A/N; Apparently, a chapter didn't show up, well, on some of my friends wattpads, so just a reminder that there is a chapter 20. Cause my friend read the 21st chapter and was like, "Whoa! What da heck happened?!'' So read it if you haven't :P
Chapter 22 - The Heart of a Chief, and the Soul of a Dragon
H I C C U P
He paced back and forth at the cliffs, furrowing his eyebrows, deep in thought.
A name he thought over and over. What was her name?
He had been dreaming about a girl. He couldn't think of her looks, or even the colour of her hair. All he saw was a girl, surrounded by fire.
But Hiccup couldn't just let it go. He couldn't just stand by, forgetting about it. He needed answers, and he knew that they were deep inside his head, locked away, but he had no idea how he could access them.
Then, in the night, Hiccup heard a faint roar.
The boy turned, surveying the area with his forest green eyes. Hiccup wasn't tough and buff. He was a mere, thirteen year old boy with thin, stick like arms. He couldn't face off a Viking, let alone a dragon.
He gripped the sides of his fur vest, heading along the brim of Berk, heading towards home.
As he turned to walk into the woods, he saw a blur of red. Puzzled, and a little frightened, the boy slightly crouched and took out his minuscule blade, holding it in front of himself pathetically.
"W-W-Who goes t-t-there!" he stuttered, his wide eyes searching the dark woods.
A rustle of bushes to his left caught his attention, and he slowly turned, dagger in hand. Slowly, Hiccup inched his way forward, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
With a small lunge, Hiccup grabbed whatever was moving. At first, Hiccup thought it was a dragon, until he felt hair, and skin.
Hiccup squealed, jumping up and hiding behind a tree. He waited behind the tree, his back pressed up against the rough wood. He heard a curse, and someone mumbling to themselves, and more rustle of a bush.
Hiccup waited five minutes, and he heard nothing.
He peered out from behind the tree, and stared into the sky blue eyes of a boy around his age.
Thick, wavy, red hair and intense blue eyes. He wore a dirty, brown rag as pants, and his feet were bare foot. The boy was around Hiccups age; a year older. But this boy was no Hiccup. He already had muscle, and his shoulders were broad, but he was not chunky or large. His chest was sculpted I almost complete perfection, strange for his age.
The two boys just stared at each other for a moment, neither saying a word.
"...H-H-Hi" stuttered Hiccup, fumbling with the dagger and he dropped it.
The other boy was breathing heavily, a weird mark on his chest that made Hiccup gulp. It looked like a swirly, intricate pattern, that was in a symbol of a fish. And it was no tattoo.
It had been branded there.
"...You never saw me" said the boy, taking a few steps back, ready to run off.
"Wait!" called Hiccup, and he mentally scolded himself for saying anything.
The boy turned to Hiccup, his eyes bright as they stared into Hiccup's.
"Who are you? What--Why are you here?"
The boy took a few more steps back, his eyes narrowing as he did. He was starting to disappear in the undergrowth of the woods.
"Wait!" called Hiccup again, stepping out from behind the tree.
The older boy widened his eyes, turned, and ran.
Hiccup chased after him, not as fast as he would of liked. He didn't stop though, somewhat determined to talk to this strange boy.
Hiccup bursted out from the line of trees, and saw the red headed boy run towards the cliffs.
"WAIT! DONT!" called Hiccup, trying to warn the boy.
He jumped off.
Hiccup just made it to the edge to see the boy dive into the water like some sort of professional. The waves of the sea crashed against the cliffs, and Hiccup stared wide eyed down at the water as the boy did not surface.
But Hiccup saw red, and the boys head popped out from the water. At first, the two just stared into each other's eyes, and neither really did or say anything.
"Who are you!?" called Hiccup over the waves as they crashed against the rocks.
The boy looked behind him, out to sea, before back to Hiccup.
"A friend" he said with a smile, before he dived back under the waves.
~•~
I sit up, rubbing my forehead.
Memories. Again.
Why now though?
I look around the room, and I realise I'm on the couch. Quietly, I stand and head up the stairs to my room. I open the door to my room, sneaking inside before laying down on my bed, but I do not sleep.
There's too much running through my head.
••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••
E M B E R
I slowly open my eyes, and I realise I'm in my room, laying on my bed.
Woah--wait--what?
Groaning, I sit up and I look around, my gaze landing on Hiccup as he sits on his bed, looking at me.
The events of last night come rushing back to me like a tidal wave.
He kissed me.
Again.
Then I passed out. So he must of carried me back home, and put me back in bed.
Ugh, why does he have to be so nice?
"You feeling okay?" he asks softly.
No.
NO I AM NOT!
"No" I say truthfully. "I am definitely not okay."
"W-What's...what's wrong?"
I stare at him, wide eyes, with the oh-are-you-frikin-kidding-me! look.
"Are you serious?" I gape.
He bites down on his lips, not looking too sure. He opens his mouth to say something, but I put my hand up to stop him.
"No. Don't say it. I don't want to hear anymore of your insanity."
He groans. "I'm not--"
"You are Hiccup" I spit. "You are insane at the moment. You have a beautiful, five star Astrid, and then you decide to kiss the freak with the...."
My eyes widen.
He knows.
He knows I have dragon wings and a tail. He knows I'm not normal. He knows I'm a freak.
This isn't good.
"...I...I don't know if...if you want to k-kill me or...or you are just m-mad" says Hiccup, rubbing his neck nervously.
I blink, looking to the ground. "Hiccup...listen...I've been thinking about what you said last night..."
His head perks up. "R-Really?"
Why does he keep stuttering?
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, and I sniffle. "I don't want you, like how you want me. You've ruined this friendship that we had...and...I liked what he has before. I'll give you a second chance."
"S-Second chance?"
I nod. "We pretend none of this happened, and we can go back to being friends, and you can stay with Astrid."
He groans. "Ember--"
"Or you can dump Astrid, but don't you DARE think that you'll go with me. I don't love you Hiccup. I. Don't."
I see sadness well up in his eyes, and pain is lacing his features.
Hurting him is ultimately protecting him.
I stand up, my head softly swaying, and I head down the stairs and to the kitchen, where I can smell some bread being cooked in a fire.
Valka looks up at me as she sets some cooked toast aside. "Oh Ember. How are you...feeling?"
I blink. "Not well. I'm just hungry."
She softly smiles, handing me a plate with a butter piece of toast on top.
"Here. Hope this will make you feel better."
I take a nibble out of the bread, looking down at the table. Hiccup comes down from the bedroom, avoiding eye contact from me.
Valka notices this.
"What's wrong you two?" she asks, shrugging like she doesn't really care.
But of course she does.
"Nothing" we say in unison, and Valka raises an eyebrow.
"...you sure?"
"Yes" we both say.
She narrows her eyebrows at us, before turning back around and cooking up some more toast.
"Well, Ember, one moment you are saying you hate Hiccup, the next, you cut your hair, and then you didn't come home till very late last night. I don't think there is nothing wrong."
Hiccup stiffens slightly as Valka says how I said I 'Hate' him. Did I say that? I don't remember saying that.
You did.
Crap. Of course I did. I'm so messed up at the moment.
"But your hair is fine now" whispers Valka, not looking me in the eye.
I furrow my eyebrows, reaching my hand up, and I run my fingers through soft, silky, long hair that just stops at the bottom of my shoulder blades.
I feel my eyes widen.
How?! I just cut it! My hair doesn't grow that fast. Oh gods...I'm a freak. A freak in the freaks.
"Fick" I whisper, and Valka raises an eyebrow. "I said Fick."
She rolls her eyes. "Well then why don't you go and talk to the teens. Their freaking out because of what Stolin is saying."
My eyebrows shoot up. "Stolin?"
I sneak a small glance at Hiccup, and he is slowly nibbling on a piece of bread like some sort of rabbit.
A sexy rabbit...
I swear I'm going to hit you with an axe if you don't shut the Fick up. Stupid conscious.
But it is what it is...
I swear to the gods of Asgard, I'm going to--
Listening?"
I perk my head up, looking to Valka as she has her eyebrow raised.
"Wha? Wasn't listening."
Valka huffs, taking her own slice of toast and eating it. "Stolin wasn't happy when he found out that Grutter was murdered. He got a large group together and were protesting in front of the house. The gang were freaking out over it. You should go talk to them."
"Yes!" says Hiccup, and it surprises me when he speaks up. "Yep that's what we'll do let's go now" he rushes, grabbing my hand and pulling out of the kitchen.
I stumble before regaining my footing, and I drop my piece of toast.
Aw...that was my breakfast...
Hiccup drags me outside, and I rip my arm out of his grip, glaring daggers at him.
"What the Hel--"
"Shh" he snaps, placing his hand on the small of my back and directing me through the town.
People look at us, whispering and murmuring. I look to the ground, my cheeks heating up, as well as my anger.
Hiccup takes me to the woods, and as soon as we are out of sight, I turn around and shove him away from me.
"Don't touch me."
He looks to the ground, sadness in his eyes, before he looks up at me.
"Follow me."
He then speeds off through the woods, and I stand here for a moment, debating if I should follow him, or just ditch him.
Hmm...
Sighing, I follow him.
I run at my top speed, the wind rustling through my long hair. I don't know which style I like better; long or short. But now part of me thinks I look 'attractive' again. I hope I don't.
I really hope I don't.
I catch up to Hiccup, and he ducks underneath a shield that is lodged in between two rocks. I stop in front of it, trailing my finger over the iron brim.
It's an old Viking shield.
I place my hand on top, swinging my legs over, and I land on the other side. I gasp in awe as I see where Hiccup has taken me.
It's a small cove, with a small lake riddled with fish, and mossy rocks. There's also a few trees, and rustled plants that scatter this beautiful place.
My gaze lands on some sort of large mark in the dirt. Curious, I walk to it, and I see that there is a large drawing or such, drawn into the dirt. It doesn't look fresh, and grass covers it once again, but you can see the large scribble across the ground.
I turn, scouring the little area again, and I spot something odd shinning in the water.
Curious, I walk to the lake, wading in, shivering from the icy bite of the water. I dunk my hand in, grasping an object before pulling it back out.
A small dagger, slightly covered in miss and algae. I flip it around, and I read the initials carved into the bottom.
HHHIII
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III.
I put the dagger back down on the water, and I step out, softly jiggling my legs to get rid of the water.
I spot some claw marks that have been carved into the rocky walls, and I scurry over, rubbing my hands over it.
Something was stuck here...
"You like it?"
I spin around to face Hiccup, who is standing a few metres behind me. biting down on his lips. I notice he does this a lot. He sucks his lips into his mouth and bites down on them.
I shrug. "Shrug."
He softly chuckles. "Is that a no? Or a yes?"
I sigh. "Shrug."
Silence passes between us for a moment, and I trail my fingers over the claw marks once more.
"This is where I hid Toothless when I was fifteen" says Hiccup, turning around and gazing at the cove. "This is...where everything changed for me."
I watch as his gaze lands back into me, and he stares at me for a moment.
He blows out a big breath. "Y-You have dragon wings."
I wince. "Yeah."
He grips his hair, closing his eyes. "I can't...I just can't...process this. I keep telling myself that I didn't see--"
"That you didn't see some freak with dragon wings and tail? That you didn't see some monster that you now despise and fear? That you didn't see a friend pounce on you and nearly blow your head off?"
His eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing. He does his shoulder shrug, doing a weird hand gesture.
"I...don't know."
Silence.
He looks behind him, before he looks back to me. "What are you Ember Raven Spark?"
I look to the ground, trailing my fingers over the claw marks again. "I'm a Wildsoul."
His eyes widen, and he snaps his fingers. "That explains it. I was always wondering what that was. You and Ethan said it..."
He trails off, looking to his feet. "He knows, doesn't he?"
I gulp. "Yeah..."
Hiccup rubs his eyes, groaning. "And I banished him...didn't I?"
"You did."
He balls his hands into fists, shaking them slightly before he roars out in frustration, kicking the ground and dirt flies past me.
He takes deep...calm breaths.
"...What can a Wildsoul do?"
So I tell him.
I explain to him about how I have a creature that I bind with, in my case, Ruthless. And now how I can partially change into a dragon, also having fire like abilities. I also tell him how being a Wildsoul makes me an enhanced human, with better strength, speed, hearing, healing, sight, agility, stamina, looks, voice, everything. I tell him about how it happens after five or six years after being with the creature, and how you get the Dark flu, depending on what creature you have bonded with.
I also tell him about Coldhearts, and that Luna is a Coldheart, because a lady called Frostfire killed her wolf. I tell him about how Frostfire killed Grutter, and how she is somehow on this island. Then I tell him about Evadeen, and how apparently she might be dead, and how she might be out to get me.
Hiccup looks to me through the whole thing, not even nodding or moving, his finger resting against his bottom lip, and his other arm holding his arm up as he stands still. I wonder if he is even listening. I don't even know if he's breathing.
I finish, and we stand here for a few minutes, silence hanging over us like a thick blanket.
But then he speaks up.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
Why didn't I?
I mean, I trusted Hiccup. He was my only friend before the whole kissing thing. And Hiccup wouldn't of freaked out, and he wouldn't of gone and told everyone.
But then again...Hiccup is changing.
One minute, he's the caring, dorky Hiccup I first met, then he's the fierce, raging Hiccup I've come to meet. Has he always been like that? Has he always had many shades of himself? Or is this because I am here? If I only could dig inside his head, unlock the knowledge that is burrowed deep inside. I might finally be able to see why. I might get an explanation for this madness. Might being the keyword.
Why didn't you tell me before?
I bite my lip, looking to his eyes as they stared into mine.
"I...I don't know. I...I didn't want you to think that...that I w-was a freak. I...I didn't..."
Hiccup is suddenly beside me, and he wraps his arms around me in a comforting hug. Warmth ripples through me, and I gladly except the hug, wrapping my own arms around him. I then realise that tears are falling down my face, and I mentally scold myself.
Crying....again? Seriously Ember.
I don't know why I feel so comfortable around Hiccup. He's just that type of person that you want to be around. But then again, he has been acting different...
But that kind, dorky side of him is still there. I'm experiencing it first hand.
I pull away from Hiccup, wiping my eyes until most of the tears are gone. I look to the ground, away from him.
We stand beside each other, not peeping a word.
But I speak up.
"...Have you chosen?"
He blinks in surprise. "What? I'm confused."
I look up at him, hardening my gaze. "Have you chosen? It's either keeping me as a friend and forgetting about all of this, or you dump Astrid, and you lose me. Which one?"
He splutters. "W-What? Unfair! And I can't m-make a decision like that in...in ten minutes! Maybe five it has been."
"Well you'd better hurry up on that" I say. "Because I can't bare to be next to Astrid and know what you did. Did it not occur to you that she would be heart broken by this?!"
"No, not at the time."
I groan in frustration, throwing my hands up in the air, turning away from him. "You are such a typical boy. You act first, think later. Did it happen to cross your mind, that I didn't want you? That I didn't like you the way you lov..that I didn't want to kiss you?" I say, correcting myself. "That I didn't like kissing boys because of the bad experience that I had with them? Or that I would reject you? The one time you don't over think something Hiccup, you end up...under thinking it and all this...craziness happens."
He opens his mouth to say something, but I interrupt him.
"No. No more Hiccup. I am not going through with this. You can't change my mind. I...don't...want you. I don't want to be a couple. I don't want to kiss you. I don't want that. I want a friendship; like what we had before. But if you don't think you can handle it, then I am leaving."
You so want him.
"JUST SHUT UP!" I roar.
Hiccup jumps, obviously shocked and surprised by my outburst. I purse my lips, wincing.
"I...wasn't talking to you."
He raises an eyebrows, and I wave it off, not wanting to explain my stupid conscious at the moment.
"Ember" he sighs.
I turn away from him, rubbing my hands together. "Mhm?"
"...We've met before."
I blink, turning to him.
When we were fifteen. When I was being tortured with Hiccup by my side. But how does he know?
"I know..." I trail off.
"Yeah, when we were four."
I perk my head up, eyes widening. "Four?"
He looks down at the ground, then walks over to the lake, siting right in front of it. I carefully follow him, sitting down next to him.
He plays with a pencil that he has taken off his suit, twirling in between his fingers. "We were four. Your parents visited my father, and you and I played together."
I raise an eyebrow, partially not believing him. "That's impossible. I would of remembered."
"We um...got knocked out and that so...we woke up with amnesia..."
"Amnesia? Really?"
He nods, then furrows his eyebrows, looking to me. "We've met before...when I was older than four, but younger than twenty, haven't we?"
I gulp. "W-Why would you say that?"
"Because you just said that you knew about us meeting each other when we were younger, but you knew nothing about us being four."
Damn. Snotlout or Astrid would of totally not of seen that. They wouldn't of picked that minor detail up.
Hiccup is smart. Dammit.
"You know...how you were...fifteen...and you were taken and tortured?"
He snorts. "No. I remember being told about it. But no. I only remember one thing from it, and I don't even believe that it happened."
"Hiccup, have you ever looked at your bare back?"
He blinks, looking to me slightly surprised. "No."
"Has Astrid?"
"Uh, no."
"Well I did."
He furrows his eyebrows further, until his eyebrows shoot up. He must remember the day Gobber pulled that prank on him. The one where he took Hiccup's shirt off, then called me into the forge.
I remember seeing Hiccups back, before squealing and turning back around.
I now remember the long, thick scars across his back. It almost looked like there were hundreds of them, some over each other. I didn't worry about it back then, probably thinking it was the trick of the light, but I now know it wasn't.
"And you have whipping scars across your back Hiccup."
He gulps, and looks to the ground.
"And I have them too."
He looks up to me, his forest green eyes seeming brighter. "Y-You do?"
I nod. "I was...I was there with you Hiccup...I was...I was tortured with you..."
His eyes widen, and he softly gasps. He looks to his hands, then he clenches them, then unclenches them. I always seem to be doing that.
"You were the girl. The one that brought me back. The one that...that brought me home. You were that girl."
I nod.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know until recently!"
"How?"
"I had a vision."
Silence for a few minutes.
"I've been having them too."
I look up at him, and I see how confused he looks. He looks lost too, like he's trying to get out of a maze, but when he thinks he found the exit, he only finds a dead end, and he has to back track.
Silence passes between us again, I remember what Ethan said.
He was a Coldheart.
And I remember my time here on Berk. What has happened, what went wrong, what was fun.
And I think about the Furies. Where are they? I haven't seen them since the dance, which was two days ago. I hope they're okay.
"Who's Jarlog?" I ask.
He stiffens slightly. "I don't know who you are talking about."
I raise an eyebrow. "Really? You know exactly who I'm talking about."
He sighs. "Okay, fine, I do, I just don't want to talk about it, okay?"
I soften my voice. "Why not?"
He looks away from me. "Reasons."
Silence passes through us for a moment longer.
"I have chosen."
I snap my head to Hiccup, who is staring at the water, deep in thought.
"You have?"
He looks harder into the water, and I watch the water softly ripple from the fish. But strangely, there is no fish.
The wind around us picks up and it messes my hair up, and I wipe it out of my face, but the wind is persistent.
A large cloud then travels in front of the sun, and the cove is then bathed in shadows.
Hiccups gaze hasn't even wavered from the water.
"I don't want to lose you."
I just stare at him as he speaks, watching him as he is deep in thought. It's kinda creepy. With the sun blacked out, the chilling wind, and the fact that he is staring at the water, with little, if not no movement at all, this all seems like something from a horror story.
"So I'll become friends again. Friends. that's all."
My heart does summersaults.
"And you will stay with Astrid?" I say, narrowing my eyes at him.
He nods, not looking at me.
"Good" I say, standing up. "We should head back."
He nods, standing up and we head out of the cove, and towards Berk. As soon as we do, the wind stops, and the cloud moves away from the sun, bathing us in sunlight.
Strange...
We walk to the village in silence, the only sounds are the leaves and sticks crunching underneath our shoes.
Maybe I should change my outfit.
I mean...it's not like the other female Vikings. They all have skirts, and fur, and girly thing on their suits. My suit looks like Hiccups suit, except it's brown and black, and it has armoured padding across my torso and such. And my little cloth that is draped across my shoulders. I even have boots like Hiccups; no fur.
We get back to Berk, and I stop and turn to Hiccup. "I'm going to go find the gang. You go and do whatever you want to."
He sucks his lips into his mouth, biting down on them, then he brings his hand up and runs it through my red hair.
I just stare at him wide-eyed.
"You look beautiful, no matter what type of hair you have, because beauty isn't what's on the outside, it's what's in here" he says softly, before pressing his hand to my heart.
He then moves his hand away, and walks off.
••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••
A S T R I D
I run my hand over my arm, internally wincing.
Where did this come from?
The blue, intricate, swirly pattern has traveled up my arm, and now stops at my neck. I now have to wear a shirt that covers my neck, in order to hide it.
"Astrid?"
I jump, turning and freezing when I see Ethan. I don't even know how he got in but then I see the open window.
"E-Ethan?" I gulp.
He takes a step towards me, blowing a pitch black bang out of his eyes. "I'm leaving, Astrid."
I feel my heart clench. "I know..."
There's silence for a slim moment.
"I know you didn't do it Ethan."
He looks do me, biting the inside of his cheek. "How?"
"I know you Ethan. If you killed someone, you certainly wouldn't do it like that."
His gaze hardened. "Maybe I was angry? Maybe I found out what he nearly did to you? Maybe I lost control? Maybe I was taking revenge? Maybe I hated him?"
I feel my cheeks warm slightly when he says that he was angry about what Grutter wanted to do to me.
"I'm so...so angy!"
I snort. "Angy? Seriously?"
"Yes seriously! Being angy is very serious!"
I find myself laughing, and I cover my hands with my mouth to suppress it.
Then Ethan sees my hand.
He quickly grabs it, and a cool shudder runs through my arm.
"Oh Astrid..."
"It's nothing" I say, ripping it out of his grip. "It's just a mark."
"Astrid..." he says again.
"It's nothing Ethan. It really isn't."
"Astrid."
"Seriously! It's just a stupid mark! It's not like it's--"
"Astrid!"
I jump as he yells at me, and I turn to him with a startled expression. He then points to the mirror I was at before, and I slowly turn.
Bright, blue eyes stare back at me.
No, not normal eyes. Not normal, dull blue eyes like mine. Bright, glowing eyes.
Then as I calm down a bit, they stop glowing, and they return to their natural state.
I slowly turn back to Ethan, and I feel tears threatening to spill.
No. No, I won't cry. Fearless Astrid Hofferson doesn't cry. She stands strong. She doesn't...she doesn't...
I cry.
Ethan slowly wraps his cold arms around me, and strangely, I don't care that they are cold. I sob into his chest, and I feel my arms shaking.
"Shh...it's okay Astrid. It's okay. Don't worry about it."
I sniffle. "What is wrong with me? Are my eyes like that now? Am I a freak? will they banish me? Will Hiccup hate me? Will--"
"Hey" says Ethan in soft voice, bending down slightly, and holding me out to him at arms length. "You are not a freak. They won't banish you. Hiccup won't hate you. They don't need to know."
I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to hold back tears.
"Astrid. All you have to do is keep calm. Stress and anxiety probably triggers...what-ever-it-is and then your eyes glow. Just...be calm. Cover your arm up too. It won't...it won't spread up your arm. You will be fine on your own."
"Your leaving?" I squeak, and I want to slap myself for sounding so weak.
I mean...he did she was leaving before, but now my eyes just glowed, I want him to stay!
He nods, sighing. "I was banished, remember? And I recently found out that I am being hunted."
"By w-who?" I ask.
He rakes a hand through his black hair, sighing. "He's part of a group known as the 'Dragon Slayers'. He and his friends kill people, and dragons. Their under Drago's command, or the next in line for Drago's command. One in particular isn't too fond of me."
"What did you do?" I ask, a small smirk appearing on my lips.
He chuckles. "I threw him into a pit of fireworms".
I slap the back of his head, and he chuckles.
"That's horrible!" I laugh.
He smirks again. "Yeah, well, he deserved it. His name is Nathan. He's an ass hole too. Damn, he thinks himself as some type of god! He's so full of himself. I hate him."
I laugh. "Hey! Your names are similar. Ethan, Nathan. Both have 'than' in your name."
His eyes go dark for a second, and the room is eerily silent.
Then Ethan steps towards me, and I find that I don't back away. He reaches out and cups my cheeks, staring deep within my eyes.
"My name isn't really Ethan."
I widen my eyes. "What is it then?"
He smirks, tugging on my braid softly. His deep sapphire eyes are glued into mine, and I can't break away from his gaze.
He then strikes forward, planting a kiss on my lips.
I widen my eyes in shock, but I don't push him away. His lips feel cool and soft on mine, and I kiss him back.
He then releases me, looking horrified. He jumps back from me, running his hands through his hair. "Oh Astrid, I am so sorry."
I blink rapidly, trying to process what just happened. "I'm...I'm confused..."
"I am...something dangerous" he says softly. "One kiss can make you fall in love with me, until I break your heart. That is when the trance is broken."
I blink again.
"Astrid...I just...I just kissed you."
My mouth hangs open, but I can't seem to form any words. He groans. running his hands through his hair before he runs to the window, crouching on the sill.
"Wait!" I say, and he stops, turning to me. "What's your real name?"
He softly smiles, looking into my blue eyes.
"Peeta."
And with that, he leaves.
••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••
H I C C U P
My back is as itchy as Hel. It's like there are little insects crawling under my skin. It's not a nice feeling, I can tell you that. I feel like ripping my skin off, just to stop the itchiness. But that would just make everything worse.
I am sitting on my bed, with my shirt off, hunched over, running my nails over my back. As I do, I feel slight bumps, and I suddenly freeze.
Scars?
I run my fingers softly over the bumps, and I feel long, thick scars, across my back. I shudder, quickly going back to itching.
I hear a warble, and I look up to see Toothless, looking worried.
"Hey Bud" I say, panting a little. "Where have you been exactly?"
He grumbles something, and I just blink at him, not really able to understand him.
Where's Ember when I need her?
"You were with Ruthless?" I ask.
He nods, then nudging me with his snout. He makes warbling noises, like he's worried.
"I'm fine" I say with a smile, but I know that I really am not fine. "Just...itchy."
He raises an eyebrow, as if he's not believing me.
"Tooottthhllleesssss" I grin. "You don't have to worry about me all the time Bud. I'm a full grown man, you know that right?"
He places his paw on my knee, making a worried noise.
I sigh. "Nothing gets through to you, does it?"
He sniffles, tilting his head to the side.
"I...I need fresh air. Yep, that's it. I'll just saunter down stairs and take a leisurely stroll through the night, without a bother in the world."
He gives me the 'seriously' look.
I blow out a deep breath, quickly throwing on my shirt, and my shoulder pads, having to bite my tongue because I can't scratch my back as I do.
I hobble down the stairs, trying very hard to keep my arms by my sides, and not behind me, scratching my back.
"Hiccup? Are you home?" says Valka, popping her head out from the kitchen.
"Mmhmm" I say, sucking my lips into my mouth and biting down on them so I don't scratch my back.
I just have to scratch my back...
"Are you alright?" she asks, concerned.
"Mmhmm" I grit again.
Just a little scratch...
"Hiccup, you look a little pale. Are you feeling alright? Are you okay? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you need to lay down?"
"Nnmnnn" I grit, shaking my head.
She gives me a hard look. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, don't you dare lie to me."
Slowly, I feel my anger start to burn.
I shake my head again, and she glares at me further.
"Hiccup..."
"Mmhmhm!" I grit.
"Don't do that!" she yells, slamming her fist down on a desk beside her. "Don't tell me your fine when you obviously are not! Honestly, you are worse than a five year old."
My anger lashes out.
"And how would YOU know hu?! ITS NOT LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT A FIVE YEAR OLD ACTS LIKES, SINCE YOU ABANDONED YOURS AND NEVER SPENT TIME WITH HIM!!!"
Valka covers her mouth, gasping, tears forming.
I stare at her, muscles tense hands balled into fists. I look like I'm about to snap at any moment.
I roll my shoulders, suddenly feeling the itchiness in my back again. I turn away from Valka and I storm out of the house.
The cool night hits me like a slap, and I automatically rub my arms to get myself warmer, but my back itches so much, I end up scratching it.
What is this? Am I sick?
Toothless warbles beside me, and I ignore him. He then nudges me, and I whip around, glaring at him.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
Toothless shrinks away, eyes wide as he stares up at me, whimpering. It's just like the time where I yelled at him. Where I told him to get away from my dad as he laid dead from Toothless's plasma blast. The way I yelled at him, hatred burning inside of me, and the way he whimpered, confused.
Just like what's happening now.
He warbles again, his head still bowed.
I take a deep breath before going back to scratching my back. I groan with impatience, walking off into the night.
Toothless snorts, and I turn back to him, my anger still there. But also guilt. And regret.
You yelled at him for no reason.
"I'm sorry Bud" I say, panting a little from the scratching. "I...you should stay away for a bit. Until I calm down, okay?"
Toothless shakes his head, taking a step closer.
"Please" I murmur.
He then warbles, turning and waddling back into the house.
I spin on my heels, heading towards the woods. The thought of being inside the house gives me goose bumps. I feel like I would suffocate in there. Like I'm claustrophobic.
Where can I go though? Where's a nice place to be alone, with lots of space?
The cove?
But the walls...it's so enclosed. It surrounds the cove, and that's not enough space...
I scold myself for being so picky.
Okay. What about the cliffs?
Doesn't Ember go there often? Maybe she's there. Maybe she can help me. Maybe, just maybe, she can help with the itchiness and the claustrophobia that has sudden taken hold of me.
I make it to the woods, and my stroll turns to a light jog.
The itching doesn't stop.
"Come on Odin" I growl. "This is stupid. You hate me, don't you?"
Rain starts to patter down, and gets heavier by the second. Thunder roars, and I growl again.
"Haha. Very funny. Thanks Odin. Thanks a ton."
After a few minutes of lightly jogging and scratching through the rain, my shoulder blades start to burn. I curse out loud, heaving over and gritting my teeth to hold in a scream.
Breathe...just breathe...
I stand up, the burning not that bad, and I continue towards the cliffs. The itching has stopped, but it is replaced by a slight burning.
My breaths get heavier, and my pins and needles start back up in my spine. Well, I wouldn't call them pins and needles.
I would call them knives and daggers.
I finally make it to the cliffs, and my legs give out, and I collapse to the now muddy ground. The burning in my back intensifies, and I feel like my clothes are on fire, but the rain does no help.
I hunch over on the ground, gritting my teeth and clenching my eyes closed.
Breathe...just...just breathe...
But then I can't breathe.
My eyes widen in shock suddenly as my breathing stops, and my chests starts to constrict from the lack of air. I try to take in air, but it as if it is not there. I roll on the rough ground, trying to stand up. I mange to do so, but I stumble, and I ram into a tree.
I clutch my neck, trying to breathe again. I suck in, but there is no air.
Just as I think I'm going to pass out, my knives and daggers return. But instead of the feeling of stabbing, I get something else.
The feeling of two knifes pushing out from my shoulder blades, slowly.
My breath returns to me all at once.
I scream out.
The pain in my shoulder blades is excruciating, and I grip the tree beside me to stop myself from collapsing. A third stabbing comes from my tailbone, and tears well in my eyes and fall down my face.
Stop! Please! Just make it stop! PLEASE! I plead in my head. I beg you! Just kill me now! Please!!
The scream burns my raw throat, but I can't stop.
Then something shoots out from my back, and I fall to the wet ground, writhing in pain as the rain pelts me.
I clench my eyes closed, gritting my teeth to stop myself from screaming again.
After a few minutes of heavy breathing, I open my eyes. My vision steadily returns, and I shakily stand up, gripping the tree beside me.
I cover my face with my hands, and I groan.
What...was...that?
I remove my hands from my face, and I stare at them for a moment.
Wait...
Specks of black litter my arms, and my finger nails are Joe black and clawed.
I furrow my eyebrows. "What the--"
I feel some sort of leather thing behind me, and I turn my head and stare wide eyes at something I never thought I would see.
Two, black dragon wings.
From my back.
I scream in shock, stumbling back into the woods, landing on the wet ground. The impact hurts my back, and I yelp, rolling so I lay on my front.
I feel something brush my arm, and I turn my head to see a tail fin touching my arm.
A...a tail? A TAIL?!?!
I jump up, my breaths fast and short. I clutch my chest, trying not to hyperventilate.
"No. This isn't happening. No no no no no no no. This isn't right! No! No! NO!" I roar.
I stumble to the side, and I land just beside a puddle slightly rippling from rain drops. I look into it, and as lightning flashes, I see my glowing green eyes.
My glowing green slit eyes.
"NO!" I roar. "JUST STOP! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!"
I lean up against a tree, and my fingers suddenly burn.
What the--
A green fire spurts from my hands, and travels up the tree lightning fast. I jump back, and flames shoot from my finger tips, lighting the ground around me on fire.
This fire spreads rapidly, despite the rain, and soon, everything is bathed in an eerie green light as the fire burns and crumbles everything.
I freak.
"No! What am I doing?! This isn't right! S-STOP!"
I run forward, trying to escape from the blaze, but a tree gives way and lands in front of me, making the muddy ground rumble. I fall onto my backside, breathing heavily, before jumping back up and running the other way. Another tree falls, narrowly missing me.
"EMBER!" I scream, not knowing who else to call. "EMBER! HELP ME!"
More fire shoots from my fingers, and all the trees are covered in green fire. I scream out in frustration and in fear. The rain does nothing, and I feel my anger and fear boil inside.
No! This can't be happening! I'm not a monster! I didn't mean to do this!
I realise tears are streaming down my face, and I collapse onto my knees, letting them flow.
"I'm sorry dad" I whimper, eyes closed, the rain pelting me. "I...I can't be chief. I can't be a chief when...when I'm this monster..."
I hear a flap of wings, and I look up and gasp.
Embers slit, violet eyes bore down on me, and then they gaze around at the chaos around me. They are wide with fear, shock, and a little bit of happiness.
Mostly fear and shock.
Her beautiful black dragons wings and tail are out, and I stare into her purple slit eyes.
"You can stop it" she suddenly says, surprising me.
"I can't" I whimper. "I'm a monster. I can't do it. I just--"
"You can" she says. "I know you can Hiccup. You--"
"NO I CANT!" I roar, shooting green flames at her.
She gasps, slightly jumping back and her wings fold around her, shielding her from my flames.
I realise what I have done, and I gasp,
stumbling back, slipping on the wet ground.
She unfolds her wings, looking to me through the rain.
"Only you can make the flames retreat Hiccup!" she yells as the flames around us get higher, and the roar of thunder sounds. "It's in you! It's only you!"
"No! I'm not strong enough!" I scream, more fire streaming from my finger tips, lighting the stormy night.
She then starts to walk closer to me, and I take a few steps away from her.
"N-No! Stay away! Please Ember! I will hurt you!"
She ignores me, and she grabs my hand, giving me a hard look.
"We can do this together. You and me. Together, as one."
I close my eyes, feeling warmth ripple through me from her touch. My mind becomes clearer, and I find myself calming down.
I slowly lift one hand, confidence filling me. The flames shoot into the dark sky, before plummeting back down and into my hand.
They fly off all the trees and grass, returning to me.
Then, the flames are gone.
I stare around at the burnt chaos around me, and I suddenly feel faint headed. The only sound is the thunder, and the pouring rain.
Ember turns to me, her gaze raking my body, a little but of joy glimmering in her eyes. "Hiccup! Your a Wildsoul!"
She looks at me funny as I stare at her, and I feel my insides coil.
"Hiccup?" she asks, the joy from her eyes diminishing.
I stare at her, and tears come to my eyes, and they run down my cheeks. "Ember...I'm a monster."
She says something but I don't listen, and I let go of her hand, running off into the forest, away from her.
She calls after me, but I ignore her.
I'm a monster. This is worse than me attacking people. This is horrible. I could burn someone. I nearly hurt Ember!
I can't hurt anyone. I just can't.
But now, I might.
Now that I am a monster.
_______________________
HES A WILDSOUL!!!!!!!
Or is he something else...
WILL BE MORE AND WILL BE MISTAKES!