Comet Nights (HTTYD Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven: Hiccup and Comet

Hiccup regained consciousness in a strange base of sorts. It was on a boat, tethered to the rotting remains of Drago's Bewilderbeast. In the same net was Astrid, her eyes open wide. She looked spitting mad, and she had a gag over her mouth- proof that she had already given their captor quite a ribbing. She was staring intently at something on the deck. Hiccup groggily turned his head to see...

Toothless... and Comet! The female Night Fury was straining to meet her companion, pulling at the cruel bindings that cased her wings, neck and tail. Her blue eyes were soft with happiness, yet tinged with fear. Toothless was lying on the boards of the ship, tough rope tying him together like a trussed sheep. His saddle and tail were cast off in a corner, next to Comet. The state his friend was in hurt Hiccup to the core, it reminded him painfully of when he shot Toothless down over Berk.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across the deck. Comet's pupils retracted and she shrank away in terror, her wings trembling as she attempted to get away from the person who had appeared.

Drago Bludvist.

"Little runt, why are you here?" asked the hulk of a man, leering at Hiccup through the net. His words were teasing and mocking, but Hiccup could sense an undertone of fury in Drago's words. He was even more insane than before.

"You do not know. How about I tell you, runt?"

"That would be nice." Hiccup finally found his tongue, and he decided that sarcasm would make him feel better.

It didn't.

Drago ignored Hiccup's comment and turned around, his dragonhide cape nearly hitting the young Chief. Hiccup noticed for the first time something horrifyingly terrible about that cape- it was made of Night Fury skin. Drago had killed Night Furies.

"Let me tell you a story, boy. It is many years ago. I am young and happy, I have a wife, I have a daughter. It is a good day, bright and sunny. I decide to go fishing with my villagers. Life is good. We fish until sundown, catching many fish for the people. Then night falls. We sail back to the mainland- and what do we see?"

Drago slammed his fists together in anger. Comet flinched.

"We see dragonfire. The horrible beasts are attacking our home. I don't stop to think, I just jump out of the boat and attack. There are dragons everywhere- looting the sheds, eating the livestock, killing the people. I kill many dragons that day. Eventually, I fight my way up to my home, on a high hill, only to see it in flames. There is no sign of my wife, but I can see my daughter standing outside the door. Something is blocking her from me, something big and black and scaly. My daughter is being attacked by a Night Fury."

"I scream and rush at the monster, ready to kill it, when it grabs my daughter and flies away with her. My little Veraldai, carried off by a beast. I never see her again. I stand there for a long time, screaming at the sky, roaring at any dragon who comes close and killing them. I stand there until sunrise, when I finally find out that my wife is dead. From that moment onwards, I promise myself something."

Drago leaned in and snarled at Hiccup:

"I will kill all Night Furies."

Hiccup took a sharp intake of breath.

The hulking man turned and walked closer to Comet, much to her terror. She pulled furiously at her bindings, stretching her wings as far as her chains would let her and ferociously lashing her tail back and forth. Ignoring her obvious discomfort, Drago continued with his horrible tale.

"So I start on my quest. My village is nearly destroyed, I leave what little is left to the survivors. Everywhere I find and kill Night Furies. I learn their weak spots, their favorite nesting places, and destroy them at every turn. Finally, I cannot find them anywhere. I believe my task is done, and I set my sights on a new goal, to make a dragon army to kill all of them in the end. But one day my trappers find something dying in the snow. A young Night Fury, only a few years old, with beautiful jewel-blue eyes."