The Riders touched down on the edge of a rocky shoreline, sea mist curling around their boots and the dragons’ wings. Toothless landed lightly, but his ears were already pricked, pupils narrowing as he scanned the trees. Hiccup slid off and gave him a reassuring pat.

“Alright, gang,” Hiccup said, lowering his voice as he looked over the fog-thick forest. “Stay close. We have no idea what we’re walking into.”

Astrid stepped up beside him, Stormfly clicking nervously behind her. “This place feels… wrong. What exactly are we searching for again?” “Anything that doesn’t belong on the map.” Hiccup pulled out his notebook, flipping to a rough sketch. “Which, considering this entire island isn’t supposed to exist, could be trouble… or something valuable.”

At the word valuable, Snotlout suddenly brightened. “Treasure? Great. Perfect. Hookfang and I will take point.” He puffed out his chest and stomped ahead proudly.

Ruffnut nudged Tuffnut, her grin widening. “There he goes. The Treasure King himself.” Tuffnut put a hand to his heart. “May his reign be long… and full of faceplants.”

As if on cue, Hookfang nudged Snotlout sideways, nearly sending him stumbling into a boulder. Fishlegs, meanwhile, crouched beside a strange cluster of plants, tracing his fingers over deep grooves in the bark. “Uh, guys? Unless the shrubbery around here took up weightlifting, these are dragon claw marks. Big ones.”

Meatlug hummed low in her throat and leaned over him protectively. The group froze, listening as the distant forest trembled with a low, rumbling roar. Leaves fluttered down from the treetops.

Hiccup swung back onto Toothless immediately. “Okay, that’s definitely our cue. Nobody run, nobody scream, and please—please—don’t poke anything.”

Tuffnut raised a hand. “Define ‘poke’.”

“Don’t even think about poking anything,” Hiccup clarified.

With dragons tense and eyes sharp, the Riders moved deeper beneath the canopy, swallowed by curling mist and the hum of unseen creatures. Every rustle, every shadow hinted at danger—or discovery—waiting just ahead.