I'm Leaving Forever (a HTTYD Runaway Fanfic ~ Book 1)

25 - Escape: Chaos

It felt like a good amount of time had passed since the Defenders and the Wingmaidens had left the Riders waiting for their return on the three boats that where anchored in position in the middle of the sea. Night had fallen a few hours ago, providing decent cover for them all, wherever any of them were at the moment, but the Riders still maintained as vigilant lookouts for the Defenders and the Wingmaidens, regardless of the amount of time they had spent doing so or the complaining.

The final plan that was decided five days ago was currently being put to action. As already stated, the Defenders and Wingmaidens had left the group a few hours ago, but it was because they were arguably stealthier than the Dragon Riders right now. There was no chance they would win against a fight with Drago without any knowledge as to what to expect. The least they could do was carry out a dangerous mission without being completely blind to the potential consequences. So, it was up to the Defenders and Wingmaidens to sneak onto the island and gather as much information as they could in the time they could have. Originally, they had decided that they would be granted at least a few hours, but due to the security, everyone was aware that that time could be cut short. However, the advantage is this is that it gave somewhat of a countdown for the Riders, who wouldn't be present at the time. If the Defenders and Wingmaidens weren't back in a few hours after their departure, then it would be safe to assume that something had happened, and then they would be able to act when needed.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case right now. Because Fishlegs had caught sight of small figures flying over towards them and he immediately recognized them as the Wingmaidens; and with the people they were carrying, it was clear that everyone made it. Yes, the Wingmaidens were carrying the Defenders to and from the island. As unorthodox as it sounds and looks, there was no way one of their dragons could carry everyone to and from the base and be expected to fight afterwards. In addition to that, they fear that a dragon would be too noticeable, and the result would be in a quick capture, so, to avoid that risk, the Wingmaidens agreed that they could carry one Defender each to go with them on their part of the mission.

"Guys. They're back," he alerted to the rest of the Riders, and, surprisingly, no one ended up being surprised by the outburst. Not because they didn't have faith in their allies, but because no one fell asleep on duty. "And I think all of them made it," Around five minutes later, ten people landed on the boat.

"First thing I can say is that the perimeter of the island is heavily fortified with catapults and ballistas, so the last thing you want to do is approach from a low altitude. There are also dragon sentries on various parts of the island but we have managed to find around three areas where it would be deemed suitable to land your dragons," Atali started off, "we've marked them by crosses, so you might want to head on over a quickly as you can to cover them up before anyone see,"

"Okay, thank you, Atali," Dagur said.

"And, we have checked the prison cells on the island, but unfortunately..."Mala paused for a few seconds, which left the Riders tense. Were Hiccup and Snotlout not there? "we couldn't find any sign of Hiccup or Snotlout, or either of their dragons," Everyones eyes widened. An icy fear overtook all of them. It stopped any words to being spoken plunging everyone into silence for a good several seconds.

"What?!" Gustav finally spoke up, "they arent there?! How?! Did we pick the wrong island?!"

"Well, we did base this whole thing off an assumption," Ruffnut responded. The choice of words made her sound snarky, but the tone made it evident that she was still in shock and worry.

"Hold on!" Astrid interrupted everyone in their panic states, despite her feeling an immense amount herself. But she had to stay positive and keep her head thinking straight; not let it drift off into a panic. She couldn't give up on them. If there was even a chance they were on that island, she had to get them both out and if everyone was panicking the whole time, then this mission would just get harder. "Mala said they couldn't find them. Not that they weren't on the island at all,"