Chapter Forty

On one of the many small islands that were scattered across the archipelago, a young Deadly Nadder flew in beside a purple colored one for a rest. With a yawn, the Nadder plopped down for a break from all the flying it had done earlier.

That was when we decided to make our appearance. With the Nadder relaxed enough for an easy target, I slipped out of my hiding place, and, with my handy slingshot, fired a bag of yellow paint towards the Nadder. Squawking in surprise, the Nadder flew off with it's companion.

"Got one," I announced as Snowfire joined me. Hiccup and Astrid were flying nearby, searching for other dragons to tag with yellow paint. The situation was all the more awkward, because Astrid had asked me to tag along since I was able to bond with most of the dragons.

I tried to make the most of it, though. At least it gave me a chance to get away from Berk, with Snowfire by my side.

'I do not understand why you must paint them with those colors,' Snowfire huffed as I hopped into her saddle and she took off. 'They looked perfectly fine without them.'

"Well, tagging dragons was the best option we had without causing them physical harm," I reminded her. "It's the best way to keep track of which dragon came from which island." Not to mention, it was also a good way to keep track of any newcomers.

Lately, there had been a recent flurry of dragons showing up on Berk. I couldn't help but wonder if I was responsible for that. You see, with my bonding abilities, it not only gave me the chance to bond with wild, untamed dragons, but they also seemed to attract them as well. At least, that was what the pages of Bork's journal told me.

"Okay, these Nadders get tagged yellow. That's how we know they're from Sorrow Island," Hiccup informed us as Snowfire flew closer to Toothless. Just as he said that, Astrid flew past us on her own Deadly Nadder, Stormfly.

"Like this?" she asked, swinging a bag of yellow paint over her head. I only rolled my eyes as it hit a Nadder that was behind us, leaving a yellow splat on its back. Hearing another Nadder's roar, Astrid had Stormfly fly after the dragon and tagged it yellow as well. One more toss and she tagged yet another Nadder. "You're free to join in! Anytime!" she called to us with a knowing smirk before coaxing Stormfly to pursue another Nadder.

'Is it just me, or has she gotten even more irritating than usual?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes. I only nodded in agreement, having no desire to say anything out loud that might make the tension even worse.

As much as I tried to avoid the inevitable, it was obvious that Astrid's feelings towards Hiccup were growing stronger. And, since we hadn't been talking much, Hiccup was spending more time with Astrid. I was almost too ashamed to face the truth.

Shaking my head at the thought, I had Snowfire chase down another Nadder that flew close by. I pulled out another bag of yellow paint and tagged it within seconds, hiding a triumphant grin as it squawked and flew away.

Hiccup had pulled off a disappearing trick on the Nadder Toothless was chasing, making it believe that it was in the clear. With his multifunctional Gronckle Iron shield, Hiccup managed to tag the last Deadly Nadder.

"Alright, I have to admit. That shield is pretty cool," Astrid complimented once we'd landed on a nearby sea stack.

I couldn't agree more with that notion. The shield Hiccup made was more than functional, acting as both a defensive shield, and a weapon when he needed one.

"Why, thank you. I quite like it, too," Hiccup replied, giving a mocking bow before dusting off the shield's rim. "I'm gonna check on the twins. They're supposed to be marking the Crescent Island dragons," he added before he had Toothless take off towards Crescent Island.

"I'm sure that's going wonderfully," Astrid said under her breath, rolling her eyes at the thought of the twins actually doing something useful.

'Knowing them, they have marked everything but the dragons,' Snowfire chimed in agreement, earning a smirk from Astrid and me.

"Well, we best not keep them waiting," I said with a sly look. With that thought in mind, both Snowfire and Stormfly took off after Hiccup and Toothless.

…

Sure enough, as we got closer to Crescent Island, I could find one of the twins actually doing what they were told. Ruffnut was cautiously wandering through the undergrowth, searching for dragons to be tagged. Snowfire kept well enough away that we wouldn't be spotted, and soon, Ruffnut's patience was rewarded when she finally found a Gronckle feasting on some boulders. Unfortunately, the same Gronckle was currently being targeted by her brother, Tuffnut, as well.

'Should we not intervene?' Snowfire asked, watching the two in amusement. Tuffnut was about to throw the paint at the Gronckle, when it chose to fly off. He threw the bag of paint at one last pitched attempt, but instead of hitting the Gronckle, it hit Ruffnut square in the face. Purple paint splattered across her face, and she scowled from the impact.

"Haha, cool! I always wondered what you would look like in purple," Tuffnut laughed after realizing he'd hit his sister instead. I winced as she wiped off some of the pain from her face and glared.

"You know, you could at least say you're sorry," she grumbled.

"You're right, I could. Okay, I'm sorry… that your head got in the way," Tuffnut jeered. I nearly facepalmed as they started arguing, and threw bags of paint at one another.

"Guys!"

Snowfire was far enough away that the paint wouldn't hit us, but Toothless was flying in fast towards the spectacle. Hiccup had to lean his head back to avoid getting hit by a bag of paint that the twins had unintentionally thrown at him. Unfortunately, one of the bags of paint happened to fling in our direction. Snowfire had ducked out of the way, but I didn't have enough time to react as purple paint splattered along my hair.

'What happened to tagging the dragons?' Snowfire demanded as we landed beside Toothless, who warbled in concern upon seeing the paint now covering my hair.

Tuffnut flinched as I hopped out of her saddle and slapped him across the back of his head. "Next time you have a paint war, don't include me," I muttered crossly.

Luckily, Snowfire was able to create a mist that helped clean most of the paint off. The paint had left streaks of purple highlights in my hair, though. Thanks to her ability to breathe fire and ice, she was able to create a mist that washed most of it away.

"Huh, most people would pay a lot of money for highlights in our world," I remarked after noticing the purple highlights.

'It is not a bad look,' Snowfire commented.

"You know, if you think it through, Hiccup, this is pretty much your fault," Tuffnut said once we got back.

"And just how do you figure that?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Uh, hello. You armed us with paint. Where did you think that was gonna go? And we're the stupid ones," Ruffnut stated the obvious, defending her brother.

'They have a good point, there,' Snowfire hummed with amusement at the look of exasperation Hiccup gave them.

"How many of these do we have to do, anyways?" Tuffnut asked, ignoring the jibe Ruffnut made towards him.

"As many as we can," Hiccup replied. "The more dragons we tag on each island, the better we can keep track of where they belong and where they migrate to." And, as usual, the twins weren't interested in whatever he had to say. Anything that didn't involve destruction or fighting wasn't interesting to the twins, as far as I was concerned.

"Wow, that was… uh…" Ruffnut started before stopping herself.

"Fascinating?" Hiccup suggested, smiling wryly until Tuffnut spoke up.

"What's the opposite of fascinating?" he asked. That was when Astrid chose to join us on Stormfly.

"Hiccup, isn't it supposed to be one colored dragon per island?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" Hiccup replied.

"I see two colors, down there," Astrid pointed out to a pair of Gronckles munching on rocks nearby. My eyes narrowed when I noticed one was tagged purple, like all of the dragons from Crescent Island. The other one was tagged green. "Have we been using the wrong one?" Astrid asked in concern.

"I don't think so," Hiccup replied, then looked at the twins.

"Don't look at us. If we had green paint, you know where it would be," Tuffnut pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure we all know where it would be," I muttered under my breath, referring to the incident earlier.

"Well, I better ask Fishlegs and Jacob. This was their idea," Hiccup said. That much was true. Recently, Jacob and Fishlegs had been coming up with all sorts of ideas to keep better track of all the dragons on Berk. I found it ironic that Jacob got along so well with Fishlegs, now.

"You're gonna fly all the way back to Berk?" Astrid asked in disbelief. We were miles away from anywhere near the main island. While she did have a good point, there were ways around that.

"No, I don't have to," Hiccup reassured her as he went for one of Toothless' saddlebags.

"What's he talking about?" Ruffnut asked in confusion.

"He must have some of that magic paper we've been looking for," Tuffnut replied.

"He and Alex always get the good stuff," Ruffnut said sulkily.

"It's not magic paper," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes. "Fishlegs, Alex and I have been working on something new." He scribbled down a message for Fishlegs and Jacob on the sheet of paper. "We call it airmail." As he said that, he pulled Sharpshot, his Terrible Terror, out of the saddle and attached the letter to him.

"Stupid name," Tuffnut snickered.

"Right?" Ruffnut smiled in agreement.

"Well, it makes sense when you think about it," I pointed out. "You know, it's like getting a message in a bottle, only through the sky, and with a dragon." The twins just looked at me as if I was crazy, and I resisted the urge to glare back.

"Do you really think that Terrible Terror's going to fly all the way back to Berk?" Astrid asked skeptically.

"Yep, and right to the Academy," Hiccup replied confidently. "Terrors are especially territorial, so it's a natural instinct for them to return to their home wherever they were released." Sharpshot took the chance to climb to the top of his head and took off.

Just for the fun of it, though, the spunky Terrible Terror flew around in a circle and flew right into Ruffnut's face before biting onto the horn of Tuffnut's helmet. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight as Sharpshot left before the twins fought back.

"And how will we know he made it?" Astrid asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When Fishlegs, Snotlout and Jacob meet us at Dragon Island," Hiccup replied. Astrid only scoffed, and I had to admit that she was beginning to irritate me with her doubt. We'd been practicing this for weeks now, with all of our Terrible Terrors. I knew for a fact that it would work.

"Please, if that happens, I'll kiss Snotlout on the lips," she said.

'And I would be the first to watch that happen,' Snowfire hummed with amusement. I pitied anyone who was forced to kiss Snotlout on the lips, even if that someone happened to be Astrid or Jessica.

…

On Dragon Island, Fishlegs stood alongside Jacob with Sharpshot perched on his shoulder, giving the little dragon a scratch on the chin. Suddenly, Sharpshot startled when he heard Snotlout's snoring, and crept under Fishlegs' shoulder. It was obvious his breath was enough to scare away even the bravest dragons. I had to wince as the stench was even enough for Hookfang to crawl away and join Sniper, who was busy sunning himself until Hookfang approached him.

'Does he ever clean his breath?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes.

"You know it's bad when it's strong enough to scare even Hookfang away," I added with a nod of agreement.

"Well, look who it is. Fishlegs, Jacob and Snotlout, all right here on Dragon Island," Hiccup remarked in a smug tone. I almost burst out laughing when he raised his voice enough to wake up Snotlout.

"Oh, you poor child," I said with a shake of my head while giving Astrid a sly look. Snotlout woke up immediately at the sound of his name, and looked at us groggily as our dragons landed on the beach.

"Astrid was just talking about you," Hiccup informed his cousin, smiling mischievously as Astrid's eyes narrowed. Snotlout only grinned at the thought of Astrid talking about him.

"Of course she was," he said smugly. Astrid only glared at Hiccup, who puckered his lips at her.

"Well, I have to say that I almost feel sorry for you," I said under my breath.

'And yet, you do not,' Snowfire hummed, the smugness in her voice evident. I couldn't help but smirk at that, ignoring the glare that Astrid was giving me as she got off Stormfly. The look she gave both Hiccup and me was deadly, to say the least.

"Say it, and those will be the last words you ever speak," she snapped under her breath, cracking her neck joints as if to make a point. Luckily, Fishlegs and Jacob intervened before things got any worse than they already were.

"Hiccup, we got your message! I knew airmail would work," Fishlegs said cheerfully. "So, uh, what's the emergency?" Sharpshot had chosen that moment to fly onto my shoulder, growling happily as I scratched his chin gently.

"We've been seeing green painted dragons on Crescent Island," Hiccup explained.

"That's your emergency? I was in the middle of something very important," Snotlout complained.

"You know, they say oversleeping can make you look worse," Jacob pointed out cheekily, earning a glare from the Jorgenson boy.

"Fishlegs, does it make any sense why those dragons are there?" Hiccup asked, getting back to the main point.

"No, they shouldn't be," Fishlegs said thoughtfully. He went over to a flat rock and spread a map across it. I glanced at Snowfire anxiously, wondering if she would know what was causing them to fly to other islands. Dragons were known to be territorial, especially towards newcomers. So, it didn't make sense that they'd be fleeing to another island that was already inhabited. "Crescent Island is clearly marked purple," Fishlegs informed us.

"That's what I thought," Hiccup said in agreement.

"So, what were the green dragons doing there?" Astrid asked. She looked at Snowfire expectantly, as if Snowfire would flat out answer her question.

'Do not give me that look, hatchling,' she snapped. 'I do not know the answer to everything.'

"First of all, the color is pistachio," Fishlegs informed us, ignoring Snowfire's remark that was enough to make Astrid flinch. I crossed my arms and leaned against her as they discussed the numerous possibilities of what was causing the dragons to go from island to island. "They belong on Tall Tree Island. That's where I tagged them."

"Yeah, well, your 'pistachio' dragons aren't where they're supposed to be," Astrid pointed out sarcastically, placing Fishlegs' hand on a yellow covered island. Fishlegs' eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he realized what she was getting at.

"Huh, that's weird…" he mumbled almost to himself.

"They wouldn't be going to another dragon's island unless something was spooking them," Jacob said as he looked at the markers carefully. "Right?"

"As far as I know, dragons are extremely territorial. They don't usually intrude on an inhabited island unless there's a good reason," I said after giving it some thought.

"We need to figure this out. Let's go to Tall Tree Island," Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"Sounds awesome. I was wondering what I'd be doing for the rest of the day," Snotlout announced, leaving to go find Hookfang after he'd wandered off. I only rolled my eyes as I figured where he would be headed after this. And sure enough, once we were in the air, Snotlout had Hookfang fly away. "See ya back on Berk, suckers!" he cheered as Hookfang flew off.

"Some things never change," Jacob muttered under his breath.

'And I doubt he ever will,' Snowfire added. We just went on with our scouting mission, without the help of Snotlout.

…

It took us a good while to reach Tall Tree Island. Or what we thought would be Tall Tree Island. I looked around in surprise when I noticed there wasn't anything here. Snowfire seemed to tense as she caught something in the air, but still, she refused to say what was wrong.

"I don't understand. We should be there by now," Hiccup said, referring to Tall Tree Island.

"Maybe we're off course?" Astrid suggested, glancing at Fishlegs hopefully.

"I don't do off-course," Fishlegs retorted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Okay, so where would the island be, if that were the case?" I asked with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, according to my map, it should be right…" Fishlegs peered at his map, but his eyes widened as he realized something was wrong.

"You were saying?" Astrid and I asked at the same time. Hiccup kept looking around anxiously, but it was what Jacob said that left me worrying.

"You know, even if we were off course, we'd still be able to see it from here," he pointed out.

"Well, an island can't just disappear," Astrid said uncertainly.

"Earthquake?" Fishlegs suggested.

"Volcano?" Hiccup guessed as well.

"No, if this were a volcano, we would have seen it," I murmured thoughtfully. "Something else is at play, here."

"Well, it could be the wrath of Thor… or even the wrath of Odin," Fishlegs said meekly. Then he looked a little embarrassed at the looks we gave him. "What? Just throwing out some possible explanations."

'This island did not disappear naturally,' Snowfire spoke for the first time since we left Dragon Island. Astrid only shook her head as she spotted something flying straight towards us.

"None of that explains this," she pointed out. Three Monstrous Nightmares were flying straight at us, ignoring the possibilities of crashing into anyone. Luckily, none of them were in any mood to fight with all of us around. That's when the four of us noticed the orange splattered paint on each of the Monstrous Nightmares. "Orange?" Astrid asked in disbelief.

"Burnt Apricot, actually," Fishlegs corrected her.

"Seriously, nobody cares what the color is called," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"What island are they from?" Astrid asked, turning to Hiccup. He pulled out a sheet of paper with notes written down about each of the dragons we'd marked earlier, and their locations.

"According to this, they're from Sunstone Island," he replied.

"Ah, Sunstone Island! Pristine beaches, a veritable smorgasbord of fine mineral deposits for Meatlug," Fishlegs said in a dreamy voice, and patted Meatlug on the shoulder. The sweet Gronckle wagged her tail happily at the thought of returning to her favorite island.

"Sunstone Island it is," Hiccup declared, and the five of us flew off towards our next destination.

…

What we found wasn't exactly what Fishlegs had described. It looked as if half of the island was eaten away by the ocean, or something much more dangerous. The 'pristine' beaches that Fishlegs had described were nothing more than crumbling edges that the dragons struggled to keep a footing on.

"So, this is the veritable smorgasbord of fine mineral deposits for Meatlug you were talking about?" I deadpanned, gesturing to what was left of the island. Jacob had to let Sniper hover above us just like Astrid was with Stormfly, who squawked in protest as we tried to figure out what had happened to the island.

"Huh, I thought it was bigger," Fishlegs remarked as he and Meatlug tried to get a better look.

"Ya think?" Astrid asked.

"I have to say, the beaches are a bit of a disappointment," Hiccup remarked as Toothless momentarily lost his grip and scrambled to get a firm hold on the rocks. Snowfire herself was struggling to stay on her perch, and with her bigger size, that was saying something. Now, Fishlegs was beginning to test his theories.

"One island's missing and another island's been sunk…" he mused thoughtfully.

"I guess an entire island can disappear," Astrid admitted.

'No, this island did not disappear naturally,' Snowfire growled once again, and I had to wonder what she was referring to. Something definitely had her on edge. She was more guarded than usual, and refused to say anything else.

"Well, if the islands are gone… where do the dragons go?" Fishlegs asked.

"Good question. Dragons live on a specific island for a specific reason," Hiccup told him.

"The food they eat, where they nest," said Fishlegs as he gave it more thought.

"If they lose their homes, it could endanger the whole species," I added as realization dawned on me.

"We need to figure out what's going on, now," Hiccup said firmly while Toothless and Snowfire clung to the rocks.

"Okay… where exactly would we start investigating?" Jacob asked warily.

"Let's head back to Dragon Island," Hiccup told us.

"If it's still there," Astrid reminded him. I couldn't help but flinch at the thought of what might happen if Dragon Island was gone. What would happen to the inhabitants there? Dragon Island was home to more than it's fair of dragons, and even more so compared to the other smaller islands.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something very bad was happening here. Snowfire's unease was what made me feel even more concerned about our mission going south. If she was upset about something, then it couldn't lead to anything good.

As we flew back to Dragon Island, I began to notice more and more dragons flying past us tagged in different colors. The worst part was, when we arrived at Dragon Island, the whole area was littered with dragons tagged in different paint colors.

"Look at them all!" Hiccup exclaimed

"There's gotta be hundreds of 'em," Jacob said in amazement.

"Check their colors," Astrid advised us. Fishlegs was fidgeting nervously as he recognized most of the colors that we could make out.

"I-I see pistachio… burnt apricot…" he began when Astrid cut him off.

"Look, a new color – red!"

"Technically, that's vermilion," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Seriously? Like anyone really cares," I muttered under my breath, not in the mood for any of these games. Something was definitely wrong here. I could sense it in Snowfire, and the other dragons. Something had scared them off, and I had a feeling that something had to do with the disappearing islands.

"Dragons from three different islands suddenly all here," Hiccup drew out as he and Fishlegs tried to work this one out. He managed to figure out the pattern quickly enough, and when he did, I realized it really would lead to nothing good. "Look, this forms a line, which means there are more islands in danger. Boar Head Island, Thor Rock Island. Toothless, we're going back…" Hiccup was looking at each of the islands that had not been checked yet.

"I'm coming with you," Astrid declared.

"Guess we are too," Jacob put in with a shrug, looking at me anxiously.

'These islands are disappearing at a faster rate than I thought,' Snowfire growled with unease. 'Something troubles you, little one?' She added after noticing how tense I was getting. I hadn't missed the looks the others had given me, and I refused to make eye contact with them.

"I just have a really bad feeling there's something out there," I said under my breath.

"This could get dangerous," Astrid pointed out after noticing how tense I'd gotten.

"What makes you think that?" Hiccup asked, oblivious to the fact that both Snowfire and I had reached our own conclusion.

"Oh, I don't know. Islands disappearing mysteriously, dragons fleeing in terror. Call it a hunch," I said with a shrug.

"Fine," Hiccup groaned in exasperation after realizing I was right. He then looked at Fishlegs, "Fishlegs, you stay here in case any new dragons show up."

"Got it," Fishlegs replied, looking a bit relieved to be left out of this mission. "New dragons. Meatlug and I are on the case."

As we reached what should be Boar's Head Island, we saw nothing but open water for miles to come. My heart was racing with dread as I realized this was a lot more serious than I first thought.

"Boar's Head Island should be down there," Hiccup informed us as he tried looking for remnants of the island. It was literally nothing but open ocean. "It's gone too."

"Okay, now I get what you were saying," Jacob whispered as Sniper hovered beside Snowfire.

"So, now what?" Astrid asked, looking at Jacob anxiously as she heard that.

"We go to Thor Rock Island," I said, my voice full of determination to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"You know, maybe Fishlegs' Wrath of Gods theory isn't so unbelievable," Astrid murmured as we reached Thor Rock Island.

I hadn't missed the marks as Snowfire hovered close to the ground of what was left of the island. Something had made those marks, something big. Bits and pieces of the island were scattered across the area. What I saw only confirmed my worst fears.

"Something bigger than the Gods is at work, here," I whispered.

'This was not naturally done,' Snowfire added, glancing around warily at the strange indentations. 'Those look like teeth marks.'

"Yeah, those markings look familiar, but different somehow…" Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"Different… how?" Astrid asked nervously.

"Different, bigger," Hiccup replied. Just as he said that, a loud scream echoed from deep underground, sending chills through me.

"Oh, great. I'd know that scream anywhere," Jacob groaned as the remains of Thor Island disappeared right before our eyes.

"That sounds like…" Astrid didn't get the chance to finish her statement, her eyes widening in horror as a very familiar, very huge looking dragon erupted from underground.

"The Screaming Death!" Hiccup shouted in alarm.

Now I understood why I was so nervous earlier. The Screaming Death was a hell of a lot bigger than what I remembered, almost the same size as Snowfire. And seeing it now made me realize just how much danger we were in. The Screaming Death had a temper that could match my mom when she was pissed off.

"Someone's been eating their vegetables," Hiccup said uneasily.

"And everything else in sight!" Astrid reminded him.

The Screaming Death let out another ear-splitting scream that left Snowfire, Toothless, Stormfly and Sniper.

'That scream is even worse than before,' Snowfire groaned at the noise as she tried to stay under control.

"It's screams are disorienting the dragons," Hiccup exclaimed after realizing what was happening.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Jacob said as he tried to keep Sniper from fleeing the area. The Monstrous Nightmare was usually a lot more docile compared to Hookfang, and seeing him now made me realize just how dangerous the Screaming Death really was to them.

That was when the Screaming Death chose to burrow back underground. Now I understood what was going on, and what Snowfire had been saying. Something had caused the islands to disappear, and that something happened to be the Screaming Death.

"The Screaming Death has been destroying all the islands," Hiccup voiced my thoughts. It was really scary when we started thinking the same thing. "It must be tunneling underneath and and caused them to collapse in on themselves."

'And that is why those other dragons were fleeing in terror,' Snowfire guessed.

"Why would it do that?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know, let's get a closer look," Hiccup replied, earning a disapproving look from Astrid and Jacob. "You're the one who wanted dangerous," he pointed out.

"He has a point," I said as Snowfire tried to follow the Screaming Death's tunneling system, with Hiccup and Toothless close behind. Just as we did that, the Screaming Death suddenly burst from the ground and was right behind us.

"Hiccup, Alex!" Astrid shouted, alerting the two of us.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when Snowfire turned around in time for us to face the Screaming Death. Its red eyes were staring back at us, or, more appropriately, me. Something about that look sent shivers of fear through me.

"Easy, bud… Maybe it just wants to be friends," Hiccup suggested in a hopeful tone. The Screaming Death only glared at us, and that confirmed my worst fears. "Or, maybe not," he said nervously as Toothless and Snowfire retreated.

Furious, the Screaming Death unleashed a volley of fireballs, destroying a sea stack in seconds. Letting out another ear-splitting scream, it chased after us. Snowfire sensed the incoming danger first, and started flying faster than I thought possible.

'This creature seems to have no end!' Snowfire growled with fury as she flew through a maze of sea stacks, with Toothless close behind.

"Well, it's good to know that it holds a grudge like every other dragon," I muttered crossly.

Luckily, Astrid and Jacob were there to help with their own attacks, of sorts. Armed with bags of green paint, Astrid and Jacob launched bags of paint at the Screaming Death's eyes.

"Hope you like pistachio!" Astrid taunted as the paint obscured its vision. Enraged, the Screaming Death let loose a volley of screams that rattled both Sniper and Stormfly. "Whoa! Steady, Stormfly. Just hang in there," she reassured her Deadly Nadder.

"We need to attack while it's still disoriented by the paint," I shouted over the loud screams that echoed throughout the area.

Quickly, Astrid and Jacob had Stormfly and Sniper fire at the Screaming Death. That did the trick, and soon, the dragon was flying away.

"How's that for accuracy?" Jacob asked with a triumphant grin.

…

On our way back to Dragon Island, I couldn't help but think of why the Screaming Death was doing this in the first place. It was obviously out for revenge after our last escapade, and I knew that things wouldn't end well when revenge was involved. Fishlegs immediately ran up to us once he spotted us approaching the island. The frantic look on his face told me things had not gotten any better.

"Periwinkle Blue! There are now periwinkle blue marked dragons here!" the chubby Ingerman boy exclaimed.

"I know, Boar Head Island," Hiccup informed him, referring to the island the new dragons once called home.

"And-And look! There's eggshell white!" Fishlegs pointed out nervously as dragons splattered with white paint flew by.

"From Thor Rock Island," Astrid said.

"What happened to them?" Fishlegs asked fearfully.

"You're definitely not going to like it," I replied grimly as Hiccup unfolded his map.

"The same thing that happened to all the other islands. The Screaming Death," Hiccup told Fishlegs, crossing another island off the map. Fishlegs only gasped in response, his eyes widening in alarm at the thought of facing the Screaming Death again.

"The Screaming Death… is back?" he asked nervously.

'I do not believe it ever left,' Snowfire remarked. 'Hatchlings will often remain in one territory, and claim it as theirs.' I looked at Snowfire anxiously when she said that, realizing she was probably right, again.

"Yeah, it just got bigger and nastier," Astrid said in agreement when Fishlegs and Hiccup exchanged anxious looks.

"Uh, how much bigger?" Fishlegs asked, clearly not asking for an answer.

"Chomp! Chomp! There goes your island big!" Astrid said, crumbling a rock as if to make a point.

"It explains why all of the islands we were looking for have disappeared. The Screaming Death burrows underground, and the tunnel it creates causes each island to collapse under the pressure," I explained warily. "It explains everything."

"It's just as I thought," Hiccup said as he marked all of the islands on the map, seeing a pattern. "The Screaming Death is using an imaginary line, destroying anything in its path." My eyes widened in alarm when I saw the pattern Hiccup drew on the map. The line stopped right at Dragon Island.

"It's coming right at us," Fishlegs said, beginning to panic with the realization dawning on him.

"That's not even the worst part," Hiccup said grimly, drawling a second line. One that ended straight to Berk.

"Great, this just got even worse," I muttered crossly. I hadn't realized just how serious this was until noticing the patterns. If the Screaming Death managed to reach Berk under my watch, I would never forgive myself.

"It's headed straight for Berk," Astrid whispered.

"We have to get back to Berk and-and warn Stoick!" Fishlegs cried out.

"No, we head it off. We make our stand here," Hiccup retorted, walking over to a small pile of rocks. Snowfire nudged me gently as I gazed out at the horizon, realizing that we were the only ones standing between the Screaming Death and Berk. "There's no other land between here and Berk."

"Look, I'm all about danger, but did you guys see the size of that thing?" Astrid asked, clearly worried about all of our safety.

"It's not going to be just us. We're sending out for reinforcements," Hiccup told her, pulling out another sheet of paper and his charcoal pencil to write another letter for airmail.

"Snotlout and the twins? Oh, I feel so much better," Astrid muttered with a roll of her eyes.

'Would you rather we leave you as the target?' Snowfire asked after narrowing her eyes.

"Hey, we're gonna need all the help we can get," Hiccup pointed out. Once again, I was thankful he nor the others heard Snowfire's comment. Once Hiccup had finished writing the message, he rolled up the sheet of paper and attached it to Sharpshot before letting him fly back to Berk.

…

Sharpshot flew at top speed to reach the island of Berk. He set his sights on the twins with the airmail intact, and saw Tuffnut hanging out beside a watchtower with Barf and Belch snoozing nearby. He was clearly looking around for his sister, who was probably lurking nearby.

"Hey, you guys, where is she?" Tuffnut asked, trying to wake Barf and Belch up. The Zippleback merely ignored his question and continued sleeping through the afternoon. "I won't tell her you told me, I swear it."

"She's right here," Ruffnut crowed, causing Tuffnut to look up in time and narrowly avoid getting splattered by purple paint.

Ruffnut only laughed, clutching her empty bucket before jumping off. Tuffnut retaliated by giving chase, determined to prank her back. Luckily, he grabbed her by her boot before she could get away. Ruffnut let out a yelp of surprise and fell to the ground, causing Tuffnut to burst out with laughter. Ruffnut narrowed her eyes and suddenly lunged at Tuffnut, and the two started tussling on the ground before rolling right under Sharpshot's line of sight. Licking his left eye, Sharpshot chirped, catching the twins' attention.

"Why is that Terrible Terror staring us down?" Tuffnut asked uneasily. Ruffnut was still lying on top of him, looking equally confused.

"Right? I thought it was just me," she said.

"It's totally eyeballing us…" Tuffnut flinched when Sharpshot chirped again.

"What does it want?" Ruffnut asked.

"Whatever it's selling, I'm not buying," Tuffnut replied.

Scrambling to their feet and feeling thoroughly creeped out, the Thorston twins left the watchtower platform.

"Is it gone?" Ruffnut asked her brother.

"I think so," Tuffnut mumbled, looking over his hiding place, only to find Sharpshot still staring at them.

"Okay, on three, we run. One…!" Ruffnut yelled before yanking Tuffnut by the wrist and tried to run away. Sharpshot was smart enough to see what they were up to and gave chase, blocking their path.

"Leave us alone! You demented little monster!" Tuffnut shouted as he and Ruffnut backtracked. Determined to deliver the letter and still as playful as ever, Sharpshot gave chase, flying after the terrified duo.

…

Hiccup was looking through his spyglass as the five of us waited for the twins and Snotlout to arrive. I couldn't shake off the feeling that this wouldn't end well. The Screaming Death was headed straight for Berk. Guilt washed over me as I thought of anything that could have been done to prevent this from happening. Fishlegs approached Hiccup warily, giving his report about the new dragons who'd arrived recently.

"Hiccup, Alex, the yellow marked dragons from Sorrow Island just started showing up," he announced.

"Which means the Screaming Death is only one island away," Astrid put in.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes.

"Looks like help isn't coming," Hiccup sighed as he realized the twins hadn't received the message.

'We do not need help,' Snowfire reassured us, though I couldn't shake off the cloud of doubt threatening to overwhelm me. Hiccup looked down at the map he had marked.

"Alright, we have to set up a defense here on Dragon Island with what we have," he informed us.

"Maybe we should fall back and head for home," Astrid sighed.

"I'm not letting that thing destroy another island," I retorted. "Besides, with Dragon Island gone, there'll be nothing left for the dragons. They'd overwhelm Berk."

"Yeah, and the Screaming Death won't be far behind," Fishlegs agreed.

"Exactly," Hiccup said after looking at me in surprise. Did he really think I'd lost my respect for both islands?

"How soon until it gets here?" Astrid asked. A deafening roar was her answer. I swear, Screaming Deaths had a worst roar than Snowfire's, and that was saying something. She used her screeches to stun prey before catching them, just like the Screaming Death.

"I'd say about five minutes, give or take," Jacob replied with a shrug. Hiccup quickly grabbed his shield and ran over to Toothless, who warbled in concern of the upcoming battle.

"Toothless and I will try to buy us some time. You guys join me when Snotlout and the twins get here," he told us.

"You're not facing it alone," I spoke up, stealing my courage and hopping into Snowfire's saddle. "Astrid and Jacob can stay and watch for them." Hiccup looked like he was ready to argue when he caught the look in my eyes. He knew better than to argue, especially when he knew I was right.

"So, you're leaving me and Jacob by ourselves," Astrid guessed, crossing her arms as she glared at us.

"Uh, hello? Man on dragon, here, right behind you," Fishlegs deadpanned.

"You know what I meant, Fishlegs," Astrid retorted.

"I do," Fishlegs said crossly as Meatlug looked down in disappointment. "And I like to go on the record by saying, 'we don't appreciate it.' Do we, girl?" Meatlug only warbled in response, her tail wagging as he patted his affectionate Gronckle lovingly.

Astrid just looked at Hiccup pleadingly, and I could see that she was just as determined to help in whatever front she could. But Hiccup did have a good point. If the Screaming Death got past us, Astrid, Jacob and Fishlegs would be the last lines of defense. She sighed, knowing that she was defeated once again.

"Just go, but stay safe," she finally said.

'I will not let any harm come to you, hatchling,' Snowfire reassured me.

"Let's just make sure that it doesn't reach the island," I whispered, patting her on the shoulder as we took off in the direction of the Screaming Death.

…

Back on Berk, the twins were posing as statues to try and evade Sharpshot. When they thought about it, their plan was both ingenious and stupid. Hiding in plain sight would be the most obvious thing to look for, but it seemed to throw the little Terror off.

"Huh?" one Viking had asked after noticing the new totems that were strangely detailed. He only sighed after recognizing the twins, and walked away before getting caught in their shenanigans.

"Statues. Ha, great idea," Tuffnut whispered boastfully.

"It's like we aren't even here," Ruffnut whispered back. Unfortunately for them, Snotlout chose that moment to approach and ruin their scheme.

"What are you two muttonheads doing?" he asked.

"We're not muttonheads," Tuffnut replied.

"Yeah, we're statues," Ruffnut added.

"Though, I guess we could be muttonhead statues," Tuffnut said with a grin. Both of them opened their mouths and put on blank expressions, making their 'statue' appearance very realistic. Snotlout facepalmed and groaned in frustration.

"No! I mean why are you—"

"Shh, it's right behind you," Tuffnut cut him off.

"Pretend we're not here," Ruffnut added in a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" Snotlout asked. He turned and finally noticed what the twins were hiding from. Sharpshot was sitting on a perch, holding a note to his leg. "Oh, cool. Airmail. Huh, don't think that'll catch on." He bent down and untied the note attached to Sharpshot's leg.

"Airmail?" Tuffnut repeated.

"Airmail. Stupid name," Ruffnut scoffed.

"Muttonheads," Snotlout grumbled under his breath.

"No. Statues of muttonheads," Tuffnut corrected him, returning to their posing of statues as Snotlout read the letter.

…

The Screaming Death had eaten its last island, and was headed straight for Dragon Island. We were the only ones standing in it's way, as Snowfire and Toothless blocked it's way with fiery blasts.

"Well, we clearly got its attention, bud. Now, let's play a little game of Follow the Leader and see if it goes for the shiny shield trick again," Hiccup said after patting his Night Fury affectionately.

'This should be fun,' Snowfire hummed as we flew in the path of the Screaming Death.

"We have very different definitions of fun," I pointed out.

Sure enough, instinct won this battle as the Screaming Death gave chase after us. Hiccup was using his shield to cast a light that shined in front of the giant albino dragon, who started firing blasts at us. It crushed anything that stood in it's path, sea stacks and small islands included. Toothless and Snowfire headed out for open ocean when the Screaming Death suddenly redirected its path to Dragon Island.

"Huh, that was easy," Hiccup said triumphantly.

"Uh, Hiccup… you might want to rethink your last statement," I said after noticing where it was headed. The roar of the Screaming Death was enough for him to take back what he said; it was headed straight for Dragon Island.

'It seems as if there is no end to this beast,' Snowfire growled furiously.

"We just need to find a way to lead it away from Berk," I pointed out. We kept flying after the Screaming Death, using whatever we could to cast a shiny light that would draw its attention. Unfortunately, it seemed that distraction was no longer working.

"Come on, you love shiny objects," Hiccup groaned after realizing it wasn't affected. "Or, at least you used to."

Just as he said that, the Screaming Death suddenly slammed us both with it's massive tail. Hiccup was able to use his shield to block the blow, but the force was enough to send Snowfire spiraling towards the ocean.

"Snow, pull up!" I cried as she careened towards the ocean. To my relief, she was able to recover just before hitting the water. Toothless did seconds earlier and was giving chase after the Screaming Death.

'Forgive me, little one,' Snowfire said as we followed them.

"It's not your fault," I reassured her. "Looks like shiny objects aren't going to cut it, this time."

"Yeah, so it's getting bigger and smarter. Not the greatest combination," Hiccup sighed once he'd recovered from the initial shock. "We barely made a dent on it," he groaned as Toothless and Snowfire kept firing at it.

All that seemed to do was make it angrier. The Screaming Death had burrowed underground, and when it burst out from the ground again, it was right behind us. It shot two more shots in our direction, but Snowfire and Toothless dodged each blast.

"Turn around, you overgrown earthworm!" Astrid's shout was enough to catch my attention. My eyes widened in alarm when I saw Stormfly, and Sniper hovering in front of the Screaming Death.

"Yeah, come and get us!" Jacob taunted it.

That was enough to provoke the Screaming Death into firing two more shots. Sniper and Stormfly were fast enough to dodge each blow, only enraging the Screaming Death further. That was when we saw Fishlegs and Meatlug fly past us.

'What are they doing?' Snowfire asked as she watched.

"We need backup, Fishlegs!" Hiccup called after the chubby Ingerman boy.

"Oh, I've got backup," Fishlegs reassured us. Just as he said that, a whole herd of Gronckles followed after the pair. I couldn't help but watch in amazement as Fishlegs gave the order for them to fire everything they had at the Screaming Death.

"Man, it's like a Gronckle Fest out here," Astrid exclaimed as she and Stormfly joined us along with Jacob and Sniper.

"Yeah, he's really got a knack for this," I nodded in agreement.

"How'd he do that?" Astrid asked us. I only smirked after realizing that Fishlegs was using the Gronckle's territorial instincts to his advantage. Hiccup had explained the same thing to Astrid, who nodded in understanding. Fishlegs was able to rally an entire army of Gronckles like it was nothing, and that was reassuring enough to know they were willing to fight for their islands.

"That was a great idea," Jacob exclaimed when Fishlegs managed to frustrate the Screaming Death with the constant flow of Gronckle attacks.

"I know, right? Who's the safety net, now?" Fishlegs asked smugly.

"I wouldn't let it get to your heads, Fishlegs," I said with a smirk.

After getting headbutted a few more times by the Gronckles, the Screaming Death had had enough of the attacks and burrowed underground. Fishlegs had Meatlug fly over to the hole and hover there for a few seconds, looking down anxiously.

"You see that? It ran away," he said triumphantly.

'It is not running away, foolish hatchling,' Snowfire chided him, already knowing where this was headed. My eyes widened in panic as I understood what she meant by that. Just as she said that, the ground beneath us began to shake with the force of an earthquake.

"Astrid, Jacob, Fishlegs, get as many wild dragons as you can. Alex and I will try to force it back to the surface," Hiccup instructed the others after realizing we would need a plan.

Once they flew off, Snowfire dove towards the spot where the Screaming Death had burrowed, with Toothless not far behind. We flew down into the hole that began to cave in on itself and soon reached a cavern that was flooding with water. My heart was racing with panic after I realized what it was doing.

"It's trying to sink the island from within," I realized out loud. "Snow, look out!" I cried after realizing the Screaming Death had spotted us. It was living up to it's namesake, roaring and firing fireballs at us.

"Toothless, watch out!" Hiccup called as the Night Fury dodged each blow.

My mind was spinning with panic as we flew towards the tunnel we'd flown down earlier, with the Screaming Death following close behind. All the while, it kept firing fireballs in our direction. Toothless was using his roars to navigate our way through, while Snowfire kept dodging each of the Screaming Death's blows. I didn't need to look over my shoulder to know that it was still following us.

But the moment we had reached the tunnel where we flew out of, Toothless and Snowfire were forced to stop. The tunnel itself had caved in completely, blocking out any form of exit. One roar from Toothless was all it took for us to find another exit. Toothless and Snowfire had narrowly missed getting bitten by the Screaming Death as they found an opening and flew up. Just as they did that, the Screaming Death crashed into land and collapsed on itself, hard.

"We couldn't have called that any closer," I gasped once we were free of the tunnels.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Hiccup sighed in agreement.

"Hey, we got your message!" One shout from Tuffnut was enough of a relief from me, though I was still annoyed it had taken them this long to get here in the first place.

'What took you so long?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes, voicing my thoughts.

"Well, one of us did," Snotlout retorted, ignoring Snowfire's question and staring at the Screaming Death in shock. It was towering above us, once again. Was there really any end to this thing? I seriously wished there was an on or off switch for it. "Whoa! Did that thing get bigger?"

"Yeah, and awesomer!" Tuffnut cheered.

The Screaming Death was preparing for another attack, but Barf and Belch stopped it in it's tracks. They used their gas and spark attack, followed by Hookfang's fire blast. That was enough to infuriate it, and the Screaming Death let loose another volley of fireballs in our direction.

Astrid, Jacob and Fishlegs had chosen that moment to join us with their army of dragons close behind them.

"Alright, dragons. Let's get territorial," Astrid shouted, leading a herd of Deadly Nadders. She had the herd of Deadly Nadders and Stormfly fly right at the Screaming Death. "Stormfly, spine shot!"

Stormfly fired several spines at the Screaming Death, several of them hitting a nasty mark. In seconds, all of the Deadly Nadders were fighting back with the same results. It really was a spectacle to watch, especially when Jacob flew in with Sniper and led the Monstrous Nightmares to their attack.

"Lets show it what happens when you piss off a Monstrous Nightmare, Sniper!" Sniper only roared in agreement, unleashing a stream of fire in the Screaming Death's wake.

Once they were finished, Fishlegs flew in with Meatlug and his herd of Gronckles. Meatlug dove after the Screaming Death, while other Gronckles fired lava blasts, defending what was left of their territory.

"They really are something," I whispered as I watched on in amazement. The dragons really were defending their territory, just like we'd predicted.

'We will do whatever it takes to protect our homes,' Snowfire hummed in agreement.

Knowing that it was outnumbered and outmatched, the Screaming Death flew off, roaring in distress with new injuries to boast about. In a way, I did feel sorry for it. It wasn't like the Screaming Death had asked to be hatched on Berk. Alvin and the Outcasts were responsible for this, and I knew the Screaming Death wouldn't be so forgiving during our next encounter.

"I don't think the Screaming Death is going to be messing with Dragon Island anymore," Astrid boasted once it was gone. But as the ground began to tremble and shake, I knew she was wrong. My heart was racing once again as I realized we were too late. The island was collapsing on itself.

"That might be because there won't be a Dragon Island anymore," Jacob said after noticing what was happening.

"Oh, man. Jacob's right, it's sinking," Hiccup said.

Fishlegs looked down at the tunnels that the Screaming Death had made, and I noticed the expression on his face change with an idea forming.

"Lava blast!" he suddenly shouted, earning looks of confusion as Meatlug immediately did as she was told. Fishlegs started leading the herd of Gronckles towards the tunnels, and I suddenly understood where he was getting at.

"He's using the lava to stabilize the ground," I explained as everyone watched on.

"Yeah, it's just like in science class: Once the ocean reaches the lava, it immediately turns to rock," Jacob said in agreement. I couldn't hide the smirk that followed when everyone looked at Jacob as if he was crazy.

Their plan was working. The lava was forming a protective barrier that stopped the island from sinking.

"Fishlegs, Meatlug, you two were the heroes today," Hiccup praised them after realizing that we were right.

"Oh, come on. You're making me blush," Fishlegs said sheepishly and gave Meatlug a hug, who returned the favor with an affectionate lick.

…

Everyone had returned to Berk later that day with stories to tell of the Screaming Death. Jacob had told Jessica what had happened, and when she heard the tale, her eyes had widened in horror. I knew she had bad memories of Screaming Deaths, and Whispering Deaths, for that matter. Hearing that they were back probably only made her feel even more anxious about living on the island.

By the time dusk had arrived, I was sitting on a sea stack with Snowfire resting beside me, cleaning her wings as Jacob arrived on Sniper. After today's events, I needed some time away from everything, and everyone.

"You okay?" Jacob asked when he hopped out of Sniper's saddle. I threw him a look that said I was anything but okay, and he frowned. "Sorry, stupid question."

"Things are getting worse," I sighed as I gazed out at the island, wishing that things were back to the way they had been before the whole Alvin kidnapping us situation started. "I just need some time alone."

'You do not need time alone, little one,' Snowfire hummed as she looked at me worriedly. 'You should tell him the truth.' Jacob had already guessed what she was talking about, and nodded in agreement.

"This tension between you and Hiccup is kind of getting old," he stated with a shrug. "I know he still loves you, as much as he'd probably deny it, now. And you still love him."

I couldn't help but look down at my feet. Jacob was right about one thing. I did love Hiccup. Probably more than I would ever admit. But that didn't mean I was willing to share my secrets with him. He had no idea just how broken I really was.

"Well, I do know one thing: That Screaming Death isn't finished with us," I muttered once Jacob had sat down beside me. "Hiccup was right about them being territorial."

"I know for a fact that no matter what those Outcasts put us through, we'll get through it," Jacob reassured me cheerfully.

"As a team," I said with the slightest grins.

"As a family." Jacob and I shared knowing looks, and one look from Snowfire was all it took for me to realize that Jacob was my family, along with everyone else from Berk. He was like a brother; someone I could rely on no matter what.