Dragonling - The Gathering Storm [a HTTYD 3 rewrite]

Chapter 4 - Altered Plans

Now it's getting interesting... Don't forget to comment if you have any questions/theories/any kind of comment!

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"So, tell me about what happened."

Flame and I were standing in the center of the ring of incinerated trees. The clearing ahead looked calm enough. Sunlight streamed in, making it seem almost cozy. But something still felt a bit... off.

"Well," I began, "from what I could gather, this is where Hiccup and Astrid were." I stepped out a ways, about ten feet from where I had been. "And here was Toothless. He went this way" - I mimicked his movements - "until the Light Fury roared at him. Then he went this way." I traced his path around the clearing, Flame following close behind. "The Light Fury was right here," this gesturing to a patch of flattened grass, "and she let Toothless approach until she heard the Riders." I pointed back the way we had come. "She shot the trees, narrowly missing them, then when Toothless prevented her from firing again she flew around this way." I walked over to a bent tree. "Toothless tried to follow from here, but couldn't without Hiccup." I came back.

"I wonder why she didn't just let Toothless come this way?" Flame wondered, stepping straight across the clearing. Her foot hit something hidden in the grass, and a huge SNAP! resounded through the forest as a giant dragon trap slammed shut inches from her face. "Aaah!! What is that?!!" She jumped backwards in alarm, flailing wildly.

I edged forward cautiously to examine the trap. It had a metal framework, with a thin chain-link material stretched between. This would hold a dragon while leaving it relatively unharmed, I realized.

Footsteps sounded, branches snapping and leaves rustling. "Get down!" I hissed to Flame, who instantly did so. I followed a second later. As the sounds got closer, I started to hear voices accompanying them. They seemed familiar, somehow... I placed them seconds before the speakers walked in, along with an excited-looking black dragon. It was Hiccup and Tuffnut, and they'd brought Toothless. Looks like they'd had a similar idea to ours.

Flame, also recognizing the voices, looked about to rise, but I pulled her back. She looked at me questioningly but I just shook my head. I didn't want any questions about why we were here.

The Riders stopped short as they saw the dragon trap. Tuffnut started to say something but Hiccup shushed him, then reached down and grabbed something that had been hidden in the grass. He held it up to the light - I could see a flash of silver - , examined it, then spoke to Tuffnut in a low voice. Both of them started scanning the surrounding forest. Hiccup turned around, muttering something to Tuffnut, and the two Riders exited the clearing again.

Once I was sure they were out of earshot, I stood up. Flame followed my lead.

"We should probably get back now, before they realize we're not there," I said.

Flame didn't budge. "Ok, what's going on with this? You're acting really strange. And why didn't you let the Riders know we were here? Are you scared of them?"

"Well, no, I-"

"Then what is it?" Flame pressed. "Oooh, do you have some kind of epic backstory where you committed a crime of some kind and now they're after you? Or were you framed?"

"That's not-"

"Why won't you tell me what it is? I promise I won't tell if you actually did commit a crime or something-"

You know what? Fine, I thought to myself. "Actually, I did do something once I wasn't supposed to. It wasn't a crime, exactly, but it wasn't entirely legal. It's time I told someone the story... the true story." Or not.