Sorry for the wait, all! Hopefully, the chapter is worth it. I hope to put out the next one in 2-3 weeks. This chapter came out slightly different than I envisioned, so I changed one of Stoick's lines in the last chapter ("back from their current mission" changed to "finished with their current mission") to help with consistency.
A big thanks to FuryDrake for beta-reading and for various helpful comments, as ever!
Stormfly was having an absolutely fantastic day!
First off, she and Astrid had won dragon racing! It hadn't even been that hard, without Toothless and Hiccup there…but it had been no less fun, and Astrid had been so happy! Stormfly and Astrid had worked as one, flying rings around the others, so completely in sync that only Toothless and Hiccup could have compared.
Afterwards, Stormfly and Astrid had gone looking for the missing pair. They'd found the two messing around on a new island of theirs — nothing surprising there — and Stormfly had had a great time playing with Toothless while the humans talked about human things. She and Toothless had chased each other and tug-of-warred, all without a care in the world. They'd even briefly playfought, which was Stormfly's favorite game of all.
Toothless, as ever, had played like they were good friends — which they were — and not at all like they were alpha and subject — which they also were. Stormfly would have found that strange once upon a time, but she'd long since gotten used to it.
Her alpha hated being seen as alpha, after all.
After that, there'd been even more excitement! They'd gone to investigate some smoke, and they'd found a ruined human camp covered in great jutting shards of ice. Some humans there had downed Stormfly and bound her with ropes, which had been a little alarming…but it had been more than worth it, to watch Toothless and Astrid and Hiccup in action. Hiccup had cut Stormfly free in no time; she and Toothless then quickly escaped with their riders, with that funny-voiced trapper — Eret Son Of Eret, he'd introduced himself as — shouting empty threats at them as they flew.
But that hadn't been the end of the day's adventures; really, that seemed to have just been the start of them. Hiccup had told his sire about the ruined camp, and Hiccup's sire had gone crazy and ordered all of Berk's dragons inside. Toothless and Hiccup had then dashed off with Stormfly and Astrid right behind them..
Only then did Toothless have a chance to explain to Stormfly what was happening, their humans remaining blissfully unaware — as ever — that any conversation was taking place.
Berk, Toothless had told her, was in danger. It was in danger from a very bad human, who saw dragons as things rather than friends. And Hiccup — smart Hiccup, caring Hiccup — was going to change that very bad human's mind; Hiccup was going to make that very bad human into a good human, just as Hiccup had done with so many humans before.
And much to Stormfly's joy, Hiccup's plan involved flying right back to a certain Eret Son Of Eret.
Stormfly liked Eret. He made funny sounds and funny faces, and he seemed to really like fighting dragons, so he'd be fun-fun-fun to play with in the arena! He'd be a challenge, too — not any human could bring Stormfly down — and that would make it even better!
Thus, Stormfly was most pleased to be standing on Eret's floating dead-wood 'ship', having tracked it from the ruined camp. At that moment, she was busily pretending not to follow what was happening: she kept her head turned a little towards the ocean and allowed her eyelids to slightly droop, looking utterly unaware of her surroundings, giving the trappers not a single reason to keep her in mind. But all the while, she watched and listened, ready to jump in if Hiccup's plan went wrong. Eret had four other dragon-trappers with him, and all five of them had weapons, so a bit of caution was certainly sensible.
Hiccup, as part of his plan, had given his strange Inferno sword to a couple of the trappers. Stormfly hadn't reacted at all to that, though she'd been pretty confused by it. She'd barely even reacted when the trappers spewed out Zippleback gas from it and then accidentally ignited the thing, though it had been most funny to watch it happen.
"Oh yeah, there you go!" Hiccup went, still half-inside the hunter's large trap. "Once they see you as one of their own, even the testiest dragons can be trained — right, bud?"
"Yes-yes," Toothless agreed, pawing innocently at some stray embers. Then he gurgled wordlessly and fell over as if he'd been at some dragon-nip, doing anything and everything to appear unthreatening — while also keeping attention on him and off from Stormfly, just as he and Stormfly had agreed.
At first, Stormfly hadn't understood Hiccup's plan. She'd been most confused when he threw a net over Astrid, or when he gave Eret Astrid's axe, or when he directed Astrid to climb with him into the hunters' metal trap. But Stormfly had never doubted Hiccup, not even for a moment. Hiccup was smart, and he came up with smart plans, and those plans had saved Berk time and time again, so of course this plan would turn out fine!
Eret, though, didn't seem to like Hiccup's plan. "Give me that!" he snarled, grabbing Inferno out of his underling's hand. Then he hurled it away with all his strength, sending it right over the ship's side.
Now that wouldn't do at all, Stormfly thought. That strange human tool was Hiccup's, and Hiccup might yet be needing it! She leapt after it and took wing, grabbing it just before it hit the ocean. She turned around, intent on giving it straight back to Hiccup…only to suddenly have a marvelous idea!
Eret Son Of Eret made funny faces…so maybe, just maybe, Stormfly could make him make some funnier faces!
She winged over to Eret, dropped Inferno at his feet and chirped at him like an errant Terror, letting her tongue wag slightly out of her mouth. That just made him scowl and throw Inferno the other way, so Stormfly decided to try again. She caught it a second time, dropped it a little further away from him, and then rolled it on over with her head.
"Play? Play with Flies-in-storms?" she trilled, tilting her head from side to side.
The reaction she got from that was wonderful! Eret just stared at his feet, his eyes wide in utter disbelief, making one of the best faces Stormfly had seen yet. She wondered then if she'd be allowed to take Eret to Berk, once all was said and done. And then, she wondered if she wouldn't get in too much trouble if she brought him back anyway, should Toothless or Astrid forbid it…
Then she heard Hiccup's voice: "Once you earn his loyalty, there is nothing a dragon won't do for you." He petted Toothless' head; Toothless was crouched down near Hiccup just then, and he seemed to be purposely acting extra-cute.
It struck Stormfly that she no longer knew what was happening. She hadn't been paying attention for real, and that had not been part of her alpha's instructions. So she stepped away from Eret and went back to standing behind the other four trappers, who were clustered together near the middle of the ship.
"Puh!" Eret went. "You won't be changing any minds around here."
His voice sounded sure; his body-language, Stormfly noted, was far less so. Hiccup could be very persuasive, after all. Then she smelled ash from the Zippleback gas, still on two of the trappers' faces. It was a nice smell, so Stormfly sniffed and nuzzled the pair while Hiccup continued to talk, chirping happily at their surprised reactions.
"I can change yours," Hiccup said to Eret. "Right here, right now." He locked Toothless' fake fin to its open position. "May I?"
A dragon snatched him clean off from the ground, and Toothless screeched. "Fishbone taken! Danger to Fishbone! Fly fly fly!"
Stormfly didn't need to be told twice. She took wing, not even waiting for Astrid, as Toothless scrambled up the ship's mast. Stormfly would catch up, and she would save her alpha's human from—
—Hookfang, Stormfly realized. It was Hookfang. And he hadn't come alone, either. Toothless' human was entirely safe, and it looked like there was even more excitement to come!
Today, Stormfly thought, was really shaping up to be a marvelous day…
Barf and Belch and Meatlug had come along with Hookfang, which wasn't a surprise. Skullcrusher and Grump were also with him, which was less expected. Naturally, their humans had all come as well — including Hiccup's sire, Stoick the vast, who was looking rather less than pleased.
"No-teeth beloved safe," Hookfang crooned, as soon as he landed on the deck. "No-teeth no need fear."
Beloved, Stormfly thought, preening her wing next to Toothless on the deck. How too rude! Some dragons just had no manners!
Toothless hissed at the Nightmare, though there was no bite to it. The other dragons landed around the ship right afterwards.
"Fishbone not beloved of No-teeth" Meatlug said, her tail swaying gently. "Fishbone best friend of No-teeth. Fishbone friend of all!"
"Sharp-fang knows not beloved," Stormfly said, preening her other wing. "Sharp-fang being rude."
"Sharp-fang should not," Barf said, smirking slightly. "No-teeth deserve much respect. No-teeth is he who freed—"
Belch headbutted him, making their twin human riders complain. The two Zippleback heads then started snapping at each other, but were quickly gentled by their riders. Toothless tried to act nonchalant, as did Hookfang and Meatlug, but Stormfly could see Toothless' ear-nubs twitching.
Barf had been about to use one of Toothless' other names — one of several he'd picked up from defeating that horrible Queen, and one that unmistakably marked him as their alpha — and Toothless hated that! Even Hookfang never did that, and Hookfang was as rude as they came! Stormfly would be having words with that Zippleback head later; of that, Stormfly was sure.
Stoick quickly dismounted, as did Fishlegs and Snotlout. Eret tried to act tough towards Stoick, only for Stoick to shove him aside. Eret then quickly found himself pinned to the ground by Grump's great head, and Eret then began to grouch mightily about that very fact.
"No-teeth friend," Meatlug said. "Good friend! Friends respect friends."
"No-teeth good friend," Stormfly agreed.
"Yes-yes! Good friend, " Belch said.
"Protector of all," Barf added, earning a hiss from Belch. "We respect No-teeth, yes!"
Hookfang snorted, his tail waving lazily behind him. "Respect No-teeth why? No-teeth not alpha. No need respect. "
Stormfly felt herself freeze. Toothless' ears pricked.
"Nest in danger, but No-teeth leave nest," Hookfang said. "No-teeth fly with beloved—"
"Enough!" Toothless snarled.
Hookfang submitted at once, getting down low and dipping his head. But the Nightmare smirked toothily, his eyes alight with mirth. The Zippleback heads smirked as well, while Meatlug huffed and walked over to Fishlegs. Skullcrusher watched the exchange from behind his rider, betraying little emotion, while Grump had long since fallen asleep.
Stormfly clucked quietly to herself, not quite sure how to feel about the whole thing. Toothless was a good alpha in a whole lot of ways…except for his utter unwillingness to acknowledge it. But if their alpha didn't want to be called alpha, then who were any of them to say otherwise?
Toothless moved to be with Hiccup — he'd gotten back onto the ship with his wing-suit, not even waiting for Hookfang to carry him back — and Stormfly turned her attention to the humans.
Stoick, she noticed then, was recounting a story about Drago Bludvist: the same Drago Bludvist who Hiccup was planning to make good. It was a story of a man — a human! — who could control dragons, who ordered dragons raid and kill.
This, Stormfly decided, was a very bad human indeed…and a human who sounded distinctly like her former queen…
"Men who kill without reason, cannot be reasoned with," Stoick concluded, his body-language absolutely resolute in his belief.
Every other human besides Hiccup, by that time, looked downright spooked. Hiccup, however, just looked even more determined.
"Maybe," Hiccup said. "But I'm still going to try!" He then mounted Toothless, who had already gotten into position. Soon afterwards, they were up and away.
Stormfly called out to Astrid. "Come! Come!" If her alpha was leaving, then of course Stormfly would follow!
Astrid didn't understand her words — she never did — but she still mounted up Stormfly right away. "Let's go," Astrid said quietly.
"No!" Stoick said. "Lead the others back to Berk. I've had enough mutiny for one day." He then marched over to Skullcrusher, who crouched down for Stoick to climb on.
Stormfly half-wanted to take off anyway; Toothless was her alpha, after all. But Toothless hadn't told her to follow, so Stormfly would follow her rider's wishes. Stormfly could feel Astrid's tension, just then, and she could easily see the conflict going on within. Part of Astrid wanted to obey her chief, of course. But Astrid was never one to sit back, and part of her clearly wanted to do more….
"But…but Chief!" Astrid said. "What about them ? What about the trappers?"
"What about them?" Stoick said dismissively. "We're done with them. Back to Berk!"
"But if they tell Drago about us, then—"
"Doesn't matter," Stoick said, waving his hand as though swatting at a fly. "Drago's coming anyway. He'll just—"
And then, all of a sudden, Stoick went very still.
"He's coming for Berk," Stoick said quietly. "And we don't even know what he has..."
"Or even, y' know, where he is," Gobber added.
The other riders all looked between themselves; Meatlug whimpered quietly.
"Well, maybe they know," Astrid said, pointing to Eret's four trappers. "They work for Drago, don't they?"
"Aye, lass," Stoick said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
The four trappers in question moved a little closer together, looking like they were questioning every last one of their life choices.
"Change of plan!" Stoick suddenly bellowed. "Astrid, you and the others take them to Berk," he said, gesturing around to the trappers. "Find out what they know: where Drago is, what he has, anything. And tell Gustav and his team to set up patrols. We cannot let Drago catch us unaware!"
Astrid nodded, sitting up straight on Stormfly's back, while Snotlout and Fishlegs hurriedly mounted up. "Aye, Chief," Astrid said, with steel in her voice.
Stormfly could hardly believe her good fortune. She would be taking Eret Son Of Eret back to Berk, and she didn't even need to ask permission! And her three dragon-friends had already surrounded the other trappers, so Stormfly would have no trouble grabbing Eret for herself.
"Gobber!" Stoick said then. "We need to get Hiccup. Come on!"
Skullcrusher and Grump lifted off, and Eret scrambled to his feet. He marched over to Stormfly, attempting — badly and hilariously — to look tough and in control.
"You want to know about Drago, do you?" Eret said, pointing up at Astrid. "You think I'm gonna help dragon-riders ? Hah! You might as well kill me now!"
Stormfly purred; she was liking Eret more and more. "Silly human," she said. "Should be careful with what say."
Astrid, meanwhile, was smirking mightily. "Oh, that can be arranged," Astrid said. "Stormfly? Grab him."
