A massive storm comes out of nowhere one day, sucking the dragon riders in and taking then far from home. They wake up on an odd island that they've never seen before. But the deeper they travel into it's forests, the more they realize this is no re...
"Woah..." Endeavor heard Ruff muttered beside her. Eyes still shut, Endeavor pushed down harder onto Tuffnut's chest. Her hands became almost numb, and she could just barely feel his heartbeat growing stronger again.
When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find a glowing blue orb of light surrounding her hands. She almost lost concentration, but urged herself to keep going. Once Tuffnut's eyes opened, she pulled away from him abruptly. She stared at her hands as they turned back to their normal peach color.
Ruff attacked her brother into a hug as he sat up. But it wasn't long before all attention was turned to Endeavor. "What was that..thing..talking about?" Hiccup demanded, "that you have some sort of power here?"
"But, I don't.." Endeavor sounded uncharacteristically helpless when she spoke. She was unsure anymore if what Slug had said was true or not. Did she have power on this island after all?
"You just stopped Tuffnut from dying," Astrid backed up Hiccup.
"I don't know, okay?" Endeavor regained her confidence and became defensive. "I always knew I was an acception," she admitted, "but I've never done something like that before. I don't know how..or why..."
It was obvious to the riders that Endeavor was telling the truth. She looked more confused than ever. Hiccup sighed. "Well, we'll figure it out," he gave in, deciding to believe her, "eventually."
Endeavor stood up, not wanting to look weak, and cleared her throat. "We should split up and search the tunnels for anything that doesn't fit into the 'game'," she suggested formally, "anything that looks normal, like it doesn't belong here, could be a clue."
"Split up?" Snotlout repeated, "after what just happened?"
"We'll go in three groups," Endeavor pressed on, ignoring Snotlout. She then looked to Tuffnut. "He'll go with me. I still need to make sure he's stable after that sting," she explained.
"Then I'm going with you, too," Ruffnut spoke firmly as she stood.
"No," Endeavor objected, "you and your brother are the best at noticing seemingly useless details, but that's exactly what we're looking for now. I need you to go with Fishlegs, or Hiccup."
Ruff shared a proud gron with Tuff before accepting. "Sounds fair, I'll go with Fishlegs," she decided, walking over to the larger Viking. "Hey," she greeted with a mischievous grin, elbowing him as she spoke hopefully, "maybe we'll run into that bore again."
"Oh Thor..." Fishlegs mumbled anxiously just at the mention of the bore incident.
"What about me?" Snotlout asked.
Hiccup spoke up before Endeavor could, "Snotlout, you'll come with me and Astrid." Hiccup and Endeavor met each other with determined looks. There was a moment of silence as the five others watched the stare down. Tension was rising once again between the two leaders.
But Endeavor wasn't about to waste precious time fighting. She nodded firmly. "We'll meet back here when the walls brighten," Endeavor ordered, knocking on the wall that glowed dimly with a silver light at her side, "they get brighter at night..you'll know what I mean when it happens."
With that, everyone else began to split off. Endeavor held her hand out to Tuff. When he took it, she lifted him right to his feet. "Also, if you run into anything alive down here," Endeavor added before everyone split, "remember that they're just as afraid as you. Don't be a threat, and they shouldn't bother you. But if they try to eat you, well...use common sense. And no matter what, don't leave the Beneath."
Then the three groups went down seperate tunnels. Now that Endeavor was finally alone with Tuffnut, she punched him in the shoulder, almost knocking him over. "Ow! What was that for?!" He asked in shock, holding his shoulder as it began to bruise.
"Why did you jump in front of me?" Endeavor demanded, "you would've died if I didn't figure out how to save you."
Tuff frowned and looked down awkwardly. "Well, I couldn't let you die," he argued.
Endeavor sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have died," she told him, "my poison is the strongest on the island; no other creatures' poison can kill me."
"Wait, you have poison?" Tuffnut questioned her with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, one tail that stuns, one that poisons, and one that's just really sharp," Endeavor explained quickly before moving on. "But that's not the point, Tuff," she spoke in a concerned voice, "what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking, that if you died, no one would make it home, but if I did...the others would have a chance," Tuff admitted quietly. "And if I let you die," he added in a mutter, "how was I supposed to live with that?"
Endeavor felt her heart warm up. She smiled at him sideways and observed, "you risked your life for your friends."
"Well, they're not just my friends," Tuff corrected as he smiled as well, "they're like family. Except for Ruff, who really is family."
It was touching to hear how much Tuffnut cared about the other riders. "And what does that make me?" She asked curiously.
She watched Tuff's face grow red as he continued to avoid eye contact. He only muttered awkwardly, "uh...important."
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⇧ Art by Yoshi5138⇧ Thank you again for another beautiful drawing! ♡
