*Loki*

The next morning dawned bright and clear, the few clouds burned off by the early morning sun. Berk was awake and busy before the sun had even crested the horizon. Shouts, crashes, bangs, and thuds punctuated the air as packing commenced. Loki stood on the cliffs, looking down and the knarr ships below. Dragons filled the air like a living tapestry, helping move supplies from the village down to the boats. They would be leaving within the hour to give chase to the enemy vessel. Loki yawned, teeth gleaming in the light. Toothless had kept him up late last night crashing through the forest, chased by the two Viking teens. They must have kept it up for at least an hour before silence filled the village again. From the yawns of the other Vikings and dragons, no one had gotten much sleep.

Shaking his thoughts away, Loki dove off the cliff and skimmed the water before rising high into the air. The heat of the sun beat upon his scales, filling him with energy. Loki let the air currents carry him back into the shore where he landed next to Toothless. The black dragon's head weaved back and forth in concentration as he listened to a conversation between Hiccup and Stoic. Loki listened as well.

"Are you sure you haven't heard of the Dreknor?" Hiccup asked.

Stoic shook his head. "I'm afraid not. There was a ship called that once…but it disappeared years and years ago. Crashed, I believe, on one of their trading routes. I'm afraid it's not the same ship. But even if I don't know it, someone is bound to have heard of it along the way."

"I just want to find it quickly," Hiccup sighed, frustrated.

"So do I, son, so do I. But it's not like we don't know where they are going. Everyone saw the direction that they sailed off in and there is only open ocean within a day's travel of here. They won't be hard to find."

Hiccup nodded slowly before opening his mouth again. Stoic cut him off before he had a chance to say anything. "Yes, everything is accounted for. No, no body needs any help. Yes, we will leave within the hour. Yes, I have all the maps and sailing equipment. I packed the extra pair of socks you told me to. Now go to the house and eat something before we leave! You're as thin as stick…can't be good for you…" Muttering, Stoic wandered away while Hiccup stood still, mouth wide.

Looks like your father knows you almost as well as I do, Toothless laughed.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested.

Toothless, shouldn't we have sent out a scout last night to track the ship? Loki asked.

Toothless shook his head. Everyone was worn out and there has been so much happening that I decided it would be better not to. And as Stoic said, they can't have gotten that far. We will find them soon, don't worry.

Loki snorted and shook his head, but accepted Toothless's council.

As promised, the Vikings left within the hour. Those staying behind once again lined up on the cliffs. Once again the harbor resounded with shouts and roars, but this time calls of farewell and good luck filled the air. Loki flapped over the ships slowly, letting the air carry him away from the island of Berk. Looking down, he could see Astrid making her way to Hiccup's side. Almost unconsciously, Hiccup's hand slid into hers. Once they rounded the point open ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The ships became a hive of activity as the Vikings pulled on sails, intent on catching the slightest wind. It seemed that luck was with them. The sails billowed out and from his high vantage point; Loki thought that the ships looked like a group of gulls winging over the water. The rest of the dragons settled into the easy rhythm of flying as the miles slid away beneath them.

*Vashdin*

Vashdin hissed in anger, pacing the deck. The sound felt strange coming from a human mouth. His limbs felt too long and uncoordinated; his back exposed without his wings. He hated shifting into human form to talk to the Vikings he sailed with. It took more out of him than he would like to admit. He drew deeply from the reserves of power inside, forcing his body to keep from shifting. He focused back on the conversation at hand.

"We can't go back!"

"Yes, we have to! This is our last chance to rip their miserable hides to shreds!"

"They'll expect us to be coming; it's too risky."

"We're Vikings! It's an occupational hazard!"

"Hazard? I'll show you a hazard!" A scuffle broke out.

"SILENCE!" The captain pulled apart the fighting crew members and shoved them roughly away. "Vashdin, what do you think we should do?"

Vashdin paced the deck again, wishing he could rip the miserable creatures to shreds. "We can't go back. They were prepared—warned, no doubt, by that lone dragon—and now they will not lower their guard for weeks. That was our only chance!" He hissed again.

The captain shrugged. "No matter. There are more dragons along the way! And Vikings we can plunder! And ale…mustn't forget the ale…" The captain trailed off into a stream of gibberish. Vashdin snorted. Crazy fools, all of them, driven mad by the sea and wind. They were the sorriest bunch he'd ever seen, but they were his ticket home. As the rest of the crew dispersed Vashdin walked to the bow of the ship before letting the magic go and sliding back into his true shape. It felt uncomfortably like his bones were being turned inside out and then put back together. He shuddered as his skin stretched itself back to its rightful shape and shadows again swirled over his scales. He then settled down for a long nap. Maybe by the time he woke the situation would look less bleak and he would have a better plan for revenge.