Lightning Rider

A Discovery

"And you're sure this skrill is definitely real, my love?" Mala asked Daguar as the group stood outside the stables on Berserker island.

"Yes! Unless my men lied to me...which I wouldn't put it past them. But I am certain!" Daguar replied. Hiccup looked away from them and towards Astrid.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's just...nothing. It's nothing" he said, shaking the thought out of his mind.

"You can tell me, Hiccup"

"Thanks Astrid, but don't worry about it" he smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. The familiar sound of a razorwhip's wings suddenly came to their attention, followed by the thud of a dragon landing. Windsheer.

"Heather!" Astrid ran over and hugged her friend.

"Astrid!" Heather smiled.

"Heather, it's good to see you again!" Hiccup said.

"I was on Wingmaiden island when Snotlout showed up saying I was needed back home cause Daguar has news of a possibly non existent dragon rider"

"You sounded just like him there" Astrid laughed.

"Where is Snotlout?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh, he wanted to convince Mindin to come with us, but I left before he finished. For all I know he could still be back there arguing with them"

"Classical Snotlout" Fishlegs said as he walked up to them.

"Fishlegs!" Heather hugged him.

"Hi, Heather" Fishlegs greeted.

"Is it just me or is there a burning dragon falling out of the sky?" Tuffnut asked out of nowhere.

"And that, my dear brother, would be Snotlout" Ruffnut explained.

"Wait, Tuff, did you say falling!?" Hiccup asked in shock.

"Yup, falling down like a graceful comet" Tuffnut confirmed.

"An annoying comet more like" Astrid slipped in.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called as he ran towards his dragon. They leapt into the air, and flew towards what did indeed appear to be Hookfang falling down towards the ocean.

"Hiccup! Help!" a terrified Snotlout called from his dragon's back. Toothless dove towards Hookfang, grabbing him by the tail before he could land in the ocean.

"Why is it always me?" Snotlout complained.

"Snotlout what happened!?" Hiccup asked worriedly.

"Daguar's skrill is very, very real"

"It attacked you?"

"Skrills hate me! Okay, Hiccup!" Toothless flew the injured Hookfang back to shore, where Hiccup laid out their plan of action.

"The Skrill attacked Snotlout, which means it can't be far from here, but Hookfang needs healing" Hiccup explained to the group.

"Stormfly, Windsheer, Toothless and Sluether are our fastest dragons, and Daguar knows the skrill, we should pursue while the others help Hookfang" Heather suggested.

"Good idea, Heather. Snotlout you should come with us, since you've seen it"

"It's okay, Hooky, you'll be okay" Snotlout said to his dragon. Dagaur, Heather, Astrid and Hiccup all climbed onto their dragons, Snotlout sat behind Hiccup on Toothless' back. The four dragons took off, cutting through the sky like arrows out of a crossbow.

"Snotlout, where exactly did it attack you!?" Astrid yelled across from her dragon.

"Just as I approached the island!" Snotlout replied.

"What side did you approach from?" Hiccup asked.

"North" Snotlout answered, as he pointed west.

"That's west!" Astrid corrected.

"Daguar, it's your island, where are the best spots to hide out with a dragon on the west side of the island?"

"Well, you see, I haven't really done much hiding out with any dragons-" Daguar began.

"There!" Heather pointed at a ledge about halfway up the mountain, smoke was steadily rising from what appeared to be a thick bush.

"Looks like someone has a hidden camp there" Astrid observed.

"Okay gang, we'll swoop round and approach quietly"

"I'll hang back, windsheer will make too much noise" Heather said. As one unit, the dragons swooped around and silently approached the bush. Toothless was first to land. Hiccup signed for him to be on guard, then he pulled a sword out and crept towards the bush, followed by the others. They pushed through the thorns, to find an abandoned camp inside the thick foliage. A smoking pile of sticks, and several patches of mud where heavy things had been sitting for long periods of time.

"Whoever camped here did so for a long time" Astrid said.

"How did I not know about this camp on my own island!?" Daguar stomped his foot. He was interrupted by a bright flash from outside the bush, and a scream. "Heather!" Hiccup had never seen Dagaur run so fast. The others followed behind him, trying to get to their dragons as fast as they could. As he was running, something caught Hiccup's eye. He stopped to take a closer look, and was shocked to see what it was.