The five teens sat cross-legged on crates and barrels in the dimly lit hold, the soft creaking of the ship and splashes of waves the only background sound. Johann stood before them with arms crossed, his usual jovial smile replaced by a look of mild suspicion.
"So..." he began slowly, eyeing each of them in turn, "mind telling why you lot have really snuck aboard my ship?"
There was a beat of silence.
Tuffnut raised a finger confidently. "Didn’t I say? It’s for the field trip."
THWACK!
Astrid smacked the back of his head.
"We’re just here to... shop," she corrected quickly, flashing Johann a tight, innocent smile.
"Yeah," Ruffnut added. "Who doesn’t love a good market day?"
"We heard there’s a place that sells yak jerky wrapped in seaweed," said Tuffnut with a shrug. "Hard to resist."
Snotlout leaned back casually. "And maybe a little... diplomatic exploration. You know, future chieftain business."
"Plus," Fishlegs piped up, fiddling with his hands, "we really wanted to see the Night Fury—"
All four heads turn towards him.
Fishlegs blinked. "...I an. Uh. Seafood! We really wanted to see food!"
Johann narrowed his eyes.
"Does your tribe know you’re here?" He stepped forward, the deck creaking beneath his boots. "And do your parents know you’re—?"
"—Yes!" they all chorused.
"—No!" Ruffnut added at the sa ti.
"RUFFNUT!!" They all turned to glare at her.
"What? I thought we were playing the do-the-opposite ga," Ruffnut said.
Astrid quickly cleared her throat, adjusting the strap of her axe. "What we ant to say was it’s part of our dragon training. Field research. The chance to observe a rare dragon up close. That’s right." She gave them all a pointed look. "Right?"
"Right!" they all said in unison, standing a little straighter as they suddenly found their shoes or the wall far more interesting.
"Don’t worry, Johann," Snotlout said, slapping a palm to his chest. "We’re not riding your boat for free."
Tuffnut swung a small burlap sack forward with dramatic flair. "Behold—our humble paynt."
The bag hit the floor with a dull thud. A few shimring red scales spilled out from the top.
Johann narrowed his eyes and picked one up between his fingers. "Monstrous Nightmare scales?"
Fishlegs nodded, a bit too quickly. "Yup! From our... personal stash. Village work reward. Totally earned."
_____
Berk – Gobber’s Forge
Gobber scratched his head, rummaging through a wooden chest of dragon parts. "Now where in Thor’s na did I put that Monstrous Nightmare scale..."
He squinted into the empty container.
"I swear there were five in here yesterday..."
______
Back to the Ship
Johann gave the scale another inspecting look, then sighed and tucked it back into the bag. "Very well. Welco aboard. I’ll have my n prepare so hammocks above deck."
The teens bead with excitent, exchanging victorious glances as Johann turned and ascended the stairs.
______
From the clouds above, the vast crescent-shaped island ca into view. Cliffs frad the outer edges, while jungle and trees filled the inner lands. Docks extended like spider legs into the sea, buzzing with activity.
From the skies, Hiccup flew high above on Toothless, wind in his hair and his eyes narrowed as the island erged through the mist.
"Looks like we’re here, bud," Hiccup murmured, brushing a few strands of windblown hair from his eyes.
Toothless gave a soft growl in agreent.
But just as Hiccup leaned forward to descend, he noticed sothing odd—sothing in the water, moving steadily beneath the waves. It had been following Johann’s ship since they left Berk, distant but consistent. Now, however, it shifted. The figure beneath the surface veered away from the ship... and began circling the island.
Hiccup’s brows furrowed. "That’s... new."
He tightened his grip on Toothless’s saddle. "Let’s check it out."
With a beat of his wings, Toothless banked right, trailing after the movent curving around the island’s edge.
_____
Beneath the Waves
Lucian’s eyes glinted as he gazed up at the hazy outline of the island above. The light filtering through the water caught on the silver streaks in his hair, casting faint ripples of brightness. He then turned to Scauldy.
"Circle the island first," Lucian instructed calmly. "We need a place where we can surface unnoticed."
Scauldy gave a low, muffled growl of acknowledgnt, bubbles trailing behind him as he began moving with silent precision along the island’s periter.
Lucian kept close, his hand resting on the smooth scales along Scauldy’s side. It wasn’t long before they found it, a break in the cliff wall to the east, where thick trees arched over a hidden inlet. There, the shore dipped into a stretch of pale sand and dense vegetation.
"This spot’ll work," Lucian muttered to himself.
With a fluid flick of its tail, Scauldy angled upward and pierced the surface with barely a ripple. Lucian erged next, blinking as sunlight hit his eyes. The air was warr here, humid with the scent of moss and brine. He took a breath, enjoying the shift from water to land.
He pulled himself onto the sand, water streaming down from his r-form. Behind him, Simba paddled to the edge, his little eyes wide with curiosity, nose twitching at the new slls.
Lucian focused. The soft glow of his tail shimred and slowly split back into legs. The transformation was smoother this ti—quicker too. He stumbled slightly as he got used to walking again, then steadied himself.
Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out the Howlbound’s Mantle. The dark fabric unfurled in his hands as he slid it over his shoulders. It fit perfectly, the familiar weight settling around him like a second skin.
Lucian then turned to Scauldy, stepping close.
"Thanks for helping get here, big guy," he said, lifting a hand to scratch gently between the ridges of the beast’s head.
Scauldy let out a deep, resonant rumble, eyes closing halfway. Simba tried to imitate him with a tiny squeak, puffing out his chest.
Scauldy raised a scaly brow, then huffed out a playful spray of water over him before diving back into the sea.
Lucian smiled and looked down at Simba. "C’mon, little guy. Let’s go."
He picked up Simba and adjusted his cloak.
But as he turned toward the treeline, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing a few ters ahead, partially obscured by the trees, was a figure, slim, a little awkward, wearing dragon leather and iron pauldrons. And beside him... a dragon unlike any Lucian had ever seen. Sleek, black as a moonless night, eyes bright green and alert.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Then Hiccup raised one hand slowly and gave a small, sheepish wave.
"Ha ha ha... hi?"
Lucian blinked. "...Hi."
User Comments
0 comments from readers