Midterms are rough... but so far I've passed! One more to go. Then Spring Break! I wanted to get this chapter done before Spring Break because I will actually be out of the country and, with no international plan and little chance at wifi, I will not be able to update then, so I figured I owed an update before xD
Super hugs and lots of love to QuirkyRevelations, Zehava, KaliAnn, Alethea 13, Anony mouse101, storygirl99210, K, E, Pewter Griffon, RebelGirl13, fableweaver, and Foxlight the Dragon Tamer. You guys continue to make me feel loved with your reviews... they are so kind.
I don't think I have anything else to say? This chapter is a bit calmer and shorter than the others, I guess. More of a "break" period before we get to the crazy, hectic bit of the next three chapters x3
Chapter Fifteen: One Step Closer
Gobber came up alongside Tuffnut, who was kneeling down beside his sister unsure what to do about the blood that continued to flow from her foot. The blacksmith lowered himself, pulling out a roll of cloth he had brought just in case something like this happened. He tenderly lifted Ruffnut's foot by the ankle, but she still had to grit her teeth to keep herself from moaning. He bound the wrap around her foot. She gasped, the rough fabric causing it to ache, but at least holding it together and preventing an excess amount of blood from seeping out. The man then curled his arms under her body and lifted her.
The teenaged Viking female grimaced lightly, but turned her face to Gobber's torso in order to hide it. She could feel Tuffnut's presence hovering beside them. It seemed her heart was in her foot and, with every beat, she thought the wrap would spring open and her foot would just split apart completely. Ruffnut's mind briefly wandered to her parents, wondering if they were safe. Did they know she was hurt? Would they worry about her or would they just think she needed to suck it up? Sometimes she felt like that's all she needed to do. Suck it up. After all... pain had never been a problem before.
But pain had never felt like agony.
"What now?" Tuffnut questioned Gobber, his voice filled with his normal stupidity but also an awareness. Even he understood the situation they were all in at the moment. Defeated. He had stopped crying, but Ruffnut could feel a couple more wet droplets fleeing down her cheeks as she wallowed in her concern and ache.
Gobber took a deep breath. Ruffnut could feel it shake his body. The man was conflicted. He didn't want to stop fighting... but he would not allow Stoick to die. That man was his best friend, practically his brother. Ruffnut knew that, although they shared a mutual hatred, she and Tuffnut also shared a bond, and she wouldn't be the reason he died any time soon. Gobber released the breath and she felt his arms slacken with uncertainty as he replied, "I guess we await Alvin's orders."
"We don't take orders from Alvin," Tuffnut tried to argue, but it was feeble, and Gobber didn't even bother to answer.
Frosne steered Stoick away now. Alvin sneered.
"Take him to the main room. I'll take these leftovers to the dungeons," the head outcast spat.
He waved a hand to his men that the Berk villagers had been fighting. The Folk i Isen warriors moved to pick up Berk's weapons and then waved them threateningly, barking at them to follow Alvin. The Hooligan tribe began to trail him down the caves, but it was a crawling pace. No one could get themselves to walk any faster. Feet felt like heavy weights and hearts had sunken so low that they only added to the burden. Gobber hobbled along, still carrying Ruffnut and with Tuffnut close to him.
Ruffnut craned her head back around to watch where they were headed. The sides of the tunnel slid by in an unending wall of grey. She blinked, recalling the pattern of direction they had taken when Alvin had trapped her, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Astrid, and Hiccup here not too long ago. One night had felt an eternity... especially since she had been in that horrid pit of darkness. Her hands began trembling. She wound her fingers in Gobber's shirt, trying to warm them and ease the fear that was trying to rekindle. The familiar chill of the dungeon was all ready greeting them and it didn't help that Ruffnut was starting to feel lightheaded because of her wound. Her eyes blurred for a moment as her breath curled around her face, signaling the drop in temperature.
Tuffnut stumbled, his toes having caught a small crevice in the floor. He nearly toppled to the ground, but caught himself, righting. A Folk i Isen that was behind him, though, decided he wanted to have seen Tuffnut fall. He struck the boy with the flat of a sword on Tuffnut's back. It wasn't enough to send Tuffnut tumbling over, however, but he did cry out - more so from surprise than actual pain, having not been aware the man was even there.
"Shut your yap!" the man then barked, kicking Tuffnut's feet from under him and sending him colliding with the floor of the cave. The enemy laughed dryly, sending a foot into Tuffnut's side as he tried to scramble to his feet.
Gobber wheeled about and glared. Ruffnut had never seen the man's eyes so dark. He stepped in front of Tuffnut, giving Ruffnut's twin enough time to be back on his feet and avoid another strike. The enemy man snarled and told Gobber to keep moving in a voice of ice. Gobber kept his stare up for another moment before turning back around and resuming his pace after the rest of the tribe. Tuffnut kept in front of him, glancing back with wide eyes, wondering how Gobber could be such a force even without a weapon or even a word to be said.
Soon, the cave opened up to the dungeon. It was a bit cramped getting everyone inside the room. It was lucky that many of the Berk force had been on dragons, they would have never all fit in this one room.
Ruffnut hushed her mind at the thought. If they were cramming the entire tribe in here, that would have meant for certain that they had lost. There had to be some chance that the dragon team could pull through.
Alvin's form stood at the head of the cave, torches behind him casting an eerie glow and making him seem more a silhouette at the front that an actual person. He was gargling a chuckle, head shaking. "Look at the great Berk now. How pitiful. You four, stay here at the entrance and guard them. They've got no weapons and, if they try to escape, I think a couple of shouts will be enough to get the entire army back down her to subdue them."
The four men addressed nodded, holding their weapons and the weapons they had taken from Berk close. The rest of the men began to saunter off, heading to the main room to see what would become of Stoick. Tuffnut felt her anger boil hot in his blood, his face twisted in fury, Gobber holding much the same look. The Hooligan tribe watched as the enemy disappeared into the dimness of the cave, Alvin the last form they saw before they were left to rot.
Frosne pushed Stoick to the center of the meeting room. It was empty, which had Frosne curious. He had figured Hella would have been in here by now. He shrugged to himself, however, and turned his gaze to the Berk chief. The man's beard and clothes were still wet, but he was no longer dripping from his swim in the dark pool. Frosne could tell Stoick was cold, but the man didn't allow himself to shiver. The tribe leader was gazing down, causing his wet beard to cling to his face, concealing the look of defeat. Frosne snorted, never thinking he would have ever seen the day when Stoick the Vast dared to not even look him in the eyes. He felt the pleasure of victory in his grasp and, feeling the need to flaunt it, he approached Stoick, snagging the man's helmet from his head and sending it flying across the room. It skidded along the ground, the metal clanging echoing warily. Blood Cry and the dragons who had helped lead Snotlout's group to the cave-in were perched on a couple ledges up near the top of the room. Blood Cry growled under his breath, disturbed from the celebratory nap he was taking. The other dragons about him agreed warily with their own grumbles.
Frosne then struck a hand against Stoick's head. The chief took a step to the right as he was hit, but no more. He still did not turn his gaze up and Frosne laughed with a pleasurable disbelief. He felt joy spreading through his limbs and punched a bit harder. Stoick still only took one step to the side to take the strike, but Frosne still grinned madly, overcome with his own thrill.
He forced himself to turn away before he went too far too soon. He wandered to the lone table in the room and threw his palms down upon it, hearing the wood splinter some beneath his hands. He relished in the pricks that scratched at his palm as bits of wood tried to pierce his skin. He belted out another round of laughter, the noise dark and filled with triumph. When he finally calmed, Frosne looked upon Stoick, who remained still, head bent. "How's it feel, Stoick? To be helpless?"
Stoick didn't even twitch. This stirred a bit in Frosne. He winced. He had the power, Stoick had to answer to him right now! "Answer me, you foolish man!"
The bloody idiot turned around. Frosne now found himself glaring at the back of the Hooligan chief and it pushed him nearly over. His right hand groped about before finding the sheathed sword attached at his hip. He yanked the weapon out, but was flustered with rage and nearly dropped it. He stomped up to Stoick from behind, raising his weapon, meaning to shove it through the other man's heart. He paused, however, knowing he had a deal with Alvin. But what did the deal matter? Frosne was the one with the men! If he took out Stoick now he would have what he wanted for the Folk i Isen. Then he would just have to remove Alvin from the picture and it wouldn't matter to Frosne any more... Yes! He could taste the power! It danced tantalizingly on his tongue. His hands sweated, stinging the small cuts from the wooden table, making it difficult to hold his sword. He tensed his arm, he was ready to finish it... Stoick didn't move.
"Frosne!" Alvin roared as he entered and the Folk i Isen chief snarled, tossing his weapon away to the side in a blind fury.
Frosne wheeled to face Alvin, hissing a lie, "I wasn't going to do it!"
"Get your damn sword picked up," Alvin merely responded, coming forward and circling Stoick. The rest of the Folk i Isen warriors formed a circle around the edge of the room, watching with curiosity sparking in their gazes.
The outcast leader heard Frosne pick his weapon back up and sheathe it. A thought occurred to him and his dark eyes found his accomplice. "Where is Hella?"
"Hell if I know."
Alvin roared, making a fist and delivering it to Stoick's stomach. Being much stronger than Frosne, his blow caused the other man to stumble backwards, but Stoick caught himself. It didn't stop Alvin and he ran forward, using the back of his fist to connect with Stoick's cheek, following swiftly with a blow to the back of Stoick's right knee, sending the chief to a kneeling position. Stoick heaved a breath, eyes still glued to the floor, but refusing to fall to the ground.
The sound of footsteps prevented Alvin from doing anything further. Hella arrived, dragging Snotlout along with her. The boy tripped up, limped, then stood back up and followed. His lip was busted open, his face splotched with his own blood. Though it wasn't visible, his left ankle was swollen, explaining the limping gait he now struggled to maintain. He glanced up, eyes wary, before he spotted Stoick. Upon seeing his leader, Snotlout seemed to dishearten, his fight draining, and he slackened, Hella now fully dragging his body forward.
"What took you so long?" Alvin questioned.
Hella grimaced angrily. "Little snot got away from me. Had to chase him about the tunnels. He tripped at one point... seems to have injured his ankle. I butchered his lip for good measure."
"We can see," Frosne pointed out from where he was standing to the side.
Hella just cast him a glare before slinging Snotlout forward. He went sprawling down beside Stoick. The chief seemed to become alert at that moment, noticing the boy beside him. His nephew. His eyes widened as he watched Snotlout tremble into a sitting position. The kid glanced up at him, eyes fearful about what would happen next. Seeing his deceased brother's son beside him reawakened a bit of the fire that usually burned hot within him. He felt his fists clench, dirty nails digging into his palms before finally raising his head up to the enemies.
Stoick took in a breath. "You are the fools. Too quick to celebrate. The war isn't over. The dragon force..."
"You really believe your pitiful dragon force can save you all? I actually have the pleasure of informing you that you're wrong," Alvin countered. "Wasn't little Snotface here a part of the dragon force?"
The Berk leader felt the sickening truth in the pit of his stomach.
"Berk has no chance of winning. All your dragon force will be dead soon and we will conquer you and your precious homeland. Are you ready to join your son in Valhalla?"
An ocean wave sent them tumbling. Toothless was the first to recover and quickly righted Stormfly. Astrid and Hiccup were pushed away, the strength of the ocean making it difficult to get back to their dragons. At this time, at least, it was shallow enough that Toothless seemed to gain some footing and was pulling Stormfly in by himself rather easily. Seeing this, Hiccup kicked out with his one foot and pulled at the water with his hands in order to get to the shore.
Never had sand felt so precious as at that moment. He crawled up onto the land on his hands and knees, chest gasping for easy air, limbs tired from the frantic swimming. When he was clear of the tide, Hiccup took the minute to collapse down in the sand, arms splayed out to the sides and welcoming the little beads against his cheek and in his hair and along his clothes. He didn't care how uncomfortable they were, he was just glad to be back on land. Water was really starting to irk him. Aside from drinking and bathing, he wasn't sure he was going to hang out in it any time soon.
He could hear Astrid next to him. She, too, was probably lying in the sand, enjoying the brief respite. A groan from Toothless, however, and Hiccup was pushing himself to stand. He dusted himself off as best he could, but was shaking, the little bit of adrenaline he had left in his body doing everything it could to provide him with the energy to remain upright. He turned and helped Astrid up, examining her face to see how her bloody nose was fairing. It seemed to have stopped bleeding for the most part, but was red and a bit puffy.
"It looks worse than it is, I'm sure," Astrid hummed, noticing him staring. She then turned and did a jog over to Stormfly and Toothless, who were lying on the ground a bit further up, getting in as much rest as they were allowed at the moment.
How the girl could manage even a slow jog right now, Hiccup wasn't sure. He walked over, coming up to Toothless and reaching out to his best friend, patting him on the nose with a smile. "Great job, Bud."
Astrid ran her fingers gently along the bent part of her dragon's wing. She winced, sighing with a copious amount of worry and frustration. She couldn't fix it. Not here. She would need Gobber's help. So she merely assisted her dragon in moving the wing into a more comfortable position until it could be checked thoroughly. The blonde female then turned her attention to the gash that was at the base of the Nadder's neck, running down the chest. It was still bleeding, the crimson ooze sliding out and drenching Astrid's fingers as she investigated how deep it was. She felt herself breath normally again when she determined that the cut wasn't life threatening. Stormfly would be all right with some proper healing to her wing and some good rest.
She relayed the news to Hiccup and he allowed himself a small grin. Even Toothless perked up a bit, glad to know their struggle to save Stormfly was not in vain. The Night Fury let out a purring nose before standing up, nosing Hiccup enough to nearly send the boy toppling. He composed himself, nodding, knowing they needed to get back to the battle and make sure Fishlegs and the others were holding up. As his mind drifted to what had happened not so long ago, he came to an unfortunate conclusion.
"What's wrong, Hiccup?" Astrid questioned, scrutinizing him, noticing the concern that seemed to settle across his features.
The female was motioning Stormfly to go hide in the shelter of a nearby rock formation. The Nadder, though seeming annoyed that she could no longer fight or help, obeyed and stomped away, glancing back only once. Astrid watched with a small frown, concern for her dragon's safety etched in her mind, but knowing it would be more dangerous to bring her injured friend into battle.
Hiccup bit his bottom lip, contemplating momentarily before he admitted, "This was all a big set up. We've played right into Alvin, Frosne, and Hella's hands. They split us up for a reason... They had a net ready for us. Who knows what they've done to Snotlout's crew. And my father... he and the twins and Gobber and Phlegma and all your parents..."
He stopped when Astrid shook her head. The blond ponytail, even though it was dripping wet, smacked against her shoulders as she tossed her head about. Hiccup wiped some of the sand from his cheek as he gave her a puzzled expression, thinking she didn't believe what he was saying.
"No, I just don't want to hear any more of that. If we're going to win these battles, we have to stay focused and confident. C'mon, lets get back to the others."
She pulled herself onto Toothless. The Night Fury snorted, bright green eyes flashing to meet Hiccup's darker gaze. The dragon nodded, signaling that it was time to return to the fight. They were of no use standing around on the beach worrying about the others. They had to do something if they wanted to help. So Hiccup quickly pulled himself into the saddle. He checked his foot was secure and his grip firm. He bitterly wished his attachment cords had not snapped, but there was no way of fixing them now. He grunted to let his best friend know he was ready and felt Astrid's arms slip around his torso securely. Then they were in the air.
Hiccup and Astrid peered over the side of Toothless to see if they could spot Stormfly. The dragon had hidden herself well, however, so the two weren't able to spot her among the rocks that rose up below them. Toothless let out a roar as he sped back to the arena. He didn't have far to go but, when they arrived, they weren't exactly greeted with what they expected to find.
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs screeched, but watched as Toothless dove over the edge, going after Stormfly. Fishlegs couldn't figure out how exactly the Nadder had ended up alone without Astrid, but the poor dragon seemed injured and had plummeted over the edge. Hiccup and Toothless had reacted like lightning, plunging after their fallen friend, but that left Fishlegs in terror.
He stammered in worry, eyes darted about, trying to find Astrid. He ducked as a dragon went hurtling by above him, nearly taking out his head. Pressed against Meatlug, Fishlegs squeaked, panicking and uncertain. Meatlug continued to do her thing, however, barreling into enemies or conking them upside the head with her powerful, rock-like tail. She spat her fire sparingly, worried about hitting a friend in the mass chaos or draining herself too soon. She was all ready a bit tired, the fighting wasn't easy. She felt Fishlegs patting her comfortingly, whispering that they would be all right, but she merely went on. She had learned to fight long ago. She hadn't survived the kill ring back when Vikings and dragons were at war for being weak.
She felt Fishlegs suddenly shift about wildly, then one of his meaty arms was in her peripheral vision, pointing. "Look, it's Astrid! Oh, thank Thor she's all right!"
Meatlug watched the girl running. Running towards the cliff edge that Stormfly, Toothless, and Hiccup had gone over just a moment ago. She heard Fishlegs groan, could smell his perspiration and his anxiety, knowing what was coming, and the boy and his dragon watched the female jump out off the edge before vanishing. Meatlug was always impressed by the bravery the girl had, but could never remember her name. Aside from Fishlegs, all the teens blurred together. The boy with Toothless also seemed to have spunk. It was very likely that he had some of that due to the fact he rode a Night Fury. Meatlug was well aware of the superior skills her fellow dragon held. She wasn't useless, herself, not in the way Fishlegs tended to make her out to be, but she would certainly be useless plunging into frigid water to try and help a Nadder swim back to shore.
No, it was best if she remained up here. She could smell something burning. Flesh. It had never been a nice scent. Not even when dragons and humans were enemies. It was rather disgusting, but it filled her nostrils for a moment before it faded amongst the smell of blood and power.
"I guess we just keep fighting, huh, Meatlug," Fishlegs mused.
Meatlug let out a roar and zipped over to headbutt and another Gronckle. The two beasts collided in the air, but the other Gronckle had been ready. Bracing himself, he took the impact rather well and wasn't knocked too off course. He turned, snarling. The Folk i Isen warrior upon his back was a hefty woman with sunken eyes and crooked teeth. As far as humans went, Meatlug could tell she wasn't what most would consider... gorgeous.
The woman barked at the Gronckle she rode and the beast slammed into Meatlug. He smelled of fish. Heavily of fish. Did the beast go fishing before the battle? How odd. Meatlug pushed back, trying to keep herself straight. She noticed the woman yank out a hammer. The enemy moved to swing it at Fishlegs, who ducked, crying out in alarm. He groped for his own weapon, a mace, and detached it from where it hung to Meatlug's saddle. Meatlug used a scrawny forearm to scratch at her opponent, giving her just enough of an upper hand for Fishlegs to swing his weapon. The woman deflected it with her hammer, then jabbed it forward. She hit Fishlegs in the chest, catching him off guard. Meatlug couldn't aid him, locked in a battle of might with her fellow Gronckle.
Her boy choked on the loss of air as his chest was struck, but somehow raised his mace back up in defense as the woman attempted to strike him again. She pulled back, intent on trying once more when the roar of a Nightmare rang out. Meatlug's ears twitched and she noticed her enemy also paused, listening. When the male Gronckle caught word of what the Nightmare was saying, he released Meatlug and flapped a couple beats away, turning. Meatlug wheeled herself around and noticed the Nightmare that was roaring. It was a blue one with a green tint to him. He was jumping excitedly, nipping at another Nightmare, who released a round of purrs.
The Berk warrior and the Folk i Isen warrior on top of the two were watching with a confused curiosity. Most of the other dragons all around them had stopped and turned their attention to the two beasts. The Berk Nightmare began to grumble hurriedly, glaring up at the Folk i Isen warrior every so often. The warrior, growing irritated, spat at his Nightmare. "Attack, you stupid beast!"
The Folk i Isen Nightmare snarled, displeased. Meatlug chuckled and heard Fishlegs take in a breath.
"The Nightmares are friends!" the boy beamed.
When the Berk Nightmare seemed to be finished with the story it was telling, the Folk i Isen dragons were growing wary. They exchanged glances. Growls bounced around the air above the arena as the dragons conversed. Berk dragons encouraged them, their shrill voices eager to earn the trust of their once enemies. Meatlug turned herself to her fellow Gronckle, her own voice joining the crowd as she rumbled to him earnestly. They didn't have to fight. The Folk i Isen and the Outcasts were the enemy they all needed to be against. They were nothing but power-hungry men and women. The Hooligans, however... they were... they were friends.
As the realization finally made its way to every dragon, the Folk i Isen became aware of what had just taken place. Fishlegs laughed heartily as the dragons they had just been battling turned on their warriors. Folk i Isen were tossed from the backs of dragons, spat at with sticky fire, smashed with powerful Gronckle tails, struck with poison spikes of Nadders, or crushed in the jaws of Nightmares. The men and women of half of the Folk i Isen dragon force screeched in freight and dismay as they were taken down in a frenzy. Fishlegs told Meatlug to stay back, not wanting her to get involved. She was fine with that. Though she was glad they were taking down the enemy and gaining more allies, it was sickening to watch the slaughter of the men and women about her. But she wouldn't stand up for them. She could smell the blood, coppery. She could smell decay happening so soon.
As the final bits and pieces of the enemy were defeated, Meatlug let out a grumbling purr, and faint roar of joy. She smelled relief and happiness, then. One part of this war was done. Surly if they had such success here then they were doing as well elsewhere. This war would be over soon. Painless, perhaps. Looking about now, very few of the fallen warriors and dragons were ones hailing from Berk. She could smell Folk i Isen blood. That tainted the air the most. This, to Meatlug, was considered quite the accomplishment. Fishlegs seemed to be overjoyed, though probably not because of the smell. He wrapped his arms about her and she let her tongue slide out and splat him across the face. He tasted funny, but he seemed to like it, so she didn't mind showering him with her slobber.
Her ears twitched as she heard a familiar beating of a huge wingspan. One that could only belong to a Night Fury. She hobbled about in the air to face the approaching dragon and spotted the skinny boy and the female upon his back. She could smell the skinny boy's metal lag. So metallic. Meatlug throated a welcome and Toothless returned the gesture, but with an echo of confusion. She chuckled lightly. He missed all the fun. She quickly questioned him about Stormfly, to which he promptly responded that she was safe.
"What happened?" the scrawny, destroyer of the Red Death asked. He seemed both immensely puzzled but he was smiling, too. The female was, as well, her slightly crooked teeth making her seem what the humans would consider... cute? Yes, that was the term.
Fishlegs shifted excitedly upon her back. "A Berk Nightmare and an Outcast Nightmare were friends... The Outcast Nightmare convinced all the other Outcast dragons to join our side so..."
"We won!" the female breathed (her name was Astrick or something, right?).
The skinny boy shook his head. "Not yet... Toothless, do you hear any fighting going on by the beach where my dad is?"
Meatlug wasn't surprised that the boy was aware of just how well Toothless could hear. She had heard about the time when Toothless had escaped the cove and sprinted to the boy's aid in the kill ring when Hookfang had gone nuts. It had to have been obvious to him then just how well Toothless could pick out sounds from far away. But the Night Fury snorted, shaking his head before beating his wings powerfully to regain some altitude he had lost while hovering.
"They must be inside the caves. We need to check and see if everyone's all right," skinny boy pointed out.
Fishlegs and Astrick were in agreement. The three teens caught the attention of the rest of the dragons and announced what they would be doing. Meatlug heard the swell of roaring and smelled the anticipation about her as the dragons caught on to the fact that this war wasn't over. They had work to do. Toothless let out a screech before turning to lead the charge. Meatlug beat her wings onward, ready to do what had to be done to protect her humans.
See, shorter and calmer. The next three chapters will be much more exciting.
Though this chapter was a nice chance to work a bit with a dragon's perspective. I'm not sure why I suddenly switched into Meatlug's mind... I guess Fishlegs and I just don't work xD
Review, please! Or, if you are confused or have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!
I'll get back to updating after Spring Break so, warning now, nothing for two weeks.
Not that I've been updating that quickly as of late anyways o.o
Gosh, school... I HAVE A FANFIC TO WRITE x3
Everyone who has one, have a lovely Spring Break! To those who don't... Just have a wonderful week anyways xD
Love,
Deyoxis