Disclaimer; I do not own anything that someone else has copyright over, people. That includes HTTYD, so we can all cry over that together.

Claimer; I own the plot. I own my characters. Do I really need to go into detail? You are not allowed to have them, got it?

I would like to apologize, readers. Did I do something wrong last chapter? Or have all you valued people decided to fall off the face of the earth and never return? Either way, guys, you've had me worried. Please talk to me!

Chapter Dedication; The Lightning Phoenix - my unofficial beta and all-round champion writer. I could hug you, you're awesome!

So, without further ado, the long-awaited (perhaps a bit of a let-down, sorry) chapter!

Chapter 9 – Cliffs and Pouring Rain

Had he really just done that? It was almost as if he knew the pain behind the marks his teeth had so perfectly fit into.

Rakkaan couldn't get enough air. In a rather feeble effort to disguise her rather unusual predicament—since when was she ever truly speechless, let alone knocked breathless like that—she had asked the question. Almost immediately, she regretted it. The only upside was that her fuming allowed for her breathing to smooth over.

'I can carry you out,' Vihreä had offered after a moment, a thoughtful mask settling over his eyes. 'You aren't that big, and I've carried heavier loads before.'

She'd cut him off. It was bad enough that he had done it while she was unconscious and critically hurt, but when she had a choice, she would keep her dignity. Besides, it felt too . . . unnerving, the idea of swinging from someone's talons without her own wings to save her.

'There is no way you are going to carry me out,' she growled, her teeth snapping down for emphasis. 'I'm not some hatchling that can't look after her own scales.' She glanced around quickly, but only saw the boundless ocean and the cliffs. An irrational and prideful idea burst into existence.

'I can swim out,' Rakkaan murmured to no-one in particular. 'Paddle around to one of the points on the island where the cliffs aren't present.'

Vihreä flared his wings again with ire. 'Are you mad?' Wow, insulting and overprotective. Just perfect. 'It doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are. If you go out there, you'll tire yourself out. The tide is already rising and you'll be smashed against the rocks before you can get to safety.' He punctuated his feelings with a gravelly tone. Rakkaan took a defiantly heavy step backwards. He got the message quickly—too quickly.

'I'm not going to let you go out there.'

She couldn't—didn't want to, one might add—reel in her arrogance, her pride.

'Just try and stop me,' Rakkaan hissed as she spun, flicking a substantial amount of sand all over everything with her tail before sprinting into the welcome arms of the ocean. She heard Vihreä shriek and the thump of paws as he gave chase, but she followed the edge of a dying wave and dove through it. Her timing was impeccable—thanks to a great many previously failed attempts—and the giant splash she had made was in perfect sync with the fan of spume that erupted overhead.

Vihreä's voice was lost in the roar of the tide as she let herself be sucked out by the undercurrents. She lashed her tail hard, using both her secondaries and tailfins to rudder her in the desired direction with less effort. All it took was a subtle twitch of her head and a flip of the fins before her course altered. It was a lot like flying. You had to be aware of every fibre of your being to navigate both the currents of the air and the water. She stayed under for long minutes, only heading for the surface when her lungs began to really ache.

Rakkaan encountered oxygen again as she slid down the back of a wave, wings half-spread to provide stability as she strode through the water. She took deep breaths, re-acclimating herself to the world of the breathing. Like talons through soft hide, she sliced right through the next wave, the water barely lifting her immovable frame. When she burst out of it in a shower of spray, she took more deep breaths, each slower and shallower than the last as she expelled as much dead air from herself as possible. She was already waiting when an angry shriek sounded from above. With less than a moment to spare, Rakkaan ducked and rolled. She stayed close to the surface, watching the distorted shape snatch at the place she had last been. He pulled away and continued to loop overhead, waiting for her to move. So she did.

With a violent twist, Rakkaan's tail sent spray flying up at Vihreä, and she dove deeper. The water was shallow, but still dark enough to hide her as she turned tail and swam for the beach. If she snuck around the rocks and poked her snout up to breathe, she believed there was a chance she'd make it. The darkness of the salty cocoon around her was comforting. It didn't care that her wings wouldn't carry her, the currents could do that in their place. If she couldn't have the sky, then nothing was stopping her from claiming the ocean waters as her domain. Granted, the seas were unpredictable, and very dangerous, but there was a certain zing when she swam out here that the inland river systems sorely lacked.

Oh, it had been too long since she had swum like this—free to roam with a way around every fence and obstacle. It was no wonder the sea dragons loved their lives. And definitely no wonder they bragged about it so much.

She stayed under, even after she found the cliff. It was safer if she stayed low in the water and as close to the unforgiving rock as possible. When she did decide it was time to breathe, the dragoness angled out from the shadows of the rock face. As she slipped upwards, there was no denying that she was well and truly out of the inlet. The currents were so much more violent, so much stronger. And when she met the wind, it howled and twisted just as savagely, beating its wings against the irrepressible stone with a deadly force. She glanced around and was relieved to find that Vihreä was currently scouring the opposing cliffs for any signs of her.

It was in this moment of distraction that an angry beast of a wave swept her along, straight for the wicked water-blackened rock. Try as she might, she couldn't break free of its freezing grip, and she knew better than to try and dive down through a wave like this. She was doomed. It would be quick—painful, but quick. Rakkaan sent a silent curse to the gods, which would undoubtedly damn her even more, but she didn't care. If she was to die at sea, she'd go out proud. Even if she hated it. Although . . . the thought of eternal peace—because any place without a nosy cave-mate named Vihreä was peaceful—was certainly tempting. Accepting her fate, and with one last foul phrase, Rakkaan closed her eyes and waited to be pummelled relentlessly.

She was correct—almost. Pain lanced through the starboard flank as she collided with the sharp, gravelly surface, and she yelped despite herself. But then she slipped past it, the foaming, spluttering remains of the wave gently pushing her back, back toward her supposed doom. The stone beneath her cut mercilessly into her scales, and she lifted herself into a standing position. The sharp prickling transferred to her sensitive paw pads, but her claws instinctually gripped the surface when the second wave of the set came smashing and crashing around her.

Rakkaan looked around. Yes, she could see it now. The expanse of darkness hidden below paw-deep water. The tiny offsets that snaked around the cliff, worn smooth by time.

Rakkaan scrambled further away from the edge of the hidden plateau, and an enraged roared split the world in two. Namely, her side . . . and his. Within mere moments, thunderous wingbeats heralded the male's arrival, and he positioned himself so that she might look up at him without being blinded by the weak half-sunlight. Rakkaan couldn't help but grin up at the looming dragon, who was scowling so deeply that it marred his features.

But why in the name of the gods would you care about his face, Rakkaan?

'Nuoli,' he snarled, utter rage colouring his voice.

'Shush, my hyperactive bodyguard.' He bristled at the last words, but before he could open his mouth, she continued. 'Since you're such a pushy thing when it comes to getting your way today, I made a compromise. He flicked his tail dismissively, and she gestured with a wide and elegant sweep of her starboard wing, rising to balance on her hind legs. Vihreä followed it with one eye, finally noticing the slim pathways winding all over the cliff. He blanched immediately, going so far as to loop backwards.

'Oh, no. That is way too dangerous.' His voice was an even monotone, like all the emotion had been drained from him. 'The rock is too slippery, you'll fall to your death if you try.' It was hard to meet his abruptly dead green eyes.

'Like it matters anyway,' she hissed under her breath. 'Just scout the gods-damned paths for me, will you? If there are no points where I can get up there . . .' she paused, forcing down her pride just a little, 'I'll let you carry me up. Deal?'

Vihreä just snarled at her and took off along the pathways, scanning for possible escape routes. Rakkaan grinned. There was no doubt; she had won this time.

Vihreä felt like he'd just swallowed a ball of rotten fish set on fire. He would never forgive himself for letting her climb the cliffs. It had begun to rain five minutes in, and the already smooth rock had become treacherously slippery. The path had become too narrow for her to turn around, and besides, it wasn't like Nuoli to admit defeat, no matter how much he yelled at her. So, here he was, hovering too close to the cliff and fussing over every single detail. He wasn't sure why.

Any pretence of swagger and bravado had disappeared. In its place was a film of determination, which he was fairly certain provided a protective layer for whatever else she experienced as she clung to the rock. Her breathing came in ragged gasps as the black dragoness inched forwards again. Nuoli's limbs shook. The climb was so steep, the rock too smooth, the path barely wide enough. Despite this obvious struggle, Vihreä could do nothing to help her. It pained him greatly. Anxious, he flew closer to the stone that could very possibly be his doom. But he flew too close. Nuoli lifted her head wearily, pressing harder to the sharp black surface and digging in tighter. Through her grimace, some of her more demeaning character shone through.

'Are you mad?' she gasped, mocking his earlier words. A low gurgle rose from somewhere in her throat. '. . . You fly so much as a talons-length closer, and I'll . . .' Another pause for air, and her eyes clamped tightly shut. 'I'll jump off. You hear me, Vihreä?' Vihreä risked flying that much closer, but the smart remark caught in his throat, and he backed off quickly. Nuoli smiled between clenched teeth and pressed on. The rain struck her hide with increasing intensity. It ran in tiny rivers between her scales, like one of the Great Dragons rising from the depths of whatever hellish hole they had come from. It poured from the creases of her wings too. It was becoming hard to see her through the onslaught of the downpour, almost as difficult as it had been last night. He blinked rapidly, second eyelid flicking away the debris as fast as possible. The treacherous rock turned from black to shiny with the water coursing down it. Each one of her steps seemed like hours. Vihreä felt like screeching a curse to the stars, or the gods, or to Hell itself. But he didn't. He screeched when she did, because there was no way he could hold the emotion in.

'Vihreä!' Somehow, Nuoli lost her grip and began to slide backwards. Down the path. Towards the edge.

'Stars above, Nuoli!' He tried to dive after her, but his wings locked and he lost altitude. He couldn't distinguish the pitch of their screams. Through some force of will, he snapped out of the stupor and raced to get below the dragoness. He could hear her talons scrabbling for a grip beneath the sounds of the water, the wind, and the pounding in his ears. He couldn't beat his wings fast enough.

Nuoli roared again, a pain-filled roar, and Vihreä strained to reach her. He finally made it to the ledge, and stopped so sharply that he felt something tear. He refused to pay attention, watching the rock above for any signs of movement. He held his breath. He could still hear scrabbling. Where was she?

'Ooorgh.'

Vihreä felt his eye ridge twitch extravagantly. Was that who he thought it was?

'Vihreä . . . Get your scrawny butt up here, or I will fall, and I will make you regret it.' It was incredibly hard not to start laughing. Cautiously, the male flapped up, spying her slender tail dangling off the edge of the rock, twitching with effort. When he reached the dragoness' eye level, it became even harder to contain his hysteria.

Nuoli was upside-down. And that wasn't even the worst of it.

'You so much as grin and I'll gut you.'

Rakkaan was hyperaware of every single muscle as she struggled for breath. The tremors racing through her body made it difficult to move, let alone see anything apart from the small patch of ground in front of her.

Her wing ached. Ripples of fire tore up her bones, screaming in agony. Rakkaan didn't understand, nor did she pay any real attention to it. She was too focused on keeping a grip on the drenched and petrifyingly slippery rock. As she shifted her grip on the rock, she began to wonder if this had been a bad idea. Oh, she so badly wanted Vihreä to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way, but she could tell he was tiring. Without even needing to glance up, she could tell that each wing-beat was more difficult than the last. Besides, she would never be able to live with herself if she gave in to his suggestion.

'Come on, Nuoli.' The dark male's voice was hoarse with exhaustion. It must have been killing him to hover in the downpour for so long. She could almost hear his rasping gasps through the roaring sheets of water. 'It's—it's just a little further.'

It was all Rakkaan could do to keep her muscles clenched as she nodded and looked ahead. Vihreä wasn't lying—just ahead, the narrow offset slanted dramatically up. An apex, a peak. Surely the trip down would be easier.

Vihreä tiredly glided the last theifir to the cliff edge above her, giving his own wings a break as she scrabbled and clawed her way up. Despite the ever-helpful second wind she had achieved, it still made her legs shake to clamber up the near-vertical ascent. Seconds, minutes, hours, an age later, the dragoness collapsed blissfully in the tiny divot, muscles crying out as they slackened and her bones barking in pain.

'Nuoli?'

'What?' she snarled.

'We are never doing that again.'

'Deal.'

A/N; Wow, I've really dragged out the wait on this one. I'm so sorry, guys. Also, what happened last time? It's like this story has turned into some foul monster and scared you people off! Except, well, you. You know who you are, thank you!

It's been so boring around here! Where were you guys?

Rakkaan, don't be rude. It's probably my fault.

Good point. It is your fault. *turns to face Fury and crouches low*

Shit. Vihreä, a little help? Please?

- Sure thing, Fury. - *flies off with Fury in his talons*

Hey, no fair! Get back here!

*distant voice* Don't forget to review, guys! Have a nice, mauling-free day!

Spirit of Fury