Hello there :) I hope you're all having a good year so far, and if not, here's another fic for y'all. I've been hinting this one for too long, it's about time I post it.
Enjoy the read!
"Alright, gang," called Hiccup from the head of the V formation, a spyglass pressed on his eye as he observed the Dragon Hunter base up ahead; the dark island reflected off the glass of the object. He removed the small handheld telescope and narrowed his eyes as the patch of land slowly grew bigger against the star-dotted night sky. He twisted around in the saddle to face the rest of his team. "We're closing in on the Dragon Hunter base."
"I think we should move in slowly," suggested Astrid from Hiccup's right of the formation. "Use the element of surprise."
"Good idea," agreed Hiccup with a smile, nodding.
"Of course you'd say that," commented Snotlout, arms crossed over his chest, looking the opposite way. "All you two ever do is agree on everything."
"Astrid does have a point, Snotlout," said Heather from the back, holding on tight to the handles of her saddle. "We'll have a much better advantage than if we went straight in, dragons blazing."
"Absolutely," agreed Fishlegs from behind Snotlout. Snotlout looked over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow in annoyance at the Gronckle Rider's statement. "It's always proved very effective."
"Whatever," mumbled Snotlout, twisting back around and grasping onto his Monstrous Nightmare's twisted horns. Hookfang growled sharply at him. "Fine. Look, it's called brainstorming, alright! There are no wrong answers in brainstorming!"
"Maybe not," said Hiccup, looking over his shoulder. "But one wrong move in battle could doom us all."
"Why must he speak in riddles?!" rang Tuffnut's comment from the very back of the formation.
"Look, Ryker and his men have been capturing a lot more dragons these past few weeks than they ever have on such a short period of time," said Hiccup, pulling out his spyglass again to get another look at the base.
"Yeah, and not only that; he's also been capturing dragons that are classified as extremely rare and that are usually near unapproachable," added Fishlegs, shrugging uncomfortably. "Speed Stinger, Rumblehorn…"
"Very boring," said Snotlout while Fishlegs carried on naming all the species of dragons classified 'uncommon'.
"Thankfully, the Dragon Hunters have been unloading the dragons on a base instead of Viggo's island," said Hiccup, retrieving his telescope. "Gathering them all in one place will make the job easier for us but also very tricky. Ryker will be expecting us so he's definitely gonna have guards stationed on every post. We must be alert and ready for anything."
"You don't say," said Snotlout, rolling his eyes. The island grew closer against the dark background. The sea under their wings was pitch-black as if someone had replaced the water with squid ink. Snotlout narrowed his eyes as details became visible to the bare eye. "Uh, Hiccup? I know that Dragon Hunter base."
"So do I, Snotlout," said Hiccup grimly, keeping his gaze locked on the land. "Let's just hope we don't run into any trouble this time."
"Says the guy flying us all toward it," he commented, only for Hookfang to knock him on the helmet with his horn. "What?"
They dropped lower and closer to the ocean's surface, staying out of sightline for as long as they could. The last thing they wanted was for the alarm to set off before they even reached the base. The night was missing its full moon, plunging the world into nearly complete darkness; the only natural source of light were the stars. And as much as Hiccup loved a moonlit flight, he was glad the bright disc was absent tonight. The vivid white light would surely have given them away by now. And with Toothless' black scales, they owned the night, serving as a benefit to this mission.
Hiccup looked over his shoulder at his team as they reached the island's waters. Astrid, Heather, and Fishlegs nodded while Snotlout and the twins seemed completely oblivious to the task at hand.
Hiccup indicated to the Riders on his left to part and circle around as a distraction, meaning Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins while he, Astrid, and Heather would sneak past the sentries and set some dragons free.
The Riders parted from the group without a word just like they'd practiced and Hiccup sighed in relief that the plan was working so far. He recalled too many missions that had gone south right from the start, sometimes before they even reached the enemy. Should it be Snotlout deciding he felt chilly and lit up his Nightmare or the twins coming in hot with Zippleback gas before the signal was given...
Hiccup focused and leaned forward on the saddle, flying along the island's foundations stretching high above the water's surface. He pulled onto the handles of the saddle, having Toothless flap his wings a couple of times before grabbing onto the steep cliffside of the island, claws digging into the stone. He watched as Astrid and Heather did the same, staying unmoving for a few seconds to make sure no Hunter had spotted them and was off to sound the alarm. When nothing happened, he turned to the two girls awaiting commands.
"Alright, when Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins set the diversion, Astrid, you and Heather get the dragons lined up on the shore," said Hiccup to which the two girls nodded firmly. "Just be careful. With all these new loads, I doubt Ryker won't have set a few more guards to keep watch."
"Don't worry about us, Hiccup," said Heather, suppressing a peal of short laughter at his worry for them. She knew he trusted them most to carry on the dangerous tasks but his concern for their safety would never be unapparent.
"She's right," agreed Astrid, pulling out her double-headed battleaxe with a confident smile on her face. "We got this."
"What are you gonna do?" asked Heather, gesturing at Hiccup with a raised eyebrow.
"Snotlout and I have been here before," said Hiccup, his expression turning even grimmer than it was before.
"Yeah, when you and Toothless were captured and taken to Dragon Fights..?" said Astrid, raising her chin.
"That's the one," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes and smiling in embarrassment before continuing on. "This island has underground cells. The Hunters used it to lure dragons, but now that it's used as a base of operation..."
"You think they're keeping the most dangerous dragons down there?" said Heather, a dark look shading her eyes.
"Exactly," said Hiccup, nodding. "Now, Toothless and I will take care of these guys while you clear the surface."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Astrid right before the sound of a large explosion went off, dragging their attention on the busy surface of the island to see a fire had already broken out. "Well, that's our signal."
They all leaned back on their saddles and the dragons followed the movement, spreading their wings wide as they flew for the heart of the base. They all dove for the cover of the trees while the Dragon Hunters grabbed their weapons and ran in the direction of the commotion.
"Coast is clear," said Heather, dismounting her dragon and grabbing her weapon.
"I'll see you guys later," said Hiccup, turning Toothless around to make a run for the crevice in the rock tower in the middle of the island.
"Be careful, Hiccup," said Astrid, stopping him before he took off. "You don't know what kind of dragons are down there..."
Hiccup smiled down at her, shrugging. "I'll be fine," he said with a light and reassuring tone of voice.
Hiccup leaned forward and Toothless broke into a gallop through the trees, coming across a few empty cages on the way. Hiccup's eyes scanned the gloominess surrounding them, the glow from the torches posted here and there casting long dancing shadows that seemed to glare down at him like hunters ready to pounce on their prey and drown their scream until it was never heard or seen by any other living thing ever again. Hiccup cleared his thoughts, telling himself this was not the time to make up imaginary monsters. The entrance to the large cavern appeared through the trees and Hiccup slowed Toothless to a walk, gingerly approaching the entrance and making sure no Hunter was hanging around. It looked like the diversion had worked miracles this time.
"Okay, bud," said Hiccup, dismounting his dragon. Toothless burbled at him. "You stay here and stand guard. This might be a trap. I may need you to get me out of it."
Toothless met his rider's eyes and growled, letting him know he didn't like that idea. He too remembered all too well the dangers that lurked down these stone stairs.
"Oh, trust me, I know," said Hiccup, grabbing Inferno strapped to his thigh, lighting it up. He shone the blade down into the large crevice, spotting a few lit torches trailing down the corridor. "Alright. I'm going in."
Toothless roared sharply at him, tilting his head to the side.
"Don't worry, Toothless," said Hiccup, expressing his amusement at his dragon's concern. "I'll be back before you even know I'm gone."
And with that, he took his first step down the path cutting straight into the stone tower, his trusty Dragon Blade shining the way down the dark corridor.