The Rider

Seven

When they reached Siren's Isles, Dagur was nowhere in sight. No boats, nothing. Daystrike was showing no signs of alarm, as was Toothless, so the Beetbreaths were not close yet.

"When the Beetbreaths attack, they usually hide their numbers to throw off and exhaust their prey. If you see one Beetbreath, it's not alone." Rena said. She leaned forward as they flew into a fog bank. 

"Be careful guys! The Beetbreaths could be hiding anywhere, so - WATCH OUT!" Hiccup yelled, turning Toothless sharply to avoid a blood red dragon as it made a grab for Toothless. "Watch out for that saliva!"

The Beetbreath reared its head back and spat out a lethal dose of venomous saliva towards the Night Fury. Toothless shot a small plasma blast at the ball, effectively destroying it, as the Beetbreath raced towards them, jaws extending impossibly wide, to the point where all he could see was a circle of razor sharp teeth. 

A black fireball struck the deadly dragon, exploding in a white cloud, distracting the Beetbreath as Daystrike made herself known. She banked  up, with Rena leaning all the way forward to the point she was pressed against the dragon's scaly neck. The Beetbreath shrieked, then was bombarded by Hookfang's blast followed by Meatlug's. The dragon narrowed its eyes, then hissed aggressively.

Suddenly, there were five Beetbreaths joining the first, one for each Dragon Rider. "They can learn from experience? Cool!" Fishlegs exclaimed, then yelping when a spitball got too close for comfort. 

"Their one weakness is speed! They are immune to dragon fire, so don't waste your shots!" Rena yelled above the havoc.

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A trio of vessels sailed into a fogbank, hearing a scuffle of dragons. "I hear a Night Fury!" Dagur sang, clapping his hands together and jumping up and down. "Follow that sound, boys!"

"Yes, Dagur." A sailor said, turning the rudder in the direction of the sounds. 

A shrill whistle suddenly echoed in the Isles, causing goosebumps to pop up on their arms. "Is that that weird girl? Ooh, Hiccup, you are too kind!"

A scream from Fishlegs sounded from above. Dagur craned his neck, and saw the Gronckle engaged in a fight with a much more maneuverable dragon. The dragon spat out a gob of saliva, but missed, with the spit hitting the deck of a ship next to Dagur's. The wood instantly melted, and the goo fell below decks and easily caused a hole to form on the hull. Dagur's smile grew, giggling excitedly.

"Thank you, mysterious dragon! I think I want you!" Dagur said. "Bring that dragon down along with the girl and my brother!"

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"Ruff! Tuff! Watch it!" Astrid called out, spotting a Beetbreath about to fire on Barf and Belch. She turned back, then immediately barrel rolled out of the way of another dragon. 

Snotlout and Hookfang were surrounded by two Beetbreaths, the other coming out of the fog. "Flame up, Hooky." Snotlout said, terror evident in his tone. The Monstrous Nightmare obliged, flames licking his entire body except for his head and neck. The Beetbreaths hissed, extending their large frills that had been folded to their necks. The frills opened, and along with a rattling sound they made, caused Hookfang to unleash a blast that hit one of the dragons on the frills. It shrieked in agony, falling back and retreating.

"Guys? Aim for the frills! They are delicate!" Fishlegs heard Snotlout call. He looked to the dragon who was making a rattling sound, spotting the lighter red frills on the neck, and told Meatlug to fire.

"Got it!" Fishlegs yelled back while Meatlug happily garbled. 

Rena was taking a different route, flying close to the water and making tight turns. The Beetbreath was following closely behind, matching her maneuvers flawlessly.