[1 hour before mission start]
"You sure you need all this fish you two?" Henry asked Amari. The dragons were eating a very large amount of fish before the mission start, which confused Henry. It was nighttime already, so Henry was using a flashlight.
"(~We are saving it for our friends and relatives. They haven't eaten anything good since the last months~)" Amari said as she slurped the last fish up. "Ah, I see. Well, you better finish up quickly before we depart. And we must hide you two so that other prying eyes don't notice you guys." Henry said.
After that he went to check on Elias.
"How much is left?" he asked, and Elias replied "Not much. Only moments before they switch guard" as he focused the night vision camera lens on the two dragons that sat on the nest's entrance. "Got it. I'll get everything prepared. You too should get in my mecha. " Henry said, then exited the aircarrier to meet up with Akio again as Elias called out "Don't worry. I've got the equipment ready". He asked the night fury if it were alright if Alice could carry him, and he said yes. When Henry went to ask Alice about this, it became a little difficult to convince her.
"What? No, I'm not gonna carry those angry scales." Alice said. "If you don't, he'll get really cranky. And besides, we're about to leave." Henry said, with Akio growling to emphasize the point. Alice scoffed and said "Ok fine! As long as he doesn't keep growling when I pick him up", then turned around and climbed up her mecha. Gently, she controlled the arm to pick up Akio. And, to her surprise, the night fury just stood quiet completely, looking calm. ["Did it just...?"] Alice stammered, and Henry replied "Yep, he did." proudly. Afterward, the rest of the squadron advanced forward by positioning themselves behind sub-islets in case Alice and Henry needed backup.
[1 minute before mission start]
[ALL SYSTEMS: GO]
"Comfortable? The extra chair that was installed looks really small." Henry observed as he and Elias got seated inside the cockpit. "I'm fine. Nothing bothers me." Dr. Elias said, taking out his laptop to monitor the dragons that were about to leave. The cockpit hatch closed and the screens turned on as Henry's mecha powered up
"[The mission has started. Now we wait until the dragons leave, right?]" Alice asked from the radio. "Yes. Only a few moments. I can feel it." Elias said, his eyes glued to the screen.
Just like it was predicted, the two dragons left their "posts" and went back into the hidden world after a good moment.
"Now's our chance!" Henry said, then sent a mental message to Amari. The furred fury, now turned completely invisible, began climbing up Henry's mecha until she reached the left shoulder. 'Hold on tight.' Henry mindlinked Amari, and she latched her claws firmly in an opening gap. With her being ready, the wings on the mecha flight units unfolded and the engines started up. "Taking off." Henry said on the radio as he increased the engine throttle. Now, the mechas ascended up to the sky, and then Henry dived down and flew forward at high speed. Alice followed beside Henry as she held Akio tightly with care.
The two mechas that carried the dragons flew low above the seawater at high speed to get inside the nest before the next patrol pair arrived. But before they reached the edge of the caldera entrance, Henry suddenly piloted his mecha upwards until he was hovering right on top of the billowing cloud that exited the nest. "[Ummm...what's wrong?]" Alice asked him on the radio. "Let's not dive in like golf balls getting in the hole. There could be sharp rocks jutting on the edges with all the smoke blinding us. Let's hover down gently and then proceed with the plan." Henry stated on the radio. "[Good idea.]" Alice replied.
As they descended into the entrance, they maneuvered carefully each time they saw a rock edge jut out from the waterfalls.
After two minutes, they went through the waterfalls and entered the nest.
It was dark inside, making Henry and Alice turn on their head lights to see better. After they landed on a rocky edge, the dragons got off and relaxed.
"(~Well...welcome to my home. Come, we'll lead you to a place where you three can hide before the next pair comes.~)" Amari said in the mindlink, then turned around and led them deeper into the nest.
YOU ARE READING
How To Train Your Dragon 4: Near Horizon
Fanfiction"There were dragons when I was a boy. Some say they crawled back into the sea leaving not a bone or a fang to remember them. Others say they were nothing but folk tales to begin with. But maybe one day, a time may come where the dragons will return...
