Chapter 2
Hiccup opened his eyes and jerked upright, hearing some kind of commotion. An icy feeling of dread was creeping down his back, but he couldn't see a thing — the glowing rocks in the fire pit had grown cold and the sun had yet to rise.
"Toothless! Light!"
The Night Fury was already awake and growling, as Hiccup could feel the dragon pushing ahead of him protectively, but it wasn't until Toothless fired a plasma blast into the ceiling of the cave that he got some idea of what was going on.
It took a moment, as the light initially blinded him, but then he saw a pair of... things, things with entirely too many legs for comfort, near Fishlegs.
The next minute or so was absolute havoc. All Hiccup could see were flashes as the dragons shot flames and fireballs around the cave, but he caught glimpses of eyes on the walls, of the twins rushing about with their spears, of Toothless tearing at something with his teeth. He tried to stand, but Toothless shoved him back, not letting him near the chaos.
Almost as soon as it started, the fight appeared to be over. There was a tense silence in the pitch black until Toothless lit up the cavern with a jet of plasma to the fire pit. Hiccup looked around in astonishment, seeing a dozen of the large, multi-legged creatures dotted around the cave, most of them trailing wisps of smoke and missing legs.
"Nightcrawlers," he breathed, trying and failing to suppress a shudder. They must have come from deeper inside the cave, sneaking up on the Vikings and their dragons. One was still twitching feebly until Tuffnut wandered over and speared it.
"Everyone okay?" Hiccup asked, looking around. Toothless was still poised defensively in front of him, blocking part of the view, so he patted the dragon and tried to get past. "It's okay, bud, looks like you scared them off. Let's see what's happened."
"We're okay," Tuffnut replied. "Not sure about Fishlegs."
Toothless relented, taking a few cautious steps deeper into the cave, while Hiccup moved into the centre of the cavern and looked around. The dragons seemed fine, though angry, but Fishlegs lay motionless beside Meatlug, who was crouched protectively over her rider.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup said, running over. Ruffnut was already there checking him, while Tuffnut stood nearby with spear at the ready. "Is he okay?" Fishlegs looked pale and unnaturally still and Hiccup's breath caught in his throat.
Ruffnut grunted in confusion. "He's breathing, but not much else," she said. She pointed to a pair of puncture wounds in his neck, which were swollen and oozing some kind of unpleasant-smelling dark liquid. "Looks like they bit him."
Hiccup reached out tentatively, though he didn't touch the wound. "Paralysis. Hopefully it'll wear off quickly." He moved over to look into Fishlegs's face and saw that the other Viking's eyes were open. "If you can hear us, Fishlegs, you're gonna be okay, alright? Just take it easy for a bit." He exchanged a worried glance with Ruffnut. "Snotlout really was telling the truth."
Speaking of Snotlout... Hiccup got to his feet and looked around, feeling a sense of rising panic as he saw no sign of him. "Tuff — where's Snotlout?" And then the bottom dropped out of his stomach completely. "And where's Astrid?!"
Toothless turned to look at him and warbled, gesturing deeper into the cave with his head.
"Oh no..." Hiccup couldn't believe this. If the others had been taken, who knows what might happen to them? "Snotlout! ASTRID!" he yelled, knowing it was probably useless. He began running deeper into the shadows but tottered to a halt as a sudden flare lit up the cave fully. Hiccup turned around, shielding his eyes from the brightness, and saw Hookfang aflame. The Monstrous Nightmare let out a bellowing roar, followed by an enraged shriek from Stormfly, and the two dragons rushed past him to the back of the cave, nearly knocking him over. Neither could get any further, however, because the cave seemed to narrow considerably after a short distance; it tapered down to an angle, and at first Hiccup thought it was a dead end, but then he noticed what appeared to be a deep crack in the wall of the cave. Stormfly snarled in frustration and scrabbled at the rock around it, but it was no good — both dragons were too big to fit through.
"What about Fishlegs?" Ruffnut said from behind him.
"The dragons will look after him," Hiccup said, looking at them. "Right Meatlug?" Meatlug licked her rider's face, then turned to him and growled in determination. Nothing would get past her, Hiccup was sure. He turned to Hookfang and Stormfly and, holding out his hands to placate them, said, "We'll get them back, guys. Trust me. But right now I need you both to look after Fishlegs for us. Can you do that?"
Stormfly hissed at him, scratching at the floor with one talon and shaking her wings, but then seemed to deflate a moment later, walking back to where the fire pit was. Hookfang took a little longer to obey before lowering his head and extinguishing the flames running over his scaly skin. "It'll be alright," Hiccup said softly, walking up to where Stormfly was fidgeting. He placed a hand on her nose, calming the dragon a little. "I promise, we'll get her back, okay?"
Tuffnut was prodding at one of the dead Nightcrawlers with his spear. "I've got a really bad feeling about this..."
They were just as Snotlout described, Hiccup saw, though more spindly than he'd imagined. Most of them were at least as tall as he was, but that was mostly due to their long, folded legs; their bodies were fairly compact by comparison. They had six legs and two shiny black eyes, and the front pair of legs were longer and had short, sharp claws on the end. Taking a few steps closer, he noticed they were covered in bristles and glistened oddly in the dim light, making him shudder again with revulsion.
"Come on, we've got to help the others," Hiccup urged, tearing himself away from the sight and trying not to think of what might be happening to Astrid and Snotlout. He pulled out his knife and retrieved his Gronckle-iron shield from Toothless's harness, then checked to make sure the twins were ready. "We're going to need some more light, bud. Lead the way." Toothless shot a plasma blast through the narrow gap, barely wide enough for him to fit through even if he twisted sideways, but it was enough to show that the passage widened again a little on the other side.
The three Vikings followed Toothless through the rocky cleft, all of them on guard. There were no more Nightcrawlers in sight, although there was some sticky residue on the walls. Tuffnut touched it experimentally, seeing how it stuck to his fingers as he pulled them away; the stuff stretched over a foot before finally snapping. "Like really thick snot," he muttered, obviously fascinated.
"Thanks for that analogy, Tuffnut," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes as he followed Toothless. It was uncomfortably quiet, with only the echoes of the storm outside audible. The tunnel they were in wasn't large, maybe six feet wide and with a rocky, uneven floor, and they were walking in single file with Toothless at the front.
Ruffnut pulled her brother away from the wall. "Wonder if they sneeze," Tuffnut added. He wiped the residue off on his tunic as best he could, leaving slimy trails on the fabric.
The ceiling was getting lower and narrower as they went on; after a couple of minutes, Toothless was having to crawl and even the twins had to duck their heads at times to avoid hitting their helmets on the rock. Just as Hiccup wondered how much further they'd be able to get, he felt his foot land on something that definitely wasn't a rock. He froze and looked down, seeing something pale in the afterglow of Toothless's light.
"Bones." Hiccup bent down to pick it up; he was no expert, but he had the sinking feeling that it was probably a human thigh bone. There were a few other bones scattered all around, too; some animal, some tiny ones that were probably from birds, and a couple of bigger ones that might have been parts of dragon wings.
"You know how I said I had a bad feeling about this?" Tuffnut said. "Well, it's getting worse."
Hiccup sighed. The passageway was barely big enough for Toothless now, and he knew that if the Nightcrawlers attacked, there'd be no room to fight back. "Toothless, you're going to have to stay here and let us go in front. We'll go on a bit more and see if it gets any larger again, okay?"
Toothless was clearly not happy, shaking his head with teeth bared in a low growl. He thumped his tail against the ground and shot another fireball down the passageway, lighting it up again. If anything, it just seemed to get narrower, and there seemed to be more shiny trails of web on the walls and floor. Even worse, Hiccup could have sworn he'd seen a few things moving down there.
"There's no choice, bud. You won't fit, and we can't leave Astrid and Snotlout behind," Hiccup said, sheathing his knife and using his free hand to stroke the side of Toothless's head. "We can't leave them. This is the only way."
There was fear in Toothless's eyes, and he gave a low warble of worry.
"I'll be okay," Hiccup said soothingly, scratching his dragon under the chin. "I'll have the twins with me, right?"
Toothless looked at him sceptically, but then he dipped his head in acceptance. There really was no other way: the tunnel was just too small for dragons. It was surprising that even the Nightcrawlers could fit, but Hiccup figured they squeeze into narrow gaps just like normal spiders do.
"How are we going to see without Toothless?" Tuffnut asked, frowning. "Looks pretty dark down there. I'm all for stabbing those things, but if we can't see them, we can't fight them." Indeed, the light from Toothless's last shot was already fading.
Hiccup was stumped for a minute. Tuffnut was right; they couldn't fight those things in the dark, and nor would they be able to find Astrid or Snotlout.
"Pity we can't breathe fire too," Ruffnut said, poking at the bones with one foot.
And then it clicked. "We don't need to if we can get the dragons to do it for us," Hiccup said, collecting a couple of the larger bones. "Grab a few of the long bones and follow me." Turning to Toothless, he said, "Wait here and guard the passageway, Toothless. We'll be back in a few minutes."
Toothless narrowed his eyes and turned back to look deeper into the cave, watching warily. Hiccup headed back up to the cave, his metal foot scrabbling on some of the rocks, clutching the pair of bones in his hand.
"What do we need these for, anyway?" Tuffnut asked. "Trophies?"
"Clubs?" Ruffnut suggested.
"Light," Hiccup said over his shoulder. "With a bit of help from Hookfang, at least."
It only took them a minute to get back to the main cavern — they hadn't made it far — and Hiccup headed straight to Snotlout's dragon. "Monstrous Nightmare spit burns, remember? It's like a gel." He held out one bone to Hookfang, who looked at him in confusion. "Can you lick this bone for me, Hookfang?"
Obediently, if slightly baffled, the dragon slithered his forked tongue over the end of the bone, then drew back and waited expectantly.
"Do you think he'll set himself on fire?" Ruffnut asked Tuffnut in a conspiratorial tone.
"I heard that," Hiccup said, turning to face them and retrieving a fire starter from his pouch. "And no, I won't. Hopefully, at least." Using the steel and flint, he created some sparks and managed to ignite the gel on the bone, which burned quite brightly. "Ta-da!"
Tuffnut clapped a few times. "What's your next trick?"
That was a good point, actually. Hiccup looked at Meatlug, still hovering over the motionless Fishlegs, but shook his head; Gronckle fire was basically molten rock and unlikely to help them much. Then he glanced at Stormfly; Nadder fire was the hottest, and would even melt metal, but there was no way to store it.
Gas from a Hideous Zippleback, on the other hand...
"Here," he said, holding out the other bone to Ruffnut. "Coat the bones with Hookfang's spit. I've got another idea." He went to Astrid's satchel, pulling out her water pouch and pouring the water onto the ground. Then he did the same with Snotlout's bag of supplies, rummaging through a pair of short swords, an unexpected spare pair of trousers, and a loaf of bread to find the water pouch.
Then he put down his torch at a safe distance and took the empty pouches over to Barf. "Can you do me a favour, Barf?" he asked gently, patting the Zippleback on the nose. "I need you to try to blow some of your gas into these pouches." He held out the pouches and illustrated by blowing into one, inflating it with air. "Yes?"
Barf obligingly shot out a small plume of green gas, causing Hiccup to cough, but he thought at least some of the gas had gone into the pouch. He plugged it with the stopper and then held out the other one, trying not to breathe any more of the noxious green smoke. "Thanks," he muttered afterwards, stumbling away and feeling slightly dizzy.
"What do you need that for?" Ruffnut asked him, holding several spit-covered bones under one arm.
"Never know when it might come in useful," Hiccup said faintly. He stopped for a moment and rested against the wall, waiting for his head to stop spinning and his stomach to stop churning.
"You get used to the gas in the end," Tuffnut told him. "Well, mostly. Sometimes you just puke everywhere."
After a few deep breaths of clear air, Hiccup began to feel a bit better. Straightening up again, he fastened the pouches to his belt and picked up the torch he'd set down. "Alright, looks like we're ready. Let's go."
Toothless was still where they'd left him, though if it hadn't been for his wide, pale eyes staring alertly down the passageway, he could have been mistaken for a patch of shadow. "We're going on, bud," Hiccup said softly. "Wait here and make sure nothing gets past, okay?"
The Night Fury still didn't look very happy about it. He burbled once, nudging Hiccup further back towards the entrance, but Hiccup was having none of it. "I'm sorry, Toothless, but there's no choice. But we'll be fine — trust me, alright?"
Toothless growled with frustration, but he clearly understood that there wasn't any other option. He stepped back, letting the three Vikings squeeze past.
"Stay alert," Hiccup warned, walking slowly through the tunnel. He tried to avoid the walls, which were sticky with residue and glittered in the flickering torch light, although the ground wasn't much better; his feet seemed to cling to the uneven surface with every step. He couldn't see that far ahead, but the passageway just seemed to get lower and lower, forcing them all to duck down. If it got too small for them to walk upright, so they had to crawl, he might have to think of a different plan altogether. Fortunately, after a few more yards, the tunnel seemed to open up slightly, getting higher again if not wider, and he breathed easier; it had started to get a little claustrophobic.
After a couple of minutes of cautious walking, he came to a sudden stop, causing Ruffnut to walk into his back.
"What did you stop for?" she complained. "Did your leg come off?"
Without replying, Hiccup just held up his torch higher, revealing the branch in the cave up ahead. Both seemed no bigger than the current passageway, although he could see pale webbing strung across them both a bit further down.
"I've got this," Tuffnut said, pushing past the other two to stand in front. He glanced back with a smug smile, then turned back and pointed with one hand at the left tunnel. "Eeny meeny miny mo, catch a dragon by his toe, if he burns you, let him go, eeny meeny miny mo." He ended with his hand pointed at the right tunnel. "See? It's this way!"
"Well, it's as good a choice as any," Hiccup decided, reluctantly following him into the right-hand tunnel. A few steps later they paused as Tuffnut began to hack away at the webbing with a dagger, although he didn't have much success.
"Try burning it," Ruffnut suggested. "That's what Snotlout said."
To their surprise, the spit-covered bones burnt through the webbing quite easily. "Dragonfire," Hiccup said with a grin. "Works every time."
They carried on, though they only made slow progress thanks to all the webbing in the way. Hiccup suspected that the Nightcrawlers had done it deliberately, trying to block the path after they'd retreated from the dragons. The only good thing was that the passageway had opened up a bit, and a little further along they stumbled into a much larger cavern, almost as big as the entrance cave where they'd taken shelter. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalagmites rose from the ground like stone spears, and the whole thing was criss-crossed by thick strands of web. There were a few shallow pools of water around the edges and it had a damp feel to it, unlike the dry tunnel they'd emerged from.
The bad news was that the torchlight was reflected in dozens upon dozens of pairs of eyes, all around them — floor, walls, ceiling, everywhere.
"Er, guys, that bad feeling is back again," Tuffnut said quietly. "Like, really bad."
There was a moment of absolute stillness, the Nightcrawlers seemingly as shocked as the Vikings, before the writhing, undulating mass of legs and eyes began to pour towards them like a black wave.
"Time to go!" Ruffnut yelled, ducking back into the passageway, Tuffnut right behind her.
Hiccup turned to follow, but then he had a brainwave. Quickly, he pulled one of the gas pouches from his belt, pulled out the stopper, and tossed it into the cavern, trailing a wisp of green smoke. He waved his torch into it, igniting the trail, then followed the twins to a safe distance.
There was a bright flash and a satisfying BOOM as the pouch exploded, and Hiccup turned to see that the Nightcrawlers were in complete disarray; many of them were simply dropping from the ceiling or from the walls and skittering around in circles on the ground. He watched in amazement as the cavern rapidly cleared, the Nightcrawlers disappearing into nooks and crannies and cracks in the wall, or vanishing into the murky depths on the far side of the cave.
"Wow, that worked better than I expected," he admitted. Raising his torch, he saw that only a couple of the creatures had been caught in the blast, but it had obviously scared the rest away. He wondered why; had it been the noise? The heat? The light?
"We better move quickly before they come back," Hiccup said, hurrying across the cavern to what looked like a well-worn passageway on the other side.
Ruffnut flanked him to the right while Tuffnut followed on the left, both of them staring at the walls and ceiling uneasily. "You know they'll probably just be waiting for us again when we come back, right?" she said.
"Leave one lit torch behind, on the ground," Hiccup ordered, pausing to take one look back. There were already dim shapes moving about in the shadows. "At least we'll be able to see them."
Tuffnut dropped one of his and lit a replacement from his sister's torch, and then they all headed into the next tunnel. This one seemed clearer of webbing, as if they'd already broken past the ambush point, and the rocky surfaces seemed to be worn down more, giving it a smoother look. Hiccup felt a foreboding sense of dread building in his chest as they went deeper and deeper, and after they passed a few smaller branches leading off the main passage, all of them empty except for a few dry bones and loose rocks, he suspected that they were approaching the centre of the Nightcrawler nest.
He slowed as the end of the tunnel approached, nothing but deep black void beyond where the walls ended. "Get ready," he muttered, passing his torch to his shield hand and swapping it for his knife.
"What exactly are you going to use that tiny thing on, Hiccup?" Tuffnut asked, hefting his own double-ended spear. "Vegetables?"
"You would know," Ruffnut shot back. "You've got a turnip for a brain."
"Shut up," Hiccup hissed, lighting his spare bone torch and throwing it ahead into the cavern, hoping for a better view. The flying torch briefly illuminated a low but broad cavern, strewn with piles of bones and what looked like balls of web — maybe eggs? — before landing in the middle and creating a small circle of light, fighting to keep the shadows at bay. Strangely, the place seemed empty, even though he was certain this was the inner sanctum of the nest. It had a feeling of angry malevolence, almost as if the stone itself was reacting to their unwelcome presence.
"Astrid?" he called in a loud whisper. "Snotlout?" He paused, but there was no reply; the only sound he could hear was the tapping noise of the Nightcrawlers moving quickly, quiet at first but getting louder and louder with each passing moment.
Hiccup felt despair eating away at his resolve. They were pretty much lost in this cave, surrounded by giant spiders that wanted to eat them, and he had no idea where his friends might be. He was sick with worry about Astrid and Snotlout, and felt uneasy and vulnerable without Toothless at his side. It was too much. How on earth would they find them in all these stupid tunnels? How would they get out even if they did? They had minutes at most before the Nightcrawlers reached them, and then they'd have to run.
"Oh come ON!" he screamed, a futile expression of his unbearable frustration and terror. Dropping to his knees, he stared down at the ground and heaved a long, deep sigh. He could sense the twins standing behind him, both clearly at a loss.
But then, amongst the echoes of his shout, he heard it: a muffled moaning sound, somewhere off to his right. Instantly he was on his feet and ploughing through bones, rocks, and webbing to get to its source. Dimly he was aware that the tapping, chattering noise of the Nightcrawlers was getting louder, and there was something else on the edge of his awareness, but he ignored it all. Stumbling forward, he came across a pair of cocoons, one of which was wriggling.
"Astrid? Snotlout?" he yelled. The wriggling cocoon emitted another muffled sound and immediately Hiccup was beside it, cutting away with his knife. He daren't use the torch in case it burnt whoever was trapped inside, but the knife was sturdy and a lot sharper than it looked, and he managed to cut through enough strands to reveal Snotlout's face beneath.
"Snotlout!" he said, relief rushing through him. "Are you okay?"
"Bn btterrrr", Snotlout mumbled. His face didn't seem to want to move properly when he spoke; apparently the paralysis hadn't fully worn off yet.
Turning to the twins, stood nearby, he gestured to Snotlout. "Try to cut him free, quickly." Then he moved over to the unmoving cocoon, heart in his mouth, hoping to the gods that Astrid was okay too. He sliced through the tough cocoon carefully, then realised he was also cutting through strands of blonde hair, stuck to the webbing. "Astrid!" he murmured, pulling the cocoon round and trying to clear her face. He realised her nose had been more or less left clear, but as he pulled the sticky strands of web from her face, he saw that she was still pale and had her eyes closed. At least she was breathing.
"We need to go, Hiccup, like right now," Tuffnut said, one hand on his shoulder.
Hiccup glanced up and saw imperceptible shapes moving in the shadows, only the occasional glint of eyes revealing their true nature. Turning, he noticed that although Snotlout was still covered in webbing, his arms and legs and head had at least been cut free. The paralysis hadn't worn fully off yet, however, and Snotlout was just flailing around weakly as he tried to move.
Desperately, Hiccup stared into Tuffnut's eyes. "Can you carry him, Tuff?"
Tuffnut just nodded and turned around to heave Snotlout onto one shoulder. "Can't fight at the same time though."
"Leave that to me. Ruff, grab Astrid," Hiccup said, getting to his feet and pulling out the last pouch of Zippleback gas.
With both twins ready, they began to move slowly towards the mouth of the tunnel again, back to back, holding their torches out in a circle of light. Hiccup knew it wouldn't last; the Nightcrawlers were coming, and even if he couldn't see them, he could hear them, feel them, all around.
Just as they neared the exit, there was a sudden skittering as the Nightcrawlers backed off. Hiccup slowed, curious, but then he heard a resounding thud, followed by another and then another and yet another. Something huge loomed out of the shadows ahead of Hiccup, more than twice his height. It was the largest Nightcrawler he'd seen, with a head the size of Hookfang's and legs like black, hairy tree trunks.
"RUN!" he yelled, lobbing the remaining pouch of gas at the beast's eyes. Igniting the gas, he turned to follow the twins, not looking back as he felt the force of the explosion buffet him.
The next few minutes were a shadowy blur as they raced through the tunnels, dodging or burning webs and thrusting their torches into the face of any Nightcrawler that tried to get in their way — they seemed to shy away from the dragonfire. The passageways just seemed to go on and on and for a moment Hiccup was terrified that they'd gone the wrong direction. It was only when he saw a dim glow up ahead that he felt the tightness in his chest relax slightly, and the three of them ran into the big cavern.
The twins ran on ahead while Hiccup paused momentarily to swipe the fallen torch up, moving his shield up his arm so he could wield one in each hand. He scrambled after the others, struggling to keep his footing on the rocky, sticky surface, and waved the torches around to keep the Nightcrawlers back. He figured it was the light that was holding them back; it was probably too bright for them, hurting their eyes. The cavern was teeming with them though, and he really wished he'd brought a third pouch of gas.
Hiccup stumbled as something big and heavy landed on his back, making him drop one of the torches, but he rolled away and waved the remaining one behind him, getting some of the flaming gel onto the Nightcrawler and causing it to skitter away, screeching, as one leg caught fire.
The twins' torches were getting further and further away, so he got back to his feet and chased after them, his heart thumping like a hammer in his chest. He dodged another Nightcrawler, gulping desperate breaths of air into his lungs, and tried to ignore the sharp pain in his left leg as his metal prosthetic thumped into yet another unexpected rock. He was losing ground on the twins and virtually surrounded by Nightcrawlers, and the fear of being left behind threatened to completely overwhelm him.
His panic rose to a crescendo when his prosthetic got snagged on a strand of web strung like a tripwire between two stalagmites, sending him flying forwards to land flat on his face. Hiccup tugged his leg free and rolled onto his back, holding the torch in front of him, and all he could see were eyes and legs and crawling and dark and at that moment he didn't need any Nightcrawler venom to paralyse him.
"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup screamed instinctively, only realising a moment later that the dragon had no way to help him — he was alone. He was panting raggedly and wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball with his eyes closed, but he knew Toothless would be waiting for him. Toothless wouldn't even be able to leave the island without him. If he didn't get up right now...
With a frantic roar, he waved his remaining torch around, buying himself a little space, and managed to struggle onto one knee. "Ruff! Tuff!" he managed to yell, his voice cracking with fear, as he stumbled forward and bashed another of the creatures with his shield. He couldn't breathe, the air catching in his throat, and he braced himself as he sensed the Nightcrawlers prepare to pounce. But then he gasped in relief as he saw the flickers of torches up ahead — the twins were waiting for him. Seeing the lights in the tunnel, he made another push to catch up to them, using one hand on the ground to steady himself when he nearly slipped again.
"Come on, Hiccup!" Ruffnut shouted back, standing with Tuffnut in the mouth of the passageway. "You can do it!"
Hiccup felt something crash into him from the side, sending him flying against a stalagmite and knocking the air out of him. He closed his eyes for a second, seeing sparkling lights of pain on the insides of his eyelids, then swung wildly with the torch as he forced another breath into his protesting lungs. If only Toothless were here...
The twins had moved further into the cavern to help, still back to back and waving their torches defensively, and Hiccup managed to stagger over to join them. He realised their path was now blocked by more Nightcrawlers and behind him he heard a rapid thump thump thump approaching swiftly. The twins came to a stop, shoulders heaving with the exertion, and put Astrid and Snotlout down before readying their weapons. To his credit, Snotlout managed to struggle unsteadily to his feet, and even Astrid seemed to be moving a little now. Hiccup turned back the way he'd come, still trying to catch his breath, and saw the giant Nightcrawler approach again.
They were trapped.
Hiccup felt himself shaking, legs weak with exhaustion and his shield arm trembling with fatigue. But more than that, he was quivering with fear; he'd not felt this scared since Toothless had pinned him down and roared into his face, way back when they'd first met. Hiccup felt the blood pound in his head, so loud that he wondered whether it was a drum being sounded somewhere. He'd led them all on this trip; he'd led the twins into the Nightcrawlers' cave; and if he didn't do something quick, he was going to get them all killed.
"If you've got any of those genius ideas of yours, Hiccup, now's the time," Tuffnut said quietly.
There were no genius plans that could save them now, he knew, but in the absence of anything clever to do, there was always the option of doing something stupid and crazy. Hiccup was a Viking, and he had his friends to protect. He let out an incoherent yell of terrified fury and charged right at the giant Nightcrawler, ramming his remaining bone torch into its left eye. The hideous beast reared back, letting out an ear-piercing shriek of pain, and Hiccup saw that Hookfang's spit had managed to set fire to part of the thing's face.
Retaliation was swift though. The thing brought one of its tree trunk limbs crashing down on Hiccup, knocking him flat and stunning him. He saw Ruffnut swipe at it with her torch, setting some of its bristles on fire, but then she was knocked away too. The creature's enormous, monstrous face came down towards him and he raised his shield protectively, but it didn't help; the Nightcrawler nudged it aside with ease, nearly dislocating Hiccup's arm in the process. He got one glimpse of himself reflected, cowering, in the thing's remaining eye, then felt a brief shockwave of pain as something sharp and hot sank into his side, below his ribs.
The Nightcrawler's fangs were nearly the size of his arm, he realised, staring up at the one rising out of his body.
The next thing Hiccup saw was the Nightcrawler rearing back again in pain, Tuffnut's spear sticking out of its head. He gasped in shock, pushing himself backwards towards the twins with his feet, but he was already feeling woozy. Turning, he saw the twins exchanging a look of grim determination.
"Stay down, Hiccup," Ruffnut told him, her knuckles going white as she tightened her grip on her spear. "We got this."
Then a trail of green smoke shot over his head and exploded behind the Nightcrawler, causing a deafening bang and a flash of light that left Hiccup seeing spots. He looked over and saw Fishlegs leaning against the wall of the passageway out of the cavern, torch in one hand, sword in the other. "Go! Go!" he shouted, beckoning them on.
Tuffnut picked up Astrid while Ruffnut wrapped an arm around Snotlout, helping him to stumble forward into the tunnel. "Get Hiccup!" Tuffnut yelled on the way past.
Hiccup managed to roll onto his front and even managed to get to his feet; his limbs felt distant, like they were someone else's, but they still worked. Why didn't he hurt more? But he only managed to take three unsteady steps towards Fishlegs before his good leg gave out.
"Fishlegs!" he cried, losing his balance. He managed to break his fall with one arm, but realised that he could no longer feel it. His legs had gone numb, too.
There was another loud bang and Hiccup felt Fishlegs hoist him up and turn to run, but then his vision started to go dark and everything started to get fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was the sight of the giant Nightcrawler's burning face shrieking down the passageway behind them.
His hearing came back first. It sounded tinny and distant at first, but gradually became clearer. And then his sense of smell returned, and he smelled salt and burning and blood. Then sensation began to flood back into his body, though he wished to hell it hadn't — every bit of him felt like it was on fire.
"We have to wait," Astrid was saying, her tone suggesting that she was an inch away from burying her axe in someone's skull.
"But for how much longer?" Snotlout shouted back angrily.
There was a pause. "What if Hiccup doesn't wake up?" Fishlegs said into the silence. "His fever seems to be worse, and the venom must have been a lot stronger if it knocked him out."
"He will," Astrid said, but Hiccup could hear a note of desperation in her words. "It's too risky to try to carry him and Toothless back through this storm, you know that. We wait until he's feeling better, or at least go when the weather's calmer."
"And what if those things find a different way in?" That was Ruffnut, he thought, but she sounded different; more serious, more authoritative.
He tried to move, to give some indication that he was awake, but succeeded only in emitting a soft groan.
"Hiccup? Are you awake?" he heard Astrid call. He felt a cool hand on his forehead and then a finger carefully lifted one of his eyelids. It was dark and blurry but he could see her, an expression of deep concern on her face. She was then shoved aside and replaced by Toothless, who liked his face and his chest happily.
This time he managed a kind of choking sound, which he guessed was kind of an improvement except for the waves of pain it sent through his chest.
"I think he is," Tuffnut said, hovering into view; he looked rather worse for wear, but he was smiling. "He's a tough little critter, ain't he."
"Even if he wakes up, can he fly like that? He's got a hole right through him," he heard Snotlout say, anger and worry in his voice. "We have to get out of here now. Hookfang can carry Toothless."
Hiccup sucked in a breath and tried to speak. " 'Crawls...?" he managed.
"Nightcrawlers?" Fishlegs said eagerly from nearby. "They're not here, Hiccup. We're safe."
A fuzzy Snotlout came into view, his eyes wide and his dark hair still tangled with webbing. For a moment Hiccup thought Snotlout's eyes were glistening, but he figured it must just be his blurred vision. "Hiccup, we need to get you out of here. Can you fly? Blink once for yes and twice for hell yes." An arm shoved him out of Hiccup's field of view again and Astrid reappeared, with Toothless hovering over her shoulder.
The pain was getting worse as his senses returned, Hiccup knew. His head hurt and he felt nauseous but worst of all were the throbbing shards of agony coming from his side. He realised that his tunic was gone and had been replaced by a tight bandage just below his ribs, and he felt both cold and sweaty. Probably not a good sign, he realised.
"Wa-er?" he asked; his mouth and throat were dry as a bone and he could barely swallow.
"Here," Ruffnut said, holding a water pouch and dribbling a little into his mouth. "Take it easy; it'd be a real pain if you drowned after all the effort we've gone to."
That helped. Experimentally, Hiccup tried clenching his fingers; they seemed to respond, although not very strongly. Tilting his head a little, he looked around; the thin, cold light of pre-dawn was filtering into the cave now, giving just enough light to see by. Hookfang and Barf and Belch were stood near the entrance, where it was still pouring with rain, while Stormfly and Meatlug appeared to be guarding the tunnel deeper into the mountain. Toothless and the other young Vikings were gathered around him.
"Wha happen?" he mumbled. It was hard to concentrate.
"We blocked the Nightcrawlers in," Astrid told him gently. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked very pale, and like Snotlout had webbing tangled in her hair and clothing, but otherwise she seemed intact. "Toothless brought the roof down on them and helped Fishlegs pull you out. But you're hurt."
Hiccup tried to sit up, but that just sent a jagged torrent of pain shooting through his nerves, forcing a tortured gasp out of his lungs. "Yeah," he said after catching his breath, now able to form words better at least. "Flying'll be tricky." Toothless made a concerned trilling sound and peered at him upside down from Hiccup's perspective. "Sorry bud."
"Do we even know how to get back to Berk?" Fishlegs asked. "No point in risking it if we're just going to end up flying in circles anyway."
"Toothless can find the way," Hiccup said. His voice was a little stronger now, though talking still hurt.
At that point there was a warning rumble from Hookfang and a screech from Barf, both looking around outside the cave with their heads out in the rain. Snotlout and Fishlegs went over to see what the commotion was about, and Fishlegs let out a squeak of alarm.
"Looks like more of those... things are on their way," Snotlout said, peering out of the cave entrance. "They're coming from the outside this time. Hundreds of 'em." He turned back to the others impatiently, a scowl on his face.
"Can we not be here when they arrive? I'd like that very much," Tuffnut said. He looked exhausted to Hiccup and his left arm was covered in blood. Whose blood, he wondered?
They had to leave. The dragons could probably hold them off for a while, but even they couldn't fight off hundreds of giant spiders indefinitely. Hiccup wasn't going to be the one who kept them all here, entombed in this stupid cave on this stupid island. "Tie me to Toothless," Hiccup said firmly, moving a hand to probe his side and wincing as he touched it. "As long as I can control his tail without falling off, we can fly."
"You won't make it," Astrid said bluntly, and he could see the anguish in her eyes. "Hiccup, there's no way you can fly like this."
"I can get us in the air. Toothless can do the rest." He smiled at her. "I can do this, Astrid, and Snotlout's right — we need to get out of here."
She was clearly reluctant, but there wasn't really much choice. Motioning to Ruffnut, the two each grabbed one of Hiccup's arms. "Gently..." she warned, as they pulled him upright.
It hurt a lot, and Hiccup couldn't hold in the scream. Toothless was growling, unsure what to do, and Hiccup began to have second thoughts. "Just get me on his back," he gasped.
They wrapped their arms underneath his and half carried, half dragged him over to Toothless, who flattened himself as much as he could. Ruffnut managed to drape him on the saddle, though it was not exactly his usual riding posture, and Astrid hooked his foot into the tail mechanism.
"They're gonna be here any second," Snotlout said, hopping from foot to foot next to Hookfang.
"Then slow them down," Astrid told him angrily. "Give them something else to worry about."
He didn't need to be told twice, and with a gust of air, Hookfang took off. Moments later they heard a roar and a blast of hot air as the pair tried to delay the Nightcrawlers.
"Tie me down," Hiccup said, panting with the pain. He was lying on his front and the pressure on his wound was making him really dizzy, but he moved his metal foot experimentally and grunted in satisfaction as Toothless's artificial tail responded correctly.
Ruffnut brought over a rope and looped it around him and Toothless a couple of times, tying it tight enough to make Hiccup cry out again.
"Careful!" Astrid shouted at him. "We don't want him to pass out or suffocate..."
"We don't want him falling off, either," Ruffnut said sharply, but she relaxed the rope slightly anyway.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Hiccup said, hoping he'd believe it himself if he said it enough. It occurred to him that this really wasn't a good idea, but he had no intention of hanging around for those blasted Nightcrawlers to come back. He patted Toothless on the head and said, "Nothing fancy, bud. We get in the air then it's gonna be up to you." Toothless nodded, flexed his wings experimentally, and then ran to the entrance, leaping out into the rain.
At first they just plummeted, racing past the rocky side of the mountain and passing dozens of Nightcrawlers, but Hiccup managed to engage the tail and they flattened out. He locked it in position then glanced back and saw the other dragons spilling out of the cave, following, while Hookfang continued to blast fire at the densest clusters of Nightcrawlers. Some of them fell off the cliff face into the sea, a writhing tangle of legs and flame.
"Time to go, Toothless. Take us home." Hiccup clung on as the dragon wheeled around very slowly, feeling his limbs get weaker and his vision grow fuzzier. "I'm right here, bud," he said, and then he passed out again.
When Hiccup woke up, it felt less like an awakening from sleep and more like his mind was being dropped back into his body from a great height. He let out a groan of pain and slowly forced open his eyes.
His father's face hovered into view and a hand pressed against his forehead for a second. "Thank the gods you're awake, Hiccup. You had us scared for a while."
"Hi Dad," Hiccup mumbled, his mouth dry and cracked. "I guess we made it back okay then."
"Well, Toothless all but crashed through the roof, but yes," Stoick said, his rumbling voice a reassuring and comforting sound. He held a tankard of water to Hiccup's lips, which he sipped from gratefully.
Then Hiccup felt an insistent nudge at his side and turned to see Toothless staring at him, eyes wide and mouth gaping in a toothless grin. "Hey bud," he said, smiling back. "Sounds like we need to work on your landing skills."
Toothless just chirped happily and licked his face a couple of times, and Hiccup patted him weakly on the nose. It was the best he could manage; his limbs felt like they were made out of lead.
"Is everyone else okay?" he asked his father.
Stoick nodded. "A bit shaken, a few cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. You seemed to have got the worst of it, as usual."
Hiccup felt a wave of relief wash over him; at least the others were fine. "Well, at least my remaining limbs are intact this time. That's an improvement, right?" But then just to make sure, he wriggled his fingers and toes. "Just checking," he said, heat rising in his cheeks as his father raised a curious eyebrow. "And Mulch and Bucket made it back?"
"They returned the day after you did," Stoick explained. "Bucket felt the storm coming and they anchored in a cove to wait out the storm."
It was only then that he realised it was dark outside. "Have I been out all day?"
His father didn't reply immediately. "Hiccup, you've been back on Berk for three days," Stoick admitted finally. "You've been in a deep fever. If you'd got back any later..." He left the sentence hanging, apparently unwilling to finish that thought, and that was fine with Hiccup.
"Anyway, get some rest, son," Stoick said, patting him gently on the shoulder and then standing up to go. "You'll feel better in the morning. Just give me a shout if you need anything."
Later, in the dark silence after his father had gone, Hiccup felt scraps of memory slide back into place; flickers of faces — Astrid, Gobber, even the twins — and flashes of himself thrashing around in his bed, convinced he was surrounded by Nightcrawlers. He shuddered, trying to rid his mind of those thoughts again.
His whole body ached and he could barely lift his arms and legs; from the tightness in his chest he knew the bandage around his middle was still there, although the wound in his side felt oddly numb; he wasn't sure whether that was some residual effect of the venom or some kind of poultice from Gothi, but either way he was glad.
And it was a big relief and comfort to have Toothless curled up next to his bed. "Did you miss me, bud?" he asked gently, holding out one hand. The Night Fury nuzzled it, making some burbling noises of contentment, and Hiccup chuckled. "Thanks for getting us back home, Toothless."
It took him quite some time to fall asleep that night, and when he did, it was never for long. It seemed as though whenever he closed his eyes, he'd see Fishlegs frozen on the stone floor, and Astrid and Snotlout wrapped in cocoons, and the twins standing above him, ready to die. He'd hear the tapping noise, and see the vengeful face of the giant Nightcrawler staring down at him, tendrils of smoke curling from its burning eye. And then he'd wake up in the darkness, his side in agony, his bed drenched with sweat.
It was a long, long night.
Hiccup hadn't deliberately set out to avoid everyone, but he found he just wanted some time to himself, to wrap his head round things, before seeing them. The first day he'd been too weak to do anything more than totter around his room a little anyway, and he'd asked his father to keep out any visitors. Stoick had given him a look of dubious confusion, but he didn't argue, and he had dutifully turned away Astrid and Gobber when they'd arrived. Hiccup had heard them downstairs, but he just sat against Toothless with his head in his hands, trying to make sense of the chaotic maelstrom of thoughts in his head.
The second day Hiccup felt a little better, so he sneaked out early with Toothless. He didn't quite feel up to a proper flight, but he let Toothless fly him down to the cove, where he smiled as Toothless ran around chasing a squirrel and tried unsuccessfully to catch some fish. They spent most of the day splashing about or dozing in the warm sunlight, enjoying the more favourable change in the weather.
So it wasn't until the third day that Astrid eventually tracked him down. Hiccup had gone down to the forge; Gobber had given him a cheerful nod but said nothing more, apparently understanding his need for a bit of privacy, and let him tinker around in the back of the forge by himself. He was starting to get his strength back — well, what little of it he'd ever had, at any rate — and there were often times in the past when he found smashing red-hot metal with a hammer quite relaxing. If nothing else, it allowed him to work out some of his frustrations on something that couldn't fight back.
Astrid hovered silently in the doorway for a few minutes, watching him work without interruption. Hiccup had noticed that she'd taken to doing that more frequently in recent months, but he didn't mind. He just hammered at a piece of metal, bashing it into shape, and enjoyed the quiet company as he focused on his work. "What are you making?" Astrid asked finally, curiosity apparently getting the better of her.
"A prototype," Hiccup replied, shoving the piece of metal back into the furnace for a minute to heat it back up. "Just testing out some new ideas."
Astrid poked about at the various components on the workbench. "Looks pretty intricate, even for you." She picked up one of the larger parts and said, "Is this some kind of pommel?"
"Half of one." Hiccup wandered over and picked up the other half, showing her how they slotted together. "Most of the other bits will fit inside, assuming I can get it to work."
But Astrid wasn't really paying much attention; she was watching him instead. "Sleeping any better?"
He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "A little." Returning to the furnace, he pulled out the metal and placed it on the anvil. He still needed to thin it out a bit more, then bend it into shape and flatten it. Sharpening could come later. "You?"
"Same," was all she said.
Hiccup swung the hammer onto the metal a few times, feeling the growing ache in his limbs and painful twinge in his side; he knew he was pushing himself a bit harder than he probably ought to, but he just wanted to be doing something. "How's Tuff's arm?" He'd been rather distressed to hear that Tuffnut had received a pretty deep slash in his arm at some point during the fight.
"You could ask him yourself, you know, if you weren't hiding out all the time."
He stopped hammering and sighed; he deserved the rebuke. "How did you find me, anyway?"
Astrid snorted with amusement. "There was a Night Fury standing guard outside; it wasn't hard. I'm surprised Toothless was even willing to let you out of his sight." She was silent for a couple of minutes, watching him work with the strip of metal. "The others are asking about you, you know." There was a pause in which he was sure she was rolling her eyes before she added, "Even Snotlout is worried."
"I'll come down to the academy later this afternoon," he said, resting his arm and catching his breath. He was sure the hammer had never been this heavy before. "I just need a bit more time, okay?"
Astrid gripped Hiccup's shoulder with one hand and spun him around gently to face her. With her other hand, Astrid tipped his chin up to make him look at her. "What are you hiding from, Hiccup?"
"Is this another of those famous Astrid pep talks?" he said, forcing a grin.
She smiled back, but there was a stern glint in her eyes. "It'll be another of those famous Astrid smackdowns unless you tell me what's got into you."
Hiccup shook off her hand and paced about a bit, nervous energy making him unable to stand still. "It's just..." But he couldn't explain it. How could he? How could he admit just how terrified he'd been of being left behind, alone, in that dark nest? How he'd nearly got them all killed — how he'd nearly lost Astrid? How every night he woke up panting, drenched in sweat, after staring again at his own reflection in the eye of that thing?
He owed his friends a massive debt of gratitude for saving him, for standing by him when he fell, and he just didn't know how to tell them that. Especially since they'd only been in that situation in the first place because of him.
Astrid's expression softened. "You know it's not your fault, right?"
"I know." Hiccup finally met her gaze and smiled briefly. "But next time we take shelter in a cave, remind me to make sure it's empty first, alright?"
"Deal." She headed for the exit, but paused at the door to ask, "Promise you'll come to the academy this afternoon?"
"Yeah, I promise," he said, nodding. "Can't slack off any longer, after all." And he knew he would have to face them at some point, no matter how hard he tried to put it off.
Hiccup resumed hammering the metal, wincing every time he tried to raise his arm too high. It didn't bother him too much, though, and he did feel a bit more cheerful after Astrid's visit. Maybe Astrid was right; she usually was, after all.
True to his promise, Hiccup found himself reluctantly flying down to the academy later that day. He could smell something burning and heard some bickering, and he felt a spontaneous smile spread across his face. "Sounds like things are back to normal already, Toothless," he said as they flew into the arena.
"Hey, Hiccup's back!" Tuffnut shouted, sounding oddly pleased. He was sprinting across the arena, being chased by his sister. Ruffnut, Hiccup noticed, was covered from head to toe in fishguts and was waving a mace over her head in a most threatening manner.
"Finally..." Snotlout said loudly, turning to see Hiccup dismount. He was stood next to Hookfang, holding a flaming throwing axe in one hand with more axes was on the ground next to him. Hiccup figured he'd been getting Hookfang to coat the axes in spit and then using the stack of destroyed barrels — the source of the burning smell — as target practice. " 'Bout time you bothered to turn up for work." But there was a smile on his face nonetheless.
Hiccup glanced around, taking in the smoking remains of the barrels, scorch marks on the walls, a scattered pile of rotten-smelling fish, and a long red streak of something he sincerely hoped was not blood leading to one of the dragon doors. "I'm gone for less than one week," he said in exasperation, "and this place looks worse than a battleground."
Astrid jogged over, brushing her hair out of her eyes with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know how you manage to keep them all in line," she said, glaring at Snotlout. "It's been crazy."
Fishlegs emerged from behind Meatlug, where he'd apparently been taking cover from Snotlout's target practice. "How are you feeling, Hiccup?"
"Much better, thank you," Hiccup said, giving him a genuine smile.
Tuffnut and Ruffnut came over, and Hiccup spotted what looked like a new dent in the side of Tuffnut's helmet. Ruffnut, a guilty expression on her face, hid the mace behind her back. "Wanna see my new scar?" Tuffnut asked, proudly rolling up his sleeve to show a bloody scab several inches long across his upper arm. A few crude stitches were visible and Hiccup's heart fell.
"Tuffnut, you need to stop taking off your bandage — it'll get infected," Fishlegs scolded him.
"Where's the fun in having a battlescar if you can't show it off?" Tuffnut shot back. But then he caught sight of Hiccup's stricken expression and said, more quietly. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt too much, except when Ruff smacks it. But it's cool, right?"
Hiccup opened his mouth but no words emerged. He just stared at the wound and found himself momentarily back in that dark cave, on the rocky floor, with the twins standing beside him. "I'm sorry, Tuff," he managed in the end, stammering slightly and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's my fault. I should have come up with a better plan, one that didn't nearly get us all killed."
Ruffnut prodded him in the stomach with her mace. "Don't be such a yak-brain, Hiccup," she said. "Your plan worked, didn't it?"
"I dunno, could have worked a bit better," Snotlout said, swaggering over; Hookfang, looming behind him, gave him a thwack to the helmet with one clawed wing. "Ow, what was that for, Hookfang?"
A ghost of a smile began to return to Hiccup's face. "Good to know at least Hookfang has my back," he said. But then he looked around them all, particularly the twins and Fishlegs, and held each of their gazes for a moment. "It's good to know you all have my back. It means a lot."
Astrid gave him a gentle punch in the shoulder. "As if there was ever any doubt," she said, forced cheerfulness in her voice. "I'm just glad we all listened to Snotlout for once and didn't just wait in that cave for the storm to be over."
Hiccup felt Toothless nudging up against his side and smiled down at him, blinking away the sudden tears that were prickling in his eyes. "So," he said, clearing his throat and looking up again at the others with a wry grin. "Does anybody want to explain to me why the academy looks like a herd of wild dragons had an all-night party in it?"
"It was only a small party," Tuffnut said, shuffling his feet. "That's okay, right?"
Hiccup laughed for the first time in days. "Yes, Tuff. It's okay."
And it really was, Hiccup realised; yes, they'd all been through something terrible, but they'd faced their fears and made it through together. They were a team and no matter what, they would always be there for each other.
"So," he said, smiling. "Who's up for a bit of dragon racing? Last one back has to clean up the arena..."