Chapter 4: Piercing Emeralds

Hey Peoples! I sorry that I sort of disappeared after the Christmas break. I been busy with school and just overall stress. But I'm back with another chapter and hopefully I can update my other stories soon too. But enough stalling, here's Chapter 4.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Balto or How to Train your Dragon. They both belong to their respective owners and this is just for fun, NOT for profit.

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(Hiccup POV)

I opened my eyes and all I saw was darkness, an endless expanse of black with an unreadable depth. I felt a surreal calm like I was asleep. But at the same time I don't feel tired, I felt fully awake.

I was no longer in the forest, that was for sure. I looked over my body and didn't see anything on my body. No snow. No dirt. No bark from the trees that were on at my back when the Night Fury had me against the tree.

Thinking about it, I could no longer felt its paws pinning me to the tree. No pressure. No claws. No breathe puffing into my face.

As I was thinking what could have happened to the Night Fury. I started feel warmer. The area around me started to change. There was veins of a deep blue and mist of the same hue crawled and curled out of the cracks of black. I grew warmer and warmer as the colors changed around me. The blue around me turned lighter and started to develop green hues interweaving with the blues. The greens changed to yellow and it started to get a little hot. The temperature and colors changed, grew, and rose until it became too much. I was sweating non-stop. I tried to strip my clothes off to get cooler, but I buttons and zippers seemed stuck. The colors started to become a mixture yellows, oranges, and reds. I was cooking in my own clothes. It ached, it burned, and it was too much. I closed my eyes, and pray any of the gods or spirits that can end this pain.

And out of nowhere, it all the paint went away. When I opened my eyes, the room was back to the deep blue hue from before. My heavier clothes like my coat was gone the general area was cool again. But what really surprise me was the floating green eyes that shined like emeralds and were staring directly in front of me. There was no body, no head, and seemed to be made out of the mist that surrounded the space. It was just eyes that seemed to be burrowing into my soul and pulsed at a frequency like that of my own heartbeat. Without warning, the eyes flashes an intense light that I had to shield my eyes with my arms to not be blinded from.

When I lowered my arms I was back in the forest. The cool feeling that surrounded me was replaced with the cold chill that hung in the arctic air. It was getting dark, but I looked around in the minimal light that I had and saw that the wolf was gone. There was nothing but a few paw prints that trailed away. There were so many questions that I had. What made the Night Fury stop snarling at me? Where did it go? What happened me while I was passed out? Did I just have a vision? A Dream?

I looked again at the prints left by the wolf. I wanted to follow it. However, it was getting dark. I wanted to observe it. But it would be no use if it gets too dark to see and get back home safely. I retraced my steps and followed the path that I made before. It was dark by the time I made it back to into town. I went around the edge of the town until I came closer to my house. I carefully tried the door and found that it was locked. I took my keys out and turned the key slowly to only make the lock make a soft click. I gripped the handle and slowly opened the door a creak to slip in and close the door behind me. I was faced with my Dad's broad back as he sat close to the front of the fire and seemed to be sharpening something. I pressed myself against the wall and tried to tip toe pass him. I almost made it to the stairs, but the first step creaked, and…

"Hiccup." My dad said without turning around.

"Dad." I said as I still froze in place.

"Come here, I uh... I have to talk to you." He still hadn't gotten up from his seat.

"Yeah, I need to speak with you too, dad." Hiccup approached him. I tried straightened my back, but failed to his sheer size being broadened by only seeing his back.

"I've decided, I don't want to, I think it's time, learn fight to wolves, about wolves." We both spoke at the same time. "What? What?"

"You go first." Dad said with a slight turn of the head to actually see me.

"No, you go first." I insisted.

"Alright. You get your wish. Wolf training. You start in the morning."

"What?" I was still for a moment. I mean really?! I've spent years trying to convince him to let me help with wolf raids, and now that I finally abandoned that notion he's willing to let me fight? Unbelievable! "Oh man, I should've gone first." I mumbled to myself before speaking up. "Uh, actually I been having second thoughts on that."

"You'll need this." He ignored me and handed me a single head axe that he was sharpening seconds ago. I refused to take it, and it dropped to the ground. Right on my foot.

"Gods damn it!" I shouted as I held my foot for a bit. "I don't want to fight dragons." I tried to reason with him again.

"Yes, you do."

"Let me rephrase. Dad I can NOT kill wolves." I limped on my hurt foot to regain some ground.

"But you WILL kill wolves." He shoved the axe into my hands.

"No, I'm very very sure that I won't. "

"It's time Hiccup."

"Do you even hear the words coming out of my mouth? Why can't you-"

"This is serious son!" My dad snapped before rising and facing me. His eyes was burning with determination that I usually see when he was in 'chief mode'. I turned away from him. "Hiccup." He said this time in a less threatening tone and turning me back to him, "I'm goin' on an expedition to scout the wolves' territory for any weak points. I hope by our next search, ya' peers and you will have enough practice to help us, if only a little. When you carry this axe..." He grips the axe that I was holding and shook it, "You carry all of us with you. Which means you WALK like us. You TALK like us. You THINK like us. No more of..." he gestured in my general direction "... this."

"You just gestured to all of me."

"Deal?"

"I wasn't finish with my side of this you know."

"Deal?!"

"I really think that-"

"DEAL?!"

There was silence for a beat. I looked him straight in the eye as we sized each other up. However since this was a battle of size, I wasn't really getting anywhere and looked to the far wall instead. "Deal."

"Good. Right then." He went to grab his helmet. "Train hard. I'll be back." He grabs his duffel bag. "Possibly sooner than expected, I guess."

"And I'll be here. I guess." I said as he went out the door.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I looked at the axe that was in my hands. I examined it and I did the firelight flickered across the blade and I saw vibrant green eyes. The same ones from when I blacked out. They start to scrunch up as if angry at me and the axe itself started to vibrate. Shocked and confused on what was going on, I dropped the axe and backed away a few paces.

I cautiously approached the axe on the floor and saw the eyes were still there, but they weren't scrunched up anymore. I touched it and it wasn't vibrating either, it wasn't angry anymore. I tried to pick it up again, and it started to vibrate again. I quickly placed it at my dad's chair and back away from it again.

"I probably just need some sleep. Yeah, sleep sounds good."

I went to the washroom and took a quick bath before going up to my loft and collapsing onto the bed.

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I was in that dark and mysterious place that I was in before, when I blacked out. The only difference was that there was actually solid ground under my feet and the piercing green eyes from before now started to emit different noises.

The closer I got to it, the cooler and the area became, the eyes became calmer as well, and it emitted a sound close to a purr. But when I stepped away from it, it seemed annoyed or angry and the area became warmer. Having enough of this, I started to run from it. However this only seemed to make the situation worse. The eyes starting chasing me and growl at me.

I got further and further away.

And the area became hotter and hotter with each step.

I was so busy trying to get away that I didn't notice the cliff in front of me.

I fell and too my surprise I eyes fell with me.

It gained speed until it was right in front of my face and then we hit something.

I woke up. It was only a dream. Thank the Spirits. I glanced over the railing of my loft and looked at the clock down stairs and saw that it was only 4 in the morning. And after a dream like that, I had no drive to try go back to sleep.

I go dressed and went to one of the few places that I can usually find answers, the Qugax Tanaa (*1).

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I went north into a partially wooded area just outside of town. I parted a few bushes as I walked the familiar dirt path to a wooden hut in a mostly clear area, the Qugax Tanaa. It always served as the sacred place of prayer for the natives that used to like in Nome and always seemed to have people around. Nowadays, the only ones that you would see here would be The Hoffersons, Gobber, and me.

Just outside the hut were torches posted on lines of tall and thickly chopped posts with different family crests nailed to them. As I passed one particular crest with a green-eyed haddock, I brushed my fingers over the aged wood.

I continued onward until I reached and hut and entered. The hut was a sizable circular building with a cobblestone-like flooring, a cone shaped roof, and a veiled hole at the top to help ventilate the structure, but also keep rain and snow outside. Inside the hut was nothing but different staffs & rolled up wool mats lining the walls and at the center was a medium sized fire pit.

I wasn't too surprised to find that I wasn't the only one there. Gobber sat with his knees on a burnt orange mat near the fire, softly chanting to himself. I went to the mats along the wall, grabbed a green one, laid it next to Gobber's mat, and knelt facing the fire. Before I could start chanting, Gobber spoke.

"So, what's been botherin' ya?" he said with his eyes still closed.

I turned slightly to him. "Nothing."

"Tell the truth Hiccup."

"I don't know."

"Well, if you don't know what's bothering you, then tell me what you DO know." I was silent for a beat. "How 'bout this? Stare into the fire and tell me what's on your mind."

I turned back to the fire and I saw what's been on your mind. "I've been… seeing things lately."

"Seeing things?"

"It's like I keeping seeing the same image in everything, especially in my dreams."

"Ah, so its prophetic dreams that's getting to ya." I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see him giving me a sympathetic look. "I can help you with a lot of things, Hiccup, but dream counseling isn't one of them. I don't want to tell you the wrong thing, so I advise you to see Gothi about this."

Gothi is one of the extremely few full blooded natives that still live off the land. She usually don't come into town unless it's for a specific reason. For instance, she would come to get extra supplies for winter and to come to the Qugax Tanaa for prayer at noon.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help."

"It's alright Gobber."

"Well," He started as He pat me on the back. "I better get going. The sun will rise soon and I have to prepare the arena." He rolled up his mat and placed it back along the wall. "Don't be too long, Hiccup. You wouldn't want to be late for your first day of training." He sent me one last grin before stepping out.

Now alone with my thoughts. There wasn't much for me to do then to send a prayer or two to the Spirits. Who knows, they might send my mom's spirit to help me figure things out.

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(*1) Qugax = assistant spirit & Tanaa = place. Together I wanted to describe a place of prayer that doubled as a place to seek counseling.

And done! Or at least for now. I hope you guys out there like the story so far.

Be sure to check out some of my other stories. If you're new to the story, please review and let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is accepted, but no flames please.