Chapter 34: Striking Back

Hiccup swept his gaze across the group of dragon riders gathered before him. "Is everyone ready?" he said, rubbing his sweaty palms against his pants. He really wished they did not have to do this. He never wanted to go to war.

"Snotlout and Ingrid are still missing!" Spitelout shouted.

Hiccup held in a sigh. "I told you, we'll look for them after the attack. We can do this without them. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

"How about a few inspirational words, chief?" Eret said with a grin.

Hiccup swallowed hard. "Uh... We're finally striking back against those who would harm us and our dragons. We can do this!" The Vikings exchanged glances, and Hiccup's heartrate increased. "Right?"

Astrid moved to stand beside him and said, "Grimmel has made it clear he wants us to give up our dragons, but we are not going to let that happen. We need to take the fight to him while we have the advantage. Now's the time. One decisive strike!" This time, the Vikings cheered.

Hiccup cast Astrid a grateful look. "Alright, let's go!" The riders mounted their dragons and were off.

Eret led the way to Grimmel's camp, which was on an island up north just inside the archipelago. Soldiers were stationed all around, but their numbers were not something Berk had not dealt with before. Hiccup also noticed several dragons near a tall figure he assumed was Grimmel, though they were too far away for him to determine a species.

"Remember the plan," he said. "Let me talk first. And if it comes to a fight, make sure to free those dragons." Toothless swooped down toward Grimmel, followed by Stormfly, Meatlug, and Barf & Belch. Thankfully, no one moved to strike them... yet.

"Hiccup," Grimmel said much too casually, "have you come to surrender your dragon?"

Toothless snarled at him, and Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "No. I've come to give you a chance to surrender."

Grimmel lifted his eyebrows. "Oh? And why would I do that if I'm winning?"

"You'll never win as long as we work together with our dragons!" Astrid insisted.

"Ah, yes, your dragons. They do present a problem. Fortunately, I have a solution for that." Grimmel made a hand motion, and the dragons from earlier stepped forward. They were nothing like any dragon Hiccup had ever seen. They were red with black stripes and had protruding tusks, foreclaw pincers, and poisonous clubbed tails.

"What kind of dragons are those?!" Fishlegs said.

Grimmel smiled. "Do you like my Deathgrippers? You see, Drago did get one thing right. To fight dragons, one needs to use dragons. However, I do not need to control them as if they were mere beasts. I understand their intelligence. My dragons work with me willingly because we have a common enemy." He pointed his staff at Toothless. "Deathgrippers love to hunt dragons, and their favorite prey is Night Fury."

Toothless flew out of the way as the Deathgrippers leapt at him. "Whoa!" Hiccup exclaimed. He looked up at the clouds. "Now!"

Dragon riders darted down and began their attack. Toothless shot at the Deathgrippers that pursued him, but they somehow evaded the blasts. His attempts to use his alpha powers also fell short - they merely appeared stunned for a few seconds before resuming their attack. From experience, Hiccup knew Toothless' abilities were not as strong as an alpha species' like the Bewilderbeast's, and strong-willed dragons were able to resist. These Deathgrippers meant business.

On the ground, soldiers sprung traps at the dragons and launched boulders into the air. The riders quickly overwhelmed them and forced them to huddle together. Suddenly, more Deathgrippers appeared, surrounding the other dragons. Hiccup wished he knew more about them, for he found himself unable to anticipate their moves. They seemed to have a counter for everything Toothless and the others dished out.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called. "We need a new plan!"

Hiccup clenched his teeth in frustration. "This may be our only chance. We can figure it out!"

But all they seemed to be doing were getting worn out while their opponents looked like they were having fun. Finally, one of them stuck his fangs into Meatlug, who groaned before plummeting to the ground. "Meatlug, no!" Fishlegs cried. Thankfully, Cloudjumper caught them in his claws just in time.

"Hiccup," Valka said, "we need to retreat before someone else gets hurt."

Hiccup looked around anxiously. Toothless moved sharply to the right, barely missing the claws of a Deathgripper. He looked back at his trainer and whined. Finally, Hiccup nodded with resolve. "Everyone, back to Berk!" Toothless roared, getting the dragons' attention. The Deathgrippers paused momentarily, allowing the riders to escape. Hiccup cursed his misfortune all the way home.

Snotlout refused to accept his situation. He played nice with Drago for now to please Ingrid, but he knew he would be the one to save them in the end. He just needed the right opportunity. Once they returned to the two small huts, he sat on a stump, grabbed paper and a pen from his bag, and began to write.

"What are you doing?" Ingrid said curiously, peering over his shoulder.

"Writing a letter to Berk," Snotlout responded. "Toothless should be able to take charge of these Night Furies and make them let us leave." He smirked in triumph. It was the perfect plan that could not fail.

Ingrid crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not sure force is the way to get out of this situation."

Snotlout gave her a look. "We don't have time to make friends with them. You and Hiccup can do that all you want once I - we - resolve our problems."

"And how do you expect to get that letter to Berk?" Drago said from across the way.

"With a Terrible Terror, of course."

"I told you, the dragons here listen to the Night Furies."

"Bribing one little dragon to break the rules should be no problem." Snotlout curled his letter and stood up. "Let's go, Ingrid. We'll be off this island in no time."

"If you say so," Ingrid said with a shake of her head.

Annoyingly, Drago followed them through the forest. Snotlout tried to ignore him as he searched for his target. Finally, he spotted a purple Terrible Terror curled up in the grass. Smiling, he pulled out a handful of dragon nip he had picked early and approached him. "Hey there, little guy," he said. He held out the dragon nip in one hand and the letter in the other.

The Terrible Terror sniffed the dragon nip before taking a bite. Snotlout took this opportunity to tie the letter around his leg. Just before he finished, a plasma blast fired past him. Startled, he dropped the letter, and the Terrible Terror flew into the air without it.

"Snotlout!" Ingrid cried.

A large black, male Night Fury with blue eyes snarled at him. Snotlout stumbled backwards as the dragon advanced on him and tripped over a rock, landing on his back. Hookfang sprang in front of him and growled at the Night Fury. After a standoff, the wild dragon slipped back through the trees.

Snotlout let out a long breath of relief. "Thanks, Hooky. You saved me."

"You need to be more careful," Ingrid said.

"I told you there's no way off this island," Drago said, shaking his head. "This is your life now. You might as well get used to it."

"I'll never give up!" Snotlout exclaimed, leaping to his feet. He would find a way off this island for sure!

After training with the villagers for some time, the dragon riders split up into little groups. Dagur suggested to Eira they spend time with the orphans, who appeared eager to continue training with them. Eira agreed, but as they started for the orphanage, something interesting caught her eye. Krogan was wandering off with Reidun, and he appeared to be almost smiling. "Dagur, look at that," she said in a low voice.

Dagur followed her gaze and grinned. "Looks like Krogan is really committed to the cause!"

Eira did not doubt that, but she sensed something deeper was at play. "Do you think Oliver could be right about him liking her?"

Dagur shrugged. "Maybe, but that's for him to figure out and deal with, isn't it?"

Eira did not think it would be so easy for Krogan considering his history. However, she did have too much on her plate at the moment to worry about something that might not even be true. "I guess so." Perhaps she could give him advice if he came to otherwise. Otherwise, it might be best left alone.

Dagur looked around at the the children. "I'll race you guys back!" The kids cheered, and all of them took off running.

Eira smiled as she noticed Dagur purposefully running slower than normal. She had been worried about a problem arising between the two of them, but it seemed her fears were misguided. They would be fine, just like always.

"The whole experience was different than I imagined it would be," Reidun said as she walked with Krogan, recounting her interaction with Swiftwings. "I didn't know dragons could be so... gentle or... sweet."

Krogan understood the feeling. There were many discoveries that surprised him in his recent journey. To her credit, Reidun seemed to accept them readily instead of deny them like he had. "Dragons are unique... just like humans," he said. "It is unfair to blame the whole for the actions of a few. Fortunately, positive interactions to counter the negative ones often dispel such prejudices."

Reidun looked at him with a soft smile. "Is that what happened with you and your dragon?"

Krogan reflected on his early interactions with Ruby. Back then, he was not very thoughtful about his actions. He needed his dragon for his plan, and that was it. He refused to believe she meant anything to him, though recently he realized that was not the case. "I tamed Ruby out of necessity, but we grew on each other. It was inevitable with all of the time we spent together. I used to think such bonds were a weakness, but now I know they're required for survival. Everyone needs someone, especially if you think you don't."

"I wonder if Drago has come to that realization."

Krogan's expression instantly hardened. "I doubt it."

Reidun gazed at him with a mixture of emotions he could not decipher. "Perhaps he needs someone to teach him like Eira taught you."

Krogan looked away. He would look like a hypocrite if he said otherwise. Still, thinking about it unsettled him. "Maybe Eira could get through to him... if given enough time. No doubt she would try if she found the opportunity." Despite knowing this, the risks involved compelled him to want to prevent her from doing just that. "He has no power anymore, so what does it matter?" He glanced back at Reidun to see her looking thoughtfully at the sky.

"He's the reason my husband is dead, you know," she said softly.

Her words struck him like a slap in the chest. "But I thought a dragon..."

"A dragon committed the act, yes, but it was a dragon controlled by someone under his command. Ultimately, Drago is responsible. If not for his war, it would have never happened."

"Then why do you still work with those people?"

Reidun gave him a bitter smile. "To prevent more tragedies, of course. My husband's murder was a warning to us if we did not comply."

Krogan dipped his head. "I understand." He knew very well the consequences of angering Drago. In that light, the chief's decisions mad perfect sense. To one stuck in such a despairing situation, all other options were blurred.

"My husband wanted to resist the Northern Alliance. He believed there was another way to live without force or control. I did too, for awhile. We all did, before it happened..." Reidun's expression saddened. "I gave up believing in idealistic notions. To survive, we must play by the rules. But you and your friends... you're different." Something akin to wonder spread over her face.

This, too, Krogan understood. "We are different. You are quite perceptive and opened-minded to see it. Everyone who has opposed the dragon riders - myself included - underestimated them because they could not understand the importance of that difference. You have not, which tells me you are more of an idealist than you believe."

Reidun smiled. "Perhaps this is true. I certainly have not dealt with you in the typical way. Perhaps I am looking for a reason to believe again." She paused. "How do you do it? How do you keep faith when there is so much violence and destruction in the world?"

"I stop and look around at everything: the trees, the animals, the people..." Krogan swept his gaze across the village and to the forest. "I see everyday kindness that often goes unnoticed and know that there is still good in the world. There is still something worth fighting for... and so I do."

Reidun stood beside him looking at everything he saw. "Yes, there is good." She looped her arm around his and leaned into him. "A lot of good." Krogan smiled.

Hiccup paced along the length of the Great Hall, thinking hard while he waited for news. Toothless' eyes followed his movement back and forth. Then the door opened, and Astrid stepped inside. "How's Meatlug?" Hiccup said anxiously.

"She'll be fine," Astrid said. "The poison has worn off. It seems to have only paralyzed her."

Hiccup let out a breath of relief. "Good. We have to keep our guard up, though. We still don't know much about those Deathgrippers. Their poison could react differently in higher quantities. I wish I had known about them before rushing into battle." He grit his teeth in frustration.

Astrid gave him a sympathetic look. "What happened wasn't your fault. You did the best you could under the circumstances. How were you supposed to know Grimmel had dragons?"

"And they apparently follow him willingly? That doesn't make any sense." Hiccup continued pacing with his hands behind his back.

"He is a different type of enemy, that's for sure. I guess dragons can be manipulated just like humans."

While Hiccup love learning more ways dragons were like humans, he was not particularly happy about this one. "What if he finds a way to convince more dragons to join him? Using persuasion instead of force, he could be more dangerous than Drago!"

Astrid frowned. "He could set dragons against each other, letting them kill each other so he doesn't have to."

Hiccup came to a halt and balled his hands into fists. "He can't get away with this!" Whining, Toothless slinked to his side and pushed his head under his hand. Hiccup relaxed slightly as he stroked his head. "I'm sorry, bud. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I want to protect dragons and Berk, but lately it seems I'm putting both in danger."

Astrid shook her head. "That's Grimmel's fault. He would be causing trouble with or without you. At this way there's someone to oppose him. We'll figure out a way to beat him. We've always defeated every villain who's dared to threaten us."

"But that was before I was chief." The additional responsibilities made him feel like he was trying to be two people at once. He did not know how much longer this could go on.

"You're new at the job. You'll get better. Besides, you have me and everyone else to help you out. I - we won't let you down."

Hiccup smiled slightly. "Thanks, Astrid." The only thing to do was move forward.