Hello everyone. Thanks for the wait. I'm finally back on track and ready to write. It's not much but I did what I could. I thought that the plot was moving a bit slow so I added some drama in it. So please enjoy. And for MRS. DRAGONFIRE911's review. Um, no, it's not meant to be. If I think about it, I was mostly saying that Hiccup's clothes size fits Scarlet. It was not meant as an insult to him. Sorry about that. And for my nameless Guest's review, I'm sorry for the disappointment. I didn't make any plans on having Sky as Toothless' mate at all. My ocs are meant to keep the story going or filling some spaces. I had it under Toothless/Hiccup for a reason. If it was just about Toothless, this would have been different. Before I continue on writing and you guys reading, this is a ToothlessxHiccup (Toothcup in some cases) fic. If you dislike the idea or pairing, please leave now. I don't want any flames for this. However, if you're fine with it, continue on. Any flames will be deleted and reported. You have been warned.
Previously on Different Path:
"As far as I know, she's dead." Toothless reassured.
Gynka smiled at the news. She was never really fond of the Queen. That's why her pack tries not to get involve as much as they can. Years ago, there were rumors of the Queen's fall on a distant dragon lair. It caused uproars in their group. A human took her down while riding a dragon. Since they don't go around that much, they only thought it were false rumors. The idea of human and dragon getting along was only make-believe. However, there were a few Nadders that believed it was true since they don't feel the control of the Queen. Gynka winced slightly as the pain began to irritate her.
"For now, rest… I'll look around to see if there's anything I can use." Toothless said.
"Thank you Toothless." Gynka smiled.
Chapter 14: Hide and Seek Is Over
"You did what to Toothless?" Scarlet asked, dumbstruck.
"I left him alone in a cavern we met a long time ago."
"Why? Isn't Toothless normally with you?"
"Yeah, but I have to get used it now."
Scarlet frowned sheepishly. That didn't sit well with her. Hiccup and Scarlet were walking down at the Plaza, wandering. The brunette's dragons were ordered to stay home to rest a bit more. Sky was being a bit difficult to handle since she didn't like the idea. After making a lot of promises of her return, the Skywing settled down and agreed hesitantly. Now, she is talking to the brunet about his Night Fury. So far, Hiccup told her about his dragon's odd behavior and him being somewhere else for a time being. Scarlet hummed as she thinks. The brunet was right in a way. Dragons don't act like that unless there's something provoking it. However, she didn't see any reasons as to what caused Toothless to become enraged like that.
"But without a dragon like Toothless, how are you going to handle the others?"
"C'mon Scarlet… I'm a dragon trainer. How hard can that be?"
"That's the same attitude that got you in the Brimstone's pent last time…"
"Either way, I can handle it. Without Toothless… I can't always rely on him you know."
Hiccup rethought what he said. It was sort of true in a few ways. The two of them depend on each other. One half of one another in a way… Hiccup recalled the sturdy green eyes staring back at him with pride the night before. The only thought that ran in his head was that Toothless is being stubborn. Alas, he saw something different in those large green eyes. Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts as Scarlet called his name in worry. The brunet brushed aside the unwanted memory and reassures the brunette that he's fine. Scarlet's sapphire eyes watched Hiccup closely. There was a slight hint of something bothering the boy. She could have guessed it was about Toothless. Astrid greeted the two during their walk. Scarlet smiled. She silently wished that the issue between Toothless and Hiccup clears up soon.
–
Leila woke up, slowly yawning. She closed her mouth tiredly as she looked around. The only thing she saw was Sky lying around the fireplace in the middle of the room. Her bright purple eyes stared directly at the flickering flames. The sound of the wood burning filled the room. Leila stretched her back till her spine cracked. She sighed happily as her back relaxed. Her wings spread as she prepared to set for flight. The smaller dragon floated across the room and landed in front of the fireplace. Sky didn't pay any heed to her. Instead, the dragon just kept staring at the fire like she did the entire time. Leila called her name repeatedly, to no avail. The small blue dragon hissed angrily at Sky. She doesn't want to be ignored right after taking a good sleep. Finally, the serpent-like dragon looked away from the flames to Leila.
"Why are you behaving like that early in the morning?" Sky asked, bored.
"Me? Behaving? Speak for yourself! I was calling your name many times!" Leila hissed.
"And you have my full attention now. What do you want?"
"Where is Scarlet?"
Sky stared at the Nilia Pygmy for a minute. Her bright purple eyes darken. The serpent-like dragon sat up on her spot before answering. She explained to Leila that Scarlet was in town with Hiccup again. Leila nodded as she soaked the information in. Lately, Scarlet and Hiccup were spending a lot of time together. It wouldn't be impossible if the other Vikings think they're dating. Sky slid her body down and resumed to watch the movement of the blazing woods. She was doing this since last night. Not a single wince of sleep during her distraction. Leila came back to her senses from her thinking. She rolled her bright orange eyes at the Skywing dragon. The small dragon crawl her way passed Sky to the window sill. She sat there, seeing if Scarlet was nearby after her trip with Hiccup.
"She's not going to be home for a while. So there's no point of doing that." Sky said.
"Attachment and over-protectiveness is bad. Don't become like that. It's not going to end pretty, I can tell you that." Leila warned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means what it means. You can't be too attached to Scarlet."
The flames vanished under one breath. Sky breathed heavily and huffed at the fire. And that's how it happened. Her long calm body started to tense. Even her light blue scales felt like it was standing up. Sky sharply turned her head to the small dragon in slight fury. Her cold blood running through her veins became warm from the building frustration. She glared at Leila. However, the Nilia Pygmy didn't return it. Instead, she kept sitting on the window sill, looking outside to see any strangers coming and passing by. Under a low, dark tone, Sky denied Leila theory of her extreme attachment to her human friend. For a second, Leila looked back to the Skywing dragon before looking out the window again. She can feel the negative atmosphere aiming at her. She merely sighed and jumped off the sill to the hissing dragon.
"Denial is the first step. Sky, you're becoming clingy with Scarlet. One day, it will be your downfall."
"I am not!"
"Scarlet is not a toy that you can keep playing forever. She needs to be free. If not, she'll suffocate."
"Speak for yourself. I'm not the one that is still around when I know I'm abandoned."
The room became silent between the two dragons. Sky held her breath as she thought over what she had just said. Leila only stared at the other dragon with wide eyes. The small dragon regained her composure and frown blankly. She merely crawled away slowly up the stairs to Scarlet's room. Still in shock, Sky didn't say another word. She was a bit afraid that what she might say next would unintentionally hurt Leila again. What she said before was based on her frustration. She didn't mean to say such harsh things to her dragon friend. Leila was already gone by the time Sky wanted to apologize. It was already too late. Sky sighed sadly. She set her head down to the floor and stared at the burnt wood. She relit it under her own flames. The warm temperature cooled her down. After given time, the Skywing dragon agreed that she'll apologize right away next time.
"Why am I being like this? I'm becoming a jerk…" Sky muttered.
–
James Lancaster looked over across the sea. It was four days since he last saw his wife and set sail. In the background, he could hear his men shouting and running on the large boat. His dark brown eyes dropped to his hands, gripping on the wooden rail. It was only a few days ago since Scarlet left. The determination on his daughter's face and her final words echoed in his head. His grip on the rail crumbled under the pressure. It was his fault. He knew it was. There wasn't anything in the world that could say otherwise. James recalled when Scarlet was just a baby. He held her so tenderly and carefully to not hurt or drop her. Her blue eyes shined as she smiled and laughed. It was a peaceful time, His wife by his side, his son growing strong as him, and a baby daughter that he could protect. To think it was all gone was saddening. The large man came to his senses when one of his men called for his attention.
"James sir, we spotted land not far from where we are. Should we land there and resupply?" He asked.
"Yes and make it fast. The food supplies are running low. And I want every man to prepare for our trade once we land." James ordered.
"Yes, right away sir! Everyone, prepare to land!"
"Don't worry Emily… I promise that Scarlet will be safe wherever she is." He thought.
–
Scarlet and Hiccup finished their walk in the Plaza. They were about to go visit the brunet's home to greet the Chief. Instead of them going to the strong Viking, he came to them. Gobber was right behind him, rubbing his hand on his hammer prosthesis. It was later that the brunette noticed the once full village of Berk being empty and deserted. It was as if no one lived here at all. However, very distant, she could hear voices of people chattering and cheering. Stoick greeted the two with a smile. Hiccup did the same and asked what his father was doing. He explained that there was a commotion down at the Port. And he planned on checking it out to see if it was Trader Johann. However, Gobber stepped in, saying that it might not since the seafaring trader was here four weeks ago. Scarlet hummed. Since she was still new, she didn't know about the man. She dropped the thought.
"Let us come with you. If it really is him, I need to get some new ink." Hiccup informed.
"Alright then… Let us go then. I might be able to get a new sword for the meeting."
"I think you're giving them too much of that dad."
"Really…? I thought it was nice since they like sparring."
–
At the Port, there was a large crowd. Many Berk citizens had smiles on their faces and cheered. Scarlet sees this sort of stuff once in a while back in her land. The last time she saw it was when she was a little girl. There was another war going on between the Acceptians and Denians. And the Neutrians were stuck in the middle. Her parents were the ones that had to supply weapons and food to each team. After the war was done, the Acceptians were the winners. There was a large celebration. Stoick stood proudly and ordered everyone to move aside for him. And the citizens did. There was a large ship in front of them. Stoick moved forward to it with Gobber, Hiccup, and Scarlet right behind him. The brunette mentally hummed at the sight of it. It looked oddly familiar but she couldn't pinpoint where she last saw it.
"Hello travelers! I'm Stoick the Vast, the chief of this isle. May I speak with your leader?" He asked, professionally.
"Oh, he's around here somewhere. Give me a minute. Wait… Is that Scarlet?" One of the men asked.
"Mr. Draster? What are you doing in there?" Scarlet asked.
"Me? What about you? We're on business right now."
Everyone's eyes were on either Scarlet or the man on the boat name Mr. Draster. He was the father of Charles. He's the one that was meant to take care of her. He worked alongside with her father during his trading at sea. Speaking of her father, she paled. There was a slight chance that this was her father's boat. She was praying that it wasn't. Or that he was at home and not on the boat. The brunette was not mentally ready to face the man that wished not to see her again. Her heart dropped when she heard a heavy sound of foot slamming against the wooden floors. Mr. Draster smiled and greeted the man. There stood James Lancaster proudly in front of the group before him. It never crease to amaze her on how powerful her father looked, just standing there looking down at them.
"Hello. We are traveling traders. If there is anything you want, please don't hesitate to trade with us." James smiled.
"Hello. I'm Stoick the Vast. It's rare for us to have traders around." Stoick laughed.
"What a coincidence! Please check out our inventory. Please, please! Enjoy yourselves!"
Stoick and James engaged a conversation of their own on this side. Many of the Berk citizens went on the ship to see if there was anything that caught their attention. Hiccup was among them. Scarlet stood where she was on the Port, staring at her father. Her body turned to frozen ice. She couldn't move. She didn't even dare try to do such a thing. Her sapphire eyes widens at the sight before her. The brunette silently gulped. She needs to move. She needs to get away from here. That's what she was thinking. Alas, her body refused to do what it was told. James turned away laughing and looked at the Port. It was his turn to be surprised. He called Scarlet's name unconsciously. That was when her legs began to move back. Her father tried to reach her with his large hand but didn't make it. The brunette began to run as fast as she could. In the background, she could hear her father calling her name once more.
–
It was turning dark out and Scarlet returned home. She locked herself in her room and hasn't come out since. Sky was in the living room with Leila. They kept a distance between each other. She was near the fireplace like before. The Skywing dragon didn't know what to do. What could she do? There was the apologizing option. However, Leila wasn't in the mood to talk or listen to what she had to say. Sky swung her tail side to side as she thinks over what to do. Leila was on the kitchen table, preparing herself for a nap. The Skywing dragon slithered to the table slowly. The smaller dragon held her head up and stared directly at her serpent-like dragon friend. A sudden chill struck on her spine. She was getting nervous. Leila merely sighed.
"Don't worry about what happened. You were frustrated. It was my own fault for provoking you." Leila apologized.
"No, it's not. It was my fault. I shouldn't have said such thing. I know that you care for Scarlet. And she is the same with you."
"Don't mind it too much. I knew that she favors you more than me. Since the day she brought you home, I knew…"
"Leila, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
Leila shrugged her shoulders. It was in the past now. No need to dig up old scars. Sky smiled. It was odd how Leila understanding she was about this. Everything was going fine when there was a knock on the door. Both dragons turned their heads to the door. Scarlet comes out of her room to answer it a few minutes later. Sky and Leila came to her side as she weakly asked who it was. Hiccup was the one on the other side. He was requesting for her to open the door so he could come in and have a chat. The brunette was a bit hesitant about it. She slowly opened the door. Much to her surprise, and her two dragons, Hiccup was not alone as they assumed. Behind him was Scarlet's father James Lancaster. Scarlet paled at the sight.
–
I am now done for this chapter. With this, the plot is moving on smoothly. Thanks for reading and please review. That is all. I am now heading off to write the next chapter.