Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 11 - Over The Edge

Hiccup jumped, scrambling backwards until his back hit the man standing behind him. He was suddenly lifted to his feet by his tunic and shoved forwards so he was standing back in the center of the group. Most of the men had crossed arms and annoyed expressions, and he glanced back at the first man hesitantly, his lip starting to quiver. He wanted to go home now.

The man scowled, grabbing Hiccup's hair in a vice grip and shaking him with frustration. "Look, kid. Either you talk, or we make you talk!" He snapped. Hiccup whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.

"T-Toothless," he stuttered, struggling to regain his ability to talk.

The angry man leaned forward, letting go of Hiccup and placing his hand behind his ear in an exaggerated manner. "What was that?" He inquired mockingly. The other men laughed quietly.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup screamed at the top of his lungs, collapsing to the floor and holding his head between his hands as the terror became too much for him.

VALKA'S POV

I set down my pencil with a sigh, running a tired hand over my face. I'd been working on plans for my next mission for the past few hours and I was exhausted, not to mention bored out of my mind. Usually Hiccup kept me company while I worked, and I'd tell him all about the mission and how I planned to execute it in return. He liked learning about this stuff, and it was good to prepare him early on.

I glanced up at the icy ceiling, checking the sun's position. Hiccup should've been back by now...Usually I wouldn't worry if he was a little late—he got distracted pretty easily when he ventured outside the nest—but he was more than a little late. That dreaded sense of unease filled my entire being, and I stood up, deciding to go look for him. Hopefully I'd catch him on his way into the nest and he would tease me for worrying too much.

I rushed through the tunnel, cursing silently when Cloudjumper was nowhere to be seen. This was definitely one of the few times I wished we were attached at the hip. I figured I'd take a shot, and raised my hands to cup my mouth. "Cloudjumper!" I shouted as loud as possible. Some of the dragons flying nearby flinched at the sudden noise, then, as if sensing my urgency, they all released their own roars. The nest erupted with sound as other dragons joined in, and in less than a minute I saw the Stormcutter appear around a cliff. He flew straight to me, landing a bit roughly in his haste.

*What's wrong?* He asked, bending down so I could climb onto his back.

"I-I don't know...Hiccup...he hasn't come back yet, and I just—" Cloud cut me off with an understanding croon, leaping into the air without being told.

*I understand. We'll find him, Valka. I'm sure he's fine. He has Toothless, remember?* He pointed out, speeding towards the entrance to the nest.

I took a deep breath, nodding. "Right. Toothless..."

TOOTHLESS' POV

I grew more and more antsy as the minutes passed, sniffing around the ship's floor as I debated whether or not I should force Hiccup to come back up here. My boy was smart and brave and made each day worth living, but sometimes he could be so stupid! Why would he go down into the belly of this human-made beast all by himself?! It was too dangerous!

I spared a glance at Shimmer, whose head was tilted as she took in multiple deep breaths. She was scenting the air—Spike-tails had an amazing sense of smell. My ear flaps perked up as her tail spikes lifted slightly. *What is it?* I questioned, a bit too harshly.

She shook her head. *There's something...some weird scent...*

As soon as I began to process her words, a terrified scream filtered out from below. "TOOTHLESS!"

My body reacted before my brain did, and I tore at the wood with sharp claws, ripping pieces of it out of place. I was at least aware enough to realize that blowing a hole through the floor would risk hurting my boy, so I took the extra effort of clawing my way inside. In just a few short seconds, I'd gouged a hole big enough to fit through, and I dove down to see what the problem was.

I'll admit—the sight of adult human males made me pause. Valka and Hiccup were the only humans I'd ever seen. These males were ugly, smelled terrible, and made the air taste like rotten fish. It was surprising that any female human would agree to mate with one of these creatures.

My hesitation only lasted a split second as my gaze landed on my precious human hatchling. He was curled in on himself, the scent of fear enveloping his tiny form. My pupils narrowed into slits and a red haze blurred the edges of my vision. My chest swelled with fire, making my breaths come out as steamy puffs of air. My spine prickled with electricity and I could sense an unknown power rising within every inch of my body.

I couldn't hear the males shouting with surprise and fright, nor could I see their pathetic attempts to grab any sort of weapon they could find. I only saw threat-to-mine and love-of-mine, and those two things were much too close to each other. Any rational thought was far gone. There was only kill kill kill.

My body obeyed its instincts, and I lunged for the closest one. Kill kill kill. My sharp claws tore through flesh like my wings cut through air. More red entered my vision. Kill kill kill. I moved to the next one, my jaws clamping around something I didn't care—wasn't able to—identify and ripping it from its once secure position. More red, plus a taste I normally found disgusting but relished in this moment. Kill kill kill. The next one fought back. It hit me with something—a long, shiny claw that glanced off my scales harmlessly. This insect thought it could hurt me? I would laugh if I remembered how. Instead, I angled my head and bit down on the little insect, hearing a satisfying crunch, along with an even more satisfying scream. That confused me a little—insects don't scream...I shook my head. There was no time for this. Kill kill kill. Yes, I needed to kill. Kill what? A movement to my right caught my attention and I swiped out a paw. More ripping, more screaming, more red. Everywhere was red. Eventually, there was silence, save for the steady chant of kill ringing in my head. Now what? There were no more insects to crush. I sniffed, searching for my next victim, but there was a sickly sweet smell invading all my senses. It was a lovely scent...wasn't it? I shook my head again. Kill kill kill.

There was something behind me. What's that? Another insect? I turned towards it, and suddenly my orders changed. Protect protect protect. Of course I would protect it. It was mine. I would never harm it. What was it, though? It was making a noise, but I didn't understand it. I wanted to, though, so I focused a little harder.

"...me, bud...okay...calm down...safe..." The noises became a little clearer, and I blinked vigorously to try and get rid of the red in my vision. It was a voice. I knew the voice. Love-of-mine. Yes, I know you. I love you. Protect protect protect. Was there danger? I growled, the red once again threatening to take over completely.

"...over, bud. I'm safe." The voice pressed. I had to listen. The voice was important. I reached forward slowly. An instant later, there was a soft sensation on my nose. I purred.

Suddenly, a new voice called out, shocking me back into the red haze. "...Hiccup!...are you?..." No, no, I don't like this voice. It wasn't love-of-mine, which meant it must be threat-to-mine. Another insect! Kill kill kill, the chant returned full force.

I stepped away from the one I could never harm, and raced over to the hole I'd made earlier, leaping out of it with ease. My pupils were slits, barely visible. The red haze guided me forward. This time, there was more than just an insect in my path. There were two others. They were like me—egg-born, with claws and sharp teeth and wings. I would've preferred to only deal with an insect, but the instructions were clear. Kill kill kill.

I couldn't deny such a simple order. It's what I was made to do. The fire within me was aching to be released. It was powerful. It would complete the necessary task. The other egg-born creatures might be able to cause damage, but they couldn't defeat me. I was too strong. I was going to tear them apart just like the rest, because love-of-mine depended on it.

Kill kill kill.

P.S.— Seeing as this is indeed an AU story, I'm making it my own. My version of the characters won't act exactly how they do in the movies ;)