Author's Note: Hello, hello, everyone and welcome back to "Sticks and Stones!" =D Man, I'm surprised that this is the twenty-second chapter of this one-shot collection. I feel like I posted this yesterday. XD
Here's part three to "Safe Haven!" I hope you guys enjoy it! =D
Summary: Upon discovering that the baby Scuttleclaws have disappeared, Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons set out to find them. (Post HTTYD 2.)
Safe Haven, Part Three
"The baby dragons are gone."
"What!?" exclaimed Astrid. She whirled around and saw that Hiccup was indeed correct about the baby Scuttleclaws being gone. Where they should've been flying behind them, there was only ocean and clouds. There was absolutely no sign of the trio of dragons.
"We have to find them!" Astrid said. Hiccup nodded and he, Astrid, and their dragons turned around, heading back the way they came. Hiccup knew that the Scuttleclaws must have flown off sometime after they left the last island they visited. The Scuttleclaws were only babies as well, meaning that they couldn't have traveled very far without resting on a nearby island.
Hiccup and Astrid kept their eyes peeled for the Scuttleclaws. Maybe they liked one of the previous islands they had visited and decided to check it out once again? Hiccup and Astrid didn't know for sure. Besides, none of the islands were fit for the baby Scuttleclaws, so both Haddock and Hofferson had no idea where else they could go.
Hiccup and Astrid flew past every island that they had visited. They checked each of them thoroughly for any sign of the baby dragons, but they did not find a trace of them. Toothless and Stormfly sniffed out the entire land that they were searching, but they couldn't find the trio of baby Scuttleclaws anywhere.
What if they got caught by the Titan Wing? thought Hiccup as he and Astrid set off to check through another island that they had previously visited. The Haddock sure hoped that wasn't the case. He and Astrid spent a lot of time making sure that the Scuttleclaws were safe, and they hadn't seen any sign of the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare the entire time they were searching for a safe haven for the baby dragons. If it really had caught up with them and snatched the baby dragons right under their noses, Hiccup and Astrid had a much bigger problem on their hands.
Despite that thought, Hiccup was sure that the baby Scuttleclaws weren't in any sort of peril at all. He and Astrid hadn't heard frightened squawks or screeches while they were flying. Of course, he and Astrid were a little distracted trying to find a home for the baby dragons, so, who knew? Maybe they did get caught by the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare after all.
Hiccup shook his head, shoving those thoughts out of his mind. He was going to hope for the best. The Scuttleclaws knew how to take care of themselves, and that quelled his worry just the slightest. Besides, he and Astrid would dive in and save the baby dragons in case the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare had gotten to them.
Toothless and Stormfly sniffed the air, trying in vain to catch the scent of the baby Scuttleclaws. Nothing had turned up yet, so Hiccup and Astrid were stuck with thinking of all of the possible what ifs—scenarios and troubles that the baby dragons had got themselves in while their backs were turned.
"We have to find them," said Astrid. She turned to Hiccup, determination and worry flickered in her blue eyes. "Those three are very vulnerable on their own. Even if they are pretty good at defending themselves."
"We'll find them, I promise," reassured Hiccup, but he didn't know if he, Astrid, and their dragons would find them. So far, they hadn't seen a trace of the baby dragons. Toothless and Stormfly hadn't caught a scent, and there was no sound from the three Scuttleclaws either. Hiccup knew that it was practically impossible to hear something from the baby dragons if they had flown off.
Astrid kept her eyes peeled and looked straight ahead while Hiccup and Toothless focused on the rest of the area. They had passed and checked all of the islands that they had visited with the baby Scuttleclaws, and they still had found nothing of the baby dragons. Their worry began to rise, no matter how many times they reassured themselves that the three adolescent dragons were probably fine. The fact that they didn't know for sure that they were okay made them feel even more anxious for their scaly, young friends. They hadn't known them for very long, but both Hiccup and Astrid felt very compelled to help the three Scuttleclaws that they had befriended.
After another half an hour of searching, Hiccup and Astrid began to lose hope. The Hofferson ignored those thoughts, though, and she gripped Stormfly's saddle tightly.
"I don't know where else to look," Astrid said. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We've looked everywhere, and we're not getting anywhere. What if that Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare really did get to them while we weren't looking?"
"That's impossible," said Hiccup. "If it did, we definitely would have heard something. Let alone a roar or scream."
"That's the part I don't understand," said Astrid. "If the Nightmare didn't get to them, and they weren't at any of the islands that we just checked, where else could they have gone?"
Hiccup was stumped too. He and Astrid sat there in silence, in thought, and suddenly, the answer hit Hiccup harder than a Gronckle crashing into someone.
"We need to head back to the first island," Hiccup said quickly.
"The first island?" repeated Astrid. "But we already checked there!"
"No, the island that we originally found the Scuttleclaws on," Hiccup corrected her. He steered Toothless toward the direction of that island and Astrid followed behind him. "We checked all of the other islands, and the Scuttleclaws weren't on them, right? But the only island that we haven't checked yet is—"
"The one that they came from in the first place!" finished Astrid. She smiled at Hiccup. "Nice thinking, Dragon Boy!"
Hiccup smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, milady. Now, all we need to do is to get to that island and hopefully find the Scuttleclaws there before something bad happens."
"What could go wrong?" asked Astrid. "We haven't seen any sign of that Titan Wing—"
Suddenly, Toothless and Stormfly began to growl. Hiccup felt as if something was watching them, and Astrid felt the same, unpleasant, inauspicious feeling. The two looked around, but saw nothing, so they continued to fly, but more cautiously than before. Then, the atmosphere grew quiet and still. Hiccup tensed. Astrid raised her hand, ready to grab her axe.
Then, with a roar louder than a thousand dragons, the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare burst from the clouds above and launched an attack upon Hiccup and Astrid. The two Dragon Riders dodged, evading its slashes and swipes expertly. Even though the dragon surprised them with its attack, Hiccup and Astrid still did a good job avoiding its strikes.
"It must have used its scales to camouflage itself in the clouds and followed us the whole time!" explained Hiccup, sounding somewhat amazed with his discovery.
"Hiccup, this isn't the time to admire a dragon that's trying to kill us!" Astrid shouted to him as she and Stormfly twirled away just in time before the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare brought down its claws and swiped at them.
Hiccup nodded and the two continued to try and veer the Monstrous Nightmare away from their destination. Hiccup and Astrid didn't want to lead the Titan Wing straight to its prey, so Hiccup and Astrid continuously told their dragons to blast at it, which caused the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare to grow agitated and chase after them. But as Hiccup and Astrid led it further and further away from the Scuttleclaw's island, the large dragon would turn around and head back toward it.
"It knows what we're trying to do," remarked Hiccup. He turned to Astrid. "I'll distract it and drive its fire away while you and Stormfly go and find the baby Scuttleclaws."
It was so like Hiccup to put himself in the dangerous part of a situation. And, like she always did, Astrid immediately protested.
"What? Are you insane? That thing will blast you to smithereens!" exclaimed Astrid.
"Thank you for being such an optimist," said Hiccup, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Astrid crossed her arms. "You know what I mean. I'm not leaving you, Hiccup."
"Astrid, I'll be fine," said Hiccup reassuringly. He patted Toothless' head. "Besides, I've got a Night Fury on my side. The alpha might I add. What could possibly go wrong?"
Toothless grumbled, and Astrid couldn't tell if it was in agreement or if the Night Fury was silently disagreeing with Hiccup.
Astrid wasn't completely soothed, but she decided to go along with the plan. "Okay," she said at last. "But be careful."
"I will," said Hiccup, flashing her a small smile before heading off to distract the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare while she and Stormfly made their way to the Scuttleclaws' old home. The last few sounds that she heard behind here were the sounds of plasma blasts being shot and the furious, enraged screeches of an agitated Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare.
Author's Note: Will Hiccup be able to drive the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare away? Will Astrid and Stormfly find the baby Scuttleclaws...?
...You'll have to wait until the next part of "Safe Haven" to find out...*Mischievous grin*
Until the next chapter!
-BeyondTheMoon1203