Astrid sat up taller and moved to rise, but Hiccup placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "Stay."
He struggled to put his shirt back on, as the wet fabric stuck to his skin resisting to slide down.
He puckered his lips and whistled, calling back the horses, who trotted over to be re-saddled in a few swift moves.
"What's wrong?"
"Gobber told me he's been having trouble with trespassers on ATVs."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know – maybe joyriders, maybe people looking to cause trouble. The farm next door got sold and word is the new owners are not the most reputable guys. Might be them. In any case, they're not welcome. They've been taking down some of the fences and tearing up the fields.
"What are you going to do?" Astrid looked at him.
"If they see me, they'll take off. Maybe stay away-"
"You mean if they see 'us'?"
"They could be dangerous. Stay here."
"I know how to fight."
"You haven't ridden in a while. Stay here with Stormfly. I'll be back. I want you safe." His eyes met her's and she sensed he held something back, words restrained by the dam of his lips and the urgency of the moment.
The buzzing of the ATVs increased like a volume button turning up.
"Another thing, the other side of the river is a flood plain and it rained recently. I'm worried you won't be able to spot dangerous ground and Stormfly isn't sure footed enough."
Before Astrid could open her mouth to protest again, the horses were bridaled and he was half way through the shallow part of the river.
Astrid considered hanging back for a moment as she watched him disappear into the dark turns of the woods.
If something did happen to Hiccup - how would she know? She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot before deciding she needed to go after him.
She mounted up, her sudden movements cause Stormfly to prance in a confused half circle, "Don't be scared girl, we got this."
She pressed her legs into the sides of the mare, urging her forward and across the river. An obedient and docile creature, Stormfly wanted to obey, but she sensed Astrid's rusty riding skills and uneven seat. The horse shied from the river three times before finally going forward. Once in, she rushed to the other side, pushing hard against the current to reach the opposite bank despite the unsteady ground beneath hooves.
The horse remained uncertain even as she crawled unto the shore as she slipped in the slick dark sludge.
"How did Hiccup get out of this?" Astrid asked her mount.
The horse struggled as the mud became a glue that let her sink deeper, pulling her down with every step.
"Go on, girl," Astrid urged as the horse lifted each heavy limb with a slow sucking sound.
Despite the plethora of dying or dead trees, which caused a lack of a canopy overhead, the forest felt darker on that side. Thick vines of thorns and sticky spider webs crossed every angle of their path. The heavy stench of stale mucky water accosted Astrid's noise making the air thick as she pulled it into her lungs. The world around her felt silent. And dead.
They had not gone far, yet the other side of the river had vanished behind layers of the crooked shadows which hid nocent creatures who watched from broken trees and tangled vines. On full moon nights here might be where werewolves tread or witches could snatch a lost child.
Stormfly halted, her ears pined back, a visual sign of equine aggression. Astrid nudged her forward, but the horse would not budge.
The buzzing of the ATVs grew louder, reverberating like chainsaws chewing trees. At the increase in sound, Stormfly became more restless, backing up when her rider pushed her forward.
The mare reared once. Tossing Astrid from the saddle and further down her back.
Twice. Astrid slid to the mare's rump but managed to grasp a flinging stirrup.
She considered her effort to stay on might be more dangerous than falling off and she struggled to pull herself forward to the saddle, the edge of the saddle's tree rubbing against her abdominals as she slid to her seat, the pressure causing painful bruising along her stomach.
She managed to regain her spot in the center of the saddle as she witnessed three ATVs bursting through the foliage ahead. Behind a black blur of horse and rider moved like a bolt of lightning.
Terrified, Stormfly turned, causing Astrid to fall forward this time as the horse bolted into the tangle of dead trees and vines. Astrid wrapped her arms around the horse's neck, burring her face in the mess of flowing mane.
"Whoa, girl. Whoa." Astrid reached forward, managing to grab one loose rein and pulling it back, flipping it enough to fling the opposite one into her other hand. She pulled back hard. Her tight grip slowing the wild horse and finally bringing them to a halt.
A halt into an opening in the woods. She had no idea where she was or where to go. And even worse – they were not alone.
In her path sat a man on an ATV wearing a helmet and clearly staring at her. He was not supposed to be there, but it seemed he wanted to make her afraid.
Strormfly laid back her ears and bared her teeth at the man, who responded by revving his engine repeatedly.
Astrid couldn't understand why the man kept looking at her. She couldn't see his face under the tinted helmet. Why didn't he just take off?
After revving a few more times and realizing the horse would not bolt again, he tipped his hand to his helmet, then took off back into the woods.
Stormfly flicked her ears back up and snorted.
The sound of the ATVs faded as the other forest sounds stayed silent.
Stormfly sucked in a deep breath then let out a loud whinny. A response came from behind them and Stormfly turned in the direction of the call. Astrid loosened the reigns to give the horse the freedom to find Toothless in the maze of the woods.
Even with the ATVs gone the forest here seemed hollow, the stench of rotting and dying trees suffocated the summer air.
Stormfly broke into a trot as they emerged from the woods to find Hiccup on the bank of the river.
"Astrid, I told you to stay behind. You stopped my heart when I got back and you weren't here."
"I thought you might need help."
"No. Those guys took off as soon as they saw me."
"Not all of them." Astrid looked back into the thick forest, unable to figure out where they had been. "One guy stuck around for a moment. I think he wanted to freak me out, but we stood our ground."
"Look at me, Astrid," Hiccup met her eyes. "It's been a while since you've been on a horse. If there's trouble. I need you to do as I say. You or Stromfly could have been hurt."
"You could have been hurt. How would I have known?"
The Hiccup Astrid knew before always thought about safety, but now he had an assertiveness about him she never noticed before. The way he took command.
"That wouldn't have happened. I know what I'm doing. You don't. You're reckless."
"I can take care of myself. I have for a long time. Not that you know. Or care?"
"Care? Of course, I care! Why tell you to stay put if I didn't care? All I do is care."
The anger and tension hung as heavy as the sun's heat. So many words and things that should have happened and been said for the past four years tightened under the tension between them. He had grown from the gentile boy she knew who. She saw him now as an assertive man who thought he needed to protect her and felt her well-being was his responsibility. It roiled her temper.
"If you still knew me, Haddock, you'd know I'm responsible for myself. You don't own me or owe me, so don't try to control me."
Other men might have whipped her with words or tried to break he with yelling, but not him. He quickly calmed his assertiveness and softened his voice. This was how he tamed horses.
"Astrid, I am responsible for the people under me. I apricate your concern for me. I know you can take care of yourself. I was not worried about the threat of those guys. They were in the wrong. I knew they would run. I worried about your rusty riding on a horse you've not been on in a long time. If this happens three months from now and you spend some time riding. I'll let you get the next chase – alright? I'm not trying to reign you in, I'm trying to use logic."
Both Stromfly and Toothless had lowered their heads to poke around for stray blades of grass. They moved on from the sudden excitement and appeared ready to return to their fence line stroll.
Astrid sighed. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"It's OK," Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder, "But just so you know. I never stop worrying about you. That's how it is."
000
Sorry for the long delay and thanks for all the positive feedback. I have missed this story. I know it's hard to believe, but I miss it and I've been missing my writing. I was so happy to have a few moments to work on it. Sorry for any errors!