Chapter 8 - The Coach

Toothless' POV - Shared Loft

Hiccup sat in his room, staring at the charcoal paper from yesterday. 'Does he expect to suddenly understand Dragon writing if he stares at that paper long enough? Most dragons never bothered to learn it! I did, but I'm smarter than most dragons. He hasn't even noticed that Sharpshot has left yet.' I nudged the paper to get Hiccup's attention.

"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked. I crooned at the skylight which doubled as our upper exit. Hiccup looked and saw that the sun was starting to rise. "Right, I guess we better go get Fierce-Eye."

"HICCUP! Are you up yet?" Stoick's voice boomed from below.

Hiccup hurried down the stairs, greeting his father, who was staring at a paper of his own. Stoick looked up and said, "Read this."

Hiccup took the paper. It was a letter, curled like one of the messenger hawks had brought it. I couldn't read Norse, but from Hiccup's expression, it wasn't wishing us a Happy Snoggletog.

"How could this happen?" Hiccup asked, "How could Dagur escape from Alvin's prison?" That got my immediate attention.

"He is Dagur the Deranged," Stoick reminded his son, "Alvin couldn't punish his entire tribe for betrayal and some must have secretly remained loyal to Dagur. Also, the Outcasts' jail was built to keep dragons, not people. We've both escaped from there."

"So now, Alvin is coming to Berk to formalize our peace treaty before Dagur starts attacking again," Hiccup stated flatly, "When is he due?"

"The hawk got lost en route," Stoick explained, "He should arrive this afternoon or so."

::Three cod says he'll bring Old Traitor and Bone Swinger,:: I growled, knowing no one could understand me.

"But the Bog Burglars are supposed to arrive the day after tomorrow!" Hiccup exclaimed, "They hate the Outcasts! When they find out we're signing a peace treaty with the Outcasts, the Burglars will be furious!"

'And the hits just keep on coming.'

"The Outcasts need this treaty badly son," Stoick explained, "It would be the first recognition from a village chief that the Outcasts have formed an independent village of their own. It's the first step to establish trade contracts and other agreements to protect themselves. With Dagur free again, they need support to defend against Dagur's armada."

"So they're timing their visit to try and speed up negotiations," Hiccup reasoned, "That's pretty low."

"Aye," Stoick agreed, taking back the letter, "But we're men of our word. I need to get things ready. I've sent a messenger to get Gothi. Send Gobber and Spitelout my way, then go explain the situation to the Riders and Fierce-Eye. One of the Outcasts might know our forgetful friend from somewhere."

'Assuming they don't lie to him.'


Fierce-Eye's POV - Forest Clearing

::You can't land on my bare head and expect me to not notice,:: I explained to Sneaky, ::Vikings might wear helmets, but the guard dragons are definitely going to notice your claws digging into their scalp. Even landing on the horns is questionable.::

I had taken the Koor Visk hopefuls into the forest. I had grabbed a couple of branches and was playing the guard dragon with a clutch of pebbles at my feet. I needed to work out who was going to be on the final team, but everyone was part of training for now.

The Ember Claws were pretty well trained in their specialties, but they didn't really know how to work like a team against a single dragon opponent. They were catching their breath as I explained their openings and how I kept all of my pebbles.

::Head, Butt,:: I turned on the two yellow dragons, ::I get that you like to attack the head, but after you do that once, the guard dragon will know that strategy. You need to target other soft spots.::

::Pain, you charge in too directly. I get out of your way and you fly right past me. Sharpshot, you build up too much power before you fire. I see you charging up and I'm gonna know what's coming. Stiildus, you're not keeping your balance as you fly. I saw how you zipped around those ropes at the docks. Why didn't you dodge better?::

::Those ropes weren't moving,:: Stiildus complained.

::Yes, they were,:: I corrected, ::Maybe too slow for you to notice, but as the boats bobbed and sails shifted, the ropes were moving and you didn't touch any of them. Iggy, why'd it take you so long to find me? I'm the only human out here and from what I hear, there are going to be a lot of dragons passing through the forest before game time.::

::Because you hid until we got too close to the clutch,:: Iggy complained.

::And you think the guard dragons won't think of the same tactic?:: I asked, sighing.

'This might be harder than I thought.' I noticed that the sun has risen properly and remember my other promise. I slip the training sticks under the back of my armor.

::Come on team,:: I called for the Ember Claws, ::Let's get some breakfast.::

::Last one there has to haul back half their weight in rocks!:: Head challenged everyone, flying off towards the village. The others fly after him and I start to give chase when I notice a thick, curved branch of spruce.

'Whitewood...'


Hiccup's POV - Village exterior

"Gone Training?" I asked the note pinned to the Fierce-Eye's front door, "Gone training WHERE?" Toothless seemed as puzzled as I was.

'I guess he'll just turn up sooner or later. I only hope it's before the Outcasts show up. Alvin looks more monstrous than Dad, and we really don't need a repeat of that first morning.'

I tore down the note and started for the Great Hall. I could at least tell the Riders about the approaching tribes. Spitelout and Gobber didn't take the news too kindly, since they were around for Alvin's banishment. 'The Riders probably won't be too happy either, since they all have history with Alvin. Maybe it would be better to talk to Fierce-Eye in private.'

Astrid joined me halfway to the Great Hall, so I explained the approaching tribes and Fierce-Eye's disappearance to her. I finished as we reached the foot of the stairs.

"Perfect," Astrid muttered with spite in her voice, "Even if we just sign the treaty and send the Outcasts straight home in record time, the Burglars would still pass them on their way here. I just hope Camicazi won't be here to complicate matters any worse."

"For the annual trade negotiation?" I asked, "It would have to be pretty serious to keep the Bog Burglar heir away. Not to mention she's been trying to get a dragon of her own for months now."

"COMING THROUGH!"

I spot a group of Terrible Terrors flying up the steps towards us. Out of reflex, I pull Astrid close as Toothless wraps his wings protectively around us. The string of Terrible Terrors began to zip by, uncomfortably close to us, racing towards the Great Hall's doors. Through a gap over Toothless' shoulder, I see Fierce-Eye chasing the Terrors up the steps towards us, winded, but smiling. Fierce-Eye hopped onto the grassy knoll to avoid crashing into us, still charging as fast as his tired limbs could carry him.

Toothless released his wing wrap, revealing the world again. As the Terrors reached the doors to the Great Hall, each one gave out a squeak. All seven Terrors beat Fierce-Eye easily, who collapsed when he reached the top of the stairs. The Terrors began to squeak excitedly and appeared to taunt the poor amnesiac.

"Yeah, but you guys can fly!" he complained to the Terrors, "But I'm not the one in training!"

"Hiccup?"

I turned and realized that I'm still holding Astrid close to me. I begin to blush profusely as we break away from each other. Desperate to look at something besides my crush, I focus on Fierce-Eye, who was shouting at the Terrors. 'It's almost like he's arguing with them.'


Fierce-Eye's POV - Great Hall

"ALVIN IS COMING TODAY!?" Snotlout shouted.

I didn't know who this Alvin guy was, but I was quietly thankful for his pending arrival. 'Everyone is so focused on him that they didn't pry too much about my six extra Ember Claws. Even though the Riders originally trained them.'

"New guy over here, with amnesia no less," I reminded everyone, "Who is Alvin and what do I need to know about him?" From the table's reaction, I could tell that I just stepped into a sensitive subject.

Hiccup sighed before going into his explanation. "Alvin the Treacherous was born and raised on Berk. He was once childhood friends with my dad."

"So what happened," I asked between bites.

"Alvin didn't like it when Stoick became Chief," Astrid continued, "He disobeyed orders. There were casualties and Alvin was banished. He formed the Outcasts from Vikings banished from Berk and other tribes, determined to claim Berk and prove himself the better Viking."

"Then what's with the peace treaty?"

"A bigger enemy," Fishlegs explained, "Dagur the Deranged and the Berserker Tribe. Dagur only respected our tribe while we were killing dragons. We had to trick them once to keep a treaty with them. They found out and started attacking. That all died off when Dagur was captured. Since his escape, he's probably planning his revenge."

"We kicked their butts a ton of times with our dragons," Snotlout proclaimed proudly.

"But for the final victory, we needed Alvin's help," Hiccup reminded his cousin. "We promised an alliance, and this treaty is the first step towards formal recognition among all of the tribes. Trade agreements, recognized territorial waters, other treaties, the ability to speak at inter-tribal meetings, everything.

"So you've got to negotiate with the Outcasts before those Bog Burglars show up and complicate matters," I nodded.

"Exactly," Hiccup confirmed, "Fishlegs will lead this morning's flight training, but Dad wants everyone on hand when the Outcast ship arrives, especially you Fierce-Eye."

"Me?"

"The Outcasts have a different territory and relations," Gustav explained, looking up from his book, "One of them might recognize you."

'Great. If they recognize me, I might have been a former enemy of Berk after all. If they don't, I'm still an amnesiac. Is there ever a quiet day in this place?'

"You're free until lunch," Hiccup told me, "Just meet me at the Forge afterwards."

'I guess I will need to talk to the Dragons later.'

::He's got to be heavier than that!:: Butt declared, ::Another five stones, at least!::

I turned towards the doors and saw that the Ember Claws were filling a large basket with rocks while Meatlug tried to eat them. I could only sigh to myself.

'I suppose they could use an advantage. It'll boost their confidence if nothing else.'


Stiildus' POV - Forest Clearing

I watched Fierce-Eye stumble around, blinded as Sneaky used his wings to cover the human's eyes. Head and Butt rammed into the back of my partner's knees and he fell on his backside. Pain latched onto Fierce-Eye's arm while the rest of us swooped in and grabbed the pebbles.

::We win!:: Sharpshot declared. The team stopped harrassing our coach and celebrated our victory.

Fierce-Eye cast Fleshmender before getting back to his feet, unharmed. ::Well done,:: he congratulated, ::Some of you still need some work, but we'll cover that tomorrow. Meet back at my place tomorrow morning, just before dawn. Now get some rest.::

The other Ember Claws left for the village while I settled on Fierce-Eye's shoulder. ::Too bad you need to get back so soon. I was hoping to get more practice.::

Fierce-Eye dumped the rocks out of the basket we made him haul back. ::Can't be helped. I already used today's healing spell, and it would be strange if I returned to the village with injuries. Also, I didn't get a chance to explain my plan to the Academy Dragons. The Ember Claws can explain the basic concept, but I still need to choose which secrets are suitable to be revealed to everyone. Then, there's the physical evidence problem.::

::Then maybe you should practice some spells,:: I suggested as we started back to the village.

Fierce-Eye thought about that before nodding. As he walked, he was adding firewood to the basket for tonight. ::Hiccup said that those Outcasts need a treaty, but tensions are high among the Hooligans and things might turn nasty once the Bog Burglars show up. Then, there are those Berserkers the Riders talked about. Some surprise magic could come in handy.::

I could barely contain my excitement. ::Okay. Most spells can be used multiple times a day, but you will still need to wait for your energy to stabalize before you can cast any spell again. Fire Breath is the most common spell among dragons, but each breed has added it's own twist.::

::But I'm a human,:: Fierce-Eye reminded me, ::What form would my Fire Breath take?::

::I think it would be a lot like mine,:: I reasoned, ::After all, you've only bonded with Ember Claws so far.::

::What about my first dragon? The one I can't remember?::

I shrugged. ::That's why you need to practice. If you have another form of Fire Breath, it would be safer to find out in private, before you try to use one spell in a fight and cast another by accident.::

Fierce-Eye conceded, ::Fair enough. We'll practice in the Cove, so I don't burn down the forest. Practice will probably have to wait until after I meet the Outcasts though.::