Hey guys! *waves enthusiastically* I'm back! After… *checks watch* like a WEEK?! I'm SO sorry, guys! I've been working on a drawing lately… but I'm back, right? Well, for now. I'm in Disney World. I wrote this in the car, actually (again. STUPID CARSICKNESS!) ANYWAY, I have an important announcement:

When I get home, two more stories are coming out! That's right, TWO! Once is the (very much requested) SEQUEL TO "THE HAND THING!" I have NO idea why you guys want it, but it's coming!

The second is a surprise… *grins evilly*

SHOUTOUTS

Thepurplewriter333: I know right? *shudders* I don't know WHY I added that… And YOU'RE one to talk about cliffhangers. *glares*

Animalsarepeopletoo: Oh my gods, that WOULD'VE been ironic. I wish I had thought of that…

PKWolf014: I KNOW RIGHT? *gags* Disgusting… Wow, really? Thank you so so much!

Silverwood68: Honestly, I don't know what it means. Since when has anyone known what Tuff means? Yep, it definitely does. Carsickness SUCKS.

Thanks EVERYONE for your reviews and support! So far WLGL has gotten over 6,000 views, 72 reviews, 50 follows, and 33 favs! THANK YOU SO MUCH! *blinks back tears* Anyway, on to chapter 9!

BLEGH. Hiccup shook his head, trying to get some of the Haddock guts out of his hair. He scrunched up his nose and gagged. Did he have to use fish guts? Couldn't he have used flowers or something? Hiccup rolled his eyes and mentally scolded himself. Of course, flowers don't have a strong enough scent. Hiccup had to admit, although begrudgingly, that this masked man was pretty clever.

He frowned. What's his name, anyway? He wondered. I can't call him "masked man" forever. Hiccup scrunched up his eyebrows. Does he even have a name?

Hiccup shook his head, mentally berating himself. Now was not the time to wonder about the masked man's name. Right now, he needed to think of a plan before… Grumpy got back. Hiccup figured since he's so grumpy all the time, why not just call him Grumpy?

He picked at the ropes on his wrists, thinking deeply. He could easily get the ropes off, since he already knew where the nail was. But what would I do after that? Grumpy would probably notice something's off. Hiccup smiled slightly. Well, he didn't notice my legs were free.

Okay, step one: get these ropes off. What about step two? Hiccup bit at his lip, which he sometimes did while thinking deeply. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He couldn't exactly jump off the boat without Grumpy noticing. Besides, even if Grumpy didn't notice, he still would have no idea where he was going. He could be swimming towards Viggo's base, for all he knew!

Hiccup scowled, listening to Grumpy's footsteps sound above him. Might as well start on step one.

Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Once she counted to ten mentally, she opened them again. The other riders were looking at both her and Stoick nervously, as if they were dragon eggs that were about to hatch.

Stoick was the first to break the tense silence. "Alright, you said he was taken by a "masked man," correct?" Everyone nodded. "Do any of you know anything about him? Does he have a base or something?"

"I know that he's both awesome and scary," Tuff said. Ruff nudged him with her elbow.

"Anything useful?" Stoick said angrily.

Snotlout snapped his fingers. "Wasn't he a bounty hunter?"

Astrid's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, he is Snotlout!"

Fishlegs snapped his fingers. "Maybe someone put another bounty on Hiccup that we didn't know about!"

"Or," said Astrid slowly. "Maybe he's fulfilling a bounty that's already been issued."

Realization dawned on all the rider's faces. "Viggo!" They yelled simultaneously.

Stoick's face turned red with fury. "You mean to tell me that piece of scum never removed the bounty?"

"He probably did," Fishlegs said. "There haven't been any other bounty hunters since that first time, have there?"

"Not that we know of." Ruff said.

"Well, why would that masked guy go after Hiccup again if the bounty was removed?" Snotlout asked accusingly.

"I'm guessing Viggo hired the masked man personally, when the bounty failed." Fishlegs said. "He is extremely good at fighting, after all."

Stoick watched the conversation with narrowed eyes. "So you're saying they're at Viggo's fortress?"

"They're either there now, or on the way." Fishlegs answered. "How long has it been… four days?"

"Four days, ten hours and twenty one minutes." Astrid answered automatically. The other riders gazed incredulously at her. "What?"

Snotlout mouthed the word wow. Astrid rolled her eyes. "They're probably not there yet. Maybe we can catch up to them!"

"Let's go, then!" Stoick patted Skullcrusher, who roared. "Which way is the base?"

"That way!" Tuff pointed in a random direction. "I think."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "It's this way, Tuff." She patted Stormfly, who squawked and turned in the direction Astrid directed her to. She and the other dragons flapped their wings and soared in the direction of Viggo's base.

"I can't believe it!" Snotlout yelled indignantly. "They couldn't have gotten that far ahead, could they?"

Astrid sighed and glared at Snotlout, although she was starting to get worried. Actually, worried was an understatement. They had been flying for almost ten hours, and the sky was already speckled with stars. So far, Hiccup had been missing for almost five days. Astrid and the other riders were certain they were going to Viggo's base, but Astrid couldn't help worry that they were wrong. What if we're completely off? She thought wryly. Or, what if we're right, and they've already gotten to Viggo's base?

Astrid narrowed her eyes and frowned deeply. What does Viggo want Hiccup for, anyway? She thought ruefully. Why would he go through all of this trouble? Astrid figured he probably didn't want to simply kill Hiccup, why hire a professional bounty hunter just for that? I'll bet he has some sort of master plan.

Suddenly, Stoick gasped. "Look! There's a ship up ahead!" Astrid jerked her head up, eyes wide. She gazed at the small ship bobbing in the waves just a few miles away from the riders and their dragons.

"I'll bet that's them!" she yelled happily.

"Let's hope so! Let's land on the ship. No firing, we don't know whether or not this is the right ship." Stoick commanded. Astrid and the others nodded, then directed their dragons down towards the ship. Once they reached it, the riders jumped off their dragons on to the deck. The dragons circled around the ship, since it was much too small for them to land on.

Skullcrusher dropped Toothless on the deck with a loud thump. The black dragon immediately leapt up and stretched his wings, growling slightly. "Okay, let's search below deck!" Astrid said. The riders, plus Stoick, nodded and ran towards the stairs.

To say Astrid was shocked once she saw what was below deck was an understatement. Hiding behind a single barrel were two dragon hunters. They quivered and whimpered, each holding tight onto a small axe.

With a roar of fury, Stoick stomped forward and grabbed the terrified hunters by their shirts. He held them up, glaring at them. "What are you lot doing out here? In an unmarked ship?"

One of the hunters attempted to hit Stoick with his axe, but was promptly disarmed by a small shake by Stoick. "WHERE IS MY SON?" He roared.

"W-we don't know!" One of the hunters stuttered.

"Viggo just told us to sail around! Honest!" The other said nervously.

Astrid's eyes widened. She brandished her axe threateningly and glared at the hunters. "What do you mean Viggo told you to sail around?"

"We don't know! He said we'd get extra money if we sailed around, nearby his base."

"And we do love extra money. We can buy more chicken!"

Tuff gasped. "Did you say chicken?" He said incredulously.

"Mhm. They're delicious, especially when cooked in oil and sprinkled with salt…" Both the hunters licked their lips. Tuff roared with fury and jumped at the hunters, but was held back by Snotlout and Ruff.

Astrid hardly registered any of that. Her mind was working at the speed of a Night Fury. Viggo told the hunters to sail around? "How many of you are out here?"

The hunters shook their heads and crossed their arms. "Not telling." They said at the same time. Toothless, who Astrid assumed followed the riders below deck, growled at the hunters. "F-fine! There's about nine other ships!"

"What do they look like?" Stoick said.

"E-exactly like this one. Viggo said t-to look "inconspicuous," w-whatever that means."

Both Fishlegs and Astrid gasped, coming to the same conclusion. "Viggo is using the ships as ploys!" Fishlegs said.

Stoick's face turned puce with anger. "That scum is trying to mislead us!"

"Wait, hold up." Ruff held up her hands. "You mean to say that Viggo has sent out a bunch of other ships to confuse us?"

"Exactly." Fishlegs answered.

Snotlout kicked a nearby barrel, scowling angrily. "That-that cheater! He can't do that!"

Tuff whistled appreciatively. "He must really want that masked guy to succeed!"

"But why?" Fishlegs mused.

"Now is not the time." Stoick stalked above deck, with the hunters still in his hold. He threw them overboard, and Astrid vaguely heard them shrieking. "We need to find my son!"

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Snotlout yelled. Astrid couldn't help but silently agree. So far, they had searched three other unmarked ships in the area, which were all manned by dragon hunters. Every single one of the ships were identical, and the riders received the same results: no Hiccup. Astrid was steadily growing more frustrated, and could tell that the other riders were too. Especially Stoick- he practically snapped at anyone who so much as coughed. He also almost killed the last hunters they encountered, but was narrowly stopped by Toothless. Speaking of Toothless, the dragon was steadily becoming more depressed. Astrid knew that the dragon had never been separated from his rider for this long before. She figured it was probably extremely hard for him, judging by his almost constant whining.

She sighed heavily and gazed at the sky, which was steadily growing brighter. Astrid guessed that the sun would be rising in a couple of minutes. Five days, four hours, and fourty-three minutes. Astrid stifled back a yawn, gazing at the horizon. She didn't know how she knew exactly how long it's been- she just did. Snotlout questioned her about it, accusing her of "being a nerd, like Fishlegs." Astrid had snorted and thrown one of the apples stored in Stormfly's saddlebag, hitting Snotlout square in the forehead. "Is that nerdy enough for you?" she had shouted. He hadn't bothered her about it since.

Five days, four hours, and fourty-five minutes now. The sun was just now peeking out from behind the horizon, the brightness hurting Astrid's eyes slightly. She shielded her eyes and glanced down at the churning sea below. She squinted at the waves, noticing something. What the- Astrid patted Stormfly and directed her to fly closer to the ocean. She leant over, snatching something out of the water. "Astrid, what are you doing?" Ruff yelled, but Astrid hardly noticed.

She slowly turned the charcoal pencil in her hand, examining it. "What's this doing here?" She wondered aloud. She turned it again, then nearly dropped the pencil. Etched into the wood near the bottom was the initials "HHH3."

Hiccup dearly hoped the others found the clue. He had gotten the rest of the ropes off, which was a huge relief. He had removed one of the charcoal pencils that he kept in his armor which, thankfully, Grumpy hadn't taken. He found a small hole in the floor and dropped it into the ocean, hoping the others would get the message.

Hiccup had no doubt that the others were after them- and possibly even his dad. He guessed the riders had either visited the Defenders or Berk for help, then went to find him. After all, it shouldn't have taken the riders too long to notice he was missing.

Either they were looking for them, or hanging around the Edge. Hiccup highly doubted the latter option, as Astrid would probably beat anyone who as much as suggested it. He smiled slightly thinking of his friends. Gods, I miss them. He wasn't sure how long it had been since the incident at the Edge, but it was far too long for his liking.

Hiccup absolutely hated not doing anything, but he had already done all he could do. Without his sight, his options were extremely limited. I hope they come soon. He thought sadly.

WOOH! *dusts off hands* I'm glad THAT'S over. Writing in the car is NO fun. I probably won't update for a while, since I'm on vacation right now. But, if you read the announcement at the BEGINNING, I'm coming out with TWO NEW STORIES. Go read that announcement if you haven't yet.

Until next time! *stomps on an egg, which explodes* Oops…