Chapter 13: Distress
Wind swished and swirled around them, tossing them back and forth, up and down, left and right. Hiccup winced, biting down on his lip to ignore the pain. They had been flying for Thor knows how long. He had no idea where they were, how far they were from Berk, or if they were even going the right direction. Surely they had gone southwest. Surely they were getting closer.
Surely they had to be approaching home, but the further they flew, the darker and windier it became. Hiccup had no idea whether it was night or day. They had been flying for hours and hours, possibly the whole night. Hiccup's spine curved forward, the exhaustion and the blood loss overtaking him. He blinked his warm eyes and tried to focus though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Pulsating pain pricked every inch of his body. Every breath felt like claws tearing at him from the inside. Shooting pains erupted from his pierced shoulders every time Toothless jerked unexpectedly from a wild gale. And above all, he felt so weak, so tired. So, so sleepy. He just wanted to lie his head down upon the front of the saddle. If he could just close his eyes, just rest for one minute. Only one minute…
A growl from Toothless shocked Hiccup back to reality.
"S-sorry, bud," Hiccup mumbled, his words slightly slurred together. "I'm trying to stay awake…"
A sudden clash of lightning and thunder startled Hiccup into alert mode. The strike had been so near, he had felt the heat from it radiating on his face. Then, all of a sudden, an onslaught of rain poured down from the sky, drenching them to the bone in freezing cold water.
Toothless gave an urgent roar as a stray wind swept them to the left. He fought against the push of the current like a sailboat swimming against a tidal wave and steered back to the right. The sky was a battlefield. The buckets of pouring water droned and galloped like warhorses. Arrow-like gales tore through them. Deafening, ear-splitting blasts of thunder exploded around them.
Hiccup tightened his grip around the handles of the saddle, holding down despite it all. He met his dragon's gaze. "It's gonna be fine, Toothless. We've just gotta ride it out."
He swiped his dripping bangs from his eyes, but they only fell back into place. Hiccup blinked several times, but with the constant drenching onslaught and the nearly impenetrable darkness, visibility was all but impossible. He could barely distinguish Toothless' ears in front of him.
Another bolt of lightning zipped dangerously close to them, then another. Toothless swerved frantically side to side, dodging them. Hiccup held fast, the jostling pulling at his punctured shoulders, and silently prayed amidst his pain that the strikes would stop. Alas, they were almost constant; it was as if Thor was himself angry and was hurtling his javelins of lightning at them.
An alarm went off in Hiccup's brain. He twisted around to check the tail. It was swishing and swaying precariously in the torrid galewinds. So far, it was holding up. But…
"Whoa!" Hiccup ducked down as another crackling lightning bolt etched towards them. "Okay, that was way too close! Toothless, take us down further! If that tail gets struck, then we're toast!"
Toothless dipped down as thunder crackled and crashed and lightning zipped and zoomed towards them. Wind whistled and howled in Hiccup's ears, and…
And amidst it, he could have sworn he heard screams. Screams of dragons. Screams of humans.
Toothless let out a surprised screech. Hiccup turned his gaze towards where his dragon's attention was fixed. Lo and behold, in the thrashing, convulsing waves below was the tossing silhouette of a ship. A flash of lightning illuminated the boat, revealing an angry Scauldron attacking the passengers passengers who were none other than-
Astrid and Fishlegs.
"Toothless, go!" Hiccup gasped.
The Night Fury went off like a shot tearing across the surface of the stormy sea. He flapped his wings hard, fighting against the twisting, turning gales of the wind dragging him back and slowing him down. The Scauldron shot a blast of water, causing the mast to topple toward. Below it was the prone form of Astrid.
She was about to be crushed.
"No!"
Toothless zoomed forward, doubling his pace.
He reached forward his paws, ready to grapple the mast. He unsheathed his talons.
Toothless' claws caught hold of the pole, but the falling momentum pulled them down with it.
Toothless shrieked, fought to steady himself, and he stopped its fall inches before squashing the young woman under it.
Astrid poked her head out, her blue eyes holding profound relief and surprise. "Hiccup! Toothless!"
Toothless let the mast drop to the deck and landed. Hiccup dismounted and helped Astrid to her feet. Fishlegs and Meatlug rushed forward, jubilated to see their friend.
"You okay?" Hiccup yelled over the storm, swiping water out of his eyes. "What are you guys doing out here?"
"Long story!" returned Astrid, then her eyes fell upon his injuries. "What happened to you?"
"Equally long story!" Hiccup let out a yelp as the Scauldron spat another boiling spurt of water which narrowly missed them. "But right now, we've gotta get back to Berk and away from this thing!"
"But Stormfly's wing is injured, and Meatlug's- hey!" Fishlegs tried in vain to keep hold of his dragon, but she fled off to the helm of the ship. "She's not listening to me!"
"Not to mention the Scauldron wants to kill us!" put in Astrid.
"I think I've got a plan! If you can just distract it, Toothless and I can-Oh."
Hiccup's expression fell as he took out the vial which had held the Stinger venom only to find it empty. That was right. He had used it up on the Stinger Alpha.
Hiccup met the gaze of Toothless whose emerald looked to him in an anxious, entreating question. What do we do?
"Um, Hiccup!"
Hiccup looked in the direction of Astrid's point just in time to see the Scauldron bash its head against the side of the ship. CRASH! The boat tipped right, knocking the Rider and their dragons off balance.
CRASH! The Scauldron banged its skull against the boat's side again and tipped it further right. Hiccup tried to steady him by grabbing hold of Toothless.
CRR-AASH! The ship turned horizontal and dipped in the water. Hiccup toppled head over kneels and found himself sliding across the deck. Screaming, he tried to grab hold of something, anything, but there was nothing to stop his steady and sure descent. The next moment, he crashed into the frigid, frenzied waves below. The world went dark. The storm went muffled and silent. The soaking chilliness hit him like a piercing lance, shooting through every bone in his body. Hiccup frantically kicked his legs and flailed his arms, fighting against the wild under current to make it to the surface. His face met the cool air, and he gasped greedily.
Frantically, he looked around. Lightning crackled and crashed above his head. A wave splashed into his agape mouth, filled it with pungent saltwater.
"Astrid!" he coughed and spluttered. "Fishlegs! Toothless!"
But none of his friends answered his calls. Hiccup was tossed this way and that, jerked up and down as if the sea had acquired a new plaything. A violent wave pushed him under, dipping him back into the frigid waters. Hiccup claws his way back up, only to be swept back under by watery hands. Hiccup tried to keep kicking, but his weak legs were failing against the strong pull of the tide. Nearly all his strength was gone. How long until the waves pulled him under, until he was dragged down to stay, forever lost in this all-encompassing cold, to rest in this dark, tossing, and watery grave?
Come on, don't give up. Keep kicking, Hiccup thought, his thoughts frozen and sluggish and numb. Keep kicking. Keep kicking. Keep kicking…
Hiccup gasped in horror as a massive wave was sweeping upward, towering up, up, up, curling forward. In a sickening movement, it came crashing down and shoved him under.
Hiccup watched as the flashing, blue light above the water's surface grew dim as he sank down, down, down, completely motionless. A few bubbles escaped his parted lips as he was further into the darkness, down into the watery abyss.
Down, down, down into shadow…
But then, a dark silhouette passed over him. He turned his gaze and found a pair of bright green orbs peering at him through the aqueous dark.
Toothless. In an instant, it was as if a switch had flipped and Hiccup had control over his limbs once more. He reached forward and pulled himself into the saddle. He slid his prosthetic into the pedal, clicking open the tail. Toothless beat his wings, and Hiccup found himself rising, rising, rising rapidly up to the surface back up into the light.
Hiccup gasped and coughed wheezingly. He shivered and shuddered as the cold wind whipped right through his dampened clothes. He did not know how it was possible, but he felt even colder than before.
"Th-thanks, bud." His teeth chattered, and chills swept up and down his body. Hiccup shook his head refocusing. He glanced over the dark waters, frantically searching for any sign of his friends.
His heart gave a leap when he perceived a faint "Hiccup!" amidst the din of the storm. And then, he spotted it- riding the tossing waves, the tipped over ship with Stormfly, Meatlug and on either side of the mast was Fishlegs and Astrid.
Toothless went into a nosedive, shooting down like a missile, then pulled up swiftly to stop at a hover just above the water.
For some reason, Astrid and Fishlegs were half-submerged in water, writhing and pulling at something. It took a moment for Hiccup to notice the thick, twisting rope coiled around their middle which had fastened her to the mast. Fishlegs pulled hard on the ropes, but they would not come loose.
"Fishlegs!" Astrid gasped in pain. The pulling made the ropes dig into her ribs. She grasped onto them, struggling to loosen their bonds. "Stop, that hurts!"
Fishlegs relented with a panicked whimper. "What do we do?"
Stormfly and Meatlug both made a step towards the mast, but Fishlegs cried out in panic when their slightest step made the mast and both of them tip dangerously more into the water.
"Hang on!" Hiccup began rifling through his satchel, desperate to find the knife. It had to be there. He could have sworn he had it…
CHOOOOM! The Scauldron emerged from the waves and gave a banshee-like screech loud enough to rupture the Riders' eardrums. When they uncovered their ears, the Scauldron was charging at them. Its head lunged forward, its fangs ready to bite and…
A snarl came from the right, barely audible above the crashing of thunder and thrashing of the sea. The Scauldron twisted, and the Riders followed its gaze to a small, acid green speck in the distance growing steadily larger. As it zipped further, Hiccup could almost make out its shape through his squinted, strained vision.
Swooping down around the Scauldron's head with a challenging snarl was Barf and Belch! They circled it round and round. The Scauldron lunged at the Zippleback, only to miss it and screech in exasperation. The sea dragon snapped its jaws at its target again, but to no avail. The Zippleback smirked and chittered tauntingly. Irate, the Scauldron made an attack for the Zippleback's left wing. It missed again as Barf and Belch went ringed round and round in circles. It looked like an enormous snake chasing an annoying, insignificant gnat.
Hiccup wasted no more time and dug into his satchel. He pulled out the knife and sawed vigorously at the ropes.
"Good to see you, Hiccup!" Fishlegs yelled over the storm.
"How did you get back here with the storm?" asked Astrid.
"Long story!" Hiccup sliced through the ropes, and they fell loose. Both Astrid and Fishlegs climbed out of the water and onto the side of the mast. "I'll tell you after we get outta this."
"But Stormfly's out of commission!" Astrid responded, pointing to the Nadder's crooked, bent wing. "And how are we all supposed to get back with that Scauldron?"
Hiccup turned and saw Barf and Belch buzzing about the sea beast's head like a miniscule gnat, dodging the spewing blasts of boiling water. The Zippleback was getting worn down. It screeched in alarm as a shot nearly scathed its wing.
"We've got to help them. Come on, bud-"
Hiccup made a move to hoist himself onto Toothless when he heard a strange whine, a piercing, distant shriek rising above the wind. The Scauldron must have heard it too, as it suddenly froze and turned its head in the direction of the sound, seemingly forgetting the pesky Zippleback. It then let out a snort before promptly diving into the water with the swish of its tail, sending a shockwave across the waters.
The boat jerked to the side, and Hiccup's feet slipped on the wet deck. He nearly fell sideways into the water, but Toothless caught him by the remaining leather strap of his flight vest and hastily and perhaps a little forcefully pulled him back. Hiccup cried out as fresh pain fritzed through his ribs and the bandages cut into his claw marks in his shoulders. Hiccup's legs bowed, but he caught onto his dragon's neck. Black spots blotted his vision, and dizziness buzzed in his head, threatening to pull him down. For a moment, it felt as if he was being pulled back under the current until he blinked fiercely, willing his vision and his thoughts to focus. He almost wished he had let himself pass out, as the throbbing pain pulsated unbearably.
Astrid rushed forward and helped Hiccup stand. She was about to ask if he was alright, but she stopped in a gasp upon noticing the scrapes, cuts, bandages, and bruises plaguing his body. "Oh, Hiccup. Hiccup, you need to get help, you-"
"I'm-I'm okay, I'm okay," Hiccup panted, trying to will the pain away. Gods, it was like knives were piercing his lungs. "The Scauldron- it left." Hiccup blinked at Fishlegs who whistled to Barf and Belch to come. "Why did it leave?"
"I think," Fishlegs began, wiping the water from his face, "it was the call. It sounded like a Scaudron distress signal."
"How do you know what- oh, nevermind," said Astrid with the shake of her wet head. "Why would a Scauldron be in distress?"
Hiccup shrugged. "I mean, it was under attack-"
"By another dragon?"
"Or a human, maybe?" Fishlegs offered, his tone rising in anxiety.
Hiccup glanced at both of them, a tense realization gripping his chest. "Who else is out here with you guys?"
"Uh, Snotlout, the twins, and your dad," replied Astrid.
"Oh, no, what the-" Hiccup's hands gripped onto Toothless' saddle. "We have to find them-"
"But Stormfly-" Astrid's arm gestured to her Nadder's wing. "We can't just leave her here, Hiccup! And there's no way Meatlug can carry her and fly in this weather."
Hiccup stared at Stormfly's injured wing. It looked like it was falling out the snapped pole of a broken tent. Astrid was right; Stormfly was in no shape to fly. Unless-
Hiccup glanced over his shoulder at Astrid. "You said it's dislocated, right? What if we snapped it back into place? I can do it," he added when Astrid opened her mouth. "But I need your help."
A pause of hesitation from Astrid. But then, she nodded. Together, they gingerly stepped across the slippery and tossing deck and made their way to Stormfly. Astrid reached a hand towards Nadder"s head, earning a fond growl from her. Astrid glanced into her amber eyes, and the dragon gave a nod of consent and lowered her injured wing. Astrid grasped the upper wing, holding it easy, and Hiccup grabbed the bottom.
Hiccup took a breath. "On three… One. Two. Three!"
With a sickening crack, he shoved Stormfly's wing back into its socket, eliciting a deafening screech of pain from the Nadder that made Hiccup instantly draw back. After a few moments, Stormfly glanced at her wing and gave an experimental flex. The Nadder squawked happily.
Hiccup grinned at Astrid. "Good as new. Now…" Mounting Toothless, he slipped his prosthetic into the pedal which opened Toothless' tail. "Shall we find them? Maybe Stormfly can track them or-"
He halted midword when Toothless' ears perked up and began scanning this way and that.
"What is it? Does he hear something?" asked Fishlegs.
Hiccup glanced down at the Night Fury as he furrowed his brow in concentration, growling lowly. After a minute, he fixed his eyes ahead, the pupils shrinking to determined slits. Hiccup followed his gaze and spotted on the horizon, distant flashes of warm light, not unlike the light of flames. But dragons could not light their fire.
Unless that dragon was a Monstrous Nightmare.
Like Hookfang.
Hiccup exhaled sharply. "Gotcha!"
. . .
Snotlout held onto Hookfang's horns, yelling in fright as he jerked this way and that as he did his best to dodge the onslaught of snapping jaws and teeth. He twisted, turned this way and that, but as soon as he steered clear of one Scauldron, another made a snap of him. Hookfang's flames flashed and fizzled in the rain, his energy wearing down and extinguishing like that of his flaming coat.
"Y'know, normally, I'd be positive-ahh!" Tuffnut exclaimed as a boiling spurt of water just missed scathing his helmet. "But this sucks!"
" 'Sucks?!' Tuffnut, that's an extreme understatement!" Snotlout yelled in terror. He twisted over, searching desperately for Stoick and Thornado. "Chief! HELP!"
On the far end, illuminated by the flash of lightning, Snotlout caught a sight of Stoick standing atop of Thornado's back, furiously swinging his battleaxe at five nasty Scauldrons in a desperate attempt to fight them off. He made a swift slash at one of the Scauldron, but its agape jaws bit onto the blades, shattering the metal and scattering them like silver splinters. Stoick glanced at the wooden handle of his useless weapon in shock and horror. He looked back up to see all five Scauldron had encircled him. Thornado snarled in defiance, twisting this way and that in desperate hopes to find an exit.
But there was none. Even if they went up, the lightning would surely kill them. Try to get past the wall of sea dragon, they would end up in one of the monster's mouths.
The Scauldron screeched piercingly like the devil himself. For perhaps the first time, Stoick was completely frozen in fear. He knew that he was like a mouse caught by the tail by a snake.
He was prey, and he was trapped.
He reached down and stroked Thornado's horn. "Well, boy, at least you and I go out together."
The Thunderdrum growled lowly as if in agreement. The chief then rose up upon his mighty dragon's back and clenched his fists, defiant to the last as one of the Scauldron rose up high, like a cobra readying to strike.
"WHAT ARE YA WAITING FOR?! FINISH ME!" bellowed Stoick the Vast.
The Scauldron shrieked and made a lunge. Stoick closed his eyes shut, waiting for the blow of death to strike.
But it never came. He opened his eyes to see the Scauldron had frozen, its scaly face perplexed and confused. It lifted its head and glanced off into the distance, and its brothers followed him. Stoick looked to the right, and squinted. He could swear he saw three dark silhouettes swiftly advancing through the storm. And ever so slightly, he could hear a whistle arising over the wind, growing steadily louder and louder.
And then came a shrill, piercing cry. It was the cry of a Night Fury.
Stay tuned for next chapter!