Night Fury's Venom

Part 43: We Are Family

Progress had been slow for the past few days. The ships we'd been using for salvage didn't yield much in workable wood. There were only a few small, makeshift shelters that could be built, but they were barely sufficient. The moonless night proved to be a problem for the speed at which we made the shelters, not to mention the numerous splinters in my palms. Even worse, some of the wood had disintegrated as soon as I lifted it, turning into soggy heaps in the sand. Despite that, we managed to build enough shelter to accommodate everyone, but just barely.

I let out a long sigh, lying on my back out in the sand only a few feet from the water, picking the splinters out of my hands carefully. I stared up at the night sky, listening to the low rumble of thunder in the distance, and wondering where Hiccup might be.

I still couldn't be sure if it was just another dragon or still Hiccup inside. I still wanted to believe that he was abducted, but with each day that he didn't return, I started to doubt that. What if he had left willingly? Was he brainwashed, or did he believe we weren't good enough for him? I worried for him all the time, enough that it was probably too much.

Hiccup was always too adventurous and curious, two things a Viking shouldn't be. He would ignore me when I yelled at him, so I stuck him in the forge with Gobber to keep him occupied, but he always found a way out. And when he got out, he would cause destruction throughout Berk trying to 'help' with the things he built. He even claimed he downed a Night Fury multiple nights. Of course, the one night that he did do it, I didn't listen.

That mistake was probably the reason he was gone. I didn't know the whole story about what had happened, but from what Gobber told me, Hiccup had been bitten by a dragon and was transformed right in front of him. Trapping him in a cage likely didn't cause him to trust us anymore, and that led me to believe that he left us of his own free will.

Sighing, I dropped my hands to my sides, hearing the soft sound of shifting sand. I stared into the darkened sky, letting my mind slowly clear of the conflicting thoughts. The night had been stressful enough, so thinking about someone who could be dead for all I knew would only make my stress worse. Berk was ruined, and as far as I knew, Hiccup was on that island.

I sighed again, sitting up and getting to my feet. I stretched my stiff muscles for a moment, grunting whenever my back popped. Then, I turned to head back to the makeshift village. As soon as my first step landed, the ground vibrated heavily, making me stop.

I'm not that fat... am I?

A flash of light tore my gaze from the ground and to the sky. What I saw in the sky was breathtaking, and I'd never seen anything like it before. Lighting up the previously blank night sky was what looked like a single ball of light. It was traveling at a steady pace toward the coming thunderstorm.

"Odin's beard," I whispered, "what is that?"

(^-^)

My wings were aching, my head was pounding, and I was exhausted from staying up all night, but I didn't care. For many season cycles, I thought my brother was dead, and when he died, I realized I had made a grave mistake in avoiding him, but it was too late. I regretted everything I ever said to him, I knew it wasn't truly his fault for what he did, and I was stupid to alienate him for it. I felt so guilty that I never had the chance to apologize because of his death.

Now, however, I had the chance. All I had to do was catch him, and by the Moon herself, I would!

Feeling my exhaustion intensifying, I drew upon my magic reserves, pumping my wings with renewed vigor. Blinking through the wind in my eyes, I watched with wide eyes as the storm disintegrated, the final bolts of lightning impacting the spot of light. Once done, the purple light dove toward a large sandbank, and I dropped into a dive to pursue it.