𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter six; yrsa
❝ the deadly nadder! ❞

    IT was said that a Deadly Nadder's fire could melt the metal right off a weapon's handle. Yrsa believed that because she saw it. The blue dragon burnt the axe right off the hilt of Hiccup's weapon midst conversation with Gobber and he yelped, ducking and running away. He had been asking about Night Furies, and it caught Yrsa so much off guard that she nearly tripped and let the Nadder know where she was. He made it hard for her to forget the creature they had let live when it was all he talked about. She knew he had tried to talk to her last night, probably about the dragon, and she refused━she felt bad, but she couldn't let herself think of the Night Fury for even a second. It reminded her of what she did; of the sin she committed; the treachery. And it gave her hesitation, which was not what she needed in the arena with a running dragon.

    "Focus, Hiccup!" shouted Gobber from above, looking down at the maze he had set up for today's training session. "You're not even trying!"

    Yrsa held her breath from beside Astrid, the two of them scurrying away from the flash of blue and pointed spikes to the right.

    "Today is all about attack! Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter!"

    Yrsa glanced over her shoulders, seeing the two-legged dragon leap up onto the maze walls, gazing down at Fishlegs who yelped. In a flick of her tail, she was armed with spikes, and she sent a volley of them straight at the pudgy Viking. He screamed, holding up his shield━they etched into the wood of the walls behind him and the iron of his shield.

    "I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" shouted Fishlegs, running so fast he slammed into the maze wall, taking the spikes off his shield with him. 

    Gobber looked rather bored from up the top, hanging his arms over the metal rings of the arena and picking at the grime in his beard. "Look for its blind spot! Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it and strike!"

    "Get down!" Astrid motioned to Yrsa by the corner of the maze intersection; the two of them staying small and quiet to hear where the Nadder could be. Astrid kept a finger to her lips, holding her axe in the other hand. On her arm, she armed herself with a blue shield today; rimmed with spikes like her skirt.

    They heard the guttural squawk of the Nadder to their right, and they looked around, seeing the Twins stand toe-to-toe in front of the beast, moving with its head to keep out of gaze.

    "Oh," let out Ruff to her brother, "Do you ever bathe?"

    "If you don't like it then get your own blind spot━" he shoved her in reply, and Ruffnut gritted her teeth, smacking her shield across his shoulders. Slamming their helmets against each other, they didn't care about the dragon watching them fight━a little bewildered━anymore.

    "How about I give you one?!"

    They barely missed the shot of fire, scurrying out of the way and the Nadder squawked after them.

    "Blind spot, yes," said Gobber, cheek resting on his palm, "Deaf spot, not so much."

    Yrsa and Astrid took this chance to speed across the intersection, meeting up with Hiccup who stumbled over his own feet, his shield still too heavy for him. She always wondered how, though, considering he worked in the forge with Gobber. Following him, running out of nowhere was Snotlout with a wheezed scream that caused for Astrid to roll her eyes. Yrsa agreed, and the two friends crouched down next to the wall.

    "Hey━hey━so, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Hiccup skidded to a stop by Gobber to ask him.

    Yrsa hated how her attention was drawn over immediately, wanting to hear. Despite how much she tried to ignore it, refused to think about it, she couldn't help it. Those creature's eyes just as she had been about to kill it, the way it let them live ... it intrigued her and confused her.

    Gobber pinched the skin between his brows, exasperated with the chief's son. "No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale━now get in there!"

    Hiccup jumped, rushing back towards the others. There was a squawk around the corner, and he was yet to notice. Yrsa gritted her teeth; the noise he was making was sure to get them all killed━ "I━I know, but hypothetically━"

    "Hiccup!" Yrsa hissed, and he frowned, glancing over. Gesturing with her shield, she told him to join the rest of them. "Get down!"

    He pursed his lips and crouched down with them, awkward and lugging his shield to his chest. Astrid poked her head around the wooden walls, and muffled her gasp━this let Yrsa and the others know that the Nadder was right there, turning into the intersection. The Hofferson glanced back at the rest of them, and with a determined nod, she signalled them all to follow.

    With her shield, she dampened the sound of her roll across the intersection quickly before the Nadder could notice. Yrsa followed alongside Snotlout. Hiccup tried, but the shield was too heavy for his weight, and he fell back with a loud clang!

    The Nadder's eyes snapped over, and he scrambled to his feet, running out of the way of her sharp teeth that snatched at his fleece vest. Hiccup dived to the left and away from the dragon. She leapt up onto the maze walls, sarching for new prey like a hawk in the tree tops.

    She landed in front of the girls. They froze and before it was too late, Yrsa held up her axe to throw━

    "Watch out, babe━" Snotlout shoved her out of the way, smugly spinning his mace in his hands. "I'll take care of this━" he chucked it, and he missed by a mile.

    Yrsa glared at Snotlout, furious. The Nadder laughed at him━at least, that was the closest thing Yrsa could describe it as. Snotlout winced, and in seeing the two looks of disapproval frrom the girls, he rolled his eyes. "The sun was in my eyes, Yrsa!"

    She ducked out of the way of a blast, and the group of them split up. Astrid went one way while Yrsa and Snotlout went the other━

    "What do you want me to do?" whined Snotlout as they ran around the corner. "Block out the sun? I can do that but I don't have time right now!"

    "Snotlout━shut up!"

    At the sound of Astrid yelling, Yrsa's attention drew away from him and across the maze where the walls started to fall down as the Nadder chased her. Her chest squeezed, and she thought about running after her, except the walls around her fell, and she had to dive out of the way. Meanwhile, Hiccup was still talking to Gobber.

    "You know, they probably take the daytime off," he was rambling, unaware of the whole maze tumbling around them, "right? You know, like━like a cat. H━Has anyone ever seen one napping?"

     Yrsa ran with the others for the safety of the edge of the arena. Only now did Hiccup seemed to realise, but it was too late. Up above, Astrid was running across the walls, and soon, there was no more to jump onto━

    "HICCUP━!"

     Hiccup let out a small shriek as Astrid fell right on top of him, her axe getting stuck in the wood of his shield. The Deadly Nadder charged past, unable to turn quick enough and slammed into the debris.

    "Oooh," the Twins chorused not far from them as Astrid fought to get her and Hiccup's legs untangled. "Love on the battlefield."

    "Pppft, she can do better."

    Yrsa frowned at them, feeling a sudden pang of jealousy. But she didn't show it. She soon turned up her nose and focused on something else, like the Nadder that was beginning to shake the wood off her scales.

    "Uh━Uh━" Hiccup was beyond flustered while Astrid tried to yank the blade of her axe from the shield, teeth clenched in her fustration. He wasn't doing anything to help, just muttering and stammering, "━why don't you━ow!"

    They didn't have much time before the Nadder would reappear. Yrsa tried to help, searching for her axe in the rubble. In hearing the dragon escape the debris, Astrid's pulls were more desperate to the point she slammed her boot against Hiccup's face to ground her weight ... Yrsa found her axe, she tugged━

    The Nadder ran towards them, and Astrid finally managed to yank her weapon free━shield and all. With a cry, she smacked it right across the dragon's jaw just in time, and it whimpered in pain, cowering under her wing as she hobbled away.

    Yrsa managed to free her own weapon, but faltered, seeing the Nadder retreat. "Well done, Astrid!" Gobber exclaimed, but Yrsa kept her gaze on the dragon. It didn't fight them anymore, just hiding herself in her wings, taking herself back to her cage. It was like she didn't want them to see the shame that ruffled in her wings. Yrsa was struck with the personality, and it made her feel bad to see the dragon hurt ...

    She thought back to the Night Fury and slumped.

    Astrid stared after the dragon for a moment, still trying to comprehend how close they had been to death. As soon as she did, her breathless fear turned to anger and she spun onto Hiccup who was crawled up at her feet.

    "Is this some kind of a joke to you?!" snapped Astrid, shoving her axe at Hiccup's face. "Our parents' war is about to become ours━figure out which side your on!"

    She stormed out after that, leaving Hiccup startled on the ground. Yrsa pursed her lips, noticing the way he watched her go. It made her gaze fall and she had to look away, scowling at her axe. She ran a finger along the wood of her hilt, feeling her name etched in the wood. Her father had made it for her before he died. He was a natural at almost everything; a kind, sweet soul who may have given his daughter far too much of it for it to be good in a village like Berk. He wasn't crazy, she knew that better than anyone. She just wished for everyone to remember him the way she did. 

    She wondered whether her father would have let the Night Fury lived, and whether it was the slither of him that still lived on his Yrsa that made her decide that. That made her feel hesitation, and guilt for the Deadly Nadder. Maybe it was because of how much she had loved and admired him, she felt the way she did for Hiccup, because in many ways, they were so similar. Hiccup had let the dragon live, too. And in return, the Night Fury had done the same for them. That was nothing like Yrsa has experienced before.

    Yrsa made a decision. She was going to look for that Night Fury again, but this time, killing it was far from her thoughts.

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟

     a/n: I have a drawing today!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A quick Yrsa's design. She needs a more definite fringe, but I drew this a while back and decided to colour it. So here we are!

    I needed to update something today, but our wifi went out and this is the only pre-written chapter book I have, so here we are with another update, so yeah