I wake up hearing wing beats below me and my heart beat thrumming throughout my cold body. The whoosh of wind brushes past my ears and into my hair, blowing it behind me and tickling my neck. My whole body aches as though I fell from the sky. Because you did.
The memories come rushing back to my in a hurricane of thoughts and feelings as reality comes crashing down onto my head. But.. I fell.. how did I...? My eyes snap open. The twins! They must've pulled me out! I listen closely for the bickering I am sure is going on. Silence.
As my mind clears, I also realize their appears to be only one set of wing beats, which shouldn't be the case if the twins were close by...
I sit up with a groan, tired muscles stretching and popping in strange places. Ugh, everything hurts...
I finally am able to sit upright, my body protesting at every small movement I make. Undeterred, I crane my neck around, wincing as my stiff skin tightens at every point. I look out at the ocean behind me, eyes squinting against the direct sun setting in the West. Time sure does fly by. Despite the harsh light, I can still clearly see the Dragon Hunter ship far away and the absence of one Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston.
"Oh no, oh no." I face forward again and urgently tap Afternoon's neck. "Afternoon? Afternoon." I can tell he is ignoring me. "Scaley lizard. Arrogant fireball. Lazy bones. Dragon under me." He finally gives out a snort to show he's listening. "Where are the twins?"
Afternoon lets out another snort and I interpret it to mean, I don't know and why should I care anyway? "Don't be like that," I say, rolling my eyes. "They're our friends too." Afternoon looks back at me and, if dragons had eyebrows, he would've raised his. "Did you leave them behind?" The Nightmare pointedly turns his head around and flies faster. "They could be captured!" A guilty rumble vibrates through his body. "They were captured?!" He didn't need to give a response; the sinking feeling in my gut tells me everything I need to know.
"We need to go back for them!" No response. "I..I'll jump off you and swim there!" I hope he would turn around because I really didn't want to become more bruised. When nothing happens, I groan and shakily put both of my legs on the same side of his neck. "Last chance to turn around!" I call out. He still doesn't respond. Gulping, I push off the side of his neck and am sent into free fall towards the ocean once again, the pressure in my eardrums threatening to pop them...
A set of claws wraps around my torso, and I'm abruptly lifted back up into the sky.
After a long time of flying, we arrive at the Edge. By this point in time, I am a nervous wreck, worried for the twins safety and fretting how the Dragon Riders would react to their dissapearance.
Despite his best efforts to not do so, Afternoon still digs his claws deeper into me than was comfortable, adding more scars to my already growing collections. While it hurt, I refused to say anything, still angry at him for running away when our friends needed help. I blink. Friends...
Fortunately, Afternoon has the good sense to fly at the island from its back, avoiding the Riders and reaching his cave faster. At the cave, however, we find another, more unhappy resident.
What the heck? Blitzfire fumes. I told you not to go to Vanaheim!
"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to find out more about my father. Oh wait..." I pretend to think. "I'M NOT!" Both Blitzfire and Afternoon look at me like I'm crazy, Blitzfire suddenly not looking as angry.
Woah, are you okay? What's with the sudden burst of anger?
I groan, going over what I just said in my mind. "I'm sorry, that was a little harsh. But, I've been on an emotional roller coaster for the last 2 hours."
Listen, I'm sorry about your dad but...
"It's not just my dad that has me about to cry," I interrupt. "The twins were captured by the Dragon Hunters." Blitzfire has no comment to be said about this new piece of information, instead putting a shocked face in my direction.
After a long moment, Blitzfire sparks weekly, You mean you got the only people here who believe you are innocent captured?
"You're supposed to help me feel better, not worse," I grumble.
Sorry, it's just... Wow. I mean, didn't you try and rescue him? Blitzfire looks at me curiously. You're not the type of person to give up so easily.
"I wanted to help, but Mr Monstrous Nightmare over here wouldn't fly back after I gained consciousness again..."
You were unconscious?! Are you okay? I am such a bad friend...
I shrug. "I'm good now. Just a little sore from landing in the water..."
You fell?!!
"Seriously, I'm fine... It's the twins we should worry about..."
But you're hurt..!
"I'm fine..." I grind out, beginning to become irritated. "What we should be focusing on is how to tell the Riders they're two twins short."
Finally, Blitzfire stops pressing the subject of my new injuries any further. Fine...
"Great." I sigh in relief. "Now, let's brainstorm how I can not be killed by an angry mob of Dragon Riders and their dragons..."
* * *
"Astrid? Have you seen the twins?" asks Hiccup as he walks into the Clubhouse.
"No, it's actually been quiet for once. Hopefully, it'll stay that way." She looks up from sharpening her axe, brushing a strand of blond hair away from one eye.
"Come on, you know they're our friends too," Hiccup says, moving closer to her and putting an arm around her.
"Do they have to be?" asks Astrid, leaning into his embrace. Hiccup looks down into her eyes, raising one auburn eyebrow. She chuckles. "Ok, fine."
They stay in each other's arms for a while, not saying anything, but communicating through their eyes, heedless of the girl on her Skrill barrelling towards them with dreadful news about the twins...
A/N
Yes! Another chapter hath been posted! Hope you all don't mind, but I snuck in some Hiccstrid (; as a treat.
I'll try to update soon!
-TheDragonGirl