Chapter 5: The Night and the Fury
Otherwise known as the comeback episode of a certain maniacal chief.
There are many kinds of reunions. Most are unexpected. Some of those are pleasant. And a few of those...yeah, not so pleasant at all.
Early that morning, before even most of the other members of Team Go-Getters were up and about, there was some activity going on with Snivels and the Night Furies.
The sight of four black, oval-shaped eggs that had just been laid by Ebony the night before was truly one to behold. Snivels could have sworn he felt his eyes tearing up a little as he felt the smooth outer shells of the eggs. The proud parents watched the Servine calmly, knowing that he had almost as much intention to protect their eggs as much as they did. Brandyn was standing not too far away with an egg that was a similar shape as Toothless and Ebony's, but was a blinding white instead of a midnight black.
"Are you sure they'll take the egg in?" Snivels asked, somewhat nervous.
Toothless padded forward and sniffed the egg Brandyn was cradling in his arms. It certainly didn't smell like a Night Fury's egg, but there was still something familiar about it.
"I'm positive," Brandyn said, nonchalantly. "This egg was found by a Resistance scout just yesterday, its parents got sick and didn't make it. They're a species of dragons closely related to Night Furies."
"Well, when you put it that way," Snivels said, "It does sound like a good idea. Someone's gotta take care of it, and I've already got my hands full with several dragonets. Not that I'm complaining, because I really enjoy taking care of them."
Brandyn smiled. "And who better to raise this little one than expectant parents of a species they're closely related to?" He held the egg out to Toothless, who took it in his mouth (after retracting his teeth first) and brought it over to the ones Ebony had laid. The tired female watched as her mate gently set the white egg amongst their black ones.
"I can't wait for them all to hatch," Snivels remarked. "I wonder if they'll let us help them come up with names."
Ebony found the strength to stand up and pad over to the makeshift nest where the eggs were resting. Deciding that the white one wasn't close enough to the others, she nudged it further into the nest with her nose. Then she and Toothless collectively curled around the eggs, looking down at them with pride still evident in their eyes. They could see it now, their dragonets would be spoiled rotten.
A few days later, Snivels, Amber, Crackers and Adhesive were petting and playing with five newborn dragonets. Four of them were black like normal Night Furies, but the fifth one was all white with striking blue eyes.
The sound of joyful laughter brought Hiccup's attention to the group. "What are you guys doing?"
"Playing with Toothless and Ebony's dragonets," was Snivels's matter-of-fact reply. He was holding one of said dragonets in his arms, specifically one of the girls.
"And we helped name them," Adhesive added, a dragonet in each arm.
Amber held up the white one she had been holding. "This one's Alba, because she looks like an albino."
"This one is Obsidian," Crackers said. The Sobble was stroking the one dragonet that was asleep, his scales as black as a starless night with a new moon.
Snivels gently stroke the dragonet he was holding, earning an adorable croon from her. "And here's Eclipse."
Adhesive lowered the last two dragonets to the floor of the icy caverns. "And these two are Starflight and Moonwatcher."
The dragonet named Starflight extended his wings, revealing several small, unusual, white, freckle-like specks on the underside of his wings. At a glance, it looked a lot like a blanket of stars decorating the night sky.
There wasn't much time for Hiccup to compliment the names. The entirety of Team Go-Getters had gathered with him in the middle of the Ice Caves, watching Fjord lay out a map of some island on a large table made of ice. "Alright, today's training mission is of the utmost importance, so I'll go ahead and cut to the chase." He pointed to the map, elaborating with each gesture. "Our scouts have spotted Berserker activity on Dragon Island, we'll need you all to investigate from this beach on the eastern side to a cave on the western side." He paused before adding, "Preferably at night. And hide the dragons. The tribe won't hesitate to attack them, even the young ones. "
Hiccup glanced over his shoulder at Toothless and Ebony, who were busy cleaning their dragonets with their tongues. The way the two Night Furies regarded their babies with such adoration and tenderness was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts (unless you were an Outcast or Berserker). He watched the family draw closer, the proud parents nuzzling their precious offspring. Toothless looked up at his rider, allowing Hiccup to see the pride and love still evident in his eyes.
I can't help but wonder, Hiccup thought, Will I ever...
He quickly cut himself off before he could get too distracted and caught Adhesive grinning at him. Pointedly, he looked away from the Poipole and focused on the task at hand.
Hesitantly, Snivels spoke up. "So...no dragons?"
"Yes, thank you for summing that up," Hiccup replied.
"That means we're all dead," Ninjark grumbled.
With a roll of his eyes, Hiccup muttered, "No, we're not. We all know how strong we are without our dragons, we can survive and defend ourselves just fine if we find ourselves separated from them."
"Come on, it'll be fun!" chirped Astrid.
Everyone unenthusiastically trudged out of the room to pack their bags for the trip.
Dragon Island was one of the few islands in the archipelago that served as an undisturbed habitat for wild creatures. Since the defeat of the Red Death, the volcanic land had become a lush place with its own rivers and forests. The sounds of wild creatures could be heard even from far away, which was generally enough to keep Viking ships away.
But tonight, new sounds could be heard - the sounds of flapping wings as a squadron of dragons and their riders prepared to land on one of the rocky beaches. The first to land was Hiccup and Toothless, followed closely by Astrid and Stormfly, then Heather and Windshear, and then the whole rest of the group. They dismounted immediately, some of them immediately equipping themselves with tools, while others stared up at the dormant volcano that rose high above them to shield them from the light of the moon.
Hiccup went around to Toothless's side and reached into the saddlebags, lifting out the two boy dragonets that had been tucked carefully within. The three girls were on Ebony's back, she he elected not to be fitted with a saddle, a wish all of the other members of the team respected. It was hard not to notice how Alba's white scales stood out amongst the black coloration of the rest of her family.
Giving his dragon one last pat on the head, Hiccup walked over to meet with the other members of Team Go-Getters, now gathered around and waiting for the search to begin.
"Okay, first thing's first," Hiccup announced, grabbing hold of a lantern to illuminate the otherwise dark beach, "Adhesive is going to take the dragons and youngsters to the cave on the other side of the island. That way, they won't be in any danger."
"What?!" shouted Adhesive, nearly dropping the duffel bag he had packed with his precious electronics. "Why me? I wanna be where the action is!"
Blaze muttered to herself, "Can't you find plenty of that on your screens?"
"Look, Adhesive," Hiccup began, only for the Poipole to cut him off.
"Hey, it's okay, it's your Millennium Falcon, you and Chewbacca do whatever you wanna do." He glanced at Snivels as he said that last part. Then he pointed to his bag. "Me and Princess Leia here will find some other way to spend the evening."
With a grumble, Astrid muttered bitterly, "I hate it when he does that."
Now that everything had been taken care of, the trainers prepared for their departure. They each grabbed their saddlebags as well as a spare lantern, making sure that they would stay well lit. Once they had tested to make sure that their weapons were clipped securely to their backs, they went over to their dragons to wish them farewell.
Hiccup and Snivels began to depart into the wilderness, only to hear heavy footsteps following then. Both trainer and Pokémon turned around, and the light of the lantern washed over the pitch-black scales of a very familiar Night Fury.
"Sorry, Toothless," Hiccup apologized sadly, rubbing his dragon companion under the chin. "We don't want to risk you or the other dragons getting hurt. You need to stay with Adhesive, since...uh...he's the boss."
"That's right!" said Poipole declared. "You heard that! I'm the boss! I'm the boss! I'm the boss, boss, boss! Hey, does anyone know where the cave is?"
Skeptically, Hiccup stared at him. "Are you serious...?"
"I'll escort them there," Brandyn offered.
Adhesive shook his head. "No, I'll find it myself. I have GPS on my phone." The Poipole picked up a lantern and led the dragons off the beach. After having been assured by their riders that it'd just be for a few hours, the dragons followed Adhesive obediently.
It wasn't just the dragons and Dragon-type Pokémon that would be sitting the mission out. Blaze and Kickin' Hawk's kids, and all the other non-evolved Pokémon were following.
"Remember," Hiccup called out to the team members that were ready to split up. "It's better to go stealthily, not quickly. This mission isn't just about finding the Berserkers, we need to find out what they're up to."
Each team member nodded in understanding before they all went their separate ways. Steeling his courage, Hiccup once more began to head out into the forest ahead, with Snivels following loyally.
First, silence.
Then...
"Have I ever told you about my first encounter with a dragon?"
This was one story from Snivels that Hiccup was looking forward to hearing.
It didn't take long for Adhesive to lead the dragons, Dragon-types, and prevolved Pokémon to the cave on the other side of the island. It was spacious enough for at least two Wailord to fit inside. At least, that was Adhesive's first impression of the cave's immensity. The ceiling was pretty high, too, so none of them would get claustrophobic even though the dragons took up a good portion of the cavern's available space.
"Alright!" Adhesive said, placing his duffel bag on the ground and rubbing his hands together with anticipation. "Who's up for an all-nighter? It'll be just like a camping trip!"
While most of the dragons were already laying down on the stone floor and relaxing, Toothless remained on his feet, his eyes turned toward the cavern entrance from where he could feel the chilly breeze blowing. He couldn't lay down comfortably, knowing that his rider was walking into wild dragon territory alone. That did it. Toothless started to make his way out of the cave.
"Hey!" shouted Adhesive. "Toothless, no. Remember the mission - dragons stay hidden and safe. That means you. Besides, we're gonna have loads of fun here!"
There was a loud collective groan as the prevolved Pokémon watched Cross and Flare fight over Kerosene's attention for the third time that week.
"You two, knock it off!" Adhesive yelled at them. "What has gotten into you guys, anyway? That Salandit isn't the only available female on the team, you know!"
The Litten and Scorbunny backed away from each other, not even looking at the Poipole as they sat down on opposite sides of the cave. The fire cat and scorch rabbit glared at each other as if they were planning to lunge at one another at any second.
"Well, at least it's over," Adhesive grumbled. He turned back to Toothless and continued, "So as I was saying, you're not allowed to leave the cave. Why don't you try spending time with your new dragonets? I'm sure they'd love some quality time with their father."
Toothless grunted at him, but obliged. He found Ebony curled around their offspring and greeted her with a croon. The two mates nuzzled each other as Toothless lay down next to Ebony, gazing down at his beautiful dragonets.
Adhesive leaned against the wall of the cave and slid down to the floor next to his duffel bag, sighing. "Finally, some quiet time," he said, then reach into his bag and pulled out his iPad. "Now I can catch up on reading Monsters of Berk."
Astrid vaulted over a boulder and hit the ground at a roll, drawing her axe as soon as she was back in an upright position. Glancing back, and seeing that Blaze wasn't too far behind, she raced through a narrow path between the bushes without making a sound.
The Hofferson-turned-Haddock couldn't help but keep a grin from spreading across her face as she continued on her way, ducking under low-hanging branches and climbing over rocks. While she had been looking forward to his mission for practical reasons concerning Team Go-Getters and the Resistance, there had indeed been a second reason - because she knew she'd end up loving it. Racing through hostile dragon territory armed with nothing but her wits and her weapons? Yes, please!
Blaze gave up trying to catch up to her trainer, since she knew very well they could each handle themselves perfectly. She was just thinking that things couldn't get any more exciting, when a fireball blazed over her head and exploded against a rock. A large, blue dragon stepped out of the trees and stood on the path in Blaze's way, raising its spiny tail to try and scare her off.
"A Deadly Nadder," Blaze remarked, clenching her fists. "I saw Astrid train Stormfly, so this shouldn't be hard. Just stay in its blind spot and..."
The Nadder opened its maw and squawked, then lofted into the air and launched darts from its tail. Blaze rolled away and did a cartwheel to avoid them, then fired a Flamethrower at the dragon. The flames barely left a scorch mark, but it did frighten the Nadder.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" Blaze asked it, smiling.
Irritated, the Deadly Nadder flew away in defeat.
On another part of the island, a certain Aetherson boy was climbing up a series of rock ledges that created a small 'canyon', through which a stream flowed. It would have been easier for Ra and Camazotz to Teleport him up there, but he'd opted for the two Cosmog to stay with Adhesive, mostly because they didn't actually know any offensive or defensive moves.
"I should really start working on helping them evolve," he was saying to himself, as he crossed over a log that formed a bridge between both sides of the canyon. "Who knows what'll happen if they end up in a situation where the only way out is battle."
He slipped and nearly fell into the stream. After regaining his footing, he left the canyon behind and started making his way back into the forest.
"Maybe if I had some Rare Candies..."
Naturally, Heather and Ninjark were being cautious. The raven-haired girl had yet to officially pick out a weapon for herself, so Ninjark's moves were their only defense.
"It's not so bad out here," she said to herself, kicking a pebble out of her path. "When we're through scouting the area, it'll make a good hiking retreat."
Ninjark shrugged. "Never been hiking before. What's it like?"
Heather didn't get the chance to answer, as a dragon burst out from the underbrush. It was rather bulky, about twice as big as a Gronckle, but it moved ridiculously fast. Heather and Ninjark didn't even get a good look at it before it ran off in the other direction.
"What was that?" Heather asked. She wracked her brain to remember that one day in the academy, when Hiccup had mentioned the species that lived on Dragon Island. She may not have gotten a good look at the mystery dragon, but it certainly didn't match the description of any dragon that resided on the island.
Her Greninja didn't have much luck figuring it out either. "That was either a really big Gronckle, or a boulder with legs and wings."
There was a loud squawk from the direction where the mystery dragon had run off to.
"Follow that roar," decided Heather. "We might be able to figure out what it is if we get a good look at it."
On that note, both trainer and Pokémon took off towards the direction of the mystery dragon's roars.
The dragon didn't notice the duo, and it certainly wouldn't have known what they were, since this was its first time out and about. Its many eyes scanned the area around it, it had never seen so many plants. In the volcano where it hatched, there was nothing but rocks and flowing lava. Every dragon it came across took one look at it and flew away in fear.
"Where's my mama?" the dragonet asked itself, cautiously making its way through the undergrowth.
Elsewhere on the island, a certain Servine had yet to stop babbling. It started out nice, with his first encounter with the dragons native to his island home, but now he was going on and on about dragons with unusual markings.
"This isn't the first time I've seen a dragon with odd or unique patterns, but I've never really gotten close enough to a Night Fury to see if they had any. I'm actually glad Starflight has those little specks under his wings, it kinda gives the added effect of being part of the night sky. You know, I once met this Deadly Nadder that had these big splotches on its side that looked like someone spilled paint on her. I also noticed that one of Hookfang's dragonets has these little spots on his snout that, if you look at them the right way, resemble freckles. And don't even get me started on the striped Scauldron!"
This was one of those rare moments where Hiccup wished Snivels didn't talk so much.
The duo continued on their way peacefully for about ten more minutes. There didn't seem to be many threats in this part of the woods, which was good enough for Hiccup. It allowed him to really stop and look around, appreciating how the island looked so different than when he first visited. Before, it was as barren as could be - now, months later, it looked like there was a real ecosystem coming into existence.
I'll have to remind myself to come back and study this place, he thought to himself. I wonder just how much it's changed...
He and Snivels was making their way up a cliff when the Servine caught sight of a light from somewhere down below. He nudged Hiccup with his tail and pointed. Turning around, Hiccup peered down from his vantage point and immediately caught sight of a small flame burning in the middle of a clearing.
"A campfire?" Hiccup exclaimed to no-one at all. "We've gotta check it out!"
On another part of the island, Amber and Crackers tip-toed through the brush, so as not to disturb any wildlife they happened upon. They made sure to step over twig and around every rock to avoid making too much noise.
"How do you think the others are doing?" Amber half-asked, half-whispered to the Sobble. "Let's hope they're having better luck than we are."
Keeping his eyes on his surroundings, Crackers quietly responded, "I just hope we find them before something else finds us."
Amber looked over her shoulder, inquisitive. "Something else?" she repeated. "Like what?" Then she cried out as she tripped and fell to the forest floor. Pushing herself up on her hands and knees, the Charmeleon found that she had tripped in what appeared to be a small hole.
But since when did holes have toes and claw marks?
The duo quickly realized that what Amber had tripped in was a dragon's footprint. Looking around, they realized that there was a whole trail of them heading in the opposite direction of where they'd been going.
Crackers gulped nervously. "Like whatever made those!"
Some time had passed, and Adhesive had finished the story he'd been reading. It had been a while since the four trainers and their non-Dragon-type and evolved Pokémon had left, but it was a big island, so the dragons and prevolves were expecting them to show up a few hours from now.
Adhesive was in the middle of a rather aggravating rant. "So close," he said, his voice heavy with annoyance and frustration. "They were this close to a heartfelt confession! Is whoever's in charge of that alternate timeline trying to torture me with this?!"
Everyone else in the cave stared at him like he'd just sprouted a second head.
Adhesive sighed as he settled near the campfire he had built in the middle of the cavern. "Anyway, how about we relax with some good, old campfire songs? Oh, that reminds me, this is one of my favorites!" He then started singing.
"Let's gather 'round the campfire and sing a campfire song.
The C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song.
And if you don't think that I can sing it faster, then you're wrong
But it'll help if you just sing along!"
He suddenly sprung up and started singing the same verse over and over, at an increasingly faster pace.
"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song,
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song,
And if you don't think that I can sing it faster, then you're wrong,
But it'll help if you just sing along!"
The dragons and prevolves did nothing but stare at him in bewilderment. In fact, the only one that was actually joining in the fun was Marina the Popplio. Too bad she couldn't quite keep up with the fast pace of the song.
After what seemed like a eternity, Adhesive finally brought the song to a close.
"It'll help, it'll help!
If you just sing along!
Oh, yeah!"
The Poipole looked around to find only a delighted Sirena applauding his performance. "Hmph," he grumbled. "Tough cave."
Near the exit, a certain Cosmog duo emitted a pair of growls from their stomachs, signifying that they were hungry. Camazotz immediately leapt up and hovered over to Adhesive. "Do you have any snacks?"
"I have some things in my bag," he replied, slowly lowering to the floor in front of the campfire. "Just don't overdo the sweets, okay?"
Ra made it to the bag first, and started to open it when Camazotz arrived. The duo began pulling on each end of the bag, bickering.
"Ra, don't hog all the food!"
"I'm not hogging the food, I'm just hungrier than you!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"I'm the one hungrier than you!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Ugh," Adhesive groaned at all the noise. "Who knew babysitting would be so much work?"
Toothless, who had been sitting in a corner, almost invisible in the darkness, had pretty much had enough. He didn't have to sit here and endure this foolishness. Hiccup was out there and needed his help, while he was lounging around in here and being bored out of his mind by a Poipole.
Everything that happened next was all a blur.
Adhesive's bag suddenly flew out of Ra and Camazotz's grasp, flying into the air as it burst open. Dozens of blue objects that looked like giant blueberries spilled out, along with Adhesive's phone and mobile charger. Screaming in fright, Adhesive quickly went to catch his electronics before they hit the ground, he did NOT want to spend all the money he'd earned off his web series on a new phone and charger. No sooner after he'd caught his items, one of the blue foods bonked him in the head before falling to the floor of the cave with all the others.
Their hunger realized, the prevolves, including Ra and Camazotz, darted forward and started eating the blue foods off the cavern floor.
"Oh, no," Adhesive said with wide eyes as he realized what was going on. "My Rare Candies! DON'T EAT THOSE!"
Too late. A blindingly bright light enveloped the cavern as the Pokémon who had consumed the Rare Candies all started evolving simultaneously. Adhesive and the dragons shielded their eyes to avoid going blind. Toothless quickly took advantage of the situation, bounding past Adhesive and out of the mouth of the cave and into the forest where his rider was out wandering somewhere.
Adhesive whimpered as he strained to see through the light. "This could be a problem," he said to himself.
As he climbed down the cliff and approached the fire that let up smoke that could be seen from the other side of the island, Snivels could already hear the discriminating insults of whoever was responsible for the campfire. Aside from Heather, Hiccup was pretty much the only person in the archipelago who treated Snivels like an equal from day one.
"Okay, so, how do you want us to do this?" he asked.
Hiccup looked at his partner over his shoulder. "Just stay close."
Without further hesitation, Hiccup and Snivels walked further into the campsite, noticing all the different supplies haphazardly scattered about. There were some crates full of spears, a crossbow resting against a log, a bag of ammo, and even some food laying around...
There was a loud yell and a blur of motion, and something large tackled Hiccup with enough force to send him flying into the dirt. His lantern fell out of his hands when he hit the ground, and all the breath came out of his lungs with a gasping wheeze. Hiccup blinked several times to clear his vision before he could black out, and raised his head to stare into a pair of eyes - an unexpected and unpleasantly familiar pair.
In a trembling voice, Hiccup stammered, "W-W-Wait, Dagur?"
Indeed it was. He was staring into the helmeted, tattooed, and maniacally-grinning face of none other than the teenaged Chief of the Berserker tribe himself.
As if today couldn't get any worse.
"HICCUP!" Dagur exclaimed. He sprang to his feet and tugged on Hiccup's arm, helping the younger boy up, then proceeded to envelop him in a hearty, crushing hug. "Old friend! It's so good to see you!"
Thankfully for Hiccup's lungs, he put his 'friend' down. Stumbling slightly when his feet made contact with the ground, he rubbed his neck and did his best to overcome the initial shock to come up with an answer quickly. Dagur was probably the last person he had expected to encounter on Dragon Island in the dead of night, and probably the worst person to boot. If there was a silver lining, though, it was that Dagur was at least happy to see him.
"Y-yeah, it's, uh...nice to see you, too," Hiccup finally replied, getting his mouth in gear. "I haven't seen you since, uh..."
In his excitement, Dagur finished for him, "Since that Druddigon attack back on Berk!" Then his excitement turned to anger and frustration. "I was so close to getting its odd-colored head when that little snake came in and ruined everything!"
Hiccup was somewhat taken aback by the quick change in the older boy's tone of voice, but still managed to comment, "O-Oh yes, that. I had almost forgotten. You know...Berk gets so many happenings, it's hard to keep them all straight."
Snivels's tail twitched nervously at where this was going, but he did his best to ignore it. The Servine looked to his left to find a Bisharp standing next to him, causing him to cry out a little in surprise.
That caught Dagur's attention, and he practically stomped over to where the two Pokémon were. He glared down at Snivels, his hand twitching for his axe, but he shook it off.
Hiccup finally noticed the Bisharp, and, hoping to change the subject, asked, "Is that who I think it is?"
Dagur turned to look at the younger boy, his anger towards Snivels momentarily forgotten. "Yeah, Deathblade evolved not long after we broke outta that prison. Some lucky break, right?"
Snivels nearly fainted in frustration. A Pokémon evolving under such circumstances was anything but a "lucky break," as Dagur put it.
"So," the Berserker Chief started anew, more suspiciously. He scrutinized his visitors. "What are you and your snake doing here?"
"What are we doing here...?" mumbled Hiccup, appearing nonchalant when, in reality, a cold flash of panic was running up his spine. What was his alibi? What purpose did he have to be wandering around this island?
"Don't answer that!" Dagur told him, cutting his reply off before it could even form. "I know exactly what you're doing here. You're here for the same reason Deathblade and I are, Hiccup. You're here..."
Again, Hiccup gulped.
"...To hunt dragons with me!" finished Dagur, grinning.
A single beat passed as that last statement sank into the Haddock boy's brain. Then he realized that Dagur had unwittingly thrown him a lifeline, and he decided to take it enthusiastically. Hey, if his "acquaintance" from the Berserkers believed he was still into dragon hunting, then he was definitely ready to play along if it meant preserving peace between them and the Berk tribe - not to mention his own life.
"O-Okay, you got me!" he laughed. "That's what we're here for. Dragon hunting."
Snivels's tail twitched again, this time at Hiccup's lies. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to find out what would happen if he suddenly and unwillingly blurted out the truth of the situation.
His muscles relaxing, Dagur walked over and clapped a hand to Hiccup's back. He asked conversationally, "So, what are you hoping to find out here?"
"Ah," Hiccup began, "Well, I just, ah..." He had trouble coming up with a lie, so he just said the first dragon name that popped into his head. "...Night Fury."
"That's perfect!" Dagur whooped.
Hiccup nearly jumped clean out of his pants at the Berserker chief's sudden exclamation. Deciding to give talking a try, Snivels tried to sound casual as he inquired, "Uh, how exactly is that so perfect?"
Dagur laughed. "We're going to hunt the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself! The four of us are going to take down the Night Fury once and for all!"
Outwardly, Hiccup was frozen. Inwardly, he was panicking.
Things had spiraled out of control so quickly that it was making his head spin. Dagur was with him and Team Go-Getters on the island, he was convinced that Hiccup was his ally, and now he was stuck with him until they found a Night Fury. His options were to stay with Dagur on Dragon Island forever - while somehow keeping his friends and the dragons out of sight the entire time - or to find Toothless and figure out a way to save him while Dagur was busy trying to make a rug out of his hide.
How was Hiccup going to get out of this one?
"U-Uh...o-okay...just..." he tried. Maybe delicate negotiations would work? It did with his dad...
"AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Dagur's sudden outburst almost gave Hiccup heart failure. And he didn't stop there - he crouched in front of the campfire and raised his head to the sky, yelling and hooting like a total maniac. Not that he wasn't.
Briefly, Dagur paused to grin excitedly at his guest. "C'mon, Hiccup, howl with me!" he invited. "It feels really good!"
"Oh, so that's what you were doing," Hiccup replied, somehow managing to sound sarcastic even with his heart racing.
Fortunately for him, Dagur didn't seem to notice that he wasn't joining in. He was too lost in the apparent joy of howling at the moon like an over-enthusiastic Lycanroc. Patiently, Hiccup waited until the Berserker Chief ran out of breath, then joined him on the log nearest to the campfire.
"Chicken?" offered Dagur, holding out a half-cooked leg.
How many more times would Hiccup be surprised tonight? By now, he could have been knocked over by a feather. Dagur was being surprisingly hospitable - that 'attack' on Berk must have left quite the impression on him, more so than Hiccup suspected.
"N-No thanks, I'm good," he politely declined.
Shrugging, Dagur put the leg away and instead took his axe out, running a whetstone over the weapon's blade in order to sharpen it.
"You know, Hiccup," he began, surprisingly solemnly, "Ever since Deathblade and I escaped from prison, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
"Well that's strange," Hiccup remarked. "B-But, I'm flattered."
"Not you personally, you and that snake!" Dagur corrected him, the frustration once again coming into his voice as if it couldn't be contained. "I don't know how you two found out about my plan to restore the Berserkers to their former glory, but I haven't forgotten it! And the way you got to teach that snake of yours how to speak, its gives me chills! Just think of the kinds of things Deathblade would say if he could talk to me!"
Did Dagur just say that Hiccup taught Snivels how to speak? Anyone who knew Snivels knew that the Servine had taught himself how to talk, he was able to speak when he first met Hiccup as a Snivy. The only thing Hiccup had actually helped him with was speaking in full sentences. Hiccup wasn't sure whether or not to correct the older boy.
"You don't say," he said, neutrally.
Chuckling good-naturedly, Dagur reached behind him and pulled out a massive, undercooked steak with a thick slab of fat clinging to the meat. At the sight of it, Snivels felt his stomach lurch. He couldn't help but remember that dragons were pretty much inedible, unless you were a Red Death. "Is, is that...?" he cautioned.
"Oh, no," Dagur assured him, meat juice dripping from his chin. "It's yak. But anyway, those bad boys might look slow and dumb, but they're faster than they look! I just -"
A distant roar interrupted his commentary, from the other side of the island if Hiccup could wager a guess. Its suddenness made him jump to his feet, heart beating wildly. But that wasn't the only frightening part - he recognized it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what dragon it belonged to.
But luckily, all Dagur did was jump out of his seat in the same manner as Hiccup. He immediately snatched up the crossbow lying on the ground and held it up in front of him. It looked quite heavy, from the way he tucked it under one arm while supporting its huge barrel with his other hand. He pointed it this way and that, as if looking for the creature that could have made that sudden roar.
"Whoa, nice-looking crossbow," Hiccup commented.
"My dragon hunting weapon of choice," he replied, slowly lowering the crossbow now that he knew they weren't about to be ambushed. He then glanced at Hiccup and noticed the weapon that he had on him. "You carry...a shield?"
Feeling somewhat awkward, Hiccup unlimbered his draconium shield and idly twirled it around in his hands. He nodded and bashfully replied, "Yeah, yeah, just...just a shield. Just a...a plain, old shield."
Once again, Snivels's tail twitched at the lies.
"Very ornate," Dagur commented with a nod of his own, noticing the silver metal it was covered in. "My father had one kind of like that. I, myself, have never felt the need to use blunt weapons against dragons."
Hiccup made sure to change the subject before Dagur could launch into a graphic explanation of why he preferred cutting weapons over bashing weapons. "So by the way, how long have you and Deathblade been out here, Dagur?"
Impatiently, Dagur circled the campsite, toting his crossbow around with him and scanning the bushes for any potential targets. In reply, he muttered distractedly, "Couple of days, weeks...I don't know. It's hard to tell. Everything's all a blur when you're on the hunt."
Or when you're completely mental, Snivels thought.
"Maybe you should take a little break," he suggested aloud.
"Not until I get a Night Fury!" Dagur whooped, suddenly excited again. "I know it's on this island. I can feel it. Right in here."
He dramatically put a hand on his chest. Hiccup visibly paled when Dagur suddenly approached him and added, "You feel it too, don't you?"
"A-Ah, no," Hiccup chuckled. "I just feel...really awkward."
Instantly, Dagur started cackling, and swatted Hiccup on the back so hard that the Haddock boy tumbled to the ground. It took him a full minute to calm down, during which he could barely keep himself standing from all the breath he was expending in his laughter.
"Oh, you do know how to bring the funny, Hiccup!" the Berserker Chief told him.
"Uh, thanks," replied Hiccup, not sure how to take that.
Again, Dagur helped him up, then gathered up his crossbow and his pouch of ammo. Slinging the pouch over his shoulder and tucking the weapon under his arm, he began to exit the campsite, only pausing long enough to glance back at Hiccup and kick a bucket of water onto the fire.
"Come on, let's grab our gear," he said. "Then, we'll go and hunt those dragons...brother."
Hiccup stopped dead at the last word. "Uh...what?"
"Brother," Dagur repeated himself, a perfectly friendly smile stretching across his face. "Yep, you and me."
Would the surprises ever stop? Now Dagur liked him enough to consider him an honorary sibling? If the situation wasn't so dire - and if he were perfectly fine with having his little 'dragon riding' secret discovered - then Hiccup probably would have laughed sarcastically in his face. As it were, though, he had to physically swallow his revulsion and go along with it.
But seriously...brothers. That was pretty crazy, even for someone like Dagur.
"And things just got even more awkward..." Snivels muttered to himself.
With a reasonable amount of hesitance, Hiccup and Snivels followed their newest companions out of the campsite and back into the wild. And all the while, Hiccup tried his absolute hardest to think of a plan that would save his friends and their dragons.
The unlikely group of four hadn't been walking for very long when they entered a small gorge. Almost as soon as they arrived, they heard something large scrabbling across the rocks above their heads. Excitedly, Dagur and Deathblade grabbed Hiccup and Snivels's arms and ran behind a nearby bush, staring up at the pebbles that were beginning to fall from the lip of the canyon.
"That could be him!" the Berserker Chief whispered, bouncing up and down with ecstasy.
Deathblade grinded the blades on his arms with anticipation, the sound of which made Snivels cringe.
"N-No..." murmured Hiccup. "That sounds too big."
They waited for the dragon to make itself known, but whatever had been making the noise must have decided that it was too risky to search the canyons and went away. The faint thuds of footfalls gradually got quieter as the dragon wandered away.
"Oh, you're right," Dagur said, disappointed. But before Hiccup could even think of breathing a sigh of relief, he raised his crossbow while the blades on Deathblade's arms glowed white. "But we're taking him down anyway, just for fun!"
Another flash of panic bolted down Hiccup's spine, spurring him into action. "No!" He leapt in front of the two, shield raised in case either of them made a move to attack whatever had been above them.
"How dare you?!" demanded Dagur, completely livid.
"I-I had to," Hiccup replied, forcing his voice to stay calm and even. "The Night Furies would have...heard it."
All at once, the anger faded from Dagur's eyes, replaced with a look of confusion. "They can do that?"
"They do have an excellent sense of hearing," Snivels informed him. "They kind of have to, because, you know, they fly at night and everything. They would have sensed danger and fled." He then snapped his mouth shut before he revealed any other information that would have alerted the Berserker to their true intentions.
While it took him a second or two to comprehend what the Servine was telling him at first, Dagur's brow quickly cleared up, and he laughed with amusement.
"Ha, look at us!" he declared. "You, a scrawny little pair of...well, you know what you are...and us, the great Dagur the Deranged and Deathblade the Bisharp! Who would have thought we would make such a formidable team?"
"Not me, that's for sure," agreed Hiccup.
When Dagur and Deathblade turned their backs to continue forward, Hiccup breathed a silent sigh of relief and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He was glad to see that his quick wits were proving useful already. It was kind of odd, though, that Dagur and Deathblade would be here on Dragon Island alone - especially since the Berserker chief could have easily formed a team of warriors. Last time Hiccup and Snivels saw him, he did have quite the armada...
The memory prompted Snivels to ask his trainer a question that he knew he wouldn't be able to get off his mind if he didn't. So he threw caution to the winds and spoke up. "Exactly how long are we going to keep up this charade? I can't keep ignoring your lies forever. I mean, all that work you put into hiding Toothless before the Battle of Dragon Island was bad enough."
"I don't know, Snivs," Hiccup answered sadly. "But we can't risk it. You heard what Fjord said, back at the Ice Caves. Dagur and Deathblade won't hesitate to kill our dragons, not even the dragonets."
Snivels shuddered at the mental image of the maniacal chief slicing Toothless and Ebony's children in half with his axe. "Fair point," he replied. "But if it's all the same to you, I think I'd better go warn the others."
Hiccup gave his partner a nod of approval, and just like that, Snivels left.
Finally, the Servine could take in the scenery of Dragon Island. "Didn't think this place would become so lively after the queen's demise," he muttered to himself. His attention was so focused on the flora, he'd forgotten to look where he was going.
The next thing he knew, Snivels was falling down a tunnel near the side of the mountain that was the resting place of the dragon queen. He landed quite hard at the bottom, the cracks of the rocky floor glowing from the lava that had collected somewhere below.
Snivels pulled himself to his feet with a groan. "Am I gonna feel that in the morning..." He trailed off as he became aware of his new surroundings.
Everywhere he looked, there were rocks towering hundreds of thousands of feet over his head. The tunnel from which he had entered was too steep for him to climb out, so he had to find another way to exit. Each step he took with caution, so as not to fall through the floor and into the lava waiting below.
*CRUNCH!*
Snivels froze at the sound emanating from under his feet. He looked down to find an orb-shaped thing that was small enough to fit in the palm of an average-sized human hand. It was made of a thick, yet somewhat brittle, substance that, based on its jagged edges, looked like it had been broken into. Moving slowly, Snivels knelt down and sniffed it with his long Servine nose, hoping that its scent would give him a better idea of what it was. Upon closer inspection, he found what appeared to be a small, lifeless form curled up inside the orb in the fetal position.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was an egg. And judging by the unhealthy black color of its shell, it had probably been killed by the poisonous gasses of the volcano.
Looking up, Snivels found several other eggs clustered together on the floor of the nest, all with the same unhealthy black color. There were too many to count, but he guessed that there must have been more than a hundred of them.
There was also a large pile of rocks, most likely the result of a rockslide. Whether it was caused by the Red Death breaking her way out of the nest, or the explosion that had killed the queen of the nest, Snivels wasn't sure, and would likely never know. It was anyone's guess how many eggs had been crushed to death by the large boulders.
That's when it clicked.
Snivels remembered something his teacher had said about the Red Death's species during their regular Dragonology lessons back on his home island. Studies had shown that an individual female was capable of living up to two thousand years and could lay as many as three thousand eggs at a time.
There'd been no raids on the day Team Go-Getters had gone to battle the Red Death. And before then, Snivels had noted that the queen's food rations had been increasing exponentially, as if she was trying to feed another dragon besides herself. She'd also been really steamed, even more than the other dragons had known her to be. And that was before Stoick came rudely knocking on the door that was her volcano home. And even for a dragon her size, she'd reportedly been quite sluggish while trying to catch Toothless when she found out he'd brought two humans into her nest.
Enormous appetite, fits of anger, bouts of laziness. They were all symptoms of a female dragon whose body was harboring more than one soul.
Snivels stared at the plethora of eggs with wide eyes.
The Red Death had been pregnant.
If he had to guess, she must have finished laying her eggs sometime before the Vikings arrived on the island.
The Servine was just about to get up and leave when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was small and round, the same shape as the dead eggs, but it was slightly bigger, and, instead of an unhealthy black, its shell was a dull gray and had a pattern of little red bumps on it.
It was sitting up on a ledge higher than all the other eggs, so Snivels had to climb up a little to get a good look at it. He noticed that the shell of this egg had been broken, too, but not from an outside source. And the inside was completely empty, with absolutely no sign of an embryonic dragonet.
Snivels had a feeling he knew what had happened. First, the Red Death laid her eggs, most of which were then crushed by a rock slide, probably caused by her leaving the nest to attack the Vikings that had disturbed her. Then, some time after her death, a wave of noxious gas from the volcano poisoned the rest of the eggs.
Except for this one.
Three thousand eggs in a single clutch, and only one of them had made it. It was almost too crazy to be true.
But if his hunch was right, then that meant there was a six-eyed dragonet running around on the island somewhere. Snivels wasn't sure what would be worse: Dagur finding the Red Death's baby, or Astrid finding the Red Death's baby. The former Hofferson had nightmares of the queen devouring and/or roasting Hiccup to a crisp, so there was no telling what she'd do to a poor dragonet who had no idea what he, or she, had done wrong.
After regaining his senses, Snivels darted this way and that, desperately looking for an exit, shouting at the top of his lungs, "HICCUP!"
Unbeknownst to anyone, three pairs of eyes were surveying Hiccup curiously.
The large dragonet hadn't been out of his egg - only for about a few weeks or so - for long when a group of dragons had come flying in with humans and Pokémon on their backs. Curious, the dragonet had roused himself and taken to following each of the humans and Pokémon as they explored the island.
The longer it followed, though, the more uneasy it became. For starters, it had never seen such odd-looking creatures before. Then there was that weapon-toting maniac, and that thing that looked like a walking arsenal of swords and axes. They seemed to be hunting something, and the dragonet sincerely hoped that it wasn't the prize the dangerous human and Sword Blade Pokémon were searching for.
The dragonet hurried to the beaches, where he sought comfort in the large skeletal remains of a dragon he didn't know. He found his place in the dragon's rib cage, in the spot where the heart would be, and curled up into it. His eyes shut tight, he hoped he could sleep through the night without being found out by any of the strange and frightening creatures he'd seen. The remains of this large dragon gave him the kind of comfort he was hoping his mother would give when she found him.
Little did the dragonet know, the skeleton he'd been sleeping in was his mother.
I didn't originally plan to add the dragonet into the mix, it just sorta came to me as I was writing. Maybe adding a little drama and suspense to the mix?
Anyway, Dagur's got no sister in this universe. And if I'm honest, I completely missed the conversation in which he mentioned his sister to Hiccup in the original episode, so I was completely unaware of the fact until the events of "Have Dragon Will Travel." Imagine my surprise and disappointment, I dare you.
Anyway, leave a review, if you wish!
