"That. Was. AMAZING!" Rapunzel squealed excitedly as she hopped down clumsily of off Toothless' back, the cool grass decorated with dew droplets tickling her bare feet. "We just flew! On a dragon! I can't believe we just flew on a dragon!" She exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her. Hiccup meanwhile, just chuckled to himself humbly, he remembered how anxious and unsure he had been when he flew on Toothless for the first ever time, but now he didn't even have to think about it, flying on Toothless was the most natural thing in the world to him and there was nothing he enjoyed more.
They had landed in what looked like a woodland clearing, but it was certainly like no other woodland Hiccup had ever seen before. Magical beads of light twinkled through the air, they looked like fireflies, only there was something different about them. Whispers of wind delicately danced through the leaves of the trees around them, it seemed as if the trees were saying something. But that's impossible, Hiccup thought, isn't it?...
"Hiccup! That really was amazing!" Merida called out as she climbed off Toothless' back with ease. "I reckon your dragon would get along great with my horse Angus, you know." "Uhm..Thanks," Hiccup smiled nervously, he could suddenly feel his cheeks prickling with heat and was sure they were blushing crimson, suddenly he was grateful it was so dark and the others wouldn't be able to tell.
Shaking his head, he then asked, "So Jack what do we-" But Hiccup's question was cut short as he glanced around to discover Jack was no longer anywhere to be seen. 'Funny..' Hiccup thought to himself, he could have been sure he was there a moment ago.. perhaps he left whilst he was speaking to Merida, after all when he was talking to her he found it difficult, for some reason, to concentrate on anything else.
"That's weird, where did Jack go?" Rapunzel asked puzzledly joining Merida and Hiccup in the middle of the forest clearing.
But Merida didn't move, she stood frozen and staring out into the trees. "Shhh, keep quiet." She whispered urgently, her shining sapphire eyes were darting over the surroundings, scanning through the darkness all around them. Anxiety swelled up inside Merida's chest, she could have sworn she just saw something move out there.
She felt incredibly uneasy with Jack missing, where could he have possibly vanished to? The same feeling of dread blossomed inside each of the three, Jack was the one who had brought them all here, he seemed to be the one who knew what he was doing... what was going to happen without him? The summertime night air was filled with a symphony of crickets singing, as the trio anxiously held their breath, their ears straining through the melodic near silence.
Finally Hiccup couldn't contain it any longer and breathed out heavily, ripping through the quietness. "If i hold my breath for much longer i think i'll almost-" "Quiet!" Merida hissed imperatively. "I think i just heard something!"
"Yeah, you did.. me talking.." Hiccup muttered, trying to lighten the tension injected atmosphere. "No! Listen, i just heard it again!" Merida breathed.
And then they heard it. Splitting through the silence like the crack of a whip came a sound. It was the sound of twigs snapping underfoot.
Someone was coming.
The footsteps grew closer.
"You two, get behind me!" Merida urged. Froze to the spot, Rapunzel's large eyes gleamed with fear, her skin shone palely in the moonlight, giving her the illusion of a frozen porcealin statue. Merida was standing still as a portrait, with her wild scarlet locks framing her face she resembled a majestic tigress, who had just spotted her prey. Hiccup thought he, on the other hand, looked more like a terrified rabbit as he trembled nervously, trying to push the thought of what exactly was hiding there in the shadows out of his head.
The footsteps sounded again, striking fear into the air.
Closer.
The air had suddenly gone cold.
Again.
And then...
Rapunzel gasped.
Hiccup gulped.
Merida's heart skipped a beat.
Suddenly, two large penetrating eyes appeared out of the darkness.
