Not Lout
The riders were heading for an island where the rest of Berk was gathering to look at the new off site storage shed that Spitelout had built and filled. Skywalker followed the riders with all her crew on board. Serenity was happy to be out flying again, even if they were heading for something that most likely would not need the help of the airship. To her, the ship felt less like a prison when it was moving. She steered the ship after the riders, at full speed. There were no dragons on the open deck. They were all either down bellow, or flying around the ship.
Soon they reached the island and found the all of Berk there already, along with Re and Aurora. Everyone was talking absentmindedly. The riders landed and dismounted. Serenity pulled the ship to a stop over the storehouse. Re and Aurora flew up onto the deck. Serenity beamed and got off her chair.
"Hello your majesties," she said. Aurora nuzzled her shoulder.
"How've you been?" Re asked.
"I'm better now," Serenity said, hugging Aurora's neck. "It's good to get out after sitting in one place for so long."
"Well good," said Aurora.
"Is the rest of the crew down bellow?" Re asked.
"Yes they are," said Serenity. Re turned and headed for the lower decks. Stoic called for attention at that moment. Serenity mounted Aurora and they flew down to join the others. Spitelout burst out of the storehouse, waving at the noisy crowd. The dragons kept their distance so they didn't accidentally step on anyone's toes. Serenity stayed on Aurora's back. The riders, minus Snotlout, were talking amongst themselves. Spitelout was talking very loudly to Snotlout. Re landed beside Aurora.
"How's Berk doing without it's gold?" Serenity asked.
"Pretty well," Re said. "But Hiccup better get that gold back for all their sakes."
"Won't you give them more?" Serenity said. "They've done you guys a lot of great services." Re considered.
"Maybe," he said. "But we're not going anywhere 'til the hunters are defeated for good. Then we can get the gold back." Serenity dropped the matter. She watched Tenor indulging in the fish on the food table.
"You have plenty of gold to pay off your dept," Serenity said.
"That gold does not belong to just me," Re said. "It belongs to the whole country." Serenity scanned her mind for a change of subject.
"You going to come back to the Edge?" she asked.
"Sure," Aurora said. "For a little while." She felt Serenity slump in disappointment. "We have a job to do Serenity. But don't worry, this war will not last forever. If Hiccup will not end this, then we will. Too many dragons have died at the hands of Viggo." She growled at the thought. Just then they heard the vikings yelling at Tenor.
"Get away from there you devil," cried one man. They chased Tenor away from the food table. He pranced away and joined his comrades.
"Why do they call you devil?" Serenity asked. "Don't they know you find it racist?"
"Yeah, we probably should say something to Stoic," Aurora said to Re. The king nodded in agreement.
"My guess is they call us devil due to our fire breathing," Tenor said. "Horns, tail, and wings. I'm getting tired of it too. I guess there's still traction between humans and dragons."
"There will always traction," said Aurora. "Even within Berk. There's many dragons back home that still really hate humans."
"Do we really have to go into hiding someday?" asked Tenor. Aurora nodded.
"Dragons have ruled the Earth for millions of years," she said. "We've had our turn. The humans will never give in. If we don't go into hiding the cruel ones like Viggo, will drive us to extinction."
"You think these riders will come with us?" Re asked, glancing over at the riders.
"If they want to," said Aurora. "But they won't have to make that decision for a very long time." She stretched her blue wings and neck. "Let's go flying, all this talking is boring." She spread her wings and took off. The other two followed.
They circled the island while the vikings continued to admire the storehouse and congratulate Spitelout. The three dragons flew to the far side of the island and landed on a tall plateau with a lone pine tree on it, and plenty of grass. It was much quieter up there.
"Ahhhh, that's better," Aurora sighed. "I need peace and quiet every now and then." Serenity dismounted. She looked down at the clearing with the storehouse, Skywalker's balloon a tiny red dot amongst the green grass.
"I don't know about the rest of you," Tenor said. "But when this is over, I plan to head home and go swimming in the lake."
"That sounds like a plan," Re said. He laid down on the grass. The others joined him, Serenity leaned against Tenor's side.
"When we go into hiding you think you'll come with us Serenity?" Tenor asked. Serenity shrugged.
"I have no where else to go," she said. "Draconia's my only home."
"How are the other riders treating you?" Aurora asked. Serenity sighed sadly.
"I could be wrong," she said. "But I don't think they see me as a dragon rider. Heather and Hiccup are the nicest to me. But they still won't let me near the Triple Stryke. Hiccup says he wants his riders to learn how to handle wild dragons, without my help. Astrid got awful mad when I made friends with the Skrill and the Flightmare behind their backs, she's still mad about it."
"You see this as punishment," Aurora said, it wasn't a question. "I've seen into their heads. They're not punishing you. They look up to you when it comes to dragons, they want to get to your level on their own. Makes them stronger. Hiccup doesn't want to talk to the Triple Stryke behind their backs is because he wants you to trust him more, be more open."
"I just don't want to be sitting on that ship doing nothing," Serenity said. "I want to help with the wild dragons, it's the only thing I know how to do. Maybe I can find new dragons by myself, make new friends that way." Re frowned.
"I admire your desire to be friendly with our kind," he said. "But it wouldn't hurt to make friends with your own kind. See if you can make friends with at least one human." Serenity looked sadly into the distance, and placed a hand over her locket. All three dragons could tell what she was on her mind. Tenor placed a wing around her shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said. "Even if you loose this human friend, we'll still be there for you a long with all your other dragon friends."
"Dragon's honor," Aurora said. She nuzzled Serenity shoulder.
They sat there for a long time. Serenity want it to stay like this forever. But after about two hours Hiccup landed on the plateau. They sat up to look at him.
"We're getting ready to head back," Hiccup said. "Are you coming back to the Edge with us Re?"
"We'll come and stay for a while," said Re. They all got to their feet. Serenity got back onto Aurora's back, and they headed back to the storehouse.
When they got there Serenity and the other Draconians got back onto Skywalker's deck. Serenity took her spot at the helm and got the ship moving. It sailed away from the island, the riders following on their dragons. The Draconians all sang songs to pass the time. At one point in between songs Snotlout pulled Hookfang alongside the driving deck.
"Say, you think I could ever fly this ship?" Snotlout asked.
"No one flies this ship but Serenity," Re said sternly. "And no one commands it without my permission. Stoic gets to command it when he needs to, until I can pay off my debt to him." Snotlout steered Hookfang back in his original position.
They soon returned to the Edge. Serenity parked the ship in it's spot over the stables. The riders landed on the runway and dismounted. Serenity went to the front of the ship and sat on the railing beside the dragon figure head. The Draconian dragons took off to stretch their wings. Ruby was about to follow them when his attention was drawn to his ward. She looked lonely, and the riders were heading for their huts. They'd had a lot to eat at the storehouse, so Serenity didn't need to cook dinner for them. He trotted up to her, and gently nudged her shoulder. She turned and beamed at him.
"Ruby!" she exclaimed, and threw her arms around his neck. Ruby hugged her back.
"You look like you could use some company," he said. Serenity hugged him tighter.
"I knew I loved you for a reason," she said, jokingly. Ruby chuckled. "How's Harmony?"
"She's safe," Ruby said. "She's back home in Apple Grove." Serenity released him.
"You left her there all alone?" she asked.
"I would never forgive myself if she was captured by the hunters," Ruby said. "I'm the king's soldier so I must fight, she doesn't. I want her to be safe." Serenity stroked his neck.
"You're a good dragon Ruby," she said. "Very strong."
"Not every dragon gets a second chance," Ruby said. "I'm not going to take mine for granted." He smiled and Serenity stroked his forehead. He purred and lowered his head to her level.
"You okay? You look troubled," Ruby said. Serenity rested her head on Ruby's shoulder.
"Hiccup and the riders won't let me interact with the Triple Stryke," she said. "I understand their intentions but for some reason it still troubles me."
"Ah, let them have their one dragon," Ruby said. "You've got a whole nation of dragons to be friends with. Pretty high ranking ones too." Serenity took a deep breath, and turned her face into Ruby's warm scales.
"You're right," she said. "I shouldn't be so selfish." Ruby nuzzled her neck. He then changed the subject.
"You know, if you want to come live in Apple Grove with Harmony and me, we'd love it," he said. Serenity smiled.
"I would love that," she said. "I mean the castle's been my home all my life, but it's gotten too big without Chris." Ruby's eyes softened. "Apple Grove has a hospital I can work at doesn't it?"
"It does," Ruby said. "And we'll hang out with my siblings a whole lot too."
"That sounds absolutely wonderful," Serenity said. She hugged him again. "Thank you Ruby." Ruby returned the hug, wrapping his wings around her. Serenity always felt safe when she was wrapped in Ruby's warm wings. They were her safety blanket.
After a while she let go. Phoenix circled low over the ship's deck.
"Come on Ruby, we're all going hunting," she called. "You should come." Ruby looked back at Serenity.
"Will you be fine without me?" he asked. Serenity stroked his muzzle.
"I'll be okay," she said. "Just don't be gone long." Ruby nodded. He then spread his wings and took off. Both dragons left the ship and Serenity sat back in her chair to wait for him.
When night fell they came back. They all landed on the deck, some finishing up last bites. Serenity got off her chair and went to greet them. They smiled at her.
"Hey Serenity," said Morpho cheerfully. "Are you hungry?"
"No, not really," said Serenity. Then she noticed the two dragon scouts, Flambé and Pangea in the crowd.
"Vere ez 'iccup?" Flambé asked. "Ve 'ave news for heem."
"In his hut," said Serenity. "What news?"
"Ve 'ave seen 'unting activity near 'ere," said Flambé. "De riders are en good position to attack. Ve vill need dis ship as vell." The two scouts spread their wings and took off, heading for Hiccup's hut.
When they got there Pangea knocked on the door with her talons. Hiccup opened the door, Toothless right beside him.
"Sorry to disturb you," said Pangea. "But there's a big convoy of hunting ships in your area. You'll be in perfect position to attack in the morning."
"Ve can show you on your map," said Flambé.
"Ok," Hiccup said. They entered his hut and he pulled out his map. He laid it on the floor between him and the two scouts. Flambé pointed to where they'd seen the convoy, and the direction it was heading. Hiccup marked it with his charcoal pencil.
"Ve vill 'elp you take et out," Flambé said. "Et vill be an 'oner to fight beside a Night Fury. Skyvalker vill also 'elp."
"Thank you, we will head out first thing in the morning," Hiccup said. The two scouts nodded then took off again. They headed for Skywalker, and bed.
The next morning the riders headed out to find the convoy. Skywalker was right beside them with all its crew and weapons at the ready. It didn't take them long before the convoy was in sight.
"Ok, there's the convoy," said Hiccup, looking through his spyglass.
"We should split up," said Astrid. "That way we can take out more ships at once."
"Good idea Astrid," said Hiccup. "Lets go." But just as they were about to attack, when Snotlout spoke up.
"Wait why is Astrid making all the decisions now?" he asked.
"She's not making all the decisions," said Hiccup. "We'll go in for a sneak attack."
"I vote we attack," said Snotlout restlessly. He steered Hookfang towards the ships, and fired. Hiccup smacked his forehead. So they had no choice now but to go in full force. Skywalker helped by shooting their ballistas at the ship's hauls. However things got scary very quickly. Snotlout got extremely reckless. He shoved other riders out of the way, and blocking their attacks. He fired at the ships, but most of the dragons got hit with dragonroot arrows. They landed on Skywalker's deck. Hiccup and Snotlout were the only ones left, and they were badly overwhelmed. Re turned to the ship's crew.
"Lets finish this off with a Zippleback attack," he said. Tenor called to the two remaining dragons to stay clear. The airship flew over the convoy, and as it did so it released a huge cloud of Zippleback gas far bigger than Barf and Belch usually made. Viper put a huge barrel of Monstrous Nightmare gel into each of the ship's catapults at the back of the deck. When the gas was all released Viper lit the barrels on fire, then launched them at the convoy, which was completely hidden by the Zippleback gas. The barrels hit the gas and ignited it. The explosion it caused was enormous, and blasted the ships to pieces.
"Whoa! That was the most beautiful thing I ever saw," said Tuffnut.
When the explosion had cleared Hiccup and Snotlout landed their dragons on Skywalker's deck. Serenity steered the ship back towards the Edge. Not surprisingly all the riders were mad at Snotlout. No one spoke as the ship glided over the ocean. Ruby left his post at the catapult and sat beside Serenity's chair. She petted his snout.
"How are you doing?" Ruby asked.
"I'm all right," Serenity said. "I just want this all to be over."
"We all do," Ruby said. He nuzzled her neck. A sudden, faint, smell of gold reached his nostrils. He carefully ran a talon along Serenity's collar bone, until it snagged on the gold chain securing her dragon scale locket. He pulled the locket out and looked at it.
"That's a pretty locket," he said.
"Chris gave it to me, the day you left," Serenity said. "It was all I had left of you, now it's all I have left of him." Ruby held the locket in his talons. "It's made from your scales." Ruby used his talon to open the locket. He saw the two pictures of Chris and himself. He smiled and read the sentence on the back of the locket.
'And here we'll stay until we meet again.'
Ruby closed the locket and set it down.
"You never take it off?" he asked. Serenity shook her head.
"A Band-Aid for a broken heart," she said. She grasped the locket in her hand. "It's the only non living item that I treasure." She pumped more gas into the fire.
Soon they reached the base. Serenity pulled the ship to a stop right above the cliff. The riders got their dragons off the deck. They were still twitching from the dragonroot arrows. Serenity distributed bottles of antidote and the riders gave it to their dragons. The Draconians stayed on the air ship. Snotlout didn't seem to notice all the glares he was getting from the other riders.
"Now that's what I call a successful mission," Snotlout exclaimed
"By almost getting you whole team killed?" asked Astrid.
"I admit it was a little messy," said Snotlout. "But lets face it, I'm the reason we won."
"No, Skywalker's the reason we won," Fishlegs pointed out, pointing at the air ship.
"We almost lost the battle because of you," snapped Astrid. "You were suppose to cover our wing and diverse the arrows, but you peeled off leaving us exposed." She patted Stormfly on the beak.
"Meatlug was lining up a perfectly good shot," said Fishlegs. "When you shoved us out of the way and took the shot instead."
"We were about to unleash our new move," said Tuffnut. "When you used us as a distraction. Although I will admit, that ship's Zippleback attack was awesome to watch."
"It's not my fault I had to cover for you guys," said Snotlout.
"Snotlout, if Skywalker hadn't moved in, we would all have been captured and/or killed," said Astrid. They all shouted angrily at Snotlout. Hiccup quickly intercepted. He then picked up all the dragonroot arrows the riders had removed from their dragon's skin.
"Snotlout take these arrows far away and burn them," he said. "We don't want our dragons anywhere near them." Snotlout took the arrows and flew off.
The riders began to cool down and their dragons recovered. Serenity parked the air ship in its usual spot over the stables, then went to the front of the ship to still listen in on what the riders were saying. The Draconians readied the weapons for a future battle. Flambé approached Re and Aurora.
"Excuse me your 'iness," she said. "Ve are almost out of Zippleback gas."
"Thank you Flambé," said Aurora. She took off and glided down to the stables. She found Barf and Belch resting in their stall. They looked up when Aurora approached them.
"What can we do for you your majesty?" Belch ask.
"Skywalker running low on Zippleback gas," said Aurora. "That last attack took up a bunch it. I wonder if you would be good enough to refill the tanks. You will be well compensated."
"You saved all our lives with that ship," said Belch. "We will do it as a favor, your majesty."
"You're sure?" asked Aurora.
"Yes ma'am," said Barf. "My gas is at your service ma'am." They left the stables before Aurora could say another word. They flew up onto Skywalker's deck. Re showed where the Zippleback gas went. Barf filled it up willingly. When he was finished he turned back to Re and Aurora.
"Thank you," Re said.
"Our pleasure your majesties," said Belch. "Is that all you need?"
"Yes," said Aurora. "We may ask you to refill it again."
"And we'll do it without complaint," said Belch.
"So what do you think is up with Snotlout?" asked Barf.
"I'm not sure," said Aurora. "It would appear he wants to be in the spotlight all the time now, rather than most of the time. He's certainly living up to the human stereotype our subjects have created. I'm sure Hiccup will fix it."
"What do you see in your visions?" asked Belch. Aurora looked at the ladder to the upper deck and her expression went blank.
"I see dragonroot," she said. "Lots of it. I also see, an island similar to this one with the sun shinning on it. I see the riders' dragons going in to attack something on the island, can't see what it is though. All I see is green."
"What about Snotlout?" asked Belch. Aurora squinted.
"Unfortunately, I can't see humans in my visions," she said. "I can only see how the world is effected by them, and the world around them."
"Okay, how about Hookfang," said Barf. "What can you see him doing?" Aurora looked back at the ladder and focused.
"I can see Hookfang flying into battle, he's taking shots for the other dragons," she said. "And their destroying something, but I can't see what, it's all a green blur."
"It's so cool how you can see things before they happen," said Belch. Aurora gave a small smile.
"Well we should go find something to eat," said Barf. "That battle made us hungry." With one final bow, the Zippleback left.
Outside the riders were still in an uproar about Snotlout. Hiccup calmed them all down, by they still glared.
"I will talk to him," Hiccup said. "But right now I'm more worried about the hunters' supply of dragonroot. They've obviously increased production."
"And we're running low on antidote," said Fishlegs.
"I can make more," Serenity said. "I have the ingredients and lots of them." Hiccup reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a scroll.
"I got this off one of the ships," he said. He unrolled it. "It'll show us the source of the dragonroot."
On a different part of the island Hookfang followed Snotlout towards the cliff. Snotlout was muttering to himself angrily. Hookfang just followed quietly. When they got close to the cliff Hookfang tried snatching the arrows from Snotlout so he could burn them, but Snotlout kept swinging them around. Finally he looked down at the bottom of the cliff.
"Cliff, forge, what's the difference?" he said, and tossed the arrows over the side. He then mounted Hookfang and flew off.
Later that evening Hiccup and Toothless headed for the clubhouse after going over the chart and maps with Tenor and the two scouts on the airship. The dragons had all either gone fishing or went to sleep. The ship was quiet now, so Hiccup decided to check on the other riders. He found them playing Maces and Talons, Fishlegs against Tuffnut. Toothless was the only dragon present. Hiccup approached the game.
"Huh, Maces and Talons," he said, cheerfully.
"Epic marathon," said Heather. "And Fishlegs is about to win it for us."
"Did you have any luck with that chart from the hunters?" asked Astrid.
"Yup," Hiccup said. "And I have a pretty good idea where the dragonroot is coming from. Toothless and I will check it out tomorrow." He than glanced around and noticed who was missing. "Hey, where's Snotlout? He loves Maces and Talons."
"I thought Fishlegs invited him," said Heather.
"I thought the Twins invited him," said Fishlegs.
"We thought Astrid invited him," said Ruffnut.
"I never invite him," said Astrid coldly. Suddenly Snotlout came running into the clubhouse.
"We're under attack!" he shouted. The riders jumped to their feet immediately, knocking over the gam board. They ran for the exit, getting jammed in the doorway. Once they were free they mounted their dragons and took off. But when they were up in the air, they saw no dragon hunters. The sea was still. They all turned and looked down at Snotlout.
"It's called a drill," said Snotlout. "I wanted to see how quick you were in the event of an emergency. And you all failed miserably." He left and the riders landed again, very annoyed now. They cleaned up the game board. When they were finished they all headed for their huts.
Hiccup was in his hut looking at the chart he took off the hunting ship and his map. Toothless was dozing off in the corner. It was very quiet. But then Snotlout entered the room.
"Did you find anything with those charts?" he asked, talking very fast. "When do we attack?"
"Snotlout what is going on with you?" asked Hiccup. "First you ruin the battle, then you pull a prank that could have hurt someone." Snotlout faced him.
"Hiccup it's passed time you realized how important I am," said Snotlout. "I won't end up as a beggar in the streets. I'm just as good, if not better, than the other guys. And I want to lead the dragon riders when Stoic makes you chief." Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
"Okay," he said. "But you can't just elbow your way into a leadership roll. You have, things you need to work on. You need to sharpen your battle skills like Astrid, you need to show you can be trusted like Heather, and you need to be thoughtful and strategic like Fishlegs. You get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah I get it," said Snotlout bitterly. "You think I can't do it. Well guess what Hiccup, we Jorgensons don't ask permission to be great." With that he ran outside. Hiccup exchanged a worried look with Toothless. After a few minuets he went back to his map.
Up on the airship the dragons were settling down for the night. Serenity sat in her chair, looking down at the village and up at the stars. Things were quieting down, but she didn't feel tired. She watched the riders getting ready for bed. They put their dragons in their stalls, except for Toothless who slept in Hiccup's hut. One by one the lights in the huts went out. The world grew quiet and with no moon in the sky, pitch black. Serenity leaned back in her chair and looked up at the stars. Draco's stars weren't visible, but she could see other constelations that Tenor had pointed out to her in the past.
She must have sat there for about half an hour. Suddenly she heard the beating of wings and the click of talons landing on the deck. She could suddenly see a pair of glowing eyes staring at her, but couldn't tell which dragon it was.
"Serenity?" it was Aurora. "Why are you still up?"
"I can't sleep," Serenity said. She heard Aurora come up the stairs to her. Her silver eyes glowed like moons.
"It's way passed your bedtime," she said. "Come to bed, now." They glowing eyes looked a touch disapproving. Serenity sighed and got to her feet. Aurora followed her down to the deck bellow and over to her room. All the other dragons were sound asleep. Serenity entered her room and shut the door. It still felt stuffy so she opened the window, which had finally been fixed. With that done she got into bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Outside she suddenly heard a dragon exhaling and she fell asleep in seconds.
The next day Astrid and Stormfly were sharpening their battle tactics. They snuck through shrubs that lined a clearing where a flock of Tiny Terrors were sleeping. Astrid looked through the shrubs at the little dragons.
"There they are," she whispered to Stormfly. Suddenly Snotlout popped up beside her.
"There who are?" he asked, a bit too loudly. Astrid glared and pulled him out of sight.
"The dragons," she hissed.
"Oh right," said Snotlout. "Why are we whispering?"
"So they don't discover us," Astrid explained. "If those dragons don't know we're here, hunters never will." Snotlout look very interested. Astrid and Stormfly snuck off, Snotlout and Hookfang followed.
"Shhh," Astrid hissed at Snotlout.
"Yeah Hookfang, shhh," Snotlout hissed at Hookfang. They continued to sneak through the shrubs. Soon Astrid stopped and looked out at the dragons again, Snotlout came to a stop next to her.
"Don't make a sound," said Astrid. But Snotlout wasn't listening. He suddenly burst out of the shrubs and charged at the Terrors, making them scatter. He managed to snag one and held it tightly.
"Nailed it!" he exclaimed. He turned to see Astrid glaring at him.
"The exercise wasn't about surprising one of them Snotlout," she said, annoyed. "It was about tricking all of them." At that moment the flock of Terrors came storming after Snotlout, making him run off.
Hiccup had followed the map and chart to an island a good long flight from Dragon's Edge. Hiccup looked though his spyglass and spotted two hunting ships sailing away from the island.
"Well bud, I see two ships down there but I don't see any Dragonroot," he said as he scanned the landscape. But he soon spotted a bonfire and focused the spyglass on them. There was one hunter hacking at a large dragonroot, there was one who was dipping arrows into a massive cauldron over the bonfire that held bubbling dragonroot extract, that man dipped the arrows then put them on a table where more arrows law. Hiccup then spotted crates filled with thousands of dragonroot arrows.
"There's a massive production line down there," he said. "But where's the dragonroot." He lowered the spyglass and scanned the island. He saw no large dragonroot crop. But then something green caught his eye and focused the spyglass on it. It turned out to be green netting strung between several trees. A corner of it was flapping in the faint breeze. Hiccup smirked.
"Nice try Viggo," he said. He put the spyglass away, then turned Toothless around and flew back towards the Edge.
Back on the Edge, Heather was heading for Astrid's hut with a small bouquet of flowers. She was suddenly approached by Snotlout.
"Hey Heather, whatcha doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" asked Heather, a touch annoyed.
"Well I see you heading for my hut with flowers," said Snotlout, sounding far too hopeful.
"Don't get too excited," said Heather. "Their for Astrid as a thank you for letting be borrow her ax." She slung the ax over her shoulder. Snotlout look surprised.
"She loaned you her ax?" he asked. "She sleeps with that thing under her pillow."
"That's what friends do for each other," said Heather.
"No one ever loans me anything," Snotlout grumbled.
"Maybe because they don't trust you enough to bring stuff back," said Heather. Snotlout paused and Heather continued onward. Snotlout stood there deep in thought.
He went back to his hut and gathered all the items he'd snatched from the Twins. He then went to Fishlegs' garden and ripped up a few dead flowers. He carried it all to the Twins. Naturally they were pissed about Snotlout stealing there stuff. They snatched it back and slammed the door in his face.
Fishlegs saw the fate of his flowers and panicked.
"My flowers are all ripped up," he shrieked. "Who would do such a thing Meatlug." The Gronkle was fast asleep however. Just then Snotlout approached.
"Hey Fishy, see you're working on your garden," he said. Fishlegs glared at him.
"You," he growled. "Do you know anything about my missing flowers?"
"I can't say that I do," Snotlout lied. "But I did see Heather with some flowers earlier."
"Now I got to replant the whole garden," said Fishlegs, annoyed. "The zen is totally out of balance."
"I, could, help, you," said Snotlout very slowly. Fishlegs snickered.
"You? Since when have you been good a planting flowers," he said.
"I'm working on being more thoughtful and strategic," Snotlout explained. "Truthfully I've always admired your work Fishlegs, and I've always loved, plants."
"Oh," said Fishlegs surprised. "In that case lets get started. You have your orientals and your eatables, and you don't want to get those mixed up. Then you have those that Serenity uses in her remedies."
"Yeah yeah," Snotlout said, getting bored. He picked up one of the dead flowers. "Let's start with this one." He went to plant it.
"No, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "You have to be strategic in your planting. Some like sun, some like shade. Some like partial sun, and some like partial shade." Snotlout scowled.
"How do you know what they like?" he asked. "They can't talk." Just then the Twins approached Fishlegs with the dead flowers Snotlout had given them earlier.
"Hey Fishlegs, Snotlout gave us these flowers and they totally died," said Ruffnut. Fishlegs turned to glare at Snotlout, who was already running for his life.
Hiccup soon returned and found all the riders all riled up. They all gathered at the clubhouse, Snotlout was not present. Hiccup sat on a bench and just listened.
"He totally sabotaged my training exercise," said Astrid.
"And he totally ruined my serenity garden," said Fishlegs.
"And let's not forget he almost got us killed," said Heather. Hiccup finally spoke.
"Look Snotlout's clearly gong through something," he said. "And we need to be there for him, as hard as that may seem sometimes. He's one of the team." The others considered.
"Hiccup's right," said Fishlegs. "A garden can be regrown, but a broken team can take years to fix."
"I agree that he's one of us," Astrid said reluctantly. "But we have a whole bunch of dragonroot to take out. How are you going to snap Snotlout out of it." Hiccup thought a moment. Then he told everyone to meet him on Skywalker's deck.
The riders headed up to the airship. Hiccup fetched Snotlout and Hookfang, and met them there with a chalk board. He drew a 3-D map of the island where the dragonroot was. He marked where the stock pile was, where the bonfire was, and where the green netting was. The riders were all gathered with their dragons and with the Draconians. When Hiccup finished he turned to face them.
"Listen up," he said. "Viggo's growing the dragonroot in these fields under green camouflaged tarps. Over here is where they harvest the dragonroot, and here's there stock pile. The whole island is heavily fortified."
"Sounds complicated," said Astrid.
"And by complicated you mean impossible," said Tuffnut.
"Nothing's impossible," said Fishlegs enthusiastically. "I'm sure Hiccup has a perfectly good plan."
"We'll do a practice run here at the Edge to make sure we're perfect," said Hiccup. "And Snotlout's going to lead the mission." This surprised everyone, including Snotlout.
"Me?" he said, shocked.
"Yes you," Hiccup confirmed.
"Ok, great. I'm the leader," said Snotlout. "So that means..." he trailed off.
"That means you have to pick someone to drop the barrel of Monstrous Nightmare on the stock pile," said Hiccup. "It has to be a precise hit so Toothless can hit it." The Twins waved their hands in the air. Snotlout rolled his eyes.
"I'll do it," he said. "I'll do it." The Twins put their hands down, looking crestfallen.
"What do you need us to do?" asked Re.
"We need to to help keep the reinforcements off us," Hiccup said. "And we'll need a few barrels of Nightmare gel." Two Draconians went into the deck underneath the driving deck. They came back rolling two large barrels of Nightmare gel. The riders mounted their dragons. Astrid went over to Hiccup.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked.
"He needs a confidence boost," Hiccup said. "This's be good for him." He swung onto the saddle.
"But," Astrid protested, but Hiccup continued.
"Which is why we're doing a practice run," he said. "I'll be right there incase something happens." Astrid felt a bit better. She mounted Stormfly and they took off. Hookfang carried one of the barrels of gel. Serenity got the ship moving and followed the riders.
Hiccup and some of the Draconians set up for the practice run. When it was all ready, the riders formed a battle formation. The ship was right behind them. Snotlout took the lead.
"Ok riders," he said loudly. "Astrid, Heather, Twins, you take out the catapult." The three said riders flew off. "Fishlegs, you focus on the farm." Fishlegs steered Meatlug away. "Hiccup you get in position." With everyone doing their assignments, Snotlout steered Hookfang towards a bulls eye on the ground. Hiccup and Toothless flew close behind. At first things were looking promising. But then Snotlout and Hookfang began flying super erratically, and got out of control. The riders watched him, worried. Suddenly Hookfang flew right at them with Snotlout screaming at the top of his lungs. Hookfang let go of the barrel and it headed right for Hiccup and Toothless. Meatlug blasted it before it hit them though. With the practice run aborted Snotlout got himself and his dragon under control. He faced the other riders, looking very guilty.
The riders headed back to the stables and land on the runway. Serenity pulled the ship to a stop above them. While the dragons were cooling off, Hiccup and Toothless went to have a word with Snotlout. The came back a few minuets later.
"So how's Snotlout?" asked Fishlegs.
"Not good," said Hiccup. "He's not going on the mission. He has grounded himself, indefinitely." So the riders took off without Snotlout. The airship followed them.
Snotlout hiked up to a nearby cliff and sat down. Hookfang watched him. He snorted in irritation and nudged Snotlout hard with his snout. Snotlout ignored him, so he nudged harder.
"Knock it off Hookfang," Snotlout said. Hookfang kept nudging him, trying to get him angry. He whipped his tail into Snotlout's back.
"I said knock it off Hookfang," he growled. "We're not going and nothing you do will change my mind."
Next thing he knew he was being dangled upside down over the cliff, his foot clamped in Hookfang's jaws. He glared and folded his arms. Hookfang held him there for several minuets.
"Drop the act Hookfang," Snotlout said. "We both know you're not going to do it." To prove him wrong, Hookfang let go. Snotlout fell several feet and landed on the same ledge where he had dropped the dragonroot arrows. A few dragonroot plants had sprouted. Snotlout investigated.
"Huh, I guess you guys like sun," he said. But then he began adding things up in his mind, then he got a terrible feeling. "So the hunters must have something else hidden under the green camouflaged tarps. Hookfang!"
The riders were approaching the island. Meatlug held a second barrel of gel from Skywalker's magazine. The thought of Snotlout was driven from the riders' minds for the moment and they focused on the battle. The hunters started firing at them. The riders and airship fired back, and managed to scatter the hunters and destroyed the catapults. Hiccup and Fishlegs flew their dragons towards the dragonroot arrow stock pile. They pulled off a successful hit, destroying all they arrows.
"Nice job Fishlegs," said Hiccup. "Now lets roast som dragonroot and get out of here." They all flew towards the tarps, the ship followed. However no one saw the ballista spear aimed at Toothless. It fired and would have hit the Night Fury had Snotlout not flown in and blocked it. The riders all looked at Snotlout quite surprised.
"Snotlout what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked.
"It's a trap," Snotlout cried. More ballista spears were fired at them. Snotlout steered Hookfang down to the tarps and set them on fire. When they vanished, the riders saw at least twenty ballistas aimed at them. The riders fired at them. Snotlout started directing the riders left and right. Skywalker fired their ballistas, being careful not to hit any of the dragons. Snotlout was covering Astrid's wing when both riders spotted Hiccup getting shot at by more spears that Toothless had shots.
"Peel off Snotlout, Hiccup needs your help," said Astrid.
"No, I'm not leaving your wing," said Snotlout.
"Just go," Astrid demanded. Snotlout reluctantly flew over to Hiccup, who was about to be hit by a spear. Hookfang put on a burst of speed and took the hit instead. It didn't stab them, but it hit so hard that Hookfang was thrown off course. Both dragon and rider hit the ground hard, and Snotlout was thrown from the saddle. The riders soon succeeded in blowing up the ballistas, with help of Skywalker. The hunters scattered and the ballistas burned. The riders landed their dragons, dismounted, and ran to Snotlout who was unconscious. The Draconains watched uneasily from Skywalker's deck. A small silence filled the air. But then Snotlout came round, and accidentally punched Fishlegs in the face. Snotlout got to his feet, seeing all the riders beaming at him.
"Snotlout, you saved my life," said Hiccup, slightly dumbfounded.
"Yeah, two times," said Snotlout faintly.
"So if the tarps were a trap," said Fishlegs. "Where's all the dragonroot." Snotlout considered. He glanced up at the nearby mountain, one side of which was covered in sunlight.
Snotlout and Hookfang led all the riders and airship to that side of the mountain. They found a huge crop of dragonroot that were ready for harvesting. The dragons unleashed all their fire, and burned every last crop. Hiccup pulled Toothless alongside Snotlout and Hookfang.
"How did you know the dragonroot was here?" Hiccup asked.
"Interesting fact Hiccup," said Snotlout. "Some plants like sun and some like shade."
"I got to say you were incredible back there," said Hiccup. "Who knows what the future will bring for all of us."
"I guess I should live my destiny the way I want and not the way my dad wants," said Snotlout.
"You know, we might not be so different after all," said Hiccup. The riders finished off the dragonroot crop, then turned and headed back to the Edge with Skywalker following.