Yooo!
Well, I'm back… at the end of the school year (which was one month ago but I had two exams then and didn't like the mark of one so repeated it a couple days ago) oof, please save me! This cost me at least 1 month and a half of the 3 months of summer vacation so my spirit's a little low but these bad guys are the ones that'll grant me access to a uni course, I couldn't slack. Also, it's been a hard period concerning my heath, which I don't want to explain much. Anyway, I seriously hope you guys to understand this, what with not posting for this long.
Anywow, here's another chap. I'm not that content with this one but it's a hard time so I simply gave it my best and hoped for you guys to not dislike it that much.
This chapter doesn't say much, but it has a bit more of bonding between other characters. And now...
Reviews!
TheDrawingDemon: Awww, thank you! Hiccupy boy… Stable boy- I love our boy. Snotlout can really say some pretty funny things sometimes. *wiggles eyebrows* yesss, Hiccup!whup much. I totally feel what you're saying even if… I don't really understand it either. I guess we just want to see our precious noodle finally being taken care of, buddie. And it becomes far more special given that despite that one drowning time in rtte and lightning in Rob or Dob, it's always Astrid who gets the stuff *sigh* Thank you for reviewing!
Nightfurylover1112: Yesssss! I'm so glad you do, really! Thank you for the feedback!
Guest: *a new chapter has been updated* Thank you!
Guest #2: Absolutely none taken! Though I'll have to disagree with you… While yes Astrid's his love, Hiccup also loves his friends, the gang and even Heather and Dagur. And as their leader, he finds the need to be fair and work for the team's balance. Now, this can't happen if he just takes Astrid's side because he loves her. Hiccup has a fair sense of justice, having been treated roughly enough and he would not want to be unfair to anyone. Now, this conflict inside him is enough to drive him crazy, and that's why he explodes at her as well. She's not acting right. Besides, usually you unstress more on the people closest to you, the ones you love even most- it's just something that seems to happen to us humans (not 100% on everyone). Hiccup is just that, a human.
oOoOo
There was a strange rocking of the world…back and forth, up and down…
Hiccup twitched. He couldn't recall any reason why he would be feeling that dizzy. Trying to move out of that annoyingly uncomfortable and painful position all he accomplished was a pained cry as his neck exploded to pieces.
"Hiccup?" He also found out his throat was, for some reason, feeling like he'd drunk lava. Lava with boulders in it. "Hiccup..."
"A-Astrid?" Hiccup cracked his eyes open, grateful there was little to no light in the place. A blurry form stood above him, "Hey, take it easy." it soothed. He finally recognized the voice, pushing himself to his elbows in a slow, jammed way, "Heather?" He rasped, almost instantly doubling over as a coughing fit ran him over, what he suspected to be salt water scraping the back of his throat further more.
When it was over, he felt something weight against him, or perhaps he was the weight and Hiccup looked up to face the heavy expression on the black-haired girl's face, "Wha- What…happened?"
Heather laid one of her arms across his chest, the other across his back, helping him lean against the wall, "We screwed up, that's what. Caught ourselves in a big trouble."
That seriously should have come as a surprise for Hiccup, but it didn't- fact that should have worried him as well. Hiccup slowly raised a hand to his neck, hissing as soon as his fingertips so much as traced a line over the bruised skin. He wildly looked around, trying to grow more aware of the situation.
"Hey, stop it." Heather warned him, shooing his hands away, "It's bruised enough."
Hiccup nodded slowly. "How long-?"
Heather sighed, jerking her head in order to push her braid away, "I have no idea," She admitted, the two looking around at their surroundings. The cell they were in was pretty much the same style as most of the Dragon Hunter cells of other ships. There was a dim light coming from the end of the tunnel, the cages in front of them empty, even though dragon like sounds seemed to echo from another spot inside the boat, or really, it was simply the creaking of the wet wood in the stormy sea. They seemed to be in one of the last cages, as a bunch of wooden barrels and other chests and even scrap seemed to have been thrown there, against the last wall of the corridor.
"When I woke up it was already dark, well, darker," She explained, her voice wavering, "And the storm had grown worse. You were slumped next to me. That was few minutes ago."
He eyed the girl up and down. Her armor was all scraped, especially the shoulder pads and the sides of her metal skirt over her hips. He cringed at the sight of a nasty bruise already appearing on her right cheek, swelling the area.
"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. The last moments before he'd blacked out had returned to him, but he still had no idea what had happened to Heather.
The girl leaned her back next to him, against the creaking wooden wall, shrugging, "Pretty much crashed on deck after you were pulled underwater." Her eyes were held down, inspecting the hands resting over her lap, "I think I've got broken fingers and a sprained wrist."
"What?" Hiccup felt his eyes widen. That was unfortunate and really, everything they didn't need right now. Dam, he'd gotten his friend injured... "Let me see." He told her softly, ignoring the headache his pounding cervical was responsible for. In fact, his whole back was a nuisance, feeling like someone had pulled his back bone mercilessly in opposite directions too suddenly, like a jolt. His neck was almost unbearable, though he'd get through it, really, what other choice did he have? And there was an uncomfortable pressure yet over his trachea. Like there still was a chain wrapped tightly around it.
"Ffff-" Heather hissed as he lightly touched her knuckles. A couple fingers were swollen beyond recognition, but only two on her left hand and her pinky on the right one had these bumps that meant they'd broke.
"Sorry... I count three, at least. And the wrist is badly sprained."
"Great," Heather deadpanned, "Really, just about everything I need right now."
Hiccup actually dared a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood somehow, which caught the Berserker girl by surprise, "Well, we're in the clutches of the enemy, caged like animals," He motioned at the iron bars of their cells, "they still got the dragons at their possession, sailing their way to possible auctions or worse, in the middle of a raging storm, in the middle of the sea," the boat lurched more violently for emphasis, "and you still wanted to not have any broken fingers? It'd be way too easy... I mean, you're lucky to still have both hands."
Heather stared at her companion before a smile tugged at her own lips, "Well, look who's talking, mister. As I recall, I'm not the one who was fished under sea directly from the back of his own dragon, nearly drowned and am still lacking a leg." She pointed down at his stump.
"Yeah, yeah, play the crippled card- oh." Hiccup suddenly swore some colorful words and she found him staring, literally, at his own stump.
"Oh." Heather awkwardly stared. She raised her green eyes to find Hiccup more bothered than worried.
"Not again..." He complained, sighing, "It is always the leg, isn't it?"
"You think they took it?" She asked him.
"Nooo... I mean... I don't know. Feels more like I lost it when they pulled me from Toothless..." Then, his emerald spheres did go round, and in a panic he turned to face her in such a sudden turn that even the girl cringed at the sound of the cracking blue/purple/yellow neck.
Hiccup, however, didn't point it out. He took hold of her shoulders in pure distress, "Toothless! Oh Thor! Toothless! Heather, the dragons!"
It was her turn to grow worried, "Windshear!" She exclaimed, flashes of the terrible moment they'd been captured coming at mind, "She- she managed to get away! Toothless blasted one of the decks and the chain went lose. She too blasted the other two but I... I fell then..." Heather stared into her fellow Dragon Rider's wild green eyes and recognized the same queasiness was taking over her being.
"Oh no! Hiccup..." She shot to her feet, "... The chains were still around her, and they're too heavy for her to fly with them wrapped around her. Fly or…or worse... to... to float!"
Hiccup struggled to his knees, "Toothless can't fly on his own either..." He had a desolate look on his face, auburn hair still a bit wet and glued to his forehead in a way that obscured his eyes, "Did you see them catching him?!"
"No! I mean- from what I remember, he was still bolting forward when you were caught, and the rest all happened equally fast. He perhaps escaped the Hunters as well..."
There was a pause, a silence no one wanted to break with the next words.
"But not the water..." Hiccup dreaded. They heard thunder shake the world outside, and the waves splashed furiously against the ship, threatening to break it, determined to sink it down.
Both froze, paling at the simple thought of their precious dragons, friends, trying to keep floating, facing that awful weather alone, or even... dead by then.
"We have to get out of here." Hiccup almost cried, struggling to keep his voice even- the image of his best friend in such predicament too sickening. He couldn't lose Toothless... He couldn't lose Toothless... He could not lose Toothless.
Heather swallowed a rather pessimistic 'but how?'- Windshear needed her, she reminded herself, "Agreed. And fast."
Hiccup looked around, his brain gears fuming, "Alright, first things first. Come here. Let me wrap up your hands."
oOo
"Huh... yes?" Dagur asked, his hand still lingering over the door's handle of the Haddock abode.
Tuffnut stood awkwardly outside, "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Dagur repeated, tilting his head to the side, "What do you mean you don't know?"
Tuffnut shrugged, "I don't know that either."
A pause.
"Great." Dagur lightly deemed. He moved to close the door, just as awkwardly.
"Wait!" Tuffnut called, "I think I know."
Dagur pulled the door up again, blinking at the sight of the blonde boy mouthing soundless words up at the dark sky, as if he was trying to remember his lines, "Huh... oh yeah right!" His face brightened, "I'm supposed to make sure you don't go Berserker Chief mad… insane again, y'know like before, haha... try to kill us all… because of Hoff back there."
"No wait, I wasn't supposed to actually mention that last part..." He suddenly realized.
Dagur deadpanned, "I'm perfectly sAnE!" He just about screamed, "And I don't need yOUR HELP!... huh, are you the boy or the girl?"
Tuffnut suddenly pushed him aside, assuming a very professional tone as he marched uninvited inside the lower level of Hiccup's hut, "Call me Doctor T. Thorston, now..." He swiftly pulled a chair from Hiccup's working desk next to the forge, dragging it to the bedside, given that there was an extra bed on the hut, where Dagur slept as Hiccup's temporary roommate.
The Berserker Chief stood still by the entrance of the hut, his dry-leaf green eyes watching the young Dragon Rider flop down into the chair, crossing his legs and intertwining his fingers.
"Okaaaaayy, haha ha... listen here, Tuffy…" He started, stepping towards his unwanted guest while controlling a spasm on his right eye, "All I need right now is to sharp my axe, and yank those beauty, blonde hairs from that annoying, know-it-all, self-centered little..." He coughed purposely, "If you leave right now, I might just...," He stopped for a moment, to give the rest of his speech more emphasis, "NOT TRY IT ON YOU FIRST, TUFFBUTT!"
Tuffnut stared at the madman quietly, his eyes very much open. Then he said, "Wow, rude" and frowned.
Dagur watched as the boy rose to his feet, puffing his chest out, "I didn't want to be forced to do this..." The blonde boy began, "... Honestly, from nut to loon…" His eyes were dark, blonde dread-locks swinging back and forth dramatically as he swung his head in a disappointed 'no'. "But if I come back from this quest failed, the consequences will be far more devastating. My sister will unleash all her wrath" His voice boomed, "on me and kick my Thorston butt to the fifth century- which, now that I think about it, actually sounds totally AWESOME! Anyway, so you leave me no other choice my red-haired, uncontrolled friend."
Another pause.
"Remember, I just wanted to help you. By the powers in me invested, I hereby unleash... the Bird's Wrath!"
Dagur rose one of his disfigured eyebrows, eyeing the senseless boy as he over dramatically rose his arms in the air. Then, out of the blue, a form erupted from the opened doors.
"Bff... B.. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!," He laughed, watching as Chicken flopped across the wooden boards of the floor, "It's... It's a chicken! Oh no! What's it gonna do? Lay eggs on me? "
Tuffnut narrowed his eyes and soon, Dagur's laughing had turned to screaming.
Chicken clucked and cackled madly, having jumped on top of the Berserker as she waved her wings on top of him, pricking the top of his head furiously, offended.
"No one, no one talks to a lady like that." Tuffnut pouted, crossing his arms as he watched the scene unfold.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Dagur yelled, trying to no use to get the bird off his head.
After several daggers and axes having been thrown across the room; the shields and Toothless's tailfins that hung on the wall having been thrown to the floor as part of the trail of destruction; one or two hammers from the forge having been lost outside and so Hiccup's patience having been put at a ready to be tested once he returned, a very disheveled Dagur laid on his back on his bed, hands resting over his belly and fingers intertwined, facing the ceiling in an almost catatonic way.
Chicken stood proudly on Tuffnut's lap, eyeing suspiciously the man, who flinched every time the bird so much as stretched its wings.
"Now!" Tuffnut began as if he was a pro at that subject, "I too have been forced to live with tyrants in my life..."
oOo
"What do you want?" Astrid practically growled. From the corner of her eye she could just spot the blonde head that'd barely knocked before peeking inside her space standing next to the door of her hut. To say Astrid was surprised at seeing Ruffnut knocking at her door was an understatement, given that the two, despite having developed a much more stable and controlled friendship recently, had certainly shared a much closer bond years back, before they killed dragons instead of flying them.
And Astrid knew, even if their personalities clashed- Astrid was dedicated, determined and focused, while Ruffnut was carefree, head-in-the-clouds and more given to her brother's banters than work itself, both being extremely tough and... short-tempered- the fault wasn't entirely on the Thorston girl's shoulders, but just as heavy on her own.
Of course, the way she was boiling in low water, totally wiped out any of those thoughts from her mind, and Astrid was sure she would have made good use of the axe she was currently over-sharpening hadn't it silently been promised for another, particular, someone.
"So?" She coldly demanded, delivering the other girl a murderous look as she briefly rose her eyes from the axe on her lap. Ruffnut didn't even blink at that- a glare that would've put anyone with enough self-care jogging their way to safety, preferably inside the Archipelago, or even her goofier self when she was in a nut-like state with Tuffnut- obviously this time her serious persona was in control and Astrid wasn't scaring her.
For some reason, it made Astrid even more unnerved. Usually imposing her posture on people would drive them away if she wanted to, or simply grant her the psychological sensation of security.
"What do you think?" The three-braided blonde deadpanned.
"I don't know, Ruffnut. It wasn't me who knocked on my door." She bit back.
Ruffnut crossed her arms, eyeing the weapons carefully hanged on the walls of the place, so many that the wall was barely visible.
"Alright, listen here. If you're here to actually say something useful than just do it. Otherwise do me a favour and leave. I want to be alone and am not in the mood to stand anymore foolish banter."
Ruffnut's head shot in her direction, her mouth opening than closing in a thin line. Her eyebrows sunk harder than before," Fine, " She replied, opening her arms to sooth her hands over the air in a complying way, though it was visibly obvious she was anything but, "I was tryna see how I could break this to you nice and slowly, because I guess that's what Hiccup or your bestie Heather would do," She received a low glare at the mention of the names, "but I guess it's gonna have to come out straight-forward and blunt, like you sister..."
Then, the twin girl shrugged, "Astrid, I think- no. Astrid, you've been an utter and total ass lately."
Astrid felt her mouth opening like that of a fish and she silently cursed herself for it. Not only did she already feel like a very much stepped on piece of dragon dung and now she had to withstand Ruffnut bad-mouthing her as well? What?! Was everyone on that base going to turn on her now? We're they on Dagur's side?!
"Excuse me?" She let out, feeling her constricted core ready to snap in ire.
"I'm not the only one who has to." Ruffnut went on, wildly, "With all the ruckus you've been dealing us recently."
"What? So you're on his side now?!" She couldn't help but scream, closing the distance between them both with large, infuriated steps, "Because you don't start a fight with only one person, Ruffnut!" She jammed a finger against Ruffnut's chest, "Besides, who are you to tell me about ruckus. Have you forgotten your own daily routine?"
"My daily routine doesn't scare Hiccup and Heather away like yours did!" The grey-blue-eyed Rider declared, swatting away the other's finger.
"Except that it already has!" Astrid argued back.
"That... Really doesn't matter." Ruffnut said, "Look, Tuff and I may give you guys a lot of trouble with our way of being, but that's just who we are!" She started, earning a sideways glance from Astrid's right blue eye. She had crossed her arms over chest as soon as the last part of the other's speech had started and Ruffnut knew that Astrid knew she was in to hit a sore spot.
"And no way in Hel we're ever going to change because of that! That's who we are, that's who we want to be. Now Dagur, he's a crazy, lunatic fellow, I'll tell ya, girl. But this, this isn't you!" She gestured at the young shield-madden, "You're Astrid! Berk's golden girl! Strong, amazing, beautiful, capable, behaved Astrid!" Her voice was slightly mocking when at the adjectives, "Not this! It's obvious you're worried with H, both of them."
Astrid silently found herself nodding, the girl's speech proving surprisingly neat and right.
"You should know better, remember when Dagur kidnapped me? How was Tuff then?"
Astrid paused, "A mess..." She admitted, Like I'd never seen before and ever thought I'd see him, "But he wasn't properly angry, so where do you wanna reach?"
Ruffnut had removed her helmet subconsciously, having picked up a mace from a wall. Astrid felt herself taking a deep breath to not yell out that those were carefully organized in case there was an attack, and that, even not being her precious axe, those were her babies too.
"We could be sisters!" Ruffnut said, "But it wouldn't work as well as you and Heather. And she's not here right now, and I know… you would much rather talk all this out with her than with me, because I'm just like my brother- and I wouldn't want to talk it out with him neither. Well... I would, but not you.
"And this moment will pass and we'll each be back to our old selves like before. But there's no one else here, Snotface and Fishlegs are definitely no option. Tuffnut's tormenting Dagur," She saw a vicious yet understandable satisfied smile tug at Astrid's lips at that, "and Hiccup and Heather are gone.
"And you... You don't really talk, but now probably need to. You have just really been an ass with everyone. Dagur too, though he's been an equal Dagass - But I'm a woman as well Astrid, and you might not respect me as such, but I am. Living with my idiot brother as given me a good enough taste of your own insanity right now, but when we fight we usually don't do it for weeks on end. That is why I know you're mad at Dagur and still distrust him, but you're also hurt."
Astrid raised her round eyes once more, her mouth agape. She was especially stupefied with the way Ruff had said what she had said, and much more that she actually could say it! But she forced herself to be reminded that the twins were no fools when they wanted to and then bounded over to a chair, flopping down with a sigh, defeated.
Ruffnut Eugene Thorston had just defeated Astrid Hofferson? With words!
With words!
Gods, have I been that bad? She thought.
Astrid sighed once again, "How-?" She passed a hand over her face, eyes closed before briefly waving in the other's direction.
"Eh... I'm not always that violent," Ruffnut shrugged, "just most of the time."
Astrid thought she actually smiled at the twin," No... But you were right... I- huh," She passed a hand through her hair, axe long forgotten "Hiccup's my boy- best friend, and Heather's also just really grown on me... But Dagur, I don't know, even after the unrolling of the situations I guess I still haven't yet grown used to the idea of him as an ally. Like, the guy has decimated Heather's village! He's insane! Instead of just telling her she was his sister, he goes all Berserk! And the times he nearly killed us all, "She laughed dryly, "They're hard to forget. The timed he's hurt one of us… the times he's hurt Hiccup I'll never forgive!
"So it's just enraging when he comes here all 'brother this and sister that'. These people are my friends, and I'm still, deep down and not really by choice, expecting him to turn a traitor!" Her glare was that of Gronkle Iron hard," No one hurts my friends."
Then, her scowl softened into a more thinking expression, "I know he's unpredictably unstable, but to change like he did, it's hard to believe. So..." She grabbed her own upper arm, still not fully believing she was admitting this out loud, and to Ruffnut of all people, "I got really mad that he was sort of stealing my friends and… might have over reacted so I could do the same to him back."
Ruffnut coughed at that.
"But hey, the feeling was real, alright?" Astrid snapped for a moment.
"Over reacted?" Ruffnut asked, pursing her lips.
"Yeah... Over reacted. Are you my judge now or you wanna listen?"
"Go on, sis." The blonde put her hands up in the air in a calming way.
Astrid eyed her before continuing. She wanted anything but to admit that this was, in fact, sort of therapeutic, "Hiccup trusted the doofus, obviously, and it made me all the madder, because he's this sweet giver and I would hate it if Dagur stabbed his back at last and Heather's as well. Sooo…" She sighed, not really used to speak her feelings entirely, "…when Hiccup exploded and they both left, I felt... " She held her nose high, "I felt betrayed. Like he couldn't chose me over him, over Dagur.", and spat the name out.
"Guess this one fight all I really wanted was to destroy that lunatic, for real, even more than before."
"We could tell. You were at each other's throats."
"Yeah... But I had his the most." Astrid dared play, "Right now, though... I'm more worried than anything."
A pause.
"Gods, I've really been an idiot, haven't I?" Astrid asked.
"Yeah, you have. A complete, utter idiot- the biggest idiot on Midgard- Asstrid." Ruffnut agreed, her tone already swinging to a more Ruffnut-authentic one by the end.
"Alright- don't push it." Astrid warned. Asstrid, oh gods... Really?
"So that means you're out to apologize to everyone and I can go back to my usual self? Get mine and my brothers reputation back? Because, seriously, being serious is bo-ring!" Ruff half-sang.
"What, no?" Astrid instantly shot back, "Though, I mean... I do owe you guys a 'sorry' I guess, especially Fishlegs and..." She pushed her bangs to the side, still not believing she'd actually driven the two riders in mind to flee, "But Dagur gets nothing! He's just as guilty."
"Nice..." Ruffnut said, "It actually went a whole lot better than expected, I still got my head on though, what a shame! 4/10 wouldn't be like this again..." Then she eyed the Hofferson, "Just because you needed it, remember, this stays between us." She put her helmet back on as she opened the door up to leave.
Astrid rose, having gathered enough courage to wrap the girl with a quick hug, "Deal. And... Thanks... I guess. I, I believe I was needing this."
Ruffnut seemed caught by surprise at the 'T' word, but then quickly smiled wildly, "Right-" And she interrupted by the sounds of high pinched voices echoing through the outpost. They seemed troubled.
Sharing a brief look between each other, they set off running through the sidewalks around the huts, knowing the wind had picked up too strongly to fly safely.
oOoOo
Can life of Dragon's Edge get possibly even closer? Obviously! It has to!
Well, peeps, watch me dump all the CharacterAxCharacterB development I desperately need in here XD I seriously hope it didn't get that boring- I am aware this chapter doesn't say much!
Since I didn't really know how to fill in the blank between this chapter and the next, I thought I could give our favourite riders more depth by explaining some of their feelings and ways and also make them interact with other characters they usually don't as much. But if it was boring, I'm sorry, there'll be more action on the next chapter so please just bear with me, I promise a cliffhanger next chapter!
Things are about to heat up!
Baii!