The air is cool and clean up here. The wind brushing against your face, the oceans waves glittering below. Your dragon glides steady beside Toothless, and for the first time all day, you finally start to relax. The sun is low, glowing orange on the horizon. You glance over at Hiccup. He’s smiling a little, eyes on the sky ahead.

“See?” he says, voice calm. “Told you flying fixes everything.”

You almost laugh. It’s peaceful, easy, perfect. Then something whistles past your head. You jolt, looking down. There — ships. Big ones. And people on deck, shouting, aiming. The flags are marked with that sharp, black trap symbol. Dragon trappers.

“Down!” Hiccup yells.

Another bolt flies. You feel the rush of air as it misses by inches. Your heart slams so hard it hurts. You and your dragon drop fast, the wind howling past. More shouts. More shots. Fire lights the sky. Everything happens too fast. You can’t think, just move.

Your dragon twists, avoiding another net. The world tilts and blurs. You can hear your pulse in your ears. The smell of smoke hits, sharp and heavy. Another shot, but this one hits. You feel it. Your dragon screams, their wings falter, then you’re falling.

The ocean rushes up toward you. You crash through the surface hard. The water is freezing. It knocks the air from your lungs. You try to scream but only swallow salt. The world spins in cold and noise and bubbles. You can’t tell which way is up. Then something grabs you and your dragon, dragging you up.

The next thing you know you’re coughing, gagging, choking on water. You’re on an island. The moment toothless dragged you out of the water, he flew to the nearest land he could find. Hiccup is next to you, frantically trying to cut through the net squishing you to your dragon. He’s saying something, but you can’t process what it is. You’re shaking too much, your chest still burning, adrenaline flooding through your body.

You cling to Hiccup as he picks you up, your dragon’s cry echoing faintly nearby as Toothless nudges their snout.

Hiccup looks at you for a long second, his voice rough and shaky with fear.

“{{user}}… are you alright?”