Dawn came around and Heather blinked her eyes open to the dim lighting. Her vision blurred in and out while she took in the sight, watching the colours of her surroundings flow freely once again. She grunted away the numb feeling, stretched, yawned lazily, and got to her feet. She instantly wished she could get some food in her stomach along with a good gulp of water from the dry air that had dehydrated her mouth during the course of the night. She knew she'd find both of those things on her way back to the hill overlooking the docks.

Hiccup mumbled in his sleep and Heather turned around to look at him one more time before she headed out. She wished he would come with her so that if their luck had changed, they could immediately engage and get the drop on the Hunters. She wished more than ever to be home, far, far away from this piece of rock. But with his injured leg, Heather knew she ought to let him sleep.

And so she took off on her own with high hopes for a ride that would take them far away from this place and back home among their friends. It had taken them almost a quarter of a day to walk from point A to point B, counting multiple stops. Heather was too full of energy to walk all the way, and threw some jogging into it, zigzagging through the trees like a striding Speed Stinger and borrowing the same path that had led them to their resting spot. It took multiple hours along with a few breaks. The sun had crept higher in the sky when Heather finally made it to the top of the hill overlooking the docks. She parted the foliage and looked out to the ocean. There weren't any ships docked at the bay, but Heather quickly spotted the fleet in the distance, sailing with the wind blowing in her direction.

Their ride was on its way.

At that moment, Heather couldn't help but smile, knowing they would soon be going home. She couldn't take her eyes off the horizon; off the pale open sky. She was too wrapped up in that hopeful moment.

"Nice view, isn't it, Heather?" said an all too familiar voice, and Heather spun around on her feels, her heart jumping in her throat.

"Ryker…" hissed Heather, the feeling of content vanishing like water in the dry season. She scowled at him, holding her ground, fists at the ready despite knowing the odds weren't in her favour.

"I've been tracking you, traitor," said Ryker, taking a step forward while Heather took one back.

"What do you want, Ryker?" demanded Heather, an unmasked edge of fear to her tone Ryker picked up on right away, making him smirk. "You're not exactly the negotiating type as far as I'm concerned."

"You're right," agreed Ryker, placing his hands on his hips; he was all too at ease to Heather's liking. "So, I won't make this any harder than it has to be. Just tell me where the boy is."

"If you want that information, you'll have to beat it out me…" spat Heather, narrowing her flaming emerald eyes on him. If glares could kill, she'd be a murderer.

"Why, that can be arranged," replied Ryker, glaring back, and before Heather could react, she felt something hard hit the back of her head as someone jumped her from behind, knocking her out cold.

…

Hiccup woke up to the sound of birds, blinking at the golden rays penetrating through the canopy above his head. His surroundings looked enchanting, and for a moment, he wondered if he'd woken up from nothing else but a bad dream. But his senses, clear as they were, confirmed he was still on the island. He pushed himself off the ground, groaning. He wasn't too slow to notice Heather's absence, and for a second, his heart leaped in his chest until he remembered she had told him she'd set out early in the morning to check out the docks. When he looked up at the sky and noticed how high the sun was in the sky, he frowned, calculating the time of day.

It was pretty late in the morning if not almost noon. He couldn't believe he'd slept so long. And as he thought back of Heather and her whereabouts, he realized that she should've been back by now. It was multiple hours past the first light of day, and Hiccup knew Heather wouldn't be foolish enough to hang around so close by the Hunters' camp for this long. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach and Hiccup gathered himself, glad his leg wasn't hurting as bad as the night before.

He set out right away, walking the same path they'd borrowed, noticing Heather's fresh footprints in the soil. Hours passed before he finally reached the top of the hill they'd used as an outpost, and Hiccup frowned in confusion when he didn't see her. If she hadn't come back to him, he'd assume she'd be here, keeping an eye out.

His eyes drifted to the docks again, and Hiccup noticed the new cages that had been unloaded past the beach and by the tree line.

The new cargo had arrived. This was their way out. And for a moment, Hiccup wondered if Heather might have tried to execute the plan on her own. But he denied that thought, knowing she wasn't idiotic enough to take on so many Hunters at once. She had seen where such confidence could lead...

But she was nowhere to be seen, and Hiccup's previous gut-feeling that something was wrong returned like a hammer to the stomach, sending a cold shiver travelling the surface of his skin.

His eyes darted around, searching for clues of her whereabouts. But he saw nothing nearby, and so he took off again, closer to the Dragon Hunters' campsite should his worries turn out to be right. He headed right for the canyon, following the tree line as it snaked the cliff-top. He knew he was taking chances by coming this close to the Hunters' campground, especially with those additional Hunters that had joined the party the day before. But he had to find Heather. He stepped out from the shade of the trees, edging closer to the rim, keeping low. He flattened himself on his stomach and crawled closer. He looked down, scanning the camping ground much like the first time they had found it. The cages, which had been holding dragons captives the day before, were now empty. All but for one.

Heather.

"Oh no…" he whispered, shaking his head sideways. He took a moment to take it in, ducking back into hiding before slamming the side of his fist against the hard stony surface beneath him as the fear and frustration tugged at his guts. Why had he agreed that she go out there on her own? He should've gone with her. Or at least, gotten himself captured instead of her. He knew Viggo would not get rid of him so fast, but Heather's story with Viggo was different, and he feared that if he ever got his hands on her, she wouldn't be as lucky as far as lucky went.

He peered over the edge again as a familiar voice rang, bouncing off the walls of the canyon.

"Ryker…" growled Hiccup, furrowing his eyebrows at the Dragon Hunter. "Well, this explains it..."

He returned his focus down below as orders were being shouted, and Hiccup narrowed his eyes on Ryker, his hatred for the Hunter stronger than ever.

"Get out there!" bellowed Ryker, grabbing hold of his sword and pointing it at the Hunters, gesturing outside the canyon's cliff walls. "I don't want to see any of you return without that Rider!"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes on the soldiers as they obeyed orders frightfully and set out. It would only be a matter of time before those Hunters were all over the place.

He needed to react.

He needed a plan.

His attention drifted back to the docks, remembering the new cargo that had just docked.

What he needed, was a dragon.