Toothless jerked at the loud alarm call of a Nadder, green eyes flying wide as he whipped around to look out over the roaring waves that were slapping against the cliffs of Berk. Sure enough, a large cloud of Night Furies were rushing down towards the island, Toothless able to see the green glinting of their eyes from where he stood. Head spinning, he looked over at Mistyeyes, alarm and shock written over his face. He hadn't expected an attack here so soon! Were the other dragons even ready? Somehow, Toothless didn't think so, which only made another cold thorn of dread stab into his heart.
"Mistyeyes, what do we do?" A voice rose over the wailing and shocked mummers of the other dragons around them. Stormfly pushed herself forward, eyes wide and anxious as she searched the female's face rapidly. Mistyeyes looked lost for a moment, looking wildly down at the ground as though it would give her answers. But the grass between her feet just waved slightly in the wind, not giving her any help whatsoever. Eyes snapping shut, Mistyeyes tried to recollect her thoughts, pushing them all together as fast as she could.
Snapping them back open once more, Mistyeyes tilted her head up to look at the sky, ridden with storm clouds. A rumble of thunder rolled over the landscape, and the Night Fury waited until it had passed, getting to her feet and raising her voice so the others could hear it as well. "The Night Furies aren't going to stop for some little barrier of eels! That was what its purpose was in the first place, only a distraction!" She called out, confusion riddling over the faces of the dragons around her. "It will only put them off for a short amount of time. We need to make the best of this moment!" Pausing, she looked over at the village square, the first of the Vikings coming outside, shocked yells rising up like a cloud around them.
"You all know your jobs!" Mistyeyes snapped, coming out more irritated than she had meant it to. "Do them and hopefully we can pull through! If you're confused or lost, just follow some of the others! Just stick to your positions! We wont let these Night Furies get the best of us! Isn't that right?" The last words rose into a howl that seemed to echo right alongside the thunder. The other dragons seemed to draw confidence from her, determined cheers meeting her words. The others immediately shot to their feet, turning and racing around one another, weaving and pushing to get out of the crowd and where they were supposed to be.
Mistyeyes watched with a slightly empty expression, wondering grimly if she had just sent them all to their death. But she had no other time to feel guilty, Toothless bursting through the panicked-moving crowd of dragons. His green eyes clashed with her blue ones, and Mistyeyes realized that they were filled with a strange sense of calm. "This is it, then?" Toothless asked, all his familiar sense of humor gone in the moment. "It's either them or us, right? Whichever one wins?"
The female glanced up at the sky, watching with a sick expression as the swarm of night-cloaked dragons got closer and closer. "It seems like it." She whispered, looking back anxiously at Toothless. For a moment, she wondered if he had heard her at all, her quiet voice seeming to melt back into the shouting crowd that milled around her. But the Night Fury's gaze was clear as he stared intently at her, and Mistyeyes knew for a fact that no matter what, he had heard her through the roar of the crowd.
Pushing his way forward, Toothless came closer to her, eyes wide and anxious as he searched her own gaze. "What do we do?" He asked, having to raise his voice to a roar in order to be heard. Mistyeyes searched her brain frantically for something to say in response to his words, and yet she came up blank. Eyes round pools of confusion, she looked helplessly up at Toothless, unable to answer his question. She merely flicked her tail aimlessly, looking back up at the sky a little hesitantly. The swarm of the Night Furies were nearing, and yet their speed had slowed somewhat, as if they had just caught the first few whiffs from the eels lining the edge of Berk. That was their only time window before everything would explode, Mistyeyes was sure of it.
Doing her best to steel herself, she straightened, looking around with a new perspective. The Vikings were already streaming out of their houses, no doubt roused by the alarm calls that the dragons were now yelling into the night sky. They were just getting over the initial shock of the random fleet of dragons shooting down towards the island. The eels were losing effect, Mistyeyes realized grimly. Her eyes immediately drilled down to the leader of the Tribe, Stoick. The man looked more worried than normal, scanning the crowd with an anxious sort of expression as he managed to shout out orders at the same time.
Toothless seemed to notice it first, though, whirling around to look at his friend with wide eyes. "Hiccup." He said, eyes flashing up to look at the oncoming Night Furies with a new kind of anger. The word brought a memory of what had happened with the boy just a few moments before everything picked up. The dragon frowned, blue eyes flickering with shadows as she stared in the direction that Hiccup had gone. Something had been different about the boy, she decided. She wasn't sure what it was, but she found it rather odd that he left right before the other Night Furies got here. It might have been a weird coincidence, but Mistyeyes wasn't sure. Something was wrong.
But she was just as worried about Hiccup as Toothless was, there was no trying to deny that part of it all. Giving a firm nod to Toothless, she turned, remembering at the last moment about the cat. The thing that Hiccup called…Ludi. The was right, right? The little thing was looking up at her with wide eyes that resembled an owl's. It looked a little wary of her, and that much was expected, of course. But glancing the way Hiccup had gone, the cat let out a defiant meow, which was lost in the chaos. Springing to its feet, the cat leaped up before Mistyeyes could do anything, landing lightly to perch on Mistyeyes's back. Pausing a moment to make sure the small tabby was secure, she turned, nodding once at Toothless. The dragon looked at the cat dubiously for a moment, but didn't say anything against her being there.
After a few moments of hesitation, Mistyeyes shot forward, taking off at a run and racing back the way Hiccup had gone. She was sure that the others could hold out without her, they could take care of themselves. She wasn't a leader here, she was just somebody to start the spark. There were no leaders here, and maybe that was one of the many things that Mistyeyes liked about this place. Too bad it's going to get burned to the ground.Her sub-conscious said, only a little bit sarcastic. Baring her teeth, she shook it off roughly, forcing herself not to listen to that voice. Everything would be fine.
Glancing over at Toothless, she blurted out the first thing that she thought of. "What if he's not okay?" She asked, remembering the last time that the two had set off looking for Hiccup.
Toothless didn't answer her.
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Astrid was stiff, rigid as she whirled back around to face Hiccup, slapping his hands out of the way as she did so. Her blue eyes were almost accusing, as if this thing were his fault. It took a moment for Hiccup to be able to hear her through the mind-splitting pain going through him head, but he managed to finally come out of it for a moment, fuzzy eyes focusing on her face as best they could. "…going on?" Astrid was demanding, blue eyes narrowed as she glared at Hiccup hotly. But behind her angered look, a trace of fear was there as well, she was backtracking, as if she were anxious. She looked up at the sky once more, the Night Furies were getting closer by the minute.
When Hiccup failed to respond, Astrid shook herself roughly, as if swiping away a stubborn dream. "Hiccup, what are you doing back here? The Village needs help, if you haven't noticed so far." Casting another look up at the sky, she turned, breaking into a run as she started to round the house. Another jot of pain shot up through Hiccup's head, and before he could stop himself, he lunged forward once again, grabbing Astrid's hand and yanking her back over to him.
Astrid immediately yelped with pain, wrenching her hand away from his as she whirled around, glaring at him. "Hiccup, what in Thor's name!" She hollered, face puckering into the same expression she always had when she was angry. And -a little regretfully- Hiccup was all-too familiar with the look. Besides Snotlout, he always figured that Astrid reserved a large number of those looks specially for him before they actually tried to make contact with one another. "You're acting weird! What's wrong with you?"
"I don't know." Hiccup mumbled, almost to himself. His hand clenched where it rested at his side, and looking at Astrid now, it was all the boy could do to hold himself back. Back from…he didn't know what, exactly. "Look, Astrid, something isn't right. I don't know what it is, but I-" He broke off, turning at the sound of rapid, thundering footsteps heading closer. Toothless and Mistyeyes were racing up the hill, eyes sweeping the place around them, which was rapidly filling up with more and more Vikings, who were getting ready for battle. Immediately, Hiccup shot back, accidentally hitting the back of his head against the wall as he flattened himself against the wood of the house. It took a few minutes, but eventually, Toothless and Mistyeyes turned to go look somewhere else. Any other time, and Hiccup would have noticed how worried Toothless looked.
"What's going on?" Astrid asked icily, for the umpteenth time, it seemed. But now there was real worry in her eyes as she looked at Hiccup. It seemed like the fight was momentarily forgotten in the moment. Or maybe it was forgotten altogether. Her blue eyes rarely ever showed anything but calm coolness, a level-headed kind of gaze that pieced the whole girl together. But now they were a little darker than usual, searching out Hiccup's own troubled expression. "Did something happen?" She asked, her voice a little softer now.
Gritting his teeth together, Hiccup wrenched his gaze away from her's. "…Never mind." He muttered, closing his eyes.
"…Hiccup?" Astrid asked, a little hesitant.
Pushing himself off of the wall, Hiccup turned quickly, changing directions and rushing back over towards the woods that lined the edge of village. Astrid tried running after him, calling out his name as she did so. But even from where Hiccup was, he could hear her father intercept her, giving her a weapon with stern words. She was trying to object to it, but that was as much Hiccup heard. He broke through the foliage, stumbling over himself in his haste. Uneven footsteps the only noise by now, the boy followed the familiar track that he always used to go when visiting Toothless. It seemed like a long time ago when he was keeping Toothless with him in secret. But nevertheless, it seemed to be the only way he could go.
It was the only place he could think of in his hazy state of mind. He didn't even know if he was going the right way or not for sure. He was just guessing. With his luck, he would end falling face-first into the ocean, sinking into it with enough slapping noise to even make the Night Furies cringe. The was another thing. From what his father had told him last time they'd actually spoke together, it looked like the Village of Berk was now not only defending their land. They were going to actually try and kill the Night Furies. Which was impossible, nobody had ever beaten a Night Fury before. Except for Hiccup himself, of course, but that was a really confusing set of circumstances. He didn't count it. Or at least, he didn't think he counted it.
Skidding to a halt, Hiccup panted, trying to catch his breath. Bending over slightly, he held his hands tightly on his knees, wincing to himself as he wheezed and gasped. Blinking, he turned, looking back the way he had come. Nobody had followed him, and no dragons either. Which was good as well. If a dragon came to meet him out here, he would probably just die out of the pure shock of it, he'd have no chance. No exaggerating. But still, there was only the still-rustling leaves in his wake, the undergrowth disturbed where he had ran. It was a little eerie, Hiccup rubbing his arms with a small frown as he realized he was alone.
But that was the way it needed to be. Mouth set in a firm line, the Chief's son sat down slowly, uncomfortably. His head rung with pain at every movement, and when he finally got to sit down, it was all he could attempt to do to sit up straight and not fall over. His stomach twisted and turned, but he did his best to ignore it. Drawing a knee up to his chest, he rested his head down on that, in hopes of the headache to go away.
But as he sat there, listening to the faint sounds of fighting getting louder and louder in the distance, the feeling only worsened.
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The Night Furies finally got to their senses rushing forward in accordance with their plan that they had gone through extensively beforehand. But by this time, the element of surprise had been stripped away, the Vikings already out in the clearing, firing great big balls of fire and rocks up in attempts of knocking dragons out of the sky. Maybe even grounding them. Nightflight didn't see how that would affect them, though. They were Night Furies, they were just as dangerous on the ground as they were in the air. The female hovered in the sky, eyes narrowed into slits as she surveyed the land. The land that was about to be scorched pitch-black, beyond recognition.
Her forces rushed past her, making care not to even brush by her as they charged downwards. The dragon did not even move. One dragon stopped beside her, of course. The only one that she would pretty much allow to be with her for long periods of time. Fleetfoot glanced over at her, questions in his eyes. "Are you coming?" He prompted, eyes searching her own. "It wouldn't be much of an attack without you at the head." Usually Nightflight led everything, even things that didn't need leading. For the dragon to stand back and let everyone go first was an odd thing for her to do.
But her gaze was unwavering when she turned to look back at him. "I am going to look for somebody important." She said stiffly, not giving him a moment to object before she went on. "I want you to be in charge of the attack until I return. Make sure there are no humans left unharmed. We are taking this island, use as much more force than needed. I want this place reeking of human blood before the sun rises." Her eyes narrowed even more at the last few words, claws tensing into tight curls. Fleetfoot paused a moment, staring at her intently. But then a glint entered his eye, and he dipped his head in a nod.
"It will be done." He promised, a malicious tone creeping into his voice.
Nightflight did not reply, merely waiting until Fleetfoot turned neatly, diving down to the island. Which left her alone in the sky, the beating of her wings the only noise in that moment. She was so high up, he could barely hear the noises of the fight below, but they were progressively getting louder and louder. It wouldn't take long before it would be in full-swing. And then the humans would have no chance. She didn't know anything about numbers in the other side against her's, but Night Furies counted as at least ten other dragons in one. This battle would not be one they lost.
"Now, where are you, little human?" She murmured to herself, eyes scanning the ground below. The island was like a small pinprick beneath her, and yet she could tell exactly where the little twig was. She figured that that would be his new name, according to her. She thought it suited very well. Green eyes flashing darkly, she let out a small hum of victory. "You thought you could hide in your little forest, did you?" Spreading her wings out to their full span, Nightflight angled herself down neatly, with far too much grace for any dragon to have, it seemed. She made no noise, blending into the night like a stick bug did with the ground. She was virtually unnoticeable.
But if you could have seen her, you would have noticed the pain brimming in her eyes, the small crease of emotion across her face. The dragon was hurt, that much was certain. She growled under her breath as she shot down to the ground full speed, reckless and rash with her movements in flying. "You'll regret it." She whispered to herself, voice cracking with emotion. "You'll regret breaking my heart. You don't know what it feels like." She paused a moment, changing direction as she landed on the sharp grass of the island. She was at the edge of it, close to the forest. An orange light seemed to radiate off of the village up ahead, the first wisps of smoke rising into the air. The grass was black, still charred from the last attack. The thought only made Nightflight angrier. "I'll show you." She snarled deep in her throat. "I'll show you the hurt that you put me through."
And with that, the dragon turned sharply, stalking into the forest.
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Ludi was having a tough time clinging properly onto Mistyeyes's back. It was far too rough, she was bouncing all over the place. Her head was rattling, and her eyesight was shaking up and down rapidly. The cat looked frazzled, tail bushed up to be twice its normal size than it usually was. But the dragon didn't let up. Her and Toothless had split up a while ago to find Hiccup, and that only increased the darn thing's speed. The dragon was racing back and forth, keeping to the edge of the village in hopes of staying out of the fight. It was only after a few minutes she slowed down.
"Oh no…" She breathed. It was clear in her voice that her heart was sinking as she spoke.
Ludi perked, turning and half-falling, half-jumping off of her back to be on the ground. The cat's intelligent blue eyes immediately landed on the first dragon she saw, her ears slicking backwards in surprise. Toothless was fighting against another Night Fury, the two seeming to be evenly matched. They were squaring it off, lashing back and forth with claws drawn out in long curves. It seemed like he couldn't stay out of the fight for long. And it was apparent Mistyeyes could not either. The female seemed to know this by now.
"I have to go help him." She said, voice strong with feeling. Ludi turned, not all that surprised, but still wary about where Hiccup could have gone. The Night Fury turned after a moment's hesitation, trusting blue eyes resting on the small ball of fluff. "Will you find Hiccup?" She demanded, eyes flicking over to Toothless even as she spoke. Ludi didn't know how far dragon fights go, but it looked like Toothless was losing by a hair. She also wasn't a really, super smart cat, but she figured that a cat in substitute for a dragons wasn't really all that fair. But Mistyeyes seemed to think it was perfectly fine.
The Night Fury rushed her tail softly over Ludi's fluffy fur before spinning around, leaping forward into the fight, claws extended. Ludi stared after her, startled. What just happened? Stunned and confused, the cat did a full circle, panicking. She was a cat, not a dragon! The most she could do would be give a dragon a semi-decent scratch, right? How hard were their scales? She knew next to nothing about dragons! She sat there for a moment, crouched in a bush so deeply that she would not be seen by anybody, swamped in confusion and self-blame.
But then something moved in the corner of her eye, the cat sitting straight up, eyes gleaming in the dark. It was a dragon, she realized. A…Night Fury. It was a female, slinking into the forest with an expression that meant bad news. Blinking, the cat turned, looking for Toothless or Mistyeyes. But the two were nowhere to be seen. The dragon was going after something, that much was certain. Ludi saw that same look in the faces of the Village children when they were reaching for candy or things of that nature. Greed, or something along the lines of it. That dragon was up to something.
It was a stupid decision, but it was only one that Ludi could come up with at the moment.
The cat turned, crouching low to the ground with her tail streaming out lightly behind her to keep herself from either falling or making noise. And she then followed the dragon into the forest, hot on their trail.
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A/N: I'm a freshman now, and getting used to high school. I also have marching band every day after school from two to five. So I don't have a lot of free time. I also have another story going on, so there's another reason. The updates WILL be slower, but I'll have more time to think and plan out chapters, so it's sort of good. Just be patient, whenever I have little slice of free-time, I'm usually typing or writing, I can promise you that. So just, remember that. :3