I... was just busy... Christmas coming up... lots of shopping. Got to come home so I hung out with all my friends that I haven't seen... Made cookies... Basically, sorry x3 The only free time I had was when I was relaxing because my lower back has been facing some serious pain recently. Unfortunately, when your back kills you like that, you can't really focus well enough to write a decent story D:

But I hope everyone here had a wonderful holiday no matter what you celebrate (:

But thank you, reviewers! KaliAnn, IndigoSkies-Wolf River, JJ, Amazing-Thalia-Grace, RJM, TooLazyToSignIn (lol, nice xD and, by the way, your review was so sweet! Thank you so much!) and all those guest/anon reviews! You all are the greatest (: I will finish this story, I promise! I will hopefully get back to my speedy updates soon enough when the holidays are completely done (including New Years...) x3

And to my reviewer who asked if Blood Cry broke the ship, nope x3 A blast of water broke the ship a part and you'll see what caused that in just a moment!

And one more thing... Remember, I'm acting like Thawfest hasn't happened. In this world, Thawfest doesn't exist, okay? There's a part with Snotlout here that, if Thawfest existed, it wouldn't make sense. I had all of this planned before I saw the episode.

Chapter Thirteen: Perfectly Trapped

Toothless cried out, Hiccup leaning forward and flicking the tail so they could dive down beneath the clouds to see what was happening. Astrid called out to him, but he had all ready plunged under the mass of clouds, his face sprayed with water droplets as they came down up over the ships. Hiccup's eyes widened as he pulled Toothless up to keep them from crashing into the ocean. The sea churned wildly as two hulking Scauldron moved about, blasting boiling water up through fleet, taking down four in what seemed like only a moment. Hiccup sought out his father's ship, seeing it was fine.

Thornado, who had been riding in the boat with Stoick, launched over the edge and vanished into the swirling waters after one of the Scauldron.

Hiccup and Toothless tossed their heads about, trying to seek out of the other monster lurking under the waves. Toothless let out a furious growl when his gaze caught the creature and he beat his wings to go after it. Hiccup flinched, unsure what they could do to the dragon that moved through the water. It would probably have the upper hand out here in the middle of the vast expanse of ocean. It didn't slow Toothless, though, and the Night Fury came gliding up above the form that rippled beneath them as a dark, shadowy blob.

"Think you can get its attention?" Hiccup inquired.

Toothless wasted no time drawing in a breath, gathering his plasma fire, before launching it straight below them onto the pinpoint of where the Scauldron's back appeared to be. The sea surged down from the blast, then came exploding back up as the shockwave of purple flung itself away in a giant circle. A great wave protruded from where the shot happened, stopping the creature that the fire had been aimed at. Toothless hovered, vast wings pounding to stay aloft.

Hiccup felt a rage in his stomach. It was of both fear and confidence as he peered over to see what the Scauldron would do now. The beast was growing bigger and, soon, a balloon head was lifting out of the water, swelling as it got ready to shoot its fiery liquid.

Hiccup threw his body to the right, adjusting Toothless' tail so that they barreled just out of the way. Hiccup could feel the heat of the water brush his skin as it shot past and he heard a yelp of surprise and pain from Toothless as it caught the tip of his wing. The Night Fury recovered, refocusing his attention on the water dragon just in time to dodge another incoming blast. Hiccup felt his head spin as he tried to come up with a way of taking the beast down. The Scauldron snarled, mouth gaping, fangs glittering in the morning sunlight.

"Hiccup!" a voice called.

Hiccup craned his head to look over his shoulder. Drifting about in the water, Tuffnut was wading among the waves, getting thrown about as the Scauldron's movements sent tremors through the surface. It didn't help he was clutching a spear in his hand, making it harder to keep himself above water. Fearing his friend would drown, Hiccup told Toothless they needed to fetch him.

Toothless neared, lowering himself slowly. Hiccup leaned over, reaching out a hand to try and help his friend.

"You know, as much as I love destruction, I don't think I want to see you eaten. Look out!" Tuffnut hollered, pointing with his free hand.

Toothless whipped around to see the Scauldron skimming through the water. The bright eyes shone with a desire to kill. Toothless roared, beating his wings to rise up from its reach, but Hiccup remembered Tuffnut, stuck in the watery path of the dangerous creature.

"Tuffnut!" Hiccup called out.

Tuffnut nodded, "I got this!"

With the best strength he could muster, Tuffnut raised the spear up out of the water and then launched it forward. The weapon spun through the air, whirring, before striking a soft spot on the neck, breaking through the weak underscales and pushing through. The Scauldron let out a shriek of agony, wavering in its movements but still struggling to come forward, determination driving it onward. Tuffnut let out a cry of surprise and tried to kick out of the way, but wasn't fast enough.

"Toothless, now!" Hiccup ordered and the Night Fury unleashed a blast in the same spot that the spear had broken through.

The long, slender neck couldn't handle it. The fire broke through into the inside, breaking it away, severing the head. The head crashed into the ocean while the body slowed. Both masses began to sink, red plumes rising in the spots where the body parts vanished. The dark color began to spread through the ocean, enveloping it. Hiccup knew that it would soon draw in other dangerous creatures. He sought Tuffnut back out and called, "Get to shore!"

"Where's my sister?" Tuffnut asked, seeming out of breath but refusing to get to shore to take a break.

Toothless moaned, casting his head about as he searched for the girl that resembled the boy floundering in the water. He and Hiccup watched as Thornado burst from the ocean, having defeated his Scauldron, and came to settle back on Stoick's ship, which was practically on land. The chief was glancing back, examining the remaining ships and seeing the swells of the blood of the dead Scauldron. Hiccup let his gaze travel over the land and noticed that most of the people from the downed ships were clambering onto shore, coughing and sputtering. None of them was Ruffnut.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" a voice choked.

That was Ruffnut! She was a distance off and Tuffnut was splashing through the water to get to her all ready. She appeared to be sinking, her face struggling to keep above the surface, sucking in deep breaths with wide eyes. She was kicking wildly, but Hiccup couldn't see her arms moving. He and Toothless came soaring over, stopping not far above her.

Ruffnut went under for a moment before coming back to the surface, but just barely. Her helmet was gone and her braids floated out around her like tentacles. She spat seawater from her mouth, explaining, "Phlegma... she's drowning. I can't pull her up."

"I got you," Tuffnut responded, diving under beneath her.

Ruffnut tugged the body to the surface while Tuffnut pushed up from beneath. The woman was clearly unconscious, but still breathing. Ruffnut gulped down the air she was able to get greedily. "She got knocked out when Thornado and that Scauldron's battle sent a stray piece of wood flying at her, hitting her on the head."

"Raise her arms above water. Toothless and I will take her to shore before we get back to the others. You two need to get to shore, too," Hiccup ordered.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut just nodded, unable to argue or think of anything better at that moment. The twins fought against the sea to raise the woman's arms, lifting them as high as they could into the air. Toothless was careful to get close without hitting them with his powerful downstrokes to stay aloft. The Night Fury grasped Phlegma's hands in his mighty paws and then pulled her up and out of the water. The twins, relieved of having to hold her, cheered, high-fiving each other with broad grins.

Hiccup bit his lip, "Don't cheer yet. Now get to shore!"

Toothless turned and started for the beach after Stoick and the fleet, dodging boulders as catapults began to fire from along the mountainside. Phlegma dangled beneath him and he heard a low moan. He craned his neck down to see if she was waking and saw her eyelids flutter before she began to gag, ocean water dribbling from her lips as it cleared her lungs. She hung limply until Toothless approached the shore, coming up alongside where Stoick's boat was now sliding onto land. The chief quickly flung himself off the ship and approached.

"Leave her here. She'll be good in just a moment. Get back to the other dragons," he ordered.

Hiccup nodded, padding Toothless' neck and the dragon gently set Phlegma down where she recomposed herself, though wobbly. The Night Fury then soared back up into the sky, flinging around another projectile from a catapult and then dipping up into the clouds. As he breached the top, he and Hiccup came face to face with trouble. Astrid, Hoark, Fishlegs, and Snotlout had ordered all the dragons to remain still and wait for the opportune moment before they would rain down on the mountain. Now, however, they found that that chance wouldn't come. About twenty seven dragons with Folk i Isen riders were swooping towards them through the air.

"Prepare yourselves!" Hiccup called out as he and Toothless regained altitude up beside Stormfly.

Astrid glanced out at him, "Hiccup, what was happening?"

"Some Scauldron were attacking the ships. Toothless, Tuffnut, and I took out one and Thornado handled the other. A lot of boats were damaged, but they've reached the shore," he tried to explain hurriedly, only turning to her briefly before facing the oncoming enemy again.

Behind him, he could hear Hoark growl, Snotlout cursing at himself for being scared, and Fishlegs whining. The rest of the dragon-mounted Vikings were silent, each taking the moment to prepare themselves mentally. The opponents were nerely upon them now, claws of dragons and swords of men gleaming in the sunlight. Hiccup felt hot under his metal armor. He wished they were beneath the overcast sky, protected from the beams of golden rays that brought with them a searing warmth. He bent over, hands tightening on his saddle hold. He hummed softly, feeling his lips tremble with his own noises. He continued to do so until he felt it was the perfect moment. Then he snapped himself upright, yanked on Toothless, who responded by pulling his body up and releasing a plasma fire. It whirled straight at the leader of the enemy, but the dragon just managed to dodge. The fire caused the attacking party to split into two groups.

"They're going to surround us!" Astrid hollered, watching as the two halves separated to go around the Berk army.

The villagers and dragons tossed about, trying to grab a hold of what was going on. The Folk i Isen weren't attacking, instead, looping around them before coming back around and taking off toward the Outcasts' Island. Hiccup, worried they were going to get away and attack the people on foot, shouted out for them all to follow.

Bursting forward, the dragons began to rain down, the Folk i Isen dragons still in two groups and leading the way under the clouds and nearer land. Toothless was catching up fast, the Night Fury's speed turning him into a dark blur that appeared above the mountain. Stormfly was close behind with the rest of the dragons sailing after them further back. Suddenly, the groups split and Toothless reared up, wings out wide to come to a stop. Hiccup twisted his body in his seat, screaming up to those following, "Split up and take them down!"

Beating his wings, Toothless veered to the right after one group of the enemy. After a moment, Hiccup once again glanced back, seeing that Astrid, Fishlegs, and about half of the dragon force was following him. At first, he was pleased, but then he realized that he wished Astrid was in the other group... Snotlout and Hoark were leading them.

"C'mon, Hookfang!" Snotlout encouraged, but was mostly trying to boost his own morale. He acted tough all the time. Reality? He was probably more timid than Fishlegs. He didn't want the others to know, however, and he was determined to not be seen as weak. So he found himself shouting at Hookfang every couple moments as a way of shouting at himself to ensure that he wouldn't back out of the mission.

He didn't want this to be like last time. He could still feel the splitting headache when he thought about that moment on the cliff ledge, his skull getting cracked against the mountain behind him. Such agony and fear... Fear. He had heard that only the foolish didn't feel fear. Well, Snotlout sure felt it, but he wouldn't admit it on his life. So he strengthened his grip on Hookfang's horns, twisting his knuckles around them as if it might boost his dragon's speed. The Nightmare pressed through the air, beating after the half of the enemy dragons that they were following. Hoark and half of the Berk dragon riders were hot on their tail. Snotlout shifted in his saddle, perspiration dripping along his brows but ignoring it. He would lead this group to victory... For his dad! Man, Spitelout would be proud. Even Stoick would. And Hiccup.

Snotlout felt his stomach flip. Why was he seeking Hiccup's approval? Hiccup should be looking for approval from him, the great and awesome Snotlout! That's what he was always telling his scrawny cousin. Always laughing at Hiccup and making fun of him and... well, being an all around jerk to him. But what else did Snotlout have going for himself? That was just it. That was why Snotlout wanted Hiccup's approval.

Never on his life would he let his cousin know that. Or Stoick. Or even Spitelout if he was still alive. Tears trembled in his eyes. Gods, he was such a wimp! Why couldn't he have something going for him? Fishlegs was smart, like book-smart, Astrid was gorgeous, athletic, tough, kind, and all sorts of things, and Hiccup had this weird way of just knowing and understanding and helping dragons. Even the twins had something... some sort of creepy affinity for destruction and dumbness.

What was Snotlout?

Just the other guy who wished he was as tough as Astrid, who wanted to pretend he was as smart as Fishlegs, who thought he could be as dumb and destructive as the twins (sometimes he could be, but deep down he was, unfortunately, a big baby and did have a brain), and who acted like he was better than the Dragon Trainer.

So if he could accomplish this, without Hiccup's help, maybe he could be something. A leader. A warrior. A viking...

Snapping back to attention, Snotlout squinted his eyes. The cold air surging past him made them watery and frigid. He blinked, feeling a couple tears escape at the movement. He finally released a horn and wiped at his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He peered harder, noticing that the enemy was disappearing into the caves on the far side of the island, away from the land battle. Well, Snotlout wasn't going to let them get away! He waved for everyone to pursue and then they all flung into the caves after the Folk i Isen on their dragons.

Hookfang landed and scrambled along the cave, unable to continue flying. Most of the other dragons had to copy, but a couple Nadders and Gronckles remained airborne. The echoing sounds of claws scrabbling against rock and the beating of wings seemed to drown out any other noise. Hookfang sped through the caves, but after a couple minutes, began to slow, roaring softly.

Snotlout felt his heart drumming in his chest. He had no idea where the enemy was. He also didn't know where they were. These caves were unfamiliar to him. They were deep, dark, and had water dripping out of cracks and pooling at the dragons' feet. Only a couple torches provided pale light, but they were far between, leaving long zones of gaping darkness. Hookfang stood in the envelopment of a torch, making angry clicking noises. Everyone had gone silent and all the dragons were now on foot, all trying to listen for any sounds of the enemy. Snotlout shivered and saw his breath curl around his face.

"We need to get out of here," Hoark said from behind him.

Snotlout nodded, tapping Hookfang lightly to let his dragon know they needed to head the other way. Back the way they came to get out of here. It was like a dungeon...

A tremendous shriek suddenly broke through the world. Snotlout clamped his hands over his ears, crying out in distress as his head rattled. Hookfang recoiled beneath him and he nearly got flung off since he had let go of the Nightmare's horns.

As soon as the pounding in his head stopped, he looked around at the others, then back forward. The cry split the air again, forcing the Berk dragons to back away before turning and fleeing. As Hookfang skidded over the ground after the others, Snotlout called out to Hoark, "What is that?"

"Sounds like a Thunderdrum!"

Snotlout felt the blood drain from his face. He dared a look back to where the scream had come from, but he couldn't see anything through the darkness. He flinched, knowing quite well that Alvin's dragon had been a Thunderdrum. Or still was a Thunderdrum. He had heard that the beast survived with Alvin.

The dragons before him suddenly veered, curving down a new tunnel that Snotlout was pretty certain they hadn't taken to get in. He tried to slow Hookfang down, but a boom splintered the air and the Nightmare refused to listen, thrusting forward at a lurching speed. Snotlout clung to the horns, fearful of being left behind if he was thrown off. As the dragons continued to press forward, the cries became more frequent and seemed scattered. Somehow, the Thunderdrum was herding them down certain tunnels, steering the dragons currently in the lead by sending his ear-shattering roar down the tunnels that he didn't want them to go down. Hoark was the first to realize this and his face took on a look of one who was struck with a sudden illness.

"We're being led right into a trap," the man growled.

Only Snotlout heard and, by then, it was too late. Hookfang and the Nadder that Hoark rode stumbled to halt as they nearly crashed into the backs of the dragons they had been following. Hookfang grumbled under his breath, craning his head back to look up and around. They were all congregated in a dead end, trapped just as Hoark had figured. There were no torches, the spherical room barely lit by the light that filtered in through the cave they had just traveled through. Villagers cried out in alarm once they recognized the situation and dragons roared with displeasure. The group began to wheel around, intending to escape before they were doomed.

As Hookfang turned all the way around, Snotlout felt his innards coil. There, standing at the entrance of their escape, was a crimson scaled Thunderdrum. Blood Cry. His smile was wicked. A devilish grin that stretched across his whole face. The fangs that protruded out seemed sharper, giving the whole ordeal a menacing feeling. Snotlout felt the fear he had tried to bury in him begin to rise from the pit in his body. It reeked and he shivered, but he could have easily blamed it on the chill that seemed eternal in the mountain.

Snotlout grimaced, "Get him, Hookfang!"

Hookfang released a spew of fire at the beast, but it jumped back, just dodging. Swelling up, Hookfang didn't have time to react before Blood Cry unleashed a devastating blow to the ceiling of the escape tunnel. He repeated this another time, forcing Hookfang to remain still or be caught in the blast. Snotlout and Hoark watched as the ceiling crumbled, chipping and breaking. Finally, it gave it, collapsing. The tail of Blood Cry was the last flash of color that they all saw before they were surrounded by darkness, the exit and their source of light now blocked by a cave-in of rocks.

Stoick heard Ruffnut's cry and spun around to see Phlegma's nearby ship being cracked in two. A steaming blast of water had broken up through the hull, completely shattering the boat. The people on board were sent this way and that, flung into the ocean like they were nothing more than worms to be picked off by a bird. He felt his eyes widen when he realized that Ruffnut and Tuffnut had also been on the ship, though he had thought they would be on their dragon. He didn't have time for fury however, as three more boats were destroyed only a moment after, the two Scauldron that were moving beneath the fleet wasting no time.

"Thornado!" Stoick ordered, turning to his dragon, which was riding his boat with him instead of working with the dragon squad.

The Thunderdrum clicked in acknowledgement before taking to the water, vanishing under the torrential waves that now shook the boats. Stoick gripped the side rail for support, glancing to the sky to see Toothless and Hiccup arriving on the scene. The two had noticed Thornado go for one Scauldron so they appeared to be seeking out the second.

Satisfied the dragons would be taken care of, Stoick roared to his people of the remaining ships, "Keep moving forward! We have to get to land! The others will swim to shore."

It wasn't long, it seemed, before Thornado returned. By then, Stoick's ship was nearly to the shore. Many of the people who had been on the destroyed boats were all ready making it to shore, their powerful bodies able to get them through the water faster than the hulking ships. Stoick couldn't help but watch them with an ache. They had been doing their job, of course, and they had accepted the risks, but it still frustrated him when his people were put into a danger that he couldn't assist them. It all ready tortured him knowing that many of his people were in the air above him, led by his son, who actually wasn't even up there with them at the moment.

Swiveling his head around to check on his son, he could see the Night Fury hovering over the waves. The water beneath the dragon swirled with dark crimson, revealing to Stoick that his son and the dragon had somehow defeated the other monster that had attacked the Berk army.

The boat to the right of Stoick's ship lumbered nearer. Gobber was on this ship, the Bone Knapper perched on the mast at the top. The beast cried out in surprise and Stoick peered up to see what had spooked the great dragon. A boulder was soaring through the air, whizzing by and nearly hitting Gobber's ship, but it had just maneuvered out of the way. The Bone Knapper hissed, releasing one of its powerful roars. It grabbed at the air with its wings, looking at Thornado, who nodded and took to the air beside the other dragon. The two circled in the air, catching the attention of the enemies wielding the catapults.

"They're distracting them," Gobber announced.

Stoick nodded, well aware of the plan by now. His warrior dragon was intelligent. He was not surprised that the dragon would do something like this. It was also pleasing to see the Bone Knapper show such loyalty despite the fact that it did not even live on Berk. It had merely come back to help with the battle, risking its life to help them out of friendship and kindness. Stoick was thankful that Gobber had befriended it and not killed it.

Finally, the boats lumbered onto land, sliding up on the sand with rough whines. At that same moment, Toothless came over, Hiccup on his back and Phlegma clutched in his grip. The dragon was slowly lowering the woman to land and Stoick threw himself off his boat and onto the shore. He headed over, nearing the Night Fury and his son. He peered up, shouting, "Leave her here. She'll be good in just a moment. Get back to the other dragons."

Phlegma was set on the shore and then Toothless took off. Stoick winced, a wry smile playing on his face. It made him nervous, to see his son in the midst of battle, but he had been unable to deny the fact that Hiccup and his friends could be useful in battle from the backs of their dragons. As the two vanished into the film of clouds, he turned back to the mountain, feeling a sense of dread settle over him. Thornado and the Bone Knapper were still dodging boulders in the sky.

Gobber came up alongside Stoick while Phlegma recovered, seeming dazed but unharmed. Stoick cast his gaze about over his people, all who were prepared, weapons drawn and sweat dripping. Reaching for his own sword, Stoick grumbled under his breath, wrapping a beefy hand around the hilt and drawing it forth. He scanned the mountain, eyes narrowing as it suddenly dawned on him how organized the enemies were. As if they had known all along that this attack would come...

Upon one of the high ledges, Stoick could see three forms. The form in the front was dark and bulky, a sneer clear. Alvin laughed, seeming joyful, which sent rage bursting through Stoick's veins. The man who threatened his people. The man who tried to kill his son. The man who killed his brother. Beside Alvin, flanking him on the right and left, Hella and Frosne were watching, stiff and fierce. Just the sight of them beside Alvin made the anger boiling in Stoick stir harder, madly flowing through his entire being until he could no longer contain it. The enemies were in the caves. It was time to end this!

Unleashing a belting war cry, Stoick raised his sword and pounded forward, legs pushing him with flares of adrenaline. His people, climbing onto the shore and stumbling off of the ships, echoed his call and the pulsing of feet hitting the sandy ground could be heard thundering behind him. Then they dove headfirst into the caves.

Ruffnut turned from high-fiving he brother and saw that Toothless was sailing away, leaving her and her twin to swim to shore. She smirked, feeling accomplished. They were still alive and they had even saved someone. They were doing better than she could have hoped. Spinning her arms like a windmill, she began to pull herself through the water, feet kicking out behind her to help her move to the shore. Behind her, Tuffnut mimicked her movements.

The water darkened and, at first, Ruffnut feared there was another Scauldron beneath them. She stopped swimming, trying to figure out what it was. Then, as she pulled a hand from the water to wipe away some hair that was clinging to her scarred cheek, she discovered what it was. He hand dripped crimson, thick and smelling absolutely horrendous. She shivered, suddenly feeling disgusting and, though she didn't particularly care for them, wanted to bathe. Making a face, she forced herself to keep moving to shore, trying to ignore the fact that she was moving through the pool of Scauldron blood. She held her head as high out of the water, the putrid smell filling her nose and making her head spin. She thought for a brief moment she would throw up, but managed to hold it back.

"This is gross. Even for our standards," Tuffnut choked from nearby, kicking harder to get to the shore faster.

Ruffnut couldn't even respond. She didn't want any of it to get into her mouth, so she kept her mouth clamped shut and refused to respond. She spotted the edge of the red bath and sped up her movements, hoping to be free of what felt like she was in a pot of gruel. Upon reaching the clear, green-blue waters, her mouth opened and an outpouring of breath came out. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath.

She was thinking about how nice it was to be out of the murk when she heard Tuffnut screech, "Look out, Ruff!"

A shadow passed over her and Ruffnut swung her face up just in time to see the boulder of a catapult sailing towards her. She felt only a flash of fear before she dove under in an attempt to get out of its way. She went down a couple feet before her lungs burned with the desire for air, having been working overtime when she was holding Phlegma up and then from holding her breath while passing through the blood. She arched herself to swim back to the surface, but suddenly felt an impact his her back that started pressing her down. The boulder!

Shocked, she lost the air she had in her body in a cry. She wiggled around under the boulder, managing to turn so that it pressed down against her stomach and not her back. It was heavy, even under water, and her body was nearly wrapped around it, making it difficult to pull away. Her back was throbbing with pain, the impact having probably bruised it, and she was growing weak without air. She scrambled, pushing herself away finally and out into the emptiness of the ocean.

By now, her head spun. She was in pain and she felt sick. Her muscles refused to work, succumbing to the cold of the ocean. Her body tried to take a breath. She started to inhale some salt water, but stopped herself. She feebly grabbed at water above her, searching for something to pull her to the surface. She didn't want to die! Not now! She was terrified... Never had she been so scared. But then again, never had things seemed so empty around her. She'd always had Tuffnut nearby. And if she wasn't with him she was with Astrid. She had never been so alone...

Her hands reached up once more, hoping something was there. That Odin would spare her.

She felt something grab her hand, but couldn't see through the pale grey darkness of the ocean, no sun out to illuminate the crystal waters. It only took her a second to recognize Tuffnut's grip, a grip she knew as well as her own. She kicked, feeling renewed energy as her lungs burst into flames, needing, desiring, and hungry to get the air that Tuffnut would help her find. He brother pulled her up and, soon, she breached the surface, feeling a fresh coolness settle in her body as the flames of her lungs were doused by the air they had so desperately sought.

Tuffnut was coughing and shaking his head. "Man you are dumb! Why in the world would you try to almost drown like that? You scared me!"

"I scared you?"

Tuffnut pursed his lips, seeming mad. After a moment, his face relaxed, however, and he shrugged. "You're my sister... We fight, yeah. But we're still friends. Aren't we?"

Ruffnut just smiled. She didn't do mushy things like that. All she knew is that, right now, she was just grateful she had a brother like Tuffnut. Dumbest boy ever, but her brother none the less. A friend, too. He was right about that. She turned back to the shore and continued on, ignoring the drumming of pain in her back and the agony her lungs and muscles were feeling. She could see the army driving into the caves now. They needed to get there and help.

And so she swam. And Tuffnut followed. He always would.

Hiccup couldn't figure out what the Folk i Isen were doing. They were just... fleeing. Toothless would be just about to catch up to them or he would fire a plasma shot, but then the enemies would veer left or spin up or dive right. It was infuriating in a way. What kind of enemy wouldn't even fight?

In the back of his mind, Hiccup flinched. An enemy with a plan. Something was up. They were doing something, but what? Hiccup couldn't figure it out. He couldn't see that far ahead to figure out what they had up their sleeves. His fists clenched around the handle of the saddle. His fingers, cold from the air speeding by, ached from the squeezing, blood trapped in its place. He grimaced, glancing back to look at Astrid. She was staring ahead with determination, seeming unfazed by the continuous goose chase. Hiccup couldn't even see Fishlegs, the boy and his Gronckle back far behind with the others, who were struggling to keep up with the Night Fury, Stormfly, and the maneuvering enemy dragons.

"Toothless, keep a sharp eye out," Hiccup warned his best friend.

The dragon beneath him dipped his head to let Hiccup know he had heard. Toothless glanced left and right, bright eyes searching across the landscape for anything out of place, but the dragon couldn't see anything. His elongated scales quivered, a sense of unease settling over him. Hiccup's words had been foreboding and, now that the boy had said something, Toothless could feel that something was amiss. This seemed... odd. He slowed down some instinctively, allowing himself more of a chance to really examine the world about him, as if Skrill might come speeding from the sky above or Changewings would appear from the shadows of the mountain and rain acid at them. His drop in pace allowed Stormfly to catch up.

Astrid, confused, asked, "What's up? We won't catch them at this pace."

"I dont' think we're going to catch them. Astrid, something doesn't seem right."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and Stormfly watched as the enemy dispersed, scatting all different directions and heading one way or another to vanish behind rocky plateaus coming up from the ocean. The place gave an eerie feeling of familiar. Ahead, one lone enemy dragon and rider settled down on a spit of land attached to the mountain island. A large, circular hole in the ground that was as deep as a Nightmare was tall gaped before the enemy. The man upon the dragon's back sneered and seemed to brace himself, as if he would take on Hiccup and the others all by himself with only the dragon beneath him to help.

Toothless came down, alighting on the land inside the giant round hole. It had a flat bottom and something about being inside it seemed way to...

"Hiccup!" Astrid hissed.

Fishlegs and all the others finally arrived, their dragons coming down to land in a mass behind Toothless and Stormfly in the hole. Hiccup turned and stared at them all behind him. The men and women looked ready to fight, some scoffing at the lone enemy that stood with the dragon on the ledge before them. The dragons they rode, however, chirped nervously. Stormfly and Meatlug seemed especially antsy, the two cast their heads about with wide, haunted eyes. They shifted about wildly. Fishlegs had to wrap his arms around Meatlug's head to keep from getting tossed off.

"Hiccup!" Astrid said again and Hiccup turned to her. "This place is just like our kill ring back on Berk!"

It struck Hiccup then. That was why the place gave him such a familiar feeling. Why Meatlug and Stormfly were nervous. Both had been trapped in their kill ring back on Berk for so long, and now they were in another one. This one was not being used to help train dragons now, though. Hiccup had a feeling this one, the Outcasts' kill ring, was still being used for just what it was named for. He froze, then moaned. They had just fallen into the trap.

And at that moment, giant nets made of metal chain links came crashing down upon them as all the enemy dragons returned. Hiccup felt the metal crash on top of him. The weight forced Toothless, Stormfly, and the others to fall to the ground with cries of surprise. Hiccup peered up through one of the links at the enemy who sat upon his dragon before them. He was laughing, eyes glittering with victory.

"Kill them all," the man chuckled, as if it was the punchline of a poorly done joke.

WHOO... x3

Now we're getting to my favorite parts. The next couple chapters are my favorites. I'm pumped for them. But they'll probably be super long. Hopefully I won't take a month to post them like this chapter took, but they will require a couple days of work so that I can make them perfect for you guys ^^

Pardon any spelling or grammar mistakes I missed. My keyboard is struggling on me so sometimes my letters don't always work...

o.o

Review please! Y'all get me super excited every time you leave me something and I'm about to surpass 100, that makes me feel so wonderful! Just no flames, por favor.

Also, I'm thinking of trying a Rise of the Guardians one-shot soon. So if any of you liked that movie, maybe you'd be interested xD

Love,

Deyoxis