Just a Scratch

A/N: Not sure what to say about this one except…enjoy!

Everyone knew it was a bad idea, but no one could honestly say they were surprised when it happened. Even Audun had suspected that something like this would happen eventually. What with Alva's love for all dragons and her determination to "rescue" as many as possible, it was really only a matter of time before she moved on from taking in just Terrible Terrors to adopting members of other dragon species. Bigger dragon species.

But even Audun couldn't help but shake his head as he gazed up at the dragon standing outside Hillevi and Alva's house. "A Zippleback," he said, his voice inflectionless. "You brought home a Zippleback. Of all the dragon species you could have taken in, it had to be a Zippleback."

"He can't help being what he is," Alva pointed out. "And besides, look at him! He's injured! He needs my help!"

Audun and Hillevi both looked down at the cut in the two-headed dragon's left foreleg. It was such a minor wound that Audun rather doubted it even needed bandaging. "Are you kidding me?" Hillevi demanded. "It's just a scratch! It's hardly even bleeding!"

"But it is bleeding!" Alva cried. "I have to help him, guys! I'd never be able to live with myself if I don't do something!"

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to be able to live with you until this dragon's scratch heals?" Hillevi muttered.

Alva either didn't hear her or ignored her. "Just think of it, Hillevi!" she said. "This dragon has two heads!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Hillevi said dryly.

"Which means we can go flying together on him!" Alva went on excitedly. "Just imagine: if there was somewhere we needed to go, we could go on one dragon. One dragon is much less of a hassle to look after than two." She pouted, putting out her lower lip in a rather over-theatrical move. "Please, Hillevi?"

Hillevi put one hand to her forehead and massaged it. "You're not going to give me a moment's peace until I agree, are you?"

"Nope," Alva replied brightly.

"Well, at least she's honest," Audun sighed.

Hillevi didn't see the humor. "Fine," she growled. "But we're getting Hiccup's help with training it. I don't know the first thing about training a two-headed dragon."

"I'll go get him," Audun volunteered, and he hopped on Phantom and took off before either of his friends could stop him. "I can't believe this," he muttered, and his Nadder squawked in agreement. "I mean, I guess I should have seen this coming, but seriously? A Zippleback? It's not that they're difficult dragons, per se. It's just…with all the other dragons Alva has 'rescued' since we first arrived here, the last thing anyone needs is one that has two heads!"

He found Hiccup at the Academy and came in for a landing beside him. "Hey, Audun," he said cheerfully. "What's going on?"

"We need your help," Audun said without preamble, not even bothering to dismount.

Hiccup's smile vanished. "We?" he repeated. "You mean Hillevi and Alva? Why?"

Audun explained what had happened, and Hiccup's face went pale. "Oh no…no no no no no!" He shook his head and turned away. "There's no way I'm getting in the middle of that! I helped them both train their other dragons and nearly got roasted alive by Hillevi's Nightmare! What in Thor's name makes you think I want to help them train a Zippleback, of all things?!"

"Well," Audun said thoughtfully, "if you don't help them, then odds are good that the dragon will wind up destroying half of Berk. And I can't imagine your dad taking that too well…"

Hiccup glared at him. "I hate you, you know that?"

"No you don't," Audun replied easily as Hiccup reluctantly mounted Toothless and took off. Audun and Phantom followed close behind.

Upon their return to Hillevi and Alva's house, Hiccup sighed. "This is gonna hurt," he muttered. Then he slid down from the saddle and approached the two girls and their new dragon. "All right," he said in a businesslike tone. "The first thing you need to do is name the two heads."

"We already have," Alva informed him happily. She pointed to the left head. "This one is Ivy."

Hillevi gestured toward the right head. "And this one is Briar."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "Well, that was quick," he remarked. Then he considered the dragon and shrugged, adding, "They're good names, I suppose. Better than Barf and Belch, at any rate. Good. So…" He took a deep breath. "Let's get to training."

…

The next morning, Audun decided he'd better head over to his friends' house and see how things had gone the previous day. He'd had to leave in order to care for Mojo and had then collapsed into bed, exhausted. Caring for the grumpy old horse could sometimes wear him out. "I wonder how they're doing with Ivy and Briar," he wondered aloud as he climbed onto his dragon's back. "You think they've made any progress?"

Phantom trilled noncommittally.

But whatever Audun had been expecting, the sight that met his eyes when he landed in front of the girls' house made him stare in utter surprise and exasperation.

Hillevi and Alva were shouting at each other. Loudly. And occasionally hitting each other when words failed them.

And standing just behind them, the two heads of the Zippleback were growling and snapping at each other, their eyes narrowed angrily.

"Uh…" Audun looked down at Hiccup, who was watching the fiasco with bleary, bloodshot eyes. "Hey, Hiccup…what's…um…how's it going?"

Hiccup glared at him. "You remember how I said yesterday that I hated you?"

"Yes," Audun replied slowly.

"Well, this time I really mean it," Hiccup said with a huff, followed immediately by a yawn. "They've been arguing and fighting pretty much since the moment you left last night. I haven't gotten a single minute of sleep."

"Yeah, uh…I can see that," Audun said, taking in the lad's bedraggled appearance. Beside him, Toothless grumbled, his forepaws covering his eyes as he tried to sleep through the ruckus the girls and dragon were causing. "Well…did you at least get any training in last night?"

Hiccup snorted. "The only thing this Zippleback has been trained to do is bicker like its new mistresses."

Audun hummed, looking up at the dragon. The right head, Briar, let out a stream of green gas, which Ivy ignited with a spark. The resulting explosion was small, but it was enough to stun the two heads, at least for a few minutes. Meanwhile, on the ground, both Hillevi and Alva had collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Hillevi mumbled something about continuing their "discussion" later before she fell asleep. Alva was already out and did not reply.

"Well," Audun said after a moment. "I have heard that pets come to take on the characteristics of their owners." Then, after a brief pause, he added, "I just didn't figure on it happening so soon…"