All that day and then the next, I felt torn. I was going to be acting against my own tribe. That was high treason.
But then, every time I looked Toothless in the eyes, I knew that I had to do something to save the dragons.
Besides, that huge monster lived in the dragons' nest. It would kill any people who tried to fight it.
So I was doing the right thing. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, undeniably, irrevocably, I was doing the right thing.
I hoped.
After catching a couple hours of sleep in the afternoon, I started off toward Outcast Island. It was a dark, dismal place, which was more a fort than a town.
Swooping low on Toothless, I landed right in front of Alvin. "What's the plan?" I asked.
"Attack their war ships in the harbor," he said. "If they can't sail, they can't find the nest, now can they?" His eyes glinted as he spoke. "I need you to provide a… distraction, see? You've got yer dragons."
"Just promise me that you won't hurt anyone," I said, staring him in the eyes.
"Me? Now what kind of monster do you think I am?" Alvin asked a little too innocently.
"My goal is to save the dragons. Your goal is to cripple Berk's warships, so you can defeat them in a fair battle," I told him. "A fair battle, not a low-handed attack."
"Do you not trust me, boy?"
I looked at him in exasperation.
"Fair enough. But remember, you've got the Night Fury. I'll work with the lad with the Night Fury."
We boarded several ships, headed toward Berk. I stayed on Toothless the whole time. Alvin wasn't known as "the Treacherous" for no reason. The other dragons formed a defensive circle around us.
In a few hours, we arrived at the harbor. It was raining in a light drizzle. We dropped anchor while we were hidden behind some sea stacks. In the torchlight on shore, I could see the night watchman patrolling the mostly sleeping town. Down at the docks, however, some fishermen were preparing their boats for the early morning's trip. I had to divert their attention.
I leaned forward. "Come on, Bud," I whispered into Toothless's ear. He slowly spread his wings wide, then shot out of the boat. Staying low to the water, we rapidly approached the docks. We stayed level; the docks now almost upon us…
I shifted the stirrup back. We rocketed up into the air, flying straight up, silently. Because Toothless was the stealthiest of all dragons, they would never see us unless we wanted them to.
The other dragons, however, were not so stealthy. That was what I had been counting on.
They roared as they swept upward, breathing flames as they rose. The Monstrous Nightmare set itself on fire.
Looking down, I saw the fishermen scramble back off their boat. They shouted as they ran up the zig-zagging boardwalks leading up to the village. Within a minute, vikings ran out of their houses, weapons in hand.
I dove lower, toward the ground. Nearly invisible against the dark, rainy night, Toothless and I circled the village, sliding between the trees at the edge of the forest.
The other dragons continued to follow. Behind us, I could hear the vikings of Berk pursuing. I led them around in a wild chase for several minutes. Then, we rose high into the air, hovering about fifty feet above the ground over the center of the village.
"What are they doing?" I heard Stoick shouting from the ground below. "Why are they gathered up there like that?"
"I've never seen anything like it," Gobber replied.
I viewed the scene below. The villagers were gathered, looking up in confusion. Snotlout ran from the direction of the docks.
"Outcast ship!" he shouted.
"It was a diversion!" cried Stoick. "The dragons must have been trained…" His voice faltered for a second. "To the harbor!"
Flying higher, we went above the clouds. We flew in the safety of the cover they provided. Only once I was sure we were beyond the range of the catapults did I dare set down on a sea stack. I watched as the Outcasts fled, their work done. Many of the battleships were set aflame. The villagers gave up on the Outcasts, turning their efforts on putting out the fires. Many of the ships were damaged badly. It would take weeks to repair the damage.
Satisfied, but uneasy, I flew down to the retreating Outcast ship.
"You did good, boy," Alvin said as I landed. "Look at them!"
"When's our next strike?" I asked.
"Be back on Outcast Island in two days. We'll attack then."