Chapter 2

Realizing there's not much she can do on her own, Zephyr had gathered up Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, all of which had wrinkles and streaks of grey running through their hair, into the great hall.

Zephyr's mother wasn't there because, once Hiccup went missing and the Seekers began attacking, she went off to help construct offshore lookout towers so New Berk can spot enemies sooner. Gobber had, unfortunately, passed away from old age only 2 years prior.

Zephyr had a map laid out on a table with New Berk in the center and just about everything within 50 miles from New Berk on it as well.

She opens by asking, "Alright, you guys know my Dad better than anyone, so where could he be hiding?"

The others give each other a meaningful glance before Fishlegs asks, "Um, Zephyr, have you ever considered that maybe Hiccup doesn't want to be found?"

Zephyr gets a look of confusion. "W-what?"

Snotlout adds, "For once, I agree with Fishface. I mean, it's been months now and we haven't even gotten a single trace of Hiccup even being alive. Maybe we should just…give up on trying to find him."

Zephyr slams her fists onto the table. "Give up? GIVE UP? Did my dad give up on trying to convince the entire village that dragons aren't savage beasts? Did he ever give up on trying to win over my Mom? Did my dad ever give up on protecting dragons and giving them a place to call home?"

Tuffnut points out, "To be fair, he did release them all."

Zephyr grumbles to that. "That's different, and you know it. Dad's goal in life is to make sure dragons are safe and by releasing them to live on their own in the most peaceful place a dragon can ever know, well, to me it's a no brainer."

The others decide it wasn't much more use so Fishlegs looks down at the map and says, "Well…we know Hiccup was traveling by boat, but with how long he's been gone there's no telling where he could be."

Ruffnut shrugs. "Kind of too bad. If he still had a dragon then the places he could go could increase by that much."

Zephyr stares at the map for a bit, half listening to Ruffnut when her eyes widen. "Wait…THAT'S IT! Ruffnut, you're a genius!"

Ruffnut's eyes widen. "I-I am? Of course I am…how am I a genius?"

Zephyr replies, "It's as I said before, you guys know my Dad better than any other PERSON, but maybe it's not a PERSON that we need help from."

Tuffnut asks, "Uh, is this one of those metaphor things that you keep talking about?"

Zephyr shakes her head. "No, not at all. Alright, it's time I know, how can we get to The Hidden World?" Everyone else exchange glances of confusion and concern. Zephyr asks, "Well…?"

Fishlegs replies, "Zephyr, the only people on New Berk that have ever been to The Hidden World are your parents. Yourself and your brother too, but you were just kids. They never charted it because that's the safest thing they can do for the dragons that live down there."

"Well…" Tuffnut says as he pushes his fingers together.

Zephyr asks, "Tuff? What is it?"

Tuffnut gives a smile before leading the others to his green hut. "Hiccup knew he could trust me with this because I'd forget about it later, which I did up until this very moment."

Zephyr asks, "Trust you with what, though?" They go through the door and Tuffnut pulls away a rug which had an image of Barf & Belch on it, revealing a door. Tuffnut lifts the handle on the door, opening it up to reveal a locked box.

Tuffnut then says, "Uh, you guys might want to turn around. I can't have anyone see where I keep the key."

The others shrug and do so as Tuffnut makes a series of grunts and groans before Snotlout peeks back to see him pulling a key out of a secret compartment in his helmet. "Really?" Snotlout asks as the others look to see what Snotlout saw.

Tuffnut shrugs. "Hey, I told you all it had to be secret. Course, now I'm gonna need a new place to hide the key, anyway." He uses the key to unlock the box before opening it up and revealing a piece of paper inside.

Zephyr takes the paper out and uncurls it, showing a map that just had New Berk on it along with a large, red X that appeared to be many miles to the West. Zephyr's eyes widen to the parchment. "T-this is a map to The Hidden World!...and this is what Doomvist has been looking for all this time, isn't it?"

Fishlegs pats Zephyr on the back. "You really think that THIS is the key to finding your dad?"

Zephyr sighs. "It has to be, otherwise we're dead in the water before we know it. Alright, here's what I'll do, I don't know if the Seekers or not are watching so, I will take an unmarked boat along with Fishnut, Choplout and Peston. Once we get to the world, I'll take…him and go look for Dad while the others come back here."

Snotlout then asks, "Wait, why do you get to go to the dragon world while we stay here?"

Zephyr replies, "If the Seekers decide to come back for a round 2, we'll need people of skilled defense to guard it."

Tuffnut asks, "Y-you mean us, right?"

Zephyr replies, "No, I mean all the yak we have, yes I mean you guys! Anyway, if I don't see you guys back here…well…keep Berk safe, will you?" The others nod and give Zephyr a hug as she goes off to find her friends as well as said unmarked ship.

Meanwhile, many miles away from New Berk, sat on an island surrounded by many sharp, pointed rocks, was the home for the Seekers of the Wing, Collection Island, where the Seekers both use as a base but also keep a hold of whatever they find.

The base consisted of a bunch of tents, huts, storage areas, a domed arena not too far from the training grounds on Old Berk, and, towards the East side of the island, was a series of several stairs with large, black hut perched at the top.

Inside a red hut lit up with nothing but the light of the candles on his desk, Doomvist was kneeling in front of a desk which had the prosthetic arm that belonged to one of the most feared dragon hunters on the planet, the very one who is responsible for the death of Old Berk's former chief.

Doomvist says to the arm, "You have my word on this, I WILL finish what you started. I may not be as renowned, but there is one thing that-" Doomvist was then interrupted by one of his men running up to his hut's door. Doomvist says to him, "This better be quick."

The man replies, "It's just one thing, sir…HE has requested to see you."

Doomvist clenches his fists in rage before he replies, "I'll be right there." before standing and walking out of his tent and began walking up the many stairs that led up to the large hut at the top.

Once up there and at the edge of the door, Doomvist gets on his good, left knee and says, "My lord, why have you summoned me?"

Facing away from Doomvist was a man with a braided moustache and a beard of brown hair laced with many gray stripes wearing a red vest over a blue shirt. The man speaks up and says, "Oh, take that blasted helmet off, you know I can barely understand you."

Doomvist sighs. "As you wish." He unfastens the strap around his chin and lifts off the helmet, showing a man with medium length blond hair, green eyes, and a scar running up his left eye.

The man then asks, "Have you found what I seek?"

Doomvist replies, "Not yet, sir, but I promise you that I am very close."

The man grunts to that and holds up a dagger. "'Very close', you say." He then throws the dagger and it goes right next to Doomvist's head.

Doomvist says with a smirk, "You missed, old man."

The other man replies, "I didn't say where I was aiming." Looking next to him, Doomvist noticed a target where the dagger had hit the bullseye mark. The man then says, "Now, wouldn't you agree that that was…very close?"

Doomvist lowers his head. "You will have your information, I just need time."

The man scoffs. "I've had to put up with 20 plus years of acting as a feeble trader followed by 10 years of being encased in ice by the former King of Dragons and another 17 of keeping as low a profile as I can while I work out the ultimate plan to have what I want. I have done enough waiting, the question is...are you truly the one I can count on?"

Before Doomvist could answer, one of the crewmen runs up behind him and says, "Sir, our scouts just got back, an unmarked ship just left New Berk and is heading West! You think it's the chief?"

Doomvist looks back over to the man and says, "Well, consider your question answered." before standing back up, turning around and heading out and saying, "Keep an eye on that ship but stay a good distance. We'll let the chief take us to them."

The man then says to crewman, "Keep an eye on him. I still don't know if he is fully trustworthy."

The Crewman salutes him. "You got it, Mr. Johann." before walking down the stairs.