If We Had Wings - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD/RTTE)

16

As the hunters began to scatter in a panic, Delta let out a loud cry, alerting the rescuers to their location. In the sky, Hiccup looked toward the cry and grinned. "We've got them!" He roared to the rescuers.

Ruffnut and Snotlout soared down to help Delta and Valka with the sick-looking Tuffnut. "Tuff!" The female wraith squawked in joy, racing over to tackle him into a hug.

"Hey, sis," Tuffnut greeted breathlessly, still able to smile through his woozy dragon root state.

"We need to get above the clouds," Valka affirmed, looking around as the hunters began to resettle and reload their weapons.

"Not so fast," a deep groan came from behind them.

Delta whipped around to find the death grippers exiting the building with Grimmel. Even with the collars off, they seemed under the hunters' control. "No.." Delta let the word subconscious roll off her tongue.

"Back off, pal," Snotlout snarled, scales flaming hot, "you're messing with the wrong pack."

"I don't believe you understand the reality of these circumstances," the same death gripper hissed deviously, "you've flown right into our claws, like moths drawn to light."

"Moths?!" Ruffnut raged, infuriated by being called an insect. Above, the other reacuers still flew, taking shots when they could to keep the hunters away from their grounded friends.

"Get Tuffnut to the sky," Delta growled to no one in particular, holding her wings out to protect the weakened sand wraith.

The same death gripper sighed, "you know I can't let you escape."

"What are you waiting for, Krogan?!" Grimmel yelled at the death gripper, "get that night fury out of the sky!"

Krogan looked up at the hunter, clearly having understood at least most of what he'd said. With an annoyed hiss, he spread his wings. "Dont worry, I'll be back for you," he assured evilly, then flew up to Hiccup.

Ruffnut had effectively gotten Tuff into the air and was flying him up above the clouds. Delta glared at the remaining two death grippers, but they seemed hesitant. "Who's side are you on?" She snarled threateningly.

The tusked dragons exchanged a look, then set their sights above. Both took off without a word, following Krogan. "Guess that answers that question," Snotlout roared in a bit of panic.

"Hiccup!" Valka cried out, immediately flying to her son's aid.

Grimmel was slowly approaching Delta, greedily readying his crossbow. The tidal fury didn't know what to do; if she fled, surely she'd be shot down from the sky. Her best odds were on the ground. Yet before she even had time to think of a plan, lightning struck right in front of the white haired man. The power of the blast sent him flying backwards onto the cold ground.

"Come on!" Snotlout squawked. He and Delta quickly took this opportunity to climb high into the sky and out of arrow-range.

Flying swiftly through the clouds, Delta looked for Hiccup and Valka, Grimmel's prized targets. Thankfully, they were still airborne. However, three death grippers surrounded them. But what surprised Delta most was when she saw with her own eyes, the gripper named Krogan begin to fall from the sky. One of the other death grippers had stung him, rendering him unconscious.

Delta squawked in surprise before rushing over. Perhaps these two death grippers weren't very fond of Grimmel's work after all. "Delta," Hiccup greeted with a smile, "you're alive!"

"We all are," Delta confirmed joyously, then frowned as she recalled the hunters below. "We need to get out of here." And so the pack left the desolate island, destroyed by dragon fire and lightning.

Once the island was a no longer in sight, the dragons relaxed their flight. Tuffnut was still half conscious, muttering nonsense to his sister as she carried him in her talons. Delta came up beside Hiccup and asked curiously, "how did you find us?"

"Believe it or not: Gustav," he responded with a gurgle.

Summoned by the mention of his name, the young nightmare came up on Delta's opposite side. "That's right, so I'm basically your savior," he cooed.

Rolling her eyes, Delta groaned sarcastically, "my hero."

Hiccup gurgled in laughter. "Apparently, Gustav was kept on the island for a few weeks before being loaded onto a ship and transported, which we saved him from," the night fury explained. "I can't believe I'm saying this..but without Gustav, we never would've found you and Tuff, and my mom."

Delta smiled. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Valka flying in the back of the pack with the two death grippers. She slowed down to fall in side with them. "How are you holding up?" She asked the grippers, whom she still had yet to hear speak.

"Good, I think," one groaned, "can't say I'm used to having my own head back quick yet."

"It is indeed a strange feeling," the second one remarked, "I can't exactly recall ever meeting my friend here before."

"Loss of memory..that must be a side effect of that wretched mind control Grimmel used on you," Valka observed with a look of anger on her face. She then shook her head and introduced them to Delta. "Delta, this is Eret," she referred to the first death gripper, "he was captured a few months ago, just before the Devastation of Berk." She paused to gesture to the second gripper with her head. "And this, is Viggo," she continued, "he's spent most of his lives as pawns for the dragon hunters."