Together we Map the World is a canon and OC forum that takes place directly after the first film left off, behaving as if the series and second film after never happened. With a wealth of locations, dragons, and characters to choose from, the possibilities are endless. What the tides of storytelling will do with these building blocks is up to you. How far will you go?
Hiccup's sense of impending doom had never been so strong as it was now. Sure, there was part of him that was kind of glad that his dad had so much faith in his ability to handle this situation, but from the stories he'd heard and the injuries he'd seen some of the animals and dragons coming back with? It sounded like they were dealing with something serious, something deadly and large. Hiccup had only just started to understand dragons fully, and he wanted to show everyone that he was sure of himself, confident in his abilities, but there were some things even he couldn't manage, and he was kind of feeling like maybe this was one of those situations.
Whatever was attacking these dragons was territorial, highly hostile, and likely massive given the injuries. It left horrible raw places on these dragons, Fishlegs had suggested maybe it was a Sandwraith, but he couldn't remember ever hearing of them being spotted around these parts, and certainly not as big as whatever was causing trouble here seemed to be. Nonetheless, if he hadn't felt safe bringing Toothless with him, if this thing was as territorial as it seemed to be, having another dragon at his back would end up just causing hostility right off the bat...Which still might happen...But he at least felt like he had a chance on his own.
He wasn't completely defenseless though, even if his only defense was a dagger, if he was quicker on his feet maybe speed and size would be on his side as well, but he was still not quite there, so he would just have to rely on being smarter than whatever he was facing down.
He tried to keep his breathing steady as he found himself approaching the area that the trouble seemed to be coming from, and there was without a doubt signs of something large living here, "oh the gods hate me..." He mumbled to himself, barely above a whisper as he kept his eyes on everything around him.
Beartrap was beginning to think that this island was a good place to settle for time being.
He'd arrived approximately a week ago, searching for a place to stay after the last island had given him some problematic encounters with Changewings. This one looked promising, and while he didn't like the prospect of being so close to humans, he had enough experience dealing with them that he wasn't too particularly concerned.
Not only had the local dragons been easy to scare off, but the island provided plenty of high-up perches and game, coupled with rocky beaches, thick forests, and fishing spots. Nothing would ever beat the feeling of a good patch of sand, but given his current condition, he could hardly ask for anything better.
Well, until the humans came to investigate, that was. He wasn't sure how long it'd take the squishy meat-sacks to notice his disturbances. Not long, it seemed, for he caught whiff of their envoy today: someone that smelled of metal, dragon spit, and fear.
Good. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard, then. Beartrap made sure to perch himself on a semi-hidden ledge in wait. He didn't want to burn all of his energy killing a human, not today, especially if that human would run on home and advise its human friends to leave him be.
The human came into eyesight soon enough. The area around was one of Beartrap's favorite ambush spots, and he'd been meticulous about sweeping away the corpses and blood so as to not set off any alarm bells. He was easy to spot if the boy looked up, but given how scrawny the human was, he had no doubt that this would be an easy fight.
Hiccup released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he came into a clearing that just kind of felt wrong, the distinct feeling of being watched creeping up his spine like the icy water during a cold rain, he swallowed hard and looked around, before he caught the slightest glint from the corner of his eye and turned his gaze slowly upwards.
He thought maybe it was a sandwraith, as Fishlegs had said, but he'd never seen one that looked like that, of course he'd never seen one in the flesh period, but he was almost sure they didn't often look like that. His first instinct was to reach for his weapon in an attempt to defend himself, but he wasn't here to kill this dragon, and he was pretty sure he couldn't even if he wanted to, he was here to figure out a way to either make peace or get it to leave. One thing was for sure, this was without a doubt the dragon that had shaken the villagers up.
His movements were careful as he came closer, watching the dragon closely, he didn't know if it would attack him, as it hadn't sent any villagers home with injuries yet, it certainly didn't look terribly friendly, that was for sure.
Beartrap almost wanted to laugh at how tiny this creature was. Of all the people they thought could put up against him in a fight, they sent this? It was too easy. Far too easy. Humans were more clever than this, he knew.
A trap, then. Beartrap lowered his head and hopped onto a lower outcropping, edging closer to the boy. His teeth had long outgrown his mouth, but he pulled back his lips to bear them in a snarl anyway. They were probably expecting him to hop down and drive his talons into the boy without a second thought. Oh, he'd show them.
He continued inching closer to the human, growling growing steadily louder. Instead of remaining fixated on the boy, his eyes flicked accusingly across the nearby treeline, as though searching for hidden hunters.
Hiccup swallowed a sick lump of fear as the dragon jumped down closer, he didn't know why they'd sent him alone, what they thought he could accomplish. He wanted to be glad that for once people seemed to believe in him, but what good was any of that when it got him killed? Occupational hazard only covered so many things, this was quickly becoming a suicide mission.
But something caught his attention when the dragon came closer, close enough that he could see every scale and feel his breath. He wasn't looking at him, he was looking at the trees, almost like he expected an ambush. Hiccup let out a long, steadying breath, "it's only me here, dragon," he said, trying to keep the trembling fear from his voice, but he failed, because he was afraid, and he was not too proud to admit that.
Beartrap had never bothered to try to understand humans. Maybe he could, if he tried hard enough, but for now, all he could discern was tone of voice. The boy's sounded rattly, faint, fearful, and every bit of his body language seemed to echo that.
There was no faking the scent of fear. Maybe - hm. Perhaps his presumption of a trap was wrong. Maybe they just wanted to get rid of a runt. He could understand that, though he wasn't particularly happy to be doing the dirty work if they were too cowardly to land a blow themselves.
But, he was kind enough to push the odds against the boy's favor. A nasty wound should be enough of a reminder. If he truly wasn't a runt, then that would be a good way to prove it. Beartrap hopped onto the ground, flaring his wings, now sulking towards the boy with a rather murderous intent. He let his snarl crescendo into a roar as he did so, then receded into silence, his glare challenging the boy to act.
Hiccup kind of hated himself for being this afraid, he'd faced down the Red Death and lived, he'd proven to everyone that he wasn't just a runt, he shouldn't be afraid of this. It had been different though, he'd had people at his back, he'd had Toothless there, and he didn't have any of that now. It was just him and this dragon who had every intention to kill him, and he knew he didn't stand a chance, even if he did fight back.
He flinched and his eyes widened when the dragon let out a terrifying roar, loud enough to rattle his brains, as well as gain the attention of another all the way back at the village. Hiccup steeled himself and pulled out his dagger, holding it out towards the dragon. He wouldn't win this fight, he'd end up dead, but if he didn't fight at all then he would just be proving everyone right.
Several miles away, the Night Fury charged with dogged determination towards the source of the sound. He knew why Hiccup had gone out there, why he'd been made to stay behind, but none of that mattered right now in his single minded pursuit of one goal: protect Hiccup at all costs.
Hiccup's dagger glinted in the light, and Beartrap paused for a brief second. It might've looked like hesitation from afar, but in reality, he was doing his best to stifle the tiny bit of laughter that rose in his throat. The human was pitifully amusing.
There was no reason to waste any more energy than necessary on this encounter, though. With a huff, Beartrap sprang into action, charging straight at Hiccup with claws outstretched.
There was only a moment of hesitation for Hiccup to react to before the dragon charged right for him, and it was more dumb luck than any skill or grace that he managed to stumble out of the way of the first couple of swipes, but unlike him this dragon was seasoned and outmatched him in every aspect, and it was only a matter of time before dumb luck stopped being enough.
Inevitably the Sandwraith's savage claws caught Hiccup across his sternum, easily tearing deep wounds into the skin through his pitifully flimsy shirt. Hiccup let out a pained sound something like a choked cry as he looked down to see the red spreading over the torn fabric, stumbling to one knee.
Toothless caught the scent of blood, Hiccup's blood, and put extra speed to his charge, leaping out of the shadows just in time for Hiccup to collapse against the dirt. The Night fury stood over the frail human and let out a savage roar at the attacker, staring him down with every intent to kill if it came to that. Unlike Hiccup, Toothless was not so merciful that he wouldn't take a life without a second thought.
Beartrap was ready to call off the fight when the boy shook and crumbled to the ground until he heard the high-pitched scream of an enraged dragon. The boy wasn't a threat on his own, and likely wouldn't come back for more, but a dragon was a different story. Dragons had to attacked lest they get cocky and return.
Beartrap issued a grating screech in reply to Toothless's challenge, squaring himself up for a fight. He hadn't seen a dragon like this before. It looked a bit like his own species, but smaller, flimsier, weaker. He didn't question why he'd never seen one - a weaker sister species was bound to go extinct, surely.
There was no harm in playing a hand in mother nature's game. If the dragon lived, it was of his own strength. Beartrap hissed and sprang forward again, tackling Toothless. The two rolled off in a tangled ball of furious fangs and talons, leaving Hiccup exposed.
Hiccup managed to pull himself up on one arm just in time to see Toothless tackled to the ground by the other dragon, he wanted to do something, anything to help, but he also knew he could do nothing. He was helpless, he they were in the air, if Toothless could get airborne on his own, he'd have no issue, but he was stuck fighting on the ground where he was no doubt outmatched in size and strength.
Toothless let out a furious sound when he was tackled, using his back legs to kick at the Sandwraith's underbelly in an attempt to break free and make distance between them. He was aware of Hiccup watching, which was good, because it meant he was still alive, but he could also see the amount of blood he was losing and knew he needed to get him back to Berk quickly.
Toothless was desperate, severely outmatched by this much bigger, much older, and much more experienced fighter, and in his desperation all he could think to do was let loose a flurry of blasts, only hoping maybe one or more might actually hit their mark.
A flash of rage went through Beartrap when pain seared across his underbelly in the wake of Toothless's talons. They had a hard time cutting through his raggedy scales, but the damage was done.
He'd been hoping to save his breath weapon, since quality sand and gravel was hard to come by here. Today, though, it seemed like he had good reason to use it. He threw his head at Toothless and kicked violently until he managed to knock the Night Fury off, then scrambled back for a second to realign himself and hack up a sand ball. He would've bitten at Toothless if he hadn't been flung about too much to find good purchase.
With a growl, he leapt back into short range and sent a blast of sand and fire at Toothless.
Toothless didn't miss that Hiccup had seemed to go unconscious in the next moment, and that only served to intensify his efforts to get this dragon to leave so he could get the boy to safety. He let out a startled sound when he was kicked off, stumbling just a little as his breath came in heavy gasps. He knew enough to know that this was a fight that he couldn't win, but he wasn't interested in winning, he only wanted to get the other dragon to back off so they could leave.
In his distraction, he didn't even notice the Sandwraith preparing to blast sand at him, until it was too late and he let out a pained screech, the blast hitting directly against his shoulder and chest. He went down for just a moment, breathing hard through the pain, before he got a determined fire in his eyes. He wasn't just protecting himself, he was protecting his best friend.
He struggled to his feet and turned a wild glare on the titan wing with pupils narrowed to slits before charging up a heavy plasma blast and firing it off at the other dragon.
Beartrap had strength, but he was lacking in agility. He moved to dodge when he saw the gas building up in the Night Fury's throat, but the intruder's aim was true: the plasma blast hit him square in the forehead. He was left reeling, and couldn't help but take a few staggering steps back as his skull complained. Several of his crystalline growths had blown off in the impact and were left in a shattered display on the ground.
Still, he wasn't out of the fight yet. The blast had made him second-guess trying to kill the dragon - no, his utmost concern was defending his territory. He glanced up, shaking off the last of the delirium, and let out a warning growl. Last chance to leave, intruder.
Toothless panted heavily after unleashing such a heavy blast, pleased that it had done its job to at least stagger the foe. He turned to Hiccup in the next moment to nudge him awake enough to grab onto his neck so he could slide him up and onto his back, letting out sounds somewhere between fear and comfort as he turned back to the sandwraith and eyed him to see if he was going to launch another attack, if he did he would just run as fast as he could possibly run, Hiccup couldn't afford to wait any longer.
The growl was all the urging he needed, and he let out a gruff snort in return before turning to speed off. It was an awkward balancing act of trying to maintain speed while also keeping Hiccup in place, as his grip on the saddle had gotten weaker. He was distinctly aware of the sandwraith on their heels for a majority of the way, so he ran double time for as long as he heard the heavy steps behind them.
