Battle of the Bewilderbeasts
Things had escalated quickly while Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber were discussing what to do. Swarms of the sanctuary dragons were soaring over Drago's troops, diving in to defend their home and rescue their kin. However, Drago's army of men were taking them down faster than they could rescue each other.
"Whatever comes, keep hitting the mountain! We need to draw the alpha out!" The gruff voice of Drago commanded his people over the chaos. It appeared as though they had the advantage and Drago smiled to himself, confident of his success. "Ready the traps."
—
Astrid and Fishlegs could sense that they were being moved. They stood, ready to mount Meatlug and take off as soon as their trap door was opened. Even now, the tiniest amount of light seeped in through the jagged cracks of the closed doors. They weren't entirely sure where they were, but they could hear the sounds of battle outside. Wherever they were, they were prepared to fight against Drago and help whatever people and dragons were being attacked. Drago was the enemy, no matter who they had to ally with on the outside.
"How do you think Ruffnut and the others are doing?" Fishlegs asked Astrid, quietly and timidly, even though there was no way anyone outside would be able to hear them speaking from within the dragon trap.
"I'm sure they're in a similar situation as us. They're with one of our dragons and ready to join the battle against Drago." Astrid rolled her eyes as Fishlegs singled out Ruffnut, but wasn't seen as they stood in the dim lighting.
"I'm glad I ended up with you, my beautiful, little princess!"
"What?" Astrid shot an incredibly confused look in the direction of Fishlegs' giant form.
"My adorable rock-monster." Fishlegs continued in his baby voice as he gave Meatlug head scratches, the dragon eating up the attention. Astrid rolled her eyes again as she realized who Fishlegs had been talking to, she should have known. Maybe if Fishlegs gave as much attention to a human girl as he did to his Gronkle, though he came pretty close when it came to Ruffnut.
The clinking of gears could be heard from outside the trap, and the two paused so that they could glance up as a sliver of sky was revealed.
"Get ready." Astrid commanded as she climbed onto Meatlug's back, behind Fishlegs. The trap doors flung open and Meatlug took flight as fast her her dinky, little wings could manage. Which, Astrid had to admit, was impressive for how tiny they were.
"Surprise! Yeah!" Tuffnut's voice sounded from nearby, startling an angry Drago. He had thought the dragon riders from Berk had been killed.
It was as if things had been timed perfectly. As Fishlegs and Astrid flew into the air, she could see all the other dragon riders taking flight at the same time as they exited their respective traps. Along with the dragon riders was one, former dragon trapper, doing his best to hold on to Stormfly as she soared through the air.
Fishlegs steered Meatlug over to Stormfly, knowing where Astrid would want to go. Meanwhile, Eret was struggling to hold on to the Deadly Nadder as they neared, but he saw them coming.
"You really are full of surprises." Astrid complimented Eret before she jumped from Meatlug's back and mounted Stormfly, behind him.
The former dragon trapper had potential, and she knew Hiccup would agree. Despite being in the middle of a battle and still not knowing where they were, it seemed a good opportunity to teach Eret how to work in sync with a dragon companion, to truly realize just what one was capable of when paired up with one. It was what Hiccup would do.
Observing the scene below them, it was easy to distinguish their allies from their enemies. Drago's dragons wore metal armor, and his people were everywhere. The only people on her side seemed to be the other dragon riders, though Astrid was sure that Hiccup had to be there somewhere. Also among their allies were plenty of dragons, including some species she'd never encountered before. It was clear these dragons were fighting to protect each other and their home, and while directing Eret as they flew, they would help them to win this battle against Drago.
It was a little difficult, telling Eret how to steer Stormfly when she was so used to doing it by instinct after years of practice, but it was the only way he was going to learn. He was quick to catch on and eager to learn, but that wasn't enough to get them out of trouble when he guided the Nadder into a corner as chunks of falling ice from an explosion showered down on them.
"Look out!" Astrid cried out as they headed directly for a falling column of ice, Eret joining in by yelling in fear. However, before they collided with the ice, an explosion rang out in front of them and the ice shattered.
Astrid lowered her arms from shielding her face, smiling as she saw Hiccup and Toothless race past, Stoick and Gobber following on either side, heading toward the ongoing battle. She had been right in assuming that they were there, after all, and she was relieved to see them. They could use all the help they could get.
—
Toothless dived down, the iconic screech of the Night Fury echoing against all the towering ice, before he aimed a plasma blast at a catapult and destroyed it.
Stoick and Gobber fanned out, separating from Hiccup and Toothless, and started attacking the enemy on their own. It didn't take them long to notice the other dragon riders from Berk fighting along side them and giving them a better chance of winning the battle. Had it not been for that fact, Stoick would have been exasperated by the fact that Hiccup's friends didn't seem to listen to orders any better than his son did. They weren't even supposed to be there.
Hiccup was just as surprised to see them as his father was, but was grateful for the timely assistance they provided, and he was happy to see Astrid. As they flew, he indicated to Toothless that he wanted to curve around and fly up to Astrid and Stormfly.
Feeling the shift of his prosthetic tail, Toothless adjusted his flight along with the movement of his tail fin, and knew that Hiccup wanted to unite with Astrid. After years of developing their relationship and flying together, Hiccup and Toothless were masters at maneuvering and flying together as one.
"Welcome aboard, dragon rider." Hiccup greeted as Toothless leveled off with Stormfly, flipping up his helmet as he talked. He was surprised to see the dragon trapper, but pleased that he seemed to have changed his ways. He was proud of Astrid, she must have gotten through to him.
"Thanks, I think." Eret responded as he nervously looked down at the Deadly Nadder underneath him. Riding a dragon took a lot of courage and trust and Eret looked a little out of his element, but Hiccup was sure that he would come around. He and Astrid would help him.
"Where have you been?" Astrid asked, she had been worried about what had become of him.
"Well, it's a little complicated." Hiccup answered. He was still the only one who knew about his mom's identity.
"Things with you usually are." Astrid gave him a look.
"Yeah, well, let's just say I ran into a powerful ally." As if on cue, Hiccup could see his mother flying in place atop Cloudjumper, the alpha rising up behind her.
"Whoa! Who is that?" Astrid asked in awe, impressed by the formidable looking figure atop a dragon she hadn't ever seen before. The figure's armor strongly resembled a dragon, and it made her look so powerful, especially with the giant Bewilderbeast right behind her. "Is that a...?"
"A Bewilderbeast. The King of all dragons." Hiccup ignored the question about his mother's identity.
"We never had the chance to see one, before." Astrid referred to their encounter on Berserker Island, when Trader Johann and Krogan had been trying to get their hands on a Bewilderbeast egg. They had left the egg in the care of the Wingmaidens who had said they knew someone they could entrust the egg to. Could that person have been this mysterious woman?
"Let's go help her out." Hiccup directed, Toothless taking his words as his cue to speed up and lead the way. He flew in behind Valka and Cloudjumper, Stormfly taking up position on her other side. Valka, face covered by her mask, pointed her staff and they all flew in together, leading in a new wave of dragons from the nest, ready to fight.
The Bewilderbeast blew his ice at a fleet of boats, skewering them and rendering them useless, then continued to use his ice and huge paws to destroy various catapults and dragon traps.
Valka and Cloudjumper led the new wave of dragons across the hoards of Drago's troops, effectively cutting through their line and taking a portion of them out. Things almost seemed to be turning in their favor. However, their optimism didn't last long when the sound of Drago's savage yelling broke through the sound of battle as he twirled his bull hook, clearly up to no good.
"Hiccup! What is he doing?" Astrid yelled out her question as Stormfly tried to stay level with Toothless through all the chaos, but Hiccup didn't get the chance to answer. He wouldn't have known how to answer, given the chance, anyway.
Boats were displaced and the water rose in big waves as another Bewilderbeast surfaced. It's giant tusks cuffed with restraining pieces of metal that had hooks for chains to be connected to. The dragon looked dingy and gray, and for some reason, it obeyed Drago's instruction to attack the alpha.
"Oh no..." Hiccup had not seen this turn of events coming. He had only ever encountered one Bewilderbeast before meeting his mother's, and it had been holed up in the center of Berserker Island, protecting an egg. He hadn't been given the opportunity to see it back then, although it had saved his life from Johann. Hiccup had figured that they were an incredibly rare and possibly endangered species of dragon, seeing as they were so huge and hard to miss. If there were a lot of them, everyone would have known about them.
The two Bewilderbeasts went head to head, battling for control of the dragons. Whichever one managed to win, would determine the victors of the battle.
Hiccup wasn't sure what to do and looked over to his mother who was flying in place with Cloudjumper, watching as the two Bewilderbeasts fought. Hiccup couldn't tell what she was thinking, her face still covered by the mask.
"Hiccup, what do we do?" Astrid had finally caught up to him and Toothless, now that they were also flying in place.
After watching his mother for a moment longer, Hiccup determined that she wasn't about to take charge or direct them. She wasn't used to working with a team of other people and was completely engrossed in the dragons before her. It was up to him then, to decide what to do next.
"We have to keep fighting Drago's army and freeing the captured dragons. If the alpha wins, then we have to be ready to back him up." Hiccup came to a decision.
Many of the people and dragons, on both sides, had stopped to take a look at the epic battle between the two massive and legendary dragons. But as Toothless dived in and his iconic Night Fury call could be heard, it snapped everyone back into action.
The dragon riders fell in behind Hiccup and they sliced through the reformed line of enemy warriors.
—
Stoick saw from a distance as the battle escalated. He was getting worried. For a moment there, they'd had the upper hand, but now? It could go either way. Hiccup's persistence was admirable, but it would only make a difference if the Bewilderbeast on their side won— the alpha dragon, Hiccup had called it.
If they lost, things would quickly go downhill. From what Stoick had observed, these giant dragons had the ability to control other dragons. That had to be how Drago was building his dragon army. His Bewilderbeast controlled his army, and it would take control of their dragons too, if they lost. Then they would be left stranded on this island of ice, defenseless against an army of dragons, including some of their own. Either Drago would kill them, or leave them stranded. They wouldn't be able to protect or warn Berk.
They had to pull out. If the alpha won, the masked woman and her dragons wouldn't necessarily need their help anyway. She would have the advantage, the alpha could take away Drago's dragon army. However, if Drago's Bewilderbeast won, then they couldn't risk being there.
Stoick made up his mind. He had to get Hiccup and lead his people away. They had to get out before things potentially went wrong. He would drag Hiccup out of there if necessary.
"Come on, Skullcrusher. Take me to Hiccup." Stoick directed his dragon companion. The Rumblehorn roared in response and started weaving through the battling, airborne dragons.
Hiccup and his group of friends were making a dent in the enemy line. Some of Drago's warriors had started to retreat to their boats, others tried to rally and form a new line of defense. Most of the traps were destroyed, the alpha's dragons mostly all free.
Valka had stopped watching the Bewilderbeasts fight and put her faith in her beloved alpha— he could do this. She saw Hiccup forging ahead and decided that he had the right idea. Best do what they could to get ahead in the war so that they would have an easy win once their alpha came out ahead.
Skullcrusher maneuvered through the chaos very smoothly, despite his bulk. Hiccup wasn't too far ahead. Toothless was taking out a couple more traps and they would occasionally knock one of the armored dragons off course in their attacks.
"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted his son's name as they got closer. Toothless stopped and turned toward him, Hiccup becoming aware of his father's calls for him. "We have to leave!"
"What?" Hiccup shouted back as he and Toothless dodged a net.
It occurred to Stoick that getting Hiccup and the others out of there during this chaos would be harder than he thought.
"We have to retreat." Stoick repeated as his dragon flew closer.
"Why?" Hiccup was confused, it didn't make sense to back down now. He took off his helmet, so he could better converse with his father.
"If the alpha loses, then we lose, and we don't get the chance to protect Berk and warn our people." Stoick took on a commanding tone, one that was not to be argued with, but Hiccup did anyway.
"We can't leave now! The alpha can do this, we can win. I won't abandon them!" Hiccup didn't think his father would leave either, if he knew it also meant abandoning Valka.
"Hiccup!" Stoick couldn't take it any longer, he needed to get his son under control before Berk suffered for it. "We leave. Now!"
"You go, then." Hiccup wouldn't relent. He was going to stay and make sure he didn't lose his mother again. "You can even take the others, but I'm staying."
"Gods! Why are you like this?!" Stoick shouted in anger, he was in a tough spot. The longer they stayed, the higher the chance they could lose without any way to get back to Berk. Why couldn't Hiccup see that? If Stoick stayed, he risked their home and their people. If he left, he risked Hiccup. "A chief protects his own. We have a duty. You are my heir, Hiccup! You have a duty to your people! We can't stay and risk their lives!"
"I can't go! I don't expect you to understand." Hiccup really couldn't expect him to understand, his father didn't know about Valka. Hiccup felt trapped. He could understand his father's point, but he couldn't just leave his mom. His dad had what he needed, he didn't necessarily need Hiccup in order to save Berk.
"I don't think I've ever understood you!" Stoick was letting his anger and frustration take over. "You risked everything to save your people before, but you won't protect them now? Are you really so selfish and immature?"
"Me?! You know what? Why don't you just disown me again and leave! Then you won't have to feel obligated to take me with you!" Hiccup gave in to his rising frustrations too. He flew away with Toothless and rejoined the battle. His father could leave for all he cared, Hiccup was going to do what he thought was right.
"Argh!" Stoick let out a growl in his rage. That hadn't gone how he hoped it would. Hiccup left him no choice, and clearly didn't care what family meant. Stoick had apologized and done everything he possibly could to make up for his past mistakes. Did all his efforts mean nothing to Hiccup?
Skullcrusher gave a questioning rumble at his human friend, and Stoick took a deep breath. "It's fine, Skullcrusher. Just my mutinous, disrespectful son. Let's find Gobber. I'll have him stay behind with Hiccup and we'll lead the others back to Berk."
Skullcrusher gave an affirming grunt and quickly found Gobber. It was beneficial to have a Tracker Class dragon, Stoick thought, as they landed. Gobber had been contributing to the battle from the ground. His dragon, Grump, not being very fast or maneuverable.
"Stoick! There you are!" Gobber bludgeoned an enemy with his war hammer prosthetic, still his cheery self. "How goes the fighting?"
"I don't know." Stoick looked back over at the battling Bewilderbeasts. They were currently locked together by their tusks, having a battle of strength. "It all depends on them."
"I suppose that's true." Gobber followed Stoick's line of sight. "You know what that means?"
"Yes." Stoick's face darkened and his words had an edge to them.
"Should we get ready to leave, then?" Gobber asked his friend and chief. Stoick was grateful that Gobber was thinking along the same lines as him. If only his son could do the same.
"No, not you." Stoick answered, receiving a raised eyebrow and an expectant look. "Hiccup refuses to leave."
"Ah." Gobber wasn't very surprised.
"I can't believe-" Stoick cut himself off and took another breath. He didn't have time for this. "I need you to stay and babysit my mutinous son while I lead the others back to Berk, in case things go wrong here."
"Right. I'm back on Hiccup-duty." Gobber joked, but then took on a more sympathetic tone. He knew Stoick would be worrying about Hiccup the whole time. "I'll keep a close eye on him. He'll be okay."
—
Hiccup, meanwhile, was letting his frustrations cloud his judgement. Each maneuver they made became riskier and riskier. Though Toothless worked with Hiccup, so they could fly in sync, he was starting to worry. He needed to get through to Hiccup, before they both got into trouble.
Toothless let out a worried coo and tried to fly in place, but Hiccup had stopped paying attention and shifted the tail fin, forcing Toothless into an unsteady dive.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out as they barely avoided a flying net, causing the Night Fury to let out a frustrated roar. "What?"
Toothless roared again and tried to take the lead in their flying, so that Hiccup would be forced to match his movements. But flying only worked for them when they weren't fighting each other for control. The prosthetic tail fin snapped into an odd position as Hiccup tried to compensate for Toothless' sudden change in direction. They lost control and started to spiral.
From a distance, Drago saw as the Night Fury and the Dragon Master started an out-of-control decent for the ground. This was his chance to gain the upper hand again. "Shoot them down!"
One of the remaining catapults was launched and a net successfully snatched up Hiccup and Toothless, and they fell the remaining ten feet to the ground, landing hard in a heap. Drago smiled. He was finally going to meet this Dragon Master.
Hiccup coughed hard and moaned as he tried to regain his breath for the second time that day. This time, however, there was a greater sense of urgency. He forced himself to a crawling position and reached for his Dragon Blade as he wheezed. Once he had the sword in his hands he placed it against the rope of the net and released the blade, a flame crawling up its length as it was activated.
Hiccup fell forward through the hole he had just created in the net, catching himself with the hand not holding his weapon. "I'm so sorry, Toothless."
Toothless grunted at him. He was okay, mostly just worried about Hiccup's well-being. Hiccup cut through more of the net, releasing his dragon, and just in time too.
"So, you're the Dragon Master." A deep, menacing voice said from behind the two downed friends. Hiccup spun around and faced Drago.
Hiccup's helmet had fallen off when they had landed, allowing Drago his first look at the face of the one who was meant to oppose him. He sneered, disdainful. "Stoick must have been so disappointed."
Hiccup flinched at Drago's words. Yes, he supposed his father was likely very disappointed in him. For a while, after he had initiated peace on Berk, he had thought things could be different, that things had changed. He wasn't so sure about that anymore.
Toothless growled from his rider's side, not liking this man's words, ready to protect his friend if necessary.
"What are you doing here, boy? Protecting the enemy? Chief Stoick fought the dragons. You shame him by taking their side." Drago disapproved of Stoick's heir. This was Stoick the Vast's one and only son? This pathetic child inherited the throne of Berk?
"Chief Stoick is a friend to dragons, and so am I." Hiccup finally spoke up.
"Is?" Drago had left Stoick and many other chiefs to die in a fire. "Stoick died."
"No, he escaped. He survived and leads Berk today." Hiccup informed him.
"Really? Then he will watch as I prove him wrong and destroy Berk with the very dragons he claimed couldn't be controlled."
"Dragons don't need to be controlled. Berk is a sanctuary for them, we live with them in peace."
"Peace, with dragons? They're monsters."
"No, they aren't. I thought that once, too. But they are amazing creatures who can bring people together." This was what Hiccup had wanted all along, a chance to prove to this person that dragons weren't what he thought they were.
"Or tear them apart." Drago replied ominously as he removed his prosthetic arm. Hiccup recoiled, he hadn't even noticed that Drago was an amputee too. "You see? I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned, my family taken. But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons and liberate the people of this world!"
"You think that excuses your actions? That you're the only person with a difficult and tragic past?" Hiccup grew defensive, seeing that his words weren't having the affect he wanted them to have. He had been through a lot too and he never used it as an excuse to hurt others.
"I don't expect the heir of Berk to understand."
"Oh, really? Berk was at war with the dragons too. I watched my village get destroyed nearly every other week. My mother was taken by dragons when I was a baby. The war almost took everything from me, I even lost a limb." Hiccup indicated his prosthetic foot and Drago looked down at it for the first time. He hadn't noticed Hiccup was an amputee either.
"So then you should know." Drago spoke in an enticing voice. "We're the same."
"No, we're not." Hiccup couldn't be convinced, he held firm. "I don't let those tragedies define me. I don't let them control my actions. I had a choice, back then, and I chose to save my people and initiate peace with dragons. You claim you want to liberate the people of the world? But instead you took the dragons' place as the world's next enemy."
"Watch yourself, boy." Drago growled.
"You became the very thing you hated! Even the dragons have compassion."
"Argh!" Drago lashed out with his weapon and Hiccup threw himself to the side, managing to dodge. Toothless growled and swiped at Drago, but missed.
"Dragons aren't what you think they are." Hiccup kept talking as he used his sword to block another blow. "They're loyal and loving creatures!"
"They're monsters!" Drago was using his anger to fuel his blows, rather than skill.
"You're the monster!" Hiccup parried. "You use dragons as an excuse to conquer people! All you're after is power and control!"
"I'll be sure to conquer your people first." Drago brought his weapon down in a flurry, backing Hiccup against a wall of ice. Hiccup did all he could to block each blow, but Drago had the superior strength and it was getting harder to keep up with him.
Drago suddenly paused in his attacks when a loud, dragon-like groan reached their ears. He looked over his shoulder and saw as his Bewilderbeast skewered the alpha with his tusks. A smile touched his face and his eyes lit up. He had won.
Hiccup was shocked and dismayed. The alpha lost. He was dying. Hiccup wasn't allowed more time to contemplate what had happened as he reacted on instinct, barely blocking another blow in time.
Toothless had been circling them, skirting the edges of the one-on-one fight and growling restlessly. He hadn't wanted to get in the way of Hiccup's attacks and blocks and knew that he was talented with a blade. But things were going too far and Hiccup was failing. It was time for him to intervene. A part of his mind registered as his alpha fell, but he only had eyes for Hiccup's safety. He wouldn't lose his brother too.
Toothless saw his opening and pounced. Drago was knocked backwards, his weapon sliding across the ice and skidding to a halt a few feet away. Toothless pressed his giant paw against Drago's chest, his claws digging into his protective clothing. He growled threateningly.
—
On higher ground, Stoick was preparing to leave. He had gathered the Dragon Riders —and one, out of place, former dragon trapper— and they were all begrudgingly readying to follow him back to Berk.
"At least let me stay." Astrid couldn't stay silent any longer.
"No." Stoick was not in the mood for arguing.
"Hiccup is my future husband, I want to stay and support him." Astrid decided to play the marriage card, but it was the wrong move.
"You want to support Hiccup?" Stoick turned to her, a glare on his face. "Then stop encouraging him and his crazy schemes! I thought you were supposed to be the level-headed one, yet you have encouraged him and taken his side all day. You disobeyed my orders. You're as mutinous as he is!"
"Stoick." Gobber tried to be the mediator as he often did between Hiccup and Stoick. Astrid looked stricken. Stoick had never spoken to her like that before.
"No, Gobber." Stoick's words stopped Gobber's protests. "We've been chasing these children around, all day long, and now we're in the middle of a battlefield. It's time to go home and take care of our people. No more arguments. No more disobeying orders. The next person to question me will see punishment for treason!"
"Sir..." Fishlegs, unexpectedly, was the next to speak up.
"What did I just say?!"
"I'm so sorry!" Fishlegs held up his hands, but then used one to point behind Stoick. "But look..."
Stoick turned around and looked. Immediately all of his anger was replaced as a feeling of dread creeped through him. Hiccup and Toothless were downed by a net and Drago was coming up on them. They all watched with concern as Hiccup faced off with Drago.
"Oh no." Astrid gasped at the sight. She gave Stoick a quick glance before acting. She wouldn't abandon Hiccup, she wouldn't leave him. She mounted Stormfly and took off.
Stoick was startled into action and was about to follow Astrid's lead when a loud roar of distress rang out. Everyone's attention was drawn to the Bewilderbeasts. The alpha had lost the fight. It had been struck by a fatal blow and the ground shook as he landed with a crash.
Stoick sighed. He was too late. They were still there and the alpha had lost. He could try to leave with Skullcrusher before the other Bewilderbeast took over, but, Hiccup was fighting Drago. Stoick couldn't, he wouldn't leave his son now.
The victorious Bewilderbeast roared loudly, displaying his dominance, and all the dragons went still. Stoick, Gobber, and the Dragon Riders watched as their dragons' pupils narrowed to slits and they took flight. The Bewilderbeast had taken control.
Stoick looked back down at the scene of Hiccup and Drago. Toothless had the devil pinned. Maybe there was a chance, then. "Let's get down there."
Gobber, Eret, and the Dragon Riders followed Stoick at a brisk pace.
—
Valka cried out in dismay as she witnessed her beloved alpha fall. He was their leader, their protector. He was dead. "No..." Valka removed her mask, no longer worried about her identity in her sudden grief.
Cloudjumper cried out too, his heart full of sorrow for his leader. He continued to fly in place, not knowing what his rider wanted to do. He could hear her sniffles and could sense her sadness.
A deafening roar of victory sounded and Cloudjumper shook his head as his vision suddenly blurred and darkened. His flight staggered for a moment.
"Cloudjumper?" Valka's voice sounded concerned. He tried to respond, to reassure her that he would protect her, but he couldn't. His thoughts were fuzzy and he couldn't concentrate.
Cloudjumper roared in frustration. He was losing control. He could feel the new alpha seeping into his mind. He shook his head again. If he was going to lose control, then the last thing he was going to do was get his Valka to safe ground.
"Ah!" Valka cried out as Cloudjumper took off. His flight was jerky and uncoordinated, but he was determined to find safe ground for his rider.
"Stormfly!" A voice cried out nearby. Valka glanced to her right and saw the young blonde who had been frequently by Hiccup's side, struggling with a Deadly Nadder. She was going to fall and they were too high up.
"Cloudjumper, do this one last thing for me?" Valka knew what was happening, the new alpha was taking control. She stroked her dragon's scales affectionately as she spoke. "Save that girl."
Cloudjumper shook himself again and veered to his right. He would do his best to honor Valka's request. There was a painful pressure in his head as he fought for control, but he endured. As the pressure increased he made one last effort. He threw his head up, surprising Valka as she lost her balance and was launched into the air. He caught her and the girl with his inner set of wings then spiraled toward the ground, his outer wings slowing their decent.
At the last moment, Cloudjumper wrapped his second pair of wings around the fragile beings and landed on his side. The all-consuming blackness clouding his thoughts and his vision as he lay there, stunned by his landing.
Valka pushed the wings aside, she knew they didn't have much time. She loved Cloudjumper, but knew that he wouldn't be in the right state of mind once he came to. She grabbed the blonde girl's wrist and pulled her to her feet. The girl seemed frantic, which Valka found odd. She seemed so level-headed and in control before. So, Valka took the lead and decided to continue holding the girl by the wrist as they put distance between themselves and her poor, beloved dragon.
"Wait... wait!" Astrid shook her head as her jumbled thoughts came back to her.
"We must find a safe place." Valka kept leading her.
"No!" Astrid dug her heels into the ground and pulled her arm back. "I need to get to Hiccup!"
"Where's Hiccup?" Valka turned to the girl and Astrid was finally allowed a view of her face. She still had no idea who this woman was, but she had saved her life and Hiccup had told her she was an ally.
"He's facing Drago." Astrid informed her. Valka's expression changed to mirror Astrid's look of concern and worry.
"Stop!" Hiccup's distressed voice gained their attention and they both started running.
—
Drago looked up into the furious eyes of the Night Fury. He was pinned, but he was confident that it wouldn't be for much longer. His Bewilderbeast had roared in triumph, he was about to take control of the other dragons.
Sure enough, before Toothless could do anything more, he could feel a somewhat familiar pull in his mind. It was like the Queen, but far stronger. He squinted his eyes and shook his head, letting out a growl in discomfort.
"Toothless? What's wrong?" Hiccup asked his dragon, then directed his next question at Drago. "What did you do?"
Toothless distantly heard Hiccup's concerned voice from beside him, but faltered when he felt the new alpha invade his mind once more. Drago took the opportunity to push the Night Fury aside and get to his feet. Hiccup took a cautious step back.
"I won." Drago leaned over to pick up his weapon. He raised it in the air and twirled it to gain his Bewilderbeast's attention. "It's time you witnessed true strength. The strength of will over others. In the face of it, you and your dragons are nothing!"
Toothless was shaking his head again and pawing at his eyes. He was losing his balance and swaying as he moved. He roared in frustration as he fought the pull. But when Drago pointed his weapon at the Night Fury, the Bewilderbeast focused all its attention on him and he couldn't fight it anymore. His mind went blank, everything was dark, and he had no control.
"Toothless...?" Hiccup backed away from his friend, even though all he wanted to do was go to his side. Drago pointed his weapon at Hiccup and he knew things were about to get bad.
Toothless raised his head in a movement not unlike a puppet. His pupils narrowed to slits as he backed Hiccup closer to the wall of ice behind him.
"Toothless, it's me. It's Hiccup. Your friend... your brother." Hiccup spoke softly at first, hoping to be able to reach his best friend. Drago chuckled as he watched. The boy would learn not to trust dragons.
"Toothless!" Hiccup couldn't help it as panic began to rise in him. Toothless was baring his teeth and growling. "Snap out of it, this isn't you!"
However, Toothless didn't falter in his approach. He kept stepping forward, threateningly, his back arched and his tail lashing from side to side. Hiccup's breath caught in his throat at the sight. Toothless had never threatened him like this before. He would never... but he was, and it broke Hiccup's heart.
"Please, Toothless. Stop." He would not lift a finger against his beloved dragon companion. He would take the hit if it meant that Toothless would make it. He knew it wasn't Toothless' fault, but it made his heart ache nonetheless.
The familiar sound of a plasma blast being charged reached his ears and Hiccup knew what was coming. He couldn't help the fear that had taken hold of him. It felt so wrong to be afraid of Toothless. "Stop... Stop!"
"Hiccup!" Hiccup's eyes darted to the side as he saw his mom running toward him, Astrid trailing behind. His heart sunk as he realized that things were about to get worse.
"Hiccup!" Astrid's desperate voice echoed Valka's.
