"Is this it?" Ember fell back, rejoining the group as the nest came into sight.

It was a place of borders, a stretch of coast that bubbled with what appeared to be hot springs. There were no natural caves or nests. In their place stood oddly textured lumps of rocks, spread across the beach. When a Gronckle emerged from one such rock and flew off it became apparent that the rocks were artificial, created by the lava spewing Gronckles of this pack. Other dragons of all kinds rested on top of the structures. Above it all dozens of dragons flew, the young playing roughly while the older dragons supervised and spoke among themselves.

It was not peaceful, the tumult audible from quite a distance. Shrieks of every emotion overlaid the murmur and rumbles of scores of dragons conversing and just making noise.

Thorn glanced at the rock structures. "This is definitely it. Storm described those shelters in less than glowing terms. Apparently, they are cramped and always wet, slowly sinking into the sand over time."

"Good to know. I'm not going in any of those." Beryl shuddered mid-flight. "That does not sound fun at all."

"We're not here to have fun..." Ember began, stopping as he thought of something. "Actually, nevermind. Beryl, Spark."

"Still here!" Beryl yelled back.

"While we're here, ask around. We want to know about any odd happenings, any storms or sudden weather changes. Anything that might have caught Storm unawares."

"What if we find Storm? Do you want to know?" Spark asked playfully.

"Yes, I do!" Ember growled and snapped at Spark. "Go, my information-seekers!" With that Beryl and Spark split away from the group, heading towards the main mass of dragons. They disappeared into the flock quite easily, obscured by the riot of colors around them.

"As for us, how do we find the alpha?" Ember was pretty sure there would be one. Berk's pack didn't have one, but that was a conscious decision, probably as a result of being enslaved by their last leader. Or maybe Astrid counted. He hadn't taken the time to check before he left Berk for the last time.

"Easy, he is the Self-burning-dragon coming out to meet us." Herb turned his good eye towards Ember. "Be respectful, he is very likely not in the mood to bandy insults."

"Anyone is if you try hard enough!" was Ember's flippant reply. He circled his Sire and Dam in midair, subtly eyeing the approaching dragon, the supposed alpha of this nest.

It was a Monstrous Nightmare, one of the largest he had ever seen, a deep blood-red in color. The dragon carried himself with an air of confidence, though Ember wasn't entirely sure if that came from the dragon's alpha status or naturally dominant size and coloration.

"Green like the ground in the spring," the Nightmare began as he came closer, "grey like the stone of our homes, and orange as a fading blaze. You enter my territory." His voice was deep, if almost uninterested. "And you sent the sun and shadow ahead without permission." That was said slyly, as if the Nightmare expected a certain response.

Before Herb could respond, Ember decided to test this alpha's temper. "The sun and shadows go everywhere and are free spirits. Who among us controls them?" He tried to keep a straight face. Now, to see if this Nightmare was comfortable bandying metaphors with someone who could fight back, so to speak. Really, calling Spark and Beryl the sun and shadow made it far too easy to deflect that veiled accusation, though it was an apt metaphor.

The alpha Nightmare growled angrily, turning to face Ember specifically as he replied. "I do if they enter my territory. What are they to you, orange and insolent one?"

"My sons, and dangerous warriors who have grounded far greater enemies than you," Ember answered flatly. "As have I. But we do not come to challenge you and have no interest in either residing here or taking over." Best to defuse that worry. He knew Night Furies were seen as powerful, and it was possible, even likely, that the alpha here would see five of them as a dire threat. Some of Stoick's preliminary chiefing lessons had sunken in, apparently.

"Visitors sometimes bring gifts, to pay for the inconvenience of extra bodies in the shelters, which are so difficult to make and therefore precious." The Nightmare rumbled slyly, continuing in a carefully neutral tone of voice. "It is my right to detain the two who have trespassed until such gifts can be brought, as is custom."

"You would make a mistake grave enough to possibly be your last, holding prisoner one who has suffered grounding in the past." Ember retorted, mentally preparing to fight if need be. "I did not exaggerate. You are nothing compared to a six-eyed-mountain-sized Queen. We have grounded the latter, do not make us ground you too." Grounding was an interesting term because it had two interconnected meanings. When applied to Beryl, it clearly meant being injured in such a way as to be denied the sky. When applied to the Queen, on the other hand, Ember made it clear in his tone that he meant the other meaning of the term, death. By using both meanings in his statement, Ember had left the last use of the term ambiguous. The alpha did not know for certain which threat Ember meant, and which he did not. Threatening an alpha with death was actually somewhat normal, and not unexpected in these circumstances if usually not truly meant. However, threatening to physically ground an alpha was a very dangerous thing to say, and only a very overconfident or very dangerous dragon would do it, as it could not be taken back, a dire insult that undermined the alpha's authority and honor if left unavenged.

Ember knew all of this because the last week had given him plenty of time to think, some of which he had spent pulling up old memories of what Herb had taught him. He had been intrigued by his Sire's story. The memories were coming in handy now.

A long moment passed in which the Nightmare digested what Ember had said, and probably puzzled over what he had meant. Finally, it responded in a dangerous voice. "You are a very clever dragon, to issue an unrecoverable challenge in such a way that no one can prove it. I do not want you here. What is your business with my territory?"

Herb took his chance and tried to salvage some of the conversation. Ember listened on in amusement. "We are only here to search for news of my daughter, who has not returned home. Your help would be very much appreciated."

The alpha Nightmare snorted. "You know how to speak with proper respect. I do recall a dark wing, one whose markings remind me of the storms of summer, the blue and grey clouds that herald floods."

"Was she here this season-cycle?" Thorn asked anxiously.

"Yes, I believe she was." The alpha shook his head. "Our nest has been troubled lately by No-scaled-not-prey, who hunt these waters and these shores. I do not remember your daughter leaving, but my attention is sought by many of my subjects, so that is not surprising."

"Do we have your permission to seek news of her among your subjects?" Herb sounded almost subservient. It made Ember's blood boil, even if he knew it was an act. His Sire was not one to bow to another.

Something else about what the Nightmare had just said nagged at Ember, but he dismissed it as unimportant, unsure as to what was bothering him about such a straightforward statement.

"You and the grey one do. The orange one does not and will never have my leave to enter my territory," the alpha declared almost smugly, glaring at Ember. "I fear he would enter and never leave. He is devious enough to try and topple me if I give him an opening. That is my final decision."

"No big deal," Ember said lightly. He had been expecting something similar. The alpha needed a way to assuage his wounded pride. "I'll just hang around. I can catch up to you guys when you leave."

"We will accept your offer, alpha." Herb managed to duck his head midair as a sort of bow, though it was not much of a bow thanks to the stocky neck structure Night Furies possessed. "Ember, we will leave at the South edge by nightfall."

"Got it." Ember smiled widely at the alpha, who clearly had no idea what to make of the alien gesture. "So, alpha, is the talking in descriptions custom or just your own little way of messing with people?"

Thorn and Herb, who were already flying away, did not hear him. The alpha, on the other hand, hesitated before answering solemnly. "Usually, it impresses on newcomers the proper weight of the situation and my title."

"So it's your idea." Ember shrugged. "I suppose it works on most dragons."

"All but the most irreverent." The alpha shot back, rumbling in amusement. It seemed much of his smugness and weight of authority were affected, as they had faded away now.

"That's me," Ember agreed, "the least respectful dragon around."

"And the most dangerous," The alpha growled, suddenly grave. "I do not know what it is about you just yet, but there is something that clings to your shadow, an impression that I cannot shake. It is unnatural, and yet a part of you. I tested you, but you did not reveal it. Threatening, but with a fraction of what you may be capable of."

"Back to speaking in metaphors?" Ember tried to hide his unease. A few years ago he would have laughed at the idea of anything supernatural, at unnatural things clinging to his shadow. But now, knowing that the description was in a very real way scarily accurate, he was far less certain about what he had once taken for granted.

"Sometimes metaphors are the only way to describe what I can see." The Nightmare responded solemnly. "I did not receive this position through size or power. I see things, and they help me make decisions others struggle with. The dragons of the nest know this and respect my opinions. When our last alpha fell, they put me in his place without even asking."

"Well, I can't really argue it." Ember shook his head. "Don't worry, that thing in my shadow is only as dangerous as I let it be. Also, we're flying. What shadow are you looking at?"

The Nightmare snorted, turning to fly away. "The shadow in your eyes, of course. The eyes are the easiest pathway to what lies within. Anyone who knows that can see what I see." He was out of speaking distance before Ember could think of anything to say in response to that.

It was going to be a long, unsettled wait, alone with his troubled thoughts.

O-O-O-O-O

True to their word, Herb and Thorn emerged from the flocking throngs of dragons shortly before sunset, followed by Spark and Beryl. The group set down further along the beach, almost out of sight of the odd rock structures that declared that part of the beach a nest.

"So, any luck?" Ember asked his Sire first, knowing Spark and Beryl probably had quite a bit to say regardless of whether they had learned anything relevant to the search.

"More than I like," was Herb's cryptic reply, laden with dread. "The dragons here are mostly content, and many remember Storm. She was here several turns of the moon ago, but no one seems to know when she left."

"That," Thorn added, "is bad on its own. But I have found through careful inquiries that many dragons have disappeared from this nest, several around the same time as Storm. It is a worrying pattern."

"Sire, we have more to add to that." Beryl looked to Spark, who nodded. "I speak for both of us. We determined, through asking the younger dragons, that there was a worrying activity going on."

"What?" Ember could hear an odd mix of amusement and worry in Beryl's tone.

"The younger dragons, having lost several friends to No-scaled-not-prey ships in the area, are planning to attack the next ship. When asked if we would join, Spark and I did not commit, but we implied we would, to get them to explain a bit more. Once they were sure of our intentions-"

"Sure that we wouldn't tell their alpha, which we really should-" Spark objected.

"-In any case, they are planning to attack because they lost friends. We believe Storm may have been among those taken. They spoke of 'even the dark-wing's fire' not being enough, though only in passing, likely not wanting to scare us off." Beryl growled. "They are fools, to attack again after failing once, with no more of a plan than before."

"You say taken, not killed," Ember noted with a small measure of relief and surprise. Taking dragons alive was not normal of Vikings. "Why is that?"

"These ships that sail this coast are not normal." Beryl shifted. "The dragons spoke of green metal cages and imprisoned dragons. They are unaware that that is significant, but we both know better."

"Yes, we do." Ember elaborated for the Furies who had not lived among Vikings or been a Viking. "Those cages are not a Viking tool, and repeated movement of trapped dragons along the same route is very interesting. It's probably a dragon hunter transport route." He knew little of hunters, though they had been a subject of passing concern in the weeks after waking from his coma. A far-away problem that would not become important for some time. Back around Berk, hunters were rare. Here, it seemed, they were far more active.

"What has become of Storm then?" Thorn asked worriedly.

"If she was taken alive, they would simply add her to their shipment of dragons." Ember reasoned through the logic of the situation. "Those ships are carrying live dragons, which means they're probably selling them alive. No one would transport a living dragon when they could just-" He cut himself off.

"Just what?" Spark asked.

"They would just kill the dragons and transport the bodies if they didn't need them alive." Ember snarled, hating to say it. "Dragon scales, teeth, claws, and horns are sold and bought, but those do not decay, so it would be less of a hassle. If Storm was taken, she will be unharmed, if a captive to be sold at some place of business. Wherever they take their captives at the end of this route."

"So we follow the next ship-" Thorn began.

"No," Ember cut her off. "They will either try to catch us or flee to the nearest port. We cannot follow without being seen."

"Then what do we do?" Spark sounded frustrated.

"Ships have parchments, parchments that will have their final destination marked on them." Ember smiled, purring as he elaborated. "We do not need to follow the ship, we only need that parchment. I can get it if I can get into the ship itself. And it just so happens there's a group of dragons planning on attacking the next ship that comes by anyway."

"We help them, get you in there, and get the parchment." Beryl finished, summing it up. "As an added bonus, we can free any dragons on that ship, take out a crew of dragon hunters, and try and make sure those idiot dragons from this nest don't die in some pointless frontal assault."

"Exactly." Ember looked around. "All in favor?"

There were no objections.

O-O-O-O-O

Time passed slowly now that they were waiting for something, not possibly racing against time. It didn't help that, even knowing some little of their plans, the alpha did not rescind his decision to keep Ember out of the nest. Beryl and Spark took turns staying outside with him, but he did not like keeping them away from some source of entertainment for no reason other than his own inability to join them.

Really, he didn't mind being kept out of the nest that much. Most dragons, from what he had observed, were somewhat simple, in much the same way that most Vikings were. He had been pleasantly surprised by how intelligent that alpha Nightmare was. Or at least, that was what he told himself to stop from disliking the restriction.

There was one benefit from not going into the nest every day as the others did. The stories of what occurred on any given day were new and fresh that night, as opposed to being old news. He was also treated to four different perspectives of any big event, meaning at least one of his family had been in a good place to see what actually happened on any given day.

Herb had spoken truthfully about certain customs being restrictive and stupid. There were several all-out brawls between males caused by a lack of available females, a lack artificially created by a web of restrictions feuds created, a maze with plenty of pitfalls. While it was true that the alpha had apparently sorted out each conflict with a very wise and calm demeanor, such conflicts would not exist if the customs did not.

In addition to spectating, Beryl and Spark worked to ingratiate themselves with the younger element of the nest, the ones planning on attacking the next dragon hunter ship. Beryl had summed the group up quite eloquently.

"Foolish, dramatic, and energetic, the dragons too old to count as fledglings and too stupid to count as adults."

It was not a flattering description, but it wasn't inaccurate either. Both Beryl and Spark often returned either amused or exasperated by some new stunt pulled by a member of the group, something that inevitably riled an older dragon up or stirred up pointless drama. It was possible that the current plan was the least pointless, if also most dangerous, endeavor they had ever attempted.

Eventually, the day came. The first stupidity, in the opinion of all of the Night Furies, was that the attack was to occur in broad daylight.

Ember squinted out at the horizon. "That's it?"

"Apparently." Beryl had landed, panting, right in front of Ember a moment ago, having brought the news as soon as one of the group of adolescents preparing to attack had sighted it. Spark had gone to ready Thorn and Herb.

"Any word on how many humans, what kind of weapons?" Surely the one who had seen it would have checked-

"Nope." Beryl snorted in disgust. "She didn't even think to check."

"Okay then." Ember leaped into the air, knowing Beryl would follow. "Let's go get what we need before these idiots get themselves killed."

O-O-O-O-O

"Three net-launchers and two dedicated archers," Beryl reported. "At least we know what net launchers look like, thanks to them." He motioned towards the attack that had just begun. Two Nadders, three Gronckles, and one Zippleback were in various state of disarray, shrieking and circling the ship, clearly signaling their intentions and giving the hunters plenty of warning.

"Pathetic," Ember growled. Herb and Thorn looked like they agreed. The five Furies were watching from the clouds, knowing that the hunters would be too distracted by the obvious threat to notice them.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Beryl looked to Ember.

"Hunters will probably be pretty good at hitting us if we give them a chance." Ember laughed sourly. "But they aren't looking straight up. I say we make use of this helpful distraction. Drop right into the middle, and attack from there."

"Sounds like a plan!" Beryl folded his wings and dove. The rest of them followed after him, slowing their descent just enough to prevent the signature whistle of air that accompanied most Night Fury bombing runs.

Silent and quick, the five Furies dropped lower, aiming at the middle of the ship. The hunters were all at the edges, watching the circling dragons who were so clearly about to attack. The first thing the dozen or so hunters knew of their utter defeat was the splintering cracks that five multi-ton dragons elicited from the deck of the ship as they landed and sprung into action.

Thorn and Herb disposed of the hunters, killing and throwing overboard with equal enthusiasm. Herb especially cut a vicious and imposing sight with one bad eye always leering at his opponents. Beryl and Spark dismantled, through tooth and talon, the net launcher and any suspiciously weapon-like machinery on deck.

Meanwhile, Ember ducked out of sight for a moment and shifted into his human form when no one, dragon or human, was looking. It was a bit dangerous with dragons around intent on killing any human on board, but he needed to get into the captain's cabin, and that would be much easier as a human.

Luckily, the ruckus the adolescent would-be raiders caused had pulled what appeared to have been all of the hunters above deck, so Ember ran into no hunters on the way to what looked like the captain's cabin. He pulled the door open cautiously, a knife in hand. It was a throwing knife, like most of the dozen knives he carried on himself at all times. He had swapped out the other types of knives at a village some months ago, choosing to play to the perfect aim Ember's memories gave even his human form.

He still remembered his life as Hiccup, it just wasn't relevant anymore. Thus he thought of himself as Ember and felt no disconnect. When one has two identities merged together, one does not put any particular importance in which identity one uses at any given time. If they both refer to the same person, what does it matter?

The captain was not inside, and the cabin itself was quite plain, save for a stuffed Terrible Terror in the corner. Ember shivered in distaste, moving to the desk. As expected, there were quite a few parchments there, one of which the map he had anticipated.

Taking a quick glimpse to be sure it was the right one, Ember noted that the hub Storm had likely been taken to was quite extensive, and seemed to be the center of operations in this area, akin to the center of a wheel, transportation routes extending out in all directions like the spokes. He quickly rolled the map up and tucked it away under a piece of his leather armor. Time to make a dramatic exit. By now the deck had probably been taken entirely, and he'd rather not have his abilities widely known.

There was just enough room in this cabin to shift into his dragon form, which he promptly did. He actually wasn't sure how powerful the blue flames that facilitated his transformation were, though he'd done a few tests on the way to Thorn and Herb's home. He harbored a faint suspicion that if the cabin had been too small, the fires were capable of breaking it, and possibly the entire ship depending upon how it was built, open like an egg.

Or he might be crushed. It really wasn't something he wanted to test too strenuously, given the likely result of accidentally surpassing any hidden limits the power might have. He knew it could bend iron bars, given the right leverage, but beyond that was uncertain.

Regardless, he was now physically stuck in a cabin not much bigger than he was. Good thing it was made of wood. He began flaming the ceiling, chuckling to himself as the stuffed Terror somehow caught on fire from a piece of debris. Who knew how that was even possible, given that Terrors were fireproof on the outside.

The roof soon gave in, revealing the sun, the sky, and several very confused adolescent dragons, one of which almost fell into the hole he had just created.

"Watch your step!" Ember called out, before climbing out onto the deck. "Coming up!"

Beryl stared at him, his eyes shining in amusement. "Got it?"

"Yup." Ember considered the bystanders. "There aren't any hidden secrets in the captain's cabin. I made very sure." He grinned.

"We freed the dragons below deck." Spark pointed to another, larger hole on the other end of the ship's deck. "They say thanks, or would if they knew you existed." He looked to the side of the ship, where a quickly shrinking group of dragons was flying away as fast as their wings could carry them.

"Well, looks like everything turned out-" Ember was interrupted by a growl. He turned to see the Nightmare alpha, looking displeased. "Yes?"

"This is a bit close to my territory," the alpha pointed out, "and I do not like that you recruited-"

"Hold on a second." Ember raised a claw. "These idiots," he gestured towards the offended adolescent dragons, "came on their own. If I had gotten a chance to talk to them, they would at least have come in with a plan. My family and I are only here to find Storm."

"On a random No-scaled-not-prey ship?" The alpha looked skeptical.

"No one said it was a good plan, but we have a good idea as to where to go now." Ember shot back. "We'll be on our way."

"Then I wish you good luck." The alpha nodded to Herb, Thorn, Beryl, and Spark in turn. "And you, insolent one, I would give some advice."

"I'm listening..." Ember didn't want to admit it, but he did want to know what the Nightmare would say, even if it would probably be some generic saying about-

"The darkness within you is not what you think." The alpha leaned closer, speaking only for Ember to hear. "It is not your capability for immortality or your split soul, but something far more mundane and insidious. Do not fall to it."

Ember jerked back, panting. "How can you possibly-" His voice betrayed just how much those matter-of-fact words had rattled him.

"I told you, I see things in the shadows. Heed my warning." The Nightmare turned to the adolescent dragons. "And you will explain to me, as we fly back, exactly why this was a bad idea that only succeeded thanks to outside intervention."

The suitably chastened dragons followed the alpha away from the hunter ship, leaving Ember and the other Furies alone.

Ember was not at the moment in the mood to laugh at the horrified expressions he had seen on the adolescent dragons as they flew off. The alpha Nightmare saw so much, to know those things about him. It scared him that anyone could just look at him, at his eyes or otherwise, and see straight to what he was, to the things he kept secret for safety. The warning he had been given was cryptic, but a large part of him wanted to dismiss it and the alpha simply for peace of mind.

Later, he decided quickly. He'd figure out what the alpha meant later.

"Sire?" Spark looked concerned.

"What did he say?" Beryl asked, right on his brother's heels.

"Maybe it was advice for Ember himself." Herb admonished. "Many of the things that alpha tells us are not meant for other ears."

Ember noticed the way Herb had said that. "Did he tell you something too?"

"Not in so many words." Herb looked away. "Just that we would fly hard paths in the future, and to not lose hope. Hardly specific advice."

"Well," Ember decided to change the subject and get them back on track, "I know where our next path goes." He explained what he had seen on the map.

Later that night, when Ember found time to shift back and examine the map more closely, he found a name for the place Storm had probably been taken.

'Viggo Grimborn's Auction Island.' It was actually called that, with the subtitle of 'biggest dealers of dragons, both living and not.'

"This guy's got some nerve," Ember muttered. "And a lack of originality when it comes to names." Viggo Grimborn. He put a finger on the island's silhouette marked in the map. "Sorry Viggo, but you sold someone I need back. You'd better hope we can find her without tearing your little island apart in the process." Five Night Furies, one of them with a human's perspective and body to complement his dragon half. What could go wrong?

Author's Note: I dislike the 'omnipotent seer with vague warnings' trope, but I have no problem subverting it. The alpha Nightmare, I will reveal here as it is not plot-important, cannot see the future in any way, although he was not lying about seeing things. Later on, there will be a pretty good explanation as to what exactly he sees, though it's going to be pretty well disguised in the rest of what's going on at the time.