A.N. Okay I had took some artistic license with this chapter mostly because I didn't want to seclude it to what was seen on the screen. Which made this chapter so much fun to write! So please enjoy this as much as I had writing it! XDD
"Softly tread the sand below your feet now,
Two worlds, one family.
Trust your heart, let fate decide
To guide these lives we see."
'Oh man, why me?' I slip on the now slick ground, falling face first into the mud. Groaning, I pick myself up, wipe the mud from my face and start to run again. It had started pouring right after that first rumble of thunder, flattening my hair to my head and soaking my clothes until the water had soaked all the way to my bones. A cold wind blew me from behind, causing goose bumps and hard shiver to run up my spine.
Brushing bangs from my face, I stumble into the village probably quite a sight… covered in mud, and soaking wet…it would have been quite a sight…had anyone been outside. Everyone with a brain had moved inside, not wanting to be caught in this storm. Shivering again, I run toward the Mead Hall where most of the Vikings were gathering for dinner. Slopping up the steps, I reach out to grasp the handle. As soon as I felt the door handle under my palm, I yanked back…well I hadn't had a good firm grip on the handle and my hand slid back…and so did I. Memo to self, rain makes metal handles slick.
"Ah!" I reach out to grab something, but all that was there was air. I was fully prepared to fall off the step, so I was surprised when I firm hand roughly caught me at the small of my back and shoved me forward. The force of it causes me to stumble and I almost fell forward, catching myself I glance back to see a big Viking stalk past me toward the obscenely large doors.
"Watch where yeh goin'." He grunted at me, not even sparing a glance.
"Uh…yeah…sorry…"
I pant, calming my thudding heart. 'Watch where I'm going…I slipped! It's really hard to watch where you're going when you think you're gonna fall off the very top step of a very long strai rway!' Brushing bangs out of my face, I straighten my self up and watch as he effortlessly grabs the handle, and yanks it backward. As he lumbers inside, another shiver shot down my spine, not needing anymore reason to I ran in behind him, being quick; and small enough to slip in before the door slammed shut. I close my eyes and breathe a sigh a relief as I was met with a thankful blast of warm air, glancing around me; I spot the Dragon Training Troupe and my shoulders slump as I realized that they held a meeting in the mead hall that I wasn't privy of.
"All righ' where did Astrid go wrong in the rin' todeh?"
"I miss timed my summer salt dive, it was sloppy, it threw off my reverse tumble."
"No, no you were great! That was so Astrid!" The only word that comes to mind is "Suck Up." Astrid must have thought the same thing because I watch her roll her eyes at him and boredly take a drink out of her cup.
"No, she's righ' yeh hafta be tough on yer selves!" I watch as his eyes fall on me. We locked eyes before he continued, "Where did Hiccup go wrong?"
'Here we go…' I groan inwardly awaiting for the insults to come flying at me. Thinning my lips, I train my eyes on the plate of food in front of me and I reach for it watching as Snotlout scoot over to prevent me from sitting next to him. As if I'd want to, rolling my eyes I keep walking. Reaching out to grab the cup that rested on his other side, he rudely scoot over to prevent me from sitting down again, I got the obvious feeling that I was not welcome on at that table so I moved onto the other one.
"Uh, he showed up?" Ruffnut drawled out, I think I heard just a tad if joy in her voice. 'Getting just a little to much joy at my expense aren't you?'
I shrink into my seat at the other table; sad thing is I knew that they weren't done either.
"He didn't get eatin'!" Tuffnut grinned, biting my lip I started picking at my chicken in front of me, having already lost my appetite I just didn't understand why they felt the need to constantly put me down.
"He's never where he should be." I inwardly flinch and my heart clenched chewing on the inside of my lip. Astrid had said so straight forward and precise that the words stung me worse then the others did. Maybe it hurt so bad because what she said was true, lately I haven't been where exactly I was supposed to be at the time I was supposed to be there. I just want to disappear.
"Thank yeh Astrid! Yeh need teh liv an' breathe this stuff;" Scowling I glare at the plate in front of me. 'Way to agree with her Gobber, aren't you supposed to be helping me?' " The Dragon Manual!"
I pause, 'The dragon…what?'
I quirk my brow as he scoots the dishes off the table and drops a book in their place with a resounding thud. It was a thick book with a tattered spine; the pages that were all different lengths, sticking out of the bottom as if someone didn't know how to put a book together. I was shocked and yet at the same time I wasn't. I was mostly shocked because I hadn't thought that a Viking would actually sit down and write an entire book, but I wasn't shocked because it was a manual about dragons, and we are all about dragons.
"Everythin' we know about every dragon know of." My breath left my lungs, 'Every dragon…' I stared at the book, taking everything inside me to leap off my seat and grab it for my self. The last thing I need is to give them something else to ridicule me for, so I'll just bide my time until I can get the book. It may be jumping to conclusions but I had a feeling that I wasn't gonna have to much competition to read it.
A slight rumble passes overhead and Gobber stills for a second before looking back at the group.
"Eh, no attacks tonigh'…study up." With that he hobbles away from us.
'Get ready for it…3…2…1…'
"Wait…we read?" I hide the smile that appeared on my face, they were too predictable.
"While we're still alive?"
Astounding is it not? They are a true Viking through and through. They want nothing more than to run their weapon through something. To them reading is a waste of time and doesn't help with killing a dragon…or at least that's how they think. I think that it's smart to know the dragon and what it can do before you approach it…you know the whole knowing now rather then later…but maybe that's just me.
"Why read words, when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about."
See what I mean, good ol' Snotlout unknowingly helping me prove my point whenever he opens his mouth. Rolling my eyes I look down at my plate again.
"OH! I've read it like seven times!" I fight back a snort as Fishlegs burst out joyfully on the topic of the Dragon Manual. "There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at its victims…"
Glancing at the other kids, I noticed that they seemed a little less enthused about this. Ruffnut and Tuffnut held an equal look of, 'Wow…' and Snotlout just looked like he was trying to inch away from the boy as if he was suddenly possessed. He continued on as if they were all listening raptly.
"And then there's this other one that buries itself…" Tuffnut then jerked his hand forward and snapped his fingers against his thumb in a 'silence' motion forcing a smile on his face.
"Yeah, that sounds great! Uh…there was a chanceI was gonna read that…" He leans back and glances over at his sister who held a look on her face that said she was either incredibly bored…or her brain just gave up on her. Sadly, it was the former because her voice drawled out, "…but, now…" Fishlegs didn't look deterred, this was his area of expertise I guess.
Jumping slightly at the sudden burst of noise, I glance to see that Snotlout had pushed himself from the table. "You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." His outburst riled the others because they all burst up and followed their fearless leader out of the Meade hall. Fishlegs was still babbling about the different dragons that he read about. The only one who didn't follow was…Astrid… Oh…there goes my brain.
I maneuver over to where the blonde Viking girl sat, staring boredly at the wall across from her. She was probably wondering if she should read it here or at home. She must felt my presence come up beside her because she slightly acknowledged me by a quirk of her elegant brow and a shift of her crystal blue eyes. Then I felt my mouth just start moving with out waiting for my say so, a grin on my face.
"So I guess we'll…share?" Maybe it was the hope talking, or maybe it was something else that caused me to blurt this out…whatever it was I really wished I hadn't. Rolling her eyes and sighing she nudged the book toward me with her fingers and snapped, "Read it." then without another word she smoothly and swiftly slid out of her seat and sauntered away from me.
Disappointment shrouded me; I had guessed she would have read it because I mean…she's always prepared for anything. "Oh, A…all mine then! Wow. Uh…so…so…I guess I'll…I'll see you guys…" The door gave a resounding unforgiving slam after she left. Leaving me alone and staring dumbly at the door. "Tomorrow…" Sighing I slump my shoulders as my brain slowly started forming actual sentences again instead of leaving me a stuttering idiot.
'I must've sounded so STUPID to her!' I mentally slap myself for that…'so we'll share…what was I thinking…oh…right…I wasn't…' Looking away from Astrid's empty seat, I glance at the fire that flared in the corner, and then my eyes flash to the book. It looked as if it had been read many times over, the spine being creased and bent, the cover looked faded and worn.
I skim my fingers over the cover, it was rough and bristly to the touch. My fingers itched to open it and read the knowledge that it held from me. Anticipation soaked me all the way to my core; maybe this will answer some of my questions. Biting my lip, my fingers tap to open up the cover, I stopped when water dripped off my hair. 'Oh right, I'm still wet…' I glance down at my soaking shirt and vest, and then I see that I was making a slight puddle under my boot.
'Perhaps I should dry off first…' I pry myself away from the book and move toward the fire. Plopping my self down in front of the warm blaze I felt the warmth wash over me like a warm blanket. Sighing I began rubbing my arms, trying to heat myself up faster. Then I felt a sharp pain shoot up from my side from something ramming against it.
"Ah!"
Flinching I reach in and pull out my sketchbook. I had forgotton that it was there. Then my heart drops as I see water drip from the corner, eyes widening I start, frantically to pat it dry. 'Oh man! I hope none of my sketches got ruined!' I start flipping through my book, hoping upon hope that I didn't ruin them. 'So far so good…' Then I reached the most recent sketch of the Night Fury. I stopped my frantic patting to gaze at the picture. Tilting my head, I remembered how interested he seemed to be at my presence, how curious he had been. His green eyes watching me warily, but also curiously, could a dragon be curious?
Everything seemed to disappear around me as my thoughts had become consumed with my curiosity about this unusual dragon. Jumping as a sudden skid and thump slapped my ear drums. This jerked me out of my revelry and pulled me back down to earth. Snapping my book shut I peek over my shoulder to see that a Viking, who'd fallen asleep, had fallen out of his chair causing it to skid and clatter to the floor. Sighing, I carefully shoved my sketchbook back in my pocket, and leaned forward toward the fire to continue warming myself
After what seemed like years I run my fingers through my hair, I surmised that I was dry enough; I really wasn't soaked to the bone anymore. Shooting up I make a beeline for where the Dragon Manual lay abandoned. Licking my dry lips, I pick up the heavy book. 'This is it!' A grin broke out over my face and I quickly move to where I can sit down and place it on the table.
Glancing around I grab a nearby candle and place it by the book. Good timing too, cause then the roaring blaze that lit up the hall was quenched immediately, shrouding the entire room in darkness, save for where candles dotted the room. I guess with all the Vikings gone the Meade Hall didn't need that roaring fire anymore. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a voice thundered out of the silence from behind me.
"Yeh, betteh no' stay to late lad, th' storm'll only stay this calm fer a li'l while. Bes' no ge' caugh' in th' middle of it."
Breathing out a sigh, I turn to look at a big man with beard that hung straight down from his chin, stringy hair that flared out from under his helmet. His beady dark eyes peered out from under his caterpillar eyebrows.
"Yeah, thanks. No I…I…I won't stay too late." I tap the cover with my fingers sparing a glance at the older Viking. "I just…don't want to…uh…ruin the book…" I give the man a crooked smile. He snorted at me, not many Vikings cared for books around here…if you couldn't tell. I watched him walk away, his thudding footsteps and looming figure lumbered toward the exit. Sighing I reach over and grab another candle, figure it better to make sure that I wasn't going to have anymore surprise visitors.
After a couple of minutes of searching, I concluded that there wasn't anyone else in the Meade Hall. This suited me just fine, I rather like reading without being interrupted. Making my way back over to the book, I quicken my pace to get there. Anticipation and excitement roll over my being all at once. Setting the candle down diagonal to the first one, I eagerly sat down, heart thudding in my chest; with anxious fingers, I flip the book open. 'All right here we go.'
"Dragon classifications…strike class, fear class, mystery class."
My eager fingers flip the page to the first dragon on the list. It was a small round dragon; similar to the Gronkle, with a wide-open mouth that had teeth circling all the way around. It had no legs, just two wings sprouting on either side of it's back and a tail that extended it's body length with spikes running all the way down to the tip. My eyes shift to it the name we had so cleverly given this dragon.
"Thunder Drum," Eh it was nice, simple, and easy to remember. My eyes continue their journey down the page. "This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools." I flip my eyes toward the other page. I wince at the picture of the Thunder Drum with lines coming out of it's mouth…I'm assuming to resemble sound…and on the other end is a Viking whose head had been blown off. 'Yikes…'
"When startled the Thunder Drum can release a concussive sound that can kill a man a close range, extremely dangerous; kill on sight." Furrowing my brows, I flip the page to the next dragon.
It was a majestic looking dragon that had wings that spanned a Viking ship and that held the width of two and a half of them. Its long neck was craned back to avoid all the treetops that were popping off. It had no front legs, but had strong looking hind legs that were curled up toward its chest and its tail stuck straight out from behind him.
"Timberjack; this dragon has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous…kill on sight." Taking a deep breath I flip the page to see a fat looking dragon with a long neck, and medium length wings, its' long tail went straight out with a tail fin on each side, it also had cheeks and a chin that were puffed up, squirting out water. Under its body were legs shorter than the ones on the Gronkle, quirking a brow I glance at his name.
"Scaldren; sprays scalding water at its victims…" This must be the one Fishlegs was boasting about earlier. Swallowing I kept reading, "extremely dangerous…AH!" A loud thud crashed thought the entire room, I jolted looking the direction of the door. Heart having jumped into my throat I see that the force of the wind had blasted the door open strong enough to hit the wall behind it. 'Ah, I hate these flimsy doors…' Panting I slowly turn around to face the book again, turning the page with trembling fingers.
On the next page, there was a dragon that was hunched down on its two front legs, its long wings curled in close to his body. His long tail was curled around him, which had spikes that trailed all the way down his spine toward the tip of his tail. He had long horns that curled at the tip.
"Changewing; even newly hatched dragons can spray acid…extremely dangerous…kill on sight!" Biting my lip, I just start flipping through the pages, just barely scanning over the various dragons and their attacks. "Gronkle…Zippleback… the…Skrill…" This dragon was a very intimidating looking dragon. It looked like it had powerful sets of jaws that had razor sharp teeth lining its upper and lower gums. A horn that stuck straight out from its nose, spikes that ran all the way down to its tail, and wings that spread out the length of a Viking ship. It had no front legs but had two back legs that looked like they could crush a house, overall one viscous looking dragon.
Turning the page, I found that this dragon looked worse then the last one. It looked like the gods forgot that the bones belong on the inside of the skin…I shudder at the name of this gruesome looking dragon. "Bone Knapper…" Swallowing, I flip the page…my heart jumped. "Whispering Death…" This dragon had no arms and no legs, two small wings and spikes that ran all along its under belly, it's mouth was wide open revealing teeth that not only circled the outer part of its mouth also ran along the in side of it's mouth as well and circled all the way around until you couldn't see them anymore. Shaking my head, I flip the page, trying to shake the images of the last few dragons out of my mind. I start scanning the attacks of the dragons.
"Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims…" I shudder, "Turns it's victims inside out…" I choke out the last part, that's gruesome. "Extremely dangerous…extremely dangerous, kill on sight…kill on sight…kill on sight." It's the same thing on every page…is this all we know…I start to feel disappointment seep it's way back into my being until I flipped to a page that had the name of the one dragon that I'd been looking for.
"Night Fury…" There was no picture…I guess that's expected seeing as how no ones ever seen one and lived. "Size: Unknown…speed; unknown…the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself…" That doesn't seem right…"Never engage this dragon…your only chance…hide and pray that it does not find you." That was it, there was nothing else…but that can't be right. I've found him twice, as he had seen me and I'm still breathing…I pull out my sketchbook and I lie it down on top of the manual.
"It just doesn't make any sense at all…'the offspring of lightening and death' huh…" Biting my lip, I furrow my brows. This just isn't right…the Night fury doesn't seem all that dangerous…I didn't feel threatened that last time I saw him. He could've easily jumped up and drug me down to his level…but he didn't. Placing my elbows on the table, I gaze down at the crudely drawn Night Fury. Now all I have are just more questions, instead of the answers that I was looking for.
Frustrated I push the sketchbook off the manual and started flipping through the book again, there just had to be something else…there just had to be! Argh! Just empty blank pages that screamed nothing, but no one knows anything about Night Furies. Shutting the book, I slid it away from me. Furiously running my fingers through my hair, I let out a sigh.
"Well, this was pointless…" I sit back; staring at the Dragon Manual hoping that maybe it might suddenly get a burst of information about this elusive Night Fury. Yet no matter how I stare, more information doesn't appear and I'm left sitting in the stoned silence aside for the slight rumble of thunder.
'Well I guess there's nothing left to do but to go home…'
Reluctantly I stand up and blow out on of the candles. Picking up the book, I lean down and blow out the other one, shrouding me in complete darkness. The light from that filtered in from the door that still hung ajar helped me weed my way through the tables and the stools that were scattered between where I was to where the exit was. From what I could tell, the rain had slowed to a sprinkle; at least this would allow me to walk home without getting soaked…hopefully.
I look up at the darkened sky, tightening my grip on the book; I start to make my way home. A deep rumble of thunder rattled the sky and signaled that the storm was far from over. I watched as lightening flashed in the sky and lit up the village for a brief second, before another clap of thunder reached my ears. Quickening my pace, I try to out run the storm that was due to start up again. Shuddering as a brisk wind pushed at my back and swirled my hair around my face.
'Looks to be a bad one…'
I barely make it home, still had one foot out the door as clouds decided to let go the torrent that it was holding back. Slamming the door shut, I pushed the plank that sealed the door from being blasted in by the force of the wind. The sound of rain rushing on the roof reached my ears, clawing its way through the stoned silence, lighting a fire to try to warm the house and shed light on the darkened room.
My eyes fell on the book that I threw on the table, licking my lips I decide to flip through it one more time. I had just been scanning it the first time, my excitement over the Night Fury over whelmed me so much that I didn't even really read the rest. Sitting at the table I pry the book open once more, ready to see if there had been anything that I'd missed…reading every last word, caption and picture. The storm slowly faded from my ears as I became more and more concentrated, until the world outside existed no more and all I could see were the dragons, drawn on the pages, in front of me.
A.N. And thus ends chapter 4! XD Please read a review it would be greatly appreciated!