Chapter 16: Grimmel's Attack
Night Fury Island
May 15
Early evening had started once Grimmel was finished with his work. Grimmel had already set up two traps in two different locations on the island. First he had hidden several steel traps within the tall grass and flowers of a small meadow and then he poisoned a pond with the Deathgrippers venom. Before he had even set up the traps or poisoned the pond, Grimmel had made sure the coast was clear and that his Deathgrippers did not smell any Night Furires nearby and there weren't. And that was a good sign for Grimmel. He knew for a fact that the Night Furies – how many there were – were hiding from them – wherever their hiding place was. And that was exactly what he wanted.
Now he was currently finishing setting up his last trap: a large net that was securely attached in between two trees. The Deathgrippers obediently stood still as their master knelt down to double check if the two frying pans were tied tightly to the rope attached to the trap and they were.
Should a Night Fury get caught itself in the net, the rope would be pulled up to the tree branches and the frying pans would clang against each other. Not only would the sound of the clanging pans would alert Grimmel and his Deathgrippers that said Night Fury was caught but it would also disorient the dragon and that would make it easier for them to finish it off.
But if he was going to finish them off, he would have to find them first.
Grimmel pulled out several darts filled with a purple serum mixed with the Deathgrippers' venom. This serum is what made the scoripion-like dragons obey his every command. He injected one dart into the neck of each Deathgripper. Once the serum was injected into them, the Deathgrippers' eye pupils constricted but they didn't constrict naturally as most eye pupils would. They were constricted into a hypnotized sort of way.
"All right, boys, there's a roasting pan full of Terrible Terrors waiting for you but you're not getting them until we finish off those Night Furies," Grimmel said sternly. "Now start picking up their scent."
He picked up his crossbow which was filled with more darts, then he whistled as he pointed towards the forest and the Deathgrippers obediently began to march with him.
One would find it odd that a dragon hunter would keep his own dragons. But the truth was, Grimmel only used only the Deathgrippers which he considered were the most deadliest, the most strongest and the most useful species to help him with his hunting and killing. He could care less about these beasts just as much as he could care less about all dragons. Still he found them quite useful for his plan.
And part of his plan was to bring down the patriarch.
Some dragon herds were led by a female, others were led by a male. And herds of Furies were led by males.
The lead Deathgripper would challenge the patriarch and that would give the other Deathgrippers the opportunity to attack the other Furies as well. Should the patriarch abandon the challenge to help his herd, he'd make sure that he wouldn't.
The lead Deathgripper stopped and let out a cry.
Grimmel smiled. He knew that the leader had picked up a scent and where it was leading them to.
"Good boy," Grimmel complimented sadistically. "Lead us to them."
….
Early evening had started and the Night Furies still hadn't budged from their secure, safe den. They still sensed the danger – whatever it was – still lurking on their island. They had no idea who or what had trespassed their island but they could smell it.
It was a new series of scents. One scent smelled awful – a kind of poisonous stench. Then there was another kind of scent – one that they had never smelled before in their life. But it was enough to let them know that there was danger on the island. And should that danger come within a few feet from their den, they would do their best to drive it away.
All seven pairs of ears perked up at the distant sound of footsteps and low snarling sounds. The strong, poisonous stink was filling their nostrils so much it was enough to make them grow sick.
"Stay here," Dusk quietly ordered his family. "I'll check this out."
"Be careful," Sapphire purred silently.
Dusk quietly stepped closer to the threshold of the den but keeping himself as close to the darkness as possible and looked around.
So far, nothing but trees and rocks.
Then he saw it from within the trees.
A dragon.
But he didn't recognize this species of dragon. This one was unlike any dragon he had seen before. It was black and red in color with large, sharp spikes aligning its back and long white tusks on either side of its mouth dripping with saliva and aligned with sharp teeth.
Maybe it smelled him and his family and maybe it didn't. So Dusk kept himself crouched within the darkness in case it did.
But it was coming closer and so did the other new scent.
…
Grimmel kept himself hidden behind the trees as the lead Deathgripper led the way. But even as he peeked his head around the tree only slightly, he could see a large rocky den straight ahead.
So that's where you're hiding from me, he thought with a wicked smile. Too bad my servants here know where you are.
Turning to the five other Deathgrippers, he held up a hand, motioning them to keep still as the leader made his way towards the den.
…
Still standing still in the darkness of the den, Dusk watched with narrow eyes as the strange black-and-red dragon slowly stalked closer and closer to the entrance. Behind him he could feel his family inching away to the den's back walls quietly but anxiously.
The tusked dragon bared its teeth at Dusk, salivia slowly pouring out of its mouth. Dusk also bared its teeth at the intruder and then he lunged at it, knocking it to the ground outside the den.
The tusked dragon got to its feet and it and Dusk circled each other, their eyes narrowed and teeth bared. The tusked dragon lifted its long tail and Dusk could see the long white spike at the end of the tail. He quickly dodged just as the intruder's tail was about to strike him. The tail only hit the ground instead. Dusk lunged at the dragon again and both dragons wrestled, clawed and snarled at each other.
….
Grimmel grinned. Everything was going according to plan. He turned to the other five Deathgrippers and letting out a quick, short, quiet whistle, he pointed to the direction of the den. The five Deathgrippers obediently made their way towards the den.
Grimmel pulled out his crossbow.
…
As he continued to wrestle the intruder, Dusk heard some rustling and scuttling and looked up in horror as five more black-and-red dragons with the poisonous tails and long tusks emerged from the trees and made their way to the den.
"NO!" he roared.
Just as he jumped off the first tusked dragon and started to block the den's entrance from the other five, he felt a small prick on his neck.
He had no idea where that prick came from but he couldn't let that stop him from protecting his family.
Fortunately for him, a plasma blast emerged from the den and struck the tusked dragon in front, knocking it down. The other dragons backed away from their fallen comrade.
Sapphire stepped out of the den, eyes squinted and teeth bared.
"Go away!" she roared.
But the intruders did not go away. They just charged towards her. But Sapphire was swift. She headbutted against the dragons, knocking them down again. The three sons and two daughters emerged from the den and helped their mother fight them. Now that these intruders knew where they were, there was no point from hiding from them now.
Dusk got ready to pounce onto the intruding dragons and help his family fight them but he collapsed. He felt as if a strange soreness was running through his bloodstream and draining him of his energy.
He tried to stand up but he collapsed again. It was as though the soreness traveling through him were preventing him from getting up and saving his family no matter how hard he tried to fight it.
Now that he was weakened, this gave the lead tusked dragon the opportunity to approach him with its spiked tail lifted. Dusk tried to move out of the way but he was so weak and sore, all he could do was struggle slightly while the soreness from the prick on his neck kept him pinned.
And so the lead tusked dragon brought down his tail, the tip of its tail piercing through his skin. From the stinger, he could feel a pain more terrible than he had ever felt before. And it was enough for him to let out a cry of agony.
Both the Fury dragons and tusked dragons paused from the fighting and turned to him at the sound of his cry.
"NO!" Sapphire and their sons and daughters shrieked, horror and heartbreak lined on their face.
"You've all got to get out of here now!" Dusk called out weakly. "Split up and maybe you'll have better luck driving them away! Go now!"
Sapphire stared at him for a second, horror and heartbreak still etched on her beautiful face, then she turned to their sons and daughters.
"You heard your father, young ones! Let's all split up!" Sapphire roared.
Dusk watched as his family split up into groups of two and flew off in separate directions. The first group consisted of Big One and Noserubber. Biter and Soft Paws went off together as they always did. And Toothless followed Sapphire.
The six tusked dragons also split up in groups of two and followed after his family. The leader of them left his side and joined in with one of his friends to chase after Sapphire and Toothless.
As Dusk lay on the ground, his energy leaving his body and oxygen leaving his lungs, he hoped against hope that although he couldn't escape from these strange intruders himself, at least his family could.
…
Grimmel had watched gleefully as the lead Deathgripper had stung the Night Fury patriarch he had helped to weaken thanks to his serum-filled darts. Then as he watched as the six other Night Furies split up into groups of two while his dragon servants gave chase, also splitting up into groups of two, Grimmel put a hand over his mouth, stifling a gleeful chuckle.
So those Night Furies think they can get away from his Deathgrippers, huh? Well, not unless they fall into his traps they won't.
And fall into his traps they will.
He quickly ran through the forest, looking up at the sky once in a while to keep his Deathgripper servants and his Night Fury prey in his sight. He didn't stop running until he reached the sight of the meadow where his steel traps were quietly hidden.
He could see that some rabbits were already caught in some of the steel traps and were desperately trying to break free. Luckily none of the other traps hadn't been triggered and there were still plenty for the dragons to get themselves caught in. Hiding behind the trees with his crossbow again, Grimmel brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly.
…..
Biter and Soft Paws could hear a series of sounds as they flew over the forest with two of the black-and-red dragons right behind them. Some of those sounds included the spine-tingling snarls of the other tusked dragons, the roars from their family and…a loud bird-like whistle.
At the sound of the whistling call, the tusked dragons seemed to pick up the speed and began to slam right into the brothers. Soft Paws and Biter shoved their attackers away from them with either their own strength or their plasma blasts. But the strong tusked dragons were not ready to give up. They both spewed a sickly-green liquid from their mouths.
Biter and Soft Paws easily dodged away and avoided getting sprayed but the drops of the liquid fell onto some of the treetops, practically dissolving the leaves and branches and setting them aflame.
Biter and Soft Paws looked at each other with horrified looks as a part of their home began to burn. Glaring at the tusked dragons, they resumed blasting at them and shoving them but the intruders shoved back and again tried to spew the green liquid at them but again they dodged, letting the liquid drop onto more treetops, also setting them on fire.
The brothers could see the meadow coming into view and realized that these tusked dragons were trying to shove them into the direction of the meadow. But why the meadow of all places.
"Look out!" Soft Paws cried.
One of tusked dragons tried to head-butt Biter and/or stab his body with its tusks but Biter was quicker. The second tusked dragon tried to strike Soft Paws with its tail but he dodged that too. The four opponents dodged and shoved at each other as they made their way over the middle of the meadow.
Their instincts seemed to be telling them to keep above the meadow at all costs. So did the sight of squealing, struggling rabbits below them. They seemed to be trying to get away from something but the only problem was that…they weren't getting away. Why? Most rabbits would run away at the sight of fighting dragons. So why were these rabbits squirming about in the meadow instead of running back to their homes?
Now Biter and Soft Paws knew that something was definitely wrong.
…
Good. Two of his dragon servants lured two of his dragon prey to the middle of the meadow just like he wanted.
Now to get them to fall into the steel teeth of the traps.
Grimmel aimed his crossbow at a blue-eyed Night Fury and shot a dart right towards it.
…
Soft Paws was still shoving and blasting against his opponent when he felt a sudden prick against the side of his neck. The prick seemed to drain some of his strength away causing him to fall down towards the meadow. At least he'd be landing on top of soft grass and sweet flowers.
Well, the rest of his body landed on soft grass and sweet flowers but as for his right front leg and his tail…
Soft Paws let out a cry when he felt like two pairs of jaws clamped their sharp teeth onto his leg and tail. He lifted his foot and his eyes widened in horror. It certainly looked like his foot was caught between two rows of sharp teeth but they couldn't possibly be teeth. While they were shaped like teeth, they were dark gray in color and the light of the evening sun reflected against it. It also reflected his horrified face.
Soft Paws looked around and saw that his tail was caught in the same gray-colored teeth-like object as well. He also understood why the rabbits weren't running away from his fighting the intruders. They got caught in the same teeth-like things too.
He tried to free himself but his tail and leg were stuck tight within these things and his energy was rapidly draining from the prick on his neck.
He managed to let out a loud but weak call. "Biter!"
"Hold on, Soft Paws!" Biter called back as he landed beside his brother.
Biter clamped his teeth against the jaw-like thing stuck to his leg but it was too hard.
Suddenly Biter let out a cry and collapsed beside his brother.
"Biter!" Soft Paws cried.
And that's when he saw it: sticking to the side of Biter's neck was a small, shiny object with a long, thin spike like the tusked dragons' tails. Soft Paws figured that a similar shiny, spiky object struck his neck as well.
But what was this object and where did it come from?
He couldn't see anything in sight other than the trees, the flowers and grass and the trapped rabbits. But he could smell that new, unfamiliar scent that had accompanied the intruding dragons.
Well, whatever this object was it was draining Biter's energy as well as his own. And that was making them easy, vulnerable targets for the tusked dragons as they hovered above them, their spike tails lifted, ready to strike them.
With his last bit of strength, Soft Paws lifted his wing and placed it on top of Biter and Biter folded his wing on top of Soft Paws. They were ready to brace themselves as the tusked dragons would finish them off.
The brothers had been together since birth. They had been together through thick and thin. And now they would be together in death.
As they waited for the tails to strike down on them, they heard two sounds coming from another part of the island: One sound was the startled cry of their mother. The second sound that followed their mother's cry was unfamiliar to them. It was a kind of clanging sound.
….
Grimmel smiled at the sight of two of his Deathgrippers striking the two downed Night Furies with their tails. But he frowned as he turned towards the burning trees, courtesy of the Deathgrippers' deadly green acid. He and his servant dragons would have to hurry and make sure the other Night Furies would be taken care of before the flames spread any further and burned the island to the ground.
He didn't have to worry about knowing if any other Night Furies were alive because he could hear a distant but audible startled cry on one side of the island followed by a clanging noise, also distant but audible. He recognized that clanging sound too well.
It was the sound of the two frying pans attached to his netter trap banging against each other.
…
Big One and Noserubber tried their best to fly away from their pursuers but the tusked dragons were almost as fast as they were.
When one of them lifted their poisonous tail at Noserubber, Big One sprang into action and slashed at the attackers skin with her claws which made the attacker cry out in pain.
This made the second tusked dragon charge and slam into Big One, causing them both to fall towards the pond below.
"Big One!" Noserubber screeched.
Big One and the second tusk dragon both splashed into the pond and the tusked dragon tried to pin Big One to the bottom of the pond in an attempt to drown her.
But luckily, Noserubber dove into the water after them and blasted a plasma blast against the tusked dragon, knocking it off Big One and onto its side right next to her.
Big One shot Noserubber a grateful look before the two sisters flew up out of the water. Just as the other tusked dragon charged downwards towards them, they blasted plasma blasts at the same time, striking their opponent right in the chest. The two blasts sent the tusked dragon flying backwards and landed on the treetops.
"That'll slow them down. Come on, Noserubber, let's find the others," Big One said.
Noserubber nodded and the two sisters began to fly away as far away from the pond and their pursuers as they could.
But Big One couldn't help but notice something: She felt herself growing…tired.
She couldn't possibly tired now and this was no time to be feeling tired. Not when they were trying to escape some intruders and to try to find the rest of their family and help as well.
"Big One, something's wrong with me, I feel so tired," Noserubber warbled weakly.
Big One looked over at her sister. Sure enough, she was looking a little ill and was dropping towards the ground a little despite her rapid wing flapping.
"No, sister, don't lie down, we must find the rest of our family and help them," Big One warbled back, also weakly.
"I'm trying," Noserubber grunted.
But she collapsed and crash-landed on the ground. And within seconds, Big One also crash-landed a little ways from her sister.
Big One lifted her head weakly and saw her sister a few feet ahead of her. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was labored and she showed no signs of movement.
And to make matters worse, the tusked dragon she had fought in the pond was approaching her. Water dripped down from its black-and-red scales and its poisoned spiked tail was lifted.
Big One weakly crawled towards her sister and the intruder.
"No! Leave her alone!" she cried out weakly.
Then suddenly, she felt a terrible pain against her side. A pain so terrible it seemed to paralyze and weaken her even further.
Turning her head slightly, she saw the tusked dragon she and Noserubber blasted at earlier standing right next to her, its long, spiked tail stabbing right through her side.
Now completely deprived of her energy and strength, all Big One could do now was lie absolutely still and watch helplessly as the other tusked dragon strike poor Noserubber with its own tail.
…
As he flew beside his mother, Toothless glanced over at the two tusked dragons that were chasing them, a terrible hatred filling his heart.
One of them was the leader who had killed his father and now he and his friends had the nerve to chase down his family and try to kill them as well.
Toothless released a plasma blast out of his mouth which struck the leader's friend in the chest. Not only was that to slow them down while he and his mother got a head start but that was also to make them pay for invading his home and killing his father.
As if inspired by her son's actions, Sapphire too turned around and fired a plasma blast at the leader, also slowing him down.
"Let's head down towards the trees, son," Sapphire advised. "They'll have an even more challenge trying to chase us through the trees."
"Yes, Mom," Toothless replied.
So Toothless and Sapphire dove down into the forest and so did the strange dragons. Then quite unexpectedly, instead of following the mother and son through the trees, the tusked dragons remained above the treetops. And it didn't take long for Toothless and Sapphire to know why.
The lead dragon and his friend spewed a bright green liquid out of their mouths. Toothless and Sapphire dodged out of the way to avoid droplets of the green liquid but the treetops weren't so lucky. When the dragons released that liquid, it seemed to melt the trees' top branches and leaves all completely and setting them aflame which caught onto the rest of the trees.
The two dragons made their way through the new, flaming opening but Toothless and Sapphire were swift. In unison, they released plasma blasts which struck each opponent in the chest, knocking them to the ground.
"Come, son, while they're still downed," Sapphire instructed.
Toothless followed his mother through the trees again, zigzagging all around.
Then suddenly, Sapphire stopped which made Toothless stop too.
Toothless looked at his mother quizzically, wondering why she stopped when they had two intruders to escape from. Sapphire was sniffing the air and her eyes widened in fear.
"Go that way while I go straight down that path," she ordered.
Toothless had no idea why she wanted for them to split up but he did as he was told. While she flew straight down the path, he flew off in the opposite direction.
A few seconds later, Toothless heard his mother cry out in a startled way followed by a new noise: a kind of loud, clanging sound.
Toothless turned around and followed the sound of his mother's call and that odd, clanging sound. Despite her orders to go in the opposite direction, he knew he had to help her. After all, he couldn't let her suffer the same fate as Dad.
Once he got closer to the calls and clanging, Toothless looked around some trees and his heart practically stopped when he witnessed a horrible sight.
His mother was struggling on the ground. She was caught in a tangle of what looked to him like vines. But these vine-like things were tan-colored instead of green. A single vine that was attached to the tangle hung by a tree branch and tied up to the end of it were…were…
Actually, Toothless hadn't had a clue of what was tied to the end of the vine. He had never seen anything like them before. All he knew was that they were round in shape and gray in color and two long pieces of wood were attached to them. The brown pieces of wood were tied by the tan vine. These round, shiny gray things were the source of the clanging sound. As Sapphire struggled, the two gray spheres banged against each other producing the sound.
Toothless shook his head uncomfortably at this new bothersome sound but he knew he had to help his mom before those dragons came to.
Toothless approached his trapped mother who looked up at him fearfully.
"Toothless!" Sapphire cried.
"I'll get you out of there, Mom," Toothless growled determinedly.
Toothless grabbed a mouthful of the strange vine-things between his teeth and tried to bite them in half but they were too hard to chew.
Suddenly, two roars rang out into the air. Toothless and Sapphire looked up in horror towards the direction the roars were coming from. The lead tusked dragon and his friend had recovered and now they were heading right towards them! They must have heard the clanging of the shiny spheres.
Sapphire turned to her son. "Go! Hide! Stay hidden! Don't let them see you!"
"But Mom-!" Toothless protested.
"GO!"Sapphire screeched.
Toothless knew this was no time to argue. He flew off into the forest, leaving his mother to be attacked by the lead tusked dragon and his friend. It was the last thing he wanted to do but he dare not disobey her.
Toothless flew all around the trees until he found himself at the edge of a high cliff overlooking the ocean. On one side of the cliff was a large pile of boulders all stacked up.
Toothless could see the sea stacks in the distance. Maybe he could fly towards them and hide there. No. Those tusked intruders would most likely track him down.
There has to be another hiding place around here somewhere.
Toothless looked down over the cliff and he saw it: just a few feet down below was a large hole in the rocky cliff wall just big enough for him to hide.
The only problem was that the tusked strangers would track him down into that hole as well.
Unless…
Toothless turned to the pile of boulders and got an idea.
A high-pitched scream rang out into the air and echoed across the sea and sky.
That scream impaled Toothless' heart.
The tusked dragons had gotten to his mother just as they had gotten his father.
And now they would be coming for him too.
In spite of his worry and dread for his mother, Toothless knew he had to act fast.
He blasted several plasma blasts against the pile of boulders. With each blast, the boulders slowly began to dislodge until finally they all began to fall towards the ocean. That falling pile of boulders would be enough to crush anything in its path to dust.
Toothless jumped from the cliff with his wings stretched out on either side of him and pretended to fall right next to the falling boulders. He kept a good distance from them so he couldn't be struck or crushed by them. As he pretended to fall, he let out a loud, screeching roar similar to the kind his mother let out.
Then he paused and watched as the boulders produced a huge, loud splash as they hit the water. Then he hurriedly flew over to the hole in the cliff and curled up as closed to the curved walls as possible.
Keeping still and quiet, he sniffed the air in search of the tusked dragons scent. They were far but he could still pick up their stink. He could sense them standing at the edge of the cliff above him and he could hear their low growls.
He knew they had heard the thunderclap-like blasts of his fireballs, the rumbling of the falling rocks and his "dying" shriek but he also knew they were standing at the edge of the cliff looking for any signs of him.
Toothless inched closer to the cramped hole in the cliff, praying that his trick was working.
Suddenly, he heard a new sound: it sounded similar to a bird's whistle.
He heard the lead dragon and his friend let out calls, responding to the whistle followed by the sound of flapping wings. He knew they were flying away but he dared not move in case they were trying to fool him and lure him out of his hiding place. He had to stay in his hole just a little longer until he knew for certain that they were gone.
…
As soon as he heard the distant sound of the frying pans of the netter trap, Grimmel whistled for his Deathgrippers to leave those two Night Furies to rot in the meadow and come to him. And they did.
"Come, let us find the others and make sure they've finished our little job," Grimmel said to them.
Together, Grimmel and the two Deathgrippers headed for the direction of where they left their airlift. As they approached the airlift, Grimmel heard a high-pitched scream ring out into the air.
He smiled mercilessly.
That distant scream was enough to know that one of the Night Furies had been destroyed.
Just as he was climbing into the airlift, Grimmel heard several blasting, thunder-like sounds in the distance followed by what sounded like a rumbling rocky earthquake. The sound that followed those sounds was another high-pitched screech.
Grimmel's smile grew. Yet another Night Fury disposed of.
Turning to his two dragon servants, he snapped his fingers. One Deathgripper grasped the chains attached to the airlift and lifted the contraption into the air with all its strength. Beside it, the other Deathgripper carried Grimmel's chest of traps. Together, the two dragons carried Grimmel's airlift and chest over the trees that hadn't caught fire from their acid.
Grimmel looked over the rails of his airlift just as his servants carried him over the pond they had poisoned together. A little ways from the pond, he could see two of his slave dragons standing beside two of the Night Furies who were lying absolutely still.
Whether those two dead Furies had fallen into the poisoned pond or not, Grimmel was just satisfied that his slaves were able to finish them off. The less Night Furies left in the world, the better.
Grimmel put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Below, the two other Deathgrippers looked up and flew up to join them. They grabbed the other chains of the airlift with their claws and helped their mates carry the airlift and trap chest above the trees that weren't set aflame.
The Deathgrippers carried the airlift all the way to the spot where Grimmel set the netter trap and sure enough, Grimmel could spot a Night Fury lying absolutely still, bloodied and tangled in the ropes minus the rope that held the pans that had caught his attention earlier.
Good. That one was dead too.
But where was the leader and the…oh, the other one, whoever he is.
Grimmel leaned over the rails even further and looked around until he spotted the leader and its mate standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down.
Oh, what were they looking for now? Grimmel thought in annoyance.
They finished their job. They've killed all seven Night Furies on this island together. So what else was there for them to find.
Bringing his fingers to his lips, Grimmel whistled loudly and for a long time. Eventually, the leader and its partner looked up at the sound of his whistle, looked down over the cliff again and then then flew towards him. The lead Deathgripper and his partner joined in grasping the chains of the airlift and handles of the trap chest.
"Let's get out of here, boys, before that foul smoke you've all created suffocates me," Grimmel ordered, disgust in his tone.
Obedeiently, the Deathgrippers carried his airlift and his heavy chest away from the burning trees and now they were all above the seawater.
As they flew farther and farther from the island, Grimmel looked back at the burning island with a satisfied look.
Another dragon-killing job well done. And hopefully those were the last and final Night Furies he had ridden the world of.
…..
After several minutes, Toothless was sure that the beasts were gone now. He emerged from out of the hole and flew back up to the cliff. Toothless looked up at the black smoke that was emerging from different parts of the island and descending into the evening sky. He could hear the crackling sound of fire burning away the vegetation from those parts. He had to find the rest of his family and get off this island before it burned down completely.
Toothless broke into a run towards the direction of where his mother was, hoping against hope that the dragons hadn't hurt her that badly. Maybe she had managed to free herself from the tan vines and get away before the dragons could catch her. Maybe just like him, she had fooled them and only shrieked to make them think that she was hurt. Toothless' hopes weren't high though. Sapphire's shriek sounded very realistic.
(Quick Note: I stupidly listened to Stoick Saves Hiccup while writing this next part to set the mood and it really brought out the waterworks. You guys better not do the same thing and if you do, don't say I didn't warn you.)
Once he saw his mother in sight, Toothless stopped and observed the scene before him.
Sapphire was lying on her side against the ground and still tangled in those vines which were now stained with the blood from her wounds. Due to her lying still, the round shiny objects were no longer banging against each other and making those loud, clanging noises. Her eyes were closed so Toothless was unable to look into that beautiful blue color. The tusked dragons had left their stench against her body now and it was so overpowering, Toothless could barely stand it.
Still, Toothless felt some hope that maybe Sapphire was only badly wounded and still alive.
"Mom, can you hear me?" Toothless called.
No response.
"Mom, I got away just like you wanted. The dragons didn't see me. Now we've got to find the others and get out of here."
Still no reply.
Desperate, Toothless looked around and found a small pebble resting beside his feet. He picked it up between his teeth and spat it out with enough force for it to fly towards Sapphire and hit the side of her head. But the mother Night Fury still showed no signs of stirring.
Toothless could hardly believe it. Just hours ago, he and his mom were having a wonderful time together – flying, playing, eating fish and fooling around. And now here he was standing in front of her bloodied, lifeless body.
Toothless wanted to so much lie down beside her and snuggle up against her warm body just like he always did. But he could smell poison from within the tusked dragons' scent – the very poison that had killed her.
This was the last thing Toothless wanted to do but he knew he had no choice but to leave her behind in those tangle of tan vines along with the now-still clanging objects. So with one last gaze at his mother, he took off from his spot and flew off to find his siblings.
As he made his way above the canopy, Toothless looked around. Treetops from different areas of his beloved island burned from the fires caused by the tusked dragons' green liquid. He flew around areas that hadn't been caught on fire yet and tried his best not to inhale the deep, dark smoke.
He could see the meadow straight ahead along with some trees all around it that were burning. Sparks of fire were falling down onto the grass and flowers, disintegrating them. Then he saw them: Biter and Soft Paws lying on still in the grass that hadn't been touched by the fiery sparks.
Toothless flew down towards them but stopped when the powerful stink of the tusked dragons filled his nostrils again.
Oh, no! Had they been poisoned as well?!
"Biter! Soft Paws! Wake up! We've got to get out of here!" Toothless called, flapping over them.
But like Sapphire, the two brothers neither replied nor shown any signs of stirring.
From where he hovered, Toothless noticed some gray, shiny objects clamped against Soft Paws' leg and tail. They weren't round like the objects from the vines that trapped Sapphire. They almost resembled teeth in some ways. But they couldn't possibly be teeth.
Surrounding his brothers were a few rabbits that were caught in the same shiny, teeth-like objects. Some of the rabbits remained deadly still like his brothers. The rest of the rabbits that were still alive, but only barely, and they squealed and struggled to break free. But they were stuck and if the jaws of these strange teeth-like things wouldn't kill them than the rapidly spreading flames would. And there was nothing Toothless could do to help them now just like there was nothing he could do to help his dead brothers.
Toothless flew away from the meadow to find Big One and Noserubber. Hopefully they made it out alive. After all, Big One would've taken her responsibilities of looking after her siblings seriously and helped her sister fight the intruding dragons and protect her.
"Big One! Noserubber!" he called.
Toothless searched and called until he spotted their figures lying just a little ways from the pond.
"Big One! Noserubber!" he called out in relief.
He started to fly towards them, to pounce on them playfully just like they always do.
But the overpowering smell of tusked dragon's poisoned stench stopped him again. The smell was coming from his sisters! And they were lying absolutely still, their eyes closed and their faces scrunched in a painful, sickly sort of way.
"Oh, no. Not you too," he warbled desperately.
But it was true. They had been wounded, poisoned and killed by those tusked intruding dragons.
Those invaders had killed his whole family – his father, his mother, Big One, Biter, Soft Paws and Noserubber.
And he, Toothless, was the only survivor.
The crackling sounds of the fire and the snapping sounds of falling branches snapped Toothless out of his horror and depression. He looked around at the rapidly spreading fire and smoke. He had to get out of here.
Toothless flew away from the dead bodies of his poor sisters and the burning forest. He flew over the treetops – both burning and non-burning and soon he was flying over the seawater.
He flew all the way to the sea stacks – the same ones he and Sapphire played around and rested on top of.
Toothless landed and sat on the very sea stack he and Sapphire had rested upon that afternoon. As he sat he looked back at his island which was burning from the fire produced by the tusked dragons' strange green liquid. Streams of smoke descended into the sky which was growing dark as night fell.
All Toothless could think about were the motionless, lifeless, poisoned bodies of his parents and siblings that were still lying on that burning island.
The five-year-old Night Fury lifted his head to the sky and let out a cry of anguish that echoed into the clouds.