A/N-I have to admit, a little disappointed by the lack of response to my two questions from last chapter: one, what you all thought was happening to Toothless, and two, the idea of starting my own "Book of Dragons." So, I'll ask again here for the latter. The former, well, I guess you still have another chapter to wait so guess away! :D
Chapter 11
Missing
Oh, how long it had been, a full night's sleep, and waking up late in the morning. I lay there, content not to move at all.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Until the frantic knocking on the back door forced me to get up, frowning as I did so. I pulled on a clean set of clothes as quickly as I could, and darted out to the kitchen where I found, unsurprisingly, Hiccup and Astrid at the door again. I yanked it open and stepped out, my irritation apparently crystal clear on my face.
"You know, it's been nearly a week since I managed to sleep in, and I was going to enjoy my one weekend without work," I grumbled. "What's happened now?"
Hiccup shrugged hurriedly. "Sorry, we were hoping for a peaceful day too," he said, "but we have a really bad problem: Toothless is gone." A chill ran down my spine, and my eyes widened a bit. "Are-are you sure he's not just playing a game of 'find me'?" I asked hopefully. "For the past 3 hours?" Astrid asked. "We all know how Toothless tends to stick close to Hiccup, and he almost never disappears for that long."
I sighed. "Okay, so for obvious reasons he's not at the cove, or at your house," I began, looking at Hiccup. Then I glanced at the portal. "Did you check the warehouses and the overlook?" Hiccup nodded, and started counting off places on his fingers. "Yes, and the forest trails, and the boats in the harbor, and the rest of the teen's houses, and even the guest houses and the sea stacks, and-" "Okay, okay, I get it," I said, cutting him off. I rubbed my forehead and groaned.
"We also noticed a couple of other things too," Astrid added in. "There's scratch marks and boot prints in the dirt around the trees behind the village, a couple of old ropes too, and one of the ships in the harbor has gone missing." I raised an eyebrow, and queried, "One of ours, or Ingavar's?" "Ingavar's." I nodded, and went inside to grab some equipment. "Then we had better get moving. Now."
I told my mom I had to leave (much to her annoyance, again) and we wasted no time in flying to Berk, Astrid and Hiccup on Thorn and me, well, on my own of course. Once there, I glided down and landed in front of the chief's house. He wasn't there, either. "They all in the Great Hall?" I asked. Hiccup nodded. "Probably," he muttered. Again, we took off, wasting no time.
I slammed the doors of the hall open, and sure enough, both of the chiefs were inside, numerous other Vikings gathered with them around the stone firepit. As I walked in, my loud entrance turned every head in my direction.
"Ah, Hawken, good te see you here!" Stoick said. I nodded, but locked eyes with Ingavar. His expression told me he had read mine, as his face became more nervous than before. I walked over to them, and glared at the visiting chief. "What do we know about Toothless' disappearance, and that of your ship?" I asked lowly.
"I-I, uh, all I know is that some of my men and one of the ships are missing currently," Ingavar said quietly. "I am assuming they found a way to take him with them." "And where, pray tell, would they most likely have taken him to?" I growled, slowly beginning to boil as I put the pieces together. "Well, I uh, don't know, really," Ingavar replied. "I mean, there are a number of trading locations we've set up, many of which they could have gone to, but I could be-"
I whirled on Ingavar, my anger causing my eyes to blaze red, and my wings flared out behind me. "I don't care where they could have gone!" I yelled. "Give me the most likely spot, your best guess if that is all you have, the closest location, and that's it!"
The hall went silent. I have a short temper when I'm alone, but I am usually reserved around others. Everyone knew if I started yelling, then I was past boiling point. Ingavar was similarly taken back by my outburst, and wasted no time in getting to the point. "There's a group of big game hunters who own a facility on the coast of Norway," he blurted. "They pay good money for exotic animals for their clients to hunt. A Night Fury, or any dragon for that matter, would fetch top price there, and it's only a couple of days' sailing from here. They probably headed there." I nodded, and looked at Stoick. "Thank you Ingavar. Stoick, how fast could we get there flying?" Stoick leaned back slightly and rubbed his chin. "If it's about two or three days by sea, then I'd say only just over a day by dragon," he answered. "Good," I said, and faced Hiccup and Astrid. "Get the rest of the teens, tell them to grab their weapons and some provisions, and get ready to leave. I'll be back within an hour or two."
I blasted homeward, running inside when I arrived and grabbing a small pack, filling it with some food and my swords. As I did this, my father came downstairs to find me. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Toothless has been kidnapped, and we're going to find him," I replied curtly. "I'll be gone for a couple days."
My father folded his arms. "I understand you aren't working this particular weekend, but you do have a job to uphold here still. Just how long will you be gone?" I sighed. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be packing extra food," I muttered. "If he was taken where we think, I should be back around three days, tops. If things go really bad, maybe 5." He sighed. "You'll have a lot to do when you get back then. Be safe, will you?" I smirked. "I'm half dragon. I'll be plenty safe." He nodded and headed back upstairs. After I had properly secured my swords to my pack, I ran upstairs to make sure everything would be properly secure at home while I was gone, grabbed what little more food I thought I would need, and darted back to the portal.
Ingavar's fleet of ships would be following us to the village we were headed to, as he had completed everything he thought was necessary in his stay in Berk, so all preparations took us into the evening. I circled the village one last time, and after being satisfied myself that everything was in place, and going as Stoick had ordered, I glided back to the Great Hall.
"All preparations look secure outside," I relayed to Stoick, and then I turned to everyone else. "Is everyone ready?" Everyone who was going nodded in unison. "Good," I said. "We leave at the crack of dawn, no later." It was too late to leave that night, as while the sun was up until almost midnight that far north, we needed our rest for the long flight ahead, and so we would have to wait to take off. Of course, that didn't help Hiccup at all with how he was feeling. Throughout dinner, I watched as he sat at the table with the rest of the teens, barely picking at his food.
After a good half an hour of him sulking, I finally turned to face him. "Look, I know this hurts, to have someone so close disappear on you," I started, "but starving yourself will not help save Toothless. It will only hurt you, and we can't have that. You're skinny enough already." Hiccup sighed, smiling slightly at my jab, and looked at me. "I can't help it," he said quietly. "I don't know where he is, whether he's still perfectly fine, or dead. I don't do well under that kind of pressure, okay?" I nodded, and put my arm over his shoulder.
"I know how you feel, Hiccup," I said. "Toothless is strong, it would take a lot to actually bring him down. We need you to be strong too, though, as we're going to need everyone at their top game if things turn really south somehow." I glanced at the doors of the Hall. "But believe me," I continued, "if I say we will find him, we will find him. Plus, I assure you I am going to make sure none of these numbskulls ever tries a stunt like this ever again." I smiled, and Hiccup returned it, before finally turning and actually taking a bite of his food.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the village commons. The teens and their dragons readied to take off, and we found a local Nightmare who was big enough and willing to carry Stoick as well. I turned to Hiccup. "Ready to go?" I asked. He nodded, lifting up his two swords and attaching them to his harness. "Good." I bent forward, morphing again to full-on Night Fury. As I kneeled down, Hiccup walked over and hoisted himself up, taking a seat across the base of my neck. "Mind the swords," I joked. Hiccup only smiled. "You have them too, yours or mine?" "Both." We chuckled slightly, and looked around. Seeing everyone in place and ready, I roared loudly and snapped my wings out, lifting off vertically into the air. The rest of the riders followed thereafter.
As I looked back, I saw the teens and Stoick flying, Stoick coming up next to me to help find the way, but I also spotted some dragons carrying some of Ingavar's crew as well. "Hey, Hiccup, looks like we've got some extra help with us." He looked back as well, and laughed. "Looks like some of our 'help' also still has a fear of heights," he snickered. We chuckled, at the expense of some of the green faces following us, then focused forward, flying in relative silence. The ocean stretched out below us, flat and gray-blue, as the island of Berk disappeared behind. With not even a fishing boat visible this far out, it was quite an isolating feeling. The only thing breaking the monotony was Ruff and Tuff's inevitable quarrel.
By evening, we had managed to reach the most western edge of Norway, and decided to set up camp on an elevated beach at the open end of a fjord. I stayed dragon, in case there happened to be any problems that evening, like wandering predators or untrusting locals. As night fell around us, everyone gathered around the fire we built, Astrid and Hiccup adorably cuddling together to conserve warmth, and using me as a backrest in place of Toothless.
"So exactly where is this hunting facility?" I asked, glancing at one of Ingavar's men. "Eh, about twenty miles from the Atlantic, near the coast o' the North Sea," he replied. I nodded. "So we have to fly around the tip, and head east from there." The Viking nodded, and turned back to the fire.
Fishlegs spoke up. "If my reading of the maps is correct, and with the rate we've been flying, we should be able to get there no later than midday tomorrow if we follow the coast," he said. I nodded in agreement. "That means they'll probably arrive by early morning, so it should be easy enough to find them," I added. "I hope so," Astrid muttered. "I'm looking forward to giving them a pounding they'll never forget." "I'll help," Hiccup muttered, and everyone snickered at that thought. After that, the night continued to grow deeper, and one by one, everyone began to drift off to sleep, retiring under the blankets we'd packed as the fire began to die down.
As the moon rose, I discovered I had fallen asleep as well, and awoke to find that there were no longer two warm bodies resting against my side. Hiccup and Astrid had left after I had drifted off. I quietly got to my feet, and followed the footprints in the moonlit sand. The footprints led away from the beach, toward the forest rising up along the coast. Within, I found a trail leading up the steep incline of the slope.
The trail led me up the side of the cliff by the beach, to a bluff high above. It overlooked the fjord, and glancing over the side, I saw the water below sparkle in the reflection of the moon, lined by the dark color of the trees on the shoreline. As I quietly emerged from the trees, I finally caught the voices of the couple I was searching for.
"-going to blame me. I didn't even notice I wasn't getting woken up for an early flight like usual," Hiccup was saying. I crept out a little further, my dark hide still well camouflaged against the forest, and spotted him and Astrid sitting together, wrapped in cloaks, at the edge of the bluff, overlooking the fjord. As Hiccup spoke, Astrid leaned against him. "It was a long week," she said. "We were all tired, and it happened when everyone was asleep. They even managed to sneak past the night guards, let alone a boy sleeping in his room. Toothless won't blame you for that." Hiccup sighed and turned to her.
"You know how Toothless can be at times though. Someone hurts him badly enough, he may try to find someone to lay it all on." "Not you," Astrid assured. "He's your best friend; you two are practically tied at the hip. He's far too attached to you to go off like that if you're there." She sat up and grabbed his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. "You are being too hard on yourself, and you know it. Everyone knows you're one of the few that could calm him after something like this. You managed to keep him from killing your dad when he thought your life was at stake." "Yeah, thanks for reminding me about that day," Hiccup grumbled. Astrid punched him on the shoulder lightly. "You know what I mean," she growled. "But you are the one he will listen to, you'll see." They both looked out toward the ocean, sitting in silence for a few minutes.
I was about to get up and leave, before conversation started anew. "Everything will be alright," Astrid began again. "We've got Stoick and Hawken along with us. Stoick is the figurehead that people will actually be willing to surrender to, and he knows all the technical laws and such, and Hawken….well, we all know how he is." They both laughed as I raised an unseen eyebrow. "You're probably right," Hiccup said. "He'll leave them with a memory they'll never forget." I smirked. Yes, yes I will, I thought, and the rest of the country once word spreads.
"Between you and me, though," Astrid began, leaning on Hiccup again, as Hiccup placed and arm around her, "I think he misses Toothless almost as much as you do." Hiccup snorted. "He sure knows how to hide it then," he drawled. "I mean, he got angry when he heard about the kidnapping, but he hasn't been moping around about it." Astrid chuckled and also put her arm around Hiccup. "Well, he's good at hiding a lot of things," she replied. "You two really aren't that different at all; you three if you count Toothless." Hiccup smiled and looked at her. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked jokingly. Astrid looked up at him with a warm smile. "Maybe a little of both," she said, drawing close to him. They chuckled again, and leaned together for a kiss. I smirked at the show of affection, knowing I now had something else that would turn Hiccup red later, and decided that it was time I left. I quietly crept backward into the trees again, leaving the two Vikings in peace and privacy.
Morning came, and we hurried to clean up camp and get moving again. All we really had to do was roll up blankets and cover the fire, and once all the supplies were back in place, we were off again. As we flew, I took note of the Norwegian coast. Back home, I had seen pictures of the ocean-carved fjords and thick forests, but never seen it in person. Norway certainly is quite a sight, what with the rivers and fjords etched all through the coast, along with rolling hills and sparse mountains beyond, in the distance. I glanced back at Hiccup, who was more focused ahead of us than at the scenery we were passing.
"So you think I'm a memorable character, huh?" I drawled nonchalantly. Hiccup jerked in his seat and glanced in surprise down at me. "Wha-wait, who told you about that?" he sputtered. "No one," I said casually. Hiccup blinked, and it took a couple of seconds before he put the pieces together and realized what I meant. "You found us last night, didn't you?" he asked quietly, color already beginning to flush across his face. I laughed. "You up and leave in the middle of the night without telling anyone, and you think the dragon you two were sleeping against wouldn't notice and come try and make sure you were alright?" I glanced back again and gave him the fisheye, my tone going more serious. "Remember, if you and Astrid manage to actually disappear, that means there are three friends I will be forced to find and rescue." Hiccup looked slightly guilty. "Look, I'm, uh, sorry we made you worry, but it's just that-"
I started giggling again, cutting him off. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and his shoulders slumped. "What's so funny now?" he asked. "I know why you left," I said, still grinning. "I heard the conversation. And it's perfectly understandable; I was just giving you a bit of a hard time." Hiccup groaned. "Which I should expect coming from you by now," he said. I smiled and shrugged.
"Astrid's right, by the way," I continued. Hiccup glanced at her on Thorn, confused. "What do you mean?" "Toothless does mean a lot to both of us," I said. "You think I'm good at hiding it right?" Hiccup nodded. "That's only because I've learned that if you publicly show attachment, or always look down in the dumps when something goes wrong, people won't listen to a word you say, and they'll take advantage of your feelings for others if they know," I explained. I glanced at Astrid and Thorn as well, then gestured with my paw to the rest of the Vikings.
"I've managed to get you guys to follow and trust me partly because I have worked on not showing great concern and worry as really affecting me." I looked up at Hiccup. "Though it does, more than you'd know. That's also a lesson you can use when you become chief." He groaned. "Did you have to bring that up?" he asked. "I'm not looking forward to it." I chuckled. "No, but like your father, you were born to lead, you are a natural at it. I'm not; all my leadership skills were learned over years of training and experience. Besides, when that day comes, I'll be there to help." "Oh, that's a comforting thought." We both chuckled again, and finally, I managed to see that shine begin to return to Hiccup's eyes.
"There it is!" "Oh, finally!"
After a half-day's flight, we had finally made it within visual range of the target village. I peered closer, and spotted the missing ship moored at the docks in the harbor. "They're here too," I announced. Stoick nodded. "Alright, everyone te the beach below!" he bellowed. We dove down and glided to the sandy shoreline fronting the forest.
As we landed, all the Vikings got off and gathered in a loose circle. When I didn't immediately join them, they all glanced at me. "Well?" Snotlout said impatiently. I sighed. "I can hear you perfectly fine from here," I replied. "Yes, but the people here've probably nae heard o' talkin' dragons," one of Ingavar's men pointed out. "Good point," I conceded, morphing back to myself and joining them.
"Okay," Stoick began, wringing his hands. "We're here for information, but these people are probably not too trusting of many Vikings, or dragons at this point. We will fly in formation to the village, me in lead as the chief, followed by Hiccup and Astrid behind, and everyone else in formation behind them." He took a stick on the sand and drew a quick picture of who was to be where. "When we land in the village, we split up and find someone who knows where our delinquents went," he continued. "When we find out where this place is, we head there and plan the rest when we find it."
Here Stoick, followed by everyone else, glanced at me. "What? You're the chief, Stoick, you don't need an okay from me," I deadpanned. "I know, but I'm nae sure how we're goin' te get any untrusting villagers under control," he said. I sighed. "Well, any issues arise, I'll take care of them," I replied. "And when we find this facility, everyone should stay in the forest. I'll go in, find out where they're hiding Toothless, and then report back."
I bent down and drew with a claw another rough sketch. "We can deal with the details later, but everyone should simply march up to the front gate or door or whatever, and request to speak with whoever's in charge. I don't think I need to explain why the dragons should stay hidden during this part, though," I said, glancing at the reptiles. "I don't want to risk any more of them getting caught." I stood up. "Should they let you in without any issues, find out who is responsible and apprehend them. If they don't let Toothless out without a fight," I glanced at Hiccup, "you whistle, and I'll take care of the rest." Astrid lifted a hand. 'Um, what if they won't let us in?" she asked. "Then Hiccup will just whistle a little sooner," I replied, smirking. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Stoick said. "Everyone mount up, and get in formation!" We all did so, the Vikings mounting as I transformed to Night Fury again, and Hiccup got on. We lifted off again, and flew out over the water.
As we came in over the ocean, off the shores of the village (Sturmlein, as Ingavar's crew called it), Stoick signaled to get in proper formation. I glided in behind Firetail, Stoick's temporary ride, and Astrid and Thorn came in beside me. Everyone else lined up behind us, and as Stoick gestured downward, we all dipped nose-first toward Sturmlein. We gained speed, me working to try and keep from shooting past Stoick, but even still the signature whistle began to build up in the wind around me. Down below, I watched the docks begin to pass below us, and watched in mild amusement as the villagers began screaming and diving for cover. Apparently, they knew enough about dragons to know what we were capable of.
The center of the village neared, and we simultaneously flared our wings, touching down. We all formed a circle as the villagers gathered, shocked at the sight of people riding the very creatures they had likely been taught to fear, and I also began to see traces of other feelings besides apprehension in their faces.
"Who is the leader of this village?" Stoick boomed. For a moment there was silence, no one speaking. Then, came the sound of rushing feet, and a small group of armed men came marching into the square. Between them was a distinguished looking, thin and yet strong man.
"I am Harald, governor of Sturmlein," the man spoke, with a hardened tone. "Who are you, and what is your business here in our land, terrorizing my people?" Stoick cleared his throat. "I am Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligan Viking tribe. We are searching for a group of men from the Seafarer tribe of Ingavar the Fearsome, whose ship we spotted in your harbor."
Stoick dismounted from Firetail and stood squarely in front of Harald. "The men we search for left our village but three days ago, with stolen property." I growled warningly, and Stoick glanced at me, realizing his mistake. "I correct myself," he said, "they stole a valuable and necessary part and member of my village." Harald crossed his arms. "And what, per se, is it which they stole?" "My son's dragon, a Night Fury."
Harald stole a look at me and Hiccup. "Is that your son there?" he asked. Stoick nodded, and Harald snorted. "Quite the shrimpy child, for such a figure as you. But I see he is already riding a Night Fury, so I am assuming you are here for no more than revenge?" Stoick sighed, and I could see he was none too happy at the slight toward Hiccup. "Nae, that is not his dragon," he said measuredly. "That is a friend of ours, and Hiccup's dragon is still missing, kidnapped."
Harald began to laugh. "A friend, you say?!" he chuckled. "You refer to the beast as if it's practically human!" At this, the rest of the village caught on to their governor's joviality, an began to laugh at our expense as well. As Stoick's attempts to gain their attention again failed, he looked at me. I glanced up at Hiccup, and whispered quietly, "Cover your ears." He did so, and Astrid, who was also nearby, followed his lead. Once they were covered, I raised my head up, took in a large breath, and screamed out an ear piercing shriek, reverberating across the commons and vibrating the pots and windows nearby. I found mild amusement in the fact that one directly across from me gained a sudden spider web crack as well. As Harald and his villagers cringed at the noise, dropping to the ground and covering their ears, I quieted and motioned for Hiccup to get off. He obliged, and I stepped up next to Stoick, both of us looking none too pleased. Harald, noticing the shriek was no more, uncovered his ears and stood up slowly. He glanced down at me. "So, the beast can understand us," he said. "I still find it hard to believe you'd put them at the same levels as us humans though." I glanced up at Stoick, who nodded. Turning back to Harald, the first thing I did was smile mischievously.
Even just that was enough to make Sturmlein's governor do a doubletake. "Did…did that thing just…smile at me?" he squeaked. "Keep watching, he might do a trick," Stoick replied. A snort escaped from Hiccup behind me. I obliged to Stoick's reference, and stood up, flaring my wings. Harald backpedaled, thinking I was about to attack, but as within the next two seconds my wings completely disappeared, he fell over instead. I continued to change, my tail, scales, and any other draconic feature melting away, leaving me standing there, just a teenage boy with a pack and a pair of swords on my back.
The village was so silent, you could hear the mice scrabbling in the walls of the houses. No one moved, or even seemed to breathe, for a good two minutes as I had a stare down with Harald, my serious and his shocked eyes. Finally, I casually turned to Stoick. "Think they'll cooperate now?" I asked jokingly and nonchalantly. Stoick laughed. "I would hope so, but I think it will take their 'governor' thawing out first." This time the laughter flowed from our side, at the expense of the still-frozen Harald. This finally managed to crack him, and he moved again.
"What are you?" he asked, pointing and accusing finger at me. "That wasn't natural." "Always the first question I get," I replied, smiling. "And no, it was supernatural. I'm human, like you, rest assured, but I come with an extra gift from God." He shook his head. "Are you sure you're not just some witch or sorcerer?" he asked warily. "No, no, quite the opposite," I replied. I watched as some of the tension in the air released, but not much. Naturally, most didn't believe me. I didn't really care at this point.
"Anyway, now that I finally have yer attention again," Stoick cut in, "would ye now be so kind as to tell us where the men went with our Night Fury?" Harald jerked, startled, realizing that there was still someone else here besides me, and looked at Stoick. "They were taken to the fort where the game hunters prepare their quarries," he spilled, and pointed up the main road leading from the village. "Just follow that road a couple kilometers, you can't miss it." He looked at us worriedly, expecting some sort of reaction for his brash approach earlier. I began transforming back to Night Fury, which was plenty enough to gain attention, but I cleared my throat to get Harald's attention specifically anyway. "How long ago was it that they headed there?" I asked. He scratched his head meekly. "No-no more than a couple of hours," he replied quickly. "They should all still be up there." I nodded, and stepped over to Hiccup and motioned for him to get on. We left without even a thank you, making sure to keep the village wary until we came back down.
It didn't take even five minutes flying down the road before we all spotted the thick-walled structure ahead and off to the right in the woods, with a great stretch of land behind it surrounded by high fences. I motioned for everyone to land in the forest, and everyone got off their dragons.
::Okay, you all need to make sure you stay here, and out of sight,:: I said to the reptilian portion of our little posse. ::We don't want a big huge alert going up.:: They nodded in unison and backed further into the dense forest to remain unseen. I trotted up then to the Viking portion of the group. "I'm going in to check it out," I said. "I'll find out where they're holding Toothless and see what all we're up against." I looked to Ingavar's men. "Most of you have been here before, right?"
Surprisingly, they shook their heads. "We've done all the transactions in the village," one spoke up. "We've nae gone te the actual place before, but we also have nae had anything like a Night Fury te sell." I sighed. "Alright, then, everyone just stay put. I'll be back in a jiffy."
I slunk into the forest, changing to one of my favored forms along the way: the Shadow Dragon. It was the only one that could get into and around the fortress without being noticed somehow. Once fully transformed, I melted into the shade of a nearby pine tree, and quickly, quietly made my may to the fortress.
A/N-Almost there. I plan to release the last two chapters of this book next weekend, start off the new year with a bang (pun partially intended). Until then, again my two questions: what has happened to Toothless? We know where he is, but not yet how he is. And second, should I start my own book for the different species of dragon?
Answer quickly, I do read each and every review I get! And I try to reply to all those I can as well...