Chapter 32 - The Conflicted

Hiccup's POV - Academy Cliff

The sun was up in earnest before I finally found Fierce-Eye. He was standing with a longbow at the cliff next to the Academy; his fan club of Terrible Terrors padding the ground. It looked like they were about to start some sort of race.

Quick as a flash, Fierce-Eye notched an arrow into his bow. He drew it back just as quickly, but didn't immediately fire. One of the yellow Terrors leapt off the cliff, causing the archer and remaining dragons to laugh at the false start. I smiled quietly as I crossed the bridge from the village side.

When the false starting Terror had landed, it started squawking at Fierce-Eye. He nodded, likely listening to the little dragon. (Although I am still getting used to that concept.)

*TWANG*

Fierce-Eye released his arrow without looking, firing it out to sea in a high arc. The other Terrors took off after the arrow, leaving the false-starter to chase after them in a surprised panic. The little dragons scrambled around each other in the air, trying to catch the now-descending arrow.

I called out to the archer, who noticed my approach. "Where were you? You missed the executions."

"Not really," he replied, "I could hear Muckfist cursing me from here. The lying prick got exactly what he deserved though." Sharpshot returned with the arrow, which I noticed had no arrowhead. Fierce-Eye accepted the arrow as all of the Terrors lined up on the ground again.

"Can't argue with that," I admited, "What exactly are you doing here anyways?"

*TWANG*

Fierce-Eye fired another shot, this one lower and further out to sea. All the Terrors took off after it, trying to make the distant shot in time.

"I'm training the Terrors for airborne speed and agility," he explained, "They get two points if they catch the arrow in the air, one point if they retrieve it from the sea. Zero if they drop it due to interference or clumsiness."

I nodded in understanding as Sneaky skimmed the water to retrieve the now-wet arrow. She then began darting and weaving to try and keep her prize from the other dragons. "So who's winning?"

"Honestly, the scores are fairly even," Fierce observed, "Sharpshot and Sneaky could win, but Stiildus is no slouch either. Iggy is quick, but keeps panicking when the other dragons get in his way. Pain is good at interferring with the others, but not so good on scoring. Head and Butt keep making false starts. Too much flying into each other I guess."

I smirked as the Terror delivered the dripping arrow to the archer. Fierce-Eye shook of most of the droplets before casually notching the arrow again.

"Have you been out here all morning?"

*TWANG*

"Yeah," he admitted, watch the Terrors chase the new shot, "I needed to clear my head a bit."

I suspected what he was thinking about. "When Fishlegs let you borrow his sword, you reacted a little strange. You know something about Gronkle Iron, don't you?"

He nodded. "Right. Holding that sword, or rather, that metal. It triggered some memories, some knowledge about enchanted weaponry. But after I started to think it through ... it's very complicated, and I don't know how most people would take it." Fierce-Eye sighed and lowered his longbow. "All I'm ready to say for now is that Gronkle Iron, like my Wakizashi, is enchantable."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But your sword isn't made of Gronkle Iron. I know that much. If only certain materials are enchantable, what is it made of?"

Fierce-Eye huffed in amusement. "It's named after the dragon word for 'Claw'. What do you think?"

'The Skrill that Dagur captured. The claw must belong to that dragon. It would explain the lightning abilities.'

But there is still one thing confusing me. "That sword was made out of a dragon's claw? But I've tried to make weapons out of dragon parts before, so Gobber wouldn't notice metal missing from the shop, and they were always too flimsy for battle! They barely made usable farm tools."

Fierce-Eye looked away. "Flimsy, huh? Then why was my armor able to stop that axe from spliting my spine with just a couple layers of scales?"

I didn't have an answer for that. 'When that Outcast took his axe to Fierce-Eye's back in the tunnels, a few dragon scales shouldn't have stopped that axe. I didn't think about it at the time, with everything else going on. No one gave those old inventions a second look, so only I know how weak dragon parts are after they've been separated from the host.'

"So how did you do it?" I asked, "How'd you make such a weak material so strong?"

"Sorry Hiccup, but I can't go into further detail right now. I've already dropped enough breadcrumbs for you to figure it out on your own, but I need to keep you in the dark for now. The best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself."

Spectre's POV - Unidentified Island

There is one critical flaw in using the moon to stay on course. It moves through the night sky, leading me off course. At least I was able to find an island with a small forest to land on. It was far too small to sustain a village.

I lapped the island, checking for any wayward Viking ships or hostile dragons. The last thing I wanted to do right now was fight off something territorial and violent. The island wound up being deserted of both enemies and worthwhile prey.

After scooping up some fish from the surrounding waters, I curled up at the base of a large tree. Now that I had been led off course, there was no way to tell which way Wildheart was and exhaustion was catching up with me.

I glanced at my chain mark before closing my eyes. 'I can't do anything helpful in this state. I just hope Wildheart can stay safe until I find him.'

Fierce-Eye's POV - Great Hall, Riders' Table

"What do you mean you're staying?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

Camicazi just smirked at me. "Just what she said, dummy! Y'see, Heather needs to stay on Berk to test her Nip Bombs on dragons that won't kill her for failing, and I want to learn how to train my own dragon, so I'm ready when the right one comes along. So, we're moving into the extra house next to yours."

I blinked several times, trying to process the situation. "And the chiefs are cool with this? Even though Dagur is likely preparing to attack Berk?"

"The Pillaging Bog is just as likely to get raided as Berk," Heather replied with a shrug, "Maybe moreso, since they don't have dragons to help defend the island. Berk has so many dragons, most sane beings don't dare attack."

"They don't call him Dagur the Deranged for nothing," Gustav added between bites.

"Besides, I doubt your Skrill friend would attack if it knew you were on Berk," Hiccup smirked, "As long as you're here when Dagur comes, we should be fine."

"If my dreams are accurate, I doubt Dagur even knows I'm alive," I muttered before taking a bite out of my bread. After swallowing, I decided to change the topic. "What are the plans for today?"

"Hiccup and I are going to scout the Ancient Atoll," Astrid explained, "Mostly just a high altitude fly-over to survey the defenses and manning. We'll be bringing our Terrors to flush the Berserkers out of any shelters."

'Or to just have them count men and let me translate their reports.'

"Camicazi and I need to move our stuff into the house this morning," Heather announced, "Chieftainess Bertha still has to sail with the tide just after lunch. We could definitely use some hel-"

"I'm in!" Snotlout interrupted.

"Me too!" Tuffnut added.

"Me three!" Fishlegs joined in.

Camicazi chuckled at the lovestruck boys. "What about you Fierce? Are you gonna join the party?" Her voice had a light-hearted tone, almost teasing.

I just shook my head. "You two already have three guys to help you and I was hoping to finish fixing Astrid's sparring axe this morning."

'And this would be a perfect opportunity to bend Meatlug's ear.'

"Too bad," Camicazi pouted, turning to Gustav, "What about you kiddo?"

"My Dad is on one of those father-son bonding kicks," Gustav grumbled, "We're supposed to go fishing today. The traditional, Viking way." Several of the Berk teens winced in sympathy to their junior's plight. "We'll probably be gone until dinner."

"Ah, nothing like sitting for hours on end, waiting for a fish stupid enough to take your bait," Ruffnut mused, "I think I'll help with the move. That sounds way more interesting anyways."

"Both twins are helping us move?" Camicazi exclaimed before turning to Heather, "I hope you're not too attached to that glass lab equipment."

"I'm more concerned about the explosives going missing," the alchemist muttered to herself.

Winter's POV - Dovahro Vild, Vegetable Garden

::We should go looking for the Vikings that took our father and the others!:: Ahkon declared, ::They were taken alive for a reason!::

Luna sighed as she tended the vegetable garden nearby, listening to me and the trio of Spinetails argue about what we should do. We've been going in circles for nearly an hour now. For quite possibly the first time ever, the three nestmates were in total disagreement.

::They would just burn more Calming Weed and capture us too,:: Volbur squawked angrily, ::I'm telling you, we need to go find the Alpha! He can come up with a way around it.::

Although Ahkon, Volbur, and Lakif were still a few months shy of three years old, they've made it clear that they are going to join the Shattered Chain on their next birthday and not a second later. Unfortunately, Wildheart's disappearance has complicated that plan.

The induction ceremony requires an Alpha, currently Wildheart, to accept the new dragon's promise to uphold his rules and extend his protection to his new followers. The dragon becomes a full member with a new name, usually just the Norse translation of their Wild Name. With Wildheart alive but missing, there was no way for new members to pledge themselves to the Alpha (a commonly lifelong position).

::Then why hasn't he come back yet, or even just call for us? And what if those Vikings come back to the Vild?:: Lakif argued back, ::What if they bring equipment to actually climb up here? We should go tell Blue Mask what happened. Her nest can help us.::

::There's a reason why we stayed independent,:: I reminded the adolescent dragons, ::A second base of operations has always proven more effective to strike at the trappers' supply chain. Every trap, every weapon, every recruit that we stop down here, makes life harder for Drago's army. Once we merge the nests, that's it, no going back.::

::But we can't strike at the right ships without sneaking into the Viking villages and checking their cargo manifests,:: Ahkon reminded me, ::That requires either Spectre or Wildheart's cloak. Luna is too small for the cloak. Sumah and Viim are too young to do it and Vokun won't risk leaving them parentless.::

I lowered my head, remembering the morning we went looking for Wildheart and the others. The Vikings had left during the night, burning Calming Weed to keep us from stopping them. When dawn finally broke, we found a few of his things drifting in the waves. His cloak, empty Bleeding Needle sash, and Iisk's sheathe were awaiting their owner's return in the house. Luna had kept Siren's Scream and a quiver of arrows with her at all times, ready to defend what was left of her home and family.

::Flying off blindly is not a plan,:: Luna spoke softly, but her confidence comanded everyone's attention, ::That is the path of Eel-Brains. The world is a big place and we have no way of knowing which way Big Bro is. Going after the Vikings that bear the Sparkwing standard is also no good. They were ready for us in our own territory, so you can be sure that their homeland will also have defenses, likely stronger than what they could bring here. We won't be winning that fight with force alone and Big Bro wouldn't want us to be reckless.::

::As for the Nest of the Frozen Wastes, they have enough problems,:: the young girl continued, ::Blue Mask has to stay up there to fight Drago and dismantle his traps. She can't come help us and we can't merge the nests, so I see no point in worrying her. Don't forget, the full moon is tonight and Oracle will be able to glimpse into the future. When we have more information, we'll be able to form a sound plan.::

I felt a small swell of pride as the other dragons, once bickering endlessly, began to agree with our acting Alpha. 'I really wish you could see this Wildheart. You'd be so proud of your sister.'

Astrid's POV - Berk Academy

I was waiting with Stormfly and Toothless, making sure that everything was ready for our scouting mission. Some things were for the mission, like telescopes, maps, and a compass. Other things were in case of trouble, a backup prosthetic for Toothless, food and water, first aid kit, and my axe.

While I was tightening Stormfly's saddle, Toothless crooned happily. 'Hiccup's here.' Turning around, I saw Hiccup walking over with Fierce-Eye and three Terrible Terrors. The blue Terror, my friendly little Sneaky, swooped over and perched on Stormfly's head. I gave her a quick scratch behind the horns before focusing on the boys.

Fierce-Eye was holding a sleeve of his tunic to his cheek. "Good morning to you too."

'Must have been Toothless who greeted first.'

"So how'd it go with Meatlug?" I asked, trying to keep the interest out of my voice.

"Pretty well actually, until Hiccup's shield bit me," Fierce-Eye answered back.

"I warned you that some of the triggers were sensitive," Hiccup countered back, taking said Gronkle Iron shield and Sharpshot over to Toothless.

"Not to mention well hidden," Fierce grumbled, checking if his cheek was still bleeding. It had a tiny line of red, but the bleeding stopped. "Anyways, Meatlug is going to slip away while Fishlegs is helping with the move, then show me which rocks make Gronkle Iron."

"Couldn't you just gather them based on a description?" I asked.

Fierce shook his head. "Possibly, but I'd still need a Gronkle to prepare the metal for Gobber. Might as well be the same dragon."

Hiccup paused in his preparations to ask a question. "Why didn't Meatlug ever show us how to make Gronkle Iron?"

"She didn't realize that you were trying to rediscover the recipe at the time," Fierce answered, "She thought that Fishlegs and Gobber were just experimenting. Trying to learn what else could happen from different rocks. Meatlug also mentioned that she had a very bad time from those experiments. Something about spears flying after her and Hiccup unintentionally kicking her. By the time she figured out your intentions, you guys had given up on the stuff."

Hiccup chuckled and resumed his checks while I tried to suppress a smile. 'I suppose it is funny in hindsight, but Meatlug must have had a very weird day, attracting all the metal in the village."

"All set!" Hiccup declared, mounting his best friend. I followed suit and Fierce-Eye stepped out of the dragons' way.

"Just don't take too long out there," Fierce-Eye reminded us with a knowing wink, "I have a feeling that Gobber is going to need you in the Forge this afternoon."