The sun was harsh at sea. The bright and hot rays focused down on the Dragon Hunter fleet rocking along with the waves like a loupe was redirecting the light to set something aflame.

Hiccup rested his head against the bars of the dragon-proof cage, sitting in the bottom corner with his knees pulled up close to his chest. His hands were retreated and resting against his stomach, the shackles still present.

They had spent the entire day and night seafaring. The loud clamouring of the Dragon Hunters had not seized ever since their capture. It had been difficult to get an ongoing slumber with the loud and bothersome voices constantly going on. Hiccup had only been able to get a few hours of shut-eye from going in and out. The plain fact that they were captives wasn't encouraging rest either. But Hiccup knew they would need all their strength for what was to come.

Hiccup blinked his eyes to open against the harsh daylight. The scent of salt and the sound of the waves crashing against the ship's hull as the bow cut across the vast stretch of water had settled with his senses, but waking up to those surroundings was still quite destabilizing. Hiccup didn't react too much, studying the Hunters as they worked around on the deck, going on about to their regular routines. He analyzed the guards standing by with their crossbows in hand while others moved around supplies and others secured ropes.

It was the familiar and loud screech of a seagull that caught Hiccup's attention. The Rider raised his gaze to the cloudless blue sky, watching the white bird circle above the fleet.

Hiccup instinctively grabbed hold of the metal bar, helping himself up to his feet. He caught movement over his shoulder as Heather followed his lead, attentive to his reactions.

Hiccup studied the bird a moment longer before turning his attention on the horizon line. They were approaching land. It wasn't Viggo's base, though. According to Hiccup's memory, Dragon Hunter Island was hours away from Dragon's Edge just on dragonback. A fleet moving this slowly would not reach its home-island for at least another full day, which meant they'd be docking on a smaller Hunter base, probably for resupplying.

Hiccup turned halfway around to meet Heather's gaze as the clamouring got louder. Orders were shouted as they approached the land and the Dragon Rider stood by in anticipation.

The island grew wider as they sailed for the docks, and the first thing Hiccup noticed was the heavy vegetation covering its surface. This place was not exploited like many other Dragon Hunter bases he'd come across during reconnaissance missions or dragon-rescue missions. While most outposts were devoid of all green, Hiccup was surprised the Hunters hadn't already chopped down every tree and turned over every rock. Hiccup wondered if he'd come across this raw island before and if he'd drawn it on his makeshift map from exploring. He didn't know, and anyway, it wasn't information that would prove helpful anyway. They were captives. Docking on an island that wasn't Viggo's base was good news and they needed to make use of every opportunity if they were to escape before they were delivered to the crime lord. Yet… something about said good news felt off, and Hiccup narrowed his eyes on the island as the ship entered the bay.

"What's going on?" asked Heather from behind him, uncertain herself. "What are we doing here?"

"I don't know," said Hiccup, his eyes darting around while he searched for clues. "All I know is that we need to figure out a way to escape and soon. I have a bad feeling about this…"

Hiccup caught the eye of a Hunter as he walked by; he slammed his sword against the cage violently and shouted, "Quiet!" Hiccup held the soldier's stare, refusing to give the Hunter the satisfaction he wanted by looking afraid.

Hiccup watched him through a defiant stare as he unlocked the gate and gestured him out with a move of his head. The Rider complied automatically, walking out without a word. His glare, however, spoke plenty and the Hunter shoved him forward aggressively, blade in hand. They stood by as the ship docked and connected to the land with a plank. The Dragon Riders exchanged a quick glance before being prompted to march forward.

They walked down the plank and onto the docks, hands bound before them as they moved forward with swords held to their backs. Hiccup had already begun registering his surroundings. There were no camps installed past the beach suggesting the stay of more Dragon Hunters. He could see, however, cages stacked near the tree line along with crates and barrels of weaponry and other supplies of food and water. This didn't look like an ordinary Dragon Hunter base and the feeling of uncertainty was starting to creep in his gut like an undesirable guest.

Hiccup cast a quick look over his shoulder, noticing they were being followed by a squad made of ten Hunters, crossbows in hand. Not only that, they were walking past the beach and into the woods. They weren't following a path or any trail that seemed to lead anywhere and Hiccup thought back of that bad feeling he had when they were aboard the vessel and now wondered if he'd been right about it. After a few more minutes of walking without a single exchange, the two Hunters holding their swords to their backs called them to hold.

Hiccup and Heather exchanged a glance again, not understanding the situation as to what they were doing here and what these Hunters were planning.

"Turn around," ordered the Hunter, and the two Riders complied, holding their gaze with a stern look. They were left in apparent shock when the soldiers released them of their bonds. The heavy manacles dropped on the dusty forest floor with a loud clink. Though, as confusing as the gesture was, the Riders were doubtless it had a purpose that was not to their advantage.

"Archers!" shouted the Hunter leader, turning to his men as they pulled back on the string of their weapon, arrows awaiting their launch.

Hiccup reacted right away, turning to Heather and pushing her forward when he saw her freeze from complete stupefaction.

"Run!" shouted Hiccup, rushing her to move it as he followed after her. "Run!"

"Fire!"

Hiccup looked back over his shoulder as they sprinted, watching as the Hunters released. He heard the arrows whistle through the air, the unmistakable high-pitch screaming too close to his ear to his liking. He shouted out his alarm as some met the bark of the trunks near him and some cut through the leaves above their heads like crashing birds. The fact that they should be trouble-free targets and had still missed, made Hiccup wonder if hitting them was ever their intention.

Hiccup wasn't sure what was happening. Questions filled his mind like an overflowing river. As much confusion and alarm as there was, he wasn't about to stop and ask. Instead, he ran, as far away from those Hunters as possible. He flanked Heather, working his limbs to follow the rhythm as they ran for their lives. The sound of their breathing was rapid and short with each stride, running until their bodies ached. When they deemed themselves far enough away from the danger, they slowed down, twisting around to make sure they hadn't been followed.

Heather took a breather, hitting her back against a tree trunk before dropping down on the ground, her heart pumping blood faster than ever before. Hiccup rested his hands on his knees, panting. He swallowed thickly before straightening up again, looking out at the woods surrounding them and anticipating the enemy to jump out of nowhere. But everything stood still while they recovered from their escape, taking a break to fill their bodies back with oxygen before finally addressing the situation at hand.

"What in Thor was that?!" exclaimed Heather, gesturing wildly the way they'd come from.

"A bunch of undisciplined Hunters if you ask me," said Hiccup, holding his throat as he finally recovered and turned to her.

"Why didn't they just bring us directly to Viggo?" asked Heather, pushing herself off the ground and back on her feet, turning to Hiccup as if he should hold the answers. "Why bring us here? Why just… let us go?"

"If I had to take a guess," said Hiccup, putting parts of the puzzle together while he blankly searched the ground. "They'll be hunting us down later. This is probably all but a game to them." He rose his gaze, studying his surroundings through a stern gaze. "We'll have to figure out a way to survive until we can find a way off this rock. In the meantime, we better find some shelter. I have a feeling we're not out of the woods yet."

(*^▽^*) wooohhooooooooooooo here we go!