Heading back to Berk after a long stay at Dragons edge was usually a treat. You got food that wasn't dried or salted, something to drink other than water, a well furnished home and a warm bed. But recently Hiccup was beginning to find that heading back to Berk caused him a lot of stress and annoyance all due to one sixteen year old dragon rider. But this time Hiccup had a plan that would allow him to have several days of rest and relaxation on Berk.
Hiccup suddenly realized that Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff had veered off course and began flying away from him. Hiccup sighed. Only one thing could make all his friends fly away so quickly. Hiccup didn't even need to look ahead to know what was coming.
"Hey Hiccup." Gustav greeted cheerily.
"Gustav." Hiccup greeted formally. Each time they had come back to Berk Gustav had come farther and farther out to greet them which meant less and less time they had for relaxation.
"So did you guys find any new types of dragon since last time?" Gustav asked.
"Nope not yet." Hiccup replied.
"Thats probably because you don't have me helping you but say no more Hiccup I am ready to become a full fledged dragon rider." Gustav boasted, taking up a heroic pose on Fanghook.
"You know what Gustav, your right." Hiccup stated. After carefully thinking his plan through Hiccup was finally ready to see if it would work on Gustav.
"I am? I mean of course I am!" Gustav asked confused but he then quickly shifted back to confidence.
"There are too many new islands and not enough of us to explore them all. I've already got a mission map drawn up and ready to go for you in my saddle bags." Hiccup stated, hoping that would placate him enough so he could enjoy the rest of the ride back to Berk.
"Really? I mean ... pass it over and I will consider if it is worth my very valuable time." Gustav, once again, inflated.
"Lets wait until we land first." Hiccup stated.
"Can't get around your dragon well enough to get it, huh? Don't worry about it, I got it." Gustav stated, jumping out of his saddle and hanging one handed off of Fanghook's right wing.
"Gustav! What are you doing?!" Hiccup yelled, noticing that Gustav had one hand in his saddle bags while the other was holding onto the wing of his dragon.
"I go' i' " Gustav exclaimed, having put the map in his mouth in order to shimmy back along his dragons wing. Hiccup had to admit, although reckless, Gustav showed immense skill and fearlessness performing that maneuver. Unfortunately, Gustav had neglected to refasten Hiccups saddle bags and another item fell out the next time Toothless made a turn.
"The dragon eye!" Hiccup exclaimed as he saw it fall down towards the vast ocean. Both Gustav and Hiccup dived to retrieve it. However, it had a large head start and neither Toothless nor Fanghook were gaining much ground.
The dragons eye splashed into the ocean and both riders hit the ocean, diving to retrieve it. It was too dark to find it in the ocean so Toothless let loose a plasma blast to illuminate the water. Hiccup spotted the dragon eye and commanded Toothless to swim to it so he could reach it.
Hiccup surfaced and was soon joined by Gustav.
"That was a close one, huh?" Gustav stated, trying to lighten the mood and alleviate his embarrassment. Hiccup just sighed and took off flying towards Berk at a speed Gustav couldn't match.
Hiccup landed near Gobber's forge and rejoined his friends that were all wondering why he was soaked from head to toe.
"Gustav?" Astrid asked.
"Gustav." Hiccup affirmed, trying to shake the water out of his drenched clothing. Hiccup inspected Toothless's prosthetic only to find that the mechanism had been damaged from the dive into the ocean. Yet another thing he would have to suffer, due to Gustav, was repairing his saddle.
Suddenly Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins seemed to scatter as another dragon was inbound. Gustav landed and approached Hiccup.
"Ha ha ... so funny thing Hiccup. The map that you gave me ... kind of ... fell apart in the water ... so if you could draw me up another one ..." Gustav tentatively asked, clearly embarrassed about the dragon eye incident.
"Oh sure I'll just draw you up a new one. Just as soon as I get all the water out of the dragon eye and fix Toothless's tail and dry out the rest of my things" Hiccup said aggressively and sarcastically.
"Sooo ... when will you have the map ready?" Gustav asked innocently.
"Never!" Hiccup snapped "I keep trying and trying to give you something you can do Gustav and every time you mess it up. If you were inexperienced I would teach you but that is not your problem. You are reckless and you keep trying to show off! How can I possibly trust you to survey an island if I can't be sure you won't destroy your map!?".
"Hiccup I'll be more careful. I promise." Gustav pleaded.
"No Gustav. You have made that promise too many times before. Just ... could you please just go home? I've got a lot of things to fix." Hiccup reprimanded. Gustav dejectedly got on Fanghook and flew away from the village.
"Parenting problems?" Gobber queried, apparently having heard the whole commotion.
"Oh ... Gobber. Could you help me fix Toothless's tail?" Hiccup asked, avoiding his quip.
"Sure thing. So was that it, or are ya planning on doing something about Gustav?" Gobber queried, detaching some parts of the tail mechanism.
"Why do we have to do anything about him?" Astrid asked "He's got ...".
"No father and a mother that sold him to Snotlout for a stone of good fortune. What he does have is a role model." Gobber interrupted.
"Gobber, Gustav isn't anything like me and he is not becoming more like me anytime soon." Hiccup defended.
Gobber laughed at Hiccup's comment. "You know ... I feel like I have had this conversation before. Oh wait I have, only it was with your father about you. He didn't want you to be signed up for Dragon Training and all you wanted to do back then was kill a dragon.".
To this Toothless glared at Hiccup and whipped him with his tail. "Well in fairness I didn't become a dragon killer and found my calling elsewhere." Hiccup defended.
"Aye but things wouldn't have turned out as they did had you not been enrolled in dragon training. Gustav may not become a great dragon rider but he is not going to figure that out at home." Gobber counseled.
The next morning the dragon eye was completely dried out and Hiccup decided to do some work with it before heading out for the day. After a few minutes of work Hiccup headed downstairs for some breakfast and then headed out the door.
Hiccup spotted Astrid and called out to her "Hey Astrid. Can you find Gustav and tell him to meet us at the dragon academy?".
"Can you find someone else to do that? I would really like to keep down my breakfast." Astrid replied.
"All you have to do is tell him to come to the Dragon Academy." Hiccup stated.
Astrid sighed but left on Stormfly to go and find him. Hiccup took this time to prepare a few more things before flying to the Dragon academy. Hiccup landed to see Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins already there.
"I think I just invented a new move yesterday. The Gustav dodge. If only Hiccup knew it then he wouldn't be riding a half broken saddle, ha." Snotlout jested.
"It's funny you brought up Gustav, Snotlout, because he is going to be here in the next few moments." Hiccup retorted. Everyone looked at Hiccup in shock, with their mouths hanging wide open.
"Why hast thou forsaken thee ... or I guess it's ... me ... or is it ... we!" Tuff dramatized.
"Dragons everyone! Quick!" Snotlout commanded, but it was too late. Stormfly and Fanghook landed in the arena and Gustav cheerily dismounted.
"Hey guys." Gustav greeted.
"If we don't move he can't see us." Tuff stated to his sister with both of them content on not moving a muscle.
"Your up." Astrid stated to Hiccup, annoyed, Gustav obviously having flirted with her on the way over.
"Alright Gustav. I reconsidered what I said yesterday and I have decided to send you on your own mission." Hiccup stated.
"YES! I mean ... that was a wise choice Hiccup. I will accept." Gustav stated.
"There is a large island, in the opposite direction as dragons edge, that the dragon eye has limited information about. We don't know what is there so we want you to go there and map it and make a note of any type of dragons that inhabit it, known or unknown, and their territories and habits. Any landmarks, any lakes, any plants that look odd to you you will make a note of them here." Hiccup commanded and displayed an empty book and charcoal pencils.
"I've packed a tent and enough food and water for four days in these saddle bags. It will take you half a day to fly there. I want you to map the island as thoroughly as you can so ration your supplies and try to find some more on the island." Hiccup stated.
"Great. When do I leave?" Gustav stated with enthusiasm.
"That is up for you to decide. For the next few days, you are going to have too make your own decisions Gustav." Hiccup stated encouragingly, handing Gustav the map to the island he had redrawn this morning.
"Right ... see ya guys. I'm off to discover a new island! Whoo-hoo!" Gustav announced jubilantly, hastily swapping out his current saddle with the one Hiccup had loaded with gear. Fanghook took off with Gustav, at first, going the wrong direction but then they turned to head towards the island.
"Hiccup do you really think it is wise to be sending Gustav to an island when we don't know what kinds of dragons live there?" Fishlegs asked.
"Relax Fishlegs I wouldn't actually send him to an unknown island. The dragon eye described, in detail, all about the island. The only dragons that live there are Gronkle's and Terrible Terrors. I just left that part out of the map I drew him." Hiccup stated with a grin.