Soul of a Warrior (An RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Heart of a Dragon Whisperer)

Chapter 20 (Melia)

I kept ahead of Snotlout and Gustav blocking out everything they said as I went. The tunnels were pretty easy to navigate, but as we got deeper below the island, the buzzing in my brain seemed to be replaced with quiet, indistinguishable whispers. Something else that seemed to come with us going deeper in, ice. Spiked ice covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of the maze of caves, giving me a strange feeling about the tunnels. 

"Hey, Melia! Slow down!" I turned around to see the boys far behind, their forms illuminated by the light of the torch Snotlout held. Wait... How could I see if the light was all the way back there? "Okay, Gusterino, time to level with me. How did you really end up in this apprentice program?" I heard Snotlout ask Gustav as I waited for them. 

"Dagur obviously saw something in me that you didn't. Heroism. Loyalty. I spent a lot of time with him when he captured me and Fanghook." 

"Which is exactly why I don't get it." Snotlout said, turning to look at Gustav, "Anyone who spends time with you wants to kill you." 

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." Gustav shot back, earning a mocking repeat from Snotlout. "And, I'm the annoying one? Please." I rolled my eyes at them, raising an eyebrow at Snotlout. 

"What?" 

"I didn't say-" 

"Gustav will fall." I turned to see Gustav staring at the ice hanging from the ceiling while at the same time not seeing the cliff's edge he was walking towards. 

"Gustav, stop!" I cried out, lunging forward to grab his arm. I pulled him back from the ledge just as he was about to step off. 

"Woah! Thanks, Melia." 

"Just watch where you're going." I sighed, relieved that he didn't fall to his death. 

"Wow. I wonder what kind of huge, nasty, venomous dragon lives down here." Snotlout remarked, smirking mischievously, "BOO!" Gustav screamed, losing his balance for a second before catching himself. 

"Cut it out, you two!" I reprimanded them, shaking my head. 

"He's not wrong though." 

"Huh?" I glanced over my shoulder, confused. There was no one other than us, so who was talking to me? I started to turn back, but standing there behind the icy wall was a Night Fury like dragon with purple scales and glowing purple eyes. "Uhh... guys?" I called, turning to see Gustav was still beside me, "Do you see this?" 

"See what?" Gustav asked, facing me. 

"The..." I trailed off when I turned to see that the dragon was gone and in place of it stood my reflection. "Dragon?" 

"All I see is you, Melia." 

"C'mon, slowpokes. We still have to save Dagur." Snotlout called as he edged across a narrow ridge. 

"Yeah, okay. We're coming." I called back, glancing at my reflection once more before pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind as I edged across, Gustav behind me. Of course, the path was on the other side of a small ravine, meaning we'd most likely have to jump. Snotlout backed up before running forward, jumping over the drop easily. 

"Snot-lip! Snotlout!" Snotlout corrected himself, turning to us. I followed his movement, backing up before running towards the ledge, but instead of hopping straight towards the ledge, I jumped towards the wall, propelling myself off the stone and into a rolling landing before turning in a crouch. "Show off." Snotlout grumbled as I stood with a small bow. 

"C'mon, Gustav! It's not so far." I called as he looked down into the ravine. 

"C'mon, you can't be afraid of heights. We fly dragons!" 

"This is different." Gustav argued. Gustav took a deep breath before running forward and jumping, however, he didn't have enough force, almost missing the ledge. Gustav screamed as he started to slip. "Snotlout!" Snotlout groaned, walking forward to grab his arm, lifting him up. 

"Will you shut up? I've got you. Even though I should drop you." 

"Don't you dare drop me!" 

"Okay, Snotlout, put him down. Remember what you said? We still got to save Dagur." Snotlout rolled his eyes, dropping Gustav back on solid ground. Gustav hugged Snotlout's legs, whimpering in fear. I rolled my eyes. This was gonna be a long rescue.

<AHH!!! Why need to write only seem to come back a month after each update?! Anyway here's the next chapter. I'm gonna try and get another one done and posted soon to make up for the long wait, so hang in there. 

What do you guys think of Melia's observations? Hearing voices only dragons can hear, being able to see in the dark, and what was with that dragon replacing her reflection for a good minute? 

Love you all and Happy Thanksgiving!>