The first to know

Battling the Red Death

I felt a chill rattle up and down my spine. I knew instinctively that I was facing death, but oddly I felt no fear. Funny how in the face of a disaster, the fleet of my people burning to cinders before my eyes, my village running away from that beast of helheim, and my father and my sudo-uncle desperately trying to distract it from demolishing the citizens of berk, my hands simply tightened on the horns of Scoots saddle. I watched as the gigantic thing reared up the strike down my kin I leaned forward and whispered quietly.

"Get 'em Bud." Hiccup must have been thinking along similar lines because both Scoot and Stormfly hit the back of the behemoth's head, causing a shower of purple and golden sparks as the attack dissipated. We made a quick circle around the disoriented monster's head before making a swoop over Gobber and my father. Hiccup started divvying out orders and I couldn't help but be proud of him, in a crisis he had really come into his own, I fine chief her would be one day.

"Ruff Tuff, just do what I told you we have to go find toothless." I brought myself back to the present situation as my current role in the half finished plan came into play. Hiccup soared away on Stormfly looking over the pillars of fire that used to be the mighty fleet of berk. 

"There." I heard him shout before he alighted on one of the burning ships and hopped off the dragon commanding Astrid to go assist the others before taking off the Night Fury's muzzle, apologizing profusely and attacking the chains with a piece of scrap. I landed Scoot next to him and began tugging at a link that looked a little weaker than the others.

BANG.

We were in the water all of the sudden Toothless struggled with his chains as me and hiccup continued to try and help, Scoot was desperately trying to lift the contraption out of the water by himself. Hiccup lost his air and began to go limp I was about to direct Scoot to get his out of the water when something grabbed the back of my neck and both me and Hiccup were flung out of the water. I looked up to see my father jumping back into the water.

"Dad?" I muttered quietly as Hiccup began to cough himself back into a conscious state. All of the sudden Scoot and Toothless burst out of the water carrying the large man between them. They let my father drop to the ground and  landed beside us, Toothless beckoned Hiccup to mount while Scoot shook all of the water he had collected on to me and warbled quietly before tossing me into the air and flying up to catch me on his back. I hissed slightly as the impact jostled my head a bit, but it wasn't unmanageable. 

We stayed up there and watched as my father touched his arm and said something to him quietly before letting go and allowing him to fly into the air he looked visibly more relaxed and confident. I looked down and smiled at my father who was waving his arms and beckoning for me to come closer. I urged Scoot down toward him we stayed midair hovering a little above him, he reached up and attempted to grab my dangling hand I brought Scoot to the ground and he swept me into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into my ear.

"I love you too dad."

"Please be careful." He practically sobbed into my hair.

"We're vikings it's an occupational hazard." It sounded a little cheesy even to my ears but it was too late to take it back. My father only chuckled.

"That's exactly what Hiccup said."

"Oh I believe it. We listen to you more than you think." He once again chuckled before letting me go and allowing me to remount Scoot.

"Go get 'em." 

Scoot thrust his wings and shot us into the air following the trail of Toothless who had just caught Astrid mid fall and was setting her upright. He shot at the monster and flew up into the air coming around for another pass. The giant wings of the beast unfurled, it brought its head up and roared at my brother the thing shot into the air after the two of them. I watched as Snotlout teetered on the edge of the dragons face and began to free fall as it propelled itself into the atmosphere. I urged Scoot forward and we swooped in and grabbed Snotlout out of the air. allowing him to find his bearings before fully putting him down. 

"Thanks." He yelled as we turned around to follow and assist Toothless and Hiccup. 

We were up in the air I felt my body grow cold with worry as I watched the clouds be illuminated in intervals of purple and orange as we tried to reach them in time but the giant kept disappearing in the cloud cover. Eventually we heard it, I tell tale whistle before an explosion hit the ground. the shock wave knocked me and Scoot off course sending me barreling to the ground for a moment before Scoot caught me by the shoulders and tossed me back into my saddle.

I whooped for joy as the fire almost immediately dissipated on the rocky shores before revealed in underwhemlingly minimal amount of carnage left by the fiery demise of the red death (as I had now dubbed it). Just a few smoking pieces of flesh and gigantic charred bones scattered every which way.

"HICCUP YOU DID IT!" I yelled into the void of mist and smog trying to find him via letting him know where I was....Nothing.

"HICCUP!" I called again, panic beginning to settle in. Scoot must have felt it because he roared loudly into the clouds it was comparable to to screams of a lost child my shouts joined his screeches making a cacophony of worry and grief fill the air. Finally after a long bout of screaming we heard an answering call. Scoot dived.

We alighted next to Toothless his saddle and tail mangled, the screech must have been too much effort for him because he was out cold. I reached out a shaky hand and placed it on his nose I looked around for my brother.....Nothing.

"hiccup?" I muttered quietly. My knees buckled as I came to the worst of conclusions my body curled around Toothless' head as sobs racked my body. I let my tears run down the nose of the Night Fury. Scoot curled around the both of us as I cried. I leaned back and hugged my dragons neck while simultaneously cradling the head of my brother's dragon on top of my crossed legs. I don't know how long I sat there and cried but sooner or later my father walked up toward us. I turned and looked at him. He mouthed my brothers name and I felt another tear fall out of my eyes. his gaze became unfocused and he fell to his knees. I got to my feet and ran to his side throwing my arms around him and recommencing my grief.

"Oh Hiccup, I did this." He muttered into the top of hair as he stared at my brother's fallen dragon. Suddenly he gasped and I turned around to find Hiccup in the clutches of  Toothless safely tucked in between his wings. I dashed forward and dragged him out listening for his heart beat I felt a slight intake of air and then a thump thump. I jumped up and Squealed. My father bundled him into his arms and listened for himself.

"HE'S ALIVE..." He reached out and touched Toothless' muzzle "....You brought him back alive." I beamed as Scoot and I danced around hopping and jumping with my whooping proudly and him purring for all he was worth.

"Well most of him."