Chapter Eighteen – War of The Kraken: Final Stand

Part One – A Long Wait, and Battle Plans

The Kraken- Lords fallback- position; High- Lord Malchior,

High- Lord Malchior sat in his 'customary place', at the middle of the 'high- table'; the other eight 'lords' sat alongside him: Roland, Ralden, Tarbek, and Emric to his left; and Locke, Ammon, Melbourne and Tristan on his right. Several dozen of their warriors sat on benches; which had been transported from their ship to the beach, and then to the cavern where the remains of their council 'held court'.
Aside from the occasional muttered comment, the room was silent; aside from an occasional shift in position, the room was still. The only furnishings in the cavern were the table around which the lords gathered, and the benches that had been dragged in. There were only three ways in, or out: the tunnel that connected their cavern to the islands' main system, and two tunnels that opened behind the 'high- table': their only ways out, if it came down to it. (He'd been trying to convince himself that it wouldn't ever since they arrived; but… they'd fallen this far, why not the rest of the way?)

Most of their warriors were outside: keeping watch, or working to repair as many of the damaged boats as they could. Those not on-duty had retreated into the caves and tunnels. Every minute felt like an hour; every hour, like a year. But there was little else to do but wait for news, and wonder what that news might be.
In a mere two weeks, their entire world had been turned completely upside-down…

Bridgman's first report came the previous day, confirming what they already suspected: "My lords," the man had said, "The Armada's reached the original location of the frontlines; the ships are gone… The subjugated- tribes, the Northerners'; all of them."
The second time, the messenger was visibly on-edge: "My Lords; Commander Bridgman's sentries have sighted the enemy fleets: They've formed up into battle lines… The–They were waiting for them." As he spoke, the mood in the room seemed to drop even further.

'How could this happen?' Malchior raged, silently: from where he sat, at the 'high- table'. 'We controlled almost half the world; how could one boy have reduced us to … to this?' He forced himself back to his surroundings; cleared his throat, and began to speak: "Order the men to stop repairs; all combat- ready ships are to form-up beneath the overhang. Load the catapults; open fire as soon as the enemy is in range."

The messenger nodded in acknowledgment. "And the rest of the men, High- Lord?"

"The sentries are to remain at their posts; have the rest fall back, into the caves, for now." Malchior instructed. "When sails, or dragons, are sighted on the horizon; half are to take up positions in the forests, atop the overhang; attack as soon as the enemy is in range. Take captives, if the opportunity arises; it will give us something to bargain with. The rest are to hold the tunnels, between here and there."
The messenger nodded; Malchior gestured a dismissal; the man bowed, and departed.

Part Two – Battle Commander

At the forward- lines,

Several minutes of silence followed Hiccup's words; for those few brief moments, the war had been all-but-forgotten.
Brianna shook her head, "Ok… I can't take it anymore: What are you planning?" Her words sent murmurs of interest rippling through the crowd.

Hiccup's smile widened. "Well… Bridgman was in-charge of establishing, and securing their fallback- position; so he knows a lot about the place. The island is heavily forested, and has an … 'extensive' network of underground tunnels and caves; that's where the lords, and most of their warriors, have taken shelter." There was a brief pause; then he continued, "They've withheld a portion of their armada: damaged ships from the first wave, now under repair; and another two- hundred, battle- ready." He shrugged, "According to Bridgman."

Next to him, Astrid raised an eyebrow. "But… you don't believe him?"

"I do; to a point," Hiccup said, turning to her. "He was too off-balance to lie convincingly, as even he would've known; he'll have told me what he had to, while withholding as much as he could." Astrid nodded; Hiccup continued, "The bay, where they're working, is partially- sheltered by a thick overhang: Battle- ready ships formed-up beneath it, protected from aerial- attacks; Archers, net-launchers, on top: using boulders, stands of trees, for cover … It's impressive, when you hear it aloud, but they've made a pretty major oversight."

"Those defenses sound solid to me," Chief Donovan commented. "What's this 'oversight'?"

"They've concentrated their defenses on the northern side of the island," Hiccup said, simply. "It may look like they're backed into a corner; one way in, one way out; but they made a point of having their people scout-out the island ... they wouldn't be so careless, not with their lives on the line."

Bergan frowned, "But… What does that mean?"

"It means they have an exit strategy," Hiccup explained. "This island's supposed to be a fair size, and the cavern system 'extensive'; but even a small system, on a small island, could have multiple entrances … or exits, depending on which way you're going."

Chief Tyrek' nodded, his expression thoughtful. "So if we move in from the front, they run out the back; use the time we'd have to spend, searching the caves, for a head-start south."

"Or to regroup; somewhere else, on the island…" Thalia, Tyrek's eldest daughter; suggested a little timidly. She was twenty- two; dark- haired; tall for her age, and fit.

"Well said," Hiccup grinned, nodding to her; Thalia blushed, a little, and averted her gaze. "And it raises an … 'interesting' possibility."

Astrid considered Hiccup for a long moment, "You want them to use their exit strategy, don't you?"

"When the time's right, yes: to get them out of the caves," Hiccup admitted. "But first, we need to divide our forces: The first wave leaves in the morning; sails far enough around the island to avoid detection, makes landfall on the southern shore. They'll locate and secure the tunnel entrances on that side of the island, quietly. The second wave moves-in the following morning: a gradual approach, from the north. We clear the overhang; land on the northern shore, and make for the tunnels on this side of the island. When word of the breach reaches them, the 'lords' go for their exits; convinced the threat is behind them, closing fast, they'll run right into the first wave." – The familiar current of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Or… would it be the second wave?" Tuffnut mused; a few people frowned at him, and he shrugged. "If the first wave to leave, is the second one to meet the enemy; then which one's–"

"You get the point; Tuffnut…" Heather rolled her eyes; then turned to Hiccup, "How are we going to clear the overhang, though; send in the Night- Furies?"

Toothless gave a low chuckle, 'A dozen of my cousins, it won't take more than that; not after Hiccup unleashes his … other surprise.'
Hiccup retrieved a cloth sack, from where it hung on the Night- Fury's saddle; and offered it to Tuffnut, gesturing for him to open it.

When Tuffnut opened the bag, and saw the contents, his eyes widened. "It this…?"

"It is… Eight jars of Monstrous- Nightmare gel," Hiccup confirmed. "I've arranged for two Night- Furies fly you in: You leave in the morning; and will arrive, at the overhang, a little after nightfall. Do your prep here, before you go; when you're there, conceal as you move. Bring back everything you don't use, so they won't find any of your … surprises."

"Ok... Just so we know we're on the same page," Ruff said, "You want us to go to the overhang; use those," she gestured to the sack in her brother's hands, "how, and where, we want; but keep it on the down-low, so those kraken- dorks can't mess-up our work."

"Yeah, that… pretty much sums it up," Hiccup nodded. "Rig whatever you want, as long as it's on the 'down-low'." He raised an eyebrow, "'Special circumstances', remember: You'll never get a chance like this again, so make it count."
The Twins' faces split into identical, almost- sinister, grins; they fist-pumped, turned, and hurried away: already deep in conversation.

Tyrone looked from his Monstrous- Nightmare, to Hiccup; a small frown on his face, "What exactly is 'Monstrous- Nightmare gel'?"

'A highly flammable substance my kind release, from glands beneath our scales,' his dragon explained. 'It's what we ignite, when we set ourselves on fire.'

"We started harvesting it, a few years ago." Astrid explained, "That way; we've always got a supply on-hand, when we need it."

"Ruff and Tuff's favorite hobbies are Loki-ing, and making things go 'boom'." Hiccup smiled wryly, "They do most of the … 'quality- control' work, on Berk: If a sample withstands their 'testing'…" – He let the sentence drift; it didn't need to be finished.

From there the conversation turned to details and logistics, for what lay ahead. First they discussed, and decided, which ships would be in which wave; then moved on to signal- cues, and general timing. – Finally, Chief Tyrek nodded. "Well; I think we've covered everything."

"There is one other thing…" Hiccup said; seconds later, every eye was on him. "I also want a number of ships, from the second- wave, to hold-back from the fight; to serve, instead, as medical- centers. I wouldn't expect much traffic in that department, but they should be well- staffed; volunteers only, of course." He noticed the listeners' confusion, and elaborated. "The enemy will try to take captives during the fighting, to regain bargaining- power: The most likely targets, will be our wounded; the least-able to fight off attackers."

"Ah; I get it…" Astrid said, nodding. "That's why you've sent The Twins to rig the overhang: We trigger their traps, clear the overhang in one pass; smash their ships before they realize they've lost the overhang; hit the tunnels before they solidify their underground defenses ... You're going for a 'zero- captured, zero- fatalities' two-in-one record."
She blinked, and looked around. "Uh… Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're actually on-track for that!" – No one spoke for a full minute; then a current of low mutters moved through the group, like a gentle summer breeze.
Astrid was right: No one, from any of the Combined Forces, had been captured or killed since the war had – officially – begun. (It was, in fact, quite the opposite.)

"Nicely summarized; Astrid; as usual," Hiccup said, grinning. "I'm not here to sett records, though: I keep my mind in the present. If we sett, or break, a record; in the process–"

"I usually have to tell him about it afterwards," Astrid grinned; and shook her head, to show she was kidding.

"You might not be going for the record," Chief Hedrick commented, "but lets see if we can pull it off anyways; then we can shove that in their 'lordly' faces, when this is over!"
A bellow of approval rose from the crowd. Then, their plans finalized; the crowd began to disperse: going their separate ways, to make their preparations.

That evening; atop a fair-sized sea-stack,

Hiccup and Astrid's tent was spacious but sparsely furnished: There was a small table, upon which rested a few maps and sheets of parchment; two sleeping rolls lay near the back wall, a thick fur blanket spread over them; two packs; and the stand where Hiccup's armor rested, when he wasn't wearing it. (Further down the sea-stack, four Night- Furies kept watch for any sign of danger.)

Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons stood outside; as the sun was about to vanish, below the horizon, another dragon came in for a landing. Moments later, Windshear's claws touched the ground; Heather dismounted, "You wanted to see us?"

Hiccup and Astrid came to meet them; Hiccup nodded, "We did: There's something the two of you should know." He smiled, wryly. "You… might want to sit down, for this."
The three riders sat, on the sea-stack; Toothless and Stormfly came to join them. "Do you remember the time I told you about my conversation with Thor; or, rather: what I knew of it, at the time?"

Heather nodded, "Yes; and what you said about a 'possible danger' to you, if the wrong people found out about it. But… What does that have to do with us?"

"Before I tell you," Hiccup said, "I'll need you to swear an oath of secrecy; in Thor's name." Heather blinked, clearly surprised, but she didn't hesitate; Hiccup nodded, and continued. "I've already explained the importance of the connection Toothless and I share, years ago; the memories Thor removed, relate to a reward he promised me, for unifying the humans and dragons."

Heather's expression became curious, "'Reward' … what kind of reward?"

"Deification." Hiccup said, simply. "So long as Toothless and I live out the whole of our natural lives; and, at least: appear to, die a mortal- death; I will claim the title 'Dragon- Lord; First of The Five': five deified rider–dragon pairs; tasked with preserving the peace, between humans and dragons." His eyes glowed green; the blue lines flowed across his armor, and energy radiated out from where he sat. "The transition has already begun; and it will continue, until a mortal- body cannot contain the energy." His eyes returned to normal, and the blue lines faded.

Heather's jaw dropped, "Oh, Gods; you mean… Gods… Oh, Gods!" Astrid covered her mouth with one hand; Hiccup smiled and nodded. After a long moment, Heather frowned. "What does this have to do with us, though?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "I did say there will be five Dragon- Lords, remember … I've chosen Astrid to be The Second – 'The Lieutenant'; and I am considering you, Heather, as a candidate for The Fourth – 'The Envoy'; symbolizing the secrets of dragon- lore moving beyond Berks' boarders."

A series of expressions flashed across Heather's face: Awe, disbelief; and, finally; gratitude. A full minute passed before she found her voice; when she did, she asked, "Do you… Do you really mean it? … Windshear and I…" Hiccup nodded; Heather shook her head, "Thank you, Hiccup; whether we 'make the cut', or not; thank you." Windshear, too, expressed her gratitude and surprise.

Hiccup nodded, and continued. "The rest of Our Team, my mother, Gobber, and Eret know; as do Chief Thommen, his family; Chief Tyrek, and Tyrone. Like you, they have also sworn oaths of secrecy; though it'd be best to avoid discussing it… One person overhearing would be all it'd take, for rumors to begin spreading across the Archipelagos." Heather nodded, emphatically; Hiccup continued, "We should head in; tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Heather and Windshear again expressed their gratitude; then Heather clambered onto Windshear's back, and the Razorwhip rose into the sky. A moment later: they settled onto a nearby sea-stack, where they'd set up their camp.
Heather waved, and vanished into her tent. Hiccup chuckled; he and Astrid exchanged grins, then the two of them entered their tent.

Part Three – The Forgotten Scrolls; Legends, Old and New

The following morning,

The first wave left an hour after sunrise; southern ships for the most part, accompanied by a mixed force, from each of the northern tribes.
To take their minds off their concerns; the southerners who'd once been hostages, and most of the northern 'spectators' who'd come to watch 'The Battle', gathered around Hiccup and Astrid: all eager to hear about some of their adventures, of the past five years.

Hiccup considered for a moment, and then gave a wry smile. "I summarized this to Leanne, Lara, and Thom, while they were on Berk; but…" he turned to the members of the northern tribes, "I believe you've all heard a certain legend, referring to my ancestor; Hamish the Second?"

Leah raised an eyebrow, "'The Lost Treasure of Hamish the Second', you mean?"

"The formerly- lost Treasure of Hamish the Second." Hiccup said, mildly. "I… found a copy of the map, when I was fifteen. Apparently: Hamish- two and I, share an interest in riddles ... the guy sure knew how to write them!"

"You're kidding!" Thalia gasped, forgetting her shyness from the previous day. "You found… how long did it take?"

Astrid smiled, "About five hours … the riddles barely slowed him down; and the reason Hamish- Two hid the treasure…" she shook her head. "I'm getting ahead of things."

"'The reason Hamish hid the treasure'?" someone repeated.

"He left a message; a scroll, on a pedestal; at the entrance to his treasure- room," Hiccup admitted. "But that's at the end; better to begin at the beginning…"
He took his time, telling the story; explaining the riddles, the journey: from one stage, to the next. And, at long last: he revealed the truth, which Hamish the First tried so hard to hide.

"Hamish the Second… was a 'hiccup'?" Thalia repeated, finally; her voice soft.

"He was..." Hiccup confirmed. "The riddles were… a test, of sorts: Many seek strength- of- body, but Hamish and I; we couldn't do that, when we were younger; so we trained our minds ... I'm not sure what Hamish did, with his free- time, but I'm an inventor; my glider, a … 'multi-purpose' shield, and…" he stopped midsentence. "The 'thunder- ear'…"

Tanya frowned, "The … 'thunder- ear'?"

"It's … hard to describe," Astrid admitted. "But Hiccup designed it, years ago: to focus sound, traveling over a distance. It was going to be an early- warning system; amplifying noise from enemy ships before they got close enough to..." Her eyes widened, "Of course!"

"The prototype was destroyed, by three very energetic Thunderdrum hatchlings, but it worked; had a range of almost three miles, over open water." Hiccup elaborated. "I kept the plans, but … I'd forgotten about them; until I was cleaning out my old work area, a few weeks ago: found the scrolls, with my diagrams and notes, still in their case…"
For a long moment, there was silence; the listeners simply sat there, struggling to process the implications of what they'd just heard. Then came the questions, a lot of them; and after that, several minutes of silence.

"I still don't know how Hiccup does everything he does…" Astrid said, finally. "Five years, four separate enemies – not counting the Kraken- Lords; yet, our team has one more rider–dragon pair than we started with," she nodded to Heather, who grinned. Astrid opened her mouth, as though to continue; instead, she sighed, and put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Five years; four enemies; a new addition to our team," Hiccup repeated, "and two fatalities to our side … both during the fight against Drago." He looked around, at the crowd. "The first was the former Alpha of The North, 'The White Sentinel'; the second … was my father."

"Your father?" Brianna asked, her eyes widening. "I mean… I knew that he… since you were Chief, but..."

Hiccup nodded, "He was planning to retire, wanted me to take over; we spent most of that afternoon setting a timeline, for a formal transfer- of- power … I became Chief the following morning, but not the way we'd planned: Drago had decided I was a threat, tried to kill me; my father… intercepted the attack." – A chorus of gasps moved through the crowd.
He sighed. "We can't change the past; all we can do is learn what we can from what happens, find some way to take control of it; and move forward."

"'Take control of it'?" Arya asked, shaking her head. "How are we supposed to 'take control' of this?"

Alana managed a small smile. "I'm going to go out on a limb, and say he's got a few ideas."

"Oh… a few," Hiccup agreed, nodding. "Take the kraken- lords' fancy robes… Personally: I'd like to get hold of a few squares with the insignia; get the edges stitched up, so it won't come apart; then, in years to come, every time I've got a cold…" He drew a square with his fingers, than mimed using it to blow his nose. He grinned, "Yeah … Picture the expressions on their faces, if they saw me doing that; and just try to keep a straight face." – A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd.
He shrugged, "And back to those robes: Cut some of the fabric into strips, lash them to the end of a good staff, and … new mop; comes with its own catch- phrase: 'mopping the floor with the kraken- lords'." – The laughter increased in volume.
He gestured, vaguely, with one hand. "Then there's the good old- fashioned washcloth, for dealing with life's messes." He cleared his throat, "I should probably give my throat a break; doing a lot of talking." – There was a general nodding of agreement; then the listeners began to talk, amongst themselves.

About fifteen minutes later,

After a reasonable amount of time had passed; Thalia said, "There's something I've been wondering about, for years, really … The Night- Furies; people have told stories about them for years, but no one's ever seen one… Why not?" – The familiar murmurs of interest moved through the crowd.

Rider and Night- Fury exchanged a look; Hiccup raised a finger, "Excuse us for a moment." For several minutes, Hiccup and Toothless conversed in low growls.
Finally; Hiccup nodded, "It's a sad story, actually, but it's one that needs to be told: About… three- hundred years before our ancestors arrived in the Archipelagos; dragon- hunters operated in the region. Over time, word spread of a… particular island: drawing in scores of hunters, each of them hoping to be first to kill a Night- Fury. One day… Four hatchlings were playing, near the heart of the island, under the watchful eye of two females; both in their early- teens … Sometime around noon, they were ambushed by a group of dragon- hunters; three of the four hatchlings, and one caretaker, were slain."

A chorus of exclamations rose from the crowd; dozens of the listeners clapped hands to their mouths, murmured low comments to those nearest them. Finally; Tanya found her voice, "But… the fourth hatchling, the second caretaker; they got away, right?"

"The second caretaker was wounded; a spear, through the side; before she got out of range. She made it back to their caverns; told the rest of the colony what had happened, then she… passed." Hiccup said, his voice soft. "The fourth hatchling had been traumatized so severely; she… she stopped eating: died of starvation, a few days later. Night- Fury scouts tracked the hunters to their base; then The Colony … retaliated: The hunters, and all trace of their base, were… utterly annihilated."

Leah shook her head; and, after several attempts to speak; managed to say, "Good riddance." Several people nodded agreement; others simply sat there, shaking their heads.

"It didn't stop there," Hiccup said. "Two years ago, Toothless and I salvaged an 'artifact' from a shipwreck; The Reaper; which we'd found, and explored. The information it contained was what led us to explore 'the far reaches', where we found an active- group of dragon- hunters. On hearing of our discovery, they claimed both the wreck, and device, were their property; lost at sea, years earlier; and demanded its return ... We refused; on the grounds that it was a legitimate salvage, and knowing they'd use it to hurt more dragons."

Lara's eyes widened, "Dragon- hunters built The Dragon- Eye?"

Leah frowned, "The 'dragon- eye'?"

"That's the name I chose, for the device we found," Hiccup explained. "These hunters had developed an arsenal of anti-dragon weapons, and knew what they were doing; it was … challenging, and their leader; Viggo Grimborn..." His expression darkened, for a moment. "It's a long, complicated story; one for another time." He paused, to gather his thoughts.
"Not long after the Night- Furies destroyed the hunter- base; Thor and Freya visited The Elders, who governed the colony: offered them a deal… So long as the Night- Furies restrained themselves; allowing humans to resettle the north, when they next came; the dragon, of the first pair, would be a Night- Fury."

'WE ACCEPTED THEIR OFFER,' the Ancestors chimed in. 'AND THEN, TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF FUTURE… "ENCOUNTERS", WE WITHDREW FROM THE WORLD. AND THEN, WE WAITED; AS OUR NUMBERS WITHIN, AND THE ORE ITSELF, GREW; WAITING, FOR "THE PROMISE" TO BE FULFILLED.'

"For six hundred years…" Lara shook her head, awed. "I can't even begin to imagine what that must've been like!"

'WE SCARCELY NOTICED THE PASSING TIME, IN TRUTH; OUR SLUMBER WAS AS DEEP AS ANY OCEAN,' The Ancestors replied. 'BUT NOW WE ARE AWAKE, AND READY TO FIGHT.'

"Speaking of which," Hiccup glanced up: noting the suns' place, in the sky. "It's almost noon, now… We need to finish getting ready."

As they were getting to their feet; Bella asked, "Just how bad was this… 'Viggo Grimborn'?"

"Viggo was ruthless, and obsessed with 'Maces And Talons'; favored a 'real- life version' of the game, with living game- pieces: pieces he was willing to sacrifice, to get what he wanted." Eyes widened, at this; Hiccup continued. "It was my first real challenge, led me to… test my limits." Another pause. "He was the basis for my concern of a kraken- strategist."

"During our first council meeting; you said you 'weren't overly concerned' about the possibility…" Tyrone frowned, then grinned. "Never mind, I get it now: You'd already taken action; and you asked Chief Thommen to say as little about you as possible, in his 'report' … you were cloaking your movements!"

"I had to…" Hiccup admitted, his expression serious. "With two high- level tacticians, on opposite sides of a war; the best scenario would have each of them fighting their own battles, until one strikes a decisive blow to their enemy: giving their side a clear advantage. If one suspected the other side had a tactician, too, they'd compensate for the possibility…"

"Like you did," Thalia pointed out, shuddering. "Thank the Gods…" Then she frowned, "What would happen if they did find out about one another … hypothetically?"

Hiccup was silent for a ten count; then said, "Both tacticians would turn their full attention to their new rival; each striving to outthink, outmaneuver, or outlast the other … Either way, 'collateral- damage' would be putting it mildly."

As usual: Astrid was first to understand, "You thought it was only a matter of time."

"Initially, yes…" Hiccup admitted. "Then 'someone' handed me half the Kraken- Council's secrets; the … insight into Bane, and his grandfather, was particularly helpful." He nodded, to Chief Abram; then smiled, a little ruefully. "This may be hard to believe, but I'm still 'holding my punches' … If I must fight, I'll fight; but there's so much more to life!" He patted Toothless on his lower- neck. "Isn't that right, bud?" – Toothless warbled in agreement, and thumped his head lightly against Hiccup's shoulder.

Several minutes passed in silence; then Sabrina said, "Beard of Thor…"

"I know of only four people who could pose such a threat, as tacticians…" Hiccup continued. "Three of them, are dead; and the fourth," he gave a short half- bow, "has a great many years of life ahead of 'him' … Years 'he' would much sooner spend dragon- riding; Chief-ing; inventing; and," he put an arm around Astrid, "so on; thank you, very much!"
The tension evaporated, several people chuckled; Hiccup saw the pride on both his wife's and mother's faces. "And on that, much more positive note: Who wants to take what's left of this 'kraken- empire' apart?" He raised his hands, and his sword and helm shot into them; moments after he'd donned his helm, 'Fury' ignited. "Personally; I'm sick and tired of going easy on those guys!" A chorus of disembodied growls punctuated his sentence.
A roar of approval rose from those assembled: the humans, and dragons, who had been there from the start, and those who'd arrived more recently. The crowd began to disperse.

Nearby, Toothless's 'girlfriend' – to use the 'human term'; who'd taken on a 'go-between' role, between the humans of Berk and The Colony, so she could spend more time around Toothless; added her own 'voice' to the chorus of disembodied growls.
(Whether you saw her or not, she was almost-always somewhere near-by; if you didn't see Toothless at Hiccup's side, chances were good that he was with Shadara. And both of them would be at the Black- Rider's side in moments, if the need arose.)

Meanwhile; the kraken- lord's island,

Commander Bridgman's first two messages had arrived around midafternoon; the third message didn't. When, at last, the messenger arrived; his news was no news. "My Lords," he said, "Commander Bridgman has… has missed his check-in: we can only assume that–that…" the sentence went unfinished. – It was a long time before anyone spoke: What was there to say? All they could do, now, was wait.

Same island; a few hours before midnight,

Near forty-five minutes after they had drifted in, on still wings, for a landing; two black- dragons were rising into the sky; retracing the route they'd used to approach the island, in reverse. On their backs, sat two teenage- Vikings.

Then, in near- perfect unison, Ruff and Tuff said: "This. Is. Going. To. Be. Awesome!"

Part Four – To War!

The following morning,

The second- wave left the island, which had served as their forward staging- area, a few hours after sunrise.
Shortly after they left, Astrid and Heather quietly briefed the volunteers on Snotlout, who remained convinced he was The Gods' Gift to Girls Everywhere. (Snotlout would later try to talk to every girl who caught his eye; but never got more than a short polite exchange, before the girl(s) continued on their way.)
Astrid also filled Heather in on how Fishlegs had pretended to compete with Snotlout for Ruffnut's affection; from when they'd left Dragon's Edge, under Heather and Windshear's supervision, to when Eret arrived on Berk and Ruff got a crush on him. (Heather appeared relieved by the news, admitting she'd heard a rumor; and told Astrid she might tease Fishlegs a little, but didn't hold it against him.)

They'd been underway for a little under two hours, when two black dots appeared on the horizon. Moments after they'd appeared; one of the Night- Furies, who'd been circling overhead, spotted them; she dropped toward the leading ship, where Hiccup and Toothless waited. 'The Twins are on their way back; twenty minutes out, at most.'

Eighteen minutes later,

The news of their approach was, as it turned out, more dramatic than The Twins' arrival. Both Ruff and Tuff lay, slumped forward, on the back of 'their' respective Night- Fury; they were fast asleep.
The Night- Furies landed on the foredeck of one of the medical- ships; where Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons stood with a group of 'volunteers'. Moments later, and within seconds of one another, Ruff and Tuff slid forward, off of the backs of the black- dragons, and fell to the deck. They landed with near- simultaneous 'thumps'; jerked awake, and leapt to their feet.

Ruff looked around, bleary- eyed; then turned to 'her' Night- Fury, frowning. "Couldn't you have woken us up before we landed?"

'I thought you were awake,' the Night- Fury female replied. 'You spent the last half- hour muttering, "Awesome, this'll be awesome" in my ear, after all.' She tilted her head to the side, and gave a growly chuckle. 'It should be amusing, though, I'll admit.'
A moment later: Tuffnut's pet, Chicken, hopped off the Night- Fury's back, and onto Tuffnut's shoulder.

"You brought 'Chicken', seriously?" Astrid asked, incredulously.

"Hey, I'll have you know: Chicken did her part, for the mission!" Tuffnut said.

"It's true; A little hard to believe, but true." Ruffnut said, nodding. "We had a close call, but she took care of it."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "Ok… This, I need to hear."

"And so you shall!" Tuffnut said, grinning. "I'd just placed my last bag of–" Ruff elbowed him, and shot him a warning look; he nodded, "Right… spoiler, I hate spoilers … Anyways: I'd just planted one of our surprises beneath a clump of bushes; when we heard voices; one of their patrols, practically on- top of us…"

"I had the sacks with the gel jars, our … other gear, and a 'empty- sacks' sack," Ruff interjected. "Humph; not about to let some kraken- dorks ruin our part of the grand- finale!"

Tuff cleared his throat, "They didn't see us; but the bushes were still moving, when they got there. One of the kraken- warriors told the other two he'd seen something; and they started to come towards where we were hiding." He turned to the crowd that had gathered; and gestured, triumphantly, at his pet. "And that, was when Chicken stepped- up: she charged out, into the open, all 'bock- bock- bah-caw; bock- bah-caw-caw'!" he launched into his 'Chicken- imitation'.

Ruff watched her brother for a moment; then asked, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look, when you do that? … Seriously!"

"Uh, no… As a matter of fact: I don't," Tuff said, rolling his eyes; he picked Chicken up, and straightened.

"Ugh… Should've seen that coming," Ruff muttered, rolling her eyes. "Anyways: They saw Chicken, and two of them started cracking up; one guy was like 'Oh, no: it's a chicken! You think we can take it, or should we call for backup?'"
Several of the listeners were smirking; Tuff patted Chicken on the back, and Ruff continued. "Then another guy said, 'May–Maybe you should take it in for questioning, Don: it might know something!'" Most of the listeners were now laughing, outright; a few were shaking their heads, and muttering to one another.

Tuff stepped forward, "While they were talking, Chicken darted back into the bushes, where we were. The first guy said 'It could've been a dragon, though, or a rider; we had to check… It's gone, now, anyways; lets just get back to our rounds!'" Tuff chuckled. "We were almost done, by then: Made our last few stops; slipped out, and here we are!"

"Brother," Ruff said, "I think we've truly outdone ourselves…" She turned to Hiccup, "We pulled out all the stops for this one; figured they deserved it."

"Not until we've sett it off!" Tuff said, adamantly. "Our reputations won't allow us to 'skip' Loki- Day; but after this, I think we could tone it down a bit… A few tripwires, maybe launch Snotlout out of a catapult; small stuff, just to mark the occasion." He turned to his sister; Ruff gave an agreeable shrug.
Snotlout's eyes narrowed; he raised two fingers to his eyes, than pointed to The Twins. The message was clear: 'I'm watching you two.'

Hiccup grinned, and nodded. "That; Ruff, Tuff; is exactly what I wanted to hear."

Moments later, thunder rumbled overhead; heads turned toward the sound, and uncertain murmurs moved through the crowd.
Hiccup's smile widened, "A good sign… Who do we know who loves storms?"

Snotlout's eyes widened, "Oh no… Not him!"

The words had barely left his mouth, when a familiar roar echoed from somewhere overhead. The Skrill blasted out from the nearest bank of clouds, and towards the ships; he came to a stop, about forty feet above them, and began to circle.
When he spotted Hiccup, came in for a landing; when his claws touched the deck, he growled something to the black- clad rider.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Well … you've picked an… interesting time to ask for that." The Skrill tilted his head, and growled something.
"No, no; I'm just surprised," Hiccup stepped toward the Skrill; hands extended to either side. The Skrill lowered its head, until it hung between Hiccup's inward- facing palms. Human, and dragon closed their eyes; for several moments, they stood there… neither moving.

Then Hiccup took a few steps back; the Skrill raised his head, and shook himself slightly. Then a new voice spoke, 'Interesting…' The voice crackled: just as lightning would, through the dragon to which it belonged. 'It was only recently that I decided I wished to learn this language; but times change, and we must change with them.'

Hiccup nodded, "You also said you carry a message?"

The Skrill nodded, 'The Thunderer said to tell you this storm is of his making; he sends swift winds to speed you south, as he did those who came before, though they received no storm.' He glanced up at the clouds, and chuckled. 'I am to accompany you; ensure no lightning hits these boats, and put the energy to … "good use", at journeys' end… I love being on Thor's payroll; that guy knows how to make a storm!' He turned to Snotlout; who'd been backing away, slowly; 'almost' as though he knew what was coming.

"Hey; take it easy, big guy…" Snotlout said, as he backed away. "No need to waste your–" Before he could finish the sentence; a bolt of energy crackled out of the Skrill's left wing, and hit Snotlout. Moments later, it was gone: Snotlout stood there; dazed, but unharmed.

"Ok: I'm not complaining, far from it," Tuffnut began, "but… why do you keep doing that to him?"

The Skrill turned to him; tilting his head to the side, as though puzzled by the question. 'Seriously… have you met him?'

Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged a look, and shrugged in unison; Ruffnut said, "Huh… fair point."

Snotlout scowled, "Pluzzel-sluurrg frag-gaggle!" Everyone close enough to hear burst out laughing; Snotlout charged to the rail, shaking his fist at the Skrill, as the dragon rose into the clouds. "Zurn-flaggat kree-Bach!"

The following morning,

The unnamed- island had appeared as a distant smudge on the horizon, about an hour after sunrise. It was still a half-days' sail away, but the sight of it generated a flurry of activity.
The storm continued to rumble, overhead; though it had subsided slightly, during the night; as though in a conscious effort not to disturb the rest of those travelling below it.
They had also covered far more distance than they should have: The oars had not been touched, but the boats moved at speeds normally achieved only when sails and oars were used simultaneously.

At noon, Hiccup called a halt; they were as close to the island as the designated medical- ships were going to come. Everyone with family, on the other boats, took a few moments to themselves: promising that they'd see one another again soon.
Hiccup and Astrid embraced, and kissed lightly; then Hiccup clambered onto Toothless's back. When the overhang fell, the black- clad rider, and his dragon, would accompany the main force into the caves.
Once the battle had moved into the tunnels, Astrid would lead the second part of their force into the air. They would circle, high above the island; ready to move in if anyone on the south- side signaled for reinforcements, or to ferry a wounded fighter to the boats.

Hiccup and Astrid had made a promise; each to the other; the previous evening:
Astrid had promised Hiccup that she and Stormfly would remain in the air: well out of reach of the kraken- warriors below. (Heather and Windshear would stay with them, as back- up.)
In return: Hiccup promised he wouldn't remove his Night- Fury helm on, visor down, so long as he was in the caves. (Astrid knew he'd keep his promise, even if it sounded a little childish; and she would keep hers. – Promises had come to hold special meaning to both of them, since 'the incident' they'd both agreed to leave in the past.)
When everyone was in place; the main body, of the second wave, continued forward.

Meanwhile; on the island,

"My… Lords; ships… sigh–sighted, on… ho–horizon!" The messenger said, as he hurried into the cavern, panting heavily. He remembered himself, and bowed. "They're coming!"

Malchior forced a nod, "Are the men in position?"

"The… shih–ships ha…have moved be…beneath the over…overhang; the outer- defenses are almost ready," the man reported. "We've also checked the 'Strikers', from the ships Bridgman left with us; they're intact, operational, and ready to deploy."

"Keep us informed of any changes." Malchior nodded, already gesturing a dismissal. The man bowed, turned, and left the way he'd come.
The 'Strikers' might take their foes by surprise, but it wouldn't be enough to turn the tide.

"Why are we just sitting here?" Emric asked, for what must have been the hundredth time. "We should–"

"We've been over this; over, and over, and over again!" Lord Tristan said, coolly. "The reasons are the same now as they were the first time."

Malchior scowled, as the argument replayed itself – again. The matter had been settled the previous morning; now, for good or ill; the dice had been rolled. What would be would be: It was out of their hands.
The same question repeating itself over and over, in his head: 'How could this happen? How could this happen?'

The leading- ship,

Hiccup stood on Toothless's back; Toothless stood in the middle of the foredeck. A dozen warriors stood in front of them; ready to move in, when the ship made landfall. The rest of the first row of ships extended to their left and right, the others following in good order.
The men with them couldn't know it; but beneath his helm; Hiccup's eyes were closed. They could see that Toothless's eyes were closed, but nobody commented on that; and that both rider and dragon were breathing in perfect unison.
The more in-sync they were, Hiccup had explained, the easier it was to enter the Dragon- Trance, should the need arise. The warriors on the boats nearest to them also noticed these things; and a sense of anticipation settled over the groups.

Half an hour after they'd parted company with the medical- ships; a faint sound, from somewhere ahead of them, prompted Hiccup and Toothless to open their eyes.
A moment later: One of the men in front of them pointed at a dot, in the sky ahead, and shouted "Incoming!" Even as he spoke, several more of the dots rose into the sky, as though they'd been launched into the air.
Hiccup retrieved a spyglass from his satchel, and peered through it: considering the unidentified objects. Between the spyglass, and his enhanced vision, he was able to discern details that would've escaped anyone else.
He chuckled, "Interesting… It looks like they have a few gliders of their own."

"Gliders?" one of the Shivering- Shores' warriors asked, uncertainly.

"Uh; Hiccup…" Fishlegs called, from the boat to their immediate left, "if they've got gliders, shouldn't we get in the air; take them down before they get overhead?"

Hiccup chuckled; and, his voice reverberating from beneath his helm; said, "There's no cause for concern: Their construction is similar to one of my early glider- prototypes; a version I quickly discarded, due to a structural- flaw."

"A structural- flaw?" Tyrone asked, clearly interested.

The black- rider nodded, "Have our archers; ready their bows. Once in-range, fire arrows a little to one side: force them to bank; repeatedly, to the other side; to evade them." A hint of grim amusement colored his voice; he turned back to Tyrone, "The frames appear solid, on initial inspection, but they're only 'good' for short distances; they'll be near their limit by the time they're in-range, and the extra side-to-side motion will cause the crosspieces to detach from the main connector … The archers from our first two lines should be more than sufficient. Continue the advance; ahead full." He paused just long enough to roll his eyes, "I'll give them credit, though: They could've just jumped off the overhang; but what fun would that be?"
His orders, and 'comment', were quickly relayed to the other boats; low chuckles drifted back, to where Hiccup and Toothless waited, as the orders were carried out.

'They seem impressed with you, as a Battle Commander.' Toothless commented, speaking so only Hiccup would hear. 'Not that I'm surprised.'
Hiccup smiled, and sent his partner a silent acknowledgment, through their bond.

A few minutes later; aboard the rightmost medical- ship,

Every few minutes, since Hiccup and the rest of the second- wave had departed, Astrid had lifted her spyglass to her eye. She would survey the ships, themselves, then jump ahead to the island itself. So, of course, she was the first to spot the distant black dots: as they rose up, from the island.

Brianna was first to notice the change in Astrid's expression, when she realized what the 'dots' were; and asked, "What is it?" The question immediately caught the attention of those nearest them; and, in short order, everyone else.

"It looks like the kraken- warriors are deploying some kind of gliders, too…" Astrid said, returning her attention to their fleet; she saw a flurry of activity, and grinned. "I think Hiccup's got it covered, though."
Just then, a flight of arrows rose into the air; the approaching gliders banked to evade them. Another volley of arrows rose into the air; then a third, and a fourth… The gliders banked; and banked; and banked again. Astrid frowned, bewildered. "What are you up to, Hic–"

A sudden, panicked shout came from somewhere ahead, and high above them; then one of the gliders plummeted toward the waves. Astrid raised her spyglass to her eye, focusing on the rapidly descending figure; she frowned, "What the…? The thing just … came apart, in midair! It's as though…" her voiced drifted off, her eyes widened. "Oh. My. Gods... it's Hiccup!"

"What?" Alana asked, eagerly. "What did he do?"

"Hiccup experimented with glider- prototypes for months before building the one he uses now." Astrid explained, lowering her spyglass. "He must've drawn a parallel between their gliders and one of his early- prototypes; he's using whatever flaw lead him to discard that design … their gliders are literally coming apart in midair!"

Several minutes passed in silence, as they watched glider after glider fall from the sky; and the ships from the second wave, drawing ever closer to the island where the kraken- lords had chosen to make their final stand.
Then one glider spiraled away from the others; spiraling downward, and coming straight towards them. A few minutes later, the man slammed into the mast of their boat; and fell to the deck. He stumbled forward a few steps; muttered, "I could've worked in my parent's bakery, but no…" then fell flat on his face, unconscious.

Astrid approached, cautiously, her axe in hand. She removed the man's sword from its sheath; an arrow from the crossbow, built into the gliders' lower frame; and the quiver of arrows that hung from the man's shoulder. She backed away, and turned to the others; "Does anyone have some rope handy? We should tie him up, before he comes-to."
It took a few seconds for the others to process her words; then someone came forward with the rope. A few minutes later, the downed kraken- warrior had been securely bound to the ships' mast. By then, their fleet had crossed over half the distance between where they waited, and the island.

Then, moments before the ships moved into range of the overhang, the Skrill shot out from the belly of the storm clouds, overhead. Miniature bolts of lightning crackled across its scales; he roared, and bolts of lightning crackled out of the storm. By the time the lightning had faded; twelve Night- Furies were in the air, speeding toward the overhang.
The first plasma- blast hit a clump of bushes close to where the gliders had first appeared. There was a flash, and a muffled explosion; quick and sudden, sending several dozen men flying; then it tapered off. Another blast set several trees on fire, as well as generating an explosion and sending people flying. Then it was impossible to tell which plasma- blast caused what: the overhang was in chaos.
Moments after the Night- Furies began their assault on the overhang; the Skrill dove towards the ships that were being repaired. He launched a crackling blast of energy at the ships beneath the overhang; a clear warning, to keep their distance; than proceeded to carve a swath of carnage through the abandoned ships, sending most of them to the bottom of the bay.

The attacking fleet was quick to cover the remaining distance; then their catapults opened fire. In a matter of minutes, the 'repaired ships' were on their way to join their damaged counterparts, on the bottom of the bay: while their crews struggled to abandon ship, and swim for shore.
When the job was done, the boats pulled ashore. The dragons' rose into the sky, and most of the warriors disembarked: securing the beach, and making for the caves. Others pushed the boats off of the beach, and moved them a short distance offshore.

The 'show' was so impressive; Snotlout seemed to forget his latest encounter with the Skrill. "Nerf-blurk thrawn; scra-friggle cricks shmig-eg-ey!" he said, nodding appreciatively.
The crews, and volunteers, on the medical- ships laughed so hard, many had tears streaming down their cheeks; Snotlout scowled, and slapped his fist against the rail. "Don-grit!"

To Be Continued…