A/N: We're getting close to 200 reviews! I'm so excited! ^^
Anyway, those of you who haven't read Warriors yet, you should. It's a really good series!
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Hiccup stood in front of his house, staring at the door awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he tried to figure out what he was going to say. He had no idea, frankly. He wasn't sure his father would even listen to him, he usually didn't. For him to hear Hiccup out would be a miracle, and that had shown quite blandly in the past. Sucking in a deep breath, Hiccup pushed open the door with a creak, poking his head inside and looking around quickly. His father was sitting in front of the fire as he usually in did in the evenings, staring in the fire as if he were reading something from the flames.
The creak of the door roused him from his thoughts, the man perking up as he looked back at the doorway. Catching sight of his son, Stoick raised an eyebrow expectantly, catching the gleam of purpose in the smaller boy's eyes. Standing there for a moment in silence, Hiccup shook himself. "Well, you seem busy." He muttered quickly, starting to duck his head out of the house, in preparation for slamming the door and rushing back the way he had come.
"What do ye want, Hiccup?" Stoick asked irritably, Hiccup freezing to a stop. Closing his eyes tightly, Hiccup gritted his teeth together in frustration. He'd been so close. Sighing just loud enough so that his father wouldn't be able to hear it, Hiccup opened the door fully, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. It closed with a slam, almost like a prison door sealing him inside. He winced slightly, fisting and un-fisting his hands at his sides rapidly.
"I was thinking…" Hiccup started, tapping his wrists on his sides fitfully, staring at the ground and not meeting his father's eyes. "I was thinking that maybe you could try and…think about what's going on outside a little differently…?" He sneaked a glance over at his father, who was looking at his son through narrowed eyes, not speaking. He guessed that meant he had to talk more. "I mean- what you're doing right now isn't really…cutting it. It's not like I'm trying to downgrade your chiefing, I just mean to say that maybe since it's failed…three times…you could maybe listen to what I think…" Was cheifing even a word? He felt himself failing even now. And his father hadn't even replied yet.
Stoick still refused to talk, if he was confused, he hid it well though. He stared at Hiccup, glaring suspiciously at his son as Hiccup started to bit his lower lip. "What are ye tryin to say?" Stoick grunted, impatient by this time. Hiccup still didn't look up from the ground, green eyes downcast as if he were regretting coming here. His voice and tone surely implied that. "Spit it out, Hiccup." Stoick said, a little sharper now. The crackling of the fire was the only thing that made a noise for a moment, filling the room as if it were trying to fill the awkward silence and take notice away from the scene playing out. The thought made Hiccup scowl inwardly. Even the fire felt bad for him.
"Well…" Hiccup sucked in another deep breath, feeling his head spin slightly. "The dragons have attacked here more than a few times, they're not like the other dragon raids either. They aren't here just for food." He went on quickly, afraid his father would ask how he would know such a thing like that. "Usually we would just rebuild after the other dragon raids, but this one I think needs a better tactic than that." He paused a moment, gathering his thoughts rapidly as they flew away from him like leaves. He didn't usually talk to his father, and this was why. He knew what he would say beforehand, but he couldn't remember them as soon as he started to open his mouth.
"So, I think we should try things differently. We should try to…maybe stop our efforts in rebuilding the houses. They'll just get burned down again if we don't try to do other things like maybe making the island safer from the dragons, help the people that can't fight have a hiding place so there isn't any deaths. Try to find a better escape route from the island if we need to retreat…" He trailed off as he saw his father looking at him oddly by now. Snapping his mouth shut, Hiccup grounded his teeth together tightly, unable to think of anything to say.
"You're sayin that we should attack them back." Stoick said in a low mutter.
"…" Hiccup ducked his head, not replying as he studied the ground.
"You're saying we should attack them." Stoick repeated. "Kill them so they wont kill us."
"I never said that." Hiccup said falteringly.
"But ye implied it." Stoick clarified. "I thought you were friends with the dragons."
"You aren't listening to what I'm saying!" Hiccup blustered. "We just need a better plan than this! We don't need to kill them…we can put them in the old stables!" The thought sailed in his mind like a gift from the gods. "We can capture them like the old dragons and then put them in the stables! That way we wont have to kill them, and in time maybe they could be apart of Berk too."
"Ye said that about the other dragon you brought here." Stoick grunted, still glowering at his son.
"…Right." Hiccup huffed, eyes downcast as he looked at the ground heavily.
Silence came once more, and Stoick looked away from him and back at the fire. Hiccup followed his gaze, disappointment welling up inside his chest. What did the fire have that he didn't? His father looked at that all the time and never at him. It was obvious that as Stoick looked away, he was dismissing his son, Hiccup getting the massage clear as day. He'd been sent away from his father many a times, he knew the routine. Closing his eyes, he let out an angered huff. "Thanks for listening to me." He whispered under his breath. If his father heard, he made no signs to tell so.
Turning around glumly, Hiccup went out the door and shut it behind him once more. The freezing night air met him full-force, the boy's hair slicking back to his head from the blast. Looking around the village, Hiccup could see that among the humans who were still rebuilding the houses and such, Hiccup could also see the dragons milling about, ignoring their humans for once as they continued with their preparations. Mistyeyes was doing all the jobs, walking around and assessing the works of the others with careful and studious eyes. Her blue eyes seemed to be so caught up with her work, that for a moment of relief, Hiccup thought that she wouldn't see him standing outside his door.
But right when he was about to leave, the dragon caught sight of him, eyes lighting up as she did so. Getting to her feet, Hiccup's heart hammered as she started towards him, calling out a greeting as she held her tail high. It seemed as though she had much more confidence now for some reason. Looking much more pleased than she had been in a long time, Hiccup winced, ducking his head. He wasn't about to let her have the bad news, that would mean that he would just have failed at something else. Turning swiftly, Hiccup rushed back the way he had come, Mistyeyes's ears pricking with confusion as she came to a stop. "Hiccup!" She called out loudly, but Hiccup kept walking.
Almost unconsciously, Hiccup turned towards the Blacksmith's. The small shack coming into view, Hiccup gave a small smile as he caught sight of a familiar figure talking to Gobber. Astrid stood at the window of the shop, resting her head on her hand lazily as she watched Gobber work. The Blacksmith held Astrid's family sword, her father must have wanted it sharpened considering all of the dangerous things that had been going on around here.
Quickening his pace, Hiccup raced forward a little unsteadily, skidding to a stop behind Astrid as he called out a greeting. "Hey, Astrid!" He called cheerily. Upon seeing the girl, his worries melted away to be replaced by the same light feeling he always got around her. It took a while to get used to, mind you. But at least now he knew where to go when he was in trouble. Or being troubled. "You didn't tell me that you wanted your sword sharpened, I could have done it." Anything to get his mind off things.
To his surprise, Astrid turned around slowly, her blue eyes cold and narrowed as she looked down on him. "What do you want now?" The girl spat angrily, looking him up and down. Hiccup blinked rapidly, smile faltering as he tilted his head in confusion. "I suppose you're here to tell me more about how I care about nobody but myself, huh?"
"…Huh?" Hiccup asked, smile completely gone by now.
"You know what?" Astrid asked, putting her hands on her hips. "If you think that you can come back here and pretend like nothing happened, you're wrong. If you think I don't care about you, maybe you should just leave me alone. Just go away and don't talk to me. Then you wont have to stand being around me." With that, she spun around, glowering down at the wood of the building angrily.
"What are you talking about, Astrid? I haven't seen you all day!" Hiccup protested. It couldn't have been something he said! Looking into the Blacksmith's, Hiccup felt frustration well up inside him as Gobber only looked at them with interest, not at all helping him. Pausing for a moment, Hiccup reached forward, trying to place his hand on Astrid's shoulder to turn her around. But the girl shrugged him off as soon as he touched her, throwing a glare over her shoulder as she did so.
Looking from Gobber to Astrid, Hiccup let his hand fall back with a smack to his side. Hesitantly, he turned, walking away from the Blacksmith's with a look full of confusion. As he went back to find something else to do, he kept throwing glances behind his shoulder the whole way. But Astrid never even looked back at him, her posture stiff as she kept her glare fixedly on the wood of the Blacksmith's. Her look could have burned a hole straight through the thick wood and set the whole place on fire.
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Flicking her tail angrily, Mistyeyes sat on the ground with a huff, watching in disappointment at Hiccup's retreating figure. Glancing behind her shoulder, she eyed the work that the other dragons had started, feeling a glimmer of pride at the work that was already put into motion. The group in charge of finding an escape route were gathered together in a tight cluster, one dragon in the middle. One claw was out, the dragon tracing intricate lines of the island to the others, another being sent to fly off to make sure the map was correct.
The group in charge of the old and young were sitting together discussing strategies, the other half of the group gone off to take count of the seniors and children. The last group had a harder task, to make the island more protected. Mistyeyes tried to figure out what they were doing just by looking, but the Night Fury sighed lightly as she realized that she had no clue what they were doing. They were saying something, the other dragons seeming to be energized with excitement at whatever the head dragon was speaking about. Deciding she would go and check it out, Mistyeyes pushed herself up off the ground, walking forward and starting towards the group with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
But a small voice behind her stopped her in her tracks. "Mistyeyes." The dragon halted, feet skidding in front of her for a moment as she tried to get herself to turn around. Blinking, she regained control of herself, spinning around and looking down witch a large smile. "Hi, Shadowclaw!" She greeted warmly, eyes closing with happiness. "You're probably wondering where to go, aren't you? Well, I'm sure you can help the others with finding all the little children and old adults. That's where I sent most of the other younglings. Maybe-"
"I don't want to do that." The little dragon said quietly, ears flat to his head as he looked at the ground. Sitting right by him was Ludi, the cat seemed to be the dragon's shadow in the dim light of the night. Seeming them together all of the time, Mistyeyes couldn't help but wonder if they understood one another, it wasn't like Mistyeyes had ever tried to talk to the small cat.
"…Maybe you can help with the escape route? I'm sure-"
"Mistyeyes, I'm leaving." Shadowclaw said in a low mummer, looking at his paws shyly as he refused to look up from them. The gray Night Fury stiffened at once, eyes widening with disbelief as she looked down at the little dragon. She opened her mouth to question him, but Shadowclaw beat her to it. "I'm going back to the Pack, Mistyeyes." He said, voice tinged with guilt.
"W-What!" Mistyeyes yelled shrilly, eyes sparking with alarm. "Why would you do that, Shadowclaw? You have everything you need here! You have everything you'd ever want! Family…friends! Nothing is waiting at the pack for you except Nightflight and the dragons that changed! They aren't your family, Shadowclaw, please don't go! You have bees in your brain!"
"No, I don't." Shadowclaw said bravely, narrowing his eyes as he raised his head to look at her squarely. "I've been thinking about it for a long time, Mistyeyes, whether you noticed or not." The female felt guilt prick at her as she realized she did not notice Shadowclaw's recent absence from the group. Ludi must have been with him also, did Hiccup realize his cat was never around anymore? Her thoughts were interrupted as Shadowclaw went on. "It's no use to stay here anymore."
"Why would you say that?" Mistyeyes asked, forcing herself to stay calm and collected. Calming her nerves, Mistyeyes bent down so that she could see Shadowclaw better. The dragon was small for his age. She tilted her head to the side. "You have Hiccup here, Toothless, me, Ludi! Why would you want to abandon us and go back?" Suddenly, she drew back sharply. "Are you on their side now?" She asked, looking at Shadowclaw with a penetrating look.
Shadowclaw went silent, looking away thoughtfully, lining up what he would say. Mistyeyes looked back over her shoulder, glancing back at the groups working swiftly. She had seen Shadowclaw playing with the younglings that were now working hard, he had seen the smaller dragon listening to the older dragon's stories of when Hiccup saved the village with wonder-filled eyes. If he went back to live with the other dragons, there was no doubt that the youngling would have to destroy all of these dragons, would have to be fueled by Nightflight's spite and anger of the humans and dragons alike.
"I'm going back to save you." Shadowclaw said finally, tail flicking side to side. Ludi blinked, turning and peering over at her friend with wide eyes, as if hanging on to every word. At Mistyeyes's confused look, he took a slow breath and explained. "I knew it ever since the first attack, they were just attacking to get me and Toothless back to the Pack." He went on quickly as Mistyeyes started to object. "It may not be the whole reason, but it's a big part of it."
"You can't just give up." Mistyeyes murmured. "You can't give in to them."
"If I give them what they want, maybe they'll stop." Shadowclaw said firmly.
"But they would still try to get Toothless. It wouldn't affect anything."
"Of course it will." Shadowclaw said clearly. He paused for a moment, as if holding back something from her. Mistyeyes narrowed her eyes slowly, gaze searching his own. But Shadowclaw lifted his green eyes to her blue ones, confident and unwavering. "I'm leaving, Mistyeyes." He said, almost sternly. "And there is nothing you can do to change my mind. I know what I'm doing and I am not asking for your permission."
Mistyeyes hesitated for a moment. "…And Toothless?" She asked, voice choked.
"He doesn't know what I'm doing." Shadowclaw said. "…I didn't have the heart to tell him. He wouldn't understand at all…not after what happened to him. I know you were hurt by the Clan too, but I knew that you would know what it's like to miss you old home." The female felt a flash of guilt surprisingly at that, but she did not deny the fact. Catching her look, Shadowclaw gave a small nod. "I wont waste any more of your time, then." Glancing behind her, he hesitated. "…I wont tell them what you're doing here. That wouldn't be fair."
Unsure of what to say, Mistyeyes dipped her head rather awkwardly. The youngling looked at her intensely for a moment before he turned, pacing forward and making for the edge of the island. The cat watched him go, narrowing her eyes slowly into careful slits. Tail twitching back and forth, Mistyeyes swore that she saw the small cat give a nod of affirmation. Either to herself, or to her friend, who had paused to glance back over at her. Something passed between the two, Mistyeyes was sure of it. Glancing down at the cat suspiciously, Mistyeyes called out to Shadowclaw, pushing herself forward and charging after the dragon. "Wait!" She called out.
Shadowclaw paused at the edge of the cliff, turning and looking back at her. Flicking his ears, Shadowclaw waited for her patiently, his black form blending into the night better than Mistyeyes's own gray one. Skidding to a halt, Mistyeyes panted for a moment, tongue sticking out slightly as she puffed for air. Glancing back at the village, Mistyeyes felt a tug on her heart. Was there really no way to get Shadowclaw to stay? With dragons and little humans alike who loved him so much?
But looking back at the youngling's determined eyes, Mistyeyes knew there was no way. Ducking her head low, Mistyeyes studied the ground, barley visible in the fading light of day. "I hope you find what you are looking for, Shadowclaw." She said slowly, voice quiet. "I hope that you're happy with this decision."
"I will be." Shadowclaw said, voice somewhat flat.
Raising her eyes, Mistyeyes watched with shadowed eyes as the small dragon pushed off the island, soaring forward and catching air at once, flapping his wings largely. She sat there, staring across the waters and watching Shadowclaw's form get smaller and smaller, an ache in her heart. Watching a small dragon youngling flying away made her heart constrict and squeeze, she didn't know why. She was so caught up in her emotions, she didn't heart the footsteps heading for her.
"Where's Shadowclaw going?" Toothless asked. Mistyeyes turned, eyes wide. The dragon eyed her cautiously, keeping his distance from her. Tension rang in the air between them, thick as water. Lightening seemed to light up the distance between them, rubbing Mistyeyes the wrong way and making her wince inwardly. Hesitating, Mistyeyes did the same thing she had done with Shadowclaw, wiping away her emotions so that she was calm. It worked well, the female straightening and tilting her chin up in the air as she looked out across the water.
"Shadowclaw has gone back to the other Night Furies." She said.
"What!" Toothless roared, more out of surprise that anger. "How could you…why-" He seemed unable to think of anything to say. "We have to go get him, I can't believe you let him go like that! He's a youngling, he had no idea what he's doing!" He started forward, stomping on the ground loudly. But Mistyeyes stepped forward, stepping in front of him and blocking him from the sea. Toothless blinked, surprised. "Move over!" He complained, Mistyeyes feeling a flash of surprise as she didn't detect anger in the male's voice.
"No." She said firmly, voice clear. Toothless blinked, ears flicking as he looked at her expectantly. "Shadowclaw knew exactly what he was doing, Toothless, trust me." Her blue eyes bored into Toothless's green ones, willing the strong-headed male to understand. "We cannot force Shadowclaw to stay when that is not what he wishes. His paws are on the path lied out for him, and we cannot push him off his destiny. Some dragons aren't meant to be cared for. They are meant to listen to their own voice of reason, other than that of a human's."
Toothless flicked his tail, green eyes saddened as he peered over Mistyeyes's shoulder in vain. "But I could talk to him." He pressed, ears flattening to his head. "We have to get him to stay, Mistyeyes. I wont be able to…he was my friend. How could he do something like this? I thought he was on our side, Mistyeyes." Glancing down, Toothless muttered under his breath. "I could get him to stay."
"No you couldn't, I already tried. "Mistyeyes said fairly, stepping away from him and sitting on the ground a ways away from him, aware he wouldn't want her any closer. "He was sure in this, Toothless, not even you could have gotten him to stay. He told me he didn't tell you because he knew you would try to get him to stay. He's not a fool, Toothless. You needn't worry about him too long."
She was about to get up and walk back to work, but Toothless spoke, making her stop. "I don't like it when you do that." Toothless said bluntly, looking at her intensely. When Mistyeyes looked confused, he clarified, pointing at her with his paw as he spoke. "I don't like it when you talk like that. Like you're on business or something like that."
Looking over at him a little sharper than she meant to, Mistyeyes sniffed loudly. "I thought you would like that better." She said stiffly, lashing her tail. "After all, we can't have a decent conversation without you biting my head off." The last part slipped out, but she wasn't all that sure she regretted it. She needed to get it off her chest anyway. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction as she saw Toothless wince slightly.
"That's my fault…" Toothless mumbled, embarrassed.
"You think?" Mistyeyes asked close to exasperation.
"It's just because I'm worried, I guess." Toothless whispered. Mistyeyes perked her ears, turning and looking closely at the male. "The last Night Fury I trusted was Nightflight. I can't…bring myself to trust anybody else. For both my sake and Hiccup's."
Mistyeyes picked out a scathing retort in her mind, but she figured that now would not be the best time to say a thing like that. Sighing through her nose, Mistyeyes studied the ground for a moment. She could hear the other dragons talking and working amongst themselves where she sat, but she couldn't bring herself to try and think about them. Glancing over at Toothless from the corner of her eye, she said. "I guess only time will tell you whether or not I'm like Nightflight. It isn't something I can say or do to get you to put faith in me. It's just something that comes or goes."
Toothless gave a hum of agreement.
Eyes softening somewhat, Mistyeyes spoke up, voice much lighter than before. "You know, Toothless." She purred happily. "I do remember you. Back when you were in the cave with us." Toothless looked at her, eyes curious. "I always thought you were a little more annoying than I could handle…we never talked much at all." Her eyes narrowed sadly. "But…whenever I saw you playing with Nightflight…catching fireflies with her, seeing who was fastest. I was…sad." Her ears flattened. "I was jealous that somebody like her got somebody like you."
Silence weighed heavily in between them once more, Mistyeyes giving a light sigh as she gazed across the water. "Nevertheless." She said dismissively. "You shouldn't worry about Shadowclaw. I have a feeling he's going to be just fine." When Toothless refused to say anything, she added. "If you try to go after him, you'll likely be killed. Think logically. Think how Hiccup would feel if you got killed doing a task that was worthless in its own right."
"I suppose." Toothless agreed hesitantly.
Getting up, she glanced back at him, flicking her ears thoughtfully. "Do you have a group?" She asked.
"Mistyeyes…I wanted to apologize." He said in a muted tone. Mistyeyes tried not to look surprised. He was full of surprises today apparently. "I saw you up there, talking to the others. I heard you talk, and I wanted to tell you that I was wrong about you. It seems like I've been wrong about you for a lot of things."
"I don't mind." Mistyeyes blurted out, face burning with embarrassment. "I mean- you have your reasons. It's not up to e to control your mind."
"I told you I don't like it when you talk like that." Toothless complained.
Mistyeyes opened her mouth to say something back, but snapped it shut as she saw a gleam of amusement in the dragon's eyes. Smiling softly, Mistyeyes suddenly felt a tug towards him, and knew the reason at once. She didn't want him to leave. "Why don't you walk around with me?" She suggested, voice warm now compared to the cool tone she used with him before. "You can help me survey the work going on around here."
"What, be your deputy?" He teased, Mistyeyes feeling light as she realized he was playing with her instead of yelling at her.
Snorting, she turned, slapping her tail across Toothless's feet as she did so. "Call it what you will." She said humorously. "But if you're going to be my deputy, you have to listen to what I say."
Toothless got to his paws, padding over and matching her stride as they headed back to the village. "What would you like me to do first?" Toothless gave in, green eyes sparking.
"Hmm…There are so many possibilities." She laughed.
"Well, we'll have a lot of time to do every single one."
Mistyeyes blinked warmly, purring loudly. "Yes." She said happily. "We do."
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A/N: I felt like the chapters I've published in the past weren't that long. So…here we go!
I really gotta go, my friends are going to be here any minute, but I hope you like it!
Review please, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! :D