At the Dragon Hunter base, the Flyers were training and getting prepared for the big attack. Like having flight formations for attack, and more.
"The attack training is processing." Johann reported. "For the success of this operation High-level attack training are crucial, Krogan."
"If we achieve surprise, the Riders will offer little resistance." Krogan said.
3 Weeks Later
It was towards evening, Heather was out meeting up with Hiccup and Astrid.
"Heather!" Danny said.
Heather turned to him. "Danny."
"Hey." Danny greeted.
"It's been a while." Heather said.
"I've been logging a lot of flight hours." Danny explained.
"Look.../Do you..." They both said in unison.
"Do you want to?" Danny asked.
"Sure, yeah." Heather said.
Later they were having dinner as they actually joined with Hiccup and Astrid.
"Yeah, I remember that 1 time when I was, like, 7 years old I was always building these gadgets things." Danny said. "1 day, he told me he want me to build him some wings so he could fly like his daddy. Now I told him you can't fly without something, right? But he wouldn't listen. And he told me: "Danny, never mind that, just build 'em anyway". So I did. And I'm up there strapping these big ol' wings on his back that we made from paper and glue and these massive silk bloomers that we stole. He looked so stupid, you know, and I told him "You can't jump off the barn in these". And "bam!" He busted his leg on a wagon."
"That almost reminded that time I saw Hiccup with a broken leg when we were 12." Astrid said.
Hiccup was then offended. "You mean before or after I heard you busted your arm when 9?"
Astrid then punched his arm.
"He sure is a good friend." Heather said.
"Yeah." Danny said.
Meanwhile, Billy, Barbara, Red and Betty were heading for a double-date.
"Say, Betty..." Red said.
Betty turns to him.
Red stared for a moment, and then kneels down.
"W-wou..." Red stuttered.
Betty frowned and then kneels down.
"No, Betty! Get up!" Red said.
"What's going on, Red?" Betty asked.
"You gotta stand up, please." Red said.
"What do you mean, "get up"?" Betty asked.
"Just stand up." Red said.
Betty then stood up again.
"Stand..." Red said.
"Oh!" Betty exclaimed now realizing what he was doing. "Ha!" She beamed.
"Betty..." Red said.
"Red, come on!" Billy called out nearby. "We got a dinner reservation."
Red has a flat look and turns to them.
"Can I get a minute?" Red asked.
He then tries to build up the confident.
"What's the matter, you sick?" Barbara asked.
Red then turns to them.
"Can a guy propose?!" Red yelled.
Billy's eyes then widen.
"Oh! Thank you!" Barbara beamed and hugged Billy.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Astrid, Heather and Danny were still chatting.
"Am I talking too much?" Danny asked as Heather laughed a bit. "Sometimes I do that, I'm sorry."
Then Red, Betty, Billy and Barbara walked by outside.
"Uh. Hold up!" Barbara said noticing them. "Look at this."
They then turn to them as they waved.
"Hello!" Betty greeted.
The 4 waved back.
"OK, let's get out of here." Barbara said and drags Billy away.
"OK." Billy said.
"I guess I should go." Heather said. "I had a good time."
"Yeah, me, too." Danny said.
Heather then got up as Hiccup and Astrid soon left.
"Do you want me to walk you back?" Danny asked.
"No, I'll be fine." Heather assured.
"No... of course." Danny said.
"Good night Danny." Heather said and walks off.
"Good night." Danny said.
Heather was soon gone, and then Danny then noticed her horn accidentally left behind as he grabs it.
Later, Danny went over where the Riders were staying.
"I was wondering if maybe I could some time?" Danny softly muttered to himself. "What am I doing? OK."
He then knocked on the door and waited.
The door soon opened as it was Heather.
"Oh! You were asleep." Danny said. "I'm sorry."
"Danny?" Heather said.
Then Astrid appeared after hearing them.
"Is something wrong?" Astrid asked.
"No, no! Nothing's wrong." Danny reassured. "Nothing's wrong. Hi!"
"It's just Danny." Heather said.
Astrid then left.
"I... just... you... you forgot this." Danny said holding Heather's horn out.
"Oh... thanks." Heather said taking it.
"OK, all right." Danny said. "Goodbye."
"Good night." Heather said and closed the door.
"You are such an idiot!" Danny muttered to himself walking off.
The next day, Heather met up with Astrid and Stormfly.
"Did you have fun last night?" Astrid asked.
"It wasn't how it looked." Heather said.
"And if it was, it'd be all right." Astrid assured. "Come on, he seems like a nice guy."
"True." Heather said. "But..."
"What?" Astrid asked noticing she looked uneasy.
"Well... I... never mentioned this before to you guys, or Dagur." Heather said. "But, before I met you guys, I did had a friend on my old home that I used to see."
"Really?" Astrid said.
"Yeah, he was the only friend I had there." Heather said. "We'd pretty much spend an entire day together. That is, until..."
"Dagur came?" Astrid guessed.
Heather nodded. "When he attacked, we both tried to make it off, but..."
"He didn't make it." Astrid finished.
Heather shook her head. "He sacrificed himself protecting me when some chased us, he lead them away, I thought I could reach Windshear and try to save him. But... I was already too late."
"I'm really sorry, Heather." Astrid said. "I know how much he meant to you."
"Yeah, my parents teased me a bit how we could've been a nice couple." Heather said.
"Yeah, but Heather." Astrid said. "He would've wanted you to move on, and to be happy."
Heather nodded and then hugged her.
Heather closed a journal and placed it in her satchel.
"Bye, Axel." Heather whispered.
Many miles away, the Dragon Hunter fleet sails across the ocean towards the island.
Ready to attack.
"Clear!" Danny called out.
A test model fitting a Skrill's wingspan then fires as they covered their ears as shots hit a target and soon ceased.
"Aw, we're all over the page." Danny said. "We got 1 wall-eyed and 1 pigeon-toed. Anthony, tap in number 6."
"All right." Anthony said.
"Gooz." Danny said.
"Yeah?" Gooz said.
"Tap in number 3." Danny said.
"All right." Gooz said.
"Hey. We got a visitor." Anthony announced.
Nearby, Heather was making her way to the hanger.
"Oh... That ain't no Navy issue uniform, eh?" Gooz said.
Hiccup and Toothless who were with them saw her.
"Danny, it's Heather." Billy said as Danny turns and saw her.
"Jeez!" Danny exclaimed looking away.
"You all right?" Billy asked.
"Yeah. Yeah." Danny said and looked over to Heather. "No. I think I'm fallin' for her."
"Wow." Billy said. "You know, I saw this coming." He then chuckled.
Danny looked back over to Heather. "I didn't want this to happen. It just kind of did. Can't help it."
"Well, Danny, she's gotta be with somebody." Billy said. "It might as well be you."
"You telling me if you were dead and you saw your best buddy doin' your girl, you wouldn't come back and beat the living heck outta him?" Anthony said.
Danny turns to him.
"Tony, back off." Red said.
"I'd be back so fast." Anthony said.
"Danny's been a better friend taking care of her himself." Red said.
"I got a girlfriend." Gooz suddenly said.
They then turn to him, and even Toothless stared at him.
"That's great." Billy said. "Come on, fellas. Let's split."
"Danny, whatever happens now is just about you and her." Red said.
"Why not take her for a flight?" Hiccup suggested. "I'm sure she'll like it."
"Be careful, all right?" Gooz said. "Ladies... cloud the mind."
"Thanks, Gooz." Danny said.
"You're welcome." Gooz said.
They soon left as Heather arrived.
"Hey, Danny." Heather greeted. "Where's everybody going?"
"Just bein' discreet." Danny said.
"Does it seem like everybody's acting a little strange?" Heather asked feeling a little odd about them.
"No. Nah." Danny said.
"Right." Heather said.
"Well, maybe-maybe a little." Danny admitted. "Yeah."
"Well, in this outfit have way too much on their hands." Heather said.
"Oh, yeah." Danny said.
"I just hope they don't think there's been something goin' on between us, that's all." Heather said.
"Oh, no. I mean, no." Danny said. "That would be embarrassing, right?"
A clang was heard as they turned and saw Gooz grabbing a few things.
"Forgot my wrenches." Gooz said.
"That would definitely be embarrassing." Heather said.
"Yeah." Danny said.
"Ha. Forgot my wrenches." Gooz said.
Toothless then appeared and then started escorting him away.
"Hey." Heather greeted. "He doesn't have to leave."
"No." Danny said.
"I, uh, I'm just goin' out with the girls, so... I guess I'll see you later." Heather said.
"Yeah." Danny said.
"All right." Heather and heads off.
"Yeah, all right." Danny said. "I'll see you around. Shoot." He muttered. "Heather."
Heather turned back to him.
"Have you ever seen Dragon Harbor at sunset?" Danny asked.
"Of course." Heather said.
"Well... from the air?" Danny asked.
Towards sunset, Danny manages to sneak a Skrill out as they begin to takeoff.
"You know, I could get kicked out of the military for this." Danny warned.
"Really?" Heather said turning to him.
"Yeah. Stay down." Danny said.
The Skrill soon got to the air and flies off.
Soon, they were high in the clouds.
"The locals called this harbor Wai Draco." Danny said. "It means "water of dragons"."
"Its so beautiful." Heather said. "I've seen lots of sunsets with Windshear. Just don't do what she did sometimes. That flip-over move."
"A barrel roll?" Danny said.
"Yeah." Heather said.
"I won't." Danny said.
Then Danny had the Skrill flip over.
"Aah!" Heather lightly screamed a bit holding on.
"Oh!" Danny said.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Heather laughed.
"What do you think?" Danny asked.
"I like that." Heather said.
The Skrill continues flying through the air.
Later towards night, they finally returned as the Skrill headed to a hanger.
"Hey! That dragon was supposed to be back an hour!" A man yelled.
"Quick, hide in the hanger." Danny whispered.
Heather quickly rushed to the hanger and hid, and Danny soon followed.
They soon left through a back door, and then Heather kissed him on the cheek and left.
The next morning, Heather was out walking.
"Danny, last night... No, that's terrible." She said to herself. "Danny, we need to talk about this."
Then Danny appeared.
"Sir." Danny saluted to another officer and got to Heather. "Heather!"
"Danny." Heather said.
"Hey. Hi." Danny greeted.
"Hi." Heather said.
They remained momentarily silent.
"I didn't sleep a wink last night." Danny said. "I had to see you. Last night was crazy, I know, but I'm not sorry. Are you?"
"I don't know." Heather said. "Danny, I had a wonderful time last night. I- It's just all too fast."
"Listen, Heather, I was just down at the beach this morning and I watched the sun rise and I knew that everything was gonna be different. That this was the start of something new. In this place, in this moment. And I don't care what anybody else says, you know? How can I not feel this way? I kinda like you."
Heather then smiled.
"Oh, you do?" Heather smiled.
"Everything's gonna be all right, OK?" Danny said.
A few days later, Hiccup and Astrid were spending some on the beach.
"Do you ever wonder if the Flyers are gonna catch up with us?" Astrid asked.
"Nota whole lot." Hiccup said. "Though it's strange how we haven't heard anything from them recently."
Meanwhile, the fleet of Dragon Hunter ships is beginning to close in.
Another 2 days later, at night, the fleet was in an area of ocean just 50 miles north of the island.
"We'll be ready to attack by morning." Johann said.
At the island, the Riders were hanging with the group as Rafe has recently returned.
"Raaaaafe!" Red yelled.
"Oh, doggone it." Billy said. "There you go."
"Real live ace!" Red said.
"Whoo!" They all cheered.
"An ace is only 5." Rafe said. "I shot down 6 M.E.s. And I got 2 smokers, too. They don't count them. Of course, I got shot down myself before they could pin me."
"So you got back from behind enemy lines, huh?" Gooz said. "What's that combat like?"
"Were you scared?" Anthony asked.
"HEY!" Red yelled. "1 at a time."
"Okay." Snotlout said.
"Well, them Luffwaffe boys can fly pretty good." Rafe said. "It's not like, you know, training. They're, uh..."
He then saw Danny appeared.
"Danny." Anthony said.
"You know, they're all about tactics is what it is." Rafe continued. "See, the Flyers, right, they're faster than you are so they'll disappear and they get up in the soup. And they'll throw like a roll or a hammerhead and they'll come around on your high side shoot you from behind, that sort of thing."
"Think we sure keep that in mind." Tuffnut whispered to Ruffnut as she nodded in agreement.
"Hey..." Red snorted turning to Gooz. "Gooz, you're lookin' at a real live ace."
"Well, let me give you the shirt off my back!" Gooz said removing his overshirt.
"Whoo!" They all cheered.
"Aloha!" Gooz cheered. "There you go!"
"I'll take it from you!" Rafe said taking it. "I can see how y'all been spending your time out here. I'll make a toast. To returning from the fight. Wasn't all I expected, but, well, that's life. To my best friend and loyal buddy Danny... for keepin' up the war effort back here at home."
They then had their drinks as they enjoyed the night.
Unaware of the threat brewing tomorrow.
Author's Note:
Next comes the big attack.