A/N: I was listening to the song Free Falling a few minutes ago…that made me laugh…o-o
So sorry for the lack of updates. Life literally…slammed into me full-force. I have honors classes to look out for and then we're doing this really big thing in history. Combine that with PSR with my Saint Report, I just spaced out from here a little bit. Parents left for Mexico, leaving me with my baby sister and my puppy. So…I apologize for that. (P.S: this is the sequel to Deception)
…While I was typing, my puppy was eating a Hershey's bar… O.O
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"Fishlegs!" Astrid shouted over the roar of the fire. "You need to get Meatlug over to the left and get that house! Its been burning longer than this one!" The Viking started at her order, snapping upright as he whipped around to look at the burning house with wide eyes. Turning his dragon around, Fishlegs followed Astrid's directions, zooming away into the thick cloud of black smoke that had made itself around the house in flames.
The blonde leaned over and hacked painfully into her elbow, grimacing as she did so. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had broken away a while ago to make sure that the Elder's house went untouched, it would be the end of all of it if the Elder's house were to go up in flames. Snotlout had broken off a while ago for another house. That left Astrid alone with Stormfly now. The blonde was aware that there had to be more Vikings around dousing the flames, but she couldn't see them through the thick smoke that constricted her lungs. She felt more alone than ever amid the swirling cloud from the fire.
"Okay, Stormfly!" Astrid rasped, shaking herself back into motion as she patted her dragon comfortingly on the neck. "A little bit longer!" The dragon snorted out a reply, wings beating against the flames as she darted forward, leaning over and dousing some of the flames with the water that was kept in her mouth. Astrid gripped the bucket she held a little tighter, throwing some of the water out with a loud sizzling noise.
Some spark flew up, colliding painfully against her skin as she hissed. Brushing off the small orange balls, Astrid reached up, rubbing her eyes roughly as she tried to clear them from the smoke. She was sure that they were bloodshot by now, they were throbbing in pain as she winced to herself. She'd give anything to be a dragon right about now, she supposed. They didn't have to think twice before going back out into a fire. They were already fire-proof.
Breath coming in rapid gasps, Astrid turned Stormfly around as she realized something. The bombardment of fireballs had stopped. Yes, they had stopped! The girl halted, growing silent as she waited, listening for the telltale sound of a fireball hitting its target, but nothing happened. A smile slowly spread over her ash-covered face and the girl straightened with something close to excitement. The fireballs had stopped!
Even now the smoke was starting to clear up, the noise from below in Berk quieting a fraction. Astrid leaned over to cough one last time into her elbow when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A flash of movement. Straightening, Astrid blinked rapidly as she narrowed her eyes, confusion written all over her face as she looked up into the sky.
It was a rather small thing, something that could only be seen through the outline of the stars. Hearing a sharp noise, she looked higher up and saw with confusion that it was Toothless and Shadowclaw, the two Night Furies trying to catch up to the falling thing. Astrid's eyes widened as she realized that Hiccup was not on the back of Toothless like he should be. And neither was Ludi. Heart dropping faster than she anticipated, Astrid let out a loud yell, yanking Stormfly over, the dragon's wings immediately pumping up and down in a blue blur as she sensed Astrid's panic.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled at the top of her lungs, wincing slightly at the pain that lanced up her throat. The closer she got, the more defined it became. Hiccup was falling, and yet he wasn't even doing anything about it. He was as limp as one of those rag dolls that the village children drug around on the ground, only making Astrid's concern increase as she pushed Stormfly even faster. "Hiccup, hold on!" She shouted, as if that would stop him in midair.
Both her and Toothless were nearing Hiccup, the boy getting dangerously closer to the ground with each precious second. Leaning forward, Astrid maneuvered Stormfly carefully so that they were under Hiccup, the blonde reaching out as she tried to brace herself to catch him. Making sure that she would be balanced on Stormfly carefully, Astrid gritted her teeth as Hiccup came inches away from her.
Hiccup was considerably lighter than other Vikings like Fishlegs and Snotlout, but Astrid should have taken into the effect of gravity. Hiccup crashed into her at full-speed, the girl barely able to keep hold on him as she gripped him tightly. Stormfly staggered under the sudden weight, but recovered quickly as she shook herself. Looking back up at a sudden noise, she gasped as she saw that Ludi was falling too. What happened here to make it rain people and cats?
But Shadowclaw, smaller and quite the expert on flying about now, swooped down elegantly, catching Ludi in between his four feet, holding her tightly as his small black wings pumped up and down furiously. Toothless screeched to a stop, panting as he turned to hover anxiously beside Stormfly. His green eyes were filled with worry as he looked from Hiccup to the sky, something was off.
Panting heavily, Astrid tore her gaze away from Toothless and down at Hiccup. "You're an idiot." She huffed angrily. "What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!" Hiccup was staring at her with wide eyes. "I mean, if I didn't see you, you could have fallen to your death, is that what you wanted! Doing suicide jumps during a fire isn't exactly a good plan, Hiccup!" Still, Hiccup didn't even budge. He didn't even show any signs that he was listening to her. "Hiccup?" Astrid asked, her voice quieting somewhat.
She stiffened, reaching out and smacking her hand against Hiccup's cheek a few times, heart thumping faster as she realized that he still wasn't moving. He was as solid as a rock, not even an eyelid flickered at her movements. He stared straight forward with something close to a horrified look on his face. Slowly, Astrid's mind collected and realization slammed into her so fast that the wind got knocked out of her. "Odin!" She gasped sharply, tightening her hold on Hiccup as she madly forced Stormfly back into motion. "Stormfly, we need to get to the Elder's house NOW!" She yelled, her voice sticking somewhat in her throat.
The dragon snapped into motion at once, leaning over and swooping down steeply to the clearing that was Berk. Toothless glanced over at Shadowclaw, eyes as wide as the little Night Fury's. For a moment, the two held each other's gazes, Ludi sinking her claws into Shadowclaw's leg in order to ensure her NOT free falling anymore. Toothless was first to move, growling under his breath as he followed Stormfly, arching down to the ground with Shadowclaw trailing behind closely behind.
The fire had been dulled quite a bit by now. Only a few flickering flames were left, smoke billowing into the night sky and blotting out nearly all of the stars in the sky. The quick work of the Vikings would hopefully ensure more houses to be repaired faster, a long night and day of hard work stretching in front of everybody this time. The fire had been considerably worse than all other dragon attacks, and the work would be longer and tougher to fix. But Ruffnut and Tuffnut had done their job well. The Elder's house bore only scorch marks, not damage too serious and none too permanent.
As soon as Stormfly touched the ground, Astrid swung her legs around the dragon, stumbling off of the Nadder as she righted herself. "Help!" She shouted, fixing Hiccup to lean against her. Holding the Viking up against her, Astrid started to stagger towards the Elder's house, Hiccup's feet dragging against the ground as she did so. People in the clearing started as they saw what was going on, eyes widening with surprise. Astrid dimly wondered if some of them had been expecting something like this to happen with Hiccup. Still, that did not cause her to falter in her strides. "Help!" She shouted again, narrowing her eyes at the Elder's house.
Tuffnut and Ruffnut were still in the sky, making sure that the fires were gone for good before abandoning their post. But they halted as they saw Astrid from below, the two landing down to the ground without an argument for once. The two rushed up to her, looking down at Hiccup with confused faces. "What happened?" Ruffnut asked, stunned. Astrid opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off as the door slammed open to reveal the Elder, grouchy-eyed and sour-looking as usual.
She didn't even waste a moment before stepping down to the ground and marching her way over to Astrid and Hiccup. She had that look on her face that said: 'Get out the way, I got people to see and things to do.' The stare that made everybody get out of her way before she even saw them. But Astrid remained clinging to Hiccup as the Elder got closer, not even budging as she watched Ruffnut and Tuffnut sidle away from the corner of her eye.
"Let him go." The Elder ordered. Astrid blinked rapidly, let him go where? There wasn't anywhere to put him. As if reading her mind, the Elder pointed down to the ground with an unsympathetic look on her features. "Put him down, you've risked enough by moving him." She said scathingly, eyeing Astrid as she waited rather impatiently. Stiffening, Astrid leaned down, placing Hiccup neatly on the ground hesitantly. A crowd was forming around the scene, murmuring and muttering breaking out among the people as they looked curiously at Hiccup's odd expression.
Pursing her lips, the Elder didn't even look up at the people as she examined Hiccup. "There's other work to be done, here." She snapped to the crowd. "Go do your job, or all of you will have more wounds than you need." And with that, the crowd dispersed almost immediately. Leaving Astrid, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut standing off to the side. Astrid's hands wringed nervously in front of her, and she waited anxiously for the Elder to say something. Something reassuring, she might add. With the Elder, it could go two ways each time.
"Shock." She muttered under her breath, ignoring Astrid's mummer as she glanced over at Ruffnut quickly. "Ruffnut, go into the storage in the back of my house. In the left shelf off to the side, you'll find a bundle of herbs that looks sort of like a flower. But instead of petals, it is covered in small leaves. Bring that out, and be quick about it, we don't have much time." The girl gave a tense nod, somewhat subdued for once as she turned and raced into the house in a flash. Astrid watched her go, shaking her hands up and down nervously as she looked back at the Healer. Toothless, Shadowclaw, and Ludi all sat behind her with Stormfly. It was quite the gathering, and yet nobody spoke. It was silent. Even Ludi remained quiet.
"What do you mean, not much time?" She asked worriedly, looking down at Hiccup's frozen expression. "You'll fix him, right? It's your job!"
"I am well aware of what my job is, thank you." The Elder said tartly, giving her a stern stare that instantly made her quiet. "Shocked people usually have a time window to be saved, it is a very tricky thing to handle. I'll do everything I can, it's not like I wont try. You should learn to have faith in your Elders, young lady." She added as an afterthought. Astrid opened her mouth to give a sharp comeback, but the Elder looked back down at Hiccup, checking his vital signs. Supposing that right now wouldn't be the best time to tick the Elder off, Astrid looked on worriedly.
Shadowclaw and Ludi were sitting side-by-side together, eyes wide as they peered around Astrid, watching the scene unfurl anxiously. Turning her head, Astrid's eyes softened as she leaned down, sitting next to Shadowclaw as she reached out and put a comforting hand on the dragon's head, slowly petting the small thing. Ludi mewed quietly, scurrying over and nestling herself in Astrid's lap. The kitten was still shaking from either the fright of falling, or the fright that she was feeling right now.
Toothless did not move where he sat. The larger Night Fury's gaze was trained on the sky, his eyes clouded as they flickered back and froth. The cloudy sky was blotted from where Astrid sat, but then again, she didn't know what Toothless was looking at. Did he know more than she did? After all, Toothless had been with Hiccup when he fell. Did he possibly see what had caused the boy to go into shock? See what had made Hiccup fall in the first place? Astrid wished she could almost ask him.
Ruffnut charged back out, flying down the steps with the plant clutched firmly in her hands. Skidding to a stop beside the Elder, Ruffnut jabbed the plants over to the old woman, puffing as she looked anxiously down. "Are these the right ones?" She gasped, righting herself as the Elder looked carefully down at the plant. There was a beat of silence, in which Ruffnut's face paled somewhat. But then the old woman nodded once, muttering out an ungracious thanks as she leaned back down over Hiccup.
Astrid watched as she broke the plant into halves, working on Hiccup without a beat of hesitation. Astrid knew in the back of her mind that she would never be able to do anything like that. She would be freaking out too much. Considering that she would rather be the one getting hurt that the one responsible for all the lives in the village, Astrid knew even if Thor himself came down and ordered her to be a Healer, she would refuse. But then again…the helpless feeling she always got whenever somebody got hurt was something she hated too.
A few agonizing minutes later, the Elder drew back, giving a small, reluctant nod. Astrid straightened, peering down at Hiccup as she bit her lower lip. "He's going to be okay, then?" She pressed. Hiccup was still stiff, but his face had somewhat relaxed, his eyes still wide and looking up at the sky emptily. He was still a sickly pale color, but Astrid saw one of his hands twitch ever so slightly.
The Elder gave another nod. "You should just sit here and talk with him, try to calm him down. I have other people that I have to check up on. If something happens, call me immediately." Pushing herself up from the ground with a wince, the Elder looked down at Hiccup once more. "I swear, this child is one of my most frequent visitors. He does it just to annoy me, I think. Did you know that the first time I saw him was when he was one? Just a year old, and his mother rushed up to me saying that he tried to climb up the wall." She paused, studying Hiccup carefully. Astrid smiled softly to herself as she saw a flash of affection go through the Elder's eyes.
But it was gone as soon as it had come as she shook herself. "Just sit by him and wait for something to happen. It would help if you talked to him, it usually brings them out quicker." Pausing, she started off in the direction of the people working. "I'll find Stoick and pass on the news." She offered. Astrid called out a thank-you, but the Elder showed no signs that she had heard. Ruffnut started, turning over and pushing her brother over to the side. Sensing that Astrid might have wanted to be alone, the two sidled away, leaving the girl to herself.
Looking back over at Hiccup, she scooted closer, careful not to jar Ludi, who was dozing off in her lap. Shadowclaw bounded over and curled up beside Hiccup, pressing himself against the teen comfortingly. Shadowclaw was the village's dragon mostly, everybody played with him, and he played with everybody. One time, he even spent a night in a little girl's house. But it was obvious that Shadowclaw liked Hiccup the most, maybe even Astrid too. Shadowclaw usually spent his nights curled up with Hiccup with Toothless in the corner.
Toothless followed Shadowclaw's footsteps, although he kept glancing up at the sky. Astrid noticed that his claws were out, digging into the ground as he walked along. He looked angry in fact, wings fluttering uneasily as it he wanted to take off. Did he want to go after whatever had attacked Hiccup? Astrid winced at the question, shying away from it as she looked back down.
Reaching out, she grabbed one of Hiccup's hands in her own, holding it tightly as she looked down at his form. Toothless sat down beside Astrid, leaning over and nudging Hiccup's head, as if shaking the boy from a dream, but he did not budge. Against herself, Astrid smiled down at Hiccup, giving his hand a small squeeze. "You'll be fine." She assured the boy swiftly. "I know you will. After all, look at everything else you recovered from."
Pausing, she gave a small, light laugh. "Climbing the wall?" She asked, thinking back to the Elder's words. "I knew you were thick then, but I didn't think you were that bad." She giggled, Toothless snorting at her words. Suddenly, Astrid stopped, looking up at the sky carefully. She narrowed her eyes as she saw a movement, something outlined against the sky. She swore it was something. Something that looked…oddly…familiar.
Wings, that was what she had seen. Outstretched against the sky. Was it a dragon from Berk, merely having escaped for a midnight flight without its owner? Or was it something else? Astrid didn't see any color on it, it blended into the sky. Blinking slowly, she looked down at the ground in confusion for a moment or two, seeming almost lost.
But then she straightened, blinking once as she turned and looked over at Toothless. The dragon tilted his head at her, but her thoughts were mulling over at least a mile a minute. The possibilities. The explanations. Hiccup's sudden shock. Was what she was thinking actually true?
Tearing her gaze away from Toothless, Astrid looked back down at Hiccup, the boy's frightened look still glued into the sky. Taking a short breath, Astrid squeezed his hand as hard as she could. "I think I understand." She murmured, glancing up at the sky once more. "Just wake up so you can tell me whether or not I'm right."