Valka stretched her arms out wide, her eyes tightly closed. Air whooshed around her, buffeting her as she crouched on Cloudjumper's back.
This was what it was to be a dragon: the freedom of the skies, the power of wings, the protection of scales. She was Dragon-In-Soul, flying with Wings-Above-Clouds, who loved her and who she loved in turn. She had a loud and colourful flock behind her — more than twenty dragons in total — eager to join her patrol. She was one of the nest! She was a dragon in every way that mattered! She…
Her arms deflated, suddenly feeling far too heavy.
She was human beneath that armor, beneath her borrowed scales and her mask. She was human, so she couldn't feel the touch of the wind through those scales. She was human, so she felt so cold while flying high above the sea. Maybe she belonged on the ground, with her human family. That family was probably still asleep in that cave she shared with Cloudjumper, which she had avoided all night.
She was a human who had run away, who was still running away. She was a pretender, dressed in a mockery of a real dragon, who could never even make the proper sounds.
Cloudjumper wordlessly crooned, and Valka opened her eyes. He'd twisted his head around to watch her, flapping his wings a little more to keep steady.
"Dragon-soul sad why?" Cloudjumper trilled.
Valka crouched lower, patting her companion's back. "I…it…" Her heart leapt. She'd been about to speak Norse; she'd been about to speak human! And human speech had no place amongst a flock of dragons. "Feel human," she crooned, the sounds only barely right to her ears..
Perhaps she should have stayed in the nest today. She'd barely slept, her dreams had been troubled, and she'd felt jumpy from the moment they'd set off. But Drago's trappers were out there, and dragons could be in trouble, and Valka refused to abandon them.
"Dragon inside," Cloudjumper crooned. "Not human."
Valka looked down at the claws she wore over her hands — claws that were not just for show, that she had used on occasion. But then she turned them over, revealing the soft hands hidden beneath. In one of those hands, she clasped her staff tightly — a staff she took with her almost everywhere, because she so often needed it when directing a flock, because her sounds were wrong and too soft without it.
She flexed the fingers on her free hand. Then she turned it over once more, wishing those claws were truly hers, wishing she wasn't just a human playing pretend.
"Soft paws good. Do good," Cloudjumper warbled.
"I…I know," Valka said, tensing as she realised again she was speaking Norse. Those hands let her set broken bones, open cages, release snares. Her nest needed those hands — they needed her — and yet…
Only then did she realise that her flock had fallen silent — a flock that had been chattering excitedly amongst themselves, from the moment they'd flown from the King's nest, as dragon flocks so often did. They'd caught up to her and Cloudjumper, surrounding them in a tight formation. Every dragon watched her out of at least one eye.
"Soft paws heal hurts," chuffed a gleaming silver Razerwhip, who answered to the name of Free-And-Fast. Valka had rescued him from a snare as a fledgling long ago, and she'd splinted the leg that the snare had broken.
"Soft paws feel good," rumbled Eats-Many-Rocks, a particularly fat and warty Gronckle who loved to be scratched on the snout. Her eyes were already drooping — she'd do a Hotburple proud, with her constant doziness — but she was always keen to join Valka's excursions.
"Soft paws free us!" barked Strongest-Jaws, a blue-red Snafflefang with a missing front paw. She knew more than most what harm trappers could do, and she followed Valka loyally for that reason.
"Yes! Free dragons! Free dragons always!" roared Fiercest, a yellow Monstrous Nightmare who was small for his species and all the scrappier for it. He got into fights a lot, and he had the scars to show for it, but the fights never went too far; the King would never allow that, after all.
More and more dragons cried out their agreement. Valka removed her helmet and looked around, taking them all in. Not for the first time, she wondered how she'd ever come to earn such love and respect.
"Th…thank you," she said quietly.
As the wind blew through her air, it struck her that she was still speaking Norse. But her nestmates — and these were her nestmates — rumbled and purred regardless. She didn't need to always speak the language of dragons. They could still tell her meaning from her tone, from her loosening posture, from the dip in her head, just as they'd done before she learned to talk their way, just as she'd done when learning to understand them.
She was a human. But she was a human among dragons, who was one of the nest…and she belonged!
Then she blinked, suddenly noticing the three ships far off to one side. They sailed steadily through the icy ocean, and her breath hitched at the sight of them. They seemed entirely wooden — so trappers then, not Drago's warships — but even from afar they were clearly large. The largest of the ships had three sails; the other two, who seemed to be escorts, had two sails each.
"There," Valka said, pointing with her staff. "Danger maybe. Careful."
Cloudjumper rumbled his agreement. He turned towards the ships, and the others turned with him.
"Human hunters there?" trilled Eats Many Rocks, her eyes suddenly wide open and alert.
"Fight now?" asked Fiercest. He flashed his teeth, fire momentarily coating his scales.
"Yes-yes, we fight? Make free?" trilled Free And Fast, who then did a quick spin in the air.
"Fight maybe," Valka said, having returned her helmet to her head. "Not know. Careful."
Cloudjumper, who'd been quiet for some moments, barked suddenly. "Hear dragons! Trapped, need help! Human hunters there, yes!"
Cloudjumper had good hearing even amongst dragons. Trapped dragons called for help, and Cloudjumper heard their calls from very far away.
"We fight?" Cloudjumper asked, turning his great head to Valka once more.
The flock quietened, awaiting her decision.
She stared at the ships, watching them slowly get larger in her vision. They were big — the smaller two were as large as Berk's largest ships, and the lead ship was half their size again — and tens of dragons could be held by each. They would surely have the crews to match: dozens of men each, grizzled and experienced. This would not, by any means, be an easy rescue.
Valka squinted, considering the situation. She could go back to the nest for more flockmates, but she hated to leave these dragons trapped for longer, and she already had more than twenty with her. And now that she thought of it, her nest was far away just then. The sun had barely risen when she set off, and now it was well up, and she'd been flying in the rough direction of Drago's camp…so now, from where she was, Drago's camp would be…
With a start, Valka realised that she didn't know. "Danger nest where?" she chittered.
She should have known that without asking. Usually, she kept track of where they were. Clearly, she was even more tired than she'd thought, and more distracted as well. She should indeed have stayed in the nest; she shouldn't have avoided Hiccup and Stoick. But…no, there was no time to think about that! There were dragons in trouble down there, and they needed to be saved!
Cloudjumper swivelled his head from side to side, remaining quiet for just a moment. Like most dragons, he had an instinctive sense of direction that easily outdid hers. "Danger nest close. Humans move to danger nest. We wait, get help, humans too close maybe."
And just like that, Valka's decision was made.
Drago's island — the danger nest, her nestmates called it — was a place to be stayed well clear of. No-one who flew close to it returned, and her nestmates had learned to fear it deeply.
"We fight," Valka growled.
The flock immediately roared their approval, quickening the beat of their wings. Valka grasped her staff tighter, crouching low on Cloudjumper's back. Beneath her mask, her teeth curled into a dragon's snarl.
Valka had done this so many times. Her nestmates trusted her to lead these rescues, and she led without hesitation. Today would be no different. Valka would free those captives, and she would save them from becoming Drago's slaves. Then she would get all the dragons away, before Drago's base got too close.
Even she could hear the trapped dragons' roars now, just as she heard the shouts of men running around the ships' decks. They'd spotted her flock, but that made no difference. She had the power of wings and flame on her side; without the element of surprise on their side, these trappers had nothing.
"Dragons in largest wood nest!" Cloudjumper called out. "Smaller wood nests no-one!"
Valka had half-suspected that, familiar with how trapper fleets operated. But it was good to know for sure, and it would make this rescue that much easier. She rattled her staff and roared, calling for attention.
"Flame sea! Make smoke! Fly fast!" she screeched.
She wouldn't attack the smaller ships — not if she could help it. Attacking them would increase the risk to her dragons, and she preferred not to kill humans besides.
She swept her staff around, pointing to five flockmates before pointing down to a smaller ship. "All you, there!"
Her flockmates obeyed and dived, wide-eyed in their excitement.
"All you, there!" she cried, selecting more flockmates and pointing to the other escort-ship. Those flockmates likewise dived, fire already in their mouths.
Her dragons would surround those ships in dizzying whirlwinds, flaming the ocean and filling the air with steam, taking both ships out of the fight.
That just left the largest vessel.
"All you, with us!" Valka roared. "Distract! Confuse! Make noise!"
She'd purposely selected the flockmates most familiar with her raids — Free And Fast, Fiercest, Strongest Jaw and Eats Many Rocks among them — so there was no need to explain their role further. They would keep the trappers busy by any means: making steam from the sea, flaming the deck, knocking trappers down. Meanwhile, Cloudjumper would wrench open the grill over the ship's hold, leaving Valka to free the dragons within.
"Go go go!" Valka screeched.
Men shouted, firing nets and loosing arrows, but Valka's dragons were ready for that; they dodged and flamed, burning projectiles out of the air and leaving others to fly harmlessly by. Then her flockmates reached their targets, and chaos erupted exactly as planned. Her dragons blasted into the ocean, shrouding everything in steam and mist. Ballistae and net-throwers shattered; fires burned brightly all around; armoured men shouted and ran without direction.
Cloudjumper circled above it all, flaming at random, waiting for Valka's signal.
"Go," she warbled more quietly, patting her dearest companion.
He rushed for the grill, ready to grab in his talons and tear it off. Then she had to get in there and rescue the captives before—
Cloudjumper screeched and toppled, throwing her towards the deck. Instinct took over; she landed in a roll, righting herself at once, parrying with her staff in the nick of time. A hunter leered over her, armoured all over with a sword and shield in hand; a necklace of dragon teeth hung around his neck, and Valka hissed at the sight.
She heard roars from her flock all around, but panicked roars, not eager roars like before. She saw more men suddenly on the deck, who moved with purpose instead of confusion, bringing blowpipes and bows to bear. And with so much smoke and steam around, she could barely see what was happening! But worst of all, her dearest Cloudjumper just lay there with his back to her, trying and failing to lift his head.
"Tired," he croaked, his wings limp. "Belly…hurts…"
The sneering hunter struck at her; Valka darted away, only to spot two more encroaching from behind. Her mind spun as she pieced it all together.
Cloudjumper had been hit with something, right as he'd reached the grill. There must have been trappers down there, just waiting to shoot him with arrows or darts. They'd been expecting her to attack like this, and they'd prepared. And that meant…that had to mean…
Valka rattled her staff, screeching with all the strength she possessed. "Flee! Flee quickly!"
A blow to the back of her head sent her toppling. Her staff clattered to the ground, and her helmet clattered along with it.
An ambush! She'd led her trusting and eager flock into an ambush, so close to Drago's shores! She'd sent her dearest Cloudjumper to his death, or worse!
She looked up, to find three hunters smirking over her. Her heart pounded in her chest.
The man with the dragon-tooth necklace pointed his sword at her face. "Got you," he said. "Dragon-thief."
A great flaming bulk passed over her, bowling all three trappers over: Fiercest, her scrappy little Monstrous Nightmare, flamed up with fire burning bright within his jaw. "Go go!" he roared. "Take dragon-soul! Flee!"
Valka's chest turned to ice. Fiercest was being surrounded, he already had darts sticking out of him, and he wasn't even trying to escape. And Cloudjumper just lay there, still trying to rise, his breaths heavy. "Wait," Valka said, "don't—"
Silver paws grabbed her, whisking her far from the ground.
"No! Let go! Leave me!" Valka shouted, writhing in her flockmate's grasp. Cloudjumper! She had to stay with Cloudjumper!
"No," said Fast And Free, crooning in sympathy and apology. "Danger for you. Nest need you."
Valka looked back helplessly as Fiercest went down, as Cloudjumper went still, as trappers threw metal nets over both. She looked around, seeing not even ten other flockmates around her. She'd failed! She'd led trusting flockmates into disaster and she had failed!
"Where go?" Fast And Free trilled.
Valka whimpered, rubbing at her eyes. Then she noticed her flockmates all watching her, waiting for her to speak, somehow still trusting her after all they'd seen
"Nest," Valka said. "Nest now. Fly fast!"
She couldn't fix this alone — not without Cloudjumper, not with so few flockmates still free, and not with Drago's island so close. She needed help, and she needed help quickly.
