Searching For You

Chapter 19: Heimdall's Hold

The riders were up early that morning to continue their flight. They had been flying for a little over an hour and expected to get there that afternoon.

They were completely oblivious to the beating sun with the cool breeze blowing past them. It felt like a good day.

Everyone was a lot chattier today because of the growing excitement of nearing their destination.

Each was speculating what it was going to be like. Of course, Astrid now had a rough image of what the island looked like but she still didn't know the details. Hiccup kept that part of their late-night discussion a secret.

Another hour blazed by and the excitement grew. Fishlegs was definitely the most talkative of the group. Constantly stating his thoughts, which they didn't really mind. It felt less awkward than yesterday's flight so it felt better.

Now Astrid really felt like they were teens again. She remembered the day they all followed Hiccup into The Great Beyond in search of new lands and dragons.

In search of adventure.

That was how she felt now. They were all flying together again off into an unknown world. None of them, other than Hiccup, had flown out this far before. It truly was an adventure for them.

Fishlegs flew up next to Hiccup. "Ooo... Hiccup. The suspense is killing me. Can't you just tell me?"

Hiccup grinned at him. "No Fishlegs you'll see when we get there. I want you to be as surprised as possible."

Fishlegs sighed in defeat.

Soon they took a break for an early lunch. They talked through their lunch and sat for a little longer than they intended but got back up into the sky.

Now they were unable to contain their excitement and were flying double-time.

Now they were in the final stretch of their journey and Hiccup decided now would be a good time to establish boundaries.

He pulled them down onto a nearby sea stack.

"So, I figured now was the time to tell there will be rules." The Twins and Snotlout groaned. "Like I said before, Hybrids don't like humans. If anything, most are scared of them. You have to give them their respective space. I can't guarantee all of them will warm up to you. To be honest, most of them probably won't. But I know a certain group that might."

They all understood these 'rules' that had been put in place.

"And do not, under any circumstances, pester them." He said, looking directly at the Twins.

"What! We would do no such thing." Tuffnut said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah H, not cool," Ruffnut said agreeing with her brother.

Hiccup just shook his head. "Okay, guys let's get going. We'll be there in less than ten minutes. Just follow me."

They took off and finished their journey.

They were met with an unexpected sight. Or, at least, unexpected to everyone other than Hiccup.

In front of them was a large, thick cloud of fog. It went a few miles in each direction. They were all confused and thought they were in the wrong place. But Hiccup looked back at them and reassured them they were in the right place.

"Okay everybody stay together and close. You may not be able to see me in the fog but the dragons will know where I am so just trust them." He called out.

They nodded, trusting he knew what he was doing. The dragons were all locked on to his scent and were ready to follow.

Hiccup slowly flew into the fog and the dragons stayed close behind. The fog was just as dense as it looked. They could barely see three feet in front of them but the dragons were following Hiccup through the thick fog. Hiccup was also able to navigate through the fog with his heightened senses.

There were a few times when the dragons would make a sharp turn they weren't expecting. But right after that, they would see a huge rock formation pass by them realizing why the dragons turned so suddenly.

The fog felt similar to Helheim's gate. Except it had a lot lower visibility and there weren't broken and discarded ships. As they got farther in the fog became thinner indicating they were near the end of it.

They were not expecting what they saw when they got through the fog.

When they saw a dim light breaking through the fog they knew they were close. When they finally got through they were met with a beautiful sight.

A glorious island that stood tall was in the middle of the grand ring of fog. It had a few sea stacks surrounding it. The island had lush greenery that was absolutely stunning. It had a thick base that went deep into the ocean. The top thinned out into a giant mountain peak.

They were hovering in the air for a moment taking in the natural beauty.

They saw many Hybrids flying around the island.

Hiccup was amused by their shocked faces.

"Come on." He said flying toward the island. As they flew past small packs of Hybrids they got strange looks and the Hybrids would immediately turn away from them. The others were still in awe at what they were seeing. An entire island of Hybrids that's been here for so long, and they hadn't even known.

As they approached the island they saw small houses placed around the wooded areas.

They landed in a clearing, the beating wings pushing away small rocks and other bits of rubble. Soft whispers were heard all around them. The Hybrids were crowding around them but, still keeping a safe distance.

There were many different types, each with a wide array of colors. They saw many dragons they recognized, such as Deadly Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Gronkles, and even some Death Songs that could be spotted in the crowd.

But there were a few they didn't know.

The sight was overwhelming for both parties. The humans never thought they would see another Hybrid.

Most of the Hybrids had never seen a human. Let alone a human that didn't try to kill them on sight.

Although they were curious about the seemingly friendly humans they were still extremely cautious. There were only two reasons they hadn't resorted to attack immediately. One, they had dragons so that just be a step in the right direction. Two, one of their own, were standing right next to them.

"Just take it nice and slow. Try not to move too suddenly. For the time being, just think of their wild dragons." Hiccup whispered to the gang.

One Hybrid stepped through the crowd. His skin was dark, making any small scar noticeable. His hair was black and short, barely noticeable. His wings were dark green with elaborate black markings. His tails wrapped up into one. He stood slightly taller than Hiccup.

This was a dragon they recognized.

It was a Triple Stryke.

He walked forward a few feet away from Hiccup. The others backed up slightly but a Hiccup never moved.

"Well look who finally decided to show up."