Back again! I'm writing these out super-fast and stocking them up for later, which means, if I was to finish them, I could have two stories uploading at once. I'll upload every day if I can, but if you're ever unsure, go check my profile, I have all the upload days there to keep you up to date.
Hiccupisnotuseless: I knew you'd enjoy that! I hope you've noticed that I reviewed one of your chapters too. Indeed, Dagur is a monster, but there's nothing we can do about that!
Punpkin Kuro: Yes, he is. I had to bring him back, seriously, I love him so much. His great big eyes melt my heart. I'm sure there will be some bada**ery later on. In fact, I know the whole story, so it's pretty much confirmed.
Guest: Thank you very much! I did have an idea for RotG, but I don't know whether I can get into it enough to write it. I'll just have to watch the movie again an see. Would you like to see that?
Tuffnut slouched against the wooden wall, a tired look on his face. The hard-packed dirt of the floor was leaving stains on his trousers and dust on his shoes. The heat of the fires had stopped around an hour ago, leaving the wall cool enough to lean on. However, it could have been longer, or shorter, he really couldn't be sure. He looked up at the sloped ceiling, curving to a point at the top of the roof, observing the patches of moss. Then, his eyelids drooped closed, head falling to one side. He let out an overly-loud snore, his nose twitching.
The guard peering through the gate chuckled, satisfied that this prisoner was going no-where. She let go of the thick, iron bars that stood between her and the young man on the floor, pacing slowly away, crossbow in hand. Tuffnut's eyes were suddenly open again, bright and alert. His head shot up, muscles tensed. Never in his life had he been so focused. Shaking his wrists from the ropes, he peered about for an escape route, rubbing the marks left by his bindings as he went.
"I've never been so glad to have sharp stones in the floor..." he muttered to himself, discarding the one he had dug out of the floor with his nails and crawling on hands and knees around, looking for any weakness, any flaw in the thick wooden walls. Suddenly, his eyes alighted on a patch that was green with rot and black with fire damage. If he could just put enough pressure on it, it would crack and he might just be able to squeeze through. Bracing his back against the wall, he placed his feet against the wood, pushing hard against the blockade, desperate for his plan to work.
The wood gave way with a deafening crack that echoed down the hallway. The guard was almost instantly back at her post, peering through the bars to see the young man exactly where she'd left him, hands behind his back, slamming the back of his helmet into the wall, giving off a loud sound quite alike the one she had heard before. Passing it off as just the crazy, bored antics of an insane prisoner, the guard snorted and padded quietly away again.
Once again, the twin came to life, waiting for a second as he listened to her footsteps disappearing down the hallway. Then, as if charged with electricity, he leapt forward and pushed the cracked boards outwards. They bent, splintering and snapping, until they finally gave way, leaving a gap just big enough for him to drag himself through. Ignoring the shout of surprise from the guard, who had just caught him, he slammed himself down on his stomach and forced his body through. This was the only way he could escape, the only way to save himself and his village. He knew that just waiting out there would be his friends, his sister, his dragon, and together, they would make things right.
His legs finally freed, Tuffnut leapt to his feet, his arms above his head, giving a whoop of joy at his success. His elation was quickly quelled as he heard a shout behind him, turning to find soldiers pounding down the burnt-out street after him, his guard screaming at their head. Arms still above his head, he gave a girlish scream as he dashed away from them. Around the corner, he found another band closing in, but turned down a little-known side street to escape them.
The ash-covered buildings turned to smouldering husks as he crossed the town. This was where the fires really burned. He squelched through a slush of mud and black ash, sticky like tar, almost up to his ankles. Looking over his shoulder, he found soldiers on all sides, more pouring down the street in the opposite direction. Tuffnut stopped in the centre of what was the main square and was rapidly surrounded. This was it. The escape attempt was for nothing. He gazed around at the sea of snarling, jeering face around him. They almost looked like they were spinning, making him dizzy. He shook his head, eyes closed, looking up at the circle again, but this time, his eyes caught on one particular man.
He was leaning heavily against a wall, choking and coughing and wheezing, looking as pale as the dust that had settled on his shoulders. He was trying to protect a narrow passage, but was the only one there. To the twin, he had suddenly become the only person standing (or rather, leaning) between himself and freedom. A determined look washed over his face, his muscles coiling like springs as the circle began to close the gap around him. He leant back, took a breath, and bounced forward, smashing between soldiers attempting to grab him, barging past the ailing guard and sprinting away towards the forest.
Ruffnut was woken by a jolt, then a soft, hissing growl. She opened her eyes slowly, rubbing the sleep out of them with a dirty, bleary fist. She painfully uncoiled herself, straightening her aching legs and unwrapping her arms from around her tender stomach. Looking up, she found Scauldy's adoring eyes gazing down at her, worried. She scowled, pretending she didn't appreciate the gesture. The dragon nudged her as she slowly sat up and looked around. Obviously, she had fallen asleep while they were flying the night before and Scauldy had found a peaceful clearing far, far away from the wreckage of the village to land in. The grass swayed invitingly as she slid down off Scauldy's back and paced carefully over to the stream. Her legs and arms were refusing to cooperate. They were so stiff and painful from the day before. Stretching her arms out, trying to ease the tension, she knelt down by the calm, blue stream that ran the length of the clearing.
She looked at herself in the mirror-like water, her arms behind her back, pulling her shoulders back into shape. It was immediately apparent that she needed to wash, and with Scauldy leaving, heading down to the sea, she had the opportunity.
They were almost upon him again, chasing him down so that he had nowhere to hide. The forest wasn't very far away, but it was too far, with soldiers attacking from both sides. Once again, Tuffnut found himself trapped in a circle of men, who quickly dived forward to grab him. He'd never truly know just how he dodged the flailing limbs, grabs and snatches, the kicking legs and weapons flashing. He dived beneath the legs of a large man, who grabbed his partner by mistake.
Tuff took a second to chuckle at the tangled heap of guards all attacking one another in the middle of the cross-roads of paths. Then, feeling very pleased with himself, he slipped quietly but quickly away. It didn't take the Berserkers long to realise their mistake, but they had already lost their lead on the man and had to quickly make it up. They pounded off in relentless pursuit of Tuffnut.
Thoroughly scrubbed, Ruffnut reclined on the soft grass, soaking in the warmth of the sun. Her outer layers lay on a large rock, drying out in the rays of the sun. Her under shirt and leather trousers had already dried well enough for her to wear them, but the thick leathery jacket and woolly boots took longer to dry out. Yawning, Ruffnut again stretched out her still painful muscles, peering into the sky in time to watch her friend flutter back down into the clearing, dripping wet and carrying a couple of fish which he'd boiled up inside the deep well of his chin for her.
She'd gathered everything up and eaten quickly, knowing that they couldn't stay still for long. Back up in the air, she glanced around at the island, wincing as she caught sight of the husk of Berk, some parts still left smoking. However, as she peered closer, she found something odd. The soldiers were all dashing around like little ants, just as though they were chasing something. The figure was barely a streak: she couldn't see them from this distance, but nevertheless, they had to be Berkian. She urged Scauldy on for a closer look.
Feeling that he'd gained himself a well-earned rest, the twin slumped against a tree trunk to catch his breath. Now well into the forest, he was highly doubtful that they would be able to find him out here. He coughed slightly, the ash from the fires still heavy in his airways, spitting out the black sludge that stung his tongue. Tuffnut let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes to rest them for a while. Evidently, he had been too stressed to sleep the night before.
He was rudely awakened by a loud crack right beside his ear. Turning rapidly, he found a cross-bow bolt sticking out of the tree beside him, so close to his shoulder that his yak-skin jacket was pinned to the bark. He span about the other way, snatching sight of the soldiers coming for him again.
I'm gonna end this here so you don't have to wait any longer. Anyway, it ends on a cliff-hanger, so that's alright. Hope you guys are enjoying this, it's quite fun to write but because there's so much running in this chapter without a lot happening, I got a little bored. Oh well, here it is. Enjoy!