The Vikings' and dragons' eyes were filled with wonder. Their guide looked proud of where she had led them. She flew up ahead of the group and let out a roar. As soon as she did, the other Night Furies hurried over, nuzzling their heads against hers. They looked relieved to see the dragon, then she directed their attention to Toothless. The colony regarded him unsurely at first until they saw the others present. This was when their uncertainty turned to aggression. The reptiles snarled at Toothless and the others. He stepped back, hurt by their reaction. Toothless let out a roar as well, but they did not listen. The stranger had brought humans to their sanctuary. If he sided with them, that meant he was an enemy as well. Before one could shoot a plasma blast, the female Night Fury moved in front of Toothless. Her eyes narrowed at the group and she let out a low growl. Immediately, the sounds from the other dragons quieted down. They were shocked by her actions, but they did not question her. If she brought anyone to their home, that meant they were trustworthy. The Vikings watched the scene play out with bated breath.
"Is she their leader?" Fishlegs asked, intrigued by their guide's behavior.
Judging by the way the other Night Furies moved to the side in reverence when the one started walking, he got his answer. The reptilian leader brought the newcomers through the crowd. Toothless felt odd as he walked. The gazes from the others of his species were far from friendly, but they were gradually becoming less hostile. He knew his new comrade was responsible for this positive change. Still, he could understand why the rest were suspicious of him. The dragons could hardly withstand any risks to their safety. As the visitors went deeper into the habitat, they saw how the numbers were not impressive.
"There can't be more than one hundred," Hiccup commented, frowning in dismay.
Gobber scratched his chin with his hook. "Used to hear about Night Fury attacks a lot as a lad. It sounded like there were thousands of them like any other kind of dragon. The only real difference was that they were stealthier."
"No wonder they're suspicious of us," Astrid said, looking around at the different eyes.
Seeing eyes so similar to Toothless's hold fear and malice was jarring. The Night Furies only had slight differences between each other. It was almost like there were a hundred Toothlesses. Some of the dragons had darker eyes or shades of gray or blue in their scales.
"At least we won their leader over," Snotlout mentioned, eyeing the Night Fury queen.
The Berkian was right. Even though the female Fury was still getting used to Toothless, she did not want him to get hurt by any cruel Vikings. If preventing that meant bringing him to their home, then the decision was made. Seeing Toothless walk with the leader made the other Night Furies change their behaviors. They started to approach him curiously, sniffing his tail and saddle. The reptile turned behind him to look at the people. To his pleasant surprise, the other reptiles seemed to understand that flight was not an option without the tailfin. If anything, they almost seemed intrigued by the idea of Vikings being useful. Toothless turned his head when he sensed an older dragon approaching. The other Night Fury sniffed his head, then its eyes widened.
"Is that T's grandpa or something?" Tuffnut asked, confused.
"I don't think so," Hiccup stated, a thoughtful look on his face, "but I do think there's recognition. Maybe…" He paused as his eyes widened. "Maybe he knew Toothless's parents."
The Night Fury's eyes widened as well when he heard this. Tenderly, the other dragon nuzzled against him and started leading him towards a different part of the habitat. Toothless's friends followed as well and were allowed until the elder reptile stopped. They had reached the opening of a large cave. The elder turned towards the newcomers. The look in the dragon's eyes was neither welcoming nor harsh. It was merely informing them of a detail. They were not welcome on this part of the land. Even the Night Furies' leader agreed and she nudged Toothless forward while blocking the path for the others. Toothless glanced at his friends unsurely.
"Go on, Bud," Hiccup encouraged. "We'll be waiting for you."
Gradually, Toothless entered the cave, followed by the Fury queen. His eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness and surprise hit him. He saw bones. It was the final resting place of Night Furies. There were so many bones that the dragons almost lacked room for new ones. This was an incentive. The cave could not keep getting filled like this. The dragons had to survive and thrive. Outside the cave, some of the other Night Furies began approaching the strangers. If these were the Vikings and dragons their leader brought, they wanted to know them. One of the dragons went up to Hiccup. It was not close enough for its snout to be patted, but it still was nearby. Hiccup was sure that if he spent more time around it, he would be allowed to pet the creature. The twins attempted this petting, but the creatures kept leaping out of the way. Some of the creatures regarded Gobber, Dagur, and Eret harshly. They smelled like death, but their dragons vouched for them. The Night Furies started to turn towards the coast. When they did, they growled and the Vikings tensed up.
"Grimmel couldn't have followed us here," Heather said, worried.
"He wouldn't even have been able to reach this place by ship," Astrid commented.
A frown spread over Hiccup's face and he started walking towards the edge. His friends accompanied him, but they hesitated when they saw a familiar face in the clouds. Valka stood on Cloudjumper's back with a determined look in her eyes.
"I know where Grimmel is," she stated.
"What?" Hiccup asked.
Cloudjumper landed and Valka got off the dragon. For a brief moment, she was distracted by the sight of an abundance of Night Furies.
"Mom," Hiccup pressed. "You know where Grimmel is?"
This brought her focus back. "I do. I've been following him for months. He travels by ship and rarely stays in one place, but I saw his vessel dock at an island."
"Could you tell what he was doing?"
"I didn't risk getting close enough to find out, but that's the only ship that he has, so he must be there."
The group got quiet as they took in the information.
"Something's wrong with this," Astrid said.
Snotlout nodded. "It's too easy."
Valka started to frown. "Do you think I'm lying?"
"No," Fishlegs assured her. "We've just been around too many Vikings who strategize."
"Yeah," Ruffnut said. "Grisly has a lot of nasty tricks."
"Why just get noticed all of a sudden?" Tuffnut asked.
"He could have let his guard down," Valka said. "Vikings quickly become arrogant."
"Yeah, but this has 'trap' written all over it," Dagur stated. "How do we know he didn't notice you tracking him?"
Valka visibly was offended by the implication. "And what if it's so simple that none of you see this clear opportunity to stop him?"
The Vikings glanced at each other, then Mala spoke.
"The other Berkians have prepared for an attack. With that in consideration, we have seen the effects of Grimmel on the Wing Maidens."
"We can't risk that on Berk," Hiccup said, brows furrowed. "The A Team still doesn't have the experience that the rest of us do. If Grimmel really did set this up, that could mean that he's planning something just as serious as his last attack."
"But if he is on the island, we should go after him," Astrid said. "We could split up. Fishlegs and the twins should go with Gobber, Dagur, and Mala. The rest of us will follow Valka back to where Grimmel's ship was."
Without wasting a moment, Hiccup went back into the land and towards the cave.
"We've got to go, Toothless," he called.
Hearing him, Toothless turned away from the bones and left the cave. The other Night Fury stood in front of him before he reached Hiccup. She looked concerned, but Toothless offered a reassuring warble. He kept walking over to his friend and Hiccup got onto the saddle. The Berkian looked at all the Night Furies which gathered near them.
"We'll keep you safe," Hiccup promised.
Toothless took off and went with his group to Valka. The group flew as quickly as they could. Adrenaline hit them as they thought of an impending battle against the mysterious Viking. When they saw the familiar ship, their eyes narrowed. Using hand signals, Hiccup directed Snotlout and Eret to go around the East side, Astrid and Heather went around the West, Valka went South, and he went North. They would cover each corner of the island. Once they did, they noticed there was a strong smell. They could not pick up Grimmel's scent with the overpowering odor. The Vikings could barely breathe with it filling their lungs. They covered their faces and tried to see through their watering eyes.
"I think he's over there," Heather said. "Windshear, tail slice."
The Razorwhip used her tail to hit a tree. Its trunk was split in half, falling onto a figure. When it made impact, the figure crumbled to pieces. Squinting, Astrid saw that it was made of a thin layer of wood. It was also connected to a rope that pulled a trigger when the wood crashed down. Arrows fired at the warriors and they evaded them. The two kept going while on the other side, Snotlout and Eret were also struggling with ropes. Skullcrusher stopped flying just in time to avoid going into one which was tautly drawn between two trees. Snotlout spotted this and grinned.
"He can't get us that easi…ly."
A hissing sound caught his attention as he trailed off. Above the duo, the trees were filled with poisonous eels. The creatures were stuck to the branches with knives at the bottom of their tails. They thrashed around violently to get free, venom flinging from their fangs. Quickly, the pair moved away to avoid being hit. They remained on higher alert as Hiccup and Toothless got closer to the overpowering odor. While the duo drew nearer, they saw the source of the smell. Laying on its side was the rotting corpse of a slain Night Fury.
"You shouldn't have had to see this, Bud," Hiccup said, brows furrowed.
Sadness hit the dragon at the sight, but it also filled the duo with determination to allow nothing like that to ever happen again. The final group was just as successful in finding their target. Valka and Cloudjumper went through the forest, avoiding traps as they came up to them. Their search ended when they saw a scroll stabbed to the trunk of a tree. On it read: Berk misses you. Valka felt her blood run cold and she directed Cloujumper towards the others.
"You were right!" she called out. "It's a trap. He's going to Berk."
Feeling panicked, the group began flying back home. Already there, Grimmel stood on the deck of a much smaller vessel than what he usually steered. It proved its usefulness by being easily stored on his main ship. He could see Berk up ahead of him. The man was certain that meant the Berkians would see him too if he got any closer…any closer without some type of cover at least. Rocks were on the small boat. They contained a fire as Grimmel fanned the flames. Although the fire itself was not overly huge, the smoke continued to increase. It created a fog-like field around the boat, gradually expanding towards the shore while he did. Up in a watchtower, Gustav spotted this.
"We've got some weird smoke coming in!" he informed the others. "It might be Grimmel. Gothi, make sure the elders and children are safe!"
Nodding, the healer went off to the center of the island. Gustav looked through his spyglass again, but the smoke was still far too thick for him to see where the Viking was. As it traveled up with the wind, it choked the Berkian. He speedily climbed down and joined the rest of the A Team. Spitelout stood with Bucket and Mulch on the coast of Berk, axes ready. They had to step back as more of the smoke hit them. The group jolted slightly when they saw sparks of another fire. It was too close to have been on the enemy's vessel like the first flame. Running, Spitelout saw that the flames were on the docks. The wood caught fire and spread, forcing warriors back towards the grass. This added to the earlier smoke. The Berkians covered their faces, then felt dismay when there was another flash of fire. This time, it was from their storehouse. Several more sparks lit up next to huts. It seemed like Grimmel could be in multiple places at once.
"We have to find a way to put out these fires!" Spitelout yelled, coughing from the smoke.
"What about Grimmel?" Mulch asked.
"We'll deal with him too, but we can't fight if we can't breathe."
"Fanghook and I can try to get some buckets," Gustav volunteered.
The Viking took off, hopping onto the Monstrous Nightmare's back. Fanghook grabbed several buckets in his claws before flying over the water. A layer of smoke was even too thick for him to see the boat at this closer distance. The dragon dipped the buckets down in the sea to fill them, then returned. It seemed like putting out the fires was an impossible task. They kept catching onto more boards of wood or blades of grass. Panic crept into the Viking and dragon, but both were relieved when they saw help on the way. Barf and Belch were flying towards buckets as well, picking them up and helping to put out the flames on the docks. To his right, Gustav saw Meatlug, Grump, and Sleuther also dumping buckets of water onto the docks. When there were enough clear places to walk, the Vikings got off their backs and began filling buckets to put out the water on the buildings. They had caused smoke to fill the village.
"The twins, Gustav, and I can handle the fires if the rest of you can find Grimmel," Fishlegs said.
Agreeing, the group split up once more. They knew that Grimmel had to be hidden somewhere, but with a lack of lit fires, they had no idea where he was. The only thing they could do was blindly search and hope the dragons would sense where the foe was. Suddenly, there was the sound of an explosion, but it involved no spark. There were no fires following the sound either, but there were yells. Hurriedly, the team followed the sound, seeing blood on Berkians' arms and faces. Bits of unfamiliar items were sticking out of them.
"These look like…seed capsules," Mala commented.
Without warning, another capsule burst into multiple pieces. Mala deflected with her sword in time to prevent several pieces from hitting the Berkians. Too late, she noticed as several more exploded. Sharp bits flung out, nearly getting someone in the eye. Gobber blocked with his hook, but one got him in the bicep. The Viking eyed the piece curiously.
"Haven't seen someone use these things to fight before," he admitted.
More explosions went off and the Vikings ducked.
"How's he making them explode?" Dagur asked, pushing someone down in time.
"I do not think he is," Mala stated, blocking again. "They seem to be bursting on their own."
"Too bad the twins aren't here to see this."
Members of the A Team tried to assist, but it was difficult to fight against these natural threats. They caused serious damage as they blasted into buildings. The group got shields and used them to push any capsule that did not explode off the island. Meanwhile, Fishlegs, Gustav, and the twins were putting out fires as quickly as they could. They were finally getting the smoke to a manageable level. Ruffnut wiped her brow and sighed.
"This guy is really starting to get annoying."
Suddenly, Fishlegs let out a yelp and looked down. Since he could finally see more than a small area in front of him, he knew there were several sharp stones which were on the ground. One got him through his boot.
"Watch out for these rocks," he warned.
The next Viking to yelp was Ruffnut. "Your warning didn't help," she complained, scowling at the hole one put in her shoe.
"Well, I tried," Fishlegs said, looking a little hurt.
"Ew and it's all slimy," the twin added.
"You should try to eat it," Tuffnut commented, getting shoved by Ruffnut as a result.
Gustav started to look around. "I don't hear any more explosions," he mentioned, looking optimistic.
"Me neither," Fishlegs said. "Let's see if we can find the others."
Before they could go deeper into the island, they saw more of their friends flying overhead. Worry was on their faces.
"Is everyone alright?" Hiccup asked.
"I think so," Tuffnut said. "Berk's a lot less smoky now than it was a couple minutes ago."
"You didn't have any luck on the island?" Fishlegs inquired.
"No," Astrid told him. "It was just bait."
"Maybe the others found Grimmel," Eret offered.
The Vikings went into the tribe to check and were relieved to see no one was seriously hurt. Just a few people were bleeding from the cuts caused by the seeds.
"We still don't know where Grimmel is," Dagur stated, carefully wiping up blood on Mala's cheek. "No luck on the other side either?"
Tuffnut shook his head. "Nothing. I was joking at first, but now I'm convinced he really is part Lycanwing."
"Well, we didn't see a ship or anything," Heather stated. "He must be gone by now."
Frustration hit the group and Gobber frowned.
"We can't let him come to our home and start destroying everything…he…"
The man's speech slowed as his breathing became labored. He wobbled and dizziness hit him. Gobber almost fell, but Dagur caught him.
"What's wrong?" Snotlout asked, worried.
"I…don't…"
Abruptly, more of the Berkians stumbled. Fishlegs's face also started to look flushed. He wobbled and Snotlout stabilized him. Tuffnut's eyes widened when Ruffnut started to sway next. He held her shoulders to keep her from falling.
"What's going on?" Hiccup asked, horrified.
His eyes moved over the Vikings, searching for some sign to explain their symptoms. He saw nothing, but they kept looking ill.
"There were projectiles," Mala said, sweat beads clinging to her forehead.
The ruler suddenly slumped forward and Heather caught her.
"Mala!" Dagur cried, horrified.
The friends held their injured comrades, completely oblivious to the reason why. Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other with their hearts in their throats. They glanced up when they heard wings flapping. A Terrible Terror flew over to them and landed on Hiccup's arm. It had a note attached to its horn. The couple looked at it tensely, then Hiccup unraveled the scroll.
"I learned of you using these dragons for messages," it read, "so I decided to try one for myself. The stones were coated in poison and the seeds were from the poisonous Sandbox tree. That is why your friends and Vikings are wounded. There is no time for you to attempt to find antidotes. Before nightfall tomorrow, they will die without those. I possess them. You know what I want in return. I remember how it was to love others. I'm sure there's nothing you won't do to prolong their lives. Don't prove me wrong."