Foreign desires of unforeseen transformations
Chapter 58 - Night time pursuit
Visskara had frantically searched the island of Berk twice, utilizing her superior speed and senses, failing to locate Toothless. The more she searched, the more she worried; the village was silent and still, under the full bright mani in the dark abyss above, but she was not as calm as her surroundings.
'Where is Toothless?'
She flew down to Hiccup's house desperate to find her ameor, swinging her tail into the building, again, and again… until she heard the commotion inside; a baby started crying, two human voices questioning the noise in their abrupt awakening, and eventually the door opened revealing a large round man - with a wooden leg and a hook for a hand.
Visskara roared in the man's face, demanding her request for Hiccup - for answers.
"Er … 'Icup. I think it's for you." Gobber's sleepy voice grumbled as he wiped his face of dragon spit. He was prepared for angry villagers, not for bloody dragons this time in the middle of the night. He was quite happy to leave Hiccup dealing with an angry dragon so he could go back to sleep.
"Visskara?" Gora asked in confusion to her return, making his way closer to the door. His fear evaporated upon hearing her panicked voice, and he now had hope that someone would focus on finding Kalean.
Hiccup handed his son to Gobber as he past - making his way to the door, but Gora was already there and blocking his exit. He was confused at Visskara's presence; Visskara had left Berk, and he was sure there was no one - no dragon even, to relay a message to her … certainly not this fast. He rubbed his tired eyes as he listened to the various sounds: growls, roaring, pants, snorts and grunts that past between the two dragons.
Gora was frantically trying to recount everything to an increasingly impatient Visskara. All Hiccup could do at this point, was wait until they had finished communicating with each other, or wait for Gora to move.
"Gora! For the last time! Where is Toothless?" Visskara enunciated loudly.
"That's what I'm trying ta tell ya! He was taken. The hunters they-"
"Hunters?" Visskara growled. The fear in her stomach just jumped into her throat - Toothless was meant to be safe here from hunters. Her next words came out forced and breathy. "Where is he?" She demanded. Her eyes filled with fear.
"I don't know! They took him, on a ship I think. He told me an Cloudjumper ter help the others, ta not go after him. We did as he commanded an I broke me wing … again."
Visskara growled angrily at the lack of sufficient knowledge and facts. How could she find Toothless if she didn't know where he was? She paced, hoping it would calm her anger and bring her answers … it didn't. Her breathing increased and suddenly a plasma blast had left her maw.
"Vissy!" Hiccup shouted as he watched a section of the great stone steps erupt into falling, obliterated, debris and dust. "Gora, move!" Hiccup insisted.
Gora backed away from the door frame, partly listening to Hiccup, partly scared of Visskara, but mostly … terrified that some of the villagers were now running out of the Great Hall with weapons and burning torches. A couple humans had even emerged from elsewhere, and Gora was secretly terrified for Hiccup; if Visskara obliterated half the village and its human occupants in rage and fear, well… Hiccup would be done for.
Gobber, who had heard the explosion and returned to the door, told Hiccup to get back inside the house - he was sure this wouldn't end well.
"No! I am still the chief. She trusts me." Hiccup shouted, standing beside Visskara in his attempt to calm her.
"Hiccup-"
"No Gobber, listen to me for once! Keep Trid safe inside and trust me."
Gobber grumbled and groaned about his stubbornness and madness, then he went back inside as asked - but that didn't stop him watching from the window with Trid in his arms. About twenty villagers had gathered in a semi-circle, keeping a fair distance from Visskara but still vigilant.
"See!" Gizur Ingifastsson shouted clearly. "As long as he is chief, our village will continue to be destroyed until there is nothing left. He'll ruin us all."
Visskara powered up a plasma blast to get rid of the yarxeyed plifigen permanently. How dare he speak to his leader this way - to Hiccup this way.
"Vissy, NO!" Hiccup shouted, diving in her path with his palms facing her. She looked down at Hiccup, coughing back her perfect shot with a look of shocked curiosity and outrage.
"You can't kill anyone Visskara, you can't take your revenge out on them or the village." Hiccup told her as he slowly relaxed. He was aware of the eyes watching, the ears listening, lips whispering, and saw the nervous confusion and uncertainty in their fidgets. "We were attacked by hunters, they wanted revenge on us for saving the dragons they hunted and captured - for ruining their work. They took Trid hostage Vissy … Toothless gave himself to save my son's life, to save all the lives here on Berk."
"See, he admits fault. If it wasn't for him making us friends with the dragons - for putting them first before his people, we wouldn't have been attacked in the first place." Gizur shouted. "And where has our chief been when we needed him the most … In his little house having a mental break down, and all over his disgusting abomination of a dragon lover."
Everyone that was there, responded to Gizur in some way; some nodded in agreement, some frowned in thought, some whispered to others, and a few shouted over each other.
Visskara growled, advancing threateningly towards Gizur. She knew three things from his statements; One, Hiccup wasn't being respected as a chief. Two, this human male obviously didn't have respect for the drekis as Hiccup did. And three, he had just insulted her ameor and was ungrateful for Toothless's part in saving his meaningless life."
Most people gasped and raised their weapons, but Visskara ignored the metal with its promise of cuts or death, ignored Hiccup's shouting at her to calm down, and proceeded to advance on Gizur angerly. She wanted him to give her a reason, just one tiny excuse to destroy him.
"Hiccup! Perhaps you should return home." Axel Alvarisson, told him shakily, about to order the others to return to bed in the Great Hall … but then Gizur shouted at Visskara.
"Wanna fight do ya, filth." Gizur spat at the ground, gripping tightly to the sword in his hand.
"Gizur, NO!" Hiccup shouted when Gizur made to plunge the sword up into Visskara's chest, but Visskara moved so fast that the sudden rush of wind knocked everyone over. It was hard to see through the snow flurries Visskara had created in her speed.
The next moments happened so fast it was surreal, sickening, gruesome, and nearly impossible to stomach. A massive gust of wind moved and pushed at their bodies - even from their fallen spot on the ground, and the house even creaked in strain - threatening to collapse as the second bout of snow flurries stole their vision temporarily. Hiccup dug his fingers into the snow to not blow away … but then he saw red drips spray over his hands, his arms, and onto the white snow in front of him. A shower of blood and guts rained down over them all, an arm, a ripped chest, a finger, a foot … and the deformed head of Gizur.
When an eyeball landed on Dalla Iorundottir's shoulder, and she looked to her left to see what it was, she vomited. Hiccup heaved and covered his mouth; the sight and smell of Dalla's puke, the smell of death, the sight of Gizur's twisted face, the blood splattered over him and everyone there - blinding them against the white snow, and the fact that Visskara had just killed someone in such a manner… it made it impossible to avoid the vomit that defiantly burnt at his oesophagus on its way up and out of his own mouth. Choking, splattering, coughing, and grasping at the snow with tightly closed eyes for grounding from his demons, Hiccup shook and breathed away the darkness.
No one spoke, too shocked and disgusted to move, to scared that movement would make them vomit likewise or be attacked, and everyone was waiting for someone else to speak first.
Visskara had scooped Gizur up so fast that his body had teared from the force, and she had ripped whatever was left to shreds in her invisible flight. When she landed by Hiccup, everyone froze from fear of being next. She was glad they feared her, they should!
Hiccup gulped as Visskara nudged and eyed him. Still no one spoke or moved as Hiccup rose to his feet. He knew Visskara was a dangerous dragon, his mind was trying to tell him to be cautious, but he trusted that Visskara would never hurt him. He was Toothless's sal-binda, and she was Toothless's ameor.
"Hiccup…" Gobber's voice was aberrant, quiet and hesitant. Hiccup noticed that he didn't have Trid.
"W-Where's my son?" Hiccup stuttered, trying to ignore the dead, severed body around him.
"He's asleep. Hiccup w-"
But Hiccup ran past Gobber, back into his house to check that his son was still there. Happy that his son was indeed safe, and that his house wasn't on the verge of caving in, he relaxed just a tad. He tried to ignore the returning images of raining body parts, and the nausea and disgust that churned … but it still spun its strong yet delicate web in his gut - one wrong thought and it would break. He was shaking, vivid flashes, bright blood, and then… Astrid in a pool of her own blood, a dead Trid, a dead Toothless and…
"Hiccup!" Gobber shook him for the third time, frowning at the green and white colour of Hiccup's complexion.
Hiccup gasped for air, and sighed deeply as he closed his eyes tightly shut. He forced the images away by pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes, digging his nails into his scalp painfully, and chanting to himself in an incoherent whisper. "Toothless will be okay, Trid's okay. Toothless will be okay, Trid's okay."
"Visskara's still outside Hiccup. Axel an Mulch managed ta get everyone ter go back ter bed in the Great Hall." Gobber explained hesitantly. "He wants yer to get rid of the dragon, says she's too dangerous to stay on Berk ... I agree with him Hiccup, and he says he'll talk to yer in the morning."
Hiccup spun so fast his eyes needed a moment to catch up, he stared at Gobber like he'd gone insane.
"Fuck them! They only want my help when it suits them! I will not harm Visskara, I will not send her away!" Hiccup screamed, marching outside to make sure Visskara was alright. She had been defending him, and Gizur had attacked her first. The traitorous fucking wanker got what was coming to him, and it was all Hiccup could tell himself on repeat to justify his quick, yet gruesome death.
When he saw Visskara waiting for him outside, he sighed. "Oh Visskara!" He ran to her, hugging her chest as tears fell. "I'm sorry I couldn't save Toothless. I tried … they were just too strong. They took him." He choked on a sob, comforted by her warmth. She was one of the only beings here right now that really knew of his demons, and the only one here that could find Toothless. He pulled back and looked up into her dark-blue eyes - she was angry, but not at him. "I need him Vissy. I love him! I need to tell him that … but I don't know what to do. I can't leave Trid, and my people are badly injured or they would have decided what to do with me by now." Hiccup wiped his eyes, avoiding looking over at the blood and dismembered body - least he vomit or worse if he did, and he noticed her questioning look. "They know Vissy, they know he can be human … and they saw me kiss him."
Visskara's eyes widened; that would explain why the village were disrespecting their leader. Gora had already explained why the village was a mess - especially on the east side, but Hiccup was in trouble too. If she remembered correctly, Hiccup was scared that they would kill him or throw him off the island in exile, and take his son away from him. She wouldn't let harm come to Hiccup or Trid, but right now she needed to find her Ameor. She nudged the metal round object on Hiccup's belt - the image of a Nightfury etched into it, and she cooed as she looked towards the ocean and back at him, begging him with her eyes to point her in the right direction.
"I can't leave Vissy. Not yet. But even if I could, I don't know where Maligon took him. Mum said they sailed away, but she was too busy after the attack to follow the ships. I'm so sorry Visskara. We will find him! I just need time to come up with a plan." Hiccup told her, shaking his head sadly. He felt guilty for not doing or knowing more.
"They only attacked yesterday." Gora informed Visskara, having forced his way outside painfully. "I can smell that Toothless killed a couple enemies in the house. Hiccup also said that Maligon broke in."
"You wait until now to relay this important information!" Visskara hissed at him angrily.
"I forgot!" Gora insisted.
"It was still vital information! I must check." Visskara insisted, surprising Hiccup when she broke his door frame forcing her way into the house. She sniffed and screwed her eyes when she caught the malodorous scent of three humans - the worst was wafting down from higher up.
Hiccup followed her and watched as Visskara sniffed her way up the stairs, squeezing her wings in tight so that she could reach his room. She shook her head in disgust and huffed out of her nostrils. Hiccup didn't think his room smelt that bad, but then he understood … she was tracking. It made sense that she could track - she had such heightened senses. His excitement followed her down to Toothless room where she huffed once again and he realised … if she could track Toothless, she would go after him.
"Vissy, the hunters are dangerous. There could be a hundred or more of them. Maligon was malicious, evil, and merciless. His men killed … they killed two of my people, and one was only a child - a youngling. They hurt my son; they will hurt you too. They will have weapons specially designed to hurt you and catch you. Do you remember the dragon root arrows I told you about, or the dragon proof chains and cages?"
Visskara nodded. She remembered Hiccup and Toothless's stories of hunters, but she wasn't afraid; Toothless needed her, and she would be far too quick for them to catch or hurt her. She nuzzled Hiccup's chest - knowing he was only worried about her, and knowing he wouldn't say it but that he wanted her to bring Toothless home.
Hiccup held her face in his hands, knowing that she would go looking for her ameor no matter what he said. He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head on hers. "Be safe Visskara, come back to me in one piece. I can't lose you too … and Toothless will kill me if I let anything happen to you."
Visskara huffed and licked his chin. Hiccup huffed a chuckle as he wiped his chin, knowing she was assuring him of her safety. He hugged her neck. "Bring him home." He whispered. Visskara nodded once when he let her go, a tear running down his cheek.
Making her decision to follow the scent if she could, she left the house just as forcefully as she entered it, and she took off. With her heighten scent, her long-range sight unobstructed by trees, rocks or other objects, and her speed of flight… she could easily search much of the ocean quickly. She would find them, and when she does … they will regret ever touching her ameor or the other drekis they have harmed while they rot in the everlasting afterlife of torture.
Hiccup sat at Toothless's desk, his head in his hands, thinking about his plans to flee Berk if it came to it. He couldn't return to sleep, and after tonight, he was sure that fleeing Berk with Trid was going to be inevitable. If Visskara managed to free Toothless, if they came back to Berk, he had to be here, but ... he had to ensure Trid had a future with his father. He didn't know when the time would come, and he didn't know what the council and village would decide, but he had to be prepared for the worst.
He was so worried and plagued with anxiety that it was a constant fight to focus on what was important, to focus on what mattered and to not get lost in the deranged party his demons wanted him to drowned in. He had experienced worry so many times: When Toothless was his secret, when Astrid found out about Toothless, when his father went after the nest, when he became chief, when Astrid's labour took a turn for the worst, when Coaldron attacked with the Ogthantarth, and many… many other times, but nothing came close to the burning worry he felt now for Trid, for Toothless, and for Visskara. His life was stuck on repeat: His father, his wife, his lover; hope and then despair; he went from the joke of the village, to the chief, to the joke of the village again. Was he forever doomed to repeat?
He sat up in the chair, exhaling away his thoughts before he let them beat him. No! He had to fight, he had to stay focused. He needed to finish his letters: The letter to his mother - explaining why he left, a letter to Toothless - in case he had to leave before Vissy rescued him, a letter to Gobber - to thank him for being a great father figure, and a letter to all his friends. Searching for parchment and a quill, he found the small journal he had given to Toothless a while back. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it to see what Toothless might have written.
His tears started before he'd even read the first word. Just the thought of Toothless sitting at the desk writing, safe and home, it choked him. He just wanted him back.
Sniffling and wiping his tired eyes, he read the words. It was filled with Toothless's random thoughts and memories from different times. The writing such a mess at first that he could barely read some of it.
Some of the things Toothless had written was funny - such as his complaint about the squid ink stopping mid-word, and that they should make a quill that had ink inside it because it was fucking annoying having to dip for ink every two words. That Hiccup could make that, because he was a 'geneeous'.
Others were strange memories, like Hiccup's habit to bite the inside of his lip when he tucked Trid in, a silly grin and warmth in his eyes when doing so, and how his fingers twitched before moving the hair from his son's face.
Some were questions or deep thoughts, such as his curiosity to why humans didn't have claws to protect themselves. Toothless wrote about how every animal, creature and plant grew in a wonderous grand design, a design that enabled a particular living thing to protect and function in its environment: The roots of the trees grounded its strong body, holding it firm and providing food and water; The horns of a yak, for protection and used in a battle of dominance; The feathers of a chicken, to keep it warm he assumed; and the wings of a dragon, for travel, used as a shield, and rather magnificent he thought. He then went on to explain that humans had no roots to feed or ground them - that Hiccup certainly seemed more content to fly, and they had to grow and cook their own food; that they had no horns or claws for protection and relied on weapons and guards; they certainly had a lack of fur, feathers or scales, so they relied on clothes; and no means of magnificent travel except boats and on foot. He then concluded that humans were rather unfortunate, and that something must have gone terribly wrong when the gods made them.
Hiccup's tears were bittersweet and he closed his eyes. He smiled at Toothless logic, his humour - even if he wasn't trying to be funny, and his memories. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and then proceeded to turn the page. It was then he frowned. Strange words were scribbled on the parchment, words that seemed to be of an ancient or unknown language: 'Olus li bre saus. Hafro dreki… haoa sueinnoaus li dd ogoaus oa liol me suus li suha Oa kro li us haus li usoloa – Li suus dd me oa haoa us einnoaus. Daha oa me pefrous? Li ha us olus gor lioasuus li us us subre.'
Making no sense of the words, he hastily turned the page hoping for more information. There was nothing there to explain why Toothless had written what he had. The only, and last, thing Toothless had written was about him - them.
'It's been a while since I wrote anything, and who could have known that I, a Loightakalean, would find comfort and relaxation in words. It's been a while, but today I came home.
I love Hiccup. I either haven't learnt the words to express my love in a way that does it justice, or they simply do not exist because love is greater than words. Humans are quite unfortuneate in many ways, but they certenley are creative in making up for their shortcomings - writing is one of my favrite human inventions now; memories can be lost, broken, fading, or recalled inaccuratly, but with a few well-chosen words you can capture a memory so precisely, and remember the small things you are most likely to forget. I could never forget my love for Hiccup, I will always love him, but I can not express it no more - not in the way I crave so despretly.
Sometimes I feel like Hiccup has no faults, but if I ditch the bias, I'd have to admit that he does. He has faults like every other human or indeed dragon; his stupid recklessness at times scares me, his curiositey always gets him in trouble, and his fear is damaging. It is his stupid, growing fear that broke us apart, that broke my heart and caused a pain so strong that it crippled me. He hurt me in a way I didn't know was possible, and I responded with a lie - I tried to hate him.
I understand more clearly now. I think I always understood if I'm honest, but now its been absorbed and akcepted; Trid must come first. I could not put that innocent little baby in harm's way, and I cannot let Hiccup suffer the conseqinces he fears – on risk of them being what would transpire if the village found out. One day however … I will get to hold Hiccup again as mine, one day I will taste his lips against my own and make up for all the times we couldn't, and one day I will lay next to him, panting and sweaty, after pounding him into which ever surface we happened upon. I just need to figure out how to control my dominate mating erges before I do that anyway, before our time returns and we can be together once more, or Hiccup will certenley hate me.
I may not like the situation, but I now accept it. I would do anything for Hiccup and that includes -'
The words ended there, abruptly, and Hiccup frowned wondering why. It soon dawned on him that Toothless had been writing the morning of Maligon's attack, he heard the quill over parchment before he'd climbed the stairs to his room. It also said, in Toothless's messy words, that he had returned home today. Maybe this is what Toothless had been writing, and Maligon's unwelcome arrival had interrupted him.
The words had tugged his heart strings in many different directions, and they'd given him a lot to reflect on. Toothless enjoyed writing - which he never knew, and he was getting rather good at it for the short time he'd been learning prior to their trip. His quill-manship could do with a lot of work - the writing was still a mess, but his vocabulary and spelling had improved; it was possible that his own proper upbringing as the chief, and his own writing and reading accuracies had an influence on Toothless. He then remembered Toothless's stories of Kalvissmari's teachings - and his avoidance of them of course, but he must have picked up on more than Toothless himself believed. He was willing to bet that Visskara would have spoken rather accurately, clearly, and perhaps rather proudly too if she was a human. It made him wonder what Gora would sound like, or the others - like Stormfly and Meatlug etc.
He could have sworn a literal sharp pain jarred his heart when he thought about Toothless trying to hate him - that he'd hurt Toothless that much, and it brought back the memory of the day Toothless had slapped him. His hand reached to his cheek, feeling the damp trail of tears that had spilt when reading Toothless's words. He vowed never to hurt Toothless again, and if Toothless came home… No! When he came home, he would make sure that Toothless knew how sorry he was. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to him.
Standing up, he tiptoed past Gobber to get a drink. He contemplated on the mead barrel; he needed to be strong not drunk, so he decided on water, but the mead barrel seemed to stare at him. Shaking his head, he quietly returned to Toothless's room. He sat on the bed and looked about in thought, soon noticing the Snoggletog gift he had made for Toothless. He gently put down the mug and went to pick up the bag, hugging it close to his chest. A silent tear fell onto the dark material, memories of Snoggletog - only two nights ago, drifted into his mind.
It was silent and dark over Berserker island, the village sat in the middle of the old trees and thick forests. Inside the largest of houses, a man slept with his wife in the guest room. A Triple-stryke dragon, laid curled upon the floor asleep. It wouldn't be long now, before the inhabitants of the village started to wake up.
The Triple-stryke suddenly flinched, his eyes flicked open, and he shook his head. He was about to stretch and return to his slumber, when he heard the call - it was an alpha's call, but it wasn't Toothless's. This call was distressed, urgent, and almost pleading. He carefully snuck from the room, sneaking out of the house. He looked up towards the night sky, waiting, and curious to the presence of another alpha. It certainly didn't sound like it was in a challenging mood, so why was it here?
He heard it again, loud and clear. It was demanding help, assistance, and looking for someone. His tail twisted, and gently clicked together at the end before it untangled and he took to the sky. He roared, asking who was there, asking what it wanted.
A gush of strange, unexpected wind nearly unbalanced him, and he was sure he had seen something blue move in the air around him. Then he heard a female voice.
"Do not fear me, I am looking for my ameor." Visskara informed him, stopping quite a distance behind the Triple-stryke.
"Ameor? Where have I heard that word before?" The Triple-stryke wondered to himself aloud, his tail clicking as he stayed alert. He had never seen a dragon like this before, and he had no idea how she'd gotten past him without being seen. "Who are you?"
"My name is Visskara, I am an alpha Dreki of an island far from this one. I am looking for Toothless, the alpha dreki of Berk!" She informed the black and yellow dreki in front of her. Male, she noticed, and intelligent enough to not attack before asking questions, but cautious all the same.
"Why do you search for Toothless?" He asked, the insinuations not missed by Visskara, nor the protectiveness this dragon was now exhibiting toward Toothless - interesting.
"Toothless and myself are ameors, drekis born together and raised by the same mooir. He is most important to me, as I am to him, but he is in danger. He was captured by hunters, and I fear he is being harmed. I fear his life may end if I do not find him as soon as possible. I ask of you, help me spread the word, alert all the drekis that are nearby to send a distress signal if any-dreki knows of his whereabouts. I must save him!"
"Toothless doesn't really come here much. The drekis here tend to have no alpha because this is the only island around here that welcomes drekis. The other islands are home to hunters. Is hunters have Toothless, if they came this way, the islands nearby will be where they go. I can come with you if -"
"No! I am far too fast for you to keep up. Thank you for your information." Visskara was then gone, she needed to keep looking.
Her hasty exit had shocked the Triple-stryke, not before almost unbalancing him again though, and he blinked as he looked around. She was truly gone, and she was quick. Good thing he hadn't scoffed as he had wanted to, when she said he wasn't fast enough to keep us with her, or he would have made a fool of himself.
Back in the room where his rider was still sleeping, he nudged him until he woke up.
"Sleuther, let daddy sleep." He mumbled, rolling into his wife. Sleuther - the Triple-stryke, then roared loudly in his determination that his rider get up, NOW! "Load the cannons! … Wait what?" He blinked his wide dark-green eyes, looking around the room confused, and his short red hair was tussled from sleep. This man was rather skinny yet muscular for a Viking, he had a tattoo like three claw marks across his left eye, and a lot of stubble.
"Dagur darling, whatever is the matter?" His wife questioned, sitting up and rubbing her green eyes. Her short, neck length, golden-blond hair stuck up in all directions as she scanned her surroundings for threats, but she found none. Instead, she noticed Sleuther acting rather peculiarly, as if he wanted them to follow him. The woman lifted the covers to reveal her pregnancy under her red silk nightgown. She stood up, tall and elegant, and shifted her feet into her slippers.
"Mala!" Dagur moaned, as he watched her approach his 'annoying' dragon. "The healer said to rest, this … is not resting." He gestured in exasperation.
"I am quite aware of that, however, Sleuther appears to be trying to tell us something of utmost importance." Mala informed her husband.
"Fine! Who needs beauty sleep anyways." Dagur groaned, getting out of bed in a huff. "This better be a matter of life and death, or I'll have to kill someone to make up for it." Dagur started getting dressed.
"I'm sure Sleuther knows better than to wake you for matters that are not of importance. I'll get dressed then-"
"Oh no!" Dagur cut her off, pulling his dark-green vest over his mint-green tunic. He grabbed his horned helmet and jumped onto Sleuther's back. "I'm gonna say this in the most delicate, sensitive way possible … I love you snooky woo, but … you're not coming!" He then signalled Sleuther to make a hasty get away, running down the stairs and out the front door, wincing as he heard his wife's delicate tones behind him.
"Dagur the deranged! You will regret treating your queen as an invalid. You will not be sharing my bedchamber if you-"
Dagur failed to hear anymore, he was already airborne on his dragon and sighing in relief.
"Isn't she just so sexy when she's mad!" Dagur gushed. "So strong, so beautiful, so perfectly angry."
Sleuther grumbled, and Dagur realised they were flying away from the island.
"Where are we going?
Sleuther warbled and growled, they only way he knew that his rider would understand; something was up and they were on a mission.
"Ooo hoo, an adventure. This should be fun!" He shouted loudly, excited with anticipation.
Sleuther didn't know if he would find anything, but he hadn't been able to tell that strange female dreki where the ships came in when hunters brought in new drekis for sale and trade - she had left in too much of a hurry. He was going to fly east west to the Mazy Multitudes, to a particular little island where drekis where held until sale - an island called 'The eerie shadows. It was deserted because humans believed it to be haunted, so everyone except the hunters went there. It wasn't haunted, the piercing, bloodcurdling howls of pain, were that of captured and tortured drekis. Him and Windshear, with their riders help of course, had been trying to get rid of the hunters. Even Toothless and his rider had tried, but the remaining hunters were ruthless and sneaky; they weren't consistent in when they turned up, and the numbers had dropped, so finding them was difficult. At least there was a dramatic decline of dreki hunting, but the hunters had gone deeper into the shadows - doing their evil work in secret and hiding.