Hey, unfortunately I still don't own How To Train Your Dragon :(. If I did, I would be devising flying machines in the shape of dragons.
Enjoy!
Iesra had somehow convinced Jay to join her on a trip through the woods on a different island to Berk. He knew that occasionally Iesra needed her own space and it was safer when someone went with her.
"So when are you and um... Aya going to get rid of the pause?"
"What?" Jay said, looking back at Iesra as she leapt down from the tree.
"Well, it's kind of obvious that you two would make a good couple."
Titan bowed his head in agreement and Jay looked at Titan with betrayal in his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be asking about Astrid and Alfie? Alfie actually has feelings towards Astrid."
Iesra frowned and shook her head.
"I don't like Astrid. There's something about her, it gives me the creeps." Iesra said slowly, choosing every word purposefully.
Jay understood some of it. For as long as he had known Iesra, the girl had been wary of humans, only Aya really knew why but big crowds or people who asked her lots of questions about herself... He had actually seen Iesra collapse when in a room full of humans. There was a reason that Iesra only really talked to the dragon riders and Gothi.
Jay said nothing on the matter but he noticed that Iesra had shifted closer to Ghost.
.
On their walk, Titan pulled back with a low bellow. Jay and Iesra looked forwards and saw a dragon trap rather well concealed on the undergrowth.
"Hiccup taught the other riders to disable them, we should go and get someone." Jay said.
Iesra rolled her eyes and picked up a rock. She threw the rock and hit the mechanism. The net sprung up and Iesra smiled.
"Must have been left from when they hunted dragons." she said.
Jay shook his head and said the mechanism was new. His work in the forge allowed him to recognise the states of metal and he was sure that the mechanism couldn't be an old one.
"So what? Not every island is as friendly as Berk. There could be a village nearby." Iesra remarked. "Or it's poachers."
Jay turned to Iesra and suggested they went back. His memories of the Wolf Fangs were still fresh. Iesra shook her head and looked at Ghost. She told him that she would just get bored. She had nothing to do until Hiccup returned from a trip with Toothless. He wasn't due back until the afternoon and Iesra had arranged to have a race with him.
"Iesra, we should go back."
Iesra sighed but nodded. She said she would lead the way back and then decided to lead Jay deeper into the forest to investigate.
.
Ghost playfully flicked his tail at Jay.
"We should have been back by now." Jay growled.
He stopped in the clearing and looked at the two dragons. Titan growled like his rider at something over Jay's shoulder.
"You've taken us the wrong way! We should have reached the coast by now."
Jay turned to face Iesra but she wasn't standing where he had excepted her to. With the revelation that there were poachers in the woods, Jay became very nervous.
"Iesra?" Jay called.
He moved to the spot Iesra had been standing and looked around. There were no signs of a struggle but Iesra was rather small and might not have been able to put up much of a fight.
"Iesra?" Jay called again.
Then something dropped out of the tree and hung in front of Jay. The young man leapt back and frowned. He watched as the teenager hung from a branch by her knees.
"You called?" Iesra giggled, hanging in front of Jay.
He growled at her immaturity but inside he was smiling.
"Did Alfie teach you that?" Jay asked, knowing Alfie was very good at climbing and always willing to teach the girls.
Iesra nodded but it came out strange because she was hanging upside-down. Jay grumbled at her that she needed to get down and she dropped to the floor.
"You need to grow up." Jay told her.
"Don't you dare ever say that to me!" Iesra gasped, clutching her heart and falling to the floor.
Jay rolled his eyes. He was getting annoyed. As much as he liked Iesra, he wasn't in the mood to spend the day walking through the forest with her, especially after she had tricked him.
"You know what, I'm going. I'll find my way back." Jay grumbled.
Iesra shook her head childishly and turned to Ghost. She made a comment that Jay couldn't hear and he climbed onto Titan. He told her to be back by night time.
Then Jay took off. Iesra watched him go and sighed. Then she turned and looked deeper in the forest. Suddenly alone, the teenager wasn't so sure of herself.
.
Iesra kept picking on. Occasionally Jay would fly over head, looking for the point that lead back to Berk. Of course Jay hadn't got a map on him and was therefore lost overhead but Iesra wasn't planning on helping him until he asked for it.
"He hasn't got a clue." Iesra remarked. "No idea what Aya sees in him."
Ghost looked at Iesra and gave her a knowing look. Iesra tried to ignore it for a few seconds but she soon broke.
"You're right; she probably doesn't see what I see in Hiccup." Iesra smirked. "And Toothless is the cutest little thing in the whole world."
Ghost continued on, rolling his eyes. Suddenly there was the snap of a trap and Ghost was hanging in the air, trapped in a net. Iesra frowned. She didn't have a knife on her. She never carried one. She only had her sling shot or a complete reliance on Ghost.
Jay would probably be able to help her free Ghost but part of Iesra didn't want to call him. She sighed and decided she would have to swallow her pride.
"Jay! Jay!" Iesra called.
.
In the woods, a group of poachers heard the calls and smiled. They had heard rumours of dragon riders and they hadn't seen any new boats. If there was a child on the island, they had to be a rider.
.
Jay heard Iesra's calls and frowned. He guessed she was pulling another prank so he stayed back. Then he heard Ghost roar and Iesra's cries got louder.
Only they weren't for Jay any more.
"Leave him alone!"
.
Iesra was struggling. She had been attacked by a group and her slingshot had really not been much help. Two men were holding her back as the others worked in getting Ghost down without the dragon escaping.
"Just let us go!" Iesra tried, trying her hardest to look innocent.
"Leave the girl alone!" a barked order came from above.
Iesra looked up and frowned as she watched Titan land in the wood.
"Let's make a deal. You leave the girl and her dragon alone and I won't burn you to a crisp." Jay snapped.
Iesra knew he hated poachers and could understand his anger. For her, poachers were scary in a way she couldn't describe. She hated anyone who tried to have power over dragons but poachers turned dragons from living belongings to dead skin bags and armour and...
The men studied Jay for a few long minutes and then a knife was placed against Iesra's neck.
"How about you come with us and we won't kill the girl."
.
Aya was not having a good day. Iesra and Jay were busy, Alfie and Astrid were sparring, Hiccup was yet to return from his morning flight, Fishlegs had made a unbelievable excuse and escaped and Snotlout was...
"How about you and me go and spend some time together in the grand hall?" Snotlout asked. "Lots of girls dream about time alone with the Snot-man."
"I think the word is bogeyman and I'm pretty sure they were nightmares." Aya answered, watching as the twins fought over something she couldn't understand.
Snotlout crossed his arms and began to pout. Aya smiled and then watched as a black dragon appeared on the horizon. She smiled.
"Hiccup! You need to deal with them, I can't do this."
She touched Tempest and he shocked her, his frustration causing his powers to go slightly haywire.
Hiccup landed Toothless just outside the academy and he rushed in, expecting a real problem.
"They're driving me nuts." Aya moaned.
"They're harmless." Hiccup said. "Just..."
He searched for the right word but came up empty. Toothless knocked against Hiccup and the teenager understood the message. He had promised that Toothless and Ghost could play a game of hide and seek.
"Where are Iesra and Ghost?" Hiccup asked.
Aya explained that Iesra was going to an of the islands.
"I think it was called... Um, Odin's Throne or..."
"Odin's Throng!" Hiccup said, guessing the name of the island. "Why on Earth would she go there?"
"She needed space. Jay went with her; she'll be fine." Aya reassured him.
Hiccup turned, going towards Toothless.
"Why did Jay let her go? He's as bad as Snotlout!" Hiccup moaned.
"What's wrong?" Aya asked.
Hiccup groaned and told Aya to stay with the others. Aya was really annoyed. She had originally wanted to go and suddenly an adventure had arose and she was being denied it.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, tell me what is going on!" Aya ordered.
"Odin's Throng is crawling with dragon poachers." Hiccup answered with an exasperated sigh.
He took off through the sky, telling Aya to stay put.
.
Jay and Iesra frowned as they watched the poachers. Their dragons had cast into deep pits with metal bars across the top to stop them from escaping. The teenagers had their hands bound behind their backs and tied to the metal grate that stopped Titan from escaping.
The poachers were a little distance away, occasionally glancing over at Jay and Iesra. They were discussing what they were going to do with the teenagers.
"You know we are never going to live this down." Jay hissed.
"I've been in worse situations." Iesra said.
One of the poachers moved towards the pair and Jay growled.
"I hate poachers." Jay said.
"Go on then, tell us what you're thinking." Iesra ordered.
Ghost roared at the sound of his rider's voice.
"Let's just leave you here to suffer for a little while longer." the man said.
.
Jay was getting annoyed at the poachers. He kept managing to control his anger and he was not struggling against the ropes.
Iesra was beginning to panic. She was uncomfortable at the idea that there was more humans that dragons and she couldn't get free.
"Iesra, calm down." Jay told her.
The poachers still hadn't made a decision about what to do with the teenagers. Jay called down at Titan and got him to fly up so Iesra could stroke him.
"What's going to happen to us?" Iesra asked.
"We'll escape them and, even if we don't, as soon as they hear we're dragon riders, they'll probably take us to another village and sell us and the others will find us." Jay assured her.
Iesra shook her head and pulled against the ropes. She wanted to see Ghost.
Then a figure moved towards them. They looked too small to be a poacher. He sat down beside Iesra and produced a knife. Jay frowned but then relaxed when the figure used the knife to cut Iesra's bonds free.
Iesra used her freedom to look at the figure.
"Hiccup?" Iesra hissed, seeing their rescuer.
Hiccup gave Iesra a nod as he moved towards Jay to free him. Then one of the poachers moved towards them. Iesra struggled to wrap the rope around her wrists so it looked like it hadn't been cut. Hiccup did the only thing he could and ducked behind Jay's larger form. The poacher smiled and reached out towards Jay. Iesra pulled out her slingshot and grabbed a rock, hitting the poacher in the forehead from close range.
"Free Jay and let's go!" Iesra hissed at Hiccup as the other poachers moved towards them.
.
Aya walked up to Alfie and Astrid. They were sitting on the ground, away from the village. Aya had been sure they were training but they seemed to be talking.
"So, Hiccup says that me, you, Iesra and him are the most..."
Alfie trailed off when he saw Aya walking up to him.
"What are you talking about?" Aya asked.
Alfie and Astrid glanced at each other and then smiled.
"The reason the outcasts were after us that day. The fact that Alvin saw us near the the Changewing pack." Alfie said.
"Oh... We should go and check on them. Me and Jay could fly over there later." Aya said.
Astrid shook her head and smiled. She said it would be fine if Aya didn't. Aya was going to sit down and have more conversation when Tuffnut came running over.
"Oh hey, Alfie, hey Astrid. Wasn't expecting to see you here." Tuffnut said, going to sit down. "I think I had something to tell you."
"Well, what is it?" Aya asked.
"Um... Ruffnut was electrocuted by Tempest." Tuffnut said. "And she's not been electrocuted before so..."
"You don't know what she's saying." Aya said.
She looked over at Alfie and Astrid and sighed. She told them she would deal with it.
.
Iesra and Jay were faster than Hiccup, not much quicker but they were ahead of him.
"We need to go back!" Iesra called.
"Our dragons are there, Hiccup!" Jay moaned.
Hiccup told them that they would get Ghost and Titan back when they were safe.
They ran into a clearing and Hiccup smiled. Toothless was standing there. The teenagers ran over to the dragon as the poachers breached the clearing.
"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup ordered.
The dragon quickly reacted and fired at the poachers. Deciding that the teenagers weren't worth the risk, the poachers turned and fled. Hiccup turned to Iesra and Jay.
"I'm going to take you two back and.."
"No." Iesra said.
"Why?"
"Just no. Ghost is still trapped in that cage and..." Iesra tried.
Jay watched the two of them argue and rolled his eyes. He was tempted to go right back and get Titan himself but he knew that, if he did, chances were that he would be captured.
"Okay, all three of us will go to rescue the dragons but we will follow Hiccup's lead." Jay said, taking control.
.
Night had fallen on Berk and Aya thought she could finally relax. She had made a system so Tuffnut could understand his twin and sent Snotlout and Hookfang home. She was lying on a hill, looking up at the sky. Suddenly she saw a pair of legs standing nearby.
She scrambled to her feet and looked at the owner of the legs.
"Stoick, what's wrong?" Aya asked.
"Hiccup didn't come home. Have you seen him since this morning?"
Aya nodded and told Stoick about Hiccup going off to Odin's Throng to find Iesra and Jay. Stoick rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Why did he go there?"
"Because Iesra and Jay were there." Aya replied.
"And why were they there?"
Aya shrugged and fell back, looking up at the stars. She paused and frowned.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." she said but wasn't completely convinced.
.
Hiccup had decided that they should wait until morning so they had light on their side. Jay was asleep and Iesra had agreed to keep watch. Hiccup couldn't sleep and neither could Toothless. Iesra was further away, looking out at the trees. She had her head resting in her hands and was looking upset. Hiccup sat up and looked at Iesra. Then Toothless pushed against Hiccup.
"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked.
Toothless pressed against his shoulder and then looked towards Iesra. Hiccup understood and got up. He moved towards Iesra and sat down next to her.
"Toothless is worried about you." Hiccup said with his normal smile.
Iesra didn't react. She kept looking out at the forest. Hiccup sighed.
"I know you miss Ghost." Hiccup said. "But I can't have you pulling a Snotlout on me and disobeying what I say."
Iesra looked at him. She had tears in her eyes.
"I can't remember spending a night without him unless we've both been captured."
There was silence between the two and then Iesra shifted uncomfortably.
"I know its hard when your dragon is captured. Toothless is my best friend and..." Hiccup sighed.
Toothless walked over to the two of them and Hiccup put his hand on Toothless.
"So how did you meet Ghost?"
"He saved my life once and..." Iesra trailed off.
"Hasn't stopped doing it since?" Hiccup finished.
Iesra smiled and nodded. She looked back at Jay and shifted.
"And we kinda need Ghost." Iesra added.
Hiccup nodded and turned to her.
"Bet you that you can't think of a single person on Berk that I can't impersonate." Hiccup said.
.
Jay woke up to the sound of laughter.
"Seriously, dragons now?" Hiccup laughed.
"Yes. You told me you could do anyone." Iesra challenged.
Jay rolled over and watched as Hiccup studied Toothless and then got onto his hands and knees. He angled his head in the same way Toothless did and opened his mouth.
"I'm a big scary Night Fury and... Oh no, is that a fish!"
Hiccup went bounding off and Iesra laughed harder. Jay got up and frowned.
"Did you two even think about sleeping?" Jay asked.
Iesra and Hiccup stopped laughing to look at Jay. He sighed and got up.
"We should get going if we're ever going to save our dragons." Jay said.
Hiccup nodded, getting up. Iesra and Jay were already moving away through the woods. Toothless turned to Hiccup, huffed and then turned away.
"I was trying to cheer her up." Hiccup teased. "You would have done the same if it was Stormfly."
Toothless looked shocked at Hiccup and then seemed to agreed with his rider. He followed Hiccup loyally.
.
The poachers looked down into the cages so they could unlock them. They could see Titan in his cell and unlocked his but other cell looked empty. They frowned.
"The dragon's escaped!" one of them called over and the rest hurried over to look into the cell.
As no one was looking, Jay and Iesra rushed forwards. They lifted the unlocked cell door while Hiccup and Toothless were in the air, giving them cover. Titan flew out and Jay and Iesra closed the grate again.
Hiccup got Toothless out of view and then called out, "This one's escaped too!"
The men all turned to look at the other pit and Iesra and Jay rushed over to the one Ghost was in. They couldn't fit the bars.
"No!" Iesra hissed.
Hiccup told the two of them to get back and Toothless fired a blast.
"So much for stealth." Jay moaned.
The poachers turned and watched as Iesra and Jay wrestled the lid off of the cage. There was a gust of wind, signalling Ghost's escape and Titan arrived to take Jay to safety. The poachers were still closing in and Hiccup grinned.
"Toothless, barrel roll, multiple blasts!" he instructed.
Toothless did as he was told in seconds and blasted the poachers who were closing in on the other dragons. He stopped when Titan and Ghost took off with their riders on their backs.
"Now we can go home." Iesra said.
"Thank you for your permission." Hiccup said sarcastically but smiled over at the other two riders.
.
Stoick ran towards Hiccup as he landed. Hiccup looked back at Iesra and Jay and sighed.
"And what time do you call this?" Stoick asked. "You're meant to come back for bedtime."
"I'm early. It's just the wrong day."
Stoick rolled his eyes, telling him that he had been so close getting the whole of Berk to help them search for the three. Hiccup climbed off Toothless and began to walk towards his dad.
"Should we go and rescue him?" Iesra asked.
"I think he should fight this battle alone." Jay remarked as Hiccup was lead away by his dad.
Then Aya ran over to them. She looked at Jay and then Iesra.
"You two are never leaving me alone with Snotlout and the twins ever again." she said.
.
The sun had set and there was a dark figure on the beach. A wooden boat cut through the water and Alvin climbed out. Alvin stalked towards the figure and smiled.
"You still gonna keep up your side of the bargain?" he asked.
"Yes. I'll get you Hiccup. I can even get him without his dragon." the figure answered.
Alvin grinned and remarked that the standard of Berkian traitors was improving. The figure shifted uncomfortably and Alvin asked when he could expect the boy.
"A week at the most. And I'll bring you some of his friends." the figure added.
Alvin's smile deepened and then he heard the sound of a dragon coming towards them. Hiccup appeared at the pathway down to the beach and looked down. He could only see the figure and their dragon as Alvin had gone into hiding in the shadows.
"There you are! We've been looking all over Berk! The others are at the academy."
The figure turned and studied Hiccup. Hiccup smiled as the figure and their dragon moved towards him.
"Come on!" Hiccup said.
He hurried off and left the figure and their dragon standing in the pathway. The figure looked back down at the beach. Alvin looked up at them and smiled.
Everything was falling into place.
