Light and Night

A/N: To the loving memory of my sweet Munchkin purring in my ear as he slept on my pillow at night. I miss you, sweetie!

XXX

Many years ago…

The sun had just risen over Berk, casting away the inky black starry skin and bathing the island in a warm glow of pink and gold. Save for the sound of the odd bird squawking or cricket chirping in the distance, it was perfectly silent as it was too early for anyone to awake yet.

Anyone except for Stoick and tiny six-year-old Lenora, who sat comfortably in the crook of her father's large arm. Since Lenora was about to begin her apprenticeship to Gobber, Stoick had decided that it was time for them to have a little chat regarding Lenora's future and the legacy she carried

"Lenora, this is Berk. This is our home," said Stoick, as they gazed at the vast island. "It was the home of your grandparents and their grandparents before them. Seven generations of Vikings. Right now, it's my job as Chief to protect us but one day, when you're all grown up, that job will be passed on to you. Do you understand?"

Lenora suddenly felt very nervous. Despite her youth, she'd always known that as her father's child, she was destined to inherit his position as leader of Berk one day unless she chose to give it up to her rowdy cousin, Snotlout. But the way her father spoke of the job, the weight it carried suddenly felt great and Lenora silently wondered if she could handle it. Instead of saying this aloud, however, Lenora merely nodded and murmured, "Yes, Daddy."

Stoick smiled, pleased with her response before he continued. "It's very important, sweetheart, because out there—" He pointed a large finger at the horizon, far beyond what they could see. "—beyond the sunrise lies the home of the dragons. Not their island, but something far greater."

"Wow," breathed Lenora, amazed. There was a greater homeland for the dragons besides their famed island? Lenora couldn't believe it. Images of what it might be like danced in the little girl's mind.

Stoick nodded in agreement. "Aye. Legend tells of ships that sailed too close to it, only to drop off at the edge of the world never to be seen again."

Lenora gasped in fright and suddenly clutched her father's arm tightly as if to make sure he wouldn't be one of those poor souls. Sometimes Stoick left with the ships to find the dragons' island and occasionally took longer than expected but he'd always come home safe and sound. The island of that not happening frightened Lenora more than words could say, for although they had their differences, Lenora loved her father dearly and had no desire to lose him, especially not now that her mother, Val, had recently passed away.

Guessing her thoughts, Stoick's face softened with sympathy as he stroked his daughter's back with his free hand. "There, there, it's all right. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he assured her. When Lenora smiled just a little through her sniffles and nodded, Stoick went on. "Now, some of the ships turned back and when they did, they told of a great waterfall and dragons guarding the entrance of a Hidden World, a land from which all dragons come from."

"Even Night Furies?" asked Lenora.

Stoick chuckled and nodded. "Especially Night Furies."

Lenora shuddered. She'd heard it said that the most frightening enemy was the one not yet fully known or seen and that was the case with the Night Fury dragon. For it was the only dragon that had never been seen or caught by even the most experienced and dangerous of dragon slayers.

"Those are scary," she murmured.

"Well, don't you worry. One day, the Hidden World will be found and I'll personally see to it that it's sealed up so that people and dragons can fight no more and you can live in peace," promised Stoick, as he hoisted Lenora onto his shoulder. "Now, what say we go see a baker about preparing a treat for dinner tonight to celebrate your apprenticeship?"

Lenora squealed in delight and hugged her father's head tightly. "Yes, thank you, Daddy!"

Present day…

It was nearing noon as Lenora made herself comfortable on her favorite lookout point in Berk. As the memory of Stoick telling her of the Hidden World washed over her, she smiled softly.

Despite best efforts from highly experienced sailors and dragon riders, the legend of the Hidden World had remained just that—a legend. No one in Lenora's acquaintance, be they a human or a dragon had ever found the Hidden World much less set foot in it. And although it was becoming more of a myth with every passing day, Lenora had been unable to get the Hidden World out of her mind lately. The wonder of discovering it and what it could do for the future of Berk and the dragons was proving impossible to ignore, like a sore tooth.

Life was peaceful and prosperous in Berk and the rest of the archipelago. They'd gotten a handle on the population problem and the dragon trappers were almost extinct. Everything was going so well. No reason to worry. But yet, Lenora couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen, something that would shake Berk to the core, just like Drago's return had.

"Lenora?" crooned Toothless, nudging her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Lenora nodded, as she pulled out her map and began looking over it. "I'm okay, bud. I just have a lot of my mind."

Toothless frowned for a moment before his face lit up. "Maybe playing fetch would help?"

Lenora laughed before taking a spare prosthetic leg out of her bag. For some reason, Toothless loved playing with her prosthetic legs. So much so that Lenora had designed a special spare so as to keep her good ones in good condition.

"You know, this wasn't meant to be your chew toy," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just throw it! Please?" begged Toothless, as he wiggled with excited impatience.

"Your wish is my command."

And with that, Lenora tossed it as far as she could into the woods, causing Toothless to eagerly chase after it as fast as he could. No sooner had she done this, the sound of Brightscales' squawking hit her ears, causing Lenora to smile again as she looked up to see Aster fly in next to her.

"There you are. I've been looking for you all morning. So this is where you come to get away from Gobber," teased Aster, as he dismounted, allowing Brightscales to go off to play with Toothless.

Lenora feigned ignorance and shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She then frowned when she noticed their children were absent. Normally when Aster and Lenora returned from a mission, the kids stuck to them for a few days like a leech. "Wait, where're the kids? I thought they'd be with you."

Yawning, Aster plunked down and wrapped an arm around his wife before answering. "Ordinarily, they would be, except Fishlegs told them about how we found Torch in the woods, so they decided they wanted to have an adventure like ours too. So, they begged me to let them go dragon hunting in the woods. I told them they could go if they gathered bark and herbs for Gothi at the same time. They'll be back for lunch. Honestly, I hope they don't find a dragon yet. I'm not ready for them to become riders quite yet."

Lenora chuckled at the look on Aster's face before she kissed his cheek. She understood Aster's feelings all too well. Once, killing a dragon meant you were one step closer to being grownup and being able to leave the nest (though nobody ever left Berk for good of their own choice) but now being dragon rider granted one that step in life. Finna, Valor, Zephyr and Nuffink were still very young children and had many years ahead of them before they reached adulthood, yes, but sometimes they seemed to be growing up far too quickly for their parents' likings.

"I know how you feel, love, but the truth of the matter is, we can't keep them this young forever. Besides, they're not going anywhere even if they do become riders. And another thing, do you really think we'd let them get into half the trouble we got into without us with them?"

"I guess not," agreed Aster. His wife was right as always. "So, anyway, enough about the kids. What's up with you? Something's been on your mind lately, I can tell."

Knowing Aster wasn't going to like it, Lenora hesitated for a moment before sighed and gesturing to her map. "When I was a kid, my dad told me an old mariner's tale about a secret land hidden on the edge of the world where dragons live totally out of reach."

Aster nodded in confusion, unsure where Lenora was going with this. "The Hidden World. I remember. So?"

"So, what if it's real? It could be the answer to a lot of problems," explained Lenora.

"How? By banishing the dragons there?" asked Aster.

Lenora shook her head, scowling. "What? No! Of course not." Banishing the dragons from Berk? What nonsense! The dragons were the heart of Berk and too precious for Lenora to even consider giving up. "I was thinking more along the lines of all of us moving there, humans and dragons alike."

Aster's jaw dropped. "You're not serious?" When Lenora nodded, Aster's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets and he looked like he might faint. "Lenora, are you insane? Leave our home of eight generations? The home your parents left us to protect? Our children's home? What in Thor's name would make you want to leave here?" he demanded.

Lenora threw up her hands in a placating gesture. "Hey, calm down. I didn't say I wanted to leave." Though Lenora loved to explore beyond the archipelago, at the end of the day, Berk was her home and she could never truly leave it. "It's just an idea."

Aster's face softened as he made himself relax. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I overreacted. I just don't understand why you think leaving's a good idea. Things are perfect right now. The dragon trappers are all but extinct, the population problem's getting under control and we have peace."

"That's just it. Things are too perfect right now," said Lenora, in frustration as she ran her fingers through her brown tresses. "I know it sounds crazy, I just…" She sighed again. "Right now, everything feels like it did before Drago showed up. Perfect and peaceful, like we're letting our guard down. And the other shoe's going to drop any minute. I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen, Aster, something big. And if the Hidden World's a solution to that, then maybe we should consider it for the sake of the kids and the dragons."

Aster looked regretful as he pulled Lenora in close. "I'm sorry, I should've realized." He gently stroked her back in a comforting manner. It'd been over ten years since the incident with Drago and although Aster had moved passed it, he hadn't realized his wife hadn't completely. More importantly, Lenora's instincts were often spot on. So, if there was any truth in what she was thinking, then perhaps they did need to consider it.

"It's not your fault. How could you have known when I didn't say anything?" said Lenora, shrugging. "Look, the point is, I just want to be sure that everything's going to be okay, for their sakes. They're the future of Berk and they deserve the best life we can give them."

Was it so wrong to want to be sure that future was going to be a good one for the sake of not only Berk, but also the dragons and especially her children?

"And they will, because we'll do everything in our power to make sure that happens," promised Aster. "Sometimes I worry too, but in the end, whatever happens, whenever it does, we'll face it together just like we've always done. We'll stick together and see it through no matter what. Okay?"

Lenora nodded. "Okay."

She was still worried, but those worries were allayed a little thanks to Aster. Something big might be on the horizon, but at the same time, it might not be. But whatever happened, they would all face it together as one, humans and dragons, united as one, just like they'd always done

Lenora leaned in to kiss her husband's lips when suddenly, the sound of Zephyr's horn, one of her own making, hit their ears, causing the couple to pull away in worry. The horn had been made to notify Lenora and Aster if the kids found something important and/or an emergency, which meant it was rarely used and only when it was quite important. At the same time, Toothless and Brightscales immediately ceased their tug-of-war game and went on alert. They were as protective and caring towards their riders' children as Lenora and Aster and were immediately concerned.

"That's the kids. We need to go, now," said Lenora. Not waiting for a reply, she quickly pocketed her map and mounted Toothless before taking off.

Aster didn't hesitate, immediately following his wife's example, he quickly rose to his feet and mounted Brightscales, taking off after Lenora and Toothless' retreating form.

XXX

In the woods, several hours ago…

While their parents were at the lookout point, talking and doing 'boring' things, Lenora and Aster's children were busy hiking through the woods, gathering the requested medicines whilst hoping they might find some dragons of their own.

Finna poked her head out of a thick bush. "Find anything?"

"Yep. The best rock for head smashing," said Nuffink proudly, as he kicked a large grey stone the size of Toothless' head.

Finna rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I meant, did you find a dragon we could keep?"

Nuffink shook his head. "Nope."

Valor and Zephyr, who'd briefly gone in a different direction to grab a few of the rarer herbs, rejoined their siblings looked disappointed.

"Let me guess. Nothing?" said Finna. They'd only been out for an hour, but for kids that was a long time and quite discouraging.

"Nothing," confirmed Valor, as Zephyr nodded in agreement. "No new dragons, no adventure, nothing. It's quieter than Uncle Tuffnut's head out here."

Though the kids loved their aunts and uncles, they were well aware of the fact that some of their relatives were lacking in intelligence. Though they were wise enough to keep such things to themselves as one should.

Finna sighed in disappointment as she dusted herself clean of the leaves that'd stuck in her clothes. "Let's face it. We're never going to have an adventure like Mom and Dad did! Not until we're old and wrinkly like Gobber."

Suddenly, the sound of a dragon's pained moan, a new one that they hadn't heard before, echoed through the woods.

"Did you hear that?" whispered Zephyr, excitedly.

Zephyr's siblings nodded in excited agreement and then looked concerned.

"It sounded a bit like Toothless only different," said Valor, frowning. It was like singing a song that one knew in an entirely different key. "And I think it sounded like a female's voice."

"It also sounded hurt," said Nuffink, worriedly.

"We've got fish sandwiches for snack, the medicines and our waterskins. We can help it, I'll bet. Let's go find it and then call Mom and Dad," said Finna, taking the lead as she often did.

Finna's siblings nodded and followed the blond Viking through a deep, dark section of the woods for what seemed like ages until they came across something no one had ever seen before. A female Fury, white and sparkling like freshly fallen snow. She looked remarkably like Toothless except she had stubbier ears and no dorsal plates. The dragon lay in a ness of moss and leaves, injured and with her claws out in case of an attack.

Knowing better than to just blunder in and frighten an injured dragon as a wounded one was quite dangerous, the children wisely kept back, hiding themselves in tall grasses as they assessed the situation just like their parents had taught them.

"Wow," breathed Zephyr, her eyes wide in amazement. "Look how pretty she is!"

"She looks like Toothless, only different. What would you call it?" said Nuffink. "A Bright Fury?"

Finna frowned and shook her head. "Nah. A Light Fury."

The other three murmured in agreement before Zephyr asked who was going to approach the Light Fury first. Immediately, Finna voted for Valor as he spoke the best dragonese out of the four of them and his quiet nature made him the best candidate. Upon hearing this reasoning, Zephyr and Nuffink agreed, so Valor was given all the supplies and the lead.

Valor swallowed nervously. Though he'd been taught well by his parents on what to do in this situation and had often dreamed of it, he suddenly felt quite nervous about approaching a new, injured dragon. Still, he wasn't about to blow it, so Valor took out the fish sandwich from his bag and began slowly walking towards the Light Fury, keeping his head down as he did so to show respect.

"Hello?" said Valor, softly. "Can you hear me, lady Fury?"

The Light Fury's ears perked up upon hearing her language being spoken. "What? Who's there? Who speaks my tongue?" Cautiously, she lifted her tail, revealing beautiful eyes of frosted blue that immediately narrowed upon seeing Valor. "A human! If you're here to take me back to that monster, I won't go without a fight!"

Scared and defensive, the Light Fury opened her mouth to attack.

"No, wait a second! I'm a friend!" cried Valor, quickly as he knelt down and held out the fish. "I'm not going hurt you, I promise! My siblings and I heard you crying in the woods and came to help you! My name is Valor Haddock, son of Aster and Lenora Haddock, dragon riders."

The Light Fury immediately froze. "Wait, Haddock? Lenora Haddock? The one I've heard protects dragons and rides a Night Fury? You're her offspring?" She'd heard tales of Lenora from other dragons and her captors, tales of how a human and the Night Fury she rode had changed the lives of humans and dragons alike for the better and the Light Fury had always longed to meet them both.

Keeping his gaze down, Valor nodded. "You're on Berk. No one will harm you here, I promise. We just want to help you get better."

The Light Fury sighed in relief and she immediately relaxed. "Thank the Alpha," she murmured. Slowly, she approached Valor and then she nuzzled his arm with her nose. "You can look up now. I'm sorry, little one. Tell your siblings it's okay to come now. It's no excuse, but I have suffered so much at the hands of humans and I just thought…" her voice trailed off and she looked as though she might cry.

Valor looked up and smiled softly before gesturing for his siblings to join him. Gently, he placed his hand on the Light Fury's snout, causing her to purr before she then began munching on the offered fish sandwich, bread and all.

"It's all right. We understand," said Valor. He gestured to his siblings, who were gazing in awe at the beautiful she-dragon. "This is Finna, Zephyr and Nuffink. What's your name?"

For a brief moment, the dragon looked surprised at being asked such a question by a human before she replied, "Luna. My name is Luna."

"Nice to meet you, Luna. Mind if we take care of your injuries? We found some herbs and berries that'll work quickly," said Finna, after Valor had translated.

Luna nodded and continued eating while the kids applied poultices of water, herbs and berries to her injuries. Thankfully, while the wounds were numerous, they weren't terribly serious or infected, which made their work that much easier. For the next several hours, the little group of five became good friends as they took care of each other and exchanged stories while also answering questions. By the time the lunch hour became near, Luna had not only completely healed of her wounds but she'd become very close with the kids, especially little Valor.

"It's almost time for us to head back to the village. Come with us," urged Valor.

Luna hesitated and curled her tail around her legs. Though she knew she was safe and among friends, the idea of suddenly facing an entire village of people made Luna want to vanish into the sky as only a Light Fury could do.

"I don't know…" she said, timidly. "It might be too soon."

"Okay, what if we just bring our parents here? You could meet them and their dragons," offered Finna, after Valor had translated. "You'd like them, especially Toothless."

Luna frowned in puzzlement. "Toothless?"

"Our mom's best friend, the Night Fury," explained Valor. "The Alpha dragon. He may seem serious, but he's a real goofball underneath it."

Luna's face lit up. "I've heard of him. Does he like to draw in the sand with sticks?"

The children nodded.

"If he is who I think he is, then yes. Please," said Luna, sounding hopeful and desperate.

"Okay, we'll bring them here. Zephyr?" said Finna.

Nodding, Zephyr took her horn out of her bag and blew it. A few moments later, Aster and Lenora arrived on their dragons, looking concerned.

"We heard your call. What's—oh, my gods," exclaimed Lenora, shocked as she gazed at the beautiful shimmering dragon.

Aster was also speechless at the sight of the Fury dragon. For years, it'd been believed that the Furies of the dragons were extinct, save for Toothless. To suddenly find another of that dragon species, and one so unlike anything they'd ever seen before was truly astonishing.

"Mom, Dad, this is Luna. She's a Light Fury. She escaped a dragon trapper and came here. We found her and made her better just like you taught us to do," said Finna, proudly.

Aster looked proudly at his children. "Well done, all of you."

Despite his earlier apprehension, Aster couldn't prevent the pride swelling in his heart at his children's actions. Not only had they performed a great kindness, they'd also discovered a new dragon species and possibly a companion for Toothless.

"She's our friend now," said Zephyr, happily. "And you wouldn't believe the stories she's told us!"

"Luna says she can disappear in the blink of an eye. Isn't that cool?" gushed Nuffink.

"She also said I can be her rider. Can I, Mom? Please," begged Valor, as he tugged on his mother's green, woolen shirt.

Still in a shocked daze, Lenora blinked for a moment before snapping back into reality. "What? Yes, of course, sweetie. But we'll talk more about it later."

Valor looked excited at this before frowning in confusion. "Toothless? Are you okay?"

Everyone turned to see Toothless gazing at Luna in shock with tears in his eyes.

"Luna? Is that really you?" choked Toothless.

Luna nodded and smiled. "Yes, it's me. You go by Toothless now?"

Toothless nodded. While 'Toothless' hadn't been the name given to him at birth, he never spoke of his old name, preferring to go by the one Lenora had chosen for him, no matter how ridiculous some dragons considered it.

"You know her, bud?" said Lenora, surprised.

Toothless nodded again as he smiled one of his biggest smiles ever. "Luna was my…my childhood sweetheart, as you might say."

Lenora looked surprised. Toothless had told her many things about his past, but a childhood sweetheart hadn't been one of them. She was happy for him, yes, but also surprised that he'd never once spoken of Luna.

Guessing his rider's thoughts, Toothless explained, "I never meant to keep secrets from you. It's just…it was hard to talk about because I thought Luna was killed years ago. The memories hurt and there never seemed a good moment to talk about it."

Knowing how hard some memories could be to speak of, Lenora's face softened with sympathy and understanding. She stroked Toothless' black head, silently letting him know there were no hard feelings and it was okay.

"I can't believe you're alive," said Toothless, to Luna. He cast a look of regret and shame in Luna's direction. As the Alpha dragon, Toothless was supposed to protect and care for his kind and yet he'd failed to do so for the one dragon he'd loved most in the world. How could he ever expect Luna's forgiveness? "You were a prisoner this whole time? I swear, Luna, if I'd known…!"

"Shh," interrupted Luna, as she nuzzled Toothless' face. She wasn't angry or resentful, just grateful and happy. "It's okay. We both thought the other was gone. It's in the past. Let's just focus on the present and enjoy the moment, please. We're back in each other's lives. We should be happy."

Despite his guilt, Toothless couldn't help but purr at this as he buried his face in Luna's shoulder. "I am happy, more than I can say. I can't believe you're here. I've missed you so much, Luna."

"I've missed you too, Toothless," said Luna, purring loudly. "And I'm so happy for you."

Sensing they might be intruding on a private moment, Lenora offered to give the pair some space for an hour, which Toothless sheepishly accepted. So, while the Light and Night Fury became reacquainted with one another, the Haddock family took a walk through the woods.

"I can't believe it. Toothless has a girlfriend," said Aster, when they were out of earshot. "Do you realize what this means?"

Lenora nodded in agreement. Out of everyone she knew, Toothless deserved this kind of happiness. He'd been alone for so long and had done so much for his kind. The chance to rebuild his species, albeit as hybrids, and to finally have another dragon like him on Berk was more than Lenora could've ever hoped for, for her best friend.

"It means the world to him. And I think it's really sweet," said Lenora, smiling.

Nuffink frowned. "Wait, does this mean Toothless is going to act all lovey-dovey with Luna like you and Dad do?"

"Probably," said Aster, with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Happy as they were for one of their favorite dragons, the children were still quite young and because of this, considered romance to be gross. So, naturally, all four of them groaned and gagged, making their parents laugh.

After another moment or two of pleasant family time, Lenora changed the subject to a more serious matter. "So, Luna mentioned she was imprisoned? Did she say by whom or where?"

If they knew the identity and location of whomever had captured Luna, then there was every chance they could finally put an end to dragon trappers forever.

Valor regretfully shook his head. "No. It really upset her, so we didn't press it."

Lenora concealed her disappointment. "Okay, well, we'll just have to—wait, what's that?"

Everyone looked to where Lenora was pointing and after a moment, found what she was referring too. There, almost perfectly concealed amongst the ferns, was a dart glinting in the sunlight. It had strange markings, markings that caused a twinge of fear in Lenora's heart.

Lenora cursed under her breath.

"What is it?" asked Aster.

"I think I know who Luna escaped from, but I need to check with Eret first. I pray I'm wrong, though. We need to get back to Berk, now. And we need to try and persuade Luna to come with us," said Lenora, urgently.

Lenora's family exchanged worried looks at this. This couldn't be good, not in the least.

XXX

Persuading Luna to come to the village was a challenge as the Light Fury had no desire to be among so many people so soon. It was only when the depth of the situation was fully explained and the promise that the Light Fury could hide in one of Berk's safehouses that Luna consented at last. Once that was done, the Haddocks immediately returned to Berk and went straight to the forges where Eret was helping out.

"Eret, I need an identification. Now," ordered Lenora, as she thrust the dart into his hand. "This was used on a female Fury dragon the kids found in the woods. Does it belong to who I think it does?"

Eret's eyes widened and he silently examined the dart before nodding grimly. "I'm afraid so, milady. This belongs to Grimmel Grisly, the most dangerous of dragon hunters next to Drago."

"How so?" asked Aster, curiously.

"Grimmel's the reason the Furies are almost extinct. That son of a bilge rat hunted down and killed almost every last one," explained Eret, causing his audience to look horrified. "More than that, Grimmel was Drago's mentor and adopted father."

"What?!" exclaimed Aster, stunned.

Lenora nodded and her eyes dulled with pain. "Drago didn't become so skilled at dragon trapping overnight. After Drago lost his people in the war, Drago wandered aimlessly, letting loose his anger on anything that moved until he ended up in prison. Grimmel found him, saw his potential and since Grimmel wanted an heir to carry on his legacy, Grimmel made Drago an offer: the chance to take away his pain and become a scourge to the dragons if he joined Grimmel. In less than a year, Grimmel transformed Drago into the monster we fought."

Eret nodded, grimacing. "They were like father and son for years until Drago met Lenora. Once Drago fell in love with her, well…let's just say that Grimmel and Drago's plans for dragons and the rest of the world differed. They had a blazing row and split up."

"Thor almighty..." murmured Aster. He ran his hand through his blond hair. "How dangerous are we talking?"

"Put it this way: Drago was a mere savage brute compared to Grimmel. That white-haired scumbag takes a different approach entirely. To Grimmel, the hunt is all a game. He gets into the mind of his prey and when they least expect it, he strikes. What's more, his ego won't allow anything but a perfect record and if he gets the chance to take a shot at Lenora for taking away his heir as well as taking a chance at the Fury dragons, we're all in serious danger," said Eret, seriously. "Mark my words, Grimmel will come and when he does, we cannot underestimate him."

Lenora placed a hand on her sword's hilt as if she was about to draw it and she looked serious. "Then we won't. We'll be waiting for him."

If Grimmel wanted a fight, then by Thor, he would get one and he would pay dearly for what he'd done to Toothless.

XXX

Later that night, Lenora found herself alone in her house as she poured over the maps.

Though they currently still had no plans to leave Berk, Aster had become more keen on the idea of finding a new, albeit temporary as he'd insisted, home away from home now that the threat of Grimmel was on the horizon. If need be, they would leave Berk and hide until they could rid the world of Grimmel and his cohorts for good.

Lenora's silence was disturbed when the sound of creaking wood hit her ears. Knowing it wasn't just the house settling in, Lenora immediately drew her sword and took a defensive stance as Grimmel himself came into view.

The tall white-haired man was drinking a cup of Aster's cider, which he'd left out on the table. "I hope you don't mind if I help myself. This is quite fine." He made a clicking noise with his teeth when Lenora ignited her sword. "Oh, that is impressive, but let me finish my drink."

Lenora blinked and then suddenly, Grimmel drew a crossbow out of nowhere and fired it at the large lump under the blankets.

"Toothless!" she shrieked, as she ran to her friend's side. She glared darkly at the hunter. "What in Queen Hel's name did you do to him?"

Grimmel shrugged nonchalantly as he planted himself in her seat, the Tribe leader's seat. "Eh, nothing he won't sleep off. Now, Chieftess Lenora—oh, pardon me. Do I call you Chieftess? Lenora? Chieftess Lenora? Or would you prefer 'Angel Light'?"

Lenora's glare deepened at being called by Drago's nickname for her and she tightened her grip on her sword hilt, not saying a word.

Grimmel laughed. "You have no idea who I am, do you? Shame. Your father knows of me, as did my former heir, Drago. You remember him, don't you? One of the greatest dragon hunters who ever lived. Did you know just how highly Drago thought of you? Even though you refused him? Drago thought you could be as great as him, if not more. What would Drago think of you, now?"

"What makes you think I give a crap about Drago's opinion of me?" snarled Lenora. Once, Lenora thought highly of Drago, considered him a friend and maybe could've loved him had she been given time. But instead, Drago had shown his true colors as homicidal, power-hunger lunatic who had no place in Lenora's life. "He was a lunatic and a murderer."

Grimmel chuckled once more as he made a knowing gesture. "You've got that right. Drago was quite mad towards the end, but he got one thing right: hunting down the beasts so we could all live in a better world."

Lenora scoffed. A better world? Grimmel was as crazy as Drago had been. "It's hardly better if one lives under a tyrant like Drago would've been. Drago was wrong. I made a better world and even my father believes in it."

Grimmel scowled. "And look where that's gotten them. One's dead and the other's fallen from the height which he obtained." He held up a hand, silencing Lenora when she opened her mouth to argue. "Shall we get to the point? I am the Night Fury Killer. I've hunted every last one of them down save for yours. You're going to give me that dragon or else—"

"I've spent half my life protecting dragons and working for a utopia among our kinds!" interrupted Lenora, furiously. "I will NEVER give up my best friend to be slaughtered by you!"

Grimmel laughed as he stood up. "A utopia? You want dragons to live freely among us like equals? A toxic notion, dear girl. History has shown that we are the superior species! Do you not realize that your misguided ideas have spread and begun to undo civilization as we know it?"

Thinking of Mala and how her people had thrived thanks to their dragon whom they worshiped, Lenora knew this to be a lie but before she could say as much, Grimmel's voice wandered off as he realized something was amiss with the dragon he'd just shot.

Grimmel kicked at the prosthetic tailfin and then pulled up the blanket, revealing a load of wool from the season's shearing. Toothless hadn't been shot at because he hadn't been there at all.

"Now!" yelled Lenora.

Quickly, she disarmed Grimmel of his crossbow before performing a leg sweep that knocked him onto the ground. Moments later, Lenora's flaming sword was under Grimmel's chin and the man was surrounded by the rest of Lenora's riders.

"How dare you!" hissed Lenora. "You think you can just waltz in here, sit in my father's chair, and threaten my people and my dragon? Who do you think you are? This is BERK! We've defended our way of life from scum far worse than you!"

In spite of the position he was in, Grimmel laughed in a way that chills went down Lenora's spine. "Ooh. A fighting spirit. I think I can see why Drago loved you so much. Only, I'm afraid you've never known anyone like me."

Before anyone could stop him, Grimmel whistled and suddenly, the house was set upon by powerful, acid-spitting, Deathgripper dragons that quickly set the house ablaze. A great fight for their lives soon followed and in the process, Grimmel was able to escape but not before he delivered a dire warning.

"Have my dragon ready by the time I return or I will destroy everything and everyone you love!"

"GRIMMEL!" yelled Lenora, as the hunter took off.

It appeared Lenora's instincts had been correct. Something big and terrible had happened and this time, Lenora didn't know if they could survive it.