Chapter Fifty Four

"This wasn't caused by a normal forest fire," I stated as we flew through the barren trees.

Most of the ground we passed was covered in ash, and half of the trees looked as if they'd been burned to little more than twigs. In the distance, we could see that part of the forest was still burning. A shiver swept through me as I wondered what could have caused such destruction. Humans could have been responsible for it; I'd seen worse destruction in my world. But something told me from the way the ground was smoldering that this had been caused by a dragon.

The scent of smoke was almost overpowering as we flew across the fjord. I wasn't used to it, despite having lived with dragons and the people of Berk for the last three years. Snowfire flew alongside Toothless, keeping at a steady pace to avoid the detection of anyone who was still around. Though, a large white dragon like Snowfire would make an obvious target, now that I thought about it. I tried to push the uneasy thought aside. Snowfire was easily able to defend herself if someone tried attacking her, and I would've given them a piece of my own mind if they did.

Finally, we'd reached the edge of the fjord, and we were greeted with something that made both our eyes widen in amazement.

A huge structure, with spikes and twisting spirals, made of ice, was sticking out of the ocean. The ominous and imposing structure looked as if it had destroyed an entire fort. I grimaced at the thought when I noticed that several ships had also been destroyed by the structure, and by something that had left a massive looking print in the ground. This was like nothing we had ever seen before, and that was saying something.

"My God," I breathed out after finally finding something to say.

Hiccup gave me an uneasy look, and I suddenly understood his concern. This wasn't just put here naturally. Something had created this icy fortress, and I suspected it wasn't human. Even Snowfire looked uneasy when she noticed how it twisted and spiraled angrily into the sky. I could tell from the way she was looking at it that she wouldn't have been able to make such a structure, even if she wanted to. Something like this would have taken a massive amount of effort on her part.

'This was not created by my kind,' Snowfire said as if she'd read my thoughts.

"Stay close," Hiccup warned us as we circled around the structure. It didn't take us long to find what looked like a fort that was destroyed by the ice. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, realizing that these must have been dragon trappers who were unlucky enough to come across whatever attacked them. "What happened here?" he asked warily.

"Whatever it was, it had to be something huge," I replied, noting a gigantic footprint in the mud. Another shiver swept through me when I realized that whatever attacked them must have been huge. And dangerous. I couldn't imagine anything worse than a Red Death attacking the humans. Knowing that an ice-spitting dragon that massive was around left me realizing that we might be in over our heads. "Snowfire said that this couldn't be done by a dragon of her species."

Apparently, Toothless didn't seem to like whatever had made the structure either, as he let out a warning growl. He shook his head in protest, clearly unhappy that we were heading closer towards the structure to inspect it. Not that I couldn't blame him. There was something about this structure that had an ominous feel about it. I couldn't describe the reason behind it, other than the fact that it was clearly caused by something large and dangerous. And we were sitting ducks if it was still around.

"Alright, easy bud," Hiccup soothed him.

'I do not like what I see,' Snowfire growled with unease.

Just as she said that, something whistled past us. Down below, a group of people on a Viking ship had spotted us. One man had pointed towards us before shouting something. They were too far away to hear, but I knew already what was happening before they could attack.

Snowfire rolled to the side, but the bola on the net managed to wrap itself around her tail fin. She let out a roar of fury as she was downed, and of course I had to slip off at the last minute. Luckily Toothless had flown just in time to catch me.

"What was that about?" Hiccup asked.

The leader of the group had no idea who he was dealing with. The air suddenly got colder than it was before, and Snowfire bellowed furiously at the group of Vikings charging at her. She was already dangerous enough without these assholes having to crowd her the way they were.

"I don't know, but they aren't going to get away with hurting her," I snapped. Snowfire had already swatted away a couple of men who dared get too close to her scythe-like tail. The man who'd pointed to us earlier laughed when he saw Toothless flying towards the ship, with Hiccup yelling at them to stop. "Let. Her. Go!"

Before the men could make sense of what was happening, I threw a piece of wood at the nearest trapper getting a little too close to Snowfire for comfort. The impact wasn't strong enough to knock him out, but it sent enough of a signal to stop his advance. I didn't want to use my powers here, not with so many people around to spread the word. It was obvious as soon as we landed that the men on this ship weren't Vikings. They were pirates.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

Suddenly, Snowfire let out another roar and lifted her head, tossing a few other pirates into the ocean in the process. Once the path was cleared, she joined me and glared at anyone who dared get any closer.

'I would not attack again, unless you foolish humans do not wish to live and see another day,' she snarled venomously.

The leader of the pirates only smirked and stepped forward, eying both dragons dangerously. He had jet-black hair and bright brown eyes, and looked to be in his later twenties. What drew my attention though were the twin swords on either side of his waste, still in their sheathes.

"Back again are we?" he asked, then noticed exactly what Snowfire was before glancing at Toothless. "Soil my breeches, a Night Fury and a White Terror. I thought these dragons were all gone for good! Looks like our luck's taken a turn for the better lads! Don't think Drago has one of those in his army."

Snowfire snarled again at the name, causing the other pirates to step back out of fear. The looks written across their faces told me that none of them expected her to fight back so ferociously. Then again, I doubted they were expecting to see humans riding on them.

"Dragon army?" I whispered in disbelief.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," Hiccup tried reasoning with them.

"Yeah, so why don't you let us go before I decide to let Snowfire do what she pleases," I put in, my voice dangerously low as I glowered at him.

"Ha! You should've thought of that before you stole all of our dragons and blasted our fort to bits!" the pirate retorted, gesturing to the ice structure behind them.

"What are you… What are you talking about?" I demanded.

It was mostly because I knew we weren't the ones behind this. Unless Snowfire was going out without my noticing, which was highly unlikely. She didn't usually leave the house in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency.

"You think we did this?" Hiccup asked in equal disbelief.

"Ha! Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is, without having do-gooder Dragon Riders sneaking around rescuing them," replied the pirate.

"What do-gooder—" Hiccup paused when he realized what the man just said. My eyes widened in surprise as Hiccup glanced at me. "Wait, there are other Dragon Riders out there?" he asked.

"You mean, other than your thieving friend from last night? You tell me," the pirate said before walking towards us. "You may have an ice-spitting dragon on your side, but I still have a quota to fill. How do you suppose we explain this to Drago Bludvist?"

"Drago What-vist?" Hiccup asked, sounding even more confused than before. All I could do was watch them carefully. The man was still glaring at Snowfire as she let out another warning growl, one that would normally send anyone else running. "Does anything you say make sense?"

"He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow," one of the pirates explained.

"And Drago don't take well to excuses," another pirate added.

"This is what he gave me the last time I came up empty handed," the leader said as he pulled down his shirt. Just above his neck there was a brand mark on his skin, making me wince. It looked like a dragon's skull that had a sword going through it. "He promised to be far less understanding in the future."

"All right, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting dragon…" Hiccup paused and looked at me uneasily. I just nodded before glancing at Snowfire. She may be able to breathe ice, but she was also able to breathe fire as well. That complicated things here. "Or your lunatic boss and his dragon army, okay? Just let us go, strange hostile person whom we've never met."

"Oh, where are my manners?" asked the pirate leader as he gave us a mocking bow. "I am Eret, son of Eret." He then pulled one of his swords out of its sheathe and pointed it at us. "Finest dragon trapper alive, after all, it's not just anyone who can capture a Night Fury and White Terror."

"Well, with that being said, this is Snowfire," I gestured to Snowfire, who growled in response. "And she doesn't like sharp, pointy objects."

"And this is Toothless," Hiccup added when Toothless let out an irritated growl. "He says we're leaving. Now!"

Eret only laughed in response.

"They all say that. Rush 'em lads!"

The pirates had started charging at us, but Toothless fired a plasma blast at the ice structure behind them. The blast managed to knock a few chunks of ice off, blocking their path to us. Snowfire flapped her wings furiously at the nearest pirates, sending them flying into the ocean when they were still running.

Some of the pirates managed to get past the ice and charged after us. Snowfire grabbed one pirate with her teeth and threw him off the ship, sending a warning growl to the others making their way towards us. Another had tried sneaking up from behind, but I kicked him in the chest with my foot, knocking him over in an instant.

Hiccup turned Inferno on, creating a fire-like sword that stopped a few pirates in their tracks. But their confusion only lasted for a few seconds before they attacked again. Snowfire suddenly swung her tail once again into the group of pirates, knocking them off their feet in the process.

"Let's go," I said as I hopped into her saddle before they could recover.

Staying here would only make things worse. Another pirate was running towards me, but I swatted them in the face with the plank of wood I'd been holding. Hiccup did the same just as Eret had recovered from the attack, only to watch us disappear in the distance.

"You will never hold on to those dragons!" Eret shouted. "You hear me? Drago is coming for them all!"

Arrows were sent in our direction as Toothless and Snowfire easily dodged them. Once we were far enough away, I let out a sigh of relief.

Yet, my heart was racing with dread as Eret's words hung over me. What sort of human could control dragons? And was it possible that the same human could control me, if I decided to change? The thought had never occurred to me that someone was capable of doing just that.

"That was bad," Hiccup muttered as we flew back towards Berk.

'Those humans can stuff themselves with ice,' Snowfire huffed angrily.

I patted her on the neck, still feeling wary about what just happened. If what Eret said was true, then there was a lot to worry about. My stomach twisted with fear at the thought of letting anyone control me. I couldn't help but glance at Hiccup nervously as I wondered what he thought of all of this.

"We need to warn your dad about this," I said while biting my lower lip.

It was a habit I did when I got nervous. Snowfire had pointed it out a few times, much to my annoyance.

"Yeah, because he doesn't have enough to worry about."

I looked at Hiccup warily, already knowing where this would head. Something told me that things weren't going to get any better.

We got back later that afternoon, flying past Gothi's place and towards the village plaza. Gothi had really become the keeper of Terrible Terrors, enjoying their company from time-to-time. She even watched the Terrible Terrors that Hiccup and the others had trained to deliver Airmail when they didn't have the time to look after them.

I spotted the other Viking teens flying around nearby, whooping with laughter when they scared off a group of Terrible Terrors. I wasn't surprised to see Jacob among them, flying with Sniper, his Monstrous Nightmare. Down below, Gobber was working with a Hideous Zippleback with blue and yellow scales. After becoming the dragon dentist, he was kept busy working with any dragon that needed his help.

Toothless let out a roar as he landed on the plaza, with Snowfire landed right next to him. The crowd cheered as soon as they saw Hiccup, and Stoick rushed outside to greet him with a big smile on his face. I couldn't help but cringe as I recalled our conversation earlier. Hiccup only endured whatever Stoick threw at him, and I had to admit, his patience was admirable.

"Ah-ha-ha, there he is! The pride of Berk!" Stoick yelled proudly.

"Look who's finally decided to show up for work," said Gobber, looking up at Hiccup for a brief moment.

"Hey uh, dad, can we have a word?" Hiccup asked, rushing over to Stoick.

"Something you're itching to tell me, son?" Stoick asked, placing an arm around his shoulder.

I had to laugh at the sight. Though it did annoy me slightly that Stoick was ignoring Hiccup again. That wasn't anything new. The look Hiccup gave me was priceless. I followed them into the forge as Stoick put on a work apron, something I never expected to see on him.

"Ah, not quite the itch you're probably thinking of, but yes," Hiccup replied awkwardly.

"Ah, good man!" Stoick said, tossing him an apron. "Now, lesson one; a chief's duty is to his people. So…" Stoick paused and looked at one of the wood pieces with a number carved into it. "Forty-one!"

"Wha— Could we please talk about this in private?" Hiccup asked.

And as usual Stoick ignored him. I merely rolled my eyes and crossed my arms at the sight. Not for the first time, I found myself wondering if Stoick had considered the way Hiccup reacted to their conversation that morning. He'd probably been oblivious to it all.

"Forty—"

"That's me! That's me! I'm next to you. I was ahead o' you," replied one villager.

"'scuse me, I've been here all day!" the villager said as he pushed his way towards the front. "Okay, okay. I want two of those high seaters, with lots of spikes and big storage compartments."

"Absolutely! You got it sir!" Stoick said cheerfully.

"Ah, dad, this is a little more important than building saddles," Hiccup insisted.

"Ah. Lesson two. No task is too small when it comes to serving your people," Stoick replied, ignoring Hiccup once again before patting him on the shoulder.

All I could do was lean against a table and watch. Frankly, I had no say in the matter. Besides, Hiccup could easily handle himself when it came to his father. By now, he'd gotten used to Stoick pretty much ignoring his presence entirely. The only time Stoick did seem to listen was when Hiccup wanted to do things his way. Or if Hiccup was loud enough to get Stoick's attention.

"Dad!"

"Oh, excuse me Grump," Stoick apologized after hopping over Grump, Gobber's helping hand dragon.

Grump was a Hotburple. They had a large head that made up most of their body, and a club-like tail that was similar to the Gronckle. In fact, Grump was a distant relative to the Gronckle, just like Snowfire was a distant relative to Night Furies. At the moment Grump was sleeping right next to the burner that kept the forge running.

"Ah Grump, you let the forge die! Light it again!" Gobber yelled. Grump opened his eyes and pointed lazily at the forge in front of him. Again I had to laugh when the area around Grump lit on fire from his lava blast. Gobber groaned in annoyance as I pulled the chain next to me and put the fire out. "Thanks Alex," Gobber muttered to me before turning to Grump. "That's it Grump. You're going up for adoption!"

"He doesn't mean it," I said after patting Grump on the head affectionately.

"Go on, have a way." Stoick was gesturing to a tool kit by the time I caught up with them.

I hadn't missed the fact that the other teens had joined us either. Once they discovered that something important needed to be said and done, they were interested in what that something was. Though, I had a feeling they wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of Dragon Trappers being around.

"Yeah, but seriously. I really need to tell you about this new land we came across," Hiccup kept insisting.

"Another one?" Gobber asked as he pulled his hammer out of his prosthetic.

He came up with a tool that rotates to whatever tool he needed for his prosthetic arm. It actually was a brilliant idea. Hiccup was the one who suggested he should come up with a design that would make it easier for him to access various prosthetic for his arm, and Gobber practically jumped at the idea.

"Any new dragons?" Fishlegs asked in excitement.

"We didn't stick around long enough to find out," Hiccup explained. "These folks weren't particularly friendly."

"Oh, really?" Gobber didn't really sound surprised. "Your Night Fury and White Terror didn't bring them cheering to the rooftops?"

"No, no, this was different," Hiccup told him. "They weren't your standard run of the mill who-has I've come to enjoy." Hiccup paused to adjust the saddle form after giving it shape. "These guys were trappers… Dragon Trappers."

"You should've seen the fort, all blown apart and stuck in giant spikes of ice," I added. "It was… weird."

"I've never seen anything like it," Hiccup said with a nod.

"They also mentioned an ice-spitting dragon and another Dragon Rider," I put in. "I know for a fact that the ice was too big for something that Snowfire could create."

I glanced out the window to where she was waiting patiently for me. There was no way she could have done all of that.

"A-And worst of all, they thought we did it!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Ya know, you two are going to get yourselves in serious trouble one of these days, especially when that team of yers gets involved every now and then," Gobber said while using his prosthetic brush to come his mustache. "Not everyone appreciates this way of life."

I couldn't help but wince at the mention of the 'team'. By 'team', Gobber was referring to the Avengers. Every now and then, one or two of them would stop by to pay a visit and see how thing were going. I suspected it was more along the lines of checking to see if I'd changed my mind. Luckily, Thor had yet to visit them, which was a bit of a relief for me.

"Gobber's right," Stoick agreed with his right-hand man as he pulled off a piece of leather from the saddle and placed it on Gobber's table. "Best we keep to our own. Besides, we'll have more important uses for your time." Stoick then turned on the saw blade and rubbed his hands excitedly. "Once we make the big announcement."

Hiccup sighed in frustration and pulled the lever that powered the saw blade.

"Dad, they are building a dragon army, or-or at least the guy they're working for is," he said with a look of determination. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Hiccup in surprise and worry. "Ah, Drago Bloody-fist or something…" Hiccup paused as he tried to remember the name.

Stoick's eyes widened and he locked eyes with Gobber, who gave the faintest nods. Both men didn't look too thrilled.

"I'll bloody his fist with my face if he tries to steal my dragon!" Tuffnut shouted, punching a fist into his hand.

"Or mine!" Ruffnut added.

"Ugh, you're such a moron!" Tuffnut groaned.

"A beautiful moron," said Fishlegs.

I only rolled my eyes at that, having almost forgotten that Fishlegs and Snotlout were still fighting over Ruffnut.

"Yeah," Snotlout agreed dreamily.

Ruffnut groaned in disgust. Stoick's expression grew serious as he suddenly grabbed Hiccup by the shoulder.

"Bludvist. Drago Bludvist."

My eyes widened when I suddenly remembered the name. Then I noticed something I never expected to see. Fear. Stoick's eyes showed real fear. I don't think I've ever seen him scared of anything. And that was saying something.

"Uh, yeah," Hiccup said. Then Hiccup's eyes widened when he realized what Stoick had said. "Wait, do you know him?"

Stoick didn't answer. Instead he exchanged an anxious look with Gobber once more as they stood there in awkward silence.

"We need to move."


AN: Sorry it took so long to get this posted. Three weeks is really a bit too long of a wait, but I wanted to figure out how the team would get themselves involved with this one :) Plus, I have also been working on the sequel... yep, there will be a sequel :P It's gonna be a multi-crossover, between the Avengers, HTTYD, basically, anything Marvel related, and another fanbase... which I'm not giving away until the bitter end ;)

Eragon Bromsson - That would be epic now, wouldn't it?

Wild Cat 214 - Hehe, you were a poet and you didn't know it ;)

Sil - XD It's all good, you're allowed to. I've been dying for this moment myself, but I wanted to build up to the second movie :)

monsterjamvadim - That in itself would be an epic fight to watch... though I think it would be more fun to see him go toe-to-toe with the Dark Bewilderbeast.

Phoenix373 - :)

dracologistmaster - Thanks!

Retrokill - Indeed it does :)

xX69759Xx - No problem! And that's okay, I'm just glad to hear from you again :) You don't have to review every chapter, but I'm always happy to see them when they show up in my inbox.