Bonding Time

After agreeing to take care of Winglout, Snotlout went with the other Wingmaidens to begin training. They started by going into a hut and placing their Razorwhips on tables. Snotlout was confident that he could handle anything.

"Okay," said Snotlout, "Let's do this. I'm up for anything."

The other Dragon Riders were watching and were slightly concerned. Snotlout could barely keep Hookfang under control most days. A baby dragon could end up being more difficult. Or, worse, the dragon could start imitating Snotlout.

"You really think he can pull this off?" Astrid asked Hiccup.

"Yeah," Hiccup answered, more trying to assure himself then anything else, "Well, I hope so. For Winglout's sake."

"I doubt it," said Ruffnut, "He can barely control his own dragon. This baby dragon will tear him to bits."

"But watching him fail is gonna be super fun to watch," said Tuffnut.

"Sure is," Ruffnut agreed, and then and her brother each pulled up a chair and sat back to watch.

"You guys may have your doubts, but I believe in him," said Fishlegs; his face quickly turned from one of confidence to one of worry.

"You look pretty nervous for someone who believes in someone," Astrid pointed out.

"Can you blame me?" Fishlegs asked.

"You never know," said Hiccup, "He might surprise us."

Snotlout ignored his friends and stretched his muscles as he as asked, "Alright, what's first?"

"Grooming," Minden said as she handed Snotlout a brush.

"Really?" Snotlout asked, "Grooming?"

"Yes," Atali said as she demonstrated with her own dragon, "Caring for your Razorwhip is the most rewarding part of being a Wingmaiden. Or, in your case, Snotlout, a Wingman. You have to groom your dragon daily to avoid parasites and diseases."

"Give it a try," said Minden.

Snotlout looked around the room and saw a few other Wingmaidens brushing their dragons' scales like it was nothing. It got him thinking that this would be easy.

He looked at Winglout and said, "Alright, Winglout, let's get you cleaned up." He held the dragon and brought the brush towards him to brush him. Unfortunately, before he could get close enough to clean him, Winglout knocked the brush out of his hand. "What was that for?"

"I have no idea," said Minden, "I've never seen this kind of reaction before."

"You can do it, Snotlout," said Astrid, offering moral support.

"You washed Hookfang," Fishlegs reminded him.

"I'm not sure this little guy is the same as Hookfang," said Snotlout, "Mainly because Hookfang's a fully grown dragon and Winglout's a baby."

"What about the baby Fireworms?" Hiccup asked, "You told me you had no problem with them. You even held one in your bare hands."

"Yeah, but they were tiny," said Snotlout, "And I only held one for a little bit he got his fire."

"It'll be fine," said Minden, "Gently lift each scale and scrub underneath."

"Okay," said Snotlout. He tried to do what he was told, only to receive a bite on his finger, "Ow! Man, grooming Razorwhips really bites!"

A Wingmaiden and her dragon saw and heard and laughed a little. Snotlout got ready to go punch her, but Minden stopped him, shook her head, and pointed at Winglout, as if to say, 'set a good example for the baby'. Snotlout took a deep breath to calm down and went back to attempting to clean his dragon. He only got another bite on his finger.

"Ugh," Snotlout groaned, "There's gotta be an easier way to do this."

"Hey, Ruff..." Tuffnut said and motioned for Ruffnut to lean closer to him. He whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.

Tuffnut walked over to Snotlout and kept him and Minden budy while Ruffnut snuck behind him and crouched on her hands and knees. Once Snotlout was in fro t of the water trough, Tuffnut pushed Snotlout, causing him to trip over Ruffnut fall backwards into the water. Splashing everyone who was nearby.

The twins laughed their butts and Tuffnut even said, "You're all washed up, Snotman! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Snotlout growled as he glared daggers at the twins. He was about to get out and exact revenge when Winglout jumped into the trough and started splashing around.

"Hey! Cut it out! Stop it!" Snotlout cried in between coughs as he tried to grab ahold of the baby.

Atali heard the commotion and went to take a look. She was surprised to find Snotlout and Winglout in the water trough splashing around. Minden cleared her throat to get Snotlout's attention. He did not seem to hear her. She tried, a little louder this time. This time he heard her and looked up to see Atali looking down at him.

"Uh... I can explain," said Snotlout.

Atali saw how much fun little Winglout was having and smiled as she said, "Who knew that baby Razorwhips loved the water?"

"Yeah, well, I guess I just get kids," said Snotlout and then he chuckled a bit.

"Keep up the good work, Snotlout," said Atali.

Atali walked away to finish grooming her own dragon, leaving Snotlout alone in the trough. Once she was gone, Snotlout let a sigh of relief and glared at the twins.

"Are you two trying to get me in trouble?" Snotlout asked.

"I see what the big deal is," said Ruffnut, "Atali seemed to think you and Winglout playing in the tub was cute."

"Yeah. What are you complaining about?" Tuffnut asked.

Snotlout growled and got ready to punch them when Minden stopped him and said, "Focus on cleaning Winglout. They're not worth the energy."

"Fine. You guys get a pass this time. But next time, you're gonna get it," Snotlout warned the twins. He turned back to the baby dragon and said, "Okay, little guy, let's finish your cleaning."

After grooming, the Wingmaidens brought their dragons outside for the next step, feeding. Each Wingmaiden started feeding their baby Razorwhip their primary food chouce, seaslugs.

Atali took a break from feeding her dragon to explain, "The Razorwhips' nutrition us critical. Only a well fed dragon will thrive."

Many of the Wingmaidens were feeding their dragons with relative ease. However, the same could not be said for Snotlout. His Razorwhip, Winglout, was refusing to eat his seaslug no matter how many times Snotlout tried to give it to him.

"What ia wrong with you?" Snotlout asked, "I thought Razorwhips loved these things. I grabbed you the juiciest one and everything."

"Maybe if you weren't trying to shove in his face, he would eat it," said Minden.

Snotlout turned red in the face and said, "Oops. Sorry, little guy."

The twins started laughing at Snotlout's misfortune. Snotlout glared at them but chose to ignore them.

"Man, he stinks," Tuffnut said, laughing.

"I know, right?" Ruffnut laughed.

"Come on, guys," said Hiccup, "Knock it off. It's not that easy."

"He's right," said Fishlegs, "Feeding baby dragons can be very tricky."

"Come on, little dragon," Snotlout said as he waved the seaslug in Winglout's, "Open wide. Say 'ah'."

Unfortunately, the dragon still refused to open his mouth. Knowing how important it was to feed his dragon, Snotlout started to try to think of other ways to feed him. Snotlout then thought back to Girl Hookfang and her babies and got an idea.

"Uh, guys, listen up," said Snotlout, "I'm about to do something that you might consider disgusting. So you may want to avert your eyes."

"Uh... Why?" Hiccup asked.

"Let's just say it's not exactly typical for vikings," said Snotlout.

Without another word, Snotlout put them seaslug in his mouth and started chomping on it. This acted took everyone by surprise.

"What the heck are you doing, Snotlout?!" Ruffnut asked, "Those slugs aren't for you! They're for Winglout and- what the heck are you doing now?!"

Snotlout rushed over to Winglout and started vomiting seaslug into his mouth. Everyone was both shocked and disgusted by what Snotlout did. Fishlegs even went to throw up. Atali and the other Wingmaidens saw that as well and were also shocked. One Wingmaiden actually fainted. Once he was done, Winglout simply licked his lips, implying that he enjoyed Snotlout's vomit. Snotlout was disgusted by the taste and was pretty sure he had indigestion. He then saw Atali and tried to explain himself.

"I know what it looks like, but trust me, it worked," he said.

Atali simply smiled and said, "There are many ways to feed a baby dragon. Snotlout, you just invented another one."

"I actually got the idea from a mother Monstrous Nightmare," said Snotlout, "She was feeding her newborns that way."

"Well, it did work. And your dragon is thriving," said Atali, "Keep up the good work."

"Will do," said Snotlout.


After the feeding Atali had the Wingmaidens and Snotlout go with her to another part of the forest. Here, Atali had them hand over their dragons so she could put them on the ground a few feet away from them.

"Communication is the key to the bond between a Razorwhip and a Wingmaiden; or Wingman," said Atali placing Winglout on the ground. "You need to have a specific call that only your dragon understands. I will demonstrate."

Atali whistled and her dragon flew to her. Another Wingmaiden tried out a long trill and her Razorwhip came running to her. The Wingmaiden after her tried a a few short trills, which hdr dragon came running to. The others did similar trills and whistles. Snotlout was unsure what type of call to use.

"Hey, Minden," said Snotlout.

"Yes?" She asked.

"What kind of call should I use?" He asked.

"That depends," said Minden, "Every Wingmaiden's call is different. As long as the dragon goes to you, it's not wrong."

Snotlout then got an idea. "So, any call could work?" He asked.

"Yes," said Minden, "What did you have in mind?"

"I have this one call I used a few years ago for a different dragon," said Snotlout, "I hope it works for this."

Snotlout took a breath and let a screaming sound. Winglout immediately flew into Snotlout's arms. Atali walked over to them, smiling and laughing.

"In all my years I've never heard a call like that," she said.

"Thanks," said Snotlout, "That was my Changewing call."

"That still doesn't sound like one," Fishlegs muttered.

"Snotlout, you're going to make an amazing Wingman," said Atali. "Tomorrow, you will take your first flight. Get some rest."

After Atali walked away, Snotlout realized what she said. "First flight? As in flying without Hookfang?"

"Yes," said Minden, "It's when you and Winglout truky bond as one. It's exciting!"

Snotlout smiled about it. However, on the inside, he was worried. He had completely forgotten about the flying part. If something went wrong during their first flight, little Winglout could be in danger! He could hardly bare the idea of something bad happening to a baby dragon because he made a mistake.