Two Birds

Chapter 2

A/N: I'm a liar. The update was supposed to be this Saturday, but I was excited for this chapter so I'm posting it early! The next chapter will be posted November 4th!

There is cursing in this chapter, so if that isn't your cup of tea, then I wouldn't read from here on out.

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Astrid swiped loose strands of hair out of her face as she made her way to the kill ring. She wouldn't lie, she was curious, she had heard the rumors. Their chief had caught a Night Fury, of all things. That wasn't why she was heading there, however. As the next-in-line to be chief, she needed to be at Stoick's (and Valka's, if she was being truthful) side when he announced what they were going to be doing with the beast.

Her feet followed the familiar trail, and she ducked, dodged, and weaved between, through, and under the mass of Vikings making their ways to the ring, too. She heard someone call her name, but she ignored them, hoping she could lose them in the crowd. Luck, as it seemed, wasn't on her side, however, and Snotlout appeared beside her.

"Hey babe, where you going in such a hurry?" He asked, falling in step next to Astrid.

She rolled her eyes, and with a disgusted huff, she muttered, "I have important things to do, unlike someone."

Snotlout either didn't understand the barb was pointed at him, or chose to ignore it, because he just laughed. "You are so right, Astrid, as you always are. That's why you're training to be chief." Astrid cringed a little inwardly, she had pretty much stolen the cheifdom right from under his nose. Since he was the only living relative to Stoick, being the Chief's brother's son, it was clear from early on he wasn't, how should she put this, smart enough to be chief. He was friends with the Thorston Twins, for Odin's sake, and nothing they did ever turned out well.

Chapter 2 - Capture

Snotlout had kept talking, oblivious to the fact that Astrid wasn't listening, as they made their way through the crowd. The duo was almost there when yet another voice called out for her.

"What, Tuffnut," She hissed, turning on her heel and placing her hands on her hips, giving the male twin a cold stare. "You do not have permission to destroy stuff while this is going on, or so help me, you all-" she sent a pointed look at Ruffnut, who had been right behind her brother, and Snotlout, "-are being thrown in the pit."

"Who said we were going to do that?" Tuffnut cried, having the gall to look offended as his sister laughed. Astrid raised an eyebrow, and Tuffnut countered, "If you're talking about the time we accidentally sent a hoard of boars stampeding through the village, that was totally not my fault. It was Ruff's."

"Hey, shit-for-brains. It was your idea to try and light them on fire."

"You're the one who did it!"

Astrid tuned out their bickering when they dragged Snotlout into in, and she continued to make her way through the crowd, finally, finally, making it to the ring without anymore interruptions. She jogged up to Stoick's side, who sent her a slightly confused look at her clearly pissed expression. "The twins," is all she said, and she saw the understanding light up in his eyes.

Astrid glanced around his hulking form, spotting Valka at his side. She didn't look to happy, either, but instead of being angry, she looked almost scared. Why, Astrid didn't know, but she sent her a reassuring smile when their eyes met. Valka returned the gesture, albeit slightly hesitantly.

"Alright, alright, I bet you're wondering why we're holding the meeting here instead of in the Mead Hall," Stoick's voice rang out, silencing the crowd. Someone called, "it's because of the Night Fury!" and Stoick rolled his eyes. "Damn smart-asses don't know when I'm asking a rhetorical question," he groaned, before raising his voice. "Yes, it's because of the Night Fury."

--

Toothless' wings beat as fast as they could go, he didn't care that he was leaving the rest of the Flare behind, he needed to get back to the nest, now. He dove into the mist, wings folding against his body, and he dashed around the rock stacks that made the flight treacherous to untrained fliers. He sped through one of the many tunnels and burst forth into the main cave, not stopping before he dove down into the pit and landed before the Queen.

"Shadow-Blender," the Queen stated, confusion lacing her voice. Her head rose from the molten lava, and she blinked all six of her eyes, "what brings you here in such a hurry? Where's the other Shadow-Blender?"

Toothless' claws plucked at the ground and he moaned. "He was taken. By the Vikings," he spat, tail lashing.

"I am sorry for your loss."

"We need to do something. I can't leave him there, I can't lose him-"

The Queen cut him off, "You know there's nothing we can do if he's been killed. I may be powerful, but I cannot bring one back from the dead," she sighed, lowering her head.

"NO! He's not dead. I know that. He was just captured. He's probably fine, but he's all alone, and I just left him there," Toothless panicked, starting to pace on the rock. "I can do something. I can get him out. I'll take the fastest fliers, the smartest, and I'll--"

"We cannot lose you, too, Shadow-Blender. I'm not sure if this is a good idea-"

"I can do it! I can get him back. Please, I beg you to allow me to do this." Toothless shook his head, eyes screwed shut. He growled, hunching his shoulders. "I'll make those thrice-damned Vikings pay for any pain they cause him, I'll rip the arms off any damned Viking who dared to touch him."

He opened his eyes to see the Queen giving him a strange look he couldn't place, but she sighed and bowed her head. "Very well, in three cycles of the sun, you may take a small flare out and try to rescue him. You have until sunrise that night to get him back. If you fail, I'm afraid I cannot let you try again and risk the life of our nest."

Toothless bowed, lowering his his front half down so it was touching the ground, and spreading his wings out. "I will not let you down." He then sprung into the air, passing the flare who gave him a worried look, but thankfully they didn't ask what was wrong. He hovered as they dropped their food into the pit, and then called, "I need a small flare for a mission in three days time!"

He landed and instantly a large group of dragons surrounded him, asking questions all at once, but he cut above the noise, saying, "I need the fastest fliers, and the most silent. I'm sorry, but for this one, I won't be accepting anyone under 3 Years old!" A large chunk of the group split apart, and he heard upset grumbles from Yearlings, and understanding murmurs from those slightly older.

He picked five dragons, a Two-Walker, a Flame-Wing, an elder Two-Neck, and a Little-Biter. Once the rest of the group faded, and only those six remained, he explained the mission, and they all nodded, understanding his need to do this. "Thank you. You can spend this time getting ready. I'll meet you all at the North Edge of the island when the time comes," he dismissed, dropping down and entering his shared cave, which was empty without Hiccup. He curled up in a little ball, alone in their bed, and he allowed the grief to wash over him, and with a pained croon, he covered his face with his paws and wept.

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A/N:
I hoped you liked it! I tried my hand at writing Astrid, though I'm not too sure how well I did. 
Toothless is extremely upset by this, but, of course, he doesn't grieve until he is alone, but at least he's allowing himself to.
I wonder how Hiccup is holding up? I wonder what Stoick decided.
You'll have to wait until next time!

Comments are always appreciated!