Without Saying

Chapter 5 - The Rise of Sun

~ Eight Months Later ~

It's been eight months. Eight long, terrible months since Toothless saw Hiccup last, being carried away by those monsters that shot them out of the sky. Shadows danced across the dragon's face as his emerald orbs trained their sights on the nest for the dragon killer's water skimmers. It took him three months to find this place, although it might have been sooner if he could still fly. While Toothless stared down at the human nest below, Raz - a Timberjack that Toothless befriended on the island - came up behind him. Upon hearing the Night Fury's story, the Timberjack was intrigued. Never had he heard of a dragon, especially a Night Fury, and a human sharing such a bond. That was why he agreed to help Toothless by being the Night Fury's wings until they found his friend.

"*Are you certain, your human hatchling is here?*"

Toothless nodded. How could he not be?! The entire island reeked of the boy, especially one dragon killer in particular, the one with the big, spiky shoulders and green swords. Ryker, he heard the others call him. He smelled like Hiccup the most but not in a good way. He reeked of fear, and it was not his own. Toothless wasn't sure he wanted to see what the dragon killer might have done to his little viking, but leaving him there was out of the question. He was desperate to get Hiccup back. Finding him already took way longer than Toothless cared for.
He knew that he and Raz couldn't get Hiccup out of there alone. They needed help; so, the last couple months Toothless and Raz flew around gathering a small army of dragons to join them. It wasn't easy to persuade them to help but being that Toothless was a Night Fury they decided to help him because if a Night Fury - the dragon that was nearly hunted to extinction by humans - could find friendship that strong with a human then maybe there was hope for peace. Either way, a dragon defends his own, right?

That night, they were ready. They had the numbers, they had a plan, they had the scent, and a large group of water skimmers just left the nest along with many dragon-killers. As soon as the ships were out of sight, they attacked, Deadly Nadders, Gronkles, and Monstrous Nightmares alike. Raz flew Toothless down to the prison amidst all the chaos the other dragons were causing.

"*Be quick, Night Fury. I'll keep the dragon killers from entering.*"

Raz landed with a thud and immediately started firing at anything that got too close, while Toothless bounded through the chaos till he was below deck of the main ship, which they had located before beginning the attack. He did have to sniff around for a second though to relocate Hiccup's scent among the many others that the ship held. The haul itself was a nasty place. A truly torturing place for a dragon. It was cold and wet; and although those types of places are normally associated with dragons, it truly was not the most ideal place for one because dragons were cold blooded. Wet skin was extremely irritating for a dragon's scales.

Toothless passed through the halls as fast as he could, given that they were incredibly narrow. His wings brushed the stone at times, claws scraping as he forced his way forward, refusing to slow down. He wouldn't be surprised if the dragon killers planned it that way-so it would be harder for a dragon to fight back.

As he got deeper into the winding hallways, it grew harder to tell which way to go. Hiccup's scent was everywhere. Old. New. Fading in some places, stronger in others. It clung to the stone like a ghost that refused to leave, and it made Toothless' chest tighten with panic. He was close. He had to be.

There was one room in particular where the scent was overwhelming-so strong it nearly knocked the breath from his lungs. It had a small wooden door, worn and splintered, with little to no markings. Toothless didn't hesitate. He pushed it open, but immediately wished he hadn't. The smell hit him first. Then the sight. The dragon froze, every muscle locking as dread crawled up his spine. His ears pinned back, and a low, horrified rumble built in his throat before he could stop it. He understood. He understood exactly what that room was used for. Panic surged as Toothless backed out of the room almost immediately, shaking his head as if he could erase the image from his mind. He was glad-so painfully glad-that he hadn't found Hiccup in there. But the thought of what had happened in that room over the last eight months - what might have happened to Hiccup - made his stomach twist violently. He couldn't waste another second.