Chapter 10: Monsters of Sea and Land
Winds howled and rushed, carrying with it a steady onslaught of rain and sleet and salt. The dragons screamed and shrieked in protest.
Thornado rumbled against the elements, beating his majestic wings against the wind, but it was near impossible; the storm was stronger.
"Keep pushing, boy!" roared Stoick over a thunder crackle. Then, he turned to the other riders. "Does anyone see Astrid or Fishlegs?"
"Chief, we can barely see you!" Snotlout yelled back. "I don't think we can stay out here much longer! We should get back to Berk before we-"
"No!" Stoick turned his massive body around, his hands clutched firmly to the saddle. "We are not leaving those too in the middle of a storm! We stay, we search until we find them!"
"We're in the middle of a storm, too!" Snotlout threw his arm out demonstratively, as if Stoick had not noticed the buckets of freezing water dumping upon them and the tearing winds whipping their faces. Hookfang's flames sizzled and spat, but the rain was extinguishing them, and the light was fading, so they were cloaked almost entirely in the darkness of the storm. "I don't think we should stay out here if we die in the process!"
"Are you arguing with me?"
"I'm stating facts! Hookfang's about to go out, so we won't be able to see anything, anyways!"
"Gonna- whoa- hafta concur with that, chief!" Tuffnut piped up, swaying dangerously on his dragon's neck.
Behind Stoick and Snotlout, the twins were barely riding the gales, and their Zippleback snarled in worry. Tuffnut eyed Barf and Belch.
"Come on, you can do it! What, are you letting a little storm get-"
Then, a swooshing gale shot through them from the right. Belch's wing flew suddenly up, and Barf tipped down. Ruffnut and Tuffnut struggled and strained to steady the dragon, but the wind was too strong. Soon, they lost control. Both Zippleback and twins were careening into an out-of-control spin and plummeting toward the stormy sea below.
"HEEEELP!" screamed Tuffnut and Ruffnut.
"Hookfang, dive!" Snotlout cried, and the Monstrous Nightmare zoomed after them.
"Go, Thornado!" Stoick shouted, and he and the Thunderdrum zipped down towards the raging, black waters.
. . .
"SCAULDROOOOONN!" screamed Fishlegs, but Astrid hardly perceived him.
Though the storm howled and tossed the ship about like a toy, though the sea and rain splashed in her face, she stood completely still, petrified by the sight of the Scauldron's pale, leering eyes. She watched in horror as it opened its mouth let out a bone-shattering shriek. It sheathed its teeth and made a lunge at Fishlegs.
Astrid jumped at him and pulled her friend out of the way just in time. They scampered across the deck, slipping from its wetness all while narrowly dodging the Scauldron's blasts of boiling water.
"Stormfly, come!" called Astrid.
Urgently, the Nadder followed her and Fishlegs while scalding spits shot at them all the while.
Pulling him by the scruff of his tunic, Astrid yanked Fishlegs out of the shot and behind the mast with her just in time.
Astrid panted, her back pressed against the wood. She put a hand to her thundering heart and took deep breaths. She remembered what her father had told her time and again as a child: it was in moments of danger like this when keeping a calm and collected head mattered the most. Fear or anger, when left unbridled, became impediments that would get you killed.
Unfortunately, Fishlegs did not receive this advice and was quivering and whimpering like a terrified little baby.
"Oh, Thor, oh, Thor, what are we gonna do? We're gonna die out here! We're gonna die out here, we're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna-"
"Shut up!" Astrid shouted as a thunderclap boomed. "We are getting through this, but you need to pull it together right now and help me deal with this dragon! You hear me?!"
Fishlegs let out one last whimper and nodded furiously. "Okay. What do we do?"
"You tell me! You've read the Book of Dragons cover to cover!"
"Yeah, ten times, but-"
"Well, did it say anything about stopping a Scauldron?"
"Not really. It mostly said that its blasts could-" Fishlegs shrieked and stopped peeking out from behind the mast when a boiling shot nearly grazed him. "Melt you instantly. Extremely dangerous."
"Okay, we know that. What else did it say?"
"Just one other thing. It said-"
Fishlegs was interrupted by a frightened growl of a Gronckle. Astrid and Fishlegs ventured a peek around the mast to find the Scauldron bending down to sink its teeth around Meatlug's middle.
Reacting quickly, Astrid seized a fractured piece of wood and flung it into the Scauldron's eye, making him screech in pain. Meatlug wasted no time and scampered off to meet his rider. When the sea dragon recovered from the splinter in its eye, it spotted his attacker. It snarled viciously at Astrid and Fishlegs who were crouched behind the pathetic mast wagging in the wind of the storm. They were seen now, and they had nowhere to hide now.
The Scauldron began to fill its gullet like a scaly balloon.
Fishlegs squeaked one thing: "Run."
A massive blast erupted forth. Astrid and Fishlegs dropped to the deck floor and avoided its concussive power, Fishlegs pulling his jittery dragon down with him. However, when Astrid glanced up, she found the mast had split like a twig and was tipping to the side, looming dangerously close to her. It was falling.
She was about to be crushed.
. . .
Hiccup rushed along the dark woods, ignoring the pinpricks of pain pulsating in his side. Even though the rain had stopped, the moist, sponge-like ground still squirted underneath his footfalls. Squish-squish, squish-squish, squish-squish. He had to find him. He had to find Toothless. Thor knew how long Toothless would be able to last. While Toothless was powerful and had a stealth advantage, Speed Stingers were pack trackers. And if Toothless still was getting his flames back from the rain…
Hiccup slowed to a stop as his injury's screaming pain grew too loud to bear. Panting wheezingly, he leaned against the mossy trunk of a tree. He hated himself for taking a break. After all, now was not the time when his best friend was in danger, but he knew with broken ribs, he could only go so far. So, he allowed himself a few breaths. He noticed that the other part of the mainsail in his satchel was pooling out and tucked it back inside; it would be no good if he lost it and they could not fly off this spongy heap.
Hiccup took one last breath, then redoubled his efforts, though with each step he went, with every breath he took, pain wracked his battered body. With each pulse of agony, he told himself in reply, "Keep going. Keep going. Keep going."
He did not know he was going the right way. He did not know if he would find Toothless. He did not know if he would be able to save him from the Stinger pack. He did not know if they would be able to get off the island. In fact, the odds were more in favor of both of them being mauled to death. But that would not stop him from trying to save his friend. It is a true hero who faces difficulty though the odds stacked against him.
Hiccup rushed further, barely able to distinguish the dark silhouette of trees by the pale moonlight. He listened for the chitters and cries of the Speed Stingers, following the sound.
"Left. Okay, right, then- no." Hiccup came up on a dead end of a towering wall of vine-y rock. He clapped a hand to his wet hair in frustration. "Ah, not again!"
He turned around and began to retrace his steps when a nearby chitter caused him to freeze in place. Another chitter, from the left. Hiccup spun toward the sound. He squinted at the darkness to find only a thick bush. Another chitter, this time from the right. Hiccup looked again but found nothing but a tree. A Speed Stinger was close. the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. His spine went rigid. Where was it? He glanced left and right, straining his eyes to spot any sign of the wild dragon.
But he did not check behind him.
A shriek sounded behind him. He spun around just in time to see the silhouette of a red-eyed dragon leaping at him. The next thing Hiccup knew, a force had shoved him to the muddy ground, and a pair of taloned feet were pressing down upon his shoulders. The leering blood-red eyes shone at him, a forked tongue slid across its razor-sharp teeth.
Hiccup struggled and strained. He tried to wriggle his way out of the predator's grasps, but it responded by digging its claws into his shoulders, piercing the flesh. Hiccup screamed as pain shot through his body. He barely perceived the tell-tale shing! of the Stinger unsheathing its barbed tail. It was getting ready to strike. It held it aloft, ready to inject its numbing venom.
Hiccup reached his hand to the side and clenched his fist around a stray rock. He bashed it against the temple of the Speed Stinger who recoiled and shrieked in pain. Hiccup screamed as its talons were yanked abruptly from his shoulders, leaving bleeding divots in them. Leaving no time to waste, Hiccup scampered off in the opposite direction.
He did not know where he was going, nor where to go. Raw, unbridled fear had seized control of his senses, sending him into flight mode. He only knew that he had to run, run, run. Behind him came an angry shriek. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Speed Stinger zipping up toward him. It zipped forward and past him, faster than a ballista arrow, then turned at the last second, and stood in his way. Hiccup skidded to a stop. He turned to the right, only to find another Stinger emerging from the trees, chittering ferociously. He turned left only to find that another Stinger stood in his path, but not just any of the Stingers; it was the chief, and he was furious. A note for the book of dragons: leader dragons, especially a Speed Stinger one, tended to carry a grudge.
It snarled to the two other Stingers, and they snarled back as they obeyed their orders and closed in on the boy. Hiccup's heart throbbed hard in his chest. He spun this way and that, trying to figure out a course of action. There was no way he could train these savage monsters, not when they were going to devour him. No, he had to escape. But he was completely surrounded. The circle of Stinger tightened around him like the noose of a rope. Pure terror overwhelmed Hiccup. He could do nothing. He found the Stinger chief glaring straight into his eyes. He was going to die.
The Stinger chief was getting ready to pounce when a gust of wind accompanied by a black blur came and knocked him from his stance. Hiccup then saw the chief skid far away in the mud, its back hitting the trunk of a tree. When he turned his gaze back, Hiccup found in his attacker's place was-
"Toothless!"
Toothless yipped happily as Hiccup threw his arms around his friend's neck, breathing a sigh of relief. But a shriek from the other two Stingers reminded the boy and dragon that they were not safe yet. The sickly green predators unsheathed their barbed tails, ready to strike.
Hiccup hoisted himself on Toothless. "Run, bud. Run."