The Great Endeavor - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD/RTTE)

21. Disapearance

• • •

The higher they climbed, the stronger the wind became. Until it suddenly picked up like a tornado. Swirling the seven around in a circle, it ripped them each from the stars they climbed. Hiccup recognized this sensation as the storm that had first brought them to the island.

The riders panicked as they were tossed around, watching the eye below them spin until it vanished. Then the wind haulted, the sky became bright, and they began to fall from hundreds of feet above the ground. The fall was broken by harshly cold waters. Tuffnut looked around to find that they were in the middle of the ocean. Above them, the sun shone brightly and sea birds flew by. "We made it!" He shouted in excitement.

Everyone was shouting and hollering their excitement, tredding water to stay afloat. Then, a roar came from above. Snotlout looked up in joy, immediately recognizing it. "Hookfang!" He laughed as the nightmare plucked him from the water. Following Hookfang were Barf and Belch, Stormfly, and Meatlug. All of them plucked the remaining Vikings from the water and took them to a nearby sea stack. There, Toothless was waiting.

The nighy fury tackled Hiccup, licking up his entire body to show how much he missed his rider. Fishlegs proceeded to hug Meatlug tightly as she wagged her tail. Astrid scratched her nadder under her neck lovingly. Ruffnut headbutted Barf, while Tuffnut hugged Belch's face. Even Snotlout and Hookfang were getting along for once.

But after reuniting with their dragons, there was another problem. "Hey, where's Endeavor?" Tuffnut asked, looking around for their blue-haired friend.

"Did she make it?" Ruff wondered.

"She had to have made it," Fishlegs responded, drawing his eyebrows in curiously, "we were all in that tornado together."

Hiccup looked around as well. He wasn't exactly upset that Endeavor was gone, she was quite annoying to him. But still, she'd become a part of their friend group and he did care about her now. "We'll survey the area," he said, mounting Toothless, "she could still be in the water where we came up."

• • •

The dragon riders were immediately ready to go. But after hours of searching all around the area, Endeavor was no where in sight. They met back on the sea stack to discuss what to do about it.

"We can't just stop looking," Tuff argued, "she saved our lives, she might need our help now."

"Tuff, we can't find her," Astrid reminded him, frowning in empathy.

"And let's not forget that she can turn into a dragon," Snotlout emphasized, crossing his arms and leaning agaisnt Hookfang. "She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"It's not about if she can protect herself," Tuffnut countered, frowning in frustration, "she's our friend. What if Astrid was missing? We wouldn't stop looking then, would we?"

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged an uncomfortable look. Tuff was completely right. But there was still no way of finding Endeavor now. "We've searched everywhere within a three mile radius," Hiccup explained carefully, "I know, she's our friend...but she's gone."

There was silence for a moment before Fishlegs spoke up. "Do you think she left us on purpose?" Fishlegs suggested, "maybe to find her own way?"

"Endeavor wouldn't do that to us," Tuffnut retorted as he felt his heart break at the possibility. "She...she.." He trailed off, becoming flustered. "Why would help us escape if she was just gonna leave us?"

Ruffnut approached her brother with a frown. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, she spoke, "hey, she'll come back. Don't worry about it, bro."

Finally, Tuff gave in. He sighed in defeat and lower his head. "You're right, sis," he admitted, then turned to Hiccup, "alright, we can go." Then, the dragon riders set course for Dragon's Edge. It was time to go home.

• • •

It had been a few weeks since the riders arrived back at Dragon's Edge. There had still been no trace of Endeavor. Now, however, they were on their way to Berk in response to an urgent message from Stoick.

"I wonder what that letter is all about," Fishlegs wondered curiously. He road Meatlug in pace with Toothless so that he could talk to his best friend.

"I don't know," Hiccup responded with a serious look on his face, "but by the sound of it, it's nothing good."

Astrid flew Stormfly closer to Hiccup and muttered as quietly as she could, "do you think it has anything to do with Endeavor?"

Hiccup gave her a wary look as replied, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Since Endeavor was still missing, talk of her was kept low. Tuffnut was still incredibly heartbroken that she was gone, so they wanted to be sensitive to their friend. But the letter from their chief had spoken of something dangerous and unknown leeching toward Berk. Everyone was thinking the same thing, even if they didn't say it. Endeavor had proved on many counts that she was far from human on the Isle of Loki. What if Endeavor wasn't who she made herself out to be?

Berk was in sight before they knew it. The dragon riders landed by the stables and put their dragons away for the time being. Then they made their way up the the Great Hall. Inside, a council of Vikings was waiting. Something serious was definitely going on.