Chapter 3, The Night Fury
The five jaquins flew toward the sight of the smoke. They flew in throughthe canopy of the trees and landed in a small clearing below. Elena peered up through the jungle and saw the smoke raising ahead through the underbrush.
"Look!" she said, pointing ahead through the jungle.
"It look like it's coming from over there."
Skylar came up. His ear twitch, hearing a faint sound in the near distance.
"Hey, you guys hear that?" he asked, glancing back at Elena and the others.
Elena got off Luna's back and came up to her brother. She stood for a moment, squinting her eyes and leaning her head forward as she listened. She heard a faint voice in the distance. She then heard another.
"It sounds like..."
She gasped, realizing what it could be.
"Come on," Neko said.
"Let's check it out!"
Neko the turned and dashed ahead. Only to then come to a sudden stop as he was yanked back by Migs.
"Wait, Neko," Migs said.
"We can't just go over there. It could be dangerous."
They then heard a sudden rustling through the underbrush. They glanced up and saw Elena plowing through the underbrush.
"Wait, princess!" he said.
Elena brushed through the leaves and branches as she made her way toward the voices. She could hear them getting louder and louder the closer she became. She couldn't hold back the anticipation. Could it really be?
She then raised a large palm leaf and the she stared in awe. Her anticipation. Her hopes. It was all so.
In the clearing, she could see a small campsite with several people setting up tents and equipment. Elena was in awe. She hadn't seen her own kind in so long. It was rare that any human would ever come to valley.
"Princess!"
Migs, Luna, Skylar and Neko came up from behind the Jaquin princess.
"Princess, what are you-"
Elena turned back to them.
"Shhh!" she said.
"What?" Skylar asked.
Elena glanced back into the clearing. Migs, skylar and Luna peered from behind her and gasped in awe. The hunkered down beneath the cover of the foliage. Neko then came up from behind.
"Hey, whats going-"
Migs quickly grabbed Neko and pulled him under.
"Neko, shh!" Migs said, whispering.
"Humans!"
"Humans?" Neko said.
Migs quickly put his paw over his mouth and shushed him.
"Keep quiet." he said.
They then heard the sound of a woman's voice in the clearing.
"We should be there by the afternoon if we take the path."
Elena glanced back into the clearing. She saw a woman coming out of the tent. She looked to be of Latina like her. She was dressed in light brown vest with a white shirt underneath, brown shorts and a hat. Holding what looked to be a map of some kind.
"That path is torturous,"
She turned back to the tent, where she a tall man emerged from the entrance. He had a slender face and looked to be in his mid fifty's. He had short grey hair, wearing a light brown vest and long cargo pants.
Elena squinted her eyes curiously at the man. He looked oddly familiar. Like she had seen him somewhere before.
"Many of the ancient Maruvians had set up traps along the path," he said, as they walked up to one of the tables under the canopy.
"Professor Castillo and I had run into them before."
"Which is why we were hoping you could navigate us, Mr. Grimmel." Dr. DeLilsle said, placing the map down on the table.
Grimmel glanced back at the map.
"I think I may be able to," he said, glancing down at the map.
"After all, the museum's offering me a sufficient payment for this expedition."
Hiccup emerged from one of the tents. He glanced across the campsite and saw Dr. DeLisle and Grimmel standing around the table at the map. Astrid and Fishlegs both emerged from the tent and glanced to him. He then turned to them.
"Come on," he said.
"We should probably go see what's going on."
He then turned and walked over to the doctor. Grimmel glanced up from the map and saw the tree friends coming up to them.
"Ah, Mr. Haddock." Grimmel said.
"Nice of you to join us."
Elena peered up from the foliage, lifting the palm leaf. She saw three teens, no older then she was, walking up to the table. And suddenly found herself, staring in awe at the boy with the long spiky brown hair. He looked to be the same age as he and was wearing a pair of glasses over his nose, a white shirt and a pair of cargo shorts.
She felt a strange feeling in her belly. As if she had butterfly's in her stomach. Her heart was pounding so rapidly in her chest. She couldn't look away from him.
He was so handsome.
"It should only be a days hike to the city from here," Dr. DeLisle said.
"If we get a fresh start first thing in the morning, we should be there by tomorrow afternoon."
Fishlegs squealed in excitement.
"I can't wait!" he said.
"Hiccup, can you believe it?"
"Yes, Fishlegs," he said, raising his hand.
"We get it."
"We need to tread lightly." Grimmel advised.
"I've taken the path on the map before. It's lined with several traps set by the ancient Maruvians."
"Oh, great," Astrid said, glancing to Hiccup and Fishlegs.
"Not to worry," Grimmel reassured them.
"I've trekked this path before. I know where these traps are."
"Well alright then." Hiccup said, nodding his head.
Migs glance back to Skylar, Neko and Luna.
"We have to warn Chief Zephyr," He said.
"Oh, right," he said, looking back at the others.
"Come on, you guys."
Skylar, Migs, Luna and Neko turned and started walking back to the clearing. Luna then stopped and glanced back at Elena.
"Hey, princess," she said.
But Elena said nothing back and continued to looking into the clearing. Migs, Skylar and Neko stopped and looked back at the princess. They glanced to each other, curiously.
Luna came up behind Elena. She peered around the corner, seeing the princess staring at something into the clearing. Luna glanced up at what she was looking at. She then widened her eyes, realizing she was staring at that boy in the clearing.
"Ohhh." she said, glancing back at Elena.
"Looks like the princess found a crush."
Elena was suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Huh?" she said, glancing back at Luna.
"What... I wasn't..."
She stepped back from the foliage as the leaves brushed
Hiccup heard the rustling in the foliage nearby. He glanced from the map and saw the leaves and palms waving up against one another. He saw something moving in the brush.
"Did you see that?" he said, glancing to Astrid.
Everyone glanced up at Hiccup.
"See what?" Astrid asked, curiously.
"There was something in the bushes," He said, pointing to the bushes.
Grimmel looked back at the foliage. He squinted his eyes and turned toward the foliage. He grabbed his riffle leaning against the table and began making his way toward the foliage. He slowly raised his rifle, pointing it toward the brush.
He came but a step from the foliage before brushing it aside and raising his rifle. Only to find there was nothing there. He lowered his riffle, peering around the surrounding jungle.
The five Jaquins were now flying high above the jungle. Skylar wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"That was a close one." He said, glancing up at Elena.
Elena didn't respond and instead was looking back at the sight of the camp.
"Come on," Migs said.
"We need to get back to the Mooncliff.
"Right, lets go, Amigo's!" Skylar said.
"Grimmel?" Dr. DeLisle said, as she, Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs came up from behind.
"Stop!" Grimmel said, holding out his hand.
The four stopped where they stood.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, curiously
Grimmel scanned the foliage. He glanced from side to side, peering through the depths of the jungle. But still he saw nothing. He slowly lowered his riffle.
"It's nothing," he said, turning to the others.
"That's a relief." Hiccup said.
"Come on," DeLisle said, turning back to three friends.
"Lets get everything ready for tomorrow."
The group turned and walked back into the campsite. Grimmel turned back and gazed into the jungle. He glanced down and noticed several paw prints in the dirt, along with bear foot prints.
"Well, well, well," he said, narrowing down as he examined the tracks.
"What have we here?"
He glanced up, peering up at the treetops. Grinning scheming at what would be his greatest hunt.