Starting Notes: I had midterms, so I had to delay the release of this chapter. Sorry everyone
Chapter 15
Popping his head from the thick bush of leaves, Hiccup pulled himself up to the top branches of the tree. Teetering himself outwards, Hiccup methodically snapped the thinner and longer branches of the tree. With a loud snap, Hiccup dropped the branches carelessly down on to the ground. Once the task was complete, Hiccup climbed down but not before almost falling as per usual clumsy Hiccup. Gathering up all the branches Hiccup quickly ran back to the crash site.
The crash site was a sight to behold. Looking up you could see the dragon shaped hole that Toothless made in a view of endless green. On the ground you could see the upturned ground and bushes, the trail of Toothless' landing. Broken trees and branches were littered everywhere. And at the centre of it all was his best friend.
"Hey Toothless, how are you feeling?" Hiccup asked. Laying down where Toothless initially crashed, the Night Fury could do nothing but a let out a low grumble.
"I know buddy, let's get that wing fixed up," Hiccup said. Reaching into the saddle, Hiccup grabbed out some rope and a case of dragon balm. Opening the lid, Hiccup rubbed the dragon balm onto the damaged wing. In tandem with the branches, Hiccup stinted Toothless' wing.
"Common buddy it's time to get up. We need to find the others." Hiccup said as he ducked himself underneath Toothless' wing and supported his dragon.
Taking it slow, Hiccup and Toothless struggled their way through the forest, praying that they wouldn't half to go uphill. They had to take many breaks but in a couple of hours, they made it to the rendezvous point, to an open clearing where Valka was nervously pacing.
"Hiccup! Are you alright?" Valka said as she noticed the pair exit the forest. Running to Hiccup, Valka wrapped her son into a hug.
"I'm fine mom but Toothless's wing is damaged," Hiccup mumbled into her mother's chest as waved his arms and struggled for air. Hands on her shoulder Hiccup poked his head out of Valka's vice like grip.
"Toothless is most likely going to be out of commission for awhile. How is everyone else doing?" Hiccup asked.
"It's the same story for everyone else," Snotlout said as he appeared from out of nowhere. Hookfang and Cloudjumper emerged limping out of the forest but not before bumping into trees before collapsing into the ground.
"What happened up there? Did Astrid manage to get away with the relic?" Hiccup asked, frowning at the extent to which their dragons were injured.
"Astrid decided to ignore the plan and stayed to fight," Snotlout said his disapproval leaking from his voice.
"From what I could tell the fight ended in a draw. I don't think any dragon will be flying for awhile." Valka's chimed in, her years of dragon wisdom and experience talking.
"Where's Astrid?" Hiccup asked doing his best to control his anger.
"Hiding from you," Snotlout said, "you don't look all too happy right now."
"There's nothing to be happy about. Astrid probably knew she wanted to fight. But chose to say nothing, and disobeyed orders." Hiccup said as he scratched his hair in frustration. In less than a day things have gone from being stressful to being even more stressful. The only thing Hiccup had to worry about was the gathering chiefs and now he was stuck on an island fighting against an unknown group of people.
"Where's Ruff and Tuff?" Hiccup asked as he pulled his head up.
"Hiding from Astrid." Valka replied, "Turns out a fight between two Zipplebacks can be quite explosive and Astrid and Stormfly was caught in the middle of it. Luckily everyone managed to come out of the explosion relatively okay and the twins are around here somewhere"
"And Fishlegs?" Hiccup continued.
"I'm afraid I haven't seen Fishlegs or Meatlug anywhere." Valka's replied.
Hiccup's eyes widened, his anger lit upon hearing his mother's words.
"Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, quit screwing around and get out here now!" Hiccup yelled, having lost all of his patience.
Slowly and timidly, the three deviants came out of the forest along with an injured Stormfly, Barf and Belch.
"Have any of you seen Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked in audibly controlled rage.
The three solemnly shook their heads, their eyes stared at the ground as they refused to look at the chief in the eye.
Hiccup looks at them with a discerning eye as they squirmed from his gaze. Without bothering to say anything else, Hiccup walked away from the group.
"Stay here and take care of the dragons, I am going to find Fishlegs," Hiccup told his mother as he walked past her. Walking by his best friend, Hiccup gave Toothless a comforting pat on the head to which Toothless leaned into before he walked away from the group.
Astrid made a move to go after Hiccup but was quickly grabbed by the hand. Turning her head around, Astrid saw Valka shaking his head.
"This might not have happened if I just stuck to the plan. This is my fault I need to go after him and apologize," Astrid said.
"Hiccup is the chief, the only person he blames is himself, no matter what you say. Right now, Hiccup needs to be alone," Valka said he she watched her son disappear into the forest.
OoOoO
Asmund, leader of the rough band of dragon riders, carelessly tossed aside his snow wraith mask. His face to the sky, the young man inhaled deeply grateful for finally being able to breathe. The masks were great for protection against the heat and cold but no so much for breathing. With a single hand, Asmund tossed his flattened auburn hair. Opening his equally auburn eyes, he took in the beautiful view of the lake with his beautiful wife sitting with her knees to her chest by the lake side.
"Yrivanna," Asmund greeted as he sat down next to his wife. He could see that she was deep in thought as her freckles shifted slightly up from her tense expression, and a dark shadow underneath her steely eyes.
The past weeks has certainly been stressful and has affected his friends in various ways. For Yrivanna it was the loss of sleep. Her hair, which Yrivanna kept religiously short had started to grow past her shoulders, and it seemed she had yet to notice. Asmund could only pray that when it was all over, they would be able to move on with their lives.
"A Night Fury," Yrivanna mumbled as she leaned against her husband and breaking Asmund from his own train of thought, " A damn Night Fury. We are so lucky that we all managed to get out alive."
"In retrospect, attacking the other group of dragon riders without any information was not a great idea. Getting greedy and attacking them was a mistake when we should have just ignored them and went for the ritual." Asmund agreed.
"Although, had we won the fight and possessed both the Gem of Fire and Gem of Ice, the success of the ritual would have been guaranteed and it would confirm that our mission is a part of destiny."
"It has always been our destiny. Our mission was given to us the moment we were born even if we or anyone else knew." Yrivanna stated, "Although growing up and training, we didn't expect to be fighting other dragon riders. I guess that's what happens when your village is hidden away for hundreds of years,"
"The Archipelago certainly much more different from what we were taught as kids," Asmund agreed.
"Which is why I want to see the world that we never got to see growing up. To travel and see what life has to offer. Not just with you, but all our friends too." Yrivanna said.
"And we will," Asmund promised, "Just as soon as we complete our mission and return our friends and all the other dragons home.
"So we will switch to plan B then?" Yrivanna asked.
"Yes, we will commence the trial and one of us will become a guardian." Asmund said.
"Then good luck to you my dear husband, may the better warrior win," Yrivanna said and kissing him on the cheek. Getting up she patted the dirt off her trouser and wordlessly headed back the the camp, leaving her husband behind.
Staring back at her wife. Asmund couldn't help but chuckle.
"May the better warrior win she says. Good luck she says," Asmund repeated, "I haven't beaten her since we were little kids," As the sun began to set, Asmund got up and chased after his wife. Their new guest should be waking up soon.
OoOoO
Fishleg's consciousness slowly woke up, enveloped in darkness. His thoughts in a daze, the only sensations he could feel was his own body. His chest tightened and his breathing stopped as he struggled to move. One second became two and a third. Fishlegs needed to breathe. His heart started beating faster as he tried to move. The pulses of his mind went down his body, but his body refused to move. Panic and darkness slowly swelled in his body until it finally.
"Hughh" Fishlegs gasped as he bolted upright, desperately taking in the sensation of finally being able to breathe. The next second was met with great regret, as pain swept over his body.
"Woah" A mysterious person said, kneeling down next to Fishlegs "don't move too much, you have a few broken bones."
"Where am I? Where's Meatlug" Fishlegs managed to get out through the pain. Slowly he becoming more aware of his surroundings as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the fire at the center the only source of light.
"You took a nasty crash. We've sheltered you inside a cave for the night and a friend of mine is currently taking care of your dragon."
"Are you?" Fishlegs asked hesitantly, to his knowledge there were only two groups of people on the island.
"No I wasn't the one who shot you down, although I am with the group that you were fighting with earlier. My name is Sigrid by the way and my partner is the Rhumblehorn.
His vision clearing, Fishlegs could get a better picture of the man known as Sigrid. He was a boulder like man with a shaved beard, his unkempt red hair was tied into a loose ponytail. He was certainly not the man he expected to be his enemy.
"My name is Fishlegs. What's going to happen to Meatlug and I now? Fishlegs asked.
"For now, nothing. We haven't actually decided on what to do with you. It's going to take you weeks for your injuries to heal Fishlegs, for now you should try to get some rest. Fishlegs visibly relaxed at those reassuring words. Unable to do anything else Fishleg let out a sigh, he allowed himself to be consumed by the darkness once more.
Sigrid washed his hands, before quickly wiping them with a towel. He checked on the new guest, now known as Fishlegs before leaving the cave. There was no fear of Fishlegs going anywhere with the extent of injuries that he sustained.
Sigrid looked up at the starry night sky. The high winds, managed to pick up the clouds letting the beautiful moon to dazzle amongst the star. Lined up along the side to the entrance of the cave were their dragons. Kneeling down, Sigrid checked up on Fishleg's sleeping Gronkle before checking his Rhumblehorn.
His dragon was certainly more durable than other dragons. But when a Nightmare attaches itself on top of your Rhumblehorn and you drop from the sky, than some injuries were inevitable. Shaking his head, Sigrid couldn't help but think how crazy the Nightmare and it's rider was. Seeing that his Rhumblehorn was sleeping soundly, Sigrid got up and returned to camp.
The fire roared, as he sat down on a log, his friends had already gathered and were already eating whatever they could scavenge.
"So how is our guest doing?" Frida asked as she passed Sigrid some berries.
As the oldest one, Frida has taken up the role of mother for the group. A caring attitude for all life, but wasn't impervious to little bouts of craziness. Apparent with her battle with the other Zippleback. Yrivanna kept saying that she and her Nadder could still feel the vibrations of the explosion that the two Zipplebacks created.
"Our guest's name is Fishlegs, and he is going to be fine." Sigrid answered.
"Did you learn anything new about this group of dragon riders Sigrid? Where they got the dragons? Who they are?" Jorgeg asked. On the complete opposite end of the group spectrum, Jorgeg was the youngest of the group with a tousled blond hair without the angular face of an adult.
"He was not awake for very long for any sort of questioning," Sigrid replied.
"So what do we do? Our dragons are in no condition to fight" Jorgeg said.
"I doubt that their dragons are faring any better," Asmund chipped in.
"So what now?" Frida asked.
"We have no choice but to keep on fighting," Asmund answered. A collective groan was heard amongst the group. A pregnant pause washed over the group as they contemplated their dislike of fighting.
Sigrid let out a small chuckle and breaking the silence before saying, "I wonder how much the elders regret picking us for the mission."
"The laughing stock of the entire Berserker Tribe," Jorgeg quoted in a dramatic fashion.
A hidden village of the direct descendants of the Berserkers. Biding their time, until the time they would retake stewardship of the dragons.
For a race of warriors created by Odin, it was no mystery that the most unwarrior like individuals of the Berserker Tribe, would end up bonded together through shared experiences and values. But the biggest mystery was how the group was selected to travel out into the world, to regain control of the dragons.
"We were never meant to be warriors and we still aren't now. Maybe we should return home and ask the elders to pick other people?" Frida said.
"We promised each other that we would never return to that village ever again. There is a whole world out there to explore, and the last place I want to go is back home," Yrivanna said her voice quavering over the thought of returning to that accursed place.
"So where does that leave us then?" Jorgeg asked in a hoarse whisper.
"To finish the mission," Asmund stated, "Like it or not we are still Berserkers, this is our mission to carry out. Whether we fail or not we must do so to honor our ancestors."
Hearing their leader's conviction, and inspiring words. Like so many times before, a fire was rekindled in the eyes of his friends, determined to stick with their leader to the bitter end.
Standing up Asmund grabbed a stick and started drawing on the floor.
"The Gem of Fire is not the priority at the moment. What we need is uninterrupted access to the altar so that we can perform the ritual." Asmund said while the others listened with rapt attention.
And over the roaring fire, under the starry night and moon, the unlikely band of Berserkers discussed their next plan.
OoOoO
Deep shadows covered the forest, in the early mornings, the dragon riders trekked forward. The previous night a Terrible Terror came into their camp and delivered them a package.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Hiccup?" Astrid asked, as the grouped headed towards the meetup point.
"We don't have much of a choice. They have Fishleg's dragon cards. They are the only lead we have to finding FIshlegs and Meatlug." Hiccup responded
"And what if they want to trade them for the Gem of Fire for their lives?" Snotlout asked.
"We will have to go to plan B. My mother will wait for my signal to release the flashes. We will only have a small timing window to get Fishlegs back. So stay focus and no screwing around," Hiccup said giving a pointed look at everyone, making sure that everyone will follow the plan.
Everyone nodded their heads in understanding as Valka and Ruffnut silently broke off from the group to get into position.
Exiting the forest into a clearing, they patiently waited for the other group to arrive. They did not have wait long. A low rumbling, the sound of wood rolling on ground, was heard from the north and out emerged three masked figures, the skrill and rhumblehorn masked rider was pushing the cart. The zippleback masked person led from the front. On top of the cart rested Fishlegs and Meatlug.
Even from afar, Hiccup and the others could tell, just how bad Fishlegs and Meatlug condition was. Covered in bandages, Fishlegs laid unmoving as has slid and shifted around from the rumblings of the cart.
"Thank you for taking care of Fishlegs and Meatlug. They might not have survived through the night." Hiccup said as he separated from the group and approached the cart
"It is no problem at all," the Zippleback's voice echoed before reaching the ears of Hiccup, "But of course we did not all for free."
Shifting his gaze back to Fishlegs, Hiccup debated on whether or not to spring the trap now. Subtly Hiccup shifted his gaze past the mysterious groups of riders and past the cart, to the unknowns of the forest. "Where were the other two riders," Hiccup asked himself. With so little information, springing the trap would be too preemptive. Hiccup needed to get closer.
"What are your terms?" Hiccup asked as he returned focus to the masked Zippleback.
"The deal is we give you back your friends, and you let us go for free," the zippleback replied, as the young women shifted and placed her hand on her hips.
"What suddenly not interested in the Gem of Fire?" Astrid asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"Oh we want it," the woman replied. "But we are outnumbered with you five or six to our three. You could easily just attack us once you have your friend back" the woman reasoned.
"Well there is five of you, so where's the other two?" Snotlout asked, having drawn the same suspicions as Hiccup.
"Injured like your friend here," the woman replied. "So do we have a deal or not?"
Something didn't quite add up to Hiccup, Glancing over to Astrid, he could see that Astrid also had not dropped her guard or suspicion. Her eyes darted from left to right for any signs of danger. Ruffnut who was acting as scout, also did not shoot out a flare to warn them of any danger. Hiccup had already swept the area for any traps prior to the meeting but found nothing. But something still felt wrong.
"Why trade Fishlegs and Meatlug for their own safety?" If they cared for their safety, then why set up a meeting at all?" Hiccup asked himself, "They could have just left them somewhere for us to pick up."
"Well that was a huge waste of effort" Tuffnut commented, disappointed that there was going to be no action.
A light lit up inside Hiccup's head at the words of Tuffnut. "Wasted effort." The other dragon riders wanted this meeting. Wanted to have Hiccup's focus entirely on this meeting. The mountain! They had pulled them away them from the mountain!
Hands to his mouth, Hiccup let out a high pitched whistle. From the cover the trees Valka pulled the string and fire shot out of their canister covering the entire area in blinding light.
"Get fishlegs!" Hiccup yelled before turning around and taking off back towards the mountain.
"Hiccup?" Astrid yelled before instinctually chasing after him.
"He's running away!" Sigrid said,
"After him!" Jorgeg said. Sprinting to chase after Hiccup but he was quickly blocked off.
Snotlout posturing, placed himself between Jorgeg and Hiccup.
"You're not going anywhere" Snotlout said, as Tuffnut moved next to him. Ruffnut and Valka emerged from the trees and put themselves in a protective position for Fishlegs.
"What do we do now," Frida whispered, her back to Sigrid and Jorgeg.
"We will just have to hold the ones here and trust in Asmund and Yrivanna," Sigrid whispered back.
Weapons in hand, the frantics movements of the two parties came to a complete stand still as they stared down each other. Neither group was willing to make the first move.
Leaping over a crevasse, Hiccup raced towards the mountain. The voice of Astrid fell on deaf ears, as Hiccup continued to run. The entire meeting was a setup, a diversion for something else. Something that was more important than the Gem of Fire.
Author's end notes: Slightly shorter chapter but we get a better picture of who are these new group of dragon riders. Might go back and expand if I think of something interesting for them.
Typo Helper:
Cover page by Mistress of the Snow
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