Chapter Eight: Everyone Wants Hiccup
"I bled for them...I carry a scar for them…" Matt whispered to himself, sitting on the beach. It was well into the night, as the moon was sitting high above him. The white light was more than enough for him to be able to see the cloth in his hand. Having given his room to Heather and Windshear, he opted to sleep on the beach, as the sand stayed warm and the rolling waves usually lulled him to sleep. However, sleep was the last thing he was wanting.
Sighing, he gently set the cloth down, placing it on the first cloth message he found. Laying down on the sand with his hands behind his head, he stared up into the dark sky. "Is it even for me?" He asked himself quietly, closing his eyes and gently shaking his head. "What if it is for Hiccup?" Opening his eyes, he then looked over at Hiccup's room. A single candle burned in one of his windows, signaling that he was still awake.
"Hmm…I guess I have other things to think about…" He continued to lie to himself, shifting himself on the sand to get more comfortable "Got the Hunter's to worry about…plus Dagur and Darien with their Berserkers." The thought of Darien created a sense of anxiety for him. He needed to stop her before she hurt anyone else that he cared about.
Huffing, his mind raced with his recent experience with her. After having held Heather and Windshear prisoner for months, and then being so willing to slash Astrid's arm and beat on Windshear, he wondered if she was even the same person he knew from college. The thought of Heather didn't help calm his thoughts. Though she was able to escape, and Windshear was on the mend, it didn't seem to do anything to trump over the blame he had for himself. He was the reason she was captured. He was the reason that Darien was able to help Dagur in all his deeds; and now she was also helping Ryker and his Hunters.
Shaking his head, he then whispered "Not to mention I have to protect Wasatch now too." Glancing over to his left, he watched Wasatch sleep, curled up into a ball with electrical jolts arcing randomly from spike to spike. It was honestly like having a miniature light show every night he went to sleep. "Don't worry bud…I won't let them have you…"
"Matt?" Heather's voice called, making him sit up and whirl around to see her walking towards him.
"Heather? What are you doing awake?" He asked, grunting as he tried to stand.
"Don't get up because of me." Heather said, taking a seat next to him.
"Are you alright? Need something?" He asked, looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine. I just woke up and couldn't fall asleep." Heather whispered, playing with the sand by letting it run through her hand. Not saying anything for a moment, she just sat there, looking down at the ground.
Matt just sat there too, now looking up at the moon.
"Hey, can I ask a question?" Heather whispered, breaking the silence and not turning to look at him.
"Of course! What's up?" He replied, tearing his gaze away from the moon.
"Are you mad at me? Is there something I did that's bugging you?" She asked, finally looking at him with a confused expression.
"What? What do you mean 'am I mad at you?' Why would I?" He cried out, shocked at the question.
"Since you guys took me in, you've seemed…distant." She answered "We haven't really talked, or been with each other. I mean, we've only really seen each other when others are around. It's been a few days and we haven't really been alone with each other."
"Heather." Matt said, grabbing her arms and making her look at him "Never once have I been mad at you! Not once!" Then, with a joking voice, added "Uh…well, except when you decided to leave us to try and split Dagur's attention. That left me steaming."
Heather could only give a small smile, still listening to him intently.
Seeing that she wasn't in a joking mood, he then whispered "I'm not mad at you Heather. If I seemed distant, it's probably because I'm mad at myself."
"Why?" She asked, looking at him with concern.
"Because I'm the reason you were captured! I'm the reason Windshear was treated so horribly." Matt listed, letting go of her and looking out at the ocean "I'm the reason Astrid had her arm slashed."
"Matt, really? You're putting that on yourself?" Heather stated, looking at him with almost an annoyed look "Me being captured had nothing to do with you. Neither did Astrid and her arm. If you're blaming yourself for that, then you better add me to the list. We never told them what they wanted, same with Astrid! What happened to her was because of all three of us." Grabbing his hand, she then added "You're the reason why I left Dagur in the first place! Remember?"
"You were already thinking it by the time I got here. Besides, the only reason why you were alone when you were captured was to protect me. That's what you told me at least." He stated, looking at Heather "To split Dagur's attention, right?" Shifting himself so he was looking straight at her, he then continued to say "And Astrid's arm? I led Darien here! No, actually not only did I lead Darien here, I've let her stay here! She's bent on hurting or destroying everything I care about, even if that means helping Dagur or Ryker to accomplish it. I don't plan on letting her get away with that. Not anymore."
"Matt, you can't blame yourself for what she does! She'd have come here even if you weren't related to Hiccup!" Heather cried out "Trust me, I know!"
"Heather…please. Listen to me." Matt began to say, closing his eyes in angst "No matter how you boil it down, no matter how many ways you dissect it; the reason why she's here, is because of me. I had the journal that talked about the cave. It talked about Berk and Wasatch. It talked about everything that gave her enough reason to come here, to try and wreck them."
"Matt you're wrong!" Heather whispered, a frown growing on her face "Your journal may have been how she knew about the cave, but she wanted to come here to destroy Hiccup and his legacy. Not you. Not Wasatch. Not me." Staring at Matt, she then pressed "She told me that! She told me while I was their prisoner! She chose to stay here! She wanted to stay!"
Matt didn't say anything, but just watched the rolling waves.
"If you had the option to go home, would you?" Heather asked, looking at Matt.
Taken back by the question, Matt looked at Heather in shock. Seeing her unmoving and resolute, like the Heather he knew her to be, he then whispered "You know…that's a question I've been debating a lot lately. I had that option. I had it a few weeks ago."
"What?!" Heather gasped, taken back by the new information.
"Stoick had his dragon, Skull Crusher, clear out the cave. I could have gone home. The wall was open and everything." Matt continued to say "I don't know if it's still open, but it can be an option."
Staring at him, Heather finally collected herself "So why didn't you? What kept you here?"
"A few reasons." He answered "Wasatch, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins, all their dragons, Stoick, Berk, Dagur, Darien," Looking at Heather, he then choked out "But mainly you."
Heather could only look into his eyes. They were sincere.
Wrapping his arm around her, he then whispered "I want to be with you. I still care about you." With a quiet voice, he added "I just hope you can forgive me."
Heather blushed a little, hearing exactly how Matt felt about her. Honestly, it was the same way she felt about him. "Matt…what's to forgive? I don't blame you for what happened! I feel the same way about you!"
"But in my mind, that's why I've been beating myself up. I say that I care about you, but didn't even bother looking for you! For months!" Matt huffed, shaking his head "Am I someone who deserves you? Worthy of you?"
"Yes. Yes you are." Heather whispered, wrapping her arm around him as well. Pulling herself closer, she added quietly "Matt, there's a reason why I wanted to stay here at the Edge. I'll let you figure out why."
For the first time since they began talking, Matt let a real, relaxed smile grow on his face. His usual joking, happy, demeanor began to flood back to his face. "Couldn't have been a punk snowboarder, could it?" He joked "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that Snotlout's the reason."
Wham! Heather drilled him right in the stomach. Gasping and laughing at the same time, Matt pulled her down to lay on the beach with him. Looking up at the night sky, he simply whispered "Goodnight Heather…see you in the morning."
"Likewise Matt. See you in the morning." She whispered, closing her eyes with a smile "Now shut up and get some sleep."
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled, letting his eyes close.
*Tink! *Tink! *Tink! *Tink!
The sound of Gobber carefully hammering Hiccup's prosthetics was rich in the air. Matt and Astrid were having a hard time not laughing at Hiccup's scowling face. Next to him was Toothless, who was being shadowed by Barf and Belch; both of whom were smiling down at the two.
Glaring at the snickering Astrid and Matt, he then shouted "How did you guys not hear the explosion last night?! It basically blew all my doors and windows out!"
"Honest Hiccup! I didn't hear anything!" Matt quickly defended, trying to collect himself "Ask Heather! She was with me most of last night!"
Apparently last night, Barf and Belch, who had taken up residency in Hiccup's room, tried to mimic Toothless ritual of falling asleep; that being spinning in a circle while blowing fire on the ground to warm it. As they went to make their bed a little warmer, they also warmed Hiccup's entire room! Matt and Heather found Hiccup passed out on his deck with Barf and Belch hanging closely by.
"Cheer up Hiccup!" Astrid teased, taking a seat next to him. Gesturing to the wooden peg leg, acting as a replacement while Gobber mended his former ones, she added "The new leg looks good on you!"
Hiccup scowled at her, using the peg leg to hit her in the shins, which only made her laugh even more.
"So how did you ruin all three of your legs?" Gobber asked, holding out the leg he was working on. Making sure the metal was straight, he followed up with "All in one day?"
"These guys!" Hiccup explained, gesturing to Barf and Belch.
Taking it as an invitation, the two then rubbed their heads on Hiccup, as if hugging him.
"What?!" Ruffnut gasped, staring at her dragon in disbelief "A neck hug?!"
"…I never got a neck hug…" Tuffnut huffed, folding his arms and pouted at the sudden affection on Hiccup.
"That's odd, Zipplebacks are usually fiercely loyal." Fishlegs commented, looking at Hiccup with confusion "Why is Barf and Belch suddenly doting on Hiccup and Toothless?"
"What's not to love about that mug of a face?" Matt teased, smirking at Hiccup.
Hiccup glared at Matt, about to yell at him, only to be interrupted as Belch began to lick him. "Agh! Get off!" He yelled, pushing back on Belch.
"Well, didn't they save them from that raging avalanche?" Gobber asked, taking a break from working.
"Yeah…" Hiccup said slowly, now shielding himself from Barf's affectionate licking.
"That's the reason. It's a life debt." Gobber explained, looking over at Hiccup "Because Hiccup saved Barf and Belch, they're in a life debt to him."
"A life debt?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow "As in…they're loyal to Hiccup now?"
"Exactly lass. My cousin Bard saved one from a Changewing. The two-headed beast wouldn't leave him alone for years!" Gobber confirmed, returning his attention to the leg he was working on.
Hiccup looked at him with a horrified expression "You mean…they could be like this for-"
"Ever." Gobber interrupted, looking at Hiccup.
"Wait, so we could lose Barf and Belch…for good?!" Ruffnut asked, horrified at the thought.
"Yes, and yes." Gobber against confirmed, squinting at the leg he just hammered.
"Ruff, Tuff. Clubhouse, now." Hiccup ordered, standing up.
"Hold on Hiccup, I'm coming too." Matt groaned, grunting as he stood up.
"No, just the twins." Hiccup quickly said, looking at Matt "I need to talk to them alone."
"Alright, suit yourself." Matt huffed, watching the three plus Toothless head towards the clubhouse. Barf and Belch were close behind, both heads smiling wide.
"Hey, where's Heather?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt.
"She went to check on Windshear earlier this morning." He replied, looking over at his room "She said she'd be back shortly though-whoaaaAAAGGHHH!"
Something wrapped around him, jerking him up into the air. The sudden propulsion caught him off guard. Getting his bearings straight, he saw that Windshear had grabbed him with her tail. Towed behind the silver razorblade of a dragon, he saw Heather laughing as she guided Windshear back to where Gobber and the others were. Windshear then gently let him down, right where she picked him up.
"Jeez! Thanks for that!" Matt shouted, glaring at Heather as she landed "Scared me half to death until I realized what was happening!"
"She just wanted to play with you." Heather teased, dismounting from her saddle. Stroking Windshear's head, she then added "She's feeling a lot better! It was hard to keep her in your room when I got there."
Still pretending to be angry, Matt walked over to Windshear. Playfully, he lightly bopped her on the nose. "There. We're even." He smiled, winking at Heather "Good to see her feeling better. Is that where you were? Flying her?"
Nodding, Heather explained "Yep. She was basically pushing me out and wanted me to climb on." Stroking one of the silver scales that was starting to cover her exposed neck, she added "She still has a lot of energy to burn…" Hinting at going for another ride.
"Stormfly and I still need to get a ride in today." Astrid cut in, smiling at Heather. Looking at Matt, she asked "What about you and Wasatch?"
Matt looked over at Astrid, and then to Heather. Seeing a little bit of a disappointed look on her face, he then smiled, saying "Actually Astrid, I think I'd like to be alone with Heather. At least for today's ride. Is that alright?"
Astrid glanced over to see Heather's face beam, which made her laugh "Fine! I guess I'll spend the rest of the day alone. Stormfly and I will go put a patrol in on the west side of the island."
"Ooh! I'll come with you!" Fishlegs excitedly announced "I need to check and see how the Night Terrors are liking their new caves I had the Gronckles make!"
Astrid smiled at Fishlegs. Shaking her head, she then said "Fine, you can come. Just don't take all day, ok?" Turning to Matt, she then teased "Don't get into too much trouble. Who knows what'll happen with you two!"
"Thanks." Matt replied, walking over to the edge of the deck they were on. Cupping his hands at his mouth, he then shouted "Wasatch! Git' over here bud, we're going for a ride!"
A roar sounded, followed by a cracking sound. Out of the Dragon Hanger, a lightning bolt shot out. The Skrill then took a wide bank, putting him on a course to eventually get to Matt.
"Aye, lass!" Gobber called out, hobbling to Heather "I know Windshear's looking and feeling better, but you should go have Gothi check her out. She may even have a remedy to help speed up the ol' girls scales."
"Really? You think so?" Heather asked, looking at Gobber excitedly.
Shrugging, the blacksmith smiled as he said "I don't know exactly, but who does? You should pick her brain for ideas at least."
"You know, that might be worth the ride." Heather suggested, turning to Matt.
Before Matt could respond, he was hefted into the air as Wasatch grabbed him by the shoulders. "Gah! Are you kidding me?!" He roared, helplessly dangling "We only do this when I'm ready for it!"
Laughing, Heather climbed on Windshear, who was anxious to follow the Skrill. "Thanks Gobber, I'll keep that in mind. If I do go, it'll be another day or two."
"No rush lass, just suggesting it." Gobber replied, waving her off.
Winking at Astrid, Heather then said "I'll see you later tonight. Wanna practice throwing our axes?"
"Actually yeah, been awhile since I've done that." Astrid agreed, smiling at the thought. Extending her bandaged arm, she added "My arms healed up pretty good, should actually help it if I use it."
"See you tonight then!" Heather laughed, taking off.
Astrid watched as Windshear caught up to Wasatch, who had already flipped Matt over him. Shaking her head with a smile, she watched the pair fly east, disappearing behind the buildings.
"Ah, well that was fun!" Matt said aloud, landing on a small cliff that overlooked Dragon's Edge. With the sun setting under the ocean, it was a sight to behold. Unstrapping himself from his bindings, he then jumped down. Landing, he smiled as his leg didn't have any kind of issue with it.
"Thank you Matt. It was good to be with you." Heather commented, sliding off her dragon. Petting Windshear, she then asked "How are you feeling girl? Are you doing alright after that long flight?"
Windshear rubbed against Heather pushing her back. As if answering her question, she then nuzzled her and growled softly.
"I'd take that as a yes." Matt laughed, walking up and stroking the Razorwhip's neck, careful with some of the newer scales.
Wasatch didn't like the sudden attention given to Windshear, which he instantly inserted himself under Heather's hand.
Taken back by the action, Heather then laughed, seeing what he was doing. Scratching his head vigorously, she teased "Don't worry, Wasatch. Matt may forget you, but I won't!"
Wasatch growled with satisfaction, looking over at Matt. Smirking at him, he then nuzzled against Heather.
"Really?" Matt huffed, staring at his dragon with annoyance "I was that easy to replace?"
Again, the Skrill smirked at him, shooting a small bolt of lightning at him.
"Yeagh!" Matt shouted, lurching backwards. "Oh that's it Wasatch!" He growled, trying to get feeling back where he was shocked "Lap around the Edge!"
Wasatch ignored his rider. With the smirk on his face, he simply rubbed against Heather, enjoying every second of the scratching.
"Oh, oh I see…" Matt huffed, his eyes narrowing "I guess someone wants an eel for dinner. Is that what you're wanting?"
Wasatch suddenly stared at Matt in horror. Pushing Heather aside, he then bolted into the air. Windshear quickly followed, terrified at the thought of an eel.
"Windshear!" Heather shouted, running to try and stop her dragon. Too late. She was already in the air and chasing after the Skrill.
"Great Matt." She huffed angrily, shaking her head "Had to say eel, didn't ya'?"
Laughing, Matt threw his arm around her shoulder, lazily leaning against her "Think of it this way, we get a little bit more alone time walking back to the Edge."
"Hmm…I guess so." Heather replied with her signature smirk. Letting Matt lean against her, she then said "I enjoyed today Matt. I really did. Thank you."
"For what? Wanting to be with you?" Matt asked, a grin forming on his face "I know I drew the short stick, but someone had to go with you."
Heather gaped at the joke, which quickly turned into an evil grin. Hitting him in the stomach, she then teased "Well I'm glad you were able to make it so far; but now that Wasatch is gone, no one's going to be able to protect you from me. How about we reenact how we first met?"
Laughing, Matt shook his head, saying "I'll pass on that. How about we just wal- wait, did you hear that?"
Both their heads snapped towards some bushes they saw rustle. Curiously, the two walked towards them. "Could've been the Night Terrors, it's about right time they get up." Matt suggested.
"Or it's Hiccup." Heather smiled, pushing the brush aside.
Walking away from where they were, Hiccup would have completely missed the two if Matt hadn't called out. "Easy Hiccup! I haven't seen you that focused since we were looking for a Changewing!"
Whirling around, Hiccup gave a quick smile, seeing that it was Matt and Heather. "Just…going for a walk. I need to clear my head." At that he kept on his course, walking with a pondering expression on his face.
Matt then whispered into Heather's ear "Go ahead and head home. I'm going to talk with Hiccup."
Heather looked at him with a confused face, only to see him flash the cloth message. Nodding in understanding, she then said "Don't be too long. Night's coming fast."
"No promises." Matt smiled, jogging to catch up to Hiccup.
Hearing someone run behind him, Hiccup turned again to see Matt close by. "Hey Matt, I just want to be alone. I need to think."
"Hiccup, you're angry. Something's got you riled up." Matt commented, ignoring the stern look. Walking up to him, he threw his arm around Hiccup and began to guide him in the direction where he was originally going. "Besides, maybe I can help with whatever's bothering you."
Realizing Matt wasn't going to leave him alone, plus the fact that Matt was a thinker like him, Hiccup gave in and walked more willingly alongside his friend. "Fine. But first, how was your ride with Heather?"
"It was good. Needed." Matt replied with a small smile "Talked a lot, practiced some tricks, and frankly just enjoyed each other."
"Sounds like you two had fun." Hiccup replied with a smile "I'm glad we found her."
"You have no idea how many times I've told myself that." Matt huffed, shaking his head "I'm still kind of kicking myself for…well not being as diligent as I should have been."
"Matt…" Hiccup breathed, shaking his head "You need to stop thinking that you're responsible for everything that goes wrong. That's my job."
"Let's drop the subject, just for now." He huffed, furrowing his brows out of frustration "Besides, I need to talk to you about something. On the serious nature."
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, confused at the sudden mystery.
About to pull out the cloth, a twig snapped behind them. Whirling around, the two stared at where they heard the sound.
"Ugh, if that's Barf and Belch, so help me!" Hiccup growled, his face flushing red with anger.
"Still following you?" Matt asked, surprised at the fact that they were still shadowing him.
"Why do you think I was walking to be alone? I don't know how to get them back to the twins!" He groaned, shaking his head in annoyance "The twins were trying to kill me by putting me in danger! Trying to have Barf and Belch pay back the life debt. Almost succeeded too!"
"In tricking Barf and Belch?" He asked again.
"No! In killing me!" Hiccup growled. Pointing his finger in the direction of the sound, he then shouted "Leave me alone guys! I told you no more stunts!"
"Think it's the twi-wahh!" Matt cried out, as a hood was slid over his head. Feeling himself hefted backwards and slammed onto the ground, he then shouted "Wha? What's going on?!"
"Ahh! Oh, you guys!" Hiccup shouted as well, also being thrown next to Matt "Really? You guys, what did I say?!"
"Oh you've got to be kidding me! If you guys pulled me into one of your schemes, so help me!" Matt roared angrily, feeling a rope wrap tightly around his chest. His arms pinned behind him, he tried to fight the attackers, only to be hefted up and carried away. "I'm gonna let Wasatch burn your room to the ground! I swear it!"
"Would you just let us go? Ooof! Se-seriously, put us down!" Hiccup continued to shout.
"Hiccup! I'm gonna kill 'em when we're done with this!" Matt shouted, getting disoriented from the hood.
"I think I'm going to help you!" Hiccup replied loudly "Are they carrying you too?"
"Yehup!" He replied angrily, trying to slip out of the ropes "Tied you up too?"
"Oooooh! Thor help me! Ruff, Tuff! I'll make sure you're on patrol for a week!" Hiccup growled.
Protesting for what felt like an hour, Matt and Hiccup couldn't tell where they were being taken. After the rough trip being carried on shoulders, they knew they were being taken off the island as they were loaded onto a small boat. Matt continued to fight the ropes that held him as they felt the boat begin to sail. "Ugh, you know Hiccup, I'm really getting sick of this. How many times have I been captured since I've been back?"
"We're not captured. It's just the twins being mutton heads!" Hiccup yelled, his patience running out "Come on guys! This has gone way too far!"
Before Matt could reply with an equally thick, sarcastic insult; he felt the boat stop by hitting something solid. "Oh. Perfect. You're gonna drown us?" He huffed angrily "Water peril? Why am I involved?" Hefted up, he felt himself tossed roughly onto a deck and forced to sit up against something. "What the?" He whispered to himself "Where did the twins get a…" A dark feeling grew over him, cutting off his thought before he could finish it.
"Oof!" Hiccups voice sounded next to him "Okay. This is the single worst plan you two have ever come up with."
Matt felt his hood get yanked off, finally letting him see what happened. Staring above him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, he looked up to see Dagur and Ryker standing over them with their arms folded. Hiccup had a similar expression; shocked to see who had actually gotten them.
"Oh, I don't know brother." Dagur smiled, smirking at the two Haddocks "You're both our prisoner. Seems like a brilliant plan to me!"
Matt finally recovered from his shock, the reality of the situation sinking in fast. With a desperate look, he turned to Hiccup who also had a bewildered expression. "Told you getting captured was getting old…" He whispered sarcastically, glancing back at Ryker, who was eyeing him dangerously.
"Hey! Where's Matt?" Astrid asked, seeing Heather walk into the clubhouse alone "I saw Wasatch and Windshear arrive without you guys, what happened?"
"Matt's with Hiccup. He's talking to him about…" She glanced to make sure no one was listening "That message he found yesterday."
"Ooohhh…" Astrid replied, nodding in understanding.
"As far as the dragons go, Matt threatened to feed Wasatch an eel, which scared him and Windshear away." Heather smiled, shaking her head at the memory "Had to walk back by myself."
"Heh, guess it could have been worse." Astrid teased, standing up and grabbing her axe "Could've had to walk all the way from the north side of the island."
"Put it that way, I guess it wasn't too bad." Heather snickered, grabbing another axe from off the wall. Since Dagur did away with her axe, and Windshear wasn't shedding any scales at the moment, she had to resort to a more traditional axe, rather than her double bladed, folding axe. "I'm guessing you want to go throw axes right now?"
"Come on! Maybe we can…uh, 'practice' around Hiccup and Matt." Astrid replied, smiling evilly "They'll never expect us following them!"
"Let me go grab Windshear then!" Heather laughed, liking Astrid's idea for fun.
The two jogged out, each calling their dragons'. They weren't surprised to see them fly out of the hanger together, with a quizzical Wasatch and Toothless walking out and watching them leave.
"Come on girl! Let's go repay Matt for scaring you away!" Heather laughed, running alongside her dragon that was gliding next to her. In one bound, she leapt up and climbed on the saddle, letting Windshear start climbing higher and higher in the air without stopping. Astrid did something similar. Running along Stormfly, she the grabbed her saddle and held on; letting herself dangle on the side of the saddle as Stormfly flew off the platform. Hanging there for a moment, she then finished hoisting herself up.
After settling in her saddle, she then called out "So where did you and Matt split?"
"Right this way. Not far from that cliff." Heather answered "Follow me!" At that, Windshear surged forward, taking the lead from Stormfly. Stormfly, being competitive and playful, gave chase to the Razorwhip. She let out a cheerful squawk that made both Heather and Astrid laugh. Windshear let out a loud roar, adding to Stormfly's excitement. For some reason, everyone was in a good mood. Though unknown as to why, it felt good to forget what everyone went through, and what was to come.
With the energetic race finishing, Heather landed where she split from Matt. She then slid off her saddle and began inspecting the ground to looking for tracks.
Astrid also dismounted, helping her look for the tracks. "So, how was yours and Matt's flight?"
"Relaxing. And relieving." She answered, pointing to a boot print in the ground. Standing up and shouldering her axe, she explained "Before, I was under the impression Matt was…frustrated with me."
"Why?" Astrid asked, also shouldering her axe and looking at her with a quizzical stare.
"He just seemed…stand off-ish at first." Heather began to say, trying to articulate what she felt "I found out that I was the reason why he was acting that way, but not in the way I was thinking." By now the sun was sunken into the ocean, with the twilight starting to be overcome with the darkness of the night.
"Care to explain?" Astrid again asked "I'm having a little trouble trying to follow you.
"Because of what happened to me, he was blaming himself." She answered "He blamed himself for not coming to look for me, and for what Darien did to you."
"You're kidding me." Astrid replied in shock, realizing what Matt was doing to himself "She slashed my arm, not him! I'm going to have to pound it into him through his shoulder!"
"I've tried telling him that. Trust me, I have!" Heather quickly added "And explained that what happened to you wasn't his fault. But he's stuck on the fact that he's the reason why Darien's here in the first place!"
Shaking her head, Astrid was about to comment on how stupid Matt was for blaming himself, but was cut off as Heather quickly threw in: "That's why that ride we had was relieving. It was just us two, enjoying each other and able to come to amends with what's happened. He knows I don't blame him, and that you don't either." Smiling wider, she then whispered "We care a lot for each other, and that was reinforced today."
Astrid couldn't help but smile at her, knowing that she was saying the truth, and the fact she felt welcomed by everyone in the gang; even Matt. Nodding in understanding, she then turned her attention to the trail they were following. Seeing the boot prints, it didn't take her long to identify that it was Hiccup's. The single boot and the small rectangular, prosthetic prints told her where he was heading.
"There's Matt's tracks." Heather whispered, crouching down and pointing to another pair of footprints.
Smiling, Astrid also crouched, following them closely. Watching them, she was shocked to see them disappear, though Matt's had one foot that looked like it dragged. "What the…" She whispered, staring at the dead end in confusion. "They just end." Looking at where it looked like Matt's foot was dragged, she saw that the ground was scuffed and the grass was flattened down. Something came over Astrid, something that made her worry.
Heather also stared at the flattened grass, wondering what happened. Looking over some bushes, she saw something that made her face pale.
"Heather, I think something happened to Matt and Hiccup." Astrid began to say, carefully brushing the ground where the apparent scuffle took place.
"I know something happened to them, look!" Heather replied with wide eyes.
Astrid glanced over as saw Heather pick something up off the ground. The cloth message that Matt found.
"Do you think Matt's stalker got them?!" Heather asked frantically, her eyes wide with worry.
Snatching it, Astrid began to run where they left their dragons "I don't know, but we need to get the others! Something's definitely wrong!"
Running behind her, Heather growled "Just wait until I get my hands on whoever did this!"
"Only if there's something left after I get through with them!" Astrid replied back, equally cold and angry.
The two bounded onto their dragons. Sensing the urgency, Windshear and Stormfly bolted into the air, heading back to Dragon's Edge to get the others.
"Heh, so it appears your island stronghold isn't so strong after all!" Dagur began to flaunt over the two Haddocks, kneeling down next to them. Getting close to Hiccup, he then continued to tease "It's completely unguarded from the north. You know, it doesn't take much to put in a watchtower."
Hiccup's eyes narrowed at Dagur, wishing he could do something to wipe the smile off his face.
Matt was about to throw a smart remark, but caught Ryker's attention. Seeing Ryker grin at him while slowly reaching for one of his swords on his back, he decided against it.
Chuckling, Dagur stood up and announced "Let's get going Ryker! We have what we came for and…oh! Matt! A bonus to boot!" Kneeling down next to Matt, he then whispered "You know, Darien's been in a bad mood since you left. But don't worry, she'll be excited to know you're coming back! You left in such a hurry last time, she didn't get to say bye!"
Matt gritted his teeth as his eyes began to burn. That's why they were keeping him alive. For Darien's sake and purpose. And probably for Wasatch.
Dagur then stood up and began to pace back and forth on the deck, trying to contain his obvious excitement. Ryker, having never taken his eyes off Matt, ran his finger over his throat. Smiling, he then turned and began to issue orders. After doing so, he then called out "Dagur. Come with meh for a moment. I need to discuss our little…plan."
Dagur happily followed Ryker, still shaking out of excitement.
"Well. Looks like I'm on a time table." Matt whispered, realizing he was probably hours away from his fate.
"No. Not yet! We still have time!" Hiccup growled, trying to fight the ropes wrapped around him and his arms.
"Hey, bright side is that we can say we've been captured just us two! Haven't had that happen yet." Matt jested, trying to lighten the mood "You know, I should put together a bingo board of all I've been held hostage with. Think I haven't been with Snotlout; that's it. Oh and I guess just me and Astrid. That too."
"Shut up Matt!" Hiccup whispered back, twisting his arms. He was then shoved against the mast that they were leaning against. The Hunter's acting as guards stood over them with narrow eyes, as if daring them to try and escape.
"Can't see this ending well." Matt huffed out, glaring back at the guards.
"No. Not at all! For either of you!" Dagur's voice called out.
The two turned to see him walking back to them with a wide smile. Standing in front of them, he then explained "Wanna teaser on what's going to happen to you two?"
"Sure. Might as well learn what I should be expecting." Matt growled, glaring at Dagur.
"Well, probably not what you're thinking." Dagur giggled, smiling at Matt "Darien does want to have a word with you; but you're trip isn't done there! Oh no! You're too valuable to me to just end!"
"I told you, I'm not handing over Wasatch." Matt huffed, rolling his eyes at Dagur.
Dagur's smile turned wicked, as he then whispered "You know what, on second thought, I think I'm going to wait to show you what I need you to do for me."
Matt stared angrily at Dagur, realizing he was just baited into something for Dagur to gloat over him. Leaning against the mast with Hiccup, he simply shook his head and tried to stare Dagur down.
"Now you Hiccup, I think you should know what we're going to do to you." Dagur announced, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth. "We're gonna extract every little piece of dragon knowledge from that tiny coconut-shaped noggin. We're go-"
"Wait, hold up. How do you guys know what a coconut is?!" Matt cried out, looking at Dagur in confusion "I haven't seen one near here!"
Glaring at him, Dagur ignored the comment and continued his rant "We're gonna use you to take us to every island the Dragon Eye has led you to."
"And if I don't?" Hiccup growled, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh, ho ho ho, I hope yeh don't…" Ryker chuckled softly, walking up to the two. Drawing on of his swords, he pointed it at Matt and said "Dagur may have his reasons for Matt; but I have my own as well…"
Hiccup shifted angrily, glaring at Ryker with hatred.
Laughing, Ryker then stumbled forward as a large explosion went off at the stern of the ship. Before anyone could really react, Barf and Belch flew alongside the ship with blazing speed! Spewing gas alongside of the ship, they kept on circling around it, creating a green fog around them. "Gah!" Dagur roared in anger, realizing they couldn't see the dragon; as well as the fact that they didn't get their clean get away as it looked like it would have been.
"What the-" Hiccup cried out, staring at the gas in bewilderment.
"Who cares?!" Matt shouted, pushing himself up the mast "Let's blow this joint!"
No sooner had he said that, Belch lit the gas and fire surrounded the ship. The explosion was so large, that the ship lurched out of the water, causing everyone on the deck to fall.
Hiccup wasted no time in following Matt's idea. Standing up, he ran down the deck with Matt right next to him.
"Get them!" Ryker roared, drawing his sword. Dagur also drew his vicious looking axe, about to charge after the two prisoners.
Matt whirled around, knowing it would be hopeless if any of the guards got near them. Trying to think of a plan, a roar sounded above him. He gasped as Barf and Belch landed behind him and Hiccup, roaring at the crew and daring them to come after Hiccup and Matt. Well, mostly Hiccup.
"First time in a long time that I'm glad to see you two." Hiccup laughed, a smile cracking on his face.
The crew charged, roaring at the top of their lungs. Barf quickly bit the ropes off of Matt, while Belch did the same for Hiccup.
Hiccup barely had time to react as a Hunter was about to bring down an axe. Raising his hands up, he grabbed the Hunter's arm and pushed with all his might; stopping the swing downwards. Pushing against the massive arm with all the strength he had, Hiccup was relieved as Belch picked up the Hunter and threw him off the ship.
Matt also reacted as a Hunter charged him. Side stepping the strike and letting the axe whiff right next to him. He then grabbed the Hunter's shoulders and pulled him down, while raising his knee. "This. Is. For. Tying. Me. Up!" He shouted, kneeing the Hunter in the stomach with each word he yelled. The Hunter crumpled onto the deck, struggling to breathe. "Again." He huffed, kicking the Hunter in the ribs.
Looking up, he saw the crew all up in arms and surrounding them. Wasting no time, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his knife. Flipping it open, he heard the soft click of it the blade locking in place. It felt good to have it back. His attention was grabbed when Barf head-butted a guard trying to sneak around him, keeping their flanks open.
"There's too many of 'em!" Matt cried out, backing up with the Zippleback and Hiccup. Checking his stance, he then jested "At least they don't have their arrows. That'd make a mess of this situation."
"Yeah, tell me more of what could go wrong." Hiccup yelled, picking up the axe from Matt's fallen Hunter. "Just stay on the defense! I'll think of something!"
Barf and Belch then looked up into the night sky and fired a large explosion into the air, almost like a signal. "Great, that was helpful." Matt growled sarcastically, glaring at the Zippleback who returned to the battle.
"Matt! Look out!" Hiccup shouted, backing off from a strike from another Hunter. Raising his axe he then blocked a follow up slash and stopped the onslaught of violent swings.
Matt had barely moved out of the way as a sword thrust where his chest was. His reflexes of snowboarding and trick riding saved his life, as he felt the blade catch a strap on his tunic, skimming across his skin that wasn't covered. Baring his teeth, he roared as he lifted his metal plated boot into the stomach of the attacker. Coupling him over, he then drove the knife into the back of the Hunter, laying him out on the floor. Breathing loudly, he whirled around to see Ryker charging Hiccup. "Hiccup!" He shouted, seeing what was going to happen.
Too late, Ryker broke through Hiccup's attempted block, swinging his fist into Hiccup's chin. Hiccup launched backwards, crashing onto the deck.
"No!" Matt roared, about to charge Ryker. As he did so, he felt a Hunter grab him from behind, putting him in a choke hold. "Gah! Get off!" Matt coughed out, struggling to pull the arm off his throat. Fighting the inevitable, he made sure he had a grip on his knife and then swung it into the massive forearm around his throat.
"Gah!" The Hunter yelled, pulling back his arm.
Matt heaved in a huge breath of air, relishing in the fact he could breathe again. A little light headed, he whirled around and swung the butt-end of the knife into the Hunter's head, laying him out instantly. Turning around, he was surprised to see that Hiccup was getting back onto his feet, with Barf and Belch's heads circled around him.
"Come on, Matt! Let's get out of here!" He shouted, stumbling as he climbed on the Zippleback.
Running to Hiccup, he saw that Ryker was thrown on the deck a good twenty feet away from him, which he assumed Barf and Belch were the reason as to why. But then Matt saw something that made him instantly panic. Next to where Ryker lay, Dagur was standing there with a Ballista launcher, aimed right at them. "Oh, boys!" He called out evilly, aiming the launcher at the dragon and riders.
"Oh for the love of…" Matt whined, waiting for the hail of arrows to be fired.
Before they could react, Barf and Belch sent a large gas cloud to block Dagur's view. Not even a second later, it became a raging inferno. Matt would have loved to watch the spectacle, but was jolted into the air by Barf and Belch grabbed him as they flew off the ship.
"You ok Matt?" Hiccup called out, looking down from where he was sitting.
"I, I think so!" Matt called out, relaxing while dangling "I gotta say though, getting sick of flying off ships like this. Can't wait to actually ride off of one, rather than be carried away."
Before Hiccup could say anything, a familiar roar sounded ahead of them. Looking ahead they were both shocked to see the entire academy riding straight at them! And were being led by Astrid and Heather, who looked relieved at seeing them. As the academy flew by, the shock factor doubled when Toothless came to view, with both twins riding him!
"Oh that's definitely not go-gagh!" Matt shouted, only to be cut off as Toothless collided with Barf and Belch.
Matt was let go and dropping fast. "Freakin' twins!" He screamed, trying to regain control of himself in the air. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his body just enough to roll himself over. The water was coming up fast, and just when he was sure he was going to be crashing into it, he was jerked violently one way. He felt his legs skipping off the water, adding the heart throbbing sensation he was feeling. Finally getting his bearings straight, he looked up to see Windshear and Heather, slowly lifting Matt higher, trying to not jostle him.
"Came by just in time!" Matt called out, visibly relaxing. Windshear's tail was again wrapped around him, though he didn't mind it this time.
"What happened? How did the Hunter's get you guys?" She asked, leveling out for Wasatch to fly under Matt.
"I'll explain it when we're done, deal?" Matt yelled back, looking down at his dragon "Wasatch! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Windshear let go of Matt, who promptly fell onto his dragon. Smiling, he then stood up and strapped himself into the bindings. Letting Wasatch fly on his own, he turned to see the rest of the dragon riders hovering in place and firing at the Hunter's ship. It was set ablaze and was starting to sail away as fast as it could.
As both he and Heather lined up with the rest of the gang, he then began to yell at the twins. "Ruff. Tuff. I'm only going to tell you this once! If you almost kill me one more time, accident or not; I will freakin' burn your room down, eat your pet chicken, and start calling you both 'Eel bait'; because that's exactly what you'll become if I brush sides with death one more time, because of something you two did."
"Ah, not having as much fun?" Astrid teased, hearing the threat.
"Oh, I've had plenty of 'fun'." He shouted, shaking his head angrily "I just want to make sure that whenever I have more of their 'fun', I won't have to worry about being stabbed, burned, buried, frozen, dropped, electrocuted, decapitated, and last but not least…"
"He sounds so ungrateful…" Ruffnut huffed, glaring at Matt.
"True that, sis. Some people don't appreciate the simple things in life." Tuffnut agreed, shaking his head at Matt.
"Simple things?! Grateful?!" Matt cried out, shocked at what the twins replied with.
Laughing, the group turned tail and began to fly back to Edge, with Matt still yelling threats at the twins.
And there's chapter eight! Hope you all enjoyed it! And thank you for your continuing support! I am entirely thankful and grateful for it! Until next chapter!
-Dustnblood
