"Ya find anythin' Stoick?" Gobber asked, but he only got a glare in reply.

"If I did, I would have a Nightfury's head over my shoulder!" He just snapped, and quickly made his way up the docks.

Astrid could just barely make out the brief exchange between Stoick and Gobber. She looked down at Stormfly, who just grunted in reply. Astrid sighed, giving her dragon an apologetic look before gently squeezing heels against Stormfly's side. The two had been chasing the ships for the past half a day or so. Stormfly and Astrid never even had to intervene, and as the ships had soon turned around after only a couple hours of sailing. Now they had just met up back at Berk. The docks were under berk's large rocky overhang, and there were some large sea stacks jutting up from the sea the docks snaked its way around and up the smoothed cliffside path that led up to Berk's center square. Astrid had guided Stormfly to the sea stacks, and the nadder had managed to find a crevice in the rocks just large enough for her to dig her claws into and perch sideways against the steep rock face.

Astrid watched Stoick storm off, and disappeared from her view. Gobber started down the docks meanwhile, shouting things Astrid couldn't quite make out. The Berkians steadily made their way out of the boats, carrying supplies out with them. Some Vikings were also coming back down the docks to help carry the remaining things out of the ships.

It was only a short while before all the vikings were finally all retreating up the docks, most likely to get more than a couple drinks of meade in the great hall. Berkians liked to get drunk after long nights, helping them forget what happened. Astrid was a bit disgusted at the idea, but she knew better than to speak up about something as miniscule as that.

She had a bigger problem. She needed to find Hiccup. As she thought of him, her fist clenched tightly. She really desired to punch him, straight in the stomach. With the butt of her axe. He lied to her about when he would leave, and she did NOT like being lied to. Especially straight to her face. But she knew the reality was that she could do nothing of it. Hiccup had left and he wasn't coming back.

With a heavy sigh, She gave Stormfly's next a pat, telling her he was ready to head back. Stormfly jumped off the ledge and beat her wings immediately, lifting off into the sky. She leveled out her wings, soaring around the large rocky mountain of the Great hall. The wind carried them across the Island, over the bridge and past the bridge toward the forest of Ravenpoint. Stormfly tilted her veering around before pulling her wings in and twisting into a steep dive.

Astrid shouted with joy and leaned against the saddle. She loved flying with Stormfly, and has gotten more readily used to the sometimes terrifying acrobatics he dragon liked to preform. But she kept a strong grip on the saddle and squeezed her thighs tight but not to hard against Stormfly's flank to keep herself in the saddle.

It was only a few short seconds of diving before Stormfly lifted up, flaring her wings and descending down into a clearing between the trees. In was a small clearing just big enough for Stormfly to comfortably take off and land from. It was also the spot where she and Astrid would meet up. Astrid didn't know where Stormfly slept at night, but she knew it must be close to the clearing since Stormfly was always on time, if not showing up before Astrid did. And Stormfly never showed signs of fatigue or that she had traveled more then a couple minutes to get to their meeting spot. Astrid knew it was probably better that she didn't know, So that if anyone ever found out, she couldn't lead them to where Stormfly nested.

As Stormfly landed, Astrid untied her wire belt from the saddle and dismounted. She almost fell face first, only to be caught by Stormfly's snout. She was a bit stiff from riding for so long, but after briefly stretching she regained her step.

Astrid walked in front of Stormfly and patted her friend's nose. "Thanks girl," She said, and smiled when Stormfly puffed a blow of hot air in her face. She coughed, as the exhale smelled of smoke, but that didn't faze her. She had grown used to Stormfly's smoky breath, and almost welcomed it.

"Bye Stormfly," She said, stepping away with a wave.

Stormfly flapped her wings in farewell. Astrid turned and made her way out of the clearing and into the trees. She could hear the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs behind her as Stormfly rushed off as well, but Astrid did not look back. She would let Stormfly's abode stay a secret until Stormfly was ready to show her.

But as Astrid walked, she hissed as she remembered about the saddle. She forgot to take off Stormfly's saddle. She had done that a couple times prior, but Stormfly hadn't seemed to mad to keep it on, so Astrid supposed she wouldn't mind another night wearing it.

It was still mid-morning, So Astrid was able to feel the warm rays of sunlight against her arms and face. She smiled slightly, and pushed her bangs back. She planned on doing something with them, since they were always in her face and it annoyed her. But now, the bangs weren't worrying her to much. And the warm sun and her smile were a stark contrast to how she felt inside. A storm of worry was amassing in her gut. Stoick was a complete and utter wreak. And at the worst possible time too. Winter was coming and Berk was already struggling to make ends meet. The number of raids had risen, and the dragons were stealing more and more food for…

"The Queen!" Astrid suddenly exclaimed.

The queen was the source of all their troubles. She knew that most dragons were not normally aggressive, if Toothless and Stormfly were any example of this. And she knew that the dragons were being forced to do this. And by working with Stormfly, she knew dragons, at least nadders, are normally docile unless provoked. Heck, Stormfly even likes to avoid conflict if she can. A main reason why dragons can fly, she assumed, was so they could escape danger. But the queen had a tactic to combat this. She could control and brainwash the dragons into stealing food for her, all at the threat of eating them if they did not comply. These dragons weren't aggresive by nature, but forced into a position of stealing fueled only by fear for their lives. This was just like a hive, kill the queen, and the bees scatter. Kill the dragon nest-queen, and the dragons workers would scatter.

It was a perfect plan! Now she just needed to go tell Stoick. After maybe explaining it, she could could convince him to let her and Stormfly lead the berkians to Helheim's Gate, and together they could draw out and kill the queen. But there was the problem of convicing him that Stormfly wasn't the enemy. Stoick saw all dragons as enemies, when in reality that was all the queen's doing. Maybe she should just lead off with explaining how she thought of this, and make it seem like just an idea, and not that she had actually been to the nest.

She nodded. That would do.

As she went over in her head what to say, she quickly found the time passing and she was soon back at Berk. She made a beeline from the square to up the steps that led to the Great hall.

But instead of continuing up the steps, she walked straight across the path to Chief's house. She dashed up the front steps and began to quickly wrap her fist against the door.

"Cheif!" She shouted. "Chief quick! I have urgent news!"

Within a moment the door swung open, and Stoick was there, staring at her. "Astrid?" He asked.

"No time!" She said, pushing her way past him and into his house. "I have a theory."

"A… theory?" Stoick's eyes narrowed. "My has just been killed and you want to discuss some theories? This better be good," He growled.

"Trust me, you wanna hear it," Astrid continued. "It may be the answer to our dragon problem!"

Stoick paused, and raised one eyebrow. "Pray tell," He said wearily.

"So, you know how we have never been able to find the nest?" Astrid started, and Stoick briefly nodded. "Well, maybe it is because it is only a places dragons can find."

"What do you mean?" Stoick said, his attention now fully directed towards Astrid.

"Like how bees are driven to their hive, maybe dragons are driven to their nest," Astrid explained. "There could be a queen, that is able to mind control all dragons to raid berk for her and bring her food!"

"That…" Stoick paused, and suddenly his face turned to anger and he grabbed Astrid's arm, tightly. She winced as he gripped hard. "How would you know all this?" Stoick hissed. "Have you been to the nest?"

"Uh…" Astrid gulped. This isn't going well, her mind whimpered, and she mustered up an answer. "I cannot answer that. But I do know there is a queen, who controls all the dragons into hunting for her. The dragons that raid Berk, they are not doing it of free will. They are being forced too!"

"So you are siding with the dragons then," Stoick said darkly.

"Please Chief," Astrid begged. "I know the way to the nest. And I know off the queen. You just have to trust me. Please. Have I ever betrayed Berk before?"

"No, but I cannot trust you," He growled, but released his grip on her arm.

Astrid shriveled back from him, rubbing her now aching arm. "That is fine. I get that you do not trust me now. But I can help you avenge hiccup's death."

"Do NOT speak his-"

"I can help us stop the queen!" She cried. "If we do not act now Stoick, we will not survive the coming winter. We must kill the queen, and stop these raids. Because if we don't…"

Stoick paused, but gave a heavy sigh, and his gaze softened. "Alright. So what is your plan?"