• • •

"Finally!" Tuffnut shouted as the news of the hunters was broken to the group at dinner. "I was starting to get bored with no one trying to kill us all the time."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather be bored than dead," Snotlout retorted in irritation.

"Who's this new leader anyways?" Ruffnut asked, "I thought Viggo was a one man show."

"He was," Hiccup confirmed, "it seems like someone else has rallied up all of his old hunters and gotten them to work again."

Aldru listened curiously to the conversation. She still wasn't sure if Viggo had survived and was still out there, but he wouldn't be working with the hunters anymore, right?

Just then, a terrible terror flew in an landed right infront of Aldru. Everyone watched as she took the note it carried and read it. Her eyes widened as she did, and she breathed out heavily.

"What is it?" Hiccup questioned as he came to her and read over her shoulder.

I will explain everything, in time...

- V.G.

Now Hiccup understood her shock. "Uh, you mind sharing with the rest of us?" Snotlout asked with an irritated tone.

Aldru only stared down at the paper as she breathed out, "Viggo.."

"What?" Astrid exclaimed.

"But didn't he kinda burn alive in our volcano?" Tuff questioned in confusion.

Hiccup sighed stressfully, "apparently not."

Finally, Aldru placed the note on the table for everyone to see. "Explain what?" Fishlegs wondered.

"Probably how he managed to survive in a volcano," Ruff answered with a shrug.

"No, it has to be more than that," Aldru countered, earning many curious stares. "Why would he send a terror mail? Why not come here and talk to me himself?" Aldru began to explain, "something's wrong. I should write him back."

But before Aldru could sramble around for a piece of paper, Hiccup stopped her. "Aldru, wait a second," he warned, "if you're right, and something is wrong, writing back could put him in even more danger. Like you said, there's a reason he didn't come in person."

The room was quiet for a moment. Then Fishlegs spoke hesitantly, "..with the hunters back on the water again, and now this..I don't know."

"Really, you don't know? Cause I think it's pretty obvious," Snotlout crosse dhis arms and frowned, "Viggo's back, and he's hunting dragons again."

"But..no.." Adlru argued weakly, not wanting to believe it. She'd finally gotten onto good terms with her father during the shellfire battle; she didn't want to believe that she'd just been fooled the whole time.

Hiccup put an arm around her shoulders to give her a half hug. He then looked back to the other riders with a hard expression. "This note says he'll explain," he reminded them, "maybe he is back to hunting, but there has to be a reason."

"Maybe it's that selling dragons makes him rich and that's all he cares about?" Snotlout suggested with a sacasric face.

"That's not all he cares about," Hiccup corrected, looking down at Aldru. Viggo's daughter, Aldru Grimborn, a song wing born of the the leader of dragon hunters. For once, Hiccup found himself empathizing for the man; he had two completely different lives, and he could never live them both at once. Just like Aldru.

• • •

Hiccup was jolted out of his sleep by an enormous explosion. It shook his hut violently, causing him to fall out of bed. "Ah! What in the--" he stuttered as he came to his feet and rushed to his door. Outside, the island was lit up like the sun; singetails soared through the sky, trying to claim the island for themselves.

His eyes immediately trailed to Aldru's hut. It was completely in flames. He raced down to her platform and knocked the door down with his shoulder. "Aldru!" He shouted as another fireball shook the ground.

Huddled in the corned of the home was Aldru in her human form, coughing viciously from the smoke. It was clear that she was very weak. Hiccup dodged falling debris and grabbed the girl, lifting and carrying her out of the destroyed building. But there was no better refuge outside.

"Hiccup.." She spoke weakly.

"Hang in there," Hiccup replied in a panic as he raced to the stables, "I've got you."

Aldru looked up at the sky to see the singetails swarming. But with one more lung full of smoke, she fell unconscious.

Finally at the stables, Hiccup released all of the dragons. One by one, they all went to find their riders. Hiccup then climbed on top of Toothless, still holding Aldru in his lap. He then took to the air. But once they were in the air, he noticed something that chilled his blood; these singetails were being ridden.

Meeting up with the others in the sky, it was decided that there was no way to beat the fliers right then. With reluctance, the riders flew away to Defenders of the Wing island. There they would discuss their next move.

• • •

"I believe she is waking," a familiar voice spoke softly as Aldru regained consciousness.

There was a long sigh of relief that she immediately recognized as Hiccup, "thank Thor."

Aldru opened her eyes to see that she was in a dimly lit hut with Throk and Hiccup. Then her memories returned, and a feeling of dread overcame her. She stood up quickly and tried to make her way to the door, insisting, "I need to go back."

"Aldru, no," Hiccup told her, putting his body between her and the exit, "you're in no condition to fly right now, let alone try to reason with over twenty singetails."

"Ms. Aldru," Throk spoke with respect, "I must insist that you lay back down; your body is still weak."

Between the two men, Aldru knew she wasn't getting out any time soon. And she knew they were right, but it didn't make the situation any easier. With a sigh of defeat, she climbed back onto the bed of grass-stuffed animal skin. It was positioned in a way that she could lay at an angle, still somewhat sitting up.

"I shall inform Queen Mala of your improving health," Throk told Aldru, then left with a small bow.