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emptyblog7 · 1 year ago

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Albina and Luna: A HTTYD School of Dragons Fan Fic

@rascalentertainments @spectator-zee and anyone else who wanted to read this but didn't explicitly say they wanted to be pinged (@uva124 I believe you said that I could ping you about anything, so here it is) :)

Anyways!! Here's my HTTYD fan fic story following Albina, a young student at the School of Dragons. I hope you enjoy it (despite possible errors), and let me know your feedback from it. I'd love to hear from you on this!

HTTYD SoD Story Idea

Albina walked out of one her classes just as it finished and began to walk briskly towards the school beach, hoping no one would notice the obvious.

She didn’t have a dragon.

It had been several months since she was admitted into Berk’s school of dragons, but despite her best efforts, she still couldn’t bond with a dragon. Some of the other students teased her about it and made fun of her for it whenever they saw her, and she had recently made it a point to avoid their hangout places. As she descended the stairs leading to the school beach, she groaned inwardly, “What am I doing wrong? Why is finding a dragon to train this hard?”

Suddenly, a blast flew in her path of travel, and she dove out of the way. The blast hit the rock wall with a sizzle, and when Albina stood up, she recognized the blast marks. “Oh great.”

A chuckle behind her confirmed her suspicions. “Better be careful, ground viking. You never know when you will be attacked.”

Those with her chuckled in response as Albina faced them. “I can defend myself just fine without your help, Swift.”

Swift’s flamewhipper growled in response, and Swift smirked, “Well, maybe you need a bit more practice.” Her flamewhipper then began to shoot several fireballs in her direction.

Albina’s eyes grew wide as she dove out of the way and tumbled back onto her feet. As she regained her footing, two of Swift’s friends began to follow her lead and shoot blasts around Albina, egging her on. Albina dodged most and blocked the rest with her Flightmare shield. She groaned in annoyance; she was getting tired of this treatment. She waited for an opening. “Maybe I can find an opening and throw my shield near their dragons. That could give me time to get away.”

The moment came when Swift called a halt on the barrage. Seeing her opening, Albina threw her shield towards them like a discus with a grunt. Swift gasped in surprise as the shield sped towards them.

Suddenly, three dragon riders intervened. One grabbed Albina and flew her away, another caught the shield before it made its arch, and the third barked at Swift and her crew, “Move it, students! To the school lake. Now!” Her Nadder shrieked in agreement at the riders.

Reluctantly, they did, and they all convened near the shores of the lake. Albina stood sheepishly near Valka and her dragon as Hiccup gave her back her shield and the students landed and dismounted.

Once everyone was gathered, Hiccup turned on Swift and her crew. “Swift, Gale, Winger, how many times have you been told not to attack other students?!”

Swift scoffed, “Come on! She doesn’t have a dragon! How could she still be a student?!”

Valka answered, “Being a student here isn’t all about having a dragon, though it is a good portion of it, student. It is also about learning various skills, the history of vikings’ relationship with dragons, and so much more!” With an eye on Albina, she added, “Including treating your fellow Vikings with respect.”

Hiccup nodded in thanks and turned to Astrid. “Astrid, will you kindly take these students to the headmaster and reveal the situation to him.” Astrid nodded, mounted Stormfly, and led the three students to the headmaster’s office, which was in the main building of the school.

When they were out of sight, Albina began to walk away, but Valka stopped her. “Albina, we are not through.”

Albina sighed as she saw Hiccup face her with an even stare. “No, we are not.”

Albina tried to explain, “Hiccup, what do you expect me to do?! I wasn’t going to hit them with my shield at all.”

Hiccup shook his head, “Maybe not, but you gave in to their taunts, which would’ve led to an escalation of conflict where, inevitably, someone would get hurt. You cannot let those who come against you play with your mind like that, not here in the school nor in an actual battle. When this first started, what did we say about this?”

Albina sighed and revealed, “That I’ll find the right dragon for me in time, that I don’t have anything to prove here, and that I must not take matters like these into my own hands.”

Valka nodded, “That is right, child. A bond with a dragon is a special thing, so it must not be done hastily.” She then placed her hand on her shoulder encouragingly and added, “You will find a dragon to train, Albina. It…may just take time.”

Albina smiled slightly and nodded in acknowledgement. She faced the two of them and said, “I’m…sorry about my involvement in this. I was wrong to retaliate.”

Hiccup nodded in approval and answered, “Don’t mention it, Albina. We’ll put this in the past and move on.” He then added emphatically, “We are a team here, students and teachers alike. We need to be able to depend on one another because not one of us can train dragons or fight villains on our own, but together, we are a force to be reckoned with.” Albina acknowledged, and Hiccup urged, “Now, why don’t you find Astrid before she flies off for her patrols around the islands in the archipelago. I’m putting you on leave of absence for now, so that should give you enough time to relax from the pressures here and come back rejuvenated.”

Albina smiled gratefully and went her way, waving farewell to them as she went. As Valka watched, she commented, “Albina truly is trying her hardest, Hiccup, to live up to expectations here.”

Hiccup sighed, “Yeah, Mom. That’s what I’m worried about.”

Albina soon found Astrid in the training grounds just as she was just about to mount Stormfly. Seeing she had company, Astrid turned to Albina and smirked, “Got let off easy?”

Albina secured her satchel around her shoulder and nodded, “Yeah. Hiccup sent me to come with you, since he’s placed me on a ‘leave of absence’.”

Astrid nodded and reached out to her. As Albina swung up behind Astrid onto Stormfly, Astrid answered, “Well, buckle up, student, because this patrol is a long one. You ready?”

Albina answered, “Yes, I am.”

Astrid approved, “Good, then let’s get going!” With that, they took off into the mid-afternoon sky.”

LATER…

They landed on an unfamiliar island just as a mist was rising from the ocean during an early morning. As Astrid and Albina dismounted, Stormfly made sounds in her throat and sniffed around in investigation.

As Albina surveyed the tree line, she asked, “What are we looking for here? I don’t think I’ve seen this island on any of the maps.”

Astrid joined her and revealed, “Hiccup had this island marked due to some warlord activity in recent months. They’ve passed for now, but our job is to search the island for clues on what they are planning.” She then handed Albina what looked like a signal flare. “This is something Hiccup and Heather have been working on. It shoots a steady flame up into the air in a specific way that lets others know that you are in trouble and need backup.”

Albina tucked the device into her belt and asked, “Are we splitting up?”

Astrid nodded, “It’s the best way we can cover more ground in less time.” She pointed west and instructed, “Head west and search that half of the island. Stormfly and I will do the same to the east. If any of us need help, we’ll signal each other. We’ll meet back here and report our findings. Deal?”

Albina nodded and went her way, faintly hearing Astrid say, “Good luck!”

Albina acknowledged and continued on, just as a set of silver eyes appeared in the flora…

A FEW DAYS LATER…

Albina emerged from the bush and came into a rocky clearing and gasped at the sight before her. A dilapidated camp full of torn tents, bent weapons, and the like were strung all around the clearing. Albina looked around as she cautiously walked deeper into the clearing, looking for clues. “This must’ve been the warlords’ camp. They must’ve left in a hurry, if they just left this stuff here.”

She then saw something float off the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a book of some sort flapping its pages in the wind. Albina went to it and picked it up in curiosity. She sat down to inspect it and thought aloud, “This might have some clues.” She took off her satchel and laid it aside as she skimmed through the entries in search of a lead on the warlords’ plans. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice the same silver eyes appear in the brush behind her…

Albina continued to skim through the entries. Most were daily reports that were many days expired and others were drawings of the camp’s perimeter. When she came to the end, an entry caught her eye, and she began to read it. Her amazement grew as she read, and when she finished, she closed the diary and commented to herself, “This might be useful.” Looking at the sun’s position, she supposed, “I’d better get back to the beach to meet Astrid.” She then picked up her satchel and went her way, only slightly noticing that it was a bit heavier than usual.

A FEW HOURS LATER…

As the sunset turned into dusk, Astrid and Albina landed near the school building after their long patrol. When she dismounted, Albina exclaimed, “Wow! What a patrol!”

Astrid shrugged and asked, “Did it do some good?”

Albina sighed and admitted, “Yeah, it did. Thanks!”

Astrid nodded and pulled out the diary Albina had given to her. “Well, I’ll take this to Hiccup and see what he thinks. You’d better get to your dorm and get some rest.”

Albina agreed and went into her single dorm room that overlooked the wilderness entrance. It was small, but it had all her essentials. She plopped onto her bed and dropped her satchel down in exhaustion.

A low growl surprised Albina when her satchel landed on the ground. It wiggled until it fell flat on the floor boards, causing a small, black dragon to tumble out! Albina gasped as she stood in amazement. She stood perfectly still as she watched the baby dragon right itself up and look around curiously. Albina slowly knelt by the dragon in amazement. “It…must’ve gotten into my satchel when I searched that camp, probably because of my provisions.”

Suddenly, the dragon turned to her and sniffed her curiously. As Albina studied it, she realized that it looked like a mini Toothless! “This can’t be another Night Fury, can it?! I thought they were all lost!”

The dragon sniffled a little before letting out a small sneeze, sending out a small plasma blast at the stone plague she had on her wall. She ducked, and the blast hit the plaque with a BOOM. Albina put her hand out to the dragon and mused, “That’s a dead giveaway. This is definitely a Night Fury!” The dragon sniffed her before letting its snout rest on Albina’s palm with a large sigh. Albina was estatic. “Did…did I just…”

The baby Night fury removed its snout from her hand, climbed into her lap, and relaxed as it curled itself into a ball. Albina stroked its wing as it fell asleep. She was happy over the fact that it seemed like she had her own dragon now! It was a Night Fury to boot!

But what if this dragon had a mother? What if the parents of this Night fury were looking for it? What if the others found out about it? All these questions and more swirled in her head. She thought about telling Astrid, Valka, and the others, but then thought. “No. I have to figure this out on my own. First, I’ll sail back to that island and search for the dragon’s mother, then I’ll figure out what to do from there.” She looked out the window and planned, “It’s still dark out. Perhaps I can take a boat out from the docks and search the island before anyone notices. I might even be back before classes!” Content with her plan, she carefully picked the baby Night fury up and placed it back into the satchel. It opened its eyes groggily at her, and she whispered, “It’s okay, baby Night fury,” she placed a few fish in the satchel and added, “You and I are going to find your family.” The baby dragon dove into the satchel for the fish, and Albina carried her satchel out and towards the docks.

HOURS LATER…

Dawn was just breaking on the horizon when Albina found the island. She docked her boat, tied it to a tree, and retraced her steps towards the camp. The baby Night fury popped its head out of the satchel and took in the scenery. It made rumbling noises in its throat as it looked up at Albina. She looked down and couldn’t help but smile back.

They soon made it to the camp, and the baby Night fury ducked back into the satchel with a cry of fright. Albina stopped short and looked to the dragon in concern. “You okay, little one?”

The dragon groaned and shook in the satchel in fright. Albina took off her satchel and held it close to her chest in comfort. “It’s okay. I’ve got you; no one’s going to get you here.”

The dragon seemed to relax as she passed through the camp and walked through the foliage and into a forest-like area. Albina soon noticed a set of small, dragon footprints. Albina knelt down and inspected them. “They must be this guy’s footprints.” She began jogging as she followed the footprints to, hopefully, the little guy’s home.

After a few minutes, the forest gave way to a clearing, where the remnants of a cave stood. Albina’s eyes grew wide as she saw the broken rock, burnt shrubbery, and shards of metal strung about the clearing. She whispered gustily, “What happened here?”

She then heard the dragon whining in her bag. Albina’s heart broke at the realization of what happened. Without thinking, she held the bag close to her heart as she groaned, “Oh, you poor thing!” With a glance at the cave, she added, “Don’t worry, I won’t let any of that happen to you. You can count on that!”

The baby dragon looked up at her with its silver eyes, as if searching Albina’s eyes. Then, with a huff, it laid its head against her collar. She then began walking back to the boat in silence. “Those eyes…they look like a full moon.” With sudden realization dawning on her, she thought, “Luna! Of course! That’s a perfect name! The small contrasts it has against Toothless’ scales seem to make this Night fury a female.” As they came onto the beach, she turned to her baby Night fury. “Don’t worry, Luna. You’ll be safe with me.”

LATER IN THE DAY…

Albina had just docked back into the school and was racing back to her dorm. The morning had fully come upon the archipelago, and she was hoping that she would make it back before anyone noticed.

That’s when she heard her name being called. Albina cringed as she turned around and placed her hand over the opening of her satchel. She answered cooly, “Valka! What brings you here so early?”

Once she met her, Valka answered, “I could ask the same of you, child. You look like you’ve returned from somewhere!”

Albina heard Luna groan softly, and Albina cleared her throat to mask it. “Well…umm…I was checking something from my patrol with Astrid on one of the islands.”

Valka’s eyes grew wide. “Alone? Without back-up of any kind?” She groaned, “Please tell me you at least told someone.”

Albina’s face colored, “I…ummm…”

Valka took that as negatory and chided, “Albina, do you have any idea what that would’ve cost you? Cost the school? Cost your friends? Any number of our enemies would’ve vied for the chance to kidnap one of our students and demand a ransom for your return!” Albina didn’t have an answer, and Valka concluded, “You must break this habit of yours, Albina, or else it might cost us all dearly.” Albina nodded sheepishly and took leave of Valka. Valka watched as she went back up to her dorm and rubbed her chin in thought. “Hiccup and Astrid may need to know about this.” With that, she walked away towards her Stormcutter, Cloudjumper.

When Albina reentered her dorm, she let Luna out of the satchel and let her curl up on her bed to sleep. Albina laid on her own bed and began to rest her eyes as her mind raced. “That was super close! I’ll have to make sure that I keep Luna safe here.” She then thought about Luna’s exposure in the school. “All my classmates clamoring around to see her will be too much, much less the other dragon riders! I’ll have to train her on my own time and place. The wilderness is full of secret places. I’m sure I’ll find one that suits our needs.” She then turned back to Luna, who was now sound asleep and commented, “Don’t worry, Luna. I’ll keep you safe.”

MEANWHILE…

“She went and did what?” Hiccup cried.

Valka shook her head in bewilderment. “She came back safely and didn’t appear to have found anything from the island, but I fear for her. If she continues in this way of life, it may prove devastating to her in the field.”

Hiccup stood there in thought, and Astrid wondered aloud, “What do we do?”

Silence fell for a moment until an idea came to Hiccup. His eyes lit up as he revealed, “A mentorship!” Astrid and Valka looked at Hiccup in confusion, and he explained, “Each of us can chose a student to mentor for a certain amount of time, but for Albina, it may prove to be indefinite. This way, we can both teach other students and mentor Albina away from this habit she has.”

Astrid nodded in approval, “That can work!”

Valka agreed. “This may prove beneficial to more than just Albina.”

Hiccup nodded and concluded, “I’ll bring the idea up to the Headmaster and see what he thinks. In the meantime, we’ll need to decide who we’ll be mentoring.” Turning to Valka, he said, “Mom, you may be the best candidate I know who can mentor Albina in the right direction.”

Valka smiled a bit and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I will do all I can for Albina.”

Hiccup acknowledged and dismissed the others as he headed over to the Headmaster’s office to discuss the plan.

SOME TIME LATER…

Albina wobbled a little as she tried to stay steady on Cloudjumper, who was flying circles around the Wilderness. When the Headmaster first revealed the mentorship program with the dragon riders, Albina was surprised but eager to see what it was all about. She’d been paired with Valka in the beginning, and ever since then, Valka had been teaching her various dragon riding skills personally, as well as checking in on her at various intervals during the weeks. At the end of a school quarter, the mentors switched students…all except for Valka. For the past several quarters, Valka had consistently chosen Albina. Though confused, Albina shook it off. “Probably happenstance or coincidence.”

Valka watched Albina’s progress from one of the platforms and called out, “Relax, Albina! You need to trust Cloudjumper as you fly!”

Albina nodded in acknowledgement, and Cloudjumper roared at Albina before dipping near the hot springs. He then pulled up and looped again before diving down to the platform and landing. He lowered his neck to allow Albina to dismount, and once off, Albina commented gustily, “Wow! That was crazy!”

Valka chuckled a bit before stating, “That was better than before, Albina. You are improving in your skills as a dragon rider.”

Albina smiled a bit as she thought, “This will really help when I go train with—”

She was cut off when a Terror Mail flew in for Valka. As she read it, Albina could see concern register on her face. “What is it?”

Valka tucked the message away and briskly went to mount Cloudjumper. Before flying off, she turned to Albina and revealed, “Dragon hunters have been spotted close to Hobblegrunt Island. Hiccup called for back-up, so I’m going to meet him there to assess the situation.”

Remembering something, Albina asked, “Will you all be back in time for the mentor change tomorrow?”

After some thought, Valka answered, “Perhaps. I doubt the other students would want to miss it.”

Albina laughed lightly, “I don’t doubt that! I’m excited to see who I get this time.”

Worry flitted across Valka’s face before she regained her composure and said, “Don’t wait up for me tonight, child. I will meet with you as soon as I can.” With that she flew off just as the sun was on the horizon.

When Albina saw that she was out of sight, Albina climbed down the platform and hurried back to her dorm to grab some fish and her cloak. She then hurried back to the Wilderness and went down an isolated path that led into the sides of the mountain. As she went deeper, the sun disappeared from view, leaving only natural light to guide her path.

Soon, though, she heard a welcoming rumble, and she hurried through an opening with a smile until she came into a secluded grove, where she was met by Luna meeting her with a kind nuzzle and groan. Albina hugged her, now large, snout and answered, “It’s good to see you too, Luna.”

The time that had passed between Albina and Luna had gone by fast, and the baby Night Fury had grown into an adult that was only slightly smaller than Toothless. In the dark, Luna’s silver eyes sparkled, giving color to her otherwise black scales. The grove that she stayed at while Albina was away studying was no bigger than the Wilderness lake, but it had many of the essentials a dragon needed: Protection, fresh water, a place to fish, and shade to rest under. Because the grove was secluded, Albina could train Luna and learn to ride her without notice, giving them the privacy Albina had desired in the beginning.

Albina opened her pack and gave Luna a few herrings, Luna’s favorite fish, to snack on. Luna received them gratefully, and Albina asked, “Ready to give flight another try?”

Luna looked up and growled lightly. As Albina put her cloak on, she added, “We’ll need to wait until it’s dark, but I think this time, I have it down.”

THAT NIGHT…

As the moon shone high above a sleeping island, Luna and Albina zoomed past undetected. As they darted in and out of sea stacks, Albina couldn’t help but chuckle with delight. It seemed that now, she was getting the hang of flying after all! “Okay. Just relax, Albina. Luna has been with you since day one, so you have every reason to trust her.” Her muscles soon began to relax, and her hold on Luna’s saddle began to loosen a little as a result.

After one more pass around the school. Luna stopped suddenly and roared quietly in surprise. Surprised, Albina whispered, “What’s wrong, Luna?”

Luna flicked her head up, and Albina followed her gaze to see several dragon riders flying by the caldera. Albina gasped. “Those are Hiccup’s riders! Oh no!” They were only several yards from her current position, so she had Luna land quietly and hide behind one of the rock formations, hoping that they would pass without seeing them.

Hiccup and the others stood there by the school building in bewilderment as Fishlegs stated, “Well that was a waste of time!”

Snotlout disagreed. “Come on, Fishface! We totally blew those hunters out of the water! What more could you ask?”

Fishlegs pointed out, “The hunters didn’t have any clues leading to the important Dragon Eye lens we were originally looking for! They didn’t even have any dragons in their cages yet!”

Hiccup concurred, “Fishleg is right. What were they even doing there in the first place? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Albina and Luna listened in as they waited for the riders to move on. Albina stroked her chin in thought as she pulled her hood closer to her face. “Important Dragon Eye lens? What could that lead to?”

Suddenly, she heard a large rumbling beside her. She turned and saw Luna shaking her head and sniffling loudly, as if trying to hold back a sneeze. Albina panicked. “Luna! Don’t—”

But it was too late. Luna let out a large sneeze that got the attention of the dragon riders. They looked towards their position, and while there was no light to expose them, they knew there was someone there. Astrid called, “Come out. We know you’re in there. Come out with your ax in the air!”

Albina’s breath caught. “Maybe I can lose them in flight.” She quickly mounted Luna and instructed, “Come on, Luna. Time to put all we’ve done to practice. Sky!”

With a roar, Luna shot up into the air and flew into the clouds. Seeing this, Hiccup cried, “After that rider!”

Hiccup and the others flew up after Albina and Luna, but when they entered the clouds, their visibility was hindered. Snotlout grumbled, “Ugh! I can’t see anything!”

Hiccup turned to Toothless. “Do you mind, bud?”

Toothless grunted and made a loud and high roar, activating his echolocation. Albina, who was several yards away from them, heard it and groaned. “I forgot he does that!” Turning to Luna, she cried, “Dive! We might lose them if we get to our underwater tunnel before they do.”

Luna rumbled and dove out of the clouds and towards the side of the island. The riders saw this and pursued. Seeing the speed of the mysterious dragon rider, Astrid cried, “Hiccup, you might be able to pursue this rider better than we can. We’ll come up the other side of the island to cut her off.”

Hiccup nodded and urged Toothless on in pursuit of the mystery rider. As Albina made another pass on the island towards their entrance, she turned to see Hiccup hot on her tail. She gasped as she pulled her hood close to her face and had Luna make a sharp turn into a crack in the mountain side and hide within its hidden recesses. She whispered to Luna, “When I give the signal, fly out and dive into the water.”

Luna huffed just as Toothless flew in. Hiccup looked around as Toothless flew in place. The crack was a dead end; there was no where the rider could’ve gone except here. As they scanned the crack, Albina signaled Luna, and she glided just below Toothless and out the cave. Luna then dove into the ocean, making a quiet splash as she went.

After a few minutes, Hiccup shook his head in bewilderment. “Where could that rider have gone, bud?” Toothless groaned and searched with his echolocation…but came up short. Defeated, Hiccup sighed and flew out the mountain and to where his friends were waiting.

When Astrid saw him come alone, she asked, “What happened?”

Hiccup sighed, “This rider was a clever one, Astrid. They flew into a crack in the mountain, but after that, they just…disappeared!” He then looked determinedly at the others and declared, “We will need to be on the lookout for an unknown rider within these waters, and perhaps within the school itself. We can’t afford to have a mole in the school.”

The others agreed and returned to the school to get some rest.

Meanwhile, Luna and Albina burst through the exit of their secret tunnel that led back to their grove and landed near several pine trees in exhaustion. Albina dismounted and Luna went to drink from the pond as Albina said gustily, “That was way too close. We’ll need to be more careful the next time we go flying at night, since Hiccup and the others are now unwittingly on to us.” Luna turned to her and purred as Albina rubbed her frills. “Looks like I’m bunking with you tonight, Luna. I can’t afford any of the riders seeing me like this, or else they’d find out our secret.” Luna rumbled and licked Albina’s face, making her chuckle. As she sat up against one of the trees, Albina answered, “You’re right. I can think of worse things.”

THE NEXT MORNING…

Albina hurried into her first class just as the last of the students came into the building. Hiccup, Valka, and the other riders stood at the front with the Headmaster, waiting for the chance to pick a new student to mentor this quarter. Albina sat down excitedly as she wondered, “Maybe this time, I’ll get a new mentor! I just hope it isn’t Snotlout or the twins…”

Soon, the Headmaster called the class to order and said, “I hope you Vikings had a good night’s rest last night. Today marks a new quarter at the school, which means it is time to assign new mentors to students and students to mentors. Now, just like the last several quarters, the mentor will choose which student he or she will mentor, and then, for the remainder of the quarter, that student will receive private lessons from that mentor apart from regular classes.”

Albina sat excitedly as she watched the pairing begin. On down the line it went as Snotlout and the twins were the first to pick their student. Albina breathed a sigh of relief when she wasn’t picked by them. “Phew! Saved by the bell!”

Next, Hiccup and Astrid picked their students. Though disappointed at not being picked by them this time, she wondered, “Well, there’s still Fishlegs. Maybe I’ll get him.”

Alas, it was not the case.

Albina’s brow furrowed at this turn of events. “What?! But that must mean that—”

“Albina?”

Albina looked up to see Valka gesturing to her. She added, “You’re paired with me this quarter.”

Disappointment and shock colored her face as she wondered, “How is this possible?! All the other mentors change their students regularly, but Valka hasn’t! What’s going on here?!”

Seeing that the mentors had finished choosing their student, the Headmaster concluded, “Excellent! The students who’ve been chosen will meet up with their mentors later. For now, let us start on our study of Viking history between the years…”

Albina meant to return her focus back onto her studies, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the allotment of mentors this quarter. “Something is not right.”

LATER…

Albina was on her way to her dorm after a fishing lesson with Mulch when she overheard a strange conversation between Hiccup with Valka. She hid behind a rocky arch that led to the Wilderness and tried to make sense of the conversation.

Hiccup: “Are you sure, Mom?”

Valka: “I’m afraid I am, Hiccup. Albina might be on to our plan; for the past few quarters, she has thought nothing of being paired with me, but now…I fear she may be suspecting the system of mentors choosing students.”

Albina was confused, “What does she mean? If mentoring students wasn’t their goal, then what is?”

Hiccup: “I see no other option for Albina’s good, Mom. Isn’t she learning well with you?”

Valka: “Admittedly, yes, but what will come if Albina finds out about our desire to curb her self-sufficiency and encourage depending on others for help?”

Albina was shocked. “Was all of this just a set up?”

Hiccup: “Mom, I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

Albina had heard enough. “I can’t believe this!!”

Valka began, “I suppose so, I—”

“You mean this was all just a set-up?! A trick?!”

Valka and Hiccup turned around surprised to see Albina come out from behind the arch and confront them. She cried, “This wasn’t just about teaching the other students personally, was it? This was just an undercover scheme to change my way of doing things?”

Valka tried to reason, “Child, we were only trying to help you! We wanted to protect you from—”

Albina interrupted, “By deceiving me into thinking that this was a normal teaching program?! By trying to ‘help’ me and yet not telling me how you wanted to help me?! You planned behind my back!” Albina shook her head. “Then that’s not something I want to be a part of!”

Hiccup tried to intervene, “Albina, you know that—”

Albina didn’t wait to hear his explanation. Instead, she stormed off into the Wilderness with a huff.

Valka and Hiccup sighed in defeat as they watched her go. After some silence, Valka lamented, “It’s my fault. I should’ve told her in the beginning.”

Hiccup disagreed. “No, Mom, this isn’t your fault. It’s my own. I should’ve never decided to lead Albina on like this. It was my plan to keep her with one mentor and to not tell her about our intentions.”

“What shall we do?” Valka asked.

Hiccup answered with a shake of his head. “I’ll go talk to her later, once she’s cooled off. For now, we’ll need to wait.”

Meanwhile, Albina had made it to the grove, where Luna was resting. Albina had made a pit-stop at her dorm and gathered some necessities before coming to the grove. She walked briskly towards Luna, as Luna stirred and awoke from the commotion. Luna made a groan of concern towards Albina as she came, and she looked up to see her dilated, silver eyes. Albina exhaled gustily as she knelt to Luna’s level. “Come on, Luna. Let’s get out of here.”

Luna pulled up beside Albina as she mounted, and once she got her saddlebags secured, Albina urged, “Let’s fly, Luna!”

With a roar, Luna shot up and out of the grove. As they leveled out towards the eastern side of the island’s edge, Albina took one last long look at the school…before turning back and flying swiftly away in the sunset.

LATER…

Hiccup walked briskly out of the schoolhouse after having searched for Albina inside to no avail. For the past hour, he had been trying to find where she had stormed off to after his conversation with Valka, and he even asked Valka to see if she was at her dorm. The schoolhouse was the last place he needed to search, and he still had no luck. He stopped by Toothless, who groaned in concern. “Where can she be?” he wondered aloud.

Suddenly, he heard his name being called out. He turned to see Valka jogging towards him, and hoping for good news, asked, “Mom, did you find her?”

Valka shook her head with worry. “I’m afraid not, son. However, what I found is more troubling.”

Surprised, he asked, “What is it?”

Valka revealed, “Most of Albina’s stuff is gone, including her satchel. Even the saddle that she’d been given by the Headmaster is gone. I fear that she has left this island.”

Alarmed, Hiccup cried, “We need to round up a search party and find her before any trouble finds her. She couldn’t have gotten that far.”

Valka agreed, and the two of them went off to both warn the Headmaster and round up the other riders for the search.

THAT NIGHT…

It was dark by the time Albina and Luna came upon an island, and it was the same island Albina had found Luna in. Searching the area, Albina suggested, “We’ll need to stop here for the night and continue early in the morning. There might be a cave or something we can bunk in for the time being.” Luna groaned uncertainly, but Albina calmed, “It’s okay, Luna. This place has been abandoned for a long time. We’ll be fine.”

Luna huffed in understanding and flew down to the surface. As they landed, something caught Albina’s eye; she dismounted and picked it up to inspect it. It appeared to be a lens with a metallic purple frame. “This looks familiar,” Albina mused, “But where have I seen this before?” Figuring that it would come to her later, she placed it in her pocket and walked with Luna in the direction of a rock cleft, going around warlord wreckage as they went.

When they came upon it, Albina looked at it in satisfaction. “This should do the trick, at least until morning.”

Luna agreed and made herself comfortable towards the right side of the cleft. Albina sat down against the wall of the cleft and pulled out the lens to inspect it. She racked her brain in trying to remember where she first saw a lens like this. “Have I seen this at the school or something? Was it during one of my lessons?” Suddenly remembering something, she mused, “I wonder…” She turned to Luna, who was about to fall asleep and got her attention. Facing the lens near the wall, she asked, “Luna, do you mind giving the lens some light?”

Huffing in confusion, Luna produced a low light blast in her mouth that shone through the lens. What revealed itself on the wall as a result made Albina gasp in unbelief. “This can’t be!”

A strange map had appeared on the rock wall. At its center was what appeared to be a Night Fury outline with a dotted line running around and past familiar islands until it landed on an island Albina had never seen before. She ran her hand along the route the map suggested until she came towards the end. “It…runs past Titan and Impossible Island? The school doesn’t have a map that goes past those! Does this mean that…” Albina was hesitant to make what appeared to be obvious known, but for Luna’s sake, she hoped it was real. She took note of the map as Luna quenched her flame, and Albina knelt by Luna’s face. “Looks like we have a destination, Luna. If what that map says is true…then you might have other Night Furies to relate to.”

Luna’s eyes lit up, and she purred in hope. Albina chuckled a bit before leaning against the cleft wall once more. As Luna laid down and began to doze off, Albina wondered, “Hopefully we’ll find it before the others find us.”

THE NEXT MORNING…

Albina and Luna woke up to the sound of distant dragon squawks near their area. Albina slowly arose, as Luna sat up and yawned, and peeked out of their cleft. “What could that be?”

Albina got her answer when she saw Hiccup and Toothless wandering around the ruined camp in search of her. Albina’s breath caught in fright. “Oh no! How did they—” Then she realized, “Of course! Stormfly is a Tracker class dragon! They tracked me here!” Luna made a low groan in her direction, and Albina thought frantically on what she could do.

After several minutes, she sighed. “There’s no way I’m going back with the riders to the school, especially since I have an island to find for Luna’s sake. If I got away from Hiccup once, I can do it again.” So, with new determination, Albina led Luna out into the light.

Toothless was the first one to catch sight of Albina and Luna. He growled with surprise, and Hiccup turned to see Albina with…a Night Fury! Hiccup’s eyes grew wide as he cried, “Albina! There you are!!” He then gestured to Luna in bewilderment. “How—I mean…what—”

Albina answered firmly, “It’s a long story, Hiccup, but unfortunately I have no time to tell you. I have somewhere to be.”

Hiccup shook off his amazement for a moment before answering, “You definitely do have somewhere to be: Back to the school!”

Luna made a low growl at his tone, and Albina calmed her before saying, “You seem to misunderstand, Hiccup. I’m not coming back. What you and the others did…I can’t accept. Besides, I have bigger priorities.”

Hiccup groaned, “Albina, you know that we were just trying to help you. When we formulated the mentor plan, we wanted to help you out of the possibility of getting hurt in the future.”

Albina retorted, “By hurting me now? By planning behind my back without talking to me?! I thought you said students and teachers were a team!”

Hiccup sighed. He had been backed into a corner with that one. He rubbed his neck with a glance towards Toothless before looking back at Albina. After some thought, he faced Albina squarely and suggested with a quieter tone, “Look, let’s just go back to the school together and work this out there. I’m sure we can work some sort of an agreement then.”

Albina still didn’t budge. As she turned her back to Hiccup and led Luna away, she answered, “Like I said: I am not going back.”

Surprise flashed across Hiccup’s face before he and Toothless began to follow her. “And like I said: You are going back to the school.”

Albina sighed. Hiccup wasn’t going to be deterred. Without turning to him, she mounted Luna and stated, “I guess there is no way I am changing your mind, is there?”

Hiccup relaxed, thinking that Albina was changing her mind.

Then, without warning, Luna shot up into the air with Albina away from the island and further from the school. Toothless roared in amazement, and Hiccup cried, “What the—” Without a second to lose, he mounted Toothless and urged, “Come on, bud!” With that, they shot up into the air in hot pursuit.

When they leveled out, Hiccup turned to his left and saw Albina flying tens of yards away from him. He urged Toothless, “Come on, bud. Let’s show them how it’s done.” Toothless roared in affirmation and sped towards Albina.

Meanwhile, Albina heard the roar and turned around to see Hiccup and Toothless hot on her trail. Alarmed, she turned to Luna. “Luna, we may need some fancy flying. Use the water if you have to.”

Luna roared and dove out of the clouds towards some sea stacks. They darted in and out, with Hiccup and Toothless keeping pace with them from behind. After the last sea stack, Albina looked behind her and groaned, trying to think of a way to lose them. Then, an idea popped into her head and she instructed, “Luna, touch the sky; fly the depths!”

Understanding her code, Luna shot up once more, but this time, she flew towards the sun’s rays. Albina covered her eyes as best as she could as they went; it was going to be a little bit before they’d do part two of their stunt. “Hold on. Just hold on…”

Hiccup and Toothless had followed after them, but they slowed at the growing brightness of the sun. Hiccup groaned as he covered his eyes. “What are you up to, Albina.”

Suddenly, Luna stopped flapping, turned around, and dove hard and fast towards the ocean. They nearly grazed Hiccup and Toothless at the crossing as they passed, and by the time they regained their bearings to dive down towards Albina, she was several seconds away from the ocean waves. Hiccup urged Toothless, “Come on, bud! Come on!”

They dove down after Albina, nearly gaining on her at the halfway mark, but by the time they were close, Albina and Luna had splashed into the ocean. Hiccup and Toothless dove down after her and swam around to see where she was going.

She was nowhere to be seen.

Defeated, Hiccup and Toothless reentered the sky and began flying back to the others. Astrid and the others met him midway, and Astrid guessed in unbelief, “She got away again?!”

Hiccup nodded in bewilderment, “I’m as surprised as you are, Astrid. Though she is riding a Night Fury!” The others gasped as he continued, “I don’t know how or where she got one, but from what I could tell from their strategy, they’ve been training for a long time.”

Snotlout scoffed, “Come on! How can she be this mad over a little trick?”

Valka corrected, “It wasn’t just a trick, Snotlout, but you do have a point. Her evasion seems to resemble someone who is searching for something.”

Hiccup nodded, “You may be right, Mom. Even though I think she’s still mad at us, she was flying with a purpose before I went after her, which means she is searching for something. What that is…I don’t know.”

Astrid asked, “Well, what do we do?”

Hiccup sighed, “Return to the school for now and begin again once we’ve rested a bit. Then, we come back here and fly in the direction Albina flew. Maybe we will find what she’s looking for.”

The others agreed and began flying back to the school.

MEANWHILE…

Luna and Albina struggled against contrary winds as the rain splattered against their faces. After the riders had left form pursuing Albina, she and Luna had emerged from their hiding place underwater and continued on their course for Fury Island. Unfortunately, they flew into some storm clouds, and what used to be an easy and smooth flight turned into a fight for control over the wind, rain, and lightning.

With another roar of surprise, Luna dodged another lightning strike close to her tail. Albina held tightly to the saddle as Luna made another sharp turn away from an incoming strike. Albina groaned as thunder rolled above them once more. “This is getting even worse! Isn’t there a way around this?!”

Suddenly, another lightning bolt came in front of Luna, and she stopped abruptly in surprise. Albina cried, “Look out!”

Unbeknownst to her, however, another bolt was spidering down above her head. It made landfall on her shield, sending Albina’s spine in a shocked frenzy. Albina grunted in pain…and then fell limply off the saddle, unconscious. Luna made a shrill roar as she dove after her…right into a deep and mysterious fog.

A FEW HOURS LATER…

Albina came to when she heard crackling near her face and a low rumble on the opposite side of her. She slowly opened her eyes as she sat up. She rubbed her throbbing head as she asked, “Wha…what happened?”

“A great deal has happened, young dragon rider.”

Surprised, Albina turned sharply to see an unfamiliar man on the other side of the campfire. He was cloaked and hooded, but Albina could still make out his face. She tensed in alarm as she began to rise. “Who are you?!” She then collapsed back onto the ground in exhaustion with Luna purring in concern next to her.

The man urged, “Please, child! Don’t try to rise so suddenly! You took a bolt to the back and have been unconscious for a few hours now.” He then handed her a bowl of a sort of beef stew. “Eat and regain some of your strength.”

Albina received it cautiously and began eating, all the while inspecting her strange host. She noticed a strange pendant clipped the edges of his cloak together at the collar; it was gold with markings she couldn’t make out, save a crown and a throne at the center. From the way the cloak covered him, it was hard to make out if this man was Viking or not. “He seems…not like the Viking type to me.” She finished her stew and placed the bowl aside as the man threw a salmon in Luna’s direction. She caught it eagerly and gulped it down, purring in thanks.

After some silence, Albina asked once more, “What happened? And who are you, sir?”

The man seemed to chuckle a little as he began, “Who I am, well, suffice it to say that I am Edward of an island unlike anything you’ve seen in the archipelago. However, I happened to come into this part of the islands on business matters when I saw your dragon catch you out of the sky and fly you down the rest of the way. When I had come onto the scene, your dragon was trying to wake you up. I showed her that I was a friend and tended to your wounds before I brought you and your dragon further into the island for safety reasons and made camp here.”

Luna nuzzled Albina’s face, making her chuckle a bit. Turning to Edward, she answered, “Well, if Luna trusted you, then you are someone I can trust as well.”

Edward nodded in thanks. “I’m grateful you think so, but what brings a young dragon rider like yourself out so far from home?” At her confused glance, he added, “It is a very long way to the school from here, and deducing by your clothing, you are a student therein.”

Amazed at his reasoning, Albina conceded, “Yes, I am a bit of a ways from the school, but I found something that might help Luna a bit, a place called ‘Fury Island’. Do you know of it?”

Edward nodded emphatically, “I do indeed, child! It is a place not too far from where I reside, but why do you seek this alone? Surely those who head the school wouldn’t send one rider out for this.”

Albina groaned and sighed at the same time. “It’s…a long story.”

“We seem to have time.”

After a bit of hesitation, Albina relayed her entire story to Edward. By the end of it, Edward rubbed his chin in thought, and a period of silence fell between them. Albina and Luna looked at each other before looking back at Edward. “What is he going to say?” she wondered to herself.

Finally, Edward faced Albina and stated, “I am truly sorry for what’s happened, child. How they should’ve addressed the situation is far different than what they chose.”

Albina groaned, “Yeah, no kidding.”

Edward wasn’t finished. “However, do you deny that their concerns were valid?”

Surprised, Albina answered uncertainly, “Well…maybe…I just…” she exhaled loudly, defeated, and asked, “Well, what could I do? I can’t always rely on their defense of me, right?”

Edward calmed, “You are looking at dependence on others all wrong. Contrary to what you think, you need these riders you’ve mentioned, despite their flawed ways of dealing with you. The fact that they cared enough to intervene on your behalf should say something about what they want for you.”

Albina cried, “But they tricked me!”

Edward replied calmly, “My dear, I did not deny that how they intervened was in the wrong way, but you must be honest with yourself that the fact that they did intervene at all says a lot about what they did right.” He sighed as he concluded, “Child, you are not the first, nor will you be the last to struggle with depending on others for help. I have encountered many like yourself, and I will say to you as I’ve said to many others, you cannot handle everything that this archipelago, let alone your school, can throw at you. You must be willing to receive help from your friends instead of running from them in bitterness.”

Albina thought about what Edward had said. She didn’t really like it, but she couldn’t deny the truth he stated. Groaning in defeat, she conceded, “I…guess you are right, sir.” She then ventured, “But let me just continue on in my journey to Fury Island for Luna. I am so close, and I doubt, if I was found by the others, that they would let me continue to my goal.”

Edward rubbed his chin in thought for what seemed like several minutes. Then, he faced Albina and answered, “I will allow that…on two conditions.” Albina listened intently as he declared, “You must allow me to come with you to this island, so that you have back-up, in case of conflict, and you must allow me to send Terror Mail to your school, detailing your whereabouts.” Albina agreed, and Edward approved, “Good. At first light, we will fly on to Fury Island.”

LATER, AT THE SCHOOL OF DRAGONS…

Hiccup, Valka, and Astrid sat around a table with the Headmaster, trying to formulate a plan and course in searching for Albina. Figuring that her aversion was due to something she was searching for, they were trying to deduce, from the map that they had on hand, exactly what it was she was searching for. Fishlegs stood with the Dragon Eye in front of a canvas, trying different lenses and dragons for any clues as well.

After a period of silence, Fishlegs groaned in defeat and put the Dragon Eye down. Hiccup heard and asked, “Anything?”

Fishlegs shook his head as he joined them, “None, Hiccup. We already know that she isn’t searching for a dragon, so the amount of information the Dragon Eye could give us reduces to almost null. Anything on your end?”

Valka sighed, “In all my travels across the archipelago, there is nothing I remember from any of the islands that could be of interest to Albina.”

The Headmaster suggested, “Perhaps she is in search of an island yet undiscovered.”

Astrid shook her head, “But why? I don’t see a clue here that could unlock Albina’s thinking or goal!”

Suddenly, a blue and gold Terrible Terror flew in from a window and landed in the middle of the table. The Headmaster caught it and took out the letter it bore. As he read it over, he gasped in amazement, “In all my years…”

Hiccup asked, “What is it?”

The Headmaster gave Hiccup the letter and answered, “I think you should read for yourself.”

Hiccup did, and after a moment, his eyes lit up in surprise. “How—how is this possible?”

Valka urged, “What is it, son?”

Hiccup revealed, “Albina has been found! Someone, by the name of Edward, found Albina wounded from a fierce storm and has taken care of subsequent wounds. He affirms that she is safe with him, and that they are both on their way to the place Albina’s been searching for.”

Astrid cried, “Well, what is it?”

Hiccup closed the letter and faced them squarely, “The Island of Furies, also known as Fury Island.”

Everyone gasped, and Fishlegs squealed, “Oh!!! This is exciting!! Perhaps there are more like Toothless then!”

Hiccup answered, “If Albina’s dragon is any indication, then that might be exactly what’s on that island. His letter details the directions to the island, so that we can meet him there and be reunited with Albina, as she has agreed to, per the conditions of his guidance to the island.”

Astrid shot up out of her chair. “Well, what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

Hiccup agreed, and the Headmaster said farewell to the riders as they shot up into the sky to retrieve Albina.

THE FOLLOWING DAY…

Albina and Luna followed close beside Edward and his steed, which was a much larger Fury-like dragon, but it was deep blue with gauntlets on its legs and golden armor along its back, chest, and head. Edward had called him a “Royal Fury”. The sun had fully risen by now, revealing nothing more than the sky above them, and the sea beneath them. Silence reigned between them during the better part of their journey.

Soon, Edward spoke as he pointed towards the horizon, “There, Albina. Fury Island is just up ahead. A thick fog shrouds the island, so stay close. It is easy to get lost.”

Albina nodded and flew a little closer to him, with Luna making a low hum. After some thought, Albina turned to Edward, and asked, “Edward, why…is your dragon called a ‘Royal Fury’?”

Edward turned to her knowingly and answered, “His species of Fury is able to mimic the firepower of any dragon. Alpha here has lived a good long while, so his arsenal is formidable to any dragon.”

Albina, though not totally satisfied, became quiet for a moment. “That…doesn’t seem to answer my question fully. This Edward character is so strange.” However, as they entered the fog, Albina figured she’d leave her questions for later.

The ride through the thick fog was long and tense, at least for Albina. She couldn’t see much of anything, save Edward and Alpha! Luna purred as she inspected what could be ahead. Albina sighed as she rubbed Luna’s head. “You can probably sense more than I can, huh girl?”

Luna growled lightly, and, after several more minutes of flying, they came out above the shores of a beautiful island. Albina gasped, “Incredible!”

A mountain range ran along the outer edges of the island, providing the perfect, hidden valley for its inhabitants. As Albina and Edward landed, Albina could see that the vegetation was lush, and the roars in the distant were many…and familiar.

Edward and Albina dismounted at the beach, and Edward instructed, “Follow me, child. We must travel the rest of the way on foot.”

Albina nodded and followed Edward down a well-worn path. Confused, Albina asked, “Edward, if this island is unknown to the archipelago, why are there actual paths leading to the valley?”

Edward revealed, “I and my son come here often to check on the Furies that live here. When Grimmel first started his…ambition, we scoured the far reaches of the archipelago to save as many of the Furies as we can.” As they went through a small cave, Edward concluded, “Grimmel thinks he has hunted the Night Furies to extinction, but in fact, his plan failed before it began.”

Albina was amazed at the history. She looked at Luna, who was walking next to her, and could tell that Luna was anxious to get to the other side. Albina smiled; she could understand Luna’s angst in wanting to see more of her kind.

They soon emerged out of the cave and came upon a ledge that overlooked the valley, and Albina’s eyes grew wide at the many Night Furies that lived there. “This…this is…”

The whole valley was filled with lone Night Furies and Fury families! Baby Furies played with each other, some of the adults either strolled the grounds, flew overhead, or rested by the shade of a tree. Albina smiled broadly at the sight and chuckled a bit at how, finally, she’d found what Luna wanted for so long. Luna also was beside herself with joy and looked to Albina for a cue with a large smile. Albina turned and laughed, “Go on, Luna! Go make friends!”

Luna roared loudly in joy and dove down to the valley to meet the others. Albina watched with a smile as some of the residents Furies came to sniff her and make low rumbling sounds in her direction. Luna did the same, and the others seemed to welcome her in.

Suddenly, another roar sounded further down the valley. Luna perked up and turned to see a male and female Fury standing nearby. Curious, Luna walked over and sniffed the two of them and vice versa. After a few minutes, Luna’s pupils grew bigger in realization, as did the two other Furies’ pupils, and they nuzzled each other in deep affection.

Upon seeing this, Albina wondered, “Who could they be?”

Edward supposed, “Perhaps some relatives. Judging by their age, I think they might be her brother and sister.”

Albina was amazed. “So, Luna still has some family left! How wonderful!”

Suddenly, Luna turned to Albina and flew hard and fast in her direction. Before Albina could think, Luna had grabbed her shoulders and was flying her towards the two Furies. Albina cried out in surprise as Luna dropped her in front of them, and Albina looked up just in time to see them come closer cautiously. Albina turned to Luna, who roared in various pitches in their direction, making gestures as she did. Albina mused, “Is she…trying to tell them something?”

By the end of it, the two Furies turned back to Albina with large pupils, showing that they were friendly towards her. Hesitantly, Albina placed both her hands out to them. After sniffing them, the two Furies put both of their snouts on her hands with a purr. Albina rubbed their snouts lightly with a smile before retracting her hands. Luna bumped her shoulder lightly and nuzzled her face as Albina chuckled, “Oh Luna! I’m so happy for you! You found your family!”

Suddenly, her joy turned to sadness at a realization, and she looked across the valley in thought. “This was my goal from the beginning! To find Luna’s family! Now that she’s found them…” Albina sighed heavily as she realized, “I…have to let Luna go.”

Albina turned back to Luna, who cocked her head at the change in Albina’s countenance and hugged her snout with a sigh. “Oh Luna. You found your family,” As they separated, Albina continued, “That was my desire all along, and now that that’s been established…” She slowly went to her saddle and took it off. Luna made an inquisitive groan in her direction, and Albina fought herself to not start crying as she concluded, “Now, it’s time to return to your own family.” With that, she turned and began walking away with Luna looking on with a sad purr.

When she came close to the side of the valley, Edward came down one of the inclines and gestured her up. Without looking in his direction, she followed him up, and he led her out of the valley and towards the shoreline without a word. Albina wasn’t sure, but she could almost make out one roar louder than the others as she went.

When they came to the shore, where Alpha waited, Edward faced Albina squarely and placed his hands on her shoulders with a sigh. She looked up at him as he stated knowingly, “That was no easy decision, child.”

With that one gentle comment, Albina’s tears escaped, and she began to weep bitterly for her choice. She had let go the one dragon she’d been able to train, a dragon she’d raised since she was a Tiny Tooth, and the loss was deeper than she felt she could bear. Edward groaned and embraced her sympathetically in silence.

Just then, Albina could just make out several dragons landing near them, and she cringed at knowing who they were. However, Edward whispered in her ear, “Child, your friends have arrived.”

Edward and Albina separated, and Albina turned to see the dragon riders, along with Valka, dismounting to meet them. Valka, upon seeing her countenance, rushed to Albina and embraced her tightly. “Oh Albina! You are safe!”

Albina blurted, “I had to let her go, Valka. Her family’s in there, and I—”

Valka slowed her down as they separated, “Slow down, Albina.” When she was silent, Valka continued, “Letting go of someone you love is a difficult lesson, one that cannot be learned alone.” She looked up at Edward and concluded, “Which makes me glad that you had someone with you on your journey.”

Edward nodded in acknowledgement, and Hiccup addressed Albina. “Come on, Albina. Let’s go home.”

Albina exhaled and began walking towards one of their dragons to ride home…

SIZZLE…BOOM!!

With just a moment to spare, Albina dove away from an incoming lightning bolt before it could strike her. The others cried out in surprise, before Fishlegs looked up and gasped. He pointed upwards and cried, “Hiccup, look!”

Everyone looked up and saw a whole group of Skrills flying offensively above the island with a large, Titan Skrill leading them. They appeared to be flying towards the valley sanctuary.

Upon seeing this, Edward mounted Alpha and cried, “They are attacking the Night Furies!”

Valka asked urgently, “But why?”

Hiccup supposed, “If our earlier interactions with a Skrill are any indication, then these Skrills may be a rival group of these Night Furies.”

Edward suddenly heard a branch snap behind him. Turning around, he saw Albina disappear into the trees towards the valley. Alarmed, he cried, “Albina! No!” Without another word, he and Alpha ran after her.

When they left, Hiccup turned to the others and ordered, “We need to buy him and Albina some time! Each of you find a Skrill and distract it; maybe we can even stop them from attacking the Night Furies in this island.” The others nodded and mounted their dragons.

Meanwhile, Albina had just emerged from the cave into the valley breathlessly and scanned the valley for Luna and her siblings, hoping to find them before they did. “Come on, Luna, where are you?”

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the ledge behind her, collapsing her end of the ledge. She cried out as she plummeted to the valley.

SWOOSH!!

Albina’s breath caught as a pair of talons gripped her body, threw her up and caught her on her back. As Albina gripped the dragon’s shoulders, her eyes grew wide as a familiar set of silver eyes met her. She gasped, “Luna! It’s you!”

Luna roared happily as she looped around and towards the oncoming Skrill army. She growled menacingly, ready for the attack. The other dragon riders seemed to have caught most of the pack, but the titan slipped past them and dove for the valley. Albina gripped Luna’s shoulders tightly and addressed her, “Ready to defend your home?”

Luna roared in affirmation, and they were about to fly off before Edward and Alpha stopped them. “Albina, wait!!”

Surprised, Albina cried, “But the Titan Skrill! I have to stop it!”

Edward remained firm, “This attack is too much for you to handle alone, but if we work together on this, then we have a chance in defeating it.”

Silence reigned for a moment as Albina considered her options. She had gone through too much to not realize the wisdom in his words, so she conceded and answered, “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

LATER…

Hiccup and Toothless had their work cut out for them when they intercepted the Titan Skrill. They flew high above the clouds, dodging the Skrill’s bolts, but for whatever reason, it would not be led away from the island. Hiccup groaned as he looked to see the dragon still on his tail. “Come on, Skrill. What’s it gonna take to get you to leave?”

The Skrill made a high pitch roar as it was about to make another strike, when a sudden plasma blast exploded against his face, neutralizing his bolt. The Titan Skrill turned to his left and saw Albina and Luna flying in place offensively. Luna roared angrily as Albina mused, “I think we got his attention, girl.”

Sure enough, the Skrill turned on Albina and pursued her as Luna darted away towards the ocean. Upon seeing this, Hiccup cried, “Albina, no!”

Albina wasn’t listening, and when Luna leveled out just a bit into the fog, Albina exhaled tensely, “Alright, girl. Make sure he follows but can’t catch us.”

Luna huffed in affirmation and dodged a bolt to the tail. The Skrill shrieked angrily as it gained momentum. However, Luna was faster and more maneuverable than the Titan and weaved in and out of the oncoming sea stacks in the fog. The Skrill, however, bumped into a few of the stacks, making it angrier than before.

When they came into a straightaway, the Skrill flapped harder and began gaining on Albina and Luna. It made several blasts in their direction towards Albina’s head and Luna’s side. Luna looped away from them, and Albina gasped in fright. “Oh man, that was close!” She looked ahead of them and could just barely make out their goal in the fog. She patted Luna’s side as she encouraged, “Come on, Luna, we’re almost there.”

Luna growled in understanding, though beginning to tire at the chase. Luna slowed slightly as a result, and the Titan Skrill gained even more ground on them. Albina, however, didn’t turn around to see how close it was to them but focused on the flying form ahead growing closer and closer by the minute. As the fog began to clear before them, she placed her hand on Luna’s head and urged, “Steady…steady…”

The Skrill roared behind them with a bolt ready to strike just as they emerged from the fog. Upon hearing the sizzle behind her and seeing her aim in front of her, she cried, “Now, Luna!”

Just before she met Edward on Alpha, she pulled up sharply, giving Alpha a clear shot. Edward instructed, “Give the Skrill a taste of its own medicine.”

Alpha roared and fired a large, blue lightning bolt at the Titan Skrill that was much larger than its own. With a shriek of surprise, the Titan was overcome by the bolt and fell to the water unconscious. Before it sunk, however, Edward whistled, and several other strange Fury-like dragons appeared. Edward pointed at the Skrill, and the dragons flew over and carried it away from Fury Island. When Edward saw the other Skrills follow, he flew over to where Albina waited and placed a strong hand on her shoulder. “Well played, Albina!”

Albina chuckled as she admitted, “Your plan was better than anything I would’ve come up with! Thank you!”

Edward smiled in thanks and led her back to the shoreline. When they dismounted, the other dragon riders met her, glad that she was okay. Luna looked on in curiosity at the new people around Albina.

When Hiccup rejoined the others with Toothless, he found Albina safe from the Titan Skrill. When he met her, he cried, “What were you thinking, facing the Skrill head-on?!”

Unphased, Albina simply rubbed Luna’s head and answered, “It was all a part of Edward’s master plan.”

Hiccup looked up at Edward and Edward explained, “Albina would’ve faced the Titan alone, if I hadn’t intervened. Instead, she led the dragon away from the island toward my own steed, which had the firepower to overwhelm the Skrill.” Looking towards the ocean, he added, “Those dragons will think twice before attacking this island again.”

Right then, Albina felt a nudge on her back. She turned around and saw Luna carrying her saddle. She watched as Luna dropped it before her and nudged it in her direction with large pupils in her direction. Surprised, Albina knelt down to her and asked, “You…wanna stay with me?”

Luna roared lightly and nuzzled Albina’s face in affection, as if to affirm her suspicions. Albina hugged Luna’s face in joy as she answered, “I would love nothing more, Luna!”

The others watched as Albina put the saddle back on Luna, and Toothless cautiously walked over to meet her for the first time. As they greeted each other, Hiccup rubbed his chin in amazement. Turning to Albina, he asked, “All this time, you’ve been training a Night Fury without us knowing?”

Feeling caught, Albina nodded and revealed, “I…had found her on the island that was abandoned by the warlords. She…kinda followed me home first before I went to revisit the island, to see if she had family still there, but it turns out that she didn’t, thanks to them. Ever since then, I began training her and with her in secret, because I didn’t want to scare her by showing her to any people.”

Fishlegs pointed out, “You kept this secret for a really long time!”

Albina nodded. “I was nearly caught by you guys once or twice, while you were out on night missions, but I was able to allude your grasp each time, thanks to Luna’s cunning.” She sighed as she realized how she had deceived them. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys about her. I wanted to handle this situation on my own, but I realize that that belief was arrogant.” Turning to Valka she added, “I even used some of what I learned from you to train with Luna, so I never really did it on my own.”

Valka cringed a bit at the memory of their deception and approached Albina. “Child, we are sorry as well. We never meant to harm you with our plan to mentor you.” She placed a hand on Albina’s shoulder and added, “We just wanted to protect you from your own vices, but…I’m afraid we did it the wrong way.” Albina looked away at the memory before Valka ventured, “Can we…start again?”

Albina sighed and turned to Edward for direction. He nodded in urging, and she turned back to Valka. She placed her hand on her own as she answered, “Of course we can, Valka.”

The two of them embraced each other as the others watched with a smile. When they separated, Hiccup approached Edward and asked, “If I might, sir, I would like to take Toothless up to the valley to see the other Furies, now that we aren’t being attacked. It might cheer him up, knowing that there are others like him around.”

Edward agreed. “That is fine. Just follow the path up to the cave entrance, but stay up on the ledge, so that the other dragons aren’t spooked. They’ll recognize me and Albina, but not you and your friends.”

Hiccup nodded and went up the path into the forest with the others following. Albina and Edward stayed behind, and Edward went to prepare Alpha to leave. Upon seeing this, Albina asked, “Where are you going?”

Edward turned to her and smiled kindly as he answered, “To finish my business across the archipelago, child. There is still much to be done before I return to my home.”

Albina’s face became flushed in sadness as she realized that she would miss Edward and his steed. She ventured, “Will…I see you again?”

Edward faced her squarely and placed his hands on her shoulders with a sigh, as if thinking. Finally, he answered, “Yes, child. One day, you shall see me again, though hopefully under less trying circumstances.” He then turned to his saddlebag and dug out a strange mahogany horn that was decorated with strange lettering around its edges and middle. He handed it to her and revealed, “Take this. It is a horn made from my island. Sound it in your greatest need, and one of my men will come to help you.” He then gave her a strange journal that also had strange lettering on its edges and explained, “This is a journal unlike any in this archipelago. Write your questions or general words to me on one page, and I am sure to answer on the next page in time.”

Albina marveled at the sudden cryptic language Edward was speaking as she received her gifts. “Your…’men’? Your answering me from a journal?”

Edward chuckled slightly as he calmed, “There is much about me and my land that you and your people don’t know about, nay, don’t understand, but don’t worry, Albina. A mystery never remains hidden forever! Over time, you will come to understand more, and you will find that there is more to me and my land than meets the eye.”

Albina nodded in understanding, though still marveling at Edward’s words to her, and thanked him sincerely for his gifts. Edward gripped Albina’s shoulder with a smile before mounting Alpha and saying, “Tell your friends to fly southwest into the fog and continue heading that direction until they emerge from it. From there, you will find your way back to the school more easily than flying in a different direction.” Albina acknowledged, and Edward flew off into the fog…

Albina watched him disappear into the fog, and Luna purred in her direction in concern. Albina rubbed her neck in comfort just as the dragon riders returned from the valley. She turned to them and met them. “What did you think?”

Fishlegs squealed in amazement. “It’s astonishing! A whole island of Night Furies living safe and sound from all the hunters and warlords around! There’s nothing like it in the archipelago!”

The others chuckled at his enthusiasm, and Hiccup turned to Albina and asked, “Ready to go home?”

Albina turned back to where Edward had disappeared for a moment before turning back to Hiccup. She sighed as she answered, “Yeah. I’m ready to go.”

Hiccup nodded in approval, and after Albina gave Edward’s directions, they began flying back to the school. They flew through the fog in silence, trying to process the day’s events (Albina especially). Once they emerged from the fog, however, Hiccup brought Albina out of her contemplations and called her up front. A bit nervous, she urged Luna forward and asked, “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Hiccup quirked a brow in her direction and answered, “We’ll see what the Headmaster says…but I’m sure we can sway him, given today’s events.” Albina chuckled lightly, and Hiccup added, “You did great today, Albina.”

Albina shrugged, “Yeah, well, if it hadn’t been for Edward’s appearance, I’d probably be worse off.”

Hiccup chuckled. “Looks like you learned what acting as a team looks like! You admit that you couldn’t have handled the fight against the Skrill on your own and you accepted help for it. That’s real strength.”

Albina smiled a bit before asking, “Maybe you or the others can give me a few pointers on how to bond more with a Night Fury? With…the exception of certain individuals?”

Hiccup laughed outright as he answered, “I’m sure we can help, Albina, though you have quite a bond with Luna already.”

Luna roared happily at Albina, making her chuckle. She answered Hiccup, “Thanks.” Hiccup nodded in acknowledgement, and they continued flying into the sunset.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Oh good! Tumblr let me post the entire story, though granted, it is smaller than my Dreamlight Adventures stories, but who can tell whether their story hits the 1000 block limit?! Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this, and I have an idea for a second one, but it's certainly not guaranteed. I hope you all also enjoyed reading this story too!

Bye for now!!

#fan fiction #httyd #school of dragons

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