's only a girl!" Nicholas pleaded.
Grimmel raised his sword high above his head, preparing to strike and end Megan's life.
Nicholas pulled and yanked at the chain, desperate to break free and save his niece. He would NOT lose another member of his family. Not now, not ever again! "NO! MEGAN!"
There is nothing in this world that will anger a parent faster than seeing their child in danger. Even if that child isn't directly theirs.
"By God's glory and punishment," Grimmel said, "He vanquishes thee." Just as he was about to bring his sword down on Megan's neck, something slammed into him, sending him to the ground. He looked up.
There, standing before him, was another Fury dragon. A Night Fury? No. On all four of its paws, it had white scales, making it look like the dragon was wearing socks, with its black claws poking out. The scales on its chin and underbelly looked like a smokey grey. It had white markings on its face, like the dragon was wearing a mask. The spikes along its spine were a pattern of black and white. Finally, its eyes. Its blue eyes shined with a ferocity directed at Grimmel.
Grimmel grabbed his sword and swung it, but the black and white Fury dodged his swings with ease. At one point, he managed to slash at the Fury's face, giving it a large cut near its right eye.
At the exact same time, a similar cut appeared on Nicholas' face.
"Meg-Meg! Meg-Meg!" Tilolo shook Megan with a paw.
Megan stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up to see Grimmel fighting off a dragon. 'A black and white Fury?' She thought.
Grimmel made another attack with his sword, but the black and white Fury grabbed the blade with its jaws and shattering the weapon into a hundred tiny pieces. With his sword rendered useless, Grimmel spotted a pistol nearby and moved to get it.
The Fury pounced on him, pinning Grimmel beneath its paws. It snarled, ready to take a bite out of the pale man.
Grimmel attempted to aim his pistol at the Fury, but its paw was pressing hard on his wrist. He turned his head to the side and saw something interesting.
It was Nicholas, seemingly asleep and also...a cut near his right eye. The exact same spot where the black and white dragon had been injured.
In that moment, Grimmel had put the pieces together. How ironic that a now former dragon hunter becomes a dragon. "McMartin!" He said. He aimed his pistol at Nicholas' human body.
But as he was about to shoot, an arrow shot the pistol right out of Grimmel's hand!
The two of them turned, wondering where that arrow had come from.
Out from the fog and smoke, a figure appeared holding a crossbow. It was Megan! While they were fighting, she had taken that time to return to her human body.
"That's for hurting my family, you insane, creepy, old man!" Megan shouted.
Seeing his niece like this, Nicholas had gotten a bit distracted.
Grimmel picked himself up and tried to run, but Nicholas was right on his tail. The black and white Fury chased the man over to the ledge near the lower waterfall.
As Nicholas approached, making Grimmel back up closer and closer towards the edge, the pale man pulled out a dagger. Grimmel tried to attack, but Nicholas dodged and grabbed him with his strong Fury jaw.
Nicholas held Grimmel over the edge, sinking his dragon teeth into the man's armor, squeezing him.
That was when Grimmel finally realized...This was a fight that he could not win. These dragons...These Scalewalkers...were truly a force to be reckoned with. He closed his eyes and said, "Into your arms...my Lord..." He unbuckled his armor and fell into the depths below, never to be seen or heard from again.
Nicholas tossed Grimmel's armor down into the river. 'And that's...For everything else.'
YES! He's dead! That (Bleep) is DEAD!
And yes, I turned Nicholas into a Night Light dragon. Now, we've got the whole Fury family in here! Yes, I also turned Brittany into a Scalewalker, mostly because I can and I wanted to.
Originally, she was supposed to be a Rumblehorn, but then I decided to make her a Dramillion instead. Why? Because Dramillions are viewed as the parrots of the dragon world, meaning they can imitate the attacks of different dragons. Plus, they have a shot limit of 40, so there you go.
But I am very happy with this chapter, even though there's probably one or two of you who are shaking your heads. Y'know, you work with what you've got sometimes.
Next up, well, it's the finale! Whoo!
And by the by, hope you guys enjoyed the Summer Solstice!
