Staraster-A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction

Chapter 22~Storm's Shadow

~Arrow's POV~
My dragon's carcass lay in a heap in front of me as I stared numbly at him, having long ago given up screaming. Valka, however, had not, and through her cries I barely witnessed the Skrill Chiller and Skrillvo himself tussling on the ground until finally, the latter wrapped his powerful wings around his foe and rolled over on top of him.
I had a limited viewpoint, so I could barely see the Skrill take off into the air and the Chiller more slowly after it. Valka soon became just an echo in my ringing world. Hiccup leaned over me, trying to talk to me soundlessly, and I had a feeling I would be numb even if I wasn't cased in dragon goo.
So much for my ears being free. So much for Bonecrusher saving me. From what I had witnessed earlier, even lightning couldn't break the amber substance. It would've hit my chest, too, not even my exposed head. My Rumblehorn had died in vain.
Hiccup's face blocked out my world.
I felt a sudden anger towards Melina. She had released Skrillvo. It was her fault. It was all her fault!
I had to scream now, had to get out the passionate anger and sorrow. I knew the Chief and his mother couldn't blast me free on their own after what I had witnessed earlier. I watched as Toothless turned his throbbing, vertical pupils to the sky, calling something with his Alpha power. The Titan Monstrous Nightmare landed beside us. It was dark green and black, and very large. I didn't care. I shut my eyes, trying to tell Hiccup to go away. I needed to mourn in peace. It was because of this that I didn't see the Nightmare spit fiery gel onto me. It was because of this that I didn't even realize my encasement was melting. My world was spinning even under shut eyes. I let myself fall into a chasm of darkness, where all was silent, black, and yet quite beautiful. I squinted my eyes, watching the world blur. "Mel?" I whispered vaguely. For some reason Melina was leaning over me, cradling my head and saying something. What was she saying?
I didn't care. Yeah, I could keep telling myself that. Arrow. Arrow. Arrow! I stared into her eyes, my own as wide as moons. I felt something rising from the deepest, most forbidden pits of the chasm. I saw Kyrra hovering nearby uncertainly out of the corner of my eye. "You..." I muttered to Melina, opening my eyes fully. "You did this!" Melina glanced up at Kyrra, confused. "He's in shock," Valka murmured, appearing in my line of vision. "Melina...you did this! You released the Skrill! You killed Bonecrusher!" I roared, rolling out of her arms and onto the ground. She drew a sharp intake of breath, but my ears were still ringing. "It's all your fault! Look what you did! How can I call you my girlfriend?! I don't even know what you...what we are anymore!" I didn't care about her. She killed him! Fury knit Melina's once lovely face and the disk slowed down-there was a scratch in it. Melina's hand reached out and slapped me across the face.
My cheeks burned, the left side of my face stinging. My nerves and hormones mutually decided to quit. My mouth fell ajar as I stared at Kyrra's sister. Kyrra herself gasped behind her, staring at my surely red face. My hand cupped my cheek, and I realized I had gone too far. Melina gripped her right hand with her other, in shock. "Arrow, I'm-"
I turned away from her and Bonecrusher, my head whirring. I did not feel good.
I cut her off as I turned, moaning a little. My head throbbed. "Arrow?" Melina whispered. I ignored her. Those leaves looked especially nice today, but I just needed to sit...
•••
~Melina's POV~
I sat with Karma beside Arrow's bed, running my hand lightly over his knuckles. Astrid had kept her word and fetched for my dragons, and she had sent some people out to get Karma some algae before another storm. She was growing dimmer by the day, scarily. I felt really bad about what had happened to Arrow. It was three days later and he wasn't any better.
I knew he had been in shock. I couldn't help but blame myself though after our fight. His words rang in my head. It was my fault. He wouldn't even be passed out right now if not for me. Karma nudged me with her head, sensing my distress. When I shut my eyes after looking at her I couldn't see her silhouette anymore.
The wind howled outside, and sheets of rain abruptly spattered the outside of Arrow's rustic house. Kyrra and Staraster were in an exhausted slumber on the floor nearby. I heard the sound of a Skrill's roar. Not again. After all that dung with the Deathsong dragon, the Skrill Chiller and Skrillvo, now this? Thor definitely held a grudge against us.
Hiccup had explained to us about the Deathsong dragon on the ride back. He had said they had only seen few before, and that they sort of had an Alpha tendency, drawing dragons like that. I recalled the image of Arrow once again swaying from Staraster's paws during the flight. We had left Bonecrusher's body there, for now.
Karma began hissing and turning in a circle. A dark flash spun past the window, and thunder sounded ominously outside like a dragon roar. I heard Vikings yelling panicked orders outside. "Shh, Karma, it'll be fine..."
But I knew it wasn't. Events like this rarely happened, but now it was. A "Storm" of Skrills was attacking Berk, the nickname for a pack. Snotlout's storm watch still hadn't returned, and Hiccup had gone searching for them just a little while ago. There was no one to Alpha command the Skrills now.
My pulse quickened as the shadow flashed by the window again. I saw a flash of intense lightning and heard more intense yelling before thunder drowned it out. My fingers brushed more rapidly over Arrow's hand, matching the rhythm of my heart. He stirred and made a sound in his throat.
I heard Karma curl herself up (against Staraster?) perhaps seeking comfort. I kept my watchful gaze to Arrow's peaceful face. On that ride with Hiccup, when he had first rescued me, I had developed feelings for him. I hoped Arrow would forgive me...for everything. I hadn't known Hiccup was-engaged? married?-then. He was much too old for me anyhow.
I loved Arrow, and as soon as he woke I would tell him that. A tuft of his soft brown hair drifted over his nose as he breathed and thunder dominated outside. "Arrow?" I whispered. He cracked his eyes right as Thor's hammer struck again. "What's going on?" he muttered, trying to sit up.
I stared at him, wondering what to say, and decided to ignore his question for now. I was nervous about how he would take this, though.
"Hey, I'm really sorry-"
"Don't be. I shouldn't have gone that far."
I smiled in relief and leaned in to hug him, but I worried about how he really felt.
"Arrow. I love you."
"I love you too, Mel."
The Skrill roars sounded again and he pulled away, tugging on his boots. "A Skrill attack?" he asked. I nodded, motioning to Kyrra and to be quiet. Although, she was sleeping through all this.
"It sounds pretty bad," I said quietly anyway.
Hissing and lightning sounded outside and Karma didn't wait for us-right as I pulled open the door she ran out. "We have to help," I yelled to Arrow, leaping through the doorway before it could slam shut. He slipped through and got onto Karma behind me; I glanced around.
Vikings were in a frenzy, working the fire safety stations everywhere as the circling Skrills fired at the flammable houses. I leaned over my dragon, seeking shelter from the wind. It was crazy powerful. I looked up, leaves flying everywhere and the sky green, forked lightning bolting down around us. I almost snickered at the thought of Gothi's hut.
I counted four Skrills zipping through the sky. I saw one of them way in the air flying along normally and then in a second-gone. It had ridden the lightning from the sweep the sheep grounds to the village in a second.
"Oh my gods," Arrow gaped, sheltering his eyes with his hands. It had been so long since the last ambush it was like seeing it with new eyes. The eerie last light of the day still attempted to penetrate the green mass of clouds, and everything was tinted like chlorophyll.
I giggled a little at the metal helmets ditched all over the ground before urging Karma into the air a little.
In order to stop the Storm we needed to control the Alpha. That was my logic, anyway. A thin bolt of lightning cruised past us, making my hair stand on end. This brought back bad memories of being in the clouds with Skrillvo. "Maybe the Skrill Chiller killed Skrillvo?" I put together loudly.
"For some reason the Storm could've smelled Berk's scent on his body and come here," I added.
"How could Berk be on his body?"
"Toothless rolled with him."
"Oh."
Karma shrieked her call, attracting the nearest Skrills' attention. I bent low, terrified, feeling Arrow follow my lead. It appeared in front of us on a bolt of electricity that quickly faded. "Please don't let it see us," I whimpered. Sparks crackled through its teeth and all over its body, its wings demonically glowing purple. It snarled, definitely the Alpha by size and lightning power standards. If it did see us, it didn't care. Karma suddenly spat mist at it, temporarily paralyzing its right wing.
Arrow made a sound as the lightning that would've hit us redirected past my head, my hair standing up. I yelped, feeling like I was in a nightmare. I thought to myself how utterly terrifying this was as Karma whizzed after the falling Skrill. Sometimes I thought my dragon had the brain of a sheep.
~Arrow's POV~
I squeezed Melina tight for my life. I couldn't stomach all this. Karma pulled up, swiftly and gracefully landing in a tree clearing. Melina was hyperventilating, which was not helping. I smelled the strange, salty storm air whispering through the trees in the time lapse in which we landed. The Alpha Skrill advanced with raised wings, exhibiting a large hiss. Karma shrieked back, spreading her wings as well.
"Stop," I said softly. The Flightmare ignored me and faced off with the Skrill, who was drawing lightning from the sky. I felt a chill course through my veins. "Stop!" I said louder. "Arrow-" "Mel, don't." I watched the electricity seep into the dragon's body, re-energizing it. We couldn't fight this dragon. It was the Alpha of its own kind, or at least, it's Storm.
I got off of my girlfriend's dragon. "Arrow? What are you doing? Are you suicidial?! Come back!"
I turned away from her. "I'm saving Berk," I said, definitely not sure what I was doing. The Skrill backed away, the electricity retreating to her teeth. I lunged forward, tackling the dragon to the ground. She growled in alarm. I felt the electricity sizzle into my arm, but I gritted my teeth.
I grabbed her snout, pushing it against the ground, and stared into her eyes as the electricity ran through me. "Ahhh!" I yelled. My body shook and I could almost feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head. I had to do this. I had to do this to gain her respect!
"Arrow!" Melina cried, running to me. The Skrill's yellow eyes stared into my own, and the voltage lessened, the sparks gone from her teeth after only seconds that felt like centuries. Her hard stare softened, and I released my grip on her jaw. She snarled softly when Melina neared, and my girlfriend backed up warily.
"Arrow," she hissed. I wanted to tell her to be quiet. I had electricity in me and so did the dragon. The Skrill raised her head slowly and rolled her body over from the side position she had been forced into onto her stomach, never taking her eyes off me. I felt Melina's eyes bore into the back of my head. I looked away, to the side, at the ground, as thunder boomed loudly overhead.
The wind rustled the leaves softly, airborne, attached and grounded as I raised my hand towards the dragon. Then I did what had never been done, what others thought was beyond the realm of impossibility.
I trained the Alpha Skrill of a Storm, and we were instantly, unbreakably bonded at her quiet touch.