Hiccup woke up early morning, the sun beaming down his freckled face. His body stiffened ever since the combat training with the others days ago.

When it comes to combat training, the others were better. At least he rode on the fastest dragon in the archipelago. He would beat them in any race, any day.

Yawning, the brunet sat up, rolling back his aching shoulders.

He peered over at his dragon, who lay asleep on a slab of rock, curled against the dying fire.

It wasn't until two weeks ago that Toothless moved into his rider's home. Permanently.

Although the cave outside was nice, Toothless hated being separated from his rider. So he whined, begging for his rider to let him live in the lodge.

Hiccup could only snort at how pathetic his dragon was. He rolled his eyes, muttering, "Yeah, yeah you're welcomed here. What do you need, an invitation?"

Of course, Toothless didn't hesitate to tackle the Viking to the ground, licking him everywhere.

"Morning, bud," Hiccup swung his legs out of bed, stretching.

Slowly opening one eye, Toothless let out a soft whine.

"Up for a morning flight?"

The Night Fury yawned then shut his eyes, going back to sleep.

Rejection did hurt. Hiccup pouted at his dragon.

He shoved his doona aside, fitting his chainmail over him.

"Come on, don't be like that," he scoffed, putting on his shoulder armor, "Did I do anything to upset you, you big baby boo?"

Toothless snorted, blowing off smoke from his nostrils. He turned away, ignoring his rider.

The brunet knew what his dragon was doing.

Usually, Toothless would be the one to wake Hiccup up for an early morning flight. Now, it was the reverse.

Who knew waking up the Night Fury would be a tedious task?

"Toothless, you love flying," Hiccup said as he adjusted his prosthetic leg, "Besides,"

He went over to the window panel, poking his head out.

"It's a nice day to be out flying, you know? The sun is shining; Terrible Terrors are singing...ah, it's really tempting to be out flying on a nice day like this. What do you say, bud?"

Hoping his dragon would wake up, he turned around to find the Night Fury hadn't bothered to move. He was curled up, enjoying his five minutes of slumber.

Sighing, Hiccup gave a shrug.

"Well, if you're going to be a lazy, stubborn reptile, I guess you wouldn't want some nice salmon after,"

When he heard 'salmon', Toothless' head perked up. He smacked his lips, suddenly craving for a nice delicious salmon right now.

Hiccup chuckled, satisfied that bribing his dragon worked.

"Knew you wouldn't pass up an opportunity like that," he ambled downstairs with Toothless trailing behind him.

The two went downstairs to find the fire dying in the hearth.

Everything was left untouched. Hiccup suspected his mother was already up, probably taking Cloudjumper for a flight.

Six weeks had passed since Valka settled in Edon.

Adjusting to human civilization was at first, a challenge, but Valka knew the Edonians and grew accustomed to their lifestyle.

At times, she'd visit the dragon sanctuary to check up on the dragons.

Hiccup would come along, often rescuing dragons found washed up on shores, chained up.

Some were severely injured with bloodied cuts. Luckily, they managed to save them in time.

Finding injured dragons had been a frequent occurrence, which Hiccup couldn't help but grow suspicious.

"So, you're ready, bud?" Hiccup asked climbing over the Night Fury's back.

Toothless grunted in agreement, still eager for a salmon after.

Though, he really did like the idea of curling up on his nice rock slab, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

As they were about to take off, they were suddenly interrupted by three familiar voices.

"You're not going to ditch us, are you?" Hiccup whirled around to find the three other riders mounted on their dragons.

Annoyed he wouldn't have the morning to himself, Hiccup let out a sigh.

"I demand a rematch," Gunner declared with slight annoyance, "Just because you ride a Night Fury, that doesn't make you any special. Besides, I'm the Chief's son. I got Fangs here, my Monstrous Nightmare," he scratched Fangs' scales, "Together, we're unstoppable,"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and then pulled up his hood.

"Oh, gods. Fine, you guys can come. And how did you know I would be awake by this hour?"

"Hiccup, we know you," Ingrid said with a smile, "I mean you're always up at this hour to go flying. Like Gunner said, we should have a rematch. So, I am up for another race around Edon,"

Runa pumped her fist in the air. "Yeah! Bring it on. Echo and I will win for sure. We've practiced some cool moves, and you guys better take some notes,"

Gunner let out a snort, "Yeah, right. You guys will be the ones to take notes because I'm so gonna win. So, watch out, there's a new reigning champion,"

Hiccup exchanged looks with Toothless while the others continued with their small bickering.

Although he enjoyed his friends' company, their competitiveness really gets on his nerves.

Honestly, they reminded him of the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut sometimes.

Hiccup stared into the distance, his mind focused on the people back on Berk, especially his father.

It was no secret that he missed them. He missed...him.

He was banished, but that wouldn't stop him from visiting someday because he was curious about how Berk is now.

The dragon raids must have stopped. So, what did the Vikings of Berk do?

Was it still a place to kill or be killed?

"So, Hiccup, ready for another race?" Ingrid's voice snapped Hiccup out of his thoughts.

Turning to the others, he let out a sigh.

"Alright, alright, we can race," he held out a hand, "but no one gets a head start. We need to race fair and square,"

The others nodded and exclaimed in excitement.

Soon, the four teenagers launched into the air, shrieking with excitement.

~

In the middle of the ocean, a ship sat afloat with chaotic shrieks and squawks coming from inside.

Though, this was no ordinary ship. This ship belonged to the dragon hunters, led by the infamous dragon hunter, known as Horas the Merciless.

Horas paced back and forth the lower deck of the ship. His heavy footsteps shrieked on the timber floor.

Cages lined along the deck, containing dragons of sorts, injured and desperate for their freedom.

Freedom was a prize Horas refused to give.

Once he captured these fire-breathing beasts, they were his property.

There was no chance to escape. To him, they were the ticket to conquering the archipelago.

An evil smirk spread across his chapped lips as he passed a Scauldron, which was chained to the wall.

Its emerald-green scales were shedding from dehydration.

He passed another cage where an indigo Deadly Nadder was kept.

Horas dodged as the Nadder shot its deadly spikes towards him. He caught one spike and tossed it aside carelessly.

Horas turned to the dragon with a glare.

"There's no use to escape, you devil. Here, you are my property," he grasped onto the metal bars, his stone-cold eyes fixed on the Nadder, "You will respect me, dragon. I am Horas the Merciless. I conquer you. I am your master, and you are nothing but a slave to me,"

The Nadder snarled as Horas walked away.

He paced further down the cells, grinning at the fading shrieks from the dragons.

Silence was bliss. At least now he could think straight now.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped abruptly in front of an empty cell.

Clutching onto the metal bars, Horas breathe in the cool air. Then a look of determination cast over his face as he stared at the empty cell.

For weeks, he had reserved this cell for the ultimate prize; the Night Fury.

It never occurred to him that one still exists till this very day. Even if that one was the last of its kind.

That didn't matter to him. All he cared about was capturing that dragon and claim it as his property.

Even if he had to kill that one-legged boy.

Dragons were nothing but mindless creatures. He could do whatever he wanted, when he wanted, and he wouldn't care if those beasts were in pain.

Pain and death were what these beasts deserved after so many years of destruction to mankind.

He had control over them.

Heavy footsteps interrupted him abruptly. Horas didn't have to turn around to know who was behind him.

"Megadon," Horas turned around, pleased to find his ally, "Is there anything you need? How are my men? Caught any dragons?"

Megadon stood near the cell door, his stature making him appear intimating.

Then he paced forward with a shook of his head.

"No, sir. It's been quiet lately. Not a single beast in the sky,"

Horas scowled, dejection reflected in his mud-brown eyes.

"Hmm. Strange. We couldn't have wiped out an entire race," he chuckled to himself, "Well, that is my only wish,"

Megadon grunted in agreement, "I'm sure it is, sir. That brings me to my question. What happens when we find that damn boy and his Night Fury?"

Horas grinned at the thought of that one-legged boy in his grasp. But the Night Fury being under his control was what he craved the most.

That will happen soon enough. All he needed was a devilish plan to capture them both.

"We need him alive first," Horas grinned, patting his ally's back, "We can make him our dragon tamer-better yet, our slave. I have heard he had tamed that Night Fury on his own. He has more dragon knowledge than anybody I have heard. So, the boy will be useful until I conquer the archipelago," he let out a sinister laugh, "then we will dispose of him,"

Megadon nodded slowly, "Yes, but what about the dragon? Will we dispose of him? Legend has it the black curse will end when we dispose of every Night Fury,"

When he heard that, Horas swung his head back, laughing hysterically. Never had he heard anything so absurd, so ridiculous.

"Oh! Not this again, Megadon," Horas wiped a tear from his eye, "The black curse is a myth. Keep your superstitions to yourself, Megadon. We have business matters to attend to. Now, do you still want to become Chief of Edon or not?"

Megadon's eyes beamed brightly, "Oh, yes. It has been my dream of eliminating Halvar once and for all,"

"Then you'll do as I say. You and I will capture that dragon and the boy-''

"Might I add that the boy is a stranger on our shores," Megadon interjected, "We know nothing of his origin, but something tells me he and his beast brings filth to our shores. We don't know what his purpose on our island is, but I have never trusted him. So let me be the one to eliminate him when I am Chief. It is an honor,"

Horas let out a chuckle, "That's more like it. Of course, be my guest,"

Megadon nodded; eager for this plan to work. A nasty grin spread across his face.

He opened his mouth to speak but was shortly interrupted.

"Horas! Dragons, they have been spotted!" One of Horas men burst through the corridor, alarmed.

Horas' eyes immediately lit up. He quickly followed his henchmen with Megadon close behind.

When they reached the top deck, there lies an incredible sight. Well, for Horas anyway.

Gliding through the foggy sky were four riders perched on their dragons.

One of them, a sleek black dragon caught Horas' eye. He instantly recognized what it was,

"The Night Fury," he murmured, grinning, "I never thought it would be easy to lure it in my trap," he turned to his men, "Men, shoot it down!"

Horas' men aimed their crossbows and bolas towards the Night Fury.

Alas, they missed as it plummeted into the waters below.

"Fire again!" Horas roared, determined to get his hands on his prize.

Grunting, his men continued firing towards the dragons but missed many times.

But Horas wasn't about to give up. This was his opportunity to finally capture the Night Fury and the wretched one-legged boy.

His heard many tales of this beast. He was eager to satisfy his burning desire to claim the Night Fury as his.

~

"What do we do? They're gaining on us!" Runa shrieked, steering Echo away from the incoming arrows.

"I know! What do they want?" Ingrid grunted then petted Arrow's head to calm her down. "It's okay, girl. You're just scared,"

Hiccup eyed the dragon hunters closely, especially their leader.

A sense of familiarity suddenly hits him.

"Horas," he whispered to himself.

Toothless snarled at the mention of the hunter who had hurt that Thunder Drum not that long ago.

He inhaled deeply and released plasma blasts onto the ship.

Screams rang around the ship from each incoming blast.

"Horas?" Gunner asked, lifting a brow, "You mean that no good, heartless bastard who kills dragons for fun?"

Hiccup nodded. Then flashbacks of his first encounter with Horas came hurling at him.

Remembering Horas' offer in exchange for Toothless, and the wounded Thunder Drum, Hiccup's blood began to boil.

He had never met anybody so cold and deranged.

Now, he wondered what diabolical things Horas have done to that poor Thunder Drum.

For all he knew, the Thunder Drum must already be dead by now.

"That's him," the brunet shot Horas a glare; "He's the one who wanted to trade Toothless in exchange for profits or something. He wanted to make Toothless into a coat,"

Toothless growled angrily. He was his own dragon and refused to be turned into a fetching coat for some dragon killer.

"I know, bud," Hiccup rested a comforting hand on Toothless' head, "We hate him. I won't let him hurt you,"

Ingrid pulled out her arrow, firing it towards the henchmen.

One of them got shot and immediately collapsed on the ground.

"Okay, girl. Fire!" Ingrid ordered her dragon.

Arrow blasted onto the ship, sending a few men sprawled on their behinds.

"There's too many of them! Maybe we should retreat," she cast a look at Hiccup, who was deep in thought.

"Whoa, you okay? Don't tell me you're thinking of doing something crazy,"

Hiccup stared at the ship, his eyebrows sewn together in thought.

"There are dozens of dragons down there; trapped and possibly close to dying," he stated, fingering his chin.

The others exchanged worried looks. They knew how unpredictable and insane Hiccup can be, especially when it came to rescuing dragons.

He really was the most passionate about dragons than anyone they've ever met.

"So, your plan is..." Gunner prompted, lifting a perplexed brow.

Hiccup closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

He was aware he may get the others in danger, but the lives of dragons captured down there depended on them.

"Rescue those dragons," Hiccup gestured to the ship. He tried to look as brave as he could.

Deep down, he was afraid of what Horas would do if he and his friends were caught.

"There's probably many down there, trapped and desperate to be free. They need our help,"

Gunners grinned in excitement, "And kick some dragon hunters' butts? I am definitely in. Nobody messes with us or our dragons. If they do, I swear I'll-''

"But if we go in at the same time, they'll catch us," Runa peered down, swallowing a nervous lump, "I just hope you know what you're doing,"

Ingrid nodded. She looked at Hiccup with a concerned look.

"She's right. If we fly down there with our dragons, we're dead. Maybe somebody has to stay behind to keep a lookout. And maybe another could keep the guards distracted,"

Hiccup glanced down at the ship. He steered Toothless away as an arrow fired in their direction.

Luckily, Arrow blasted it in time.

"I can go alone," Hiccup stated with a brave look, "One of you has to distract the guards while the other takes Toothless and our dragons-''

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gunner interjected, waving his hands, "I am not missing out on the action. I am not going to let you go down there all by yourself. Besides, you need me as back up. You know, to fight the guards, if they catch us,"

Hiccup surpassed a smile, "Well, I probably need somebody to watch our backs. Okay, Gunner, you come with me,"

"Leave it to me to distract Horas and his henchmen," Runa pulled out her double-headed ax, "I can give these bastards a piece of my mind,"

Ingrid gave a nod, "I'll take Toothless and the others somewhere safe. I'll keep a look out in case I see anything,"

With everybody agreeing with the plan, Hiccup could sense this dragon rescue mission will be a success. Hopefully.

"Alright, good luck everybody. Oh and please stay safe," he glanced back at the ship, "First, we need to find someplace to land,"