XXXII.
The great Bewilderbeast fell.
It crashed down, an avalanching mountain, front legs first buckling at the knees, then the hind limbs likewise collapsing heavily to the earth. Moans accompanied the deep booming echoes of its body thundering to the ground. Aftershocks from its fall capsized men, but they held firmly onto all the ropes lashed around its tusks and knees, leaned up against war machines and still-free dragons carrying the Bewilderbeast's weight with heavy chains, rained another round of catapult fire at the beast's thick legs to ensure its fall was permanent.
Stoick watched from a distance. His Berk dragons continued to attack the Bewilderbeast from the sky as men and war machines secured the enormous creature to the earth. Chains constructed of links the height of men wrapped around the animal's struggling legs and looped around both of its tusks; it was a wonder at all that Drago's men had crafted the chains and come prepared to the battle with these devices. Only the Hooligan dragons had been able to lift them, and that had been an enormous operation in and of itself, successful only because Brenda's regiment successfully distracted both the Vigilante and her Bewilderbeast.
But at last, it appeared as though the battle could be won.
The impossibly enormous dragon was secured.
Maybe.
The vast amounts of weight, the amounts of weaponry fired upon the beast, the amounts of man and dragon and machine power utilized to hold the Bewilderbeast down still did not prevent the alpha from shaking its tusks, resisting, and nearly pulling its way back up. The combined remnants of two grand armies still struggled to contain one massive dragon.
Stoick noticed Drago seemed unworried that the beast was about to tear apart through its restraints, but instead turned to face the giant dragon with a calm disposition, analyzing it, studying it. In one hand, the Visithug chief held his polearm, while the other arm hung limply to his side, covered in a draping cloak of dragon skin. And then Drago, smirking, marched directly toward the Bewilderbeast's quivering chin.
What's he up to?
A four-winged dragon suddenly launched itself right in front of him. Before the Stormcutter even landed Valka slid down from its back, poised to fight.
Drago, however, laughed as the armored figure stood up to confront him. "I've waited a long time for this," he snarled. He held his weapon threateningly in front of him in case the Vigilante attacked.
"You cannot – take – my dragons!" she screeched, swinging her own staff offensively against him. Each vigorous strike nearly landed a blow against Drago, and he stepped slowly backward, blocking every movement. The two staffs cracked against one another sharply. "They are controlled by the alpha," she exclaimed, "and the alpha is controlled by me!"
Sudden kick up, nearly landing a block against Drago's gut. He sidestepped. The Vigilante turned, more dragon than human in her next lunging attack. The staff nearly passed Drago's hastily-constructed defense, and his polearm only cumbersomely warded off her jab.
Yet while Drago clearly needed to concentrate intently on his fighting, his voice was calm as he responded to the Vigilante's warning. "Then it's a good thing we plan to get rid of you," Drago threatened, and suddenly drove forward in his own stream of offensive swings. Neck, a near-swipe. Chest, a near-jab. Arm, a swing that barely grazed off her armor.
Her turn to step backward.
"No!"
Her staff landed a blow right on his left shoulder. The blow appeared to disarm him none – almost as though he felt no pain from it at all. With a sudden burst of speed, Drago leaned down with a low sweep and knocked Valka's feet out from under her. The Vigilante crashed against the ground, lower body first, then shoulders, then head cracking on the dirt. She reached up to block his attack, but Drago leaned in, stepped heavily straight on her chest, and pulled off her mask, revealing the face of a shocked middle-aged woman with burning green eyes.
"You will die in failure," he snarled. Drago pointed up toward the restrained Bewilderbeast, whose front legs scuffling pointlessly in the dirt as yet more enormous chains, binding the animal so tightly its pinkening skin swelled up to either side of the irons, secured it increasingly firmly to the earth. Trajectories from catapults rained down, focusing on its face, creating a pox-like effect of splotchy, angry reds. A magma blast exploded on its nostril. The rock shattered on collision, raining down sharp shards to the earth, and leaving a horrid scorched mark at the location of impact. The creature bellowed horribly.
Everyone braced themselves as the earth trembled from its moan.
Drago said, "Watch your beloved dragons die. It's about time for someone else to take control of your… alpha."
Stoick found himself marching forward toward the heart of this skirmish, no mind Valka's last threat had made it more than clear enough even her husband could not approach her without risking being attacked.
But Valka struggled futilely under Drago's boot, arms struggling to push it off. He crushed her down harder. Underneath his foot, she writhed, a beetle on its back, helpless, and about to burst from the pressure of Drago's unforgiving weight.
"In the face of it all," he mocked, "without your dragons… you… are… nothing.
"Restrain her," Drago commanded a few Visithug warriors. They rushed up to grab Valka's arms, one on each side, while Drago stepped off of her and proceeded slowly toward the Bewilderbeast. It was moaning louder now from the constant barrage of pain being directed straight at its face. A disease was spreading over it, splotches of red increasingly covering its cheeks.
Valka continued fighting her captors. "You can't do this! The alpha will never listen to you!"
Drago stepped forward anyway.
"Cease fire!" the Visithug chief instructed, and then murmured quietly under his breath, "Let's see if this will work."
He picked up his poleaxe and began howling at the top of his lungs. It was a menacing, uninhibited, wordless yell, a war cry, a scream of dominance.
A full-throated bellow responded him. Though restrained, the beast in defiance opened its lips to emit a powerful blast of ice.
"Fire!" Drago shouted out to his men.
Burning boulders again launched through the air straight toward the Bewilderbeast's opening jaws, pounding, pounding, pounding at sensitive skin. The dragon no longer sought to shoot out ice, but instead roared all the louder, a combination of anger and pain. Writhing against bonds brought it no relief, no escape.
The Vigilante screamed out as well, as though she too were being directly injured.
Moans metamorphosed to angry groans metamorphosed to unrestrained howls that trembled through the skies and rumbled across the earth. Stoick could feel the animal's roars through his boots as he continued rushing forward.
And Drago's roar rose alongside the Bewilderbeast's. His howls were manic, pure fury. His polearm cycled chaotically above his head; each step forward he took was firm, resolute, domineering.
The two beasts roared.
Fire met ice.
The Vigilante shouted, too. "No! Don't!"
Drago's men rotated between rests in which the chief simply yelled, and with pounding the Bewilderbeast with more weaponry.
Burning projectiles flew over Drago's head. A sudden wail echoed, echoed, echoed through the clearing as fire lodged itself directly into the Bewilderbeast's eye. It threw its head, mouth gaping wide, both eyes squeezed shut, as a blood burst like tears dribbled down its massive face. The projectile fell, but the beast only opened its one good eye.
And stared directly at Drago as though none but he existed. As though that staff swinging over the Visithug's head mesmerized it, hypnotized it…
…brought… it… under…
… Drago's
…power.
"Impossible," Stoick breathed. His feet automatically quit moving as his eyes shot up to the skies.
One by one, dragons quit fighting one another, but instead flew docilely over the blood-splattered war grounds toward where Drago and his men stood, and even Berk's full army of winged warriors gathered to the area, even the ones who had been controlled by the Vigilante's command.
And Stoick realized all at once, We've won.
Awe spread over Drago's face, smothering over his features. Awe of power and triumph. Then Drago, smile cracking open yet another serration across his face, slowly moved his polearm parallel to the earth. Pointed its bladed end toward the Vigilante, still struggling against that pair of Visithug restrainers. And Drago spoke two words. Steadily. Confidently. Almost… eagerly.
"Finish her."