Click Clack Gone
"Come on, Toothless. You can't stay out here. Someone will spot you!" I know that I have lost the argument. But I'm not quite ready to admit it yet.
"No one will spot me. I'm a Night Fury! My scales blend in with the darkness. And if anyone is going to be spotted, it will be you." I sigh accepting his reasoning.
"Alright. Just, be careful. If anyone comes, alert me so we can get out of here." Toothless nods his head in reply. Slipping into the building, I take a glance around to get accustomed with my surroundings.
Against one wall, hanging up, is a variety of weapons. An anvil stands in the middle of the room. A selection of swords hang waiting to be sharpened. Barrels filled with axes and spears litter the room with a pair of maces hang from the ceiling. Stairs lead up to a loft filled with unknown supplies.
I walk to the back of the room glancing to my left. The forge itself lies against the wall. Dying embers lay in its hearth. My feet lead me through a door into a small back room.
The place is small. Just big enough to fit me and maybe one other person. If they can make the tight squeeze through the door. Flipping through several drawers, I find what I need to start designing. I have approximately an hour and a half before I need to start building.
After running back into the main room and heating up the embers, I settle into the desk and work on a tail design for Toothless.
Five designs and 78 minutes later, and I think I've created a design that will work. It is simple but should do the trick. Let's just hope that the forge has everything I need. I migrate over to the forge, heating it up to the required degree.
"Leather, check. Gronkle Iron, nope. But what did I expect from these vikings." I check off the items I need to create the tail. Picking up a sword, I weigh it in my hands. "This will have to do."
Tossing in three swords I heat them up until they are red. Then I get to work. I pound away for thirty minutes before things start falling into place. Pieces start taking shape and form. Melting into place in my mind.
I finish all the pieces I need to forge. This next part will be even harder to get to work. All my calculations and placements must be just right for this to work.
Two hours pass and I am finally done. I wipe away sweat that has been collecting on my forehead for the past hour and a half. One more brief glance over the new tail fin and I head over to meet Toothless. The chilly night air seeps into my bones. The forge kept me toasty and oblivious to the freezing weather outside.
"Alright, Toothless. I think I am finally done." Toothless opens an eye looking at the fin from where he is laying.
"Okay. Go ahead and put it on. I just hope that it fits and we can get off this stinking island." His eye closes and I move in closer. Once everything is laid out where it will be placed on Toothless, I begin connecting it.
Rope connects the tail fin to a pedal at the saddle. This pedal will be used to guide the tail fin just as if it was a real tail.
"Ready for this?" I kneel down next to my friend, resting a hand on his head.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He pulls himself to his feet, stretching from laying in the same spot for too long. I ease myself into the saddle and test the pedal. I glance nervously at the sky as the sun peaks over the horizon.
"Ok on three. One." The sun rises higher in the sky.
"Two." The village begins stirring as vikings awake. Voices floating through the frigid air.
"Three!" I click the pedal into place allowing us to lift into the sky. Nothing happens.
"No, no, no!" As quickly as I possible can, I unhook myself from the saddle and jump to the ground. Is isn't far to the tail, but I sprint anyway. Falling to the ground, I run a hand over the system looking for the fault. My hand stops as I spot the problem. A small fix but it will take me a couple minutes to build the piece.
Viking voices raise in volume as I heat up the forge. I shove in a piece of scrap metal into the depths of the burning embers. Once it is glowing red I take it out and bang on it. The cling of metal on metal echo's through the village. I'm beyond caring at this point. Anyway, if they haven't discovered I'm gone, they will soon.
Bong! Bong! Bong! On the other side of the village, roughly where the prison is, a bell rings out. My cover is blown and I only have a few moments before they will be all over Toothless and I.
I drop the burning hot metal into a bucket of water. Once it is cooled off, I run to Toothless and slam the piece into place. I'm on my way back to the saddle when an axe slams between me and my destination. My head jerks in the direction of the thrower.
A blonde haired girl shifts into a standing position. She looks relaxed but I know she is ready to spring into action at a moments notice. I take thirty seconds to examine her.
She's about my age. Her golden hair is pulled back in a braid with some loose strands in her face. A band of some sort rests on her head. The clothes she wears is strange and foreign to me. Laced with skulls, spikes and bright colors. In stature she isn't large but must be strong since she threw the axe over here. Bright blue eyes pierce into me. Eyes I won't be forgetting any time soon.
My thirty seconds are up.
My hand reaches out and grips the axe handle. It comes out of the ground easily. I swing it around examining it. Glancing over at the maiden, I grip the axe and throw it.
It lodges in between her feet, sinking deep into the earth. The maiden tugs on it twice before it comes out. Then, she looks at me. Fury dances across her face. I guess I'm supposed to be intimidated when she steps closer. But between growing up with dragons and dealing with their drama, I'm not worried.
Instead I grin.
"You don't have too bad of an aim. Though, I would work on getting more power behind it. You can do a lot more damage that way." In return to the advice I give, I get a growl. And it isn't from Toothless.
"Play time is over. Time to get back to your cell." My grin widens.
"Your welcome." Lifting my hands above my head, I stretch out sore arms.
The maiden walks forward. She grips the axe with both hands, holding it out in front of her.
"If you agree to go nicely to your cell, I will let you go with your dignity intact. If not, I will just drag you there. Letting the vikings pelt you with what ever they want to."
"Hmm, sorry to burst your bubble, but I won't be going with you. I have somewhere else to be." Toothless growls, backing me up. The maiden's smile glimmers in her eyes.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm, Dragon Boy." She charges forward swinging her axe at my head. I duck under it, pushing her to the ground.
"Hiccup, we don't have time for this! Need I remind you that there is a whole angry village of vikings after us. Plus your mom ahead of us." The maiden stands up, locating me immediately.
"Don't worry bud, this won't take long." I dodge an axe aimed at my chest. Jumping over an attempt to knock my feet out from under me, I pull out my sword. One click of a button equals one weapon to defend myself.
Swinging around, I parry another swing to the head. I grin as we lock blades.
"My turn." A jerk to the left unhooks my sword from her axe. My movement swift and powerful. Knocking her off balanced. Step forward. Strike to the leg, hit. Step forward. Strike to the shoulder, hit. Step forward. Fake to the left, hit right ribs. Step forward. Fear on the maiden's face.
She has lost this fight and knows it. I'll give her points for courage and determination. Step forward. Flat of the sword to the head, hit. She crumples to the ground holding her head. I kneel down next to her picking up the axe.
"Not bad. Next time, don't hesitate to unlock the blades." I stand up and toss the axe away.
"Well, I hate to cut this meeting/duel short. But I really must be on my way." The maiden glares at me from the ground. Footsteps grow louder. Pounding into my skull.
"Hiccup." Toothless warns me. He looks at me pointedly, shifting his weight over so I could get on easily.
"I know, I hear them." I make my way swiftly over to him. I swing into the saddle and hook myself in. Vikings pour out from between buildings. A group of them around my age huddle around the maiden. The sea of vikings part as the chief, other wise known as my own personal interrogator, walks forward.
I have the feeling again. There is something so obvious about him that I feel like I should know.
"Um, Hiccup? Now would be a really good time to try out this new tail." My voice drops to a whisper so only Toothless can hear.
"One minute bud. Let me rile them up a bit." Toothless let's out a huff of annoyance
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the mighty chief. You look like you've lost something wait…oh ya. Me." Its hard to keep a grin from surfacing as I watch his face transform.
When he first stormed in here it was pure rage. Then confusion as I reviled that I knew he was chief. Then back to anger at my last comment.
"You come peacefully and quietly or I will knock you off that dragon, and drag you back with a rope tied around your neck."
"Yikes. Sounds harsh. Too bad you won't be able to catch me." This angered him further. I could practically see the steam billowing out of his ears. Toothless shifts his weight. Its his way of telling me we need to go.
Recognition. That is what I am feeling towards the viking. I've never met him though. Have I?
"You know, I never did catch your name. What is it? Tell me and perhaps we can make a deal."
"The only deal I'll be making, is on the cost of taxidermy for your head."
"Ouch. That hurt." I place my hands on my heart as if it actually did hurt me.
"And I thought we were friends." My hands fall onto my lap.
"Oh well. I guess the deal is off; your name, for my name.
"I already know your name."
"Do you." Let him soak that in for a minute. The chief's face flashed a dozen different emotions in the span of three seconds. It finally settled on being blank.
"What is your name."
"Sorry chief, that is only for Toothless and I to know. Now, if you don't mind, we will be taking our leave now." Before anyone can react, Toothless and I are hovering twenty feet above their heads.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Its been a real treat." Shouts of protest rise up. One voice carries over the rest of the other, the chief.
"Shoot them down! You lot, with me. Get to the catapults! Do what ever it takes to get them out of the sky!" A shudder passes through me. This will not be fun from here on out.
Two dozen arrows fly in our direction. I click the tail to turn up. Worry takes over as we begin to fall. How had they taken us out so fast?
"Hiccup! Up! Not down." The tail clicks into place and I redden slightly as I adjust our course upward. We fly out of arrow ranges, and right into catapult range.
Huge chunks of rock fly at us from all directions. Toothless guides us around the rocks. I'm just there moving the pedal when need be. It's not long before the rocks start falling short of us.
"Toothless, take us up into the clouds." We shoot into a bunny shaped cloud. Then, hovering, we watch the vikings below get upset.
The blonde maiden gets mad at something a young, dark haired viking says. She punches him into the ground, then drops her axe handle onto his stomach. Once it bounces back to her hand, she storms off toward the forest on the outskirts of the village.
Grown adults turn on each other. Clashing swords and beating each other up. The chief moves in, stopping the hassle. His words don't reach me in the clouds, but he looks extremely irritated. Hands wave in the air, sending the vikings scattering.
The chief looks up at the sky, I take that as my queue to go.
"I'm ready to sleep in my own bed. How 'bout you, bud?"
"Thought you'd never ask. And you can stop talking in Norse. We are away from those pesky vikings. Just be yourself." My mouth stretches into a large smile.
"This is much better. Now, off to the sanctuary!"
"Off to our deaths!" I glare at Toothless head in confusion.
"We just escaped death. What are you talking about?"
"One word. Mom." I pale. My face turning as white as the cloud we are in. The beat of my heart quickens as I think of what is to come.
"Snap, forgot about her. We are so dead."
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Toothless agrees with me. On an unspoken agreement, we turn and bolt home. Going as fast as possible, and then some.
Author's Note: I realized how short my chapters are and am trying my best to make them longer. Making longer chapters will take me a little more time to write and upload. This chapter is not edited so let me know if any errors are noticed or something doesn't make sense. Thank you so much for your patience and support.