#Hear me out dragons like to nest a lot and when their riders do it with them it strengthens their bonds | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

secretblog1212 · 4 years ago

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A Discovery in the Woods

okay so I was in the httyd fandom literally like about five years ago and remembered how much Hiccup is lee material, and when @Amazingmsme sent in a prompt I couldn’t resist. Therefore I have some slightly cringy Hiccstrid (???) because they’re cute and I cannot help myself. This is probably between the first and second movie/ during when the TV show took place based off of my vague memories so oof. Possibly more coming soon because I love Hiccup with my whole heart ohmygod.

Hiccup felt his breath rattle in his chest as he ran through the forest, a smile painfully stretched across his cheeks.. He had to hide. He could hear the trees rustling back and forth as toothless followed him out.

Just as he finally thought he would have a moment to breathe, a thicket of trees and bushes he could crawl into finally coming into view, Hiccup was thrown forward and face first into the dirt.

There was a sigh of relief, and then a hand that appeared in front of his face. Astrid.

She looked confused for a second, then her face eased into a relaxed smile. It only took a few seconds before her face morphed once again into an annoyed frown.

“What are you doing Hiccup? I thought you were an intruder! Honestly I can’t-“

Hiccup pushed himself to his knees before finally accepting her hand up, “Can’t talk right now, gotta run. I’ll explain late-ER!”

Astrid was quick to back away as Toothless finally caught up to the teen, flattening him once again face first into the ground. Both were smiling as they wrestled in their game, Hiccup desperately trying to push the dragon off of him without any luck. She looked around, finding a rock to sit on and watch.

“Buddy wait! Toothless, not while Astrid is here- wait! Waitwaitwait!”

Toothless was nuzzling around Hiccup's neck, making the brunette throw his head back and forth. However when the dragon moved to where his shirt was riding up all previous struggles seemed like child’s play. His legs were kicking as much as they could underneath his best friend, hands pushing him away to no avail. His laughter bubbly and near constant, making the scene that much entertaining.

Astrid wasn’t completely sure what she was seeing if she were being honest with herself. She had more than one childhood memory resurface at the sight of hiccup sat underneath herself, the twins, or Snotlout, laughing his head off when they played.

She absentmindedly watched the play fight until she could hear her name being cried out for, Hiccup seemed to have given up on playing tough.

“Ahahstrid! Hehelp me plehease!”

Astrid decided to look a bit closer at the duo, it seemed like Toothless managed to worm his way under Hiccup’s baggy shirt, and had taken to exploring the sensitive skin.

Hiccup was still kicking and trying to push his best friend away, but it was obvious that his attempts were quickly losing their coordination and strength. He looked so small and young in the moment, his head thrown back, eyes squinted shut in his laughter. Cheeks pink and his hair a mess from his squirming. If Astrid could have this picture in her memory for the rest of her life she would.

However, the moment would have to come to an end. Hiccup let out a squeal and arched into the dragons mouth before once again begging for Astrid’s help, although she could barely tell what he was saying were words through his light and giddy laughter.

With a whistle and a few claps, Toothless has perked up to look at her, giving his rider a much needed break. The Nightfury made its way over to her, letting Hiccup recuperate and getting some love while they waited for his giggles to die off.

It only took a few minutes before Hiccup was making his way over to the two, his hair looking like a rats nest no matter how much he tried to tame it. His cheeks were still dusted pink when he slumped down next to Astrid’s rock and leaned up against her legs.

“So,” Astrid asked, breaking the silence. “Do you and Toothless play that game a lot?”

She watched as even the tips of his ears that had poked out from his hair blushed a bright red. “I- well, um.”

Astrid laughed, “Don’t worry I won’t let the others know.” She told him, reaching a hand down to flutter around his neck, “I might have to explore this a bit more though.”

Hiccup was quick to scrabble away from the offending fingers, his face glowing in embarrassment. “Well- um, I- it really isn’t anything needing exploration Astrid. So if you wouldn’t mind-“

There was a playful glimmer in Astrid’s eye as she rose from her seat. Toothless was quick to pick up on the shift, the air around them growing tense with anticipation and playfulness. Never one to hold his excitement for long Toothless had circled around Hiccup before nosing him forward, acting as a wall to hold him in place as Astrid stalked towards him.

“Hmm Hiccup, it’s just that you sure seemed to be having a lot of fun. I would hate to deny you something that brings you so much happiness.”

Hiccup couldn’t take his eyes off her hands, slowly rising till they were stretched out in front of her, fingers clawed and ready to attack at a moment's notice. He felt himself pushing back against Toothless in a desperate attempt to escape, only to find no give from the dragon behind him, traitor.

“Now, you just need to hold still and I’ll be done after I find every little giggle spot you have!”

Without giving a second for her words to register in the boys mind Astrid launched herself forward, hands quickly finding and digging into a prominent set of ribs.

To say that Hiccup screamed would be an understatement, but she wasn’t here for screams, it was the laughter bubbling up after that she wanted. The way that his breath caught for a second after before succumbing to the giggle inducing tingles shooting through his body had her full attention.

His hands quickly found her wrists and latched on. To Astrid’s shock he wasn’t pushing her away, it seemed more like he needed something to hold onto and ground himself. Before she could think too much on the idea, she felt him jump forward into her hands. Without noticing she had moved lower until her hands were around his hips and investigating the dips in the bones.

His head fell backwards and knees buckled as she pressed further, laughter moving from the soft giggles of before to cackles that had him gasping for breath.

Hiccup slowly slid down Toothless until he was barely upright on the ground. Astrid has a feeling she should give him a break, though he hasn’t said a word to stop her yet. That was more information she would pack away to think about later.

Instead she decided there was just one more place she would have to test before she finished their fun.

Her hands moved towards his center and for the first time since she had started she could make out words through Hiccups laughter.

“Nahaha nahat thehere! Ahastrid! Ihie- I cahan’t!”

“Oh, what do you mean you can’t Hiccup, I think you can, you’ve been doing so well so far. Just a little bit longer okay, I’ll stop after this.”

Okay so maybe Astrid was pushing it a little bit, but Hiccup really did look happy like this, and he wasn’t really telling her to stop either, just that his belly was a bad spot. Which aren’t the bad spots the best to go for? She would only do it for a second, just to see, she told herself.

Her hands formed a claw, vibrating into the softness of his stomach.

And oh boy did that gain a reaction.

Astrid didn’t have to force herself to stop, at least not when Hiccup was quick to kick her off of him.

She held her stomach for a second as she laid in the dirt, she hadn’t realized Hiccup would have been able to get that much force behind a kick. She looked over to him, he had curled into a ball holding his stomach as his body released the left over giggles.

She couldn’t help herself, laughing right along with him until they were both sitting up and stifling their chuckles.

Oh yeah, she was going to have to investigate that more later on, as for now it would be smart to head back, it wouldn’t be long before curfew. She reached a hand down to help him up, which Hiccup took without hesitation.

They walked side by side, only a few inches separating them as they watched Toothless run through the trees excitedly.

“So, uh, you won’t tell the others right?” Hiccup asked, a hand reached back to scratch at his neck.

She watched a blush dust his cheeks one more time as the sunlight was fading and bumped their shoulder together. “Don’t worry about it, I said I wouldn’t tell them, though I can’t promise I’ll hold them back if they do find out.”

She took off at a jog to catch up with Toothless, the Nightfury still had too much energy to settle down for bed.

“H-hey, wait up! What does that mean Astrid.”

She allowed herself a smile as she turned around to face him, jogging backwards as she called out to him, “Come on, we’ll be late if you don’t hurry!”

“Astrid?”

She turned back around and started to run forward with the dragon.

“Astrid!”

#lee hiccup #hiccup #hiccstrid #httyd #ler astrid #astrid #toothless #ler toothless #???#I'm gonna go with it I guess #fr fr tho #toothless and astrid are a ruthless team #poor hiccup is gonna die

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zora-moyashi · 4 years ago

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<---- Prev

Core

“No I am not, just working on this Wolfbane file.”

"Ooo~ cool. Can we check out that book we were looking at before? Or does this place not work like a library."

Core

“I trust Shatter to bring it back, so yes you may borrow the folder.”

"Sweet thank you" She sits on the floor crosslegged flipping through the folder. "Which do you wanna get next tonic?" "Oh, um orion?" She flips to that.

Core

It was in the ‘adventure time’ au.

she looks to shatter who said that. "Ah, alright. Wonder if we'll meet fin. Its so weird meeting fictional characters haha! "

Core

“Well we just need to find this hunter.” Shatter said.

"Maybe its fin." She jokes. "Shatter would you do the honers of taking us there?"

Core

Shatter made a portal. “Says here ‘hunter princess’”

"Bubble gum! Kidding, is hunter princess what they call her?" She goes through.

Core

“It literally just says hunter princess, forest, adventure time au.”

"So helpful." She slides down a little hill in the forest. "Hunter princes! Wherever you are come here"

Core

“What do you want?” A voice sais

"oh uh, you have a gem?"

Core

“Yes I have the jewel you seek, but it’ll cost ya.”

"yeah, and what's that."

Core

“The feather of a cockatrice, get me that, and the jewel is yours.”

"Random. Why?"

Core

“It can heal cancer, and also be used as a spell ingredient.”

"what's this spell than?"

Core

“Turn people into stone.”

"sure.... whatever yeah we'll get that for you." chara waves her hand. "were can we find it?"

Core

“On a cockatrice, it lives in the desert.”

"k" she turns and they go to the desert "how big do you think this chicken is?" she asks shatter

Core

“18 to 50 feet, but my form is 25.” Shatter said

"that is a big chicken. we should bring it back for horror."

Core

“She would eat it, but watch out for it’s eyes.”

"yee i know sis, medusa chicken, i'm ready."

Core

“I have an idea, when we find it, I’ll turn into a mole and kick sand in it’s eyes.”

"sounds good. it is freaking me out a little that it lives in the desert."

Core

“Why?”

"well there's nothing here. it's not like it burrows, does it?"

Core

“Cockatrice are cold blooded, so it is perfect.”

"hmm, they must be pretty hardy." chara points "hey is that it?" in the distance there's a figure.

Core

Shatter looked and saw familiar plumage. “Yep.” She turned into a mole and dug underground

Chara laid low and watched

Core

She appeared in front of the bird and kicked sand

The bird shook it's head and glared at the mole relizing there were no eyes it got mad and looked for another victim

Core

Shatter assumed she got both eyes and turned back to normal.

The creature turned to their good eye, luckily shatter turned into a cockatrice just in time, the twos ability balancing out

(Stare down of the cockatrice.) Chara had been trying to sneak to the back of it and pluck a fether. She was close

Core

Shatter kept the cockatrice’s attention, though that wasn’t very hard since it turned out the wild one was male. (Sorry not sorry but he is trying to flirt)

(Lol) Chara gets ready to jump and right after she pluck it she did, right over the two of them and started to run to tonic.

Core

Shatter then attacked the male, showing she was NOT interested

"Woooo!" Chara runs and grabs tonics paw while waving the feather in the other hand.

Core

Shatter nodded and started to run off, noticing the male following.

Chara didn't look back so she didn't notice until she wondered what was making shatter as far back as she was.. "hurry up shatter?" She calls.

Core

Shatter used her wings to jump up and kick the male,

Chara heard the male cry out as shatter gouged his chest

Chara's curiosity wins and she looks back making sure to look low.

Core

Shatter killed the male, turning back. “He wouldn’t take a hint!”

"Oh I think he took it shatter haha!" She goes back and gets a couple more feathers for fun. "Alright let's get back."

Core

Shatter nodded, following

When they got there chara waves the feathers at the princess. "There you go. Why do you even have the gem if you're willing to give it up that fast?"

Core

“Getting the feathers is not that easy.” The woman said, tossing the blue gem to Chara

"OK better question, where did you get the gem?"

Core

“This lady with floating hair and glowing eyes gave it to me.”

"Didn't she tell you not ta give it away? Cause dang."

Core

“She told me find someone worthy.”

"Cool. Guess we win~" she sets the gem in, bright red color slowly dies down as it settles in. Chara spins the outside ring.

Core

It landed on pegasus

She showed shatter with a smile it glowed yellow.

" pegasus huh." Chara says "wonder what it'll be like"

Core

“Says Dracopedia AU, so more feathers.”

"well a'ight. not sure exactly what that means but i like surprises. let's go" chara says.

Core

“Also be careful, this au has my most dangerous forms

"eh, we're fine. we've got you."

Core

“True.” Shatter shrugged, making a portal to the mountains.

the three of them enter, it's late at night with a new moon making it pretty dark. the three of them made their own light for each of them. "okay, so, where is this thing?"

Core

“Well it lives in the mountains, so somewhere here”

"do these kinds of pegasuses... like, make nests?" chara asks

Core

“Kinda?” Shatter started, turning into an eight legged lizard large enough for Chara and Tonic to ride up the steep slopes. “They make large areas of flat stone to roost.”

"huh." chara hops on with tonic. "you have good night vision in this form shatter?"

Core

‘Actually it’s pretty decent, this is a Saharan Basilisk by the way’ she said, climbing up the slopes

they climb until they hit the top where it flatten out. there is a cliff in front of them they'd have to climb to get higher.

Core

Shatter looked around, sniffing the ground

the watch starts to glow indigo again. tonic holds it in a certain direction and it gets brighter.

Core

“I got a scent” Shatter said, turning the same direction. And bolting

tonic looses there balance almost falling off shatter's back. chara leans forward holding tight. "weeee! hahah " chara squeels.

Core

Shatter used her tail to help Tonic stay on as she climbed

shatter climbs up some of the cliff but than the sent is to the right. she can't see anything that way but the sent clearly leads that way.

Core

She turned to follow the sent, the basilisk’s eyes were small so this form mainly relied on scent anyway.

the cliff ended there, the mountain side dropping drastically. the sent came from inside the wall they climbed on, there was a spell of some sort on it it seemed as shatter touched it, the wall quivered.

Core

Shatter used her tail to snake the wall, again and again.

*smack

the harder she hit it the more it pushed back, like counter.

Core

Shatter growled at this. ‘You two get off for a second

there was a small ledge that they were able to stand on, though it was very thin they both did as they were told, tonic's light helping a lot.

Core

Shatter went over and started digging, something this form was great at

she could see that the spell was a bubble and went all around the protected area, even in the rock.

Core

Shatter bit at it, trying to tear

that was the most effective as the bubble's crease she made with the bite turned a light green

Core

She shook her head as she continued to bite

she eventually got through that, a bit more rock in her way before she could go into the grotto. shatter could hear sounds coming from in there. tonic inches their way over to where shatter was watching.

Core

Shatter dug through the rock with ease, once she made a big enough hole she went and got Tonic and Chara

the inside of this little hide away was quite nice. very cozy. there was a young looking Pegasus on the ground under some kind of animal pelt.

tonic and chara go in, chara looking around and finding gems. "oooo" she bends down to them and sees a little dragon there. much younger than the Pegasus. it was garding the gems

Core

“Dragonettes?’ Shatter questioned, confused. ‘They are domesticated so that must mean-‘ Shatter said before screeching as an arrow went through one of this form’s small eyes.

tonic jumped in surprise before bolting to where the arrow came from intending to rip up who ever did that's arm or whatever.

Core

He saw a male human. “Watch our you two! Basilisks are deadly, I’ve never seen one this far from the desert...” Shatter scratched the arrow out, blue blood stained that side of her face.

tonic bit into this guy's arm and pulled him to the ground.

Core

The guy had on armor. “What are you doing imp?! I saved you!” The man said, throwing Tonic into the dirt. Shatter heard this and hissed, raising her spines. She now could just barely see anything

tonic shook their head. "No! don't hurt her!" tonic growl/whines.

Core

“And why not?! They are dangerous!” The man yelled

Core

(He’s so cute argh!!! Shatter you better protect the bean!!)

"She wasn't hurting anyone." They say firmly. "Who are you?" Tonic asks sitting up. (Yee shatter, tonics gonna get in all kinds of trouble.)

Core

“It is after my steed! And I am Orion, rider of the winged horse.” He said.

"Funny that, we just met the representative of orion somewhere else." Tonic says quietly. "Do you mean that filly? It's hardly a steed."

Core

The horse seemed to hear this and charged at Tonic. Shatter heard the galloping and quickly got over Tonic, using herself as a shield.

Tonic being the skittish thing that he is jumped again. tonic tries to reason with the man saying they didn't know what they were doing and they were just looking for something. Chara saunters out of the cave thing holding the small dragon in her arms petting it as it purred watching the spectacle.

Core

It was a hatchling, fire red and covered in black spots, The man calmed down the horse, who and a golden collar with an indigo gem in the center. Shatter stayed over Tonic.

Tonic looked to shatter as if questioning if they should ask for the stone.

Core

Shatter nodded softly( Night)

"um... sir? That is actually what we're looking for." Tonic points to the horses neck. Chara steps over to them.

Core

“The gem? Do you have the ring?” He asked.

"Yes." Tonic nods as chara fishes it out of her pocket and shows him.

Core

“I see, well...” he took the gem out of the collar. “This is yours then.”

Chara's hands are full or else she would have taken it it, tonic takes it instead. "Why are you giving it up so easily?" Tonic asks

Core

“That barrier is not easy to get through, not to find it in the first place. You passed the test.” He said

Tonic looks unsure but thanks him anyway. Chara pats the dragons head until it hears the filly make a sound and flies over to it.

Core

Shatter turned back to her normal form, holding a hand over her left eye.

Tonic motioned for shatter to go down to their level

Core

Shatter was sitting down. “Oh, you are a shapeshifter.” Orion said “No shit Sherlock.” Shatter hissed, salty because eyes took forever to heal.

Chara giggles and goes up to pet the pegasus. Tonic heals shatter's eye with a drop of magic form their claw.

Core

“It needs to heal naturally, otherwise it may miss details.” Shatter explained to Tonic The Pegasus stomped a foot.

Tonic pouts and cuddles next to shatter instead. Chara copies the pegasus.

Core

Shatter sighed. “You two okay if we stay here until my eye heals?” The Pegasus snorted

"Fine with me" Chara says. Tonic shrugs

Core

Shatter laid down, closing her eyes. “You know, my core is blind.”

"Yeah? Why do you bring this up?" Chara asks while inspecting it's wings

Core

“Well, the first thing I ever saw was death, made me not want to see any more, but, I’m glad I can see you and Tonic.” Shatter said with a slight smile

"Awwwww~ break my heart, shatter!" Chara grins pulling at the wing to see how it bends. Tonic placed their head on shatter's belly resting with her.

Core

The Pegasus smacked Chara with its wing. Shatter continued to just chat. “Remember that other Nightmare? I think that’s because the Norse au shares the same creator as ours.”

"That so? Guess that'd make sense hm?" Chara shakes her head from the hit. Surprised by how soft the feathers are.

Core

“Yeah, in some of the aus with actual stars are limited, but rather interesting. One is where everyone is like opposite, then one where Dream and Nightmare swapped, one were the apocalypse happened, one with medieval kingdoms, and one where Geno and Dream made this deal.”

"What kinda deal?" Chara leaves the horse alone.

Core

“Not sure, but that au is a lot different from the others because of it.” Shatter explained

"Hm." Chara sits by shatter and starts to play with the loose rocks nearby. Orion and his pegasus head back to the hideaway

Core

“And one au, stars are bio weapons.” Shatter added

"Like you?"

Core

“No, no. Like robots with a soul stone core, you know, made by humans. Let me tell you that the one with the blades is ridiculously fast.” Shatter explained

"I'd bet. A star made only for fighting would really be something scary. So shatter, I'm a little foggy on bioweapons, it means using living things like germs or whatever to fight other living things? So even though they are made by humans they're still alive. Right?"

Core

“Well, it literally means ‘living weapon’ so anything alive, and they are.” Shatter said

"Uh-huh, how did they make them?"

Core

“Don’t know, I left fairly quickly.”

"Aw, that's too bad."

Core

“You would leave too if you were getting your ass kicked by something too fast to hit.” Shatter defended herself

"Not blaming ya, but it's still a shame. What was this star's name? Cause it's reminding me a lot of shadow lol"

Core

“C-5.”

Tonic fell asleep, "i'ma call her carma with a C. I hate the stupid code names. Anyway, what was your favorite place you've visited shatter?" Chara checks her soul with the small peice of gradients core sticking out of it still. The spread of the green seems to have stopped though. Lv 15.

Core

“Hmmm the jelly shroom forest.”

"sounds squishy."

Core

Shatter opened her eyes, the left one now healed. “So, ready for the next one?”

"i am but looks like tonic passed out."

Core

Shatter looked and chuckled, picking up the sleeping boy. “Well, next is dragon, so chances are it’s going to be here.”

draco's color glowed a silvery white with a tint of red. chara looks at it "i'll take your word for it, but i'd find it strange she'd hide two in the same world." tonic shifted in shatter's arms getting more comfortable.

Core

“Well, I told you before, this world is one of the most dangerous.” She reminded. “We should really stay here until Tonic Wales up....”

The watch's brightness stayed steady. "I say we go into their little cave if they'll let us."

Core

“We’re fine right here.” Shatter said, setting Tonic down.

"whatever. you know that thing could be out for hours. why don't you just wake them up?"

Core

“Because that is rude.” Shatter said.

"pfff, fine. maybe the dragon will come to us."

Core

“Not likely...” Shatter said

chara lays down with a huff.

Core

“Sorry, I know you are excited.”

she grunts as a reply.

Core

“Look, how about truth or dare in the meantime?”

"sure, how's that work? i made up shit when i played that with asy."

08/13/2019

"I never got to play with other humans. I just watched them sometimes."

Core

“Well, I say truth or dare, then you choose to answer something with only the truth or do a dare.”

"Uhhhh okay truth"

Core

“Are you using me?” Shatter asked, rather seriously

Chara was instantly shocked. She opened and closed her mouth unsure what to say.

"....uh.." she laughs it off. "I thought this was supposed to be fun?"

Core

“Yes that is the general purpose, But it is also good excuse to get answers,” Shatter said

She blinks. "And if I refuse to answer?"

Core

“You get punched in the arm.”

Chara groans. "Shatter! Come on! I don't even think I know the answer to that!"Tonic stirs from the noise before falling back asleep.

Core

“Then you accept the punch?”

"....I guess."

Core

Shatter punched her in the air hard enough for it to sting. “Your turn

She rubs her arm disheartened with a sigh. "Truth or dare?"

Core

“Dare.” Shatter said

"I dare you to wake tonic up so we can fucking leave."

Core

“Fine, Fine.” Shatter said, gently shaking Tonic. “Come on, wake up sleepy head.”

Tonic slowly shakes their head and blinks at shatter half alseep.

"Yes shatter?" He asks yawning.

"Shatter's being mean to me so I made her wake you up."

Core

“Sorry, “Shatter apologized, I promise you can rest on the way.

"Mmm, okay." Tonic wraps their arms around shatter's neck closing their eyes again.

Core

Shatter carried Tonic like a backpack. “You got the ring?” Shatter asked Chara

"Sure do." She holds it up as it shines brightly to the north.

Core

“Well, the sea orc’s lair is north..” Shatter said

"Alright." She walks that way. Unnaturally silent for her

Core

“Hey, Sorry if I made you upset.” Shatter said

She shrugs. "...It made me mad that I don't know the answer. Not your fault."

Core

“Oh, I see, well do tell me when you figure it out.”

"...fine." They see the orc's lair ahead of them. Murmuring can be found in that direction.

Core

It was a cave surrounded by water, Shatter turned into a lapras. ‘We have to be careful of rocs.’

"Yeah I'd assume seeing the name. Think they captured the dragon?"

Core

“No, rocs are giant birds, they might They to eat me in this form.’

"Well then get out of that form stupid?"

Core

‘What else do you expect me to use? Rocs will eat anything I do!’

"Try a laprass? How big are these things?" She looks around to see one.

Core

There was what looked like a cliff, at least 1500 feee tall, it opened an eye and stretched out it’s wings. ‘Shit!’

"WOOOW!" Chara squeals. "SO PRETTY!!!"

Core

The roc looked over, seeing shatter. ‘Shit! Shit! Shit!” Shatter hissed, diving down

"Shatter! Look how cool it is!"

Core

‘It’s not cool!’ Shatter said as the roc flew into the air, watching the water.

The roc blocked all light out from the sun that was coming up. "Shouldn't we just leave??? Why the hell are you diving?"

"I feel tree cover would be better!"

Core

The roc dove its talons into the water and caught a whale, easily lifting the giant mammal into the air.

"Yeah, like that." Chara dunks her head under trying to find shatter but she sees nothing untill she notices a faint light that she assumes was tonic on shatter's back.

Core

‘Wasn’t me!’ Shatter cheered as she surfaced, letting Chara on her back so they could head to the lair

Tonic shakes off like a dog and chara gets on with them. "How fast did you dive?"

Core

‘Fast enough apparently.’

"Yeah sure." They get to the shore of the cave. Chara hops off into the black sand.

muttering is much louder on the shore. Chara sneaks around to the edge of the cave.

Chara sees a big gathering of orcs circling something, chara's not sure what it is. She quietly relays that info to shatter.

(These are sea orcs)

"perhaps. If the gem's in there that'll make this difficult. How strong do ya think these are?"

Core

“Well, a freybug won’t work... but a naga will.” Shatter said before turning into a cobra with four arms and a scorpion stinger at the tail

"so we're just gonna crash that party?"

Core

‘Hell Yeah’ Shatter hissed slithering over

Chara follows, they notice them right as they enter the cave and start making screaming like sounds at shatter and chara.

Core

Shatter was highly venomous in this form and would paralyze her victims

One of the orc's came over (Wait so, the orcs are in the water in a cave on the island right?) Jumping out of the water and whipping their tail at shatter's torso knocking her of balance.

Core

The cave is like the one kyogre is in)) Shatter hissed as she used her four arms to spin back around

some of the orcs go on the land to attack, biting at shatter's legs. Another snaps at chara as she hops on it back

Core

Shatter quickly nabbed the one that was going to attack Chara.

It slams against shatter as the others do something similar as back up. Chara desides to go check what they were circling while they're destracted. Chara manages to get around most of them as they attack shatter. There's a big pool of blood fogging the area making it hard to see what's inside.

Core

There was a red gem in the water. Shatter’s teeth weren’t for tearing to she had to resort to her claws and stinger.

Chara darted into the fog grabbing for the gem she saw a glimpse of. As she waved her arms in the blood she hit chunks of flesh and bone. She eventually got what she wanted though it was covered in fleash. She swims up unharmed and calls "shatter! I got it let's leave!"

Core

Shatter turned back and teleported to Chara before teleporting to Tonic

they get out and the orc's aren't happy about that as they search for them, shatter and the others are on the other side of the lake, pretty safe from being found. "wooo! that was fun!" chara says as she wipes the gore off of the gem.

Core

“Sure, for you.”

"don't be like that. it's not like you got very hurt!"

Core

“True, but I was more worried about you.”

"yeah well you shouldn't be..... shatter? would you hate me if i was only using you?"

Core

“No, I don’t think I would, I don’t think I could at this point.”

"tch. well you should."

Core

Shatter shrugged, “it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last, I’m just glad you are actually a great friend.”

( there's the color list, i got rid of the dog and bull cause they're too similar to wolf and touros. )

Core

Shatter started to say something and sighed, before looking at what was next; (file above)

(so that's the dog? or what?)

Core

(Greater dog)

Core

“Yeah but this is a different kind.”

"Right. I guess we'll just have to see when we get there." Tonic says nuzzling into her shoulder.

Core

Shatter nodded and turned into a lapras again. ‘Come on Chara’

She makes not a sound and gets on the lapras's back.

Core

Shatter swam across the shore

Chara stands on her shell looking into the water

Core

‘Truth or dare’

Chara shakes with anger 'shut up.' Though tonic couldn't hear them they could see the tension between them.

"Ummm. Did something happen while I was asleep?"

Chara rolls her eyes. "No, it's none of your concern "

Core

‘I’m just trying to lighten the mood.’ Shatter said

'Because that worked so well before.'

Core

‘Ok, how about I make you something? Like chocolate?’

'Not hungry shatter. Like i said before, just forget it.'

Core

Shatter sighed as they reached the next shore

Tonic and chara get off, this shore is very muddy. The watch calls for the next stone with a pure red color. Tonic looks around "which way shatter?"

Core

“There are some plains nearby, drakes normally live there.”

"Oh, so there's many of them?"

Core

“Well there are tons of drakes, hydras are rarer.”

Tonic nods and starts trotting through the plains.

Core

They saw some creature’s run past

Tonic looks back to make sure shatter's there before they go close to the animals.

Core

Shatter was trying to make up with Chara

"Shatter! I'm serious, forget about it!" The drakes land near the group seemingly curious of them and the light.

Core

(Drakes can’t fly, they run)

( dheidbdksbd, kk. I was thinking of a different critter. Want to send me a pic.)

Shatter growled at the pack.

They sniffed and snarled at shatter's hostility

Core

Shatter turned into a war Drake, different from these Common Drakes, she had her tail down, a sign she wasn’t interested in a fight

They weren't wanting a fight either, but they did seem interested in shatter's transformation and tonic in general. One nudged against tonics head with its snout.

Core

Shatter raised her tail and growled, lowering her body, showing she was defensive about Tonic like he was a pup

It didn't listen to shatter as it pushed tonic to the ground starting to lick them. Tonic giggled pushing it away.

Core

Shatter growled at this, showing her disapproval to the pack

They back off, as this isn't their territory and they were just looking for food to bring back to their group leader (the hydra)

They start to leave and drag the prey they already had.

Core

Shatter growled softly. Before sniffing the ground

Tonic shakes off the slobber and joins shatter attempting to smell for the gem as well though they can't smell anything

Core

‘Got the scent, come on.’ Shatter said, running towards the source

They both follow quickly

Core

One of the packs look outs saw shatter enter their territory

It made a howl like sound and instantly a a new group of drakes came after the group.

(meet pickett)

august 14 leo

Core

Shatter growled and kept herself in between the pack and the others

08/15/2019

The pack reached them, nipping at shatter and roaring, telling them to get lost.

Core

Shatter had more armor and sharper teeth, but she was outnumbered.

One rammed into shatter knocking her over, the drake climbed on her and started ripping st her neck.

Core

Shatter used her strong back legs to tear at her attacker’s stomach, her long claws meant for traction on land, thinking quickly she turned into a Shedu, or a winged lion, the natural predators of drakes. ‘Ok, I’m done playing fair

The drake's belly was pretty ripped up and it backed away as much as it could looking up at the shedu. The other drakes still had a job to do, no matter what, so even though they hesitate they attack her again anyway. One got a good grip on one of her wings.

Core

Shatter spun around and attacked the Drake, swatting it.

the cerberus noticing the trouble it's pack was in, grabbed the gem hiding it in its mouth, and sprinted towards the group. It seemed to be able to talk through telepathy. It clearly wasn't it's power, but given to it by someone else. 'Get out of home' it growled like an angry child.

‘Not until we talk!’ Shatter hissed, roaring at some of the drakes

One of the cerberus' heads ordered the pack to back up. The head on the right said 'there nothing to say! Trespass!'

Core

‘Only to find you!’ Shatter hissed,

they relax except the head on the right. The one on the left asks 'what want stranger?'

Core

‘We are after the gem’s of Singularity.’

'Can't have, it master's' says the middle 'important to master.'

Core

(So far the highest points is 20 with the exorcist) ‘Yes, But we found her ring, and wish to restore it.’ Shatter said.

The heads talk amungst eachother before looking at the group silently. Chara grows sick of it. "Well??? Make up your damn mind! Can we have it or not?" The head on the left says 'must check worthiness' 'Destroy shedu nest.' The heads all nod in agreement.

‘You want me to destroy a Shedu nest? They are an endangered species, how about I do you one better? A bull hydra nest.’

(That tail tho) 'hydra's don't bother pack. Must be shedu.'

Core

‘Fine, But only one cub, I do not want to be responsible for the extinction of a species’

'Than no deal.' They nod and turntail.

Core

‘Ugh Fine, I’ll destroy the nest!’

'Good' head on right than says ' back before sundown or test failed.'

Core

‘Fine...’ Shatter huffed, letting Chara and Tonic on her back

They climb on and chara sticks her tounge out at the beast as they run in the direction of the nest.

Shatter flew up to the nest. ‘They didn’t say we had to kill the cubs...’ Shatter told herself as she tore up the fur padding that made the nest. (This is a white Shedu)

(A roc☝️)

There were four cubs shivering covered in their moms shed fur watching shatter confused. The Cubs had little fur and if they were to leave they would certainly freeze.

Core

Shatter changed the nest, destroying the old one.

One of the cubs grew more curious and went up to shatter, they'd never seen a non artic of their kind. It made a little cub sound as if questioning her.

Core

Shatter chuffed nudging the cub back before flying away

"...shatter?" Tonic asks. "I don't think... that'll be good enough for the cerberus."

Core

‘They said destroy the nest, and I did.’

‘They never said I couldn’t fix it later’

tonic shrugs and enjoys the ride, not sure about that.

When they get back the cerberus is instantly unpleased. 'Didn't do as asked!'

Core

Shatter landed. ‘Yes I did, you never said I couldn’t rebuild it, nor did you say I had to kill the cubs.’

The cerberus is angry about the miscommunication. 'You know what ment! No gem until what asked is done! Whole nest! We watch, do it right.' The one who game them telepathy also gave sight sharing.

( *gave them)

Core

‘Fine!’ Shatter hissed, flying back. ‘Chara, can you keep the cubs warm?’

"Yeah."

Core

‘Ok, Shatter landed by the nest. There were three cubs

'Where is the other one?" Tonic asks.

Core

Shatter looked around and saw it fell off the cliff. ‘Poor thing.’

"more like dumb thing." chara says getting off her back and gathering the other cubs.

Core

‘The wind up here is bad’ Shatter explained, waiting for Chara to get the cubs before tearing up the nest

"shouldn't have been so close to the edge." after shatter's done chara makes a bubble and puts them in it. than she puts a fire around it to keep them warm. the babies can't break the bubble but a mom surly could.

Core

Shatter made her work quick. ‘Can you leave them here in the bubble?’

"yeah, they'll be fine."

the cubs scratch at the walls of the bubble.

Core

Shatter felt deep guilt leaving, but got herself to do it

when they get back once again the Cerberus just glares at them. it spits out the gem onto the ground. it's given up on it's communication and considers them strong enough for the gem anyway. if the cerberus could have told them better it would have meant 'kill all the cubs available. but it didn't so pff'

Core

Shatter took the gem.

"alright then." chara holds out the watch to shatter.

Core

Shatter placed the gem.

it fit into place and started to call for the golden quezlequatle.

it was clear that that gem wasn't in this world.

Core

Shatter looked at the file, ‘I’ve never heard of this au’

shatter opens a portal to a very dark space similar to the void. in the distance there is flashing lights changing colors. "weird place" chara says.

Core

Shatter walked through, cautious

the other two follow and the portal instantly disappears as if it didn't ever exist. as shatter tries to make another portal she's unable to. she can still shapeshift though.

Core

Shatter paused

this place echos like crazy and chara's having way too much fun with it. she starts by stomping on the 'ground' and than starts yelling nonsense. "SHATERR! THIS IS AN AMAZING ECHO!"

Core

‘I can hear that.’ Shatter smiled

chara walks to the flashing lights and they emit a song per each structure. she taps one and it blinks off.

"Hm.. I bet we need to recreate a song. The question is what is the song." Tonic steps on a tile that makes a 'bloop' sound

Core

Shatter turned into a Chatot and repeated the sound

Core

(Crazy Idea: T.G. Au Dream and Nightmare would always fly at night together because it made them feel like all the pain of having to hide was gone, but one night Dream kept her jacket on and said she wasn’t in the mood, Nightmare shrugged it off and flew, Dream watching from the rooftops. The next night, Dream told Nightmare she was tired and it was overcast. This time her sister was concerned and asked if anything was wrong. Dream forced a smile and told Nightmare that everyone was ok. Later that night as the two slept, Dream had a nightmare where she was flying during the early morning and a wire net tore up her wing, she crashed down, exposed to humans who tore off the wing. Dream woke up in a cold sweat, pulling the blanket closer to her as she looked at her sister. The third night came and Dream still didn’t want to fly with Nightmare. “What’s with you recently?” Nightmare asked. “It’s nothing, I promise, you just enjoy yourself.” Dream replied. “Stop lying to me Dream! You haven’t been able to sleep, and haven’t been eating either!” Nightmare said to her sibling who tugged on her own jacket sleeve. “Why won’t you fly?” “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to tonight.” Nightmare went to Dream, picking her sister in the air. “Why are you continuing to lie to me?!” “I’m sorry!” Dream said as her jacket fell off, revealing her left wing was gone. Nightmare in shock landed, Dream quickly hid her bloody back with her jacket, looking down. “I’m sorry Nightmare...” It’s based on a new song I added ‘Two birds on a wire’)

As chara pushed more buttons something was chamging. The area they were in seemed to get smaller everytime something was pushed.

Core

‘Hold on...we might get squished’

Chara stops. "Have a better idea genius?"

Core

Shatter looked at the floor, before turning into Ironhide. Then stepping in the correct pattern. “Simple key puzzle, typical of Nintendo games.”

( look at this new boi I got.) Chara cocks her head as a way is opened. "How'd you know the melody though???"

Core

“The height of the plates, it’s minimal but enough that I noticed.”

Chara then noticed and huffs. "Fiiiiine" she goes through the gateway and is transported to a forest area with ghost like creatchers. Also there's a frog just sitting there. Chara goes over and pokes the frog. It makes a croak but doesn't move

Core

(The creature is Bioweapon!Killer) “An echo forest?” Ironhide asked

One of the ghosts came up to iron hide looking down at her.

Ironhide sat down. “Hey buddy

it made gurgling sounds and shrunk down seemingly sitting aswell. Tonic went off on their own to try to find clues to the gem. The watch doesn't glow in this au. Tonic comes appon a street with a bunch of traffic cones blocking the way.

Core

Ironhide turned into Plasma, her ghost type form.

A bunch of other ghosts that look similar with different colors gather around shatter. Chara picks up the frog and it turns into a small egg. If she puts it back down it turns back. "Hehe. Cool."

Core

“They are wisps....” Plasma whispered

#rp chain #ignore me #long

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gem-quest · 5 years ago

Text

[QUEST o1. - E N T H R O N E D]

(written by @bebemoon)

. . . Quest 1 .

. . . T O U R N E Y . A N D . F A I R . I N . W I L D F L O W E R . M E A D O W . . . L E V E L . O N E . . .

Neddy gazed up at the lighted announcement slipping across the sky of level ten like a scrolling billboard ad in Times Square.

She was squarely amid the Prince's bursting gardens, headed in the way of her "nest" as she liked to call her homebase, when the lights of the announcement banner had drawn her eyes skywards- twinkling gold against cornflower blue.

"Jack!" Neddy called ahead of her on the garden trail. When there wasn't an immediate response, she started forward again, stumbling a little as her eyes were still pinned upwards. "Jack!"

Finvarra's gardens, where Neddy had taken up residence since the incident, was a knot of overgrown mazes whose centre was a raving-mad fairy party thrown by the hedonist fairy Prince Finvarra- an npc with far more brides than scruples. He and his brood made the argument to players traveling through that it made far more sense to lay about and drink honey wine with them than it did to slog through level after level, narrowly escaping death at every turn, with the ambition of returning to a world of "imminent catastrophic death" and until then, "inescapable boredom".

"Would you not, my dear, much rather Partake?"

Enticing though the notion may have been, Neddy, at the time of clearing the level, had been able to refuse the Prince because she had had someone to stick with-

But that was before. More and more she felt the lure of the sweet meats of the fairies' forbidden feast.

Neddy arrived back at her nest on the outskirts of the gardens, far from the clamour of the Prince's ceaseless bacchanal. She hurried up the short twiggy ladder and into the leafy alcove of her self-made refuge. It was little more than a hovel of bent branches bound together in the shape of an acorn's cap, but Neddy enjoyed the green smell of it and the fact that it was well out of the way of most players who traveled through ten. In the beginning, she really relished the isolation.

"Jack?" Neddy repeated in sing-song, half-preoccupied with locating her player-plexus. She knew full well that the creature wasn't inside the nest- he was much too large. But she hoped he was nearby since she wanted to leave soon and didn't dare go into any other floor without him now that she was alone.

She got on her hands and knees to reach the plexus- which was just a thin, quartz-y screen no bigger than a tablet in the real world- beneath the cot of sewn-together rose petal bed clothes on which she slept.

Neddy tapped the crystal screen, swiped into her Inventory, scrolled downwards through the list of items, and selected a 'Drink Me' potion. The concoction appeared like magic, hovering above the plexus screen in an illumination of blue until she took it into her fingers and gave the tiny, glass bottle substance. She tucked it into the hip pocket of her wafer-thin robe.

Overhead, Neddy could hear the beat of Jack's flower-skinned wings on the air. It was time to go.

< < < Spell used: I C T U I U M > > >

Jack was never pleased about being shrunken down to the size of a Lhasa Apso or being carried in a reed basket on Neddy's back, but (most of the time) Neddy wasn't looking to cause havoc by having a fully-grown dragon in tow. When travelling through peaceful levels, making him a less threatening size seemed only right. Such was the case in revisiting level one.

The flowering meadows outside of Yue City conjured all kinds of unwanted images in Neddy's mind. It was the initial spawn point for all players, and the last she had seen of it, she had been with her boyfriend. She had been with their entire party, in fact. Even Bloodbriars, a pale vampire mage-knight, who shared Neddy's love of dance . . . among other things.

The meadow, very unlike the last Neddy had seen of it, was lifted with the roaring voices of crowds of players surrounding the lists and brimming with every manner of species from every guild milling between the colourful tent stalls topped with snapping banners in red, blue, black, and yellow. The aroma of cooking meat (well-cooked unlike fae fare) was in the air.

Some other players materialised behind Neddy and shoved past her on their way towards the tourney- as if there wasn't open space all around them.

"Ogres," Neddy muttered. She hefted the reed basket further up onto her shoulders. "Keep your eyes peeled, Jack. If you see /him, say so."

The dragon yawned poisonous gas into the air before curling back into the basket bottom with a sigh. Once he took on the size of a lap dog, he promptly became one in spirit too.

As to just why she wanted to see him, even she was unsure. She'd had days of isolation to ponder her own feelings on the situation- nothing of note had surfaced. Neddy decided her heart would tell her what to do once she laid eyes on his face.

Of course, the trick was finding him. And the tourney- because violence was assured- seemed as good a place as any to start searching.

Neddy gravitated towards the closest jousting list, which was set with proper bench seating, but was so swarmed with onlookers that a lot of players were forced into sitting or standing on the barriers. NPCs in neutral-claim colours made up the King's box, as expected.

She forced her way into a press of on-looking players to get herself against the balustrade for a good look at the current match-up. Squeezed sideways between a pair of brutish types (one was clutching a pole through which a full cooked pheasant was spiked upon, now partially eaten), Neddy was able to see the action- At one end of the list, a Moonstone rider in glistening silver armour was waiting mounted upon a winged snow-white steed, and at the other end, an Obsidian rider in a void of black armour was hefting themselves onto a massive black boar. Once the Obsidian rider was in place, they were given a brutal-looking lance of what, to Neddy, looked like charred bone.

The trumpets resounded and the crowd erupted in fevered roars as the two riders set off towards the tilt barrier- towards each other. A few heartbeats and it was over- the Moonstone rider was violently unseated by a crushing blow to the head. The result had been so extreme that Neddy half-expected the body of the Moonstone rider to dissolve as dead players' bodies did, but they were apparently somehow still alive.

Then, just as the Obsidian boar-rider was starting the stadium wave, a pair of legs came into view as someone boosted themselves up onto the balustrade over Neddy, semi-blocking her view of the list.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, flicking the offender's fish-netted calf. "You can't just-"

"Hey, what’s up? You’re Neddy, right?"

Neddy looked up, surprised because she recognized the voice. "Inferna?"

The face that belonged to the legs peered down at Neddy through a curtain of candy red hair. Inferna beamed down at her and offered her a hand up.

Neddy accepted her gloved hand and was easily drawn up from the ground and onto the balustrade beside the red-head. She grabbed onto an overhead beam to keep her balance.

"View's better up here," said Inferna on a wink.

Inferna then seemed to notice that Jack was on Neddy's back because she released a strange little noise of excitement- not unlike the noise she'd made when first encountering him in the gardens. "God, Jack is so freaking adorable! Does he still like sugar cubes?" she wondered, reaching deep into one of her pockets.

Neddy was barely listening- she was stunned to see the girl again. "How are you faring out there?" she asked, concerned.

“It’s been pretty chill on my end,” Inferna replied easily, giving Neddy a cheeky grin. “Haven’t really done anything exciting, besides get some blueberry scones from the Tearoom the other day; they’re amazing. I was at Level 39 the other day, but fighting the dragon is so much work, so I fucked off after a few minutes.”

Neddy shuddered. She'd heard of Mawrgawse, and she wasn't looking forward to facing the beast.

Inferna clenched one of her eyes shut as she dug further into her pocket and then drew out a sugar cube as well as a tiny tube of red liquid. The red-head pulled the top off of the tube with her teeth and then proceeded to dump the liquid contents directly onto the sugar cube. “Ooh, fuck, Jack is so cute. Here, you’re a good boy, aren’t you?” she said, tossing the sugar cube in the air and clapping with delight when Jack caught it in his mouth.

The boar-rider was mounting up for a second go even though an opponent had not yet appeared. A thrill of excitement rippled through the assembled crowd of players.

Inferna turned back to Neddy, still grinning. “What about you? Got anything fun going on?”

"Nothing quite as exciting as thirty-nine," Neddy replied. "I've just gotten through floor twenty-nine by the skin of my teeth. Mermaid Cove won't be easy for me since I'm currently, you know, on my own."

Inferna nodded. “Oh, yeah, that level’s a pain in the ass if you don’t have a party. I think I got through it by just finding a group that needed an extra person who didn’t care about Angel’s Breath. Aydina - that’s the NPC you go up against - is kind of a cunt, too. Like, I get that it’s just pre-written dialogue, but the lady could be nicer while trying to fuck us over with that dodgeball of hers, you know?”

When Neddy first met Inferna, after stopping her from Partaking in Finvarra's feast, she was concerned for her given her thoughtlessness about the food. However, it became clear, after hearing all that she had to say about her progress, that the red-head was someone who could too easily tear through the floors even though she was alone. To Neddy, that was enviable- she, too, wanted to help her guild win- she wanted to get out of the game and move on with her life, leaving behind the old for good. This living in Gem Quest was like being trapped within a bad memory. She had to do whatever necessary to help Moonstone escape. Trouble was, she was Enthroned, a weak fairy-kind dancer, and not Inferna, a flame-wielding hellion who (at least in Neddy's mind) kicked in doors and destroyed private property in the real world.

It occurred to her to ask for Inferna's help when they first met, but she never screwed up the courage. After all they came from different guilds so they couldn't fashion themselves into a party. What was the point other than to make herself look weak and pathetic?

Still. Aydina would be tough. And dodgeball was stupid.

"I'm not very good at dodgeball," Neddy put in. She glanced sideways at Inferna, hoping she wouldn't have to outright ask.

“It was my favorite thing in gym, when I still had to take that bullshit class. All I did was dick around and throw balls at the annoying people in my grade, even if they were technically on my team,” Inferna said.

Her dark eyes were fixed on the restless boar-rider. Neddy was about to ask if she knew the player, but she started to speak again-

“I thought that level was pretty fun, besides Aydina’s totally unnecessary commentary. So I can help you, if you want,” she continued, “if you bribe me somehow. Since I don’t see how helping you with dodgeball helps my Guild, after all.”

Neddy's brows shot up. "Bribe?" she choked on her simultaneous relief and dismay. "I don't have much in the way of coin. . . . I'm not formidable by any means. Surely, it won't hurt Obsidian any if you help little old me move through a lower floor."

Inferna narrowed her eyes, skeptical. “Little old you and a dragon,” she pointed out, gesturing towards Jack asleep in the reed basket.

Neddy nodded, suddenly pensive. Coin was one thing, but Inferna was someone who had back-tracked through multiple levels and re-did the maze on ten just to get her hands on a pastry she could not even eat. Even standing on the barrier, she took a moment now and then to sniff the aroma-filled air like a wolf catching the scent of prey. Food was the answer.

So, Neddy said, "Yeah, okay, I can give you all the apricot tartlets in my inventory if you help me out."

“Alright fine, I’ll do it,” Inferna abruptly agreed, flipping her red hair over one shoulder. “Just tell me when, and I’ll be there. But don’t make it before noon, or I’ll probably sleep straight through it. Like, I’m not even kidding; last semester I somehow slept through ten alarms and missed a 12:30 PM lab. So don’t make it before twelve.”

"Whatever you want," Neddy laughed, and she stuck her hand out to seal the accord between them.

Inferna, with a grin, slapped Neddy's hand in a low-five instead of shaking it- then narrowed her eyes again. “Now hand over those tartlets.”

Neddy didn't want to leave the tourney without having a look through the stalls.

Though newly skint of apricot tartlets, she was in need of a few other items following her final bought with the shellycoat hoards on twenty-nine. Since she was Mermaid Cove-bound, she wanted to replenish her supply of medi-elixir and possibly grab a tide jewel, just in case.

Further down from the over-crowded lists, there was a whole wyvern being turned over a spit by some NPCs, and Neddy imagined Inferna would make easy work of the thing.

Players, some half-armoured, were gathered together, drinking mead and exchanging tales of the front. Others were immersed in Gem Quest's version of the dice game "hazard", which was popular in the taverns (and Neddy didn't have the first clue about). People were arriving at the stalls in pairs, if not more, to make purchases. In every direction, people were together- they were together even if their guilds were different.

Neddy stood in the centre of one of the grassy avenues flanked with stalls and people passed around her like water about a river stone. And her heart was heavy because of it, but it had been so for weeks. Enough was enough.

If he put himself before her gaze again, she would see that he didn't dare do it a second time.

Until then, she had work to do.

[ ref for Neddy’s outfit: x ]

#writing #enthroned #selah #written by fanfan #moonstone #q1 #wildflower meadow #gardens of finvarra #THANK YOU TO AYZ FOR PROVIDING INFERNA'S DIALOGUE <3

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blueishfood · 5 years ago

Text

The Rider, Chapter 3

Pairing: Hiccup x Astrid

Words: 2,7 k

Warning(s): Mentions of rape

Summary: She was a trapper. Born a trapper, grown a trapper. Her parents and all those before her were trappers. All her life Astrid’s been told that dragons were beasts and monsters. So what happens when she meats the Rider, the devil in human form, who believes dragons could be friends?

A/N: This is an alternate universe fic where Astrid Hofferson is a trapper and Hiccup Haddock lives alone with his dragons. I wrote this years ago, but I just kind of never published it anywhere? So here it is, sorry for bad writing and stuff but again, old fic. If you’re sensitive to mentioning of rape, do not read this! It does not happen in the fic, and it will not be described, but it is mentioned as one of the characters are affected by this.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Astrid looked at how huge the skeleton was and felt a feeling of slight fear shiver up her spine. They had been looking for this nest for ages. What if they had found it before this beast was dead? They would have been killed, all of them with only a swipe of its tale.

The giant dragon skeleton was big and only partly crushed, the skin had rotted years ago, but the reek of the beast was still very recognizable. The bone around the dragon didn’t seem to belong to only itself, its surroundings looked a lot like it had become an dragon graveyard. Astrid recognized many of the sculls she had seen in her hometown, but many were also new.

Astrid jumped off Stormfly as they landed, her feet barely hitting the ground before she heard bone clattering behind her. Believing that it was the man with the dragon, she turned quickly to ask him her many questions. But stopped dead in her tracks.

Staring back at her petite frame stood an intimidating dragon, bigger, stronger and more frightening than she’d ever seen before. She recognized the beast from Gobber’s scare-tales.

“Bone-Knapper,” She whispered in awe. A few seconds the two warriors simply stared at each other. Completely frozen in time. With a speed only known by those in battle, Astrid flung her body towards Stormfly, but the dragon covered in bones was too fast. It put its gigantic claws over her and trapped her, a blade-like claw on each side of her head.

From a distance Hiccup saw Astrid getting trapped. “Faster Toothless, faster!” The nightfury was already pushing himself to the limit.

Astrid let out a shuttering breath of air. She felt the weight of the bone knapper’s foot on her chest, and she was sure that this would be her ending.

The dragon boy had led her to her death. She should never have trusted that monster. In her mind she still heard his voice, in her last moments, somehow his voice was what reached her.

“Hey! Hey, over here!” Oh… wait… No that was not her imagination. The claws lifted and let her out of her prison. Astrid scrambled away from the place where she had been trapped breathing heavily.

She looked up as a hand grabbed hers and pulled her to her feet. Her legs couldn’t hold her, and she fell back onto the ground. The rider sighed and lifted her up in his hands, bridal style. Astrid didn’t say much.

He just saved her life, why she didn’t know, but at least he wouldn’t kill her. She watched him put her in front on Toothless. Without a word he sat behind her, with his chest pressed against her back making his body a safe chair for her. Then they took off.

In the air Astrid breathed in the feeling of flying again. On Stormfly it was an adrenalin kick so big and amazing that it blew Astrid’s mind. On Toothless, with the Rider it was different. It calmed her in a way nothing else had before. Weird. Feeling calm with a person she had never known.

Somehow, she knew that he was mad at her. Perhaps for going down to the skeleton without his permission. That was the only reason Astrid could think of. But he was angry, that was for certain. His chest was rigid against her back, and she watched his knuckles turn white on the end of the saddle. Astrid had never been one to dance around the question.

“Why are you angry?” The rider shook his head.

“I’m not.” Astrid glanced unimpressed at the rider and stayed quiet for a few seconds.

“Yes, you are,” She continued not long after.

“No Astrid, I’m not!” Astrid watched Toothless roll his eyes under them.

“But you are though.” With a frustrated shout Hiccup dropped onto his back.

“Let’s go home bud.” He turned his head to Stormfly who was gliding beside them.

“Home, Stormfly.” The giant bird squawked happily and bobbed her head before setting course for the red glowing volcano. The blonde crossed her arms unsatisfied.

“Fine, but don’t think you’ve won this.” The rider rolled his eyes but stayed silent.

Astrid broke the silence not long after.

“So, I thought you said all dragons are your friends?” The auburn-haired man chuckled.

“Didn’t say that exactly.” He rolled his shoulders as he started explaining.

“Well, most of them are soft when you get to know them. It really depends on the dragon. They have personalities just like us humans.” Astrid huffed and glanced sceptically over at the rider but said nothing.

“Usually I get to know them, and they soften a little bit. But… I never really figured out what’s got his tail in a knot though.” He was silent for a while and Astrid let the feeling of soft wind stroking her cheeks fill her. “Can’t save everyone I guess.” The rider chuckled but there was something sad to the laughter, something that he held back. Astrid didn’t prod.

They neared the volcano not long afterwards.

“Better hold your breath, hunter.” The rider shouted over the wind as Toothless climbed in altitude and let himself fall. The hole of the volcano grew larger every second and the bubbling red lava seemed to rise towards them. They were plummeting towards death and for some reason they did not slow down.

“Rider, rider! We’re getting too close! Rider!” Astrid screamed as the volcano devoured them. Either the rider didn’t hear her, or he was ignoring her because he didn’t stop.

“I don’t know what it is but whatever I did I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

The young woman who was not at all used to flying shouted as many curses as she could think of while pressing her back to the Rider in fear.

“For the love of-! Thor almighty-what are you doing?! Rider!” The warm, dry ashes of the volcano flew like black snow around them. She breathed it in as she screamed, it dried up her throat, she couldn’t breathe.

Only a few seconds before they hit the lava Toothless turned like he had done it a thousand times before and flew into a cave opening that Astrid hadn’t noticed. The slim nightfury effortlessly glided through the dark cave-halls and landed in a large area.

Astrid scrambled off Toothless, not willing to stay on the flying death machine for one more minute. Only when she felt safe sitting on the black ground did she look at her surroundings.

The room she was sitting in was filled with different machines and devices. She didn’t know what most of them was. Many weapons hung on the walls and none were alike. There were canons, bows, crossbows, swords, daggers and axes. A part of the wall was completely covered in tools, a lot like Gobber’s workshop.

In the centre of the cave was a gigantic tree-bowl so large that two persons could fit in the bottom of it if they curled up. It was filled to the brim with the brightest most wonderful water she’d ever seen. The water dripped in a steady stream from a hole in the ceiling. Toothless wandered over to the bowl with a happy gurgling sound to drink a few gulps of water as Astrid realized that it had to be manmade.

She glanced at Hiccup who also was drinking from the bowl and shook her head. This guy had to be mad.

With a look of wonder Astrid took in the rest of the room, in a corner lied a sleeping full grown nightmare. The rider didn’t seem to pay it any mind. But what surprised Astrid was the tiny holes in the cave.

Inside the miniature caves were every dragon she could imagine; some she’d only heard legends about and many she’d never seen or heard of. Nadders, Zipplebacks, Nightmares, Gronckles, Timberjacks, Stormcutters, Speed Stingers, Changewings even a tiny Scrill.

And all were babies. Dragon babies. She’d never seen dragon babies before. She’d always assumed that they existed of course, but the dragons never brought their young to fight humans. And the weirdest thing was; they were cute. They looked almost as if they couldn’t harm a soul.

Almost.

“They’re cute, right?” Astrid nodded, frowning slightly.

“How can something so cute turn into something so deadly?” The rider sat down beside her.

“By seeing the world for what it truly is long before they’re ready for it. A lot like humans.” Astrid looked down at her boots. Did that happen to her? Did she see the world before she was ready? She’d never thought of it that way before. She didn’t really like to think of it that way either.

“When are you going to let me go?” The rider looked at Astrid and grinned jokingly.

“Why, is it really so bad here?” Astrid frowned, refusing to look at the rider.

“I don’t trust anyone, especially not you.” He nodded and turned to look at Toothless and Stormfly.

“That makes sense. Survival instincts.” He stood and brushed off his pants.

“I don’t know,” He answered.

“Guess we’ll have to wait until the Vikings aren’t on guard anymore. Stormfly pretty much messed up all my plans for this entire month. We’ll have to lay low for a while.” He offered his gloved hand to Astrid, helping her get up.

“Then we’ll drop you off somewhere, you’ll forget what you saw, and everything will go back to normal.” He hesitated slightly, and a smaller, more genuine smile lighted up his features.

“Unless you decide otherwise,” He continued.

If Astrid hadn’t at that exact moment realized that she couldn’t walk, she’d probably asked the rider about those last words. But given the circumstances, she didn’t.

With a small shout Astrid fell back down, her ankle twisting in a painful angle.

“Ouch, dragon dung.” She grabbed her ankle and twisted it the right way. Not letting out a sound.

Stupid pain.

“What did you do to my legs, rider?” The rider didn’t answer, he looked at her feet with thoughtful eyes.

“I swear I will kill you,” Astrid threatened as the nightfury growled.

“Slowly,” She added, looking in the nightfury’s eyes.

“Painfully,” She continued, realizing that the nightfury didn’t like her very much.

“Unless you undo whatever happened to my feet.” The rider stayed silent.

Then, seemingly without thinking about it much, he lifted her like a bride and walked deeper into the system of caves. Astrid had assumed the cave where they landed was the only cave.

Astrid should stop assuming stuff.

The cave led to a corridor where one could take several swings and turns into different rooms. She didn’t like being carried by the rider much but got distracted as she watched the rooms they walked past.

She recognized a blacksmiths cave with a giant burning oven, along with several tools, small and big.

Next was a cave where water boiled in giant holes in the ground, that cave was steaming.

They also walked past at least four caves with sleeping dragons, Astrid tried not to breathe so much around those caves in the hope of none of them waking up. The rider walked steadily and didn’t look like he had any problem carrying a grown woman in his arms.

Astrid sat uncomfortably stiff in the rider’s arms. She didn’t like being carried or held or hugged, she really didn’t like being touched in any way.

They took a turn into a slightly smaller cave. The room they were in had walls covered in drawings and paintings, white against black.

The drawings were peculiar, they weren’t drawings of people or landscapes or settings, but they were beautiful in an entirely different way.

They were drawings of inventions, covered with numbers and angles and instructions. Some paintings held detailed descriptions of dragons. They showed where every limb started and ended, those were also accompanied by instructions. Instructions of how to tame them, how to befriend them and secrets of how to make them stronger. Some of the dragon paintings even had colours. Astrid scanned the drawings and wondered exactly how smart this dragon rider really was.

The room held many other items as well.

A desk covered most of the wall to their right. It was filled with parchment in one end, sheets of paper with scribbles of dragons and inventions also covering most of the wall above the desk.

On the floor by the other side of the desk were huge amounts of trinkets. The part of the desk that was not covered by papers were seemingly clean for the occupation of one single invention. Astrid couldn’t see what it was, but metal pins, leather and tiny metal balls were laid untidily on the wooden table.

A bed was stuffed in a corner, and clothes along with inventions was scattered around the room. Something that looked a lot like scrap-metal was piled up to their left. Astrid recognized strange swords, small daggers and a shining, perfectly balanced axe. Thor, she wanted that axe.

With a tiny gasp she realized where the rider was headed. The fur-covered bed in the corner. Her hands shook. “What are you doing?” Astrid asked, grasping the rider’s arm painfully. The rider looked at Astrid like it was obvious and shook his head as she didn’t seem less panicked.

“Where are you taking me?” If she could have, she would’ve kicked him by now.

The rider started talking, trying to calm the girl down.

“Don’t worry, if you would just-!” It didn’t help. It was as if Astrid didn’t hear him. Everything was a blur.

“Stop it. Stop!” She shouted. The blonde grabbed his hair and tugged it back, making the man stumble and fall. He made sure that she somehow landed on top of him. He groaned. Astrid tried getting away from the rider to no help. She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t move. He could do anything with her. Anything.

Astrid started to tremble. The shadow of a night she’d desperately tried to forget jumped at her again. She was back where she started. She could never escape from what he’d made her. She felt her eyes water, but she wouldn’t start that now. She would not let this creature of a man see her cry. She wiped her eyes furiously and dragged herself a few meters away from the rider, backing up to a wall. The man stood up and sighed.

“What is going on, Astrid? Why are you so-.”

He stopped mid-sentence, glancing between Astrid and the bed. With a defeated sound he realized what she’d been thinking.

A fury raged in his emerald eyes.

“What did he do?” The auburn haired demanded an answer through clenched teeth.

“What in Helheim did that scum do to you?!” Astrid flinched and scooted further up against the wall. She shook her head.

She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t tell anyone. And he was a stranger, the rider, she couldn’t let him in on her darkest secret. Why he had such a reaction to what had happened to her, she didn’t know. A silence like a thick blanket covered the room. The rider slumped against a wall and slid down, so he was sitting as she was.

“I would never...” He mumbled after a while. Astrid looked up at the man she barely knew and tipped her head.

“What?” She asked, still shaking a bit. The rider didn’t answer at once. He sighed and shook his head before standing up.

“I was going to offer you my bed.” He gestured to the mountain of furs. Astrid remained silent.

The rider sighed audibly. “I’m not good at… talking… to people.” He kept his hands at his sides, his eyes avoided her. “Uh…Sorry bout that.” His hand twitched as if he wanted to reach out to her, but she flinched. He took a few skittish steps away, like a spooked dragon.

“I… your legs will be fine. You’ll just have to sleep it off. Happens after the first ride, it’s worse when you don’t have a saddle.” He backed out of the room and gestured around the room awkwardly.

“You-uh-make yourself comfy. There’s water over there, and-um-call out and I’ll get you whatever… anything we can provide. I’ll just-er-leave… now.” Then he was gone.

Astrid shivered even though the room was warm. Slowly but surely, she crawled over to the bed and under the covers. She kicked off her boots and pulled off her armour. She kept on most of her clothing. She still didn’t trust that odd man. The covers were warm and inviting. She fell asleep almost at once.

-------------------

A/N: So this became a bit longer than what I was expecting? But this story is my baby so it’s okay ;-)

#httyd fanfiction #httyd fanfiction au #httyd #httyd fandom #Astrid Hofferson #Hiccup Haddock #hiccstrid #toothless #stormfly #fanfiction

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schrijverr · 6 years ago

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Home of the sky take me to the home of my youth

What if Hiccup left after he saw the red death instead of staying to show how the dragons can be.

This story takes place six years after he left when he has to return to investigate rumours about a rise in raids. He comes face to face with too familiar faces and pains from the past. (11 chapters total)

This one is a bit long, sorry!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 6

“Welcome students to dragon training. This is not your typical dragon training. No, for today you are not learning how to kill dragons, but how to befriend them.” Hiccup said.

Around him stood Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. It was very strange to see them all here again. They had all changed, just like him, but there was no sign of recognition in their eyes, save Astrid who looked at him with something he couldn’t place. Snotlout opened his mouth first: “What are we even here? We don’t need to befriends dragons!”

Hiccup rolled his eyes and said: “It’ll be important for the fight. Don’t you want to be important?”

He was lucky he knew his students already, because Snotlout puffed his chest and said: “Well, what are we waiting for, lets befriend some dragons!”

Hiccup sighed, but plastered on a smile and said: “First, unarm yourself.”

The group protested and Hiccup put his hands up in defense. “Dragons can smell weapons, especially viking weapons, if you don’t unarm yourself the dragon will never trust you. You guys also need to “unlearn” your reflex to attack a dragon on sight.”

Fishlegs was the first to put his weapons on the rack and the others were grumbling while they followed his example. Hiccup had always known that Fishlegs had a good brain between his ears. When they returned to their previous positions, Hiccup continued: “It is very important to create a bond with your dragon, because the bond they have with a human can be strong enough to completely block out the Queen. That’s why Toothless over there has no problem going to the nest and returning back here with out a problem.”

As he said Toothless the dragon looked at him from his place in the shadows and flapped with his tail, the name also made Astrid frown and Hiccup remembered that he had introduces her to Toothless before everything. He shrugged to himself and thought, ah, whatever, it happens, it’s not my fault that I thought she had probably forgotten the name, besides calling Toothless anything other than Toothless feels weird.

“So, we start easy. A Terrible Terror. In packs they can be little shits, but alone they are the best to begin with” He said as he let the Terror out of its cage.

Snotlout looked around for a weapon, but was stopped by Fishlegs. The Terror carefully walked out of her cage and looked around. Her glazed slid over the vikings and landed on Hiccup. Hiccup had crouched to the ground and held out a bit of fish. Instantly the Terror became interested. She quickly walked over to Hiccup and snatched the fish out of his hand to quietly eat, when she was done she walked over to Hiccup and snuffed his pocket. After she was done with that and Hiccup had assured her that he really didn’t have anything else, she waked around and curled up in a ball at his side. Hiccup smiled and petted the dragon. He looked back and was met with wide eyes. “How did you do that?” Tuffnut asked.

Still smiling Hiccup said: “Terrors love fish. Give them some and they’re your friend forever. Now, what shall we name her. Every dragons needs a name.”

“Oh, I know, I know, Martha!” Tuffnut exclaimed.

Ruffnut elbowed him in the side and said: “That’s stupid, Tuff. It’s obviously more of a Bertha!”

“No, both those names are dumb! It’s a dragon the name should strike fear in the hearts of those who hear it. It should be Soulcrusher!” Snotlout said.

Astrid rolled her eyes. “All those names are dumb.” she told them.

From his place behind Toothless growled. They’re thieves! Little thievers, I tell you.

Hiccup laughed. “You got to let that go at some point, Toothless, but a good suggestion. What do you guys think of Thiever?” he said.

“Wait, what did just happen? Can you understand what he’s saying? Can you speak dragon? Is it a universal language or does it differ from species to species?” Fishlegs questioned.

Hiccup let the onslaught of questions wash over him and though about each carefully. “Yes, I can understand Toothless and I can talk dragon, though it can be hard to make all the sounds. I usually just speak a human language to Toothless. He can understand them, but due to his underdeveloped larynx he can’t recreate them. Most stuff is for every dragon the same, I think.” he stated finally, “Now, lets see what she thinks of her name.”

He focused on the purring dragon next to him. He scratched her for a bit and made some ineligible sounds. The Terror listened to the sounds and then seemed to laugh. “Did it just laugh?” Snotlout asked.

“Yeah, she did. She also likes her name, Thiever it is.” Hiccup said.

“What did she laugh about?” Tuffnut asked.

“Wel, I” he started giggling.

The others frowned and looked from Hiccup and Toothless when the dragon stared to glare at his rider. Between giggles he spluttered: “I told, I told her why Toothless suggested it. It’s, it’s, because the first time we flew, we encountered some Terrors and they, and they, tried to, they tried steal his fish. Pfff, hahaha, he’s still so salty about it even though it was six years ago.”

Then he burst out laughing again, confusing his companions even more. Toothless huffed and turned away from him. After a few more seconds of giggling he sobered up and straightened his back again, but it was a lost cause. Whatever fear they might’ve had for this mysterious figure was gone the moment he dissolved into childlike giggles. He had been cute, too cute and all the scariness had vanished. “Why are we starting with this small dragon?” Snotlout asked, “We can handle way bigger.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes and said: “Because, Snotlout, this one is small and can’t do a lot of harm. He also likes it here way more then the others. It’s much safer to “unlearn” your dragon killing instincts with a small content dragon than and angry big one.”

Snotlout looked taken aback, but Fishlegs asked: “How do you know she likes it here? Did she tell you? Did the other tell you they don’t like it here?”

Hiccup smiled and said: “They didn’t tell me anything, but if you look around you can see why.”

Everyone looked around trying to figure out what he meant. He gave them the time and when they couldn’t figure it out, he said: “The net above, it’s big. If she hated it here she could just leave. Nothing would stop her. The others, however, can never leave no matter how much they hate it here. The cages are also all around the same size. For this small one here that means room to run around, for the others, not so much. They rarely get to go outside and when they do it’s to get smacked around by trainees.”

All nodded, when you put it like that it was quite logical. They felt quite bad for the dragons, but shook it off as quickly as it came. No dragon pity was allowed. Pity a dragon, you’re dead. Hiccup gt their attention again. “Now, who wants to pet Thiever?” He beckoned them closer and when no one moved he said: “Come on, she doesn’t bite.”

“That’s the problem, Singultus, she does.” Astrid said.

Hiccup frowned then looked at the peacefull dragon who had decided to take a nap in the sunlight. Then he looked back at Astrid and petted Theiver again. He looked at her challenging and said: “See, she doesn’t bite. Get some fish and you’ll be fine.”

It was Tuffnut who moved first. He got a piece of fish and shrugged. “She looks like a dog, all curled up like that. I’ve always wanted a dog.”

Thanking the Gods above he helped Tuffnut give her the fish and showed him were to scratch. Soon The dragon was purring again and the others had moved closer, eyes wide with wonder about this development. Snotlout was after that. He stated: “If Tuffnut can survive then I certainly can.”

Hiccup didn’t comment that he doubted that, but helped him as well and soon five people were scratching Thiever. She almost glowed with the amount of attention she got. From a distance Hiccup looked at the group. He was scratching Toothless absentmindedly and told his friend: “This went easier than I thought.” then after a beat of silence, “I’ve never seen anything s strange in my entire life.”

Me too, are you sure those are the same people you grew up with?

“At this point? No.”

Should you not go and teach, or something?

“And you say I’m bossy.” he huffed.

The dragon swished his tail and Hiccup rolled his eyes. He walked back to the group muttering something about mean dragons. He cleared his throat and said: “Now that you guys have seen she is not a threat I want you to spread out in the arena. He watched as they did what he said and suddenly a sense of weirdness came over him. This was his home and these were the people he grew up with, yet none of them knew it was him and that was all it took for them to listen to him. He stood there for a while taking that in, completely overwhelmed for a second. He was snapped back to reality by Snotlouts yelling. He shook his head to get rid of the feeling and made some chirping noises and roars to the dragon in his hands. He lowered her to the ground and said: “Remember, a dragon is not a threat. Treat her kindly.” The he set the dragon lose.

It shot away towards Fishlegs who shrieked and tried to get away, but the dragon was faster. She caught up to him and started climbing him. Fishlegs froze, screwing his eyes shut. The others made moves to get their weapons and help him when they realized that an attack wasn’t going to come. The dragon had only climbed on his shoulders and taken his helmet. Then she had dropped to the ground again, treasure on her head. Hiccup chuckled at the sight. It wasn’t every day that you saw a dragon in a helmet. Slowly Fishlegs opened his eyes to see where attack had gone to. When he saw the dragon with his helmet he had to smile. He said: “Ahw, she looks adorable.”

“Don’t switch that quick Fishlegs. It’s still a dragon.” Snotlout said.

“Hiccup cut him of and said: “You all failed, but what Fishlegs said is good. If we want this to succeed you need to realized that dragon doesn’t equal attack. Fishlegs I want you to ask for your helmet.”

“Uh, Thievers?” he began. The dragon looked up.

“Could I please get my helmet back.” Thievers didn’t move.

“See this is stupid, it doesn’t listen.” Snotlout huffed.

Hiccup was fighting not to punch him and said: “Stop calling her it or I will call you Snothat from now on.” Snotlout made an offended noise which Hiccup ignored.

“She doesn’t listen, because she doesn’t understand Norse. Try explaining it to her through gestures. Dragons are extremely intelligent animals and I’m sure she’ll understand,”

Fishlegs looked a bit unsure, but started nonetheless. After two minutes of trying Thieves perked up and walked back over to Fishlegs. He flinched, but it was lightly. He stayed still as she climbed on him and walked over his arms. When she was next to a hand she leaned forwards and let the helmet drop in his palm. The she jumped off of him and curled up in the sun to nap. Hiccup applauded and said: “Well done, Fishlegs!”

The others looked dumbfounded from the dragon to Fishlegs and back again. “She actually listened.” Snotlout whispered.

“That’s so cool! What are we going to do next?” Tuffnut exclaimed.

Hiccup smirked and asked: “Well, I’m going to fly with Toothless for a while, he’s getting restless and you are going to play with Thiever. Terrors like chasing reflective lights from metals.”

He got on Toothless, but before he could take off Ruffnut said: “Wait, you’re leaving us alone?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t want a grumpy dragon. He can be very mean if he hasn’t flown enough and I trust you can play with this sweet little girl for an hour or two, besides I believe in learning on the job.”

He smirked knowingly at the last part and Astrids eyed him suspiciously. He walked out of the arena and said: “Can’t wait to see your progress when I get back.”

After which he disappeared in the sky.

----

Stoick had been avoiding the arena all day, trying not to be curious about what Singultus would do. In the end curiosity won over and his feet carried him to the arena. He was quiet and snuk up on the edge to peer over. What he saw made him very confused. The group was laughing while a Terrible Terror jumped through hoops and played dead. He was about to comment on it and make his presence known when Singultus came back. Stoick decided to see what he would have to say about it. Singultus got of his Nighfury and approached the group. “Good work!” he said, “You are way more comfortable around her than before.”

The group smiled and Snotlout said: “When are we going to get on with the big guys. We can do anything right now.”

Some of the others groaned and Singultus rolled his eyes. It seemed like he had become familiar with Snotlouts ego. “If you think you can handle it, we will start tomorrow.” he said smirking.

The group paled, but Snotlout wouldn’t give up that easily. “OK, sounds good.” he huffed.

Singultus shook his head, but gave in. “Well, then I will see you tomorrow at eight.”

Snotlout swallowed, but said nothing. Damn that Jorgenson pride, Stoick thought. Fishlegs cut in: “Are you sure, Singultus? I mean we only played with this little one for a day, is that enough?”

“Don’t be scared, Fsihlegs. It’ll be fine. Just no weapons or sudden moved and let me talk to them first.”

Fishlegs nodded and Stoick appreciated how easily Singultus had calmed him down. Then he walked away from the edge and entered the arena. “So, what have you lot done today?” he asked, announcing his presence.

Everyone turned to him and the Berkians straightened their backs a bit. Singultus stood up from where he was kneeling next to the Terrible Terror, but he didn’t look startled by his sudden appearance. He dusted of his knees and said: “How nice of you to join us. Was the view from up there not sufficienct?” he said.

Stoick thought, hm, so he noticed me. As if he could read minds he said: “Yes, I did see you up there. You care to pet Thiever here?”

“Theiver.” Stoick asked, deciding to to comment on the fact that he had been spotted.

“Yeah, everyone needs a name. Including out lovely gal here.” he pointed at the Terror who purred happily.

Stoick shook is head in disbelieve, but didn’t comment. Then he walked away. “I’ll come look tomorrow, try not to get my warriors killed.”

He didn’t see how Singultus screwed up his face behind his back and mouthed his word mockingly and rolled his eyes. The others looked at him with wide eyes. No one dared to make fun of the Chief, not even outsiders. who were intimidated by his heavy stature, but this small stranger did so without reason it seemed. Astrids eyes narrowed again and she filed this away for later. Something was not adding up.

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bleating-heart · 5 years ago

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It is in the Nature of Dreams to End

Agatha remembered first meeting Kai. A giant cat with a lopsided smile sweeping the outside of a monetary up the tallest mountain she'd never wanted to climb. Dressed in a bright orange that clashed against his red-orange fur, a voice that sounded so hopeful, and sharp as a rack, she found him an oddity even amongst the other orevious-lycanthrope guards.

Did she really have time to dwell on him once the sounds of the training monks and Master Zhu Zhu rang high above the walls and a bell alerted everyone "HAE-SEONG IS A DRAGON WATCH YOUR ASS"? In all her honesty? No. Even stranger, but fantastic sights of martial students in perfectly synched rows, ceremonial oil lamps, heavy incense smoke rolling from burners would keep her attention first and foremost.

The second time Kai was forced to the front of her focus, was the fated death of the now Celestial Coatl, Master Zhu Zhu at the hand of his most treasured, and ultimated failed, student; the Black Dragon Lieutenant Sheng-Kai. The tiger Lycanthrope had let out a mournful cry and literally punched the doors of the monastery in outrage of the loss of his master. Agatha had remembered all too well the wail and reaction, as it was something that she too carried with her at the decimation of her village.

She had seen herself, and her body moved on its own.

The battle was long and difficult and very nearly fatal, but thanks to some overripe cranberry juice and the support of some bonded friends, everyone walked away from the encounter. For the third time that day, Kai had made himself a forefront thought in her mind. He had taken Hae-Seong's silvered scythe and severed Sheng-Kai's head from his body, throwing it into the entry way and smirking to himself, asking the others to mount it as a trophy on the walls. Zhu Zhu appeared to them as the last of his energy faded, congratulating them on their victory, and thanking Kai for watching over his students, as the monks made the decision for the Tiger to lead them after the passing of the old celestial.

Some miscommunicating on becoming a 'rider' of the man, and nearly convincing a disciplined man to drink, the team and their new feline member set off on their war path to right the wrong of Hae-Long.

They were inseparable from that moment. As two who worked in perfect synch, as two who supported one another, as two dim bulbs who made a whole halogen with their powers combined. Agatha was surprised when things started becoming... Charming? The gentle rumbling of tiger purrs and Kai drifted to sleep as she nestled into his side, his stupid laugh anytime anyone made a joke about 'mounting', his teasing agreement of Hae-Seong's insisting of her ownership of him... Him rushing into battle as long as she was at his side... His whispers of stories and old scribes when she woke with night terrors... How steady his heart beat was.

Was. Now wasn't that a funny word.

Agatha remembered nothing of how she awoke on the ground of the cliffside the had ascended from to get the the Cloud Giant's palace. She remembered a flash of lightning, and ultimate blackness. She had remembered the white hot feeling of regret as the world was torn from her as the blue dragon has leveled them exactly as Sheng-Kai had what seemed like so long ago. Hae-seong was sick at his stomach as he tried his best not to vomit as he replayed what happened to the Khan, and Keyon was nursing his panic attack when Agatha heard a phrase that made her blood run cold.

"Where's your tiger friend...?"

Almost as if fate was testing her, the final nimbus floated down with the limb body of the tiger-- no, the man, she wanted to see so badly. He didn't make it... There was nothing the Storm Spirit could do. Almost as if on cue, a hand placed itself on her shoulder. She felt nausea overtake her and she turned to see the spiritual figures of Zhu Zhu and human Kai, both clad in their robes, giving her the reassurance he was in a good place. Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper;

"Give him back, you asshole..."

Kai looked as if he was laughing as he faded from her view for the final time. Without hesitation, Hae-seong had turned to the others and told them he needed to start burial rites. Agatha stayed for a moment too long, as she was gently ushered back towards the group as Kai's body was gathered up. Where were they taking her friend...? She couldn't leave him right now, what if he wakes up...

Hand maidens in the Blue Dragon Palace helped her clean up and got her into a new set of clothes as the day came to a close. She didn't see Keyon for the rest of the night, and Hae-Seong had to spend a lot of time on his own preparing for the funeral that was to follow the next day. Agatha could hear him on and off of the sending stone, breaking the news to Kao-Kao, Li-Jiang, and Lu-Bu as well as touching base with Fizz and the Kobolds. She tried to find some comfort in it, knowing that the rest of their traveling family was still okay, but she still felt sick.

Agatha couldn't sleep that night. The room was too cold, too quiet... Too empty. All of the pillows in the world could fix the hurt she felt in her heart. Thoughts swirled together and soon became deafening in the silence;

I was supposed to protect him! I had one job! It's my fault he's dead! Why was I so fucking mean to him on the way there? It was over something so stupid! I'm supposed to be the one who goes!! I AM SUPPOSED TO KEEP THEM ALIVE!!

She forbids herself to cry, so the frustration takes itself out in another way; screaming. The halfling forces her face into one of the pillows she tried to build up into a nest and screams until her throat is raw.

The next morning comes, and the funeral begins. The court is all in mourning garb, and Hae-Seong starts the wake. He speaks of Kai fondly and highly. His accomplishments, his support, his dreams...

But Agatha knows them better than anyone ever will. This whisperings of Kai and how he wanted to change this land for the better, how proud he was that he could go back to the monks and grow with them, how Master Zhu Zhu had blessed him... How admirable it was she kept fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves, how forgiveness comes with time and healing... How he would stay with her until she was sleeping. At the time, she found it stupid. He should wait up for her because she obviously would eventually go back to sleep. He didn't need to do all of that for her.

As the wake began to wrap up, Agatha found herself staring into the middle space of it all. Her anger was starting to become numbness as she started to internalize it all. The mutual care they had for eachother was something she should've treasured more while she had it. Sure he was fucking weird, but so was she. Hell, so were Hae-seong and Keyon... And Jinsei. Even the stupid horse was weird. He fit with them so well, it was wrong to see him not amongst them.

They moved to the coast line, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, stars littering the fire colored sky. They had placed Kai's body in a vessel with ceremonial dried herbs and kindling as they pushed him out to sea, the water lazily pulling him into her depths. An arrow was lit and now knocked, as a court member offered the ceremonial weapon to Agatha. She felt the anger surface again as she refused to send the arrow to Kai to finish the rite.

"Why would I set my friend on fire?" She would mumble, but Keyon stepped up to finish the job. A well placed Ray of Scorching sent the boat into flames as the court of the blue dragon Khan lifted their heads and saluted the fallen with a timed breath of lightening. Hae-Seong has tried to comfort her with the reassurance of him being on the celestial plain, as was shown to him by Osmar, but she offered nothing in return. The dynasty born knew all too well the loss of Eros, so he let her be.

"If it's any consolation, I'll be finishing up the last of our plans and cleaning up the wake site. You're more than welcome to come and talk if you feel like it."

"Cool. I really don't feel like it."

Hae-Seong just nodded and left her be. He was wiser than to press her.

Agatha had returned to her room almost immediately after and crawled back into her nest. The night was bright with a full moon, and the soft light was pouring into her window along with the sound of waves. Blackness eventually overtook her, though where she arrived next was a mystery to her.

A soft light that felt almost fuzzy as she walked across a grassy knoll that was nearly as plush as fur surrounded her accompanied by the scent of incense she thought she'd forgotten all about. Her Auburn hair swirled around her as a guest of wind pushed her in a direction to go, following a newly formed oath lined with white pebbles through high, red orange temple gates. She felt her pulse quicken as she saw a figure waiting for her on the other side of the gate, clad in an orange robe with red wooden beads adorning his neck. A lopsided grin with a chuckle that sounded like purrs. She bolted to him, losing her footing as she passed through the gate, strong arms catching her before she got the ground.

"Woah! Don't tell me you've forgotten how to walk! Has riding tiger back spoiled you?" Kai teased, helping her to her feet.

"Really? Right now you're gunna do this?"

Kai couldn't help but laugh again at her as she scolded him for his intentional phrasing. He didn't have much time here, but the time he did have, he wanted to make it count. He knew what his death would mean for them, so why not leave on a higher note?

"You can't leave me, you know that right? It's too soon it's too much you can't leave me, you asshole!" Agatha feels the nausea overwhelm her again and hot tears sting at her eyes as they threaten to fall. Kai frowned and placed a tentative hand on her cheek, not knowing quite what to say.

"I know... Even if you forbid me to go, I cannot hold a place here in the world. I was given a chance to say goodbye, and I wanted to make the most of it," he starts, trying to choose his words carefully as the halfling woman knits her grows even tighter together as she shakily reaches up to cover hsi hand with her own.

"I am with Master Zhu Zhu now, and free from my painful curse of lycanthropy! I may have left the monastery in a bit of a tight spot, but I will speak to them before I leave this plane for the last time. It was an unfortunate end, but with the sacrifice of Jinsei, it wasn't in vain. It was just what date had decided for me, and I have made peace with that."

"You're dead because I was too stupid to move us in time to avoid the fucking lightning, Kai. It's my fault... All over again...!"

Kai frowned, wincing at the accusation. He hadn't expected her to take it so harshly, though he guessed he shouldn't be surprised.

"Agatha--"

"Don't."

"I'm sorry it had to be this way... It's not your fault."

"Shut up, Kai!!"

"Please."

The firm tone took her off guard, but she looked up at him to finally meet his eye. He looked as hurt as she felt, and it honestly made it worse. However, she took this as a sign to shut up herself and let him finish.

Kai gently pulled away from her and reached up, removing the beads from around his neck.

"I promise, you are destined for greatness. We have seen how your fate unfolds, and I swear you will be all of the good you want to be. I wish I could tell you, but it's not my place. Besides, I know you hate spoilers." He winks, Agatha not being able to help the half chuckle that falls passed her lips.

He slips the beads over her head, the heady smell of the monastery incense filling her nose as he does.

"I will always be with you. What kind of faithful steed would I be if I left you stranded?" She's about to argue when his lips cover hers. It's soft and almost feels unreal, but Agatha returns it nonetheless. It lasts but a moment before the larger man breaks away to rest his forehead to hers.

"I'm afraid it's time for me to go. Don't forget me when they're singing songs of your glory, alright?" He laughs, stepping back from her.

"Okay... Goodbye, Kai..." Agatha whispers, her world beginning to haze over as she's enveloped in the mist of waking. Kai waves to her as he faded from her for the last time.

"Goodbye, Agatha."

Agatha wakes to the sounds of rapping on her door.

"Miss Agatha? Breakfast is served. Your place at the table is being requested so they can start the war council."

She grunts back to the handmaid, dismissing her as she pulls herself up from her nest, still clad in her mourning garb.

It was a vivid dream and a strange one, but she supposed it offered her some kind of closure of--

What was that smell?

She sniffed a few more times before looking down, grasping at her chest. Red wooden beads...? Her voice cracked as a chuckle of realization rumbled in her throat. She guessed he remembered she liked to keep mementos... He really was an asshole, but she supposed he wouldn't be him if he wasn't.

Though she really didn't want to move, she scooted herself out of the bed and dressed herself in her common clothes for the morning. She tucked the beads into her tunic and headed out the door. Though she really didn't want to say goodbye, she supposed she would just have to accept that she had something to keep her motivated to keep fighting. It was selfish to force Kai to stick around in a world he was finished in. It was time to face the day, as her adventure in and of itself, was also drawing to a close.

After all, it is in the nature of dreams to end.

#agatha flintheart #Kai #Song Hae-seong #Keyon the keeper #dunveons and deagons #dnd #d&d #original character #oc #original fiction #hae-seong the grim #agatha the undying #khanate campaign #cherry bombs tag #baph's babes #guest babes

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afriend410 · 7 years ago

Text

Imprinted

Summary: Toothless hears a strange sound in the woods and when he goes to check it out, he gets more than bargain for.

Spring in Berk was not the warmest, but it was still better than the other seasons that they had to endure. The sun shone a lot through the clouds allowing tons of places for the new residence on the island to be able to sun bathe. On this particular day, a large black winged reptile found its way near a small pond to rest. He let out a soft growl as he turned over on his back to allow the rays to warm his soft under belly. Unfortunately, for the dragon his wonderful catnap was about to be cut short for off towards a nearby tree the dragon's ears picked up a soft chirping sound. Now he tried his best to ignore the noise, but it only seemed to be growing louder, so out of aggravation and a little bit of curiosity, he stood up and went to find out what the source of the noise was.

He stalked over slowly making sure not to scare whatever the animal it was off. When he was near the tree, he lifted his large head to peer over the roots to find a small nest filled with white hatched eggshells and one very yellow fluffy duckling sitting on its newly hatched shell calling out to his mother. The Night Fury cocked his head and looked around to see if the mother was still around. When coming up empty handed the reptile decided to leave the baby duck knowing its cries would soon call the mother back to the nest. The only thing the Night Fury did not except was there to be so many feathers around the nest and when he went to leave, he stirred some up making him sneeze. The sneeze caused him to announce his presence to the hatchling. The one thing he did not want happen happened. As Toothless went to walk back to his spot he hear the call of the duckling behind him Turning around his eyes grew as he found out the baby duck had now imprinted him as its mother and was now following him.

The poor little thing did not know what to do as it tilted his head to look over at its large scaly mother waiting for her next step.

In his panic mind Toothless did the only thing he could think of, he scooped up the duckling in his large mouth and set it back unharmed into its nest and tried to run and hide from the little guy. When he peered over to the nest he found the yellow-feathered baby gone and he panic even more at where he went. The answer was brought to him when he heard a small peep behind him and his face fell. The duckling was not going to leave him be unless he ran far enough away and that is what he did. He placed the duckling in its home and ran back to his own in Berk.

Toothless was now in the arena with all his other fellow dragons and their riders, who were in some sort of lesson involving self-defense. He found the whole process boring and unappealing, but knew it was an important lesson for the teens especially for his rider. He looked and yawned at the twins going at it with their weapons and when he was about to lay his head down his whole body stiffen. There walking straight into the crazy fight was the same baby duckling from the pond. Right when one of the twin's boots was coming down on the small bird, he launched himself. He moved so fast that no one saw him until he knocked both teens out of his way as he protected the baby with his body. He growled and bared his fangs at them both for their recklessness, while everyone yelled at him.

"Toothless! What are you doing!" his rider, Hiccup asked him. The dragon did not response to him as he held his ground protecting the small webbed friend.

The twins had another opinion, "hey Hiccup learn to control your dragon!"

"Yeah!"

Toothless once again growled at the idiots and was thankful that some of the teens still had some brain function, especially the blonde, "Hey Hiccup looks like he's holding something."

Hiccup listened to his girlfriend and peered over at his dragon noticing the same thing. He walked over to him, "what do you have there Bud?"

Toothless wanted to tackle his rider at being so smart. He started to unfold his arms to show the boy what he was protecting. Hiccup looked and smiled picking up the small baby duck showing everyone making the two girls awe over the tiny thing. The duckling on the other hand chirped and started to bite Hiccup's long sleeves and hands only in succeeding to make him laugh, "Feisty little thing aren't you?"

Snotlout just laughed trying to put on his tough guy act, "Seems to me that your dragon is just a wuss." The façade didn't last long thought when the duck chirped and went to stretch out one of his webbed feet out and yawn making the hard headed Viking to coo over the fluffy duckling. When caught by their wide eyes he brought it back threatening to beat their heads in.

Toothless shook his own at the boy as they turn back to the question Fishlegs had asked, "but why is a duckling here and why did Toothless protect it?"

His green cat eyes rolled and he easily made Hiccup place the baby down and he started to run in a big circle with the yellow feather bird following him as fast as his webbed feet could carry him. Everyone found the scene adorable and caught on that the hatchling had imprinted on to the large Night Fury. Hiccup just scratched his head wondering what to do, "I guess I have a new pet."

Toothless stop and sat in front of the auburn teen and quickly shook his head not liking the idea at all. He could not, nor had the time to raise anything baby like especially a different species. All decisions were final thought when the tiny duckling had managed to climb on top of the lizard's head and made itself comfortable enough to fall asleep. His face fell as his rider laughed at him, "Well we can't just leave him Toothless he'll follow you no matter what or he'll end up starving to death."

Toothless sighed and knew the human was right and honestly, he really did not want a tiny impressionable innocent being's blood on his claws. Besides, he really could not blame Mother Nature for how ducks recognized their mothers.

The dragon regretted his thoughts as soon as they made it back to the home and the duck was removed from his head. The tiny thing had left a surprise of his waste on Toothless' head while it was sleeping. His rider cleaned off his dragon after getting over his laughter as the duck made their home his. As Hiccup followed the duckling's movements with his eyes, he knew deep down they needed to find the real mother and soon because he seriously doubted that a dragon could raise a duck.

It was a couple hours later when Hiccup, Toothless, and the newly named Peep sat around the pond where the dragon found it waiting for any sign that the mother duck was still looking for its hatchling. The sun was starting to set and both males were giving up hope, but when the teen started to raise off the ground they all heard a loud quack followed by several chirps. Taking a look all were happy to see the mother duck searching for her lost offspring in the nest. Hiccup quietly and quickly moved the duckling closer praying that Peep would not run back over to Toothless.

Thankfully, the mother saw him and she automatically nuzzled and cleaned off her baby and when she did Peep finally imprinted onto the right species. They knew this when she began to walk away and he started to follow her and the rest of his siblings.

The proud fearless Night Fury watched his yellow friend waddle out of the area and he felt a twinge of something grow inside his chest, but he could not quite name it. Hiccup had the answer thought as he patted his friend's shoulder, "well Bud it looks like in one day you found out how it feels to be a father and watch your baby leave the nest, no pun intended."

The dragon's response was with a slap to the trainer's head with his tail fin and he walked away. Walking away though he would not deny the fact that he would indeed miss his little duckling that imprinted on him this wonderful spring day.

#httyd #how to train your dragon #hiccup #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #Toothless #httyd fanfic #httyd fanfiction

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fanficofmanyagenre · 7 years ago

Text

A Long Trip

(3,419 words)

“Dad I’m leaving!” Hiccup yelled towards his home, knowing his brute of a father probably didn’t hear it. The Chieftain didn’t like that the dragon rider was leaving for so long, but if he trusted the other riders enough then it would have to be enough for Stoick. Gods know he’s as stubborn as his father. Sometimes that was a good thing.

“all right, all right, I’m coming!” The chief’s voice bellowed from the house moments before he came outside. Hiccup was getting up so early lately he beat the sun and nest of dragons. He was still spry and wide eyed, a lot like Toothless. They’d been eager to get some flying time. Genuine, active, run-of-the-mill exploring. No one could stop him now that he had his mind set on it; he’d done more than enough to help the village recently. It was nice to see him so excited to do something, especially as just the two of them.

“I’m all set.” Hiccup said with a grin as his father walked up.

“Are you sure you can’t leave later, son? Everyone in the village will miss sending you off.”

“I know dad, but I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Besides, I don’t think either of us can wait any longer to get going.” Stoick smiled softly at his son. It’s been awhile since he’d seen that smile on his son.

“All right, son. Best of luck, and come back in one piece!”

“I will dad, don’t worry. I’ve got Toothless, after all.” On queue Toothless bounded up to the father and son, his tail wagging in excitement. Hiccup pulled himself up onto the saddle and did a few last checks to make sure all the gear would hold. Then the pair took off, Hiccup waving back to his father one last time before he was out of sight. He was slightly sad he would be away for a whole week, but he also knew that the fun he would have and the things they could find would be well worth it. Maybe even something to help Berk! One could dream.

“You sure took your time.” A voice said from behind Hiccup. Cocky as ever, but that was in his nature as the Spirit of Fun. Hiccup just shook his head as the one and only Jack Frost “seated” himself behind him. It didn’t really count when he could fly and float at will, but it looked like it at least. Toothless would have a fit if it added more weight, that’s for sure.

“Aww what, not happy to see me?” The spirit asked with a small smirk, looking up at the clear sky. He already knew the answer to that question but it would be out of the ordinary if he didn’t tease his boyfriend. The grunt from Toothless gave him the answer he expected, at least from the dragon. Some dragons liked him, but Toothless didn’t favor him that much. Maybe it was because he was weaselling in on his relationship with Hiccup, or maybe he didn’t like the cold. Maybe both, but he was sure Hiccup knew and wouldn’t tell him.

“Of course, I’m happy to see you, you dork.” Hiccup said over his shoulder, paying attention to the map in his lap more than speaking. Toothless could fly easily on his own, but he had to make sure they were on the right course.

“Dork? How dare you, you’re totally the dork here, Mr. Dragon-rider! I don’t invent gadgets every second.” Jack said and turned to face his back, hand over his chest with an expression of mock offense. His smirk returned when he heard the human chuckle.

“Yeah, well I don’t nail people in the head with magic snowballs just to make them start snowball fights, or sled races.” Hiccup retorted and folded his map back up, stuffing it in a side pocket.

“Touché.” Jack said and floated down again back into his previous position. They were both dorks.

“So, where we are heading, boss?” He asked simply and put his hands behind his head.

“The horizon and beyond, like usual. Only this time let’s head…west.” The pause was all but fake, the rider having already determined their path when he put the map away. It made for better conversation, though.

“West it is.” Jack said and closed his eyes, flicking his staff towards the west. He could call on the wind to help him fly, so asking it to help Toothless out wasn’t much more to ask. Now with the wind at most of their backs, the gliding went smoothly and quickly. The pair sat in silence, listening to the waves and ocean currents. Sometimes they could talk for hours on end, never getting tired of the other. This was not one of those times. Now was the time for peace and relaxation while the Night Fury flew effortlessly. The only time anything eventful happened was when a pack of Thunderdrums emerged from the waters to fly with them for a brief time before heading down a different course. By sunset they were still flying, now actively looking for an island to make camp on. At half-crest, they finally found a small island with a few trees and nothing else. It was the only option for miles and Hiccup didn’t want to fly for days on end.

Jack helped him set up camp as Toothless rested, the single tent up and fire roaring in no time. Hiccup could have done it on his own easily, but help was always appreciated. Besides, Jack slept with Hiccup so he might as well help set up the bed. As Hiccup began to prepare a small meal for himself, the spirit drew designs with ice on the ground.

“You an artist, now?” Hiccup asked and chuckled a bit, glancing over at his boyfriend. The slight blush that spread over Jack’s cheeks only made Hiccup grin wider.

“More than you, at least. As much as inventing is an art form, I think my ice looks a bit nicer.” At that the human rolled his eyes and looked back to his food.

“Maybe, but mine has much more use.” Jack looked at him with slight shock at the comment, but was surprised further by the kiss planted on his lips. He kissed back and sighed as Hiccup pulled away with a cocky smirk.

“Fine, you win. Gadgets are better than ice.” Toothless decided it was a good time to fire a bolt of plasma at Jack’s “drawing,” making him jump a foot in the air. The dragon and rider laughed at this, making Jack’s blush deepen. Their routine continued as normal, Hiccup and Toothless eating while the two boyfriends chatted. Sleep overtook Hiccup quickly once in the bedroll with Jack. The spirit didn’t need sleep, instead opting instead to watch the dragon tamer breathe and sleep peacefully. It wasn’t creepy, he just enjoyed seeing him in any peaceful state.

When morning woke Hiccup up, Jack was already packing the excess gear up. It was a surprise to Hiccup, but a pleasant one none the less. After a quick breakfast for the two mortals, they were off again. Jack was more talkative today, speculating on what they would find. Normally they found a new type of dragon, one that never ceased to amaze. After being with Hiccup for years the dragon obsession had started to rub off on him. He didn’t have it as bad as his boyfriend, but it was definitely there.

Before they knew it, the next day had passed and then the next. Aside from a few islands to add to the map, there was nothing new. Come to think of it, they hadn’t even seen any dragons. The Thunderdrums on the first day out were the last dragons they saw at all on their trip.

“Hiccup, don’t you think it’s unusually barren out here?” Jack asked and looked over the rider’s shoulder.

“Yeah, it is. Normally there are some dragons, at least. Or birds.” It was as if the entire area was picked clean of life aside from plants. Unsettling to say the least. It would have made sense to see a barren island or two, but for three days’ travel and still nothing? Not a good sign.

“We should set down and inspect the next island we-“ In the middle of his sentence, Hiccup was interrupted by a fireball whizzing past them. The two snapped their heads around to look behind them. Out of the air a few dragons began to materialize; Changewings. About 5 in count, they seemed to be tailing the rider and Night Fury. For hours at least, if they had picked them up from the last island they saw. Hiccup and Toothless were a dangerous duo, but so were Changewings that had numbers on their side. Jack could help quite a bit as well, but it still wouldn’t be easy. Fireballs began to hurl past them in succession as the hostile dragons gained on them. Toothless was disoriented from the first close shot, but soon regained balance and dodged the rest much easier. One stray shot went straight for Hiccup, but Jack managed to disrupt it with a quick burst of ice.

“They must be hungry if they’re attacking a dragon in the middle of nowhere with no land on the horizon!” Hiccup commented and helped guide Toothless.

“You think they’re why the whole area is barren? Maybe they ended up starving themselves by accident?” Jack called back and deflected another lucky shot. By now the Changewings were on top of them, they shots getting harder to dodge and deflect. It was painfully obvious they couldn’t outrun them with the expedition gear. Hiccup took a sharp turn to the right to throw them off, hoping to get a shot in back at their pursuers. Toothless went upright and fired back at them, managing to hit one in the back. The others turned and fired back, recovering much quicker than their disoriented ally. Jack tried to help as much as he could, but there were too many fireballs for the three of them to handle. It’s not like Hiccup could do much more than help guide Toothless, and Jack could only do so much without getting in the way of Toothless’ own shots.

“We won’t last out here!” Hiccup called to Jack. Out in the middle of the ocean was not exactly he best place to fight, not without a ship or somewhere nearby to seek refuge.

“Try to head back towards the last island we saw, it’s our best bet!” Just as Jack finished shouting he was nailed in the chest by a fireball, knocking him out of the air.

“Jack!” Hiccup quickly pulled Toothless down into a divebomb, going to catch the Spirit before he hit the water. The Changewings followed, still shooting. Just as Jack opened his eyes and began to float again, he caught a glimpse of a fireball heading straight for the rider and his dragon. It was as if time slowed as the firebolt hit Toothless in the tail, the resulting splash of fire catching the prosthetic fin on fire. Jack cried out as he watched the two hit the water and begin to sink. Hiccup was still firmly attached to Toothless and their gear only suck them quicker. Jack stopped right at the surface and froze up. He didn’t remember much about how he became a Guardian, but he did remember how he drowned in a frozen over lake. A fireball to the back reminded him of the hostile dragons. He had to trust that Hiccup and Toothless could make it to the surface on their own. If he didn’t take care of the Changewings they would surface to fireballs. As he righted himself, he fired blasts of ice at the dragons. Each dodge only brought more anger to him, making his attacks more powerful. After he hit two and caused ice to cover parts of their body, the others saw the challenge before them. They quickly helped their injured allies thaw the ice before fleeing from the Spirit.

Jack quickly turned and looked down at the water frantically. They hadn’t surfaced. Even with everything he felt, even as the realization dawned on him that they had been underwater for too long, he couldn’t bring himself to dive and look. He couldn’t drown again, it wouldn’t harm him, but he couldn’t bring himself to even touch the calm water. Tears welled in his eyes as he covered his mouth. How could this happen? It was supposed to be like any other expedition. Not a barren trip and pathetic end. How could he let them drown, all because of a few hungry dragons? He didn’t know what to do now. It’s not like he had anyone else, and no one at Berk could see him. After almost half an hour Jack began to make his way back to Berk. He had to try to convey that Hiccup was gone, somehow. He flew at a much slower pace than Toothless had, but he continued at night, making up the time. He arrived at Berk the day Hiccup had been set to come back. He couldn’t look at anyone. Everyone was waiting for them to return. As they day went on their looks of hope turned darker into looks of worry. The next day almost the entire village searched the waters for him. Jack hoped desperately he could get someone’s attention, but it was fruitless. The children were distracted so he couldn’t get any of them to have fun, to potentially see him.

On the fourth day, the search teams dwindled as the village feared the worst. None of them were taking it well, but that was to be expected. That morning Jack had built up the courage to go to Hiccup’s house. Everything was how it was left; neat and tidy. Only it felt infinitely more empty without the owner. When the door opened it made Jack jump, not expecting to see Stoick up in his room. He was out searching almost day and night.

“Son…please, just a sign. Anything, just tell us you’re ok.” The Chieftain muttered to himself and walked towards the desk, running a hand over the edge. Jack felt his heart jump into his throat again. He wished desperately to tell Stoick what happened, that it was all his fault that Hiccup was dead. He leaned against the wall with a hand, his staff in the other. Caught in his grief, he didn’t notice the ice extending on the wall from his hand. Slowly but surely, it spread across the wall towards the desk. When Stoick saw it, all of the ice had formed into the Dragon Rider symbol Hiccup used on Toothless’ prosthetic fin.

“What the…?” Jack looked up from the floor to make eye contact with Stoick, both of their eyes widening.

“Who, a spirit? Jack Frost?” The Chieftain exclaimed and took a step back, while so did Jack.

“You can see me? But how…?” As his gaze fell on the wall he gasped in realization. He got his chance.

“What are you doing here? Do you know what happened to my son?” Stoick asked, hope dawning in his voice.

Jack paused for a moment and felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. How was he going to react? Was he going to be angry at Jack? Would he break down? Would he be able to lead the village properly? No, he needed to know. He wanted to tell them what happened to Hiccup, and this was his chance.

“Stoick…Hiccup is…” Jack felt tears welling up in his eyes as the look on Stoick darkened again.

“No…he, but he has Toothless…” Stoick sat in the chair at the desk almost by falling as realization dawned on him.

“W-we left for the expedition like everything was normal and headed west. After a-about two days we realized any islands we came across were barren. When I mentioned it to him a whole pack of Changewings…we tried to lose them but there was no land in sight. T-they hit me and when I came to, I saw them hit Toothless in the tail. I tried to fend them off, I thought they could get back to the surface but when the Dragons were gone and I still couldn’t see them…” By now tears were dripping down Jack’s cheeks, his breathing irregular with sobs.

“I’m sorry, i-it’s all my fault. I-I tried to help but I couldn’t-“ The spirit was stopped by Stoick wrapping his arms around him.

“I didn’t know much about Hiccup, obviously not enough to know that he could see you. But I can promise you that he wouldn’t have blamed you for what happened, and I won’t either.” Stoick wanted to cry, but he knew that he needed to be strong for everyone else. His grief could come later when the village was over the death of his son. Jack just hugged him back and sobbed, letting all his emotion out for once. After a moment, he let go and Stoick smiled sadly at him.

“I’ll go tell the village the Gods told me of their fate.” Stoick said and started towards the door. With a small laugh and wipe of the eyes, Jack replied.

“I’m no God, Stoick. Just a dorky spirit.”

“I know you’re a spirit, but who else let me see you?” With that the Chieftain left the room, leaving Jack wide eyed and dumbfounded.

Jack stayed and watched the village grieve, watch them have a ship burial for Hiccup and Toothless even without the bodies. They were with Ran, now, but with what they did in their short lives, they deserved every ounce of it. As the ship burned, Jack decided to head for the grotto where it all started. Maybe that would help him along a little with his grief. When he landed at the edge of the cliff leading in, he swore he could hear a voice. No, voices. As he jumped down, the sight before him made him think he’d died a second time. Standing there before him was Hiccup and Toothless, but different. Hiccup’s normal vest was made of gold, brown, and yellow leaves. His skin seemed tan, and his peg leg was gone; replaced by a normal leg and foot. Toothless seemed to glow bright, even though his scales were still pitch black. The end points on his wings and fins seemed to flicker and sway like flames, and his prosthetic fin was replaced with a real one. Jack blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes. He had to be hallucinating, it was the only explanation.

“We’re real.” Hiccup said, his voice still the same. Those two words made tears fall down Jack’s cheeks before he ran forward and hugged Hiccup as tightly as he could. Hiccup laughed a little and hugged him back, surprised at the strength behind it.

“B-but you drowned, I-I saw you!” Jack exclaimed and looked at him, tears still falling freely.

“Yeah…we did. The gear brought us down quickly and I got caught on it, pulling Toothless down quicker too. We died.” There was a pause as Jack realized what he was saying.

“I’m Hiccup Amber III, now. Toothless didn’t get a special name, but I think that’s fine. I’m the Spirit of Autumn, and he’s the Spirit of Summer.” Hiccup smiled nervously at Jack, unsure how he would react.

“Doesn’t mean I like you anymore now we’re both spirits, Icicle.” Jack looked over in astonishment. Toothless spoke! And he had a nickname for him! Wait, that nickname wasn’t meant to be a compliment.

“I’m sorry Jack, I didn’t mean to-“ Before he could finish Jack kissed him, making the new Autumn spirit gasp and Summer spirit groan.

“I don’t care, I’m just so glad you’re back. I know you’re not alive, but maybe this is better. Now I won’t outlive you.” With a small smile, Jack looked at his newly revived boyfriend. Hiccup smiled back and nodded.

“Ok, when you two are done with the mushy-mushy stuff, we have a village to look after?” Toothless snapped the pair out of their stares and caused them both to blush. As much as he disliked the Winter Spirit, he made Hiccup happy which was enough. Kind of like how he tolerated Astrid. At least he didn’t have to worry about both of them now.

#Hijack #RotG #Httyd #Character Death #Major Angst #Hella Gay

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mitsunari · 8 years ago

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I am trying not to overthink when it comes to my story featuring Otabek, but I find that it is incredibly difficult to avoid when it comes to figuring out plots and angles and build-up, etc etc. I think of things and sometimes i come up with blanks when I try to take it out of my head and write it down, or I start writing and too much builds up which causes me to freeze and struggle to get started. (This is even with notes/outlines.)

But now I present Chapter 4 of the untitled “Otabek Meets A Dragon AU”. This includes some more morning routine, a flashback to how Katsuki Yuuri and Otabek meet, more business regarding the star. The next chapter will probably be from Yuuri’s POV and it will have our first look of Fantasy Animals!

Otabek speaks Russian to the Aral Sea but he can speak other languages with the same effect or say nothing at all. To perform magic, intent is key. Speaking is one of many ways of directing the spirit’s power out, and it also forms a path/a connection) for a spirit (or spirits) to act. A silent Otabek miiight be the most dangerous. ;)

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS one - two - three

CHAPTER 4 - OTABEK THE NEXT MORNING

Dawn did not mean Otabek’s valley had sunshine, for the sun had far to travel in the morning to give his side of the mountains light. He awoke in the dark and saw to the goats and Karazhal’s food before his own. As usual, it was time to do the patrol.

He pulled his long black hair into a low ponytail, tugging his fur cap on to keep the chill away. While he ate, he wrapped the art box in cloth and placed it near his saddle and gear at the doorway. The cooker was quenched but the fireplace coals could stay. Otabek carefully looked over the house to make sure nothing was out of place before he stepped out.

Swinging his saddle over one shoulder and carrying the rest of his belongings in the other arm, Otabek whistled for Karazhal to let her know they were off. He dropped his things by the gate he opened. The black mare swung her head up in his direction, trotting over and sideways so he could dump the saddle onto her back. Otabek knelt to secure every belt, pad, and rope. The frame fitted flat against Otabek’s back in a bag, and the metal box of art supplies sat on its side next to the wooden frame. Otabek laid an animal skin cover over the bag’s opening, belting it down tight as it could go. With one hand on her pommel, he mounted his horse, pulling her reins so he could lock the paddock.

The usual scout around the fenceline proved to be secure. He had Karazhal jump the driveway gate instead of unlocking it too. Gently pulling the reins, he directed her uphill, going up a deer trail. When the hill flattened out, Otabek inhaled deeply, feeling the mountain wind rush across the plateau. He reached out with a gloved hand to pat Karazhal’s thick neck. She snorted fondly, earning a chuckle from him.

His eyes moved past the horse to the mountainous terrain. He watched the ground for sight of other things. They could be friend or foe, and Otabek did not want to outrace a pack of wolves. Then, he checked up in the trees, this time for hunters and their supplies, like their food tied up high to fool bears or the perches built to hold snipers. The latter was rare. Hunting outside of the season was reported to the rangers by falcon. To date, he’d only found four dead while scouting. Otabek had never killed a man. Nature was not as merciful as Otabek.

At his land’s highest ridge, the grass became stone and crevice. Otabek stayed especially careful here. Karazhal’s hooves dislodged pebbles with each footprint. Suddenly, a gray shape whirled backward, dragging a half-eaten goat with it; Otabek could only glimpse the snow leopard--or “barys” as he knew it in Kazakh--before it darted into a den in the steep mountainside. He encouraged the mare to quicken over the ridge before they met any more predators.

He stood on the mountain edge using the antelope paths. The sun greeted him harshly, blinding Otabek with light across snow peaks and Big Almaty’s ice. He pulled his hat brim down, then paused, braving the sunlight for a chance to see that star even in daytime. Otabek wished he hadn’t broken his sunglasses, but whatever, he used his hand to shield what he could.

At the edge of their world, Yuuri’s new star shone just as it had last night. Otabek spotted an eagle wheeling around, and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he reached with the spirit of animals. His head jerked back as the connection was met. Otabek lowered it toward his saddle pommel, remembering to breath carefully, especially in this thin air.

“Batir,” the eagle acknowledged him with the Kazakh word ‘hero’. “I see you.”

“And I, you,” Otabek responded with a respectful tone. Karazhal continued to tread carefully, as Otabek had considerably loosened his grip on the reins. “What else is to be seen?”

“Hare, I see. Silver fox, I see.” The eagle descended casually. “I could not fly over your large nests. Stink!” An annoyed squawk echoed from the bird.

“Our nests do not have feathers in them. We have many fires burning for warm nests,” Otabek said. It wasn’t his first time explaining cities.

“Gah!” The eagle clearly thought humans were crazy...utilizing a disaster for their nests! Shaking its head, it changed the subject, “Ah, Batir, I see the spotted ones together many nights!”

The snow leopards? “We passed one with prey earlier. Should I be worried?”

The eagle cocked its head, searching the ground in a broad sweep over Karazhal’s position. “I see none now. “ Suddenly, Otabek could feel a surge of killing instinct through him at the same time the eagle stooped and dove down to the ground. The predator might not have seen more snow leopards, but it’d certainly seen prey. Otabek shuddered from his hips up to his head, stretching his shoulders back until the illusionary feeling of feathers growing out of him went away. Sucking in a sharp breath, Otabek’s eyes opened, snapping out of the spiritual connection. The eagle was gone.

His mare pushed on relentlessly on drifts of hard-packed snow. Five times, Otabek dismounted and led her on foot across the terrain. The tall evergreens sang with the mountain wind, accompanied by birds and deer. Otabek hummed to himself to the beat of stones crunching underfoot. When he’d first been chosen, hearing nature wherever he went had been difficult to get used to, but over the years, it had become more bearable, almost natural now. Otabek hummed more than he sang--if he contributed at all--but this time he sang to keep his feet steady on the mountain, focusing on it instead of the edge.

“There was a field in my old town Where we always played hand in hand. The wind was gently touching the grass. We were so young, so fearless.”

As the Kazakh words finished slipping through his teeth, Otabek got back into the saddle, riding the steep pathway around the bowl. The ride took hours, long enough for the sun to fill the valley once he’d trotted through the last pass. Standing 2735m above sea level, the valley with Big Almaty Lake was a painting in itself, coated with glossy white snow contrasting greatly with the dark gray mountains and dark green trees. Ice partially covered the pale blue water which barely reached 8 C even on the hottest days. With its white roofs, the Observatory did not stand out much in the snow.

Karazhal picked up the pace at her master’s command. Otabek descended to another flat ridge and followed it for several kilometers, then urged her up some rocks up to the parking lot. He saw lots of tracks in the snow, mostly from trucks and cars pulling into parking spaces, but not as from tourists in this season. He urged his mare up to a green-roofed building with one large garage door open. As Otabek trotted by, horse hooves clapping loudly on concrete at the garage’s entrance instead of snow, he pulled up on a dark-haired man wearing a bright red coat decorated with golden threads. Phichit Chulanont, to Otabek’s surprise, had his arms were full with sandbags and salt bags. Otabek raised his eyebrows at the sight of him away from the computers just to carry salt.

“AH! Otabek!” Phichit called enthusiastically. “Welcome back!”

Otabek returned the greeting with a casual nod. “She’s good here?” He reached out to pat Karazhal’s mane.

“Of course!” The scientist struggled with the salt bag, but he managed to point. On the other side of the storage garage were horse stalls and a paddock. Since this was a tourist attraction for his country, there were places for horses to rest. He was familiar with the trail rides through the mountains. “The trough is frozen though, and bedding is on that end.” said Phichit, cocking his head off to the left. “I’ll wait up for you after I salt our walkways!” he called over his shoulder as he scurried off with the bags.

Otabek dismounted and had Karazhal stand in the garage while he made up a stall for her. For now, he kept the bridle on and pulled off the saddle, locking it up before turning her out. True to his word, Phichit jogged back up to him when they were both finished. They walked into the Observatory together looking like complete opposites. Phichit was a scientist in crisp black trousers and that gaudy red and gold shirt. Otabek, on the other hand, had traded in his modern clothes for traditional Kazakh furs once he was chosen as baksy, a shaman..

Compared to knowing Yuuri, Otabek’s paths hadn’t crossed with Phichit as much. When he’d met them, his first mission as a spirit shaman neared its destination: the Aralkum Desert, wound of the earth and Kazakhstan’s western border. Yuuri and Phichit were there for space reasons. Otabek had followed a dying eagle to a dying lake. Yuuri told Otabek that he’d mistaken Otabek’s flying white guide for some kind of glare in his glasses, but that the horse and rider suddenly appearing by their research van had definitely been real. The two men had been using mobile weather and space devices to capture footage out in that region. So far, it’d been just dust and wind, nobody but themselves and satellite radio on their phones. Otabek, who’d ridden from Almaty on horseback, was just as eager to partake in someone’s hospitality out in the middle of nowhere as they were.

In return for their kindness, Otabek told them tales of his adventures and the nature of his mission, for he was not bound by the spirits to keep his identity or strength hidden. (It just wasn’t like him to boast.) Otabek felt these weren’t his powers anyway. He was simply a conduit, and he’d demonstrated with the Warm Touch, same as he had last night, but this time with their forgotten coffees in their front console. Phichit brewed fresh tea while Yuuri stretched his legs outside with Otabek, tired of being cooped up in the van. They’d talked about space and everything in it. Otabek got a fire going by the time Phichit joined them. Yuuri launched into impassioned explanations for everything, face lighting more than just from the campfire, but Otabek liked that about the older man. Passion… such unbridled emotion… it was good for mankind to be free like that. By nightfall, as traded stories turned into sleepy “good night”s, Otabek was glad to call both of them his friends.

At dawn, Otabek mounted Karazhal and Yuuri called out to him from the driver’s side, rubbing his sleepy eyes before putting his glasses on.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay out there?” Yuuri called out with a fretful timbre.

“My duty awaits. I must go no matter what condition I’m in,” Otabek said. The desert stretched out for miles, yet somehow his pale robes were free of the choking dust. Pure air surrounded him, though he didn’t realize it then. Looking back on it, his ride away from Almaty was much of a blur. Otabek was certain it must’ve taken many days but like many things regarding the spirits, it felt just like a dream, too.

Seven years ago, Otabek had much shorter hair than he did now. He’d shaved ritually before approaching the desert, leaving the top short in an undercut style. It had been spring when he’d arrived at the Aral Sea’s former border. Long had the region awaited the season’s coming. It needed his healing. It needed the spirits of the earth to guide it out of suffering, and Otabek had answered its call.

To assure Yuuri that he would be safe, Otabek agreed that they could follow, as long as they prioritized their own safety. Yuuri drove the van. Phichit started recording from the passenger seat, which Otabek found out at the end. His black mare vaulted over the terrain with Yuuri in hot pursuit, yelling as the van did not take too well to the pebble-covered dirt. They stirred up a huge dust cloud behind them. Karazhal pushed up to her top speed. The van jerked right to stay on the flattest dirt. Otabek could hear Yuuri yelling in panicked Russian as the vehicle rattled over rocks and holes.

What happened afterward was an event taking place in two different ways in the eyes of two different parties. Otabek knew his own half, but when he watched the video on Phichit’s phone later, he witnessed how alien it was to view his spiritual power from an outsider’s perspective.

“Просыпа́йся, Ара́льское море!” (Wake, Aral Sea!) He remembered how his voice rang out with thunder and lightning, a show of force that startled even himself, yet Karazhal hadn’t shied one centimeter from her run. He remembered disembodied voices humming and singing. He released the reins at their urging, and his arms drew straight up, palms facing the sky. The power required to renew the massive lake swallowed Otabek whole. What he knew of his actions from that point onward was solely due to Phichit’s video.

To Phichit and Yuuri’s amazement, two brightly glowing staves sprung out from Otabek’s fingertips. The lines all undulated as one, and starry musical notes materialized into the Samarkand Overture. High in the air he urged the notes to rise. The staves circled him like floating ribbons. Fearful of his magic, Yuuri had called out to Otabek from the window when the wind began to pick up, but Phichit’s hand clutched his shoulder in the video, reassuring him.

There was a crackling roar, and the clouds gathered fast as steeds. What had been early morning reversed back into night under the burgeoning thunderclouds. Lightning leapt from cloud to cloud. The whole sky was pierced by blinding light, but although Yuuri’s van stood in empty desert, the lightning did not strike it. Rain fell in slow small droplets. The video even captured the humming of spirits over the rain and thunder, but what was the most marvelous of all were the animals that suddenly sprouted from the musical staves. Golden outlines of snow leopards, wolves, horses, eagles, and antelopes bloomed into flight. Each footprint upon the desertified landscape gushed a spring of golden light that spread fiercely once started. Transparent animals raced away from Otabek until the purifying glow stretched to the horizon.

“HOLY SHIT!” Phichit’s enthusiastic yell had struck a discordant note in the whole scene. The video had jostled a bunch until Phichit’s face appeared in the side, then panned to Yuuri’s gawking expression behind the rain-splattered window. “I hope I’m still recording!”

The astronomer’s phone had captured everything except a clear close-up of Otabek Altin’s face, but Phichit’s upload to Instagram went viral and the “mysterious rider” became the subject of Internet speculation. Otabek personally disliked social networking services and, while owning an instagram account, he never had the app on his old smartphone. He’d left Almaty without a phone since he had no way of charging it out in the wilderness. He would have never thought to film himself. He spent the journey across Kazakhstan completely oblivious to the cryptid role he was taking. Kazakhs tagged Phichit in blurry horse rider pictures from places like Pavlodar, Astana, and Karaganda, asking in Russian if “this was their man”. Phichit also received screenshots captioned “I trust him” or “monsoon season is coming”.

Back home in Almaty, Otabek’s siblings and mother immediately identified him after seeing Phichit’s recording online. Otabek returned from a year away to find his family interrogating him on his “cryptid status”. They had not forgiven him for leaving without technology to keep in touch. (Apparently sending spirits was not the preferable method.) Otabek continued his tried-and-true method of ignoring social media, made all the easier by having no electricity out in the wilderness.

However, that isolation in nature that Otabek required, both to perform his duties in nature and harbor the spirits of earth well, meant that he spent many hours doing business and not seeing family and friends over the mountains for weeks or years. Reuniting with Yuuri two years after the video went viral happened because of an earthquake in Almaty. They saw each other again a few years after that, when Yuuri had gotten promoted in the Observatory and spotted a comet in his new telescope, and Otabek had seen the comet too from the other side of the mountain. Phichit had been in the United States then so they’d missed each other once again. He had changed only a little in Otabek’s eyes.

The astronomer looked Otabek up and down as if examining him as well.

“Your pony is sturdy! She looks even better than she did last time,” Phichit remarked, thumbing at the horse.

Otabek nodded with a small smile at Phichit’s sincerity. “Thanks.” He followed him to the entrance, feet crunching over salt.

“How come you took the long way around? Did you get another dream?” Phichit asked. “Is it another earthquake?”

Otabek shook his head. The last quake alert had been a month ago, perfectly unthreatening. “No,” he said. “I wanted to patrol the whole range this time.” He paused, looking over his shoulder at the fur-lined bag. “Duty and all.”

Phichit swiped his ID card and let Otabek inside the employee-authorized building. “Ah, well, it’s good to see you! You know you’re always welcome here, Hero.” Phichit grinned, teasingly nudging Otabek in the arm. “I’ll get you tea.”

“Much obliged,” Otabek replied to his host.

While Phichit flounced down the white hall for tea, Otabek walked slower, stepping into a room practically lined with windows, including a round one in the ceiling. There were many of these around the observatory, but this one had fewer tourists, being in the employee’s end and all. The room had a heavy wooden table in the middle with chairs all around, as well as shelves filled with books and pamphlets lining the walls. The windows boasted a beautiful view of the mountains circling the plateau.

Struck by inspiration, Otabek quickly set his bag on a chair, putting away his gloves in exchange for the small sketchpad and pencil in the artbox. He sketched lines for mountains and trees, marching deep shadows out of the graphite and leaving empty space for snow and clouds. His dirty thumb rubbed on the paper for the sky. In the middle, he darkened the paper in jagged edges and erased for even sharper edges, accentuating the strange star’s brightness in his picture. For once, Otabek did not stop to pause after each stroke. He drew as a man possessed and was so focused, he didn’t hear Phichit calling his name.

“Hey!” Phichit’s face suddenly appeared next to him. “That’s good!” He pointed at Otabek’s rendition of the mountains around Big Almaty Lake. “Wow, you were really tuned in. I brought you tea!”

The Kazakh looked down at what he’d drawn and his eyes widened. He stared down at the sketchpad, pulling his hands away and thinking, This is what I drew? The shadows of the mountains and the dark treetops seemed to form the shape of some winged animal. The star’s beams radiated down upon the peaks, as if upon the beast hidden in the picture. He blinked and it disappeared, and Otabek questioned his own brain for a second.

Gratefully, he took Phichit’s offered mug and thanked him, blinking several times down at the paper.

“Hey, hey, do you think I could snap a photo of it?” Phichit asked.

Otabek shrugged, handing the sketchpad off and contenting himself with the tea instead. Between the heaters and the sunshine coming through all the windows, it was quite warm. Otabek relaxed against the chair. He did not freely invite conversation, but whenever the man asked a question, he answered. Phichit refilled his empty mug once he was finished with the first, then he handed back the sketchbook. Otabek opened it up to the page he’d been on.

“Is Katsuki Yuuri busy today?” he asked without looking at Phichit.

“Hahaha, I beat him in janken so I’m off today while he’s assigned on two sessions of tour groups,” Phichit laughed. “But afterward he’s doing field work. Of course, you’re more than welcome to hang out in the observatory until he comes back. I’m sure you’ve stiffened in the saddle, so stay and warm up, okay?” He patted Otabek’s shoulder kindly.

“I am content to wait,” Otabek replied. He stood up and walked over to one of the bookshelves. Russian books and journals of science lined the bottom two rows, then two rows of English with three German books squeezed in the end. The Kazakh writers took the top two rows. “May I read something?”

“Those? Hah! They’ll bore you to death, but sure. I’ll let you sign on as a guest on my laptop if you’d rather read modern.” Phichit pointed to the messenger bag sitting in a chair next to him.

“Really? Thanks. No newspaper delivers out of Almaty,” Otabek lamented. He rejoined Phichit at the table while the man pulled out the laptop. Phichit signed in under Guest and swiveled the computer once the laptop chimed its logging in ping.

“Do you remember how to type?” Phichit joked. Otabek gave him a deadpan expression and mimed bashing his fists on the keys like a caveman, which caused Phichit to plead dramatically for his laptop’s life then burst into laughter. “Oh, lemme make sure this account knows the WiFi password.” He looked over all the settings until he was satisfied. Phichit sat down to find the battery in the bag.

Otabek fired up Chrome, checking his sorely neglected email and sending one to his sisters since he hadn’t been in Almaty for a week. Without a mailbox, he just relied on animals, like cats or falcons, to drop off the weekly letters to his parents’ house. An email would be a welcome surprise. He wrote about the star, of course, and updated them on what was new in his life. While he never took photographs of what he worked with, Otabek always included a doodle of the creatures in his care that week. He told Phichit this when the man asked about his family.

“Why did you come to Kazakhstan again?” Otabek asked. He continued to type.

“Ah, well, back then, we were assigned as part of a college thing, to look at the Soyuz and a bunch of other things, but we ended up liking it so we came back different times. Yuuri and I love to travel so it’s nice to work in a place so marvelous, no?” Phichit stretched out his hands. “Yes, it’s cold but ah, the Snapchats make up for it!” He blinked with sudden realization. “Hey! What if I uploaded the picture here?” Otabek frowned. “Okay, not online,” Phichit quickly added. “But to the email you’re sending?”

Otabek’s expression softened. “I’m not against you having one for your personal phone, but I am deleting it from the computer afterward.” Phichit copied down his email address into his smartphone and sent the attachment. Otabek saved it from the freshly received email, uploaded it to his, and typed in Kazakh:

P.S. A scientist from the observatory took this picture of my artwork. Please keep it safe since you don’t have a physical copy this time.

For once, he was more than fond of this drawing. Otabek liked it when his practice had some sort of tangibility to it.

He sent off the email before deleting the saved picture, even out of the Recycle Bin. With that done, Otabek contented himself with reading news again while he waited for Yuuri to come back.

#My Writings #Otabek Altin #Phichit Chulanont #yuri on ice #Katsuki Yuuri

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networkingdefinition · 5 years ago

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Official Website: Pine Trees Quotes

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• A pine tree standeth lonely In the North on an upland bare; It standeth whitely shrouded With snow, and sleepeth there. It dreameth of a Palm tree Which far in the East alone, In the mournful silence standeth On its ridge of burning stone. – Heinrich Heine • Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel. – Aldo Leopold • And the needles of the pine trees, freshly washed to a deep, rich green, shimmered with droplets that blinked like clear crystals. – Billie Letts • And they beat. The women for having known them and no more, no more; the children for having been them but never again. They killed a boss so often and so completely they had to bring him back to life to pulp him one more time. Tasting hot mealcake among pine trees, they beat it away. Singing love songs to Mr. Death, they smashed his head. More than the rest, they killed the flirt whom folks called Life for leading them on. – Toni Morrison • As I go musing through this mournful land Soothed by the pine-tree’s solemn harmony, Thy well-loved image comes and walks by me. I seem to hold thee by the gentle hand And talk of things I dimly understand, That thy dear spirit set to mine may be As to an intricate lock the simple key. – John Barlas • As sunbeams stream through liberal space And nothing jostle or displace, So waved the pine-tree through my thought And fanned the dreams it never brought. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'Pine', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_pine').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_pine img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life. – John Muir • Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world. – John Muir • By the shores of Gitchee Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis, Dark behind it rose the forest, Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees, Rose the firs with cones upon them; Bright before it beat the water, Beat the clear and sunny water, Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[clickbank-storefront-bestselling] • Can you hear the dreams crackling like a campfire? Can you hear the dreams sweeping through the pine trees and tipis? Can you hear the dreams laughing in the sawdust? Can you hear the dreams shaking just a little bit as the day grows long? Can you hear the dreams putting on a good jacket that smells of fry bread and sweet smoke? Can you hear the dreams stay up late and talk so many stories? – Sherman Alexie • Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas. – Ronald Reagan • Do not think I do not realise what I am doing. I am making a composition using the following elements: the winter beach; the winter moon; the ocean; the women; the pine trees; the riders; the driftwood; the shells; the shapes of darkness and the shapes of water; and the refuse. These are all inimical to my loneliness because of their indifference to it. Out of these pieces of inimical indifference, I intend to represent the desolate smile of winter which, as you must have gathered, is the smile I wear. – Angela Carter • Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible. – Euell Gibbons • Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. – Henry David Thoreau • Every summer my husband and I pack our suitcases, load our kids into the car, and drive from tense, crowded New York City to my family’s cottage in Maine. It’s on an island, with stretches of sea and sandy beaches, rocky coasts, and pine trees. We barbecue, swim, lie around, and try to do nothing. – Hope Davis • Few are altogether deaf to the preaching of pine trees. Their sermons on the mountains go to our hearts . . . – John Muir • Few are altogether deaf to the preaching of pine trees. Their sermons on the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish. – John Muir • For a hundred and fifty years, in the pasture of dead horses, roots of pine trees pushed through the pale curves of your ribs, yellow blossoms flourished above you in autumn, and in winter frost heaved your bones in the ground–old toilers, soil makers: O Roger, Mackerel, Riley, Ned, Nellie, Chester, Lady Ghost. – Donald Hall • From the pine tree, learn of the pine tree; And from the bamboo, of the bamboo – Matsuo Basho • Generally speaking, the political news, whether domestic or foreign, might be written today for the next ten years with sufficientaccuracy. Most revolutions in society have not power to interest, still less alarm us; but tell me that our rivers are drying up, or the genus pine dying out in the country, and I might attend. – Henry David Thoreau • Gently I stir a white feather fan, With open shirt sitting in a green wood. I take off my cap and hang it on a jutting stone; A wind from the pine-tree trickles on my bare head. – Li Bai • God took pattern after a pine tree and built you noble. – Zora Neale Hurston • High high in the hills , high in a pine tree bed. She’s tracing the wind with that old hand, counting the clouds with that old chant, Three geese in a flock one flew east one flew west one flew over the cuckoo’s nest – Ken Kesey • I don’t think anyone ‘finds’ joy. Rather, we cultivate it by searching for the preciousness of small things, the ordinary miracles, that strengthen our hearts so we can keep them open to what is difficult: delight in taking a shower or a slow walk that has no destination, in touching something soft, in noticing the one small, black bird who sings every morning from the top of the big old pine tree … I need to give my attention to the simple things that give me pleasure with the same fervor I have been giving it to the complex things with which I drive myself crazy. – Dawna Markova • I found everything so remote but, at the same time, familiar when I occasionally looked into the mountains, rocks, pine trees and plums depicted in old literati paintings. My innermost feeling which was awakened by the same mountains, rocks, pine trees and plums has been totally and utterly changed. Moreover, like an apparition, it hides deep down in my vessels. The very trees and rocks have become the storage of memories and emotions from various eras. Forced by the rapid change of time and perspective, I cannot help but feel urged to face up to these things once again. – Zhang Xiaogang • I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beechtree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines. – Henry David Thoreau • I grew up like a lot of country boys and girls do – amongst the pine trees, dirt roads, farms, mules and people who were real. – Josh Turner • I love Tennessee, but they don’t have the pine trees and the sandy soil and the black water that I grew up around. – Josh Turner • I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets. – Hamlin Garland • I should have liked to come across a large community of pines, which had never been invaded by the lumbering army. – Henry David Thoreau • I would say that there exists a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list. The pine tree, the leopard, the Platte River, and ourselves-we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together, we are each other’s destiny. – Mary Oliver • If I were to choose the sights, the sounds, the fragrances I most would want to see and hear and smell–among all the delights of the open world–on a final day on earth, I think I would choose these: the clear, ethereal song of a white-throated sparrow singing at dawn; the smell of pine trees in the heat of the noon; the lonely calling of Canada geese; the sight of a dragon-fly glinting in the sunshine; the voice of a hermit thrush far in a darkening woods at evening; and–most spiritual and moving of sights–the white cathedral of a cumulus cloud floating serenely in the blue of the sky. – Edwin Way Teale • If you could eat portions of pine trees, you could eliminate corn in many ways.- Homaro Cantu • If you look close … you can see that the wild critters have ‘No Trespassing’ signs tacked up on every pine tree. – Marguerite Henry • I’ll be looking for you, Will, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we’ll cling together so tight that nothing and no one’ll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We’ll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they wont’ just be able to take one, they’ll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we’ll be joined so tight. – Philip Pullman • In a pine tree,/ A few yards from my window sill,/ A brilliant blue jay is springing up and down, up and/ down./ On a branch./ I laugh, as I see him abandon himself/ To entire delight, for he knows as well as I do/ That the branch will not break. – James Wright • In snowbound, voiceless, mountain depths, to herald spring, pine trees sound in tune. – Princess Shikishi • It is a thorough process, this war with the wilderness – breaking nature, taming the soil. feeding it on oats. The civilized man regards the pine tree as his enemy. He will fell it and let in the light, grub it up and raise wheat or rye there. It is no better than a fungus to him. – Henry David Thoreau • Late in August the lure of the mountains becomes irresistible. Seared by the everlasting sunfire, I want to see running water again, embrace a pine tree, cut my initials in the bark of an aspen, get bit by a mosquito, see a mountain bluebird, find a big blue columbine, get lost in the firs, hike above timberline, sunbathe on snow and eat some ice, climb the rocks and stand in the wind at the top of the world on the peak of Tukuhnikivats. – Edward Abbey • Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant. – Matsuo Basho • Life has loveliness to sell, / Music like a curve of gold, / Scent of pine trees in the rain, / Eyes that love you, arms that hold, / And for your spirit’s still delight, / Holy thoughts that star the night. – Sara Teasdale • Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children’s faces looking up, Holding wonder like a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms that hold, And for your spirit’s still delight, Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been, or could be. – Sara Teasdale • Many parts of a pine tree are edible. – Euell Gibbons • Momo listened to everyone and everything – even to the rain and the wind and the pine trees – and all of them spoke to her after their own fashion. – Michael Ende • No one can look at a pine tree in winter without knowing that spring will come again in due time. – Frank Bolles • No writing on the solitary, meditative dimensions of life can say anything that has not already been said better by the wind in the pine trees. – Thomas Merton • Nothing has ever been said about God that hasn’t already been said better by the wind in the pine trees. – Thomas Merton • One must have a mind of winter to regard the frost and the boughs of the pine trees, crusted with snow, And have been cold a long time, to behold the junipers, shagged with ice, the spruces, rough in the distant glitter of the January sun, and not to think of any misery in the sound of the wind, in the sound of a few leaves, which is the sound of the land, full of the same wind, blowing in the same bare place for the listener, who listens in the snow, and, nothing herself, beholds nothing that is not there, and the nothing that is. – Wallace Stevens • One must have a mind of winter To regard the frost and the boughs Of the pine-trees crusted with snow – Wallace Stevens • Only yonder magnificent pine-tree… holds her unchanging beauty throughout the year, like her half-brother, the ocean, whose voice she shares; and only marks the flowing of her annual tide of life by the new verdure that yearly submerges all trace of last year’s ebb. – Thomas Wentworth Higginson • Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns; but that is of interest only to pigs. Our faith gives us knowledge of something better: that we can become oak trees. – E. F. Schumacher • Picture it in your mind’s nostril: you get in a cab in time to catch twin thugs named Vomit and Cologne assaulting a defenseless pine-tree air freshener. – Sloane Crosley • Pine trees with low limbs spread over fresh snow made a stronger vault for the spirit than pews and pulpits ever could. – Daniel Woodrell • Santa Claus has nothing to do with it,” the latke said. “Christmas and Hanukah are completely different things.” “But different things can often blend together,” said the pine tree. “Let me tell you a funny story about pagan rituals. – Daniel Handler • so, when I spotted a cougar stretched out on a thick pine tree branch near the park gates, I wasn’t surprised. I can’t say the same for the women clinging to the branch above the cat. she was the one screaming. The cougar-a ragged-ear old top I clled Marv-just stared at her, like he couldn’t believe anyone would be dumb to climb a tree to escape a cat. – Kelley Armstrong • Sombre thoughts and fancies often require a little real soil or substance to flourish in; they are the dark pine-trees which take root in, and frown over the rifts of the scathed and petrified heart, and are chiefly nourished by the rain of unavailing tears, and the vapors of fancy. – John Frederick Boyes • Study the teachings of the pine tree, the bamboo, and the plum blossom. The pine is evergreen, firmly rooted, and venerable. The bamboo is strong, resilient, unbreakable. The plum blossom is hardy, fragrant, and elegant. – Morihei Ueshiba • Thalia had been turned into a pine tree when she was 12. Me… well, i was doing my best not to follow her example. I had nightmares about what Poseidon might turn me into if i were ever in the verge of death—plankton, maybe. Or a floating patch of kelp. – Rick Riordan • The forests are the flag’s of Nature. They appeal to all and awaken inspiring universal feelings. Enter the forest and the boundaries of nations are forgotten. It may be that sometime an immortal pine will be the flag of a united and peaceful world. – Enos Mills • The guy who owned that island was from Oregon and he decided that he wanted to have an Oregon feeling to it, so he planted pine trees all over the place! – Christopher Atkins • The patient. The pine tree seems to listen, the fir tree to wait: and both without impatience: – they give no thought to the little people beneath them devoured by their impatience and their curiosity. – Friedrich Nietzsche • The young pines springing up in the corn-fields from year to year are to me a refreshing fact. – Henry David Thoreau • Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. – J. R. R. Tolkien • There is a higher law affecting our relation to pines as well as to men. A pine cut down, a dead pine, is no more a pine than a dead human carcass is a man. – Henry David Thoreau • There is scarce a cave, an isolated rock, a lone pine tree or a pile of stones without supporting folklore. – John Hillaby • There was once a bundle of matches, and they were frightfully proud because of their high origin. Their family tree, that is to say the great pine tree of which they were each a little splinter, had been the giant of the forest. – Hans Christian Andersen • To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. – Helen Keller • Who leaves the pine-tree, leaves his friend, Unnerves his strength, invites his end. – Ralph Waldo Emerson • Wilderness is not only a haven for native plants and animals but it is also a refuge from society. Its a place to go to hear the wind and little else, see the stars and the galaxies, smell the pine trees, feel the cold water, touch the sky and the ground at the same time, listen to coyotes, eat the fresh snow, walk across the desert sands, and realize why its good to go outside of the city and the suburbs. Fortunately, there is wilderness just outside the limits of the cities and the suburbs in most of the United States, especially in the West. – John Muir • Worpswede, Worpswede, I cannot get you out of my mind… Your magnificent pine trees! I call them my men–thick, gnarled, powerful, and tall–yet with the most delicate nerves and fibers in them. – Paula Modersohn-Becker • You can live for years next door to a big pine tree, honored to have so venerable a neighbor, even when it sheds needles all over your flowers or wakes you, dropping big cones onto your deck at still of night. – Denise Levertov • You know the Zen question, ‘The Bodhisattva of Great Mercy’ has a thousand hands and a thousand eyes; ‘which is the true eye?’ I could not understand this for a long time. But the other day, when I looked at the pine trees bending before the cold blasts from the mountain, I suddenly realized the meaning. You see, all the boughs, branches, twigs, and leaves simultaneously bend to the wind with tremendous vigor. – Katsuki Sekida • You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed. – Isaiah

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equitiesstocks · 5 years ago

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Pine Trees Quotes

Official Website: Pine Trees Quotes

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3one3 · 7 years ago

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The Sequel - 902

The Numbers

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“How was training? I saw pictures of you smiling.”

“We had a little fun.”

“You don’t sound like you’ve had any fun today.”

“I’m tired and- To be honest, I’m thinking too much about numbers.”

“Which numbers?”

“Goals, assists, minutes played.”

“Oh. Don’t do that.”

“I miss you.”

“I love you.”

“I wish you were coming early. Sunday, or Monday.”

“Schü got tickets for The Nutcracker at the ballet in Berlin on Sunday night.”

“You told me.”

And I really wanna go. It looks dark and magical, and it was so cute of him to bring me cookies. They even match my holiday decor. He’s running a points surplus right now, Christina thought about one football player while on the phone with another. She was on the couch in the master bedroom, waiting for the first one to finish his video games, and very ready to go to sleep. But the second one needed her.

“I have to ride both days anyway,” she told him, referring to the two days before her flight to London for Olympia. “You said I should get back to work, and I have, and I feel good about it. I wanted to tell you a bunch of times today when I got like...a tiny shot of adrenalin or happiness or something looking at my training plan for the week, or when Tom just seemed...I don’t- I know this sounds ridiculous,” she smiled. “But I feel like he kept looking at me differently today, like he knows I’m back to doing things the old way and he’s happy about it and respects me more or something.”

“That’s good cariña. I’m very happy for you,” he yawned. The rider snorted and laughed.

“Yeah, you sound it.”

“I am! I’m sleepy. I was watching shows,” Juan needlessly explained. He sent her the equivalent of a “please call me and tuck me in” message around dinnertime in London, at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel, and his girlfriend was more than happy to accommodate the request. It didn’t matter that André hadn’t instigated any fights in over a week, or that he asked her to the ballet and brought assorted Christmas cookies from the bakery he visited to try to replace the lemon bar they had to abandon at the bookstore on Sunday when Lukas’ stuffed pony went missing and the world was about to end. She still missed being able to hug and kiss the Spaniard just the same, and wanted to hear his voice every day in her ears and not just in her head when she read his texts. It was her pleasure to get cozy in new winter home decor and lend him those ears so that he could vent his building frustration with his own performances on the pitch, as it were. She didn’t know what the problem was but she knew from the message that there must be something, or that he was going to be passive aggressively upset that his calls the prior night went unanswered because she was out with André and then watched a movie with him and without her phone.

“I was so sleepy at dinner that I dipped my pita bread in my Coke instead of tzatziki.” And now I’m extra sleepy because this corner of the couch is now like the inside of a mountain cabin. I have fur, the rider narrated happily while rubbing her face on her new pillow. I have cashmere, she added, moving her legs together to feel the new plaid, fringed, scarf-like blanket. There were fat rib-knit throw pillows too. I have a proper winter nest. I have a yuge credit card bill, the happy girl finished. Zoe invited her out for a mom date during the week with the kids- lunch and shopping- and took her to a home furnishings place with beautiful stuff. Christina wanted all the textiles, and the bonus rewards from American Express.

“How did it taste? They’re both lemony.”

“Not so good. But not so bad that I didn’t eat it anyway.”

“Am I going to score a goal tomorrow night?”

“No, but you’re going to run the game. Grab it by the neck. Run the show. You’ll set someone else up to score. It’s a perfect matchup for you. While everyone else on the pitch is focused on the physical fight and keeping it tight, you can use your brain and create space.”

“Were you in the briefing today?”

“No, but it doesn’t take a UEFA Coach of the Year nomination to anticipate how it might go between a resurgent Atletico fighting for their European lives and a prone-to-only-giving-as-much-as-absolutely-needed Chelsea in self-preservation cruise mode.” Christina was very certain in her matchday forecast. And she was calm about it, not letting her desire for her prediction to come true make her sound like a salesman. It was what Juan called her for. “Be the one who starts in a top gear while the others ease into the game. Then you can dictate a role for yourself instead of waiting for them to give you a chance to have an impact.

“Smart advice.” He was smiling on the receiving end of the little pep talk.

“I’m gonna yell at the TV all night if you don’t take it.”

“Consider it taken, cariña.”

“If you do score, your celebration should include a secret shoutout just for me.”

“Like what?”

“Liiiike...walk up to Eden and pinch his butt.”

“No.”

“Take a bite out of it.”

“No.”

“Pretend to ride a dragon.”

“No.”

“Do the Matarena.”

“No.”

“Do nothing because you’re lame and no fun.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Bah ram you.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I feel in danger of becoming Mata, the guy who does the charity thing, instead of Mata, the good football player,” Juan confessed, out of nowhere. “I’m going to be on the cover of FourFourTwo this week with other winners of their annual awards, and people who see it are going to go, “Mata? What? Why!” I don’t fit on a cover with Guardiola, Kane, Buffon, Modric, and Neymar. The award is for the Common Goal project. The other guys get awards for how they play, or coach.”

“Yeah but what your award is for actually matters more than what they do,” Christina shot back, anxious to reassure him and convince him that his magazine cover, which she already knew about, was something to be proud of, not fear.

“What I’m doing with Common Goal could help a lot of people, yes, but think of what football’s stars mean to hundreds of millions of people. You know,” the uncertain Chelsea man insisted. “You know what football means to you. Millions watch every weekend and the score might influence their mood for the whole week, and their interactions with friends and people at work. You’re proud for a week if your team wins big at the weekend, or you’re the wrong side of the jokes if they lose. You get such a good feeling when you see a ridiculous skill, or a beautiful goal. So those guys are doing a lot for people too. It’s not just that they score and change games. I still want to play. I want to be known as a good person and a regular guy- that’s important- but I want to be known as a top player too. I want to have big performances.”

“You don’t want to be Neven Subotic,” his understanding girlfriend said in summary for him. She felt around inside her blanket too for the two furry friends in residence. Spencer and Lucky had been comatose in there since 30 seconds after she tapped Juan’s name on her Favorites. They were “working” the same long hours at the barn as she did. “Everyone knows he’s a great guy, and he spends all his free time getting water for kids in Africa or something, and Dortmund wheels him out as their good-guy player for interviews and events and stuff, and then once in a while he actually gets to play.”

“I don’t think it’s quite on that level yet,” he chuckled. “Thankfully.”

“You’re a long way from that. You’re a great player, Juanin. I dunno about other people but I still get excited watching you do stuff with the ball. I still go “oh my god how did he know” when you pass to set someone up and you didn’t even take a single second to plan it out- you knew before you got the ball. I can see your brain working in the game and it’s always so much better than everyone else’s. I see you between passages of play telling guys to calm down, or urging them to move up. You read the pulse of things. Yeah, you’re having a bit of a quiet period now and the manager is trying different systems with different personnel and he needs to get guys from the bench into the game earlier to keep them happy, but I don’t think you should be having...feels about what your legacy is going to be. You’ve won almost every major trophy in world football. You have way more to give football yet than just 1% of your salary and your face on the recruitment packet.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so. I’m not even just trying to make you feel better. You are objectively brilliant, Juanin. Don’t get anxious because of a little unsatisfying spell.”

“I know the difference between when you talk to pick someone up and when you say the more realistic truth,” the Spaniard smiled. The fondness in the answer gave away the grin, small as it probably was. He wasn’t usually the one who needed boosting, but Christina had provided the service for him before, and she’d administered it for others in front of him too. Unbeknownst to her, most people in her life knew the difference between her lip service and her genuine testimony. And she wholeheartedly believed, without hyperbole, every word she said to her friend about the current state of his play. “I have always appreciated that you wear your heart on your sleeve with people you’re close to.”

“I don’t even have to open my mouth for you to know what’s in my heart most of the time so it doesn’t matter what’s on my sleeve.”

“I know how I’ll celebrate if I score a goal tomorrow night. Let’s see if you notice your shoutout.”

“It’s gonna be pretty obvious if it involves your sleeve, Juanin.”

“I think I can be more creative than that, cariña.”

“You know what might help you be fabulous in the match?”

“What?”

“Shaving your face.”

“Send nudes.”

“Haven’t got any.”

“Take some.”

“I’m wearing clothes. Hey, you should get naked on a magazine cover.”

“Yeah, everyone wants to see that.”

“Naked but with your reading glasses. That would be so hot.”

“Send me videos while you’re riding tomorrow. I’m going to be bored most of the day.”

“That I can do. Any horse requests?”

“Cartagena.”

“I can’t remember if I’m doing him tomorrow.”

“Do me tomorrow.”

“I wish.”

“I miss you. I miiiiiiiiiss youuuuuu,” Juan whined, mostly playful. Christina laughed at him and whined back that she missed him too, and suggested that boredom was the primary reason he missed her so much. She suggested he just needed someone to make background noise and be annoying and generally keep him company, and the player largely agreed. He also said though that he felt left out from her recommitment to her reliable training methods and psychology- that he wished he were “there” to see her work, and see the effect it had on. The Olympic star realized that he used to be able to drop in on her at the barn whenever, or grab a meal, or go for a drive with her and see the immediate aftereffects of however her riding made her feel on any given day. That was something he told her he appreciated very much.

He loved to watch and listen to her rattle on and on about some battle of wills with one of her horses while playing DJ in his car and stopping to comment on things she hated about other cars that pulled into their spot at the Observatory, for example, and her companionship when she was just in a bubbly mood because Dirk did something amazing that afternoon. Christina knew the lack of companionship thing had been a struggle for a long time, but she never realized that extended to the lack of access to her professional life too. She didn’t know or anticipate that his distance from her stuff- the activities that were really just hers, and meaningful on their face only to her- would have such a significance. Missing the things she did with him made perfect sense. It was sort of flattering to learn that he felt like she shared the other things with him without even realizing it, and that it mattered to him.

They rounded out their chat with a discussion about how she would actually use excitement about the big Champions League features to fuel her throughout her training on Tuesday, and then Christina said she needed to get to bed. That was true, but she needed to go collect her husband first. Someone would have to get a jumpstart on warming the bed for her. It was much too cold to just slide in there. André could preheat it while she brushed her teeth, set alarms, took off jewelry, etc. She went downstairs to tell him it was bedtime, and discovered that the only advance he was interested in was sleep. He was snoring, kind of tipped over to one side, with his game controller in his hand. There was a prompt on the big screen asking if he wanted to restart. His girl bent down with her hands on the couch cushion to smooch his cheek.

“Time for bed, handsome,” she said near his ear. I think I said the same thing to Luke a couple of hours ago. Is that weird? They’re both so cute when they sleep. “Baaabe?”

“Did I die?” the sleepy blonde inquired without opening his eyes. He did yawn, and reach to cover his mouth. It didn’t require sitting up.

“It seems so, yes.”

“Is this heaven? Or did I go the other direction?”

“Jury’s still out,” Christina told him, deadpan. It prompted him to open one squinty eye and kind of glare at her, skeptical. His girl laughed. “Come to bed.”

“This is the part where you usually ask me to carry you, when I’m standing there and you’re here.”

“I would totally carry you to bed if I were physically capable. I would carry you everywhere.”

“C’mere.” André held both arms out like he wanted a hug, and his wife shook her head to refuse. She made him get up to hug her, because otherwise he’d pull her down and over with him and they’d both be lying on the sofa instead of getting into bed. It was a good hug though- all consuming, and warm, and full of sweet whispers. It was capped by a loud “mwah” on the rider’s neck. The two tired athletes gave their pets some goodnight treats, unplugged the Christmas tree in the foyer, and ascended the two staircases on either side of it separately, because André was going straight to their room and Christina was stopping at the other end of the upstairs hall to check on Lukas. The littlest member of the family was sound asleep with his thumb in his mouth and his pony under his arm in his safari-themed room with slow rotating constellations projected on his ceiling. Sometimes when she checked on him, his mom was tempted to squeeze into his little bed with him and have a sleepover. His room was enviable. Even the gurgle of the filtration system in the fishbowl was nice.

“Snuggles,” Christina requested flatly, in her little kid voice, when she was finally able to get under her satin covers with her bed heater, who rolled over to hug her with both his arms and his legs.

“Your eyes are all red. Did Juan upset you or are you very tired? Tired, eh?” He asked and answered his question with his hands on her butt, inside her candy cane striped panties.

“So tired. I’m going to bed early tomorrow since you won’t be here.”

“No you won’t. The matches won’t even be over until almost 11.”

“That’s early.”

“Early is when you used to come to the living room at 9 o’clock to kiss my cheek and warn me that if I woke you up coming to bed later you’d murder me.”

“That was before Lulu Schü.”

“I was looking forward to being in London with you without him for a couple of nights...” André commented, rueful. His wife made the executive decision that her extra days in London post-horse show could be best maximized if he came alone and Lukas remained at home with his nanny and grandparents. Half of her wanted to take him to Winter Wonderland, and to see the decorations around the stores in Knightsbridge and Chelsea, and maybe even go ice-skating. The other half of her dwelled on how difficult it would be to navigate Christmas Retail City with a stroller, with a little boy who needed the bathroom every 10 minutes whenever they left the house, with someone who was too old to just ride quietly through hours and hours of shopping anymore, and how they’d have to go to kid-friendly restaurants, and couldn’t go out at night to enjoy the seasonal festivities in adult capacities. Christina wanted two romantic dinners and unencumbered, special-operations-like shopping to complete the Christmas list she hadn’t even begun to work on yet. She also wanted a little slice of pre-Lukas life.

Unfortunately, neither she nor André realized when they made that plan to spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at The Savoy that Borussia Dortmund would end up in a DFL Cup third-round tie in Munich on that Wednesday night. The player was furious after the draw. He didn’t know all the games were to be played that week. He thought he’d be free for mid-winter break after the weekend fixture. The worst part of it for him was that about 5 minutes after his wife got done lamenting the change of plans and offering to call to cancel the hotel reservation and change her return flight and cancel his roundtrip ticket, she proposed staying with Juan two extra nights, and moving her flight to Wednesday afternoon, so that she could “still get the shopping done”. Instead of being there to see her ride in the Olympia Grand Prix on Monday night and having that time alone with her, and the romantic dinners, he’d be home and then on a trip to Bayern with his teammates, and she’d be having the romantic meals and doing the shopping with Juan.

Then he felt a perverse pleasure at seeing his wife’s second plan detonated when she found out Chelsea would play on Wednesday too, so Juan couldn’t take her out on Tuesday night either. It was Christina who really paid the price. She was the one who really wanted a couple of free days in London, and it didn’t even matter to her much who she shared them with. She wasn’t getting them. She’d be staying an extra night at the Spaniard’s- Monday, after the evening feature at the horse show- and then flying home Tuesday night. All she was getting was a couple of hours to have breakfast with him and then an afternoon of shopping by herself, or with Natasha if her friend could get away.

“Me too.” She turned her lip over in an exaggerated pout. André gave her butt a double squeeze and kissed her forehead.

“We’ll have a nice time in Berlin before you go,” he reminded her. “I’ve never been there at Christmas but I’m sure it’s just as pretty and...festive.” The appeal of London at Christmastime wasn’t quite a mystery to him, but he didn’t fully understand its draw on his girl. He just knew it existed. He knew how much that time of the year and the buzz of the city meant to her. He liked the holidays. He liked the decorations, and the special air. They just didn’t matter that much. It wouldn’t have bothered him one bit to spend the whole of the holiday season somewhere tropical, maybe in some ironic snowman print swim trunks. His ex-New Yorker wife liked the cold. She enjoyed layering up between stores. The burning in her cheeks as she thawed inside was terrible and wonderful in equal measure. Full-body shivers were treasured. Having to wait forever for the car to be returned to the valet stand while holding 7 shopping bags was like a weird rite of holiday passage. Christina even enjoyed the smell of car exhaust and street-cart roasted nuts mixed with damp December air. She once told him the only thing London Christmas shopping really missed was the scent of boiled kosher hotdogs and the faint whiff of Chanel No.5. That would make it just like Manhattan, and thus, perfect. That year- their first together in Germany- more than any other, André wanted to help his favorite girl have a perfect Christmas. In a time when there was very little he could do to make most of the other things in his life perfect, showing her a good time and making her happy seemed like the best chance of feeling the satisfaction of delivering, of a job well done, of doing something right. The Staatsballett production of Der Nussknacker was a play in the game that he hoped would make up for the London loss. Tchaikovsky, and sugar plum fairies, and athletic guys in tights, were her favorite.

“I’m excited for fine dining and my poofy red dress,” Christina yawned. “Squeeze my butt more. It feels nice. Butt massage,” she mumbled as she shut her eyes and tried to nuzzle her face into his sternum.

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schrijverr · 6 years ago

Text

Home of the sky take me to the home of my youth

What if Hiccup left after he saw the red death instead of staying to show how the dragons can be.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3

The trip to the trading post was three days ago already. Stoick had completely forgot about his talk with the traveler from the south, he had other things to worry about. Things like the dragon attack that was currently taking place. Everywhere around him fights were fought and fires burned. People were yelling all around him, shouting warnings and battle cries. He himself was engaged in a battle with a nasty Monstrous Nightmare when he heard a shout he hadn’t heard in years: “Nightfury!”

All around him heads shot up and panic started to spread. He knocked the Monstrous Nightmare on the head and left to find the one who had shouted. He kept his gaze to the sky and, sure enough, there it was. The loud roar and purple blast before something went up in smoke. Stoick followed the blast to see what needed putting out and to try to figure out where it would strike next. It hit, it hit, it hit the ground, just the ground. A nice empty spot between a viking and a Deathly Nadder. The blast tore them apart as the Nadder fled. Stoicks eyebrows flew to his hairline, that was new. He kept his eyes trained on the sky looking for the beast. He saw nothing until it struck again. This time on the other side of the village, again it didn’t hit any structures, but, again, the ground between a viking and a dragon. The beast kept on doing it. Like a mediator it flew through the sky splitting up fights wherever it went, hurting neither dragon nor viking.

Stoick and Gobber watched the dragons leave. Gobber said: “Say, Stoick, that wasn’t normal dragon behavior, right?”

“No, it wasn’t.” Stoick replied as the last dragon got out of sight.

Around them the people of Berk collected. All were confused and all of them wanted to know what happened. After one too many question Stoick roared: “Ok, Ok, enough. Yes, you heard correctly, there a Nightfury has been spotted, but it appeared to have changed in its six years of absence. It didn’t kill, neither viking, nor dragon. All it did was split it apart. We will see if this continues, it saved lives, we’ll worry about it when it becomes a problem.”

Undignified yells came from around, but Stoick ignored them. He gave orders for rebuilding everything and retreated in the great hall to think about this change.

----

Hiccup had been watching the nest for the entire day. If his father was correct they would attack today. That evening it was time. The dragons left their nest and headed towards Berk, he quickly called Toothless and hopped on to follow them. When he arrived the had to stop to control his emotions. His old home brought back a lot of memories and it didn’t help that it hadn’t changed at all. It was as if he had left yesterday. Even the fires that were burning due to the attack were as they were. Wait, oh yeah, attack. Hiccup snapped out of his nostalgic haze and focused on the fight that was unfolding beneath him. He hadn’t been spotted yet and he would’ve liked to keep it like that, but faith wouldn’t have it. He spotted a Terrible Terror in need. A viking was closing in and the poor thing was all alone and wounded. Without thinking he swept down and grabbed the little guy. He shot up again and heard the viking scream: “Nightfury!”

He silently cursed himself, but guessed that that was just the way it was. He put the Terror on his shoulder and set in his attack, well, not really an attack. He watched where he could interfere with the battle without hurting either parties. As he was soaring through the sky dodging attacks and fighting back, he wondered why these had always seemed impossible to win when he was younger. Now, it was almost easy and he knew that should, he try, he could easily win. It seemed like a lot had changed after all. He spotted the twins, still bickering while protecting each other from a Gronkle and soon he saw Astrid fighting as fiercely as he remembered his dad. After that he spotted Snotlout taunting a dragon and he smile-sighed to himself, somethings didn’t change at all, same went for Fishlegs who was frantically running away from a Zippleback while muttering weaknesses to himself. Hiccup rolled his eyes and shot between the pair. That drew a shriek from Fishlegs, who dove for cover. The Zippleback set a few steps backwards and looked at the sky. Toothless roared. Run, do not harm the human. Take some sheep from North and go.

The Zippleback nodded and flew away. Then the battle was over. Hiccup didn’t stick around to find out how the people reacted to a Nightfury being spotted after so long, instead choosing to follow the flock of dragon to the nest.

They entered the nest and shot off to the side, the Terrible Terror sped away as soon as they landed. Due to his bond with Toothless, the dragon was able to block the Queen out of his head and go unnoticed. They hid out under a protruding rock and watched. The dragons dropped the loot into the mist just like he remembered, he scanned around hoping to find something, anything that could help him figure out why the amount had changed. Then suddenly he saw it. A Deathly Nadder and a Monstrous Nightmare had failed to bring back enough food. Hiccup flinched back and waited for the Queens head to appear out of the mist. It appeared and Hiccup froze when he came face to face with the dragon that almost killed him, but he was shaken out of his frozen state by an other head that appeared next to that of the Queen. A hatchling, a young queen dragon! The dragons needed to feed two mouths instead of one, it all became so much clearer and more dangerous. He had thought he could kill the Queen alone after all these years of growing, becoming stronger, learning how to fight and inventing new things to help him, but it seemed like that idea had just gone up in smoke. One Queen he could handle, two, was too much. Even he could admit that to himself. He would need to come up with a plan and involve the vikings. He would need to go home. He wiped a hand over his face and whispered: “Fuck.”

Toothless shot him a look, but Hiccup ignored him. He climbed on his back and whispered: “What do you say about getting out of here, bud?”

Good plan.

And they were off, slipping out as a Zippleback dropped his offerings.

----

Stoick was overlooking Berk as they made the last repairs. He was still thinking about the Nightfury that had appeared last attack. He had found the guy that had spotted it first and heard that it had swept down to save a Terrible Terror and the guy had also believed that the beast had a rider, but he he had a head injury and it had been in the heat of battle and he had also stated that he wasn’t sure. Stoick rubbed his beard again and furrowed his brows. There was a bird, that wasn’t so unusual, what was, however, was the fact that the bird was flying straight at him and that it was carrying a message. Stoick allowed the bird land on him and freed it from it’s last. When he had removed the paper the bird shot off. Stoick furrowed his brows again and read the message.

Stoick the Vast, people of Berk,

Tomorrow a black dragon will appear in the sky, do not take it down. I will be riding it and I will come in peace and it’s urgent. Just, hear me out before you shoot.

A friend

Gobber had read over his shoulder and hummed. “That sounds important. I say we hear the guy out.” he said.

“Hmm, but we ready the catapults. Inform the village.” Stoick said and then he stalked off.

Gobber shrugged he was used to his friend antics.

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