"Hiccup, what are planning to do? Let Snotlout lead this entire thing?" Astrid flew beside him on Stormfly, speaking in hushed tones.
"Astrid, he lost his entire crew. I think he's allowed to lead at this moment in time. Besides, he knows these waters better than we do, at this point." She shook her head.
"I don't know, Hiccup. Have you seen him? He's not exactly in the right state of mind. Not that I blame him…" She sighed.
They were high in the skies above the open ocean, flying steadily towards the island where Snotlouts entire team of men had been torn apart. Snotlout had, more than one, snapped at innocent onlookers, and bullied others from speaking their minds where the mission was concerned. Hiccup understood his friends pain, but if it continued he'd have to order him to step down.
Something he didn't want to do.
The twins gained speed, soaring besides Toothless, who let his tongue loll out of his mouth as a greeting. Barf and Belch twisted their heads together, mimicking his gesture.
"Hey Hiccup!" They spoke together, their voices merging as one in the gale.
"Yes?"
"When are you gonna tell us whats going on? All we heard was-." Ruff started.
"That Snotlout got his men killed and we're going after them!" Tuff ended, looking devilish.
"I'm sorry you two, we've just been in a rush to get going on this. When we land to rest the dragons I'll tell you everything." He smiled slightly, looking at the twins, who had nodded.
"I appreciate you dropping everything at such short notice." He flew ahead.
"Yeah, sure! Anything for you, Chief Hiccup!" Tuff saluted, before looking at his sister, grimacing.
"How are we gonna tell him we blew up the island?"
"We're not." Ruff grinned, surging ahead.
Toothless soared ahead, catching up to Snotlout and Hookfang, who both seemed charged by a mission of justice and revenge.
"So uh, Snotlout. Whats the plan?"
"Land at the island, track down those murderers, and slaughter them like the cowards they are!" Hiccup and Toothless both blinked.
"Right. I was hoping for a bit more practical approach-."
"That IS practical, Hiccup. What do you expect me to do, sit back and relax?"
"No, Snotlout. Not at all. Why do you think you're leading this mission?" Snotlout was taken momentarily aback.
"We just can't focus it all on revenge. First a plan, first we gather their bodies, than we talk about revenge. All right?" Toothless cooed to Hookfang softly.
"You're right, as usual, Hiccup." Snotlout scowled.
"I'll come up with something."
"Course you will. You're a Jorgenson!"
The group of old friends landed on a small island, half way between Berk and their destination, where Hiccup caught everyone up on the situation. The twins, surprisingly, took it quite seriously.
"Hey, we take offense to that." Tuff pouted.
"We have the capability of taking things seriously."
"Yeah, remember when Astrid got sick with the Scourge of the Odin?" Ruff added.
"Yeah, I remember you two eating grass and remarking on how great the Buffalords crap smelled." Snotlout scowled.
"Can we get a move on?"
Hiccup frowned.
"We have to rest our dragons, Snotlout." Looking around, he could tell they were tired. Stormfly stretched her legs one after another, and Barf and Belch sagged with exhaustion. Hookfang seemed unaffected, staring southwest. Toothless nudged his palm.
"Just a short break, and we'll get going."
"Hey, Snotman. Why don't you tell us more of what we're up against." Tuffnut walked over, looking up at his old friend. For once, Snotlout smiled.
Fishlegs approached Hiccup, looking worried.
"I'm wondering if the dragons will be up for a battle. I mean, after such a long flight…" he trailed off. Meatlug wasn't used to flying such long distances anymore. None of them were; besides Hookfang. Hiccup had to agree.
"I doubt that the Sky-Bandits are there anymore. Why hang around? If they are, we'll deal with it when the time comes." Fishlegs nodded.
"I hadn't realized how out of shape Meatlug was." His dragon growled dejectedly.
"Oh, I don't mean it in a bad way, girl! Just, we don't fly from island to island anymore! Not your fault." He scratched the side of her cheek lovingly.
"Yeah, you're probabaly right, Hiccup. I'm just a bit nervous…" Hiccup stared at his best friend, thinking.
"Fishlegs, how long as it been since you've seen Heather?" Fishlegs frowned.
"Too long, I'm afraid. She's been busy on her Island." He looked up.
"Should we have reached out to them? I'm sure they'd be a huge help. Her and Dagur are as fierce as they come."
"If this gets worse, then yes. I don't want to involve other tribes in this if possible. This could be a war." Hiccup grimaced. The exact thing Berk didn't need. He'd led his people into prosperity, forging peace with long forgotten tribes, finding allies, and opening trade to a plethora of different peoples. He didn't want something that would sever that.
This new enemy…they were like nothing he'd ever seen. Drago…he had a method to his madness. He was ruthless, terrible, but he was still a person. It was obvious he was controlling dragons and they hated every second under his rule. These guys? They were…evil, and so were their dragons.
"Hiccup! Let's go!" Snotlout broke him out of his reverie. He started, looking up, then down at Toothless, who shook his head playfully.
"Alright gang. Mount up. Lead on, Snotlout!" They all took the air as one, and in that short, small moment, Hiccup felt like he was back in time, just a kid, going on missions of exploration with his friends.
It was short lived.
They flew for many more miles. The sun creeped over head, and by the time it kissed the horizon, they'd arrived. Snotlout hovered a few miles away, staring at the unassuming little island with hard eyes.
"Here it is."
"Doesn't look like much." Tuffnut commented, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun.
"Yeah well, that's what we thought. C'mon." Snotlout made to fly off, but Astrid stopped him, flying in front of him.
"Wait. We should scout. We have no idea what we're flying into." Snotlout grumbled but agreed, and they split up, flying in opposite directions around the island.
It was heavily forested with pine. Towards the center was a large, oddly shaped hill. Hiccup dug his spyglass from his saddlebag, wanting a better view. It was almost like a man-made structure; jutting up from the ground like a roof, cutting off in a steep point. However, it was covered in grass and trees, and only one with a good eye could ever make it out. Something was off.
Despite that one detail, it appeared to be deserted. Nothing lived on the island apart from plant life. Not even a herd of boars or yaks grazed on the hillsides.
"It's eerie." Fishlegs groaned, knotting his hands together as they met back up.
"Not one sign of animal life."
"Anyone else see anything?" Hiccup asked. They all shook their heads.
"Well, lets set down and start…do what we have to do." The words tasted bitter.
They landed, following Snotlout to a sandy beach, sloping down to the ocean. Beach lilies swayed in the breeze, their sweet scent beguiling to the senses. Snotlout hopped off Hookfang, and pointed.
"This is where we saw the tracks." They were long gone, washed away by the tide, but a light indent in the muddy area where beach met land remained.
"We followed it into the forest. C'mon." They followed, every one of them on edge. The sun crept lower under the horizon.
"Right about here is when I heard Knut scream…" Snotlout closed his eyes, took a breath, and dived into the undergrowth. They heard his breath catch, and a cry of dismay.
Vikings were used to violence, it was a part of their heritage, but such violence was usually sanctioned. There were codes of honor to be followed. This…this was just pure evil. Knut lay in several pieces, flies peppering his body. Snotlout swatted them away, cursing as he did so, gathering up his friend.
"Who would do this? It's…" Astrid was lost for words. Her hand shook as she picked up an arm that lay from a tree branch.
"Brutal." Even the Twins lacked mirth.
"Fan out, gang. We have to find the rest of them. If you find anyone else…Place them in the chests we brought." Hiccup swallowed, the lump in his throat palpable.
"If you run into trouble, distress signal." They all nodded and disappeared into the undergrowth. Astrid, however, remained behind.
"Did you see the center of the island?" She asked, hauling the chest from Stormfly's back.
"I did. Strange, isn't it."
"I have a feeling this island isn't just an Island…I think Snotlout and his team stumbled onto something…huge." Hiccup stroked his chin, leading the way through the forest, making his way towards the center.
"He wasn't the first. Whatever was kept here, it drove everything away." He unsheathed Inferno as the last of their daylight slipped away.
"Lets work fast. I don't fancy staying on this island all night."
It took them around 3 hours to find everyone. Some were intact, others were strewn around like Knut. Every body was placed with care inside the chests, sealed, and secured on a dragon. It was a grisly job, but they deserved it.
"Hiccup, I know this is strange, coming from me, but I'm getting really bad vibes from this place." Tuffnut remarked, shivering slightly.
"Tell me about it, Bro..."
"Don't worry, we're not staying the night." Something in the side of his vision caught his eye. He cocked his head, turning to look, but nothing was there. Thoroughly spooked, he gazed at the stars ahead, scanning the sky for any sign of intruders.
"Theres a sea stack big enough for us all to camp out on for the night. Let's move." They did so, flying the few miles to the sea stack jutting from the ocean surface, lighting a fire on the few pieces of tinder they'd picked up from the island.
"Hey Hiccup, did you see that cave?" Hiccup looked up. Fishlegs had spoken, his large frame huddled close to Meatlug, whose wide eyes showed no vestiges of tiredness.
"A cave? No. Was it at the center of the island?"
"Yes. It was…" Fishlegs shivered.
"I know I'm not the bravest among us but it was…creepy."
"Fishlegs, we just picked up the body parts of our friends. Everything about this is creepy." Astrid grimaced.
"I know! It's just…"
"I hate to agree with Fishface but he's right. The cave is weird. Like, no light penetrates the entrance. It's just black." Snotlout held his hands before the fire, glancing constantly towards the huddle of chests that held their dead tribemates.
"Something evil's in there. Or was."
"You said that the leader held something in their hand." Hiccup leaned back, resting his hands on the cool rock. Snotlout nodded.
"I can guarantee you that's what was in there. I don't want to find out what it was." Fishlegs made a noise.
"What?!"
"It's just…this is pretty important. We can't just let something that dangerous be free. Who knows where these…" He glanced at Hiccup, who was deep in thought, eyes pointed to the night sky.
"Sky-Bandits are now."
"Do you think this thing…whatever it is, like…warped their minds and turned them into killing machines?" Tuffnut wondered aloud. They all looked at him, skeptical.
"I mean."
"Hey, we all know dragons aren't normally vicious." Ruff defended her brother.
"So obviously something was happening."
"You may be right. Whatever we're dealing with, it's like nothing we've seen before." Hiccup shook his head.
"Let's get some sleep. We fly back to Berk in the morning." He laid down on the hard rock, head cushioned by Toothless's tail, and Astrid beside him.
It was the sound of wingbeats that awoke him. He sat upright, staring around. The moon illuminated everything around him, showing nothing but empty ocean. He strained his ears, listening for anything.
Had he imagined it? Dreamed it? He shooked himself, meaning to lay down again, before he heard it, accompanied by a shout.
No way he had imagined it. Toothless had awoken as well, his ears pricked, staring at Hiccup for instructions.
"Cmon Bud. Let's investigate." None of the others had woken up at the noise, and he saw no reason to awaken them…yet. He leaped off the rock, letting Toothless lead the way. They flew several miles east of the sea stack, until Toothless stopped dead in midair, growling.
"What is it?" He stroked his dragons head, looking around, before he saw it. A boat, like nothing he had ever seen before, bobbing up and down in the water. Surrounding it, blasting orbs of purple energy…were two Nightfury's.
Hiccup knew he must still be asleep. No way he was really seeing this. He watched them twirl, blasting at what appeared to be Scauldrons attacking the ship. In the ship itself, two people appeared to be trying to fend off the dragons, who sprayed water, narrowly missing one of them. Hiccup fumbled for his spyglass, pressing it to his eye.
They were Nightfury's. Massive ones, accompanied by a man and a woman. The woman was unforgettable, her head of fiery red hair bouncing as she moved, climbing up the mast and jumping onto one of the dragons.
"You see it too, right Bud? I'm not…imagining it?" Toothless nodded, and took off, racing towards the ship. Hiccup held on, wondering what he was flying into.
"Get back, ya filthy sea beasts. Back!" The man was brandishing a spear at one of the Scauldrons, who wound up, preparing a burst of water, before Toothless grabbed him.
"Eh? Roy?" He looked up.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" He had only noticed Toothless and his tail.
"What the blazes is wrong with your tail?! Set me down."
"I don't know who you guys are, or why you have Nightfury's, but this isn't helping things." Hiccup set the man down, hovering above the ship. The woman pulled up beside him.
"Who the hell are ya?" She was beautiful up close, face covered in freckles. Hiccup swallowed.
"I'll tell you later. Now, we have to get these Scauldrons away from your ship."
"That's what ye call em? Sea devils is a better term. Cadarn, fire!"
"No!" Hiccup flew in front of the dragons mouth. The nightfury growled at Toothless, who returned the gesture.
"Tidal class dragons like these don't respond well to aggression. Just…let me handle this." He turned around, spinning into the air, letting out a blast that hit the water besides the Scaludrons. They looked up. Seeing Toothless, their Alpha, they bowed their heads. Toothless hovered close to the water.
"See? They don't mean any harm…this is their territory."
"Yah. We don't mean any harm either. Just trying to make landfall, and they attacked us."
"Well, dragons can't read minds. Off you two go. They're just passing through." Toothless swayed his tail back and forth, and the Scauldrons dived, swimming off. Hiccup looked up. The two foreigners had landed on the deck of their ship, looking at him with some form of awe.
"Introductions I think are in order." The woman said. She leaned against her dragon, who continued to look at Toothless with disdain.
"Toireanne of Scotland."
"Fergus, her husband." The man said, reaching out a hand. Hiccup took it. It easily encompassed his own.
"Are you one of the Vikings that live here?" Toireanne commented, looking him up and down.
"I always figured you'd be…bigger." Hiccup surprised a scowl.
"Hiccup Haddock. Chief of the Hooligan tribe of Berk." He watched them exchange glances.
"How did you drive off the sea-beasts?" She asked. She looked genuinely curious, and somewhat amazed.
"And how do you have a Nightfury?" her husband added. His dragon seemed much less insulted by Toothless's prescense, looking completely at ease.
"Toothless." He patted his dragons head.
"Is their alpha. They respect his commands. Besides that, Scauldrons are pretty timid once you challenge their power structure." They looked utterly confused at his explaination.
"And I could ask you the same question. I thought Toothless was the only one." He remembered they said they were from Scotland. He meant to ask them about that, but was spoken over.
"Nah, he isn't. Whats with the name? These dragons have plenty of teeth. Dontcha, Cadarn." Cadarn bared his, and Toothless did the same. The other sat back on his haunches, causing Fergus to roll off.
"Damnit Roy. Show some respect." His rider grumbled, dusting himself off. Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle. This was incredible!
"Nightfury's aren't native here. We have hundreds of em on our coast in Scotland. Quite incredible you have one." He smiled, so genuinely that Hiccup finally felt at ease.
"I named him Toothless because…well, when I first found him, he had his retracted." He scratched Toothless's chin.
"Well, the ships wrecked." Toireanne had turned to her husband, who glanced over the vessel. Hiccup did the same, noticing for the first time that the tall masts had snapped in two from the Scauldrons blows.
"Do you know of any islands near here, boy?" Hiccup tried not to scowl at the title. He may be chief, but these people obviously didn't know Viking customs.
"None with ports. But my friends and I can tow your ship back to Berk. It's a day's flight from here." He eyed them. "If of course, that's ok with you." Fergus grinned at his wife.
"He's obviously not lying. His dragon loves him." Toireanne looked more skeptical.
"Alright. I guess we have no other choice."
