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Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Journy

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"Are you alright Hiccup?" Toothless asked, a worried look clearly showing in his face.

Hiccup looked back at the island that got smaller for every beating with his wings. Berk, his home, his father...he was leaving it, and in the worst way possible! He was probably banished from the tribe already, seeing the way he had left it all. If he ever returns, it'd be as an outcast. "Outcast..." Hiccup whispered to himself. The word did not fit in his mouth. It was a title he believed he didn't deserve, but nevertheless was placed upon him.

"Not really" Hiccup muttered to Toothless.

He should've been happy instead. Flying was the best thing in the world, and now Toothless could do it all by himself again, and he as well! It should've been a joyful day, but it was far from it. The current events had ruined what should've been one of their happiest days of their lives. But it was a sorrowful day, and Hiccup was at the edge of getting drowned by it.

Toothless understood, and didn't ask for anything more. Doing this must've been very hard for Hiccup. He was leaving almost all he had cherished. Talking more about it would most likely only worsen his mood.

Now, Toothless was the only thing he had left. He was going to become very important to Hiccup for the following days. In a time like this, the best thing he could have now was his mate at his side, and his full support. It was Toothless' responsibility, and he'd do his best to get Hiccup up from this pit he was stuck in.

When the sun went down, so did they. A small island beneath them would prove a fine place to settle for the night. While Toothless went out for hunting, Hiccup remained in the small cave they had found. Toothless returned before an hour had passed, a roe between his teeth, but Hiccup didn't feel hungry at all. Toothless pushed the dead deer over to Hiccup, and whined.

"You need to eat something, Hiccup" he said with a low and worried voice.

Hiccup walked closer and looked down at the motionless roe. He hesitated. He had too much on his mind to think about food. "I'm not hungry" he said, and started walking further into the cave.

"But Hiccup-"

"I'M NOT HUNGRY!" He screamed. Toothless looked at him with a sad expression.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he realized his insolence. "Toothless I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

He cut himself off, his whole body shaking. "I act without thinking. This isn't me, this isn't me at all!"

Hiccup's muscles failed him and he fell down on the ground, bursting into tears. Toothless trotted slowly over and settled down with him, placing a comfortable wing over his body. "Why me? Why now?" Hiccup sobbed, referring to no one in particular.

"It's going to be alright," Toothless said reassuringly. "Just let it all out, and let's hope for a better day tomorrow"

Toothless woke up before Hiccup. Yawning, he stared out of the cave. Farther up for any trees to block the view, Toothless was able to see the entire ocean. The sun had yet to appear on the sky, but it wasn't long until it would. He looked down at Hiccup, the slightly smaller dragon curled up to him.

"At least he's been sleeping without interruptions; that have probably helped clearing up his mind a bit" Toothless thought.

He had no idea where they were heading; south was the only answer Hiccup had given him the day before. He trusted the amulet would lead them to the right place eventually; flying in blindness was never something he liked. All that they had to guide them was this strange gemstone. He wondered how it made Hiccup know exactly where he should go. What he knew though, was that they probably wouldn't leave this island anytime today. With Hiccup's condition, this would be their stopping point for at least a day more.

Toothless rose to his feet, and slowly walked out of the cave. Since they were staying here a little longer, he needed to make sure they were the only one on this island too, and not some unwelcomed guests. He took to the sky and started soaring around the island. He realized the whole thing was a big volcano, which must've been put to sleep ages ago. The entire crater was covered in heavy vegetation with trees, bushes and even a lake, telling him that this thing wouldn't go off anytime soon. The island wasn't that big, and it didn't take long for Toothless to cross the entire landmass. After around an hour of searching, there was no immediate danger he could spot, and figured they were safe as for now.

Hiccup had awoken when he returned to the cave. He looked up at him, but kept quiet.

"I searched the island for any danger," Toothless explained. "It's full of life, but none we should fear"

Hiccup returned his head to rest on his paws, not answering. Although he never spoke, Toothless could feel that he relaxed a bit more. He looked over to the roe he'd killed yesterday. Hiccup had apparently eaten some while he wasn't around. A good sign for sure. Toothless settled down not far from Hiccup, and waited.

And waited...

And waited...

When the sun disappeared behind the ocean, Hiccup had still yet to utter any word or make any movements. Toothless realized nothing would happen today, so he glanced at him one last time, before closing his eyes.

The next day started off as the one before. Toothless never leaved the cave once though. He wouldn't do until Hiccup was ready; ready to continue this new journey. At last, when the third night was upon them, Hiccup spoke.

"I've been a fool" he said, looking at the ground. His voice was hoarse from the lack of conversations.

"Don't say that" Toothless immediately protested.

"But it's true and you know it," Hiccup growled. "We could've been far off by now, maybe already reached our destination! But here we are, on some deserted island in the middle of the ocean, because I'm acting like a crying hatchling who can't accept the truth, the past. For two whole days we've been here! And to what end? So that I can let myself drown in my own misery because it turned out I'm not strong enough to accept what's been done? Well Thor can might as well just shoot me with one of his lightning bolts for my stupid behavior, because I deserve it..."

"Hiccup look at me" Toothless said in a serious tone. Hiccup didn't respond.

"Look at me!" Toothless repeated, raising his voice. This time Hiccup turned his head, although it was slow and unwillingly.

"Listen, you're strong Hiccup, stronger than most. You shouldn't think otherwise because the way you've acted, and it's certainly not a cause of stupidity" Toothless said, before touching Hiccup's front belly with his nose.

"It's because you have a good heart" he smiled. "You care about your father and you care about your tribe. Leaving those who stands you near is never an easy thing, especially the way we have just done. Things haven't really turned out the way we've wanted to, but the important thing in a time like this is to just move on, and I know you're able to! We will find this apprentice, and with his help, we will earn back your father's trust, and the acceptance from your tribe"

Toothless was deeply relieved that he finally could see Hiccup calming down and relaxing his tense muscles completely. Hiccup leaned against him and closed his eyes.

"Thank you Toothless. I don't know where I'd been without you. You see through my problems in ways I really can't, and it always helps me a lot. I really needed this"

"So you're okay now?" Toothless asked calmly, and rested his head over Hiccup's.

It was a hard thing to swallow. So much had happened in such a short span of time. He had most likely lost his father and tribe by actions not really done by him. Yeah, he'd killed Astrid, but that was a choice decided by his body, not him. It was this pain, this terrible pain scratching against his mind that kept his thoughts confused. Astrid had attempted to kill Toothless, but would he really have killed Astrid if his mind wasn't this clouded as it was back then? The thought would definitely been there, but he wasn't any killer. He couldn't bring himself to kill anyone at all. That Toothless was still here strengthen that point. Still, he will accept that what's been done has been done. He's ready to move on. He still has Toothless, and that was the most important thing to him. As long as Toothless was here, he'd be okay.

"I am" Hiccup answered.

-{}-

Hiccup and Toothless was up in the air again by the next day. Before they had left though, they needed food, and Toothless took the opportunity to teach Hiccup how to catch fish while in air, which was far different that the usual way they did it in the cove. Hiccup sure experienced that. The first thing was to spot the fish, but then came the hard part by catching it while still being airborne. You dived down until the last second, and then let your jaw touch the surface of the water. Hopefully you're able to grab a fish or two before swooping up in the air again. Hiccup had seen Toothless do a perfect demonstration before it was his turn. Folding his wings he had dived down at super speed, but was too late expanding them again, and he shot through the ocean like lightning. He didn't succeed the first time, but oh well; at least he succeeded in catching the fish.

"How does that amulet help us show the way?" Toothless asked Hiccup, after having flown for some time.

"I don't exactly know" Hiccup answered honestly. "It's not like it creates an arrow I can just follow or anything, but it's like it's pulling itself in the direction we are flying, although I can barely feel it"

"Is it tiresome?"

"...No. It does kind of drag me southwards, but the force is too weak to have any physical affect on me"

"Well, let just hope it leads us to the right person" Toothless said. "This apprentice could maybe have lost it or maybe given it away for all that we know."

"I think the amulet is too precious to him to either lose or give it up. I don't think we should concern us too much about that" Hiccup ensured.

At that point Hiccup wrinkled his nose as a tiny raindrop landed in front of his face. Then another came, and then another one. Soon the whole sky above them was covered in clouds, and the rain started washing over them.

"Mmm, I didn't know the rain would feel so good now. It hasn't rained in weeks!" Hiccup said excited.

As they continued further, the clouds become darker and darker, and wind increased in speed. Suddenly a lightning struck down not so far away, and Hiccup shivered by rumbling sound made by the thunder.

"Uh...is it safe to fly in this weather Toothless?" Hiccup asked, a tiny feeling of anxiousness swelling up inside him.

"The chance of getting struck by a lightning is hardly there; we're too small" Toothless assured. "If it did happen that we got hit by one though, it'd still be no danger to us"

"How come?"

"I...don't really know for certain" Toothless admitted. "Night Furies are immune to lightning; it's just always been like that"

"Wow, that's incredible!" exclaimed Hiccup. Hearing that made his courage rise, but as a lightning struck a little too close to them, it disappeared just as quickly as the lightning did.

"But SERIOUSLY Toothless this makes me uncomfortable. Can't we land somewhere? Flying like this is freaking me out."

"We don't really have to. We could fly above the clouds, and then continue our way without worrying about the weather. It's always sunny above the clouds."

"But we'd need to fly through the clouds to get up there.. Are you crazy?" Hiccup cried out.

"Not really" Toothless chuckled. "Just follow me"

And into the clouds they went. Once inside, it was impossible to see anything. And it went on like that for a bit too. So long that Hiccup wondered how ridiculously huge this cloud must've been! But they got through, and were greeted by the strong burst of light that shone from the sun. Hiccup's eyes struggled to adjust themselves to the sudden brightness, but once they did, he was welcomed by an unexpected sight. Dragons, everywhere! Hundreds of them to be seen, flying all over the sky. Some were familiar to Hiccup, but there were many he'd never seen before as well!

"They're so many!" Hiccup gasped. "Are they all up here because of the bad weather?"

"Maybe some..." Toothless muttered. "But for the most part they're hiding"

"Hiding?" Hiccup questioned, his voice dropping to a lower tone. "From who?"

"...Humans."

Hiccup cocked his head and looked at Toothless. "Humans? Shouldn't it...you know, been the opposite? I mean, humans should really be no match for a dragon, if you're looking at the physical aspect of it. Most of us are bigger and stronger, and not to mention other advantages as fire, acid and so on"

"Technically, you right. We are stronger than humans" Toothless agreed. "But in these southern parts, it's not uncommon for humans to use different kinds of long ranged weapons as bows and arrows and machines that throw large spears. Those weapons possess a threat to many of us, especially small dragons. And if they're skilled and many enough, they can easily take us down before we even get up close, where our advantage lies."

"But we Night Furies got fire bolts..." Hiccup pointed out.

"That's right, but the general dragon doesn't have this ability. There's only a few of us that can do this"

"Oh"

"In addition," Toothless said; "there's also a greater threat, like magicians and sorcerers; much like what Saga was. A human skilled in the art of magic is a dangerous foe to encounter, but luckily there's not too many of them. But the main reason for our avoidance lies not in the risk of getting killed. Truth is, we dragons have never liked this war that humans crave so much for. Sure, we'll defend ourselves if needed, but we do what we can to stay away from human notice, hiding in woods and mountains to keep away from getting involved in these wars. They see us as beasts, threats, or just a target to kill for the joy of it. We do not fear the humans, death or any war, but we would rather wait to reveal ourselves until the day peace can be made between us"

"What shame..." Hiccup sighed. "I've grown so accustomed being with dragons back at Berk that I've forgotten how it is elsewhere in this world"

"Out here, humans don't see dragons that much" Toothless explained. "The reason you're so used to our race, is because your island happened to be the closest one to the nest where the dragon queen once lived. We're rarely seen in these parts, and that also makes it dangerous to be here. I've seen these groups humans dressed in iron clothes, setting out on quests to kill our species. Fools they are, thinking they're able to take out a dragon like that; but it's when they're many that they become a threat, and thus it's important that we try to avoid getting close to any human cities. I really hope this apprentice likes being for himself, because it'll be troublesome if he's settled himself in one of them"

"These cities...how large are they?" Hiccup asked.

"I've seen ones capable of housing tens of thousands of humans."

"Then I guess the books didn't overdo it after all!" Hiccup said a little shocked. The little library back at Berk had several books about people and cities outside their borders, especially Romans; the people hated by every Viking.

"It's quite the sight yes. Humans are good at architecture, they can have that one"

They flew for the rest of the day, the coming night and even the day after without stopping. A dragon's stamina was impressive compared to a human's; Hiccup knew that now. But all creatures have a need for sleep, and one restless night was more than enough for Hiccup. The only problem was, they were still in the middle of the ocean! At this moment they had nowhere to land.

"Toothless...I don't know how long I can keep flying"

"Just keep it up a while longer Hiccup. I have a feeling we're not too far from the coast" Toothless assured.

"And what makes you think that, exactly?" Hiccup wondered. "I can't see anything but clouds."

"See those birds there?" Toothless asked and gestured to the ones flying below them. "They never travel far from land, and do only so if they're in a desperate need for food. They don't look too desperate to me, so I think we're not far away"

"Good, because I'm not quite sure if I can feel my wings any longer" Hiccup staggered.

"Still..." Toothless said, a bit more serious; "We can't go down until night arrives. We may be spotted by groups of humans, and once they see us, they'll get encourage to follow us and see where we're going. Unless we find a mountain where the life's more deserted, we should remain above the clouds"

"Awh come on, are you kidding?" Hiccup cried. "All this constant flying is killing me!"

A few hours past, and it was clear that Hiccup couldn't keep up much longer. His tongue was hanging out, and every beat of his wings got slower and slower.

"This is it, we need to go down now Toothless" Hiccup said.

"It's still day, it's too much of a risk. Let me give you some of my energy" Toothless suggested.

"No, no you can't" Hiccup sighed. "You're tired too, I can feel it. Transferring me energy would cause you to barely have anything left to just breathe! We don't have much of a choice now, and the only one is to go down"

Toothless didn't like it, but Hiccup was right in this. They were well above land by now, and it was too late to turn back in search for an island where it'd probably be much safer.

"Fine" Toothless finally gave in.

They started going down and glided through the clouds. Since clouds covered most of the sky, it was pretty dark down there compared to how it was above them. It never ceased to amaze Hiccup how mere clouds could change the weather so drastically. The wind was much worse down here as well, and Hiccup struggled a bit to keep himself steady. By now they could see the terrain they were flying over. It was a huge plain, with almost no vegetation and life; just sand, rocks and more sand. The complete opposite of what Hiccup was used to in other words. But he was way too tired to take much notice of this as he just wanted to feel the ground on his feet so he could rest. There was no hiding places here, but it'd have to do for now. They were only going to rest for a short while, so what could possibly go wrong?

Something suddenly drew Hiccups attention though. In a distance far away, but yet quickly approaching, was something Hiccup didn't quite know what was. Was it a mist? Of course not; mists aren't orange colored, and certainly don't gain such rapid speed. The only way he could describe it, was that it was big, fast, and it was directed at them.

"Toothless, what is that?" Hiccup asked bewildered.

Toothless had seen such phenomenon before, and his eyes widened in fear.

"Dive Hiccup!" he screeched.

Hiccup obliged immediately without thought, hearing the clear worry from Toothless' voice.

Toothless followed quickly behind.

"What is it!" Hiccup asked through the link. With the high speed they were having, the wind was blocking out all communication from the outside.

"A sandstorm!" Toothless hastily explained. "If we get caught by it while in air, we'll get tossed around uncontrollably like leaves. It can blind us, or even worse...kill us. We need to get down on the ground fast!"

Hiccup made no delay in doing so, and wrapped his wings tight to his body to increase the speed. The ballistic sound that resembled the Night Fury escaped them, and would for sure be heard by any living thing in the nearby area. They reached the ground fast and landed heavily, but the sandstorm was getting really close.

"We got no cover!" Hiccup cried and looked anxiously at Toothless.

Thoughts raced through Toothless, struggling to find a solution. But time was nearly up, and soon the storm would hit them.

"Quick! Get close to me and let's cover ourselves with our wings. It's the only shelter we have!" Toothless said to Hiccup.

Hiccup fastened over to Toothless and did as he said. They were just in time! Just as they covered each other with their wings, the sandstorm hit them. And the impact was hard and merciless. The sand was like thousands of wasps continuously hitting their wings, and the wind made it hard to keep them in position. Minutes passed, but the sandstorm showed no sign to end. Hiccup's already drained energy was starting to reach zero, and Toothless was getting really tired as well. Hiccup's vision started to darken, and the consciousness was slowly slipping away. He was at his very limits now.

"Don't give up Hiccup! Do not leave me now!" Toothless desperately told him.

But ultimately it became too much for Hiccup, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Hiccup no!" Toothless roared.

Their shelter broke up, and sand scratched against their vulnerable faces. Toothless leaped forth and used his wings to cover Hiccup. He shut his eyes hard and tried his best to keep them sheltered from the storm.

"Must...hold...on"

-{}-

Feet slowly made way through the open field. When making business in the other cities, this was a normal travel route by many; poor people and rich people alike. It wasn't going to be an entirely normal trip this time though for these men. An off-white colored toga made of wool and a matching tunic under it was the choice of clothes for the lanista who roamed through this dry place, with his men following close behind. He slowed his pace to a stop as his vision caught sight of something lying not far from the road. Suspicious, he changed direction away from the road and started walking towards the figures. These weren't any ordinary animals from these parts he realized as he got a better look at them. No, this was something else. Something...not from here.

"Dominus, maybe we should check it before you close in on those; to make sure it's safe" one of the guards suggested.

"You take me for a coward...guard?" the lanista growled, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh certainly not, dominus! Definitely not!" the guard piped back.

"Good. Then shut your pie hole and do not speak before you're told to. I'm sure you know the consequences of breaking my rules?"

"Of course! It won't happened again"

The lanista changed his focus away from the guard and returned them to the two creatures before him. He went a bit closer and studied them. While not showing in his face, the sight was quite surprising to him. He waved with one arm.

"Bring me the biologist" he said.

A tiny man was brought forth, and he easily stood out from all the others. With a bag on his back and tattered clothes, he was not the usually person that followed a lanista, but biologists wasn't common among the people, and they come in handy at times. They sure make good use for them, at least.

"You called for me, dominus?" the biologist said.

"Yes. I want you to tell me what you see before us"

The biologist let the gaze fall upon the two figures, and he gasped.

"What a sight! These are dragons!" he exclaimed.

"I know that fool!" barked the lanista. "I want to know what species they are"

"Oh of course. Let me just take a look at them"

The biologist bent down and started to study the two dragons.

"Hmm, both are completely drained from energy. Must've been a storm that has caused this" he mumbled.

He felt the scales with his fingertips, and analyzed head, body and tail. He looked for as much detail as possible to get a more clear view of what exactly was in front of them.

"Completely black...sleek body...lack of any horns. They also have tailfins, which is uncommon amongst dragons. By all the Gods I've read these descriptions before, but what dragon was it?"

"Don't make me wait" said the lanista impatiently.

"I'm thinking!" cried the biologist in a low tone, getting stressed. He looked in the back pack he'd carried with him and brought up a book. He started looking through the pages quickly.

"I know it's somewhere here...come on where are you?"

He ran through a couple of more pages before he stopped.

"It couldn't possibly be this one..." He questioned himself. He started reading the page and looked at the two dragons before him, then back at the readings ...then up again.

"Unbelievable..."

"What?" the lanista grumbled.

"Master, you've just discovered one of the rarest dragon breeds of them all. These aren't just any type of dragons; these two belongs to the family of the feared Darkscales, dragons of the night!"

"My my...well this just made it all the more interesting then" grinned the lanista.

"So what do you say we do with them?" asked the biologist.

The lanista looked at the two dragons, and noticed that one of them carried something around its neck. He took it off from the dragon and raised it to the air to study it. It was an amulet.

"I..I've seen this one before" he said to himself. "What do you think of this?" the lanista asked, directing the question to the biologist.

"The only reasonable explanation for this is that it must've stolen the amulet" he answered. "Thinking that the dragons actually got an owner is an absurd thought"

"I need to get to the bottom of this" said the lanista. He looked down at the two Darkscales. This is just the opportunity he's been looking for. With these dragons, he will once again rise to fame and glory.

The lanista smiled.

"I got plans for these two here."