The Big Four: The Rise of the Darkness (Ch. 22)

The wall of Black Sand suddenly dropped and the wall of fire evaporated, revealing Merida and Rapunzel to Jack and Jamie. They made eye contact with each other, their eyes filled with overwhelming fear. Jack took off from the ground and flew to where the large cloud of black smoke drifted into the darkened night sky without a single word. Merida motioned for Angus to come to her and mounted on top of him as fast as she could, she hauled Rapunzel onto Angus. Then she held her hand out to Jamie. Jamie slowly took it and got on the horse as well. Angus shifted around at the weight on his back before he took off after Jack. They followed him into the woods neighboring Burgress. The deeper they went, the more the fear ate at their hearts. Jack landed onto the forest floor and held out his hand. A speck of grey fell into his pale palm; the ash was falling like snow. He continued through the trees with Angus and his passengers close behind him. They slowed down as the trees and floor grew to a chard-black, a thin sheet of grey covered the blackened floor. The ground was still warm and everything was scorched to a crisp. Jack squinted through the cloud of ash; he saw the silhouette of Toothless far off, lying on his side. "Hiccup?"

No one responded.

"Hiccup?!" Merida yelled.

All that sounded was her echo.

"Hiccup!?" Rapunzel called.

Toothless' silhouette didn't move an inch.

Jamie jumped off of Angus, Rapunzel and Merida quickly followed him. Jack flew over to Toothless' side, with Merida, Rapunzel, and Jamie close behind him. Toothless was roughed up, his saddle scorched and empty of a rider. All that was left of his makeshift tail was the guide wires. Merida covered her mouth with her hands, tears starting to well into her eyes. Rapunzel eyes started to swell as well; even Pascal peaked his head out of Rapunzel's hair and hung his head. Jamie looked away from the dragon, unable to look. Jack shook his head as he fought back tears, this mouth gaped open, trying to say something but the words got choked up into his throat. Toothless' eyes blinked open and looked up to the four under half-lidded eyes. "I left him…" Jack mumbled under his breath.

Toothless' eyes focused on Jack and their eyes met. Toothless looked down to his folded wings and unfolded them slowly, revealing Hiccup, unconscious against the dragon's chest. The fours' eyes widened in disbelief. "Hiccup!"

Jamie's eyes scanned the dragon and Hiccup with concern and confusion as he spoke quietly and slowly, "Where's…Katelynn?"

Rapunzel suddenly realized that as well. "Wasn't she on Toothless along with Hiccup?"

Merida looked around the chard woods. "She should be here along with them…wouldn't she?"

"Jamie, stay here. I'll go look for her." Jack told Jamie. Jamie kept his eyes on the ground, not looking at Jack.

Rapunzel went over to Jamie and put her arm around him to give his shoulders an assuring squeeze as Jack flew off. "Jack will find her, Jamie. Don't worry about it…I'm certain she made it down as safely as Hiccup and Toothless did."

Merida was looking over Hiccup and her eyes stopped at his feet... or should I say, foot? "Um…you might want to rethink that Rapunzel…"

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow and looked down; she covered her mouth at what she saw. Pascal covered his eyes and hid back into Rapunzel's golden locks.

Jamie's face paled. Hiccup was protected by Toothless and he still lost his foot. He blocked out the images of the scenarios of what could have happened to his life-long friend.

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Jack searched high and low for the teen, but saw no sign of her. He perched on top of a branch and scanned the blackened woods. He sighed and shook his head. Katelynn was nowhere to be seen. "I knew that this would happen…" He tossed up his staff and grabbed it back before he flew off of the branch. During his flight around the woods again, he noticed something on the floor that wasn't there the last time he past the area. He landed softly and crouched down to the object. He went to grasp it and made a small yell, he shot his hand away from it. The item was still too hot to touch. With his staff, he poked it until it was free from the snow-like ash and was fully visible. It was a battle axe, the handle was burnt in some places and the metal was distorted, dents covering it. Jack clamped his hand on the top of this head when something landed on it. He pulled his hand away and examined what it was. His eyes widened at the item in his hands. It was Katelynn's mask, pieces of it burnt, some peeling off even. Jack looked up and his mouth gaped open. Right above him, in a tree, hanging was Katelynn. She was dangling, and unconscious, from a rope coming from her back, making her limps dangle downwards towards Jack. "Katelynn!" Jack flew up to the branch she was on and floated next to her.

The thing that kept her from crashing onto the ground was a grappling hook that was coming out of the metal sphere of her shield. Jack tapped the shield with the tip of his staff and yelled in alarm when the rope retracted quickly into the shield. Jack caught Katelynn before she could fall to the ground, thankful that she didn't go through him like he was a ghost. He flew back to the floor and laid her down on her back. She was definitely more banged up than Hiccup was. Bruises and scrapes covered her face, her glasses were cracked. Her armor was torn and scorched in some places. Jack cringed that her wrist was going the wrong way and her shoulders looked out of place. Her knee was awkwardly going to the side. Jack eyes returned to the sky when he heard…sleigh bells? North was flying overhead and going towards where Jamie, Merida, Hiccup, Toothless and Rapunzel were. Carefully, Jack picked up Katelynn and flew over to see what was up.