Volevo continues. How is it so far? Not too gory yet, but just wait for a second, there might be something better in this chapter...

Eel Nadder: It was indeed very good and worth going to see.

Guest: Thank you kindly! This whole sequence is pretty intense, as you'll soon see in this chapter

"Spears just aren't very reliable, are they?" Kat drawled, pressing the point of her sword into Ruffnut's soft neck. A bead of blood swelled at the edge. "A sword, however, swords never let you down. But now, you'll never find out. Because I'm going to... I'm going to kill you..."

There it was again, that tremor, that uncertainty. Kat ground her teeth beneath her tightly pursed lips. Her hand was beginning to shake, sweat forming upon her brow. Something told her she just couldn't do it.

Ruffnut gulped, certain that this was the end. However, something in Kat's eyes showed that it was not to be. The girl looked so afraid, so scared, the twin almost felt bad for her. Kat's eyes became hard, narrowing, determined to get over this ridiculous fear and to make this girl her victim. Her lips curled back. Ruffnut winced. The sword pressed harder against her breastbone.

Suddenly, there was a scream from behind Kat. A silhouetted figure lifted a large mace above it's head. Just in time, Kat turned to look, only to be bulldozed by the tremendous force slamming into her ribs and tossing her across the weapon-strewn floor. Her sword went flying out of her hand and clattering into the rest of the metal piled high around them. Kat herself was left groaning in a heap, her side throbbing with pain. She looked up dazedly at her attacker, her hands clasping her bruised ribs.

Tuffnut stood over her, his teeth bared in a feral snarl, shoulders hunched, his mace clasped in his outstretched arms. He lifted a finger, pointing accusingly, shaking with rage barely contained.

"No-one hurts my sister. No-one but me. Got it?" Clearly thinking she was incapacitated, he turned to his twin, eyebrows raised. "You okay, sis?" Ruffnut only nodded. There was a thin cut across her breast bone, but it was barely bleeding and didn't really hurt. She just shrugged off her brother's concern, pouting as though she didn't need it. After all, it was just a simple scratch.

Kat looked between the twins. She couldn't fight them both at once. She would have to separate them somehow. She crawled across the floor towards her sword, grabbing it quickly. There was a loud shout behind her as the twins caught her, Tuffnut racing forward to strike her again. Rolling onto her back, her sword flew up and slammed into his mace, almost knocking it from his grasp. He regained his feet, lifted the weapon to swing again, but her foot flew into his shin, knocking his feet from under him. As he scrabbled in the piles of weapons, she leapt to her feet and kicked a few axes his way.

Ruffnut came for her suddenly, a sword of her own poised to strike. The two metal blades came clashing together many times. Both fighters were skilled, but Kat had the better weapon, the upper hand. She tried to throw her shoulder against Ruffnut to knock her back. However, Ruffnut stepped aside, using Kat's strength against her as the runaway went stumbling past and caught herself against a pillar.

In a split second, she had her twin's arm and was pushing him ahead of her, towards the open doors, towards freedom. They hoped someone would be out there who they could call for, someone who had heard the scuffle. Tuffnut stumbled, but his sister wouldn't let him stop. They had to get out. Just a few more steps. Nearly there. The bright sky shone invitingly as they passed through the doors, into the street, to freedom...

SLASH!

A moment of searing pain made Ruffnut stumble. She tumbled to the ground, unable to keep an agonised cry from passing her lips. Behind her, she heard the thin metal of a sword clatter to the ground. Her back was opened up, so badly damaged that she couldn't even feel where the blade had struck. However, a sea of blood was washing down her jerkin and skirt, dripping onto the dusty ground.

She let out a cry like a wounded animal, looking blindly up to where her brother had stopped, just ahead, just out of reach. Her hand groped the back of her sodden shirt, searching for the laceration that stretched from one shoulder blade, straight across the the opposite hip. Her whole body was shaking with shock, her eyes blinded with stinging tears of pain, everything seemingly muffled, like her body was trying to shut down. Yet, despite this, she knew it could not, for the pain was still too great, all-consuming, absorbing everything, like the lesion ran straight through her very being.

She barely even felt her brother's arms wrap around her and drag her to her feet. Ruffnut could hear someone crying, somewhere in the distance. Her brother? No, it was a girl, but it couldn't be Kat. So then, who? It came as a great shock when she realised it was actually herself, not exactly crying, but whimpering into her brother's fur coat. Now that she could focus on the outside, she felt the muffling shell beginning to crack. She could focus on her brother's voice as he roared at the one who had done this.

"Look what you've done! Look at what you've done to my sister!" His voice was loud and hoarse in her ear. She recognised a second voice as Kat's.

"Oh, but honestly, you've got to admire my aim. Look at that!" Kat's voice was goading, unconcerned.

"I will admire nothing of someone who dares to do this to Ruffnut!" A shiver ran through her, one that her brother seemed to feel. He used her name. Her real, full name. He almost never said it aloud to anyone, like it was something protected, sacred. Something that was now as broken as the girl dying in his arms.

Tuffnut choked, taking a better hold of his twin. Kat watched the display like an exhibit in a zoo, or a play. Her eyes searched every detail, flickering over everything. The boy began to feel as though her was naked before her, like she could tell everything about him, just by looking.

"Well..." She said, slowly, finally. "If it's that bad, perhaps I should just put her out of her misery."

"Touch her, and I'll kill you. With my bare hands."

"Really? When I'm the one with the sword?" Kat chuckled to herself mockingly.

"You're not the only one here with a weapon, Kat." A new voice, strong and steady. Ruffnut knew that voice, but her muddled, pain-filled brain couldn't place it. Someone in Berk, yes, and on their side. Female. About their age. She desperately tried to put her finger on it. Then, suddenly, it clicked.

"As...trid..." She whispered. Tuffnut jumped, almost dropping her in the process, so that he had to let her slide slowly to the floor, where she curled upon herself, hiding her face behind her knees.

"If it isn't little miss Astrid Hofferson. Oh yes," She added as Astrid gasped, "I do know your full name. I've been watching you, these past two weeks. Since my very first attack, and since I hurt your precious Stormfly five days ago, Iv'e been watching you all like a hawk, planning my next moves. You really shouldn't underestimate me."

"I don't. I know what you're capable of. So tell me, did you expect me?" Astrid spat, loathing. Kat scowled.

"Now there, there you have me. I thought if I could just pick off these two tonight, I could come back for you again. However, now you're here, I'll readily admit that I have no plan, no backup, and only my sword with which to defend myself. Does that seem fair to you?"

Astrid raised her double-edged axe, growling. "Seems fine to me," She hissed.

"In that case..." Kat's sword lifted a though she were about to strike out at the young blonde. "Maybe fighting is a bad idea..." It was sudden, the realisation that Kat was shaking from head to foot. Astrid had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn't imagining it. Perfect! She's weak! I can take her easily!

"Time for me to take my leave, don't you think? See you again, Hofferson." Kat stuck her tongue out before she turned on her heel and, in the same smooth movement, sheathed her sword, before she struck out and pounded off down the street, one arm wrapped around her ribs. Astrid snarled, yelling after her. She wasn't getting away that easily. The blonde quickly gave chase, disappearing after her into the shadows of the Berkian streets.

Owch. That sounds like it hurt. Also, some twin fluff, which, if you're a regular reader, you will know I'm rather fond of. Well, if you had a twin, even if they got on your nerves, you still wouldn't want them to be killed, right? And if nothing more happens, Ruffnut could very will be dead by the end of next chapter. Eep!

I feel as though this might work better as either a cartoon or a graphic novel. However, seeing as I don't have the art skills to do such a thing, It will just have to be writing. Unless you'd like them to all be anthro animals, which is something I can do...