Chapter Thirteen
Thump!
The noise made Astrid slightly jolt awake, seeing the sky being grey out of her window. "Ugh, morning already?" She whispered.
Thump!
"Yeaaagghhh…" She yawned, stretching her arms as she woke herself up. Staring up at her ceiling, she couldn't help but smile. For the few days of being back home, and no longer being a 'prisoner', she had forgotten how much she liked to have a room to herself.
Thump!
"I'm coming, Stormfly!" She called out, sliding out of her bed and grabbing the axe Teeth had given her. Since she's been back, Stormfly has been more anxious to be with her, given the adventure they were both on. As such, she's been waking her up every morning to go for a ride; or just to check up on her.
Thump! Thump!
"Easy, girl, I'm coming!" She called out with a smile while opening the door.
Stormfly instantly squawked happily, almost tackling her rider.
"Hey girl! How was your night's rest?" She laughed, stroking one of her spikes.
Enjoying the attention, Stormfly simply rubbed against her, acting as if she hadn't seen her for years.
Smiling, Astrid turned to look out across Dragon's Edge's bay. The morning was calm; cool, but calm. Thankfully, the overcast skies were gone, leaving it clear and…well, as the day went on, blue. The sun was just barely peeking over the ocean, revealing a blinding orange light.
"It's beautiful isn't it, girl?" She whispered, taking a seat on the edge of her deck. Watching the sunrise, she simply reflected on the past adventures. First, being captured by the Hunters, and then later saved by some very unlikely friends; Talen Wrathen and his daughter Teeth. Looking over her axe, she gently rubbed the shining edges. It was certainly a unique axe. Maybe not as strong as her Gronckle Iron one, but it certainly had more memorabilia than the one the Hunters got rid of.
"Hey, still getting up early? Even after all we went through?"
Smiling, she turned to see Hiccup walk up to her. Stormfly instantly bolted up, squawking at Toothless.
Toothless growled happily back at her, which he then sprinted down one of the many ramps and bridges that connected Dragon's Edge together. Stormfly squawked loudly, running after him.
Watching their dragons play together, they smiled and shook their heads.
Scooting over for him to be able to sit next to her, she continued to watch the rising sun. "Heh, that's what I should be asking you. I don't remember you ever getting up this early before."
"Guess I just had a lot on my mind." He replied, letting one of his usually comforting smiles grow.
"Oh? About what?"
Looking sheepish, he simply rubbed the back of his head. "Uh…I guess you mainly."
Surprised, she turned to face him, silently asking him to explain.
"I mean…you were held captive on a ship full of Marauders! We saw what they did to the Hunters. I guess I've been thinking what would've happened if we were enemies with them…and what could have happened to you."
"Well, nothing bad happened. We've only made friends out of them. Even their future chief!"
"Yeah, I guess we did." He replied, now watching the rising sun. "It…it's hard to believe that it's over. Viggo's no more…the Hunters are gone…and we even opened up the idea of being friends with dragons to Talen and Teeth. Heh, I'd say Grange too."
"You know, I hope she does well." She commented. "She's tough and short-tempered; I'd say her temper rivals your dads."
"That's a bit of a stretch, don't ya' think?" He asked, laughing at the comparison.
"Maybe a little." She chuckled. "But even then, I hope she makes a great chief. She's already got the mindset. And even a little experience."
"Yeah, I guess she does."
Thinking, she then turned to him. "What about you?"
Confused, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What about me?"
"Have you thought about the time when you take over as Chief of Berk?" She asked, letting a soft smile grow on her face. "That's had to have crossed your mind sometime, hasn't it?"
Letting out a long sigh, he simply leaned back on his arms. "Yeah, a little bit. I never really thought of it other than it's going to happen. At least someday in the far future. Besides, my dad's still young. And he loves being the Chief. I think if he retired, he'd drive himself mad!"
"Doesn't mean you shouldn't spend some time with him to learn." She suggested. "I mean, with the Hunters gone, you can set aside a couple of days a month to learn from him."
"Oh…well, yeah…I guess I could…" He whispered, frowning at the thought.
"You don't like that idea, do you?" She called out, wondering what he was thinking.
"Not really." He admitted. "I guess I never saw myself as a chief. I never put much thought into it other than I'm the son of one. To be honest…I don't know if I want it."
"Hey, like you said, it's a long way away." She began to comfort. "You might change your mind."
"Yeah, maybe." He replied quietly, trying to hide the doubt in his voice.
Smiling at him, she gently leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Taken off guard, he stared at her in surprise.
"That's for helping me 'escape' from the Marauders." She teased, winking at him. "Never saw myself to be a damsel in distress, but you did 'save' me from them."
"Heh, maybe I should work out a deal with the twins. Have them kidnap you so I can 'save' you again, if that's what you'd reward me with…" He replied sheepishly, slightly blushing.
Also blushing, she moved the hair out of her eyes and glance away from him. Not looking at each other, they both simultaneously shifted closer to each other. Slowly holding each other's hands, they turned to face each other.
To Hiccup, he lost his breath. The sun was now shining on her, making her seem like a Valkyrie from Valhalla itself. Her sheepish smile seemed to hide the ferociousness of the warrior inside her, making her look like the beautiful girl he always knew her to be. This was the moment! It was…perfect! Slowly leaning forward, he closed his eyes. Going along with it, Astrid also closed her eyes and leaned forward.
"Helloooo! Master Hiccup!"
"Gah! What the?!" He cried out, bolting away from Astrid, who also jumped back a foot.
Looking around for whoever called out to them, they both saw Trader Johann down in the bay and waving at them.
"Oh…uh, hey, Johann…" He called out, trying to hide the red on his face.
"Come quick! There's something amiss I must tell you about!" He shouted, now waving frantically.
Confused, the two leapt onto their feet and ran down a series of ramps, meeting Johann at the docks.
"Johann, what is it?" Hiccup asked, stopping to help tie his boat to the dock.
"A strange and eerie sight, indeed." Johann began to explain, lowering his voice and looking around skeptically. "It all started when I was sailing past the Wailing Pillars. Goodness, I'd never do that again. As I was passing by, a very…unusual sight showed itself to me."
"A dragon?" Astrid asked, trying to think of what he could have seen.
"No, my lady." He replied with a courteous bow. "Something more sinister. More foreboding…"
"Johann. What did you see?" Hiccup asked, tired of the added explanations.
Taken back slightly, Johann simply shrugged. "I don't know exactly. It was a massive pillar of smoke. At first, I thought it was a volcano, but none of the charts or maps show that there was an active volcano nearby. Whatever it was, it was still burning when I finally sailed out of eyesight."
"Where was this smoke coming from?" Astrid asked, looking concerned at the news.
"Northwest of here." He replied simply.
"Astrid, get Heather and Snotlout. I'll tell the twins and Fishlegs to watch over the Edge." Hiccup began to instruct.
Astrid nodded, turning to run back up the ramp and pathway.
Turning to Johann, Hiccup thanked him. "Thanks, Johann, we'll go check on it right away. You can stay here to resupply and rest. Help yourself to whatever you need."
"Ah, generous as ever, Master Hiccup." He replied with a sincere smile. "I seem to have developed a sore back from my recent travels to the Red Marshes of-"
"Uh, I'm sure it was a trip!" He called out, turning to follow Astrid. "Better get going!"
"Hmph." Johann huffed, frowning as he ran away. "Well, at least Master Fishlegs has a good ear to listen to some stories!"
"You've been all over these islands, Heather; what do you think it is?" Hiccup asked, guiding Toothless closer to Windshear.
No longer than even an hour of flying, the group could see the black smoke in the far distance. After flying for a couple of more hours, they were shocked at how high the smoke had gotten. And they could barely see an island from where the smoke was originating from.
Shaking her head, she looked at him with concern. "I have no idea. I've lived on these islands for a little bit, and I didn't even find a dormant volcano anywhere nearby. It could be a forest fire, though it doesn't really make sense. It's been wet all summer…and now we're just getting into the winter. Fires should never get that big."
"Whatever it is, we'll find soon enough." Astrid shouted, shielding her mouth with her arm. They just started flying into the smoke, irritating their eyes and making it hard to breathe. Heather pulled up her mask, trying to protect her breathing in the smoke.
"Everyone dive down! Stay as close to the water as you can!" Hiccup shouted, trying to get a breath in the heavy smoke.
Everyone guided their dragons to follow, who seemed to be a little on edge as they pushed further into the smoke. Skimming just above the ocean, they were able to receive some relief, though it was still hard to see. The closer they got to the island, they could start to see its details. Having a decent amount of trees on it, it kind of reminded Astrid of the one she helped Teeth scout while being stuck aboard with her. The main difference was that there were a lot more rocks and stony hills that had caves through it.
"Steady! We're almost there!" Hiccup yelled out.
"Hey, uh, Hiccup?" Snotlout shouted. "Why are we flying towards the fires? Usually, I'm not one to complain because of Hookster, but seriously, why?!"
Ignoring him, Hiccup flew over one of the rocky hills, gasping at the sight. It was so shocking, that he had to stop Toothless.
Everyone else also stopped to a hover, not believing what they were seeing.
"No…" Heather gasped out, pulling down her mask out of horror.
The White Wake, or at least the remains of it, was sunk halfway down in the shallow bay. The fire was still raging on the wood that hadn't been submerged, rendering it simple, charcoal ends sticking out of the water. The massive iron dragon head at the bow, was sticking out of the water, covered in soot and ash. Embers were flying all around them, acting like fireflies dancing in the air.
"Hiccup…look, the beach…" Astrid choked out, pointing to where she was talking about with a paling face.
Turning to see, his stomach had an instant pit in it.
Littered all over the ground, were fallen Marauders!
"Come on! Look for survivors!" He shouted, having Toothless rocket towards them.
Everyone followed, all having shocked and stunned faces. Even the dragons were wary as they landed, taking an extra moment to make sure their riders wouldn't be in danger.
"Hiccup…" Astrid whispered in disbelief. Gripping her axe as she walked up to a fallen Marauder, she knelt down to see if he was actually dead. Gently resting her hand on the cold shoulder, she stared at an arrow that was sticking out of his throat. "What happened? Who did this to them? Was there a tribe on this island?"
"What did that to their ship?" Snotlout added, turning to stare at the burning remains. "Even a flock of Titan-sized Nightmares couldn't have burned down that ship. Not without getting shot down."
"I-I don't know." He stammered, closing his eyes as he passed by a particularly bloodied Marauder. "Just…just keep searching for survivors! There has to be one!"
Heather didn't say anything. It was too familiar of when she watched her adopted island get destroyed. The fire. The death. It had an aura of familiarity that made her close her eyes in angst. Turning, she started to walk away, heading towards the tree line.
"Heather, where are you going?" Astrid called out.
"I thought I saw something! I'll be right back!" She lied, stepping through one of the bushes. Breathing deeply, she felt a pit in her stomach as she found something much worse than what they saw on the beach. Lying on his back, staring at the endless sky with open eyes, was Chief Talen. He had a single sword sticking out of his stomach, being left there as a sign or even a warning. One of his hands was cut off at the fore arm, and was lying on the ground next to him.
Shutting her eyes, she reluctantly walked back to the beach. "Hiccup…I…I found Chief Talen…"
Both he and Astrid bolted towards her, looking frantic at the claim.
Not saying anything, she simply pointed past her, guiding them to her discovery.
Reluctantly, the two followed her, not really wanting to see what she found. As they too walked through the bushes, Astrid bit her lip and looked away from the sight. Hiccup couldn't do anything but shake his head and stare.
Sure enough, just as Heather claimed, Talen lay there in his own blood.
Almost against his better judgement, Hiccup walked up to and knelt by him. The silvered warlord had blood staining his grey and white hair. His clothes were all but red, being almost black where the sword was resting in him. Slowly, knowing he had to do something for the one that was an ally to them, he reached over and wiped his hand down Talen's face, closing his eyes to let him rest.
"…Hiccup…"
He and Astrid turned to see Heather holding up a slashed up quiver of arrows. Holding one of the arrows, her face was dark with anger. The arrow she was holding had a hint of green liquid coated on its tip. "Hunters. Hunters did this."
Frowning, he stood up and took the arrow from her. Staring at the green tip, he then growled out loud. "I knew better than to think we were actually finished with them…and look what happened!"
"Hiccup, this isn't your fault." Astrid quickly consoled. "You can't blame yourself for this! We all thought they were done when we captured Viggo and Ryker!"
"For all we know, they're back out there! Planning…who knows what!" Hiccup yelled, snapping the arrow in half. "I should have stayed with Talen. I might have been able to help stop all this from happening!"
"Hiccup! You can't blame yourself!" Astrid cried out, grabbing him by his shoulders. "None of us expected this! If any of us stayed, we might have been killed too!"
"But I knew Viggo! I knew he'd have…something up his sleeve!" He cried out, turning to look at more fallen Marauders.
"Hiccup, Astrid's right. You can't blame yourself for this." Heather quickly spoke up. "Trust me, I know what it feels like when you think that it was your fault for when something happened…"
"And even if it was, blaming yourself isn't going to help us." Astrid urged. "We know that the Hunters are still out there. The question is what do we do now?"
Hiccup closed his eyes in angst. Gripping the broken shaft of the arrow with a death grip, he then whispered. "I'm going to send Snotlout back to the Edge. To get the twins and Fishlegs, and a couple of our boats. We need to send everyone here to Valhalla. After that, it's war. We won't stop until Viggo is stopped himself!"
Both Astrid and Heather nodded in agreement, turning to walk away. As they returned to the beach, Astrid was surprised to see Stormfly acting odd. Nervously pacing around, she kept on running in circles, sniffing the air.
"What's she doing?" Heather asked, a little concerned at how she was acting. "Is it because of what happened here?"
"No, she's searching for something. She always does that when she gets the scent of something." She replied, frowning as she tried to calm her down. "Easy girl, I'm here and safe. No need to worry about me."
Stormfly didn't listen. Almost running over Astrid, she then looked down and began to sniff a streak of blood.
"Stormfly, easy girl…" Astrid tried to console, shocked to be pushed away from her.
Squawking, Stormfly then bolted into the trees, leaving everyone behind.
"Stormfly!" She shouted, running after her. Hiccup and Heather also chased after them, with their dragons following them.
"Where are you guys going?" Snotlout called out, seeing them disappear again.
Ignoring him, Astrid sprinted after her dragon, who was getting farther away from her. Trying to duck under some low branches, she was surprised to see another blood streak. Was that what Stormfly was following? Why? Concerned for her dragon, and curious as to where the blood was leading her too, she picked up her feet and increased her pace, trying to catch up to the frenzied Nadder. Rushing around a large rock, she let out an audible cry at what she found. "No…No!"
"Astrid, wha-" Hiccup shouted, only to freeze in place.
Sitting up and leaning against the entrance of a large crevice, was Grange. Two arrows were sticking out of his chest, and his leg looked like it was slashed open.
Both Hiccup and Astrid rushed to him, panicked that they actually found him. Stormfly was busy trying to get into the crevice, turning her head to look in.
Ignoring her dragon, Astrid reached down for the Marauder's hands. They were cold to the touch, being a sign that he was indeed gone. His skin was already pale and colorless, similar to how they found Talen.
"Grange…" Hiccup whispered, looking down at the one that treated them like a friend.
Heather also walked up, looking torn up that they had actually found him. "He must've given them trouble." She observed, looking down at his charred shield and mace. "To take two arrows and a cut to the leg? I bet that was the only way they could slow him down."
"He was the kindest to me." Astrid whispered, finally standing up and looking away from him.
"I think to all of us." Hiccup added, standing up as well. "He was the one that was actually interested in befriending dragons.
Hesitantly, Astrid looked over at Hiccup with an anxious expression. "Hiccup…if everyone's dead…chances are Teeth's gone too."
"That being said, where is she?" He replied. "Grange was her personal guard."
"Probably under a pile of Hunters." Heather commented, staring at Grange with depressed expression. "She would have taken that many down before falling herself."
Hiccup could only nod. Staring at Grange, he closed his eyes and dropped his head. The group simply stood there in silence, paying their respects to the once chipper Marauder.
"Rrrawwk!" Stormfly squawked, pulling everyone's attention back to her. Clawing at the crevice, she continued to try to get into it.
"Stormfly, what is it?" Astrid asked, concerned that she was still acting frantic. Pushing her aside, she finally saw what she was trying to do. "Teeth!" She shouted, running into the Crevice.
On her stomach, Teeth lay there with one of Talen's swords in hand. The back of her armor was essentially shattered and soaked in red. Rushing in, she knelt down over her, slowly rolling her over.
Both Hiccup and Heather sprinted after her, shocked to hear the name.
"I guess she died with a sword in hand…" Heather whispered, seeing that she had a death grip on it, regardless of how Astrid moved her.
Astrid simply held Teeth, resting her head on her knees. Hiccup knelt down next to her with an anxious expression. Blood had stained her hair, as well as parts of her face. The bone plating of her armor still looked worse for wear, but more so with the dirt and blood mixed together on it. Her face though, was oddly calm.
Astrid simply looked over her, wishing she could do something to help her.
"Come on…we'll send her to Valhalla ourselves." Hiccup choked out. "We'll send her with Grange and her dad. That's the least we can do that right now…"
"I wish I knew her name." Astrid whispered, looking down at Teeth. "She said she had one, but…never told me."
Hiccup simply rested his hand on her shoulder. "We'll avenge her…I promise…"
Sighing, Astrid nodded. Respectfully, and carefully, she lowered Teeth's head down.
"…ggagh…"
Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather instantly froze at the sound. Looking back down at her, Hiccup instantly placed his ear over her heart. Very weakly, almost non-existent, he could the faint thump of a heartbeat.
"She's alive!" He cried out, instantly starting to unstrap the broken armor.
"Teeth!" Astrid shouted, also helping take the chest plate off, now coming off in chunks as it was still badly damaged.
Heather helped place the pieces of the chest plate away as they came off, letting Astrid and Hiccup focus on helping her. As they were able to get the armor off, Hiccup stood up to run out of the crevice. "Hold tight! I got some bandages in my saddlebag!"
"Hurry!" Astrid shouted, trying to help her as best as she could.
Heather then knelt down, carefully holding Teeth's hand. "She's not cold…not like Grange at least…" She commented.
"Come on, Teeth. Be tough!" Astrid growled, feeling the old fight build up inside of her. They had to save her! They owed Talen that much for helping them!
Slowly, almost like they were forced to, Teeth's eyes cracked open. Unable to have an expression, she simply looked up at Astrid. "…As…tr…d?"
"Gods, hold on, Teeth!" She shouted, now focusing on keeping Teeth awake. "Eyes open!"
"Come on! Let's roll her over!" Heather cried out.
Both she and Astrid slowly rolled her over, which the two of them began to try and clean around the wound.
"Stay with us, Teeth…" Astrid growled, looking down at her. Too late. Teeth's eyes were closed. Biting her lip, she lowered her head next to her mouth, desperate to hear something.
A small breath sounded, showing that she was still breathing at least.
"Heather, Astrid! Use this!"
Looking up, they saw both Hiccup and Snotlout running towards them. Hiccup held out one of the medical packs to her, stopping just outside of the crevice.
"Thanks, we'll get her taken care of." Astrid growled, not wanting to waste a moment of trying to save Teeth. "Hiccup, you have to go get Gothi!"
"I'll send Snotlout-"
"Hiccup!" Astrid snapped. "You ride a Night Fury! One of the fastest, if not the fastest dragon we have! You go get Gothi, and we'll move Teeth over to the Edge. By the time you get back, we'll have her cleaned up and ready to be treated!"
Seeing her point, he simply rested his hand on her shoulder guard. Silently reassuring her, he then turned to jump on Toothless. "Come on, bud! Let's break our personal record!"
Toothless roared loudly, accepting the challenge. Launching into the air, his wings left small whirlwinds behind, kicking up leaves and dirt.
Tearing her hood off, Heather then took a large cloth and began to wipe the wound, finishing cleaning it. "Astrid, help me with the bandages. We need to stop the bleeding before we move her."
"Right. Hold on, Teeth." Astrid huffed, continuing to help Heather. "Snotlout, make something that we can move Teeth in. Like a hammock or stretcher of some kind."
"Got it! I'll get it done!" He shouted, running deeper into the forest. "Come on, Hookster! We got a chief to save!"
Looking down at Teeth, Astrid sent a simple prayer to Odin, asking for him to preserve her.
"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, seeing him, Gobber, Gothi, and Stoick land at the Clubhouse.
"Where is she?" He asked, jumping off Toothless and running to her.
The night had long set in, being probably the early hours of the morning. Since Heather, Astrid, and Snotlout had moved Teeth to the Edge, they took her to Astrid's room to recover. Fishlegs, having the most experience and knowledge regarding healing, was staying with Teeth; ensuring that she was still breathing. He forced Astrid to leave him and to get something to eat, given that she didn't leave Teeth's side since they first found her.
"My room. Fishlegs is watching over her."
"Come on, Gothi. Let's see what we can do." Gobber called out, lifting off a box of medical supplies from Skullcrusher's saddle.
Gothi was already jogging away, leaving him, her Gronckle, and everyone behind.
"How are you doing?" Hiccup asked, looking over at Astrid with concern.
"I don't know. I guess I'll find out after Gothi sees her." She admitted, looking down with tired and sunken eyes.
"Hiccup told me a little bit about this lass named Teeth." Stoick replied, walking up to her. "She's supposed to be the next chief of a tribe?"
Astrid nodded, turning to face inside the clubhouse. Set along the table they used to eat at, Teeth's broken armor was laid out all over. The sword she had in hand was also leaning against the wall nearby.
Seeing the gear, he walked over and inspected the silver blade. "Hmm…interesting craftsmanship."
"It was her dad's. Talen Wrathen." Hiccup explained. "She crafted it for him. The armor was her own that she wore."
Turning to inspect the armor, he lifted up one of the gauntlets. "Sturdy. Interesting choice of material though."
"They were dragon hunters by trade." Astrid admitted. "She probably had no short supply of dragon bones to make all of that."
Stoick shook his head. "Hiccup said you made an alliance with some hunters. Can't say I didn't think you were all a little crazy to work alongside with them. However, it seems they never mistreated you when they held you captive."
"I wasn't really a prisoner, and I'd say we made some friends out of the whole experience." Astrid commented. "Friends we lost…"
"I'm sorry." Stoick comforted. "I know what it's like to lose someone close. But the question still remains, what do you do now?"
"We need to stop Viggo. And the Hunters." Hiccup replied. "Otherwise, this will keep on happening. To villages that we don't know about, and to people who will be hurt or…killed by them."
"I agree…" Stoick replied. "But he's also going to be extra careful. He had a close call with you and those Marauders. He's going to ensure that doesn't happen again."
"I know. But he probably doesn't think we know he's still out there. I bet he planned on the fact that all the Marauders were dead, and that we wouldn't know what happened to them. There's still an advantage we can capitalize on." Hiccup whispered, frowning at the thought. "But let's not worry about that right now. We need to think about Teeth. We need to help her all we can."
"Gothi's the best healer I've had since I've been Chief of Berk." Stoick assured. "The best that we can do for your friend is to stay out of her way, and let her do what she needs too."
Hiccup nodded, still not comforted by the decision. It seemed so sudden. The pressures of having to fight Viggo again. Whether or not Teeth was going to make it. And then the fact they lost a powerful ally, that not only was friendly to them, but loyal to them as well. Viggo was indeed holding nothing back, and Hiccup was sure he would do the same to the Riders if given the chance.
Sighing, he turned to Astrid. "Where's Heather?"
"She took Snotlout and the twins back to the island. They're towing a couple of our target practice ships with them. They'll send the dead to Valhalla and be back tomorrow…"
"Good, I'll have to tell her thanks when she gets back." He whispered tiredly.
"Come, I know sleep is the last thing on your minds." Stoick commented. Taking a seat near the fire place, he then asked them. "Tell me more about these Southern Sea Maruaders, and why your friend is named Teeth. More importantly, tell me how you ended up on this…eventful adventure."
Looking at each other, Hiccup and Astrid slowly nodded.
Turning to his dad, he began to explain the tale. "Well, it started out as a simple recon mission. Astrid and I…"