Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, I had writer's block. Gonna put this on a bi-weekly schedule to take some of the pressure off myself. Thanks for understanding.

In other news, fanart! Does it count if I made it myself? Here's a couple of links:

h-t-t-p-s: /www dot deviantart dot com / 10blue10/ art/ Night-Fury-OCs- 819305905

h-t-t-p-s: / www dot deviantart dot com / 10blue10/ art/ Iceheart-and-Snowdrop- 820269290

Chapter Nine – Danger In The Air

Decades of solo hunting had long since honed Grimmel's skill. He could spend days, weeks, even months tracking his prey through the wilderness. The Demoneaters were useful for that purpose (1), of course, but he preferred to do the work himself as well. Now this, this was a new kind of hunt. To slay the Furies in the royal fort would take more indirect methods than were typical.

Fortunately, unexpected means were his specialty. Grimmel was fascinated by poisons; to think that an unassuming little plant or scuttling creature contained toxins enough to bring down dragons! He was not built for wrestling the demons into submission. The fasting he undertook as penance for associating with dragons kept him sickly-thin. With poison, he could slay a dozen at once.

Other hunters had called it 'unsporting'. Did they not set traps just as he did?

Galmi and his crew didn't have any qualms about his techniques. He had an agreement with them. Grimmel would let them take four of his Demoneaters with them to seek out and destroy this nest of Night Demons in the north; in return, they provided him with dragon root for his drugging potion. That only left the three Furies in the fort, undoubtedly thinking themselves protected.

To try and infiltrate the castle himself would be a fool's errand; his accent and appearance were simply too different around these parts. Galmi's men might have come ashore on this 'Berk' place, but that was far from attempting to breach a guarded castle. If there was a hatchling, it would be watched closely.

Grimmel would only provide the poison, colourless and odourless (2); it was up to these hunters to decide how to use it. He'd like to be the one directly responsible for the beasts demise, of course, but slaying them vicariously would have to do. Besides, if this method failed he had other means with which to lure in the Demons, end them and rid the world of a little more of Satan's taint.

No doubt Galmi's men would bribe a servant into slipping the poison into the Furies water or food. That was another reason he couldn't be involved too much; bribery was sinful. Grimmel did try to avoid sinning unless absolutely necessary, but these hunters were pagan. It didn't matter too much, therefore.

Grimmel only had enough of this particular poison to use on the Night Demons. As for the other dragons residing at the castle; well, if their paths crossed it wouldn't end well for the beasts, but he'd be merciful and allow their riders to live. 'Thou shalt not kill' was the commandment, but dragons weren't people.

The dragons could and did fly out to sea in order to feed themselves. However, the king also had a supply of fish delivered to the fort itself, both for his own court to eat and so that they could be fed there as well, especially Mercury. He paid a handsome price for the fish, and the dragons helped bring the catches in, so the fishermen didn't feel as if their livelihoods were being threatened by this.

Whole baskets of freshly caught fish were delivered to the postern each day, and it was into these baskets that Torfi poured the vials of poison. He didn't do that when it was at the postern, of course. No, he did so at the harbour, just after it had been loaded onto the wagon set aside to haul it up to the castle. The fishermen were plying the rest of their wares and the thanes had not arrived.

He made himself scarce when they did come to collect the fish. Now it was only a matter of time before the dragons ate the poisoned fish and died. Meanwhile, he and the rest of the crew would be sailing off to Myrkr in search of the Furies.

The baskets were sealed (but not in time), paid for and hauled up to the castle. Then the fish was taken to either be salted and preserved ready for cooking, or set aside to be fed to the dragons. A basketful was dumped into a trough in the bailey, next to one filled with water, for the dragons to eat from at their leisure.

With all the other tasks to attend to, the fishy trough was left unattended for a time. Presently a Biter flew over; the little dragons were being seen more and more around Nidaros, not killed because they caught rats but shooed off as pests themselves. She landed in the trough and began to help herself to the free food. She devoured it until she began to feel a bit sick, and tired, and…and…

Her stomach hurt badly, and she felt so weak. This was bad fish, bad not-food…desperately, she gagged and retched, trying to get it out of her belly. It hurt so much! Groaning, she dragged herself towards the edge of the trough. The slippery fish all around her made it very hard; so did her body shaking like she'd dived into the sea when it was very, very cold. *Help!* she cried. *Help!*

Nobody heard her. She had tiny hatchlings hidden away in a nest; she was going to feed them fish, but not this fish. Would her mate find her? She hoped so. Her belly hurt so much. She retched and the bad fish spilled out, but she didn't feel any better. She kept shaking. It was so cold…and she was so tired…and it hurt…

Ashildr had been out on a hunt with Cornelius. They landed in the bailey and dismounted their dragons, taking off the saddles and handing them off to stablehands. Snap padded over to the water trough and lowered his head to lap up the cool water, then turned to the trough full of fish. Before he could eat a mouthful, his nostrils flared at the smell of a Biter. It smelled wrong, somehow.

He gingerly nudged the fish aside to expose the small drakaina's body, limp amongst the fish. *Wake up* he hissed at her, thinking she'd come to feast and was napping. Magpie, who had been getting a brief rub down from Ashildr, came over to see what was wrong. Snap nudged the Biter with the tip of his snout. She didn't startle awake, but moved limply, and he scented death on her.

Snap leapt backwards, his tail spikes rising defensively. *What is it?* Magpie asked urgently. She tipped her head to one side, peering down at the Biter in the trough. Her eyes weren't the best but even she could see that the little dragon wasn't moving. Even her chest was still. *Ashildr!* she called out.

Her rider hurried over at once. "What is it, Mags? What are you…" Ashildr saw the unmoving Terror and her eyes widened. She hoped they were only sleeping…but when she reached out to touch the poor thing, they were cold and still. Near their slightly gaping mouth was a small pile of half-digested fish; she pulled a face at the sight, but it wasn't hard to realise what had happened.

"Do not eat the fish" she warned the dragons, "It's poisoned!" They flinched in alarm, pupils turning to slits. "You guys stay here – make sure the others don't eat this stuff! I'm gonna warn them in the kitchens" Ashildr explained. With that, she dashed off, running to the scullery and using it as a shortcut to get into the kitchen itself. "The fish is poisoned!" she shouted. All eyes turned to her.

"What?!" exclaimed Margret, eyes wide; she was helping out in the kitchens, and hurried from the table to face her friend. "Ash, what're you talking about?"

"The fish that just came in, it's been poisoned" she repeated, "we just found a dead Terror in the trough outside, she'd been eating the fish and died from it!"

Margret's face went pale. "Oh, gods" she whispered, "You gotta hurry. Someone just took a bowl of them up to feed Silver and Mercury!" she told Ashildr, who nodded in understanding and rushed off. There wasn't time to waste taking the stairs; she went straight back to Magpie and vaulted into her dragons saddle. "We've gotta get up to Silver, now" she hissed frantically.

The dark purple and cream patterned Nadder took to the air and flew up to the king's tower, hovering next to the window. Ashildr looked through the thankfully open shutters, and much to her horror, saw the servant placing a covered bowl down on the floor. Silver was ambling over with Mercury to feed.

"Don't eat it!" she cried out, startling everyone in the room. Ashildr balanced on Magpie's back and jumped across to the windowsill, climbing in. "Don't eat the fish!" she repeated urgently, "it's poisoned!" The serving girl gasped, and Silver's ear-flaps pinned back to her skull in alarm. Then she lunged to grab Mercury away before her kit could eat from the now uncovered bowl.

The maid screamed and flinched away when Silver darted towards her. Hearing it, the thanes guarding the door burst into the room, which only startled her more. "Miss Ashildr, what are you doing in here?" one of them demanded.

"I came to warn silver that the fish has been poisoned" she replied firmly. "Snap and Magpie found a poor dead Biter in the trough down there in the bailey."

The thanes glanced at one another, sceptical. "Maybe that dragon was already dying" one of them suggested, "it doesn't mean all of the fish is poisoned."

Ashildr glared at him. "Do you really want to take the risk? Somebody tried to poison our dragons; and it was the fish that killed that poor Biter. If she was too sick or old, she wouldn't have been able to get to the trough in the first place!"

*Thank you* said Silver, speaking up for the first time. *Thank you for warning us. If you hadn't known…if Mercury had eaten it, he could have…* She whimpered at the thought and nuzzled her kit, who mewled in confusion and hunger. *What are we going to eat now?* Silver wondered, looking anxious.

"We'll go catch you fish ourselves if we have to" Ashildr replied firmly. She turned to the maid and said "You should get rid of the fish. Bury it, or something; I've already told them down in the kitchens, and if the cooks have any sense they'll be throwing it out. Who knows how much of it is befouled?"

Still looking shaken, she nodded and gathered up the bowl. The guards stood aside to let her pass, and Ashildr walked over to the window again. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go inform King Magnus of this" she remarked.

"Miss, it is not your place to disturb his majesty" one of the guards tried to protest, but by then she was already climbing out and onto Magpie's back.

Word about the attempted poisoning quickly spread throughout the fort, from servant to thane to courtier. The riders were outraged, the servants alarmed, the nobles were scandalised. King Magnus was utterly furious. "I want every single person involved to be arrested on suspicion of treason!" he ordered.

Of course, everyone from the fishermen who brought in the catch to the cooks that preserved it insisted they had nothing to do with this crime. "Do you expect me to believe that none of you did or saw anything?" the king demanded. "This was an attempt on my life and my court as well as those of the dragons. If any of us had devoured that tainted seafood, we would have perished in agony!"

Black Fire, sitting beside the throne, had been observing the accused humans carefully, with all of his senses. He was looking for tell tale signs they were lying; twitching eyes or lips, the faint scent of sweat, their voices changing. *Magnus, wait* he spoke up, much to his riders surprise. *They're telling the truth. None of them poisoned the fish, and they don't know who did* he explained firmly.

Magnus was surprised that his dragon defended them, but he had come to learn that Black Fire could be trusted to be honest with him. If I punish these people for a crime they didn't commit, I'd be no better than my father he realised then.

"Black Fire here has vouched for you" the young monarch informed his nervous subordinates, "but if you know something, you must speak. I cannot allow this would-be murderer, or murderers, to roam my city as free men" he declared.

The reminder that this poisoner was still at large gave one man the courage to step forwards. "Your majesty" he bowed, "I think I…I did see someone walking away from the catch before, with quick strides. Only at the time, I thought they were only walking past it" he explained, wringing his hands together nervously.

"Understandable" Magnus conceded. "Describe him, please" he prompted.

"O-of course. Um, he was not very tall…broad shouldered…sort of ash blond hair. I didn't see his eyes. He, uh, wore a dark brown gambeson and boots, dark green trousers, with thick leather pauldrons, I think. He looked normal enough."

One of his crew mates exclaimed "I've seen someone like that! A few of 'em in the taverns down at the docks. Always thought they looked a nasty sort" he declared a bit smugly, as if happy to have his suspicions vindicated. Further questioning revealed that a man close to that description had been seen before, by many of the sailors. King Magnus ordered them to be found and arrested.

"As for the rest of you, you're free to leave. Thank you for co-operating" he told the peasants, who all looked relieved. After they'd been escorted from the throne room, he sat back in his throne and sighed. That could have gone worse he reminded himself, before looking at Black Fire. "How did you know they were telling the truth?" he asked, still marvelling that he could ask the dragon at all.

*Shimmer and the other Berkian dragons told me how to see if a human is lying* the drake explained. *And I've learned what it looks like if a human is nervous and trying to hide it. That's how they look at me, after all* he added, twitching his wings in a shrug. Magnus had never thought a dragon could be so expressive, but he could see clear as day that this bothered Black Fire a little.

So, dismissing the presence of his attendants (although not literally), he reached out and pat Black Fire on the shoulder. "They would have been nervous in my presence anyway, I think" he remarked, trying to put the dragons mind at ease. Then he sighed again, but this time it was one of regret. "I'm sorry, my friend."

An ear-flap twitched in confusion. *For what? This poisoning isn't your fault.*

"No, no. It's just…as king, I should expect attempts on my life" Magnus explained with a bit of wry, morbid humour. "But I wasn't prepared for someone trying to harm you within these walls, and I should have been. Silver, your son…if it weren't for Ashildr's warning, they could have both perished" he said regretfully. Black Fire rumbled uneasily at the reminder, ear-flaps twitching.

*I know…but you're not to blame. You didn't know this would happen* he said reasonably. *Nobody did. We'll just have to be more careful next time.*

"If I have my way there won't be a next time" Magnus declared firmly. He was silent, lost in thought, for a few moments. Presently he cleared his throat and spoke to Black Fire again. "I, uh, I know this isn't what you hoped for, coming here. I will understand if you and your family wish to…to return home" he said.

The dragon blinked. Honestly, the idea hadn't crossed his mind, but now that it had…Maybe it would be better to go back to the Nest at Myrkr. Then Mercury would be safe, and have other kits to play with. *What about you?* he asked, crooning concern. *If we leave and go back to our home nest, you won't have a dragon. There aren't many Swift-Wings around here, after all* he pointed out.

With a slight chuckle, Magnus replied "Don't worry about me. I could manage. That's not to say I wouldn't miss you, of course" he added. "You've given me more freedom than any king, especially my age, could ever hope to get. Still, I wouldn't want you to feel as if you have to stay here, if you no longer wish to."

Black Fire thought about it. *I'll wait and see* he decided at last. *Maybe the humans who did this will be caught, and we won't be in danger anymore. If we are, then we might leave. I don't want to be apart from Silver and Mercury* he explained, grooming his shoulder. The young king could hardly believe anyone had ever thought of such an intelligent, compassionate creature as demonic.

"A wise choice. Honestly, I think you'd be better than most of my advisors…"

To say that Grimmel was disappointed would be an understatement. Several vials of expensive, incurable poison wasted; he didn't know how they'd detected it, but the dragons at the Fort of Nidaros still lived. He'd seen them flying back and forth, replacing the tainted catch. Now, the royal thanes were searching out the perpetrators. Hence why he'd moved out into the forest.

Galmi and his men had bailed out as soon as possible, without even waiting to see if their efforts had succeeded. They'd taken most of the Demoneaters with them, and he didn't envy that. If all went well, he wouldn't need to unleash the last two he had. This was why he preferred to work alone. People were flawed.

He set up camp, taking care to camouflage it amongst the trees. If anyone Perhaps there was still a way to salvage this venture. The Demons would be warier, no doubt, but they'd also be more alert to danger. Or to the distress of one of their own. It just so happened that Grimmel had a device able to mimic the sound of a Night Fury call. He had become very familiar with their cries.

After setting a trap in a clearing, and covering it with vegetation, Grimmel hid the Dragon Cry (3) on the edges to use as bait. If a dragon were to land in the clearing to look for the source of the noise, two spiked horseshoes like a giant bear trap would snap shut on either side. The dragon would be impaled, and all that was left for Grimmel to do was put the bleeding creature out of it's misery.

Or he'd just let the Demoneaters have at it. They did prefer live prey, after all.

He'd been observing the dragons himself, and the Night Demons did still fly at dusk and night. Not always together though, which served his purposes well. If Grimmel could lure in one of them alone, then he could slay it and dispose of the body even before its mate knew it was missing. Hopefully there would be no rider; that was another reason he wasn't impressed with Galmi's clumsy methods. It was too easy for innocent Christians to get caught in the middle.

With one Demoneater to guard the camp and another here to devour his kill, Grimmel built himself a hunting blind to watch and wait from, and he prayed.

Scorcher hadn't told them exactly where these other Swift-Wings were, only that they were further south. Artemis was sure they'd be near the coast, though. His kind did mostly eat fish, after all. So he, Iceheart and Snowdrop had flown down, asking dragons they met along the way if any like him were around.

Eventually they came across the biggest human nest any of them had ever seen. *There's so many!* Snowdrop exclaimed, crooning wonder. *Do you think the other Swift-Wings are really there, dad?* she asked, as they hovered above it.

Artemis rumbled uneasily. *I hope not* he replied, *but if they are, I hope we can get them out. You're not to go near this place, Snowdrop, understand?*

Snowdrop rolled her mismatched eyes, chafing a little at her parents overprotective nature. *I understand. But how are you gonna find the dragons without going down there?* she questioned. There were a lot of places to look. Yet nearly as soon as she'd spoken, from in the middle of the huge nest of humans, a dark winged shape sprang up into the sky. It was easily recognisable.

*By the Moon, it's true!* Artemis exclaimed. *Another Swift-Wing, right here!*

Iceheart never took her eyes off of the rapidly ascending dragon, and her eyes narrowed when they levelled off. There was something on their back that sat up and had a human shape. A human riding on, controlling, this Swift-Wing. *It's true* she hissed, and before Art could stop her, she was rushing to the rescue.

Black Fire had actually been reluctant to go flying that night. *I just don't like the thought of leaving you both alone after what nearly happened* he'd said.

Silver nuzzled him reassuringly. *We'll be fine. You caught our fish for tonight yourself, so you know it was not poisoned* she teased him. Black Fire growled at her in mock-annoyance *Don't worry about us. I can look after Mercury tonight, and then you can look after him tomorrow night* Silver proposed. At last, her mate agreed. He invited Magnus along, to help ease both their minds.

At first the king hesitated, but he finally gave in. After all, he did like being able to see the whole city of Nidaros, and his subjects in their homes below, as if he were watching over it. Sometimes he and Black Fire would get so high, it seemed as if his whole kingdom was in view. Knowing there were poisoners at large, part of Magnus hoped they would spot something amiss down there.

From the air, everything looked peaceful. "But that's the whole problem, isn't it?" he remarked to Black Fire. "With threats you can't see, I mean. If someone runs at me with a sword, I draw my own and engage. If an army came to take this city, we'd fortify and drive them off. Poisoning is the way of a coward."

Black Fire coasted on an updraft high above the city, letting the wind carry him where it wanted to go. *When we find who poisoned the fish, what will you do to them?* he asked with a curious warble. If it were him, he'd attack the threat.

"They'd be executed" Magnus replied bluntly. "Hanged, as a warning to any who would try such a cowardly tactic again, be it poison or some other means."

His dragon purred in satisfaction. That was the sort of firm, albeit ruthless sort of choice his parents taught him should be made whenever possible (4). Speaking of Raven-Shade… *I've been thinking about what you said, about going home* he confessed. *I don't want to go back to my old nest; that would make coming here in the first place a waste of time. Silver doesn't want to go either.*

"So what is it that's bothering you?" Magnus inquired, guessing there was more.

Black Fire was about to reply, when suddenly his ear-flaps stood erect and his pupils slit. He swung his head from side to side, intensely focused. *Did you hear that?* he asked, baring his fangs a little in a silent snarl. Magnus was bewildered; he hadn't heard a thing. *Hang on tight* the dragon advised, before swooping lower to glide over over the forest. He let out a short, high call.

The roar was answered in kind. *Now can you hear it?* he asked Magnus.

"Yes. Where is it coming from?"

*I'm trying to find out. It can't be Silver, she wouldn't leave Mercury alone…*

They heard the call again. He finally figured out where it was coming from and flew as fast as he could, arriving at a clearing in the trees. It looked empty, but the dragon could be hiding at the edge, unwilling to come out into the open. *Hello? Is anyone there?* Black Fire roared. The familiar call came again, but no thought-speak accompanied it. That is strange he thought, growling uneasily.

"What's wrong?"

*If a dragon was there they should have replied. I don't like this* he admitted. First the fish was poisoned, and now there was an empty clearing with a Swift-Wing he couldn't see or hear calling out from it? This felt like some kind of trap.

"Maybe you should fire a warning shot" Magnus suggested. Black Fire grunted agreement and blasted the middle of the clearing. To their shock, some wicked contraption like a massive bear trap abruptly snapped shut. If they'd landed in the clearing, Black Fire and even Magnus would have been impaled by its teeth.

The dragon retreated instinctively, flying straight up to get as far from the threatening object as possible. No arrows flew out from the trees to bite at him, but he shuddered all over nonetheless. "That thing was a death trap!" Magnus exclaimed furiously. "In my forest! Back to the castle; I must warn the guards and huntsmen. Someone is trying to kill you all, and I want them found, now."

Yet before they could fly home, something swept up behind them whilst Black Fire was distracted. The king felt claws dig into his shoulders and upper arms, and yank him right out of the saddle. He yelled in shock and pain as his feet tore from the stirrups, hearing Black Fire's answering roar in kind. Then whatever dragon had grabbed him let go, and he plummeted downwards to his demise.

Black Fire only caught a glimpse of whatever had attacked him and his rider. He folded his wings, flicked his tail and dived, speeding down to catch Magnus before the human could fall through the canopy. It was a close call. Once Magnus was safely back in the saddle, Black Fire glided towards the city and the towering fort. He could feel his rider shaking. *Are you okay?* he asked.

"If by 'okay', you mean traumatised, then yes" replied Magnus. He caught his breath and demanded "What manner of dragon attacked us? Did you see?"

*Not really* Black Fire admitted, *I was busy saving you. You're welcome.*

"Yes…yes, you saved my life." Magnus sounded a bit strangled, as if he'd only just realised how close he'd come to dying. "I pray my mother never hears of this, or I shall never hear the end of it" he sighed. First the poisoning, and now this. "We must find this rogue dragon before it attacks anyone else" he said.

*The strange thing is…I didn't get a good look at them, but they looked like a Swift-Wing. Only they didn't have black scales; they were sort of silver-white.*

"I thought your kind could have silvery markings. Isn't that how Silver got her name?" Magnus asked. Black Fire's mate was so called because the dappled rosettes that covered her body were a lighter shade of grey than normal.

*Silvery markings* Black Fire huffed. *Not silver all over. I've heard stories about white Swift-Wings, but if they are real then they must be very rare.*

Upon returning back to the castle, Black Fire excused himself and went straight to the nesting place set aside for him, Silver and Mercury. It wasn't far from the kings quarters. His mate and kit were curled up fast asleep, and he lay down beside them. Silver stirred. *Fire? How was your flight?* she asked sleepily. He nuzzled her. *It was fine. Go back to sleep.* There was no sense worrying her.

First thing in the morning, King Magnus summoned Marshal Garrett and Huntmaster Cornelius. Both men were much older than him, but royalty was royalty and they bowed in respect. "There's no time for formalities" Magnus said firmly. "This is a matter of great importance and secrecy. First to all, have your men found the whereabouts of our suspects?" he questioned Haakon.

"Your Majesty, I regret to say that there has been no sign of the suspects throughout the city. Furthermore, it appears that several vessels that were docked in the harbour have since departed. The poisoners might have fled."

"They haven't" Magnus replied firmly. "Last night, I was out flying with Black Fire over the forest when he heard what he thought was one of his own kind calling out. What we found instead was a dragon trap in a clearing due southwest of Nidaros; and from the look of it, the trap was made to kill."

Needless to say, Cornelius and Garrett disturbed by this revelation. "I hope you're not injured, my liege" the Marshal remarked. "Or your dragon, either."

"No, we're both fine; and no one needs to know of this. The forest must be searched for these traitors and the traps they're setting. I want all of those terrible contraptions destroyed" he ordered. "Keep searching for them in the city as well, and on every ship still in harbour. Send our fastest vessels out to chase down the ones that left so their crews can be questioned as well."

Both men had their orders and left to carry them out. Meanwhile, the king gathered Brenda and her friends as well as their dragons. "First things first. I need to warn you that there are dragon traps in the forest, traps designed to kill" he informed them. "Black Fire and I stumbled across one just last night."

"Are you alright?" asked Braun. Ashildr elbowed him and he quickly added "Uh, your majesty. Nearly getting caught in a trap is…not fun. Or so I've heard."

"Yeah, cos it's not like you got stuck in a net trap that one time" Margret retorted. Brenda shoved them apart before they could start bickering properly.

"Thank you for the warning, your majesty" she said gratefully. "We'll be careful, but we have been taught to dismantle traps. We all took advanced lessons at the Academy" Brenda shrugged, at the kings raised eyebrow. "Can we do something to help? Because nobody messes with our dragons and gets away with it" she declared. The other riders and dragons agreed wholeheartedly.

"Actually, I do have a task for you. Three, in fact. The first is, indeed, to help find and destroy these traps, however many there are. The second is tracking ships; a couple left harbour recently, and we don't know if the traitors were aboard but the timing is…troubling" Magnus remarked. He continued, "As we were flying back to the castle, Black Fire and I were attacked by a wild dragon."

"What kind?" Ashildr wondered. It wasn't usual for wild dragons to come that close to the city; they'd been hunted in the past and learned to avoid the place.

Black Fire explained *I didn't see them properly, but they looked like a white Swift-Wing. I've only ever heard stories of my kind having white scales* he said.

"Looks like those stories might be true" remarked Brenda. She clapped her hands together and looked at her friends. "Right, so who's going to do what?"

Ashildr pointed out "I've been working with Huntmaster Cornelius already, so Mags and I'll help find traps in the forest. They could use your nose, eh, girl?" she joked to her dragon, who ruffled her wings and croaked in amusement.

"We'll come with" Margret offered, gesturing to herself and Gurgle. "Rock-Tail lava and Spike-Tail flame? Those traps don't stand a chance" she grinned.

*Otto, you and I should help them as well* suggested Boulder. His rider nodded.

Braun declared "Firestorm and I oughta search for those ships. You know why?"

*Because I'm very fast and can fly further?* Firestorm asked innocently. His rider sighed in exasperation. *What? That is the reason we should go!*

"Agreed" King Magnus stated, "but not alone. Lord Garrett will accompany you. I've already ordered our fastest ships to be sent out to capture them, so your task will be to find them and slow them down if possible, but not destroy them."

"Got it, your majesty" Braun replied, bowing and saluting at the same time.

Brenda rolled her eyes, and commented "I guess that leaves me and Shimmer to search for this mysterious white Swift-Wing. We'll go towards the mountains; if they are a Swift-Wing, they might be nocturnal, but we can still find their nest."

*I'm coming too* announced Black Fire. *And we should start at dusk. It will be much easier to find them than their nesting spot, trust me* he informed her.

"Well, hang on, that's not fair" Braun protested, "Brenda getting the day off!"

"Seriously? We can help scout for these missing ships, cover more ocean."

King Magnus declared "The matter is settled then. You three destroy the traps, you two look for the ships, and tonight, we find this strange new white dragon."

(1) A few people have wondered about Grimmel's 'way of finding the Night Fury nest'. Simply put, I headcanon the Deathgrippers (Demoneaters in this story) are great trackers. One of his techniques is to lure in a lone dragon, kill them, and let the Deathgrippers follow their scent to the nest.

(2) The poison is ricin, a highly toxic chemical derived from castor beans. It's colourless and odourless. Irl it doesn't seem to affect reptiles, but y'know. I'n also cheating a bit by having it cause death so quickly after ingestion.

(3) This shows up in one of the comics and games, but I'm repurposing it to suit my needs and give Grimmel a more macabre way of luring in his prey. It's also a way for him to call the Demoneaters back when they go too far.

(4) The key word here is 'firm', not 'ruthless'. Raven-Shade are very stoic and analytical (for dragons), they rarely make choices based on emotion alone.