Have Dragon Will Travel Pt. 1
The riders had flown back to Berk to get supplies to bring back to Dragon's Edge. Serenity and Tenor were among them. Serenity got more medical supplies and apples. They were just about to set off again, when they were approached by Stoic, Gobber, Mulch, and Bucket.
"Which one of you was out sinking ships?" Stoic asked suspicious. "Mulch and Bucket saw a dragon and rider sinking a ship, and don't tell me it was someone else because no one could have pulled something like this." The riders looked at each other both confused and concerned. Hiccup spoke first.
"Dad, we've been together all morning it couldn't have been one of us," he said.
"Well, then if it wasn't one of you than I say we have a bigger problem at hand," said Stoic.
"Rouge dragon rider," said Astrid.
"Not good, really not good," said Fishlegs.
"We need to investigate," said Hiccup.
"We'll need your help again Tenor," said Astrid. Tenor looked over his wing at Serenity. She gave a sad sigh and dismounted. He nuzzled her face, and handed her the Dragon Eye. Then he spread his wings and followed the others. As they flew over the ocean Astrid noticed Tenor look back towards Berk.
"Don't you think your being a little too overprotective of her Tenor?" she said.
"She doesn't seem to mind," Tenor said. "Besides we have our reasons for keeping her out of harms way. She's the only dragon healer out here, so if she's killed there won't be anyone to help dragons who need her help."
"You do have a point," Astrid said.
"And she's keeping the Dragon Eye hidden for you guys," Tenor added.
"Another good point," Astrid said.
Eventually they spotted the ship that had been attacked by the rouge dragon rider. They landed on the deck and the riders dismounted. They looked around at the damage. The mast was completely cut in half. There were barrels and boxes everywhere, all completely empty. There was not a soul in sight.
"You know I've been thinking a lot about this rouge dragon rider," said Astrid.
"Dagur," Hiccup said, reading her mind.
"It makes sense," said Astrid. They disbursed and looked through out the ship. Fishlegs spotted gashes on the ship's railing.
"Look at these," he said, calling the others over. They came over to investigate.
"Whoa, those are some deep gashes," Hiccup said. Tenor placed his own talons in the gash marks.
"This dragon is extremely powerful," said Fishlegs. Just then Tenor spotted something gleaming out of the corner of his eye. He turned and picked something up.
"Hey I found something," he announced. He held up the item. It was a barb, clearly from a dragon. It looked like it was made of polished silver.
"That looks like one of Stormfly's," said Astrid. Tenor handed it to Hiccup. He expected it be made of metal, but it was no where near heavy enough. It also felt hallow.
"This dragon must be a member of the Sharp Class," said Fishlegs.
"If we find the dragon, we find the rider," Hiccup said. "And I have a pretty good idea on how to find the dragon." They got back on their dragons and took off.
"And of course the hybrid freak gets no credit," Tenor said to himself. He didn't know why this bothered him more than it should. He spread his wings and followed them.
Back at the village the riders got Bucket and Mulch to describe the dragon they saw. While they described the dragon, Fishlegs drew it on a blank shield. Eventually Bucket lost his whit and he ran out of the room, but the riders got all they needed. They looked at the drawing.
"I've never seen a dragon like that," said Fishlegs. "It's not in the Book of Dragons or Bork's Papers."
"But there is on place we haven't looked," said Hiccup. "Serenity you brought the Dragon Eye right?" Serenity handed him the Dragon Eye. They went over to a blank patch of wall. Hiccup set the Dragon Eye on a barrel.
"Since Stormfly is also a member of the Sharp Class we should use her flame," said Hiccup. Stormfly lowered her head behind the Dragon Eye and lit her mouth up with fire. The Dragon Eye projected images of Sharp Class dragons onto the wall. Hiccup turned a few dials. Soon they came across an image that matched the drawing on the shield.
"There it is, it's called the Razorwhip," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs, do your thing." Fishlegs walked up to the wall and read the writing around the image.
"It wraps its tail around its victim and squeezes it to death," he said. "Unless it's in a hurry then it just slices it in half. It can also use it's tail like a whip." Tenor narrowed his eyes.
"What's the Razorwhip's choice of food?" asked Hiccup. "If we find it, we might find the Razorwhip and its rider." Fishlegs read some more.
"It feasts on slugs," he said. "There are a few islands that are crawling with those." Then Hiccup spotted Tenor's expression.
"What's wrong Tenor?" he asked. The all looked at him.
"That thing about the Razorwhip's tail, sounds a bit familiar," Tenor said. "It sounds similar to the Whippertail."
"Isn't that the kind of dragon Re and Aurora are?" Hiccup said. Tenor nodded.
"They don't have barbs as big as this one does, but everything else is the same," Tenor said.
"So the Whippertail must also be a member of the Sharp Class," said Fishlegs.
"It would seem so," Tenor said.
"I wonder what class you fall under," said Astrid. Tenor lowered his head sadly.
"I have no idea," he said. "I'm a hybrid. The Night Fury falls under Strike Class and the Blackfang would fall under Fear Class."
"Anyway, we should get going," Hiccup said. "Before this rouge dragon rider attacks more ships."
They all went outside. The riders got on their dragons. Serenity put the Dragon Eye in her medical bag, and mounted also. They took off and headed for the nearest island that had slugs. When they got there they circled around, not making a sound. Tenor and Serenity flew a bit higher than everyone else, providing air support. Hiccup suddenly spotted a trail of smoke rising from the center of the small island.
"There," he said. He steered Toothless over to the trail of smoke, the others followed. They landed at what looked like a campsite. There were several boxes and baskets filled with various items. A fire pit was in the center, smoke streamed out of it.
"It must be the loot from the ship," said Astrid.
"We need to split up," Hiccup said. "Every one keep an eye out for this rider and his Razorwhip, Fishlegs you stay here in case they come back." Fishlegs nodded. The others got back on their dragons and took off. Fishlegs sat under a tree to wait, when suddenly a long, thin, silver tail wrapped itself around Fishlegs and yanked him into the tree.
The Twins flew their Zippleback over the forest. All was going well. But then a dragon came out of nowhere and knocked the Twins off their saddles, and they landed in a nearby tree. Barf and Belch flew off without them.
Astrid had landed Stormfly to give her wings a rest. She dismounted and they looked around for clues. Astrid spotted dragon tracks that didn't match any of the dragons from Berk. Suddenly a chicken leg sailed over Stormfly. The Nadder lost all interest in finding the Razorwhip. She went after the chicken which had landed in a near by cave. Astrid ran in after her. Suddenly rocks fell in front of the cave entrance, trapping the two inside.
Snotlout had also landed. He ran towards a group of bushes. Hookfang waited quietly. Suddenly a dozen large logs came rolling towards Snotlout at high speed. Snotlout ran for his life. He ran off the edge of a low cliff and landed in a river, which washed him away. Hoofang took off after him, after a while.
Hiccup and Toothless flew through the tall basalt rocks that made up a majority of the island. They both stayed alert. Then Toothless spotted something gleaming ahead. He looked closer and saw a silver dragon perched on a ledge, a rider on its back. Toothless growled, alerting Hiccup.
"Good job bud," Hiccup whispered. He clicked the stirrup and Toothless flew fast towards the Razorwhip. The other dragon took off and Toothless gave chase. They both sped through the rocks. Toothless fired plasma blasts, but missed. Then the Razorwhip did a sharp turn, grabbing a tree with its tail. It pulled the tree in Toothless's path, then took off in the opposite direction. Toothless fired at the tree, managing to avoid hitting it. Hiccup turned him around and they sped after the Razorwhip again. The Night Fury put on a huge burst of speed and shot another plasma blast at the Razorwhip, hitting it this time. The dragon fell from the sky and crashed, its rider being dislodged in the process. Now Hiccup and Toothless could get a better look at the Razorwhip. It was slightly taller than Toothless. It looked very arrow dynamic. Its whole body was covered in polished silver scales, making it look like it was wearing armor. It had a long neck, acid green eyes, and wings similar to the Snow Wraith. Its tail was long and thin, covered in huge barbs. Like most other dragons in the Archipelago it had a nose horn and an underbite. Toothless landed as the rider was about to get back on.
"I wouldn't do that," Hiccup warned. Toothless made ready another blast. The rider paused for a minuet, exchanging a glance with the Razorwhip.
"I wouldn't either," the rider said, and Hiccup recognized the rider's voice, as did Toothless. The rider turned around and removed her face covering. Both Hiccup and Toothless looked shocked, they knew this rider.
"Heather?" said Hiccup, unable to believe it.
After Hiccup rescued all his fellow riders and their dragons, they went back to Heather's campsite. Understandably the riders were quite angry about being treated like they did. They shouted for several minuets before Hiccup said something.
"Okay guys, I'm sure Heather has a perfect explanation for doing what she did," he said. They looked at Heather.
"I've been on my own for some time, and made more than a few enemies," Heather explained. "I didn't want you guys to be involved, I needed to send you back to Berk."
"You couldn't have just said that?" snapped Snotlout.
"Would you have listened?" Heather asked.
"She does have a point we're a pretty stubborn group," Astrid agreed.
"Look, we have a base not far from here," Hiccup said to Heather. "You should come with us, get some previsions, catch up, get some rest." Heather considered as she stocked her Razorwhip. The silver dragon spotted something flying high in the air. It appeared to be circling them, but was too far away see details. All the Razorwhip could tell was that it was black. The Razorwhip crooned alerting the others. They followed her gaze.
"Who's that?" Heather asked, suspicious.
"That's Serenity," Hiccup said. "You remember her, the dragon healer who can talk to dragons."
"Oh yeah," Heather said remembering. "Why hasn't she landed yet?"
"She probably doesn't know it's you," Hiccup said. "She and her dragon, Tenor, are providing air support."
"It's probably a good thing you didn't attack her," Snotlout sneered. "Or her king would have hunted you down and thrown you into his dungeon." They all ignored Snotlout as usual.
"Come with us to Dragon's Edge," Hiccup offered. "Let us help you." Heather smiled at him.
"You're not going to give up are you?" she said. "Alright Dragon's Edge it is." So they all mounted their dragons. The Razorwhip kept looking at the black spot above. A spark of curiosity flashed in her mind. They took off and headed for Dragon's Edge.
Serenity flew among them, but slightly separate. Tenor saw the Razorwhip. Though she seemed to be on the good side, he kept his distance. Tenor was always nervous around females. All the female dragons he'd met regarded him as a freak, a show-off, a nightmare, or a useless mutt. He had no reason to believe that this Razorwhip would treat him any differently. Serenity noticed his tension.
"What's wrong Tenor?" she asked, stoking his neck.
"That silver dragon, she's a female," Tenor said. Serenity looked over at the Razorwhip.
"So she is," she said. "She looks friendly."
"I'm sure she is," Tenor said. "To everyone but me, it's happened before."
"Maybe this time will be different," Serenity said.
"I've heard that before," Tenor said. "Over and over, and it's always the same thing. I always get rejected." Serenity hugged him, resting her head on his armor.
"I'll help you this time," she said. "In anyway I can." Tenor purred, happy to have someone to turn to if things went sour.
They soon arrived at Dragon's Edge. Serenity and Tenor landed at their yurt. The Razorwhip saw them, and spotted Tenor. She became even more curious, she had never seen a dragon like that. She still couldn't make out any features, he was too far away. But she could see that he was glossy black, and had a Night Fury look about him. He wore black armor that made him look as shiny as herself. His rider was young and very beautiful. She made a note to herself to investigate this mysterious black dragon and his rider. The Razorwhip landed next to the other dragons. The riders dismounted and went up to the club house. Heather gave her Razorwhip a scrub down. The riders all gathered to admire her.
"Where did you find it?" asked Tuffnut.
"How did you train a Razorwhip? It's incredible," said Fishlegs. Heather seemed amused.
"Actually I owe a lot to you guys. When I found Windshear she had been a fight with a Typhoomerang," she said. "She won, but she needed to be nursed back to health. Then I used the training you guys taught me back on Berk, and we've become the perfect team." Windshear snorted in agreement. Astrid was very excited about it all. Hiccup was excited too, but he had to remind himself that Heather was out sinking ships and he needed to ask her about that.
Heather spent the rest of the day gathering food and other supplies she would need. She let Windshear wonder about and rest up for their next big flight. She spotted the yurt, and the flag flying on top of it. The pretty rider was sitting in her chair sewing, her black dragon was no where in sight. Windshear spread her wings and flew over. Serenity looked up when the Razorwhip landed.
"Hello," she said politely.
"Hello, what brings you here?" Serenity said in Dragontongue. Windshear bore the same surprised look as all the dragons who met Serenity.
"Wow, you really can talk to dragons," Windshear said. "I've heard a lot about you. You're the dragon healer from Draconia."
"Yes," said Serenity. "What's your name?"
"I'm Windshear," said the Razorwhip. "You're Serenity." Serenity nodded, still smiling.
"Say where'd that black dragon go?" Windshear asked.
"Tenor? He went running," Serenity said. "He loves to run." Windshear looked towards the forest.
"Tenor huh? That's a nice name," she said.
"He's the Draconian Prime Minister," Serenity said. "And King Re's adopted brother."
"Oh, I think I've heard of him," said Windshear. "He's the dragon no one has ever seen."
"Yes, he hides himself from all the bullying he got when he was younger, and gets still," Serenity said. The expression on Windshear's face went from curious to pity.
"That's sad," she said. Just then Heather came looking for her dragon, followed by Hiccup and Toothless.
"Hey Serenity, you remember Heather right?" Hiccup said.
"Ah, yes I remember," Serenity said. "Is she yours?" She stroked Windshear's snout.
"Yes," Heather said. "Where's your dragon? Do you still ride that green and blue one?"
"Draco?" Serenity said. "He's no longer in the world. I now ride a young dragon named Tenor. He's off running right now."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Heather.
"It's alright he was old," Serenity said. "He made be promise to get back in the saddle, on a much younger dragon. I'm riding Tenor until he finds a mate."
"I see," said Heather. "When is he back?"
"Don't know," Serenity said. "It'll be nightfall soon, and he's a nocturnal dragon." Windshear stood beside her rider. Toothless wormed his head under Serenity's hand, and she petted him.
"The dragons seem to really like you," Heather said.
"I like them," said Serenity.
"They're your friends?" Heather said.
"Friends? no, they're not friends," Serenity said. "They're family. I was raised by dragons, that's why I can speak to them." Toothless purred.
"Well, we need to get some rest," Heather said. Serenity nodded. They all turned and headed back to the club house. When they were gone, Tenor came out of the trees. He had run into the woods when he sensed Windshear approaching.
"She's very nice Tenor," Serenity said. "I don't think you need to worry about her."
"It would seem so," Tenor said. "She also seems young."
"At least give her a chance," Serenity said. "She's very curious about you." Tenor pinned his ears back bashfully. He laid down and put his head on his front paws.
Later that evening; Windshear was dozing off on the porch of the stables. Heather planned to take off when the moon came out. Windshear was ready. She spent the day resting, and wondering about the mysterious black dragon. She felt bad for him. She wanted to at least meet him before they left. She looked over at the yurt and saw him laying in the grass outside. Serenity was no where in sight, Windshear suspected she was inside. Windshear got to her feet and went over to the yurt. Tenor must have heard her coming because he quickly dashed into the shadow of the building. His black scales did their job, and Windshear could see very little of him. All she saw was his glowing green eyes. He looked at her shyly. She decided to not get too close, she didn't know about his temper.
"Are you Tenor?" she asked.
"Yes," Tenor said quickly. "You're Windshear." The Razorwhip nodded.
"You're the king's brother," Windshear said. "He and the queen are Whippertails. Did you know that the Razorwhip and the Whippertail are cousins?"
"Really?" Tenor said, interested.
"Yeah," Windshear said. "We have the same ancestors, Razorwhips just evolved differently. We're two sides of the same coin."
"That would explain the similarities," Tenor said. Windshear nodded in agreement. Tenor stayed in the shadows.
"Do you want to come out?" Windshear asked. Tenor didn't move.
"I have peace in dark," he said. "If folks can't see me, then they can't make fun of the way I look. When are you and Heather leaving?"
"Tonight," Windshear said. "We have lots to do."
"More ships to rob?" Tenor asked.
"We don't rob the ships," Windshear said. "I probably shouldn't tell you anything, Heather wouldn't like it." Tenor narrowed his eyes.
"Right, It's not like I can do anything," he said sarcastically.
"No, it's not that," Windshear said. "It's just that, this is our problem. I don't you to trouble yourself."
"I see," Tenor said. "But tell me anyway. Maybe there is something I can do, with my skills and connections." Windshear considered.
"Well, alright," she said. "Shortly after Heather and I met. Our village was wiped out by Dagur and the Berserkers. Heather lost her friends and family. The Berserkers took everything from the village. There are a few survivors out there. Heather and I teamed up with a merchant named Trader Johann to distribute all the stolen items back to the survivors."
"Such a noble humanitarian effort," Tenor said. "How does Johann help?"
"That oaf knows quite a lot," Windshear said. "He's able to locate where Dagur is, as well as take the stolen items back to the survivors. Heather hopes to find Dagur and put him in his place."
"We all do," Tenor said. "If Heather's village, Berk, and the dragons all pulled together, then Dagur won't stand a chance. I would gladly gather up the Draconian squadrons. Draconia's a large nations, with over thousands of dragons. A nation that big would have Dagur running for the end of the Earth." Windshear smiled at him. She was working on a way to get him out of the shadows. The sun was starting to set.
"I like you Tenor," she said. "You have a very good heart. You're right of course. But I don't think you need to call them just yet."
"Okay if you say so," Tenor said. He laid down and placed his head on his front paws. Windshear also laid down, in the dying light.
"So, does Heather have a plan for what she's going to do when she takes on Dagur?" Tenor asked. Windshear thought for a minuet.
"I don't think so to honest," she giggled. "But she might be planning something as we speak."
"For both your sakes I hope so," Tenor said. Windshear gave him a small look of gratitude. They fell silent as they watch the sun go down. Windshear kept looking at Tenor. He stayed in his shadow. But when the sun was set and darkness fell, Tenor emerged. It was a new moon and Windshear still couldn't make out any features. At that moment Heather came up to them. She had locked up the other dragons, preventing the others from following her.
"There you are Windshear," she said. "We have to go." Windshear turned to Tenor.
"Thanks for talking," she said in the direction of the glowing green eyes. Heather went to the door of the yurt and locked the door. Tenor hissed.
"What are you doing?" he asked sternly.
"I don't want Serenity coming after us," Heather said. "She could get hurt. Don't worry, it's for the best." Tenor opened his mouth to blast the door open, but Windshear stopped him.
"Don't, you'll wake her up," she whispered. Tenor stopped.
"You can set her free tomorrow," Heather said. Then she got on her dragon and took off. She failed to see the Night Fury, perfectly concealed by the darkness. Hiccup and Toothless came out of their hiding place. Toothless spread his wings and flew after the Razorwhip. Tenor watched them all fly away. He spread his wings and followed them.
Tenor followed them over the ocean. They arrived back at Heather's campsite. Hiccup and Toothless landed and stayed out of sight. Heather had landed Windshear on a single ship. Tenor circled it, the darkness hid him very well. Heather was talking to Trader Johann. After a few minuets the two shook hands, Heather got on Windshear, and they took off. They were soon out of sight. Hiccup and Toothless came out of hiding and landed on the ship. Johann seemed surprised to see them. Hiccup began interrogating Johann, using Toothless as a threat. Tenor circled lowed to be able to hear what was being said. Johann seemed reluctant to talk about Heather. But Hiccup was very firm, again he sounded like Stoic that himself. Johann soon crumbled under the threatening glare of Toothless. From the sound of it Johann told Hiccup everything Windshear told Tenor. When Hiccup got all the information he needed from Johann, he mounted Toothless and set off again. Tenor followed closely.
Hiccup and Toothless followed Heather. Johann had just told him that Dagur had destroyed Heather's village and killed her family. Hiccup felt bad for Heather and understood why she wanted to kill Dagur. But he worried that Heather would get herself killed. It took the rest of the night to reach Dagur's fleet. By the time they saw the fleet, the sun was high in the sky. Heather and Windshear were hovering over several ships. The Berserkers had launched heavy chains at Windshear, and they snagged all around her body. A few of them had pinned Heather, flat on her back, against Windshear's neck. Hiccup clicked the stirrup and Toothless launched himself at the fleet.
"Toothless, plasma blast," he ordered. "Blast the chains." Toothless fired at the chains but nothing happened. Heather and Windshear saw the other dragon and rider. Dagur laughed loudly. Heather saw Toothless fail to blast the chains. She tried to free herself but failed. She was completely helpless.