35. Escape from the Nest

It’s such an odd feeling.

When you finally accomplish something you’ve dreamed of for years. Something that seemed impossible.

To the point where it almost doesn’t feel real, when you do accomplish it.

This is what Astrid felt, as she gazed upon the nest.

Her plan had worked. Generations of bloodshed were about to be over. The archipelago would be free of dragons, forever.

Despite the fear building up from within her, she couldn’t contain the excitement she was feeling.

It was time.

She reached over, and patted the neck of the creature she was riding. “Take us in, Dragon.” She whispered.

Considering it was still lost in its trance, it would’ve done so anyway.

Amongst the flock of food-carrying dragons, they soared into the volcano. Astrid immediately began sweating from the blistering heat.

They glided through the winding caves, the girl having to hold on firmly as her dragon made insanely tight turns.

The darkness of the caves eventually gave way to a foreboding red haze, and they entered a large cavern in the center of the mountain.

Her dragon seemed to regain its senses, as instead of following the flock into the pit, it flew them up to a dark crevice to hide in.

Astrid watched as every dragon dropped it’s haul into the pit, the food disappearing into the smog. She felt a burst of anger upon viewing this.

“Oh, great. You burn down our village to steal our food, just to toss it down a hole…” She bitterly thought. But she continued to observe, positive there was more to see here.

A lone Gronckle buzzed in, hovering around dopily above the crater.

After a moment, it opened its mouth and relinquished a pitifully small fish into the pit.

It scratched its neck with a hindleg, and began to flitter off. Wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

Until a monstrously ginormous head launched out of the smoke, and crushed the poor Gronckle in its massive jaws.

Every dragon present scrambled to hide, to flee, as Astrid stared at the beast. Petrified.

What in Thor’s name is that?

It was impossibly huge, bigger than any dragon she’d ever seen. It’s head alone was enormous.

She didn’t want to think about how big the rest of it was.

Its heavily armored scales were cracked, and blemished. Covered in scars and blisters. It’s giant maw, filled with endless teeth. Not two, not four, but six beady eyes lined the sides of its head.

And a large pair of nostrils…

That seemed to be sniffing for something.

Astrid felt her blood run cold.

Hastily, she whispered to her dragon. “We have to go…”

The colossal beast began to stir, and Astrid knew they were out of time.

“NOW!”

Just before the monster could snap its jaws around them, they took off.

They flapped into a swirling mass of dragons, swarming in their panic. The giant dragon clambering after them.

Astrid looked back in fear as they fought their way through the flock. She could make out a bit more of the beast’s body as it climbed out of the pit, and could see that it was even bigger than she’d imagined.

Its maws caught an unsuspecting Zippleback, and it sank back down into the depths.

Relief washed over the girl once she saw the monster give up the chase, and soon they broke through the swarm and out of the mountain.

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As the overwhelming heat was replaced with the cool night air, she panted as the adrenaline began to leave her body. She reached over to give her dragon a small scratch, silently thanking it for getting her out of that scrape.

It had saved her life.

And now, as they soared over the ocean and back to Berk. Astrid thought.

She thought about what she had just seen. And what it now meant.

She’d found the nest, which was amazing. But it housed an unfathomably terrible creature, which sucked.

It seemed as if the nest operated like a giant beehive. The smaller dragons are the workers, and that was the queen. It controls them.

So if they took out the queen…the other dragons would stop stealing food.

She felt a jolt of delight at that revelation.

She’d found their way out of this war! Stop the queen, stop the raids! She had to tell the chief, she had to tell anyone-

But then she remembered exactly what the queen was. A gargantuan beast of untold power, with a malicious demeanor.

There was no way they could beat that thing. Every weapon they had wouldn’t make a dent in its scales. Their biggest armies would be squashed like ants. Launching boulders at it with catapults would be like pelting it with feathers.

If she told Stoick about the nest, he’d gather up all the available Vikings on Berk. They’d sail over to the island, thinking they could take out the queen, and they’d be slaughtered.

If she really emphasized just how big it was, he’d collaborate with the other chieftains. They’d merge their armies together, creating a massive force of warriors all with one mission: Kill the queen. And they’d still be slaughtered.

That creature was beyond all of their capabilities, she saw no way they could defeat it. Any attempt to stand against it would lead to her people being annihilated.

And that was exactly what she was trying to prevent.

She couldn’t tell Stoick. Not yet, not until she had a plan.

She needed to know more. All dragons had some sort of weakness, she just had to figure this out.

But she’d need some help.

She saw Berk approaching, and knew there was one boy on that island who could assist her. A very plump boy.

The Nadder landed on the bridge leading to the Ring. However, as Astrid dismounted, she began to feel uneasy.

Already knowing the routine, the dragon started to head into the arena. Ready to return to its cage.

But after that flight…after it had saved her…

She couldn’t bear to keep such a beautiful creature locked up. Not anymore.

“Wait!” She called, and the Nadder turned to face her.

“You…You don’t have to go in.” She spoke softly.

The dragon eyed her, curiously, as she began to remove the rope from around its neck. “You’re not a prisoner anymore. I’m setting you free…”

The Nadder seemed unsure of what to do, and started to head in to the Ring once more. Astrid sprinted to stand in front of it.

“No!” She began gesturing, trying to get her point across. “Go! Fly away! Leave! Get out of here, please!”

Seeing her increasing distress, the dragon began nuzzling her with its snout. She gently tried to push it away.

“Stop! Please, you have to go!” She pleaded, but the reptile wouldn’t listen.

Taking drastic measures, Astrid retrieved her axe and started swinging it around. Hoping to scare the beast away.

“JUST LEAVE ALREADY!” She cried.

The dragon backed away, but it didn’t seem afraid.  It flapped its wings and leaped into the air.

The girl sighed, relieved that it finally understood. She was sad to see it go, but she knew it was for the best…

Until she heard it land right behind her.

She turned, to see the dragon entering the arena. Once more, she ran ahead to intercept it.

“What’s the matter with you!?” She asked, breathing heavily. “Don’t you get it? You’re in danger here! Why won’t you just go!?”

In response, the Nadder gazed intensely into her eyes. Before gently prodding her with its snout.

She knew what it was saying.

“You…want to stay with me?” She whispered. The dragon released an affirmative squawk.

Despite herself, Astrid couldn’t help but smile. She rubbed its nasal horn affectionally. “You’re such a sweet girl…”

Alright, if she was going to stay, Astrid still didn’t want to keep her in that cage.

After putting the rope back on, she hopped onto the Nadder’s back again. “Come on, let’s find you somewhere to hide.” She urged.

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They soared over the island, searching for a suitable place to keep the dragon hidden.

Eventually, they came across a clearing in the forest. They landed in the cove, and took in their surroundings.

It was serene, the gentle rustling of leaves and the soothing sounds of the lake perpetuating throughout the area.

It was very atmospheric.

The two took a moment to examine the area, and were pleased to realize they found it to their liking.

Astrid laughed as she watched the dragon trample around the cove, enjoying the space and the fresh air.

“Alright, alright! You can stay!” She moved to give the dragon some goodbye scratches. “I have to go now, girl. I’ll come see you soon.”

With the Nadder giving a rumbling squawk as a farewell, Astrid made to leave the cove.

She trudged through the forest, on her way to the Great Hall, trying to think of just how she’d explain the situation at hand to Fishlegs.

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“…W-What?”

With a sigh, she repeated herself. “I asked you if you could keep a secret?”

In the woods, just behind the Great Hall, Fishlegs fumbled over his words. “W-Well I don’t know…I mean I’d like to say yes, but that depends on the circumstances at hand, and whether or not I’m- “

Rolling her eyes, Astrid got up close and personal. “Let me put this a different way…” She hissed.

She grabbed Fishlegs’ arm, and bent it in an unfortunate position. One yank and he’d be in a world of pain.

“Keep this a secret, or I’m ripping this arm off and bludgeoning you with it!” She threatened. Silently, and quite nervously, he nodded.

Releasing his arm, she spoke in hushed tones. “…I found the nest.”

The large boy gaped at her. “Come again?” He muttered.

Groaning at having to repeat herself twice, she answered. “I said I found the nest!”

“B-But how!? No one’s found the nest! We’ve been trying for years and- “He quieted himself as he saw the harsh glare she was giving him.

“I used a dragon. Only a dragon can find a nest. I took one of the dragons we had locked up in the Ring, and made it take me there…it flew away after we were done, I don’t know where it went.” She looked a bit nervous as she spoke the last bit.

Fishlegs’ fear was completely forgotten. Instead his eyes were twinkling in amazement. “Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of that? It makes sense!” He then looked to Astrid, overflowing with nerdy excitement. “What was it like? How many dragon species were in there? Any new ones? What does the natural habitat of the dragon look like? I always sort of thought we couldn’t find it because maybe it was underwater-”

“Fishlegs FOCUS!” She snapped, putting an end to his rambling. “There’s something in there, Fishlegs. A dragon unlike anything we’ve ever seen…”

As she described the grotesque creature to him, he felt pulled between fear and scientific intrigue.

“So what do you think? You’re the one with all the dragon stats, can you figure out if it has any weaknesses?” She asked, desperate for answers.

“Hmmm…” He stroked his double chin in thought. “From what you’ve described, this so-called queen dragon seems to be a class 5 behemoth. Maybe 6…”

He began to pace as he spoke. “I’m gonna make a rough estimate and say attack 28, jaw-strength 22, and armor 30. But its colossal size means it’d only have about 2 stealth, and 7 speed…”

Astrid was completely lost. “Okay…and what does any of that mean?”

“It means we’d be doomed if we attacked it head on!” He clarified. “If we want any hope of beating it, we’d need to be fast enough to outmaneuver it, and attack it’s weak spot. And considering its rough exterior, its only weak points would be…its innards…”

He started running the numbers again. “If my calculations are correct…we’d need a maximum of 20 speed, 18 stealth, and at least 14 firepower. And a lot of luck…”

“Fishlegs…I don’t think any Viking is capable of that.” She said.

He gave her a nervous glance. “…I-I wasn’t talking about a Viking.”

She glared at him, confused, as he elaborated. “Back when Hiccup…you know, we had the Night Fury captured for a bit. I took that time to study it, and what I learned was incredible!”

He was in ramble mode again.  “It’s probably the fastest of all known dragons, it’s stealth is unparalleled, and its pinpoint accurate plasma blasts would be perfect for targeting the queen’s weak point…” His face became very grave. “If you ask me? If we want to defeat that dragon, end this war…our only hope would be a Night Fury…”

“B-But…” She sputtered. “As far as we know, there’s only one Night Fury! And it’s with- “

He nodded, wordlessly answering her question.

They both stood in heavy silence, as the weight of the implication hung over them.

To save Berk, to end the war with dragons…

They had to find Hiccup.