Chapter 12: Hookfang's Dilemma

Hookfang was missing. Snotlout had thought he was acting weird the previous day, so Hiccup suggested he lock him up to keep him safe. But the Monstrous Nightmare had broken out and was nowhere to be found. Eira and Astrid helped search on their dragons while Snotlout rode with Hiccup on Toothless.

Then a Monstrous Nightmare cry filled the air, and the riders headed in that direction. They landed in a clearing where they found Hookfang standing in front of the entrance of a small cave.

"This place again?" Snotlout said. "This is where I found him last time."

Astrid gasped and pointed. "Look! There is another Monstrous Nightmare!"

From behind Hookfang emerged a second dragon, who appeared hesitant about the newcomers.

"That's not just another Monstrous Nightmare," said Hiccup. "That's a female Monstrous Nightmare."

Eira smiled. "Aww..."

Snotlout's eyes went wide. "A female Monstrous Nightmare? Now it all makes sense. My dragon has a way with the ladies!" He smirked. "Must have picked up a few pointers from his master."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. She's not dry heaving."

Snotlout shot her a look. "Okay, shush." He took a step towards his dragon, who growled at him. "Hookfang, time's up. Let's go."

"Snotlout, you might want to tread lightly," Hiccup said. "He's looking wee bit territorial."

Of course, he did not listen. Eira winced as he got too close to Hookfang and was thrown across the grown. He relented and headed back with everyone to Dragon's Edge. In distress, he explained everything to the other riders.

"Snotlout, it's not that bad," Astrid said. "It could have been a lot worse."

"I'm sure he'll come home eventually," Eira said.

Snotlout nodded. "You're right. I know that dragon. I know what's in his heart and in his head. He'll come back to me, like he always does."

Fishlegs shifted uncomfortably. "Uh..."

Snotlout rounded on him. "'Uh' what? You're gonna tell me he's never coming back?"

Fishlegs winced. "Uh..."

Hiccup frowned. "Fishlegs?"

Finally, Fishlegs spoke hesitantly: "Hookfang wouldn't follow his training, he wouldn't eat, he ran away twice, he picked another dragon over you. He pushed you away. All the symptoms are here."

Snotlout eyed him suspiciously. "Symptoms of what?"

Fishlegs took a deep breath. "I think Hookfang is going feral."

"No, not going feral!" Tuffnut cried.

"The cruelest turn of events," said Ruffnut. She blinked. "Wait, what's 'going feral' mean?"

Tuffnut shrugged. "I have no idea."

"It means that meeting this female has reawakened his primal instincts," Fishlegs said, "and he's returning to the wild."

Snotlout glared at him. "Shut up, Fishface! What do you know?! Hookfang needs me."

Eira looked at Fishlegs uncertainly. "I have to question that as well. You all have only just started training dragons, right? How do you know this is a thing?"

"I may not have observed it with dragons, but it is common with other animals," Fishlegs said.

"Dragons aren't just 'any animal,'" Snotlout said. "Right, Hiccup?"

Hiccup frowned. "Well, yes." He turned to Eira. "Your people have trained dragons for generations. Have you ever come across anything like this?"

Eira tried to think back to her early dragon training days. 'Going feral' wasn't a term they used, but falling in love certainly became an issue at times. "I've never heard of anything happening quite like this. Mating is a complicated issue. When it comes up, either the other dragon must be tamed, or you lose your dragon."

"See?" Fishlegs said, earning another glare from Snotlout.

"But it doesn't happen this quickly. One day isn't enough time for a dragon to make such a big decision." She took a deep breath. "This could just be an infatuation stage, similar to what humans go through when they can think of nothing but their beloved. I think Hookfang just needs time."

"I don't have time, Eira," Snotlout said. "I need my dragon back now." With that, he stormed off towards the woods.

"It's nature, Snotlout!" Fishlegs called after him. "You can't fight it."

"Watch me!"

The situation with Hookfang had all of the riders on edge. They were extra nice to their dragons, hoping they would not leave them too. Of course, Hiccup knew that would not happen with Toothless. Still, it was a good idea not to take their friendship for granted.

Snotlout spent the entire day trying to win back the affections of his Monstrous Nightmare. Finally, as evening hit, he returned to their stables where everyone was caring for their dragons.

"Any luck with Hookfang?" Hiccup asked.

Snotlout slouched as he entered the stables, appearing utterly exhausted. "You give a dragon the best years of your life and then... pfft... it's over!" He hung his head in despair.

"Classic romantic comedy paradigm," Tuffnut said. "Boy gets dragon, boy loses dragon, dragon falls asleep, boy eats, boy falls asleep, dragon eats."

"Oh!" said Ruffnut. "Gets me every time."

Eira gave Snotlout a sympathetic look. "Snotlout-" She reached out her hand, but he turned away.

"I give up," he said. "If being with her makes Hookfang happy, I guess I should be happy for him, too. Ugh."

Eira frowned. "Don't you think you're being a little rash?"

"Not at all. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go lay down for a few... weeks." He trudged outside with the same slow, pathetic pace in which he entered.

"Wow," Hiccup said, eyes wide. "It's really not like Snotlout to give up this easily."

"Can't you do something?" Eira said.

He hesitated. "Well, this is for Snotlout to figure out. He needs to do something."

"What can he do?" said Tuff. "Hookfang hath forsaken him. I, too, would be depress-ed, if Barf and Belch forsook-ed me."

"And if I forsaked thee?" said Ruff.

Tuff shrugged. "Eh. That wouldn't bother me."

Worry clouded Hiccup's mind. They could not afford to lose a dragon rider now. "We've gotta get him back in the saddle right away. That means we've got some work to do."

Eira crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Is that all you're concerned about? Losing a rider?"

Hiccup blinked. "We need him."

"No, he needs us. Can't you show a little more compassion?"

Hiccup sighed. "I feel bad for him, Eira. I really do. But I can't waste time feeling sorry for him. We have to think realistically here."

Eira narrowed her eyes. "Don't you think that's a little cold? If you don't take care of psychological needs, your 'realistic' needs won't matter." With that, she stormed out of the stables.

Hiccup felt a bit bad seeing her go. He glanced at Astrid. "Am I being too cold?"

"No," Astrid said. "You're not cold. You're just... practical. Which is good. If Snotlout needs emotional support, he has Eira."

Hiccup nodded. "Right. He has Eira." He hoped that was enough.

Snotlout never made it to his bed. He stood outside his head, leaning his forehead against the door. He took deep breaths, each one feeling laborious. Hookfang was gone. How could this have happened to him? Why couldn't it have happened to Hiccup instead?

"Snotlout?"

He struggled to lift his head and turn it to gaze at Eira. He did not have the strength to pretend he was okay like he normally would. Besides, he knew she wouldn't judge him. "Hey, Eira," he mumbled. "Come to join me in my misery?"

She shook her head. "I just want to talk. Can we sit?"

"I suppose." When he made no movement, Eira grabbed his hand and led him over to a large rock. They both sat. He stared at his boots and scuffed the dirt with his foot.

"So, you really care about Hookfang, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"How did you two meet?"

"Dragon training. He was one of the dragons we were taught to fight against. I thought he was terrifying, but Hiccup showed me he actually has a soft side." All of that seemed like ages ago now. They had come so far, and for what? To throw it all away?

"Kind of like you?"

Snotlout spared a glance at her and found her watching him with a slight smile. "Yeah. You did say we are alike. But I wouldn't run off with some girl."

"We don't know if he's done that just yet. I still think you need to give him more time."

"More time to be disappointed?" He let out a deep sigh. "It's better this way, I guess. The last time I thought I lost him, it was because he was sick and going to die."

Eira's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. "I saved him just in time, obviously, but it was a close call. That's when I realized he's more than just a tool to me, like my dad suggested. It's the first time I realized my dad could be wrong."

Eira reached out and took his hand in hers. It felt warm and comforting. "Whatever Hookfang ultimately decides, he will still care about you. You've been through a lot together. That bond isn't just going to go away."

He wondered if it would be better if it did. Then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. He sucked in a sharp breath. "What if he doesn't come back? What if I never see him again?"

Eira leaned her head against his shoulder. "We'll figure it out," she said softly. "We'll figure it out together."

Eira met back up with Snotlout in the morning. He did not seem any better, and it was obvious he had gotten little sleep. The two of them walked to the clubhouse, stopping just outside. The dragon riders stood in a semi-circle with three wild Monstrous Nightmares in front of them.

"What's this?" Snotlout said.

"We stayed up all night wrangling some new dragons," said Hiccup. "We figured, maybe with Hookfang going through... well, whatever he's going through, this might help."

"Guys, I don't know what to say."

Astrid sighed in relief. "Thank Thor."

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Except that you wasted your time."

Hiccup sighed. "Oh, come on, Snotlout, at least try them out."

"As awesome as Hookfire, Fangmaster and Hook Blazefang are - and I named them all already - I can't look at them and not think of Hookfang."

The wild dragons seemed to recognize they had been dismissed and flew off.

"Snotlout, I know you're hurting, but we need you up there with us," Hiccup said.

Astrid nodded. "Dagur's out there looking for us. We can't be down a rider."

"What if you tried riding a different kind of dragon?" Fishlegs asked.

"Just temporarily," Eira added, shooting Fishlegs a look. "I still think Hookfang will come back eventually."

Snotlout frowned. "I don't know. Maybe."

Hiccup nodded encouragingly. "Yeah! There you go! How about a Nadder? Uh, Astrid?"

Astrid frowned. "He doesn't want to ride Stormfly again. He's already-"

Snotlout pointed to Stormfly, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch in turn: "Too small, too slow, two heads." He paused when he got to Swiftwings. "I haven't seen one of these anywhere."

"Okay," said Hiccup, "you don't like any of these dragons. So maybe we try some new ones. A Thunderdrum or a Timberjack? Or how about-"

Snotlout cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Listen guys, I don't want to come off as thankful or anything, but you taught me a lesson today by offering me your inferior dragons."

Hiccup blinked. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if I can't fly Hookfang, I don't want to fly any dragon."

"So, we'll wait for Hookfang to come back," Eira said.

"Hookfang is not coming back, Eira."

"How can you be a dragon rider and not ride a dragon?" said Astrid.

Snotlout gave her a small smile. "You were always the smart one, Astrid."

Hiccup looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait a minute, you're-"

"Quitting, that's right. I shall be a dragon rider no more."

"What?" said Astrid.

"Oh, come on Snotlout, you're just hurting now, that's all," Hiccup said. "Give it some time."

Eira nodded in agreement.

Snotlout shook his head. "No, Hiccup, my mind is made up. I'm going to say goodbye to Hookfang, and then sail back to Berk for good. It's over." The defeated look returned to his face, and he started for the woods.

Eira clenched her teeth in frustration. This was not going well at all. She looked to Hiccup for help, but he shook his head. It looked like she would have to take care of this on her own. She ran after Snotlout with Swiftwings on her heels.

"Snotlout!" she called. "Wait up!"

"I'm not changing my mind, Eira," Snotlout said without slowing down.

"You can't just quit! What about me? We're supposed to be partners."

This caused him to stop. He was silent for a minute as if searching for what to say. "You don't need me. Go ask Dagur to be your new partner."

Eira scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Snotlout turned to her and scoffed. "I see how you two are. Always flirting."

Eira rolled her eyes. "I don't flirt."

"Come on!"

"If anyone flirts, it's you... with Heather when she's around and Astrid when she's not." Everyone except her. Not that she cared.

"Well, you won't have to watch me flirt anymore. Goodbye, Eira." He stalked off before she could come up with a response.

Eira leaned against a tree and groaned. How had she let that go so badly? She should have just been honest and upfront about her feelings. She did not want to see him leave...

Several minutes later, the dragon riders landed in front of her. "Any luck?" Hiccup asked.

Eira gave him a sad look. "No."

"Then let's all go after him. We can't let him go."

Eira did not know if she had the strength to continue, but for Snotlout she would try.

The dragon riders arrived at a surprising scene. Hookfang was in the air, facing off against a giant Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare. On the ground, Snotlout stood in front of Girl Hookfang protectively. The Viking looked in surprise as the riders landed. Their dragons shot at the Titan Wing, who then took off.

"What are you guys doing here?" Snotlout said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"We came to convince you not to quit," Hiccup said.

"You wanna tell us what's going on here?" said Astrid.

"It looks like two male dragons fighting over a female," said Fishlegs.

Ruff nodded. "Yeah, I've heard male Vikings do it too, but I've personally never seen it."

"But the Titan Wing heard the female's mating call, too and was drawn to it."

"Ah-ha!" said Tuff. "A love triangle!"

"Wrong," Snotlout said. "Girl Hookfang has three eggs in that cave. Hookfang has been helping her protect them from giant jerk dragon."

"So, I was right," Eira said, brightening. "There was another explanation after all!" She felt utter relief at what this meant. This would all be over soon.

"That wasn't a mating call Hookfang was answering, it was a distress call!" Hiccup said.

"Well, we taught him a lesson then," said Astrid. "He won't be back."

Fishlegs shook his head. "Yes, he will. They're probably the eggs of a rival. Titan Wings won't give up until they're destroyed."

Snotlout looked at him hopefully. "So Hookfang didn't go feral after all?"

"Apparently not. He's trying to establish dominance over the Titan Wing so he'll leave the eggs alone. Wow!"

"I knew it!"

Eira rolled her eyes. "Sure you did." She smiled at Hookfang, who stood proudly next to the female Monstrous Nightmare. "Good job, Hookfang. You're very noble."

"Of course. He's my dragon." He gave Hookfang an approving nod. "I'm proud of you, buddy. Girl Hookfang just became an honorary Jorgenson."

Suddenly, the Titan Monstrous Nightmare returned, roaring loudly. Hookfang growled at him.

"Hookfang can't take on that Titan Wing alone," Hiccup said.

"He won't be alone," said Snotlout as he mounted his dragon.

Astrid reached for Stormly. "Neither will you."

Snotlout shook his head. "We've gotta do this ourselves."

Astrid looked at him in surprise. "No way! That thing will tear you apart. Saddle up, everybody."

"No, Astrid," Eira said. It did not feel right to intervene.

"You heard Fishlegs," Snotlout said. "That Titan Wing will only stop if it's dominated by Hookfang."

"He's right," said Hiccup.

Astrid looked at him anxiously. "But Hiccup, look at that thing. It's..."

"I know. Gigantic, scary, angry."

"It's nice of you to care, but have faith in them," Eira said.

Hiccup nodded. "Get him, Snotlout! You guys can do this."

Astrid finally seemed resigned and offered Snotlout and Hookfang a small smile. "Hey, be careful. He's pretty nasty."

Snotlout nodded. "Whatever happens to us, promise me you'll protect those eggs."

"We will," Hiccup said.

"He's crazy," Astrid said as Hookfang took to the air.

"He's Snotlout."

"True."

"And he's going to win," Eira said confidently.

She watched as a fierce battle ensued. After some time, Snotlout seemed to come up with a plan and flew off towards the training dome at Dragon's Edge, the Titan Wing on Hookfang's tail.

"Okay, Astrid, Tuff, Ruff, you're with me," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs and Eira, stay with Girl Hookfang and defend the eggs.

"You got it," Eira said. She and Swiftwings made their way over to the cave. She smiled as she gazed upon the beautiful eggs. They seemed pretty close to hatching.

"You really think Snotlout will be alright?" Fishlegs said as he joined her.

"Without a doubt."

"I wish I had your faith."

"He had that look in his eye..." She had come to know Snotlout pretty well, and when it became necessary, he could truly be heroic. She continued to watch the eggs a she awaited his return.

When Snotlout did return, it was indeed in triumph. She rushed over to hear the story of how he trapped the Titan Wing in the training dome so Hookfang would have the advantage.

"That is great!" she said. "I knew you could do it!"

Snotlout smiled at her. "Thanks, Eira." His smile suddenly fell, and he hesitated. "Listen, about early, I'm sorry if I was kind of a jerk."

Eira shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. You were hurting, and I let you provoke me."

"I still shouldn't have said all that. You were trying to help me. I do appreciate it, and I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was abandoning you."

His sincerity despite their audience warmed her heart. "So, we're still partners?"

He grinned at her. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of that!"

She chuckled. "Good."

"Guys, look," Fishlegs said from the cave. "They hatched!"

Snotlout puffed out his chest in pride. "And to think I saved them." Hookfang snorted. "Okay, okay! We saved them. We saved them. Snotlout, Hookfang! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Eira laughed again. She loved happy endings. She joined Fishlegs and admired the adorable little babies. They would all be just fine.