HTTYD © DreamWorks
Hookfang grumpled angrily, smashing his long tail against the bottom of the trap, his eyes narrowed to slits. The dragon had been unbound of the thick chains around his body but now was pacing around in the tight space, wings clamped tightly to his sides.
"Calm down Hookfang," Snotlout snapped, sending a frost glare towards the Nightmare as he moved around again, squishing his large body against the trap walls. "We can't get out yet. For all we know we're still on Drago's stupid ship."
Hookfang shot Snotlout an affronted glare as he dug his talons against the jaws of the trap, most likely hoping he could open them and escape. Snotlout shook his head quietly, signaling his dragon to quiet as he heard the sound of a few of Drago's henchmen walk by, one of them muttering something unintelligible under his breath. Hookfang stopped moving, his back tensing slightly as he shifted closer to Snotlout, wings wrapping around his rider protectively.
"Lift the traps!" a sudden voice boomed, closely followed by a loud creaking noise.
"What the Hel," Snotlout muttered to himself, glancing at Hookfang, who shrugged his wings and shifted even close to Snotlout as they felt the trap sway and creak. They must be moving us with Drago's dragons, Snotlout realized as he felt the trap lowering then roughly being placed on the ground.
Hookfang snorted uneasily as screech and roars of Drago's machines, followed closely by an even more unsettling, and unnatural, screech of metal on metal. Snotlout and Hookfang both cried out in pain, Hookfang smashing his head into the edge of the trap walls, trails of his kerosene flames leaking from his mouth.
Snotlout clenched his hands into fists, pulling at his hair painfully as the ear-splitting screeching noise continued, echoing through the metal enclosure of the dragon trap. Suddenly the noise was cut out at the sound of an enraged roar, followed by screams of pain. Human pain.
Snotlout winced at the screams of pain, some being cut off freakishly fast while others drag on for what seemed forever. Snotlout shook his head, clearing away the distant wails of dying humans - and dragons- as he glanced towards Hookfang, who was looking at him with a worried glance.
"It's ok Hookfang. Really."
A deep voice, one Snotlout clearly recognized as Drago's sounded through the battlefield, filling Snotlout with unfettered anger. "Open the traps! Kill any dragon that tries to escape!"
Moments after his command Snotlout could hear the trap release being cranked open, then suddenly a loud explosion blasted near Snotlout's trap, rocking him backwards in shock. "Ruff! Tuff! Hookfang Let's go!" Snotlout yelled, lunging onto his dragon's saddle, holding onto his horns as the Nightmare bolted from the trap, wings sending men flying in every direction.
"Haha!" Snotlout whooped, pumping his fist in the air as Hookfang swerved around, following the Twins and their Zippleback closely as they dove towards Drago's machines. Ruffnut and Tuffnut blasted past, heading towards a long line of dragon traps. Meatlug and Fishlegs shot past, the Gronckles losing a blast of lava and a catapult launcher, blasting it and the men around it into pieces. Snotlout's eye caught on a large machine shaped like a Deadly Nadder, the men loading a huge bolt of metal inside it's jaws.
"OK Hookfang, let's blast it." Hookfang snorted in response then dove, wings pulled to his side as he opened his maw and blasted the machine, melting the wood and metal useless.
"Oh yeah! That's the way to do it!" Snotlout roared, scratching his dragon's horns happily. Hookfang snarled, twisting his body sideways as an armored dragon raced their way, it's gray skin blotched with flashes of red. Hookfang snapped his legs outwards, sharp black talons raised as he and the enemy dragon smashed into each other, Hookfang swinging the other dragon around as he drove his wing talons through the skin of the gray dragon. Hookfang roared as he threw the enemy dragon away, winging over in time to see a huge explosion over the line of traps, Stormfly and Barf and Belch rocketing away from the destroyed traps.
"Follow them Hookfang!" Snotlout commanded, ducking as another armored dragon flew towards them, its maw creaking open, flames flickering at the edges of its jaws. Hookfang noticed the dragon and with an unexpected twist of his body, racked huge talons across the dragon's wing, ripping the soft membrane useless. Hookfang turned away as the dragon fell towards the snowy ground, diving towards the Twins and their dragon in time to see Ruffnut fall from Barf's neck, screams of "Eret son of Eret!" escaping from her mouth.
Time seemed to slow as Hookfang raced towards Ruffnut, wings pressed to his body at the same time as Ruffnut fell closer and closer to the ground. Within a mere second Snotlout felt a sharp tug on his arm and he glanced down slightly to see Ruffnut's happy grin then her eyes shifted to her other arm which Fishlegs had caught.
Ruffnut's infectious smile arched across her face across her face as she glanced back at Snotlout, her electric blue eyes glittering with thanks.
Fishlegs looked over to Snotlout as their dragons dodged another bolt from one of Drago's machines, "I'll bring her back to Tuffnut Snotlout. You help the others."
"No! Hookfang is more maneuverable than Meatlug and you know I can get her to safety before you and Meatlug could!" Snotlout snarled, Hookfang miming him with his own snarl of rage aimed towards Meatlug.
Fishlegs seemed to bristle slightly as he opened his mouth in protest but Ruffnut interrupted him, "Stop fighting with each other guys. The enemy is out there, and my arms hurts, so I'll ride with Hookfang till I find my brother."
"But Ruffnut! Meatlug will protect you!" Fishlegs protested, attempting to snatch Ruffnut to him but she slipped her arm out of his grasp, hooked her boots against the Nightmares shoulders and heaved herself up to Hookfang's back nimbly. Snotlout shot Fishlegs a smug look, to which the larger man pouted moodily in response, as Hookfang ducked his wings and shot away from the Gronckle and her rider, heading towards Tuffnut and Barf and Belch. Snotlout looked backwards towards Ruffnut, raising an eyebrow in shock at the sight of the blond Viking standing on Hookfang's back, her eyes tracking the movement of her brother and dragon. Hookfang bent his wings and dove, closing in on Tuffnut and Barf and Belch until he was behind the Zippleback, who was sending sprays of gas into soldiers faces. Hookfang angled himself next to Barf and Belch, allowing Ruffnut to leap onto Barf's neck, sliding into her saddle as her brother sent her a small, relieved smile.
A sudden chill ran through Hookfang, his wings halting for a mere fraction of a second as a deep roar, reminiscent of that of the Red Death, echoed through the battlefield. Snotlout and the Twins both turned towards the roar in time to see a huge white dragon blast a stream of ice into a fairly large portion of Drago's army, quickly followed by a large group of dragons, one of which was a strange four-winged dragon with a rider on its back.
"An ice-spitter? That's what It must have meant!" Ruffnut said as she and Tuffnut shot downwards, Barf shooting a long bursts of gas over a large group of soldiers. Hookfang followed close behind, lighting the large swath of gas ablaze, men catching fire with terrified screams.
"Oh yeah! That's how we do it!" Tuffnut yelled as the huge dragon shot another burst of ice at Drago's army, encasing machines and man alike in its deadly throes. The dragon whipped it's head sideways, huge tusks annihilating Drago's weapons into useless splinters as the white dragon advanced forwards, men running from its huge feet.
"Snotlout follow us!" Tuffnut called, pointing in the direction of another large swath of armored dragons, and with a deep screech Barf and Belch shot towards the dragons, Hookfang following suit quickly. One of the dragons, this one larger than most of the rest, smashed into the Twin's Zippleback, digging its claws deep into his chest. Barf screeched in pain as Belch drove his teeth into the dragon, trying in vain to throw the enemy of him. Seeing the trouble the Twins were in Snotlout urged Hookfang faster, and with a snap of his wings the Nightmare drove towards the enemy dragon, twisting his body as he hooked his large black talons into the dragon's armor, throwing it off the Zippleback.
"We had it!" Ruffnut snarled, though she did give Snotlout and Hookfang a thankful smile quickly. Snotlout let a small smile cross his face in response, face warming slightly as the blond warrioress rolled her eyes teasingly.
"Let's go." Ruffnut said to her brother and Snotlout to which Snotlout nodded and urged Hookfang forwards, dodging a blast of green fire with an expert twirl from Hookfang.
"Good job-"
A deep thrum sounded through the air, one so loud that Drago's dragons stopped fighting for a second, instead glancing downwards towards the beach where Drago's ships were. Snotlout looked down in time to see a huge darker colored dragon, much like the white ice-spitting one, burst from the water, tusks smashing into the surf with a large splash.
Fishlegs and Meatlug shot by, Fishlegs screaming something about Class Ten or something close to that, but Snotlout had no time to care about such trivial things at the moment.. Hookfang followed closely behind Meatlug, ducking away from the huge ice-spitter heading towards the slightly smaller white one. A black streak followed by Toothless' familiar eerie whine filling the air as he blasted apart a trap shaped like a Monstrous Nightmare.
The sound of beasts clashing echoed through the air, deep rumbling screams of anger chilling the air. Hookfang swerved under another enemy dragon, flipping upside down as he drug his back talons across the stomach of the dragon, hot blood splattering the Nightmare with a hissing sizzle.
"Hookfang you ok?" Snotlout asked, scratching at his dragon's horns softly. Hookfang growled in response, flapping away from the flock of dragons with a mocking roar. When Hookfang turned Snotlout got a full view of the two fighting behemoths, the darker one staining an advantage a as it threw the a head of the white one upward, smashing its head and vaginitis the white dragon.
Come on! Fight back! Snotlout urged as the dark dragon forced the white one to smash to the ground, its roar of pain eerie. Hookfang put on a burst of speed as time seemed to slow, the dark dragon shoving its large tusks into the stomach of the vulnerable ice-spitter. "No..."
Faintly Snotlout could hear Hiccup's gasp below him and Hookfang's sad moan hastened Snotlout to stroke the Nightmare on his horns in an attempt to sooth him.
"You're alrig-"
Hookfang's whole body shuddered harshly, shutting Snotlout up, as the triumphant dragon reared its head upwards, letting loose a roar that clearly said it had won. Snotlout watched in horror as the dragons previously fighting for them moved to land in front of the evil ice-spitter, bowing heads and wings submissively. The men who had been fighting for their lives against the dragons now halted, some slowly beginning to unload nets and steel shots from the few remaining machines.
"They think they won?" Snotlout jumped slightly at the sound of Tuffnut's voice beside him. Glancing sideways he saw the Twins and Barf and Belch hovering beside him, the green Zippleback hissing angrily, eyes narrowed to viscious slits. "Let's show them we Berkians don't retreat in a fight!" At these words the blond Viking and his sister dove straight towards the mass of men moving their equipment towards the ships.
"No Ruffnut wait!" Snotlout yelled fearfully, urging Hookfang after the Twins. Hookfang screeched and dove after them, long tail whipping with a fiery rage as his wings folded to his sides, gaining speed easily. Hookfang zoomed over a small unit of men, sending a gout of deathly flames over their bodies, slicing away into the sky with the echo of dying screams. Snotlout looked down, gauging the damage he and the Twins were doing to the rest of Drago's army when he noticed the Twins and their Zippleback racing towards a large trap holding a thrashing Nightmare. Barf and Belch acted quickly, swinging their tail as they zipped past the trapped Nightmare, releasing the green and orange dragon with a triumphant yell.
Suddenly Snotlout's eye caught the sight of a man, axe raised above his head, standing over the body of a young Nightmare, who was attempting to snap at the man's legs in retaliation. "There!" he yelled, twisting Hookfang around in the direction of the man. Hookfang's back talons snapped open as he neared the man, snatching the man just as his axe began to fall towards the wounded Nightmare's neck. The red dragon spiraled upwards with the man clutched in his talons, halting high above the battlefield with a jarring flare of wings.
"Let go off me you filth!" the man snarled as he smashed his fist against Hookfang's talons desperately. Hookfang snarled in response, slowly loosening his hold on the man, letting him slip downwards ever so slightly. The man squeaked in terror as he looked down on the battlefield, latching his arms and legs around Hookfang's sharp talons fearfully..
Snotlout looked down at the guy, a smug smile plastered across his face as Hookfang loosened his grip even more. "You asked for me to drop you so goodbye!" The man's eyes opened and then he was gone, arms flailing in the sky as he disappeared into a small puff of snow.
Hookfang puffed steam from his nostrils, turning in the direction of Drago's immense dragon, a strange squeak emitting from his jowls as his gaze fixed in on a point.
"What is it Hookfang?" Snotlout asked, confused until his gaze fell upon the sight of Hiccup and Toothless towered by Drago and his dragon. But something was off. Toothless was not acting his usual self, instead aiming his body towards Hiccup, wings and body lowered to the ground in a predatory stance.
"Hookfang get down there!" Snotlout commanded, to which the crimson dragon roared, diving towards Hiccup. Time seemed to slow as Hookfang closed in on Hiccup and the Night Fury, whose mouth was brimming with noxious fumes, Hookfang neared, Toothless advanced, Hiccup cried out, Hookfang was almost there, Hiccup screamed something, Toothless released his flames, ice fell, and silence ensued.
Hookfang touched down, Snotlout leaping from his saddle, running in the direction of the still floating mist, barely noticing Drago as the dragon controller walked away with a sharp smile on his face.
"Hiccup! HICCUP!" Snotlout roared, skidding to a stop at the sight of Hiccup laying in the ground, unmoving, Toothless just a few feet from both dragon riders, steam escaping his mouth slowly. Snotlout bent down, stopping as his gaze fell, not on Hiccup but a different, larger form. Stoick... No…
Snotlout couldn't think, his hands shaking as Hiccup leapt up from the ground, yelling something unintelligible and Snotlout…
Why….
Hours seemed to pass until Snotlout heard the soft cluck of Stormfly and a strangled gasp from Astrid. He turned towards Ruffnut and Tuffnut who both wore expressions of horror as their gazes fell upon Stoick's body.
Ruffnut's eyes shimmered with tears as she whispered, "No… He, Stoick… He can't be dead." Tuffnut turned to his sister, and in an unusual show of affection looped an arm around his sister, pulling her close to him. He nodded softly and Ruffnut moaned to herself, flickers of rage and sadness battling in her electric blue eyes. Snotlout looked back towards Hiccup and Stoick's… body… in time to see Hiccup roar at Toothless, hands flying as a snarl curved over his mouth. Toothless backed away and bolted, a confused cry of sadness escaping his mouth. Snotlout looked away and caught the sight of Hookfang's eyes slitting, the large red dragon taking off and flying towards Drago's beast. The Nightmare's path was quickly followed by the rest of the gang's dragons, all of whom seemed dead in expression and emotionless in flight.
"Hookfang no!" Snotlout cried as he ran after his dragon, faltering after a mere four steps, arm falling to his side. Hookfang… Snotlout turned away from the sight of his dragon abandoning him and watched as Hiccup stood up slowly and glared after Drago, who was some how controlling Toothless' tailfin, making the black dragon fly over the enemy ships as he barked something Snotlout couldn't hear to his men.
Astrid turned to Hiccup as Drago, his army, Toothless and the huge ice-spitter vanished into the horizon and water respectively, the huge swarm of controlled dragons following the rippling waves left by the humongous dragon and enemy ships.
Snotlout, Hiccup, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Astrid, Fishlegs, Eret and a lanky brown-haired women all watched silently, the Twins both sniffling quietly as Astrid attempted to comfort Hiccup, but the brown-haired man pushed her away.
He turned to the gang and said, voice shaking, "Let's find a boat. We've got work to do."