Secrets of the Wilderwest (Httyd fic)

Chapter 17

Astrid's POV

'This is the most ridiculous idea.' I thought as Hiccup made us back up against the wall. Hiccup used some of the cloth from his tunic and the material in the dynamite stick to make a smaller explosive, which he stuck between the cell door near the lock.

He hoped to ignite it by focusing the sunlight on the cloth bundle using Fishlegs' glasses.

"Cuz, this is never going to work." Snotlout commented with his arms crossed.

"It's worth a shot." Hiccup mumbled.

It took Hiccup a few tries and when he finally managed to make a little spark he whooped with joy. The spark turned into a little flame and ignited the small amount of nitroglycerin in the bundle. The explosion was small but it was apparently enough to destroy the lock on the cell door.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Snotlout murmured in astonishment as he was pulled along by Hiccup.

"Come on. We don't have much time." Hiccup said sprinting out of the brig with us at his heels.

"Hiccup where are you going?" I asked while following him.

"To the Colonel's room." Hiccup said. "That man has my gun! I saw it hanging on his belt when we were dragged to the cells."

"Can't you just get another gun?" Fishlegs inquired while trying to keep up.

"It's specially made." Hiccup stated. "Can't shoot Gobber's special bullets without it. Any other gun barrel would have cracked already."

Hiccup came to a stop at a small structure between the barracks. "Here we go. Colonel's office and quarters." Hiccup mumbled as he glanced at the nameplate. A twist of the doorknob was all it took to enter the building.

"He doesn't lock his rooms?" I ask perplexed.

"Probably thinks that no one would ever dare to enter uninvited." Fishlegs murmured.

"Hmmm, he clearly doesn't know my cuz." Snotlout snorted and entered as well.

As I crept in I noticed Hiccup already rifling through the drawers of the desk in frustration. "It isn't here." Hiccup remarked.

"I think we found it." Ruffnut and Tuffnut said in union and pointed to the door that they had opened up a crack. It was the bedroom and the Colonel was asleep on the bed probably taking a midday nap. On the nightstand next lay Hiccup's gun.

Hiccup swore and told us to wait outside and get ready to make a speedy get-away while he got it. It didn't take long before Hiccup crept out of the quarters, gun in one hand and what looked like a permanent marker in the other.

"Do I want to know?" I whispered to him only to receive a grin in return. "I'll take that as a no."

We sprinted towards the treeline but Fishlegs tripped and landed against some oil drums causing them to fall and thus alerting the guards.

"Hurry!" Hiccup shouted and dragged Fishlegs up just as the guards came running to investigate the noise.

"The prisoners are escaping!" was yelled and alarms all over the base sounded.

We ran through the forest with soldiers chasing us once again. They were gaining on us when a roar was heard. A purple plasma blast flew over us and impacted in front of the soldiers.

"Is that......" I ask pointing to the tree where I saw a black shape.

"Toothless!" Hiccup said happily as the dragon dropped down.

But the soldiers were only momentarily stunned and they charged right back at us only to suddenly fall down one by one.

"What's going on?" The twins asked.

"Just us." Was said and Silvy together with some warriors emerged from the bushes. "We were planning to come save you at night. Now come we need to get out of here."

We quickly followed Silvy back to the village where we introduced Ruffnut and Tuffnut to them. Silvy was skeptical at first about allowing former army members into the village but with some assurances from us that 'Yes the twins were crazy, but they really don't mean any harm.' She conceded.

With the origin of the village illness known they could now request aid from the rebels who would smuggle the medicine to them. Some of the liberated dragons decided to stay in the village or near it's outskirts and as thanks for our help and save return the village was throwing a feast tonight. Tomorrow we would set off to the location on Fishlegs' map to find the next item.

I was sitting in the hut listening to Fishlegs and Snotlout argue over the best way to roast mutton when Ruffnut ran past. She then stopped and ran back to me.

"Hey Astrid, aren't you going to come watch?" Ruffnut asked while jogging in place.

"Watch what?" I asked getting curious.

"I heard it from the other village girls. Apparently Mai and Ami asked Hiccup if he could chop some firewood for them for tonight. A lot of the girls snuck off to hide in the bushes so they ogle him." Ruffnut replied.

I raise an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" I ask and Ruffnut nods. "Come on girl." She said and drags me along.

Ruffnut drags me through the forest until I see a clearing up ahead. I notice a lot of the younger teen girls crouching behind bushes and trees while peeking into the clearing.

In the clearing I see the elders Mia and Ami putting logs on a pile while a shirtless Hiccup was chopping them.

Many of the village girls sighed at the sight while I murmured. "I've seen more than that." This immediately caught the other girls attention and they were looking at me with wide eyes.

"You are so spilling the details later Astrid." Ruffnut whispered and we went back to watching.

"Is this enough?" Hiccup asked as he stopped chopping and indicated to a pile of wood in a chart.

"Oh, we need a bit more." Ami said.

"Yes, a bit more." Mai confirms and Hiccup went back to chopping while the village elders whispered to each other.

"Is it me or are those two also doing a fair bit of ogling?" I ask to no one in particular.

Hiccup was soon done chopping and then I noticed Toothless hanging upside down in a tree not too far away. 'How could I have missed a giant black dragon hanging upside down in a tree?' I ask myself as I see Toothless help pull the cart back to the village.

As Hiccup and the elders passed I could have sworn I saw one of them wink in our direction.