Another Nightmare Book 3: Facing Nightmares

Chapter 6

Hello and welcome to our regularly scheduled chapter for April. Once you've read it you don't even need to wait long for the next one as I plan to release a first of May bonus chapter tomorrow after big picknick.

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Hiccup walked, and slipped, up the village main road towards the arena. Toothless, ever watchful, never veered more than a few steps away, but Hiccup also never leaned on his brother. Whenever he even though about doing so, he thought he heard Gerd's disappointed voice. Hiccup really didn't want to disappoint the girl. She was the only human around who really understood what he was going through, part of it at least, and Sharpshot had seemed to like her... Though Hiccup's smaller dragon brother seemed to like everyone who didn't want to kill him, to be fair. The little dragon had spent so much time in the forge with Hiccup, he really needed to get out. Even now he was climbing on Ivar's shoulders, chirping happily.

'Nice Viking like angry Nightmare? Make angry Nightmare nice? What is that thing? Smell funny.'

Sharpshot jumped off Ivar and flew onto a cart full of mead barrels. Maybe the comments on Terrors' attention span had some merit. Both Hiccup and Toothless looked at the little dragon's antics with soft smiles on their faces or a close approximation in Toothless' case.

"What? Dragon in my mead!" An obviously drunk man shouted from behind the cart. "Get off my mead." The man raised a small axe, ready to strike at Sharpshot. The little dragon screamed. Hiccup froze in place, eyes widened, seeing the man raise a weapon in front of him. Shear paralysing fear and uncontrollable rage wrestled over control within him.

The axe handle shattered in pieces and its blade embedded itself deep into the nearest wall from the force of a small plasma blast. Sharpshot flew behind the larger dragon's front legs as Toothless shifted to the side, placing himself in front of Hiccup. With the black shield of scales and muscle between himself and the drunk man, Hiccup could breath again. Anger remained, though tampered by Toothless' restraint in not killing the man now holding his hand in pain. Hiccup's voice was cold as he spoke.

"You're lucky you still have it."

His words finally made the man focus on what was in front of him. Even in his drunken state he still had some comprehension of what he was facing. His mouth opened but no words came out. He stepped back, slipped and fell behind the cart. He scrambled to crawl away, obscured by the cart. Hiccup kneeled to pick up Sharpshot.

'Are you okay?'

'Yes, Night Fury protect from bad Viking.'

'He does.'

"Is he okay?" Ivar asked.

"Yes," Hiccup answered. He was relieved, but his voice was still cold as he raised his head to stare at the direction the man had fled to. "He'll probably make up some story about evil dragons."

"Maybe, but he isn't one you need to worry about too much, at least like that," Ivar said. "Ove is known for making the best mead in Fjoll and for being his own best customer. It shouldn't be hard for people to believe he brought this onto himself. He has started drunken fights with half of the village and gotten knocked out by at least half of those."

'Should have done that,' Toothless said and puffed. Hiccup put a hand on his head.

'I'm surprised you didn't and... I guess glad... This appears a lot better to other people and look how he's still running.' Hiccup shared with Toothless a view from above and switched to speaking out loud. "He runs pretty well for being so drunk. He's still going."

"How do you know that?" Ivar asked. Hiccup pointed up with one hand.

"You didn't notice yet? Shortclaw has been flying over us for a while now." With the dragon's name Ivar's head turned upwards and a smile appeared on his face.