"Hiccup!" Fishlegs rushed into the clubhouse, a Terrible Terror clinging to the side of his head. "T mail from Atali! The Wingmaidens are under attack."

Hiccup dropped the map he was reading. "Dragon Hunters?"

"No," Said Fishlegs. "Dragons. Devilish Dervish dragons to be exact."

Snotlout rolled his eyes, "A wild dragon with devil in its name? No thank you!"

"We have to help, Snotlout," Said Heather, "the newborn razorwhips will be defenceless."

"Don't you want to see Minden, Snotlout?" Asked Hiccup.

"Yeah," Said Ruffnut. "You'll be able to show off how brave you are whilst the dragons try to spear you with their tails."

"It's not like that." Snotlout folded his arms.

"Ooh!" Cried Ruffnut, "You really like her!"

"Whatever."

The riders began assembling their gear and Hiccup caught Astrid's eye. "Hey, could I have a word with you?"

"Sure." Astrid ducked out of the clubhouse and leant against the wall.

"Do you want to come?" Said Hiccup.

"Yes."

"Okay. You know I'd prefer for you to stay behind, but it's not my decision."

Astrid smiled. "Thanks, Hiccup. Our baby will be flying dragons in the womb."

"Well, that was always a given." Hiccup kissed Astrid's forehead, then went up to the store to collect their supply of dragon nip.

On Wingmaiden island Atali had gathered her tribe in the ceremonial stone circle to protect the baby Razorwhips from the Dervishes taking over the village.

"Is anyone hurt?" Asked Hiccup as the riders landed.

"A couple of burns, but we're all okay." Said Atali.

"Where's Minden?" Snotlout looked around urgently.

"She's on the North side of the island putting up defences around the breeding grounds." Atali smiled. "She's okay, Snotlout."

"She better be."

Fishlegs and Hiccup were discussing the best way to deal with the Dervishes. "Where did they even come from?" Said Fishlegs.

Atali sighed. "We don't know. We were disturbed from our morning prayer by explosions in the village and when we went to investigate the dragons were everywhere."

"Okay, I need to go to the village and see what's going on. Snotlout, you come with me. Everyone else stay and protect the newborns, I'll signal fire if I need you."

When Hiccup and Snotlout left the stone circle, Snotlout looked wistfully in the direction of the breeding grounds. "Do you think the Wingmaidens need help protecting the nesting dragons?"

"Even if they did, there's nothing we can do, Snotlout. We're men, remember." Snotlout nodded.

The village was, indeed, overrun with Devilish Dervishes. The dragons had used their scythe-like tails to chop down trees and damage the buildings. A large torrent of fire blew past Hiccup and Snotlout's hiding place.

"Okay," Said Hiccup, "I'm thinking we should try to train these dragons."

"There's twenty of them and two of us, genius."

"Just do it, Snotlout."

"Fine. But when you get us killed I want that acknowledged on my gravestone."

"Snotlout, Vikings don't have gravestones."

"Well we should. Where else will my fans come to mourn me?"

"Your garbage patch back at the Edge?" Hiccup slipped out from behind the building and approached a nearby Dervish. The dragon raised its head and stared at Hiccup with large, unblinking eyes. Hiccup raised his hand and looked away. The dragon began to approach him, but a second Dervish ran over, snorting in alarm. The first dragon whacked Hiccup with its snout, sending him sprawling backwards. He scrambled to his feet and looked for Snotlout. "We need to train their alpha."

"Over there!" Snotlout pointed to a dervish that was bigger than the others, with yellow ridges down its back. The alpha was stood on top of one of the huts, surveying the disarray.

"Come on." Said Hiccup. He crossed the square to the alpha and held out his hand. The alpha gazed at him lazily, letting out a small roar as the other Dervishes began to circle Hiccup. Toothless landed nearby and flicked his tail protectively. "I'm okay, Bud." A Dervish lunged at Hiccup, tail poised and Toothless blocked the attack with his wing. Hiccup pulled his sword from the sheath on his back, igniting the blade and waving the sword slowly. The Dervishes stopped. They sat back on their hind quarters, perplexed by the flames. "That's it." Murmured Hiccup. "Everybody loves the dragon blade."

"Snotlout, snotlout! Oy oy oy!" Hiccup turned to see that Snotlout had tamed the alpha, who was purring happily.

"Good job, Snotlout."

The other dragons approached Snotlout. They bowed down, their front legs flush with the ground. "Yeah that's right! Bow to the Snotman!"

"Err, Snotlout? I don't think that's what they're doing."

"Oh shush you party pooper! They're-" a dragon swiped its tail at Snotlout. "Hey!" The other Dervishes rallied around the dragon that had attacked Snotlout.

"They've chosen a new alpha!" Shouted Hiccup. "Regroup!" Toothless and Hookfang took to the air but the Dervishes rose up around them, wings outstretched to block the sky.

Toothless landed and Hiccup guided him backwards into a cliff on the mountainside. Snotlout skidded to a stop at the opening of the cave. "Great, now what do we do? Every time we train the alpha they'll just pick a new one."

"We need a way to train all the dragons at once." Said Hiccup.

"Gee, having the dragon eye would be useful right about now."

"Thank you for that observation, Snotlout."

"No problem, I'm a genius. I'll signal fire for the others, if we can hit the Dervishes with enough fire power they'll have to submit."

"No!" Hiccup jumped up to block the exit to the cave. "If Hookfang lights up, the Dervishes will find us. Plus we don't need more fire power, we need to outsmart these dragons and their pack mentality."

Snotlout grumbled something about dictatorships and turned his back to Hiccup. Hiccup paced up and down the cave, Toothless watching him. "Maybe if we use the dragon nip they'll be calm enough for us to train them before they choose a new alpha."

"No way, Hiccup. Don't you remember that time on Berk with the whispering death? The dragon nip will send our dragons laalaa as well as the dervishes."

"True." Hiccup scratched Toothless' neck. "We'll leave our dragons here. We can call for them if the dragon nip doesn't work on the dervishes."

"This is a terrible plan." Snotlout trudged out of the cave after Hiccup.

They walked into the village cautiously and Hiccup held the nip out to the dragons. A large female growled at Hiccup. "That's it, you'll like this." He said. The dervish took the dragon nip and swallowed. Her eyes widened and she lay down on her side, belly exposed. Hiccup and Snotlout threw the herb at the other dervishes. "Now we've just got to train them all." Said Hiccup.

A dragon got up and poked its nose into Snotlout's jacket. "Hey! I don't have any more!" The Dervish roared in Snotlout's face, then picked him up in its claws and took to the air. "Aaargghh! Hiccup! Hookfang, help!" Snotlout struggled hard against the Dervish but its grip was too strong. Being dropped wouldn't have done much good anyway; Snotlout was a hundred feet in the air and there was no sign of Hookfang. Typical.

"Where are you taking me?" Grumbled Snotlout. "Stupid dragon." The Dervish snorted. Snotlout realised, with horror, that they were approaching the North side of the island. "Hey! Are you a girl dragon? Because if you're male we're about to run into some crazy female Razorwhips who are going to try to kill you." The dragon snarled. They were over the forest now, so high up that the trees looked tiny. Snotlout saw Razorwhips circling below him. At that moment, the Dervish dropped him. Snotlout screamed as he plummeted towards the ground. A Razorwhip caught him with her tail and flung him forwards into the trees. Snotlout groaned as he fell through the branches, each one scratching his face. He came to a rest upside down and struggled to free his trousers from the splintered wood his belt loops were hooked over. He jumped down and began to run through the forest. He needed to get out of the breeding grounds as quickly as possible. Snotlout slipped down a small cliff face and jumped over a stream. He had misjudged the distance and was about to drop into the water when strong arms caught hold of him. He looked up. "Minden!"

"Need a hand, Snotlout?" The Wingmaiden was grinning at him as the baby Razorwhip on her back carried them through the trees. She set Snotlout down on a rock.

"Why are we still in the forest? We need to-"

"Relax, Snotlout. The females are hibernating in the mountain caves, they won't hurt you."

"Well that's funny because I distinctly remember some Razorwhips trying to kill me five minutes ago."

"That's impossible. I just checked, all dragons are asleep and accounted for."

"Look, Mindo, I'm not saying you're wrong, but I know what I saw."

"Female Razorwhips would have killed you on the spot. This makes no sense."

Snotlout thought for a moment. "We need to get Hiccup. Dragons don't just appear out of thin air." Minden grabbed Snotlout under the arms and her Razorwhip effortlessly lifted the two of them into the air. "Can't resist the muscle of the Snotman, I see." He smirked.

Minden chuckled. "Don't tempt me."

"What?! You're not going to punch me?"

"No, Snotlout. You are kind and show true courage. Your strange mannerisms are part of your unique character."

"Huh," Snotlout looked down at his feet, which were skimming the ground as Minden flew. "Astrid should take notes."

When they reached the stone circle Atali rushed to Minden's side. "The breeding grounds are secure, Atali."

Snotlout turned to Hiccup. "Why did you let that Dervish carry me off?"

"I stayed to train the other Dervishes. Otherwise using the dragon nip would have been pointless."

"What, so you'd just let me be dragged to my death?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Works for me."

Snotlout told the others about the stray Razorwhip dragons. Hiccup paced back and forwards. "You know, I should have suspected this as soon as we got the T mail. I mean, the Flame Whipper was-"

Tuffnut jumped up and down, "Sir Steve Dragon Lord Of Awesomeness!"

"Yes, him," Hiccup continued, "he was the first clue. Then the Dervishes. Once exposed to dragon nip most practically begged me to tame them, that means-"

"They like eating vegetables!" Yelled Tuffnut.

"No," Said Fishlegs, "it means they've been trained before."

"I don't understand," Atali looked between the dragon riders. "Who trained them?"

"Viggo." Said Hiccup. "And he's brought in male Razorwhips."

Minden gasped. "They'll fight the females to the death. They'll kill the newborns."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Snotlout tightened his grip on his sword.

Hiccup folded his arms. "Snotlout, Minden, go back to the breeding grounds, find a cave and wait for my signal. When the rest of us are in position, lure the male Razorwhips out into the open so we can train them."

"I'm not sure male Razorwhips can be trained." Said Atali.

"Viggo managed to train them." Said Astrid. "It must be possible."

Snotlout climbed onto Hookfang and Minden flew beside him. They were silent until they reached the breeding grounds. "There's a cave just up ahead." Said Minden. "We can wait there." The cave was small and once Hookfang had squashed his body inside there wasn't much room for Snotlout and Minden. They sat next to each other on the pebbled floor and Snotlout felt his heart beating hard. Minden looked at him. "Snotlout, why do you let Astrid disrespect you? She just said she wouldn't mind if Dervishes dragged you to your death."

"Nah, she's just joking. I think."

"It's still not a nice thing to say."

Snotlout sighed. "Just let it slide, she's having a hard time."

Minden raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"She... oh man, I probably shouldn't tell you. Someone did something really awful to her."

Minden nodded slowly. "How are you?"

"What?"

"How are you coping with things? It must be a stressful situation for all of you."

Snotlout sighed again and then jumped slightly as Minden took his hand. He gazed at her, shocked. "I guess... I can't stop thinking about it. What if it were someone I loved?" Snotlout glanced at Minden. "What if it happened to you?"

Minden looked intently at Snotlout. "Why does it make a difference that you don't love Astrid? Does that make it less awful?"

"No, of course not." Snotlout wiped his hand over his face. "It would just be a thousand times more heart-wrenching if it were personal."

"True," Said Minden. "How's Astrid coping?"

"Hard to tell. She tries to put on a brave face in front of us but sometimes I hear her crying at night. She has Hiccup though."

Minden leant forwards. "She needs all of you."

"Mindo, I don't mean to be rude, but why do women always think they know what other women need? You don't know Astrid from Jack."

"No. But I know what it's like to be a woman."

"Oh," Said Snotlout. "Here we go with the 'all women live under the patriarchy' speech. Heather's already been blathering on about it whenever Hiccup and Astrid aren't around."

"Snotlout, this attitude is exactly why Astrid needs you to try to understand. You're one of her best friends, and even you don't comprehend what it's like. I have some books on gender based violence in the library of Freyja. I can lend them to you."

"Oh, I understand." Said Snotlout. "I just don't see why it's my responsibility to read dumb books on why some men attack women. I don't attack women."

"That's not the point." Said Minden. "If you-"

"Hiccup's signal." Snotlout pointed at a plasma blast which was filling the sky over the island. "Come on." Snotlout mounted Hookfang and flew into the air. It wasn't hard to find the male Razorwhips. They were still circling over the forest, presumably looking for the females. Snotlout fired to get their attention and the dragons shot towards Hookfang and Minden. Minden flew upwards and Snotlout followed her, the Razorwhips close on their tails. "Don't let them catch you, Minden. They'll attack your baby."

"I know, Snotlout." Minden turned and spiralled through the air to avoid spines shot by the male razorwhips. Snotlout and Minden surged forwards, the razorwhips hot on their tails. A spine embedded itself in Hookfang's side and the dragon roared, his whole body on fire.

"Hang on, Hookie!" Snotlout yanked the spine out and Hookfang grunted. "Just a bit further." Hiccup had set up a series of traps around the village. The riders lured the male Razorwhips into nets draped between buildings and snapper traps hanging off trees. Snotlout was being followed by a particularly large male who stopped before each trap. "Stupid dragon." Muttered Snotlout. He dived towards the boar pit and pulled up just in time for Hiccup and Astrid to throw a net over the Razorwhip. It lay still, snarling.

"Are you gonna train it now, or what, Hiccup?" Said Snotlout. "'Cos it looks like it's about to attack us."

"They've been trained before. They'll calm down as soon as we-" The dragon shot fire at Hiccup and he jumped backwards. "Anybody got any dragon nip?" Fishlegs dug in his pocket and pulled out a handful of nip. The Razorwhips calmed down as Hiccup held the grass out and allowed themselves to be trained.

"I'm impressed." Said Atali, "I had always thought that male razorwhips were untameable."

"Me too," Said Hiccup. "The question is, how did Viggo train them? I think we need to pay him a visit." The other riders nodded. It was time to get some answers.