Astrid is frantic when she comes around. The faces of the other Dragon Riders that had accompanied them on what was supposed to be a simple mission block the shimmer of stars of the open sky.
"Hiccup—" she blurts out, gasping for air as her stomach churns at the memories of recent events.
"Astrid, easy," Dagur soothes while Fishlegs offers her an arm to grab.
Her head pounds violently. Astrid has had her fair share of crash-landings but rarely gets knocked out. She's always reactive. She braces for impact to avoid situations like this where she's left helpless. Not only that, but it also left Hiccup vulnerable.
"Where's Hiccup?" she demands, too concerned with her betrothed's well-being to check herself for wounds or broken bones.
She doesn't miss the look they share—the knowledge they hold back.
"Fishlegs?" Astrid prompts as she straightens herself. Her gaze wanders to their surroundings. The island is quiet—too quiet. Their silence is answer enough, and her hands ball at her sides. "What happened?"
"Krogan happened," Snotlout snaps, his frustration nearly matching Astrid's.
Fishlegs and Dagur alike seem more worried about what she'll do next. And they should.
Astrid approaches her dragon, brushing off the dust off her clothes. Her skin stings from the friction burns that plague her hands, elbows, and knees. Her mind is a storm, and the ravage it's doing to it has the physical ache pale in comparison. Her hand hovers over Stormfly's beak as realization dawns on her.
"I was so cold to him," she says, barely a whisper. "And now he's gone."
"We're getting him back," Dagur argues. He punches his fist to his palm.
"Of course we are," Snotlout agrees, his agitation evident. It's funny how raw feelings surface when a loved one is in danger.
They came here to deliver scrap metal to a dragon they knew would put it to good use. Hiccup just wanted to do something right, as he always does, and this is how the gods thank him—by taking his eyesight and leaving him for Krogan and his men's taking. This world is on a new level of unfairness. The more misfortune occurs, the less Astrid believes in the power of their beloved gods. Why would they let this sort of thing happen? Why hand their leader—the heir of their tribe's throne, her own betrothed—to their enemies who want him dead more than anything else?
"What happened with the Armorwing?" Astrid asks, turning to face her team.
If she can get some good news, it might lift her spirits just a little. Fishlegs and Snotlout exchange another glance.
"We couldn't protect both the Armorwing and help you," Dagur explains, taking a step forward.
"Toothless ran off the second he heard Stormfly's distress call," Fishlegs adds. "We knew something was wrong then."
"Not to mention, those Flyers were gaining on us," Snotlout says, folding his arms over his chest, upset. "We would've had them if it weren't for their numbers."
"We couldn't split, and we couldn't be two places at the same time," Dagur continues, softening his voice as he pats his Triple Stryke's flank. "I hope you can understand."
"It's okay," Astrid sighs, focusing on her breathing. "So Krogan has the lens… and Hiccup."
"That pretty much sums it up," Snotlout confirms, quirking an eyebrow. His sarcasm is just a reflection of his contempt.
"Where do you think they're taking him? Maybe we can catch up—" Fishlegs offers, but Astrid cuts him off before he can finish.
"They'll be headed for their base, no doubt," she says, trading emotions for tactics. To save Hiccup, they must think of a plan as soon as possible. "But we won't be able to catch up. Our dragons are exhausted. We just took one heck of a beating. We rest up, regroup, and head for the Hunters' base as soon as we've resupplied."
As much as she wants to act immediately and chase after those Flyers, a reckless attack will only set them back even further. They need a strategy. Astrid knows their enemies want to rid themselves of them, most importantly, Hiccup. But with such valuable information at their disposal now, she knows Johann and Krogan, as well as Viggo, will try and beat as much of it out before tossing him overboard. As much as she knows her leader will be subject to torture and questioning, the silver lining in it is that they'll keep him alive. If Krogan wanted him so dead, he would've done it here, on Armorwing Island. But he kidnapped him instead. Astrid needs to lean on that hope.