A/N: Hello there! Long time no update, I know...I am most sorry about that. The amount of stress I have undergone these past 2 years have just been too much - I am studying, for any who do not know yet, and it steals pretty much all of my free time. I have barely any time to write nor draw, which really drains me. I am doing my best to catch up again, decided to participate at NaNoWriMo again last year (for any of you who do not know what that is, type it into google search and see for yourself! It is really great and something any of you can participate at) but I had to sadly enough stop this time - it was too much stress. Yet the first few weeks I managed to rattle down several raw chapters for 'The Awakening'. So here is the first proof-read one since then! I am doing my VERY best to keep on writing and updating, so please bare with me my dears!
For all of you who have been supporting me until now: thank you, sincerely, thank you for your reviews, your favourites and alerts and all the words of encouragement you have spoken, even if indirectly. I will see this story to its end!
P.S.: A dictionary for Toothless' words is at the end of this chapter in the note!
Heritage
Wispy Wingless was angry. Actually, he was furious. Toothless could not quite decipher where the young child's animosity came from; but suddenly, the atmosphere had changed drastically. It grew cold; Wispy Wingless became thoughtful, trudged up and down a small patch of green like a restless dragon in a cage.
He would not understand, so at least he surmised, as Hiccup sighed, rubbing his forehead before he saddled Toothless. Was it related to the terrible fire and shouts Toothless had heard some nights prior? He knew, due to Wispy Wingless' order, that he was not allowed to come and help unless given the special signal. It had made him terribly anxious; knowing his rider might just be in too much danger to handle, overestimating himself, or incapable of calling his dark-scaled companion because some vengeful beast was hindering him. He had happily wagged his tail upon sighting the lanky boy, tongue lolling about from his lips as he expected a heartening greeting and some sort of excuse.
'Sorry bud, I would have called you, but it was simply too dangerous.' Some nonsense like that would have sufficed.
But his partner was not in the mood; not in any good mood at that. They had travelled to the sanctuary, where Mother Wingless waited, slightly disconcerted. Yet she had not been so worried due to Wispy Wingless' arrival – Toothless was certain she had not seen their descending upon the Endless Shifter. But what would be troubling her so much?
It did not take too long for the both of them to shout about; words Toothless would equally never be capable of fully comprehending. Something sounding too warbled, but spat out in aggravation, near to betrayal.
"The chief! The chief! You never said anything about it being the chief!"
"Hiccup, yer hafta understand. It was not tha easy!"
"I'm trying to, much, but it's hard! You're the chief's wife, and you keep such a thing secret!?"
"Hiccup-"
"The loss he must have felt, the terrible pain-"
"Hiccup, I beg yuh, try ta listen ta me."
"How could you-"
"I had to! Fer yer sake 'nd mine. Yuh've seen what they do. I tried so many times ta talk ta 'im, but no one would listen."
The Black Scales observed as Mother Wingless desperately tried to convince her son, stopping him in his stomping, holding him by his shoulders as her large oculars stared into his; looking for understanding, for acceptance.
"He's the chief." Wispy Wingless mumbled after several seconds of pounding silence.
"An' what difference does it make, me lad? He is just a man, like any other; a true-hearted, wonderful man, but tha title of a chief don't change who he is."
"A man I don't know." he fisted his hand, his lips turning into a thin, straight line as Wispy Wingless turned away from his mother, gazing at the many dragons that resided here.
"Then go meet him, and make up yer own mind of 'im." She told him with a smile, nudging towards the Vast Sparkle.
For Toothless, it was an indication to finally leave, for he did not like the tension. Indeed, quite wordlessly, and without another glance behind him, Wispy Wingless clambered onto Toothless' back, signalling his black friend to take off quite epically. The Large Hot was being encased by Soft Wets, as the former begun its descent upon the edge of the world. Several seconds into their flight, Toothless heard Hiccup roar. He was letting his anger flood out of him.
Toothless flew, wordless himself, feeling for his rider.
When he landed, he had expected to be able to hush off into the forge. There, he would grab the first twisted sword he could find and hammer it into dented perfection until his inner self felt satisfied with it. He knew once Gobber returned that he would be more than just critical with the maltreated item, staring at it with doubt and wordlessly asking the young Viking what he intended to achieve with the more than now unusual piece of weapon. But Hiccup never had the luxury of such a rather comical moment which would allow him to crack up, calm down, then ask the one-legged man what the chief was like, most inconspicuously, in order to further ease his mind.
Astrid awaited him ten feet before the entrance, her face all glittering sparkles of glory.
"Hiccup!" She called, having him eloquently raise an eyebrow upon her not chanting his usual nickname.
But after all that had occurred, it should have not surprised him to find said name missing.
"Astrid – what're you doing here?"
She smiled, deviously so, as she marched towards him like a Viking on a mission; which, in all likelihood, she was. Her eyes darkened fractionally.
"I want to introduce you to the chief." She stated her intention quite plainly, a smirk tugging at one end of her lips.
"I-oh...err...well, Astrid, Astrid you see..." He was frantically scratching the back of his head, trying evasively to come up with an excuse; any old excuse to leg it, but in the presence of one blonde Viking, he felt most incapable.
"Come on!" She grabbed his hand in a rough manner, gripping it tightly as he staggered along, hoping his metal leg would not get stuck in a rock.
"A-Astrid – please, wait." Up the pathway she trudged, towards the village's centre where all Vikings bustled about.
"No time, Hiccup, he has a conference in just a bit, so we have to use this opportunity now." Not even looking at his more than nervous face, she sped up a little.
"B-But – the forge! I have stuff to do and-"
"I'm sure than can wait a little while, we won't be long."
"Astrid-"
"Hiccup, he is a great man and an even better chief! You will surely be impressed, and I can imagine after all that has happened he'll be gladly welcoming you to our tribe as an honorary dragon killer."
"I-I...I'd rather not," he had to be careful as he nearly fell, tripping over pebbles on the ground, "be known as such a person." Hiccup desperately tried to free his hand, to pull out of her more than blood-flow stopping grasp, but he once more underestimated the power that made out Astrid Hofferson.
"Don't be silly," she chided, shaking her head as Hiccup made out the silhouettes of Gobber and a very tall, red-haired male standing next to him, his deep voice booming across the market square.
The maroon of said man's hair made Hiccup's heart pound twice as much, reminding him of his own appearance and of the unlikely, breath-wrenching scenario in which Stoick the Vast could possibly recognize features that would give away Hiccup's existence as his...
As his...
"Astrid!" he cried, jerking backwards so hard the girl flew several steps down the pathway. She was shocked to see him so vigilant on escaping.
"Hiccup, what's wrong?" She frowned his way over her shoulder.
"I...I'm just not in the mood, okay!?" He glared at the ground, feeling his fingers balling to fists, cursing his inner turmoil for escaping onto the outside ever so sneakily.
She hesitated for a while, observing his sombre features carefully before she decided to speak up, "Okay," she nodded, somewhat disappointed, "okay. Don't want the chief to see you from your worst side."
He nearly felt insulted at her words, as if meant for scathing, until he realised they were not. She was merely trying to be understanding, in her uncanny Viking way, as she avoided his gaze, seemingly in thought.
He was about to ask for release, to get her to let his hand go so he could retreat; quickly so, before the chief did see him. Yet Astrid's face lit up once more, her smiling his way.
"Tell you what; follow me!" This time, she pulled him towards another direction, more vigorous with her steps than she had been before, not giving Hiccup any chance for a breather.
So, mutely, he followed, seeing as whatever direction she was taking him, it was away from the chief, which he was thankful for.
"I like this place," she announced after a few seconds of silent sitting.
"It's a cool place to be," Hiccup confirmed, "wouldn't have thought it to exist; thought you were pulling me towards my death there."
She chuckled at that, turning her face to glance over at the Viking seated next to herself, "If I had planned on doing that, I would have done so long ago." There was something rather sinister in the way she had said that which made the boy shudder curtly, before he caught himself again.
"Well, don't know how you'd have done that; making me follow you through a forest, seemingly all lost, suddenly darting off to the west to a tiny plateau." He shrugged as he laughed.
The cliff was overlooking the grand ocean. Appearing unstable, jagged pieces of rock jutted out of the wall, creating a makeshift staircase towards an even smaller plateau underneath; one that was invisible from above. It was a great way of hiding, for no one would suspect these pebbles to actually hold a Viking and lead towards a sacred spot ideal for disappearing for some moments.
Hiccup did some counting in his head; even Toothless would fit on here along with him and Astrid, and possibly another dragon of a not too grand size. He had to remember this spot for future reference; although he would not know what kind of more than dangerous and unnerving situation had to occur for him to hide here. He hoped to never have to find cover at all; at least, not anymore.
"What, you followed me now, didn't you?" she threw back at him, grinning all the while.
"Yeah, but only because I now know to trust you."
It felt like a thick cloth, between them, having been lifted, yet its existence only now having been realised by either of them. Somewhat unnerved nonetheless, Hiccup shifted whilst sitting on tickling grass.
"Well, anyway...what do you usually do here?" He glanced at her, observing how her face was focusing on the sight in front of her.
"Look at the sun descend. It allows me to calm down and forget all the stress about dragon fighting and responsibility that adulthood brings along. And it makes me believe, if only for a second, that Berk is actually a very calm, peaceful place to live," she shook her head ever so slightly, "kind of...like...we weren't fighting dragons anymore because they would not be raiding."
Her words gave him hope. He felt the urge to tell her; everything, that was, to convince her to join him in his mad spree of saving both humans and dragons from mutual destruction. She would tag along, would she not? For the safety of Berk, for a better future with a chief that no longer has to leave to destroy some nest that might just not exist and would otherwise possibly lead to his early grave.
"But for that to become reality we'd have to find the nest first, and destroy it. Get rid of the dragons around Berk." Astrid's tone of voice had a sudden malice within it; if it came naturally, her abhorrence, he could not tell, for a part of it sounded like a façade, or a brave face, she felt like obligatorily having to put on. For the sake of everyone else.
"Astrid..." Hiccup wanted to convince her otherwise, but words were lacking. What should he say? Would she be convinced by his prior plan, or would she shun him forever just the way his mother had warned him they would?
"I want to support the chief and join him during their next excursion; I have wanted to do so for years, but he always wanted me to stay here. He said in case he never came back, so that Berk had a person to rely on."
"So you are more or less his best man; except, woman," Hiccup surmised, feeling a clench around his heart.
As if she were his...daughter, he wanted to add, but it felt bitter on the tongue without even having been spoken. What would he be like, this man Hiccup had yet to meet? More than eagerly did he want to encounter him, reconcile, save Berk, but at the first-given chance of meeting the chief Hiccup had fled. Why?
That question seemed most troublesome to answer. He was simply scared, there was no other way to put it than with those words. What if his father did not like him? The way he lived? What if he could never be convinced? Hiccup remembered his mother's words, how he is supposed to be a tender man, but stubborn when the topic of dragons arises. What should he do?
He felt helpless; had the most inner urge and desire to ask Astrid to aid him, but that would demand his confiding in her. And he was just not sure if she was ready for such a reality, for their bond had only just begun.
"He trusts me a lot," Astrid claimed after some thoughtful silence, "and I do look up to him like towards a father; not that I disregard my own one, but it feels like I have two when he is present." She was etching patterns into the grit next to her.
"When he is present?"
"He is often gone, trying to find the nest or new allies to fight against the dragons with. That's how the pact with the Looting Liars came to be. He likes to give me insight into the business."
"So he really trusts you; you are his family..."
"Yeah, seeing as his own was murdered by those reptiles."
He wanted to protest and see her exasperated face once he smugly told her about his heritage, but it was just never the right moment; with her, Hiccup had to be most careful. She was showing her tender side, which he dared not offend with his reality. Not yet, anyway.
"That's...horrible," Hiccup tried to sound compassionate, yet words failed him. How could he be cursing beings such as Toothless, his best friend?
"What about you?" she suddenly piped up, sounding a lot brighter than before, curiosity interlaced into her voice.
"Me?" he creased, in confusion, an eyebrow at her inquiry.
"Your family. Mother, father? Siblings?" she was leaning towards him expectantly.
Well, she had asked this question before; on the very same day, and seemed persistent, even. But Hiccup had denied her any answer, out of fear she would discover some truths too early, before he had properly prepared. Yet if he did not work on this bond they were currently forming by at least giving her some sort of private information that indicated his trust in her, then he might just lose the friendship.
"W-Well...a mother...I guess."
"I guess?"
"A-Ah yes, a mother, definitely a mother," he had to switch off that nervous stuttering he tended to adopt, "quirky just like me." He smiled, making Astrid return the gesture.
"No father..."
"No..." Not yet, he whispered hopefully to himself.
"Sounds like a harsh childhood."
"It was okay, I believe." Hiccup shrugged, not seeing much damage done; sure, many times he had imagined life with a father.
Under the strict eye of a man, what would he have become? A great warrior Viking? Who knew; Hiccup liked to imagine that nothing would have changed, just that some things in life would not be as...complicated.
"Well, you've become quite the man; may as well be proud of yourself." She smiled tenderly his way, a hand raised to touch the leather of his trousers, which sent a small bolt of electricity along his spine as if he had just touched a Seashocker.
He thought the moment would fade, but it did not. It intensified. He saw himself shift, realised Astrid moving herself, discovered that they were inclining towards each other in a less than innocent way. The pounding of Hiccup's heart throttled up his neck, pulsating in his head and fingertips until dizziness overwhelmed him. He hoped he would not faint before their lips would, inevitably it seemed so, touch.
Astrid, on the other hand, seemed more than confident with her actions. She appeared to have no fear, or shyness, at all. He questioned himself where her sudden boldness might stem from; especially considering her actual intention of becoming a maiden warrior of Berk. Had she changed her mind? Had he convinced her, in some sense, of the sensibility some scarce men still had left?
He could finally smell her scent, which was neither faked by strange perfumes mixed together from berries and petals, nor sweaty and thus unwashed, but a sweet, soft smell that reminded him of raw skin prickling under the sun, when it every now and then peeked past the clouds, heating up the entire body most pleasantly. His heart rate increased tenfold.
Before their friendship could give way to something else, however, horns sounded in the distance. It seemed to happen most frequently lately, Hiccup lamented, as both youngsters pulled away from each other before bodily contact could be made. He wanted to roll his eyes, but thought the better of it as Astrid gazed full of something into the direction of the sound. A strange kind of emotion overcame her.
"Another dragon raid?" Hiccup asked fearfully, trying to recognize if the distant shadow far ahead, up in the sky was a bird or a dragon.
"No...it's the start of the mourning." Astrid replied with a cold tone.
Finally Hiccup had recognized the emotion; it was lament.
A/N: Now I hope you had some fun! I thought I'd bring in a little Hiccstrid development - well, some more of it anyway - and then a bit of drama that is to arise in the next chapter. Hiccup is about to meet his father, things with Astrid are getting better and...well, I can promise you tonnes of drama heading our way now. Revelations will come soon, and the raw chapters are on my computer, I merely have to edit and correct them and add a few transitions here and there, so stay tuned!
Thank you for all your support up until now! I do really hope you keep on reviewing and tell me how you found this chapter, what you expect to happen next and how characters will react to certain, possible revelations! Thank you very much!
As always, here the Toothless' dictionary:
Tall Green – Trees
Vast Sparkle – Ocean
Wispy Wingless – Hiccup
She Wingless – Astrid
Mother Wingless – Valka
Black Scales – Night Fury
Big Soft – Yak
Little Soft – Sheep
Wingless – Human
Sharp Shiny – Dagger
Twisted Tails – Bolas
Wet – Pond
Endless Shifter – Sky
Large Hot – Sun
Soggy Scale – Fish
Large Cold – Moon
Sparks - Stars
Wet Soft – Cloud
Bright Fire – Lightning