Chapter 11: RUN

Toothless rushed off through the trees, wasting no time. The two Speed Stingers shot after him like arrows, their tails sharp and eager to pierce their prey. Toothless rushed off into the trees, turning this way and that, trying his hardest to lose them. Hiccup clutched on tightly to the reins, but it was a difficult task when the jostling was tearing at the bleeding wounds in his shoulders and exacerbating his broken ribs. Hiccup wanted to scream and cry from the agony, but he knew there were bigger problems at present. Instead, he bit down on his lower lip and took a deep breath.

"C-can you get us to a safe spot?" Hiccup barely managed.

Toothless let out a screeching call, and a purple light illuminated a path through the forest. Toothless flapped his wings twice, trying to take off, but he was only in the air a few moments before his paws smacked against the mushy earth once more. Hiccup groaned in pain at the sudden shake from the impact. His ribs scraped like knives on the inside of his skin. Toothless glanced back at his still broken tail fin. He growled a draconic curse at himself for having forgotten.

"It-it's okay," Hiccup winced, a hand going briefly to his side before returning it to the saddle. "I-I found a way to fix-"

Several shrieks tore through the air. Hiccup looked over his shoulder only to immediately regret it. For behind them were the Stingers coming up close to them. The Night Fury, innately perceiving their dangerous proximity, doubled his pace and turned right. His feet pounded against the ground. It was a chase.

Toothless sprinted as fast as he could, but the Speed Stingers kept a close pace behind him. Night Furies, though predominantly speedy in flight, were still quite quick on the ground. Alas, with the measly extra weight of his rider and with the Speed Stingers' uncommon agility, it was no easy feat to outrun them. Toothless pushed on, breathing hard like a determined and terrified racehorse. Looking behind again, Hiccup found more Speed Stingers flocking around their two pursuers. Soon, it was a gigantic horde of sickly-green carnivorous predators chasing them, ready to snatch him and Toothless up and tear them limb from limb.

Thousands of feet pounded behind them, a cacophony of shrieks resounded. The deadly sound seemed to encapsulate them, to close in around them like a looming thunderstorm. Toothless looked back, his eyes wide in terror.

"Hold on, hold on," Hiccup barely breathed, more to himself than his friend.

Toothless darted to the left through a thick field of thorns and bracken. Hiccup ducked down close to his dragon, but not before several outreached branches whipped and scraped against his face. His cuts bled, but he barely noticed. He just kept whispering, "we can do this, we can do this, we can do this."

Then, for some strange reason, the Night Fury screeched in panic. He began digging his heels into the wet ground to stop, but it only resulted in sending him and his rider into an out of control spin. Hiccup held tight, barely perceiving that they were looming towards the edge of a cliff.

He lost his grip, and both he and his dragon were sent tumbling down the rocky, muddy side. The world twisted in uncontrollable barrel rolls as Hiccup turned head over heels, rocks bruising him in retaliation as he went. He did not know how long he fell until his tumbling slowed to a stop, and he came to lie on his back in an open, muddy field.

Hiccup heaved and gasped as pain wracked his entire body, inside and out. He supposed it could have hurt worse, but only slightly. Only very slightly. He blinked slowly, trying to breathe slowly through the pulsating agony. He must have blacked out, for he all of a sudden he found Toothless looking down at him in worry.

"Thank Thor you're okay, bud." Hiccup eased himself into a sitting position. He gave a sharp wince of pain when his broken ribs clawed the inside of his skin. Toothless crooned in worry, but Hiccup only forced a smile. "I-I'm okay."

His gaze drifted distractedly for a moment across the open hill. Long, bristly cattails swayed in the wind, extending out far and wide like a runway to the sky. They were out of the woods. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think we made it, bud. A clear path out," Hiccup breathed, but Toothless' ears were perked up. Hiccup's eyes widened as Toothless made a nervous gurgling noise. "What, what's wrong?"

As if in reply, a reverberating call tore out through the air. Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. Glancing a few paces off to the left was the crouching, approaching silhouette of the Speed Stinger chief. His teeth were bared, his green scale coat shone ominously in the moonlight. He was creeping steadily closer, edging ever slightly nearer to them through the long grass, like a green spider encroaching upon its prey.

Hiccup did not believe it. They had been herded here to this exact spot. They had been caught in a web. He reached into his satchel and pulled out the sail. Hastily, Hiccup draped it over the skeletal structure of Toothless' tailfin. The Alpha let out another call. Thunderous footsteps sounded. Zing! Zing! Stingers zoomed out from the treeline, surrounding them.

They had to get out of here. He had barely started securing the canvas in place when an angry snarl tore through the air. Hiccup looked up to the horrifying sight of the Stinger chief charging straight towards them, his barbed tail raised above his head like a poisoned spear.

Snarling challengingly, Toothless leapt forward and tackled the Alpha. The barb tail shot up, but Toothless bit down and flung the lead Stinger far, far off, making him slide off in the mud. The Alpha did not stay down for long but jumped to his feet and snarled a command to his pack. Almost instantly, a horde of his army engulfed the Night Fury, forcing him to fend off several attackers with his claws and teeth(his firepower was still out from several hours of being in a rainy climate).

"Toothless!"

Instinctively, Hiccup forgot his pain and rushed forward to help his friend. He had no idea what his next move was, but he had to do something, anything. Hiccup was stopped in his beeline when three Stingers stood in his path. They snarled and screeched in ferocity. He was prey.

Cautiously, Hiccup took a step back. "Oh. Hey, guys."

He reached into his satchel, hoping to find something useful, but before he could, one of his predators pounced and knocked him to the ground. The back of Hiccup's head squished against the spongy grass, and his open satchel flew from off him, leaving him utterly defenseless. Lifting his head, he found himself staring straight into the eyes of one of the Speed Stingers. Its scaly green coat shimmered ominously like cold armour in the moonlight as it unsheathed its crimson-tipped tail. Hiccup hurriedly scooched backwards, but his attacker followed him, chittering quietly and ravenously. A forked tongue slid across its scaly lips. Hiccup was dead meat.

At least, that was what he thought until his frantic fingers suddenly came into contact with something damp and sleek. Abruptly, he looked at what he was touching. It was the strap of the satchel, its contents slipping out from it. One of the things was an empty glass vial.

The Stinger shrieked and shot its tail forward. Zing! Narrowly, Hiccup dodged out of the way and the barb struck the ground, just barely missing his right side. Thinking fast, he snatched the vial. The ferocious dragon made another thrust at him. Hiccup reacted just in time and grappled onto the tail and did not let go. The dragon screeched as he fought back, but Hiccup held it with a strength he did not know he had. He stuck the stopper of the vial into the barb and a clear, viscous liquid began to fill it. The Stinger snarled and attempted to chomp Hiccup's middle. With a yelp, the dragon rider kicked the wild dragon in the snout with his metal prosthetic, causing him to recoil in agony.

With adrenaline and heart racing, Hiccup leapt to his feet as its two friends came to its aid. They rushed forward. Hiccup unstoppered the vial and flung the contents of it at them. Almost instantly, they froze, jaws agape, talons spread, stretched out in attack like murderous statues. The only part of their body that moved was their glowering red eyes. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief; he had no idea if Speed Stingers own venom would paralyze them. Hiccup glanced down at the now empty vial in his hand. It was simply fascinating.

A battlecry from Toothless brought Hiccup's attention back. The Night Fury fought hard, lashing his tail against the Speed Stingers, knocking them prone. Despite his efforts, the horde still poured their attacks on. He would not last much longer. One sting was all it took.

Wasting no time, Hiccup refilled the vial from one of the frozen dragons' tails, then rushed to help Toothless. He ran as fast as he could, which was considerably slower than usual because of his numerous injuries. His ribs complained and clawed on the inside of his skin, threatening to pierce the flesh. His shoulders bled and screamed from his movement. Everywhere, his body screamed at him in agony, but still something louder, something far more powerful, something far stronger than the pain he endured was the call he listened to: the call to help his friend.

Hiccup skidded to a stop, realizing that there was no way he could take out the whole pack at once. Then, voices echoed in his head from the time when he and Fishlegs were reviewing the Book of Dragons together. "The pack relies heavily on its leader," Fishlegs had said. "Without him, they lose confidence and all sense of direction. It's-"

"-bully psychology," Hiccup murmured presently.

A terrifying shriek tore through the air. Hiccup spotted the Stinger Alpha raising his tail above like a weapon of execution, its blood-red tip illuminated by a distant flash of light. He was standing a small distance off, readying to attack his surrounded prey. His pack had entrapped the Night Fury, and now he was going to have the pleasure of striking him down.

"HEY!" Hiccup yelled.

The Alpha twisted his crimson-crowned head around. He hissed ferociously. Hiccup held his ground, the vial clutched tightly in his mind.

"Come and get me."

The leader gave a sinister and fang-filled grin. He unsheathed his claws. Hiccup gulped. The Alpha shot forward, head bent down for better aerodynamics.

Hiccup ran. Too late. A great swipe slashed at his back like a whip, and Hiccup fell to the ground with a scream of pain. The vial fell from his hands. He lifted his head in panic to find the Speed Stinger towering above him, shrieking ferociously. Hiccup frantically twisted his head left and right, searching for the vial. He scampered backwards, the Stinger slinking forward threateningly like a snake. He snatched and pinned Hiccup to the ground with one taloned foot. He pushed down hard on Hiccup's middle. His ribs tore at his side.

Hiccup screamed in raw pain. The Alpha grinned maliciously, relishing the fear and agony of his victim as if it were an appetizer before his meal. Hiccup turned his head and a faint glint of glass caught his eye. The vial.

He stretched out his hand, grasping for it only to have his wet, wrinkled fingertips to graze the glass surface. Just one more inch, just one more centimeter…

A barbed tail shot for his arm, but he pulled it away just in time so that it struck the ground. The Speed Stinger latched its short front arms atop Hiccup's punctured and lacerated shoulders, renewing the pain of his wounds. Hiccup squirmed and whimpered in fear. The Speed Stinger leaned its fanged jaw in, growling and chittering. It had Hiccup completely at its mercy. He would not kill Hiccup, not immediately. He was going to milk every ounce of fear from him first, like a cat playing with a mouse caught by the tail between its claws. Perhaps he would sting him. Else he would tear him up, slowly and gradually, savouring Hiccup's cries of torment.

The Speed Stinger opened his jaws wide, chittering. He was going to torture him before he ate him. Hiccup turned his head away, hyperventilating in terror. He could feel the sticky, hot breath of the predator on his cheek. The Speed Stinger snarled.

"STOP….!"

A flash of violet light erupted and a blast shot forth. The Speed Stinger was knocked off of Hiccup. The boy sat up and found Toothless rushing forward, the pack of Speed Stingers following him. Wasting no time, Hiccup snatched up the vial and got to his feet. He jumped onto Toothless as he ran and stuck his foot into the stirrup.

Hiccup held on tight. "Towards the cliff, go!"

The Night Fury gave a surprised screech, then shot a plasma blast behind him at a nearing Speed Stinger.

"Trust me!"

Toothless grunted and doubled his pace. He turned towards the cliff, the pack following. They were running out of room. After shifting the stirrup, Hiccup glanced at the tail. The white canvas flapped lightly. Hiccup turned his gaze forward towards the end of the cliff. He took a deep breath and said a prayer.

The Speed Stingers skidded to a stop, their talons scraping the ground.

Toothless leapt off the edge.

And they flew!

The tail worked!

But Hiccup's momentary joy was squashed when Toothless shrieked suddenly and as a sudden force pulled at him from behind. Toothless dipped dizzily right but quickly regained his balance, screeching loudly in effort and apparent pain. Hiccup grappled onto handles from the sudden jostle. When he turned around, he glimpsed a jaded silhouette grappled onto Toothless' tail.

It was the Alpha.

Before Hiccup had time to react, the Speed Stinger launched himself up onto Toothless' back. The Night Fury twisted back and forth, hoping to shake their attacker off, but the Stinger chief only dug his talons into Toothless' scaly back in response. Stopping in midair, Toothless let out an ear splitting shriek of pain. Hiccup twisted around. He exclaimed in panic as the Alpha lunged at him, attempting to bite him, but Hiccup whacked the dragon in the teeth with the satchel from around his shoulder. The Speed Stinger stumbled backward, hissing in pain. Hiccup pulled out the knife and drove it into the pedal, locking it into position.

"Keep us steady, bud." Wobbling slightly, Hiccup stood up on the saddle to face the enemy, his scratched and wounded face determined.

The Speed Stinger recovered from the blow, then snarled ferociously. Hiccup pulled out the venom. A barbed tail shot at him, zinging through the air like a dagger trying to cut him. Hiccup narrowly dodged it, nearly losing his balance. Another strike from the tail, this time near his outstretched arm. Hiccup pulled away a millisecond before it struck him. He cried out in panic, and he slipped and fell prone on his back.

Toothless shrieked in alarm, then unexpectedly he shot upward. Hiccup's stomach lurched from the sudden jerk of gravity. One-handed, he grappled onto the saddle handle just in time. The Stinger chief had the same idea unfortunately and grappled around Toothless' tail. Struggling and straining against the inertia, the Alpha began to climb. Hiccup fought against the howling, pulling wind and looked in the direction of his friend.

"What are you doing?!"

Toothless twisted his head around and gave a short shriek in reply. Trust me!

He climbed higher and higher in the air, the Speed Stinger ascending as well. Without warning, Toothless stopped in midair, then dove into a spinning descent. Hiccup's stomach did a somersault. He clutched hard on the reins, though his fingers threatened to slip off at any second. A screech sounded. Out of the corner of his eyes he caught a flash of jade.

Twisting around, Hiccup yelped as the Speed Stinger made a slash at his legs. He pulled them out of the way just in time, but the Stinger only proceeded in jumping atop Hiccup's abdomen, his back flat against the saddle. The pain in his broken ribs ignited once more. Hiccup gasped and gulped for air. The pain and pressure were a vacuum, sucking away all the wind from his lungs. The wild dragon snarled ferociously and dug its claws into Hiccup's right arm. Hiccup screamed tormentedly. Black-red spots blotted his vision as raw pain surged through his body. A fleeting numbness passed over him, trying to pull him far away from the pain into blackness. Hiccup blinked twice, refocusing and trying to bear the pain. Determination and fear coursed through his veins, drowning out everything but his will to live.

The Speed Stinger made a lunge to bite into his prey, but Hiccup reacted quickly and unstoppering the vial, splashed the venom into its mouth. The Alpha recoiled with his snarl stopping abruptly as he froze in place like liquid ice had entered his veins.

Toothless came to a shrieking halt, outstretching his wings and flapping upwards just before they hit the water. With one straining kick, Hiccup pushed the frozen Alpha off, and he slid off the Night Fury's back and plummeted into the sea like a lifeless rock.

Hiccup sat up quickly, his heart beating fast. He glanced over Toothless' wing, searching for any trace of the Stinger chief. But there was nothing but the murky, dark waters. Whether the Alpha ever made it to the boat by the other cliff or sunk to the deep, dark bottoms of the ocean, Hiccup never knew.

At last, Hiccup allowed himself to breathe, then replaced the dagger in the pedal with his prosthetic. "Let's go home."

Toothless, not needing to be told twice, flapped his wings hard and quickly put distance between them and the islet. Hiccup never looked back. This was a certain place he was sure he would never revisit.

Hiccup raised a quivering hand to his temple, a dull ache throbbing in his skull. The world blurred slightly and swayed this way and that. Hiccup moaned lightly, blinking several times. Pain throbbed everywhere, pulsating off-beatedly to his heart.

A worried warble arose from Toothless as he turned his gaze up towards his rider.

Hiccup clutched at the divot wounds in his right arm which resembled a bite from a tri-fanged snake. The blood still flowed afresh.

"I'm- I'm- I'm okay, Toothless," he responded feebly. He nodded his head a little as if to convince himself. "I'm okay."

His thought processes slowed to a drag like old honey. He strained to concentrate. He was bleeding. Yes. He needed to stop the bleeding. Right.

Abruptly recalling, he reached into his satchel for the correct medical supplies. He soon found bandages and began wrapping his arm, then his shoulders, though it took several tries with his unsteady and faltering hands.

Toothless' green eyes shone in horror and concern. His friend did not look well. In truth, Hiccup did not feel well. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain was overtaking his body. His broken ribs, bruises from the various falls, the piercing wounds in his arm and shoulders, they were all pounding out in waves of burning pain. Hiccup was not sure how long he could stand it. He wanted to shut his eyes, lay back in the saddle and rest. Just for a moment. But he knew that was not an option. No, he would have to stay awake until he got to Gothi.

He reached a pale, trembling hand to pat Toothless' head reassuringly. "It'll be okay. J-just get us home."

With a nod, Toothless pressed on and glided southwest towards Berk where the storm had been steadily drifting towards.