Eyla and Storm stayed on the island, but far away from the village. Eyla didn`t know if she could go home, but she didn`t want to risk it. She didn`t know what they would do to her, if they would do anything at all. Maybe her parents would only ground her, so she couldn`t leave the house. But she was afraid of what would happen to Storm. So she stayed with him. They spent most of the days near the cliffs where they used to meet Hiccup and Toothless. The nights they spent up on the cliff pillar where she first met her dragon, Hiccup and Toothless. It was the only place she knew for sure they would be safe. If the villagers would find the dragon again, they wouldn`t let him go this time. This time they would kill him.
Eyla thought about all the things that had happened, if she could have done something differently. Maybe she shouldn`t have befriended the dragon. Maybe she shouldn`t have stopped Gunnar from shooting him down. But that would mean she would have lost him. Maybe she should have just followed Hiccup to Berk and stay there and go back when some time had passed. Maybe she should have told her parents about the dragon sooner, but she dismissed the thought rather quickly. Maybe her mother would have acted somewhat calm, or something like that, since she agreed to not tell Eyla`s father about the dragon when she found out, but her father was a completely dfferent story. He would have called for a hunt and wouldn`t stop until the dragon was dead.
She didn`t want to lose her family, but she just couldn`t lose Storm. It would destroy her.
Hiccup had had two busy days and hadn`t been able to go back to Eyla and Storm. He didn`t like it. He promised to be back soon, and he worried about them. What if the villagers decided to hunt down the dragon? Would they care about Eyla, or would they hurt her in the process?
Astrid knew Hiccup was worried, and she understood, she would have been just as worried if it was her dragon that was in danger. She did her best to make Hiccup think about something else whenever he had a few moments over.
When Hiccup went to bed on the second day, he decided that he and Toothless would go to Eyla the next day, no matter if he had the time or not. He promised to come back and help her, he had to keep that promise.
So when the sun was still low in the sky the next morning, he and Toothless left the Haddock house to fly to Eyla and Storm. Since they left so early they would arrive at the island around noon.
He enjoyed the flight. Both him and Toothless needed a fun flight. It was not until several hours later that they both got more serious and started to worry again. When they came to the island, they saw Storm and Eyla on the cliff pillar. They saw them coming and both Hiccup and Toothless were glad to see that they were alright.
"I`m sorry it took so long for me to come back", Hiccup said. "I`ve been really busy."
"It´s okay", Eyla said.
"That`s good. I´m glad you are both okay."
They got up on their dragons and flew to cliffs where Hiccup and Eyla sat down to talk. Hiccup asked how they had been and Eyla said that they had stayed away from the village and spent the nights up on that cliff pillar.
"It`s the only place I know for sure is safe", Eyla said.
They sat there talking about the dragons, when suddenly the earth was shaking and they heard a loud noise, like something hit the ground. Eyla and Hiccup looked at each other.
"What in the world was that?" Eyla asked.
Hiccup helped her up on her feet and they both walked over to the edge.
On the left, at some distance, was the biggest dragon Eyla had ever seen in her entire life. It was even taller than the cliffs. It was gigantic. Her heart was racing and she looked at Hiccup.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
The enormous dragon took another step on the small beach and opened its mouth and took some small animals. But that wasn`t enough by far. That was just a snack. Eyla gasped when it shot out its tongue to catch some rabbits.
"It kind of looks like a Red Death," Hiccup said. "But they don`t hunt their own food, they get fed", Hiccup said. "The queen of the nest. So I would say a, very, big seadragon."
"What does that mean?" Eyla asked with fear in her voice as they stepped away from the edge.
"That means that you are all in danger. And I mean everyone. We need other dragons to fight this thing."
They walked over to their dragons.
"How? I don`t know how to make them change their minds. They don`t listen to me. My father doesn`t even listen to me."
"Then I will talk to him", Hiccup said. "Chief to chief."
"You´re the chief?" Eyla stopped in surprise.
"What? I`m too skinny, too crippled, too young?"
"Too young? Eyla tried. She looked at him. Why didn`t you tell me you´re the chief?
"It just didn`t come up", Hiccup said and shrugged. "My father died about a year ago, and I became chief. Listen. You call to a meeting and try to talk to your people. And if they don`t listen to you, I will talk to them. And I will make them listen."
They left Toothless and Storm in the woods and walked to the village. Hiccup let Eyla go alone to call everyone to a meeting in the Great Hall, but he stayed close. She would need him sooner or later.
"So why are we here?" Longlegs asked.
"Where are the dragons?" someone asked.
"Where have you been?"Sigrid asked.
"Tell us why we are here", Brand demanded. "And where have you been?"
"I have been with my dragon", Eyla said. "And no, neither he or the other dragon will attack the village", she said to quiet the voices that started talking at the same time. "We have bigger problems than that."
"Can you just get to the point?" Ben asked.
"We need dragons to…", Eyla began.
But after that no one listened to her anymore. Everyone talked at the same time. Eyla didn`t know how to tell them about the dragon the size of a mountain. And now no one listened to her so she didn`t get a chance to explain. But then Hiccup came walking from the big doors.
"You should listen to her", Hiccup said. "There is a big threat to all of you, and I hate to break it to you, but you need dragons."
"And who do you think you are? Coming here and tell us what to do?" Brand was angry at the stranger.
"I am the chief of Berk", Hiccup said.
People started talking at the same time again. "You are the chief?", "The tiniest chief I`ve ever seen?" "Is this a joke?" People laughed.
"Let the boy speak" Sigrid said and stood up. "He deserves to be listened to."
"Thank you, Milady", Hiccup said and stopped at the table. "What she was going to say, and this is very important, so listen carefully, is that there is a big threat to you and you need dragons to fight it. "He held up his hand, demanding everyone to be quiet when they started to object."We saw a very big seadragon, the size of a mountain to be exact, at the north coast."
"I don`t remember hearing about a seadragon that size here", Brand said, narrowing his eyes.
"It`s probably been sleeping for hundreds of years", HIccup said. "And now it`s hungry."
"And what does that mean exactly?" Gunnar asked.
"That you and this whole island are in danger. The dragon is not a queen which means that the raids here will not increase, but, it does mean that everyone of you can, and will, be food to this dragon."
The seriousness of what he said started to sink in. The men looked at each other. Even Ben and Tork looked uncomfortable. People talked with a low voice until they went silent when Brand spoke.
"So what do you suggest we do?
"You need other dragons to fight this dragon. Like it or not, it`s your only chance. I want Eyla to come with me to Berk so she can learn more about training dragons. And then, in a couple of days, she will be back with me and our dragon riders and we will help you fight the dragon. We`ve done it once before, and we can do it again." Hiccup said.
"And what if I don`t believe you?" Brand asked.
"Are you really that stubborn, and stupid, that you want to risk all the lives of this tribe?" Hiccup asked and looked at Brand.
Brand looked at him, measuring him and silently questioning him. Then he alowly nodded.
"Deal".
An hour later, Eyla was on her way to Berk with Hiccup and Toothless. In other corcumstances she would have been happy to go with them to Berk and see how they lived and trained dragons. Now she was just scared for her people and afraid of what the dragon with that tongue was really capable of. It was probably that dragon who started the fire that Hiccup and Toothless saved her from. And that dragon could kill her entire tribe.
Hiccup looked at Eyla sometimes during the flight to Berk. He let her be with her thoughts and fears but kept an eye on her. He remembered the fight with Red Death very well, that was show he lost his leg. But they won, and they could do it again. A small part of him was worried, but the couldn`t just sit back and watch another dragon like that destroy a tribe.