His metal leg making sharp clanging sounds against the rock floor of the cave, Hiccup's anxiousness slowly mounted as the entrance of the cave got farther and farther away from him. Ludi had grown immensely silent, and when the boy glanced back over at her, he saw that she retreated back inside the bag, her head having disappeared from sight. The walls of the cave were narrow, and Hiccup had to make quiet care of it to make sure that Ludi did not bang into any walls. It was just big enough for a Night Fury to squeeze through, and surprisingly, Night Furies were rather small for being the toughest dragons out there.
Hiccup's heartbeat was so fast that he wondered if the dragons could hear it from where they were, wherever they were. The blood roared in his ears, and again, he wondered when he had gotten so afraid of dragons. He wasn't supposed to be afraid of them, after all, he was the person people went to when they had issues needing to be solved with their own dragons. But right now, he'd rather be six feet underground than be in this small cave. The image of a dragon leaping out at him randomly made his heart speed up even more, if that were even possible. He wondered if Ludi could hear his rapid heartbeat. If she was as scared as he was.
Nothing usually scared Ludi, not even Gobber. And let's face it, Gobber came up a little short when it came to animals. And therapy. Sure, she might have gotten a little weary around Hiccup's father, who dealt with her a little rougher than people normally did, but when it came to adventure, she was usually all for it. She even snuck into the blanket bag to force Hiccup to take her with him on this journey. And now she was acting scared of the cave. It was something that both scared and worried Hiccup as he went along the path of the cave.
Silence was heavy in the cavern, and he could literally feel it pressing down on him. Shifting slightly, Hiccup reached down while he walked and started to thumb the edge of his tunic worriedly, green eyes trying to adjust of the gloom of the cave. It was nearly pitch black in here, and Hiccup knew that he would just end up stumbling around soon, by the way it was getting darker. He didn't see the walls of the cave, but he reached out to feel the slimy wall, using it as a guide for himself as he continued to walk.
Swallowing uncomfortably, Hiccup opened his mouth. His voice came out as a small whisper, hoarse and quiet. "Toothless?" He whispered, voice slightly shaky. He paused for a moment or two, standing in the blackness expectantly, almost like he was waiting for Toothless to charge back up to him. But the only thing that came back to him was the echo of his own voice, repeating his plea to him. "Toothless…?"
He stopped suddenly, blinking rapidly as he looked blankly at what was in front of him. Three tunnels branched off, one going straight, another going to the side, and another sloping down. Hiccup made a face, looking between one and the other, completely at a loss of which way to go. Ludi squeaked where she lied in the bag, forcing her head out once more to see what the problem was. Her amber eyes glowed in the darkness, and she looked from one tunnel to the other carefully. She let out a small, confused mew, which bounced back to her in an echo, making her start as she looked around for the other cat who replied to her.
"Which way?" Hiccup mumbled worriedly, reaching up and rubbing his head sorely. "One of them might lead to a dead end and then we'll be lost forever." The meow he got back from Ludi showed that she wasn't exactly thrilled by that plan. Looking from one tunnel to the other carefully, Hiccup mulled over his choices. The one that led down wouldn't be his choice, it was bad enough to be in a cave, but to be in one that started going down deeper, getting darker and darker? Nope.
The one that went to the side wouldn't be long before yet another option of directions would come up. Since it was retracing the way back by going to the right, eventually it would have to turn left to stay with the mountain. It would be full of twists and turns, and Hiccup felt that if he went that way, he would surely get lost in a matter of minutes. It was best that he kept straight. That way if he got lost, he'd just have to turn around and start his way back the way he had come.
Deciding that was the best he could do right now, Hiccup made his way forward, taking the tunnel in the center as he continued his trek. Ludi seemed to adjusting ever so slowly to the new underground land, head peeking out slightly from the lid of the bag. Her ears flicked as she saw the wall of the cave, and -glancing over at Hiccup- she pried out one paw to touch the slippery-feeling surface. Her ears perked with interest at the touch, and she let out a small mew.
Immediately, the sound amplified in the darkness. Hiccup jumped nearly out of his skin as the meow turned into a loud sound, bouncing off of the walls of the cave and coming back to Hiccup with full-force. The teen covered his eyes tightly, a grimace coming on his face as he flinched away from the noise. Ludi seemed to realize the mistake she had made, diving back into her bag without any hesitation. Her tail was bushed up with fright, making it look ten times as big, and if it were any other time, Hiccup would have laughed at the sight. But all he could do was crack open one eye slowly, looking around the dark cave for a sign of an attacker of some sort.
When nothing seemed entirely wrong, Hiccup relaxed slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat as he did so. Taking in a deep, slightly-calming breath, Hiccup started forward once more, edging forward nervously as his heart beat unevenly against his chest. His thoughts raced a mile a minute as his eyes darted back and forth across the cavern. He couldn't see anything, all he could do was put one hand on the wall of the cave and hope that no other options of a trail came up again. Without anything to light his way, Hiccup was virtually blind all the way down here, and he swore that he could see something that looked a lot like waves in front of his vision. Shaking his head to try and clear it, Hiccup tried to squint his eyes in order to see. It did little to nothing to help him. Well…it did nothing.
"Toothless?" He whispered harshly, wincing slightly as his voice amplified in the cave. "Are you here, buddy?" He stopped in his tracks, blinking slowly as he reached up and rubbed his eyes roughly. "Are you anywhere in here?" He asked, voice getting louder as he started forward again. Ludi's amber eyes peered out from the bag slowly, blinking rapidly as she looked to and fro from the cave walls.
Hiccup opened his mouth to call once more, but stopped, jumping out of his skin as Ludi started to squeal loudly. Spinning around foolishly, Hiccup tried to reach back and clamp her mouth shut, Hiccup's heart started to pick up as she wriggled away from him, still squalling as loud as she could. "Ludi!" He snapped softly, making a gesture for her to shush. It was only when he stopped that he knew what had gotten her so worried. His eyes widened, and he froze instantly.
Two large green eyes were shining dimly in the gloom of the cave, shining like beam lights as they shone largely. Taking a hesitant step back, Hiccup gave a crooked smile, backing up against a cave wall as the eyes came closer. "H-Hi." He said nervously, flattening himself to the wall as he felt the wet surface slowly seep into his clothes, causing him to shiver. The green eyes narrowed, and Hiccup swallowed nervously as he heard a small growl, gradually getting louder as the eyes came closer to him. "Toothless?" He blurted out, trying to make himself breathe right and evenly. His eyes flashed down to the ground, and his heart froze as he caught sight of the dragon's tailfin, which was being illuminated ever so slightly by the dragon's eyes. There was no golden switch on there, it was a full tailfin. It wasn't Toothless.
Hiccup's eyes widened to be the size of dinner plates, and he quickly started to back away, stumbling slightly as he did so. "Crap." He whispered hoarsely, the dragon gathering itself to spring at him. Spinning around at the last minute, Hiccup quickened his pace frantically, breath coming in rapid gasps as he raced forward. The dragon let out an earsplitting roar, and Ludi let out a terrified squeal as she pressed herself against Hiccup, eyes shut tightly as she shivered with fear. Hiccup couldn't control himself either as he shook, hands trembling as he slipped and stumbled, trying to find his way by pressing his hand tightly to the wall.
Footsteps thundered past him, more quick than him and he realized with a sinking heart that he wasn't going fast enough. His prosthetic leg slowed him down, and pain was lancing up his side as he winced. He was blind in a place like this, and he didn't know where he was. Surely there had been more turns in this place that he had not been able to see. He was utterly lost and had no idea where he was. Where he could turn to if he needed to go back.
Glancing behind him, Hiccup let out a yell as he felt his foot hit something. Before he could do anything, he bowled forward, slamming into the ground and skidding painfully for a few more inches before he slammed into the wall, going limp as he shut his eyes tightly. He waited for the dragon to strike at him, but opened his eyes with confusion when nothing happened. He turned over to look behind him, and saw with wide eyes that the dragon had run forward. He either hadn't noticed that Hiccup had fallen, or something else that the boy didn't even want to consider.
Panting loudly, he pushed himself up, wincing as he reached back and rubbed his shoulder gently. It was burning from skidding on the ground, and he realized that it was started to ooze with small pinpricks of blood. Grimacing, he leaned over and pushed himself up slowly, still shaking as he tried to steady himself. Ludi poked her head out of the bag slowly, and when Hiccup glanced back at her, he blinked as he saw that she looked like an oversized cotton ball. Her fur was fluffed out in every which direction, amber eyes wide with fear as she shook back and forth with fright.
Taking in a deep breath, Hiccup went over to the side, feeling around and finding a new tunnel. Inching forward more carefully now, Hiccup felt that this tunnel was slowly going down. The farther along he went, the more he felt that the walls were starting to close in on him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Hiccup's sides started to scrape against the stone walls as the space got narrower and narrower. Ludi let out a cross mew as the bag was squeezed together, ears flicking with disdain as she narrowed her eyes at the human.
Pretty soon, moving became a chore for him to do. The walls were so close together, that Hiccup had to force his way through, taking a few minutes to even push himself a few inches. His back stung and he felt his hands burning from slipping on the rock face so often. He was in the middle of trying to slip in between two jutting rocks, when he suddenly stopped, eyes widening as he realized that he couldn't move.
Blinking rapidly, Hiccup tried to yank himself forward. In doing so, he only managed to scrape his back badly, the boy letting out a small squeak. Ludi blinked, assessing the situation with her large amber eyes carefully, blinking every so often. Finally, she jumped out from the bag, landing on one of the rocks, in which she sat down neatly, looking at Hiccup with wide eyes. The boy glared at her hotly, "What?" He hissed through clenched teeth. He had half a mind to slap her off of the rock, but he couldn't. His hands were pressed firmly against his sides by the rock.
He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, if you will.
Ludi blinked, leaning over and trying to push Hiccup over to the side. Her small claws pierced Hiccup's skin, and he immediately shook her off roughly. "Stop!" He hissed sharply, glaring at her. "I just have to-" He tried to wriggle forward, but stopped as pain lanced up his spine. Grimacing once more, he let out a small sigh, twisting his head back to look behind him curiously. "…I guess I have to go back." He whispered finally, not too keen on the long, narrow trek back. But at least there hadn't been any dragons there to meet him. He would be free from that thought at least.
Grinding his teeth together firmly, Hiccup started to push himself backwards, finding that it was much easier to do so. It still took him a lot more time and effort than it should have, and when he finally got out, he staggered, falling to the side and smacking his head on the cave floor painfully. Rubbing his sore spot roughly, Hiccup pushed himself up, one eye closed in pain. Ludi jumped back into the bag, satisfied with her small journey out.
Retracing his steps (or crawls) he finally made it back out to the cavern that he had first met the dragon (finally having room to breath). Blinking, Hiccup chose the other tunnel, grateful that this one was a lot roomier than the other. Eyeing the ends of the passageway nervously, Hiccup's feet scuffed on the ground loudly, his fake leg making a louder sound than that of his normal one. Soon, he started to shiver, and his breath rose in a large foggy cloud in front of his mouth. Teeth chattering, the sound seemed amplified in the silence of the cavern. It unnerved him, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace. "Toothless?" He whispered loudly. "Toothless, where are you?"
Something rustled behind him, and he immediately sunk down to the ground, covering his head with his hands as he braced himself for the leap of a dragon. But it never came. Perking up, Hiccup turned around slowly, eyes wide as he looked on stiffly. A giant dragon, a huge dragon, one with huge teeth, pointed and gleaming, hackles raised, ready to attack. A…a small dragon, a baby dragon.
He had been told that his imagination sometimes got the best of him. He relaxed, looking down carefully at the small thing. It look hardly bigger than a Terrible Terror, large green eyes shining like beams up at him as the thing let out a small, cautious chirp. "…Hey there." He whispered after a moment's pause. The thing eyed him carefully, not showing anything but interest as he looked at the human. It had obviously never seen something like him before, and before he knew it, his hand was inching over ever-so-slightly, reaching for the dragon's snout cautiously.
When he got too close, the dragon immediately dashed forward, jaws snapping in a nip. Hiccup's hand shot back just in time, escaping from the infant's jaws at the last moment. The thing seemed proud of itself as it set back, looking at Hiccup expectantly. As if it was waiting for the next move that he could bravely shake off.
Despite himself, Hiccup smiled crookedly. Ludi's head poked out of the bag, and she looked down curiously at the baby dragon. "It's alright." Hiccup whispered, reaching forward again. "I wont hurt you. I can be your friend." The dragon narrowed its eyes slowly as his hand got closer, but did not pull back this time. The Night Fury's head titled to the side slightly, and his tail gave a small lash. Hiccup breathed out slowly as he pressed his hand against the dragon's head comfortingly, smiling as he did so.
The baby dragon seemed puzzled by the small gesture, but when Hiccup pulled back, it seemed more interested now than before. And then, slowly, to Hiccup's utter astonishment, it smiled at him. It smiled at him. Toothless gums flashing over at him. Toothless. That was Toothless's smile. He was frozen, and barley even noticed when Ludi hopped out of the bag and looked at the dragon with a lour purr.
The baby chirped something at her, and the cat lashed her tail to the side. It almost seemed like they were talking to each other. The cat flattened herself to the floor, tail lashing as she bared her teeth. The dragon did the same, and the two got into something of a play fight. Hiccup was brought back to life as he saw the scene playing out, watching with wide eyes Ludi seemed to be winning.
The two seemed to be so absorbed in their fight, so it came as a surprise to Hiccup when the small dragon looked up, going still underneath Ludi as it looked at something behind Hiccup. The cat seemed disappointed at the lack of entertainment, ears flattening as she got back onto her haunches, looking the other way dejectedly. Confused by the dragon's behavior, Hiccup turned to see what it was looking at.
Hiccup's eyes got bigger as he saw what had caused the dragon to stop playing. Night Furies stood in each entrance of the tunnels, eyes like sunbeams shining over at Hiccup. They looked at the boy like he was attacking the smaller dragon, and in their eyes it must have seemed that way. Each dragon looked furious, teeth bared as they crouched to the ground. They growled loudly, their roars blending together into one loud sound that erupted in the cave.
The loud sound caused Ludi to jump, turning and ears flattening as she saw the sight. Her fur bushed out, and she let out a loud meow. Hiccup stood shakily, breath coming in rapid gasps as he tried to find something to do, somewhere to go. But when he looked over his shoulder, he saw the that way he had come was blocked by the dark dragons yet again.
"Ludi." Hiccup rasped. "Get in the bag."
When the cat remained still, Hiccup made a move to retrieve her quickly. But as soon as he moved, the Night Furies started to move also, making for him with claws bared. "LUDI GET IN THE BAG!" Hiccup screamed.
•0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙ •0·˙
A/N: I GOTTA RUN WISH ME LUCK AT THE BAND CONERT I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS!