Chapter 7:
AN: I got my first follow! Mega good feeling, so thank you! Never really expected anyone to get into what I wrote. Maybe I'm just bad at self criticism, but reading some of the other stories out there, I don't think mine exactly measures up lol. Anyway, onto chapter 7!
Several rather mundane days passed while Arkyn's house was being constructed. He had spent some more time in the forge with Hiccup, gone to lunch with the rest of the group on most occasions, and even got to play around with some of the teen's dragons in the arena. Getting so close to them was still a new feeling for Arkyn, but he enjoyed their impressive presence all the same. He hadn't even flown on one yet and still he felt very free when they were close. The prospect of getting on one someday and just flying away to Thor knows where was impossibly intriguing.
On one such day, Arkyn found himself in the arena with all the other teens as well as their dragons. They were all incredible in their own special ways, but he couldn't help but miss the dragons he knew best: the Triplestrykes. As a young child he was always fascinated by their 3 tails, each used for something so different. Every tail contained its own unique venom. One was to numb enemies, one was to disorient them with mild hallucinations, and one was to cause excruciating pain, which in some rare cases became lethal. Venom from all 3 stingers at once when the tails were combined was almost certainly enough to take down any reasonably sized Viking…permanently. Their armored skin and clawed front legs were also especially appealing. They were truly the beasts of the strike class.
After about 2 hours of various games, sparring practice, and dragon care, the group eventually got bored and elected to simply rest against the arena wall halfway between the stables and the entrance. They quickly got to talking about days past. Some better, some worse. Hiccup recalled some distant memories of times he had playing with the others when they were far, far younger. Long before everyone realized he was different. Astrid then filled Arkyn in on the tale of how 'Fearless' Finn Hofferson was paralyzed by the flightmare, a dragon he had never heard of before.
At the mention of the strange beast however, Fishlegs spoke up in a worried tone. "Hey…isn't the flightmare supposed to be back soon? It's almost been 10 years, right?"
Hiccup fielded his question. "According to what we know about it, it's due to pay us a visit within the next 3 months. If nothing has changed, the migration pattern should still take it right over this island."
"Can anything be done to prevent another attack?" Fishlegs asked.
"Why bother?" Snotlout hollered. "I think Astrid would look pretty funny if she got frozen. Just like 'Frozen' Finn Hofferson." He laughed to himself, but not for long. Astrid quickly got up from where she sat and jabbed the blunt end of her axe into Snotlout's stomach, holding it there for good measure. "One more word and I'll let you know what it really feels like to be paralyzed." Was all she spat.
Axe handle still firmly in stomach, Snotlout began to try and say something else, but Astrid pressed harder and pain overtook his words. He started to try and point at something he saw in the sky, but no one managed to catch onto what he was getting at, all too focused on the bumbling idiot before them. Astrid finally released her hold on the boy, after which he finally pointed at something coming in for a landing and shouted: "Rogue dragon incoming!" Everyone finally looked to the sky to see what Snotlout was so worried about, but by that time it was too late.
A dragon none of their than a Triplestryke landed in between the teens, their dragons, and the arena's exit, and it was angry. Snarling loudly, it left no room for escape as it advanced, locking its 3 tails into one for an attempted jab. "EVERYBODY TO THE STABLES." Hiccup screamed as he shot up from his sitting position, and as he did so everyone began to run into the only open stable door, their dragons following close behind. Hiccup had just enough time to shut the doors once everybody was inside before the hefty mass of the surprise visitor slammed into the heavy wood.
"You idiots! I was trying to tell you it was coming, but noooOOOOooo. Everyone just watch Snotlout get beat up. No need for us to escape! And now look at us…we're trapped in here for Thor's sake!" Snotlout screamed. Stinger after stinger was knocking on the outside of the doors as the teens could do nothing but buckle up for the foreseeable future.
A shouting match broke out among Hiccup, Ruff, Astrid, and Snotlout, becoming so loud that almost nothing else could be heard. It wasn't even clear to the people involved what the others were saying. Annoyed, Arkyn wanted no part of it. To him this situation wasn't a particularly bad one to be in. Walking slowly, he couldn't help himself but to move up to the doors and look through the crack between them at the beautiful yet deadly threat just outside. Apparently though, he wasn't the only one who thought yelling wouldn't solve anything.
"SHUT. THE. HELL. UP." Tuffnut wailed from the back of the stall. Everyone turned to look at him except for Arkyn, who was still staring outside. Tuffnut noticed this and since the room was still silent after his outburst, he took advantage of it. "Arkyn, what in Odin's name are you doing."
"This is the first time I've seen one since…you know." Came his unwavering voice, clearly unbothered by the beasts presence. "Isn't it magnificent?"
"Those aren't exactly the words I'd use." Hiccup said behind him. He had had enough poor experiences with Triplestrykes to form a negative opinion on them. They were still dragons, so he naturally had to believe they could be good, but damn were these guys aggressive. He still hadn't figured out the trick to calming them down.
"Say what you must, Hiccup, but that there? That's a beautiful dragon." Arkyn was adamant about this fact. The rest of the riders would be so lucky to get on the back of a Triplestryke.
Astrid piped up next. "I get you used to live with these guys, but your amazement isn't exactly helping us right now. I'm sure most of us would agree with you if it wasn't trying to kill us right now."
Arkyn let out an exasperated huff. He was tired of hearing their negative comments and unhelpful bickering. "I know you've all faced more pressure than just 1 strike class dragon. Is this seriously all it takes to shut down the first 6 dragon riders in the world?" He turned around and shot a blank look towards the rest of the group, crossing his arms.
"If you're so confident this thing is no big deal, then what are you going to do about it?" Came Astrid's annoyed reply. No one disrespected her like that. If Arkyn wanted to be so cocky, he was going to have to back it up in a big way. To Astrid's surprise, Arkyn rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Ask and you shall receive. I'll go out there." He said flatly.
"WHAT?" Everyone exclaimed in unison.
Hiccup followed up. "You clearly have no idea how dangerous those things can be. They've taken countless sheep from us and even put a couple people in the healer's hut. They cannot be tamed."
"First time for everything then." Arkyn responded. "With the knowledge I have from back home and a prayer to the gods, this can be done. I just know it."
Everyone just stared at him like he was crazy after realizing he was completely serious.
"Alright big boy." Came Snotlout's jeer from the back of the stable. "Be our guest! Save us all!"
Not missing a beat, Arkyn put him down. "No problem, Snotface, and while I'm at it why don't I just go ahead and make it look easy, too. Thor knows you'd get your ass kicked into next Snoggletog."
The twins held back the large boy as he attempted to initiate a fight with Arkyn.
Tightening his sleek black gloves, Arkyn spoke once more. "I'll obviously need a shield, and if Astrid's willing…two shards from Stormfly's tail."
"Why would you need those?" Astrid questioned.
"It doesn't hurt her to eject them, right? Now do you want me to calm that dragon down or not?" The rest of the teens' lack of faith in Arkyn was starting to piss him off. 'Why' this, 'no' that…it was tiring as hell. All it did was make him even more determined to succeed.
"Fine…" the blonde girl mumbled, and patting her dragon on the back twice, she was able to retrieve two extremely sharp shards from Stormfly's tail.
"That's more like it," Arkyn commented as Astrid handed him the shards. After picking up a shield from one of the stable's corners, he had everything he needed. "Alright so here's what's gonna happen. One of you will open the doors just enough for me to get out, then I'll try and calm the Triplestryke down. If I'm successful, I'll then give you the signal and everyone else can come out. If Hiccup wants we can try and put it in a stable for more care. If I'm unsuccessful, then I'll try to either scare it off or make it back to this stable, where hopefully one of you will open the door for me. If I can't do that, then it was nice meeting all of you. Not like I'll lose much anyway." He finished.
The last line he spoke stung the room, but it caught Hiccup and Astrid's feelings the wrong way in particular. They both felt that Arkyn had become one of their friends in the short time they'd known him. After his tragic arrival on Berk, the two young Vikings had tried everything to make him feel welcome. Clearly they had not understood how deeply Arkyn's loss affected him. He was already at terms with an early death.
"I'll open the doors." Hiccup said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I owe you guys this one." Was all Arkyn gave as a response.
"Be careful." Astrid whispered. She met Arkyn where he stood and gave him a quick hug, which was only backed by the sounds of the angry dragon outside. "I will." He assured her. It was the first time anyone had hugged him since he lost his parents…and it felt good.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Arkyn took his stance at the doors and nodded to Hiccup, who forced the lever on the wall down to open them up. Seeing enough space to step through, he walked out into the light to face the Triplestryke. Arkyn heard the doors close behind him, and that was it. It was go time.