The next morning, Zephyr and Nuffink exited their hut, running swiftly into the bitter winter. After Zephyr and Fourlegs had won the dragon ball match the evening before, Spearhead had claimed the game really wasn't a single match but part of a championship, so they needed to play first to three now.
Nuffink was probably running fast because he wanted to play dragon ball. Zephyr only wanted to play dragon ball to pass the time. The fishing ships hadn't arrived yet. They had probably anchored for the night to come in with their fresh haul this morning. Soon she could tell everyone she was right. There were three things she loved the most: dragons, stories of Old Berk, and being right.
Zephyr and Nuffink passed the glimmering pond. Zephyr glanced at it as they ran past, thinking of how her father liked to spend time here in the spring. He said it reminded him of the place in Old Berk where he had become friends with Toothless.
They darted between the trees in the dragon ball forest. When they reached the clearing with the Viking helmet tree— there was no tree. Spearhead stormed up to them.
"This island is crazy and nuts!" Spearhead yelled. "I don't know why my parents followed your dad to this insane village in the middle of nowhere, but I would sure like to ask them!"
"Where's the tree?" Nuffink asked.
"Someone cut it down!" Spearhead raged. "All they left was a stump. We need a new tree."
Zephyr spied Fourlegs resting next to the tree stump of the desecrated Viking helmet tree.
"I'll go get my dagger to carve a symbol in a new tree," Nuffink groaned. "There's a clearing north of here with a tree we can use." He darted off into the forest.
Spearhead sat down on the grass, arms crossed, intensely staring at nothing and grumbling under her breath. Zephyr sat down on a rock near Spearhead and looked at Fourlegs.
"Why do you think someone would cut down the Viking helmet tree?" Zephyr asked.
Fourlegs shrugged. "For firewood?"
Zephyr frowned.
"But…it could be for another reason," Fourlegs backpedaled.
"Everyone knows we play dragon ball here!" Spearhead interrupted. "What idiot would just cut it down for firewood?"
"Hey!" Zephyr said, addressing Spearhead. "Fourlegs could be right. Maybe they really needed it."
Fourlegs sheepishly looked back down to the ground.
"Oh right," Spearhead said. "Like there aren't a million other trees to cut down."
Zephyr was annoyed but decided it was useless to argue with the pigheaded girl. "Let's just wait for Nuffink without arguing if you can manage that for a minute."
Turned out, Spearhead could manage a minute…and a lot more. The silence was deafening and as the time passed got really, really awkward. Nuffink had been gone for a while. Longer than it should have taken to run to their hut and back. Zephyr glanced around the clearing for the umpteenth time. Not a single bird fluttered in the sky. The forest was still as the pond water in winter.
Fourlegs picked himself up off the ground and walked over to Spearhead and Zephyr. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak a loud sound cascaded over the hills and plunged into the forest.
"Is that our game horn?" Fourlegs asked. "It sounds different."
"Great! Someone cut down our tree and messed with our game horn!" Spearhead said, breaking a twig she'd been fiddling with.
"That can't be our game horn," Zephyr said, standing up. She'd heard that sound before. It was sort of like a fire horn to signal a wildfire or housefire. It was… "That's the war horn!" Everything shifted. The trees twisted and the forest suddenly seemed infinitely bigger as Zephyr's heartbeat kicked up and her mind was hit with a wave of fear.
"War horn?" Spearhead asked, going pale. "You mean we're under attack?"
"Yeah," Zephyr muttered, starting to run. "Follow me." Fourlegs and Spearhead ran after her.
"Where are we going?" Spearhead questioned.
"To the cliffsides, where you live. You need to get home right now."
"You really think someone's going to hurt us?" Fourlegs timidly asked.
"They have before," Zephyr murmured, all the stories of battle her father had told her swarming around in her head like flies she couldn't swat away.
They rushed through the dark forest. Hills appeared in front of them. Zephyr led them over a path between the hills. The smell of smoke reached them even before they even reached the village.
Stumbling into town, they saw raging flames lighting up the dreary morning sky. Vikings hurried about carting water buckets and helping children. Market stalls, people's homes, even the Great Hall were taking damage. The Great Hall wasn't on fire yet, but it was being pummeled by boulders soaring through the air from who knew where.
"I…" Spearhead stammered, after taking in the chaotic scene. "We can find our way from here." Spearhead grabbed Fourlegs' hand and rushed off through the fire and smoke.
Zephyr stood transfixed, unable to take another step, watching her beloved village crumble before her eyes.
"Booboo!" a market stall owner called out loudly, breaking through Zephyr's daze. "Your shoulder's on fire!"
"You think I didn't notice?" Booboo asked sarcastically, dumping a bucket of water over himself, dousing the flame. Just then a piece of flaming cloth from a stall cover fell on his other shoulder, lighting it on fire.
Zephyr's feet unlocked. She dashed over to Booboo, snatching a bucket of water out of another Viking's hands and tossing it over the teen.
"Th-thanks," Booboo stammered, shivering.
"Zephyr!" someone cried out. Zephyr swung round, seeing her mother racing up to her. "Thank the gods you're alright. Where were you?"
"I was going to play dragon ball with Nuffink, Fourlegs, and Spearhead," Zephyr answered numbly. She'd never seen her mom so scared. "Where are those boulders coming from?"
"Catapults," her mom replied shakily. "From ships in the harbor. And our scouts just spotted men in the western forest as well." Her mother grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "We'll be fine. Your father's handling everything."
"Wait. Western forest. Isn't that really close to our hut?"
"Yes."
Nuffink. Zephyr shot off towards their hut. Her mom was yelling, but Zephyr didn't care. Her braid blew up into air, streaming along behind her as she ran. The path never had seemed so long. Her family's hut came into view. It didn't look damaged, but that was only from the outside.
Zephyr flung the door open. Chairs had been knocked over and dragon banners had been cut and discarded on the floor. Deep slashes and cuts gashed the walls and floors. A dagger laid on the floor. The handle was broken off and rested several feet away from it. Zephyr picked up the dagger handle. The initials N. H. had been proudly carved into it. Nuffink's.
Zephyr tumbled out the back door. Footprints tracked down the hill at the back of her hut. She followed them till she spotted three figures. She dashed behind some trees, concealing herself in their shadows. Nuffink's arms were being gripped two Vikings. They wore rusted chainmail and helmets that covered most of their faces.
Nuffink turned his head. His desperate eyes went wide as he spotted Zephyr. The man on the right slapped Nuffink hard in the back of his head and Nuffink immediately turned his head back around.
"Don't hurt the boy more," the man on the left argued. "He's already going to have a scar from that nasty cut you gave him. Now that I think about it, why'd you even do that?"
"He was struggling too much," the man on the right complained.
Zephyr angrily balled her hands into fists and crept closer through the trees. Nuffink turned his head, risking a glance her way. She froze at the edge of the trees, her feet refusing to move. She couldn't do this. Take on two Vikings at once? With a dragon she could take on anyone, but by herself she'd need a lot more than just stupid bravery to face two Vikings armed with swords. Nuffink seemed to be holding his breath, his eyes pleading with her to help him. After she didn't make a move, Nuffink hung his head.
The sound of rushing feet came rustling down the hill of dead grass. It was her father! And other warriors from her tribe. Wait, wasn't that guy in the dark brown vest the bread baker? Okay, maybe not all warriors, but every single one of them were coming to the rescue of her brother.
Her father, sword in hand, honed in on the two Vikings clenching her brother. The left one let go and drew his sword. The Viking lunged at her dad but he dodged. Two times in a row! That would teach them not to fight her dad in a battle.
"Go, dad!" Zephyr yelled from the trees. The Viking on the right let go of Nuffink and bolted down the hill.
Zephyr turned her attention back to her dad. The other attacker swung his sword but missed her father by a long shot. Her dad brandished the sword clutched in his hands, ready to strike. Zephyr closed her eyes right before the sword's crushing blow.
When she opened them again, her dad had crouched down in front of Nuffink and was looking him over. He swiped his hand against Nuffink's neck and Nuffink grimaced. She rushed down to them.
"We need to get you to the healer," her father said, standing up and pulling Nuffink gently by the arm.
"Thanks for the help," Nuffink sarcastically whispered towards Zephyr.
Zephyr's stomach sank, her gut twisting into a knot. She'd locked up…when it mattered. Her brother had been in trouble and she'd done nothing. She knew if she'd only had Shadow Streak, she would have done something. She could have dispatched those Vikings in seconds, before the warriors had even arrived. She wished could bring Shadow Streak to New Berk so much.
"Scout the area," her father commanded the warriors. "Let no one escape and take captives if you can. We can't let any of them leave the island…" He looked back at where he had fought the enemy Viking. "No matter what."
The warriors hurried off to scout the surrounding woods.
Zephyr looked back over her shoulder at the Viking's lifeless body on the ground. Her father's words echoed in her mind: No matter what. She knew her father was chief, but she hadn't seen him ever…ever… She knew he had fought battles with Toothless but… The stories of her father's heroic exploits in war seemed much more real as she stared at the enemy's corpse. Her father…did that. He'd always seemed too nice.
Zephyr crossed her arms to ward off the cold. She hadn't seen fishing ships. Why couldn't she have just listened to her parents for once?
