Hiccup was ready to pull out his hair. His father just never seemed to listen! Grounding the dragons would not only cause the large reptiles to be extremely antsy, but it also greatly lowered their defense. "Dad," he tried again, "Alvin has his own dragons: Changewings, Scauldrons, Whispering Deaths, I saw them with my own eyes!"

"Yes," Stoick agreed, "when you were kidnapped and locked up in an Outcast prison."

Hiccup did his best not to flinch, knowing that that would mean defeat in his father's eyes. "He's also read the Book of Dragons," he continued to argue, "he's seen Astrid train a Monstrous Nightmare, and he still has Mildew, who I really doubt would be able to hold up under questioning!"

"Hiccup," Stoick began, but his son interrupted.

"If Alvin learns how to train his dragons and he attacks with them, our only chance is to fight back with ours!" Hiccup never thought he'd see the day he'd try to convince his father, Stoick the Vast, that their best chance of survival was to fight.

His father shook his head. "I understand where you're coming from, son. But I'm not going to risk your life, or the lives of your Dragon Riders. That is my final word on the subject." On that note, he turned away and continued barking orders at men reinforcing the docks.

Hiccup actually did run his fingers through his hair in a feeble attempt to yank it out. His thoughts raced to try to find a solution. He snapped his head up. The chief wouldn't risk the lives of any of the Riders of Berk… but what if he got outside help?

He turned inland, gazing at the woods.

WWW

Hours later, Hiccup was angrily cursing his father's no flight rule. He trudged through the dirt, his left leg limping slightly. Most days, his metal foot didn't really hurt him, but with Toothless grounded, he was on it a lot more than he was used to, and the ache was beginning to pulse.

"How does Gobber deal with this?" he muttered to his dragon. Toothless merely looked down at his owner's prosthetic guiltily, before crouching down for him to climb on. Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, bud, but I think I'd better get used to it. Can't always count on you carrying me everywhere, right?" He scratched Toothless behind his head in gratification, though.

Suddenly, something whizzed past Hiccup's face and embedded itself into the tree right next to him. Toothless immediately started growling, but Hiccup calmed him down. He looked at the projectile.

It was an arrow, angled down, made from a sharpened stone tied with vines to a whittled branch.

"Is that how you welcome all your guests, Mani?" he called out.

The trees began to shake, leaves raining down on the two below them, before a small figure leapt down, landing in a crouching position in front of them, bow in hand, pale blonde head bent.

Green eyes sparkled at them, and stained teeth peeked through smirking lips. "A guest is invited, Hiccup. Sorry if I scared ya," Mani continued, standing up and walking over to his arrow. "I s'pose I just wanted to know your reaction."

Hiccup frowned as Mani pulled his fired weapon from the bark. "What do you mean?"

Mani sighed, placing the arrow into the quiver slung around thin shoulders. "I'm not used to people wanderin' about in the woods without weapons, Hiccup. It looked wrong, and I felt the need to show ya why. What if ya need to protect yourself? Can ya always trust your dragon to be there for ya?"

Hiccup glanced at Toothless. While he wanted to say yes, too many moments popped into his head, reminding him that there were times when they were separated. The most recent, of course, leading to his capture on the Isle of Night. Which led to his father placing the flight ban. Which led him here.

"Mani," Hiccup began, hoping that the stranger would listen to his plea. "Do you think you can do me, or rather, Berk, a favor?"

A light eyebrow raised into messy, unkempt hair. Hiccup couldn't really find an reason to defend it.

Mani and Hati, the Timberjack that traveled with the blonde, had followed them from Outcast Island, apparently not even aware of what they were doing. Because of all that Berk had gone through the past few months, Astrid was not exactly welcoming to the new dragon rider. In fact, most of Berk had even ignored the newest additions to their island. But Hiccup couldn't really blame them, either. Although Mani had saved his life, the young archer hadn't exactly tried to connect with the citizens. They had seemed perfectly content to just camp out in the woods.

They don't even know why Mani was alone on the Isle of Night.

"I know that we haven't exactly greeted you with open arms," Hiccup admitted, "but I need someone who isn't a citizen of Berk. My dad put all the Riders on a flight ban. Meaning we can't fly any of our dragons. Putting us at a great disadvantage if Alvin decides to attack us with his."

"Ah, so you come to me, who has no loyalty to your chief," Mani smirked, leaning on a tree. "Well, I'd be happy to help protect my new home, but you're gonna have to elaborate a bit on what exactly ya want me to do."

"Well, really, it's just patrolling the skies, but I think at night would be best," Hiccup explained. He was so relieved the younger teen was willing to put up with this. "And you know what? I'll even make a saddle for Hati if you'd like." He looked around. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, Hati's around somewhere," Mani shrugged. "Probably after squirrels. She likes those. The little buggers tend to tease the poor thing, so revenge is very… delicious."

Hiccup groaned uncomfortably at the thought of what the Timberjack's revenge would entail, before freezing and staring at the other youth. "'She?'"

"Oh, I've never said? Hati's a female." Mani smiled broadly before the pale face darkened and the green eyes hardened. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, no, not a problem," Hiccup hurriedly said. "After all, Stormfly and Meatlug are, too. It's just kinda… awkward, since we've been calling her a, well, a him, all this time. Plus, um, isn't the moon warg a, uh… male?"

Mani's eyes softened. "Well, I suppose that that is the case, but I think it would be safe to say that Hati doesn't really care that you've been getting her gender wrong. As for why I named her that, I told you guys, didn't I? I thought it fitting."

A loud rustling sound was heard overhead. When the three on the ground looked up, they saw Hati above them, using the talons on her wings to hold her place in the bark. Mani smiled and raised bare arms in greeting.

"C'mere, girl!" Mani called. Once the Timberjack landed, Mani embraced the long neck. "When I first met her, I was terrified for my life. But I couldn't just get off the island, it was stormin' somethin' fierce, and my boat was already wrecked. Arrows would do nothing to a dragon, so I ran. For days, I was chased by her, like the wolf Hati chases the moon." The archer glanced up at Hiccup with twinkling eyes. "See where I'm goin' with this?"

Hiccup nodded in understanding. "Ah, yes, now I see. You were being chased, your name is Mani, Hati chases Mani, it's all clear now. Lucky Ragnorok wasn't dependant on you two, huh?"

Mani shrugged, turning back to the golden-brown dragon. "I thought for sure this'un was gonna eat me." The blonde paused, lost in memories. "I was gonna let her, actually. I was so tired of runnin', and I'd been doin' it for so long. I was cold, starvin', and just so, tired. I closed my eyes… and then woke up to sunshine, and roasted squirrels and fish. She protected me that night from any more rain and wind, and had gone hunting for me as well." Mani smiled gently, giving Hati another squeeze. "I was raised to kill dragons, because I was taught that it is 'kill or be killed.' But that night, Hati showed me otherwise. So I promised her: if she was willing to protect me, I'd do the same for her."

Mani stilled for a moment, before smirking at Hiccup and Toothless. "Well, I'm just blabbin' everythin' to ya, aren't I? Tell ya what, I'll meet ya at the blacksmith's after sunset. Does that sound doable?"

Hiccup started at the sudden change in attitude, but before he could ask any questions about Mani's past, the fair teen leapt onto the dragon's back. Hiccup noticed that the slight kid lay in the prone position along the Timberjack's back, fingers grasping the spines protruding from its neck.

"See ya tonight!"

And with a great gust of wind, the giant dragon took to the skies.

WWW

When the sun went down, Hiccup was pounding the day's frustrations away against the shield he was fashioning. His father, the ban, Ruff and Tuff's usual antics, Snotlout's annoyingness, and then Astrid had the gall to lecture him! As if he could ever control his dad! That'd be like him controlling the weather! And now Toothless was mad at him, because they couldn't take their usual evening lap around the island.

The flapping of wings caused him to snap his head up, ready to tell off whoever broke his dad's ban. But the huge wings were unfamiliar in the night sky. Before he could sound the alarm, though, the dragon dived down to the ground, and a figure slid down its back. The dragon, now recognized as Hati, used his - wait, no, her - wings to scuttle closer to Toothless as Mani walked up to the shop.

"I saw nothing to report, commander Hiccup!" the blonde saluted. "It sure was nice, though, flying over at night. Your village is so pretty."

Toothless growled at Mani's words, and twitched his tail threateningly. Hati paused a moment, before growling back at the Night Fury.

"Calm down, Toothless," Hiccup sighed. "It's not their fault you can't get out there."

"Easy, Hati," Mani soothed. "He's just irritated."

"Well, you can't really blame him," said Gobber as he limped into his shop. "Usually he and Hiccup are enjoying an evening flight at this hour. 'Course they can't do that now, what with the ban on flying and all. Oh, but I guess Stoick can't really tell you not to do it, can he? Since you're not really one of his…" He trailed off after noticing the glare Hiccup was giving him. He cleared his throat. "So! What are we making?"

Hiccup smiled, grateful for the subject change. "What do you think?"

Gobber frowned in confusion. "All this work for a shield?"

"Well, it's not just a shield," Hiccup explained. He aimed it at Mani, and the front decoration fell away as a weight flew out, wrapping itself around the young blonde, and dragging him towards the shield-bearer. They stared at each other for a few seconds in stunned silence. Mani's eyes were wide in surprise, and Hiccup was suddenly very aware that this new invention brought people extremely close to each other. It'd be great if he had a weapon to use against an enemy, but with Mani being an ally, this was just awkward.

There was a smattering of light freckles underneath the green eyes and across the small nose.

Gobber smirked. "Handy."

"You have two seconds to release me before I sic Hati on ya, and then kill ya myself."

Hiccup blinked. Mani sounded very serious. And… scared? What reason was there to be scared?

Regardless, Hiccup loosened the rope around him, and pushed the mechanism that gathered it back into the shield. "If we can't ride dragons," he continued, "we have to protect ourselves somehow."

Gobber sighed. "You know, Hiccup, your father's just doing what he thinks is best. He's trying to keep you safe!"

Mani snorted derisively. The other two looked at the blonde in surprise. "Sorry, rememberin' somethin'. Pay me no mind." With a frown, Mani looked off to the side, arms crossed. Hiccup frowned. Why so insecure? Was it because he caught the teen off-guard?

"Oh, Mani." The blonde head snapped up. "I finished Hati's saddle for you. Let's see if we can get it on him, her!"

"'Her?'" Gobber echoed.

Mani smirked. "Is it so hard believe that she's a female?" A laugh escaped from upturned lips. "By Freya, it's like you guys expect all warriors to be male!"

"Oh, that's not the case, lad," Gobber assured. "Believe it or not, Astrid's actually one of our best warriors. At least of her generation. It's more of a shock that you didn't correct us when we first met."

"She doesn't seem to mind, so why should I get upset if she's not?" Mani shrugged.

Gobber conceded with a nod. "Well, I'll leave the lot of you to it, then. I imagine, Hiccup, you'll be here for a while? Shame, though, really. Have you seen that moon? Can't imagine a more beautiful night for flying!"

Hiccup glared at him some more.

"I, ah, best be going now," Gobber said sheepishly.

Hiccup continued to glower at Gobber's limping back. When he turned around, Toothless was right up in his face. With a cry of surprise, he stumbled back. Mani snickered. He shot the bow-wielder a look before turning to his Night Fury. "I know what you're thinking," he said, "and you can forget it."

"You know," Mani began, "there's somethin' about your black beauty's scales. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the way they shimmer in the firelight…" Mani's voice trailed off, before snapping nimble fingers. "I've got it! His scales are just like stars! He probably blends in very well against the night sky, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, when we first met, it was almost impossible to see him. It was actually a lucky shot, huh, bud?" He laughed uncomfortably as Toothless raise an eye ridge. "Or you know maybe not…?"

"So, if he did go out flyin', odds are that no one would be able to see him, right?" Mani smirked as Hiccup pieced together what the archer was hinting at.

"You really don't want to see my dad when he's mad," Hiccup deadpanned. "As the chief, he is always right."

"Yak dung," Mani spat. "Just 'cause he's the head, doesn't mean he's infallible. You know what this Alvin guy is capable of, yes? I'm assumin' your dad does, too, but I'm also willin' to bet my arrows he's thinkin' like a Viking, not as a dragon owner. If Alvin's got dragons, he's usin' them. He'd have to be an idiot otherwise, it's bad battle sense. Plus, even if he didn't use 'em, no offense or anythin' but you don't look like you could use a sword to save your life."

"Hey!" Hiccup started, offended. "That's… probably true… But that's why I make inventions such as this!" He patted his grapple shield, which Mani gave a wary eye. He sighed. "Look, I know that the safest place for me is on Toothless. I know that my dad is wrong. But what am I supposed to do about it?"

Mani raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "Well, I can't tell ya what to do. So, do you want me to patrol the island every night, then? You're gonna trust the stranger who's only been here… not even a week?"

Toothless growled a bit. Hiccup glanced at him.

"I understand you not wantin' to get yourself or your friends in trouble," Mani began.

"Oh, I'm not afraid of getting into trouble," Hiccup interrupted. "I kinda do it all the time. But, you're right. I can't get the others in trouble, and I can't get you into trouble."

"Um, Hiccup. The whole point of asking me to do this was because Stoick can't technically order me around."

"Well, believe me, that's not gonna stop him… Tell you what, you and I can patrol. This way, you learn more about Berk, and no one else gets in hot water with my dad. Sound good?"

"So, instead of using me to protect your village, you're just using me as an excuse to get some flying done?"

Hiccup blinked, and stammered a bit before Mani chuckled a bit before continuing, "I'm teasin', Hiccup. I don't mind helpin' out."

He smiled gratefully at his new friend. "Let's get that saddle on Hati, huh?"

WWW

Hiccup panted, adrenaline coursing through him. "That was close," he muttered. He patted Toothless' side as they landed. "Nice flying, bud. I think we lost her."

"Lost who?"

Hiccup looked up, and saw Mani hovering. "Astrid. I knew she wouldn't take this lying down. Of course, she'd go after me."

Hati landed beside them, using her tail as a rest. Mani released the holds in the saddle, and slid down the dragon's back. Because Timberjacks don't have limbs, Hiccup had to get creative with the saddle. Instead of fastening around the middle, this one had two loops of leather on its front and back ends, one to go around the neck, and the other went around the base of the tail. This way, it kept Mani stable, and it did not inhibit Hati's flying. It was longer than most saddles, as Mani still lay down to ride. But Hiccup added some loops of leather to hold, and the bare feet were steady against a protruding ledge, for when the dragon decided to fly more vertically. Mani was particularly excited about this, because "it will give me more support when I fire my bow."

Mani frowned, landing on the rocks, and stroking Hati's belly. "How did she see you? Night should have been the perfect cover for you guys."

"Yeah, well, you tend to notice things when you hear a dragon's roar," a new voice called down to them. Astrid, looking mighty disapproving, landed Stormfly on Hiccup's other side.

Hiccup grimaced before plastering on a 'winning' smile. "Astrid! We were just talking about you!"

Astrid raised an eyebrow before saying, "So, I'm guessing this is the part where I ask you if your dad changed his mind, and you tell me he didn't, and that you're going behind his back. Again." She looked at him expectantly.

"Actually, no," Hiccup said defensively. "This is the part where I tell you my dad is wrong."

Astrid was surprised. "So, he knows?"

"I didn't say that," Hiccup evaded.

She sighed. "You know, I'm not surprised, at all, that you're here, Hiccup. But what are you doing here?" she shot at Mani.

Now Mani raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Are ya seriously going to do this? I was asked to help protect my new home, and I'm obliging. What would it take to get you to trust me?"

"How about you tell us why you were on that island alone?"

"Astrid," Hiccup intervened. "You were there on Outcast Island, too. You know what Alvin is capable of. We need all the help we can get!"

"So, you were just gonna fly around at night, just the two of you, and say nothing?" Astrid asked incredulously.

"That… was the plan," Hiccup mumbled. "When you say it like that, it sounds, kinda ridiculous."

"Or dangerous," Mani remarked. "Depending on how you look at it."

Hiccup sighed. "I just didn't want you guys to get into trouble, Astrid. My dad can't technically order Mani around, since he's not a villager. So, I thought that this would be the right thing."

Astrid smiled gently. It was just so, Hiccup, that he'd be doing this. She really couldn't be too mad at him, even if he did ask for Mani's help before hers. She supposed that his reasoning made sense. "We both know what the right thing is, Hiccup," she told him. "But if we're gonna ride dragons behind your father's back, we all need to ride dragons behind your father's back."

Hiccup smiled in understanding. She was right, after all. They were in this together.

"So, basically," Mani called out, "your little dragon-riding club is going to be a secret dragon-riding club, now?"

Hiccup snapped toward the archer. "That's a great idea!" he cried. "We are now, the Flight Club! Training undercover of darkness! Prepared against all foes!"

WWW

The next day, at sundown, all the dragon Riders were assembled in the Academy. Hiccup and Astrid had gone about the town, convincing the other warriors to meet up, and form their secret flight club. Hiccup walked up the line of Vikings.

"Okay, everyone, you know why you're here," he said.

Tuffnut groaned. "Speak for yourself!" He and his sister were still very confused with all the 'is' and 'doesn't exist' but it does exist… Seems they have yet to make up their minds.

Hiccup decided to explain as best he could. "We need to be ready for Riders on any type of dragon. From a Typhoomerang, to a Scauldron, to a Changewing, even a Whispering Death. So, I put together some training exercises."

"Blah, blah, blah!" Snotlout interrupted. "Can we go already? Hookfang's inner warrior needs to be unleashed, and it needs to unleashed twenty-four hours ago!"

"Actually, no, we can't yet," Hiccup said. The twins and Snotlout groaned; he probably wanted to give them a few more rules and regulations before they actually started. "We're not all here yet."

Tuffnut glanced about. "Uh, yeah, we are. The only other dragon-rider around would be your dad. Is he coming, too?"

"It wouldn't be a very good secret club if your dad's allowed, too," Ruffnut grumbled.

"No!" cried Hiccup. "There is no way my dad is going to join. He's the one guy that we absolutely have to keep this a secret from."

Ruffnut frowned. "Well, then who's left?"

"Well, nice to know how memorable I am!"

Everyone looked up, and above the academy, through the bars of the giant cage, they saw an excited, grinning Mani, hanging on to Hati's tail, as the Timberjack hovered above them.

"Oh, right," Tuffnut exclaimed. "You exist."

"Well, excuse me, tough guy, if I haven't exactly felt the need to leave my forest as of late!"

Snotlout spluttered. "Excuse me, your forest?!"

"Well, I didn't see anyone else's name on it!"

"Okay, guys!" Hiccup intervened before things got too out of hand. "Now that we're all here…"

"Finally," Ruffnut muttered.

"...let's mount up! Our first stop is going to be Changewing Island!"

Mani looked to Hati, and flicked a finger up in the air. Hati seemed to recognize this as a signal, and flicked her tail, sending Mani soaring into her saddle. "Well, we're ready when you are! Lead the way!"

By the time everyone had mounted their dragons and they left the academy, the sun went down. It did not take them long before they came across an island that seemed to have glittering gems in their trees.

"Oh, yeah," Tuffnut said. "Stones of good fortune. A life-time of good luck! I can't wait to get my hands on one!"

Astrid groaned. "Tuffnut, we've been over this! Those are dragon eggs!"

"Uh, yeah, and leave them alone, please?" Fishlegs begged, sending a look directly Snotlout's way. "I really don't want to revisit the Changewing debacle!"

"Oh, someone's tellin' me that story when we get back!" Mani cried.

They landed silently on trees without eggs in them, glancing about for any of the dragons the island was named for.

"So," Mani began, "does anyone want to tell me anything about these Changewings? 'Cause I'd like to remind ya, that I know nothin' about whatever's not a Timberjack."

Fishlegs gladly obliged. "A changewing has soft scales that can change colors to blend with its surroundings. They hunt in groups of three or four, and they shoot out hot, corrosive acid instead of fire. They're a mystery class, with an attack of nine, speed fourteen, and a shot limit of ten. Which is a lot, actually, because again, they always hunt in groups."

"I think we're about to witness that," Astrid whispered.

The teens all watched as a boar was separated from its singular, and then cornered by three Changewings, all of which revealed themselves to the swine.

"Hey," Tuffnut called to his sister. "Don't we know that boar?"

"Yeah, we do!" Ruffnut cried. "That's Bjorn Boar!"

Astrid nearly facepalmed. "Are they serious?" she asked Hiccup.

"You leave Bjorn alone!" yelled Tuffnut.

"Clearly, they are," Hiccup deadpanned.

The three Changewings looked up from their hunt, catching sight of the seven teens in the trees. Finding much larger prey than one measly boar, they switched targets.

Tuffnut immediately backpedaled. "You're on your own, Bjorn!" he called.

"Scatter!" Mani screamed as the Changewings let loose the green acid. Mani gasped as Hati looped in midair to avoid an acid bomb.

"Keep your distance!" Hiccup ordered. "Their acid is only effective at a close range!"

"Not very comforting when you're riding the slowest dragon!" Fishlegs screamed, before apologizing quietly to Meatlug.

"There are too many of them!" Snotlout oh-so-helpfully pointed out. "And they come out of nowhere!"

Hiccup frowned. The Changewings leapt among the trees, then leapt off of them to charge at the Riders, spitting acid. Then an idea came to his mind. "Wait. If they don't have anything to camouflage against…"

"Then they'll lose their advantage!" Fishlegs finished. Immediately, all the Riders commanded their dragons to fly higher, away from the trees. The Changewings followed, but with nothing to blend into, they were completely visible. With no defense, they were quickly taken care of: spines from Stormfly's tail, plasma blasts from Toothless, fire power from Hookfang and Barf and Belch, and Hati even managed to nick one of them with her wings.

"Whoo-hoo!" Ruffnut cried. "That was awesome!"

"Was no one listening about what I said about the Changewing debacle?"

WWW

The next night, Hiccup searched for a certain tell-tale scorch mark. Finding the swirl-shaped burn, he told everyone all he could recall about the Typhoomerang. Mani listened with rapt attention. Astrid was somewhat worried about this. It was too similar to the time Heather wanted to know more about their dragons, flirting with all the guys to get information and finally stealing their Book of Dragons. The difference was, Mani hadn't tried flirting with her or Ruffnut… yet. Astrid imagined the archer's face would be a great place for her axe if that happened.

"And if you look at the mark," Fishlegs was explaining, "you can tell which way it came from and which way it was headed."

Snotlout stood up. "I know which way it's headed without all that stuff," he said. Mani looked up with narrowed eyes, more confusion than annoyance. The shorter warrior's words were not said with the impatient scoff that usually accompanied him.

Astrid, however, thought nothing of it. "Oh, really?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Where's it going?"

Snotlout shook his head. "It's not, it's coming." He pointed behind the group. "Right at us!"

Everyone quickly stood up to face the giant dragon.

"Oh, Hlin, watch us…" Mani whispered. Astrid glanced over at the prayer to the goddess of protection. She supposed it made sense: Typhoomerangs were almost twice as large as Timberjacks.

"Anything else we needed to learn?" Hiccup asked as he backed towards Toothless.

"Nope!" cried Tuffnut, as Ruffnut insisted, "We're good!" And they scurried toward their own dragon.

Luckily they all escaped without harm, but shortly after they took to the skies, Tuffnut called out, "Hey, Hiccup? I thought you said there was no way your dad would join Dragon Flight Club?"

"There isn't. He's not."

"Oh, weird. 'Cause he's right there." He pointed below them, where Stoick was riding Thornado close to the water.

"What the? Aw, Helheim," Hiccup muttered. "Quick! Evasive cloud maneuvers!" Without another sound, everyone flew into the fluffy sky-dwellers. "We'll stay here until we're over the village!" He glanced about the group, making sure no one was making stupid mistakes. "What are you guys doing?" He groaned at the twins, who had flipped their Zippleback upside-down so that their heads were peeking underneath.

"We can't see in the clouds," Tuffnut defended.

Ruffnut added, "It's too cloudy."

"Guys! If your heads aren't in the clouds, my dad can see you!"

Mani chuckled. "Tell ya what, guys, I'll lead him away while the rest of ya get home!"

"What, Mani, no! He might kill you!" Hiccup protested.

But the smirking blonde sent him a wink before turning sharply to the left, towards the woods, occasionally flying out of the clouds to entice their hunter.

Stoick caught sight of the vanishing tail, and immediately pursued. Mani kept him close by, before urging Hati closer to the trees. The dragon understood her Rider's wishes, and dove into the forest, using her razor-sharp wings to fall the pines and impede the chief's flight.

Mani let out a giggle as soon as it seemed Stoick was lost.

WWW

The next sundown, everyone gathered at the academy again. After they all ensured Mani that they all had indeed arrived at their homes safely and thanked the archer for the needed distraction, Ruffnut asked, "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Nothing," Hiccup firmly replied.

"That doesn't sound fun at all," Tuffnut complained.

"Look, my dad is onto us," Hiccup explained. "Mani may have led him away from us last night, but I'm still sure that he saw more than one dragon. It's important that we lay low until this blows over. We need to be invisible."

"Like a Changewing!" Mani piped up, clearly pleased to show off the newly acquired knowledge.

"Exactly," Hiccup said, before a loud voice interrupted him.

"Hey! Hey guys!" Snotlout screamed as Hookfang dove into the academy, whole body ablaze, very eye-catching in the quickly darkening sky.

Hiccup threaded his fingers in his hair at the sight. "Snotlout! What did I tell you? No dragons!"

Tuffnut laughed. "Even I knew that."

Hiccup sighed. "What's so important anyway?"

Snotlout scowled a bit before assuming a nonchalant expression. "Let's just say I may have saved this entire island. Alvin and the Outcasts are attacking as we speak." He casually inspected his nails before glancing to gauge the others' reactions.

Astrid looked to Hiccup. "So, what do we do?" she prompted.

But it was Mani who spoke. "I'd have thought that'd be obvious. Send the bastard back to where he came from."

Astrid sent a warning glare at the archer. "How? We don't exactly have an armada, you know!"

Mani stared back incredulously. "You have bloody dragons! I think Stoick will allow you to use them in defense!"

Astrid turned back to their leader. "Hiccup?"

"No, Mani's right," Hiccup agreed. "We need to go to my dad and tell him what Snotlout saw, and fight them off."

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs asked. "He's gonna know that we broke the ban."

"Yeah, well, he did it, too, so..." Hiccup argued. "Let's go."

Less than an hour and an argument later, the whole academy, plus Thornado and Hati, were flying out to sea toward Alvin the Treacherous and his naval army.

"I'm going to draw their first round of fire," he told the group of teens. "When they're reloading, then you attack. But not before!" he warned. "Mani, lad! See if you can use those arrows of yours in the dark as well as you can in the day."

"You got it, sir!"

The burly chief flew down to the ships, and Alvin commanded the catapults to fire. Thornado easily dodged the oncoming boulders, and sent a deafening sonic roar their way. The sound shook some arrows from their path, turning back on their shooters. A few men jumped overboard in fright, and Alvin sent another boulder Stoick's way. The chief of Berk caught the rock and hurled it back to them.

"Now, Hiccup!" he roared.

On cue, all the other dragon riders flew into the fray. The dragons breathed their fire down, and Stormfly and Mani sent their favored projectiles. As if this was a signal, Alvin had his crew open their cargo hold, and let loose the clan of Changewings they had held.

Hiccup quickly strategized. "Astrid!" he called. "You and the others try to herd them off to Changewing Island. Keep them away from Berk! Mani and I will stay to help my dad."

Astrid looked like she wanted to disagree for a second, but simply said, "On it!" and flew off to carry out her orders. Mani nodded to Hiccup in understanding, and continued to shower the enemy in arrows.

"Hati, spit up!" the archer commanded.

The Timberjack released a fiery oil, whipping her head up, and sending the drops skyward. Mani stood on the saddle, took aim with three arrows at once, and fired them at the ships. Upon touching the fire secretion, the wooden weapons immediately were ablaze and once they landed on the decks, the whole ship quickly erupted in flames. Hati dove down, agilely avoiding the hurtling rocks as Mani held on for dear life, and slashed at the sails of a few other ships. Hiccup almost let out a celebratory whoop at the duo's tactics, but instead opted to copy them.

"Alvin! The wild dragons are retreating!"

Hiccup chanced a glance behind him. The other Riders were doing just fine on their part. Now to just run off the Outcasts.

"Dad!" he called. "Combine our shots!"

Thornado sent the armada his sonic waves, and Toothless hit the middle of that cyclone. The plasma blast dispersed all around, like a Typhoomerang.

Soon, Hiccup heard Alvin call for a retreat. They shifted sails and turned the vessels around, much less than what they had arrived with. Hiccup released that celebratory whoop.

As the three of them flew back to Berk, Hiccup glanced over at Mani. "What's up?" he asked, noticing the frown.

"Of all the dragons you say the man had on that island of his, he chose Changewings?" Mani pointed out. "A dragon with little defense besides the camouflage ability, which it can't do against the sky?"

Hiccup nodded, completely understanding. "Yeah, I thought for sure that he'd have a better plan than this…"

"Let's be thankful to the gods that he didn't," Stoick called.

Hiccup nodded to Mani, who saluted the two of them before flying back towards the woods. He only hoped that his dad was right.