"Does anyone know if the Seashockers and Scaldrens are back yet?"
"I saw them." Care confirmed. "They should be in the pool."
"Thank you. Your all dismissed, please return to your people. You may inform them that they can move around inside but no going out until I've lifted the grounding. They can come up here if they like but again no flying." The dragons made their way inside. "Toothless would you take me down to the pool please?"
"Of course."
"Dad, I'm sure the others are wondering what's happening. If we see them on our way down, I'll send them your way so that you can tell them what's going on."
"Aye, son."
"Oh, and take this." Hiccup handed Stoick the monocular. "If you wish so watch, you can use this to see the ship. Just look through it." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless' back. "Let's go bud." Hiccup patted the Night Fury on the neck. Hiccup set himself low against the dragon's back and held on tight. Toothless slipped through a hole and jumped off the edge and dove down into the deepest part of the mountain, where years of erosion had caused a leak in the mountain and created a huge pool of water in the bottom that had been further broken out to create a way for seafaring dragons to get in and out of.
Toothless landed on a very small platform.
"Be careful when you get off, you'll be right on the edge." Toothless warned.
"Would you give me a little light so that I can see it please." Toothless opened his mouth and partially charge a plasma blast. He craned his neck around to shine the light from it on the damp ground. Even with the light Hiccup nearly slipped as he stepped down from Toothless' back. But caught himself before falling into the pool. Once Hiccup actually got some steady footing he knelt down and swished his hand in the water, to get the attention of the dragons lurking below. A twin headed Seashocker poked their head out of the water.
"Hello Hiccup." The left head said. "He's your alpha, you should treat him with more respect. Hello, my alpha."
"Black. Blue. I see you two still can't agree on anything." Hiccup chuckled.
"It's him." The right head complained. "I'm sure it is." The left head agreed.
"Okay you two I have something important you need to do."
"That is?" "What is it?" They asked simultaneously.
"Did you two see the ship?"
"Yep." "Yes."
"It's a dragon trapping ship. I want you two and as many as you think necessary to head out and sink that ship. No survivors, and free anyone under the deck. I don't know how they lock the cages so bring someone who could tear them apart if needed. Don't take any unnecessary risks and no playing with your food. Do you understand me?"
"Of course Hiccup." "Yes, sir."
"Good, now get going." He turned away from the water and climbed back onto Toothless' back. "Let's find Color. I want us and Her, and some of her group to keep watch incase something goes wrong."
"You think somethings going to go wrong?" Toothless asked as he lifted off.
"No, I don't. It's just incase. It's just if something does go awry. Things like this always have something weird about them that you can't account for." As they few up from the darkness, they looked around for the Changewing. Hiccup just barely caught sight of her. She was with Dusty, which is the real reason Hiccup saw her. He pointed Toothless in the right direction and they landed next to the couple. "Color. Dusty." Hiccup greeted them and continued before they could return the greeting. "I'm here to request your assistance on something."
"You return me home just to get me to work." Color joked. "What's up? What do you need?"
"Well as you've probably guessed I've sent a group out to deal with the ship out there. I'd like you and some of your people, along with Toothless and I to go hide out in the fog and watch over them. Just in case they get into some trouble. I'd like to not lose anyone over something like this."
"Why not wait them out?" Dusty asked.
"As much as I do want to do that, we can't. We're already going to be short on food this winter and every day we wait them out we lose more food and potentially more people. I want to minimize people moving away. If we weather the storm we'll be able to recover and not have to worry about next year as much. And as long as we don't have a ton of growth like last year we'll make it just fine. But we have to take out that ship or we lose more of our precious time. That's why. I don't like it and I'm sure you don't either but it's kinda how it is. We're unfortunately on the edge of failing." Color got up and shook herself.
"You we're expecting to be so popular were you Hiccup?" She stretched and chuckled. "Never planned to have so many hungry mouths to feed."
"I never thought so many people would like the idea of some messed up half breed, thing, leading them. Maybe they just joined to see me fail?"'
"It must suck to be them, cause it turns out you're a great leader."
"Uh, thanks." Hiccup stammered.
"Don't let it go to your head." Toothless smiled. "Your already heavy enough." Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"We'll meet up up top when you're ready and we'll head out together." Hiccup said, and color nodded and flew off.
"I'm sorry that I'm taking your mate away from you again." Hiccup sympathized.
"It's her job, I understand." Hiccup jumped onto Toothless' back again.
"Let's head up Toothless. Unless I'm too heavy." Hiccup laughed.
"Oh, quiet. You're barely a feather to me." To prove that Toothless rocketed to the top of the mountain in record time. Toothless landed proudly at the top of the mountain. "Like I said, light as a feather." Hiccup jumped off him.
"I'll never question you again." Hiccup caught his breath.
"Yes you will." Toothless assured. Hiccup grinned at him.
"Hiccup what's going on?" Stoick asked from close by.
"We're waiting for some others to join us. Then we're heading out into the fog to watch over the group I sent out to take down that ship." Hiccup took a moment to look around and found the other humans sitting around. "Did all your people make it up here?"
"Yes, they all made it and have been informed of the situation. Much like your dragons they are waiting for you to lift the order."
"So they were enjoying looking around and interacting with the dragons?" Hiccup asked. Stoick huffed.
"It seems that curiosity has won over blind hate." Hiccup felt relieved.
"That's all I've really ever wanted."