What Should Have Been Part 2
The next day went back to normal, Snotlout going to the forest to visit Hookfang after training, even though he was supposed to be helping with repairs in the village.
After the dragon raid, Spitelout had left to accompany Stoick and the other Vikings on the voyage to find the nest of the dragons so Snotlout was off the hook for now and he was glad, quite relieved to have his father out of the picture for awhile, able to relax and enjoy himself for once, getting to spend some time with his mother also.
Snotlout was still the top-dog in dragon training, though Astrid was trying her absolute best to overpower him, coming in at a close second.
But then the next day, something strange happened. Hiccup somehow managed to coax the Hideous Zippleback into his cage before Snotlout could even get the chance. Everyone stared, baffled, Snotlout blinking in dismay, frowning that somehow had beat him to the job.
He frowned especially because it was Hiccup the Useless no less who had somehow upstaged him.
Hiccup looked at the others with a nervous grin, seeming distracted. "Okay, so we done here?"
Nobody had even answered him before he was already slipping away, seeming all too eager to get out of there, leaving everyone to stare open-mouthed.
This started to become a daily occurrence in the arena, Hiccup taking down each dragon who came near him, way before Snotlout could, infuriating him, starting to think Hiccup had just copied him and his techniques, furious that Hiccup would cheat like that.
It was starting to become a competition in the ring and though Snotlout tried his best to be gentle and friendly with the dragons in the ring, Hiccup was beating him and doing better than him every single time.
Astrid meanwhile was trying to do better than the two boys as well, though she used her weapons and battle tactics, which ultimately wasn't the best when it came to the dragons, though sometimes it worked. But of course she didn't understand the dragons weren't enemies, not knowing any better.
Snotlout was getting frustrated with Hiccup, ready to beat the yak-dung out of him for doing a better job than him, about ready to confront the little pip-squeak. He had been complaining about the chief's son to Hookfang for days now, not understanding how the little Viking could just copy him and get away with it.
Hookfang just rolled his eyes at him and snorted out of boredom, but Snotlout didn't care. He just wanted to be at the top.
One day, Snotlout saw his chance to get his revenge, spotting Hiccup making his way through the forest on his way to visit Hookfang.
Snotlout smirked and started to follow after him, making sure he wasn't seen, keeping his distance, following Hiccup into the cove as the boy slid down the hill, Snotlout not far behind.
He poked his head up, grinning down below at him. "Hey Hiccup!"
He snickered when he saw Hiccup jump and stumble over his feet a little with a yelp. "Sn-Sn-Snotlout!"
"Where do you think you're going?!" Snotlout huffed, starting to slide down after him, a tough expression of amusement upon his face.
Hiccup began to stutter, looking a little nervous and startled, glancing back over his shoulder once. "Uh, uh, uh, I was jus'-"
"Don't bother!" Snotlout snapped, poking a finger at his chest. "I got a bone to pick with you, Haddock! You think you can just copy all my awesome moves in the ring and upstage me? You got another thing comin'!" Snotlout gave him a rough shove, almost knocking the scrawny boy over.
"Uh, uh, I-I don't-I dunno what you're talking about, Snotlout," Hiccup stumbled, stuttering over his words, eyes wide, looking over his shoulder again.
Snotlout snorted with a smirk, shoving Hiccup again. "Ha! You liar! Of course you know, you little copycat cheater! I'm calling you out!" He punched his palm happily with a fist, enjoying himself, holding back laughter at Hiccup's frightened expression, watching the boy stumble over himself.
"Snotlout, uh, I uh-"
Snotlout, irritated with Hiccup's nonsense stuttering, punched the teen's arm, sending him to the ground, smirking down at him happily. "Ha! You better start-"
Suddenly there was a low rumbling sound and what sounded like growling from nearby, making Snotlout look up, a dark form suddenly flashing before him, finding himself suddenly thrown onto his backside, looking up into bright green eyes with the pupils narrowed into slits, purely terrifying growls coming from the dragon pinning him down.
Snotlout gasped and began to scream, kicking, terrified as the dragon's wings were spread, raising his head to fire. "Aaaaahh aaaaahhhh aaaaah! Help!"
Hiccup was shouting something but Snotlout barely heard him, squirming and kicking in an attempt to get away, continuing to cry out, screaming at the top of his lungs, terrified that a Night Fury was about to kill him.
Suddenly another roar sounded, extremely loud and deafening, sounding murderous and the Night Fury was no longer ontop of him, startling Snotlout, who looked up in shock.
He saw Hookfang knocking the other dragon away, roaring ferociously, bobbing his head and snapping his teeth, standing in front of Snotlout protectively with outstretched wings, blocking the Night Fury's attacks as the dragon tried to lunge forward.
Wide-eyed and frightened, Snotlout got to his feet, scrambling over, raising his hands into the air as he ran in front of Hookfang. "Hookfang, Hookfang stop! It's alright, it's okay!
"Toothless stop!" Hiccup was shouting something but Snotlout had completely forgotten he was even there, only focusing on trying to get Hookfang calmed down, his dragon seeming beyond raging mad, snarling and snorting, pacing anxiously, glaring daggers at the Night Fury, holding back his flames.
"Easy Hooky, I'm alright, I'm okay!"
"Hooky?!" Hiccup seemed to shout, making Snotlout whip his head around, seeing Hiccup standing before his dragon as well, seeming to do the same thing as him, though he really seemed to be paying more attention to Snotlout, looking shocked.
Snotlout's eyes went narrow, scowling. "Hookfang, actually!"
"You mean you have a dragon too?!"
"Of course I have a-wait, you have a dragon?" Snotlout then took a good look, eyes widening when he realized the Night Fury that had just attacked him was indeed at Hiccup's side, appearing quite obedient and docile, though he was growling at Hookfang a little. Snotlout did a double take, not understanding, jaw dropping open.
"Uh, this-this is Toothless." Hiccup stuttered a little, seeming just as shocked as Snotlout was, eyeing Hookfang. "I trained him. How-How did you….?"
"I trained mine too!" Snotlout huffed, pointing at himself. "Hookfang's my dragon!"
"Wh-When? H-How? I-I didn't even know you-" Hiccup was shaking his head as he stuttered, seeming half-shocked and half-impressed all at once.
"Why do you need to know when I trained him, what's it to you? When did you train yours?!" Snotlout almost snapped.
"Uh, I uh….it-it doesn't matter. I-I had no idea that you had trained a dragon Snotlout," Hiccup was starting to grin. "This means you and I, we, we're the first ones to discover the truth about dragons, finally, someone else knows! Do you know what this means Snotlout?"
"Uhhhhhh," Snotlout drawled, frowning. "We're like fugitives?"
"Ye-what, no." Hiccup shook his head, wrinkling his nose, coming over to Snotlout, grabbing his arm. "It means, Snotlout, that we both have trained a dragon and now we both have something in common and I can actually talk about this to someone without having to keep it a secret! Oh this is great!"
Despite Hiccup's excitement, Snotlout frowned, eyes drifting over to Toothless, eyeing him, slowly coming over, the dragon seeming calm at the moment. "So you're saying you actually trained a Night Fury?" He stopped beside the dragon, raising a brow at all the equipment and prosthetic tail-fin strapped onto him. "Wait, what's all this?" He frowned.
"I uh, shot him down and found him in the woods," Hiccup sounded guilty, swaying on his toes. "Had to make him a new tail-fin for him to be able to fly."
Snotlout had made his way back over to Hookfang, who sniffed him closely, double-checking to make sure his rider was for sure okay.
"How did you meet yours?" Hiccup questioned, nodding to the pair.
Snotlout started to grin, scratching at Hookfang's chest softly. "I found him in the woods and then I started trainin' him."
Hookfang gave a little snort, outstretching his neck, seeming to sniff Hiccup cautiously, growling lowly. "Whoa hey Hooky, it's okay. This is Hiccup."
Hookfang sniffed and Hiccup smiled, reaching out a hand to scratch under the dragon's chin softly. "Hey Hookfang…..how you doing, buddy?"
Hookfang began to purr and smiled happily at the scratching, falling over onto his side, warbling loudly, quite pleased.
"Whoa," Snotlout blinked, watching. "He's never done that before….."
Hiccup glanced at him with a shrug, smiling. "He seems great, Snotlout. And he came to protect you. That says a lot."
"Well of course he came to protect me," Snotlout huffed, pointing to his chest. "I'm the best guy he's ever met." He saw Toothless was coming up to him and he flinched away a little, slightly fearful at the dragon who sniffed him.
Hiccup started coming over. "It's alright, he won't hurt you. He's just getting to know you, aren't you bud?"
Toothless sniffed Snotlout closely, warbling lowly with a smile, seeming to accept him, which Snotlout took for a good sign. "Wow. So the deadliest dragon of all isn't so deadly after all either, huh?" Snotlout petted Toothless's nose softly, grinning.
"Nope." Hiccup teetered on his feet. "Everything we've been told about dragons is wrong. I-I haven't met one dragon whose tried to kill me yet."
"What about in the ring?" Snotlout whipped around to shoot him a look, huffing.
Hiccup's eyebrows raised, shrugging his shoulders around. "That-that was different."
"So I guess this all explains how you've been doing so well in the ring huh? Jus' like me." Snotlout looked at the ground, lips pursed together.
Hiccup slowly nodded. "Yeah. Isn't it weird? Us being the only ones knowing? Jus' think what it would be like if everyone knew? We wouldn't have to kill dragons anymo-"
"Well why don't we just tell them then?" Snotlout wrinkled his nose, shrugging. "I've been keeping this a secret for a lon-"
"And it needs to stay a secret," Hiccup frowned at him, shaking his head no, putting a gentle hand on Toothless's snout. "Don't you understand Snotlout? They'd never believe us. No no, if we told them, they'd kill our dragons, they'd come after them, we can't do that to them."
"Well there's gotta be some way to change their minds…." Snotlout scowled softly, trying to think.
"Believe me, I've tried to come up with a way to make that possible but, I-I jus' dunno if it's possible Snotlout….not-not with my dad as chief."
"So we still gotta keep it a secret them…?" Snotlout mused slowly, eyes downcast.
Hiccup nodded, looking just as awkward and crest-fallen.
"Well, as long as Hookfang stays safe," Snotlout pet his dragon affectionately, who purred at him. "That's all I care about."
"Agreed." Hiccup nuzzled Toothless softly, smiling gently. "I'll try and come up with a way. Eventually."
Snotlout gave a little nod, glancing at Toothless again. "So. Can you two fly?"
Hiccup blinked. "Uh, uh, y-yeah, yeah. Can you two?"
Snotlout almost laughed. "Of course I can!" Hookfang snorted and blew a puff of smoke into his face, knocking his helmet off his head, laughing. "Hookfang…..!" Snotlout growled at him.
"Well, since we now both have trained dragons, whatta ya say we go on a flight together?" Hiccup shrugged, already starting to climb onto Toothless's back.
Snotlout snorted a little, smirking as he picked up his helmet. "Of course….if it means getting to show how much better I am at flying than you!" Hookfang snorted at him as he started to get on his neck. "We, how much better We are at flying," Snotlout rolled his eyes, glaring at Hookfang, hating his attitude.
Hiccup raised a brow at his friend as he watched him got on. "You don't have a saddle. Hey, I could make one for you." He offered with a grin.
"A saddle?" Snotlout blinked, not having even thought about that. "Uh sure, I guess if you're the one sorry enough to make it for me." He huffed, smirking.
Hiccup just shrugged, shaking his head. "Sure Snotlout. Come on, Toothless, let's go." He smiled at his dragon, who started to outstretch his wings with a happy purr.
Snotlout grinned at Hookfang, who did the same. "Okay Hooky! Now show these losers who's boss!"
Hookfang grinned and took off into the air at full-speed, Snotlout nearly falling off, Hookfang laughing at him mischievously. "Hookfang!" Snotlout screeched, struggling to hold on.
Hiccup couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, brow raised at his friend, Toothless taking off after the Nightmare into the sky, the dragons starting to fly beside each other through the clouds once Hookfang had slowed down.
Hiccup grinned as he looked over at the pair, amused and still dismayed at the fact that Snotlout had managed to train a dragon just like him, impressed yet just a tad concerned for him as it didn't quite seem like his dragon listened to him very well.
But nevertheless, this opened a new opportunity for him, for Snotlout too, because now they had a reason to share their secret between each other, but yet still keep it secret from everybody else.
"How is your dragon so calm?!" Snotlout shouted, looking over as he gripped Hookfang's horns as tight as he could, struggling to hang on as the dragon bobbed his neck around, Hookfang trying to show off for his new friend Toothless, laughing.
Hiccup was watching them, chuckling softly. "Well, maybe because he listens to me. Which yours doesn't appear to be doing."
"Hookfang listens to me!" Snotlout snapped in defense, shrieking out when Hookfang suddenly starting diving straight down, having spotted a sheep. "Hookfang!"
Hiccup watched as Snotlout struggled with Hookfang who came back to Toothless's side, warbling softly. "It seems you two have quite the relationship, Snotlout." He mused softly, smirking.
Snotlout looked over, scowling softly. "Yeah? Well I still can't believe you somehow managed to train a Night Fury!"
"Fair point. But still, I never thought I'd see you flying on top of a dragon."
Snotlout just huffed, trying to look boastful. "Well I am, so deal with it. Hookfang and I are like buddies. Now how do you get yours to listen to you so well?"
Hiccup was smirking, holding back his chuckles, glancing down at Toothless, who purred. "Well, he just knows how to listen, I guess. Besides that he is very well trained." Now Hiccup was taking his own chance to boast.
Snotlout snorted at him. "Whatever. I don't need Hookfang to listen to me anyways. He's his own man, Hiccup!"
Hookfang roared happily, lighting himself aflame with pride, smirking at Toothless, ignoring Snotlout who shrieked. "Hookfang!"
Hiccup and Toothless just laughed at them.
Now the daily routine for Snotlout became: go to Dragon Training, compete with Hiccup and Astrid to take down the dragon first, which Hiccup was somehow still doing a better job at than him, then slip away into the forest with Hiccup to meet up with their dragons, going out for afternoon flights.
Hiccup was doing his best to teach Snotlout and Hookfang how to get closer to one another, but Hookfang seemed to always have a mind of his own and didn't care too much for listening so eventually they left it be. Snotlout didn't seem to mind too much anyways, though he did find it annoying.
Hiccup had also made Snotlout his own saddle, which helped the teen immensely to be able to hang on when Hookfang decided to "do his own thing" while airborne.
Overall, things were going great and Hiccup and Snotlout were even starting to become…..friends.
They had always been friends since they were little but thanks to the influence from his father, Snotlout had became a bully to Hiccup over the years, doing his best to show he was more dominant, that he should be the one to become chief, pushing Hiccup around aggressively, boating and picking fights.
But now, thanks to the dragons, it was like they were little child-hood playmates again, slowly starting to become close. And Snotlout realized Hiccup wasn't actually that bad. Besides the fact he had trained a Night Fury, the most dangerous dragon of all.
"So just to be clear, you didn't tell anyone about them, right?" Hiccup asked him lowly one day.
"Of course I didn't!" Snotlout snorted with a sneer. "Why would I do that?"
"Well, I didn't think you did I just wanted to make sure our secret is still a secret…." Hiccup shrugged, petting Toothless distractedly.
"Well it is. So you can back off." Snotlout huffed, looking smug.
Hiccup licked his lips, looking away. "I wonder how long it'll stay a secret." He mused lowly. "They might figure it out soon. We can't keep cheating like this forever."
"Yeah, and you need to stop being so popular in the ring!" Snotlout scowled at him, jealous of Hiccup's new popularity and success in the arena. "I'm supposed to be at the top of the class!"
Hiccup didn't look sorry, shrugging. "It's not like I'm trying to do so well. Everyone thinks I'm actually good at defending off dragons."
"And what about the Monstrous Nightmare? One of us is going to be chosen soon…..I-I don't wanna kill a dragon in front of everyone, not with the whole village watching, not with my dad watching! I can't do that!" Snotlout frowned, wide-eyed.
"You won't have to." Hiccup frowned softly at him. "I-I'll make sure I'm the one to face it off."
Snotlout snorted at him, thinking Hiccup just wanted to be the best. "Hmmph. Showoff." He was glad though he wouldn't have to kill a dragon with his father watching though, not wanting to be completely humiliated in front of the entire village.
At least if Hiccup failed to show everyone the truth, he'd be the one to get punished for it, not him.
"So you're really gonna try and prove everyone wrong, huh?" Snotlout said lowly, looking at the ground.
Hiccup sighed, turning to face him. "Yeah. I just want the fighting to stop. These dragons don't deserve to die if they're innocent. And if I have the chance to make peace between them, then I have to try."
Snotlout nodded slowly, ignoring Hookfang who was sniffing him. "Hmmm. Noble." He commented, looking away.
Hiccup didn't really answer, pursing his lips together, still trying to think if it was even really possible to convince the entire village that dragons weren't enemies but in face gentle creatures that didn't mean no harm but instead wanted to be friends.
He wasn't sure if he could do it.
A couple days later, the Chief and other Vikings returned from their Voyage, boarding the docks, villagers coming to greet their leader as he stepped off, Spitelout in tow, who sighed as he came off, exhausted and tired.
As others were hurrying over to Stoick to congratulate him on Hiccup's success, Spitelout didn't notice, heading off to hear how his son was doing, assuming he was still at the top of his class, wanting to congratulate and boast about him.
He greeted a few villagers along the way with waves and friendly nods, glad to be back on the island, sick of that awful ship, running a tired hand over his beard as he went home, greeting his wife with a smile.
"Aye June, I'm back." He outstretched his arms for a hug, his wife coming to him happily, looking relieved, sharing a kiss with him as they embraced. "Spitelout! I've missed ya….."
"I missed you too, lassie." Spitelout smiled, lying his head atop of hers, enjoying her warmth and the aroma of yak pies from her cooking.
"Did ya find anythin'?" June smiled up at him, gazing into his green eyes happily.
"No," Spitelout sighed, running a hand over his beard again, pulling away a little. "The bleepin' blowtorches…didn't even come close to it."
June frowned softly, running a smooth hand over his chest as comfort. "I'm sorry, dear. At least yer home."
Spitelout nodded, glancing around. "Where's the boy at? Outta say hello to 'em, congratulate him."
"Oh. He's not here I'm afraid." June said softly, shrugging. "Er, congratulate him for what now?" She frowned.
"For his success. In the ring." Spitelout stated, looking at her. "He still is at the top of his class, right?"
June pursed her lips together, slowly shaking her head no. "Sorry dear. I'm afraid the young Hiccup has taken the top position now. Everyone's been talking about it; he's been great!"
Spitelout blinked with disbelief, nose wrinkled. "Hiccup? Stoick's boy? Uhhhh….." He looked at her for an explanation, eyebrows furrowing when she smiled.
"Surprised us all too. I dunno how he did it but...wait until the Chief hears."
"Wait, so you're saying…our son is no longer at the top of his class?" Spitelout frowned, voice starting to lower.
June didn't answer, shrugging a little, lips pursed together, looking slightly sympathetic.
Spitelout scowled and threw his hands up in disbelief, muttering under his breath, looking away crossly, then back to her. "Where is he?"
June went back to her cooking, blinking softly. "Well, prolly in the woods most likely. It seems that's where he likes to run off to lately."
Spitelout turned away, shaking his head, stomping to the door, grabbing an axe on his way out.
June immediately frowned at him. "Wh-Where are you going?"
"To the woods. Find out why me son isn't at the top of his class no more." He stated, closing the door before she could answer, glaring as he started stomping off for the forest, ready to confront his son for an explanation.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted at his dragon, dodging his fire blasts with a yelp, stumbling over his feet, glaring at Hiccup who laughed.
"Rrrrr, how come Toothless never does this to you?!" He growled, rubbing at his head, shooting daggers at Hookfang as he laughed at him.
Toothless purred from nearby, looking curious. "Beats me." Hiccup shrugged, holding back laughter. "It seems as though Hookfang just enjoys pestering you."
Snotlout growled lowly under his breath as Hookfang snatched his helmet away to chew on it. "Lucky me. Can't believe the most dangerous dragon of all is actually the calmest." He huffed, gesturing to Toothless, who licked his paw to clean his face, purring softly.
"On the plus side, he does seem to be listening to you a little better now." Hiccup offered, trying to help, grinning.
Snotlout made grabby hands for his helmet, trying to pull it out of Hookfang's jaws, the dragon growling at him, not letting go, starting to play tug-of-war with him. "Give it Hookfang! Of course he is Hiccup, I'm his master, he knows I'm the boss!"
Hookfang snarled and yanked back, ripping the helmet out of Snotlout's hands, laughing with pride when Snotlout toppled over, chewing and drooling on the Viking's helmet happily.
Snotlout scowled, wiping off the dirt from his face, pushing himself to his feet. "Hookfaaannngg! I told you not to-"
"Shhh, wait, do you hear something?" Hiccup interrupted him, looking alarmed, turning to look around them.
Hookfang's purrs stopped and Snotlout went quiet as he stood, eyebrows furrowed as he listened, indeed hearing a sound coming from nearby.
In fact it sounded like voices. Actually it sounded more like yelling.
And Snotlout recognized that yelling anywhere.
His eyes widened, his body flooding with tension, gasping. "It's my dad! Quick, get the dragons outta here! Go Hookfang, go!"
Hiccup gasped and hurried over to Toothless who warbled lowly with wide eyes, letting Hiccup get saddled, glancing fearfully at Hookfang. "Let's go Toothless!"
Snotlout waved his arms at Hookfang in distress, his father's voice seeming to get louder. "Hookfang, go! NOW!"
Hookfang roared and shook his head, seeming agitated, bobbing his head around and pacing anxiously, eyes narrowed in anger, not moving.
"Hookfang, go!" Snotlout pleaded desperately, wishing for once his dragon would just listen to him!
Toothless warbled at Hookfang urgently as he and Hiccup started flying off and Hookfang finally got the message, snorting at Snotlout before he too turned to fly off, hurrying to get away.
He didn't actually leave though, he just retreated to some nearby bushes to stay close and keep watch, sensing the evil man from before approaching, Snotlout not having any time to notice, his father starting to come into view, startling him.
"Snotlout!" His father gave a yell as he came up, wiping at his brow with an arm, gripping his axe tightly.
Snotlout turned around with a nervous grin, on edge, looking at his father with wide eyes. "D-Dad? You're-you're back! I-It's so good to see you again….. Wh-What are you doin' out here?"
"Oh, I jus' heard a little somethin' in the village on my way over. A little rumor." Spitelout said each word sharply, towering over his son who cowered a little. "A little rumor about you."
Snotlout began to stutter, swallowing nervously. "Uh, uh, you did huh?"
"Uh huh and I'd like know-" Spitelout's voice was getting louder and louder with each word now. "Why my son isn't at the top of his class anymore!" He shouted, Snotlout flinching.
"Oh, you, you heard about that huh?" He almost peeped, grinning sheepishly.
"Of course I heard about it!" Spitelout snapped, losing his temper. "Ye got a lot of nerve doin' this to me, boy," He growled, punching his son's arm. "Ye know how embarrassed I am? How could ye humiliate the Jorgenson name like this?"
Snotlout rubbed his arm, wincing, frowning up at his dad with big eyes. "D-Dad, there-there is a perfectly good explanation for this, honest. I-"
"Shut up!" Spitelout growled, punching him again. "How is it ye have an excuse for everytime ye screw somethin' up, boy? Tired of it! Why don't ye jus'-"
"Dad, listen if you would jus stop and-"
"No!" Spitelout roared, smacking his son hard across the face, knocking him down. "Ye need to stop Snotlout! I-"
Suddenly there was a loud growling sound and Spitelout looked up in alarm, eyes narrowing. "What the-?"
Suddenly Hookfang was coming straight for him out of the bushes, snarling and roaring with anger, charging furiously, entire body aflame.
Snotlout gasped from the ground when he saw him, horrified, but he didn't have any time to react before his father cried out.
"A dragon! Quick Snotlout, git back!"
Hookfang bolted over instantly, able to move quite rapidly, smacking Spitelout away with his tail, roaring out as he kept his wings outspread, jumping in front of Snotlout to protect him.
Snotlout gaped and started to scramble to his feet, frightened, wide-eyed as he searched to find his father, struggling to see over Hookfang's massive form.
Spitelout growled at the snarling dragon, raising his axe when he got to his feet, eyes narrowed in fury, beginning to attack. "Rrrrr, get back ye scaly lizard!"
He swung at Hookfang, who snarled, snapping his teeth at Spitelout, dousing his flames, firing at the man when he swung his axe again, Spitelout jumping out of the way just in time.
He snarled and threw a fist, hitting the beast's snout, Hookfang snarling with fury, pinning the Viking down with his massive talons, growling straight into his face, eyes narrowed into slits.
Snotlout gasped as he watched, fearing Hookfang would kill his father, pulling on the dragon's tail in an attempt to get him to stop, knowing he couldn't verbally communicate with Hookfang or his father would find out about them. "No Hookfang, No!" He hissed under his breath, desperate.
Hookfang's eyes widened at the pulling and he turned to look back, letting Spitelout go, looking at Snotlout, coming closer to him, not understanding the teen's fear.
"Snotlout!" Spitelout shouted when he saw the dragon near his son, fearing the worst, raising his axe to attack, letting out a furious war-cry.
Hookfang snarled and glared back, smacking Spitelout away with his tail, Spitelout's back painfully impacting with a tree, falling to the ground in a daze.
"No!" Snotlout was shaking his head no frantically at Hookfang, who eyed him protectively. "Go Hookfang! Get out of here, you need to go! Now!" He hissed, his voice commanding and urgent, waving his arms around, making sure his father wasn't looking. "NOW!"
Hookfang squinted at him and let out a roar, bobbing his head around but he seemed to understand the urgency in Snotlout's voice, frowning, taking off to flee nevertheless, looking back reluctantly, wanting to stay and make sure Snotlout was safe from the evil man who hurt him.
Snotlout was beyond relieved when his dragon finally flew away, feeling all the weight on his shoulders subside, rushing over to his father, who coughed as he got to his feet.
Snotlout helped him stand, frowning deeply with concern that his father was hurt. "Dad! Are you okay?!"
Spitelout shook his head, looking a little shaken up, tightening his grip on the handle of his axe when he was on his feet again.
He didn't answer his son at first, starting to step away, eyes slowly going narrow.
"Dad? Are you alright?" Snotlout asked again, looking at him worriedly.
Spitelout seemed to come back to reality, his eyes flashing with anger. "Let's git home." He finally said in a dark voice, giving Snotlout a little shove to follow after him, marching off.
Snotlout frowned deeper and swallowed hard but nevertheless followed, glancing over his shoulder one last time to make sure Hookfang wasn't there.
"Git up to yer room, come on!"
"H-Hey, hey!" Snotlout whimpered as he stumbled, struggling to keep up and stay on his feet.
"Go on, get!" Spitelout roared, dragging Snotlout up the stairs, shoving Snotlout into his room, slamming the door shut loudly, marching up to him where he lay on the ground.
"How many bleepin' times do I havta tell ye?! Do ye ever listen to me?!" He screamed in fury.
Snotlout got to his feet, trying to extend a gentle hand. "D-Dad, I was jus'-"
"Don't even start goin' on about anythin'!" Spitelout snapped, looking furious. "I told ye to quit runnin' off, Snotlout!"
"Well, well, what does it matter I-I didn't go out there lookin' for trouble, dad, I-" Snotlout stuttered, stumbling over his feet as his father backed him up against a wall.
"How many times have I told ye about the dragons?! About the pirates! About the thieves and murderers! They're going to kill you Snotlout! I told ye countless times boy-o!"
"But dad, I-"
Spitelout punched him, beyond angry. "Why in the bleepin' Hell do we do this, son?! Why did ye go and fail me in the ol' ring? I swear to the Gods if you don't get picked to kill that dragon, imma skin you alive!" He fumed, pointing a very threatening finger at his son.
"Dad, why don't you just listen to me? I'm trying to tell you that I-"
Spitelout snarled, grabbing a fistful of Snotlout's tunic, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall, at eye-level with him. "You what?! You did it on purpose you make it yer goal to disappoint your ol' man?!"
"N-No, no!" Snotlout wriggled, whimpering with a deep frown, yelping when Spitelout dropped him.
"Well that's what it sure seems like, boy-o! I hate ye and yer screw-ups! Why do ye have to be so disappointin'? I mean, Hiccup?! Of all people, yer not even better than Hiccup?!"
Snotlout was struggling to get to his feet, holding his sore cheek, whimpering. "Dad, wh-why why are you like this? Why do you do this to me?"
"To protect ye!" Spitelout shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm not gonna have me son get eaten alive or kidnapped by pirates right in front of me! I told ye to stop wanderin' off, boy! And you are not going back to that forest again!"
Snotlout lifted his head up, eyes suddenly going wide. "Wait what? Why?!"
"To keep you safe! Yer stayin' put, right here! Ye ain't gonna keep wanderin' off like this, I'm makin' sure of it! I'll tie ye down if I have to and I will, Snotlout!"
Snotlout started to shake his head no with big, fearful eyes, frowning deeply. "No you-you can't keep me from leaving! You can't do that, Dad! I'll go out there if I want! I'll-"
He was cut off as Spitelout's hand suddenly latched around his throat, choking him, Snotlout immediately wincing and coughing, unable to breathe, whimpering as all the color drained from his face, beginning to cry as he tried prying at his father's hand, who didn't let go, glaring.
"You'll do as I say!" He spat down at his son with anger and hate. "Ye listen to me, Snotlout! I make the rules and ye follow 'em!" He continued to choke his son's throat tightly, whose face was turning white, whimpering helplessly.
"And ye are going to be the one to kill that dragon, boy! If yer not yer embarrassin' yer entire family! And you'll be a dead man!" He shouted, dropping Snotlout before he could fall unconscious, turning and marching out of his son's room, slamming the door shut behind him as loud as he could, without another word.
Snotlout lay crumpled up on the floor, clutching his neck gingerly as he cried, whimpering with pain and despair, fearing he might not ever be able to see his beloved Hookfang again, knowing his dad was serious about the threats he made, the thought of never seeing his best friend again completely shattering his heart.
Snotlout swallowed nervously, wringing his hands together as he watched Astrid dive and somersault away from the Gronckle coming after her, able to feel his father's eyes already peering down on him, making him feel queasy.
He gulped, never able to feel comfortable under his father's pressure, wide-eyed and a little shaky, palms sweaty as he remained off to the side, watching as Hiccup started making his way over to intervene.
Today the Chief was watching and Gothi would decide which of the Viking teens would be picked to kill a dragon in front of the whole village and though Snotlout knew Hiccup would win, he was still upset about it.
Not that he wanted to be the one to kill the dragon by any means, but he knew that if he didn't get picked, his father would throw a fit and Snotlout hated when his father threw fits, punches too.
He didn't know what he was going to do then. He just wanted to be able to sneak away to see Hookfang again.
Figuring he should at least look like he was making in effort in the arena, for his father's sake only, Snotlout started making his way over to join the fight with the Gronckle as well, though it was pretty much clear Hiccup and Astrid had it covered, Astrid looking like she was going to murder the dragon herself, appearing furiously determined as she gripped her axe tightly.
With that being said, Snotlout made sure to look like he was at least trying but soon enough, the Gronckle was down and it was Hiccup who had conquered.
Astrid waved her axe around in fury, screaming and shouting with anger, Snotlout watching as Stoick interrupted them, Gothi eventually pointing to Hiccup instead of Astrid, earning cheers from the crowd.
Snotlout joined the others to congratulate Hiccup, slapping a hand down on his back with a smile, ignoring Astrid who just looked beyond murderous.
Hiccup didn't seem too pleased but Snotlout knew why and the best thing he could do was support him. He was still trying to come up with a plan for the arena to try to solve this problem and Snotlout knew he still needed more time to think.
He was going to slip away and go straight to the forest to join Hiccup, but unfortunately his father caught him on the way out.
He immediately frowned at Spitelout's crossed arms and disapproving scowl, who did not looked pleased at all, slowly shaking his head no.
Snotlout's shoulders drooped in almost shame, swallowing hard, not wanting another beating, frowning deeply as he reluctantly went home with him, wishing he could be with Hookfang instead.
He just hoped Hiccup could come up with a plan before tomorrow, not wanting to have to witness the death of a dragon, not while knowing the truth.
Snotlout was forced to stay in his room the whole rest of the day, which he hated, but his father stayed home just to make sure he stayed put.
He was only allowed to come out of his room for supper and when his father came knocking on his door sometime later, though it was way past dark.
Snotlout looked up at him with big, fearful eyes, not knowing what he wanted, expecting another beating.
Spitelout jerked a thumb back. "Hiccup's here to see ya." Was all he said in a hushed, angry tone.
Snotlout swallowed and slunk past him, going downstairs to the front door, indeed seeing Hiccup, closing the door as he stepped out to talk with him.
Hiccup seemed to frown at him, probably because of the ice chunk he was holding up to his new black eye. "What's up, Hiccup?"
"What happened to you?" Hiccup questioned him, seeming concerned.
"Nevermind that." Snotlout shook his head instantly. "Why are you here?"
"Oh right. It's Astrid, Snotlout. She knows."
Snotlout's eyes widened, raising a brow at him. "She knows? Wait how, why, when? Is Hookfang alright?! She didn't kill him did she?!"
"No, no," Hiccup shook his head no quickly. "It's alright. She found me and Toothless in the woods and…." He almost blushed thinking of the evening he got to spend with her, thinking of the flight they had shared. "I showed her the truth. She understands now, Snotlout."
Snotlout frowned, almost not believing him. "Huh. Astrid. Wow. That's new."
"But, there's something else." Hiccup continued, his expression turning into a frown. "We uh, we may have uh…..found the nest of the dragons." He swallowed.
Snotlout's eyes went wide. "The nest? You found the nest, Hiccup? But that means-"
"But, we also found something else on their island."
"Something else?" Snotlout questioned slowly.
"Yes. There's a massive dragon there, it-it's their Queen, she controls them, she-she's forcing the dragons to live under her command, they have to bring her food or-or she'll kill them! That's why they raid our villages, they're forced to live under her control."
Snotlout frowned at his friend, getting scared of this Queen dragon just from Hiccup's description. "Wait, wait a minute. How big is this…..Queen?"
"Huge, colossal, i-it's nothing you've ever seen before, it-it was living inside the volcano…." Hiccup gestured wildly with his arms, wide-eyed.
Snotlout swallowed a little, frowning. "So, what-what are we going to do? Are you going to tell Stoick?"
"No, no. I can't." Hiccup shook his head no, straightening. "He wouldn't-"
"But what about the arena? You're supposed to kill a dragon tomorrow! Obviously you can't!" Snotlout hissed.
"I know, I know, but I might have a plan, I-I jus' gotta…..hope it goes well. I don't want anything to go wrong. Look, don't worry. No dragon is going to get killed tomorrow, I'll make sure of it." Hiccup assured him, looking serious and determined, lips pursed together.
Snotlout was nodding slowly. "Right. Well good luck." He said honestly. "To both of us I guess. I just hope I can see Hookfang again soon."
Hiccup nodded. "It's gonna be alright, Snotlout. Trust me."
The next day, everyone was gathered around the arena, ready to watch Hiccup "kill" a dragon.
The Chief made his announcement to the crowd, declaring how proud he was of his son and such, going to his chair to sit front and center, Snotlout awaiting outside the gates with Hiccup and Astrid.
The two were talking and Snotlout glanced around him, glad he was hidden so his father couldn't see him, knowing how furious he still was about him not being the one to get picked.
"Astrid, if something goes wrong, just make sure they don't find Toothless." Hiccup looked at Astrid closely, looking completely serious. "You too, Snotlout."
Snotlout swallowed and frowned softly, offering a small nod. "Okay."
"I will." Astrid said softly. "Jus' promise me nothing will go wrong."
Hiccup opened his mouth to respond but then Gobber appeared, telling him it was time to begin and to "knock 'em dead," which Snotlout internally shuddered at.
Hiccup seemed to take in a deep breath and started walking inside, placing his helmet on his head, Snotlout lingering behind with Astrid, glancing at her nervously, almost holding his breath as Hiccup grabbed his weapon, the crowd chanting the boy's name loudly.
Then Hiccup stood still and after a moment the dragon was released from it's cage, startling everyone as flames spread everywhere from the dragon who furiously burst out, the crowd gasping eagerly.
Snotlout couldn't help but let his jaw fall open as he watched, gulping hard, immensely reminded of Hookfang as he watched the Monstrous Nightmare scramble around the cage ferociously and blast fire at the crowd, wishing he was with his beloved dragon right now.
The dragon doused his flames and eventually landed in front of Hiccup, eyeing him down with narrowed eyes, approaching him slowly with warning growls, Hiccup slowly stepping backwards.
Snotlout gulped when Hiccup dropped his knife and then his shield, the dragon watching him closely, seeming to soften, shouts and protests starting to come from the crowd, horrified gasps filling the air when Hiccup removed his helmet and tossed it aside, declaring "I'm not one of them."
Snotlout glanced around at the crowd's shocked faces with wide eyes, holding his breath, even able to feel Astrid's tension off her shoulders as he stood right next to her.
The chief was starting to rise from his chair. "Stop the fight."
"No. I need you all to see this." Hiccup interrupted, slowly reaching his hand out to the Nightmare's snout, eyebrows furrowed. "They're not who we think they are. We don't have to kill them."
The dragon was sniffing him, eyes no longer narrowed into slits, seeming relaxed, watching Hiccup's hand.
"I said stop the fight!" Stoick suddenly roared, slamming his hammer down onto one of the bars with a loud clang, startling the dragon, who's eyes went narrow, snapping his teeth immediately at Hiccup, who yelped, leaping away with a scream as the dragon fired at him.
Snotlout gasped and watched with huge eyes as the dragon gave chase, Hiccup scrambling and dodging to get away from it, trying not to get eaten, yelping with fear.
Astrid suddenly elbowed Snotlout's arm, startling him. "Come on!" She grabbed a nearby axe off the wall, using it to pry open the gates, slipping through, Snotlout gaping at her, waiting until she was on the other side before he too went in after her, watching as Hiccup dodged another blast and grabbed a shield in an attempt to defend himself, the Nightmare still giving chase.
Astrid cried out Hiccup's name as she watched, smacking Snotlout's arm. "Get in there and try and help! You have the same dragon!"
Snotlout flinched and gulped but shakingly nodded, starting to hurry over, though he was extremely terrified, racing over, coming to the dragon with outstretched hands.
"Hey, hey, easy big boy, easy! It-It's okay!" He held his hands out at the dragon who turned his head towards him with a roar, snarling as he now started coming for Snotlout whose eyes widened, turning to run away, frightened.
"Oh no. Aaaahh, aaaahhh!" He screamed as he scrambled to run away, trying his best not to trip over his feet, the hugely immense dragon amazingly fast, snapping his teeth at him.
He heard Stoick shout something, seeing Astrid run towards the gates out of the corner of his eye, yelping as he dodged another one of the dragon's blasts, turning to run after Hiccup who ran to follow after Astrid, whimpering with fear, legs pumping with adrenaline.
Suddenly he felt himself being picked up and lifted into the air, making him scream with terror, covering his face with his hands, kicking frantically, the dragon picking him up in his teeth, tossing him over his shoulder with a roar, Snotlout tumbling and somersaulting across the cement as he painfully hit the ground, yelping when he finally stopped rolling to land on his backside.
He swore he could hear someone shouting his name but everything was all spinning and blurry, only able to make out a dark flash coming towards him, seeing the dragon pin Hiccup down with his talons, gasping as he thought for sure the dragon would kill him.
Suddenly there was a whirring sound in the air which Snotlout thought sounded familiar and suddenly smoke was everywhere around him, making him cough, looking up in shock to see Toothless suddenly in the ring, knocking away the Nightmare, rolling and tussling with him as it roared out frantically, snapping its teeth.
Gaping with fear, Snotlout got to his feet to get out of the way and give them some distance, shaking as he backed away with an open mouth, completely shocked to see Toothless was here.
Suddenly another deafening roar sounded ahead and the form of another dragon suddenly flew in to join the fight, Snotlout doing a double take when he saw red, horrified when he saw it was Hookfang, legs going a little wobbly in shock.
Hookfang roared and joined Toothless in fighting off the other Nightmare, snapping his teeth ferociously, wings spread apart widely, slamming his snout straight into the other's to knock the dragon away, staying in front of Snotlout protectively, Toothless doing the same for Hiccup.
Snotlout gaped with fear as he watched, touched yet horrified that Hookfang was here to defend him, glancing once at Hiccup who still remained on the ground not far from him, looking just as shocked as he was.
The Monstrous Nightmare roared furiously at the dragons, not seeming to understand and Toothless roared back, making sure the dragon didn't dare come near Hiccup again, snapping his teeth, the Nightmare eventually shrinking back with a roar, rushing off.
Hiccup had darted to his feet to scramble over to Toothless and Snotlout gulped with fear, hurrying over to Hookfang as well who lowered his snout to him with a relieved warble, keeping his narrowed eyes on the crowd above them, growling protectively.
Snotlout frowned deeply at him with frightened eyes, grabbing at his snout urgently. "Okay Hookfang, go! Get out of here, now!"
Shouts from the crowd grew louder as Vikings jumped into the arena, surrounding them, making Snotlout panic with fear, pushing desperately at Hookfang's snout, who stayed rigid right where he stood, not moving, guarding Snotlout protectively with outstretched wings.
"Hookfang! GO!" Snotlout screamed, pushing at him with fear, gasping when Hookfang suddenly roared out with fury, lashing out at the Vikings who came at him with their axes, knocking them away with his wings and tail, lighting himself aflame, not straying too far away from Snotlout, who cried out.
"No Hookfang, go, get out of here!" He screamed, watching with horror as the Vikings advanced on his dragon, flinching when he saw Hookfang get punched, someone hitting him with an axe, making Hookfang cry out in pain, raising his wings to fly away, taking off into the air at full speed, roaring with agitation.
Though relieved he was able to get away, Snotlout reached an arm out to go after him, crying out, somebody grabbing ahold of him to hold him back, wrapping their arms around his chest protectively. "Hookfang! Hooky!" Snotlout cried out and pulled at the figure holding him, not even caring who it was, just wanting to make sure his dragon was okay, but Hookfang had already flown out of sight.
Breathing heavily and panting with fear, Snotlout's eyes wandered over to Hiccup and Toothless, seeing Toothless was being pinned down by numerous Vikings, making him gasp, seeing Hiccup was crying out as Astrid held him back, the Chief standing in front of Toothless, looking furious.
He heard him say "Put 'em with the others," Snotlout tensing with fear for Toothless's life, panting heavily with wide eyes, glancing back to share a frightened look with whoever was holding him back, going rigid when he saw it was his father, eyes immediately flashing with fear, mouth falling completely open, feeling like his heart had just stopped.
He was officially a dead Viking.
There was no way he could get out of this one now.
"Rrrrrrrr, how could ye do this to me?!" Spitelout roared as he threw Snotlout inside the Great Hall, not caring that the boy had fallen to the floor, slamming the door shut behind them, glaring down murderously.
Snotlout shook everywhere, his heart racing, struggling. "D-Dad, wait, I know I screwed up, I know, I-"
"All this time, yer suddenly friends with a dragon now?" Spitelout jerked a thumb back, unable to believe it. "So it was all a lie now was it?"
"Uh, uh, I-" Snotlout started getting to his feet.
"An' I suppose yesterday in the woods, that was all a part of this too, eh?"
"Dad, please, I-"
"What is wrong with ye, boy-o?!" Spitelout roared, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Yer entire life, all ye do is screw up everything!"
Snotlout cowered, beginning to cry, whimpering as tears ran down his face. "D-Dad, you have to try and understand, please, please just listen," He was practically begging, frowning deeply with huge eyes, wondering in the back of his head where his mother was, wanting her to intervene. "I didn't do this to hurt you, I-"
Upon hearing this, Spitelout immediately smacked him, knocking Snotlout back. "Oh really eh?! Yer a traitor Snotlout! You've really gone and done it this time!" He sneered now, spitting out his words. "You've officially ruined the Jorgenson name! How do ye think this looks on me if I'm the second-in-command to the Chief?! Ye embarrassed me, Snotlout! In front of Stoick! In front of the village! Now everyone's going to know about this and won't do well enough to leave me alone about it from now on….."
Snotlout whimpered, starting to get up from his feet again, trying to keep his tears from falling but he couldn't. "Dad, please, I-I-I'm sorry….!" He almost shouted, not knowing what else to do.
Spitelout looked down at him with hatred, angrier than he had ever been before. "Well sorry don't cut it. And it sure don't save yer scrawny rear now does it?! Oh, and that dragon of yours, yer little friend, yer little buddy? Ye won't be seein' him again, I'll make sure of it!"
Snotlout's head whipped up at him, eyes flashing with fear. "What? No, no! You can't hurt Hookfang! I won't let you hurt him!" He cried out, yanking on his father's arm, who snarled angrily at the touch, smacking him again, making him yelp.
"Of course I can! I'll kill that dragon meself! An' you, yer grounded for life!" He pointed a threatening finger down at his son who cowered, sniveling and whimpering like some little tike. "Yer never goin' to embarrass me again! Yer not going to leave that house unless it's under MY watch!"
Snotlout whimpered and cried, getting up to grab at his father's arm again, shaking his head no frantically. "No! You're not going to hurt Hookfang! He's my dragon, you can't do this to me, dad!"
Spitelout raised his opposite hand with a snarl, punching Snotlout straight in the eye, glad when Snotlout let go of his arm, glaring down at him as he lay curled up on the floor crying loudly, clutching his eye with pain, looking completely helpless, infuriating him.
"Ye think ye can stop me?! I do what I want! But all it ever seems like I'm doin' is cleaning up YOUR mistakes!" He spat down at Snotlout, who looked up through his tears, seeming to flinch at the harsh words but Spitelout had no sympathy for his son at all.
"I HATE ye son! I always have! Yer a good for nothin' screw-up and a cry-baby! Nothin' ye do is worth talkin' about, all ye do is embarrass me and yer mum! I raised ye to be great and ye couldn't even do that, I hate everything about ye!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, pacing around furiously.
Snotlout was listening with a deep frown, crying, heart-broken, whimpering as he cried, practically sobbing now, wanting to crawl away into a deep hole and bury himself in it and never come out, crushed and emotionally destroyed, believing every word his father screamed at him to be true.
"I wish that dragon woulda killed you actually, ye deserve to be eaten after what you've gone and done to me!" Spitelout screamed, fuming with anger, aiming all of his aggression at his child. "I should kill ye myself, actually! I really should! Yer dead to me anyways! I jus' wish ye were out of my life for good, boy! In fact, I wish ye had never been born at all!"
A sob escaped Snotlout's lips as he whimpered, shaking, crying hard as all he could do was remain on the floor cowering, listening to his father's ranting, his father's words killing him.
"I never loved ye anyways! Not ever! I've always hated ye! Especially when ye were a babe, ugh! And then for ye to grow up like this, why did I even ever bother with ye?!" Spitelout scowled as he shouted, shaking his head despite all of his words being complete lies, but he didn't care at the moment, not thinking any of it mattered to his son. "I wish I had any other son than you Snotlout! Hell, I-I-I'd even take Hiccup over you!"
Snotlout whimpered and cried, looking up with complete despair, sobbing. "D-Daddy, i-I'm sorry….." Was all he could say, wanting his mother, needing her comfort.
"I'm not yer daddy!" Spitelout screamed back at him, stomping his foot, clenching his fists furiously at his sides. "Not anymore! I'm through with ye!" He pointed a menacing finger down at Snotlout with hatred. "Find another home to go to 'cause I'm officially disowning you! I never want to see ye ever again!"
Snotlout almost gasped and another sob escaped his lips as he scrambled to his feet, rushing past his father in tears, covering his face with his hands as he burst out of the Great Hall, hurrying down the stairs and making an immediate turn for the forest, pushing past Villagers who stood in crowded groups nearby, running as fast as he could into the woods despite his wobbly legs, sobbing.
A few Villagers looked at him fearfully as he ran past them, glancing at each other questionably, watching him run off.
Snotlout's loud sobs filled the air as he ran, embarrassed that the Villagers had saw, but he couldn't stop crying, running deep into the forest until he could hardly breathe, gasping and wheezing, still sobbing all at once.
Nearly collapsing to his knees, Snotlout wiped at his eyes with balled fists and cried into his palms, taking single steps now. "H-Hookfang!" He cried out his dragon's name in despair, voice cracking.
"H-H-Hookfang….." He cried out, face covered with his hands as he cried, stopping, not able to walk any farther, his body screaming at him to stop and rest, it feeling like he was having a panic-attack he was crying so much.
He remained where he stood and heard some movement nearby, feeling the familiar touch of Hookfang's tail wrapping around him protectively, looking up through his tears to see Hookfang's snout come near him, hearing the familiar warble he had been longing to hear again.
"H-Hookfang….." Snotlout wiped at his eye with an arm, hugging his snout and nuzzling into him, still crying as he leaned all of his weight against him, not able to help himself, whimpers and sobs still escaping him.
Hookfang looked at him with wide eyes, warbling with concern for his rider, sniffing him, peering curiously at the weird drops of water coming from the boy's eyes, frightened from the sounds that came from him, never having heard these before.
He gave a low rumble of sympathy, not liking the state Snotlout was in, able to smell the worry and pain right off of him, wondering who had done this to him. He thought he could smell traces of the evil man who had attacked Snotlout last night, but he couldn't be too sure.
Snotlout was sniffling and trying to stop crying, managing to open his eyes. "Th-Thank you, Hoo-Hookfang. I-I missed you. You-You okay?"
He took a few shaky steps back as he wiped at his eyes, looking his dragon over carefully with concern. Spotting a large gash with blood running down on Hookfang's leg, Snotlout tensed with worry, his stomach dropping.
"Y-Y-You're hurt, Hooky…"
Hookfang craned his neck over to him to block his path as Snotlout tried to go over to him, giving him a look and a roar that said, You're hurt too….
Snotlout gently pushed his snout away and came closer to his leg, frowning deeply with guilt. "Oh Hooky, I'm-I'm so sorry." He sniffled again, face scrunched up with pain as he was still crying.
"I-I think this-this was all a big mistake," He choked out. "We-we never should have became friends, Hooky. Everything's ruined."
Hookfang frowned deeply at him with a warble of concern at his words, craning his neck over, gently grabbing Snotlout with his teeth, bringing him over gently to his chest, the boy not even protesting.
Hookfang began to nuzzle him with worry, lying his snout in his lap as he curled his body around Snotlout protectively, showing him he was here for him.
Snotlout was sniffling, wiping furiously at his eyes, hating to cry, whimpering. "This is my fault. Th-This wasn't supposed to happen. Dad-Dad was supposed to respect me." His face scrunched up with pain again as he began petting Hookfang's snout, broken sounds of timid sobs coming from him.
"We-We're going to have to leave, Hooky. Daddy, h-he's going to come out looking for you, I can't let him kill you. And I'll probably be banished from the island by the Chief anyways. I-I can't go home now, oh Hooky, what are we going to do?" He choked out and began crying into his hands again, distraught.
Hookfang warbled with immense concern, nuzzling the side of his face gently with his snout, attempting to lick at the strange tears falling from Snotlout's eyes, though it only got his hair soaking wet with saliva coating his face, but Snotlout hardly seemed to notice.
"Oh, oh H-Hooky," He whimpered out in a broken voice. "I-I don't wanna leave! I don't wanna leave my friends or my home. And-and I especially don't want to leave my mother." He looked up to gaze into Hookfang's eyes with a look of despair, Hookfang finally able to get a good look at his face, seeing Snotlout's black eye and bruised cheeks, making him warble out with worry.
Again he tried to sympathetically lick away the tears on his friend's face with his large tongue, this time being a little more successful, Snotlout's hair and face now drenched in saliva.
Snotlout sniffled, wiping at his eye, seeming to smile a little at Hookfang's attempt to cheer him up. "I-I wish daddy didn't hate me…..then this wouldn't be so terrible. And-and I'd be able to stay here with you." He frowned deeply at him, lip quivering.
"H-H-He said he's never even loved me, not even when I was little….." Snotlout's voice cracked as he whimpered, sniffling again. "H-How can he hate me so much?"
Hookfang nuzzled him affectionately again, listening to his rider's words closely, starting to put two and two together that this term "daddy" was the same evil man who hurt Snotlout before, warbling quietly with sympathy, able to understand how pained Snotlout felt.
Snotlout was starting to cry harder again. "I-I never meant to disappoint him, but he-he doesn't love me. M-Mommy does but-but he never has. I-I wish I could see her again, I miss her." He whimpered out, trembling and shaking, wanting to squeeze his mother's yak-doll right up against his chest, his toy being one of the two, now three including Hookfang, things that comforted him, having cried into that's doll's wool for his entire life.
He began crying into his hands, wishing his mother was here, her being the one person he loved and cared about most. "Hooky, I-I don't wanna leave here! I-I wanna stay, with-with you! And even Hiccup and Astrid and Fishlegs and the twins and Stoick and Mommy and Daddy, I can't leave! But-But my family, they-they don't respect me anymore." He whimpered, crying as he felt Hookfang nuzzling him gently with worry.
Hookfang watched him cry with a deep frown, feeling extremely sorry for him, wishing he'd stop crying, not liking the sounds he was making, warbling and rumbling quietly with worry, staying curled around him protectively, loving him.
Suddenly he heard shouting, snout raising in alarm.
"Snotlout? Snotlout!"
Snotlout's head raised too, eyes widening. "Mom? Mom!" He stood up to go to his mother as she came into view but Hookfang blocked him from going anywhere with his wings and snout, growling lowly at the stranger with narrowed eyes, not wanting her to hurt Snotlout.
June sort of froze with a gasp when she saw the dragon curled around her son, lips pursing together tightly, eyes widened.
"No, no, it's okay Mom, he won't hurt you….." Snotlout assured with a rushed voice, putting a gentle hand on Hookfang's snout, Hookfang continuing to growl.
June seemed to nod, swallowing hard as she started coming closer. "It's okay son…. I believe you." She breathed out and extended her hand carefully towards Hookfang's snout, surprising Snotlout whose mouth opened with fear.
Hookfang sniffed the hand carefully, immediately recognizing strong traces of Snotlout and the evil man, but also picking up warmth and kindness, not sensing any sort of threat whatsoever, growls morphing into a low warble, eyes softening as he let her put her hand to his snout, purring softly.
Snotlout watched with wide eyes, impressed and shocked. "Whoa….." He breathed out, loving his mother even more now as she seemed to smile softly at Hookfang, patting his snout softly.
"Thank you." He heard her whisper to the dragon before her eyes wandered down to him, extending her arms out as her face suddenly flashed with worry, Snotlout not hesitating one moment to hurry into her arms for an embrace, instinctively hiding his face into her shoulder.
"Oh son, are you okay?" She questioned with a worried voice, hugging him and swaying him, petting his hair despite the dragon spit, relieved to see him again. "He didn't hurt you too bad, did he? Oh, let me look at you….." She pulled away to examine Snotlout's face, brushing his stray bangs aside.
Watching them, Hookfang slowly backed up to give them some space, watching closely, cocking his head a little to see someone being as affectionate to Snotlout as he was, surprised.
Snotlout frowned deeply at his mother as she looked him over, sniffling as she frowned at the sight of his black eye and several bruises. "Oh son….i'm so sorry." She hugged him again and rubbed his back softly in circles, closing her eyes tightly as he snuggled into her. "Wh-What did he say?"
Snotlout frowned with a sniffle, a few tears falling from his eyes. "H-He said he hates me. He doesn't wanna see me again."
June frowned deeply at him with glossy eyes, squeezing him tighter. "Oh Snotlout….he didn't mean that, son, he didn't mean that."
Snotlout frowned deeply, pulling away out of her hug, though he stayed close. "H-He said he's going to kill Hookfang." He gestured back with a worried look at his dragon, who warbled lowly. "I can't let him hurt Hookfang, Mom. I-I-I have to leave. I can't stay here anymore."
June's frown deepened at him, swallowing hard, though she completely understood, knowing this was because of her husband. "I understand, son." She ran her gentle fingers through his hair softly. "I-I love you."
She looked at him sincerely, turning to reach a hand into her saddle-bag. "But if you must go…..please take this with you." She took out Snotlout's beloved yak-doll, handing it to him.
Snotlout gasped and instinctively squeezed it tightly, tears beginning to fall again at the realization that he was actually leaving his friends and family, quickly hugging her again tightly.
"I-I don't want to leave Mom, I don't want to leave everyone behind!" He cried into her shoulder. "I want to stay! B-But-But I can't stay with D-Daddy and-and not with Hookfang's life on the line." He sniffled, remembering when his father declared disowning him, whimpering again, still crushed by his father hating him.
Snotlout knew he'd miss him though. A lot.
June sniffled herself, swaying with Snotlout as she hugged him tightly, kissing his head gently. "You do whatever is best for you, son. But I'll talk to yer father about this." She pulled away to look at him closely, gazing into his blue eyes. "You know he loves you very much."
Snotlout frowned deeply at her, looking away immediately when she said that, not believing her, it almost being like an instinct by now not to believe any sentences including the words "Dad" "loves" or "he didn't mean that."
Hookfang was watching the pair closely, remaining quiet, frowning deeply at them, keeping a close eye on Snotlout, paying close attention to the way they comforted each other, taking some mental notes.
Snotlout slowly took a step back, shaking his head no at his mother. "I-I'm sorry Mom. I-I have to go. I'm really sorry."
June pursed her lips together softly, looking at him sympathetically. "Don't be. I-I love you very much, son. And I always will. Good luck to you."
Snotlout nodded and started coming to Hookfang, who let him saddle up with a quiet purr, turning to look at June when she put a soft hand on his snout.
"Take care of him, dragon. Please take care of him." She whispered softly, glancing up at her son who cuddled his yak-doll closely to his chest, loving him with all her heart.
Hookfang snorted softly and gave a low purr in response, telling her he would, reminding himself to never let Snotlout get hurt ever again.
Snotlout sniffled from atop Hookfang's neck, watching. "M-Mom? You-You could come with us. C-Come with me….."
Though she never wanted to be apart from her son, June swallowed hard, her eyes alone telling him she was sorry. "I'm sorry son, but, I'm needed here. I love you. You'll always be my little babe."
Snotlout sniffled, silent tears falling down his cheeks. "I love you too, Mom. Tell….." He hesitated, biting his lip with a deep frown. "Tell Dad and everyone else I'm sorry. Le-Let's go Hookfang."
Hookfang gave a soft roar and a nod, spreading his wings to take off, flying into the air as high as he could, flying as far away from Berk as possible, until it was nowhere in sight.
As the two landed, Hookfang watched Snotlout step off him onto the island, noticing the shakiness of Snotlout's wobbly legs, roaring softly.
Snotlout stepped a few feet away, toy still clutched tightly in his fist, looking at all the trees and empty land, not another person in sight, his eyes beginning to water.
Hookfang frowned when he saw Snotlout was crying again, flinching when Snotlout fell to his knees, those awful sounds coming from him again.
He wasn't saying anything, he just sat there, crying. Hookfang craned his neck closer with a warble, watching with big eyes, pained to see his friend like this.
Just wanting Snotlout to stop crying, he gently grabbed the toy he was holding with his teeth, pulling it away, the heavy scent of Snotlout and his parents swarming his nostrils.
"N-No, no!" Snotlout cried out and reached for it with a desperate look, which was not the reaction Hookfang was expecting, eyes widening with guilt as he saw the pain in Snotlout's eyes, slowly lowering his snout down with a purr, dropping the toy down into the boy's lap with a frown, watching him hug it immediately.
Hookfang slowly craned his neck back, warbling sadly as Snotlout kept crying, frowning as he decided to curl up against him, placing his snout gently in his lap, keeping close warmly.
Snotlout began to pet him gently, touched by the comfort, but he wouldn't stop crying and Hookfang didn't know what else to do but remain curled up by his side and try and comfort him.
The next day the two flew back to Berk, but only because Hookfang thought a little flight might cheer Snotlout up, and to visit the forest again, going to the cove, it odd not seeing Toothless there.
Hookfang warbled softly at Snotlout as he dismounted with a sniffle, snorting and sniffing the boy's hair, trying to tell him it was okay.
Snotlout had barely slept last night and Hookfang was worried about him, not sure how to help him get better. And Snotlout had barely even said a word to him, crushing his heart, longing to hear his rider's voice again.
Snotlout only seemed to ignore him, sighing as went and plopped down on a rock, staring at that toy he never let go of. Hookfang tried to comfort him, but nothing seemed to be working, making him frown deeply with a pained purr, lying down near Snotlout sadly, moving his snout away when Snotlout wouldn't even pet him.
The two just sat there, looking miserable. It wasn't until they heard shouting that either one of them moved.
"Snotlout?! Snotlout!" Snotlout lifted his head, startled to hear Astrid's voice, slowly standing. "Astrid?"
Astrid quickly appeared at the edge of the cove, wide-eyed. "Snotlout, there you are! Quick, we need you!"
Snotlout looked at her, almost tiredly, frowning, glancing once at Hookfang who seemed to straighten at the new stranger. "Who's we?"
"Hiccup and the others! Bring your dragon and let's go!" Astrid urged, seeming to be in a hurry.
"I-I can't Astrid." Snotlout only shook his head with a sad look. "I can't go back there."
"Snotlout, we need you, Hiccup needs you! The whole village is in danger!"
"D-Danger? H-How?
"The Chief's sent everyone to the Dragons' Nest, they're going to try and take on the Queen and they're going to get killed! Hiccup has a plan, we gotta hurry!"
Snotlout frowned with wide eyes, starting to get worried. "I-I-I dunno if I can, Astrid….are-are my parents gone?"
"The whole island has went, now come on! We need you!" Astrid nodded with an urge, turning to run off, assuming Snotlout would follow.
Snotlout gulped and shared a fearful look with Hookfang, who warbled curiously at him, Snotlout taking in a deep breath, knowing he had to do this. "Okay Hooky, let's go."
Hookfang roared and bobbed his head in agreement, letting Snotlout get saddled, taking off quickly, going into battle.
It wasn't until after the battle with the Red Death and Hiccup had saved the day and then Toothless had saved him, that Snotlout saw his parents again, his mother grabbing his arm gently to pull him away from the cheering crowd, hugging him tightly. "Oh son! I'm so proud of you! Thank Thor you're alright!"
She was smiling widely with relief and happiness at her son, even smiling at Hookfang as the dragon came close to be at Snotlout's side, the Nightmare sniffing them both to make sure they were alright, looking happy to see Snotlout was smiling.
"Thank you, Mom. I couldn't have done it without Hookfang though."
Hookfang gave a proud roar behind them, nudging Snotlout affectionately, who laughed softly, still embraced in his mother's warm hug.
The three heard a voice clear their throat behind him and they turned, seeing Spitelout approaching slowly, a frown etched onto his face.
At the sight of his father, Snotlout immediately frowned and partially hid himself behind his mother, gulping hard, looking at his feet in shame, expecting his father to start exploding at him.
Spitelout's mouth opened and then closed, frowning deeply, looking down at his son closely as he came closer. "S-Son, I-I-"
Hookfang's snout suddenly appeared in front of him with a threatening growl, blocking Spitelout's path, eyeing him with narrowed eyes, warning him not to dare try anything, Spitelout getting the message, putting his hands up in surrender as he flinched away, Hookfang slowly shrinking back.
Spitelout started again. "I-I'm sorry son. For everything. I-I love ye son. Ple-Please forgive me. D-Do ye?" He looked at him sincerely, showing his sympathy, glancing between his wife and Hookfang, guilt eating away at him.
Snotlout slowly stepped away from his mother, swallowing hard, looking up at his father, almost holding his breath, slowly giving a nod, the corners of his lips slowly perking into a smile.
Spitelout's eyes flickered with happiness as his face lit up, extending his arms, embracing Snotlout in a tight hug, pulling June close as well, hugging them both tightly, extremely proud and happy to be with them again, kissing the top of their heads softly with laughter.
Hookfang watched them closely, relaxing when he saw Snotlout was smiling and he wasn't getting harmed, slowly craning his neck towards the trio to join them in their embrace, purring softly as he could sense the happiness drifting off of them.
Spitelout saw him and his smile fell, slowly reaching a hand out to him hesitantly, showing him he meant no harm.
Hookfang growled lowly, still not trusting him, eyeing him closely when Spitelout continued to reach out, placing his hand down on his snout gently, looking sincere. "Thank you for lookin' after my boy." He said quietly, making Hookfang relax, growls subsiding.
Snotlout was smiling softly as he watched, beaming happily. Hookfang then purred lowly and nudged Spitelout gently to show him he accepted his apology, Spitelout beginning to laugh, patting the dragon's snout gently. "Ha ha! To the dragons then!"
Snotlout began to chuckle as well and came over to join them, hugging his dragon too with a wide smile, Hookfang roaring happily with pride, Snotlout proud of himself too, realizing he had finally proved himself and that Vikings and dragons would be enemies no more.
Of course he couldn't have done it without Hiccup, who admittedly did most of the work, but Snotlout couldn't let Hiccup have all the credit….. :)
I think this has been my most favorite one to write so far, despite it taking so long. Any Review or Requests Would Make My Day, Thanks...