A/N: Yeah, shorter chapter, I think the shortest chapter in the story besides the prologue, but the rest of my chapters I have planned are pretty long so get excited! This chapter is mostly set up but necessary so, enjoy!

Ch. 3: Preparations on Cannibal Island

Jack and his team leapt through the portal, and immediately found themselves on a strange island. The air was still and stale, the island felt alive and tense, as if it wanted to eat its newcomers. Senses immediately on alert, the group raised their weapons and circled themselves, checking for any hostile activity. There was none, but the lack of any activity was just as intimidating.

"O-kay," Jack said slowly, "let's do what we came to and get out of here."

Merida nodded, "I agree with ya, Jack, I don' like the feel of this island." Rapunzel nodded as well, still holding her frying pan protectively in front of her.

"Legend says it was the island itself that caused Bethesda to spiral into

cannibalism." Astrid said flatly. "That there is an air to the island that makes everyone go mad eventually." She ran her eyes along the scope of the island, and after deciding there was no immediate threat, put her axe away and walked a bit further into the island.

"Why would you say that?" Jack exclaimed, following her, although not quite willing to take his staff from it's defensive position. The blonde Viking merely shrugged, examining a tree trunk.

Rapunzel had pulled out her frying pan from her bag and held it out in front of her. She took a few steps backwards and heard a strange crunch. She looked down at the remains of a sun-bleached femur. She squeaked and quickly stepped off it, seeing the rest of the skeleton strewn around the area. Jack and Merida cringed.

"Well, we should probably find the Isle of Fangs," Astrid said, unfazed, running her hand up the side of the trunk she seemed enthralled with. "The island is west of us, so I think that's is a good way to travel first, find the west-most shore."

Jack shot her an incredulous look. "Do you not see the bones?!"

"Do you not remember why we're here?!" She shot back, imitating his tone in a mocking manner. He looked down at her belt, suddenly realizing bones must not bother her. "This way is due west," she pointed to the right of where they were.

"How are you so sure?" Rapunzel asked shakily, still nervous and uneasy after seeing the bones.

"The moss on most of the trunks is facing us, which means that way is due North." She waved her hand vaguely in the direction she was talking about. "Anyone with the most basic wilderness survival training should know that, yet another reason as to why I couldn't trust you all to bring him back."

"Look 'ere, lass!" Merida exclaimed, red faced. She was fed up with the Viking's attitude toward them, "We are no' some incompetent buffoons tha' couldn't ha' done this without ye! We're jus' tryin' ta git our bearings on this strange island, an' I'll no' ha' ye belittlin' us because we aren't used to this sort o' thing. We ha' been more places then yer wee head coul' imagine, we know wha' we're doin'."

"Oh really?" Astrid shot back, "because it doesn't seem to me that you do, you are unorganized, skittish, and too laid back. Have any of you ever seen battle, have any of you ever felt this fear of having someone you care about possibly ripped away from you forever! You stand there flippantly with no priority on your mind. Everything is a great big adventure to you!"

"Ack! We ha' all felt the pain o' loosing someone, lass, or known the scare o' it! Do no' think ye are the only one who knows this feeling, we jes' deal wit' it differently." Merida stared at the Viking girl cooly, how dare she suggest that they had no priorities! No urgency in what they did!

"No!" Astrid countered, "You flit around with your air-headed, cocky, fun-loving attitudes and ignore the fact that Hiccup is priority. Two weeks, he's been gone. Two weeks he's been at the mercy of a man who is crueler than you can imagine! And you idle around, being scared of an island, and bones that have as much power to kill someone as a pebble in a creak. If you truly were worried for him, and focused on helping me get him back you would not be so concerned with trivial matters!"

"Look," Jack thought he should step in before Merida lost her head, "You're right, we aren't treating this how you are, but that's because our personalities are different. We are all very worried about Hiccup, but while you are a trained warrior, who takes these thing in a very regimented and professional way, we are not. I cannot act like you or I will lose my head, I focus on the moment because if I don't it overwhelms me. And we have never been to this place, we have no idea what to expect."

Rapunzel stepped up and smiled lightly at Jack and looked at Astrid. "We are all very focused on getting Hiccup back, he is our friend and none of us want him to remain where he is. But as Jack said, we all handle it differently, if I imagine how hurt and scared he is, and focus on my fear of losing him, I will not be able to make rational thoughts that could save him."

"We are goin' ta save him." Merida assured, her tone still harsh, but not as hard as it had been. "An' we are going to make the devil's pay. Do no' misplace our attitude's as apathy."

Astrid huffed and crossed her arms, still angry, but looking slightly chastised. She knew that her attitude was not exactly helping the situation. She also knew that by yelling and screaming about the group's shortcomings, she was not helping the situation in the slightest. In fact, she was hindering it by making arguments were there was no place for them, holding them up when they needed to be focused on the mission. She may not have to like these people, but they were working toward the same goal, so she needed to at least work with them and not make things difficult.

"I'm sorry," she said after a beat. "I am worried about him, and the stress of the past few weeks has gotten to me, I know that is no excuse, but I am sorry."

Rapunzel walked over to the younger girl and, smiling softly, placed a hand on her shoulders, "We should go." It was as good as an acceptance, better even. Astrid gave a tentative smile and nodded.

"North should have dropped us off by the shore closest to the isle of fangs." Jack said. "When we find it, I am going to scout it out by day, see what I can find. Four hours at most, I don't want to risk any more than that. When I return, Astrid will go on a night scout with Toothless. I want to know the layout of the place, but more specifically, I want to know what time of day has more security, night or day." The other's nodded in agreement to this plan.

"It was west of the island," Rapunzel said, looking at Astrid for assurance, the Viking nodded.

Merida looked to the sky, "that way!" She pointed to where the sun was starting it's decent from the sky. They began to journey the direction she had pointed, avoiding bones they would find strewn across the ground. Sure enough, there were rewarded with the sight of the coast within the half-hour, and not far beyond it, they could make out the Isle of Fangs. Jack had to admit, it did look extremely menacing, and like exactly the type of place Pitch would choose.

"Alright," the winter spirit assumed an air of authority. "I am going to go for the initial scout, you three-" Toothless snorted, "four, sorry, are going to set up camp here, basic shelter, see if you can find any fresh water and any game to hunt. I'll be back within the next two hours, alright." They nodded and he flew of towards the far island, hoping to find a trace of their friend.

"Toothless and I volunteer to build the shelter." Rapunzel said after a beat. The black dragon looked at her with big eyes and the toothless smile for which he was named. She scratched his head affectionately. Astrid and Merida looked at each other.

"I'll find the water," Astrid said, "you're probably better at hunting with that bow, clean shot and all that. Using my axe would be too messy." She gave the Scott an unsure smile, which Merida quickly returned with her own beaming one. The Scott was quick to receive praise, and the tension that was still between the two lessened immensely, now that they had decided to work together for the good of the team.

Rapunzel sighed in relief, "finally, I was beginning to think that would never happen." The girls laughed and Toothless let out his own chuckle as well.

"Alright, le's head out." Merida said to Astrid. "But we shoul' stay close ta this area incase somethin' happens. This island's still a mystery, an' it still gives me the creeps." The Viking nodded, and with a quick look back at Rapunzel and Toothless, who had started preparing a place for the shelter, they headed off into the brush.

Jack flew low to the water as he approached the Isle of Fangs. With his growing number of believers, Jack had stopped assuming no one could see him. Most of the time he was ecstatic at the idea, but right now he wished that there was no way these men could see him. While most of the time adults couldn't see him, few had the wide-eyed wonder and innocence of childhoo, he had to assume these men could. If they were working with Pitch, they could have been warned about him.

He landed on the island and looked around, it seemed empty enough, but he couldn't be sure. He approached each corner and crevice carefully, aware that there could be a guard stationed anywhere. But the more he journeyed into the island, the more discouraged he became, for he had not encountered a single soul. He began to be worried that somehow, they had possibly come to the wrong place, perhaps the globe had led them wrong.

"Dammit!" He muttered kicking a rock.

"Well your mother was a troll!" He heard a gruff voice shout from somewhere nearby.

"You wanna say that again?" Another voice shouted. Cautiously, Jack made his way over to where the voices were coming from. He leapt up onto a rock and peered over it, seeing two burly, Viking men arguing about something. They were soon joined by a third, even bigger man, Jack blanched, the guy was as big as North, and he was one of the biggest men Jack had ever seen. He really hoped all the men weren't that size; he shuddered just thinking about his small friend surrounded by men five times his size.

"What are you doing?" The large man asked the two bickering Vikings. "You are supposed to be standing guard without giving away our location, but all your racket is sending up a flare seven miles high saying here we are! Come get us!" He then clouted them both upside the head.

"Oh, come on!" One of them whined, and Jack almost snickered, because men that tough looking couldn't whine without it being hilarious. "No one will think to look for us here, everyone knows that without that dark man's magic, we never would have come here because the ships can't get through. And it's boring."

"Stoic will never find us until we're riding to his island on our dragons," the other man chimed in agreeing with his friend, but trying to curb the larger man's wrath. "Once his little brat finally teaches us how to train the beasts. We can go to war with those soft Berkians. But until then... This job is boring."

The largest man rolled his eyes, "well, I'm sorry that you are so bored." Even Jack could tell by the man's tone that the other two were on dangerous ground. "But let me reassure you, you won't be bored for long if you don't shut your traps and do your job." He put his hand on his sword for emphasis, "in fact, you won't be much of anything!" The other two straightened to attention and nodded furiously. The large man sighed and turned walking away. Jack quietly followed him, hoping he would show him the way to his friend.

He followed him into a cave opening, which would have been almost impossible to find otherwise by where it was positioned. He followed him quietly down a long hall, until he heard a snippet of a conversation that caused him to stop.

"Take this to the boy's cell." Jack turned down an adjacent cave where he heard the voice come from. He saw another man, as large as the first two guards hand a tray to a slightly shorter Viking.

"But I thought we wasn't feedin' 'im?" The shorter man asked confused.

"Alvin still needs 'im alive, and we don't want 'im to starve to death afore's we gets what we need." The other said gruffly. "So do as I says." He shoved the tray at the man and gave him a slight shove on his shoulders. "Off with ya now."

The second man huffed and started down a winding tunnel. Jack followed, leaving very slight ice markings on the walls so he could remember the way. He smirked, this was going more smoothly than he thought. Maybe he could get the boy out tonight, complete the mission before it really began. They finally stopped at a small opening that had bars making it into a dungeon. Chains had been attached to the walls and Jack could see blood stains on the floor, but no sign of his friend.

"Little whelp ain't even here." The viking said irritably, "giving food ta an empty cell, the rat's 'll eat this afore that boy even gets back." He shoved the tray in harshly, causing the food to spill slightly onto the surrounding floor and the cup to slosh out most of it's contents.

He turned around so quickly Jack didn't have time to hide, he stood wide eyed as the man walked towards him angrily, and then sighed in relief as he walked right through him. Jack chuckled to himself, never thought he'd feel relieved at that feeling. Pitch must not have told them about him, or maybe only Alvin and his higher-ups knew about Pitch, Jack couldn't be sure, but he was glad for it nonetheless.

He was tempted to wait until they brought Hiccup back, but knew he only had so much time before he had to return to the others and he didn't know how long his friend would be gone. He decided to do what he came to do and scout out paths and the best way to save Hiccup. He filled Hiccup's cup with ice, knowing it would melt and be cool water by the time he got back. Upset that that was the only thing he could do for his friend at the moment, he flew off to try and learn all he could in the short amount of time he had left.