Scene Shift: A Few Minutes Earlier
Third Person – Hiccup's Cove
The moonlight filtered softly through the canopy above the cove, shadows dancing across stone and scale. The campfire's embers pulsed like a heartbeat—steady and warm. Nestled just beyond the flame's reach, a different kind of heat was rising.
Hiccup had Freya tucked safely into bed, her soft snores the only sound beyond the crackling fire. With her safe, the tension he'd carried since the arena had bled into something more primal. Luna had been the first to pounce on him, tail curling around his leg with possessive hunger. Astrid had followed shyly, but by now, her hands weren't tentative—they were eager.
They were tangled on the floor of the main room—Hiccup's claws removed, replaced by warm, firm touches. Luna bit his lower lip, smirking when he growled back. Astrid was nestled to his side, breathless, flushed, and more open than ever before.
And then it came.
The roar.
It was low and echoing. Deep. Ancient. But unmistakably challenging.
Every muscle in Hiccup's body locked up. His lips froze against Luna's neck. His wings—unfurled only moments before—went rigid.
That roar...
He knew that roar.
No. It couldn't be.
But it was.
The bastard was alive.
The dragon he had thought dead. The one that had dared to challenge him for dominance when his reign was still fragile. The one that had tried to steal his flock—his dragons. And now it was back, roaring not at Berk... but at him.
"Get back," he growled, stepping away from both girls as his eyes lit emerald green. "He's here."
Luna blinked in confusion. "Who?"
Astrid opened her mouth to ask the same, but the air changed—saturated with power and purpose.
Without another word, Hiccup turned and launched himself toward the open window. Mid-jump, fire wrapped around him—not flame but power. Black scales rippled across his body, and his form shifted, stretched, ascended.
Wings snapped wide in the moonlight as his full Night Fury form surged forth—tail lashing, claws glowing faintly with cosmic star light. His roar answered the sky, sharper than a blade, louder than thunder.
It wasn't just a challenge.
It was ownership.
As he landed in the clearing, his talons cracked stone and his green eyes scanned the sky. The wind howled past his horns, but the silence after that second roar was suffocating.
Luna and Astrid were behind him now, running toward him from the cove with wide eyes. Luna slowed, awe dancing with something darker in her eyes. Astrid stopped completely, breath stolen by the sheer majesty and ferocity of him.
"By the gods..." she whispered.
Then they arrived.
With a rustle, a roar, a shimmer of acid, the Vanguard answered their Alpha's call.
Fang, his Monstrous Nightmare second, landed first—wreathed in smoke and sparks, eyes glowing, muscles coiled with anticipation. His roar echoed Hiccup's, but subordinate. Loyal.
Razorwind, the Timberjack, sliced through the trees without touching a branch, his wings cleaving the air like knives.
Daggermaw, the Nadder, shrieked a metallic warning as his spines gleamed menacingly.
Thrash, a blur of speed, was already darting around the perimeter, gold and black like a phantom hunter.
Veil, the Changewing, materialized from invisibility near Luna and Astrid, placing herself like a shimmering ghost between them and the woods.
Torrent, the massive Scauldron, emerged from the stream-fed path, steam rising from his coils as he slithered halfway onto land.
Then came the others—Meatlug, steadfast and patient. Hookfang, eyes glowing with recognition. Barf and Belch, playfully snarling but already locking into position. And finally, Stormfly, who paused beside Astrid, clicking her beak and scanning the skies like a seasoned sentinel.
Freya, somehow, was still asleep in the cabin.
For now.
Hiccup shifted back into human form in a flicker of emerald light, still crouched like a beast. His fangs receded, but the aura of command remained.
He looked toward the sky, eyes narrowed.
The roar had come from one beast.
One fool.
But it wasn't just a challenge.
It was a mistake.
He spoke aloud, voice like frost.
"He dared to return."
Luna stepped to his side, claws out. "Who?"
Hiccup didn't glance at her. "A dragon who once believed he could rule in my place. He tried to dominate my flock... tried to make my dragons fall. I left him to die."
Astrid swallowed. "And now?"
Hiccup stood fully, cloak of command settling over him like shadow. "Now I finish it."
Around him, the dragons roared in unison—low and waiting.
Whatever was coming... it would not find a frightened boy.
It would find an Alpha.
Seconds passed and the air still hummed with the echo of the Night Fury's roar. The dragons surrounding Hiccup stood tall, tails twitching, eyes scanning the sky for the fool who had dared challenge their Alpha. The moment was thick with unspoken promise—blood would be spilled.
But Hiccup, now returned to his human form and standing amidst them like a general preparing for war, was not finished.
He turned toward Luna. His eyes, though calm, held a storm behind them. "Luna," he said quietly, yet every dragon nearby stilled. "I need a favor."
Her head tilted, eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity.
"I don't want to reveal our forms just yet," Hiccup continued. "The villagers aren't ready to know we're hybrids. And there are eyes in the skies. So..." His voice dropped into a more commanding purr, one that Luna had long since learned to obey. "Take me. Fly with me. If we're going to war... then bring me to it."
Luna grinned. "It would be my pleasure, my love."
He stepped forward, pressing his forehead to hers for a brief moment, the gesture filled with something ancient and sacred. Then he pulled back and turned to the rest of the assembled dragons.
"Fang," he barked.
The Monstrous Nightmare's massive form straightened, smoke curling from his nostrils.
"Take the vanguard and fly to the eastern ridges. Call on the strongest from our flock. I want twenty-eight brought to my side. Now."
Fang's eyes gleamed red in the dark. "As you command, Alpha."
"But don't stop there," Hiccup added. "I want every capable fighter you find brought to me. I doubt that coward came alone."
The other dragons stirred, catching the scent of war in the air.
"Veil," Hiccup added. "You and Razorwind know our healers best. Sunset, Meadow, Coral. Find them. Bring them. We'll need their talents soon."
Veil nodded, already turning to vanish into the darkness like a ghost on the wind. Razorwind lifted into the sky without a sound, his massive wings slicing the moonlight.
Hiccup then turned his attention to three dragons he trusted more than most.
"Hookfang. Meatlug. Barf and Belch."
The three dragons straightened, the Zippleback's heads snarling in unison.
"I'm leaving you here. Guard the cove. Protect my hatchling."
Meatlug grunted in quiet agreement, already positioning herself near the cabin.
"If anything happens to her," Hiccup said, his voice dropping to something darker, "there will be no mercy for those responsible."
The trio roared low and heavy in unified understanding—death would be the price for failure.
By now, Astrid had stepped beside him, her hand near Stormfly's side, ready to speak. But before she could, Hiccup turned toward her with a teasing smile, one fang still showing at the corner of his lip.
"Fly with Stormfly," he said. "She's missed this kind of chaos. And you, my dear..." He let his gaze trail over her, low and possessive. "You favor her greatly."
Astrid flushed, but nodded, determination filling her expression. Stormfly nuzzled her as if in agreement.
A beat passed. Then—wings.
The sky above them stirred again. Fang returned first, flanked by a growing number of dragons. Behind him came Razorwind, Thrash, and Daggermaw, all carrying powerful beasts of the flock—lean-built, fierce-eyed, loyal.
Twenty-eight dragons circled above, and the number was climbing.
Veil returned, invisible at first, then revealing herself near Luna with a satisfied snarl.
"The healers are coming," she said through the mental link. "Sunset leads them."
Hiccup gave a single nod.
Then, stepping forward and gazing once more at the moonlit sky, he spoke calmly—but with all the power of the Alpha.
"Tonight, we hunt."
And with that, Luna stepped forward, shifting back into her half-dragon form as wings unfurled. She crouched, allowing Hiccup to mount her without hesitation. Astrid climbed onto Stormfly beside them, her braid already whipping in the wind.
As Hiccup looked back one final time toward the cabin, he felt a swell of emotion seeing the dragons he'd left behind forming a protective ring around it. Freya slept, still undisturbed, unaware that her father was about to turn the sky into fire and vengeance.
He turned back to the sky.
It was time.