I'm Leaving Forever (a HTTYD Runaway Fanfic ~ Book 1)

28 - The Verglas Tribe: Part 1

After all wounds had been looked at and/or tended to, the Riders made a collective decision to stay on the sea stack for some time to catch some rest. The dragons were knocked out cold by the time that decision was made, so even if they decided against it, there wasn't anything they could do anyway. So, they joined their dragons and caught up on the sleep their bodies quite desperately needed. That was all a couple of hours ago. Luckily, nothing came up in those two hours where they were all sleeping. Not only where they in an arguably vulnerable position in that time, but they doubted they had the effort or patience to put up with another fight.

But after that couple of hours rest, as groggy as everyone was, they all felt better, and the dragons seemed to be ready to make the journey to this tribe that Zilpah mentioned could possibly help them with Hiccup. There were a couple of changes in riders: one being that Astrid took it upon herself to fly Toothless, seeing as she was the one most capable of flying him, while also keeping an eye on Hiccup, who she had set across in front of her with a firm grip to make sure he didn't fall off. She kept him close to her, holding him steady with both arms and allowing his head to rest on her shoulder. Astrid could feel puffs of breathes against her neck, which, although made her involuntarily shiver, gave her a sense of relief because it was an indication that Hiccup was still alive, but those breathes were light and Astrid could be certain they were getting weaker.

Since she had no grip on the handles of the saddle, Toothless was conscious to keep at a slow steady speed. It benefitted both her and him because Toothless was still aching all over and he was considerably weak and tired despite the couple of hours sleep. Hookfang was travelling at a similar speed to him, flying right beside the Night Fury with Snotlout on his back and the two dragons set the pace for the rest of the group. No one was going to leave anyone behind at a time like this, so there were practically no complaints about how slow they were going or how long it would take them to reach this tribe.

It also helped Zilpah out a little bit. She was flying Striker, similar to how the other riders were flying their own dragons, but of course, there was some confusion and tension with it came between her and the Skrill and one could say that it affected their flying. Zilpah had no recollection of ever meeting the Skrill in her life; she hadn't seen him while she was amongst the imprisoned dragons so to her, this was their first meeting. Except according to Striker, it wasn't.

Zilpah didn't question him whether what he was saying was true or not. He was clearly referring to a time before her imprisonment and when it came to that time, things became blank for her. Zilpah could only label that as amnesia and that took quite some time for her to accept. At the time, that meant she was clueless on the past eighteen years of her life, and she could hardly find the time to come to terms with that fact solely because Drago existed. As much as she wanted to find out what happened to her, Zilpah couldn't, so for the next four years - almost five - she was trapped in a realm of confusion.

But now, she had successfully escaped from that prison. Although there was still a war that should be prioritized, she finally had a chance to take more time for herself and find the answers she yearned for. And talking to Striker seemed like a good place to start.

"Striker," The Skrill's head perked up when he heard her voice, "Can you tell me anything about me? As in, anything before I got captured?" Striker let out a small growl in confusion and slight shock. When he discovered that ZIlpah had no idea who he was, he wasn't sure how to approach the topic. He knew he had to, but what was he supposed to say that would keep her calm at the same time? He felt as though it would be throwing a lot on her. Not to mention that it was slightly painful for him to recall those memories.

Striker loved Hiccup, Toothless, and all the other riders and dragons. They were all quick to accept him and everyone showed him great friendship on multiple occasions. He enjoyed his time with them, but he could push away the memories of his younger years with Zilpah.