Here, have the result of me rewatching "Imperfect Harmony", some introspection, and the world's worst favorite character. Also, don't mind my choppy writing style, I was tired when I wrote this. Thanks to A_Person_Of_Worth for beta'ing!
"Alright, gang, let's land in that clearing up ahead! Looks like a good spot to spend the night."
"Finally! Hookfang's practically falling out of the sky here, and you know how he gets when he's tired." The Nightmare growled and shook, obviously annoyed, but it just proved his riders' point. "Oh yeah, Hooky, real mature."
The dragon riders had been flying all day, scouting for a supposed new island that wasn't on their maps yet. Unfortunately, it was estimated that it would take multiple days of flying to get there, and Hiccup wasn't about to have his team flying all day and night; that was the easiest way to get everyone on edge (no pun intended) and have them making mistakes. They would rest on this island (the safest one they'd encountered in a while) for the night and set off again in the morning. The island they landed on seemed perfect; plenty of trees to provide firewood, no angry dragons attacking them yet, and no people to negotiate with. Overall, this stay should be easier than some of their other rest stops.
After giving a moment for the dust to settle, Hiccup called everyone together and began task management. If they all worked at once, camp would be put together faster, and they could all get the rest they needed. The original plan was that Astrid and the twins would go scout the area before they slept to make sure it was safe, Fishlegs would tend the dragons, Snotlout would collect firewood, and Hiccup would collect water from a nearby stream. Unfortunately, nothing ever works out the way Hiccup wants, and the twins ended up going with Snotlout. Astrid was "too bossy", they said, and he wasn't willing to spend energy arguing with them tonight. Plus, it did save him from having to keep Astrid from killing them later, even if trading that problem for the inefficient, unproductive mess that is the twins and Snotlout together. Whatever, if they didn't get enough firewood because they were procrastinating, they'd just have to go out and get more. It wouldn't be his problem. The plan amended, he sent everyone off to complete their tasks.
Thankfully, it wasn't too dark yet, just becoming dusk, and it was relatively easy for Hiccup to reach his destination. In no rush, he set about filling all of the waterskins he had brought in the clear water, enjoying the relaxing environment of the forest around him. He couldn't hear any dragons nearby, which was surprising, but that didn't concern him much; it just meant that there was less risk of the group being attacked. There had been many occasions where they had gone to sleep only to find that there was some mysterious force or dragon on the island that caused them trouble. As long as they kept an eye out for Dagur and his men, they would be just fine. They would be able to hear the madman pulling up to the shores anyway, so there was little need to worry. The sound of birds and the rustling of leaves was a nice change of pace from the constant roaring and keening of dragons at night on other islands.
Hiccup was almost finished replenishing their water stores when he began to get a strange feeling that he couldn't quite place. The more he tried to ignore it, the worse it became, but he pushed it aside as best as he could. He was probably just tired from the long flight, and it was affecting his emotions. The riders had gotten up early, after all, and it was already becoming dark when they began setting up camp. Everyone could use a good night's sleep, and then they'd be right as rain and ready to continue the journey to the new island. Having finally filled the last waterskin, he stood and headed back to camp, hoping everyone had been able to work together long enough to set it up properly.
By the time he got to camp, it was nearly pitch dark, only broken up by fireflies and the light of the small fire. The sounds of birds had died down, replaced with the soft chitter of insects. All of the other riders were assembled around the fire, laying against their dragons, looking rather drowsy. Hiccup smiled to himself, glad that they could be quiet for once, and set himself beside Toothless. "Everything good here?"
Astrid nodded. "The area seems safe, but I wouldn't stay here for longer than we have to. Something feels off here."
Hiccup held back a sigh, hoping there wouldn't be any bad news. He couldn't blame her, though, he did have a weird feeling about this place. The others seemed to share that sentiment, grumbling amongst themselves. Seems he wasn't the only one who got a sort of anxiety surrounding this island.
"Don't worry, guys, we're only staying the night. We're gonna get a good night's sleep and get out there again in the morning. Does anybody object?"
The twins and Snotlout raised their hands, but Hiccup knew that they just didn't want to have to get up early (he had dealt with them complaining about being tired all morning), so he dismissed them. "Great, no objections. Let's get to sleep, we have to get up early again tomorrow." With that, he bid everyone goodnight and laid back against Toothless, closing his eyes and drifting off to the soft rumble of the dragons purring and the murmuring of the others trying to sleep.
Agh, it's been so long since I've written! This was way harder than expected, for some reason. Give me suggestions and I hope you like it!