Astrid, Fishlegs, and I stare at Nightstar. My dragon looks rather pleased with herself, a grin on her face and her blue eyes bright and expectant. Behind her are two Monstrous Nightmares, a male and a female. The male is blue and green in colouring, while the female is red and orange. The two don't do much save for sitting and waiting.

I walk closer to my Night Fury, lowering my voice. "So...Nightstar, did you get their names or anything?"

"Windstorm and Skybreeze," she responds. "They said that's what their last trainers called them." I give them a quick glance, my Nightstar must notice the anxious look on my face. "They aren't hostile. I told them that you could tell them the plan."

"Oh, great, just assume I can understand them," I grumble.

"We do have a universal language," the dark dragon points out. "You can understand me fine. Should be the same for them."

I sigh, casting a quick look to Astrid and Fishlegs before steeling my nerves and starting towards the Nightmares. Windstorm perks up first, his head tilting with curiosity. Skybreeze growls low in her throat as I approach, but doesn't attack.

"Hello..." I say, my volume like a breath and less like an actual voice.

"Hello," a rumbling voice comes from the male. "Nightstar told us you needed our help."

"We haven't helped Vikings in ages, but Nightstar made a case for you. I hope you understand how lucky you are that we're even here," a breezy voice adds from the female.

"I promise, it isn't too much. We just need a ride," I say. "Nightstar can't carry my companions."

"Where are we going then?" Windstorm demands, stepping closer to me and arching his slender neck upwards, his claws sinking into the soft sand of the beach.

Astrid and Fishlegs move to make sounds of warning, but I hold my hand up to cease them, my eyes hardly wavering from the dragon before me. I moisten my lips with my tongue before speaking again.

"I'm trying to find some friends of mine. They don't have dragons, so they couldn't have gotten very far from this general area. We need some noses that are keen in sniffing out humans," I say.

"I've got the best sniffer out here," Skybreeze boasts, flapping her wings and flicking her tail. "You came to the right dragon."

"Let's make it quick. Dark will come soon and, just between you and me, I don't want to be flying when the demons get to flying," Windstorm warns me. He jerks his head towards Fishlegs and Astrid. "I'll take the girl. Sky will take the boy. You lead the way with Nightstar."

"Gladly." I smile. "Thank you for your help." Skybreeze flicks her tail again and Windstorm almost seems to return the smile.

I whistle to Nightstar, then beckon Fishlegs and Astrid closer. Time is of the essence.

----------

Nightstar swoops low to the ground, touching down on a smooth patch of stone. I look around as Windstorm and Skybreeze touch down next to us, sniffing the area tentatively. I examine the area just as the dragons are. We've already been searching for what feels like forever, finding little to nothing that shows that we've made any progress.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Positive," Nightstar says. "I'm smelling human all over this place."

"That, and there's the remnants of some old ships over the cliffs," Skybreeze points out. "The scent here is fresher than the others we've found."

I climb off of Nightstar's back, the cool night wind rustling my hair. Astrid and Fishlegs follow suit without a word, looking more exhausted than me by quite a large margin. The area is mostly rocky outcropping, sparse shrubbery and rocky crevices giving the place more character. Sickly pine trees dot the edges and the entire place is surrounded by water.

"Everyone stay alert," I urge. "We don't know how they'll react."

The wind rustles the shrubs. Nightstar perks up, sniffing the air. Windstorm lifts his head to the sky, stretching up and imitating Nightstar's actions from a better height. Skybreeze eyes the pair with a sort of curiosity in her eyes.

"Ruffnut? Tuffnut? If you're here, please come out!" Astrid calls.

Fishlegs switches his attention to her. "We don't even know if it's them. It could be different humans."

"We have to have some hope," she retorts. "We've already searched all over. This is the closest we've gotten."

I hardly pay attention to them, my focus latched on a large hump of rock a little ways away. I can just see the tops of two blonde heads peering from behind it. Our eyes lock for a split second before they duck out of sight.

"Hey! Wait!" I shout, startling Fishlegs and Astrid out of their conversation. I take off at a sprint towards the rock, desperate not to lose the onlookers. I hoist myself over the boulder and touch down on the other side, panting. "I need to—"

Two rough pairs of hands grab my ankles and yank me to the ground before I can get another word out, my back and head screaming out in pain when I hit the ground. I don't have the chance to suck in a breath before a ragtag man pins me to the ground, a grubby knife held to my throat. I stare up at him, the sunken blue eyes and overgrown facial hair, the faded freckles dotting his gaunt face.

"What do you want, stranger?" he growls.

"Tuffnut," I breathe, hardly noticing the knife against my jugular. I had quite enough of that with Astrid already.

Tuffnut's eyes flicker with surprise, but his jaw sets and he lets out another animalistic growl. "Who're you?" he demands, his words slurring together against the roughness of his voice.

"Did you get her?" a female voice calls from underneath us. "Who is she?"

"Some chick. Never seen her before," Tuffnut calls back. "But she knows my name."

There's a long silence. Ever so slowly, Ruffnut pokes her head out of a hidden cave in the ground. Her face is also gaunt, her eyes dulled and tired, and her hair is as dirty and overgrown as her brother's. A sort of curiosity now brightens her haggard features.

"Who are you?" she asks, moving towards me on her hands and knees. "A vagabond? A scout of Alrek sent to bring us back and kill us? Huh?"

"My name is Thora. You don't know me and it's a long story," I say, surprisingly calm. Maybe I'm getting used to the amnesia-spurred attacks I've been getting. "I can explain everything if you'll just—"

A banshee-like shriek rings out above us as Nightstar appears on the rock, snarling with every fierce part of her body. The twins stare at her in utter shock and terror, giving me enough time to jam my knees into Tuffnut's stomach and fling him off of me. I roll away as he grunts in pain, using the momentum to propel myself back to my feet before putting my hands up defensively. Ruffnut gasps and helps her winded twin, shooting me a glare, but Tuffnut hardly seems to notice the breathlessness.

"Night Fury..." he whispers. "I thought..."

"Nightstar, down," I order. "I'm okay."

My dragon stays silent, but obeys the command and trots to my side. Fishlegs and Astrid appear over the same rock with the Monstrous Nightmares behind them.

"Ruff, Tuff, it's you!" Astrid says, smiling a tiny bit.

"Congrats Astrid, you have eyes," Ruffnut utters. She helps Tuffnut up, then realizes what she said and grins. "Astrid! You're back!"

"And you brought Fishlegs!" Tuffnut adds.

"Quiet down, guys. I'm trying to..." One more person pokes his head from the ground. Everyone falls silent as they take in the newcomer. "Woah." He's got the same dirty hair as the twins, but his beard and hair are both thick and black.

"Snotlout!" I gasp.

"And you are?" he asks, scrutinizing my surprisingly clean and well-fed appearance.

"We don't know her," Ruffnut says.

"But she's got a Night Fury," Tuffnut adds.

I drown out their words, just staring at the odd trio. Tuffnut and Snotlout both have full beards and matted hair, much like Fishlegs, while Ruffnut is the only one with no facial hair (obviously). They all look thin and unhealthy with gaunt, shallow faces, plus they stink strongly of worms, fish, and earth.

"Have you been underground with each other this whole time?" I ask.

"Yeah. So what?" Tuffnut huffs.

"Snotlout, why are you with them?" Fishlegs asks.

He clenches his jaw, his cheeks a little pink. He gestures to the woman beside him. "She's my princess. I couldn't let her walk away."

"Thanks, babe." Ruffnut smiles a little.

"Guys," Astrid says, her tone calm as ever. "Thora has a story to tell you, and it's crazy, but it works. We need you to listen up, got it?"

The twins glance between each other, then at Snotlout, and finally all six eyes fall on me. They exhale heavily and nod.

"Fine," Tuffnut mumbles.

"But I want an explanation about the Nightmares too," Snotlout adds.

"I'll tell you everything," I repeat, feeling as if I've said those words far too many times. "Don't worry."