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I Hear Him Scream, Chapter 3

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So far, this has been the worst day of my life.

Let me break it down for you. First, I get turned into a dragon by a crazy, borderline insane Night-Fury that apparently is too arrogant to notice his own mistakes. Second, my own father outcasted me for something I did not do. What fun! Third, I found the crazy Night Fury, only for him to make fun of me! I even attacked him! And he kicked my ass with a grin on his face the entire time!

To make matters worse, I got stuck in this stupid gorge. Oh, and Astrid knew where I was, and probably would be returning soon. It'd be just my luck.

I couldn't help but worry about her, though. I'd had another full-on panic attack after the Night Fury had disappeared into the woods after her. I must have been a sight: a Night Fury attempting to climb out of a ravine, running back and forth and screaming at the top of its lungs. I'm surprised some hunters didn't come along and take me out; I was making such a ruckus!

I'd just calmed down when I'd heard the Night Fury shoot off a fireblast. My heart had plummeted.

It was impossible to describe how relieved I was when I heard the evil dragon let loose a long string of curses. Astrid had survived! In response to this, I had promptly plopped to the ground in exhaustion.

I didn't even realize I'd dozed off until the sound of thunder boomed above me.

My eyes snapped wide open. I looked up in dread, staring at the dark, angry clouds above me. With a second boom, they opened up, sending a horribly cold shower of rain onto me. I shivered and pulled my wings and tail in for warmth.

Another lightning strike. The noise was so loud, it actually distorted my vision.

"Come on!" I cried out. "Give me a break already!"

The only answer I got was for the shower to become a torrent. I whimpered. Why did things have to be like this? Why did everything have to go wrong for me?! I threw my head back and nearly wailed. Everything that could possibly go wrong was happening to me, and I didn't even know why!

I sat there until my paws had started to go numb. Deciding that getting in shelter would probably be the best idea right now, I stumbled towards the outcropping of trees and squeezed myself between them. Absolutely no difference. It was then that my mind helpfully informed me that standing under a tree in a thunderstorm is the worst thing that you could possibly do. With a somewhat irritated sigh, I stepped out from the outcropping and tried to get a good look around the gorge.

There! There was a hole in the side of one of the cliffs, where the Night Fury had missed me earlier.

I began to sprint towards it. Halfway there, an enormous gust of wind blew right behind me, so strong that my hind legs actually got lifted off the ground. I screeched in surprise and instinctively spread my wings out. Bad choice. Another blast of wind hit me from the front and threw me into the air. I don't think I've ever yelled louder in my life. I tumbled midair, twisting my wings back and forth to try and get myself to land. I was rewarded with another windblast shoving me into the side of the cliff opposite of where I was going.

I dropped to the ground and groaned. My back and wings were incredibly sore, and now I was dizzy.

This is definitely the worst day of my life.

But I couldn't just sit there in the rain! I'd get sick!

I shook my head fiercely, and with a mighty effort, stood up. I pressed my wings against my body, and my belly onto the ground. I began to crawl my way around the lake and towards the big, gaping hole in the center of the cliffside. By then, the rain had found itself a new friend: hail! Hooray! Yippee! What a great party we're having down here in the Outcasted Viking/Dragon Cove!

My eyes were only slits now to try and avoid getting scratched up. I felt hail scratch against my hide, but, strangely, it barely hurt. I know that the Vikings down at Berk would be all scratched up if they went outside right now. I guess dragons were just more durable than humans. Thinking about it, it did make sense.

I sighed in relief when I got to the cliffside. I stared up at it. Looking from directly under it, you couldn't even tell there was a hole. It was very high up; taller than the houses in Berk were built. I couldn't tell how deeply it was in the rockface, but I didn't really care at that moment. All I wanted to do was get into the shelter! Then, at least, I'd be out of the hail and rain, and I would be able to think straight.

More lightning flashed above me. I froze, stunned, and tried to shake it off. Still slightly disoriented, I reared on my hind legs and tried to grab the edge of the cave.

Except, I didn't. I wasn't even close.

I tried again, and again, and again. Frustrated, I backed up and tried to leap into the shelter. I was the opposite of lucky with that try; I jumped right into the area below it, not even close to the entrance!

This time, I did begin to wail. All my pent-up emotions crashed in on me. I was still Hiccup the Useless. I couldn't even get into a cave! The village probably hated me, Astrid included, the Night Fury enjoyed my misery and wanted me to die, and I was being rained and hailed on! I'd never be able to change back, or even try to help myself if I couldn't even get into a damn cave!

I glared up at the cave entrance. It was just barely out of reach, taunting me. I half-heartedly tried to get into it again, my survival instincts pressing me to get out of the rain and hail. I reared on my hind legs and stretched my front paws out as far as I could possibly get them. I tried to dig them into the cliff and jump at the same time. For a few seconds, hope filled me when the powerful claws actually punctured the wall and gave me leverage. I had climbed about halfway there, when, suddenly, a blast of wind knocked into me so hard, I fell off, hit the ground, and rolled into the lake.

I jumped out of it, gasping for air and coughing up the water I'd swallowed in my shock. Damn that wind! I was almost there! I was so close!

Wait…the wind!

That's it! Why hadn't I thought of this earlier?! All I had to do was wait for a powerful wind blast to blow in the direction of the cave, jump, stretch out my wings, and I'd fly right into it! I'd just have to remember how that Night Fury had moved his wings when he'd jumped over me in our battle. Maybe there was a good thing that had come from that fight. That Night Fury was the one who'd made the cave in the cliff, anyways.

I jogged over to the edge of the lake and turned, tensing. I waited for the wind to begin to blow in the direction I was facing.

The entire plan was easier said than done. Not only would the wind only blow in one direction for a short time, but by the time I realized that it was in the direction I wanted, it was already too late. To make matters worse, it was all completely random, and it was still raining and hailing. I growled when, for the third time, I missed my chance.

That's it! I decided, too stressed and outraged to even care about what was happening. I'm trying it anyways!

With an unnecessary battle-cry, I charged, leaped into the air, and stretched my wings out. I stayed airborne for several seconds longer than any human could have, and a feeling of elation spread through me. I grinned widely. I didn't dare try to move my wings any further, and just tried to aim myself towards the cave/hole in the cliffside. A few more seconds and I'd be there…

FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!

"Aaaaaiiiiiie!"

The wind blasted me from my left. I somersaulted midair and tried to twist my body around so I'd be able to face upright. I surprised myself by actually accomplishing the act! But then, another wind blast hit me; this time, from the front. I gasped when my wings caught the air and I went flying backwards.

With great effort, I turned around and brought them in closer to me.

I was shocked to see that the cave was right in front of me! Not wasting a second, I reached out with my front paws and grabbed the entrance of the cave. The moment I did, a gust of wind hit me in the side, nearly knocking me completely off. I gritted my teeth and dug my claws in further. When the wind stopped blowing for a few seconds, I scrambled into the cave.

The cave went deep enough into the crag that the far end was completely dry. I gratefully dropped down on the ground, now safe from the hail, rain, and wind. After a moment of staring out into the gray weather, I noticed that the cave I was in didn't have any stray rocks anywhere. It was just a big dent. I ran a paw over it, amazed at how hard and smooth it felt. If that Night Fury's blast had done this to the cliff…

And to think that that blast that did this was aimed at me…

I flinched and physically tensed. That Night Fury really, truly wanted me dead. Not a comforting thought. Especially when he was powerful enough to make a cave in a cliffside and simultaneously melt all the rock in said cave.

Well, at least I'm out of the rain, I thought to myself. Man, I'm tired… I lay my head on my paws and curled up tightly. Slowly, my shivering stopped. I never took my eyes off of the entrance of the cave. Something was telling me to be on my guard. I wasn't sure if it was my new dragon instincts or just my gut, but I wasn't going to ignore it. For all I knew, that Night Fury had been watching me the entire time. It wouldn't be that hard to just shoot a blast into the cave I was in to finish me off.

The resulting mental image completely unnerved me. I stood up abruptly and began pacing, talking frantically to myself in an attempt to calm down.

A flash of lightning made itself known by hitting the edge of the cave. That, plus the resulting boom, made me scream at the top of my lungs. I ran to the very edge of the cave and pressed myself up against it, shaking in terror. I whimpered when I heard the lighting begin to get more violent.

Oh, Berk is such a wonderful place to live in. It rains and hails nine months of the year and snows the other three.

I spent the rest of the day pressed against that wall. I know that, eventually, I settled down and started to just watch the outside world.

Around the time the sky was darkening, the rain was starting to let up a little. Emphasis on 'little'. The only thing that really completely stopped was the hail. By then, my body had decided that it would be a good idea to shut off. My eyes started to droop and my hearing got fuzzy. I struggled to fight off the sleep, but, in the end, couldn't.

I didn't dream about a single thing.

---

I woke up the next morning to a whitish-gray coat of clouds covering the sky and a light drizzle gently tapping the earth. I sat up, a solemn expression on my face when I remembered what had happened the night before. At least it wasn't raining as hard. In fact, I sort-of liked it when it drizzled like this.

I stood up and bent down to stretch. I pushed my wings out as far as they could go and slashed my tail a few times. Ah, that felt much better. My jaws widened in a massive yawn, and a small whine escaped from me. That whine became incredibly loud, when, suddenly, my teeth grew! They shot out of my gums lightning-fast, causing me to jump and try to bring a paw to my mouth.

These teeth were so…long! I thought they were big before, but this was ridiculous!

Dragons are crazy, I thought, shaking my head. Experimentally, I tried to see if I could retract the teeth. If they come out, then they can come in, right?

It took me a few seconds, but I finally found the muscles above and under my gums that pushed and pulled my teeth around. This led me to finding out that Night Furies can be completely toothless! Who would've thought? I couldn't help but wonder why a dragon would need an ability such as this.

I popped my teeth in and out several times. I have to admit, it was a bit amusing. That is, until I realized that I was sitting in a cave playing with my teeth. I felt a little dumb after that.

Shaking off the embarrassment, I walked to the edge of the cave. The grass was covered in dew, sparkling slightly. The trees all seemed to be weighed down by water that had not fallen off of their leaves in the storm. The air was filled with the heavy scent of rain and the humidity of the air was incredibly high. The air itself was a pleasant chill; not too hot, but not too cold, either.

I popped my head over the edge of cave and gulped. That was a long way down.

"Okay, Hiccup…you can do this…" I pulled my claws out to their full extent and dug them into the cliffside. I did the same with my hind paws. Slowly, I started to skid down the slightly-slanted surface. My claws slipped on something and I gasped, jumping the remainder of the way down to avoid falling face-first into the ground. I landed clumsily and nearly lost my footing on the slippery grass.

Several birds flew above me. They went up and out of the canyon. I watched them enviously. At least they weren't trapped in here like I was. All of the cliffs were incredibly high and steep. I'd barely been able to get up to the cliff-cave, and that was a little below the middle of the cliff's height. Although each cliff in the cove stopped at different heights, all of them would be impossible to climb. I scratched the idea of flying, out, too. After last night's experience, I didn't even want to look at my wings anymore.

I was so done with all of this. I wanted to go home.

My heart panged in loneliness and homesickness. I wish I had never shot down that dragon. It would have been better for everyone.

I growled at the thought of the Night Fury, teeth unsheathing to their fullest. I hated him. The second I thought that, my eyes widened.

Shaking my head several times, I walked over to the lake to get a drink of water. Hopefully that would clear my mind. I plunged my mouth in and took a long gulp of the ice-cold water. It felt wonderful as it slid down my throat and into my belly. I brought my head out of the water and gasped.

There was a Night Fury right in front of me!

I felt instincts inside of me awaken. Something in my chest constricted, and my mouth opened wide. My teeth retracted. I felt something barely tangible float around the back of my throat. I didn't even realize what I was doing until a high-pitched scream made itself known from the back of my mouth. I reared my head back in shock, and the fireblast I had unwillingly conjured shot up and out of the gorge, exploding above the forest in a great fireball. I gaped at it.

Why did I just…no. NO! I'm not a dragon! I can't do things like that! I bolted away from the lake, ashamed and furious at myself for getting so worked up over my own damn reflection that I'd actually lost myself. I frantically told myself,I'm not a dragon! I…I have to…

I stared at my feet. I have to act human…but how? I can't just pretend. It'll only make all of this hurt even more. But I'm not a dragon! I don't and shouldn't ever act like one!

I lowered my head in shame. I'm such a wreck. I'm even starting to act like a dragon. I need to get my bearings straight. How can I do that when I'm trapped in here, though?

I looked around helplessly for an answer. My eyes rested on the shortest overhang. It had a sort of dip in the middle of it. I narrowed my eyes, debating with myself. I had an idea…but would I really want to carry it out? I weighed the consequences of both decisions. If I decided not to, I'd still be in this cove, and I'd starve. If I did go through with it, then I risked becoming more of a dragon…but I could get out, escaping the Night Fury, if it were ever to come back and try to kill me. I was a sitting duck down here, with little to no shelter, and absolutely no fighting experience.

After thinking long and hard, I decided on the latter. I grudgingly walked over to the dip and closed my eyes, preparing myself. I needed to be as mentally stable as I could while I did this. I didn't want to become less human at all. I opened my eyes in newfound determination.

"I can do this," I told myself. "I know it. Or…I think I know it."

Praying that this worked out, I retracted my teeth all the way. I felt what I know knew was gas filter into my mouth. Rearing up on my hind legs and sitting back, I opened my mouth wide and sent a large fireball at the dip in the cliff. The force of the powerful energy-blast knocked me flat on my back. I grunted and rolled over as fast as I could. At the same moment, the blue-white ball hit the general area of the dip. It had somehow expanded halfway there, and exploded with significantly less force than the Night Fury's had.

The rocks on the crag crumbled and broke off in large chunks. I yelped when they began to fall. Turning, I started running as fast as my legs would carry me. More crumbling noises sounded behind me, and with fear in my eyes, I looked over my shoulder. I had caused a landslide! They were raining down on me! I was going to get crushed!

I faced towards what was in front of me and made a mad dash for the lake. When I got to the edge, I jumped over it, glided for a few seconds, and landed near the center. Several splashes sounded when the rocks fell into the water, but none got as far out into the lake as I had. Panting, I slowly began to paddle my way out of the water, using my tail as a sort of rudder to propel me forward into the shallower end. The deep end look downright scary, with almost-black water that I'm pretty sure had an undercurrent.

When I finally reached dry land, I shook my body and finally fully looked at what I'd just done. (I had to suppress a grin; a small part of me was cheering over the fact that I, Hiccup, had just shot an explosive fireball out of my mouth, and still knew that my mind was perfectly human!)

The small dip now covered the entire cliff. Rocks of all sizes covered the entire area under it. I couldn't help but stare at the boulders that could have easily crushed me. Suddenly, I was very thankful that I had decided to run away.

The rocks were mostly dark brown in color, but there was many tannish-yellow, gray, and even white stones littering them, too. I think I saw a few shiny black ones, too. A giant pile of rocks lead from the top of the precipice to the ground, where it flattened out and spread out the entire length of that 'wall' of the gorge. It was slanted very slightly, almost perpendicular to the ground; it would still be near-impossible for a human to climb it. But, several boulders were in the pile, and there were many crevices in it, too.

I wasn't a human anymore. I was a dragon. I was very powerful and strong compared to my human body. I might, just might, be able to scale the massive pile of rocks and save myself.

Wings folded against my body, I carefully walked over to the rocky area. I bunched up my leg muscles and leaped onto a large rock a few feet taller than myself, sticking my tail out when it began to wobble.

I looked straight up. Several rocks were sticking out, many of them big enough for me to climb on. Each was halfway-sticking out of the pile. I could easily jump my way through the maze. I could just as easily make it all come crashing down, too.

"Be careful, Hiccup," I told myself. I jumped at a rock resting directly to my upper left. It groaned under my weight as I clawed my way onto it and shook slightly. Trying not to waste any time, I scrambled my way up the rocky wall on several medium-sized rocks, frantically kicking them all to the bottom. When a boulder I could actually sit on came into view, I launched myself at it with lightning speed. Gradually, I managed to pull myself onto it. I looked up at the long way to go and grimaced. It was so tall!

I jumped on a rock above me. I paused mid-crouch when I felt something under it give. Before I could make a sound, it started to collapse. Gasping loudly, I sprang as high as I could and hit the rock-wall hard. My claws dug into several cracks in the stone I was clinging to and pain shot up my paws and elbows. I struggled to get onto the boulder I was hanging on, and when I finally did, took several deep breaths. While I wasn't even close to the top, I was high enough in the air to seriously injure myself if I fell the wrong way. I peeked over the edge of the rock.

Scary!

With a sigh, I got back to work with much more caution. A majority of my wonderful climb was me nearly falling and digging my long-suffering claws into the rocks until I could sit on one big enough to hold my weight.

When I was about halfway up, I heard something that made my blood freeze. The crackling of leaves and twigs, the swishing of plant limbs as they were pushed aside from something much bigger than themselves. Something was approaching.

I quickly squeezed myself into a smaller hole in the wall, camouflaging myself against the dark brown rock. The sound of footsteps continued to get closer and closer. I concentrated, pricking my ears. From the way it was walking, I could tell that it wasn't a human, and that it was heavy.

My heart skipped a beat. And then it dropped when I saw the Night Fury from before appear on the opposite edge of the gorge.

Even from the large distance between us, I could see every detail about him, from his rippling muscles to how his evil, almost-glowing green eyes widened at seeing the gorge's new feature. I froze when he traced his eyes around the pile of rocks. He didn't notice me. It took me a couple moments to realize that my scales were protecting me; their dark brown color matched my surroundings perfectly.

The Night Fury stalked around the edge of the gorge, not missing a single detail. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he snorted. I thought I heard him say, "Impossible."

Suddenly, he projected his voice out. "Come out, human! I know you're there! I can smell you!"

I stiffened, but said nothing. How could he possibly be able to catch my scent? Could he get past the rain-smell, or was he lying?

He paused, and when I did not react, continued, "How was last night? I bet you had fun down here in the cold, cold rain and hail. Especially when that lake started to overflow!" He grinned maliciously. "I know you spent the whole night trembling under those trees, acting like the weak human you are. Or, should I say, dragon? It's strange how you insist on being called a human. Of course, you are sort of a freak."

My eyes flashed. I wasn't a freak! It was him who did this to me!

"Oooh! I almost forgot to ask you! How did it go with your tribe? Was it fun being banished by them? Surely you wouldn't be this deep in this forest on a hunting trip. I bet your own father and mother hate you! How wonderful!" He laughed loudly, throwing his head into the air.

I growled. His laughing halted, and he looked in my direction with ears pricked. I squeezed my eyes shut, the only part of me that stood out, and tried to calm myself down. He's just trying to taunt you. He wants a reaction so he can kill you. Stay put! Don't! Move!

"Hey, human." I opened my eyes. The Night Fury leaned over the edge of the gorge and grinned. "Guess where I slept last night?"

Judging by his tone of voice, I really didn't want to know. That didn't stop the dragon from carrying on in his one-sided conversation. Lucky me.

"Well, freak," he crooned, tossing his head. "I saw the rain coming far before it came here. So, I was walking in the woods…and I found this human-made den…" He trailed off. My eyes widened. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It was abandoned, but since it was said to be haunted, people of all ages would climb up to it and look around for the 'ghosts'.

"There were these little humans in there, unfortunately. So, I just chased them out. All but one." He licked fully-unsheathed teeth.

I gasped in horror.

"Was the long-haired blonde girl a friend of yours? Because she certainly was a friend of mine. I'm glad we had a rematch." He chuckled.

He—killed—ASTRID!!

I roared loud enough to wake the dead. It took one glance at the Night Fury's smug expression to send me completely off the edge.

My body went through the pre-fire steps faster than I could even imagine. Apparently, the Night Fury was surprised, too, because when I shot the blast, he was just starting to react to the attack.

I didn't hit him, though!

My aim was off, and I hit the area directly below the Night Fury. He jumped and tried to fly away from the explosion, but the resulting shockwave knocked him up and forward…and right into the gorge.

He screamed a long string of (very) colorful phrases as he fell. The Night Fury spread his wings and fins out, leaned forward, and forced himself into a painful-looking roll that sent him straight into the lake. For a few seconds, I wondered if he would actually come up from a fall that hard. My hopes fell when the evil creature burst out of the lake, gasping and sputtering. He shook his head wildly and climbed out of the body of water, shaking his scales to get the water out of them.

I couldn't help my reaction. He looked like a drowned rat.

So I (stupidly; Gods, I'm an idiot!) laughed.

Unfortunately…he wasn't a drowned rat. The Night Fury stood up, eyes mere slits, and proclaimed, "Human! I will make this moment your last!"

~~~

Damn. That. Human.

I was a fool for underestimating him. While I had achieved my goal of getting the annoying little thing out of hiding, I'd ended up trapping myself in the process!

My muscles, mostly those in my front legs, were sore now. It hurt a little bit to stand up, but I chose to ignore it at the time. I had more important matters at hand. Two, in fact.

One: get rid of that annoying human once and for all. He was a thorn in mine and probably every dragon's side. Sparing his life in that village had been a mistake. I needed to fix it.

Two: get out of this idiotic gorge and try to help my brethren against the Queen. I still needed to find a way to get rid of her and possibly get some other dragons to stand by my side when I do.

I glared at the human, baring my teeth. While his aim was terrible, he'd hit me faster than I'd ever seen. I had a lurking suspicion that he'd just unknowingly used magic to force his fireblast into superspeed. I'd seen it been done before, but had never really thought of doing it myself. Shadow-Blenders have the fastest and most powerful strike; what use would I have to make mine quicker?

I couldn't let him know this, though. I hated to admit it, but if he figured out how to use magic, then he could actually get the upper hand. My magic level was a little over 'barely usable', and would be for the next couple of days. Even then, I was planning on saving every last drop. I needed to fix my tailfin as soon as possible, which would take a tremendous amount of energy, concentration, and power. I couldn't do any of that if I knew a Dragon-Viking that was out to get me was still roaming about.

So, I attacked.

It was my turn to throw a blast at the Viking. I charged one up, not even bothering to make it fast, and started to aim it at him. My eyes narrowed in confusion when the Viking, although he was shrinking in fear, started to lean forward. Was he…watching me?

My eyes widened, and I quickly let my fire loose. I wasn't about to let him learn how to aim better!

He yelped loudly and looked around wildly. With a terrified squeal, the human jumped off of his perch before my blast hit him. I began to sprint around the lake, snorting in annoyance when I saw him try to mimic the landing I had done earlier—and fail. He hit the ground with a loud 'thump'.

I was pouncing when the human finally noticed me. He rolled out of the way and began running as fast as he could in the direction I'd just come. I lashed my tail at his leg, trying to trip him. He jumped away nimbly, eyes wide, and fled. I growled in annoyance and called him every single curse I could think of. What a coward! He wouldn't even look me in the eye!

He'd had a headstart and was much smaller than me. I needed to speed up, and fast.

I broke out into a run, jumped into the air, and glided a long distance forward before landing and running again. The human rounded across the lake with me hot on his tail. I went to jump onto his back, but when I was halfway through the leap, he stopped, skidded, and bolted in the opposite direction that we were going. Unable to change directions, I could only watch helplessly as he escaped from my claws. I landed on one paw and spun on it. When my hind feet touched the ground, I immediately pushed off the ground and bounded towards the brown human-dragon with an intensely loud caterwaul. He cried out in terror.

Somehow, the little thing got faster. I found (to my great annoyance) that he was keeping up the same pace as me. The problem was that he was much farther away from me. When I reached the side of the lake, he'd already crossed the halfway point. And that lake was huge. It covered half of the gorge. Panting, I forced my legs to move faster and faster.

We were on our second lap around the lake when the human began to falter. I was beyond irritated by then, grunting as leaped over a rather large rock on the side where the cliff had seemingly exploded. The human was staying as close to the lake as he could to avoid me. He began to round around the edge of the water.

I suddenly changed directions and snapped my wings out, gliding the short distance between the areas before and after the curve of the lake. The pleasant result was me landing right into a shocked Viking. He screamed for help that would never come and wildly thrashed beneath me. His claws came dangerously close to slicing my neck open.

Woah, I thought, flinching out of the way. Time to change tactics.

I jumped off of him and shoulder-slammed him to the ground. He crawled away from me, shaking his head wildly.

"W-w-wait! No! Stop, please! Don't hurt me!"

I chose not to respond to this, seeing as he was the one who started this, and all that would end up from that conversation was him begging for his life. I stalked towards him, head lowered, teeth bared, and wings slightly opened. He continued to back up until his wings touched the edge of one of the cliffs. I stopped moving.

"Well, this was fun," I told him, slightly out of breath. The human, on the other hand, was gasping for air. "But the playing stops here. You're clearly outmatched, human. Or, should I say, Shadow-Blender?" My smug expression fell at the look he gave me. It was as if I'd said something crazy…did I have a bit of meat stuck between my teeth?

"You mean Night Fury?" He piped up. His eyes darted left and right.

I snorted in amusement. "Night Fury? Why would a Shadow-Blender be called that?" I chortled. "Please don't tell me that that's what you humans named us."

"You think Shadow-Blender is better?" He narrowed one eye in disgust. "It makes you sound like you literally take the shadows and blend them together."

"We do not! It means—hey!"

I gasped in surprise when the dragon-Viking charged straight at me, crawled under my stomach (which was very awkward, since he lifted my body up in the process), and glided the entire expanse of the lake. He didn't even bother to try to land and simply let himself collapse once he'd gotten over the lake, tumbling on the ground for a few seconds and skidding to a halt next to a tree.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, pine-green eyes turned gray from exhaustion. I was a bit surprised at this. I was tired, too…but not like that. Then again, he had been climbing that rock wall when I had come around. But I'd never seen a Shadow-Blender run out of energy so fast in my life.

So…he was quick, agile, and strong when under threat. But he had very little stamina or will to fight.

I stored that bit of information in my head for later. Standing up, I angrily stormed over to the edge of the lake and roared out to him, "Coward! You attacked me first! Why in the world would you run away from me?!" I stamped the ground several times to emphasize my point.

He struggled to sit up. His entire body was shaking in exhaustion. He turned around to face me, and I reared my head back as if I'd been slapped. He looked…devastated. What brought this on?

"B-because…you…you killed…" He took in a deep breath and let out a sob. The Viking lowered his head and turned away, as if embarrassed to show sadness around me. (I didn't see the big deal; when dragons are mourning, their brethren usually try to help them instead of laughing at them. Were humans cruel enough to ridicule their own kind for being so terribly upset?)

My eyes narrowed at that thought. So, I had succeeded to cause him the pain that I had wanted to.

…but…I didn't like it.

I shook the feeling off violently, trying to convince myself that I had wanted this. I watched him calculatingly, sighing when the dragon-Viking finally collapse into humanlike tears (dragons don't literally cry), throwing himself to the ground and wailing his soul out. I couldn't feel anger towards that.

I backed away from the lake in uncertainty. I did this.

Kill him, you idiot, A voice told me, he's vulnerable. He wouldn't even see it coming.

But what if killing him in that state of mind affects his afterlife? My mind shot back. He'd be ruined forever.

That's what you wanted, Shadow-Blender! Now kill him!

I shook my head wildly. One part of me was outraged at myself for showing pity to an evil human. Especially when their kind had shown so much cruelty towards mine. The other half, though, argued that he was in emotional pain and that I should not end his life. It whispered that he was just a hatchling, judging from his size and voice, and that he had never chosen this. It repeated, I did this.

True, I had changed him into a dragon, which I now realize was a mistake—a very stupid mistake (killing him would have been much faster and easier, and it would have left this entire drama-fest out of my life). Why was I being blamed for this? He was the one who shot me down! I was minding my own business!

I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut.

He was a human. Humans were evil. Except this strong display of emotion proved that wrong. I hadn't realized that that human female was so important to him. I had found that shack in the woods and had stayed the night, but the bit about the girl was a complete lie. I'd only used it because it was necessary! It had gotten him out of his hiding place.

Unfortunately, it also had this side effect.

How could I kill something that was in so much trauma? The Sun Dragon forbids it!

He's a human, I thought off-handedly. We dragons kill them all the time. What makes this one different?

If the situation hadn't been so difficult for me, I would have rolled my eyes. Well, for one thing, he is a dragon. And if he shot me down…then he must be different from his tribe. No Viking has ever seen a Night Fury before. We've lived in hundreds of years of mystery. So, this must be some sort of child prodigy…or outcast. He was treated with doubt and repulsion when he caught me, so did that mean he caught me as a last-ditch effort to avoid getting outcasted from his tribe?

For some reason, I didn't like that. Am I really to blame? I thought hard about the recent past. If I'd just run away, I would have been a coward. Killing him would have been fine. But turning him into a dragon…?

No.

I should not have done this.

That human had tried to look good in front of his tribe. And I'd gone and hurled their hate and disgust at him hundreds of times stronger. Which, while not a bad thing, could be seen as uncalled for. But he was a human! He deserved it, didn't he?

Except, he isn't a human right now, I remembered.

I hated how I felt so happy and angry with myself for all of this. I couldn't decide on what to do or feel!

I'll just…I'll leave him. That means that I'm no longer responsible for his death, since he'll just die in here. His tribe will find him eventually, too. That girl got away. She knows where this place is. Staying here is suicide.

I silently turned towards the rocky cliffside that had been blown apart. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I jumped up onto the first available rock and started to climb up the giant wall.

"Wait!" The shrill, chocked call echoed throughout the entire canyon.

I turned around on my perch to stare at the Viking. He was gliding his way over to where I was. I sniffed at him. "What?"

He landed close to the rocks and walked a few paces forward. He stared up at me with huge, sad eyes that strongly resembled a kicked puppy. When I got a closer look, though, they held many more emotions. There was resolve, nervousness, fear, agony…too many to count.

"Don't leave me. Just…wait." He stared at the ground, pawing at it nervously. With a small grimace, the human looked up at me. "I know I've said this a thousand times by now. But…I'm serious. I need to be changed back. I don't know if you understand how important this is for me. Please, I can't be a dragon." Gradually, his voice switched from timid to confident. "I was born a human. The gods made me that way. You can't just switch up their decision out of spite. I know that you were angry, and I understand why. I really am sorry…for both of us. We both made mistakes, and we both are paying a price for it. But…I'm paying a higher price. You've lost a tailfin. I've lost my family, friends, village, and body. You took my life away from me and enjoyed every second! How is that remotely fair?

"I'm able to admit my mistakes, dragon, and I'm pretty sure that you can, too. I know that I'm a human. I am not a dragon, and I will never be one. You know that, too. You only call me a dragon when you are digging for a reaction. So, I ask you, Shadow-Blender," he made direct eye contact with me. "Please change me back. I don't want to die, or live as something that I'm not. What kind of life is that? If you turn me into my old form, it will be as if none of this ever happened. I know that if you can change me into a dragon, then you can fix your tail.

"Let's strike a deal. You change me back into what I really am and leave here, and we can just pretend that none of this ever happened." He suddenly dropped his head.

"I…I can't forgive you. You killed Astrid. But I can forget about you. Just…please. Think about it, very carefully. What do you really want?"

Dead silence.

I was, to put it lightly, shocked. Apalled.

Nobody had ever spoken that seriously to me. Nobody had ever stood up to me as dignified as that, ever. Period.

I had to respect that aspect of the Viking. He, though timid and in desperate need of self-confidence, was a very strong individual. His bravery and clear-mindedness shone like a beckoning star in his speech. He also pointed out many important things…but one was bothering me. I had to get it out of the way.

"I didn't kill her," I breathed. The human's head shot up and he gasped. "I lied to get you out of hiding. I haven't seen her since yesterday."

The Viking looked like he had a mixture of happiness, relief, and outrage swirling inside him. He didn't say anything, though, and gestured for me to continue.

"Human…" I sighed. "Why do you think I turned you into a dragon?"

He frowned. "I shot you down?"

"More than that," I corrected. "You dishonored me."

The human tipped his head to the side. "I apologized for that."

"No, you didn't. You said you were sorry for both of us. And while I appreciate the long speech, which was very impressive, by the way, I still stand the same. I'm not going to sit here and let you go after only one day. What kind of punishment is that? Hardly any, I'd think. The only truly terrible things that have happened to you so far was getting attacked by me…and probably having to sit out in the rain last night."

"Well, I'm sorry!" He snapped. "Isn't that good enough? Can't we make amends?"

I silently debated with myself. On one hand, getting this annoying thing out of my scales once and for all would be wonderful. On the other…he was still a human deep down. He'd just told me. I didn't trust him in the least bit, and there was no reason for me to after hearing him say that. Turning him back into a human, which was impossible at my current state, would only lead to disaster for my tribe. The Vikings would learn more about dragons—and Shadow-Blenders—if this human were to ever return. He couldn't go back. Not now. I was still trapped on this gods-forsaken island.

But I couldn't just tell him my magic was low. Knowing that, he'd try to take advantage of me. I knew that if he had the proper motivation, he could probably get out of the gorge. The thought of him running back to his village and somehow telling them that I was vulnerable made me go still with unease. It would be the end of me.

Plus, I definitely did not want to see if he had open access to his magic.

I frowned seriously. What could I say that would deter him? What would buy me more time? Something that wasn't a complete lie, preferably. Making up several alibis was quite annoying.

With a small smile, I finally responded.

"When you brought me down to the world of humans…you destroyed the life's work of my species. We make sure we aren't seen for a reason. Not only are we powerful, but we are also rare due to being hunted down. Centuries ago, the elder Shadow-Blenders decided to cut off all connections to any threats, including humans. We were down to our last fifty. Now, I realize that this was a long time ago…but Shadow-Blenders have not recovered that well. We are only in our hundreds. The species hasn't advanced in numbers very much at all. We were completely dependent on the fact that nobody knew what we were. And then you shot me down.

"I was angry because you shot me down, yes. Like I said, you dishonored me. But I was also scared. Word travels quickly with humans, and now that there's a solid description of a Shadow-Blender out there, the entire species is in danger. People will begin to think, 'hey, I saw something like that in the mountains', and go and look in that spot. Before you know it, Shadow-Blenders will become widely-known and hunted. It's quite hard for a black dragon to run from anything if it isn't in the dead of the night.

"Now it's time for you to think hard. Is endangering an entire species of dragons punishable by becoming one of them?"

Perfect. The best part about this was that it was true. While the thought had never crossed my mind (Shadow-Blenders generally like warmer climates over the arctic oceans and their islands, so I was the only Shadow-Blender around for quite a distance), it was a good cover-up. It made me look like I was incredibly loyal to my species (which I was) and that I was placing their importance over the human (not so much).

He gaped at me. "You're seriously telling me you're doing this because of a number you can't be sure about?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure. I doubt that you'd understand how, but we Shadow-Blenders always try to keep in touch."

"So," the Viking growled, "you won't admit your mistake? You're blaming it on a number. A tiny, insignificant thing that in no way affects what goes on in Berk. You can't possibly be serious!"

"Why can't I?" I asked, raising a brow.

The human exploded. "Just because your species is low, doesn't mean that you'll all die! We've known what the other dragons have looked like for even longer, and we haven't even killed half of them! Unlike your beliefs, I doubt that anyone will remember exactly what a Night Fury looks like. It was dark, and they were kind-of shocked because you turned me into a dragon! The only other person who's seen you is Astrid, and she was fighting you! I doubt she was busy cataloging your appearance! So, no! Your species is in no danger! That's just an excuse to not turn me back!"

"Such arrogance!" I snarled. "How would you know such things?! That group of humans was staring at me for quite some time. Not to mention, several of them were more focused on keeping me off of any other Vikings when I had pinned you to the ground. Many of them did get a look at me! Shadow-Blenders aren't very complicated-looking dragons, so I doubt they won't miss any details!" I lashed my tail angrily. I wasn't lying! This was an actual problem! Just because it ranked low on my to-do list didn't mean that I should completely ignore it!

"That's not fair! You can't base your decision off of that!" The human slammed one foot down on the ground. Hard. Several rocks beneath it cracked. "We are here! This is about us! Not these other Night Furies that apparently live far away! It's just---I can't believe--!" He trailed off, at a loss for words. The human glared at me with the strength of an army of dragons.

"It is fair. You're asking me to take everything I did back, just like that." I calmly sat down and curled my tail around my feet. "Plus, I still can't fly. If I were to change you back, you'd run home to your home, yes?"

He paused in his glaring, confused, and nodded.

"How do you think your tribe will react to you suddenly appearing as a human?" I asked seriously.

"Well, that's easy. They'll…" He stopped in his explanation abruptly.

"They'll outcast you again?" I supplied. "But that time, you'd be a human. Something weak and vulnerable in the wild that doesn't have a chance of survival. Dragons, on the other hand, can go days without food or water, and are generally resistant to the weather." He snorted sarcastically. I chose to ignore it. "Dragons are so much more capable of living in this world than humans, so why bother? You know that that's going to happen if you do go back as a human."

"That's not true!" The Viking cried out defiantly. "They'd accept me!"

I rolled my eyes. "As what? The freak who turned into a dragon for a day, ran off, and then came back? Nobody would treat you the same ever again. You'd be ridiculed, harassed, and, most importantly, watched. Nobody would ever let you out of their sights again. Say 'bye-bye' to privacy, and wave at it as it leaves!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Also. What can you possibly say to make me believe that you won't try to shoot down another dragon in the next raid? Namely, me."

He glared, bared half-unsheathed teeth…and stopped. He looked deep in thought for several moments before saying, "I can swear an oath to the gods. I'll promise that I'll never try to shoot you or your dragon friends down again. If I do…well, then I'll be damned for eternity for going back on an oath and a sworn promise."

He stared at me hopefully. Gods, could those eyes get any bigger? I resisted the urge to baby him, reminding myself that, even if I wanted to, I could not change him back into a human for a very long time.

"Tempting, but no," I said in monotone. "You said you won't shoot any dragon down. You never said anything about fighting. And!" I interrupted him when he opened his mouth to fight back. "I wouldn't believe you if you did. Put yourself in my place. Would you trust me?"

"Put me in your place?!" The dragon-Viking all but shrieked. "Why don't you take your own advice! If I turned you into a human and dropped you off inside a nest of human-eating dragons, wouldn't you be desperate to fix things? Wouldn't you try everything in your power to get back to normal? There are so many things wrong with your argument! Just listen to me!"

I stared at him, twitching my tail. This Viking was very good at persuasive talking. Luckily for me, I saw right through it.

"I'd do things in my own way. My answer is no, and it won't be changing anytime soon."

He dropped his head and wings in defeat.

Without a word, I turned to leave. I flapped my wings expertly to give me lifts to the higher and more stable boulders above. I was halfway up the steep slope in no time. It was about then that I started to hear something that sounded very similar to…growling? I stopped, pricking my ears. Yes, that was definitely growling. Very close growling.

Alarmed, I spun around. The human was far below me, but I could clearly see the anger and hurt shining in his eyes. I could also clearly see the fireball that he had built up. With a gasp, I turned and jumped to the nearest boulder…just as the fireblast crashed into the stone, sending a shockwave that knocked me over the rock's side. I scrabbled helplessly, gasping in shock when I saw a large area of the wall begin to give way. I needed to get up now!

I leaped onto a large rock. It crumbled under my weight, causing me to fall on another. I jumped away just before several large boulders fell from above. I landed on one of the few stable areas of the cliff, several meters away from the landslide. I stared at my crumbling escape route as it collapsed in on itself, making it impossible to climb. While it was less steep, it was far more rocky and loose. There was no way a dragon could hope to scramble up there without causing another landslide.

I bared my teeth. I was trapped!

I turned to yell at the human.

What I didn't expect to see was a fireball hurtling towards me.

I only managed to let out a gasp-turned-scream before it hit me dead-on. I remember feeling a tremendous burst of pain…and then the beauty of unconsciousness took over my body. I welcomed the darkness as it took over me, slowly letting go of my problems.

~~~

The only word to describe what I was feeling right now would be 'horrified'.

I had not meant to actually shoot the Night Fury. I'd only wanted to hurt him a little bit, not send him flying off the cliffside!

I felt my cheeks burn in shame. I'd let my emotions get control of me…again. I had been so upset and so mad at the Night Fury for his irrationality, that I'd lost control of myself. I'd done something that I normally wouldn't have, and that made me outraged at myself. I shouldn't have reacted like that!

Above all, though, I was scared. I had reacted just like a dragon would.

I hunched over and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight off the emotions threatening to take over. I was so upset and angry and confused and sad and ashamed and—!

I took in a deep breath and emptied my mind—not an easy task. I needed to calm down and asses the situation. Maybe if I hadn't acted like a two-year-old, I would have been out of the gorge a long time ago.

I raised my head and looked over at the still form of the Night Fury. I sniffed in his direction cautiously, fear clenching my heart. Was he…dead? The thought made me shudder.

I stood up abruptly and carefully made my way over him. (I failed to notice how I arched my back completely and sidestepped the entire time, letting out a low moan.)

The Night Fury's eyes were closed, but they weren't being squeezed. Looking at his chest move up and down very evenly, I realized that he was alive. I sighed in relief and dropped down from my toes and onto the palms of my paws (when did I get into that position?). I didn't want to deal with a dead dragon in my temporary home, nor did I want my only chance at becoming normal again to be ruined because of my stupidity.

I stared at the Night Fury's form for the longest time. What should I do? Leave him there and hide?

Or…

An idea presented itself into my head.

The Night Fury had said that he didn't trust me. But what if I gained his trust? We could form an alliance of sorts, and then he'd change me back. I'd keep the agreement between us and fix everything back to normal in the village, and, soon, we'd both just forget about each other and move on with our lives.

I thought about this for a moment.

That sounds…cruel…

I let out another sigh. I didn't want to turn back into a human through trickery, especially if it involved earning the dragon's trust. Although he was a monster, I didn't want his heart to break as much as mine had. Nobody deserved that under any circumstances. This dragon was no different. I couldn't just become a fake-friend and then turn on him once I had got what I wanted.

I stared at his sleeping form in deep thought.

"I don't want to fight anymore," I whispered. "I just want to go home."

I turned my green eyes on the rockalanche (great name, right?). It looked absolutely painful to climb. So many rock shards were sticking out, sharp as swords, that it would be impossible to get over the steep hill without hurting myself. So I was stuck in here with a grounded dragon that probably hated me after knocking him out.

I vaguely remembered someone telling me, "A downed dragon is a dead dragon". It made me feel a twinge of guilt. It was my fault that all of this had happened; I'd shot down the dragon, which had caused him to freak out and do all of this. But that didn't mean he wasn't at fault. This mess was as much his burden as it was mine. I shouldn't be the only one who has to solve it.

But you can't force the pieces of a puzzle together. If you do, they bend out of shape, and eventually break. Then you have a broken, uneven, and uncompleted puzzle that you can never use again.

Maybe…if I show him kindness…

I replayed the Night Fury's words in my head. Most of the time, he'd sounded spiteful, arrogant, or holier-than-thou around me. Even during his talk with me about what I'd do if I were a human, he'd been speaking to me with a skeptical tone of voice that had an underlying message of 'you're an idiot'. Not once had he shown a positive emotion towards me. And not once had I shown a positive emotion towards him.

What if all we needed…was a push?

What if we fixed the puzzle?

The thought was ridiculous, but I certainly liked it a lot more than my trickster plan. It was the only other thing I could think of, too. Even so, the 'act kind and receive kindness' idea was much better than 'gain his trust and use it to your advantage'.

His single-finned tail flicked in his sleep and pulled me out of my thoughts. I jumped, slipped on a rock, and threw out both paws to catch myself. The landed square on the edge of a rather sharp boulder. Yelping in pain and surprise, I pulled them back and hissed. Augh, pain. Love it.

"We can't stay here," I groaned. "It's too…rocky."

I carefully made my way over to the Night Fury's neck and grabbed the area that was his scruff with half-unsheathed teeth. With great effort, I began to drag him over to the more grassy area of this side of the gorge. It hurt like hell, walking blindly among sharp stones. It also took a very long time, since I'd only really rested during our argument.

Eventually, I made it over to the soft-grass section of the gorge.

I dropped the heavy Night Fury and fell to the ground. My eyelids grew heavy in exhaustion and started to flutter.

No, I can't…I can't…

I closed my eyes.

Sleep…
Chapter 3, yay!

Critiques are always welcome.

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I Hear Him Scream (c) Me.
How to Train Your Dragon (c) Dreamworks.
© 2011 - 2024 rift-raft
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Gadzooooks's avatar
I've been watching this on FF. Pretty awesome story, well written! I like how you've portrayed Toothless in this one.