21 Minor Reunion
Kara studied the map rolled out before her and marked off another hundred square miles of ocean. As the sun rose higher overhead in the late morning, her hopes of an early breakthrough in the search had completely faded away.
"Take your team an hour due south and search this area next" she ordered Ack "hopefully you'll have more luck there."
"Okay, but maybe we should see if Hiccup has any news first."
Kara followed the direction of Ack's gaze and saw the Night Fury swooping down from on high. Hiccup dropped onto his feet... well... foot, as soon as the dragon touched down and hurried over to talk to the gathered Vikings.
"Any news from the searchers?" was the first thing Hiccup asked.
"Nothing positive yet" Kara answered "we started searching at first light and you can see the areas we've covered so far here on the map. I've been concentrating the main body of Dragon Riders due south and towards the southeast but I'm not sure if we should move westerly from here or just keep pushing further south."
"I informed Sigfus and the others in Bolthorn Castle what Little Freya told us about the island, and he said that would fit in with the new journey Dad planed. Sigrid talked Joric into going along so they didn't head for Lookout Island as we thought, but instead sailed due west from Bolthorn towards two small islands about three days away."
"I wonder why Sigrid wanted to go too?" Kara noted "I thought she'd given up long sea voyages after her first trip to Elydonia."
"It may have had something to do with the fact that she's having a baby next spring" Hiccup informed them all.
Receiving such good news while planning a search and rescue, meant it was truly a time of mixed emotions for the Dragon Riders. Some wanted to cheer, but felt they had to wait until the mother-to-be and her shipmates were all safely home again.
"So chances are they were anchored at one of those two islands you mentioned, and that's what Freya would have seen" Ack noted as he broke the silence "But I don't see any islands on our map."
"No but Sigfus showed me where they are on his charts and it looks like we will have no trouble getting to them by mid afternoon." Hiccup pointed to the general area of ocean on his map where the islands were reported to be.
"Do the people at Bolthorn Castle know who might have carried out the attack?" Starkard asked.
"It is possible that it was other Vikings from the wild north; Prince Godfred says that they have raided Elydonia in the past. But it is most likely to be the forces of the New Loren Empire; apparently Emperor Scias likes to think that he has sovereign right over the entire ocean."
Kara noticed that the Dragon Master was looking very wobbly on his feet as he informed them all of his news and she began to suspect that he had not yet stopped to rest at all since leaving Berk.
"You promised me that you would get some sleep while you were in Elydonia" she accused "what happened?"
"Wait... no... I said that Toothless would be able sleep through the night, but I had things to do... meetings, getting information and stuff like that; I got some rest though."
"You obviously haven't had anywhere near enough sleep; Astrid warned me about you."
"What... when?"
"Alright then... she didn't so much 'warn' me, but she did tell me that you do tend to push yourself too much during a crisis."
"When did she say that?" Hiccup seemed a little offended.
"Oh... sometimes we get together with Ruffnut and Big Freya and... well... you know... chat."
"And exactly what else did she tell you about me during these little... chats?"
"Err... you don't want to know" Kara smiled sheepishly.
"I do!" Ack piped up eagerly as his team smiled and nodded in agreement.
"WILL YOU JUST GET TO WORK" Hiccup stamped his good foot causing Ack and his group to scatter "what is it with Vikings and gossip?"
"Are you kidding me?" Kara grinned "Ever since you and Astrid announced your engagement, your relationship has been the number one subject on Berk. You have to remember Hiccup, that we no longer think of nothing more than killing dragons these days; now we obsess on Hiccup the Dragon Master and Astrid the Queen of stunt flying, not to mention her tracking contests with Stormfly. The general consensus is that you and she will be responsible for producing the first of a new generation of Elite Dragon Riders, born to the saddle to master the skies."
"You're all nuts" Hiccup declared.
"Hey... we're Vikings... and besides, we need to have something to look forward to as we sit and talk in the Great Hall throughout the long, boring winter nights; we even have a major betting pool going."
"What on Berk are you betting on now... or don't I want to know?"
"Oh anything and everything" Kara laughed.
"Such as?" Hiccup eyed her suspiciously.
"Date of the wedding, birth of first child, boy or girl... that sort of thing."
"You're definitely all nuts" Hiccup repeated.
"So you've said; now I strongly suggest that you catch some sleep while we all break camp and make for those islands."
"No time" Hiccup protested "we have to recommence the search as soon as we..."
But he never had the chance to finish giving orders. In a mild form of Viking mutiny, Kara tapped Hiccup lightly on the head with her shield before throwing him over her shoulder.
"Alright... so... it was more than a suggestion; SOMEONE BRING ME A ZIPPLEBACK" Kara cried out.
"Welcome to your new home" one of the Imperial Soldiers smirked as Stoick and the other prisoners were marched off the ship.
The Viking Chief had been very impressed with the harbour facilities at Bolthorn Castle in Elydonia when he had first seen them, but the Naval Shipyard in the country of New Loren surpassed anything he ever could have imagined. There must have been more than two thousand men on the docks; a few hundred of them were guarding the prisoners as they were taken ashore, while the rest were busily unloading ships. The harbour spread out for at least a mile on either side and there were so many vessels at the moorings that some ships had to wait offshore at anchor until room was made for them to come ashore and unload. Some of the cargo was being loaded onto wagons and being sent off into inland, but most of what was being unloaded consisted of wood, rope and forged metal products for the busy shipyards adjacent to the docks. As Stoick marched at the front of the line of prisoners, he marvelled at the number and size of the ships being built. He smiled at the thought of how he had been taken in a surprise night attack by twelve of these ships, but thanks to just three of his dragons, eight of the attacking vessels now lay on the bottom of the sea. Hiccup and half of Berk were still out there somewhere, so this Emperor did not know how much trouble he was really in.
As if to accentuate Stoicks thought, Ghost chose that moment to follow the prisoners on their forced march; he lifted off the mizzen yard causing the ships company to look around nervously as the moored ship rocked back and forth for no apparent reason.
"What was that?" asked a horseman who waited on the dock.
The sailors he addressed just shivered and shrugged.
"This has been one of the weirdest voyages we've ever been on" one of them remarked "I don't know how many dragons these people have, but it didn't take many to sink most of our ships."
"And even though we outnumbered their warriors by about ten to one, if we hadn't caught them by surprise, we would not have been able to take them at all" another noted.
"But the sentry on their big ship still managed to raise the alarm" the third added "and she was only a young girl who fought like a tiger."
"A tiger with an axe" the first remarked.
"STOP THAT GOSSIPING AND GET BACK TO YOUR WORK" Captain Pratt declared as he marched down the gangway and approached the horseman "Take this letter to the capital and see that it gets to His Imperial Majesty with all speed."
"Y-yes sir" he saluted before carrying out his orders.
"YOU THERE" the junior officer pointed at Fotherington "I don't recognise you; what are you up to over there?"
Fotherington jumped out of the lifeboat and on to the deck of the Mighty Ivar looking quite dashing in the uniform of an Imperial Sailor.
"Able Seaman Caruthers at you service Sir" Fotherington saluted "my ship went down in the battle Sir."
"So many new men these days" the officer sighed "ever since the Emperor ordered an increase in the size of the Imperial Fleet, I haven't been able to keep up. You didn't answered my question Caruthers; what were you doing up in the boat."
"Well... since we've got so many wild beasts on board, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure that all the boats were ready to launch... just in case Sir; it doesn't take much effort for a few dragons to sink a ship."
"Don't be stupid man; we've got them all locked up safe and sound."
Yes Sir... but I overheard the prisoners talking Sir... and they were saying that it was only a matter of time before the dragons got sick and tired of being locked up and started to break out. Hopefully we'll make port before that happens, but just in case..."
"DON'T BE STUPID MAN" the officer barked "you can't believe anything those barbarians say; the dragons aren't going anywhe..."
In a case of perfect timing, Hookfang chose that very moment to give off a mighty roar of frustration and hit the floor of his pen with his tail causing the whole ship to vibrate; this set off the other dragons and they all started growling.
"Check that there is a good supply of water in each boat and make sure that all bung plugs are firmly secured."
"Yes Sir" Fotherington saluted "right away Sir."
"Hi Hiccup" a blurry face greeted the Dragon Master as he slowly regained consciousness.
"Hey Victor" Hiccup replied as he rolled over and almost nodded off to sleep again.
"VICTOR?" Hiccup sat bolt upright and quickly looked around while trying to work out where on earth he was.
Toothless was curled up beside him and in the distance, he could see a large group of Vikings gathered in a circle. Dragons and riders were coming and going from the southeast and sitting nearby with Victor, were Stormfly and Little Freya. As the reality of the whole scene slowly sank in, Hiccup decided that the time was ripe for a small tantrum.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" he shouted causing the Vikings to stop their meeting and turn towards him.
"Ah... Hiccup; glad to see you're awake at last" Olaf declared "we've got lots to tell you."
"KARA... YOU'VE GOT SOME 'SPLAINING TO DO!" declared Hiccup in an uncharacteristically Cuban accent.
"Oh don't blame Kara" Mulch dismissed "you defiantly needed to rest if you were going to lead us on the rescue mission to New Loren."
Hiccup suddenly realised who he was talking to and decided that 'tantrum time' was now over, and it was now 'catch up and explanation time'.
"Mulch... Olaf... how did you get here... and just as importantly, WHERE IS HERE?"
"This is one of the islands you told us about; your information about them was spot on." Kara informed him "The attack on our ships took place in the bay, just a few hundred yards offshore; the water isn't deep there so you can still see the main mast of the Noble Pigg as well as the wrecks of some of the New Loren fleet. The Sharktooth is in bad shape and beached on the shore fifty yards away."
"The attackers took the Mighty Ivar with nearly all of the dragons still on board in their pens and left with only four of their own ships still intact" Olaf took up the story "but they were all damaged."
"We've got prisoners" Mulch grinned as Hiccup tried to take everything in "Hak is commanding the Elydonian guard detail in a small cave in the hill behind us; he made it ashore with a few others after the Pigg sank.
"So it was the Emperors forces" Hiccup fumed "So where have you been concentrating the search?"
"That's the best bit" Ack grinned "Olaf was able to give us the heading the attackers took... and we found them."
"WHAT!?" Hiccup jumped "AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME THAT FIRST?"
The story behind the dolphin rescue.
Back in my diving days, a report came on the local TV news that two very small Common Dolphins had been washed ashore on a suburban beach during a bout of rough weather. They were taken to the local sea life rescue centre to be cared for while they recovered, but their chances were slim. The dolphins were so small and their condition so poor, that each one had to be held up at the surface of the water by hand to prevent them from drowning.
For almost two weeks, teams of Vets, biologists and volunteers took turns standing in the chest deep cold water to hold a baby dolphin for an hour or two. This went on 24 hours a day until they were at last strong enough to swim around the rescue pool unaided, and a few months later, they were released back into the sea healthy and strong.
So what did I do? Not much; I just stood in the water holding one of the dolphins for just over an hour on a Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of volunteers did the same, but the true heroes were the ones who did multiple shifts day after day as the weeks went by. They were amazing... that water was freezing.