What Should Have Been
A/N: As requested: Snotlout reflects on what his life would've been like if he had trained the Dragons first
To Clarify, this isn't imagined from Snotlout's perspective exactly, because we all know he would manipulate the entire story to his liking, but instead just the fact of what it would have been like if he really had been the first to train the dragons instead of Hiccup.
SLAM!
"Ugh, can you believe him?!" Snotlout growled as he stormed out of his house, wiping at the blood around his mouth, Hookfang following close behind. "Sometimes he jus'…ugh! Gah!"
Snotlout ranted and growled in frustration as he marched off for the forest, rubbing at his cheek even though it was his arm that was bleeding.
"I can't stand him sometimes, he jus' has no respect! How can he treat me like this, I'm his son!"
He glared as he marched along, ranting until they were far enough into the forest where he felt it was safe, Hookfang still keeping close as Snotlout plopped down onto a rock, letting out a frustrated huff, looking pained, eyes glassy. His face hurt.
Hookfang craned his neck close to him, warbling softly with worry, eyeing the blood running down Snotlout's forearm, a deep gash sliced into his flesh where his father had struck him with his axe.
Gingerly, he licked at his arm carefully with his tongue.
"Gah, aahh, don't do that, Hooky!" Snotlout winced, instantly pulling away, frowning painfully, sucking in a breath between his teeth.
The Nightmare warbled softly in sympathy, frowning at him.
Snotlout's wide eyes stared at his bloody arm, eyebrows furrowing tightly together, frowning deeply, letting out a scoff.
"You know what Hooky, so what if I'm not chief? How can he be so against me? I've been doing my best at everything my entire life and I'm the leader of the Dragon Riders now and still I'm not good enough for him….! How can nothing I do be good enough for him?!"
He growled, glaring, angered at his father for being so brutal to him his entire life.
"Hiccup's the chief now, I can't do anything about that, he just needs to lay off me, I'm not going to chief, sorry Dad!" He snorted. "I mean, I'd like to be, but, Hiccup's just much better at it. He's better at everything."
Hookfang watched him, roaring softly.
"I mean he trained the dragons, he defeated the Red Death, now Drago and now he's the chief of all of Berk. I bet my father's more proud of Hiccup than he's ever been of me, and Hiccup's not even his son….!" Snotlout huffed, fists clenching.
"It's not fair! I mean, I helped with all those things too! Mostly. Just think how proud of me he'd be if I were Hiccup, he'd be so proud of me! Jus' think, what if I had been the first one to train the dragons, then he'd be proud of me!"
Hookfang raised a brow at him with a questioning growl as if to say, You training the dragons first?
"Aw man, Hooky, if I had been the one to train the dragons, why, the whole village woulda been proud of me! Jus-Jus' think of it!" Snotlout was smiling now, chuckling, thrilled by the thought of everyone worshiping and praising him, mainly his father.
Hookfang roared again, questioning him, perplexed by the thought.
"Oh Hooky, jus' think of what my life could've been, should-should've been!"
"Rrrraaaaaaahhhh!"
"Dad no!" Snotlout yelped, gasping as his back painfully impacted with the wall. Another punch followed and Snotlout now hit the floor. "Dad stop!" He choked out through his tears as a dark shadow loomed over him.
"Why didn't ye tell me sooner?! Coulda saved yer old man the trouble!"
Snotlout yelped at the punch and cried, weakly blocking his face with his hands in an attempt to defend himself. "I-I didn't think it mattered!"
"Yeah, well it does matter, boy-o." Spitelout snapped, grabbing his son by his tunic, slamming him up against the wall. "Yer a fool, Snotlout! Quit embarrassin' yerself!"
"Li-Like I tried to set the Lukemaan's house on fire?!" Snotlout whimpered, shaking all over, receiving another blow to the stomach, making him yelp.
"Shut yer trap! I don't need your damn excuses!" Another punch.
Snotlout cried, attempting to push his father away so he would let go of him. "You-You better stop it before Mom gets home and sees you!" His voice shook with fear.
"Rrrrraaaahhh!" Spitelout snarled, smacking his son in the face, knocking him to the floor. "Yer the one who went behind me back and lied son!" He marched over to him, putting a knee down onto his chest, grabbing at his throat with a raised fist.
"I-I-I didn't lie to you!" Snotlout kicked, squeezing his eyes shut with a squeak, letting out a sob when his father hit him again. "St-Stop it, stop it!" He kicked helplessly, his father ontop of him.
The man snarled in fury, punching him again, trying to get Snotlout to stop struggling. "Rrraaah, I hate you son! Why can't you ever jus' listen to yer old man?! Yer a Jorgenson!"
Snotlout wriggled and thrashed his head back and forth, whimpering and crying as his father gripped his throat. "J-J-Jus' stop! Pl-Pl-Please daddy!"
"Rrrrr, how many times have I told ye to quit cryin', boy-o, ach, come here!" Spitelout snarled, snatching his son's face, squeezing tightly at his cheeks, fumbling a fist into his pocket. "Ye never could learn to shut up now could ye?!"
Snotlout was sobbing, trying to pull his head away, whimpering in pain. "No daddy, no please!"
"Hush!" His father snapped, squeezing his son's cheeks, forcing the boy's mouth open, stuffing a cloth between his teeth, muffling his cries. "Mmmm mmmm!"
When it was completely in his mouth, Spitelout slapped him. Hard.
"Well?! That's what ye get for not learning to shut up! I told ye to quit crying son, I barely even hit you!"
Snotlout sobbed, tears flowing down his cheeks, biting down tightly, shaking his head no at him, continuing to whimper. "Mmm mmmm mmmmm!"
Spitelout smacked him again, snarling. "Enough! Why don't ye just-"
"Spitelout!"
He heard an angry yell, making his fist freeze in mid-air, looking over to see his wife now standing in the open-doorway.
"Mmmm!" Snotlout muffled out at the sight of his mother, beyond relieved to see her, sniveling and whimpering, glad she was here to stop his father.
"June…." Spitelout looked surprised, getting off his son, frowning. "Uh, I…."
Snotlout whimpered and dashed to his feet when his father got off him, rushing to his mother to hug her, snuggling against her instantly, crying hard, hardly able to control his sobbing.
His mother wrapped a comforting arm around him with a soft, caring look of sympathy, indicating wordlessly to Snotlout that she loved him, which was what he needed.
"Here son…." She reached gently for his mouth and managed to remove the cloth from his mouth, his loud sobs filling the room when it was gone, crying into her tunic.
June tossed the cloth aside, looking murderously at her husband, beyond furious. "Spitelout! Again?! Why do ye do this?! To our son?!" She shouted at full volume.
"Oh don't start goin' on about me!" Spitelout shouted back, gesturing furiously with his arms. "It's the boy's fault! He's a screw-up!"
"He's fifteen! He makes mistakes! I told you to stop hitting him how could you do this again?!"
Snotlout pulled away from his mother as his parents screamed at each other, sniffling and cowering at their yelling with fear as he listened.
"He's our son, ye have to care for him! Why can't you have any respect for him?! Nothing he does is ever good enough for you!" June shouted, accusing the man.
"That's because he ain't good enough! Not for anything! I will never respect him! I hate him!" Spitelout was pointing an angry finger at his son. "He'll never be good enough and I don't care what I do to him! He might be my son but that don't mean I love him!"
Snotlout's frown deepened, his heart disintegrating into a million little pieces, tears leaking from his eyes, turning and running out of his room with a sob, needing to get out of there.
Bolting down the stairs as he cried, he could hear his mother shouting but he had no idea what she was saying, hearing the sound of a slap echo in the air followed by sobbing.
Choking on a sob, Snotlout continued to run, bursting out of his hut, heading straight for the forest, not daring to look back, partially blinded by his tears, swiping at his eyes frantically as he ran.
He ran and ran and didn't stop, not until he was able to catch his breath, trying to calm down, wheezing and choking on sobs, coming to a staggering stop, covering his eyes with his fists, wiping at them.
Lips quivering, whimpers came from his mouth and that's all he could hear, everything else silent but him.
Continuing to cry, Snotlout slowly stepped forward, one foot at a time, shaking everywhere, sobs of broken despair escaping him.
He wiped furiously at his eyes, unable to see through all his tears, not watching where he was going.
Sudden pain struck him in the leg as he walked straight into a branch sticking out from a log, the sharp tip gashing straight into his skin.
"Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow!" Snotlout yelped and winced in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching at his leg.
"Owww!" He whimpered, sniffling, glancing at his leg, a hole sliced into his pants, blood flowing out from a now nasty looking gash, getting everywhere.
Snotlout sat there clutching his leg in pain, whimpering through his tears, crying in pain, looking at the blood, the pain smarting badly, sucking in a painful breath through his teeth.
A twig snapped close by and Snotlout raised his head a little with a sniffle, gasping with horror when an immense red snout appeared beside him, yellow glowing eyes peering down at him.
Snotlout screamed and cried out in terror, starting to scramble away, crawling away on his back, struggling, bumping up against a rock. "Aaaahhh aaaahhh aaaahhhh!"
The dragon watched him, a low rumbling sound coming from him, watching curiously as Snotlout screamed and scrambled to get away.
Gasping and crying out in fear, Snotlout got to his feet to run, falling straight to the ground with a yelp, having forgotten about his leg, clutching it as it sparked again with pain, wincing painfully.
The dragon's eyes widened as he watched, spotting the blood on the boy's leg and now his palms, able to understand the boy was injured, starting to come closer.
Snotlout shrieked again with fear, scrambling to his feet to run away, falling again with a yelp, his injured leg smartly badly with pain, whimpering and crying out when the dragon's snout neared him, grabbing at his helmet, covering his face protectively.
"Aaaah, no no no no no!"
The dragon lowered his snout close to the boy's bleeding leg with soft eyes, letting out a low, soothing warble, carefully licking the boy's leg with his tongue.
Snotlout yelped in pain and winced, crying out as he pulled his helmet away, thinking the dragon was eating him, gawking at it in terror when he saw it, whimpering with fear.
The dragon warbled softly again, continuing to lick at the blood a second time.
Snotlout winced in pain but frowned with huge eyes as he watched. Why wasn't this dragon eating him?!
The dragon licked a third time and Snotlout pulled his leg away, wincing with pain, the touch stinging him, breathing heavily as he didn't take his eyes off the beast in front of him.
The Nightmare cocked his head a little, watching him, seeming to think, unfolding his wings and before Snotlout knew what was happening, the dragon had grabbed ahold of the back of his tunic with his claws, taking off into the air with him.
"Aaaaahhh! No no no! Help!" Snotlout screamed, over-ridden with panic, jerking around, completely terrified, looking down at all the trees and rocks as they flew past.
This was it! He was gonna die!
"Aaaaaah! Help me!" He screamed as loud as he could, kicking and flailing around everywhere. "Help!"
The dragon ignored his screaming and suddenly lowered and descended with a low rumble, dropping Snotlout gently by a small pond, landing on his feet.
Snotlout gasped and crawled back a little with a whimper, sure the dragon was going to eat him, now able to see the Nightmare's entire body, boy was he huge!
The dragon watched him and then lowered his snout a little, nodding towards the water next to them, waiting and watching him expectantly.
Snotlout's eyes were wide, not at all understanding any of what was going on, breathing heavily with fear, eyeing the dragon with a fearful frown.
When Snotlout didn't move, the dragon warbled again, nodding to the water, nudging at Snotlout gently.
The Viking gasped and went rigid, but frowned when that was all the dragon did.
Still trying to figure out why this dragon hadn't eaten him yet, Snotlout swallowed hard, glancing at the pond, then at his bleeding leg.
Looking back at the dragon, starting to realize what to do, he frowned, but reached his hands over into the water nevertheless.
The dragon cocked his head with calm, curious eyes, watching closely.
Snotlout cupped some water from the pond into his hands, pouring it onto his leg, washing the blood away. He hissed in pain, but it didn't hurt as bad as when the dragon had licked the wound instead.
He repeated this a few times, glancing suspiciously at the dragon in front of him, who sat calmly, swishing his tail back and forth.
After getting his leg cleaned, it appeared the gash had stopped bleeding and didn't seem to hurt as much, thanks to the water. Snotlout frowned, swallowing hard, glancing over.
"Uhhh, thanks?" He almost squeaked out, not quite sure what to make of this.
The dragon blinked and seemed to nod a little, letting out a soft warble in response, almost looking pleased.
Snotlout continued to frown, still baffled, starting to get up, wondering if this dragon wasn't actually going to eat him. He got to his feet to walk away but as soon as he took a step forward he fell, his leg still painfully smarting.
"Gah!" He fell, suddenly falling onto something hard before he could hit the ground, blinking with relief before he looked down to see it was the dragon's snout that had caught him.
"Aaah!" He gasped and jerked away, still frightened, eyeing the Nightmare with suspicious eyes.
The dragon blinked at him and pulled away a little, letting out a sort of grumble, letting out a little snort.
Snotlout's eyes then narrowed, deciding he had had enough of this dragon. "Go-Go on! Get outta here! Fly away, get get!" He waved his arms at him, trying to tell him to leave.
The dragon blinked with surprise, not seeming to understand, watching him.
"Go on get outta here, leave you stupid dragon!" Snotlout shouted at it, scowling.
The dragon's eyes widened and then narrowed, starting to growl, a puff of smoke billowing from his nostrils. He then snorted and raised his wings.
"Yeah go on, get outta here!" Snotlout huffed, watching the dragon take off and disappear into the sky, snorting when it was gone. "Hmmph. Whatever that was all about."
He then turned to go home, growling in pain when he fell again, cussing his leg, frowning at it as he realized he'd have to limp home.
Great.
"Mom!" Snotlout flung open the door to his house, limping inside, spotting his father at the table, who looked up in alarm, raising a brow.
June looked over from the pot of stew she was making. "Snotlout?" She then saw him limping. "Are you limping?"
"What'd ye do to yer leg there, boy-o?" Spitelout gestured, frowning at him.
Snotlout grunted, coming over to his mother. "Yeah, I'm hurt, can you please jus' clean it up? It hurts!" He whined, wanting the pain to go away.
"Sure," His mother put a hand on his shoulder. "Be right back." She pulled up a chair for him, going off to get some bandages.
Snotlout sat, glancing awkwardly at his father who sat at the table, swallowing hard, remembering their fight. His father didn't seem to be paying him any mind though, sipping from his tankard.
Remembering the odd encounter with the dragon, Snotlout's eyebrows furrowed, biting his lip. "Hey uh, dad? About dragons…..is there any sorta way some of them might not be out to kill?"
Spitelout put down his drink, looking up at him incredously. "What are ye goin' on about askin' something like that? Ye lost yer yak brain?"
"Uh no, no," Snotlout quickly looked away, managing a nervous grin. "Heh, jus' wonderin' I guess. Ya know, for the class of course."
Spitelout frowned at him. "Well, you are taking the class the KILL the dragons, boy-o. Ye know that don't you?"
"Ha ha ha, of course, obviously!" Snotlout laughed, rubbing at his neck, glancing up at his mother with relief when she returned.
"Okay Snotlout, here we go."
"What about you, mom? You know any dragons that don't kill people?" He watched her as she bent down in front of him, beginning to inspect his leg.
June raised her head to look at him with a frown, shaking her head no. "Dragons, they're awful creatures, son. Of course they're killers, they breathe fire for Thor's sake."
"Oh. Of course, yeah, right." Snotlout nodded slowly, mouth a tiny 'o'.
He then heard his father clear his throat and glanced over to see him get up, carrying his tankard with him. "Well, I'm goin' to see Stoick. Ye two have fun talkin' nonsense."
He closed the door loudly without another word and Snotlout blinked, glancing at his mother, shifting a little in his seat.
They're right. It is nonsense. Dragons are killers. There's no way they couldn't be. That dragon….that dragon must have been abnormal. Why else would dragons be attacking their village for centuries? Certainly they must all be out to kill.
But then…why didn't this one?
The next day, at Dragon Training, Snotlout tried to ask Gobber the same question he asked his parents.
"So uh, what about Monstrous Nightmares?! Will we learn about those dragons?!" He shouted, stepping aside out of the way of Ruff and Tuff who darted past him, glancing at the Gronckle chasing after Hiccup.
"The Monstrous Nightmare is the most dangerous dragon after Night Furies. Only the one who does the best at training will get to face off with one." Gobber drawled, keeping an eye on Hiccup for protection as he fled.
"So uh, if they're the toughest, that means they're deadly, right?" Snotlout called back, flinching when he heard the Gronckle roar nearby, looking over fearfully to see Astrid coming in to fend the dragon off.
"All dragons are deadly, Snotlout," Gobber huffed at him. "Now get in there and do somethin'!"
Snotlout frowned a little, watching Astrid dodge out of the way of a lava blast, her axe gripped tightly in her hands as she swung, Tuffnut jumping ontop of the dragon with a war cry.
The dragon snarled and began jerking and thrashing around, throwing Tuffnut off her, knocking Astrid down as she flew past her, suddenly coming straight for Snotlout, who gasped when he saw her.
He panicked a little with big eyes, looking around to figure out what to do, gripping his shield tighter, yelping when the dragon suddenly pounced on him, literally pinning him down.
He cried out and squirmed, faintly hearing Gobber shout his name nearby, gaping up with terror at the beast ontop of him, able to see her mouth lighting up with flame as she ignited her lava, making him gasp again, whimpering with fear.
"Do something Snotlout!" He heard Gobber shout at him, making him flinch, eyes narrowing at the Gronckle, kicking his legs frantically, managing to get her off.
She yelped and shook her head, growling angrily, blasting her lava near him, Snotlout dodging the blast just in time, somersaulting to his feet, scowling, deciding to take action.
He ran up to the dragon and knocked her in the face with his shield, punching her with a fist, hitting her until she growled and turned away in retreat, Gobber getting ahold of her. "Well done, Snotlout."
Snotlout exhaled, catching his breath, leaning on his knees, swallowing hard, glancing up as the other teens watched him, sending them a narrowed, proud look, huffing to himself.
Of course they were all right, dragons are just killers. How could he be so stupid to think otherwise?
And to prove it to himself, Snotlout decided he was going to go back into those woods and kill that dragon, just for the sake of it.
Besides, if he managed to kill an entire dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare no less, maybe his father will finally respect him.
"Alright you can do this. No turning back now. Snotlout Snotlout, oi oi oi…." Snotlout murmured faintly under his breath, clutching his axe tightly as he made his way through the forest past Raven Point, admittedly a little nervous.
He looked around, wondering if a dragon would leap out at any minute and just devour him. He didn't want that.
He tried to remind himself of some tips his father told him about dragon-killing, but his anxiety and anxiousness was so high, he was unable to jog his memory, figuring he'd wing it.
How hard could it be, right?
His father and the other Vikings killed dragons all the time. Why shouldn't he?
Glancing around, Snotlout thought the trees surrounding him looked vaguely familiar, as if he recognized the spot, but he wasn't sure. Everything looked the same in the forest: trees. In all directions.
Snotlout was starting to get impatient. He had been walking for what felt like hours and no sign of the dragon. He growled, starting to fiddle anxiously with his axe, wanting to put it to use already.
"Ugh, come on already!" He groaned, his feet starting to drag. Maybe it was stupid deciding to come out here…..
Then he heard a sound. A loud sound. A roar.
He perked up, starting to crouch a little as he came up a slope, peering over the edge to look down below. And there was his dragon, drinking innocently from a small stream.
Snotlout grinned, eyes lighting up happily, anticipation rising. This will be easy…
He started climbing over the slope, sliding down a ways, approaching the beast, trying to be as quiet as he could. The Nightmare hadn't noticed, continuing to drink, tail swishing back and forth repeatedly.
Snotlout snuck up behind it with a grin, clutching his axe tightly, raising it when he got close.
You can do this, you can do this. Do this for your father, make him proud Snotlout! Make him respect you!
"Aaaaahhhh!" Snotlout let out a war-cry as he raised his axe, preparing to toss it at the dragon's throat, hoping not to miss.
The dragon's head bolted up, snout whipping around to face him, pupils narrowed into slits, a loud, threatening rumble emitting from him.
Snotlout flinched a little, eyes widening and then he threw his axe, watching it fly.
The axe luckily flew impressively threw the air, only to dink the Nightmare on one of his horns, barely making a dent, then falling straight to the ground.
The Monstrous Nightmare snarled viciously when the axe hit him, raising his snout even higher, staring straight down at Snotlout, who gasped fearfully.
He stood frozen, unsure of what to do, wondering if these moments would be his last, staring at the Nighmare's huge teeth.
Suddenly the dragon rose up into the air with a snarl, flapping his wings, grabbing Snotlout in his claws, taking off into the air at full speed.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh! Not again! No! Aaaaahhhhhh!" Snotlout screamed, flailing around a little, frightened, looking down at the land far below them, crying out. "Okay, okay I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean anything! I-I-I meant to miss hitting you!" He tried, voice shaking, clinging to the dragon's foot despite being terrified of him.
The dragon snorted and flew straight into the air as fast as he could, deciding to make a sharp left turn, diving down into the air snout first, spinning rapid, quick circles, huffing when the Viking in his clutches screamed even more.
"Aaaaaaahhhh aaaaaahhh! Stop! Stop spinning! STOP! Help!" Snotlout screamed, everything spinning as the dragon literally tumbled through the air, spinning and spinning over and over, stopping only to make an immensely sharp turn, flying above the trees closely, tossing Snotlout into one of them with a snort.
"Whoa!" He yelped, scrambling to grab ahold onto a branch, clinging to it desperately, practically dangling. "H-Hey!"
The dragon glanced back at him with narrowed eyes and Snotlout swore it almost looked like the dragon was smirking, flying back down near the stream, acting as nothing had even happened.
Snotlout watched him, eyebrows furrowed, still catching his breath.
What had just happened? Had that dragon just tried to kill him? But he didn't…I'm still alive. Doesn't that go against what everybody had literally just told him?
Wide-eyed, Snotlout frowned, confused. Did this dragon want to kill him or not? Maybe it was just messing with him? Taunting him before it decided to eat him?
He started easing himself down the tree branches by climbing, continuing to watch the red beast, tensing when he saw him near his fallen axe.
"H-Hey! L-Leave that alone, that's my axe!" Snotlout called out to it with a mean look, glaring.
The dragon looked up at him for a moment and then glared, snorting with a shake of it's head, knocking the axe straight into the water with a growl, watching it sink.
"Hey! Ugh, you stupid dragon! Dad is gonna kill me!" Snotlout growled as he made it down the tree, hurrying over, glaring.
The dragon cocked his head at Snotlout, sniffing, almost looking amused, bobbing his head a little.
Snotlout scowled, seeing there was no way he was getting his axe back unless someone swam down and grabbed it. "Ugh, you better get that back! Go on! Go get it!" He huffed at the dragon, eyes narrowed.
The Nightmare shrinked his snout back with a narrowed look, snarling, immediately looking irritated at the yelling, lashing his snout out with a growl, knocking Snotlout into the water.
Snotlout yelped and sputtered, bobbing back to the surface, flailing, not sure of what had just happened, unsure if he had gotten eaten or not. "Woah, aaah, Great Odin's Ghost, Oh Thor!"
He looked over to see the Nightmare's huge snout and heard a noise coming from him. Was that dragon laughing at him? Sure sounded like it.
Snotlout's eyes went narrow, growling. "Ugh." He started swimming to the shore, glaring up at the dragon. "Stupid dragon. I should kill you for this."
The dragon snarled and Snotlout yelped when he was suddenly picked up in its jaws, crying out with fear, the dragon tossing him aside with an angry growl, bobbing his head around, looking annoyed.
Snotlout's shoulder hit the ground, rolling a little, shaking his head as he looked up just in time to see the Nightmare snort, puffing out a billow of smoke in his direction.
"Hmmph." Snotlout scowled, getting to his feet, starting to get annoyed. "You sure are one stubborn dragon. You enjoying yourself?" He called out with a huff, wringing out his hair.
The Nightmare blinked, seeming to smirk, snorting again, warbles escaping his throat with a sort of happy purr.
Snotlout scowled at him, disliking his reaction, eyeing the dragon suspiciously. "So um…you're not going to eat me?" He questioned lowly, still unsure.
His whole life he had been taught to fear and kill dragons that was all he's ever known. He had just attempted to kill this one but how could he kill the dragon now if it didn't even pose as a threat?
Wasn't that wrong to kill the innocent? He didn't know.
The dragon cocked his head as he looked at Snotlout, as if he was questioning him, inching forward a little.
He began sniffing the boy, taking in his scent, snorting, letting out a noise, suddenly snatching up Snotlout's helmet in his teeth, startling him.
"Hey! Give that back!" He growled, watching as the dragon starting gnawing on the horns, seeming to enjoy chewing on it, looking pleased.
"H-Hey! Quit it!" Snotlout frowned as he watched, not wanting to get his helmet wrecked, knowing his dad will kill him if he found out, reaching out for it with grabby hands to snatch it away. "Give it!"
He yanked it out of the Nightmare's huge teeth, helmet now coated and dripping with saliva.
The dragon froze with piercing eyes, giving Snotlout a death-glare and a growl, making Snotlout's eyes widen, frowning suddenly with fear. "Oh no."
The Dragon slapped him hard with his tail, sending Snotlout flying, tumbling and somersaulting over himself across the grass, crying out.
And then he heard that sound from the dragon again, that laughing sound.
Snotlout growled, frustrated, pushing himself up off his stomach, whipping around to glare. "I don't have to take this you know!" He put his dripping-with-saliva-helmet on his head, starting to stomp off. "I'm goin' home! I get pushed around enough by my father as it is." He snorted lowly.
The Nightmare seemed to frown, cocking his head, craning his neck after Snotlout, starting to follow after him.
Snotlout tensed, eyes narrowing again. "Hey! You can't come home with me! Stay put you stupid dragon….." He kept marching off, hearing the dragon snort and then fly away, turning to see it was gone.
He blinked, the woods suddenly strangely quiet and an odd feeling filled his chest.
He realized he suddenly missed the dragon being there with him, not used to the feeling, immediately trying to put it out of his mind, knowing it was wrong to be thinking like this.
But yet, what everybody else had told him about the dragons seemed to be wrong, so why shouldn't this be wrong?
The next day at Dragon Training, Snotlout was thinking hard, admittedly distracted by the dragon they were supposed to be fighting, a quick-on-her-feet Deadly Nadder, currently chasing after Fishlegs.
"Find it's blind-spot!" Gobber was shouting. "The rest of ye, get in there an' help! Snotlout!"
"H-Huh?!" Snotlout head jerked up, looking up with surprise. "Oh."
He started to jog towards the dragon with axe in hand, stopping as the twins suddenly burst in before he could, surrounding the dragon to attack with Astrid on the opposite surrounding side.
"Hiccup, get in there!" Gobber shouted.
The dragon roared and slashed her tail at the twins, knocking them over completely, whipping around to face Astrid, blasting at her, flapping into the air to avoid any more attacks, squawking.
"Snotlout, your turn, do something!"
Snotlout's eyes widened and then narrowed, huffing, chucking his axe upwards, the dragon blocking the weapon with her horn, sending it flying, shooting several spikes down at them angrily, sending them jumping back.
"What do you do when a dragon is airborne? How do you get it down?" Gobber continued.
"Heh, rip it's wings off…..!" Tuffnut smirked happily, chuckling with his sister.
"That's one way to put it! Now get her down from there, kids!"
The dragon was circling above them, roaring with agitation, her spikes ready to shoot, eyeing them all wearily, like a buzzard.
"Quick, throw me up there!" Tuffnut grinned. "Okay!" Ruff agreed, letting Tuffnut step onto her hands as she bent down, lifting him up with a toss, making him face plant onto the ground, immediately bursting into laughter at him.
The others pretty much ignored them, Astrid taking her turn at throwing her axe, the dragon slashing it away with her tail, squawking with anger, suddenly diving down, claws spread apart, ready to snatch them.
The teens gasped and jumped out of the way, except for Hiccup, who unfortunately was the one to get grabbed, getting hauled up into the air as high as she could go, yelling out and screaming.
"Hiccup!" Gobber shouted, the other teens looking up to gawk, startled.
Astrid jumped over to Fishlegs and ripped the axe out of his hands, tossing it straight into the air, luckily managing to hit the dragon who dropped Hiccup in surprise.
"Whoah! Aaaaaahhhhh!" Hiccup screamed as he fell through the air, falling ontop of Fishlegs before he could react, knocking him to the ground.
Snotlout watched as the dragon suddenly dove down, suddenly coming straight at him and he gasped, eyes going huge with fear.
The Nadder stopped right in front of him, cocking her head and sniffing at him, and Snotlout couldn't move, both frightened yet confused, looking at her closely, remembering how the Monstrous Nightmare had behaved.
It never seemed to have the will to attack, unless it was angry or felt threatened. So if he didn't do anything to aggravate her, she wouldn't attack him, right?
He watched her, unmoving and it appeared as if it was working. She was sniffing him and slowly her narrowed eyes became friendly, squawking curiously. Snotlout blinked, eyes softening, the corners of his lips slowly quirking into a smile, almost amazed.
Suddenly there came a clang as Astrid chucked her axe at the beast, the blade hitting the wall behind them, making Snotlout gasp and flinch from the loud sound.
The dragon didn't like it either and her head whipped around with an angry squawk, turning to run at Astrid to attack, defending herself, shooting spikes at her, Astrid dodging and jumping aside to avoid them.
Snotlout watched her with wide eyes as she ran, seeing her nearly collide into Hiccup and Fishlegs, who the dragon turned her attention to instead. She attacked with her spikes and then her magnesium blasts, wings spread out in defense, squawking and snorting at the teens as she knocked them away and kept them busy.
Snotlout frowned, beginning to understand and realise that this dragon was only defending herself. They were the ones attacking her.
Just like him with the Nightmare; he had tried to attack him and then the dragon defended himself. But he didn't kill Snotlout. If he wanted to, he would've by now.
And this Nadder; if she really was out to kill and wanted to eat them, she certainly would have done it by now.
No, this was all different, this was starting to form a connection, one Snotlout had never even thought to consider before.
And he was determined to make sense of it now.
"Hey dragon…" Snotlout sing-songed, making his way through the forest, looking around sort of timidly, not sure if he would see him or not. He carried no weapon this time, remembering how that spiel had went down the first time and he did not want to end up in another tree.
"Come on …..I know you're around here somewhere….where are you?" He hopped over a log, ducking under some branches, pursing his lips together as he searched, hoping he could find him.
"Ugh…..come on already!" He was starting to get impatient now, having been wandering around for what felt like hours. "Show yourself you stupid dragon!" He snapped.
Snotlout heard a loud snort and looked over to see an angry snout pop up from behind some rocks a ways off, glowing eyes narrowed at him.
Despite the dragon's angry look, Snotlout grinned, perking up. "Heeeyyy! There you are!"
He started coming over, completely forgetting about the fears he once had associated with him previously. The dragon's eyes softened and he cocked his head a little, watching Snotlout jog over.
"You remember me, right? I jus' wanted to-"
The dragon suddenly growled at him lowly as Snotlout got close, making the Viking freeze, eyes widening. "Whoa, hey, it's alright…..I'm not here to hurt you. It's me, Snotlout. Remember?"
He watched the Nightmare who eyed him closely, eyes peering at him, large nostrils sniffing at him curiously. He then seemed to soften and relax as he took in Snotlout's scent, a low purr of a warble emitting from his throat.
Snotlout took this as a good sign, beginning to smile. "Yeah…your old chum Snotty….Right?" He stuck out a hand to pet the dragon, coming closer, earning another growl, louder this time.
He stopped and frowned, not understanding. "What's the matter?"
The dragon moved his snout away from the hand, not trusting the teen yet and Snotlout seemed to get the message, slowly pulling his hand away, letting it fall.
He thought for a moment, a realization dawning on him. "Hey, you don't have a name. I suppose you need a name so I have somethin' to call you by, huh?"
The Nightmare cocked his head, watching as Snotlout put a hand to his chin. "Hmmmmm…let's see. How about…..Fireclaw?!"
The dragon's eyes narrowed and he snorted, giving Snotlout a questioning look.
"Okay, okay, Blazefire? Blazefang?" More snorts and grumbles.
"Scorchfire? Heatwave? Hotfang?" The dragon didn't seem to be approving of any of these.
"Well what do you want?! I could just name you Stupid Dragon ya know!" Snotlout snapped, huffing.
The dragon bobbed his head around with a growl, moving closer to Snotlout, biting onto his helmet, beginning to chew.
Snotlout scowled and moved away, giving it to him, knowing the dragon was going to get his way anyways.
The dragon grinned and continued to gnaw on the horns, using his claws to hold onto the helmet and keep it in place, Snotlout watching him.
"Hmmm…well, ya got claws….pretty sharp ones too…..like hooks…..how about…..Hookfang?"
The dragon looked up and lifted his head, blinking at Snotlout curiously, who grinned at the reaction.
"Well, Hookfang it is then! I like that name. Of course 'cause I came up with it…..you like that name, boy?"
Hookfang picked up the Viking helmet in his teeth, saliva dripping everywhere, tossing it at Snotlout with a snort, laughing afterwards when the helmet hit Snotlout straight in the face.
Snotlout growled angrily, scowling as he rubbed at his nose. "Hookfang…" He grumbled under his breath. He bent down to pick it up, shaking his head, having forgotten how stubborn and mischievous this dragon was.
Putting his helmet back on his head, Snotlout let out a soft sigh. "Well Hookfang, I just came out to uh…ya know, check up on ya." He rocked on his toes. "How-How are ya?"
Hookfang cocked his head, snorting, moving away to lie himself down for a nap, bored.
Snotlout blinked, watching the dragon lie down and close his eyes. "Oh. You're tired huh….? Well, don't mind me, I'm just going to….."
Slowly he began to tip-toe closer, wanting to reach out and touch his rocky scales, smirking as he stuck out his hand.
"That's it, you just keep sleeping big boy….." He grinned when Hookfang didn't notice, reaching his hand out, gently putting his hand on the dragon's snout, stroking it softly.
Hookfang's eyes opened and a sort of growl escaped him, eyes flickering to Snotlout with a glare.
Snotlout frowned a little with an open mouth but nevertheless continued to pet softly, the dragon's scales rough and bumpy, but smooth.
Hookfang softened and eventually he relaxed, purring, loving the touch, happy. Snotlout grinned, amazed with himself, taking his hand away to look at it, thrilled that this dragon now trusted him enough to be petted, unable to believe this beast was so friendly, even if he was overly stubborn.
"Wow…." He breathed out. "This whole time, everyone's been wrong. You guys aren't bloody killers."
Hookfang cocked his head, letting out a snort, eyes narrowed.
Snotlout then frowned. "Imagine what everyone would think if they found this out…..oh Thor, that would be…..but knowing them, they prolly wouldn't believe it." He sighed, petting Hookfang again.
"Well Hookfang, we're jus' going to have to keep this a secret. For now anyways. Gods know what my father would do if he found out about you." He almost shuddered at the thought, not wanting to have to go through that.
Hookfang warbled softly, as if he were agreeing.
"So uh, now that I know you won't….eat me alive," Snotlout chuckled lowly, shrugging. "What should we do now?"
Hookfang scratched at his neck with a talon, looking at Snotlout curiously, letting out a soft roar, outstretching his wings.
"Oh you wanna go for a little flight?" Snotlout blinked, watching. "Oh well…..that might be cool…." He just hoped it wouldn't be the same as yesterday with all the spinning and getting tossed into a tree.
Hookfang looked at him, his snout lowered to the ground, roaring softly at Snotlout, who perked up.
"You mean….? I can, ride you?" He said lowly, hesitant. He had never ridden on a dragon before, obviously. He wasn't sure what to quite expect.
But, this dragon trusted him now. Clearly he didn't seem too eager to kill Snotlout anytime soon so what could go wrong?
He started coming over, still a little timid and afraid. "Uhhhh, okay then…..i'm about to ride a dragon then…..oh boy." He came over to the dragon's neck, eyeing it, slowly stepping over and sitting down, grabbing onto Hookfang's horns. "Uhhh, okay, okay…."
Hookfang warbled a little and bobbed his head, taking off, flying upwards.
Snotlout yelped with fear, holding on tightly to Hookfang's horns with a death-grip, fearing he would fall off. "Oh gods, oh Thor! Whoa! Okay, okay!" He looked down, eyes widening when he saw how high up they were going, his stomach churning a little.
"Okay, okay okay! Uh, you seem to know what you're doing here but uh…..i'm kinda new at the whole flying thing!" He shouted, shaking, practically ontop of Hookfang's snout, looking down fearfully. "Oh Thor."
Hookfang warbled and slowed down a little, flying smoothly through the air, not too high up but just right, the breeze helping him glide along.
Snotlout continued to shake, looking down. "Ugh, okay okay, easy…..I still don't…..whoa…." He gradually managed to relax and calm down, suddenly awed as he looked down, mesmerized by everything looking so tiny down below.
He sat back a little, looking down as they glided overhead. "Wow, this is….this is actually pretty cool." He started to grin, relaxed now, the wind blowing through his hair, giving him chills that added to his exhilaration. "I never knew flying could be so…awesome, ha ha."
Hookfang grinned and warbled a little, flying over the sea, clouds drifting past them.
"Wow….jus' think what everybody else would think if they knew what flying feels like. Bet they'd all be jealous, ha ha. Why haven't I figured this out sooner?" Snotlout grinned, enjoying himself, relaxed as he sat atop Hookfang's neck, who glided along smoothly, content happily as well.
They flew along for a short time before Hookfang started descending slowly to a nearby island.
Snotlout blinked, looking down. "Whoa boy, where we goin'? What's down there?"
Hookfang landed on his feet, warbling out as he sniffed the air, Snotlout getting off of him, wobbling on his feet a little. "Whoa, ha ha…..this place seems nice." He looked around to see trees and brush nearby, looking peaceful, everything quiet.
Hookfang started walking off and Snotlout followed, wanting to stay with him, glancing around. "Cool place, Hooky. This like your home?"
Hookfang was sniffing some flowers, growling at a bumblebee, moving along. Snotlout stayed close, looking around him with a grin, enjoying the quiet. "Man, I could get used to this place…..maybe I could come out here instead of the forest whenever I need to…uh, ya know…." His voice drifted off, pursing his lips together, thinking of his father.
They kept walking, Hookfang seemingly leading the way, Snotlout happy and content to be there with him, still taking in everything and the fact he was here with a dragon that he had just ridden, still boggled.
Another dragon suddenly appeared out of nowhere, popping up from some bushes with a snort, startling Snotlout.
"Aaaaahh! Oh Thor! Get back!" He jumped back, scrambling under Hookfang's wing to hide himself.
Hookfang's eyes widened in surprise and he snorted, reaching his snout over and grabbing Snotlout by his teeth, placing him in front of the Nadder with a huff, the dragon watching curiously, having came closer.
Snotlout flinched and cringed away, back bumping up against Hookfang's snout, trembling a little, frowning when Hookfang roared softly at him. "Uhhhhh, I-I uh….h-hi …." He gave a shaky wave, grinning nervously.
It was one thing to encounter a dragon in their training arena, but to come across one in the wild, Snotlout wasn't sure if this dragon would be friendly or not, fearing he would get eaten.
The Deadly Nadder squawked softly, sniffing, cocking his head, intrigued by Snotlout's presence.
Snotlout was watching him closely and seeing as this dragon hadn't attacked him, yet, he began to relax, reminding himself that dragons aren't the killers they were presumed to be, it was just somehow a sort of misunderstanding.
Still trembling and whimpering a little, Snotlout swallowed hard, extending a hand. "Uhhh, well, assuming you won't eat me, I'll-I'll jus'….reach my hand out….." The dragon sniffed the hand and watched it closely, snorting.
And then he leaned his head towards it, leaning in to Snotlout's touch, who froze and gawked, completely surprised. "Wh-Whoa….ha ha!" He laughed a little, Hookfang warbling softly behind him.
The Nadder was purring happily, looking content, Snotlout petting him softly.
"Th-This whole time…everyone's been wrong. This…..this changes everything…!" Snotlout mused to himself, still amazed, grinning. "Who woulda thought…..this entire time…." He took his hand away, looking back at Hookfang who raised his head a little, perking up.
Snotlout looked at him and then grinned, petting the dragon's snout smoothly, Hookfang purring. "Don't worry, Hooky…..now that I know….the-the truth, really….I'm not going to let anything happen to you. And, imma-imma try to not hurt any more dragons…..okay?"
Hookfang opened his eyes to look at his rider, letting out a happy warble in agreement, believing the fifteen-year old's words, trusting him.
Snotlout spent the entire afternoon with Hookfang, enjoying himself, never before thinking he'd ever spend time with a dragon, believing the act to be forbidden, dragons once being killers. But here he was now. And he felt happier than ever.
He hardly even remembered the time where he feared dragons anymore, that was in the past.
He lay up against Hookfang's chest, the dragon's snout in his lap as he pet him, both sitting atop a Cliffside, watching the sunset.
Previously they had explored the entire island, went fishing and chased some sheep, worry and carefree.
Snotlout's hair was damp from when they had went fishing and Hookfang had knocked him into the water, the dragon playing his mischievous tricks on his new friend of course, but he didn't care about that now.
He sighed happily. "Oh Hookfang…..this has been…..awesome. You're way more fun than my other friends back home. If you can call 'em friends." He snorted. "They're really all just mutton-heads, especially the twins. And Hiccup and Fishlegs are so useless they don't count for anything. The only one even worth talking about is Astrid, who I'm going to marry someday." He grinned, pointing to himself happily.
Hookfang let out a soft roar, listening closely. "Ahhh, but this, this is nice. Thanks Hooky." Snotlout smiled, yawning softly, watching the sun go down peacefully.
"Jus' you, me, and this pretty sun-set. Wait, sun-set?!" Snotlout suddenly sat up in alarm, making Hookfang raise his snout. "Oh no, sun-set! I-I gotta get home, Dad is gonna kill me!" He got to his feet, hurrying to Hookfang's neck to hop on. "Quick Hooky, take me back!"
The dragon gave a roar and listened, taking off into the air, flying back to Berk a little faster this time, making sure Snotlout was able to hang on and not fall off.
He flew straight to the forest, landing on his feet, watching as Snotlout started jogging off, letting out a soft roar at him, not wanting him to go.
Snotlout looked back, frowning softly. "Don't worry Hookfang, I'll be back tomorrow. I promise. Stay hidden, okay?"
Hookfang let out a soft warble, seeming to understand, watching Snotlout run off again, who called "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!"
Hookfang's eyes went narrow, snorting lowly, turning away to fly off in the opposite direction, having his own nest to get back to.
It was dark by the time Snotlout got home, bursting inside, seeing his father at the table, who stood up as soon as he saw him.
"Where have ye been?!" He growled. "You're late!"
Snotlout started to hurry inside, frowning, hoping his father wouldn't punish him for this. "I-I'm sorry dad, it jus' slipped my mind. I-"
"Ye missed dinner is what slipped yer mind. Yer mother works hard all day to cook for ye and then ye don't even bother to show up? Git upstairs!" Spitelout snapped, slapping his son's rear as he tried to sneak past him to get to his room, Snotlout yelping softly. "An' don't be late again!"
Snotlout swallowed hard and scrambled upstairs, hurrying inside his room, letting out a breath when he closed his door, knowing he was safe there. "Phew…..! Way too close….."
He came over to his bedside, sitting on the edge of his bed, picking up his stuffed yak-doll his mother made for him, holding it close with a soft sigh. Holding his toy he was suddenly reminded of Hookfang, missing him, realizing the feeling of loneliness was starting to creep up his chest. Spending the day with Hookfang made him realize he had made a new friend. A best friend even.
He never thought he'd ever have a best friend, certainly not a dragon.
And he never thought he'd ever actually…..miss having a best friend as a dragon.
At dragon training the following day, Snotlout found himself dodging and leaping away from the snapping jaws of the Hideous Zippleback currently chasing him and Hiccup.
The walls of the maze had been set up in the arena so him and the other teens were forced to dash and zip around corners to avoid crashing into them and dodge any walls that got knocked over during the chase.
The Zippleback gave a roar as it dodged around a tight corner, trying to nip at Snotlout, who nearly tripped, yelping.
"Quit runnin' you two!" Gobber shouted. "Fight back!"
Snotlout glanced back, scowling, looking over at Hiccup who scrambled desperately on his feet, leaping away around a different corner. "Really?!" Snotlout growled at him, the Zippleback still coming after him.
One head snapped at him, the other head attempting to go around the corner after Hiccup, obviously failing, turning his attention back to Snotlout, who was losing his patience, growling. "Alright, that's it sparky!"
He whipped around, stopping on his feet, sticking out his hand, eyes narrowed at the dragon before him, who skidded to a stop, roaring curiously at him.
Snotlout growled, sticking out his hand, scratching the left head's chin, reaching out his opposite hand to do the same to the other, scratching both of their chins hurriedly, his fingernails bumping against their rough scales.
The Zippleback's eyes widened, roaring out softly, relaxing, letting out a purr-like noise, both of their heads dropping to the ground below him as the dragon collapsed with happiness, lying limply, both heads smiling.
Snotlout was amazed that it had actually worked, grinning at his hands, looking at the fallen dragon before him.
"Well done Snotlout!" He heard Gobber shout in approval, making Snotlout perk up, spotting the rest of the teens peeking their heads around the corner, looking awed, making Snotlout grin boastfully, puffing out his chest.
If only his dad could see him now! He just took down an entire dragon!
But he just didn't want his dad to know the real reason behind his success, knowing his dad would practically murder him for befriending a dragon.
But Spitelout wasn't going to find out, nobody else would. Snotlout was going to make sure Hookfang stayed safe because he didn't want anyone to hurt his new friend. And no one was going to.
"Hey Hooky," Snotlout greeted when he finally found his friend in the woods, relieved with a smile. Hookfang warbled at him and sniffed him as a greeting, snorting happily at the familiar scent, grinning, having missed spending time with his human companion.
Snotlout put a hand to the dragon's snout, petting him smoothly, glad to see him again. "Missed me huh? Yeah, I missed you too ya stupid dragon…." He smirked at Hookfang, who gave him a mean look, puffing out a billow of smoke at him, not liking to be insulted.
Snotlout held back a laugh, amused. "Well Hooky, what should we do today?"
Going to the woods to visit Hookfang became a daily routine for Snotlout, who went and hung out with his friend directly after Dragon Training, coming home just before dark to his parents, who were starting to notice Snotlout's numerous disappearances.
It was mainly his mother, who worried for her son, asking where he was going every afternoon. "I haven't seen you around the village in the afternoons, Snotty…where ya been runnin' off to?"
Snotlout looked up from his drink, glancing a little nervously at his father who eyed him. "Oh. I've been training, Mom. In the woods. Battle tactics." He grinned, hoping they'd buy the lie, which they pretty much did.
Hookfang and Snotlout not only grew closer but Snotlout was doing exceptionally well in dragon training now, thanks to all the tips he had picked up from spending time with Hookfang.
When his father heard the good news, he was immediately pleased but Astrid completely disapproved of the teen's sudden success, starting to train harder and harder, trying to be the best warrior possible, not able to understand how some clumsy dolt like Snotlout could possibly be at the top of the class.
How he managed to take down a dragon in a matter of seconds was beyond her, she was baffled, unable to believe it. The only explanation she believed was that Snotlout was cheating and she was about ready to confront him, irritated, and though she would never ever admit it, a tad bit jealous.
But Snotlout was of course pleased with himself and his success and he loved spending time with Hookfang, he couldn't be more impressed. He still hadn't told anybody about his discovery of the dragons and certainly not about Hookfang, enjoying the time away from the village and his home, loving how there were less opportunities for his father to beat him and that there were more chances for him to boast to the others about how well he was doing in the ring, taking any chance he could get to brag.
Hookfang enjoyed the time spent with his human companion as well, always waiting in the same spot for him to arrive, lighting up in flame happily when he saw him approaching, usually chewing on the teen's helmet contently, liking to provoke his rider with mischievous pranks and tricks, the teen always mumbling his name angrily under his breath, making him laugh.
Hookfang had never been friends with a human before, but admittedly, he liked it, enjoying the boy's company, especially loving when he got scratched and rubbed and petted. The two flew together every day as well and Snotlout was slowly getting better and better about being able to stay on and not destroy Hookfang's eardrums with his piercing screams.
Ultimately the two enjoyed each other's company, glad to have a friend to hang out with.
Snotlout was just happy he found an excuse to get away from his father. That is until the night of the dragon raid…
Boom!
Snotlout yelped, nearly falling out of his bed to the floor, the house shaking and creaking uneasily, making him gulp with fear, trying to figure out what was going on.
He could make out loud sounds and yells coming from outside, another boom sending him to the floor this time. He yelped and could see flames outside his window, finally figuring out that another dragon raid was happening.
He could hear his father's booming voice from the other room and he started scrambling to his feet, hurrying out, clutching his yak-doll close, watching as Spitelout burst out from his parent's room, his mother not far behind.
"Come on son, git out of the house, the dragons are at it again!" His father growled, racing downstairs and grabbing his axe, June urging Snotlout to follow them as well in case the house caught aflame.
Snotlout hurried after his mother naturally; this had been a routine for him his entire life, he had ran out of his house during raids more times than he could count.
His mother raced out after grabbing her weapons, Snotlout coming out after her, gasping when he saw all the dragons in the air, buildings and huts already aflame and burning to the ground, people everywhere screaming and yelling.
Watching the dragons dive and soar past, Snotlout's eyes widened as realization struck him, gasping. "Oh no…..Hookfang!"
He immediately turned to take off for the forest, heart suddenly racing, knowing he had to find his dragon, wanting to make sure he was alright, unsure if he would be participating in the raid or not.
He jogged hurriedly, ducking underneath branches and pushing aside brush, trying his best not to trip, struggling to see through the dark, though it was near dawn so it wasn't completely black out.
Snotlout panted as he ran, looking around with wide eyes, able to hear faint explosions and distant yelling behind him.
"H-Hookfang! Hookfang? Hooky, you here? Where are you?!" He shouted, stumbling over a log, frowning as he kept running, wanting to see the familiar snout of his reptile friend.
He was getting deeper into the forest now, coming close to the usual spot where he and Hookfang met each other every afternoon, looking around everywhere. "Hookfang!"
"Rrrrroooooaaaarrrr!"
Snotlout whipped his head around, perking up. "Hookfang?"
Glowing yellow eyes peered at Snotlout through the bushes and he could hear the dragon moving, his snout slowly coming into view but Snotlout quickly realized this dragon was not at all Hookfang.
Instead it was a wild Razorwhip who did not look at all pleased, growling lowly, sounding angry.
Snotlout gasped and started to step back, reaching a shaking hand out to show the dragon he meant no harm, going to pet him, the dragon recoiling back on his hind legs with a hiss, roaring furiously, raising his claws to attack.
Snotlout screamed, nearly falling back, suddenly frozen. "N-No, no don't!"
The Razorwhip roared and lashed his claws out, slicing at Snotlout's chest, drawing blood deeply, knocking the Viking teen down, who cried out in pain, startled.
"Aaaaahhh!" His hand flew to his chest, claw marks sliced into his skin, bleeding heavily already, coating his palm in blood that ran down his fingers, making him gasp.
The dragon roared again and Snotlout gasped with fear, not having any time to react before the dragon wrapped its tail around him and picked him up, throwing him against a tree, his back slamming up against the bark painfully.
He yelped with pain as he landed, gasping to breathe, wheezing, shaking, the dragon's snorting and angry growls filling his ears, lifting his head in a daze, trying to get his vision to focus, seeing stars.
He felt himself getting picked up again and Snotlout screamed, squirming and kicking helplessly, trying his best not to cry, hurting and in pain. "H-Help! Help me!"
The Razorwhip growled and roared at the screaming, about to throw Snotlout again, an axe striking him in the leg making him drop him instead.
Snotlout landed on his rear with an 'oof', startled, not knowing what had happened, rubbing at his head, seeing the dragon whip around, suddenly hearing voices.
"Ye leave me son alone ya big ugly carnivore!"
Snotlout knew that voice anywhere. "Dad? Dad!"
"Come on! Pick on someone your own size!" Stoick was shouting. The Chief? The Chief was here too, Snotlout mused to himself, baffled, having no clue how they had gotten there.
The two were now fighting off the dragon, Stoick using his axe, Spitelout using his bare hands, having already tossed his axe, both screaming and shouting at the angry Razorwhip before them, fighting it off until it finally gave a roar of defeat and flew away, though injured from the men's attacks.
Snotlout shakeningly got to his feet, blinking away tears as he was still trying to regain his composure, swaying on his feet a little, still dazed. His chest stung and he could feel his shirt getting soaked with blood.
Stoick was suddenly standing there in front of him, looking sort of sympathetic, bent down to his level. "Snotlout, you alright son? Are ya hurt?"
Before Snotlout could answer, his father was suddenly beside him and Snotlout felt him punch his arm hard, making the boy yelp and cower, rubbing his arm painfully, whimpering. "I-I-I am now….."
Spitelout glared down at him, looking furious. "What do ye think ye were doin' out here, boy-o? Providin' a snack for the wild beasts eh, were ya?! Ye nearly got yerself killed! How many times do I have to tell ye not to run off like that?" He snapped, snatching a fistful of Snotlout's ripped shirt, starting to drag him off. "Let's git home, right now!"
Snotlout stumbled on his feet, whimpering as his father pulled and tugged on him. "B-B-But Dad, I-I was jus'-"
"Shut up!" Spitelout snapped, punching Snotlout's arm again. "I'm sick of listenin' to yer bloody excuses!"
Snotlout whimpered, frowning deeply, still shaken up and bleeding, stumbling over his feet as his father dragged him back towards the village.
"Uhh Spitelout….." Stoick stated in a low tone, trying to remind his comrade not to be so harsh with his son.
"Don't worry Stoick," Spitelout huffed. "Jus' gonna take 'em home an' git 'em cleaned up, that's all, the bloody, clumsy devil…." He growled under his breath, making Snotlout frown deeply, wishing his father would quit pulling on him already.
He then heard a low noise, sounding like a growl, coming from the bushes. He looked over, spotting Hookfang peeking out nearby, eyes widened and narrowed distrustfully, looking at Snotlout worriedly, bobbing his head around, wanting to come over to help him, seeing he was in distress.
Snotlout frowned and quickly shook his head no at him with big eyes, making sure Stoick and his father didn't see. "No Hooky….." He hissed under his breath, trying to wordlessly tell his dragon he was okay.
Hookfang frowned, not seeming to buy it, watching Snotlout continue to get dragged off, warbling almost painfully, shrinking back reluctantly, wanting to help his rider desperately, disappearing nonetheless, much to Snotlout's relief.
He suddenly tripped as his father dragged him off, stumbling, frowning deeply at the back of his father's head with big eyes, wishing he'd just let go of him already, his chest still hurting and bleeding badly.
But his father hadn't spotted Hookfang and that was more important right now, knowing his friend was still safe and still a secret.
Snotlout wandered back into the woods the next day after training, smiling faintly at Hookfang, who quickly began to sniff him, warbling out loudly, sounding relieved.
Hookfang went rigid when he sniffed his friend, able to smell traces of blood and exhaustion, sensing pain emitting from the Viking, roaring softly at Snotlout with concern, eyes big.
Snotlout frowned softly at him, indeed tired and still sore, grabbing Hookfang's snout gently with his hands. "It's alright, Hooky, I'm okay."
Hookfang's eyes went narrowed with a look of disbelief, sniffing at Snotlout's eye, warbling out, his tail swishing back and forth with anxiousness.
Snotlout put a hand to his eye where his father had punched him. "It's okay, Hookfang. I'm fine." He forced a small smile, leaning against Hookfang's snout to nuzzle him, rubbing his scales gently.
Hookfang let out a small growl but then relaxed, letting Snotlout lean against him, able to sense how tired the boy was, having seen how slow he had been moving on his feet.
Snotlout smiled at him softly, enjoying his dragon's comfort, glad he had him to go to when he needed him.
Hookfang warbled and gently picked up Snotlout by the back of his tunic, lying him up against his belly, placing his snout in the boy's lap respectively, getting comfortable for a nap, purring softly when Snotlout started petting him. "Thanks Hookfang."
Hookfang remained still, comforted by the petting, listening closely until he heard his rider's snores, relaxing, telling himself it was okay to go to sleep now, snout still curled up affectionately in Snotlout's lap.
He then made a promise that he wasn't going to let anybody else hurt his rider again, not if he could help it. He was going to protect Snotlout, from anybody who tried to hurt him again, especially from those bad men that dragged his precious rider off last night and did this to him.
He wasn't going to let them hurt his rider ever again.
To Be Continued...
Thoughts?