MDM's Version of How to Train Your Dragon
A/N: I'm so glad that I'm posting this early. There's TONS of school work coming my way. And it's really stressing me out.
To Sachsm082, I got your idea about the Flightmare. That's something I'm really considering when I get into "Defenders of Berk", which I do plan on doing.
Speaking of that, I have a question I'll put on a poll that I REALLY need your help on, guys. Check it out on my profile, and it will stay until the beginning of November.
Now that I got everything out of the way, it's on to Chapter 19! Curtain call!
Chapter 19
The Dragon's Nest
Suddenly, Astrid remembered one little problem. "So what now?" When she asked that, the Misfit Trio all looked ahead of them, their smiles gone. Astrid then turned her attention to the boy in front of her.
"Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're gonna have to kill a-" She quickly stopped herself when she realized who was also around.
She pulled Hiccup closer and whispered the rest of her sentence. "-kill a dragon."
"Don't remind me." Hiccup said, who remembered his problem.
"That's being bugging us since last night." Ragnar added.
"And now that this problem is getting bigger, we need to figure something out to solve it." Juno chimed in.
As they were talking, Toothless, Fossil, and Coccinelle all perked up, as if they heard something. They then suddenly jerked over to the left and began flying in that direction, catching the four teenagers off guard.
"Toothless, what's happening?" Hiccup asked.
"Fossil, what's wrong, boy?" Ragnar asked his Boneknapper.
"Coccinelle. What's up, girl?" Juno inquired to her Grapple Grounder.
"What is it, guys?" Hiccup questioned, as they flew deeper into the mist.
Loud shrieks and growls and chirps were heard. One by one, dragons of all species came into view in the thick fog.
"Get down!" Hiccup ordered quietly, and everyone quickly obeyed.
As they anxiously watched dragons appear all around them, some even growled at them, carrying something in their talons. Fish, sheep, yaks, and even humans, which sickened them to their stomachs.
"It looks like they're hauling in their kill." Hiccup observed.
"Uh, what does that make us?" Astrid asked, definitely nervous.
"Hopefully not their kill." Ragnar suggested, trying to make light of the situation.
Soon, all the dragons began descending into a large cave in a huge volcano on a small island. The whole scene before them is ominous and sending chills down their spines. They entered the cave, and what they saw shocked them.
The dim light inside the volcano was tinted red, and many pillars of rocks and cliffs were in disarray. Dragons were either flying or on the cliffs and pillars. The four knew where they were: the Dragon's Nest.
"What my dad wouldn't give to find this." Hiccup said breathlessly.
"No kidding." Ragnar agreed.
Toothless, Fossil, and Coccinelle then flew to a secluded cliff, not wanting to make their friends' presence known.
"Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food is being dumped down a hole." Hiccup said dryly as they watched dragons dropped what they had into the red-tinted, misty abyss.
"They're not eating any of it." Astrid observed.
"Well, that's weird." Juno said. "Why steal food if you're not even gonna eat it?" They soon found out the answer.
Seconds later, Gronckle lazily flew above the foggy pit and belched out a small, measly fish. After it fell into the pit, a low growl and deep growl was heard, and it didn't sound very pleased.
The Gronckle first froze with fear, and then began to fly away as fast as it could with its tiny wings. But then suddenly, a huge dragon head popped out of the mist and closed its jaws around the poor Gronckle.
The four teens gasped in horror. "What is that?" Astrid asked, frightened.
All the dragons backed away from the abyss and huddled together. The dragon head had three pairs of eyes, and its gray bumpy skin was dark red in the dim light.
"I hope that's not what I think it is." Ragnar shuddered.
Hiccup decided that it was time to bail. "Guys, we gotta get of here." He said to their dragon friends when the giant dragon began sniffing the air. "Now!"
The dragons listened just in the nick of time, and they flew off, barely dodging the dragon's jaws. All the other dragons escaped through the crater up in the ceiling. Everyone made it out, except one poor Zippleback who was caught in the giant's mouth.
The Misfit Trio were silent with terror on the way back to the cove. As they landed, Astrid began talking about what they saw.
"It totally makes sense now!" She said. "It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them."
She slid off Toothless and began to head out of the cove. "Let's find Hiccup's dad."
"No!" The Trio cried out as they got off their dragons.
Hiccup came to Astrid and stopped her. "No, not yet. They'll kill Toothless, Fossil, and Coccinelle." He said worriedly. "Astrid, we have to think this through carefully."
"He's right." Juno said. "This is way bigger and than we ever thought."
Astrid was confused by their decision. "Guys, we just discovered the Dragon's Nest, the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here, and you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragons? Are you serious?"
Ragnar and Juno opened their mouths to give her their answer, but Hiccup turned to Astrid with a firm determination in his eyes. "Yes." He answered for all of them.
That one single word surprised Astrid as she stared at him with awe. She glanced over at Juno and Ragnar, and they nodded silently, agreeing with their friend.
"Okay." She gave in. "Then what do we do?"
Hiccup turned away from her before answering. "Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out."
"Okay." Astrid complied, before she punched him in the shoulder. "That's for kidnapping me."
Hiccup gave her a disbelieving glare before he turned around and gestured to Toothless, who was drinking from the pond with Fossil and Coccinelle. Toothless grunted, as if to say, "You're on your own."
He then spun on over to the other side to look at Ragnar and Juno. Ragnar just held his hands up in surrender, not wanting to get involved, while Juno just glared at Astrid with her hands on her hips.
Hiccup looked back over at Astrid again, seeing her nervously looking away from him and brushing away her bangs from her eyes. She then lunged forward, grabbed the front of his tunic, and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising everyone.
"That's for… everything else." She then dashed off, giving Hiccup one last glance.
Hiccup had a dazed look and a small giddy smile on his face. Toothless then came up to him and gave him a teasing glance.
"Eh, wh-what are you looking at?" Hiccup asked defensively.
"I'll admit, I did not see that one coming." Juno said with a sly smirk.
Both of them laughed; Juno teasingly and Hiccup sheepishly, but Ragnar just went up to Fossil and stroked his bony jaw, lost in thought.
"Hey, Rag. You okay?" Hiccup asked, concerned.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Ragnar said, attempting to console his foster brother and his crush.
But they still weren't convinced. "You've been looking pale ever since we escaped the nest." Juno pointed out as she and Hiccup came up to him. "Almost like you saw a ghost."
"I was hoping that what we saw isn't what I think it is." Ragnar confessed.
"What was that thing?" Hiccup asked.
Ragnar took a deep breath and ominously said the answer. "A Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus. Better known as a Red Death."
"What?" Juno questioned, shocked. "I thought those things were extinct. Or just a myth. "
"What's the story about them?" Hiccup asked, wanting to know more.
"The Red Death is an Alpha dragon." Ragnar explained.
"Like a leader or a chief?" Hiccup hypothesized.
"Yeah." Ragnar continued his mini lesson. "It can somehow control masses of dragons, even of different species. Almost like they're its own personal army or slaves even. "
Juno then spoke up. "If the village finds out that we found the Nest, they could end up marching to their own demise."
"We can't let that happen." Hiccup said, worried about their people.
An idea then popped into his head. It was risky, but worth a shot. "Unless we show them another way."
"Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." Ragnar pleaded.
Hiccup just continued looking at him with determined eyes. "He's thinking it." Juno confirmed.
"That's completely insane." Ragnar stated.
"Exactly." Hiccup answered with some fear in his voice.
A/N: I had this ready by last Saturday. But, school had taken up a lot of my time. Now, I have finally found the time to post this thing.
Don't forget to review. And check out the poll on my profile, 'cause I really need your help to make a decision before it's too late.
Got to fly! ;)