Cloud's Journey: Home

The Battle

"Bjorg, what are you doing!?" Hiccup yelled as we all watched, wide eyed.

"My thoughts exactly, brother." Egil stared up at Bjorg.

"Ye have to stop what you're doing. What would our family say? Please, don't do this." Bjorg's eyes were shiny.

Egil growled. "Ye can't change my mind. Ye should know family means nothing to me."

Bjorg's eyes hardened. "Then I will spend the rest of yer life makin' sure yer in jail."

"Traitors must run in the family." Egil hissed.

"Ye can insult me any way ye like." Bjorg spat. "Lad," He looked at Hiccup out of the corner of his eye. "Fetch yer dragon over 'ere."

"Keep a close eye on him, Bud." Hiccup said, walking over with Toothless beside him. Toothless leaned into Egil's face and growled as Hiccup helped Bjorg to his feet.

"Tell me, what exactly are you doing here?" He asked. "Where are the others, and how did you slip off like that?"

"Oh, I expect that they're lookin' for me." Bjorg said, hanging his head.

"Sit over here." Hiccup gestured to a rock with his hand. "We can't have you bleeding everywhere again just when you were getting better."

With stiff movements, Bjorg sat down on the rock. Hiccup looked him over before coming to my side.

"How's your leg?" He asked.

I swallowed. "It hurts."

"That much I could guess." Hiccup glanced at my bloodied legging and quickly looked away. "At least you're not passed out, or anything really bad."

"It could have been a lot worse." I agreed, looking down at my wound.

I let the dagger drop to the ground as Hiccup helped me over to a rock to sit down on. I squirmed to get comfortable, my wound making it impossible.

When I looked up again, I froze.

Toothless was laying still on the ground, a dart sticking out of his neck.

I opened my mouth. Egil sent me a deadly glare, raising his dart blower in my direction. I shut my mouth.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Hiccup frowned slightly, and slowly turned around.

Egil charged at top speed. In a flash, he snatched up the knife I had left on the ground. In a giant leap, he tackled Hiccup, bowling him right over!

"No!" I shrieked.

Hiccup grunted as he struggled to keep the blade from his throat. Egil slammed all his force down, but Hiccup managed to push it aside so the dagger stabbed the ground to the side of his neck.

"Get off him!" Bjorg ordered, sprinting over. Egil's foot flashed out, kicking his brother in the jaw and sending his sprawling on the ground.

"Give it up, boy." Egil hissed. "Your dragon is dead."

"No!" Hiccup shouted.

Egil sawed at Hiccup's chest, Hiccup gasping for breath as he pushed against the knife, barely keeping it from cutting him.

"Stop!" I cried, falling to my hands and knees.

"Augh!" Hiccup exclaimed, rolling with all his might. Egil tumbled off him, turning to glare, and crept back toward him.

"Toothless!"

Toothless lay still.

I grunted, ignoring the growing fire in my leg and scrambled for the fight. This had to stop! A tear glistened in the corner of my eye.

Egil sprang on Hiccup, plunging the dagger down at Hiccup's neck. Hiccup grabbed Egil's wrist and held it back. Growling, Egil yanked his hands free, kicked Hiccup in the gut, and went for the kill.

"No!" I dove for the dagger. Its sharp point plunged down, sending incredible agony shooting through my hand. I screamed like I never had before!

"Cloud!" Hiccup cried.

Egil glared at me, knife hovering. I saw his next move. Screaming again, I flung my fist at his face. My knuckled met his nose. Yelling, he dropped the knife to clutch his face.

Tears streaming down my face, I grabbed the dagger and threw it as far as I could.

Our attacker shoved me back and leaped at me. Someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. Hiccup. Screaming in fury, Egil sprang at him. I lay curled on the ground, sobbing.

Egil hovered in mid-air. Then with another scream, he went flying.

A long, crested dragon with a sail on the end of her red tail, slammed Egil onto the ground with all her strength. Hiccup ran to my side as Serendipity pounced on top of Egil and shrieked in his face.

"No, stop her!" Bjorg wailed, trying to scrabble to his feet. "She'll hurt him."

I opened my mouth to order Dipper to stop, but I didn't have it in me.

Now I knew what dying screams sounded like. Dipper slashed at Egil's back, tearing his clothes. Her eyes wild with fury, she snapped at his neck, biting down so hard, her jaw quivered. My mouth dropped open and I cried out a gasp. Egil's body convulsed before it went completely still.

"Stop her! Stop her!" Bjorg screamed, leaping to his feet.

"Dipper stop!" I managed to shout.

Hiccup gripped my shoulders as Bjorg ran past, flinging a rock at Dipper's shoulder. Dipper backed away with beating wings.

"Come on." Hiccup whispered, leading me around the violence and following Serendipity, who stopped near Toothless. Hiccup helped me settle on the ground. When Dipper came to my side and started sniffling me, he dashed to where Toothless, claimed dead, lay on the grass.

"You can't be dead." Both Hiccup and Bjorg said at the same time.

Toothless groaned and licked Hiccup's hand.

Egil did nothing.

"NOOOOOO!" Bjorg wailed, pounding the ground with his fist. His face sank to the ground, his head pressing into Egil's still body. "I promised them I would look out for you." He whispered, his figure beginning to shake.

I stroked Dipper's face, while Hiccup stroked Toothless, as we watched Bjorg grieve. I felt my eyes grow misty, but I couldn't force out any tears.

The chaos was over.

I looked at the sky at the sound of approaching dragon wings. All the dragon riders were landing. Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs dismounted and rushed over, all of them watching Bjorg shake over his brother's dead body.

"What happened?" Snotlout demanded when he reached my side. He grew pale at the sight of all the blood dripping off my hand.

"Is he dead?" I heard Astrid ask Hiccup. Hiccup nodded, petting Toothless who was beginning to sit up.

"What happened?" Fishlegs asked. "Is Bjorg ok?"

Hiccup took in a deep breath, glancing at Bjorg before putting his focus back on Toothless.

"Let's go back to Berk." Hiccup whispered, as Toothless stood up with drowsy eyes.

Off to the side, Bjorg was still weeping. "I love you, Egil. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."