Astrid and Stormfly flew through the seastacks, searching for Rylan. 

"I know you're in here," Astrid muttered, eyes narrowed. No matter what Hiccup told her, she didn't trust this Outcast boy. She would find him. And she would make him leave. 

The Nadder seemed to sense Astrid's anger, and flew directly and quickly. If her friend was this worried about something, Stormfly wanted to help her out as much as possible. 

They soared around a stone pillar, seeing nothing but empty space. 

"Stop Stormfly," Astrid commanded. The Deadly Nadder halted in midair, wide wings pumping up and down smoothly. A shifting, scraping noise came from a cave nearby. It was unmistakably a dragon trying to hide itself. 

Smirking in satifaction, Astrid landed Stormfly on a small lip of rock outside the cave. The sounds had stopped. 

"I know it's you," she called, hands on hips. "Get out here."

The next thing she heard was a deafening, bellowing, roar.

--------------------

Rylan and Jolt drifted down from the clouds, soaking wet and freezing, but somehow smiling. 

"Let's go on back Jolt," Rylan said, rubbing the damp black scales. Jolt snorted in agreement, angling his wide wings back toward their cave. 

Rylan was looking back up at the clouds, still marveling that anything so gray could hold back that much sunlight, when a brilliant blue Nadder shot past him. It's yellow eyes were slit pupiled and full of terror and shock. Rylan recoiled at the sight of it. 

This was the dragon that the Berk girl had been riding. But the saddle on it's back was empty. What had happened to her?

Almost in response to his thought, an echoing roar swept over the ocean. A Thunderdrum.

Without a second thought, Rylan yelled, "Go Jolt!" 

His dragon banked sharply, diving toward the source of the roar. Heavy shufflings echoed from the back of a sea cave, not unlike the one he and Jolt were using right now. With a thrill of foreboding, Rylan saw a double bladed axe lying abandoned on the cave floor. 

As quietly as possible, Jolt landed. Rylan slipped off his back, pausing only to detatch his own axe from a bag on Jolt's saddle. 

He edged around to the cave entrance and peeked inside. 

A huge, navy blue Thunderdrum reposed inside. There was an enormous pile of dead fish sitting next to it, and beside the pile lay the unconcious form of Astrid. A small trickle of blood ran from each of her ears, and her striped blue shirt had a few slashes in it that had cut the skin underneath. 

Rylan leaned away from the cave mouth, wondering what to do. He had Jolt, but didn't dare shoot lightning from this far away. There was a good chance he'd hit Astrid too. 

But then he remembered the fish. Dragon's could be easily persuaded with a kind word and a fat fish. 

-----------------

The huge Thunderdrum lay contentedly in his cave. That pesky human was no bother to him now, and she would make a tasty treat after he'd finished his fish. He nosed through his fish mound, trying to find a hallibut. 

Just as he decided that he'd eaten all in his stock, he smelled a fresh hallibut. Jerking up his head, the Thunderdrum was confused to see a small human standing in his cave. He was struggling to hold a huge, thrashing hallibut, but flopped it in front of him as an offering. 

Confused but pleased, the Thunderdrum scooted forward to accept the gift. The small human edged carefully along the wall, clearly trying not to invoke his rage. Smart human that one, the Thunderdrum thought, ripping a huge bite out of the still moving fish. 

Rylan scooted up to Astrid, who was still unconcious and looking very pale. Trying not to make sudden movement, Rylan carefully slid her off the ground. Holding her in his arms, he slowly started edging back toward the cave mouth where Jolt was waiting. 

The wild dragon had just finished his fish and was now in the process of coughing up bones when he noticed something. The girl was moving away from him in the arms of the smart human. 

Small yellow eyes narrowing, he bellowed a challenge that made the walls quake. Rylan's ears throbbed, but he gritted his teeth and yelled,

"Jolt!" 

The Pyron shot into the cave, wings spread wide to appear even larger and more intimidating. With his golden eyes glowing in the darkness and his black scales, Jolt looked terrifying, otherwordly. 

The Thunderdrum apparently felt the same way. He shrank back against the wall, still looking angry, but no longer agressive. 

Grunting, Rylan heaved Astrid's limp form into Jolt's saddle and climbed up to support her from behind. 

As soon as they were secure, Jolt bolted away. He was still a young dragon after all, and the Thunderdrum isn't a dragon you want to stick around for very long. 

Astrid's hair flew back, whipping Rylan in the face. He spat out a mouthful of blonde hair and wondered what to do next. He could take her back to his cave, but when she woke up she'd probably freak out and try to strangle him with her headband. 

He could try reuniting her with her dragon, but the blue Nadder was nowhere in sight. Presumably it had flown back to Berk, where it was safe. 

Sighing, Rylan firgured there was only one thing to do.