Tara was sitting on top of the roof of one of the huts in Dragon's Edge. It's been a week since they partied with Asgardians and met her relatives. She couldn't stop thinking of the information that Odin gave her that shocked her for the rest of Tara's life.
Her mother, Fiona Aaberg, was alive.
She still can't forget what Odin said to her at the night of the party.
The Castle of Asgard, all the Norse Gods and Goddesses came to celebrate the welcome party of Tara. They were drinking, eating, laughing loudly, and singing gibberish or yelling. Her friends were having a blast with the Asgardians. Astrid, Heather, and Ruffnut were chilling out with the Valkyries. They idolize these women warriors. Moana and Yasmina were talking with Te Fiti, Sif, Frigg, and Freya, enjoying the goddesses' company, while Draco sat next to Te Fiti, enjoying the peace next to her. The rest were partying with the gods. Coral was being tossed into the air by Magni and Modi, the trio laughed in pure joy as they brought Gil into the air. The poor amphibian man was screaming in surprise, as he was tossed into the air. Tara was leaning over a pillar, arms crossed and smiling at her friends.
"I see your friends are enjoying themselves."
Tara turns to the Allfather himself, Odin, coming towards Tara and stands next to her. Tara simply shrugs her shoulders at her grandfather as she watches her friends mingle with the gods. "It's...hard to explain but...I'm happy." Tara said to Odin, "I got to know some of my godly side of the family, I beat up Loki with Lord Draco, and..." She smiles at her friend, mingling with the gods. "...my friends having fun. Thanks for throwing me this party, Lord Odin."
Odin smiles at her, "You are very welcome, Tara, but please, call me grandfather."
Tara couldn't help but smile at him, "Are you sure? You are the Allfather and I'm just a mere mortal."
Odin chuckles at her in amusement, "Who is also a half god, and I don't mind, I am just happy you're safe and sound, and that you found wonderful friends." He said, looking at her with a kind smile.
Tara chuckles at him, "Great friends, although I am still getting used to having a godly family." Tara said to Odin, a sad smile forming on her face, "Wish my mom was here, she would love to party and watch me and Lord Draco kick Loki's butt!" She grins at her last words.
Odin smiles and gently places a massive hand on her shoulder, "She would've very much loved to come here, but only to see you happy."
Tara smiles again, thinking about her mother's kind smile. She looks back at her friends, watching them as Thor shows them Mimir's Head. He was telling them some tales of old. Gil was not too comfortable with a talking head while the Thorston Twins attempted to hold Mimir. Luckily, Nasir was holding them at the back of their collars of their tunics, preventing them from disrespecting the wide head.
"She's probably smiling right now at Valhalla." Tara whispers out, watching as Magni and Modi were tossing Mimir like a ball, earning angry yells from the head.
"...Tara...there's something you should know." Odin spoke, causing Tara to look at her grandfather in confusion.
"What is it?"
"You recall the event when the storm took down your ship?"
"How can I forget? I still get nightmares from that day." Tara said softly, looking down on the ground.
"What if I tell you that your mother did not drown on that day?"
Hearing this, Tara's head shot up and looked directly at her grandfather, staring at him with wide and shocked eyes, "Wha...what do you mean? I couldn't find her, it-it was dark and...I couldn't see her and..."
"She didn't drown, Tara."
This confuses Tara even more, trying not to get her hopes up, "What are you saying, grandfather?"
"Your mother, Tara, she's alive, and she is in Midgard."
Tara's mom...she is alive. Somewhere here in the Norse Region.
Odin told her that the Valkyries haven't found her mother's soul, thus she didn't enter Valhalla nor to Niflheim. Oldin also added that he heard her prayers every night, praying for her daughter's wellbeing and safety. That's why he knew that Tara's mother had not perished. Giving Tara hope that her mother is still alive.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard yelling from the clubhouse, causing the Lycanwing girl to sit up and look at Snotlout's hut with a raised brow. Turning her ears into dragons, she could hear Astrid angrily yelling at Snotlout for using her own axe to clean Hookfang's claws. She keeps telling him that all her weapons have her initials on it. The argument soon became a brawl when Tara heard Astrid attacking Snotlout. Sighing, Tara gets off the roof and transforms into her Lycanwing form, flying towards Snotlout's hut. There, the Freedom Bringers and the Thorston twins were standing on the sidelines. They winced as they heard Astrid beating Snotlout up to a pulp, as the poor Jorgenson screams in terror and pain.
"Sounds like she's got him in the Hofferson Head Press." Tuffnut said to the group, pointing his thumb at the doorway.
"I-is he gonna be okay?" Gil asked hesitantly.
"From what I heard at Berk, the Hofferson Head Press can be a very suffocating move." Moana said, remembering the conversation she had with the villagers, getting to know them, so she could strengthen the union of their villages.
"Yeah, it does. How long 'til he blacks out?" Ruffnut asked, still listening to the fight in the hut.
"Less than 30 seconds." Tuffnut suggested.
Then they heard Astrid pinning a screaming Snotlout down. They could hear her hissing in the background, "Stop struggling!"
"Make that 10 seconds." Maui corrected, wincing as he heard another punch that Astrid gave to Snotlout.
Then Tara and Toothless came by. Tara turns into her human form while Hiccup gets off Toothless after they hear the commotion. Tuffnut looks over to Toothless, "Hey, T, how you been?" He asked the Night Fury.
"Doing fine, but what's going on?" Toothless warble, hearing the fight in the hut.
They could hear Snotlout pleading, "Okay, not the ear hair. Anything but the ear hair!" They heard something ripped off, followed by Snotlout screaming in pain, "AAAHHHH!"
"Oops." They heard Astrid mockingly say.
It didn't take long for Hiccup to figure this out, "Snotlout took her axe again?"
"Oh, he did, and this was Astrid's favorite axe." Moana said to Hiccup.
Tuffnut nodded in agreement, "Mm-hmm. And milady is none too pleased with Sir Snots-alot."
"We could tell." Keoni said, wincing when they heard another blow that Astrid gave to Snotlout.
Then Windshear came by with Heather on her back, "Do you think they'll be long? I wanted to say goodbye to Astrid before I head home to Berserker Island." She asked her friends, only to wince when she heard Astrid beating up Snotlout.
"Give it a second, Astrid nearly finished with him." Tara said to Heather, smirking at Snotlout screams.
Suddenly, Astrid let out an angry scream, causing everyone, minus Tara and Mysterious Twins (Yasmina and Nasir) to tense at the sudden change. And something bad was gonna happen. In which case, Astrid obliterates Snotlout. Speaking of which, the Hofferson girl was glaring down at Snotlout, begging on his knees with a terrified look.
Astrid incredulously glares at him, "Did you really just say that to me?!"
Snotlout squeaks out with a whimper, "Yes? Please don't hit me."
Astrid glares at him briefly before turning away with a loud "Urgh!" She opens the doors in full force, making everyone tense at her anger, before she storms off to her hut. Everyone just stared with mixed expression. Tara and the Mysterious Twins stared at Astrid's angry form with calm expression while the rest were terrified of what just happened.
Heather tactfully looks at the group, "I'll just go and talk to Astrid myself." She said before she made Windshear to fly at Astrid's hut. The group watched as Heather leaves for Astrid's hut. Seconds later, they all turned towards Snotlout with a look.
"Snotlout, we only know you for a year but...what in our ancestors' names did you say to Astrid?" Moana asked Snotlout.
Malie nodded in agreement, "Whatever you said to Astrid, really, really upset her."
"Yeah, it reminds me of the time when Pele and Nāmaka fought." Maui said, recalling the fights that two goddess sisters fought. "They fought a lot."
Snotlout made a whimpering look as he went over to the females (Moana, Malie, Yasmina, Tara, Coral, and Ruffnut), whispering to them what he said to Astrid. The Female Freedom Bringers' eyes widen in shock while Ruffnut laughs, thinking that he didn't say it.
"Yeah, right. You did not say that." Ruffnut said but soon her laughter vanished when Snotlout made a terrified look, causing Ruff's eyes to widen like the female Freedom Bringers.
"Snotlout, what were you thinking?!" Moana yelled at him while her friends whispered to the others on what Snotlout said to Astrid, "You should know better not to say that! Especially to a shield maiden!"
Malie whispers to Maui's ears on what Snotlout said to them The Demigod's eyes widen in terror along with Mini Maui, "Oh. My. Stars..." He whispers out while Mini Maui faints in sudden shock.
Yasmina whispers to her brother of Snotlout's words, causing Nasir to frown, "You just put yourself into your own grave."
Ruffnut whispers to Hiccup about Snotlout's words, and Haddock knew that this was bad, "Okay, this could be a problem."
Suddenly, they heard crashing from Astrid's hut. They looked out and saw weapons being thrown out of the door, and Astrid yelling out, searching for something as she rifles through piles of items. The Freedom Bringers, Hiccup, and the Thorston Twins knew very well that things were about to go into chaos.
Snotlout became nervous at the sight of this, "Okay. Okay. What is she doing?"
"She's searching for something." Coral said, looking at Astrid's hut with worried eyes.
"Most likely a bludgeon." Hiccup pointed out before he turned to Snotlout with an alarmed look, "All right. Here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna get on your dragon and fly out of here immediately."
"And come back until Astrid cools down." Moana added before muttering out in a pleading voice, "Hopefully."
"Yeah, right, I'm not afraid of her." Snotlout said, not wanting to be a coward.
Just then, Ruffnut whispers to Tuffnut about what Snotlout said to Astrid, causing the blonde idiot to be horrified, "You said, what?! Are you insane?!" He exclaimed, holding his helmet in pure terror.
"Yeah, you should go while you have a chance to use your legs." Keoni said to Snotlout.
"And it's literally the only chance you have." Hiccup added in Keoni's words.
Terrified, Snotlout quickly gets on his dragon before Hookfang takes off to the sky, far from the Edge. Leaving the group behind. They watched as Snotlout leaves on Hookang, hoping to escape Astrid's wrath.
"So...how long will it take for Astrid to calm down?" Keoni asked Tara, considering how strong her temper is, and it could also rival Astrid's.
Tara has her arms crossed and watches Hookfang's leaving form. Tara simply shrugs her shoulders, "Dunno, Hoffersons are known to hold grudges for a very long time."
"For how long?" Malie asked Tara.
"Until she beats the living daylights out of him." Tara answered before walking away, "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat." She then walks away, leaving the group with confused and worry looks.
Aliikai stared outside of the stable's door, watching as the storm rolled down outside. It came out of nowhere after Snotlout had to escape the wrath of Astrid. The female Night Fury wonders how Hookfang can make it through this storm. It was really strong, the strongest one she had ever seen.
"Hey, Ali! Watcha doin'?" Makaio the Tide Glider asked, coming towards her.
Aliikai looks at her Tide Class Dragon friend with a kind smile, "Nothing much, just watching the storm roll by."
"Yeah, it's pretty strong out there." Makaio said to Aliikai, watching the storm together, "Say, did you hear what Snotlout said to Astrid?"
"I heard, but I don't know what he said to her."
"Oh, you're gonna love this! He said to Astrid..." Makaio whispers it to Aliikai's ear, causing the female Night Fury's eyes to widen in pure shock as she turns to look at him with her jaw dropped.
"He said that!?" Aliikai exclaims, earning a wide grin and a nod from Makaio.
The two dragons continued chatting while laughing about how Snotlout will survive Astrid's wrath. Unaware that they were being watched by the riders' dragons from the background. Toothless watches with a mix expression of sadness and a hint of jealousy. Toothless has been trying to get to know Aliikai the best way he could. However, he barely knows her. The only ones that are close to her are friends and her human sister, but she is mostly close to Makaio the Tide Glider. Considering he was the first dragon friend Aliikai had ever made in her region. The two are very close, making Toothless wonder if she likes Makaio more than him.
"Still thinking about Aliikai?" Stormfly asked, walking towards Toothless.
Toothless sighs sadly, "I really wish I was close like that." Toothless said softly. Looking towards Aliikai and Makaio. "Look at them! Makaio knows more about Aliikai than me."
Stormfly looks up to see Aliikai playfully shoving Makaio. The Tide Glider lands on his back, laughing alongside with Aliikai, "You can't blame them for being close."
"And that's the thing! What if Aliikai chooses him over me? He knows everything about her."
"You can too, just give time." Stormfly assures him.
Before Toothless could speak, the Dragon Riders and Freedom Bringers came in. The dragons were alarmed by their presence. Aliikai asked her sister what's going on and Moana said that they're gonna find Snotlout after he didn't return when the storm hit. Everyone got on their dragons while Maui turned into a Giant Hawk and Tara turned into her Lycanwing form. They all head straight to the storm, searching for Snotlout. However, the storm was proven too strong, the only ones who can fly through it were Tara, Cayden and Solaria.
"Man, this is impossible!" Tuffnut yelled through the rain.
"Tell me about it!" Tara roared, flapping her wings with all her might. "How hard is it to find that idiot?!"
"Yeah! It's like looking for a bonehead in a thunderstorm." Tuffnut said loudly in agreement.
Ruffnut looks at her brother while yelling through the storm. "Is that supposed to be a metaphor?"
Tuffnut shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, a little on the nose? Well, my brain is wet."
"HEY! Let's focus on finding Snotlout!" Maui yelled out, turning towards Aliikai and Toothless, "Hey! Ocean Queen! T! Use your echolocation again!"
"You heard him, bud. Let's try again." Hiccup said to Toothless.
"Come on, Ali!" Moana encourages her sister.
Toothless and Aliikai use their echolocation again, hoping to find Snotlout and Hookfang. But the results were the same, they found nothing. Hiccup sighs in frustration and worry.
"Still nothing."
"Hiccup, we're never gonna find anything out here. I can barely see Stormfly's head in front of me." Astrid yells out, she couldn't see the dragon's head through the rain.
Fishlegs agrees with her, "Astrid's right, Hiccup. Maybe we should go back to the Edge and wait it out, then when it's more-"
"There's something coming at us!" Nasir yells out, pointing to a light source coming their way. They squint their eyes to see the flaming form of Hookfang!
"Hookfang!" Hiccup yells as Hookfang comes towards them with roars of alarm.
"Quickly! My idiot has been taken!" Hookfang said, doing some gestures.
"Hookfang wants us to follow him quickly, he knows where Snotlout is." Gil translated to the storm.
"Do you know what happened to him?" Moana asked the Monstrous Nightmare.
"I don't know! He was struck by lightning when he challenged Thor! I think he heard Snotlout and struck lightning at him." Hookfang explained and Malie translated.
"I TOLD THAT MUTTONHEAD NOT TO CHALLENGE MY RELATIVES!" Tara roared in annoyance and anger.
"Never mind that!" Lani said, looking at Hookfang, "Hookfang! Take us to where the last time you saw Snotlout!"
"Follow me!" Hookfang roared, guiding them through the storm with his light up body.
The Dragon Riders and Freedom Bringers followed Hookfang out of the storm and through the clear sky. The dragons shake themselves dry along with their riders. Astrid squeezes her braid to remove the water out of it.
"What's Snotlout get himself into this time?" Astrid asked in annoyance.
"It's Snotlout, what do you expect?" Tara snorted, continuing flying through the morning sky with the others.
They landed on a sea pillar, taking a break from the long hard flight. However, Hookfang was worried for his rider. Snotlout may be an idiot, but he is Hookfang's idiot that he enjoys tormenting. Aliikai went over to Hookfang and gave an assuring warble.
"I'm sure he's alright, Hookfang. That rider of yours is too stubborn to get himself killed."
"Thanks, Aliikai, but that's not what I'm worried about." Hookfang said to the female Night Fury, "I saw some dragons, I think they were dragons," He mutters out the last part, "Taking him somewhere."
"We'll find him, Hookfang, don't worry." Aliikai assured him.
"Moana, what are they talking about?" Hiccup asked Moana.
"Aliikai is assuring him that they'll find Snotlout soon." Moana translated.
"Okay, Hookfang, I get it. You're worried about Snotlout. Why don't we just take a little break and give the rest of us a chance to-" Hiccup was cut off when Hookfang took off again, searching for Snotlout. Hiccup lets out a frustrated sigh, "Okay, who needs to catch their breath anyway? You guys relax, Moana and I will go."
"You two can't go alone without me." Tara said to them, her Lycanwing form walks towards them. "Who knows what trouble you two might get into?"
Fishlegs nodded in agreement, "Tara's right. We are going with you. Meatlug just got her second wind." Fishlegs said.
"Umm..." Meatlug wasn't sure how to respond to this.
"Moana could tell him that you wish to rest, Meatlug." Aliikai offers.
Meatlug smiles at her in appreciation, "Thank you, Aliikai, but I still have some energy left in me."
With that, the four took off to the sky, searching for Hookfang. Only for Hookfang to suddenly veers backwards after being scared away by something. They were confused before they noticed three figures coming from the clouds. They don't know if it was the lack of sleep, but what they saw made their eyes widen. In a distance, three wing maidens emerge shortly from the clouds and spot their presence before disappearing. Hiccup, Moana, Tara, and Fishlegs are in disbelief as to what they saw but the
"Did you guys saw that?!" Moana exclaims in shock.
Tara nodded her head, "Flying women, we literally saw flying women."
"Uh. Am I crazy or is that impossible?" Hiccup asked, still confused about what just happened.
The rest of the Dragon Riders and Freedom Bringer came after their dragons had enough rest. "What's impossible?" Astrid asked out loudly, wondering what they saw.
Fishlegs quickly responded, "Nothing. Nothing. We're just having some friendly hallucinations." Clearly hoping that he was hallucinating.
That is until Tuffnut blurted out, "Wait, so, you didn't see the angelic flying native women? Man, did you miss it."
"You guys saw them too?" Gil said in shock.
"Yeah, it was...weird." Moana said to them. "For the moment there, I thought they were Valkyries."
"Same, but there's no way that they could be, but...they look different from the ones back at Asgard."
"Okay, we really have to know more about these, whatever they are." Hiccup suggested.
Everyone agrees and regroups back at the sea stack. They were able to find Hookfang there as the Freedom Bringers assured him that he wasn't hallucinating when he saw human females with wings. Hiccup took out his spyglass from his satchel to observe the island where the female with wings are living.
"Hey, Moana, Fishlegs, take a look at this." Hiccup hands over the spyglass to Moana.
The Chief of Motunui Fishlegs first as she observes the island. "Hmm...I see...wow...I guess we weren't hallucinating." Moana commented, handing the spyglass to Fishlegs.
The Ingerman gladly takes it and observes the island in astonishment, "Amazing...Just amazing. The density of the vegetation is unparalleled," He said, confusing both Moana and Hiccup, "For an island in this area of the-" Moana cuts him off by gently guiding him to the right spot, and he quickly realizes what they meant, "Oh. You were talking about the giant village of women with wings."
"Yup, that's the one." Moana said as Fishlegs returned the spyglass to Hiccup.
Tara turns her eyes into dragon eyes to get a clear view of the island. She Could see women with wings patrolling their island. She adjusted her eyes and saw Snotlout, tied into a pole, and being carried into a cave by two strong female warriors.
"I found 'im." Tara said to the group, not taking her eyes off the source, "They've got muttonhead and they're taking him into a cave not far from their village."
"Wonder what he will do this time?" Yasmina questions out blankly.
Astrid agrees with Yasmina, "Yeah, he probably said something he would say, and now they're gonna-"
"Beat him up until he's all bloody and bruised?" Maui pointed out and Astrid nodded in agreement.
Ruffnut then butts in, "Hey, at least our hands are clean."
Tuffnut nods his head in agreement, "As a whistle." Tuffnut lets out a whistle.
"Um...as I recall, you guys never wash your hands...like ever." Lani pointed out in disgust.
Tuffnut just shrugs his shoulders, "Meh, anyways, it just sucks we don't get to watch."
"We're not gonna let them do anything to Snotlout. We're gonna go in there and get him and bring him home." Hiccup said to the group sternly.
"Who is this "we" you speak of?" Ruffnut asked blankly.
"He meant all of us, Ruffnut." Lani said to her, "Sure, Snotlout can be a pain, but he's still our teammate."
"You mean your teammate, not ours." Tara pointed out, referring to her and the rest of the Freedom Bringers.
Moana gave Tara the look. "Tara..."
Astrid then steps forward, "It's all women down there. If we have to save him, and I'm not convinced we do, I think it would be easier for us girls to take the lead. You know, put 'em at ease."
"I agree with Astrid." Malie said, agreeing with the plan, "I have a feeling they don't trust men very well."
"Tell me about it." Tara said.
Heather was looking through the spyglass and was curious about the wings that the women have down there, "What if we all went in on Windshear? There's something familiar about those wings."
"Windshear can't hold us all." Moana said, patting Aliikai's head, "We can take Ali and Solaria with us, we might need back just in case."
Hiccup nodded in agreement, "All right, then it's settled. We'll be there if you need us. You might not wanna mention anything about Snotlout, until you know why they have him locked up in that cave."
With that, the plan came into action.
Windshear, Aliikai, and Solaria were soaring through the air with the female riders on their backs. Heather, Astrid, and Ruffnut rides on Windshear. Moana and Tara ride on Aliikai. While Yasmina, Malie, and Coral (in her Glamour Spell disguise) ride on Solaria. The group were heading towards the island filled with winged women, but stopped when an unknown voice came from below.
"What a beautiful Razorwhip."
They look down to see a woman emerging underneath the clouds and expresses her awe and interest in Heather's Razorwhip. Her attire is similar to Heather's armor, but smoother. Her hair is a dark strawberry blonde; pulled back in a ponytail braid. She wears a silver and bronze circlet around her head, which extends down to her jaw at the sides and has on a one-sleeve silver and bronze tunic with matching shoulder, arm and leg guards, bronze belt, purple pants and light brown boots. They watched as the woman gently touched Winshear's jaw and slid down under her belly, with the Razorwhip watching her do so. She then flies beside them, smiling at the group kindly.
"And so well-behaved."
"I've had her since she was a hatchling. She must have gotten separated from her mother." Heather said to the flying woman.
"I am Atali. We are not here to harm you." Atali greeted them with open-arms as other flying maidens soon joined her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Atali." Moana said with great respect, "I am Moana, and these are my friends, Astrid, Heather, Coral, Malie, Yasmina, Tara, and Ruffnut."
"The pleasure is all mine, may I ask how it is you find yourselves within our island's borders?" Atali asked them curiously.
"There was a terrible storm. We were on our way back to our own island and we must have gotten blown off course." Astrid answered, making sure that they wouldn't find them suspicious.
"We didn't mean to enter your borders; we thought no one was here." Tara said to Atali.
Atali simply nodded her head, "It is quite alright, our home is hidden within the eyes of men, you can rest at our island, but I'm afraid that we don't usually allow men on our island, so your friend will have to-"
"Um...Atali?" Coral spoke, cutting Atali off, "Ruffnut is actually a woman, not a man."
"YEAH! And I'm more woman than you'll ever be, sister." Ruffnut said in a stern yet offended tone.
Atali blinks in surprise; clearly she didn't notice Ruffnut was actually a woman, "My apologies. Follow us. We will provide you with shelter this evening and a hot meal."
Ruffnut grins, "Now we're talking. What's on the menu?"
"We're having stew. Sacred stew." Atali said, almost sounding a bit maliciously, causing the group to look at each other wearily, as they fly to the island while Ruffnut hums.
"Mmm. Sacred."
The dragons land on the island of the Wingmaiden. There, they had a brief tour by Atali. Aliikai, Windshear, and Solaria follow them from behind, admiring the beauty of the island that only has females. Although they were on a mission to save Snotlout, which they wish they could ignore and enjoy the island instead, he is part of the team, even if he is a pain in the butt.
"So...Atali?" Moana spoke, walking alongside the Chief of the Wingmaidens, "Why don't you allow males on your island? Is there a reason?"
"Yes, we do not allow males to integrate into our tribe on a permanent basis, because we have important work here, a higher purpose, if you will. Males would neither understand, nor would they be helpful."
Ruffnut nods in agreement with a grin, "Amen to that, sister."
Heather gave a look to the female Thorston. "Ruff, you don't really feel that way about the guys."
Ruffnut scoffs at her, "Don't I? I can't remember us ever having this discussion, Heather."
"Heather, if you ask a question to Ruffnut, you get a stupid answer." Tara reminds Heather.
"Yeah, I keep forgetting." Heather mumbles out.
Just then, two Wingmaidens came, silently wishing to speak with Atali, who understands them. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have some business to attend to. But feel free to take in the beauty our island has to offer."
Moana nodded in appreciation, "We will. Thank you, Atali"
With a smile, Atali rejoins her sisters for their ongoing work, leaving the group to rescue Snotlout. Once Atali and the Wingmaidens were out of earshot, Astrid turned to the group. "Well, that's the end of Snotlout."
"Indeed, and judging by their auras, they are more skilled in combat in both air and land." Yasmina said, after observing their auras.
"Hey, at least he'll die surrounded by beautiful women and the smell of sacred stew." Ruffnut said, trying to think of a bright side.
"I don't know if that's a good thing, Ruffnut." Malie said, wincing at the thought of the Wingmaidens annihilating Snotlout.
"If he's still alive, we need to get to him before he says anything to make them any more angry." Heather said, before she stopped when the group gave her the look that she knows very well. "Yeah, that ship's sailed, huh?"
"Sailed a long time ago." Tara said.
"Hey, can you guys keep their chief busy?" Astrid said to the group.
"We can try." Heather said.
"In doing so, we'll scout around the area to find out what these Wingmaidens are up to." Moana added.
"And I'll find Snotlout. He's a muttonhead, but he's our muttonhead." Astrid said to them.
"Alright, we'll rendezvous back here when you get Snotlout out." Moana said to Astrid.
"Got it." Astrid said with a nod.
Then Ruffnut place a hand on Heather's shoulder, "Come on, Heather. I thought I saw a boar pit when we were flying in. Hey, maybe they're up for a game of doubles." She said before walking away, making Heather frown at the idea of wrestling with the Wingmaidens.
"You gals do that while we look around at the village. We can gather as much info as we can." Tara said.
They split up to their part, Astrid went off to save Snotlout, while threat would trying and distract Atali and get info about the island. Moana, Malie, Tara, Yasmina, and Coral look around the village with Aliikai and Solaria following them. Windshear was with Heather, watching her rider and Ruffnut had to wrestle in the boar pit with the other Wingmaidens. The female Freedom Bringers were greeted with kindness by the Wingmaidens. Coral was excited when she learned about their amazing cooking, wanting to try to cook some herself. Some of Wingmaidens asked the Freedom Bringers about Aliikai and Solaria. Moana explains that she and Aliikai grew up together while Yasmina said that Solaria was like a mother figure to her and her brother back home.
"Hmm..." Malie hums, looking at the wings of the Wingamaidens.
"Something in your mind, Malie?" Yasmina asked Malie.
"Their wings...they look...familiar..."
"I agree with you there, Mal. Makes you wonder if they were blessed by Lord Draco." Tara said quietly, looking at the wings of the Wingmaidens.
"You think Astrid got 'you know who' out of his prison?" Coral whispers out, referring to Snotlout.
Tara shrugs her shoulders, "Hopefully, we have to give her time considering there could be guards and-"
"Tara?"
Tara's mind came to a crashing halt at the familiar voice. The voice that she longs to hear for so long.
"It can't be." Tara thought.
Tara slowly turns around and froze from her spot as her eyes widen in pure shock. Standing close by was a woman with long fiery red hair that was braided, beautiful emerald eyes, fair skin, and some freckles across the bridge of her nose. She wears the same outfit of the Wingmaidens, and she too has wings.
"M...Mom?" Tara whispers out in pure shock.
Her friends turn to Tara in complete shock. That woman was Fiona Aaberg, Tara's mother. They couldn't help but watch as both mother and daughter stared at each other with wide eyes. Unable to move from their spot. They just...stared at each other, as if some kind of dream that they do not wish to wake up.
"...Tara?" Fiona repeated again, tears forming from her eyes.
Tears began to form in Tara's eyes at the sight of her mother, and without warning, Tara charged at her, arms wide, as she hugged her mother with full embrace. Fiona returns the hug, crying with tears of joy of her daughter in her arms again.
"Mom!" Tara cries in pure joy.
"Oh, my sweet little fire! You're alive!" Fiona cried, holding her daughter close.
The others along with some Wingmaidens watch this beautiful reunion between mother and daughter. They both let go as Fiona cups her daughter's face gently, wiping Tara's tears away with her thumbs before kissing both her cheeks.
"Mom! You're alive!" Tara cries, happy to feel her mother's embrace.
Fiona cries happily, overjoyed to hold her daughter again, "I knew that you survived that storm! I just knew it!" Fiona said, hugging her daughter again. As they let go, Fiona notices the female Freedom Bringers coming towards them, "Who...who are they?"
Tara smiles at her mother and gestures to her friends, "Mom, these are my friends, Moana, Malie, Yasmina, and Coral, they saved me and...they accepted me for who I am."
Hearing her daughter's words, Fiona smiles at them kindly, "Thank you, for taking care of my little girl."
"It was our great pleasure, Ms. Aaberg. After all, Tara is our friend."
"Please, call me Fiona." Tara's mom said to them kindly, which everyone returned.
"Mom, how did you get here? I thought that you drowned." Tara said to her mom.
Fiona shook her head, "I didn't, I was able to survive, and then washed ashore in Wingmaiden Island. Here, I was welcomed by Atali and the others; they took care of me and taught me how to become a Wingmaiden."
"Which reminds me, how did you become a Wingmaiden?" Malie asked Fiona.
"Yeah! And how did you grow wings?" Coral added, pointing at Fiona's wings.
Fiona chuckles at them lightly, "No, I didn't grow wings. I will show you the reason why I have these."
Fiona leads the group to the upper area of the village. There, they saw Heather and Ruffnut covered in mud. Astrid was there as well, showing that she was able to free Snotlout and now are ready to leave.
"What happened to you guys?" Coral asked Heather and Ruffnut, both covered in mud.
"Long story." Heather said before noticing Fiona. "Who is this?"
Smiling, Tara holds her mom's hand, "Astrid, Heather, Ruff, say hello to my mom, Fiona Aaberg."
"Your mom?!" The trio exclaimed in shock.
"But I thought your mom drowned!" Ruffnut yelled out.
"She didn't, she washed up ashore here on Wingmaiden Island." Tara explains to them.
Fiona looks at the three girls and slowly knows who they are, "I know you, you're Astrid Hofferson, the girl that always wrestles my daughter." She said with a smile, causing Astrid to blush a bit, "And you're Ruffnut Thorston...don't you have a twin brother?"
"Meh, out there somewhere." Ruffnut said casually with a wave.
Fiona smiles before turning to Heather, and instantly recognizes her, "And you're Heather, the daughter Oswald the Agreeable."
"You know my dad?" Heather asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, he was a good man, he loves you dearly." Fiona said gently, making Heather smile a bit. "Anyways, what are you up to?"
"Oh, we were just about to leave." Astrid said.
Tara silently tense by this, "A-Already? Can we just stay for a little while?" Tara said, hoping to catch up with her mother.
Astrid knew very well that Tara wants to catch up with her mom. Just then Atali appears by flying from below, "You're not leaving, are you?"
The group was surprised by Atali's sudden appearance, "Oh, yes, I'm afraid we have to." Astrid said, feeling bad that Tara had to leave her mom again.
"We have a long way to fly, and it'll be dark soon." Heather added.
Tara wanted to protest, wanting to be with her mom again, until Atali already prepared for this. "Such a shame. I so wanted to show you the newborns." She said, before turning around, revealing a Baby Razorwhip that was riding on her back, shocking both female riders and Freedom Bringers. Later, Atali and Fiona take them to a Razorwhip nursery, where the newborns were roaming around, bumping into one another.
Heather looks at the baby dragons with distraught, "I don't understand. Where are their mothers? How could you keep them from-"
Atali cuts her off, showing them their reasons, "We're not keeping them from their mothers. We're saving them."
"Saving them?" Moana asked in confusion.
"That's right, Moana, we are saving the baby Razorwhips." Fiona said to them.
Atali nodded her head before turning to Heather, "Heather, were you aware that nearly a thousand years ago, the Razorwhip almost became extinct?"
Heather and the others were shocked to hear this, "No. I had no idea."
"I did!" Coral said, raising her hand, "Hunters and Trappers value the Razorwhips' armor, and hunt them all down to get them."
"Seriously?!" Both Moana and Malie exclaimed in shock.
"It's true." Atali said, agreeing with Coral, "And it was then that our Wingmaiden tribe was charged with a divine mission. A mission given to us by Freya herself and Lord Draco the God of All Dragons, and one we fulfill with great honor to this day."
The group looks back to the baby dragons, and notices something off about them.
"Hey...do you guys notice something...strange with the baby Razorwhips?" Moana asked, her eyes narrow in suspicion.
Astrid agrees with her, "Are they..."
Atali finished Astrid's sentence, "Blind? Yes. All Razorwhips are born blind. They are helpless and the mothers cannot protect them against male Razorwhips."
"Been there." Ruffnut blurted out.
"When?" Astrid asked in annoyance.
Ruffnut didn't have the right answer for that, "Uh. Just sounded like the right response."
"I have." Yasmina spoke, looking at the hatchlings with sadness in her eyes, "From what I learn, male Razorwhips are known to be cannibals; they will feed on the hatchlings, whether be their own or someone else's. That is why female Razorwhips never have a mate, they don't trust their male counterparts near their young."
Her words shocked her friends. They were not aware of this sudden information. "Yasmina is correct, unless someone is there to stop them." Atali said to them.
Heather then looks at her, "And that's where you come in."
Atali nodded her head, "Exactly. We have a mutual understanding with the mothers that the hatchlings will stay with us until they are able to stand and are strong enough to fly. Then they fly on our backs until they are old enough to defend themselves. It is only then that they are released back to their mothers and then into the wild."
"That's...that's very beautiful." Malie said with a soft smile.
Heather agrees with her as she gently pats Windshear, slowly realizes something, "So, what you're telling me is that-"
"Your dragon, Windshear, was once a part of our family." Fiona spoke on behalf of Atali.
"Fiona is correct. Winsheard was raised by us until she was strong enough to go on her own." Atali said gently.
Heather hugs her dragon gently, "Windshear was so little when I found her, but she bonded with me right away."
"Well, the first contact with another living being creates a lifelong bond. One that shall never be broken. You are a very lucky woman, Heather." Atali said to Heather kindly.
Heather smiles and hugs Windshear, "I am."
It was such a beautiful moment, until Ruffnut ruined it by butting in, "And here we thought you were these crazy babes who flew with dragons and ate stew made out of fat annoying guys." She said with a grin, causing the group to panic while Atali and Fiona looked at her in confusion.
Malie and Coral quickly cover her mouth while Astrid steps in to fix it, "That is not what we thought." The Hofferson said to Atali in an apologetic tone.
Atali accepts it, knowing it was just a misunderstanding, "It's all right. What we are-"
Suddenly, one of the Wingmaidens yells out in alarm, "The man has escaped! Someone set him free!"
"We had a prisoner?" Fiona mutters out in surprise.
Astrid gave another apologetic look. "Sorry. We didn't know. He's meeting our friends at the base of the North Mountains."
"Who is he?" Fiona asked, completely confused on what was happening.
"It's Snotlout, mom." Tara answered to her mother.
"The Jorgenson boy? Huh, I always suspect him getting him into trouble, but this...this is bad."
"Why is that?" Malie asked worriedly.
It was then Atali tells them the unfortunate news. "Because those are the nesting grounds of the Razorwhips. And if the females sense any sort of male presence there, they will attack. To kill. He'll have no chance."
This horrified everyone, especially Astrid as she realizes what she has done. "I sent him right into that. I just sent Snotlout to his death."
"We have to tell the guys before it's too late!" Moana said, getting on Aliikai, followed by the others to get on Solaria and Windshear.
They, along with Fiona, Atali, and some Wingmaidens, head back to the Sea stack, where the guys were waiting for them. They need all the help they could get in order to save Snotlout. Once they rejoined the males, they were surprised to see the Wingmaidens with them.
"Astrid. Are we okay here? Or-"
Astrid stops Hiccup's sentence, "We're fine, which is more than I can say for-"
Hiccup finished her sentence, already knowing the answer, "Let me guess. Snotlout."
"Yup." All the female riders and Freedom Bringers said unison.
"Hiccup, this is Atali, she knows every part of the island, and she knows where Snotlout went." Moana said to Hiccup.
Atali nodded her head, "Indeed, and unfortunately, your friend has found himself in a Razorwhip nesting area."
"I think old Snotty is a ways away from "finding himself"." Tuffnut began, causing the group to look at him with utter confusion. "And does anybody really ever "find themselves"? Isn't knowing who you are a journey that never ends with a beginning that never starts?"
...
Everyone stares at him in confusion before Maui leans over to dumbfound Keoni, whispering to him, "What the heck is he talking about?"
"I don't know and I don't want to know." Keoni whispers back, knowing if they dare ask, they'll get even more confused.
"What's he doing there?" Fishlegs spoke, ignoring Tuffnut's words, as he was concerned about the situation on hand, "Doesn't he know how female Razorwhips respond to male presence while they're nesting?"
"He does now." Tuffnut joke, leaning on Hookfang's horn.
"Hey! That's my idiot rider you're talking about!" Hookfang snarls, yanking his horn away from Tuffnut.
"Oops, sorry. I'm sure he's fine." Tuffnut apologizes and assures the Monstrous Nightmare quickly.
"All right, the way I see it, the only shot he has is for us, and when I say "us", I mean Fishlegs, Tuff, Maui, Keoni, Lani, Nasir, to ride over the forest and distract all the female Razorwhips."
"They'll be more focused on attacking the males instead of us gals." Fiona said with a smirk, making Tara grin. Oh, how she misses sassy mom.
"Then, we can go in and rescue Snotlout's boneheaded butt while they're still distracted." Astrid added.
Hookfang then grabs Tuffnut from the back of his tunic and places him on his back, before taking off, "What's going on?! I don't think this was the plan!"
"It is now! Come on!" Keoni said, getting on Makaio.
Maui turns into his hawk form while Nasir gets on Cayden. The males took off to distract the female Razorwhips that shot out from the trees after seeing them. But right now, some of the mother Razorwhips were chasing another male in their forest, and this male is Snotlout. The poor Jorgenson was trying to escape the female Razorwhips' anger. After Snotlout sprints across the forest and accidentally disturbs them. The female dragons immediately began attacking him; all the while Snotlout keeps avoiding the wing maidens nearby, thinking they still plan to recapture him. Snotlout resorts to hiding inside a tree stump while cheering for himself.
Meanwhile, the female Riders and Freedom Bringers were searching for Snotlout; Tara was in her Lycanwing form with her mom flying beside her. Turns out, the Wingmaidens knew that Tara was a Lycanwing, considering Fiona told them about her daughter when she first arrived. But they don't fear Tara, instead, they respect her. They heard about the legend that the Lycanwing Curse was caused by Loki, who stole the work from Draco, and willingly accepts her for who she is, much to everyone's joy.
"Ugh! Where could he be?!" Moana yelled, searching from the trees. "For all we know, we might have flown past him."
"I agree with Moana," Heather said, looking through the forest, "There's acres of forest down there. How are we gonna find him?"
"Just listen for the high-pitched screams. That'll be him." Astrid said in amusement.
"High-pitched scream, got it!" Coral said, riding on Solaria with Yasmina.
It didn't take long when they heard the loud high-pitched scream of Snotlout that echoes through the forest. They heard him and quickly aided the male Jorgenson. Just in time too, as several female Razorwhips encircle Snotlout, ready to end him. In a nick of time, Astrid has Stormfly swoop in and carry Snotlout away. The female Razorwhips still pursue them. The other female Riders, Freedom Bringers, and Wingmaidens help stop the female Razorwhips, calming them down, preventing them from advancing. But one manages to grab hold of Snotlout's foot. Hiccup and Toothless try to assist but other Razorwhips block him from doing so. Both Stormfly and the Razorwhip lose their grip on Snotlout and he plummets. Fortunately, Hookfang zeroes in and saves Snotlout just in time.
Tuffnut greets a relieved Snotlout casually, "Hey, bro. You know, I gotta say, this is one cool dragon. Did you know he can fly so fast it almost rips your face off?"
Snotlout holds onto Tuffnut, "Yes. I knew that, Tuff."
"Oh, okay. And, Snotlout, you mind holding on to something else? I just don't want the Wingmaidens to think I'm taken." Tuffnut said, causing Snotlout to let go immediately.
After calming down the female Razorwhips, the Dragon Riders and Freedom Bringer apologize to the Atali and the Wingmaidens for their misunderstanding. Atali accepted apologies as she too apologizes for her misunderstandings, she and the others didn't know that they were rescuing dragons and bringing them back to the promise land. Yeah, the Wingmaidens knew about Polynesian Region, for they knew it was the birthplace of the dragons. And they knew that their Razorwhips might return back to their region. However, Gil believes that due to the Razorwhips connection with the Wingmaidens, they don't need to leave fully. Some can go while others can stay here. It was their choice not theirs. Much to the joy of the Wingmaidens. Soon, they celebrate their newfound friendship over the campfire, where Tara told her mom about their adventure, and how Loki turned her friends into dragons, and how she met her godly relatives to get them back to normal. Fiona was angry by the fact that her 'ex-husband' turned her friends into dragon for his amusement. If she ever sees Loki, she's gonna give him a piece of her mind, aka her fists into his face. However she became sadden when she finds out that Krogan was Dragon Hunter and forcing the Singetails to let the hunters ride them. And forcing Tara to end her friendship with Krogan, who was like a father figure to her.
"Sweetheart, I am so sorry that you have to do that." Fiona said to her daughter gently.
Tara made a small smile, "It's okay, mom. Although it was hard to lose a good friend...I could never hurt my family." She said, smiling at her friends, chatting about the Island of Motunui, and their mission of saving the dragons. While Snotlout thanked Astrid for saving him and apologizes to her of how he misbehaved to Astrid and strives to learn from his mistakes on disrespecting women. Much to the amusement of Astrid and the other females.
"It warms my heart to see you happy, sweetie." Fiona said smiling as her baby Razorwhip woke up with a yawn and cuddles on her back, "Oh, I almost forgot, Tara, say hello to Trinity, my little Razorwhip."
Tara smiles at Trinity, gently scratching the baby Razorwhip's head, earning purrs from the dragon. "Nice to meet you, Trinity. Welcome to the family."
Then Atali came forward to the fire, raising her cup, "A toast and greetings to our new friends from Dragon's Edge. You have taught us a lesson in tolerance and acceptance. You will always be welcome here on the Island of Wingmaidens. Every one of you. And to the conclusion of the nesting season. Now that it is over, there is much work to be done, but no other task brings us such joy."
And with that, everyone raises their glasses and cheers, knowing they made a great alliance with the Wingmaiden Tribe.
They were not aware that they were being watched from afar at the cliff of the island by Abaddon the Death Fury, Aliikai's birth father. He was watching his daughter, Aliikai, getting to know the Wingmaidens. Making close allies to help them with the cause. It was important for his daughter and her friends to make as many allies as possible. For they need all the help they could get when facing a threat that will come and destroy everything and everyone in its wake.
So, he will make sure to protect his daughter from the sidelines, so she won't get in danger.
And if any fool dares try to harm his daughter...let's just say their deaths won't be painless.
So, sorry for the late update. Slow on the brain and my work is getting harder and harder for me. I hope you people understand that I will be late posting stories.
And have a good day.