NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: There are a few changes made from the original source material in order to fit this particular narrative.

ONE

SMOKE & SILENCE

Reverix the Viking had counted sixteen ships that had drifted out of the morning fog. None of them appeared occupied, but they didn't appear to be in top shape, either. Most of the masts had been torn, and small fires had spread from the bow to the stern.

Reverix held his breath. He had immediately recognized the design of the ships. He wished he could see straight through the fog and see if his friends on the Isle of Berk were in the midst of a confrontation with an unseen enemy. In the meantime, he heard nothing. Everything had grown silent. Something didn't seem right.

Reverix ordered his pirate comrades to row faster while calling for the second-in-command. He kept his eyes to the North even when Furlock the Gaul came up from behind and asked, "What's going on?"

Reverix replied, "Stay alert. Stoick is in trouble. Tell everyone to ready their weapons."

Furlock didn't complain. He ordered the other pirates to keep their axes and maces close.

The pirate ship sailed past the ruined vessels with no interruptions. When the fog soon dissipated, Reverix had a much better view of his primary destination.

"What the hell?"

The Hooligan Village had undergone some significant changes. The two giant statues sitting in the waters had been completely demolished, replaced by broken stone severed at the neck. Upon closer inspection, as the ships moved further inland, Reverix could see half of the cottages in the Hooligan Village were blackened, presumably by previous flames. The wreckage resulted in small trails of smoke soaring upwards above the island.

Reverix tightened his grip on his axe as he waited for his own ship to reach the shore.

Furlock shook his head. "I can't see anyone in the village."

Reverix replied, "Me, neither. When we get to shore, try not to make a sound. An ambush is always possible."

He looked behind him to see Denin, his blond-haired nephew, wielding his double daggers with both hands. Compared to the other swashbucklers on the ship, the nineteen-year-old man was rather slim and inexperienced with life at sea. But thankfully, his relentless training for the past several weeks paid off.

With a stern look on his face, Denin gave a little nod. "I'm ready for anything."

Reverix nodded back. "Good. Let's do this."

They reached the shore and jumped out of the wooden vessel. Everyone on board stayed close to avoid any unnecessary separations. Reverix led the way as he and his comrades tiptoed up the steep cliffs. He listened for any unusual noises that originated from the village. So far, the silence couldn't be broken.

Nevertheless, he stayed cautious. With both Furlock and Denin by his side, he was the first to enter the village. The anticipation for a possible ambush proved to be short-lived. The pirates didn't find anything of the sort. Instead, they found themselves in a desolate location, modified by an unknown force.

Reverix looked all around. There were no Hooligans. There were no dragons. Reverix and his comrades had stumbled upon an empty village filled with burned-down cottages. He looked down at the grass to see if he could spot even a single drop of blood. The grass remained lush and devoid of human remains.

He couldn't imagine what had transpired in the Isle of Berk in the past several days. The smoke rising from the wreckage made him imagine the uncertainty of the Haddock family's fate. The silence arising from the village didn't help, either.

Reverix called out, "Is anyone out there?! Stoick?! Valka?! Can you hear me?!"

Only more silence had followed.

The pirates inspected the cottages, despite half of them being reduced to charred residue. Furlock provided a few updates to Reverix.

"So far, we haven't found any bodies. It's like the entire tribe had evacuated the island as quick as possible."

Reverix slid his fingers across his thick black beard. "I'm sure a battle took place here."

Furlock rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "We would have found bodies if that were true. Maybe they had a thunderstorm, and fierce lightning had something to do with it."

He slowly narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe the dragons finally had enough and turned on their masters."

"It's possible. Come on, follow me. Let's take a look at the Main Hall."

Reverix, Furlock, Denin, and several other pirates found the doors to the Main Hall unhinged and lying on the floor. Once they entered the building, they suspected foul play. The tables had been turned over. Several drops of blood had been imprinted on the floor. And, much to Reverix's dismay, the portraits hanging on the wall had been smeared with what appeared to be black paint. The images of Stoick and his son Hiccup were now obscured by some sinister motive.

Now more concerned than before, the visitors turned their attention toward the Haddock House. The rooms remained empty, as if the family that occupied it had just moved out without even taking their own possessions.

Reverix didn't even realize that he breathed a little heavier than usual. The drops of blood in the Main Hall, as well as the desecrated portraits caused this sudden anxiety. Everything felt so normal during his previous visit to the Isle of Berk. He remembered the fun times. He remembered Hiccup and his friends pulling a hilarious prank that led to Reverix rolling on the floor and laughing. Now, he could only wonder where the twenty-year-old heir had run off to.

Now, he assumed the worst. When he returned to the Main Hall, Denin had found something lying alongside a table that had been torn in half in the center. He left it on the floor to show his uncle. Reverix closed his eyes for a moment. This nightmarish scenario grew even worse. He crouched down and picked up the piece of metal lying on the floor. He knew what it was. He had seen Hiccup wear it all the time.

Furlock gazed at it and asked, "What is that?"

Reverix let out a deep sigh. "It's Hiccup's left leg."

The prosthetic leg had been partially smeared with the same black paint that had remained on the portraits. Reverix touched it. It stuck to his fingertips. He wiped it away on his coat.

"It's very dry. And it doesn't smell like paint at all."

Denin shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it's squid ink."

"There are no squids in the Barbaric Archipelago."

Furlock kept his eyes on the portraits hanging on the wall. "Well, whatever it is, someone was really uncouth enough to spread it around."

Reverix handed the prosthetic leg to his nephew as he gave a little groan. "I don't understand this. I really wish I had seen everything that happened here."

Denin looked around. "It's so weird. This place is a complete mess."

He looked down at the piece of metal in his hands. "What I don't get is...why did Hiccup leave this behind?"

Neither Reverix nor Furlock had time to answer that question. Another pirate appeared from the front entrance, almost out of breath.

He yelled, "We found a survivor!"

They wasted no time in running out of the Main Hall and joining the other pirates in the center of the village. They had circled around the permanent resident who lay flat on the grass.

Reverix had been informed that the old woman had just appeared out of nowhere and collapsed immediately to the ground. He looked to see her as a short and broad figure. Right away, he knew who she was.

"Gothi!"

He fell to his knees and took her hand. Her clothes had been tattered, her hair left in a disorderly state. Her eyes were closed, but Reverix felt determined to get a few important answers from her.

"Gothi, can you hear me?"

He lightly slapped her on the cheek. Furlock and Denin stood nearby as they waited for her revival.

Reverix whispered, "Come on, Gothi. Wake up."

Finally, the old woman opened her eyes. She remained silent as usual.

"Look at me. It's Reverix. Remember me? I'm here to help you."

He hoped to see a little smile, but it didn't form on her face.

He asked, "Do you feel weak?"

She slowly shook her head.

Reverix snapped his fingers at his comrades. "Bring me a scroll and a pen."

He waited for one of the pirates to hand him the exact items required for communication. He placed the pen in Gothi's hand and placed the paper scroll flat on the ground beside her.

"I need you to tell me what happened."

Gothi didn't write anything just yet.

Reverix didn't surrender his motives just yet. "Where are Stoick and Valka?"

Gothi took her time writing the first word on paper, even as she kept her eyes on Reverix. The man beside her started to pay close attention to see the answer.

When she finished, she had written only one word.

Somewhere

Denin immediately crouched down and remarked, "Gothi, I found Hiccup's leg. Why did he leave this behind? What happened to him?"

Gothi's eyes suddenly grew wide. Reverix could sense the silent outburst of fear in her eyes. Her hands started to shiver.

Reverix tried to calm her down. "It's okay. You're safe here with us. Just please...tell us what happened to Hiccup."

Gothi's entire body started to shake. Despite that, she had enough strength to write her response on the scroll.

Reverix, Furlock, and Denin looked to see the answer.

Stolen

Suddenly, Gothi closed her eyes and stopped shivering. Reverix checked her pulse and found it to be normal.

"She's unconscious."

He ordered two of the female pirates to take care of her.

He picked up the scroll and couldn't look away at the word written at the bottom when asked of Hiccup's whereabouts.

Stolen

Without hesitation, Reverix squeezed the paper scroll in his hands. He didn't know whether to be frightened or furious. He stood up straight and made an important announcement to his troop.

"We are not leaving this island just yet. Everyone try and stay sharp, because a thorough investigation is about to begin."

TO BE CONTINUED...