"Imagine, bud, just flying. Anywhere and everywhere! We could learn everything about the world, meet new people, discover new dragons..."

"Don't forget, we'd be traveling with Willow and Marina!"

"Yeah, but we'd have to leave my sister and mother."

Hiccup was laying in his bed, watching the candle's shadow flicker over the walls. Toothless was on his rock. It was late at night. Willow had left at sundown.

"What if they come with us?" Toothless suggested.

"I don't know, Mom has responsibilities here, but maybe Hanna will come with us!" Hiccup said, "Anyway, we should get some sleep." He leaned over to blow out the candle, and was almost asleep when he heard a familiar sound.

Vhrooooooooooooooooo!

"That's Willow!" Hiccup leapt out of bed and onto Toothless. They took off down the tunnel and reached the kitchen where Valka and Hanna already were with their dragons.

They all soared out of their home.

"Willow! Marina! What are you doing back?!" Valka exclaimed.

"There's a small fleet of trappers heading towards that nearby island. You know, the nesting grounds!"

The riders gasped and Stonescale roared in protest. Valka immediately jumped into action.

"Okay, I'll gather all of the dragons. Hanna, Hiccup, you guys go!" Valka led her dragon back into the sanctuary.

Hanna turned to her brother. "Hiccup, you go. We'll be there as soon as possible, but we need riders there now and you're on the fastest dragon."

He nodded. He didn't want to leave them in the dust, but she was right. He had to.

"Okay, bud. You ready?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

The pair shot forward, the new tail helping with their speed and agility.

Not long after, the island came into view. The dragons there were already fighting hard to defend their eggs and hatchlings, but they were losing badly. Caring for their young ones had left them weak and tired. They needed help.

There were three ships docked on the shore. They must've known they wouldn't have to put up good fight to get dragons here.

"Welp, you thought wrong,"Hiccup muttered. Without giving a warning, he shot at the first ship. It tipped at the force and got the trappers attention. They rushed to the edge of their ship to see what had sent that purple ball of flame at them.

"A dragon!" One cried.

"How can you be sure? I don't see anything," another said as they peered through the dark of night.

"Look there! The stars are momentarily blacked out!"

Hiccup and Toothless sped around the boats, virtually invisible in the night sky.

"That's not just any dragon," a new figure appeared on the deck. The man walked to the edge of the boat and shoved the trappers aside. He was tall and buff, and every inch of him was covered in knives. He lifted his leg and set it on the rail before leaning on it. "That's a Night Fury. Men! Whatever you do, do not let that dragon get away. It's mine." The man smirked as his eyes followed Toothless.

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup said, "we might want to stay away from that guy."

"Good idea."

They flew up to the stars, disappearing from sight. They aimed a couple more blasts at the ships before going to help the victims.

After they landed on the island, Hiccup dismounted and began to herd a couple of adolescents away from the shore. Toothless followed his lead and rolled some Monsterous Nightmare eggs to a dip in the ground.

Then, a familiar roar echoed towards them.

"Take that you lousy excuses for intelligent beings! You ugly, sweaty, scaleless monsters! Why if I were you I'd go bury myself in a pile of dragon dung just to move up a rank in nature's social class! Talk about the unholy offspring of lightening and death! Have ya' looked at yourselves lately?..."

Hiccup sighed. If there was any other dragon who could trash talk like that Hobblegrunt, the world had problems.

"C'mon, bud. Let's go join them."

Hiccup was about to remount when he felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck.

"Don't. Move."

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"Here you go, Fishlegs. Be sure to keep your eyes out for a Night Fury."

"Okay, but Astrid, there hasn't been one at a raid in months!" The blonde boy said as he took the water bucket.

"I don't care! There might be one at this raid!" Astrid exclaimed.

" 'ey, lass! Ol' Magnus says they finally caught another Nightmare for you ta' kill for yer final exam!" Gobber lumbered towards her, brandishing his ax hand.

"I don't want a Nightmare, I want a Night Fury! YAH!" she flung her ax at a nearby post that had just went up in flames. She flipped over the fire, grabbed her ax, and returned to the blacksmith.

"But Astrid, no one 'as ever captured, not to mention killed, a Night Fury! We've been lucky we 'aven't seen one in the past few attacks!"

"But I saw one just the other day! I almost had it! I could've killed it! Thor knows it!"

"Look, lass, I miss 'iccup too and I want to avenge 'is death just as much as you do. 'Owever, there is no way on Odin's flat earth that we'll be able to capture a Night Fury. And ev'n if we did, Stoick'll never let you kill it for yer exam. They're just too powerful a dragon. You saw what it did to 'iccup, and 'e came in first!"

"He didn't have rage stewing up his innards for two months before he faced it. I can take this dragon, and I will take this dragon! To my very own grave if I have to! Because Hiccup tried, and he couldn't! I don't want his death to be for nothing! Do you, Gobber?" Astrid didn't wait for an answer. She stormed off through the smoke and fire and into the woods.

She ran, tears flying into the wind. She reached the cove, expecting to have to duck under the shield, but it was gone. She immediately dropped to her knees, examining the ground. Splinters of charred wood could be seen, and there was a blast mark on the rock. The Night Fury had been here!

Stealthily, she made her way into the cove, bracing herself to see the Night Fury, but stewing up her rage soup to power her. However, after a while of searching, she had to accept the dragon was gone.

"AHHH!" she exclaimed as she chucked her ax at the rock wall. She had missed the dragon again.

She had an idea. The Night Fury had to come back some time. Astrid left the cove and dashed off to the village, soon to return.

➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

Willow and Marina were doing their best to stop the vikings, but so far, it was just her and Hanna up in the skies. Where was Hiccup?

Just then, Hanna pulled up next to her.

"Willow! I just saw a group of trappers heading on land. Do you think you can stop them?"

"Yup, no problem!"

She and her dragon turned around and headed inland. They flew, keeping their eyes out for wandering vikings. Then, they spotted them. Of all the things she expected to see, she wasn't prepared for a knife against Hiccup's throat, and about twenty archers on Toothless.

"Oh, no," Marina mumbled.