Blueberry barely managed to get out of the way just as a pair of sharp talons closed in thin air, and the attacker gave a loud shriek of frustration.

"What is that thing?!" Snotlout yelled.

Initially they thought it was an eagle, until they noticed it was the same size of a Typhoomerang, only slightly smaller. Most of its body was covered in milky white plumage, except for its back and tail, which were a beautiful shade of golden. Everytime it flapped its long wings, it created a powerful gust of wind that violently moved the nearby treetops.

The dragon followed Blueberry's feeling figure with its bright red eyes, and dove after him, shrieking loudly.

"Nora!" Hiccup called out. "Everyone, we have to drive that thing away!"

Toothless fired a plasma shot at the dragon, but it noticed and flapped its wings, sending another gust of wind that extinguished the fireball, and sent the riders around it flying. Unfortunately, the gust sent Fishlegs flying off Meatlug's back. "MEATLUG!" he screamed as he fell.

Before Meatlug or any of the riders could dive down to save him, the golden dragon dove down after him, stretching out its talons, and catching him into thing air.

"Fishlegs!" Heather was the first to react, and she flew Goblin after the feathered dragon, soon followed by Meatlug, and then the others.

"Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor!" Fishlegs chanted desperately as the wind buffeted his face, and noticed how the creature flew each time higher and higher, its grip on his body tight to the point he couldn't even move his arms. "I'm not tasty, whatever you are!"

"Toothless, plasma shot! Now!" Hiccup ordered. Toothless aimed at the giant dragon's torso and started charging…

"NO!"

Suddenly, Nora flew in front of them, and Blueberry stopped short, making Toothless lose concentration and swallow up his unreleased attack.

Hiccup stared at the girl in confusion. "Nora, what the-?!"

"Don't shoot it, it's sacred for my people!" she said in horror, gripping Blueberry's plumage.

"We have to save Fishlegs!" Astrid retorted, pointing at the dragon's fleeing figure.

"There are other ways to make an Ala Dorada release it's prey!"

"A what?!"

"There's no time to discuss, he's getting away!" Heather said hurriedly, glancing in the direction of Fishlegs and the giant dragon.

"If we can't attack it, then we can stun it!" Hiccup said and glanced at Heather. "Heather, electro explosion!"

She nodded. "Got it! Goblin, let's do it!"

Both Toothless and Goblin hurried upwards after the Ala Dorada, and aimed at its front. They shot a plasma blat and lighting beam respectively, and when they collided the explosion was powerful the enough to drive the great dragon backwards with a cry of surprise, making it lose its hold on Fishlegs.

Fishlegs screamed as he fell again, but this time, it was Goblin who caught him by the arms, and then took him back to Meatlug's back. Fishlegs immediately clung to her, hugging her tightly. "Oh, girl! I'm fine, don't worry!"

"Fishlegs, are you alright?!" Hiccup asked.

"No time to talk, it's coming back!" Snotlout aid, pointing at the Ala Dorada as it dove down towards them, its pupils gone to slits. "And it doesn't look happy!"

"Dive down to the jungle! It's too big and won't be able to follow!" Nora cried out, and Blueberry dove down to the trees, soon followed by the rest. When they disappeared through the lush foliage, the golden wing halted its fall a few meters above, and continued to hover above for a few minutes, looking for any sign of its attackers. Finally, it gave up and flew away with another call.

The riders landed on the jungle floor, looking up apprehensively as the creature flew away.

"What… was… that?!" Snotlout cried out.

"You said it's an ala drada?" Tuffnut asked.

"I heard Alarada." Ruffnut retorted.

"Ala drada!"

"Alarada!"

"It's the Ala Dorada." Nora said sharply, partly annoyed at the lack of seriousness the twins took this with. "The messenger of the gods."

"Messenger? What did he want to say, 'you look tasty'?!" Snotlout snapped.

"You said we can't attack it, why?" Astrid asked.

"That dragon is sacred, to hunt it or harm it in any way is a capital crime punishable by death." She glanced at Fishlegs. "Remember I mentioned once that a the Mordecielos were wary of seeing shadows because of a predator?"

Fishlegs nodded slowly, still in shock from the experience. Meatlug was rubbing her head against his arm in concern.

"Think its gone?" Heather asked, looking up.

"It knows it loses its tactical advantage in the jungle, so it probably left to find another prey. Still, we should continue on foot, Alas Doradas tend to stick around a place they last saw their prey in case they come out of hiding."

They made the rest of the way on foot, led by Nora, through the jungle. Hookfang in particular had trouble walking through the narrow paths and trees, but other than that the way there wasn't that hard. In fact, they saw many beautiful sights they would have missed had they gone by dragon.

Once he recovered from the rather frightening experience, Fishlegs started to write down again, alternating between his journal and the Book of Dragons, documenting as much as he could. The groups encountered many stranger animals the whole way, and while most of them went out of their way, a few others (such as the fish with sharp teeth that bit unto Tuffnut's rear, or the 'furry mini-people' that stole Snotloud's helmet and Fishlegs's journal) did give them a bit of trouble.

After what seemed like hours of walking, they arrived at the feet of a great waterfall, which formed a small spring. The thirsty dragons went over to take a drink, unaccustomed to this type of heat. Blueberry went farther and went into the water to bathe.

"How long until we get to wherever you are taking us?" Snotlout asked as he rubbed his foot, sitting on a stone. "My feet are aching!"

"What are you complaining about? At least a fish didn't take a bit off your butt!" Tuffnut stated, rubbing his rear.

"A very tasty fish." Ruffnut added as she took a bite from the now-roasted piraña.

"We arrived at the entrance of my village." Nora explained.

"Entrance? All I'm seeing is a waterfall!" Snotlout retorted.

"It is hidden, to hide the entrance from potential intruders, and it's also an allusion to the Gods of Xibalbá."

"Gods of what again?" Fishlegs asked, confused.

"Xibalbá, the spiritual world. The place that all go to, but none may return."

Suddenly, Toothless lifted his head and raised his ears when he heard something moving in the trees, and noticed some shapes in there. "Guys, we're being watched. Get ready."

Blueberry stopped shaking in the water and twitched his ears too; he recognized the calls and silent growls from other Skybiters in the trees, realizing what was going to happen.

Toothless quickly jumped back just as some tiny spines landed at the spot he had been standing on. The other dragons, however, where not so quick and the spines dug into their bodies; they became dizzy, their eyelids became heavy and they fell to the water with a loud splash.

"What the-?!"

"The dragons are down!"

"We're under attack!"

"Captúrenlos!"

A dozen of men ran out of the jungle, pointing long ornamental spears at the downed dragons, while another dozen went towards the riders with sharp jade machetes,. They wore elaborate headdresses with colorful feathers, jade ornaments and skin-capes with patterns similar to the spotted cat they had seen earlier. Skybiters of multiple colors painted in red and black flew out of the trees and landed around the Vikings, bristling their feathers and baring their teeth menacingly. Toothless and Blueberry jumped in front of their riders, responding with snarls and growls of their own. When the warriors saw Toothless, they stepped back and looked as if they had seen a ghost, pointing most of the spears at him.

Astrid and Heather took out their battle axes while Fishlegs almost automatically lifted his arms, and cried. "We surrender!"

"ALTO!" Nora cried in her native language, putting herself between the spears and her friends.

Almost immediately, the men lifted their spears when they recognized her. Their apparent leader, whose headdress was of scarlet feathers, gave a small cawing sound, and the Skybiters around immediately relaxed, though they were still wary. The man stepped forward, and kneeled, followed suit by the other warriors. "Princesa Nor'akitza."

"What's… going… on?" Astrid said in confusion.

"Why do I have the feeling Nora is even more important than we thought?" Hiccup whispered.

"Alteza, ¿como ha conseguido regresar?" the man asked in the native tongue.

Nora motioned to the Vikings. "Estas personas nos ayudaron a mi y a Morazul a escapar, y tuvieron la amabilidad de asegurarse que llegaramos con bien."

"What do you think they are saying?" Fishlegs whispered.

"I think she's telling them that we're friends."

A few moments later, the warrior got back to his feet and approached the group of Vikings. "Who is the leader?"

Hiccup was hesitant to answer, but Astrid gently pushed him forward, and had no option but to answer when the man turned to him. "T-That would be me, mister…"

"My name is Semeel jak, head of the Jaguar Warriors. And you are…?"

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, son of Stoic the Vast. And these are…"

"My apologies for incapacitating your… dragons." Semeel stated, staring at Toothless warily.

"Speaking of which, what did you do to them?!" Astrid cried in annoyance as she ran towards Stormfly.

Semeel Jak approached the featherless dragon carefully, and plucked the spines on its scales. A few seconds later, Stormfly blinked and started to come back to her senses. "Stormfly, you are okay!" Astrid cried in relief as she hugged the Nadder.

"They were merely put in a semi-lethargic state with special darts coated in poison dart frog venom."

"You poisoned our dragons?!" Snotlout yelled in dismay.

"The venom is lethal to humans, but it merely makes dragons drowsy and in a deep relaxation state. They will go back to normal once you pluck the darts out. Once you've done so, come along, we will take you to see the governor."

The Vikings rushed towards their dragons and plucked any spines they found on their skin, and like Semeel Jak said, soon after they awoke and went back to normal, albeit they were still a bit drowsy. Then they followed the jaguar warriors towards the waterfall, but the Skybiters took flight and flew over it.

"Dragons cannot come through here." Semeel Jak said. "They must never be underground, because it's the domain of the Lords of Xibalbá."

"They can follow Blueberry." Nora said when her dragon took flight, but instead of flying after the others he just hovered up above, looking down at the other dragons expectantly.

"My dragon cannot fly on his own, couldn't he come with us?" Hiccup asked, holding Toothless's head.

Semeel Jak seemed reluctant, but he relented. "Very well, but keep him close or the Lords of Xibalbá will snatch him away."

The dragons were reluctant to leave their riders, but Blueberry gave an impatient cry, and they followed suit. Semeel Jak walked towards the waterfall and disappeared into the water, much to the Vikings' confusion.

"It must be a system of caverns behind the waterfall." Fishlegs concluded.

Nora followed Semeel Jak into the waterfall, and soon after the others followed, though they got soaked in the process, but Ruffnut and Tuffnut found it funny, and went through the waterfall a few more times before Toothless lost his patience and brought them over rather forcefully by their shirts.

Like Fishlegs assumed, they emerged into a large, dark cave that was only partly illuminated by the light coming through the waterfall. A naturally carved path of rock led towards a small dock, where a few, long boats were docked.

Hiccup, Astrid, Toothess, Nora and Semeel Jak went on the first boat. Heather, Fishlegs and the twins got on the second with one of the warriors, and the rest of the warriors got on the rest of the longboats. The boats were led forward with long pole; Semeel Jak rowed the boat, leading the others through the underground passage. The boats advanced slowly, and eventually passed through a set of tall, thick pillars made of stone, which apparently were responsible for keeping the roof of the passage up, judging by how the rowers of the boats tried not to touch them.

After what seemed like hours, the Vikings spotted a sort of entrance up ahead from which light filtered through hanging tendrils of plants. As the boats were led through the handing plants, they had to cover their eyes momentarily because of the light. However, when their vision adjusted, they gasped in awe at the sight.

Up ahead across the long river, there was a large sort of village made mostly out of houses, built on top of stone foundations with wooden walls and straw rooves, surrounded mostly by the lush foliage of the jungle. As they advanced through the river, though, they soon noticed there was a large area devoid of trees and instead occupied by acres of crop fields, most of them filled with crops of maize and corn, among various other crops the Vikings had never seen before. Even deeper inland, they noticed strange structures shaped like sort of pyramids painted in bright red.

The people around town had mostly dark complexion and black hair, like Nora and the warriors, but their clothing were different. While Nora's clothing was colorful, and the warriors used ornamental attires, most of the population had simple clothing; women had loose blouses and long skirts with colorful woven slashes in some cases, while men used only loin clothing, leaving their torsos exposes. They wore no boots, instead they used sandals.

As they approached the docks near the village, the citizens warily approached when they saw the Jaguar warriors were bringing newcomers, but almost immediately stepped back in fright when they spotted Toothless.

"Those guys clearly don't have a sense in fashion." Ruffnut muttered, waving a hand in an almost disdainful way, only to grin a few seconds later. "Where can I get those shoes?"

"Do you want us beheaded?!" Snotlout hissed, glancing back at the warriors. "Besides, with those shoes I bet you'd get frostbite!"

Astrid noted how the natives were staring fearfully at Toothless. "Hiccup, is it my imagination, or are those people staring at Toothless as if they had seen a ghost?"

"The warriors also did it back there, when they first saw him," Hiccup whispered. "I know they haven't seen featherless dragons, but they didn't look at the other dragons like that."

The conversation was interrupted when the longboats finally touched land, and their passengers got off. Toothless stretched out his wings and gave a yawn, causing the multitude gathered around them to step back in fear; Toothless realized he was being stared at, and stepped back shyly, sensing the villagers' distrust and fear.

"Excuse me, where did our dragons go?" Heather asked Nemeel Jak, looking around and noticing there were no dragons around.

"The dragons make their nests outside the village, in the roots of the sacred Ceiba." Nemeel Jak explained. "You can rejoin with your other halves later, first we must take you to the Kuhul."

"Right…" Hiccup muttered awkwardly, having no idea of what it meant.

"The ruler of this city," Nora explained. "My father."

The group was led through the earth-paved road through the village, followed by the villagers at a good distance, most of them whispering about Toothless. The Vikings noted they were being led towards the pyramid-like structures, and the closer they got, the more the architecture changed.

Soon the dirt-path turned into white stone path, and the wooden houses changed into limestone houses with ornamental paintings, and the pyramid structures were the most complex-painted buildings.

The people that lived in this area also had different types of clothing than the villagers. Their hair was longer, their clothing was far more colorful, and they were adorned with jewels, feathers, fancy sandals, piercings and earrings in ears; their heads were adorned with tall headdresses made from jade and feathers. They were mostly surrounded by individuals who were dressed similarly to the villagers.

Unlike the village, there were dragons around in the village. Like the people in this part of the city, they were adorned with jade ornaments, decorative feathers and paints of different colors to complement their plumage. They were lunging around in the tops of the houses and buildings, staring uninterested as the newcomers.

"Why do I get the feeling these guys are the higher-ups around here?" Snotlout whispered, leaning in closer to Heather.

"If they are, then don't say anything reckless," Heather responded sharply. "Lets you want us arrested."

"Come on, we have the princess on our side, I don't think those guys will dare to lay their fancy hands on us."

Fishlegs was excitedly writing and scribbling all he was seeing in his journal. "Seriously, must you write even now?" Astrid asked him in dismay.

"We've just encountered a new civilization, it's the discovery of a lifetime!" Fishlegs chirped happily, sketching one of the jeweled dragons on the houses.

Eventually, they came to a large plaza, at least it looked like a plaza, in front of the tallest pyramid. The multitude stopped when the Vikings were ordered to halt at the steps of the pyramid. One of the people who wore no colorful cothing or jewels ran towards Semeel Jak, only to stop a few feet away with his head looking down, not looking at him in the eyes.

"Infórmale al Kuhul que su hija ha regresado." Said Semeel Jak in an authoritarian voice.

"De inmediato, señor." The man said, and then rushed up the stairs as fast as his shorter legs could allow him.

"How can they run up all those stairs so quickly?" Snotlout muttered.

"I bet three coins he'll trip and roll down all the way down." Tuffnut snickered.

"Make it five." Rufnutt added, dissimulating her laugh.

"Get ready," Nora said, looking back at the Vikings with a serious expression. "You will meet my father. Do not look at him in the eye until he deems you worthy of trust."

A few minutes later, the servant returned downstairs quickly, and much to the twins' disappointment, didn't trip on his way down. As soon as he was back at the plaza, he called out in a loud voice. "Todos alaben al Kuhul Ariché, hijo de Quetzalcóatl, descendiente de los Héroes Gemelos."

When a figure started walking down the top of the stairs of the pyramid, the multitude of spectators immediately bowed down, looking at the ground; even the few Skybiters present bowed down their heads in respect. Semeel Jak and the Jaguar Warriors followed suit; following the example, Hiccup, Toothless and the group bowed, though Astrid had to abruptly pull Snotlout to the ground when he didn't catch on.

When the man had come closer to the ground, Hiccup could subtly take a good look at him. Like the habitants of this part of the city, his body was almost swollen in the 'luxurius', loose clothing and jewels, but his headdress was even taller than theirs, and underneath he had a build similar to the warrior's.

Walking down the stairs next to him was a Skybiter, but he was larger than Blueberry or any of the other Skybiters they had seen. His plumage was a bright gold-yellow, his body was stockier, his crest was longer, and he had another dark yellow 'mane' running down his back and tail. His head had more of an eagle-look than a macaw's. Like the other Skybiters in the area, though, he was adorned with jade and obsidian jewels and other colorful fathers, and his wings were painted in black and green swirls.

"Must be a titan wing Skybiter!" Fishlegs chirped in delight after managing to look at the Skybiter.

"Fishlegs, look down!" Heather hushed him in a hurry, not lifting her head.

"But it's a titan wing Skybiter!"

"You won't get a closer look at him if you lose you head!" Astrid hissed in dismay.

Finally, the man reached the bottom of the stairs. The only one who remained on her feet was Nora, who was both in the same social position, and related directly. Almost immediately, Nora rushed to greet her father in an embrace, against the vikings's expectations, who didn't think the man looked like that kind of person.

"Hija mía." Ariché said in deep relief and joy, embracing his daughter tightly.

"Padre!" Nora whispered, containing the need to sob. Now was not the place and time for that.

"Tenemos mucho de que hablar. ¿Cómo has conseguido volver?" Ariché asked once he reluctantly pulled back from the embrace to look down at his daughter.

Nora glanced back at the Vikings. "Ellos nos salvaron a mí y a Morazul de los roba-dragones, y nos ayudaron a volver y traer a casa a los dragones capturados. Son amigos de los dragones, puedes confiar en ellos."

Hiccup wondered what they were saying, but didn't dare lift his head and somehow offend the king, emperor, or whatever his title meant. Still, he heard his footsteps as he approached and stopped a few steps away.

"Levántense."

Though he had no idea what he meant, Toothless nudging him to stand up; he figured he somehow knew what the king wanted, and went back to his feet slowly, soon followed suit by the others. The 'emperor' looked even more majestic up close.

"Excuse me, mister…" Hiccup started, only to recall he didn't exactly understand what the king's name was.

Semeel Jak intervened, though it was more to scold him for not showing the proper respect than to lend him a hand. "You will refer to Kuhul Ariché as mi señor, majestad, or Kuhul. Know your place, outsider."

"Okay, sorry, sorry, mi… seniorr." Hiccup mentally cursed himself for the mispronunciation.

Ariché glanced back at Semeel Jak. "There's no need to be so hard on our guests, Semeel Jak. Do not forget they have brought Nor'akitza home safe and sound."

Semeel Jak bowed his head. "Of course, majestad. My apologies."

Ariché glanced at the group. "You have brought my precious child back home, and she tells me you also brought back some stolen Mordecielos back to their rightful home. Is this true?"

"Yes, great Kuhul," said Astrid, choosing her words carefully. "We save dragons from evil people who would use them to commit misdeeds."

"Nor'akitza says you are to be trusted, and I believe my daughter's word. From this moment, you are my honored guests until the moment you depart." Ariché then spoke in a loud voice, directing to his subjects. "¡Esta noche celebraremos el regreso de la princesa Nor'akitza!"

Almost on cue, all the citizens along with the villagers gave a loud cheer that made toothless jump in surprise, and minutes later they had dispersed back to their respective areas. Hiccup noted how Ariché had glanced at Toothless, but didn't seem to be frightened by him in the least, like the rest of the people. He did frown at the sight of the saddle, however, until Hiccup recalled these people did not use them.

"Let us talk privately in my residence. I wish to hear about what transpired while you were missing."

"Um, Kuhul, we're a bit worried about our dragons," Heather started politely. "They left with the Skybiters, and we were told they were in the ceiba."

"And given they're.,. featherless, we don't know how the Skybiters might react to their presence." Hiccup added.

"I see." Ariché said, stroking his chin in thought. "Usually, the Mordecielos will not come into the city if not called, especially in this part. I'm afraid your dragons would make the noble houses uncomfortable, and they're already nervous about…" Ariché glanced at Toothless. "…him."

"With all due respect, majestad, why does everyone here act as if Toothless were a monster?" Hiccup asked, rubbing his dragon's head and receiving and affectionate nudge in return. "He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Como se han atrevido?!"

Suddenly, a group of elderly men, also clad in luxurious clothes, jewelry and headdresses, but they had more piercings with bones and tattoos, approached. Oddly, the guards did not intervene as they got closer. The eldest pointed at Toothless with a staff with the skull of an unknown animal on its end.

"Estos extranjeros han traído un Camazotl a nuestra tierra!" he shrieked angrily. Exijo que se les castigue!"

"Ese Camazotl pertenece al joven que trajo a mi hija de vuelta, X Cuat," Ariché responded, not intimidated in the least. "Y dicho Camazotl aún no ha mostrado señas de maldad."

"Esta criatura nos traera desgracia tras desgracia! Los cultivos se marchitarán, nuestros niños morirán, y nos traerá un sin fín de plagas! Debe ser enviada devuelta al Xibalbá donde pertenece!"

Toothless didn't like the way the old man was pointing at him with the staff, and hid behind Hiccup shyly.

"How did they call Toothless?" Fishlegs inquired.

"Cama-something." Snotlout commented. "Man, they look mad. I wonder what they're talking about."

Seeing he was getting nowhere, the old man named X Cuat growled with contempt and gave Toothless another glare of contempt before stomping off, followed by the other elders.

"Those were the high priests," Nora explained to the group in a low voice. "Be careful around them, they have more power over the people even than my father."

"What were they calling Toothless?" Hiccup asked her.

Nora looked away, looking almost reluctant to answer. "Camazotl."

"What is that?"

Before Nora could answer, Ariché directed to the Vikings again. "Sorry for the interruptions, shall we go?"

"Oh, sure, let's go before any other old crazy old man comes to call us weird names!" Snotlout said loudly as he went over to the stairs, only to stop and look up, intimidated by the ridiculous amount of steps that looked endless from up close. "Aw, for the love of Thor. Where is Hookfang when you need him?"