Well I'm back! The musical is over, and it went fantastic if you were wondering. I also moved in the time between the last update, the musical and now, which is kinda part of the reason I wasn't able to write anything. No internet, and no proper computer set up. So I hope you'll enjoy this and let the story continue!
The air was unusually cold for this time of the year. The skies were covered in thick layers of darkening clouds. It was sight that marked an oncoming storm. Lightning struck out among the heavens and thunder roared heavily in great length as if Thor himself was showing his displeasure for the unfortunate events that befell the villagers of Berk, his loyal and devoted worshippers, yet as the sounds and displays of lights went on, no rain fell from the darkened skies. Only the rumbling of thunder and cracks of lightning filled the oddly dry air.
A Night Fury stared up into the skies, watching as patches of light flickered across the clouds sending out a low rumbling that went straight to the bone. His instincts told him to stay grounded until the storm passed, but his mind told him to push forward regardless. Brave the storm and put suspicious to rest permanently. Still, the nagging feeling in his gut told him otherwise. He already knew that the day was going to be long and eventful. Whether that was a good thing or bad, he still had yet to see. Just as long as everyone made it back in one piece.
"Toothless?" a voice called out softly, "Spitelout decided we should wait until the storm passes before we leave." With those few simple words, the skies above slowly came to a resound silence. Not a crack of lightning nor a rumble of thunder was seen or heard after. Hiccup looked into the skies, wondering if it were mere coincidence, or if godly powers were at work. Hiccup looked to Toothless, noticing his dragon's eyes were fixated on the skies still.
"Are you sure we should do this?" Toothless asked. Hiccup raised a brow at the question and looked to the skies as well, watching the slow moving clouds as they passed over Berk.
"Yes, we need to know for sure," Hiccup said confidently, "What is it?" Toothless watched the skies for a few moments longer, thinking back and remembering how the world looked nearly a year ago.
"The sky looked just like this," Toothless said, "and to think, it's been nearly a year." Hiccup sat next to Toothless, curling his tail around his mate comfortingly.
"If anything, you should be grateful this happened," Hiccup said with a soft laugh, "If it didn't, none of this would've happen. Things would've played out so differently, and I doubt we could've been able to handle them. Most importantly, there would've been no us." Toothless smiled and looked over at Hiccup and nodded. Even when the stakes were high, it was nice the two dragons were able to forget their worries, even for just a moment, when they were around each other. It always seemed to be like that with the two. They just gave off their own energy when they were around. The air, stopped feeling so cold, and the atmosphere seemed to return to life. Toothless looked at his mate and licked his head affectionately. Hiccup returned the gesture, only licking Toothless' cheek.
"We're gonna be fine," Hiccup said optimistically, "We've always been fine. We've always made it out, and if the Outcasts are there, then we'll came it through it together." Toothless nodded and moved closer to Hiccup, just enjoying the moment.
"Promise me you'll be okay?" Toothless whispered. Hiccup nodded his head softly, letting himself lean against his mate.
"If you promise me you will," Hiccup responded softly, watching as the waves rippled out from the harbor docks. Toothless nodded his head, staring out into the skies, waiting for the time to come.
Heavy footsteps attracted both the dragon's attention, seeing Spitelout stomp his way closer to the pair.
"We're leaving," He said with a bit of bounce in his voice and when the dragon's didn't immediately respond he added a harsh, "That means right now." With that, Hiccup's uncle stalked off, heading out of the harbor and back into what remained of lower Berk. The two Night Furies looked in slight annoyance at the brittle patience that particular viking had. Hiccup sighed softly and stretched himself out.
"Well let's not keeping him waiting."
Thoughts whirled through Hiccup's head as the wind pushed against him. A part of Hiccup wanted to find at least some shred of evidence suggesting the Outcasts were there just so he could validate himself, yet another part wants there to be nothing and for his life to return to normalcy. After what happened to Berk the first time he wished life would spice up, he decided that a normal life wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"Hiccup, you alright?" a voice called from behind. Hiccup glanced back, seeing Johan behind him with a bandaged hand. The dragon wondered how he even got to go on this mission considering how innately clumsy he could be at times, though, when you really needed him, he always managed to pull through in the end. Hiccup smiled and nodded his head, turning his head back towards the front of the formation.
To his right was Toothless, and behind him was Johan on his Nadder, and another viking on his gronckle. In front of Hiccup was Snotlout, riding Hookfang, and next to him was Astrid, riding on Stormfly, and at the very front of the formation, was Spitelout, riding his own Monstrous Nightmare he named Snarefang. Almost as if he knew Hiccup was thinking of him, the viking looked back over his shoulder, watching the formation with careful eyes before turning his head back.
"We're almost there, remain in formation," Spitelout shouted over his shoulder. Hiccup glanced over and saw Toothless looked a bit uneasy, causing him to feel even more uneasy about the situation. The closer they got to Outcast Island, the closer Hiccup felt to puking.
"Maybe this really was a mistake," Hiccup thought to himself, "Maybe Dad was right, maybe we should turn back before its too late." Time seemed to pass to quickly. The group was already upon Outcast Island. From a distance, the skies around it seemed to give off a sickly hue warning all to keep away. The island itself was just a mass of charcoal black broken rocks jutting out from just about every corner of it. It looked so desolate and run down, but Hiccup figured it must've always looked that way. Just looking at it made Hiccup regret doing this. He knew he'd have to go check sooner or later, but he was afraid of what he might find. More conflict.
"Get ready to land," Spitelout shouted out, "And vigilant!" Spitelout and Snarefang dropped down quickly, keeping in line with the approaching land. With graceful landings, the group successfully arrived at Outcast Island. As soon as they landed, Hiccup moved closer to Toothless, feeling extremely uneasy at this point. The ground underneath Hiccup's feet felt oddly ashy and warm as if the island itself was alive.
"Eyes front," Spitelout whispered harshly back as he dismounted Snarefang. Spitelout looked back with an icy glare which Snarefang also gave. The two didn't intimidate Hiccup as much as annoy him, but he went along with his uncle's orders since he was the viking in charge of the whole scout mission. Spitelout raised his hand and motioned to head out. The group stayed close together and kept themselves alert at all times.
It was clear that the island was abandoned. The place was in a sorry state with shack falling apart without proper maintenance. Everything looked temporary as it was and with no one to replace the decaying parts, the island itself just seemed to start dying. Rusting metal, broken down shacks, decaying wood, and strange smells that just drifted out of reach for the longest time offering no origin point.
The uneasy feeling in Hiccup's chest lightened, if only for a moment, to allow a brittle feeling of relief wash over him. He would feel completely relieved but the howling of the wind, the creaking of wood, and the desolate atmosphere seemed anything but right. It seemed desolate, but not, at the same time and the dragon just couldn't figure out why.
"You feel it too don't you?" Toothless said, looking around. Hiccup nodded his head.
"Feel what?" Spitelout asked in a loud whisper. Hiccup looked forward, noticing the group was now staring at him. In the past, he would've felt very self conscious and tried to get eyes off of him at all costs, considering back then they were usually scorns of disapproval. This time, however, he felt the safest when he was with Toothless and his friends.
"It doesn't feel...completely abandoned," Toothless said softly. It felt as if someone was constantly watching from the shadows which put the group in an uneasy position. They reacted to every little pebble that got shifted, every creaking of wood that the passing wind blew, every sound that seemed abnormal.
"Why did we have to come in such a small group?" Johan whispered to his Nadder softly. The Nadder nodded and moved closer to his rider to comfort him as much as possible. Astrid suddenly stopped in front of the two Night Furies and stared at large door leading down into what seemed to be an arena. Spitelout glanced over his shoulder and saw the group stationary, staring at the door. Spitelout drew back, going to the door and swinging it open.
A swarm of bats few from the depths of the caves and out into the air, disappearing from view rather quickly. Spitelout looked back into the cave, shaking his head heavily to clear his mind. The viking held up a torch and allowed Snarefang to light it before he threw it into the doorway. It revealed a staircase that led a few feet down before it widened out into the arena.
"Follow," Spitelout said, heading down the stairs. The vikings nodded and followed him down. Hiccup headed for the doorway but noticed how narrowed it seemed. The Night Fury tried to fit through it but was unable to get his body through.
"Astrid!" Hiccup called out. Within a few moments, the female viking reappeared, her blonde hair shining in the dull light. She covered her mouth quickly, stifling the laughter that was quickly bubbling up in her chest.
"Ah yes, haha, very funny, push me out," Hiccup said. Astrid nodded and pushed against the dragon's head while Toothless pulled from the other end of the Night Fury. With a few short pushes and pulls, the smaller dragon was successfully freed from the clutches of the dastardly doorway.
"Knowing how giant vikings can be, I really want to know how any of them fit through that," Hiccup asked with annoyance. This wasn't the first time he was left out of something because of dragonesque nature.
"Just stay here, we won't be long," Astrid said, "and stay out of trouble!" She added the last part with a bit of sarcasm, trying her best to imitate Stoick, just knowing it would annoy the dragon. Hiccup rolled his eyes and Toothless just nodded in response to her teasing, knowing it would annoy Hiccup a bit.
"Well now you're stuck out here with the dragons," Toothless said, sitting down near the doorway. Hiccup rolled his eyes and sat next to Toothless.
"I thought I was one of the dragons," Hiccup said, laying on his stomach and crossing one paw over the other, "I just don't like the idea of them going down there without us. It's probably because it's Outcast Island, but the air, this island, just doesn't feel quite right. It's like I can feel someone else here, but I just don't know where, or if they even exist, but I feel it alright. Who knows, maybe I'm just feeling an echo."
The sound of rocks falling in the distance caught the dragon's attention. All heads turned towards the sound, seeing just a few small rocks cascading down a hill.
"Toothless," Hiccup whispered.
"I know," Toothless said softly.
At that moment, the entire island went quiet. Any wildlife that was making sound ceased their activity, awaiting the approaching storm. Hiccup could feel his heart beating rapidly as the moments ticked back. Moment after agonizing moment went by when more rocks fell down the hill. From the shadows loomed a massively dark shadow. Just out of sight, just far enough away, just out of the light.
"Astrid," Hiccup said softly. Nothing, and the rocks moved more and more.
"Astrid," Hiccup called out again, louder this time. Still, no response and the shadow moved closer towards the light. Hiccup didn't know why his heart was beating so hard, or why he desperately didn't want to see whatever lurked beyond the shadows. Deep down, he was terrified of what he would see. Of who he would see.
It was one of Stoick's greatest regrets that he let him leave. The horrible stories that were told to him when he was younger of the awful man who betrayed his tribe and created an outcast tribe. The stories that told of how wickedly cruel he could be, but of how strategically brilliant he was. He knew what to do and when to do it. When the opportunity seemed best, he would wait just a few moments later when the world least expected it and he struck out viciously. What was so different about him was that he had a conscious, he could differentiate from right and wrong, but he chose the wrong path so many times. He was capable of mercy, but rarely showed it. He was capable of ending lives, yet he rarely did. He was capable of so many amazingly fantastic and horrible gruesome things, but he would routinely choose the latter of the two.
The shadow moved again sending more rocks cascading down the hill. This time, the shadow kept moving, closer and closer to the light. Hiccup felt as if his heart stopped.
"Astrid!" Hiccup called out, signalling the viking still within the arena. The shadow disappeared from sight. For a moment, it was there, and then, it was gone. That feeling of relief never came this time, for a quiet moment like this only comes before a storm hits.
A sharp metallic ringing made the dragon's head turn. Lodged inside the wooden frame of the door was a old arrow. Hiccup's heart began beating again, this time more rapidly than before. A fight was coming, and he knew just how bad fights were in the past. Turning his head back, Hiccup saw several Outcast vikings rushing from the shadows of distant rocks. Astrid and the others emerged from the arena and the group hurriedly formed a defensive position.
A loud explosive sound caught Hiccup off guard, his ears ringing from the sudden sound. Looking around him, the dragons and vikings of Berk were firing arrows, throwing weapons, firing off walls of flames, bursts of lava, or explosive plasma blasts. All around him, he saw one Outcast viking fall after another. Hiccup felt a feeling well up in his chest and push itself out of his mouth. A plasma blast shot out from the Night Fury and into the crowd of vikings making their way closer. It contacted and sent several of the vikings flying, blood splattering over the black earth. Hiccup's heart lurched when he saw the sight. He didn't know if he could do this. Too many bad memories were flooding back into his mind. The blood, the pain, the destruction, the death, the horrible sights, oh gods, the things he saw, the dismembered corpses, the showers of blood raining down on Berk, the fires, the ungodly amount of corpses piled up, the storm of arrows raining down, the screaming vikings, the cries of agony, the distant rumbling of fights. It was all hitting him at once.
Yet, the dragon fired off another blast, and another, and another. Into the vikings those blasts soared, hitting them with enough force to kill them, but keep it clean. No blood, no gore, just a quick, hopefully painless death. The viking numbers were quickly dwindling and while the Berk vikings were outnumbered, they had dragons on their side.
"Retreat," Spitelout said calmly, keeping his head cool during the entire situation. The vikings quickly mounted their dragons and took to the skies. The whole ordeal flashed by so quickly for Hiccup. One moment their fighting on the ashen earth, and the next, they're in the air with a volley of arrows trailing after them.
"Oh hell!" someone shouted from behind. Toothless was falling through the air, an arrow lodged into his tailfin, effecting jamming it. Hiccup's heart stopped for another time that day, watching his mate fall back down to the island and into the clutches of the Outcast vikings. Time went by so slowly as Hiccup watched Toothless slam into the ground and stop moving as the vikings drew closer and closer.
Hiccup dropped out of the sky, diving straight for his mate. He didn't have a plan, but he was pretty good a winging it, hopefully this would be one of those lucky times winging it actually pulled through. He could hear the shouts from the Berk vikings and dragons, telling him how bad of an idea it was, or to stop, to come back, to leave him. As if he could just leave him. Gods know what they'd do to him. He had to try.
Hiccup hit the ground hard, sending blast after blast at the vikings. They were probably the strongest plasma blasts he'd ever let loose. They hit the small crowd of vikings with devastating results. Several flew in different directions, others fell to the ground from the blast wave. Blood coated the ground, parts of different vikings went here and there. Debris sailed into surrounding vikings. Those two devastating blasts took down a good portion of them. Looking higher up into the air, Hiccup could see even more vikings coming down from the hills. That brief moment that he truly believed he could fend off all of them quickly disappeared. The Berk vikings dropped down next to him along with their dragons and fired off what defense they had.
"When I say retreat, we retreat!" Spitelout shouted in Hiccup's face. Hiccup stared right back at his superior and gave him a menacing glare.
"I don't leave anyone behind!" Hiccup yelled back, turning towards the approaching vikings and firing off blast after blast until he was completely spent.
A horrible screeching sound reached his ears. Stormfly was hit with an arrow. Turning back, he saw Hookfang with a nasty cut along his shoulder and it was bleeding pretty badly. Snotlout was in no better condition. All around him, his comrades were getting hurt.
"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, pushing on the dragon, "Wake up now! Wake up!" His heart was pounding harder and harder, desperately waiting for the dragon to wake up so they could leave, so they could get out of this horrid place. The Night Fury remained unconscious, breathing and alive, but so deep under that nothing seemed to wake up.
"Retreat!" Spitelout yelled, "Leave him Hiccup!" The vikings slowly drew back, fighting off the remaining outcasts as long as possible.
"Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled, "We will come back for him! You have to let him go!" Hiccup couldn't find it in his heart to leave Toothless here, fully knowing what they could and probably would do to him. He heard too many stories as a kid to just blindly believe that his Toothless would be fine. No, he knew exactly what they'd do to him. These murdering, pillaging, raping, disgusting excuse for vikings would torture him, and kill him if their demands were not met. He had to get him out.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled atop her dragon.
"Move your ass Night Fury!" Stormfly shouted, sending a few needles at the vikings, successfully taking down several. She was met with a few arrows being shot in her direction. Hiccup tried picking Toothless up, but he was just too heavy for the Night Fury to carry. He looked around desperately, but he knew the other dragon's wouldn't be able to carry him with his injuries. The Outcasts vikings were getting ever closer, and he knew he would have to leave him, but he just couldn't, he just couldn't leave him here.
"Hiccup now!" Johan yelled atop his Nadder as they lifted into the air. Hiccup grinded his teeth together so much it hurt. A few desperate tears escaped from Hiccup's eyes as he turned away from his mate, and lifted off into the sky.
Hiccup made it up a few feet before a hard object hit his head. The world around him went fuzzy for a few moments, the shouts and screams from his comrades slowly became muffled and faded as the world around him quickly succumbed to a black void.
The Night Fury hit the ground near his mate, unconscious, as the Outcast vikings were upon them.