Chapter Sixteen
"Alright, you guys ready?" Hiccup asked, turning to face Astrid and Ukiah following him closely. It was twilight, as the sun began to sink into the ocean.
"I would be, if you told me what I should be ready for!" Astrid breathed out angrily, her eyes narrowing in frustration. Glancing at a stuffed dummy, strapped to her saddle, she asked "What are we doing with these again?"
When Hiccup returned, he was carrying a series of bags stuffed with wool, some buttons, and cloth. Refusing to tell them exactly what he was planning, he had the two help him stitch three dummies together. He purposely waited longer during the day so they could attack during the night, since Gobber gave them permission to leave whenever they wanted; which the idea of fighting in the dark thrilled Ukiah.
"Alright, I guess now's as good as time as any." Hiccup replied, grinning over at Astrid "I wanted to make three dummies, placing them randomly around Raven Point, confusing them. While they're busy with our dummies, we go in and take the flag."
"Aren't we attacking?" Ukiah asked, looking at Hiccup with confusion "Why would they come looking for us?"
"Because Fishlegs is in charge." Hiccup answered "I'd imagine he'd have a patrol trying to find us. Which I'm guessing would be Snotlout, keeping the twins to help defend the flag. Keeping three to defend in case Snotlout doesn't spot us."
"Do you think they'd actually listen to him though?" Astrid asked, gliding closer to Hiccup "Snotlout barely listens to you."
"Gobber's there with them. I'd imagine if they want to pass in his book, they'll do what he told them." Hiccup explained, guiding Toothless to fly lower in the trees "Besides, the dummies are just a bonus if they find them. What I want them to find is our dragons."
"Start explaining." Astrid growled, shaking her head at the new information.
"Except for Toothless, for obvious reasons. I want Arrow and Stormfly to fly over Raven Point." Hiccup continued to expound "To serve two purposes. One, it draws their attention away from us. When they realize that we're not on our dragons, I'm hoping they'll go and search for us. Hopefully finding our dummies."
"The second reason is what then?" Ukiah asked, nodding in understanding, seeing what Hiccup was trying to do.
"To find out where they are." Hiccup quickly replied "We know they're at Raven Point, but we don't know where exactly. We let our dragons fly over, and if they chase after them, we'll know where to head." Looking at Astrid, he then added "Toothless will come with us. We'll be under his wings to help cloak us. When we arrive to where ever they're camped, we'll split up and hit them from different sides. Oh yeah, I should also mention that we're not getting the flag."
Both Ukiah and Astrid let out a long, vented sigh, giving up on trying to follow Hiccup and his plan.
Smiling, he explained "The way I see it, if we beat all four of them, then we win. With the flag or not."
Seeing what Hiccup was actually planning for, Ukiah smiled as he commented "You're changing the game. They'll be focused on the flag, and not on themselves."
"Exactly." Hiccup replied, smiling wider.
"Sounds good to me." Astrid also said, nodding in agreement "Where did you want to land?"
"Right there. On that hill." Hiccup answered, guiding Toothless to land "I want to see where they fly from, so we can head in the right direction on the ground."
Before anyone could say anything, Hiccup quickly landed Toothless and dismounted. Ukiah and Astrid quickly, and quietly followed suit. Untying their individual dummies from their saddles, they then whispered to their dragons "Alright friend, time to split up. Follow Stormfly." and "Don't worry girl, we'll be back before midnight."
Arrow didn't want to leave Ukiah, remembering last time they were separated. Looking at him with his jaded green eyes, he softly growled at him, as if begging him not send him away.
"Sorry Arrow, but we need you to draw them out for us." Ukiah quietly explained, getting onto his knees and stroking one of his spikes "It'll help us hurry and finish this stupid trial."
"Ugh, don't remind me." Astrid growled, rolling her eyes. Of all reasons not to defend their home, there wasn't a single one that really was an argument; and it still bugged her.
"Go on friend. We'll only be an hour or two." Ukiah whispered, standing up and stepping back from the anxious Sand Wraith.
Arrow just whimpered, still wishing he could stay with his rider. As Stormfly launched into the air, Arrow reluctantly followed; bolting right behind her.
Watching them fly away, Hiccup turned to see Ukiah was climbing up a tree. His crossbow hanging loosely on his back, he then leapt up and grabbed a branch hanging just out reach. Grunting, he pulled himself up and promptly sat down on it.
"See anything?" Hiccup asked, looking up at Ukiah.
"Not yet." He answered, shaking his head. Looking down at Hiccup and Astrid, he then said "Hey, Hiccup? Can I add to your idea with the dummies?"
"Go ahead." Hiccup replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's light a fire near them." Ukiah suggested "That'll basically signal them to come check it out, just in case they don't fly after Arrow and Stormfly."
"That's a good idea, probably didn't need to send our dragons away." Astrid commented, looking over at Hiccup.
"Well, if they see our dragons, they'll know we're out here." Hiccup quickly answered, defending his idea.
"Oh, there you go." Ukiah called down, looking out over the trees "Snotlout and Hookfang chasing our dragons. They came from over that way." Ukiah pointed in a north-west direction.
"Hiccup…isn't that the same way as the cove?" Astrid asked, glancing over at him.
"It'd make sense. If they put the flag in the center of the cove, we'd be forced to break cover to get it." Hiccup replied, watching Ukiah climb down. With a grin growing on his face, he then added "Good thing we're not going for the flag."
"Great, let's go." Ukiah grunted, dropping the rest of the way. Picking up his dummy, he asked "Where do we want to set these guys up?"
"In between here and the cove." Hiccup replied, shouldering his and starting to walk through the forest. Toothless followed, doing his best to cover the three with his wings. "I like the idea that we start a campfire for 'us'. Make it look like we're planning something. And we'll be able to tell where they're at when they fly over."
Astrid then suggested "What if one of us stays with the dummies? We could jump them while they investigate the fire and dummies."
Hiccup look hesitant at first, thinking about the suggestion "But if they send two riders, even if they weren't the twins, that person would be out numbered."
"We're outnumbered anyways!" Astrid cried out, glaring at Hiccup.
Before anyone could say anything, Ukiah suddenly crouched on the ground, blending in with the brush. Everyone stopped, even Toothless. Ukiah turned to face Hiccup and Astrid, raising a finger to his lips. In one smooth motion, he grabbed his crossbow and slung it around. Aiming it down the sights, he just stayed still.
Confused at what he saw, Astrid then heard a snap. Glancing in the direction, she then heard more brush get pushed aside. Readying her axe, she waited for the source of the noise to show itself.
Ukiah held his breath, freezing in place. Waiting for a few seconds, he squeezed the trigger. Sch-thunk! The blunt bolt sailed forwards, disappearing from all their view.
"Ow! What the?!" A voice shouted, confusing the three hiding. It wasn't a voice that they were expecting. "Who shot me? Show yourselves!"
Hiccup, Astrid and Ukiah stood up and walked to where the voice was shouting, still confused at who Ukiah hit. Walking into a clearing, they were surprised to see Murky standing there, rubbing his forehead vigorously. At his feet was a spilled bag of supplies.
"Murky? What are you doing out here?" Hiccup asked, picking up the bag and handing it to him.
"Hmph!" Murky growled "Just seeing Mildew, on the other side of the island." Looking at the three, he then demanded "Why did you shoot an old man?"
"Doing the training sessions you demanded we do." Ukiah huffed, his eyes narrowing. He was still angry with Murky being such a hindrance to Stoick. And the simple act of hostility towards him.
"I see that you need more training, seeing that you shot an old man that lives in the village you're fighting for." He growled, glaring back at Ukiah.
Ukiah couldn't say anything back, knowing it would just give Murky more reason to keep him from helping fight. Begrudgingly, he bit his tongue and looked away.
"Sorry about that Murky, we were thinking you were someone we're practicing to fight." Hiccup continued to say, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly "I don't even know how Ukiah saw you."
"Hmph." Murky grunted, glaring at Hiccup "You're a good boy Hiccup, I've always liked you. But you should talk some sense into your father about going to war with Strogg. We're doomed before we even start."
"Is that your attitude?" Astrid asked, disgusted with Murky's comment "Just let Strogg take what he wants and kill whoever he pleases?"
"Better someone else than us." Murky growled back, glaring at Ukiah. Pointing his walking stick at him, he then said "Stoick may want to protect you, but I don't. And no one is going to make me want to spill my blood for you."
Hiccup glanced awkwardly between the two, unsure of what to say to that.
Ukiah just glared back at Murky, staying silent for a moment. Then after what felt like ages for Hiccup and Astrid, he simply replied "That's fine. I'm not going to fight for you. I'm fighting for everyone that's adopted me into your tribe."
"Which will all die because they did take you in!" Murky yelled. Then, growling quietly, whispered "Strogg killed your people. What'll stop him from doing the same here? Face it, you've doomed us with the same fate that your tribe suffered. You're the reason we're all going to die."
Ukiah felt like he was punched in the gut. Trying to regain his breath, he just stared at Murky. He was right. He was the reason why Berk was going to fight, but he didn't realize that those he cared about had a high chance of being killed too.
"Get out of here Murky!" Astrid growled, grabbing Ukiah and pulling him aside "We got a training session to finish, because of you!"
"It won't matter. We'll all be dead." Murky spat, walking past the three "Can't believe I'm the only sensible one in the entire tribe!"
Astrid glared at Murky as he disappeared into the trees. Shaking her head, she asked "What's gotten into his head? He's never really been that standoffish before."
"I don't know. Maybe just the potential of what could happen." Hiccup replied, also shaking his head.
"He's right. We're gonna lose." Ukiah whispered, staring into nothing "I should've known better than to drag you guys into this."
"What?! What are you talking about Ukiah?" Astrid gasped, staring at him with wide eyes.
"My people were warriors. Strogg only had a few ships, and he still won." Ukiah whispered hoarsely, not looking at either of them "Now he's got a fleet and an army…" Finally looking up, he stared at the two, whispering "I've killed you."
"Are you really listening to Murky?!" Astrid roared, her eyes burning with anger "We won't win if we all get that attitude!"
"But you would win if I gave myself to Strogg…" Ukiah whispered, his head perking slightly at the idea he gave himself. He didn't have much time to think about it, as he was interrupted by a sudden pain in his shoulder. Wham! His shoulder went numb, and the rest of his arm ached in pain. Gasping, he stared at Astrid who was stomping off in the direction that Murky disappeared to.
"Astrid? Where're you going?" Hiccup called out, shocked at what he just watched.
"To get Murky. I've got a few choice words I want to say to him!" She shouted, disappearing completely.
"Astrid! The plan!" Hiccup called out, even though he knew it was pointless. Letting out a sigh, he turned and looked at Ukiah, who took a seat on a fallen log. Sitting next to him, he quietly asked "Do you really believe that we're going to lose?"
"I don't know Hiccup…" Ukiah whispered hoarsely, burying his head into his hands. Taking a few deep breaths, he then whispered "I want to think we could pull this off, but…" His voice trailed off, not able to finish his thought.
"What? But what?" Hiccup pressed, looking at Ukiah with concern.
"Is it worth it? Am I worth all the death that's going to come?" He finally choked out, looking at Hiccup with tears in his eyes "People are going to die Hiccup. You're friends, neighbors, maybe even your dad. Maybe…you. Am I worth it?"
Hiccup just looked at him, realizing what was really bothering Ukiah. Looking down at the ground, he stared at his feet. Seeing the metal prosthetic, his mind began to put together exactly what to say to Ukiah. "You know. I don't think it's the end that matters."
"What do you mean, Hiccup?" Ukiah whispered, now resuming his stare into the ground.
"I mean, I didn't fight the Red Death because I knew what was going to happen. I did it because it was what I needed to do." Hiccup explained "I didn't kill Toothless because it wasn't right, not because I knew that we were going to be best friends." Looking at Ukiah, he added "You were going to kill yourself in Strogg's arena because you knew it wasn't right that Arrow suffered because of you."
"Like it isn't right that you should suffer because of me!" Ukiah quickly retorted, glaring at Hiccup.
"Arrow didn't have a choice. We do." Hiccup countered, looking back at Ukiah "We chose to help you Ukiah. Not because we know we're going to win, but because it's the right thing to do. It was never about what happens after, it's about what we do right now."
Ukiah went into a small flashback when Gobber was addressing the men of Berk. "It's never been what can someone can do for us, it's what can we do for someone else." Gobber's voice echoed. Letting out a long sigh, Ukiah finally let a small smile appear on his face "You know Hiccup, I still don't like the idea of you guys suffering because of me; but I feel better about you helping me." Staring at Hiccup in the eyes, he whispered "Thank you."
"No problem, Ukiah." Hiccup replied with growing smile "Come on, let's go get Astrid. We still need to set ou-"
"Ah-hah!" A voice shouted from behind the two.
Toothless roared as a net fell on him. Before Hiccup or Ukiah could help, they were pushed forward onto their stomachs in the dirt.
Trying to get up, Ukiah felt a spear tip poke him in the back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snotlout holding an axe to Hiccup's side.
"We won!" Snotlout jeered, smirking at Hiccup.
"Wait. Where's Astrid?" Fishlegs asked aloud, walking into view.
"Somewhere." Hiccup replied, looking up at Fishlegs.
"Hmm…no problem. We can use you to draw her to us!" Fishlegs replied, smiling at the fortune "You guys didn't tap them out yet, did you?"
"Not yet!" Ruffnut shouted with a wide smile.
"Not so tough now, are you!" Tuffnut added, prodding Ukiah with his spear tip.
Ukiah just blew a breath of hot air, trying to vent his frustration of being 'captured'. Feeling his arms grabbed, he then stood up. Hiccup was hoisted up similarly.
"Is she close by?" Fishlegs asked, looking at Hiccup.
"Don't know." Hiccup replied simply.
"Hmm…well, I guess we're not done yet." Fishlegs announced "Twins, take Hiccup and Ukiah to the cove; Snotlout, after we help tie their hands in front of them, we're going to look for Astrid.
"Oh good!" Snotlout cried out in joy, excited at the thought of searching for Astrid.
"Come on, turn around." Fishlegs instructed. Smiling, he then added "I'll be honest Hiccup, I didn't think I'd be able to beat you!"
"Yeah, good job Fishlegs." Hiccup replied, a hint of teasing in his voice. Turning around, he stuck his hands out in front of him as Snotlout fumbled with a rope. "Won't lie, I wasn't expecting all four of you to be out here looking for us."
Ukiah also did the same, with Ruffnut holding her spear straight at him and Tuffnut readying his coil. Then it hit him. He saw what he could do. Letting Tuffnut get a little closer, he reached out and grabbed the shaft of the spear.
"Hey!" Ruffnut shouted, but was cut off as the butt end of the spear swiped across her face.
Not stopping, Ukiah brought it across Tuffnut's face, knocking him down. Leaping backwards, he twirled the spear to where he was holding it in a defensive position. Snotlout dropped the rope, focusing on Ukiah. Unfortunately for him, he and Fishlegs never disarmed Hiccup. As fast as he could, Hiccup drew his dagger and tapped Snotlout out; hitting the flat side of the blade against Snotlout's side.
"Oh, what?!" He cried out, shocked at what happened.
"Oh no!" Fishlegs cried out, realizing they were about to lose. Hiccup whirled around, brandishing his shield and faced off against Fishlegs.
Ukiah paid no attention, as he finished tapping Tuffnut out with the flat end of the spear. Ignoring the angry twin, he then swung the spear around his head, knocking the helmet off of Ruffnut.
"Ow!" She cried out, rubbing her head "You already hit me in the face!"
"You're out." He huffed, finally relaxing. Looking over at Fishlegs, he stood alongside Hiccup, ready to take down Fishlegs.
Glancing frantically between the two, he froze solid. Before Ukiah and Hiccup could move around him, he flung his hands up in the air.
"Great…our fearless leader." Snotlout groaned sarcastically, shaking his head at Fishlegs.
"Well, that does it." Hiccup joked, looking at Ukiah "That went a lot simpler than I was planning. Thanks to your quick hands."
"I just saw an opportunity." Ukiah shrugged, also smiling "So far, that gift or whatever it is, it's been pretty helpful!"
"Good job Hiccup, Ukiah." Gobber's voice rang out. Walking into the clearing, he pulled the net off of Toothless "You two did well fighting while being out numbered, and not having your dragons to help you."
"Told you we should have brought our dragons." Tuffnut huffed at Fishlegs, shaking his head.
"So…where's Astrid?" Gobber asked, looking around.
Hiccup shrugged, answering "I don't know. We ran into Murky out here, and he…" Glancing at Ukiah, he just said "He said somethings that made her mad. I think she went after him."
"What was Murky doing out here?" Gobber asked, an eyebrow raised.
"He said he was going to see Mildew." Hiccup answered again "He had a pack of supplies."
"That's…strange." Gobber puzzeled, obviously confused at the answer "This isn't any way to get to Mildew's…"
Ukiah's heart started to beat like crazy, as if the fight never ended. Looking in the direction of where she ran off to, he was about to say something when Hiccup cut him off. "Ukiah and I will go find her. I imagine you have another training session for us tomorrow huh?"
"Righty-o, Hiccup." Gobber replied with a smile. Ignoring the groans from the others, he explained "Better get to bed. We're going to start sparring with some of Berk's mightiest warriors. Including Stoick the Vast."
"Oh good. I was thinking he was going to ignore us." Hiccup muttered, shaking his head. Looking at Ukiah, who was still staring at where Astrid ran off too, he asked "Want to come with me, Ukiah?"
"Uh, yeah. I'd like to." He quickly replied, shaking his head to get out of the trance he was in.
"See you tomorrow Gobber." Hiccup said, smiling as he, Ukiah, and Toothless began to walk deeper into the forest.
"See ya' in the morning." Gobber called out, walking with the rest, and ignoring Snotlout's cry's to let him go look for Astrid as well.
Walking through the trees, Ukiah quickly slung his crossbow around and unloaded the blunt arrow. Locking in a real one, he kept it ready to fire. His hunter habit's kicked in, where he crouched and silently glided along the ground.
"You getting that feeling too?" Hiccup whispered, crouching down and following, though a bit louder than Ukiah.
"You had a bad feeling?" Ukiah asked, not taking his eyes off from his surroundings.
"Right when Gobber mentioned this wasn't the way to Mildew's. I knew something was wrong. Murky had enough supplies to stay out here for a few days!" Hiccup replied quietly "And I never thought he was the kind of guy that liked to camp."
Ukiah only nodded, peering through a thicket of trees. "That's when I got the feeling too. Besides that, Astrid would have come back by now if she heard we were in trouble. Right?"
"I'd think so. I hope she didn't hurt Murky to bad. He's still an old man." Hiccup jested quietly, using his shield to push some shrubs out of the way.
Ukiah didn't say anything. Something was off, and he wasn't sure what. Stopping, he kneeled down on the ground to look for any kind of clue. Staring at the dirt, he found what he was hoping for. A single boot print, leading to a series of steps that led to their right. "This way." He whispered, following the tracks and keeping an eye out for anything.
Following them through a grove of trees, he saw that they led through a small thicket. Moving around the thicket, he saw something that disturbed him. Leaves were scattered all round, showing that something happened.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, peering at where Ukiah staring, not seeing what he saw.
"I'm…not sure." He whispered, crawling very slowly towards the scattered leaves. Making sure there was nothing watching them, he started to observe the ground. He easily found the foot prints again, but also found another pair. Looking a little bit ahead, he found two long skid marks in the dirt and going deeper into the forest; like something was being dragged. Glancing back at the thicket, he saw on small bush crushed, as if something fell on it. His stomach felt like it had a pit in it. His heart began to race even faster than during the scuffle. "Hiccup…I think something bad happened here…" He began to whisper.
"Think? I know something bad happened. And it was to Astrid." Hiccup answered behind him.
Turning around, he saw something that scared him half to death. Hiccup was standing there, with a terrified expression; all the while holding Astrid's axe.