Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill. Also, thanks are owed to athingofvikings, who gave me a much-appreciated sounding-board for a few aspects of my planned world-building for this particular crossover; hope you like it.
Feedback: Appreciated as always.
The Dragon of Wanheda
Flying behind the Riders was the first time that Clarke had truly missed modern technology since she'd met Griffin. She was still impressed to see the effort Hiccup had put into creating even the dragons' current limited armour from the metal they had acquired from the remains of Arrow Station, and even the quick 'paintjob' they'd done on Griffin should hopefully be enough for the current plan, covering him with ash and a few bits of paint in the most exposed areas, but it was frustratingly hard to hear Hiccup calling out his orders from the front of the group without a radio or anything like that.
Still, her position bringing up the rear at least offered the advantage that she'd been able to stop Snotlout ordering Hookfang to light himself up before he could give away their position. She'd even been able to help him keep warm by having Griffin 'shoot' the occasional burst of heated air at the shorter Viking when he began to complain, which seemed to be enough to keep Snotlout focused as they approached the island.
"You're sure about this?" Clarke called out to the other Riders as she glanced apprehensively at the thick clouds below them. "I mean, you said you haven't been here before-"
"Heather gave us a few maps to the Hunters' base; we just didn't have any reason to try and do something like this before," Astrid called back as an explanation.
"And you can find your way in this?"
"We just follow the stars," Fishlegs explained as he indicated the sky above them. "It took a while to work out how to navigate when we're not sailing, particularly when we sometimes don't even know the seas below us exactly, but we worked it out-"
"We're here!" Hiccup called back, the group of dragons coming to a mid-air halt as he looked back at the others. "OK, once we get below the clouds we have no way of knowing what they're going to hit us with, but we need to be prepared to defend ourselves. Clarke, like we discussed, you and Griffin break off to the side and let us draw whatever they're going to use against us; you need to stay undercover until we're sure-"
"She gets to be safe off to the side?" Snotlout protested.
"Because she's the only one they won't be looking for right now," Astrid pointed out to the other Viking with a frustrated sigh. "Have you ever paid attention to Hiccup's briefings?"
"Let's just get on with this," Hiccup held up his hand before Snotlout could say anything more. "Clarke… good luck."
"See you later," Clarke nodded, pulling off to the side as the other dragons dived down through the clouds. Following her new friends down at a more removed angle, Clarke forced herself to watch as the other Riders were suddenly forced to evade powerful blasts of flame from the land below. She could just about see four large dragons on the ground with pale heads and thin necks attached to thick bodies, launching powerful flames at the Riders, but it was too far away to see why those dragons weren't flying away or how they were being made to attack the other Riders. For the moment, as much as Clarke wanted to help her new friends, she had to focus on her own task and have faith that Hiccup and the others could overcome that particular challenge on their own.
"C'mon, Griffin," she said, leaning over to whisper to her dragon. "Stay close to the water and head around the island, but be quiet."
Griffin let out a low rumble in response and followed her commands, flying down so low that he was basically just above the surface of the sea. So long as a sudden storm didn't start in the next few minutes, this distance should be enough to avoid attracting too much attention, particularly when Griffin's brighter skin was covered by paint and ash. She kept a careful eye on the island coast, grateful that the moon and the nearby flames were bright enough to illuminate the most significant parts of the island without making her own presence too obvious. After going past the area where the hunters had apparently moored their ships, Clarke turned Griffin inwards and moved carefully towards the coast again; she couldn't go too low in case the water splashed off Griffin's paint-job and made him visible to the casual observer, but she equally couldn't get too high in case she drew attention…
Once they had reached the island, Griffin landed on the ground and began to pace cautiously up the coast, crouching close to the ground. Looking cautiously around, Clarke saw a few hunters standing further down the island, weapons raised and a couple of dragons nearby that Clarke was fairly sure were Nadders, but she decided not to worry about that at the moment; if those hunters were waiting here, they weren't going to be worrying about anything further inland.
"Just keep quiet, Griff," she said, cautiously stroking her dragon between the spines on his neck. "We can't help the others if we're caught; stay low and head inland."
Griffin let out a low rumble of confirmation and kept moving, wings folded close to his sides as he almost weaved his way through the trees. Even with Clarke's weight on his neck, Griffin maintained a brisk pace through the woods, weaving around a few trees and rocky patches. She didn't entirely like taking this much time while her friends were in trouble, but she had to have faith that Hiccup and the others could handle themselves until she was in a position to help.
Damnit, I left so that I wouldn't have to be in charge of anyone, and now I'm complaining when I'm not the one taking the risks and giving orders?
Clarke wasn't sure what it said about her that she had come this far to avoid being responsible for anything and still felt like she should be in charge of something. She had no intention of trying to take over from Hiccup, and genuinely agreed that his current plan was the best plan they had to deal with whatever Viggo might have to throw at them, but going from leader to unofficial medic/healer was such a drastic shift…
The faint sound of someone talking up ahead prompted Clarke to place her hand at the point where Griffin's neck joined his skull, exerting a light pressure to 'encourage' him to press even closer to the ground. Still not daring to get off his back, Clarke shimmied up her dragon's neck as carefully as those small spikes on his back would allow to listen closely to whatever was being said.
"…joining us tonight," an unfamiliar voice was saying. "But on the positive side, you've far exceeded my expectations; good on you."
Clarke heard the sound of men moving into position, but as far as she could tell none of them were anywhere near her. From the way Hiccup had described English as 'traders' tongue', she guessed that the other man was using it now because he wanted to be sure all of his men could understand him, which likely meant that he was waiting for some kind of cue. If she was careful, she might still have a shot at getting out of this and putting Hiccup's plan into action…
"So many guards, so little time," the first voice said. "But please, I am enjoying this. I'll give you a head start."
"Why would you do that?" Hiccup's voice replied suspiciously.
"Because I'm nothing if not a good sport," the new voice said, with a smirk in his tone that reminded Clarke of Bellamy in the early days when he thought he was in control of everything and she was just an idealistic kid. "And if I didn't, the game would end here. And what fun would that be?"
As silence temporarily settled over the area, Clarke carefully prompted Griffin forward, and found herself looking into a small, rocky valley, filled with various cages, each just large enough to hold a dragon of a similar size to the ones she'd seen so far. Hiccup was running through the small valley, only to be surrounded by a few other hunters armed with crossbows, the Flightmare being held down in front of him, a pair of large men on either side of it and a thick muzzle over its mouth. Toothless was perched on top of a cage just behind Hiccup, but it was clear that too many men were gathered around for Hiccup to just mount his dragon and fly away.
"There you are, Hiccup," that new voice said, allowing Clarke to trace the speaker to a young man, probably a few years older than Hiccup, standing on top of another cage. The man was wearing a black tunic with spike guards on his shoulders, and the light from the Flightmare helped Clarke see that he had large brown eyes and brown hair that was surprisingly neatly cut considering how thick most peoples' hair was out in these island. "Didn't get as far as I imagined."
"Game's over, Viggo," Hiccup retorted, confirming Clarke's theory about the other man's identity.
"I'm so sorry you feel that way," the now-confirmed Viggo retorted as he jumped down from the top of the cage, Toothless doing the same to stand beside Hiccup. "Was I not a worthy adversary? Don't answer that. Your surrender speaks volumes."
"No one is surrendering," Hiccup responded.
"All right, then here's what I propose," Viggo countered. "Turn over what you stole from me- what has belonged to my tribe for centuries- and I will give serious thought to letting you and your friends go free."
"You're talking about the Dragon Eye?" Hiccup asked.
"'Dragon Eye'…" Viggo said thoughtfully. "A fitting name. If you don't mind, I'll use that."
"Well, have it your way, Viggo," Hiccup said, placing his hands on either side of Toothless's saddle. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
As Viggo nodded at the men holding the Flightmare, Clarke knew it was her moment to act. With a speed that surprised herself as much as anyone else, Clarke only had to squeeze Griffin's neck with her heels and the Windstriker had leapt forward, firing a blast of hot air that intercepted the Flightmare's mist as it left the muzzle but before it could touch Hiccup or Toothless. Clarke was slightly surprised to see that the glowing blue cloud was actually blown back towards the two dragon hunters standing on either side of the Flightmare, leaving them frozen in place as Hiccup and Toothless leapt up to the top of a small cliff near their old position. Before the frozen hunters could start moving again, Clarke directed Griffin to fly over them, Griffin knocking one man down with his claws while Clarke leant over from her position on Griffin's back to punch the other in the face.
"What the-?" Viggo said, as Clarke and Griffin spun around to take up position beside the now-freed Flightmare, Griffin placing a warning paw on the back of one of the fallen hunters.
"Hi," the blonde said as she sat astride the Windstriker dragon, glaring at the head Hunter. "I'm Clarke, and this is Griffin; we understand you're hunting dragons for profit?"
"Who-?" was the only thing that the lead hunter could say as he stared at Clarke in shock.
"This is not a commentary on our trust in Heather, but we hadn't actually been keeping her up-to-date on events back at our camp," Hiccup observed with a teasing grin from his position on the upper cliff.
"Meaning?" Viggo asked, trying to smile mockingly at them even as he couldn't hide his shocked gaze at Clarke.
"Meaning that we haven't been deploying our full resources on our raids against you so far," Hiccup grinned, indicating the blonde girl with a smile. "Clarke's our new healer, but she has some interesting tactical experience as well."
"And this seemed like a good opportunity for me to step in," Clarke affirmed, as she took hold of the chains keeping the Flightmare trapped. "So, Mr Grimborn, are you going to let us go, or does this have to get tricky?"
"…Well played, Hiccup Haddock," Viggo nodded at the young man on the Night Fury. "Just when I thought you played right into my hands, you introduce a new player… I truly hope we are able to compete again."
"This isn't a game, you prick; this is about you treating the most incredible creatures on the planet like they're just here for your own damn profit-!" Clarke began.
"Let's just… get out of this and worry about that particular issue later," Hiccup cut her off, shooting a warning look at Clarke before he turned back to look at Viggo. "Where's Heather?"
"Oh, she's in the caves around here," the hunter waved a dismissive hand at the larger rock formations further inland. "I left her in the hands of her brother; he is the one she most betrayed, after all…"
A brief exchange of glances with Hiccup was enough for Clarke to confirm their next move; she'd have to abandon their enemy in favour of rescuing their ally. She and Griffin moved away from the Flightmare so that Toothless could deliver a precision plasma blast to the large 'muzzle' that kept the other dragon's mouth shut, and then the three dragons leapt into the air and flew off towards the cavern. Clarke glanced back in case any of the hunters tried anything, but was disturbed to see Viggo holding up a hand in a halting gesture at his men as he watched them leave.
It could just be an extension of how this man seemed to see Hiccup in particular as a kind of worthy adversary, as though Viggo was letting him have this particular victory rather than try and continue a plan that he should now realise wouldn't work, but Clarke wondered if it was just a more drawn-out, sadistic version of her own final words to Finn, letting him have that brief moment before he died…
As Toothless and Griffin flew up to join the other dragon riders back at the main island cove, Clarke was relieved to see that not only were her new friends still apparently holding their own against the hunters' arrows, but the dragons they'd been using earlier had apparently vanished. Shifting their focus to the ground, Clarke and Hiccup dive-bombed the remaining hunters and had their dragons launch a couple of quick plasma and heat-blasts at the hunters from behind, forcing the hunters to run off while Hiccup and Clarke flew up to join their friends.
"How did it go?" Astrid asked as the riders came back together.
"Just like Clarke planned," Hiccup grinned. "Viggo had me cornered, and then Clarke and Griffin came diving in and took him by surprise; he didn't exactly have much choice but to back off while she helped me free the Flightmare."
"Also, it turns out that Griffin can actually force the Flightmare's mist back with his own breath," Clarke grinned, reaching over to pat her dragon on the neck. "Unexpected bonus, but I'm not complaining."
"Nice," Ruffnut nodded at the other blonde.
"Too bad that'll only work once," Snotlout shook his head bitterly. "You sure that was a good call?"
"What was a good call?" another voice asked in that new language Clarke was still trying to learn. Looking around, Clarke was surprised to see another young woman flying up to join them, with thick dark hair and wearing a brown leather top over a metallic-looking skirt and armbands. The girl was riding a slender dragon that put Clarke in mind of Griffin apart from its seemingly metallic skin and lack of spines along its back, the dragon looking up at the other riders with a slightly hostile expression that left Clarke feeling on-edge, as though it hadn't decided if it was going to attack them or not. "And who's the new girl?"
"Clarke," Clarke replied with a smile. "I take it you're Heather?"
"Yeah… and you are?" the girl looked at her uncertainly, even if she was now talking English. "I mean, I haven't met you before-"
"Clarke's new," Astrid explained with a grin of her own. "She's only been with us for a few weeks, and we were giving her time to decide if she wanted to stick around or just get some help training Griffin, but when we told her about the hunters in full, she decided to join us on this particular mission. The rest of us kept Viggo's forces busy out at the front of the island, while Clarke followed Hiccup and Toothless to help them take Viggo by surprise and get the Flightmare away from him."
"And she even suggested a good way to keep the Eye safe," Hiccup added as he looked over at Astrid. "It's OK?"
"Right here," Astrid patted the pouch on her side.
"You've got it?" Heather looked at her in surprise.
"Clarke pointed out that Viggo would expect Hiccup to keep it on him all the time, so the better move would be to just keep switching around which of us had it when we have to leave the Edge unmanned," Astrid explained.
"It just struck me as the best way to put him off-guard," Clarke explained. "In my experience, people like Viggo are just convinced of the idea that they're the smartest people in the area and everyone else is an idiot, so he'd probably assume that Hiccup would keep everything important on him rather than trust it to other people."
"That's… actually pretty good," Heather nodded thoughtfully at Clarke. "You've met a few people like that?"
"One or two," Clarke nodded, recalling the Wallaces' elitist attitude and even Jaha's own, more downplayed confidence in himself, to say nothing of Kane's initial attitude before he learned that Earth was habitable. "So what now?"
"Now we take that Flightmare back to its island," Hiccup said, indicating the glowing dragon behind them. "We screwed up Viggo's plans for this guy, rescued Heather, and showed him he still doesn't know everything about us; I'd call that a good night's work, right?"
"Well," Ryker looked in exasperation at his brother as the Grimborns stood in their tent a few hours later, "that was a productive night, wasn't it?"
"You consider the night a failure simply because we didn't achieve our primary goal?"
"You're seriously telling me you're not angry?" Ryker looked incredulously at Viggo. "We had Haddock in our hands, and not only did he get away with the relic, but now there's at least another rider out there we know nothing about? And on top of that, we've lost our… was she a double agent when she didn't know we were using her?"
"A question for another time, I feel," Viggo mused as he studied some papers on his desk. "When you think about it, you have to commend Hiccup Haddock; he recognised the limits of our knowledge of his own operations and hit us with at least one wild card to throw us off."
"At least one?"
"I have to assume that the mysterious 'Clarke' and her apparent tactical expertise are not the only new card he added to his hand," Viggo clarified. "If we are going to deal with Hiccup Haddock and reclaim our lost relic, it may be time for me to send a certain message."
"A message?" Ryker looked at him curiously. "To who?"
"Who else?" Viggo returned his brother's stare with a cool glare of his own. "I clearly underestimated Hiccup Haddock and his Night Fury, which means that, as much as I hate to concede it, the time has come to call in specialist assistance rather than keep doing things my way."
"Him?" Ryker's curiosity shifted to surprise as he realised who his brother was talking about. "I thought he preferred to kill his prey; isn't that a bit counter-productive given our own plans for the Fury?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Viggo affirmed. "All we need from him is to capture the Night Fury; once the dragon is in our power, I'm sure that we can come to some form of compromise that will see us in possession of all of the riders' dragons and Hiccup himself thoroughly demoralised."
"And how long will that take?"
"Hopefully not too long, if we send a message immediately and he hasn't moved too far from his last known location," Viggo explained. "In the meantime, pull back most of our existing resources; it can't hurt to let Hiccup and his riders think that we've been more shaken by his little scheme than we were, and it will just make it all the more shocking for him when we act again."