How to Be a Dragon Star 1

Chapter Nineteen - No Going Back

Stoick scratched a diagram into the dusty rock below him, explaining to a few of his most trusted advisors. "When we break this mountain open, nothing's going to hesitate. It's all going to break loose. All the dragons."

"And we're hoping that by breaking the Nest, the dragons will leave and not come back?" Spitelout asked dubiously.

"Think of dragons like bees," Stoick answered. "When a beehive is broken, the bees leave and find a new place. The dragons will do the same." He surveyed the group. "We have a chance to end it all. Right now. Are we just going to stand by, or are we going to take our chance?" After a moment of silence, he continued. "We're vikings. This is an occupational hazard."

"I'm with him," Gobber spoke up. Stoick flashed a grateful smile at his comrade.

"Me too."

"And me."

Spitelout sighed. "Okay, let's do this."

Stoick nodded in approval. He turned to address the crowd behind them. "Ready your weapons," he commanded. "No matter how this ends, it ends today."

And he gave the signal for the catapults.

"So... while we're being bored up here, how about you tell us what the heck we're going to do when we get there?" Ruffnut crossed her arms and shrieked as she toppled off her head of the Zippleback.

"Meh... should we save her?" Tuffnut asked, watching her shriek and flail as she plummeted towards the ocean from the Zippleback's other head.

Estrella cooed at the Zippleback, who eagerly dove down towards Ruffnut.

"Now look who's screaming," Snotlout scoffed, listening to Tuffnut's panicking.

"It might be you next, Snotlout," Astrid said from atop the Deadly Nadder.

"Oh, I hope they don't fall off like that when we get there," Hiccup muttered to Estrella below him. She nodded grimly in agreement.

"Ruffnut has a point, though," Fishlegs spoke up, clutching the Gronckle below him. "What are we going to do when we get there?" he asked Hiccup.

"If we don't do anything, everyone will die," Hiccup pointed out. "So I'm hoping that even with the Red Death's size, these dragons will be enough to overpower it."

"And if it's not?" Fishlegs asked worriedly.

Hiccup sighed and averted his gaze. "Then it was nice knowing you."

"This is kind of how vikings roll, in case you hadn't noticed," Astrid said. "They get themselves into heaps of trouble and require other vikings to get them out."

"Are you talking about us or them?" Tuffnut asked. "Not cool, by the way," he said to Estrella. "You could've given me a warning."

She shot a small purple fireball at him, and he almost fell off like his sister had when the Zippleback dodged.

"This is so hopeless," Hiccup muttered, watching his clumsiness. "This is not going to work. They've never flown before..."

"We don't really have another choice," Astrid told him. "It's worth a shot. And we outnumber our opponent."

"Um, guys, can we focus on the issue at hand?" Fishlegs asked. "As in, how are we going to survive the next few hours while making sure that everyone else does too?" He peered at Estrella curiously. "Does she have any special powers?"

"Every dragon has its secrets," Hiccup answered. "Estrella is still figuring hers out. We do know about at least two, though."

"Really?" Fishlegs squealed, wobbling on the Gronckle with excitement. "What?"