As Hiccup, Kala and Toothless sped away from Berk, they talked over what they would do when they caught up to Eret's ship. The conversation was cut short though as Stormfly roared at them, making Hiccup slow down so she and Astrid could catch up.
"Okay, what in Odin's name are you three planning? And seriously Hiccup? Dragging your five year old into this?" Astrid asked with her arms crossed.
"I wanna help keep Berk safe Auntie Astrid." Kala whined with her arms crossed.
"You can't even fly yet firecracker, let alone fight." Astrid shot back. "It's too dangerous."
"I can too fight! Just..not in human form yet." Kala said, looking down as she gripped the saddle again with a pout.
"As for the plan, you'll see Aunt Astrid. Just go along with it, okay?" Toothless said with a small smile.
Astrid raised a brow the same time Stormfly raised a brow bone. "Oh really? This plan isn't going to end up being a failure that results in a battle is it?"
"No, we swear it. Just follow our lead, alright? Please Aunt Astrid." Toothless asked, lifting his mask to give her a pleading look.
Astrid sighed and glanced at Hiccup, who basically gave her the same look, and nodded. "Oh, alright."
Toothless smiled gratefully as he flipped his mask back down and faced forward. Kala smiled and bounced in her seat a bit before she settled back down as Toothless nudged her foot with his own. Which was just in time as they all heard shouting from below.
"HEADS! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!" They heard none other than Eret himself exclaim.
"Who was that..?" Kala whispered.
"That, my little flower, was the leader of that trapper ship. Eret, son of Eret. He tried to capture me and Auntie Stormfly." Hiccup explained as he sped up a bit as Eret threw out orders, dodging a net that was sent their way as he circled the ship. "Remember to stay with your brother and Auntie Astrid the entire time we're on this ship okay?"
"Okay.." Kala said with a small nod, not wanting to be separated from any of her family members in the slightest.
"Come on, reload!" A trapper yelled as Hiccup began to land. "Incoming!"
Just as he landed, the trappers scattered and not a second later Stormfly landed next to him.
"And here I was worried we might turn up empty-handed. And what's this? Another addition to your little party?" Eret asked as he came up to the small family with his arms splayed out as Toothless and Astrid dismounted, Toothless helping Kala dismount as well.
"Nope. It's your lucky day. We give up." Toothless said as he placed Kala down and took her hand as Hiccup tossed a net over Astrid's head, who gasped in shock and glared at him slightly.
He then nudged her to start walking towards the live well as Toothless led Kala towards it. Hiccup followed behind them as they all walked, growling at anyone who tried to get in the way of his kids.
"That's one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder, two of the finest dragon riders west of Luk Tuk, and a dragon whisper to boot. That oughta make the boss happy right? Excuse us." Toothless said as he pushed aside a weapon as they made their way past the trappers.
Hiccup growled as one of the trappers tried to touch him and he backed away. Hiccup then helped Kala into the live well as Toothless opened it and hopped down himself to catch his sister.
"What are you doing?" Astrid asked as she and Stormfly went over to the live well.
Hiccup picked her up by her hood and dropped her into the live well gently when she was close enough, then he backed away and sat in front of the live well while glaring at the trappers.
Toothless then poked his head out of the entrance to talk with the trappers. "The dragons don't really care for cramped spaces, so they'll just hang out with you. They won't be any trouble."
The trappers then pulled out their weapons, which only made Hiccup growl at them in disdain.
"Unless you do that." Toothless said. "Wooden boat, big ocean–How's your swimming?"
"Not good." A trapper answered as they lowered their weapons.
All of the trappers then jumped as a sword was thrown onto the deck as Toothless poked his head out of the live well again.
"Oops. Almost forgot. Can't have armed prisoners." He joked as he pushed his sword further away from the live well with a hand.
One of the trappers took it and looked it over. As the trappers were distracted by the unique designs carved into the sword, Hiccup glanced at his family to make sure they were okay and Kala lifted her mask to smile up at him before she lowered it again just to be safe.
"How is this a plan?" Astrid whispered to Hiccup aggravatedly, but he ignored the question as he put his attention back on the trappers.
"It's just a Gronckle iron sword, nothing special. Well, besides its durability." Toothless explained. "Although it's not as cool as my dad's sword. His can be set on fire and even has a compartment at the other end of it for Zippleback gas that can be lit up with just the press of a button. And once a dragon sees you as one of their own, even the testiest dragon can be trained. Right Shadow?"
Hiccup lowered his head to help Toothless out. Astrid lifted Kala to help her get out and the hatchling dashed to her father's side as soon as her boots hit the deck as Astrid clambered out behind her.
"Give me that!" Eret shouted as he forcefully took the sword from the trapper and threw it into the ocean.
Stormfly squawked in surprise and chased after it.
"What game are you playing?" Eret asked as he made his way towards the small family with a glare.
"No game." Toothless reassured as he stood beside his dad and sister. "We just want to meet Drago."
Stormfly came back with Toothless' sword and dropped it into Toothless' open hand. He then sheathed it back in its sheath along his back and crossed his arms. Kala clung to Hiccup's leg as she hid from Eret the best she could, not liking how threatening he sounded towards her brother.
"Why?" Eret asked with a skeptical look on his face as Hiccup subconsciously covered Kala further from view as he pulled her closer with his wing.
"Because we're going to change his mind about dragons." Toothless stated firmly.
Eret and his men laughed at that.
"I wouldn't laugh about that if I were you. Persuasiveness runs in the family." Astrid said with a hand on her hip as she put all her weight onto one leg.
"Once you've earned his loyalty, there is nothing a dragon won't do for you." Toothless said as he rested a hand on his dad's side.
"Puh! You won't be changing any minds around here." Eret said confidently.
"I can change yours." Toothless said as he looked at Eret. "Right here. Right now."
Hiccup nudged Kala towards Astrid as he went between Toothless and Eret. Astrid picked Kala up and held her close as she watched the scene before her carefully.
"May I?" Toothless asked as he gestured to the saddle on Hiccup's back.
Before anything could actually happen, however, Toothless was snatched up by Hookfang and Snotlout as the twins had Barf and Belch slice through the port sail.
"Dragon riders!" Eret exclaimed as he backed up.
Hiccup groaned and roared at the others.
"Hookfang, give me back my son!" He shouted as he climbed onto the top of the boat, not sure if he should fly after them or not, especially since Kala was still aboard the ship.
Toothless struggled in Hookfang's claws with a growl. "Put me down Uncle Snotlout! What are you doing?!"
Snotlout ignored the hatchling as he looked over at the twins with a smirk. "See how well I protect and provide?" He said to Ruffnut, but then he and the twins had to dodge as nets were sent their way.
Hiccup glared at the trappers, then took to the air and blasted apart a net that was close to capturing Toothless.
"Aggh! What is with all the nets?!" Tuffnut complained.
"Hey, watch it!" Ruffnut yelled. "That was close..." She began to say, then her eyes widened as she spotted Eret down on the ship. "Oh, my."
Ruffnut stared lovingly at him. "Me likey." She said with a dreamy air about her voice, then she raised her arms with her eyes closed. "Take me."
Toothless pushed off Hookfang and dived, which Hiccup took notice of and met him halfway. He grabbed hold of the saddle and secured himself then Hiccup made his way back to the ship.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Astrid exclaimed, which made Kala cover her ears with a whine as the trappers stopped in their tracks.
This gave Hiccup the opportunity to land. As he did, Toothless dismounted as Kala squirmed to be with her father, which Astrid obliged by securing her to the saddle. Kala gripped the saddle as she watched the other riders land on the ship, but out of the three Furies present she was the only one that wasn't glaring at them all. Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Gobber, and Stoick had come rushing after them.
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!" Toothless asked, very upset.
"We're here to rescue you!" Gobber said.
"WE DON'T NEED to be rescued!" Toothless shot back growling a bit.
"Toothless..." Kala whined only loud enough for her dad and brother to hear as her grip tightened on the saddle.
"ENOUGH!" Stoick shouted as he dismounted his Rumblehorn, Skullcrusher, and made his way towards them.
Kala shrank down close to the saddle with a whimper and Hiccup purred softly to help calm her down, which helped slightly.
"Well, didn't you just pick the wrong ship, eh?" Eret said as he put his attention on the Berkian chief. "I am Eret, son of–" He began, but was cut off as Stoick pushed him out of the way by his face.
Gobber then hit him in the head and had Grump drop on top of him, falling asleep and pinning him to the deck as he did.
"Get...this...thing...off...me!" Eret ordered breathlessly.
"Anyone else?" Gobber asked as he looked at the other trappers, who backed away sheepishly. "That's what I figured."
"You. Saddle up with your sister. We're going home." Stoick ordered once he was in front of his son and grandchildren.
"No." Toothless shot back with his arms crossed.
"Of all the irresponsible–"
"We're trying to protect the dragons and stop a war! How is that irresponsible?" Toothless asked.
"BECAUSE WAR IS WHAT HE WANTS, TOOTHLESS!" Stoick shouted, which got the Night Furies in front of him to flinch, a whine escaping the youngest one from how loud it was.
He then sighed and ran a hand over his face before continuing. "Years ago, there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons. He claimed that he alone could control the dragons and he alone could keep us safe, if we chose to bow down and follow him."
The other riders laughed at the story, whereas Hiccup and Toothless exchanged glances of concern and Kala shook fearfully as her grip tightened to the point her knuckles went white.
"Stupid." Ruffnut said as she calmed down from her laughing fit.
"Good one." Tuffnut added as he wiped at his eye.
"Aye. We laughed, too...Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out, 'Then see how well you do without me!'. The rooftop suddenly burst into flames, and from it, armored dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground. I...was the only one to escape." Stoick explained.
This got the others to go completely silent, all of the riders looking rather disturbed by the story. Kala was whimpering as she shook from the story and Toothless mounted Hiccup's back in order to comfort her and she clung to him the best she could from her spot in front of him.
"Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with." Stoick added.
"Maybe." Toothless said as he rubbed Kala's back.
"Toothless..." Stoick said, already knowing all too well that his son and grandchildren still hand their minds set.
"We're still going to try. That's what we're good at. And if we could change your mind...We can change his, too." Toothless declared, then he secured himself to the saddle and made sure Kala was properly secured before he held on as Hiccup took off.
Astrid quickly mounted Stormfly's back to follow her brother's lead. "Let's go."
"NO!" Stoick shouted as he glared slightly at Astrid. "Lead the others back to Berk. I've had enough mutiny for one day."
Ruffnut paid little mind to the conversation as she lay on her stomach in front of Eret with her legs kicking back and forth as she rested her head in her hand and ghosted her fingers across his muscles. "Ooh, I like that."
"Ruffnut!" Stoick yelled.
"Ugh! Okay!" She whined as she stood and made her way back to Barf and Belch after she planted an indirect kiss on Eret's cheek.
~~~HTRYNF~~~
Hiccup glared ahead as he, Kala, and Toothless fled the ship. They were a good distance away by now as he glided over a bed of clouds that glowed in the low Arctic sun. He growled and screeched in frustration.
Kala looked at him with worry in her eyes, even though said eyes were hidden behind her helmet. "Daddy..." She whined.
Hiccup sighed and glanced up at her with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, little one. I'm not gonna let anything happen to us. I promise."
"Yeah, well tell that to Grandpa, Dad.." Toothless muttered in irritation as he slumped back on the saddle.
The clouds surrounding them then tore from something. Hiccup growled in warning at whoever was approaching them and Toothless growled in annoyance, assuming that it was his grandfather.
"AW, COME ON, GRANDPA! REALLY?!" He yelled as he sat up and looked at where he assumed he was at, but his eyes widened as he realized it wasn't him but a mysterious figure that wore a mask.
"I don't think that's Grandpa, Toothless..." Kala whimpered.
"No sudden moves." Hiccup warned as Kala gripped the handles on the saddle and Toothless covered her hands with his own.
The figure then rose up, revealing that they were riding atop a Stormcutter. Well. More like standing atop the Stormcutter.
Hiccup came to a stop at the same time the Stormcutter did in front of the small family, a glare directed at the dragon in front of him in a warning. Kala whimpered as she leaned into her brother for comfort, rather intimidated by how large the Stormcutter was. Toothless had an awestruck look as he took in the Stormcutter's appearance.
"Uh.." He breathed out, not really knowing what to say to the person.
Before he could say anything, however, dragons tried to snatch him and Kala off Hiccup's back, but because of how small they were, their grips gave way and the two hatchlings began to freefall as they screamed.
"DADDY!" Kala cried out as tears began to flow down her face, her helmet having fallen off and plummeting past her as she flailed.
Toothless was in a similar state, his helmet also having fallen off as he flailed to try and steady himself.
"KALA! TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup screeched as he dove after his hatchlings, transforming into his hybrid form to catch his children better.
He got ahold of Kala and held her close as he steadied himself as he looked her over quickly. She clung to him as she shook and he kissed her head before he looked back down to see how far away Toothless had become. But before he could even try to reach his son, another dragon grabbed hold of him and began to carry him and Kala away.
"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup and Kala both screeched as they watched in horror as he fell further and further away from them.
"DAD!" Toothless was able to get out before he crashed through the ice into the icy ocean below, the helmets falling into the water with him.
Seeing her brother fall into the ocean only made Kala cry harder as she hid her face in Hiccup's chest as Hiccup began to struggle to get out of the dragon's hold.
"HEY! YOU LEFT MY SON BACK THERE YOU JERK!" He growled out at the person, very upset at being taken away before he could save his other child.
As the fuming young adult struggled to get free to save his eldest hatchling, another dragon quickly broke from the group and sped back to where Toothless fell into the water and is now struggling to hold onto an ice block, too cold to even think about transforming in order to catch up as he shivered. The dragon then scooped him up and tossed him into the air, flying underneath him to catch him on its back.
Toothless yelped as he was tossed then clung to the dragon's back as he landed atop it, a shivering mess as the dragon caught up with the group. Hiccup noticed that his son was okay, albeit freezing, and ceased in his struggle as he put his full attention on his daughter, who was still crying her eyes out into his flight suit.
"Shhh...it's alright little one...your brother's fine...and so are you...it's okay..." He soothed as he rubbed her back and gently kissed the top of her head.
Kala's cries died down significantly as he soothed her, becoming nothing more than sniffles and hiccups as her grip loosened ever so slightly. Hiccup smiled and kissed her head one last time before he looked around at their surroundings, his eyes widening as he noticed a giant ice structure that seemed to be where they were headed, but he tore his gaze away from the structure as he focused on Toothless.
"How you holding in there, bud?" He asked, getting a shaky thumbs up as his answer.
Before anything else could be said, Hiccup was dropped onto an icy floor and groaned from the impact, having maneuvered himself to land on his back to keep Kala safe. The dragon that had Toothless landed beside the other Furies and slid the hatchling off its back. Toothless let out a groan as he too hit the icy floor and sat up holding his arms as he shivered.
"C-c-coldddddd..." He got out through his chattering teeth.
As Hiccup stood and adjusted his hold on his daughter, keeping close to his son as said boy tried to warm himself up enough to stand, dragons surrounded them. Hiccup considered transforming, but then remembered that he was in hybrid form still as he looked around at all the dragons.
He reached out to the one that was closest to them, the one who had rescued Toothless, but he then recoiled and held Kala as close to himself as he could as the mysterious person tried to get close to them.
Hiccup glared at the person with a growl forming in the back of his throat as he backed away from them. "Who are you? The Dragon Thief? Drago Bludvist? Do you even understand what I'm saying?" He questioned.
Before he could say another word, the person shook their staff to order the dragons surrounding them to light up the room. This got Kala to glance around as she clung to Hiccup, still sniffling and hiccuping from her crying fit. Toothless sighed gratefully as he crawled over to one of the dragons that had a flame in their maw and used the flame to warm himself and melt some of the ice that had formed on his body.
The mysterious person then approached Hiccup and Kala, trying to reach out for Hiccup's wings, but he stepped back to keep out of reach.
"Don't. Touch me." He growled out, which got them to back away.
They then tilted their head as they looked him over, then they tilted it further as though something dawned on them.
"Hiccup?" The person, who Hiccup now knew was a woman by the sound of her voice, asked as she removed her helmet.
She looked to be middle-aged. Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a braid that was tucked away into the armor she wore. Now that he could tell she was a woman, her body stood out as such even though the armor most likely was meant to hide that fact.
"Could it be? After all these years? How is this possible?" She asked, looking at him with shock, as though she had seen a ghost.
"Uh, should I...should I know you?" Hiccup asked, rather confused now.
The woman looked down with a sad smile. "No. You were only a babe..." She then looked up as her eyes became glassy. "But a mother never forgets."
Hiccup froze in place with wide eyes and Kala looked at the woman in confusion. Toothless turned to the conversation with a raised brow of confusion.
"Huh now?" He asked, finally warm enough from the dragon's flame to talk properly again as he made his way to his father's side.
This woman was claiming to be Hiccup's mother? In turn, Kala and Toothless' grandmother? That was such an absurd claim to make. Especially since this was the first time they had ever met the woman.
"Come..." The woman said as she ushered the small family to follow her, then ran off.
Hiccup, Kala and Toothless exchanged glances before the two male Furies dashed after her with their minds racing.
~~~HTRYNF~~~
Elsewhere, Stoick and Gobber were flying in search of the small Fury family.
"Boar-headed! The lot of them! Just like Hiccup's mother and the children's grandmother! She could never stay put either." The chief complained as he and the blacksmith flew over the icy waters below.
"Ah, Hiccup's just twenty and the wee ones are free spirited just like their father. And their dragons. I mean, could there be a worse combination? Ha! When I think of how stubborn and senseless YOU were back in the day...well, not much has changed, actually." Gobber said as he tapped his chin in thought.
Stoick groaned and ran a hand down his face. "You know what they're like. They won't give up, Gobber. And if they find Drago, before we find them..."
"Bah! NOTHING can hurt those three. They're Night Furies! Not to mention Hiccup is very very protective when it comes to Toothless and Kala." Gobber stated confidently.
Stoick took notice of something floating in the waters below and he signaled to Gobber as he steered Skullcrusher to land. Gobber landed just a few seconds later as Stoick dismounts his Rumblehorn and grabs the items that caught his attention.
They were Toothless and Kala's flight helmets.
The chief then made his way back to his dragon and held Kala's helmet up to him.
"Find them, Skullcrusher. Find them." Stoick said, a bit of desperation in his words.
The Rumblehorn sniffed at the helmet and roared once he picked up the scent.
~~~HTRYNF~~~