I'm Leaving Forever (a HTTYD Runaway Fanfic ~ Book 1)

19 - Rescue Them Another Time

After a few hours, the darkness of the night was ebbing away, and the sky was gradually becoming light as the sun's rays peeked over the horizon. Dark blue to a brief lilac and then a more vibrant pink. It was a scenic view with a tranquil feel to it, but it had little effect on the Riders' moods. They had been flying all this time since last night and all that lay in front of them was an empty ocean with a few little sea stacks scattered here and there. They hadn't encountered anything that at least looked like it was a suitable rest stop until they finally spotted a landmass that looked like a decent small island.

It wasn't too big. The land appeared to have quite a level relief with only a few clusters of trees protruding from a grassy ground that spread all over the island with the exception of the shore that created a white ring around the island. Whether the island harboured danger or not, no one, not even the dragons, cared. They were all too exhausted to do so and when the dragons eventually did land, their wings instantly went slack and they slumped down onto the soft sand, their eyes slowly shutting.

"Okay, I don't know about any of you," Tuffnut started, being the first to speak after a flight of silence, "but I'm gonna sleep and there ain't nothing anyone can do about that," he only just managed to say that one sentence before he rested his head on Belch's saddle and immediately fell asleep. No one said anything about it and due to everyone's condition, the riders made an unspoken unanimous decision to sleep for some time here. They all needed a chance to rest and recover, but some did find it harder than others.

Gustav and the twins, to absolutely no one's surprise, were certainly not one of those people because as soon as their dragons were sleeping, they were prepared to sleep soon after without a care in the world. However, it didn't mean they slept immediately. In the end, they were still concerned for Hiccup and Snotlout just as much as anyone; wallowing in their worries for a few minutes while looking like they were asleep. Gustav was consumed in his thoughts while facing out into the horizon, thinking about what may happen to the two captured riders and the twins exchanged a few quiet words on the matter that only they could hear. Seems uncharacteristic for them to take something this seriously and be open about it, but even they felt the gravity of the situation they were in. Being captured by some hunters was one thing but being taken to Drago was another matter entirely. 

But arguably, Heather, Dagur, Astrid and Fishlegs had harder time trying to get their minds off the topic. Heather and Dagur already knew what could happen. Hiccup had been captured before and they had seen what it did to him, although he did try to pointlessly convince them that he was completely fine. Now that this was happening a second time, both of them felt like Hiccup would be watched like a predator stalking its prey. Constantly under supervision and never or barely let out of anyones sight. In addition to that, it was Snotlout's first time as a prisoner there. Neither Heather or Dagur had disclosed anything about what they knew could happen if one of them were to be captured by trappers, and they highly doubted that Hiccup would speak of it either, so Snotlout would have no way of knowing what to expect when he got there. It may seem like something that needs to be spoken about, but none of them ever gave any direct answer. Besides, it wasn't like that knowledge was going to save anyone. 

Astrid and Fishlegs on the other hand, like Gustav and the twins, had no idea what would happen to Hiccup and Snotlout, nor what to expect when they got them back. Both of them knew that whatever was going to happen was bad on all levels. Heather, Dagur or Hiccup didn't need to a give a straight answer for them to know that. They were always tense and cautious when giving a response to any question surrounding this topic, and those types of defensive actions don't come out of nowhere. All Astrid knew what that Hiccup had been captured before and that was it. Neither of them had as much knowledge on the matter as Heather or Dagur and it was frustrating. Catching all the subtle hints that had been dropped about this, the two of them could only assume and expect the worst and it stirred up a lot of worry inside them.