(A/N: Whew! After a chapter that was too long, I am ready for this one. In case you don't remember, this chapter is based on the episode "Snow Way Out". It's not entirely a favorite, but it is a very good episode in my opinion.
I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but it was the longest one I'd ever written at just shy of three hundred words less than ten thousand. (Although it could be argued that chapter 28 is still the longest with all of the page breaks in both chapters.) Hopefully, this one will be shorter because I don't think I have the energy for another nearly ten thousand words.
With everything out of the way, I think it's time to get to this chapter. I hope you end up enjoying what I have for you.)
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After the Dragon Hunters attacked their home, the riders' patrol and guard over their island increased. They never knew when their enemy would try to ambush them, which could happen at any time of any day.
They started training harder in preparation for when that day came. It was not just them and their dragons who received training, it was the Night Terrors as well.
They wanted them to have their own protocol when it came to projectiles, such as arrows. Whenever a weapon was targeted at them, they would separate from their formation and rejoin after it passed. It would take time, but they would soon enough master the technique and potentially become capable of defending the base on their own.
Other than training, the one thing Hiccup wanted to practice with was the armor made for their dragons. Toothless and Hookfang were still the only dragons with the metallic protection, but armor for the others was suspended until it was perfected.
Hiccup and Toothless were flying towards Dragon's Edge with a newly fitted set of dragon armor made from Gronckle Iron. Toothless clawed at the armor on his body, it felt strange and irritating against his scales.
His rider heard his dragon's groans of discomfort, "Yeah, I hear ya, bud. Wearing metal on skin can be… itchy." He glanced at his prosthetic leg, "Trust me, I know. But we need to stay focused, there's no margin for error this time."
From the base, Ladok was watching as they approached the island with his spyglass. Behind him, Shockstrike also watched to see the outcome of the test.
He let out a whistle to get Snotlout's attention, "Hey, they're almost here."
He smirked and pumped his fist, "Hell, yeah!"
Hiccup could see him preparing Astrid's ballista and aiming it in his direction. He braced himself by gripping the leather of the saddle.
"What do you say we go in fast and low?" he asked his dragon. "With this new armor and your moves, they won't touch us."
Toothless started to fly at a lower altitude while increasing his speed. He grumbled and began to claw at the metal plating again.
"I know, it's heavy. Just-" He suddenly saw the weapons being launched at them and maneuvered his dragon to avoid them, "Nets! Hooks! Arrows!"
He directed Toothless upward to fly out of the range of the ballista. If he succeeded, it meant they were on the correct path in regards to the armor.
The weight of armor slowed his ascension, much more than expected. The elevation and wind current created by Toothless' speed caused the metal to buckle, eventually losing one of the plates and leaving his scales open.
Snotlout took notice of this and fired another arrow at them. He chuckled to himself, "Let's see him avoid that one."
Hiccup tried to maneuver his dragon out of the arrow's path, "Look out!"
Just as he was about to soar higher, paint was splattered on Toothless' exposed scales. The exercise was a failure.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi, oi, oi!" Snotlout arrogantly cheered.
He rolled his eyes at his enthusiasm, "Nice shot, Snotlout." An arrow was suddenly shot at him and paint coated the leather scales of his singlet. "Really?"
Ladok laid on his back as he laughed, unable to control himself, "Sorry Hiccup!"
"My biggest fan," he muttered sarcastically as he made his way to the ground.
"Ugh! Dammit, I really thought we had it this time," Fishlegs grumbled as Hiccup landed.
Although he was also disappointed, he tried to help his friend feel better about the failed test, "Hey, this batch of Gronckle Iron armor lasted longer than the last one."
"Yes, but not long enough," Tuffnut remarked. "Wait," he paused momentarily as a thought came to his mind, "unless you wanted Hiccup to get shot down!"
"Interesting hypothesis, brother," Ruffnut commented.
"Why are you trying to kill Hiccup?!" he yelled, standing close to Fishlegs as he pointed his finger close to his face.
He held his hands up and leaned away from him, "I'm not trying to kill Hiccup."
"That's exactly what someone trying to kill Hiccup would say," he asserted.
"Indeed," she nodded with her arms crossed. "We're keeping an eye on you, pal."
"Our good eye," Tuffnut pulled his eyelid down slightly.
He stepped away from the twins and asked Hiccup, "So, what do we try next?"
"I think we have to go thinner," he replied. "That should make it lighter and more flexible."
"But it won't make it Snotlout-proof," Snotlout chimed in. "Nothing can. It's a good thing for you guys that I'm on your side."
"You are?" Ladok scoffed playfully with laughter in his voice.
"Huh. Honestly, sometimes it's hard to tell," Astrid remarked as she and Stormfly landed.
"Astrid!" Hiccup smiled. "You're back from Berk already?"
"Nope. Never made it there," she responded. "I ran into Trader Johann along the way and he had some interesting news. Hiccup, we need to talk."
He was taken aback by the seriousness of her voice, it made him worried. "Why? What happened? What did he say?"
She looked at everyone and saw that all but one of them was there, "We really should talk with everybody here. It's pretty serious."
It made his concern for the situation increase, but he understood what she was saying, "Okay, let's go up to the Clubhouse. Ladok, do you know where Helene is?"
"Probably still asleep," he answered. "She spent the whole night training the babies to avoid danger."
"Can you go get her and we'll rendezvous in the Clubhouse?" he asked him.
He nodded and mounted his dragon's back, "Let's go, Shockstrike."
After he left, the other riders went to the Clubhouse to wait for them. They arrived only a couple of moments afterwards, she had dark rings under her eyes due to the exhaustion from the long night she endured.
Snotlout laughed at her, "You look like shit."
She yawned while rolling her eyes, "Ripwave."
Ripwave bit his leg and set a surge of electricity directly through his body. She released him and he fell to the floor, seizing violently.
Ladok looked down at him with his arms crossed and an amused smirk, "Now you look like shit."
Hiccup rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Astrid, "So, what happened out there?"
"Johann flagged me down on the way to Berk to tell me that he'd seen Ryker, Heather, and the Dragon Hunters in the Northern Markets buying all the cold winter gear they could get their hands on," she reported.
"Why would you buy winter gear in the summer?" Snotlout questioned.
"Hello? That's when you get the best prices," Ruffnut chimed in.
"Ruff is an excellent shopper," Tuffnut added. "She actually got both of our outfits, two for the price of one."
"Tuff, I don't think anyone's surprised by that," Ladok remarked.
Hiccup ignored them as he tried to think of a reason why the hunters would need those supplies, "Where would the Dragon Hunters be going that would need heavy winter gear this time of year? Did Johann hear anything else?"
She nodded, "They needed the gear right away, and they were after something rare. A bone or a claw…"
"Or maybe a tooth?" He turned to the Dragon Eye and held it up.
"The Snow Wraith! Of course! The Dragon Hunters are after the Snow Wraith to get one of its teeth," Fishlegs deduced.
Tuffnut held back a laugh, "Yeah, good luck with that. We barely made it out of there alive."
"The Dragon Eye used to belong to the hunters, they must know they need a Snow Wraith tooth to make it work," Hiccup concluded.
"Who cares?" Snotlout crossed his arms. "All it means is that they aren't coming our way."
"Which means if they do get their own key, they'll be coming for us next," he stated.
"Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Astrid groaned.
"Oh, he's thinking," Ruffnut smiled.
"That's definitely his thinking face," her twin commented, smiling as well.
"Gear up, gang. We're leaving for Glacier Island in an hour," he declared.
"I hope you got enough sleep," Ladok remarked to Helene.
"I hope so, too," she replied. "Knowing what Hiccup has in mind."
The riders left Dragon's Edge and were en route to Glacier Island to find the Snow Wraith. They were in a race against time to get to the island before the Dragon Hunters, it was more than just their home and the Dragon Eye at stake, it was the safety of the Snow Wraith as well.
As they neared the large northern island, Tuffnut had something lingering on his mind he wanted to say, "Hey, can I ask a stupid question?"
"You sure can," Ruffnut responded. "Better than anyone I know."
He was oblivious to her insult, "Thank you, sister."
"You're welcome," she replied, snickering in her mind.
"Hiccup, are we really trying to protect a dragon that's tried to kill us twice, from Dragon Hunters who, every time we see them, try to kill us?" he questioned.
"And Heather and her dragon!" his twin added. "Don't forget them. They like to try and kill us, too."
"Heather won't be a problem," Astrid claimed.
"Why wouldn't Heather be a problem?" Fishlegs asked.
She looked down at her saddle and her dragon's back to avoid eye contact, "Just that we… we outnumber her, right?"
"Look, Heather or no Heather, all we have to do is find the Snow Wraith first and relocate it to a different island where the hunters won't find it," Hiccup proclaimed.
"Oh, that's all?" Ruffnut asked sarcastically.
"Uh, that sounds like the sort of extremely dangerous plan I would come up with," Tuffnut uttered. "And I don't mean that as a compliment."
"I didn't think so," he replied casually. "Come on, let's head over to where we found the Snow Wraith the last time."
"You mean where it fled after Shockstrike kicked its ass?" Ladok remarked.
His dragon growled with anger and guilt in his throat. He was still upset with himself for leaving his ailing rider when he needed most, and for failing to annihilate his enemy.
He could hardly stop himself from rolling his eyes, "Yes, that's one way of putting it."
"I was always more fond of thinking of it as the place where your Skrill didn't have the stomach to finish what it started," Snotlout jeered.
Before he could say something in response, Ladok heard a growl coming from one of the dragons, but it wasn't his own. The growl was from Ripwave, who threatened him by releasing a flash of her electricity into her tendrils. She defended her rider earlier that day, and she was defending her friend at that moment.
They found the location where they last encountered the Snow Wraith and landed to search it. The moment they set foot on the island, they were met with a snowstorm that made visibility limited to a few dozen feet, and provided the perfect camouflage for the white dragon. Hiccup immediately put Toothless to work using his echolocation to find it, hoping that it was within his range.
"Anything out there, bud?" he asked his dragon. Toothless warbled, the tone of it telling him that his first search was fruitless.
Ruffnut shivered in the coldness of the blizzard, "This is summer on Glacier Island? No wonder they don't get any tourists."
Tuffnut was also shivering, "What would their slogan be? 'If the Snow Wraith doesn't kill you, the weather will'."
"Hey, that's a good slogan," she grinned.
"That's a terrible slogan," Hiccup told them.
"And it'll be a reality if we don't start moving our butts!" Ladok growled through his clenched teeth, rubbing his arms and shaking like a dead leaf in the wind. Shockstrike stood close to him, using his wings like a dome to shield him from the snow.
He tried not to focus on his brother and his weakness to the cold, instead trying to see something beneficial this unfortunate snowstorm provided, "The good news is, if we run into any Dragon Hunters, they won't have much luck with those dragon root arrows in this weather."
"And the bad news is…" Snotlout began sarcastically.
Hiccup looked at him and saw the twins were clung to his body, their arms and legs wrapped around him as he scowled, "What are you doing?"
"It's called body heat management," Ruffnut explained.
"Also known as the Thorston sandwich, served cold," Tuffnut added.
"That's horrifying," he commented.
He looked at all of the riders, noticing how each of them were shaking in the cold weather. He was most worried about Ladok, the fear and concern from less than a couple of months ago when he was sick was resurfacing. He had nothing to fight the potential of hypothermia, and even though he had his dragon now, his protection seemed to do little.
"Okay, why don't you guys set up camp?" he suggested. "Astrid and I will scout the island."
"I can go with you, if you want," Helene offered.
Before he could respond, Astrid did it for him, "Uh, no, no, that's alright, Hele. I'm sure we can handle it ourselves."
'Why wouldn't she want me to go with her?' She was confused about why she wanted her to stay, but she decided it was best not to question it, "Okay. Um, I'll start setting up the tents."
Although he was still shivering, Ladok began to take the supplies out of his saddle bag. He kept his body as close to his dragon as he could, Shockstrike's internal body temperature radiated off his body and seeped into his clothes like water, though it still did relatively little to warm him.
He dropped the items he held when his shivering increased. He crossed his arms over his chest and tightly gripped his own shoulders as his hands started rubbing them in an attempt at warmth.
"Can someone please start a fire?" he asked no one in particular, his voice nearly loud enough to be considered a shout.
"Gladly." Snotlout struggled against the twins' hold on him, "Come on, let go!"
"No!" Ruffnut protested, holding him tighter. "We're saving your life!"
"I don't care!" He finally managed to shake them off his body, "I'm outta here!"
"I can't believe he'd rather freeze to death than be hugged by us," she grumbled.
"I blame you," Tuffnut pointed at her. "You're too clingy."
"I am not!" she remonstrated, crossing her arms. "You're clingy."
Hiccup and Astrid flew through the snowstorm, trying to find the Snow Wraith while keeping an eye on the ground for the Dragon Hunters. The blizzard seemed to get thicker and wilder with each passing second, causing visibility to drop to only a few feet.
"You see anything down there?" he asked her, raising his voice so that she could hear him through the storm.
"I can barely see you half the time!" she responded, shouting, her voice barely penetrating past the winds. "Maybe we should split up? Cover more ground."
"No! Stick together, it's safer," he told her. "Okay? Okay?"
Suddenly, the storm became an impenetrable wall of white, obstructing his sight and visual on her. When he could finally see through it, she was gone, nowhere in sight.
"Astrid? Astrid!" he called out, hoping she would hear him. But it was vain, all he got in response was silence and wind.
Astrid continued to fly through the snow and harsh winds, further separating herself from Hiccup, and it was not an accident. She could see very little, but Stormfly was able to see through the storm.
She kept her gaze on the ice below and she found who they were looking for. Sitting on an icy ledge was a Razorwhip with a human tending to a fire, it was Heather and Windshear.
She alerted her rider with a squawk, "Easy, girl. I see 'em. Let's go in another way."
Stormfly flew higher into the storm, her white underside blended perfectly with the snow. Astrid directed her dragon to turn towards the ledge, towards Heather and Windshear. She landed behind her and Astrid immediately jumped to the icy surface with her axe in hand.
"Well, well, well, Heather. Fancy seeing you here. Surprised to see us?" she jeered.
"Surprised? Not really. I've been listening to you stomp through the snow for the past five minutes," she refuted as she stood to face her, gripping her dual-bladed battle ax.
Both girls glared at each other as they tightly held their respective weapons. Their dragons stood behind their riders, the spikes on their bodies ready to strike.
Then, Heather removed her mask and smiled at her, "What took you so long?"
Astrid lowered her axe to embrace her with a smile on her face as well, "Hiccup isn't the easiest person to sneak away from."
She laughed, "Yeah. Ryker thinks I'm out scouting. How did you get him to come here anyway?"
She rubbed her hands together and held her palms towards the fire, trying to warm herself, "I just told him what you told me, but let him think it was coming from Trader Johann. Any problems on your end?"
"Well, Ryker doesn't trust anyone and Dagur is paranoid," she replied flippantly, creating a smile on Astrid's face, "but so far, I think I'm okay."
"You took care of Dagur?" she asked.
"I sent him on a fool's errand, looking for a second Dragon Eye," she responded, unable to stop her own laughter.
"That should keep him busy," she remarked. "So fill me in."
"We've been here for two days, searching pretty methodically. According to Ryker, the Snow Wraith digs itself an ice cave to hibernate in during the summer months," she informed her. She laid out a map of the island, marked with the areas already searched.
That was a big revelation, something neither she nor any of the riders were aware of. It did explain why the Snow Wraith seemed more elusive than their two previous encounters with it.
"We didn't know that. That explains the rush to get out here. Probably to get a tooth from a hibernating Snow Wraith," she deduced.
She nodded, "Exactly."
She sighed, "Too bad we don't know where this cave is."
"But I think I might. Windshear and I spotted a cave on a plateau about halfway up that mountain," she pointed at the mountain she was referring to. "You find a way to get Hiccup up there and check it out. Meanwhile, I'll tell Ryker I didn't find anything and try to keep him as far away as possible." She looked at Astrid and noticed a frown on her face, "What?"
"We should tell Hiccup and Helene what we're doing, this doesn't feel right," she uttered sadly.
"No!" she cried. "We agreed. We can't let anyone else know, especially not them!"
"But I've never lied to him before and she's your cousin!" she yelled.
She frowned guiltily as she stared down at the icy ground. She did wish that she had the chance to tell her, but there was nothing she could do.
It was her turn to sigh, "This is the best way to take the Dragon Hunters down, from the inside."
She understood what she was telling her, "I get that, but-"
She stopped her from continuing, "I'm this close to Viggo, I can't quit now."
Again, Astrid sighed, "I really hope you can do this, because if any of the riders got hurt, or you got hurt because I held something back-"
"Nothing will go wrong," she assured her. "Trust me."
Astrid returned to their campsite and reunited with the other riders. She told them about the cave Heather informed her about, telling them she found it when she and Hiccup separated in the snowstorm.
"So, when I spotted the cave from the air it got me thinking," she proceeded with her lie. "When we came here the first time, the Snow Wraith was on us right away. Same thing with the last time too. So why not this time? Maybe because it's hiding out or hibernating or something in that cave."
"Yeah, that's not a bad theory," Fishlegs concurred.
'Something doesn't seem right,' Hiccup thought.
He was troubled by Astrid's story, this cave was on the other side of the island where they were searching. And yet, she somehow found it?
"I'm just wondering, how is it you came all the way out here when you and I were scouting in the opposite direction?" he questioned.
"I- I must've gotten lost," she replied, trying her hardest not to make eye contact with him.
"Lost?" he repeated doubtfully.
"Fine," she sighed, "I got carried away, okay? You know how I am."
"Yes, I do, but you can't just go off on your own like that, Astrid," he scolded. "I rely on you."
"Not just him, we all do," Helene added.
She watched with sad, guilty eyes as they walked ahead with their dragons. "Okay."
As they were nearing the location of the cave, grunting and growling could be heard. It originated from behind a series of snowbanks.
"So much for your hibernation theory," Snotlout retorted.
Astrid's heart started to beat faster with anxiety and slight anger. Had Heather lied to her? Did the Dragon Hunters discover her true allegiance?
Toothless growled and stood in an offensive position. Hiccup tried to quiet his dragon, but he knew that would be in vain once he heard growls from the other dragons.
"Toothless, make this first shot count," he told him stoically.
A plasma blast was preparing itself in his throat when the grunting creature was revealed, it was a small pack of wild boars. From the fear and anxiety bubbling inside of him, Fishlegs let out a loud scream, scaring the boars away.
With the animals gone, they proceeded towards the cave. Astrid internally sighed when they found it, Heather was telling her the truth.
"There it is. I'll go check it out," she volunteered.
Hiccup, however, had another idea, "We'll all go check it out."
They entered the cave and started to look for signs of inhabitation. Ladok dismounted Shockstrike and discovered deep, slash-like indentations in the icy wall.
He whistled to get his brother's attention, "Check this out."
Hiccup examined his younger brother's findings and couldn't help but to notice the size and depth of them, "Look at these claw marks. I'd say we found the right cave."
"It's nice. It's no boar pit, but it's nice," Tuffnut commented.
With the confirmation it was what they were looking for, Hiccup wanted to continue with his plan, "Alright, let's take it slowly and quietly. Snotlout, get the Nightmare gel out."
They had only been exploring the cave for a few minutes when they heard a sound coming from the entrance. It was unusual, like knives scraping ice, and not a sound that a Snow Wraith could produce.
When he heard Toothless growl, he knew it was nothing benign, "Behind us! Everyone down!"
His suspicion was confirmed when Dragon Hunters ran into the cave with their weapons drawn. Archers fired their dragon root-tipped arrows at them, which the dragons managed to avoid by crouching down and countering with their flames.
Ryker stood outside of the cave, he could not see anything but heard the entire confrontation. He sneered when his men emerged from the battle, each unarmed and injured.
He turned to Heather, who sat on Windshear, and yelled, "Can't you control that beast?! She gave us away!"
"She's a dragon covered in spikes, walking on ice," she retorted. The blades on the tip of Windshear's tail scratched the ice under their feet. "She's gonna make noise."
"You keep that thing quiet, or I will," he demanded.
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(A/N: Look, I know this isn't what you wanted or what you expected, but I'm just worn out after the past few weeks I've had. Let's just say, there's a lot of personal things going on right now and it took up most of my time. I literally had no break at all for two weeks straight and all I could do were either new or less grueling stories.
I know any excuse I give you isn't enough and, believe me, I didn't want to make this a two-part for a singular episode, but bare with me here. It's either this or a ten thousand word chapter that takes two months to write. I'm very sorry about all of this and I hope I can make up for it in the next chapter.)