Comet Nights (HTTYD Fanfic)

Chapter Six: We Have To Find Her

"She's gone!"

Toothless gave a low moan of misery and snuffled at Comet's empty nest, his eyes large and mournful. Hiccup was just staring at the Comet-free cave in shock. Comet was gone! The only female Night Fury, last of her kind, had disappeared!

Suddenly, Toothless began to snarl at something lying on the floor. Feeling detached from the world, Hiccup walked over and picked the item up. It was a gleaming iron dagger, chipped on the edge from when it had fallen on the cave floor. As he studied it, the Chief felt his mind sharpen again, and he knew what to do.

"Come on, Toothless. We're going to find Comet."

All the vikings were clustered in the common area in the centre of the village, their dragons peering between or, in some cases, looking right over their heads. Hiccup was standing on a large wooden box, a makeshift lectern for the Chief. He was a bit embarrassed at all the faces staring at him, but Toothless's miserable face strengthened his resolve and made him straighten up and take charge.

"Listen, everybody!"

No one stopped talking. Hiccup groaned and stamped down, hard, on Toothless's tail. The Night Fury's roar echoed around the common, and all heads turned in his direction.

"All right," proclaimed Hiccup. "Now that I've got your attention, we can get to what needs to be said! Last night, a dragon flew away from Berk. I know, I know, all the dragons fly out from time to time, but it looks like this one has no intention of coming back. That is a problem. Because this dragon wasn't just some Monstrous Nightmare or Gronkle. No, this dragon was a Night Fury. The last female Night Fury."

Excited and suspicious whispers started up.

"Her name was Comet, and she's extremely valuable. I didn't want to reveal her presence, because she doesn't like humans. It was her who attacked the sheep and Fishlegs. So there was a good reason why I kept her existence hidden. But it seems that someone revealed Comet before I had a chance."

He brandished the knife he had found in front of him.

No one moved an inch.

"I need the owner of this dagger to come here." When no one stepped up, Hiccup narrowed his eyes and yelled, "Now."

Suddenly, a girl somewhere in the crowd burst into tears and pushed her way to the front. She was young- only twelve or thirteen- and there were white bandages around her forearms.

"It's mine! It's mine!" she wailed. Hiccup would have said something but the girl continued before he could do more than open his mouth. "Me and my brother and some of his friends went down to a little glade last night because they thought there was another Night Fury and we went into a cave and a big black dragon shot a fireball at us and flew away and I'm sooooryyy Chief we didn't mean it I promise!!" The girl ended her long sentence with a series of blubbering wails. Hiccup's heart softened a bit, she obviously hadn't intended to scare Comet away.

"It's all right. Just don't go poking in weird, dragon-infested caves, okay?" He handed the girl back her knife and she disappeared into the arms of a woman who looked like her mother.

"Alright. There's no other choice in this matter- Toothless and I will have to go find her. Gobber, I'm appointing you in charge of Berk until I come back. No questions asked. This is too important to let go. You can go home now, everyone."

Slowly, unsure at the safety of Hiccup's plan, the vikings dispersed. Gobber, Valka and Astrid stayed, staring up at him.

"Hiccup..." murmured Astrid.

"But, lad, don't you think it's a bit dangerous?" protested Gobber.

"We have to find her, Gobber. I'm sorry."

Hiccup lithely climbed onto Toothless's back. The Night Fury stretched his wings and was off like a shot, leaving his friends far below. Hiccup didn't know when he'd return, but he did know who he'd be bringing back.

They would bring Comet home... Or die trying.