Dragon Rider: A How to Train Your Dragon Story (HTTYD)

Morning came and the sun rose steadily from the east. Not a cloud in the sky could hinder its rays from hitting the buildings on Dragon's Edge; the roosters would begin to crow waking up the riders to the new day, and a new task at hand. The riders packed all that they needed on their saddles, without an expected date of return they carried enough to last them a week and considering the state at which Dagur's men were in, they didn't want to burden them by becoming an extra mouth to feed.

Rune carried an extra batch of Z.E.Ps within his saddle, keeping them in a special pouch so that none of them got activated during their flight. He also carried his shield and a few boiled crabs for Sandstorm as a snack during their flight. While he packed up, Forde and Spikethorn soared down and met him in front of his house.

"Forde, what brings you to my hut this fine morning" he said loading some pieces of clothing into Sandstorm's saddle.

"Nothing major, just wanted to check up on you that's all"

"Check up on me?" he asked.

That was weird.

"Well I know you feel that you're to blame for what happened on Berserker island. Not defeating Dane when you had the chance and all. I just don't want you to carry all the blame and do something rash" he explained.

Rune was actually in a state of shock. This was not what he expected first thing in the morning, but his words certainly acknowledged. He would keep it in the back of his mind not to get to carried away with his actions.

"Oh, wow. Thanks man. I'll keep that in mind" he said giving him a little smile.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Vyra said walking up to the two with Stormbreaker behind her.

"Nope, nothing at all" Forde answered.

"Forde and I were just having a little chit chat"

"I see. Well, the others are waiting for us at the stables. Their all eager to get going" she said.

"Okay, we'll be there in a few minutes"

"Alright. See you there" she said as she would mount her dragon and take to the skies.

Within five minutes, Rune and Forde showed up alongside their dragons as the rest of the riders were already waiting for them.

"Took you long enough" Thyra said rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, I forgot my spyglass on my table, had to turn back to go get it" Rune apologized.

"What matters is that we're all here now" said Heather.

"So Rune, are you ready to go"

"Yes. Yes we are" he answered.

"Alright then. To Berserker Island we go!" Dagur declared as the riders took off.

The dragons spread their wings and into the sky they went, for now, Berserker Island would become their home until Dane and his men were vanquished from the Island. The dragons climbed into the sky, higher and higher until they were out of sight, hidden above the clouds. With the caliber of dragons they had, the journey wasn't as long, spending a couple hours in the sky before they made their approach to the island.

"Berserker Island is dead ahead" Dagur pointed out.

The bored eyes of the dragon riders finally lit up as their destination was near. Rune used his spyglass to do a quick scan of how the island looked and it was crawling with men and hunters patrolling the skies on dragon back.

"Wow. That place is crawling with dragon hunters. It's like an entire hive of them. How do you get in?" he asked.

"It's our island; we know it in and out. There are networks of caves within the mountain of the island. That's what we use to move without leaving a trace" Dagur explained.

"So that's how you been avoiding Dane's men all this time. Awesome" said Sten.

"Apparently, Dane had heard rumors of the King of Dragons residing on the island. Though no one has ever seen it, he is adamant on capturing it and adding it to his army" Heather said.

"And how have you handled that?" Vyra asked.

"We do our best to lead his explorers off course but they're getting closer and closer everyday. At some point, they will run into him" Dagur answered.

"Do you have an idea on where the nest is?" asked Forde.

"All the caves have a network of ice running along the walls and blocking certain exists. We theorize that the nest must be behind the thick walls of Ice but we aren't too sure. The dragon basically burrowed through our mountain and made it hollow. It moves in and out without a trace, that's why we haven't seen it yet" Heather said.

"Then we better stop Dane before he gets to the king before we do" said Rune as they pushed closer to the island.

The riders would circle round to the back of the island and bide their time. Dagur had informed them of a set of guards that man the back of the island and keep watch over it. He said that there was a fifteen minute window every three hours were the guards would go for breaks or the guards would change. That was what they were waiting for.

The group was gathered on a seastack ten miles from the island, they kept a low profile to avoid getting spotted as Rune monitored the guards with his spyglass. The sun beat down on them harshly with Forde and Sten taking refuge under the wings of their dragons while they waited.

"How much longer?" Sten asked tired of sitting on the ground.

 He was eager to get on the island and kick some butt.

"Patience Sten. The guards are sure to move soon enough" Forde encouraged him.

"But we've been here for two hours now. How much more" he whined.

"Keep yourself together man, we'll get going soon" Thyra said with a bit of aggression. She was ticked off by his behavior.

"You sure have a group of characters" Heather chuckled.

"What can I say? It is what it is" Vyra answered shrugging her shoulders.

"I wonder how you guys have kept yourselves together for this long."

"Well you have our able leader to thank. I don't know how he does it but he's able to manage all of us despite our shortcomings and keep us working as a unit" Vyra answered taking a dreamy look at Rune who kept watch alongside Dagur.

"You sure he's only keeping you all working as a unit?" Heather teased.

"What do you mean?" Vyra said blushing a bit.

"There's something going on between you two isn't there"

"Uuummm...."

"Don't worry about it. I was only teasing" she said with a little chuckle.

"Okay" she said finally breathing again.

Rune and Dagur had their eyes fixed on the guard post, watching every movement the men made, waiting for them to go for their break.

"Come on guys. Any minute now" Rune mumbled as he watched on.

Within a matter of minutes, the men hopped on their dragons and took off for their lunch break and now the clock was ticking.

"They've moved!" Rune announced gaining everyone's attention.

"We only have a couple minutes before they get back or a fresh pair of guards takes over. We have to move fast" Dagur said.

"You can count on us" Sten said rising to his feet with excitement.

The riders sprinted to their dragons and hopped on their saddles and moved as quickly as the wind. The dragons flew as if they were in a single file, the only thing separating them was their respective speeds as each tried to cover as much ground in this short window. Dagur lead them on as Rune followed behind him closely. Behind him was Vyra and Heather, then Sten, then Virgil, Forde and at the back of the pack, Thyra.

"Come on, we just need to get into the tree line over there and we'll be home free" Dagur spurred with the dragons giving it their all.

They sped across the sky in a blur as they reached the cover of the trees in the nick of time. Not long after they got through, a new pair of guards arrived.

"Yes!" Thyra cheered loudly before everyone told her to shush at once.

"Sorry" she said with a bit of embarrassment.

"Alright, we're behind enemy lines now, we have to move with stealth and silence. You copy?" asked Dagur

"We understand" the riders replied in unison.

They flew with dead silence under the cover of the large trees as men on patrol flew above them. They made it to the side of the mountain with a cave ahead of them. What looked like a normal cave was actually a disguise to the entrance of their camp. Dagur would come down from Sleuther and walk up to the entrance of the cave which had a tremendous amount of vines covering its entrance. He would give a single knock before saying the password.

"Boar fight" he said.

Suddenly, the sound of locks being moved and latches opening would be heard as the entrance would open. Two large wooden doors would open up, moving the wall of vines with them to show a nicely lit cave with men moving around inside.

"I'll be damned" Rune said seeing the inside.

"Hurry, we don't have much time" Heather said hastening them.

The riders and their dragons moved in quickly as the doors were sealed shut. Within the cave, the walls had lit torches running on them to illuminate the room. The cave was wide enough to accommodate all their dragons quite fairly; even Stormbreaker had enough room to move quite easily. There was a large wooden round table placed in the center of the room with men and women sitting around it, they were thirteen in number and had their eyes fixed on the new comers and a familiar face.

"Virgil, is that you?" A man said.

His name was Bjorn (pronounced Byorn), he was a walking tank. He towered over everyone with arms the size of melons, a thick brown beard, and strong sturdy legs to carry all that muscle. He wore a silver helmet on his head and his tunic was covered in layers of chainmail, thick shoulder pads were stationed on his shoulders with brown boots to go with his black pants. A scar was above his right eye as his black pupils were fixed on the returning Berserker. He had definitely seen wars in his day.

"It's me Bjorn. How are you doing?" he asked.

"We thought you were dead. After the attack, we didn't find you or your dragon" he said with concern.

"It's a long story. No time for it right now"

"It's okay, we can catch up later" he said as the two exchanged faint smiles.

"Who are they?" a woman asked with a commanding tone.

She sat at the table with a wooden cup in her hand as she gave the new comers a stare down. Forde took a gulp as he looked at her nervously; she commanded a presence around her and looked like a no-nonsense drill sergeant in the army.

The woman had long black hair that ran all the way down to her shoulders but were styled into a ponytail. She wore black armor over her chest and shoulders and an assortment of brown belts around her waist. The belts held up her grey trousers and had black boots on her feet. She had a constant frown on her face despite being fairly beautiful.

"Where are my manners. Berserkers, meet Rune, Forde, Sten, Thyra and Vyra from Berk. We found them on Dragon's Edge and they volunteered to come help us. Berkians, meet Bjorn and Thora. Bjorn is the head of our dragon riders academy and Thora over here is my general" Dagur introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all" Rune would say as his friends would bow acknowledging them.

"Hold on a second. Is that a Night Fury?!" a Berserker said as he took a look at Sandstorm.

"What? No, he's not" Rune answered.

"Oh, I know a Night Fury when I see one and that certainly is a Night Fury" he argued.

"No he isn't, he's not even black. He's brown"

"Then he's a brown Night Fury"

"He's not a Night Fury. He's a Sand Wraith, a cousin to the Night Fury"

"Then he's just a Night Fury that has lost its way"

"He's not"

"Technically" Forde said wanting to chip in.

"Not now Forde" Rune warned.

"Hmm. If he's not a Night Fury, then why is he Night Fury shaped?"

"Odin's barge in a thunderstorm" Rune said annoyed by the man as all but Thora had a little laugh.

"This is going to be a long night" Vyra remarked.

After thirty intense minutes of educating the man and giving him practical examples, he finally under stood the difference Between Sandstorm and Toothless. After that, Dagur showed them around the cave and the area where they could sleep. They had Four caves large enough to house all their dragons, a storage room for weapons and food and places to sleep. It wasn't the most furnished or spacious but it was okay for now, considering what was at stake.

Rune and his friends gathered around the table and were sharing a meal, Thyra had prepared before leaving earlier today. They all shared their thoughts and showed enthusiasm to get going on the battlefield. This was the right opportunity to show Hiccup and the others back on Berk that they were ready for the real world.