úlfheðnar, httyd

xxii. Eret Son Of Eret

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter twenty-two; yrsa
❝ eret son of eret! ❞

    THE trees were blackened with ash; burnt to nothing but sticks of wood protruding out of begrimed dirt and rock. Yrsa few low on Helrose, her fingers fiddling with the front of her saddle nervously━she searched the black forest bed and found no scorch marks indicating it to be that of a Typhoomerang or a Singetail. 

    Soaring back up, she met Hiccup and Toothless by the sides, giving them a shake of her head. "Nothing," she murmured, and her betrothed pursed his lips. "It could have just been a forest fire, Hiccup━shouldn't mean anything threatening..."

    "We should keep going," said Hiccup, "to at least check it out━" he urged Toothless forward with a burst of speed and Yrsa followed. 

    As they continued on, the sour air started to itch in Yrsa's nose, burning at it like the forest around them. She coughed, feeling the ash in her chest. Helrose moaned, bouncing up and down in her flight nervously. Yrsa placed her hand against her scaly flank, "It's okay, girl," she whispered to her, giving her a soothing rub. 

    Hiccup and Toothless led the way through a set of fallen trees, spinning up and under and around some sea stacks before the group of them pushed through the smoke. Yrsa narrowed her eyes to see, confused by a flash of blue in the soot until she burst forth next to Hiccup, pulling to a hover at his side. She gasped.

    It seemed like a vast explosion had frozen mid blast━a wave of jetted ice, spiking out in all directions. Amongst the ice was remnants of a fort━wood and stone, masts and flags━all ripped and splintered apart. There was a churn in the pit of Yrsa's stomach; she thought of what sort of dragon could have caused this ... most definitely Tidal or Strike━but of this mass and size?

    Either way, it wasn't good. 

    She shared a nervous glance with Hiccup, giving him a shrug of her shoulders as a I don't know to the questioning furrow of his brows. He set his jaw, and Yrsa didn't even need to ask to know that they were going to investigate. She gripped the front of her saddle tighter to let him know she'll follow.

    He nodded, but murmured a protective, "Stay close..."

    Yrsa rolled her eyes, but did as he said anyway. She and Helrose followed him and Toothless towards the icy mass. It only grew in length, spreading back and around towards the shore━the two riders and their dragons veered around it, soaring over to glance down below. Yrsa kept her gaze narrowed, checking to see whether those who had owned this fort were still around.

    "What happened here?" asked Hiccup in a murmur as the two of them slipped through a narrow crevice, coming out into the main destruction━towers of fort sentires now broken apart with ice spiking right through their centre. 

    Helrose made a gutteral whine in her nerves, stopping to hover by a set of large footprints in the mud. She jerked her wings up━Yrsa placed a calming hand back onto her neck. "I know, girl ..." she whispered, frowning at the footprints. They were huge━far bigger than any dragon prints she's seen before ... even the Red Death's. She was sure she could lie in them; in fact, the water pooling in the crevices would submerge her even if she stood in them.

    Toothless purred, edging Hiccup away from the footprints. Both dragons were apprehensive, and it made their riders share concerned looks. Yrsa pulled Helrose back up and she gasped. The fort's ship was still put together with sails and crests she didn't recognise. On the ship, manning the crossbows, were a group of men, and they aimed straight for her betrothed.