Astrid huffed as she hoisted herself over the edge, small rocks and pebbles dribbling down behind her as she struggled for purchase. She paused for a moment, testing if the small outcrop of rock was truly stable, then slowly shuffled towards the rough wall of rock in front of her. A meaty hand reached up, and she laid on her stomach and grabbed the other teens hands, pulling her hardest to get him up. After both of them struggled for a bit, Snotlout finally found a nook with his foot to push up on. The ledge was much more crowded now, but it was good they were both up. Snotlout warily peered over the edge, seeing the nearly vertical drop down. The climb up these thin peeks was perilous, but it would be worth it if they could just find him...
The others were waiting in the forests below, awaiting Snotlout and Astrid's return. Most had voted not to follow her to the peak so far above the earth.
The shield maiden in training squinted and looked up at how much further they had to go. The dark, stormy grey rock stood out against the soft blue sky, blocking the high afternoon sun with its peaks. They were quite close to the tallest points of the mountain range, its sharp, jagged point mere meters away. The wind howled around them, weaving through rock and leaves. It carried dust that blew into the young vikings faces, but at this point they have become used to it. They had been climbing all day, pushing and pulling each other up onto uneven ledges, or scaling nearly flat walls of stone to try and get to their goal. Astrid rubbed her eyes, grumbling to herself as she took her ax from its loop on her belt. She waited until the wind died down momentarily, then swung her ax into the side of the mountain. It's blade became wedged in a small crevice, held firmly in place by the force of her swing.
"Be on guard." She instructed, her voice hoarse from lack of water all day. Snotlout firmly insisted on saving it for Hiccup, because who knows if he's had access to water so far up? Astrid bent to his will, only because she slightly agreed, and she wasn't in the mood to argue. Using her ax as a foothold, she boosted herself up the last stretch of smooth rock wall. Carefully she rolled onto the much larger ledge of rock above, her icy eyes alert and flicking around the area. Before her lay the large maw of a dark cave, looking ominous compared to the bright day around her. She slowly rose to her feet, chest constricting when she saw little pebble shapes of black gathered around the entrance, leading up like petals of shadow to the black of the cavity before her. So. This was it. She backed away slowly and helped Snotlout get himself up, retrieving her ax from where she wedged it with little difficulty. She kept a close eye on her companion, worried he would do something dumb, like race in with a booming war cry and no plan. Of course this is true viking strategy, but Astrid wanted to stay alive. Valhalla could very well await her arrival for a few more decades. But no, Snotlout just gripped his mace and stared into the darkness, his hands shaking ever so slightly. He had obvious goosebumps, his hair standing on end like a weary cat.
Astrid set a hand on his shoulder. Snotlout was an okay warrior, and Astrid always thought of him as a coward. However, these past few days he's been quite brave. Noble even. He was pushing himself so far, all to just save his little cousin. Astrid could respect that. Maybe once they get Hiccup back- and they will- Snotlout will be a better man. Astrid highly doubted it, but she was glad to see him smarten up for once.
"Let's go in." He growled. Astrid nodded, readying her ax.
"Slowly, and quietly. The dragon is either gone or sleeping. Let's keep it that way." She whispered, pushing in front of him and into the dimness. Snotlout gladly kept behind her.
First she stumbled upon some half burnt wood, charcoal rubbing onto her worn boots. The embers still glowed with some life, flickering in the dark and warming the soles of her shoes. Narrowing her gaze, she pushed the burnt out logs aside. A few bones were gathered against the far wall, however the rib cages of fish were obvious and not as worrying as say, a human figure. They both stepped in further, the cool wind outside suddenly blocked by the cave. They could still hear it whispering outside, like a low warning in the air. Astrid grabbed a stick and dipped it into the hot embers, until a medium sized flame sputtered to life on the end. As soon as she raised it, the warm light hitting all four walls of the cave, she gasped and a sick, cold feeling hit the bottom of her stomach. Red glinted off the stone floor, little dribbles that lead off into streaks. Like someone was dragged...
Snotlout looked ready to throw up his meager lunch, hands covering his mouth. Astrid turned back to him, furrowing her brows. "Stay here, watch the skies. I'll...I'll explore more." She ordered. He looked like he was about to argue, but she fixed him with a stern look. He wilted and turned to lean against the entrance. If things were really worse than she thought, she didn't want Snotlout to see. No, it would ruin his mind for sure. Astrid could handle this. She was strong. She just hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. Gulping, she crept further in, her torch lighting her way. The cave wasn't all to big, but hallowed enough that light struggled to get in far enough. Making sure Snotlout wasn't following, she lit the rest of the back of the cave, following the streaks of garnet on the dark, worn down stone.
The orange light finally caught what she was looking for. Astrid struggled not to make a noise as she ran and fell to her knees next to the crumpled figure gathered against the very back of the cave. She ripped the pelt covering him off, grabbing his face with both her hands and looking at him incredulously.
"Hiccup?" She breathed, her voice thin. His cheeks were so cold. His skin was pale like parchment, and she could make out spider like veins underneath his skin much to easily. His mouth was partially open, and his brows were drawn together in discomfort. "Hiccup!" She whispered louder, gathering his limp body into her arms. She quickly laid her head on his chest, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. It took awhile, but eventually her ears picked up a small flutter of life in his chest, a small and weak beat making itself known.
She sighed in relief, the roar of her own quickened heart quieting. "Oh Hiccup." She frowned, gently brushing a lock of his auburn hair from his dirty face. Maybe it was a mercy he was unconscious. She almost hoped he had been asleep for most of this week, if not to lessen the horrors he had no doubt experienced in the den of the offspring of lightning and death itself. Steadily she stood, making sure the thick bear pelt was securely wrapped around him. She had no idea where he would've gotten it, or how a dragon could have come across it. But she figured it was just more good fortune. It was almost...disturbing how lifeless he seemed. His head lolled against her shoulder, his face hidden behind her braid. His one hand hung down, open and not even twitching. She gently tucked it in the pelt. Astrid wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of iron, almost scared to move the fur and see what was producing such a sharp smell. Instead she stomped out the torch, holding Hiccup securely in her arms.
She paused as he quietly groaned, tossing his head slightly. She shushed him and hurried towards the mouth of the cave, towards the secure light of day. His eyes fluttered momentarily, his eyes unfocused and blurry as his eyelids slid shut once again. Astrid held him a little closer.
"Snotlout!" She called, sliding to a stop where he was watching the skies. His eyes blew wide and he rushed over, his hands hovering over his cousin like he couldn't quite believe he was there.
"Hiccup?" He muttered, relief sagging his figure. Astrid nodded.
"I don't know how hurt he is. We have to get him to the others before-" Astrid paused, her spine becoming frozen with a harsh chill. Snotlout's face went almost blank with pure fear, and he slowly turned, even more in disbelief. There was a roar, a mighty sound that robbed the young vikings of their breath and made Astrid grip the boy in her arms impossibly tight.
Against the blue of the sky, a clear obsideon black outline raced towards them. Huge, bat like wings were spread like a demons, and acidic green eyes held a fury Astrid had never seen before in any of Midguard's creatures.
The Night Fury.
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A/N: Hello! For me summer break is near, so expect more chapters! School took over my life for a long while there, sorry. Just wanted to thank you all for all the wonderful reviews, and the many follows and favourites. It means so much to me that people want to read this. Thank you!
