The Distant Shores of China
Ch. 6: Bonding and Turmoil
So, here I am again. I hope that you are all liking this story so far, and I hope that you all continue to like it. So, with that said and done, here is the next chapter!
OOXO
Two weeks had passed since the gang had departed from Berk and into the great unknown. Throughout the days that followed, they soon developed a schedule; rising before the sun, scarfing down a quick breakfast, continuing their journey for another few hours at a time, with rest stops in-between, until they would find another location to land on for dinner with a rest afterwards. They would then continue for another few hours at a time, with quick rests in-between in order to stock up on needed supplies. Finally, they would stop for supper and make camp in order to get up bright and early. By this point, it had become somewhat monotonous, but it was a routine that was giving them more mileage by the day, something of which Hiccup forever was preoccupied with. Whenever he would look off into the horizon and feel the claws of despair gripping his heart at the growing fear and frustration that they would never reach their destination, he would always remember that night back on Berk and his failure.
OOXO
They had come out of nowhere. No one on Berk had any foreshadowing of what was to ensue. First came the arrows, lacing through the sky under cover of darkness, leaving a trail of innocents, Viking and dragon alike, dead in its wake. Next came a hellish roar as the demonic invaders swarmed the streets of Berk, striking down all those survivors who were caught off guard. It had been during this time when Hiccup and his friends had raced out to address the crisis.
"All right, guys, we need to find the leader figure and take him down. Astrid, I'll need you to cover me. Ruff, Tuff, create barricades around the village. Snotlout, keep back the invaders in the main street, and Fishlegs, gather all of the women and children and barricade them in the great hall."
As everyone promptly obeyed his orders, Hiccup turned his attention to a clump of invaders starting to enter the village.
"All right, bud, let's show them what we've got," he said, crouching low on Toothless' back while the Night Fury folded his wings to quickly descend into the street and fire a series of plasma blasts at the oncoming enemy. Just as Hiccup noticed that one of them was preparing to fire an arrow at him, one of Stormfly's spikes pinned the invader's wrist to the wall of a nearby hut.
"You're lucky that's all I'm going to do to you," Astrid growled, unbothered by the pain she had inflicted on her victim.
"You think you are so intimidating, don't you? By the time Shan-Yu is through with all of you, you'll think twice before you disrespect us," the invader chuckled, seeming to be unfazed by the unbearable pain that came with having his wrist impaled.
"If he wants me to respect him, he better have the guts to meet me face-to-face," Astrid snapped back, having alighted from Stormfly to hold her axe-blade to the man's stocky neck.
"We don't have time for this right now, Astrid. We'll question him later," Hiccup interrupted.
"Oh, you don't need to ask me about him. Why don't you go to him yourself? He's been wanting to meet you for quite some time," the captured man replied, cocking his head toward the hill where Hiccup's house was. Squinting into the darkness, Hiccup noticed that there was someone staring out over the turmoil that was being inflicted on the village, his silhouette looming against the glow of nearby fires. Not wasting time, Hiccup urged Toothless to the location, with Astrid not far behind. As they landed at their destination, both of their dragons made to protect their masters as they caught sight of the mysterious figure, both growling softly as they did so.
"Shan-Yu, I presume?" Hiccup began, on the alert for any sudden movements.
"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder when you would show up. I've been looking forward to meeting someone who was willing to defy his tribe by training a dragon."
"Why would you care about that?" Hiccup asked, wondering if there was some kind of trick behind this statement.
"Why, because we're not that much different, you and I. We both use our talents to impose our will on others. You do it with dragons, and I do it with men," the figure replied, gesturing to the chaos still ensuing down below.
"Last I checked, I don't force dragons to accomplish what I want, especially if it comes to killing others," Hiccup shot back, silent anger beginning to envelop his senses as he heard the last piercing screams of the living, saw the towering flames turning the sky blood-red, smelled the sharp tangy scent of blood and flames, all while this man stood there not even batting an eye...
"I was just like you once... scrawny, bullied, never estimated to become much of anything... look at me now."
As he said this, he stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself to be an imposing man with pale-grey skin, yellow eyes, black hair, and a thin mustache.
"Over time, I became determined to become something more, something which would earn the respect of my tribe. I pushed myself, I took every beating that came my way head-on, until I became the leader of my people. No one thought that I could do it, yet here I am. Much like your life story, isn't it?"
"That doesn't change anything," Hiccup replied, alerted by Toothless to the fact that other invaders were starting to encircle them, no doubt ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"It does change the circumstances a great deal. You may think that you are not like me now, but once you have the proper motivation... everything will fall into place."
As the man turned his gaze toward the great hall, Hiccup froze as he heard the piercing shrieks of children. How could he have been so blind? It was all a distraction! Without a moment's hesitation, Astrid yelled,
"Stormfly, spine shot!"
As the spines met their targets dead-on, knocking the weapons out of the mens' hands, Hiccup and Toothless sped toward the great hall, where they found Meatlug trying to revive her unconscious master. Seeing that others were coming to Fishlegs' aid, Hiccup darted his gaze around the surrounding area, trying to pinpoint where the children were taken. As a roar of pain caught his attention, Hiccup saw that Snotlout was fiercely defending his dragon, who was incapacitated from the javelin that had pierced his underbelly.
"Get away from my dragon!" Snotlout yelled as several invaders tried to restrain Hookfang. As Snotlout ran toward them with his fists flying, Hiccup was swift to react. Crouching low on Toothless, they both zoomed into the fray, bowling the enemies over.
"Cover me, bud," Hiccup commanded Toothless, who growled in response as he rushed forward to knock back oncoming enemies.
"Is he gonna be okay? Please tell me he's gonna be okay," Snotlout begged as Hiccup carefully inspected the wound area.
"You better take him somewhere safe, Snotlout. He won't be able to fly with that wound. Find Gothi. He'll be safe with her."
After Snotlout had nodded in acknowledgement and began to urge Hookfang to Gothi's hut, Hiccup whistled for Toothless and took off into the air once more. Spying some ships starting to take off from the harbor, Hiccup urged Toothless on, praying that they wouldn't be too late. It wasn't until they had gone over the water did he suddenly feel a premonition of disaster. Suddenly, entire walls of arrows began to close in from all sides. As Toothless instinctively dashed higher up into the sky to avoid the oncoming menace, Hiccup gasped in pain as a bola grazed his shoulder. Several more soon followed and coiled themselves around him and Toothless. Unable to grip onto Toothless, Hiccup screamed as he began plummeting toward the water. As the cold embrace of the freezing ocean enveloped him, Hiccup, with a thrill of terror, realized that he was quickly sinking into the dark abyss below him. As he began to frantically kick his legs, the sheer panic that was overtaking him was quickly draining him of his oxygen supply. Just as the light of the full moon was beginning to fade away, along with his consciousness, Hiccup suddenly felt a mighty grip yanking him back to the surface. The chill of the night air on his soggy form, as well as the unpleasant sensation of being flung onto the ground, was enough to bring his alertness back into sharp focus. Gasping for air and trembling from the searing cold, Hiccup heard a roar as Toothless suddenly came up beside him. Forcing himself to move, Hiccup found himself peering up into the hideous face of Shan-Yu, with a handful of men flanking him on both sides.
"Your dragon is very loyal to you, isn't he? He certainly is a magnificent creature," he finally stated, prompting a low growl from Toothless.
"Why... why did you save me?" Hiccup wheezed, wondering if this was some kind of sick game.
"Well, after the conversation we had, I didn't want you to die that fast. It wouldn't be any fun then."
"Might I ask what kind of fun?" Hiccup growled, wincing as he attempted to rise.
"You'll see soon enough," he simply stated, signaling his men to follow him. Before he left, he fixed Hiccup with a yellow stare.
"Until we meet again, Hiccup Haddock."
OOXO
The memory of that final statement, of the utter nonchalance Shan-Yu expressed at the deaths of so many... that is what Hiccup's mind was focusing on from that night. All attempts to track Shan-Yu and his men down were in vain, and the one whom Hiccup had said Astrid should spare for questioning had somehow vanished as well. The missing children... their only lead... gone, all because of his carelessness. He had to make it up to all those who were crying for vengeance, for no matter how many times he had been told by his friends that none of this was in no way his fault, he felt the urge to redeem himself. He had also volunteered to go on this quest because of the one thing that had nagged him in the back of his mind ever since the invasion; how did Shan-Yu know his name, and, more importantly, was he expecting him to infiltrate China and put a stop to the occupation? Was this all just a sick game, a way to test him? If so, why?
"Hey, are you okay?"
Startled out of his thoughts by Mulan's concerned question, Hiccup only then just noticed that his hands had involuntarily clenched into fists as he was staring at the wall of the cave they were all taking refuge in.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. I guess the trip has just been taking its toll," Hiccup replied, praying that that would be all that she would inquire about. This answer having seemed to satisfy her, Mulan deftly picked up a makeshift spear, no doubt intending to kill a few rabbits for the group to eat before taking to the skies again. Only when she was far enough away did Hiccup allow himself to release a huge yawn, just another symptom resulting from his rigid travel schedule. He didn't have to turn his gaze toward Toothless to know that the night fury was fixing him with another one of his displeased glares.
"Hey, come on, bud. We can't afford to take long rests when lives are on the line. Some sacrifices have to be made when it comes to situations like this."
At this defense, Toothless raised an eyebrow and nudged his head toward the deeper depths of the cave, where the others were passed out from exhaustion.
"All right, I get the picture," Hiccup sighed, pinching his nose in exasperation.
It was this guilt, over his friends and over the villagers of Berk, that Hiccup was struggling with every single day. He knew, on the one hand, that they did not have much time. On the other, his common sense told him that they could not keep pressing on like this forever. Everyone else seemed drained enough as it was. They would just lose more time.
As another yawn overtook Hiccup's senses, Toothless gently prodded him over to where the others were dozing.
"No, Toothless, I have to get everything ready for when we have to go," Hiccup numbly argued, suddenly finding the cave wall a rather attractive place to sleep. Besides, it was only two hours before they had to depart. He could afford to rest that long, right? Having settled out the logic in his head, he slowly nestled himself into a crevice of the cave wall, finally allowing himself to slip into the world of dreams.
OOXO
She was riding on Angus, feeling the familiar and welcoming sensation of the wind ruffling her hair, the rhythm of her horses' hooves on the ground, her bow clutched in her hand... but no, something was wrong. Merida couldn't quite place it. An icy chill had arisen. At high noon in the summertime? Suddenly, whispers in the dark... a trail of will-o-the-wisps... she was now urging Angus on, anxiety building up in her, anticipating what, she knew not. An open clearing, with frost just starting to coat the tips of the luscious grass. Her breath freezing in her chest, cruel and gleaming shards of ice beginning to crawl up Angus' legs and starting to engulf her. Two figures in the mist, a man and woman, a bone-chilling laugh... suffocation... .
With a mighty effort, Merida managed to yank herself out of the nightmare, gasping for air as she attempted to rein in the stark, animalistic terror that was threatening to overcome her senses. With all of her senses alert from the sudden rush of adrenaline, she immediately picked up the sound of gentle breathing coming a few feet from her left. With her heart thumping, she slowly turned her gaze to where she had pinpointed the sound, sighing in relief once she realized that it was only Hiccup nestled against the cave wall in a deep sleep. He looked at peace, more so than he had been over the last couple of weeks. It was almost as if he had become a different person during that time, a realization that she had made not long after they had begun their quest.
OOXO
"All right, I spy, with my little eye, something... um...," Ling said, cupping his chin in his hands as he scanned the sky with Ruff and Tuff.
"White?" Chien-Po asked.
Snotlout, who had objected to playing I Spy in the first place, stated, in a tone dripping with sarcasm,
"Gee, I wonder what other kind of color he was going to say, seeing as how, oh, I don't know, the whole sky is covered in clouds."
Tuffnut, after exchanging a mischievous glance with Ruff and Ling, stated,
"Ah, but you are missing the deeper meaning of the game, my dear Snotlout, for it would depend on the certain shade of the individual cloud. When it comes to the color white, would it be more reminiscent of a pearl or of fresh snow?"
"The many different types of shades within a certain color can be very complex. We just happen to be experts in this field," Ruff followed up.
"Okay then, pinheads, if you're so talented in this field, prove it. What's the exact shade of that cloud?" Snotlout challenged, jerking his thumb over to a random cloud in the sky. Squinting at the cloud for a few brief moments, Tuff replied,
"Oh please, dear Snotlout, you make it too easy for us. That, my friend, is a clear example of a cloud that exhibits an ivory shade. If you were to closely observe this particular specimen, you would see that it possesses a very slight tint of yellow."
As Snotlout and Yao narrowed their eyes in confusion, attempting to catch what the twins had pointed out, Ruff stated,
"Of course, we don't have to be experts to know that that wall of clouds right in front of us seems to be making a turn for the worst."
A mighty crash of thunder accompanied this observation, making apparent the fact that a great storm was threatening to break loose on the gang.
"Hiccup, I can see an island down there. We need to take shelter," Astrid yelled over the howling wind, its mighty gusts starting to break apart the gang's formation.
"You don't say," Mushu hollered from Mulan's shoulder as he and Cri-Kee clung onto her wildly when Scathach threatened to be overwhelmed by a sudden gale. Managing to regain control, Merida, having first checked to make sure that everyone was accounted for, raced to the front beside Hiccup.
"She's right, Hiccup. We can't go through this. Someone is going to get hurt."
Hiccup, his face having set into a hardened expression, countered,
"It's not that big of a storm. It will pass soon."
"Yeah, I'm no storm expert, but it doesn't look like this thing is going to blow over anytime soon," Eugene called out to the others as he made sure that he had a firm grip on Rapunzel and Pascal, who had both plastered themselves against Jack's back as he plowed through the gusts.
"Hiccup, it's too dangerous out here. We won't be any help to anyone if we risk our lives like this," Li-Shang said, flinching as a bolt of lightning lit up the enveloping darkness.
"Incoming!" Fishlegs hollered as a gust of wind propelled Meatlug towards the front, knocking aside Scathach, Jack, and Toothless. As Merida instinctively clutched Scathach's neck to steady herself, she heard a shriek over the roar of the wind. Whipping her head back, she watched in horror as Mulan, Mushu, and Cri-Kee toppled off of Scathach.
"Mulan!" Li-Shang yelled as he desperately reached out his arm to try to save her.
Without hesitation, Merida swiftly dove after her, plunging into the inky expanse of clouds below her. The wind roared in her ears and buffetted her visciously as she struggled to see any sign of Mulan. Quickly pulling back once she realized that Scathach was about to crash into the ocean, Merida, drawing in shallow breaths, darted her gaze around her surroundings, praying that she would spot Mulan flailing in the water somewhere... anywhere... . A roar right behind her signaled the arrival of Toothless and the others.
"Does anyone see Mulan? She has to be here," Li-Shang asked, desperation clearly evident in his tone.
"Oh, Thor, what have I done?" Fishlegs whimpered as he spread out with the others to scan the area. A few agonizing minutes passed before Rapunzel called out,
"There she is!"
Following Rapunzel's gaze, Merida saw Mulan struggling to keep herself and her friends afloat. Just before she could grab Mulan's outstretched hand, a giant wave suddenly reared up, knocking her and Scathach into the ocean as well. The world suddenly became silent as the great wave pushed her deeper into the murky depths. She no longer knew where up or down was. Disoriented, Merida slowly turned her head and saw Mulan, Mushu, and Cri-Kee sinking beside her. This bringing her senses back into focus, she grasped Mulan's arm, while Mushu and Cri-Kee gripped onto their friend's shoulder, and began to swim toward what she now knew was up. As she began to frantically kick up towards the surface, she could see the dark silhouettes of the others trying to get in close. Thrusting Mulan up first so she and the others could get a breath of air, Merida broke the surface soon after, the humid air of the storm a welcome relief for her deprived lungs. Flailing her arms amid the turbulent waves, Merida suddenly gripped onto something long, thick, and stringy. Blinking water out of her eyes, she soon realized that what she was gripping onto was Rapunzel's hair.
"Grab hold!" Rapunzel called out over the storm.
After she had firmly gripped onto the lifeline, Merida grasped Mulan's arm before she could float away, with Hookfang plucking Scathach out of the water soon after. Only after she was assured that all of her friends were safe did Merida realize how exhausted she was from the struggle. She had to constantly remind herself to keep a firm grip onto both the lifeline and Mulan as they were dragged over the water towards the nearest island. Only when she felt her body scraping the sand did she finally allow herself to slacken her grip and lie prone on the shore. Groaning, she slowly and painfully attempted to rise but was only able to roll herself over.
"Oh, you're okay!" Rapunzel cried out, racing toward her friend and helping her sit up.
"Of... of course I am," Merida groggily replied as Scathach sniffed her over to make sure. She did not pay any heed to her dragon's codling, though, as her attention was now drawn to the others gathered around Li-Shang, who was cradling Mulan in his arms.
"She's not breathing!" he panicked.
"Don't you dare die on me, Mulan! You're not just going to let a little water get the best of you, right? You're the Hero of China, for crying out loud!"
As Rapunzel rushed forward to help, Merida began to frantically claw towards Mulan, a sickening feeling settling in her stomach as she saw how pale and clammy her face seemed, how she did not stir... . Suddenly, Barf and Belch broke away from their masters and began to sniff Mulan over. Without hesitation, Barf suddenly emitted a cloud of green noxious gas from his mouth, enveloping her. A few seconds passed before Mulan abruptly regained consciousness and promptly began to cough, expelling the water that was left in her lungs. As her body fell limp in Li-Shang's arms, she mumbled,
"What happened?"
"Thank the gods, you're alive!" Li-Shang exclaimed, drawing her closer to him as the others, including Merida, breathed huge sighs of relief.
"Yeah, I knew you'd pull through," Mushu said to Mulan, earning him a weak smile. Fishlegs soon followed up,
"Oh, man, I'm so sorry, Mulan. It's just that the wind suddenly came up, and then Meatlug lost control, and..."
"It's okay, Fishlegs, it was an accident," Mulan said as Li-Shang helped her sit up. That was when Merida noticed that he had a dark look in his eyes that was concentrated at Hiccup, who was now addressing the twins.
"Well, who knew that Barf and Belch would know what to do?"
"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup... He just needed a moment like this to show his true potential," Tuff replied.
"And let's not forget what Rapunzel and Merida did," Chien-Po followed up, with Rapunzel saying,
"Well, it was the least I could do."
Merida, tired as she was, could only nod in acknowledgement.
Eugene, after staring out at the setting sun, drew Rapunzel closer to him and said,
"Well, I should think that after all that excitement, we'd have to get our rest in for tomorrow. Who knows how many more miles we'll have to cover yet."
After everyone had murmured agreement, they all began to spread out to gather supplies and prepare an appropriate sleeping area. As Merida sluggishly stumbled toward where they were to camp, Rapunzel and Scathach suddenly came up beside her.
"Here, let me help you."
Before Merida could refuse, as her Scottish pride would have her do, Rapunzel insisted on aiding her. Finding no point in arguing, as she felt like she was about to pass out, Merida allowed herself to lean on Rapunzel toward the camp-site, where Ling, Chien-Po, and Yao had already managed to light a fire that was giving off a decent wave of heat. After she had gently set Merida down beside Mulan, who was snugly wrapped up in a thick blanket, Rapunzel rummaged through her pack and retrieved a similar blanket for her friend. Nodding in gratitude, Merida turned her attention toward Mulan, who looked to be as exhausted as she was at the moment. After a while, Mulan turned to make eye-contact with Merida and gave a tiny smile of gratitude. Just as the heat of the fire was starting to dull her senses, Merida just managed to catch a glimpse of Li-Shang glaring at Hiccup once more, as the Viking boy was preparing his own sleeping area. That was the last thing she saw before succumbing to the fire's gentle warmth.
OOXO
Now, as Merida stared at Hiccup nestled against the cave wall, it all had started to come back to her. She had seen many things that had terrified her, but none more so than when she had seen Hiccup's dead-set expression during the storm. He had not seemed to pay any heed to the others' entreaties, had not seemed to ponder the consequences of continuing. She had seen how cautious and careful he was as to the well-being of his friends while she and her family were marooned on Berk. None of that seemed to have been present that night. He would have never put his friends in danger like that.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and trying to forget the dream she had, she picked up her bow and quietly tiptoed out of the cave so as not to wake the others. As she honed in her senses to pick up any sound of nearby animals, she suddenly had the sensation of something piercing her with a dark, malevolent gaze... .Whipping around, Merida raised her bow at the ready, an arrow already pulled taut and ready to fire.
"Whoa, easy there. I'm a friend," Li-Shang said, having taken a step back by her sudden gesture. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed by her impulsive action, Merida said,
"I'm so sorry. I guess this forest is making me edgy."
"That's all right. I'm sure this place could make anyone nervous," he replied, scanning the forest as he said so.
As the dream that she had had crept back into her mind's eye, Merida, rubbing the tip of her arrow between her fingers, asked,
"Have you ever thought of what we'll do, you know, once we get to China? After all, it would be better to have a plan ready for when we get there."
"I've thought about that, as well. However, who knows how many variables of the plan will need to be adjusted when we get there. It's been so long since I was there. Who knows what's changed at this point?" Li-Shang replied, his expression turning grim at the mention.
As the cracking of twigs sounded somewhere off to her left, Merida swiftly readied her bow, while Li-Shang tensed himself up to fight. However, they were soon aware that it was only Mulan this time, toting a bundle of rabbits.
"Well, you two seem edgy today," Mulan chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess you're right about that," Li-Shang replied, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
As they both followed Mulan back to the cave, they saw that Rapunzel was cooking something over the fire.
"What's that?" Merida asked, catching the fresh whiff of herbs.
"Oh, this? It's just a simple soup I put together to go with the rabbits."
Fishlegs, who was paging through a good-sized book, said,
"I made sure to do some research regarding what plants would be safe to use, so you don't have to worry about that."
"Oh, did you think that we would suspect you of trying to poison us, Fishlegs?" Merida teasingly asked as she started to skin the rabbits.
"Ha, ha, very funny."
Just as Merida was beginning to roast the rabbits over the fire, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Hiccup was beginning to stir.
"Good afternoon, sleepyhead. Lunch will be ready soon enough," Rapunzel said as Hiccup stumbled out of the cave, his expression having changed from sleepy confusion to alert horror.
"Oh, gods, what time is it?"
"Calm down, Hiccup. Like Rapunzel said, it's almost dinnertime," Astrid replied, with Merida catching a twinge of exasperation in her voice.
"No... no, no, no. We should have left an hour ago," Hiccup stammered, pacing as he said this.
"Well, too late for that now. People like me can't be their best on an empty stomach," Snotlout said, rubbing his hands in glee at the rabbits roasting over the fire.
"Well, clearly, there's more important things to think about now than filling our stomachs," Hiccup retorted.
"And if we are to save China, clearly we'll have to build up our strength. Did you forget about that?" Li-Shang countered, having abruptly stood up to address him.
"Uh oh," Fishlegs whispered, mirroring Merida's sense of unease as she could feel the tension escalating.
"I understand that, but there are people who need our help, and we can't afford to waste valuable travel time."
"Neither can we afford to take unnecessary risks, like that stunt you pulled with the storm."
"Uh, guys, I think dinner is ready," Rapunzel interrupted, which Merida knew was her own meek way of trying to cease the fighting.
"I didn't think the storm would escalate that quickly," Hiccup replied, a tinge of anger starting to creep into his voice.
"That doesn't excuse the fact that you were putting everyone's lives at risk," Li-Shang quickly retorted, anger clearly heard in his tone.
As it seemed that the argument was getting out of hand, Mulan stepped in.
"Shang, what's done is done. Everything turned out all right in the end."
"We just got lucky, Mulan. Don't forget, you could have been killed! I can't condone risky behavior like what happened that night. And as future leader of your tribe, Hiccup, I should think you should know by now that you can't risk lives under your care like that, not without good cause."
"I am just trying to do what is right for my tribe. Sometimes that involves sacrifices."
Nothing moved, no one spoke, and Merida felt as if the whole bottom of the world had just dropped out from underneath her. Who was this person who had just implied the unthinkable? Certainly not her friend. After he had glared at Hiccup for a brief moment, Li-Shang finally growled,
"Whatever you say... Chief."
After that final retort, Li-Shang, casting a quick glance at the pile of rabbits, picked up a makeshift spear and sprinted off into the woods to kill some more. Mulan, after casting a quick apologetic glance at Hiccup, took off after Li-Shang, with Mushu and Cri-Kee following close behind. As the atmosphere became still once again, it was strange for Merida to hear the calming trills and tweets of songbirds after the heated argument a few moments prior. Their songs were not enough to warm the chill that was settling in her heart as she was gazing at Hiccup, his stiff, commanding posture having gone limp as he seemed to realize what he had just said. Finally, he mumbled,
"You guys... enjoy your meal. I've lost my appetite."
After he had plodded back into the cave, with Toothless trailing close behind him, an awkward silence commenced amongst the others, as they were still trying to come to grips over what had just ensued. After a while, Astrid, heaving a sigh, stood up and simply strode into the cave after Hiccup, apparently going to talk some sense into him, leaving the others in silence.
"I'm sure that Hiccup didn't mean to say what he said. After all, I think we've all been a little frazzled from this trip," Rapunzel finally said in a weak tone of voice, seeming to know that she was treading into dangerous territory.
"Well, even so, you have to admit that he has been stretching us a little too far recently," Chien-Po replied as Rapunzel spooned some soup into his bowl. Yao, having helped himself to a rabbit leg, declared,
"You're telling me. This whole traveling schedule makes the trekking in the Chinese army feel luxurious."
"That's not even the worst part. He hasn't even cracked a smile once since we left. That is not human," Ling stated, with Ruff answering,
"How do you think we feel?"
"Alas, Hiccup does not appreciate the fine art of humor. You are starting to see what kind of prejudiced atmosphere my sister and I, and now you, must endure," Tuff replied.
"Can you guys ever focus on what is important? I think that since Hiccup seems to be out of control, I should be the one to take charge of this rescue mission," Snotlout declared, with Hookfang rolling his eyes in the background.
"Um, I don't think strutting your stuff is what we should be focusing on right now. Don't forget what we're even here for," Fishlegs said.
"Oh yeah, I know exactly what we're doing. If these people need a hero, they're going to be expecting someone who can take whatever kind of punishment will come his way, unlike a certain someone I know," Snotlout slyly replied.
"Knock it off, Snotlout. Everyone's on edge enough as it is," Eugene stated, effectively silencing both of them before another fight could develop amongst the group. All this time, Merida had been half-heartedly nibbling at a chunk of rabbit and sipping her soup, feeling as if a part of her had died inside. What had gone wrong? Was this, coupled with her dream, a sign that worse would go to worst? Could it be that they might even fail?
OOXO
So... did you like? I know that there probably wasn't that much material in this chapter, as far as the advancement of the plot is concerned, but I just wanted to give some background on what has been going on with the group during the time they have been traveling. After all, you can't have a diverse group of adventurers without having at least a tiny dash of conflict, right? ;). After all, it wouldn't be fun otherwise. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed, and please review!