Welcome to another episode of Jack not knowing how to do cartography like an idiot, he thought sarcastically.
He sighed as he tried to guess where he was, but he had to admit, it was a little hard to think with the waterfall seemingly shouting in his ears. He knew he was somewhere along the route he's already mapped out for the Northern Markets. The thing is, he's never seen, let alone been to, the island he, Artemis and Zephyr had decided to stop at. They accidentally left a little later than planned so therefore they had to stop earlier than planned.
He got the general location down and lazily put an 'X' to mark it, thinking he'd sketch it from memory later. Not that he could sketch it now anyway because Zephyr chose that time to try and get his attention. She often didn't care what he was doing or what he was holding, if she wanted attention, you gave her attention.
She nuzzled against his hand and lightly bit down to show she was annoyed at Jack's lack of affection in the moment.
He sighed, "c'mon Zephyr, why don't you go play with Artemis?" He looked up to find the answer for himself. Artemis was asleep, and therefore Jack and Zephyr were the only two awake. He really should go to bed huh? He hasn't slept much recently…
He pocketed the pencil he was using and tried to fold up the map to the best of his ability. But folding a flimsy piece of paper while there's an attention starved Terror nuzzling and nipping you is easier said than done.
Eventually he got it all packed away, and went to lay down with Artemis, finally realizing that, yes, he was tired. The fire that he'd put up earlier had long since extinguished, but that didn't make it any harder to see the desperate expression on Zephyr's face, "Come here," he huffed, and Zephyr gladly snuggled up to him, purring. Something that would usually lull Jack to sleep fairly quickly, especially if he was sleep deprived like this, but not tonight.
Tonight marks two weeks since his dream about Sandy. Even he was starting to write it off as some fucked up way his brain dealt with the loss of his firends. Yet he just wasn't convinced quite yet. Ever since that dream he hasn't had another one like that, just the usual nightmares and, if he was lucky, nights where he wouldn't sleep at all.
He eventually came clean to Valka about the real reason he took up doing the supply runs and she was rightfully upset. After that though Valka agreed that it might actually be a good opportunity for Jack to do the supply runs from then on. Mostly because not only would he be able to get supplies, but he'd also be able to distribute the cure more easily.
That's what he was doing actually. He was heading to the Northern Markets and taking a rest on the way there. Valka made him promise to bring Zephyr just in case he ran into some… 'victims', again. If he was being honest, he didn't want to see the Riders again at all, it would just raise questions, questions he either didn't have the answers to, or couldn't afford to have the answers to.
He just couldn't risk it…
Then, just as Jack was drifting into unconsciousness, a–
SNAP
Jack's eyes shot open.
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1 month earlier…
The first thing he noticed as he tried to open his eyes was that the sun was shining straight into them, indicating that he was outside.
He sat up, more bothered by pain than he thought he should be. Odd… he thought to himself as he stood up and almost fell back down.
The second thing he noticed was he felt tired and weak, which was weird because even after a fight like that he shouldn't be feeling this way. Which raised the question: why did he feel this way?
He looked around for any idea of where he was, but all he found were rock cliffs, a huge ravine, and maybe a few caves. He stood up to begin exploring when suddenly the entire island jerked and Sandy found himself once again on his back looking towards the sky, except this time he found himself staring into the amber colored eyes of what looked to be a giant boulder with spikes instead of the sun.
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Present day…
Hiccup was tired. He had to admit, with Viggo out there, being busy trying to track down Vorder, and the few new projects he's been working on? Hiccup found himself wishing he could go back to sleep in the mornings and never wake up.
But, as he said, Viggo is out there and so is Vorder, and while Vorder hasn't shown his masked self to them in a few months now, either could attack the Edge at any time. Therefore they needed to be ready.
As he and Astrid walked towards the chosen Gronckle Iron production area, he noticed it was unusually quiet and peaceful, which usually spelled out doom. However, neither Hiccup nor Astrid said a thing to each other. Ever since the Heather and Vorder incident, not even the Scourge of Odin could kill the tension between them.
After everything Hiccup still couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. He didn't know why, maybe it's because she lied to him about so many things? Or was it the measure of importance of those things?
Like Vorder for example, he was one of the main reasons Hiccup was making a map of every and any new land Hiccup and Toothless could find. They theorized Vorder lived somewhere to the northwest side of the Archipelago considering his sightings.
Yet no matter how much Hiccup tried, it always turned out like attempting to track a ghost, he would think he found something, catch a glimpse, then the trail would turn up cold.
Same thing with Jack really, it'd been weeks since they met and Hiccup still had absolutely no idea how Jack disappeared. Had it not been for his friends' shared confusion, Hiccup would think he was going insane.
Just then, Hookfang collapsed out of exhaustion and shot a flame towards Barf and Belch. This of course just had to cause a chain reaction to the point where even Toothless was joining in.
"Really? You too, bud?" He asked, out of disappointment, "all right, dragons to your corners!" He shouted when he realized he wasn't going to get a response.
"Hey, Hiccup. Did you know that upside-down you actually have a metal arm instead of a metal leg?" Tuffnut said, who had somehow ended up hung upside down by a few of Stormfly's spines, along with his sister.
"What is going on around here?" He asked, because he was half asleep and missed the last five minutes. "Hiccup, we've been working really hard on these reinforcement walls. Everyone is just tired. Look at the dragons," Astrid said, and she was right, the dragons all looked completely spent.
But there was this fear, humiliating really, about Viggo attacking, about Vorder, and those same, tired dragons skinned. Of Toothless skinned, a fear that had become very real just a few weeks ago.
"You know, Hookfang and I could really use a vacay," Snotlout said, "vacation? Count us in. We'll grab our straw helmets and a chilling tale of Viking murder to read on some enchanted beach, laughing as the waves crash against us," Tuffnut fantasized.
Not happening. If they left the Edge unguarded again…
"Guys, I get that you're all tired, but remember why we're doing this," he told them, "oh, because you told us to," Snotlout retorted, and Hiccup had to fight the urge to roll his eyes, he really wanted to just collapse in bed right now.
"No, because Viggo is out there. And when he finally realizes he can't use the Dragon Eye without the key, he's gonna come looking for it. We can't leave the Edge unguarded again," he said, holding out the Snow Wraith tooth to prove his point.
"So, yay or nay on the vacay?"
"Oh, gods…"
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He looked over the map, editing portions of islands that looked wrong or the location was a bit off, but even then his mind wouldn't leave Viggo, Heather, or Vorder, or heck, Jack.
Hiccup still couldn't figure out how Jack got off the island. He stared at the map, wondering where the four were right now, what they could be doing. He imagined them as little Maces and Talons pieces, moving or standing on the parchment. If only the map was magic and it actually worked like that. It'd be so much easier.
"Working on your map, huh?" A familiar voice said from behind him. He looked back to find Astrid and Fishlegs… smiling…
"Need any help?" Fishlegs asked, which was weird because even Fishlegs refused to do cartography with him.
"No, thanks, I'm kind of–
"You sure? 'Cause, you know, Fishlegs is really great with maps," Astrid insisted, and this time Hiccup knew she was lying, "Really great," Fishlegs tried, but, as always, his nervous chuckling gave him away.
"Okay, fine, out with it, you two. You didn't come all the way up here because you love cartography," he finally said, turning to face them.
"We object," Astrid said a little loudly, "We think everyone could use a break. The dragons are really cranky from being overworked," Fishlegs reported and Hiccup snapped back to Viggo, Heather, Vorder, and the Scourge incident.
"Guys, I thought we went over this," he said, because they had, and he thought Astrid of all people would understand a little something about preemptive action and being prepared but apparently she doesn't have his back in that either.
Gods I'm being a little harsh aren't I?
"Just hear us out," Astrid said, before both her and Fishlegs kneeled down in front of the map he'd been working on, "as you know, we've been making Gronckle Iron. A lot of it. In doing so, we've exhausted the supply of sandstone on the Edge. And as you know, no sandstone, no Gronckle Iron," Fishlegs explained, which was true, "there's a nearby island that has a huge supply of it. It's also deserted, quiet, and would be a great place to relax, and take a little break from real work," Astrid finished and Hiccup realized, "I don't really have a choice on this one, do I? Where is this island, exactly?" He asked and Astrid pointed to an island that was at the very edge of everything.
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"Hiccup, is that…?"
"A campsite, yeah," he confirmed. They'd made it to the island except, apparently, someone else had already found it because there was a whole campfire set up in a clearing next to a lagoon. The fire wasn't lit, but it clearly had been recently if the column of smoke was anything to go by. Briefly, he wondered if maybe Dragon Hunters had found their 'secluded island' and what they could be doing there.
"You guys stay up here, me and Toothless will go check it out," he commanded, and as he said, he and Toothless shot down to investigate.
What they saw when they landed was nothing like what they expected.
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Everyone was up in an instant, Artemis started growling behind a newly alert Jack while Zephyr scurried up to Jack's shoulder and hissed. He really hoped these weren't Dragon Hunters because he never wore armor on supply runs, otherwise he'd run the risk of being recognized.
The rustling continued and for a very tense moment the long silence allowed Artemis's blast to build. Jack had his hand on the hilt of his dagger so that whatever came out of those bushes he'd be ready.
Then there was a familiar whistle, one that didn't belong to Artemis, and Jack's heart leapt into his throat.
"Hide!" He hissed and both Artemis and Zephyr disappeared into the treeline. He pivoted to meet two pairs of wide green eyes. "Jack!" Hiccup smiled, as he dismounted Toothless who bounded up to him like an excited puppy, also pulling an excited smile that, unfortunately for Jack, was infectious causing him to smile despite himself.
He crouched down to greet the excited dragon with chin scratches, to which Toothless immediately started to purr.
"H- how?"
"I said no questions," he interrupted, and Hiccup let out a dramatic groan, "you disappear off Dragon's Edge without even saying goodbye and what? Expect me not to be worried?" He asked, gesturing as he talked, "why would you be worried?" He asked quietly yet genuinely confused.
Hiccup faltered, looking at Jack like he just said the sky was pink, which confused Jack a little more. He saw Hiccup open his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by the rest of his friends.
"Hey Hiccup–" a voice from above shouted, then broke off, "Jack?!" Astrid choked in surprise, "you sound a lot better," He observed. The Riders landed on shore where Hiccup and Jack had shared their small reunion, if it could be called that, and immediately erupted into questions. Said questions mostly revolved around where Jack went, how he got here and the odd 'what are you?' Courtesy of the twins.
"Okay," Hiccup said to break up the overwhelming amount of excitement radiating off the teens, "one small break because Jack's here but after that we need to get the sandstone," Hiccup said firmly.
"Sandstone, shmandstone, forget about that, this place is insane! Look at that lagoon! Last one in is a rotten two-thousand-year-old egg!" Snotlout shouted as he dismounted his dragon, threw his helmet down onto the rock-like shore, and threw himself into the water.
"Uh, all right, fine, just a quick swim, then it's back to work." Hiccup said, but he seemed unsure of himself and the others didn't seem to be listening. As soon as Snotlout touched the water the others followed suit, meanwhile Fishlegs and his dragon both decided it'd be a great idea to cannonball more than a thousand pounds of dragon into the lagoon. A great idea to get us soaked, he thought as water splashed over both him and Hiccup. They were the only ones on the shore… where'd Toothless go? He looked around for the black reptile but it seemed that not even the shadows of the forest encased the dragon.
"Excitable aren't they." Hiccup commented dryly from his left. Jack turned to watch the others play in the water, "you should join them," he said, looking back at the Night Fury Rider, "you look tired, and stressed, would a short break be the end of the world?" He asked before Hiccup could argue and when Hiccup opened his mouth again Jack told him the question was rhetorical.
He sighed, "but what if Viggo comes back and attacks the Edge again? Then we'd be unprepared and–
"Hiccup, you are a Dragon Rider, you make the conscious decision everyday to sit on one of the fastest flying animals known to man with the bare minimum armor on, and that's that's not even equating to watching over them, you'd think you could take the day off," Jack argued and he could see Hiccup's shoulders deflate in defeat as he realized Jack wasn't going to budge. He sighed before also turning to his friends. Meanwhile Jack pridefully watched Hiccup's expression slowly go from pinched to featuring a fond smile.
Eventually Hiccup joined his friends.
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They were in there for a while and Jack had been doing something for the past few minutes that wasn't swimming with the rest of them even though at some point they'd all tried to get him to join in but Hiccup was more focused on stopping Snotlout from trying to drown Fishlegs to figure out just what he was doing.
"I'm bored," Snotlout complained, that's an understatement, he commended in his head as he swam over closer to shore. They should get out soon, they've been in here long enough, "is there anything else we can do?" Snotlout whined and Hiccup was just about to suggest work, when Jack beat him to it. "Ever played Marco Polo?" He asked, and that'd be a no from Hiccup so he assumed no one else had either, "no what's that?" Tuffnut asked, "He's a famous explorer, in fact he's so famous there's a game made after him," Jack explained from above them and Hiccup noticed he never went too close to the water, like there was this invisible line he couldn't cross.
"Well, what's the game?" Astrid asked, swimming up to shore so she could hear him better. Hiccup knew that he wasn't going to win if he tried to agree now so he let them play one more game. Or two. Or three…
At some point the sun was going down and Hiccup figured it was finally time to start actually doing something because they did need the sandstone, "okay, guys. Got that out of our system. Now it's time for the other kind of fun. Working," He said as he had finally gotten most of the leather he was wearing dry and to a slightly more comfortable level, he really should've taken his armor off before jumping in like an idiot.
"Dude, lighten up. R-E-L-A-X. Relax," Snotlout told him.
"Take a load off, H."
"Those rocks aren't going anywhere. Unless you move them," Ruffnut joined in, which was a good point but Hiccup wasn't going to cave. At least, that was the plan, until Astrid walked over. He groaned, "Oh, not you too, Astrid. You're killing me," he said dramatically, "Hiccup, we're all behind you 100 percent," she started, which was the exact moment Snotlout came up from behind Fishlegs and mercilessly pushed him into the water.
"Oh, that's nice," he said sarcastically followed by a, "great analogy," thrown in from Jack who then proceeded to push Snotlout into the water as he walked past behind him. Astrid allowed herself a small smile of amusement before becoming serious again.
"But you can't expect them to be you. They're your soldiers, and good soldiers will work until their hands are raw and until their backs are almost breaking. But there does come a point when they need time to regroup, to forget about being soldiers and just be people," she finished and Hiccup caved, because she had a point, one he couldn't ignore.
He sighed in defeat, "You're right. I've been pushing them really hard," he admitted and watched Jack as he laughed at something Snotlout said. He looked so happy and carefree, his friends looked so happy and carefree it made Hiccup want to spend time with them and see what other games and knowledge Jack had hidden away that he didn't.
"They deserve this," he admitted before turning back to Astrid and becoming serious, "but if we're going to be spending the night we need to set up a camp," he said to her, but then Jack walked past them with an, "already did that," and Hiccup looked at him to find a fire already set up, all they needed now we're a few logs to sit on, which would be easy enough with the dragons. In fact, they might not even need the logs, they could just sit with the dragons.
"Wha– you knew I'd cave!?" He asked, then turned back to Astrid who was trying to stifle her laughter, "did he set you up to this?" He asked, accidentally letting out a few surprised chuckles of his own. He'd been completely oblivious from the start and the realization that crossed his features only made both Astrid and Jack laugh harder.
"We should have him around more often," Astrid said and Hiccup found it impossible to ever disagree with that statement.
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The other Riders eventually left the lagoon along with their dragons and had all scurried over to the fire that Jack had set up a few minutes prior. Most of them were shivering in the cold but after a little bit by the fire they seemed to warm up nicely.
They chatted easily for a while, especially Jack and Astrid which was more than a little terrifying, and Hiccup noticed he was staring at Jack again as he talked. He looked away just in time to have what could have been a Sea Bass, but it was hard to tell, shoved in his face.
"Dinner is served…" Tuffnut said as he and his sister shoved the most disgusting looking 'dinner' Hiccup had ever laid eyes on in his face. Not only that but it smelled like Helhiem stuffed in a fish.
"What is that smell?" Fishlegs asked as he tried to waft it away from himself, "what is this?" Astrid asked, shying away from it as well, he said 'it' because there is no way that that was something edible.
"Oh, glad you asked, milady. That would be salt-encrusted sea bass with a salted seaweed gravy. Mixed in with salt and all finished with a little pinch… of salt on top," Tuffnut explained proudly, and Hiccup, not wanting to be rude, tried it, and immediately regretted it.
"Whoa, that is…" he paused trying to think of a way to describe it that wouldn't include some sort of synonym for absolutely revolting, "...salty," he concluded. Even Toothless, who was sitting next to him now, was disgusted.
"Any thoughts?" Ruffnut asked, and turned to Jack who was pulling a disgusted expression quickly borderlining on concern. Hiccup would have laughed had it not been for the hand he placed over his mouth to stop it.
"Oh yeah, along with a restraining order and a couple of prayers," he said, and this time both he and Astrid, who was sitting on Jack's other side, failed to hold in their already poorly hidden laughter.
What made it all the more hilarious was even the other dragons didn't want to eat it, which was surprising because, "oh, weird. The dragons usually love fish, no matter how bad it tastes," Fishlegs said.
"Hookfang won't even touch it, and I've seen him eat piles of yak dung. I mean piles of fresh-out-of-the–
Jack interrupted Snotlout by making a show of laughing a little louder than was probably necessary, and then proceeded to gag in disgust.
Yeah, Hiccup could get used to having him around, and he was sure the other Riders felt the same. Jack just fit.
"Well, I chalk it up to underdeveloped palates. Both human and dragon," Tuffnut announced, sitting down before headbutting his sister and taking a bite of their… 'masterpiece'. Though Hiccup had to give them one thing, they were determined, because despite obviously regretting everything by the first bite they continued choking it down anyway.
"This is hard to watch," Astrid said, looking at the twins sympathetically, "almost as hard to watch as the Lycanwing incident?" Fishlegs asked and Astrid froze, like she actually couldn't decide.
"What's the 'Lycanwing incident'?" Jack asked, using air quotes. "There's this old legend about a half man-half dragon called a Lycanwing that can turn someone into another Lycanwing via bite," Hiccup explained, "Yeah, and one day that idiot Tuffnut got bit by something and thought he was turning into a one, turns out it was just a wolf, the idiot," Snotlout laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Ruffnut was so mad she dragged Snotlout all over the Edge to get bitten by random dragons so she could prove Tuff wasn't turning into one," Astrid recalled with mirth before turning to Snotlout and adding, "I also remember someone whining like a baby–
"I told you not to talk about that!" Snotlout shouted indignantly. Hiccup looked back to Jack only to find some sort of glint in his eye, which couldn't be good yet all that came out of his mouth was, "that reminds me of a legend we have back where I'm from," which was innocent enough so Hiccup decided to ignore it. Big mistake.
Fishlegs cooed in excitement, "what is it? Sorry, it's just I'd love to know more about your culture!" He said, with the same curiosity as his peers.
"I could tell you, but it's not for the, uhm, faint-of-heart," Jack explained, smiling yet seeming to hint at something, "ha! The only one 'faint of heart' here is Fishface! Come on I can take it," Snotlout said, not seeming to spot the same glint Hiccup caught earlier.
"Okay, if you think everyone can handle it, Ruff, Tuff how about you?" He asked, tilting his head towards the twins who were on the verge of tears at this point.
For some reason Hiccup just couldn't shake this feeling of dread, yet it was accompanied by a strong sense of anticipation and Hiccup couldn't decide if this was good or bad, whether to ignore it or say something, he just couldn't be sure.
Eventually Jack started his tale.
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It took another hour for the Riders to assure Tuffnut that, no, he wasn't turning into a werewolf, which took until Jack realized this could actually get out a hand and reassured Tuffnut that if he had been but by a werewolf he would've devoured his friends a long time ago. This finally got Tuffnut to calm down enough for his body to register the amount of salt it had consumed along with Ruffnut who started stroking her stomach and groaning in discomfort. The fact that they'd been moving around so much made it worse.
"Uh, I need to lay down," Tuffnut said, burping, "me, too," Ruffnut agreed and they both settled down for the night, or well, tried to.
It was then Hiccup seemed to realize that Jack had nothing to sleep on, "hey," he whispered, as Toothless settled down behind him, "you want to use Toothless as a pillow? I'm sure he won't mind," Hiccup offered, and Jack wasn't planning on sleeping anyway but Toothless somehow looked excited at the prospect and Hiccup looked mildly concerned like he somehow knew Jack was going to refuse. So he complied and laid his head on a thick part of Toothless's tail, but still, he couldn't allow himself to stay. For one, Valka was expecting him back by a certain time and two, because he couldn't drag innocent teenagers into his mistakes and burdens.
And yes, he knew these people would be legally adults even in his time, but still, his quest was the type of thing war veterans would be afraid of, if they'd even believe it, and he knew that. How long until they got impatient and started demanding answers? There were so many risks and little benefits to letting these people in no matter how good it felt to be with them.
That's why he waited until he was sure everyone was asleep before leaving. He had to find Artemis, get the Hell off this island and pray to God that he never saw these people ever again, for good this time.
He started his escape plan by rolling over and off of Toothless's tail, casually so it looked as if he moved in his sleep. Then he waited some more.
He did feel bad, don't get him wrong. But he'd feel worse if he didn't leave, he tried to convince himself as much, but these people felt different. They felt more like home than the Guardians ever could, they felt like ghosts, something untouchable, and something Jack couldn't be a part of because they belonged to a different world.
He slowly got up, so silently it could've been the wind, with his powers it might as well have been. He froze halfway standing to make sure he hadn't woken anybody.
He's known these people for less than a day, why is he hesitating so much? Because no one has ever given you so much attention, his mind whispered, and a pang of guilt and selfishness hit him so hard his head hurt. He had refused to think of his isolation since he got to the Archipelago, a wordless agreement between his mind and his subconscious, but now that his touch starved, attention starved ass had a taste of what he missed, and it was causing him to be selfish.
He stood up fully and looked around, everyone was completely oblivious which was good. He turned to carefully creep over Toothless's tail, once he made it to the tree line he'd consider it safe to find Artemis.
And the way Hiccup looked at him. It was just curiosity, he told himself, and tried to pretend that the concerned and worried look from earlier never happened, or the confused one at Jack's asking why people would be weird about him because he was just hoping too much, which was dangerous for everyone involved.
He was almost to the tree line when someone grabbed his wrist and he flinched, they immediately let go as if he'd burned them. He didn't dare turn around, not that he needed to, he already knew who it was.
"You're trying to leave again," they said, it wasn't a question. It wasn't an accusation either, just a statement. Soft too, not sharp but still disappointed. Jack vaguely realized he was shaking.
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When they got there, something was clearly not okay. The dragons were all up and highly aggressive, snarling and… drooling? No, that's not right, there was magma seeping out of each dragon's mouths.
"What's going on with the dragons?" Hiccup asked from beside Toothless and Jack tried not to feel the fear about what he'd just done. Focus, he told himself, he could worry about that later, it's too late to go back now anyway.
"I have no idea. All I know is that Meatlug was sleepwalking, and when I found her she was in a really bad mood and chased me through the forest and tried to kill me," Fishlegs exclaimed, though Jack noticed that Toothless seemed completely unaffected, unlike the rest.
The dragons snarled aggressively, "I don't think they're playing," Hiccup said, backing away, "you think?" Jack sassed, because the dragons looked so… uncomfortable, it reminded him eerily of Charles Eastwood. God, that wasn't a name he'd thought about in a while…
"Stormfly, no!" Astrid shouted, and they barely had enough time to dive behind some rocks as Stormfly shot at them, yeah, definitely not playing Hiccup.
"This is all your fault, you know," Ruffnut accused her brother.
"My fault?" He asked, clearly offended.
"Yeah. That stupid salty fish. They hate us because they went to bed hungry and now they're all cranky."
"That salt was properly pinched."
"Your brain is properly pinched," and just like that they were on top of each other, which in any other situation would be normal and fine, but not this one. Hiccup broke up the fight by pointing out that the dragon's saddles were chewed off, therefore this situation had nothing to do with salt.
"It's a revolt. They're rising up against us!" Fishlegs shouted, and Jack knew that couldn't be right, he also knew he recognized this kind of behavior, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Why would they do that?" Astrid asked.
"I don't know. Why would they?" Snotlout said, crossing his arms and giving an accusing look towards Hiccup. "You think this is my fault?" He asked, just before Hoofang shot at them again and Toothless had to come and save everyone.
"Okay, everyone split up. If we're together, we're vulnerable," Hiccup commanded, and everyone scattered to the winds without a second thought, everyone but Jack and Astrid, "Hiccup, come on!" She yelled, but he was set, "it seems that Toothless is okay. We'll hold them off until you guys are clear. We'll find you," he assured her, but Jack knew he wouldn't be able to hold them all off forever, either way, the best course of action was to listen to Hiccup, but Jack wasn't an idiot.
He ran in a direction none of the others had taken, sending a wordless hand signal to Artemis as he passed her.
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"We better get out of here too, bud," he said, because long story short, staying behind might not have been the smartest idea, especially since they were now surrounded.
Toothless shot up into the air, aiming for Stormfly and Meatlug, the latter of which proceeded to ruthlessly fire at them until they made it onto a tall ledge overlooking the lagoon. At least they were on the ledge until Stormfly, because of course it was Stormfly, spine shot the Hel out of them and they fell straight into the water below.
He was down there for a considerable amount of time until some invisible force pulled him back to the surface and dragged him onto shore to lay beside Toothless. It had to be invisible because he knows Toothless didn't do it, but yet there's no one else there but them. He looked around in confusion, expecting to find something, or more preferably someone.
Maybe it was Toothless, maybe I'm finally losing it, he thought to himself as he stood up and wondered if the others were okay, if Jack was okay because unlike the rest of them, he had no prior experience with dragons.
"We better find the others before the dragons do," he said, hopping onto Toothless.
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The thing roared in his face, so loud it could've been louder than a tornado siren, but it also sounded… curious? More curious than angry.
Sandy slowly stood up, looking at the creature curiously, he wondered if they were a spirit of some sort. If they were, he'd never seen one like them before. They regarded him for a moment before huffing and lumbering off. Sandy got the strange feeling they wanted him to follow. So he did, and what he found made his heart sink a bit.
Another creature, definitely smaller, a lot smaller, no wings, yet still boulder-like, was stuck in some huge ditch. They obviously couldn't get out, and it seemed like the bigger creature couldn't do much about it. Thankfully, Sandy could, kind of. All he needed was a rope, or some other rope-like material.
He turned to search for a vine or something but this island was completely rock. There was no foliage, no wonder there were no humans on this island, they wouldn't survive, unless they liked rocks for a diet of course.
Or sand. Suddenly he was struck with an idea. He grabbed a rock, and started digging.
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They flew around for more than a few moments, the sun was starting to rise and Hiccup was getting more and more worried, "Nothing. They must have really split up," he said, a little surprised that they actually listened to him, especially Astrid.
"See if you can pick up any sounds, bud," he said, they hadn't tried that and hopefully this time they'd find something. Toothless did his thing yet instead of finding the Riders or heck even the dragons…
They found Vorder.
Immediately Hiccup and Toothless hid in the bushes, hoping not to be seen. What's Vorder doing here? He wondered, suddenly things just got a whole lot more dangerous. "Okay, those weren't the sounds we were looking for," he said, now determined to find the rest of the Riders, if Vorder was here, it couldn't be for anything good.
But to find the Riders and eventually handle Vorder, who he hoped was actually just flying over the island and not to the island, they'd need their dragons, "I haven't seen them act like this since we trained them. They're hunting like wild dragons," he observed, remembering what halogens earlier that morning, just before a rustling sound caught his attention.
He whirled around on Toothless, "and apparently, they're still pretty good at it," he said quietly. Toothless as a response charged up his plasma blast.
For a tense moment everything held, that is until Ruffnut stepped out from the bush and screamed, "No! Don't shoot!" Forcing Toothless to swill down the plasma blast he'd prepared.
"Ruff! You okay?" He asked, out of both concern and relief, "No, I'm not okay. I'm cracking under the pressure," she whined, looking around in fear, "Ruff, you're fine. Have you seen any of the others?" He asked, to which Ruffnut reminded him that he told them to split up.
"I know, but–
The dragons snarled from above sending a shock of panic down his spine, "get down!" He hissed, and both he and Ruffnut are hitting the deck under a tree faster than Vorder can turn invisible, speaking of Vorder…
"We need to find the rest of the Riders. Fast," he informed her. "Why?" She hissed, and Hiccup had to wonder how she had the audacity to ask 'why?'. "Because Vorder just arrived," he said, and this time she jumped onto Toothless's back without complaint. But that wasn't because he told her to, it was because the man himself and his dragon touched down somewhere off to the right of them, just out of sight, "speak of the devil and he shall appear," he muttered.
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Jack, now finally in armor, landed with Artemis and he hoped that none of the Riders saw him. He would've come without armor much less riding Artemis but she was a mother goose and a worry wort with the fire and stubbornness of your average bull. She wouldn't let him try to survive wild dragons without him on her back and Jack would much rather the Riders find Vorder riding a Light Fury than Jack riding a Light Fury because connections would be made and questions raised.
Apparently however, his prayers weren't answered, as per usual, because none other than Hiccup the Goddamn Dragon Rider sped out of the bushes on a very aggressive Night Fury, accompanied by Ruffnut… for some reason. Artemis growled a warning and for some reason Jack thought he could see a slight hesitation on Toothless's expression. But he's a dragon and Jack's never been good at reading expressions on any species.
"What do you want Vorder?" Hiccup asked once he realized Jack wasn't going to initiate anything, "I think you have bigger problems to worry about," Jack reminded him, and he regretted it as soon as it left his lips because looking from an outside perspective, that sounded really bad.
"What do you mean? You did this to the dragons?" Hiccup asked, and no, of course not but how else was he supposed to explain why he was here? Tell the truth? Both options were bad and so instead he opted to stay quiet and say nothing.
"Tell me what's wrong with the dragons," Hiccup demanded, at Jack's silence, "I didn't do anything–
"Then why else would you be here? How long have you been here?" Hiccup asked, seeming to realize that Jack could've been watching them since they got there and if Jack had to guess, he'd say Hiccup looked a little bit scared? Maybe, but Jack couldn't be sure. Ruffnut was just looking back and forth between him and Hiccup nervously like she wanted to say something, but couldn't for whatever reason.
"I- I'm looking for a friend," he said, which was technically true, just a bigger, way more summarized version of a long term goal–
Fuck it, it was a lie, but Hiccup didn't need to know that.
Jack wished for some sort of distraction and wondered what sort of luck God– if there was one, –he pissed off because this is just ridiculous.
"None of my–
"Guys!" Ruffnut interrupted, shouting a little too loud for comfort making both Jack and Hiccup wince. "Both of you need to shut up and get along or leave each other alone because my brother is out there all by himself being hunted by dragons and the only people I have on my side are you two!" She shouted and despite Jack silently willing her to shut up or for the love of God stop shouting, he had to admit, she made a point.
"So you're looking for your friends as well?" He asked, and Hiccup looked back at him with an, "you have friends?" Which… wow, that was ferocious, but he had to give it to him, in almost any other circumstance he would've laughed, "very funny, but at least mine will be alive by the time I find them, that is, unless we do what your blonde friend suggests," he said, nodding to Ruffnut.
Hiccup seemed to roll this over in his head, staring at him with untrusting eyes, before eventually deciding to 'trust' him, for now of course. "But if you try anything…" he warned, still on Toothless who just looked confused.
Oh shit, Toothless knows my scent, he recognizes me, Jack realized, growing cold before telling himself to calm down, he knew Toothless was smart enough to not give him away. But just in case, when no one was looking, Jack held a finger to his lips and hoped the expression on the dragon's face meant he understood.
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They never left the ground, which was understandable considering the dragons were mainly taking to the sky, flying around to look for food.
Hiccup didn't know how to feel about Vorder, he hadn't tried a thing since they 'captured' him. That was definitely more than unexpected from a supposed Dragon Hunter, weird even.
But Vorder hadn't even spoken since they ran into each other and stayed in Hiccup's peripheral the whole 30 minutes they were walking, all without a care in the world.
The sun was pretty much up by the time the peaceful silence was disrupted. Suddenly there were footsteps running towards them and Tuffnut was shouting at them to run.
"Why? What's the matter?" He asked, although he already knew the answer, "Hookfang. He landed in the woods and he's coming this way!" Fishlegs shouted, and as if on cue Hookfang spit fire from behind the two, missing Vorder just barely, the latter letting out a panicked, "shit!" Stumbling back along with his dragon. "Oh, he certainly is!" Hiccup shouted, also in panic as the entire group turned on their heel and ran the opposite way.
Then there was Snotlout and Astrid who came out one screaming for his life and the other shouting, "Barf and Belch are right behind us!" And Hiccup suddenly knew exactly what was happening. He whirled on Vorder, "we played right into your hands!"
"What? No! I didn't do this," Vorder defended, and Hiccup tried not to roll his eyes at the obvious lie, "The point is, we're about to be…
Both dragons jumped from the bushes, snarling.
…surrounded," he finished, before he led the others to one of the last exits left only to be blocked by Meatlug, "other way!" He shouted whirling around to find Stormfly blocking their last exit.
They're cornered, Hiccup and the Light Fury in the middle with the Riders forming a circle around them, Vorder on his left. He looked around for any way out and came up empty.
"Hiccup, how long are we gonna to wait until we make our next move?" Astrid asked, making his stress fly through the roof, he couldn't think with all the screeching and whining and–
"What 'next move'? I'm out of next moves," he complained, because usually he works well under stress but apparently not this time.
Just then, the Light Fury let out the loudest, most distracting and painful sound Hiccup had ever heard. It was sharp and forced everyone to cover their ears, even the dragons shrunk back like someone was pounding metal on metal right next to their heads.
Then just as he thought his eardrums were about to burst, hands covering them or not, the sound stopped and only then did Hiccup register that while the dragons were distracted Toothless had taken the opportunity to fire at them and clear a path. But only for a brief time, they had to act fast.
"That way!" He shouted, and led the Riders plus Vorder through the smoke left by Toothless's blasts, though his terror rose once more as the dragons followed them closer than he'd hoped.
"There! A cave!" Vorder pointed out and Hiccup couldn't see any other, much less, better option. They raced into the cave, the dragons hot on their trail, literally.
Thinking quickly, Toothless blasted the cave and they all watched as rock after rock fell and sealed them inside.
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It took three days to dig the aqueduct from the ocean to the ditch. His plan was to have the water flow into the ditch and cause the dragon- as he had learned -swim up and out. Within those three days he gained a variety of knowledge.
He was mortal, no longer a spirit, when he found out he almost screamed, but he was mute so he didn't, obviously. He had yet to see a reflection, but he had skin, human skin. No longer was he made of sand.
He had no powers. He'd learned that one immediately, when he tried to control the sand on the shore to make the time go by faster and he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.
He could also get hungry, and dehydrated. Which was a problem considering there was zero food or water here. After the dirty ocean had finally got the young dragon out of the ditch Sandy pretty much collapsed. His body gave out and he, again, found himself staring into amber eyes. They looked thankful yet concerned, he wanted to tell them not to worry too much about it but he was too tired.
Instead it was someone else telling him to be calm.
"Thank you, don't worry, you'll be fine," was all he heard before his eyes slid shut and the pain in his body receded.
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"Hiccup, that's not gonna hold for long. We need to find another way out of here," Fishlegs informed him, and Hiccup knew that but just the last few minutes had been hard to comprehend, making a plan would be harder. Snotlout, who obviously has more than a few words, was definitely not helping, "just say it. I know what you're thinking," he told him, defeated.
"All I'm saying is we wouldn't be in this position if your tyrannical behavior, due to your obsessive need to one-up Viggo, had not driven our poor dragons to the brink of insanity. There, I said it."
For a moment there was a slightly stunned silence in the air before Tuffnut pretty much summed up their impressed expressions, "wow. That was both dramatically impressive and logically sound."
"Thank you, Tuffy."
"You all think this was my fault?" He asked, stunned because Vorder, a literal Dragon Hunter was right there and yet they'd rather blame Hiccup than a Dragon Hunter.
"Okay, well, how about this?" He started after receiving a plethora of upset and blank stares, "If the dragons have been driven to the brink of madness, as you say, why is Toothless completely unaffected, and furthermore, why is Vorder here?" He questioned, gesturing to the white figure as he stood there, his mask giving off an unsettling glare.
"Great argument. That would be just as logically sound, if it weren't for one small thing…" Tuffnut pointed behind him at… Toothless.
"Oh great," he drawled as he stepped back from Toothless, who was now foaming at the mouth with purple plasma, slitted pupils and blood curdling growls.
"Uh, yeah, about that logically sound thing, I think we're all wrong."
The Riders turned to the voice finding Vorder backing away from his dragon, who was also foaming at the mouth and seemed to already be charging up to fire at them.
"I am not going out this way," Tuffnut yelled, and proceeded to throw things ranging from random stuff on his belt to his whole helmet. Yet despite the projectiles that hit the Light Fury square in the head, she kept charging. Then Tuffnut threw something else on her, something white that resembled powder.
Suddenly the Light Fury was screeching and seizing on the floor. But what really surprised Hiccup was how Vorder ran over like a concerned older brother, that certainly wasn't how Hiccup expected a Dragon Hunter to behave, especially towards a dragon.
"What the Hel did you just throw at my dragon?" Vorder shouted over his shoulder, trying to cover his ears like the rest of them and simultaneously comfort his dragon "that, my friend, was salt. Just a pinch," Tuffnut answered, surprisingly calm considering Vorder's voice came out colder than a blizzard on Glacier Island.
"Salt?!" Everyone shouted.
"Hey, I didn't see any of you stepping up, so I went with what I had. And what I had was salt," Tuffnut explained, which the recently recovered Light Fury took as the perfect opportunity to blast the cave again and this time lock Toothless out, which was a situation he regrets admitting he forgot about.
"What is that?" Vorder asked, sounding disgusted which caused Hiccup to follow his gaze down to what looked like orange leeches, all squealing and writhing around on the ground.
"Awesome! Quick! Put it on me! Put it on me!"
"Of course. A Grimora. That's why the dragons were hunting us," Fishlegs said.
"What did you just say?" Vorder asked, like he too was coming to some sort of conclusion, "Grimora. It's a rare parasite that attaches itself to dragons and releases a toxin that causes them to turn wild. But Grimora usually only live in freshwater," Fishlegs explained, "the lagoon. Our dragons must have picked them up when we went swimming," Astrid continued, "they chewed off their saddles to get the Grimoras off of them. Not because they were rebelling. See? And you thought I was working them too hard," Hiccup finished, only to receive more blank stares in return. "Okay, you're right. I was working them too hard. Point taken," he amended, albeit reluctantly.
"Wait, a minute, if our dragons had to take a dive into that lagoon in order for the Grimora to infest them, why was Vorder's dragon affected?" Astrid asked, and Hiccup thought he saw Vorder tense up a bit, he didn't answer instead he just kept soothing his dragon, except this time he rubbed the top of the Light Fury's ear as if it was a comfort to them both.
"I don't know," he finally said, "but you do know," Astrid insisted, "you're the only one that can know," she finished.
"Just because I can know doesn't mean that I do," he reasoned, and then a sudden thought hit him, Oh Gods I'm so stupid, "oh Gods, did anyone see Jack?" He asked, butting into the conversation, and it seemed everyone realized the same as him.
"Who?" Vorder asked, and Astrid responded with an axe to his throat, "no questions," she almost growled. Vorder just stood there and put his hands up in surrender. The Light Fury instantly snarled in his defense.
"We have to find him before the dragons do," he said, ignoring Vorder. The others all nodded in agreement. As far as he knew, Jack and never been around dragons before, he wouldn't know how to avoid them.
"But how? All of our dragons are infested with the Grimora," Fishlegs asked, "yeah, and now your Night Fury," Snotlout added.
"Tuffnut do you have any more salt?" He asked, turning to his friend, "Sorry, out of salt. Used the last of it on Light princess over there," said Light Fury growled, clearly not pleased with the nickname, "and then, you know, the salt-crusted sea bass, which, I might add, no one liked. Everybody likes salt now, but when it was on the sea bass . . . Nuh-uh," during Tuffnut's rant, Hiccup formed a plan, a risky plan, but the only plan.
"Well then, we're just gonna have to lead them to the next best salt location," he told them, "lead them? They're trying to eat us. Did you forget that?" Snotlout helpfully reminded him.
"Nope, just don't let them catch you."
"So… how exactly are we going to get out of here?" Astrid asked, only to be startled back by a strong blast from the Light Fury. The rocks blocking the cave entrance crumbled and cleared away leaving a cloud of smoke and dust in their wake. Everyone looked to Vorder. "Don't look at me, I didn't tell her to do that," he said, and Hiccup had to drag Astrid back and out of the cave, because based on that borderline snarl she gave off, she was not pleased.
The light hit them square in the face, blinding them for a moment, "thank Thor, they're gone," Snotlout sighed, and of course he jinxed it. The Riders immediately ran off screaming, "remember the plan! You'll be fine as long as you remember…" he turned to realize that no one was listening, instead they were screaming in fear with the dragons not far behind, "...the plan."
Suddenly, something roared from behind him, two somethings actually. Toothless, and the Light Fury. One of which had a rider and seemed about ready to take off, and honestly? Hiccup didn't blame her. Because now he was wishing he had wings.
"Get on," Hiccup looked up in shock. Did Vorder just– Then Toothless was firing at them and Hiccup was flying, well, being carried, and– how many times has Vorder saved his life now?
Then he dropped a bit as the Light Fury maneuvered under him and landed on top of the Light Fury, behind Vorder. He hoped he kept his mouth shut because that'd be embarrassing.
From where they were in the sky they could see the entire island, yet not the Riders. What he could make out was Astrid near the beach if squinted and that was about it.
Then Hookfang was there for some reason and everything felt like some sort of fever dream. He was forced to grab onto literally anything as they dove away from the Nightmare's blast. Hiccup didn't know where they were going but it seemed like the far side of the island.
"If we can lead him into the ocean with us the Grimora will disappear," Hiccup reminded him, "yeah, just wish his shot limit would hit the fan already," Vorder complained as they dodged another column of fire.
Hiccup realized that, had this been in any other situation, he would be having the time of his life right now. The way Vorder flew, especially in a combat scenario, was both exhilarating and practical, given how unpredictable their movements were. Hiccup found himself always guessing what twist they'd make next, and always, he was wrong.
Though they couldn't fly forever and Hookfang's shot limit seemed to be nowhere in sight. Eventually they got hit. The good news? They were close enough to the ground to only get a few bruises at best and maybe a bruised rib at worst.
The bad news? Hiccup tumbled, having to take a moment to gain his bearings, only to groan out of frustration when he realized that Vorder had crashed somewhere else and now Hiccup, once again, had no idea where he went.
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Jack hoped to God that he'd managed that and Hiccup wasn't seriously injured, or dead, "Jesus don't be dead," he grumbled, running back to where he'd 'dropped' him. Of course he got what he least expected, and ironically, probably should've expected. After all, it was how they met, in other words, they slammed right into each other.
He groaned in both annoyance and pain, because, ow. "Jack?!"
"Yeah, hi, again," he said, wincing as Hiccup helped him to his feet, "you okay?" He asked, checking him over, and though it was brief, Jack found it a little unnecessary. "Yeah, I'm fine–
He was interrupted by a low growl. "Really? Now?" He asked no one in particular as he stared into slitted acid-green eyes. "Uhm, Toothless," Hiccup said warily. "You know, I think we should run," he advised, "run where?" Hiccup hissed, "I don't know, anywhere," he snapped, "the ocean–" was all Hiccup got out before Jack hit the deck and pulled Hiccup down with him to avoid a plasma blast from Toothless.
After that they took Jack's advice and ran for the fucking hills, Jack had to drag Hiccup to make sure they stayed together. "There!" Hiccup shouted from his left, "we can lead him off the cliff and into the water," he explained and so they changed course, Toothless becoming terrifyingly close to catching them.
Then a force pushed them to the ground, and Jack had only a few seconds to realize that yes, that was a plasma blast, and yes, Hiccup was now at the edge of the cliff, mercy to Toothless, who is definitely not as merciful as he'd normally be.
"No, Toothless!" It was honestly the most instinctual, dumb, and reckless thing Jack had done in the Barbaric Archipelago yet, which said a damn lot. When Jack died, his last thought was: I'd do it again, he'd do it twice, maybe more, he just didn't expect that he'd actually need to do a once over. Though true to his word, (thoughts), he shoved Hiccup out of the way and rolled flat on the ground, Toothless missing him by a hair and instead practically flying off the cliff's edge.
They were safe, his secret was kept, and hopefully the Grimora were gone for good. Of course, when he stood up, one of those things had to be a lie.
He heard it before he saw it: ice breaking. Only in this case, it was rock. In this case, Jack once again couldn't move. He tensed, his stomach dropping off the cliff's edge and into the cold, unforgiving waters below. Then the ground beneath him disappeared, his vision turned towards the sky, and Jack fell.
