Did I forget I had an in-progress? Maybe.

"Where are we going?"

Hiccup's voice felt hoarse, resonating deeper as if he hadn't used it for days. He didn't know how long he'd been out but he couldn't bother to ask. His eyes were fixed on Viggo's form standing by in the shadows of the lower deck. Hiccup felt exposed with the sunlight piercing the deck overhead, shining down on his little cell. However, he couldn't complain about the warm beams softly kissing the skin of his face. It was the only comfort he could afford right now.

"You'll find out soon enough," returned Viggo, his voice like it had always been – like gravel. "And so will your fellow Riders."

The mention of his friends stirred Hiccup from his sleepiness. He furrowed his brows. "They won't come for me," he stated steadily. "They'll know it's a trap."

Viggo didn't reply right away. He stood there, his silhouette dark. Hiccup couldn't tell if he was considering or whether he was mocking him.

"They'll come for you," he said, simply. Hiccup didn't like the assurance of his tone. "They always do..."

Hiccup stared patiently, creasing his brows.

"See..." continued Viggo, pushing himself off from where he was leaning, taking his time to leave the shadows. "That's the thing with loyalty. There is nothing they wouldn't do for those they trust and love. It's a strength when playing part in a team like yours... but it's also a great weakness."

"So I'm leverage, that it?" guessed Hiccup, cocking an eyebrow. He scoffed humourlessly. "You are so predictable…"

Viggo chuckled, edging closer with every word. "A classic, I admit," he said, his gaze drifting around the structure of the lower decks like he was noticing new patterns. "It's a simple trick, but quite effective." His eyes landed on him, the whisper of a smirk on his lips. "You can keep comforting yourself with lies but you know deep down, in the end, I win." Hiccup held his gaze, glowering. "All because your friends care about you. Respect is earned, honesty is appreciated, trust is gained, and loyalty is always returned."

…

The light from the campfire was as bright as a flaming Monstrous Nightmare in the dead of night. The flames danced to the rhythm of the crickets cheering in the background. Astrid stared into the heat, her mind whirling like a waterspout in the spring season. She and the Dragon Riders had fled the Dragon Hunter base hours ago, fleeing a worse scenario. In the process, they had to abandon their leader, leaving him at the mercy of their enemy. They had flown to the nearest island, one uninhabited by Vikings. They'd set camp upon their arrival, taking in the remaining hours of darkness to rest before proceeding on what to do next.

Hiccup had been captured. Astrid couldn't bring herself to rest. Dawn was just around the corner, but Astrid didn't bother to sit by the fire. She stood, pacing, thinking, wondering. She was restless with worry, replaying the previous events non-stop. Her fingernails were short from nibbling on them.

"Astrid," came Heather's soft voice as the Berserker approached. Astrid knew what she would say, and she wouldn't hear it. "I know what you're thinking."

"Am I making it that obvious?" said Astrid, not even bothering to turn around to face her. She stared off into the indigo horizon, countless scenarios invading her mind.

"'Obvious' is an understatement," said Heather, placing her hand on her shoulder plate. She sighed. "Astrid—"

"I can't," she said, cutting her off before hearing her words, turning around to face her, the fierce look setting her eyes ablaze. "We have to go back for him. We don't know what state he's in. If he's alone - if the Hunters captured him, -if he's—"

"We will." Heather's tone was firm. "But right now we can't go anywhere until the dragons and ourselves are well-rested. Diving head-on into another battle won't even the odds even if we're angry and desperate. We need to be able to think straight – strategically. Not irrationally. We can't help Hiccup as long as we don't know anything. We'll go on a recon tomorrow and see what we can find. Does that sound like a plan so far?"

Astrid waited a moment like she had any other choice than agree. She sighed, letting her tense shoulders drop in defeat. She nodded slowly, swallowing thickly. She met her friend's gaze tentatively. Heather smiled and left her to be. Astrid watched her return to her blanket by her dragon, the soft grumble and the snoring of the Riders a light choir in the background Astrid couldn't find the heart to sway to. All she could think of aside from Hiccup's whereabouts was his grip losing and him falling... always leading back to wondering what had come of him by now while they rested soundly, waiting.

...

The flight back to the Hunters' outpost was unnerving without words to describe it. Astrid could hardly tolerate the anticipation. What would they find? The intrusive thoughts were trying to take over her mind, but Astrid shrugged them away, narrowing her eyes on the isle ahead, as if her fierceness would scare the fear away; as if her defiance would keep her demons at bay.

The sky was as blue as a sapphire, the richness in the colour hypnotizing. The island serving as the Hunters' outpost came into view quickly enough, the warm and happy sunlight shining down on it like any other day. It was hard to believe they'd been fleeing for safety hours ago. Astrid braced herself, inhaling and exhaling deeply, her eyes hooked on the target like a predator locking its focus on its next meal. She needn't shout her instructions to her teammates. She gave a command with a rapid gesture of her hand and dove lower to the water's surface, the waves beneath the dragons' wings nothing but a blue blur. The base was built on the remote section of the rock-ribbed island, offering plenty of forests too askew to build or even scour, perfect for the Riders to take cover in.

The atmosphere felt different when Astrid dismounted Stormfly. The rhythmic chant of birds and the steady hum of a nearby river gave her surroundings a strange sense of peace. But she more than anyone knew it was nothing but an illusion. She exchanged a knowing glance with Heather, words useless. Her other teammates had kept quiet on her directive, the recent events too fresh in mind to be foolhardy.

"Alright," said Astrid, turning to her friends, keeping her voice down despite the blanket of noise covering their presence.

She couldn't know if there might be a patrol by the cliff towering above them or a hunt for sport happening nearby. Despite the enemy's straight protocols, Astrid had seen undisciplined soldiers do as they pleased more than a few times, often tilting plans that were meant to be stealthy. Those almost never worked.

She glanced at the Berserker. "Heather and I are going to go back on the scenes and see what we can find. If we're lucky, he's still in the area and didn't get caught by the Hunters."

"You really think he could've gotten away?" said Fishlegs, sheepish. Astrid shared his uncertainty. She had to admit, the odds of that weren't looking good. But they had to keep an open mind to the various possibilities.

"Hold on a second," interrupted Snotlout, acting completely outraged. "Where are we in this plan?" He gestured to Hookfang who snarled, a puff of smoke rising from the Nightmare's wide nostrils.

"You guys are on the lookout," instructed Astrid, her tone leaving no option for debate. "We can't go marching so close to the base all six of us, we'll draw too much attention too fast. I need you here to have our backs while we're on foot." Stormfly squawked, disliking the idea of letting her rider wander so close to the enemy without her firepower and spikes to protect her should anything happen.

"And you think two pretty girls walking around won't draw as much attention?" said Snotlout, folding his arms, flirty energy to him.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Save your breath, Snotlout."

"I'm just saying, maybe it would be wiser if you had a man to protect you," he said all too confidently. Astrid wanted to punch him unconscious and throw him off a cliff.

"Don't worry, Snotlout," she replied instead, batting her eyelashes. A sweet smile danced on her lips that had him blink in utter confusion. "We have these." She lifted her fists, a wicked edge to her tone.

"And these," added Heather, swinging her axe, its sharpness audible.

"Would you like us to demonstrate?" asked Astrid, her knuckles white. She had a mission. And that was to rescue Hiccup, not banter while her leader needed their help.

Snotlout took a step back, chuckling nervously. "You guys seem to have it under control..." he said, letting his shoulder drop like a child being told he can't hang out with the grownups. "I guess I'll stay here with Fishface and twinidiots..." He rolled his eyes and turned around.

Astrid nodded to the rest of her team and took off with Heather in toe.

The moment when everything turned to disaster started playing in her head on repeat again. The dead of night, trying to escape. The slip. And then nothing. The intrusive thoughts of a broken body came in waves, clutching at her stomach. It made her feel like her organs were getting twisted by a hook while her heart dropped into the pit. She hated feeling like this – powerless. Dread overtook her, plunging her into a never-ending fall of horrors. She had to slap herself out of it or scream for it to stop when it came.

They hadn't landed too far off where everything had happened. And when they reached the edge of the woods that gave way to a clearing at the foot of a cliff, they stopped. This was a crime scene, and they were the investigators. They stood still, scanning for signs of Hunter activity. But the clearing was abandoned, the undisturbed happy tweeting of birds indicating there were no threats in the area. Of course, the first thing they noticed was Hiccup's absence. They made slow progress, looking around for clues. They didn't know anything since last night and now they had to find leads to tell them what their next move should be. The midday sun shone down on them, glinting off buzzing insects and dust particles hovering in the air. Peaceful shadows tainted the ground, the dry summer heat hanging around them.

Heather's wild green eyes picked up something from the ground while Astrid gazed up at the steep slope, calculating last night's events. What could be the result of that fall? Astrid had thought Hiccup had met the flat ground, but the hill could've changed things. The disturbance in the dry soil leading down to them had her mind recalculate what could've gone down.

"Astrid," called Heather, her voice in a whisper. The shieldmaiden snapped out of her thoughts, her heart lifting. She rushed over, a few steps away from where the slope ended. Heather crouched over her find, rubbing her thumb over the pads of her fingers. She felt the texture and analyzed the colour before giving it a quick sniff. "Blood."

That was no news. But it confirmed this is where Hiccup had been.

Astrid let her gaze trail on the ground around that spot. Crimson drops stained the dry dirt. "I see more over here," she said, following the trail.

She stopped suddenly, narrowing her eyes at the ground. The dryness of the ground made it almost invisible, but there was no mistaking the large boot-print of a left foot.

Astrid straightened her back, sighing. "They took him."