The vast thick forest on the island was majestic. In the distance you could hear a water fall and the mountains were tall enough to be worth a climb, but they wouldn't take all day. The trees were a beautiful mix of pine with some fruit trees mixed in. The bushes were beautiful and lush so it seemed like this place had never been touched by Vikings or even dragons in centuries.
"Wow this place is beautiful dad," Hiccup comments before looking at his map and frowning. "But why isn't it on my map?" Hiccup asks. Stoic shrugs and said. "I found it after getting lost on my way to you. I asked around, but no one really mentioned it so it's probably newly formed," Stoic shrugs.
"If you asked around about it wouldn't people check it out for themselves to see what it could offer?" Nya asks looking around suspiciously. Stoic just shrugs and dismounted from Skull crusher. "Well I thought it was the perfect place for some good old camping so let's go find a good spot," Stoic says before turning to Kai and Nya. "And no using your ninja magic or whatever you call it," Kai nodded while Nya just rolls her eyes and nodded.
They start on their hike into the forest with Skull crusher, Toothless, and Flame following. Ember was perched on Kai's shoulder occasionally flying off to sniff something and was always called back by her mother before she wondered too far off. Hiccup looks at Nya and saw how she was being quiet and thought to start a conversation.
"So Nya? Why don't you have a dragon?" Hiccup asks and immediately Kai makes a gesture to shut up, but it was too late. "Sensei Wu decided I'm too delicate for a dragon so I don't get one," Nya growls and Kai sighs. "Nya you know the rules, only the elements of creation get dragons you need to unlock your own spirit dragon," Kai explains like he's gone over this a hundred times. "I've tried, but I can't,"Nya argues back. "You nearly drowned me looking for the spirit dragon and that was before you became a actual master of water," Kai snaps and Stoic pauses with a protective look and a scowl at Nya. "What did you say?"
"I had control okay? You shouldn't have even been by the creek in the first place!" Nya insists. "The only reason I didn't drown was because Zane froze a ice wall so I didn't go down stream," Kai said. "Lloyd got to practice cpr," Nya defends. "I didn't even need cpr," Kai defends. "That is not what I remember you telling Cole, Zane, and Jay," Nya said with a mischievous smile and Kai blushes before just muttering curses under his breath in Ninjagian.
Hiccup watched this back and forth with interest. "I definitely want to hear more stories like this," he said. "More stories about Kai almost dying? I got plenty since he's a dumbass. First one," Nya began. "Nya! Please don't list every time you think I did something stupid," Kai pleads with her. "You made, and lost, a bet with a eleven year old that you could fly Flame blindfolded," Nya said with a raised eyebrow.
Said dragon gave a low roar and covered her eyes with her claws clearly embarrassed by her master. "Okay for starters Lloyd is 16," "mentally 11," "and I would have won the bet if Flame watched where she was going," Kai looked at the dragon in question who swatted him with her tail for blaming her of him being a idiot knocking him over in turn knocking him on his back.
Hiccup and Nya giggled at him as he got up brushing himself off. "Traitor," he mutters to his dragon. "That was dim of you son," Stoic agrees before looking at Nya. "And I would think a lassie like you would have more sense than going after a child's dream lizard," he said.
Nya's eyes hardened and she stepped forward. "A girl like me? I'll," Nya began to threaten, but Kai held her back by the elbow and hurriedly whispered in her ear the other two Haddock's did not catch before she settled with a huff and walked ahead.
"Is she okay?" Hiccup asks. "She gets defensive when people belittle her," Kai answers and clearly didn't want to elaborate which Hiccup respected, their father on the other hand.
"By who? She clearly is a warrior who would be dim enough to do that?" Stoic asks. Kai sighs and looks ahead to Nya. "Promise not to pity her?" He asks. They both nodded and Kai explained.
"In Ninjago woman, girls, ladies, were seen as....property," Kai grimaces at the word to show he clearly did not agree with what he grew up with. "What exactly do you mean?" Hiccup asks. "In Ninjago, particularly in the village we grew up, it was traditional that woman were expendable and they are considered tools or something to look nice. There was even a lady in our village who decided on who would got with who. She was a real witch and me and Nya threw eggs at her once while wearing masks," Kai smiles at the memory before continuing. "Anyway the laws have gotten better recently since the serpentine war because until that point the government lead people to believe that only men inherited the elemental gene because the power was 'for men only'. But during a attack of a stronghold Nya's mother aka my adoptive mother, along with Jay's bio mom singlehandedly took out the enemies with their powers. After that all the other female elemental fighters began appearing to the point the emperor couldn't hide it anymore. Since then woman in Ninjago have been fighting for more rights and it's gone real good. There's still some laws and stereotypes, but it's been getting better, slowly," Kai finishes.
"Well that is the dimmest thing I have ever heard! Your chief sounds like a terrible person," Kai nods in agreement with his father. "He is the emperor is a traditional jerk stuck in the old ways. My Sensei is twice as old as him and even he hates how traditional he is. When he found out about Nya being a Ninja he ordered for her to be taken off the ninja team and you know what happened?" Kai grins at them. "I'm almost scared to ask but what?" Hiccup asks.
"I hacked his computer and told everyone about his affair with the empress online!" Nya calls from ahead and Kai laughs. "He was so busy dealing with the scandal he left Nya alone and no one ever learned it was her," The red ninja explains. "Not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds like a hearty tale," Stoic said with a laugh. "What did his wife say about the whole thing?" Hiccup asks.
"Don't know," Kai shrugs, but Nya answers by turning back. "She was cheating a hella ton more than her hubby, but that stuff is blackmail if they decide to mess with me again," She said with a smug grin.
"Viking men would never cheat on each other," Stoic proclaims than whispers to the boys. "Mostly because we're scared of our wives if they find out," The two can't help laughing at that. "Yeah Astrid would kill me if I even look at another girl," Hiccup agrees. "Woo so you like her?" Kai teases poking him in the shoulder and Hiccup blushes a little swatting him away, but Kai keeps poking him teasingly. Curious Toothless joins in bumping his front paw against him repeatedly with Kai. At Hiccup's annoyed groaning Toothless makes a happy playful noise and does it even more. "Okay okay stop picking on me," Hiccup demands them both as Stoic watches it all amused.
"Hey peg leg! What type of dragon is this?" Nya yells.
At the word dragon everyone ran ahead to Nya and saw she was looking at a sleeping.
"Cave crasher," Hiccup hisses reaching for his sword and shield.
The said dragon looked ugly and when moving it shined with a grow slimy substance on it's skin that was black with yellow spots covering it. The beak also seemed to be the only part of it that seemed threatening besides it's size. "First spinjitzu master it's gross," Nya said scrunching her nose in disgust.
The dragon was sniffing around and when they appeared on the hill above it looked at them. "Out of curiosity what does it eat?" Kai asks looking at Hiccup. "We'll be fine it only attacks if we keep it from food. Which are eggs and......" Hiccup trails off Looking at Ember in Kai's arm taking a nap. "Dragon babies," all eyes looked to Ember in Kai's arms and then to the Cave Crasher looking at Ember hungrily licking its beak.
"Oh no you are not eating my baby," Kai said holding Ember protectively in his arms while glaring at the creature.
The creature charges at them with surprising speeds. The Vikings and dragons get ready to fight with Hiccup lighting his fire sword on, well, fire. Nya scoffs at them and using the water from a nearby previously unmentioned stream she blasted the giant creature clear off the island in one second flat.
In the distance you could faintly hear it splash in the ocean. "Welp that was boring," Nya said than looks at the others. Kai was the only one who didn't seem shocked at how easy she had done that. She looked at Hiccup's flaming sword. "Oh cool you got one too? Kai had one of those too," Kai also just noticed the sword and casually asks. "Out of curiosity do we have some gift giving holiday in the near future?"
Hiccup sheaths his sword and said. "You got firepower's already," "yeah, but a flaming sword is even cooler," Kai said. "Not happening," Hiccup said. "Awww come on bro," Kai begs as they continued with their walking and ignoring how Stoic was sulking over the fact he wouldn't fight anything. "Okay one no and two is this island creeping anyone else out?" Hiccup asks. "Not really why?" Kai asks with a shrug. "It just feels quiet. Like besides that Cave crasher I haven't even heard a bird," Hiccup said looking around. Kai does so too and realizes it was kind of quiet.
"Must be migration season?" Kai suggests, but that did not calm Hiccup's nerves one bit. They came to a clearing and Stoic announces this was going to be their campsite for the night. "Water girl and Hiccup go find firewood, me and Kai will go find something fresh to eat," Stoic said.
Hiccup nodded and Nya opened her mouth to protest being called water girl, but Kai gave her a look to let it go and she resigned himself with a huff. Stoic than turned to the dragons. "Skull crushers in charge," he said then left with Kai following.
Almost immediately Skull crusher took a nap leaving Flame and Tooth-less free to run around and play.
As they walked deeper into the forest Kai wondered how long until his father would bring it up. "Son we need to talk about you and those boys," apparently not long.
"Look dad," Kai began, but Stoic beat him too it. "Son I understand how some think, but if your brother has taught me anything acceptance is the key to peace, but what I don't understand is why you didn't tell me," The chief said to his son.
Kai thought about his words until he answered. "I was going to tell you, but in Ninjago people aren't always accepting and it's fifty fifty if they are. I had also just gotten here and I didn't want to start telling you all about my love life because I just wanted to get to know you and Hiccup more," Kai explains. Stoic rubs his temples. "I can understand that Kai I'm a chief who needs to deal with a lot of pigheaded people, but what I also don't understand is why you've been so hostile towards them?" Kai opens his mouth to deny it, but his father beat him to the punch. "I'm a chief and a father son I know when someone has bad blood with someone else or I would have realized it sooner without Gobber telling me," Stoic said.
Kai was quiet again not making eye contact with his father. "Son you can tell me," Stoic tries to coax, but Kai still doesn't respond.
Stoic sighs trying to think of someway to get this out of Kai when there was two sudden screams and it was followed by a roar.
"Hiccup!" Stoic ran as Kai yelled. "NYA!"
They both ran back to the camp site and found Hiccup and Nya to be nowhere in sight along with the dragons. The only evidence of a fight was the scorch marks on the trees.
"Where in Thor's name did they go!?" Stoic yells looking around for them. "Nya! Hiccup!" Kai yells for them. Looking around he saw no footprints other than their own.
"Ember! Flame!" Kai continues to yell. "They aren't here son something took them," Stoic said looking around. "And judging by the lack of a fight it took them all off guard," Stoic said.
"Ember! Nya! Hiccup!" Kai continues screaming. "Son stop that yelling or you'll draw whatever beast back here!" Stoic reprimands his son.
There's a small roaring above and they looked up seeing Ember glide out of a hole in the trees she used to hide. "Ember!" Kai said in relief as his baby dragon hopped into his arms. The baby dragon was shaking in Kai's arms and made whimpering crying noises.
"Hey, hey, hey shhhh I got you," Kai whispers to his dragon soothingly kissing her head. "Well at least we got one dragon, but still what beasts could have taken off with all our dragons and family before we got here?" Stoic asks. Kai looks up from petting Ember and looks around. "Okay my baby dragon I just need to put you down for a second," Kai puts Ember down, but she jumps right back into his arms and uses her claws to grip to his clothing like a cat.
"Or I keep carrying you that works too I guess," Kai compromised petting his poor baby girl. "Where could they have gone?" Stoic asks. Kai looks around and saw the camping gear was still here.
He goes over to it and rummaged around. "Son what are you doing they aren't in there!" He yells at him, but Kai just pulls out a metal box.
"I knew Nya wouldn't go camping without this," Kai began pressing on it before it lit up. "What in Odin's beard is that?" Stoic asks. "It's a tracking device from Ninjago and if you give me a second," Kai presses a few more button and suddenly a dot appeared.
"Got it! Nya has a tracker in her ninja suit and it says here she's," he pauses confused and looks at the ground. "Directly thirty feet below us?"