Well part two is here very early. The first took the better part of several months as the muse came and went, and this took two days. That said, our little adventure continues along. I've a few more comments at the end but I'd like to throw out that the only part of this I claim is the plot. HTTYD ain't mine.
Part Two
Open sky and fresh air; that was why she loved this new way of life so much. Wind rushing past her face, Astrid reveled in the freedom of the sky, her friend echoing the emotion with a happy rumble. Even as he did so, something itched at the back of his mind. Something was approaching that wasn't any good and the urge to turn around grew strong enough for him to sweep round in a circle, drawing a protest from his friend riding on his back, but he had to see what was giving him the feeling of unease.
Together the two stared in shock at the thing coming from the North. From the ocean surface to where the dark grey clouds cut off the sky, a sheet of white reigned supreme. It was the edge of a blizzard, and it was moving quickly towards them. Taking a deep breath to calm any nerves, Astrid took another good look before noting the few large flakes starting to blow by as they flew on.
"Alright, let's get back to Burk then." Her friend didn't need any encouragement, and wheeling in the direction that he knew as home now, began the journey as fast as he could. Looking back, she saw the white mass gaining on them and as more snow began to outpace the progress they were making, she knew that the journey back was going to be very close. Bending low to make flying easier for her Nadder she silently urged him on, every now and again looking back to see where the storm front was. Each time it had gotten closer and closer and suddenly the temperature dropped.
Thinking darkly about the choice to leave her heavy coat at home, Astrid peered again back at the storm to be met with the painful sting of snowflakes flying into her face. Annoyed she looked forward again to be met with the sight of a quickly fading landscape. The storm had finally caught up with them and now they were in real trouble. The winds were far worse amidst the snowfall itself and her Nadder had stopped trying for speed in favor of remaining on something that could vaguely be called a course. Pelted with snow, she fought back a shiver, calling out encouragement. "We must be close. Keep at it." Words aside, she knew they were in trouble now, and that the best plan of action was to reach the closest point of land and wait out the storm there.
Getting that somewhere was the problem now, lost in the universally white sky. She could more or less tell her friend had decided the same thing that had passed through her mind and was descending listening for waves that signaled they were still over water. The cold spray hit before the noise did, however, and as they climbed again, the elements finally gained their first victory over the tough young girl, provoking a shiver and a desperate wish for home and warmth. Still, on they flew into the white unknown, hoping against hope that they could find their way to somewhere safe and dry.
Back in Burk things were looking equally as bleak from Hiccup's point of view. While dragon training had changed drastically since he'd gone through it, some things always stayed the same. Mainly this was the sheer incompetence of the newest class. As he watched the group talk idly among themselves post lesson, Hiccup, sitting against Toothless broke down the group for the benefit of his friend.
"Right, so we have two fighters this time, both who can't use their heads and think they know everything. There's another 'good' warrior, he kind of reminds me of Astrid but he's going to be hopeless when it comes real flying if he's afraid of being five feet off the ground. Then there's the thinker who'd probably do ok if he could open his mouth to speak, and we can round it off with the klutz, who is less coordinated than me right now. Oh boy." A light nudge on the shoulder made him sigh slightly. "Yeah. They'll learn, most of them. The hard part is teaching them anything when they all are trying to impress me. Like I'm a hero or something." Another nudge, this time with an amused rumble. "It was a team effort and you know it. Anyway, that's the problem right now. If you have any great ideas, feel free to let me know."
A gust of wind swept across the island just then, and looking up towards the sky Hiccup noted the dark clouds. "That- does not look good." Half turning, he got his good foot under him and using Toothless as an aid pulled himself upright. Atop the arena as he was, the location provided him an excellent view of the surrounding area and his attention was quickly drawn to the incoming front in the distance. Movement beside him meant that Toothless had stood as well, and together they stood silent, looking towards the distance. "I hope Astrid makes it back before that hits." A nod of solemn agreement from Toothless was the only answer. With that there was nothing the two could do but watch and wait.
In the heart of the storm, a bit of good luck finally came Astrid's way. Having abandoned the idea of getting home, by a stroke of luck and perhaps a gust of wind at the right time, her Nadder had reached land. The pair had no idea if they were on an island, an iceberg that was snow covered, or somewhere else all together. Not that they were exactly going to look to closely. Land was land, and some place to build a shelter for warmth. Doing his best to come in for a landing, her friend spread his wings wide, ready for touchdown when something else nagged at the back of his vision. This time he acted without thinking, wings pumping hard, desperate for altitude. He remembered the smell, which had briefly reached him through the wind and wanted no part of it again.
"Hey, why are we-" Through the white, something moved, something very large, something so big as to be seen through the blinding sheets of snow. Unable to make out a form, Astrid's mouth went dry. They still weren't far off the ground, and she suddenly found herself preferring the unknown of the sky to the unknown of 'whatever' that was. Higher the two climbed, away from whatever that was, towards the safety of the mass of snow clouds above. Again bent flat so that her dragon could muster every ounce of speed possible she remained quiet. No use in giving whatever was out there a chance to find them again. Hopefully, when they reached Burk after the storm, she could recruit the others to come back and see exactly what it was, so that if necessary they could get rid of it.
Thought complete she began to relax when the two flew straight into a downdraft. The burst of wind threw the pair downwards like some giant slingshot, and despite the best efforts of her friend they hit the ground hard. A cry of pain escaped her Nadder, who was already trying to get airborne again, the scent from before having returned. Feeling sore, more or less all over, Astrid started to protest this action when out in the white the something moved again. It wasn't yet visible, but it was enough to propel her Nadder to even more frantic efforts to escape. Craning her neck, Astrid tried to look, to see just what was following them, even though her heart was beating a furious tattoo in her chest and every fiber of her being screamed to hide.
They were traveling fast and low now, for her friend hadn't bothered with trying to climb again. Anywhere else at low altitude would work just fine for him, and for once, Astrid was more than happy to run away from something. Looking over her shoulder again, she saw movement and making a snap decision tapped her left foot against her Nadder's hide. This was one of a few agreed upon signals, and obeying her friend snapped a quick left turn. Still scanning their surroundings she saw the large dark thing lunge out at where they would have been. They were being hunted. This knowledge settled her nerves slightly, this game she could play and could win. "Alright, here we go." Seeing something out of the corner of her eye, both feet tapped twice, and her Nadder again trusting in his rider's judgment put everything he had into a near vertical climb. For once the winds had calmed and as he climbed Astrid again looked back to see that the shape had again missed.
No longer cold due to the surge in adrenaline, she tapped with the right foot and the pair swung right. They were now running parallel to the wind, and Astrid knew if they could get downwind on the creature, her dragon would have a vague idea of where the danger lay, and they'd be untraceable by smell. They had to get there first though, and that was the hard part. Head still on a swivel, she realized that the snow had again fully hidden whatever was out there. For a long minute of flight nothing happened and she began to relax again. That'd been slightly more than close for comfort. Now, if they could get some distance between them before crossing to the things front, they'd be more or less safe. Closing her eyes a moment she heard her Nadder squawk in surprise and opened her eyes to see what it was. Unable to see anything she was confused until her world dropped out from under her, and she was alone, falling through the white.
Well, all is definitely not well in the land of ice and snow. Something big bad and scary is out and about as Astrid is quickly finding out. I still am very nervous about dialog, reassurance and critique on that as well as the story in general is welcome. Also, fun fact. From this point on the severity of major happenings and events that would ordinarily be decided by luck are being decided by a roll of the dice. That's all I've got for now. The next update won't be till next week this time due to end of semester being upon me. Also, it's a proven fact that people who review this story get reviews in return.