TAW Tales: How to Train Your Shifters (#1)

~ Chapter 36 ~

"Through here."

Fang held the heavy metal door open and Max slipped inside. Hiccup paused, glancing over his shoulder.

"Aren't there supposed to be guards?" he asked Fang anxiously.

"Normally," Fang groaned, leaning backwards as he strained to keep the door from slamming shut. "Maybe they went on holiday or something. Who cares? Hurry up, I can't keep this open for much longer!"

"Right. Sorry." Hiccup went through and Fang followed carefully with his hands on the door, trying to stop it slamming behind them.

It closed with a 'shhhhhink' and they were plundged into darkness.

"Great job, Max," Fang commented from somewhere to Hiccup's right.

"Sh!" Max hissed on Hiccup's left. "Hiccup, do you still have-"

There was a flash of light as Hiccup drew his sword and set the blade alight. The flames sent light flickering and dancing along rows and rows of thick black bars. The flagstone floor beneath them was cold - almost as cold as the floor of the Great Hall during winter - and the air felt musty and thick with dust.

The large emerald necklace that once held Toothless glinted dully in the red-orange flames, as black as ink.

"Are you sure he's here?" Hiccup whispered to Fang and Max quietly. Even though he was almost completely silent, a faint echo ran through the endless rows of cages.

"Yes," Fang breathed back. Then he shuddered. "I can't stand being back here," he murmured to Max. "It reminds me of the animals we met in here, and how upset and miserable they were."

"Wait, you've been in here before?" Hiccup asked him in surprise as they began walking down the isle.

The flickering light from his sword occasionally caught the grimy metal of chains thick enough to hold down a Whispering Death curled in the middle of the cages, like pythons ready to strike. Hiccup repressed a shudder.

"Yes," Fang answered, his icy blue eyes darting about worriedly. "Back before I could become a human. I was imprisoned here with..." He trailed off, and Hiccup had a feeling he was thinking of his human-sister, Night.

There was a sudden, horsy growl from behind.

Hiccup and Fang leapt about two feet in the air and spun around.

"Sorry." Max grinned.

Fang's nostril's flared. "You will be."

"Stop messing around." Hiccup sighed before turning around and continuing their long walk.

Their footsteps, although slightly muted by the amount of grime and dust that had gathered on the stones beneath their feet, still rang as they trekked down the hallway.

"Toothless?" Hiccup's voice, barely more than a whisper, was carried down the isle, through cage to cage, as if they were passing along a Chinese Whisper that seemed to stretch for ages.

Then a resounding whine, like a lion's, echoed back to them.

"That's him!" Hiccup hissed, his voice barely containing his excitement. "He's here! Toothless!"

This time, his shout was echoed by the cages as if they were spitting the word back at him in mock disgust. Another call answered them.

"Come on!" Hiccup began to run down the isle, then stopped when he realised the others weren't following. "Guys, come on! We have to get him out of here!"

Fang licked his lips, like a nervous wolf. "Hiccup, something's not right," he said anxiously.

Max rumbled. "Fang's right, Hiccup. Why were there only two guards at the door, and we haven't seen any more since? There's something not quite right here."

"You think they're waiting to ambush us?" Hiccup asked.

"No, they're gonna dress up in hula skirts and dance the tango." Fang rolled his eyes. "Of course they're waiting for us!"

"Well said," a cool voice from behind them replied. "Although I wouldnt' say we would 'dress up in hula skirts and dance the tango'."

They whirled around.

"Hello," Bionic said, his arms folded.

"You." Hiccup gripped his sword evevn tighter.

Bionic looked around and his brow suddenly furrowed. "Where are your masters? Surely they'd want the chance to rescue you. I may have heard Winter talking about you from time to time."

Fang made a growling noise deep in his throat and backed away towards Hiccup, Max following. "Night's not my 'master'," he snapped at Bionic. "She's my sister!"

Bionic laughed. "Your sister? You are her doll, Fang. You always were. What was the story I heard? Something about a stuffed wolf plush coming to life?"

Hiccup blinked at him. "You were a toy?"

Fang gave him a long-suffering look. "Do I look like a toy?!"

Hiccup turned to Max, facinated. "So what were you, a rocking horse?"

Max glared at him. "I am a horse, thank you every much," he huffed.

"Anyway, back to my question," Bionic cut in. "Where are the humans?"

Fang opened his mouth.

"And if you say there are humans in front of me, I will be getting myself a new white wolf rug."

Fang closed his mouth.

"They're gone," Hiccup growled.

Bionic raised his eyebrow. "Well, obviously they're gone. That's why I'm asking, isn't it?"

"I mean gone gone," Hiccup snapped. "They're in a place where no one from this world, not even you, can touch them."

Bionic steepled his fingers. "Well, that's a shame really," he said at last. "I did rather enjoy playing with them. No matter." He clicked his fingers.

The cages on either side of Hiccup, Fang and Max flew open and a small army of Bionic's cronies marched out, surrounding them.

"At least now I have you," Bionic finished nastily.