Zephyr kept up with her parents as they ran through the grass. The sky was clear of clouds. It would be easy to fly today. Zephyr could see the village of Old Berk clearly now, the huts and armories just like her father had described.
There were also pillars that looked like weird trees with war horns situated on top of them. Their enemies had built stairs to climb them. The whole island would hear if an intruder was spotted. Actually, the pillars were meant to be dragon perches. Not that the current occupants would know that since the island had been abandoned eighteen years ago
Once they entered the village proper, Zephyr and her parents did what she had discovered she hated: they snuck through the village. Why did it always have to be sneaking? Why couldn't they have just gone in dragons blazing? She knew why, but she still didn't like having to sneak.
Zephyr's parents seemed to know where they were going. She sure hoped they were right about where Shadow Streak was imprisoned. Hardly any villagers lingered outside, mainly children. Maybe a special meeting at Old Berk's Great Hall had been called. Good timing.
Her father sidled around a pillar cast in shadow and approached a big, stone fortress. The top of it was made of iron bars and chains. Zephyr's parents ran through a passageway leading into it. Adrenalin raced through Zephyr's veins. Shadow Streak had to be here.
But Shadow Streak wasn't present. Instead, Zephyr saw five latched doors at the back of the ring.
"Start opening the cages," Zephyr's father ordered. "We need to move quickly. We might be spotted any minute." He pointed to levers by the latched doors. Zephyr sprinted over to one and struggled to push it down. She wasn't that strong, she knew that. But she was strong enough. The door's latch slid open. Zephyr looked inside. It was empty. The cells her parents had opened contained nothing but catapults. Apparently, the enemy used the cages as storage space.
Zephyr ran over to another lever. It was even harder to push down, but she managed, shoving with all her strength. Zephyr stepped inside the cold, dark cage. Her breath caught in her throat. This was the one! Shadow Streak lay in chains in the center of the cage. She was breathing heavily, but she didn't look hurt.
"I found her!" Zephyr finally yelled. She ran over to Shadow Streak and slid down beside her. Zephyr glanced at the chains; she didn't see any lock. Shadow Streak's eyes cracked open, then went wide. The chains clinked as she pawed at Zephyr in surprise and desperation. Zephyr met Shadow Streak's eager blue gaze. "Don't worry. I'm going to get you out, Shadow Streak. I promise."
Zephyr's parents rushed over and sighed with relief at the sight of Shadow Streak.
"How are we going to get her out?" Zephyr asked.
Her father ignited his newly forged and refueled fire sword and started carefully cutting the chains away. When the chains fell away, Shadow Streak sat up and rawred softly. Zephyr threw her arms around her. Shadow Streak was alive and free, free at last. Finally, Zephyr's mistake had been righted, even if her parents had been the ones most responsible for getting her dragon back.
Zephyr's feather motioned with his sword toward the cell door. "Now let's get out of h-" He paused, tilting his head. "Did you hear that?"
"What?" Zephyr's mother asked.
A small, muted groan sounded through the cell walls. "That," Zephyr's dad said, looking to his mother.
"It can't be. Can it?" Zephyr's mother questioned, appearing horrified.
Zephyr's father's eyes grew fiery as he stomped outside the cell. "I'm going to find out."
Zephyr followed her parents, one hand on Shadow Streak as they stepped into the arena again. Shadow Streak blinked in the sunlight. Zephyr rubbed at her neck.
"Oh no." Zephyr's father stared into the last cage he had wrenched opened. Zephyr wandered over and gasped. Shadow Streak let out a sad rawr. A Gronkle stared questioningly at them from the shadows.
"Hiccup…" Zephyr's mother said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How is it here?"
"It's old," Hiccup said, walking slowly up to the dragon who backed away. "Its scales are so pale."
"But the dragons all went to the Hidden World," Zephyr's mom said.
Zephyr's father shrugged. "Maybe not. Maybe there were some that couldn't make it for one reason or another. They were too old or too slow or just…lost."
Understanding lit up in Zephyr's mother's eyes. "Maybe that's why these Vikings believed all those ridiculous legends about us. Maybe they found a real dragon and it made them think all those stories were real."
Zephyr hurried over to the dragon and saw chains like Shadow Streak's weighing it down. "We can't leave it here. We're going to rescue it, right, dad?"
"Of course, we are," her father said with barely contained rage. He lit his fire sword. The Gronkle's eyes widened in terror.
"Hey, it's okay," Zephyr's mother said.
The Gronkle pulled back on the chains, quivering. Shadow Streak ran past Zephyr, stopping in front of the Gronkle. She rawred and the Gronkel answered. Then she nudged its nose with her own. She backed away.
"Try again, dad," Zephyr said.
Zephyr's father approached and the Gronkle didn't move away but it still shook. Her father's sword made short work of the chains. The Gronkle stared at them a moment after the chains fell, then rawred with happiness and nuzzled up to Zephyr's father.
"I think it understands we're friends, now," Zephyr's mother said with a smile.
"Now let's all get out of h-," Zephyr's father started to say.
Zephyr looked over her shoulder when he trailed off. He was looking outside the open cage door. Enemy Vikings stood at the end of the entrance tunnel. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Why could it never be easy?
Shadow Streak's saddle was still strapped to her. It looked damaged, but suitable. Zephyr climbed onto Shadow Streak's back. Mounting up felt so good. Shadow Streak seemed to think so too as she rawred with delight.
Nuffink paced. Roughly thirty minutes had passed, maybe more. He shouldn't be worried. He should just calm down and relax. His parents and Zephyr would be back soon. But then again, this rescue was supposed to be quick. This island once might have been Old Berk, but it wasn't anymore. Enemies were everywhere. What if the enemies spotted them?
Nuffink scanned the area. Spearhead yawned as she patted her dragon on its head. Booboo fidgeted on a rock by the pond. He slipped on the rock's slime-y surface and fell into the water. Fourlegs was exploring along the wall of the cove along with Fishmeat.
More time passed.
"Is it supposed to take this long?" Spearhead asked.
"Maybe," Nuffink replied. "I've never done this before."
"I thought they were going in to rescue Shadow Streak then out. Really fast."
"They were," Fourlegs said, moving back towards the shore.
"They're probably dead," Spearhead said, shaking her head. "We should mount up and fly back to New Berk."
"They're not dead!" Nuffink exclaimed. "It might just be more complicated than they thought."
"How do you know?" Spearhead asked. "If the enemies found them, your dad and mother would be killed for sure!"
"But they haven't found," Nuffink snapped.
"They have been gone a while," Booboo said. "Would it hurt to check on them?"
"Yes," Fourlegs said without hesitation.
"I'm just saying," Spearhead continued. "Your family would be doomed if the enemy found them."
"I know, Spearhead," Nuffink said. "We all know."
"Do you? They've probably already killed your parents and your sister's dragon. And now they'll torture Zephyr until they get the information they want. We should just leave."
"We're not leaving here. Everything will be okay," Nuffink insisted, then whirled round when a huge blast sounded in the direction of the village.
"Maybe we should check on them," Fourlegs ventured.
That blast…That must mean his parents and Zephyr had been discovered. They could be fighting for their lives right now.
"All right. We're going," Nuffink said, leaping up on Claw.
"What?" Spearhead asked. "Yes! New Berk here I come." She mounted Slasher.
"Spearhead, I meant we're going to help my parents and Zephyr. Didn't you hear that blast?"
"Are you crazy?" Spearhead argued. "If we fly over there, we'll meet the same fate as your family."
"Fine!" Nuffink shouted. "Stay here! And if we all die because you didn't come to help, I hope you're happy about it!"
Nuffink lifted into the air followed by Fourlegs and Booboo. They zinged towards the village. Nuffink glanced back over his shoulder. Spearhead and Slasher were following.
Shadow Streak's blast had burst straight through the ceiling of the ring. The enemy fled back down the tunnel at the blast's impact. Zephyr's and mother shouted out for their dragons.
"Toothless!"
"Stormfly!"
It didn't take long before the dragons appeared. Toothless darted into the ring, landing next to his daughter and rawring with relief. Stormfly curiously approached the Gronkle who softly whined as she sniffed at it. Toothless and Shadow Streak barely had a moment to touch heads when Zephyr's dad spotted the enemy creeping back down the entrance tunnel.
"Hurry! Mount u-" he began to shout, then stopped when four big shapes came into view and hovered above them. They looked like dragons. Yes, they were dragons. Four dragons she recognized.
"Seriously?" Zephyr's father said. He sighed.
Her parents mounted their own dragons. They soared up to meet Nuffink, Fourlegs, Booboo, and Spearhead. The Gronkle slowly followed, lifting unsteadily off the ground.
"What are you doing?" Zephyr's mother demanded.
"We heard the blast," Nuffink explained. "I thought you needed help."
"Nuffink thought you were dead," Spearhead complained.
"I did not," Nuffink said. "You thought they were dead. I just thought they needed help."
"Well, we're not dead," Zephyr's dad said. "And you shouldn't have flown here, no matter what you heard. We've attracted enough attention without more dragons showing up."
"Speaking of dragons," Nuffink said, pointing at the Gronkle wobbling back and forth as it hovered, "where did you find that?"
"We'll explain later," Zephyr's dad said. "After we've made it away from here."
They began to glide away, finally heading towards home. Then a sound echoed throughout the island. It was the war horns blaring.
"Follow me!" Zephyr's father urged. "Quickly!"
They zipped towards the edge of the island. Numerous ships surrounded the island, all battle ready. Rocks shot through the air, barely missing the dragon riders. Apparently, more than war horns occupied the pillars.
"Fly this way!" Zephyr's father called out. They followed him back towards the grassy plains, but they hadn't flown very far when crossbolts zinged through the air around them.
"What are we going to do?" Spearhead shrieked.
"Hiccup, look below. They're everywhere," Zephyr's mom shouted.
Zephyr could see enemies in every direction.
"We're trapped?" Nuffink asked.
"No," Zephyr's dad said. "Follow me."
They zipped upwards, out of range of the blasts. Zephyr's father angled in the direction of New Berk.
"Hiccup!" Zephyr's mother called out. "The Gronkle."
Zephyr looked back. The Gronkle was trying to follow them but was still hovering below, seemingly unable to fly any higher. It whined as it awkwardly tried to dodge more crossbolts. Then it slowly sank farther and farther downwards until it landed on the ground. It began to run through the village, rawring as it tried to follow them from below.
"It can't follow us!" Zephyr shouted. "Dad! We have to save it!" She laid a hand on Shadow Streak's neck. No dragon should ever be captured by people. They should be safe…safe in the Hidden World just as her parents had learned long ago.
Zephyr's father's eyes darted all over the island below. "Follow me!" he shouted.
Everyone zipped after Zephyr's dad as fast as they could. Luckily, no one had gotten hurt…yet. They flew past the village. No one fired on them.
"Here!" Zephyr's dad flew steeply downwards on Toothless, diving towards an old abandoned hut some ways from the village. "This doesn't look like it's in use anymore." He landed. "You all hide in there. Astrid and I will get the Gronkle."
They all slowly nodded. Zephyr, Nuffink, Fourlegs, Spearhead, and Booboo led their dragons into the hut. The sun was just setting, casting a red and pink haze across the sky.