Chapter Text
The Singetail opened its mouth wider, the flames in its throat growing more intense as it prepared to blast her.
“Toothless!” Hiccup screamed.
Hiccup gasped as hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into the bushes as the Singetail fired. The Singetail roared as it realized she had escaped in the explosive blast, and flew up into the sky.
Hiccup struggled as she was dragged on her back by the tight grip on her shoulder. She reached up to grab the person’s wrist, and her fingers scratched against a leather armguard. She grunted as the sky disappeared as they entered a cave, and she was thrown up against a wall. A big hand over her mouth muffled her attempts to scream, and Hiccup’s eyes widened as she saw who had helped her by the light of the nearby campfire.
“What are you doing here?” Hiccup asked after Spitelout removed his hand from her mouth.
"What am I doing here?" Spitelout repeated. He put his hands on his hips as his Nadder, Kingstail, came up behind him. “What are you doing here?”
Hiccup rubbed her head and sighed before beginning to pace as she explained why she had come to Storehouse Island, and the mess she had gotten herself and Toothless into. Spitelout shook his head, muttering about hardheaded Haddocks as he sat down beside the table in the cave.
“Did I mention that I was grateful for you saving my life?” Hiccup asked sheepishly as she paced back and forth.
“You did,” Spitelout said shortly. “And as a repayment, how about standing still? You're making dinner come up with all that pacing back and forth.”
“Right, sorry,” Hiccup said, coming to a stop. “I'm just worried about Toothless.”
“Oh, well, if you miss your dragon, have a pet of mine,” Spitelout said, gesturing to Kingstail. “He won't mind.”
Kingstail perked up from his resting position next to a pile of crates. He raised his head as Hiccup approached, growling invitingly.
“There's a good boy,” Hiccup said. Kingstail screeched in pleasure as she knelt beside him and scratched his neck. Hiccup looked around the cave, her brow furrowing as she saw the many boxes and crates Spitelout had stored within. “Spitelout, what's the deal with this place anyway? You've got all these provisions. You could survive for months.”
“Well, in case you forgot, those bleeding blowtorches destroyed my brand-new, perfectly located storehouse and nearly charbroiled my son in the process,” Spitelout said irritably, rising to his feet. “You were there. It was an ugly day in Jorgenson history.”
“Is that what all this is all about? Revenge?” Hiccup asked.
“I've been watching 'em. Closely,” Spitelout growled. “One day I'll trap one. See how they like a little Jorgenson justice.”
“Yeah, okay, fine,” Hiccup said, standing to move towards the entrance to the cave. “Just remember, it's rescuing my dragon first, Jorgenson Justice, second. If we don't get Toothless up in the sky without the cover of night, he'll be a sitting duck.”
“Well, then lead on,” Spitelout said amiably. “I could use a break from all the peace and solitude. Doesn't suit me. I'm a people person, you know.”
Dragon’s Edge
The night was peaceful and calm in the former Dragon Rider’s base much to the relief of the Dragon Hunters standing guard. Viggo held the Dragon Eye tightly under his arm as he and Krogan made their way to one of the larger structures near the top of the base. Viggo looked around the large space, illuminated by a fire burning in the center of a circular table in the middle of the room. Two of his Hunters were playing a game of Maces and Talons at a board in the corner as they entered.
“Maces and Talons,” Krogan said, ignoring the screeching of the struggling Terrible Terror in his hand. “Childish nonsense.”
“Never very good at it I take it?” Viggo asked lightly.
“Why kill pieces of marble when you can kill people?” Krogan countered.
“Explaining that would take longer than I have the patience for,” Viggo replied. He turned to his Dragon Hunters, and they stood at attention. “Everyone out. Now.”
The Hunters quickly left the room, and Viggo held up the Dragon Eye.
“Once again the Dragon Eye is in its rightful place,” Viggo said smugly. “Never to be misused by the Dragon Riders again. Do try to contain your excitement, Krogan.”
“The Dragon Eye has spent the last month in a volcano,” Krogan said dismissively. “You really think it's going to be of any use to us now?”
“Let's find out,” Viggo replied. He held the Dragon Eye up in a position with the mouth of the dragon facing a wall. “Hold the dragon up.”
Krogan scoffed but held the Terrible Terror up in his hands. He pressed down sharply on a spot behind the dragon’s shoulder, making it screech and open its mouth wide. The fire in the back of its throat shone light onto the Dragon Eye, but there was no reaction from the device. Viggo frowned, and started examining the device as Krogan smirked.
“As predicted,” Krogan said smugly, throwing the Terrible Terror to the side. “Tell me you can fix it.”
“If you'd leave me to myself, the chances of that will rise exponentially,” Viggo replied, already examining the lens in the end of the device as he turned the rings.
Krogan growled at the dismissal, and stalked out of the room.
Berk
Asher sighed tiredly as he and the other Dragon Riders prepared to call it a night. They had returned from their training exercise, and practiced a little of their own fighting techniques as their dragons rested. Stormfly nudged Asher in the back, and growled worriedly. Asher turned around, and scratched her chin.
“It's alright, Stormfly,” Asher said warmly. “You did good out there, girl.”
Tuffnut scowled beside Snotlout as he returned from putting his mace away, and saw Throk holding up a hand to help Ruffnut down from Barf.
“Oh, yeah,” Ruffnut said happily as she practically jumped from the saddle and into his arms.
“Alright, that's it! That is it,” Tuffnut snapped. “This charade has gone too far! The truth must be revealed!”
“What are you talking about and where are you going?” Snotlout asked.
“If I tell that gorilla what happened, that he wasn't actually saved by Ruffnut, but in fact he saved her, then maybe, just maybe, he'll sail back to his own rock and then we can go back to our perfectly normal life,” Tuffnut said angrily. “Two adult siblings living in familial harmony, spending every moment together, united as one living, breathing being that tries relentlessly to invoke physical harm on the other.”
“Normal? Are you sure about that?” Snotlout asked dryly as Tuffnut stomped over towards Throk and Ruffnut. He watched as Tuffnut began dramatically talking to Throk, and Throk began to respond rather heatedly. “Uh-oh.”
“What's going on over there?” Asher asked as he joined Snotlout.
“Tuff's telling the Throkman the truth. About everything,” Snotlout replied.
“And you let him? Are you insane?” Asher asked.
The two of them turned to look as they heard Ruffnut laughing, and stared as she walked hand in hand with Throk towards the entrance of the academy.
“Si, yo no se donde esta el plastic wazoo,” Ruffnut said nonsensically.
Asher smirked as Tuffnut came to stand beside them, glaring after the pair.
“How'd that go?” Asher asked.
“Well, you know what they say about the truth setting you free?” Tuffnut asked. “I don't feel free at all. Sans freedom.”
“What did he say when you told him?” Asher asked.
“He said he agreed with me,” Tuffnut said. “That he shouldn't be in love with someone over some silly life debt.”
“So, that's good, right?” Snotlout questioned.
“It was,” Tuffnut replied. “Right up until he said: ‘What was once a debt of honor, has grown into a debt of ardor’.”
Snotlout and Asher both cringed as Stoick entered the academy.
“Hiccup, we need to speak,” Stoick said loudly, looking around for his daughter.
“She's not here, chief,” Asher replied.
“Do I even want to hear this?” Stoick growled.
“She said she had to find another way to fight the Singetails, and then she just flew off,” Asher said.
“I hate it when she flies off,” Stoick said irritably. “Well, then, I suppose that you and I should speak, lad.”
Asher stood up straight, and nodded with a serious look on his face.
Storehouse Island
“Okay, so, what exactly have you been doing out here this whole time?” Hiccup asked as she and Spitelout made their way through the forest.
“Research, lassie,” Spitelout replied. “I've been doing research.”
“On?” Hiccup prompted.
“Singetails, of course,” Spitelout replied irritably. “What else would I be out here doing research on? Daft.”
“So, what have you got? Anything useful?” Hiccup asked curiously.
“Anything useful, she says,” Spitelout scoffed. He gasped as he turned to scowl at her, and grabbed her by the shoulders. Hiccup grunted as he shoved her down behind a bush. Spitelout slowly peaked over the bush, and Hiccup scowled as she sat up.
“Ow! Why would you do that?” Hiccup demanded.
“Heatlout,” Spitelout said. Hiccup followed his gaze, and saw a yellow Singetail walking through a clearing on the other side of the bushes.
“You named it?” Hiccup questioned.
“I named them all,” Spitelout replied. “They became like family after time.”
Spitelout pointed up to another yellow Singetail, softly screeching as it clung to a tree. “Hotlout. Quite the naughty ninny. One of my favorites.”
Spitelout chuckled as a green Singetail scared Hotlout with a couple of fire balls. “Flamelout. He knows we're here.”
“I'm starting to think I may have showed up just in time, Spitelout,” Hiccup said amused.
“And why's that, lassie?” Spitelout asked as he leaned back.
“Oh, I don't know,” Hiccup chuckled. “Let's just say… Uh, Spitelout, don't move. You're sitting on a—"
“Ah! Harmless, this one,” Spitelout said, looking back at the sleeping yellow Singetail he was leaning against. “Never moves from this spot. He thinks quite highly of himself.”
“What's his name, Naplout?” Hiccup asked.
“Stoick,” Spitelout replied. “His name's Stoick.”
“Oh. Of course it is,” Hiccup said. She froze as she heard a familiar roar off in the distance, and scrambled to her feet. “That's Toothless!”
She and Spitelout took off running through the trees, following the sound of Toothless roaring and various explosions. Hiccup saw they were getting close as bright purple flashes and fiery explosions lit up an area on the other side of several large rocks. Hiccup and Spitelout stopped as they passed the rocks and found Toothless growling furiously at a green Singetail with numerous scars and purple cuts across its head and body.
“Uh-oh,” Spitelout said gravely.
“Uh-oh, what?” Hiccup questioned. “No. What's the uh-oh?”
“Deathlout,” Spitelout growled as the green Singetail pinned Toothless to the ground. “I call him Deathlout.”
Deathlout shrieked as Toothless shot a plasma blast into his face. Toothless grunted as he got a grip on the Singetail and rolled them over.
“Okay. That's it,” Hiccup growled. “I'm ending this now.”
“How do you intend to do that?” Spitelout questioned as he grabbed her to keep her from running into the fight. “Give old Deathlout a smack in the snout, and hope he runs away scared? I don't think so. What do you say we try a little something I'd like to call—"
“Who cares what it is called?” Hiccup interrupted as Toothless protected himself from a fire blast from the Singetail with his wings. “You can name the plan later.”
“Alright. You've got the easy part,” Spitelout said, pulling her in close with an arm around her shoulders. “Run out there and get as close to your dragon as you can, without getting killed by the Singetail. Then, get ready to grab him.”
“That's the easy part?” Hiccup asked.
“Just keep your eyes on the ball, lassie,” Spitelout said encouragingly. “Alright. On the count of three. One!”
“Ah!” Hiccup grunted as Spitelout shoved her forward. Hiccup froze as Deathlout and Toothless turned to look at her. Hiccup swallowed as Deathlout glared at her. “Hi.”
“Oh, yes,” Spitelout laughed as Hiccup took off towards Toothless.
Spitelout grabbed a rock, and threw it at Deathlout. The Singetail screeched as it hit him in the head, and started chasing after the laughing Spitelout.
“Guess I did have the easy part,” Hiccup said as she mounted Toothless. Toothless growled and took to the air to go after them.
Spitelout continued yelling and laughing as Deathlout chased him through the woods. He jumped and used a tree branch to flip over Deathlout as he shot past. Spitelout let go, and kept running in a different direction with the Singetail in hot pursuit. Spitelout leapt over a group of bushes, and Deathlout shrieked as he stepped over and was caught up in a net.
“Yes! Whoo! Take that, ya scaly lizard,” Spitelout cheered, enjoying the sight of the Singetail caught in the net hanging from an elaborate device. “Deathlout, meet Snaptrapper. I do hope you enjoy each other's company. You're gonna be together for quite a spell.”
Toothless landed in the clearing, and tilted his head as Spitelout began to sing and dance while Hiccup shook her head as she dismounted.
“A Spitelout caught a Singetail,” Spitelout sang. “I think I'll send a terror mail, so everyone will see they cannot fool with me. Because I'm Spitelout! Spitelout! Oy, oy, oy! Spitelout! Spitelout! Oy, oy, oy!”
“That's an interesting song, Spitelout,” Hiccup commented as she and Toothless approached.
“An instant classic, I'd wager,” Spitelout boasted.
“Well, that might be a stretch, but it was a nice plan,” Hiccup said.
“Well, what do you expect?” Spitelout said, slapping her on the back. “I'm a Jorgenson,”
“You're a Jorgenson,” Hiccup agreed.
Toothless and Kingstail dragged the elaborate net trap back towards the cave, and Hiccup watched the dragon as Spitelout began to pack up his belongings. Hiccup turned as Spitelout heaved another sack onto Kingstail with a satisfied sigh.
“Well, that's the last of it,” Spitelout said happily. “I left you a nice supply of Dried Boar Gizzards and Yak Jerky. Enjoy.”
“Uh, wait,” Hiccup said quickly. “Where are you going?”
“I came here to catch a Singetail,” Spitelout replied as he got onto Kingstail’s saddle. “Caught a Singetail. Mission completed.”
“You don't want to hang around and help me study him?” Hiccup asked.
“Nope,” Spitelout replied. “Just wanted the revenge. Got it.”
“Spitelout, we finally have a Singetail dragon that I can take a real close look at,” Hiccup said eagerly. “See if I can find a weakness. Something we can exploit the next time the Flyers attack.”
“Well, alright,” Spitelout said, shrugging his shoulders as he dismounted. “I'm going on record and saying that you're just wasting your time, but have at it.”
“Cover me. Both of you,” Hiccup said to Spitelout and Toothless.
Toothless growled deeply as she moved to approach the trapped Singetail. She stepped forward cautiously, keeping her hands up in a non-threatening manner.
“Okay, there, boy,” Hiccup said steadily. “I'm going to start by saying, no one wants to hurt you.”
“You've gotta be joking,” Spitelout laughed, taking a seat on a rock.
“I just need to get a closer look,” Hiccup said, slowly moving a hand up towards the Singetails head. “Get to know you a bit. You've just been misunderstood and—"
Deathlout roared, and Hiccup jumped back with a scream as he fired several fireballs around her. Toothless ran for her, and pulled her out of the way as the Singetail breathed a stream of fire along the ground. Spitelout smirked as he took in the sight of the burning terrain.
“Well, that would be the signal fire. To call all his Singetail buddies,” Spitelout said amused. He stood up, and cracked his back before moving to mount Kingstail. “You should have plenty of them to study in a matter of moments.”
“Yeah, let's put that off for another day,” Hiccup said quickly getting in Toothless’s saddle.
The two dragons quickly got into the air, and Hiccup gasped as she and Toothless ducked under a fireball from one of the yellow Singetails flying at them. Toothless and Kingstail flew away from the area, and dodged fireballs as a couple of Singetails pursued them.
“Oh, I've seen this a thousand times,” Spitelout said as Toothless dodged another fireball. “There's only one direction we can go to get clear of these vermin.”
“Oh, for Thor's sake,” Hiccup said, staring as Kingstail shot straight up into the sky. “Follow that Nadder, bud. Up! Up!”
Toothless flew straight up into the air after Kingstail, and Hiccup looked behind her to see the group of Singetails chasing after them. Her eyes widened as one by one the dragons turned and flew back towards the ground.
“Good call, Spitelout,” Hiccup said as their dragons circled around to hover above the island. “They must not like the altitude.”
“Aye, but they sure do love a good campfire,” Spitelout joked, gesturing to the flames engulfing part of the forest below.
“Campfire,” Hiccup mused. She grinned excitedly. “That's it. Okay. I think I have the answer I came for, but there's something you need to do.”
“Oh?” Spitelout asked, intrigued.
Later
Hiccup frowned as she and Toothless approached Berk. While they were returning in the dead of night, she hadn’t expected the village to be so quiet and empty looking. Hiccup nudged Toothless towards the arena, and Hiccup jumped off as he landed inside.
“Uh. Hello? Hello?” Hiccup called out. “W-where is everybody?”
Toothless growled irritably as Fanghook landed in front of Hiccup with Gustav.
“Ah, Gustav!” Gustav greeted her as he saluted. He grinned sheepishly as he accidentally made his helmet spin on his head.
“W-Where is everybody?” Hiccup asked. “The riders, all your teammates?”
“They went to the Edge,” Gustav replied. “The chief decided to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Dragon Flyers.”
“I hate it when he launches pre-emptive strikes,” Hiccup groaned, climbing back onto Toothless’s saddle. “Alright. Gustav, you follow me. I may need you.”
Berk’s Fleet
Stoick kept his focus on the horizon, and the approaching shape of the island of Dragon’s Edge. Skullcrusher was flying steadily, and the Dragon Riders and the A-team flew beside them. Berk’s fleet of ships sailed below them, the Vikings calling out to one another to begin final preparations as the island came into view.
It had been a long time since Stoick had led such a force. There truly hadn’t been a need since Hiccup had brought dragons into their lives. Now they were being threatened by an enemy that flew dragons themselves, and that was a threat Stoick could not let stand. Hiccup didn’t fully understand the danger. How could she when he had never told her of the night a man had killed a hall full of Chiefs with dragons?
The thought of that man returning south to threaten them was unbearable. It was one of the reasons he had ensured the other Chiefs had sworn to keep the secret of Berk’s resident Dragon Riders at the Gathering. He had no idea if these Dragon Flyers were related at all to that murderer, but he could never risk it.
After all, what would a man like Drago Bludvist do if he learned of a woman that could train dragons?
Dragon’s Edge
Viggo made a final adjustment to the Dragon Eye, and nodded to himself. He went to the corner of the room, and grabbed the cage containing the Terrible Terror.
“This should do it,” Viggo said, placing the cage on the table. “No telling how long it will work, but work it shall.”
Viggo threw two daggers into the table to make a cradle for the Dragon Eye to rest on. He carefully placed the Dragon Eye down, and shifted the cage so the small dragon was facing the device. He slammed his fist into the table beside the cage, and the Terrible Terror screeched. Viggo smiled as the dragon released a flame, and the Dragon Eye projected an image on the wall.
Viggo hummed as the hair on the back of his neck stood. He carefully reached for one of the daggers on his belt.
“Sir,” Theron interrupted as he barged into the side door’s entryway.
“I thought I asked for complete privacy,” Viggo snapped.
“Yes, sir,” Theron replied. “But there's a fleet of heavily armed ships flying the Berk colors approaching, and escorted by a squadron of Dragon Riders.”
Viggo growled furiously, and Theron quickly made himself scarce. Viggo grabbed the Dragon Eye, and moved to follow the Hunter outside. He stopped and smirked as he looked over his shoulder at the shadows of the doorway he had his back to, noting the glint of light on metal.
“You'll have to do much better than that, Krogan,” Viggo growled. He ignored the other man’s smirk, and moved to fling open the front doors to step outside.
“Dragon Flyers. Take your positions,” Viggo called out. “A battle in the skies is upon us.”
Viggo put his hands behind his back and stared out at the approaching fleet and Dragon Riders. He smirked as the Dragon Flyers flew overhead to face the approaching threat, looking forward to witnessing the coming battle.
Asher gripped Stormfly’s saddle tightly as the Dragon Flyers came flying out to meet them from the Edge.
“Here we go,” Asher said fiercely. “Good luck, everyone. We're gonna need it.”
The Dragon Flyers and Dragon Riders roared as the battle commenced. The Singetails shrieked as they were whipped and kicked into firing fireballs at the other dragons and the ships below.
“Look out!” Asher warned. Stormfly dove down as Barf and Belch and Meatlug flew up to avoid a volley of fireballs. Stormfly spun and twisted in the air as she flew through the constant steam of fireballs, Skullcrusher right behind her.
Gothi flew low on her Gronckle, two Singetails chasing after them as the Vikings on the ships below prepared to assist.
“Archers, ready!” A Viking yelled. The men fired several arrows into the sky, and the Dragon Flyers turned their Singetails around to go after the ship.
“No, you don't!” Gobber cried, running forward with his axe hand as the Singetails bared down on them. He had to jump back as several fireballs hit the deck.
“Stinking little—” Gobber growled as he got back on his feet. He yelped as he realized his peg leg was on fire, and tried to stomp it out. “We didn't die.”
Gobber yelled as the fire from his leg spread to engulf more of the ship. Gobber scowled and turned to the somehow sleeping Grump. “Come on. Get over here, you lazy beast!”
Grump grunted awake and smiled sleepily as he lifted off into the sky.
“Where ya goin'? I'm over here!” Gobber cried. He grunted as Grump landed on top of him, which did smother his leg but also nearly crushed him under the weight of the dragon.
Asher growled as they ducked under another fireball, and pulled up alongside Fishlegs and Meatlug.
“I don't know how much longer we can hold them off, guys,” Fishlegs said nervously. “Not back on our heels, playing defense.”
“We can't, Fishlegs,” Asher growled. He frowned as he took his axe in hand. “It may be coming time to choose between us and those dragons.”
“But they didn't do anything,” Fishlegs protested. “They're innocent victims.”
Fishlegs turned as he heard a Singetail screech behind him. He screamed as he saw a Dragon Flyer pushing his Singetail to fire at them before sighing in relief as Barf and Belch flew past the Singetail, knocking the Dragon Flyer from the other dragons back.
Tuffnut laughed as he watched the man fall towards the ocean, missing another Dragon Flyer coming for them. Throk spotted them from his seat on the Zipplebacks back, and growled as he stood.
“Not on your life, friend,” Throk cried.
Throk ran up Barf’s neck, and leapt over Ruffnut as she gasped. He flipped in the air to kick the Dragon Flyer off the Singetail before grabbing onto the dragon’s tail. He held on until the Singetail passed over Barf and Belch, and dropped, flipping through the air to land safely behind Ruffnut. Tuffnut quickly realized his mouth was wide open as he stared at the other man, and he snapped it shut.
“You know, I hope you don't expect the rest of us to do that,” Tuffnut snapped.
Gothi held onto the saddle tightly as her Gronckle dived down to glide over the water as two Dragon Flyers chased after them. She led them towards two of Berk’s ships, flying between them and disappearing inside the green cloud of gas off the back of the ships. When she was clear, and the two Singetails drew closer, Bucket and Mulch directed their Zippleback to ignite the gas, startling the two Singetails.
Viggo observed the battle from the top of the base, keeping a tight grip on the Dragon Eye. His eyes narrowed as he watched, making a note of each Dragon Rider he could identify. He saw Krogan come to stand beside him, and made a show of examining the Dragon Eye.
“They're on the defensive. Now is our chance to wipe them out entirely,” Krogan said smugly. He grinned as he called down to the remaining Flyers stationed below. “Send all the Flyers. All Dragon Flyers to the sky!”
“Are you sure that's the best course of action, my friend?” Viggo asked teasingly as the Dragon Flyers took off towards the battle.
“Why don't you just back away and let me do what I do best?” Krogan snapped.
“With pleasure. It is nothing short of a thrill to watch you work, Krogan,” Viggo said smoothly. Viggo smirked as he stepped away, hearing Krogan growl behind him.
As much as he wanted for their side to win, he almost couldn’t wait to see the look on Krogan’s face when he realized his mistake. After all, the man had yet to realize a key player was missing from the field, and Viggo knew how much an oversight like that could cost them.
“Dragon Flyers, engage!” A Dragon Flyer yelled as they reached the battlefield.
“Oh, no!” Asher gasped as he took in the numerous Dragon Flyers joining the battle. “There's more?”
Stormfly darted up as three of the Singetails whipped fireballs at them from their tails. Meatlug grunted as she was unable to avoid them in time, and one of them exploded against her tail.
“Meatlug!” Fishlegs cried as they spun in the air. Meatlug grunted as she crashed down onto one of the ships below, and Fishlegs gasped as he looked up and saw the Singetails diving towards them. “Meatlug!”
Meatlug shook herself, and turned to use her tail to launch two of the barrels up at the Singetails. The dragons scattered from their formation as Barf and Belch fired a blast at the barrels making them explode. Fishlegs and Tuffnut cheered as the Zippleback hovered overhead.
“Yeah, all right!” Tuffnut cried. He froze and looked up as he heard the familiar roar of a Night Fury. He grinned as he saw Toothless and Hiccup emerge from behind the clouds, racing towards the battle with Fanghook and Gustav right behind them.
“Hey, here comes Hiccup!” Tuffnut cheered. His eyes widened as Toothless blew right past them, and aimed for a nearby island. “And there…There goes Hiccup. She's becoming very unpredictable. It's unsettling.”
“Did you bring it?” Hiccup asked as Toothless and Fanghook landed on the island near Spitelout and Kingstail.
“Can't you tell?” Spitelout asked, gesturing to the netted Deathlout. Spitelout rolled his eyes as the dragon roared as he finished securing the rope in the tree. “Yeah, yeah. Keep yapping, ya fiery pain in the—"
“Spitelout, is everything ready?” Hiccup asked urgently.
“No, there's still a few—” Spitelout said. Hiccup winced as she heard the roars of dragons fighting in the near distance.
“Too late,” Hiccup interrupted. “We're going with what we got.”
“Well, then, why'd ya bother asking?” Spitelout snapped. He jumped down from the tree, and landed in Kingstail’s saddle. He grinned as Kingstail moved to stand near the trapped Singetail. “Alright. Time to play your part, dragon.”
Deathlout screeched and let loose streams of fire from the gills on his chest.
Fishlegs held on tight with one hand as Meatlug quietly flew over a Dragon Flyer. She flipped over onto her back, and Fishlegs snatched the whip with his free hand as the Dragon Flyer raised it over his head. The man’s eyes widened as he looked up.
“Hello,” Fishlegs greeted. He smacked the Dragon Flyer in the face with the whip and then threw him off the Singetail.
“Let's go, Hookfang,” Snotlout said as Hookfang landed on one of the supply ships. The Monstrous Nightmare grabbed a barrel in his talons, and took off into the sky again as two Singetails approached. Snotlout grinned as Hookfang dropped the barrel back towards them. “Incoming!”
Stoick roared as Skullcrusher shot at the barrel from behind the Singetails, and flew through the fiery smoke as the Singetails fell back. Skullcrusher turned with a growl to watch them fall back, and Stoick scowled as he spotted two more Dragon Flyers approaching them.
“Got two coming from both sides,” Stoick growled as he pulled out his axe. “Come and get some!”
Stoick braced himself as the dragons approached, fire building in their throats. He stiffened as the two dragons froze in the air, their eyes both going to focus off to the side. Stoick followed their gazes, and saw a nearby island that had a large fire burning brightly on the island’s edge. The two Singetails quickly turned away from Stoick and Skullcrusher, and started flying towards the island as their Flyers scrambled for control.
“Come on,” Stoick roared at their backs. “Where are you going? Come back and fight!”
“It's a distress signal,” Fishlegs said as Meatlug flew up behind Skullcrusher. “All the Singetails in the area are flocking to help the dragon that's in trouble.”
“Hiccup,” Asher gasped as all the Singetails started breaking away from the battle to fly towards the island.
“This is our chance, people. To the Edge!” Stoick yelled.
Stoick glanced back at the island for a moment, before smirking and turning back to the Edge. He would take back Dragon’s Edge, and leave Hiccup to whatever crazy scheme she had created to deal with the Dragon Flyers.
The Dragon Flyers struggled and strained against the Singetails as the dragons flew towards the fire on the island. The dragons ignored their pulling and whipping, focused only on helping the trapped Singetail they saw hanging in a net above a large campfire. The Flyers eyes widened as they saw three Dragon Riders, including the Night Fury, waiting near the netted Singetail.
“Now!” Hiccup cried as the Dragon Flyers came closer.
Spitelout yelled as the three of them leapt into the air. Fanghook blew a blast at one of the Singetails as he flew by, making the dragon turn its attention to him. Toothless drew another pair’s attention by firing between them. The Dragon Flyers relaxed slightly as the Singetails began to chase after the Night Fury.
Toothless dived into the forest and kept ahead of the Singetails as he soared around the trees. Hiccup chuckled as they approached the trap, and ducked as Toothless flew under the net they had placed between two trees. The Dragon Flyers’ eyes widened when they saw the net, but couldn’t avoid it at the speed they were flying. They grunted as the net forced them off their dragons’ backs, and closed tight around them.
“Help us! Get us out!” A Dragon Flyer yelled as their Singetails flew away.
Spitelout laughed as two Singetails chased after him and Kingstail. The Nadder dove into the forest, expertly avoiding a waiting net. The Dragon Hunters gasped as the net closed around them, and they struggled as their dragons continued without them.
Gustav grinned as he saw two Dragon Flyers come together in a clearing nearby. He cheekily whistled and waved to get their attention as he leaned against Fanghook’s horns.
“Hey, fellas,” Gustav greeted.
“Get him!” The Dragon Flyer yelled.
Gustav jumped back into the saddle, and Fanghook swooped up and through the trees. He laughed as he heard the Dragon Flyers try to follow them only to get grabbed by the nets.
“Whoo-hoo. Gustav!” Gustav cheered.
Hiccup grinned as they led another Dragon Flyer into a trap. She could hear Spitelout hooting and hollering, and the sound of more nets being triggered as they led the Flyers into their traps. She saw Spitelout and Kingstail stop and hover above the trees, and nudged Toothless to join them.
“The dragons are abandoning their riders,” Spitelout said, looking over his shoulder at her as he nodded to a group of fleeing Singetails.
“And the others are trying to free Deathlout!” Hiccup said, pointing down to a trio of freed Singetails shooting at Spitelout’s device. They eventually succeeded in their endeavor, and Deathlout flew up to flee with the others.
"Well, that looks to be all of them,” Spitelout said smugly. He and Hiccup flinched as a fireball flew between them, and they looked behind them to see a Dragon Flyer coming towards them.
“Or not!” Hiccup cried.
Toothless turned to fly over the island, and the Singetail gave chase. The wind whistled off Toothless’s wings as he circled around, the Singetail keeping close behind him.
“No traps left, Toothless. Looks like we might have to take that shot after all,” Hiccup said seriously. “Let's just make sure we get the Flyer and not the dragon.”
Toothless roared an agreement, and pulled back. He spread his wings to slow down dramatically, falling behind the Singetail. The Singetail quickly circled around and flew at them, firing several fireballs as Toothless came towards them. Hiccup held on tightly as Toothless rolled to avoid several fireballs.
“Up! Up!” Hiccup cried as Toothless turned up to fly straight up, avoiding hitting the Singetail in the nick of time. Toothless pumped his wings to keep climbing, hearing the screeching of the Singetail chasing after him.
“Come on, beast!” The Dragon Flyer growled as the Singetail began to struggle against the bit.
“Come on!” Hiccup said impatiently, looking back at the Dragon Flyer below them. She laughed as the Singetail turned away, and started flying back down. “Singetails do not like altitude. Now, Toothless!”
Toothless flipped in the air, and dived down towards the Dragon Flyer. He glared at the man, and fired a blast directly at him. Unable to use his dragon to block, the man quickly raised his shield. He screamed as the shield protected him from the heat of the blast, but the sheer force knocked him off the dragon.
“Ha-ha! Nice shot, bud!” Hiccup complimented as the freed Singetail quickly flew away. “Let's hope we never have to do that again.”
Viggo scowled as he and Krogan observed the Dragon Riders and Berk’s ships coming closer to the Edge.
“I warned you about this,” Viggo growled as Krogan turned to run towards the stables. He shook his head as he followed the other man. “Leaving yourself vulnerable, over-committing your air troops.”
He stopped as Krogan pulled his red Singetail from the stables and started climbing up behind its head.
“Perhaps a bit of Maces and Talons could've helped you strategize your way out of the embarrassment in which you now find yourself,” Viggo sneered.
“Keep talking and I'll leave you here to deal with them by yourself,” Krogan snapped. “You can throw your little game pieces at them.”
Viggo frowned but took Krogan’s hand. The man pulled him up to sit behind him, and Viggo glanced up as a familiar Dragon Rider came closer.
“There!” Asher said, pointing to the red Singetail taking off from the landing. “It's Krogan, and he's got someone with him.”
“Well, let's get down there and meet Krogan's new sidekick,” Stoick growled, his eyes squinting as he tried to get a clear look at the two men.
Asher pushed Stormfly forward, and the Nadder and Rumblehorn chased after the large red Singetail. Stoick roared in fury as they flew around the sea stacks surrounding the Edge, the Singetail keeping ahead of them. Asher gasped as the Singetail fired a fireball at the side of a sea stack, making Stormfly fall back and go around to avoid the blast and debris.
“He's a much better flier than his men,” Asher growled.
“Aye,” Stoick agreed. “But not better than us.”
Krogan snapped the chains, and the Singetail flew upwards, flicking its tail to launch fireballs back at the other dragons. Asher and Stoick grunted as their dragons swerved to avoid the fireballs and debris as the Singetail continued to fire back at them.
Asher gasped as one came straight at Stormfly, and ducked as she dived. Skullcrusher’s eyes widened as the fireball came straight back at him, and barely had time to pull up to better block Stoick before it hit. Stoick yelled as Skullcrusher began falling, spinning around in the air as they plummeted.
“Come on, big boy. We're not going down like this,” Stoick growled, pulling hard on the saddle. Skullcrusher grunted, and managed to spread his wings to catch himself. Stoick sighed as they stopped above the water, and laughed as Skullcrusher launched himself higher to land on a sea stack. He fondly patted the dragon’s head. “That's a good fella!”
Asher glared as Stormfly furiously flapped her wings to catch up to the Singetail. His eyes widened as the man sitting behind Krogan turned to smirk back at him.
“No. No, that's impossible,” Asher gasped at the sight of Viggo Grimborn. “There's no way!”
Asher could only stare in shock as he saw Viggo chuckle, and his eyes caught on the glint of metal in his hands.
“He's got the Dragon Eye,” Asher gasped. Asher shook himself as he saw an immense fog back coming closer. “Alright. We're only going to get one shot at this before they lose us in that fog bank. Come on, girl. Let's go!”
Stormfly roared and powered forward. Krogan glanced back at them before sharply snapping the chains down. The Singetail roared, and raised its hind legs and tail so the gills on its belly were visible. Asher screamed as the Singetail fired a powerful blast from its gills, shooting forward and disappearing into the fog.
“No!” Asher yelled as they lost sight of the Singetail and its riders. His hands tightened on the saddle as the enormity of what he just discovered hit him.
Later
Dawn rose over a freed Dragon’s Edge. Hiccup and Stoick looked out from the deck outside the stables as their people brought in supplies and began the repairs to the base, throwing away anything the Dragon Hunters and Flyers had left behind. Hiccup smirked as she saw Gustav regaling a small crowd with the story of how they had taken care of the Flyers before turning to smile at Toothless as he stretched on the deck.
“You did it, lass,” Stoick said proudly, laying his hand on her shoulder. “And not a dragon's scale out of place. Quite the impressive plan.”
“And let's not forget the Jorgenson contribution to that impressive plan,” Spitelout interjected as he and Snotlout approached.
“Yeah. The Jorgensons were on fire,” Snotlout bragged.
“Yes, they were,” Hiccup acknowledged. “You were great, Spitelout. I couldn't have done it without you.”
“Well, you're right about that, lassie,” Spitelout said smugly. “And they won't be writing a tiny little crew song about it, either.”
“Tiny little crew,” Snotlout laughed as he and his father wandered away.
“Some things continue to remain the same,” Hiccup said fondly as her father sighed.
“Hiccup!” Asher cried as Stormfly landed on the landing deck.
“Asher! You had me worried,” Hiccup said relieved. Asher frowned before climbing down from Stormfly.
“Well, get ready to be more worried, Hiccup, because I just saw something you're not going to believe,” Asher said gravely.
Asher waited until everyone had gathered in the clubhouse before telling them what, or rather who, he had discovered as he chased after Krogan. Hiccup was silent for a long moment, getting up to pace as the others watched.
“Let's try to find another way to look at this thing,” Hiccup said finally. “Let's make the yak bladder half full.”
“Sorry,” Snotlout said dryly. “My yak bladder? Dry as a bone.”
“Okay. I get it. Viggo is alive,” Hiccup said nervously. “That's bad. He's got the Dragon Eye. That, too, is bad.”
“Um, I hate to agree with Snotlout, really, I do, but I just can't see that any of this is good news,” Fishlegs said as Snotlout raised an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, stay with me,” Hiccup said brightly. “Viggo thinks he has the only Dragon Eye. But as you all know—"
Hiccup reached up to a covered object on top of a storage barrel and removed the cloth to reveal her new Dragon Eye. It looked very similar to the original Dragon Eye, but the metal was silver in color, and Hiccup had painted the dragon end to be black with green gems inserted for the eyes. Another black ring with a red edge capped the other side.
“Ooh!” Fishlegs gasped. “It's almost finished.”
“Friends, my yak bladder runneth over,” Hiccup said, tossing the new Dragon Eye to Fishlegs. “When I'm done, this thing is going to do things the original Dragon Eye can't even dream of doing.”
“It looks amazing,” Asher said softly.
“Hopefully, it will be,” Hiccup replied.
“Okay. So now there's only one more thing we need to figure out,” Snotlout interjected. “What's up with that shipwreck?”
He pointed to the corner, and everyone cringed at the sight of Throk rubbing Ruffnut’s bare feet.
"Yep, yep. Yeah, you gotta make that grime work for you,” Ruffnut groaned. “Come on, Throk-quito. Get in there. Yep. Just go around the corns.”
“You know, maybe Throk really likes Ruffnut,” Asher said uneasily. “We're around her all the time, so it's easy for us to take for granted all of her wonderful qualities.”
“Okay, but I dare anyone to explain that,” Snotlout said. He gagged as he pointed to Tuffnut, sitting on the ground and rubbing Throk’s bare feet.
“Hey!” Tuffnut snapped. “Family is family. And these I mean, these are some magnificent feet. Look at these beauties! What do you use, anyway?”
“Okay, I'm gonna go outside and scream into the ocean until that vision is ripped from my brain,” Snotlout said. “Will you call me when dinner's ready?”
“Oh, yeah,” Ruffnut said. “Ain't no shame in a little toe game.”
Hiccup shook her head and turned her back to the very weird sight.
“Okay, everyone,” Hiccup said. “Go check out your hut’s and see what needs to be done.”
The others eagerly nodded, and quickly ran from the room. Toothless growled and snorted in disgust as he turned to follow Hiccup and Stoick out of the clubhouse. Hiccup jumped as her father put his hand on her shoulder.
“Come on, lass,” Stoick said firmly. “Let’s go see the damage.”
Hiccup led him up to the ruins of her hut, and cringed at the sight.
“The damage is…extensive,” Hiccup said nervously. Stoick whistled at the sight, and put his hands on his hips.
“They certainly didn’t hold back,” Stoick grumbled.
“Actually, this was Toothless’s work,” Hiccup admitted. Stoick raised an eyebrow, and Hiccup held up her Dragon Eye. “I didn’t want to risk them finding anything about this or my other inventions.”
Stoick nodded in agreement, and the two carefully stepped inside the ruins. They combed through the rubble and debris, and Hiccup sighed in relief as she found her Gronckle Iron keepsake box. She gasped when she opened it, and Stoick hurried over.
“Ah,” Stoick sighed as he saw Valka’s gift to Hiccup resting safely in the box. “Thank Thor you kept it in there.”
“It wasn’t the only thing I had in here,” Hiccup said nervously. She looked around, throwing the box aside as she scrambled for the debris pile where her weapons rack had once sat. Stoick caught the box and plush, and stared as she dug her hands through the wood and ash, finding only twisted metal.
“What is it, lass?” Stoick asked urgently as Hiccup sat back.
“I had the half of the Ruby Heart’s Stone Chief Hotshot gave me in that box,” Hiccup said quietly. “It’s gone. He took it.”
“Who did?” Stoick asked.
“Viggo,” Hiccup said, her eyes wide in horror as she looked around the ruins of her hut. “He was here. He took the stone and his sword. He was here.”