On the dark, misty horizon, the silhouette of Wingmaiden Island gradually loomed into sight, its spiky peaks sticking out against the ebony backdrop of night like crooked turrets of a fortress. For some reason Hiccup the entire way to the island had a bad feeling in his gut that something bad was going to happen. He did not know why he had this feeling, but it was very strong. It was more of a feeling, really. It was more like a sixth sense, a sneaking vibe of some sorts...
Abruptly, Toothless pulled back and halted midair, causing Hiccup to jerk forward.
"Toothless, wha-"
He trailed off, his eyes taking in the sight ahead of him. A fleet of ships were parked near the shore, firing volleys of fire arrows and catapults at the Wingmaidens defending the island, and the surrounding forest was enveloped in tumultuous flames. Swooping down from the left came a squadron of Wingmaidens, armed with spears. Hiccup knew the leader immediately by the ginger-colored braid flying behind her as she flew through the night air.
Atali dove down like a missile, with her spear poised in front of her as she nimbly dodged the onslaught of arrows, the other female warriors following close behind her.
"Deploy the Flyers!" shouted the captain.
And in almost the blink of an eye, green, yellow, and orange silhouettes zoomed into the sky and chaos ensued. Singetails. Fire blasts came from all directions as the Flyers surrounded Wingmaidens, scattering them. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
"Come on, Toothless! They need our help!"
Hiccup clutched around Toothless' neck while he went into a nosedive towards the fray. Hiccup approached the rear end of a Flyer who was targeting one of the Wingmaidens. Toothless shot a plasma blast at the Flyer, effectively knocking him clean off the Singetail's back. Toothless darted left and fired at two other Flyers, freeing the Singetails from their subjugators.
"Nice shooting, bud- whoa!"
Toothless jerked backward as a volley of fire blasts came at them. Four Dragon Flyers were heading straight towards them. Toothless turned tail and began flying in the opposite direction, nimbly dodging the fiery attacks.
Hiccup looked over his shoulder in dread. "Well, I think we've lost the element of surprise. Okay, so here's- Whoa!"
Toothless spun left, barely dodging the shot from behind. Hiccup held tight to Toothless as he suddenly went into a divebomb towards the sea below.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Hiccup panicked.
But Toothless kept diving. Hiccup looked above to find the Flyers diving straight after them.
"They're getting closer!"
But when Hiccup looked back towards his dragon, he saw Toothless' eyes were narrowed with intensity and determination, conveying he knew exactly what he was doing. Hiccup glanced at the approaching black water, then backward towards their pursuers who were charging up their next attack. It was death by fire or water. They were getting closer and closer to the ocean. They were mere yards from it now...
Exhaling deeply, Hiccup hugged Toothless' neck and flattened himself against him.
"Okay, bud. I trust you," he whispered.
Toothless then let out a piercing screech and just before hitting the water, he fired a volley of blasts into it, sending ocean spray everywhere, then turned up and flew straight above the surface of the sea, sending waves into motion. Hiccup glanced behind to see the Flyers falling into the water while the Singetails flew off, spooked by the prospect of hitting the ocean surface.
"Yea-ha!" Hiccup cheered, rubbing Toothless' head in excited affection as they turned up. "Toothless, you're a genius!"
But the victory felt short-lived when another blast came from their right side. Hiccup's head jerked backward. Two more Flyers.
"Oh, are you serious?"
Toothless flapped his wings hard, dipping upward, but the Flyers followed their every move. It was a chase, one that Hiccup knew they could not keep up forever.
Toothless came to a screeching halt as two more Flyers pressed in and flanked them.
"Toothless, sky!" Hiccup yelled, and without hesitation, the Night Fury darted upwards towards the scattered, inky-black clouds.
As expected, the Flyers chased after them, spewing fireballs at them. They climbed higher and higher, the wind whooshing past them as they shot upward like a missile. Hiccup looked over his shoulder as they continued to gain altitude. Toothless gave a frantic roar as another blast nearly singed his left wing.
"Just keep going, bud," Hiccup encouraged, keeping his voice reassuring and calm. "They'll turn back."
Hiccup's gaze drifted back again. The Flyers were right on their tail, with no intent of backing off.
"Any second now."
The Singetail were charging their shots. The ominous orange of the flames glowed from inside their ajar jaws. They would shoot to kill.
Then, with a screech, the Singetails choked down their blasts and swooped back down, scared by the altitude.
"Now let's finish it!" Hiccup yelled.
Toothless flipped belly-up into the air and swooped down, sending a fury of plasma blasts at the Flyers who fell screaming into the ocean below.
"Yes! Attaboy!" Hiccup cheered, but then he heard a single scream.
He turned his gaze to find Atali vainly attempting to fend off a battalion of Flyers which came at her from all sides. He watched in horror as a fireball hit the Wingmaiden square in the chest and sent her plummeting towards the island forest.
"No!" Hiccup screamed.
Without prompting, Toothless dove after the falling Wingmaiden. She was not even fighting against the pull of gravity. She was just plummeting like a lifeless rock. Hiccup laid flat against Toothless, making them more aerodynamic. He fixed his eyes straight ahead of him at Atali's figure. He reached out his hand to grab her, but she was out of grasp. The dark foliage was becoming more and more detailed by the second. He stretched out his arm as far as he could, hoping it would make some difference. He almost had her hand.
"Just a little more. Just a little more."
But a rogue fireball hit Toothless' left wing, causing him to dip sideways with a screech of agony. Both dragon and rider were sent tumbling into the unforgiving forest. Hiccup tumbled through the foliage and branches which tore greedily at his face and clothes as he went down and hit the forest floor with a pound. Hiccup winced in pain and gasped hoarsely from the wind being out of him. He then heard a draconic whine to his right as he was met with a slight nudging in his side.
"Oh, thank Thor, bud. Yeah, I'm okay," he sighed, easing himself into a sitting position and stroking Toothless' forehead comfortingly.
His eyes darted left and right. Then, he stopped as he saw the silhouette of a young maiden lying limp on the forest floor, her limbs contorted in unnatural and uncomfortable ways. Hiccup got to his feet and rushed over.
"Atali?"
Hiccup leaned over to get a better view of her face. But he recoiled with a gasp when he saw the stream of blood trickling down her temple and the baby Razorwhip lying motionless beside her. Toothless craned his head over Hiccup, warbling quietly.
The boy and his dragon exchanged a glance, and Hiccup swallowed thickly. "They're gone. We were too late."
Hiccup hung his head with a shaky sigh. Cooing quietly, Toothless nuzzled the boy's arm, and Hiccup returned with a small, sad smile.
The sound of Singetail calls brought Hiccup back to reality. He looked up and saw their flamboyant silhouettes streaking across the sky.
Without sparing another second, Hiccup got to his feet and climbed onto Toothless' back, much to the dragon's dissatisfaction.
"These guys are here for that lens, bud," Hiccup reminded him, eyes fixing up at the smoke-smothered sky. "And we can't let them get it."
Toothless growled in concern, as if he was reminding Hiccup about what just went down against those Flyers.
"I know, bud, they've got us outnumbered." Hiccup reached forward and stroked the Night Fury's head. Then, his eyes darted right to where the forest grew denser. "But I think I know a way of evening the odds."
Toothless looked up at his rider then followed his gaze. He darted through the trees, almost completely blind from foliage which barely allowed the pale starlight to filter through. They flew in more and more. They had to be getting close.
Hiccup's back straightened, and he looked over his shoulder when he heard the call of a Razorwhip. Behind him he saw several pairs of violet and emerald eyes effervescencing eerily in the darkness. The mothers had sensed their presence.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you guys again," Hiccup smiled, then turning his attention forwards, he flattened himself against his dragon. "Now let's do a little follow-the-leader."
Toothless flapped his wings hard and zoomed through the trees, the Razorwhips close on his tail.
"Just keep going," Hiccup said to Toothless, keeping his eyes forward. "We can't shake them. Not yet."
Toothless nimbly dodged when one of the mothers fired at them. He twisted his head back slightly and growled hostilely at his attacker, but Hiccup patted his head reassuringly.
"Easy, bud, they just think we're attacking their eggs-"
But Hiccup let out a sharp cry when two more Razorwhips out of seemingly nowhere came at them from their right flank, narrowly missing them thanks to Toothless' agile reflexes.
"Oh-kay, they really don't like us!"
Toothless growled with a slight eyeroll but fell silent when above them came chittering calls. Hiccup followed the Night Fury's gaze and looked upward. Through a break in the ebony canopy, Hiccup spied a squadron of Singetails.
Hiccup looked back down at Toothless who mirrored his determined smirk. Without even prompting, the Night Fury shot up into the sky, tearing through the night air with a shriek. The Flyers clamored startledly when they heard the tell-tale sound of their target.
"Hey, guys!" Hiccup shouted as they came headlong towards the squadron. "I've got some friends I'd like you to meet! Now!"
With a quick jerk, Toothless dived down till they were just above the treeline. Above them ensued a battle between the Singetails and the mothers. Silver-blue and bright orange clashed together in a fiery spectacular which sent many a Flyer plummeting to their deaths.
"Whew, that was crazy," Hiccup chuckled breathlessly, the adrenaline running through his veins.
He fixed his eyes forward. Amidst the massive, bouldery fingers, towering thousands of feet up into the sky, was the tallest peak of the island. There it was, their final destination. When they reached the spire, Toothless swooped up by its craggy neck until they reached the summit. For a hesitant moment -from fear or caution perhaps both- Hiccup and Toothless hovered over the peak, staring down into the dark, gaping tunnel that ran right down its center.
Toothless sent out a call which illuminated the long tunnel in bright violet before it faded away in the distance. The Night Fury exchanged a look with his rider who gave him a quick nod. They took a nosedive straight into the pit. Toothless kept the flame in his mouth ignited as they dove down, down, down into the seemingly endless abyss. They reached the bottom and landed lightly on the cold, stone ground. Sliding off his dragon's back, Hiccup pulled a torch off the wall and held it out to Toothless who lit it for him.
Hiccup held the torch aloft, letting it send its orange light on his surroundings. This was a memorial to Razorwhips fallen in battle. In the center of the room in the shallow pool a statue of the metallic dragon stood stalwart above the cluster of gravestones. There were more than Hiccup remembered. Tentatively approaching one of them, he ran his hand over the carved letters which were quite fresh.
Hiccup took a deep breath, pulled his hand away, and diverted his attention back to the room around him. "It's gotta be here somewhere. There should be a hidden compartment around here."
He turned around and noticed the faroff wall had a stone jutting out of it. Rushing over to it, he pulled at the stone. It rolled out to reveal a secret compartment filled with the gray hairs of a thick cobweb. He dusted the webs away.
The compartment was empty.
"What?" His fingers traced along the bottom of the cold, stone drawer, but he found naught by dust and dirt. With a frustrated grunt, he shoved the compartment closed and turned away from it. "It should be here! I don't understand."
Toothless tilted his head sideways in confusion. Hiccup paced around the room, scanning the area for any sign of the treasure.
"It's got to be here somewhere. The Flyers can't have-"
His words halted abruptly when a faint gleam in the dark caught the corner of his eye. He stopped his pacing back and forth. He turned slightly to the right. Out of the darkness shone a little glimmer of hope. He rushed over towards it to find a pile of rocks where it resided. Excitement and anticipation burning in his veins, he shifted the stones back. The world seemed to slow as he pulled back the last rock and revealed the treasure underneath it: the Dragon Eye lens.
The reflection of the glass lens' light sparkled in Hiccup's emerald eyes. He reached forward and let it rest in the palm of his hand. He stared at it for the longest time, transfixed as if in a dream.
Toothless padded up hesitantly behind him. He craned his head over his Rider's shoulder, cooing curiously at the newfound treasure.
Hiccup vaguely traced a faint line over the copper rim with his thumb. "I can't believe… the fate of so many dragons… so many people… rests on this thing..."
A reverberating BOOM! from outside shook the memorial, raining down dust upon the gravestones. Casting aside the torch, Hiccup tucked the lens safely into a pocket on the inside of his leather vest and climbed onto the Night Fury's back.
"Okay, bud, we gotta get outta here. Now."
Without another word spoken, Toothless extended his wings and shot upwards. Hiccup kept his eyes fixed up, watching as the solitary piece of starry sky grew closer and closer. They had gotten the lens. No turning back now.
They shot up through the tower and out into the night. The boy and his dragon darted left, turning out to sea. They had made it. They were going to get out-
Hiccup let out a yelp when a fireball hurtled their way, nearly crashing into Toothless' wing. He turned back in the direction of the fire. Another squadron of Singetails. Orange flames ignited ominously in their mouths.
"Oh, Thor, no," Hiccup breathed shudderingly. He clutched tightly to the Night Fury's neck. "Go, Toothless. GO!"
The Night Fury flapped his wings hard, redoubling his pace as the fire of hell rained down upon them. They shot through the twilight air, barely escaping the enemy chasing after them. They reached the sea, but they were met with a rain of fire arrows. Toothless quickly twisted to the right, avoiding the volley just barely.
"Sky, Toothless!" Hiccup panicked.
The Night Fury zoomed upwards with a quick jerk, so quickly that Hiccup's grip slipped from the dragon's neck, sending him toppling down, head over heels, completely at the mercy of gravity. But then, his hand caught onto Toothless' tail just in time. He reached his other hand forward, clasped around the tail like it was his lifeline. Fighting against the tenacious pull of wind, he made his way up Toothless' back, using the spines as a ladder. He reached his neck, barely ducking his head in time to avoid a stray blast.
When he looked up, Hiccup felt as if he had been struck by lightning once again. Above them was a Titan Wing Singtail, bright crimson like a demon, and on its back was none other than Krogan. The world slowed as fire glowed from the dragon's mouth.
"Look out!" Hiccup screamed.
Toothless twisted to the right, but the blast slammed into his left wing, sending them spiralling out of control. Hiccup dangled from Toothless' back, barely holding onto his spines. He tried to pull himself up, but it was useless.
"Come on, Toothless!" Hiccup screamed, the wind howling in his ears.
The armada on the dark waters was coming dangerously close. Hiccup clutched to his dragon, who screeched in effort as he fought against inertia. He straightened his wings, and they came to a screeching halt in midair, but the force jerked Hiccup off dragonback. He dangled over Toothless' side, and below him, he saw the lens slip from his pocket.
He reached to grab it, but it evaded his grasp and was sent plummeting.
"No!"
Hiccup watched as the Crimson Singetail swooped down and Krogan caught the falling treasure. He looked back at Hiccup only to flash him a triumphant smirk and then, turning the lens twice in his hand, urged the Titanwing towards the armada.
In urgency, Hiccup hoisted himself up on Toothless' back, and they raced after him. He could let him get that lens back to Johann. If he did, if they found the King of Dragons...
Hiccup narrowed his eyes while he flattened himself against his dragon.
"Toothless," he whispered, "make the shot count."
Toothless opened his mouth wide, and the distant humming of a charging shot came. Hiccup was about to give the command when Krogan jerked to the right. The next thing he saw was a ballista arrow sailing straight to them. Hiccup pulled back, but it was too late. Toothless let out a shriek of agony, and they began plummeting into the forest.
They tumbled through the trees, hitting every clawed branch on the way down. Hiccup collided with the cold, unforgiving stone ground. With a pained grunt, he pushed himself back up. He had to keep going. Giving up was not an option. As he inhaled a breath of air, he winced at a sharp pain in his side. He must have severely bruised his ribs on the left. He winced in pain as he tasted his own blood.
He looked around the dark woods.
"Toothless?" he called. "Toothless, where are you?"
A low growl came from behind him. There was the Night Fury, lying on his side, his eyes screwed shut in what appeared to be excruciation.
Hiccup hobbled painedly to his dragon's side, sinking down beside him. "I'm here, Toothless. I'm here, it's gonna be fine."
But Toothless let out a frail groan. Hiccup reached forward, looking him over for injuries.
"The arrow, did it-" Hiccup let out a small gasp as he drew his fingers back to find blood staining the tips of them. And it was not his own.
Toothless had a huge gash in the left side of his neck, and purple-red blood was flowing out from it like a waterfall. That ballista arrow, it had hit a main blood vessel. Toothless was bleeding out, dying. His friend was dying.
Hiccup hyperventilating, horror filling every fiber of his being and making him tremble like a leaf. Toothless' breathing was labored and quiet. The light in his eyes was fading.
"No. N-no, you're-you're gonna be okay, Toothless. Just don't move. I-I'll help you, I-I-" Hiccup breathed quickly, running a quivering, unsteady hand through his hair. "I c- I c- I can fix this. I can fix thi-"
But as Hiccup went to tear off a piece of cloth from his tunic, Toothless' paw reached out to stop his hands. Hiccup's eyes met his friend's, which seemed to convey one message.
It's no use.
Hiccup gasped sharply and clutched Toothless' paw. "No. N-no, you don't mean that. I-I can save you-"
But Toothless gave a rasping groan and slight, despairing shake of his head. His eyes then wandered, beginning to grow dim and glassy. Hiccup cupped his hands around Toothless' head, turning his dragon's gaze back to him.
"No, look at me. Look at me, I-I'm right here. Don't go-" Hiccup's throat was constrained, his eyes were burning and stinging. "Pl-please, you're my best friend, bud."
Toothless smiled feebly with a breathy coo.
Hiccup hugged Toothless around the neck, tears squeezing out of his eyes. "My best friend."
Hiccup held Toothless close. He was not going to lose him. He was all he had left. He felt a small comfort, hearing his dragon's soft, slow breathing. But then, Hiccup's blood ran cold as he heard it suddenly cease. Hiccup pulled back, and saw Toothless' eyes closed. He was not breathing. Was he-?
Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. Denial filled him. He refused to believe it. He didn't want to believe it. He shook Toothless, trying to get a movement, a sound, any sign of life from him that he could. But Toothless was completely limp. He did not respond.
"No. No, you can't go! No, no, no!" Hiccup screamed, tears trickling from his eyes. He shook his dragon as he whispered beggingly, "Toothless, please, come back to me. Come back to me, Toothless, come back to me. Come on! Please! Don't do this to me, don't leave me! COME BACK, TOOTHLESS, PLEASE!"
His scream echoed hollowly through the forest, the only response to his plea. Toothless could not answer. He was gone. Hiccup's shoulders hunched forward, his hope desolated. Tears ran free, flowing down his cheeks and dripping onto his blood-stained hands.
"Please," he sobbed, his whole body shaking with misery. "Please, please, no. No, no, no. I- I take it back." He lifted his head, his eyes turned up to the sky and pleading to the gods. "Please, I-I take it back, I- I didn't mean it. Please, I-I wanna live again. Odin, let me live again. Please let me live again. Please, Odin, please…"
Burying his face in Toothless, Hiccup broke down into heartbroken, despairing sobs. Hiccup collapsed forward, his arms wrapped around Toothless' head while his tears mingled with the oozing blood. He wanted his life back, he wanted it back. He would give anything to take back what he had said in those woods. He did not mean a word of it. He did not wish he was dead. He knew he was not worthless. He did matter. He was not a curse. He was not a mistake.
He took a shaky breath. He had to keep going. He could not give up. He would not give up. Never. Come on, Hiccup told himself. Come on, you can do this. Get up. Get up!
He reached his hand towards the tree branch next to him.
He pulled himself up. But to his surprise, the pain in his ribs had vanished. The only pain was a smarting at the back of his head. He then saw he was gripping some manner of vine crawling up a stone wall. Looking around, he was astonished to find that the forest of Wingmaiden Island around him had disappeared. He was standing in the Cove, back on Berk.
"What the-" Hiccup breathed.
He looked down. He was back in his riding suit once more, and his left leg had been replaced with the familiar prosthetic. He let out a gasp, hardly believing his eyes.
"Hiccup!" came a cry from behind him.
He spun around and saw his friends -Toothless, Astrid, all of them!- coming towards him.
"Guys!" Hiccup cried joyfully.
He ran forward, and each was met with a hug.
"You're here! You're all, all here!" Hiccup laughed. "Oh, it's so, so good to see you guys!"
"We thought you'd run off or-" Astrid began, but Hiccup cut her off by embracing her once more.
He shook his head, giving a tearful laugh while he broke away. "No, no, I-I'm back. And I'm not leaving."
Toothless warbled in concern. Are you alright?
"I'm fine, bud. I'm-I'm- alive!" Hiccup flung his arms around Toothless, and he did not let go for the longest time.
Toothless folded his head over Hiccup's shoulder, crooning softly.
"Hiccup, we're sorry about what happened at the hall," Fishlegs began, finally breaking the silence. "You were right about what-"
"No, I-" Hiccup stood up, wiping the tears away. "I was wrong, you guys. All this- It was meant to happen. I was meant to fight for the dragons. And I'm not gonna stop fighting," he added, petting Toothless' forehead. "Not now. Not ever."
The riders all exchanged glances with one another, then back at him.
"What?" Hiccup asked.
"Nothing," Astrid smiled. "Just great to have ya back."
Hiccup returned her smile. "So, uh, why don't we get out of here? I'll meet you guys at the training grounds." He slid onto Toothless' back and looked up at the sky. "I've got one last thing to do."
THE END.
"Each man's life touches so many other lives. And when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" -Clarence, It's A Wonderful Life
Well, that took longer than expected to finish. Terrible writer's block. :(
I've got another story coming up that I'm working on right now, so the first chapter will probably be out soonish!
Thank you, as always, everyone who read, followed, favorited/followed, and reviewed! It means a lot to me. See you later!
-FictionL0ver