The six dragon riders had landed just outside the forest. The trees were too densely packed to fly between them... and with the prize that Fishlegs hoped to find, and Hiccup wanted to meet.
Leaving their dragons on the verge of the forest, they had to search on foot, looking for caves, hollows, and any hiding places they could find in the thick tree cover. The ground was overgrown, forcing them to cut their way through the bracken and heather as they hunted.
Hiccup had thought he'd spotted one on the ground as he flew over the area. A second visit by Astrid on Stormfly only confirmed it.
A Changewing... and if Fishlegs was right, probably injured. The hope being to make contact with and hopefully train a Mystery class dragon. If they had a tame, one they could examine it closely... It's variable coloured scales, giving it a chameleon-like ability to disappear into the background.
The use the riders could make of colour-shifting armour would aid their own attempts at stealth. Their own dragon scale armour was light and strong. Another bond with their mount. But, the potential for near-invisibility was too tempting.
Splitting into three groups, they naturally paired up. Astrid and Hiccup taking one direction, cutting their way through the undergrowth with her axe, and his flaming sword. Fishlegs, and Snotlout were a team, neither wishing to work with either of the Thorston twins. Fishlegs' gronkle iron sword making light work of the plant-life, and Snotlout using brute force to kick and beat his way through.
The twins charged into the green dappled darkness, as an unstoppable force of nature. Bickering and fighting, they didn't seem to notice the hazards as they vanished into the depths of the woods.
- - - - -
It was a long and frustrating search with the riders finding little of interest. The Changewing too well hidden from their random thrashing search. Sadly, lots of biting and stinging insects seemed to find them easily.
Fishlegs found a cave, and traces of the acid green spittle of the dragon burning hollows in the floor. Proof that their definitely was one in the area. Calling out, Hiccup and Astrid joined them in the cave, agreeing that the burns seemed to be recent, and that the dragon seemed to be injured... or at least not flying far.
A quick search confirmed there weren't any eggs in the cave, and they agreed they'd need more people to have a chance of finding the dragon. As Snotlout wanted to boast about his discovery of the cave, the burn, and all his conclusions he looked around for the twins.
- - - - -
It was then that the cries of the twins reached them. The sound not of their usual chaotic action. But with an added tone of terror filling their shouts.
"They've found it..." Astrid and Hiccup said at the same moment, before all four raced from the cave towards the sounds of the shouts. It was hard to tell where they were in the forest, but the shouts were getting closer, as they hacked their way forward.
The group burst free of the forest, into the sunlight, surprising even themselves. Quite near the waiting dragons. Looking around they spotted the twins near Barf and Belch. Blinking for the brightness of the Sun, they were relieved to see they didn't look to be in immediate danger.
Without a reason to return to their search, they headed towards their dragons. But, there was still something about the tone of the arguing twins that was.... well, wrong.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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