Once in a Nightlight

Chapter 8

"RUN!!!"

Toothless and Colt sprinted their way off the ledge and back to the mouth of the cave they came out of, but a crystal pillar had crashed down peak first and broke the bridge they were standing upon. Colt squealed in shock when his body was thrown to the side, skidding towards the edge. Toothless made a quick move and threw his own body forward to grip his scruff with his teeth just as he was about to fall over the edge.

"Easy there buddy boy." Toothless murmured softly down at him.

"Whew!" Colt giggled softly up at him, dangling over the edge and peering into the dark pool way down below them, he then peered up at him "That was a clos-- WATCH OUT!!!" Just as Toothless turned to look up a crystal pillar smashed an arms length from his tail making them both topple over the edge and plunge straight into the dark abyss as the bridge under their paws shattered into pieces. Colt screamed in fright as he was falling downwards and scrambled violently in the air, his tiny wings thrashing around trying to pull up. Toothless was struggling himself, their falling rate too fast and harsh for Toothless to open his wings and pull up, and either way he couldn't get to Colt fast enough to save them both, so all they could do was fall.

Fall.

Fall.

Fall.

and then Splash.

Together they hit the water below with a painful slosh and sunk below. Colt was whirling around like a spinning top under the rapid water that was pulling them both down further and further into the deep pool so the hidden world above them wasn't visible, only complete darkness. Toothless looked around frantically for the little cub he had came on this adventure with, but he wasn't to be seen from anywhere. The water grew darker around them and more violent as a whirlpool spun them around crazily, while the ringing in Toothless's ears got louder and more deafening. Colt was still spinning wildly in the water while holding his tiny breath, just managing for a little longer until he had to gasp, he peered up to look for any source of light from the cave but there was nothing, apart from the dimming light of the sun shining through the crystal ceiling. Suddenly Toothless felt something suck him down at an incredibly pace causing him to gasp in shock, loosing all air and slowly suffocating while he was being pulled down deeper and deeper into the blue abyss, his paws scrambling and lashing his paws and legs to be brought back up to the surface, but his weak fighting against the powerful current was useless compared to what he was trying to face.
He was pulled through a hole at the bottom and suddenly falling through the air once more with the water coming with him, the adrenaline around his body raced while the blood in his ears pounded loudly while he was dropping. Around him was complete blackness apart from streaks of lights along the walls of the massive dome with the water slightly bright from the hidden world's natural bright glow.

"Toothless!?" A meek voice called from below next to he wide river. Toothless crashed into the water besides him with a huge splash causing the cub to squeak in fright. "Toothless?!!"

"I'm-I'm here!!" He gasped when his head came out of the water for air, panting terribly and paddling his way weakly to the edge and pulling himself out. Colt ran over and instantly nuzzled into him frightfully and whimpered quietly.

"I'm scared now...It's dark..." Colt whispered softly and glancing up at him "..How will we get back?" The little cub looked around them and then to the stream "..Should we follow it?"

"..I don't know, when we followed the river we plunged down into the darkness and almost got killed.." Toothless murmured back and looked around himself looking for a way out "..I can't see a way out of here at all...So...maybe it's our only choice? We can't go back up in that water because it'll just pull us back down, and its much too dangerous" He then looked at the cub and nudged him with his snout softly, "Did you hurt yourself at all?"

"No no..I'm alright, just struggled to hold my breath." Colt replied while taking deep breaths in and out to ease out his pattern once again. Toothless put his tail around him and placed Colt on his back to lay there and rest his little legs for a while, while Toothless looked at the stream "So this is where the water goes, it whirlpools down into here, so I'm guessing this river takes us back to where we came from?" Toothless said then looking into the deep pool of water he had landed in. "This looks safe, and shallow." He stepped into the water and slid down a little watery slope and the river began drifting them off calmly, it only came up to his waist sitting down so there was no possible way they'd drown.

"Go on your stomach." Colt said and Toothless obeyed, then the little cub sat on his neck while the water serenely took them down the river. It lead them into another tunnel but bigger than before, gloworms gleaming above their heads and slowly following after the river they were going down. The water was nice and peaceful with no sudden rushes to throw them off course, instead ambling them down deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Everything around them was tranquil and quiet, Colt holding around his neck and reaching up to touch a gloworm.

"What are they?"

"Gloworms. There's a lot around here kiddo." Toothless replied and looked up at them with a small smile while his emerald orbs lit up. After all this chaos maybe it wasn't so bad after all?

"Hey, what's that?" Colt whispered softly as he looked ahead of the tunnel they were going but nothing was to be seen. Toothless squinted his eyes but he couldn't see anything.

"See what?"

"That! Look!" Colt pointed to two gleaming yellow eyes in the far distance staring directly at them, sending a unpleasant shiver up Toothless's spine as he stared back.

"I don't know.." he whispered silently and lowered himself "but be very, very silent..." The two crouched low while Colt stuffed his head into his neck to keep hidden, Toothless lowering himself to the surface of the river while the water kept floating them down getting closer and closer to the lustrous yellow eyes that grew more intimidating and closer the further they went on. Toothless shut his eyes as they got closer and closer, hearing a low growl echo but he didn't move from where he was. A low, deep voice suddenly called out from a little ways behind them after they had passed.

"Desdentado."