Hello, everyone!
I hope all has been going well for everyone. I'd like to thank MysteryWriter175, Lightbrightfury, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah (correct amount this time?), VigoGrimborne, Zerac, picothea, JustAnotherRandomPoster, KkkrazyWorld, AdamantJackal, Echolotal, and Samateus-Taal for your amazing and thoughtful reviews! I greatly enjoyed reading them during a more time-intensive rotation.
This chapter is an interlude-so ones like it will be more few and far between than our typical chapters. However, it is by no means a mid-point. This fanfic is getting close to 400 pages long now, even after I deleted 80 pages. Still got the writer's block, but hopefully clawing my way out of it!
I likely will not post for awhile, so I hope you all have great fall holidays! Stay safe, and have a great day!
Interlude
Snotlout
Berk was a speck behind us, and I was pumped!
"Alright, lad," Eret shouted over the wind, seated firmly on Anatoli's back. The Stormcutter flew off to his side, carrying most of the cargo instead of a rider. Below, a raging current marked Tempy's trot on the ocean floor. "Let's go over a few ground rules before we—"
"Rules?" I interrupted. "What am I, a little kid?"
Eret shot me a look that said, "I totally think you are".
I rolled my eyes. "Astrid and I already talked about your deal before we left," I said, waving a hand at him. Ticking off on my fingers, I listed, "No going off on my own, no starting fights, no stealing the ale, no setting things on fire, no letting Hookfang play tag with Tempy…did I miss anything?" I asked sarcastically.
"Especially no stealing the ale," Eret said, pointing at me. Even Anatoli looked serious about that one, his scales flashing a dangerous blood-red in warning.
I scoffed. "Fine, fine." It wasn't that good, anyways. Spiked yaknog was much better.
The ocean below exploded into a spray as Tempy leapt up for air like a big, fat, overgrown whale. He spread the fins on his side out like wings, lunged an entire island's length ahead of us, and belly-flopped back under with a happy roar. The massive spray reached way higher than we were flying—which was already pretty high—and then curled back down, raining on us like a torrent.
Hookie opened his mouth to catch some, only to cough and spit when he realized that it hadn't magically turned into freshwater. I scowled down at my absolutely-soaked tunic. It would take forever to dry, which meant that I would freeze up here until we got settled down. That meant that my afternoon workout would be put off, because obviously my muscles didn't work as well when I was cold. Already, my entire day's plans were put off.
I almost even opened my mouth to complain about just that.
You have to do something important to be important.
My mouth clicked shut. Important people don't complain about getting a little wet. They don't let it get in their way, either.
So, wringing my hair out, I asked, "What're we gonna do when we get back?"
"Unpack?" Eret said.
"I know," I groaned, "but after? You know, the whole thing with the dragon trappers?"
Eret frowned. "We'll have to come up with a plan about that. I hadn't put much thought into it, but Astrid does have a point that it's strange."
"And we'll get to the bottom of it!" I said. "Right, Hookie?"
I patted him, and he turned his head and met my eye with a tongue-lolling grin. "Yes!" he chirped.
"Just remember that you're part of a team," Eret said sternly. "No going off on your own!"
"I know!" I said. Before I could even think about what I was saying, I said, "I'm not Hiccup!"
The moment the words left me, I grimaced. Hookie glanced back at me with worried eyes.
"No, you're not," Eret agreed. "Only someone like him would go to the mainland with a Night Fury while Grimmel was still stomping around there."
A weird feeling settled in my stomach. One that always came on when certain subjects came up. Like who would be Chief. Or when everyone got a job but me.
Or when Hiccup talked about being a dragon again.
"You don't think it's that big a deal, do you?" I said, forcing my voice to be totally cool and not worried at all.
"Oh, I definitely do!" Eret groaned, shaking his head. "But nothing I could say would ward them off. I just hope they're as stealthy as they think they are."
I knew my cousin and Toothless. The moment he saw any dragon in danger, they would abandon everything to save them. They would give themselves away doing something stupid and heroic, just like always, but they wouldn't get yelled at or called idiots, because they were smart enough to find a way out of the problems they made.
But they always did end up way over their heads.
My shoulders sank. The weird feeling yawned wider, like an endless, hungry pit. The last I had seen him, Hiccup had been staring out at me in the crowd, clear hurt and confliction in his eyes...and I had just ran away. Like a stupid...stupid...idiot! Now Hiccup would probably agonize over it like he always did, even though there was literally no reason to worry over and over about something that had already happened.
What if something happened to them while they were out there? What if that was the end of it?
"Hey," Eret said, his voice softer. "Maybe I was being a little harsh. I'm sure they'll be fine."
I shook myself off and scowled. "Of course they'll be fine! Obviously!" I snapped. "If they die, I'm gonna kill them!"
Anatoli managed to raise an eyebrow at me. The Stormcutter let out a dragon's gurgling laugh, and even Eret gave a wry grin.
"That's, uh, that's the spirit," he said.
Tempy leapt out of the ocean again with a roar. Anatoli and the Stormcutter snapped their necks towards him, eyes wide.
With an enormous splash, the sea-dragon ducked into the ocean and raced after the tidal wave he had just made.
"Ugh, not again!" Eret complained. He gave Anatoli a firm pat on the shoulder. "C'mon, big fella!"
Anatoli and the Stormcutter shot off after Tempy, who was already receding on the horizon. Hookfang lurched forward, matching their pace wingbeat for wingbeat.
In the wild chase, that bad gut feeling receded. But only a little bit.
You need to do something important to be important.
I narrowed my eyes, gripping Hookfang's saddle harder, and urged him forward. He overtook Anatoli and the Stormcutter easily, because of course he was faster than them after five years of keeping up with a Night Fury. We began to gain ground on the young sea-dragon.
I would do something important, all right. I was going to get rid of those dragon trappers.
And maybe, once I did...that would make all of it up to Hiccup.
o.O.o
Because we had visited the Bewilderbeast nest a couple times over the years, Hookfang knew the way in. He wove around the jagged, cyan ice pillars—some old, some new. Then the deep teal of the caverns swallowed us, the thrill of flying in the dark, and we burst out into the dense foliage of the nest.
Tempy was already hanging out in his hole, plodding around in a circle, lying down, and stretching his legs all the way out. He let out a deep moan of pleasure that I felt in my chest.
Scattered throughout the nest were huts and tents; Eret's men saw no need to make buildings, and also apparently didn't care that much about privacy, either. Some were sparring, others fixing dinner, others chasing dragons away from the food. The rest, I knew, were out patrolling.
All of them had a job.
I rolled my shoulders. I would, too.
Hookie joined the dragons as they circled around Tempy, hunching a little when a few curious ones came in closer.
"Better make some new friends, Hookie! We'll be here awhile!" I said. He tilted his head and gave me a wide-eyed look.
By then, Eret, Anatoli, and the Stormcutter had finally made it in. I pointed Hookie over to them as they landed, joining the growing crowd as Eret's men came over.
Eret glanced over them and nodded to himself. "Right!" he said. He leapt off of Anatoli. "I've gotten twice the normal amount of ale, and we've got a guest here!" he pointed at me and then, leering at me and his men in turn, barked, "I expect all of you lot to get along. No fighting!"
I blinked at them. They blinked back. I was definitely the youngest, but I still held my head high. For their part, though they looked confused for some reason, they didn't say anything.
"We've got a new task," Eret went on, "involving tracking down Drago's scraps once and for all. Snotlout here has had some experience knockin' their heads around, so he's here to help." He jerked a thumb at the cargo the Stormcutter was carrying. "Once we're done unpacking, we begin."
"Wait, what about resting?" I asked. "We just flew all the way here."
Eret rolled his eyes. "You can rest when you're dead."
Then he spun on his heel and began to unpack, breaking the spell holding the others in place. They began to swarm around us as I stood there, feeling completely out of place.
What would Hiccup, Toothless, or Astrid do?
I squared my shoulders. Eret was right. I didn't have time to sit around!
So I shouldered my way in among the others, grabbing as much as I could, and flung myself into the task. It wasn't a job Eret had given me—but he hadn't asked anyone to help, and they still came.
I liked that. On Berk, everyone was given assignments.
But here…
Here, I had a chance.
o.O.o
"Wakey wakey!"
I leapt onto Hookie's head, grabbed his horns, and tussled with him.
"Snotloooouuuut!" he whined, wrenching his head back and forth. By the time he had shaken me off, he was very awake and very grumpy.
He blinked around the still-dark nest and then shot me an accusing look.
"We gotta get up early!" I said. "Patrols shift before daybreak. We're going out this morning!"
He tipped his head and then looked over at where Anatoli, his mate the Stormcutter, and a few other dragons were snoozing upside-down. They hung from the sheer-cut stones just above Eret's tent, where I could hear him snoring all the way from here. Then he turned back to me and gurgled a question.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes and putting my hands on my hips. "No, they didn't tell us to, but that doesn't mean we can't! It's different here!"
Hookie lowered his head, nervous now.
"Oh, c'mon, Hookie!" I groaned. I grabbed his horns and pulled him up. "We're gonna be important, remember? Think of how jealous Stormfly'll be!"
That put a sly smirk on his face. He whuffed a small chuckle and finally got moving. I took him over to where I had packed his saddle away somewhere dry, nestled beneath several stones and out of the way of ice-melt. I threw a soft blanket and cushion onto his neck and got to oiling the metal framework. Hookie knew the drill already. He helped out as best as he could, holding still until I held his harness up for him. He wriggled into it like an eel. Then he began pointing nose at every single loose strapping, making his saddle slide all around his neck, as if I didn't know I hadn't tightened it already.
"Okay, nice and tight?" I asked when I was finished. Hookie braced his legs and shook his head like a wet dog. When the saddle stayed put, he gaped in a dragon's smile at me. "'Atta boy," I said. "Now—"
My stomach roared loud enough to wake up the whole damn nest. Hookie craned his neck and sniffed at my stomach. He cooed a concerned question at me.
"Oh, please, I'm not hungry!" I said, shoving him away.
Somehow, he always managed to see right through most of my lies. I had barely a moment to yelp before my annoying dragon snatched me right up by my tunic. With me dangling from his teeth like a wet rag, he walked aimlessly around the camp.
Oh, gods, if anyone saw me being carried around like this…!
"Hookfang!" I hissed, kicking uselessly and pulling at his lip. "Put! Me! Down!"
He grimaced at hearing his full name—as he should—but kept going.
"Hook. Fang." I flailed, swinging my arms at him. "Down. Now."
He opened his mouth and let me fall. I landed in a crouch and stood, dusting myself off and scowling at his tongue-lolling grin.
His eyes focused up over my shoulder.
Cold dread shot through me. I spun around.
Eret stood, arms crossed, smirking down his stupid, perfectly-proportioned nose at me. Anatoli stood at his side with an identical expression.
Flushing hotter than a pissed-off Monstrous Nightmare, I straightened my clothing and my posture. "I'm ready for patrol!" I shouted. "Hookie and I were...uh...uh...doing trust falls!"
"Trust falls?" Eret drawled, quirking an eyebrow.
"Y-yeah! Trust falls!" I said. "Only the most closely bonded pairs can do it! Your turn, Hookie!" I turned around and opened my arms to him.
For however much he had embarrassed me, I had to hand it to him: he committed.
With a chirp, Hookie went completely limp right above me.
As his Viking-sized head plummeted towards my open arms, I had the slight suspicion that I had messed up.
Then, darkness.
o.O.o
Hookie worried over me for the entire patrol, spending almost the entire time flying so slow and whining apology after apology to me.
It didn't matter much, anyways. For our first patrol, Eret made us stay right outside the nest. We spent the entire morning circling around it like crazy people.
The same thing happened the next day. Then the next. Then the next.
"Ugh!" I groaned, watching as another patrol went towards the southern border, leaving us behind to guard the King's nest. Again. "What are we gonna do, Hookie?"
He drifted along the updrafts, not even bothering to flap his wings unless he had to move out of the way of another dragon. He crooned worriedly—then snapped his head up.
"Snotlout!" he said, pointing his nose below. I really had no other choice than to look, since I was riding on his neck, but I was glad he pointed.
Below, the water crashed and frothed in a savage current, like a storm breaking the waves on the rocks.
The King was on the move.
"Follow him! I bet it's something important!" I urged Hookie. He needed no more encouragement and took off.
The King was heading south, just like the patrols. The sea-winds blasted past us, the salt stinging against my chapped skin and dry eyes. The day was clear and bright without a cloud in the sky, and visibility was great. A grin stretched across my face and I gripped the saddle tighter.
This was gonna be exciting, I just knew it!
Hookie was definitely one of the fastest dragons on Berk, but even he couldn't keep up with the Bewilderbeast. Soon the enormous dragon was lost from my sight, leaving nothing but his wake to follow. The occasional splash of a whale or sea-dragon dotted the turquoise, tumultuous waterscape below.
"Can you still see him, Hookie?" I shouted over the breath-stealing wind.
"Yeah!" he crowed, the wind stealing his breath and sending his voice away.
"Good! Keep it up!"
We raced towards the south like pirates caught stealing, hurtling into the unknown. The wake never faded, even as Hookie started to get tired enough to slow down.
Eventually, I remembered my spyglass. I fumbled in my tunic, nearly dropped it, and snapped it open.
The first thing I saw was the King's crown rising above the water. A speck of movement swarmed past him. I snapped after it just in time to see the shape of a dragon.
Hookie yelped. I swung the spyglass around, trying to get the whole picture.
That was when I saw the ships, with their characteristic flags and cages on deck.
"Raiders! Yes!" I cheered. "C'mon, Hookie, let's help them!"
That was enough to give him a second wind. He powered forward, crossing the huge distance across the ocean fast enough to make any dragon jealous—maybe even Toothless.
Soon we were close enough to see the ships with the naked eye. There were three of them in their usual arrow formation. Tempy had dove underwater and was practically invisible beneath the thrashing waves. The southern patrol swarmed around the raiders, but ducked and dove seemingly at random. That meant they likely were shooting at them with arrows, or worse, ballistas. I leaned hard to the side, and Hookie took the cue to bank around them so we could get a closer look.
The ship at the front was the lead, while those in the middle would likely have the most bounty. Flashes of bright colors on the deck told me enough.
"Let's get them free, then show these assholes what happens when you mess with us!" I growled. Hookie let out his most ferocious snarl, tipped his wings towards one of the ships with captives, and—
The ocean erupted. Tempy sprang out of the water like a damned rabbit, spreading the fins on his side like wings and sailing straight over the entire patrol. The sun blotted out, and the sky seemingly filled with darkness. He pounded into the ocean several leagues from the vessels, sending a tsunami cresting up, up, up—
"Tempy, no!" Eret screamed, even though it was too damned late.
The tidal wave was the stuff of nightmares, arching high over the masts. The men aboard howled, the dragons wailed.
And every single ship capsized, like toy boats thrown out to sea.
"No!" Hookfang shouted. He tucked his wings and dove, skimming over the crashing water, wide eyes searching below.
Tempy popped his head out of the water and turned around, sending another wave tumbling towards us. I pulled hard on Hookie's horns, forcing his head up until he saw the wall of water. He darted up over it, squealing.
"Tempy! The cages! The dragons!" One of Eret's men was shouting.
"Tempy!" Eret shouted, pointing wildly below.
The dragons were all shrieking at him, too. He darted his head back and forth, eyes wide and confused.
I ground my teeth and growled. Kicking my legs out of the stirrups, I bolted to my feet and stood up on Hookie's forehead.
"HEY! IDIOT!" I hollered, waving my hands and jumping up and down.
Tempy swung towards me, his great eyes piercing mine.
"THOSE DRAGONS WILL DROWN IF YOU DON'T GET THEM!"
Hookie let out a bellow of his own. He had a good pair of lungs on him when he actually used them.
Tempy's pupils thinned. He let out a whine.
That was the only warning we got before he crashed below. The water reared like a beast made of a thousand claws, bowling into us and knocking us ass-over-tail. It ripped me out of the saddle. All of my insides flipped end-over-end.
"Hookie!" I cried, spinning in a whirl of sky-blue, white froth, ocean-navy, a flash of red—
Claws wrapped around my leg. I lurched to a stop, dangling upside-down.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Eret shouted from Anatoli's shoulders. The opal dragon was panting heavily, eyes locked on the waves below. He snapped his jaws and backpedaled, taking us up and away.
Another gale of water, and Tempy resurfaced. Balanced on his back, his fins spread out wide to catch anything, were several dragon cages. The poor things coughed and spluttered, and several didn't move at all.
Hookie dipped just below us, and Anatoli unceremoniously dropped me. I smacked into my dragon's back and had to crawl my way back up to the saddle, cursing all the while.
"Let's go, Hookie!" I said. "Everyone's already heading over!"
We joined the rush to the cages. The dragons trapped inside were wild-eyed with terror, obviously. Our own dragons tried to calm them, but it was no good. Every time someone came near the cages, claws, teeth, and spines would streak towards them. One dragon yelped, and one of the men shouted as a Nadder spine sunk deep into his shoulder.
"Just get the damned cages open!" Eret ordered. Anatoli leapt out of the way of another spray of spines and snarled at the dragon who'd shot them. The Horrendous Spineslinger bared its gnarly teeth right back, pupils slit, its four tails lashing.
"They're freaking out!" I shouted. "You're just gonna—woah!" I swung in the saddle as Hookie tore away from the cage we were near, the three-headed dragon inside inches from biting him.
Tempy, looking over his shoulder, let out a deep call. That only made the dragons inside the cage panic even more. The only ones who weren't scrambling around their cages were the ones who were half-conscious. Those dragons' cages were already open, but if they were awake at all, their eyes were dazed and unfocused.
I groaned, running a hand over my face.
It looked like we were gonna do this the hard way, then.
"Hookie, that one!" I said, pointing at the cage with the biggest dragon.
He immediately knew what I was up to and shook his head. "No!"
"Go!" I snapped. "C'mon, you know it'll work!"
With a worried whimper, he flew straight over the cage I'd pointed at. Within it was a gangly-looking Crimson Goregutter.
I cracked my knuckles and leapt off of Hookie, between the bars of the cage—and on top of the dragon's head, right between its moose-like antlers.
The dragon froze for a precious moment.
"HEY!" I roared, planting my feet and gripping onto both of their antlers. "I'M IN CHARGE NOW!"
The dragon bellowed. They threw their head this way and that, smashing into the cage. With each bone-jarring strike, vibrations went thrumming through my hands and all the way down my legs, but I wasn't about to give up. Settled in between their antlers, the Crimson Goregutter could flail around all day long and I wouldn't get a scratch on me.
They seemed to realize this soon, coming to a stop and panting. They tilted their head just enough to see me and bared yellowed teeth, rumbling in a dangerous snarl.
"Yeah, yeah, your life sucks right now! Deal!" I shouted. I shifted both of my hands onto one antler and jumped down the side of their head, letting myself hang from it right next to their eye. Staring straight into their venomous leer, I scowled and bared my teeth like I was Hiccup. "Look! Do you want out or not?!" I pointed outside the cage.
Hookie was right outside of it, eyes enormous and whining. He keened at the Crimson Goregutter, which looked between him and me with growing alarm.
"Hookie! Pull the latch!" I shouted. I mimed the action of grabbing the lever, pulling it up, and shoving it aside.
Hookie chomped down on the latch and looked at me.
"Good! Now pull it up!"
I could see the wheels in his head turning. But my dragon was one of the smartest, ever, and he managed to pull it up, unhooking the locks. Without any more instructions, he thrust it to the side, opening the cage with a triumphant screech.
The Crimson Goregutter gaped.
"Ta-dah!" I sang, gesturing with a hand at the opened space.
The dragon needed no more encouragement. They lurched forward, nearly throwing me right off, and took flight within moments. I waited until we were high enough and let go.
Hookie spiraled up and caught me.
"Trust fall!" I cheered. He cawed with pride, pulling up to hover next to the Crimson Goregutter. The enormous dragon still looked totally shocked, but also really grumpy.
The dragons below, on the other hand, had gone completely silent. So had Eret and his men.
"Well?!" I snapped at them. "Are ya gonna open the rest of the cages or not?"
o.O.o
Within a few minutes, It took awhile, but eventually, all of the dragons had been freed and the injured ones were nestled on the Crimson Goregutter's back. Tempy was more than happy to shake the cages off of his back, letting them plop back into the ocean.
Eret and Anatoli hovered next to me. Eret ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, we would have liked to take someone hostage to question them," he grumbled, staring ruefully down at the ocean.
"Aren't'cha glad I was here?" I said. "Otherwise you would've been stuck dealing with all of those angry dragons turning you into a porcupine!"
Eret rolled his eyes. "We would've calmed them down without risking our lives like that." He paused, rubbing his chin. "Although I do respect the hands-on approach."
Anatoli rolled his eyes in clear disagreement, but Hookie and I puffed up.
"Captain!" Cynebl shouted, flying over on his dragon. Clutched in the dragon's claws was a wooden chest. "We found this bobbing away."
"Good man!" Eret said. "Let's get that back home so we can see inside. And you!" He spun on Tempy, who was sitting in the ocean with his head tipped aside like a giant puppy. "You are in so much trouble!"
Anatoli, his mate, and all of the dragons of their nest growled. Tempy lowered his head.
My grin faded.
I knew what it was like to be teamed up on like that.
"Hey! He was useful!" I shouted. Tempy perked up, his eyes alight, and blinked at me. "None of you could have even gotten close to the cages without him!"
"He nearly drowned all of the other dragons!" Brennus added.
I rolled my eyes. "Well, if you hadn't all started screaming at him all at the same time, then maybe he would have saved them faster! In fact," I pointed at all of them, "if you had let him come in the first place, then he probably would have been able to help without putting them all in danger!"
Tempy looked hopefully between me and Eret, Anatoli, and the Stormcutter.
"Eh, I s'pose that's a good point," Cynebl muttered with a shrug. A few of the others piped up in agreement, while just as many scoffed and shook their heads.
Eret threw his head back with a moan. "Now isn't the time for this! No matter how you spin it, both of you weren't where you belonged."
"You never said I couldn't come!" I argued.
"I never said you could, either!" he retorted. To Tempy, he said, "And I definitely told you to stay put!"
Tempy narrowed his eyes and puffed a gale of frost at him.
"Don't you sass me!" Eret scolded, shaking the thin layer of ice off.
"Come on!" I said. "What do you expect? He obviously wants to help!"
Eret sent me a glare, then directed it at Tempy. The huge dragon snorted, sending streams of fog out over the ocean.
"Seriously, what're ya gonna do?" I persisted. I leaned forward in the saddle. "He shouldn't be trapped in the nest, treated like he's too stupid or incompetent to even try to help!"
"I'm picking up a lot of projection here," Eret said flatly, raising an eyebrow. Anatoli snorted, leering at me.
"Aw, c'mon, Eret, the lad's got a point!" Cynebl said.
"And quite a set of lungs," Thalos joked, earning a few laughs from the others. "I've never seen Tempy mind someone like that!"
"He gets me," I said, putting my hands on my hips and lifting my chin.
Tempy whined, stepping close to Anatoli and putting on the most pitiful face I had ever seen on a dragon. The colorful dragon scrunched his nose up and looked away, but as Tempy continued to beg, his harsh expression softened.
The Stormcutter said something, and Anatoli let out a huge sigh and hung his head. He craned his neck around to look at Eret and crooned.
Eret threw his hands up in the air. "Argh! Fine! We'll talk about this back at the nest!"
"Yes! Yes!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air. Hookie did a little spin, and Tempy tapped his feet in excitement, kicking up giant, frothing waves.
"Gods, I already regret this," Eret moaned, running his hands over his eyes. "I should just give you back to Astrid."
"Hah! You wish!" I said. "C'mon, Hookie! C'mon, Tempy!"
Hookie bolted away, and with a joyful roar, Tempy leapt forward with us. He crashed into the water, completely soaking us with spray. This time, though, I didn't mind.
I think I knew how to prove myself.
o.O.o
"Alright, this better be good!" Eret said, thrusting the chest open.
Everyone in the ice nest crowded in to get a look—even Tempy.
The first thing I noticed was that the entire inside of the chest, especially the edges of each half, was coated in a thick layer of tar. The rest of the chest was full of hay, which was miraculously dry. Eret threw out handful after handful of the stuff until he revealed the prize. Nestled within them like dragon eggs were three objects covered in cloth and a tight wrapping of twine. They looked like jars. The cloths definitely had oil worked into them, shimmering with little droplets of water streaming right off of them.
"Ale?" someone asked hopefully.
Eret tugged the twine off of one and unwrapped it. His eyebrows kicked up. The jar was sheer black and shone like a gem. Its spout was also wrapped tightly in oiled cloth and twine.
"Someone went through a lot of work to keep this dry," Eret mused, ripping the second cloth off to reveal a tar-coated cork. He ripped it off and sniffed inside. He wrinkled his nose. "Eugh, not alcohol."
Several people moaned in dismay.
"Well, then what is it?" I said.
Eret squinted, sloshing it around. He proffered it to Anatoli. The dragon took one sniff and flinched away, pawing at his nose and hissing.
I glanced at Hookie. "What'd he say?"
Eret snapped his head up. "Wait, you can understand him?"
I rolled my eyes and drawled, "Hookie and I share a bond deeper than language."
"Yeah!" Hookie chirped.
Eret flattened his eyelids.
Hookie pointed his nose at the jar. He swung his head and spat out a glob of magma. Then he sniffed it, pointed at the fire, and then back at the container again.
Eret looked at me expectantly.
"Smells like fire, obviously," I said.
Eret turned to Anatoli, who reluctantly nodded.
Pursing his lips, Eret grabbed another huge handful of hay. "Alright, everyone back up!" Once a circle had formed, he thrust the hay on the ground and poured a small amount of the tarry-brown liquid on top.
Nothing happened.
"Lame," I muttered.
"Well, it's not Monstrous Nightmare saliva," someone said.
"Then what is it?" asked someone else.
"What I want to know is why it's so important," Eret said.
One of the Hobblegrunts—Shimmer, I think—craned her neck and sniffed. Her scales flared neon yellow in alarm. She squeaked and recoiled. As she did, her foot splashed into one of the many puddles in the nest; a side effect of having ice for a ceiling.
Just a drop of water landed on the liquid-soaked hay.
It erupted into white flame.
Everyone, human and dragon, took a step back.
The flame was wild and hot, painful to look at—and growing quickly. Already it had eaten through all the hay and was burning away at the green foliage. Before I could blink, it had crept to the puddle Shimmer had stepped in, and on contact, it burst forward into huge, reaching flames.
"Uh, is someone gonna do something?!" I shouted.
One dragon watching from above spat boiling water onto it, which only made the flames reach higher. Now the flames were searing-hot, taller than me, eating away the foliage, and too bright to look at.
Hookie lunged forward and stomped on the flames. But instead of going out, he let out a shriek—and when he drew away, his paw was on fire.
"HOOKIE!" I screamed. I tore my coat off and swatted at his paw with it, but all that did was catch that on fire, too. Cursing, I threw it on the ground, dug my hands into the earth, and thrust it at his foot. The flames hissed, crackling and sputtering.
"Sand! Use sand!" Eret shouted.
The Stormcutter roared, splaying the fins ridging his skull, and then turned around. Digging all four of his wing-feet into the ground, he began digging like a maniac, kicking up huge clouds of earth, plants, and sand. Hookie, me, and everyone else were covered in the wave of debris.
The fire sizzled and popped. The intense heat subsided, like I had dove into the ocean.
I coughed, rubbing the grit from my eyes. "Hookie?"
He sneezed several times in a row and held his paw up.
All traces of the fire was gone. His scales were burned—actually burned, which said a lot about how hot the white flames were.
"Oh, Hookie," I murmured, walking over to him and examining him. He grimaced as I poked and prodded his paw. The burn didn't seem serious, thank Odin. "You okay?"
He sniffed at his paw and licked it. He paused, then thoughtfully licked it again. Eventually, he looked back at me and nodded. Anatoli and the Stormcutter padded over, each of them caught between consoling and scolding Hookie. Both of them had their turn sniffing his wound. Finally, Anatoli dipped his nose to Hookie's paw and went very still, closing his eyes. Hookie jolted, baring his teeth in pain. I rubbed his shoulder and watched in morbid fascination as his burnt scales shriveled and fell off, revealing fresh, new scales beneath.
"Everyone else alright?" Eret asked. At the resounding chorus of "aye!", he nodded, went over to where the pile of hay had been, and kicked more sand over it for good measure. He turned to me. "Have you ever seen that on their ships before?"
Hookie and I both shook our heads. "No," I said, my brow furrowing. "We'd be done for if they managed to hit us with that over the open ocean."
"So why do they have it now?" Eret mused, staring at the obsidian jar in his hand like it was a hissing snake. "And where did they get it from?"
"Not to mention, why are they here?" I brought up. "Just the other day in Berk, you were saying you hadn't seen any of the raiders around here for awhile."
Eret scowled. He shoved the cork back into the jar, set it back inside the chest, and slammed it shut.
"I don't know," he said. "But we'd best find out."
o.O.o
Snotlout,
Thanks for keeping me in the loop. I had Fishlegs do some research and he thinks that what you guys found was "Greek Fire". Flammable on contact with water, almost impossible to put out. He says you're lucky that the entire nest didn't burn down.
I've sent messages to the other tribes to stock their ships with sand. What I really want to know is why the raiders had it in the first place. Keep me updated, and be careful.
-Astrid
Feet dangling over the outcropping towards Tempy's waterbed, I scratched the cyan Terror under the chin as she lounged on my shoulder. Hookie snored, wrapped around my back and tail sliding over the expanse. Tempy was asleep, too, even though the sun had risen, sending pale, rose light into the dozy nest.
Part of me was still really annoyed that Astrid was the acting Chief—that this letter could and probably should be taken as orders.
But, then again, I was the one out in the world investigating all of this, while she was stuck doing her "Chiefly" business on Berk. So who was the real winner here?
I wrote back a quick reply to let her know I'd gotten her message, wrapped the parchment up, and slid it into the cylinder attached to the Terror's back. After a quick treat and more scratches behind the horns, I lifted my arm, sending her spiraling up and out of the nest.
With that done, I got to my feet, brushed myself off, and said, "C'mon, Hookie. We got work to do."
He grumbled, eyes still closed. I just got up and walked away. A few moments later, I heard him realize I wasn't there anymore, scramble to his feet, and scurry over. He huffed in disapproval, sending a warm waft of fish-smelling air over me.
Eret was sitting outside his tent, mulling over some maps. Anatoli lay at his side, grooming his scales.
"Hey," I said. "Nice morning, right?"
"What do you want?" Eret grunted.
Right to it, then. I liked it that way.
"I want to be in charge of the team investigating the raiders."
Eret and Anatoli's heads snapped up.
"You, being the leader?" Eret repeated.
I tried not to scowl, but couldn't keep myself from clenching my fists. "I've spent the past five years hunting them down with the others. I know how they work."
"Except for their new weaponry? What was it you said the other day? That we'd be 'done for' if you managed to get hit with this...stuff?" he gestured at the chest, which was now under guard by a couple of the nest's dragons.
"It's called Greek Fire," I said. "Flammable when it hits water."
He squinted. "And how do you know that?"
Obviously, I wouldn't tell him that it was Astrid who told me. "I reached out to some buddies on Berk, and they got back to me."
Eret grunted. "Well, I'm glad ya let Astrid know. If this is something we have to worry about on the regular, it'll change how we approach these people." He frowned at the chest for awhile. With a sigh, he got to his feet and brushed himself off. "Let's go for a walk, lad."
Oh, great. A "talk". Everyone knew what that meant: talking down to the other person like they were totally stupid.
I scowled. Why was I always the one who got these fun little chats? Whenever Astrid or Hiccup got stuck in this position, they always managed to make it work for them. Hiccup was the master of wriggling his way out of tough spots just by talking. Me, I preferred the tried-and-true method of "yell louder, punch harder".
Wait…
This was easy! I just had to do what Hiccup did. And that meant being less…well…
"Oh, c'mon, don't give me that look," Eret jibed at me.
I wiped the nasty look off my face. C'mon, Snotlout, what would Hiccup say?
The answer was: usually the worst thing to say.
"Sorry," I said, and before I could think twice, admitted, "I just hate being talked down to like I'm some idiot. It happens all the time on Berk, and I can never prove myself."
Eret stared at me, his expression unreadable. I flushed all the way up to my ears. Hiccup always made admitting his own weaknesses seem like...I don't know. Not a strength, but it always somehow earned him respect, when any other person would get laughed out of the room or taken advantage of. I braced myself for the humiliation that was sure to come.
Eret walked over and clapped me on the shoulder. "Ya know what, lad? I can see how that can wear you thin."
He shoved me along, and this time, I kept in step beside him. With Hookie trailing us, we wandered away from the encampment, up one of the tunnels of the nest that would eventually open on its peak.
"I'll be honest," Eret said, his voice echoing against the ice, "you've got quite the reputation preceding you."
The way he said that made my shoulders sink. "Does everyone think I'm an idiot?"
Eret shrugged. "You're not the type to think first, act later. You jump into the fray and trust that you—or someone else—will face off any problem that comes. There's some value in that." He looked at me sidelong. "But if it goes wrong one too many times...then yes, people will tend to call you stupid. Then, it looks shortsighted. It makes you seem untrustworthy."
An enormous pit sucked my insides out. We were Vikings! We were the strongest, toughest guys around, and that came because of our way of fighting! We charged in and crushed our opponents. We didn't need to strategize because our strength was so overpowering. What was the point of berserkers, then?
"So I'll never even have a chance, is what you're saying," I ground out. Hookie whined behind me, pressing his nose to my back.
"Did ya hear me say any of that?" Eret said, shooting me a scolding look. "Don't put words in my mouth. Or anyone's, for that matter. You do that, a lot." When I looked away, properly cowed, he loosened his harsh tone. "What I'm saying is how you are perceived, and that there are strengths and weaknesses to that. It's up to you to figure out how to work with it."
"But how can I?" I said, struggling not to shout from the rising anger and resentment building in my chest. "You just said I seem untrustworthy! That's super insulting, by the way!"
"Is it?" Eret asked, shooting me a dashing grin. "Many people would call me untrustworthy." He waved his hand. "But, that's neither here nor there. What should you do if you're worried people are nervous around you? That you can't get things done right?"
"I show them I can!" I said. "That's what I've been trying to do!"
"That's right. And don't think I haven't noticed you steppin' up. I haven't seen you sleep in even once." Eret took us around a corner, and the ice caverns suddenly gave way to a stony cliff jutting out into the air, thousands of feet above the ocean below. We stepped onto the windy expanse, the chill wind bringing the promise of fall.
Eret stood with his hands on his hips, staring out at the rising sun. "Here's the deal," he said. "The team will be separated in two, each branching out in separate directions. One team will be co-captained by Cynbel and Thalos. The other will be you and me."
"YES!" I screamed, jumping up and down in circles and throwing my fists in the air. Hookie snapped his head back and let loose an enormous flame, so brilliant that it could compete with the sun. He then promptly shielded us with his wings and globs of fire came raining down.
Eret smirked. "You won't be so happy once you get into it. Leadership isn't all it's worked up to be."
I assembled myself back into a proper position. Hookie stomped out a stray fire that was too stubborn to go out on its own. "What do you mean?"
His expression fell. Eret sighed, turning back to the ocean, and walked over to the cliff's edge. He sat down on it, and I did the same.
"Bein' in charge was something I always wanted, right up until it happened," Eret admitted.
I balked. "What? But you're so...so...cool!"
His lip quirked upwards. "'Course I am. That comes naturally." He sobered. "The truth is, lad, is that when you're in charge, everything comes down to you. The success of your mission. The safety of your men. Hell, even the food in their stomachs and the clothes on their back. If any one thing goes wrong, everything else follows, and it all falls on your shoulders."
I almost said something, but waited.
"Don't get me wrong—I love bein' the captain," Eret said. "The thing is, I can't make everything perfect. Sometimes mistakes happen. Sometimes it's your fault, sometimes it isn't. But there's always this creeping feeling that you could have changed something, somehow." His shoulders slumped. "Back when we first caught your cousin and took him to Drago...he slaughtered one of my youngest crewmates right in front of us. It wasn't his fault. He'd done nothing wrong. I was at fault there, and he paid the price."
I shared a look with Hookie and then asked hesitantly, "Is that...the person Anatoli is named after?"
Eret nodded, his eyes distant. "He is. It was the least I could do to honor his sacrifice."
We sat on that for awhile.
The Chief was the toughest, smartest Viking in the tribe. They were the ones everyone looked to in times of need. They were respected. They were needed. It was all I had ever wanted.
I hadn't really thought about the other side of the coin, the consequences of being a bad leader. I remembered back when Hiccup had been changed, when the village was in turmoil. When Uncle Stoick was challenged left and right, even by Astrid. It was hard to imagine anyone protesting his leadership now the way they had then.
I especially remembered the fights at home. Mom and Dad getting into screaming matches about Uncle Stoick. Dad wanting to challenge him to be Chief, Mom furiously fighting him that it would rip our whole family apart. Both of them giving each other the cold shoulder afterwards. The fear and helplessness I had felt. The fury towards Toothless, as well as Hiccup, once I had decided he had gone traitor. I hadn't told anyone about it, not even Astrid, because I was ashamed.
The Chief had been consumed by grief, and the entire village fell apart and blamed him for it.
But he didn't walk away. He didn't give people the cold shoulder. Neither had Eret when Anatoli had been murdered in front of him.
What would I do?
A chill went down my spine. Because, well, what had I shown that I would do?
Yell a lot. Walk away. Stonewall. Hold a grudge. Then it was always up to Hiccup or Astrid to pull me out of it.
Berk would kick me out of Chieftainship in a day if I acted that way.
"It's impossible to be perfect," Eret said, pulling me into the present. "But you have to come pretty damn close when you're in charge."
I unclenched my hands, wondering vaguely when I had balled them up so tight in the first place. "That's why Astrid is acting Chief," I mumbled. "She's so strong and smart and...and...competent, and I'm...not." My shoulders sagged. I stared at my hands. "I'm just the annoying asshole who tags along and tries to be important."
Hookie gasped. He snapped a wing-talon out and pulled me close to him, growling at me, smoke curling between his teeth. I looked up at him with a small smile.
"Yer dragon's right," Eret said. He was frowning now, a sharp crease across his forehead. "Don't get so down. You were important yesterday. You got Tempy to listen to ya, and you got those dragons under control far quicker than we would have. That wasn't nothin'."
I shrugged. "I guess so. But…" I sighed. "I guess I can kind-of see why Hiccup would pick being a dragon, over dealing with stuff like that...with people like me."
"Well, that's not fair and you know it." Eret got to his feet and dragged me by my tunic up with him. "Hiccup's a dragon through and through. Always has been. I remember walkin' in on him in the cages, hearin' him growling and hissing at the dragons just like he was one of 'em. It was spooky." He poked my chest with his finger. "The only spooky thing here is your self-pity. Are you gonna sulk about feelin' like a failure all day, or are you going to do something about it?"
I gave him a nasty look and swatted his hand away. The empty hole in me seemed to swallow more and more.
But you know what? I was tired of that.
So I shoved my anger and ambition right back at it and told it to knock it off. I was Snotlout, and I wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. I was gonna use this opportunity to be the best Viking I could be. I was going to prove that I was worthy of the respect and value that everyone else had.
I met Eret's eyes, a fire burning in my own. "I'm going to stop those raiders."