Chapter Fourteen: The Skrill Master


"When I get out of here! Oooohhh…I'm going to skin you two alive!" Darien roared, getting thrown into one of the dragon cages. Rolling herself around, she sat up and tried to twist her wrists out of the ropes, knowing it was pointless.

"Hmm…sounds like fun actually…" Ruffnut said, thinking about the threat.

"Lots of pain." Tuffnut pointed out "Cool scars too. Sounds like a win in my book."

"Me first!" Ruffnut shouted, smiling at the idea.

Darien just stared at them in confusion and detest. "Wha…what's wrong with you two?"

Before they could answer, Heather walked into the Dragon Hanger. Her face was dark and stern, looking like she was ready to kill anything. Glancing at the twins, she growled "Leave us alone."

Ruff's and Tuff's eyes darted between her and Darien, knowing something was going to go down. "Uh, sure…let me tie her hands in front." Tuffnut said, walking up to Darien.

"No. Leave them behind her." She quickly ordered, staring down Darien.

"Uh…sure…" Ruffnut said, grabbing Tuffnut. Slowly, they walked past her, making sure she wasn't going to attack them. When they found themselves in the clear, they booked it up a ramp.

Seeing the twins leave, Darien then flashed her cocky smile, making Heather's blood boil. "Huh…I still don't see Matt with you like a dog on a leash. Did the Skrill fry him from the inside out? Or does Dagur actually have him and the Skrill with the rumors I've been hearing?"

"Where would Dagur have taken him?" Heather growled, stepping through the cage's door. Kneeling in front of her, she whispered "Think carefully. I'm starting to feel what Matt felt…"

Darien kept her arrogant smile, saying "Heather, please…you of all people know that Dagur and Ryker never stay in one place for long." Gesturing to her, she added "Remember when we had you for those couple months? We were always on the move, and never stopped."

"Wrong answer…" Heather growled, pulling out Matt's knife. Flipping it open, she rested the tip of it on Darien's thigh "Listen closely Darien. And very carefully." Letting the tip dig into her leather pants, she watched Darien shift uncomfortably. "I'll let you answer one more time. However…you better remember that I'm not like Hiccup. Or Astrid. Or Fishlegs. Or any of the dragon riders. I'm nothing like any Berkian." Lightly pushing the knife farther, she saw Darien's face twitch, telling her that she broke the skin "I'm Dagur's sister. A Berserker. So…where would Dagur have taken Matt to train the Skrill? Any stronghold? A hidden island?"

Doing her best to keep her composure, Darien forced a dry and horribly fake laugh, saying "You know…I always thought Matt was the evil one of you riders. With his threats and such." Staring at Heather, she then said with a shaking voice "It's actually you. You're the reason Matt acts the way he does. He was always so carefree before. But when you enter any picture, he becomes murderous-Agh!"

Heather pushed the knife down slightly, silencing her. "Again, wrong answer. As much as I want to carve your tongue out, I got a better idea. How about I introduce Wasatch to you?"

Darien's mouth dropped, seeing what Heather was going to do.

"You two. Alone in a cage. Him being angry that his rider is missing. Wonder what'll happen." Heather growled, pulling the knife away. Showing the knife to her, she explained "I just did this for my sake. I wanted to do it since you stabbed Matt when he was in your position." Turning around, she then growled "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." At that, she shut the cage door, looping the chain around.

"Heather!" Hiccup shouted, running into the hanger. Seeing her just locking the door, he let out a sigh of relief "The twins told me you were talking to her alone. I was afraid that you were going to-"

"I was about to." Heather interrupted, glaring at Darien, who scooted herself against the wall "Now I'm going to let her see what a Skrill can do. Since she's always wanted to."

"Heather. Come with me." Hiccup whispered, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her away.

Heather reluctantly let him guide her out, though she never took her eyes off Darien, trying to send one last hate filled message to her. Growling, she turned and finally walked out, slamming one of the hanger doors shut.

"Heather, what are you doing?!" Hiccup cried out, finally stopping and staring at her.

"I'm trying to find Matt!" She shouted, squaring up to him "Listen Hiccup, I've been Dagur's prisoner for a long time! I know what Matt's going to be put through!"

"Heather, listen to me-" Hiccup tried to say, only to be cut off.

"No! You listen to me Hiccup!" She yelled, not backing down "I'm not going to wait for Dagur and Ryker to set up a trap, invite us over to exchange her for him, and then get us all captured in the process!" Her fist curled in anger, unable to help calm the fury building up inside her "Besides that, what's Dagur or Ryker going to make him do so that they have that Skrill? Remember that?! They have a trainable Skrill! Plus the only person who has ever successfully done it! What else could they ask for?!"

"They could ask for Darien." Hiccup answered, gesturing to the hanger "If you kill her, what's keeping them from killing Matt if he trains the Skrill for them? They want her back!"

Heather looked away, hating that Hiccup was right. It just felt good to dish back what Darien did to her and Matt.

"And I haven't forgotten about the Skrill. Now that Dagur has it, he's going to be using it to terrorize all the islands in the archipelago and beyond! With or without Matt's help." Hiccup pressed, trying to show her that he was indeed on the same page as her.

"Then why are we sitting here and waiting?!" Heather growled, her eyes burning with frustration "Shouldn't we be at least patrolling islands?"

Gripping her arm, he then said "That's what I'm trying to tell you. We're going to go bring Matt back right now! Fishlegs figured out where they probably took the Skrill and him."

"What?! Where?!" Heather cried, staring at him in disbelief.

"West. Away from that storm. There's a group of islands there." Hiccup answered, guiding her to walk up a ramp towards the clubhouse "If they stay away from the storm, the Skrill is less of a threat. Won't be able to draw all of its power from the lightning."

"Thank you Hiccup…I…I…" Heather stammered, realizing she was acting rash.

"Heather. You're worried about him. You know firsthand what he's probably going through." Hiccup consoled, resting his hand on her shoulder "But we don't torture. We don't do what they did to us. Otherwise, we're just like them."

"Easy for you to say…" Heather huffed, looking away from Hiccup "I'm not like you guys. I never had what you guys had your entire lives."

"Heather, you have friends that care about you. Ones that call you family." Hiccup continued to say "You have a dragon that would die for you. You have the entire tribe of Berk ready to back you up. Plus you have Matt, who we will get back, who cares a great deal about you!"

Heather's head snapped up, blushing at the subject.

Smiling, Hiccup whispered "We all know. It's not hard to see. Ever since you've been back, we watched you two get closer."

Heather still looked embarrassed, as she looked down and to the side.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Hiccup quietly laughed "Let's go get Matt back. We're leaving right now, and should get there at nightfall. What do you say? Wanna come?"

"You can bet the Dragon Eye I'm going to be flying with you." Heather replied, looking back up at Hiccup with a resolved face "Come on, let's go get him."

"Everyone's in the clubhouse, ready to go." He replied, leading her up the ramp.

"So, is Wasatch coming?" She asked, jogging to catch up to him.

Hiccup smiled as he said "You think you're the only one that wants to get Matt back? I think Wasatch will sink the entire Hunter fleet just to find him!"

"I guess we'll race." Heather laughed, knowing what to expect with Wasatch. Walking into the clubhouse, the two were surprised to see Spitelout there, looking stern at Hiccup.

"Snotlout? What's your dad doing here?" Hiccup asked, staring at the angry looking Viking.

Spitelout then growled, uttering only garbled words. Making angry noises, he swung his arms around like he was fighting something.

"Yeah, he's been like this after he took that lightning bolt to the head." Snotlout explained, staring at his dad's wild movements.

"Had me fooled. Talks how a Jorgenson normally does." Astrid huffed quietly to Heather, rolling her eyes.

"My dad's wanting revenge on the Skrill." Snotlout explained with a confident smirk "And has asked that me, his perfect, strong, and amazing son, do it for him."

Spitelout hit Snotlout in the head, pushing his helmet down over his eyes.

"Correction. He wants to come with us and watch me do it." Snotlout quickly said, looking at his dad with a sheepish smile.

Hiccup just stared at Spitelout, who now had his arms folded and was glaring back at him, as if daring him to say no. Sighing, Hiccup shrugged and said "Sure, why not."

"Great! Let's go!" Heather said aloud "The sooner we get Matt, the less Ryker and Dagur can do to him."

"And get the Skrill ready as a weapon…" Hiccup whispered, nodding in agreement "Saddle up everyone, we're leaving."


Matt's world slowly began to piece together. Groaning, he gently shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. "Ugh…that hurts…" He whispered, feeling like something was digging into his shoulder. Looking up, he quickly remembered what happened. He was captured. Along with the wild Skrill he trained. Well, kind of trained.

Though his head ached, it was drowned out by the shoulder that was now burning. Grimacing, he tried to put his hand on it, only to feel it not move. "Great. Tied up too." He thought, looking over at his right hand. Sure enough, there it was. A thick rope lashed his hand to a bar. His left hand was also in a similar situation, which forced his arms to be spread. Looking down, he found himself sitting in shallow water, which he thought was odd. His tunic was completely torn off, helping him get a clear look at the shoulder. It was horribly bruised, with a black mark where the lightning bolt hit him, spreading over his tattoo of a Skrill. "Ugh…man that really hurts…" He groaned, rolling his eyes and resting his head against the cage "At least makes the tattoo more authentic."

A soft growl sounded next to him, making him turn to see what it was. He was surprised to see the Skrill! "Hey…what're you doing in here, pal?" He groaned, his shoulder disagreeing with the motion. Then his mind began to register exactly where he was. He was locked in a cage with the Skrill!

The massive Skrill just growled a second time, letting a weak bolt strike Matt in the leg. The action took him off guard, but also confirmed that he did indeed train him; well that, and the small fact that he wasn't killed by it. "Hey, I'm alright…" He lied, resting his head against the cage "Hope they didn't treat you wrong…"

"Depends. Are you willing to teach us how to train it?" Dagur's voice called out, making both the Skrill and Matt turn to see him walk up to him on a dock near the cage. He had three Hunters with him, which stopped right behind Dagur. One was carrying a folded up tarp.

"Depends. Will you let us go and stop hunting dragons?" Matt threw back, his eyes narrowing "What's up with you guys and tying us up? What happened to just leaving us in a cell?"

Dagur just chuckled, shaking his head at Matt's resilience. Kneeling down next to him, he then said "I guess you have a point. What's it matter? You're still bait for your friends."

Matt's heart skipped a beat. Whenever Dagur was going to explain his plan, it usually meant something that Matt wasn't aware of.

"You see, now that I have a Skrill, the Beserkers are, well, empowered. We have our symbol, and our weapon!" Dagur began to laud, only to be interrupted by Matt.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. The Skrill is your symbol. Your flag, if you will." He growled, rolling his eyes, only to wince as his shoulder gave him grief "That's how Darien was able to recognize my tattoo."

"Which I like by the way. Might be the new design for our sails and symbols after this." Dagur teased. "Ah, there I go again, changing the subject!" Grinning at Matt, he then asked "Did you know that Hiccup also knows that? What the Skrill means to me?" Drawing his axe, he then moved towards Matt's left hand.

"Yeah. He told me what I told you!" He replied, glaring up at Dagur "Of course he knows that!"

"Well, it just so happens that I know Hiccup and your dragon riding friends." Dagur continued to laud. Smirking at Matt, he then asked "Did you really think I believed Hiccup would be idle? Waiting for me to send a ransom note for you? Did you think he'd sit down and wait while I have a Skrill?" At that, he slashed the ropes with the axe, freeing his arm.

Matt relished in the brief relief of letting his arm relax, cradling it in his chest. However, his face darkened, knowing exactly what Dagur was talking about.

"No, he won't be. Nor will any of your friends…" Dagur laughed, smiling widely down at him. At that, he cut the ropes on the right hand, to which Matt struggled to stand up, as the brace was still broken and his leg was a little roughed up from being moved around while unconscious. "When they find you, they'll run to you; as well as the Skrill. If I know Hiccup, he'll think he can just come in here and free both you, and the Skrill without us noticing." Shaking his head, he then said "He's predictable. Maybe you should tell him that when he gets here."

Finally standing, Matt's eye twitched, wishing he do anything to wipe that smile off his face. The Skrill growled at Dagur, moving next to Matt.

"Oh, don't worry! I'll be getting you away from that horrible dragon rider." Dagur teased, looking at the Skrill with excitement "Just need to leave him in there until we get your bond broken."

"Won't be happening…" Matt growled, splashing some of the water on his shoulder to try and soothe the burning feeling.

"We'll see. When we're torturing your friends in front of you, I'm sure it will happen." Dagur smiled, his eyes narrowing "I'm letting Ryker kill one just for what you all did to his fleet and men at Dragon's Edge."

"You attacked us!" Matt cried angrily "You really thought we'd let you in, kill us, and take the Dragon Eye?"

"Yes. That was exactly what I expected." Dagur growled "And for one of you to teach Darien how to ride dragons! Which you took prisoner by the way." Shrugging, he then said with an uncaring voice "But I've been talking way too long." Turning to the Hunters that were with him, he then ordered "Cover the cage. We'll make Hiccup work to find them."

"You're a real piece of work, you know Dagur…" Matt growled, watching the Hunters start to unfold the massive tarp "You never cared about Heather or your family. Why do you care so much about Darien?"

"I cared about Heather. I really did." Dagur replied, scowling at Matt "But I was warming up to trusting her. But when she met you; heh, that changed everything. She left me and stole the Dragon Eye. Darien's been nothing but loyal to me." Then, in a low voice, he growled "I'll give you one guess which one of your friends I'm letting Ryker kill in front of you and Hiccup."

Before Matt could say anything, the tarp covered the cage and blocking his view, and making it almost pitch black inside.

"By the way Matt." Dagur's voice called out "I can guarantee that I'll at least get Heather. She doesn't know it, but she's just as predictable as Hiccup; just more forgetful. And I have an advantage that even you forgot about."

Matt just stood there, staring at where he heard Dagur's voice. He could hear the hunter's footsteps walk along the dock, signaling to him that they were gone. His body flooded with anger. Heather was going to be used as an example, and there was nothing he could do.

The Skrill lightly bumped Matt in the back, as if checking on him.

"I don't know what to do to warn my friends, bud…" He whispered, turning and looking at the Skrill "But…now that we're alone with some privacy, why don't we try to come up with a plan to escape?"

The Skrill growled in acknowledgement, standing up as tall as he could in the cramped cage.

"You're just like Wasatch…you know that? Just bigger. And crazier." Matt whispered with a smile "Alright then, since we obviously got the trust issue dealt with, let's work on actual listening. You're worse than Wasatch, that's for sure."

Again, the Skrill growled, though this time a little angrier.

"Easy…take a joke. The last thing I want to do is tick you off while locked in here with you." Matt chuckled. Then it hit him. He saw only a fraction of this Skrill's power, taking down the auxiliary team; and besting Wasatch. What would happen if he told the Skrill to go berserk on the Beserkers and Hunters? An idea was coming to his mind, one that Ryker and Dagur wouldn't see coming. It also gave Heather a chance to not be killed. A dark smile grew on his face "So Skrill, I have an idea, but we're going to have to build our bond a little stronger. And work on some hand signaling. Got a few minutes?"

The Skrill slowly lowered its head, planting it into Matt's chest. Not shocking him, as they were standing in water, he just let it sit there.

"I'll take that as a yes." Matt smiled, resting his right hand on the Skrill's head "So, with that out of the way, lets figure out a name for you. I'm tired of calling you Skrill."


"There…that island…" Fishlegs whispered, pointing down below them.

Hiccup pulled out his spyglass, looking down. Sure enough, there was a camp littered with cages and tents. Ryker's ship was anchored just off the beach. "Doesn't look like a fort. Maybe it's just an outpost. Or they're stopping here until they train the Skrill." He said aloud.

"Which means security shouldn't be that big of an issue. Especially since there's only one ship." Astrid pointed out, staring down at the large ship moored in the bay "Not as much men to deal with."

"Everyone follow me-" Hiccup began to say, only to interrupted as a flash bolted in between him and Astrid.

"Wasatch! Come back!" Heather cried, seeing the Skrill pull away from the group.

"I knew we should have left him!" Snotlout yelled, shaking his head as the Skrill disappeared behind a rock pillar "Now he's going to let the Hunter's know we're here!"

"You know…that may actually be a good idea." Hiccup began to say, which only made everyone stare at him with quizzical stares.

"Uh…is he saying we're going to tell the Hunter's we're attacking them?" Tuffnut asked, looking at his sister in confusion.

"Sounds like it to me." She replied, equally confused.

"Not in the way you're thinking." Hiccup huffed, rolling his eyes "We can use one or two of us to divert the Hunter's attention away from the rest of us. That way we can come in from behind and take them by surprise. Maybe even find Matt and Skrill before they realize the bluff."

"Sounds good. Who are you sending?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup.

"Fishlegs and Heather." Hiccup answered, immediately turning to watch her reaction.

"What?! Why?!" Heather shouted, shocked at being sent away.

"Because when they see you, they'll be more willing to leave their posts to try and get you." He explained "Let's face it. In regards to who they want more, it's you, me, Matt, Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout."

"Why was I listed last?" Snotlout asked, confused at the order.

Ignoring him, Hiccup then added "Fishlegs is going with you so that you're not alone, and to show the Hunters that we might all be there. Besides, with Wasatch on the loose, they're going to be anxious to see one of us."

Heather just growled, not liking the idea that she wouldn't be there to find Matt.

"Tell you what." Astrid cut in "I'll go with Heather. We'll pull them out towards us and let you guys look in the camp." Glancing at Heather, she then winked "I know we'll be coming in to save your guys' butts anyways."

Hiccup smiled, knowing she was trying to appeal to Heather. Nodding, he agreed "Sounds good. Fishlegs, you're coming with us. We'll wait until you two spring a distraction.

"Still wish I was searching the camp…" Heather huffed, sitting back on her saddle dejectedly.

"Look at it this way." Astrid called out, letting Stormfly slowly glide over to Windshear "Nothing will stop us two from saving everyone when Hiccup's plan goes horribly wrong. Two axes, are-"

"Better than one." Heather replied, letting a small smile grow on her face. Seeing Hiccup scowl at Astrid, she then said "Alright then. Let's go around and hit 'em from behind!"

"Right behind you!" Astrid yelled, following Windshear who began to take a long, rounded route.

"Alright guys, let's go down and wait for the girls to pull their attention!" Hiccup instructed, diving Toothless down.

Astrid watched the rest of the gang follow Hiccup, all barreling towards the ground with the Night Fury. "Wooh. Surprised Snotlout didn't complain that he wasn't going with us." Astrid replied, smiling at Heather.

Forcing a smile, Heather just nodded and kept on looking forward, seeing a small canyon that would lead directly to the camp. "This way." She said barely loud enough to be heard "Should lead us right behind the camp."

Astrid frowned, knowing that Heather was on edge. "Heather, we'll find him. I'm just as worried as you are!"

"I know that Astrid, it's just…I guess I don't know…" She whispered back, letting Windshear land. Scanning the rocky ledges for anything that would hint at a trap, she slowly dismounted and drew her axe, being Astrid's spare since she still couldn't make her usual one out of Windshear's scales yet. Making sure Matt's hatchet was strapped to her hip, she then began to sneak towards the camp.

"Care to finish your thought?" Astrid whispered, sneaking next to her.

"I know you guys care about me." Heather whispered, stopping behind a bush. Peering through it, and not seeing anything, she explained "But Matt…he's…uh…"

"Special?" Astrid asked, letting a comforting grin grown on her face.

"…yeah…" She replied, almost hesitantly "He's the only one that I really…"

"Hey, I understand he's someone you really care about." Then, with a teasing in her voice, joked "It was kind of obvious when Hiccup and I found you two in bed."

"Nothing happened! I swear!" Heather cried out, instantly blushing at the subject "Please! Believe me!"

"I'm teasing! I have to poke fun at you." Astrid whispered with a wide smile. Lightly hitting her, she added "He's special to me too." Seeing Heather look up at her in surprise and confusion, she explained "Not like how he is to you, but he's the one person I can be…very open with." Resting her hand on Heather's shoulder guard, she reaffirmed "We're going to get him back. Alive and well."

For the first time since Matt disappeared chasing the Skrill, Heather let a real smile grow. "Then let's go drag the Hunters away." She whispered.

At that, both Heather and Astrid crouched ahead, moving at a quicker pace. Stormfly and Windshear knew their roles, moving slowly and letting their riders move ahead of them; though ready to help the moment they heard trouble.

"There's the camp." Astrid whispered, kneeling down behind a large rock. Heather also hid behind it, peaking around the other side. "I don't see anything crazy. Two guards. Sitting at that camp fire."

"Great. I think a hail of spines and quills will grab their attention, don't you think?" Heather whispered, an evil grin growing on her face.

Astrid nodded with a smile of her own. Turning to Stormfly, she was about to order her to shoot her tail spines when a war cry sounded from the far end of the camp.

Confused, the two girls crouched and watched in shock and horror as Spitelout charged into a group of Hunters. Hiccup and the others followed close by, though Hiccup was obviously mad about Spitelout charging ahead.

"Great. That's why I hate all the Jorgesons!" Astrid growled, gripping her axe.

"You know, I think I might join in on your family's hate towards them." Heather growled, readying her axe.

"Welcome to Clan Hofferson." Astrid replied, with a short flash of a smile. At that, the two booked it out from behind the rock. Their dragons roared as they flew overhead, shooting fireballs and quills alike. The charge was loud, and very obvious. Smoke was already rising in the air, and the few Hunters guarding the cages were either retreating or dispatched.

"No! Get away!" A voice shouted.

Heather froze. It was Matt's voice!

"Dammit! It's a trap! I'm a trap!" He shouted again.

Heather's attention was pulled to a cage placed in shallow water, with a large tarp draped over it. Suddenly, something slammed inside of it, causing it to tip.

"C'mon Teton!" Matt's voice shouted again "Help me roll this thing!"

"Matt!" Heather shouted, running to the cage "Windshear! Help me break the cage!" Windshear immediately sprinted after her rider, raising her tail to bust out Matt.

"Heather?! No! Get away!" Matt screamed.

Confused, Heather finally made it to the cage. Grabbing the tarp, she pulled it down to reveal Matt and the Skrill staring at her. "Matt!" She cried, relieved to see him.

"Get out of here! I'm freakin' bait!" Matt screamed, grabbing the bars.

No sooner had he shouted that, loud snap sounded from a distance. Heather whirled around in time to see a black net completely engulf her.

"No!" Matt shouted, seeing her swallowed by the net, and leaving her squirming on the dock in a black cocoon.

"Lmmpp mmmmhh gggmm!" Heather's muffled voice cried out from the cocoon, still struggling to get out.

Kchunk! Again, another net fired and wrapped itself around Windshear, tangling around her and keeping her down.

"Go get 'em boys…" Ryker laughed, walking from behind a cage.

Almost instantly, a small army of Hunters emerged from various hiding places; barrels, shrubs, even from the water itself.

Hiccup, who was running to the cage earlier, froze as he watched the Hunters surround them. Astrid, as well as the rest of the riders, raised their hands, knowing full well the battle was over.

"Heh, like I said Matt." Dagur called out, walking from behind a stack of crates "Predictable, and easily forgets." Behind him, was a sight that made Matt gasp. It was the Black Curtain. The net launcher that Dagur discovered from the old ship, The Reaper; and the weapon that almost killed him and Astrid a few months ago.

"Don't touch her!" Matt roared as he slammed himself into the cage. Even the Skrill threw itself into the wall, making the cage tilt farther, though it just fell back into the water.

"I'm not. Ryker is." Dagur replied, turning to Ryker who was marching up to Hiccup.

"Yeh lose, Hiccup Haddock." Ryker smiled, looking down at him with a smirk "And the cost? One of yer lives…" At that, he drew his sword and began to walk over to where Heather continued to struggle.

"No! I'll give you the Dragon Eye!" Hiccup quickly said "Don't kill her!"

"I'm getting the Dragon Eye regardless." Ryker replied evilly, stepping on Windshear to get to Heather.

Toothless then roared, head-butting one of the Hunters. He was instantly tackled by three other Hunters, pinning him down. Ryker whirled around, yelling "Put a muzzle on that beast! In fact, cage them all! Beast and rider!"

The Hunters then began to coral everyone, pushing them towards some empty cages. Ryker then turned and stared down at Heather's cocoon, who was still trying to escape. Lifting his sword, he looked up at Matt who kept on slamming himself into the wall with the Skrill, trying to roll it over. "She dies…Matthew Hadd-"

A lightning bolt surged down, striking the sword that Ryker held.

"Gaaagghh!" Ryker roared, dropping the sword and gripping his hand.

Wasatch flew low, arcing lightning from Hunter to Hunter. Hovering above the camp, he finally saw Matt caged with the other Skrill. By now, the camp was already up in arms, scattering this way and that. Wasatch screeched angrily, letting lighting fill the sky as he charged the cage, rolling to dodge a few arrows shot at him.

"That a boy Wasatch! Give 'em hell!" Matt roared, seeing that Wasatch had to fly at a distance to dodge the shots. Slamming himself into the cage, he yelled "Come on Teton! Help me!"

Teton slammed himself into cage wall, again tilting it.

Hiccup could see what Matt was doing. Glancing over at Toothless being forced into a cage amidst the chaos, he sprinted at him. A Hunter saw him coming, which he drew his sword and swung to cleave Hiccup's head off! Hiccup slid on his knees, ducking under the strike. Springing to his feet, he tackled the two remaining Hunters, pushing them off Toothless. "Toothless! The cage!" He shouted, getting grabbed and held down.

Toothless bolted forward, running over a Hunter in the process. Sprinting into the water, he then pushed against the backside of the cage.

Teton roared in anger, glaring at Toothless.

"Teton! Enough! We got to-" Matt started to yell, but was cut off by an eerie screech. Whirling in the direction of the screech, Matt watched in horror as Wasatch got wrapped up in another black net and crashed onto the beach. "Now or never Teton! Push!"

The Skrill glanced between both Matt and Toothless. Finally, after what felt like forever for Matt, he slammed into the side of the cage, finally tipping it over with Toothless pushing on it.

Matt stumbled with the roll. Trying to get to his feet, a loud snap sounded, followed by some heavy metal grinding. Looking up, he stood in amazement as Teton broke through the cage using the largest lightning strike he ever saw. Standing atop of the cage, he fired a massive lightning bolt at Dagur, who dove out of the way, but couldn't save his Black Curtain launcher.

At that, Teton gently hovered into the air, letting lose hundreds of lightning bolts at the Hunters, completely frying any that were too slow.

Jumping up, Matt painfully pulled himself up through the massive hole created by Teton. Thankfully, the shoulder was a lot better, though it still had a burning sensation. Grunting, he rolled over and promptly fell off the cage, crashing on the dock. Not caring for either shoulder or leg; he crawled to where Heather lay, who was now just lying there motionless. Gripping where he her head would have been, he pulled the net apart, revealing her relieved face.

"Hey, there you are! Was wondering when you were going to get me out." Heather laughed, relishing seeing Matt "I was starting to think you forgot about me!"

"Heather, we're going to have to put you through dragon training. You never listen do you?" Matt growled, shaking his head with a relieved smile. Looking up, he saw Teton finish chasing away the last of the hunters, which he roared as a final warning; as well as letting loose another volley of lightning bolts.

"So…uh…wanna get me out? Or…" Heather asked, squirming to remind him she was still wrapped up.

"Huh? Oh, right." Matt replied, recollecting himself. Focusing on unweaving the netlike mesh, his blood stopped as he heard Teton screech. Not in anger, or in triumph; but in pain. Looking back up, he saw the Skrill laying on the ground, struggling to function. Completely forgetting about Heather, he sprinted as best he could to the fallen Skrill.

"Matt!" Heather shouted, struggling to sit up.

He didn't hear anything. Seeing Spitelout raising his arms in victory, he saw a Dragon Hunter's bow in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he swiped the bow out of his hands as he ran by. Swinging it like a bat, he smashed it into a cage, breaking the bow.

Ignoring the quizzical looks he got from both Spitelout and Snotlout, he slid on his knees and cradled Teton's head. "Easy bud. Easy…" He whispered, gently caressing the Skrills head.

"Matt! What's going on?! What happened?" Hiccup asked aloud, cautiously walking up to him and the Skrill.

"I'll explain everything later!" Matt quickly said, looking up at Hiccup "Can you free Heather and Wasatch for me? I can't let this guy feel alone. it's part of the bond I'm trying to build with him!"

Hiccup nodded, understanding what Matt was trying to do. Turning, he ran back to the dock, where Heather was busy yelling that no one was helping her or Windshear. Astrid was already cutting the black net around Wasatch, freeing him.

Holding Teton's head, Matt whispered "You know what pal? You did good. You saved us."

Teton let out a soft growl, giving up on trying to fight the dragon root arrow. Closing his eyes, he rested in Matt's lap and fell asleep shortly after.


Matt limped into the Dragon Hanger, with Heather close behind. His arm was resting in a sling, though he swore he didn't need it.

"You sure you want to do this? You went through a lot of trouble to train him." Heather asked, grabbing the keys to the padlock "I mean, a lot of trouble."

"Teton's either been trapped or a prisoner for longer than I've been alive, since Hiccup first found him three years ago frozen. Trust me, I'd feel worse if I didn't give him the option." Matt replied, walking past Darien's cell, who was silently glaring at Matt. After the whole battle last night, Darien was less than pleased to know that Dagur had no bargaining chip for her, and refused to even acknowledge Matt when he came back.

Stopping in front of the door where Teton lay, both Matt and Heather watched him sleep. Small electrical jolts arced from spike to spike along his back. Sensing someone was watching him, he looked up at Matt with a quizzical stare, tilting his head as if to ask what he was doing.

Sighing, Matt grabbed the keys from Heather and began to fumble with the lock with his one hand "Come on bud. Time for you to go."

"Wait! Where are you taking him?" Darien asked, not liking the tone in Matt's voice.

Matt ignored her as he swung the gate open. Teton stretched as he stood up. Letting out a long yawn, he then walked out towards Matt, sniffing his arm resting in the sling and then planting his head into Matt's chest.

"Hey, the arm is fine. You didn't know what I could and couldn't take. Wasatch basically did the same to me when I first trained him." He smiled, letting the Skrill rest in his chest. Expecting a shock, he was surprised that he wasn't. Teton simply held his head in place. "Heh, you're still a mystery…" Matt whispered, smiling at the Skrill. Resting his hand on him, Matt guided him out of the Hanger.

"Wait! What are you doing with him?!" Darien cried out angrily, standing up and running to the door of her cell "Answer me Matt!"

Both Matt and Heather looked at each other, smiling. Shaking their head, they walked out and shut the hanger doors, leaving her in there alone.

On the Hanger's deck was the entire gang, Wasatch and Toothless, and Spitelout; who was trying argue with his garbled wording.

Wasatch growled, walking up to Teton, who also in turn growled back at him.

Matt was about to step between the two, right up until Teton let out a small electrical bolt; striking Wasatch. Not angry, Wasatch let out one of his own, hitting Teton. Back and forth, the two hit each other with small jolts.

"What are they doing?" Fishlegs asked, staring in awe at the sight.

"My guess? Communicating. I think that's just a way they communicate with each other." Matt theorized "When these two first met, Wasatch fired a large bolt at Teton, who in turn shot one back. I think it was a way of a challenge or something like that. I mean, it kind of explains why I was able to calm them. Me shocking both Wasatch and Teton showed them I can…relate to them? Though Teton was a lot tougher to convince."

Finally stopping, Wasatch stepped back, lightly bowing his head. Teton did the same, though not as low as Wasatch. He was still bigger and stronger. He wasn't going to give that up.

Turning to Toothless and Hiccup, Teton growled and narrowed his eyes. Walking slowly to them, he simply looked down at the two. Toothless growled, getting defensive as the Skrill got closer. Hiccup however, simply stood his ground. "I'm sorry…" He whispered "I didn't want to leave you trapped in that ice cave, but you left me no choice."

Teton snarled, his eyes narrowing at Hiccup. Matt was about to step in between them, but was stopped by Hiccup.

"Looking back now, I was no better than what the Hunter's did to you. And I am sorry." Hiccup kept on saying.

Teton just looked at Hiccup. Slowly, his snarl disappeared. Looking over at Toothless, he slowly bowed his head, giving respect.

Toothless growled, relaxing at the sight. He too then bowed his head, as if offering his respect as well.

"Gotta admit, that's quite relieving." Matt said aloud, watching Teton step back "I was worried he'd still be holding a grudge. Apparently Skrills aren't the easiest to get forgiveness from."

"Glad we're worthy of it then." Hiccup replied with a smile, also letting out a relieved sigh.

"Hey bud…" Matt then said, resting his hand on Teton's head "I know that you've been unable to go anywhere for quite a few years." Staring into Teton's eyes, he then said "I want you to go. Get out of here."

Teton stared at Matt, looking surprised at order.

"Go on! Check out the world." Matt smiled, trying not to let his eyes betray him "Don't give me enough time to take back what I'm saying!"

Wasatch growled, stepping next to Matt. Gesturing to the sky, he let lightning start radiating from his back.

Teton glanced back and forth between the two. Growling, he looked at Wasatch, motioning towards Matt. Wasatch roared, standing up straight and sticking his chest out. His eyes almost dared Teton to stay.

Slowly, Teton looked down at Matt. Growling softly, he lowered his head into Matt's chest; this time shocking him lightly.

Matt smiled through some tears starting to emerge from his eyes. "Get out of here bud…" He whispered.

Teton finally took a step back. Looking again at Wasatch, he let out a soft growl and a nod.

Wasatch roared, raising his wings and stepped forward, as if trying to scare him away.

Smiling Teton let lighting begin to radiate all over his body. Looking over at Toothless, he growled with a smile. At that, the largest lightning strike appeared. Matt gasped as he watched the lightning bolt struck at the clouds, leaving a silhouette of Teton being lit up. He literally rode a lightning bolt away.

Thunder rolled as the group watched the storm slowly moved away and out of view. Heather walked up to Matt, smiling at him "You know, you really have earned a title for yourself."

"Yeah, Matt the mutton-headed idiot!" Astrid growled, walking up and smacking him in the arm resting in the sling.

"Gah! Wha-why'd you hit me?!" He cried out, flinching vividly in pain.

"For chasing after Teton to begin with!" Astrid huffed "You had an entire team of dragon riders at your back, and you still left them to fight him; which got the two of you captured!"

Hiccup laughed as he walked up to them "She's got a point, but I think I know what kind title Heather's thinking of."

"Matt the can't-stop-getting-his-limbs-injured-because-of-all-his-friends?" Matt growled, rubbing his shoulder while glaring at Astrid.

Heather shook her head, saying "I was thinking: Matthew Haddock, The Skrill Master."


There ya go! Hope you enjoyed this one. The name of the Skrill is pronounced TEE-Tawn (Teton). They're pretty mountains in Wyoming that I thought was suiting for Matt to name him after. As of now, I'm currently driving across the country, and can promise I won't be able to post or work on the story until well into next week. Maybe. I'm sorry for the delay and will try to reply back to questions and comments as I'm able during my trip. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week! Again, thanks for the much appreciated support and thoughts!

-Dustnblood