Got another chapter out earlier than usual, sorry for the extend wait for chapter 2, I'll try not to fall behind again. I have musical practice and school I have to keep up with.
To answer a question left in the reviews of Chapter 2, I normally try to update at the very least, once a week, and if I can, try to update more than once. Life is kind of busy right now so I can't devote all of my time to writing, but I get bits and pieces done where I can. I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter and will stick around for the next. Until then!
Hiccup stared at the red flames ripping through the village, unable to move. His heart was beating so hard he felt as if he was going to pass out on the spot. His breathing was deep and hard. The world around him slowed as he focused on the massive fire that somehow managed to spring up in a matter of seconds. It just kept going and spreading like an unimaginable beast from the fiery depths of Muspelheim.
"T-this can't be happening," Hiccup whispered out. Delicately, he put on paw in front of the other until he slowly regained control of his body. With a magnificent push downwards, the dragon lifted off the ground and sped off towards the village. The closer he got, the louder the screaming and the yelling began. Smoke filled the air along with the strong smell of burning wood and cinders. Hiccup neared the village, seeing many of the villagers scattering about, collecting what little they could salvage before bolting away from the fire slowly encroaching on their homes. The Night Fury dipped down low, trying to avoid a thick wall of smoke that was slowly growing over Berk.
"No, no, no, no!" Hiccup began to yell, seeing figures dump water everywhere to no avail. A sudden explosion caught Hiccup off guard sending him crashing into the ground. An audible smack was heard as the dragon went in hard, sending him sprawling a few feet across the ground. Hiccup slowly got up, feeling his body ache from the unexpected landing. The horrid smells of the burning village continually buffeted him as he tried to regain his composure. Stretching his wings, Hiccup took off towards the sky, only to be send right back to the ground. Landing rather ungracefully, Hiccup looked back, seeing his tailfin had been burnt off.
"Damn it!" Hiccup screamed into the air. Looking around in panic, the dragon searched for a way home but was met with the sights and sounds of fire slowly surrounding him. His heart beat as a feeling of pure dread slowly overtook him. Deep breaths filled with smoke and cinders engulfed his lungs causing him to back away in pain and fear.
"Am I going to die here?" Hiccup thought, panicking.
"Help!" screamed in a voice so intertwined with pain and fear that Hiccup nearly froze. Another scream rang out, and another, and the dragon still stared in the direction of the screams. Finally managing to pull himself together, Hiccup forced himself to move forward, dashing through the flames. He could feel the heat lick at his sides and paws causing the dragon to run faster than he ever did before. The screaming only pushed him harder as he push past one last wall of flames and into another square of houses. Loud banging crashed into Hiccup's head from his left. A large beam of wood was blocking the door of a home. The house itself was beginning to catch fire with the screams growing ever louder. As Hiccup rushed towards the house, it only took a few moments for the dragon to realize whose home it was. His heart and head screamed out in realization and terror. Those screams of horror and agony belonged to Fishlegs.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup screamed out when he was near the door. He didn't get a response, only more screaming for help. Hiccup reached for the beam, ignoring all the instincts not too. Grabbing the flaming pole, feeling the flames slowly burn at his hands, he pushed it away from the door with a mighty shove. Removing his paws quickly, Hiccup looked down blew on them gently, thankful that weren't burnt too bad thanks to his tough skin. The door next to him burst open as Fishlegs fell out, gasping for air as smoke rushed out from his home. Fishlegs' mother came out after him, falling to her knees and coughing madly. Hiccup smiled softly, but the feeling of dread only seemed to grow when he realized how much danger he, and everyone he knew was in. This kind of fear was something Hiccup knew all too well and wished he would never feel again. The fear of being powerless against a seemingly unstoppable foe.
"Hiccup! Hiccup are you still with us?" Fishlegs shouted in Hiccup's face, snapping him out of it. Looking around, the fire was still blazing and only growing stronger by the looks of it.
"Hiccup get up! Move it!" shouted Fishlegs, pushing against the unresponsive dragon. Getting to his feet quickly, Hiccup looked around them for an exit. Fishlegs moved past the dragon, shouting words into the air.
"βροχή!" Fishlegs said. A blue light engulfed his body and spread out across a good twenty feet radius, letting loose a brief torrent of water. It didn't extinguish the city, but it was enough to get the three of them out of harms way, if only for a moment. The three of them pushed through the opening and ran towards safety. Hiccup hesitated and fell behind before he broke off from them completely. The two ahead of him didn't even notice his absence and kept running towards safety.
Breaking away, Hiccup took a sharp turn towards the upper village. All around him, men and women tried extinguishing the fires. Some were successful, others hardly managed to put a dent in the larger fires raging towards the skies. Hiccup pushed harder, straining his muscles as he pushed past the pains, making detour after detour to get home. Beams fell, houses crumbled, flames pushed themselves in his way. Hiccup rounded a corner, nearly falling into a gaping crater. Hiccup took several steps back, looking at the ground in front of him. He didn't want to know what created a hole this size, where some of the market used to be. Looking up, he could see stands blown into splinters of wood and homes near the blast pushed back and almost completely destroyed, if not, horrible disfigured by the sudden force and heat of the blast.
"Thor what is happening?" Hiccup screamed into the air. The dragon looked up quickly, and ran towards his home with a heart made of lead that slowed his every step.
Hiccup stared at the burning flames. Where his home stood, where his home would soon be gone, where his home would soon no longer be. The entirety was engulfed in scorching flames that crackled and snapped into the air, adding to the chorus of flames that rang throughout the village.
"Toothless?" Hiccup whispered, an overpowering feeling of sickness over coming him, "please tell me you got out?" Hiccup looked towards the skies desperately searching for any signs of his mate. A flying figure caught his eye and his heart soared with hope. Bursting through the smoke, Hookfang dropped water over a string of houses before landing near Hiccup. Snotlout hopped off the back of his dragon and threw his large bucket of water onto the fire, effectively extinguishing it for the time being. Looking back towards the skies, Hiccup saw more dragon riders dropping water of strings of houses, diminishing fires and putting out some.
"Have you seen Toothless?" Hiccup manage to squeak out. Snotlout looked in his cousin's direction, not even realizing he was there. The young viking could see the fear in the dragon's eyes. Slowly, Snotlout shook his head.
"No," Snotlout said softly, looking towards the dragon's burning home.
"I don't think I saw him leave the house Hiccup," Hookfang added, not daring to look at the Night Fury, but still retained a look as if he wanted a reaction out of the smaller dragon. Hiccup looked back to the house, slowly walking towards it.
"No," Hiccup whispered out, "He got out. He wouldn't just sit there and let the fire take him."
"Hiccup don't get too-"
A sudden blast from the house pushed Hiccup back, sending him rolling a few feet. Hiccup slowly looked up into the house, seeing the front door now wide open. Inside he could see the gleaming of a prosthetic fin, and many other belongings, burning away and crumbling into what was left of the wooden floor. Snotlout rushed over to the fallen dragon.
"What were you thinking!" Hookfang nearly yelled at Hiccup. The Night Fury slowly got up, took a good long look at the two and walked away.
"Hiccup stop!" Snotlout said, stepping in front of the dragon. The viking stopped short in front of him and stared. Hiccup looked up with a face of complete indifference, save for the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"He made it out right?" Hiccup managed out. Snotlout opened his mouth to say something, but shut his mouth slowly.
"Yes," Snotlout responded.
"Snotlout! Get up and get going!" shouted a voice from the air. Snotlout looked up, seeing his father pointing towards Hookfang and motioning him to the skies. Nodding, Snotlout rushed onto the back of his dragon and took off, back into the skies, leaving his cousin the way he found him, alone.
Hiccup forced himself towards the Great Hall, forcing himself to believe that Toothless was alright. Everytime he told himself his mate was alright, he would look back and see fires across the village. He'd see the fin burning away in what was his home. Their home. The home that was slowly deteriorating under the heavy burden of that fire.
Pushing through the doors, Hiccup scanned the villagers with a tinge of hope. No sign of his dragon, nothing. Did he really burn in that fire? Did the seemingly invincible Toothless die right in front of Hiccup's eyes?
"Toothless?" Hiccup called out, his voice echoing into the hall. Many heads turned, then quickly looked away. The Night Fury wasn't there. Hiccup backed out of the hall and stared into the village. The fires were slowly dying out, buckets of water raining down on them, the voices shouting, and the diminishing sounds of distant fires. It was outside the Great Hall, the grand masterpiece his ancestors had built, that Hiccup broke down. The dragon softly cried out, wanting time to be rewound so he could stop everything. Stop all the pain, all the torture, all the fear.
"I know you would want me to be strong," Hiccup whispered to himself through soft sobs, "but I feel so weak right now...I just." In a fit of rage, the weakness that once gripped his body let loose their tyrannical hold and a moment of strength seized him. One paw after another punched into the ground.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Hiccup cried out, ignoring the pain that came with each punch into the ground, "Why couldn't I just be happy with what I had? Why did I have to wish for something to happen? Why?" Hiccup's anger subsided and he looked down at his paws. Blood slowly oozed from the small scratches on his paws.
"Can't you go fuck with someone else's life?" Hiccup said softly, looking towards the skies. A soft thud brought Hiccup's head down in front of him. Strong arms wrapped around Hiccup and pulled him in tight. The dragon didn't have the slightest clue what was happening, only that something was wrapped around him. Then he recognized the scent, the feel, the sound of his mate. Quickly, Hiccup wrapped his paws around him, afraid to let go.
"I thought you were dead," Hiccup said through broken sobs. Toothless just held him tighter, afraid to let go.
"I'm so sorry," Toothless whispered out, his voice unwavering despite the tears flowing from his eyes, "Gods, I'm so sorry Hiccup."
"Me too, I'm sorry Tooth, I'm sorry," Hiccup barely managed, "I should've listened, I should've stayed." Toothless rubbed his mate's back gently, holding him closely. Hiccup felt like an eternity had passed by in his mates arms before he decided to speak up. He could still smell the cinders in the air and the distant rumbling of dying fires was still present.
"We should go help," Hiccup said, "Save what we can." Toothless slowly moved back to look at his mate. Toothless took a long look over his shoulder and nodded.
"Stay close," Toothless said. Hiccup nodded as the two Night Furies made their way back into the burning village, hoping to salvage what they could of their home.
Toothless opened his eyes, looking around the Great Hall at the vikings on rest. His mind was still a bit hazy from the long nap. The hard ground of the hall floor wasn't helping him much, but it would have to do until new homes could be built. Until then, the two dragons were stuck in the hall with the rest of the homeless, which, weren't as many as Toothless thought. Many of the homes suffered cosmetic damage and some interior damages as well. Thanks to the efforts of many vikings and the unforgotten skills of rebuilding home after home, the houses were being quickly restored.
Toothless looked down and could see his mate curled up into him. The peaceful look on Hiccup's face just made Toothless' heart soar for a few moments. In those brief seconds, Toothless let his worries disappear and he truly felt like he was back at the house with Hiccup, curled up beside each other, letting time pass them by.
The Night Fury looked towards the door hanging slightly ajar and saw the orange sunlight cascade through the door. Night was approaching soon, and the next day, the cycle of repairing, building, and mourning would continue. Toothless looked over towards the twins, seeing Ruffnut dosed off and snoring obnoxiously while her brother was perfectly laid out on the ground. In the first and probably last act of kindness towards his sister, Tuffnut pushed her out of the way of a falling beam, only to have his left leg completely crushed under it. It was the two of them against the fire that was slowly spreading around them. The beam was too heavy to move, so she made a choice. Cut his leg off or leave him to die. I'm sure you can guess which one she chose.
A soft purr emanated from Hiccup's chest, causing Toothless to look down. Hiccup's eyes were slightly open, looking at Toothless' paws. Reaching out, Hiccup put his paw on his mates and smiled softly before closing his eyes once again. The purring slowly faded and Hiccup fell back into sleep. When he noticed his mate was finally asleep, he leaned down and licked Hiccup's had a few times and settled himself in, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground. Just when he thought he would dose off, he heard yelling. It was way off into the distance, far enough so that the humans in the room wouldn't hear, but just strong enough for Toothless to hear. He tried ignoring it, but the more he did, the louder it seemed to become.
With a deep and annoyed sigh, he slowly got up, trying his best not to wake Hiccup. The smaller dragon stirred momentarily, then became still. Trying his best not to wake anyone else, Toothless slowly snuck towards the door and out into the open air. The dragon stood there for a moment taking in the somewhat hopeful sight. Even though the fires had been out a while, the smell of smoke and ash still clung to the air mercilessly. Soft footsteps brought the dragon's eyes back towards the entrance. Hiccup walked out, almost tripping his own feet once or twice then sat next to Toothless, leaning on him a bit.
"Did I wake you?" Toothless asked apologetically. The smaller dragon shook his head.
"Whoever is shouting did," Hiccup said softly, straightening himself out and releasing a soft yawn, "I guess we should go see whats happening."
"You sure you're up to that?" Toothless said, noticing Hiccup's overall drowsy and tired look. The smaller dragon stretched out a bit and nodded his head in confirmation.
"I'm always," Hiccup started before being interrupted by another small yawn, "always ready." Toothless smiled at his companion and nodded his head, and the two started down the path towards the yelling. A few minutes of walking landed both the dragons at the dock where the newcomers and some senior vikings were having an intense argument from the looks of it.
"Do you realize what you've done?" Stoick yelled angrily, an axe clutched in his hand tightly. Ken looked on with an indifferent look.
"They destroyed the village and moved on," Ken said blandly, "They don't know he is here and they certainly will not return. They shall destroy and move until they find the boy." Stoick brought his axe into a dock beam angrily, cutting it cleanly in half. The top half slowly fell into the ocean will a loud splash. Hiccup could see the anger in his father's eyes. It was that same rage he saw so many times before and didn't think he'd have to see again.
"My people died! A boy lost his leg! A mother lost her child! Many of my vikings lost their homes! Their possessions! Everything!" Stoick yelled so intensely that Ken's indifferent stare wavered, turning slightly to one of fear, "You used us and could've had us all killed! I want you off Berk, permanently! If I so much as see your face one more time, I will not be as kind as I am now! You have until sundown to be off my island!" With that, Stoick turned his back on Ken, walking away.
"Stop! You don't know what you're doing! You're killing what's left of my family!" Ken cried out suddenly, his calm and suppressed nature bursting at the seams, "They had nothing to do with this! They didn't know about this! I swear on my life!" The small man got down on his knees and bowed before Stoick who had looked over his shoulder.
"Send me away, but allow my family to stay!" Ken yelled out, clinging on to this hope. Stoick turned to face the man. The chief tilted his head at the display. Walking closer, Stoick knelt down next to Ken, whispering harshly into his ear.
"Then leave, never come back to Berk," Stoick whispered with such harshness that it sent shivers down not only Hiccup's, but Toothless' spine as well, "If they come back. If my village is so much as touched again, I'll make sure your precious family sees you again." Ken kept his head down and remained still.
"Thank you," Ken said softly into the board docks. Stoick looked away in disgust, walking past Gobber and Spitelout and towards the two dragons.
"Give a days worth of food and send him on his way," Stoick said coarsely. Gobber and Spitelout agreed with minor protest, wanting Ken to suffer a much worse punishment.
"..Dad?" Hiccup started to call out. Stoick's harsh eyes turned to Hiccup, filling with anger and resentment, and at the same time, a sorrowful look. It was the look he used to give Toothless when he first started living with them. For the first time, Stoick didn't see his son for who he was, but what he was. He saw a dragon, a disgusting and revolting creature. Stoick looked away quickly and walked towards the Great Hall with heavy and furious steps.
"Gobber?" Toothless called out confidently, getting the senior viking's attention, "Mind filling us in?" The old viking shrugged his shoulders and hobbled over to the two dragons.
"We thought last night was some sort of freak accident or an attack of some sort by a neighboring tribe. Turns out we were wrong," Gobber said blandly, "You know that little dragon that boy was carrying with him? Apparently he's some prince of a mountain back in their country and the explosion and fires were caused by two dragons looking for him. They want to kill him to secure their place as king or queen or something. Either way, they used us, boys. They thought they could stay safe and let the storm pass them by and they could be on their merry way, not caring what happened to us. They destroyed Berk, they killed our people, cost Tuffnut his leg! No one wants them here." With that, the once cheerful and happy-go-lucky guy disappeared. Seems like its becoming a trend.
"I'm remembering why I hate strangers," Toothless whispered through gritted teeth, "They're always looking to fuck you over in some way for their own personal gain." Hiccup opened his mouth to protest, but could find no words to calm his mate down. This was an argument he knew he might never win, and this time, he was on Toothless' side. They used Berk. They used their generosity. They used their hospitality, and they stabbed us in return.
Rapid steps blew past the dragons as Tatsuo ran towards this father. The boy didn't look sad his father was leaving, but had an indifferent expression, the same as his father.
"I apologize, but I listened in on your conversation without permission, but, I promise to restore honor to our family," Tatsuo said briskly, "As the next in line as head of the family, I shall take responsibility from this day forth. You have disgraced us father. You should have told us what you did. Now these people have suffered for a foolish mistake, however, I shall spend the remainder of my life on this earth to repay the damages and tragedy that we have caused them. I wish your life be a happy one." With that Tatsuo bowed to his father, who in returned bowed back respectfully. The boy turned away from his father and walked away with a hint of dignity. The father, on the other hand, reached out for his son. He opened his mouth, but no words fell from his lips. Ken bowed his head down and boarded his ship. Spitelout threw the bag of food aboard Ken's vessel and pushed him offshore.
"The nearest Island friendly to outsiders like you is a good week away," Spitelout said loudly and monotonically, "Make it last."
The moon hung down over the inhabitants of Berk. Toothless and Hiccup were in the Great Hall along with many other Berk villagers, sleeping in a depressing silence. Hiccup was awake once again, but remained still in his love's warm embrace. The longer the night ticked on, the more restless Hiccup seemed to become. When he felt all hope was lost, the tiny patter of feet came close to him until a small dragon was sitting inches from his face.
"Hi," Ryuu said with a smile. Hiccup smiled back, motioning towards Toothless who was sound asleep.
"Try not to wake him," Hiccup said softly. Ryuu nodded his head and stared at Hiccup for a few moments, making the atmosphere just a little awkward. The little dragon looked at the Night Fury's paws and rubbed them gently, noticing the scratches and small burns on them.
"What happened to your hands Mr. Hiccup?" Ryuu asked softly. Hiccup glanced down at the small wounds. They didn't sting when the little one touched, they felt warm and soothing instead. A remedy of compassion.
"I got a little mad and punched the ground," Hiccup said, "and I burnt them helping a friend out." The little dragon nodded his head, understanding the pain and struggle the paws went through. The little dragon licked his hurt paws and rubbed them softly before taking a step back, smiling softly.
"I made them feel all better," the little dragon said with a big smile. Hiccup couldn't help but smile as well, thanking the little dragon for his kind and warming gesture.
"Ryuu?" Hiccup asked. The little dragon smiled wider and nodded his head.
"Yes?" The little dragon asked softly.
"How old are you?" Hiccup asked. The little dragon smile wavered a bit, as if he wasn't really sure himself.
"I think that old guy said I was six," Ryuu said softly, unsure about the answer.
"You mean Ken?" Hiccup said. Ryuu looked confused again, trying to think some more.
"Yes, Ken," the little dragon responded. Hiccup nodded his head, not entirely sure why he needed to know. Something about the family's whole situation was definitely off, but he didn't really know what it was. All he knew was that their family was being chased by some evil dragons who wanted this cute little guy dead and they needed, or wanted, to protect him.
"Mr. Hiccup?" Ryuu said softly. Hiccup blinked quickly a few times, readjusting his line of sight on the little dragon in front of him.
"Yes, what is it?" Hiccup said sweetly. Little Ryuu hesitated for a moment, but went ahead with his question.
"Can I sleep with you and Mr. Toothless?" the little dragon suddenly asked. Hiccup's eyes widened a bit at the question, not really sure why Ryuu would want their company instead of someone he actually knew, like Tatsuo.
"What about Tatsuo? Don't you think you'd feel safer with someone you know? Someone your close too?" Hiccup asked slowly and softly, glancing back at Toothless at some parts and over towards Tatsuo, sleeping in a corner with the rest of his family, minus one. The little dragon shook his head and persisted.
"I was told not to get close to humans, they always die anyway," Ryuu said with that same innocent smile. Hiccup's heart felt heavy for a moment, remembering his own lifespan.
"Ryuu, who told you that?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know, it was a long time ago," Ryuu said with his innocent eyes that looked around the room slowly, "Humans live so shortly while we live for so long so I shouldn't get close to them. They would always grow old and die." Hiccup nodded his head, acting like was listening to the last few sentences, but really, his mind was still stuck on his own life. His own mortality versus that of a human.
"Can I?" Ryuu asked, snapping Hiccup from his thoughts.
"Huh?" Hiccup said softly, hardly hearing any of what Ryuu was saying.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Ryuu persisted again. Somehow, Ryuu's little voice pulled back memories to before the fight. When he drew that sketch in his book of a family. A family he dreamed he could have. Without giving it much thought, Hiccup nodded and the little dragon curled up next to Hiccup. The Night Fury let out a slow breath seeing the young dragon next to him. Delicately, Hiccup draped his paw over the little dragon, bringing him a bit closer. Ryuu snuggled into the larger dragon and fell asleep quickly. Somehow, sleep slowly began to seep its way back into Hiccup's mind, dragging him further and further down into unconsciousness.
"I left my book in the woods," Hiccup thought before his mind went completely blank and a wall of darkness took him into a blissful and peaceful sleep, one that ignored the worries and troubles of the present and future, and focused on the love and freedom of the past.