Hey, guys. I got this chapter up as fast as I could. Since school is coming up on Monday for me, I decided to give you guys a long chapter (5196 words). Hopefully I will still be able to write this story during the school year, but I make no promises on how often I update, since this will be my senior year of high school. Also on a side note, I've been putting up some mash-ups on tumblr. Link is in my bio.
Please enjoy.
Three weeks later, Indi seemed to be fully accepted into the group of dragon riders. There were things that they still did not know about him, but they would survive not knowing.
Indi currently stood next to a ballista, looking through a spyglass that Hiccup had constructed. Combined with his enhanced vision, Indi could see their target from a long ways off.
He pointed to Astrid, who pulled a lever, launching a net at their target, only to have it dodge out of the way with a barrel roll to the right. Indi signaled to the twins, who released several grappling hooks on chains to entangle their opponent, which pulled out of the way, moving skyward.
"Arrows!" Indi shouted, and every rider on the outpost began to fire several volleys of arrows, their target dodging their shots. Soon, after a few moments of firing, one arrow scored a direct shot to their opponent's chest, leaving an orange splotch.
"Snotlout, Snotlout, oy, oy, oy!"
"Nice shot, Snotlout," Hiccup called out from his seat on Toothless' back.
Indi smirked amusedly as Snotlout shot another arrow from his ballista, hitting Hiccup in the chest.
"D-aw! Really?" Hiccup shot down incredulously. Snotlout let out a short laugh, but was interrupted when Toothless shot a low-power plasma blast at the stocky male, knocking him from his perch on the ballista, groaning all the way to the bottom.
Later that night, Indi, Hiccup, and Fishlegs were gathered on the landing area outside of the stables.
Fishlegs groaned with mild frustration. "I really thought we had it this time."
"Hey, this batch of Gronkle Iron armor lasted longer than the last one," Indi said encouragingly.
"Yes, but not long enough," Tuffnut said, exiting the stables, accompanied by his sister and Snotlout. "Wait, unless you wanted Hiccup to get shot down."
"Interesting hypothesis, brother," Ruffnut replied, placing her hands on her hips.
"Why are you trying to kill Hiccup?!" Tuffnut said, running up to Fishlegs, accusingly shoving a finger in the larger male's face.
"I'm not trying to kill Hiccup," Fishlegs said in defense.
"That's exactly what someone trying to kill Hiccup would say."
"Indeed," Ruffnut said, moving to the other side of Fishlegs. "We're keep our eye on you, pal."
"Our good eye."
"So, what do we try next?" Indi asked, shaking his head and turning from the scene to face Hiccup.
"Well, I think we have to go thinner," Hiccup said. "That should make it lighter and more flexible."
"But it won't make it Snotlout-proof," The dark-haired male said, as he lounged against the doorway to the stables. "It's a good thing for you guys that I'm on your side." He was promptly knocked to the ground by Stormfly.
"You are?" Astrid asked, from her spot on Stormfly's saddle. "Huh, honestly, sometimes it's hard to tell."
"Astrid!" Hiccup said. "You're back from Berk already."
"Never made it there," she said. "I ran into Trader Johann along the way, and he had some interesting news. Hiccup, we need to talk." Indi could tell by the look on Astrid's face that whatever "news" this Johann fellow had shared, it was serious.
The rider's gathered in the clubhouse, and Astrid filled them in on what she was told. "Johann flagged me down on the way to Berk to tell me that he'd seen Ryker, Heather, and the dragon hunters in the northern markets, buying all the cold-weather gear they could get their hands on."
"Why would you buy winter gear in the summer?" Snotlout asked incredulously.
"Hel-lo!" Ruffnut said. "That's when you get the best prices!"
"Ruff is an excellent shopper," Tuffnut said. "She actually got both our outfits: two for the price of one."
"No one's surprised by that," Snotlout said dismissively.
"Where would the dragon hunters be going that would need heavy weather gear this time of year?" Hiccup wondered aloud. "Did Johann hear anything else?"
"They needed the gear right away," Astrid added. "And they were after something rare: a bone or a claw…"
"Or maybe a tooth?" Indi speculated.
"A Snow Wraith, of course!" Fishlegs said. "The dragon hunters are after the Snow Wraith to get one of its teeth!"
"Yeah, good luck with that," Tuffnut said. "We barely got out of there alive." Ruffnut nodded in agreement.
"The Dragon Eye used to belong to the hunters," Hiccup said, plucking the artifact from its spot on top of a table. "They must know they need a Snow Wraith tooth to make it work."
"Who cares?!" Snotlout said. "All it means is that they aren't coming our way."
"Which means, if they do get their own tooth, they'll be coming for us next."
Astrid crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Oh, he's thinking," Ruffnut said.
"That's definitely his thinking face," Tuffnut added.
"We can't let that happen," Hiccup said decidedly, before turning on his heel, and began to walk off to his hut, Toothless following him. "Get a good night's sleep, gang. We leave for Glacier Island at first light."
The next morning, they were flying towards a snow-white island. The air was cold, too cold for Indi's liking, even with Astrid in front of him as a windbreak; growing up in a tropical environment rendered him sensitive to cold temperatures. The cold reminded him of a "certain someone" who wasn't bothered by it.
"Hey, can I ask a stupid question?" Tuffnut said.
"You sure can!" Ruffnut said. "Better than anyone I know."
"Thank you, sister!"
"You're welcome!"
"Hiccup, are we really trying to protect a dragon, that the last time we saw it tried to kill us, from dragon hunters, who every time we see them try to kill us?"
"And Heather and her dragon!" Ruffnut added. "Don't forget them; they like to try to kill us too."
"Heather won't be a problem," Astrid said.
"Why wouldn't Heather be a problem?" Fishlegs wondered aloud.
"It's just that we…" Astrid said. "We outnumber her, right?" Indi sensed uncertainty in her voice.
"Look, Heather or no Heather," Hiccup said. "All we have to do is find the Snow Wraith first, then relocate it to a different island, where the hunters won't find him."
"Oh, that's all?!" Ruffnut shot back.
"Uh, that sounds like the sort of 'extremely dangerous' plan I would come up with," Tuffnut said. "And no, I do not mean that as a compliment."
"I didn't think so," Hiccup said, turning around to face backwards in the saddle. "C'mon, let's head over to where we found the Snow Wraith last time."
"Oh, you mean where it found us," Snotlout corrected.
"That's… one way of putting it," Hiccup said.
"Yeah, it's the only way."
They group landed in the middle of a raging blizzard, the cold winds biting at their faces. Toothless sent out a series of purple and white sound waves in various directions.
"Anything out there, bud?" Hiccup asked. The black dragon shook his head negatively.
"This is summer on Glacier Island?" Ruffnut said, holding her arms in a feeble attempt to keep herself warm. "No wonder they don't get any tourists."
"What would their slogan be?" Tuffnut wondered. "'If the Snow Wraith doesn't kill you, the weather will'."
"Hey, that's a good slogan."
"That's a terrible slogan," Hiccup countered. "But the good news is: if we run into any dragon hunters, they won't have much luck with those dragon root arrows in this weather." The wind picked up strength for a moment.
"And the bad news is…" Snotlout began. Indi looked over to see the Thorston twins clinging to Snotlout's front and back, shivering.
"What are you doing?" Indi asked.
"It's called body heat management," Ruffnut said.
"Also known as the 'Thorston Sandwich'," Tuffnut said. "Served cold."
"That's… horrifying," Hiccup said. "Okay, why-why don't you guys just set up camp? Astrid, Indi, and I will scout the island."
"Gladly," Snotlout said, before attempting to throw the twins off of him. "Come on, let go!"
"No!" Ruffnut said. "I'm saving your life!"
"I don't care!" Snotlout succeeded in throwing the two blonds from him before running off, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm outta here!"
"I can't believe he'd rather freeze to death than be hugged by us," Ruffnut said.
"I blame you," Tuffnut said, pointing at his sister. "You're clingy."
"I am not!" she exclaimed, before muttering. "You're clingy."
"See anything down there?!" Indi called over to Astrid from his spot behind Hiccup. She'd been insistent that as the newest member of the group, he would be safest on the back of the fastest dragon.
"I can barely see you half the time!" Astrid called over from Stormfly's back. "Maybe we should split up, cover more ground."
"No!" Indi shouted.
"Stay together; it's safer," Hiccup said. "Okay?" Suddenly, Stormfly and Astrid disappeared into the whiteout. "Okay?"
"And she's gone," Indi said as Hiccup groaned with mild frustration. "Does she do this often?"
"Not really."
Hiccup guided Toothless back to where they left the other riders. Several tents had been set up, and a fire was blazing. Snotlout sat in front of the flames, trying to regain some body heat.
"Wow, you got the tents up fast," Hiccup commented.
"I had to," Snotlout replied, jerking a thumb to point behind him. "It was the only way to keep out of that 'Thorston Sandwich'." Of which, Fishlegs was now a part of.
"Where's Astrid?" Fishlegs asked.
"Got separated in the storm," Indi said as he climb from Toothless' back.
"Ha! She ditched you?" Snotlout asked.
"What?" Hiccup did not believe what Snotlout was getting at. "No. Why would she do that?"
Astrid returned a short time later, and they were directed to get on their dragons and follow her. They were directed to a path on the side of the mountain, where they landed. The dragons walked along the path, since there was a chance that the dragon hunters were on the island.
"So, when I spotted the cave from the air, it got me thinking; last time we were here, the Snow Wraith was on us right away, remember?" Astrid recalled. "Why not this time? Maybe because it's hiding out, or hibernating, or something in that cave?"
"Yeah," Fishlegs said. "That's not a bad theory."
"I agree," Hiccup said. "I-I'm just wondering how you cave all the way out here when you, Indi and I were scouting in the opposite direction."
"I must have… gotten lost," Astrid said sheepishly, turning her head to look away from Hiccup. Indi was certain that she was hiding something from the rest of the group.
"Lost?"
"Fine, I got carried away, okay? You know how I am."
"Yes, I do," Hiccup said in agreement. "But you can't just go off on your own like that, Astrid. I rely on you." The rest of the group pressed on, but Astrid hung back.
Astrid hung her head slightly. "Okay." Indi walked up next to Stormfly, and gave Astrid a pat on the leg. The blonde looked into Indi's brown eyes, and Indi saw guilt in her gaze. He gave a comforting smile, and the corners of Astrid's mouth twitched upward in a small smile, before reaching down and helping Indi up onto Stormfly's back. The Deadly Nadder walked forward, and caught up to the rest of the riders.
After fifteen minutes of riding, Hiccup raised his arm, signaling the group to stop. They could hear squealing noises coming from up ahead. Astrid took out her axe. Fishlegs whimpered, taking out a tiny dagger and held with both hands.
"So much for your hibernation theory!" Snotlout said before groaning.
"Toothless," Hiccup muttered quietly. "Make the first shot count." Indi heard the Night Fury start to charge for a blast.
Suddenly, three boars came around the snowbanks, and Toothless shut his mouth, extinguishing the purple glow.
The boars started to back away at the sight of the five dragons. Out of nowhere, Fishlegs threw one of his arms up and waved it around, yelling in a half-deranged fashion. The boars shrieked and turned around, running off in fear. Everybody turned to look at the large male in disbelief, who was looking at his tiny dagger, and smiling slightly.
"There it is!" Astrid said, pointing to a cave in the side of the mountain. "I'll go check it out."
"We'll all go check it out." Hiccup corrected, before urging his dragon forward.
Inside the cave Indi noticed some gashes on the surface of the cavern wall near the entrance; a telltale sign of territorial marking. "Look at these claw marks." He turned to Hiccup. "Well, I think we found the right cave." It was hard for him to sense if there was any life in the cave; cold weather seemed to dull his sense of smell.
"Nice," Tuffnut said. "No boar pit, but it's nice."
"Alright, let's take it slowly and quietly," Hiccup instructed. "And Snotlout, get the Nightmare gel out." The group made their way inside the cave, their dragons following behind.
Shortly after, the wind outside began to pick up. Regardless, Indi could still hear a noise coming from outside the cave entrance. He turned his head at the same time Toothless did, and the black dragon's ear plates were pulled upwards.
"What's wrong bud?" Hiccup asked. "Indi?" Everybody could now hear a strange, squeaky-clattering, like keys being dragged along the ice.
"Was that..?" Astrid began.
"Behind us!" Hiccup shouted in alarm. Indi snarled in anger when he saw four figures at the entrance. Three of them had bows, and were training their arrows on them. Indi saw that the fourth figure, who was unarmed, was Ryker. Several arrows were released. Toothless ducked his head between his legs, and fired a plasma shot which burned the volley of arrows in a small explosion.
"Everybody down!" Hiccup ordered. Stormfly quacked as Astrid ordered her to unleash a volley of spines at their adversaries. The spines sent the four figures scrambling out of the cave. Indi saw that the winds outside began to let up.
After a few moments, three more hunters entered the cave, weapons drawn. They were promptly repelled with some fire blasts and an explosion from the Barf and Belch.
"Oh, shoot my helmet, will ya?" Tuffnut shouted, pointing to an arrow that had imbedded itself in the front of his helmet. His sister laughed in agreement. The pair of twins them banged their heads together, their metal helmets giving off a clank.
"Keep it down, will ya?' Hiccup said, turning to the twins. "We wake up that Snow Wraith, things get a whole lot trickier."
"What do you think Ryker's next move is?" Astrid asked.
"Surrender?" Ruffnut offered.
"Or, I guess he could do that," Fishlegs said, pointing to the cave entrance, where a lone figure walked inside, casting an ominous shadow of the cavern ceiling.
"Dragon riders!" a rough voice called. Ryker pointed his sword into the cave. "Send out your leader to talk!"
"It's gotta be a trap," Astrid said, holding her axe. "I should go out, see what their game is."
"Yeah," Snotlout said. "Let Astrid go."
"Hiccup Haddock! Let's talk this out!" Ryker shouted. "Like men!" He slammed his sword (which was made of that strange, green, dragon-proof metal) into the icy floor.
"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Fishlegs said nervously.
"If there's one chance to settle this without bloodshed," Hiccup said. "I have to try." He walked forward, and Toothless began to follow him. "No, bud. If this is a trap, I may need you to get me out of it." Indi was impressed by Hiccup's devotion to peaceful conflict resolution; an admirable quality in a leader.
"Word of advice," Tuffnut said. "Open with a compliment." Hiccup walked forward, and Indi stepped over to Toothless, placing a calming hand on the black dragon's neck. In the dragon's eyes, Indi saw concern, and a deep bond with his rider; just as deep as Indi's connection with his packmates.
"Hm, Dagur was right," Indi heard Ryker say in his gravelly voice. "You don't look like much."
"Astrid was right," Hiccup retorted. "You look like a psycho."
"Not exactly the kind of compliment I would have led with," Tuffnut said.
Ryker laughed darkly, and Indi heard Hiccup move the conversation forward. "What do you want, Ryker?"
"The Dragon Eye."
"Not a chance."
"It belongs to us; we're hunters. You stole it from our ship, an' ah will have it back."
"Not today you won't."
"Oh no. Look around. We're in front of you, the Snow Wraith is behind you. One time offer, hand over the Dragon Eye, and yer free to go." Indi began to sneak forward.
"Indi, no," Astrid whispered. Indi shushed her, and crept forward.
"Hm, ah, sorry, must have left in my other pants."
Indi peered around, and saw Ryker do a cross between a snarl and a sigh. "In that case, surrender, and you won't meet the same fate as yer dragons." Indi heard the faint chuckle of a hunter from outside of the cave.
"Okay, here's my offer," Hiccup said. "Leave now, and your men won't have to find out what burning flesh smells like."
Ryker sighed. You really don't have the dragon eye with you?"
"No."
Indi heard an arrow get knocked onto a bowstring outside the cave.
"And you aren't comin' out?"
"Not anytime soon," Hiccup said with a shrug.
"Don't say ah didn't give you a chance." Ryker bent over a gripped his sword. Suddenly, everyone heard a clatter and a burst of light came in from the cave entrance.
"Ah, my eyes!" a hunter said from outside. The shadow of a bowman came across the cave ceiling.
"Hiccup, it's a trap!" Astrid shouted.
An arrow was shot over Ryker, directly at Hiccup. With lightning speed, Indi shot forward and tackled Hiccup to the ground.
"Thanks," Hiccup said quickly, as Indi helped him up.
"Not a problem," Indi said, watching as two bowman entered the cave and Ryker walked out. The bowman released several arrows at the riders.
Stormfly's spines stood on end and Meatlug shot a blast of lava from her mouth. The shot hit just short of the men when Snotlout directed Hookfang to shoot a stream of fire, which incinerated the oncoming arrows. Toothless leapt forward and sprang off the wall before unleashing a low-power plasma shot, knocking the hunters back out of the cave. A few beats later, a squeaking roar heralded a flash of light blue fire, which hit the cave entrance, causing the ceiling around the entrance to crumble. Toothless covered Hiccup and Indi with a wing, shielding them from the falling ice.
Hiccup groaned as Toothless uncovered them. The black dragon let some purple light emanate from the back of his throat, allowing the riders to see.
"Is everyone alright?" Hiccup asked.
"Define 'alright'," Fishlegs said, who had Meatlug on top of him and two large sheets of ice leaning against her. Meatlug began to hover, and the sheets of ice fell away, allowing Fishlegs to get to his feet.
"Why would Ryker Seal himself off from the teeth?" Snotlout said, standing in front of a blazing Hookfang.
"He wasn't sealing himself out, he was sealing us in," Astrid said.
"Astrid's right," Hiccup said. "Ryker figures we'll fight the Snow Wraith for him and then he'll come in and deal with whoever survives."
"Ohoho, awesome," Snotlout said. "But we're not gonna do that, right?"
"The plan hasn't changed," Hiccup said, mounting Toothless' saddle. "We grab the Snow Wraith and get it out of here away from Ryker."
"Oh, is that all we have to do?" Snotlout said sarcastically. "So easy."
Indi watched as Hiccup flew off on Toothless, when Stormfly trotted over and Astrid extended an arm down to Indi. Indi took the extended appendage and swung himself up behind Astrid, and the rest of the riders took off after the Night Fury. After flying through the icy tunnels, they soon came to a large chamber, where they landed and dismounted from their dragons.
"I choose to think positive," Tuffnut said. "We can do this."
"Sure," Ruffnut said. "We beat the Snow Wraith before… sort of."
"Yeah, and he won't have a blizzard to hide in," Fishlegs added.
"And we outnumber him five to one."
The group stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the object of interest.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Astrid said.
"Yeah," Indi added. "You might want to recount." Ahead of the riders, on an icy platform, were three sleeping white dragons. They lacked front legs, and were relatively small, only slightly bigger than Toothless.
"Well as least they're still asleep and they won't wake up," Tuffnut said, when one of the Snow Wraiths raised its head sleepily.
Ruffnut grabbed her brother's face. "You're the worst positive thinker ever!"
"That's a very positive thing of you to say."
"If we don't move, maybe it won't notice us," Tuffnut said, rather loudly. The Snow Wraith turned and gave a hooting shriek at the riders, clearly threatened.
"Maybe if you didn't moved and kept your mouth shut!" Fishlegs said in a harsh whisper.
"What do we do?" Astrid said. Indi cocked his legs, ready for a chase.
Hiccup thought for a moment. "Maybe we can put it back to sleep." He ran forward, and grabbed the arrow that was still embedded in Tuffnut's helmet.
"Hey!"
The Snow Wraith continued to advance menacingly. Hiccup took his shield off of his back, and quickly set it to switch into a crossbow. He slid on his knees, and fired the dragon root arrow at the white dragon. The Snow Wraith leapt into the air, taking flight, and the arrow buzzed under it, before embedding itself into the ice wall.
"Well that didn't work," Hiccup said, watching the Snow Wraith wake its companions. The other two Snow Wraiths woke and faced the intruders. The riders and their dragons got ready to engage. The Snow wraiths began shooting icy blasts at them, sending the dragons into the air to dodge the volley, giving themselves time to dive into the floor of the chamber.
"Burrowing," Hiccup said from atop a hovering Toothless. "That's new."
"I know," Fishlegs said. "And I don't think I like it." A crumbling could be hear all about the cavern, when a Snow Wraith came out of the wall, hooting. A second Snow Wraith came from above, and shot a blast at Stormfly. The blue dragon dodged the attack with a spin, but the evasion sent Indi flying to the floor of the cave. He hit hard, the air being forced from his lungs.
"Indi!" Hiccup shouted down to the fallen boy. "Are you okay?!" Indi wordlessly gave a thumbs up, before letting his arm drop to the ground.
Another white dragon came from around a corner, and shot an ice blast at Snotlout and Hookfang.
"Oh, I know I don't like it," Snotlout said as the three Snow Wraiths dove back into their burrows.
"Quick!" Hiccup said. "Defensive formation around Indi." All of the dragons shot down and made a protective circle around Indi, each dragon facing outward. Indi took a few deep breaths to try to get some air back into his body. "Everybody take an angle! Fire as soon as you see them!" Every rider scanned the area in front of them ready for something to move. They could hear the ice cracking all around them.
"It feels like their going left," Snotlout guessed. "No, right. Left. Which one's which?"
"Forget that, just cover your zones!" Hiccup shouted. The ice in front of Stormfly cracked open, and a Snow Wraith shot up, only to feel the heat that surrounded a jet of flame from a Deadly Nadder. Another white dragon shot up, and the twins and their Zippleback created an explosion beneath it.
A third Snow Wraith shot up in front of Hiccup and Toothless. "Just stun 'im, bud," Hiccup muttered, and Toothless shot a low-power blast at the Snow Wraith, knocking the dragon out of the air. The two other Snow Wraiths flew over and picked up their fallen comrade, and flew him down the nearest tunnel.
"Anybody feel anything?" Astrid asked.
"Just a profound sense of relief," Tuffnut said.
'And perhaps a tint of sadness?" Ruffnut added.
"Oh exactly, sister."
"How about pain or suffocation?" Indi groaned out as he shakily got to his feet. "Anybody else feel like they can't breathe?"
After a moment of silence, Fishlegs spoke. "I think their gone."
"Maybe they tunnel out of there?" Hiccup said as Indi limped over to Astrid. "If they did…"
"Then that's our way out as well," Indi said. Several loud hooting cries and the sounds of men yelling came from a tunnel.
"The hunters!" Hiccup said, looking down the tunnel. "Let's go." Toothless flew down. As the rest of the Dragons and the riders followed, Stormfly hung back.
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked.
"Peachy," Indi wheezed out.
"You should stay here. Air battles can get a bit hairy," Astrid said. "We'll come back for you."
"If you think its best," Indi said. When Astrid nodded, Indi stepped away, and Stormfly took off, following the rest of the riders. Once Astrid had left, Indi snorted; he'd been injured far worse than this and had still fought.
He climbed down into the tunnel and followed the sound of the dragons and riders. Moving through the tunnels he cave to several paths, but his enhanced senses allowed him to track his way out. Soon he came to a tunnel that went straight up and out of the mountain. Allowing claws to form on his hands, he jumped and slammed his talons into the ice. Using this technique, he climbed out of the tunnel. Once on the surface, he looked around where he came out, and saw a good amount of debris surrounding the opening: a net, arrows, axes, a few spears, and a dragon-proof cage. He saw tracks leading to the south side of the glacier, and began to follow them. He came to a cliff, and heard the sounds of working men, clanking metal, and scared dragons, all carried by the wind. Fueled by the fury of anything being caged or trapped unjustly, which he presumed the Snow Wraiths were now, he roared into the air, the blasting sound echoing in the abyss. He then turned and ran down the glacier, the wind blowing his hair. Beneath his scowling eyebrows, his eyes began to take on an amber tinge.
Soon, he rounded a corner and saw the dragon riders hovering out of range of the hunters' arrows. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were cheering as they flew towards an unstable ice sheet that was situated above the hunters. They released a stream of green gas, then lit it, causing a large explosion and a small avalanche of snow and ice to rain down on the hunters.
"You guys get the snow wraiths out of here!" Indi heard Hiccup yell. "I'll deal with Ryker." As Toothless and Hiccup passed beneath the ledge that he was standing on, Indi leapt, scoring a perfect landing on Toothless' back, just behind Hiccup.
"Hey, Hiccup."
"Indi! When did you get here?"
"Just in time to see the twins blow something up. Now, let's take out these good-for-nothing dragon hunters."
"With pleasure," Hiccup said with a smirk. "Ryker! Looks like you're in a tough spot this time. Suddenly, a silver dragon shot down and snatched Ryker up. "Heather."
"Sorry Hiccup," the raven-haired female said as her dragon flew off. "We gotta go." Toothless shot after her. As they pair of dragons circled around the mountain, Ryker released several arrows at Toothless. Luckily, Toothless nimbly dodged each shot. After three shots, Ryker seemed to run out of ammunition. "Nice flyin', bud," Hiccup said, giving a happy Toothless a rub on the head.
"And now let's return fire," Indi said. Hiccup nodded, and Toothless began to charge for a high-powered blast. Suddenly, Astrid and Stormfly shot up between Toothless and his target.
"Astrid, look out!" Hiccup shouted, and Toothless dove around Stormfly before resuming the chase.
"Hiccup, no!" Astrid shouted as Toothless began to recharge for a shot. "Heather's with us!" At the last second, Hiccup jerked on the saddle, causing Toothless to misfire. As Heather and Ryker flew off, Toothless came to a hover. Hiccup and Indi both turned around to face Astrid.
"What did you just say?" Hiccup asked in a slightly accusing way. Astrid had guilt and shame scribbled all over her features.
Once the Snow wraiths were relocated to another island, and the riders were back on Dragon's Edge, Hiccup made Astrid tell the group everything.
"Heather pretended to join Dagur to get close to him to avenge her family. When she found out about his alliance with the dragon hunters, she decided to get closer to find out more."
'But when Ryker captured us on his ship, you and Heather were fighting," Ruffnut recalled.
"That's what we wanted people to think."
"Heather's not evil?" Snotlout said, clearly disappointed. "There goes that dream."
"Aw, I knew she was good at heart," Fishlegs said.
"Hiccup, Indi," Astrid said, turning to the pair of males, who were standing at the doorway, not facing her. "Would you say something? Please?" Hiccup turned around, but stayed silent, not making eye contact with Astrid. Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's hand, but Hiccup didn't respond to him; instead, he clenched his fist.
"We're supposed to be a team, Astrid."
"I know. I-I should have told you, I wanted to, I really did."
"That's the thing," Indi said, still not removing his gaze from the moon outside. He took lying and betrayal really hard, and he just knew that his eyes were amber colored and his pupils were slits. "You may have wanted to tell us, but you didn't. You sat there and did nothing to clue us in on your plan."
"I'm sorry, but without Heather, the hunters would have a key to the Dragon Eye right now, and those Snow Wraiths would not be safely hidden on another island."
"That still doesn't explain why you wouldn't let me take her and Ryker down. We could have captured the head of the dragon hunters." Hiccup turned to look at Indi.
"Hiccup, Ryker isn't the head of the dragon hunters," Astrid said. Indi willed his eyes to go back to their usual for before turning around. "According to Heather, their real leader is somebody named 'Viggo Grimborn'."
"Awesome name," Ruffnut said. "Scary, but awesome."
"I don't know," Tuffnut said. "Viggo Grimdeath would be cooler. Or how about Gore Grimskull." He then deepened his voice. "Grimskull!"
"He lives in the shadows," Astrid continued. "Everyone's afraid of him, even Ryker. Heather hasn't met him yet, but she's our best shot at drawing him out." Hiccup turned and joined Indi at the doorway and looked up at the moon.
"Well, I hope she knows what she's doing," Indi said.
"For all our sakes," Hiccup added.
Indi knew that, in the very near future, things were going to get much more dangerous.
And more dangerous it will be. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment if you have anything to say about this chapter, or the story in general.
