We landed just before dusk and since Eret had left ahead of us, Gothi was already working on tending to Vern's wounds. There was a layer of herbs and bandages that layers the mans back as Hiccup and I climbed the stairs, Gothi drew her stick and started drawing in the sand. Gobber being up there with us begun translating.
"Chief, you need to slide off a plank?" He says before Gothi hits him with the staff. "Right, Sit on the bench. You're drawings are lax, crazy woman." He mumbles, rubbing his head. "She's going to remove the arrow and make sure it doesn't bleed out." Gobber continues and Hiccup nods as Gothi moves away from Vern and to his back.
"How is Vern doing?" Hiccup asks, my eyes watching Gothi as she readies herbs to replace the arrow when she pulls it.
"He'll be fine. None to happy when he wakes up though. Gothi said he won't be able to see out of one eye, and it'll be awhile before he can walk or even lay on his back again." Gobber explains as Hiccup glances to Eret who has stayed relatively silent.
I suddenly hear Hiccup cry out as Gothi pulls the arrow and his pain seems to immediately subside as she places a cloth over the wound. She looks to me and I nod, taking my hand and pressing it against the cloth and holding it there. Eret looks up to Hiccup and sighs.
"I don't know what to say, Hiccup. That was not what I expected." Eret admits.
"You've never dealt with Krogan or any of the Hunters from the Beyond have you?" Hiccup asks and he shakes his head.
"I was only ever contracted by Drago, never met Krogan or any of his other pals. Honestly had little interaction with Drago. We were freelancers." Eret explains. "Tell me of this Krogan?" Eret then asks and Hiccup winces from moving his shoulder.
"He wasn't the worst we've dealt with but certainly one of the more ruthless. Considers all of his men expendable, aims for the kill. I'd call him an assassin over a bounty hunter. He is committed to doing his job and will remove anyone in his way; even allies." Hiccup explains and glances to me and I nod.
"He turned on Viggo after Viggo was no longer useful. That turn ended up being his downfall because Viggo flipped to our side. His greatest weakness is his overconfidence in his own strengths and when he underestimates his targets." I add. "He's lost critical attacks against us on the Edge because of either of those two things." I finish and Eret nods slowly.
"We'll figure this out, Eret. We need to be smarter; he will exploit our weaknesses in that we care for each other." Hiccup says and suddenly Vern groans as he tries to move an arm.
"VERN!" Eret exclaims, rushing to his friend's side.
"Eret?" He says weakly as Hiccup and I share a smile.
"Don't speak. Rest. You're on safe grounds and you made it." Eret says and Vern groans again before closing his eyes. "Do you have a place where he can stay?" Eret asks and Gothi starts doodling with her stick again.
"He can stay here, I have spare beds on the second level." Gobber translates, pointing to the second floor of Gothi's hut.
"Thank you, healer." Eret says and Gothi nods.
"Okay, Eret, go get some rest. That goes for the rest of you in the peanut gallery. We'll talk more in the morning. Bring all of the scales I told you to collect to the forge." Hiccup states as Gobber glances at him.
"Are you going to start what I think you're going to start?" Gobber asks and Hiccup grins.
"It's been a long time coming, Gobber." Hiccup answers as I just glance between the two of them.
"Okay, enough with the vague-ness. Why?" Snotlout demand and for one of the few times, I agreed with him.
"Yeah, Hiccup. No secrets, what's it for?" I ask and he smiles towards me.
"We're making our own dragon suits." He answers in a shockingly gleeful tone as the rest of us gaze at him in a collective 'Huh?' gaze. He shakes his head and laughs to himself. "I'm going to show you how to combine the scales into riding suits so that you'll have fire-proof and sturdy flight armor. Don't worry, I won't be giving you guys wings or anything."
"Oh, thank Thor. I mean, I know you like that, but if I'm hundreds of feet in the air, I like the dragon under me." Fishlegs lets a long sigh out but smiles.
"What about arrows?" Tuffnut asks.
"Or rocks? Boars? Electric Shock!?" Ruffnut continues and Hiccup just places a hand to his head.
"Oh, gods. No. It will help protect you from arrows. Rocks will still hurt. It'll make you look like dragons with dragon scales; which arrows can unfortunately penetrate. But it'll add a level of safety, especially if we plan to keep our raids going against the trappers." Hiccup explains and they all seem giddy at the idea.
"Okay, so I have my scales, what about her. You know." Tuffnut says with a shrug pointing to Ruffnut.
"Hey, dummy, I have my scales. You haven't been collecting yours." She retorts
"Really, from which dragon?!" Tuff demands and we all laugh lightly
"Guys, same dragon." Hiccup states and looks to me "Why, why am I still saying this years later?" He says with a light smile and I laugh, my hand gently massaging the wound with the cloth and herb. I can tell it's taking the pain away as he nods with it.
"Okay, seriously. Get some rest. Mom, did you talk to the Aux riders?" Hiccup asks and Valka nods.
"Oh, Aye, son. Gustav was all to keen to order flight paths for them all. Snotlout, it seems Gustav has put your father on almost the whole night?" She asks and Snotlout laughs.
"Ha! Sucker. Feels good to see him take orders from Gustav. I mean, he's my dad but still." Snotlout says with a grin. "Alright, Snotlout is outlout!" And he heads off with the twins following suit.
"Hiccup, where can I stay?" Heather asks as people start making their way out, he glances to me and I nod.
"We have room if you want to stay with us." Hiccup says and I see her face flush and she stumbles her words.
"I wouldn't want to intrude." She stumbles and Hiccup just laughs.
"Nonsense. It's too cold to stay outside, and I haven't…" Hiccup pauses. I knew where he was going with it. He hasn't gotten rid of his fathers' bed. I smile and nod to him.
"There is a spare bed." I answer and she smiles and nods.
Slowly but surely, everyone makes their way out and I let Hiccup fly Toothless back so I can keep the cloth on his shoulder. Gothi gave us an extra herbal cloth and bandages to apply when he removed his vest, now all that was left was dinner and settling in for the night.
Heather was no stranger to Hiccup's house, having stayed there briefly some years ago when we first found her while she was working for Alvin. Different from then, as both Stoick was gone and I was there. Hiccup made a point to cook the food and let us sit, giving Heather and I some time to catch up.
"So, you live with Hiccup now?" She asks with a knowing gaze and I shrug and smile. We'd had our girl talk moments before, and I trusted her almost as much as I trusted Hiccup. It was hard earned though.
"Unofficially, for a few weeks now. What about you, any changes in your life?" I ask with a smile and she shrugs.
"Fishlegs and Snotlout have been fighting over Ruffnut since I've been on Berserker Island for so long; I think Fishlegs thinks of me as more of a friend now. And just no to Snotlout." Heather explains and we both laugh.
"I hear Tuff is available." I tease her and she visibly shudders.
"Also no. How old is Eret?" Heather asks and I audibly gasp and laugh.
"Something I should know about?" Hiccup suddenly says walking in with several plates and we both blush.
"Heather is scoping out potential suitors, apparently Eret is on her list." I state and feel Heather hit my shoulder as she scoffs, Hiccup laughs.
"Oh, now there's a match made in heaven. He's a great guy. What happened to Fishlegs?" Hiccup asks and we both roll our eyes.
"You know how him and Snotlout have been fighting over Ruffnut for like, the past year." I say with a partial laugh and he nods with a smile.
"Yeah, still not sure why." Hiccup admits and both Heather and I laugh as we start to dig into our plates.
"This is really good." Heather admits and Hiccup nods his head appreciatively as we all enjoyed a good meal.
The night was ending peacefully at least, with the trio of us sitting in front of the fire talking tactics and strategy considering Krogan had returned and Heather was of the more tactically minded. Neither Hiccup nor I cared about showing affection in front of her as I resumed my place halfway on his lap and in his arms. I showed Heather to her temporary bed and then found my place in Hiccup's arms in our bed. Though we'd not do anything with company, I felt at peace falling asleep in his arms.
Morning came and I was the first to rise. Kissing Astrid gently on the lips as I move out of bed and start to get dressed, it wasn't even first light yet. I hear her murmur something and move back to the bed, placing another light kiss on her lips.
"Meet me at the forge when you wake up." I whisper and she softly opens her eyes and smiles, nodding. With that, I grab my own pack of Toothless's scales and head outside. Loading up Toothless, we take a quick and short flight to the Forge which allows me to quickly scope out the horizon. No signs of retaliation, and I can see Gustav's Nightmare circling above. That kid has come a long way since he was in Dagur's Berserker Apprenticeship.
Entering the forge, Toothless lights it for me and I pull out my designs. I had been toying with these ideas for a few months just never had the time to dedicate to it. Combining Toothless's Scales with my flight suit. Swapping the leg compartments that held the weaving for retractable wings for easier control and functionality. Even a helmet with Deathsong Amber covering the eyes. It was a work in progress but with Krogan on the loose, we needed every advantage we could get. I made sure to set up workspace for each of them before starting on my suit.
I was alone in that forge for easily an hour working on my suit, burning, and melding the scales into place. Luckily, I was a planner and had all the steps planned out so I could get it done as quickly as possible. My goal was to be done before anyone else showed up, though that was short lived as I heard a Nadder's chirp with Astrid and Heather flying together.
"Good morning, ladies." I say amid the heat and see Astrid pause as she looks into the forge at me. Her and Heather glance at each other before walking in with Astrid's large sack of scales. "Problems?" I ask as they get closer.
"Not at all. Good morning." Astrid says, closing in and kissing me. Smiling as we pull back, I lift the vest to show them.
"I am almost done with mine; my goal is to be done and able to help each of you make your own. Heather, you and Dagur are late in this idea but concept stands. Over the next few weeks, collect Windshear's scales. I'll brief Dagur when he gets here." I explain and she nods as Astrid moves over to my side to see the plans I had drawn.
"The idea here is each of us creating our own dragon flight suits. It'll also help us with wild or trapped dragons if they think we're one of them." I explain as I continue working on mine. Astrid and Heather watching me work closely. "We need every advantage we can get over Krogan. I intend to ensure we beat him for real this time." I add. I'd been lucky that Heather stayed with us because I was able to avoid talking about what Krogan said with Astrid. I would eventually, and I would with her gladly, but for now it was better to let it lie.
"Okay, that makes sense. How do I start?" Astrid asks, placing her hand on the small of my back and I smile. Taking her hand, I lead her to the workstation nearest mine with the designs for her suit. I had Gobber fashion everyone an initial suit that we could work on and alter while we were out and about. He was all to pleased to have something to do besides picking Dragon's Teeth or making saddles.
"I've outlined the instructions, step by step here. I'll be here the whole time, just let me know what you need." I say and she nods, smiling and squeezing my hand as I look to Heather. "Heather, you're more than welcome to watch and help Astrid so you have a better idea what to do when you collect your own." I add and Heather grins.
"Got it." She states and soon, they were busy working together on her suit. Between the forge and the sounds of tools, I couldn't hear all of their small talk, but it certainly sounded like boy talk. I just laughed to myself and smile softly as I finished my suit and Fishlegs and the others started trickling in.
Giving him my workspace, I gave everyone their own space as they arrived. Eret, the twins, Snotlout, Fishlegs were all soon hard at work like Astrid and Heather. I offered the concept to my mother but she seemed keen on her own flight suit and it had served her well for years, so I wasn't going to challenge it.
It took the others much longer than it took me to set up their suits, and by mid-morning, Dagur had arrived and I stepped away. With Astrid being the closest to being done, I gave her reigns while I talked to Dagur outside the Forge.
"Brother! What are they doing?" He exclaims after seeing everyone hard at work inside.
"They are making their own flight suits. Dragon proofed and more resistant to arrows. Helps with fire, arrows, swords. Like armor, but with dragon scales. I'm having them make their own, so they know how to repair it. It's a work in progress. I want you and Heather to do the same, collect scales from your dragons and I'll show you what to do." I explain and he nods briefly.
"I'm usually not a fan of full body armor." He admits and I shrug.
"We need every advantage we can get against Krogan." I answer and he nods.
"Fair enough. Speaking of. Tell me. What is the new rules, and what did he say?" Dagur asks and I glance at him with a wide look and he just laughs. "Oh, come on now, Hiccup. I've known you for how long, been trying to kill you for how long, now your ally for how long? I know you and something that man said riled you yesterday." Dagur states and I grumble, leading him to the side of the Forge.
"He talked about my father dying at Drago's hands, like it was some sort of joke or fond memory. It made me more upset than it should have." I admit and I feel Dagur place both hands on my shoulders.
"Brother, that was your father. I didn't show it much at the time, but you remember Vanaheim. Finding my father's remains, knowing how he choose to go out." Dagur begins softly before closing his eyes and sighing. "Krogan will pay for those comments, Hiccup. I swear this to you." Dagur affirms and I nod, extending an arm and we grip each other's forearms and nod.
"Thank you, Brother. Now, more good news. Vern is alive, and we'll be seeing if he can talk later today. Gothi is taking care of him. We've had no signs of the trappers, they may still be trying to catch a Doomfang. How long are you here?" I ask and he shrugs.
"My acting chief is good for at least a week and knows to send a T-mail if anything out of the ordinary happens. Business as usual on Berserker Island. Since the failed coup, everyone has been more than pleased with our direction." Dagur explains and I nod.
"Okay, I'm going to need you and my mother to fly back to Hysteria and just scout, absolutely no engagement. High in the clouds, just to see if they are still there. They may have had to return to their base, we did cripple many of their ships." I state and he nods.
"Got it, when she is ready, we'll head over there." Dagur finishes and I smile. It honestly made me feel better having him as an ally, even if he was a little insane at times.
Not longer after that, my mother arrived and she and Dagur took off towards Hysteria as I returned to the Forge. The suits were starting to come together with various different design alterations that made them unique to each rider. Astrid had been done and helping as I got back and pulled me over to show me hers. It was excellent, as good as mine on her first try. It was impressive, to be honest. With Heather also around to help, Astrid pulled me to the other side of the forge and into the small workroom I had claimed as my own.
No sooner than that door shutting was her lips pressed to mine and her body pushing mine to a wall. I didn't fight it, we weren't as intimate over the night as normal due to Heather but with everyone distracted, we could steal a moment. I felt her tongue trace my lips and was soon dancing with my tongue as my hands found her hips and hers found my neck. After several breathless seconds, we pulled barely apart and she smiled.
"Sorry, I'd been wanting to do that all morning." She says softly and I lightly trace her lips.
"No apology required. We should get back out there before they get curious." I admit and she audibly groans in frustration but nods. As she moves to pull away, I tighten my grip on her hips and pull her into another kiss. Pulling back, she narrows her eyes with a smile.
"Not fair." She states and I smile.
"We'll find real time and space tonight, I promise." I whisper and she closes her eyes into a smile and another kiss. We soon return to the others and no one is the wiser, well, scratch that. Heather shot us a knowing smile before returning her attention to Eret's suit and Astrid and I laugh between each other and break away, helping the others as needed.