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Chapter 7: Hiccup, Meet Crimson
"I noticed the book had nothing on Night Furies. So is there a sequel, or maybe a Night Fury pamphlet?" Hiccup asked Gobber. Then his axe was shot to smithereens.
"Focus, Hiccup! You're not even trying," Gobber scolded. The Deadly Nadder caught Hiccup in its sights and went after him. "Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to quicker and lighter."
Javelin ignored whatever else he heard. He did not have a good night's sleep. Even in Twilight's embrace, the nightmares haunted him. New ones, too.
He saw Match and Spark, Splatter, Greln, and Trena. The only good thing to say was that they didn't speak. But he was still forced to watch their deaths.
His usual techniques weren't working. The commando resorted to watching the Berk teenagers train.
He saw Snotlout push Astrid out of the way, twirl his hammer, and throw it at the Nadder. It went nowhere near the thing, and Javelin heard her laugh. The first smile of the day appeared on his face.
The Nadder focused solely on Astrid, and chased her all over the arena. The wooden maze toppled over from the impacts and shifts in balance. When the dust settled, she and Hiccup were tangled together, her axe stuck in his shield.
Javelin winced as Astrid smashed the equipment against the Nadder's head. She gave several squawks of pain as she retreated to her cell. Gonna have to check on her later today.
He jumped down as Astrid was scolding the future chief. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Stormfly," he whispered. The dragon nodded, and he closed the door. I've got time, he thought as he pushed the wooden panels to where Gobber wanted them. I'll get him in the forest.
She was uneasy. It had been a year since his last onslaught of terror. Their bond allowed her to see his mind. She saw it all and couldn't do anything.
He watched her as she swayed to an invisible wind. Her entire stance screamed "worry." He knew the majority about the bond between Twilight and Javelin. They loved each other immensely, and losing one would mean losing both.
He heard it, but she didn't. Something dropped onto the ground. A fish! He moved towards it.
But his instinct stopped him. It's on the ground. Bait for a trap. He moved to perch behind a massive boulder.
He heard it get picked up. Then he appeared, fish in hands. The boy looked around cautiously; he saw Twilight, but didn't see the other Fury.
A growl betrayed his position. He didn't know whether it came from his empty stomach or his mouth. Either way, the boy turned around and took a step back. They eyed each other as the male stepped down to the grass.
He sniffed the air, taking in the alluring aroma. The boy offered the treat to him, and he moved to accept it. Then he saw the dagger, and jumped back, hissing.
The boy opened his vest to reveal the weapon completely. His hand moved towards it. "Don't even think about it," the male growled. The boy took out the weapon and dropped it by his foot. Not good enough, he thought. He motioned for the boy to toss it in the lake. The human complied.
With all danger gone, the Fury put on his cute face. "You going to give that thing to me or not?" he warbled, edging his way to the boy. He stopped a foot away.
"Huh. Toothless. I could have sworn you had..." The boy was interrupted when the male snatched the fish out of his hand. He checked to make sure he had all five fingers. They were there. "... teeth."
The male moved towards the human, wanting more. "You have more. I can smell it on you."
The boy backed away. "No. No." He fell onto his rear and backed into a rock. "I don't have anymore."
"Ahh." A thought entered his head. This kid is scrawny. Maybe that was all he had. A few churns of the stomach and part of the semi-digested fish landed in the boy's lap. The male leaned back and sat down.
Twilight escaped her fear in time to see the boy from yesterday take a bite out of a partial fish. She grinned, her memories taking her back to when Javelin did the same. She already knew the outcome of those two.
A true bond would be formed between them.
A chuckle left her as she watched the male try to copy the human smile. The boy reached up to touch him, but he caught on to what he was doing.
"No." He glided off to the opposite shoreline and scorched the ground, already feeling sleepy.
Javelin took his time walking to the cove. He took in every smell and sound. He was at peace.
He spotted a shield wedged between two rocks. Vaulting over it, he walked forward to search for his sister. She was laying on the ground, watching Hiccup.
"Hi, Jav," Twilight greeted.
"Hey, Little One," he returned. Hiccup had just walked away from the other Fury, who also went off to find a tree to sleep in.
Hiccup thought he could observe the second Night Fury while he left the first one alone. That was when he saw the assistant trainer staring at him. I am so dead. "Uh, what are you, uh, doing here?" he asked nervously.
"Easy, Hiccup," Javelin said. "Betraying your secret would mean betraying mine."
"What?" Hiccup didn't expect that.
The soldier smiled. "Like you, I'm different. We both know the consequences for trying to become similar."
Hiccup nodded at the cryptic last sentence. That was true; revealing the Furies to his village would result in their deaths. "What are your consequences?"
"I risk losing my sister and revealing my true identity." He got up. "Have you heard about the Crimson Rider?"
"Most of everyone has. Here, the others think it's a myth. He has control over three Night Furies and a dragon army."
Javelin chuckled, then fell somber with a painful memory. "At least half of that is partially true."
"I'm sorry, but what is your name again? And what do you mean by 'partially true?'"
"Javelin. The only true part is the Night Fury." The man removed his Nordic garb, revealing his crimson armor hidden underneath. He smiled at Hiccup's shocked reaction. "I am the Crimson Rider."
Hiccup was in a state of disbelief. First, the grove hiding the Furies was already found. Second, the man that caught him was Gobber's new assistant in the Arena. Third, that man claimed to be the mythical Crimson Rider. It was all too much for him.
He fainted.
Twilight watched the boy fall. She gave a neutral stare at the unconscious viking, then glared at her brother. "Now you've done it."
(AN) - Hope you liked this one. Next one will set the stage for long-term relationships. We all like Hookfang in the TV series, but he definitely...
OK, cruelty went up a notch. Those of you who are interested in Match and Spark from chapter 2 and 3, I hope I won't disappoint you.
Feel free to drop a review, guys. Stay strong and OYA!