A/N: Band camp starts as of this Monday, July 14th. As a side note, my birthday is arriving on the date of July 15th. Second day of Band Camp, let's celebrate by sweating out in the humid air and running around carting along my instrument. Fun fun fun. But nevertheless, my schedule gets kind of looped at this time in the summer, considering I not only have Band Camp, but relatives and family arriving to visit me during my birthday. Just hang with me, and if you review as well I might be more motivated to actually separate time out from my schedule to type.
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Nightflight edged forward, walking in the prints of Clearsky as she took her time maneuvering over fallen branches and twigs. There was a small frown tracing the edges of her face, and she winced at every misstep of hers, but she didn't call out. Whether out of pride or just the feeling of shame that thrilled through her at the thought admitting she needed help to male, she'd no idea. She just knew that every time her paw slipped, she caught herself in the slick mud with a deep grimace over her face.
Clearsky glanced back worriedly every so often, unbeknownst to the female Night Fury as she was concentrating so firmly on keeping her feet underneath her correctly. The male's eyes were weighted with worry and concern for the dragoness though, and slowly, he coughed quietly, raising his voice as he spoke suddenly. Nightflight hissed, not only in surprise at the sudden speech, but to warn him to be quiet as well. But the male didn't lower his voice at the small complaint, turning around fully to look at her as his head tilted to the side a bit. "Let's find a place to hide." He whispered, probably for the umpteenth time.
As expected, and as portrayed every time he suggested such a thing, the female shook her head. The male's ears flattened with a small wince. But Nightflight spoke first before he could try and do such a thing. "Hiding is too difficult for me." She whispered, looking frazzled as she shook her ears free of raindrops. Again. The storm still wasn't budging where it was seated above their heads, and frankly the dragon wondered if it ever would. "I wouldn't be able to get a sense of the spot and I would stick out. We would get caught and I can't run from the Vikings like you can, Clearsky. It's just not a good idea."
"And staying out in the open is?" The male returned, eyeing the other a little skeptically. He wasn't sure what his grounds were when it came to Nightflight. Could he call her a Fire-brain for thinking such thoughts? Could he scoff at her and assert the fact that he knew better than her at the moment considering he was the one who could actually see where they were putting their claws? It would be easier if this was Mistyeyes— at least then he would know that he had no place to object to her rules. It was clear, along with Toothless, Hiccup, and Shadowclaw, that under any circumstance, you would be looking their way expectantly. They were obvious leaders in the way that things have been running.
Nightflight, on the other claw, was entirely different. She was always beside Mistyeyes, Toothless, Hiccup, and even Shadowclaw some of the times. But she only offered her own leadership if the other was busy or preoccupied with something else. And when she did, she was very clipped and somewhat awkward in the tone of voice that she used. Yet she was one of the fiercest defenders of Berk with the way that she flared whenever there was a question against it. If someone, say Frost, approached with a scatting comment, Nightflight would instantly snap and lose her temper. Quite unlike Mistyeyes, who would nod and politely assert that whoever was speaking was wrong. She hadn't tried to take leadership head-on like Mistyeyes had. And when the gray female had asserted herself in charge along with Toothless and Hiccup, Nightflight showed no bitterness or irritation. She didn't even twitch a wing at the notion.
All in all, it left Clearsky utterly unsure at how to treat her. Like anyone else, or like a leader?
Taking in the fact that whenever he even looked at her, he had to fight a nervous wince, he cleared his throat and decided that the latter was the one to go with. "It's not a good idea." He tried weakly, still attempting to find a better way out of this that just sticking to the shadows and keeping low. Clearsky's own eyesight and smell wasn't all that much better than Nightflight's out here in the rain. And with the fact that the weather was only taking a turn for the worse, he knew that if they were out here any longer their scales would get waterlogged, just like his ears were at the moment.
He shook his head in an effort to clear them, letting out a small snort in the back of his throat. "The Village might not be as populated as it was at the start of this season," He said, wincing himself as he caught Nightflight grimace a bit at the reminder. He coughed, then backtracked, reminding himself to apologize later when he had the time. Along with all the other careless things he might have slipped up and said in the female's direction. "I mean— we have no idea what might be out there, you know? Or who might see us. It's just…a little daunting to have the entire task of watching out up to me. I might do something wrong."
"I trust you." Nightflight shrugged, as if it didn't matter. But Clearsky jerked in surprise at this, blinking as he turned over to look at her again. It was true that the black Night Fury had asked for his help in the beginning when he and Talon ran into her and Mistyeyes. But he'd been sure that the whole premise of the request was just so Nightflight could get out from underneath Mistyeyes' scales. Taking Clearsky's silence as something else entirely, Nightflight shook her head, relenting every so reluctantly. "Alright." She said finally, her voice drawn. "We can hide somewhere."
The tone in her voice distracted him. Yes, a very opportune moment to lost track of things. But, taking in the fact that they weren't all that hidden in the first place, Clearsky checked the area around them quickly before asking in a small voice: "What's so bad with hiding?" Nightflight didn't reply, only twitching one ear and shaking herself free of the seemingly-never-ending downpour around them. Locking his jaw backwards at the refusal to speak, Clearsky relented as he gave a nod of his head. "Alright." He said instead, turning and offering his tail over to her as a form of guidance. He'd seen Mistyeyes do it when they'd crossed paths, and it just now occurred to him that such a way of walking might prove easier for the blinded female. "C'mon, then. Take my tail."
Nightflight straightened again, but she did not accept the offer of help as she merely stepped around his tail. Eyeing his stubborn companion with a small glint in his eyes, Clearsky reluctantly turned as well, scanning the area around him with a more observant eye now. Though they were still keeping low to the ground and moving, he now had the task of not only keeping them both out of sight, but finding a good enough spot to take refuge. He wondered where the other Night Furies were and kind of wished that he knew for a fact, so they didn't crowd one area in particular.
The spot had to be big enough to fit the pair of them. And it had to have enough breathing room, along with room so that if Nightflight grew unaware they would still be concealed from sight. All in all, the place had to have a lot of requirements, and Clearsky found himself slowly frowning the longer they went along. What if they couldn't find a spot? What if he was unable to-
"I'm sick of hiding." Nightflight sighed under her breath after a long bout of silence. During which, Clearsky had stiffened repeated times as he heard the small, telltale noise of a cracking twig or snapping branch. But whenever such a noise had crossed through his ears, he'd stopped immediately, Nightflight ramming into his backside with a small, repressed growl. The pair had waited out the noise, either hearing it head the other way or completely stop as soon as it had made itself known. Dragons or Vikings, it had to have been one of the two. But the pair of Night Furies were unable to find out, considering they never appeared in solid form. A lucky break, he could call it.
Clearsky turned quickly at the sound of Nightflight's voice, thinking that she had caught smell or hear of something up ahead or behind. But he relaxed a bit reluctantly as he realized there was no immediate danger; yet it took him a bit longer to notice that she was referring to his question from before. He paused over the answer, a thoughtful look coming over his face a bit as he weighed the given statement. Then he shrugged, figuring that it was a pretty good reply. It made sense at least. "We haven't been hiding for long, though." He pointed out fairly, not criticizing in the slightest as he looked back up front and continued moving.
He hadn't realized how large the island was until this very moment.
"That's not what I meant." Nightflight sighed again, for the second time. Clearsky glanced back her way yet again at this, frowning again. The female let a small smile grace her expression, and she shook her head a bit dismissively. "Never mind." She huffed, her right foot sinking into a rather deep pool of mud in front of her. She made a face, looking back down and yanking it back to her a little roughly as she nearly fell over for what felt like the millionth time. She fumed, smoke furling out testily from her nose as she shook her head to clear it. "Let's just say I'll be more than happy when this is all over." She growled under her breath.
"We all will." Clearsky admitted, though he knew that out of most everyone, Nightflight really was the type to look more eagerly to the finish. "I don't think that there's a single Night Fury here who's enjoying any of this. Except maybe some of the younglings; they don't understand, though." He added. The light Night Fury paused, considering. Then he shrugged again. "If it counts for anything, I think you've been doing a great job this entire time. It probably doesn't though, so…" He trailed off, spotting a clearing up ahead filled with tall, towering grass. It was coarse and thick— it didn't look pleasing at all. Uncomfortable, yes. But a good hiding spot? He veered over towards it.
"No, it does count for something." Nightflight allowed, stumbling a little bit at the sudden direction change. She staggered, pausing to gain her bearings before shuffling over for him. She looked a little frazzled, and Clearsky reminded himself to try and apologize for mixing her up so much later. Right when he apologized for everything he'd said before, too. Geez, he was building such a list. "It just isn't true." She went on, only a touch of humor in her voice as she said this.
Clearsky glanced up from his surveying of the tall grass to throw her a withering look, but she obviously was none the wiser to the glower. He shook his head a little emptily, turning his back to her again and reaching out to prod at the stalks. They just about reached his ears, and if crouched, anything would be able to take shelter in something like this. Not to mention that it might be a touch drier inside, too. It seems like he had just found their well-deserved hiding spot. "I wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that." He sighed, poking his head into the stalks and testing to see whether it scratched at his scales or eyes.
"Like what?" Nightflight asked, mildly surprised at the words. She sat down a little distance from where Clearsky was, raising her head and trying to sniff the air as best she could. She didn't feel like they were in a hiding spot. But then again, why would he have stopped short like this? Just to talk? Again? They had no time for that! But no matter how much she smelled at the air, even with her heightened sensory, all she got was water. Water and damp earth. "I don't talk about myself weirdly." She said.
"Yes you do." Clearsky returned, drawing his head out with a satisfactory look. "Here, inside here. As long as you keep yourself low like we were doing before, you'll be fine. It's dense grass, so as long as we don't move too pointedly, then we should be just fine." Nightflight blinked, getting up to her feet and edging forward a little. Sure enough, the soft, ticklish touch met her, and as she took a few steps forward, she was surrounded by it. Giving a small, skittish look, she leaned down and pressed her stomach to the ground, taking Clearsky's advice as she slunk low to the ground, being careful not to send the grass rustling pointedly as she edged along.
Clearsky followed her, keeping watch as best he could. Finding it nearly impossible, he instead rounded over to walk at Nightflight's side instead. It was easier like this, and if anything came along unexpectedly, he would be able to shove the female off to the side. Looking up every so often with a shadow of doubt over his eyes, he almost missed Nightflight as she spoke up again. "I don't mean to. I guess I just didn't notice."
"You don't notice you putting yourself down all the time?" Clearsky asked, looking over at her squarely now.
"I'm not putting myself down." Nightflight said, looking genuinely confused as her eyes narrowed a little bit. "It's not like every time I say something like that I do it just to spite myself. I know I'm a better dragon now than I was before all of this. But I'm still not the best of the bunch, just because of what I used to be." She said this almost carelessly, as if it wasn't of much importance to her. Clearsky's face grew more concerned as she went on. "I mean, I already know that. So it's not much difference to say it aloud. I used to be the most idiotic thing in the world, so cocky, as if no matter what I did I was doing it perfectly." She smiled a grin that didn't reach her eyes. "A little obnoxious if I do say so myself." She chirped.
Clearsky shook his head. The male hopped forward, landing squarely in front of the female now and glaring at her almost harshly. She ran into his chest, stumbling backwards with a comical 'Oof' noise. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but he was speaking before she could get a syllable out. "I said stop that." He repeated, reaffirming his order from before. She drew back, glaring in a bemused expression his way. He shook his head. "You gotta stop that."
"It's not like I put myself down when I say that!" Nightflight exclaimed in a hushed whisper.
Clearsky frowned, looking pained. "Maybe that's just because you don't have any lower to go…" He murmured softly, titling his head to the side and staring at her intently.
Nightflight snapped her mouth closed, looking almost offended with this as her eyes narrowed slightly. She paused a moment, fuming to herself briefly. Then she opened her mouth wide to snap out a sharp retort to the male. But words started to fail her, and gradually her face fell little by little as she stared unseeingly Clearsky's way, her eyes clouding over at the words delivered to her. Eventually, she gave up replying entirely, looking down with a small cough instead as she ducked her head, drawing her tail tightly around herself.
Clearsky grimaced, realizing that he had been too forward. He started to apologize— he certainly wasn't going to wait this time and prolong anything more. This was a little bit too harsh of a thing to put off. "Nightflight, I-" He didn't get much more out as he realized suddenly that the female had stiffened and gone rigid as a board. Her eyes snapped open again and she jerked her head up, ears erect as they swiveled and honed for a noise.
Clearsky didn't have to ask her what was wrong. The Night Fury turned towards the noise that just barely reached his own ears, eyes widening in alarm. It was….a dragon. Another one, of course, not them. Its words were indistinguishable; it must have been very far away. Or at least out of earshot. But there was a definite note of alarm in the tone that reached them, and Clearsky found his own joints locking together tensely at the very idea.
Nightflight was to her feet by now, apparently having forgotten their recent clash in the moment. "We have to go." She said, her voice just as stiff as her body was. Clearsky's head whipped back around at this, eyes livid with alarm at the very suggestion. Nightflight was unable to see his reaction, but she must have had some idea as she stomped one of her feet down hard in the mud. "We can't just sit here! Didn't you hear it?" She pressed.
"W-Well, yeah, yeah I heard it." Clearsky stammered, voice unsure and reserved as his tail lashed in the stalks of grass towering over them. "B-But we have no idea what it was! Or who it came from! I-It might not even be from a Night Fury— what if it's one of the other dragons on the island?" He prompted. Nightflight locked her jaw backwards stubbornly, not replying audibly but just glared over at him instead. He sighed shortly, shaking his head. "We have no idea what it could be."
The shout came again. Nightflight shook her head furiously. "We have to go." She repeated, more forceful this time. "We have to at least see what's going on down there, don't we?" When Clearsky didn't reply at once, she fumed angrily. "I thought you were all about helping people!" She snapped, in a rather loud whisper. He wasn't even sure it was a whisper anymore as he cringed away. "Aren't you the type of dragon that would rush down there without a single thought?"
"Mistyeyes told us that we should stay put no matter what happens!" Clearsky objected in a sharp hiss, silently pleading with her to lower her voice. At the rate she was going, every Viking in the vicinity of them would be rushing over any second. And somehow, Clearsky didn't think Toothless had been able to get Hiccup yet. "She specifically said that even if something went wrong or if we heard something, that we shouldn't put ourselves in danger! Are you going to go against her word?"
"We wouldn't be putting ourselves in danger by just peeking at what's happening!" Again, the shriek came, louder than before. Even Clearsky
winced at this one as it rolled its way over. Nightflight drew herself up, eyes furious slits now. "Mistyeyes isn't here right now, I am. And I say that we need to go out and find whatever is making that noise. It doesn't hurt just to check."
"We just found this spot to hide!" Clearsky objected as a last resort.
"And it'll be here when we come back." Nightflight snapped, brushing by him before he could say anything else. She broke into a sudden sprint, and Clearsky stiffened in shock at the sudden take off. She couldn't run like that! She would either trip over her own feet or run headfirst into something dangerous. Or a tree. Or over a rock. All in all, there wasn't much to be gained from it. Cursing under his breath and himself for being such a push-over, he rocketed after her, eyes narrowed and heart in his throat as he tried to catch up to her.
"Fine!" He hissed, weaving around so that he was in front of her. That way at least they could somewhat know if something was happening. But with the pace that Nightflight set, and the pace that she was intent on keeping, they wouldn't have much of a notice. "But stay behind me! And if I tell you to make a break for it, you make a break for it, okay?" All doubts about whether or not to treat her this way or another was gone. The fact was a blatant one at this point: she couldn't see where she was going. It wasn't a question of leadership, it was one of capability. And right now, Clearsky had the upper wing.
Nightflight kept up with him rather well though, for all that she was worth. The female slipped and slid awkwardly and a little bit painfully in the mud every couple of steps, and eventually her underside was more than caked with the stuff. But she didn't complain, or try and request for a lower speed of chasing. And she wasted no time in shooting up to her feet once she tripped, recovering as quick as she could and continuing to hare after Clearsky.
They followed the shouts and exclaims, the pair of them slowly realizing that there was more than one voice in the lot of it all. And Clearsky realized with a small thrill in his stomach that most of the voices were all Vikings, save for a few of the wailing dragons he could pick out of the lot. He shot Nightflight a worried glance that she didn't see, cold claws gripping his stomach at the alarm he could hear laced in all of the voices. It was a frightening thing to hear, and his thoughts immediately flew back to Hiccup and how the boy had warned that things might be difficult in assimilating to Berk's lifestyle. He had warned them profusely, but Clearsky hadn't entertained the idea that it would be life-threatening to join such a happy-sounding lifestyle. Was Hiccup able to see what could have happened like this? Or was the boy just as surprised? Considering the fact that Hiccup had been taken, he could guess all too grimly that the boy hadn't.
Eventually the area started to slope down into a hill, and Clearsky was forced to slow his pace if just a little so that he wouldn't fall forward head-first. Eventually, the land got so steep that he was forced to merely lock back his feet, digging his claws into the mud as he skidded down the hill the rest of the way. Nightflight caught onto him and did the same as well, which was a relief considering that he wasn't all that ready to shout over to her just yet. They were just here to check on what was going on to cause such a noise— that didn't mean they had to be found prematurely.
Pretty soon they were able to see far enough down the slope though. Or at least Clearsky was. The male dug his claws into the ground tighter, coming to an unsteady halt as he pretty much had to balance himself. Nightflight bumped into his back from behind, letting out yet another small grunt as she tried to shuffle backwards. "Not the best place to stop." She hissed through clenched teeth as she fumbled for a better grip than she had at the moment. Clearsky didn't reply except to flick an ear, which went unknown to the female anyway. It was the best he could do, really.
He craned his neck, narrowing his eyes against the water streaming against it and stiffening. Nightflight noticed the change in atmosphere, tensing herself as she turned suddenly alert eyes onto her friend. "What?" She asked in a soft voice, ears flattening against her head as she realized that maybe something really was wrong. "What is it? What do you see? Is it one of the Night Furies?" She could almost be sure that the noise came from one of their own, though she never really did have much experience with the calls of other dragons. Living on a secluded island away from others ended up doing that to a dragon, and during her short stay in her Berk, she only remained at the Cove, where Hiccup was trying to 'train' her. Her brisk walk through the village was when she had no interest in her surroundings but Toothless, who had been beside her.
"It's- It's-" It took a moment for Clearsky to realize exactly who it was down below. But once he grasped the figure, there was no mistaking the identity. "It's Shadowclaw's mother!" He gasped in sharply, looking alarmed at the very thought of it all. He knew that she had chosen to come along with this whole quest; he had seen her go over to Hiccup when they were choosing who would stay and who would leave. But she had faded into the background of everything lately. Of course, that's what most Night Fury parents tended to do, rather than the very few who stood out, such as Talon with Mistyeyes. But still….
Nightflight went rigid. "River?" She asked. Clearsky looked at her questioningly, but didn't reject the idea. Come to think of it, he realized that he didn't even know the younger dragon's mother's name. It didn't seem all that important before now and suddenly the thought of never having asked seemed ridiculous. But Nightflight looked shocked and concerned out of her mind; the female was closer than he was to River, he could only guess. Maybe it came from playing so much with Shadowclaw and Toothless back in the caves, when the little dragon reminded Toothless of home.
"What's she doing with two younglings!?" Clearsky asked breathlessly, still panting from their run.
Suddenly from the side of the clearing, there was a glint of metal, and the male's eyes widened with horror as he saw a Viking start to level up a bow to River's head. In fact, the older female was completely surrounded. Three Vikings and two hanging back that were all armed with weapons. Clearsky's blood ran cold, and before he could think about trying to get Nightflight to double back like he'd promised himself he would earlier, he was muttering out a quick: "We need to hurry."
Surprisingly, Nightflight took off the same moment he did. Whether or not it was because she was just a good listener, or because she was already planning on taking off anyway was something he wouldn't try to consider at the moment. The pair rushed down the hillside, Clearsky raising his voice into a sharp shout as he yelled as loud as could. He could almost feel the fury that Mistyeyes would have against the two of them later for going against her direct orders. "Stop!" He yowled, his voice grating against his throat as he roared over the drumming of the rain and the rolling of the thunder. He had to be heard; going unnoticed wasn't an option when somebody was in trouble. "Stop! Don't hurt her! You don't have to hurt her! You don't have to hurt anybody! We want to be a part of Berk!"
Nightflight winced deeply. "Clearsky, they can't understand you!" She snapped in a hiss.
The stupidity of his actions reached him just as he finally ended skidding down the slope. His claws were thickened and clogged with mud, and his head was reeling from the tumble down. But he recovered quickly, shooting up to his feet and having his eyes widen. "Oh! Right!" He said wildly. Nightflight made a little noise of discomfort, suddenly realizing how the pair of them might come across to whatever was down here. Clearsky hadn't given her a clear answer on what was waiting for them, and the Night Fury crouched awkwardly behind him as she went absolutely stiff.
The Vikings turned, locking their eyes onto Clearsky, and he swallowed thickly as he realized that he didn't like the look in their eyes. The one who was aiming a bow at River did not relent in their aim, and Clearsky felt a surge of panic that was only fueled as one of the others suddenly let out an angry yell that sounded like some sort of dreadful war cry. The male winced, but he didn't back down, to his credit. "Gods!" He exclaimed, glancing from Nightflight, and then over to the River. The female was more than upset by now, screaming in panic and confusion as she hunkered herself down over the Night Furies crouched underneath her. Once again he wondered who's they were and what had happened to lead them all here.
"Gods!" He exclaimed again, wincing as the abrasive one let out yet another yell. He was readying his weapon, and Clearsky felt a wave of not only horror but of panic and frustration. "Why can't they understand me!?" He shrieked the question that he already knew the answer to. Nightflight only replied as to ask what was going on, but Clearsky wasn't about to take a break and walk her through things. He didn't have that sort of time; not when the yelling one was getting closer and closer. He didn't like the look on the Viking's face. "Stay behind me, Nightflight!" He snapped instead, not helping to calm the female's nerves as she pressed her face into the ground worriedly. "Oh gods, I wish these people could understand me." He rasped. "River! River, are you okay!?"
"Clearsky!" The older yelled, drawing the younglings closer. "I tried reasoning with them! It doesn't work!" Panic and fear was alive in every syllable of her voice, and Clearsky felt a pull of frustration at the fact that he was left unable to help from where he stood. The one Viking was getting closer and closer, and Clearsky recognized the look of a smirk on the man's face. At the sight of Nightflight behind him, River smiled hopefully. "Is Hiccup with you? Is Shadowclaw? Is-" But she snapped her mouth shut before she could finish, cringing away as her series of roars and barks only made the Viking aiming the bow at her suspicious. He steadied his arm and drew the arrow back tighter in its string. There was already one embedded into the ground beside River and the two younglings.
Clearsky narrowed his eyes, risking it as he took a few strides forward, closer to the group of Vikings. Couldn't he reason with them? Or at least try? It was hard to believe that none could be worked with. Wasn't there at least some that were just a little bit like Hiccup? "Listen!" He pleaded. "You don't have to do this! Please understand me! I know you can!" Could he try and do what Nightflight did? With his eyes? A stupid and rather desperate thought, and yet those were typically the only sorts of things to pop into ones head at times like these. "The Night Furies are more than willing to-"
Suddenly an arrow was making its way right for a target between Clearsky's eyes. River scrambled up to her feet, but was unable to move, for fear of leaving the younglings alone. "Clearsky!" She shrieked in alarm, her wings taut with anxiety. The male stiffened at the call, his eyes widening to be twice their size. Not a millisecond too soon, the male flattened down the ground, feeling the rush of air as the arrow passed barely over the tips of his ears. It instead buried it somewhere behind him, Nightflight already ducked as she escaped the blow.
He looked at the weapon which had barely missed Nightflight as well. The female had stumbled backwards, feeling the rush left behind by the weapon and realizing that once again she had probably gotten too over her head. From the sound of things they were outnumbered, otherwise Clearsky would have been able to get to River from where he stood. Feeling more blind than ever, the female wore a look of utter confusion and terror on her face, which got Clearsky to clench his teeth, blood boiling under his scales. Struggling to remain calm, he whipped back around, claws shooting out to bury themselves into the ground. "Hey!" He snapped, letting anger flare his tone on accident. "You didn't have to do-"
His words ended in a sharp shriek as the aggressive one suddenly flew at him. Going rigid with shock for only a moment, he quickly threw himself to the side, sliding in the mud as he realized that the human had a sword. The man rained down blows, or at least tried to. The Night Fury did his best to dodge each and every one of them, letting out alarmed roars and snaps as more Vikings joined in the fight. He couldn't attack them, or stick up for himself. He couldn't do anything, and he didn't want to. He tried to put himself in their spot, when the last thing they remembered the Night Furies doing was attacking them themselves. He couldn't attack them, he couldn't.
"Nightflight!" He roared, swinging himself to the side as he narrowed missed being gutted open. Nightflight flinched where she sat, unmoving as her head swiveled side to side in rampant confusion. She jerked at the sound of her name, and Clearsky ducked yet another swipe of a sword, the flash of a mace entering his eyesight as he jumped quickly to the side of it. "Nightflight, run!" He screamed, River wearing a look of utter terror once more as she was once again put under the threatening aim of a bow. The Night Fury younglings underneath her wailed and cried, not understanding in the slightest what was going on. "Nightflight, run back the way we came! You have to hide!"
Nightflight was shaking from head to toe. Could she really be messing up something like this again? "I-I don't know which way to go!" She shrieked, ears flattening to her head and her head shrinking back in fear as she got up from the ground just enough to turn in small, confused circles, which did not help her sense of direction. The world was a dark, wet, noisy enigma to the dragon, and her throat clenched tightly in on itself as she found herself floundering again. She needed a guide! She couldn't do this! "I'm lost! I have no idea where I am! Where am I!?" She pleaded a little bit desperately.
Clearsky opened his mouth to direct her, but he was cut off as the blunt end of a sword mashed against his nose. He let out a squawk, eyes wide and watering at the mild discomfort. Thanking his lucky stars that it was nothing more, the male ducked and weaving in an intricate dance once more, but freezing. The two Vikings across the clearing from them had taken an interest in Nightflight. An interest that made Clearsky's stomach clench. "Nightflight!" He screamed suddenly, the panic and fear in his voice causing the female to snap to attention. "Nightflight! Run!" He begged, in hysterics. "They're going to attack you! They're-" He winced as he was narrowly sliced, barely a touch and yet it snapped him to attention to realize that his movements were slowing down. He sped them up as quickly as he could, cursing repeatedly underneath his breath as he tried to consider flying in the storm anyway.
Nightflight stilled at the words that came from Clearsky. She fell silent in a certain kind of fright, and she felt her blood run cold as she made the connection. A small voice, barely audible over the pattering of the raindrops around them managed to reach Nightflight's ears. "Stoick? What are you…?" Stoick. Stoick, oh gods, Stoick. The dragon stiffened considerably, whirling around as she recognized the small sucking noise of feet in mud heading her direction. They were slow and calculated underneath the noise of the fight Clearsky had found himself thrown into, and Nightflight crouched low to the ground, finding herself taking small steps backwards.
"Stoick, don't." She said, making Clearsky's own mistake as she struggled to communicate. Humans couldn't understand dragons, but what else could she do once she realized that her life was on the line? "Stoick, please, don't do anything you'll regret." She squeaked, voice uneven as her breathing started to get away from her. She could do it. She'd done it before. Even if it hadn't been working recently, shouldn't she be able to find it inside of herself now that she truly needed it? She took in a shaking breath, wincing in sheer desperation as she pressed as hard as she could, her voice rising in tone and volume. "Stoick, stop! Think of what Hiccup would say! Think about Hiccup, Stoick, please!"
Please work, please work, please work, why aren't you working!?
"Stoick, maybe you shouldn't-"
"Quiet, Gobber!" Stoick roared in response. Nightflight cringed deep into the ground, ears flattening to her head and heart ramming painfully against her ribcage. She didn't know which way to go. One wrong step could throw her into a much worse situation. And yet if she backed up enough, she knew she wouldn't be able to make it up the hill fast enough without them giving chase. She had enough difficulty coming down."Everything ends right now." The Chief snarled, and Nightflight froze at the very words, feeling them seep through her scales like ice water.
"Please stop, Stoick!" She screamed, ducking her head low as she raised her voice for all it was worth.
Stoick raised his arm, Clearsky's heart freezing over completely as the man readied his sword to strike. Nightflight wasn't running away, she wouldn't have been able to pull off the feat if she wanted to. She could only sit and wait for her death to be served to her on a plate, and the male finally lost control as he all but shoved each of the Vikings attacking him as hard as he could manage. The violent one, who had screeched in the first place, hit a tree and slid down to the ground, dazed for the moment. The other was flung to the side, hitting his head and falling still as he fell unconscious. Worry and remorse could be showed later. Right now the dragon was struggling to make his rooted feet move. He had to get to the Nightflight.
But he was too late. The sword was already making its way down to where she crouched.
The male snapped his eyes closed and could only wait as he let out a choking cry.
After a few seconds of mere silence, there was a thud. A dull thud that singled the sound of a body hitting the ground. Letting out another frenzied cry, Clearsky forced his eyes to open, to see the dragon he had just began to build a friendship with sprawled unmoving on the ground. He was just starting to get on her good side. She was just starting to realize that her entire goal would be met. She'd suffered so much, for so long…surely all of this couldn't be to waste? Sure enough, as he looked at the sight in front of him, there was indeed a body on the ground.
But it wasn't Nightflight's.
Nightflight was still crouched on the ground, not realizing herself what had happened as she had her eyes shut as tightly as she could manage. Stoick was on his back in the mud, a little vacant, but completely unharmed. He'd been knocked backwards a few feet, just like the Vikings that had ahold on Clearsky had been, though much more gently as he was already starting to recover. He slowly sat up, groggy and one hand against his temple as he looked up. The man behind him, with the blonde hair and long mustache, looked shocked and surprised at the sight that was in front of them.
Mistyeyes was crouched in front of Nightflight, having come out of seemingly nowhere. Her wings were shooting back down to her sides, clamping there rather firmly as she narrowed her eyes against the rain. The pale dragoness' eyes were alive with every kind of light, and her breathing was fast and punctured where she stood. Off to the side, Talon stood, looking just as confused and scared at the scene that they had walked into. His breathing was irregular as well, and his eyes trained on his daughter as she stood over her friend with a set look.
"Mistyeyes!" Clearsky croaked, relief and confusion mingling together now as he stood. "H-How did you get here? Are the others with you?" Frankly, he would give all of his teeth and claws for Hiccup to be there. To be with the pair of dragons and able to set everything straight once more. But Mistyeyes looked over to him, and her blue eyes were bright with pain. No. They didn't have the human in tow with them. His breathing quickened himself at the idea, and he realized that they weren't out of the water yet. "What's going on!" He yelled, almost sounding angry. And he was, kind of. He bore a scratch on his side already, and he could only imagine more to come later.
Mistyeyes staggered a bit, pressing her wings tighter to her sides as she looked down at Nightflight. She didn't answer at first. Then she turned, looking at Stoick, at Spitelout, at Mulch, at the things that were happening around her. She thought back to the younglings who had been crying by the time she and Talon had gotten back to them, and she thought back to the dragons who returned her soft greeting with almost a blank look just a while ago. The Vikings were starting to regain ground now. Spitelout turned, picking up his weapon again, getting to his feet as his eyes narrowed into furious slits. Then she looked back at Clearsky, at his almost accusing look, and she felt a wave of despair. "…I'm sorry." She managed weakly after a moment.
Clearsky looked at her open-mouthed after a moment. Then he shook his head. "I have to get Nightflight out of here." He said, rushing forward for the dragoness, who had started to recover slowly from her shock as she started to sit up. "It's too dangerous for her to be here— I promised that I would protect her, and I can't do that right here! We have to get out of here, we have to do something! We have to think of something better to do! We- We- We need Hiccup!" Clearsky blustered, feeling pathetic as he resorted to this.
Mistyeyes' gaze hardened. She jerked forward, blue eyes narrowed as she met Clearsky's words with a blazing look. He backtracked quickly, surprised at her sudden ferocity. It caught him completely off-guard, and he instantly realized that he had let his heart control his words for that moment as he challenged the leader. "There's no point in fleeing." Mistyeyes said, her voice unnaturally cold now as she said this. "We heard the commotion from the other side of the island every Viking in earshot will be here quicker than you could even fathom so we have to act now, if we're going to do anything at all." Her words were quick, and they meshed together in their efforts to get out of her mouth in one piece.
Clearsky blinked rapidly in the effort to separate one word from the other coherently. "What do you mean?" He asked, looking over at Talon questioningly. The older dragon didn't respond to his look, only keeping his eyes weighted firmly on his daughter, who was on-edge. It was true. They'd heard this commotion all the way past Raven's Point. Besides the fact that the Night Furies were already starting to lose ground in their plan to keep hidden from the Vikings, every able-bodied person would now be sprinting in their direction. Though Talon and Mistyeyes had been able to run faster and harder than ten humans combined, it still made little difference. They would arrive soon enough. And the humans here would recover quicker than that. And the dragons already needed their help desperately as it was.
Mistyeyes turned, her heart throbbing in her ears as she snapped the female to attention. "Nightflight!" She gasped, the dragoness jerking at her name. "You have to do it." Mistyeyes said flatly, wincing, as if the plea hurt her enough to ask of the dragon. Nightflight shrank backwards at this, but Mistyeyes couldn't stop at this point. She shook her head quickly and pressed in a panicked tone. "We don't have a choice, now, Nightflight! Toothless still isn't back with Hiccup, and the Vikings will be flocking over here after you made all of this noise!" River curled herself even tighter around the hatchlings at the warning. "We had a choice before but it's gone, now, Nightflight. You have to do it!"
"Why can't we just run?" It was Clearsky who demanded this, not Nightflight. "We can hide and-"
"And have these Vikings come after you and eventually find where everyone else is hiding?" Mistyeyes replied in a furious shriek. Clearsky's eyes rounded even more. He'd never seen the female lose her temper like this; usually she was very calm and collected, even with these sorts of situations. But now she was shaking from ears to tail tip. "The dragons can't hide forever, and I haven't heard back from Toothless!" Stoick had gotten back up to his feet now, looking a little weary at the sight of Mistyeyes, who had always lingered loyally beside his son. He paused, as if weighing his decision. But the inner debate would not last much longer, she knew. "We have no choice now! The plan is falling apart! But we have to do something now at least!" She snapped.
"Mistyeyes, what if they hurt us?" Clearsky demanded, voice spike with fear.
Mistyeyes replied with a sharp yell. "They won't!" She shouted, flinching again as her voice rose. But there wasn't any kind of time for apologies. "Nightflight! You have to get him to understand you! You have to get all of them to!" She ordered, whirling on her friend now as she slipped in the mud. Nightflight froze, and when she didn't do anything immediately, Mistyeyes' sudden temper flared again. "Now, Nightflight!" She screamed. "Now!"
"Mistyeyes, I can't!" Nightflight shrieked, backing up with a fearful glint in her eye.
Spitelout was starting to push himself up now, and Stoick's eyes were slowly losing their confused glint. Instead, they were narrowing into a grim look of determination, and Mistyeyes looked from the advancing Viking to Nightflight. Gobber started forward, reaching over to grab at Stoick's shoulder, but he was too confused by what was going on. The dragons were roaring back and forth, incomprehensible to himself. But it sounded loud, angry, and hostile. He didn't have a clue on what was taking place, but he didn't want to get in the middle of it. "Stoick, maybe you shouldn't…" Was all he got out. A pretty lame try if anyone else was listening. Mulch and Speedifist were still unconscious, but there was no telling how long that would last.
"You don't have much of a choice now!" Mistyeyes pressed instantly, speaking almost before Nightflight could finish her own words. Nightflight grew almost angry at the sudden change in mood. Before she had smiled kindly and assured the female that she didn't have to try anything that she didn't want. Now, in the whirlwind of everything else that was happening to the confused dragoness, she was expected to do this. Again. Mistyeyes shook her head, for the millionth time. "You don't have a choice, Nightflight!" She repeated again. "Go! Do it! Now!"
"I-I-I-I can't!" Nightflight repeated. "I can't Mistyeyes, I really can't!"
"Now!" Mistyeyes yelled relentlessly.
Clearsky and Talon started to edge forward, seeing with synchronized alarm that Stoick was getting too close. And Spitelout was starting to attack again. "Mistyeyes!" Nightflight wailed, ears slicked against her head. "Don't push all of this onto me! Please! I can't do it! You know that!" Footsteps sounded overhead, from the way that Nightflight and Clearsky had come. Human footsteps that plowed through the mud and could be heard even over the thunder and rain. Getting closer. Panic wedged itself in her throat. "Why are you suddenly so-"
"Nightflight! Now!"
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
They had just been getting out of Berk when they heard it. A sudden shriek that ripped over the island. A dragon's roar, not a human's. Hiccup, who had found himself leaning heavily down onto Toothless, jerked upwards at the sudden noise, a little bit too quickly. But he paid no mind to the rush that served him in response. His green eyes widened, and any color that was still left on his cheeks drained themselves in that very instant. He couldn't pick out the words, and he couldn't tell who it was. It was too far away. But its volume, from wherever it was coming from, was loud enough to ring in his ears, almost as an afterthought. It was enough to lock his limbs together and cause his heart to ice over in a shockingly-cold sensation.
Toothless crouched low to the ground at this, his green eyes flickering up to Hiccup worriedly as he let out a small coo. He didn't offer to speak, and Hiccup's mind was going too haywire to try and piece together a coherent sentence to get out. So Astrid spoke up first, the blonde's grip around the boy's midsection, gentle before, tightened to be a little bit more than uncomfortable. "What was that?" She whispered softly, leaning off to the side so that she could see the boy's face.
Hiccup didn't reply at first, his fever-bright eyes boring holes into the woods beyond. Then he shook his head. "I have no idea." He said in a small mumble, looking lost and obscenely frightened at this point. He looked down at the thing that was clamped around his stomach still, at the wound that had been bandaged by Astrid back in the Ring. And then he looked back up, shoulders tensing.
"But it can't be anything good." He rasped.
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
A/N: Once again, starting tomorrow now, I'll be in band camp. I'm really sorry about all of these cliffhangers, but there isn't much of a question with them the further we get to the ending. And since the chapters are so long in themselves now, it's not as bad as it was when they were a typical five or six pages. Now that they're much longer it's not as bad now.
So please review and make my birthday great! Hopefully I can come back soon and update before too long. Make sure to review and tell me what you thought!