Appetite For Destruction:
Previously―
Tunnel Vision: "A Whispering Death egg", Toothless growled in answer baring his teeth.
... ... ...
[There was] a crate sitting on the ground as well. "That's the Outcast crest", Hiccup realized slipping back to Norse.
... ... ...
Fright of Passage: …The purpose she created finished. So what was her purpose now? She didn't know. She wasn't even sure what she liked. Fighting was fun and all, but she knew she wasn't a soldier. Not like Aric. As she thought about it, she began to realize she didn't really have an identity. Just who was she? Hiccup had her dragons, Fishlegs had his books, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were just stupid troublemakers, and Snotlout… well she wasn't sure about him, but still, what did she like?
... ... ...
Worst in Show: "I'm fine", Astrid denied at first wanting to focus on him, but then remembered she did initially come to him for advice. "I just… I'm just a little lost right now, is all", she leaned on the desk. "I don't really know who I am, you know? I'm not really sure I ever knew..."
"...But, you have so much that makes you who you are", [Fishlegs] told her. "You're smart, brave, crazy― in a good way", Fishlegs quickly added when he saw her eye brow raise, her eyes trained on him. "You're extremely skilled in combat, and you're a basically a master of stunts and acrobatics...
Astrid smirked...That's when it hit her, her eyes popping.
... ... ...
"Well, as cool as ramming two dragons' heads together is, Striker is the true star here", Astrid voiced as she entered the academy confidently, everyone's attention steered towards her.
"Looks like someone's back to her old self", Aric mused.
"Yep."
... ... ...
Tunnel Vision: An earthquake seemed to shake the earth, vibrations carrying into the air they hovered in. [Hiccup's] questions were about to be answered it seemed.
"What…is…that…?" Fishlegs warily asked.
Their answer was given in the form of a giant white scaled, red eyed Whispering Death like dragon at least five times larger than any of the others.
... ... ...
"Whispering Death hatchlings are known to return to their birth place, and claim it as their own..."
"So, what exactly are you saying?" [Aric] asked becoming serious himself.
"I'm saying I don't think we've seen the last of the Screaming Death."
At last, Hiccup and Aric made it to Sorrow Island, an island teeming with wild Nadders. Tossing a bag, Hiccup tagged a Deadly Nadder's back with yellow paint, spooking it off.
"Okay, these Nadders get tagged yellow. That's how we know they belong on Sorrow Island", she reminded to Aric. She still thought Sorrow Island should be blue, but this was Fishlegs' plan, and he had been very insistent on his color choices.
"Like this?!" Aric exclaimed, before throwing two at once, hitting two Nadders flying by in the back. Two more Nadders then came across his and Shadowstar's path, and one after the other he again hit his targets.
"Feel free to join in anytime", Aric teased. Another Nadder caught his sights, but this time when he threw the paint bag, the Nadder swerved away at the last moment.
"Okay", Hiccup decided, and Toothless jumped from the sea stack they'd been perched on.
"Ugh", Aric grunted when the two swerved right over him.
"How 'bout now?!" Hiccup shouted back as she and Toothless flew on ahead, chasing the Nadder Aric had missed.
The Nadder weaved through sea stacks away from them, but he couldn't evade them forever. Unstrapping her shield from Toothless, they sped passed him, catching the dragon by surprise when he suddenly saw them in front of him.
"I just preened my scales!" he squawked, but before the Nadder could stop or turn, Hiccup's shield shifted into it's crossbow function and the paint bag hit him square in the chest.
"It's for a good cause!" Hiccup roared in consolance as the Nadder flew away upset.
"Alright", Aric said in defeat as Shadowstar caught up to them. "I have to admit, the shield is pretty cool."
"Why thank you, I quite like it too", Hiccup replied dramatically with a bow. "Can you take the rest from here? I'm gonna go check on the twins", she then said seriously, hooking her shield onto Toothless. "They're supposed to be marking the Crescent Island dragons."
"I'm sure that's going really well", Aric stated dryly, just before Hiccup and Toothless sped off.
000
"What do you think, bud? On a scale of one to ten how far did the twins get?" Hiccup asked as she and Toothless made their way. Crescent Island wasn't too far from Sorrow Island, but it was at least a good half hour by dragon back.
"What are those numbers called that go below zero again?"
"Negative numbers."
"Yeah. One of those."
Hiccup shook her head. While the twins might have been two knuckleheads they knew how to follow directions. Well, sometimes. When they arrived, however, it didn't really surprise either Hiccup or Toothless that the twins decided to mark each other instead of the dragons. They landed, and Hiccup found herself spectating a paint dodging match.
"Guys!" she exclaimed, the two throwing purple paint at her, and Hiccup effectively dodging to the right, two purple tags now marking a rock. "You're supposed to be tagging the dragons. Not each other."
"You know, if you think it through, Hiccup, this is pretty much your fault", Tuffnut accused covered in purple paint.
"How do you figure that?" Hiccup coolly said crossing her arms.
"Uh, hello? You armed us with paint; where'd you think that was gonna go?" Ruffnut said as if obvious, just as much covered in paint as her brother. "And we're the stupid ones."
"How many of these do we have to do anyway?" Tuffnut asked.
"As many as we can", Hiccup said. "The more dragons we tag the better we can keep track of where they belong and where they may migrate to. We went over all this at the meeting."
"Yeah. That was… uh…" Ruffnut started.
"Fascinating?" Hiccup filled in.
"What's the opposite of fascinating." Tuffnut asked.
"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice suddenly rang, her and Stormfly flying in. "Just so you know, if I'm paired with Snotlout one more time, he might not make it back", she threatened as she landed atop the rock the twins previously tagged purple.
"Noted", Hiccup stated looking up at her.
"Hey, isn't it supposed to be one dragon color per island?" Astrid suddenly asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Because I see two colors down there", she pointed, a green marked Gronckle eating beside a purple marked Gronckle. "Did someone use the wrong one?"
"I don't think so? I'm sure I gave one color to each group. Unless", Hiccup turned accusingly at the twins.
"Hey, don't look at us", Tuffnut defended. "If we had green paint, you know where it would be."
"He has a point", Toothless rumbled.
"Well, I better ask Fishlegs; this was his idea", Hiccup said.
"You're gonna fly all the way back to Berk." Astrid questioned.
"Nope. I don't have to", Hiccup answered. She reached into her satchel attached to Toothless' saddle bag, and took out charcoal and paper.
"What's she talking about?" Ruffnut asked as Hiccup began writing.
"She must have some of that magic paper we've been looking for", Tuffnut accused.
"She always gets the good stuff", Ruffnut crossed her arms.
"It's not magic paper", Hiccup chuckled. "Fishlegs and I have been working on something new." Finishing her letter, she bent back down into another bag attached to Toothless. "We call it…" She picked up her green Terrible Terror, Sharpshot. "…Air Mail."
"Finally!", Sharpshot chirped excitedly. He'd been waiting all day to put the idea into practice.
"Stupid name", Tuffnut commented.
"Right?" Ruffnut agreed.
"Do you really think that Terrible Terror's gonna fly all the way to Berk?" Astrid asked, still clearly unconvinced.
"Yep", Hiccup answered as she tried to tie her letter to her fidgety Terror. "And right to the academy.
"How's it feel?" Toothless asked.
"Not moving!" Sharpshot happily reported shaking his leg.
Hiccup giggled at his excitement. "Terrors are especially territorial", she rubbed his chin, "so its a natural instinct for them to return to their home from where ever they get released." Climbing across her arm, to her shoulder, and onto her head, Sharpshot then leaped into the air starting on his way.
"And how will we know if he made it?" Astrid asked.
"When Fishlegs and Snotlout meet us at Dragon Island", Hiccup confidently answered, mounting Toothless.
"Heh, if that happens, I'll kiss Snotlout on the lips", Astrid bet, but she soon would regret those words, for when they arrived to Dragon Island with Aric, both Fishlegs and Snotlout were there, Sharpshot in Fishlegs' care.
"Why, would you look at that", Hiccup exaggerated. "Fishlegs, and Snotlout. Both right here on Dragon Island."
"Astrid was just talking about you", Aric chimed in, filled in on the bet.
"Hmhm, of course she was", Snotlout chuckled.
Hiccup then looked up at Astrid, teasing her further with a kissy face, much to Astrid's annoyance. They each dismounted their dragons, and Astrid gave them both a death glare.
"Say it, and those will be the last words either one of you speak", she warned.
They decided not to test it.
"Hiccup", Fishlegs interrupted the moment. "I got your message. I knew Air Mail would work!"
"I'm a star!" Sharpshot chimed in, hopping from Fishlegs' shoulder to his arm.
"So what's the emergency?" Fishlegs continued.
"We've been seeing dragons painted green on Crescent Island", Hiccup reported.
"That's your emergency", Snotlout stated in disbelief. "I was in the middle of something very important."
"You were sound asleep", Fishlegs called him out.
"Beauty rest. You think this just happens?"
Hiccup, Astrid, Aric, and Fishlegs all just stared at him deadpanned.
"Especially after all that work I did tagging dragons", he continued.
"You mean the work I did?" Astrid scowled.
"You did, I did, what's the difference? We tagged those dragons together babe."
"Ugh!" Astrid lunged forward.
"Whoa", Aric swiftly caught before she even took a step. "Why don't you go over there, and… practice", he suggested, and Astrid complied stepping aside into handstand push-ups.
As she did that, Hiccup returned to the task at hand. "Fishlegs, does it make any sense that those dragons would be there?"
"No, they shouldn't be", Fishlegs said before walking to a map that laid on a flat rock. "Crescent Island is clearly marked as purple."
"That's what I thought."
"So what were the green dragons doing there?" Aric asked.
"First of all, it's not green; it's pistachio. They belong on Tall Tree Island", Fishlegs directed. "That's where I tagged them."
"Yeah. Well, your pistachio dragons aren't where they're supposed to be."
"Huh, that's weird…" Fishlegs' eyes then traveled upwards. "Uh, what's Astrid doing?"
Aric and Hiccup both turned back to see Astrid doing front and back walkovers.
"Her new hobby", Aric answered, his voice anything but amused. "She figured being an entertainer was her new 'calling'. More like a distraction", he finished in a mutter.
"Okay, we need to check this out", Hiccup said. "The…dragon situation", she clarified; they could deal with Astrid and…whatever it was she was going through later. "Let's check out Tall Tree Island."
"Hup!" Astrid voiced getting to her feet. "Sounds like a plan", she said, hands on her hips, looking much calmer.
"Yeah", Snotlout joined. "I was wondering what I was gonna do the rest of my day."
No one asked him to come, but they all shrugged it off. The more the merrier. It wasn't like they could stop him anyway.
They mounted their dragons and all set on their way, but not even a minute later Snotlout shouted, "See you back on Berk, suckers!" and left.
Hiccup shook her head.
000
"I don't understand", Hiccup wondered confused. "We should be there by now." It was hours later, dusk creeping up, but there was still only ocean, and more ocean, ahead of them.
"Maybe we're off course", Astrid guessed.
"I don't do off course, Astrid", Fishlegs countered. "According to my map it should be right…uh…" he faltered looking up from his map and seeing no land in sight.
"You were saying?" Aric smirked.
"Even if we were off course, we'd still be able to see it from here", Hiccup reasoned.
"Well an island can't just disappear", Aric said.
"Earthquake maybe?" Fishlegs guessed.
"Volcano?" Hiccup wondered.
"Wrath of Thor? Wrath of Odin?" Astrid called out as well, but her answer had everyone looking at her odd. "What? It's possible", she defended.
"Did you fall on your head again?" Aric asked her.
"Wha―?! No", Astrid answered offended.
"Look out!" Hiccup suddenly exclaimed, three Monstrous Nightmares flying straight at them in a panic. Everyone swerved and ducked away, looking back confused to the dragons.
"Orange?!" Aric questioned.
"Burnt apricot actually", Fishlegs corrected.
"What island are they from?" Aric asked.
"Sunstone Island", Astrid answered. "That's the island Snotlout and I tagged this morning."
"Ahh… Sunstone Island", Fishlegs sighed. "Pristine beaches; avertable smorgasbord of fine mineral deposits for Meatlug…"
"Sunstone Island it is", Hiccup said.
000
They arrived to the island the next day, but Fishlegs couldn't help but notice the island wasn't how he remembered it.
"Huh. I thought it was bigger", he said, the island only big enough for Meatlug to stand on, Toothless, Shadowstar, and Stormfly all left to hang off the sides.
"It was", Astrid said not understanding how it shrunk.
"I-I have to say, the beaches are a bit of a disappointment", Hiccup chimed, Toothless nearly losing his grip on the rock.
"One island is missing, and one island has been sunk…" Fishlegs thought aloud.
"I guess an entire island can disappear", Aric said.
"Well if― if the islands are gone, where do the dragons go?" Fishlegs asked.
"Good question", Hiccup said. "Dragons live in specific places for specific reasons."
"The food they eat, where they nest…"
"If they lose their homes, it could endanger their whole species", Astrid realized.
"We need to figure out what's going on. Now", Hiccup said urgently. "Lets head back to Dragon Island."
"If it's still there", Aric said.
000
On Dragon Island's beach, dragons were absolutely everywhere. It was as if they were coming in droves.
"Look at them all", Hiccup awed.
"Check their colors", Astrid advised.
"I-I-I see pistachio, b-burnt apricot…" Fishlegs listed.
"Look!" Aric exclaimed. "A new color; red."
"Technically, that's vermilion."
"Ugh", Aric glared back at him, becoming increasingly annoyed with his corrections.
"What?! It is!" Fishlegs defended.
"Dragons from three separate islands somehow here", Hiccup thought aloud directing at the color coded map. "Look", she took out her pencil. "This forms a line, which means there's more islands in danger; Boarhead Island, Thor Rock Island…" she connected the islands into a line that went north. "Toothless, we're going back out."
"I'm coming with you", Aric ran after Hiccup to Shadowstar. "This could get dangerous."
"What makes you think that?" Hiccup asked mounting Toothless.
"Oh, I don't know? Islands disappearing mysteriously, dragons fleeing in terror… Call it a hunch."
"Fine", Hiccup conceded. "Fishlegs, Astrid, you guys stay here in case anymore dragons show up."
"Got it", Fishlegs said confidently. "New dragons."
"We're on the case", Astrid stated.
With that, Hiccup and Aric flew to Boarhead Island. Or, attempted to. When they got there, it was just ocean.
"Boarhead should be down there", Hiccup wondered searching.
"It's gone too", Aric concluded in disbelief. "Now what?"
Hiccup didn't answer; instead she flew ahead. When they arrived to Thor rock, it was the same as Sunstone Island. Jagged rocks still surfaced, but the island was sunk.
"Whoa... Look at what's left of Thor Rock", Aric looked on, a bit of fear in his eyes. "You know, maybe Astrid's wrath of gods theory isn't so crazy after all."
Hiccup didn't look convinced. "Let's get a closer look, bud", she told Toothless, and they dove closer to the mostly sunken island. Aric and Shadowstar followed, coming upon huge holes in the ground that were almost everywhere. "These markings look…familiar, but…different somehow", Hiccup noted looking at the several holes that coated the earth.
"Different how?" Aric asked having a bad feeling.
"Different…bigger."
The earth then suddenly shook. Were massive earthquakes destroying the islands? No. It wasn't an earthquake; earthquakes didn't make sounds.
"That sounds like―" Aric started, but never finished as the massive white dragon suddenly dug out from under the earth, towering over them with its blood red gaze.
"THE SCREAMING DEATH!" Hiccup finished for him.
000
"GO AWAAAAYYY!" the dragon screamed at them, anxiety and anger in his tone. The two riders' eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Ha-ha…Someone's been eating their vegetables", Hiccup commented at the very obviously growing youngling.
"And everything else in sight!" Aric added.
The Screaming Death then burrowed back underground. It gave them a reprieve, but they both knew it wouldn't be for long.
"The Screaming Death has been destroying all the islands", Hiccup said. "It must be tunneling underneath and causing them to collapse in on themselves."
"But why would it do that?" Aric questioned.
"I don't know", Hiccup confessed. "Lets get a closer look", she said, when Aric gave her that stare whenever she suggested something crazy.
"You wanted dangerous", she shrugged.
They began to fly in closer, when the Screaming Death flew out from the ground behind them, Shadowstar swerving out of the way, but Hiccup still in it's line of sight.
"Hiccup!" Aric yelled, and Hiccup and Toothless turned around face to face with the giant dragon.
"Easy, bud", Hiccup placated Toothless. "Maybe he wants to be friends?"
The dragon growled 'anger', a look of death in his eyes.
"Or maybe not", Hiccup's ears pinned down.
Hiccup tugged on the reigns, Toothless turning around as fast as possible, when the Screaming Death fired behind them. Swerving around a stone pillar, the blast missed them and destroyed it, but the Screaming Death was chasing them, gaining on their tail.
"Hey!" Aric shouted, before suddenly throwing a bag of green paint at the Screaming Death, distracting the dragon as Hiccup and Toothless escaped. He threw an onslaught at the dragon, hitting his eyes as he screamed in pain from it. "Hope you like pistachio!" he exclaimed, and with the dragon blinded, they flew away and escaped.
As they flew back to Dragon Island Aric turned to Hiccup. "How's that for accuracy?" he boasted, and Hiccup gave him a smirk.
When they returned to Dragon Island, there were even more dragons than before, and Fishlegs was freaking out, running straight up to them as she and Aric landed.
"Periwinkle blue! There are now periwinkle blue marked dragons here!"
"I know", she told him. "Boarhead Island."
"Hiccup!" Astrid ran up. "We spotted two colors. Blue―
"Periwinkle blue", Fishlegs corrected.
Astrid gave him a look. "And white―"
"Eggshell white", Fishlegs corrected again.
"Come on, Astrid. Get it right", Aric teased her.
"Eggshell white..." Astrid gave a sideways glare. "...just arrived."
"From Thor Rock Island", Hiccup said.
"What happened to them?!" Fishlegs asked.
"The same thing that happened to all the other islands", Hiccup told him unrolling the map onto a flat rock. "The Screaming Death", she said crossing off the islands that were destroyed.
Astrid and Fishlegs gasped.
"The Screaming Death is back?" Fishlegs asked worriedly.
"I don't think it ever really left", Hiccup told them.
"Yeah. And it just got bigger, and nastier", Aric elaborated.
"Uh… How much bigger?" Fishlegs squeaked.
"Chomp, chomp, there goes your island big", Aric said, dirt and pebbles crumbling out from his hand as visual representation.
Fishlegs gulped.
"Its just as I thought", Hiccup steered the conversation. She began circling islands. "The Screaming Death is following an imaginary line destroying anything in his path", she drew a line through the islands, the arrow leading to Dragon Island.
"It's coming right at us", Astrid said.
"That's not even the worst part", Hiccup said, before drawing the rest of the line to Berk.
"It's headed straight to Berk", Aric said with wide eyes.
"We have to get back to Berk a-and warn Stoick", Fishlegs panicked.
"No", Hiccup said firmly. "We head it off; we make our stand here. There's no other land between here and Berk."
"What?! No way! Hiccup, did you see the size of that thing?!" Aric protested.
"Look, I'm all about danger", Astrid chimed in. "But if that thing is big enough to destroy an entire island, let alone freak out my brother―"
Aric punched her shoulder.
"Ow!" Astrid shouted. "Who am I? Hiccup?" she asked sarcastically before turning back to Hiccup. "All I'm saying is, how are we gonna stop that thing?"
"It's not gonna be just us", Hiccup said, motioning Toothless towards her. "We're sending for reinforcements." Taking out a piece of paper, she started writing.
"Snotlout and the Twins?" Aric questioned. "Yeah, I feel so much better", he sarcastically stated.
"We're gonna need all the help we can get", Hiccup told him. Then, tying the letter to Sharpshot's leg, she sent him off.
000
With another mission for him, Sharpshot was let go again, another letter for Berk, but this one urgent.
"Hurry Sharpshot!" Hiccup called out to him.
"I won't fail you!" he chirped out, so excited that he was an emergency messenger now.
He flew to Berk as fast as possible, immediately going to the academy first. No one was there though; no Snotlout, or twins. He decided to look somewhere else for them, and after flying over the human nests, he spotted the twins on a tower roughhousing like two hatchlings. Landing on the tower he watched as the two rolled and stopped right in front of him. That's when they noticed his presence.
"Hi", he chirped. His eye felt dry and itchy, so then he flicked his tongue up to lick it. He stood there, waiting for when they'd take the note, but they didn't. They just stared back at him.
"Why is that Terrible Terror staring us down?" the boy twin asked slowly.
"Right? I thought it was just me", the girl twin said next.
"Come on; take the note!" Sharpshot squeaked at them.
"It's totally eyeballing us", the boy spoke again.
"What does it want?" the girl asked slowly.
"To give Hiccup's urgent note", Sharpshot stepped forward.
"Whatever its selling I'm not buying", the boy said, and then the two rolled and ran away.
"Hey wait!" he chased them. He would not fail his mission.
000
Hiccup searched through her spyglass for the twins and Snotlout, but she didn't see any sight of them.
'That's odd. They should have been here ages ago', she thought. Sharpshot couldn't have gotten distracted? No, his instincts would tell him to go straight to the academy. But then again, what if they weren't there. Could he have gotten distracted looking for them? Hiccup grew worried help wouldn't be coming.
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs called urgently, Astrid and Aric walking up beside him. "The yellow marked dragons from Sorrow Island just started showing up.
"Which means the Screaming Death is only one island away." Aric continued.
"Looks like help's not coming", Hiccup decided. "Alright", she looked down at the map before them. "We'll have to set up a defense here on Dragon Island with what we have."
"Maybe we should fall back and head for home", Astrid suggested. "At least there we have back up."
"We can't", Hiccup stressed. "If the Screaming Death destroys Dragon Island, all these dragons will overwhelm Berk."
"And… The Screaming Death won't be far behind", Fishlegs warned.
"Exactly."
"How soon 'till it gets here?" Astrid asked, when the Screaming Death's roar echoed the sky.
"Not long", Aric said.
Quick as lightning, Hiccup ran, took her shield, and stopped at Toothless' side. "Toothless and I will try and buy us some time", she said. "You guys join me up there when Snotlout and the twins get here."
"I'm going with you", Aric told her firmly.
"No, I need you here as a safety net in case the Screaming Death gets passed me. If he does you, Astrid, and Fishlegs are our last stand."
"We should be splitting in pairs of two", he argued.
"She clearly thinks having two capable riders here is more important than out there", Astrid defended Hiccup's stand.
"Hello? Man on a dragon, right here", Fishlegs voiced behind the two siblings.
"You know what I meant, Fishlegs", Astrid turned to him.
"I do", Fishlegs said hurt. "And I'd like to go on record in saying we don't appreciate it; do we girl."
"Not one bit", Meatlug agreed.
Aric sighed. "The point is, you can't face that thing on your own."
"I'm not on my own, Aric", Hiccup said, mounting Toothless. "I have Toothless." Then before he could argue with her any further, Hiccup and Toothless rushed off.
"I hate it when she does that."
000
As Snotlout strolled through town, his eyes caught sight of the strangest of sights. Well, maybe not that weird. There, up on a platform, the twins stood on top of one another, Ruffnut sitting on top of Tuffnut, still as a statue. Ruffnut sat with her arms out, while Tuffnut stood with a shield and dagger.
"What are you two mutton heads doing?" Snotlout asked as he stopped before them.
They glanced to the side towards him. "We're not mutton heads", Tuffnut said.
"Yeah, we're statues", Ruffnut said.
"I guess we could be mutton head statues?" Tuffnut suggested. The two followed by changing their facial expressions, extending their jaws down with a dumb look on their faces.
Snotlout face palmed. "No, I mean why are you―"
"Shh", Tuffnut interrupted. "It's right behind you", he whispered sounding scared, before returning to being a statue.
"Pretend we're not here", Ruffnut whispered, following suit.
Confused, Snotlout turned around, but what he found was about as scary as a puppy. A little green Terrible Terror was at his feet chirping up at him, and there was a rolled up parchment attached to his leg.
"Oh, cool. Air mail. Didn't think that would catch on", Snotlout mused, before bending down for the dragon.
"Air mail?" Tuffnut asked.
"Pfft, stupid name", Ruffnut said.
"Pfft, mutton heads", Snotlout muttered.
"Statues of mutton heads", Tuffnut corrected, before the two returned to playing statue.
Snotlout rolled his eyes, shaking his head, before reading the letter.
000
Toothless' plasma blast hit the face of the Screaming Death, the dragon roaring in intense anger. Their objective? To intercept and distract. At least long enough for Snotlout and the twins to finally get there.
"Well, we clearly got his attention, bud", Hiccup said. "Now lets play a little follow the leader, and see if he'll go for the shiny shield trick again."
"Right", Toothless exclaimed and turned around heading straight for the dragon head on.
Hiccup raised her shield in front of her, using the sun's reflection like she did last time, catching the dragon's eye. The Screaming Death readied to fire, but as soon as he did, balls of fire shooting out at them, Toothless swerved away. Now they had the Screaming Death following them, flying him away from Dragon Island.
"Huh, that was easy", Hiccup noted. Her eyes looked back, and out of the corner of her vision she noticed something off. The Screaming Death wordlessly roared and Hiccup did a double take, before seeing that the youngling had turned back around for Dragon Island. "Guess I…spoke too soon."
"As usual", Toothless teased as they sharply turned around.
"Hey!"
They chased for the Screaming Death once more, Hiccup bringing her shield up. "Toothless, get me in close." Steadily, they flew closer to the youngling, gliding right beside him. "Come on, big guy; you love shiny things!" Hiccup tried coaxing, reflecting light right into the Screaming Death's eye. It only resulted in a growl and the youngling flying away from her and Toothless. "Or, at least you used to?"
"Look out!" Toothless roared, but Hiccup reacted too slow, the Screaming Death's tail whacking them down. They shook it off, regaining their balance.
"Okay, so he's getting bigger, and smarter. Not the greatest combination", Hiccup worried.
000
Aric looked through a spyglass, searching left and right for signs of riders, but there was nothing but empty skies.
"Ugh!" he threw his hand with the spyglass down. "That's it. They're not coming."
"I knew we couldn't rely on that Terrible Terror mail", Astrid said leaping through some pillars of rocks, before finishing with 2 flips in the air, and landing. Aric glared in her direction, just about had it with this nonsense. "What are you doing?"
"Practicing my act? What's it look like?" Astrid said doing a one handed hand stand.
"Ergh, would you just quit it?!" he irritably shouted, Astrid falling on her butt. She glared up at him. "What is your problem?!"
"What's your problem?! Ever since we defeated the Flightmare, you've been acting weird, but now this?!"
"And what's so wrong about 'this'?!"
"You're not an entertainer, Astrid", Aric told her, putting air quotes over entertainer. "You're just a kid fooling around."
"Well I'm not a soldier either! I never was, Aric! Don't you get it? That isn't me."
"Well this isn't you either", Aric said sternly, but calmer. "Look, none of us know what's gonna happen in the future. But, you shouldn't have to worry about it", he pressed. "Let's just focus on the present, and take it one step at a time, okay? You don't have to figure out your "purpose in life" today."
000
Astrid's face softened, realizing that maybe she was being a little silly. After all, not even Hiccup was training to be chief yet, and she was the only one among them who really had a future set and clear. She thought back to why she started feeling lost in the first place. She thought she had no identity. But, maybe all along… she did. Hiccup had her dragons, Fishlegs had his books, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were still mutton headed troublemakers, Snotlout had...his muscles? And she had her tricks and stunts.
"Okay", she muttered in answer.
"Good", Aric nodded. "Cause right now, there's a giant white dragon coming straight for us, we have no back up, and I need you to focus", Aric said getting right back to business.
"You know, I bet that dragon probably doesn't even know which way Berk is", Astrid shook her head.
"Actually, that's where you're wrong", Fishlegs spoke, strolling up to them. "Like all dragons, Terrible Terrors have an excellent sense of direction, as well are they extremely―"
"Territorial", Astrid interrupted. "I know."
"Wait", Fishlegs suddenly sparked. "That's it! Astrid, you're a genius! I-I-I could kiss you on the lips right now!" he exclaimed grabbing and shaking her shoulders.
Aric snickered.
"Ugh!" Astrid growled, roughly shoving Fishlegs off. "No one is kissing me on the lips! Ever!"
The Screaming Death's roar echoed through the air, causing everyone to jump and look back seeing Hiccup and Toothless trying to slow it down with plasma blasts with very little avail.
"I've got an idea", Fishlegs said. "But I'm gonna need some time."
"Alright", Aric responded, before Fishlegs went off. "Astrid, I'm going to go out there and cover Hiccup's back", he said rushing over to Shadowstar and mounting her. "You go help Fishlegs with whatever idea he's got up in his head."
"Alright", Astrid told him, before the two separated into their pairs.
000
Plasma blast after plasma blast after plasma blast, Toothless shot, but it barely made a dent. They retreated for a small bit for Toothless to recharge, but then the Screaming Death screamed, evidently right behind them, disorienting them and their flight. Hiccup couldn't even attempt to get Toothless' flight straight, she was so out of focus.
Out of nowhere, however, a plasma blast shot at the Screaming Death saving Hiccup and Toothless before they were another snack to the dragon. Hiccup watched as Aric and Shadowstar battled with the Screaming Death before flying in the opposite direction of the island and taunting him, the dragon far too close to the island for comfort.
"Turn around, you over grown earthworm!" Aric shouted, and the Screaming Death grew furious, roaring out his anger before firing a barrage of fire balls that Shadowstar dodged.
That's when Hiccup noticed Fishlegs and Meatlug, and Astrid and Stormfly, beside her and Toothless charging for the Screaming Death.
"Guys! What are you doing?! I told you to wait for back up!" Hiccup shouted.
"Oh, we've got backup", Fishlegs said, and that's when Hiccup saw the swarms of Gronckles and Deadly Nadders all charging for the Screaming Death. "Meatlug, spew!"
"Stormfly, spine shot!" Astrid followed suit, and the swarms of dragons all let loose their lava blasts and spines. Gronckles then beat the Screaming Death with their tough bodies and bludgeon like tails one after the other, as Nadders fired their magnesium blasts. The Screaming Death was overwhelmed and roared out a ferocious warning to the dragons that wouldn't be heeded.
"An army of dragons was his plan?" Aric said coming to a hover beside Hiccup. "How'd did they even do that?" he wondered.
"Gronckles and Nadders are territorial too", Hiccup answered in awe. "They will defend their home at any cost. Great idea, Fishlegs!"
"I know, right?!" Fishlegs boasted. "Who's the safety net now?!"
"Hey, I helped too!" Astrid called for recognition, before sending a barrage of spines at the Screaming Death, Fishlegs and Meatlug then charging for a tail bludgeon hit to the face, two more Gronckles following suit. Having enough, the Screaming Death dived down, digging into the earth of Dragon Island.
"You see that? He ran away", Fishlegs said, but the earth now rumbled and shook with the Screaming Death's digging.
"Uh, not quite, Fishlegs", Hiccup said.
At any moment the Screaming Death would pop out again, but when he didn't, it turned wheels in Hiccup's head. Instead of sounding closer, it sounded like he was getting further away.
"Okay, riders", she turned to her friends, "Get as many wild dragons together as you can. Toothless and I will try to force the Screaming Death back to the surface."
With that, Hiccup and Toothless dove into the tunnel, the tunnels and caverns crumbling around them. Hiccup grew especially worried when she noticed water rising in one of the caverns, the walls and ceiling growing more and more unstable by the second.
"He's trying to sink the island from within", Hiccup realized.
"Why would he―?" Toothless started to ask, but just then the Screaming Death found them, flying into the cavern right ahead of their path.
"Toothless, look out!" Hiccup shrieked as the Screaming Death fired.
"I see!" Toothless roared as they sharply turned around, avoiding impact. The Screaming Death chased them through the tunnels, Toothless using his echolocation to navigate, but suddenly they came to a dead end, Toothless stopping just before they hit the pile of rocks blocking their path.
Hiccup looked up and thinking she saw a hole roared up her own echolocation shriek. "This way!" she said, and they flew up straight into the sky, leaving the Screaming Death to crash into the blockade.
"Hey", Tuffnut's voice rang. "We got your message", he said, Hiccup turning her head around to see Snotlout and the twins. It was about time.
"Well, one of us did", Snotlout said, and that pretty much summed up what happened. "Whoa!" Snotlout exclaimed in shock when the Screaming Death caught up in their chase. "Did that think get bigger?!" he asked.
"YEAH! And awesomer!" Tuffnut shouted in delight, before he and his sister went in with a fire ball of their own, sweeping in and out of the Screaming Death's chomping range.
"LEAVE ME ALLLOOOONNNE!" the dragon roared firing a barrage in retaliation.
That's when the cavalry joined.
"Alright, dragons!" Aric said, swarms of Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, and even Monstrous Nightmares behind him, Astrid, and Fishlegs. "Let's get territorial!" he exclaimed, and they charged. Blast after blast, shot after shot, they poured on attack after attack. The Screaming Death coiled, unable to escape the onslaught of angry dragons defending their homes. Pretty soon, he gave up, and at last retreated.
"I don't think the Screaming Death is gonna mess with Dragon Island anymore", Astrid said confidently.
Suddenly then, however, the earth shook with instability, hills and cliffs sinking.
"Yeah, but it's still sinking!" Hiccup exclaimed.
000
Astrid hoped someone would come up with something quick. A solution; a way to stop this. But nothing. Not even Fishlegs. Her eyes catching sight of him and Meatlug, then his group of Gronckles beside him, her eyes lit up.
"Fishlegs, lava blast!" Astrid yelled, and Fishlegs' eyes widened.
"Of course!" he exclaimed, and led his Gronckles to sealing up the cracks and sink holes of the ground with lava. As the lava cooled and hardened, the plan was clearly working, but the island was still unstably shaking.
"Something's wrong!" Hiccup called.
"I don't understand! I was sure to fill every hole! The island should be stable", Fishlegs exclaimed.
That's when Astrid saw one hole Fishlegs missed; a rather big one too, and the island was cracking apart. With no more time to waste, Astrid acted.
"Astrid, what—?" Aric started but never finished as Astrid vaulted off of Stormfly for a wild Gronckle that was closest to the missed hole. She somersaulted, jumped, and leaped over and through Nadders to get to the dragon; anything to get to it in the least amount of time. Faster than Stormfly could have maneuvered, Astrid was riding the wild Gronckle, and she hastily pulled it straight to the hole.
"Fire!" she yelled pointing down. The Gronckle understood and without hesitation fired out lava blasts into the hole, more Gronckles coming to help, until it was filled. The lava cooled, and finally, Dragon Island was stable once more. Dragons cheered at their new homes being saved, and flew back to their newfound territories, Dragon Island thankfully having everything any dragon would need for a proper habitat.
"I think it's over", Hiccup sighed. "Astrid, Fishlegs, you two were the heroes today", she told them thankfully.
"Oh, come on, you're making us blush", Fishlegs said.
"You're just saying that", Astrid said almost at the same time.
000
As soon as they got back to Berk, Hiccup decided to take a look through Bork's papers to see if she could find anything about the Screaming Death that could help them. As she did that, the riders waited for her report, following her as she walked and read, walking outside the academy to a cliff past the bridge.
"What?" Astrid asked, unnerved by Aric's smile at her.
"I'm just happy to have my older sister back. Completely back, right?" he checked.
"Yes. I promise. From here on out, I will stick to the present and live life as it is."
"Good. 'Cause I wasn't sure how many more opening speech practices I could take."
Astrid gave him a smirk, before Snotlout decided to push his way through the two siblings."Out of the way; fearsome Viking warrior coming through!" he boasted arrogantly.
"Fearsome?" Aric questioned crossed his arms.
"Warrior?" Astrid sassed placed her hands on her hips, eyebrows quirked up.
"Oh haha, joke all you want. But everybody saw how that Screaming Death turned tail and ran as soon as Hookfang and I showed up."
"Uh-huh, and all those wild dragons had nothing to do with it", Aric sarcastically said.
"Cor-rect", Snotlout answered.
"As long as we never have to see the Screaming Death again", Fishlegs chimed in. "It's giving Meatlug gas."
"Sure it's Meatlug having the gas?" Astrid sarcastically muttered to her brother. Not wanting to be part of this conversation anymore, however, Aric walked up to Hiccup who had stopped at the cliff's edge with her parchment.
"Hey. Did you find anything else on the Screaming Death?" he asked her.
"The good news is they only hatch one every hundred years or so", Hiccup told them.
"That's the good news?" he asked.
"What's the bad news?" Snotlout asked shoving Fishlegs over.
"Let me guess!" Tuffnut said. "What's it gonna be, huh? The end of the world?"
"Close", Hiccup said.
"Uh…I was kidding."
"The bad news is, it's still out there. And someday, he will come back to Berk."
Duh Duh Duh… Dramatic music…
Also, if you think Astrid's self discovery is finished, it isn't. It'll just be more in the background now, as she's completely back to her normal self.