Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Four

Toothless and Hiccup flew out to intercept Liekki and guide her down to the now empty training ring below the Academy, away from the village. They landed on the edge above it, to be nearer her head, and even then she dwarfed them. This didn't bother them. "Liekki!" Hiccup called up to her, "Good to see you! Is something wrong?"

The amethyst coloured Fire-Scale lowered her head to greet them. *Alphas* she rumbled in acknowledgement, *Yes, something is very wrong. I came to warn you* Liekki revealed.

*About what?* Toothless demanded, bristling at the thought of a new threat.

*Humans!* Liekki snarled, *Stranger-intruders, on my island!*

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Hunters?" he asked immediately, needing to know.

Before the Fire-Scale could explain, they were interrupted by the flap of dragon wings. "Did you say hunters? Dragon hunters, right?" Braun asked eagerly. "Bring it on! Firestorm and I can take 'em."

Hiccup turned to find his five new apprentices and their dragons behind them. Liekki eyed them warily; she didn't know these humans, but she supposed if the dragons they were riding allowed them on their backs, they couldn't be too bad. If the Alphas weren't alarmed, neither should she be.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Being your students, duh" Brenda answered, rolling her eyes at him from behind Spark's spiked crown. "You're the one who said we were gonna learn on the job. You're doing your job, so we're here to learn."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Hiccup recalled. He supposed he might as well turn this into a lesson. "I don't know if it is hunters. Liekki just said there were strangers on her…oh, I almost forgot. Everyone, this is Liekki, she's mine and Toothless' beta – like, our second in command – on Outcast Island. Liekki, these are friends" he reassured her, though she seemed calm enough.

Braun heard the words 'Outcast Island' and scowled, snatching up his hatchet. "Somebody's trespassing on my home? Oh, those suckers are gonna pay! Up, Firestorm!" he ordered. The Fire-Scale spread his wings to take off, but a roar of *Wait!* from Toothless stopped him.

"No, no, no, Braun, don't" Hiccup said urgently, "We still don't know what this is really about, you guys can't just fly off without any idea what you're getting into. Liekki, who is – or was – intruding? What did they look like?" he asked.

Liekki growled uneasily, her body sparking with flame. *I've never seen humans like them* she confessed. *They were covered in fur, but their bare skin was brown. They shot me and my mate Ferocious and many of our pack with darts, darts that made us frozen, we couldn't move!*

Toothless growled, claws digging into the dirt. *So they were hunters* he snarled angrily. They'd been afraid of this, that dragon hunters would move in now that they believed Hiccup to be dead. Well, these hunters would soon find out that just because Hiccup was 'gone', it didn't mean these islands were undefended. *If we hurry we can still rescue the dragons they've taken.*

*No dragons were taken, Alpha-Toothless* Liekki explained, *I made sure of it, they're all still there. These strange humans, their leader tricked me into setting a tree on fire. Then they froze all of us who had come to chase them away, and burned the tree and took the ashes. I watched them do it.* It wasn't as if she'd had much choice.

Hiccup frowned. None of this made any sense. He quickly got the students up to speed. "She says the strangers who came to her island had dark skin – they must be from the south – and they had blow-darts, that froze her and the other dragons, but they didn't capture anyone. And that they burned a tree and took the ash" he summarised.

"A tree? Why would they burn a tree?" Brenda scoffed.

"That's a good question. Liekki, what kind of tree was it?" Hiccup inquired.

Braun answered before Liekki could. "It must've been a Loki tree. It's pretty much the only kind of tree that grows on Outcast Island" he shrugged.

"So what do these strangers want with Loki tree ash?" wondered Otto.

Margret asked, "Did you say she said their darts froze her? Doesn't she mean 'stunned'?" After all, that was what blow-darts were for.

"No, no, she definitely said 'froze'. Uh, Liekki? What exactly did you mean by 'froze'?" Hiccup asked her.

Liekki huffed an impatient plume of smoke and replied, *I mean one moment I was attacking them, the next I was like this!* She adopted the same position and expression as when she was frozen.

The others stared, and then Braun remarked "Huh. That kinda looks like when Firestorm got jabbed by a Speed Stinger that one time."

"Braun, that's it! They must have darts laced with Speed Stinger venom. That stuff is potent enough to paralyse a full grown dragon. Using it like this is – is…"

"Devious and sneaky?" Brenda supplied.

"Yeah. Though, credit where it's due, that would be very effective" he noted.

Ashildr pointed at him and glared through narrowed eyes. "Who's side are you on?" she demanded suspiciously.

"One can admire the method but disapprove of the reasons, Ashildr" Hiccup told her. "But never mind that; we've got bigger problems. Liekki, are you absolutely sure they didn't capture any dragons?"

*I am certain, Alpha-Hiccup* Liekki insisted, growling frustration a bit that they didn't believe her. Hiccup reached up to her, murmuring "Easy there…calm down. We believe you. Thank you for warning us, Liekki" he said gratefully, placing a hand on her snout. Her growls morphed into purrs and she relaxed at his touch. Toothless looked on with pride; his brother was so good with their subjects, reassuring them and strengthening their resolve.

Margret had dismounted from her Rock-Tail and gingerly approached the massive Fire-Scale. "Um, excuse me…Liekki?" She glanced at Hiccup uncertainly, not sure if she was pronouncing it right. He nodded encouragingly, and gestured for her to continue.

More confidently, she asked "Did these strangers have a ship? Do you know which way it went?" Then to Hiccup, she explained, "If we find their ship, we can find out what they're really doing here."

"Speed Stinger venom can take hours to wear off; these people could be anywhere by now. But you're right, Margret, we ought to try and find them, if just to keep an eye on them" he decided. "Liekki?"

*I didn't see a ship, but a few of my pack-mates did. They said it had a deep belly and a wide back with net throwers on it, and a big square sail with three jagged blue lines on it, all joined in the middle* Liekki explained.

"Jagged lines…middle…so the insignia looks something like…this" Hiccup said, showing them a hastily drawn sketch of what looked like a trio of lightning bolts.

Brenda frowned. "That doesn't look like what dragon hunters would have on their sail" she commented.

"Yeah" said Otto, "They always have like, dragons getting stabbed with swords or summat…err, no offence" he added to their own dragons, who shrugged.

"So, which way did it go?" Margret prompted. All eyes turned to Liekki, who shook her head. *I don't know.*

"Liekki, before you go back, fly out to Dragon Island, please, and warn Thornado of what you've seen" Hiccup instructed. "Tell him what I'm telling you – that if you or any dragon sees this ship, to keep an eye on it but not to go near it, is that clear?" He waited until she nodded, and stepped back, saying "Then go, and safe winds to you."

Liekki reared up, her huge wings casting a shadow over them, and the downdraft from her leap nearly knocking them over. Making a half-hearted attempt to smooth down his hair, Hiccup turned to the young adults behind him. "The ship must be sailing from Outcast Island; round up the A-team, pair up and fly out there to search for it, find out which way it's heading, then come straight back here and tell me what you've found, or when it gets dark, whichever comes first. Do not, and I mean it, do not try to engage them in combat. If just one of those darts hits your dragon, they will freeze up and fall into the sea. Be careful" he implored them.

"We will, Hiccup. Don't worry about us, we can handle it" Brenda said confidently. They returned to their dragons; Brenda to Flare, Otto to Boulder, Braun to Firestorm, Ashildr to Magpie and Margret to Gurgle. The two Spike-Tails, two Rock-Tails and one Fire-Scale took wing one by one and split up to find the members of the A-Team. Always have a wingman when out on missions, the mantra had been drilled into them at the Academy.


Meanwhile, Astrid had gone to find her daughter and niece. Stormfly easily tracked them down outside their home, where to her dismay, Astrid found Helena in tears as Heather tried to comfort her. Ebony was huddled at her mother's paws, wide eyes fixed on Astrid as she and Stormfly came into land. Swinging out of the saddle, Astrid walked over and crouched down near Helena.

"Hey, sweetheart. C'mere" she beckoned, and Heather gently nudged her niece into Astrid's arms. She hugged Helena to her with one arm and held out her other hand to Ebony. "You too, Bunny" Astrid encouraged, using the young kits nickname in the hopes of reassuring her. Whimpering uncertainly, Ebony nonetheless crept forwards and let Astrid pet her.

The little girl sniffled. "Sorry, mummy" she murmured, so soft it was lucky she was right beside Astrid's ear, or her mother might have missed it. Ebony whined. She hadn't managed to think-speak yet, but it was clear she meant 'I'm sorry too'. Astrid stroked her daughters hair and her nieces scaly head.

"It's okay, girls. I'm sorry I grabbed you like that, Helena; I shouldn't have been so rough with you. I know that's why you bit me, Ebony – you were just scared. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you two forgive me?" she had to ask. Helena sniffled again and nodded, "Mm-hm." Ebony nodded as well, although it was more likely she was just mimicking her cousin. Astrid counted it anyway.

She pressed a kiss to the top of both their heads. "Sweetie, I'm only strict with you because I want to be sure you're raised well. Your Nana and Papa were pretty strict with me too, you know. You're the first child I've ever had, and I don't always know what I'm doing, believe it or not. I don't let you have lots of sweet snacks because they're not good for you, and you get cranky when you're tired, but you get even more cranky when you've had sweet stuff and you're tired" Astrid tried to explain.

"I'm not tired" Helena protested, right before she yawned. "'M fine" she mumbled, even as her eyelids drooped.

Astrid chuckled and lifted Helena into her arms. "I'm thinking we should settle these three down for a bit" she suggested to Dagur and Heather, who were holding Cammie and Ozzie respectively. "All that play-fighting has worn you out, hasn't it? You can have a nice rest now; and if you're good, you can have a honey cake after dinner" Astrid told her daughter, who beamed.

Selena stepped forwards, nuzzled Ebony and crouched to let the little kit climb onto her back. *I'm so sorry she bit you, Astrid* the female Swift-Wing crooned apologetically, but Astrid waved her off. "It's not your fault, Selena; and there's no real harm done. I've seen worse" she shrugged.

It was a lovely day, so they sat outside together and chatted as Astrid braided her daughters hair. "Where's Hiccup?" asked Dagur, puzzled, turning to Astrid, "I thought he was with you?"

She waved a hand vaguely and replied, "Dragon problem. Their beta from Outcast Island, Liekki, wanted to see him and Toothless about something."

"Was that the huge Nightmare we saw heading right for the island?" he went on, "Cos Sleuther and I were totally gonna intercept and challenge them, but uh…when we saw how none of the other dragons were getting riled up we figured she was probably a friend" Dagur bluffed.

Astrid raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She left that to Heather. "Sure you did, Dagur" his sister smirked at him, "You totally didn't see her coming and rush us all out of there to go warn Hiccup, only to realise he and Toothless already knew about it." She and Astrid sniggered whilst Dagur just scowled.

"It's for the best, really" Astrid mused, once she'd caught her breath. "Liekki is technically part of our pack, but the dragons living on Outcast Island have always been…wilder, more aggressive, even more than the ones on Dragon Island. From what I hear, Liekki isn't the biggest fan of humans, even if they have a dragon partner. Hiccup is the only human she really trusts."

"Hiccup is something else" Heather remarked, impressed. Even she had been given pause by the size of the Monstrous – no, the Fire-Scale, she had to keep reminding herself of their new name, old habits died hard. To know that Hiccup had befriended and tamed her, a dragon that was probably large enough to eat him in one bite (if not for Toothless); if she didn't have so much respect for him already, that would be enough.

"How does he do it?" Dagur wondered, both impressed and kind of annoyed. "What's his secret? I've been wondering that for years. You know it, Astrid, right? He must have told you. Cos I've asked Hiccup, over and over, but he just keeps saying there is no secret" he complained.

Astrid shrugged. "That's what he tells me, too. That he's just nice to them, offers no threat, and they respond to that. Anyone could do it, he says, it's just that most people won't. Besides, you know he can talk to them now, that probably helps a lot" she pointed out.

Dagur shook his head. "He was like this way before he could talk to them. Maybe it's something to do with this 'soul of a dragon' thing he keeps mentioning" the Berserker Chief mused, "Maybe they can sense it somehow. Hey, can you guys sense Hiccup's dragon soul?" he inquired of Sleuther, Windshear and Selena. Then he huffed and turned to Astrid again. "Can you translate for me? It's so not fair that you get to hear thought-speak and we don't" Dagur grumbled.

It took a while, but they thought they'd finally worked out why Astrid, Stoick and Valka could hear and understand the dragons thought-speak, despite not being heart bound, but no one else could for more than a couple of hours at most. It was all about closeness. Not physical closeness, although that was necessary at first, but emotional ties. It all centred on Hiccup.

He was the one keeping the connection to the dragons open – he was, as he'd said to Astrid, the bridge. And just as a bridge could only hold so much weight, so too could Hiccup's mind only cope with so many connections. The bonds of love and blood between himself, Astrid and his parents strengthened it, allowing him to bridge the gap without pain.

On the other hand, despite being honorary siblings, Heather and Dagur weren't truly related to him. And although he did care about them, he just wasn't as close to them as to Astrid. Bridging the divide for them, permanently, just couldn't be done. Hiccup had tried, and ended up with a migraine that laid him up in bed sick for a day and a night.

"It's love" Helena piped up, looking up from her game of fetch with Ebony and a stick, actually a bit of broken spear. Seeing the grown-ups looking confused, the little girl explained, "That's the secret, Uncle Dagur. Daddy loves all the dragons, and they can tell cos they're clever, so they love him back."

Astrid smiled fondly, running a hand over her daughters hair. Out of the mouths of babes. "Did your dad tell you that?" she asked.

"Nuh-uh."

"Did you figure it out yourself?"

"Uh-huh!"

"You're a very smart girl" Astrid praised, before prompting "So tell us, then, how did you work it out?"

Helena looked up at her and replied simply, "Cos that's how he made friends with Uncle Toothless."

"She might be onto something" Heather conceded, "Dragons are very good at picking up on body language and emotions. Hiccup does love dragons, and he's so genuine about it that they…probably can't help but trust him" she suggested.


It was at that moment that Toothless-Hiccup came in for a landing. "We were just talking about you" Astrid grinned, seeing Helena's face light up as she and Ebony scrambled to greet their fathers. "Helena's figured out your secret to training dragons" she added.

"Oh? What did you say it was?" Hiccup asked his daughter curiously.

"Love!" she cheered, and he laughed.

"That's right! But you know, it's no secret how much I love you" Hiccup beamed, nuzzling his nose against Helena's in an Eskimo kiss. Then he set her back down, and she happily skipped over to where Ebony was discovering the joy of playing 'chase the light spot'. The other dragons watched with interest, refraining from trying to catch the ever elusive shiny thing (stupid pouncing instincts) for fear of hurting the little ones.

Hiccup smiled fondly, then looked up at Astrid, Heather and Dagur with a serious expression. "We need to talk."


In a low voice, Hiccup passed on Liekki's message. "They must be from the south" he reasoned, "if they have darker skin, and from what I gathered…hang on…" he took out his sketchbook, "Their insignia looks something like this." Hiccup showed them the sketch of three jagged lines, radiating out from a single point in a sort of spiral. "Only blue" he added.

Astrid's brow furrowed. "We've never seen dragon hunters with an insignia like that before" she noted, just as Brenda had.

"But were they hunters?" Heather wondered, "Like Hiccup said, they haven't captured any dragons. They just…burned a tree."

"Who burns trees?" questioned Dagur. Astrid frowned. Something about this niggled at her, it seemed oddly familiar…but she couldn't put her finger on it (1).

Hiccup reasoned, "They must have at least captured a Speed Stinger, if they're using the venom of one in their darts. I sent my…apprentices…to see if they can find this ship and which way it's heading" he explained.

"By themselves?" Astrid questioned.

"They've paired up with the A-Team. Liekki said they didn't take any dragons, but that might be because they already have too many captured. I don't know about you, but I want to know who these people are and what they're doing here. Besides, there's a chance they don't see dragons the way most hunters do, if they're even hunters at all. Maybe I can persuade them to join our side."

"You can?" Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"You can help" he added quickly, but she just shook her head at him.

"That's not what I meant. Hiccup, maybe it slipped your mind, but you're supposed to be in hiding. You can't just let complete strangers see you."

Hiccup nearly gaped at her. "Wha-really, Astrid? These people aren't even from the north! They won't have even heard of me, let alone that I'm supposedly a dragon army leading warlord, or whatever it is Adulfr has been telling people about me" he protested.

"And once they do hear about you, once they see you, they'll talk about you and word will get out that you're not really dead" Astrid countered.

"Not if I can make them into allies, get them to keep the secret" Hiccup insisted.

Dagur raised a hand and inquired, "Are you two having another marital spat? Cos Heather and I can give you some privacy, if you want."

"We're not arguing" Astrid said firmly. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, but we can't risk anyone, especially not complete strangers who could very well be hostile, finding out you're alive. Maybe…maybe one day" she relented a bit, "when people have had time to forget, but not now. It's too soon."

She could see how disappointed he was, but Astrid's resolve held firm. Then Hiccup asked quickly, "What if I wore a disguise?"

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, please, enough already. Have you guys warned all the dragons about this new enemy?"

"We were just about to go do that, Chief" Hiccup replied curtly, slipping his notebook back under his armour and turning to leave.

"Hiccup! For Odin's sake, don't be so childish!" Astrid called after him, exasperated. He paused at the door, but then pulled it open and stepped out without a backwards glance.

An uncomfortable silence descended, but it was soon broken by Dagur remarking, "Well…that was awkward."


Without needing to be asked, Toothless took him to the top of the mountain, and then higher. Up and up they went, until the air grew thinner and their breaths came shorter. Up there, as far from the village and the nest as they could get and still be in sight, Hiccup threw his head back and roared.

It was a very dragon thing to do.

*Are you done?* Toothless asked, when his rider gave up screaming into the void. Hiccup glared at him. *Astrid is just trying to help, you know* the dragon said reasonably, glancing back at Hiccup as best as he could.

With a groan, Hiccup dragged a hand over his face. *I know…I shouldn't have just walked out on her like that. I'm gonna get an earful when we go back home* he grimaced. *I know she's right, I know I only have myself to blame, but it's still… frustrating. I'm…I'm not wrong for feeling that, am I? It's not wrong to wish things were – that they could be different.*

*Of course not* Toothless warbled kindly, *but we don't know anything about these people. For all we know, they're in league with Adulfr* he pointed out.

*Fair point* Hiccup conceded. That would be just his luck.

*If they're not, though…* Toothless went on, *Maybe it doesn't have to be us that changes their minds. We have help; we're not in this alone.*

*Oh, with you I'm never alone* Hiccup smiled, stroking his head affectionately. He sighed and said, *We can't stay up here all day.* They flew down towards the mountain, and then Stormfly flew up to join them, alone.

*What's wrong?* Hiccup asked, his mind immediately jumping to Astrid, wondering why her dragon was here if she was not. Were she and Helena okay?

*Nothing, Alpha-Hiccup* Stormfly reassured him, *Astrid just wanted me to tell you that you're being immature and setting a bad example for your daughter. Also that she's told the villagers about these strangers whilst you were up here sulking* the Spike-Tail explained as they hovered together.

*I'm not sulking* Hiccup denied automatically. *Thanks for the message, Stormfly. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry, and that I'm still gonna try and persuade these strangers – if we find them – to our side. I'm just not going to do it alone. Now, if you'll excuse us, Toothless and I have to warn the rest of our subjects.*

*Yes, Alpha-Hiccup* Stormfly chirped obediently, folding her wings and diving away. Toothless flew down to perch on the spire of rock into which the Great Hall was built. They could fly around the island, telling all the dragons they found about these strangers in their waters, but there was an easier way.

Toothless-Hiccup closed their eyes, took deep breaths, and focused. They opened their minds to the pack web, thinking of all their subjects. Hiccup held an image of the ship, based on Liekki's description, in his mind. Toothless reached out with his will, urging their flock-mates *Listen* and *Warning*, and gently pushed Hiccup's image of the stranger-intruder's ship into their minds.

An Alpha's will was as unique as the Alpha themselves; it had an essence, a particular sensation tied in some way to the Alpha themselves. The will of the Red Death had felt like being dragged inexorably down into a deep, hot, suffocating abyss, burying consciousness in endless hunger. The will of the King felt like being swept up in a vast, cool, endless ocean, borne by the waves and submerged but never drowning. Urchin's will, back when he used it, felt like being frozen in ice, blank and cold and consuming. Perhaps his will would feel differently now that he had changed. Perhaps not. Who knew?

Queen Phoebe's will didn't feel like any particular thing, moreso the feeling of security, of coming home. It did not have as overwhelming an essence as that of the Giants, for they alone were old and powerful enough to command even dragons not of their flock. The essences of most Queen's and Alpha's wills reflected their personalities or something they cared about.

The will of Toothless-Hiccup felt like flying. It felt like the warmth of rising thermals, the rushing wind of free fall. It felt like a storm. It felt like freedom.

*Be wary* they urged their flock-mates, warning them of this unfamiliar maybe-threat, and felt a surge of acknowledgement as their dragons replied, *Yes, Alphas.* Then the connection faded to the back of their minds once more.

Hiccup opened his eyes and noticed that they were garnering an audience. All the dragons nearby were watching them eagerly, and he could see several villagers looking up at them and pointing. *Well, if they're watching anyway, bud…* he said temptingly, snapping out the tail-fin. Toothless grinned dragon-style and leapt, beat his wings; then flipped over in a somersault and plunged.

Down they went, levelling off with a roar just above the doors to the Great Hall and speeding over the village, eliciting appreciative cheers from the crowd. They did a lap of the village – the Academy, the dragon race stands, the reservoir, the windmill – before coming in for a landing in the plaza, outside the forge. Everyone watching applauded. Hiccup and Toothless grinned at each other and bowed. "Thank you, thank you, we'll be here all week!"

The villagers chuckled, with one exception. "Yeah, yeah, think you're a real joker, don't you?" Snotlout called from the forge, scoffing. "Nice of you to come down from your lofty perch on high and mingle with us lowly folk" the man sneered, taking the sword he was hammering out and plunging it into water.

"Well, it's not like you can't come up there with me. You have a dragon partner too…speaking of, where is Hookfang?" Hiccup inquired, noting a distinct lack of crimson Fire-Scale. Usually, when Snotlout was in the forge Hookfang would be helping him, or more likely curled up nearby having a nap.

"How should I know?" the Jorgenson scowled. "Not all of us can talk to our dragons with our minds, you know. He got bored and flew off somewhere." Snotlout gestured at the forge and complained, "I shouldn't be here! When Astrid said I could be her second, I thought I'd get out of doing the grunt work. I'm a warrior, not a blacksmith."

Hiccup frowned, a bit offended. "What's wrong with being a blacksmith?"

"He ain't a blacksmith!" Gobber chose this moment to interrupt. "You ain't a blacksmith, Snotlout. You're a blacksmith's apprentice" he corrected, as if it made a difference. "Look, did ye ever know Stoick not to put 'is all into whatever task was in front of 'im? Being a chief isn't about getting out of the 'grunt work' as ye put it; s'bout getting into it and helpin' yer people."

"Oh, well I guess that explains why you abdicated" Snotlout remarked to Hiccup, who ignored him. Ever since he'd deferred the chieftainship of Berk to Astrid and taken on the role of Dragon Ambassador, he'd been criticised. People saying he was 'shirking his responsibilities' and 'rejecting his birthright'. As if being responsible for the well-being of hundreds of dragons and the smooth relationships between them and the Vikings wasn't enough. As for his so-called 'birthright', the idea that he ought to be leading Berk simply by virtue of being Stoick's only son was ridiculous. Astrid was doing a brilliant job of it herself.

Instead, he gestured to Snotlout's workload and offered, "I can finish that up, if you want. You go find Hookfang."

Snotlout looked surprised. "Why would you do that?" he frowned.

"Because we're…" Hiccup paused. "Because we used to be friends."

The other man looked almost…disappointed…when he said that. Snotlout glanced at the ageing blacksmith and said, "That okay with you, Gobber?"

"Aye, get on wi' ye" Gobber shrugged, waving Snotlout off with his hook.

"Okay, cool. Thanks. But I dunno how I'm gonna find – Hookfang!" he exclaimed, beaming as the Fire-Scale in question swept down to land in the plaza, folding his wings and tail in out of the way. Hookfang was accompanied by Fishlegs and Meatlug. "Aww, Hooky, where've you been? I missed you. What are you doing here, Fishface?"

"I was coming to find you" the stocky bearded blonde explained. "Aegir is just up at Gothi's hut. He's helping her sort the supplies we gathered from Healer Island." Aegir and Gothi had struck up something of an accord with each other, with the little boy acting as a sort of assistant to her and Agnes (2). Perhaps they just liked each other's silent company. "I've got some free time, so I wondered if you'd like to go for a flight?" For some reason Fishlegs smirked and added, "Snotlegs?"

Odder still, Snotlout's cheeks and ears immediately turned pink. "You-!" he spluttered, scowling. "Why would…" At Fishlegs' pointed glare, Snotlout hurriedly said "I mean yeah, sure, I'll go for a flight. I just finished. Thanks again, Gobber. See ya, Hiccup, wouldn't wanna be ya!" They mounted up; Hookfang and Meatlug took to the air and flew out to Healer's Island.

Hiccup turned to Gobber and wondered, "Since when does Snotlout want to go flying with Fishlegs?" Not that there was anything wrong with Fishlegs, Hiccup liked spending time with him, but he and Snotlout seemed an odd pair.

Gobber switched his hook out for a brush and combed his moustache as he explained, "They've been spending more time together ever since Spitelout passed on. After all, Fishlegs lost his dad too, and his brother."

Of course; Fishhook Ingerman and his eldest son Barrel (Brenda, Brant and Shrug's father) had both been killed in the dragon wars. If anyone could help Snotlout deal with the loss of his father, it was Fishlegs. Hiccup got to work, going through the still familiar motions even as he said resignedly, "At least he's still friends with the others."

Gobber shook his head. "It's not you, Hiccup. The man's just…dealing with a lot of things right now. He doesn't hate you like you seem to think he does."

"Yeah, well, he has a funny way of showing it."

"Hey, but this is great, innit? The old team, back together! S'good t'have me favourite apprentice back" Gobber grinned, clapping him on the back.

"Don't tell that to Snotlout. Have you guys thought about taking on a different apprentice?" he wondered. Speaking of which, he wondered how his own were getting on. Had they seen any hint of that ship? "Heh, or several. More hands the better, right? What about, uh…" he cast around for a suitable candidate and failed, but pressed on, "Brant or Shrug?"

Gobber stared at him incredulously. "What sorta water have ye been drinking? Ye think I'm gonna let the twin's lackeys anywhere near me forge?"

"They're not that bad now" Hiccup protested, but he knew what Gobber meant. Brenda Ingerman's younger twin brothers had taken the Thorston's lessons from that…memorable visit to Dragon's Edge to heart. At the Academy they bonded with a Twin-Head, named him/them 'Devious&Sneaky' or 'Deaky' for short, and proceeded to follow in Ruffnut and Tuffnut's mayhem causing footsteps. They'd grown out of that phase by now (more than could be said for Ruff and Tuff), but still…. "It was just a suggestion."

"Ah, don't ye worry 'bout it. We'll figure summat out. 'Sides, it's not like I'm going anywhere! There's plenty o' life left in this old dog" Gobber insisted, wandering off singing to himself. "Oh I got my axe and I got my mace and I love my dragon though he naps all day, I'm a Viking through and through…"

Hiccup chuckled to himself and went back to work.


(1) It's been about 12 years since anyone tried to use the ash of a Loki tree for unsavoury purposes, so I think the characters can be forgiven for overlooking the possibility.

(2) Gothi's apprentice and Gustav's girlfriend (possibly betrothed), first mentioned all the way back in 'Dragon Soul'.