So, hey guys! :)
So, anyways, I wanted to let you all know something, that way if one day I don't post a chapter or something, you know why.
Anyways, for the past two-three years I've gotten these occasional really bad headaches, and they've gotten worse to the point where I get them nearly every day. So my mom took me to the doctor's to ask about it, and so, as it turns out, I have migraines.
Yeah. Migraines. They're not super bad, like, my vision doesn't go blurry or anything like that, it's just...pain. That's about all it is.
Migraines are not fun, and they're kind of getting worse. I've been guzzling down coffee, because caffeine helps, but yeah. So...that's it! Stupid migraines! Anyways, here's chapter 4, and shout-outs! :D Love you all!
Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep. That's what I'm known for here; suspense, drama, adventure, feeelllssss (mostly feels). XD Yeah, you guys can totally predict that by now. And cliffhangers always keep the readers coming back for more. :D Thanks for the review!
wikia: Yep. Action. You can see it coming. ;)
ShadowSpirit020: Yeah, Fishlegs and the twins staying behind to take care of Toothless. :) Hiccup has some great friends. :) And yeah, Hiccup could've taken Eyelicker...but of course Changewings move in packs, which would mean the rest of the Changewings would want to come, too, which would be dangerous for them since they can't camouflage against the sky...haha, I'm thinking about this too much! :P Thanks for the review! :D
Dimensional Girl: We'll see what happens! :D
bananablight: Haha! :D Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D Thanks for the feedback! :D
bella: Hury, Hiccup, before it's too late! D: The suspense is REAL. XD And thanks! :D I'm glad you liked Tuffnut's line! :D
Charr2003: Wow. You're dreaming about my fanfictions? I don't know what to say to that...LOL! :D Crazy idea! *rubs hands together* he he he...XD Thanks for the review! And I can promise there is lots of Hiccstird to come. ;)
LunarCatNinja: The potato thing is hilarious. :D Treasure hunt for the potato! Yay! :D Good luck, Hiccup and company! :D
HappyPup1: Mysterious and Hiccup go together. XD
Angel Azul: Thanks! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Haha, lol, I think Spanish is an awesome language. :D I hope to be able to speak it fluently soon. :) Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :D Thanks for the review! :D
SnivyDragon: Hiccup's brilliant plans are brilliant. XD Yay, Hufflepuffs unite! *internet fist bump* :D
StarFlight13: Aww, don't worry about it! :) Don't feel bad! :D I'm always saying, if you guys can drop a review, that's fine, but if you can't, that's also fine. It's totally cool with me. ;) Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Thanks for the review! Good to hear back from ya! ;)
The wind was howling outside; Fishlegs could hear it. Meatlug could hear it, too, by the looks of it, because she wouldn't come out from under the round table, no matter how many times Fishlegs called to her or what kind of rocks he tried to lure her out with.
Normally, he would have been frantic with worry over Meatlug, but right now, he was frantic with worry over Toothless.
Honestly, for Hiccup to take off when he did like that...of course, Fishlegs understood Hiccup's intentions, getting the cure for the Venomous Vorpent venom, but still, Fishlegs wished Hiccup was here, with Toothless. Toothless kept looking longingly at the door, and if Fishlegs hadn't been watching him constantly, he would have made a break for it and tried to follow Hiccup; Fishlegs knew it.
"I'm sorry, Toothless," Fishlegs said for the utmost time, "but you know you can't leave. Hiccup told me to keep an eye on you, and that's what I intend to do."
Toothless gave Fishlegs a pointed look, and for a moment, Fishlegs could have sworn the dragon was thinking, "Oh, really?"
But of course, Fishlegs wouldn't know. Hiccup was the expert on Toothless, not him.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut suddenly raced inside the Clubhouse; the wind was still howling outside, and snow fluttered onto the floorboards. Fishlegs sprang from his seat when Ruffnut and Tuffnut shut the door, carrying a bucket between them.
"What are you two doing?" Fishlegs snapped. "I told you, you're not supposed to open the doors! It's freezing out there!"
"We know that," said Ruffnut, dumping snow off her helmet and onto the floor; Tuffnut turned and dumped the snow on his helmet onto Ruffnut. "But we had to get this!"
They set the bucket on the ground, and Fishlegs moved forward to investigate.
"Snow?" he said. "Seriously? Why would you drag a bucket of snow in here?"
"We thought we could try and cheer Toothless up!" said Ruffnut. "We could build a snowman!"
Toothless growled at them, which could have meant anything (Fishlegs was no expert), but Fishlegs was still certain it meant the dragon was not interested.
"Come on, T.!" said Tuffnut. "Just until Hiccup gets back!"
Toothless wasn't having it. He tucked his head beneath his wing and coiled his tail around himself. Fishlegs sighed.
"Oh, okay," said Tuffnut, "so, no building snowmen...oh, wait, Toothless! This'll be really entertaining!"
Toothless lifted his wing and narrowed his eyes at them.
"Okay!" said Tuffnut. "Watch!" He picked up the entire bucket of snow and dumped it over Ruffnut's head.
"HEY!" Ruffnut screeched, and she tackled Tuffnut. The bucket hit the ground with a clatter, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut soon hit the ground with a THUMP! Fishlegs groaned loudly; Toothless pulled his wing back over his head.
The door of the Clubhouse opened again, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut froze in mid-fight. Fishlegs jerked his head up towards the door, looking at who had entered.
"Gobber!?" he blurted.
Gobber slammed the door behind him and brushed snow off his shoulders. "Now that," he said, "is hard weather to sail through."
Fishlegs stood and made his way over quickly; Ruffnut and Tuffnut continued their brawl. "What are you doing here?" Fishlegs said, dumbfounded. "In this weather? You sailed through this weather?"
"Eh, well, I tried," said Gobber. "Took me longer to get here than I intended. Stoick sent me to come fetch you lot, but I doubt flying dragons is a good idea with those winds."
Fishlegs thought for a moment, and then, he slapped his forehead. "Right," he said. "The Outcasts are supposed to be on Berk renewing the peace treaty."
"Aye," said Gobber. "They got there before the storm hit. Actually, I left Berk before the storm hit. Should've waited a few extra days…"
He looked behind Fishlegs, expecting to see the other riders, and frowned when he saw Toothless alone. "Where're the others?" he asked.
"Present!" said Tuffnut, raising his hand from where he was pinned beneath Ruffnut on the floor.
"I meant the ones who aren't present," said Gobber.
"Oh," said Fishlegs. "Well…"
Gobber waited for him to finish, and when he didn't, he glanced back towards the door, and then back at Fishlegs.
"Don't tell me they're out there," Gobber said.
Fishlegs winced. "Um…I can explain."
…
"And you let them leave in this storm?" Gobber said once Fishlegs had finished explaining.
"The storm wasn't bad when they left," said Fishlegs pointedly, "and even if it had been, Hiccup was determined! I don't think I've ever seen him like that before."
"Hiccup determined?" said Gobber.
"No," said Fishlegs. "He was just...not himself at all."
Gobber nodded. "Aye," he said. "You can't really blame him, Fishlegs. Hiccup's been my apprentice since he was five years old, and more than once, he told me how badly he wanted a best friend like everyone else. Toothless became that best friend. Hiccup's first friend, actually."
"I know," said Fishlegs. "I just...hope they get back soon with the cure. And I hope they don't get stranded in the storm."
Gobber nodded slowly. "Let's hope so," he said.
…
"Look, Hiccup!" Snotlout called frankly. "When I said I thought you had a plan, I didn't think you meant this!"
He was standing atop a mound of ice directly in front of the opening tunnel that led to the Snow Wraiths' lairs underground. Hiccup and Astrid were crouched behind another chunk of ice nearby.
"You're doing great!" Astrid called, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"But do I have to be bait?" said Snotlout. "Why can't Hiccup do it? This isn't fair!"
"Look, Snotlout," said Hiccup, "while the Snow Wraiths are distracted by you, Astrid, Stormfly, Hookfang and I will go down their tunnel. After that, you can jump down yourself, and Hookfang and Stormfly will temporarily seal the tunnel off while we're down there."
"But are you sure this is going to work?" said Snotlout. "I'm too young to die!"
"In theory everything should be fine," said Hiccup.
"IN THEORY!?" shrieked Snotlout.
"SHH!" Hiccup and Astrid said in unison, and Snotlout, whimpering, didn't say anything else. Hiccup nodded to Hookfang, who instantly breathed a small bout of fire over the entrance of the tunnel. After that, all there was left to do was wait.
They waited for the right moment…
And then…
There was an ear-splitting roar, and the three Snow Wraiths that inhabited the underground caves raced to the surface, their eyes scanning their surroundings for body heat.
"Do your thing, Snotlout!" Hiccup whispered harshly.
"If we survive this, Hiccup," growled Snotlout, "I'm going to kill you…" He looked up at the Snow Wraiths and jumped up and down, waving his hands back and forth over his head. "Hey, hey, hey, stupids!" he taunted. "If you're as smart as you are stupid, then you're a genius!"
The dragons turned to each other, clearly trying to figure out what that meant, while Astrid, Stormfly, Hiccup, and Hookfang snuck behind them and leapt into the tunnel.
Snotlout took that as his cue to run, and he bolted. The dragons zeroed down and charged after him.
"Come on, Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted. "Hurry!"
"HURRY!?" Snotlout yelled, sliding out of the way of a Snow Wraith, narrowly avoiding getting his leg bitten off. "YOU THINK I'M NOT ALREADY HURRYING!?"
But Snotlout did run faster after that, and he leapt straight down the tunnel.
"Now!" Hiccup shouted, and Hookfang and Stormfly instantly got to work, breathing fire onto the nearby ice and melting it until it covered the mouth of the tunnel. The freezing ice that surrounded it brought the water back to freezing temperature; within a minute, the mouth of the tunnel had been sealed off.
"There," Hiccup panted. "That should hold the Snow Wraiths off for a few hours. Hookfang and Snotlout, you two can stay here and keep guard."
"What!?" yelled Snotlout, crossing his arms. "You're pitching me against the Snow Wraiths again? No way!"
"Would you rather go back to being bait?" Astrid asked challengingly.
"I would rather," said Snotlout angrily, "life to see my next birthday."
Astrid and Hiccup glared at him, and finally, Snotlout faltered. "Fine!" he snapped. "But if I die, my death is on your head!"
"That's debatable," said Hiccup. "Stormfly, you're with me and Astrid."
Stormfly chirped happily and bounded towards them, eager to help. Astrid and Hiccup turned and made their way down the steep tunnel, doing their best not to slip on the ice as they went.
The terrain was familiar, but still so different. New tunnels branched off in all different directions, and Hiccup wasn't sure where to turn first.
He thought back to Bork's riddle and took out the notebook again, walking with his head down, eyes scanning the riddle over and over again.
"Hiccup, look," said Astrid, and Hiccup's head snapped up once more. Astrid was pointing to something buried in the ice; a small blur of black that was impossible to identify.
"Stormfly," Hiccup said, "melt the ice. Careful."
Stormfly nodded and breathed fire onto the ice encasing the blur, and when the ice melted, Hiccup reached his hand in, closed his fingers around it, and pulled out a long, forearm-length dagger with a black hilt and an oddly sharp blade.
Hiccup handed it to Astrid, who took it, testing its weight. "What do you think this means, Hiccup?" she asked.
"Bork mentioned being attacked," said Hiccup, "as he was escaping. He must have implanted this dagger here as a clue to show us we're going in the right direction."
"Hang on," said Astrid, examining the hilt. "There's something written here...it's hard to make out…"
"Let me see," Hiccup said, and when Astrid handed it over, Hiccup held the dagger up to the light and squinted.
"It says, 'Hysteric Tribe,'" Hiccup read. "Hold this." He handed back the dagger and took up Bork's notebook, flipping through it frantically. "Here, found it!" he announced. "The Hysteric Tribe."
Astrid leaned over and frowned. "There's hardly anything written on here," she said. "Try folding back the pages again."
Hiccup did just that, and when he did, there wasn't just one riddle; there was an entire page full of runes.
Hiccup took in a deep breath and read.
"If you've come this far," Hiccup said, "then the end is near. I implanted the dagger in the wall of this ice cavern in hopes someone would discover the true location of the potato. The potato comes from the Land-That-Does-Not-Exist, but as the potato proves, it does exist. After I was attacked, I came to this ice cavern, implanted the dagger, and hid the potato within the walls.
"Take heed, courageous warrior, for the Doomfang dragon lurks in the shadows, awaiting one who seeks to take the potato. If you can make it past him, consider the potato yours.
"And there's a riddle," Hiccup said. "Thor, why is it always riddles…'The flowers turn to the warmth of the sun,'" he read. "'Turn the same way: your search has begun.'"
Hiccup looked up at Astrid, shutting the book. "The sun rises in the East," said Astrid, pointing in the branching tunnel leading in said direction. "That must be what Bork meant. He wants us to head East."
"Right," Hiccup said, stowing the notebook in his satchel. "Come on, let's go."