Hey everyone! I hope you had a great summer…I mean it's still hanging on, but you know what I mean :P
Anyways, here's a new update to the story: I hope you enjoy it!
…
Brothers
Chapter 30: Wrath of the Flightmare, Part 1
Today would be a day that would come to haunt us for sure.
No matter how many times Hiccup tried persuading his father, the chief was busy dealing with more pressing matters affecting the village. Unknown to me, Toothless, or the other dragons: an attack on Berk is imminent…from a wild dragon known as the Flightmare.
I eventually found out that it's a ghost-like dragon that supposedly wreaks havoc on the island every ten years…and it's been exactly that amount of time since its last attack. Now, it will return when the northern lights begin glowing in the sky as they normally did in winter.
Mildew dared to visit Stoick the Vast in the early hours of the morning, knocking on the door of our residence.
"Stoick…you've got to think about what's best for Berk! Think about all the wild dragon raids we've had since dragons have been left to run amok on Berk!"
"You don't think I am aware of these isolated incidents, Mildew?" The leader retorted, keeping his voice low so as not to rouse his son from sleep, "and these are NOT dragon raids…you and I both know what those had…dragons stealing food from us…that doesn't happen much anymore!"
"But it still happens, Stoick!" Mildew shot back with similar ferocity all of a sudden which partially surprised the seasoned Chieftain.
"Listen here, we don't know if these attacks have any connection with the Queen on Dragon Island…"
"Oh, stop lying to yourself, Stoick…of course there is a connection! She's the reason we had dragon attacks in the first place! Do you REALLY think she somehow just decided to stop…because you think such a dragon could learn empathy? Dragons will ALWAYS be dragons…and if they are as smart as your son says they are…what's stopping this Queen from exacting her revenge later tonight?"
Stoick crossed his arms at this, shaking his head in disapproval. The village hermit moved slightly closer, resting his staff against his shoulder, "you must sign that treaty with the Berserkers…or else…it won't just be the dragons we'll have to worry about…"
"Mildew…" Stoick squinted his eyes, "return home…" he rumbled, closing the door on the much older man. He knew Mildew was trying to coax him into getting rid of Berk's dragons somehow. He liked having Thornado around and the other dragons…he wouldn't have if this was say…a year ago; however, things changed and now he welcomed their presence…at the very least TOLERATED the dragons. He knew for a while now that Mildew HATED them and wanted them gone. Still, deep inside he wondered…what if some of the words the hermit expressed…is true?
By late morning inside the Dragon Academy, Astrid is practicing with her ax; however, it wasn't any normal session…she appeared frustrated…angry…and actually slightly concerned but it was very subtle. Still, did her worries stop her from demolishing all the equipment and dummies around the dome…no…it didn't. Toothless and I stood across from her…Hiccup walked into frame…muttering, "I-I think you got 'em, Astrid…all of them…"
The boy walked over toward his companion Fishlegs who nervously stammered at the sight of the angry blonde, "Astrid's been killing inanimate objects all day…"
"Yea…why is she?" I leaned over and whispered to my fellow Night Fury companion who shrugged back. Haddock sighed softly, resting against the stone wall in response, fearing the wrath of Hofferson.
"She's really wound up about the Flightmare…"
This was the first time I heard about it, "the…what" I raise a scaly brow while squinting my other eye. Tooth is also confused but the dragon tried to listen in...maybe to try and get an explanation from his rider or the other teens. Whatever it is: we both know it must be very important. After all, never a dull moment on Berk…I've learned that the hard way.
"Hah…too bad…she's wasting her time!" Snotlout Jorgenson laughed in, resting against the same side Hicc and Fish are against, "when the Flightmare comes, the Hoffersons freeze!" The arrogant Viking tilts his head with a grin toward the girl, "right, Astrid…I mean you are a-"
To silence him, Hofferson chucked an ax toward him…barely missing him by a few inches!
"Hofferson…"
I jumped in surprise at her response…wondering if we should intervene, but one doesn't just try and stop Astrid: she'll make you her punching bag if she wanted to!
Stormfly just stood next to her best friend, scared that if she tried to jump in…maybe Astrid might snap back at her violently too. She, and by extension me, had never really seen her this angry before. Hiccup, bravely and maybe foolishly, tries to calm her down, "okay…let's take a deep breath" he holds his hands out to try and diffuse the situation, "just because Aurvandil's Fire is coming doesn't mean the Flightmare is too…"
"Sure it does!" We turn to see Ingerman (Fishlegs) becoming somewhat excited, "every ten years the sky lights up with Aurvandil's Fire and when it does…the Flightmare appears!"
Toothless and I look toward one another with curiosity flooding our demeanors: the both of us tilt our heads at this, "does he mean…the sky…"
"Aurora Borealis" I mutter to myself…
"What is that?" The medieval dragon inquired before I explained, "ah…" I mumbled, scratching the back of my black head in response, "so it's like the sky reacting to the sun…or something…results in colors in the sky" I explained in "future speak" the best way I could so he could understand.
Toothless the Night Fury did not, at least all of it. He thought the lights in the sky, like the Vikings, believed it to be a mythological/spiritual phenomenon. Heck…it's borderline Magic, Tooth thought quietly to himself.
Either way, Fish continued with his explanations, "its spectral glow and banshee-like scream are unmistakable!"
Haddock shoots a worried look back before Astrid folds her arms back to him, "you were saying?"
"Thank you Fishlegs…your extensive knowledge of the Flightmare is timely" Hiccup groaned in retaliation. The larger teen Viking nodded in approval, not sensing Hicc's slight sarcasm in his tone, "I do fancy myself to be Berk's leading authority on the subject!"
Suddenly, the chubby Viking boy brings out the Book of Dragons to brandish to the other kids, "here's a few more facts…" he squints his eyes afterward, laying a finger on some rune symbols…reading the text out loud, "legend has it that the Flightmare is so terrifying…it actually freezes their prey in its tracks!"
Then, Jorgenson just had to jump in, "yea, just ask Frozen Finn Hofferson" he laughed in obliviousness, turning to the heated girl who just showed up next to him (with fists clenched and everything.) Toothless smiles from the corner in disbelief, amused by how far Snotlout is going with this.
Oh boy…this won't end well for Jorgenson…
"Right Astrid-"
In a fraction of a second, a blur sends the male down on the ground with almost inhuman speed and precision before he could even have a chance to react in time. Astrid had subdued him: placing her foot on his face. Her angry eyes gazed down upon him before she chewed him out, "you think this is funny!? Do you really think it's a joke that my family name was ruined by that dragon!?"
Snot quickly capitulated, not surprising, to say the least. Just afterward, the twins arrive with supplies on a cart.
"Have you guys heard…" Tuffnut asked the other teens before his sister jumped in, "the Flightmare's coming!"
Toothless and I had to chuckle at the scene before us and all that was happening. These two just had to show up at the wrong time…or is it the right time (in their case?)
The green-sleeved Viking boy known as Hiccup jumps in, trying not to make Astrid any angrier, "guys, we're really trying NOT to talk about that!"
"Well, I hate to break it to you, that's the ONLY thing anyone's talking about" Ruffnut retorted.
"Heh, well…that and Finn Hofferson…" her brother just had to add in the mix. Snot, still pinned by Astrid, looks up with begging eyes, "can I get up now?" The blonde rolls her eyes at this, finally getting off him and walking away afterward.
"Come on, Stormfly" she mounted her trusted Deadly Nadder and left without saying much else. Hiccup sighed softly before turning to face the group that just had to add fuel to the fire, "thanks a lot guys" he said that so sardonically.
"No problem!" The male twin nodded back, oblivious to everything as always.
"If you don't need us anymore, we got to get ready for the end of the world, see 'ya!" Both siblings vanished into the dragon cage, which has been barricaded.
Toothless and I joined Haddock and looked on…boy…something has got to be done with Astrid…she's never been this angry before and I'm actually concerned for her…
Good thing it wasn't just me who thought this: Hiccup decided to act.
…
Once the autumn sun sets and the sky turns a hazy blue-yellow, Hiccup, Toothless and I make our way to Hofferson, who is putting a saddle on Stormfly. The Viking female senses our arrival and groans loudly in our direction…as if to tell us she saw us coming, "I don't want to hear it, Hiccup!" Yup, she knows exactly why we're here!
"I've waited my entire life for a chance to clear my family's name, and you're NOT going to stop me!"
The green-eyed Viking stepped forward, his calm attitude reflected the girl's outburst, "who said anything about stopping you?" He smiled but she knew…not saying another word, instead guiding her blue and yellow Nadder away.
Haddock sighs softly before Toothless next to him shakes his head, "I guess it's time for plan b…" the dragon muttered before I nodded, "yea…"
Hiccup walked forward, running to catch up to the other two walking away, "okay, I have to stop you."
"Careful, Hiccup…" I gave a cautious warble to him…the boy didn't pay attention: instead running up to Astrid to try and change her mind, "look, nobody loves a new and terrifying dragon more than I do, but I need you guys here to protect Berk!"
"Yeah! Think about the others, Astrid!" Tooth added in as if the girl could actually understand him. Stormfly looks down at us with a side-eye. Despite being nervous about the whole thing, the female dragon is loyal to Astrid…not wanting to abandon her trainer despite everything. Still, she just had to squawk back at us anyway, "Astrid must do this, you two know that" she chirped softly.
"But it could end up with you two getting hurt!" Toothless objected, hopping in front of me. While we have a somewhat heated discussion, the brown-haired boy continues trying to change Astrid's mind.
"If that thing does show up…it's gonna take all of us to fight it off!"
All she does is narrow her eyes to him, "not if it never gets here…"
"Astrid…" Hiccup shakes his head in retaliation. NOTHING is going to convince her to second-guess her actions. Before they can continue their 'argument' Fishlegs runs in, calling toward us, "there you are, Hiccup! I did the research you asked for!"
The former turned around to catch a glimpse of the 'bigger' Viking, but he wanted none of it for the moment, "not now, Fishlegs…" he whispered.
Despite this, 'legs' insisted, "but I have the path of the Flightmare right here on this map! For generations it's gone through Northern Swamp on the way to the village…same route every time!" He explained in an enthusiastic tone…
We (the dragons) could only look on…trying to piece everything together. Now honestly, I found the map of Berk to be confusing…since I was used to GPS and whatnot. Even after a year of being here, such navigation gave me a headache…especially since many of the Norse symbols were words I had yet to learn. I basically had to rely on Toothless and Hiccup to get around in the first few months…even now. By this point, I assume the boy they all call "Fishlegs" was talking about the portion of Berk that is in the wilderness past the snowy peaks and into the interior of the landmass. At least…I think that's where this 'Northern Swamp' is anyways, and it's not like Toothless knew either: he kind of just followed Hiccup's lead when it came to maps and writing down places.
"If I could only figure out why…we might be able to stop it!"
Despite the description given by his friend, Hiccup remained unmoved by this revelation…at least initially, "look…Astrid doesn't want to talk about the Flightmare…"
Oh boy…Hiccup speaking for Astrid…this won't end well, I thought to myself.
"Of course she does!"
"Sure, I do…" she lightly punched Hiccup's arm while giving him a slight stink eye.
"See?" Fish smiled, "anyways, so what I was saying…if you want to get close to it…you're going to have to be stealthy…virtually invisible in the dark."
Astrid stopped herself…becoming frozen on the spot: surrendering herself to isolated thoughts. She knew with the twin Furies on her side, Hofferson could wreak havoc on the Flightmare…exacting her revenge. In a few seconds, she looks up with a grin running down her white face, "kind of like…a Night Fury?" She turned toward Toothless, who tilted his head in curiosity while I gave a nervous, sheepish, grin.
"I don't like the sound of this…" I warbled under my breath. Stormfly knew where this was going also but couldn't help but stand aside, allowing her human to walk toward the black dragon.
"Exactly like a Night Fury" Fishlegs confirmed.
"So," she claps her hands together, newfound energy and resolve filling the female warrior from the inside, "when do we leave?" Astrid asked, mounting the teenaged Night Fury across from me. I jumped away in response, "A-Astrid, what are you doing!?" I barked at her in draconic tongue. Tooth, meanwhile, looked up, slightly surprised: I expected him to be as surprised as me, but the dragon allowed her presence. Storm couldn't help but nod softly, "well, as long as this makes her feel better then so be it…" the Nadder trilled.
"I'll keep an eye on her" Tooth chortled back to the bird-like dragon.
"Let's get this over with then…" I grumbled…not excited one bit about what might happen. I have NO IDEA what we're up against…and it's honestly making me a bit nervous. The descriptions given earlier by Fishlegs in the arena made it seem like maybe this Flightmare is a phantom. Hey, when you've landed on a world filled with dragons and turned into one of them: you'll believe…ANYTHING!
…
Once night has fallen, there was no warning: in the blink of an eye…cold Nordic winds brought with them blue northern lights that danced across the dark sky! I'll never get over how beautiful they are…but tonight in particular they sent me into a perpetual state of worry. It's not just me, but the whole town had descended into madness! Many tried to enter the "emergency bunker" as it was called: including a frustrated Snotlout who is refused entry by the Viking twins.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and I made our way across the isle of Berk in search of the dreaded Flightmare.
"Find anything yet, Toothless?" I warbled over to him, but he shakes his head.
Hiccup also scans the area before turning to Astrid, "we're going to observe the Flightmare, Astrid. We're going to see what we can learn about it; try to redirect it! If we can't, we are falling back to town, understand?"
Hofferson rolled her eyes at the same time as holding him, "sure…"
"Say the words 'I understand' Hiccup."
"Fine, I understand…Hiccup…"
"Well…" the kid grumbled at this, "that just instills me with confidence."
Not long after, the scrawny Viking points to an area our group is approaching, "there's the Northern Swamp!"
Sure enough, we see it too: a landscape covered in lush forest and hills…all are visible thanks to the bright blue Borealis above us. Suddenly, Tooth and I hear roars in the distance…of the likes I've never heard before! It's definitely a dragon but could it be who we think it is? It's not long after that Astrid and Hiccup both hear it too.
"Sounds like we're getting close, everyone!"
"Good…wait till I see this thing…" Astrid growled back, teeth-gritting…jeez…watching her do this made me wince…but I am soon distracted by Hiccup who shouts at us.
"You won't have to wait long!" His voice begins shaking from nervousness, "remember…observe only!"
As we swoop down a cliff and approach our target in the air, I squint my green dragon eyes just when a brilliant glow of light envelops the region…it's almost as bright as day!
"Toothless…what is…" I shield my eyes with a scaly arm, looking away.
"That!?" He interrupted me, finishing my sentence in surprise.
The light moves up, almost looking like a dragonfly or cross in the sky, but there's no mistaking it: that's the Flightmare!
Before we can do anything, the lights prove too much for us and I, and Toothless, are held back by them…I can't explain it…we're both stunned!
We both snarl back in return, keeping our heads away from the glow.
"Don't look, Flint!" The Night Fury warned, but I just had to scoff loudly back, "wayyy ahead of you there!"
"…it certainly lives up to the hype…" Tooth muttered but he didn't finish, for Astrid jumped off the Strike-Class dragon and headed down to the ground.
"Astrid!? What are you doing!?" Haddock yelled, reaching his hand out in momentarily shock and confusion.
Before either of us could stop her, she was already down there…ready to fight!
"What do you think I'm doing!?" She retorted, unholstering her weapon…her signature ax, "defending Berk and my family honor! We'll see who's a coward!"
Toothless (having recovered like me) and Hiccup decides to turn around by the time they composed themselves. I, in the meantime, fly down to hover beside the blue-eyed warrior. I tried stopping her, but you know how it is by now: she just pushed me aside with a hand, not understanding any of my grunts, "don't try and stop me, Peanut!"
"Astrid…come to your senses!" I begged, "what if…"
She runs ahead as I land on the ground, giving an annoyed face back (one that could challenge the ones Toothless usually makes.)
The female Viking readies her weapon to swing, giving a warning to the feral dragon across from us, "here I am ungodly beast, Fearless Astrid Hofferson! Come and get me if you dare!"
I can sense the creature about to retaliate…she has NO chance at this! I've got to stop Astrid!
I quickly speed toward her on all fours. The Flightmare moves down and it rapidly sprays some sort of mist, which is intended for the girl who challenged it, but I pushed her out of the way in time! I am then engulfed by the mist…feeling my black scales become moist and cold to the touch. As a result, I start to shiver in place and before I had time to realize what had happened: I am unable to move, I'm frozen in place!
Hofferson recovers from my push to see what had happened: seeing me in my paralyzed position, "h-hey, what happened!?"
"Wild! Come on, bud!" Hiccup instructed Toothless, who can't believe what he saw, to fly down. More dread fills the sixteen-year-old Night Fury when he catches sight of the dreaded Flightmare making a return pass toward me…in an attempt to finish me off!
"Flint! Don't just stand there, move!" Toothless roared but it was useless…I couldn't move any muscle in my body…I can't even talk! The duo, despite this, speed down for us to help. The dragon stops the ghost-like beast just in time to confront it with snarls and growls, "leave them alone!"
The opposing reptile said nothing in return, but Toothless tried persuading them, "please leave, the humans are scared of you…we don't need things to escalate…return to your home…"
Unfortunately, this kind of dragon wasn't the loquacious type. Again, the mysterious blue-like lizard glows again to blind the Night Fury opposite of it. Toothless had to turn away to shield his eyes. Astrid walks by me, realizing what happened when she saw me wet and still, "Wild…what's going on!?" She tried moving me but I'm like a stone statue. Sure enough, HiccTooth landed beside us after driving the Flightmare away for a moment.
Hiccup's best friend can sense what's wrong and quickly grunts to his rider, "get him on me, quick!" He shouted just as our foe makes another pass. To keep them at bay, Toothless unleashed a purple plasma blast in retaliation.
"WildWing…" Hiccup murmured silently, "come on, let's try and get him on Toothless!"
The teen Fury knew that by this point…both humans wouldn't be able to carry me, so he used his head to help them place me on his back, "he's getting pretty big…" Astrid scoffed in frustration.
"Pretty soon, Wild here won't be able to get on his back!" Hiccup added before both teens finally pull away. Hofferson retrieves her ax just in time for the group to see the Flightmare making another attempt at us…damn this thing is aggressive as heck!
"Hurry, Astrid!" Hiccup yelled as his dragon squints in anger at the blue beast in the air. Unfortunately, Astrid took too long, so Toothless grabbed her with his paws and we launched into the sky!
So now it's Hiccup riding Toothless with my paralyzed form behind him and the girl Viking holding on to the teenaged dragon's arms.
"I didn't like this when he did it outside the cove!" Hofferson protested, but she then saw why Toothless had done what he did: the apparition just hit the ground where they just were…so crisis averted in her eyes. It looks up at us and growls in growing frustration before giving chase.
"What happened to him?" The girl asked, her legs hanging in the air; trees were just meters away from touching her boots.
"I saw the Flightmare spray him with something…like some kind of mist."
"Yeah…he pushed me away…he was…paralyzed…" she looked up at the dragon and the boy, pondering softly to herself, "I guess I should thank you, Wild…" she yelled toward me since she can't really see me from where she is. Anyway, it wouldn't have mattered, I can't respond to her gratitude for now.
As this happens, the Night Fury decided to climb and hide in the dark clouds above. Being a Fury with jet-black scales he blended perfectly inside. The Fear/Mystery-Class dragon searched for us as the humans remained quiet and still. Eventually, the wild reptile finally gave up the chase and flew away.
Tooth comes out of the cloud cover as the group watches the creature leaving for Berk…
I was finally able to move around again, gasping in brief panic.
"Flint…are you alright!?" The larger Night Fury asked worryingly, looking back to check up on me before Hiccup does the same. I realized that I am resting sideways on the dragon's back. They were right…it won't be very long before I'm unable to be on Tooth's back…but for the moment I'm VERY glad I was able to, "what happened?"
"You were frozen by him!"
"I was…wasn't I?"
Haddock sighs softly in relief, "I guess it's a good thing the effects are temporary, but it's long enough that it gives the Flightmare time to strike!"
The group lands so I can get off my "brother" and he lets go of Astrid finally. Tooth nudged my head as I nodded, "thanks for the save."
"I know you'd do the same" Tooth smiled lightly.
Meanwhile, the two teen warriors continue their conversation regarding the threat to Berk.
"So then…that explains it…" Hofferson's eyes widened, "I KNEW my uncle wasn't afraid of that dragon…he was PARALYZED by it!"
Not even a minute later, I'm strong enough to fly on my own again and we get back in the skies in pursuit of the Flightmare. Astrid, now once again riding Toothless whilst holding onto Hiccup, raised an eyebrow at the boy in confusion, "Hiccup…are we heading back to Berk?"
He turns his head back momentarily, shaking his head, "no…we're following the Flightmare."
This surprised her and actually made me gulp nervously…he changed his mind…now he wants to go after it!
"We are the only thing between that dragon and Berk!"
Astrid smiled, bringing her fist up with newfound excitement just as Tooth begins descending…with me following close behind. I'm behind him, shaking my head…I hope they know how we're going to beat the Flightmare…
We follow the beast, finding it traveling along…um…well…
"What in Thor's name…"
Toothless and I widen our eyes at the discovery: a river that is glowing like the sky above! It's mesmerizing…for some reason, it's pleasing my dragon mind…I just can't help myself! We are both drawn to it like our instincts are telling us to get closer. We'll have to anyway, for the shining blue dragon is following the 'enchanted' riverbed.
"Come on, Flint" Toothless chirped toward me before I nodded, "right…"
"W-what is this?" I just had to ask, the light reflecting off my black pupils.
"I'm not sure…"
"Glowing Algae?" We heard Hiccup murmuring to Astrid as if he heard and understood our conversation…well…I guess it COULD be algae, bioluminescence.
Soon enough, he and his dragon land adjacent to the mysterious water, so the Vikings can inspect the strange river more closely. I walk up to it and cautiously sniff it: my dragon instincts kick in once more. I heard my Night Fury brother behind me, warning me not to get too close, "we don't know if it's harmful."
Suddenly, Haddock puts his hand inside the water, which earns an earnest surprise from his dragon, "H-Hiccup!?" He roared, eyes widened, mouth gaped.
Fortunately, the boy's okay. I look back toward Toothless with a slight smug on my face, "a bit of an overreaction there."
He just sighed and nodded, "I guess, I just don't know what to expect tonight, is all."
"I'm there with you, Toothless."
The brown-haired Viking noticed our reactions and turned to the girl next to him, "the glow…it must be some sort of reaction to Aurvandil's Fire!" He explained before both teens look up toward the sky: just as the Borealis acts up again.
"I'm sure there's a scientific explanation for this" I whisper in Tooth's ear. It flinches as a reaction and he soon grunts back, "not now with your twenty-first-century antics, Flint." I rolled my eyes in response, "fine, keep living in the Dark Ages for all I care" I chuckled sarcastically back.
"H-hey, I didn't mean it like that" Tooth warbled but I lightly shoved him, "I know, just messing with 'ya!"
"This must be what the Flightmare is following…" one of the teens noted while we observed the river.
"I guess that solves the question…not really" I scoffed in my kid voice, leaning over to the reptile next to me.
"So that's why it always takes the same path to the village…"
As the Viking teens continue their conversation, I look in a certain direction…my ears reacting to the noise. Sure enough, the humans hear it too! I glance over to my Night Fury companion to find him drinking from the riverbed, "what are you doing?"
"I'm thirsty…plus we've established it's safe" he said after gulping a large amount of water.
I roll my eyes, I guess I ought to join in…I am kind of thirsty too from today.
Right after, the kids across from us hide behind a fallen tree, peeking their heads to catch sight of the Flightmare resting along the opposite side of the shining river. We almost can't see the darn thing because of how similar in color it is to the water! I'm guessing because we are Night Furies Tooth and I are camouflaged thanks to the darkness around us. Despite this, it's not long before our scent catches their attention!
"That's why…the Flightmare thinks we want its food!" Astrid nodded, "it attacks because it sees us as a threat to its survival!" Both teens soon had to stop their idle conversation, for upon drinking from the water, the 'Mare' rears their body back and roars! It spreads its arms before its blinding glow envelops the area again.
"And speaking of threats…" Hofferson exclaimed in fear. Both Berkians pulled away from the tree, Hiccup grabbing Astrid, "we need to get to-" he turns to face the Night Fury just when the girl beside him points to us.
Remember when I said Toothless and I are drawn to this river, I dare say we were even…hypnotized by it. Well, I couldn't help myself and neither could the dragon next to me: we both had been 'eating' some of the algae from the water when we drank from it.
"Ah…buds…" Hiccup mumbled soft, slapping his legs against his sides in disapproval.
Suddenly, I noticed something happening to the Fury beside me. I lifted my head from the river and gasped: water falling out of my mouth, "T-Tooth!?"
By the time he realized it: his scales began to glow like the river…as if his entire body reacted to its touch! He now had dots of light covering his hide in addition to some other interesting markings showing up as if he were a…glow in the dark action figure…heh.
"M-my body!?" He freaked out at first, jumping back in total shock. He lets out a wailing cry for a second before composing himself.
"Toothless, are you alright…I-"
"F-Flint!" He shouted back, eyes widening upon turning his gaze to me. Soon enough, I, my mouth, and very soon the rest of my body, started giving off the same glow as Toothless! I yelp in surprise, moving in circles in slight panic and confusion. Right after, however, I am snapped out of it when we hear the Flightmare snarling at us! Tonight is such a weird night…and I've seen weird things in my life as of late…and I don't need to tell you.
Anyway, the teenaged warriors make it to us, and, having composed ourselves, we lift off before the aggressive dragon (once again) gives chase.
"We need to do something!" I yell to my draconic brother who scoffs back, "like what!?"
"You wouldn't happen to have a bazooka, would 'ya!?" I just had to throw that out there.
"W-what!?" Toothless exclaimed, rightfully confused about what I said.
"Future talk, sorry!"
He just gave me a 'are you serious' look back to me.
Meanwhile, Astrid looks back to see our foe gaining on us, "Hiccup, what do we do!?
He looked up, thinking about how we hid from it last time, "Toothless, Wild…climb!"
The both of us nod back, heading back into the cloud cover to conceal ourselves for the time being. The beast scans the area, snapping its head back and forth to try and find us. Normally, our scales would provide cover in darkness; however, since we're lit up like Christmas trees it's not long before we're found…
"You think we lost him?"
Astrid asked, looking behind her while holding onto the boy. Right as she said this, a bright blue light appeared and startled us all! Toothless, ears flattening, curses under his breath before turning to me, "go!"
We try escaping but the Flightmare quickly swoops in and blocks our escape route. Then, it unleashes its ungodly glow upon us once more!
It's not long before I find myself tumbling down toward the ground at high speeds. I yelled, finding myself blinded and stunned from the attack. I soon end up underwater: where…I can only assume the river, especially when I realize that the current is rocking me back and forth. I close my eyes, shaking my head while still under the surface…
I'm not a good swimmer yet…so I might die on this trip. This is NOT how I expected the day to go…AT ALL!
…
Hey readers, I hope you enjoyed chapter 30!
Just a few questions I wanted to throw at you all:
One, should the Skrill still make an appearance in this story?
Two, how should the conflict with Dagur and the Berserkers resolve (I have most of it planned out but I'm open to ideas.)
Three, should Flint tell Hiccup that he used to be human?
Let me know what you think. I hope you all enjoy your weekend, peace!
