HTTYD

The fight had been chaos, but it was a chaos they knew well. Astrid’s grip on her axe was tight as she swept in close with Stormfly, sending a volley of spikes toward the hunters’ ships. Beside her, Hiccup maneuvered Toothless through the melee with the fluidity of years spent dodging harpoons and nets. The others were scattered across the battlefield—Ruffnut and Tuffnut doing more harm than good with their signature brand of disorder, while Snotlout shouted declarations of victory despite the fight still raging around them. Fishlegs had been herding dragons to safety, and Dagur and Heather had been striking with sharp efficiency. They were a unit, a team. They had done this before.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Astrid saw it first—something tearing through the sky above them, a blur of shimmering scales and fire. For a moment, she thought it was another hunter trick, some new weapon they had unleashed. Then, in a flash, the figure descended. It wasn’t a hunter. It was a rider.

“Uh, guys? Since when do we have backup?” Snotlout called, his voice tinged with surprise.

Astrid spared a glance over her shoulder as the stranger’s dragon cut through the battlefield. Its breath ignited one of the ships in a dazzling display of fire, and its rider—a shadowed figure clad in unfamiliar gear—seemed to move as one with the beast. The hunters reeled, their formation crumbling under the sudden assault.

Hiccup’s voice came through the chaos, calm but sharp. “Stay focused! We’ll figure out who they are later.”

But Toothless seemed to have other ideas. The Night Fury let out a curious warble, his gaze fixed on the newcomer as if trying to piece together a puzzle. Hiccup nudged him back into action, though his own curiosity burned just as brightly.

The rider didn’t stay long. They moved like the wind, striking with precision and retreating just as quickly. By the time the hunters were in full retreat, the stranger was already pulling their dragon skyward, clearly intent on slipping away.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Astrid muttered, urging Stormfly after them. “Whoever that is, they don’t just get to drop in, save the day, and disappear.”

Hiccup was already on their tail, Toothless streaking ahead as the rest of the group rallied to follow. The stranger’s dragon, despite its powerful frame, was fast—but not fast enough to outrun a determined Night Fury.

As they closed the distance, Hiccup called out, his voice steady despite the adrenaline still thrumming through him. “Hey! Wait! Who are you?”

It was a nice afternoon for dragon riding, so Hiccup and his gang went for a fly, if you'd call it that. It felt nice to have the air flying through their hair, to be high in the sky, where they felt free.

Well, free as much as they could be..

Hey! What was that?

Hiccuo exclaimed as they swiped past him on a dragon of their own, nearly knocking him off Toothless in the process.

That wasn't nice..

Fishlegs murmurs as he follows after Hiccup and them on Meatlug.

Hey! Who are you? We just want to talk!

Astrid calls out to them.