Chapter 6 They're back

It was still morning so I could spend the rest of the day doing whatever I want. When I finally made it to the booth that sold the eggs, I wasn't surprised to see Comet there.

"Hey Freya." He said.

"Hi Comet, still working here?" I asked.

"Yup cousin's still sick. Pay is good though." He answered. "So what do you need?"

"Another basket of eggs please."

"Another one? You bought two baskets not three days ago." I placed down a bag of money.

"Yes I did, and know I need another one."

"Why do you need so many?"

"That's none of your business."

" I'm just asking." Comet placed the basket of eggs by the bag of money and then took it.

"Is that all you need?" He asked.

"Is that all the questions?" I asked. Comet smiled.

"Actually no." I froze thinking that he wasn't going ask anything else.

"Fine, what's the question?"

"What are you hiding down at the beach?" He asked. The world around me seemed to stop completely, and not in a good way.

"What makes you think that I'm hiding something?" I finally said.

"I see you head down there everyday, you must be hiding something."

"You're starting to annoy me."

"That's a good thing. That means you'll eventually crack under pressure and tell me what your hiding."

"Why do you want to know anyway?" I could feel my cheeks heat up and turn red from anger. This wasn't a blush, this was anger.

"Curious." Comet said.

"That's it? You're just curious?"

"Curiosity killed the terrible terror, I guess." Comet smiled at me, but this one was more devious.

"Good bye, Comet." I said. I took the eggs and left. Even without looking behind me, I could tell that Comet was going to follow me. When I left the village I looked behind my shoulder. Comet wasn't there.

"I guess I was wrong." I thought to myself.

When I walked down the narrow path to the beach, I heard a crack of a stick. I peered over my shoulder again.

"Who's there?" I called. I can't take any chances.  I took a few steps toward the noise. When I couldn't see anything I turned back around. But when I turned my back to it, I heard footsteps. So I was right, I am being followed.

I had to think of something to lead Comet off my trail. I still had to go to the beach, but I couldn't go to Shipwreck cove. I finally decided to go to woods behind the beach. The boars have most likely left the area so those woods should be safe. I had to make it look casual though, I've already been standing in one place for too long. I dropped my basket of eggs and turned to my right and walked to the woods. Soon after I could hear footsteps again. After a while I walked faster, so did the footsteps. Then I went into a jog, so did the footsteps.

"Wow, he is really persistant." I thought to myself. To make sure that I was being followed and its not my imagination I came up with a plan. It starts with running. I made a mad dash for the trees. Jumping over rocks and logs, I moved the branches and leaves out of my face. The footsteps became faint so I had time to complete my plan. I found a tree that had as many branches as possible and began to climb it. I climbed up to a branch that was low enough to jump off of and high enough that no one could see me. I sat in the tree for a few seconds before I heard the cracks of sticks. Soon enough Comet had come into sight. Suddenly I heard rustles in the bushes and trees behind me. I quickly turned around and saw what I thought had gone.

"They're still here?" I whispered. The boars were making their way for Comet. I don't think they have noticed him yet though. I jumped down from the tree, with Comet just below looking clueless.

"Comet." I whispered to him.

"Freya? Dear gods you scared me." He said.

"Shut up." I looked behind my shoulder and noticed the boars were getting closer.

"What?"

"Shut up! Boars are in here." I told him. Comet didn't say another word. Boars aren't the most deadly creature in these woods, that would be wild dragons. But some boar packs were so big they could be just as deadly. No one in their right mind would mess with them, than again, we're vikings, we're crazy.

I took Comet by the hand and ran. We had to move fast because once the boars have noticed us, they would charge at full speed. Not 30 seconds had past when I heard a pig's squeal.

"Freya, stop!" Comet suddenly said.

"What?" I was almost mad at him for stopping. I've already been in a fight with these guys, and I still had the marks to prove it. If I fought them again my wounds could be opened, or worse.

"They're too fast, we have to fight them." He said. A part of me knew he was right, the other part still wanted to run. I remembered something Grandpa had said to me once when Berk was under attack when I was just a baby. I repeated those words in my head and eventually I said them to myself as I took out my dagger.

"During a battle you must choose to take flight or stand and fight. Fight may win you honor an pride, flight will always lower your stride. The battle will result in two different endings. They are up to you from the beginning." I whispered to myself.

"What does that even mean?" Comet said. I noticed he had a dagger in his hand as well. The boars were nearly upon us. I turned to him with a determined look.

"Either try or die." I finished.

"Sounds a little extreme for boars." Comet said.

"Have you ever fought boars before?" I asked him.

"No."

"Then prepare for a surprise." I boar pounced at me. Before it reached my face I stabbed it in the heart.

"That's awesome." Comet said.

"Turn around." I told him.

"Why?" He asked.

"Just do it." Comet turned around and nearly screamed. Three boars somehow made their way around him and know we were surrounded.

"You seem pretty confidant about this." Comet said, putting his back up against mine.

"I've handled these guys before." I said.

"Have you learned how to get rid of them?" He asked.

"Still working on that part." I admitted

"I have an idea." Comet finally said.

"That would be...?"

"You know that little thing you said a while ago?"

"Yea, what about it?"

"I choose fight." He said.

I didn't know if that was a good idea or not. I stepped toward the boars, trying to see if they were just as afraid of me as I am of them. All they did was squeal even louder.

"Okay so we are out numbered, they're braver, and all we have are our daggers." Comet said.

"Seems fair." I said.

"How is that fair?" Comet asked.

"Cause we have the advantage." I said. A boar had charged at me. Its tusked had scraped the skin on my leg. Before it passed me I dragged the blade of my knife across its back and killed it. 

"And that advantage would be?" Comet asked.

"That's what we have to figure out." I said.

"You're not a normal girl are you?" He said. I didn't say anything. When he said that flashbacks of voices began to fill my head.

"She's not normal! She's to aggresive, she could hurt someone. No one should get close to her, she'll only hurt them. Is she even a girl. She's not normal." They said. My head started to spin with the voices and the things I heard people say. I was so distracted I forgot where I was. A boar had charged at my legs. I lost my balance and landed flat on my face. So much for being confident.

"Freya!" I heard Comet yell. Before I could get up The boar jumped at my face. I stopped it with the bottom on my knife. Before I could turn my knife around and stab it, its hoof ran across my cheek. Comet's placed his hand on mine and helped me up.

"Are you okay?" He said. I was breathing heavily from being brought back into reality so suddenly. I finally found the breath to speak.

"I'm taking flight." I said. I yanked my hand out of Comet's. I cut my way through the wall of boars that surrounded us. As I was running back to the beach, tears slowly began to fill up in my eyes. I had to constantly wipe them away to be able to see my way out of the woods. When I made it out I went straight to the only friend I knew of.

I passed the corner and Stormcloud came into sight. She seemed shocked that I was crying. I dropped at her side. I hate crying, but I could never help it. Stormcloud rubbed her nose against my arm and purred.

"I've become more open to people. And I have to stop, I'll only hurt them. That's what everyone said." I finally spoke. Stormcloud purred and lifted her head. She lightly licked the cut that was on my cheek. I wiped the spit away, she only licked it again.

"Stormcloud stop." I said. I wiped her spit away again, she only licked my face again.

"Stormcloud I said stop." When I reached my hand to wipe the spit away she growled at me. When I lowered my hand she returned to her normal self. I tried it again and she did the same thing. I dabbed my cheek being careful not to wipe away all the spit.

"It stopped bleeding." I said I rubbed the saliva between my fingers. It was thick and gooey, not like a dragon's normal saliva. I held out my leg, revealing the gash on it. Stormcloud licked it and placed her head in my lap. I leaned back on her side and looked at the sky. The voices I heard soon came back. My head began to hurt so much I held it and close my eyes. I could feel the tears pushing their way through and I began to cry again. I ground my teeth and brought my knees to my stomach. The voices became louder and my head began to hurt more. I clinched my fist on my head.

"I'm getting too close to people and I need to stop. I'll only hurt them. That's what people said." I whispered. Suddenly Stormcloud lifted her head and roared in my ear. I opened my eyes. Stormcloud looked like she was mad.

"Sorry girl, right now it's not about me, but you." I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood up. I looked at the pile of rocks, still on Stormcloud's wing. "I have a lot of ground to cover." I told myself. I began to climb the hill of rocks and began to push them off, one bye one.

The rest of my day was spent pushing and kicking of rocks. The time eventually came for me to go home again. I walked up to Stormcloud and put my head against her's.

"Bye girl. I'll be back tomorrow." Stormcloud licked my face again. I wiped it off again and walked home.