Hey guys! Another thrilling chapter to Defenders of Berk. This one's got a few twists and turns and, for all you Hiccstrid lovers out there, a bonus epilogue! Enjoy!
NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD
Tunnel Vision
It was another glorious day at Berk sun shining, sheep bleating, yaks mooing and dragons freely flying…yep, another peaceful day on this island.
That was until Chief Stoick the Vast's booming voice echoed throughout the village.
"Cut him off! Make sure he doesn't escape!" the great Chief ordered as a mysterious individual narrowly dodged Edgar and Henna, who were in pursuit. "He's headed your way, kids!" Edgar hollered. "Don't let him get away!" Henna cried out.
On their two best dragon friends, Toothless and Stryka, Hiccup and Zenna managed to land as the escapee rushed past them. "I didn't think he could move that fast!" Hiccup said breathlessly as he and Toothless stopped in mid-chase to rest for a second. "Me neither…" Zenna remarked, shaking her head, as she and Stryka flew after the runaway.
The stranger rushed past some barrels, upturning them, and a chicken as the two Night Furies and their Riders gave chase. They landed in front of the runaway, who turned right and kept on going. "Astrid! He's headed your way!" Hiccup hollered to his Milady.
Up in the sky on her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, Astrid nodded. "On it!" she said and locked onto the runaway's position. "Stormfly! Spine shot!" she commanded. Quickly Stormfly shot out her tail spines and effectively blocked the runaway's path. We then see that our runaway is none other than Gobber the Belch, Berk's resident blacksmith and dragon dentist.
"I won't do it, Stoick, and you can't make me. None of you can't make me!" Gobber said in defiance as Stoick, Henna, Edgar, Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna, Stryka, Astrid and Stormfly surrounded him. "Keep him surrounded!" Stoick ordered the group.
It was time for Gobber…to take a bath. But he refused to bathe so it led to the Riders collaborating with Stoick to hunt him down and make him.
"A Viking is supposed to smell this way! It's a badge of honor!" Gobber exclaimed. A purple Terrible Terror crept up Gobber's shoulder and chattered happily before getting a whiff of the blacksmith's stank. Once it smelled that awful stench, the Terrible Terror gagged and flew crookedly for a few seconds before bumping into a pole. Meanwhile, Fishlegs was drawing water from the village well with Meatlug. "Hurry, we've gotta get that tub filled so we could give Gobber his bath," the chubby Ingerman boy told the group currently surrounding Gobber.
"Don't be difficult with us now, Gob," Edgar said sternly. "You wouldn't want us to be difficult with you now, would you?" Henna chided the blacksmith. "It's for your own good, Gobber," Stoick told his old friend. "Actually, it's for the good of the town," Hiccup corrected his father while Zenna merely pinched her nose and tried not to breathe in Gobber's scent. Toothless and Stryka both growled in disgust, their sensitive dragon noses turning up at the smell.
"Get in the tub!" Stoick ordered Gobber who merely glared at him while Snotlout and Hookfang came from behind. "Hookfang, toss him in the tub!" Snotlout commanded his Monstrous Nightmare. Refusing to obey orders as usual, Hookfang tossed Snotlout up into the air! "Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" the Jorgenson boy screamed before slamming down into the wooden tub! "Every. Single. Time! Doesn't this get old for you?" Snotlout asked his dragon exasperatedly. Hookfang merely shifted his eyes left and right.
With Gobber distracted, Hiccup and Zenna signaled to Toothless and Stryka to sneak up on Gobber while Hiccup nodded to Astrid to get in on the plan. "I won't do it, Stoick!" Gobber refused to bathe again, holding up his battle axe, not noticing the two Night Furies sneaking up behind him. "Now, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted to the Hofferson girl, who flew up on Stormfly! While Gobber looked up, Toothless managed to toss him up from underneath and into the tub where Stryka made sure he stayed in!
"Bath time, Gobber!" Edgar and Henna called out, much to the blacksmith's horror. "Fishlegs, soap and water!" Stoick ordered, holding Gobber down, while the chubby Ingerman boy and his Gronckle buzzed on over with a bucket of water in his hands.
But, when Fishlegs poured the bucket over Gobber, everyone was stunned to see only a small amount of water splash on him! While Gobber was happy, Stoick was not.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, son," Stoick told Fishlegs. "I can't, sir! The well, it's run dry!" Fishlegs said, looking at the empty water bucket. Stoick looked confused along with Zenna's parents. "The well's run dry? But that's never happened before!" Henna said in shock. "We'll have to check to be sure…it's a bit too early for a drought here on Berk…" Edgar said worriedly.
The adults, Hiccup and Zenna went over to the old well and Stoick tested Fishlegs' observation by sending a bucket down a rope and pulling it up only to find it dry as a bone. "We just dug that well two summers ago," Stoick told his son, confused as to what was going on. "Water doesn't just…disappear. There has to be a reason," Hiccup said, puzzled. "Maybe the flow of water was disrupted somehow?" Zenna guessed, tilting her head to the side. "That does sound possible, love…" Henna nodded in agreement to her daughter's claim. "The question is how we're gonna get that water flowing again?" Edgar wondered out loud.
Stoick sighed and said, "We're going to have to dig a new well. And until it's done, we'll have to ration water. Which means…" as Gobber strolled up to Hiccup and Zenna. "No more baths!" Gobber said cheerfully, putting both arms around Hiccup and Zenna, and added, "Always a silver lining!" while the two siblings not by blood but by bond dry heaved into the well in disgust.
"Holy Shields…that reeks!" Zenna grimaced and pulled out bottle of lavender oil from her waist pouch. "Aaaahhh…lavender…" she sighed as she took a deep whiff of the fragrant oil and offered it to Hiccup, who breathed the smell of lavenders deeply and gratefully smiled at her.
Everyone in the village was rationing water and the seven members of the Berk Dragon Training Academy were no exception. Luckily Hiccup and Zenna had devised a plan and gathered all of the other Riders to help them out. Standing in front of his friends, Hiccup paced about as he discussed the plan.
"Okay, we need to figure out a way to keep Berk supplied with water until a new well can be dug. Ruff, Tuff, strap on the washtub and head to Lars Lake to fill it," the one-legged teen instructed the destruction-loving Thorston Twins. "Okay! But that thing's pretty big! I mean, it's bigger than Ruff's butt. It could take a while, a week or two," Tuffnut snickered, making Ruffnut examine her backside. Angered, Ruffnut punched her brother right in the face!
"Tuff, don't make fun of your sister. You don't hear her teasing you about your butt," Zenna chided the male Thorston who blushed. "Sorry…" Tuffnut mumbled, still lying on the ground. Ruffnut simply scowled but accepted his apology anyway. "I was assuming you would use your dragon," Hiccup reminded Tuffnut. Standing up, Tuffnut looked a bit confused. "Why would you think that?" he asked Hiccup. "Because…" Hiccup tried to explain before face palming himself and gave up trying to explain how Barf and Belch, the Twins' Hideous Zippleback, can help the duo in carrying the tub to Lars Lake and back.
"Okay…moving on…Astrid, Snotlout, head to the mountain streams and fill up as many canteens as you can," Hiccup instructed his cousin and Astrid. Snotlout looked pretty interested in spending some time with Astrid because he smiled. "Mountain streams…romantic…" Snotlout remarked and tried to pet Astrid's hair before going, "Oww!" as Astrid shoved him forward! "Fishlegs, Meatlug, you're going to help me and Zenna figure out what happened inside that well," Hiccup turned to Fishlegs, who looked nervous. "Um, you may not know this, but Meatlug and I don't do well in tight spaces…" Fishlegs said meekly, Meatlug growling happily as her Rider petted her.
Hiccup looked like he was ready to admit defeat when Zenna piped up. "How about you and I investigate the well from the inside? Fishlegs and Meatlug can lower us down a rope outside the well's mouth while we go down and see what's up?" the one-eyed Fiersome suggested. Hiccup looked skeptical for about a minute before nodding. "Alright, it's settled. Everyone, head out and do your respective assignment. Fishlegs, you get Meatlug some rope!" Zenna clapped her hands and everyone left the Academy to do their jobs.
Stormfly and Hookfang patiently waited as their Riders filled up water canteens at the mountain streams. As he worked, Snotlout tried to make small talk with Astrid. "You know, Astrid, I've been thinking," he began. "We talked about you thinking, Snotlout. It's not good, for anyone," Astrid reminded him. Undaunted Snotlout placed a newly-filled water canteen into the pile of canteens they've already filled up. "Who says we have to give this water away?" he retorted. Astrid looked confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked him. "It's simple supply-and-demand. Follow me here," Snotlout began and grabbed a canteen of water.
Author's Comment: Who would have thought Snotlout had the potential to become an entrepreneur and first come up with the modern bottled water industry? XD
"The people of Berk are parched, desperate for fresh water, and who's got all the water, Astrid? Snotlout that's who! Haha! I'm gonna make a fortune!" Snotlout explained and laughed. Astrid thought that Snotlout's idea was the most ridiculous idea known to man. But for us here in modern times, Snotlout's idea is one of the biggest industries in our world today. The Viking times? Eh, not so much. "You're gonna charge people for water? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Astrid scoffed and placed a filled canteen in her pile. "Is it? Ha, do whatever you want, Astrid. Just don't ask me to cut you in later," Snotlout told her as they continued filling up canteens.
Back in the village, Toothless and Stryka were excitedly running about while Fishlegs had Meatlug hover above the well with a rope tied around her. "That's it, girl!" Fishlegs smiled at his Gronckle before peering down the well where Hiccup and Zenna were currently being lowered down into. Zenna had been the first to go down while Hiccup was dangling right above her. "Just keep it steady!" Fishlegs told Meatlug worriedly. "So far, the well's dry as a bone!" Zenna hollered. "Lower! Keep going! Just a little more…okay! Hold it right there!" Hiccup looked up at the little group, composed of Fishlegs, their two Night Furies and Fishlegs' Gronckle, keeping an eye on their progress.
Once the rope stopped lowering, Hiccup and Zenna inspected the well and found that the water had, in fact, disappeared just recently. "The water level was way up here and it's still wet," Hiccup observed. "I guess my theory of the water flow being disrupted was right, Hicc. But where did the water end up now?" Zenna asked, looking up at him. Hiccup shrugged before motioning Zenna to move a bit and dropped a stone into the well. After about a second or two, they heard the stone drop at the bottom. "Fishlegs, get us all the way down!" Hiccup hollered. "Are you sure? It looks awfully dark and scary down there!" Fishlegs asked nervously. "Fishlegs!" Hiccup insisted. "Don't worry, we have lanterns with us!" Zenna reassured the chubby Ingerman boy, waving her lantern. "Okay! Take them down, girl," Fishlegs instructed Meatlug.
Toothless and Stryka both warbled in concern as their Riders were lowered down deeper into the well. Meatlug then spotted a wheelbarrow filled with rocks that were going to be used to make the new well and got hungry. She began to fly over to the wheelbarrow, unwittingly pulling the rope into a sharp piece of rock inside the well!
"Uh, Fishlegs, getting kind of wobbly down here!" Zenna said as the rope began to sway. "Wh-whoa! Whoa! Fishlegs, wait!" Hiccup said frantically. Toothless and Stryka roared worriedly while the chubby Ingerman boy tried to stop Meatlug. "Steady, Meatlug," Fishlegs said worriedly.
But it was too late.
The rope severed and it sent Hiccup and Zenna plummeting into the darkness!
"Hiccup! Zenna! Oh no!" Fishlegs cried out in horror. Screeching in alarm, Toothless and Stryka dove into the well after their Riders! "Toothless! Stryka! Hiccup! Zenna!" Fishlegs shouted, the screeches of the two Night Furies echoing down the well in response.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the two teens screamed as they fell. Then Hiccup realized that Zenna, being the one below him, was going to hit the ground first! Quickly he managed to twist his body around, grab Zenna's hand to pull her into him, and twisted his body around again. Zenna let out a muffled scream into Hiccup's tunic as they hit the ground, Hiccup taking the full impact! The one-legged teen gasped from the pain and tightened his grip around Zenna when Toothless and Stryka suddenly dropped in!
Stryka shook her head, woozy for a second, before nudging Zenna. "Stryka! Am I glad to see you and Toothless!" the one-eyed Fiersome girl sighed with relief before a weak groan from underneath her made her look. Hiccup's face was pale and he desperately trying to get enough air into his lungs! "Hiccup!" Zenna exclaimed in horror, scrambling off of him while Toothless quickly helped his Rider sit up. Zenna's eye was filled with worry as Hiccup inhaled and exhaled weakly. She couldn't believe that her emerald-eyed surrogate brother had taken the hit meant for her and let him lean forward into her. "Breathe, Hicc…breathe…Yeah, that's it…In…out…in…out…" she murmured, gently rocking Hiccup back-and-forth in her arms.
Finally Hiccup's breathing returned to normal and his face didn't look so pale anymore. "Toothless…you okay…?" he wheezed out, his best dragon friend licking him in the face. "Holy Shields, Hiccup, what were you thinking?! Taking the full brunt of the impact for me like that…" Zenna mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief. "I…I had to…I…didn't want you…to get hurt…" Hiccup breathed out, still shaky from the fall. Zenna's face softened and embraced Hiccup gently. "Okay?" she whispered. Hiccup smiled weakly and replied, "Okay…" just as they heard three familiar voices.
"Hiccup! Hiccup!" "Zenna! Zenna, love!" "Are you alright, my dear?!"
Getting back on their feet, Hiccup and Zenna looked up to see their parents looking down the well. "We're-we're okay, Dad!" Hiccup shouted, trying to hide the fact that he was still in pain from the fall. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad! We're fine!" Zenna shouted up to her parents.
"Can you two fly back up?" Stoick asked loudly. "I don't think so, Chief! The well's too narrow for Toothless and Stryka to spread their wings!" Zenna answered back. "No, it's too narrow!" Hiccup repeated. "Well, then, we're coming down to help you four!" Edgar hollered. "Just stay put there, loves! We'll be there in a jiffy!" Henna told them. "Someone get me a rope! I'm coming down there after you and Zenna, son!" Stoick shouted to Hiccup who replied, "Dad, don't! Then all seven of us will just be stuck down here!"
"Well just stay right there until Edgar, Henna and I think of a way to get all four of you up!" Stoick instructed the two teens. "We're fine! The water had to go somewhere. Besides, we have Toothless and Stryka with us. We'll find another way out," Hiccup and Zenna both said and, with their loyal Night Furies at their sides, proceeded to go spelunking down the well.
"Oh dear Thor…I hope they find a way out…" Henna said worriedly, putting a hand to her chest. "We'll just have to put their faith in them, love. And wish them with all the luck we can muster…" Edgar told his dear wife. Fishlegs glanced at Stoick. "They both make an excellent point, sir. The Night Furies have an uncanny ability to navigate…and this is clearly none of my business…" he managed to say before Stoick looked at him sternly, silently telling him to shut up.
Suddenly Hiccup's voice echoed from down the well. "Wait! I-I think Zenna and I found something!" Hiccup said loudly as he, Zenna, Toothless and Stryka kept walking. "It-it looks like a…a tunnel!" Hiccup shouted. "We're gonna go see if we can find where the water flowed off to, Chief!" Zenna shouted as well. Stoick's anxious voice answered, "W-well, just be careful down there, you two! We'll be standing by if you need us!"
Turning to Toothless and Stryka, Hiccup and Zenna nodded. "Let's go spelunking, Stryka," Zenna grinned at her one-eyed dragoness, who crooned and smiled toothlessly at her. "Okay, bud, what do you say we find out where this leads?" Hiccup asked. Toothless warbled and he and Stryka followed their Riders into the tunnel.
Then Hiccup winced and painfully stretched out, his back aching. "You okay?" Zenna asked worriedly, wondering if Hiccup had sustained any injuries from the fall. "Yeah, it just hurts a little…" Hiccup grimaced, rubbing his sore left shoulder. Zenna sighed and tried to get her one-legged surrogate brother to sit on Toothless for the rest of the exploration but Hiccup was adamant and kept on walking. Making a mental note to give Hiccup a checkup later, Zenna followed him deeper into the tunnel. "Okay, uh…this way," Hiccup then pointed to another tunnel which all four of them followed. "I don't know about you three, but I get the distinct feeling we're not alone down here…" Hiccup remarked. "You're not the only one getting that feeling, Hicc…" Zenna mumbled before they all heard a noise not too far away. Toothless and Strkya looked over their shoulders and suspiciously growled before turning back to their Riders and followed them…not seeing the baby Whispering Death fly past…
As they continued exploring, Hiccup and Zenna discovered that there were even more tunnels winding down Berk than they originally thought. "Wow…these caverns run right under the town…" Hiccup said, looking around. "Yeah…It reminds me of the time that Whispering Death came to Berk and created a whole underground village series of tunnels…" Zenna whistled, the sound bouncing off the walls of the caverns. Then as they walked, Hiccup and Zenna heard something crunch under their feet. Holding their lanterns up, they were astonished to see remains of dragon eggshells littering the ground!
"Dragon eggs?" Hiccup wondered out loud. Toothless and Stryka sniffed the eggshells cautiously. "What kind?" Zenna asked her surrogate brother. Toothless and Stryka then detected the scent of Whispering Deaths coming from the eggshells and growled. Then Hiccup noticed a crate. It was probably what had been used to carry the eggs underground. "Look at these…" he said and went closer to the crate to inspect it. "Oh great…I know that symbol anywhere," Zenna muttered, recognizing the red Outcast mark. "That's the Outcast crest," Hiccup said, confused, before a shrill scream came from the tunnels!
"Toothless, Stryka, light up the cave down that way!" Hiccup commanded the two Night Furies. Toothless and Stryka both shot out plasma blasts, illuminating the darkness and revealing more dragon eggshells all around them! "Holy Shields, how many eggs did the Outcasts plant under Berk?" Zenna wondered out loud as she and her three best friends walked to the center of the cave. Hiccup then spotted a large hole directly above him and held his lantern up to inspect it.
"Those are Whispering Death tunnels," Hiccup said grimly. "Not again…" Zenna sighed, recalling the last time she and Hiccup encountered a dragon with billions of rotating teeth. Toothless and Stryka both growled. Whispering Deaths were, by far, their most hated species of dragon. "Yeah, not my favorite dragon either, you two," Hiccup said in agreement to the two Night Furies' hatred towards Whispering Deaths.
That's when Zenna looked up and saw something that made her eye widen. "Holy Shields…Hiccup, you might want to see this…" she murmured. Holding up his lantern, Hiccup discovered that there was an even larger hole right above them! "I don't even want to know what made that," he murmured, getting a bad gut feeling.
Back up on Berk, the villagers were all lining up to get water from Gobber. Henna and Edgar had already filled up their buckets and were both watching Gobber distribute what precious water Berk had left. "That's it! Keep the line moving! One bucket each!" Gobber reminded the people before hearing Snotlout's obnoxiously loud voice. "Water, water, water, water, water, water! Get your Snotlout's Mountain Fresh Water here!" Snotlout hollered and accepted one woman's payment of a live chicken while Astrid hauled over more baskets filled with canteens. "Ha! This is too easy. Who's dumb now, Astrid? The guy with the big cartful of loot or is it the girl with the big mouth full of hot air?" he asked tauntingly. Astrid was not pleased at Snotlout's behavior. "You're taking advantage of innocent people," she told him off. "Correction, innocent, thirsty people," Snotlout clarified.
"This is not what Hiccup and Zenna had in mind, Snotlout," Astrid reminded him. "Yeah. Well that's what makes them Hiccup and Zenna and me Snotlout," the Jorgenson boy said proudly. "Huh, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Trust me," Astrid told him and tossed some canteens over to three of the men waiting in line!
"Hey! You're cutting into my profits!" Snotlout said in annoyance. Astrid merely crossed her arms and smugly grinned.
In the caverns, Hiccup, Toothless, Stryka and Zenna continued exploring. Finally they found what they thought to be their way out but discovered that it was completely sealed up! "Oh great!" Hiccup and Zenna both groaned. Then, as they turned around, a breeze blew and extinguished the flames of their lanterns! "Oh, and even greater!" they both groaned again. "Stryka, can you give us some light?" Zenna spoke out into the darkness first. "Toothless, would you mind?" Hiccup asked next. Both Night Furies happily obliged and lit up their Riders' lantern again with their fire.
No sooner had the light come back did the four of them see the Whispering Death right behind them! "Holy Shields!" Zenna squeaked as Toothless and Stryka fired plasma blasts to stun the behemoth! "Let's get out of here, bud!" Hiccup shouted. Quickly mounting their dragons, Hiccup and Zenna took off into the tunnels with the Whispering Death hot on their trail. Hiccup looked over his shoulder, inwardly flinching from the pain he still felt in his back, and back at the Whispering Death following them. Then Zenna saw another Whispering Death coming straight towards Hiccup and screamed, "Watch out!" alerting Hiccup and Toothless and they swerved out of the other Whispering Death's path!
The four of them were able to fly without any unwanted surprises for about less than three seconds when another Whispering Death burrowed out from under the ground right in front of them! "Oh, come on!" Zenna yelled out in exasperation. "One…Two…Three!" Hiccup managed to count their adversaries before he, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka narrowly avoided them. "Oh, come on!" Hiccup also said as the three Whispering Deaths kept on following them!
Suddenly all became quiet. "Hiccup, look!" Zenna shouted, turning Stryka around to find no sign of the Whispering Deaths. "Ah…that's weird," Hiccup said suspiciously. Retracing their flight pattern, Hiccup and Zenna went back. "Where'd they go?" Hiccup wondered out loud. That's when Zenna spotted the gaping tunnel above Hiccup and Toothless. "Uh…I might have a good idea…" she said worriedly and pointed at the hole as a rock suddenly fell through. "They're heading up – to the town! We have to stop them!" Hiccup shouted as Toothless and Stryka flew up into the tunnel!
Gustav was listening to Snotlout sell his wares and sighed, disappointed that he couldn't by any extra water for his family, and turned back to his own small bucket. It was going to have to do…
"Huh?" the young boy said in confusion as the ground suddenly trembled slightly. "Get your Snotlout's Mountain Fresh Water here!" Snotlout called out as Gustav felt the earth tremble once more. Peering into his bucket of water, Gustav could see its contents rippling. Then the ground started to shake and crumble away right underneath his feet!
Gustav yelped as he was knocked flat on his back and watched with wide terrified eyes as a Whispering Death emerged from underground! The Boulder Class dragon roared and fixed its gaze on the small child and prepared to fire! "Stand back!" Gobber yelled and quickly protected Gustav with his shield. While Gustav ran to safety, Gobber kicked a cart at the Whispering Death before punching it in the face and kicking it to the ground! But then the Whispering Death borrowed underground again and destroyed Snotlout's water business! "Hey! You break it you bought it!" Snotlout yelled before the tunneling Whispering Death decided to tunnel after him! "Okay, store's closed!" the Jorgenson boy said hastily as he fled.
"Whispering Death!" Edgar yelled, readying his sword. "And there are three of them!" Henna shouted, grabbing her own blade. Quickly Stoick grabbed the emergency horn and blew. As he ran out of the emergency shed, he passed by one of the villagers. "Hold this!" he ordered, giving the horn to the man. "What do I do with it?" the man asked. "Keep blowing!" Stoick commanded as he rushed to help the village. Obeying his Chief's orders, the Viking blew the horn in order to alert the town of the wild Whispering Deaths attacking!
His axe in his hand, Stoick yelled, "Quickly, everyone , form a defensive line in the middle of town!" rallying his people to stand with him in the town square. Meanwhile Snotlout was still running from the one Whispering Death chasing him. "Hookfang! Help! Hurry!" he shouted as he tried to outrun the burrowing dragon only to get stuck in a hole! That's when Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare showed up. "Hookfang!" Snotlout reached up and Hookfang grabbed him. But Snotlout's troubles weren't over. The Whispering Death emerged from the ground and began to pursue both dragon and Rider!
Snotlout, still dangling from his dragon's grasp, thought it was all over until Astrid and Stormfly came to the rescue. "Stormfly, spines!" Astrid commanded, her Deadly Nadder shooting out spines at the Whispering Death to make it leave. "Astrid!" the blonde Hofferson girl looked over her shoulder in time to see Meatlug's Lava Blast hit a Whispering Death that tried to pull a sneak attack on her and Stormfly. Up above, Fishlegs grinned. "Nice shot, girl! Impeccable timing, as usual!" he said to his sweet Gronckle.
In the town square, Stoick had picked up a large wooden pole and was now whacking the Whispering Deaths in the face with it while Henna and Edgar fended the beasts off with their swords. One of them had lashed out at Stoick with its tail and was trying to eat him alive! Then Stoick spotted a shield. "Want something to chew on, do ya'? Dinner is served!" the great Chief growled and shoved the shield into the Whispering Death's face! The dragon snarled and then reared its head back, sending Stoick flying into Gobber on the other side of town! "Chief!" Henna and Edgar cried out before they both had to face the other two Whispering Deaths on their own. That is, until Serpent and Serpentine, their maroon Hideous Zippleback, came flying in and helped them out with his Gas and Spark move!
"Odin's Beard, Gobber, take care of the village. I'm gonna see how our new friend matches up with Thornado," Stoick told the blacksmith, getting on his feet and running to fetch his Thunderdrum. Gobber was more than ready to defend the village but did not count on a cart nearly hitting him as the Whispering Deaths avoided it! "Sorry, Gobber!" the man who threw the cart at the attacking dragons apologized.
Spitelout was backed up into a corner by one of the Whispering Deaths but, luckily, Gobber held it back with his hammer hand and gave Spitelout enough time to escape. After getting a good punch from Gobber, the Whispering Death retreated underground through a hole where the Riders now anxiously hovered over. "Where did these Whispering Deaths come from? And why are they so much smaller?" Astrid asked Fishlegs who quickly assessed the situation. "They must be hatchlings!" he told her.
Astrid looked a bit relieved. If they were just babies, then it wouldn't be too hard to drive the Whispering Deaths away. "Well that's good news, right?" she asked hopefully. "Actually, it's not. Newly hatched Whispering Deaths can be more deadly than adults. They don't have control over their jaw muscles or their spines. They're kind of like out of control soblings," Fishlegs said nervously as the other two Whispering Death hatchlings flew about. "Sounds about right," Astrid said as they tried to figure out what to do next.
Back underground Toothless and Stryka, with some help from their Riders' two lanterns, navigated through the pitch black tunnels. "Gotta love the Night Fury's sonar! Come on, girl, faster!" Zenna urged Stryka onward as her loyal best dragon friend and her dear mate used their sonar abilities to see through the dark. "Yeah, that's it, bud! Keep going!" Hiccup shouted as he and Toothless led the way through the labyrinth of tunnels. "Don't these guys ever make a straight tunnel?" Hiccup wondered out loud. "Most likely not, Hicc. They're Whispering Deaths, remember?" Zenna pointed out as they took a tunnel going upward. "It's a good thing two of us can see in the dark," Hiccup remarked to Toothless and Stryka.
Finally our four brave heroes literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and burst forth from the hole! Flying higher up, Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka could see that the Whispering Deaths had thrown Berk into chaos! "Holy Shields, not good!" Zenna muttered, shaking her head. "We have to get in there, bud," Hiccup told Toothless as they and the girls swooped down to aid the other Riders.
Villagers who couldn't fight ran for cover as the Whispering Deaths kept popping out of nowhere. Astrid got Stormfly to hover close to one of them and commanded, "Stormfly, fire!" her Nadder firing hot-as-the-sun magnesium flames at the dragon, making it roar in anger and retreat. The Twins on Barf and Belch arrived and Astrid formulated a plan. "We can hit them better when they're aboveground! What are you two doing?" Astrid then asked when she saw that Ruffnut and Tuffnut were enjoying the chaos and destruction!
"Whispering Deaths, I could watch them all day," Ruffnut said happily, smiling. "The way they rip through solid rock…it's glorious," Tuffnut said in agreement, tears of joy pricking at his eyes. "Uh, are you crying?" Ruffnut asked, seeing her twin wipe at something on his face. "No! Maybe…don't judge me!" Tuffnut said defensively, a little choked up. Astrid was about to call the Twins idiots before…
"Uh, guys?"
A Whispering Death was right behind Ruffnut and Tuffnut!
Turning around, the Twins saw the Boulder Class dragon and it roared in their faces, showing the two its millions of razor sharp, rotating teeth! Tuffnut yelped, prompting Ruffnut to have Barf deploy his gas. But before Belch could spark it, the Whispering Death retreated back underground. Hookfang and Meatlug hovered close to the hole the dragon had escaped into, their Riders preparing themselves for the next attack. "We need to flush it out, Snotlout," Fishlegs told the Jorgenson boy. "Yeah we do! That's the one that took my water!" Snotlout exclaimed and had Hookfang blast the hole with fire! At the sudden attack from aboveground, two of the Whispering Deaths emerged from the holes and the Riders had to hold them off!
Meanwhile Hiccup had Toothless land in front of the blacksmith stall while Zenna and Stryka anxiously hovered in the air. "Hicc, whatever you need in there, get it quick!" Zenna said frantically. "I know, Zen! Toothless, you, Zenna and Stryka cover for me!" Hiccup said as he went to go find his Gronckle Iron shield. Toothless nodded and, upon seeing a Whispering Death, growled along with Stryka. "Shoo, you!" Zenna said, readying her battle sticks in case things got ugly. Toothless roared and lunged at the Whispering Death to engage it in a wrestling match while Zenna had Stryka fly around it and bite its tail! That's when Hiccup came back with his shield and used the metal coating it to reflect the sunlight into the Whispering Death's eyes!
"Let's shine a little light on the situation," Hiccup said, holding his shield up. "Not quite a good time for puns, Hicc!" Zenna said as Stryka let go of the Whispering Death's tail. "Oh, you don't like that do you?" Hiccup addressed the Whispering Death, who promptly couldn't take the light and flew off. "Rule Number One: Never forget a dragon's weakness. Come on, Toothless! Let's go after him!" Hiccup said, mounting Toothless and taking off with Zenna and Stryka. As the four of them chased the Whispering Death, Astrid and Stormfly joined them. "The Whispering Death tunnels drained our water supply," Hiccup reported to his Milady. "Yeah, kind of figured that. We need to keep them in the sunlight," Astrid reminded him. "That is why I have this," Hiccup said, showing her his shield.
"Keep the sunlight bouncing off of it, Hicc. If we keep it up then we can drive all three Whispering Deaths out of the village!" Zenna shouted as they continued the chase. Using Hiccup's Gronckle Iron shield, the three Riders and their dragons managed to drive one of the three Whispering Deaths away. "One down. Two more to go," Zenna said, relieved. "It's working, we're driving them away from the village," Astrid said, noticing that all three dragons were now on the run thanks to Hiccup's shield and some extra fireballs from the others. "That's right! You better run!" Snotlout taunted as the Whispering Deaths flew away from the village.
"I'm gonna miss those guys. They were like dangerous but cool at the same time. Kind of like me," Tuffnut smiled as they watched the dragons fly away. "I won't, " Zenna deadpanned, glad that the chaos was finally over…or was it?
Zenna cast a worried glance over at Hiccup who looked just as troubled as she was. "I don't think this is over yet. Not by a long shot," the one-legged teen said seriously. "Stop being so negative! Enjoy the moment, Hiccup. Buy some water," Snotlout chided his cousin.
Suddenly a loud scream reverberated throughout the whole area, startling the dragons! Meatlug could tell that something big was going on underground and growled. "What…is…that?" Fishlegs asked nervously.
A few seconds later and he got his answer.
"Holy Shields!" Zenna shrieked as a gigantic albino Whispering Death with bright red eyes burst forth from the ground and let out an almighty shriek! "Uh, so that's what I was afraid of…" Hiccup said just as the wild dragon let out another deafening shriek. "Uh, suggestions, anyone?" Hiccup asked his friends as they faced off against this white behemoth.
The wild dragon tried to attack Snotlout and Fishlegs but, fortunately, Hookfang and Meatlug swerved out of the way. "What is that thing?!" Snotlout squeaked, terrified.
"Uh, Fishlegs, is that in the Book of Dragons?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs. The chubby Ingerman boy, however, was so shell-shocked that he could only say gibberish until Hiccup snapped at him, "Fishlegs! Is that thing in the Book of Dragons?" snapping him out of his stupor. "Uh…definitely not," Fishlegs replied. "Are you sure?" Hiccup asked him. "Hiccup, I am certain I would have remembered all my Boulder Class, Titan wing Whispering Deaths with bright red eyes that bore a hole right through your very soul!" Fishlegs replied nervously.
Seeing that the dragon was headed for the village, Hiccup and Toothless sprung into action. "Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup shouted, his best dragon friend firing a shot at the newbie. The wild albino Whispering Death turned around and let out an eardrum-shattering scream! "It's affecting our dragons!" Astrid cried out in alarm as Stormfly writhed in agony. "I know. That scream, it's disorienting them," Hiccup said worriedly as Toothless frantically tried to block the dragon's screams out.
"It looks like the Whispering Death's got a subspecies. And it's far more dangerous than the average Whispering Death," Zenna observed, taking note of the new dragon's features while covering Stryka's ears. Red eyes, white color, red tipped tail, large size and notable shriek…
Yep, definitely a subspecies of the Whispering Death.
What to call it, though?
Tuffnut was the first to come up with the name.
Uncovering his ears, Tuffnut shouted, "Screaming Death…I love it!" before ducking as the three Whispering Death hatchlings returned! "Okay, maybe love is too strong a word?" Tuffnut asked, Ruffnut face palming herself in reply. With its three Whispering Death siblings following it, the Screaming Death headed straight for the village!
"Hiccup, Zenna, what are we gonna do?" Astrid asked the two Night Fury Riders. "We gotta drive all four of those dragons out of Berk right away!" Zenna said seriously. "You guys focus on the Whispering Deaths. Zenna and I'll try to keep the Screaming Death busy," Hiccup commanded the team. "Okay, you two have fun! See ya'!" Snotlout said and left to get a headstart.
"Remember your Flight Club training!" Hiccup and Zenna reminded Astrid and the other Riders before Toothless and Stryka flew off with them to face the Screaming Death.
"I knew we should have gone that day," Tuffnut mumbled, remembering that he and his sister had skipped out on some meetings in the past week, as Hiccup and Zenna left.
Meanwhile the three Whispering Deaths were headed straight for Berk when Stormfly and Hookfang opened fire! "This way!" Astrid taunted them while Snotlout hollered, "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" as they had the three hatchlings chase them.
Back in the village, the people were preparing for another attack when the Screaming Death burrowed out of the ground! One Viking woman tried to get away but she tripped over a rock! That's when Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka came in. "Open fire, Stryka!" Zenna shouted. "Toothless, now!" Hiccup yelled. Both Night Furies fired their plasma blasts at the Screaming Death who set its sights on them and fired a large fireball!
"Incoming!" Zenna hollered as they avoided the blast, which ended up destroying a watchtower! Toothless and Stryka fired two more plasma blasts as they and their Riders tried to lead the Screaming Death away from Berk. That's when Toothless and Stryka accidentally bumped into the Screaming Death's tail.
While Hiccup, Toothless and Stryka both tumbled down to the ground, Zenna was unfortunate enough to have the back of her vest snagged to the Screaming Death's tail!
"Hiccup!" Zenna screamed as she watched her best human friend fall off of Toothless' back. Hiccup felt his back seize up in pain again before rolling onto his stomach. Woozy, Hiccup got up to see the Screaming Death right in front of him! The one-legged teen prepared for the worst when his father came in on Thornado followed by Edgar and Henna on Serpent and Serpentine. "Thanks, Dad! Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Fiersome!" Hiccup shouted gratefully.
Seeing the threat, the Screaming Death retreated. And that's when Hiccup, Stoick, Edgar, Henna and the dragons saw Zenna clinging onto its tail!
"Holy Shields! Help!" Zenna managed to yell before she and the Whispering Death flew away! "Zenna!" Edgar and Henna both screamed in horror while Stoick's jaw dropped open. Hiccup, on the other hand, felt his heart suddenly stop beating for a fraction of a second as he watched his one-eyed best human friend, his surrogate sister, be whisked away. Stryka roared in alarm and quickly got back on her feet. This was no time for dilly-dallying! Zenna needed help and pronto!
"We need to get to Zenna now!" Hiccup shouted, grabbing his shield. "I don't even want to know what that thing is but we need to get it out of here," Stoick said seriously. "Not before we get our daughter back, Stoick!" Henna told him. "First we rescue Zen and, then, we'll drive that thing out of here!" Edgar said seriously. "Way ahead of you! I'll try to lead it away from the village and make sure Zenna doesn't get hurt," Hiccup said, mounting Toothless and taking off, with Stryka right behind them.
In the woods surrounding Berk, the other Dragon Riders were working together to drive the three Whispering Death hatchlings out of the island. One of them was chasing Hookfang and Meatlug. "Let's split up. It can't follow us both," Astrid told Snotlout. "I don't get it…Oh, yeah, good idea!" Snotlout looked confused for a second but caught on with the plan and had Hookfang take a right turn.
"Hahaha! This is gonna be fun, Hookfang!" Snotlout laughed as the two other Whispering Deaths joined their sibling in the chase. "Stormfly, evasive maneuvers!" Astrid commanded her Nadder to zigzag through the trees as a Whispering Death uncontrollably launched its spines. Snotlout, on the other hand, had Hookfang double back in Astrid's direction and his Monstrous Nightmare prepared a nasty tree surprise for the incoming Whispering Death. Just as Astrid and Stormfly passed by, Snotlout gave his Monstrous Nightmare the signal.
"Now, Hookfang!"
What that Whispering Death got was a face full of pine tree courtesy of Berk's resident hotheads.
"Oops! I hate it when that happens!" Astrid said, relieved, as the Whispering Death left in defeat.
Meanwhile Meatlug was deliberately flying at low speeds while Fishlegs assessed the situation. "Slower, Meatlug, wait for it…wait for it…" the chubby Ingerman boy said carefully as a Whispering Death gained on them. Then the wild hatchling was within range and Meatlug let loose a massively stinky fart right in its face! The Whispering Death recoiled from the stench and that gave Fishlegs and Meatlug the perfect opportunity for another attack.
"Tail Bludgeon!"
On her Rider's command, Meatlug slammed her bulbous tail down at the Whispering Death! "Ah, there's nothing more glorious than a well-placed tail bludgeon! Is there, girl?" Fishlegs said, pumping his fist in the air victoriously. Meatlug happily smiled a toothy smile.
Back in the village, Stoick and Thornado were keeping the upper half of the Screaming Death busy while Henna, Edgar and Serpent and Serpentine were trying to get in close enough to rescue their daughter.
"Don't worry, love! Just hang on!" Henna said worriedly to Zenna who was anxiously clinging onto the Screaming Death's tail. "Mom, I don't really see any other option other than hanging on at the moment," Zenna said nervously. "Don't worry, Zenna, it's going to be alright!" Edgar said. "Okay, Dad!" Zenna said just as the Screaming Death fired a blast at Stoick and Thornado, who both avoided the fireball just as Toothless and Stryka came in and fired plasma blasts at it!
The Screaming Death let out another scream, disorienting Serpent and Serpentine! "Odin's Ghost, what's going on?!" Edgar yelled as he and his wife covered Serpent and Serpentine's ears. "That's how the Screaming Death disorients its targets! Mom, Dad, you guys need to keep a safe distance!" Zenna shouted at them frantically. "But Zenna, love, what about you?! Your father and I can't just leave you dangling there!" Henna cried out worriedly. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll be fine! Now, go!" Zenna told her mother seriously. Afraid for their daughter's safety, Henna and Edgar got their Zippleback to back away.
Up in the air, Hiccup could see that Zenna was still in a pickle and resorted to his Gronckle Iron shield. "Okay, let's see how it likes this!" he declared, holding his shield out in front of him to get the light shine on the Screaming Death's face.
But, to Hiccup's surprise, the Screaming Death went after the light! Zenna yelped and held onto the tail with all her might as the dragon flew towards Hiccup and Stoick! "Look out!" Hiccup yelled as he and his father got their dragons to swerve out of the way. Stryka, on the other hand, roared and flew after the Screaming Death in order to save her Rider. Zenna was about to lose her grip when Stryka finally caught up with the Screaming Death and grabbed her by the back of her tunic. "Thanks, Stryka. You always come through for me, girl," Zenna smiled as her loyal dragoness tossed her up into the air and had her safely land on the saddle.
"Apparently it doesn't mind," Stoick told his son, referring to the light. "It must not have that weakness," Hiccup hypothesized. "Well we better figure out what it does have and quick," Stoick said just as Zenna and Stryka rejoined them. "Hey everybody, missed me?" Zenna grinned. "Zen! Oh, thank gods, you're okay!" Hiccup exclaimed in sheer relief.
Suddenly the Screaming Death let loose another one of its powerful screams! "What's happening?!" Stoick yelled as Thornado got disoriented. "Pretty much the same thing I warned my parents about!" Zenna yelled as Stryka tried to block out all the noise. "It's the scream! It affects the dragon's flying!" Hiccup shouted to his father as Toothless fired a plasma blast at the Screaming Death to shut it up. Enraged, the Screaming Death did a power dive and proceeded to chase Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka!
Stoick went after them just as a Whispering Death emerged from underground right in front of him and Thornado! "Sonic Blast!" Stoick ordered, his Thunderdrum unleashing a powerful sonic blast roar that stunned the Whispering Death and gave them enough time to get past it. Shaking off the effects of the attack, the Whispering Death proceeded to head back to the village only to get intercepted by the Twins and Barf and Belch! "Yeah! Yeah!" Tuffnut pumped his fist in the air as Stoick approached him and Ruffnut. "I've got this! You go help Hiccup and Zenna!" Stoick instructed them. "Where are they?" Tuffnut asked him. "Look for a giant, white, red-eyed beast. That'll be your first clue!" Stoick said, not in the mood for questions. "Okay, what's the second clue?" Tuffnut asked, not realizing that precious time was getting wasted.
"GO!" Stoick thundered, prompting the Twins to take off.
Dodging spines left and right, Hiccup and Zenna, on Toothless and Stryka, lured the Screaming Death away from the island of Berk with whatever shiny object they can use. For Hiccup, it was his Gronckle Iron shield. For Zenna, she used her lucky silver pendant. The Screaming Death, craving the light, roared after them. "Like a moth to a flame…" Zenna said in amazement. "It's actually attracted to the light…I guess that can be a weakness too. Toothless! Stryka! To the sea stacks!" Hiccup said to the two Night Furies. Both Toothless and Stryka heeded Hiccup's command and flew straight for the sea stacks.
Using Hiccup's shield and Zenna's pendant, the four friends lured the Screaming Death in a chase around the sea stacks surrounding Berk. On one of them, Astrid had Stormfly land and spotted Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna, Stryka and the Screaming Death down below. "They're down there!" Astrid alerted the other Riders and they joined the chase.
"Need a little help?" Astrid asked Hiccup as she and Stormfly flew right beside him and Toothless. "More than a little. It doesn't have the Whispering Death's weakness. It goes after the sunlight," Hiccup told her. "So, how do we beat it?" Astrid asked him. Hiccup was silent for a few minutes before coming up with a plan. "We give it what it wants! Zenna and I'll keep him following us. You guys get behind and hit it with everything you have!" Hiccup told Astrid. "Got it," the brave Hofferson girl nodded. "Let's do this!" Zenna whooped as they put their plan into effect.
Toothless and Stryka gracefully flew this way and that about the sea stacks, the Screaming Death following them. Suddenly the dragon fired a large fireball, fire also shooting out of its frills! "Gah! Dodge!" Zenna yelped as Stryka veered to her left while Toothless veered to his right, bumping against a sea stack! Hiccup and Toothless both fell out of the sky and landed hard on another sea stack, skidding to a halt in the dirt. As Hiccup got up, he shook his head and feebly groaned as the pain in his back flared up again. 'I must have landed on my back harder than I thought…' he thought as the Screaming Death appeared in front of him and roared!
"Hiccup! Toothless!" Zenna yelled as Stryka fired a plasma blast at the left side of the dragon's face while the Twins blasted it on the right! "Barf, let him have it!" Ruffnut commanded as the Screaming Death flew upward. Tuffnut then got Belch to spark off Barf's gas and the resulting explosion forced the Screaming Death to turn away only to get blasted by Hookfang next! "Not so tough after all, are you?" Snotlout taunted the behemoth. Angered, the Screaming Death launched its spines! Luckily Hookfang and Meatlug dodged out of the way! "He-he didn't mean that, sir! Uh, m'am, whatever you are!" Fishlegs apologized hastily while Snotlout and Hookfang circled back to launch another attack.
But before they could do that, the Screaming Death went crazy with the fire shooting! Like a machine gun, fireballs blasted forth from the white dragon's gaping mouth! The Riders and their dragons frantically went into evasive mode to avoid getting incinerated!
That gave Hiccup enough time to recover from his fall and use his shield to get the Screaming Death's attention. "Let's see if we can use its size against it!" Hiccup told Toothless and they shot up into the air like a black arrow. "Be safe, boys…" Zenna said, worriedly clutching her pendant to her chest while Stryka warbled worriedly.
Up, up and up the two best friends went with a mad dragon hot on their tails! "Yah! Come on, Toothless, go!" Hiccup yelled, his Night Fury determined alongside his Rider to win the battle. After gaining altitude, Hiccup had Toothless level off for a few moments. "Hold…almost…NOW!" Hiccup shouted, prompting Toothless to do a power dive!
For a moment, it was like the Red Death all over again. But, this time, there wasn't going to be anyone shooting fireballs into a larger dragon's mouth as it prepared to fire.
Quickly pulling up, Hiccup and Toothless led the Screaming Death into the area that had more tightly packed together sea stacks. "That's it. Keep coming. Almost there, big guy," Hiccup coaxed the Screaming Death with his shield. The Screaming Death was dead set on getting the light the boy had that it didn't notice that Hiccup and Toothless had led it straight into a sea stack! Just before the Screaming Death collided with the rock, Toothless flew up! The Screaming Death hit the sea stack face first and went down, the collision force resulting in some rocks breaking off and pinning its right wing to the ground! The Screaming Death roared in pain, attracting the attention of its Whispering Death siblings who quickly flew to its aid.
While it managed to free its wing from the rocks, the Screaming Death couldn't fly properly and crashed back down to the ground when it tried. "Poor thing…" Zenna said pitifully while Stryka crooned with pity as well. "Its wings are hurt. It can't fly. Wow, look at that!" Hiccup said as the Whispering Deaths came and carried their Screaming Death sibling to safety.
Toothless growled a warning to the Screaming Death. The next time he and that dragon came face-to-face, he wasn't going to go easy on it. "Whoa, bud, whoa! It's hurt. Let it go," Hiccup said soothingly as they watched the four dragons leave.
With the crisis averted, the Riders returned to the village. Edgar and Henna were very much relieved to see both Zenna and Stryka unharmed. Hiccup, meanwhile, had to talk with his father regarding what he and his friends had found underground. "Zenna and I found Outcast markings on a crate in those tunnels. I think Alvin planted those eggs knowing they would hatch and tear Berk apart. He might not be riding dragons yet, Dad, but he is using them," Hiccup told his father seriously. Stoick knew how serious the situation was becoming but, for now, he had to focus on the village's repairs. "We'll deal with Alvin and his wild dragons later. Right now, we have to fix our water problem," Stoick told his son.
"You guys, look!" Fishlegs said excitedly, drawing their attention. He, Zenna and her parents were all gathered around the well that, miraculously, was filling back up! "The well's filling back up!" Fishlegs reported happily. "The Screaming Death's digging must have created a new channel for the water, and redirected it back to our well," Hiccup grinned. "Good! I've been thirsty the entire day!" Saying this, Zenna brought out her canteen, filled it up and took a nice long sip of cool water. "Aaaahhh, refreshing!" the one-eyed Fiersome said, satisfied. "Looks like we don't have to dig a new well after all, Chief," Edgar smiled at Stoick. "I guess that Screaming Death wasn't all that bad," Henna mused.
Gobber then passed by. "Right, well, I'll be going now," he said and tried to escape. But Stoick grabbed hold of him. "Not so fast, Gobber," the Chief said firmly.
The next thing Gobber knew, he was in a tub filled with soap and water while being scrubbed down by the Twins!
"No! Aaaah! Oh, mercy! The humanity!" Gobber said miserably while Edgar and Henna laughed. "Make sure you scrub behind his ears. I think I saw a bird fly out of there," Stoick reminded Ruffnut and Tuffnut, grinning behind his beard.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka were looking out over a cliff for signs of the Screaming Death or any of the Whispering Deaths when Astrid and Stormfly flew in and landed beside them. "There you guys are. We missed you at the scrub down. You should have seen what came out from between his toes," Astrid smiled at Hiccup who still looked tense. "I'm more concerned about what came out from under Berk," Hiccup said worriedly. "What are you talking about? That thing's long gone," Astrid reminded him. "Zenna and I are not so sure. Whispering Death hatchlings are known to return to their birthplace, and claim it as their own," Hiccup told Astrid. "So, what are you saying?" Astrid asked him.
"I'm saying I don't think we've seen the last of the Screaming Death," Hiccup said grimly. "There's also something even more worrying," Zenna suddenly piped up. Hiccup and Astrid looked at the one-eyed Fiersome girl whose face was as grim as Hiccup's. "If that Screaming Death was just a hatchling…then it's going to get bigger," Zenna said seriously.
On an island far from Berk and shrouded in fog, the three Whispering Deaths brought food to their injured Screaming Death sibling. Angry red eyes glowing, the Screaming Death focused on the task at hand. It had to heal quickly so it could fly again. And once it could fly again…
Nothing was going to stop it from wreaking havoc and destruction all across the Barbaric Archipelago.
BONUS EPILOGUE
That night, Hiccup was working late at night in the forge when Zenna came into the workshop. "Hey…I checked out Toothless and he's doing fine. You, Hicc, I'm not so sure…" Zenna said softly and gently placed a hand on Hiccup's back. The one-legged teen suddenly winced, dropping his tools and groaned.
"Just what I suspected. Tunic off, let me take a look," Zenna said and looked at Hiccup expectantly. "Uh…my tunic…? Y-you want me to…take it off?" Hiccup asked uncertainly. "No, I want you to wear it like a hat. Yes, I want you to take it off. How am I supposed to see the damage and treat it?" Zenna rolled her eye at him. Sheepishly Hiccup peeled off his tunic, exposing his rather well-toned upper body.
"Holy Shields…wait till Astrid sees this," Zenna grinned and, as if on cue, Astrid walked into the workshop! "A-Astrid!" Hiccup yelped and tried to grab his tunic only to have it snatched away by Zenna. "Wow…Hiccup, I-I didn't know you were so…fit," Astrid remarked, genuinely amazed by her boyfriend's physique. Hiccup blushed and said nothing while Zenna looked at his back and his abdomen.
"Hmmm…those are some pretty nasty bruises. You really took a beating today…" Zenna said worriedly and produced from her medical kit some gauze bandages. Spreading a special cream that warmed the body and soothed aches on them, Zenna smiled and handed the bandages to Astrid. "Have fun," Zenna winked and left the workshop, much to Hiccup's confusion.
"Thanks, Zen!" Astrid shouted as Zenna hung Hiccup's tunic on a nearby peg and left. "W-wait, what?" Hiccup stammered. "She gave me permission to treat your injuries tonight. And she won't be spying on us, she gave me her word that she wouldn't," Astrid smiled softly at him before she began wrapping the bandages around Hiccup. The one-legged teen was thankful that only a single candle was the only source of light in the workshop right now so Astrid couldn't see his tomato red face as she gently pressed the bandages to his bruised skin. And it took a great amount of self-control to not shiver at his Milady's touch.
"Zenna told me about what happened down in the well…Hiccup, why do you always let yourself take the pain of somebody else's? You're kind of worrying me…" Astrid asked softly, wrapping one last bandage around Hiccup's torso. Hiccup blushed and quietly said, "I don't want to see anyone I care about get hurt…that's all…" making Astrid look at him.
Blue eyes met green as Astrid gently brushed Hiccup's bangs out of his eyes. "If I was the one falling down…would you take the impact of falling into a well for me?" she whispered to him. Hiccup gently cupped her face in his hand, absentmindedly tracing her jaw line with a finger. "If I can, I'd take all your pain and make it mine, Astrid…I'll do anything for you…Just give me the word," Hiccup whispered in her ear, making Astrid shiver. Gently, so as not to hurt Hiccup, Astrid wrapped her arms around the boy's skinny frame. "Just hold on tight to me and never let go of me, Hiccup…" Astrid said softly. Hiccup smiled and embraced Astrid tightly. "As you wish, Milady," he smiled, secretly happy that he had gotten hurt in that well after all.
Like it? Love it? Don't like? Hate it? Let me know in the reviews. I can take 'em!
-GuardianDragon98