A/N: So I'm going to tell you all this in case I don't update again. From this Sunday to…some other day (Derp face) I will not be here. I am going to FLORIDA! Disney World! :D So I'm sorry, but I shall be too busy being the mature woman I am, bouncing up and down and singing It's a Small World at the top of my lungs to annoy the random people walking past me. :3
And I'm pretty sure I'm going to ASTL dressed up like Hiccup! Is anybody else going to Anime Saint Louis! :O I would love to meet you… ;^;
ANYWHO…this chapter will be awesome. I shall make it so! *mark my words*
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Stealthy shapes slunk through the foliage that surrounded the village, eyes gleaming in the moonlight, unsheathed claws glinting evilly in the cold light. No sound was made, it was deathly silent in the clearing, a tense manner hanging over the party of dragons. They were completely motionless, eyes raised up to the sky where the other party of dragons were flying. They waited for the signal from Nightflight, the signal that would put everything into action. Everything they had been preparing for up until this point in time.
Excitement wriggled through the dragons crouched together, a sick form of excitement that a child would feel before a treat. Their minds were clouded, they weren't thinking straight at all. Paws kneaded the ground impatiently, tails lashed softly with agitation, giving the bushes overhead a slight rustle. But every noise was amplified in the darkness, the dragons immediately shushing one another fiercely. It wouldn't take long, it wouldn't take long at all, surely. Nightflight was the leader, she was in the air. She would know what to do. She would know when to give the signal. All they had to do was listen for it.
Mistyeyes winced slightly, wings beating swiftly in the air as she hovered expertly. Her large blue eyes were fixed on the small-looking island of Berk, a lump in her throat that refused to budge away. Nightflight and Fleetfoot flanked her side-by-side, the dragoness's head lowered somewhat with something in between sadness and defeat. She had nothing she could do by now, there was nothing she could do to stop what was going on in front of her own eyes.
But she was not to be blamed, she told herself stubbornly. She had tried to tell Toothless, to warn him of the danger that was hanging over all of their heads. But he had refused to listen, he had shooed her away, telling her that she was selfish and conceited while she was trying to help him. It made no sense. The dragon's ears slicked back to her head stubbornly, eyes narrowing slowly. Whatever happened here, Toothless brought it on himself, really. He would see how right she was, and then he would listen to her next time.
If there was a next time, of course. Mistyeyes glanced over at Nightflight carefully, the lump in her throat only growing bigger. It seemed like the Night Fury was always watching her by now, she wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. Those green eyes were always trained on her intently, watching and calculating her every move. Mistyeyes was faintly surprised that Nightflight hadn't confined her to one space for the time remaining until the attack. It would have saved a lot of time and effort, frankly. Mistyeyes would have enjoyed being taken off of the attack force also. But that ship had sailed.
Even the younglings were here. The thought making Mistyeyes's stomach churn. They shouldn't be here, and yet Nightflight had promised them they could go. They were down there already, wriggling with anticipation like every other dragon, no doubt. She seemed to be the only dragon with a sullen frown on her face. It was taking every fiber in her being not to rush away at this point anyway. She was doing good so far.
Nightflight spoke up, sliding her gaze over to Mistyeyes as she blinked slowly. The dragoness started out of her thoughts, blinking rapidly as she turned to meet Nightflight's gaze head-one with what she hoped was a determined glare. The leader only seemed amused though, a hint of laughter in her voice as she started to speak. "Are you going to give it?" She asked lightly, raising an eye at the smaller dragon humorously. Blinking once more, Mistyeyes turned and looked back at the other flying dragons behind her, staring expectantly back at her.
"Give what?" She asked quizzically, turning back to Nightflight with a puzzled expression. She had thought that she was at the head with Nightflight just so that the female could watch her closely. The fact that the fire and smoke following would block her from view not seeming to cross Nightflight's mind apparently. But had she been wrong? Was she up here for an actual REASON? If so, she had never been told otherwise.
"Give the signal." Nightflight purred, Mistyeyes starting slightly with surprise. "Of course, if you don't want to give the signal, I'll do it for you. I just thought this would be a honor for somebody of your…status." Twitching at the word, Mistyeyes tried not to glare at Nightflight, the action taking more effort than Mistyeyes had expected in the fist place. Nevertheless, Mistyeyes glanced down at the small island underneath her, gulping down the lump finally.
Was this another test? Did she even care? Looking back at Nightflight, Mistyeyes immediately flared up, gritting her teeth together angrily as she saw the contempt in the Night Fury's eyes. Anger got the best of the Night Fury, the dragoness shooting the other female an angered look. "Fine, I will!" She snarled fiercely, Nightflight blinking with slight surprise. Whipping back around, Mistyeyes looked down at Berk for what seemed like the umpteenth time. A moment passed, long and hard as she looked down at the clearing that housed all of the wonderful humans she had seen before.
Hardening her gaze, she turned back around to the others, putting her back to the island stubbornly. Lifting her head to the sky, she inhaled sharply, raising her voice to travel across the sky as she let out a loud roar that split the air. The others instantly leaped into action, roars and blasts of fire exploding all around Mistyeyes as she remained still in the air, wide eyes fixed on the stars that were slowly being blocked by smoke.
What had she just done…
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It was the loud blast that snapped Hiccup awake. The boy let out a sleep-muffled yell, jerking up and falling out of his bed with a slam. Ludi jumped from the sharp movement, letting out a high-pitched mewl as she looked around in puzzlement for Hiccup. Toothless was on his feet in an instant, dashing over to Hiccup's side and nudging him up to his feet rapidly. Shadowclaw lifted his head, ears erect as his wide eyes flickered over to the door. Toothless caught where the smaller Night Fury was looking, whipping around and barking out something sharply to the younger dragon.
But Shadowclaw didn't listen apparently. Hiccup watched as the youngling jumped up, turning tail and racing out of the door, rapid thumps signaling him going down the steps as fast as he could. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but jumped once more as another large blast shook the house. Shouting and yelling seeped through the house's walls, Hiccup's eyes widening as he heard the muffled shrieks. Turning around, Hiccup grabbed his prosthetic leg in a rush, strapping it on with a slight wince. Pushing himself up, the boy turned and looking out his bedroom door curiously.
Ludi's fur was fluffed up in fright, the cat's eyes flashing in the gloom of the darkness. Disheveled, Hiccup turned and scooped her up awkwardly, holding her by the stomach as he pushed her close to his chest. Ludi yowled loudly in discomfort, but Hiccup ignored her roughly, feeling heat already soaking through the thin wood walls of his house. "Buddy, we gotta get out of here!" He yelled loudly, turning back and looking at Toothless with a panicked look. The Night Fury gave a tense nod, flanking Hiccup closely as the two pushed their way out of the house.
Stumbling down the stairs, Hiccup felt his way for the door while still holding on to Ludi at the same time, not being able to see much in the darkness. The sun probably wasn't even up, Hiccup was even more all-over-the-place than usual, he could feel the bags weighing down on his eyes. Something terrible must be happening right now, it wasn't every Viking's main priority to get up before the crack of dawn and run around…screaming. Yeah, something was defiantly going on.
Exploding out into the open air, Hiccup was met with a blast of heat, the teen staggering slightly in surprise. He straightened himself, righting his grip on Ludi as he turned a full circle. "Oh Gods…" He whispered emptily, despair welling up over him as he looked at the scene in front of him. "Not again." The entire village was on fire, blazing up and catching fire from one building to the next quicker than Hiccup could watch. Vikings rushed past one another, shoving and pushing to get water in vain hopes of putting out the fires.
The village had just rebuilt itself after the last attack, how could there be another one? Hiccup's breath came in rapid gasps, the smoke hanging in the air burning his throat as he breathed it in. Looking around in horror, Hiccup's mouth hung slack, the boy not knowing what to do as he stood in the middle of the burning scene. He was about to take a step forward to find Astrid, when suddenly a large blast zoomed past, nearly hitting both him, Ludi, and Toothless as it swept past. Tumbling over from shock, Hiccup landed on the ground with a scorching heat burning into his back. Gasping loudly, his grip on Ludi slackened, the cat letting out a wail and shooting off to the side.
Pushing himself up, Hiccup let out a yell, scrambling up to his feet and dashing after Ludi. The cat was racing through the smoke blindly, feet pounding on the ground and her tail streaming out behind her as she raced away. Stumbling after her, Hiccup felt himself crash into other Vikings, the smoke so bad he couldn't make out their faces. He could barley see Ludi, her silver coat the only way he could make out her shape. But her fur was slowly gathering with soot, Hiccup had to catch her before he couldn't see her at all. Breaking out into a sprint -not easy to do with a fake leg- Hiccup leapt off of the ground, shooting through the air and landing square on top of Ludi.
The cat let out a muffled yelp as he landed on her, but his arms locked around her middle tightly, Hiccup rolling over to the side and clinging to her as hard as he could. He panted dryly, eyes wide as his hest burned from the smoke. "Don't ever do that again!" He gasped sharply, still trying to get his breathing under control as he spoke in a rush. Ludi squirmed slightly in his tip grip, but Hiccup held on stubbornly. He wouldn't loose her again.
Loose her…Hiccup's eyes widened. Sitting bolt upright, he looked around quickly, the smoke blocking his view of everything it seemed. "Toothless?" He called out loudly, voice going slightly hoarse. There was no answer. "Oh Gods!" He had lost Toothless in his hurry to get Ludi back! Heart hammering against his chest hard, Hiccup got to his feet, spinning around in a tight circle as he tried to scan the area around him as best he could. "Hello!" He called out anxiously. "Is anybody there?" No answer.
Stomping his foot down on the ground angrily, Hiccup grew quiet, holding Ludi with an iron grip as he held her close like a stuffed animal. The cat had long since decided that she would stop squirming, she knew that there wasn't any hope for getting out by now. Straining to listen for the yells and shouts that had surrounded him in the village. For all he knew, he could be standing on the very edge of the island right now. But then he would hear the roar of the waves.
The shouts and orders were being called somewhere to the left. It was fainter than before for sure, but it wasn't that far…hopefully. Starting forward carefully, Hiccup tripped over a rock, letting out a yell as he face-planted into the ground with a thump, Ludi mewling softly as she slammed into the ground. Raising his head, Hiccup winced. "Right…so I'm in the forest." He muttered angrily, getting up to his feet and brushing off dirt carefully. "Why does everything bad happen to me, huh?" He looked down at Ludi, as if she could answer him. Her gaze that she returned basically said: 'Because you deserve it.'
"Maybe." He grumbled glaring sourly at her as he started to stomp in what he hoped was the right direction. "TOOTHLESS!" He screamed loudly, closing his mouth and stopping in his tracks to glower in the direction he was going. Nothing came. "TOOTHLESS!" He yelled loudly, stomping his foot down on the ground once more. "Ugh." His voice was nearly gone, and his head was spinning from the smoke. Leaning over and coughing dryly, Hiccup started up once more, adjusting Ludi so that she would be more comfortable. "Sorry." He mumbled to her ungraciously. The cat turned away angrily. It wasn't a very good start to the day, to say the least.
The farther he went, the clearer the air became. Hiccup noticed this after a while of walking, stopping in his tracks for the second time and looking at the air in front of him with the angriest face that he ever had before. This was bad, he didn't know where he was, and he didn't know what was going on. He didn't know where the others were, and he didn't know how fast it took a dragon to kill somebody. Spinning around, Hiccup retraced his steps, breaking into another fast run as he tore backwards in a panic.
Ludi was being jostled around, the cat's head lolling slightly where she was being held. "Come on, Ludi." He breathed out roughly. "You're fine, you can last a little longer, right?" He looked down at Ludi anxiously, the cat seeming to ignore him. Grumbling under his breath, Hiccup skidded to a stop, looking from Ludi and the direction of where he suspected the village to be. "You'll be fine." Hiccup stated firmly, spinning back around and running backwards, which had originally been his forward. His brain was buzzing from confusion by now.
He ran and ran and ran. He ran until the air thinned out, until it was little colder than before. Until he could breathe easier. Panting heavily, Hiccup crouched on the ground, gulping in the fresher air as he reached over and put Ludi down on the ground. The cat was covered with soot and ash, her fur stinking of smoke and fire. Hiccup probably looked the same to her. Giving another cough, Hiccup smoothed out her fur uselessly, giving her a small smile. "You'll be better here." He promised, the cat looked at her human through bleary eyes. A pang went through Hiccup's heart as he worried about her, but he pushed it away. In the fresh air, she would be getting better by the minute. Should he stay with her?
Looking back around him, Hiccup recognized where he was, giving a nod of affirmation. "I'll come back for you when this is all over." He said sweetly, reaching over and rubbing her head affectionately, soot rubbing off on his head as he did so. The cat blinked up at him, probably not understanding what he was saying. Sighing through his nose, Hiccup figured that she would know the way back to the house by now. If not, he would come back out and search for her.
But right now, he had to be helping his village.
Spinning around, Hiccup gulped in a few more deep breaths of clean air before he started running again. Pounding on the ground, the teen quickly left Ludi behind in the brush she was lying in, heading back to the village as fast as he could. He would get there and find Toothless and help put out the fire. The air slowly got more and more foggy, and Hiccup searched vainly for the orange glow of the fire that would mark where the village was. Unless everything was already over and they put out the fire. But then the smoke would have been cleared out…
A scream sounded in front of him, faint and yet it was as clear as day. Hiccup stumbled to a halt, eyes widening as his heart rammed against his chest. More and more screams followed, dragon howls of pain and battle cries echoing over to him. It was still going on. Hiccup raised a shaky hand to his head, knees wobbling where he stood. He found his limbs locked, he couldn't move at all. He couldn't will himself to. Did he really want to go over there? But his village was being attacked! People were in danger! And so was Astrid…the thought made his eyes narrow. He wouldn't let them, Toothless could help him, they would put an end to this.
He lifted his foot up, starting forward, when he heard a small whooshing sound behind him. Freezing, Hiccup went rigid, eyes widening as he didn't even dare to breathe. Turning around slowly, Hiccup faced the thing that had snuck up on him, cold rushing over him as he saw her. The Night Fury seemed even more menacing, thinner than she had been last time he had seen her. She had ugly scars along her flank, every detail seeming to be sharp and bright to him even in the smoke. Her eyes were gleaming with a strange light as she looked at him, like that of a predator looking down at their prey. The thought made Hiccup's knees shake, and he opened his mouth to yell out Toothless's name. But his voice was gone, he couldn't find his way to yell for his dragon. All he could do was stare stupidly, frozen with fear and trembling so much that his vision wavered. The thing that had cause all of his problems was back.
The dragon let out a chuckle at his surprise, green eyes narrowing into slits as she slowly padded forward. Her head was slightly down as she came closer, Hiccup not being able to even think about moving. All he could think about was what happened at the cave, the way the female had turned Toothless against him so easily. Could she do it again? Please, no…not everything again. Was that the reason that everything was picking back up again? His heart was racing so fast, he thought it would burst out of his chest. He almost expected it to.
A slight ringing started up in his head, Hiccup wincing as pain rung through his temple. He lifted up one hand, flinching openly by now as he ducked his head close to his chest. Like waves, pain crashed against the walls of his head, in the back of his eyes. The teen sunk down to the ground, knees sinking into the ground as he did so. One hand propping himself up, Hiccup dug his fingernails in his head tightly, seething as he tried to shake away the pain. Breath coming in gasps, Hiccup let out a yell of pain, head going fuzzy as the relentless pain continued to smack against him mockingly.
The Night Fury was looking down at him coolly, eyes flashing as she watched him with disgust in her eyes. She waited patiently, not even moving a muscle as she watched the boy twitch on the ground, Hiccup's eyes closed tightly as his hand rubbed the side of his head as hard as he could. Opening his mouth, Hiccup let out a scream of pain, going shaky as he felt himself start to fall. He felt himself staggering, he felt himself start to lean over into the ground. He braced himself for the fall, but it never happened.
What did happen, was that the pain gradually stopped. Hiccup blinked open his eyes with surprise, still slightly woozy as he felt the sharp pain back away like waves from the shore. Dropping his hand down to the ground with a smack, Hiccup looked at the ground with wide eyes, panting as he felt the pain stop one by one, on all fours in the muck of the ground. But the pain was replaced by something else, a slight whispering noise, a fuzzy feeling that Hiccup tried to shake away softly. But the movement only made the pain come back somewhat, Hiccup stopping with a wince as the whispering slowly got louder.
He must be going crazy. He was at his breaking point, and now he was falling into madness.
"You must be stupider than I thought…" Hiccup jumped, the voice coming out of nowhere. Eyes widening, Hiccup pushed himself up to his feet like a rocket, spinning around as he tried to see who had spoken. But there was nobody here in the smoke, there was nobody but him and…slowly, Hiccup turned back around to the dragon, eyeing the Night Fury as he backed away. Maybe he could run away, if he ran fast enough. But the woman's voice continued. "A bit…confused, I see. Well, that's natural, I suppose. For you humans never were all that familiar with things such as this."
The voice was…coming from inside his head. Inside…his…that wasn't possible! He was imagining things! It wasn't possible! It was just the smoke! The voice continued, "You're like a little maggot. Getting into everything you aren't supposed to. Toothless was perfectly happy with me." Hiccup tried to find the woman who was speaking, and yet again, all that was there was the female. Hiccup found himself looking at her. It couldn't be, and yet…SHE was talking. And…Hiccup could understand her. "And yet you went and ruined everything." The Night Fury bared her teeth, stalking forward once more. "You and every other human on this island. We could have been perfectly happy together, and you went and RUINED IT!" Hiccup flinched from the sudden volume of the words. "And that's why we're doing this."
"I-I-I-I-" Hiccup still couldn't find his voice.
The female crouched to the ground, lunging forward and digging her claws into Hiccup's side, flinging him down on the ground and leaping on top of him at once. Her eyes were narrowed like slits, her breath hot on Hiccup's face as he flattened himself to the ground. "You're dead." She snarled, Hiccup barley hearing her over the roar of confusion in his head. His breath was coming fast and shallow, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. It didn't make sense. "I will tear you apart limb by limb until you feel the pain I felt in loosing Toothless all because of you."
It wasn't possible. Something was wrong with him. She was going to kill him. But she couldn't be the one talking. He was going to die. He wasn't hearing her! What about Ludi? What was going on his head! And Toothless, and Shadowclaw? Something was wrong with him, he wasn't thinking straight! He had to get back to Astrid. HE WAS GOING INSANE.
The female sunk her claws into Hiccup's shoulder, the boy letting out a yell of pain, closing his eyes tightly. "Are you going insane?" The dragon's voice purred in his head. "Maybe you should rest. Maybe you should let go." Hiccup's voice faded to a small noise, the boy's body relaxing at once, eyes fluttering to stay open. "Sleep…" The voice whispered. "That's all you need. It's all a dream…it'll be fine once you wake up. Go to sleep, it'll be easy."
Hiccup felt the ground give way underneath him, he felt the grip of the dragon fade from his thoughts. His mind grew fuzzy, his thoughts getting blurred together. He couldn't think anymore, he didn't WANT to think. He just wanted to stay here…it was better here. Hiccup felt himself sinking, sinking away from everything that was going on in front of him. His thoughts slipped through his fingers like sand, and he felt himself falling.
The blackness began to swallow him up, little by little, taking every inch of him and trying to suck him down into its depths.
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A/N: don't you hate it when you get those random, weird headaches? With pain just pulsating through you, and then it randomly goes away? O-o
I had that, and then I came up with this :3