HEYO, I'M HERE! BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER!

I HAVE AN EXAM LEFT. THIS PANDEMIC POSTPONED MY LAST HIGH-SCHOOL EXAM. I WASNT ABOUT TO WRITE THIS UNTIL AFTER THEY FINISHED, BUT I AM. STILL, WITH THAT LAST EXAM AROUND, IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO PUSH UPDATES WITH THE SAME FLUIDITY AND CONTINUITY AS BEFORE.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE GOOD STUFF. READ, AND PLEASEEEEEE LEAVE A REVIEW. AS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE, THANKS.

ONWARDS:


Oh, he had missed all that.

Travelling at speeds unfathomable to a simple human mind was, in essance, amazing. But then, he should have expected it from a freakkin' Night Fury. Mind-boggling speeds that the other riders and their dragons can only dream of reaching.

To say that the trip to Berk had been exhilarating would be a severe understatement. It had been simply legendary. Hiccup could see the rear of his house largening. Being the Chief's house, it was made on a small hill to mark his importance above others. In doing so, it had a small clearance behind it which led to the woods behind. The advantage of being so high was if someone flew to the house from behind, it would be nearly impossible to see that dragon and it's rider. So, making sure to skirt right above the coniferous treetops in order to have more stealth, he steadily closed in on the huge wooden viking house before setting down on the rear lawn.

No yells of 'Hiccup' or 'Toothless' yet - mission successful. So far so good.

He quickly disembarked from the Night Fury's back and looked up. He smirked.

It wasn't noon yet. In fact, there was quite some time left for noon-time to come. That meant, he and Toothless had covered a route more than three times the original distance between Berk and Outcast Island within almost half the time it took the entire group to cover the direct route.

Maybe Snotlout was right - Meatlug was way too slow.

Didn't matter. He was here and he wasn't spotted. Yet.

Ushering Toothless through the rear door, he went in himself...

...to find a completely empty room.

"Great..."

Him muttering about the inconvenience of the situation won't mend it, he supposed. He looked back to see Toothless nowhere around him. He quickly went up the stairs to see the dragon preparing to take a nap on the huge black stone in his room.

Well, it must have been tiring for Toothless, he guessed. Having had to fly at speeds suiting that of a gronckle must have put him out of practice.

No matter. That will change soon. Toothless will live up to the name of the famed Night Fury, he will make sure of it.

For now, though, he had his father to find. He quickly escaped his room slash attic, and went downstairs to the front door. He placed his left ear to the worn out wood, to hear nothing. Praying no one was outside and no one could see him, or anyone for that matter, peeking out of the door of their chief's home, he pried the door open just enough to get his head across and peeked out down towards the town square.

He must have been in luck, he supposed. There were two people trekking up the hill towards him. One was his father, while the other was Gobber. The only two people he wanted to talk to, in short.

He receded back into the house and closed the door. Then, he quickly made his way to his chair at the meal table and waited.

Just a couple of seconds later, the door opened. Stoick stepped in with Gobber and quickly closed the door. Having apparently not seen him, Stoick continued his talking.

"...and if I had Thornado, I could have gone with them. Why don't you have a dragon yet? I could have used that!"

Gobber seemed to be the first one to have noticed a third presence in the room in the shape of his apprentice. He just stood there, speechless, gawking at Hiccup.

Having not received an answer, Stoick looked at his friend whilst hanging up his helmet. There, he saw Gobber gawking towards his meal table. He whipped around, his heart in his mouth, and saw his son sitting there, a small grin on Hiccup's face.

A small silence stretched out. While it wasn't uncomfortable, it was heavily punctuated by apprehension. Hiccup's grin faltered a bit.

Then, Stoick lurched forward, every bit like a humanised bear. He quickly swooped up his son in a huge bear-hug.

"Dad! Air!!!"

Stoick released his son quickly. Emotions did get the better of him sometimes.

"Hiccup! You are back! Where have you been son? We were all so worried!"

Hiccup gulped back air before answering.

"Oh, I was around, you know."

"Huh?"

"Doesn't matter dad. Gobber, close your mouth. I can smell your fowl breath from this end."

Gobber did as he was asked. But then he asked his batch of questions.

"Where were you, boy? We were worried! That, and a lot of pending forge work had piled up!"

Hiccup chuckled.

"It's good to see you too, Gobber."

"Aye, that it is. Why were you gone for two days, lad? And why are you here?"

"I was around, Gobber. Checking up all the routes and seeing if everything was in order. Doesn't matter. As to why I am here, this is my house, Gobber. That, and I wanted to talk to my dad."

"Oh."

"Talk to me?"

Stoick seemed a bit taken aback.

"Yep. But it's good that you are here too, Gobber. Come sit down. This is gonna take some time. Although, before that, Thornado? Where did he come from? And were you going somewhere?"

Gobber scooted up to the table quickly and sat down on a stool kept nearby.

"Aye. Yer friends have gone to Outcast Island to see if you are there. And check on Dagur, of course."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows. He was on that island as of this morning. So he was close to being found by his friends.

His eyebrows rose up further when he thought that he would have met the others if he had taken the direct route. That was the fastest route and the one the others would have definitely taken.

Coincidence? Probably. That with a dash of extreme luck.

"Hiccup?"

"Nothing."

He quickly shook his head. It was a close call, sure, but he was here, and the other riders were not on Berk. This was a really good opportunity. His luck streak seemed to be continuing on.

"Anyway, I'm here. So, they will find nothing. But, this gives me time. I wanna talk to you about something. A way forward in life. My life."

"Huh?"

"An idea, really. I want you two to listen. Will you two be able to do that without interrupting me?"

Stoick and Gobber looked at each other, an then back at Hiccup. They both nodded in unison.

"Good."

Hiccup gathered his thoughts. He let out a breath.

Well, here goes nothing...


"Ah, nothing like the good old desolate sight of Outcast Island."

Snotlout's snark was met with giggles from the twins, but Astrid could relate to what he meant. It didn't matter that the Outcasts were Berk's allies now, the sight of that island will give anyone the creeps. It didn't matter who was seeing it, or how many times the person had already seen it. With all those spike rock out-juttings, and the lack of trees, it was a really sinister thing to look at.

No matter. This is not why they were here - to look at the island from afar. They were here on a mission, and they would have to approach the island no matter how much they didn't like the sight of it.

So, they carried on. Soon, they were flying over the island's beaches, then the rocky outcrops. Those jutting out pieced of sharp rock were extremely lethal, so they kept some distance from them as they flew a bit higher. Then, they heard the sound of a horn. They were seen.

They quickly flew to the arena in the middle of the nightmarish island, where quite a few guards were standing. The metal net covering the arena depression was raised by a good few feet for the active flow of dragons in and out of the area. Astrid nodded mentally at the development. Good.

They hovered over the depression in rock. She saw the guards raise their spears at them. Maybe they didn't recognise them, Astrid thought. She then yelled out as loudly as she could.

"We are the Dragon Riders! We are here to talk. Can someone please fetch Alvin?"

The guards visibly relaxed. So Alvin was still Chief. Good.

A soldier quickly exited the arena as the riders and dragons lowered to the arena floor. They quickly disembarked from the dragons and walked over to a soldier who seemed to be in charge.

"Where's yer leader?"

Astrid froze. Did that mean...

Alvin walked in the arena with huge strides. Within seconds, he was standing in front of the five riders. He frowned.

"Where is Hiccup?"

So he was not here, Astrid thought. Maybe he was here, but left before they arrived?

Seeing Astrid silent, Snotlout spoke up.

"Yeah, that's the thing. Hiccup is missing."

Alvin's eyebrows rose.

"Missing?"

"Yep." - the twins.

"Well, he isn't here. We don't do that anymore. The truce, remember?"

Alvin actually sounded flat and a bit hurt. Maybe Astrid was imagining things. She spoke up.

"We know that, Alvin. That's not why we are here."

"So why are you here?"

"To ask if he came here by himself. I already feel like the answer is no, but still."

"Well, miss, no. He didn't come here."

"Are you sure? Maybe he asked you to keep it quiet? If that's the case-"

"Girl, Stoick is like my brother. To that extent, Hiccup is like my son. If he came here and asked me to keep quiet, I would do so, but I would also send a communique to Stoick to ask him to keep mum and keep his distance for the time being. But, I can assure you, he didn't come here, nor did he ask me to keep him hidden."

"That is all very good, but we feared that, well, you know..."

Alvin tilted his scarred face."

That I would go rogue?"

Astrid kept quiet. Fishlegs took over.

"No, but you have Dagur here. He is ... well, unpredictable."

Alvin burst out laughing. The booming maniacal type. Everyone cringed.

"Oh don't you worry about 'im! He is safe and sound in his little jail cell. He is well guarded. He ain't getting out anytime soon!"

The riders sighed in relief. That was good news.

"What to see 'im?"

Astrid looked to her sides. Fishlegs was clearly agitated, shifting on his feet while the twins just stood there, whispering within themselves. Snotlout looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Well?"

She turned to Alvin, who was staring at their group with a shrewd look. She nodded.

"Yes. Take us to him."

"Alrighty! Follow me."

Alvin turned around and started walking, the riders having a hard time keeping up with the tall man.

"I don't usually do the taking people to see the inmates job, but with the treaty and all, we are all quite bored."

Alvin looked back to see some guilty and defiant looks. He laughed.

"It was for the best, in the end. But still, with the feud over, and Dagur in jail, se have nothing to do. These idiots just eat and sleep - no one even bothers to train anymore."

Astrid didn't know what to say.

"Oh..."

"Yes. But, they weren't exceptional fighters to start with. And there are no new visible threats anywhere. So, I don't really see the point in them training like earlier, I guess. I remember, I used to duel with so many people, and used to seriously injure them. There is no need of that kind of intense training anymore. That, and my days of being vindictive are over. Almost dying and having to fight just to regain what was yours sure makes you see your life and it's peripheral happenings in a new light. With this new appreciation, I had decided to turn a new leaf. So far, I have had no complains, and People around here seem more happy. More than before, atleast."

"While that is good, Alvin, it's best to not turn complacent. Threats can come from anywhere and can strike anytime. It's the reason why I still train, and Berkians still train. Just because we have made peace with everyone we know, doesn't mean any foreign power won't strike, right? Best to stay on alert nonetheless."

Alvin looked at Astrid with raised eyebrows. He seemed a bit gobsmacked that a sixteen year old was lecturing him as to what was right and wrong, or maybe she was right. Maybe both. Astrid shrugged.

"It's what we are doing. Stoick insists we don't lose our touch. As an ally, I should say that you and your soldiers don't do too."

Alvin looked forward and nodded. They were advancing towards a cave like path. She could see light illuminating a far left corner wall, meaning that the path turned right. If she remembered the position of the prison cells, thay were on the right path.

Yep, that was her, she thought. Constantly on the vigilant mindset. Alvin started to speak again.

"You know, when you arrived today, I was actually surprised to hear from the messenger that your leader was not here with you. Truth be told, I had started heading towards the old killing arena as soon as I heard the horn. Anyway, when I arrived, it turned out that he was right - Hiccup was not with you people."

Alvin looked at Astrid again. This time, in the dark of the cave, he looked a bit sinister. Astrid unconsciously gripped her axe strapped on ther back, something Alvin didn't notice. He looked forward and continued on.

"That begs the question - why? What happened?"

Astrid quickly stole a look at the other teens. They were just walking behind her silently, looking where they were going. All of them were uncharacteristically quiet.

She looked back at Alvin to see a questioning look plastered on his face. She sighed.

"I don't know, Alvin. He just ... disappeared. He was last seen two days ago, in the evening."

A single eyebrow raise. Astrid didn't see what she would gain by telling Alvin, of all people, the exchange between her and Hiccup that evening. She hadn't told her own friends or her chief! So, she continued.

"Maybe - maybe he wanted some time alone? Maybe to figure something out? He has had a lot going on in the last few months, I guess. With you and Dagur and all..."

"Aye."

Silence. The group turned right. Bright light up ahead. The group shielded their eyes; Alvin did no such thing.

Astrid continued after her pupils had constricted enough.

"I mean, sure, it was sudden. But he is just that kind of a guy. Hugely impulsive, and-"

"Look who's talking."

Astrid glared at Snotlout, who just shrugged.

"He isn't wrong."

Astrid huffed.

"Yes, Tuff, I know that. It doesn't change the fact that Hiccup's impulsive too, does it?"

No one answered. Astrid looked back at Alvin, who was staring ahead. She continued.

"He just decides to leave Berk. Thats fine, I guess, but only if you return back. It's been two days, and now, we are searching for him. He has never been off Berk for more than a day if he was not captured. And seeing that there are no viable threats around us at this moment, that's not what should happen. It's a bit strange, that's all. But in the end, we don't know where he is."

"Hmm..."

They exited the tunnel and took another right. Walking a bit, they arrived to the cell door.

"Well, ye better brace yerselves. He is Dagur. As always, he is a handful."

Astrid unsheathed her axe and took it in her hand. Snotlout rolled his shoulders, looking as if he was going to a barehanded fight. Ruffnut rolled her eyes.

Astrid looked at Tuff looking uncharacteristically solemn and Fish looking nervous. Alvin looked at her. She bit her lip, and nodded.

Alvin rapped the prison door.


"It's an idea I have been thinking upon, dad. I think I have a wandering spirit. I don't know who I got it from. It must be from mom, as you won't move from Berk even if someone gave you a hundred thousand gold pieces."

Gobber snickered as Stoick smiled proudly.

"That I won't."

"Exactly. But I do. I - I mean, I wanna explore. This archipelago isn't the end extent of the world. I wanna see more and see. It will help Berk too, and you know, It might help to have knowledge of what is outside of the borders o-"

"Get to the point, Hiccup."

Stoick seemed to be cottoning on what his son might be wanting to say. He hoped he was wrong.

Hiccup looked between the somewhat shocked and expectant looks between his father and Gobber. He sighed, and steeled himself.

"I want to leave Berk, and explore the world."


DUNNN DUN DUN!

SOME MIGHT HAVE FIGURED IT OUT FROM THE LAST CHAPTER. SUBTLE HINTS WERE SPREAD OUT ALL OVER IN IT.

ANYWAY, HERE WE ARE. HICCUP PLANNING ON LEAVING BERK WHILE THE OTHERS ARE SEARCHING FOR HIM ON OUTCAST ISLAND, OF ALL PLACES.

ANYWAY, THAT'S FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER.

MIGHT BE INCLUDING SOME CUSS WORDS AND GORE IN UPCOMING CHAPTERS. JUST A LITTLE FOREWARNING.

ANYWAY, ANOTHER CHAPTER COMPLETED. I NEED REVIEWS. I FEEL LIKE I'M SAYING IT A LOT, BUT NOT MANY OF YOU ARE ACTUALLY REVIEWING. TAKES A FEW SECONDS, AND MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. ALSO, CRITICISM OF THE CONSTRUCTIVE NATURE ARE MORE THAN WELCOME.

UNTIL LATER.

ABHASCLASH.