Astrid's Team

Part One – Ill Tidings

Evening, in the skies above Dragon's Edge;

Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, and Stormfly had just completed their last patrol run for the evening, and were on their way back to the base.
"Well, very good patrol, Astrid; The Edge is secure." As he spoke, he turned to look at Astrid, his girlfriend of almost three years. He noticed her expression, and frowned, "Oh-oh… I know that look."

"Hiccup; where are all the Night Terrors… Aren't they supposed to be on watch?" Astrid asked, gesturing below them as she spoke. "They're our last line of defense!"

Hiccup glanced down at the Night Terrors' perches, and his eyes narrowed. "TUFFNUT!"

Five minutes later,

It took only a few minutes to find The Twins, and the Night Terrors. Fishlegs, Meatlug, Snotlout, and Hookfang were already there. Toothless and Stormfly landed, a short distance away. Hiccup and Astrid slid down from their dragons' backs, and the four of them made their way forward.

"Uh… What are you two doing?" Hiccup asked, gesturing at Ruff, Tuff, and a single Terrible Terror. The rest of the colony had already flown off; grumbling about the Twins' 'training', as they made their way back to their lookout perches.

"What does it look like we're doing?" Ruffnut asked, turning to face the new arrivals. "We're dragon- training, of course."

"You would think that you, of all people, would recognize it." Tuffnut picked up the Night Terror, and came forward to join them. "Prepare to be amazed, my friends!" He set the dragon down, and said, "Shake!"

Immediately, the dragon flipped onto its back and began thrashing around. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, and rolled their eyes.
Before either of them could comment on this, a Terrible- Terror messenger shot into the arena, flying straight at Fishlegs. He removed the scroll from the Terrible Terror's leg, and scanned the message. "Fishlegs; what is it?" Hiccup asked, as he and the others gathered around Fishlegs.

"It's Berk," Fishlegs said. "And it's not good."

Part Two – Picking Up The Pieces

The following morning; on Berk,

They saw the smoke and fires from several miles out. As they drew closer, Chief Stoick and Skullcrusher rose up to meet them. "Son; I'm glad you're here!"

"Who did this?" Hiccup demanded, as he took in the scene below them. "Was it Dagur?"

Stoick nodded, "We sent word to the Night- Furies as soon as we could, but they were long- gone by then; we've only just gotten the last of the fires under control ... It was a hit-and-run: catapults, volleys of fire- arrows, mostly; hit a few buildings." He turned to Astrid. "Astrid; one of them was your parents' house! You should probably…"

Astrid and Stormfly were gone before he could finish the sentence; Hiccup paused long enough to ask one last question, then he and Toothless shot after them.

The instant Stormfly's claws touched the ground; Astrid dismounted and hurried forwards. She came to a stop, a moment later; staring, in disbelief, at the ruins of what had once been her home.

Toothless landed next to Stormfly; Hiccup dismounted, and hurried to her side. "Astrid; I asked my dad: your parents were out at the yak- races … they're fine."

Astrid took a deep breath, and turned to face him. "If they had been home, Hiccup…"

Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder; and, his voice soft, he said, "I know, but they weren't. It'll be all right, Astrid; I promise… We'll get your house rebuilt, good as new." He pulled her into a hug, and then stepped back. "Come on; lets go find your parents."

Four minutes later,

Hiccup and Astrid found Astrid's parents in the village square, along with a crowd of other villagers. The moment they saw their daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson rushed to join them. Astrid hugged first her mother, and then her father.
Then Hiccup moved forward, "I'm glad you're both 'ok'."

Mrs. Hofferson nodded, "We are, and that's what matters. We can rebuild; it'll take some time, but…" She sighed.

Hiccup frowned, "What is it?"

"You remember the heirloom- box you made for us, a few years back; during one of the mornings you were helping in the forges?" Hiccup nodded; Mrs. Hofferson continued, "Well: I've been using it to store some family- treasures; a set of goblets that have been in our family for six generations, some jewelry that belonged to my mother, and a few other keepsakes, including a toy I'd made for Astrid, when she was a little girl … I wanted to pass them on to you, Astrid, but the fire will have gotten to them." She sighed again, "Some things can't be replaced."

"Some might not need to be replaced," Hiccup informed them. All three Hoffersons turned to look at him; he shrugged, "Well… I knew it was going to be an heirloom box, so ... I added a little extra protection." For almost a full minute, none of them spoke.

Finally, Astrid said, "Hiccup… Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Hiccup turned to her; he raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word.

Astrid shook her head, and managed a small smile, "I should've known… What did you do?"

"That box is made up of three layers," Hiccup explained. "The inner and outer are wood, but the middle layer is metal; it's the same with the lid, and both metal layers match up." He turned back to Mrs. Hofferson, "The first layer may be gone, but the other two should be intact." Hiccup glanced around; then turned to Astrid, "Look: Take as much time as you need, and let me know if there's anything I can do."

Astrid gave Hiccup a hug, and kissed him on a cheek. "If there's anything else you can do, you mean… Thanks, Hiccup."

Stoick arrived in the square, and the assembled villagers began to gather around him. "Alright, now that the fires are out: Sven, you start the wall- repairs; Bucket, you're in-charge of roofs."

Sven and Bucket nodded, and the villagers began to split into work groups. Before any of them could take more than a few steps, however, Hiccup stepped forward.

"Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff; you ferry whatever supplies they need. Fishlegs; you and Meatlug will do the heavy lifting." The crowd grew still, watching as Hiccup gave his instructions. "Toothless and I will join up with the Night- Fury scouts, and try to track down Dagur."

As he spoke, a low ripple of murmurs moved through the crowd; and the pride on Chief Stoick's face was obvious to anyone who looked at him.

Stoick came to stand next to his son, "It was a strange attack, son: A single ship; it fired a few salvos, than just… turned tail, and ran."

Hiccup frowned, "That's not Dagur's style… why attack at all?" As he spoke, he slid his black, Night- Fury helmet onto his head, though he left the faceplate up. "And why would he take the risk? … He's in direct violation of The Three- Strikes Edict, and he knows it."

Stoick, too, frowned. "Good questions."

Hiccup pulled himself into the saddle on Toothless's back, and turned back to his father. "Tell you what: I'll ask Dagur, when I find him."

"He was headed due north; that's your best bet!" Stoick informed them.

Hiccup nodded, and slid the faceplate of his helmet down; Toothless spread his wings. Those nearest to them backed away, to give the Night- Fury room to take off. The black- dragon shot skywards, became a spec on the horizon, and vanished from view.

Mr. Hofferson shook his head, and turned to his daughter. "You do our family proud, Astrid; you've found yourself a fine young man." Astrid smiled, her face reddening, and she averted her gaze.

Together, the three Hoffersons picked their way through the crowd; towards the ruins of what had once been their home.

Part Three – Astrid's Choice

Early evening, Berk Dragon Academy,

The sun was nearing the horizon when Hiccup and Toothless returned to the Dragon Academy. When they arrived, they found Fishlegs, Meatlug, Snotlout, Hookfang, The Twins, and their Zippleback, waiting for them.

A moment later, Stormfly swooped into the arena. Astrid dismounted, and came to join Hiccup.

"Astrid … How's your family?" Hiccup asked, when they met, near the middle of the arena.

"They're okay… except our house, the house I grew up in, is… you know … gone." Astrid sighed, "I know we'll rebuild, but…"

"It won't be the same, I know." Hiccup finished, putting a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. "Did you find the heirloom- box?"

"We did, Hiccup; we… we found it!" Astrid eyes glittered. She was speaking softly, and her voice shook. "The outer layer is gone, and the metal was charred, but… but everything in it, it survived the fire!" She kissed him, on the lips, and then threw her arms him. She remained there for several heartbeats, then stepped back.
"That toy my mom mentioned? It was a sackcloth doll … I'd forgotten all about it, until my mom pulled 'her' out; remind me to show you." She wiped her eyes, "Thank you, Hiccup; I can't begin to tell you what this means to me."

A loud snore jolted them back to their surroundings; it was Snotlout, who had dozed off. Both Astrid and Hiccup glared at him then turned their attention to the others in the arena.

"You mind if I wake him up?" Astrid asked, a trace of coolness in her tone, as she regarded the sleeping Snotlout.

"Please and thank you," Hiccup said, nodding to Astrid, a trace of exasperation in his voice. Thirty seconds later, Astrid had grabbed Snotlout by an arm, and sent him flying into the nearest wall. Snotlout woke up as he hit the wall, and dropped to the arena floor, groaning.

The Riders gathered around, and Hiccup began to speak. "Listen up, everyone: Dagur was last seen fleeing heading due north. By my calculations, he could be heading out of the Archipelago. So: we're going back to Dragon's Edge first thing tomorrow. We'll use that as our base to search for them. For now: head back to your homes, get a good nights' rest."

The others began to head for their dragons; and, once they were settled into the saddles, they rose into the sky, returning to the village. Hiccup made his way towards Astrid, who was extricating her sleeping- roll from the supply bags on the Deadly- Nadder's back.

"Astrid; where are you guys staying tonight?"

"I figured Stormfly and I would just bed down here," Astrid said, nodding at the stone floor of the arena. Stormfly nodded, but said nothing.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Well… that's a coincidence: I'm sleeping here too." Toothless warbled an affirmative.

Astrid turned to look at him, "But… why? You have a warm bed, and a house."

Hiccup nodded, "Well, yeah… but the way my dad snores, Toothless and I wouldn't get a wink." He crossed the remaining distance, and put his right hand on Astrid's left shoulder, "And I want to be here, if you want to talk: you know, moral support. Besides: There is no way in Valhalla that I'm spending the night with a roof over my head while my girlfriend sleeps on a stone floor, on the outskirts of the village."

Astrid smiled, and nodded. "Thanks, again, Hiccup." She turned her attention back to arranging her sleeping role. Hiccup walked over to Toothless, extricated his own sleeping role, and began to do likewise; on the opposite site of where they would set their fire.

An hour after midnight,

Three hours passed, and Astrid was no closer to falling asleep than when Hiccup and their dragons had closed their eyes. She glanced at Hiccup, and then at the fire; which was starting to burn low.
She picked up a few fresh logs, and placed them on the fire. A moment later, a sharp 'crack' echoed through the arena; as one of the logs split in two.

Astrid jumped, and looked around the arena; Stormfly and Toothless slept on, undisturbed. Hiccup, however, shifted and opened his eyes; he stretched, yawned, and looked around. "Can't sleep?"

Astrid shook her head. "I thought I'd go for a walk; clear my head… Sorry I woke you."

Hiccup got to his feet, "Would you like some company?" When Astrid hesitated, Hiccup added, "If there's anything I can do to help you, I want to know: we're a team within a team, Astrid. Half the point of being in a relationship is knowing that, whatever happens … whatever life throws your way, there's someone you can turn to … someone you can be open with." He looked her in the eye, "I meant what I said, earlier: 'let me know if there's anything I can do'… All you need to do is tell me."

Astrid smiled and nodded, "Ok, some company would be nice." She was silent for a moment, and then added, "I'm… not quite sure how to put it into words, but I'll tell you if it comes to me."

A short time later,

Hiccup let Astrid choose the path they took, and he was not at all surprised when they arrived at the ruins of Astrid's family- home. For several minutes, the two of them stood there, considering the sight before them.

Finally, Hiccup said, "You're wondering if you could've prevented it, aren't you?" Astrid sighed, and nodded. "Look at me, Astrid..." She turned to face him. "There is nothing we could've done, to prevent this." He nodded in the direction of the house, "You heard my father: they came, fired a few volleys, turned and ran… If we'd been here, at the time, we would've been in the arena, or further inland … by the time we knew what was happening, the attack would've started. Then they would've needed our help to put out fires, and make sure everyone was safe; the volleys that were launched would've been launched, and they'd have landed where they did."

Astrid nodded, dropped her gaze, and sighed. "I know that up here," she pointed to the side of her head, "but in my gut…"

"You still blame yourself," Hiccup finished. "Believe me, Astrid: I know what that's like… How do you think I felt when Dagur took my father hostage, the night he smuggled dragon- root into the arena? … I was fifteen, and, out of nowhere, I found myself having to make some big decisions; knowing, all the while, that a single mistake could've gotten my father killed. And that, if that happened, I would've had to live with it for the rest of my life."

Astrid eyes widened, and she turned to look at Hiccup. "So… how do I make this feeling go away?"

Hiccup sighed, his eyes wandering over the surrounding houses. "You can't Astrid; you have to own it, remember it… and you do all you can to never feel it again. It's not easy, but it's all we can do." He turned to her, and met her gaze, "Do you remember I said to you, before you joined the Berk Guard for their morning drills?"

Astrid thought for a moment, and then the answer came to her. "You said it was my choice, and you promised that you'd never hold my choices against me ... But what does that have to do with… this?" She nodded towards the ruins in front of them.

Hiccup turned to her, "You need to make a choice now, Astrid; and you need to make the choice that's right for you… I promised you that I wouldn't hold your choices against you, and I won't. So: look, remember, and tell me what you need to do."

Astrid stood there, considering the ruins of her house, and the other, more- or- less intact houses, which stood around them. The answer came to her, then, and she hesitated.

"Go on," Hiccup encouraged. "Tell me what you've decided."

"I… I'm going to stay on Berk; to help protect the village, in case Dagur attacks again." The moment the words left her mouth, Astrid turned to Hiccup, hesitantly.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Ok... But what are you going to do, Astrid?"

"I'm going to train new riders," Astrid said, softly, almost without realizing it.

"Sorry… What was that?" Hiccup asked, though Astrid could've sworn she'd seen the briefest flicker of a smile on his face.

In an instant, the river of emotions that had been flowing through her; the tension, worry, guilt… all of it; drained out of her. "I'm going to train new Riders." Astrid repeated, in a louder, more confident, voice. "An auxiliary- force."

Hiccup's smile returned, and he clapped her on the shoulder. "Good… I knew I'd picked the right Viking for the job!"

Astrid blinked, then her eyes widened. "You… You really think I'm ready?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall my saying 'you could do it now, if you needed to,' in a related- conversation we had not long after the one we were just talking about." There was a brief pause, and then Hiccup continued, "I'll send the others on ahead, to The Edge, in the morning. Toothless and I will be coordinating with the Night- Fury scouts until the early- to midafternoon; we'll stop back, see how you're doing, then continue on to The Edge. You can join us once your first team of Riders is ready for combat … Sound good?"

Astrid smiled, "I've lost track of the number of times I've said this to you today, Hiccup, but: thank you… again … I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you, in my life."

Five minutes later,

Hiccup paused, just outside the door of the Dragon Academy, and turned to Astrid. "I want you to remember what we talked about tonight, Astrid… 'We are a team, within a team'; say it aloud."

"We are a team within a team." Astrid said, smiling. "A team within a team; a team within a team." They reentered the arena, and found Toothless and Stormfly: both still asleep.

Astrid and Hiccup settled back onto their respective sleep rolls. This time, Astrid was awake only long enough to think, 'A team within a team… A team within–'

Part Five – New Riders

The following morning, an hour after breakfast,

Astrid took one look at the crowd of people, and dragons, gathered in the Dragon Academy, and gulped. She turned to Hiccup, "Is it too late to be having second- thoughts?"

Hiccup smiled, reassuringly, at her. "Look at it this way, Astrid: three years ago, you got within sixty feet of being eaten by a Red- Death … A lot of people would've spent the next two weeks cowering under their bed; you pretty much shrugged that off, and kept going. They," he gestured, subtly, at the assembled crowd, "want to respect, and learn from, you… if they didn't, they wouldn't be here. Relax… It may take some getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it; I know you'll do a great job."

Astrid blinked, and smiled, ruefully. "Wow… You know, that does put things in perspective, actually. Thanks … again." She and Hiccup locked gazes, Astrid rolled her eyes and smiled.

Hiccup smiled back. "I'll talk to you before Toothless and I leave for The Edge."

Two hours after noon,

"Ok: The next exercise is to dive at the target; do a barrel- roll to avoid enemy- fire, and then hit the target with a blast." As she spoke, she saw Hiccup and Toothless settle into the stands, overlooking the arena.
They watched, as she first demonstrated the drill; then began to call the new riders, each of whom had been paired to a dragon, to do the drill.
Spitelout, Snotlout's dad, and his Deadly- Nadder, were first. He managed the barrel- roll, but his dragon missed the target. "Fail," Astrid said.
Gothi, the mute village healer, and her Gronkle, were next. During their barrel- roll, Gothi fell out of the saddle, and grabbed her Gronkle by the feet. She, herself, ended up colliding with the target; knocking it over. "Fail; to be a dragon- rider you actually have to ride on the dragon."

When it was his turn, Gustav and Fanghook completed the barrel- roll, and hit the target squarely. "Lucky shot," Astrid told him. "Do it again." – The second time, Astrid moved the target moments before Fanghook's attack would have hit it. "Element of surprise," Astrid declared. "Fail."

It went on like that for the better part of an hour.

At last, Astrid saw Hiccup and Toothless making their way down from the stands, and towards the arena entrance. She called for everyone to take a break. "We have a lot of work to do," she commented, once they reached her.

Hiccup sighed, "Astrid; I know what you're doing."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "And… What am I doing?"

"You're being overly tough on them; it's like you want them to fail," Hiccup said.

Astrid turned away, "You're wrong, Hiccup… You're wrong."

"Look, Astrid… I get it: you want them to fail so you can stay on Berk and protect your family. But you can't be there every second, of every day, for the rest of their lives." Hiccup sighed. "Just think about it. I'm going to head out to Dragon's Edge; check on those guys, see if they've spotted Dagur. I'll come back in a few days; we… we can talk about it more then."

When Astrid glanced back, a moment later, she saw Hiccup and Toothless rising into the sky; a minute later, they were gone.

Astrid sighed, and called to her first group of trainee- Riders. "Ok: lets pick up where we left off!"

Part Six – Under Siege

The following afternoon,

"Today, we're going to practice precision- landing," Astrid said. A split second later, Skullcrusher landed in the middle of the target she'd painted on the middle of the arena floor. "Just like that," Astrid said.

Instead of dismounting, Stoick turned to her and said, "Astrid; we've just received a Terrible Terror from Hiccup; Dragon's Edge is under siege by Dagur's fleet!"

Astrid felt as though her heart had been plunged into a bucket of ice water. "How many ships?"

"At least a dozen," Stoick replied. "Hiccup writes that they've been pinned down; he and Toothless launch the occasional attack, to keep Dagur's ships from reaching the shore, but they're the only ones that can risk coming into the open!"

"Wow, long odds!" Astrid commented, as she hurried to clamber into the saddle on Stormfly's back.

An instant later, her trainee- riders were all around them; trying to convince her to let them come as well. Astrid was adamant, "Absolutely not; you are not ready for combat. You will all stay here; that is an order!" She turned to Stoick, "Lets go!"

With that, Skullcrusher and Stormfly rose into the sky, angling in the direction of The Edge. A single thought filled Astrid's mind, 'A team within a team… A team within a team… Gods, Hiccup was right: I've been acting like an idiot!'

As they rose into the sky, and to her intense relief, four Night- Furies rose to join them.

The following afternoon, Dragon's Edge,

After what felt like an eternity, to Astrid, the outline of Dragon's Edge appeared on the still- distant horizon. Half an hour later, she saw the hazy outline of the nearest of Dagur's ships. The closer they got, the clearer the outlines got.
When they were about two miles out, Astrid shook her head, "There has to be fifteen ships, maybe more!"

The Night- Fury nearest to Stormfly: a male, and the youngest Night- Fury in the group, growled. 'Twelve, twenty, fifty, a hundred… it makes no matter. Before long, there won't be any Berserkers to sail them; we will destroy them, just as The Ancestors destroyed The Hunters who slaughtered The Lost Younglings!'

'Be patient, young- one.' the oldest Night- Fury, who was about Stoick's age, chided. 'Remember: we fight alongside humans now, as well; we must not allow The Rage to cloud our sight. We fight for a cause, now: The Lord Must Rise.'

'The Lord Must Rise' the other three Night- Furies said, in unison.

"'The Lord must rise'?" Astrid asked, uncertainty evident in her voice. "What does that…?" Then her eyes widened, "Wait: a few months ago, Hiccup entered the Dragon Trance, but he didn't seem quite like himself … He, this other 'he', said something about 'his part' of Hiccup's mind… I didn't really understand any of it; what does it mean? Please…"

The second- oldest Night- Fury, a female, hesitated. 'The Gods have taken a… "Special interest" in Hiccup. Every precaution must be taken to ensure his success, and he must succeed; the price of failure… it is too high, and secrecy is his greatest defense. If our enemies learn what he represents, many would see him as a threat, and try to cut him down before he can move against them.' The dragon nodded, gesturing towards what lay ahead. 'Now, though, we have other business to attend to.'

'We'll make a path for you through their fleet,' one of the Night- Furies, a female, told them. 'Head for the island.' Without waiting for a reply, the Night- Furies accelerated to full- speed.

Then, from somewhere ahead of them, they heard Dagur shouting. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU'VE GOT, HICCUP? BECAUSE IT'S NOT ENOUGH!"

Then the four wild Night- Furies dove towards the attacking fleet; the familiar wailing shrieks of approaching Night- Furies filled the air. Then, in a voice several octaves higher then before, Dagur added, "That, however, might do it!"

Skullcrusher and Stormfly sped towards Dragon's Edge. When Astrid got her first good look at the island, her heart sank: Dagur's men had made landfall, and were clambering up the ladders, towards the top of the wall; the wall Skullcrusher had 'inspired' them to build during their first 'series of encounters'.

Stormfly and Skullcrusher shot towards the edge. When they were no more than three minutes out, Stoick gasped. "Beard of Thor; Astrid, look!" He pointed towards the beach nearest to them.
Astrid turned to look, and her eyes widened: Hiccup stood on the beach, facing two Berserker- warriors, armed with axes. They watched, as both men charged Hiccup. There was a blur of motion, and both men were sent flying backwards: the lucky one landed flat on his back in the sand, fifteen feet away, stunned; the unlucky one slammed into a the base of the wall. He let out an unearthly howl, and collapsed, clutching his ribs.

And they weren't the first: At least a dozen figures lay spread-eagled, on the beach. Another half- dozen had gotten to their feet, and were helping the nearest of their comrades to the closest boat.

Astrid whooped, and Hiccup must have heard her; because he looked up, saw them; and raised his black sword, 'Fury', in a salute.
Then Hiccup staggered, slightly, and placed a hand on a nearby boulder, for balance. An instant later; Toothless shot down from a ledge in the cliff just above Hiccup, where he'd been launching plasma- blasts at the nearest ships; waiting to extricate Hiccup the moment he needed to pull- back from the front lines. Moments later, Hiccup and Toothless were in the air, out of range of any attacks from the ships below.

Apparently, that was when Dagur caught sight of Astrid and Stoick, sitting on their dragons' backs. "SERIOUSLY? IS THERE ANYONE ELSE YOU WANT TO INVITE, HICCUP?"

A split second after Dagur asked the question, there was a muffled explosion from somewhere behind them. They turned around, and there they were: Astrid's trainee- riders, and they were doing a pretty good job wreaking havoc on the two ships furthest from The Edge. "I WAS BEING SARCASTIC! BERSERKERS: RETREAT!"

With the order given, Dagur's warriors began to fall back. As the last of them were clambering onto the waiting boats, the four Night- Furies moved in; high above Dagur's boat, they stopped, and began to circle.

For several minutes, they circled; all eyes were on them… Nobody spoke, nobody moved; time, itself, seemed to slow. The face of every man on Dagur's boat had gone white; Dagur's face had taken on a grayish tinge.

Finally, the eldest Night- Fury of the four dove towards Dagur's boat; the familiar shriek filling the air, and blue light glowing in his open maw. The second Night- Fury followed a moment later; then the third, and, finally, the fourth.

The first plasma- bolt struck the deck of Dagur's boat, mere feet from where he stood. The force of it sent him flying backwards; he collided with the mast, stumbled, and almost fell.
If Dagur had fallen, the second plasma- bolt would have killed him. As it was, it missed by only a few feet. This time, the force of the blast sent him flying into a stack of supply crates.

Instead of pressing their attack, the two Night- Furies pulled up; and shot away in opposite directions, each rejoining with one of the other two. Each of these pairs then approached the nearest of Dagur's boats, one from each side, and launched a plasma- bolt.
A few seconds later, the plasma- bolts connected with their targets, and the two ships burst like overripe melons; sending pieces of debris, and Berserker warriors, flying.

The Berserkers fired flaming arrows, and hurled boulders from catapults; the arrows bounced off the armored- like scales of the Night- Furies, and the boulders didn't even come close to making contact.

A few minutes later, only Dagur's boat remained afloat; and all four of the black- dragons converged on it. They stood over Dagur; and, one by one, they sniffed him: memorizing his scent. Then they did the same with many of the other Berserker warriors' on- board.

Once they had finished, three of the four Night- Furies shot skywards. The fourth, the eldest, remained on deck, and spoke, so all would hear. 'Our Elders have decreed that you, Dagur, and all who follow you; are to be hunted down and killed. He growled. 'Death- in- battle is said to be an honorable end, and you do not deserve such an end. That is the only reason we are sparing your lives, today. Remember this, though: We Are The Night, Dagur; and you, are our prey.' He looked at each of Dagur's men. 'Now: Leave.'

Part Seven – The A-Team

A short time later, on Dragon's Edge,

Astrid's trainee- Riders stood together, forming a line in front of Astrid. "You all disobeyed my direct order… Whose idea was this little mutiny?"
Gustav stepped forward, then Spitelout, and, one by one, each of the other new Riders.
"What you did was dangerous, foolish, and completely not what you were trained to do." Astrid smiled, "But it was also brave, and you worked together: as a team. I couldn't be more proud to call you fellow Dragon Riders."
The new Riders grinned and high- fived, then they turned back to face Astrid. Astrid walked up to Gustav. "Gustav; as the most experienced Rider, I'm putting you in-charge of the Dragon Riders' Auxiliary. I'll be staying here, on Dragon's Edge, after all," she turned to Hiccup, and smiled, "I can't protect Berk all be myself, every second of every day. And," she turned back to Gustav and the others, "you guys have proved you're ready to do the job."

"They did handle themselves pretty well," Snotlout admitted, "for the 'B- Team'."

"The 'B- Team'?" Hiccup asked, "No … No, this is Astrid's Team; The 'A- Team'."

Astrid's smile widened, and she turned to face her 'A- Team'. "But if I hear you're slacking off one inch, I'll be on you like a Gronkle on granite!"

Once Stoick, and the members of the newly- formed 'A- Team' had departed for Berk, and the rest of Berks' 'original' riders had moved off, a ways, Hiccup turned to Astrid.
"Definitely a good day… You couldn't be prouder of your 'A- Team'; and I, couldn't be prouder of you." He smiled, "Come here!" He pulled Astrid into a hug; and added, "I told you you'd get the hang of it."

Astrid smiled, "Yes, you did… but to be fair: I had an excellent teacher, myself."

To Be Continued…