Alright, so Twins episode. This one was hard. Mostly since there's not a whole lot I could go off from and I had to get real creative and think hard on what I could add. What is there that I didn't see even on my 20th watch? That's the question I had to keep asking throughout writing this. It wasn't easy, but I finally finished it. YAY!
So, without further ado, please enjoy during this time of quarantine.
Zippleback Down:
Late in the afternoon, Hiccup and Toothless were out for a flight over the island. Hiccup was enjoying the feel of the wind blowing through her wild hair, Toothless simply gliding over the forest.
"Ah, Toothless", Hiccup sighed. "I could stay up here forever", she said, her eyes closed in bliss. But then a dragon cry for help was heard, and Hiccup and Toothless hovered at high alert.
"Down there", Toothless spotted below, just behind them.
"It looks like he's stuck in a dragon trap", Hiccup realized seeing the Deadly Nadder's leg trapped in a snapper, a bear-like trap, only much bigger. How could they have forgotten about those, Hiccup's mind berated itself. To make matter's worse, it was a Berkian dragon too; one of their own.
Toothless rushed down, landing before the dragon, and Hiccup dismounting with a jump as soon as Toothless was remotely close to the ground.
"Sharpclaw, don't worry. I'm gonna get you out of there.", Hiccup crooned calmly.
"Just hurry, Hiccup, it hurts", he squawked and whined.
"I know. I know", she said rounding the trap. She then reached up and grabbed onto one end of the trap, practically hanging with it's height. "Toothless, grab hold of the other side."
Toothless did so rounding to the other side of the trap and grabbing hold with his paws.
"On the count of three, we pull the trap open", she said. "Ready... one, two, three!" On three, Hiccup used her wings, as well as gravity, to pull herself and her end of the trap down as Toothless did the same pushing it open with his paws. With enough force, the two snapped the trap open freeing Sharpclaw's leg. "Toothless, plasma blast", she then said, and Toothless shot at the trap, triggering it to disarm and close shut.
Sharpclaw still squawked in pain though, his leg badly injured, and Hiccup knew she had to take him to Gothi.
"Toothless, run as fast as you can to the village and get Gobber", she told him. "I'll stay here with Sharpclaw."
Without hesitation, Toothless rushed off for the village.
000
At Gothi's, Sharpclaw's family stood by with their dragon as Gothi worked. Their six year old daughter was petting his non-injured leg, telling him he was being a really good boy as Gothi dressed his wound.
"How did this even happen?" Gobber asked Hiccup, he, Hiccup, and Toothless all waiting outside.
Hiccup sighed. "Sharpclaw was out flying, when he thought he smelled something. He landed, and not seeing the trap, his foot stepped onto it. Why weren't those dismantled?" she asked.
"Well, when you get to be my age, you… forget a thing or two", Gobber chuckled with his excuse. "Traps laid out a year of two ago, well…"
"Well we have to get rid of them before something like this happens again. Sharpclaw was lucky. Some other innocent dragon? They might not be."
Hiccup thought a moment, figuring out an exact plan to get the traps disarmed and cleared out in the fastest amount of time, when a thought came to mind. "Hey, Gobber, do you think your free tomorrow morning?"
Gobber, intrigued, asked what she meant.
000
"AHH! The pain! The horror!" Gobber screamed after stepping on the trigger of a snapper. The only thing the teens could see sticking out from the trap was his hook hand. The teens cringed at the sight, until Gobber opened the trap back up, revealing it all to be a joke as he laughed unharmed.
"Don't worry your skivvies; I was just playing around", he roughly eased. "But these dragon traps are made to withstand even the toughest of well…dragons. They're nothing to play around with", he said, actually starting their little lesson. Per Hiccup's request, they were going to go over how to disarm dragon traps; just before fanning out into the forest. Gobber had an old map with where all the traps were roughly located, and the teens were all going to individually disarm a section. Hiccup was not gonna let another dragon get hurt by one of them. Truthfully, it was common knowledge how to set and unset dragon traps; however, a certain few riders refused to pay attention to such things.
"Uh, I beg to differ", Tuffnut interjected. "That one with all the teeth got's Tuffnut written all over it."
"Exactly what I was thinking", Ruffnut laughed, rubbing her hands together.
"You two can feel free to experiment on your own time", Gobber said. "Now, who can tell me what this trap is called?" he asked.
"Ruffnut-be-gone?" Tuffnut guessed, only to be flicked on the ear by his sister. "Ow! Oh, my lobe."
"It's called a snapper", Fishlegs raised his hand, answering matter of factly.
"Potato, Patato", Tuffnut dismissed.
"You guys, this is really important, okay?" Hiccup told the twins. "Eyes forward."
"No problemo", Ruffnut said, but the two turned their eyes on each other staring intensely.
"Other traps include ropers, grabbers, and netters", Fishlegs simply continued stepping forward.
"Ah…well done, Fishlegs", Gobber praised. "But! Remembering how to unset them. That's what separates the men from the maimed."
Fishlegs stepped further, heading for a trap, but frightened for him, Meatlug flew in to stop him, growling pleadingly from behind. She didn't dare get any nearer to the traps.
"Oh, it's alright, girl", he soothed. "Daddy will be fine", he assured her, before giving a little smooch on her cheek.
"For the roper", Fishlegs got behind it, Astrid coming up as well, stopping beside it. It was a canon-like structure made of wood with a bola inside. "―press your foot against the activation line."
"Then remove the latch key, which takes tension off the trigger", Astrid continued. "Then, you can cut the rope", she finished the demonstration.
"Someone's been paying attention", Gobber noted on their extensive knowledge. "And, what about the notorious netter trap?" he prompted.
Hiccup began to step up, but Snotlout decided he'd be better suited for the job.
"Ah, ah, ah. I got this one", he stopped her.
"Please, be my guest", Hiccup invited with a knowing smile.
"Is it wrong to route for the trap?" Aric whispered.
"Eh, let's just call it a…teaching moment", she replied.
"Okay… It's pretty simple actually", Snotlout started. "Haha. You just detach the ropey chain-looking thing, pull the pointy part back, then―Aah!" Snotlout yelped as he was netted, hanging in the air in his self induced trap. "Hookfang, uh, ya gonna get me out of here?"
Hookfang thought a moment as he watched his rider spin in the net. "Nope", he growled, and walked out.
"Any time", Snotlout muttered.
"Hiccup? You want to release the beast?" Gobber invited.
"That's not absolutely necessary, is it?" Astrid asked.
Taking flight, Hiccup reached the top of the net where the mechanism holding it in place hung.
"Okay. Engage the safety pin", Hiccup twisted the nob on the right. "Dislodge the trigger strut…" she pulled the lever… And down came Snotlout from the net.
"Teachers pet", Snotlout muttered begrudgingly as Hiccup planted her feet on the ground.
"And Aric. Care to finish us off with the snapper?" Gobber offered.
"With pleasure", Aric replied. "Shadowstar, spine shot", he called, and Shadowstar fired her spines on the trigger of the trap, making it snap and unset.
"Right", Gobber reset the trap. "Now, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, show me how to unset this trap", he called.
"Can't. Staring contest", Tuffnut said, never taking his eyes off Ruffnut.
"Now!"
"Fine! You don't have to get so testy", Ruffnut said. The two walked sideways with each other, their eyes not once leaving one another. Not looking where they were going, however, they stepped on the large trigger for the trap snapping it on themselves.
" "AH!" " the two screamed, their helmets flying off and Barf and Belch catching them.
"Ah! You almost cut off my head!" Tuffnut shouted at Ruffnut.
"Now that would have been stare worthy", she replied. "Ah, next time", she sighed.
"Alright, listen here", Gobber interjected. He walked to a map of the forest coated in dozens of red 'x' marks. "You all have your assignments. There are dozens of dragon traps left over from…well, when we killed them", Gobber finished in a whisper. "But, since we don't, well, kill them anymore…" he whispered again.
"He knows we can still hear him, right?" Stormfly asked to Shadowstar.
"...We thought it'd be a good idea to clear them before another one of Berk's own dragons get caught. So, get going!"
Dismissed, the riders cleared out to their quadrants, but Hiccup stayed behind approaching the twins.
"You guys know what you're doing, right?" she asked concerned.
"What kind of question is that?!" Tuffnut asked offended.
"A necessary one", Aric bud in having overheard.
"You have absolutely no idea, do you", Hiccup said.
"Absolutely…" Tuffnut said.
"No idea", Ruffnut followed.
"Guys, we're clearing dragon traps", Hiccup told them as Barf and Belch gave the two back their helmets. "It's very dangerous. For you and for your dragon."
A blank stare was all they gave in return. Why did she even bother in the first place?
"You know what, forget it", Hiccup decided. "You guys stay here where you can't get into trouble."
"Actually, we can get into trouble pretty much anywhere", Tuffnut corrected her. "Hey", he nudged Ruffnut, "Remember that empty room?"
"He's got a point", Aric agreed.
"Look, I-I just don't know if I can trust you guys out there right now. This is serious", Hiccup said, and it took the twins back.
"Wow", Tuffnut said, noticeably hurt. "That was…harsh."
"Yeah…Ouch", Ruffnut hurtfully said too.
"N-no, I didn't mean it like that, it's just―" Hiccup tried to peddle back, but there was really nothing to say.
"No, we get it!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "You think we're useless."
Motioning for Barf and Belch, the two mounted their dragon.
"I didn't say that..." Hiccup tried, her ears pinned down to show she was sorry.
"But you were thinking it", Aric lowly sung.
"That's not helping me at all", she side glared Aric.
"We'll be fine, Hiccup", Ruffnut told her. "It's not like we never pay attention."
"Just rarely", Tuffnut clarified.
"Right?" Ruffnut chuckled.
When the two left, Aric looked out at them, his arms crossed with a light smile. "You know, I'm actually gonna miss them when they don't come back."
Hiccup gave him the look to stop it.
000
Barf and Belch landed in the forest, the twins getting off. They couldn't believe the lack of faith Hiccup had. Sure, they fooled around a bit and rarely ever paid attention―where's the fun in that? But it wasn't like they were completely incompetent.
"I don't know about you, but I don't really appreciate Hiccup's negativity when it comes to our Thor-given dragon abilities", Tuffnut griped as they walked.
"Right? I mean, she doesn't know us", Ruffnut agreed.
"Yeah. Wait." Tuffnut, followed by Ruffnut, stopped. "What are we doing again?"
"We're supposed to look for the hidden traps", Ruffnut answered.
"Hidden traps. Check." They began to look around, looking to the ground and up in the trees. "Okay, where do you think they'd hide?" Tuffnut wondered. "Here, trappy. Here, little snappy trap."
000
Ruffnut turned around the opposite direction Tuffnut was looking.
'Now where would hidden traps hide...' she mulled over looking this way and that. She barely even looked away for a second, however, before she suddenly heard a yelp from her brother. She turned back around, and nearly laughed out loud at seeing Tuffnut all of a sudden spinning and hanging in a net in a tree. Actually, looked kinda fun.
"Little help, sis?" her brother asked, struggling to get out.
"Nah, you're doing fine", Ruffnut drawled. She could watch him hang there all day. But then Tuffnut began to whine, the noise getting irritating fast. "Okay, okay", Ruffnut gave, turning around. "Ugh, quit your whining."
"Where are you going?" Tuffnut asked as she walked towards Barf and Belch.
"You said you wanted help. I'm going back to the village to get Hiccup, duh…" Ruffnut told her dummy of a brother.
"Fine. But don't tell her I got stuck in the trap. We'll never hear the end of it."
"Yeah, you're right… I'll tell her the trap got caught in you."
"Huh, I like the way your head's at."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait", Ruffnut suddenly stopped before their dragon. "We need two riders. How am I gonna fly Barf and Belch without you?"
"Uh, duh, hand signals?"
"Oh! Cool, great idea."
000
Ruffnut got onto Barf, and Belch looked expectantly to Tuffnut.
"K, Belch. Fly", Tuffnut told him, his hand giving the signal, and Belch nodded.
It seemed to start off well, the two of them taking flight, but then Belch heard Tuffnut's call of distress.
"Yes! Save your father from the snapping trap!" he yelled out, and the dragon just knew he had to double back. They spun out of control and hit the ground right where they started, Ruffnut bucked off.
"Idiot", Barf growled.
"Look who's talking", Belch growled right back.
"Barf, Belch, keep an eye on Tuffnut", Ruffnut interrupted them, brushing dirt off of herself. "I'll walk."
"Sure you can follow that?" Barf teased Belch.
"Are you?" Belch said right back.
"Great idea!" Tuffnut enthusiastically agreed, taking their focus. "I'll wait here", he said as Ruffnut walked away, then he looked down at them. "I'm not helpless", he exclaimed, then kicked out, causing him to spin in the net trap.
"Cool", Barf awed at the trick.
"We'll never be as smart as him", Belch praised.
"But my rider's smarter", Belch, however, boasted quickly, and once again, Belch growled.
000
"I hate that fish. It's taunting me", Toothless whined and grumbled longing for the fish that was laying on the snapper trap, just waiting for a dragon to come and snatch it.
"We'll get something to eat later", Hiccup chuckled. "Now blast it, bud!" she pointed, and Toothless shot the trap. A gust of wind then suddenly blew towards them, Hiccup shielding her face with a hand. "Whoa, you feel that, bud?"
"Feel what?" Toothless wondered, his ears perked.
Spotting the small fire Toothless' blast started in the grass, Hiccup quickly raced forward, stomping it out.
Hiccup raised her hand in the air, feeling the air current. "There's a dry hot wind coming in from the North. And it hasn't rained for two months."
"And this all means…?"
"It means fire weather", she walked back to Toothless, mounting him. "We need to get back to the village and find my dad."
000
Ruffnut wandered down the path figuring she'd just go back in the direction they came. She could already hear the 'I told you so's and the 'why do we trust you with anything's from the Hiccup and the others.
"You guys know what you're doing, right.? This is serious." Ruffnut mocked what Hiccup said. "As if we can't be serious", she griped.
Ruffnut hated how everyone thought she and Tuffnut were just some useless dimwits who liked to get into trouble. Sure, they liked trouble, and Tuffnut wasn't the sharpest sword, but they weren't useless. She just wished there was some way to prove it.
She stopped her tracks, suddenly coming to a fork in the road.
'Which path to choose?' she wondered, when the perfect solution came to her. With one hand, Ruffnut covered her eyes, and with the other, she pointed at the paths.
"Yes, no, yes, no…" she pointed back and forth between the two. "Yes… no…" she slowed down, peaking just a little, when she decided. "Yes", she said with finality, going down the path to her left. She'd be back to the village in no time.
"Heh, who's dumb now, Aric", Ruffnut gloated.
000
"You know, Barf, I just realized something. We never talk!" Tuffnut said as he still hung from the netter trap, Belch taking a nap, as Barf's attention was on Tuffnut. "And, well that makes me sad", he continued. "I mean, I get it, I ride the other head, but it doesn't mean we can't have lunch or something? Ya know, get to know each other on a more personal level."
Eyes half lidded, Barf turned his head away, resting his head next to Belch to take a nap as well.
"Hey, uh, do any of you remember how to undo this?" he then asked, getting tired of hanging there. Just what was taking his sister so long? Then it hit him. "Wait a minute; what am I doing? I'm a professional dragon trainer! Barf! Belch!"
The dragon looked up at him.
"Untrap me!"
000
Barf and Belch looked to each other a moment, wondering how to do what Tuffnut told them.
"Maybe if we push him hard enough, the net will give out and let go", Belch suggested.
"Good idea", Barf agreed, and they started pushing him causing him to swing back and forth. Tuffnut protested, but they kept going anyway intent on freeing him.
"This isn't working", Barf pointed out, then looked at the tree Tuffnut was stuck in. "Lets try using the tree."
"Good idea", Belch agreed.
Tuffnut still protesting, they pushed him together away from the tree, and let him swing back face first, his scream cut off from the impact.
Nothing happened. Except, Tuffnut was laughing.
"Okay, one more time", he said, and encouraged, Barf and Belch did it again. It still did nothing, but they kept trying anyway, this time pushing him back and forth between each other. Tuffnut's shouts of protest came again, but they ignored them. He'd thank them later.
000
Spotting her dad near the docks, Hiccup landed and hopped off of Toothless.
"Uh dad, I need to talk to you", she approached behind him.
"No time to talk, dear; fire weather", he surprisingly said raising a hand to her, and taking a look at what he was delegating, Hiccup noticed Vikings gathering and carrying buckets of water.
"Wha― How'd you know that?" she asked flabbergasted.
"Gobber? Show her", her dad stated, and suddenly Hiccup's hand was taken and placed on Gobber's chin, Hiccup, one, wondering where he came from, and two, recoiling in uncomfortable ability.
"Feel that?" Gobber said.
"Uh…yes?" Hiccup took her hand back.
"It's usually supple. Tender, like a new born baby. When it's fire weather, dry as a fifty year old yak", Gobber explained.
"Which brings us to you", her father steered the conversation.
"It does?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes. One error dragon blast could burn Berk to the ground. So make sure the twins don't do anything stupid out there."
Hiccup tried not to cringe, as suddenly worried, she and Toothless glanced towards one another.
000
Ruffnut was sure she was lost. She forgot how big Berk really was, and how dense the woods could be. She'd been walking for what seemed to be hours.
"Ugh", Ruffnut groaned. "It'd be easier to get around these woods if there weren't so many trees!" she yelled out.
Then something suddenly whacked her in the head. Hard. By the looks of it, when she looked down, it was an apple. She picked it up, when another hit her head and she turned to where it was coming from. Two pesky Terrible Terrors were up in a tree laughing at her, and they both had an apple between their paws.
"Knock it off already!" Ruffnut yelled at them, before throwing the apple in her grasp back at them. It was retaliated with an onslaught of apples. She tried to throw another one, but was quickly interrupted with another apple hitting her straight on her nose.
000
"If I'm reading your silence correctly, you think my sister's so competitive because she's a woman in a man's world?" Tuffnut asked Barf, and Barf gave a roar that definitely sounded like a yes. "And that explains so much! Especially her inner rage. And her outer rage. And all that― all the rage in her fists. And her feet. And her navel. I totally get why she'd feel trapped. I mean I feel trapped", he exclaimed.
"Arrg, come on, think!" Tuffnut slapped himself. "How'd Gobber undo this thing?" he looked to the contraption that held him. "Come on! Come on, you are not useless! You are not useless!"
Tuffnut thought long and hard; as hard as his brain could, but nothing came up. He slumped down. "Okay. I'm totally useless."
In the distance then, the trees began to sway as if being pushed away by something big. Very big. The trees rustled, the ground shook, and Barf and Belch were growling on high alert for whatever was coming towards them. That something came into view, and a huge, massive, Typhoomerang stood.
"I was wrong. I'm even more useless than I imagined. HELP!"
000
Ruffnut wasn't having much luck in her pursuit either, caught in an apple throwing fight with those two pesky Terrible Terrors. Finally, Ruffnut managed to hit one of them.
"Ha, ha!" she bragged, but then the two let out a sound, more Terrors flocking to their aid. "Oh no", she muttered, just before their attacks commenced.
000
Coming to the rescue, Barf and Belch flew in the Typhoomerang's way, circling him twice before staring him down. Barf then let out some gas, but before Belch could spark it, the Typhoomerang head budded them back, brushing them passed Tuffnut.
"Hey! I am not your playthiiiiiinnnng!" Tuffnut screamed stuck spinning around and around. "Whaaaaa!"
Barf and Belch crashed to the ground a few good feet away from the Typhoomerang and Tuffnut, who was still spinning fast.
"I'm gonna ba-aarf!" The net suddenly stopped, Tuff swaying a bit. "Waaay more dizzy than usual… I like it! Wait, why are we getting rid of these traps again? They're awesome."
"What do we do now?" Belch asked as Barf started to rise, prompting Belch to as well.
"Belch, come on! It's two against one!", Tuffnut said. "Get in there and show him who's boss!"
Barf and Belch stood, approaching the Typhoomerang once again, but their attempt at protection was foiled as they tripped another trap, tying themselves in rope. With no way to move and stop the unknown orange dragon, the two panicked and fired. The Typhoomerang blocked the attack with his wing, a few sparks scattering into the air. All they could do was watch and struggle in the ropes as the large dragon stopped in front of Belch's rider, staring him down.
000
Little did they know, bigger troubles were just around the corner, for one of those sparks that bounced was landing in some brush not too far away. Smoke rose as flames almost instantly sparked, dry northern winds blowing south towards Berk.
000
The Typhoomerang stopped in front of Tuffnut, just staring down at him. "First of all, you should know. I never lose a staring contest", he told the dragon, not one to be challenged. Closing his eyes one moment, Tuffnut opened them and stared intensely back. The dragon kept it's gaze, but Tuffnut laughed to himself knowing he couldn't be beat. Ruffnut came close, but even she could never win.
Finally, the Typhoomerang blinked, and Tuffnut cheered. "I win!" he exclaimed, which prompted the large dragon to look back at him, it's head bent to his level. That's when something clicked in Tuffnut's head. Which wasn't often. "Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but, have we met before?"
The Typhoomerang moved it's head closer, Tuffnut beginning to freak out. 'Oh no, oh no, oh no!' his mind screamed in panic. "Yo-you look so familiar", he stammered. "W-WAIT A MINUTE!"
The dragon stopped, not coming any closer.
"Uh, were you ever on Outcast Island? Nonono, that's not it. Uh, how about Breakneck Bog?"
The dragon grunted. No.
"Dragon Island?"
Another grunt.
"Dragon Bog. Breakneck Island?"
No, and no.
"Huh, playing it close to the wing are we?"
The dragon rose up, before roaring towards Barf and Belch.
"Whoa whoa whoa, they're cool", Tuffnut cooled him. "That's Barf and Belch", he introduced. "My completely awesome dragon. I share them with my completely not awesome sister. You can meet her, if she hasn't been eaten by a pack of angry boars. Torn limb from limb in a frenzy of wild animal rage―! Oh, sorry. I got lost in the rapacity of it all."
The Typhoomerang watched him for a bit before ducking his head lower and oddly roaring to him.
"Uh… Raar?" he responded.
The dragon studied him again, before roaring louder.
"Raaaaarrrrrr!" Tuffnut screamed back.
They did that some more, screaming back at each other with each getting louder and louder, until Tuffnut couldn't compete anymore.
"That was totally fun", he said a little out of breath. "So, what do you wanna do now?"
The Typhoomerang tilted its head in response.
000
It had been hours since the riders had set out that morning, and all except the twins had returned. Hiccup grew increasingly worried, but she let them have one more hour. She didn't want to make them feel useless again by showing up like she didn't believe in them. Problem was, she didn't. It was hard for her to sit still outside the Great Hall, waiting for a single Zippleback with two riders to show itself, and with each passing villager, Hiccup asked if they'd seen the twins, but the answer was always no. All the possible disasters that could have happened played in her head; especially those involving fire. And with it being fire weather, that worried her way more than it usually would.
Pretty soon, when no sign of even a green Zippleback came, Hiccup couldn't wait anymore; she had to get out there and find them.
"Uh, where are you going?" Aric called as he and Shadowstar landed, seeing Hiccup hurriedly mount Toothless.
"The twins haven't come back, and no one's seen them. Oh, I knew I shouldn't have sent them out there."
"To be fair, you did try to stop them", Aric pointed out.
"And look how great that turned out", Hiccup said dryly, before Toothless shot into the air.
000
"Wing raise", Tuffnut said slowly, wanting to teach the dragon another awesome trick, but the Typhoomerang just tilted its head and narrowed it's eyes. "Okay, okay. Watch me", he said pointing to his eyes with two fingers. "Wing… Raise", Tuffnut said again, but this time rose his arms up in example as he said it.
The dragon looked at him a moment, then suddenly copied him, raising its wings out.
"Whoa. It worked. Wait till Hiccup sees this", Tuffnut boasted. "Alright", he addressed the Typhoomerang again. "Spin", he said, twirling his finger.
The dragon put its wings down with a grumble, not getting it.
"No, no, you gotta watch me. Spin!" Tuffnut said again, this time spinning himself with the net like Barf and Belch tossed him into before.
Nodding, the Typhoomerang steadily spun in a circle.
"Yes! We're totally in sink!" Tuffnut cheered. "Are you sure we've never met before? Nah, you probably just have one of those faces."
000
"Owowowow, hey!" Ruffnut yelled, running away from the Terrible Terrors. Finally, she got away from them and their apples, when she looked up and noticed smoke in the distance.
"Fire; not good. Gotta get back to Tuffnut. But how…?" she wondered. "Oh! I know, I'll retrace my steps!" she decided, and one by one step backwards, she retraced.
000
Hiccup and Toothless flew over the forest, searching every which way.
"Keep your eyes open, Toothless", she said, looking down, when Toothless noticed something.
"Smoke", he alerted, and Hiccup looked up to see the plume of smoke coming from the forest ahead of them.
"Like I said, fire weather; just great", Hiccup grumbled. "You know what they say", she continued to Toothless, "where there's fire, there's the twins."
000
Ruffnut continued to walk backwards, each step she took carefully calculated, when she passed Barf and Belch strangely tied up on the ground. Figuring she was back to Tuffnut, she turned around, and very quickly froze stiff at the huge Typhoomerang she saw standing right beside her completely stuck and defenseless brother.
"Tuffnut" she whispered over. "Do not move. There is a massive, and I mean massive, Typhoomerang standing next to you."
"I know", Tuffnut said. "Why are you whispering?"
"Why aren't you whispering? This is serious", Ruffnut continued to whisper, her volume only slightly increasing.
"Here, watch this", Tuffnut then told her, before suddenly screaming, "Rooooaaaarrrr!"
The Typhoomerang followed suit, roaring in Ruffnut's face, it's spit splattering on her. She cringed at both the feeling and sound.
"Cool, huh?"
"Yeah, awesome", she responded wiping the dragon spit off her face. "Oh hey, this will bum you out. There's an out of control forest fire headed this way."
Tuffnut turned around to see the smoke and flames in the near distance, but then shrugged. "Heh, why would that bum me out. I mean I love out of control."
"Okay, see ya", Ruffnut simply stated turning around, and right on cue Tuffnut spoke again.
"I'm kidding", he quickly took back, Ruffnut stopping. "Get me out of here? Please?"
000
Flying through the flames that consumed the trees and brush of the forest, Hiccup and Toothless searched for signs of the twins when Hiccup spotted a clearing that the flames hadn't touched yet.
"Toothless there", she told him to head. "Come in low, bud, to avoid the fire and the massive―Typhoomerang?" Hiccup groaned. Could this day get any worse?
"Hiccup!" Toothless roared, a tree toppling onto them. Hiccup quickly switched positions on his tail fin, allowing them to maneuver out of the way, but when Hiccup turned back to check on his tail, she saw the fin had caught fire.
"The clearing, Toothless! We can make the clearing!" she exclaimed, Toothless beginning to freak out as he wavered. They crashed in the clearing, Hiccup catapulting off the saddle.
"Hiccup!" she heard Tuffnut yell. Hiccup raised herself from the ground, holding herself up from her hands, as she saw a massive Typhoomerang spread its wings as he advanced towards her. "Oh, this is bad", Hiccup muttered as she got onto her feet.
"YOU!" Toothless suddenly roared surprised and angry all at the same time behind her, jumping next to her.
"Huh?" Hiccup wondered, but when she looked back at the Typhoomerang, she gasped, her ears perking.
The Typhoomerang closed its wings around Hiccup and Toothless, Toothless cocooning her in a similar fashion.
"Ah, man. Your new dragon just ate Hiccup", Ruffnut complained to Tuffnut, the sound muffled behind two pairs of thick wings.
"Bad Typhoomerang! Now you Barf out Hiccup right now!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
The Typhoomerang grumbled.
In two quick motions he and Toothless each extended their wings out to let Hiccup out, and she ran back to look at the Typhoomerang again, her eyes narrowing in recognition, but uncertainty.
"I know you…" she muttered, and raised her hand up. She was so sure of it, but could it really be?
Recognition shined in the Typhoomerang's eyes, and he bent down to connect his snout with her palm. His closed eyes opened, connecting with hers, and as her palm retracted, he tilted his head with one word said.
"Hic-cup" he said, and suddenly everything clicked.
000
"Hic-!" Torch adorably tried to say, Hiccup's helmet atop his cute little head.
Hiccup looked down from her desk at him with a smile, the thought of drawing the Typhoomerang behind her for the time being.
"Hic-cup", she repeated slowly trying to get him to say it.
"Hic―cup!" Torch enthusiastically chirped.
000
"Th-th-this―this isn't just any Typhoomerang!" Hiccup exclaimed to the twins. "Ruff, Tuff, don't you recognize him?"
Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at her blankly.
"Look at him!" Hiccup said all giddy. "It's Torch!"
"What? No way", Ruffnut said.
"Hiccup, Torch is like this big", Tuffnut showed bringing his hands together to about the size Torch used to be. "Puh", Tuff scoffed. "And she calls herself the Dragon Conqueror."
"Uh, no, I don't call myself that", Hiccup retorted. "And this is Torch! He just grew. A lot. That's what happens when you, well, grow up."
"Uh, nope. I'm drawing a blank here. Don't know anything about that."
"Yep. Got nothing", Ruffnut agreed with her brother.
Torch then whacked Toothless with his tail, his loud roar gaining Hiccup's attention.
"And that's for all the stuff you did to me!" Torch said.
"You mean return you to your mom?! What about what you did to me?!" Toothless roared loudly back.
"Like what?!" Torch's volume rose.
"Steal my food for one!"
"I was a HATCHLING!"
"YOU STILL ARE ONE!" Toothless insulted the now youngling, and Hiccup knew she needed to step in before things really got out of hand between the two.
"Okay, guys, break it up!" she got in between them."Break it up. We're not starting this again got it?"
"Fine", Torch huffed.
"Whatever", Toothless grumbled, standing down as well.
"Good. Cause right now we've got a fire baring down on us!"
"Bite size", Torch snuck in as Hiccup turned back to the twins; she could see it took all Toothless' will power not to react.
"Ruffnut, get Tuffnut out of that trap!" she said, before then rushing to Barf and Belch.
"Yeah…about that", Ruffnut said, making her pause. "We've been trying."
"But someone, and I won't mention any names, didn't give very clear instructions", Tuffnut followed.
"Ugh!" Hiccup groaned. "Never mind", she told them, and then flew up to the top of the netter trap. "Toothless, free Barf and Belch!"
"Just― Just leave me", Tuffnut said, coughing from the smoke of the flames rushing towards them, as well as being dramatic as Hiccup planted her foot on his head, working at the contraption.
"You heard him! Let's get out of here!" Ruffnut followed his instruction, making a run for it.
"Again! Kidding!" Tuff yelled, and Ruff stopped.
"Yeah, me too. Ha…"
"Argh!" Hiccup growled at the stuck mechanism. The little bar was supposed to move up, to the side, and then down, but for some reason the bar wouldn't go all the way down. She couldn't force it any further no matter how hard she pulled at it, and looking at the fire, they were running out of time. She draconically growled at it with another strong pull. "It's stuck tight!" she tugged at it a few more times, before dropping down. "We need to get out here. That fire isn't only consuming this forest; its headed for Berk. Torch?" she looked up. "You give us a lift?"
"Anything!" Torch said happily and laid his body down for everyone to climb up his wing and get on his back. He then rose into the air, grabbed Tuffnut out of the tree with his claws, and flew them all above the forest fire towards Berk as Tuffnut screamed.
"AHHHHHHHH! THIS IS AWESOME AND SCARY! AHHHHH!"
"The fire's headed for that logging path", Hiccup said aloud, increasingly worried as she watched the fire inch closer and closer. "If it jumps over, it'll burn through Berk before we can do anything. Okay, Torch, set us down on that path", she pointed towards.
"Okay. Going down!" he called out.
"Hey guys?" Tuffnut then called. "As awesome as this fire is up close, I think my back hair just went up in flames. And, you know how much I love my back hair. And how much of it there is."
"It's true; he does", Ruffnut affirmed. "Almost as much as I like mine."
"Just hang on!" Hiccup told them. "We're going in for a landing!"
000
"W-w-wait a minute! Ahh-ah!" Tuffnut shouted, his entire backside burning from the flames he was subjected to. He was then dropped into yet another tree, as Torch landed with everyone else.
Everyone ran off his wing, following Hiccup before she stopped before the blazing fire consuming the trees before them. "Ah, it's too late!" Hiccup exclaimed in lament.
"Hey, Torch can help!" Tuffnut informed. "Torch!" he called as he circled his finger in the air.
Torch began to spin, but then Hiccup suddenly freaked out for some reason.
"Torch, no! Don't do that!" Hiccup overruled his command, and Torch stopped."Tuff, we don't need anymore fire; especially from a Typhoomerang. We need to get water", she faultily explained.
"First of all, you don't fight fire with water", Tuffnut corrected her.
"At least we don't", Ruffnut clarified.
"We fight it with fire!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
"... That's it!" Hiccup suddenly exclaimed happily. "If we clear the brush ahead of the fire, there won't be anything left that it can burn! Ruff, Tuff, that's…brilliant!"
"Duh…! Hello…?!" Ruffnut drawled obviously.
"Pfft, we knew that", Tuffnut remarked. "We knew that we were brilliant..." Okay, so he had had some second thoughts up in that net a bit ago, but they were only that. Thoughts. Too much of hassle if you asked him.
"Okay guys, here's the plan", Hiccup faced the blaze. "When I give the signal, tell Barf and Belch to start blasting. Toothless and me are gonna do the same."
"Fight fire with fire!" Ruffnut shouted. "We should make that our catch phrase."
"Yeah! That, or, a yak's gotta do what a yak's gotta do", Tuffnut added, but it was just met with blank stares from all around. "What, it's catchy. Oh don't tell me you won't be using that."
000
Subtly shaking that comment off with her head, Hiccup turned back to the fire. "Ready…" she drawled slowly. "FIRE!"
With that order, all the dragons started blasting with everything they had. They destroyed every tree, every bush, every blade of grass until the fire couldn't move any further, nothing left for it to burn.
"We've gotta keep it moving that way!" Hiccup decided, knowing they hadn't destroyed all the fire's options of blazing passed it's perimeter and into the village. In such a short amount of time, there was just no way. "Toothless, wind!" Hiccup said, and Toothless jumped up flapping his wings towards the blaze. "I'll help ya, bud!" she continued, jumping up just after Toothless.
"Barf, Belch, wings!" Tuffnut called as well, Barf and Belch then helping too.
Together they helped keep the fire at bay, countering the northern wind, but it wasn't enough to stop it.
"Do your thing, Torch!" Tuffnut then shouted, and suddenly there was a powerful wind caused from Torch's wings, the fire steadily going out. Once the fire was pushed back enough to Hiccup's liking, she landed and turned back to Torch, then spinning her pointer finger around her head. "Torch, now!" she yelled, and Torch swooped in, encapsulated the fire in his tornado, and finally, snuffed the fire out. "Nice going, Torch! You too bud", she praised Toothless as well.
Toothless very much appreciated it, crooning pleasingly as she pet his head.
"And still, no love for the trapped Viking", Tuffnut crossed his arms in complaint, but he was quickly proven wrong when Torch nudged his side.
"There you go", Torch innocently said pressing against him, and Tuffnut smiled.
"Finally!" he exclaimed happily.
000
A loud roar was hear throughout the village, and as people came out from their homes, a massive Typhoomerang was soaring into town. The teens ran after the dragon, stopping just ahead of where it was landing, and that's when they noticed Tuffnut hanging in a net, quickly dropped off to hang off a house, as well as Hiccup and Ruffnut, with their dragons, on the back of the Typhoomerang.
"Guys", Hiccup started after walking off the back and wing of the Typhoomerang along with Toothless, Barf and Belch, and Ruffnut. "I'd like you to reintroduce you, to Torch."
"No way!" Astrid exclaimed with a grin.
"Please tell me he didn't bring the family", Snotlout muttered.
"This is incredible!" Fishlegs gushed.
"The little guy sure grew up fast", Aric commented.
"I found him in the woods", Tuffnut said. "And I trained him."
"He actually did", Hiccup affirmed. "It was pretty awesome."
"No way", Snotlout denied. "Tuffnut couldn't even get himself out of that trap."
"Oh yeah? Watch this", Tuffnut countered. "Hey Torch, wings!"
With the command, Torch raised and spread out his wings, consequently hitting Snotlout and tossing him into a wheelbarrow that rolled down the ramp it had sat on, straight into the ocean.
000
Torch wanted to laugh at the incident, but a distant call then echoed out; a call for home. He looked out towards the direction of the call; he didn't want to go, but unfortunately, Torch knew he had to. But not without saying goodbye first. He bent down to Tuffnut―the first human for him to ever bond with―and nuzzled as much as he could the tiny species.
"Ow", Tuffnut laughed. Torch might have been a bit too forceful. "What is he doing?" Tuffnut asked.
"I'm saying goodbye, silly", Torch answered.
Hic-cup chuckled. "He's saying goodbye, Tuff", she translated for him. He'd never understand how she could speak both languages, but it was certainly helpful.
"Oh…" he said a little sadly. "I'm gonna miss you, Torch", he then hugged him the best he could.
"I'm gonna miss you too."
"You're the only one who ever listened to me."
Torch drew away, then bent towards Hiccup.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Hic―cup. You're the reason I'm not afraid to make human friends", he told her.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Torch. And by the way, it's just Hiccup", Hic-cup, or, Hiccup, said.
"Hiccup", Torch repeated testing the word. He'd always thought everyone else was saying her name wrong. Or just really fast. "Thank you, Hiccup. I'll never forget you. And tell Tuffnut, I'll never forget him either."
"You're not coming back?"
"Maybe someday? Once I don't have an overprotective mom to worry about."
"I understand", Hiccup said with a tone of happiness. "And I'll tell Tuffnut too", she hugged him.
Torch nuzzled into her, decidedly ignoring Toothless who too decided to ignore him, then he rose up. He turned back to Tuffnut, the human looking up at him.
"Rooooooaaaaarrr!" he screamed, and Torch replied in kind, another wordless roar to respond his.
Hearing his mom call him again, Torch knew he had to get going, lest his mother go on another rampage to get to him. Spreading his wings, Torch took off, and left one home for another.
000
Tuffnut watched as one of the only people who ever really listened to him flew off; it was poetic in a way. But then a more pressing matter crossed his mind. He was tired of hanging in a net.
"Okay…could you guys let me out of this trap now, or…? he asked.
"Well, I suppose..." Hiccup started, but then Gobber stopped her.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Gobber extended his right arm in front of her, stopping Hiccup in her tracks. "Not so fast, Hiccup. You got yourself into that. You need to get yourself out", he told Tuffnut, and even he knew he was in for one Hel of a night.
000
That night Ruffnut tried to help him out, but just as she'd thought she unlocked the mechanism, the net only lowered for a moment to then catch Ruffnut in it as well. Tuffnut scowled.
"Yeah, you got it alright", Tuffnut sassed to his sister.
"This is embarrassing", Barf commented.
"Even for us", Belch agreed, and the dragon, ever so steadily, walked away.
"Hey!" Tuffnut called after them, Barf and Belch only ignoring him. "Hey, where you guy's going?! Barf?! Belch?! Anybody?! I thought we made some good progress out there?!"
"Ugh, this is worse than the womb", Ruffnut stated, hating how crammed in she was with her brother.
"Oh yeah, you really got it, didn't you? Yeah, you got us right next to each other!" Tuffnut berated.
"Ach, god, you're back hair stinks", Ruffnut continued to comment and gripe.
"Oh, my back hair smells? Oh that's real original. Well you're the weird one smelling people's back hair!"
"Ugh, get your foot outta my face! That's your foot right?"
Be smart, be safe, and be kind.
(What can I say, I needed a third 'be')