Silent Treatment
Hiccup had been an only child all his life, so he couldn't imagine what life would be like with a sibling. Hiccup had thought the idea of having a brother or a sister would be fun. When Zephyr and Nuffink got into arguments and said they hated each other, Hiccup would say to imagine life without the other and they would immediately apologize.
Zephyr and Nuffink were brother and sister, so they were prone to get into arguments often. Whether it was over the last piece of bread or which dragon is cooler, they eventually apologized in the end and hugged it out.
Hiccup and Astrid had always thought that every argument would end the same way, but there came an argument that they did not apologize to each other. In fact, they stopped talking to each other completely.
Hiccup had left for chief duties and Astrid had stayed home with the kids. Astrid was teaching them self defense when Nuffink accidentally kicked Zephyr.
"OW!" she cried. "Did you do that on purpose?"
"No," said Nuffink. "I didn't mean to."
They continued practicing when Zephyr accidentally kicked Nuffink. Nuffink frowned at her as he rubbed his shin.
"You did that on purpose!" Nuffink shouted.
"I did not! It was an accident, I swear!" Zephyr said.
"Nuh-uh! You were upset that I kicked you, so you kicked me back!" Nuffink retorted.
Zephyr crossed her arms. "So, you kicked me on purpose?"
"No!"
Astrid intervened. "Hey! You two didn't mean to kick each other. Zephyr, apologize to your brother."
"He kicked me first! He should apologize!" Zephyr said.
"No, you should, because you kicked me on purpose!" Nuffink cried.
"Okay, how about you just apologize to each other, okay? I'm sure you two didn't mean to kick the other," said Astrid.
Zephyr and Nuffink frowned and glared at each other. Astrid sighed.
"Come on, let's go inside. I'll start making lunch," she said. Astrid was sure that the two would drop it and move on, but they didn't.
"Nuffink, could you go get your sister?" Astrid asked. Nuffink reluctantly complied and came back, dragging Zephyr by the wrist.
"Let me go!" she said, then removed her wrist from his grip.
"Nuffink, you don't have to drag Zephyr!" Astrid said.
"Well, she kicked me!" Nuffink said.
Zephyr rubbed her wrist. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Did not!"
"Fine!" shouted Zephyr. "I'm not talking to you until you apologize!"
"I'm not talking to you either!" Nuffink yelled. And the two stormed off their separate ways.
Astrid was shocked. She never thought that an argument between the two would go so far that they would go to the silent treatment. "Kids!" she called. "Lunch is still sitting on the table!"
"Not hungry!" they shouted back. Astrid shook her head. They'll get over it, she thought.
But they didn't.
Hiccup had come home from chief duties and found Zephyr sitting at the table drawing. He looked over her shoulder and saw that she was drawing a picture of the Haddock family.
"That's a nice drawing there, Zephyr," Hiccup said.
"Thanks!" she said happily. Hiccup then noticed that Nuffink wasn't in the drawing.
"Uh, Zeph, I think you forgot Nuffink," said Hiccup.
"No, he's in the drawing," said Zephyr. "He's just outside playing in the mud."
Hiccup blinked. "Okayyy…?"
Astrid walked downstairs. "Hiccup, we have a problem."
"We do?"
"The kids aren't talking to each other," said Astrid. "Look, watch." Astrid cupped her hands around her mouth. "Nuffink! Can you tell Zephyr to go outside and get my axe?"
"I can't tell her!" shouted Nuffink. "Ask Dad to!"
Astrid threw her hands up into the air. "See!?"
"Well, what happened?" Hiccup asked.
"We were practicing self-defense and they accidently kicked each other. They're not talking to each other until the other apologizes."
"That's a lot of others," Hiccup remarked.
Astrid nodded. "Anyway, we need to get them to apologize. I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Hiccup patted her shoulder. "It can't be that bad!"
But it was that bad. Zephyr and Nuffink would not speak to each other at all. Hiccup and Astrid were trying—well, begging at this point!—to get them to apologize but the siblings would not. It wasn't until two days later when Hiccup finally had enough.
"Okay you two," said Hiccup. "You guys have to say you're sorry. Not talking to each other isn't making things better."
"And it's not making anything better for us either," said Astrid.
"I'm not saying sorry until he apologizes," Zephyr said adamantly.
"I'm not saying sorry until she apologizes," Nuffink said.
Zephyr frowned. "You don't have to copy what I say!"
"You copied what I said before I could say it!" Nuffink retorted.
"Ugh! I hate you!"
"Oh yeah? Well, I ATE you too!"
"Whoa, okay! No one is hating or eating anybody!" Astrid said. Even though Nuffink meant to say "hate" she couldn't help but laugh silently at his mispronunciation. "Just say you're sorry." Please, she added silently.
Zephyr and Nuffink glared daggers at each other.
"Kids…" Hiccup said.
"Okay, fine," said Zephyr. "I'm sorry for kicking you in the shin."
"And I'm sorry that I kicked you...I don't remember where I kicked you, but I am sorry!" said Nuffink.
"See? That wasn't so hard!" Astrid said. Zephyr and Nuffink shrugged.
"Next time, just say sorry. No more silent treatment for three days," said Hiccup.
"Okay," Zephyr said. The two siblings left to play outside.
"I'm so glad that's finally over…" said Astrid. "This is the first time they've ever used the silent treatment. I wonder where they picked it up?"
"Probably the twins," said Hiccup.
"Oh, yeah. Definitely the twins," Astrid said.