Edited.
They flew in circles, to hold themselves up and communicate better, the dragons seemed to understand how their verbal shouting was ineffective.
"Fishlegs, break it down", Hiccup herself barely looked at that beast again, only seeing its head was enough to cause nightmares, and getting these dragons and Vikings to work together took enough of her personal attention.
"Okay" the boy's ability to list dragon characteristics and intents in a fight were nearly a common knowledge. "Heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing! Steer clear of both! Small eyes, large nostrils, relies on hearing and smell".
Right, so the head would be the hardest part to break it down and attacking from behind had the risk of a hammer for a tail, they could take advantage of the lack of vision, confound it with noise.
"Ok, Lout, Legs! Hang in its blind spot, make noise, keep it confused", the boys nodded, and she turned to the Zippleback then "Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit! Make it mad!", the Gronckle had a limit of only six shots before it needed resting, it was the lowest known limit and Hiccup couldn't even tell what Toothless' limit was, but they all had to get tired at some point.
"That's my specialty!" a wicked sly grin grew in Ruffnut's mouth at hearing her order.
"Since when?! Everybody knows I'm more irritating! See!", pulling his dragon's horns, the head and the boy turned upside down in unison, shouting loudly to prove his point. At any other moment, Hiccup might have even laughed and admired the twins' ability to make any situation worth bickering over, except, you know, this was more of a life-or-death thing that had her just re-enforcing:
"Just do what I told you! I'll be back as soon as I can!" there was one life he had to make sure was still intact to save, one life she couldn't ever forgive herself for not saving.
Their leader motioned to the Nadder where to go, the ships were in growing fire and Toothless had to be there. Before approaching the ships, Hiccup and Artichoke looked back at their friends, doing – or trying – to get what they were told. The Zippleback was fast and recklessly brave, nearly turning into crisps at every minute. Fishlegs was up trying to find its ears, hammer beating on axe like they were taught in class to distract the dragons. Snotlout was probably on the other ear, doing the same.
A growl came from the fire and Hiccup pointed to it frantically, the Nadder understood and dove closer. There, Toothless was there. Locked up, caged up with countless chains and ropes, the sight made her heart sink. From behind, Artichoke rubbed her shoulder, lifting his chin so they'd change places, he'd be closer to the Nadder's neck, above their last-minute-improvised saddle.
She jumped to the crumbling ships, only stopping to shout "go help the others!" and Artichoke might have protested, but the Nadder didn't, turning towards the island.
"Hold on okay", Hiccup didn't dare to look at her best friend's eyes, her first thought to pull the muzzle break out. Strength, all muscles she didn't had, fueled by adrenaline and her body weight took the thing off. Right, right, one down. But there were too many. Too many tools and chains and shit to hold Toothless together. Desperate, she took a spear, trying to get something, somewhere loosen up.
Suddenly, the Dragon Queen Bee stomped too close to the bay, a mast induced to embers fell centimeters near Hiccup, nearly, maybe actually burning her, though she didn't had time to notice as their whole ship shifted, and water replaced air, Toothless sinking down much faster due all the extra weight.
Unwavering, Hiccup dove down, swimming as fast as possible, too persistent to be intimidated by either the cold or the darkness until they were both up and safe. Toothless was chained up in steel, no short dagger could set her free now, this fact didn't stopped Hiccup from pulling the chains, pulling as hard as she could, desperate, ignoring how tired her lungs were growing, ignoring how heavy her body felt, ignoring everything until her limbs, until her whole body gave in, powerless.
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Hiccup! Toothless cried out for her human again, mouth open, uncaring for the salt sea water filling her in.
After the Night Fury gave in the struggling in her jailbird position, to gather energy and to plan a better way out, she'd thought to wait for the land, this was an archipelago they had to port this fleet at some point, however, as soon as night fell, she felt it again. A shivering wave across her scales, a buzzing sound taking over her body and mind, she knew where she was going and she didn't want to go there at all, she hated that place, hated that the queen called them that time she had Hiccup and her mate on her back. Toothless' mind became foggy whenever the orders kicked in and although she could feel her heart palpitating in dread, she was never able to stop herself, except when inside the cove. As frustrating as those stone walls had been, as dull as those days without flying, without Hiccup had been, she was thankful for that part. Regardless of how much the buzz grew, she'd never go there, no way out from that place… Until she nailed her claws onto stone and climbed her way up to the surface and left a track of broken trees and uncared bushes going for Hiccup, sniffing her human's scent and yell towards the source of danger.
For a while, she was also thankful to be so stuck there. Those stupid, violent, dangerous humans were already big enough of a problem for her, but then she recognized their whereabouts. They were using her, the animal's skin wearing apes. Why would they want to come there? Why would anyone want to come there?
They left her in the ship, still trapped like a bird, powerless in her cage, but she tried to watch their doings, the odd camp with never seen-before tools and devices, foreign to her as Hiccup had never took any of these to their cove. They set up these strange, tall weapons, shooting rocks at that deadly volcano, scratching its base enough to open up a hole. Not a way in, as these morons probably had in mind, but a way out for all her brothers and sisters before hell broke loose. In the empty ship, Toothless flinched, struggling to leave again, all her strength concentrated in her claws, attempting to set her free.
Powerless, she was stuck in that ship when the Red Queen rose up, gigantic, the biggest dragon Toothless had ever seen in her life. No, not a dragon, she wouldn't align her species with that devious monster. At some point, its fire blast, heated enough to light up that damn volcano, aimed at the fleet. Of course, dragons' scales were fire-proof, inflammable even, in some breeds like the Monstruous Nightmare, those center-of-attention airheads. However, if the ship burnt, its remains would sink in, and she'd drown as well.
Before she could make up what was happening, growling for help, flames and smoke blocking her sight, Hiccup had landed on the boat. Landed. A Nadder had brought her in and she'd thank her later. Right then, Toothless wanted nothing but run up to her human, lick her face in affection and shoot for the skies as fast as she could, but, apparently, her tiny human had no idea how to get her free either.
Humans weren't fire-proof, she also knew that and the fear of losing her friend was equivalent to the panic that induced her to breaking stone by stone till her way out. You'll burn out in here, Hiccup! Leave! But she didn't; she used all strength to pull out that damned muzzle break and as she was trying to set the chains free, a mast turning into embers hit the ship too close, breaking it, and too soon, Toothless was falling into the water, falling into death itself. Her human seemed to float just below the surface, dove in to reach out, swimming furiously, she pulled and pulled chains barehandedly and Toothless saw her worst nightmare in that darkness: saw conscience leave her friend's eyes, saw her limbs stop moving and her mouth opening, water filling her in. Unexpectedly, something, or someone pulled that human body up. Up, up, up and out of water, out of reach.
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Hiccup coughed almost instantaneously, her back arching the minute Stoick threw her body on the nearest stone. Recovering conscience, not much water expelled from her throat. Good, it meant she wasn't so close from drowning as he feared.
"Dad?", soft confusion lit her greener eyes when she attempted to sit up. Yep, she was alive and well. Stoick didn't stand there for any longer second after seeing that, diving in, with a long, strong breath to fill in his lungs as he swam towards the black dragon. Still conscious, still trapped in the unescapable prison the Berkians built last minute.
He looked at it, at this devil who made every raid worse, at this monster whose species he sworn to hunt and kill. It looked back, wide eyed and conscious. Not just awake, conscious of it all, of him. Its struggles to break free returned quickly, and with a smooth pull, the lock that held the whole thing together was opened by Stoick's hand. As soon as the dragon noticed this, it showed the teeth, short and pointy, to dilacerate victims. Except, instead of biting the life off its jailor and hunter, the Night Fury jumped up, bringing Stoick with it, emerging from the water with its wings broken free.
Stoick's body was left on the shore carelessly and the dragon flew low, landing on a stone to face the real monster. To calculate the situation, completely aware. Just a few seconds staring into the chaos, it looked back over its shoulder, snarling and motioning to be joined. It wasn't meant for Stoick though, the dragon barely recognized his presence. No, the Night Fury was communicating with his daughter.
"You got it, girl", she said, standing, soaked, ready for battle, running towards her… Her friend, settling the saddle with an odd flying gear made of a leather she wore on her torso. Stoick knew she would fly up, gather together with those others reckless, fearless teens who were riding dragons up there, so he just held her forearm.
"Hiccup-" it seemed to wake her up entirely, frozen in the work it took for the team to fly. Stoick took in a long breath, still speechless, still dumbfounded with it all, he had so much and yet nothing to say all he could manage then was "I'm sorry…", you're not a Viking, you're not my daughter, he swallowed, knowing it wasn't just for their last fight, it was for years of doubting and scolding and never seeing her like she was being today… A fearless Viking heading to battle, a war plan in mind, deadly loyalty flowing in her veins and an unsettling wish to fight for what was worth. "For everything…" he added.
"Yeah, me too…" she was so much still like a child though, despite it all… 15 was indeed too young, he didn't care he had been on battle by that age then, this was his one and only baby girl, she had proven enough. She should hide with the rest of their tribe and not risk breaking his heart like his wife's death had, so many years ago…
"You don't have to go up there", apologies were bullshit, meaningless words if you didn't prove you meant it and Stoick knew, he really knew he had too much to apologize for. Not only for his words but… For once in your life will you please listen to me. He would. He promised himself and to Odin that he would, but the child he'd save so many times from getting into careless trouble, ignoring orders, and creating messes just shrugged, from all reactions.
"We're Vikings" she said, "it's an occupational hazard", she quoted him. What he told his men whenever they showed any fear before heading to foreign lands and unknown danger.
He'd always seen her thin figure as a scrawny bony version of Valka, her hair a mix between the blood tones of his own locks and Valka's own brown hair… And she was, but, for the first time, Stoick really saw himself in this kid.
"I'm proud to call you my daughter", he said at last, hoping it would somehow ease the horrible things he said before he left their home island.
Hiccup nodded, thanked, and focused on the Night Fury below her. They shot up, fierce and frail, both somehow. Going up, up, up, up.
"She's up", Artichoke shouted from the seat at the blue Nadder. And off were the teens, the children.