Working overtime to finish this series before college starts! Enjoy this new update!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

"Trader Johann's here! Everybody, Trader Johann's here!"

Fishlegs Ingerman's excited voice pierced through the foggy din as the ship docked into port. "Johann, Schmohann. That guy never lets me touch any of his cool stuff," Snotlout Jorgenson. "Well, that's because, last time, you broke half of it," Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III told him. "It's my word against his!" Snotlout retorted. "Remind me to get him a leash," Zenna Fiersome whispered to Astrid Hofferson.

Trader Johann was all smiles as he stood to welcome his customers. "Ah, Berk! The crown jewel of the entire Archipelago!" he said, smiling. "Over here, Trader Johann!" Fishlegs said excitedly. Johann chuckled and met the teens on deck. "Ooh, what did you bring today?" Fishlegs asked excitedly. "Oh, many wondrous things, Mr. Fishlegs. Treasures from every coast and every shore, like the pearls of Dinja. Perfect for that special lady in your life," Trader Johann told him, holding up a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings. Snotlout looked at the earrings and grinned. If he gave Astrid a pair of those beauties, he'd have a girlfriend in no time!

"You know those could be yours, Astrid. Just say the word," he said suavely to the young Hofferson girl who merely said, "Yuck." And walked away. "That's a word," Snotlout pointed out, being ignored.

"Ooh…rare medicinal herbs from Greece and China! The Greeks have revolutionized modern healing but the Chinese have a way with their herbal healing arts…" Zenna breathed out in awe, inhaling the rich, earthy scents coming from the chests filled with herbs from lands far away. However, she backed away when she caught a whiff of opium. "But some herbs can harm as well as they can heal!" she remarked, backing away from the opium chest. While the teens looked around for any wares they could want and use, Gobber headed aboard Trader Johann's ship and looked around for anything useful for the smithy.

"Hmmm…nope, no…" the two-limbed blacksmith said, not finding anything useful. "Ah, Mr. Gobber! What could I interest you in?" Trader Johann asked him politely. "Why don't you wow me, Johann? Knock me off my feet?" Gobber replied. "Put me to the test, huh? Okay…" Johann laughed nervously before Gobber spotted something good. "Hang on…what's under here?" he wondered out loud, walking over to a cloth-covered pile. Johann sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Oh, nothing too exciting. Just an old pile of…" before Gobber lifted the cloth up and unearthed the treasure. "Scrap metal! It's perfect! I've run out of things to pound around here," Gobber said happily.

Tuffnut had also found something as well…and it was beautiful, in his eyes.

"Whoa…it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" Tuffnut gushed just as Astrid and Zenna joined him. "It's just scrap metal," Astrid said, wondering what's gotten the male Thorston so excited. "No! I'm talking about this mace!" Tuffnut said, running in slow motion towards a large mace propped up in a corner next to the pile of scrap metal.

"Oh, dear…Looks like I'll have to postpone Operation: Hook up Tuffnut with Olga for a while…" Zenna murmured as Tuffnut held the weapon and admired it. "Whoa…Hey, mace. You wanna come home with me, don't you? Yes I do, Tuffnut! I wanna needlessly destroy other people's property with you! Oh, Macey, you get me!" Tuffnut said alternating his real voice with his generic girl voice to make it like the mace was talking to him.

Astrid could only frown while Zenna shook her head and sighed, "I hope Olga has a thing for adrenaline junkies that fall in love with maces and name them at first sight…"

Trader Johann chose to ignore Tuffnut's eccentricities and focused on Gobber eyeing the pile of scrap metal. "I see you are a gentleman that recognizes quality when he sees it. This is the finest metal from the furthest reaches of the Archipelago!" he told Gobber as the blacksmith tested the metal by biting on a sword. "I'll take it all," Gobber said, eager to do some magic on the precious scrap. "Excellent! Always a pleasure, Mr. Gobber," Johann said happily.

Toothless and Stryka, Hiccup and Zenna's Night Furies, had also boarded the ship and were sniffing about for some food they could snap up. When the sniffed Gobber's pile of scrap metal, however, they caught a whiff of something bad and growled. But before they could give their Riders or Johann a heads-up, Toothless and Stryka were startled by the crashes from behind them. Johann turned around and gasped as he stared at the pile of ruined merchandise.

And, of course, Snotlout just so conveniently happened to be in the middle of the wreckage.

"Wasn't me," the Jorgenson boy said, putting his hands behind his back, making his escape. "Ooh…I really hate that kid," Trader Johann scowled.

Hiccup was just about to leave when he heard his old mentor grunting as he struggled to lift the pile of scrap metal up. "Hiccup, think you could spare a hook, son?" the two-limbed blacksmith asked. "Not a problem, Gobber. Hey, guys?" Hiccup said, turning to his friends. "We're on it, Hicc!" Zenna grinned as she and the other Riders mounted their dragons. "Let's do this, Macey!" Tuffnut said, holding up his newly-purchased mace. Snotlout had just gotten on Hookfang when Gobber suddenly pulled him off the Monstrous Nightmare's back. "Not so fast, you. I paid good money for this scrap. I'll not have you dropping it into the ocean," he told the Jorgenson boy who merely scowled.

Astrid, Fishlegs and the Twins were the ones who, in the end, carried the pile of scrap metal to the blacksmith's shop. Toothless and Stryka, still sensing trouble, growled. There was more to that pile of scrap metal than just scrap metal…and they could feel it.

That night the village was looted of its metal…by a mysterious fog…

Hiccup and Toothless were always early risers and were just taking an early stroll to stretch their muscles when they heard a commotion in the town plaza.

"I had those ladles when I went to sleep and, now, they're gone!" one Viking woman said. "My grandmother's goblets, gone!" a Viking man exclaimed as well.

"Uh…Okay…what did we just walk into?" Hiccup wondered out loud, Toothless growling in confusion. As they walked, the two best friends heard the villagers' laments.

"My favorite milk jars, gone!" one blond Viking wailed as Hiccup found his friends. "Wh-what is going on here?" Hiccup asked them, hoping for an explanation. "Ah, a bunch of stuff got stolen from the village last night," Snotlout informed him. "And some of us are taking it pretty hard," Astrid said, gesturing to Tuffnut.

The poor male Thorston twin was absolutely heartbroken for his beloved Macey, the most awesome and deadliest weapon he had ever laid eyes on, had been one of the items stolen last night.

"Macey! MACEY! Oh golly, she's gone! NOOOOO!" Tuffnut howled in despair. After lamenting the loss of his mace, Tuffnut pointed an accusing finger at Ruffnut. "You! You were always jealous of her! You knew that I loved her more because I told you every so often and I wrote it in your room on the wall!" he accused her.

While Ruffnut began to deny that she had stolen Macey, the rest of the gang could only watch in confusion until Stoick came. "We have quite a situation on our hands. Axes, shields, helmets, drinking goblets, all stolen!" the Chief said to his son seriously. "Axes, shields, helmets, drinking goblets…? What do all those things have in common…?" Hiccup murmured, thoughtfully putting a hand to his chin. "Obviously, duh, they're all gone!" Snotlout said, banging his fist against his helmet. "No, they're metal. And everything that's missing is metal," Hiccup corrected him. "Hiccup, everything we own is metal," Astrid reminded him. "I-It's a theory. Work with me," Hiccup said while listening to Tuffnut's lamenting.

"Whatever's going on, I need to find whoever is responsible before this panic gets any worse," Stoick said grimly just as Gobber, Edgar and Henna rushed over to him. "Our swords, maces and shields have disappeared!" Edgar reported to the Chief. "Stoick, Bucket and Mulch are slapping each other with sturgeons!" Gobber said, pointing to the two farmer/fishermen slapping themselves silly with fish as the sun rose. "What happened to their bludgeons?" Stoick asked. "Stolen, hence the sturgeon," Gobber replied. "In some ways, I guess that's probably better," Stoick remarked, watching the two slap each other senseless.

Hiccup then spoke up. "Ah, Dad, what do you say you take care of the sturgeon slapping while Astrid and I do a little investigating?" he suggested, his father nodding. "Investigating? What exactly are you planning, Hiccup?" Astrid asked her boyfriend. "To return to the scenes of the crimes and see if we can find out something about this metal thief," Hiccup replied before hearing Tuffnut wailing, "I miss her! She had such a weird voice!"

Then Henna went over to Hiccup and gently patted his shoulder. "Hiccup, my dear, if it's not any trouble, can you come with me to my house? Zenna's in need of comfort," she said softly. Hiccup immediately grew concerned and asked, "Why? What's wrong with her?"

Zenna could only stare at her reflection in the mirror in her room, her hand reaching up to her chest to touch the spot where her lucky pendant usually rested against her skin. She could hardly believe her own one eye that her pendant, Eret's pendant, had been stolen from her so easily. And, without the familiar silver trinket, she felt…

"Zen, you coming out?"

Zenna groaned as she heard Hiccup's voice from the other side of her door. "No! I can't! I'm naked!" she said in despair. "Oh, hush now, Zenna. You're fully clothed the last time I checked!" Henna chided her daughter, opening the door. "But without my lucky pendant, I feel naked!" Zenna said dramatically, covering her chest with her pillow. Hiccup slightly smiled and shook his head. "Zen, I promise that we will do whatever it takes to get your lucky pendant back. You wanna help me and Astrid investigate the crime scenes?" he offered helpfully. Thinking about it for a few minutes, Zenna readied her battle sticks and Elias' shield.

"Let's go. And if I see that no-good pendant thief…I'll make sure his sticky fingers never touch anything ever again!" she declared. Henna sighed and smiled in amusement as her daughter left the house with Hiccup.

The first place they investigated was the forge. "Gobber, can you remember who's been here the last couple of days?" Hiccup asked the old blacksmith. "Hard to say. Business has been booming. There's only 41 shopping days till Snoggletog, you know. Don't wait until the last minute," Gobber replied, scratching his head. Toothless and Stryka were not idle and sniffed around the place as well.

"Hmmm…no footprints," Hiccup said, noticing the lack of footprints coming and going out of the forge. "This metal thief won't get the best of me. I've set up booby traps that are guaranteed to nab…" Gobber said before, ironically, he set off one of his own traps.

"What's the matter?" Astrid asked. "I think…yep, he just stepped into one of his own booby traps…" Zenna observed, seeing Gobber freeze up. "It would appear that I've trapped myself in my own booby…" Gobber said in a low voice.

And, incidentally, the trap Gobber had trapped himself in had at least seven crossbows aiming arrows at him from all angles!

"No one move a muscle…!" Gobber hissed to the three teens and two Night Furies, who could only look at each other in what seemed like pity for the blacksmith.

The next crime scene they investigated was at the Thorstons. Tuffnut showed to them a little niche he had made for his beloved Macey, all decorated in flowers and pointy objects. "This is where Macey was before her…disappearance. Quote, unquote," Tuffnut said darkly before looking at Ruffnut accusingly. "I didn't take your stupid mace!" Ruffnut glared at her brother. "You made her…an altar?" Zenna raised an eyebrow at Tuffnut, somewhat concerned if the male Thorston was sane or not-so-sane. "It was her favorite spot. She…just loved watching the sun set…or this wall, just depending on which side I left her on…" Tuffnut sighed, still in mourning. "It's never too late to get back to wooing Olga…I heard she has a thing for guys with maces…" Zenna offered helpfully, still hoping that Tuffnut would forego his silly infatuation with a mace and go for a…real, living, breathing girl.

Astrid went over to Hiccup and said, "This is weird." To which the one-legged boy replied, "Yeah, e-even for the Twins."

"Hey, leave me out of this one!" Ruffnut told the two crossly. "Sorry, Ruff…" Zenna said apologetically. Hiccup then inspected the doors. "Strange…no forced entry…not a single footprint…" he mused. "And no eyewitnesses," Astrid added. "I just don't get it," Hiccup shrugged. "Me neither," Zenna said, turning up with nothing. "I do. It's so obvious. And you call yourselves detectives," Ruffnut said plainly. "Uh, first of all, no, we don't call ourselves detectives. Ah, and second, what's so obvious?" Hiccup questioned her. Ruffnut beckoned the trio closer. "What you're looking for is not just a metal thief. It's a ghost metal thief," Ruffnut told them smugly. "Ruff, as much as I am a believer in the strange and supernatural, I highly doubt that a ghost can steal metal," Zenna said, folding her arms across her chest.

And Hiccup didn't fail to notice how her face saddened when she couldn't feel the cool silver of her lucky pendant against her chest.

Exiting the Thorstons' house, Hiccup, Astrid and Zenna looked at each other. "Well, that was helpful…as usual," Hiccup deadpanned. Seeing that the sun was about to set, Astrid mounted Stormfly. "It's getting late. We'll start again in the morning," she said. "Hopefully, we'll have better luck tomorrow," Zenna sighed as the three of them flew home.

That night, however, the mysterious fog came again. And, with it, more metal objects were stolen. At the Haddocks, a pair of bolas was stolen and the fog crept its way up to Hiccup's room.

Good thing Toothless woke up first before Hiccup was suddenly snatched up by his metal leg! Seeing his Rider in danger at the hands of the metal-stealing fog, Toothless charged into the fray! "Toothless! Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, his best dragon friend quickly reaching out and grabbing him. With Hiccup safe under his wing, Toothless flapped his wings and blew the fog away.

'Of course!' Hiccup thought as he realized who the metal thief…or thieves were.

Smothering Smokebreaths!

These Mystery Class dragons, although only as big as Terrible Terrors, were notorious in a pack and breathed out this smoky fog that allows them to be safely shrouded in the darkness. Also, they used metal to build their protective nests…and it looks like they chose Berk to do some nest material shopping.

"Smothering Smokebreaths…? Hey!" Hiccup shouted as one Smokebreath tried to make off with his helmet! While the other Smokebreaths stole all the other metal objects in Hiccup's room, the one-legged teen rushed to save his helmet, which was made from half of his mother's breastplate. "No! Get your hands off that!" Hiccup said, wrenching the helmet out of the dragon's claws. A plasma blast from Toothless was what it finally took for the Smothering Smokebreaths to leave.

"Well, bud, it looks like we found our thief," Hiccup told his best dragon friend just as Zenna and Stryka flew into the room. "Smothering Smokebreaths…I should have known they'd be the only ones who would need to steal all that metal!" Zenna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You didn't get anything stolen again, did you?" Hiccup asked. "No, but those Smokebreaths tried to make off with our family's shield portrait. Mom and Dad had me take it to safety while they fought those Smokebreaths off. But it looks like they've all left…" Zenna sighed, slightly relieved, and held up her family's shield portrait. Hiccup nodded and, seeing Zenna without her pendant, sighed. "Let's just hope they haven't melted down any of the metal they stole…" he said. "Here's hoping…" Zenna agreed with him, praying that her lucky silver pendant was still out there…

The next morning, almost all the townspeople only had mere wooden handles instead of axes and maces. Stoick walked around the village, listening to his people complain about the lack of metal and ponder on what he could do. Meanwhile, a helmet-less Fishlegs, a helmet-less Snotlout and a shoulder pad-less Astrid saw each other. "Huh, the thief hit you guys too?" Fishlegs asked, rubbing his somewhat mussed-up blond hair. "I feel naked without my helmet!" Snotlout complained as the equally helmet-less Twins showed up. "Me, too! But, I made a sketch of the thief. It came to me in a dream. You see, my subconscious is working overtime like a sports team can't win (let's not even ask how Tuffnut knows about sports team now, shall we?)," Tuffnut said, showing them a sketch…of himself.

"Um, Tuffnut, that's you," Astrid informed the male Thorston. "No, it's not," Tuffnut replied. "Uh, yes, it is," Fishlegs pointed out. "No, it isn't. I think I would know myself if I…" Tuffnut said before noticing that his sketch did look a lot like him. "Huh…I guess it is," he said, admitting that Astrid and Fishlegs were right.

That's when Hiccup and Zenna flew into the plaza on Toothless and Stryka. "Hey, guys, Zenna and I know who the thief is or, should I say, Zenna and I know who our thieves are?" Hiccup announced. "Thieves, plural, please," Zenna requested. "Adolescent Smokebreath dragons," Hiccup said. Fishlegs' eyes widened. "Of course! Smokebreaths steal metal to build their nests," he said. "But why would Smokebreaths be on Berk?" Stoick asked the team. "Chief, coming in for the big win! Smothering Smokebreaths don't usually stray far from their home on Breakneck Bog," Fishlegs said. "That's the part Zenna and I are still unclear about," Hiccup mumbled. "It's odd for Smothering Smokebreaths to suddenly decide to head here…" Zenna remarked, thoughtfully tapping her cheek.

"I'VE BEEN ROBBED!"

Everyone then saw Gobber half-running, half-limping towards them. "The thief evaded my booby traps and took all the metal I bought from Trader Johann! Left me with nary a scrap of…eh…scrap!" Gobber exclaimed. Something in Gobber's words suddenly gave Hiccup an idea. Turning to his father, Hiccup's face became serious.

"Dad, I think I might know how the Smokebreaths got here."

They found him in the Great Hall, regaling people with another one of his grand tales.

"That's when I said, 'What's for dinner?' and the Chief of the Moyori Tribe licked his lips and said, 'You are!'. Haha!" Johann laughed, waving his chicken leg in the air while the two Vikings he had been telling the story to both paled while Edgar and Henna merely gave him bored looks. "You are! My first mate would have been his first course, ha!" Johann laughed before seeing Hiccup, Stoick, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka approach him. "Ah, Master Hiccup and Lady Zenna and the great Chief! To what do I owe this pleasure?" the trader asked warmly. "Well, Johann, uh…we were wondering where you may have gotten that scrap metal you sold Gobber?" Hiccup asked carefully. "Unfortunately, old friends, I can't possibly reveal my sources," Johann said apologetically. "Great…" Zenna said, rolling her eye, while Stoick glared at Trader Johann.

"But, of course, there are times when it's best to share!" Johann said quickly, fearing Stoick the Vast's wrath. "I procured it from a Berserker who was offering at a price I could not refuse. He had just come from an island that we both fully fear…" Johann said nervously.

"Breakneck Bog!" Hiccup and Zenna both said, their suspicions confirmed. "You didn't hear that from me," Trader Johann said meekly. "If that scrap metal came from Breakneck Bog…Oh, boy…" Zenna mumbled, seeing the bigger picture. "Oh, well, that wasn't just a pile of scrap metal, Johann. That was a Smokebreath nest with hatchlings inside it!" Hiccup informed the trader. Realizing the mistake he had made, Johann weakly laughed. "Oh…Well, that's unfortunate news," he chuckled slightly, receiving a glare from Stoick as he, Hiccup and Zenna left. Toothless and Stryka both snarled at him in annoyance and left, Toothless' tail flicking Johann's chicken leg onto the table. "No need to thank me! Now, back to our story…" Johann called after them and sat back down. "Ah…now where was I? Ah, yes! The first course…" As Johann talked, the Vikings who had been listening to his tale left along with Henna and Edgar.

Walking down the steps of the Great Hall, Hiccup, Zenna and Stoick discussed the present situation. "Well that answers how the Smokebreaths got here," Hiccup remarked to his father. "Now if we can only find a way to drive them out of town…Also, I really want to wear my pendant again. Oh…I hope those Smokebreaths haven't melted it down…" Zenna said worriedly. "Why not just get a new one, Zen?" Hiccup asked. Zenna sighed and looked at the spot where her pendant usually was. "Sorry, Hicc, but that pendant…It…it has a lot of sentimental value…I can't just replace it…" she said softly.

Again, Hiccup remembered what Johann told him about the rumors of a boy who had given Zenna the pendant. If he only knew who the boy was, Hiccup could go find him and ask him if he had another pendant to spare for Zenna. Also, he would like to know the boy better. And, if he passed his inspection, Hiccup would allow that mysterious boy to date Zenna, his dear surrogate sister.

Walking through the plaza, Hiccup, Zenna and Stoick could see that things were looking rather bleak for Berk without the metal. Carts collapsed because their wheels no longer had screws, buckets cannot be lifted and benches were destroyed the minute a Viking sat down. "Gobber, what's the latest?" Stoick asked as the old blacksmith joined them. "Just as I'd feared, Stoick. Almost no metal weapon in all of Berk," Gobber reported. "And what of the armory?" Stoick asked. "Eh, let's just say the armory axe handles outnumber the axes. Oh, and, then, there's this," Gobber said, going over to a catapult. One tap from Gobber's hook and the whole thing fell apart!

Zenna whistled a long low whistle, looking at the remains of the catapult. Stryka gave a disgruntled warble. "Without weapons, Berk is vulnerable," Stoick said grimly as Hiccup came to him with Toothless. "Dad, we still got the dragons," Hiccup piped up. "And Dagur has an armada. Six dragons are no match for a large-scale attack," Stoick retorted before leaving to survey the rest of the damage. Hiccup and Zenna looked at each other and silently agreed with the Chief. Even if they fought with their dragons to the bitter end, Dagur still had hundreds of soldiers at his disposal all armed to the teeth. If they didn't have so much as a dagger to fight with, they would be killed for sure.

One thing's for sure, though. They had to get the metal back from the Smothering Smokebreaths…and fast.

Assembling all the other Dragon Riders, Hiccup paced the floor of the Berk Dragon Training Academy. "We have to find that missing metal, expecially the weapons," he told his friends seriously. "And my pendant!" Zenna piped up, earning stares from the group. "What? I'm trying to stay calm but, without it, I am freaking the heck out!" Zenna exclaimed in exasperation before Hiccup calmed her down.

"Oh…Macey must be so alone and scared out there! It's hard out there for a mace…Oh, Macey…" Tuffnut said, putting his face in his hands. "Maybe the Smokebreaths took the metal back to Breakneck Bog," Astrid guessed. Fishlegs had been reading the Smothering Smokebreaths section of the Book of Dragons and said, "I don't think so. Smokebreaths can't fly long distances carrying a lot of weight."

That's when Ruffnut noticed something about Snotlout…His helmet, to be exact.

"Hey, Snotlout, how'd you get your helmet back?" the female Thorston asked. "Hehe, it's my spare. A real warrior is never without his helmet," the Jorgenson boy said proudly. "Can't say the same for his brain," Astrid said, rolling her eyes. "What is it with you today? You are so…Aah!" Snotlout yelped as Stormfly fired a single spine at him, missing his head and scratching his helmet instead. "Hey!" Snotlout fumed while Astrid patted Stormfly with a smug smirk. "Break it up, you two," Zenna said sternly, stroking Stryka's head. "Snotlout, come on, please focus," Hiccup told his cousin, annoyed. "Come on, really?" Snotlout asked before glaring at Astrid as Stormfly shot another spine at his helmet.

"If the Smokebreaths didn't take the metal back to Breakneck Bog, they must have started building a nest somewhere here on Berk," Hiccup said. "Awesome!" Tuffnut suddenly exclaimed, his friends looking at him strangely. "Tuffnut…" Zenna sighed, shaking her head. "Not awesome?" the male Thorston said meekly. "Definitely not awesome. How are we gonna find them? They could be anywhere," Astrid said, looking to Hiccup. "Well, there's only one way to catch a metal thief. And that's…" Hiccup managed to say before Tuffnut piped up excitedly. "Wait! Don't tell me! A net! No, no, with a rope! No? Okay? Oh, oh, oh, oh, wait! Don't say it! With a rope-y net!" he said.

Hiccup's face had a deadpan expression as he said, "I was just gonna say with metal."

"Ow! It was on the tip of my tongue. Stupid tongue. Flick it. Come on, flick it," Tuffnut stuck his tongue out for his sister to flick. "Ow! Oh yeah," Tuffnut sighed with relief. Hiccup then proceeded to tell his team about the plan. "So we need to gather all the metal from the arena and bait a trap that the Smokebreaths won't be able to resist. We lure them in, let them take the metal, and follow them right back to the nest and all our missing weapons," he said seriously. "You did say all the metal, right, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, deliberately glancing at Snotlout who was whistling as he rubbed his helmet. Seeing Astrid eyeing his helmet, Snotlout glared. "What? Oh, you got to be kidding me. What about his leg? That's made of metal," he protested.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup exclaimed, horrified. "All I'm saying is fair is fair," Snotlout scowled. "Snotlout, he needs that leg to walk and fly on Toothless. How can you be so cruel?" Zenna asked him in disbelief. "Snotlout, please!" Hiccup said, making sure to keep an eye on his prosthetic leg in case Snotlout tried to steal it.

That night, all the teens gathered up all the metal in the arena and placed it in one big pile in the middle of the village plaza with Snotlout's helmet at the very tippy-top of the pile. Snotlout still looked unhappy as Astrid placed his helmet on top of everything and ran back to her hiding place. "I still think we should have flipped a yak pie for it," he complained. Hiding behind a barrel with Zenna near the two, Hiccup shushed Snotlout. "Sh! It looks like they've taken the bait," Hiccup whispered as the smoky fog rolled in.

"Okay, looks like they're about to get going…" Zenna whispered to Hiccup who looked to the rest of his friends. "Okay, very important, no one do absolutely anything until I give the signal," Hiccup managed to say before the Twins hollered, "Get 'em!" and flew Barf and Belch right into the fog!

"Oh for the love of…those two are dumber than yaks!" Zenna face palmed. Standing up, the rest of the team could see that the plan had gone awry. "Yet another plan perfectly executed," Hiccup said sarcastically before saying, "Dragons, everyone!" prompting the rest of the teens to mount up.

"I got one!" Tuffnut yelled.

"I got one too!" Ruffnut shouted.

"And its skin feels all sweaty and clammy like a girl," Tuffnut remarked, the fog lifting away and revealing the two wrestling each other on Barf. "Hey!" Ruffnut scowled, shoving him.

Meanwhile the other teens focused on the Smokebreaths. "There they go! Follow them!" Hiccup and Zenna shouted, leading their friends in the chase. "Okay, don't lose them, bud!" Hiccup told Toothless. "We can't let them out of our sights, Stryka!" Zenna told her one-eyed dragoness. Then the Smokebreaths split up into two groups, the fog shrouding them splitting as well! "Okay, tricky. Everyone, split up!" Hiccup instructed the team.

Splitting up, the teens pursued the Smokebreaths. Firing plasma blasts, Toothless and Stryka kept the Smothering Smokebreaths within their sights. But, just when they thought they had them, Hiccup and Zenna realized that they had been chasing the wrong cloud of smoke. "Sneaky…" Hiccup said. "Wait, look!" Zenna alerted him, pointing at another cloud of smoke evading them. "Toothless, over there!" Hiccup shouted, his best dragon friend following the smoke with Stryka close behind. The two Night Furies chased the Smokebreaths through the forest, their Riders making sure to duck as they flew under a fallen tree. Then the smoke cloud split into three. "Hiccup, Toothless, look out!" Zenna yelled as one group of Smokebreaths went for Toothless' tail fin and another went for Hiccup's metal leg! "Oh, not this again…" Hiccup said as Toothless and Stryka blasted the Smokebreaths away.

Another group of Smothering Smokebreaths chased after them but, luckily, Zenna used her battle sticks to fend them off while Hiccup used the bolas launcher of his shield to take one dragon down. But more just kept coming and one of the thieving dragons ripped the metal rods off of Toothless' prosthetic tail fin!

"Toothlwess!" Stryka roared in alarm as her mate dropped out of the sky! "Hiccup!" Zenna cried out in alarm as she watched her best human friend plummet. Luckily, Hiccup used the grappling hook of his shield to keep him and Toothless from hitting the ground. Swinging upside down from the tree, Hiccup only had a second to think, 'Well that could have gone better…' before the branch broke and he and Toothless fell.

"Are you two okay?" Zenna asked worriedly as she and Stryka hovered directly above them. Hiccup was about to say something when the Smokebreaths flew past them! "Follow that rod!" he shouted, getting back on Toothless who ran after the fog. "I'll take that as a yes," Zenna said before getting Stryka to follow the boys. Good thing the Night Furies were just as fast on land as they were in the sky. As Toothless ran, Hiccup focused on the Smokebreaths. "Get me close enough, Toothless!" Hiccup told his best dragon friend. Toothless sped up, getting close enough to the Smokebreath that stole his tail fin rod. "You want some metal?! Here you go!" Hiccup shouted, aiming his grappling hook at the Smokebreath.

What Hiccup didn't account for was the Smokebreath actually able to lift him off of Toothless' back! "No! Bad Smokebreath! Just because he has a metal leg doesn't mean he's metal!" Zenna shouted as Hiccup was dragged along the ground. "Whooaa! Whoa! Maybe this was a bad idea…!" Hiccup grunted as Toothless managed to grab him by his right boot (making sure he wouldn't bite it off, of course). Finally the Smokebreath dropped the metal rod and Hiccup released it.

"Glad that's over…Hicc, you're a bit crazy, you know that?" Zenna commented as she and Stryka finally caught up. That's when Toothless and Stryka looked up and saw where they and their Riders had ended up and growled. "What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked. Zenna looked up and squinted into the darkness. "I can see something but I can't make it out…" the one-eyed Fiersome girl said. "Give us some light, bud?" Hiccup requested, his best dragon friend firing a plasma blast up into the sky.

Through the bluish-purple glow of the plasma blast, Hiccup and Zenna could see mounds of metal piled high up in the trees! "The Smokebreaths' nest…" Hiccup breathed out. "Holy Shields…" Zenna mumbled as the Smokebreaths returned. They welded all the metal they had pilfered from Berk into one large molten mass, which cooled and hardened to fortify the nest.

"Okay…we need to go back and get all the Riders so we can break this apart and get it back to the village," Hiccup told Toothless, Zenna and Stryka urgently.

"Hiccup!"

"Or we can wait for the others to join us," Zenna quipped as Astrid and Stormfly arrived. "Thank Thor! I finally caught up to you two!" the blonde Hofferson girl exclaimed with relief. "Astrid, we found the Smokebreath nest!" Hiccup said, smiling slightly, but his smile faded when he saw how worried Astrid was. "We don't have time for that now," Astrid told him. "What do you mean?" Hiccup asked. "We just spotted something on the horizon. Something that may be a bit bigger problem than the Smokebreaths," Astrid reported grimly.

Hiccup and Zenna looked confused until they looked at each other. As if by magic, they instantly figured out what Astrid was saying.

On the horizon, not far from Berk, Berserker ships were sailing through the sea. Dagur the Deranged, Chief of the Berserker Tribe smiled as he gripped his axe. "Who would have thought those pesky little scavengers could bring Berk to its knees?" he asked rhetorically. "Actually, I did! If you recall, it was my idea," Savage said before he had Dagur's axe pressed to his throat. "Although, now that I think about it, I probably stole it from you!" Savage said quickly. Dagur removed his axe and looked out over the horizon as Berk came into view. "With no weapons and just a handful of dragons, Berk will be no match for the might of Dagur and his Berserker armada!" Dagur said, cracking his neck. "Pucker up, Hiccup, because you're about to kiss my boots as I take Zenna to be my bride," the deranged lunatic snickered.

The dawn was breaking by the time the Riders spotted the Berserker fleet headed their way. "Yep, this is definitely turning out to be a way bigger problem," Zenna remarked while Hiccup looked through his spyglass. "What? Is this guy like the King of Armadas? Does he ever go anywhere without one?" Hiccup asked in disbelief upon seeing that they were vastly outnumbered. "It's like he knew we were gonna be defenseless," Astrid said, narrowing her eyes. "He did," Hiccup told her. "Johann told us that he got the scrap metal from a Berserker. Dagur had set him up," Zenna informed Astrid as they went to rally the villagers.

If there was going to be a fight with the Berserkers, they were going to fight it – with or without weapons.

Once the villagers had assembled, Hiccup explained the situation. "Trader Johann said he bought the scrap metal from a Berserker," Hiccup began. "And it was from Breakneck Bog," Fishlegs continued. "Dagur planted those dragons. He knew what they wanted to do," Astrid told the villagers. "And he knew that, once Berk was weaponless, he and his armada could set sail and strike us when we're at our weakest," Zenna concluded, to the astonishment of the villagers.

Stoick then stepped forward. "Hiccup, you and Zenna found the Smokebreath nest. You and the other Riders go to it and get our weapons," he ordered. "They'll be protecting it by now. We don't have enough time to fight the Smokebreaths and get back here before Dagur attacks," Hiccup said worriedly. "Then I say we head out there and blast those Berserkers with what we've got!" Snotlout suggested. "Even with our dragons, the seven of us won't be able to take out those ships alone," Hiccup reasoned with his cousin. "Well, if we cut ourselves in half, we'd be…twice as many!" Tuffnut suggested. "Just once, try stopping it between here and here," Astrid said, rolling her eyes at Tuffnut, first pointing to her head and next to her mouth. Tuffnut could only mimic her actions, confused.

Hiccup's face lit up with an idea. "No, he's actually on to something!" he said. "See? I'll get an axe!" Tuffnut said and prepared to go find an axe to cut himself and his friends in half. "What? No! We don't need an axe. We don't need more of us. We need more dragons," Hiccup said, coming up with a plan. "What are you saying, son?" Stoick raised an eyebrow. "Why fight against the Smokebreaths when we can fight with them?" Hiccup replied. "Of course! We can get them on our side to fight against Dagur! But…how are we going to convince them to join our side?" Zenna wondered out loud. "Everyone, bring any metal you might still have and your houses. It doesn't matter how small it is!" Hiccup told the people before leaving with the other Riders. "You heard my son!" Stoick yelled to the villagers, who scrambled to get all the metal they could find.

As Hiccup mounted Toothless, Gobber came to give him his hook appendage. "I gutted my first Outcast with this. Take good care of it," he told his apprentice, handing his hook hand to him. "Thank you, Gobber. I will," Hiccup nodded to his old mentor. Then he looked to Zenna, who had mounted Stryka right alongside him, and smiled.

"Hey, Zen, catch!" Hiccup then tossed something to his one-eyed surrogate sister. Catching whatever Hiccup had thrown her, Zenna opened her palm and gasped upon seeing that it was her pendant! "Holy Shields! How…?" she gaped at her precious treasure before Hiccup said, "I went back to the Smokebreaths' nest after Astrid told us that the Berserkers were coming. It was a good thing that the tree it was in wasn't heavily guarded by those dragons. I almost broke my neck trying to get it out of there."

Zenna smiled widely at Hiccup. "Hicc, thank you…You have no idea how much this means to me," she said gratefully. "Just make sure you don't let them take it away from you again, okay?" Hiccup replied, smiling. "Okay," Zenna smiled back.

Once all the metal had been gathered, the Riders took it all to the Smokebreaths' nest. Passing over the nest, Hiccup shouted, "Ruff, Tuff! Sound the dinner bell!" and the Twins happily obliged. "Come and get it, Smokebutts!" Ruffnut said as she and her brother banged pots and pans to get the Smothering Smokebreaths' attention. "Yeah, Smokebutts, come and get it! Fogbottoms!" Tuffnut taunted the dragons. Fueled by their desire for more metal, the Smokebreaths followed the Riders. "Okay, there they are. We need to pick up the pace. If they get this metal, we're done!" Hiccup said, Toothless speeding up. "You heard the Chief's son! Fly faster, guys!" Zenna shouted as Stryka sped after her mate.

Dagur was impatiently pacing back-and-forth on the boat, itching for a fight. "Oh, come on already! There should be boot kissing by now!" he exclaimed angrily, prompting Savage to get down and kiss his boots. "Not you!" Dagur said crossly, kicking Savage across the deck. "That's disgusting…" Dagur grimaced, shaking the boot Savage had been kissing. "Just trying to be helpful, sir," Savage winced while Dagur went to the front of his ship. That's when he spotted the familiar silhouettes of the dragons and their Riders and smiled.

Laughing like the maniac he was, Dagur said, "It's time!" and Savage turned to the men. "Berserkers, prepare to fire!" he ordered, the soldiers readying their catapults.

"Arm yourselves with whatever you can find. We will battle to the end."

Back on Berk, Stoick had rallied his most loyal warriors to form a defense line. Bucket and Mulch both had sturgeons, Stoick had picked up a heavy piece of wood while Edgar and Henna cracked their knuckles, prepared to fight with their bare hands. Gobber had just picked up a heavy rock when the Riders came flying over their heads with the Smothering Smokebreaths in hot pursuit! "Stoick, look!" Gobber told the Chief. "Let's hope they get the Smokebreaths on our side…" Edgar mumbled grimly. "If they don't, we're going to have to give it all we've got in this fight," Henna said, hoping for the best.

Flying out to sea, Hiccup zeroed in on the Berserker armada. "Dagur's fleet! Up ahead!" he shouted. "Get ready, team!" Zenna alerted the Riders as they approached the ships. "What is that?" Dagur wondered out loud, seeing the Smokebreaths. "It looks like fog," Dagur then punched Savage in the face when he said that. "Sir, we can no longer see the Berk mainland. We have no target," a Berserker reported. "WHAT?!" Dagur shrieked as the fog rolled in.

Safely hidden with the Smothering Smokebreaths, Hiccup and Zenna executed Phase Two of their plan.

And that was to drop the metal onto the Berserker ships for the Smothering Smokebreaths to take.

"Okay, gang, metal away!"

Needless to say, Dagur was completely unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold as metal objects rained down upon him and his men. He even caught a spoon, a measly spoon, in his hand.

"A spoon? They're dropping spoons? Why are they dropping spoons? What does this mean? Could this be a spoon of surrender?" Dagur asked before a Smokebreath suddenly snatched the spoon right out of his hands! "I don't think so, sir…" Savage said.

That's when Dagur figured it out.

Smothering Smokebreaths steal metal. And if Hiccup, Zenna and their friends had dropped all metal objects onto his ships…

"Oh no," Dagur gulped as the fog surrounded him and his armada. The Smokebreaths were in metal paradise. Swords, shields, axes, hammers and all the like of metal objects just lying around there for the taking! In no time, the Berserkers were completely, utterly, defenseless.

"Hiccup, Zenna, I thought it was supposed to…?" Astrid asked from Stormfly before both Night Fury Riders said, "Wait for it." And pointed to the ships. Without any metal nails, screws or bolts to hold the massive ships together, the Berserkers were thrown overboard! "And that is how you take down an entire armada within five minutes!" Zenna laughed as she and her friends flew back to Berk.

Floating on a small piece of wood, Dagur sulked and pushed Savage into the water. Foiled again by Hiccup, Zenna, their two Night Furies and their idiot Dragon Rider friends! "This is not over, Hiccup! You hear me?! You just wait! I will have Zenna as my bride and you will kiss this boot!" he yelled before the Smokebreaths robbed him of his helmet and metal armor. "You will kiss this boot…" he hissed darkly as he drifted away.

Back on Berk, all was right as rain. After the battle, the Riders went back to the Smokebreaths' nest and took back all the metal stolen from the village. Tuffnut, in particular, was very happy to see his beloved mace. "Oh, Macey, let's never be apart ever again! Life is an empty void without your spiky face! Oh, I missed you too, Tuffnut! And I miss the sunsets with you, Macey. Oh, the sunsets…" Tuffnut gushed. "When, oh, when can I be his wing woman?" Zenna sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Stoick laughed as his son and Toothless arrived. "Well done, son!" he grinned, petting Toothless. "We'll return everyone's metal just as soon as we get the Smokebreaths back to Breakneck Bog," Hiccup told his father. "And how do you plan on doing that?" Stoick chuckled. "Ah, I think I know someone who should be happy to help us," Hiccup smiled.

Trader Johann gulped as the swirling, foggy mass of Smothering Smokebreaths neared his ship. The Riders then deposited the scrap metal on deck, much to his dismay. "But, Master Hiccup and Lady Zenna, this can't be the only solution!" he said nervously. "Think of the story you'll have to tell! Next stop: Breakneck Bog!" Hiccup and Zenna called after him as Johann's ship set sail.

Okay, wow, I can't believe I've only got three more episodes to finish! Seems like it was just yesterday when I started this story…

Well, read and review! And go crazy! Let me know how u guys feel about the story!

-GuardianDragon98