Live and Let Fly
"WHOO-HOO!" Hiccup called as she and Toothless finished their trick with a final loop and stopped, hovering in front of Astrid and Stormfly.
"Nice! But how 'bout something like this?!" she replied and Stormfly raced forward, then into a ninety degree angle up into the clouds. They stayed out of sight up there for only a moment before coming down fast like Toothless during a dive bomb. Astrid then yanked back on Stormfly's crown just as they were about to hit the ocean attempting to go back into an upwards arch, but instead, as Stormfly suddenly changed their decent, the momentum caused Astrid to tumble back out of the saddle. Lucky for her, Toothless and Hiccup were right there in no time to catch her, and her shout of exhilarated fear and surprise was stopped when Toothless' claws wrapped around her arms.
"I think that one's gonna need some work", Hiccup commented.
It was just the two of them that afternoon doing various stunts purely for the fun of it. Their afternoon basically consisted of either one of them coming up with some insane stunt and then trying to perform it, sometimes the other trying it themselves just to see if they could. After some time, the two then decided to land up on a sea stack to rest and talk some.
"We should really do this more often", Astrid said as her dragon laid behind her, Toothless doing the same behind Hiccup.
"Yeah. I mean, I love the guys, but just being able to spend some girl time is actually…kind of nice", Hiccup responded with a shrug.
"Not to mention, no one's a better… what'd do call it again? Stunt buddy? Than me."
"Well it's true! Aric would just turn it into a competition, Snotlout would just try to show off his superiority, the twins are just down right reckless—and I don't mean that in a good way—and Fishlegs… well you remember this morning."
"How could I forget?" Astrid responded comically. "He called Aric 'mean'. Ha-ha! The look on his face!"
Hiccup joined in on the laughter with Astrid.
That morning, down in some caverns in the forest, they had been trying to train Fishlegs on what to do should he be captured like Hiccup was not too long ago. The boy was far too skittish and intimidated easily. It didn't take more than turning out the light to get him to talk and spill every bit of information he knew. He needed to toughen up. Alvin had had Hiccup locked in a dungeon ready to be executed if she didn't start talking, Toothless chained and muzzled, for days. She had told Fishlegs sternly, "Your name, where you live, and nothing else."
Alvin would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and what he wanted was dragons under his control that he could use against Berk. They needed to be ready should one of them be captured again. Even if he could already train dragons, the information she gave Mildew slipping, they couldn't reveal information about each other like Fishlegs had. No. They needed to be ready for anything.
"So, what do say to a race? Just you, me, and Stormfly?" Astrid then asked.
"I…don't know… Toothless?"
"Oh, come on", Astrid protested, standing up. "I'm sure the big baby can handle one minute without you."
Hiccup still turned to Toothless for his say, and as usual, he encouraged it. "You don't need my permission", he told her while licking his paw. "Go ahead. You could use the speed training anyway."
"Thanks, bud."
They left Toothless to watch the race on the sea stack, the dragon cheering Hiccup on the whole time. She didn't win, but upon returning, Toothless praised her on how fast she was getting. For someone thirteen years late in flight training, she was doing well.
000
It was turning out to be the perfect day for Hiccup, her afternoon with Astrid absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately, after returning from said afternoon, Hiccup's good day quickly turned into a sour one rather quickly. After her father hailed her down at the docks on the eastern side of the island to tell her something, her father overseeing work on Berk's defenses there, her mood quickly went from relaxed to shocked and upset.
"Grounded?! All the dragons?! Are you serious?!" Hiccup exclaimed, her wings already twitching with the notion.
"Deadly serious", he responded sternly. "And that includes you. From this point forward, there is a ban on flying. Period."
"What? What about patrolling? Training?!" Hiccup insisted.
"What part of 'ban on flying' did you not understand, Hiccup?"
"But that's— That's ridiculous!"
"I want that wall higher!" her father ordered out.
"Aye, sir!"
That dealt with, he turned back to Hiccup. "Are you calling your father ridiculous?"
"Of course not! I would never call my father ridiculous… I'm calling my Chief ridiculous."
Behind her one man overhearing the conversation dropped his wooden poll from the shock of what she'd said, startling Toothless in the process, but Hiccup held no regret as she stared up at her father.
"Careful, dear", her dad just warned before turning and walking away up the ramp to continue cheifing. "Put your backs into it, boys!"
"Dad", Hiccup tried again following him with Toothless in tow. "Alvin has his own dragons. Changewings, Scauldrens, Whispering Deaths! I-I saw them with my own eyes."
"Yes", her dad drawled. "When you were kidnapped and locked up in an Outcast prison!"
Okay he got her there, but she wasn't finished. There had to be a way to make him see reason.
"He's also read the Book of Dragons", she decided to point out further. "He's seen Astrid train a Monstrous Nightmare, and he still has Mildew!" she said rounding her father sick of talking to his back. "Who, by the way, I really doubt will hold out under questioning."
"Hiccup—"
"If Alvin learns how to train his dragons, and he attacks with them, our only chance is to fight back with ours!"
"I understand that", he said grabbing onto her shoulders, a sign to steady herself, be quiet, and hear him out. "But I'm not gonna risk your life, or the lives of any of your dragon riders. This is my final word", he finished as he let go and walked off. Hiccup didn't follow.
"You alright?" Toothless asked seeing Hiccup down.
"Yeah. I just wish he wasn't so stubborn", she somewhat grumbled before walking off to the academy.
000
"And you agreed?! Just like that?!" Aric shouted furious.
"What other choice did I have? He's the chief. Who, also happens to be my incredibly over protective father", Hiccup responded.
"Ugh. Well, we have to get him to change his mind!"
"Stoick the Vast?" Fishlegs questioned. "Um, good luck with that."
"So what am I supposed to do with Hookfang if he can't fly?!" Snotlout complained.
"Who said I answer to your alpha?" Hookfang irritably hissed at his unperceptive boy.
"Yeah", followed Barf.
"This dumb ban is for you humans. He can't ground us!" Barch added.
"Do you know what happens when his inner warrior is caged up?" Snotlout continued oblivious to all the dragons' protests.
Hookfang flung his tail at Snotlout's back causing the boy to be thrown forward skidding to a stop with Aric's boot to his face.
"I fly when I want", Hookfang growled.
"That is what happens."
"Wow. We should have caged his inner warrior a long time ago", Astrid commented.
"Yeah, that was awesome", Tuffnut stated.
"Yeah", Ruffnut laughed.
"Look, believe me, I know this is gonna be hard", Hiccup placated, her wings twitching again. "But I'll keep working on my dad, and hopefully he'll change his mind."
"And what if he doesn't?" Aric asked, and Hiccup had no answer to give. She could only hope he did.
000
Hiccup had decided to walk home with Astrid that evening seeing as how they spent the rest of that day together, but as they walked on she was starting to think that maybe it would have been best to just walk home with Toothless.
"Wow. I forgot what a long walk it is from the academy", Astrid complained. "It sure would be nice to be flying home", she said suggestively.
"Why thank you, Astrid, for that observation, because I clearly don't have enough on my mind right now", Hiccup drawled sarcastically masking her growing frustration. She knew exactly what Astrid was doing, and it wasn't helping one bit.
She then heard the dragon equivalent of a gasp, and Toothless bounded around towards her excitedly and begging. "Oh, Hiccup, look at that sunset. Please?! Please?!" he begged her even trying his big puppy dog eyes.
"Toothless, you know the answer is no."
"What's wrong?" Astrid asked.
"Oh, nothing. It's just sunset. We always take a lap around the island when it gets dark. He loves it", Hiccup finished with a sigh watching as Toothless went to go sit in front of the sunset staring out at it. He wasn't the only one who loved it.
"Poor Toothless", Astrid interrupted her thoughts. "No family, no night flying… What's left for him really?"
Hiccup only responded by staring back at her again knowing what she was doing.
"Okay… so why don't I just leave the two of you alone", Astrid then said slowly thinking her words struck a chord.
"That's probably a good idea", Hiccup responded with a monotone voice. Once Astrid left, Hiccup's attention was brought back to Toothless and the sunset. Staring out to where Toothless sat, and at the sunset that would soon make way for a wonderful night sky—
Hiccup quickly looked away and towards the ground. She needed to stop thinking about that. She needed a distraction. Walking on, her feet took her to the forge where she could get her mind off things.
000
As Toothless sat in front of the sunset waiting for Hiccup to come to her senses, the sun only dipped further and further behind the horizon until it was no longer there and replaced with the moon. With night's arrival, he was sure Hiccup wouldn't be able to resist now. The one thing he knew of his kind more than anything was that the night sky was a Night Fury's domain; they were naturally nocturnal after all. It called out to them and urged them to answer, and although uncertain, he was pretty sure Hiccup could feel the urge too. So Toothless waited. And waited, and waited. Nothing.
Toothless was miffed. He knew what Hiccup's dad said, but since when did she listen to him? Never, if Toothless recalled. But now? Now that their very being was being challenged she gave in? He didn't understand it. Hiccup loved flying. Why would she give away something she loved? He decided to find the girl and return her back to her senses. No one could just take flying away from a dragon. It was a part of them. And even if he found Hiccup to be more human than dragon, it was still a part of her.
He found the girl at that 'forge' where she always made modifications for his tail. At first he thought that maybe that's what she was doing, but then he noticed that she was instead in front of a round flat object stabbing into it.
'That's it', he thought, and marched right up to the girl slapping her in the face with his tail.
"What?" Hiccup whined in response.Looks like that got her attention.
"Night? Flying? Remember?"
"I already said no. We can't", she just replied and returned to the flat circle on the table.
Toothless huffed under his breath, and then moved to behind Hiccup nudging her back, causing her to bend forward against the table.
"Ogh… Toothless, you have to relax", she said once again focusing her attention on him before pointing her finger out like a parent punishing a child. He moved back just outside the forge, out of Hiccup's way; not because she told him to, but because annoying her further would only make her more stubborn.
"Come on! What he won't know won't hurt him", Toothless insisted, but Hiccup wasn't budging. Instead, she motioned her hands down telling him to lay down and relax. He'd lay down, but he wouldn't relax.
000
Toothless finally laid down grumbling, "They can't do this to us", before finally going silent and letting her work.
Hiccup sighed knowing this was hard for him, but she just didn't want to disobey her father on this one. It was very tempting, but Hiccup just pushed it out of her mind and resumed her work keeping all thoughts of flying at bay for now.
"Nice to have you in the shop, Hiccup", Gobber then showed up. "Usually you and Toothless are enjoying a beautiful evening flight around the island at this hour. Of course you can't do that what with the ban on flying and all."
Hiccup's frustrations were returning from her time with Astrid. It just seemed everyone was trying to be of no help today. She turned to him with a look that told him to stop, her wings involuntarily twitching again.
"Eh… shame about that", he said seeming to have gotten the hint. "So, what are we making?" he changed the subject, thank gods.
"What do you think?" Hiccup asked picking up her shield and showing him her wooden masterpiece with Toothless' silhouette painted on the front.
Gobber stared at it dumbfounded. "All this work for a shield?"
"Well, it's not just a shield", she said prepared for him to ask that. She activated the grappling hook that extended from the middle, the rope wrapping around Gobber, but instead of bringing him to her, her light weight was pulled to him.
'That… wasn't supposed to happen', Hiccup thought as she was stuck pressed up against Gobber.
"Handy", Gobber commented, and Hiccup finally found the trigger to release the rope retracting the grappling hook.
"If we can't ride dragons, we have to defend ourselves somehow", she shrugged before returning the shield back to the table.
"You know, Hiccup, your father is just doing what's best for you. He's trying to keep ya safe", he said in comfort, but it only made Hiccup feel worse.
"I know", she only said. "But the problem is the safest place for me…is up there…" she told him looking up at the sky longingly... before quickly returning her attention back her shield.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Imagine you'll be here quite a while. Too bad really. Have you seen that moon? Can't imagine a more beautiful night for a flight."
Hiccup dropped her work with a clang turning with a harsh glare at him, and he immediately got the hint again.
"I did it again, didn't I?"
Finally, he left. Now she could get back to work in peace; her shield wasn't nearly done yet. But, just as she was turning back to the table, she came face to face with Toothless, the dragon's mouth opening as he wordlessly groaned at her.
"Ugh!" she complained waving a hand in between them, the smell of his breath revolting. "I know what you're thinking, and you might as well forget it."
Toothless didn't respond. Instead, he simply looked up at the moon, Hiccup's gaze following. It really was a beautiful night; the sky was so clear. Wind began to pick up blowing into Hiccup's face and through her hair, and for a moment she forgot herself. Her eyes closed and wings ever so slightly unfurled.
000
Aric was out in Shadowstar's stable feeding her some fish, Astrid doing the same for Stormfly, when Shadowstar then roared out as if warning of something. "What is it girl?" he asked.
"What's wrong, Stormfly?" he heard Astrid, her dragon likely having a similar reaction.
Aric looked around trying to spot anything out of the ordinary, when he heard a dragon's roar. "A dragon!" he spotted in the sky.
"And someone's riding it", Astrid noticed.
"Wait a minute… that's a Night Fury", Aric said with his eyes narrowing. So they had to follow the rule while she didn't? That was hardly fair.
"Well, that backfired", Astrid commented, and he turned to her with a bewildered face. She was about to explain when he raised his hand.
"I don't want to know." He then sighed. "I'll deal with this. Come on Shadowstar, we've got some Night Furies to catch."
They were up in the air silently, flying quickly to catch up to Hiccup. Eventually they did just on the outskirts where sea stacks laid, Hiccup and Toothless cutting them off as they dived down heading fast away from them. Aric followed and chased them down.
"Alright, Hiccup. What are you up to?"
The two were quick, but it didn't seem like they noticed he was following them yet, Hiccup's wings rested in a relaxed glide instead of flapping, but he couldn't reach them.
"Come on, come on…" he was so close, yet so far.
000
Hiccup and Toothless flew fast around the island, Hiccup's wings spread out feeling the air underneath them. Finally, the stress from earlier dissipated, and she felt like herself again. Toothless was right. They couldn't just stop flying. It was in their blood. It was against nature. That's when she heard the sound of a dragon behind them, and turned to see Aric on their tail. Her good mood deflated.
"Come on, Toothless, let's lose them", she told him, and they flew on faster, Hiccup's wings now working with his.
They then flew up, circled around the statues that rested on their border, and finally there was no Midnight Nadder or high-strung boy behind them. Toothless landed up on a rock over the sea, and they rested for a moment, Hiccup sighing.
"Nice flying, bud. I think we lost them."
"Think again, Hiccup", Aric's voice sounded, and Hiccup knew she was in trouble.
000
Hiccup turned to him with a sheepish smile, and Aric just stared her down.
"Aric…! We were just talking about you."
"So, I guess this is the part where I ask did your father change his mind, and you tell me he didn't, and you're going behind his back. Again."
"Actually, no… This is the part where I tell you my dad is wrong."
"So…he knows", Aric said skeptical.
"I didn't say that…" she admitted looking away.
"Hiccup, what was your plan exactly? You and Toothless fly around at night alone, and say nothing? What would that accomplish?"
"I— I didn't want anyone else to get in trouble. It was just a quick patrol", she mumbled the last bit more to herself really, staring down in front of her, and her brows furrowing with what seemed to be frustration.
Aric wanted to respond, but he held his tongue when he really looked at Hiccup. She looked frustrated and angry; she was just staring down at the ground as if it had betrayed her.
"Hiccup?"
She growled lowly before speaking again. "You don't get it! None of you do!" she suddenly yelled out of nowhere, and Aric was taken back. "Ugh!" she grunted frustratingly before hopping off Toothless and walking off a little sitting away from him with her knees up hugging them close.
"Hiccup", Aric said softly getting off Shadowstar to go to Hiccup. This wasn't like her at all. What was going on?
"Would you just go away?! I'm sick of everyone trying to get in my head!"
"No", Aric stated, and he stepped forward until he reached her, the girl stubbornly turning her head away from him. He sat down in front of her anyway. "Something is bothering you, and it's not Alvin."
She didn't respond, her wings twitching. She was doing that a lot at the academy.
"It's about the ban, right? I know you want to get back into the air, but going behind everyone's back like this isn't the way to do it."
Hiccup didn't respond, her form and expression tightening. Aric knew something was defiantly wrong. He'd never seen her like this. It was worrying.
"You don't get it", she forced out firmly.
"So then make me", he responded just as firm.
Finally, she turned to him. There was anger and sadness, but it seemed like she was just frustrated more than anything. She sighed.
"When I was little, my dad told me that if I flew, it would only make the dragon inside me stronger", she said. "I had never even thought about trying since."
"Alright? But you know how to fly now, you know there's no monster inside you? What does that have to do with now? I thought you were passed all this?"
"I am!" she burst out beginning to pace. "But… This ban is just like then! My dad trying to do what he thinks is best for me. But back then, staring out at night, it was just another stupid instinct. Just another desire. It didn't mean anything, because I didn't know what flight meant. Now… now that I know what I'd been missing… I know what Toothless must have gone through in that cove. The longing to do what you know you're supposed to, but can't? It's torturous! And then with everyone egging me on…"
"No one knew what kind of strain we were all putting you through", he finished for her beginning to understand what was eating her away.
"But it's not just that", Hiccup continued seeming unable to stop her onslaught of confession. "I don't know why it took me so long to give in. Why it was so hard for me to convince myself that disobeying my dad on this would be okay? I mean, I befriended a Night Fury during a Dragon-Viking war, I went against orders to lock up the dragons, I went behind everyone's backs and went to the Isle of Night alone… I even surrendered myself to Alvin so he would take me to Dragon Island. Why after all that, after all I did behind his back, was doing something so ingrained in me so difficult?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Look, I know it's hard, but you need to stop dwelling on what isn't there anymore. No one is trying to tell you to be someone you're not. Please? I don't like seeing you like this."
"I know…" Hiccup breathed. "But what now? What am I supposed to do?"
"I think we both know what we need to do, Hiccup. But if we're gonna be flying behind your father's back, we're all gonna be flying behind your father's back", Aric answered intently, his hands holding her arms. "And Hiccup, next time something's bothering you, tell me. We may just be friends, but don't forget I still care about you…" he reminded her before pulling her into an embrace. "…a lot", he added.
"I know. And I will. I promise", Hiccup said her arms embracing him tighter as a smile appeared upon her face. "…Aric—"
"You don't have to say it."
Hiccup chuckled softly. "I was just gonna say, you're the best."
"Oh, well feel free to say that."
Hiccup laughed a little again, the stress of the day just washing away, before sighing contently leaning her head against his shoulder. They stayed within that embrace for a little while just simply enjoying the other's company in a comfortable silence.
000
"A Dragon Flight Club?!" Astrid exclaimed excitedly outside Stormfly's pen. "I like that... I'm in!"
"You don't even know what it is yet", Aric pointed out.
"Fine—
000
"What is it?" Snotlout asked outside his house.
"It's a secret dragon flying society", Hiccup responded. "We train at night, under the cover of darkness—"
000
"—Sharpening our skills against possible dragon attacks by Alvin", Aric said. "But remember. It's secret—"
000
"—As far as you're concerned, it doesn't exist. There is no Dragon Flight Club", Hiccup concluded.
"What do you think?" Snotlout asked Hookfang.
The dragon just answered by shooting fire at his feet firing the boy into a cart a few feet away as if that was a response.
"He's in", Snotlout painfully responded.
"Was that really necessary?" Hiccup reprimanded.
"Only way he listens", Hookfang explained.
000
"So listen. This is very, very important", Hiccup told the twins who hung upside down from a beam in their house over her and Aric. "The first rule of Dragon Flight Club is that there is no Dragon Flight Club."
"Okay, so, wait a minute", Tuffnut said before flipping over and landing down in front of them. "Is there a Dragon Flight Club?"
"Yes", Aric replied, before Ruffnut came to join her brother. "There is a Dragon Flight Club."
"But she just said, 'there is no Dragon Flight Club'", Ruffnut said.
"No", Hiccup corrected. "The first rule of Dragon Flight Club is that there is no Dragon Flight Club. Get it?"
"Absolutely… Not", Tuffnut answered.
"Yeah. I think I need to lie down", Ruffnut said holding her head as if a headache was coming on.
"Me too. Why don't you come back when you've made up your mind, and you stop saying 'is' so much?"
000
"Um, I'm not sure this is a good idea", Fishlegs declined when they went to his house next, all meeting in his bedroom. As Aric stood, Hiccup sat on the windowsill with her tail draped outside, and Fishlegs stood with Meatlug as she slept. "Besides, I hate having to wake her", he continued. "She's so beautiful when she sleeps."
Aric and Hiccup both glanced at each other, before Hiccup hopped down from her perch. "Fishlegs, this is a defining moment in the history of the Berk Dragon Training Academy. Hundreds from years from now", she continued turning around and looking out the window, "When they're building statues of us in the middle of town, they're gonna harken back to the courage it took for all of us to stand up for what we know is right regardless of the consequences", she finished looking back at Fishlegs.
"So… I get a statue?!"
Hiccup's smile faded into a frown with an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Fishlegs. You get a statue."
'Even though that wasn't the point.'
Nevertheless, they got everyone on board. Now all they had to do was wait for sunset which couldn't have come any slower. Finally, though, it was time.
"Okay, Dragon Flight Club members, you know why you're here", Hiccup started when everyone had arrived at the academy.
"Heh, speak for yourself", Tuffnut commented.
"We need to be ready for riders on any type of dragon. From a Typhoomerang, to a Scauldren, to a Changewing… Even a Whispering Death. So, I've put together some training exercises—"
"Yeah, yeah, blah-blah-blah. Can we go already?" Snotlout interrupted.
"I hate you", Hookfang stated behind him.
"Let's mount up!" Hiccup merely continued. "First stop…"
000
"Changewing Island", Hiccup said as they approached. It was an island filled with Changewings, wild and highly hostile. They'd only discovered the place thanks to Fishlegs who had found one of their glowing eggs on the beach mistaken for a stone of good fortune.
"Oh yeah…" Tuffnut drawled. "Stones of good fortune: a life time of good luck. I can't wait to get my hands on one of those."
"Tuffnut, we've been over this", Aric told him. "Those are not stones of good fortune! Those are dragon eggs!"
"Leave them alone…" Fishlegs requested, or more accurately, begged. "Please?! I really don't want to revisit the Changewing debacle!" While Fishlegs had been brave to face off the dragons to return their last egg stolen by Snotlout, it had also left him a little scarred.
Arriving over the island, the riders landed in a tree overlooking three boars that were being hunted by the dragons they were to study.
"Changwings hunt like wolves", Hiccup said quietly as the three Changewings worked. "One Changewing leads a single boar from the herd…"
"Then the other Changewings surround it", Fishlegs finished as the dragons did so.
"Hey, don't we know that boar?" Tuffnut then suddenly noticed.
"Yeah we do", Ruffnut confirmed for him. "That's Bjorn Boar."
"Are they serious?" Astrid asked.
"You leave Bjoren alone!" Tuffnut shouted.
"Clearly they are", Hiccup stated.
Unfortunately, Tuffnut's protests for the Changewings to leave their boar alone gathered the attention of the Changewings, and they quickly found them up in the tree with angry stares.
"You're on your own, Bjoren!" Tuffnut shouted just before acid was spewed at them and the riders all fled.
The Changewings charged after them, as they flew on through the forest, shooting acid at every chance they got. The dragons only missed though, the riders' dragons making sure to keep distance.
"Keep your distance!" Hiccup instructed. "Their acid is only effective at close range!"
"Not very comforting when you're on the slowest dragon!" Fishlegs called back.
"Hey", Meatlug moaned.
"Sorry girl, it had to be said."
The Changewings soon started to come from the front, revealing themselves just before shooting their acid. Soon the riders were dodging from all directions. It was as if they were everywhere despite there only being three.
"There's too many of them!" Snotlout shouted. "And they come out of nowhere!"
Dodging two Changwings' blasts from the front, Hiccup looked to the clear sky above the many trees. "Wait a minute", she said to herself a solution forming. "If they don't have anything to camouflage against—!"
"It'll take away their advantage!" Fishlegs finished.
"Up! Up!" Aric yelled, and Shadowstar climbed up above the trees turning to fire at the now exposed dragons, followed by Toothless soon after. The three Changewings retreated back into the forest knowing when they were outmatched and the riders flew on home with Fishlegs freaking out over a relapse of the Changewing debacle.
Hiccup merely let Toothless lead as she closed her eyes and simply took in the cold wind blowing through her hair.
000
Hiccup had just left the shield lying on the table, likely unfinished, and Gobber couldn't resist in trying to figure the contraption out. It looked just like any other ordinary shield.
"Hmm… Now where did she hide it?" he wondered. He couldn't find any sort of button, lever, or switch that would activate any sort of hidden grappling hook, or anything else she might have stored within it. "Where is the trigger for that—"
"Gobber!"
At that moment, startled by Stoick's voice from his mumblings, Gobber had accidentally hit the trigger for the grappling hook, the cap in the middle snapping open with a rope and hook shooting out. It wrapped itself around Stoick and dragged the chief straight into Gobber, Stoick's face right in his as he slightly bent over the anvil in between them.
"...Eh-heh…" Gobber broke the silence. This was so much more awkward than Hiccup's flop of a demonstration the night before. "So I'll…just unwind that…and eh…hopefully no one is looking?" The rope loosened and unwound freeing Stoick. "So, what can I do ya for?" Gobber then asked, the little mishap forgotten.
"I came for my saddle", Stoick replied. "Did you make the adjustments I asked for?"
"It's done and back on Thornado. It should do wonders for your maneuverability."
"Good."
"Of course…that shouldn't matter right now, what with the ban on flying and all?"
"And what ban would that be Gobber?"
"Stoick, the ban. On flying dragons? The one where no one is allowed to—" He saw Stoick's stoic face at his ramblings, and realized exactly what was going on. "Ah… I see… The ban where no one is allowed to fly… except the chief", he whispered the last part.
"Someone's got to patrol the island. Might as well be me", Stoick reasoned.
"Uh-huh."
"And not a word to anyone, especially Hiccup. I mean it. I'm surprised she's made it this far without taking air—Toothless or not."
"Stoick…I'm nothing if not careful—Ack!" He triggered the shield again, the feature smacking him in the face. "Catapult. Should have seen that one coming."
Stoick gave him one unsure glance, before walking away. Honestly, Stoick worried too much.
000
That night the gang was out again inspecting a Typhoomerang scorch mark left in a clearing of the forest.
"Much like the rings inside a tree, the scorch mark can tell you the age and thus the size of the Typhoomerang in question", Fishlegs relayed.
"It's still warm", Hiccup noted.
"Which means it wasn't here too long ago", Astrid concluded.
"And, if you look at the mark, you can tell which way it came from and where it was headed", Fishlegs added on. "Mmhm."
"I know which way it's headed without all that stupid stuff", Snotlout stated standing up.
"Oh really? Where's it going?" Aric rhetorically asked.
"It's not. It's coming. At us. Right Now!" Snotlout pointed, and just a few feet away was a Typhoomerang roaring wordlessly with hostility and firing at them.
"Anything else we needed to learn?" Hiccup quickly asked.
"No", Tuffnut answered.
"We're good", Ruffnut followed, and they all ran for their dragons leaving the area.
As they were flying away, however, Tuffnut called. "Hey, Hiccup!"
"Yes, Tuffnut?!"
"When did your dad join Dragon Flight Club?"
"He didn't", Hiccup shook her head confused as to where that came from.
"Oh. Weird. Cause he's right there", he pointed down, and upon turning her head to where he directed she saw her dad just below them riding Thornado.
"What the— Aw…really? Quick! Evasive cloud maneuvers!"
With that everyone raced up into the clouds allowing their dragons' superior sight to guide them.
"We have to stay up here in the clouds until we're right over town", Hiccup continued to instruct.
"What are you two doing?" Astrid questioned seeing Barf and Belch's heads disappear below the clouds.
"We can't see in the clouds", Tuffnut answered.
"Yeah, it's too cloudy", Ruffnut explained.
"Uh…guys? If your heads are out of the clouds, my dad can see you", Hiccup told them, and then she heard what she wished she hadn't.
"Troublesome younglings! Get down here!" That was Thornado's roar. No doubt about that.
"Eh… Alright guys, split up, head home, and please keep the dragons out of sight", Hiccup instructed before Toothless zoomed off as did everyone else all in different directions.
"You can't all get away!" she heard her dad shout and she really hoped he wasn't right about that.
000
The twins made it home quickly, jumped off their dragon onto the roof, and jumped off into the window. Quick and simple.
Snotlout made it home next, Hookfang just simply throwing him inside. "Way to go, Hookfang!" he nevertheless called out.
Astrid and Aric quickly dismounted near their dragons' stables running inside their house, before Aric peaked out the door and gave Stormfly and Shadowstar both the signal to go to bed, the dragons following the order immediately.
Hiccup and Toothless dived bombed down from the night sky, parachuted his wings to slow their decent, and then shot in through Hiccup's main bedroom window. "This never happened", she quietly warbled before jumping into bed as Toothless plopped onto his.
Fishlegs made it home last, Meatlug slowly and quietly descending in front of the door. "Okay, come on", he whispered.
"We made it", Meatlug quietly trilled as Fishlegs climbed off.
"Yeah we did", Fishlegs replied turning back and petting her. Meatlug was glad Hiccup was teaching Fishlegs to understand her. It only made their bond stronger. "I knew we were smarter than—"
"Smarter than who, Fishlegs?" Stoick then interrupted, a big shadow covering their forms, and Fishlegs startled soon cowering into himself from the man's gaze.
"Chief… What are you doing up?"
"You're coming with me, son", Stoick only responded, and Fishlegs swore he peed a little.
000
Stoick, along with Gobber, had taken Fishlegs to the Great Hall to question the boy, but Stoick was just becoming frustrated. The boy just kept saying the same thing over and over scared out of his mind, and they were getting nowhere fast.
"I'm gonna ask you one more time, Fishlegs. What were you doing out there flying, and who was with ya?"
"… My name is Fishlegs. I live on the island of Berk. I don't know anything about dragons or those who ride them."
"Why does he keep saying that?" Gobber asked. "It's kinda giving me the willies."
"My name is Fishlegs… I live on the island of Berk…"
"Fishlegs, this is not an interrogation", Stoick tried with a quieter tone.
The boy just stared up at him scared all curled in on himself, until the fire light was blown out and he started hyperventilating.
"Actually, it does kind of feel like an interrogation, Stoick."
"Not helping, Gobber."
"My name is Fishlegs! I live on the island of Berk! I don't know anything about dragons or those who ride them!"
Stoick sighed. "Alright, that's enough. You're free to go, Fishlegs."
The boy ran out faster than Toothless at top speed.
"Seriously, maybe we should consult Gothi to see if he's possessed", Gobber stated as they began to walk out.
"Gobber."
000
"…He put the screws to me. I-I thought I was gonna crack. Especially when the lights went out", Fishlegs relayed to everyone the next night. "But, but I held firm. Because I know, the first rule of Dragon Flight Club is there is no Dragon Flight Club."
"Oh great, not that again", Tuffnut complained, his sister agreeing.
"You did great, Fishlegs", Hiccup told him proud he was able to hold out. Her father wasn't Alvin, but if he could hold himself together with her dad, then it as defiantly a step up.
"So what are we doing tonight?" Ruffnut asked.
"Nothing", Hiccup said firmly.
"That doesn't sound fun at all", Tuffnut stated.
"Look, my dad is on to us. It's important that we lay low until this blows over. We need to be invisible."
"HEY! HEY! YOU GUYS!" Snotlout shouted, Hookfang flying in as he was lit like a torch making quite the show of himself as if secrecy meant nothing.
"Snotlout, what did I tell you? No dragons", Hiccup reprimanded. She hadn't even brought Toothless with her.
"Yeah. Even I knew that", Tuffnut said.
"What's so important anyway?" Hiccup sighed.
"Let's just say I may have saved this entire island. Alvin and the Outcasts are attacking as we speak", Snotlout stated casually.
"Alvin."
"So what do we do now?" Aric asked.
Hiccup knew what she had to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. "We tell my dad."
000
As Hiccup entered the house, she found her dad asleep in his chair. That wasn't out of the ordinary; he often fell asleep in it after a long day.
"Dad, wake up", she tried. "Dad…" she moved to shake him, but as soon as her hand touched him his eyes snapped open and he lifted her up by the collar of her dress with his ax lifted to chop her. "Dad it's me! Please—don't—chop me."
At her exclamation her dad looked at her closer, the effects of just being woken up ebbing away.
"Hiccup!" He put her back down on the ground. "What did I tell ya about sneaking up on me while I'm asleep?!"
"Okay! It's not fun for me either! But this is an emergency", she said as he turned around to put his ax back. "The Outcasts are sailing towards Berk!"
Her father stopped, and turned around with his knowing angry look. "And, how would you know that?"
"Do I really need to answer that?" Hiccup responded anxiously rubbing the back of her neck.
"I told you, 'no flying', Hiccup."
"Yeah, and by the way, I've been thinking about that. If a ban on flying pertains to all dragons, doesn't that also include oh, I don't know, maybe, a Thunderdrum?"
With his helmet now in his hands, her father looked down to her caught red handed. He had nothing to say for a while, before he just decided to brush the whole issue aside. "We'll talk about this later", he said placing the helmet on his head. "Wake the others. We'll need the full academy."
When he opened the door, though, he found Fishlegs on Meatlug and the whole rest of the riders behind them. "Hey Chief", Fishlegs meekly greeted.
000
Stoick wasn't happy Hiccup disobeyed him, but he should have known better. Not even he could stop flying Thornado. They could deal with that later, though. Right now they had to intercept Alvin before he reached Berk. Stoick led the charge to the Outcasts' ships, soon seeing the lot of them clustered up as they flew closer.
"I'm going to draw their first round of fire!" Stoick told the teens. "When they're reloading, you attack! But not before!" he added sternly looking at Hiccup specifically.
She simply nodded in response.
000
The Outcasts were loading their catapults, when they heard the roar of a dragon and Alvin spotted Stoick coming at them.
"On my command!" Alvin bellowed. "And… Now!"
The Outcasts fired the catapults, the boulders heading straight for Stoick and Thornado.
"Thornado, down!" Stoick ordered, and the Thunderdrum dodged followed by using his sonic roar which only rocked the boats.
"Fire!" Alvin commanded, and arrows were now shot, turned right around when Thornado used his roar again, causing the shooters to jump overboard when trying to dodge their own arrows.
Catapults were fired again, only for Stoick and Thornado to dodge, skim the water between two boats, swoop back up, and turn around for Stoick to catch another boulder catapulted at them. Stoick threw the boulder back, and then shouted for the riders.
"Now, Hiccup!" he yelled, and the teens came blasting in.
"Here they come", an Outcast soldier said to Alvin. "Just like you said."
"Open the cargo hold!" Alvin ordered, and his men did so freeing a herd of Changewings flying straight for Berk.
"We can't let them get to Berk!" Aric called out.
"If they get into town, they'll tear Berk apart and we won't be able to see them!" Fishlegs followed.
The riders chased after the Changewings, quickly intercepting them. Hookfang fired a blast of fire at them causing the dragons to turn right around. Shadowstar and Toothless worked together shooting both plasma and spines getting more Changewings to do them same. Hiccup then turned to Aric not wanting to leave her dad on his own with the Outcasts.
"Aric, you and the others herd them towards to Changewing Island, and make sure they don't head back this way! I'm going to go help my dad!"
"Got it!" Aric replied and got a move on with that order.
"Alvin! The wild dragons are retreating!" an Outcast solider reported seeing the teens herd the Changewings back. The statement only resulted in him being punched in the face when he turned to face his chief.
"I can see that!" Alvin barked.
Hiccup and Toothless rushed passed the boats causing them to rock and distract the Outcasts for she and her father to attack. Toothless and Thornado fired again at the same time, but it only ended up in creating tiny sparks above their targets.
"Dad! Our shots combined!" Hiccup explained.
"Hit 'em again!" Stoick responded.
The same thing happened again.
"Oh, turn about", Alvin decided. "Set a course for Outcast Island!" Their work here was done anyway.
000
"They're retreating!" Hiccup exclaimed as the Outcast ships began turning away from Berk.
"Well done, Hiccup", Stoick praised his daughter.
"Thanks, dad", she responded gratefully.
They turned around and headed back home, but as they flew on back, Stoick noticed Hiccup didn't look too happy anymore. She had that look on her that said she was thinking really hard about something.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know. I-just figured Alvin would have a little better plan than this."
"Let's just be thankful he didn't."
000
The distraction working perfectly; not one Berkian knew of the Outcasts right under their feet at the very moment. Crates were carried into a cavern at a very secluded beach almost no one knew about save for him. Mildew had found it when he was just a boy with his friends, and had kept it a secret for all this time. Now, this beach's cavern would be used for much more than just hide and seek with friends now long gone.
"Ha-ha! Alvin's diversion worked perfectly", Savage commented next to Mildew as they stood within the cavern watching as crates were placed down one by one. "Hey, are you sure we're putting these in the right place?"
"I'm sure", Mildew responded. "These caves lead directly underneath Berk. They'll never know there are Whispering Deaths right beneath their feet."
One man then tripped nearly dropping a crate.
"Careful with that!" Savage hushly exclaimed angrily.
The Outcast put the crate down carefully, and another pried it open. Savage and Mildew then went over to check if any broke, but saw all the eggs were in perfect condition. Very soon, the eggs would hatch, the dragons would grow, and they would destroy Berk from underground.
000
The following morning, Hiccup went downstairs for breakfast with Toothless trailing behind her. What she didn't expect when she got down there was her father at the table, and a bowl set at her place. Usually her dad was already out, but it seemed today was one of those off days. Her dad sat there silently reading whatever documents he had in front of him. Hiccup quietly walked up to the table, and when he didn't notice her, she somewhat relaxed taking her seat. Her nerves came back when she lifted her spoon to eat and her father finally spoke.
"I don't like that you disobeyed me, Hiccup", he said. "But, I can admit when I was wrong. I shouldn't have grounded you and the dragons. I was just…being a father."
Hiccup relaxed and even smiled. "I understand, dad."
"Understand…" Toothless grumbly mocked setting his head on the table. "The man tried to clip our wings. Understand…"
Hiccup merely shook her head at the dragon. It might take Toothless awhile before he forgave him for trying to take their flight away.
"Now, tell me about this Dragon Flight Club of yours", her dad then requested. "And don't leave out a thing."
"Well", Hiccup started happy to share. "The first thing you have to remember…is that there is no Dragon Flight Club…"
That morning was probably one of the best she'd shared with her father.