Gaining Respect 9

The weather was finally clearing. Stoick didn't wait for it to worsen again, he grabbed provisions, harnessed Thornado and left word with Gobber that he was going after the kids. His worry for not only his son but the other children overrode every any thoughts of his duty as chief and brought out every fatherly instinct. Hiccup was in trouble, he knew that without a doubt.

"Come, old friend," he said as he mounted Thornado. "Let's go before the Odin changes his mind and sends us a worse storm."

They took flight and headed to the north and the direction Hiccup had said the Skrill was frozen.

. . .

Dagur's fever had gone down a bit but not enough to bring him out of the woods just yet. The rash and swelling around the wound had gone down and weren't so prominent. Hiccup waited until Dagur was in a deep sleep before treating them again, not wanting to get into another argument. He made sure everything was clean and taking care of then placed the salted meat close enough for Dagur to reach it without stretching too far as well as a canteen full of melted snow and then prepared to leave. The weather was calm enough now for him and Toothless to leave and he had to find the other riders and make sure they were okay. Last thing he needed was the twins getting lost in the storm or worse…Astrid, although she was more than capable of taking care of herself and the others.

He spared Dagur one last look, still curious about the claw marks on his back. He bit his lip, torn between leaving and trying again to get Dagur to open up to him. In the end he just couldn't take the possibility of more abuse from the other boy. He still put up with it from Snotlout from time to time and he simply didn't have the patience and heart for it anymore.

"Let's go home," he whispered to Toothless, petted his friend's head. While Toothless's wing was not fully mended the small tear didn't impede his ability to fly, or so Hiccup hoped. It was hard to mend the leather without the proper medicines. Hopefully Gobber could fix it. He wasn't sure how well Toothless would hold still if they had to stitch it.

"Hiccup?" Dagur murmured just as the Hooligan and his dragon near the entrance. "Where are you going?"

Hiccup paused but didn't turn back. "I'm going to find your armada and get you some help. I…won't be coming back." He squared his shoulders and continued forward.

"I'm sorry."

He froze and blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Dagur repeated as he sat up. "I didn't mean to yell at you. There are just some things I wish you'd learn to back off on."

Hiccup looked at him then. He blinked again at the tousled redhead and the anxiety on his face. His shoulders sagged. "I was just trying to help."

"I know."

"Is there anyone in particular you want me to find?"

Dagur looked up, his eyes suddenly wild with fear as if he didn't want to be left alone. He looked away slightly ashamed. "Harold. He's my second in command. He'll know what to do."

Nodding, Hiccup went to leave but Dagur stopped him again.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hiccup responded with another small nod. He threw a small dagger to him, something to protective himself with if need then quickly ushered Toothless outside. He took a deep breath of fresh air and let himself relax. It was still cold but not nearly as bad as it was with the high winds of the past two days. He climbed onto Toothless's back and tested his tail fin. Miraculously everything worked just fine. "Let's go, bud. Let's test out that wing before we head off the island. Besides, the Berserkers can't be that far away."

Toothless hummed gently before opening his wings and launching himself into the cloudy sky up above.

. . .

Alvin's head shot up when he hear the familiar cry of a Nightfury and young boy's laughter. He signaled for his men to take cover under the trees. A pleased grin lit his face as he watched Hiccup and Toothless fly not far from where they hid. He was right, the boys were here but where was Dagur? It didn't matter, he'd find the brat soon enough. For now his Dragon Conqueror was within reach. He gestured for Savage to hand him a crossbow. Once in hand he loaded an arrow and aimed for the dragon's fail fin. He had learned a lot about Hiccup and his dragon over the years and knew their one sure weakness. With a dark chuckled he pulled the trigger.

. . .

The roar of a dragon made Harold jump in surprise. They had set sail less than an hour earlier and had been searching the nearby islands for any sign of Hiccup's Nightfury – where the dragon was the boys were sure to be close by – with now luck so when he heard the cry he instantly thought it to be the beast and his hope surged. To his surprise it wasn't a Nightfury and it wasn't on some far off island. He gave a long blink when he looked up to see four dragons and five teens flanking his ship.

"Dragon attack!" Captain Vorg yelled sending every Berserker to arms.

"Silence!" Harold barked as he strolled to the stern of his ship. He looked up to the blonde girl on the Deadly Nadder. She seemed to be the leader of the group. "Are you Hiccup's second?" he called up, keeping his voice even and trying to not appear threatening to any of the teens. The boy on the Zippleback seemed familiar but he dismissed him almost immediately.

The girl frowned at him but didn't move to attack. "Where's Hiccup?" he demanded.

"Hopefully with Dagur. We haven't found either of them or the dragon. I'm guessing you're in the same situation?"

She gave a nod, her pretty face all serious. Definitely a warrior-to-be. "We've flown over almost every island in the area but with that storm it's hard to find any clues. Do you have any idea where to look?" she asked hopefully.

Harold hesitated. The storm had disoriented him and his men but they were heading back to the sight of the battle. "No but I will search every island by foot if I must until I find the boys. I won't rest until they're safe."

Her eyes widened and a tiny smile lit her face. To Harold's surprise she sent a small Terrible Terror to him. "We'll help, but Hiccup and Toothless are coming home with us. Got it?"

The Terror flew to Harold, flew around him for a moment, sniffing his hair and face before coming to rest on his shoulder. Harold stared at him in surprise, not used to such a creature being domesticated in such a way. He looked at the girl questioningly.

"If you find them before us just send a message through Sharpshot. He'll find us. Wish he could have found Hiccup but…" She shrugged. "We'll send another Terror if we find them first."

Harold gave a nod. "Keep an eye out for Alvin and the Outcasts. They're after both boys. I don't know what Dagur wants with Hiccup but if he finds Dagur he'll kill him. I know he's not always all there but…we can't lose him."

She took a deep breath. "Alright. I might have to hit him with a bludgeon but…we'll help you find him as long as you help us find Hiccup."

"Agreed."

With a nod to the other riders she banked right and took off toward the nearest island.

"Why are we trusting these children?" Vorg asked as he came up behind Harold.

Harold placed a hand on the head of the Terror on his shoulder. "I rather entrust Dagur's life with them then the Outcasts any day," he said smoothly. "Take us back to the battle scene. We'll follow the currents to the nearest island. I'm almost certain that's where we'll find them."

. . .

Toothless crashed into the snow with a loud thud and cry. Hiccup just managed to scramble off his back and escaped being rolled on top of. He skipped out of the way as his dragon rolled on the wet snow before coming to a stop with a grunt. The black dragon's prosthetic tail fin was ruined, ripped to shreds. "How?" he whispered as he inspected it. He gave a groan and cursed Dagur. How the hell did that kid manage to accomplish this? He had only left him with a small hunting knife and sure Dagur had a great throwing arm but this was insane! "DAGUR!" he snapped, fully expecting the deranged Berserker to come running out of the bush and screaming life a banshee. When he didn't Hiccup raised a questioning brow. "Dagur?"

Toothless shook himself as he stood. He sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes before growling.

Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, bud," he assured, looking out toward the bush. He tilted his head, trying to see into the darkness. A smile lit his face for a moment when he saw a familiar large shadow. "Dad?"

Toothless got low to the ground as he snarled, his frills straight back and wings posed to take flight at a moment's notice.

"Tooth…" Hiccup soothed as he took a step closer only to stop as the shadow fell away from the man to reveal Alvin the Treacherous and not his father. His eyes widened in surprise as the large man and his followers trudged toward them. "Toothless, run!" he yelled, turning to run as well. He knocked off his feet as a bola hit him and wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his sides. "RUN!" he yelled at his dragon but Toothless turned back around, leapt over him and snarled and pawed the ground, daring anyone to try to get to his boy.

Alvin only chuckled as he neared, the crossbow aimed between the dragon's eyes as his men moved around to tackle the beast. "You might want to call him off, boy," Alvin advised.

"No! Toothless, no! Back down, boy. It's okay. I'm okay," Hiccup said hurriedly, fearing for his friend's safety.

Toothless growled one last time before giving a whine and backing down.

"Go!" Hiccup said hurriedly as Savage dragged him to his feet. It took a moment but Toothless gave him one last look and then leapt over the Outcasts and took off back in the direction of the cave, as if reading his riders mind to take shelter where it was safe – although in Toothless's case if was just a place to regroup before launching his own attack on the Outcasts. Hiccup watched him go, fear and relief warring within him. He couldn't help the gasp that escaped him when Alvin yanked him away from Savage and glared down at him.

"Where's Dagur?" he snarled, spittle hitting Hiccup in the face.

Hiccup frowned and turned away from his foul breath. "Dead," he said quickly, not sure why he even said it.

Alvin's grip loosened in surprise. "Dead? What do you mean dead?"

Hiccup thought quickly. He had never expected to say such a thing but now that he had he would have to continue the lie. "He drowned. I buried him in the field."

"In that storm?" Alvin question disbelievingly.

"This morning when the storm settled. Toothless dug through the snow until we found soft ground. I didn't think the Berserkers would us in time to have a proper funeral." He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling awful for saying such things but knowing they were all he could do to protect the other boy.

Alvin must have taken his discomfort as sorrow. He squatted down until he was eye level with the Hiccup and studied his face for a few minutes. "Show me. If you're telling the truth then we will honor his death like true Vikings. He'll be one less trouble maker for both of us."

Hiccup refused to meet his gaze, afraid his lie might be discovered. With luck he could buy Toothless enough time to formulate an attack. Nightfuries were unbelievably smart and knowing Toothless he wouldn't let the Outcasts get very far with him. So with a disgruntle sigh he lead Alvin on a merry treasure hunt for a grave that didn't exist. He paused when he noticed Toothless's claw marks gorging the ground where he had been able to pounce on the Outcast. His head tilted slightly and then his eyes widened. Oh no…