Chapter Text
Hiccup sat alone in his hut—twiddling a gear between his fingers. He could still smell smoke from the sealed volcano. Or was it a bonfire? Hiccup felt like he seldom knew things anymore. He couldn't invent, he can't—there was nothing left to invent. He had built everything he could, to benefit Toothless or any other dragon. He had built everything to benefit him and the riders. How long had Dragon's Edge been here? One entire year!
The door was slightly ajar and small slivers of orange and red shined through the gap between the door and the fabric covered wall.
Pictures of Toothless adorned the wall in various positions and poses, tail-wing or not, Hiccup's "good enough" drawing style shining through like blazing fire through a fogged up window. The rough charcoal outlines were all that made the picture look like anything feasible. Only a select few pictures had any sliver of colour or deeper detail.
Hiccup turned when he heard wings flap and footsteps approaching his hut. He groaned, expecting to meet the eyes of the twins or Snotlout like he always seemed to. But Stormfly's signature screech sounded and Toothless (who was sitting in the rafters) ran out to meet her.
But Astrid never came, curiously. Where are you? Hiccup thought.
Heavy footsteps sounded and Astrid stormed into the room. "Hiccup! Trader Johann washed up on the beach. With some . . . peculiar wounds."
"Astrid—"
"Come, now!"
"Fine . . . "
Even Hiccup had grown tired of Johann's selfish antics, Breakneck bog was a prime example. That had led them to the Smothering Smoke Breaths and plenty other problems and discoveries.
✯
Johann had dragon talon marks on his cheek in an odd arrangement. He was still unconscious when
He was still unconscious when Hiccup arrived. Fishlegs was Kneeling beside him with a well-used notebook, a charcoal pencil and his dragon cards. When Hiccup came he looked over his shoulder.
"Odd wounds suggests swooping attack from the front. Marks are quite wide, suggesting a Titan wing," he paused. "Or at least an oversized dragon."
"Try and identify the mark from your dragon cards," Hiccup suggested. "Do you have talon records?"
"Yes, just added them." Fishlegs flicked through his cards. "Let's see."
Fishlegs gasped.
"What is it?"
"But, but, that doesn't make any sense."
Fishlegs held the card towards Hiccup, he looked at the card and the mark and back again.
"Night Terror?" Hiccup realised.
There was a groan, and Hiccup and Fishlegs turned slowly back to Johann. He was stirring. His eyes weren't open yet but anyone he could tell he was half awake.
✯
"So you're saying that a Titan wing Night Terror attacked our friend, Trader Johann," Ruffnut questioned, her voice echoing throughout the closed clubhouse.
Hiccup had summoned the riders (and the dragons) to the clubhouse for an urgent meeting. They stood around the stone bench in the middle of the room, discussing the happenings of the day.
"So where do you suppose this "Titan Terror" is?" Snotlout asked in a rare moment of clarity.
"That's a good name, Señor Snotlout," Tuffnut commented.
Hiccup simply nodded. "How about we start from this part of the island," he said as he placed his finger on a large clearing not far from Dragon's Edge on a map. "And we go from here all the way around the island." He traced a thin finger around the map of the island. "Then close in—in groups."
Fishlegs tapped the map. "I'll check Darkvarg's cave," he said. Pointing to a small dent in the mountain.
"OK . . . we'll need to expand the search if Fishlegs won't be there," Hiccup stated. And then had an idea. "Where is Johann's ship?"
"We have no idea," Astrid groaned. "We only know that he was around the Edge when he was attacked."
"Okay . . . dismissed."
Hiccup moved over to the lever and pulled it. The clubhouse doors opened and the sun shone in with a light that portrayed sundown.