The ripple
My legs tremble beneath me as I hold on to Viggo's note for dear life. The sails of our boat rustle in the wind and the wave's crash into the sides, sometimes spilling over on deck.
"Where are we going and why isn't my dragon coming with me?" Snotlout groaned from behind me.
I try to ignore his whining as I sit down on a supply crate that once carried four months' worth of food. It now sits on our boat, empty, its only use being a seat or form of shelter.
I feel a freezing hand on my shoulder and turn around to see Astrid, shivering in the storm.
"Hiccup, Snotlout does have a point…" her teeth chatter as she speaks. "Why didn't we just ride to Viggo and save ourselves a long journey?"
I sigh and stand up, understanding the others frustration. "Look gang, I know it would have been quicker and easier to ride to this island but, we cannot risk our dragon's lives in a place like this. They would never have made it through a storm like this, and who knows what lies on this island which, by the way, was unbeknown to us just a few months ago." Fishlegs nods to me in agreement. It's getting dark and the air is foggy, no way can we navigate through this.
"Lets just get some shut-eye and continue sailing tomorrow. Ruff, Tuff, you two take the first watch, Astrid you second, me third, then Fishlegs and Snotlout." I reason with them. No one looks like they took in a word of what I just said.
As I slumber, images of Blue Ocean and orange fire swirl in my mind. The sea and fire like a carousel, with dragons circling in the middle as if they are the horses built atop it. I jolt awake to Astrid frantically shaking my shoulder, calling my name over and over.
"Hiccup! Hiccup get up! Hiccup!" she looks worried.
"Wha- what is it?" I grumble as my brain is tempted to sleep more.
"Just, just look! Over the edge..." she points a shivering finger to the side of the boat. And I walk towards it. Cautiously, almost tiptoeing every step I take. I am ready. I am ready for whatever this is. I am ready. I pear my head over the side of the boat only to be jostled backwards with a tremble in the boat. I regain my balance, take a breath, and look again. What I see is something completely unexpected…or, is it?
Countless dragons – ones I have never seen before – circle the long boat in an intimidating, beckoning manner. Blue scales, long tail, long neck, almost like a typhoomarang-timberjack crossover. After a short while I realise they are not just circling our boat to intimidate us.. they are hunting us.
As they speed up, swiftly dodging one another with impeccable ease, ripples begin to show in the water. Soon the boat starts spinning.
"A whirlpool" I shout. I know I am shouting but it sounds like a whisper compared to the waves and the sounds of these dragons. "They are creating a whirlpool. That must be how they hunt and kill their food" I carry on, unsure in anyone can even hear me.
Astrid then confirms my query. "Well I am not going to stand around and wait to become someone's equivalent of fish supper. We have to get out of here!"
"No kidding" the twins say simultaneously. Suddenly an ear shattering, trumpeting sound – louder than wave or dragon – shakes the earth, so it seems. "Dragon hunters" I think aloud. The dragons make a run for it. Abandoning their soon to be kill and bolting through the ocean like electricity through a wire.
The dragon hunter's ship becomes clearer through the fog.
"Hello Hiccup" an all too familiar voice says. And although he is not yet visible to me, I know exactly who it is.
"Viggo" I think aloud once more.