Author's Note: :D Another chapter yay! :)
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Chapter 2: Finding Death
Every part of me feels frozen.
The waves beat around me, the thick water lapping around my boot and peg leg in a continuous repetition. My hands grasped firmly around the piece of driftwood that has been my lifeline for the last few hours, days? Week? I can't remember anymore. Just more and more water with a large quantity of cold poured on top.
My fingers grasp around the cold sand under my fingers my body to physically worn to do anything but lay there like a frozen corpse. The water pushes up above my shoulders and I feel myself jerk slightly. No, no, no, no. I am not spending anymore time in the ocean! If I don't move me and the large span of water will once again meet. I force my eyes open blinking rapidly at the rising sun in the distance the light messing with my eyes so used to darkness.
The light is spreading across the beach in a cheery manner as if there is nothing wrong with the world, nothing dark or painful about a new day. Ha. I grab the sand tightly in my palms the grains pushing against the fingerless black gloves on my hands.
Sit. Up.
My limbs ignore the command and I release an annoyed breath shoving my palms onto the sand and push up against them. The pain that spreads across my entire frame is incredible, like someone taking several knives and stabbing me in different places at once then repeating the process. A pained cry escapes my lips and I bite my tongue to withhold it.
I crawl forward, every part of me begging me to stop as the wounds across my back split and reopen everything stinging again. After a few more feet my arms give out and I fall forward on my side, eyes closing tightly as I try to bury the pain. Come on, move, move, move! I can't, I literally can't.
I can't leave Toothless on Outcast Island! I refuse to. Yet my entire body has different plans. I shove my hands down again and prepare to shove myself upwards again but collapse my consciousness gone before I hit the sand.
Astrid,
My first instinct is to scream. I am no stranger to injuries, blood, and broken bones, I grew up in a society where said things are praised even encouraged but nothing gave even a hint of preparation to what I see.
The sun was well on it's way down when I decided to go for a walk along the beach looking for anything that washed up from the recent storm, sometimes there's some really cool stuff, I swear I found a pair of Zippleback boots at one point. The other teens, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs had decided to join me. Sometimes they drive me crazy, Snotlout on his own, has the ability to drive people mad with a single sentence. He's one the worst filters I know yet he seems to believe he is the best and is determined to win my heart over but failing miserably. He's a Jorgenson and by design, Hofferson's hate Jorgensons.
It's been over two years since I won dragon training and the dragon raids that used to cover the island every week or so have died down more to every two weeks or once a month. No one's entirely sure why, but I'm okay with it. The stress of not getting blasted apart is nice to be without.
"As I was saying, I told them to say that-" Tuffnut starts to say. He and his sister have been babbling about completly useless things as long as we've been on the beach and it's getting annoying. I lift up a hand and the two silence immediately.
I suck in a breath to withdraw my scream of horror as I look forward. In the dimming light I can spot the silhouette of something lying on the beach. It looks like a body. Someone dead washed up on the shore of Berk! "What is it?" Fishlegs asks and I lower my hand slowly before pointing forward towards the person, no words able to escape my lips. Nothing can explain my horror, dead. The other teens follow my gaze and Fishlegs sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh Thor." He breathes. I look forward, I have a much, much more better curse we can throw out there. The twin's babbling stops and they look over the mace Snotlout's holding dropping into the sand with a soft thump. "What do we do!?" Fishlegs squeaks.
"I-I...we need to see if it's alive." I say shaking my head slightly before moving forward towards the person. The other teens stand there for another second before they move forward towards me as if pulled by a thick string. I take in a deep breath as we draw closer, the sunlight steadily disappearing but not fast enough for me to not get a good look at him. He's wearing a black pirate coat, hair in thick clumps with seawater. A piece of long red fabric is wound around his forehead and tied at the back of his head in a dirty knot. His eyes are closed and there's a trail of red following him from the ocean.
I suck in a breath before I fall to my knees stiffly and rest my fingers against his neck, silently begging for a pulse. I am not explaining to Stoick about a dead body on the shore. My fingers are shaky and his skin is so cold I almost want to rip my fingers away from him but force my hands to stay there.
Thump….thump….thump.
Weak, but there.
I release a relieved breath and the other teens look at me, "He's alive." I declare and look at him again. Surprisingly.
I shove my axe onto Fishlegs's chest and he takes the weapon before I move forward and grab the teen under his legs and shoulder lifting him bridal style. He lets out a soft groan and I turn moving back towards the village. "Um, what are we going to tell Stoick?" Snotlout asks after a few seconds of silence.
"We'll tell him-" I start to say but Tuffnut interrupts me, leaping forward.
"That he was attacked by a shark and we battled it off rescuing him from the giant fish's jaws. Now, as payment, he owes us his life-" Tuffnut says.
"Uh, no!" Fishlegs says firmly. Yeah, I agree with you on that one.
I look down at the teen again and purse my lips, he looks hardly any older than me. What was a seventeen year old doing in order to get injured like this? "Hey, you know what, I bet it was a wild boar attack." Tuffnut says.
"Where did the boars go?" Ruffnut demands sarcastically.
"Uh, duh, they ran away." Tuffnut says and I sigh kicking up sand slightly.
"Right." Snotlout agrees.
"Alright, not a boar, how about-"
"Tuff." I say my patience slipping away steadily.
"Oh okay, so you don't think it was a boat running over him either? No, alright. It was obviously a dragon-"
"Tuffnut."
"-with sharp claws. The...Sharpclaw." Tuffnut says and opens his hands slightly for emphasis. I roll my eyes and tighten my grip on the teen before we reach the docks. I freeze as I feel the heartbeat of the teen skip a beat. The other teens bump into the back of me causing me to stumble forward slightly.
I growl in frustration and look back at them. "Sorry." Fishlegs says.I toss my hair from my face and listen to the teens breaths before his chest starts to rise and fall in hitched, slowing breaths. "Odin's ghost, he's not going to make it!" Fishlegs says.
He is.
I tighten my grip on the teenager before I take off running down the docks and through the village receiving odd stares, many probably wondering why on Thor's name I'm carrying a person who through the village, and who is said person. I don't stop to answer questions just break through the crowds towards the village elder's hut.
I can't let him die. I just can't.
I see the hut in the distance a few minutes later and look down at the teen again, his breathing is raspy, his chest shaking as if every inhale he takes hurts. It might, oh Thor if he has any broken bones I've just made it ten times worse. Way to go Hofferson.
I shake my head and reach the foot of Gothi's hut. "GOTHI! GOTHI!" I scream as I pound up the steps. Please be here! Please be here! I chant silently in my head, I don't know where else she would be. I reach the top and stumble into the hut where the elderly woman is stumbling forward staff in hand a startled look on her face. When she sees me and the person clutched in my arms her surprised look widens before she points to an empty bed.
I move towards it and rest the teen down on the bed, receiving a soft groan from the boy. Gothi moves forward and rests a hand on the teens forehead before she peels open one of his eyes. I back up and take in a few gasping breaths, Gothi is an interesting character, she's mute from birth but the best healer on the isle. Anyone who disagrees she deals with in interesting ways. Needless to say, she's worked up a name as the crazy old village elder you need to stay away from.
When I've caught my breath, the other teens, Gobber and Stoick break into the hut and Gothi shoots them a scowl before she returns to her patient. I look at the teenager before his eyes start to flicker the eyelashes splitting apart slowly a pair of unfocused green eyes opening before they close tightly and he goes limp again.
"Who is he?" Stoick asks and Gothi shrugs before resting a hand on his forehead. She scribbles something onto the ground and Gobber walks forward, stares at it for a second before looking back at us.
"She says we all have to leave if she can get anything done." He says and I bite my lip before Stoick rests a hand on my shoulder guiding me towards the door. Hopefully, he'll wake up soon and then we can figure out where he came from.
Hiccup,
Cold, cold, cold.
Toothless.
My eyes are heavy but I shove them open and look up at the wooden ceiling. What? I was on the beach and the ocean-Oh! No! Please, please, please no! I cannot be back. I shove my way into a sitting position everything blurry, my head spins and my stomach has fallen to it's knees pleading with me to let all it's insides join the outside world.
I shove the feelings to the side and blink several more times my vision finally clearing. I'm on a cot, bandages wrapped around my chest and shoulders the coat around my arms as if it never left. The room isn't very big, several bottles laying around and several cloths stained red.
Red.
Toothless!
I throw off the blanket and stagger to my feet wincing at the wave of pain that washes over me. Ow, ow, ow, ow! I move forward my bangs falling in front of my eyes. Where am I? This isn't Outcast Island or the beach I washed up on, really any isle I recognize. I shove the blanket being used as a door to the side and move forward into the main room of the hut.
Two men sit side by side both with mugs in their hands. I freeze in the doorway, my fingers scrambling for Inferno but no cold metal meets my touch. They took it. I shift my weight slightly and my peg leg squeaks loudly. Both men whirl around. One has a long blond mustache the other sporting a crazy thick red beard, each with Viking helmets on the top of their heads and a surprised look on their faces.
"You shouldn't be up." The red haired says finally.
"Toothless." I mutter.
"Did you just say, "toothpaste"?" The blond mustached one asks. Toothless! He's my dragon, my best friend, my brother! Figuratively.
I release the fabric and the "door" swings shut behind me. The two Vikings get to their feet and watch me with precise eyes, "I am Stoick the Vast, chief of this tribe, Berk and this is Gobber my right hook man." Stoick says and gestures to Gobber. Berk. That sounds familiar. Not in a good way.
I have to find Toothless.
"Who are you?" Stoick asks softly.
"I have to find Toothless." I mutter and they both take a step forward causing my heart to leap to my chest. No further! Stay away! I force myself to stand my ground and the two men share a look.
"What is your name?" Stoick asks. "Where did you come from, who are ya, lad?" He asks. Hiccup. Outcast Island. A pirate. Berk, Berk, Berk...Oh, them. Outcast Island's rivaling island, I'm sure it will go over well if I explain I'm from that isle. I remain stoic, not uttering a sound my thoughts racing through my heads. If I explain, they'll kill me!
My muscles tense before I drop my hands next to my sides and break into a run past both of them, "Lad!" Gobber calls at my back. No, no, no, no! I will not stay here! I have to get to Toothless. I have to get to him!
I shoulder the door open and stumble into the bright sunlight, my eyes stinging slightly from so many days of darkness on repeat. I stagger slightly my back pulsing with pain. "Get back here!" Stoick commands.
Ha, ha, no.
I stare at the stairway, spotting a rope hanging off the side of the stairway. I race down several steps grabbing the rope as I hear the two Viking's chasing after me. I slide down the twine hitting the ground with a soft thump. I release the rope and race forward towards the mass of people, shoving down the panic raising through me at a large crowd, I run forward to it.
"STOP HIM!" Stoick yells and heads turn towards me.
Just stop!
I narrow my eyes and several people make a grab for my coat, arms and shoulder. I bank right, grabbing the edge of a applecart and shove off of it, flipping through the air and leap forward grabbing the edge of a house, my fingers scrambling for a grip on it. Come on!
My finger's grasp a hold and I tug myself upwards onto the building and look down at the Vikings staring at me with wide eyes before I get to my feet and race across the top of the building skidding down the slanted roof and leaping onto its neighboring one. "Get down! We aren't going to hurt you!" Gobber shouts as Stoick and he shove their way to the front.
I look at them and then turn my gaze to the villagers before I race forward towards the edge of the house and slide down the roof leaping off it and roll to my feet racing towards the docks. Not taking any chances. Without me, Toothless will have no one to get him from the Outcasts.
A blur races at the corner of my vision before something smashes into my shoulder shoving my back onto the ground. My eyes widen with pain and the limp arches tightly. My attacker, a blonde girl hardly older than me gets to her feet and looks down at me before the Vikings race forward and look down at me. I look at them and bite my tongue before I shove myself into a sitting position and stagger to my feet the girl's hand snapping outwards and grabbing my wrist before the idea to keep running pops into my head. I clench my jaw in frustration and rip my arm from her.
"Stay away from me." I hiss backing away from the mass of people my voice darker than I meant from the pain racing through me.
"Son," Stoick says and shoves his way to the front, "hear me out. You need medical attention, you shouldn't be able to stand. When you're free of that, then we'll talk about letting you roam free." He says and I let out a low laugh, sounding like I've gone mad more than anything else.
The Vikings share uneasy looks and I release an annoyed breath, I can't run from them, when they turn their backs again, I'll be gone. "Fine." I say through clenched teeth and move forward towards them. Toothless needs me. I am not leaving him again if this is the only thing I can do, so be it. I will not leave him, I refuse to let him go.
A/N: Yup, abrupt ending. I realized this chapter was getting super, super long. :D I give no date of the next chapter.
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