Bond of Two Lands

14. Galopp And Guilt

Gobber wiped a drop of sweat out of his moustache. "So, that was that."
"That was that?!" Snotlout, who clang to a pine tree branch above him, said. "Are you seriously not even a little shaken by the fact that we've been terrorised by a Whispering Death all night, all while trying to calm down a flipping gigantic Buffalord?"
"At least we've got this beautiful sunrise", Fishlegs said. He petted his Groncle on her ears and viewed the half circular sun on the edge of the horizon. "And the Buffalord is actually more relaxed now."
The three men turned around on the cliff when they heard the clapping of two wet feet on the grass behind them. Out of the woods came the twins, each trying to get their greenish hair dry by waving their helmets.
"Sure. That's really funny", Ruffnut snorted, since she'd heard Fishlegs' comment. "He's so relaxed now. You know, he didn't even roar at us when he flew away in fear this time."
"Though he did manage to soak us with spit." Tuffnut said.
Gobber waved his hook at them. "Don't complain! Fishlegs and I have finally gotten that other beast off of this island, and the one we've got left is much easier to handle. Besides, I've just written Stoik an Airmail and he'll be here soon enough after we sent it."
"But... we didn't bring any paper. What did you write it on?" Fishlegs looked interested, but dropped that facial expression as soon as he heard the blacksmith's answer.
"Yer blanket, of course."
Snotlout jumped out of the tree in which the Whispering Death had put him. His unfortunate toe got stuck in a crack in a hidden stone in a bush and caused him to curse the gods by all means he had. He hopped on one foot and muttered: "Who brings a blanket on a mission? Lame." to weigh up his embarrassment.
Fishlegs didn't bother to reply. "Not Meatlug's blanket, right?"
"Did ya bring more than one?"
Everyone gave Fishlegs strange looks.
"Oh no!" He gasped. "That was her special Groncle Iron-blanket! Without it, she refuses to barf up the right lava!"
"Pfft, liar", Tuffnut said. "I've seen her do it bazillions of times without it."
"If she's at a place she knows, like Berk or the Edge, yes. But in strange lands like these..."
The group looked at each other with mutual yet mute feelings of worry. They were all aware that Dun Broch, as a former ally, could prove to be hostile territory if anyone caught sight of them. And if so would an arsenal of weapons by essential for their escape, even though hadn't been forged.
"Well, I guess then..." began Gobber. He was interrupted by the Buffalord, who galloped by the forest's cliff line like a yak confronted with soap, on it's way across their camp. It was surprisingly fast for its size, but just as heavy as it looked. None of them fancied being on the wrong side of it and made so space for it.
"It looks like it's chasing something!" said Fishlegs.
"A butterfly?" suggested Tuffnut.
"No, something bigger."
The male twin gasped. "A yak-fly?"
"A what?"
"Yak-fly", said Ruffnut. "Big, half butterfly, half yak-creatures that torment the seas outside the Archipelago borders with their razor claws and..."
"Neither of those animals has claws, Ruffnut!" said Gobber, his eyes cluttered to the beast who called for the Buffalord's attention from the cerise morning sky. "And it is certainly not a yak-fly. It's Toothless!"

~~~~~

"Toothless", mumbled Hiccup. "I'll be back, bud, just go to the... to the..."
"Hiccup!"
The Chief's heir sat up like shot from a catapult. The midst of his eyes quickly changed in size as he glanced around him and tried to remember where he was. It wasn't until he noticed Astrid, standing beside his bed, that he recalled it all.
She looked at him with golden sunbeams making her hair even brighter than usual. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It's morning."
He could only barely see the dark shades under her eyes, but that's was the sole clue her tiredness gave. Her posture was as impeccable as always and her sight straight.
"You let me sleep all night through. Why didn't you wake me? You know the concept of keeping turns, right?"
Astrid hit him with a pillow. "Shut it, will you?" She then put it down out of his reach and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What were you dreaming about?"
He scratched his head. "I can't forget the look he gave me when I told him to go, Astrid. And it makes me wonder... will he ever come back when I call for him again?"
"Of course he will. You're his best friend, Hiccup. He will probably stay away for a while, which is exactly what we want him to do, and then go back to Berk. They will look after him and we will take Stormfly home. It's as easy as that."
"But if you're right... if they'll turn on us when they find out about the dragons..."
Astrid bit her lip. "Then we'll just have to make sure that they'll never know."

The castle was floating in a quiet morning bubble, the precise way Merida preferred it. Everyone was exhausted from the previous evening's events and still pulling timbers. The few who had managed to stay awake to discuss the topic of the first ever viewed Night Fury in Dun Broch had finally fallen to sleep under the tables. It was the perfect scenario for an escape.
She had the old mended bow over her shoulders. Her hands were shivering to try it out again, since she hadn't had any opportunity before, and she galloped through the corridors on her way out.
But when she finally had reached the yard, her sensitive senses noticed the tripping of six feet behind her. "Nice try, boys. Wanna have a run at the bow, are we?"
The young princes nodded in perfect harmony.
Merida smirked. "Well, another time. But how do ya feel about our visitors? I think they seem nice. Dad says they're cousins of ours."
Hamish smiled and nodded again. Neither of the boys were talkative, although they could speak; anyone who'd walked in on them while they were planning their next mishap knew that. Merida was too familiar with their way of communicating to reflect upon it.
"Yes, the male one has a great sword. I saw it yesterday too, in between the shooting. It's nothing like the kinds we have here, but then again..." The princess pulled an apple out of a pocket and took a thoughtful bite. "... nothing about them really are."

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Thanks for reading // Fish-out-of-Water-5