𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒌

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓

The Cove was a slightly isolated area, with a waterfall and pond, located at Raven Point. To access it, one would have to climb down the cliff like walls it had; as it was a high drop from whatever angle you approached it from. Raven Point itself was like a dimly lit forest- on one of the outskirts of Berk, that usually had an eerie smoke that loitered the ground at night. It was a steady fifteen minute walk from the village.

Toby looked out of his room's window, with an exasperated look. The night sky was littered with small stars; the moon was nearly full and there were barely any clouds. As tempting as it was, he knew his parents didn't like it when he would randomly disappear during random hours of the night. He didn't like worrying them, but, he wouldn't worry them if they didn't know he left. As long as he wasn't spotted, didn't make too much noise and was back before they woke up- presuming they wouldn't check in on him before they went to bed- he would be fine.

He glanced back to his bedroom door, as if making sure his parents weren't watching, which they clearly weren't, seeing as they were downstairs- for Thor's sake he could hear them quietly talking amongst one another. They didn't even know he was awake; which was nothing on their part, but Toby's.

He quietly approached his window; gently opening it before his hands gripped the inner windowsill, before sneaking out via his window. He let go with one hand, and grabbed the outer ledge of the window instead, and then proceeding to do the same with his other hand. This lowered him down slightly, making the drop less dangerous, and more comfortable. He hesitantly let go, landing on his feet with a quiet huff, one of his hands flying up to catch his helmet to prevent it from falling off.

Once he was on ground, Toby glanced around, looking for something he could prop up against the building. He found a barrel that wasn't too far away. He quietly went over to it, gently lifting it up and taking it to just below his window- he did this so he could climb up with ease, without making so much noise, when he came back.

And with that, Toby started to head towards Raven's Point. Despite the forests being a lot creepier at night, Toby only ventured there at said time, out of fear one of the others would follow him. He couldn't risk losing this place, it was special to him, his scarred place to relax. The Cove itself was tranquil at anytime of day, and he would gladly live there, if he could. It was away from everyone else. It had a lake, which meant fish, and it was surrounded by wood, which meant he could build a hut. It was perfect.

It wasn't long until he was in Raven Point, the mist was already making it hard to tell where he was heading- and the majority of trees were leafless, making it like a maze- but Toby knew the route off by heart, by now.
Two minutes of walking, he pushed a branch out of his way, making sure not to let go of it before it could still hit him. And, as expected, when he let go of it, it swung back into it's original position, violently.
By that, he knew he was close.

He looked down at the dip in the ground, where grass became rock.

The route down to the Cove was rocky, and dangerous- there was no clear route down or up if you were new to the area, and the fall would kill anyone. This is why Toby brought his shield- he always did when coming to the Cove. Just in case he slipped, he could move his shield to either stop or soften the fall, seeing as he took the narrower route down.

He carefully placed a foot down on a rock, easing his way down carefully, placing his foot on a rock below and opposite the other one. Toby repeated the process, making sure not to slip.

He'd been doing this for months, now, but he still got anxious everytime he went down it. Sighing shakily, Toby closed his eyes as he continued his descent. During times he would get anxious he would close his eyes and try and think of something unrelated to distract himself, and ever since he started the Dragon-Trainers course, he would normally recite the different classes of Dragons. It had got to the point where he knew it off by heart. He slowly mumbled to himself, before a yelp left him, as he started to fall, causing him to quickly jab his shield into a dip in the rocks, clinging onto the handle. Luckily, it had stopped his fall.

Shakily, he sighed in relief, carefully getting his footing again, before reluctantly and gently nudging the shield out, so he didn't lose his footing again.

He lifted a foot off of a rock, beginning to place it down onto the rock below, but, was taken off guard by a distant roar, causing him to slip, and tumble to the floor; landing on his back- his shield landing beside him.

Toby groaned, quickly sitting up, and taking his grey, sleeveless fur coat off, and carefully observing the back of it, to see if there was any blood on it. Luckily, there wasn't, seeing as the fall hadn't been too high. A sigh of relief left him as he leant down to pick his helmet up, which had fallen off due to the fall. Once it was on his head again, Toby grabbed his shield, too, inspecting the damage.

His feet gently padded towards the lake, before he reluctantly plucked down onto the soft grass beneath him. Slowly, he took his book, ink and quill out. Toby sat with his legs crossed, shield in lap, as if treating it as a table. He leant the book on the shield, yet had the small bottle of ink on the floor, next to his satchel. He was once again, writing in his diary. It was practically all he did, other than eating, sleeping, metalworking and knitting. He distracted himself with his own thoughts, but in a way he didn't think about them; like he was just writing down the thoughts of a character.