Living On The Edge
The middle of the night; on Dragon's Edge,
The night was calm, and still; then a series of tremors shook the island. The Night- Terrors, on their sentry- perches, squawked in alarm. The Riders' reactions … 'varied'.
Snotlout, shaken from sleep; glared in the direction of the volcano, "Hey: I'm trying to get some sleep, here!" He snatched his helmet from the hook by his bed: pressing it over one ear, and using his pillow to cover the other. "Stupid volcano…"
Chicken raced across The Twins' hut, squawking, and leapt into Tuff's arms; Tuff patted his pet, reassuringly, and turned to his sister. "I'm so sick of these little- baby ones; I wish it would just volcano- up, and start spewing, already!" – "I know; right…" Ruff agreed. "Either get on with it, or keep it to yourself!" As though in answer, the volcano rumbled again.
Fishlegs and Meatlug were 'hiding' under Fishlegs's bed; shaking, as they listened to the rumbling of the once- dormant volcano. Meatlug moaned; Fishlegs gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's ok, girl; the volcano hasn't erupted in three months, and it's not going to start now…" another rumble. "Right?"
"Hiccup!" Astrid called, as he emerged from his hut; another tremor rocked the island, and they stumbled. "Was that…?" – "More intense than normal?" Hiccup finished. "No doubt."
Three minutes later; the clubhouse,
"Alright; everyone got their Gronkle- iron?" Hiccup asked, from his place on Toothless's back; the others nodded. "Good… Just like we practiced, guys; and don't spill any … we can't afford to lose a drop."
The dragons took flight; eyes widened, as they took in the scene. Rivers of lava were flowing down, from the volcano … around and through parts of their outpost. Several of their huts would've been inaccessible, on foot. "Guys; this is worse than I thought," Hiccup began.
"Yeah; I know!" Snotlout interrupted. "Oh; my 'S'…" he turned, in his saddle. "Hiccup; look at it… You know how attached I am to my 'S'!"
"Snotlout: No one cares about your 'S'!" Hiccup called. "Just keep pouring Gronkle- iron into the cracks!"
By now, the other Dragons and Riders had already dispersed; Barf- and- Belch hovered next to one of the cracks, as The Twins poured their buckets of Gronkle- iron into it. In the brief moments before it took effect, a single chunk of rock was shot into the air.
They followed its path, with their eyes, and grinned; Tuff held up a finger, "Wait for it…"
Seconds later, the rock bounced off of Snotlout's helmet; Snotlout grinned, dazed, then fell sideways … off of Hookfang's back, and towards a flowing river of lava.
"Chargrilled Snotlout, anyone?" Tuffnut asked, turning to his sister; Ruffnut grinned, "He'll have a nice smoky finish, from the lava."
"Hey: Ruff; Tuff!" Hiccup called, giving The Twins a pointed look.
Tuffnut sighed, "Buzz kill…" Barf- and- Belch dove after Snotlout; snatching him out of the air, and deposited him on the landing platform in front of the stables.
Snotlout; dazed, and completely unaware of the danger; murmured, "Such a beautiful 'S'…"
Toothless dove, and Hiccup poured his Gronkle- iron into one of the crack; Meatlug arrived at another crack, and Fishlegs did likewise … as did Stormfly, and Astrid. Once the last of the lava- spouting cracks were filled, the dragons landed by the stables, the riders gathered around Snotlout. The sun began to rise, and the extent of the damage was becoming clear.
"This is a disaster…" Astrid commented, gazing up at the volcano.
Tuffnut shrugged, "Yeah… I've seen worse."
"You mean you've caused worse," Fishlegs pointed out.
"Hah; I wish!" Tuffnut replied, gesturing. "This is Odin's handiwork himself; but I, I am a mere mortal."
Snotlout groaned, and got to his feet. "You happy now, Hiccup?"
"'Happy'?" Hiccup asked, incredulous. "What did I do?"
"We should've left this pile of rocks months ago," Snotlout elaborated. "But no-o-o; you wanted to keep exploring … 'Hiccup the Explorer'."
"Hiccup; you know I'd rather plant dragon- root under my fingernails than agree with Snotlout…" Astrid began.
"Don't waste your time; 'A'; that stuff needs a ton of light to grow," Tuff interjected. "So unless you're willing to stand outside…"
"… I think it might actually be time to head back to Berk," Astrid continued. "Viggo and Ryker are gone; the Dragon- Eye is destroyed…" she raised her hands, palm up. "And even 'Mother Nature' is telling us to go."
"Huh?" Snotlout asked, frowning at Astrid's last comment.
"Uh… 'Mother Earth'; the 'Earth Mother'." Ruffnut said, turning to Snotlout.
"The earliest roots actually date back to the Mesopotamian tablets; which show the personification of the creative and nurturing sides of nature as, a female deity." Tuffnut elaborated, turning to Snotlout. "You should read more."
"Hiccup; we won…" Astrid put a hand on his shoulder. "We can go home now." Hiccup turned to her, and she saw the sadness in his expression … though the others did not.
That evening,
They spent most of that day evaluating the damage: deciding what could be salvaged, and what was beyond repair. When the sun went down, and the others had turned in; Hiccup and Toothless hovered high above The Edge … taking in the sight of the island, below them.
A chunk of rock shot skywards, coming straight toward them; Toothless dodged, and warbled something to Hiccup. He sighed, "I know; bud; she's right…"
The following morning,
Hiccup announced his decision the following morning; when he, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut were gathered outside the clubhouse. When he finished; Tuff grinned, "Really? Awesome news; and just in time for our 'estate sale'!"
"Sorry; your … what?" Hiccup asked, frowning; Tuff gestured behind him, so Hiccup and Astrid came forward to look. Their eyes widened: The Twins had laid out tables on one of the lower platforms; laden with various items they hoped to sell. Several people were browsing through the selection, one of them in conversation with Ruffnut.
"Not too late to get in on the lifelike 'nut'- statues…" Tuff informed them, grinning. "Made from our actual hair!"
"Who, in their right mind, would buy a statue of you two?" Hiccup asked. A moment later, they heard Ruffnut say, "Sold: Statue of us two!" Tuffnut grinned at Hiccup, who rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"Hi, question: When are we getting out of here?" Snotlout asked.
"When the volcano is stabilized," Hiccup told him. "We just need time to find homes for all of the wild- dragons we've relocated here." Something caught his eye, and he turned.
The others followed his gaze; Astrid raised an eyebrow, "That's weird… What's Johann doing here?"
Five minutes later; on the beach,
"Oh; dear…" Trader Johann murmured, as he surveyed the damage to the outpost. "There hasn't been destruction like this since Emperor Nicophorush and the Byzantines were mercilessly annihilated in The Battle of Pliska…" He paused, for effect, and then continued. "They say Craw Carom had Nicophorush's skull encased in silver, and drank mead from it!"
He smiled, and turned to Hiccup. "Anyways: It's going to take some cleanup. I have a multitude of items that could assist you, in that process; hmmm?"
"There's not going to be any cleanup; Johann…" Hiccup informed the Trader.
"Well; Master Hiccup; perhaps this delivery will cheer you up." Trader Johann said, offering the chest he carried to Hiccup. "I think you will like what you see; although what mysterious avocation could you be working on that necessitates such an odd variety of articles?"
Hiccup sighed, "It doesn't really matter, now; Johann."
Once Johann excused himself, bound for The Twins' sale; Astrid asked, "Hiccup… Are you 'ok'? You seem pretty down, about leaving The Edge; I would've thought you'd be happy to go back to Berk…"
There was silence, for a count of five; then Hiccup turned to her, "Before we found the Dragon- Eye, the others were starting to go their separate ways … do their own thing."
"While the four of us searched for new dragons," Astrid finished. "Up until Stormfly and I joined the Berk- Guard…" The pieces came together, in her mind; she put a hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup: Leaving The Edge doesn't mean we'll stop exploring; the other maps, in the Dragon- Eye; must be seriously outdated, and…" she kissed him on a cheek, "I haven't forgotten what you said about our 'joint- mapping project'; if the others want to stay on Berk, let them; it'll be just the two of us … and our dragons, of course."
"I am going to miss this place," Hiccup admitted, "but you're right; thanks. … Toothless and I should get back to the clubhouse; see what we can come up with, to stabilize the volcano."
Astrid smiled, and nodded; Hiccup kissed her, lightly, on the lips; and clambered onto Toothless's back. Astrid watched until they vanished from view, than went to join Stormfly.
The clubhouse; early afternoon,
"Think… think… think…" Hiccup murmured; he turned to Fishlegs, "We need something that will not only hold up to the intense heat of the lava; but…"
"Will withstand the extreme buildup of volcanic pressure," Fishlegs finished.
A sudden commotion, behind them, made them turn; Toothless and Meatlug, who'd been playing nearby, had slammed into another table … sending several items flying.
'Uh; sorry about that…' Toothless apologized, a little sheepishly.
"Wait a minute; you might be onto something…" Hiccup said; crossing the arena, picking up a pair Deathsong amber- goggles from where they'd landed. "Fishlegs: What would happen if we mixed Deathsong- amber with Gronkle- iron?"
"You mean the very same Deathsong- amber that withstood the pressure of water hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean?" Fishlegs asked. "Hmm… Mixing the exact quantities of all of the ingredients will be key, so we don't set off a negative chemical reaction."
Fishlegs prepared the first pot of Gronkle- iron, then Hiccup added a chunk of the amber; the pot began to bubble. Meatlug and Toothless leapt forward; carrying their riders out of harms' way, and sheltering them … as the contents of the pot exploded.
When the second pot of Gronkle- iron was ready, Fishlegs backed away; Hiccup, now wearing his Night- Fury helm; approached, holding a smaller chunk of Deathsong- amber in a pair of tongs. He added it to the concoction, and hurried to join Fishlegs.
They continued their work, using ever- smaller pieces of amber, until Hiccup decided to try a larger piece. He dropped a fist- sized chunk of Deathsong- amber into the pot, and hurried to join Fishlegs and the dragons.
The pot began to shake, and then it stopped … as the mixture stabilized.
That evening,
It was time for the 'real test': The other riders and dragons watched, as Hiccup approached the crack; the pot, with their successful mixture, clasped in the teeth of his largest set of tongs. He tilted the pot, and cautiously poured its contents into the crack.
A cloud of steam shot up, then dissipated; the mixture was hardening, sealing the crack.
Hiccup grinned, "Ha-ha; I can't believe that actually worked!" Astrid, who stood about five feet behind him, also smiled.
"Well… lets not start 'slapping each others yaks' just yet," Fishlegs cautioned. "That was the last of the Deathsong- amber; and, even if we had more, there's just no way Meatlug could make enough Gronkle- iron to stabilize the whole island."
"So we need Gronkles and Deathsong- amber…" Hiccup summarized; turning to the others, "Well… We know where to find both, right?"
"There is no way I'm going to Melody Island," Snotlout declared. "The word 'death' is in the dragon's name for a very good reason!"
"Astrid and I will get the amber," Hiccup replied.
"Good; I like that plan." Snotlout said, giving the 'thumbs up'.
"Fishlegs; you gather the ingredients for Gronkle- iron, and find someplace to store the liquid metal…" Hiccup continued.
"Oh, keep talking; this is the best plan I've ever heard!" Snotlout interjected.
"And what about us?" Tuffnut asked, gesturing at himself and Ruffnut. "What're we doing?"
"Rounding up a group of Gronkles, from Dark- Deep." Hiccup replied. "And Snotlout; you're going with them. ... Congratulations."
"This is the worst plan ever," Snotlout said, scowling.
The following morning; Melody Island,
"This is strange…" Hiccup commented; as he, Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly entered the Deathsongs' canyon, on foot. There were large globs of Deathsong- amber everywhere they looked … but no sign of either of the two Deathsongs who called the island 'home'.
Toothless and Stormfly went to sniff at the nearest amber- mounds, while Hiccup and Astrid kept their eyes peeled for signs of movement.
"I don't … hear anything..." Astrid noted, turning to Hiccup; he nodded, "No Deathsong…"
An instant later, a familiar sound reached their ears; then a fully- grown Deathsong reared up … from behind a cluster of boulders. Hiccup unsheathed his sword; Astrid unsheathed her axe, "You were saying?"
The Deathsong trilled a few bars of his 'song'; then collapsed in a heap, at their feet. Hiccup sheathed 'Fury', and cautiously approached the clearly- injured wild- dragon, and rested the palm of his right hand on dragon's snout.
Hiccup straightened, and turned his attention to the dragon's injuries; dozens of cut or scratch marks … and several arrows. "These wounds are fresh."
Astrid's eyes widened, "Dragon Hunters?"
"Not like any we've encountered," Hiccup said, turning to her. "This is… beyond brutal." The Deathsong opened his mouth, and trilled several notes. "That sounds like … no way!" Hiccup's eyes widened; he knelt by the dragon's head, "Garf?"
"Oh, my Thor; you're right, it is…" Astrid knelt next to Hiccup, and resting a hand on Garf's neck. "What have they done to you? … Wait a minute: Where's the other Deathsong?"
Hiccup glanced around, "He must not have been as lucky as this guy…"
"Lucky?" Astrid asked.
"Garf got away…" Hiccup elaborated. "He's still alive."
"Yeah; barely," Astrid acknowledged. "Hiccup; if Viggo's gone, then…"
"Who's leading these Hunters?" Hiccup finished, getting to his feet. "And what's so important that they'd go toe- to- toe with a Deathsong?"
Meanwhile; in an unspecified location,
Three Deadly- Nadders stood together, in a clearing near the center of their island. When an unfamiliar, but entrancing, sound filled the air; all three spread their wings, and took to the sky … flying toward the source of the sound.
When the first Deadly- Nadder flew out, over the beach; a glob of orange shot into the air … it hit the dragon, and hardened on impact. Immobilized, the dragon fell to the beach; the first thing it saw, on landing, was the blade- end of a spear and a pair of boots.
The human, holding the spear, wore pants and a tunic that looked to be made of dragon- skin, and a purple cloak. His face was narrow, and hard; his hair and beard were brown, and closely- trimmed. Behind him stood a chained Deathsong, who was under guard by several Hunters. Moments after the first Nadder landed, the other two joined it … and they were not the first dragons to be trapped.
Once a full five minutes had passed, with no new arrivals, The Man instructed his Hunters to begin loading up the dragons. As the last Nadder was being loaded; one Hunter lowered his voice and muttered, "This is not the way to hunt dragons…"
"Not what you're used to, is that what you mean?" The Man asked, turning to the two Hunters, gesturing with his spear. The second Hunter sidled away, leaving only the man who'd spoken.
"Well, please; do accept my most sincere apologies…" his voice was calm, level; the Hunter nodded, uneasily. "Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me, why the objection?"
"Uh; it… takes the sport out of it," the man shifted. "Seems like cheating, is all."
"Cheating… cheating…" The Man said, his voice soft. "And you're right, you're right… Ah; look at us, a crooked band of double- dealers." The Hunter seemed to relax, at this. "Well… I suppose, if you'd rather do things your way…" he gestured, with one arm, as though in dismissal. "Good luck to you; and, perhaps, we will meet again."
The Hunter blinked, "I can leave… just like that?"
"Just like that; safe travels, my friend…" the man confirmed, repeating his earlier hand gesture. The former- Hunter turned, and hurried away; once he turned away, The Man's eyes narrowed. The former- Hunter turned, to wave good-bye; his eyes widened, as the man lunged at him … bringing his spear around.
Gasps rose, from the other Hunters, eyes widened; he turned to them, "Does anyone else feel like discussing our methods of trapping? The floor is open."
When no one spoke, he motioned for the Hunters to continue loading the dragons onto their boats. The Man turned, and began to move through the immobilized dragons … inspecting their catch; he scowled, "No, no… this is not it."
The Hunter with him hesitated, "Sir; perhaps if you told us what it was you were looking for, and why you needed them…"
"I'll know it when I see it, and my use of them is not your concern…" the man returned his attention to the dragons before them. "Yes; Singetail."
At his command, the Hunters reluctantly freed the dragon from its amber- cocoon; it rose into the air, roaring. The Man smiled, "That's the spirit…"
The Singetail lunged at him; he darted forward, and to one side … allowing the dragon to pass him, trailing his hand along its neck; then pinched down on a particular nerve.
The wild- dragon seemed to deflate … falling, limply, to the ground. The other Hunters, who'd gathered to watch, were wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
The Man turned to them, "Bring me more of these; as many as you can find."
Back on Melody Island,
While Hiccup and Toothless gathered the Deathsong- amber they'd come for, Astrid and Stormfly remained at Garf's side … doing their best to comfort him.
"Hiccup…" Astrid called; he hurried over. "I… I don't think he's going to make it; you should go. … We can't lose The Edge; Hiccup; and we have to stop The Hunters before they can do this to any other dragons … you know I'm right." Their eyes met, "I'll meet you back there, I promise; I'll stay here, with Garf, until…" her voice drifted off, she bowed her head. Toothless brushed his snout against Garf's then roared a lamentation, Stormfly added her voice to his. "I'll be fine…" she nodded to Stormfly, "I've got her."
Hiccup sighed, and nodded; he kissed her forehead, gave Garf a rub on the snout. Then he clambered onto Toothless's back, and the Night- Fury took off. Garf moaned; Astrid found her water-skin, and poured the rest of it down his throat. "There you go; that's a good boy… I'm here; Garf; I'm here…"
Back on Dragon's Edge,
Ever since Snotlout and The Twins had returned with the Gronkles, from Dark- Deep, Fishlegs had been running down the line; feeding them the various ingredients needed to make Gronkle- iron, which he'd gathered while Snotlout and The Twins were gone; and leaping aside when they were ready to add their next batch to the growing supply in the pit.
When Tuff saw the pit; his eyes widened, "Hang on… I recognize that pit; is that our boar- pit?" They rounded on him, "Fishlegs!"
"What; I didn't have a choice!" Fishlegs called, over his shoulder, still rushing from one Gronkle to the next.
"We all have choices!" Ruffnut argued, glaring at Fishlegs. "But it's obvious which one you made!"
Fishlegs snatched up a long pole, made of Gronkle- iron, and began to stir the contents of the pit. Moments later, a familiar sound reached their ears; Toothless came in for a landing, and Fishlegs hurried over. "Where's Astrid?"
"Melody Island; I'll explain later." Hiccup replied, as Fishlegs hurried to add the amber to the liquid Gronkle- iron. The ground rumbled, and lava began to spew from the various cracks. "Fishlegs: We have to fill those cracks!"
Even as he spoke: Meatlug filled Toothless's buckets with the new mixture, and the Night- Fury took flight.
"We're right behind you! … Alright, guys; we've got to take this show on the road!" Fishlegs said, already clambering onto Meatlug's back.
The other riders hurriedly clambered onto their dragons' backs, filled their containers with the new Gronkle- iron mixture, and shot skywards.
Toothless descended on the first crack, and Hiccup poured their Gronkle- iron into the opening. The flow ceased, and one of the magma- rivers went dark; losing its momentum, as it began to cool and harden.
Barf- and- Belch poured the cauldron they carried into the next opening, and another stream of magma went dark. Above them, Fishlegs tossed the last few stones into the waiting mouths of a half- dozen Gronkles; each of them then chose a crack, and sealed it.
Moments after the last crack, on the side of the island nearest their base, had been filled; Hiccup spotted another dragon, speeding towards them … all three Catastrophic- Quakens. They circled around, to the far side of the volcano; each of them rolled-up, into a ball, then each slammed into a section of rock.
The wall crumbled, and lava flowed from the opening: down a natural channel, in the far slope … and towards the ocean, beyond.
"Of course: They're relieving the volcanic- pressure!" Fishlegs realized. As he spoke, the Gronkles of Dark- Deep rose to join their larger friends; then, together, they set off … bound for home.
The following day; mid-morning,
Astrid, Stormfly, and Garf arrived on Dragon's Edge the following morning … a few hours before noon. Chicken took one look, squawked in dismay, raced off to find a hiding place.
"I can't believe Garf made it; he wasn't looking good." Hiccup commented, giving the young Deathsong a pat on the snout.
"I think he's going to be alright." Astrid said, grinning up at Garf. "That dragon's got a lot of fight in him."
"He's not the only one…" Hiccup said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Astrid smiled; then her expression grew serious, "Hiccup: We can't let what happened to Garf happen to any other dragons."
"You're right; and we're not going to," turning to face the others; Hiccup continued, "Listen, gang: The Dragon- Hunters are still out there. I know you all want to go home, but–"
"Uh; who said I wanted to go home?" Fishlegs asked. "I don't want to go home…" he turned to The Twins.
"Not me; I surely don't want to go," Ruff agreed; Tuff nodded, "And I would never give up the chance to live in a place that blows up all the time!"
All eyes turned to Snotlout; he crossed his arms, scowling. "Fine… I'll stay." He turned, and stalked off, grumbling to himself.
Ruff turned to her brother, "You think Johann will let us buy any of our stuff back?"
Tuff shook his head, "Nah; he's a bit of a parasite, you know?"
Ruff grinned, "He surely is."
An unspecified location,
The man crossed the arena slowly, making his way toward the crate-like cage near the far wall. When he reached it, he vaulted onto it; turned, and nodded to the visibly nervous Hunter who manned the release- lever.
"Any idea who takes- over when that thing kills him?" asked a Hunter, in the viewing area.
The second Hunter shrugged, "I suppose it'd be a vote… that seems the most logical thing."
As they spoke, the man jumped into the cage; the Hunter, at the release- lever, waited for a ten count; then yanked it down. The cage door swung open, and the Singetail bounded into the arena … the man was sitting on its neck, just behind the dragon's head.
The dragon bounded around the arena, trying to throw off its unwanted passenger; but to no avail. Clearly, the new Leader of The Hunters… knew what he was doing.
To Be Continued…