Hiccup could see the afternoon sky and the withered trees manifesting from the blur when he unsealed his eyes. He could feel a sore pain in his head as consciousness coursed through his body. His first instinct was to check on Astrid who also underwent the same physical stress. Despite their dizziness, cuts, and bruises, the two ambled towards each other before locked in a loving embrace. Hiccup placed kisses around his wife's face before cupping her face with his hands.

"Hiccup, are you…"

"We're alright."

Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins were somewhat stunned and beaten up from the fall, but they nevertheless managed to return on their feet.

"Sweetie, you have cuts on your arms!" exclaimed Fishlegs when he examined Ruffnut's body.

"It's nothing dear," she assured him. "Scars will make us look stronger."

"Agreed, though I only got a bruise on my knee," Tuffnut complained when he showed said bruise. "People will barely notice it. Why can't I get cuts like you, sis?"

"Maybe because you fell the wrong way, Tuff. How about you go back up there and try again?"

The Twins' argument prompted Snotlout to sigh with exasperation as he walked towards Hiccup and Astrid.

"I guess we'll have to go hungry for another night, guys."

"We'll find something to eat Snotlout," Astrid said with guarantee while brushing the dust off her shoulders.

Hiccup surveyed his surroundings to see if everyone was accounted for. When he turned to his back, he noticed a trail of blood cascading from the cliff and towards a space behind a large rock. Curious and anxious, Hiccup walked towards the rock and gasped with horror at what he found.

"Guys!"

Hiccup's distress impelled others to rush to the place. All five of them too were shocked and horrified by what they see. Dalso was lying on the ground, drenched in blood from head to toe, and his lower right lung was jutting out from his chest. Hiccup and Astrid tried their best to stop the bleeding, but the reek and desperation gradually prevented them from doing so.

"Do not stop here… Hiccup."

Dalso frailly handed his bracelet of white seashells to Hiccup, and the latter in turn accepted it with reluctance. Tears started to drip from his green eyes as Dalso used his remaining strength to hold his hands.

"Find… the land… of Oros… Find our… lost Wenja… brothers… and… sisters…"

Dalso drew his last breath as his head slumped to the side and his hands slipped from Hiccup's. Hiccup clenched the bracelet as he closed his fallen comrade's eyes.

"Walk free."

Tears overtook the young chieftain as Astrid enfolded him in a sorrowful hug. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins could only lower their heads to respect and mourn their Wenja brother.


As the sun descended in the West, the group made a small grave of stones for Dalso. Hiccup placed the final stone as he wiped the sniffles from his nose. They then took a minute of silence before they exhaled their grief away. A distant roar that was all too familiar interrupted the mourning.

"Looks like he's not finished with us," said Tuffnut.

"But why? Surely the mammoth we killed for him and the Wenja he killed are more than enough for his belly," Snotlout commented as his stomach emitted a trifling rumble. "And my belly is still tormenting me."

"If I have to guess? He wants to taste us," added Ruffnut as she stood close to her husband.

"What do we do, Chief?" asked Fishlegs.

Hiccup considered a proper answer for Fishlegs' question as he observed the surrounding environment. They've lost their spears and they were in a small valley that had alder trees, reeds, and slates scattered all over it. He looked to Astrid before he finalized his decision.

"We're going to need archery."

The group walked around the valley to find resources they would need. They managed to collect flints from slates, reeds, and wood from the alder trees. Hiccup was the first to craft a bow and its arrows as the others copied his actions and achieved the same results. The group then tested the strength of their bowstrings and were certain that they would never break.

"So what should we do now?" asked Tuffnut.

Astrid raised her fist and everyone felt silent. The only noises they would hear are the wind, the distant cawing of ravens, and faint bleats coming from behind a rocky hill in the West. She led the others over the hill and crouched when they saw at least a dozen bharals grazing in the field.

"Food," Snotlout whispered as he licked his hungry lips.

"Be patient Snotlout," advised Astrid. "We must be silent or we will lose our chance."

"Will one bharal be enough for all of us?" Ruffnut asked.

"Someone's getting gluttonous." Tuffnut's jeer was countered with an elbow to his shoulder, which caused him to groan with quiet displeasure.

"We could kill three, with one for the two of us."

"Great strategy, Fishlegs."

Fishlegs smiled with pride when Hiccup approved his plan. With that said, the six hunters nocked their arrows before drawing and aiming them at their intended bharals. In unison, the arrows loosed and hit their marks. Three bharals almost immediately dropped dead when the arrows pierced their skulls, necks, and spines. The rest flee from the valley by running up the cliffs. The group cheered at their success and ran to their kills so that they could use their knives to harvest meat, skin, bones, fat, and hide that they would need later. Hiccup looked up to see that only two-third of the sun was still available.

"We're losing daylight guys. We should find a place for the night."

"Found it!"

Snotlout pointed his finger at a massive cave in the West that should make a perfect hideout for the group. When all six of them filled their bags with everything they needed, they entered the cave and created a campfire for warmth and to cook their meat. All six of them ate their dinner heartily and made sure that their bellies would never starve again.


The absence of the sun allowed the moon and the stars to illuminate the cool night. Snores serenaded the campfire of the cave. Fishlegs huddled the Twins in each of his arms while Snotlout tried to find warmth by hugging Tuffnut. The roughness of the floor brought discomfort to Astrid as she feebly opened her eyes before stretching her arms and yawned. With her vision clearing up, she saw that everyone was still asleep, except for her husband who was sitting at the cave's entrance with solitude. Naturally, she walked up to him and sat by his side. Her presence brought a smile to his face.

"You're okay, Hiccup?"

Her question merely made him sigh.

"I'm managing, milady."

Hiccup knew that judging by the look Astrid gave him, she would want a more elaborate answer. He then fixed his eyes on the stars above.

"I promised Dalso that I would get him to Oros and reunite him with his tribe. I have failed him."

"Hiccup…"

"I know, it's not my fault. But his spirit is free now, and I made a new promise to find the Wenja and help them in any way we can."

Astrid beamed at Hiccup's optimism and leaned her head on his shoulder. He reciprocated by resting his head on hers. For a while, it was a peaceful silence.

"Ow!"

Snotlout's abrupt yelp startled Hiccup and Astrid. The others were also awakened and held Snotlout to calm him down.

"Snotlout, what are you doing? It is still sleeping time!"

"Well excuse me, Ruffy, but it would still be sleeping time for me too if you hadn't placed this arrow carelessly!"

"What do you mean? I placed all of my arrows in my quiver!"

Astrid peered her eyes at the arrow Snotlout was holding and noticed something about it. Ignoring the argument, she walked up to Snotlout and snatched the arrow from him.

"Astrid, I'm trying to make a point…"

"Shhh!"

Astrid's shush was all it took to silence Snotlout as she examined the arrow closely. Everyone else could only look on with confusion.

"This arrow, I can tell it's older and too tattered to be ours."

"What?" probed Tuffnut.

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs asked.

"I know the age of a weapon when I see it."

Astrid passed the arrow to Hiccup, and he also felt the coarseness in its texture, along with the completely dry blood that smeared its head.

"Someone else used this cave before we did," he said. "If I have to guess…"

"The Wenja that traveled to Oros." Astrid's guess brought a surge of hope in everyone. Hiccup's eyes then locked onto something engraved in a slab of stone in the cave. He dropped the arrow to examine his new finding. Upon touching it, he realized that much of the stone was covered in dust and decided to blow it all away. Within seconds, the rock revealed the painting of a mammoth. Elation began to overwhelm Hiccup and made him laugh with joy.

"We're on the right path!"

Everyone cheered and jumped at the revelation. They had come so far and would not waste a moment in getting to Oros. Hiccup and Astrid shared a brief kiss on the lips before melting in an embrace. When the celebration died down, a series of deep pants and growls could be heard from the other end of the cave. Everyone grew silent and armed themselves with their bows to prepare for the worst. They noticed that a wall of vines obstructed the cave's other entrance, but the gaps were enough for them to see the great bear standing on the precipice of a cliff. The beast looked around and sniffed the air for a scent, which prompted the group to use the cave as cover. Fishlegs felt something irritating his nose and would have sneezed their positions away if the Twins had not placed their hands over his face. The bear did not see or smell anything too peculiar and its departure gave the humans the relieving break they needed.

"Chief, I think it's for the best if we leave this place now."

"Agreed."

"Seconded."

"Right behind you Ruff."

Hiccup and Astrid nodded to each other before he looked at his bow and quiver of arrows, as well as the wall of vines before him.

"We can't waste our arrows, so we'll need something bigger and sturdier."

Without wasting a second, the group used the alder wood and the slate flints they possessed to craft clubs. Hiccup light his club on fire before he set the vines ablaze. Fifteen seconds was all it took for the wall to be seared down, allowing the group to exit the cave and into a moderately sized ravine. With his flaming club in hand, Hiccup led his companions on the path to Oros.

For one minute the group followed Hiccup until they came across a ledge with a rather large drop off to the bottom.

"It's too tall," said Astrid. "We might hurt ourselves upon landing."

"And it's too steep for us to hold onto," Fishlegs added.

"How about these vines here?"

Ruffnut was at the right corner of the ledge when she saw a vine that crept straight down to the bottom.

"Nice finding sis," praised Tuffnut.

"You have the vision of an eagle."

Fishlegs' comment made Ruffnut blush for a moment. Hiccup was the first to climb down the vines, with Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut following after. Snotlout looked around when he saw a mildly scorched area on his left. He knelt and felt the temperature when he placed his hand on the ash.

"It's quite warm," he informed his group. "Which means…"

"Someone was here," finished Hiccup. "Could be a Wenja."

When he placed the torch closer to the ground, he noticed dried blood along with two types of footprints circling on the ground.

"Human and wolf. There was a fight."

The chieftain then realized the tracks were going down the ravine, and it might be the best for them to follow the trail. The flames nearly burned half of his torch so they needed to move quickly. The group was so focused on the tracks that they nearly jumped when the body of a wolf came to the light.

"No need to worry," Astrid told the others. "It's already dead. The Wenja must have killed it."

Howls could then be heard through the ravine, prompting Astrid, Snotlout, and Tuffnut to prepare their bows and arrows. Three pairs of yellow eyes were glinting in the distance, and the group knew that wolves were more aggressive at night. Without hesitation, the trio fired their arrows and shut the eyes permanently.

"Direct hit!" exclaimed Tuffnut.

The group walked to the area and saw the wolves had an arrow protruding from their head. They quickly harvested the parts they needed and followed the human tracks that led straight onto the ledge of a cavernous tunnel. Hiccup continued to lead the way and more than half of his torch were charred. He then saw an extinguished campfire up ahead, a clue worth investigating.

"It's warmer than the one before."

"So the Wenja is close," added Astrid.

"Hopefully not too close." Fishlegs' nervousness was met with baffled looks of his companions. "I mean, how do we know if this Wenja won't attack us on sight?"

"Because we have been accepted to their tribe, Fishy," answered Snotlout. "We're all wearing the whiteshell bracelets."

"What if it's not that simple? What if the Wenja of Oros think we stole the bracelets? What if…"

Fishlegs' rambling ceased when Ruffnut held onto his arm and caressed his face with a soothing hush.

"It's okay darling. We'll find our way around it. Take a deep breath and let your problems go away."

Fishlegs heeded to his wife's instruction and felt more relaxed than he was before.

"Thanks love. I needed it."

Fishlegs gave Ruffnut an affectionate kiss and regained his composure. Seconds later, the group came across another ledge that led straight to a pool of water. Since it was the only path, all six of them jumped to the pool. The water snuffed the fire on Hiccup's torch, allowing darkness to overtake the cave as the group head for shore.

"Well, at least we have our bath," Ruffnut remarked.

"A waterfall would be nice," jabbed Tuffnut.

Hiccup noticed that the flames had blackened most of his wet club. With its purpose fulfilled, he tossed it to the pool.

"I got it."

Astrid brandished her club from her belt, set it alight with animal fat before giving it to the grateful Hiccup. The journey through the tunnel continued when they came across another extinguished campfire.

"This is the warmest," Hiccup noted. "We're getting close."

With all sorts of emotions in their minds, the group picked up the pace. Their presence forced a pair of rats to scurry into their holes. The ceiling of the tunnel was shrinking, inciting the humans to crouch. It did not take long for them to come across another ledge with water flowing down the rest of the path.

"Here we go again," said Snotlout.

One by one, the group dove down and swam their way through. The walls between them became narrower until a greater opening presented itself. Before them was a cave with a shaft of sunlight piercing through the roof along with a ledge for them to scale. Hiccup was the first to climb up and saw a dead human with his ears cut off. The others caught up and they all peeked around before witnessing a young woman with cloth made of skin seemingly looting several other human bodies in the cave. Astrid was the one who gave away their positions when her foot almost slipped off the floor. To the woman, the sudden appearance of six strangers was alarming and brandished her knife in their direction.

"It's okay!" Hiccup assured her as he climbed up the ledge and showed his unarmed hands. "We're not here to harm you."

The woman, however, growled at him. She was not convinced and stood upright to look larger and more intimidating. Hiccup's five companions soon joined their leader and planned to use their weapons if negotiation turned awry. Astrid had her eyes fixed on the woman until she saw something at the cave's entrance.

"Uhh, guys…"

The others soon perceived what Astrid was suggesting and armed themselves with bows and arrows. Hiccup grabbed the woman's torch on the ground and the latter was about to attack when a shadow loomed behind her. Just as she turned, the giant bear that Hiccup's group encountered roared and scratched the woman's back with its claws. The woman screamed as she fell on her chest and she would be dead if Hiccup had not used the torch to ward off the bear. The bear backed away but was too stubborn to run from the fight. Arrows bounced when they hit the bear's hide, and options were limited until Fishlegs spotted a crevice to his right.

"Through here!"

The woman followed Fishlegs' cue and head straight for the crevice. Hiccup continued to wave his torch at the bear as the others ran into the crevice for safety.

"Hiccup! Come on!"

Astrid's encouragement motivated Hiccup to slowly made his way to the crevice. The bear had its adversary cornered and when Hiccup jumped to the crevice, it charged and crashed onto the entrance. Its vast bulk prevented it from chasing down the humans. Frustrated, the bear tried to use its paws to further its reach. The futile attempt made the bear roar with anger and walked away. Hiccup and his group were able to relax, knowing that they were truly safe.

"Yeah! You might want to try losing weight next time, Scarface!"

"Ooh, that's a good name for such grizzled bear, brother."

"Always a pleasure, sister."

Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout quietly chuckled at the Twins' banter, though Hiccup was more concerned about the woman who was in the shadows in front of them.

"Follow me, this way."

The group was surprised to hear the woman speak for the first time. It seemed that saving her life was the only requirement to gain her trust.

The woman led the group through the dark and narrow path until the sun shone the way. Upon exiting the crevice, Hiccup and his group were astounded at the sight before them. An expansive and fertile valley teeming with flora and fauna. With mountains in the North, forests in the middle, and marshes in the South, there was no need for them to speculate. They all knew.

"Oros."

Hiccup could feel a great burden slowly lifted from his body. He was about to keep the promise he made to Dalso. A gasp goaded all six of them to look back at the woman who appeared to be praying to her hands. When she was done, she realized that the six strangers were all wearing bracelets made of whiteshells.

"You are Wenja."

The woman walked up to the strangers to examine the bracelets and compared them with hers. The daylight and more placid condition allowed the group to gain a clearer look at the woman. She was around their age with olive skin, brown hair, a circular tattoo on her forehead, an armband of reeds and clams, as well as a necklace decorated with ears.

"Yes, we pretty much are," Hiccup said as he began his introduction awkwardly. "I'm Hiccup, and these are Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut."

The woman was greeted with smiles and hand waves from the strangers. Since they have given their names, it would be appropriate for her to do the same.

"Sayla."

"Why were you in that bear's cave, Sayla?" asked Astrid.

"The bear killed Udam," was Sayla's answer. "I need Udam ears."

Fishlegs and Snotlout winced at the 'ears' part. She already had a necklace full of them. Why would she need more? Sayla then picked up the ears from her bag and showed them to her new acquaintances. The Twins were the only ones who were awed by the up-close sight of blood and rotting flesh.

"Were you, all alone?"

Despite the question from Hiccup, Sayla chose to remain silent and placed the ears back in her bag. She then decided to change the discussion to something, simpler.

"I have shelter. As well as food. I can show you."

The group could feel an aura of uneasiness when Sayla made the offer. Initially, they were quite unsure to trust someone they just met. But Sayla had not done anything that would truly harm them and perhaps it was for the best to follow her into the valley of Oros.

"Come on!"