686Chapter 12: Black Riders
Black Riders
Hiccup met up with Frodo, Samwise, and Gandalf at the front door to Bag-end. It was just before dawn, and the air still carried its morning chill. There were no other Hobbits out and about yet.
Gandalf looked impatient and nervous about something.
"Morning Haddock, are you ready to head out?" Frodo asked.
"Yeah, Toothless and I will be ready to leave soon. Do we have any breakfast? I'm rather hungry."
Sam nodded.
"I made us all some breakfast, just some toast, bacon, and eggs."
"Sounds good!" Hiccup cheerfully smiled.
"How about Master Toothless?" Frodo added.
"He's fine for a few more days. We can get something on the way."
Hiccup strolled inside Bag-end to help himself to some breakfast. The Hobbits and Gandalf had been very busy gathering supplies.
Frodo also sat down at the table and began writing a letter.
Hmm, I wonder what that's for?
The Hobbit noticed him wondering about the letter being penned.
"I'm leaving instructions for the Gamgee family. They are to take care of Bag-end in my absence as I travel abroad indefinitely on business. Don't want any incidents with people thinking that I disappeared and the entirety of Bag-end must be sold in an estate sale," Frodo chuckled.
"Isn't that what happened with Bilbo?" Sam wondered.
"It is indeed. That's partly why the Sackville-Bagginses are so unfriendly; they almost got Bag-end and most of its contents after everyone assumed that Bilbo was dead. He never stopped trying to track down the last of the Mathoms that went missing that day. Anyway, I'm going to get this agreement finished and have it sent to the Gamgees before we leave."
Sounds like a good idea.
Frodo resumed writing, and Hiccup finished his breakfast. Sam began doing the dishes and putting them away.
Alright, time to check on Toothless.
He headed outside to return to Toothless's barn, but he paused when he ran into Gandalf smoking his pipe just outside Bag-end. The Wizard frowned while staring out over the verdant hills and fields still covered in the last of night.
"It was here under my nose all these years, and I did not see it," Gandalf muttered.
"The Ring?"
"Yes. How did I miss that Bilbo found such a thing so long ago? Go on and see to your friend; I hope that we can depart shortly. The sooner that we leave the Shire the better."
"Come along, Samwise, keep up!" Gandalf shouted.
The five of them briskly made their way through the countryside, the grass under foot and paw still wet with the morning dew. The two Hobbits bore their backpacks, fully loaded with essential supplies. Both of them also had their walking-staffs and simple cloaks tied around their necks.
Sam brought the cookware, which he had said he was loathe to part with.
Gandalf was in the lead with his saddled horse led by a rope gently looped around its neck. His grey robes swayed around him in his haste.
Hiccup and Toothless brought up the rear, all of Hiccup's supplies stowed away in the saddlepack. They were having to walk quickly to keep up with the Hobbits and Gandalf.
"How are you doing, bud?"
Toothless grumbled and tossed a glance back over his tail.
"I will miss the Shire. Laying on my back in the warm fields with the sun on my belly was very good."
"Yeah, I will miss it too."
"And the food!" Toothless added with a smirk.
"I know what you mean. I like Hobbit-made bacon, myself."
They both sighed as they continued walking.
"Well, at least you will get to practice your hunting again in the wild," Hiccup noted.
"True," Toothless nodded, "there is nothing as tasty as a fresh hunt."
Gandalf eventually led them into a thick undercover in the forest. It might have once been a path, but it was completely overrun by plants and pine trees.
Then Gandalf stopped walking, looked around, and gruffly nodded.
"I shall leave you all now. Be careful, all of you. The Enemy has many spies in his service. Birds, beasts, men, and others."
"What others?" Hiccup wondered.
"I'd rather not say. Better that you not meet any of them. You remember where to go and who to look for?" Gandalf addressed the party.
"We are going to the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. We are to look for a man named Strider," Frodo repeated.
Gandalf gave a satisfied nod while leaning on his staff.
"Is it safe?"
Frodo drew out the chain around his neck, the chain from which the golden Ring was hanging. Then he slipped the chain back inside his shirt where it remained hidden from view.
Gandalf put a hand on Frodo's shoulder and then spoke gravely.
"Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power. Using it will make you easier for them to find. Always remember that the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found. It wants you to be found..." he whispered.
The Wizard then stood tall and faced Hiccup and Toothless.
"I trust that you will both protect these Hobbits."
Toothless thrashed his tail and snarled.
"Nothing will hurt them. Anything that tries to will meet my fire, claws, and teeth!"
Gandalf grinned.
"I am sure about that. Do not fear, I will let others ahead know about you. Where you are going, my word carries much weight."
Toothless huffed and then pointed a paw at him.
"We must talk later, Wizard. I have questions for you when there is time."
Gandalf nodded after glancing between him and Hiccup.
"And I believe that I know what you will want to talk about. We shall speak in Rivendell."
Gandalf spun away from them, vaulted into his saddle, and urged the horse onward with haste into the East, eventually passing out of their view.
The forest was then filled with only the regular cries of birds and the breath of the wind.
The four of them shared silent glances, no one seeming to know what to say at the start of the journey.
"Alright, I'll say it. He is probably worried about nothing," Hiccup cheerfully said in an attempt to lift everyone's mood.
"That's a fair point. We are still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?" Sam added.
Frodo frowned slightly.
"There are many servants of the Enemy. I hope that there are none in the Shire though," Frodo added.
Sam clapped him on the shoulder.
"Come on, Mister Frodo. We just need to get our minds off that stuff. Let's sing a walking song."
Both Hobbits clasped their walking staffs and started walking. Frodo paused and threw one last glance back over his shoulder at the familiar fields of Hobbiton behind him. There was clear, bittersweet longing in his eyes.
Then he turned away, started after Sam, and began to sing a familiar tune.
"The Road goes ever on and on... Down from the door where it began... Now far ahead the Road has gone... And I must follow, if I can... Pursuing it with eager feet... Until it joins some larger way... Where many paths and errands meet... And whither then? I cannot say!"
Hiccup and Toothless similarly paused in the dell and looked back toward Hobbiton, toward the place where they had lived in peace for nearly three months. Toward the place that proved it was possible for a peaceful dragon to be accepted.
"I wonder when we'll be back," Hiccup sighed.
"Hopefully not too many moon-cycles."
"Agreed, bud. Alright, time to take another little vacation, not forever this time!"
"How far now?" Hiccup wondered.
"We should be at Bree late tomorrow afternoon," Frodo answered.
Both of the Hobbits were busy preparing supper, a meal which came after dinner. It was only a vegetable soup, but it was still well-seasoned.
Hiccup finished the last of his soup, stretched his arms, and yawned widely.
Toothless mirrored his action seconds later.
"You ready to turn in too, bud?"
Toothless flamed a patch of dirt, spun in a circle several times, and curled up on his side. He did leave a place under his wing and against his warm belly as he always did though. So, Hiccup stretched out his blanket on the ground there and lay down in the warmth.
"Psst, Mister Frodo, look at that..."
Toothless lifted his head and looked up, wondering what Sam was pointing out.
They were looking at him.
"What?" he warbled.
"You look... like a... begging your pardon... mother hen..." Sam stuttered.
Toothless blinked, glanced down at Hiccup resting under his wing, and then huffed loudly.
Hiccup is not my hatchling... though he is small enough to be one...
He was reminded that Hiccup did not know how to defend himself at all. He had promised that he would teach Hiccup how to fight better in self-defense. Something, maybe the availability of work to do or the general peacefulness of the Shire had gotten in the way of that.
"Hiccup," he whispered.
Hiccup yawned again and rolled over to look at him.
"What is it, bud?"
"You should learn to fight."
"Uh, fighting?"
"Yes, I said that I will teach you fighting like a dragon."
"But you will do the fighting. I'm not built for fighting."
They both considered Hiccup's arms and apparent lack of muscle.
"True, but you are stronger than you look. You can learn different fighting. Fighting not on strength but more about keeping distance."
"Like what?"
"Scratching with claws, careful bites when the enemy cannot bite back, flaming from afar."
"And, uh, how would that work for me?"
"Maybe you can make a weapon with a long claw to bite for you," Toothless gave a curious hum, "or maybe you can use one of those arrow-throwing things to bite enemies far away."
Hiccup thought back to old hunting trips he had been on in the Berk forest.
"A bow? Yeah, I could try that."
Then Toothless chuckled softly.
"Have you ever hit a target before?"
Hiccup winced, knowing what he was referring to.
"Yeah... about that..."
He checked to make sure that the two Hobbits were not close enough to hear him. This was a talk for only himself and Hiccup.
Toothless preempted him.
"No! Do not say you are sorry, because you are not. I hope you are not."
Hiccup still looked twisted inside by something, so he gently lay a paw on Hiccup's leg while purring softly in reassurance.
"Think of it this way, I lost a tailfin, yes, but that got me out of the nest and gave me a friend. Losing the tailfin was bad, but good hatched from it."
Huff.
"So stop twisting your tail."
"I'll try not to..." Hiccup whispered.
Silence followed after the Hobbits finished their meal. They both bunked down next to the Hobbits and began to settle down.
It was a quiet, peaceful night. They were all resting slightly off the main path where no general passerby would think to look.
Then there came a sound of mingled song and laughter.
All four of them immediately flew to their feet in some alarm but mostly amazement.
"What is that?" Hiccup whispered.
"Elves! Elves, sir!" Sam exclaimed.
Hiccup and Toothless shared a wary glance.
"Yeah, I don't know anything about them either," Hiccup mumbled.
The four of them sat in the shadows off the path. Before long the Elves passed them by. They looked like tall men and women, garbed in long, flowing cloaks, and their hair was very long among both men and women. They walked slowly afoot and on steeds and they had no weapons. They carried no lights or torches, yet as they walked a shimmering light, as if borrowed from the moon, followed them.
They were singing a melodious but also mournful song in a language that was unknown.
"Frodo, do you know their language?" Hiccup whispered in awe.
"I do. Mostly."
"What are they saying?"
"O stars that in the Sunless Year. With shining hand by her were sown. In windy fields now bright and clear. We see your silver blossom blown! O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! We still remember, we who dwell. In this far land beneath the trees. Thy starlight on the Western Seas," Frodo softly sang.
Toothless stepped closer to Frodo and hummed softly.
"They look sad."
"They are leaving Middle-earth," Frodo explained.
"Where are they going?"
"The Elves go to the Grey Havens where they sail into the west. I don't know everything about why, but Elves become tired of the world eventually. They must leave for Valinor, the Undying Lands."
"You don't know why they must leave?" Hiccup asked.
"No, maybe you can ask when we get to Rivendell."
They continued watching the company of Elves as they passed by.
"I don't know why, but for some reason that makes me feel sad. That good people have to leave the world forever to find peace," Sam softly sighed.
The last Elf finally passed out of view. Toothless purred softly into the resulting silence when the last of the Elf-song faded.
"We should get some rest now. It was a long day," Hiccup yawned.
They returned to where they had been resting. This time though, Toothless reclined so that he could lay the other wing out over the Hobbits.
"Toothless... no..." Hiccup chuckled.
Toothless blinked and looked away from the farm animals.
"Hiccup! I can control myself!"
"Yeah, right. Why were you drooling?"
He sat down on his rear and crossed his paws on his chest in indignation. His twitching tail also betrayed his thoughts.
"I was not! I was thinking about how tasty they would be if I were to hunt them, which I will not do."
Hiccup rolled his eyes at the explanation.
Sure you were, bud. But you did help out on the farms well enough without any incidents.
Then they both started following the Hobbits who had made it a decent way ahead along a country dirt path. It was sometime in the afternoon of a bright and warm day. A very pleasant day for a long hike.
"There are many farms here," Toothless observed.
"I know. It is so green and peaceful. We are getting closer to the edge of the Shire."
They continued on past several farmhouses near which Hobbits were working at their gardens. These Hobbits did point their direction, likely because they were not as familiar with Toothless as the Hobbiton Hobbits.
Frodo and Sam were standing together in a path that led through a farm. Oddly, Sam was not moving. He also looked unsure of something.
"What is the matter, Sam?" Hiccup asked.
"This is it..."
"This is what?" Toothless warbled.
"If I take one more step it will be the furthest away from home that I've ever been..."
Hiccup almost mentioned how far he was from home, but he thought better of it.
Hobbits really are homely people, and Sam wants little more than his family and his garden. I am really different from them. Toothless is also.
Frodo strode over to Sam and put an arm on his shoulder.
"Come on, Sam."
Sam looked around the field, glanced up at the sky, took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and stepped forward.
"Remember what my uncle Bilbo used to say. It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."
Hiccup sighed and slowed down to stroll at Toothless's side. Frodo and Sam continued on into the field of corn before them.
"Did you hear that, bud?"
"What Frodo said about adventures?"
"Yeah, our little vacation forever turned into something special, didn't it?"
Toothless purred and nudged Hiccup's shoulder.
"I know. And it is still a young adventure."
"Frodo! Mister Frodo!" Sam's voice sounded afraid.
Hiccup and Toothless bounded ahead to catch up, only slightly worried that something might be wrong.
They pulled up and stared in confusion down the path. Frodo and Sam were staring at each other from only a short distance away.
"It's just something that Gandalf told me. Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee, and I don't mean to!" Sam explained.
Frodo gave him an amused grin.
"Sam, we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?"
Toothless immediately swung his head to the side and stared into the corn.
"Something is coming..." he hissed.
The sound of rustling corn stalks came nearer and nearer.
"Yeah, you're right..." Hiccup whispered.
Then Frodo and Sam were knocked to the ground where they fell among a pile of vegetables and two familiar Hobbits.
"Frodo?" Merry exclaimed.
"Merry! It's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin cried out.
"Get off him!" Sam shouted as he helped Frodo get to his feet.
"And Sam also! Great!" Pippin cheerfully said.
Merry and Pippin then started gathering up the spilled vegetables, mostly carrots and cabbage.
"Here, hold these..." Merry handed a pile of vegetables to Sam.
"What in Thor's name is going on here?" Hiccup exclaimed.
Merry and Pippin had somehow overlooked him and Toothless until that moment.
"Hey, it's Hiccup and Toothless too!" Pippin laughed.
"Even better! You can help us carry our stuff!" Merry added.
"Hold on just a minute! Why do you have all these? This is farmer Maggot's field! You've been in his crops!" Sam realized.
It was at that moment that they heard the irate shouting drawing nearer alongside the barking of hounds.
"Get out of my field! Just wait till I get my hands on you! Get out of my field!"
Merry and Pippin led the group at full pace through the field.
"I don't know why he is so upset. He is clearly overreacting!" Merry defended himself.
Hiccup and Toothless bounded along after the Hobbits while barely restraining their laughter. They escaped from the cornfield and saw all the Hobbits coming to a stop on the edge of a ledge. They were definitely trapped there.
"Well, that could have gone worse," Hiccup snickered.
Pippin crashed into the other three Hobbits from behind, sending all of them tumbling out of view down the ridge.
Hiccup and Toothless scrambled to a stop on the top of the ridge and watched as the Hobbits rolled, tumbled, and crashed down the slope, eventually coming to rest on the road down below. Fortunately, they all started to get to their feet, so it was likely that nothing important had been broken.
"Uh, what just happened?" Hiccup laughed.
Toothless added his own throaty peals, his tail crashing against the ground.
"They fouled their own flights!"
"That's for sure."
The corn rustled behind them.
"Hey! What are you... oh..."
They spun around and met farmer Maggot. The Hobbit had a pitchfork in hand and a scowl on his face, though he was dismayed at seeing them there. His formerly barking hounds were whining softly and hiding behind their master's legs.
"Hiccup... T... Toothless.." the farmer stuttered.
"Don't worry, I don't bite," Hiccup chuckled.
"What was happening? Why were you in my field?"
"Well, we are heading to Bree alongside Mister Baggins. We ran into a couple troublemakers in your field," Hiccup explained.
"A Brandybuck and a Took," Toothless added.
Despite the situation, farmer Maggot scowled.
"Yeah, they were helping themselves to your cabbage and carrots. Dropped most of what they took though," Hiccup said.
Farmer Maggot was relieved but also alarmed as he addressed them.
"I didn't mean to spook you," the farmer explained.
Toothless huffed at the Hobbit's apology.
"Don't worry about it," he said.
"Yeah. We'll keep our eyes on those troublemakers for you," Hiccup added.
The Hobbit inclined his head toward them and then headed off to return to work. His whining hounds eagerly followed after him.
They both returned to the peak of the ledge and looked down to the Hobbits far below. They were getting to their feet and also gathering something a short distance from where they had fallen.
"Bud, what do you say we fly down after them?"
"I would like that. We have not flown in a while."
Toothless crouched down and waited as Hiccup got into the saddle. They were aloft on the warm afternoon winds just moments later. The sun's warmth gloriously beat down on them while the wind rustled their hair and frills.
The sky held the same peaceful joy for them that it always did.
"Well, that all happened," Hiccup sighed.
"I know. Hobbits are very twisted, at least those two are."
"Have I told you about the Twins yet, bud?"
"They are the twisted Viking nestmates, yes?"
"Yeah. Brother and sister. They were always teasing each other, punching each other, just general silliness. Even back in the training how to fight against dragons, they were more likely to fight each other than the dragons."
Toothless wiggled his ears in amusement as he looked down toward where the Hobbits would be. Then he noticed something odd.
"Hiccup, did Gandalf say that he would come back?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Because there is a horse and rider down with the Hobbits."
Hiccup glanced down and saw it, a dark horse briskly approaching the place where the four Hobbits had been moments ago. The road was also oddly dark in the trees' shade.
"I'm very sure that he was not coming back so soon. That's not Gandalf or his horse."
Toothless grumble-growled at that.
"We should protect them then."
"Yeah, definitely," Hiccup agreed.
They dove toward the road, slipping between the trees and touching down on the dirt path. It was a tight landing which left little room for Toothless to stretch his wings. Hiccup hopped off Toothless's back and joined him in approaching the stranger.
He paused midstep the moment he saw the situation up close.
The Hobbits were hiding just off the path near the base of a tree. They were afraid of the strange rider.
More revealing than their reaction was the appearance of the stranger and its mount. The horse was pure black and bore a wicked-looking bridle. The horse also displayed no fear at all at the sight of the dragon before it.
The rider was far more frightening even as it crouched at the ground above where the Hobbits hid.
It bore a black cape, dark gauntlets, and spiked boots. A black hood completely hid its face.
Everything about its appearance was menacing.
"Hey!" Hiccup shouted.
The dark figure flew to its feet and spun on them even as the horse reared and whinnied angrily, fighting with the air. A brief silence followed until the tall, shrouded figure reached inside its torn robes and withdrew a long, pale blade.
Toothless bared his teeth and growled freely at the open threat.
"What do you want?" Hiccup shouted.
The shape reached up with its free hand and withdrew its hood.
There was nothing under the hood.
Hiccup recoiled, backing up against Toothless's chest in true terror worse than the most terrible raids.
Then from the emptiness within the robes came a voice. A hissing voice which pierced straight to his soul and stole away all strength and will. A chill came over him as he fell to the ground and his eyes darkened.
He was back on Berk in the kill ring and being chased by an angered dragon while the crowd cheered for his death.
His father had disowned him and outcast him.
Toothless was dead, his heart cut out, because of his own failure to change his people. He had let Toothless get captured on Berk because he thought that they could change.
"Hiccup!"
He did not hear anything else beyond that cry.
Was it someone there to tease him?
To cast him out again?
To reject him?
Useless.
A failure.
Worthless.
Powerless on his own.
There was nothing around him except an encompassing darkness, a void. There was one shrouded light before him, and a faint warmth behind him.
The shrouded light felt like tendrils of ice slowly reaching out toward him. Alien, cold, and menacing. Powerless to oppose.
The warmth behind was familiar and felt more trusted. It stoked faint memories of the open sky, a warm hum, and trust.
So he clung to it.
In the void.
Hiccup collapsed against his front while whining terribly. It was not so different from what had happened in that underground den where the not-dead thing had been.
This thing without a head, however that was possible, had hurt his Hiccup, his precious!
"Hiccup!" he bent down and nuzzled Hiccup's trembling head.
This was the second time that something had hurt Hiccup without even touching him. It had some power to chill Hiccup's soul-fire, something that neither approaching a downed dragon nor flight itself could have done.
Pure wrath poured into his soul-fire as he readied a glowing shot while keeping his jaws closed. This thing would have no warning before he struck at it.
When he looked up he saw that the phantom shape had not moved except to point its blade first at Hiccup and secondly at him.
"Burz kulkodar, azat shara!" it hissed with its unseen mouth.
Everything about its voice was vile and wrong. It felt like the words themselves tried to sink under his hide, dig at his heart, and smother the sun itself. That was certainly a command meant for him, though he had no idea what it meant. It did not matter anyway.
He curled his lips, bared his teeth at the dark shape, and unfurled a single wing.
His screaming shot of blue fire flashed in a bright explosion. At the same moment he wrapped a wing around Hiccup to shield him from the wave of fire.
A piercing scream echoed out through the unnatural silence of the forest. The strange darkness that had covered the sky and stretched the shadows was burned away by the sun and his fire.
It was over.
He emerged from under the wing and looked ahead to where the enemy had been. There was nothing left now but a pile of smoking furs and metal. The thrall four-leg-horse had been thrown to the side of the path and was very dead also. A few small fires burned on the ground, but even those flames were dying out.
Satisfied that the enemy was no more, he turned all his attention back to Hiccup. Thankfully, Hiccup was no longer trembling or whining, but he did not yet open his eyes.
"Hiccup, wake up," he softly hummed.
Hiccup stirred, but he did not open his eyes.
So he licked Hiccup in the face.
As usual, that worked as Hiccup's eyes shot open.
"Ugh, I... what... just..."
"Hiccup, you are safe now..."
"I... what was that?" Hiccup groaned, unsteadily getting to his feet again.
Again, he purred comfort and presence to Hiccup to help reassure him.
"That was a very bad thing. It is dead now."
They both looked to the smoking remains. Hiccup shivered again at the sight.
"It is dead. Here, watch."
He stepped away from Hiccup and trotted over to the smoking remains, which he then stepped on. Just like with the other not-dead thing he had killed, there was no body left behind. This one did not even have bones. There was nothing except the metal armor and smoking furs that the dark thing had worn.
He gave the remains a snort and then padded back over to Hiccup. His purr froze when he saw something very strange in Hiccup's eyes.
Shame and fear.
He thought he knew why. This was not the first time Hiccup had collapsed when confronted by an enemy.
Then there was a rustling sound from where the Hobbits had been hiding. They emerged and climbed up onto the road.
All four of the Hobbits were staring at him and the smoking remains in awe and amazement. And maybe a little disgust at the remains of the four-leg. There was a lot of blood that had been spilled.
"That was amazing!" Merry shouted.
"Totally! I didn't know that dragonfire was so explosive!" Pippin exclaimed.
"Just like one of Gandalf's fireworks, one of the big ones!" Merry added.
"Is no one going to ask what that thing was? That... black rider?" Sam grimly asked.
Toothless snorted. Sam did behave like the most practical of the group.
"I do not know what it was. It was almost like the Barrow-wight thing that I killed."
Even Merry and Pippin became far more serious at the mention of that place.
"That black rider was looking for something or someone. Frodo?" Merry inquired.
Frodo and Sam shared a look, considering how much to reveal to their friends.
"It was after me. Sam and I must get to Bree," Frodo explained.
"Bree? Why Bree?" Pippin asked.
"We have to leave the Shire. We are not safe here."
Merry and Pippin then glanced at each other and nodded.
"Buckleberry Ferry would be your best bet. There is no other crossing within twenty miles. And we are going with you," Merry declared.
"You really don't need to do that. You don't even know where we are going," Frodo objected.
"Nah, we don't, but that doesn't matter!" Pippin grinned.
"Yeah, we are your friends. Friends stick together always, especially when the going is tough. You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin," Merry explained.
"Even if that means leaving your home? Leaving the Shire?" Frodo pointed out.
"Sure will!" Merry answered.
"Yeah, this'll be our little adventure 'There and Back Again', just like your Uncle Bilbo's story that he was working on!" Pippin cheerfully added.
"What is this story 'There and Back Again'? I don't think I've heard it," Hiccup interjected.
Frodo reluctantly spoke.
"It's my Uncle's story to tell, but it has Dwarves, Gandalf, Elves, Eagles, Goblins, and Smaug in it."
Toothless then stepped closer to the Hobbits.
"We should go. We want to get to Bree before sundown, yes?" he asked.
"True, there might be more of those things out here. Probably wouldn't want to meet those things in the dark," Merry observed.
They all spared another glance toward the smoking remains.
Buckleberry Ferry lay directly before them. It was a simple ferry that crossed the Brandywine river.
It was also well after nightfall.
Toothless listened attentively for any sign of anything nearing them. The noise of any four-legs would be easy to hear in the relative quiet. The wind carried no foul scents to him. Nothing would be able to sneak up on him.
The Hobbits were working quickly to prepare their ferry to cross the river.
Hiccup remained close to his side all throughout. Neither of them had spoken yet about what had happened, the last few hours having been spent making good time across the countryside.
The threat of approaching rain and the uncertain menace from hidden black riders in the darkness had thoroughly spoiled everyone's moods.
Further, it felt best to save this talk for a time when it could be only the two of them.
"Hiccup?"
Hiccup stared off into the distance.
"Are you alright?"
Hiccup closed his eyes and sighed.
"Why did I fall again? Why do I always fail? Why am I so weak..."
He drew Hiccup to his side with a wing. Hiccup must have been feeling great chill because he started sobbing.
"I do not know why that happened to you. But I will always be here to protect you."
Oddly, that reassurance did not make Hiccup feel better. Hiccup walked a short distance away from him and then turned around to stare at the ground before him. Even in the dark he could see the sadness and emptiness that Hiccup was apparently feeling.
"Maybe they were right about me. Maybe I am a waste of space. Useless..."
He growled deeply at that.
"Hiccup! Do not say that about yourself!"
"Why not? What if it is true!"
He knew that it was not true. Hiccup had great inner-strength and was certainly not useless to him. But it was also true that Hiccup had collapsed twice in these encounters with bad things. There had to be a reason for that.
"Hiccup, listen to me! That bad thing and the not-dead thing that was in the underground den were new enemies that you had not fought before. You did not know what to expect. Now you do. You will be stronger next time."
Then he huffed softly.
"Maybe I need to teach you fighting. You do not trust yourself enough, but you will."
"I don't know. I guess so..."
"Hey, Hiccup, Toothless! We are ready!" Merry shouted from down by the water.
"Go ahead! We will fly to you!" he answered for both of them.
The four Hobbits hopped onto the ferry and began making their way across the water.
He then strolled over to Hiccup and lay his head on Hiccup's shoulder.
"We can ask Gandalf if he knows more about the wight-thing and this black rider. He knows more than we do."
"Yeah, we should do that," Hiccup sighed.
Toothless then turned all his attention to his surroundings. To the perfect silence of the night. To the faint chill that hovered in the air. To the several shapes of pitch black in the shadows under the trees.
Moving shadows.
"Hiccup, get on me now..." he softly hissed.
"What?"
"There are more of them."
Hiccup needed no further encouragement and hopped on his back just as he spun around and flung his wings wide. They jumped from the shore and glided across the river, passing over the ferry that was docking down below.
It felt like only seconds later that they touched down on the far side of the river. The four Hobbits retrieved their packs of supplies and strode up to them.
Together, they all stared across to the far shore where several dark shapes stood watching from on horseback. An occasional piercing shriek flitted across the river, striking a chill into their hearts as they did so.
"How far away is Bree?" Toothless asked.
"A few miles. Why do you ask?" Merry wondered.
"This is why," he growled.
Toothless took a deep breath and roared defiantly across the river, his wrathful voice shivering the sky. The shrouded shapes shrieked in answer and turned away to flee into the shadows.
He snorted defiantly in their direction and then turned back to the Hobbits and Hiccup. They all had their paws clamped over their ears while staring at him in amazement.
"I do not like those things..." he mumbled.
"Pretty sure they don't like you either now, bud," Hiccup gasped.
Toothless purred and flashed his teeth.