Hiccup's gaze kept moving back and forth between the Viking and the dragon. It settled on the latter. The Berkians were in a state of complete shock. This was the same for the dragons as well. Many of them only had Toothless as a mental image for what a Night Fury was. Seeing another one was like their eyes were playing tricks on them. Toothless was nearly frozen where he stood. The last time he saw some of his own, they were being killed. Yet, there was that Night Fury up in the sky, flying free and looking at him.
"Go on, Bud," Hiccup encouraged, turning to the dragon.
Toothless almost looked nervous and it was because he was. It had been so many years. What if he forgot how to act like a Night Fury? Maybe he had been doing it all wrong. He did not have much time to learn from his parents. Everything he did was based on trial and error. The reptile had no clue if it was natural instincts or a lack of options. His eyes moved to Hiccup, asking a question that his friend understood. Hiccup went forward with him. It made Toothless feel better to not go alone. Together, the pair approached the new Night Fury. The creature's eyes narrowed at Hiccup. Toothless saw this and let out a little warble. He recognized that look of suspicion, but it was not necessary. Hiccup recognized this as well and held up his hands peacefully.
"We don't want to hurt you," he said. "We're friends to dragons."
The other Night Fury's eyes shifted from him to Toothless. It let out a roar and Toothless did the same. This made it go quiet. It soared above the Vikings in a circle. Suddenly, it dove to the ground and landed right next to Toothless. The Berkians saw that the creature was shorter than their friend and more slender. It stared Toothless in the eye, then walked around him. Hiccup was shoved aside with the dragon's tail, making Toothless growl. Hearing this, the other dragon hesitated with a shocked look on its face. The surprise faded as skepticism took its place. It kept walking around Toothless, causing him to glance back at the other dragons in uncertainty. They let out confused warbles. They knew no more about Night Fury customs than he did. Not really knowing what else to do, Toothless stayed still until the stranger stopped. It looked out at the other reptiles, now roaring at them. They turned to Toothless, bowing their heads slightly. This caused a bewildered expression to appear on the other Night Fury's face. It regarded Toothless in doubt. He offered a smile that appeared as uncertain as he felt.
The stranger still was suspicious and lightly pawed at Toothless's left wing. Nudging him, it took to the skies. Toothless watched with a dreamy look in his eyes. The other dragon was the most graceful flier he had ever seen. It went in between the clouds, deciding when it wanted to be watched. Still, its focus was on Toothless and it let out another roar. Toothless nudged Hiccup, so he started to get onto his saddle. Before he could, the strange dragon growled. Toothless growled back, but it did not stop. It just had a vicious snarl directed at Hiccup and a confused one directed at the dragon on the ground. Toothless let out another warble as embarrassment washed over him. Sadly, he realized that he would not be able to fly with the other reptile. Briefly, the flying Night Fury looked saddened by this. When its attention moved back to the group, this sadness transformed into hesitation before becoming doubt. The spines on its back opened and it flew off quickly. Toothless let out another roar to call out, but he was given no response. The dragon flounced onto the ground. His dragon friends approached and gave him comforting warbles. They could not relate to this, but they still were there for him.
"Um…" Snotlout began, scratching his head, "did Toothless get dumped?"
"No," Tuffnut said. "I think you need to start dating first."
"Not really helping," Astrid told them.
Hiccup went over to Toothless, patting his head. "Was that a female Night Fury?"
The dragon let out another warble which the Berkian interpreted as a confirmation. Guilt hit the Vikings. Fishlegs's mouth curved downwards as panic filled him.
"Did we mess up Toothless's chance to start a family?"
No one could answer his question. They all just hoped that this was not the case. If there was only one other Night Fury, then she and Toothless would need to have eggs if the species was not to die with them. The idea of Night Furies never existing again was too horrible of a thought to consider for long.
"We'll find her again," Hiccup promised. "We know she's out there now." His eyes brightened and he turned to Astrid. "Do you think Stormfly could have gotten a good whiff of her scent?"
The blonde went over to the Deadly Nadder, looking into her eyes. "I think so," she said. "We should try it. We might not get another opportunity otherwise."
"Then let's go."
Toothless stood back up and Hiccup got on his back. The dragon hesitated, turning his head to the other guest Berk had. Reluctantly, Hiccup turned that way too. Valka had an unreadable expression on her face which did little more than frustrate the younger Viking.
"Are you going to join us?" he asked.
"Do you…want me to?"
This question annoyed Hiccup worse than he expected. He looked away from her and patted Toothless.
"You can do whatever you want. Clearly. Come on, Toothless."
Not hesitating twice, the Night Fury flapped his wings. The others were not sure what to do, but Astrid went onto Stormfly's back. The rest of the leaders followed suit and trailed behind her on the tracking mission. A tense silence ensued.
"She could've come with us if you wanted her to," Fishlegs said.
"She didn't want to," Hiccup stated, eyes forward. "If she did, then Toothless wouldn't have needed to use his influence as king to get the other dragons to bring her to Berk. She just would've come on her own."
"She might not have known how to face you," Astrid offered.
"And a year wasn't enough time for her to figure out how?"
The friends were a little surprised by the harshness in his tone.
"Isn't that why you were looking for her?" Snotlout asked unsurely. "You knew she might not come back, but you wanted to find her."
Hiccup's frown faded slightly as he sighed. "I knew I was trying to bring her back, but…"
"You didn't expect her to actually need to be found," Astrid finished.
The other Berkian nodded his head, feeling an uncomfortable pang of sadness. "I guess it shouldn't be surprising," he quietly commented. "She's never been there for any of us. Why should now be any different?" Hiccup's brows pinched together again as his eyes hardened. "At least we don't need her. We've grown, grieved, and now, we'll handle another threat without her like every other one we've faced."
Another silence hit the group as their friend's words sunk in. It hurt them to hear the callousness in his voice. It did not belong there and each one of the Berkians resented Valka a little for being the cause.
"I get family disappointments," Tuffnut admitted suddenly, causing the others to look at him. "You want them to be there for you and all that, but they just aren't. It was rough when I found out Gruffnut didn't care about Ruff and me." He started to smile. "But we still had all of you and you've got us too, H."
Ruffnut nodded, grinning. "You can't get rid of us. We're like warts!"
Hiccup chuckled in spite of himself and smiled at his friends. They all shared that sincere look which the twins wore. It sometimes seemed too good to be true and yet, that was the reality he had. It was also one he was very grateful for. The friends turned when they heard a new sound. It was the flapping of wings. All of a sudden, a Terrible Terror flew into Fishlegs's face.
"It never fails," the blond commented, peeling the dragon off of himself.
He unhooked a tiny scroll attached to its right horn. When he rolled it out, his face paled.
"What's wrong?" Astrid asked.
"Wing Maiden Island was attacked."
"What?" Snotlout questioned, a pit forming in his stomach. "Are they okay?"
Fishlegs sadly shook his head. "They lost a lot of Vikings and Razorwhips."
"Are Minden and Atali alright?"
"I-I don't know."
Panic went through Snotlout as he feared the worst.
"They're strong warriors," Hiccup stated, certainty in his voice despite how he felt. "Let's change our course."
The friends quickly shifted their path, going towards the other island. When the group came into view of it, their eyes widened in horror. They landed and rushed over to the warriors. The Vikings were cradling dead dragons and nursing serious injuries. Snotlout rushed into the group, looking for Minden. He did not see her anywhere, making his heart race faster. He did find Atali who was in a state of distress, barely keeping everything under control.
"It happened during the night," she explained, going to the Berkians. "I just woke up and…we've lost so many." Her eyes fell to the ground in a mix of pain and shame. "I do not even know who is responsible."
"We do," Hiccup stated, causing Atali to look up at him in surprise.
"Who?"
"Grimmel the Grisly. He's been hunting Night Furies and demanded that we give him Toothless."
"So, because you declined, he did this?"
"It has to be him," Fishlegs said. "It's too much of a coincidence to be anyone else."
Atali put a hand on her head. "I've never heard of him before. How could he have done this? Does he have a fleet?"
"He works alone," Hiccup informed her.
Atali was more angered by this. "He works alone and could do this to our island?" She gestured towards the Berkians. "Have you noticed that males are here?"
At this, the team realized what was wrong.
"The mothers are all wounded," Atali stated miserably. "They have broken legs and some have been blinded."
The friends felt their hearts twisting.
"Is Wingnut okay?" Ruffnut asked, eyes fearful.
"I am not sure," Atali admitted sadly. "I have spent all day trying to see what damage has been done and tending to the deceased."
"Minden!"
The friends turned to the sound of Snotlout's voice. He was still searching through huts. The Berkian stopped when he found the Wing Maiden. She had a bandage wrapped around her waist and it was nearly soaked through with blood. Despite that, she was still helping other injured warriors walk to the healing area. Snotlout saw this and went to help her. His friends joined, aiding the other Vikings as he got Minden somewhere she could sit.
"Snotlout?" she asked. "I didn't know you'd been contacted."
The Berkian nodded tensely. He was not used to there being so much blood on someone he knew. It made him feel a little dizzy and he swayed as he turned to the group.
"We need more bandages," he called out.
Minden took his hand, stopping him from going out to find some. "No, my injuries aren't as bad as some of the others. They need those more than I do."
Snotlout frowned. "At least let us take you all to Defenders of the Wing Island. Their healing bay can help the dragons and all of you."
Minden did not oppose this idea, but her eyelids started to close. Snotlout lightly tapped her cheek.
"Stay with me, Mindo," he encouraged nervously. "Don't go to sleep right now. We need to get that blood loss taken care of."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Astrid. "Fly on ahead of us. We'll take care of the others."
Snotlout sent her an appreciative smile and carried Minden to his saddle. Quickly, he brought several more Vikings there as well, then took off with Hookfang. The rest of his friends continued to check over the Maidens, bringing the wounded to their dragons. Ruffnut stopped when she heard a pitiful roar. Turning, she saw Wingnut struggling to fly.
"Wingnut!" she cried out, running over to the reptile.
He practically fell into her arms. The Razorwhip was much bigger than he had been before, so Ruffnut struggled to hold him alone. Tuffnut speedily joined her, holding up half of the dragon. Wingnut's right wing had a slash down its center. A glare covered Ruffnut's face.
"Grimmel's not getting away with this," she said.
Tuffnut's expression matched hers. "We'll take him down for good."
Gingerly, the twins helped bring the dragon over to Barf and Belch. The Zippleback also carried several of the warriors. Their group got more of the Vikings and prepared to fly.
"You should come with us, Atali," Fishlegs suggested.
"The rest of us are not wounded. We must stay to defend our home."
The Berkians still looked hesitant, but one of the Wing Maidens came forward before any of them could argue.
"Please, go with them," she said. "The enemy knows how to go beyond our defenses and attack. If he returns, we will defend the island, but we cannot risk losing our chieftess."
Atali's eyebrows furrowed unhappily, but she saw that her Vikings all shared this opinion. Reluctantly, she moved towards the dragons.
"As soon as Grimmel is defeated, I will return with the others," she promised.
The Wing Maidens saluted their leader as she went to fly on Meatlug. Then the team took off, heading for their other allies. They quickly went through the sky.
"Thank you all for doing this," Atali said sincerely.
"You're our friend," Fishlegs stated. "We'll always help if we can. I'm so sorry this happened."
"It was just so unexpected. I still do not know how to counter what he did. He might do anything next."
"He's a pretty skinny Viking like Hiccup," Tuffnut commented.
The others glanced at him in curiosity and he continued.
"He doesn't fight like Drago or Ryker or even Viggo."
Ruffnut nodded her head. "Yeah, he's not about force or numbers. He fights dirty, so we'll have to fight dirty if we want to be on his level."
"We shouldn't be on his level," Fishlegs said. "We can't compromise our morals just because he doesn't have any."
"It might be the only way to defeat him," Astrid stated. "Attacking sleeping enemies…that's disgusting. He's not a true warrior. He's just a sneaky Viking with bloodlust."
Hiccup's face clouded over as he thought of this. "That might make him even more dangerous."
The Riders continued to fly as Hookfang neared Defenders of the Wing Island. Vikings spotted him and Snotlout, going to greet them. Immediately, Throk's smile faded when he saw the bleeding warriors.
"Take them to the healing bay," he stated, turning to some Defenders.
Immediately, the group began helping him and Snotlout carry the wounded dragons and Vikings. They went deep into the island, garnering the attention of the royals. Dagur and Mala hurried over, catching one warrior who was about to fall. Although many questions raced through their minds, they waited until they reached the healing area.
"What happened?" Dagur asked, frowning in concern.
"There was an attack," Snotlout explained. "This guy, Grimmel, is out to get Toothless and anyone who tries to stop him."
"Why is he after T specifically?"
"He's determined to kill all the Night Furies. A lot of them are dead because of him."
Anger flashed across the Berserker's eyes. A subtler version of this was in Mala's eyes as well.
"He might have been able to continue his heinous actions in the past," she stated, "but that will come to an end now."
Snotlout nodded absent-mindedly, looking over at the group of injured Vikings. "How well does your healing bay work for non-dragons?"
Dagur put a hand on his shoulder. "Works wonders. They'll be feeling even better than they did before the attack."
Some of the confidence spread to the Berkian and he smiled.
"They are welcome to stay here as long as their recovery takes," Mala informed him.
"Thanks."
Snotlout's eyes widened suddenly and he started running off. The other leaders followed him.
"What's wrong?" Dagur asked.
"Grimmel knew how to knock out the Wing Maidens and the Razorwhips. He might know about the Great Protector as well."
Throk's face paled upon hearing this and he sped up. He reached the volcano, breathing out a sigh of relief. With a determined look in his eyes, he turned to his king and queen.
"My lieges, I will remain by the Great Protector's side. No Viking will harm him."
"You should not do this alone," Mala said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "We will have a team rotate with you."
"Those at the watchtowers should spot any unfamiliar ships too," Dagur added.
Mala nodded, then started to walk off to get the Vikings. Dagur saw his friend's worried look and approached.
"We'll take care of this," he assured him. "Just stay with the Wing Maidens. The healers might need help with something."
"Yeah, they might," Snotlout said quietly.
He returned to the healing bay as the leaders gathered their Vikings to guard the dragon. It did not take long for the rest of the Riders to join. Mala's eyes widened as the full scale of the attack dawned on her. The rulers and more of the Defenders lifted the wounded Vikings, bringing them to be healed. Astrid gingerly set down a warrior. She felt guilt as the other Viking struggled to draw in even breaths.
"If we had been able to stop Grimmel…"
"We will next time," Hiccup promised her. "He's not doing this to anyone else."
The Berkian went back over to Toothless, but he stopped before he flew. His eyes moved to the sky, following the sound of flapping wings. Above him, Heather and Windshear were about to land. The brunette's face was pale and she jumped off the dragon to run towards them.
"I came to warn everyone about this Viking who came to Berserker Island," she said.
"Tall guy with white hair?" Tuffnut asked.
When Heather nodded, the twins looked at each other.
"Yeah, that's the one then."
Dagur frowned and went towards his sister. "Did he try to attack you?"
"No," Heather said, causing relief to wash over the redhead. "He was asking about Berk. I guess he went there?"
"Right before going to Wing Maiden Island," Astrid informed her, a solemn expression on her face.
"And no one's heard of him before?"
A brief silence fell on the group as they waited for someone to hopefully have information about the new threat.
"I apologize," Mala said. "Despite our efforts in protecting dragons, we have never met this Viking. We do not know him."
"But clearly he doesn't know us either if he thinks we're just going to wait for him to pick us all off," Dagur stated, scowling. "There's no way we're letting him get to Toothless, Brother. Night Furies won't go extinct as long as we're around."
Hiccup smiled softly. "Actually, they're even further from extinction than we thought."
"What do you mean?" Heather asked.
Fishlegs's squeal drew her attention to him. He put a hand over his mouth, looking sheepish.
"Sorry! I know this really isn't the time to be excited…but we found another Night Fury!"
With wide eyes, the others regarded him.
"Or I guess she found us," the blond added.
"Wait really?" Heather inquired. "Where is she?"
"She flew off," Tuffnut said, sighing. "We'll have to work on Toothless's wooing skills."
The Night Fury shot him a look.
"We were going to track her using Stormfly," Astrid stated.
"Then the other Night Fury should be tracked," Mala advised. "The Wing Maidens will be safe here. The most we can do for them now is make sure that Grimmel cannot attack again."
In agreement, Dagur went over to Sleuther and hopped onto his back. His eyes widened when Mala approached as well and made a move to join him.
"Why are you coming?" he asked, voice tense.
"Because," she answered, taking another step, "we are helping our friends."
Dagur got off the dragon and said something quietly to her. The queen tapped his hand reassuringly and a slight frown crossed his face. Despite this, he lifted her up and set her on the Triple Stryke's back. As he leapt up in front of her, Snotlout glanced between the others and Minden.
"We understand if you want to stay with them," Fishlegs said.
"No," the Wing Maiden answered. She grimaced slightly and pushed up on her hands. "Mala's right. There's nothing any of you can do for us now that you haven't already. Just get that guy."
Snotlout still was hesitant to go and Minden could tell.
"We'll join you in your next battle," she promised.
"I'll hold you to that," he said, giving her a small smile.
Snotlout hurried over to Hookfang's saddle and hopped up.
"Good luck," Atali told them.
With nods of their heads, the group flew away. Stormfly led them, still focusing on as much of the scent as her sensory memory recalled. Luckily, with so few Night Furies, the smell was distinctive and could not be confused with other dragons flying around nearby. The scent got stronger and stronger. Abruptly, the dragons' other senses were used. They heard distress calls. Eyes narrowing, the reptiles saw ships in the distance and growled.
"Don't the Hunters know that this is a really bad time?" Snotlout asked, irritated.
"We could lose the scent," Fishlegs said nervously.
Hiccup frowned at the vessels below them. He knew his friend was right. They had already put so much distance between themselves and the Night Fury. A lot of time had been spent away from where she had gone. The trail had not been fresh for nearly an hour. Regardless, the team could not allow dragons to be hurt. Hiccup just hoped it would not cost Toothless the chance to reunite with his own kind. The thought had occurred to the reptile, but it was not his top priority. First, he needed to protect his dragons. If that meant losing the scent of the other Night Fury…then that was a risk he would have to take.
Toothless roared to the others and dove down towards the ships. He let out a plasma blast, sinking one. Hookfang and Meatlug fired more shots, targeting some Hunters. As the group got closer, they saw cages and chains which restrained dozens of dragons on each ship. Barf and Belch fired near the base of the vessels, making the Vikings on board feel ill because of all the gas. When the fumes were ignited, the vessels shook violently. This stunned the Hunters who got trapped against the walls of the ship because of Stormfly's spines. Windshear sped over to the sails, slashing them as Sleuther picked up the wenches and threw them off the sides. Toothless shifted his attention to the cages themselves. He blasted the latches, opening the traps for the dragons to fly freely. To the surprise of the Riders, the reptiles did not flee. Rather than doing that, they stayed with the group and continued to help free the other dragons.
Toothless's eyes twinkled as he recognized some of them from earlier lessons. Together, it was much easier to release the captured reptiles. The number of dragons grew too large for the Hunters, so they sought refuge by jumping into the sea. Once it was clear that the battle had been won, the dragons approached their leader. Toothless gave them a roar of praise which caused them to appear proud of themselves. Then he sent them on their way. Hiccup patted the dragon's head.
"I'm proud of you, Bud. We did the right thing."
"We still might be able to find her," Astrid commented, looking down at Stormfly hopefully.
Gradually, the blonde's expression became more confused. Stormfly's eyes were moving around a lot. It seemed like her focus could not remain in one place.
"Is something wrong with her?" Snotlout asked.
"I don't know," Astrid admitted.
Suddenly, the Deadly Nadder turned and had her eyes locked on a cloud. The other dragons turned to face that direction as well. Just over the tip of a cloud, they saw bright eyes looking back at them. Toothless felt happiness surge through him and he flew forward, but the other Night Fury moved. She flew above the group, harshly regarding the Vikings and the rest of the reptiles. Her gaze softened slightly at Toothless, but she kept eyeing Hiccup suspiciously. Toothless let out a little warble of reassurance that had a small effect on her. The other dragon flew closer, then spread out her wings. This blocked the rest of the team from seeing Toothless.
"What's she doing?" Tuffnut asked, trying to peek.
"I think she just wants to be around Toothless," Fishlegs said.
"Rude!" Ruffnut commented. "We're not cool enough to be in the Night Fury acceptance club?"
She received her answer by the Night Fury speedily flying upwards. Toothless had to hurry up to stay with her. The other Vikings and dragons stayed where they were for a moment.
"We could trail them," Heather suggested.
Agreeing, the group stayed far enough back so that the Night Fury would not see them. It was difficult to tell where the dragons had gone and the Berkians were shocked by how well their black scales remained hidden in the pale gray clouds. It seemed like it should have been impossible, but the unfamiliar reptile was a master of camouflage. She was almost too good for Toothless to stay with her. His eyes were unaccustomed to keeping track of another one of his kind. Slowly, the other Night Fury realized this and went through the clouds less. She still blended in, but she also made sure to stay where Toothless could mostly see her. Every other cloud, she would poke up her head at him. Hiccup chuckled at the sight.
"I think she's messing with you," he said. "Maybe this is part of how Night Furies interact."
Unsure but willing to give it a try, Toothless started doing the same. This seemed to make the other reptile pleased. Proud, Toothless continued doing this until he lost track of her. He stopped, flapping in place as he looked around. Suddenly, the other Night Fury came up in front of him. They were close as their eyes locked. Her tail brushed Toothless's for a moment, then she took off again. Toothless pursued, noticing a teasing look sent his way. He followed her to an island where she landed. Toothless landed as well and Hiccup got off his saddle. When he did, the other dragon snarled at him. If the Viking was needed for flight, that was one thing, but she did not understand his purpose on land. Hiccup stepped back and Toothless got in between them. A fierce look was in his eyes. It was the same as before.
"I'm really not here to hurt you," Hiccup stated. "My friends and I want to protect Night Furies. All dragons really, but you're in the most danger right now."
The Night Fury seemed to roll her eyes at him.
"Okay, maybe you already know that last part." Hiccup mumbled, "Apparently, being snarky is a Night Fury trait." Louder, he added, "We still want to help."
She regarded him unsurely, looking back at Toothless. He licked Hiccup's side and grinned. The other dragon found this strange, but she also found it strange that someone besides a Bewilderbeast or the Red Death could command other reptiles. So, maybe everything involving this Night Fury was bizarre. Maybe that was not entirely a bad thing.
"How about I stay behind for this part?" Hiccup suggested.
Toothless regarded him nervously. He had no idea what he was doing. Not having his best friend there only made it more daunting.
"I'll be close," the Berkian promised quietly. "I'll just be far enough, so I won't get in the way."
Toothless was still unsure, but he slowly went towards the other dragon. She stared at Hiccup for a second longer, then began leading Toothless deeper into the island. The reptile remained aware of Hiccup's presence, but she liked that he did not mind staying back. She led Toothless to a stream. Opening her mouth, she used echolocation in the water. After she did, she shot a precise blast that killed two fish who were next to each other. Toothless's eyes widened. He had never thought of doing that before. The other dragon dipped her head into the water, bringing the fish out. One was left on the ground near Toothless. He stepped towards it, but she blocked his path. She gestured back to the stream, then pawed his side. Toothless moved back and tried his echolocation out in the water. It seemed strange for it to not just be against the walls of a cave or something similar. He struggled to get an accurate idea of where the fish were, but he still made an attempt. Once he fired a blast, he also hit a fish. Happily, Toothless grabbed the food out. He was not sure if it was the company or the stream, but this tasted like the best fish he had ever eaten. For the first time, he was beginning to grasp what it was like to be a Night Fury.