In the forest, Nightfire was eagerly bounding through the ferns and undergrowth, following her nose like a bloodhound. And right behind her were her parents, irritated she'd taken off like that.
Blueheart caught up to her first from overhead, and Toothless behind her on foot. Both parents cornered her.
Virva! You cannot just take off like that! Blueheart scolded.
But I was following my nose!
Your mother is right, Virva. It's dangerous for you to go off by yourself without us.
The family was interrupted by the sound of something moving through the brush and a branch snapping in the distance. Alert, Toothless slowly made his way forward, using his hearing and smell to navigate the woods. It was a dragon, but what kind? He would take care of it if it posed any threat to his family.
Keep Virva with you. Toothless instructed. Blueheart didn't need to be told twice. She bent down, picked her daughter up by the scruff of her neck, and was about to take off when she saw Hiccup and Astrid catching up.
"Whew! There you are!" Hiccup said, rubbing Blueheart's cheek. He knew how insanely protective Toothless and Blueheart were, which was understandable.
Then, Blueheart perked up her ears when she heard Toothless interacting with the unknown dragon up ahead. Hiccup and Astrid took note of her reaction, and when she sauntered forward, they followed.
The group approached a clearing that Toothless stood on the edge of, and all were astonished to see a pale dragonic figure lying on the other side of it. Blueheart stopped at Toothless's side, setting Nightfire down between her front legs.
Ryvir? What is it? Before Toothless could answer, the figure up ahead revealed itself. A pure white dragon that looked nearly identical to Toothless and Blueheart but with softer features and pale blue eyes.
The dragon snarled at them, causing Nightfire to retract further against her mother.
It's okay, Virva. Blueheart assured, crouching slightly.
Who are they? The white dragon demanded.
My mate and daughter. Toothless informed, trying to remain as calm as possible.
You… look like us. Blueheart observed. At that moment, the white dragon paused, realizing Blueheart was right. Yet, the brief moment of calm was interrupted when the white dragon's pupils shrank and began growling.
Hiccup and Astrid had attempted to approach as quietly as possible but gave themselves away when one of them stepped on a branch.
"Oh, my gods!" Hiccup whispered in awe.
"Uh, Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, seeing the dragon was preparing to fire.
Then the dragon fired at them, freaking Nightfire out. Toothless quickly shielded his family from the blast. Hiccup and Astrid barely missed the impact, destroying the trees around them.
Humans! They're dangerous! Be careful! The white dragon cried.
Wait no! Stop! They won't harm you! Toothless attempted, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
"Yeah. You know, we're friends! No need to kill us."
Frightened, the white dragon roared and took off into the night sky, blowing fire and flying into it, disappearing into thin air.
Did she just… disappear?! Blueheart exclaimed.
Whoa! Came Nightfire, stepping out from under her mother.
I've never seen that before.
Did you get her name? Toothless shook his head, neck still craned up to the sky.
As Hiccup and Astrid approached, Nightfire bounded over to them, leaping up onto Astrid's shoulders.
"Wow!"
"Another Night Fury."
"No, not quite. It's more like a...Bright...Fury."
"A Light Fury!"
"Yeah, yours is better, probably."
We have to tell the others. Toothless said, making his way back.
A disappearing dragon… that looks like us. But… white. What would our mothers say?
That morning, all the riders were gathered doing their usual chores in the stables. Zyrah was mad she didn't get to see it in person.
"What do you mean, gone?" Snotlout questioned.
"Vanished! Into thin air."
"What do you think?" Came Fishlegs, showing Hiccup a sketch of what he believed the Light Fury looked like.
"Uh-uh. Stubbier ears, no dorsal plates."
"Okay, got it."
"Haha. What a night." Eret said with a grin.
"I'll say! And I didn't even get to see it! A new Strike class dragon." Zyrah exclaimed as she sharpened her swords.
"We won the Strike class jackpot," Konall added, earning a brief shock from Lightbolt, who laughed at him.
"So, do we think it's a male or female?" Rurik inquired.
"Female. I'm pretty sure. Given that it's gotta be a Night Fury subspecies, and their features are nearly identical, I think it's fair to assume the eyes also follow that same conclusion. So blue eyes=female."
Well, based on her voice, duh. Blueheart remarked, even though she knew the riders didn't understand.
She was pretty! She sparkled too!
Sparkled? Echoed Lightbolt.
Not like you, like those pretty stones! It was cool!
Well, I'm personally intrigued. Toothless announced, receiving a stare from Blueheart.
Careful, man, not when the mate is in earshot. Hookfang jokingly warned.
What I mean is, she's a subspecies of Blueheart and I. We've never seen anything like it. Plus, y'know, Strike class dragons aren't exactly common either. It's something new for all of us to learn.
He does have a point. I'd be pretty stoked if there was a Skrill subspecies out there.
I dunno. I feel like certain species are pretty unique anyway. Meatlug countered.
Fishlegs then came back with what he hoped was an improved drawing of the Light Fury
"Something like this?" He tried.
"You know what? Just trace your Toothless card and make her white." Zyrah raised her eyebrows at that and sighed.
"You could have led with that…"
"Lemme help you, Fishlegs." She offered.
"So now what? Do we just wait around for her to come back?" Snotlout asked.
"No point in that since she's wild. We'll go looking for her instead. Let's hope she's still on the island."
"Ah. Good idea!" Came Tuffnut, who eagerly joined Hiccup's side, slinging his arm over the young chief's shoulder with a grin. "A little privacy."
"Uhhh…"
"Shh. It's boy talk!"
"What?"
"Boy talk?" Konall echoed, "Ruff, your brother has officially lost it if he thinks he can offer love advice." The female Thorston offered no comment in return. Just shrugs from all the girls.
At the insistence of Hiccup, who didn't want to be left alone with Tuffnut, Toothless, and Nightfire eagerly tagged along. The hatchling was more intrigued of seeing the white dragon again, and Toothless was just here for moral support and to keep an eye on his daughter.
Once the quartet made it into the woods, Nightfire was sniffing the air, trying to remember where they'd seen the dragon prior.
Virva, you'll only get so much scent. We're not trackers like your Aunt Stormfly or Uncle Skullcrusher.
I know! But I still wanna try! She insisted. Meanwhile, Hiccup was dealing with Tuffnut's attempts at conversation about marriage.
"So. Wanna get married?" Straight to the point.
"Uhh... No, actually."
"Good news. I've been to two weddings. I crashed both. But none as high profile as this one. Lots of pressure. Judgment. Not just by me." Just ahead, Toothless rolled his eyes. He could confirm Tuffnut crashing two weddings, he was exhausting.
"Look. We talked about it. We're not getting married."
"Cold feet! I've seen it before. Don't worry, little Hiccy. I'm here."
It's not cold feet, Thorston.
"Wait, Hiccy?"
"Now, I've seen the way Astrid looks at you. 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. 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."
Odin's beard… Toothless sighed.
Why was Tuffnut being mean to Hiccup?
Mean isn't the right word… I dunno. He's always been like that. Just ignore him.
"You're-you're really bad at pep talks."
Understatement.
"Stop letting these insecurities get the best of you."
The quartet finally made it to where the Light Fury had been seen, and Toothless began inspecting the area.
Virva, do you smell that?
Yeah… it smells like metal… but there's something else. I don't like it.
I smell it too. Keep on alert.
"Everyone's watching. I mean everyone. You need to man up. Do as I do. It will be hard, but...you have my word." Tuffnut kept rambling, but Hiccup wasn't listening anymore as he spied something metallic on the ground in front of them.
"And until I break that word, I won't give up!"
"Hey! Hey! What, am I wasting my time here?" Hiccup made his way to the object and picked it up delicately. It was a projectile filled with some sort of purple fluid.
"You see some shiny thing in the woods- Oh, what is that?" Hiccup frantically scanned the area and then realized what was happening.
"Toothless! Nightfire!"
The father and daughter jumped back, Toothless protectively in front of Nightfire.
"Don't move a muscle." Hiccup then grabbed the stick Tuffnut had been carrying during their walk.
"Hey!"
Hiccup then threw the stick into the clearing, triggering a huge clamshell-like trap to violently snap shut, shocking all individuals.
Papa… Nightfire whimpered. Toothless growled at the contraption that could've killed any one of them. Blueheart was going to be pissed, but now this situation had become serious.
Later in the day, Hiccup gathered all the dragon riders to Gobber's shop to discuss what he'd discovered. Zyrah was in a corner helping Rurik organize some damaged swords. He then showed off the dart he'd found, setting it down on a barrel
"Someone's here."
"Huh?"
"He managed to slip past our scouts and lay a trap in the woods. It could've gotten Toothless or Nightfire!"
"It ruined boy talk!" Tuffnut picked up the dart, throwing it, nearly nailing Eret.
"Ohohh!"
"Let me at 'em!
"Slow down, Gobber. Let's get a search team on the ground. Scouts in the air. Toothless, and I will fly the coastline." Eret then inspected the dart himself and realized who it belonged to.
"Yeah. I wouldn't advise taking Toothless anywhere, Chief. I know this handiwork. Grimmel the Grisly. Famous back where I'm from. The smartest dragon hunter I ever met. Well, next to me of course." In the back of the shop, Zyrah's ears perked up.
"Well, he can't be that smart. He left his trap unmanned." Eret handed the dart to Astrid so she could also inspect it."
"Nothing's accidental when it comes to old Grimmel. He 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's words rang deep inside Zyrah's mind. It sounded familiar to her. Still reeling from the trauma of her parents, this Grimmel guy seemed to have similar tactics. She didn't like what she was hearing.
"Well, he doesn't know who he's playing with."
"Yeah. We've dealt with his kind before."
"Don't underestimate him, Hiccup. Mark my words, he'll be back."
"Then we'll be waiting for him."
As the riders dispersed, Zyrah pulled Hiccup aside.
"Listen, Hiccup, I know you prefer handling these things directly… but after hearing what Eret said… I think we need to handle this differently. Even from what Eret knew… Grimmel sounds like what my parents did."
"I get it. But we have to know what this guy is all about. We'll figure this out. Trust me."