With the rising activity of the Warlords, the leaders of respective villages decided to hold a meeting to address the situation on. Rune had been invited to attend the meeting. As one of Berk's front men in the fight against dragon hunters, his input and knowledge would play a big part. Caldera Cay was chosen for the meeting. It was a neutral island; and the Defenders of The Wing volunteered to host it as well.
Rune and Sandstorm were by the hangar as he tightened the saddle bags attached to his dragon. He didn't want a scenario where they fell loose and dropped into the ocean.
"Oh man. Meetings, meetings, meetings" he sighed.
Rune was kind of regretting becoming leader in his head. Yes the position looked glamorous, but in reality, the responsibilities that came were draining. The sun had just begun to rise, rays of orange light illuminating the clouds on the horizon and a cock crowed in a distance. Just as he prepared to leave, he heard footsteps approaching. It was the boys. Forde, Sten and Virgil.
"You wanted to leave without saying goodbye?" Virgil asked.
"Guys… it's not like that. I thought you'd all be sleeping at this time"
"Yeah bro. One of us is leaving for a very important meeting and then we choose not to see him off" Sten said with a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, I get it. I'm sorry"
"Be safe out there" Forde said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I will"
Rune got aboard his dragon as he bellowed in front of them, spreading his wings as he prepared to take-off.
"Don't forget to bring back a souvenir" said Sten.
"I'll try"
Sandstorm's powerful wings flapped, taking both dragon and rider into the air. The three boys watched them disappear into the clouds before leaving the hangar. The boys gathered in clubhouse and had breakfast together. Their wholesome time of peace was cut off as Thyra charged in, panting heavily. She could barely stand; her hands were placed on her thighs as she tried to regain her breath.
"Where's Rune? Has he left already?"
"Yep. He left like an hour ago" Sten answered her.
"Dang it. I really wanted to see him off" she said, saddened.
"You're usually up early. What happened today?" Forde asked.
"I over slept"
"It happens. There's nothing you can do about it" Virgil said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Ahh well" said another voice cutting through the room.
It was Vyra.
"With Rune gone, I guess someone has to step up to lead in his absence. I volunteer myself to lead in his stead"
"What?" Sten said confused.
They all looked at each other in total confusion. What did she say?
"Yes, I volunteer myself to lead the team while Rune is away"
"Yeah, she's crazy" Sten concluded.
"I mean, things like this are kinda difficult. It would usually sort itself out, especially through battle" Forde explained.
"I have the battle experience; I have worked with Rune closely. I have what it takes to lead. Come on Thyra, back your sister up here"
Thyra's eyes darted away from Vyra. She didn't want to get dragged into this. "Well… I don't know…"
"Come on"
"At the end of the day, do what you want" Sten said, standing up from his seat. "It's not about volunteering. The key thing is respect, if we don't respect you, your qualifications don't matter"
His words left a sour taste in Vyra's mouth. Her jaw tightened. Her arms folded slowly as she heaving in anger. Her eyes narrowed down on Sten as the whole room began to feel smaller than usual.
"Awkward" Virgil whispered to Forde.
Yeah, things weren't looking good one bit.
Rune and Sandstorm arrived on Caldera Cay, meeting familiar faces as he was escorted to the meeting room. Guards lined their route to the destined hut. Guards manned watch towers, scanning for enemies that could seize this opportunity to try and deal a massive blow to the riders.
"Look who decided to show up"
Before Rune could turn around to see who it was, his head was already in a headlock as he got his hair ruffled. By the time he wiggled his way out of the Lock, he found a red haired man before him.
"Dagur. It's been a while" he said, fixing his hair.
"Aye. It has. How are you and the team holding up?"
"We're good. We just carried out a raid. I'm sure they're resting up"
"Good to see you again Rune" said Heather, waving at him.
"Same here"
The three of them arrived at the meeting place; Dagur pushed aside the thick leather curtain, draped over the entrance. Walking into the room, Hiccup, Valka, Mala, Throk, Atali and Minden were already seated. Throk's hair had grown into a long braid and his beard had grown as well. Atali and Minden had aged as well, but they still retained their youthful looks.
Rune felt out of place, in the midst of chiefs, leaders and legends with tales to their names. He had mixed emotions, he felt nervous and yet honored at the same time. To be invited to such an occasion was a once in a life time opportunity.
"I see someone got their invite" Hiccup said smirking.
"Great to see you again chief"
"Welcome to the table of chiefs" Atali greeted him.
"I am honored" he answered with a bow.
"Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged, let's proceed to the issue at hand" Mala said, calling them to order.
The table was rectangular and wooden; guards manned the entrance to the hut while four stood guard at each of the corners of the room. The room was fairly lit by the torches that hung on the walls. Mala sat at the head of the table. To her right was Dagur, seated next to him was Hiccup, Minden and Rune. To her left was Throk, Atali, Valka and Heather.
"Per reports from Dagur, Throk and now the input from Hiccup, it's safe to say that the Warlords are stepping up their plans to rule the world. More and more dragons are being captured and their actions have grown bolder" Mala spoke, her words carried weight and authority behind them, capturing the attention of all those at the table.
"I concur. The Warlords have become emboldened; their ships are filled more and more with dragons. We need to find a way to slow them down or put them out for good" Hiccup agreed.
"Rune, your team is actively taking down their ships. Among all the forces represented on the table here, yours is the most active in stopping the hunters. What intel have you gathered so far?" asked Valka.
All eyes in the room moved to the blonde haired boy seated at the table. He gulped as he prepared to speak. In such a room, confidence was everything.
"My team and I have been actively fighting against the Warlord and their forces. About a week ago, we discovered that they were cutting off the horns of Crimson Goregutters and selling them on the market. Turns out that they had discovered an island of them and were trapping and cutting of their horns"
His words caused gasps to spread around the table.
"How could they do that to those poor dragons" Heather said, her words full of sympathy.
"It appears that the Warlords are looking for other means to raise money and expand their enterprise. This could mean hiring more men, purchasing higher grade equipment or expanding their fleet"
"And if the Warlords succeed in gaining more firepower, they could easily snuff out our forces one by one" said Dagur.
"We won't let that happen" Throk said, his voice full of assurance.
"We know that the Warlords can also employ mercenaries to help them out with their work. There are specialized men or groups that hunt down dragons for huge sums for money. I think we should all keep an eye out for them as well"
"Noted. I think we should all compare notes. If we mark out the spots where we each made raids, we can figure out their trade routes. If we cut them off, the raiders lose money and simply can't advance with their plans" Heather suggested.
"Until we can come up with a way to deal a major blow to them, this should suffice" said Hiccup.
"Well then, let's start identifying their routes. Throk, get me a map"
Back on Dragon's Edge, things were calm for now. The tension from earlier still hung over them like a roped balloon waiting to bust. All it needed was a gentle nudge. Forde was in the lookout tower scanning for threats, Virgil had gone on patrol, Vyra had disappeared after their fallout in the Clubhouse, Thyra was giving Rampage a bath by the dragon stable and Sten basked in the sunlight alongside his dragon. The two lay down on the grass in front of the training dome and enjoyed their shared moment.
While bathing in the rays of the glorious sun, Eruptor lifted his head as the sound of flapping wings drew closer and closer. Hothead landed not far from them as Virgil hopped off him.
"Well done Hothead" he said, giving his dragon a head rub.
"Please don't tell me…" Sten said with dread.
"Yep. I spotted two ships of the eastern coast. Don't worry, it's nothing major. We can handle it easily"
"Ehhh" he wheezed as he stood to his feet. "I'll get Forde in one of the watchtowers. Thyra is giving Rampage a wash by the stables; let's meet up in the clubhouse"
Virgil nodded and the two departed. They needed to act quickly; any delays and the hunters could be gone. They assembled themselves in the clubhouse and were ready to commence their meeting.
"Alright V, how many ships we got?" Thyra asked.
"Just two ships. One has about three dragons on it. The other one is empty"
"Are you sure it's empty?" Forde questioned.
"Yeah. I triple checked. I tailed them for about an hour. The ship was empty"
"Well, I guess we can share ourselves into two groups and engage" said Sten. "Virgil and I can cover from above. Thyra, Forde, you two can free the dragons"
"Your plan sounds complete but it's missing one key piece. Me"
Sten looked to the ceiling, clenching his fists in anger when he heard Vyra's voice.
"As leader I should have a say in the plans. Plus having a meeting without me? Come on guys"
"We didn't see you. Or rather, we haven't seen you since what happened earlier" Virgil said in their defense.
Sten had begun to tap his foot angrily as his jaw clenched. Every word from her mouth drove him nuts.
"Still, with the firepower we have, we can go head on. No need for this division, we can go in like a battering ram" she suggested.
"Even though we do, we can never be too sure. They can be hiding more weapons below their deck. With one of the ships being free, they will have more hands free to attack" Sten reasoned.
"I still think my plan is better"
She was beyond reason. Something inside Sten snapped, he stamped his foot on the ground as he made his resolve. He was going to let her have it.
"Let me make something clear to you. This isn't your relationship where you can come in and impose whatever you please. We are not as weak willed as Rune when it comes to you. If you think being his girlfriend gives you the right to come in and do as you please, you got another thing coming"
"Sten you didn't have to say that" Thyra reprimanded him.
"No, I had to. I don't know what's come over you these past couple of weeks but you're not acting like the Vyra we know. Get a grip or get left out. Let's move team"
Forde and Virgil cautiously slipped past her; Odin knows what was going through her mind.
"I'll try and talk some sense into him. Everything will be fine" Thyra said patting her shoulder before rushing of to meet the others.
Vyra's fists slowly tightened as she breathed in and out heavily. Her frame increased and reduced noticeably as she seemed to shoot steam out of her nostrils.
"Who does he think he is to talk to me like that?" she said in a condescending tone.
"I am Vyra Hofferson, the future wife of Rune Yakkerson, one of the greatest riders to ever live. I'll show him imposing. Just he wait, once Rune gets back, I'm going to make his life a living hell" she said, gritting her teeth.
Her tone was drenched in vengeance. This embarrassment will not go unpunished.
Back on Caldera Cay, the leaders had finally finished plotting the hunter's trade routes. Record of various raids and ships spotted gave them a good idea of how things were being moved.
"Finally" Dagur said as he slumped back into his seat.
"With this, we have a general idea of where to focus our raids" said Valka.
"Hopefully, this cuts down their revenue until we can think of a solid plan. With all of us operating at our best, I'm positive we can accomplish the task ahead" Hiccup spoke.
"I agree. This doesn't mean that we should focus only on one position. The hunters might figure out that we are targeting their routes and change course. We just have to be ready for anything and be as intensive as ever" Mala said.
Her words were met with nods from everyone; they were all in total agreement.
"Well then, I guess I can officially declare this meeting over" Mala said, relief enthralled in her tone.
His first official meeting was over. Rune felt fulfilled, being able to contribute to the plan as a whole and not just sitting down there nodding and observing. Things went way better than expected; he didn't feel useless but actively involved.
He spent time with the others, getting to know a few of their allies a bit more before calling it a day. Dragon's Edge was about two hours away and if Sandstorm steps on it, they could shave off a good amount of time. He left in the cool of the evening waved goodbye by the other chiefs as they decided to spend the night on the island and depart in the morning.
Rune arrived back on Dragon's Edge and the place was quiet, as if they had all been taken away. But the torches were lit, and he could hear some chatter from the clubhouse. He looked at Sandstorm and his dragon back at him. Both nodded and proceeded as planned.
"So you did come back tonight" Sten said with a little smile. "Alright boys, pay up" he said looking at Virgil and Forde.
"Dang it" cursed Forde.
"What do you mean pay up?" Rune said confused.
"We had a little bet that you wouldn't come back hoe tonight. It was already too late but Sten said you'd show up. Guess he was correct" Virgil explained as he dropped some money on the table.
Rune couldn't help but have a little laugh. "You guys are too much, honestly" he said, still laughing.
"Well, how did the meeting go?" Sten asked.
"Who showed up?" Forde added.
"What plans did you come up with?" Virgil added.
The three of them were eager to hear what he had to say.
"Okay, I'll just give you guys a quick summary" Rune said pulling a seat and sitting down.
The three other boys listened attentively as he began narrating the events of the day.