Chapter 2: Dragon Trappers
Astrid laughed when she saw her sister's reaction. She knew Hazel thought Stoick sent Astrid to retrieve her but Astrid came by herself of her own accord. Stormfly landed right next to Toothless and went to play with him.
"Afternoon, Haze, where have you been?" Astrid asked.
"Adventuring, what have you been doing?" Hazel asked, looking at her best friend.
"Winning races. What else? The real question is..." she sat down next to Hazel, "where have YOU been?"
"Avoiding my dad," Hazel answered. She looked uncomfortably. Astrid knew that face.
"Oh, no. What happened now?" Astrid asked as Stormfly and Toothless began playing with each other. She sat down next to Hazel overlooking her map.
"Oh, you're gonna love this," Hazel began her story. "I wake up. The sun's shining. Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop. I saunter down to breakfast, I wake up and see that you already ate, thinking all is right with the world, and I get..." Hazel cleared her throat and puffed out her chest and began imitating her father. "Darling, we need to talk."
Astrid slouched and pretended to be Hazel. "Not now, Dad. I've got a whole day of goofing off to get started."
Hazel blinked.
"Okay, first of all, I don't sound like that. What is this character? And second... what is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?" Astrid joked by bringing back her shoulders up and down.
"A truly flattering impersonation," Hazel said sarcastically. "Anyway, he goes..." She began being her father again. "You're the pride of Berk, son, and I couldn't be prouder..."
"Aw, thanks, Dad. I'm pretty impressed with myself, too." Astrid continued her imitation of Hazel, who lifted her eyebrow.
"WHEN have I ever done that with my hands?" she snapped.
"You just did," Astrid answered.
"No, seriously, Astrid," Hazel grabbed her best friend by the shoulders. "Seriously, pay attention." Astrid nodded with her smile no longer there. Hazel continued to imitate Stoick. "You're all grown up, and since no chief could ask for a better successor, I've decided-"
Astrid interrupted her before she could continue.
"To make you Chieftess!" Astrid shouted. She punched Hazel in the arm. "Oh, my gods! Hazel, that's amazing!"
"Yeah, so that was what I'm dealing with."
"What did you tell him?"
"I didn't. By the time he turned around, I was gone.
"Well, it's a lot of responsibility. The map will have to wait for sure, and I'll need to fly Toothless, since you'll be too busy..." Astrid said, looking at Hazel sympathetically. The girl took her map and folded it.
"It's not me, Astrid. All those speeches, and planning, and running the village... that's his thing."
"I think you're missing the point, Haze," said Astrid. "I mean, chief. What an honor. I'd be pretty excited. "
"I'm not like you. Especially if Daddy already made you my second-in-command when I take over. See, you know exactly who you are. You always have. But... I'm still looking. I know that I'm not my father... and I never met my mother... so, what does that make me?"
"What you're searching for... isn't out there, Haze," said Astrid. She put her hand on her best friend's chest, where her heart would be. "It's in here. Maybe you just don't see it yet."
"Maybe. But, y'know..."She stopped. Hazel looked to the horizon, and there, was smoke coming from the misty valley, "there is something out there."
"Hazel," Astrid told her adoptive sister. However, Hazel took Astrid's hand and forced her up and pointed into the direction. Astrid looked and saw that there was smoke rising from the south. The Haddock sisters went to investigate.
Hazel and Toothless were over the fjord first, followed by Stormfly and Astrid as they flew through the ash. Hazel gasped. She had seen this before. Back when Johann attempted to kill her and Viggo had been knocked unconscious, a dragon had done a similar thing. She began wondering if it was the same dragon, but that is not what alarmed her. It was the fact that it was a Dragon Trapper fort.
"Stay close." Hazel warned her sister. They flew through he remains of the frozen splintered buildings. "What happened here?"
Toothless spotted a gigantic dragon footprint on the floor and growled. She whispered to him. "Easy, hon."
"Hazel!" Astrid shouted. Hazel saw that Astrid was pointing down.
"Fire!" yelled one of the men. A net shot out into the air. Hazel saw that the net was aiming towards her sister.
"Sister! Look out!"
" Astrid! Look out!" she shouted.
Stormfly got tangled in the net, Astrid falling.
"HAZEL!" Astrid shouted.
Hazel looked in horror and had Toothless quickly grab onto Astrid. They had her climb on behind Hazel as Stormfly fell down, where she sent her spikes flying to her attackers.
The man trying to tie Stormfly down was Eret, son of Eret. He was the number one dragon trapper for a mysterious buyer from the north that Viggo had mentioned to Hazel one year ago. He tied her mouth shut. The girls hissed and Hazel had Toothless let out a plasma blast.
"STOP!" Hazel yelled. Toothless landed yelling with his growl.
" Is that what I think it is?" said Eret but he was ignored by the two young women getting off the dragon.
"STORMFLY!" Astrid yelled. "What are you doing?" She ran to her dragon as the hunters drew their weapons. Hazel took out her flame sword and ignited it. She made several improvements to it, thanks to Viggo's flame sword. She was showing them that they meant business as well.
"Back again?" shouted Eret. "Soil my britches... that is a Night Fury. Thought they were all gone
for good. Looks like our luck's had a turn
for the better, lads! Don't think
Drago has one of those in his
dragon army.
" Dragon army?" Astrid asked as she and Hazel looked skeptically at the men, who were agreeing with their leader.
"Look, we don't want any trouble," said Hazel.
"Ha! You should've thought of that before you stole all of our dragons and blasted our fort to bits!" shouted Eret.
"Wait..." said Hazel. "What are you talking about?" She looked at the spikes coming from the ground. Then glared at Eret. "You think we did this?"
"Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is, without do-gooder dragon riders sneaking in to rescue them."
"What do-gooder -" Hazel began asking but then she stopped mid-sentence. Did she hear that right? There were other Dragon Riders. "There are other dragon riders?
"You mean, other than your thieving friend from last night? You tell me." Eret approached the two women but Toothless growled protectively, showing he wasn't going to allow anyone to touch his girls. "You may have an ice-spitting dragon on your side, but we still have a quota to fill. How do you suppose we explain this mess to Drago Bludvist?
Both Hazel and Astrid were even more confused.
"Drago what-fist? Does anything you say make sense?" Astrid said.
"He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow," said Teeny.
"And Drago don't take well to excuses." said No Name.
To make Eret's point clear, he took down a part of his tunic. Astrid and Hazel grimaced when they saw a large branding iron scar, the shape of a dragon skull split by a sword.
"This is what he gave me last time I showed up empty-handed. He promised to be far less understanding in the future."
"Look, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting dragon, or your lunatic boss and his dragon army, okay? Just give us back our dragon, and we'll go, strange, hostile person whom we've never met."
"Oh, where are my manners? So not gentleman of me to not introduce to fine ladies as yourself," said Eret as he hid the dagger behind his back. However, Hazel could say that. "I'm Eret. Son of Eret. Finest dragon trapper alive. After all, it's not just anyone who can capture a Night Fury."
Toothless snarled.
"And this is Toothless. He says we're going. Now," said Hazel.
"Heh. They all say that." said Eret, chuckling. "RUSH `EM, LADS!"
Toothless snarled. He wouldn't let anyone harm Astrid, Hazel or Stormfly, so he saw one of the massive spikes of ice and blasted it, making sure it landed on the men. However, Eret and his men quickly backed away as it shattered. Hazel ignited Inferno and let the ropes holding Stormfly be broken.
"Stormfly! C'mon, go! Go!" Astrid yelled. She quickly got on her dragon and the two Haddocks sisters quickly made it out of there.
"YOU WILL NEVER HOLD ON TO THOSE DRAGONS, YOU HEAR ME?! DRAGO IS COMING FOR THEM ALL!" Eret shouted as the women were finally out of earshot.
"Come on, we gotta tell Dad and the other Chieftains," said Astrid. Hazel nodded. They looked at each other and back before flying back to their home.