SO SINCE I am attempting to go in order. There are scenes from S5 Ep7: Dawn of Destruction, including direct dialogue.

Gratuitous brutality was a demonstration that the Huntress always thought she appreciated. Since she was a child, her admiration for those who could execute their prey with creative methods garnered her favor. Over the years, marvel evolved into keen observation, advancing into imitation—sincerest form of flattery, no?

But there were no bouts of excitement here; no thrumming of her heart in anticipation for the climax or gush of reverence for the individuals involved. There was, however, a heap of captured dragons, unmoving on the ground, blasted out of the sky. Subdued in one hit.

Krogan's unorthodox capture of these dragons was instrumental to his plan. And Aqua nearly gagged when Viggo told her of his intention to form a temporary alliance. In fact, she'd nearly pitched herself overboard from the man's ship at the news. Although from his tone, the hunter didn't like it either.

Singetails. Several of them had been captured through Krogan's method of encasing them in the hard amber of a Deathsong. He distributed them to his men accordingly and set the wheels in motion to take Dragon's Edge. Of course, a lot of imperative steps to ensure the plan met with success had been outlined by Viggo. The mind and means had to go hand in hand.

The ship raced through the sea, bucking up and down on the swells, sending ocean spray up to the railing where Aquaria stood. At the fore railing, she placed her palms on the polished wood. Harsh winds tugged at her snowy hair and clothing. Sailing for most of the night, the crew now swarmed up the rigging, having spotted the island dotted on the horizon in the distance.

He was watching her again. Deep into her nerves, a sickening feeling took root and wrenched.

But it wasn't Krogan who moved to stand at her side near the bow. The huntress didn't turn her head, "Do you trust Krogan?" Her voice was even, spoken softly enough to keep the conversation private.

"It isn't a matter of trust." Almost annoyed that she wasn't keeping up with his tactics, he sharply arched a brow. Viggo's injuries had healed over, leaving an intertwining web of thick scarring over his face. "More along the lines of practicality." Weaponizing the resources at his disposal, regardless of who it was, would return the Dragon Eye to his possession. "Business, Aquaria." He clarified.

"We're coming up on their base!" A crewmember shouted in the distance. "Positions!" The rattle of chains and clamor of Singetail dragons filled the gray dawn. Each dragon boasted a set of four wings, which unfurled simultaneously when the fleet of them took flight. Thick, heavy restraints bound them to their riders, brutal in forcing their mount into submission.

It was different from what Hiccup and the Riders did. The effort channeled into befriending the beasts was instead a forceful submission to indentured servitude. At the moment, they were being used to assault the Edge, on account that Hiccup would never retaliate against an innocent dragon, risking harming it.

Aquaria hadn't seen the small dragon since the volcano incident, and truly prayed the distance between them would sever any modicum of affection she had for the little thing. But now, as the mounted hunters descended upon the Edge, ready to rain hellfire upon the base, she found herself… distracted.

"Finally." Viggo pivoted, pulling out a small, brass spyglass and held it to his working eye. Through the salt spattered lens, he saw one of the Rider's, who had raced to defend the base, plummet from the sky, thrown from his stout dragon. "Dragon Rider down. Southern forest." He heard Krogan's approach before turning to meet him. "That appears to be Ingerman." Passing the spyglass to Aqua, he observed as she frowned through its lens, pinpointing where he'd seen Fishlegs. She lowered the spyglass, this time folding it and handing it back to Viggo. "We can retrieve him, but take him alive. He knows more about dragons than almost anyone."

Krogan listened silently, hands resting on his hips, the red scales of his chest plate gleaming in the first morning light.

Dipping his chin with an imperious scoff, the man jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Not more than me." Almost directly offended, "Besides, all the more reason to finish him." A thought worked at the back of his mind, narrowing his amber eyes in the direction of the forest Viggo mentioned, "I'll take care of this." If you wanted the job done right, stick your hands in the pie and do it yourself, "You…" He paused, sparing a fleeting glance over his shoulder, "Do what we brought you here to do."

Aqua flinched.

"I don't take orders…" Viggo didn't even bother to hide the snarl, "From anyone." The man stopped walking, about-facing, his scowl from earlier returned.

"You'll do what I say, because it is my operation." Another furrow lined his brow.

"If memory serves, you came looking for me." Mayhaps he needed a reminder on the fact that Krogan sought out his assist, not the other way around. "Perhaps we should go back to the way things were." There was a brief silence to let the threat of termination settle in. And it was clear, Krogan wasn't pleased with the implication.

"Hmm." His voice rumbled, contemplative in his chest, "Alone, each of us, in our own right are, shall we say, dangerous." An ungloved hand clasped down on Viggo's spiked pauldron, drawing a quick flicker of disdain which dissolved into neutrality. "But together… think of the possibilities." Should they cooperate as equals, "We need each other, like it or not." He was met with silence.

There was far too much emphasis on the word need for his liking.

"I'll find this Ingerman and bring him in." He chuckled as he approached his roaring Singetail, its bright red scales rivaling the armor he adorned. Compromise on his part should have appeased the hunter, but his expression remained unreadable.

Krogan was in the air when the huntress tore her gaze away from the hail of fire blossoming on the edge. Plumes of black smoke rose from the scorched earth, billowing into the sky.

"Where do you think you're going?" She could have hitched a ride on one of the commandeered dragons, but instead was dropping her sled overboard.

"To make sure nothing goes wrong." It wasn't a lie, per se. Vaulting over the port side of the ship, Aquaria didn't hear anything else the hunter had to comment.

oOo

His heart still pounded against his chest, thrumming against his eardrums long after the mysterious rider had stopped directly pursuing him. They hadn't anticipated the attack on the Edge. With both Hiccup and Astrid gone, they were left at a sore disadvantage. Even worse, he had been separated from Meatlug. Another erratic rhythm gripped his chest at the thought of his Gronkle being chased by their assaulters. Hopefully she'd gotten away with Snotlout and the Twins, and wasn't devising a half-baked rescue on his behalf.

The little Night Swarm at his side yelped, nudging his curved snout at Fishleg's ankle. "Huh, oh sorry Darkvarg, let's keep moving." Deep indents were scratched into the cavern walls as he continued deeper into the darkness, led by his little friend. A short distance behind him was the young Night Fury, ears flat against her head, crooning softly as he coaxed her along.

He was stellar at taking care of dragons, particularly younger ones. There was no one who knew their way around a nursery better than him, but he admitted that a Night Fury-at least a hybrid of one-was a handful. The creature padded carefully behind Fishlegs, golden eyes shining like suns in the darkness. Her colored scales matched the sunrise as it peaked across the archipelago and the Rider couldn't help but be in awe of it.

In a poor stroke of luck, the poor dragon ended up trapped with him in this cave, pursued by dragon hunters of unknown origin. Who had taken up the mantle after Viggo's demise? It was a question that prodded the group incessantly.

"What fresh idiocy are you trying to pull, venturing deeper into a cave with no exit? You might as well start gift wrapping yourselves now." Despite the eerie calmness at which the voice was projected, Fishlegs still screamed. He hadn't heard her approach, closing the distance between them so quickly.

"How did you-? What in Thor-! Aqua?!" Her short hair, like silvery moonlight swept past her eyes. "You're alive?! I-I mean that in a good way, you're alive! Hold on, are you here to-" It was always so hard to figure out which side she was on, being that she never conceded to either. "How did you find us? DId you bring those hunters here? W-"

"Oh, do shut up, FishThighs." She snapped. Any dragon hunter worth their salt could track an adolescent Night Fury through the forest. While Krogan's men were busy scouring the skies, she'd taken to traditional means. Aqua had expected to find the young dragon alone, cornered and at the mercy of several hunters. Turns out, it was this moron leading the charge.

"It's, uh… Fishlegs." Darkvarg screeched, fangs bared and wings beating madly at the Huntress. Colorless tail flared, claws digging into the ground at adopting an offensive stance, he hissed and locked his crimson eyes on the woman. "Whoah! Hey Hey, Darkvarg-It's okay, buddy!" Gently bracing his palm against the sickle-shaped snout, Fishlegs nervously added, "I… think."

But he knew-they all knew. She was soaked in it-the stench of dragon blood tinctured strongly with the acidous hints of dragonroot clung to her clothing. Ruination stained her appearance almost as visibly as it had stained her soul. A hundred-no-a thousand dragons felled by her hands, and the last thing they ever saw was the hollowness in her pale blue eyes.

"Keep your little pest under control, and maybe I won't carve out its eyes and have you go bobbing for them in a bucket."

"What is wrong with you?!" He took it back. He took it all back. Huntress' irredeemability knew no bounds.

A sharp trill followed by cave debris kicking up startled him as the Night Fury exhibited contrasting behavior to the Night Swarm. Her claws scraped on the floor, as if she couldn't scramble forward fast enough, tongue lolling out of her mouth-a habit she must have picked up from Toothless. "No… NO No-NO!" She leapt, form stretching, "Don't-!" As if that would stop her. Opening her arms and catching the dragon, Aqua teetered and groaned as the Night Fury's large frame wrapped around her. Feet rooted to the ground, she felt the dragon's powerful, sinuous tail coil around her legs.

Fishlegs watched, bewildered and internally impressed by the balance both of them had. Aqua held half the dragon clambering onto her shoulders, forgetting that she wasn't as tiny as she used to be. In fact, she was roughly half the size of Toothless.

Careful her claws didn't nick the Huntress' face, the young dragon felt herself being thrown down, "Get off! Ughhh." She bounced from the toss, amethyst tail wagging until it rippled throughout her whole body.

"She missed you." The Rider interjected, still soothing the albino dragon. Having been apart since the Shellfire attack, the little dragon had paced the shores nearly every morning, optimistic of her arrival. "You came here for her! Didn't you?"

"That's unimportant." Aqua waved her hand, brushing off the question and trying not to fall over from the Night Fury, who thought now was a marvelous time to sit on her boots. "You never answered my question. Is there a way out of this cave?" Aside from the entrypoint which was now teeming with hunters.

"Yeah! Come on!" Motioning with his arm, he ventured quickly into the labyrinthian tunnels of the cavern. "This is Darkvarg's home. They'll have a hard time finding us without getting a bit lost." They had outrun a group a few tunnels back with the assistance of the other Night Terrors dwelling in the cavern.

Aqua flanked the party, able to keep an eye on everyone in front of her. At a fork in the road, the Night Swarm bounded down the left tunnel, winding into the darkness.

They made it all of ten paces until Fishlegs heard something and spun. "Oof!" He cried out, feeling a hard kick to his sternum as Aqua's boot planted to his chest and kicked him. Stumbling back, the rider flailed his arms, crashing into Darkvarg and landing in rubble that gave way to a deep crevice. It was pitch black, "HEEeeE-" A hand clamped over his mouth, which prompted him to stop speaking.

In the direction they were headed, a flood of hunters stormed the hallway, spears raised. The jade-green gleam of dragonroot forged weapons waved their banner high.

Shielded by the outreaching crag, Fishlegs shifted to let Darkvarg out from under him, chittering angrily until he saw the parade of hunters. Aqua crouched, but withdrew her hand, checking the Night Fury curled at her side. Rubbing the sore spot on his chest where he'd been kicked, the Rider heard a soft trilling noise, a low melodic humming.

The thundering footfalls subsided and the sound became clearer. It was the Night Fury. Stepping out from the overlapping crag, Aqua stepped aside to let the Rider continue down the selected path. "She-She's singing!" Fishlegs sounded almost delighted. That wasn't common for those of her species. He had heard the creature cycle through a few startlingly pure tones before, but it wasn't a Deathsong's hymn or a characteristic of other dragon species he could name.

But this soft hum was fraught with fear. The rumble and roar above them vibrated the walls, pitching the cavern. Rock-slides wouldn't have been out of the question. Explosions threatened to shake the island apart.

Her head was tucked, flicking the webbings of her ears back. "It's alright." Fishlegs was startled by the soft voice cutting through the chaos when the dragon called for her. Aquaria shouldered past him, crossing to the Night Fury and kneeling, "There's nothing to be frightened of." An open palm apprehensively rested against the dragon's jaw, a row of sharp teeth showing when she whimpered in response, pressing desperately into the touch. "Not more than me, at least." The Night Fury's bright eyes closed, nuzzling against the hunter's hand. Aqua gave her a little push in the right direction, sending her bounding off towards Fishlegs, vigor renewed.

The Rider cleared his throat, but didn't say anything, "We aren't too far away now." Picking up speed whilst heading down a slope, Fishlegs and Darkvarg took the second left turn. "Thanks, by the way." His chest, back, and arms hurt from her less-than-delicate care, but he wasn't going to withhold credit where it was due. She said nothing. "Aqua?"

"What?" The pathway narrowed, meaning they were near their destination.

"Um. Just curious, but… did you, by any chance, jump into the volcano to save your boss?" He had no reason not to believe Hiccup and Astrid, but hearing it straight from the girl's mouth should have been a treat.

"Who told you that?" The response was absentmindedly given.

"Hiccup-"

"You always believe what Hiccup tells you?" Having a knack for putting others on the defensive, Aqua interjected.

"Well… why would anyone lie about that?" He was jogging lightly, attempting to converse between pulling breaths. "No offense, but it just also seems like something you'd do." Fishlegs didn't know her well at all, nor did he want to, but with how she was spoken of, in combination with what he had seen, the girl was an odd character. Almost offering condolences to her, his pace slowed, "For what it's worth, I kinda get why. I know you cared abou-"

"Stop." Her voice was a sharp crack; it punched his heart into his throat, blocking any vocal activity. "That's irrelevant." The huntress nodded, "Look, over there." Fishlegs saw it too and wasted no time in setting to work..

The wooden contraption attached to the trap door built into the cave ceiling fell open. It was going to be night soon; the pink sky was already darkening at the edges like a fresh bruise and, far above, a handful of stars sputtered with faint light. The forest above dragged across the twilight, pouring a heavy shadow over Aqua's face

"Time to go." Bumping her leg against the Night Fury's side, she frowned as the dragon nipped at her leg. "I can't come with you." She ignored the Rider trying to fly towards the opening with the… disproportionate much smaller dragon as his steed. It failed miserably, of course.

"Why not?" Fishlegs piped up, observing the huntress ushering the dragon to fly away.

Before she could answer, the overlapping yells of hunters reverberated down the dark cavern, torchlight dancing warped shadows as they marched closer. "Now! Go!" Reluctantly obeying on merit of her voice alone, the Night Fury soared. "Fishfeet!" Once the smaller dragon was out of the way, she drew her folded staff and extended it to point right at him, widening her stance. "Punch me."

"Huh?! What?!" Switching gears between thinking she was going to kill him where he stood, and then pitching another thing entirely.

"Knock me out! Attack me!" The urgency increased.

"O-Oh! Okay yeah, got it!" Reeling his arm back, wincing in her stead, he threw his punch. The hit snapped her head back, but didn't drop her. Aquaria straightened, glaring at him in complete disbelief.

"...Again. With feeling." She tried to initiate a sharp tilt of her head for him to try once more.

The second hit sent her flying, blotting her vision and muting the world around her. "Better…" Aqua muttered, sliding back across the cavern floor as the hunters ran past her to subdue their target.

Aquaria watched the events unfold from a low crouch, commending the Rider for having been able to disorient her.

The cavalry had arrived. Meatlug slammed into one of the hunters, while the two-headed dragon chased off the rest of them, mouths sparking and fuming threateningly.

"Ohh, great, it's you." Snotlout leaned forward on his dragon. Both of their eyes narrowed simultaneously.

"Whose side are you on right now?" One of the twins asked.

"Are you gonna jump into a volcano again? Can we watch this time?" Tuff smirked, "You will be judged based on a sophisticated scale of artistry, execution, and precision." A finger was held up for each component, "Full score is out of 30." They cackled in unison.

"Was there anyone he didn't tell?" Anyone on the archipelago who would listen, probably. "Hurry up and leave."

"That's what I've been saying! UGH!" Snotlout's dragon lifted from the ground, making for the opening in the ceiling.

Sighing, and pretending not to see the glance Fishlegs sent her way as an imploration for her to come along, Aqua waited for the Riders to leave before touching her jaw. Nothing that wouldn't heal.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she sat, leaning against the wall. Hopefully, that crew of theirs would escort the little Night Fury far away from this lost cause of an island. The word "reckless" painted in graceful script entered her mind again. She almost fell asleep, finding peace in the silence.

oOo

A coarse flicker against her face opened her eyes. The forked tongue ran across her chin again, over the reddish injury. "Why are you still here?" Darkvarg, as Fishlegs referred to him, was obviously still here because he lived here.

"It's a little runt, ain't it?" Her breath hitched, hand closing around her weapon. "What're you waitin' for?" The man wet his lips, "Bag it." There were two hunters slowly sauntering over.

"Those weren't our orders." The huntress replied coolly. "I suggest you both focus on the task at hand." Surmising there would be consequences otherwise.

Darkvarg scanned the area for a shadow to blend with or a small burrow to sprint to for the time being. The woman stood, acting as a barricade between him and the hunters.

"That so?" One of the men replied, accent muffled through his viking helmet. "Y'know what I think?" He sneered. "You're protecting the little beast." Laughing derisively to his pal, " Y' even let those Riders get away. Guess Viggo'll let anyone into his ranks. Brain must really be fried from that burn if he's keeping you around."

The brilliant crack of bone echoed throughout the caverns, crimson spraying and spattering in a wide arc in the direction of her weapon swing. Helmet rolling away, the man didn't anticipate the swift kick that smashed his skull against one of the jagged rocks. "Talk about Viggo again. I dare you." She remarked rhetorically.

Awfully hard for a dead man to talk.

"Y-You-WHy you little-!" Axe raised, his charge didn't last long before he fell, motionless next to his comrade. A pool of blood streamed into the cracks of the cave flooring.

"You should go." Gesturing vaguely to the Night Swarm that was unsure how to react, the girl backtracked through the caverns, retracing their steps from earlier.

Darkvarg watched, red eyes glowing in his pitch black home, mortified, but intrigued. He had been saved and yet, he could not shake the unease at his core over the huntress.

Thanks so much for reading, everyone!