Chapter 41: Defenders of the Wing Part 2
Previously on Dragons: Race to The Edge
After another mission against the Dragon Hunters, Hiccup and Hicca were approached by Viggo who offered the truce where both the Riders and Hunters were split down the middle and would have to fight again. Suspicious that Viggo was trying to keep them from something, the Haddock Twins lead their Riders to the edge of the Line to an island that was home to a dragon-loving tribe known as the Defenders of the Wing and their leader, Queen Mala, believed them to be Dragon Hunters. Believing that the Defenders of the Wing could be great allies in their war with Viggo, Hiccup and Hicca tried to convince Mala that they weren't the enemy. But though the Riders were able to earn the Benefit of the Doubt thanks to their dragons, things went south when they realized that the Defenders' Great Protector, The Eruptodon, was captured by Viggo and were blamed for it. And just when it looked like the end for the teens, at the very last minute an old friend, who was long thought dead, returned…
Few moments earlier…
Henry was riding on Wildstar as they led the other dragons behind them, flying across the ocean to a location they didn't know.
Henry sighed, it had been days since he and Dagur foiled the Shipyard ambush and he and his dragons barely escaped with their lives. As much as he wanted to return to Dragon's Edge he wasn't sure if he'd be welcomed there, not after the stunt he pulled breaking Dagur out, not to mention Heather's word still stung him.
Still he couldn't deny a part of him still missed her, Astrid, Raeda, Fishlegs, Stormfly, Sparkfire, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, Windshear, even Snotlout and the Thorston Twins, Hiccup, Toothless, Midnight and…
"Hicca." He sighed, thinking about the auburn haired girl, even now he couldn't get the memory of her smile out his head.
Wildstar then let out a sad croon, 'I miss the Dragon Riders.'
Henry then patted her neck, "I know girl, I miss them too." He said as though to himself, "You know, maybe it's time we go back, even if it means getting kicked off the team." He said.
Wildstar and the other four dragons immediately growled excitedly, liking the idea.
Henry chuckled, "Okay then, let's-" He was halted when he heard a loud and familiar roar. "What the…" He looked below him and saw a fleet of Hunter ships.
But what really shocked Henry is that he sees an Eruptodon being held prisoner in a cage as it struggles to break free. "Wait, that's an Eruptodon!" Henry called out in shock as he recognized that dragon. "But the closest place father and his men could have gotten one is…" He trailed off as he looked at the island the hunters have left from as he gets a worried expression.
"Oh no." He said he was worried as he turned to his dragons. "Change of plans, fellas. We gotta get back to Defenders of the Wing and see for ourselves!" He called out as his dragons nodded in agreement as they turned to Defenders of the Wing's island as Henry looked back at the Eruptodon. "I promise I will be back to free you." He said to the Eruptodon as he flew off.
As he flew over the island, couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia from the last time he was here. "Home, sweet home." He sighed before turning to the Volcano and saw the smoke billowing from it, which confirmed his fears. "Oh Thor. He did it. That lunatic actually did it. He captured the Great Protector." He said in worried as he then saw something at the entrance of the Volcano. "Wait a minute, is that…" He started.
Down below he saw Mala, Throk and their people surrounding the Dragon Riders as they aimed their weapons at them.
"Hicca?! Guys?!" He exclaimed before he noticed Mala pointing her sword at them, "Oh boy, guys move!" He said as he and Wildstar dove down.
Which brings us back to now.
Henry dismounted from Wildstar with his back to his friends, both old and new, contemplating what he should say.
He just sighed and glanced at them with a small grin, "Well, Long time no see, guys." He said.
Hicca looked at him with a mix of emotions, "H-Henry?" She finally spoke.
"Were you expecting someone else?" He joked.
Hicca was just shocked to see him as she rushed towards him and then once she was close….she punched his shoulder. "We thought you were dead, you jerk!" She cried out in joy, sorrow and anger.
Henry gave an apologetic grin as he rubbed his shoulder. "Not dead yet, just…. Scarred." He said as he lowered his hood, showing them a scar across his right eye as he brushed his fingers gingerly over his scar mark.
The Dragon Riders were surprised and shocked by this after they saw Henry's scar.
Hicca held his face to look at it closely. "Your eye, what, how?" She asked in shock.
"Let's just say that during the shipyard battle, I had to improvise when knocking a dragon root arrow off course." He explained sheepishly.
"You blocked an arrow with your face?!" Hicca yelled in disbelief.
"Nice!" Tuffnut complimented with two thumbs up. Hicca then turned and glared at Tuffnut as the Thorston boy lowered his thumbs. "I mean, horrible." He corrected himself.
Henry just chuckled, "Nice to see you too, Tuff." He said before gesturing To the others, "And the rest of you."
"It's great to see you too, Henry." Hiccup said with a smile, happy to see their friend alive.
"You scared us pretty bad back there." Astrid told him with a smirk.
"Thank Thor, you're alive." Fishlegs said in amazement and relief.
"Glad to see you, Henry, not that I missed you or anything." Snotlout shrugged, but deep down, he was happy to see that Henry was with them.
"It's great to have you back, Henry." Raeda said with a smile.
"Wait, are you really Henry?" Tuffnut asked suspiciously.
"Or are you just his ghost with a cool scar that came back to haunt us with your ghostly stuff." Ruffnut finished, raising a brow and waving her hands and wriggling her fingers creepily at him.
Henry smacked Ruffnut fingers away as he spoke with a chuckle. "I can assure you, I am no ghost of any kind. Or else I wouldn't have touched your solid hands." He said with a small smile.
"Oh yeah, well what if you're a ghost that can touch people?!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
Henry just smiled and shook his head, "Nice to see, things are still the same." He commented to Hicca.
Hicca gave a chuckle. "It hasn't been that long and things just got better when you showed up." She said happily.
"I bet." Henry replied as he then turned to the Defenders of the Wing as he could tell that they were shocked to see him. "And I see that you guys met the Defenders of the Wing." He added with a small smile.
The Dragons Riders flinched, it was hard enough to convince the Defenders they weren't Dragon Hunters before, but now, with the Son of Viggo Grimborn, it would be next to impossible.
Mala was the first of the Defenders to recover and gave Henry a cold look, "Henry." She said with no emotion.
"Mala." Henry said back as they approached each other until they were face to face.
The Riders thought that Henry was gonna get sliced in half before Mala, who couldn't hold her face any longer, smiled and burst with laughter and Henry joined in.
And then to the riders shock, the two actually hugged, "By the ancients, you have returned!" Mala laughed in joy as the two broke apart.
"Yup, back and no worse for wear!" Henry grinned before turning to Throk who approached him, "Throk, bring it in buddy!" He said before they shared a hug too.
"Henry, my dear man. Welcome home." Throk greeted.
"And I see you are still the same Mala's guard as ever." Henry chuckled as the two broke apart.
"Just doing my part as a Defender." Throk said with a smile.
A fake cough caught their attention as they turned to Riders, "Um, yeah we're still here." Hiccup said.
"Henry, you know these guys?" Hicca asked in shock.
"Oh yeah. Mala, the Defenders and I, we go way back when I first met them after I defected from the Dragon Hunters a few years back." Henry said with a small smile.
"Wait, really?!" Raeda asked in shock by this, as did the others.
"I never told anyone this, but I found the Defenders of the Wing with my five dragons when I escaped from my father and the Hunters." Henry revealed. "When they found out who I was, well let's just say I almost ended up being Speed Stinger food."
"I believe that." Hiccup commented, remembering his moment in the nest.
"After I proved I wasn't like the Hunters, the Queen at the time, Mala's mother accepted me as one of them and raised me her own," He explained and then gestured to Throk and Mala, "Mala and Throk were my closest friends growing up, we did everything together." He added as he gave a smile at the two, who smiled back in return.
"Wow, that's great to hear." Hiccup said as he smiled at the three while relieved that they knew each other.
"Wait, wait, wait, time out! Let me get this straight." Snotlout said, holding up his hands and gesturing to Mala and Throk, "You know them, they know you, but they tried to kill us, and everybody's okay with this?" He asked before he jumped in the air, "DID I MISS SOMETHING?!" he yelled out.
"Easy, Snotlout." Raeda said as she patted Snotlout to calm him down a bit.
"And yes. I do know them. And…" Henry trailed off when he realized what Snotlout said in those words. "Wait, you tried to kill my team?!" He demanded before turning to Mala and Throk in shock. "What gave you the idea to try and kill the very Vikings who tried to protect dragons?!" He questioned them in anger.
Mala and Throk looked at Henry in surprise as they gave sheepish expressions. "Well… you see… Erm?" Throk tried to say something but wasn't sure what to say.
"Let's just say that there's been a slight misunderstanding." Mala simply said as she gave a sheepish smile.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" Henry demanded.
"Do you want the long or the short version?" Tuffnut asked.
"Short?" Henry asked.
"Your father, Viggo, had Hiccup and Hicca come to an island in the middle of nowhere cover in blue oleander to give them a map that called for a truce where we stay on one side and the hunters on the others but Hiccup and Hicca knew he was a game player trying to make us assume he was after something on his side so we came here to find what that was but these guys captured us because they thought we were dragon hunters except we weren't dragon hunters, then I rocked defending Hiccup and Hicca during their trial so we got to go to the nest where Hiccup was almost Speed Stinger supper before Toothless came in and save him, convincing Mala we weren't Dragon Hunter but then we would found out that one Viggo Grimborn snuck onto the island all sneakily, snatched the Defender of the Wing's lava eating dragon and were about to kill us and then you showed up." Tuffnut recounted quickly and surprisingly in one breath.
Henry, and the others looked at Tuffnut in surprise by what he said while the riders were surprised that he can even say all that in one breath while Henry was shocked by this.
Tuffnut looked at their expressions as he shrugged. "What? I pay attention to certain events and memorize them if one of our friends wants to get up to speed. Sometimes." He said in defense.
"That is another thing we learn about the Thorston twins in the book." Raeda commented as she shook her head.
Henry, however, just gave an angry look as he turned to Mala and Throk. "You thought the Dragon Riders were scouts and distractions to Viggo, when their dragons supported them and you didn't even trust a single thing they said, and nearly killed my friends because the Eruptodon got captured and you thought they were a distraction so my father could get what he wants?!" He yelled out in disbelief.
Mala and Throk flinched at Henry's outburst as they should've seen that coming if they knew that the Dragon Riders are Henry's team and friends.
"Well, they have one of your father's maps, so naturally we assumed…" Mala tried to reason.
"You should've thought that they could've either taken my father's map instead of judging a book by its cover!" Henry yelled out, which made Mala flinched before he sighed and covered his face. "Oh gods, you're just like mom." He commented.
Mala gave a sheepish chuckle as she continued. "Well, you know how much she loves to make sure when a lesson is taught, it's taught hard." She replied.
"Well you really need to work on that." Henry said as he turned to gesture to the others. "When I left, I was found by the Dragon Riders who gave me and my dragons a place to stay sometime back. And since then, I've been helping them take down my father's operation for some time until a certain event got us separated…" He said as he gave a look to Heather, who looked away shamelessly as he still remembered the words she said to him out of anger as Henry continued. "Then I was out on my own for a while until I heard a roar and saw one of my father's ships who had the Eruptodon from the island and figured I check here to be sure, only to find my team was here with you and your men about to run them through your weapons." He finished with a raised brow.
Mala, Throk and the rest of the Defenders gave sheepish expressions as they either rubbed the back of their heads or gave sheepish chuckles.
Henry then sighed before giving a smile and turning to the riders, "Well, Riders you wanna prove your not Hunters? Here's your chance." He said with determination, "Let's get that Eruptodon back."
The other Riders gave determined expressions as they nodded as Hiccup turned to Mala.
"Don't worry, Mala. We'll get the protector back. You can trust us." Hiccup said in assurance. "I'll even leave some of our riders to help slow the lava until we get him back."
Mala looked at him, "Only your best." She told him.
"Heather's a survivalist, she's dealt with lava before," said Hiccup looking at Heather. "And Ruff and Tuff…"
All eyes fell upon the Thorston twins, which was unfortunate because at that point they were transfixed with the Defender's blowgun.
"Oh, what do we have here?" Tuffnut asked as he took one Defender's blowguns. "Huh, a blowgun. I'm just gonna…" He then blew it, but he held it backwards and the dart flew right into his mouth. "Oh, no!" He clutched his throat and looked at his sister. "Dart throat stings. Losing control of my vocal chord—" he said as his voice changed.
Ruffnut laughed uncontrollably, until Snotlout knocked Tuffnut in the back of the head and the dart flew out and landed on Ruffnut's helmet. The two of them groaned and collapsed and fell unconscious, which did not seem to impress the Defenders.
Mala raised an eyebrow at Hiccup.
"Uh, let's just say they… have a lot of experience cleaning up stuff." Hicca said sheepishly before giving a sincere smile. "You can trust me. I swear it."
Mala looked at the Defenders and she was clearly unsure which path to take to kill them to trust them.
Eventually she lowered her sword. "I accept your offer, on one condition, I must travel with you to save our beloved dragon."
The entire tribe gasped, because they knew riding a dragon was forbidden on their island.
"I thought you didn't fly dragons?" Hiccup asked, equally surprised.
"I will do whatever it takes to save The Great Protector, and if my brother trusts you then I must be willing to trust you." she said before giving Henry a smile which he returned before she turned back to Hiccup with a firm expression as she marched up towards him. "But if you fail me, I will kill you. If you attempt an escape, I will kill you. If I think, at any time—"
"You will kill me," Hiccup finished. "Understood."
Mala nodded. "Then it shall be done."
"Mala, you always have a way with strangers." Henry said with a rolled eye before Mala gave him a subtle stomp on the boot. "OW! You still got it." He said, holding his foot.
Mala gave a small smile at Henry. "Thank you." She simply said.
Snotlout looked at Hiccup as if he'd gone crazy. "She's coming with us? That's totally gonna mess up our rhythm."
"What rhythm?" Hiccup asked.
Heather then looked at Henry, cautiously. "Henry." She said uncertainty.
Henry glanced at her with a blank frown, "Heather." He simply said.
Heather gripped her arm, she then took a breath. "Listen, I know the last time we saw each other, I said some things I shouldn't have. And I want you to know that I'm really, really sorry for not understanding that you knew what I was going through." She apologized as she looked away in guilt.
Henry took a breath as he sighs. "Heather, I don't blame you for feeling that way. But those words really hit me hard when you said that. I wasn't exactly in a rush to forgive you to be honest." He said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Heather feared that was that before Henry continued, "But, after a while I began to understand that Dagur had hurt a lot more and more personally than my father ever did to me, so I can understand why you were so angry to not listen to him. So I don't really blame you for saying those out of anger." He said honestly as Heather looked at him in surprise.
"Really? You don't?" Heather asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and I know those things you said just came from a bad place while having a bad life when you grow up." Henry said in a sympathetic voice. "So, how about we let the past behind us, deal?" He requested holding his hand out.
Heather looked at his hand before smiling and taking it, "Deal." She agrees as they shake hands. But when they let go, Heather looked down, frowning.
"What's up?" Henry asked.
Heather then looked at him, "Dagur?" She asked.
Henry widened his eyes at Heather's questions as he gave a solemn expression to her. "I'm sorry, Heather. But I don't know what happened to Dagur or Shattermaster. We got separated during the chaos while fighting those hunters that I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I was lucky to make it out with a scar and my dragons" He said before looking down, "I don't know where they went or even if they made it out alive." He added in a guilt tone as he closed his eyes.
"When the shipyard cleared out, I went back to find any trace of them, but not even a scale." He told her as Heather looked like she was going to cry before he quickly added, "B-but that also means there's a chance Dagur and Shattermaster got away, alive." He said with a hopeful smile.
Heather looked up at him hopefully. "Really?" She asked hopefully.
"If you guys told me about Dagur, nothing can keep that Berserker down." Henry replied with a smile. "And if I made it out with just a scratch, then I'm sure Dagur and his dragon did as well." He added. before holding his shoulder. "And don't worry, I'll help you find him, wherever he is."
Heather smiled, "Thanks." She said before giving a smirk, "But once we find him, I'll cut off his legs for scaring me like that." Henry let out a chuckle, knowing she was just joking.
The Thorston twins chose that time to regain consciousness. "What happened?" Tuffnut asked as his sister removed the dart from her helmet. "I had a very vivid dream that I choked on a stun dart and lost control of my vocal chords," he said as voice changed yet again.
Heather groaned, knowing that her work was going to be cut out. "Come on, it's up to us to stop the lava flow," She said, grabbing the Thorston twins.
"Choked on a stun dart," Tuffnut said as his voice made very little sense.
"Thor, help me." Heather begged as Henry chuckled.
"Good luck surviving." Henry jokes.
Heather raised a brow at him, "The Lava or the Muttonheads?" She asked before she dragged the two to their dragons.
"We shall not fail you my Queen, and take of her, Henry." Throk told his old friends.
Henry nodded, "I will Throk." He said as Throk and the other Defenders made their way down the path and flying over their heads were Heather and the Thorston Twins.
"Now, let's rescue your dragon defender, Mala." Hicca said.
"You can fly with me and Toothless," Hiccup said looking at Mala. "We'll start canvassing the—"
Mala quickly raised her hand as he heard rustling in the bushes. The dragons began to growl as they sensed something in the bushes as well. Suddenly shot out of the bushes and Hiccup and Mala barely jumped out of the way in time.
"Dragon Hunters!" Astrid yelled.
"They left behind some men to slow us down!" Hicca called out.
"My father never leaves anything without a few surprises." Henry said with a glare.
"Take to the air!" Hiccup ordered.
"Get us outta here, Hookfang!" Snotlout said mounting Hookfang.
Unfortunately, Hookfang shot up too quickly and Snotlout didn't get his feet in the stirrups. Snotlout was launched into the air and landed directly in front of Mala.
Hiccup and Henry then saw a Hunter arrow heading straight to Mala. "Mala!" Henry yelled.
Snotlout chose that point a stand-up, and completely by accident, his helmet blocked the arrow. Mala smiled at him as he placed a hand on his shoulder before she charged into the bushes. The riders watched as he jumped inside and they heard the sound of fighting and from the sounds like the Hunters were getting a bit of a beating. The fighting soon starts and Mala emerges from out of bushes with a Hunter in each hand.
Henry laughed as he approached her, "Haha, you still got it!" He said as they bumped wrists.
"She is definitely coming with us," Snotlout said firmly then glared at Hiccup and Hicca. "And you two think you didn't want to come, guys."
Hiccup sighed in exasperation.
"Oh gods." Hicca sighed while placing a hand on her head.
Astrid soon landed back onto the ground and dismounted Stormfly in order to approach the Hunters. "Which way did they go? Tell us!" She demanded.
The Hunters said nothing and gave looks indicating they would not be intimidated. Toothless and Midnight then approached them and roared which scared the two of them almost instantly.
"North!" one of the Hunters yelled. "Viggo went North with the Dragon!"
"Thanks, bud," Hiccup smiled.
"Nice job girl," Hicca complimented as they mounted onto the Night Furies and looked at the Riders and Mala. "Saddle up. Come on, Mala."
As the remaining Defenders took the Hunters into custody Mala approached Hiccup.
"No," Mala said. "I will not be flying with you, Hiccup Haddock. I shall be flying with…" She then pointed to Snotlout, who was busy picking his teeth on top of Hookfang. "Him."
The Haddock twins, Raeda and Astrid looked in surprise as Raeda spole. "That's a shock" She said in surprise.
Snotlout chuckled nervously at them. "Me?"
"Say what?!" Henry asked in surprise.
"Oh, good. Yeah." Hiccup said sarcastically as Mala smiled at him.
"This could go well." Hicca muttered.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later they were up in the sky on their dragons. Mala, true to her word, was riding with Snotlout much to the bewilderment of the other Riders, including Snotlout himself.
Mala was just looking around as they flew in amazement.
"It's quite a rush, isn't it?" Hiccup asked, knowing the look of wonder all too well on Mala's face.
"It almost feels like you are a dragon huh?" Henry asked as he flew next to her.
"Indeed. Indeed," Mala agreed as she then began to massage Snotlout's shoulders, back and forearms with a pondering look.
This gesture did not go unnoticed by Snotlout, who was feeling quite a bit nervous. He wasn't sure whether it was because the way Mala was talking was new to him.
"Uh, why do you keep doing that?" Snotlout asked as he moved his arm away from her. "You're freaking me out, lady, okay? It's called personal space."
"I think, with a little less mutton and a little more exercise, you would be perfect." Mala said.
Snotlout looked at her warily. "Uh, perfect for what?"
"To be my king," Mala said simply.
Raeda then looked on with wide eyes. "What?!" She yelled out in surprise.
"Snotlout, a king?" Henry asked, wanting to be sure if he heard right as well.
"That's a scary thought." Hicca commented as she can't imagine their cousin being king, which might be a nightmare for them.
Snotlout quickly turned on her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you just say 'king?' Hold on, I thought I heard 'king.'"
"It has been foretold that a man from afar would come to my island and save me on the field of battle, and that man will become my king," she explained. "Snotlout, you are that man."
Henry then slapped his head, "Oh, right! That prophecy!" He recalled.
Snotlout laughed excitedly. "Oh, my Thor, this is awesome!" He then looked down at Hookfang. "Did you hear that, Hookfang? Finally someone recognises my worth! Forget being chief, I'm Snotlout, King of the…" He stopped and looked at Mala. "Wait, where are you guys from?"
Henry then leaned over to Mala and whispered, "Uh sis, take it from me, Snotlout's not exactly what I call King material." He said with a smirk as Mala gave an amused grin.
"I heard that!" Snotlout retorted.
"There he is," Astrid said, who had spotted the Hunter ship with her spyglass.
"Viggo and the Eruptodon, traveling without any backup?" Fishlegs frowned. "That's weird, right."
"Yeah, I remember there were a lot more ships." Henry noted, sensing something was wrong.
"He's up to something." Hicca said.
"Maybe getting the Eruptodon and the Defenders killing us was just a tip of the Iceberg." Hicca suggested.
"It's possible, but I doubt it," Hiccup said, as he wondered what Viggo could be after.
(Linebreak)
In the Dragon Hunter ship, Ryker was looking at the Eruptodon from behind its Dragon-Proof cage. It looked exactly like it did like a statue, but it looked as if it was made of molten lava.
"A funny thing happens when you remove an animal from the safety of its home," Viggo said as he approached Ryker and looked at the Eruptodon. "At first, it becomes disoriented and—"
Eruptodon then slammed its head against the cage door angrily. Ryker then drew his blade and pointed it at the dragon.
"Aggressive." Viggo finished. "Then, finally, the creature accepted its fate."
The Eruptodon kept on trying to break free of its cage, but while the cage shook it didn't break. It then started getting less angry as it realized that if it continued wasting its strength trying to break out, it would die..
"It loses interest in killing its adversaries and becomes more concerned with its own survival," Viggo smirked as Ryker lowered his sword. "Or at the very least, it becomes someone's expensive toy."
"It better survived captivity," Ryker commented. "It's worth a lot less to us dead."
Viggo pressed his hands behind his back as he leaned down towards the Eruptodon, which was beginning to relax. "All in good time, brother, all in good time. He has a very important job to do for us first. One that our poor Haddocks will never see coming."
(Linebreak)
It was late in the evening when the Haddock twins and the rest of the Riders were thinking of the best way to approach the ship.
Hiccup flew back towards Snotlout and Mala. "Why don't you two hang back? Something doesn't feel right." he said. He then turned his main focus on Mala. "And you're not used to aerial combat."
Mala gave him a warning look. "Remember, Hiccup, if you fail me—"
"I know, I know. You will kill me." Hiccup said.
"Or perhaps I'll have my new king do it for me," Mala said, placing a hand on Snotlout's shoulder.
Snotlout smirked at Hiccup. "You heard her right. King Snotlout!"
Hiccup stared at them. "Wait, what? How is this a thing?" He asked.
"Unlike you guys, she recognises royalty when she sees it. But don't worry, Hiccup, and I'll make it a quick and painless death," Snolout promised.
Henry groaned, "I'll explain this whole king thing later, right now, let's ride!" He declared.
"Hey, that's my line!" Hicca retorted playfully,
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh, gods." He sighs as he then flies back to the others.
"What a muttonhead," said Snotlout.
Raeda watched the whole thing as she felt something in her as she watched Snotlout having Mala ride with him as she growled. "She doesn't have to keep her hands on him like that." She grumbled subtly.
Mala heard this however and glanced at Raeda before turning to Snotlout as a devious smile came to her, 'Oh, so another has eyes for my king, and doesn't even realize it yet.'
Hiccup looked at the other Riders. "Okay, everyone, let's ambush him before he can react."
The seven of them flew down towards the ship and Toothless and Midnight fired several plasma blasts at deck, gaining the Hunter's attention. Next came Stormfly and Sparkfire's spikes which caused just as much chaos for the Hunters. The Hunters, however, counter-attacked when they saw them.
"Man the catapults." A Hunter ordered. "Archers, take down the leader."
"I'm gonna take a closer look," Hiccup informed the others. "Cover me."
"Like slime on a Cavern Crasher." Hicca confirms to her brother.
The Hunters then by their crossbows just as Hiccup and Toothless dived.
"Look out, bud!" Hiccup yelled, pulling Toothless' up.
"Spine shot!" Astrid commanded.
"Fire, Sparkfire!" Raeda commanded.
"Plasma blase, Midnight!" Hicca command next.
Stormfly quickly fired several spines and destroyed most of the arrows aiming towards Hiccup and Toothless. Then Midnight and Sparkfire fire at the hunters to knock them back.
"Nice shooting, Stormfly." Astrid said as they flew past Hiccup.
"Nice save, girl." Raeda said, rubbing Sparkfire's neck.
"Great job, girl." Hicca said as she patted Midnight.
Hiccup then started to circle around to get a good view of the ship, but it didn't look any different from the other Dragon Hunter ships he encountered before. The Hunters kept on firing Dragon Root Arrows at them, but Hiccup and Toothless skilfully dodged them and soon they rejoined the others.
"I don't see Viggo or Ryker, they must be down below," Hiccup told them.
"Then we're gonna need to clear the deck," Astrid said.
They then dive back down towards the ship and Snotlout and Mala watched their attack from a distance. Mala had to say that it was quite impressive the way they flew as if the Rider and dragon depended upon one another working together.
"Hiccup and his dragon are amazing," she said impressively.
"Yeah, I… He's okay, I guess," Snotlout shrugged. "I don't see it."
"I've never seen anything like that," she said in wonder.
Snotlout then turned towards her. "Yeah, but remember, I'm the guy who saved you in the field of battle, remember? After the person foretold the story about the things?"
Mala's eyes were still on Hiccup and Toothless. "The way those two fly through the air in perfect harmony, it's magical." She said,
"You know he only had one leg, right?" Snotlout pointed out, wondering if Mala was more interested in Hiccup now.
She then turned towards Hicca and Henry as Hicca was blasting away the Hunters while Henry drafted behind her before breaking away and burning the sails.
"And Hicca and Henry." Mala said in amazement, "Look at them, two warriors on the battlefield in perfect sync, as if they were the spawn from Vahalla themselves."
The Hunters then fired their catapult at Fishlegs and Meatlug.
"Open wide, girl." said Fishlegs as the boulder flew towards them. "It's lunch time."
Meatlug growled excitedly and licked her lips. 'I'm starving!' She growled.
"Wider. Wider," said Fishlegs as the boulder came closer and closer. "Wider!" He soon realized the boulder was far too big for Meatlug's mouth. "Abort!"
They tried to fly away, but the boulder struck Meatlug and spun out of control. As they spun around Fishlegs screamed at the top of his voice, but eventually he was able to regain control over Meatlug.
"Oh, yeah?" Fishlegs glared down at the ship. "Let's give them something to chew on, girl!"
Meatlug then fired a lava blast at the catapult destroying it. She then kept on firing at the hunters and they began running away screaming, one even fell overboard.
Hicca and Henry are talking out some launchers and catapults as they each took out some men and their weaponry as they flew past each other with a smile.
Hiccup and Toothless then began to shoot at the sails leaving burning holes in them. They then flew back and landed on the bridge where terrified Hunter was trying to load an arrow in his bow.
Toothless opened his glowing mouth and the Hunter fumbled with the bow and arrow. He then fired out of fear and the arrow just landed a few inches in front of him. He then looked up at Hiccup and Toothless, who roared and how to immediately run away screaming.
Hiccup and Toothless chased after him and as they ran down the stairs Hiccup jumped off Toothless to catch up. It was so busy looking at them that the Hunter failed to see what we knew was going and ran into the mast.
Two more hunters charged towards them, but a few helpful spine shots from Stormfly stopped them cold in their tracks.
"That's far enough." Astrid said as she hovered down towards them.
They tried to retreat backwards, but then came face-to-face with Raeda and Sparkfire.
"Going somewhere?" Raeda asked with a large smile.
Then Fishlegs and Meatlug landed next to them pushing them back towards the side where they stood terrified.
"If any of 'em move, Meatlug, eat 'em," Fishlegs ordered.
The Hunters just stared at him in fear and then looked at Meatlug, who licked her lips. When Fishlegs left they just jumped overboard screaming. Fishlegs looked back at her with a disappointed look.
Hiccup strapped on his shield and looked at Toothless. "High alert, bud, we're going below. Keep your eye out for an escape hatch."
"Hiccup…" Astrid began as they made their way to the storage hatch.
"I know. We'll be careful," he promised.
She then watched as he and Toothless made their way below deck.
When they got there Toothless prepared to fire a plasma blast, but Hiccup held out his hand to stop him. They made their way down the corridor, but have yet to encounter any more Dragon Hunters or even Viggo or Ryker and there was no sign of the Eruptodon or any other Dragon in cages.
(Linebreak)
It was soon dark when they returned and Snotlout landed on the deck.
"Any luck, bro?" Hicca asked her brother.
Hiccup then turned towards Mala, to give her the bad news. "We searched everywhere. No, Viggo, no Eruptodon." He said apologetically. "The hunters he left behind on the island were another misdirect."
"And now he had enough time to get away." Henry cursed. "He always pulls this kind of trick." He growled.
Mala closed her eyes and jumped off Hookfang.
"Oh. I hate to say it, Hiccup and Hicca, but this recent failure… I really wish there was something that could be done," Snotlout said with false sympathy.
"Now's not the time, Snotlout." Henry said as he narrowed her eyes at Snotlout.
Astrid, Raeda, Henry and Fishlegs looked to Mala, who had yet to say a word.
"This does place me in quite a quandary." Mala admitted. "On your one hand, your valor in battle and the grace in which you fly your dragons are undeniable, on the other hand…"
Soon there was an awkward silence in the air, because they knew what she was implying.
"There is a possibility." Mala said, raising a finger. "New rulers are granted a pardon for condemned Vikings. If you feel it is in order, my king."
"Only one pardon, huh?" Snotlout said smugly. "Oh, gosh. Save it. Use it. Save it. Use it."
Astrid and the others looked at Hiccup and Hicca questionably.
"What is he talking about?" Fishlegs asked.
"He's a king now?" Astrid stared.
"And apparently, after he accidentally saved Mala from an arrow, she thinks the prophecy of her king was talking about Snotlout." Henry explained.
"Which is why she's been so handsy on him." Raeda added with a little bitterness.
Snotlout began to pace up and down. "I mean, I suppose I could use it. Probably score some points with the peasants, you people. But I wonder if it's too early in my kinghood to burn my only pardon." He then looked at Hiccup. "I'll have to think about it."
"I suggest you think faster, King Snotlout," Astrid said, holding her axe threateningly. "I don't offer pardons."
"You better choose your words carefully, Snotlout. Or you'll get the axe." Raeda warned.
"Fine. Fine. Fine." Snotlout said quickly. "You're pardon. Whatever. But you owe me. And don't assume you are automatically invited to my parade." He then turned to Mala. "I get a parade, right?"
"If you wish," Mala shrugged humoredly.
"I do, I wish," Snotlout smiled.
"Okay, if Viggo wants us to go north he's definitely heading south," said Hiccup as he mounted Toothless. "I just hope Heather and the Thortson twins are having better luck with the lava then we are with our new monarch."
"You and me both." Henry said in agreement.
They then remounted their dragons and then took off to the sky.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile on the Defenders Island, the Defenders were busy digging trenches as a lava flow was flowing towards them.
"Keep digging, men!" A Defender ordered.
Heather and Windshear landed near some trees. "Slice 'em down, Windshear," she commanded.
Windshear used her tail to slice the trees and they found the path of the lava flow slowing it down and forcing me down the trench. The Defenders cheered as they won the first battle against the lava.
Unfortunately, at that point the Thorston twins arrived on Barf and Belch carrying a huge chunk of ice.
"Look at all them down there, Ruff." Tuffnut said looking down at the Defenders waving at them.
"Waving their shovels in anticipation of our heroism," Ruffnut smiled in agrement.
The Defenders were actually not waving them, but trying to warn them not to interfere.
"It's a great day to be a Thorston," said Tuffnut, completely oblivious to the Defenders cries for 'No'. "To be Tuffnut Thorston."
"Bombs away!" Ruffnut yelled.
The Thorston twins released the chunk of ice and much to everyone's horror it smashed right through the tree blockade that Heather and Windshear had created. The ice quickly melted and the lava continued to flow down the path it had originally taken. The Thorston twins realized too late that the defenders were just trying to tell them not to interfere.
"Oh," Tuffnut said sheepishly.
Heather flew up to them furiously. "All right, you two are grounded!" She ordered firmly.
"What?" Ruffnut yelled in disbelief.
"Objection, Your Heather, the defense purports you to be said jurisdiction." Tuffnut said with a smile before Heather growled angrily. "But we will agree to a short recess." He added quickly, fearful of her wrath.
The Thorston twins then promptly flew back down towards the ground.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile it was dawn and the Haddock twins and the others had found no trace of Viggo or his ship. Mala and Henry were beginning to look worried about something and Astrid pointed this out to Hiccup and Hicca.
Hiccup flew back towards her. "Are you okay, you two?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm fine." Mala assured.
"Yeah." Henry added.
"If either of you are feeling airsick, we'll be landing soon to water the dragons," Hiccup suggested.
Hicca looked at Henry, "Henry, what's wrong."
Mala looked at Hicca. "He's hungry, Hicca."She answered.
"Who, Snotlout? He's always hungry." Hicca assured him with a smile.
"No, she means the Eruptodon." Henry explained, "Unlike other dragons, an Eruptodon can only feed on lava and needs to constantly or he will die." He said grimly.
Everyone remained silent, not sure what to say. "When I was just a little girl, there was an earthquake that disrupted the lava flow. It wasn't long before the Eruptodon was frantic and starving." Mala recounted in sorrow.
"He became so weak, he was unable to fly to another food source." Henry continued, "It was only thanks to the miraculous return of the lava that the Eruptodon survived, but, if my father gets his way…" He trailed off.
"Mala, Henry, look, starved dragon is no good to Viggo," Hiccup said. "He has our Dragon Eye, he must know about the Eruptodon."
"So in the meantime, that can help us." Hicca encouraged, "We'll fly over active volcanoes until we spot him." She said to them.
"If only it were so easy," Mala told her. "The Eruptodon doesn't need active volcanoes to eat. Its appetite is insatiable, and its desire immense."
"And if it's hungry enough and desperate for lava, it will literally chew through the foundation of a dormant Volcano until it erupts." Henry added, hoping they would catch on to horrible thoughts he had.
Luckily when the Haddock twins' eyes widened in horror, they and Fishlegs came to the same conclusion.
"Dormant volcano?" Fishlegs gasped in realization. "The snow-capped peak at Dragon's Edge is a dormant volcano."
"Classic Maces and Talons move," Hiccup cursed. "Viggo's gonna use the Eruptodon to destroy our home."
"And with all those miles, and miles of water without lava, that dragon will be starving." Hicca said horrified.
"Looks like dad wants a little payback for destroying his new fortress, so he's returning the favor." Henry commented grimly.
(Linebreak)
Viggo and his cleat had finally arrived at Dragon's Edge which was completely unguarded. He then turned to his men and nodded giving them the order.
"Come on there, steady as you go," said Ryker as the men lifted the Eruptodon out of the ship. Once it was out of the ship they released the chains. "That's right. That's right."
The Eruptodon looked towards the snowy peaks of the Dragon's Edge and recognised the mountain as a dormant volcano. It wastes a single second by flying up into the air and heading straight towards the mountain.
"Oh, I love you when a good plan falls perfectly into place," Viggo smiled and walked off.
Ryker wasn't as confident. "We'll see, brother." He said as he watched the Eruptodon flying away. "We'll see."
(Linebreak)
It was now morning and at the Defenders island, Heather and the Defenders were still unable to stop the lava flow and worse, it was now only a few yards away from entering into the village. In a last desperate attempt they built the gorge whether lava was flowing with rocks.
"Come on." Throk said as the Defenders pushed rocks into the gorge.
Sadly the rock didn't even slow it down as the lava went through the cracks and continued down into the gorge to the entrance of the town. Heather looked at Throk, both them running out of ideas on how to stop the lava.
After their debacle, the Thorston twins decided not to help Heather and the Defenders and leaned against the statue of the Eruptodon with Barf and Belch.
"I mean, whatever we were gonna to try next, that should totally work." Tuffnut said to his sister.
"It would have been genius, whatever it was." Ruffnut agreed.
"Yes, and what would it have been?" Tuffnut asked.
Barf and Belch watched as Heather and the Defenders desperately tried to fill up the gorge with rocks. Heather was starting to get exhausted from carrying all these rocks.
'They can't keep going.' Barf growled.
'And even if they could, there's no way that can stop the flow.' Belch added.
"We can't stop it," Heather said. "It's going to reach the village." She looked at Throk. "I'm so sorry."
Throk yelled in anger as he tossed the rock into the lava in frustration, because he knew it was true.
The twins were still slightly annoyed that Heather ordered them to stay away from the lava brigade. "So not cool." Tuffnut said grumply.
"Who benches their stars at the end of the game?" Ruffnut asked in disbelief.
"It's her, right? It's her."
Barf and Belch looked up at the statue and then got an idea.
'You thinking what I'm thinking?' Barf asked Belch with a grin.
'Oh, I know I'm thinking that your thinking that we're thinking the same thing.' Belch confirmed as they then began to head-butt the one pillar causing the statue to shake.
"Knock it off, guys." Tuffnut said, who hadn't realized what they were attempting to do. "Not in the mood to play right now." He said
Barf and Belch ignored him and continued to head-butt the pillar.
"He said, knock it off!" Ruffnut yelled, who too hadn't realized what they were attempting to do.
The two-headed dragon then gave one last massive head-butt causing the stone pillar to crumble. This caused the Eruptodon statue and the other pillar to fall towards the gorge entrance. Heather and Throk saw just in time and managed to run to safety just before it blocks the entrance.
The statue of the Eruptodon, just like its living counterpart, saves the village from being destroyed by the lava. Barf and Belch head-butted one another in joy and the Defenders began to laugh and cheer.
TheThorston twins then rushed towards the statue and looked over to see the lava had stopped in its tracks. "Snatched from the mouth of defeat!" Tuffnut yelled.
"Victory is ours!" Ruffnut yelled in truimph.
The lava flow then caused the statue to shake and the two of them fell over unfortunately away from the lava.
"Uh. The Tuffnut rests." Tuffnut said.
Throk and Heather then climbed onto the statue, but saw that the lava was still flowing upwards. They might have slowed it down, but they hadn't stopped it. The only way that was going to happen is if the Haddock twins and the others were able to retrieve the Eruptodon.
(Linebreak)
The Haddock twins and their team eventually reached the Dragon's Edge.
"All right, the fastest way to the volcano is straight over the island," Hiccup began. "We'll—"
"Uh, Hiccup?" Fishlegs interrupted hovering next to him.
"What, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't think we can go straight over the island." He said.
"Why not?" Hiccup asked.
"Because of them." Fishlegs pointed.
There they soon came into view when they saw that Viggo and Ryker had already arrived and seized the base for their own. Hunters were already aiming their own catapults and ballista at them.
"The Hunters have taken control of the Edge!" Hicca called out in shock.
"Dad always loved taking his opponents best pieces and making them his own." Henry growled.
"That right, move the ballista over here!" a Hunter ordered. Once everything was in position he then lowered his axe. "Fire!"
They fired the catapults directly at them.
"Look out!" Hiccup yelled.
"Spread out!" Hicca yelled out.
The Riders quickly made evasive maneuvers and dodge the boulders.
"We'll have to try to fly around the Edge." Hiccup said, looking at the others.
"I don't think that will work either." Raeda pointed out.
Hiccup then saw coming from either side of the bay were Dragon Hunter ships. The archers on the deck then fired arrows straight at them and they had to quickly.
"We're totally overpowered," said Snotlout.
"Not quite the welcome home I was expecting," Henry stated as they dodge the ballista bolts that were being fired from on top of Astrid's house.
Hiccup yelled in frustration. "Think." He said.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled.
"We gotta hurry, brother!" Hicca called out next.
(Linebreak)
Watching everything from a distance was Viggo and Ryker. Viggo was watching the entire spectacle from his spyglass.
"They're completely boxed in and panicking," Viggo smiled. "The end is near, brother." He declared.
(Linebreak)
Hiccup was finding it very hard to maneuver from being boxed in from two sides in attack in three different directions as they were lucky to avoid the arrows.
Henry then got an idea. "Wait, wait, wait, I got it!" He then turned and looked at the others. "Fly as close as you can to the Hunters' ships." He said.
"You want us to do what?" Snotlout stared at Hiccup and dived towards one of the ships.
"Trust me!" Henry yelled.
"You heard, my brother!" Mala told him.
The Riders looked at one another and then they followed Hiccup down to the closest ship making sure they were flying in front of the Edge. The Hunters via the catapults at them, but Hiccup and the other Riders had dived towards one of the ships at the same time and the boulders smashed right from its deck, sinking it.
"Have them shooting at each other." Raeda said impressively.
"Your gamesmanship makes me proud to call you my friend," Fishlegs smiled.
"Awesome idea, Henry!" Hicca complimented.
"Thanks, clever movements run in the family after all." Henry said as they flew off.
(Linebreak)
Viggo had watched the entire event and was now utterly furious. "Looks like my son returned. Clever, Henry, very clever." He growled as his son managed to pull a wildcard on him.
"Uh, brother, is everything all right?" Ryker asked with a smirk.
Ryker's tone wasn't escaped on Viggo just glared at him in annoyance.
(Linebreak)
The Haddock twins and the others might have taken out one of the ships, but they had the ship to contend with and the Edge's defenses.
"I'm going in." Astrid said.
Astrid flew down towards the edge and managed to avoid being hit by a boulder. She was starting to make a way over the edge, but failed to notice that her own ballista was aiming directly at her. The Hunter then fired and she only realized too late.
"Astrid!" Hiccup screamed.
Stormfly was able to dodge the bolt, but the sudden jerk had knocked Astrid off her saddle. She then fell downwards screaming something which Viggo was very happy about.
"See? They lost a Rider." Viggo said pleasantly. "They'll never get past their own defenses. You're too good, Haddocks. And it's coming back to haunt you both."
Astrid was falling towards the water, but thankfully Fishlegs and Meatlug. Meatlug managed to grab Astrid with her claw and then they blew her back to Stormfly.
"Thanks, Fishlegs." Astrid said gratefully when she got back on Stormfly. She then looked at her dragon. "I'm okay, girl."
'Let's not do that again.' Stormfly screeched thankfully and then they re-joined the battle.
The Haddock twins and their Night Furies tried to get past the Edge, but were nearly shot by the ballista. Raeda and Snotlout flew over towards him.
"Hiccup, Hicca, we're running out of time." Mala said frantically.
"We'll never get past this ballista, Astrid and Raeda built it." Snotlout reminded.
"We won't stand a chance against it," Raeda said, feeling bad about her too good work. "We just did too good of a job."
"It's suicide, guys!" Snotlout yelled. "And I have a kingdom to think about."
"So do we, Snotlout, so did we." Hiccup said grimly. Raeda, Snotlout and Mala looked at him hoping that he had a plan.
"You got a plan, Hiccup?" Hicca asked with a smirk, knowing her brother's look.
"I sure do, sis." Hiccup said with a smirk. "Okay, here's what I want you to do…" He started to explain.
(Linebreak)
Viggo was still watching as the battle unfolded. At the top of the mountain he saw the Eruptodon digging its way into the volcano and then he saw Snotlout retreating from the Edge.
"Another Rider is retreating," He said pleasantly. "Sad, really, for things to end like this." he expressed remorse as Ryker scowled at him.
(Linebreak)
The Hunters fired more boulders at the Riders at Astrid and Fishlegs stopping them from reaching the Edge.
"We can't get close enough." Astrid said.
"One hit from that ballista and we are dead." Fishlegs said.
"Let us worry about the ballista," said Hiccup hovering above them with Hicca and Raeda.
"You guys fly west with Raeda and draw the catapult fire." Hicca instructed.
Astrid stared at him. "But guys—"
"Just do it." Hiccup ordered.
"I'll explain on the way." Raeda said as he flew to the west.
Hiccup and Hicca then made their way over towards the ballista. Not able to do anything else, Astrid and Fishlegs followed Raeda to the west. The Hunters didn't waste any time firing their catapults at them.
The Haddock twins were flying up in the air circling around the ballista. The Hunters arming the ballista took aim straight at him.
"Okay, guys, we need everything you've got." Hiccup said, petting Toothless on the head.
"Let's show them what you both got, girl." Hicca said as she rubbed Midnight.
(Linebreak)
Viggo watched as the Haddock twins Harvard in front of the ballista. "Such courage," He said and handed the spyglass to his brother. "Bear witness. Bear witness, big brother." He said.
(Linebreak)
The Haddock twins then flew straight towards the ballista at full speed. The Hunter was taking very careful aim not to miss, but then Toothless stopped abruptly and Mala jumped off his back and somersaulted behind the Hunter.
He swung his massive fist at her, but she jumped and spun upside down to avoid it. This caused him to lose his balance over the edge of the platform and Mala slammed her two fists right into his chest knocking him over the edge.
The Hunter landed on the ground and looked up to see Snotlout and Henry looking down at him with their dragons behind them.
"Don't you mess with my queen!" Snotlout said, pointing at Mala.
"Or my sister!" Henry added before he lost consciousness.
The second Hunter had jumped off the control that turned the ballista's position and swung his axe at her. She dodged gracefully and he tried to hit her again, but she jumped spinning and kicked him right into the head slamming him down onto the platform and grabbed his fallen axe in mid-air.
Seeing how there were still some Hunters remaining, Hiccup knew they needed more dragon power, "Hicca, call in the calvary!" He told his sister.
Hicca nodded and then did a new dragon call as high on the mountain, the Skrill heard the call and its body crackled with electricity. It then took off from its lair and flew over the island.
'Defend the Island!' the Skrill roared as he flew over the trees and all around the dragons answered his call and joined the fight. Naddars shot spins at the archers, Nightmares blew fire at the catapults, Gronkles devoured the rocks, the Night Terrors confused the hunters and the Skrill blasted the ships.
Mala watched as the dragons battled against the Hunters in awe, "Remarkable." She said.
(Linebreak)
Ryker had seen the entire event from the spyglass Viggo gave him. "I'm sorry, brother?" he smirked. "What was that you were saying? Something about our troubles being—"
In anger Viggo grabbed Ryker's throat and glared at him. The two of them looked as if they were going to fight, but a Hunter saw something heading towards them.
"Incoming!" he yelled.
Mala had fired a bolt straight at Viggo's ship, nearly hitting both Viggo and Ryker. The two of them didn't even flinch when the splinters flew past their faces. Frustrated Viggo walked away leaving behind a very smug looking Ryker.
(Linebreak)
On the Edge, Mala signaled the Haddock twins that it was safe to proceed and they saluted back.
"Now's our chance." Astrid said.
Astrid, Raeda and Fishlegs flew down towards the Edge and attacked the Hunter's manning the catapults with dragon fire. The Hunters were now retreating towards the short where the remaining ships were still standing.
"Let them go." Hiccup ordered. "We need to get to the Eruptodon."
"By now, it's gotta be hungry." Hicca added.
"We need to hurry." Henry said to them. "By now the Eruptodon has dug into the volcano."
They then flew towards the volcano and Mala jumped off the ballista and landed on Hookfang as he and Snotlout flew past.
(Linebreak)
When they got there they found that Henry was correcting his hypothesis. The Eruptodon was digging deeper into the volcano which was now smoking. Hiccup was the first to land and the first one to approach a large dragon with his hand outstretched.
The other Riders soon landed and Mala dismounted Hookfang. "Hiccup…" she said worryingly.
"It's okay, you're all… You're all good, big boy," said Hiccup calmly.
The Eruptodon then turned and looked down at Hiccup and roared angrily.
Hiccup quickly backed away. "Oh, yep. Fair enough."
"Looks like he's not in the mood to talk, bro." Hicca said in worry as she dismounted Midnight.
Mala and Henry joined them just as the island shook. "He's in a feeding frenzy. Nothing will stop him." Mala said terrifyingly.
"He'll keep crunching rock until the volcano erupts or he will die." Henry added in slight fright.
The island shook again as the Eruptodon kept on eating and Hiccup saw the volcano was about to burst.
"Hiccup, Hicca, it's going to erupt!" Fishlegs yelled as he flew overhead.
"We can't lose the Edge," Astrid said, joining him.
"I'm more worried about all the other dragons on this island," said Hiccup. "What will happen to them?"
Fishlegs frowned. "If we can't stop him…"
"We have to stop him," Hiccup stated.
"Hiccup, you know what will happen if we do that." Raeda warned in worry..
Mala looked at Hiccup and Hicca, afraid that he might kill the Eruptodon to save the island. "I now understand, Hiccup and Hicca Haddock, you and your riders are not an enemy to dragons. The good of the many outweigh the good of the few, but with all this knowledge you have, what good can it do for one starving Dragon?" She pleaded as The island shook even more violently as the Eruptodon even closer towards the source of the volcano.
Hiccup was hoping for another solution, then he remembered what Tuffnut had said when Mala first described the Eruptodon.
"Wait a minute, that's it," he exclaimed. "We're not gonna kill your dragon, Mala, we're going to feed it." He then looked up towards Fishlegs. "Meatlug!" he called.
"Of course!" Fishlegs yelled realizing what Hiccup had in mind. "Come on, girl." Fishlegs guided Meatlug closer towards the Eruptodon just above its head. "Spew that lava, girl! Spew!"
Meatlug try to spew, but she was out of lava from all the fighting they did. "Oh, no. She used up all her lava in the battle."
Hiccup exchanged looks with Mala unsure what to do next.
Meatlug then got an idea and roared loudly, 'Calling all Gronckles! Emergency Eruptodon feeding!' she called and a few seconds later the wild Gronckles of the Edge flew towards them. Fishlegs perform hand signals to get them into position above the Eruptodon's head and spew lava onto the ground.
The Eruptodon smelled the lava and turned towards it and then began to eat it. The Gronckles kept on spewing lava creating a trail which the Eruptodon followed.
"Meatlug! You're amazing!" Hiccup yelled.
"Way to go girl!" Hicca cheered.
"Oh, thank you." Fishlegs said, rubbing Meatlug affectionately.
Mala watched as the Eruptodon was taken further away from the volcano and eating happily with the lava of the Gronckle's were leaving behind.
Mala then turned to Hiccup and Hicca. "Your dragons are not unlike our beloved Eruptodon, they will stop at nothing to protect your home. They are truly part of your tribe." She said,
They then heard a roar as flying in was the Skrill as he landed before them and rumbled. 'The Edge is completely Hunter free.' He said.
Hicca smiled and walked over to him, "They're part of our family, and we're part of theirs." She said, placing a hand on the Skrill.
"Okay, am I the only one who thinks this is a little gross?" Snotlout asked, pointing at the Eruptodon, which was still eating the lava. He then saw the others were giving him looks. "What?"
Henry just sighed, "Well, this should at least keep him happy until we get him home." He said.
(Linebreak)
Later that day they returned to the Defenders island and returned the Eruptodon to them. Thankfully just in time before the village was flown by the lava flow.
Mala was now addressing the Defenders with Hiccup, Hicca, Toothless and Midnight by her side. "It is a good day, a day we shall always remember. The Great Protector has been returned, the village is safe once more, and the Defenders of the Wing have new allies in our fight against Viggo Grimborn. The Haddock twins and the Dragon Riders," She said gesturing to Hiccup, Hicca, Midnight and Toothless.
The Defenders cheered and waved at the Dragon Riders, who waved back.
"And what's more, one of our own, though not born into our tribe, has returned to us!" Mala added as Henry walked next to her, "My brother, Henry Grimborn, the Defenders of the Wing's ambassador for the Dragon Riders!" She declared, holding up his hand as they cheered again.
"Watch this, she's about to introduce me as the new king," said Snotlout. "Prepare for an epic acceptance speech.
"I have also chosen a new king," Mala continued.
"Bingo," said Snotlout as he walked up smugly.
"One that I am sure will be worthy, and serve you well," said Mala. She then turned to Snotlout. "His name is Snotlout."
"Thank you, my people, thank you," Snotlout said, waving his hands with a smug grin. Throk then grabbed his arm and turned towards him. "Hey, even with the new goods, Throk-man."
"Where do you think you're going?" Throk asked.
Snotlout frowned at him. "Hello? Aren't you paying attention? I'm going to stand next to my queen and take in the steerage." He reminded me.
"A new king must first prove his worth Mala. And you king must cross the Pool of Valour," Throk said, narrowing his eyes and pointing.
"Fine, I mean, I prove myself daily, but if this makes queenie happy…" said Snotlout making his way to the place Throk had pointed.
He soon discovered that the Pool of Valour was a lava pit.
"Yeah, you have to be pretty devoted to Mala if you're willing to do that." Henry smirked as Snotlout gazed in fright.
Mala was still addressing her people. "By Snotlout's courageous, my Snotlout is brave, my Snotlout is—"
Snotlout then ran past, screaming and jumped onto Hookfang.
"Hookfang, go, go, go, go, go, go!" he yelled and they took off quickly.
"Leaving?" Mala starred in surprise.
Henry walked next to her, "Hate to say I told you so." He commented. "But I told you so." He smirked.
"Better get used to that." Astrid smirked as she, Hiccup, Henry, Hicca and Raeda joined her.
"Trust us, he does this from time to time when there are things that he's not ready yet." Raeda said with a smirk, really glad that Snotlout is leaving this behind as she somehow felt relief that he chickened out.
Mala then turned to her, " , a word in private please?" She requested as walked away and Raeda blinked.
"Um, okay." Raeda answered as she followed after Mala.
Once Mala and Raeda are alone in the village, Mala turned to Raeda, " , there is something I wish to ask, and I want your full honesty." She said seriously.
Raeda raised a brow, "What is it?" She asked.
"What do you feel for Snotlout Jorgenson?" She asked.
Raeda's eyes widened in surprise at Mala's question as she looked away with a blush. "What?! W-what made you ask that question?" She asked nervously.
The corners of Mala's lips curled upwards, "So, my assumptions were correct." She stated, "You do admire him."
Raeda then turned to her with a bright blush and furious expression, "WHAT?! No way! Snotlout?! The creepiest flirt in the entire Archipelago?! Please, there's no way I'd admire someone like that!"
"Then you did not look at me with envy while I was flying with his Monstrous Nightmare." Mala stated, her smile not relenting.
Raeda looked around to avoid her eye contact to try and change the subject. "Nnnnnooooo." She said slowly.
Mala just gave a small chuckle as she spoke with a smirk. "You do not need to hide your feelings from me . I assure you, what is said between us, stays between us." She said as her smirk turned to sincere smile
Raeda looked at Mala as her face showed total honesty. She then sighed and decided to come clean, "Well, to tell you the truth, Snotlout can be so annoying and stubborn at times, and his flirting can be really annoying at times. But honestly, when he focuses on the task at hand, he's a pretty great warrior." She said as a small smile formed. "And, even though it rarely ever happens, he's shown to care deeply about our team and other dragons." She said as her smile grew bigger. "Once I was not feeling like myself when Hiccup and Hicca didn't spend enough time to hang out with me, Snotlout was there and he talked me out of it and help me realize that my best friends always cared about me."
Mala smiled, "It sounds like beneath that male bravado and arrogance there is a kind and loyal warrior that will alway be there to pull his comrades out of their darkest moments." She commented.
Raeda nodded, "Yeah, I guess even though Snotlout can be a muttonhead, he is much more than that." She said before frowning.
Mala then frowned as well, "But you are unsure of if what you feel for him is love or if he would feel the same." She guessed.
"Is it that obvious?" Raeda asked Mala. "I'm not sure what I feel for him after that, but I need some time to think it through so I can know for myself before telling him." She said.
"I understand." Mala said as she nodded. "But you best do it when you're ready soon, or else someone else might take Snotlout right from you." She advises.
"Nah." Raeda waved it off with a smirk. "I don't see that happening. Knowing Snotlout, he has no good ways with the ladies." She assured, knowing how Snotlout isn't that good of a lady's man.
Mala's expression however changes, "I have learned many times, Raeda, that you should never leave anything to chance." She told her before walking away. "So do assure what your feelings are, or else one day, you may wake up in deep regret." She added as she was out of sight.
Raeda was deep in thought to what Mala just said as she felt conflicted of what her feelings for Snotlout were or if she could tell him or not as she took a breath and walked off, thinking about Mala's words and trying to figure out what she's feeling before expressing them.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Viggo was looking over his Maces and Talons game board and grabbed one of the pieces. He then grasps it firmly in his hand with an evil glare.