Chapter 4: The Night Fury Killer
The next morning, The Haddock Twins, Astrid, Heather and Raeda. Henry, Ragnar and Dagur told the other dragon riders about what they saw last night.
"What do you mean, gone?" Snotlout questioned.
"Vanished, into thin air." Hiccup said, tending Meatlug's claws.
"Guys, I'm telling you." Hicca as she and Raeda scrubbed Hookfang. "Daybreak and Moona were amazing."
"Daybreak and Moona?" Raeda arched her brow.
"We have to call them something, right?" Hicca defended.
"I kinda like it. Really fitting for those two." Valerie commented with a smile as she washed Camo.
And then Fishlegs came next to Hiccup with a drawing of a Light Fury. "What do you think?" He asked, but it looked more like Night Fury.
"Uh-uh." Hiccup shook his head. "Stubbier ears, no dorsal plates."
"And the tailfins are a bit rounded compared to Toothless or Midnight." Hicca added as she came over. "Light Furies only have 4 ear flaps, 2 big ones on top, and 2 smaller ones on the sides, and a short ridge running down the back."
"Okay, got it." Fishlegs said and headed off.
"And you said there was a family of how many again?" Henry asked as he brushed Wildstar's teeth while his other four dragons were waiting. "I mean, me and the boys only saw a brief moment before they flew off that we didn't get to count." He pointed out
"Twelve, Twelve Night Furies," Hiccup told him, "Two Titans-Wings, four Broad-Wings, three Short-Wings and 3 Tiny-Tooths."
"And from what I could tell, the Male Titan-Wing and Broad-Wing, are the only adult males." Heather added, bringing over some fish, "Everyone else was either a female or juvenile."
"And this is the first time we've seen a group of Furies after the Haddocks'." Ragnar commented as he scrubbed Skully's bones.
"What a night." Eret chuckled as he walked away with some supplies.
"Yeah, discovering the Night Fury's distant cousin and a whole Pride of Furies in one night." Dagur recounted how he polished Sleuther's horns.
"Talk about a find of the century." Valerie commented, since she was told that the Riders never saw any more Night Furies out there since their second trip to Vanahiem when Dagur went to find the truth of Oswald the agreeable, Heather and Dagur's father.
"Never a dull moment on Berk." Hicca shrugged before looking around. "Um, has anyone seen Midnight."
"Oh, she's just sadly laying on the ground over there." Tuffnut said casually, as he pointed to Midnight laying down, looking sad.
Hicca looked at her dragon with concern. Ever since last night, Midnight couldn't sleep, wouldn't eat and didn't even want to fly anymore.
"Man, she's been like that ever since we found those Night and Light Furies." Hiccup noted.
"And it's making me more and more worried about her, Hiccup. I mean, even Toothless and their kids can't cheer her up." Hicca added in concern as she pointed to Toothless and the Night Furies hatchlings as they tried to cheer up Midnight, but so far is having little effect as Midnight is still sad. "I've never seen Midnight this sad before, what's wrong with her?" She asked herself.
"Well, whatever it is, I can't say that I blame her, she, along with Toothless and their cubs, haven't found any more of their kind for years before they met you two, so it makes sense to be sad to watch them go." Heather said in sympathy to Toothless, Midnight and their cubs.
"Yeah. I mean, me and Heather have searched the world looking for our father before we realize he passed on, so I wouldn't blame them either." Dagur agreed, having similar experience to when he and Heather went out to search for their father, Oswald the Agreeable, so they can reunite as a family before they realize he passed on before they found him and gave him a proper burial, understanding the Night Fury family to realizes that more of their kind are still out there.
"I think I would be the same in her shoes, or in dragon's case, claws, if I ever found my family too." Valerie said in agreement, knowing she would feel the same if she found her family.
Hicca then walks up to her dragon, "Come on, girl, what, are you saying now that you found other Night Furies I'm not good enough for you anymore?" She asked.
Midnight just gave a halfhearted grunt and shuffled away from her rider, not really in the mood for a talk.
Hicca was surprised by Midnight's answer. Hiccup then turns to Toothless, "Oh, and I suppose you feel the same, huh?" He asked sarcastically.
Toothless just gave him a snort and walked away.
"I think that's a 'yes'." Tuffnut smirked as he and his sister are cleaning Barf and Belch's teeth up while Hicca and Hiccup looked surprise.
"But still, if you die, you'll have 1 leg at your funeral, brother." Dagur teased.
Astrid, Raeda, Valerie and Heather laughed at that.
"Or maybe half a leg." Dagur finished.
The others couldn't help but laugh from that.
"Oh sure, keep it coming." Hiccup said sarcastically.
"Sorry, bro, but you had that coming." Hicca said as she giggled at Dagur's joke.
"Not you too, Hicca." Hiccup groaned that even his twin joined it.
"Sorry, but it is funny." Hicca said in defense while chuckling.
Midnight then walked up and saw a family of Deadly Nadders together as she saw the two adults nuzzling each other before their six hatchlings flew around them as the whole family gave a family nuzzle together.
Midnight gave a sad moan as she looked down with her wings on the ground as Toothless came next to her and gave her a comforting nuzzle as Darkie, Nightsade Shadow, Starlight, and Blaze came to their mother and gave her a hug all over her body to comfort her.
"Talk about a family moment." Raeda comments as she brushes Sparkfire down while looking at the Night Fury family.
Fishlegs then handed the Haddock Twins another sketch of the Light Fury "Something like this?" He asked them as the card is almost like the Light Fury but still not quite there.
"Better, but still not perfect." Hicca told him.
Raeda then came up to her while spinning a pencil, "How's this one?" She asked before giving a perfect picture.
"Yes, exactly like that." Hiccup said happily.
"You two would have let Raeda do it first before asking me!" Fishlegs said while looking frustrated.
"Even if we did, you wouldn't be excited about this new discovery, Fishlegs. You do love this kind of stuff." Hicca told him.
"I still hate that about me." Fishlegs grumbled.
"Can you guys believe it? There are more Night Furies and there are Light Furies out there." Astrid said in astonishment at their discovery.
"I know, me and Hiccup were trying to find more Night Furies out there along with Toothless and Midnight's kids, but seeing a Pride of them and an entirely new species in one day? It's the discovery of a lifetime." Hicca said, still shocked at what they learned and found in one day.
"You're telling me, sis." Hiccup added in agreement. "And who knows, maybe there are even more out there."
"Well I don't think you're gonna find any if Midnight's like that all day." Henry pointed out, pointing towards Midnight.
Midnight is still laying down, still looking sad as her hatchlings stick close to her for comfort while Toothless is in front of her, nuzzling her head to try and cheer her up, but still nothing.
"Oh, the poor thing." Valerie said in sympathy for Midnight.
"Okay, that's so sad it's not even funny." Tuffnut commented.
"Yeah, even I have to agree. It's not even weird, but I still feel bad for her." Ruffnut added in agreement with her brother, even though they feel bad for Midnight that they can't make a joke about it.
"Seriously, you gotta find a way to get that giant pile of scales in the air again before one of us ends up shoveling her mess." Snotlout told his cousin to do something to get Midnight to move while wheeling a wagon filled with dragon poop.
"Yeah, you two need to cheer Midnight up. Because if even Valerie, Snotlout and the Thorston Twins agree that they can't stand to see her like this, then it's that bad." Raeda pointed out while looking at Midnight in sympathy.
"Alright, alright." Hicca said, getting the point before turning to Midnight, "You know girl, I was just gonna take a walk through the forest and maybe find some clues to where that Pride might be, but if you don't want to come with me?" She said teasingly.
Toothless licked Midnight's head to cheer her up, but then Midnight's expressions changed to excitement once she heard what Hicca just said as she got up and pranced happily, 'Yes, yes, yes! What are we waiting for?! LET'S GO!'' She roared happily, which surprised Toothless and their hatchlings as Midnight raced off to the exit in excitement.
'Wait for us, honey!' Toothless roared to his mate.
'Wait up, mom!' The five Night Furies hatchlings called out as they and Toothless raced after Midnight.
The gang chuckled at Midnight's sudden change.
"Well, that got her up." Hicca chuckled at her dragon's excitement.
Hiccup then looked at his sister. "Mind if I tag along, sis? We are a package deal and we are searching for Night Furies. It is our department together." He said to Hicca with a smile.
"You know it bro. Remember our motto." Hicca started as she and her brother smiled together.
"Where one goes, the other follows." The Haddock twins said together as they shared a brief hug with a chuckle as they followed after the Night Fury family.
Tuffnut then stepped forward as he wrapped his arms around Hiccup and Hicca's shoulders. "Ah. Good idea. A little privacy." He said to them,
Hiccup and Hicca frowned at Tuffnut from that. "Uhhh…" Hiccup started.
"What are you talking about, Tuffnut?" Hicca asked in confusion.
"Shh. It's sibling talk. Ruffnut, finish up Barf and Belch, I'll help the Haddock Twins out." Tuffnut said while calling out to his twin.
"Yeah, sure." Ruffnut called out.
"Valerie, think you can help my sister out once you finish Camo?" Tuffnut asked his girlfriend next.
"Can do." Valerie said with a smile.
"What?" Hiccup asked in confusion as he and Hicca stared at him.
"Dagur, care to join?" Tuffnut asked Dagur.
"Sure thing. I would love to search for the Pride of Furies." Dargu answered eagerly as he followed after the three.
"Come on. Let's go work this out." Tuffnut said.
Astrid, Heather and Raeda merely shrugged their shoulders and watched as the four exited the stables.
Heather then turns to Astrid, "So Astrid, let's talk about you and Hiccup." She said, like it wasn't an option.
"Oh boy." Astrid groaned, she knew this was about yesterday.
"Seriously Astrid, did everything me and Hicca told you the other day go through one ear and out the other?" Heather asked.
"No! Well maybe a little but," Astrid tried to rebut but just covered her face when she realized she had no idea what to say.
"Astrid, your face says it all. Are you that afraid to even consider marrying Hiccup?" Raeda asked with a smirk, while she wasn't there for that, Hicca and Heather filled her in.
Astrid just sighed, "Girls, Hiccup managed to create all of this before he even took over as chief." She gestured to the dragon utopia around, "Berk managed to get without a chieftess to this point, why would they need one now?"
"Because you were always there to make sure that the tribe listens to Hiccup and been Hicca's best friend since you were little before you two broke up and made amends. And you also manage to be there for Hiccup when he's down or overwhelmed." Raeda pointed out.
"Besides Astrid, did you see how close you and Hiccup were almost this close at getting scorched by those Furies?" Heather asked, remembering how the Titan-Wing Night Fury and Daybreak nearly killed them.
"Trust me. I remember." Astrid shuttered at that memory of nearly getting blasted by those two dragons.
"Astrid, if that tree wasn't in the way you could've been killed." Heather stressed on how close it was last night. "And who knows what Hiccup could be feeling right now if that happened."
Astrid looked away, hating to think what state Hiccup would be in if she was killed.
"Look, we're saying you need to tie the knot right this second, but you should understand that you can't keep Hiccup waiting forever." Raeda tells her.
"He needs you, Astrid. Even though things are alright now, Hiccup needs you to help him get through this and for you both to be together. Because if you two aren't, who knows what might happen to either of you if one of you is dead." Heather said. "Like what happened to Stoick when he just found Valka again only to be killed by Drago." She added, having heard from the Haddock Twins about their time with their mother and the loss of their father during Drago's attack on the Bewilderbeast's nest.
Astrid thought for a moment, before sighing, "Alright, I'll try warming up to the idea but no last minute weddings."
"Oh, and I just started designing the decorations." Raeda jokes.
"And I just started picking out the dress." Heather joked as well.
Astrid sighs as she looks at the two. "Seriously, you two? You just started things now?" She asked in disbelief.
"Sorry, Astrid. But when Gobber kept talking about the wedding for you and Hiccup, we kinda got carried away and started things for when you two are ready. Gobber's idea since he won't stop talking about it." Raeda explained with a smirk.
"That, and we know that it will be a matter of time before you both tie the knot." Heather added with a chuckle.
Astrid sighed before glancing around, "Mind if I take a look?" She asked with a small smile.
Both Raeda and Heather smiled at Astrid from that question. "Sure thing. Anytime for the bride." Raeda answered with a smile as she brought out her sketchbook.
"Come on, let's go somewhere more private." Heather said as she whistled and Windshear, Sparkfire and Stormfly came over.
"Let's go to your place, Astrid. Nobody will ever interrupt us there." Heather suggested as the three girls each mounted on their dragons.
"Sounds good to me." Astrid agreed as the three girls and their dragons flew out of the stables and to Astrid's home to discuss the wedding plan.
(Linebreak)
A little bit later, The Haddock twins, Tuffnut and Dagur followed Midnight, Toothless and their cubs as the Night Fury family led the way as Midnight pounced excitedly along the way as they retrace there step where they found the Pride and the Light Furies, guiding them since everything is different in the daylight.
'Dad?! Mom?!' Midnight roared out for any sign of her family, hoping that they were nearby.
"Midnight, slow down!" Hicca called, "not all of us have more than three legs!"
'Sorry, Hicca! No time! We might lose the trail by then!' Midnight roared out as she went ahead.
'Calm down, Midnight honey! Don't get too excited!' Toothless roared out to his mate as he and their kids tried to catch up to Midnight.
Back with the boys, Tuffnut was giving Hiccup a pep talk, "So. Wanna get married?" He asked while holding a stick.
"Uh, no, actually." Hiccup told him uneasily.
"Good news, I've been to 2 weddings," Tuffnut assured, "I crashed both. But none as high profile as this one. Lots of pressure, judgment. Not just by me."
"What about mine and Mala's wedding? Since it was high-profile and it didn't end in disaster." Dagur pointed out, remembering his and Mala's wedding after they finally defeated the Dragon Hunters and Fliers.
"I mean Berk weddings, your wedding, Dagur, can't count that one." Tuffnut reasoned.
"Look guys, we've talked about this." Hiccup told them, "Astrid and I aren't getting married."
"Yet." Hicca chimed in, "But you will."
"Of course you'd support this." Hiccup rubbed his forehead.
Tuffnut then grabbed his shoulder stopping them from walking. "Cold feet! I've seen it before." He then placed both hands on his shoulders and looked at him in the eyes. "Don't worry, little Hiccy. I'm here."
Hiccup watched as he walked off. "Wait, Hiccy?"
Dagur and Hicca shrugged as the three followed Tuffnut.
"Now, I've seen the way Astrid looks at you," Tuffnut continued. "Everyone has that doubt. That not-so-subtle disappointment. That longing for something more than you. You need to focus on being worthy. I mean, she's a warrior queen for Thor's sake! And you are...neither."
"I'd say more of a scrawny but smart Dragon Rider King." Dagur said.
"And not to mention the Chief of Berk." Hicca added as they passed by the tree Daybreak and the Titan-Wing knocked down.
"But with me as your best man, your spirit guide if you will, you'll learn to embrace your inner Viking. Show these naysayers, of which there are many, that you are more than just a malnourished runt with bad hair, strange teeth and a twig for a neck.
"You're-you're really bad at pep talks," said Hiccup.
"Sorry, bro. But you and Astrid are so ready for a wedding." Hicca said with a chuckle. "And don't worry, I'll be your best woman for that."
"And I'll be your best man, knowing from experience since I had my own wedding." Dagur said with a wide smile.
"Thanks for that, guys." Hiccup said with a small smile.
"Stop letting these insecurities get the best of you," Tuffnut continued, not hearing a single word what the three had said.
"You're the one who has created these insecurities," Hicca said while folding her arms. "And personally I think that you're not the best person to give out advice. I mean, you and Valerie have just started dating for a year."
"Even I have to agree on that." Dagur said in agreement. "Sorry, boy-nut."
They eventually reached the clearing and the Haddock Twins watched Midnight, Toothless and their hatchlings walked around the same place where they met the Light Furies and the Pride.
"Well, me and Valerie may have just started our relationship, but that doesn't mean that not everyone's watching. I mean everyone." Tuffnut said as he then looked at Hiccup. "You need to man up, Hiccup. Do as I do. It will be hard, but… you have my word."
Hiccup and Hicca then saw something metallic in the grass and made their way towards it.
"And until I break that word, I won't give up!" said Tuffnut.
"I think Hiccup would prefer it if you did give up," Dagur said, looking as if he would have a headache, and then he noticed the Haddock Twins walking towards the field in thought. "Hey, you two spotted something?" He asked them, but got no answer from either of them.
Tuffnut saw this as well as the Haddock Twins wandered towards the metallic thing they've spotted.
"Hey! Hey! What, am I wasting my time here?" Tuffnut said as he and Dagur bent down to the Haddock Twins. "You see some shiny thing in the woods—" He stopped when Hiccup picked up a strange-looking dart with some sort of purple liquid inside. "—Oh, what is that?"
Hiccup picked the object up and it was a dart with a purple liquid inside it, "Hmm, what do you make of this sis?" Hiccup asked his sister, as she had knowledge of different plants, herbs, venom and poisons.
Hicca took the dart from her brother, put on some goggles to look more carefully and stirred the liquid inside it. "I don't recognize which species this came from, but there's definitely some kind of toxic substance in this thing. And judging by the container, it is some kind of refined dragon venom. A trant dart!" She exclaimed with wide eyes.
The others widened their eyes from this as they turned to Midnight, Toothless and their Hatchlings as Midnight was still searching for her family as she sniffed the area for their scent, but to no avail as Midnight gave a disheartened look.
'Their gone.' Midnight muttered sadly as she turned around and walked towards her rider.
Toothless came to her side as he placed a wing over her. 'Don't worry, Midnight. I'm sure we will find them. Furies stay in packs, and they never leave just by seeing you again.' He warbled in assurance with his made as he gave her a nuzzle.
'Yeah, mom. I'm sure they are close by.' Starlight said with a smile to her mother as she and her sibling walked behind their parents.
Hicca then looked at the foliage in front of them and realized something, "Midnight, Toothless, Stop!" She called.
The Night Fury family then jumped back in shock by Hicca's response.
'Hicca, what's wrong?' Midnight warbled to her rider in concern.
'What is it?' Toothless warbled in concern as well.
"Stay, right, there." Hicca told them as she narrowed her eyes at the ground.
"Neither of you move a muscle." Hiccup instructed as he then snatched the stick from Tuffnut.
"Hey!" Tuffnut called out from that.
"What did you two find that your Night Furies can't move from?" Dagur asked in curiosity.
"We're about to find out." Hiccup answered as he then tossed into the clearing and then suddenly shooting out of the ground were two traps. Their activations knocked Hiccup and Hicca backwards onto the ground.
"Great Odin's ghost!" Hicca yelled. "I'm surprised."
Toothless snarled angrily from those traps. 'Someone tried to lure us into a trap' He snarled as he huddled close to his family protectively.
'No wonder Daybreak told us to go around it. She wanted to steer us away from the trap.' Midnight warbled as she now understood why the Light Fury mother told them to circle the area when they approached her and her cub as the Night Fury hatchlings huddled under their mother in fright.
The Haddock twins were more shocked by larger implications.
"We need to warn the others." Hiccup said seriously.
"Agreed." Hicca said in agreement.
(Linebrea)
They wasted no time getting back to the Forge and met up with the other Dragon Riders. Hicca then placed the dart on a barrel as she and her brother approached them looking at them seriously.
"Everyone, we have an uninvited guest on the island." Hicca announced as she walked inside.
"Someone's here." Hiccup said to the others seriously.
Gobber looked up at them in surprise. "Huh?" He asked.
"He managed to slip past our scouts and lay a couple of traps in the woods." Hiccup explained.
"The traps is where the Light Furies and the Pride were at when Midnight, Toothless and their kids first found them." Hicca added.
Tuffnut picked up the dart and looked furious. "It ruined our talk!"
He then tossed the dart at nothing in particular and it struck the wooden box that Eret was carrying. "Ohohh!" He yelled in surprise.
"And whoever laid that trap was skilled," Dagur said. "He planted the traps in the middle of the clearing where we met the Light Fury and the Pride, he didn't even leave a single trace. We wouldn't have noticed if Hiccup and Hicca hadn't seen the dart on the ground." He pointed out.
"Very clever kids." Valka said to her children. "But now there is someone who is on this island." She said in concern.
"We know, Mom." Hiccup said. "So we need to find him before he hurts any dragons." He added.
"Let me at 'em!" Gobber growled, swinging his prosthetic furiously.
Hiccup quickly stopped him before he went on a mad rampage. "Slow down, Gobber. Let's get a search team on the ground."
"He could be anywhere on Berk so we're gonna have to cover more ground and find him." Hicca added.
Hiccup nodded in agreement with his sister as he then looked at Astrid, who got her ax at the ready. "Scouts in the air. Me and Hicca will take Toothless and Midnight will fly the coastline." He instructed.
"Henry, you think you could look after the Night Furies cubs while we're gone?" Hicca asked. "They might get into trouble again if they accidentally encounter this trapper." She pointed out.
"Don't worry. I'll look after the five troublemakers" Henry said in understanding with a small chuckle. "They take after their parents, who also take after their riders after all." He added as he gave Hicca a kiss on the cheeks as she giggled from his move.
Eret began inspecting the dart for himself and he gave them a grim look as he was familiar with this dart.
"Yeah. I wouldn't advise taking Toothless, Midnight or their kids anywhere, Chief," Eret said, which got the Haddock Twins, Henry and Astrid's attention. "I know this handy work. Grimmel the Grisly. Famous back where I'm from. The smartest dragon hunter I ever met. Well, next to me of course." He boasted with a smirk before getting serious again.
"Well, he can't be that smart," said Hiccup. "He left his trap unmanned."
Eret then gave the dart to Astrid as she and Valka began to inspect it too. "Ha ha. Nothing's accidental when it comes to old Grimmel." He pointed out.
"What are you saying, Eret?" Valerie asked in wonder.
"I'm saying that Grimmel lives for the hunt, to get inside the mind of his prey, to control its every choice. It's all a game to him." Eret explained as he looked at the Night Fury family, while Midnight gave a sad expression as she lay on the ground as Toothless and their kids nuzzled her for comfort.
"Well, he doesn't know who he's playing with." Astrid said.
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. We've dealt with his kind before."
"From your description he sounds a lot more like my dad and we were able to take him down." Henry said, having a familiar description of his deceased father when he was leading the Dragon Hunters with his uncle Ryker.
"Yeah. So we know how to deal with people like that." Hicca added in agreement.
"If what you Riders told me is true and some explanation from you, Henry, it took several engagements for you guys to destroy Viggo's Dragon Hunter operations." Eret said, looking at them. "And that is the key difference, Viggo hunted dragons for profit. Grimmel, he just makes fun out of it and simply because he can." He then gave Hiccup and Hicca a warning look. "Don't underestimate him, you two. Mark my words, he'll be back."
"Then we'll be waiting for him," said Hiccup.
"I'd listen to your friend, boy." They all jumped in surprise and looked around before Hiccup spotted a stranger in white leaning against a door.
The group got into defensive stances as Midnight, Toothless and their hatchlings took ready stances as they growled at the stranger.
"Adult male and adult female, parents to five young hatchlings," The stranger stated, clearly a woman as she walked towards them, which surprised the Night Fury family that she knew that Toothless and Midnight are mates and about their hatchlings. "Two Alphas, King and Queen of all dragons." The woman added as she kneeled down before the two and placed a hand under each of their chins.
Strangely enough, Toothless and Midnight were pretty relaxed.
'This woman is pretty, pretty respectful.' Toothless purred as the woman is touching his chin gently.
'I know,' Midnight crooned as well.
"Thank you for your kind words," The woman said as they looked at her in surprise. She then heard a growling sound and saw Darkie barring his teeth at her. "And hello to you too, little one."
She then picked up the baby carefully, and rubbed his belly, making him curl up in bliss.
'Oh, that feels so good.' Darkie crooned at the woman's touch.
"I know. I know all your soft spots." The woman said to Darkie, who looked at her in shock as the woman looked at his tail, seeing that one of his fins is prosthetic. "Oh my, you lost a tail fin." She said in surprise and sympathy to Darkie as she looked at Toothless' tail next. "And so has your father. I am so sorry for you both." She said to Darkie.
"Umm, excuse random Night Fury Fan?" The woman then turned to Hicca and her brother, "But could you please tell us who you are exactly?" Hicca asked.
"Oh, of course, where are my manners?" The woman said as she placed Darkie on his mother's back, "My name is Mira the Miraculous, or as I like to call myself and Valka knows my alterego, the Night Guardian."
"Night Guardian?" Astrid asked in confusion while the others looked at her suspiciously while Eret went wide-eyed at her.
"Wait?" Valka said as she remembered an old friend she had. "It's you." She said in surprise.
"Nice to see you too, Valka." Mira said with a smile. "It's been a long time." She added.
"Wait, mom, you know here?" Hicca asked in shock.
"Well, not personally, but I know her alter ego, the Night Guardian." Valka explained.
"I heard about you. You are the one that has been rescuing Night Furies from extinction." Eret said in surprise. "I thought you were a myth." He added.
"Oh, so is the myth of two children each flying a Night Fury." Mira chuckled a bit from that. "But I assure you, I'm as real as the Night Furies themselves." She said with a small smile.
"You seem to know a lot about Night Furies yourself." Hiccup said.
"More than you know yours, Hiccup Haddock." Mira said, which surprised them.
"Wait, how do you know my brother's name?" Hicca asked in surprise.
"Oh, Hicca, you and your twin brother may not know me, but I knew your father, Stoick the Vast." Mira answered with a smile, which surprised the group from when she mentioned the Haddock Twin's deceased father. "He was a great man and the best Viking after you two. By the way, I am sorry for your loss, he was a brilliant chief." She said in sympathy to the Haddock Twins of them losing their father.
"What… You knew our father?" Hiccup asked in surprise.
"I knew him a long time ago." Mira said with a small smile. "You seem to forget how truly famous your father was."
"Oh." Hiccup said as he and his sister gave a sheepish chuckle. "I guess we forgot about that." He said sheepishly.
"Dad was known in almost all the archipelago." Hicca added with a sheepish smile. "Kinda hard not to know about a man who could kill someone just by sneering at them."
Mira chuckled from that. "That's Stoick the Vast for ya. You both are definitely his kids. Including Valka's, I can definitely tell." She said with a small smile. "Anyway, I'm not here to just see your Night Furies or see the Chief of Berk and Berk's healer." She said as she got serious.
"Well the Chief of Berk and his healer are all ears." Hiccup said as Hicca stood next to her.
"You two must hide your Night Furies somewhere safe. Because what your friend just said is true. Grimmel is a hunter that mustn't be taken lightly, he doesn't kill for gold or just for sport." Mira told them in a grim tone. "And once he sat eyes on a dragon, especially for Night Furies, he won't stop until the job is done." She added.
"I don't think we should worry about that. We dealt with people like Grimmel before." Hiccup said, thinking that they got this handled.
"Grimmel is nothing like Viggo Grimborn or Drago Bloodfist. He is much worse than the two combined." Mira pointed out with narrowed eyes while her voice showed tension while the others were surprised by her mentioning Viggo and Drago. "Yes. You Dragon Riders are well known in all the archipelago, all your success, your stories and rescuing dragons and battles are spread across the entire world. Everyone knows about you riders." She explained.
"Of course they do, well me mostly." Snotlout brags.
"But that's not the case. Grimmel knows you two have Night Furies." Mira revealed as she looked at the Night Fury family. "But so far, he only knows your two adult ones. He doesn't know their hatchlings but still, they are in danger and he will not stop until he has them." She stated.
"And why should we trust you or trust that you aren't working with him?" Hiccup asked suspiciously.
Mira chuckled as she spoke. "I figure you might ask that. So if you want proof that I'm on your side. I'll call for it." She said, which confused the others as she walked out of the Forge and then gave a loud dragon-like roar to the sky as the others cringed at the loud noise.
And then, another roar responds that is louder than Mira's as the others and vikings around them hear a loud siren-like sound, which is all too familiar for the Night Fury family.
"Night Fury!" A viking called out from the crowd.
"Get down!" Gobber called out as they cleared the area as a lightning fast black blur swooped down past them before twisting through the sky, making a sharp turn and then landed on a pole.
The others looked up and were shocked at what they were seeing on the pole. It was an adult Night Fury, much older than either Toothless or Midnight, and from its features, it appears to be a female. Its most notable feature was the gray lightning bolt-like marking along her eyes.
The female Night Fury gave a roar to her rider as she jumped from the pole and landed on all four in front of Mira as she walked up to her and patted her dragon on the head.
"That's my girl," Mira chuckles as she holds her dragon's head before turning to younger Night Fury riders, "Hiccup and Hicca Haddock, let me introduce you to my oldest friend, Valkyrie."
This made Hiccup and Hicca jaws drop from this as they are speechless while the others looked on in shock. "Okay, first Light Furies and then a Pride of them and now another adult female Night Fury? These Furies are just crawling out of the woodworks." Henry said in surprise while the others nodded in agreement.
Hicca then took a slow walk towards the older duo, "Can, Can I?" She asked, wondering if it was okay for her to check Valkyrie out.
Mira gestured to her dragon and smiled. Hicca walked over to Valkyrie and held her head. The old female purred at her touch and Hicca smiled, "She's beautiful." She then turns to her own dragon and her family, "Come on guys, come over say hello."
Midnight seemed Reluctant at first but Toothless decided to step forward first. He wasn't sure why but he felt like there was something familiar about this Night Fury.
"It's okay. She won't hurt you." Hicca assured them as Valkyrie warbled at them.
Toothless slowly approached the female dragon, 'Uh, Hi?' he warbled.
The Female looked at him and smiled, 'Hello to you as well.' she said.
'It's nice to meet you, Valkyrie. It's rare that more of our kind are appearing.' Midnight politely said.
Valkyrie gave a dragon-like chuckle. 'I can understand how you feel about this. Judging by your reaction, you two have never seen more of our kind in a long, long time.' She warbled.
'Wow,' Starlight said as Valkyrie turned to her, 'You're the biggest lady Fury I've ever seen.'
'Well if you're in charge around here, I'll take that as a compliment.' Valkyrie said amusingly as Starlight wasn't sure how to answer, 'And if you're not, well then, I'll just have to eat you then.' Valkyrie said Looming closer to the younger Night Fury.
Unfortunately Starlight thought she was being serious, 'MOMMY!' She shrieked before running away.
Valkyrie however, gave a dragon-like chuckle and stopped her with a wing. 'I was only kidding, young one. I would never eat a dragon or any of our species, not even the cubs.' She warbles as she gives a gummy smile. 'Especially one as cute as you.'
'Thank you, ma'am.' Starlight warbled to her.
Toothless then raised a brow and spoke again, 'Excuse me, but you look familiar, have we met before?' He asked.
Valkyrie looked at Toothless as she had a solemn look. 'What do you think?' She warbles as she then sniffed him carefully.
Hiccup came forward and noticed Toothless's behavior, "Huh, looks Valkyrie's got Toothless's attention." He noted.
"Yeah, she sure does. I wonder why?" Hicca asked in curiosity.
"Well, this is a familiar scene I saw with my nephew a couple years back." Gobber called out. "His Monstrous Nightmare met his pack that he hadn't seen in years and for some reason they recognized each other as they flew around the sky in joy." He pointed out.
"Dragons each have their own unique scent, sort of like a name tag." Valka explained to them.
"She's right." Mira confirmed. "They are able to recognize their family or group members by scent alone. How do you think Dragons never get one confused over another?" She questioned them.
They then thought of what Mira just said as Hiccup and Hicca widened their eyes at this discovery. "Wait, are you saying that Toothless and Valkyrie have met before?" Hiccup asked.
"Could be. Let's find out." Mira suggested as they look at the Night Furies.
Valkyrie continues to sniff Toothless as the Alpha Night Fury feels uncomfortable about this a little bit. Her eyes then snapped open in shock as she backed away, 'So-so it is you. I-I was right.' She warbled in shock.
'Wha-what is it?' Toothless warbled in confusion.
Valkyrie then looked a little nervous before she called out to Mira. 'Mira, we need to leave!'
Mira gave a confused look, and noticed the confusion and shock in her dragon's eyes, "Um, okay." She said as she walked over to her dragon climbed. She then turned to the Haddock twins, "Take my advice you two, take your Night Furies, in fact take ALL of your dragons to somewhere completely off the map and never let them leave it."
Hiccup and Hicca looked concerned when they noted the seriousness in her tone. Before they could give an answer, Mira and Valkyrie turned to leave.
'Hey! Wait, tell me who you are!' Toothless roared at her Valkyrie just gave him a guilty look before spreading her wings and taking off like a bullet.
The others watched in surprise as Mira and Valkyrie took off to the sky as Henry then broke the silence after a minute.
"So many surprises in one day. And Mira and her Night Fury was just an addition." Henry said in shock as the others nodded in agreement.
"Well, at least we know that she's on our side." Hicca said, now seeing that Mira and Valkyrieare now their new allies.
"We'll think about her later. Right now, we have a hunter to catch. So let's come up with a plan." Hiccup suggested as the others nodded as they went back to the forge as the Night Fury family still looked out to the sky where Mira and Valkyrie just took off.
'Did this Mira just understand what we are saying?' Darkie asked in shock.
'I think so. And this Valkyrie is a very surprising one. More of our kind just keep showing.' Midnight warbled as she turned to her mate, who was looking at the sky in thought. 'Toothless, are you okay?' She asked her mate ion concern.
'...Yeah, fine.' Toothless said before he turned around and went back home.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa and where are you going?" Hiccup asked as he followed after his dragon.
Hicca and Midnight then stood next to each other, and looked at each other in concern, "Something tells me, life is gonna take one major change, girl." the Haddock girl said, rubbing her dragon's chin as she crooned.
(Linebreak)
Later that night, the Haddock Twins were at their house going over all the notes their father had on the Hidden World and combining it with their own map. Toothless and Midnight are sleeping closely to each other in a nearby corner with a blanket over their bodies while their hatchlings are nowhere to be seen.
"Alright. Alright, come on, give us a clue here," Hiccup said as he and his sister went through the notebook. "Give us a clue, Dad."
"There's gotta be something in here." Hicca said, looking through her notes.
As they went through the notes they then heard creaking floorboards above them and noticed dust falling from the ceiling. They then put their map and the notebooks away and began looking around their house for any signs of an intruder.
"Someone's here." Hicca said as she reached for her spear.
They then suddenly heard a floorboard creak behind them and turned. That's when they saw the silhouette of a tall slim man. The man looked as if he was making himself at home as he poured some water into a mug.
"I hope you both don't mind, if I helped myself?" The man said. "This is quite good."
Hiccup and Hicca shoot up from their seats and both ignite their weapons as their Infernos' light up with fire. The light then revealed the man to be Grimmel who was barely even phased by them, and leaning against a table.
"Those are impressive. But let me finish my drink." Grimmel said in a natural tone with a natural expression.
The Haddock Twins then turned to Midnight and Toothless, but before they could do anything, Grimmel pulled out his crossbow and fired two darts at them. Hiccup and Hicca turned and saw Toothless and Midnight gave a small shred and then went limp.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried.
"Midnight!" Hicca cried out as well as the two went to their dragons.
Grimmel merely stood there finishing his drink and looked quite pleased for himself before loading yet another dart in his bow.
The Haddock Twins turn to Grimmel with each of them giving him a glare. "What did you do to them?" Hiccup demanded.
"Nothing they won't sleep off of or your healer could make an antidote from the venom from my darts." Grimmel assured as he moved over to Stoick's old chair and took a seat, no doubt as an insult. "Ahh. Ha ha. May I? Chief Hiccup, hmm? Do I say Chief 'Hic-cup'?" He makes a hiccuping sound. "Or do I just call you Hiccup? And may I call you twin Hicca? or Ms. Healer Hicca? Which do you both prefer?" He asked them with a taunting smirk.
The two merely glared at him, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't knock you clean off our father's chair!?" Hicca warned.
"You both have no idea who I am, do you?" Grimmel assumed as he removed his hood, barely phased by Hicca's warning. "Uh- ha ha. Well, your father knew of me. Now, there was a chief. One of the greatest dragon hunters to have ever lived! What would he think of you two both?" He then gave him a small laugh. "He did it right, you know. Making it his mission to destroy the beasts so that you both could grow up and raise your own children in a better world." He said while pointing at the twins.
"He changed his mind." Hiccup told him simply.
"We showed our father that the dragons are as amazing creatures as they are and he helped us insure a future where dragons and people could live in peace." Hicca added.
"And look where that got him," Grimmel pointed out as the two flinched, "And from what I heard, his blood is on your dragon's claws."
Hicca tightened her grip, "Toothless didn't kill our father, Drago did." She snarled.
Grimmel merely chuckled, "Keep living in that illusion girl," He said as he sat straight up. "So, let's get to the point," He said, looking all businesslike. "I am the Night Fury killer. I've hunted every last one but both of yours." He said as Hiccup and Hicca's eyes widened in horror.
Now they knew why they never found another Night Fury until now, because Grimmel slaughtered all of them. But from his tone it didn't sound like he was aware of the Fury Pride, Valkyrie and thankfully Toothless and Midnight's cubs.
"Y-you, killed," Hicca stammered.
"Every, Night Fury?" Hiccup finished.
Grimmel then gave them an evil grin, "Yes. So now, you are going to give me those dragons. Or I will—"
"We will never give them up!" Hiccup said without hesitation.
"Especially after what you did!" Hicca added as she gave a sneer glare at Grimmel.
Grimmel laughed as he rose to his feet and pushed Infernos out of his way, not even flinching from the hot flames. He then started making his way around towards Toothless and Midnight, who both hadn't budged an inch throughout this entire conversation.
"You two wish dragons to live free among us like equals? Grimmel said, looking almost disgusted. "A toxic notion, my children. History has shown that we are the superior species. What if word of your misguided ideas were to spread? It would be the undoing of civilization as we… know it." He trailed off, noticing something odd about Toothless' tailfin and noticed straw sticking out of it. He was so distracted that he didn't notice Hicca giving a sort of signal.
He gave it a small nudge with his foot and then suddenly emerging from the covers was Fishlegs with two Night Fury masks on top of his head while wearing his dragon armor.
"Did we get him?" Fishlegs said in a somewhat dazed look from Grimmel's two darts before he collapsed.
Hiccup then used this as the opportunity and hooked Inferno around Grimmel's bow and tossed it aside.
"Now!" Hicca called.
Astrid then appeared upstairs wearing her armor and ax at the ready. Dagur emerged from the shadows wearing his own Triple Stryke dragonscale armor and with his ax in hand. Valka jumped down from the rafters in her armor wielding both her staff and shield. Gobber then burst through the front door with his ax prosthetic attached.
"Sorry to barge in!" Gobber smirked.
Hiccup and Hicca approached Grimmel and looked at him furiously. "You think you can come into our home? Sit in our father's chair? And threaten our dragons?" Hiccup questioned in anger.
"Especially after you had the gall to tell us you killed every other Night Furies?!" Hicca demanded as Grimmel didn't look impressed at all.
"This is Berk. And we have defended our way of life from being far worse than you." Hiccup declared.
"And if you want Toothless and Midnight, you're gonna have to go through us to get to them!" Hicca declared as she and Hiccup aimed their swords at Grimmel.
Rather than being intimidated Grimmel looked both amused and impressed. "Oh. Ha ha. fighting spirits, I love it!" He then narrowed his eyes at Hiccup and Hicca. "Only, I'm afraid you're both mistaken. You both had never seen anything like me!" He declared as he then whistled and then suddenly something began burning through the roof seconds later one of his Deathgrippers smashed through the roof.
"What are these dragons?!" Hicca asked in shock.
This forced Astrid to jump down to the floor to avoid getting burned by what looked like very corrosive acid. It then started to advance towards her, raising its scorpion-like tail.
"Astrid, look out!" Hiccup yelled rushing over to her.
The Deathgripper then swung its tail at Astrid, barely missing her and struck the floor. She then quickly got to her feet and dashed over towards the others and then it's wrong, its tail at Hiccup and Valka as they had rushed over to assist Astrid.
Grimmel chuckled as he picked up his bow and whistled once again.
Then suddenly a second Deathgripper emerges from the rafters directly on top of the three of them.
"Look out! Kids, get clear!" Valka yelled.
The Deathgripper began to approach them and Valka raised both a shield and staff at the ready defended off.
Meanwhile the first Deathgripper was chasing after Astrid, firing some kind of acid at her.
"Lookout!" Dagur yelled, pulling Astrid to the side just before the acid struck.
Gobber then jumped the frames carrying Fishlegs on his back. "Run!" He called out.
"Fall back! Run!" Dagur yelled out to the Haddock Twins and Valka as the three ran and managed to get outside, but a Deathgripper blocked the entrance for both The Haddock Twins and Valka.
The Haddock Twins and their of them were trying to find a way out of the house and Valka quickly used a shield in order to block the acid from one of the Deathgrippers, which got burned off after a brief moment as she tossed her burning shield away as the three coughed at the amount of flames around them.
Hiccup and Hicca manage to get a brief sight of Grimmel, who is in the smoke as he glares at the Haddock Twins. "Have my dragons ready when I return, or I will destroy everything you both love!" He roared as he backed away into the smoke.
Once Grimmel was out of sight, the Haddock Twins and their mother managed to make it out of their home as they got outside.
But they are shocked as they saw all of Berk in flames from Grimmel's attack as they stared at the chaos Grimmel managed to cause without them knowing.
"Hiccup, Mira and Eret were right. This guy is serious." Hicca spoke in shock as she and her brother stared at the chaos.
"And we underestimated him." Hiccup spoke in agreement as he stared at their village in flames as he then got a serious expression. "Mom, get some dragons and riders to put out these flames and get the gang to gather the whole village to the Great Hall. We are having a meeting." He said to his mother.
"What are you gonna do, Hiccup?" Valka asked.
Hicca understands what her brother is thinking as she gets a serious expression as well. "We are gonna do something that will protect us and our dragons from this insane creep." She said as Valka nodded as she ran off to get Cloudjumper to get the riders to put out the fire and gather the village as Hicca turned to her brother. "Hiccup, if Grimmel finds out about the kids and the Pride, he'll..."
"He won't succeed." Hiccup said in determination as the Haddock Twins huddled close in comfort as they were facing a truly dangerous enemy and will do whatever it takes to protect their dragons and loved ones.