Author's Notes:
While I stick very closely to the HTTYD movie/TV show lore, I take liberties with the LoZ elements. Please read with an open mind, as if this were a new game.
New chapters on Wednesdays. The whole thing, 30 chapters plus Prologue, is written and will be posted!
Hiccup's legs trembled as he straddled the cumbersome beast. The only place he could manage to stay on was just between the wings which flapped constantly, creating a jarring rhythm to the otherwise exhilarating flight. His teeth were so rattled in his head that even a Gronckle would have felt like smooth sailing.
"Well, you're no dragon," he muttered. "Let's see what you can do." He clutched the feathers just behind the neck as he leaned to the right. The cucco didn't respond. He leaned the other way. Still nothing. He poked it with his boot. An indignant squawk was all he got in response. He knit his brows, then adjusting his grip, grabbed a bunch of feathers closer to the wings. It was definitely more harrowing with his hands wider apart, and his legs, long as they were, barely able to grip the rotund creature, but his courage was rewarded when with a gentle leaning to the left, the cucco banked left.
Hiccup let out a whoop that bounced off the rocky valley walls. He tested the turns, going right, left. He emerged from under Link's cucco, getting as close as possible without colliding.
"Come on! Give it a try!" he shouted.
"I'm good," Link replied, his white knuckles knotting the feathers. The sun sinking behind the mountains glinted off a few beads of sweat trickling down his face. His unflinching gaze stared down the darkening valley as if willing himself forward. "We just need to get past the jungle, and then we can get off of these things."
Hiccup craned his neck. "Just move your hands a little farther apart," he suggested.
"Really, Hiccup. I'm fine."
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The two flying cuccos looked like tiny insects through the besmeared spyglass. Vabblin wiped the lens with his cloak and adjusted the scope. The focus wavered until crystalizing on one of the riders: a boy in a brown tunic, his blond hair tied in a ponytail flying out over the blue hood.
There he was. Stranded in mid-air. Defenseless.
The red eyes flickered.
With a few grunts and gestures from Vabblin, four bulblins scrambled into their saddles. The beasts snapped at the riders with their long necks, but a quick tug on the reins brought them into submission. With the jingle of spurs and the crack of the whips against the inky scales, the beasts streaked into the sky.
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"You'll get the hang of it, but you need to relax."
Link rolled his eyes as Hiccup and his helpful tips completed a barrel roll and came to the other side of him. "You need to trust her. She doesn't want to fall any more than you do."
Link dug his fingers in a little deeper. "Would you shut it?"
Hiccup instinctually leaned away. "Just trying to help."
"I don't need your help," Link snapped.
The silence hung in the air, broken only by the occasional squawk of the cuccos.
Hiccup glanced down at the bracer. "Hey, umm, what the Sage said … You don't believe him, do you?"
Link's glare turned on Hiccup but softened as he recognized the fear and vulnerability in those green eyes, the same expression as when he'd first met him. He remembered the promise he made on the cliff: I'll protect you as long as you're here.
Before Link could find a reply, a flash of black cut between them.
Hiccup clutched the feathers as the chicken squawked and flailed. He whipped his head around in time to see another black streak coming towards him. He marveled at the black leathery wings that looked so similar to Toothless's, but in the membranes between the bones were holes, like it had been eaten by moths. How did it even fly? An eerie trail of black and red smoke drifted off the scaly creatures.
"Shadow beasts!" Link shouted.
Hiccup barely had time to react as one of the beasts lunged at him with its long, serpentine neck. He dug his knees into the feathered body and leaned forward. He felt himself separating from the bird as they went into a vertical dive, the dense foliage hundreds of feet below coming into sharp detail. He could even make out individual leaves in the matted canopy.
Arrows tumbled out of his quiver. He snatched two out of the air and tucked them in his belt. Sensing their pursuer had broken off the chase, he pulled the feathers back, forcing the bird to angle up.
Then, his legs slipped, and in a moment, he was holding on by just a handful of feathers. He tried to kick his legs up to grab again, but the chicken had stopped short, their ascent blocked by one of the shadow beasts. The silhouette screeched like a thousand swords scraping across a stone wall. Hiccup wanted to cover his ears but didn't risk letting go of the one thing keeping him aloft.
The chicken balked at the shriek too, turning over in a somersault. Hiccup dangled by both hands, his extra weight throwing off the chicken's ability to right itself. They careened like a sea-sick land-lover, the cucco and boy screaming equally.
Black wings rushed past Hiccup's flailing legs. His eyes widened. Was that a bulblin on its back?
As the two spun out of control, Hiccup struggled to find Link. Between the flaps of his own chicken's wings and the frequent dips that sent him spiraling the wrong way, he finally found him. Three shadow beasts surrounded the hero. They took turns striking him, but each time one got close, Link sliced at it with his sword. Link was holding his own, but Hiccup could tell it was only a matter of time before Link lost his balance or worse. He needed to do something.
The chicken squawked again as it spun completely inverted, its spindly legs twiddling like an overturned beetle. Hiccup tucked his knees to his chest, forced his feet upwards towards the flailing creature, and pinched them together as hard as he could. He yanked his left arm, and they were right side up! Leaning forward, they sped to the rescue.
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The amethyst hilt glinted in the fading sunlight as Link swiped again at the shadow beast. His whole body ached. The near hour-long ride clinging to the cucco had nearly depleted his stamina.
Another beast flew at him, claws extended, the gaping maw shrieking like a blizzard wind. His cucco dipped unexpectedly, and Link had to grab with both hands before he slid off. With the sword in his lap, there was nothing between him and the ivory talons. He felt the rush of wind as the creature swept down towards him.
Just then, the beast convulsed and shrieked. An arrow stuck in the tender place where the wing attached to the body. Another arrow lodged in its neck. A cucco zoomed by; Hiccup gave a thumbs up and then looped away. So this is what it feels like, Link thought with relief.
He grabbed the Master Sword and slashed at the injured beast plummeting toward him. The sword sliced the length of its underbelly, spewing red mist like steam from a kettle, and the shadow beast disappeared in a puff of smoke. The bulblin rider fell with a shriek towards the jungle.
Link took a moment to catch his breath. He needed to do better. Carefully, he widened his grip, grabbing closer to each of the wings. He wobbled from side to side as his legs gripped the slippery cuckoo. The ground seemed a lot farther down now. How did Hiccup make it look so easy?
Gently, he leaned to the right, and the cuckoo soared right. Right into a shadow beast.
Link's smile froze. Instinctually, he raised his sword to block the talons aiming for his head. But his strength was gone. The talons hit, and the sword tipped out of his fingers. His eyes went wide.
The Master Sword fell.
Link didn't hesitate; he slid over the side and tumbled into the air.
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Hiccup held up his shield as claws scraped over the old metal. He groaned with the effort as the force threatened to push him off his mount. They needed to find shelter and fast. There was no way they could last against so many opponents.
He scanned for Link, but then SCREEEEECH! He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head as the sound came first from below and then from all around.
Covering his ears, he peeked out. Link was freefalling, left hand extended towards a glint of silver and amethyst with two streaks of black fast on his tail. Hiccup's heart raced. Out of all possibilities, this had to be the worst!
Hiccup sprang to his feet. Balancing for just a moment on the wobbly back, he calculated how far he had to go to hit the ground in roughly the same place as Link. At this height, he knew a few degrees could result in a few miles of difference between them, and he didn't want to be separated for that long.
He jumped, bringing his arms forward into a dive position.
They never made it.
A pair of powerful talons closed around them and yanked upward. Claws squeezed his thin arms as the shadow beast soared higher. The black and red mist emanating off its body swirled around Hiccup's head. He coughed. It burned his nostrils and tasted like live embers and decay. Through his thin sleeves, cold leached into his muscles as if his arms were trapped in ice.
He brought his knees up and tried to push against the black body, but no matter how he wrenched himself, the iron grip held him taut.
His arms were going numb. The cold crept towards his heart. The edges of his vision grew dark.
"LINK! HELP!"
Link! Hiccup twisted his head trying to see what had happened to him, but his captor was flying the opposite way. A horn sounded above him. He recognized it from the bluff: a bulblin horn. Two other horns sounded below and behind him.
The mist swirled around his head, and inexplicable exhaustion washed over him. Keep your eyes open! he told himself, but it was no use. He couldn't feel his arms or fingers. His legs refused to move. The cold and the taste of death was all he knew, as if it was all he'd ever known.
It can't end like this. Surely! No! STOP!
The last thing Hiccup heard before drifting into unconsciousness was the bone-chilling shrieks of the shadow beasts bouncing off the mountain walls as they flew into the darkness of the encroaching night.
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Link grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword just before crashing through the canopy, bumping against slimy branches, warty vines, and slick leaves.
SPLASH! The shock of the water froze him for only a moment. He spluttered to the surface of the lazy river, wiping his dripping face. His skin tingled. No, it burned, as if his face had been attacked by a cheese grater and doused in lemon juice. He frantically looked for the shore through watering eye slits. There it was! Just a few dozen yards away. He sheathed his sword and forced himself to paddle through the corrupted water, though the exposed skin from his fingerless gloves screamed with every stroke.
He crawled onto the muddy shore, panting like he'd been chased by a Lynel. His clothes smoked. In the haze of his burning vision, he saw to the left a thin silver thread splashing into a pool. He stumbled towards it, tripping over gnarled roots and slippery rocks, only opening his eyes every few seconds to keep his bearing.
The splash of the pure water against the rocks grew louder. Almost … there …
The foliage grew thicker around the basin. Pushing aside a rough plant stock, Link was about to step into the water when he was seized by the waist. Tiny daggers from the mouth of a carnivorous plant pierced his left side and shoulder and flung him back and forth. Link's left arm, the one inside the moist mouth, grabbed the barbed, slimy tongue and yanked. The plant shrieked like a spewing geyser.
Link fell to the ground. In a moment, he had the Master Sword in hand. He dodged as the plant lunged at him again and, with a yell, spun and sliced the furry stem. The bulbous head bounced down the overgrown hill toward the river, the stem wriggling a few more dreadful moments before coming to rest.
Link, bleeding and sizzling, staggered the final few steps and tripped face first into the pond. The clear mountain water instantly clouded with dirt and blood. He emerged from the water and threw his head back, letting the clean, mountain tears pour over him.
Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then another. The water ran down his face, soaking his clothes, soothing his burning skin, washing away the poisoned river water. Eventually, the hiss subsided, leaving only the gentle patter of the waterfall.
He exhaled slowly. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been. Sitting in the pond, he allowed his nerves to unwind for the first time in hours. Since having to face the cuccos? No, before that …
A series of distant shrieks in the skies above made him jump, and a terrible realization struck him like a javelin.
"HICCUP!" His voice was lost in the thick jungle. He looked about. A few leaves were still falling from where he had crashed through, but little light could crack through the dense canopy, leaving everything in a green-hued twilight.
"Hiccup!" he called again. There was no reply. Where was he? Had he not made it? Had he been taken?
Link frantically stumbled out of the stream. Every wasted moment put Hiccup in greater danger. He scrambled to collect the items that had been scattered around, often having to circle around several times in his blind haste. Under a rotting log, he found one of his two remaining health potions and downed it in three gulps. He flexed his fingers as feeling returned and the skin knit itself back together over the newly formed blisters. The second potion took longer to find. It had rolled nearly down to the river. He washed the mud off in the waterfall before wiping it on his tunic. Only one left, he thought grimly as he tucked it into a pouch. I hope Impa found more.
As he plucked the blue ocarina from between two rocks, his thumb found a rough gash in the glaze. He gasped and all his frantic preparations came to a screeching halt, as if he had found Zelda herself gashed and wounded.
The millstone around his heart shook him to his knees. I can't do this. Kneeling alone in the damp jungle, he'd lost everything, again. His princess, his Sheikah ally, and now his only friend.
What do I do now?
He searched for the sky—the way Zelda had always done when she needed help—but all he saw was the gloom. Matted leaves and tangled vines choked the disfigured trees, the air thick with rot and the crowing of hostile creatures.
Then, something, almost like a gentle hand, turned his face to the left. A glint caught his eye. Suspended by a knot of vines not far off the ground was a familiar shield. Three long gashes tore through the chipped Hylian insignia. How was it that just a few hours ago Hiccup had been sledding on that very shield?
He shuddered. He knew where they were taking him and who would be waiting there. He thought of the promise he had made to him and cringed. I can't even protect one boy, let alone a kingdom.
Then, Link lifted his head, determination in his eyes. I'll protect you as long as you're here. It was a promise he intended to keep. In his mind, he heard Zelda's voice as if giving him her blessing and could almost smell the lilac perfume, almost reach out and touch her delicate fingers. Gather your strength, my brave Hero.
He felt courage rise in him. The Triforce glowed through the leather gloves. Link stowed the ocarina and bounded through the jungle over the slick boulders and rotting trees. Hang on, Hiccup. I'm coming.
Author's Notes:
And we've officially made it to the halfway mark! *happy dance*
Thanks to Ari Lewis and Luke for beta reading!