Darkness fell. Still, she waited. The flicker campfire light showed from the cavern entrance. As soon as it dimmed, she slipped out of the saddle. Her partner refrained from shaking herself, as was the dragon's custom. It would not do well to announce their presence after all. She edged closer, using all the tricks she had learned. Tricks that earned her the title she bore with pride. A title that never failed to have her father shaking his head or her mother smirking.

She would rather be north, aiding in the battle she knew was to come. She could not though. Father had been adamant that any rider under his command was not allowed near that nest and the humans currently visiting the alpha and his flock. So, she found a way to aid and yet not be seen by anyone, especially those who did not know of her existence.

The humans she had observed left behind one of their own. It was likely they did not realize it, given what was to come. Her father also stated that many of the humans surrounding the young man who rode upon a Night Fury were important. They had a role in this saga, her father orchestrated. She was not sure what this human's role was, but she knew she could not let the winter kill him and erase him from memory.

She drifted into the cavern. She eased down to the campfire. The human male snorted and shifted but did not wake. She lifted her hand, palm facing the man.

"Sleep," she whispered allowing her magic to rise.

The man muttered something. She continued.

"Sleep."

The moment the man became still, yet still breathed, she lowered her hand. She then set about getting the man out of the cavern so her partner could carry him to a place far from here, but one the man would be able to leave from and find his nest.

[Guess it would be too much to ask that we give him a bath first,] the dragon stated as she emerged from the cave.

She snorted, slipping into the saddle. "No," she said. "We must drop him off and get back before Father and Mother notice we are gone."

[Grown female,] her partner muttered. [Mother in your own right. Yet still fearful of being caught slinking out of the nest.]

She lifted an eyebrow. "As if you would not be fearful if your father were to fly over right now."

[Low blow, my human. Low blow.]

She gave a soft but sharp laugh. "Let's go."

They returned after ensuring all of left in the underground village were comfortable. This time Snotlout walked instead of was carried. Hiccup gave more praises to the gods as the teen did not use the walk as a chance to show off to everyone or complain about something Hiccup said or did. Hiccup knew if this had been before, when Snotlout still thought he had to listen to his grandfather and actively tried to one up Hiccup, this walk would have been vastly different. Snotlout would probably had been carried once more, but this would be because he annoyed Astrid to the point she knocked him out.

Now though, Snotlout walked with little complaints and no moments of trying to out do Hiccup. Then the teen spun and began to speak.

"The Light Furies."

Hiccup and the rest paused, staring at Snotlout as if he had lost his mind.

"I saw some of them while training," Snotlout continued. "They can shoot their plasma, fly through it and disappear. Many of them doing that would unnerve this crew coming."

"We're going to see if they are lost before we start unnerving or harming them," Hiccup pointed out, actually fearful his cousin had slipped back into his attitude and opinion from before.

"Yeah, yeah," Snotlout said. "I know, but we can use that if they prove hostile."

[Dad usually uses them for scouting,] Toothless said. [What did you have in mind, Snotlout?]

"A line of them, hovering, waiting. When the ship comes into view and if its crew try to attack, the Light Furies fire at the same time, disappear at the same time, only to reappear behind the ship. But still unnoticed due to the rest of us distracting them."

[Why would you want them there?] Stormfly questioned.

Hiccup jerked, realizing what his cousin was suggesting. He had no idea what all Snot had learned the other morning, but this he got and he was grateful for it and the other training. It was likely that when Hiccup took over for his father, Snotlout would be a General. The teen would need to know general warfare tactics to keep the tribe and the nest safe from any who would seek to harm it. This proved Snot was well on his way to becoming that.

"He wants both groups to pinch the ship and its crew," Astrid said, answering her dragon sister and proving she understood where Snotlout was going as well.

[You mean like those sand scurriers my son loves to torment and then eat?] Toothless questioned. [The ones that have those grabbing claws that hurt if they latch onto you?]

Hiccup grinned. Leave it to his brother to come up with that name for a crustacean. He was also not surprised that Sandblast liked to eat them. The dragon seemed to enjoy burying himself in the sand on the beaches around the island. It was not all that unlikely that he would encounter the creatures as they also buried themselves in the sand. The tormenting thing, Hiccup would have to remember to speak to his nephew about. They tormented no living being, even if that being was just to be food. Hiccup hated tormenting and bullying of any kind. He was adamant that none in his nest would do such things.

"Yes," Snotlout answered Toothless, slightly louder and more forceful than needed as his words and voice began to reverberate.

He immediately stopped. Hiccup knew that at more to do with every human and dragon glaring at him than anything else.

"Yeah, sorry," he said, holding up his hands, "but, yes. It's just one ship. Seems fitting to squeeze the life out of them. Let them know, no one messes with a dragon nest allied to Berk."

Hiccup grinned as the other teens echoed Snotlout's comment. The teen was right. The ship would do well to prove lost and just looking for its way. They would receive no mercy or forgiveness from Hiccup if their intent proved hostile.

Kirika: Hehe, you are right. In more ways than one.

Literally Nobody: Hehe, fight scenes. I still am unsure of action scenes. That was what I was going for, though making it Sharpshot the hatchling was fascinated by. We'll get back to them, I promise. Yeah, headaches are annoying. Have a good day/night as well.