Deep within the island, Blueheart was showing Toothless around her home, reminiscing on old memories of growing up with her brothers and sister.

How's your tail holding up? She inquired as they took a seat on a cliff overlooking the forest below. Toothless brought his tail around, flexing the fin, still in awe seeing both working in sync on his own accord.

Working perfectly. With a smile, he softly let the weight of his tail rest on top of Blueheart's, which she reacted to. He could tell something was stirring in her mind.

What is it? She exhaled with a warm smile, gazing at him with a gleam in her eye.

Y'know, it did take some getting used to… but your tail, I dunno how to explain it, I-

Do you like it?

More than that. I love it. It adds to your charm.

Thanks, Myrai. Again, that gleam in her eye.

I also love it when you call me by my real name.

Well, it suits you perfectly.

As does yours. He noticed the way her tail swished from side to side, and it seemed like a subconscious action, she didn't seem fully aware. And with the movement of her tail, he could pick up on a scent. Hers, obviously, but it was different. Sweeter… natural; each waft of her scent filled his nose. His brain comprehended exactly what was going on.

Her mating scent.

Myrai… He murmured, leaning forward, pressing his muzzle against her neck, where he also received a strong whiff of that same scent right below her jaw.

Hm?

That scent is driving me crazy… She observed him closely from the corner of her eye, anticipating his next move. He then pulled away from her neck, leaving her with a sense of longing for him to stay there. But he began to trail his nose down the length of her body, taking in every slope and curve of her body, with each muscle twitch, he realized how down bad he really was.

To no surprise, her scent was strongest at her hind legs. As he leaned down to sniff her, she playfully swatted him with her tail.

What? He exclaimed, pulling back. He heard her giggle as she took flight, taking him by surprise.

Come catch me, Alpha. She taunted with a grin.

Oh, now you're gonna get it. He called back, taking off after her.

In delight, she led him in a chase, weaving in and out of sea stack formations, with him hot on her tail. He didn't give up easily, and she knew that. She calculated her next move, deciding to angle up towards a smallish cave on the west side of the island.

He had no idea what she was up to, but he was still hot on her tail, eager to follow her, wherever she was going.

One thing he knew for certain, once this courting game was done, she would finally be his.

And with that concluding thought, he refocused himself, catching an extra gust of wind under his wings, and using it to propel him forward. He did recall that she had beat him in terms of speed, and she would always be able to outfly him, but evidently, he didn't care.

Just when he was under the impression she was flying towards a cave that she had been flying towards, she caught him by surprise, shooting herself upwards into the sky.

He slowed himself down, and shifted his wings around, following her once more, noticing she'd slowed enough for him to be parallel to her.

Flying belly to belly, she led him in a corkscrew flight pattern, spinning around before splitting, angling downwards at top speed. She stretched her paws out to grab him, spinning around together, aiming straight for the ocean's surface.

And finally, at the last second, they pulled apart, causing an explosion as the force of their wingbeats nearly broke the sound barrier, deafening them for a split second.

It was momentarily terrifying but exhilarating. Deep down, Toothless knew that they had completed some sort of official courting ritual. They hovered in their spots for a moment, wingbeats making waves below them. They shared a look, understanding what was to come next. He caught that familiar gleam in her eye, though, this time, he could tell it was more intense.

Blueheart watched him closely, especially in how his body was responding.

With a playful grin, she tossed her head in the direction of the cave she'd spied earlier in their mating flight, leading him toward it. Not a word was shared as they landed on the mossy clifftop, examining the cave.

It was a perfect size for two adult Night Furies, with the added benefit that it provided plenty of privacy.

Are you ready for this? Toothless began, standing in front of the cave entrance. Blueheart nodded, slowly approaching him, and nuzzling his neck.

With no doubt in my mind. And I'll say this, your mating scent is driving me crazy, too.

That right? He replied, licking her forehead. He didn't know how to explain it, but she somehow brought out the dominant side of him, something that rarely ever happened. Sure, being the Alpha came with having to be the aggressive male, but this was a different kind of intensity. He wasn't used to this kind of feeling, but he loved it.

He let her sniff his body, and as he'd done with her earlier, she admired him. He was much bulkier than the other young adult males she'd seen, and physically bigger as well. He was powerful, in all sorts of ways, and he knew it.

I don't think I mind the idea of being an Alpha's mate. She mentioned casually, with a seductive undertone.

I'm glad you're on board. Especially since you're the daughter of an Alpha. It's in your blood. With a devious grin, he gently nudged her away, and then pushed her onto her back, standing over her. His instincts began to creep in, and he began to grind against her. Her reaction to him was all he needed to continue.

It was awkward at first, finding a comfortable position, but eventually, they settled, and Blueheart happily let Toothless take control. She found it quite enjoyable with him dominating the way he was.

Thinking of bringing a new Night Fury into the world? He murmured in her ear.

I'm all yours. With a low snarl, he grabbed the back of her neck, holding her in place, feeling around as she lifted her hips up, allowing him in.

Zyrah was up with the sun, while an early bird, she didn't always rise with the break of dawn. That said, she was hoping that Blueheart and Toothless would return, so they could continue ensuring the safety of the colony.

It'd taken her some time to finally fall asleep during the night, feeling restless and impatient. Impatient for what, she couldn't exactly pinpoint. She knew it wasn't worried about Blueheart, the dragoness was capable of taking care of herself, and Toothless was with her…

It had to be the fear of her parents showing up with the intent to cause harm, not just to the Night Furies, but more than likely to her as well. She'd injured Einar before she and Blueheart made a run for it, and they had to be pissed. Would they take it out on her? Her boyfriend, her brother? Her new friends? There were multiple possibilities, and she didn't like any of them.

One thing that always helped her channel frustration was sword practice. She found an old, rotting tree at the forest edge, and pretending it was a practice dummy, she began to hack away at it.

At the sound of metal impacting wood, Hiccup startled awake, luckily not waking Astrid at his side.

"Whu-..." He groaned, sitting up. Raking his fingers through his wild hair, he twisted his neck to see Zyrah hacking at an old tree. Dawn had already broken, with the sun slowly climbing into the morning sky.

Something in him understood what had gotten her up so early and why she was taking it out on that tree. With an exhausted sigh, he adjusted his prosthetic and then made his way over, Inferno in hand.

"Dontcha think the tree has suffered enough?" He joked. She spun around, dropping her sword onto the ground.

"Thor's Hammer, Hiccup! You scared me!" He bent down, picked up her sword, and handed it back.

"Sorry, though you did wake me up." She stared at him, then grimaced.

"Oh… uh, my bad."

"It's fine, I think I can figure out what's bothering you, maybe?"

"If it's about Toothless and Blueheart, it's not them. I know they're fine."

"Oh… then what is it?" She exhaled sharply, stabbing her sword into the soft earth, slumping down against the tree, and turning to face the sea.

"I'm scared, Hiccup. I'm scared… of them." With a concerned frown, he took a seat next to her.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I… I don't even really know to put it into words…"

"Hey, thoughts don't have to make sense. Just spit out what you've got up there." Hiccup assured, having been in that same mindset many times himself.

Fighting back tears and the lump in her throat, Zyrah attempted to explain her fears about Einar and Ragnhild.

"They had masked their determination when I was on their ship, but even after Blueheart and I escaped, I worry that we only delayed them for a brief period of time. I didn't want to believe they genuinely meant harm, but until I saw that dead hatchling, I… just somehow knew. It was like a premonition, y'know?"

"I get it. I completely understand, and it is scary. One thing I've learned from dealing with dragon hunters… they're driven. Insanely so, they've got that desire for control; the want of something they feel entitled to. Some can be persuaded out of it, like Viggo Grimborn and Eret, son of Eret. But others… you can't change them. I learned that the hard way, and the only way to beat them, is to play their own game," she turned to him with a concerned expression.

"It's crazy, I know. But sometimes… you have to. It's mind games, you gotta start thinking ahead of them, and you can't let them in on your awareness. Playing dumb." He explained.

"Mm… so… how should we go about this?"

"Well, we already know they're fully intended on getting here, even if you and Blueheart delayed them. But you unintentionally gave us the time we need to prepare. I'm sure that Einar definitely knows the location, even if he's never seen it. But those dragon hunters, once they've got their sights, they're getting what they want. So we wait for them on shore." Just as Hiccup was about to go into detail about his plan, the two heard footsteps, glancing up, Ana and Astrid were awake now, along with Stormfly and Dusk.

"Morning you two, what's going on?" Ana inquired, kneeling down.

"Well, to start, Zyrah here woke me up when she started attacking this tree. But now we're discussing a plan to defeat Einar and Ragnhild."

"Oh, well then, let's hear it." Astrid encouraged, taking a seat next to Hiccup, and Ana next to Zyrah.

"As I already went over with Zyrah, I can be sure that they're still determined to get here; Einar at least is. I think I've figured out that he's the more aggressive of the two."

"It makes sense." Astrid agreed.

"She and I both agreed that no matter what, they fully intend on getting what they want. And from our experience with the Dragon Flyers and Johann especially, sometimes you have to play their game to get ahead."

"I don't like it, but you're right…" Muttered Ana, shuddering at some horrifying memories.

"So with that being said, we're going to wait for them. Not to mention, Blueheart gave us some extra time when she caused damage to their ship, so it'll allow us to prepare. We wait for them on shore, and confront them."

"Then what?"

"Well… something occurred to me," Zyrah spoke up.

"What's that?"

"The head of the hatchling that we found… I don't think they intended for us to find it. But I know that they know we found it, and something tells me they're going to use it against us. They'll want to get to us." The realization dawned on the older riders.

"I hate to say it, but I think you're right about that. I wouldn't put it past them." Astrid admitted with a scowl.