Thirty-four hours of flight between Berk and Dragon's Edge wasn't easy to travel. Especially when strong winds were rising, making your dragon's wings weaker and weaker every wingbeat of the way. And flying unsteady wasn't very comfortable.

Hiccup held tight to the handles as the wind blew Toothless from right to left. At some point, Hiccup was afraid the prosthetic tail at the end might soon let go and leave them both stranded on an island, but thankfully – so far – it held on.

They were heading back from Berk to the Edge. Usually, the flights were calm – too calm – and sometimes even boring. But this – this sort of storm was a first. Neither of them knew where it came from or why there was only wind and no rain or thunder. Only dry lightning cracks across the skies. He could see those dark storm clouds gather up ahead, and he knew this meant the Edge might be at the eye of the party.

But Hiccup's thoughts were blown away as Toothless fell down and caught himself back straight and rose once again higher.

Surprisingly, after a couple hours, the wind stopped, and the ocean below had gone quiet once again with the heavy grey clouds above and surrounding them disappearing out of view.

...

It was getting late, but Astrid was still up while everybody was asleep. For some reason, she couldn't sleep. The dragons had been acting weird for a while, but no rider could understand their worry. They wished their leader was here, since he was pretty much the only one who could understand dragons if you didn't count Fishlegs in. But since he wasn't, they'd been dealing with their crazy dragons for almost two days now.

Astrid sat in the room of the Clubhouse alone, sliding a clean rock on her axe's blade gently, her eyes almost shut as she hummed to herself. She listened to the crickets outside, singing songs along with the soft wind blowing the leaves of the nearby trees.

Suddenly, a burst of wind blew inside the Clubhouse, blowing her hair out of her face. Astrid rose her chin, her eyes wide as she paid attention outside. She noticed the sound of insects and animal activity around had vanished. She put her axe down and walked out of the building, looking out at the wide ocean. She placed a hand in front of her eyes as the wind got stronger, trying to force her eyes shut. She narrowed them as best as she could, and that's when she caught the dark clouds ahead approaching at great speed.

Astrid backed off, and rushed back inside the Clubhouse. This was one big storm coming.

She ran across the room and out of another exit. She ran across the platforms connecting their group's huts, and stopped before the first door. She swung the door upwards and called out. ''Snotlout, up! Storm coming in.'' Snotlout groaned in annoyance in response, but got up anyway.

She went and warned the others, and by the time everybody was awake, the wind was getting violent.

The dragons had been unlocked from their pens and brought with them in the Clubhouse where they were reinforcing the building with spare Gronckle Iron plates and wooden planks.

Snotlout banged the hammer against the nails in the planks he was putting up for the weaker walls, the ladder he stood on shaking from the wind. A little more and it would be impossible doing anything out here. Hookfang roared at his rider as he hammered the nails in, and before he could finish, his dragon grabbed the back of his shirt between his two jaws and hurried inside. Next thing Snotlout saw was a blown bush slam into the ladder, sending it flying far away.

''Astrid!'' called Snotlout as Hookfang dropped him to the ground. ''We need to close soon. This storm is getting crazy!''

''I know, Snotlout!'' said Astrid over the screaming wind outside. She placed up some heavy rocks down on the floor against the base of a front wall. ''We're all doing our best. But if we don't get this done, this place will be blown away before it's over. Now help me with this if you don't want to die tonight.''

Suprisingly, Snotlout didn't complain and carried the boulders to the base of the front walls of the Clubhouse, inside and outside.

The twins put up final planks at the exits from the inside while Fishlegs hammered Gronckle Iron plates to cover everything from outside on Meatlug. This storm was getting worse and they'd have to lock themselves in soon before the worst reached them.

''Alright, guys!'' called Astrid, cupping her mouth as she did. ''Time to close this thing up!''

Fishlegs and Meatlug flew in through the last entrance before the twins and their dragon closed it up and landed next to Snotlout and Astrid.

''Are we good?'' asked Fishlegs as he dismounted. They could hear the loud whistles of the wind through the cracks of the walls along with rumbles and thuds from blown objects hitting the outside of the structure.

Astrid focused her attention on the wall before her she knew was weak, holding on a hammer in a hand, her eyes narrowed on the plank. She noticed it shacking as it loosened and immediately rushed to grab it before it was carried away, leaving a big hole in their stronghold.

But the plank was already letting go as she fell to her knees to grab it, her hand reaching out in the hole at the bottom of the wall. But her hand closed on nothing else but air.

The edge where she stood cracked under her weight - as it already was weakened by the storm – and next thing Astrid knew, she was falling down, her hands clawing the air desperately until she hit the hard ground below – outside and in the middle of the storm.

...

As Hiccup and Toothless approached the base in the morning, the sky was clearing, the dark clouds from the night getting carried far away, almost already out of sight.

Hiccup wasn't sure, but as he narrowed his eyes forward, he could see wrecked buildings.

''Come on, Toothless,'' said Hiccup, patting his dragon's head. He knew his buddy was tired, but they had to hurry in case anybody was hurt. One thing for sure, that destruction couldn't have been done by the Dragon Hunters. This was this night's storm - and it hadn't made the Edge look wonderful…

Toothless landed on wreckages next to the Training Arena, his tired eyes looking around for the other dragons and riders. He roared at his rider, his eye meeting his.

''I know, bud, I don't like it either.'' said Hiccup. He dismounted and started walking towards the Clubhouse. Thing was, there wasn't anything to lead up to that building anymore. He wondered if there was anyone up there since the Clubhouse's base had been lifted by the wind and slid slightly, leaving it risked to approach.

''Guys!'' called Hiccup, cupping his mouth after he listened for a moment and didn't get anything.

''Hiccup? Over here!'' called Fishlegs' voice, and he and Toothless broke to a run towards the group of riders surrounding a pile of wreckage, grabbing the debris on the top and throwing them away.

Hiccup noticed them all here, except one person.

''Where's Astrid?'' he asked, and only received looks of guilt from the others. It's only then he realized.

Hiccup collapsed to his knees next to the debris, and grabbed one at a time, dropping it next to him. He grunted at the effort, and the rest of the incomplete team joined him, taking hold of all sorts of different wooden debris and throwing them away as far as they could.

After a minute, Hiccup's eyes landed on a pale hand, and he didn't wait a second to think – he immediately pushed down the objects on the top of the person buried underneath until she was completely uncovered.

Hiccup grabbed the unconscious Astrid by the waist and pulled her away from the accumulation of wood until he collapsed in a clearing, holding her against him. She was covered of cuts – mostly still bleeding and some so deep; they'd need to be treated.

Hiccup held her face, white as snow, and lifted up his gaze looking around at the destruction all around.

Shatter every window till it's all blown away – every brick, every board, and every slamming door flown away. Till there's nothing left standing, nothing left to yesterday.

Blown away...