"So the bolas incinerated? Just like that?" Ingrid exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

Hiccup nodded. He and his friends were gathered around a bonfire just in front of his lodge.

For the past hour, Hiccup had explained about this afternoon's events with the hunters he encountered.

Darkness had crept to the Island of Edon. The glistening moon hung high, casting off shadows through the trees.

Tree swayed against the howling wind, sending a cool touch down Hiccup's spine.

After escaping the hunters, he couldn't stop thinking about the whole ordeal.

Most importantly, the wounded Thunderdrum.

He was worried about it. It had looked so frail, so helpless, and it was suffering under the hunters' chains.

Now perhaps it had been too late.

There was no denying what horrid, diabolical things those hunters would have done to it.

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome," Hiccup scratched Toothless' chin, who moaned happily, "We managed to escape, but we couldn't save the Thunderdrum in time,"

An eerie silence hung among the group of friends. The only sound they heard was Ingrid's Timberjack, Arrow, munching on a tasty smoked salmon.

Gunnar's Monstrous Nightmare, Fangshot nested under a lone pine, curled against the fire.

Clearly, he did not want to be disturbed.

Runa's pale blue Thunderdrum, Echo leaned against her rider, staring off into the flames.

She shot through the bonfire, igniting it.

"Horas the Merciless?" Gunnar spoke cocking a brow, "I wonder how he got that name,"

Hiccup gave a shrug, "No idea. But that guy gives me the chills. He's like the leader of the dragon hunters, I assume,"

"I don't think anybody has heard of him," Gunnar replied, picking out gunk of food in between his teeth with a stick, "Must be another tribe of hunters,"

Hiccup stared at him, his eyes widened curiously.

"Wait, you mean there's more?" he asked, surprised, "So you mean the hunters that attacked Edon weren't the only one?"

Ingrid nodded gravely, "There's dozens in this region of the archipelago. For centuries, they've always tried to attack our island. We're a wealthy tribe with great resources. They know we have dragons, and would do anything to capture them,"

"What would they do with your dragons if they captured them?" Hiccup asked, adjusting his sitting position.

"Like other hunters, they'll turn the dragons into profits,"

Hiccup mentally cringed at the thought. He knew what those hunters were doing was wrong on so many levels. They were relentless, as Hiccup had seen.

"We would do anything to defend our home, our dragons," Runa declared, tearing her salmon open with her dagger.

"So what did this guy look like anyway?" Runa asked, munching on her salmon.

Hiccup tried to recall what he looked like. Honestly, the hunter leader's looks weren't to his liking.

There were no words to describe him.

"Uh...big, hairy, and kinda delusional. And you could say he's...merciless," Hiccup said, listing off with his fingers, "Oh, and he and his men wore cloaks made of Zippleback skin. Pretty disgusting, actually,"

The others gasped their faces shocked and full of distaste.

"Ugh, I think I just threw up my dinner in my mouth," Gunner muttered, gagging.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Ingrid asked, concerned.

Nodding, Hiccup pulled up his sleeve, revealing a deep gash in his arm.

Out of the three of the, Gunner was the most impressed. He stared at the cut, grinning in awe.

"Wow. That's...cool," the others exchanged strange looks. Gunnar then cleared his throat, "I mean you got yourself a battle scar. Then again, if it's from a hunter, it's horrible, right?"

Hiccup frowned, "It's not just me they tried to hurt," he turned to Toothless worried, "They tried to kill Toothless. They wanted a trade,"

Runa dropped her fish on the ground. She looked up at the auburn-haired teen in horror.

"Trade? What do you mean?" she asked, reaching for her salmon.

Hiccup glanced at the others gravely. His gaze fell on Toothless, which made the others sense something was wrong.

"Hiccup, you can tell us," Ingrid said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "We're your friends. We need to know what happened. What did these hunters want?"

The young Viking lowered his eyes. He fiddled around with his fish kebab for a moment, then lets out a sigh.

"They...they wanted to barter Toothless," he fixed his green gaze on the others, "They offered me chickens, fruits and all kinds of things as payment. There is no denying what they're capable of. Those guys looked dangerous. I couldn't accept an offer," he paused to stroke Toothless' dark scales, "If something had happened to Toothless...gods, I could never forgive myself,"

An eerie silence returned to the group. Everyone exchanged anxious looks at each other, sensing their home might be in imminent danger.

"Do you think these hunters will ever attack Edon?" Ingrid asked after a long silence.

Hiccup gazed into the flames, caught in his own trail of thoughts.

Glancing over at his barely eaten fish, he heaved out a sigh. After today's turn of events, Hiccup had suddenly lost his appetite.

He couldn't stop thinking about the hunters. Most importantly, he couldn't stop thinking about his former home; Berk.

He had risked his life to defeat the dragon queen for Berk's own good. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what life in Berk was like, now that the three-hundred-year war was over.

Sometimes, he pondered about Gobber, the other teenagers, and especially...his father, Stoick.

A huge part of him longed to see them again. They might have forgotten him, perhaps accepting the fact he was dead, but Hiccup wanted to see them once more.

Maybe he could apologise to his father for not being the son he desired.

However, he was banished and could never return, no matter what.

His mind returned to the wounded Thunderdrum.

Guilt and sorrow shot through his heart, like a thousand knives prickling him.

"I shouldn't have left it there," he muttered, dropping his kebab.

Toothless took the opportunity to finish his rider's dinner. After all, who could waste a perfectly tasty fish?

The ebony dragon nuzzled against his rider, his dilated green eyes stared at him worriedly.

Hiccup stared at the growing flames, his back hunched, eyebrows arched. His face had stiffened and his thin lips were twisted to a scowl.

Shuffling in his place, the auburn-haired teen clenched his fists. He narrowed his eyes at the flames, enraged.

The dancing flames reflected in his his eyes.

Though, instead of their usual warm shade, they were a glass green, filled with hurt and anger.

Caught in his troubled thoughts, Hiccup didn't notice the others exchanging worried looks.

Rage burned inside him as his mind lingered on the hunters; on Horas the Merciless.

They were not humans, he realised, but were untamed beasts. They were cold blooded murderers.

Yet, they could do whatever they please, and Hiccup thought that was seriously twisted.

He opened his jaw and let out an anguished scream. Humiliated, Hiccup dropped his head low, letting out short, shaky breaths.

The others stared at him, bewildered. They were silent, knowing their friend was upset, and in a rather different state of mind.

Toothless gave a low, worried growl. He sensed his rider was troubled, and seeing him this hurt, this shaken, this...this upset was enough to know that Hiccup was not in his right state of mind.

All he wanted was his rider, his best friend.

Oh, and possibly another fresh cod.

Toothless nudged his rider, who gave a wan smile.

"It's...it's my fault," Hiccup raked his fingers through his hair, "I...I shouldn't have left that Thunderdrum there. It was hurt, helpless and on the brink of death," he sighed, lowering his eyes, "I'm just as bad as those hunters. Oh, if only I-''

"Hiccup, you can't blame yourself for this," Gunner interjected, "You said that these guys were dangerous,"

The auburn-haired teen drew a crestfallen breath.

"I did, but if I had helped that Thunderdrum in time, it wouldn't be in the hunters' mess,"

Turning to the others, Hiccup eyed everyone gravely.

"Guys, these hunters skin dragons alive. That was why they wear Zippleback skin. I'm worried if they find Edon, they'll..."

"...capture our dragons and kill them," Ingrid finished for him, "Well, what do you suppose we do?"

Hiccup fell silent for a moment. A distraught look cast over his face as he stared longingly into the flames.

"The chief needs to know about this," he said, glancing at the others, "This is very serious. Edon needs to know what we might be dealing with,"

Gunnar broke a twig in two, and then careless tossed it in the fire.

He leaned back, cupping his hands at the back of his head.

An incredulous look fell over his face.

Unlike Hiccup, Gunnar didn't seem too worried about these hunters. Not right now, anyway.

If these hunters did try to attack Edon, Gunnar was confident they wouldn't stand a chance.

After all, Edon had dragons that could withstand even the fiercest

"Relax, Hiccup," Gunner said at ease, "The hunters won't even try to get here, not when we have dragon riders on patrol around our borders. Even if these hunters do trespass our island," he gave a shrug, "We'll be ready to defend,"

Hiccup shook his head warily, "No, these guys were relentless. They won't give up so easily. They would've captured Toothless if we hadn't been so lucky and..." he paused, biting his lip, "if we hadn't survived their attack, I wouldn't know what would have happened,"

The others exchanged worried looks.

"These hunters had the Thunderdrum trapped," Hiccup went on, clasping his hands together, "The dragon had an arrow stuck in its side. How sickening is that? I swear these hunters kill dragons for sport. I don't like it one bit,"

Hiccup licked his dry lips, and he stared at the others anxiously.

"These people are nothing you've ever seen," he said, his voice grown raspy, "Guys, we don't know where they come from, but I..." he let his words trailed off as he anxiously fumble with his fingers.

He had to admit, encountering these hunters had been the most frightening thing he had ever experienced.

"I get it. You're frightened," Ingrid interjected, nodding, "There's a small chance they would attack Edon any moment," she tossed her salmon aside.

Arrow caught the fish in her jaws and swallowed it whole.

Ingrid smiled, scratching her dragon's chin.

Hiccup exchanged looks with the others, who didn't seem at all troubled.

Annoyance tugged inside him. He'd never thought his friends would be this ignorant and care less about what he had just experienced.

Then again, they weren't there to see exactly what had happened.

"Guys, you obviously weren't there. You don't even know these hunters, but I do," he crouched down, petting Toothless' head, "These hunters abuse dragons. I bet they have a slaughter house full of them,"

The young Viking stared up at the night sky.

His mind crawled back to the Thunderdrum; to everything he encountered on that desolate island.

Every time he closed his eyes, Hiccup could only imagine Horas' grinning wickedly. He could hear Horas' voice haunting his mind, and all he wanted was some peace.

Rage boiled inside him as flashbacks of the wounded Thunderdrum flood through his mind.

He realised the poor dragon may not be the only dragon abused like that.

"Horas must be keeping hundreds of dragons," Hiccup murmured.

The others exchanged bewildered looks.

Ingrid furrowed her brows, perplexed, "So...what are you saying?"

Hiccup fell silent for a brief moment. He stood up and heaved out a sigh.

"I'm saying many dragons might be wounded by those hunters," he paused, staring out into the darkness, "I just don't want them to meet the same fate as the Thunder Drum. I can't let them,"

At the back of her mind, Ingrid had no idea what her friend was planning. Whatever he was thinking of doing, Ingrid didn't want to go along with it.

After all, Hiccup does tend to get himself in odd, life threatening situations. Luckily, Toothless was always there to save him.

"Hiccup, whatever you're planning, it isn't worth your while," Ingrid drew a breath, "Look; we don't know this Horas guy. We don't know where he lives, and maybe you shouldn't worry about him. It's not like he knows where we are,"

Although she did have a point, Hiccup feared Horas could possibly find his way to Edon somehow. He seemed cunning and would be smart enough to take a route to his home.

"For now, you shouldn't worry about it. Besides, it's getting late," Ingrid let out a yawn, "I should probably be heading back soon,"

Runa gave an affirmative nod, "Agree. Let's not worry about it,"

Hiccup turned to Gunner, who looked as relaxed as the others.

"Even if these hunters attack, we'll be ready for them," Gunner declared, determination swelling in his eyes, "I mean, we're trained warriors," he eyed Hiccup's lanky physique, "Well, most of us. We have the one thing those hunters don't have- dragons,"

Realising he was over thinking things, Hiccup heaved out a long sigh.

Maybe he shouldn't get caught up in this, not tonight anyway.

Still, he was anxious about the Thunderdrum. If only he had rescued it in time, then it might have had a different fate.

~

That night, Hiccup laid on his bed, thrashing and mumbling nonsense in his sleep.

His Night Fury companion seemed to notice his erratic sleeping behaviour.

Toothless let out a worried whine. He then peeked one eye open and looked at his rider's sleeping form.

Completely oblivious to the worried dragon, Hiccup moaned in his sleep.

His lips began to tremble. Hot sweat rolled down his face uncontrollably.

"No...Toothless is not for sale..." he mumbled, moving his head stiffly to the side.

Toothless watched his human cautiously as the young Viking continued to mumble indistinctly.

The dragon noticed how pale his friend had gotten.

Beads of sweat continue trickling down Hiccup's face, dampening his hair.

Toothless had never seen his rider this distraught ever since they left Berk, an island where he is forbidden from returning.

A blood curling scream escaped from the young Viking.

Alarmed, Toothless leapt off his temporary bed.

He came to his human's aid, letting out a worried croon.

Hiccup panted heavily, his body bathed in hot sweat. His hair was completely drenched and he was shivering slightly.

"D-Don't kill him! No! He's my best friend!" the Viking teen screamed, breaking down to sobs, "P-please...s-spare him..."

He would scream over and over again while mumbling 'Toothless' in a never-ending cycle.

The dragon leaned towards the boy, nudging his side. He whined at his distressed human.

Hiccup gasped, jolting up on his bed.

His green eyes flickered open then glanced around anxiously in the completely dim room.

Everything was pitch-black, except for the candle on his bedside table, providing little light.

Hiccup's gaze fell on his front door, expecting an intruder to break in and attack.

Then he heard a quiet croon from the Night Fury.

Placing a hand over his pounding heart, Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

He flung his arms around his dragon's neck, grasping Toothless tightly.

"Oh, Toothless," Hiccup murmured, nuzzling his face against the Night Fury's scaly neck, "I-I thought I lost you. You..." he closed his eyes, recalling flashbacks of his nightmare, "...the hunters caught you and..." he paused, stifling a sob, "they tried to kill you. I tried to stop them, but...I was too late,"

As Hiccup sobbed to his dragon, Toothless gave a frightened croon. His eyes, which were brimming with life, became suddenly dull and fearful.

"Don't worry, bud," Hiccup slowly pulled away, swiping his sleeve across his welling eyes, "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise. I'll make sure those hunters won't ever..."

There was shuffling outside, followed by footsteps crunching on leaves.

Toothless stared at the door, growling at the ominous sound.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup watched Toothless cautiously moved towards the door, growling.

As the shuffling grew closer, Hiccup felt a sudden chill cascade down his spine.

Something was definitely out there. He suspect it could be a wild boar or a wild dragon, but a part of him nagged it could be something else.

Whatever it was, it certainly spooked Toothless.

Rummaging through his cluttered desk, Hiccup grabbed his trusted sword and his candle.

Quietly, he went towards the door, opening it slightly.

The anxious groan from the Night Fury made Hiccup spun around.

"I'll be fine, bud," he said in reassurance, "You don't have to worry about me,"

Hiccup swung the door wider then stepped out into the darkness.

The Night Fury let out another groan. He squeezed through the door, scurrying after his rider.

***

If Hiccup was going to face a dangerous creature out there, Toothless knew he needed back up.

After all, he didn't want his human to face anything alone.

Hiccup wandered through the darkness using his candle to guide his way.

Sword grasped in one hand, he was prepared to encounter any intruder, even those hunters.

Although Toothless was with him, that didn't exactly ease the feeling somebody out there was watching them.

He drew a sharp breath as he ventured along a winding rocky trail.

In the distance, he could make out a stream.

Tangled by overhanging branches, Hiccup found it difficult to walk through.

With a grunt, he sliced a branch with his sword.

When the stream came into view, Hiccup scanned the area for anything unusual.

That's when he saw something emerge from behind a tree.