Chapter Eight
"That's the island? It's smaller than I imagined." Talen asked, staring at the heavily wooded, unique looking speck of land. Shaped like a large C, it had a large mountain in the center of it. A waterfall could be seen rushing off a cliff side, down into the natural cove the island had formed. It was actually a pretty sight in the moonlight.
"That's the island. From what Fishlegs told me, it's got a cove large enough to hide the White Wake from any prying eyes. Perfect while we wait until we get a target." Gunjar explained. "It's supposed to have food and water, so we can stay here as long as we need. At least, until we find Viggo and his brother. I'll send a scouting party to scour the island tonight before we let any men go ashore. I don't expect the Riders to meet us here until at least tomorrow, maybe even tomorrow evening. Even then, it might only be Hiccup. They said they'd try to find Viggo's location before coming back."
"Is Mikael going to be part of the scouting group?"
Gunjar let out a frustrated sigh. "Aye, as he's only good for one thing. Wielding a sword and being bait."
"He's always been decent with a sword in hand, I'll admit." Talen groaned, shaking his head at the thought of his son. "He had a lot of potential. He could have been worthy to lead the Marauders."
"But he squandered it. He depended too much on his 'birthright', not his own actions." Gunjar quickly growled. It was clear that Mikael wasn't leaving a good impression on the captain.
Letting out a sigh, Talen then began to issue orders. "Get the scouts ready then. Send someone to get Teeth for me, and Astrid as well. They'll be accompanying the scouting group."
Looking at his chief with confusion, Gunjar hesitantly asked. "Can I ask why you're sending them scouting? Isn't Astrid supposed to be a prisoner?"
"They'll listen to Teeth. If they find any kind of dragon, she'll be able to stop them from killing or capturing it. We're still in a pact with the Riders, and I intend to honor it. Astrid, though technically our prisoner, is more like a resident and has to be with Teeth at all times. Besides, I have a feeling she'll be the best protection for Teeth if they're attacked by a dragon."
Gunjar nodded in understanding as he turned to walk away.
"Oh, and send Grange to my quarters. I need to have a word with him." Talen called out, still staring at the island.
"Of course, Chief Talen."
"Eerrgghhh…" Teeth groaned, flopping onto a stool. Observing her helmet, she shook her head as she gazed at it.
The black metal was scathed up with fresh scratches and dents. Even the bone plating looked as if something had dug into it and carved it up.
"Man…" Astrid groaned, staring blankly at the ceiling. Lying in her hammock, one of her shoulder guards was dented in, and her shirt had rips and tears in it. She looked like she had indeed gotten out of a fight with the Hunters . "I can't remember the last time I fought someone that hit as hard as you. Let alone someone as tough as you."
"Yeah, same here. I actually felt your hits through my armor. Been awhile since that's happened." Teeth groaned, setting her helmet on the workbench. Letting out an exhausted moan, she stood up, walked to the wall, and slid down against it so that she was sitting on the floor. "What're we at? Six to seven? Me being seven?"
"I don't count the last fight." Astrid replied with a forced smile. "We were so tired, your men had to help both of us walk back in here."
Teeth also smiled at the memory. They had both passed out on the deck of the Hunter's ship, surrounded by other Marauders who were cheering on the practice fight. Hah, practice fight. At one point, they had to be separated because they were so into it, that they didn't realize they were grappling each other. Resting her head against the wall, she closed her eyes and looked up. "Fine. Six to six. We're not done though."
"I'd be disappointed if you said you had enough." Astrid painfully laughed, wincing as she felt her body's soreness continue to plague her. "You'll have to spar with Heather when she gets back. She's just as good as me. I think she's the last one that made me sweat."
"Urgh, great. If all the Riders fight like you, I think I understand why Viggo hasn't ended your small group yet."
"Among other reasons…" Astrid whispered, shutting her eyes and trying to let sleep overcome her.
Then, barely loud enough for both to hear, someone knocked on the door.
"Door's open." Teeth called out, with a groan. She knew it was going to involve her doing something.
The door opened to reveal Gunjar. Seeing the two exhausted, bruised, and beaten girls, he laughed out loud. "Sorry to bother you, but you're being sent with the scouting party. The boat leaves in a few minutes."
"Ugh, why am I being sent with them?" Teeth groaned in detest as she rolled to her knees.
"I'll chain myself, don't worry about me." Astrid called out, smirking at Teeth as she reached for her helmet.
Gunjar then turned to Astrid. "You misheard me. Both of you are going."
"What? Why?" They both asked in unison.
"Teeth is your guard. You can't be separated from her. Besides, you two are going to ensure that the scouts don't kill a dragon."
Sighing, Astrid rolled out of her hammock, her body almost crying out in agony as it was forced to move. Slowly, she grabbed her axe and lazily slung it over her shoulder.
"Well, lead the way." Teeth growled, snatching her spear with frustrated energy.
Gunjar turned to walk out, leading the two to where the scout party was meeting.
"I guess it's a reason to let me walk on solid ground. You as well. You've had to been stuck on this ship for a few months now." Astrid whispered.
"Great. Lucky us." Teeth huffed, making sure her helmet was latched on. "We get to go scout out an island in the middle of the night, sore from sparring all day; instead of sleeping and recovering. Can you guess which I'd rather be doing?"
"The same as me." Astrid groaned, rolling her shoulders to work out the soreness.
As the two walked towards the bow of the ship, they could see Talen, Grange, and a group of five men gathering together. Toothless was also nearby, watching them curiously.
"Teeth." Talen greeted, seeing her narrowed eyes through her helmet.
"Let's just get this over with." She huffed, knowing it would be pointless to argue with him.
"Why are we going at night?!" A voice demanded, making even Astrid cringe in anger. It was Mikael.
Talen sighed, shaking his head as he refused to answer his son's question. Grange, who was also annoyed at the question, turned to Mikael. "So we have cover. We don't know what's on that island. If we can sneak around, we'll be able to see what we need to, without worrying about being attacked or killed. If you weren't missing half your brain, you'd have known that!"
Mikael glared at Grange, knowing he couldn't really back talk him. Not since his 'demotion'.
Astrid observed the few scouts, with the exception of Mikael. Most had short swords or daggers, as well as some of the smallest looking bows she's ever seen. They had only a handful of arrows, strapped to their legs rather than sitting in a quiver. All of them had their faces painted with a mixture of black, brown, and green. She could tell they were experienced in their skill of scouting and recon.
"The primary objective is to find a sure path to get fresh water." Gunjar began to announce. Looking at the lead scout, named Eric, he added. "Find the source of the waterfall, mark a path, and get back to report. Additionally, don't kill or attack any dragons. It shouldn't be too hard for you, Eric."
"Easy missions are the ones that always go awry." He whispered, nodding in acknowledgement. "We'll try to keep the greenie alive, but it depends on his usefulness." It was clear, with the way he was dressed that he was the lead scout. Having a hood, on him, the only notable features of him were his brown eyes, and short goatee.
"I'm right here!" Mikael growled angrily. His face was also painted, though it was smeared heavily in spots, and then not enough on others.
"…I know. I wanted you to hear." Eric snapped. "My priorities are to protect Teeth, find a source of water, and get back alive."
"You don't need to protect me." Teeth called out. "I'm only coming to ensure we don't kill a dragon. And if we find one, we'll pacify it long enough for you to find water."
"Keeping her alive is my job anyways." Grange replied, standing next to Teeth.
Eric nodded in approval. "It'll be best if we split up then. I'll take Mikael with me, since he'll be more useful as a mule than a scout. At least until I'm through with him."
"Hey!"
Ignoring him, he turned to the rest of his men. "Whoever finds the source, make a signal fire. We'll all converge there and wait until sun break to mark a path."
Teeth nodded, turning to Astrid. "Ready, Rider?"
Spinning the axe in her hand, she nodded. "Ready." Turning to Eric, she asked. "Got any more of that face paint?"
Eric nodded. "In the boat. Put it on while we row to shore."
Talen turned to Teeth. "Good luck. Though I know you won't need it."
"That again? You know I make my own luck." She replied, frowning behind her chainmail veil. "I still don't know why we're going with Eric and his men, they do better without a group. But whatever you demand; come on, let's load up."
As everyone shuffled to the side of the White Wake, Astrid finally saw the boat. It was a lot bigger than she thought, and an idea quickly came to her. "Toothless! Come on, bud!"
Every one watched with wide eyes as Toothless ran to her, smiling that she had called him. Some of the scouts rested their hands on their dagger's hilts, ready to use them.
"He's a Night Fury. He's invisible in the dark." Astrid excused, seeing Eric glare at her. "Besides, if we run into a dragon, he might be able to stop it from attacking us."
"I thought you didn't want to hurt dragons?" Teeth quizzed.
"I don't. But sometimes we don't have a choice. They still attack us from time to time. Changewings have never been peaceful towards us, so we try to avoid them. Though a fight is sometimes inevitable."
"So long as he doesn't make much noise. Or kill us himself." Eric whispered, letting his men climb down a net to the boat below.
As soon as everyone piled in, being a little cramped with Toothless, they finally began to row to the shore.
"…put your back into it, Mikael..." Grange hissed, stroking with his oar. "I'm barely trying and I'm already overpowering you!"
"Shut up!" Mikael shouted, only to be batted in the head by Eric.
"…whispers only, whelp…"
"Don't hit me again!"
Eric then drove his fist across Mikael's mouth, knocking him over. Grabbing his oar, he then began to stroke in sync with Grange. "…Odin help me…the dragon behaves better than the whelp…"
Toothless softly growled, knowing he was being talked about.
Astrid was busy covering her face with some kind of mixture that one of the scouts gave her. It felt like mud, though it had more of a putty feel to it. Teeth never bothered, given that her helmet had black trim and had a black veil. There was nothing showing that made her even look human, save her eyes.
Turning to Grange, she whispered. "What did you mean back at the White Wake. When you said: 'That's my job anyways'? Why are you even coming with us?"
Grange flashed his usual, casual smile, like an older brother teasing their younger sibling. "Your dad made me your personal body guard. At least, until you decide to promote me to something else."
Teeth's face flushed red, though no one saw it behind her helmet. "What?! I don't-"
Eric quickly glared at Teeth with a look that could kill, putting his finger to his lips.
Swallowing her anger, she hissed as loud as she dared. "…I don't need protection!"
"…clearly he thinks you do..." He replied quietly. Continuing to silently row, he focused on what lay ahead. "…after you getting hit when we took over that Hunter ship, he's concerned for you…"
"…Rrrgghh…" She growled, shaking her head to help vent the anger building inside. Looking over at Astrid, she watched her stroke Toothless as she eyed the island. "Think he'll be able to see any dragons?" She asked quietly.
"He could, though not as well without being himself."
"Care to explain why he can't be himself?" Grange whispered, raising an eyebrow at the answer.
"Unless you want everything here to know where we're at, it's best if he doesn't." She replied quietly. "He…has an ability to show where things are hidden. It's just loud and pretty obvious of where it came from."
"...then make sure he doesn't use it…" Eric growled, setting the oar down in the boat. "…we'll scout it out the way we're supposed to…"
Grange did the same, as they approached the shore. Two of the scouts then leaped out into the shallow water and pulled the boat up the shore.
As quiet as they could, the group eventually huddled together on the beach.
"…good…" Eric whispered, drawing his bow and notching and arrow. Scanning his surroundings, he quietly began to issue simple instructions. "…silence and stillness…use them. Be patient, not rushed. Now go find a water source and light a signal fire…don't kill any dragons you see…Talen and Teeth will have your head…"
"…but defend yourselves…" Teeth quietly added. "…pact or not, don't lie down and let it kill you…" Looking at Astrid, she quietly added. "…they would understand if your life is in danger…"
Astrid stared at Teeth, realizing she was asking her to back up the notion that they could fight a dragon if jumped by one. Letting out a sigh, she nodded in agreement.
"...good enough for me…now move!" Eric hissed, gesturing for the group to split.
The three extra scouts then silently left up, disappearing into the thick foliage in different directions.
"…Eric…" Teeth whispered, crouching near him. "…I know we'll just be in your way. What do you need us to do?"
"…you're not going to be an issue, Teeth. Unlike your brother here…"
Mikael glared at Eric, and then at Teeth. If looks could kill, they'd both be nothing but skeletons.
Pointing in a direction, Eric continued to whisper "…take your party and try to find any kind of dragon tracks. If you follow them, we'll get an idea of where they're at, where they sleep, and possibly where they go to water. That'd speed up the process of finding a clean source of water..." Batting Mikael again, he then whispered. "…we'll be nearby. I'm going to take this moment to train this whelp how to track, and I want to see how he compares to you…"
"…You'll be disappointed…" Teeth growled, ignoring Mikael's icy stare a second time. Turning to Astrid, Grange, and Toothless, she whispered. "On me."
Astrid crouched as she followed Teeth, who was doing the same. Grange walked alongside Toothless, being leery of his 'companion'.
Eric and Mikael slipped into the trees nearby, disappearing from their view.
"Do you guys usually make a big deal when scouting a new island?" Astrid whispered, seeing they were alone.
Teeth ignored her, focusing on what was ahead and trying to make things out in the dark.
Grange lightly nudged Astrid, getting her attention. "It's standard now. One time a few years back, we landed at a jungle island to resupply. Are you familiar with Snaptrappers?"
"I know of them, never saw one though."
"Turns out the island was home some of those dragons. A perfect environment for them to blend into. By the time we realized what inhabited the island, it was too late. They were hidden in the jungle so well, that we had most of our men on the island, resting, relaxing, completely unprepared."
Astrid swallowed, realizing how the story was going to end.
"A group of six of them tore us apart. That's twenty-four heads biting and snapping at us. The men that weren't killed by their traps barely had time to get their weapons. Even then, we lost just as many." Looking at Teeth, who remained silent, he quietly added. "It was the first time I lost one of my friends. Shook me up a bit."
"I'm…sorry."
Grange shrugged. "We signed up for it. We know that the chances are against us when it comes to us returning home. But that's why we take scouting so seriously. Er, at least Eric and his men do."
"You guys are loud." Teeth growled, turning to glare at them. "I'm guessing you haven't been looking for tracks, have you? If you're not taking it seriously, go back to the boat and wait. Otherwise, shut up and keep your eyes peeled."
Astrid flushed red, though the face paint covered it. "…not necessary…"
"…then come on!" She hissed, returning her attention to what lay ahead.
The two slowly followed her, with Toothless trailing behind them. Astrid slowly scanned the ground while trailing behind. There wasn't really anything out of the ordinary, even Toothless wasn't acting like there was anything wrong.
The group continued to trek through the trees, carefully choosing their path so they could reduce their noise as much as they could. Toothless proved to be just as stealthy on the ground as he was in the air, carefully stepping over small bushes and rocks, essentially having silent footsteps. Breaking through some trees, they found themselves standing in a clearing. The moon shining down made it easier to see, draping everything with a silver hue.
"…hold…" Teeth whispered, holding her hand up in a fist to signal to stop.
Both Astrid and Grange crouched in the grass, eyeing the tree line.
Teeth knelt down, staring at the ground. "…I've…never seen tracks like these before. Grange, Astrid, come here."
Both of them creeped closer to her, trying to see what she was looking at.
Lightly rubbing her fingers over the track, she pointed out it's features. "Almost like a...a large bird. Two large talons up front, one in the back." Looking ahead, she saw more of them. "Long strides, as if it was running. And…there's quite a few of them."
Astrid stared at the track, wracking her mind to recall what it was. "It's familiar. I know this kind of dragon." She whispered, also lightly stroking the track as if to magically help her recall it.
Suddenly, Toothless began to growl, turning to the trees behind them. Baring his teeth, his eyes narrowed in an anger that Teeth nor Grange had seen in a dragon before.
"He's onto something…" Astrid whispered, staring at the black forest.
The three instantly brandished their weapons, knowing that whatever followed them, it was coming for them.
"How well can Toothless fight?" Teeth asked, stepping next to Astrid.
"He took on a Nightmare by himself. And a Triple Stryke. Hiccup said he fought a Razorwhip too when trapped in a fighting pit." She began to say, keeping her defense up. "Just to name a few…"
"He has the fury part in his name, doesn't he?" Grange commented, listening to the list of dragons.
"Enough! I can hear it coming!" Teeth shouted, readying to thrust her spear forward.
Hearing trees crash and bushes being pushed aside, they were taken off guard to see Mikael and Eric sprinting through!
"Gah! Oh. Help us!" Mikael shouted in a panic. "There's dozens of them! Tiny dragons, faster than arrows!"
"Shut up, whelp!" Eric shouted, shoving Mikael ahead of him. Turning to Teeth, he quickly began to report in a short tone as he usually did. "A pack of dragons are coming this way. No more than a dozen of them. On two legs and don't fly. They work together like a team. They're like wolves, but are dragons from what I saw."
"Speed Stingers!" Astrid cried out, recognizing the description. Guessing they didn't know anything about them, she quickly began to tell them what to do. "Get into the center of this clearing! Cover each other's backs! Don't let their tails touch you! It'll paralyze you!"
Teeth instantly responded. Grabbing Mikael by his shirt, she pushed him to the center. "You heard her! Get in position!"
The group instantly sprinted to the center of the clearing, with Eric pulling back his bow and taking aim at the tree line. Toothless moved himself next to Astrid, swinging his tail around her as if to protect her. As they were doing so, roaring started to sound from the trees, telling everyone that they were being surrounded by the pack.
"Astrid, we will kill these things once they get into the open." Teeth warned, glancing over at her. "It's us or them."
Swallowing, Astrid nodded. "Only those that come straight for us. But I understand."
"I'll try not to kill them all." Teeth growled, hearing the bushes start to get pushed away. Then she saw them. Smaller dragons slowly emerged from the trees, snarling at the group. Colored green and red, they had a long tail with what looked like a hooked barb.
"Odin…prepare a welcoming ceremony in the Halls of Valhalla for us…" Grange prayed out, seeing more come out of the trees behind them. In total, it was about what Eric said, a dozen.
"They seem to be awake! Why weren't they sleeping when we ran into them?!" Mikael cried out, staring at one with wide eyes. He had grabbed his bow that was given to him, fumbling to get an arrow nocked.
"They're nocturnal. They're usually more active during the night!" Astrid answered, watching her corners wearily. "They have an alpha! A leader! He's usually bigger! If we beat him, they'll disband!"
"There! I see him!" Grange shouted, pointing with his mace. "Holy Helheim…he's a big sucker! He's taller than me!"
Sure enough, walking out of the trees, was a monster looking Speed Stinger. Having a larger fin on his head, as well as along his back, he was also unique in regards to his coloration. It was green, like the others, except it had almost a neon purple glow highlighting its markings.
Snarling, the pack of dragons circled the group, snapping at the air and making fake swipes with their tails.
"What are they doing? They could finish us with one charge!" Eric growled, taking aim at the Alpha. "I can finish it right now…"
"Wait! They're waiting! The alpha is still debating on attacking us!" Astrid hissed, not taking her eyes off of it.
Pacing back and forth, the massive Speed Stinger eyed the stranger's wearily.
Toothless then braced himself, and then let out a challenging roar, as if warning the pack of dragons.
The alpha let out a long growl, staring at Toothless with an angry expression. Looking at the ones closest to it, it then roared loudly.
"Yagh!" Mikael yelped, letting loose the arrow, sending it straight into the chest of the alpha.
"No!" Astrid cried, watching it stumble back.
"What did you do?!" Teeth screamed, grabbing and ripping the bow out of his hands.
Growling in shock, the alpha then let out an angry cry. Almost instantly, the pack charged the group.
"Push 'em back! Watch the tails!" Teeth roared, shoving her spear forward to thwart one of the Stingers.
Toothless let out a death-defying roar, firing a plasma blast. The dark sky lit up with a flash of purple, followed by an explosion. Roaring, he forced four of the Stingers back, raising his wings and making himself more threatening.
Astrid also swung her axe at a Stinger charging her. The nimble dragon instantly ducked to the right, altering its course. Running full speed, it simply blew past Eric, who was firing his few arrows.
As he was taking aim at a certain Stinger, he felt something graze his leg. Then the horrifying feeling began to instantly set in. He couldn't move!
"Rrggh!" He tried to shout, feeling himself fall over.
"No! Cover Eric!" Teeth shouted, swinging her spear with extra force. She felt the spear tip dig into the Stinger she was facing. Not even bothering to see if it dropped, she instantly planted herself over Eric. No sooner had she done so, she felt something smack her armored leg. Without seeing, she twirled her spear around in her hand and thrust it behind her. She was rewarded with feeling it enter something. Finally turning to see, she quickly jerked her spear back. She ran a Stinger through the neck, which it instantly collapsed.
"Teeth! Behind you!" Grange shouted, blocking a tail with his shield.
Before she could even react, she watched as her vision instantly go dark. Hot air breathed past her, filled with a foul odor. Apart from feeling the moist, foul air; something clamped over her chest and back, as if gripping her entire body. Unsure of what was going on, she felt herself get picked up and violently thrown off her feet. Tumbling end over end, she gripped her spear as if her life depended on it. Finally rolling to a stop, she looked up to see that the alpha had bitten down over her, and had thrown her away from the protective circle.
Snarling, the alpha looked like it wasn't going to slow down with the arrow still imbedded in its chest. Letting out a vengeful, screech, it went down for the kill, biting her arm and jerking on it with wild strength; trying to tear it off of her.
"Aggh!" She shouted, feeling the strength pull at her armor. Slowly, she could feel tiny daggers sink into her skin, telling her that the dragon was piercing her armor! Letting go of her spear, she swung her fist into the Stinger's head.
Stunned, the alpha backed off, growling in pain. Glaring at Teeth, he then instantly leaped backwards.
Rolling onto her knees, she glared at two other Stingers, who simultaneously struck her in the chest with their tails. The bone plate stopped them from entering her skin, though she could see a yellow liquid drip off her armor.
Bracing herself for another attack from the two, she was suddenly pushed forward, face down in the dirt. Confused, disoriented, and pumped with adrenaline, she turned to stare up into nothing. The stars and moon were gone! All she could see was blackness! Then it slowly hit her. Toothless was standing over her, roaring at the top of his lungs.
Looking from under him, she watched the alpha back off. The rest of the pack also began to fall back, disappearing in the woods.
Letting out a breath of relief, she awkwardly pulled herself out from under the Night Fury.
"Teeth!" Grange shouted, running up to her. Pulling her out from under Toothless, and onto her feet, he quickly inspected her. "Are you hurt? Did it draw blood?"
"I'm fine, Grange. A little shook up, that's it." She huffed, pulling off her helmet. Relishing in the cool air, she turned to see Toothless looking at her with inquisitive eyes. She never saw him do that before. She always saw him with a curious, even goofy expression; but this…this was sincere. As if he was asking himself if she was okay.
Shaking her head, she could only whisper. "Uh…thanks…boy. I owe you one."
Toothless growled in acknowledgement, turning to jog up to Astrid, who was busy trying to help Eric. Mikael was busy running his sword through the already dead Speed Stingers, totaling to four of them.
Walking up to Astrid, she hesitantly asked. "Is he going to be okay?"
Nodding, she looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "He's gonna be embarrassed, but that's it. The paralysis should wear off in a couple of hours. The latest being morning."
"Thank the gods…" She whispered, grateful for the good news. Turning to Grange and Mikael, she then began to issue orders. "Take Eric back to the White Wake. Astrid, Toothless, and I will camp at the beach, light a signal fire, and regroup with the other scouts. There's no way we'll find a water source tonight. Not with dragons that are nocturnal."
"They won't be back. Not tonight at least." Astrid chimed in, leaning against her axe to rest. "They'll think twice before attacking us again. In fact, I'll be surprised if they stay on this island. They might migrate to another."
Teeth nodded in agreement. "Go ahead and get out of here. We'll get that small camp at the beach set up."
"For once, I agree with you." Mikael growled, sheathing his bloodied sword. "You stay here with those things to die, and we'll go back to the White Wake!"
Teeth's eyes narrowed. "If only me dying were so easy. I'm going to have Eric give me a full report on you when he's able. From what I've seen and heard, you're not doing too well in regards to staying with us. That fight could have been avoided. Had you not shot their alpha with an arrow!"
Mikael scowled at her, only to be interrupted by Grange.
"Your dad is going to kill me when he learns I left you here, so I'll be back after I drop off the Eric and the whelp."
"Fair enough. It might be good to get the boat back here anyways. In case we need to go." Teeth agreed.
"Come on, whelp. Help me out." Grange grunted as he knelt down to pick up Eric.
At that, the group slowly made their way back to the beach, grateful the fight ended the way it did.
"Astrid? Astrid!"
Groaning, she slowly cracked open her eyes. Being blinded by a bright light, she instantly shut them again.
Hearing someone scoff, she reluctantly tried again. Her body was screaming at her, begging for five more minutes of rest. With the only extra energy she could muster, she propped herself up on her elbows.
"Hey! You're finally getting up!"
"Grange?" She grunted, finally sitting up. Shaking her head, she again slowly opened her eyes. The figure kneeling next to her was blurry and unrecognizable. Just as her vision began to clear, she heard a squawk and was instantly tackled back down.
"Stormfly! Let her wake up on her own!"
"Stormfly?"
Now a lot more awake, she looked up to see her dragon standing over her, smiling excitedly at her.
"Finally!" Hiccup laughed, taking a seat next to where she lay.
"When did you guys get in?!" She cried out, grabbing Stormfly's head and hugging her.
"Maybe an hour ago. I got all the stuff I needed, and flew right back the same night." He replied with a smile. "Stormfly is a lot faster than I remembered."
"She is, aren't you, girl?" She laughed, excited to see her dragon and Hiccup again.
"So…what happened last night? Why are you out here? And what happened to your face?" He asked, looking around her camp.
Also observing her surroundings, she saw Grange still sleeping next to the boat, having a large cloth cover his eyes. Two of the three scouts were also nearby, though they were tending a small fire and cooking some fish. However, Teeth and Toothless were nowhere to be seen.
"We were scouting out the island." She began to explain, groaning as the excitement of seeing her friends began to die down. Wincing due to being sore, she forced a laugh. "It was an adventure. We were attacked by a pack of Speed Stingers."
"What? Really?!" He cried out, making sure she was alright.
"Yeah. Toothless was a big reason why we're fine." She continued to explain. Gesturing to the scouts nearby, she added. "They gave me some kind of face paint, which is why my face is…well, like this."
Smiling, Hiccup turned to see Grange reluctantly sit up.
"Teeth is right. You don't know how to be quiet." He huffed, glaring at the two. "Is it just you, Astrid? Or is it a Rider thing?"
"Speaking of Teeth, where is she?" Hiccup asked while looking around the beach they had made camp at.
"She went with the third scout." One of the scouts answered, not taking his eyes off the fire. "Left before daybreak. Went to find a water source. That Night Fury of yours followed them."
"I'm going to kill her for not grabbing me." Grange grunted, slowly rolling to his feet.
"Of course Toothless left." Hiccup grunted, looking down at a bag full of his gear. "Got all I need to fix his tail and he disappears."
"Don't you worry, we're done. We found a water source to resupply at and marked up a path to it."
Everyone turned to see Teeth and the scout walk out of the trees, with Toothless sprinting to Hiccup.
"Hey bud- Woooff!" He coughed out, getting slammed in the stomach and tackled to the ground.
"Teeth, why didn't you grab me?" Grange asked angrily, walking up to her.
Pulling off her helmet, she simply frowned at him. "Because we learned last night that we had too many people for a scouting party. Two is all we needed. Besides, I can more than just handle myself."
"Your armor says otherwise." He huffed, pushing her slightly. "Besides, you took the dragon with you. You could have taken me!"
Looking over herself, she observed her armor in the daylight. He was right. There were new holes and long marks all over the bone plated armor, all from the teeth of the Speed Stinger that had picked her up and thrown her. Her right arm bone gauntlet had massive holes gauged in them, when the alpha tried to rip it off. Honestly, she would have lost her arm had she not had the armor to begin with. Shaking her head, she looked back at him. "Toothless followed us. Even after we tried to send him away. That's the only reason why he was with us. That, and he's stealthier than you or Astrid."
"Doesn't change the fact that I should have been there with you. Your armor can't be the only guard you have."
"It can, and will. Which is why I wear it all the time." She countered. Looking at Astrid, she then asked. "How was your rest? Feel refreshed and ready to take on the world?"
"Ugh, I still feel like I got out of fight…" She groaned, slowly standing on her feet. Smiling, she then stroked Stormfly's neck, making her almost purr. "Ah well, not the first time I felt like this."
Teeth watched Stormfly rub against her rider, acting as if everything in the world was right. Letting a small smile grow, she turned to Hiccup, who was already busy stripping the remains of his old tail off.
"So…you got your new tail?"
"I do! Right here!" He replied loudly, holding it out to show her. She and Grange moved closer, inspecting it. "Why color it blue? Why not black like his scales?" She asked, looking at it curiously.
"He likes the different colors." He laughed, kneeling down to strap it on. "The last one was red!"
"I see…" She replied, watching him strap it to Toothless. Noticing his foot, she let out a tiny gasp. It was indeed different. In fact, it wasn't anything she'd seen before; or envisioned. The 'foot' did look like a latch, and had a spring in it.
"There." He laughed, making sure the tail was on tight. Turning, he began to rub Toothless' head excitedly. "Ready boy? Been awhile since we've been in the sky!"
Toothless roared excitedly, running in a circle around the camp, as if flashing his new tail to everyone.
Stormfly squawked excitedly too, chasing after him and starting a game of tag.
"I'll be damned and sent to Helheim, seeing dragons act like kids is almost mesmerizing." Grange commented, smiling as he watched the two dragons play with each other. "Had we not been attacked last night, I'd start to forget what they can do."
Astrid smiled, watching Stormfly have fun. Then an idea came to her head. "Hey, Teeth." She called out with a mischievous grin. "I know I can't fly. Since I can't leave you…"
"Yeah…what about it?" She replied, not liking the tone she was hearing.
"How about…you come with me for a ride. You'd get to see the world from my perspective, and I can take you back to the White Wake without needing to ride in the boat!"
"No. I'm not-mpph!"
"She'd love to!" Grange laughed, stepping behind her and clamping his hand over her mouth.
"Gmh mmph!" She tried to shout, trying to elbow Grange.
"Come on, Teeth! It's a chance to ride a dragon!" He urged. "People only dream of flying!"
Pulling her head away from his mouth, she shouted at him. "And give them a chance to kidnap me?! Grange! I can't make them go where I want them too!"
"We did make a pact." Hiccup replied with a smile.
Astrid laughed as she called for her dragon. "Stormfly! Come on girl!"
Stormfly instantly ran to Astrid, smiling widely.
"Help her sit on you, okay?" She instructed, ignoring Teeth's angry glare.
Squawking happily, she crouched down low next to her.
Grange, struggling to do so, dragged Teeth over to Stormfly. Astrid helped by grabbing her legs and slinging them over the saddle.
"Let me go! I'm going to kill you two!" She shouted, trying to kick her way free.
The scouts simply stood there watching with raised eyebrows, knowing that Grange wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize Teeth's life; that, and they knew the Riders were trustworthy, given what Astrid did for Eric last night.
"Alright, girl! Go!" Astrid laughed, leaping in front of Teeth.
"Gah, no!" Teeth shouted in a panic as Stormfly launched into the air. Reaching out, she tried to find anything solid to hold onto, being Astrid's waist.
"Hey, good!" She laughed, feeling herself get squeezed. "You'll want to hold on tight! Stormfly has a ritual she does whenever she lets someone new ride her!"
"No! Put me down!" Teeth roared angrily, looking down below with wide eyes. "I-I-I…"
"Come on, girl!" Astrid laughed, pulling up on her saddle to go higher.
"Astriiiiiiiid!" She screamed, hugging her tight.
Stormfly launched higher into the air, slowly rolling over upside down.
Teeth lost her breath as she was forced to look down. As big as the White Wake was, it looked like a regular warship from how high they were! "Oh…gods…" She moaned, shutting her eyes and hugging herself against Astrid.
Stormfly let out a cheerful squawk as she began to dive down. Spiraling down, she pulled up just feet above the water, letting her tail slice through the water and create a spray behind them.
Teeth slowly opened her eyes, almost hesitating against the idea. Looking around, she could hear the ocean below and the water spraying up behind them. Turning around, she watched Hiccup roll Toothless right next to her.
"Hey, Teeth!" He laughed, seeing her hug Astrid with a death grip. "How are you liking it so far?"
"I'm going to kill you and Astrid! That's all I can think of right now!" She shouted, turning to glare at Astrid with a look that would sink ships.
"Might want to wait until we land." She teased, banking Stormfly around the White Wake. "Just enjoy the moment!"
Knowing she was stuck until they landed, she looked over at her ship. Men were all gathering around, watching the two dragons fly around them. Some were shouting, others were waving. Looking down, she couldn't help but reflect on the few recent events with dragons she's had. Apart from being attacked by Speed Stingers, being the first time she's ever seen them, Toothless had risked himself to protect her. He even followed her during her trek to find a water source. And then Stormfly. Though they hadn't had any occasions with each other, she could tell the dragon was kind and caring. Almost too much for her liking, but couldn't use the trait to fault her. Then the fact that she was flying on her. It was an incredible feeling, as much as she hated to admit it, mainly because she was taken against her will.
Slowly, she let go of Astrid and reached down and stroked the Nadder's side.
Turning her head, she smiled at Teeth, grateful for the affection. Letting out a joyful squawk, she then banked right and then left again, happy to have made a new friend.
Gasping at the sudden movement, Teeth gripped Astrid's waist a second time.
"Hey, you got a friend for life now." Astrid commented, having watched what Teeth did.
"Yeah, the one that helped kidnap me and is keeping me from returning to my ship is my friend." She quickly huffed, trying to sound annoyed.
"Kind of like what I'm going through with you guys." Astrid replied.
Rolling her eyes, she watched as Stormfly slowly made her way to the bow of the ship. Toothless surged ahead, letting out a happy roar as he flew above the crowd.
"Come on, better let you down before you decide to jump!" Astrid teased, letting Stormfly land on the bow.
Seeing her land, Teeth instantly slid off. Stumbling backwards, she was surprised to see Stormfly rub up against her.
Seeing her men watch her, she sheepishly patted her spike. "Uh…good girl? Thanks?" She tried complimenting.
"Didn't think I'd ever see you on the back of a dragon, Teeth. At least, without trying to kill it."
Turning around, she saw both Gunjar and Talen walk towards her and Stormfly. Astrid then slid off the saddle, spending some extra time petting and rubbing Stormfly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much say." She growled, glaring at Astrid. "I was dragged on."
"Sorry, not sorry?" She laughed.
Hiccup then landed next to Stormfly, with him leaping off his saddle. "Chief Talen." He greeted. "Toothless and I are ready to actually help fight."
"I can see that!" Talen laughed. "While you were away, did you happen to learn where Viggo is?"
Shaking his head, he quickly explained. "No, not yet. Heather and Fishlegs are checking some of her old contacts when she was rogue, and I sent the twins and Snotlout to find Trader Johann. They'll be here tonight or tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll know more then."
"Fair enough." Talen replied.
Teeth, though, was still fuming about the whole experience. Shaking her head, she turned to two Marauders that were standing close by. "Take and lock Astrid in her bed. I'm not going to let her get away with messing with me."
Astrid shrugged at the punishment. "Eh, I guess that's what I get for kidnapping you."
Hiccup, glancing between Teeth and Astrid, then said. "I think I'll keep her company."
"Why do I care? You're free." Teeth growled. "Do whatever you like."
Smiling, he and Astrid walked with her 'guards' to the forge room, knowing that was her own way of saying she really didn't mind the…eventful memory. Both Toothless and Stormfly followed them closely, curious as to where they were going.
Walking up to Teeth, Talen then asked. "You're not going to keep her locked in your room, are you?"
Teeth shook her head vigorously. "Of course not. She's proven to be a fighter. She helped us fight a pack of dragons that tried to ambush us. It'd be stupid of us to keep her from fighting Viggo and his men. Honestly, I sent her there because I think she'd enjoy being forced to rest in her bed. We've had a long day yesterday, and then a longer night. It's a punishment I wish I could suffer."
Talen smiled at her wisdom. Turning to two other Marauders, he then said. "Take Teeth to her room and lock her in it."
"Oh, you're funny!" She shouted, feeling the two men grab her by her arms. "Let me go! I can walk there myself!"
"No, keep on dragging her. I'm worried she'll become insubordinate." Talen continued to tease.
"Oh, thanks a lot!" She roared, getting pulled ahead. "Laugh it up, old man! I'll make sure I'll have fun with you when I become chief!"
Both Talen and Gunjar laughed as she was taken away, shouting obscenities at the two dragging her along.
"I'll make sure to get a full report from Grange when he arrives." Gunjar replied, turning to look at his chief and friend. "Then I'll start allowing the men to go ashore. I'll have them resupply our water while they're at it."
"Good. And keep someone posted by the forge. When Astrid and Teeth are rested, I want to be informed. I need to talk to them and Hiccup."
"Sure thing, Chief." Gunjar replied, turning to walk away.
Smiling, Talen then turned to watch Teeth disappear from view, though her angry words could still be heard. He couldn't help but think of how similar she was to him. "Good thing too." He whispered to himself. "There would be no one better to lead the Marauders…than someone like me."
Hope you're enjoying the story! It's still been a fun one to write. I understand that it's a long and slow start up, but events do happen. I promise. I'm trying to regularly update it, so it's more of a story and not a tv series. Hope all is well with ya'll!