Return of the Dragons (HTTYD Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

"Into the Great Beyond, I wonder what it could mean," Hiccup said as he and Annie paced around the island, half an hour after sunrise. "We've already tried so many things!" Annie agreed, stopping at a rock to scan the writing on it. 

They had decided to camp on the island for the night, and leave at noon the next day. Where they were going was uncertain, but they agreed it was a good idea to head directly away from the fog.

They had eaten some of the provisions they had gathered in the previous week, and made a fire by burning some driftwood which had washed up on the beach. In the morning, Hiccup and Annie had awoken early, and each watched the sunrise from a different vantage point, unbeknownst that the other was awake. When they discovered there was more than one person active, they had both brainstormed what "Into the Great Beyond" might signify. They had used burnt sticks from the fire the write out ideas on a large rock, but so far, they had no luck.

"Let's check out the marking stone again. Maybe now that it's brighter out, we can see something we hadn't seen before!" Hiccup suggested, although they both knew this was just a temporary distraction.

They hiked up to the top of the island, and looked at the marker. It appeared just as it had for the past day. Before this, they had reverently avoided touching the stone, but Hiccup now gave up on that. He sagged down, pressing his back against the stone. What haven't we thought of! he considered frustratedly. SCRAAAAPE! There was a scraping noise, and the marking stone shifted backwards a little. Hiccup froze. "What was that?" he asked. He and Annie peered at the stone, then at where Hiccup had been sitting. To their surprise, there was a small crack there!  "We never would have thought of that!" Annie exclaimed. "What are we waiting for?" Hiccup grinned, let's find out what's under here!

Hiccup and Annie pressed their palms against the marking stone and pushed. Still, despite their efforts, the stone moved painfully slowly. Then, it became faster! "Need help?" Sarah smiled, as she pressed her palms against the stone too. "That might not be enough!" Christopher interjected, then he pressed his palms against the stone! "It's gonna take all of us to move this rock!" Tyler commented, then he pressed his palms against the stone. 

With a great SCREECH!, the stone moved aside, revealing a small chamber beneath. And the chamber was filled with a collection of stone records, like the one on the ship. Christopher yelled with delight, and grabbed the stone records out. "We figured it out!" Hiccup exclaimed, and he high-fived Annie.

By this time, Christopher had already began translating the records, and they all gathered around him expectantly. "So, what do they say?" Hiccup asked. "Sit down," Christopher started, "This might take bit..."

"The Cycle of Returning - The Beginning

The discovery of this record marks the beginning of The Returning. This record does not contain much harmful information, in case it falls into the hands of the enemy. The Returning must begin upon the reading of this document. Do not waste any time.

Your objective is to find the Isle of Berk. Sailing routes are indicated on the other record. Once there, you must seek the Honor of Vast, and find the Scars of Speed and Sting. These two together will give you the location of the next document. Good luck.

The Returning must happen at all costs. If you make it through these instructions, The Returning was destined to happen at your hand. If not, The Returning is not destined to happen yet. But it will happen, when the time is right. Now, make haste! There is no time to waste. Leave this tablet buried under the marker. Go now.

- Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III"

"That is all it says on the first tablet," Christopher said, "I haven't checked the second one yet." Hiccup stood up, and there way a glint of determination in his eyes. "I don't know what this Returning is, but my ancestor clearly created it, and I trust that. Christopher, would you mind transcribing the route? We leave for Berk at midday."

At midday precisely, the crew had taken their positions on the ship, and they set sail again. Before they left, they scoured the island for berries, and wiped away any clues that they had been there. 

They sailed hard that day, navigating a route that took them mostly through open ocean, although they saw a couple of small islands on the way. The route had helpfully provided resting points, and they made for the first one that day. At about 10 PM, they reached the rest point, and island which had a natural stone dock, and caves to camp in, as well as a stream, berries and good divots for campfires. They docked, ate a hasty meal, and went to bed, exhausted.

The next day, they started at 9 AM, and quickly headed towards rest spot 2. During the day, the crew played island spotting, and Christopher taught them all how to read in the language that must have been native to the people who lived here. They found rest spot 2, a tall island with a good watchtower an defendable positions, as well as a meadow at the top, filled with fruit and grass, a perfect place to camp out. The arrived 2 hours before sunset, so everyone spent time exploring the island. They bedded down soon after sunset, very content.

The next day, they left again at 9 AM, and navigated the path to rest spot 3. There were 5 rest spots in total, and the route between each one became more and more populated with islands. Still, they didn't see a soul. 

The next few days passed in a blur of sailing, exploring and sleeping. Rest stop 3 was a spiky outcropping of rock, clashing dramatically with the surroundings. However, between the crags was a cool, humid location where fruit and soft moss and grass were abundant. Rest stop 4 was little more than a sandbar at first look, although at closer inspection, there was a sinkhole near a small rock, and underneath, a well-disguised cave lit with glow worms and an odd leafy plant that bore delicious stems, but glowing leaves. Rest stop 5 was a volcanic island, and the campsite was inside the volcano. To access it, you needed to jump in, and throw an inconspicuous type of lava rock, defined by the map, into the lava, where a portion would turn maroon. Land in that section, and it could be like swimming in a pool, until the effects wore off in 2 minutes. A couple feet below the surface was a small stone cube, which served as the campsite . Surprisingly, it was a cool cave with hot springs and a personal geyser. 

On their sixth day, they saw many islands. Finally, they saw a large rock in the water, obstructing the view. When they passed it, there was a sight to behold: Berk.

Berk was a colorful island, with green grasses and bright buildings mounted on posts. It looked cheerful and habitable...hundreds of years ago. Many of the buildings were fallen over, half rotten, and the grass claimed them. Those still standing were precarious, with faded colors and neglected arches. The island now looked like historic ruins, rather than a beautiful island, but it clearly had been.

"Based on the neglect, I would say this has been around for a long time!" Christopher told Hiccup. "Believe me, I know." he responded. 

Soon, they had docked in the Berk dock, and hiked up to the main island. It was late in the day, so they scoured the island for a good camping spot. Eventually, they found a spot shadowed by a decaying building. They burned loose boards as their campfire, and ate the berries they had picked up on the way. Soon, sleep found them.