Talons and Tails

Setting the Trap

"My ears must be clogged with snow because your plan sounds absolutely crazy."

Qiblis' smile never wavered, even as Winter gave him a very exasperated eyebrow.

"It's not crazy, it's logical and if I'm right might lead us to another animus dragon, possibly a hybrid from the old days who's survived all this time in their own little world. Imagine, a Rainwing-Icewing hybrid, based on the description. Possibly Nightwing too, given how closely they relate to Night Fury's and how they seem to be helping their species along."

"Yeah, until they disappeared right as humans started hunting Night Furys, almost to extinction. Would have come in handy then."

Toothless sounded uncharacteristically angry, bitter even, for someone who claimed not to believe in "Fairytales". Moon tried to imagine if she was in his shoes, forced to watch as her entire species died around her like trees when their leaves shriveled and fell, the air crisp and cold.

She shivered at an uncomfortably vivid image of her friends dying, her mother bleeding out, Starflight desperately trying to escape a large net he couldn't see, as a crying Fatespeaker hopelessly pulled at the taught rope. Sometimes she really hated her imagination which supplied her with the worst visions, real or not.

"I'm in," she said, determined.

"Me too," Kinkajou said, imitating Moon's set face. "Let's go find this magic dragon and give her a piece of our mind, then convince her to help save the Night Fury's!"

She leaped into a nearby boulder and posed majestically as if waiting for her friends to join her.

"I'm glad you're on board, you might be essential to finding them. Or baiting them into the open." Qibli said carefully.

"You mean, you want me to pretend to be a Night Fury mother and have a hatching egg so the Dark Lady will come to bless it?" Kinkajou asked.

Qibli smiled at how quickly she caught on. "Exactly! And for that to work, Turtle?"

"Uh, yeah. I can do that," Turtle said, glancing at Kinkajou quickly before looking towards the ground, hiding a blush by poking at a rock below him.

"Awesome. Moon, you can help tell us when they're coming, and the four of us left can confront the dragon, with Turtle as a backup either for help to prevent them from escaping. We'll find a clearing later tonight where they can't miss it, assuming they have a spell to search for near-hatching Night Fury's." Qibli said in a commanding voice.

"Wait, hold on," Winter said, glaring at Qibli. "I never agreed-"

"You didn't need to," Qibli said, cutting him off. "Now, anyone know of a good deserted island?"

~~~

"I'm not buying it. Either this is a dream, or the gods have placed this strange hallucination in my head for some great prophecy I'm a part of." Snotlout stood up warily and looked around, scanning the room. "Maybe I have to find my way out of this puzzle to become the legend that Thor needs me to be!"

He proceeded to search the bookshelves with his hands, occasionally ramming into them with his head.

"Or maybe this is more proof that you're delusional," Astrid said with a grin.

"Maybe he has Alzheimer's," Tuff chipped in. Everyone looked at him. "What? I've heard it's a terrible disease. Don't worry Snot, I'll pray for you tonight," he said with a strained expression.

"May the gods take mercy on you, you poor, poor soul," his twin added with a saddened face. Snotlout looked at the two for a moment and sat back down to finish his dinner.