The Year 2959 of the Third Age
The day began rather normally on Dragon's Edge, Terrible Terror's singing, sun shining, all the good stuff. The riders, save Dagur, who had unfortunately met his premature end a week before, were gathered in the Clubhouse.
"You know" said Hiccup "We still have the northern part of the island to explore, I can't believe we haven't already gone there."
"So?" said Snotlout "What could possibly be there that's interesting?"
"I say we go" says Astrid
"Can we bring Chicken?" asks Tuff
"Fine" says Snotlout "but NO Chicken!"
"Awwwwwww" says Tuffnut
They spend the rest of the day preparing for what they believe will be a short excursion to the northern tip of the island. Little did they know what would await them…
It was now eight hours after they had set out and the northern edge of the island was still eluding them.
"Hiccup, we should go back!" shouted Snotlout
"No, it's got to be here somewhere!" shouts Hiccup in reply
"At least let us land and camp for the night!" shouts Astrid exasperatedly
"…Alright" says Hiccup, his voice betraying his disapproval
They made camp in a small glen between several ancient Oak trees, a few minutes after landing they were sitting around a campfire talking…
"I say we go back in the morning" says Snotlout, arms crossed
"No, we should find the northern edge of the island" says Hiccup in a firm voice
"Why!?" asks Snotlout
"Who knows what kinds of Dragons we might find!" says Fishlegs
"Hey, did you hear that?" asked Heather
"Stop trying to change the subject!" says Snotlout shortly
"No, really! I hear it too!" says Astrid with a heated voice
They all stop and strain their ears, and very faintly they can hear the clash of steel on steel; a battle!
They all grab their weapons and rush after Hiccup in the direction of the sounds. Their Dragons following in their wake.
After about five minutes pushing through the brush they finally come across a wide, very wide, clearing. With a battle going on at its center.
Three men, one very short, are fighting in a circle, it is what they are fighting against that has the riders stumped. Creatures like the which they have never seen before, greenish black skin, crude armaments, cruder voices and eyes yellow as poison, attack in an unorganized mob. The presence of over two dozen corpses of the things shows that they aren't very good fighters, but it is clear that the three men are exhausted. The short one has blood trickling down his face, another has an arrow in his thigh, and the third has one arm wrapped around his middle. Without help, they are doomed.
"Come on!" Hiccup yells pulling out and igniting Inferno
The other riders do not hesitate and follow their leader into battle. The things, true to suspicion, are easy to put down, but there sure are a lot of them!
"Hiccup!" shouts Astrid as she cleaves one's head in "Where are they coming from!?"
As Hiccup stabs one and it howls and shrieks in pain he sees five more come out of a cave mouth on the other side of the clearing.
"Toothless!" shouts Hiccup
Toothless bounds towards Hiccup, smacking the creatures out of the way as he goes.
"Plasma blast that cave bud!"
Toothless nods to Hiccup and then delivers a pinpoint plasma blast that causes the cave to collapse in on itself, stopping the supply of the creature's reinforcements.
The craven creatures seem dismayed and within a few minutes the couple survivors run shrieking into the woods.
As the last few disappear out of sight the riders, mostly unharmed, rush over the mountains of corpses near the three men to see if they are still alive, as they get closer they see that each of these men must have killed dozens of these creatures, fine warriors indeed.
Astrid, Hiccup, and Heather reach the men first, and each begin checking on a different man.
"Mine's still breathing!" shouts Astrid
"So's mine!" shouts Heather
"Mine's still breathing, and he's awake!" shouts Hiccup
The last thing the man remembers before his sight flies away is the sight of seven concerned faces looking down at him, as the light of the evening star twinkles overhead, then darkness…
"He's unconscious" says Hiccup as the man goes limp, only the steady rise and fall of his chest alighting to his continued existence in the land of the living.
"Come on" says Hiccup "We've got to get these men back to Dragon's Edge! Snotlout grab their stuff, we'll bring it with us."
With some effort the riders get the men onto their Dragon's backs and they shoot up into the sky, winging their way back to Dragon's Edge, though with friend or foe, only time shall tell…