Chapter 72

Hiccups POV:

It's been four weeks since I last saw Trader Johan and got the new books and, in those weeks, not much has happened other than Volcana growing up a bit more to the point where I couldn't carry her in my arms anymore and I admit I missed it but can you blame me. I'm a guy who's just having trouble letting his little one grows up so fast and I've had the same trouble with Glacia, my wolves, my jaguars, Ikan and every creature I've raised from when they were infants. I know I should be used to it by now but in all honesty, I doubt I'd ever be used to it since as I've learnt the toughest part about being a parent is letting your little ones grow up.

As for the jaguar cubs, they have opened their eyes for the first time. They had also begun walking and one of the most heartwarming moments for me was when little Adah first started walking, she walked up to me and curled up on my lap. It was adorable how she looked up at me with her big eyes I just wanted to cuddle her to death. Soon after that though her siblings joined her by climbing onto my thighs and looking up at me with eyes that made it look like they were practically begging for attention. I ended up spending over an hour with them just showering them with love as Maya watched me play with her cubs. I also found it sweet how the cubs would constantly try to get my attention whenever they saw me in the jungle when I was just taking a stroll.

Another thing that's happened is I had been planning a trip to the Mayan jungle but this time I hoped to just get a little rest and relaxation with no big snakes, no jealous warriors wanting me dead, no human sacrifices, no giant whirlpools and no insane high priests with giant stone jaguars under their control. The only problems I wanted to face were warriors wanting a friendly fighting match, some locals asking for help with some things and of course some girls flirting with me. Those were the only issues I wanted to deal with on this trip but I do have another reason for going to the jungle besides a little R&R. I wanted to try and collect a few of the native birds like the scarlet macaws, toucans and definatley some quetzals for my own jungle to give it more of a realistic feeling by filling it with a little more of the music of the jungle. They wouldn't be too much of a problem since I often fed a few and befriended some of them on the roof of my Mayan vacation home so I doubt they'd mind it if I relocated them. As for transporting them I built a few large cages to hold them for when I carried them through the portal door since it might spook them a bit. I knew the macaws; quetzals and toucans wouldn't be too much trouble when it came to this kind of thing since I had more than enough trees that grew the food they ate.

If I could find a few of the animals to add to my jungle then it would be all the better to make it more real. The only problem is that I want the animals I bring back to be able to coexist with the animals I already have in my jungle. The last thing I wanted was for any of my animals to start fighting and for any of them to get hurt or worse in the fight. I figured an ocelot or a margay would be good additions to my jungle since I might be able to train it not to eat birds or monkeys and stick to a diet of strictly fish since I was able to do it with my jaguars but I'd need to raise them from cubs to do so. Other than them though I also hoped to gather some of the native fish but not for the rivers since one of the species I wanted was piranha and they were known to eat their prey either dead or alive. The last thing I wanted was any accidents if my jaguars went swimming or if any of my monkeys fell in since that has happened before with Jocko but fortunately Nimla was able to get him out. That was what she and Gabor did most of the time when they flew over the jungle while the golden one just sat on top of the temple staring out at the jungle.

Anyway, I wanted them for another project I'd been working on which is a room with large glass tanks that I intended to fill with marine life from different lands and I wanted to start with some piranha. This room was built on the bottom floor and was very large with different shaped glass tanks to hold the different types of fish I gather. I intended to do my best to gather a lot of the different species to fill these tanks after I was able to catch them however. Maybe add in a few squid or octopuses while I was at it.

Now I was standing in front of my portal door with Toothless on one side carrying the cages and Ah Tabai on the other wanting to come and help me any way he could since the cubs were at the stage where Maya didn't need any help. Ikan couldn't come with us since the eggs in his nest were beginning to shake, which is a sign that the chicks would be coming out of their shells soon. I opened the door and put my hands on their heads before I said.

"Let's go see what birds and fish we can catch for the jungle boys." They each gave a growl as we walked into the portal door before entering the same black marble room and left through the door that lead to the Mayan city.

Nightfall

Night had fallen over the jungle and I'm happy to say that this day has not been too busy and mostly just relaxing. When I first arrived, I was in my study and the first thing I did was unload all the cages off his back before leaving the house to let the people know I was here. As expected the people greeted me happily with loud cheers and welcomes as Gukumatz walked up and gave me a hug welcoming me. When he asked me what I was doing back I told him I was here on a little break from my adventures and planned to stay to relax a bit but as for the amount of time I spent here would depend on how long collecting some birds and fish for my home would take. He was rather happy to hear this claiming I didn't drop by enough and said I had to tell him everything that had happened since we last spoke. I ended up spending the majority of my day sitting with Gukumatz who was amazed with what's happened to me but was most surprised with my new arm. He immediately demanded I tell him everything I knew about it and asked for a demonstration on what it could do. Once I finished telling him everything I knew he ordered a feast prepared in honor of my return while I got settled.

Presently I sat next to Gukumatz enjoying a leg of turkey while everyone around us were sat down and enjoying their own meals but every now and again I'd see someone glance at me. I just ignored it and focused on my own meal while going over some of the things Gukumatz told me earlier about the people. Apparently when word spread about my latest adventures the warriors would be all too eager to put themselves up against me, the children will want me to tell them of my new adventures and I don't even want to know what some of the girls will try to gain my attention now. I just hoped they would take it easy since I wasn't going to be here for that long and in fact wanted to be gone within a few days with the birds and fish I came for. I let out a sigh since all I know is these next few days are going to be interesting.

Five days later

I was annoyed, no annoyed would be a massive understatement and what has me annoyed people may ask and the answer is as plain as day. I have not been able to get a moments peace whatsoever since the night of the day I arrived and it was insane. On my way back to my house more than a few girls intercepted me on my way out of the room wanting to talk to me or wanting to know if I would like some company on my way to my house. A growl from Toothless and a hiss from Ah Tabai was all it took to get most of them to get the message and left me alone. The few that didn't get the message kept pestering me until Ah Tabai and Toothless literally shoved them off and away from me followed by warning growls and this was enough to get the message across to them. Before I could go to bed though Ah Tabai ran into the house for a few minutes before there was a loud roar followed by a woman screaming. Guards were quick to respond and came running as a woman came running out chased by Ah Tabai and into the arms of the waiting guards. They apologized for the disturbance and dragged her away to be dealt with.

The days following were no easier except I now had to deal with the children wanting me to tell them about my past battles and the local warriors wanting to put themselves up against me in fights. When I wasn't dealing with them I was dealing with women asking me to join them for a meal, wanting to join me for a walk around the city, asking me how long I'd be staying, if I'd mind helping them gather fruit from the jungle and more than a few tried to steal a kiss from me. Noonsa being the most frequent one to try and steal one only for me to avoid her and begin walking with Ah Tabai in front of me and Toothless behind me. This kept the girls at a distance and made sure that they weren't able to try and steal a kiss from the front or sneak up behind me. As for the warriors I'd normally get challenged at least ten times a day and if I turned them down then they'd taunt me claiming I was a coward. Long story short I gave in to their requests but every time it ended with both of us losing. The warriors lost because I beat them resulting in more than a few bruises and occasionally needing to be carried out due to being unconscious and I lost because I had to do these fights shirtless in order to keep things fair which got me a lot of attention from the women so I got even more attention and less peace with every victory. Because of this I hadn't had the chance to collect the birds yet but I was able to collect five red-bellied piranhas in a large tank that rested in my study and that's only because I was able to fish them out of the river behind my house.

Now I was in the arena facing two well-muscled men with a large crowd watching and cheering us on as they watched. I ducked under a punch thrown by one and grabbed his arm before I threw him over my shoulder. The other tried tackling me from the side but I stepped to the side avoiding the tackle. Unfortunately, the other guy had recovered from my throw and grabbed me from behind as my other opponent got up. I struggled a bit but he was holding on tight as my other opponent looked at me and raised his fist ready to punch me but before he could I lifted both my legs up and delivered a good solid kick to the stomach sending him stumbling back while gasping for air. The guy holding me loosened his grip seeing this allowing me a little more movement so I was able to move both my arms forward and bend them as I did so before slamming my elbows back into the guys' gut making him lean his head forward as I slammed my head back into his making him let go and stumble back. I then quickly turned around and gave him a swift kick to the face knocking him out cold leaving only my other opponent to deal with. I then saw the last guy was charging at me I just stepped to the side as he got close and held my right arm out as I stiffened it making him run right into it and fall back. He groaned on the ground as he rubbed his nose and from just one look I knew this fight was over so I turned away from him and made my way towards the exit as I said.

"This fight is over!"

Everyone just cheered as guards came in to collect the downed warriors so they could get their wounds tended to by the healers. I wasn't looking forward to the attention this fight would bring me since those two were two of the cities best warriors and when they fought together they've never lost a match until just now. I sighed and decided it was time for me to find the birds and just go home since the last thing I needed was any more attention from the girls. I put my armor back on that was resting against Toothless while Ah Tabai waited by him for me to come out of the arena. Once my armor was on I looked at them and said.

"Let's head home to rest because tomorrow we find some birds guys." They stood up growling as we began our walk home but sadly, as I walked none other than Noonsa stopped me as she said.

"Hey Hiccup!"

"Hello Noonsa." I tried walking past her but as I did she attached herself to my arm.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory today and wanted to know if you're busy today."

"Yeah I'm going to try and catch some birds for my own jungle back on my own island." She then much to my annoyance began running her hand over my chest.

"You know Hiccup, I was just thinking that you must get pretty lonely on that island of yours." I shrugged.

"Not really since I've got my dragons and animals to keep me company along with multiple projects that keep me more than busy."

"Well I'm sure you could still use some human company."

"I just go back to Berk when I want to talk to someone." I could see she was getting a little annoyed.

"You know me and few of my friends have been really curious about your island so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking us back with you for a few days."

"Sorry but I don't have the room in my house to house many people." She smiled at me.

"Well if that's the case then it could be just me you take back so it'd just be the two of us." She leaned forward and rested her hand on my chest. "Just the two of us." She leaned her head towards mine. "All alone in that big house." She leaned a little closer. "Free to do whatever we want." I could tell she was going for a kiss so I stepped back.

"Sorry Noonsa but I'm too busy these days to have any company over." She gave me asmile and fluttered her eyes.

"Well if you change your mind you know where to find me." She then walked away swaying her hips as I sighed and looked down while shaking my head.

"Sometimes I wonder if the gods are sending these girls just to torment me." Toothless crooned at me as I looked at him. "Well let's go see if any of the birds on my roof are willing to come home with us."

4 days later

I was back on my island, standing on top of my temple next to three cages each holding a pair of different bird species, which consisted of toucans named Kimba and Toco, scarlet macaws named Zara and Juju and quetzals named Zeno and Kiki. These birds were the first ones to come and start eating fruit from my rooftop feeding plate and had since become good friends with me. They'd often come to land on my shoulders and arms when they were extended allowing me to feed them. They didn't struggle or fight when I put them in the cages and told them I was going to relocate them. I saw this as the go ahead for me to bring them back to my own jungle though they were a little spooked when we went through the portal but all my animals were spooked when we went through. As for the piranhas were now in a rectangular tank that was ten feet in length and five feet in height with two legs of boar in the tank for them to chow down on. I looked out at the jungle as Ikan came flying towards me before he landed on my shoulder and looked down at the caged birds for a moment and then looking back at me. I smiled at him as he tilted his head and stroked his chest feathers to sooth him and said.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm not replacing you just trying to make the jungle feel more like the real Mayan jungle." He ruffled his feathers at this. "Now I want you to be nice to these guys and make sure they stay out of trouble." He screeched at this as I smiled. "Good, now let's allow our new friends to explore their new home." I opened the cages to let them out and the second I did they flew off into the jungle faster than I thought possible. "I guess they didn't like being caged up for so long." Ikan just let out a screech and took off into the jungle as I watched smiling as they soared through the air with such beauty and grace. "Seeing those birds soar through the air is truly a thing of beauty." I then turned back into the temples room and shrugged. "Might as well relax a bit while I'm up here."

I then walked in and lay back on the couch hoping that the song of my new birds would help make the jungle feel more real. As I lay there and looked up at the ceiling I began to think of a conversation I had with Gukumatz on the day I returned. He saw how Noonsa along with some of the other girls tried to convince me to allow them to return to my island with me but as usual I turned them down. He told me that the loss of my arm might've been the world's way of telling me that I wasn't invincible and that life is short and that I should at least try to find someone to settle down with or at least try going out with some girls. I told him how it felt they were just trying to get to my money, fame and island through me. He just smiled at me before saying if that was the case then I should use it to my advantage and see what I could get out of the relationship. I gave him a glare and told him I wasn't the type of guy who would manipulate girls like that, making him smile as he said I was a good man and that I'd make some girl very happy one day. This once again brought the thoughts of marriage and children to my mind. I still wondered if the girl I was destined to spend the rest of my life was on Berk or would it be a foreign girl that I'd settle down with. I sighed and shook my head knowing I had plenty of time to worry about my future and for now I just need to enjoy the present. I closed myself and just allowed myself to drift off into the sweet embrace of sleep.

1 week later

I was sitting on Mirage who stood on a sand dune next to Toothless looking over the bazaar that had opened this morning and I am happy to say things have been pretty relaxed today compared to the last time it was open. According to Kadar this is because the only people allowed through the gate were the merchants and their families after the trouble the fan girls caused last time. Thanks to this there were a few more merchant stalls with new merchants who were eager to barter with the people of Berk, the Outcasts who I sent word to and a few people from some of Berks ally tribes. This of course brought smiles to a whole lot of faces since the merchants get new customers while the locals get to explore and purchase foreign items that are very difficult to find in the archipelago if they could be found at all. As I looked out at the bazaar I had to admit things were peaceful compared to last time but I still felt as though something was wrong. I know I'm probably just being paranoid about things but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I shook my head of the worry before dismounting Mirage deciding I should check out what this bazaar had instead of just watching it and worrying about what could possibly be nothing.

1 hour later

I was flying back to my island on Toothless with two saddlebags full of things I bought from the bazaar and I had to say I was still worried something was going to happen. I know I'm probably still just being too paranoid but I didn't like the look of some of the new merchants. I suppose it was the way they eyed Toothless or how they seemed to look into the distance in the same direction of my island. I knew they might just be curious about Toothless along with my island but that still didn't make the feeling of something being wrong leave my gut. I decided Toothless and me would keep a close eye on them and have Heatwave in his sand form help out Mirage in case there really was something wrong. I looked back at the bazaar and wondered if I was just being paranoid. I sighed and shook my head while deciding to take it easy but to keep my guard up and make sure nobody found out about my prosthetic since I'd kept it covered so nobody knew about it in case I was right about something being wrong. I intended to also keep my star sword and crystal spear tucked away in my arm just in case.

Three days later

It was nightfall and so far, no problems had come up with the bazaar besides the usual pickpockets who were easily dealt with but I still didn't let my guard down and kept my weapons at the ready. Still the new merchants invited me to their campsite for dinner claiming it was to thank me for allowing them access to my island and with it so many new customers. I figured I should give them a chance since I might be wrong about something being wrong so I accepted their invitation, which brings us to where I am now. Sitting around a fire with the traders enjoying a meal as we watched some of the girls performed a dance in front of the fire for our entertainment while Toothless was enjoying some fish they offered him for dinner. I wore a chest plate but left my arms covered only by a red tunic and gloves to keep my prosthetic hidden. In the arm was my star sword and crystal spear along with a red, purple, light green, aqua green and blue. It was then I felt dizzy all of a sudden as the image of the girls performing began to blur as I heard a thump from behind me and turned to see Toothless falling unconscious before everything went black.

1 hour later

I woke up to find myself still in the camp except my hands were tied behind my back, my mouth was gagged, Toothless was tied up and muzzled in front of me and we were in a tent with nobody else around. I was able to get the glove off my prosthetic and was able to release the rotating blade under the tree of life and able to cut through the ropes binding my hands. Once I had completely cut through them I saw Toothless was beginning to stir from his sleep but I also saw silhouettes outside and heard a man I recognized as the leader of these merchants say.

"How could you have not made it to his island?"

"My apologies sir but there was something keeping our ships from docking."

"Need I remind you that we need to dock and steal the treasures he holds before his dragons realize that their master is missing."

"We will try harder master."

"You better!" I saw some of them walk away as the leader turned to face the tent so I kept my now free hands behind my back as he walked in wearing black robes and looking down at me. "I see the sleeping potion has worn off and you've woken up." I just glared at him. "I do suppose I owe you an explanation." He kneeled down before me. "You see we've been hired to get your dragons and will be rewarded with a fortune for each one we bring back and if we're able to loot your home than it just means more money for us." I spoke through the gag. "I'm sorry but I cannot understand what you're saying." He pulled my gag off. "Would you mind repeating that?"

"You'll never get onto my island and even if you do my dragons and animals will capture you and your men fast before you're forced to wait in the dungeon while I call for the guards to come and take you back to be judged by the Sultan." He smirked.

"Even if we are unable to reach your island the dragon we have here will fetch a handsome price when we deliver him to the sultan." Toothless who was now awake began struggling.

"Which Sultan?"

"Sultan Raza!"

"You mean that sultan who rules the city where I fought the forty thieves as they kidnapped Amira?"

"That's the one." He smiled. "He promised us big money if we brought back your dragon since you refused to sell him."

"Well he won't be able to control any of them since they only obey me."

"That's why he's looking for some sorcerers to make something to put them under his command."

"Well that won't work since both me, my dragons and animals are immune to all forms of mind control." He raised an eyebrow as I shrugged. "Gift from the Arabian gods."

"Well we were just hired to bring him the dragons, if he can't control them then that's not our problem."

"Well I'll be sure to tell him when I drop you off at his feet." Before he could reply I quickly stood up and used my prosthetic to grab him by the neck. "Next time make sure the person doesn't have a way to cut the ropes." He just grabbed my arm trying to get me to loosen my grip. "I think I'll call in Heatwave and Mirage to help me deal with you lot." I then dragged him outside as I yelled. "HEATWAVE! MIRAGE!" Everyone turned to me as Mirage burst from the ground outside of one side of the camp and Heatwave formed on the other side as I looked out at the camp of bandits who were looking at them uneasily. "YOU LOT SURRENDER NOW AND YOU WON'T BE HURT!" They all stared at me before Heatwave and Mirage each let out a roar before they all dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

Morning

I had spent the night helping the guards who were posted at the gate and went to get reinforcements along with Webster who spent the night cocooning the bandits so they wouldn't get away. We arrested every bandit in the group before Kadar explained that he'd heard of them as they were almost as notorious as the forty thieves. They'd enter a city posing as traders and gain the peoples trust before robbing them blind in the night and pickpocketing them during the day. I'm pretty sure everyone would be happy to have them all thrown in the dungeon where they belong. Before I handed their leader over to the guards I was sure to give him a brand on the back of the neck like I did to Snorre as a reminder to him not to mess with me again. I still had to deal with the sultan who hired them in the first place but I've already informed Amira and Aamin's father who was not happy with finding this out since sultans hiring bandits was highly frowned upon by all of the kingdoms no matter what the reason. When I told him about this he was not happy but I assume being woken up in the middle of the night might have something to do with it. He promised he'd inform every kingdom about what had been done but I felt like that wasn't enough which brings us to where I am now. Sitting down in Sultan Raza's throne with Toothless next to me, Webster holding onto the ceiling, Angel blending into the wall above the door, Dune lying next to me, the leader of the bandits at my feet in a cocoon and six guards cocooned and hanging from the ceiling. It was then Raza walked in with a man I recognized as his advisor as he said.

"Those bandits are sure to succeed in getting me the dragons and when I find a sorcerer to put them under my control then Hiccup Haddock will have no choice but to let me keep them." I then coughed gaining their attention as color quickly drained from the Sultan's face as he turned to face me as I gave him a fake smile.

"Impressive plan but there were a few problems with it." I stood up and signaled Angel to shut the door and guard it to which she was all too happy to do. "First problem is your bandits weren't easy to escape and then surrendered at the sight of my Sandwalker Mirage and Sand phantom Heatwave when I had their leader by the neck." I gestured to the bandit at my feet. "Second problem is me and my dragons are immune to any form of magical mind control thanks to a gift from the gods." I then walked towards them with Toothless and Dune at my sides as Rasa and his advisor stared at us with fear. "And third problem is I'm not that easy to get rid of when it comes to either my dragons or animals being kidnapped." I could see they were both shaking in fear as Raza yelled.

"GUARDS!" I smiled and just pointed up as Webster glided down to the floor while Raza and his advisor looked up in shock at the cocooned guards.

"Don't bother trying to call for the others since Angel will make sure none of them get in so let's get something clear." I dropped my fake smile and glared at him as I grabbed him by his robes and held him against the wall. "I am not selling my dragons, I'm not going to let anyone steal them and should you ever try a stunt like this again- "I held up my golden arm and channeled the red crystal igniting my arm. "you won't like the results." He gulped. "Do I make myself clear?" He quickly nodded before I let him go and drop to the floor. "Good and I feel it only right to tell you that soon every kingdom will know what you did so prepare for a lot of trouble for messing with me." I could see the fear in his eyes as I turned around and walked away and mounted Toothless before taking off with Angel carrying the bandit leader so he could be sentenced back in the Arabian city where the others were being held but as we flew I wondered if I overdid the intimidation with Raza.

AN: Hey all I hope you enjoyed the chapter but having trouble coming up with new ideas so tell me what you want to see and I will see if I can put it in. Until then please keep your reviews kind and let me know if you think I'm finally getting out of my rut with this story.